Dave flinches as the sound of the grenade. Not now, I've got a mother of a headache, he thinks, rubbing his forehead.

Hearing the question on the radio Jan pulls his handset from it's pouch.
"I will update the tug. Don't want them worrying."
Keying the mike he speaks into the radio making an extra effort to mimimize his accent.
"Pitchfork this is Sunray. Is no worrys. We had a pack of wild dogs we had to disperse. No injuries and the dogs are cleared."

Ian continues to survey area with sight.

Still sitting in the kitchen chair, Bayer listens to the howls of the dogs following the blast. Hearing the radio, he responds, "Sunray. Had to resolve a problem with wild dogs. Preparing to move out. Tug's mission going ok? Over."

While he waits for a reply he figures those on the tug might have worried about the explosion. Next time, he thought, he would let them know ahead.

Looking at Dawid he says, "Clear? We should get moving. Check out the rest of the area for inhabitants - quickly. And then return."

Glancing down at the cup of water the man poured for him, he has no intention of drinking it. Bayer doesn't want to be rude or unappreciative, but had in desire to risk his health. Holding up the cup he smiles his thanks to the man and sets it down.

"Lets go."

Steadying herself with one hand on the heavy machine gun, Quyen uses the other to dig into her pocket. Pulling out her smokes, she lights up one. When the explosion is heard, she tenses and puts both hands the gun, the smoke dangling in her mouth. Waiting for calls of alarm she takes the DSHK off safe. When nothing is said, she relaxes again, enjoying the terrible habit she picked up - and hid from her mother... wherever she was.

Griet looked up at the sound of the explosion and frowned. She hoped everyone was OK. She bent back to the work, trying to get it done as quickly as they could without botching the job.

The old man's stench was overwhelming. That was saying a lot, when people didn't often bathe!

Still, it was good to make some kind of human connection, no matter how, well, deranged.

"It is okay, old man, the dogs won't come any more."

He looked at the skeleton sitting at the table. Was it a real skeleton? How was it held together? Was it wired like one of the medical ones his sister had studied in medical school? He decided he didn't want to know enough to check.

"Yes sir, it looks clear out there."

Dawid picked up the PKM and the ammunition, slinging the spare ammo cans over his shoulders.

"Ready to go."

Readying his AK and checking the magazine seating out of habit Jan gets ready to move out with the others.
"Good to go here. Still on Flank, yes?"
Shifting his webbing so his butpack rests slightly more comfortably Jan waits for the confirmation everyone is good to go before moving out.

With his Kalashnikov at the ready, Jason follows the others outside, keeping a wary eye out for more dogs.  He takes his position on the opposite flank from Czerny, moving cautiously and watching all around.

"What's the story?" Anneka yelled up to Clarence way up above her shortly after the small explosion.
"Everything ok?"
Receiving the all clear a few moments later, she hauled her weary body back to it's feet and went to see where she could lend a hand...

Tucker moves over to where Anneka is and waits to hear if there's some kind of status report fromthe shore party.  "That's never good hearing a grenade go off like that when you know your friendlies are!  At least there hasn't been any gun fire!"

Clarence yells his response to Anneka so that the others can hear as well.

"Yeah, it's OK! They had to use a grenade to disperse some wild dogs."

1600 hrs.

The shore party clears the rest of the village. They encounter no additional survivors, only the numerous skeletal remains of the old man's former friends and neighbors. He follows the group, keeping close behind Dawid. The few dogs who escaped the grenade blast keep their distance, shadowing the group from a distance. Apparently, their alpha leader was one of the casualties and the pack's aggressiveness has been extinguished- at least temporarily- by his sudden absence. After a few minutes, the remainder of the pack trickles off in ones and twos, disappearing into a field of tall grass bordering the village to the west.

Repairs continue apace. The hole bored through the hull by the RPG's HEAT warhead has been properly patched and sandwiched between sheets of boiler plate to reinforce the adjoining metal. The job completed, the repair team takes a quick break before reshifting the transferred ballast aft, correcting the tug's forward list. Adam spins the tug on a dime and Tadeuz, Luboslaw, and Walter reattach the barge. The Krolowa is ready to continue her journey downriver.

With nightfall just a couple of hours off, the trio of watchers in the field on the east bank pull up stakes and head off to the south.

The clearing party returns to the riverbank, old man in train, and awaits pick up. When the Zodiac arrives, the old man is reluctant to part with his new friends. As they pry themselves away (almost literally), he reaches into his filthy coat, withdraws a tarnished, round medal hanging from a red and white ribbon and holds it out to them as an apparent offering of gratitude.

