A Surprise Contribution
Chopper, squating over the Mk-19 on the fantail aft, gives a wry, polite half-smile to the militiamen stationed nearby. He slips a cigarette from its crushed package and flips it into his mouth, igniting it with a tarnished, marine corps logoed, zippo lighter. He takes a long drag and smiles again, this time more broadly, as the smoke trickles out from between his stained teeth. The closest militiamen frowns and looks away towards the west bank, his companion ignores Chopper, focussed instead on the battle picking up in intensity on the eastern shore.
Chopper half coughs, half laughs, takes another long pull on the cigarette and then stubs it out against the cold metal of the deck. He slips a grenade out of his pocket and pulls the pin, holding down the spoon with his left hand. Standing, he draws his Colt .45 with his free hand, cocks the hammer, points it at the back of the starboard side militiaman's head, and pulls the trigger. The man's head rocks forward, blood and bits of skull and brain matter exploding outward, and he pitches overboard. The port side militiaman, startled by the gunshot, turns around in time to see his companion's legs disappear over the tug's low side and the gaping maw of the American's .45 swing around to point directly at his face. Chopper pulls the trigger a second time and the second militiaman drops against the gunwhale, leaving a bloody mist to settle on the deck just aft of where he'd been kneeling a second before.
Chopper, almost nonchallantly, turns towards the quarterdeck, hefting the live grenade in his left hand, a mischevious grin spreading across his unshaven face.
Forward, Dawid's instints prove correct. He and Minh spot movement along shore where the intel suggested a recoiless rifle was located. Dawid lays the barrel of the Vasilek on the spot and fires a single HE round. It explodes right on target, sending a long, metal tube- presumably the 107mm recoiless rifle- cartwheeling 20 meters into the grey sky and udoubtedly killing its crew. Meanwhile, on his own innitiative, Clarence noisily puts 50 rounds of 12.7mm into and around the suspicious HMG bunker. A few small arms rounds crack past the forward half of the tug. The odd muzzle flash can be seen from the roofs of one of the riverside buildings.
Meanwhile, on shore, the ragged militia attack continues. The attackers rely heavily on the BMPs, following in their tracks and waiting until their 73mm shells have silenced enemy firing positions before advancing further. The BMPs soon expend all of their cannon shells but continue to contribute to the fight by raking the buidlings with coaxial MG fire from a distance. An RPG races smoking from the roof of one of the buildings to smite the closest IFV but misses, causing much smoke and noise but little damage. A second barrage of militia HE 82mm mortar shells falls on to and around the nearest buildings and this seems to hearten the attackers. Encouraged by their NCOs they rise in groups of four and five and rush towards the enemy held buildings, supported by RPK and PKM fire.
On the road, the BTR advances to contact, its heavy machine gun barking out in anger. It creeps forward in fits and starts, followed by a gaggle of infantry, until a massive blast halts its advance. A large directional mine of some sort has disabled the APC, and the dazed crew attempt to evacuate it as enemy small arms fire opens up from ahead. Tucker, Konrad, Mariusz, and Stoner- in the process of stablizing his second "patient"- can see all of this from a distance but are still far enough beyond the battle line to be relatively safe from direct fire. The advance along the road, however, has stalled.
OOC: Note- the enemy bunker and retreating squad were and continue to be out of range of Tucker's M203.
Actions?
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:31, Fri 23 May 2008.
