Naufragium sibi quisque facit. ("Each man makes his own shipwreck.")

-Lucanus (Marcus Annaeus Lucan)
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:41, Sat 23 Aug 2008.

Tuesday, 10/10/00
1800 hrs.
Approximately 20km north of Solec, Poland
37 F
Scattered Clouds

The tug steams north at a lively clip of 10kmph, putting as much distance as possible between herself and the ruins of Solec before the fall of night. If the civilian party that had been surveiling the tug from across the river were in league with the government forces that had been bloodied by the Krolowa at Annapol, the likelihood of a long night unmolested would be diminished significantly. To stay put would have invited trouble, and the security team wisely avoids the prospect of being the objective of a hostile, nocturnal reconaissance in force.

As the sky begins to grow dark, the tug slows to 5kph and the bridge crew begins looking for a good spot to anchor for the night. As the tug rounds a sharp bend in the river, a tall, dark, boxy structure protrudes above the surface of the river up ahead, near the west bank. It is the Krolowa's sister ship, the Rzeka Ksiena, sunk almost half-a-year ago by river pirates. The two vessels are twins, of the same make and model. The Krolowa, however, despite her share of recent battle damage, is in considerably better shape.

The hull of the Ksienza is fully submerged beneath the gray surface of the Vitula. Her formerly white superstructure is blackened, the paint burned off, windows shattered by gunfire or the flames that gutted her bridge. Her masts have toppled, her stack is punched through with holes. Rust has begun to attack the unprotected metal that's been exposed by fire and the elements.

Old Adam steps out of the bridge and looks whistfully at his former command from the railing. He whispers quietly in Polish,

"First you, my Princess; then Uller. God help the rest of us."

The Krolowa drops anchor about 200m from the wreck. The surrounding countryside is low, wild, and empty. It will be completely dark within the hour.

Actions?
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:15, Sun 24 Aug 2008.

Tucker takes a look out at the old wreck of Adams first ship and turns to him if he is near by to ask him a question.  "You said Pirates took your first ship Adam?  Do you think they're still in the area and what kind of ships or ships did they use to attack you?"

Dirty and exhausted from the days labouring, Anneka was more than ready for a good solid twelve hours of sleep. But it seemed sleep would be a luxury none of them would enjoy much of in the forseeable future.
"Hauptman," she said wearily to Konrad. "I think we should double the watch tonight. We've got Russians and Poles behind us and pirates ahead. Chances are at least one of them will make their presence known."
Not to mention any opportunistic mauraders who happened to be in the area.
"Better send the clearing patrol out before it's fully dark too."

Knowing that there would likely be more operations at dark, when he wasn't on watch Dawid napped, trying to get some sleep.

After he got up he tried to identify the medal, taking it to Adam.

"Can you tell which medal this is? If it's one awarded for service in the war against the Nazis by the west, I may not recognise it."

Minh seemed to have picked up the basic principles of operating the 82mm Vasilek. In return, he'd felt more confident in imparting information to others, so that he could take on another student for the next week.

He asked around if anyone else wanted to learn how to operate the mortar.

"I can take one more student."

Aside from that, he loaded the 82mm with HEDP.

Once the patrol has returned to the ship, Jan stays on deck for a bit watching the countryside pass by as the ship steams on. The "chuffing" of the boiler and the sounds of the river combine to make an almost idylic image for a moment, until the next bit of burned out debris comes into view.
Pulling out his pack of smokes Jan lites one up and continues to watch the countryside keeping watch for anything odd. When he is done he tosses the smoked out butt over the side and goes down to the galley to get something to drink.

Entering the galley the aromas from the cooking pasteries and treats that Mairiusz is cooking are almost overwelming for a moment.
"Ah, that smells wonderful. If this lives up to the promesses I smell, then we will be eating very wel tonight. I don't know when I have smelled something that smelled so good. What have you put together for us this evening?"

Mariusz looked up from the stove and smiled, "Pork sausage for most of us, chicken if you're like the Major, they're done in an onion gravy and served with mashed potatoes and cabbage. Then for dessert we have apple pie and, if it works right, ice cream." Mariusz smiled, "I know it's been snowing, but the ingredients were there and we had the freezer, so I couldn't resist. It'll all be ready in about ten minutes if you want to go around and tell everyone, we'll eat in the mess and I'll take the food out to the guards."

Mariusz realised he'd been gushing about food again, "Sorry, I don't remember saying welcome. Welcome aboard, your company is doubly blessed by having brought with you a friend that we'd worried was lost." Mariusz extended his hand in welcome, "The laundry is down the corridor, stick your name over a pillow case and leave what you want laundered in it, when they're done the clothes will be folded under the pillow case. Opposite the pillow cases is a lot of clothes that are unclaimed, help yourself if you need any, that's what they're there for."

As the last light of the day faded, griet looked intently at the wreck of their sister ship. Part of the super structure was still out of the water, a grim reminder of they're fate several times already on the river, and warning of what might still come. She resolved to speak to Adam about running a salvage operation the next day.

The boat wasn't too deep and they might be able to rig up air breathing apparatus. There would be dozens of critical parts in the boat that would be useful on this trip, if only it were feasible. She made her way to the sickbay where Stoner was getting ready to join them at dinner.

She looked at him and said, "The sunk tug is identical to this one, you've got the most underwater experience of all of us so I'd appreciate it if you made an assessment of whether a salvage operation is possible. If it is great, if it's a fool's errand, let me know and I'll advise against it. The river may well be too cold for diving even in the day, but I'd appreciate your expert opinion."

Smiling as the young man gushes on about the food he is prepairing Jan shakes his hand.
"Thank you for the welcome, I will gladly tell everyone the food is ready."
Heading about the ship Jan attempts to find teh crew and let them know that it is time to eat. On his way back to the galley he heads to his gear and searches through his pack for a moment before continuing on to the galley.

Mariusz smiled at the new man, "I'd appreciate you doing that, thanks."

Bayer nods, "Hmm, yes. Somebody took notice of us today. And unlike before, our enemy has boats it seems. The river is no longer a natural obstacle that protects us... they may use it too. We'll double the shifts tonight."

Leaving the doctor, Bayer went about the ship with security in mind. He ensured a routine sentry was posted and alert, and everyone was aware of the extra responsibilities for the night. He reminded them to keep a watch for boarders as well - something that they hadn't had to deal with before.

When the boat finally reached its nightfall resting place, Bayer alerted the following - Tucker, Quyen, McCoy, and Stoner. "Routine clearing patrol." he announces. "Clear both sides of the river."

When darkness was upon them he stood-to those left aboard. "Eating time is later.  Once things settled down for the evening."

Adam's face darkens at the mention of the pirates responisble for sinking his beloved River Princess.

"Yes, bloody pirates. They may still be in this area. It appears as though they are responsible for the destruction of Solec. If the government is not holding the Pulawy or Deblin bridges in force, the pirates can range between between Warsaw and Annapol at will. The force that attacked us had three small boats and one large vessel- a river patrol vessel of the type used by the Border Guards- armed with an automatic cannon and several machine guns. It had been painted black. We only had a few Kalashnikovs for defense and were overwhelmed by their fire. The Princess was still afloat when we abandoned her, but burning fiercely. She must have been damaged below the waterline as well. If it hadn't have been getting dark, the pirates would have gotten us as well."

Dawid appeared, presenting the medal given to him by the old man at Solec.



Adam turned it over in his hand a few times before giving it back to Dawid.

"It is not a military medal. I believe it is a state award for meritorious civil service. Only a handful are awarded each year. Hmmm."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:59, Sun 24 Aug 2008.

"I wouldn't want to try it." Dave says flatly. "Unless whatever we're diving for is desperately needed. Then maybe some garbage bags and duct tape for a makeshift wetsuit. The grease the body to stave off the cold trick didn't work near as well as was advertised."

"Arrr, mates. A pirate-hunting we'll be" says Dave in his best pirate voice. He digs around in his medical bag for a couple aspirin and dry swallows them. "And remember, lads, it's rape the women and kill the men, not the other way around."

"Communist, huh? Well, that just goes to show. Perhaps he was shamming and was keeping watch on the river, maybe he was a good socialist once but now remembers little but where he lives and what torments him. Well, we're past worrying about it for now. If the government comes, then we can't do anything about it anyways"

"Thanks for the information, I'm going to get some food, and then get ready if I'm needed for patrol."

He headed down to the galley.

"Hi, Mariusz. Hear about our little adventure?"

Dawid proceeded to tell him what happened on shore, to keep the young man in the loop.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:45, Wed 27 Aug 2008.

Tucker leaned against the railing as Adam told his story about what had happened to his first ship that the pirates took from him.  "I'm sorry to hear about your first ship.  I know that you are passionate about your ships and can tell you that we'll try to not let that happen a second time to you and your crew!  If we run across them again, it sounds like that river patrol vessel could be a problem for us.  Do you remember what it was armed with?"

Quyen was readying herself to take up the dusk stand-to when she hears her name called. Grabbing her gear (which was already packed for the aborted standing patrol), she musters on deck. "I'm ready sir. I pilot the small boat?" she asks.

When Tucker is around she repeats her status uttering a simple, "Ready."

Quyen was wearing her US issued uniform (actually complete this time)... minus her bush hat which was stuff into her pants pocket. As usual she was also without body armour and helmet.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:06, Mon 25 Aug 2008.

Mariusz listened to the story of the patrol and frowned as he heard of the old man's plight, "A shame," he said, "we should have tried to get him aboard, there's a town I know about twenty kilometers west of here. They were good people and let my partisan group stay last winter."

He thought back to that time, it had almost been pleasant. "Thinking about it, I might talk to Kaptain Bayer anyway, there was a church there that Brother Switek loved, and a War Memorial. It would be a fitting place to lay my leader to rest."

Griet listened to the SEAL's assessment and said, "Thanks for your thoughts, I was worried that that would be the case. Still it was worth asking." she paused for a moment and said, "Thankyou for your bravery at the bridge, if it hadn't been for you, I doubt we'd have made it through as easily as we did if it hadn't been for your skill and courage."
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:18, Mon 25 Aug 2008.

As the rest of the team heads to their evening stand-to positions, the clearing party of McCoy, Stoner, Tucker, and Minh set off towards the western shore in the Zodiac. The wreck of the River Princess looms above them ominously for a few seconds before the boat is clear of its long shadow. A small tributary runs out of the gently rolling field just west of the boat to join the unseasonally high and swift Vistula. The pale sun is low on the western horizon, making visibility somewhat of an issue. It was a toss up on which bank to clear first, but the dead zone behind the sunken tug seemed to pose the greatest threat so the clearing party heads in that direction first.

The Zodiac grinds ashore on the low, sandy bank just north of the tributary mouth and after tying off the boat, the team heads inland with the little stream on its left flank.

Twenty meters from the river bank, McCoy, on point, freezes and without a sound signals the group to take cover. Seconds later, small arms fire rips through the air all around them. The staccato crack of closely spaced single shots echo through the still air. At least one fully automatic weapon chatters away as well.

From the Krolowa, about a dozen muzzle flashes can be made out, blinking out along the shore, about 50m ahead of the clearing party and about 300 meters from the tug. The clearing team has walked into an ambush.

Actions?

"Contact front 50 meters, squad size. I will be base of fire with Tucker. Stoner and Minh, break contact and attempt to flank either right or left."


"Tucker, 203/HE until you dont have any more targets; get the mg position!!!"



While barking out orders, McCoy will seach for targets in his scope...silent death is on the way he thinks. When he finds a target he will fire a pair from the silenced rifle.


McCoy
Contact
M25/silenced
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:26, Tue 26 Aug 2008.

Earlier, on board the tug before the clearing party set out...



"It was mostly blind luck. They say God takes care of drunks and fools, it's been said I qualify on both counts."
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:24, Tue 26 Aug 2008.

"Going right! Minh, with me!" Dave yells as he dashes to the right of the party.

He'll lead Minh around on a flanking attempt; when & if they get into a good position, he'll attack with the grenade launcher & HE first, then go to the rifle.

Dave
Flanking the ambush
AK-74, 5 loaded magazines
BG-15, 6 HE, 1 illum
Aid bag

"Dawid! Fourty mil HE. Five rounds rapid. Fire!" she yelled down to where Dawid waited with mortar and Mark 19 grenade launcher.

Calling fire orders to Dawid
PKM + half available ammo
HP-35 + 3 mags

In reply to Anneka Soleblume (msg #24):

Dawid leaped off the Vasilek and got behind the Mk.19.

He grabbed the handles. "Firing!" He fired a 5-round burst at the target.


Dawid Piotrowski
Mk.19 Auto-GL 40mm HE (50/50)
Bow Weapons's Station
Firing 1 5-round burst.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:46, Wed 27 Aug 2008.

AS they reach the shore and start to head inland, Tucker stops and and immediately follows McCoy's signal to find cover just before they are fired upon.  With no time to think with Minh and Stoner moving to flank, he quickly brings his M-203 up and yells out, "ROUND OUT," as he fires at the MG position that Sam directed him to fire at.

Tucker
M-16A2 [27/30]/M-203 [HE]
Firing M-203 HE round at MG position directed by McCoy

This message was deleted by the player at 10:50, Wed 27 Aug 2008.

Rushing around the deck to his fighting station Jan works to get the weapon ready. Checking it's status and cycling it to load it he readys the DshK.
Once ready he calls out to the crew,
"DshK is ready! I will engage targets of opportunity unless told otherwise!"


Jan Cerny
Manning Starbord DshK 50/50
looking for trouble

This message was last edited by the player at 03:28, Wed 27 Aug 2008.

Bayer is in the bridge when the firing starts. Stepping outside to view the situation he replies quickly to Mariusz as he walks, "Main deck. Help Dawid with the heavy weapons in place of Quyen."

Moving to the Port side, he gets into suitable cover (if there are no sandbagged walls near the DSHK, he will lie prone on the deck. Reaching into his vest he pulls out a 40mm HE round and loads. Bayer will then observe the battlefield to figure out what is exactly happening.

Bayer
Near port side DSHK
Loading 40mm/Observing

Quyen fires a trio of shots in the direction of the enemy as soon as she can react. Following Stoner, Quyen crouches and sprints after him. She zig zags from position to position, hoping her nimble agility and speed can prevent her from getting hit. "I'm moving!" she yells back to Stoner.

Minh Quyen
Clearing Patrol
AK74 (25 rounds)
Running
This message was last edited by the player at 06:57, Wed 27 Aug 2008.

Mariusz saw the muzzle flashes and moved the AGS to face the threat. He frowned as he looked at the position. He altered the angle of the barrel in the hope that his shots would avoid the patrol in between his gun and his targets and searched for a good shot.

Mariusz
AGS 7/29 (2x 29 drums left)
Aiming at the ambush.

Snapping out of his funk with the beginning of action, Jason mans the M-240 in the forward position as Mariusz moves the AGS to the port side.  Since the clearing patrol has not had the opportunity to check the eastern bank, he keeps most of his attention in that direction.

Jason K.
Barge Bunker
M-240
Watching forward and along east bank
Ready to shift MG to east if necessary

Stoner breaks cover to begin the flanking manouver and instantly becomes the focal point of considerable enemy attention. He makes it about four or five strides before dropping like a sack of hammers, landing heavily on his face, buttocks sticking up in the air. There he remains, awkwardly splayed out on the ground, utterly motionless.

Minh snaps a trio of shots in the direction of the nearest muzzle flash and then rises to follow Stoner. As he goes down, Minh feels a sharp jolt in her left arm. She know's instantly that she'd been hit.

Sam quickly finds a target and squeezes off two aimed shots. The first produces no visible result while the second ploys up a furrow of dirt directly in front of his target.

Tucker, meanwhile, looses a 40mm grenade at the left side of the enemy firing line (from his perspective). His round detonates on the edge of the stream, just to the left of the enemy's automatic rifle/MG, silencing it, at least for the time being.

On board the tug, the team does its best to quickly assess the situation and react appropriately.

Dawid rushes to the Mk-19 and swings its barrel towards the shore. It's difficult shot, considering the elavation of the tug relative to the shore where the enemy is located but he confidently takes it, lining it up quickly and pulling the twin butterfly triggers on the stocky AGL. The first round flies out of its muzzle and rushes towards the center of the enemy line. The second round in the intended burst never comes. Despite Dawid's fingers continuing firmly to depress the triggers, the weapon refuses to cycle, announcing its decision with a metalic CLACK.

Those observing the enemy see the first grenade detonate squarely atop the center-most enemy's head, instantly vaporizing it and throwing up a curtain of red which shimmers for a few seconds in the fleeing sun's last, low-angled beams.

Enemy fire from the center of the enemy's diminishes substantially, although flashes from either side indicate that the enemy hasn't quite yet lost itshis fight.

All is quiet aft and on the tug's starboard side.

Actions?

McCoy will continue to double-tap targets going from the left side to the right, supporting Tuckers HE rounds and making it a combined arms fight.

McCoy
Shooting
M25
left to right
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:50, Thu 28 Aug 2008.

Dave is going to lay in the dirt and bleed.

Dave
bleeding
AK-74, 5 loaded magazines
BG-15, 6 HE, 1 illum
Aid bag

From her higher vantage point, Anneka glanced down at Dawid after the second round failed to fire to see him frantically attempting to clear the misfired round. Confident in his ability to rectify the problem, but instantly acknowledging that those on shore needed instant support, she yelled as loudly as she could and hoped that she could be heard.

"MARIUSZ! HE! RAPID FIRE!"

