With really more hope than expectation of success, Dawid loaded the Vasilek with a clip of HEDP. Maybe they could get a lucky flank shot in at the tank that was supposedly ahead, maybe it was an older model, maybe it wouldn't be in defilade or hull-down. The gun-mortar was clean and ready for action, slight silver smear from the glancing hit on the end of the barrel.

Mostly, he sat and smoked and thought. Brooding about not having his wits about him enough to save more of the precious ammunition, comrades lost in battle. How wonderful it was to have allies that would fight for Poland's freedom to the last drop of Polish blood. Wondering what was ahead of them, if his sister Urzula was still alive somewhere in Warszawa, and how he might find her.

Peripherally Dawid noticed the new guy, some kind of older darker-skinned foreigner with a funny head-dress. He imagined that he was an Arab of some kind, guessing that would make him a Mohammedian, but couldn't seem to work up the energy to go out and meet him. It seemed new people came and then left on this boat, usually feet-first. He smiled to think that he him self was a relative "newcomer".

Sighing, he decided that he might as well introduce himself, be polite. Finding Sanjay at some point he offered his hand and a cigarette. "Hello sir, I am Dawid. Welcome to the Wisla Krolowa. I imagine you are a long ways from home, yes?"

"What can you tell me about yourself?

"My name is Sam."


Have you completed any qualifications that could prove useful?

"Sure, I can drink alot of beer and I have been know to piss on myself when i drink too much."


"What skills have you learnt?"


"I have learned not to drink too much."

"Have you picked up any other useful skills over the years?"


"Well, chicks dig me and I can shot a hook shot on a basketball court."

"How good would you say you are at each of those things?"

"Well, I used to get laid a lot and I've won some pick-up games of basketball so I guess I'm doing good.

"If you dont have any more useful questions I'm going outside to talk to a old friend."

Sam will walk out of the room and talk too Milk again- very jolly with a lot of laughter; when the girl shows him the paper he will start to laugh.


"And you trusted a dictator to allow you to pass for free with this thing a.. a.. prize like this tug getting out of their area? How very naive are we here? Up the river is a platoon of men with armor. They don't work for the Sando trash but with them- a loose group of tin pots that share the wealth. This guy is Russian or Pole, I can't remember, with a mix of ruffians and cutthroats that would rather rape your ass then allow you to pass with a piece of paper. We need to get ready to get by them with either brute force or shadiness. I'm a shaddy type of guy but the choice is the captain of this tug's- I guess he pays the bills. But, I want you to know I take my orders from Milk here at the tactical level. Him and me go way back and he has some tin on his chest for saving my ass more than once a long time ago so I trust him. Also we work for the same people so it makes life easy.


"Now if you want help with a plan or a little wet work done just ask; I lost my morals a long time ago when I was young, footlose, and fancy free."

This message was last edited by the GM at 22:11, Thu 26 June 2008.

After studying the "pass" for a few moments, Milk responds,

"Well Chief, I'm going to have to agree with my old friend here. I think we got sold a handful of magic beans. It looks authentic- it's type-written and all- but why would someone on the graft put it in writing? What if this got back to his commanding officer in Lublin? And why would the head honcho in Sandomierz have one of these just lying around? No, it looks right but it's all wrong."

Griet blinked a couple of times at the diatribe and said, "I suspected that might be the case, that's why I thought I'd check. Thankyou for your succinct assessment of our situation."

She moved over to Bayer and reported the findings of the Sneaky Beakies. She spoke softly, "The Special Forces element believe that this documant is falacious and that the Commandant of Sandiomierz is sending us to our respective rapes and deaths, although I'm not sure in which order. I'd suggest readying the weapons for contact, perhaps we need to break out the RPG. I might also suggest that the Spec For people take the Ural and see if they can thin out our opposition with a bit of "wet work". They might be able to drive them off or even the odds for us."

Griet checked the duty roster and said, "If there's nothing you need me to do, I'll take up my action station, Sir."

