"No matter what your feelings are about the general situation of the world, I think we can all agree on one thing. We need to get out of here, and quick. I'd like everyone to pick up as many of these papers as we can, then we are going to load up and head back to town. Has anyone ever heard of project reset?" Without really waiting for an answer Bernhard begins gathering any papers he can find in the growing darkness. "Winters? you have the recon team radio right? Could you contact Dettinger and tell them to keep their heads down 'til the convoy passes?"

It's all greek to Dave.... ;)
It'll take somebody with skill in whatever language it is in to know what the papers are all about. Most of the papers do have a common header though - "Universytet Łódzki" and this stamp:
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:50, Thu 01 Sept 2005.

Shrugging in resignation, Zhukov takes the radio and slings it over his shoulders. The wounded man is found then, so rather than stand about while Don, and Finnegan search the body, he heads over to led whatever aid he can.

The radio squawks a couple more times and then goes quiet...
"Nothing to be worried about," he says in reply to any questions. "They think radio problems."

Zhukov is close enough to hear the dying mans last words. "Reset? Is something do to counters?"
The rapidly approaching dark and the mention of somebody, anybody, paying for the papers spurs Zhukov to help gathering them as they blow on the wind. He heads directly for the greatest concentration of them - near the stripped truck hulks, scrounges around for a container and piles sheath after sheath of them inside.

Tanya returns the gaze back Michelle, Look around you Michelle, this has been over!  It's going to be a long time berfore there's an semblence of a true government coming out of anywhere.  It's going to be nothing but warlords and marauders setting up in areas and trying to control as much as they possibly can.  It would be real nice if someone could come along and help take away the fears of the people, take away all of the unnecessary killing, take away the poverty, disease, and starvation.  The last story I read that something like that happened started with, "Once upon a time" and ended with "Happily ever after!"  If there's a difference to be made, you're going to need a lot more proof than just some papers blowing around a field.  Christ, even the Lieutenant mentioned something about payment?  Nothing is free any more Michelle!  How many more of us are supposed to die to get this 'Reset' going?  Ain't no sense in arguing about it anyway, I'll just start picking this shit up and dealing with it.  Maybe we can get some good ass paper from this stuff if 'Reset' doesn't pan out for us!  Tanya goes along with the others and gathers up what papers she can find.

Michelle smiles to herself slightly and shakes her head. Fantasy? maybe. her momma always told her she needed to get her head out of the clouds and feet back on the ground. Looking back over her shoulder, she picks up another piece of paper. "In case you missed it, He said they had the prototype too. They didn't know about the papers. maybe us "Marauders" could go steal it from those marauders and we get money for it instead and make the world a better place while we are at it. then we will both be happy." She takes a look at the seal and would recognize Polish immediately.
"Or, if the war is so over for you, why do you still wear the uniform? If you don't believe in the semblance of any military, or have any loyalty to the U.S. that you swore to defend to your death if need be, why wear their clothes? Lot less likely to be shot of you are a farmer than a soldier."

Major Finnegan picks up a few more pages and places them in one of the footlockers found at the ambush site. Finishing this he looks to the arguing women,"Look, any other time I'd be willing to watch a catfight. Hell I'd pay for it, and place wagers on it, but not here, and not today. You're both right, the army we belonged to doesn't exist the way it was. Even civilization the way it used to be doesn't exist. But as long as we still wear the uniform we have a duty, no correct that. We have a moral imperative to help the helpless. Don't get me wrong, I want to get home as much as everybody else. That doesn't mean we can't at least try to get these plans for whatever-the-hell Project Reset is to someone that knows what to do with them." He finishes securing a few more pages in the footlocker,"Can anyone read this? It looks Polish to me, but I'm not positive."

Michelle instantly recognises the stamp as the official logo of the University of Lodz. It only takes her a second or two more to skim over the page. It (and many like it) are easily identified as records, personnel forms and requistions from the University of Lodz.