If the AGS failed to fire in the next few moments, she could only hope that Adam or somebody else relayed her instructions by intercom...

Yelling to the bunker
Not firing PKM due to range and others with much better skill/angle of shot
PKM + half avail ammo
HP-35 + 3 mags

Tucker shifts his body back into whatever cover he has and opens the tube of his M-203 and lets the empty 40mm casing drop out to the damp ground.  "RELOADING," he yells out to McCoy as he reaches into his MOLLE vest for another HE grenade and places it into the launcher, shutting the breach.

Tucker
M-16A2 [27/30]/M-203 [HE] (Reloading!)
Reloading M-203 with HE round

Mariusz had marked the fall of Dawid's grenade and had aimed just to the left of it's strike. Gently he rolled the trigger to fire off the single round he'd aimed at the enemy and then fired a second round quickly after the first before loosing off the last five rounds in the barrel at the enemy.

Mariusz
AGS 7/29 (2x29)
Aimed shot, quick shot and one five round burst.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:59, Thu 28 Aug 2008.

Ah, Bugger me, he thought.

Saying a silent prayer, Dawid calmly performed the universal immediate action for clearing an ammunition stoppage. If it worked, then he would resume firing, hosing down the target.

He pulled the charging handle. "Mariusz, just fire the fucking thing, boy!"


Bow Weapons Position
40mm Mk.19 AGL (49/50)
Immediate action to clear while speaking, then 3x5-round bursts on the target area (left-centre-right)

Selecting a group of two or more muzzle flashes close together, Bayer launches a 40mm HE round. Its been a while since he's actually had to use it. At the moment, he's decided on firing rather than his usual observing and indicating - the target was obvious, and the need for prompt action clear. Nevertheless, without looking at the DSHK gunner next to him he says over the gunfire, "Rapid fire, rapid  fire."

OOC - He's asking for 4 or 5 bursts from the gun.

Bayer
G36/HK69 (20/30 0/1)
Firing HE at grouped enemy
Lying on deck next to DSHK (or behind suitable cover)
This message was last edited by the player at 16:35, Thu 28 Aug 2008.

Still standing (and running), Quyen winces under the pain, and her eyes water. Not waiting for a second bullet, she drops down where she is, and rolls over to the side. With any seconds she has to spare she will inspect her wound and determine any limitations she'll have. As she checks the damage she says over the popping of gunfire, "Stoner? You ok man?"

Quyen
Prone near Stoner
Taking cover / inspecting wound
AK74 (25 rounds)
This message was last edited by the player at 16:55, Thu 28 Aug 2008.

From his emplacement Jan scans the far shore with his binoculars. So far all the activity has been on the otherside of the ship but that doesn't mean someone isn't on this side as well. Keeping a watch on the bank he has to trust the rest of the crew to handle the fight on the port side.


Jan Cerny
Starbord DshK
Keeping watch for targets and activity

Clarence fights the urge to "ball watch" and face toward the obvious action off to his right. Instead, he focuses on performing the job of tail-gunner, diligently scanning the Krolowa's rear defensive arc, mindful that a river-borne reaction team from Annapol may possibly be on its way to crash the party. He hopes that those in a better position to support the team on shore are pouring it on.

Clarence Milk
AK-74/BG-15 (1/30; 1/1)
Aft Dushka
Tail end Charlie

Minh looks at her arm. Just below her left elbow, the sleeve of her BDU is stained dark with sticky blood. She can still move her arm and her hand seems to be working fine as well. Satisfied that the wound is not too serious, she looks to Stoner, splayed out on the ground just a couple of meters away. He doesn't respond at all to the sound of her voice but she thinks that she can make out the rise and fall of his back. He's still breathing, but it appears that he's unconscious.

Mariusz hefts the AGS up onto the port-side lip of the barge bunker's firing aperture and sets its sights on the winking muzzle flashes of the enemy ambush, 300m distant. Taking careful aim, he fires once and is gratified to see the 30mm grenade detonate on target. His second shot is a little long so he adjusts his aim just a bit and lays a five round burst on the enemy position, which subsequently errupts in a miniature firestorm of flash, sparks, and smoke.

Cursing his target's miraculous luck, McCoy steadies the man's head and shoulders in his sight and snaps off two more rounds. Through the shaking scope, it doesn't look like he's registered a hit- no pink mist or spinning helmet- but the target disappears from sight nonetheless.

Konrad, behind the waist-high sandbagged wall on the port-side companionway, sends another 40mm grenade hurtling into the fray. It explodes on target with a satisfying CRUMP, adding to the carnage created by Mariusz's 30mm grenade burst just a couple of seconds earlier.

Dawid works the Mk-19's charging handle a few times and finally succeeds in dislodging the jammed 40mm grenade. By that time, however, the enemy fire has all but ceased. It appears that the survivors of the overwhelming counter-fire of the Krolowa's security team are pulling back in disorder, heading toward the stream bed and retreating headlong, every man for himself.

Actions?
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:32, Fri 29 Aug 2008.

Griet looked over at Bayer, at that range her gun would have been more likely to have hit her own side than the enemy, she desperately wanted to go down to recieve the wounded, but knew that breaking from her post without permission was stupid, "Kaptain Bayer," she asked, "permission to leave my post and be ready to recieve the wounded, or should I take Major Soleblume's position to free her up?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:37, Fri 29 Aug 2008.

Mariusz looked at the gun in a puzzled manner, he'd hit nothing for ages and this time he'd become the Angel of Death. Quickly he began to reload the wonderful machine whilst noting to Kasparov, "Brother Switek said "it's nearly as good to be lucky as skilled" now I know what he means. I hope I can find a church to light a candle to him soon."

Noting Mariusz's success out of the corner of his eye, Jason says, "Good shooting, Młodszy brat."  Continuing to scan forward and along the starboard side, he replies, "It's even better to be both lucky and skilled.  We should be able to find a church soon, Mariusz.  Then we can bury the dead and you can light your candle.  I just hope we do not have more dead to bury."  To himself, he thinks, especially not Minh.  I don't know what I would do if she were to die before I could even tell her how I feel.  Not that I deserve the chance.  He then goes quiet again, continuing his scan while lost in his thoughts.

Sam will shoot the enemy in the back as they run, using the scoped rifle to its max range and taking well aimed shots.

Sam
killing
M25
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:05, Fri 29 Aug 2008.

Anneka had seen both Stoner and Minh hit by enemy fire, but there had been little she could do at the time. Now that teh enemy were on the run however.....
"Griet, you're with me."
She'd quickly assessed who aboard could best be spared from their current duties - only herself and Griet had really been an option to both get to shore and treat the injured.
"You arrange transport while I grab my medical bag."

Griet nodded and ran to the side of the barge, she released the liferaft over the side and tied it off before dropping a rope ladder down to it, she called up to Bayer, "Kaptain, could you send someone down to cast us off when we're ready?"

Griet scrambled down the ladder and settled herself in the raft. She pulled out two of the paddles and waited for the Major.

Feeling confident of the return fire from the Krolowa, Tucker pops up and brings his weapons sights up on one of the fleeing ambushers and fires a three-round burst into the back of one of them.  He figures much better than wasting a grenade on the fleeing aggressors.

Tucker
M-16A2 [27/30]/M-203 [HE]
Firing a three-round burst at fleeing ambusher

"You speak the truth, brother," Mariusz said, "I want to see Brother Switek laid decently to rest, but so far it's been too dangerous. Strangely enough, we're just twenty kilometers away from brother Switek's almost perfect resting place, before we pulled you out of your helicopter, we overwintered in a town called Zwolen, on the Radom road. Brother Switek loved the Church there and the priest was an old seminnary friend of his. Part of the graveyard holds several of our comrades, he'd be among friends there."

Mariusz smiled at the memories, "There was a farm just outside the town that sheltered us, good people, good land. And Maria, their daughter, brother, I can't describe her, you'd have to see her to bask in her beauty. She was a firebrand though, remember the small nick just below Bear's left eye? She gave him that for kicking the family dog, I've never seen anyone so quick with a knife...Still, we're on the river, and twenty kilometers is a long way to carry two dead men."

Medical bag thrown over one shoulder and Uzi slung across the other, Anneka searched quickly for a stretcher, or at least a couple of strong poles and something to place between then.
Equipment obtained, she headed for the boat, mentally preparing herself for the paddling to come....

In reply to Mariusz Tokarski (msg #53):

Lost in his reverie and concentration on keeping watch, Jason barely hears Mariusz speaking.  His only response is a few "Hmmm"s and "Mm-hmm"s at the appropriate places.

Quyen decides not to get up and move on the flanking again. Staying in the prone she fires 3 shots at any visible enemy. There is little she can do for Stoner at this point anyways, she figures. And while the enemy seem to be in disarray, she considers them still a threat.

Quyen
AK74 (22 Rounds)
Firing 3 quick shots
Shore Party

"Go." he says simply.

Standing up, he walks quickly over to Jan, who is watching the other side. "Jan, switch over to the other DSHK. Good to watch out backs, but the gun here is vacant, and Milk is on the aft gun."

He slides open his grenade launcher and lets the empty casing fall to the deck.

Mariusz paused to look at his companion quizzically, "Jason, is everything alright?"

McCoy zeroes in on a target, moving quickly from right to left across his field of vision. Only the crouching man's head and shoulders can be seen bobbing rythmically above the fold in the earth that's been providing both cover and concealment for the ambushers. McCoy's second shot plucks the man's field blouse from between his shoulders and drops him abruptly out of sight- an almost certain kill.

Tucker rises up to his knees and fires a three round burst at another of the enemy retreating headlong towards the stream bed off to the left. The first two rounds race downrange, causing his target to lurch, apparently wounded. The third round, however, never leaves the chamber. The enemy fighter dips out of sight for a moment before rising again and continuing towards the shelter of the stream, sans his weapon. With a jammed rifle, Tucker isn't able to do much about it.

Minh resumes her flanking manouver, passing the prone and unconscious Stoner. Glancing down, she can see that the the left side of his head is a bloody mess.  Returning her full attention to the dangerous task at hand, she raises her rifle to engage the enemy but sees no targets. There is no longer any incoming fire. Her left arm below the elbow begins to throb as she continues to crouch-walk in a right hook towards the low, grassy berm behind which the enemy force had sprung their ambush.

When she arrives, she peeks cautiously over her side of the berm and immediately notices several corpses laying against the opposite side, one of them conspicuously headless. The last of the living disappears into the slightly taller vegetation lining the stream bed. From this position, Minh can cover the others should they wish to advance towards the captured enemy position. Warm blood trickles down the back of her arm, dripping onto the soggy grass of the low berm from the point of her cocked elbow.

Aboard the Krolowa, Anneka quickly gathers her medkit and a stretcher and meets Griet at the waiting Zodiac. With Dawid, Konrad, and Cerny providing overwatch, the two women shove off and begin paddling to shore. It's hard going. The current pulls them along and they have to perform radical evasive manouvers to keep from getting pulled into the wreck off the tug's port bow. Paddles flaying and spray flying, they dodge the blackened and rusty hulk and continue on towards the shore. Both of the ladies' recently wounded arms begin to ache with the exertion but they make landfall before exhaustion sets in. They've landed about 200m downriver of where the other Zodiac is beached. After taking a couple of minutes to catch their breath and regain their strength, they secure the rubber boat and begin the hike towards the clearing team's position, keeping low with weapons at the ready.

They arrive at Stoner first. He's pretty well laid out but Anneka quickly finds a pulse. The wound on the left side of his head is ugly. A bullet appears to have struck just below the crown of his head. A flap of scalp hangs down to his ear, and an about one inch square section of skull is exposed. The bullet does not appear to have penetrated, though, and Stoner's skull does not appear to have been fractured. The wound probably looks a lot worse than it actually is but it will have to be properly cleaned before she can be sure. Anneka begins to apply a field dressing while Griet provides local cover with her Tantal.

Actions?
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:54, Sun 31 Aug 2008.

"Thank the Virgin for that," Griet breathed as she covered the medic with her rifle, "it hit him in the head, I was worried they had hit something vital. He seems to be able to do fine without his head..."

The young Pole's question breaks into Jason's thoughts.  "Eh?" he replies with a shake, "Oh, Mariusz...  I'm OK.  I guess those dogs back in Solec had me more rattled than I thought.  I have always been uneasy around dogs.  Especially big ones."

Mariusz loked at the American who was also his friend, "I've always liked dogs, but I couldn't eat a whole one, well, a terrier maybe, but not those big ones. Have you run into a pack like that before?"

Chuckling at Mariusz's joke about eating dogs (or was it?), Jason answers with a shudder.  "No, not a pack that big, nor a pack of such large dogs.  I just... I just froze, Mariusz.  That's never happened before."

"Aucun problème mon amie."
Locking down the DshK he had readied he follows Konrad back around to the port side and makes himself comfortable at the gun there. He starts watching the bank looking for any targets that may pop up.

"Tucker, get with Stoner and start the life saving steps until help arrives. When help gets here, set up security for them so they can work."


"Minh, how are you doing? Can you cover me so I can move up and set security?"

"We'll need to sweep the ambush site when help gets here so be ready to cover!"


Sam
setting up medvac/defense
M25
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:00, Sun 31 Aug 2008.

Dave's open eyes stare at nothing, but images pass through his mind. His first kiss at dusk on the San Diego beach, later life guarding the same stretch of beach, the woman who faked drowning to give him a special reward. Flashes of boot camp, then flashes of treating minor injuries Marines incured on field exercises, running & swimming miles and miles a day getting ready for BUD/S, his first night HALO...freefalling towards the light, then a voice in his head says Don't go toward the light, stay away from the light

Relieved that teh injury wasn't as bad as it could have been, Anneka did what she could in the field and jabbed the other medic with antibiotics and painkillers. Stitches would have to wait until he was back in the relative safety of the tug
He'd wake with a killer headache, but at least he'd wake....
"Anything to get out of work!" she admonished, securing the bandage in place.
"You two go join McCoy and complete the sweep of this side of the river," she said to Griet and the newly arrived Tucker.
"Sergeant Tucker, send the Hauptman a sitrep and let him know he'll need to select two replacements for the other side of the river. Also have Minh come back here for treatment."
Half wishing she could join them in clearing the dead and dealing with the dying, she cocked the Uzi and prepared to watch over Stoner. Her place was here though, not exacting petty revenge, not this time...
"Grab what you can and we'll load up, retrieve the inflatable and head back."

Griet nodded and moved forward to where McCoy was on guard, she said, "Tucker and I are here to help you with your sweep, Mr. McCoy, Mihn is to go to the Major for treatment. She wants us to make sure the area's safe, loot the bodies and return to her."

"Hm, I see why you'd be worried," Mariusz replied, "it's fatigue not you, think about it, since we joined this crew we've been in several firefights, each one leaves us weaker and often with friends dead. Everytime it's quiet we know that soon we'll face fighting again, and never knowing if this is the fight that'll kill us. That puts a strain on people, I mean half of us act half crazy when we're not in combat, the other half maybe more than half. We need a rest, time to rebuild our nerves. Until we get that, we just have to cope with the results. Try finding a happy time in your mind and going back to it, or do something that occupies your mind. I cook and clean, you could flirt with Mihn," he paused for a moment, "displacement activities my parents would have called them, they were teachers so they talked about psychology a lot. If you let it worry you it'll happen again, try to let go. Easier said than done, my friend, I know."

"Major it looks like a good plan; Me, Tucker and Griet will go loot while you do medical. When we get back, you and the girls plus Stoner take the power boat which is closer and me and Tucker will paddle back. You guys take the gear so we don't lose it if there's a boat problem. What do you say?"

Sam
M-25 (14/20)
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:17, Sun 31 Aug 2008.

In reply to Mariusz Tokarski (msg #69):

Jason ponders a moment, then answers, "It's definitely easier said than done, młodszy brat.  My happiest times have been when I was flying.  That would just serve as a reminder that here I am, stuck on the ground with no immediate prospect of getting back into the air."  He heaves a massive sigh, then continues, "As for flirting with Minh, what chance would I have with her once she found out I froze?  And you can count on that happening.  Small towns, small boats, same difference.  News travels fast."  Frustration making his voice harsh, he adds, "Besides, it's not as though I ever get much of a chance to see her, what with being up here all the time."  One of Jason's infrequent smiles comes to his lips as he says, "I like you, Mariusz, but not that way."

Mariusz chuckled heartily, "I don't see the news spreading, or even mattering as long as you are wiling to discuss it, it happens. I mean nobody shouts at me for missing all the time with the big guns, well they'd better not, I'd poison their grub. As for me not being your type, that's good, since I got a gun I haven't been any man's type, at least only for as long as it took me to squeeze the trigger."

Mariusz paused for a moment, years of harsh experience competing with the youthfulness of his face, "Given your name and your guilt, you'd make a good Pole, Jason. If we get the chance, I'll take you to Zwolen, you can go to confession, add a couple of lies and some impure thoughts to the list and then get laid, the inn there has a nice selection of whores, they'd like a pretty boy like you too, Bear had to pay double. I'd suggest a nice, wholesome farm girl, there's plenty of them too, but that's more complicated. Mihn'll be fine, after all, she bottled the booby trap job that cost us the fuel and nobody blames her do they?"

Lying in the grass, Quyen dips her head down a bit as she yells over, "I'm good... covering." Observing the area in front of her over the top of the rifle sights, she covers the group. Ow ow ow...

After McCoy and Tucker move up and secure the former hostile position, Quyen gets up and slings her rifle over her unwounded arm. Walking back over to Soleblume she sits down cross-legged near her as she bandages Stoner. Lying the AK over her legs she slowly rolls up the sleeve on her BDU shirt.