When it comes his turn to talk to Anneka Soleblume, Sanjay says politely, in heavily accented English

"I was trained with the Indian Railways. I was a locomotive mechanic for many years. My main area of expertise is in mechanics, I know a little metallurgy and some electronics.

I've got a pretty decent collection of tools that should cover most eventualities. I'm obviously longer in the tooth than most and ended up finding myself doing 'national service' at a far later stage than most."

With a rueful Smile Sanjay concludes,

"I'm not much of a fighter but hopefully I should be able to pull my weight when it comes to contributing to the group. My long term goal is to build up a stake and set up a mechanics shop somewhere."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:12, Thu 26 June 2008.

After drawing his "emergency map" on the inside of his field jacket, Dave takes a tour around the boat. He stops and checks on everybody, if only a "Hey, what'sup".
He introduces himself to the newest member "Sanjay, is it? I'm Dave Stoner" and shakes hands with the Indian.

When he makes it to the Special Forces contigent, he asks "Ya'll planning on making a shore side raid? I didn't go to the John Wayne School for Boys, but I'm not hald bad on that kind of op."

"well i know your kind and what you can do ;we are all equals here in our skills. we should plan this out take an afternoon to do it and then goto work . I'm thinking night time with suppressed weapons and small demo. kill them all and take there shit. if we are looking for gear its with them. go in slow and leathal. with a plan."


sam
talk with SF
m25
This message was last edited by the player at 02:22, Thu 26 June 2008.

Tucker will check out the new duty stations and watch roster before he decides to go below decks again and get his gear ready.  He will go and check out the mortar pit where Dawid usually hangs out.  "Dawid, how's it goin'?  How did we make out with the mortar rounds and what do we have left after the action back in Sandomierz?"

Dave squats down uses his finger to diagram what he remembers seeing when he snuck past Annapol last month. "Bridge is here, bunkers at both sides. I couldn't get close enough to see what was in them. On the east side of the river, right about here, 50 meters from the bridge was the tank. Either a T55 or T62, and old bastard anyway. OP's here and here, a hundred, hundred twenty meters up and downstream. I couldn't get any closer, but I think there's about two dozen troops. Those bastards at T'breg took my pistol and suppressor, I'm down to begging arms and ammo."

"Well, that's why we get you my suppressor for my pistol and anything we can hook it too. Do we have a ship's armory? I have my M25 here it has a suppressor and my pistol has one also as stated before. My pistol's will convert to SMGs if we have anything in the HK family on the tug.

"I'm all up for ideas among us here. I say we go in at night, thin the heard, disable the tank and any heavy weapons at the minimum. That's course of action 1; course of action two would be to do a wet-work camp removal that would take all night. Kill all their people and take their shit. Either way, we have to be proactive in our task.

"Take only people with the skill sets to pull this off and everyone else stays in support. I see we have an 82- that will be a big help if the shit hits the fan. How good is the gunner and his team? All stuff Milk that we should plan out and work. The three of us should be able to do this against 18 to 20 shitty conscripts? That's cake for guys like us. I could almost guess they will have slaves there of some sort ? Free them and maybe hire a few to work the guns here on the tug to free some of the others for training and or missions.


"What are your ideas on this frogman? Milk, am I off base here?"


Sam will continue to have conversations with the other two SF men on the main deck until Milk says its over.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:27, Thu 26 June 2008.

Milk is quiet while he processes Sam's proposal.

"It could work. But, I want to be real sure of what we're dealing with before we go in hot. I think we should send in a couple of our Poles- if they're willing- posing as civies to gather some fresh intel. It's been a while since Bones had a look at the bridge and we know there are bad people out there looking for this tug. That bridge is only a few klicks from Lublin and it's my guess that that's where the chopper and Spetznaz team came from.* Once we have a better idea of what we're dealing with now we can decide if and how to deal with it."

Brother Switek would be perfect for this op...

Milk swallows hard before continuing, his voice wavering ever so slightly.

