Tucker will go and start his work on servicing the tug's weapons after Konrad has put him in charge of them since he's the only certified gunsmith on board.  "I'll do what I can Konrad.  I should be OK once I get to know them a little better so just bear with me.  Anything more than basic cleaning and manitenance right now might be a little out of my league, especially without manuals.  I'll give it the old NATO try if need be however, no guarantees!"

Tucker will find a place to take it down after he's done for the day.  He'll look to take a shower or bath and change into another set of BDU's and get his other dirty one's cleaned.

Tucker
Colt Python in Shoulder Rig
Servicing Tug's weapons

Anneka toiled alongside everyone else, lending a hand wherever it was needed. Although they weren't allowed weapons ashore, Anneka was rarely unarmed. With a crowbar or a hammer, even a lump of twisted steel never far out of reach, anyone thinking to take advantage would have very quickly found themselves in a great deal of discomfort...

"I think the barge will be left here during the mission," she stated during the day to various people.
"Although we should certainly find materials for it, work should probably concentrate on the tug itself."

With the actual plan still not finalised, it was difficult to know exactly what role they would be playing, or how many of the local ORMO might be alongside them. Even though they were ostensibly allies, Anneka still had nagging doubts about their trustworthiness. Who was to say, especially in light of the AA incident, that once their "improvements" were complete and the battle fought, the ORMO aboard wouldn't simply turn their weapons upon them?

"Hauptman Bayer," she called, seeking to speak privately with Konrad during a brief rest.
"I'm concerned about what may happen after the battle. Would it be prudent do you think to limit the ORMO presence aboard the tug to just a handful. Say, a liason, radio operator, and a few soldiers to round out weapons crews?"
"Perhaps it would also be best if they were not allowed below decks without an escort too."
Having some stationed in the engineroom for example could prove their undoing if betrayal was planned. Best to keep the unknown personell out of the critical areas, at least until their intentions were clear.

"Griet, have you had any luck getting more ammo for the MG-3 and M240? Tripods would be nice too if there are any about." Tripods for all their medium machineguns would be nice actually, something which given time she was sure Hicks and Snowy could fabricate, but time was something they were just a little short on....
"If you're having any difficulty with prices, ask Stan to assist. I'm sure as a priest he knows a thing or two about persuasion." And if it really came down to the wire, he could pull out the religion card against the predominately Catholic people. Underhanded perhaps, but with the world in the shape it was in, every little advantage had to be taken if rebuilding civilisation was to be sucessful.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:26, Wed 30 Apr 2008.

"That is good Tuck. Basic cleaning and maintenance is sufficient. I appreciate any checks and routine work you can provide." Bayer responds.

He spends most of his time finishing off the intelligence report concerning Tarnobzreg. He look it over... He was quite pleased with his work. Not his best report, but still he was rather happy he'd been able to actually write one, the last being such a long time time ago it seemed. It reminded him of being a professional soldier again, a active member of the Bundeswehr.

Satisfied, he approaches Griet. "I need you to speak to the dock security detail for me. I have the intelligence report the local authority had asked for. It needs to be delivered. In addition, we need to inform them that we cannot fully prepare for combat without knowing how they intend on attacking. That adjutant should be here as a direct liaison."

Watching the work detail, but staying out of the way he nods to Soleblume's approach. "Hmmm. Ja. We shouldn't let ourselves get carried away with how much trust we give these people. Until I get an idea of how they plan on attacking though, I am in the dark. What I would like to know is, are we required to provide a ferry capacity for their force. And if so, how many? If it is a lot... then as you say it is a risk. However, they may have a small barge here. One we could cut lose for maneuverability once they've dismounted from it. But once, again... thats just guessing their intentions. I have an idea of how I would like the team to operate, but I won't issue anything until the answers I need are given."

Remembering what else she said, he adds, "And below decks, yes. That must be a given for all situations. The main reason to possibly use one of their barges."

Griet repiled to Anneka's observations, "No , there is no more ammunition forth coming than the stuff that's been already traded for. As for getting more, we're fresh out of stuff to trade and the locals are unco-operative. We've been stiffed in every trade we've made and if we do much more, we'll probably end up owing them."

