Tucker tries to start the vehicle and is is irate as he looks around to see where the starter or ignition is for the BTR.  Frustrated, he gets up from the seat and moves to the door of the APC and calls out to Konrad, "I CAN'T GET THE FUCKIN' THING STARTED!  A LITTLE HELP?"  Tucker moves back into the drivers area and continues to look around to see if he can find the starter.

Tucker
Slung M-16
Trying to get help and find the starter

OOC: I thought I you get some WVD training in Basic Training?  I may have ommitted that from my PC creation?

"Get up! Move it, move it, move it!" Dave shouts at the stalled militia. One of the men turns and looks at Stoner, who winks. "You're all worthless and weak" , he smiles as he yells at the man, pointing forward. "Andalay andalay!".

He makes a point of staying behind the militia, urging them forward, yelling, cussing and bodily pushing them if neccesary. As he's working the crowd, he reloads his grenade launcher, thinking Shit, used half of what I was carrying already. Should have brought more.

Stoner
urgin militia forward
AK-74, 5 magazines (1 used)
BG-15, 3 HE, 1 Illum
Aid bag

Urged on by Konrad, Stoner, and their own somewhat reluctant NCO, and provided with cover fire by Mariusz and a few of their number, the road-bound Sando ORMO platoon rises and begins moving towards the white smoke. Tucker, try as he might, cannot get the BTR started. Perhaps the IED did some invisible damage to the engine or the starter; perhaps it's just old age, but the old beast won't budge. As Tucker throws up his hands in defeat, the BTR's crew enters through the side hatch and begin shouting and gesitculating emphatically. Tucker reaches the conclusion that his presence is no longer welcome.

The Sando ORMO platoon makes it through the smoke with only one additional wounded. They emerge through the ephemeral barrier to find nothing but empty fighting positions, spent brass, and a few bodies. The corner building, lynch-pin of the town's north-western defenses, is partially ablaze and the section of the roof nearest the road has collapsed. A few armed figures can be seen withdrawing deeper into the town along the road. Sporadic firing from the east indicates the main assault group is still facing some opposition but the volume of fire suggests that the attack has been largely successful and that the mopping up phase of the battle has commenced.

On the tug, Griet has burned through 200 rounds for the PKM. The last spent casing clinks off the metal deck as the balance roll around under foot. Steam and smoke rise off of the barrel. Jason, likewise, reaches the end of his weapon's ready ammo. The smell of cordite and hot lubricant hangs heavy in the air. Clarence moves to fetch another box of ammo for the Dushka.

Below, on the Krolowa's foredeck, Dawid gives the Vasilek a quick inspection and determines that the gouge on the outside of the barrel is no more than a cosmetic wound. The gun-mortar should work just fine. Minh eyes the shoreline like a hawk, searching for threats of any kind. There's very little movement ashore and what little there is does not seem overtly threatening. In Minh's estimation, the IPAT are pulling back towards the center of town. She knows, however, that this does not eliminate the possibility of a few stay-behinds that can still cause mischief.

The tug, moving slowly, approaches to within 100m of stationary dredging barge, moored in the middle of the river's navigable channel. It appears unnoccupied but for several 50-gallon drums packed between the cab of the excavator unit and the squat cluster of the barge's motive machinery.

As if releasing a long held breath after a period of nervous anticipation, the sky cracks open and a cold rain begins once more to fall.

Actions?
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:32, Thu 29 May 2008.

Giving up on tryingf to contact the mortar position, Anneka instead switches her efforts to contacting the bridge the moment she spies the barrels aboard the dredging barge.
"Bridge, this is Starlight. Keep clear of the dredge. Possible explosives in drums."
The battle appeared to have gone too well for there not to be some kind of suprise. Even though at least four of their number aboard were dead, they'd not actually suffered from incoming fire - the casualties resulting from unexpected internal betrayal.
Her message delivered by intercom to Adam, she switched over to the radio.
"Sunray, this is Starlight. Sustained at least four casualties due to betrayal. Budda plus two ORMO killed by Hicks. Over."
Glancing down from the rear DShK position had confirmed her fears - both of the ORMO stationed there had suffered bullet wounds to their heads. There was almost no chance that they could have survived such trauma.

Anneka
Communicating via intercom then radio
HP-35 (10) + 3 mags
This message was last edited by the player at 05:28, Fri 30 May 2008.

Tucker thinks about just dropping a frag grenade inside the damaged APC as he is once again defeated by looking for the starter/ignition switch for the BTR.  When he hears the voices of the crew coming back into the vehicle, he gives them a frustrated smile and then stands out of their way so they can properly man their vehicle.

Robert stays out of their way and lets them try to get the APC going again and get back into the fight.