"There's something else I want to address while we're here. I know we're used to doing things a little differently in the SF community but we've got to tighten it up a bit. The major here is over her head and yes, she can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but she's got the rank and we've got to try to adhere to the chain of command on the tug. We're all still professionals and we need to act as such. There's already been too much friction on this boat and we've lost some good people because of it. Sam, you were out of line with the major back there. I want you to answer her questions. She's doing her best and I expect you to as well."

*Milk will fill Sam and Stoner in on the Mi-17 and Spetznaz ambush that occured a couple of days before.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:09, Thu 26 June 2008.

"Would you tell her where you have been and what you know Milk, the first time you meet someone? Sam is not even my real name- I forgot what it was years ago. And you are my chain of command. I have linked up with someone who works with the agency the same as me. You tell her who I am but I wont. I have been tortured and told less. Not trying to be a dick but who asks that shit two minutes being on board. It does not take a rocket scientest to know who I am and what I am capable of."
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:21, Thu 26 June 2008.

Adam nods,

"Yes, I have. There was a government checkpoint. We were forced to heave to and be boarded. They 'inspected' our cargo, confiscated a few items of 'contraband', and let us pass with a warning about the pirates down-river. I do remember a tank of some sort- Uller would have been able to tell you what kind it was..."

Adam suddenly goes quiet.

"Milk, you, me, and the frogman could go in for a couple of days while the crew here gets rest, hunts a little, and waits. We go in, find out what's going on, then come back make a OPLAN and hit it. You know that the best recon is a personal one, not just two guys going up to talk..."

This message was last edited by the GM at 22:03, Thu 26 June 2008.

Mariusz used some of the flour they'd recieved to bake bread, he made three standard loaves and two dozen rolls. As the dough rose, ground up some of the cheap cuts of beef they'd been given and added chopped onion and garlic. Inside each patty, he put a slice of the tart goat's cheese that tasted amazing but wouldn't last long.

That done he used the tomatoes that had been provided to make a sauce, the tomatoes were overripe and wouldn't keep but the sauce would be good for a week. Once he had the makings of lunch ready, he looked at the shank of lamb that they'd been given. He stripped it of the meat and put the diced cubes to marinate in a little oil, more garlic and a few spices. He put the bone in to boil for stock.

He checked the potatoes carefully and made sure they weren't infested. He'd make oven chips to go with the burgers and mash to go with the lamb stew. He prepared onions, carrots and beans for the stew and then left the food under cover and did a turn of the boat to see if anyone needed help.

"That's a plan. Stop the tug here for a couple hours, send a couple Poles with that "pass" they gave us and a radio. If they pass them, fine. If not the three of us could move in, take out or bypass the upriver OP. Then either disable the tank or get a solid location on it. Dawid ain't too bad with that mortar. Get the tug downriver of the bridge, and blow it."

"I think sending our guys in with a bad document tips our hand and gets two good guys killed; us three on a recon is our best choice."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:04, Thu 26 June 2008.

"Duly noted, Sergeant. I'll run both ideas by the officers and we'll see what they have to say."

Clarence finds Anneka, Konrad, and Griet and heads for the bridge*. Leaning on the map of their route fastened to the chart table, Milk addresses the tight-packed assemblage.

"I think that the pass is bogus. I'm also guessing that that Spetznaz hit team we ran into was operating out of Lublin- their chopper came in from the north. So, even though Stoner's seen the Annopol bridge before, things may have changed; we need to take a closer look at it and get some fresh intel before we decide how to proceed.

"I've spoken to Stoner and McCoy... About McCoy, major, he's not too 'polished', sir. The teams have a looser command structure- often times, more experienced non-coms will have de-facto command of ops where officers are present. It all depends on the man's repuation as an operator. Plus, I don't think McCoy's too big a fan of women in front line service either. I'd like to apologize on his behalf; I'll try to keep him in line. He is a good shooter and we need the help right now.

"Anyway, these are the two recon options the three of us came up with. Option one is we send in a couple of the Poles- volunteers, of course- posing as civie merchants. Get up close and scope it out; maybe talk to some of the bridge guards.