She nodded to Bayer and walked over to the dock patrol, she hanede him the intelligence report, "This needs to get to the commandant, he wants it immediately, also, we need to know more about the plan of attack if we are to support it effectively. Ask the Commandant's Adjutant if he would be so kind as to come down to liaise with us."

Mariusz worked hard all day in the soaking rain. He humped supplies and then earth, wood and iron. Eventually, he colapsed in a heap, a sodden, exhausted wreck.

Snowy looks up at Minh and answers "I've gotta get going Minh, I'm not cut out to be a merc. Take care and keep your head down."



Snowy nods sombrely and says "You too Bones, perhaps we'll meet up again in Germany."



Snowy shakes Tuck's hand ruefully. "I feel like I'm letting you down Tuck. Please watch out for yerself, there's no need to go and get killed now. If I get back to Germany I'll let the people there know you're not KIA and maybe let anyone back home rest a little easier. Make sure you're not left high and dry at the end of this; they owe you a ticket home if they can." Snowy looks sad "I gotta let the people at home know that Bluey is gone, and I have to find out if his wife is still alive and still with the 8th US Marines so she can hear it from someone who cares. Look after yourself mate."

Snowy says farewell to everyone else, and pops up to see Adam in the wheelhouse. He salutes him and says "So long captain, I'm proud to have helped you get this far. I think you're doing the right thing, which to me is more important than doing the easy or safe thing. I hope your luck holds out, you serve that much." He leaves and goes back to the main deck. Carefully he takes his kit and counts out the ammo so he leaves with what he came with. He packs Bluey's and Foster's things into their drag-bags and hoists them onto his shoulder. He looks over the grim little vessel and his eyes unfocus, he can almost hear his mates talking to each other up on the bridge wing, chatting about nothing and gently insulting each other. He shakes his head and goes to find Konrad. Nodding to him, because he can't salute him outside, he says "Permission to go ashore sir?"

"You've more than earned it Snowy, and you are of course a free man. Thank you again and best of luck." Bayer says quietly. He then shakes the man's hand and watches him go. "Be careful." he calls after him.

"OK, then.  Like I said, if we could get some manuals somewhere along the line that would be good, more so for the PACT stuff we got."


Tucker smiles at Snowy, "You're not letting anyone down Snowy.  You got to do what you think is right and if getting off here is that thing, than you got to follow your gut feeling.  I'll watch my six, you just make sure that you watch yours extra good, you hear?

Don't know if anyone's left alive that may give a shit that I am alive but, I appreciate it bro.  You're a good trooper Snow, behave yourself now," and bids the Australian farewell as he exits the tug for the shore.  Tucker watches Snowy make his last farwells and then gets back to work on servicing the machine-guns and other weapons.

Dawid reminds all the foreigners that perhaps giving Snowy a personal letter to mail home or at least carry to what passed for the NATO command might be a good idea.

"Mister Snowy, I am not sure that you will arrive before anyone else, although who knows? Also, any letters may contain personal information people may not want to get into the hands of some unknown enemy, although it is uncertain if anyone could make use of such information if they did find it. Or that the destinations that they are intended for still exist. And so on."

"Yet, it would be a useful signal, a declaration of sorts that these brave people were here, and that they existed."

"As I have mentioned to young Mariusz, we must act, even believe on faith alone that things will get better, that one day there will be something as unlikely and "civiliased" as mail service one day."

"For if we do not believe, we are all lost."

Quyen spends all of her time devoted to cutting the metal. Following the final instructions from Snowy she's fairly confident of her task. Ignoring the rain, she labours on, cutting with the grinder. Soaked, she looks up and stops cutting when Snowy is about to leave the Krolowa.

Remembering what he said to her, she finally accepts the inevitable. Pulling off the goggles she places the grinder on the deck and approaches. "I still think you should stay on. But... you know whats best I guess. Take care of yourself as well."

Returning to her workstation she leans back against the railing. Digging out her smokes, protected from getting spoiled from the rain by a old plastic wrapping, she carefully digs one out. A cloud of blue, smoky haze soon floats overhead.

Somewhere between the rain and the grinding, Jason finally realizes that sleep on the cold hard deck only lasts for a few hours. Walking back to the ship, he sees the group huddled around Snow, and cutting up parts of the wrecks.

Spotting Minh, he walks over and sits beside her. "Whats the good word? Need any help here?"