Tucker
Slung M-16A2/M-203
Letting Militia crewmen take over BTR

Bayer points at the militia NCO, and says quietly "Go... (waving towards the enemy)... go. Take your men." Leaving the platoon to their own leadership he sides up next to Stoner. "This is their show. Lets go down to those bunkers and see if there are any heavy weapons we can acquire."

He acknowledges Anneka's response but doesn't say anything about it. Nor does he inform Stoner, Mariusz or Tucker at the moment. Bayer will then lead Stoner through the smoke back to the immobile BTR to collect the other two men of the shore party. "Lets check the bunkers." Then remembering something he adds, "And where that RPG was on the way."

"Anyone see where our driver went?" he asks.

Bayer
Collecting spoils of war from the dead.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:17, Fri 30 May 2008.

Message delivered, Anneka reverted to attempting to make contact by intercom with the mortar position once more. She'd have physically gone there herself but that would leave the rear quarter completely unprotected.

Mariusz got up cautiously, nodding at Bayer's orders and switched the partially spent magazine for a new one. He looked over at the bushes where the RPG team had been hidden and said, "The RPG was over there, should we start there and work our way back? Also," he pointed to a place where he'd fired the KPV, "I think there was an MG position there."

Mariusz
G3 21/20 (changed a magazine with one in the chamber, can the G3 do this?)
Looting

After firing enough ammunition to feed a farmer's family for a year at a target that may or may not have existed, Griet moved to see if there was any more ammunition for the PKMG, she called over to Milk, "I'm out of ready ammo, do we have more or should I go to the Major for a new weapon assignment?"

Griet
Tantal 30/30
Up to her knees in brass

"And remember," Dave tells the departing militia, "bring all the gold and silver you find back to me."
Dave follows Konrad to the BTR, and gives Mariusz and Tucker a quick glance to assure himself they're not wounded, and nods a hello again to them.

"I don't think he (the driver) ever got out of the truck" he replies to Konrad.

 Stoner
AK-74, 5 magazines (1 used)
BG-15, 3 HE, 1 Illum
Aid bag

While responding to Griet's querry, Milk hands off a fresh can of 12.7mm rounds to Jason on the port Dushka.

"I'm afraid that's it. We've got another 100 rounds for the other one. Maybe we should switch 'em since it looks like the other bank is quiet."

Milk keeps one weary eye on the dredge, now just under 100m distant. The tug is maintaining just enough way to keep station against the current.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:35, Fri 30 May 2008.

"OK," Griet replied. She unhitched the machinegun and walked over to the other position. She rested the big gun against the rail and unhitched the loaded PK. Then she hitched up the empty one, returned to her post and hitched up the loaded gun to the weapon mount. Once this was all done she continued scanning the area for potential targets.

Griet
PKMG 100/100
Scanning for IPAT

As Konrad and Stoner reunite with Tuck and Mariusz 200m outside of town, the Sando BTR crew manages to restart their wounded charge. The engine sputters to life, kicking out great quantities of thick, gray smoke, and the APC begins rolling awkwardly after its dismounts, leaning towards its wounded right side. The rain is coming down steadily now, splashing off the APC's weatherbeaten sides and puddling in its tracks on the roadway.

Looking north, they can just see their UAZ and driver parked behind the smoldering remains of the mortar-stricken Ural truck. Squinting through the rain and smoke, the group can just make another pair of vehicles approaching: two large, four wheeled, horse-drawn wagons.

Sporadic gunfire- now mostly single shots or short bursts- echoes dully from the interior of Tarnobrzeg.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:10, Fri 30 May 2008.

Quyen lines up the RPK forward along the shore ahead. She'll keep watch but not fire unless the target is confirmed to be enemy. "Forward covered." she reports.

Tucker exits the vehicle with Mariusz outside the APC and meets back up with Bayer & Stoner.  He unlings his rifle off of his back and says to the returning pair, "Looks like the assault's back on!  We got two wagons comin' in from where we left our ride in here.  You wanna go and start lootin' the area or what Konrad?  We can follow the BTR back in and use it for cover or we push out on our own."

Tucker
M-16A2 [27/30]/M-203 [HE]
Outside BTR deciding next move
This message was last edited by the player at 13:18, Sat 31 May 2008.

Bayer nods to Tucker, "Ja. I think we start at where the RPG was last sighted and work our way down to the bunkers." Looking over his shoulder he adds, "If we can get our driver back, it would help with support weapons."

"I'm not sure I want us to have anything to do with these wagons."

Mariusz moved up to the rest of the shore party and then led the way towards where he hoped the RPG lay.

Griet checked that her new machinegun was in order and ready to fire. Then she resumed scanning for hostile targets.

Looking closely at the silver smear of lead from the bullet that scored the Vasilek's barrel, Dawid nodded.

