She considered the options for a moment before making her decision.
"We mask up and move forward carefully. As Dawid said, any chemical residue should have disapated after a few days, weeks at most. If we can see how long ago any attack was, we'll know a lot more about local forces than we do now."
Her worst fear was that the helicopter recently seen flying about this area had been in the process of delivering such an attack. On the other hand, what better place to base an airborne force than within a village with sucha bad reputation?
"We'll move in a little closer and then skirt the village. At this time we will not enter."

As the tug team go about their business in blissful ignorance, the newly masked-up recon team cautiously approaches the burned out building closest to the tree.

Its completely gutted. Among the rubble that's collapsed into the still standing brick shell of the structure lie the unmistakeable shapes of several human skulls, grinning earily green in your night vision goggles.

To the south of this structure, you notice what at first glance appears to be a lonely picketed enclosure, about twenty feet on a side, and set apart from the village proper. Moving closer, you see that the pickets are actually primitive grave markers atop oblong earthen mounds. Into each is crudely scratched a name and a date. Not all of the dates are identical, but each falls within a period beginning in mid May and stretching into late June of this year. There are approximately 20 markers in this impromptu, mass funeral plot.

Doubling back towards the first intact structure, you notice writing on the wall near a door. Moving closer to investigate, you can't make out a faint message, painted in black on the white plaster about a meter above and beside the mudsill.

family jop
gone to szczucin
22-06-00
[sic]

The house accross the street, directly opposite, sports instead a large black X next to the front door, clearly visible through your NVGs. So does the house next to it. And the one two houses down from that.

Actions?
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:58, Mon 19 Nov 2007.

First the unburied dead, bone beginning to show through weathered and rotted flesh, then the burials and door markings confirmed that something terrible had occured here. Stripping the claustrophobic mask from her face, Anneka shook her hair free.
"Whatever it was, it's been and gone. I'm guessing some sort of disease with the survivors running off to safer parts."
Six weeks seemed like a long time though from first to last death. Perhaps they'd thought they could contain it, treat it....survive it.
"Good news is though that we're likely to find all sort of salvagable materials laying about. Doubt anyones been back to take anything in the past couple of months."
If the team were careful, wearing gloves and scrubbing down everything they took with disinfectant, the risk after so long should be minimal.
"We should definately stay clear of the black marked houses and keep well away from any bodies. Most biologicals shouldn't have survived this long but no point taking any risks."
A village this size should yield up much of value. Plate steel which they were desperately short of, materials for her explosive production, even perhaps some ammunition, or at least primers and gunpowder.
"Lets head back to the tug and I'll recommend coming back in daylight with protective gear."

"Best decision I've heard all day," Tucker thinks to himself about Anneka's decision to come back in the daylight to scrounge around the diseased village.

"A look around in the daytime would make a lot more sense Major!"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:38, Tue 20 Nov 2007.

His breath echoed loudly in the rubber mask. Dawid's voice was muffled, but it was still possible to tell he seemed shaken. "Disease is outside my expertise, except for enforcing quarantine. I have never seen anything like this before."

He held his rifle in his shaking left hand and crossed himself with the right. "Mother Mary and the Seven Holy Helpers protect us!" He invoked the patron Saints of protection from epidiemics, bubonic plague and the Black Death as a ward against disease. Sweat dripped down his ribs.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:23, Tue 20 Nov 2007.

Quyen doesn't say anything. She would have preferred to have avoided the village, but did as she was told. Pulling out her gas mask she fitted it onto her head and stuffed her bush hat away into her pocket. Her laboured breathing through the respirator sounded deafening loud in the still night.

While the doctor and the others were busy taking notice of the important dates on the grave markers, Quyen couldn't help herself but focus entirely on the names. Did that family make it to Szczucin? How many?

Quyen was normally relatively comfortable with death, mostly due to her Buddhist upbringing... Tịnh Độ Tông and all that "stuff" she learned when at her temple years ago. The cycle of life was completely natural after all. But for some reason, imagining villagers, maybe whole families, all slowly dying, from something they could not see or fight back at, made her feel ill. Weird... After all these years of seeing death, this time was totally different. It was the worse, yet there were no bodies to actually see.