Standing against the railing, Quyen smiles and shakes her head. "Cuttin." she says casually. Looking at her broken watch she tries to figure out how long she's been working. She'd had lost track of time between concentrating on the task, thinking about the upcoming battle, and wondering about Snowy.

Flicking the smoke overboard it arcs through the air until dropping into the slow moving Vistula. "I'm pretty good here... with the cutting. I guess you could start to move the sheets I'm done with to where they are going to be put in place. Its not my show though... I'm just a cutter."

Wiping some of the rain off her face, she adds, "When we went to that merchant, I got a pack of playing cards. After sundown when works done for the day, we should get the guys together and have a couple games in the galley."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:41, Wed 30 Apr 2008.

Sunday, October 8th, 2000
0700 hrs.
Sandomierz, Poland
40 F
Heavy Clouds; 75% chance of rain


Exactly one week has passed since the Krolowa and its original complement departed from Nowy Huta. Everyone marks this anniversary in his/her own way.

A church bell- a clarion of at least superficial normalcy- signals the call to morning mass.

The barge is loaded with its consignment of humanitarian supplies, the closely supervised and likely unwilling civilian laborers have been loaded on to their trucks and hauled away to God knows where. The Krolowa has received its modest proprietary allocation of 82mm mortar and grenade launcher ammunition and, in exchange, has been relieved of its damaged Soviet twin 23mm AA gun and most of its captured small arms.

Work continues apace on the barge's new fortified, earth, timber, and sheet-metal pillbox. Although crude and not at all attractive in a nautical sense, it promises comprehensive protection from small arms fire and suggests at least limited resistance to heavy machine gun fire, as well as all-around fields of fire for the defenders. Clarence completes an intercom system linking the tug's bridge to the barge, the Vasilek, and the aft Dushka position and begins shifting sandbags formerly located on the barge to the bridge roof for another pet project: a look-down, shoot-down AGL position with nearly 360 degree fields of fire.

As the various work parties continue to busy themselves creating an ad-hoc riverine dreadnought, the mayor's sedan and the escorting UAZ arrive at the dock. The commandant's second-in-command emerges from the car and and calls for the tug's command element.

When they arrive, he briefs them perfuctorily,

"We will attack this afternoon at approximately 1500 hrs. Four platoons with our BMPs and our BTR will attack along the main north-south road to Tarnobrzeg, supported by a fifth platoon with our new WOJO mortars. You will advance alongside us on the river. You will send a forward observer party along with our main attack force to direct your gunboat's fires. I will return with a more detailed plan in a few hours along with more ammunition for your mortar. If there's anything else you will be needing, you'd best let me know right now. Regardless, you must be ready to depart at 1400 hours. Is that clear?"

Actions?

Bayer shakes his head in understanding as the man spoke. "Just to confirm, we are not required for troop transportation?" After the answer is given he nods, "Understood. We will be ready to depart at that time."

After the team had finished eating breakfast and sorting themselves out for the day's activities Bayer musters everyone on deck for a quick briefing.

"Attention, please. Warning Order. Sandomierz militia confirmed to intend to conduct a deliberate attack on Tarnobzreg. Tentative h-hour is at 1500 hours today.

Mission, to provide direct and indirect fire support to the assaulting ground forces. Again. Mission, to provide direct and indirect fire support to the assaulting ground forces.

Groupings and tasks, myself, Sergeant Tucker, and Mariusz will deploy as a forward observer team. We will provide close target acquisition and relay back via radio to the tug. Major Soleblume will command the full remainder onboard the Krolowa, which will be providing the fire support. Griet, be prepared to assume command if the Major is required for medical duties.

Administration, no move before 1400 hours. Senior NCOs supervise the following;

continuing defensive preparations,
receive and store additional ammunition,
relocate the AGS-17 to the rooftop perch,
detach the barge from the tug,
and routine battle procedure such as radio and weapons checks.

Final orders will be issued and confirmed at 1300 hours. Questions or addition tasks necessary you feel should be added."

OOC - I didn't assign specific tasks for the prep so you can RP what you'd like.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:22, Thu 01 May 2008.

Anneka was a little concerned at losing three of their people to shore duty. Although they had made great progress towards preparing the tug for battle, and they wouldn't be dragging the heavy barge with them, they were still short of crew for their heavy weapons.
"Do you know if we will be receiving any soldiers to round out weapon crews?" she asked, painfully aware that without extra bodies, their combat capability would be severely restricted.