"Somebody shot me in the arm." Quyen says simply, with little emotion.

"And there I was thinking you'd just scratched yourself!" Anneka replied lightheartedly.
"You keep watch while I take a look will you? This shouldn't take long."
Sad that her skills were once again needed, she set to cleaning the wound and bandaging it for the ride back to the tung. As with Stoner, actual stitched would have to wait, but a quick jab of antibiotics didn't.
Soft fingers, slightly callused from recent unacustomed weapons use, guided the needle into her flesh, delivering the possibly life saving antibodies directly into Minh's bloodstream.
"There, all done," she said pressing a cotton ball against the puncture wound.
"Although you might want to think seriously about wearing some body armour. A few of us might miss you if you got hit somewhere vital."

Tucker curses out loud as the bolt locks and he feels the M-16 jam up.  Turning the weapon slightly to its side, he drops the partially used magazine into his left hand and into his MOLLE webbing and then works the bolt to clear the jam.  Once the malfunction is cleared, he taps the mag on his helmet before inserting it back into the rifle and cycling a round back into the chamber.

Hearing McCoy call to him to get by Stoner and see what can be done until the one of the other med qualified people gets there.  He tries to assess Stoner's wounds the best he can until Anneka gets there to begin her work.

Grabbing the radio as Anneka suggested, Tucker begins to move away and join up with McCoy.  He looks to Minh, "You OK?  Anneka wants to check yer wounds out," as he looks at her wounded arm.  Tucker sets down the radio and sends a SITREP to Bayer.  "Tug, Ground Team.  SITREP to follow Over.  <waits for reply> "Be advised, we've got Zero-Two Whiskey India Alpha's.  One walking, one stretcher.  Trying to secure area and check for survivors.  Suggest Zero-Two replacements for other side of river.  What's yer pleasure?  Over!"   Tucker waits for a reply from the tug before he goes off with Minh and McCoy to loot and scoot.

Tucker
M-16A2 [24/30]/M-203 [HE]
Contacting the Tug with SITREP

OOC: Apologies for late post.  Couldn't get on site this morning.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:21, Tue 02 Sept 2008.

"Its nothing, I think. Its very painful though." she answers before heading back.



"Slows me down. Too heavy. I don't like it." she replies.

"No worries doctor. I've done what I've suppose to do in my life... followed the rules. So fortunately for me, I get to return again when this life ends."

When Anneka is done, she says, "Do I head back to the tug, or continue with other sweep? I can do either, include help carry Stoner back for aid."

"Just stay here with me for the moment while they complete clearing this bank. Once they're finished you can give them a hand with the salvage."
Anneka wasn't too convinced Minh was ok, but as long as they were shorthanded, she'd have to accept her offer of help.
"With a little luck, Stoner might recover consciousness before we head back. I'm really not looking forward to trying to load a stretcher into a small boat."

Bayer toggles his radio, "Sunray roger. Extract both wounded to tug with Starlight as soon as they are able to move. Prepping follow-on manpower now and will be waiting for transport. Out."

Walking between the two PK machine guns, Bayer yells out so all may hear, "Ok! Listen here. Shore party is down two men... wounded. Mariusz... Milk, prepare to go ashore once the first small boat returns. Back up the remainder of the shore party and sweep that other side."

Pointing down to Dawid, he says, "Dawid, you have the uncleared side to cover, use the AGS."

"Kasparov. Watch ahead for now."

"Jan, cover the cleared side will you."

Disappearing inside the bridge he says to Adam, "I need one of your men to act as lookout. He needs to watch the rear and just report any signs of movement. Can do?"

Once everything is settled, he will wait on the main deck to help receive the wounded aboard.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:03, Tue 02 Sept 2008.

In reply to Mariusz Tokarski (msg #72):

"No, I don't suppose they do.  It was just one of those th--"  Jason is interupted by Konrad's shouted instructions.  As Mariusz turns to leave, Jason reaches out, places his hand on the younger man's shoulder, and gives it a squeeze.  "Thank you, młodszy brat, that helps some."

Facing front again, Jason holds the M-240 and swivels his head, keeping watch on both sides of the river, but concentrating on the area ahead.  He is still quiet and introspective.  The talk with Mariusz had helped a little, but it had not touched on the other, main, issue that was troubling him.

Shifting so he can cover the cleared side and starting to scan he answeres Konrad,
"Consider it covered my friend, put your faith in God and the Legion - neither will fail."

Mariusz said to Jason, "We'll talk more later, my brother."

He picked up his G3 and scampered over the tug to joining Milk at the barge.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:02, Tue 02 Sept 2008.

As Griet provides cover, Sam and Tucker move across the berm and begin to sweep the enemy position. Four bodies lie in plain sight, not far from the berm, one quite headless, all peppered with liberal amounts of shrapnel. A fifth lies several meters past the berm, a single bullet wound between his shoulders. The bodies are all clad in Polish army fatigues- several different camoflage patterns- with no unit or rank insignia and several of the men sport unruly beards. Their gear is generally not very well kept- all signs indicate that these men were marauders and not an organized government pursuit force. Only two weapons are recovered- an AKM and a Polish Tantal. The rest are bad shape and are left where they lay. Several magazines- both 7.62mm S and 5.24mm b- are recovered from the corpses' webbing.

After finishing the sweep, McCoy and Tucker return with the spoils of war and the group sets off for the boats. McCoy and Tucker take the unpowered Zodiac and paddle back to the Krolowa, pulling hard against the current. By the time they arrive, their arms are burning as the lactic acid accumulated during the long haul back attacks their muscle fibers. The women load Stoner, who's beginning to stir, and the captured gear, into the powered skiff, and return to the Krolowa, beating the men home by several minutes.

A second clearing team is dispatched to the eastern shore. They sweep the area and find nothing of note, except for two moldering corpses in unrecognizable military garb and one rusted L1A1 SLR rifle. It is unlear how they met their end. Meanwhile, Anneka stitches up the wounded Stoner and Minh. After completing their sweep the group returns to the Krolowa and the security team prepares for a long, cold, and tense night. Watches are doubled and the available NVGs are apportioned out. Nothing of note is observed during the night. The surviving marauders apparently were shaken enough not to return to the scene of their defeat.

Dawn breaks and the team assembles at their posts for morning stand-to. Everyone has had a chance to sleep but no one feels entirely rested. The tug's engine room crew begins to work up a head of steam in the tug's boilers and the security team rotates through the galley, picking up a take-out breakfast. An hour after dawn, the Krolowa resumes her journey, leaving her ravaged sister behind.

At around 0700hrs., approximately 10km from the next major town- and river bridge- along the Vistula, Pulawy, lookouts (anyone on the tug's superstructure who happens to be looking forward) spy a motorized river barge travelling upriver towards the tug.

The barge slows at the sight of the Krolowa but it has no room to turn around. The decks are crammed with people, only a couple of whom appear armed.

Actions?
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:23, Wed 03 Sept 2008.

After hearing of the approaching boat, Bayer announces loudly "Stand to." Taking up position in the bridge he retrieves his binos and studies the vessel. "Adam." he says quietly. "You should slow. Do you have any means of signing friendly intentions between opposing boats like this?"

"Yes, we can use the spotlight to send a Morse code* signal." He issues a curt order in Polish and Walter exits the bridge, presumably to relay a message to the unidentified vessel.

Adam rings the Krolowa down to a more cautious 5kph before uncorking the speaking tube and advising Grzyech and the "Black Gang" of the situation topside.

As always, Krakow's ensign flies from the mast, but it is unclear whether anyone this far north will recognize it or understand its significance. Even if they do, their response can't be predicted.

*Or Polish equivalent
This message was last edited by the player at 01:41, Wed 03 Sept 2008.

At Bayer's shout to stand to, Jason returns to the bunker and once again mans the M-240.  He keeps the machinegun facing directly forward, but is ready to shift aim toward the oncoming barge at a moment's notice.

"Stoner, stay in bed!" Anneka ordered when the "stand to" command was issued.
With his head wound, it was likely he'd be on the floor unconscious again before he made it two steps from his blankets. Far better for all if he stayed where he was.
"I'll take your position this time."
How she wasn't quite sure. The heavy DShK was probably more than her tiny body could handle, but hopefully the mere threat would be enough to deter most from attacking the heavily armed vessel.

After the boat with the wounded arived and they were able to stand down Jan made sure the weapon he was assigned to was cleared and ready to go for the next emergency. Once that was done he stood his share of the watches and went to bed.

Once he woke up the next morning he searched through his gear and pulled out a bag and went in search of Anneka.

"When our squad was attacked I managed to save this off of our medic. Perhaps it will be of some help with the wounded. If not this time then the next, no? It is the kit our medic carried and a supply of antibiotics."

At that point he holds out a medic's bag.

Quyen is lounging in the galley eating a slow breakfast when the stand-to order is given. Fetching her rifle from the corner of the room, she slings it over her good arm and hurries to the bow.

At the mortar she scoops up her webbing and eases it on over the wound. Kneeling next to the Dawid she looks ahead identify the potential danger. "Mortar or grenades?" she asks Dawid.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:55, Thu 04 Sept 2008.

In reply to Jan Cerny (msg #87):

"Thanks. Put it in the wardroom with the rest of the medical supplies."
Not that they amounted to much really. A dozen or so units of various drugs, a collection of bandages and dressings and her own field surgical kit. Still it was enough to save lives.

Sam will turn in the weapons and ammo and then move to his post on the ships bridge top.

The unidentified vessel continues to approach the Krolowa, albeit at a speed that belies its extreme reluctance. It has issued no response to Walter's signal- perhaps they have no means of returning the blinkered greeting or perhaps no on aboard knew what the flashing light meant. The low vessel is a motorized barge, nearly as long as the Krolowa’s but not quite as broad in the beam, and with its own source of motive power. The two vessels continue to close at a leisurely pace. Considering the events of the past week, most of the Krolowa's security team displays an astonishing insouciance, seemingly unconcerned by the closing mystery vessel. Old Adam's warnings of pirates actively operating in the vicinity have apparently fallen on deaf ears.

As the vessel closes to within 100m or so, various details of its complement can be made out. Crowded together on the low, flat deck is about two score ragged looking men, women, and children, along with piles of personal effects- clothing, tools, and other essentials. Makeshift tents and lean-tos are scattered here and there on the open deck, with handcarts, wheelbarrows, prams and other modes for transporting the heaped baggage parked in between. The sound of hens clucking can just be made out over the racket of the barge’s overworked engines. There must be a chicken coup in there somewhere.

The motorized barge draws nearer. Its passengers are clustered closely together in what little open space exists on deck. All are dressed in dingy and threadbare civilian clothing. The multiple layers of cold weather clothing can’t hide the thin, gaunt frames of the bodies buried underneath. Each person has only a couple of square feet in which to sleep. One passenger in particular stands out from the others. A man with the comparatively swarthy complexion, broad face, and narrow eyes of a central Asian sits by himself on the port quarter, just right of the barge's small, boxy bridge. It’s subtle, but it appears as though the others squatting nearby are quite literally giving him a slightly wider berth. He looks fitter and better fed than any of the others and his posture is almost artificially poor. It’s as if he’s more uncomfortable slouching in the manner of his neighbors than he would be were he standing at attention on a parade ground.

Actions?
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:00, Fri 05 Sept 2008.

Manning his action post Jan makes sure his weapon is ready to go with no feed problems and everything in good shape. Once he is sure of the equipment he pulls out his binoculars and starts studying the approching barge. Looking over the tents and lean-to's for any sign they are concealing anything dangerous. Once that is done he will switch to the asiatic man by himself and try and take his measure.

Sam will continue to man his post and assigned sector.

Tucker will man his MG and keep eyes open on the barge as it gets closer to the tug.

Quyen rises a little, exposing herself more behind the mortar position's cover. Raising her uninjured hand, she gives a friendly (but casual) wave to those visible on the approaching boat.

"Boats usually meet on the river? I mean, do they stop or just pass each other?" Bayer asks quietly to Adam. "I don't think they are a offensive party. They may have useful information for us. Can you try to see if they will speak with us? I'd like to speak with their captain or leader."

Griet looked at the miserable mass of humanity on the barge and frowned. So many compromises had been made recently, she'd been living a lie, breaking her word and dancing with the devil, she looked at the Kaptain and Adam and said, "We need to hail them and see if we can help them. At the least we need to warn them that Sandiomierz is taking slaves."

They'd ignored too much in the name of their mission. It was time to try to take a stand for what humanity she had left.

Mariusz looked at the ship that looked to be passing them, his hands close enough to the trigger of the AGS to fire it if need be, but not overtly covering the people on it, the last thing they looked like they needed was more threats from well-armed thugs.

"Yes, it is fairly routine for boats meeting on the river to stop and exchange information and perhaps trade a little. I am troubled, though, that they did not respond to our signal. It probably means nothing but it could suggest trouble. They look harmless enough, though...

We'll have to pass each other very close by or risk running aground in the shallows nearer the banks. They are almost close enough to hail. Shall I?"



"Yes, yes, of course." Adam adds, a tinge of guilt in his voice.

Adam bellows instructions to Walter who proceeds to hail the approaching motor barge from the starboard companionway. The mystery vessel's nearly pulled alongside the Krolowa's own barge.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:23, Fri 05 Sept 2008.

After the fight, Dawid said to Mariusz that he made a good shot, and whatever he felt was okay. It could be guilt, exhilaration, something in-between, or even nothing. "Everyone has a way of dealing with what they must," he explained.

He also volunteered to help move and lay the bodies to rest in the church, should they ever make it that far!

Before going to sleep the previous night he made a point of disassembling, checking and cleaning all weapons in the bow area that had been fired or not. He went over the Mk.19 and AGS-17 with extra care, then the RPK-74 SAWs, the Vasilek, and even the PKMs. He left the Dushkas to someone else's care.

When the new boat was spotted, he loaded HEDP into the Vasilek and got into position. Beside him was his loaded Tantal, with a 40mm HE grenade ready to go.

"Minh, all those women and children, civilians... I pray nothing goes wrong."


Vasilek, 82mm HEDP 5/5
Tantal/BG-15 40mm HE 1/1
Aiming Vasilek

Using an old fashioned speeking trumpet, Walter hails the mystery barge, requesting that she hove to for the customary exchange of news. The barge crew, apparently awed by the numerous, large weapons festooning the Krolowa’s upper works, decides to comply instead of attempting to make a run for it and cuts power to her rather noisy engines, dropping anchor as the Korlowa slides up alongside and does the same. The two vessels are only about 10m apart, nose to stern, the barge just off of the Korlowa’s starboard side. The Krolowa's telescopling gangway should be able to close the gap if need be. The smell of cooking fires and unwashed bodies begins to mingle with the routine aromas of the broad, brown river.

As the barge's huddled passengers look on with unconcealed apprehension, the barge’s master, a middle-aged man in a knit cap, black dungarees, and a faded, grease-stained red sweater emerges from her disproportionately tiny pilot house, set well aft, and winds his way through the maze of refugee hovels to the barge’s side. He is joined by another man from among the passengers. The second man is slightly taller, with a thin face and white hair. His right sleeve is half empty, tied into a knot just below the elbow and his right eye is a milky white, framed by lines of thick pink scar tissue. Despite his disfigurements and the white hair, he doesn't look more than a few days past forty. The master has an AK slung over his right shoulder and the one-armed man has a holstered pistol on his left hip. They stand side by side at the edge of the barge's deck, looking up at the Krolowa's starboard companionway. The master speaks (in Polish of course), his first words conspicuously incongruent,

“Good morning. What can we, er, do for you?”

Actions?
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:30, Sat 06 Sept 2008.

Bayer leaves his G36 in the corner of the bridge. Checking the status of his P7 he slips it back into his webbing. Also leaving his helmet behind, he steps outside and gives a wave to the skipper. "Griet, Jan... come on. Lets go talk."

Leading the way he he calls over to the mortar position, "Dawid, on me too."

At the side of the vessel he says to his group, "I want information on where they've been. Jan you do speak some Polish ja? Griet, Dawid, see if they have anything to trade for what we have to offer. Food is a concern of mine. Try the skipper for trade and Jan and I will work the 1st mate for info."

Looking back at the skipper he replies in English, "We wish to trade information and perhaps for more." Bayer glances at Griet if the man doesn't seem to understand. "May we board your vessel... just the four of us. We do not want trouble, just talk and trade."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:50, Sat 06 Sept 2008.

"He wants to know how he can help us," Griet said in English for the benefit of anyone who couldn't keep up with the Polish, "I suggest we find out what they are running from, advise them of the potential danger from whence we have come and see if there's anything to do to help them, we have food and supplies for a month for a hundred people and although we need that to complete our mission, surely we can share some for pity's sake. Do you want me to translate for you?"
This message was last edited by the player at 17:53, Sat 06 Sept 2008.

Tucker simply keeps watch on the oncoming ship from the railing.  His M-16 hangs from it's sling at his side as he watches and even strains to hear what he can't comprehend in Polish.

Mariusz shook his head as the man spoke and smiled wryly, "How can they help us, Mother of God, they think we're bandits shaking them down."

Griet duly translates Bayer's proposal for the benefit of the men aboard the barge. They look at each other for a moment, then back at the tug looming over them. The panoply of weapons and uniforms aboard the tug don't suggest any particular national military affiliation- usually indicative of marauders- but the flag at the masthead is a nice touch- not something bandits usually bother with. And, the presence of women among the tug's crew suggests that they are probably not interested in rape. With a shrug that seems to say "What choice do we really have?", the master answers,

"Er, you may come aboard. Just the four though, alright? We don't want any trouble either."