When the other's de-masked, Quyen did so last. After placing her mask back into it's carrier pouch, she found herself rubbing her hands together, as if trying to clean them in the light rain.

When the doctor suggested returning, once again she kept her mouth shut. Quyen thought the doctor was right the village having salvageable items, but she hoped she'd have no part in it.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:26, Tue 20 Nov 2007.

Recon Team

The recon team departs the ghost village and heads back across the fields of mud to the Queen. The return trip is even more unpleasant. This time, for the first couple of hundred meters or so, no one has the benefit of NVGs. Instead, you sweat through the dank, rubber-scented hoods of your gas masks, fogged lenses combining with the darkness to render you all but blind.

As the village grows smaller behind you, you tear off your masks to the sweet relief of the cold night air. The next two hundred meters are better and soon the Wisla Krolowa looms up ahead like a green sea monster dozing on the river's surface.

You arrive at the riverbank cold, muddy, and utterly exhausted, both from the tough, near-blind slog through the mire and the lingering memories of what you have seen in the plague-swept village.

Tug Team

You cannot help but notice the recon team's return. They look like B-movie swamp creatures as they clamber clumsily aboard. But more alarming than their appearance, is the tale they bring of the ghost village and the fate that befell it...

Actions?

Thanks to the recon team for their prompt posting. I fast forwarded things quite a bit to get everyone involved again. You'd best decide what to do in the morning. Do you return to the village fro some scrounging or proceed without further delay? The tug's crew can handle repositioning the ZU to the barge so there's no need to worry about that. Just budget about an hour of daylight for the job.

Everyone, please pipe in IC; make your thoughts known & get involved.

[Private to Minh Quyen: Nice RP/writing in your last post!]
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:58, Wed 21 Nov 2007.

Tucker is finally happy to get the gas mask off and back into its pouch.  He gets some relief from the cool night air on his face and head from being in the mask, even though for a short time.  He never get used to that claustrophobic feeling of being in that mask no matter how short a time it is.  Now, with the feeling of being dirty and contaminated on his mind, Tuck just wants to get back to the tug and into some clean clothes and get himself and his stuff cleaned up as well.

Tucker helps everyone back on board and waits to see what Anneka wants to do about debriefing with Konrad and any recommended decontamination procedures she may have.  "Ah shit!  Dawid, after we get squared away with this stuff, I'm gunna need to set up some training for those of us who need it on the Dashka's.  You up for it?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:23, Wed 21 Nov 2007.

As the team approached the boat, Anneka issued her decontamination orders.
"Try to stay away for the other crew if you can. Each of us needs to shower thoroughly and clean all equipment, preferably with disinfectant. Ideally we'd steam it all."
Now there was a thought. The tug was "armed" with a steam defence system running off the engines. Could steam also be syphoned off through a hose for decontamination?
"I know we're all tired, but this needs to be done before anything else, unless you're interested in spending what's left of the night alone on the barge..."
The risk was minimal as she'd indicated earlier, but why take chances?
"Come see me first thing in the morning for a complete check up too, and every morning for the next week."

Bayer's wristwatch alarm goes off before Snowy arrives to wake him for his shift. Gearing up he begins standing watch - interrupted by brief walks around the deck, scanning into the night with his night vision. Dawid was on patrol tonight, so does his sentry duty alone.

Once his shift is finished, he hands the radio and night vision over to Milk to use. Bayer then attempts to go back to sleep. However, his eyes are shut for only a moment before he hears voices and footsteps on the deck. The patrol has returned.

Slipping his boots on her decides to meet them for a quick debrief. He arrives as Soleblume is issuing her post-op instructions and announcing their self imposed quarantine. Confused by their strange actions (and not aware of the events which occured in the village) he says pointing at them, "If it were something serious I'm sure you would have radioed us a SITREP. However, I am worried none the less. Radiation? Why the isolation and clean up?" he asks over an invisible buffer zone.