Searching about reveals one footlocker which is different. It is still aboard one of the trucks, opened and rummaged through, but the contents have not (yet) blown all over the field. These papers include what are obviously electrical wiring diragrams, hundreds of them, in sheaf upon sheaf, all carefully labelled and annotated (in Polish), together with several loose leaf folders crammed with hand written notes. The notes are highly technical, describing modular components for an extremely complex peice of electrical equipment. The papers include a bound volume of blueprints, again of electrical wiring diagrams and curcuitry, and several exposed rolls of 35mm film. A leather Nikon camera case remains in the truck, but the camera has been taken.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:52, Thu 01 Sept 2005.

Winters shakes his head as he picks up the radio handset from SFC Redgrave and relays the message asked of him by the Major. Unsure of the callsigns he makes one up hoping the BTR crew will catch on, >>"Victor One, this is Romeo Papa, be advised per da six, keep yer heads down an' allow da convoy to pass, over."<<

Marcus helps SGT Gallin as much as he can with stablizing and making comfortable his fellow 'long tab'. He tries his best to assure the dying Lieutenant that he will carry out the mission, mostly to comfort him. Assured that the others will search for the papers mentioned Marcus sets himself on the task of burying the now deceased Lieutenant.

"You relise if you break his legs and fold them over you only have half the digging."

[Private to Nuked: I know how sensitive these people are, just thought I would get in early.
If anybody is upset by this, Lt Ferry was the one who had told me on one training exercise, blame the 'Army']

Comming out of the vehicle to help gather paperwork...

"I know a thing or two about electronics, mind if I have a look?"

Elec: 4

Major Smythe takes a sheaf of the papers and looks them over in the rapidly darkening conditions.
[Private to Major Richard Smythe: No idea whatsoever. Definately some sort of electronics but it's all gibberish as far as you can tell. Might help if you could read the notes written in Polish but probably not (rolled the check for you - catastrophic failure. Might as well be the Argentine national anthem to you.)]Perhaps it's the lack of light but he can not make head nor tails of it.
This message was last updated by the GM at 16:39, Fri 02 Sept 2005.

"We go back now, yes?" It had to be that footlocker full of technical papers that the Lieutenant had meant. What else was there besides worthless requisition orders and outdated personnel files? Besides, the light was fading fast and the storm was nearly upon them. No need to stay out in it longer than needed although the bodies should all be buried before they left - it was the decent thing to do.

RPG - Lumper looks as the group down there continues to move around, and to discuss, they do that alot, they talk too much and act too few he thinks.

Now, how to appear without getting shooted at, and most importantly without losing any of the stuff I have to the group. Lumper tries to find something that resembles a white flag, If he finds it he will tie it to the end of a pole and wave it vigorously to make sure it is seen before putting his head out, He will then present himself in English as 'Feldwebel Dieter Lumper, Bundeswehr, Federal Intelligence Service'...

OOC - Surprise, surprise...

Marcus ignores Guido's asinine comments and quickly completes the task of burying his comrade-in-arms. He picks up his gear and weapon as he heads over to Major Finnegan. He curtly asks, "Got the papers sir? Not waiting for an answer he states matter-of-factly, "We should go."

Bernhard nods to Marcus,"I think we got all the papers we can for this project 'reset'. Now to get everyone sorted out, and head back to town."


Hearing Dieter's announcement before seeing him, Bernhard raises his AKM and scans 'til he catches the German's form appearing in the twilight shrouded forest"Who are you, and where the hell did you come from? Come down here and keep your hands where we can see them. Were you a part of this convoy?" Bernhard waits 'til the man gets closer before firing off any more questions.

Lumper understood by the tone of the questions that an immediately friendly contact was out of question. He decided not to be tossed around. So he stood firmly where he was still carrying his 'white flag'.

Will move near if you put gun down. I've not any gun pointed at you.

Bernhard lowers his rifle half-way,"OK then we compromise, I won't aim at you, and you can get a bit closer."