Tadeuz and Luboslaw extend the gangway across the gap to the deck of the barge where the master helps secure it. The civilians nearby edge away, exchanging worried glances. A few of the more fit looking men converge slowly on the meeting point, interposing themselves between the strangers from the tug and their own families. Their bearing is merely protective and not overtly aggressive.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:20, Sat 06 Sept 2008.

Griet waited for the gangway to extend and then walked across. She went up to the Captain and said, "Good Day, I am, Griet Niewiadomska, Ex-Polish Navy, I was a Chief Petty Officer, now I serve on my father, Adam Rataj's, boat. As I said before, we would like to exchange information on the stretches of river we have both travelled and the commander of our Marines would like to trade with you." she smiled crookedly, "Principally we would like food and ammunition for our mortar, so I'm not holding out for much. I would also like to ask you if there is any help we can extend to you, I can't guarantee we can help, but as my mother used to say, "not asking gets you nothing"."

She looked over at Dawid and said, "I'd like to offer our information up first, do you have any objections?"

Mariusz looked at the near-stick thiness of the children and thought of the luxuries he'd been eating recently and tears filled his eyes, before Jan crossed the gangplank he buzzed the intercom for him, he gave the message, "Jan, remember the "treat" you gave into my safekeeping, why don't you take it over for the children?"

Bayer steps over the gangway. He's left his rifle and helmet behind to present a less aggressive appearance. On the other side he says, "The river is dangerous for all... many pirates and bandits. We can exchange info on our past travels for the benefit of each of all." Bayer says. Looking over the sad sight, he doesn't expect the trade potential to be high, but nods for Griet and Dawid to try anyways.

Indicating downriver he says, "Jan, I want to know what it ist like down there? Population centers, hazards, armed organized bodies... locations, sizes, means of transportation. Whatever they can tell us."

Waving back upriver, Bayer continues, "We can tell them all the great things that await them that way."

Glancing over his shoulder he gives those still on the weapons a nod - everything's ok.

From his lofty perch atop the Krolowa's bridge, Clarence carefully studies the mass of people strewn about the barge's deck. One man in particular catches his eye.

"Sam, see that Asian-looking guy in far right corner over there? Somethin' about him don't seem quite right. What do you think?"

With Dawid gone, Minh stands and leans against the mortar. Digging into her pocket she whips out one of Hick's packs of smokes. Flicking her hair away from her eyes she lights it and then pockets the pack away for safekeeping. Her eyes then move across the faces on the other boat, stopping for a moment at each one.

Raising an eyebrow, but then nodding in agrement Jan slips into the galley and picks up the package and then runs back to the gangplank. Leaving behind his AK he walks down the plank onto the barge and stands next to Konrad.
"Ja, Konrad, I speak it well if not like a native. Also, as a sign of goodwill, from myself and Mariusz we have a gift for the little ones. A treat I am sure they have not had for some time."

Carefully opening the bag and pulling out its contents he offers them to the one-armed man. "For the children, it is chocolate."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:00, Sat 06 Sept 2008.

The barge's master snorts derisively, “Does it look like we have anything to trade? Er, I’m sorry. It’s just… things have been hard. We are desperately short of food, weapons, and medicines. I don’t suppose you have any to spare yourselves? Or a skilled mechanic? All we can offer, I'm afraid, is news.”



A cautious smile crosses the one-armed man’s lips. “They will like this very much. Thank you. My name is Jerzy Rasiak. I suppose you could say that I am the leader this group. We are bound for Sandomierz. We’ve heard that it’s a free city now and that there’s plenty of work there. Up north, things are not so good. You are not Polish, are you? What is this vessel of yours?”
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:21, Sat 06 Sept 2008.

Griet looked at the Barge Master's half sardonic and half desperate look, she smiled sadly again, "I'd guessed as much, but I had to ask for my superior. We have passed through Sandiomierz and it is not a nice place. The leader is an untrustworthy thug in my opinion, which, it is true, puts him several rungs up the ladder from many. Skilled people are handled well but we saw many slaves when we were there and they are low enough on goods to stiff us in a trade. Between them and us are possibly several marauder bands and a bridge held by the Polish Government. It sustained a heavy attack recently and may be hostile to river traffic, they may exact a toll also, but we're not sure of that. I would approach them with extreme caution."

Griet looked at the chocolate that Jan had given over for the children. It was a lovely gesture but she doubted that the people on the barge would use it as a treat for the kids. If they handed it out now in front of the crew, it would show that these really were good people, a rarity these days. She looked at the barge master in the eye, "Food, weapons and medicine eh? That'll be you and the rest of the world then. As I said, I can't promise anything, but I'll see what I can do."

She went close to Dawid and spoke softly in English, "I'll get Adam to give them some of the humanitarian rations, there are around forty of them and they'll get to Sandiomierz in three days. We have a month's rations for a hundred people, that's 3,000 days' worth, this will take up 120 days of that, with careful rationing, we should easily spare it. I'll ask the medics if they'll look over the people here too. As for weapons, I'd like to give them some of the loot we've gathered but that'll need to be a group decision. What do you think?"

Mariusz saw Jan offering the chocolate and nodded his approval, he listened to the conversations and watched as Griet spoke softly to Dawid, he couldn't hear what was said between the two but an idea struck him.

He got onto the intercom again, "Captain Rataj? Could we spare any rations? And could we ask if they have a Priest? He could say the words over Brother Switek and that would mean we wouldn't have to find one when we do find a churchyard to bury him in."

Dawid nodded to Konrad and put down his rifle. Making sure the Stechkin was loaded and safety off, he followed the rest across the gangway and onto the boat.

The wash of smell from the people in front of them was almost overwhelming. He looked back and forth from the tired pinched and hungry faces.



At Griet's question he shook his head and answered. "I wonder what the going rate for conscript labour is in Sandomierz these days? These men look like wolves to me. Hungry wolves."

He repeated his rhetorical question to Konrad, trying to see if there was something not right or out of place on the stinking vessel.


9mm Stechkin (21/20)
On the boat, looking for threats or other elements of note.

At Griet's mention of slavery in Sandomierz, the master seems to deflate.

"Slaves, you say? Erm, that is not good, not good at all..."

At the news of the government-held bridge upriver- and Griet's implication that the Krolowa is not affiliated with said government- the master responds,

"The bridge at Pulawy is also held by government soldiers. Many government soldiers. They held us over night and only let us go at dawn. We were sure they would 'arrest' some of our people and cart them off to the collective farms but they didn't. In fact..." He glances quickly over his shoulder, "...there may be one on board who can tell you more about that."



"Yes, yes. Anything will help. Thank you."

While Griet quietly confers with Dawid, the master converses quietly with the one-armed man.

There is a long pause before Adam's gruff voice returns through the telephone line.

"Yes, of course. We have people- many people- to feed still in Warsaw, but I can not ignore these people's needs. I'll send Walter to do an inventory and ask after your priest. God knows it's been too long since I last did confession."

Hearing the leader's words and (apparently) seeing nothing amiss, Dawid modified his earlier statement to Konrad and Griet.

"Well, maybe not wolves. Not good that we must fight our way past yet another fucking blockade. Which presumably are different from the river pirates that attacked Adam earlier. God Damn it!"


9mm Stechkin (21/20)
On the boat, still looking for threats or other elements of note.

Not fully understanding the speech, Bayer notices the look over the shoulder and pinpoints the man. "What is he saying about that man?" he asks Jan. Once informed, he says almost as an order and not a request, "I want to speak with him. Have him come here."

Bayer pays most of his attention to the information and nearly none to the trade negotiation. When (if) the Asiatic man comes forward, he'll ask Jan to press him for information on the bridge (and the nature of who he is and how he knows).

His hand resting easily on the M-240's stock, Jason continues to scan around, concentrating on the areas straight ahead and along the unengaged starboard side.  He figures enough people are paying attention to the motorized barge.  Hearing Mariusz asking about a priest, he comments, "I doubt these people have a priest with them, but I could be wrong."

Tucker relaxes slightly when he sees Konrad signal everything is all right for the time being.  He still keeps scanning the people for any possible hostile intentions towards the boarding crew or the tug.

Gesturing over at the odd man standing by himself,
"Well, if that man would be willing to tell us what he knows of the bridge and such we would appreciate it. Also, if there would happen to be a priest on board, we have a couple of dead and would like to have the words said over them."

The master apparently understands enough of Konrad's instructions to reply without the need for a translation,

"I think it would be better if we took you to him.

With that, he and the one-armed man turn and lead the boarding party aft through the floating tent village to meet the swarthy stranger...
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:29, Mon 08 Sept 2008.

Dawid wondered if this was one of the Asian peoples that were under the Soviet yoke in the far east. In that case a deserter of some kind? Still, could be some kind of NATO deserter like Minh.

He wondered if the man spoke English, Polish, Russian?

As the boarding party approaches through the crowd of unwashed refugees to his position adjacent to the tiny pilot house, the stranger with vaguely Asiatic features drops his feigned slouch and rises to stand at quasi-attention in preparation to greet them.  At 5'10", he seems tall for an Asian, but from up close he is also evidently of somewhat mixed ancestry.  A battered wool banket draped over his shoulders covers a motley collection of East Bloc webbing and pouches.  His fatigues are the winter variant issued to the VDV - the Soviet airborne corps.  He wears Russian issue jump boots.  The stranger assesses the boarding party, first studying the Hauptmann and, in turn, the others before speaking. He wags his finger at Bayer.

"You not Americans," he asserts in broken and heavily accented but nonetheless clear English  As he speaks, excitedly yet hushed and deliberate in tone, his breath becomes visble in the cool dawn air.

"I Ondar," he pats his chest then gestures toward the Krolowa. "You take me to Americans.  I have news for Americans.  You tell them trouble ahead.  You tell them RESET in danger.  You tell them I help."

He gestures again toward the tug and shrugs as if to punctuate his demand with a 'Well, what are you waiting for?'  He bends over and picks up a Russian issue rucksack with a Soviet R-143 radio mounted and slings it over his shoulder.

"No time.  We go now!"

Bayer waves a hand as if he is not interested, "Jan, we are not familiar with RESET... but we will take him to Americans." After a moments thought he adds, "And he's not to touch that radio of his, if he wants to avoid trouble."

Looking over at Griet and Dawid he says, "Any trade? I have what I came for... I think. Unless you have trade, lets return."

Bayer then nods his thanks to Jan and leads Ondar to the gangway. Giving a firm nod to both the other captain and leader he says, "Remember what we told you. Trust very few. Good luck."

He'll then lead Jan and Ondar back to the Krolowa.

Dawid shook his head.

"There is little they could spare to trade with, I think. We could spare them some food, and they have given us a little information, so that's fair."

He raised an eyebrow at the leader to see if this was true enough.

Following Konrad and the others, Dawid also debated speaking to Ondar in Russian, then decided that may or may not be productive. Whatever his purpose, it would be apparent soon enough. If needed he might be able translate for the purpose of the discussion.

Minh watched as the Hauptmann lead a uniformed man across the gangway, flanked by Jan. A prisoner? she wondered... Soviet anyways. Her smoke dwindling to the butt, she plucked it from her lips and skillfully catapulted it from between her fingers into the river.

Reaching down, she picks up her rifle. Making no effort to hide her unfriendly expression, she eyes the stranger suspiciously. "Whats happening Hauptmann?" she calls over. "Prisoner or... um... guest."

The stranger moves adeptly across the gangplank with his arms outstretched to display an exagerated absence of hostile intent.  Meanwhile, he scans his surroundings as if to make note of his environment and any possible escape route - should one become necessary.  He steps onto the Krolowa and takes special notice of the Asian woman inquiring as to his captivity status.

He nods in her direction and winks casually as he takes a guess as to her ethnicity.

"Ni hao."

As the boarding party turns to reboard the tug with their strange guest in tow, the one armed-man issues an impassioned reminder.

"Please, don't forget the food- anything that you can spare. And, if you have someone on board who could look at our engine?"

The swarthy stranger- Ondar he calls himself- is brought aboard the Krolowa, closely watched. He makes for an odd guest. His uniform and equipment scream Soviet issue and his poor English and thick accent strongly suggest that he's not just another NATO straggler. Considering the nature of the Krolowa's most dogged and deadly opposition over the course of the past week, he is as a fox being welcomed into the proverbial henhouse.

Ondar is escorted to the Krolowa's bridge and the security team's ranking American- WO2 Clarence Milk- is summomed*.

The bridge is quiet in anticipation of the the swarthy stranger's hinted-at report of impending doom. The motorized barge remains anchored alongside, awaiting whatever help and succor the Krolowa's crew cares to provide.

Actions?

*This is going to be important, so anyone and everyone may attend. Those stationed on the port and starboad DShKs may listen in through the bridge's open doors. Others, I suppose, can listen in over the intercom.

Sam will stay posted on the roof with secuirty .he will listin to the members on the bridge.



Sam
secuirty
M25

Having overheard some of the conversation, and then the impassioned plea from the one armed man for a mechanic, Anneka's stoney heart softened slightly from it's recent war-hardened state.
"Sanjay! Bring a tool kit!" she called to the Indian engineer below.
"See what you can do for them."
A little sweat and technical knowledge might open the floodgates as far as further downtream intelligence. If nothing else the goodwill they generated might go some way to offset the probably deserved reputation for violence they'd left in their wake.
"Minh, can you come take over up here?" A question more than an order, but one that only really had one answer.
"I'll go over with Sanjay to see what I can do."
Leaving the port DShK (which if push came to shove she'd probably not have been able to operate effectively anyway), she gathered some basic medical supplies and her Uzi....

Speaking in English Dawid offers to translate for the man.

"Ondar, my friend, I am Sergeant Dawid Piotrowski. I am working with our allies, the Americans (among others). If need be, I know Russian and will be able to translate if need be, although your English seems quite good."

Dawid tried to place the man's accent, guessing his origin to be an Eastern Asian Soviet Republic of some kind, like Kazakhstan, Turkistan, possibly even Mongolia.

Mariusz stayed at his post and got ready to listen in on the conversation over the intercom.

Griet looked at the barge man and said, "We're sending an engineer and a medic over, we can't spare much in the way of spare parts and medicine, but what our expertise can gain you, we'll give freely. I'll arrange for some food to be sent over, I estimate it'll take you three days to reach Sandiomierz, what do you think?"

She listened to the man's assessment and headed back to the bridge to hear what this new informant had to say.

Tucker will walk over to see what is going on and why this person is on the tug.  It must be good if Konrad brought him aboard...

The Central Asian guest calling himself Ondar, which anybody who can read Cyrillic can confirm is actually the name stencilled on his fatigues, unhooks the fasteners on his flak jacket and sits down at the chart table.

"Spasiba."

The stranger acknowledges the Polish sergeant's offer to translate and counters that his Russian is only marginally better than his English.  He shrugs before continuing.

"Make this easy I can," he begins in the same clear but syntactically jumbled English "Ondar have informations about the RESET.  I know size and composition of forces nearby that hostile."

He traces his finger along the route of the river up to the crossing at Pulawy and taps that location three times.  He then gestures toward the radio attached to his ruck leaning against the wall.

"I have radio frequencies with codewords and ... eh ... protocols.  These all I trade Americans for safe passage out this area.  That now.  Later, I like see Montana.  Ondar make home there.  Ranch with horses.  Big Sky Country."

He reaches for a coffee pot sitting on the chart table and pours himself half a cup.  Holding the mug to his lips with both hands, he takes a sip and winces at the bitterness.

"As aside, not pertain this negotiation, maybe you spare food for barge.  They smell bad, but good kind people.  Ondar loyal friend.  You see soon."
This message was last edited by the player at 06:21, Wed 10 Sept 2008.

Bayer is silent during the entirety of Ondar's declaration. He subdues a rise in annoyance when he pours himself the coffee... but says nothing and doesn't alter his expression. Only when Ondar is finished he says flatly,

"Enemy strengths and positions... go on."


OOC - How far (or how long rather) until we reach the next population point or known enemy garrison?

Also, he's not openly armed is he?
This message was last edited by the player at 11:44, Wed 10 Sept 2008.

"Nichevo." Dawid offers him a cigarette and offers to light it.

Standing out of the way by the wall Jan watches the newcomer make himself at home. Watching as he interacts with the others he tries to get a feel for weither he is trustworthy or not.

"So, please if you would, tell us of this Reset and the troup strengths you mentioned. Where and how many? Are they on allert and what type of troops are they?"

Pulling out a pack of smokes he lights one up and continues to watch the swarthy stranger.

As the conversation on the bridge got underway, Griet got onto the intercom to Mariusz, "Mariusz, can you select some rations for transfer to the other boat. Three days' supply for thirty if you please."

"No problem," Mariusz replied.

He looked over at Jason, "Comrade, will you take over the AGS? I have an errand to run."
He left the bunker and moved into the hold of the tug. The food supplies had been carefully stored away and it took him a while to locate a wheel barrow and the rations he thought they could spare. He placed two twenty-five kilo sacks of potatoes onto the barrow and added two twenty-five kilo sacks of flour and a pot of yeast. On top of these he placed two ten kilo bags of dried beetroots, a ten kilo bag of dried onions and another of carrots, he finished the supplies with eight five kilo bags of soup mix.