"Option two is that we send in a small team and directly observe the bridge from a distance. McCoy, Stoner, and I are willing to go in. Either way, the Vasilek is on standby for indirect fire support should something go down.

"Thoughts?"

*OOC: Anyone else who wants to be present for the pow-wow has Milk's blessing.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:34, Thu 26 June 2008.

With Annopol an hour-and-a-half away, the Krolowa's security team begins the tasks of planning and preparing for an opposed passage.

Ahead lies a government checkpoint, manned by at least a platoon of Polish troops with a dug-in, early-model Soviet-built MBT in support. That was the last time anybody checked. Word spreads of this latest obstacle and, with nervous anticipation and steely resolve, each team member readies him or herself to surmount it.

Actions?
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:08, Fri 27 June 2008.

Dawid had exchanged some pleasantries with the funny-looking new guy but nothing meaningful was said between them.

Going to Milk and Anneka for the pow-wow he said flatly. "I don't care for this new McCoy guy. He was rude to me, and from what I understand, insubordinate to Anneka. I'm simply not prepared to have another conflict in this area, so fuck him. He can fucking walk for all I care. Besides, something just doesn't feel right."

He crossed his arms, usually open face in a scowl.

"As for the passage, I am prepared to assist in any way possible, although bear in mind our 82mm ammunition is still limited. So no "American-style" barrages where we fire all off all our munitions at once."

Tucker follows the group to the bridge area as long as he isn't turned away and listens to Milk's orientation of what his plan is.  "I'm all about gaining Intel, especially since there's a chance these papers we just got for safe passage might be fake or not what we expect.  I mean, I think I like the idea of locals going in to check it out but, if our shore party is caught or detected, what's that do for our chances if the papers are legit?  Wouldn't we be shooting ourselves in the foot by risking that?  If we go ahead with our own little shoot n scoot group, I'll volunteer for it.  I think I'm more at home on the ground than on the tug.  That's just me!"

Minh loiters around the deck as it pushes along the Vistula. Sanjay seemed a little distant and reserved, but she didn't feel he was an immediate threat. The group's heightened caution against newcomers meant she'd keep an eye on him though.

Noticing a town meeting growing in the bridge, she decides to remain on the main deck. Taking the responsibility of keeping watch, she goes to the bow and leans against the gunwale. Looking down at the tug breaking the water, she hides a scowl, before scanning the banks ahead.

Seeing a group of his new crew mates forming on the bridge Sanjay contemplates what he should do. He'd noted a couple of folks seemed quite friendly, doubtless he'd get to know them all better in the long term. Deciding he'd as well show his face he headed over to the group, nodding to the person he thought was called David or Dawid. He smiled at the friendly Asian girl he'd met earlier, Minh he thought her name was.

Standing on the fringe of the group with his hands clasped behind his back he wondered what the food on board the boat was like. He'd not had a chance to study the engines yet. Ultimately though it was just good to be free.

Mariusz came up on deck to see if there were any jobs to do and he saw the Indian standing close to Mihn. Something tickled in the back of his mind. Some Indians followed special diets. He'd need to ask, Major Soleblume had never complained about pork, but he'd been impolite by not asking.

He walked over to Sanjay and smiled brightly, "Hi, my name's Mariusz, I try to help out by doing as much of the cooking as I can. Do you have any special dietry requirements? I might not be able to fulfill them but if there's anything you really have to avoid, I can try to come up with alternatives."

Griet listened to the discussion and spoke up when Dawid volunteered for the scouting mission, "If Dawid goes on a scouting mission, we can forgrt using the mortar until he returns. Marisuz and I would be more expendable, but we're not a formidable combat team. It's a tricky situation. If we try subtefudge, we risk losing both Mariusz and myself. If the officers decide they want to risk it, I'll go, of course, but if the group are the raping cutthroats that MCoy says they are, all we're doing is sacrificing two crew to confirm that. My choice would be to send the recon element in. They are trained for it. Milk can assess what's going on and the team can react accordingly. The tug can still be used for fire-support and we'll have enough crew on board to remain a formidable weapon platform."