After the situation is explained to him he continues, "Well, see to yourselves as you are doing... and whenever you are ready lets have a debrief ja?"

Leaving them in the hands of the doctor he heads to the galley to brew up something hot for the patrol and for the night sentries. If Soleblume isn't ready by then to give a debrief he will go back to sleep until such time.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:41, Wed 21 Nov 2007.

After proper decontamination, he listened to Tuck's request.

"Of course, friend Tucker. I would be happy to assist in this operation. I can work up a training schedule, if you prefer. Training won't be too hard, most of the soldiers here seem likely to be familiar with machineguns already, at least a bit."

Isolated by the port bow railing, he knelt down in the darkness. Taking his rosary beads in hand he began to pray for the souls of the villagers, like he did for the people of Nowy Huta, lips moving silently.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:30, Wed 21 Nov 2007.

After waiting her turn, Quyen followed her instructions... she washed, and cleaned her clothes and gear. She was very thorough but wasn't worried, the Doctor was only taking precautions after all. And after he was told what happened, even Hauptmann Bayer didn't seem concerned. Just precautions she thought, and besides, she felt a hell of a lot cleaner.

Finished, she loitered out around the port bow where Dawid and the rest of the patrol had been isolated. She was quiet not to disturb him, and she was lost in her own thoughts as well. The village was a bad experience. She needed to shake these thoughts or it would wear her down. Back to wearing her green Adidas tracksuit top, she pulled the hood completely up over her head and face... closing the world off from view.

[Private to Cap'n Rae: Thanks!]

Scrubbed clean in an almost blistering hot shower and all her gear decontaminated to the best of their abilities, Anneka sought out Konrad and briefed him in the situation in the village.
A few minutes later and she summed it up for him.
"As I said, it's probably a disease that killed them, with the survivors fleeing for "safer" parts. The risk to any salvage efforts would be very minimal especially if proper precautions are taken. A village like this could yield an amazing amount of materials with only a little effort."
Sheet steel, wooden and metal beams, mechanical parts, electrical cable, and who knew what else was just waiting for somebody to cart away. As long as they took care to stay clear of bodies and leave any foodstuffs alone, wasn't it worthwhile?
"Anything that's brought back we can decontaminate with steam from the boiler. Shouldn't be too hard to run a hose out for the job."
Anneka stifled a yawn.
"Anyway, we can discuss this further in the morning."

Adam, awake on the bridge as Anneka confers with Konrad, interjects,

"Hmmm. I do not like it. I think we should move on as soon as it is light. If the bridge at Szczucin is down as that pervert said, we will need time to make a way through. Further delays here will only cause more delays downriver. And these things you describe... they trouble me greatly."

Uller grumbles from where he feigns sleep on the cot nearby,

"Yellow is history warning for plague. If you go back, we do not wait. And you are doctor..." he adds in a gruff whisper meant to be heard.

Adam cuts him off impatiently,

"Will you shut up, Uller?! And stop being such an asshole."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:33, Thu 22 Nov 2007.

"We need the steel and we need telephone cable," Anneka shot back.
"The risk is probably less than smelling your unbrushed teeth!"
Tired and agravated, she could not prevent the insult slipping past her lips.

Bayer waits for the commotion to die down before he responds to Soleblume's debrief and suggestion to return to the village...

"I am always open to ideas and advice. Sure we could use it. However, I'd like to hear more of how you think we can do it. The village is several hundred meters from here... how can we move heavy steel and cable line? Without spending many hours here?"

Bayer continues, trying to work out a compromise... "We need an hour or so after sunrise to transfer the flak gun to the barge. Would you be satisfied for a quick run into town to grab... more easily carried supplies we might find?"

"We are not very far from Sandomierz. Surely we can trade there for the more heavy stuff. We've also got two small abandoned villages along the way as well. Perhaps we can find more accessible steel and line there too?"