The selection would give them plenty of calories and most vitamins that they would need. He hoped it would be enough to see them to safety. He wheeled the barrow to the winch and winched the supplies to the deck. After that he wheeled the barrow over to the motor-tow and started to off-load it, he looked up at the barge master and handed him the tin of precious yeast, "This is yeast, a live culture, do you have someone who knows hoe to take care of it? If not, I'll keep it and give you enough of our dried yeast to last you."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:28, Wed 10 Sept 2008.

"Sure thing, Mariusz."  Jason stays at the central position of the M240, but is ready to move to the AGL should it be necessary.  He takes up the intercom phone and calls the bridge.  He asks whoever answers to keep him posted on what goes on in the bridge with the fellow from the barge.

Clarence walks on to the bridge and immediately regrets it. He could plainly see that the man escorted aboard was in Soviet uniform, but no one told him RESET had been mentioned.

As the Soviet speaks of the top secret plans, Clarence has to fight to maintain his composure. It probably won't do much good.

Milk's appearance on the scene undoubtedly confirms the presence of RESET on board the tug for the unexpected guest. If the man knows enough to believe that RESET is being transported on board this particular river tug, then he probably knows that it is in the posession of a black American soldier as well. How many river tugs with a black man aboard were steaming through Poland in this day and age?

Clarence remains quiet, being as Konrad and Cerny have already asked the pertinent questions. He carefully studies the man, hand resting on his hip not far from his drop holster.

The one-armed man leads Sanjay to the barge's engine access and the Indian mechanic quietly sets quickly and quietly about his work. Next, the one-armed man ushers Anneka to a small tent and opens the flap to a chair set behind a small table. He offers her the chair and as she lays out her kit on the table, he pushes back the flap and calls loudly,

"Anyone in need of a doctor, we are blessed to have one aboard!"

In under a minute a line of at least two dozen people has formed leading to the small, improvised barge clinic. The first is a young mother. Her baby- a child of about 6 months- is listless and refuses to nurse.

Meanwhile...



The barge master frowns,

"Probably. Does it require proper refrigeration? We don't have the, er... facilities. But, kind son, I don't mean to seem ungrateful. I thank you for the food. We were convinced that you were pirates come to take what little we had left. Instead, you've proven our deliverers. Tell me, though, of Sandomierz. You mentioned slaves there? We'd heard nothing of slavery, only that there was plenty or work and food to be had there. Is there someplace else along the river- that's not too much further- where we could go?"

On board the Krolowa's bridge, the interrogation of the swarthy stranger begins in earnest.

Actions?

"It doesn't require refridgeration, but once it's opened, it'll need to be kept moist and covered and you need to give it a little sugar once a week, you can get the sugar most easily by caramelising a starchy tuber like carrot and potatoe. Beetroot is best," Mariusz replied, "Sandiomierz is an enigma, it calls itself a free city, but we saw cages of people when we entered the place. We also know that when they raided a town further upstream they also took slaves. That town, Tarnozbrezeg, was controlled by a mad American and is likely an armed camp or ghost town. Further up, I think the locks before Krakow have raiders camped there and Krakow makes you work like a slave for a year or two before making you a citizen. taking it all into account, Sandomierz might be the best choice of a bad lot. I wish I could be more positive, but the world has gone to shit."

Quyen continues to casually cover the other boat at the upper deck machine gun position. She can hear the discussions, but keeps most of her focus on the other boat... and occasionally on shore.

With the meeting on the bridge well-attended, Griet took her notes from the barge's log and asked the bargemaster, "Do you have your charts? I have my Captain's notes on the river upstream and the problems encountered on the riverbanks. Our engineer,Sanjay spent time in Sandomierz so he might be able to confirm or deny our suspiscions that they are slavers."

Dave stumbles onto the bridge, one hand holding his head and his rifle cradled in his other hand.

"What's all the racket? Don't ya'll know some people are trying to sleep?" He sees the stranger in a russian uniform and raises his eyebrows as he backs away a little bit.

As Griet follows the barge's master back to the pilot house to collect his annotated charts, he shares news of what awaits downriver.

"Yes, I will be happy to exchange charts with you. Where are you all headed again? If it's Warszawa (Warsaw), don't bother. There's a warlord up there that's taken over nearly the entire city save for the southern suburbs; a right savage son-of-a-bitch he is. Many of our passengers are fleeing from that cursed place. Some of the others are from Gora Kalwaria. They have held out pretty well so far but their ways are a bit too... strict, shall we say. We picked up a few passengers in the Bagno ("bog" or "marsh") Maciejowice, though a few of their number chose to stay behind- why, I don't know. Can't imagine how they survive in there. If what you've said about upriver is true, though, making a go of it in the marshes might be the least of several evils."

Obviously discouraged, the master falls silent until the charts are in his hands, sparking recent memories and provoking a renewal of his report. As he hands them over to Griet, he continues,

"Deblin is held by a few government soldiers. They made themselves scarce until they could tell we weren't pirates. Then they made a show of force, stopping the barge and shaking us down- the bastards. There weren't more than a couple doezen of 'em but we couldn't really do anything about it. But, if the pirates come up the river in force, those Lublin bullies are in a heap of trouble. I can't say that I'd be too sorry if that were to happen."

"And, of course, there's Pulawy- now that's a whole different story. I suppose that's the government's main bulwark against the pirates and marauders up north. We'd heard that it was government held but we weren't expecting such a show of force. There were probably hundreds of soldiers there and tanks too- a few of them. I'd love to watch those bloody pirates try to get through there! Say, I doubt that the government soldiers are going to be pleased to see so many NATO types on board your tug. What are you folks up to anyway?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:48, Fri 12 Sept 2008.

Dawid became excited.

"You've been to Warszawa?"

"DId you hear of a woman Doctor there? Her name would be Urzula, Urzula Piotrowski."

"Please, this is important."

Worked up a little, he lit his own cigarette.

"Wow, we're really going into a fucking war zone!  I guess we haven't seen shit yet," Tucker says as he listens to what's in sotre for them up the river on the way to Warsaw.

Bayer hears out what Ondar has to add quietly.

OOC - Is he going to be specific?

Slipping outside for a moment, he speaks to Quyen quietly,. "You have time with intel and PW processing ja? You have skilled question techniques right? There is a Soviet... deserter inside. I want you to start with determining is he telling the truth or not. Nothing crazy, and you don't need to extract buried secrets. Just if he is telling the truth or not. Shouldn't be too difficult right?"

Returning into the bridge he says to Adam, "Whats out time of arrival for the next town or reported garrison?"

Ondar looks quizically at the Legionnaire and then nods toward the American Warrant Officer.

"Maybe the American brief you with the RESET later. It not here or there.  What important is know that Russian theater commanders now tell Poles in Lublin RESET why they chase you.  This happen only in last 24 hours.  Opposition conscripts you face before this bush league compare what lay ahead.  I already buy some time but hurry we must.  So ... we have deal?"

He takes another sip of the bitter coffee sludge and pauses.  He scans plaintively back and forth between Bayer, Milk, Cerny and back to the German and then to the map as though waiting for somebody in authority to provide confirmation of his proposal.

"Good.  I tell you what Ondar know and we work together.  Team, yes?  Large task force wait at Pulawy crossing.  Reinforced platoon Soviet Reydoviki and probably two whole company veteran Polish front line Motor Rifle bandit hunters.  All fresh equip with heavy weapon.  These brought in special for you.  Garrison there reinforced by two of T-62 series main battle tank, with armor enhancement.  Also at least two, maybe three of BMP infantry carriers with the AT-3 missles.  There many large mortar, to include one Vasilek - like what out on  bow."

Ondar stands and rotates his chair around so that he is stradding the seat with his chest pressed against the back when he sits back down.  In so doing, he exposes what appears to the the wooden handle of a blued steel Makarov-like pistol stuffed in the waistband of the small of his back.  He doesn't seem to notice or care that he has exposed his weapon.

"Many positions may dug in," he continues.  "But garrison commander know value of manuever.  They have radar and night vision capables.  And they know you coming.  That what at Pulawy now in wait.  Patrols and observation on each side river in both directions.  Reinforcements coming from Lublin to east soon as get shit together."

He cracks a faint smile.

"Rear echelon in recent ... disorder."

The smile fades.

"Expect recover by nightfall.  We monitor situation develop on radio.  I have frequencies."

The guest stops to let the tactical situation sink in with the team planners.

"This end of line for tugboat, no?  Most certain to stop and board.  Look for you."  He nods toward Milk.  "Will find RESET if still here."

"Hmm. We have deal." Bayer confirms. "And... I know that you already understand if you cross us - we will kill you. That is obvious to you ja?"

Listening to their opponent's overwhelming strength being listed off, Bayer smirks and shakes his head in displeasure. He then says, "What is this option you can provide us? What can you do that will allow you to see Montana?"

A hush falls over the bridge. The mood change is sudden and universal. The tension is palpable.

If the stranger's report is to be believed, the most numerous, organized, heavily armed, active, and well prepared opposition the tug has faced to date holds preprared positions just 10km downriver. And, they are waiting specifically for the Krolowa.

After Konrad, Clarence Milk is the first to speak,

"I'll go. I can't speak for anyone else but McCoy and maybe Kasparov will probably go along with me. We'll go ashore here and take off on foot. I just need a few minutes to pack my gear."

He looks at Old Adam, trying hard to maintain eye contact,

"I'm sorry for bringin' all this down on you, Captain."

The weatherbeaten tug captain manages a weak smile,

"There is no need to apologize. I know that you did not mean for this to happen. You have helped us make it this far and I will not turn my back on you now. Besides Mr. Milk, you know as well as I that this tug will still be boarded and those of us who remain will be arrested, even if you and your... cargo are long gone. We are in this together."

A difficult decision awaits and the remainder of the security team are summoned from their various tasks to collectively determine a course of action.

Actions?
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:55, Fri 12 Sept 2008.

The master seems to hesitate for a moment before answering,

"Doctor Piotrowski? Yes, yes. I knew her well. Many of us owe our lives to her care."

The master's tone grows somber.

"She was... she passed away during one of the Baron's first attacks, treating the wounded. An artillery shell collapsed the building we were using for a field hospital. I'm sorry..."
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:14, Sat 13 Sept 2008.

"I run with Milk and take orders from him. I will follow you to hell- you know that, Milk! I will get our shit ready to get the fuck out of here. Just give me the order."
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:35, Sat 13 Sept 2008.

Tucker looks for a place to lean or sit down on the deck where all of this 'good news' is being passed on.  He takes out one of his cigars and lights it up taking a deep pull off of it.  "Go on the run again or go down river and be arrested?  Some fucking choice.  Well, I signed on with you as a security person Captain, I guess I'm staying for the ride no matter how short this may be for us.  With all due respect Clarence, I'm staying with the tug."

Ondar shrugs at the Hauptmann's death threat as though he already considered it a given outcome.

"If may suggest," he begins to explain, "There is town west on main road to Radom.  Zwolen.  Twenty kilometer.  Small garrison there, maybe one, two squad conscripts.  But have motor pool there and also supply depot to maintain patrol.  Locals supporting NATO.  Partisans stay there last winter.  Maybe still there.  It good place to steal transport.  Or hide - wait for this blow over."

He raises an eyebrow and turns back to Bayer.

"Or maybe it trap and you get shoot me anyway."

"If that is the only command authority you recognize, then perhaps you should go. There are no rogue elements in this group. If you disagree then you should get your shit and leave now as you suggested, and not return." Bayer snaps.



Bayer can't hide his genuinely amused smile... he was glad that the man had at least thought of the potential consequences. "Ok. Then we have profitable options then, good."

"Anyone else know about this town?" he says.

Quyen enters the bridge, and looks the man over. With the others focused on talking about the town, she nods to Ondar and says neutrally, "Hello."

With the focus on working out a plan, she uses the time to question Ondar. Keeping her attention focused on his unconscious mannerisms Quyen asks him "How do you know of this town, and what goes on there?"

Once answered, she proceeds to inquire about his motivations to defect, how he deserted and came to be with the refugees, how he knew to find us, how he was knowledgeable about the extent of the details he had of the enemy strengths, and other pertinent (and non-pertinent like his rank and where he was from) questions. Quyen studies how he answers them, and listens to any cross examined questions to see if he gives any contradictory information. She listens to sense if his answers are forced, or sound as if rehearsed, or do they come naturally. She watches his eyes and hands closely.

Quyen pays closer attention to how he answers, rather what he answers. It isn't an interrogation to gain information... as she's only really interested in determining if he is telling a fabricated story.

Hearing that his sister was dead, Dawid felt a crushing weight descend on him, tears formed in his eyes.

"Dead? Shit. There's no reason for me to go on now."

But of course it was all-too possible. People died all the time in Poland, this was the "Second Deluge", a wholesale slaughter of everyone and everything. There was no hope, no reason to continue from battle to battle, cursed to walk the blighted Earth like the Roman soldier who pierced Christ's side with his lance as the Saviour was nailed to the cross.

He put his head in his hands and wept.

Called back from the bunker, Jason arrives at the bridge in time to hear mention of Zwolen.  When Konrad asks for more information on the town, he replies, "Mariusz would know more about it; his group stayed there over the winter.  He mentioned to me it would be a nice place to bury the Brother."

He glances over at Minh for the first time since last night.  His eyes go wide as he takes in the bandage on her arm.  It takes all his willpower not to rush over to her as he recognizes she is in 'professional mode,' talking to the fellow from the barge.  "What the hell happened to Minh's arm?" he whispers to Tucker.  "And why did nobody tell me about it?"  He had heard about Stoner getting shot, but not Minh.  He was getting mightily sick of being sequestered in the bunker on the barge.

Mariusz finished off-loading the rations and then headed back onto the tug. He looked at the serious faces on the bridge and sighed, something didn't look good.

"Come here David; let's go and talk let the rest here decide our future...."

"German, calm down; don't get your panties in a bunch. I'm an American soldier so I follow orders from them. That's what I meant. I know you are in command of this mission and I have followed your orders 100%. But if my guy leaves, I must under my country's rules follow his orders. It's nothing bad towards you, just the rules; and as a German you must respect that."

If David comes, Sam will put on his senior NCO hat and start to talk to David about life and the purpose of carrying on and how his country needs him and how his sister would not want him to quit and that she would be mad at him if he did. He will also talk about how the crew needs him with his skill on the heavy weapons and Sam will give the Pole a shoulder to cry on and keep the positive reinforcement up until David returns to a somewhat normal state.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:27, Sat 13 Sept 2008.

Some time after the meeting was over McCoy let it be known he was making himself available to talk, and because Dawid was a talkative soul he obliged him.

Dawid seemed a little more cheered up afer, but understandably his spirits still seemed crushed. When "serving his country" came up he looked like he wanted to say more about the subject, but held back, instead just smoking a cigarette and looking out over the water.

Bayer nods an understanding to McCoy, "Alright, I get you." he says.

When Mariusz enters, Bayer softly grabs his arm and pulls him over. He then says, "Zwolen. Tell me about it. When were you there last?" As Mariusz answers, he unfolds his map to help create his own mental picture.

"Zwolen, it's about 20 kilometers away from here on the road to Radom. I was there with my unit over last winter. The people are sympathetic to the partisan cause, but there's a government garrison there to help keep the road open and supply the patrols that run between Radom and Lublin. The garrison was pretty lax when we were there, a dozen or more conscripts, mainly they guarded the supply dump and kept things nice for the patrols which passed through and sometimes stayed overnight. Why?" Mariusz asked.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:53, Sat 13 Sept 2008.

"We may be going there." he says.

"How often did patrols go through? What kind of supply dump? Whats the ground like around the town... easy for a dozen men to get in close?"

Tucker takes another pull off of his cigar and exhale's it before he answers Jason's questions about Minh.  "Minh took one in the arm when we got ambushed on shore with me, McCoy, and Stoner.  Stoner got the worst of it and took one to the dome!  I didn't know you were he next of kin contact or else we would've called you right away!"

"Ha ha.  Very funny," Jason replies.  "I mean, the word got passed about Stoner getting hit, but no mention of the identity of the other wounded.  I suppose that, and the fact she's walking around, means it's not very serious.  It just would have been nice to hear that up front.  It's awfully isolated up there."

As options are layed out on the table, Adam speaks up, his gravelly voice cracking with emotion,

"I will go to Warsaw, with or without the Wisla Krolowa."

He heaves a heavy sigh and continues in a quiet, measured tone,

"We have burned too many bridges to hope for a return to Krakow. There is no turning back for me."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:48, Sat 13 Sept 2008.

Clarence stares out of the bridge window, deep in thought. He watches the refugees milling about on the barge below. A line has formed to a tent on its deck aft. He sees Anneka emerge briefly through the flap, welcoming an old woman into what be a makeshift infirmary.

His head swings around to face the others present on the cramped bridge.

"What about the refugee barge?"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:46, Sat 13 Sept 2008.

"Well," Mariusz began, "the last time I was there, which was about eight months ago,the garrison consisted of about a platoon or so of garrison troops and a small motor pool. The motor pool had access to a Soviet-made MBT recovery vehicle and a few trucks. Their job was, and probably still is, to pick up and fix convoy vehicles that broke down between Pulawy and Radom. There were usually half a dozen vehicles in various states of repair in the town.

The garrison troops sent out daily squads to patrol a few km down the main road in both directions. The patrols often went out on bicycle.

Convoys between Lublin and Radom went out on a weekly basis. The average was two per week. One was usually purely military, supplies, replacement personel, and so on, and the other is usually mercantile. They almost always stopped in town for at least a couple of hours.