Bayer shakes his head, "No. They basically just gave me a warning order with limited info... just what I passed on. I expect they will give a regular set of orders sometime around noon."

"I can request some if you think it would be best here. What, say around two maybe three?" he adds.

Jason walks up to Konrad, and salutes the man. "Permission to speak freely sir?"

"Err... ja. Of course." Bayer says a little defensively.

Anneka thought for a moment.
"Let me check my notes before setting a number. It might end up being a few more than we think."

"You don't think this is a trap? I mean, suppose they are setting us up, selling off the ship as a protection fee? I find it strange that all they really need from us is to supply long range support from a river. Do you get that impression?"

"No... no, I don't." he says after thinking about it. "If they wanted the tug they could have taken it when half the team was ashore I think. We really haven't been too vigilante since our arrival. It be safer then acting with us all manning our weapons and ready for imminent combat ja?"

"I can understand the need too. IPAT forces are spread out quite a ways from T'berg. We learned that with the standoff you were in. They may not have the means or expertise to keep their mortar crews bounding quickly enough behind their offensive units (so they remain in range of the targets), and being able to setup and fire quickly enough. With a mobile mortar we don't have that drawback.

Their medium mortars are great and simple for defense, but to keep them participating in a battle with a fluid front line, or at least supporting mobile units which advance outside of their range, is something that requires skill and training."

"You have the right to be suspicious. And to raise those opinions. I believe we shouldn't be too trusting... however, I trust their intentions at the moment." he finishes.

Of course, Dawid attended mass.

He pondering on what he'd seen and done, but took comfort in the ritual and connection to something higher. Who, if anyone, was better between here and Tarnobreg? For that matter, he recalled other conscript labour at Krakow, the robotniki labourers in the field, filthy and almost starving.

Under captialism, man oppressed his fellow man. Under communism, it was the other way around.

When confession came he made sure to truly repent for his sins. After it was over, he asked the priest for a special blessing for himself, the boat and her crew.

He also asked, "is there hope for the people here? Is the fight with Tarnobreg merely between 2 different tyrants? These foreigners, they are brave and I believe once they fought for good. Now, it is like they have given up... will we become this way as well?"

"Excuse my concern sir, but sending back the tug, loaded with supplies and the men who killed their compatriots would be quite the offering to the warlord. They keep their noses clean, take our goods, hand them their castoffs, with the tug and its crimminal crew, and their men get pleasure of slaughtering us as revenge. If they have vehicles and mortar ammo, they have the capacity to perform what we are about to do. The simple reason they didn't take us out upon our arrival is  they wanted our goods, and we did just fight our way here. But perhaps I am being paranoid."

Bayer runs his hand over his dark blonde hair, "Vell... I suppose you can say that about pretty much everyone in Poland. Who do you trust, and how do you know when not to? Looking at this place, I am not too sure who ist the lesser evil of the two... Tarnobzreg or Sandomierz. Maybe both are pretty much the same deep down.

"One thing though, is at least here we have been given free options. Options to trade, and the option to leave with our tug and processions on our own account. We never got that in T'berg, and we need someone to be on our side... even if just a little. I think this is the best we going to get, and we are going to have to take a chance."

The old priest- a man in his early 70s, at least- takes Dawid's confession and, after prescribing a rather weighty number of Our Fathers and Hail Marys, performs a brief blessing, as requested.

He then responds to Dawid's question,

"All men are tyrants in their hearts. The Russian, he is no different. The people of this town are safe and they are grateful. They live in peace and relative prosperity because of the labor of others who are not so fortunate. Human bondage is a sinful practice, to be sure. But the commandant has assured those of us who have raised objections that the laborers are simply serving out a kind of indenture. They are fed, clothed, given shelter; a year of labor in the mines or the fields and they will be given citizenship. We shall see. I visit their camps and they are, on the whole, cared for... adequately. From what I have heard, Tarnobrzeg certainly has no claim to moral high ground. Yet I fear a contest between the two strongmen. This area has been quiet for many months  and more death benefits no one but Lucifer. Your group should leave here and be on their way before more blood is shed."
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:58, Thu 01 May 2008.