"Hanging around here for a prolonged period might not be a good idea. Those men with the tanks and BMPs saw us sail downriver... and that wasn't very far from here. Perhaps a quick grab might be the safest thing right now."

Still kneeling on the deck under the tarpaulin awning, Dawid finished his prayers and made the sign of the cross.

As he cleaned his rifle his thoughts drifted. Trying to put this into perspective, taking salvage from the village would be little different than scrounging in the deserted ruins of other towns and cities of Germany and Poland, as he'd done on many other occasions. True, there had been rumours that the west had used biological warfare (and that of course it had backfired on them) but those were only rumours. Although, he had many comrades who swore it was true.

Although he was showered and relatively dry, he finally drifted off to an exhausted and troubled sleep, wrapped in his blanket and poncho, surrounded by the living and the dead.

Clarence wakes as the recon team shuffles aboard and proceeds vigorously to clean their bodies and kit. They look preoccupied, and beyond tired, so Clarence keeps his distance, but he's a bit surprised when Minh and Dawid return to their berth just aft of him without so much as a word.

Well, maybe they thought I was still sleepin'...

Clarence finds that he can't fall back asleep. His mind starts wandering back home, to the Windy City, to Shareesa and the two girls...

He quickly busies himself, checking and rechecking his radio. He's so familiar with its buttons and knobs that, even in the dark, it's a snap. He could probably field strip and clean his AK in the dark as well, but he'll save that for after he zeroes it (finally!) in the morning. Maybe then Dawid and Minh will be ready to talk about their mission.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:13, Thu 22 Nov 2007.

Griet too wakes as the recon team comes back aboard. She dozes for a while until voices carrying down from the bridge suggest that a conference is underway. It seems that, lately, the security command team has taken to making decisions without consulting her. In fact, it's starting to seem as though she's being deliberately frozen out the process. It seems that everyone has forgotten that the barge carries a significant investment of Krakow captital for which the people of Krakow deserve a return.

Griet is no fool and she's been aware for some time that Adam's plans extend beyond a straightforward trade expedition to Sandomierz. The black man's impassioned speech the evening before indicated that at least some of the crew had their own alterior motives for accompanying the voyage. And Dawid, her fellow countryman, had already confided to her his desire to return home to the Warsaw area.

It is well past time that all of them are reminded of their first duty.

She climbs the short but slick ladder up to the bridge and enters to find Anneka, Konrad, and Adam discussing an early morning return to the village.

"What is going on here?" Griet demands in a calm but forceful tone.

Adam explains, quickly briefing her on the recon team's findings.

"How does this help mission? We are day or two away from Sanomierz. The cargo- the cargo of Krakow- has had great danger many time now. No more risk. We go in morning."

Uller grumbles again from his cot, "Finally, some fucking sense."

OOC: This is not an attempt on my part to dictate the group's decisions; I'm just in the mood for some RP and Griet's been a bit neglected lately.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:11, Fri 23 Nov 2007.

Quyen eventually falls asleep with her hood still pulled over her head and face. She missed her sentry watch while ashore, so will sleep the rest of the night until the morning stand to.

Minh Quyen
Sleeping

Bayer speaks slow and calmly to Griet, "Thank you for your input Chief. I was just saying the Anneka how everyone's voice is taken into consideration for planning and decision making."

He leans against the bridge room's wall and continues, "Now, I am well aware of the mission, I don't need to be reminded. However, I'd like to make it clear of something more important, and that is the survival of these men and women. Without them, you and Krakow have no cargo. The Major's idea had that in mind."

"However, as I was just saying before you joined us, I think we should not stay." He tries to make this a subtle point - that he wants to go but not because she said so.

OOC - Anneka did you want to respond to Bayers compromise? It's making a very quick run into the village to scrounge up more easily carried items - not steel and cable. The ZU-23 will need an hour in the morning to transfer forward anyways.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:24, Fri 23 Nov 2007.