The farm we wintered in is a couple of klicks away from town, off the main road. A dirt road links it to the MSR. The garrison patrolled but once in a blue moon so that's why the we felt safe staying there.

The landscape is pretty flat an open- mostly farmland, some of it still under cultivation. At night, if we were careful, we could probably get pretty close."

"Good info Mariusz." Bayer replies.

"Alright. Is anyone not convinced assessing the situation at Zwolen is our best... and only real option at this point?" he asks aloud. "I don't know what to do about the cargo here, but I see Zwolen's transportation as something that can be done."

"Milk, you are our comms man. See to Ondar about those frequencies and lets setup a listening watch over the radio." he adds.

Bayer passes a glance over to Quyen and nods his head towards Ondar.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:52, Sun 14 Sept 2008.

Griet thought about Tucker's question, "It's also a possibility to explore. I assume you're suggesting that we swap craft and do some work on making the motorbarge look different? It's a tall order but is worth discussing." She also thought about Zwolen, "Scouting it out to see if an attack is feasible will o no harm. Most vehicles there may be in poor repair, but the motor pool must have some wheeled transport of their own that we could use. Mariusz, would Zwolen be a potential safe haven for these refugees?"

"Is nice they send such pretty girl for make chat."  Ondar smiles at Minh as she conducts her interview.  He appears congenial and sincere enough, however it soon becomes obvious to the MP that she is dealing with an operative well trained in the arts of resistance and verbal self defense.

"Is your job suspect Ondar.  Is okay - Ondar not offend.  Ondar know what Ondar know because it job to know.  RESET worst kept secret in whole Western Theatre.  If not your own CIA and DIA infighting then is KGB and GRU deathmatch to recover.  Israelis in-country too, also French.  If China think could get hands on they probably also make grab at.  Poles not be left out either.  For me, I until recent loan out to GRU in Lublin."

He goes on to detail that he was born in the Tuvinskaya Autonomous Region of the Soviet Union to a family of semi-nomadic yak herders.  He was conscripted into the Red Army when he came of draft age and - although new to the Western TVD - claims to have served a career spanning over twenty years with distinction in Afghanistan, China and Norway.  He explains his contract status as a senior warrant in the Soviet special forces.  The only break in his professional veneer appears when fielding the question as to his motivation for desertion.

"That ... complicated."  He diverts his eyes and dwells for a moment in the contents of his coffee mug before sipping.  "Tragic story not time for tell.  Suffice it say puppets of state betray Ondar.  Ondar return favor ..."

His voice trails off.  Then, as if he just remembered something, he reaches cautiously into a pocket in his field jacket and produces a rubber-banded stack of documents appearing to be mostly identity papers, travel documents operational orders and a code book.  He drops them on the chart table and slides the stack toward Minh.

"I think you'll find," he declares in crystal clear accentless English evocative of The Duke Himself John Wayne, "My credentials are impeccable."

He chuckles to himself.

"Ondar say that in twelve langauges.  As for refugees, they just in right place at right time."  He waves his hand.  "You not hard to find."

Ondar stops and studies Minh's face with a clinical interest.

"You not Chinese.  What then?  Thai?  Viet?  Not Lao, I bet.  Is okay you still suspicious.  Trust come in time.  Ondar not worry."

Griet felt her heart weigh heavily in her chest. Her father was insisting on continuing his quest like some deluded knight in a Cervantes novel and somehow, Milk, the CIA operative had gotten caught up in the romance of it all. Combining the journey to Warsaw with the transit of the Operation RESET papers was suicide for both parties.

Whilst the tug had been a viable alternative, the partnership had been feasible, now it was bordering on stupid. At best, they'd be a long column of soft-skinned vehicles pushing down the only roads to Warsaw and waiting to be butchered by the Government Forces. Even if they were able to salvage the heavy weapons from the boat they'd be in trouble as individual trucks were less immune to fire than the tug and they wouldn't be able to concentrate their fire the way they had on the river. She sighed, it was bordering on hopeless, but if her father wouldn't give in, she had to make the best of it.

"OK," she said, "if we are going to scout out Zwolen, this is what we'll need at a minimum: trucks with enough capacity to shift thirty tonnes of goods, any combination of tonnage will do but the bigger the better as we'll need fewer drivers. Ideally we'll also need a few lighter vehicles for scouting and defence as well as enough fuel carrying capacity for 200 kilometers of travel. Add to that the ideal need for more empty trucks to transport the refugees when we reach Warsaw. Thinking about it, we might consider hiring on drivers from the fugees here, we'll be spread horribly thin otherwise. Once we have the vehicles, we'll need several hours to load them and put the defensive weaponry on them, say three to four hours. That means there can be no survivors from the garrison and no messages out from it or we'll be asking for a counter-attack, it won't take a genius to put two and two together and send out scouting forces to locate us. From my perspective, at best we get lucky and survive long enough to get hit somewhere on the road to Warsaw, at worst, we'll die here."

"Well, if I could throw my piece in here? I say we take a little time and think about things. Let's spend a few hours here helping these people and doing repairs for them. Let's also as single people come up with two COA's for the good captain here. Then, we brief him in a group setting with no fighting or sniping; then as a group we decide what COA we like the best and then we execute it as a team with a mission in mind, not as ten single people going in ten different directions. Not all is lost- this is a blessing. To have intel in today's world is rare and we have some. We could still complete our mission and help these people out and not die- all good things in my book. So what do you say meet back here in two or three hours and brief?"

Sam will await replies.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:42, Sun 14 Sept 2008.

Mariusz listened carefully to McCoy and then raised his hand, "So you want each of us to come up with two different coas, whatever they are and then tell the Captain all of them, or do we decide on one and then brief the Captain? If we are going to decide on a "coa", how do we do that without actually discussing things? I don't see any fighting here, just discussions and opinions."

"You come up with your idea on how to do things. One or two options- you decide. Then you brief the German captain. We do this a couple of hours from now. He is the commander. Once he decides what we do then he briefs the ship's captain and we go from there in a unifed command with a purpose. This is an easy, simple way to do things. I have my plan now. You make yours; we all brief then we go from there.

"Understand my son? I have been lacking here in your education. It's my fault. Once we decide whats going on, come and talk to me and we start your training in the arts of war.

"David, let's go and talk some more. I have some things I want to share with you."

Sam will walk off with David if he comes and will talk more about his loss.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:44, Sun 14 Sept 2008.

Bayer replies when the two men are finished, "I believe McCoy's suggestion will be the most productive at this point. Especially how we are not all in attendance. Each man or woman who wishes to put forth a plan, or COA as its been said... has an hour. The endstate must accomplish our primary goal of reaching Warsaw with the provisions aboard. OK? 2 hours... in the galley."

If there is no disagreements, he nods for Tucker to follow him outside and out of earshot. "Robert, at this point I want an armed man with the Soviet at all times, on a rotating basis. No escort is to engage in any talk which can jeopardize our security." Bayer then adds, "He also needs to be disarmed... at least for the time being." Bayer then nods to the bridge where Robert had Jan, McCoy, and Milk available to assist if it became a problem. "Can do?"

Leaving him, Bayer returns again to the other vessel, pulling the members of the team aside for privacy he informs them of the situation. Looking at his watch he also offers them the option of presenting a COA in an hour.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:59, Sun 14 Sept 2008.

"Yes sir.

Clarence turns to face their esteemed guest, waiting patiently while Minh "interviews" the Soviet special forces soldier. He studies the man's responses, both verbal and non-verbal, trying to get a feel for the man. The guy wasn't exactly an open book.

"Ondar is it? I'm WO2 Clarence Milk, but you probably already knew that now, didn't you. How about you share those Soviet coms frequencies..."

There was no use in trying to hide his identity. It was obvious that nearly everything about his mission had been compromised already.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:51, Sun 14 Sept 2008.

As per Sam's suggestion, the crowd aboard the Krolowa's bridge disperses and each team member retreats to do his or her own thing.

An hour passes. During this time, several day's worth of food is loaded aboard the refugee's old, battered, harmless-looking motor barge. Sanjay has succeeded in tuning up the barge's past-their-prime engines. Anneka is able to treat a few of the sick and injured refugees, but most of them leave the tent disappointed.


The entire team assembles on the quarterdeck to begin planning how to circumvent the sizeable welcoming party assembled at the Pulawy bridge crossing.

Actions?

OOC: Feel free to post what your PC was doing in the interval as well as any plan/s or idea/s he or she has come up with. Both would be best, but either is fine. Please do try and post some input, though.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:45, Sun 14 Sept 2008.

Dawid looked up at that and rolled his eyes in mock exasperation.

"Oh no! You must not let those filthy subhuman "Polacks" get their grimy hands on the Yanks' last best hope: RESET! Never mind we Poles built the fucking thing in the first place. It belongs in the hands our betters. We know our place."

He grinned in humour, or was it sarcasm?

"Ondar, I have a feeling you're going to be right at home in that "Montana" place, you'll fit right in.

"As for me, I signed on to help Adam get to Warszawa. That's it, unless someone makes me a better offer. Therefore, I am staying on the tug with the Vasilek if that's where Adam wants me to be.

"We will make it, do or die.

"If the rest of you want to attack the garrison and steal the trucks, then by all means that sounds like a diversion we could make use of."


This message was last edited by the player at 00:01, Mon 15 Sept 2008.

Sitting in the galley, Bayer listens to Griet's and Mariusz's suggestions on how the group was to overcome their situation. He took notes and periodically checked the map as they spoke. "Ok. Who else." he asks.

"One: the enemy is reacting to our movements. We should be thinking about how to use that against them. They think we're coming by river, let's raid the trucks and give them the idea that we're going by land instead, forcing them to make a choice on splitting their forces."

"Two: the barge limits our mobility, as noted. Let's talk to Ondar and see if there is another barge in Warszawa we can use, so we can leave the one we have. Maybe even use it as a weapon, like set it on fire and let it drift into the current.

"Three: bear in mind that you were hired by Adam to get him to the city, not to help the Yanks with their mission."

Tucker catches Konrad's nod to follow him outside away from the others.  "What's up boss?" he asks him when they're alone.  Robert shakes his head in agreeance with Konrad and says, "If I may?  If you're going to keep Minh with the Russian, I'll just hang out with her while she picks his brain.  I'll see to it that he's searches and I'll confiscate what I find on him.  One last thing Konrad.  I don't know where this is going to go from here but, I wanted to let you know that I signed on with Adam and you to get the tug to Warsaw.  I plan on staying true to that.  I could give two shits about this RESET stuff right now but, if offered the option, I'd prefer to stay on with you and the tug sir."  (WFR before going to see Ondar)

Tucker shoulder slings his M-16 before moving up to where Ondar (and probably Minh are still talking?) is and approaches him calmly.  "OK, Mr. Ondar.  I have orders from my C.O. to confiscate your weapons for the time being while you're on our ship.  It's nothing personal, just soldiers following orders.  Is there a problem with that?" he asks him in a very non-threatening tone.

Tucker
Slung Rifle
Talking to Konrad first, then moving on to Ondar, the Swarthy Stranger

Dawid made it clear to Adam that he was staying with the tug. He might participate in a diversionary effort of some kind, but he'd given his word that in the end he would see Warszawa from the deck of the Wisla Krolowa, or die trying.

"You have my word I will not abandon you, my friend."

When convenient, he asked Ondar and the tug Captain if there is a similar barge moored somewhere around Warszawa. There was no particular reason Adam needed to return with the same barge they started with, and in the probable coming engagement he felt the speed and agility gained would far outweigh the loss of the bunker, especially if some of the crew were going to part ways.

Also, he asked Ondar and the people on the barge if they could confirm the status of his sister. After all, all he had was the barge Captain's word, and unless he'd seen it himself such terrible news should be corroborated in some way!

While on the barge, he asked to see the weapons the refugees brought with them and oversaw any needed cleaning. Although any servicing was beyond him abilities for small arms, he could at least pass on the information if anyone was a skilled armourer.

He addressed the refugees.

"If anyone wants more food and a warm bunk, we may be looking for more people to help out on the tug. See the Doctor, Anneka, if you're interested. One thing... we're going to Warszawa."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:38, Mon 15 Sept 2008.

Previously



"Sounds good. She is suitable. As both an MP and intel trained, she is good for the job. If it wasn't for her arm she'd have more to do with him." he answers.



"Hmm. Glad to hear... seriously. I can understand any loyalties you may have to your fellow countrymen and their intentions. That I can understand. But I am glad I can count on you." he says quietly. "I do hope I made things clear to everyone when I said the endstate of the COA was to ensure Adam and his cargo reach Warsaw one way or another. That objective does not include RESET. As before... I intend to help Milk, but only as long as the original mission is accomplished. He knows this."

Currently

Sitting, Bayer flips through his shorthand notes of the suggested avenues of dealing with their current predicament. Looking up from the battered field notebook on the galley table, Bayer says, "McCoy? I believe you are final addition. Everyone else who has a proposal has weighed in... I think." With that he looks around for a confirmation from those on the team who have kept quiet. "What COA do you have in mind?"
This message was last edited by the player at 16:05, Mon 15 Sept 2008.

Quyen ignores most of his trivial comments and questions, sticking to concentrating on placing the right questions. She also doesn't want to get distracted from watching him. He's much more of a challenge than the ones she dealt with before, but she doesn't give up.



"Vietnam." she says without emotion. It is the only question she is willing to answer. Without missing a beat she continues her questioning and observation...

When Tuck returns she is wrapping up. Nodding her time is up, she stands aside for him to address Ondar.



Quyen contemplates resting her hand on her pistol but decides against it. In the close confines of the bridge, Ondar could much more easily be subdued by the three or four people standing around. Safer too probably. That is to say if he decides on creating a problem.

Later when she in in the galley, she listens closely to everyone's ideas, but declines to add anything. She says "No sir." when the Hauptmann asks for last minute COA proposals.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:50, Mon 15 Sept 2008.

Ondar nods in agreement.

"Yes. Agree confiscation of weapon is for best."

With that, he slowly removes the handgun from his waistband using his left thumb and forefinger and places the weapon on the table.  Without making it safe, he spins it so the barrel is facing him and then slides it across the table toward Minh.

"I take back when you decide can trust."

He shrugs and redirects his attention toward the American Warrant Officer.

"Now I talk radio frequency and protocol with Green Beret."

At the COA meeting...

Clarence listens respectfully as plans are exchanged.

"Sir, we can't wait here for a ground team to hoof it 20 klicks to this town and jack a few trucks as a diversion. The bad guys at Pulawy are waitin' for us and if we don't show soon, they're going to send patrols upriver to look for us. That'll completely shoot our ruse to shit. And, there's no guarantee that they'll fall for the bait. It worked once at Annopol and if they've learned anythin', they're not likely to fall for it a second time.

"Now, I've been thinkin'. What about the refugee barge? The enemy have seen it already and cleared it. What if we trade vessels with the 'fugees? I know it's a trade down- that thing's seen way better days- but we might be able to slip past the bridge among the refugees. Maybe some of them will be willin' to come along as cover. We've got the food and the guns to protect them.

"If the bridge force stops us, we could say that we ran into pirates and decided to head back to Warsaw. Tell them a heavily armed river tug shot at us or somethin'. I don't know. It's a long shot but we need somethin' simple. Splittin' up and tryin' for a diversion that may or may not work is just too risky.

"If you don't like the Trojan Horse approach, I say we all head overland to Zwolen, steal the trucks, and push north.

And everyone, my offer to leave the team still stands. I know that I'm not doin' anybody any favors stickin' around."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:30, Mon 15 Sept 2008.

After Mariusz delivered his plan, he sat near Dawid, making some more cigarettes from the left over butts. He chatted quietly to the older man in soft, low Polish.

Griet busied herself making sure that everything was stowed away properly as she waited for the decisons to be made.

Unable to come up with what he feels is a feasible plan of his own, Jason decides to listen to the others' plans and support which one he thinks is best.  While waiting for McCoy to present his plan, he notices Mariusz recycling butts.  Smacking his own forehead with the heel of his hand, he hurries to his bedroll and takes two packs of the Polish cigarettes from the ammo can.  He returns to the tug and, handing the cigarettes over, tells Mariusz, "Here, młodszy brat, I've been meaning to give you these.  I discovered Hicks' stash.  I figured you would be more accustomed to this brand, but I also have some German ones and some American Marlboros if you'd rather try them."

Mariusz's eyes lit up as he saw the familiar red packets of Mieske, "Those will be fine, Jason, and they're a handsome present, I thank you for them." he looked at the American who had stood with his band for so long, "And what do you think we should do? Not necessarily a plan, but a gut instinct?"

Jason thinks a bit, and replies, "My gut says to stay with the Krolowa, but my head can't think of a way to do so with the Russkies expecting her.  Your plan doesn't sound bad, but I don't think we would have time to armor the motor barge.  I like the idea of hitting Zwolen as well.  We might even get an opportunity to get Brother Switek buried there.  Actually, I think a combination of your idea and Milk's might do the trick."

"Here are my COA's Herr Hauptmann..."

"I only have one and its a ringer. First off, we are driving in a marked car right now. Mission success is the the number one thing right? Well, we trade the tug to the 'fugees here and take everything of value to the barge. Now the bad guys don't know who we are. Second we hire a few people here to come with us to play off that we are refugees. This also helps in our deception plan. Next you need a diversion. The commies know that we were hurt in the last battle and would not expect us too come within 24 to 48 hours due to repairs. So it buys us some time. Also they are massing forces so they won't be so daft to come and fight because they are worrying about the ambush.