Lumper felt that this was a good sign, he moved to about half the distance he was before.

Good. Can I join your group?...

OOC - His English is pretty basic.

Bernhard lowers his rifle the rest of the way once Dieter gets close enough to be seen a bit better. "Yeah, sure, you can tag along. Hell thats all most of us seem to be doing. Got any friends out there with you?" Bernhards motions to the BTR with his rifle, "Ride in the BTR-80 'til we get everything settled."


"I think we need to be loading up and leaving now. Damn, probably been to long here as it is. Load the papers up in the BTR-80, and get it turned around. Recon team take point on the left side of the road sweeping for ambushes. Smith head out with them, Matterson, Samuels, Miricada, Brown and Myself will sweep the right side. Sgt. Gallin, if you could keep driving the BTR, Zhukov can stay gunning, Smythe in the turret with Zhukov, and Don dismount, but stay close to the BTR watching for mines or traps they may have set before heading back through town. Also Zhukov, if I could have that radio back, thanks." When he finishes, Bernhard translates the essential parts into what little German and Russian he knows.

Lumper takes a minute to reply.

No. No friends. Thanks you I will get into the BTR. Where are we going?

Virgil comes down out of the treeline after having sat there, waiting for the sniper to take their next shot that he could triangulate them. But they never did, and he has decided they either moved on, or weren't lookin' for his people. Just as he gets within range, he hears the next set of orders and starts off.

The few thousand metres or so back to the warehouse takes just a bit longer than expected and a few bucket loads of sweat. About three hundred yards short of it's destination the engine coughs, splutters and dies, totally out of fuel. Even on the realitively flat roadway, over ten tonnes of metal takes a bit of muscle power to move....

Finally it's parked back undercover inside the building, where it's found that two of the civilians have rigged up a camp shower down in the loading dock. Straws are drawn, soap (from the buildings washroom) is distributed and bodies are cleaned for the first time in weeks (months even for some). Most of the water reserves are used up but it's a price that all are willing to pay. An hours work with a few pack horses and jerrycans in the morning will rectify that anyway.

The evenings exertions highlight the critical need for fuel. Your still at maximum output creates only 35 litres per 24 hours. The BTR-80 burns over 60 litres of ethanol in only one hour - even more if the more common (and easier to make) methanol is used. At best, that one 24 hours fuel production will move you (conditions being ideal) approximately 20 kilometres - barely to the next village. Obviously this situation is untenable and something must be done.

The fuel position would be much, much worse if the BRDM-2 didn't have a supply of gasoline to use but even that will run out sooner than you may wish - only 440 litres remains. A veritible fortune really at over US$48 per litre and if it could be found (compare that with the price we are paying now to fill our cars! An entire 220 litre barrel of crude oil is selling for about US$60?).

That 440 litres is enough for most to kill for - a resource like that could get the BRDM over 1000 kilometres - well into western Europe and possibly even down to Spain! Such a shame that the BTR-80 cannot use it too...

So what are the choices?
1. Abandon the BTR-80 and its tremendous load carrying capacity.
2. Attempt harnessing the horses to pull it (very difficult since you have no harnesses, proper skills to do it and a vehicle that simply isn't designed for it).
3. Sit about and wait the required 8 and a half days for a tankfull (that will only get you 190 kilometres on road or an abysmal 48 kilometres offroad).
4. Find somebody to trade with.
5. Find somebody to take it from. (These last two may be difficult in such a devastated and sparsely populated area as you find yourselves).

Another problem that complicates matters are the civilians who are now reliant on your group for food, shelter and protection. While of some use, they are also a constant drain on your resources - food and medical in particular. The good news is that most want to leave as soon as they can and head back to their home town of Zyardow, around 40km to the southeast.

Now that Michelle is back in the town, she still wants to go to the area school and see if she can scrounge up stuff needed to make antibiotics and makeshift med supplies. There has to be a chemisty/science room there.