Thursday, October 5th, 2000
0630hrs.
Vistula river, approx. 1/2km upriver from Nowy Korczyn, Poland
40 F
Scattered Clouds

Morning dawns clear and bitingly cold. Your constant companions- the clouds- seem to have dispersed for the time being, releasing whatever warmth they had trapped on the surface of your little tortured corner of the planet.

You are roused by the call to stand to. You've been able to get several uninterupted hours of sleep and, despite the aches and pains lingering in your body, your mind feels fresh and sharp.

While the command crew begin briefing the rest of the team on the situation in the village*, Grsyech and Luboslaw fire up the boiler and the Polish boat crew begin the process of transferring the ZU to the barge. The first order of business is to detatch the barge from the Queen. Freed from her burden, she feels quicker, more agile, and more responsive. She nimbly pulls up alongside the battered, tray-like barge and the two halves are made fast. The aft crane is erected and the anti-aircraft gun is swung over a section of the barge's extant decking. It's lowered gently into position and secured in place. It should have much better fields of fire now but it looks rather exposed sitting all alone on the otherwise flat, bare deck of the barge. There is no cover to speak of, unless one should abandon the gun to jump down from the deck into one of the barges several large, uncovered hull compartments. The gun now in place, the crew backs the Queen into her previous position and refastens the barge forward. It all takes just over an hour.

Actions?

OOC: *I've left the matter of a return to the village up in the air. I strongly suggest that this matter be put to a vote.

Tucker will take his gear and clean it as needed, shower and get cleaned up, and then try to get some sleep.  When he awakens, he will try to get some hot water to boil his BDU's and whatever else he can to clean his stuff up.

"If it comes to a vote, I don't feel comfortable going back there!  Not after finding what we did!"

After the stand-to Bayer watches the boat's crew in action, transferring the anti-aircraft gun forward. "Next stop, lets fill some sandbags." he says aloud as the work comes to a finish. "Plating will be good too as Soleblume mentioned."

During breakfast, he speaks to the group (assuming all but the sentry is present) offhandedly, "I don't think it is a good idea to take the boat to the downed bridge without checking it first. Its a dead end there, and sailing right up to it with no room to maneuver and all, doesn't seem goot. I've been thinking about sending someone forward who knows about bridges, and blowing them up, Maddock and Thompson for example... before we all get there. Even if they take an inflatable ahead of us and we don't actually stop."

"Or perhaps we can stop short and also send a party to the town itself to look to trade or salvage?"

OOC - That allows everyone to be involved in something as we've been discussing for gameplay. One groups mission is to recce the bridge and assess it for demo, and the rest head to the town to do salvage like Anneka suggest for Nowy Korczyn.

He looks to Adam, "Can you maybe give an expected time we are expected to arrive at Szczucin bridge? Its about twenty-five kilometers ja?"

He also looks around the galley at everyone eating, expecting some ideas and opinions.

OOC - Dawid and Tucker, if you are ready now would be a good time to mention the machinegun training. No problem though if you aren't.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:26, Sun 25 Nov 2007.

His day began with washing his face in warm water and shaving with a dull safety razor. As dawn broke, he said his daily prayers, asking God for forgiveness and the Holy Madonna of Częstochowa for her blessing.

At breakfast, he talked with Clarence a little, filling him in on what they found. "It was like the days of the Black Death. Everyone was dead or fled. Most unusual."

Bayer laid out his proposal at breakfast. Dawid sipped tea. "I will go back to the village. Even if I found it... very unpleasant. But I will do whatever is required." He then lit a cigarette.

He looked over at Tuck. "We, ah, Tuck and I, discussed additional training for the automatic fire weapons."

"I can comfortably handle 4 students at a time. I can take more, but it will be less effective. We'll need 4 hours per day, once a day, for instruction."

"Any volunteers, please speak up now, or see me later after the meal. We can work out when people are not on duty."

"You know, Captain, it might be better for me to train people on firing the mortar and other big guns. I think most of the soldiers already have a solid grounding in machine-guns and machine-cannons. He sipped more tea and took another drag from his cigarette, tapping ashes into his chipped saucer.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:13, Sat 24 Nov 2007.