"So, my plan is we change boats and hire some refugees. Second, me and someone else take the motocycle and hit this town with the supplies and vehicles and military goods. We go tonight quiet and cut some throats then burn the military gear down to the ground. Then I run on the cycle to draw them off leaving tracks for the first 20 miles or so to give you more time. With their rear area in turmoil and us not there yet then they have to divide their forces to quell this. So I buy you time and space. The tug trade buys you an unmarked car and also the government forces back at the bridge see it going back towards Krakow and this confirms that you are now going another way. Your weapons and humanitairian gear gets to Warsaw, the group stays toghether, and all is well. All you lose is me and a motocycle.

"I have a place in the mountains to go to and I will be safe. I'm a big boy and I have a few secret stashes around here complete with German porn. But you need my help and I'm here to give it. Also Ann, I don't believe your bullshit story about being a doc! In the last few days you have acted and made too many good choices. You're  Mossad if I ever saw one. No worries, I support you in your efforts. You're here for the RESET papers- cool with me. I think Milk needs to make copies tonight and give them to the 4 powers here to really stick it to the commies. With Germany, Israel, and Poland all with copies then the Russians get fucked four ways. Also, it will bring the crew together with an equal goal for their homelands. Right David? So that's my assement and plan."

This message was last edited by the GM at 23:40, Tue 16 Sept 2008.

With the benefit of the enemy frequencies provided by Ondar, Milk is able to listen in on transmissions to and from the reinforced garrison at Pulawy. There's not a whole lot of traffic, but there are some indications that patrols are already out, pushing upriver, probably on foot.

Clarence shares this information with those on board the bridge. Time, it appears, is of the essence.

OOC: Please continue to develop a working plan. I will check in tomorrow afternoon and write up a GM turn if ya'll are ready then.

In reply to Sam McCoy (msg #203):

He nodded towards his fellow Poles.

"I agree with making copies of RESET, as do my countrymen, I would assume. it would certainly give us more incentive to assist you, perhaps even give up our lives. Also, whichever way we go, it's more likely one copy will get through."

"That said, I don't think trying to slip by in disguise will work.

"They know we're coming, and all they have to do is search all passing river traffic with a fine toothed comb. It's not like there's a lot of other traffic on the water right now! I'm sure all Americans would be captured, starting with Clarence.

"My recommendation: get rid of the fucking unpowered barge, because it's mostly a chain around our neck.

"It's mainly for transporting people on the trip back to Krakow. We all agree that we barely made it down the river, any return trip is going to have to wait a fair while until things settle down. At least long enough to find, repair or make a new barge."

His voice grew forceful.

"We should return to the wreck of the other tug. Re-float the hull. Attach the barge to it and use the Queen to bring them both down to the strongpoint. Set a smokescreen in front of the bridge to limit their vision. Let the current carry the decoys through the smoke to the bridge to draw fire. Maybe blow them up when they get there, who knows?"
This message was last edited by the player at 06:00, Wed 17 Sept 2008.

Bayer looks around to ensure there are no last minute entries. He makes conversation with some - clarifying points and expanding on their solutions. "Ok. I try to navigate ourselves with as much equal input from all ranks. I hope that has come across to everyone already. At the other end of the spectrum, when you get ten different plans from your team, you have to abandon nine of them. I hope this won't discourage further suggestions."

Placing his notebook on the table he continues, "Time is the biggest factor for me. One which interferes with a number of your excellent COA proposals. McCoy's plan balances a few your proposals. it averages their endstates... We keep out riverine transportation, keep our cargo, send the enemy on a diversion, and secure us with an unspoiled identification... and allows us enough time for it to work."

"As much as Adam is intent on keeping his boat, he is more intent on reaching Warsaw. He will have to understand." he adds.

"I expect some objection for some of you. But no solution will be without at least some from somebody. So lets make this work and move on."

After a pause Bayer finishes, "We've little time and much to do. The humanitarian cargo needs to be transfered, our gear packed, weapons remounted, civilian crew hired, and anything else you can think of." At this last point he looks around for further input.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:08, Wed 17 Sept 2008.

In reply to Konrad Bayer (msg #206):

Dawid banged his fist down hard on the table.

"This plan is fatally flawed.

"What if they search the barge? It's what I'd do. You can't pass for refugees. Well-fed fit men and a few women of differing races. No children.

"Please address this critical point of failure. It is important it is not further ignored, even if we are grasping at straws."

He lowered his voice and crossed his arms. Looking over at McCoy he said,"I mean no disrespect."

"That said, giving up the Queen, we give up our firepower and mobility."

"If we're short on time, then let's make some. If they are pushing out patrols, let's push back. Ambush them and so reduce his strength piecemeal. That's what we'd do in my army."

"If the other tug can't be salvaged then at least we could try a run at the bridge under a smoke screen. With firepower and mobility we'd have a chance."

"I shall even propose a backup: if we do not succeed in our attack we can always withdraw and try for the trucks. After all, they don't know we know about them, do they?"

He shook his head, smiling.

"You try and pass as refugees... have fun in a GULAG, if the communists don't simply shoot you first."
This message was last edited by the player at 12:04, Wed 17 Sept 2008.

"What if we hide RESET in plain sight?  Put that RESET shit inside the old tug and leave it there until things calm down some?" Tucker says as he listens in to everyone splitting up and attacking patrols.

Dawid answered quickly in Polish. He knew that most of the foreigners had picked up some Polish and would probably get the gist of it, but wanted to prove his point.

"Most of you still can't possibly pass for Poles, unless they don't talk to anyone and don't notice the races and character of the "refugees".

"Once they are that close, it will be far too late.

"Plus, say we do exchange the motor barge for the tug. Someone should tell the real refugees that the Communists and the warlords along the river will shoot at it on sight and not ask questions first."

"If no one tells them, then I sure as Hell will. They deserve to know this ship carries a death sentence for all aboard her if it falls into our enemy's hands."

"To use the words of a friend, so far the plan as it is has a hole in it so wide you could sail the Krolowa through, straight up the middle. Plus a cargo barge for good measure."

"Adam, I am advising you this plan has no chance of success unless this flaw is addressed."

He lit another cigarette.

"We don't need to pass off as refugees, Dawid. Those are not all that are on the river. Refugees are not the only people with a boat." he answers. "Merchants and travelers of all sorts have such security. That pimp had a boat and armed men. Adam's men are fit too."

"There is no way we can fight back. We are fixed in place. We cannot go back or ahead if. We are in range of indirect fire, and we won't be up against damn deserters or militia like T'berg and the locks. Too many, too strong, too prepared. They won't allow themselves to be whittled down to nothing."

"Using smoke as the primary advantage in a battle is relying too much on too little." he continues. "The firepower of two motor rifle companies will negate any perceived protection of smoke... which will also blind what little firepower we have here. Smoke doesn't stop tank rounds."

Holding up a finger he illustrates his most important point, "Do you think they are going to sit tight as this tug lumbers by? Even if the smoke works 100% they are mechanized. They will just follow us at a leisurely speed until the smoke is gone. You are envisioning them as a static army intent on holding ground. They want to make contact and hold it. You say with firepower and mobility we can do it? Well, we have neither... they are superior in both."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:04, Wed 17 Sept 2008.

In reply to Konrad Bayer (msg #210):

Dawid laughed.

"One: if they know a NATO unit is trying to smuggle the plans for RESET out of Poland, they simply need to search everything that comes down the river. That's the whole point of a checkpoint.

"Two: if we're not going at least going to try and pass ourselves off as refugees, even out of uniform who else would we be other than the NATO troops smuggling RESET out of the country?

"Three: I hadn't thought of this before, but as the motor-barge has been through the checkpoint today already.

He shrugged helplessly.

"Two dug-in motor-rifle companies are a tough to crack, I can't lie. For all we know, they could be platoon in strength, you just never know. Reserve echelon troops are like that in the Warsaw Treaty Organisation. At least we'd have a chance to fight it out, and maybe withdraw to have a go at the trucks instead.

"You sail up to them in an unarmoured craft and let them board you, you are finished if they don't buy it. And why would they?"

"So far you've not plugged any of the holes in that plan. I, however, can at least put forth something that plays to our strengths, doesn't have the same gaping holes, and even has a bit of a chance if it doesn't go as planned.

He grinned, pressing home the point.

"Another possibly fatal flaw that is unanswered, why would the barge captain want to exchange his vessel for one that is marked for death? Would you take it by force?

"Come on, you can do more than pretend there aren't serious problems here."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:39, Wed 17 Sept 2008.

Mariusz listened to McCoy, Dawid and Bayer's conversation. There were a lot of good points in each of the plans, "I'd always reccomend subterfudge over brute force, but I'm not sure it'll work in the conditions we have here. If we had time to make the motorbarge look different, it might work, but as we only have a few hours, we can't and driving the same boat through the same checkpoint with different personnel might not work. If we are going to try to battle our wat through, I say we use a variation of part of McCoy's plan. Let McCoy take our best fighters and really hit the garisson, steal the AFV as well as some light trucks.
That would give us a flying attack force. We could load the mortar onto the AFV and use it as an erstaz SPA. If we could get a FO in, the mortar could do real damage, indirect HEAT will turn APCs into tinfoil and dropping WP on the tanks probably would blind them. After that, smoke, confusion and a flanking attack and we might just pull it off, only if we're willing to pay the butcher's bill. I still think running and taking the trucks is a better option but I'll follow whatever is decided."

"That's why I suggested hiding the plans so we don't have them with us and they'll never find them on the tug.  We could always come back for them at a later time and no one is smuggling anything out of Poland!  As much of a bad idea I may think it is to try and hit the garrison, it might be the only shot to get the tug through up ahead.  We certainly can't go the fuck back the way we came up here!  If it means getting the tug through up ahead, I'll go with the ground team and make the diversion.  I know I said I would stay but, if it gets the tug through safely, I'll do that for Adam, not RESET!.  I haven't had anything to fight for in a long time.  This is the first time I feel like i have a place in this fucked up world."

"They are not rear echelon cannon fodder. They are two companies of veteran Polish regulars supported by several mortars. Two T-62 with armour enhancement, and two or three BMP with wire guided missiles. You are wrong to think we can fight that with smoke, or (looking at Mariusz) using a single mortar towed by a recovery vehicle... not an AFV. What you intend to do with one mortar they intend to do the same with many." Quyen replies.

"Tucker is right too. RESET? That is still on your minds? We are not here for that. We are here to get ourselves to Warsaw. If the plans don't go with us, then that's how it is... too bad." she says.

"McCoy stealing a truck gives us the diversion. As for the boat, neither will win in combat. But at least its not a tug."

"McCoy's plan is not ideal, but unfortunately your plan is dangerously flawed as well Dawid. Both seem to have problems that can't be addressed."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:30, Wed 17 Sept 2008.

Griet spoke quietly, "I don't think we have the firepower or the armour to fight our way through the block we have ahead of us. We also lack the time to make bluffing our way through an effective strategy. That leaves us with looking at other options, the other obvious option is going around. Unfortunately that doesn't look viable either as we can't load up the supplies in time before patrols come looking for us. We'll still also have the problem of the Communist Government looking for us with everything they have. In my opinion, we have three options: try to bluff our way through, assuming the refugees will switch boats given the circumstances, and risk destruction or capture, fight our way through and be destroyed, or abandon the river and try to head overland, if we are quick, we might just manage to load up our goods before they start sending out patrols. Of course, I'd also advise my ruse to use the Queen to try to fake our demise, but time is limited and it is risky. It reminds me of a film I once watched where a man said, you have five ways to die, pick one."

Two opposing schools of thought regarding the means of surmounting the obstacle ahead appear to be forming. As the discussion grows more heated, the captain of the Wisla Krolowa speaks,

"I am afraid that all of you are right. If we exchange vessels and the soldiers at Pulawy stop and search the barge- and there's no reason to think that they will not- they will surely find us out and we will end up in a KGB dungeon in Lublin. If we are lucky, we will be killed outright.

"If, on the other hand, we attempt to push the Krolowa through Pulawy, we will be torn apart by the strong forces there.

"A diversion may draw off some of the enemy soldiers but we cannot count on it. Even if half of them leave on a wild goose chase of our devising, those that remain will still be more than a match for us. I am no military man but this is clear to me.

"As long as we stay bound to the Vistula, we are marked for death.

"I will not be able to help my family at all when I am dead. And, if we proceed to Warsaw by river, we will undoubtedly end up that way.

"I care little for this RESET, but we have been indelibly tainted by its presence."

Adam looks pointedly at Clarence.

"It does no good to bemoan our present situation. Parting ways serves neither of us, Mr. Milk, although you are free to go, if you so choose. It seems, however, that our paths are now connected. If we can help each other- to my mind- we must continue do so.

"It pains me greatly to even entertain the thought of losing another vessel, but it is clear to me that we must abandon hope of reaching Warsaw by the river.

"We must land and proceed on foot. And soon."

Adam sighs heavily, his shoulders sagging. After a moment, he seems to recover. His back straightens and his voice regains its characteristic power.

"We won't be able to take the food and clothing- and most of the weapons. That is a great blow. But, we can take the medicines. If each us takes all he or she can carry, we may still be able to do some good when we arrive. The important thing is that we arrive at all.

"Let us go to Zwolen. Perhaps Mariusz's farmer friends can help us. If we can get vehicles there, so much the better. If not, so be it. I will crawl all the way to Warsaw on my hands and knees, if need be."

Adam looks around the bridge, taking great care to make eye contact with everyone present.

"I realize that this changes things a bit, contractually speaking. You have all done your duty and served this vessel- and its captain- well. Your obligation to us both ends here. I will pay you what I promised and bid you fare well. I ask no one to go on with me to Warsaw against his or her will. If, however, you wish to continue on this... adventure, I will be proud to walk alongside you."

A decision has been made. The die are cast.

Actions?

OOC: It remains to decide what to bring and how to carry it all. Please proceed on that tack.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:09, Thu 18 Sept 2008.

In reply to Minh Quyen (msg #214):

Dawid grinned at Minh and waved in a forgiving manner.

"I should think I am somewhat less than ignorant about the Polish Army. You are free to discount my knowledge, of course!"

"My idea shows no real flaws in conception or rely on wishful thinking, it merely makes the best use of our strengths in an impossible situation. There simply may be no "perfect" tactical answer."

When Adam spoke he nodded in sympathy.

"Adam, my friend, I understand your dilemma. There is no reason to give up the Queen and your dream. We have not completely outworn our welcome in Sandomierz. We could retire there, wait until a more opportune time.

"The army can't keep watch forever. At some point the communist government is going to need them for something else. In the mean time, there is the chance we may gain more aid from other sources, maybe even improve matters back in Sandomierz.

"There are Solidarność partisans like Mariusz all around. There are my comrades in the Home Army. The CIA could send more help. Even the French or the Mossad!

"A man was once brought before the Polish King for beheading. He begged for his life, insisting he could teach a horse to sing. Intrigued, the King gave him a year to succeed. The man's friend asked him later what was he thinking, as a horse obviously cannot be taught to sing. The man replied that a lot can happen in a year: the King may die, be assassinated or overthrown, he may be pardoned or his innocence might be proved.

"Or, the horse may just learn to sing!"

"The point is if we don't have to be there immediately, we can always delay until conditions are more favourable.

After Dawid makes his suggestion, Adam is silent for a few seconds and a hint of doubt momentarily creeps over his weatherbeaten face. When the capatain finally speaks, his contenance is fixed resolutely and it is clear that his mind is set to the new course.

"No, my son. If we had the luxury of time, I would consider a return to Sandomierz. But winter is coming even faster this year and news of this 'Black Baron's' attacks on the settlers near Warsaw is troubling, to say the least. We must continue on at once. I see no other choice.

"I will offer the Krolowa to Grzyech and the crew. It is as much theirs as it is mine."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:06, Thu 18 Sept 2008.

In reply to 'Old' Adam Rataj (msg #218):

Dawid sighed in defeat.

"Well, that's that."

Robert's heart is saddened by Adam's comments about giving up the tug and his dream of getting to Warsaw with her, down the toilet.  "I'm sorry Cap'n Adam.  If we can make good time to Zwolen, perhaps we can get the vehicles we need to come back to the tug and get what we can to bring with us overland!  If we can hit the garrison fast enough, salvage what we can from there and then head back here to load up and then move out, we may be OK rather than just leaving most of it!  Or, we cache what we can and come back for it!  You have bikes in the barge?  We could use them to get to Mariusz's friends quicker?"

Word of trouble soon reached Anneka over on the refugee vessel where she hurriedly wrapped up the last of the medical checks, gathered her equipment and with barely a parting word, headed back to the Krolowa's bridge.
A minute or two later and she'd been brought up to date with the issues at hand.
"Ok then," she began decisively.
"This is what we should do. We cut the barge loose two seconds after retrieving the weapons from the bunker and anything else we can quickly salvage."
"Then, while we're preparing ourselves to leave the tug, Adam takes us back upstream and we head west along that tributary a few miles this side of Solec."
That should buy time to prepare and pack the limited supplies they'd be able to carry with them.
"We head as far up as we can before grounding before transfering to small boat and put the motorcycle ashore."
"Again, we go as far as the boat can take us before heading on foot to Zwolen with the aim of obtaining motorised transport."

"I still disagree Adam, but you are the boss and it will be done." Bayer says.

"Reforming as a land based unit is going to make some serious changes. I'll need suggestions immediately on weapons we will bring."

"Mariusz, what is our rations stores like. Easy to divide and transport?"