Actions?
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:40, Fri 22 Aug 2008.

In a flat voice, Jason says, "Take it, Dawid.  You earned it."  When he boards the Zodiac, he uncharacteristically sits as far away from Minh as possible (OOC:  if that's who is piloting the boat), and avoids her eye, staring ahead as they approach the Krolowa.  On board the tug, he pitches in with shifting ballast, or standing watch if so detailed, saying very little in either case.

OOC:  This will probably be my last IC post until I get back from Vegas.  I'll see you all then.

There was a puzzled smile on Dawid's face as he tried to determine the origin of the medal. Most likely dating from WWII, but was it resistance like the Armija Krajina? British service? Awarded by the Government-in-Exile in London? Or the Polish People's Republic? One thing he didn't have to worry about was that it was awarded by the Nazis. Although some traitors did collaborate with the occupiers, he believed no sons of Poland formed Waffen SS units or joined the German army like other nations, and thus would not have their poisonous medals in their possession.

"What? Oh yes, of course."

Resting the butt of the PKM GPMG on the ground, Dawid drew himself up straight, then accepted the medal.

"Thank you, old father. I, Plutonowy (SGT) Dawid Waldus Piotrowski, accept this gift with pride, and in the spirit of your brave service to our people and our beloved Poland."

As the patrol settled into the boat Jan watched the old man present the medal to Piotrowski. "It seems you have made a friend."

As the boat starts to pull away from the shore Jan keeps scannig for anything moving or out of place. Experience has taught him that one of the best times for an ambush is as people are leaving an area and start to feel safe.

"It is, perhaps, best to keep an extra eye out as we return. We are a good and soft target out here, and if those on the other bank were to return with friends,  it would be a good time to attack while attentions were divided."

Looking over at the burned out ruins again for a moment.
"This is not a good place, I will be most happy to be gone."

Tired and filthy from carrying stores and helping where she could with repairs, Anneka found Adam up on the bridge.
"I think it might be wise to move on as soon as we are able. Who knows what those people on the other bank might be telling any persuers."
With a little luck, they might even make the wreck of Adams previous attempt at navigating the river before being forced to drop anchor by darkness. Maybe they might even have time to inspect it and salvage some parts...

Griet finished redistributing the ballast and watched the patch intently as it resubmerged. Everything seemed to be holding well. She prepared to remain by it for the nxt few hours just to make sure.

Mariusz watched the tug re-attach to the barge and waited patiently to be relieved from his post. It would be dark soon and once the barge anchored for the night he hoped he'd be allowe to finish off the dinner he'd made preparations for.

Sam will continue to scan area.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:08, Sat 23 Aug 2008.

Back on the deck, Bayer asks aloud for group input, "Any suggestions to remain here for the night? I propose we advance, with vigilance, until darkness." After anyone has had a chance to speak their mind, Bayer seeks out Griet. "Repairs complete?"
This message was last edited by the player at 13:02, Sat 23 Aug 2008.

I don't think thats a great idea. If those guys on shore come back with friends, it might be a rough night.

Dave turns to Jan and sticks out his hand to be shaken. "Jan? I thought I was hallucinating. I think I owe you a life. Anything I can do, you let me know."

Griet looked up, "Yes Kaptain, we can make full speed and take a hit near here again without the whole rear of the hull fracturing. Do you want us to move out?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:50, Sat 23 Aug 2008.

With the consensus that it would be better to depart than stay put for the night, the Krolowa pushes into the central channel and begins steaming north, away from the ruins of village of Solec. The old man is left behind to remain Solec's sole living occupant, utterly alone with just the ghosts of his wife and neighbors for company.

As the tug pulls away, the old man salutes, waves, and then trudges back into the charred remains of his town. How he's survived this long is anyone's guess. A few rations and maybe a firearm would have helped, but none were spared by the party. At least aid was rendered in solving his canine problem.

How many other souls has this war shattered? How many other villages have been reduced to cold cinders? How can humanity survive when so few practitioners seem to remain?

Niepolomice, Uscie Solne, Nowy Korczyn, Szczucin, Gawluszowic, Tarnobrzeg, Solec...

What lies ahead?
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:47, Sat 23 Aug 2008.

As they departed, Dawid came to attention and returned the salute.

After, he dropped the PKM off at the portside station, and the spare ammunition at the armoury, While there, he picked up a grenade to replace the one he used.

He reported to Anneka, telling her (and Adam) the story of the old man.

"Very sad. He gave me a medal for helping him. Perhaps his life will be a little easier now."