"It's nothing, just a scratch."

He heard the intercom buzz, announcing a call. Trotting back, he mentioned to Minh, "the gun looks fine. Please keep an eye out for any resistance. Make getting a range on it a priority, yes? Thank you so much, my friend!"

Picking up the intercom he said, "I thought there was a problem with the Vasilek, but it's fully operational. How are things proceeding?"

If he saw anything suspicious, he would pump a round of HE in first and ask questions later.

82mm Vasilek (3/5 HE + 5 HE, 5 HEDP)
Aiming for Opportunity Fire

Taking the ammo can from Milk, Jason slaps it into the Dushka, stringing the belt into the weapon as he was shown. Once secure, he chambers a round, and scans the perimeter for targets.

Looking over at the mortar team he yells out to Minh, "Are you ok?"

Jason Kasparov
Port dushka

Standing in the middle of the rain-slicked road, Konrad waves their militia driver up to join the ground team. It takes a few seconds for him to get the message (or muster the nerve to get nearer to the battle area) but he eventually complies. Mariusz and the rest of the ground team- followed by the chaffeured UAZ- walk along behind the BTR until it stops  about 50m outside of town. He leads them past the parked APC through the mostly dissipated WP smoke to the shredded shrubbery whence the RPG had been launched. A torn body lies half-way out of a spider hole; another lies crumpled at the bottom. The IPAT seem to have been profesional enough to have stripped their dead comrades' weapons before pulling back. Around the unnoccupied machine gun nest, they find more of the same- three dead surrounded by spent brass but no weapons. A few blood trails can be seen leading down the road despite the rapidly accumulating surface water from the steady, cold rain. The dead wear a motley assortment of uniforms- Polish, East and West German, Russian. *

As the team surveys their corner of the battlefield, the clippity-clop of shod hooves on a hard surface grows louder and soon the wagons, escorted by a shady-looking gaggle of armed men, roll past down the road before turning left and moving away towards the center of town. Apparently, word must be spreading that the town is secure. One wagon has a low passenger compartment made of thick, flattened iron bars, the other is a taller construction of sections of chain-link fencing and barbed wire. They can best be described as rolling cages. The wagons are followed by two of the Urals that had brought the Sando-ORMO troops to their jumping-off points.

Meanwhile, the tug maintains station about 100m off the dredging barge, anchored near the north-south midway point of the town. The Krolowa would have to pass alongside the barge in order to dock at the settlement's pier. About a half-dozen columns of smoke hover over the town and every few minutes, another rises to meet them. Someone, it would seem, is deliberately torching Tarnobrzeg.

No movement can be seen along the shore. The quiet is both welcome and somewhat ominous.

Actions?

OOC: *Let me know if you want to search the bodies more carefully or whether you'd like to proceed to the shore buidlings/bunkers.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:00, Sat 31 May 2008.

Clarence, after seeing that Jason and Griet are squared away and ready to resume the fight if need be, unlings his AK and makes his way to the quarterdeck.

"Major, it's starting to look like the IPAT have bugged out. You want me and one of the others to take a Zodiac to shore and help sweep for gear? Maybe we should check out that barge first too. Whattaya think, sir?"

Bayer looks at Stoner and Tuck, "Nose around a little more, then meet us down at the bunkers. Don't take too long ja? Doesn't look like anything of value ist here."

After walking a few meters turns and asks, "Either of you have a radio?"

Leading Mariusz, the pair will make their way towards the river's edge, and to the bunkers.

Mariusz nodded to the captain and accompanied him to the bunkers, all the time looking for snipers or other hold-outs.

As the battle was apparently winding down, Anneka was able to obtain more information about the state of affairs aboard the tug. Five were dead, but none injured. A small blessing with the limited supply of medical equipment they possessed, but by no means did it make up for the grave loss of life.
"I want Minh moved up here to take over the starboard heavy machinegun and you to keep watch over the rear quarter while maintaining comms with the shore."
She wanted desperately to dock and hand over to Konrad, but until the barge had been checked out, that just wasnt' going to be possible.
"Minh, Kasparov," she asked as soon as she could.
"I've a feeling those barrels on the barge might be loaded with explosives. Do you think a couple of shots into them would be wise or do we need to board and check it out in person?"
As the pair were the only ones with any real explosives knowledge, they'd have to rely heavily on their assessment of the possible threat.
Handing the issue over to them, she began the grizzly, but necessary task of stripping Hicks of his gear and searching for some explaination of his actions.
[Private to GM: Once done will move on to Stan and the three dead ORMO]
Anneka
Gathering post battle information, shuffling the surviving crew (Minh only for the moment) and inquiring about the threat of the barge exploding
Then, searching Hicks
HP-35 (10) + 3mags