"I am suggesting packing most carefully. Weapons and ammo, food, and minimal gear for personal loads. Basic survival gear, medical, that sort of thing. Anything else pack it to carry if we can find transport and assume it will be left if we cannot. Anneka's suggestion of using the small boat and going up one of the smallar branches is good, I recomend it as well. As for weapons, the light machine guns have a most impressive power, but do not forget the grenade launchers as well. If you have any portable rocket launchers those are most usefull as well, but heavy.
If we must travel far on foot you will need stealth, food and firepower. All else is secondary."

"If there is any way we can manage it, Mariusz told me that Zwolen would be a good place to bury Brother Switek.  He had friends there and would be well taken care of.  Perhaps we could take his body there in the sidecar.  As for Hicks... a sailor would probably have no objection to burial in the river."

Later, Jason goes to his bedroll on the barge and packs up his things.  He takes the remaining cigarettes and matches from the ammo can and puts them in his pack as well, saving 15 pounds.

"Hm. Yes, this could work. The Krolowa will probably not make it very far up any of these tributaries, but the Zodiac- as you call it- can navigate them fairly easily."

Pointing at the map laid out on the chart table he continues,

"According to the map, this tributary here goes almost all the way to Zwolen. From its mouth to the town is about 30km. Most of us can walk to this farm Mariusz has spoken of while two or three others take the Zodiac. Between the boat and the motorcycle, we can carry more supplies. If we can cache them closer to the town, it will be faster for us to recover them when- if, I mean- we acquire some lorries. But, this means splitting the party. Is this viable Hauptman Bayer?"

Clarence adds,

"We need to start movin' now. And I think we should take the barge with us for now. Those enemy patrols are gettin' closer by the minute and if they find it abandoned 'round here, they'll know somethin' is up. Better to ditch it further upriver."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:02, Fri 19 Sept 2008.

"We will be staking it all on a roll of the dice."

"Let's not bother with packing much food, if any. If God wills it, there will also be food at Zwolen."

"Father Switek would understand that we need to leave him. He was a geurrilla. Most of the time partisans don't get any grave at all. I shall help bury him along the tributary, and his memory has already been blessed."

"In the time we travel up the tributary we can try to make carts from bicycle wheels. We have a shop here, plenty of wood to use. Plus we could even ride the bicycles if we find a path or road going our way. We made use of them when our vehicles broke down, as did the Home Army in the war against the Nazis."

"We have much excess we can leave with the Queen. I would like to cache some items, in case we have the chance to return. Like the mortar and ammunition. I do not fancy facing the Baron without some kind of hole card."

"Although the 40mm grenades have served us well thus far, during the NATO siege of Warszawa we used hand grenades more, again like the Home Army before us against the Nazis."

As Clarence's warning he raised an eyebrow.

"What about my suggestion to ambush a patrol? It buys us some time. It's what we'd do to keep the NATO patrols in check. Although I don't know if NATO soldiers are experienced in this form of warfare to be confident of doing it again."

"Yeah, the closer we can get the supplies to where we're going would be a lot easier on all of us and less to hump out in case we don't find what we need!"

"Viable or not, it's all we have."
Visibly disgusted, Anneka had been running down her lists of stores and equipment, crossing items off more often than keeping them. With the serious lack of transportation, they'd be hard pressed to support themselves for more than a few days with only what they could carry, and the loss of so much after fighting so hard was beyond painful.
"Once we've selected a "base camp" so to speak, Adam and his crew, along with myself, Stoner, Minh and perhaps one other should stay behind to secure it."
"Everyone else should probably head out with only a day or two's supplies and see what can be found."

"We could sink it," Anneka suggested after Milk mentioned the barge.
"We've got about a hundred kilograms of dynamite that we can't really take with us and it's better than leaving it drift."
"What if we do it at the wreck of the other tug? That might by us another few minutes maybe?"
Only if those who found it were either stupid or didn't know about the wreck...

"I'm keen on the bicycle idea you mentioned too Dawid, but will we have room in the small boats?"
Maybe, especially if they towed the life rafts behind and ran the motorbike along the bank.
"Get on it anyway."

"Yes... viable it is. I have no disagreement with it." he answers. "Also, we will be caching munitions and supplies. If things go poorly somewhere down the line, it will be good to have a means of rearming. I'd like to leave the MK19 and its ammo as part of this."

"I'm not in favor of ambushing. A forward OP to report back maybe, but making contact narrows down our location along the river and indicates we are operating ashore, and possibly not heading into the trap. Its also going to delay a full pullout of this area. I'd prefer us to make a complete yet hasty withdraw immediately."

"Doctor? You have the ammo and unit gear broken down for distribution?"

In reply to Konrad Bayer (msg #230):

Dawid joked in return.

"No ambush? That is a shame. One day my advice will be heeded. I have great confidence in this!"

"I shall get to work on a cart of some sort to move supplies."

"I hope there is a path going towards town along the tributary. I should like to ride a bicycle again."

"Speaking for myself, I was able to pack all my personal gear plus my PKM, nearly a thousand rounds of ammunition and the RPG-76 Komar. That is not including the Tantal/BG-15 and ammunition for them."

Mariusz said, "I can carry my battle gear and personal gear plus a few days' of food but I can't move fast humping all of that. Carrying more will make me useless if we have to fight before resting. The bikes will be useful, they can let us carry heavyish loads but still have some mobility."

"The zodiac should be able to move more quickly than the overland team," Griet said, "so it might be able to make a couple of cargo runs. Another option would be to load as much as we can into the life rafts and unpowered boat, we can rig them to be towed from the riverbank like in the old days, using people instead of horses. The terrain won't be ideal, but we might be able to get a bit more stuff that would make life easier further away from the hot zone." She looked at her father, "Without gear, getting to Warsaw is nearly useless, without the equipment to make ourselves useful, most of us, with the exception of the Doctor and the Special operatives will just be more mouths to feed."

Under the looming threat of approaching enemy shore patrols, Adam takes Milk's advice and orders the tug into reverse, backing its way towards the tributary, its own barge now in tow.

The refugee barge has been warned of the move and sets off a little ways ahead (astern actually) of the tug, taking care not to pull away too far. Whether this cooperation is due to the tug's recent generosity, the promise of more aid at the next stop upriver, or the 12.7mm HMG looming over them from the tug's quarterdeck is unclear.

Before the two vessels moved apart Dawid has a second chance to confront the barge master about his sister. Under questioning, the man admitts that he was not present at the events which he had described to Dawid earlier and that no body was ever recovered from the smashed hospital since the beseiged neighborhood subsequently fell into the "Black Baron's" zone of control. The possiblility, however slim, still exists that Dawid's sister is alive somewhere in the Warsaw area.

The backwards journey takes about 2 hours. The Krolowa drops anchor even with the tributary leading towards Zwolen and the team begins preparations for debarkation. Nearing the end of the trip, Sanjay Roshon begs his leave from the party.

"I thank you for your hospitality and protection but I feel that the time has arrived for me to depart. I fear that I would be more of a liability than an asset in a forced march over uneven ground. I believe that I will be of more assistance to the people aboard the barge, especially if they intend on continuing to Sandomierz. I have taken the liberty of making a few modifications to a pair of bicycles I found left behind in the aft hold. I have reinforced the frames and added a push bar. They should each be able to carry a good bit of cargo cross country with the 'driver' walking alongside, holding the push bar. The North Vietnamese made good use of such bicycles* on their Ho Chi Minh trail, begging my American friends' pardon."

Sanjay's true motives have not been so well hidden. Those who'd seen him on the refugee's barge earlier in the day couldn't help notice him chatting up one of the middle-aged widows on board.

Also in the interim, Adam has offered the tug to his chief engineer, Jozef Grzyech. The filthy engineman has accepted the offer of a captaincy. Tadeuz too, elects to stay aboard, as does Luboslaw. Of the Krolowa's crew, only Walter chooses to continue on to Warsaw, for reasons known only to himself.

It is now about 1000hrs.

Actions?

OOC: Please continue preparations for landing. This would also be a good time to conduct any last items of business with the refugees from the powered barge.

Even without its own barge, the tug will not be able to move more than a couple of hundred meters up the tributary without running aground.

At the moment, the group has immediate access to the following assets for the transportation of cargo: 1 powered Zodiac, 1 unpowered Zodiac, the Ural motorcycle and sidecar combo, and 2 heavy-duty push bikes which are capable of carrying 500lbs. each.

*I got this idea from whomever suggested creating a hand-cart out of bicycle parts. Such bikes were actually used to great effect to transport supplies along the Ho Chi Minh trail. Hope this bit of artistic license is acceptable.

Bayer calls for the attention of the group and says, "Lets get some of this gear on shore. We will take everything the Doctor listed... at least as far as the cache site. Quyen and Stoner will pilot the inflatable. Tucker, take McCoy, Jan, and Mariusz... go along and setup a suitable hide along the tributary. Unload and setup security. Quyen and Stoner, return once the gear is unloaded."

"Griet, take Kasparov and see if you can rig the lifeboat for tow and load them up as well. As you said, with the humanitarian goods."

"Milk, take walter to the lockup and get him outfitted with a suitable weapon and rucksack. Adam will need one of the rucksacks too, and should take one of the sidearms. Does Ondar have a rucksack?"

Dawid already making himself useful, was omitted was the taskings.

"Doctor? Anything else the refugees can do for us?" he asks.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:12, Sat 20 Sept 2008.

Nodding to her orders, Quyen heads aft and works the rigging that deploys the inflatable in the water. Pulling it along with a rope, she guides it to the port side and secures it. She will then climb down inside the boat and receive any stores that need to be loaded.

"Ready down here." she calls. "Big stuff first."
This message was last edited by the player at 08:34, Sat 20 Sept 2008.

Ondar points to the pack that he came aboard with. Attached to the frame is the Soviet manpack radio that Milk had been monitoring with the frequencies the deserter had provided.  Some sort of carbine-length rifle is wrapped up in camouflage netting and bungie-corded to the right side of the ruck.

"Yes, got ruck," confirms Ondar. "Got strong back, too.  Maybe help load.  Or maybe march out front.  Make easier shoot Ondar in back if act up."

He smiles quizzically.

"Strong back huh and easy to shoot... good." Bayer (half) jokes. "You are not a prisoner. Prove yourself, and you'll get your weapons back."
This message was last edited by the player at 08:46, Sat 20 Sept 2008.

Taking a short break, Dawid admired the bicycles.

"That is good work, Sanjay. I heard that the Vietnamese people used bicycles for transport during the War of Liberation from the Americans. Never knew about the bar."

Mariusz stood waiting in his fighting load, weighed down and ready to go. He held the G3 and moved to the boat when Bayer ordered him too.

Griet shook her head at Bayer's suggestion, "The amount of humanitarian goods we can carry is so small that it's useless. We traded for enough to feed a hundred people for a month and for tools and clothes for as many. Now we might as well give it all away because we can't carry enough to make a difference. Our only hope is to load up on weapons and ammo. We're no longer a humanitarian mission, we're bandits, so we might as well be well-armed bandits or when we get to Warsaw we'll be useless to the people there. If we have weapons at least we might be able to fight for them because we won't be able to evacuate them or alleviate their suffering."

"Almost," she replied, deeply engrossed in her papers.
"I'm not yet sure how we're going to split it up and who's going to have what, but the list is virtually done."
With that, she slapped down a sheet of paper showing a list of all the items they'd inventoried over the past week or so. Many more items had been crossed off than left, some of which normally they'd be mad to go without.
"It's not anything like I want, but it'll have to do."
"I'm going to take one of the RPK-74s myself and leave my Uzi behind. Those with nine millimetre pistols are welcome to the ammunition."
One hundred and twenty eight rounds were now available from her four magazines, and another three thirteen round mags for the HP-35 she'd been carrying aboard the tug would soon be thrown in to the pot as well.

OOC: I've emailed a list to Rae for his approval and posting but it's essentially what's in OOC.

Bayer could do nothing but agree, "Alright, if that is how it is. We will just have to overcome this problem in Warsaw. Weapons and ammo then... and food for us."

"Yessir. Walter, Captain?"

Milk takes Walter and Adam back to the radio room/weapons locker and sets them up with rucks and basic LBE. For Walter, he selects one of the less worn AK-74s and for Adam, the more compact AKS-74U carbine. This will ensure cross-load capability with the majority of the security team, most of whom carry the AK-74 or one of its derivitives. Both crewmen have some experience with the AK-47/AKM rifle, so the transition should be fairly straight-forward.

Sanjay, busy packing his gear for transfer to the refugee barge, responds,

"Thank you sir. Similar bicycles are used for carrying heavy loads in parts of my own country. I hope these prove useful to you. It's the least I can do."

Dawid sighed as he agreed in Polish.

"Griet, my friend, our humanitarian mission was doomed when the Yanks decided to "use" your father and the rest of us to transport their RESET plans.

By inflection, he made it clear that "use" in context meant "ruthlessly take advantage of".

"Your father had a ship, the Yanks needed it, and so be thankful they simply did not seize it from him by force. If we want to keep tagging along they will be happy to let us, but don't think for a moment that if needed the Yanks still won't sacrifice everything, including our lives, to continue to carry out their mission.

"If it had just been us opposed by some pirates on the Vistula, I am certain we would have had at least a chance of success, at least to get there.

"Instead, with the Russians and their Communist government lackeys alerted ahead of time, we've had to fight almost every step of the way. Not all opponents we faced knew or were involved with opposing the Yanks, but we've had to deal with Spetsnaz teams lying in ambuscade for us, snipers picking us off, a fucking helicopter(!), tanks, and now even a battalion of motor rifle troops!

"It was inevitable that as we overcame lesser obstacles the Communists put in our way, they were forced to put everything they had in front of us to stop us. (Assuming they really are there, but I guess we'll never know.) The stakes were too high, with RESET involved, for them to do otherwise.

"Now we must continue on in a different capacity. Perhaps the half-dozen of us who are staying on in Warsaw (and are not leaving with the Yanks and RESET) will manage to defeat the Black Baron and his army with whatever we can carry on our backs or capture or steal along the way.

"I am but nothing if not an optimist."

Stubbing out his cigarette, he put the butt in his blouse pocket with the others. Wearily, he started picking up his gear.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:18, Sun 21 Sept 2008.

Griet nodded grimly, her fellow countryman's assessment was bald and bitter, but it was also accurate. Milk's mission had put an enormous target on Adam's head and it had only been a matter of time before the mission was doomed. She'd tried to make her father see sense, but the same Quixotic nature that had sent him on a near-suicide mission to try to resue family in Warsaw also gave him a connection to Milk.

Sticking with the American would lead to the same place eventually. The Soviets would search for them and send ever increasing forces at them until they were all dead and RESET was in their hands.

"I don't disagree with you, my friend, we are the cat's paw to the American's monkey. Poland has ever been used thus, and we are just a microcosm of that. For now, however, or fates remain linked, even if we split up, the Soviets will track us down and destroy us to see if we have the papers so our best bet is to stick with the Americans who constitute the best shooters we have. Later, we may prove to have made the wrong decision again, but later is another world." She placed her AKSU into the general pot, it was too heavy for her to carry with all her other gear, "Now is not the time to fragment. Later," she shrugged, "who knows?"

She moved once more to help unloading and see if she could find her father and talk to him privately, there was one final and desperate throw of the dice that she wished to discuss with him and him alone.

In reply to Griet Niewiadomska (msg #247):

Dawid grinned.

"I do not complain for the sake of hearing my own voice. Well, not only for the sake of hearing my own voice.

"Only that every soldier needs to know and understands the mission objectives, even if they disagree. So far this unwillingness to face the truth (the humanitarian mission never had a chance) has cost us dearly.

"Possibly every casualty we have taken except those at Tarnobrzeg have been at the hands of those seeking to steal RESET back. If we'd have known then what we know now, we may not have treated the fight at the locks so cavalierly, without the barge hanging around our necks we might have traveled fast enough to outdistance our pursuit, and so on."

He shrugged as if to say "who knows"?

"I misspoke when I referred to RESET as being American plans. They are, of course, in a sense our plans."

"That is true," Griet agreed, "I have tried to explain the problem to my father several times, but he seems to be fixated on two things: the first is to get to Warsaw to save his family, a task that has cost him two craft and over a dozen lives already, and now, we continue even though there is no hope of extending aid to them, the second is his trust in Milk, he seems to attach a great importance to him, he has entwined our fates with a faction that cares nothing for us or for Poland. Once again, we'll pay the butcher's bill and the Americans will benefit from the proceeds. My friend, I wish there was a different way, I'll try once more with my father, but I'm afraid that I really already know what his answer will be."

In reply to Griet Niewiadomska (msg #249):

"My friend, I think perhaps the Yanks would help us if they could. It's just that they can't, and they have their own goals to attend to even if they could.

"it is of little importance now. I believe Adam does us little good and it's certainly not safe for him! I agree he should stay.

"Personally, I intend to go on to Warszawa, see what I can do. I was there during NATO's siege, perhaps it is fitting I return."

Taking a short break on deck between sorting and packing and resorting and repacking, Jan lights up a smoke. Standing where he is he cannot help but overhear some of what Dawid and Griet have said.
"My new friends, I did not mean to listen, but I could not help but to overhear some of what you said. I do not know all of what has passed for you in your trip but I can tell you this, you have said a great truth but only a partial truth.
You are soldiers like I, and it is our right, sometimes our only right, to doubt and wonder if the orders we follow are doomed. It is true that Poland has suffered in this war but there are none that have not suffered. It is true that the great powers of the world treat the small as tools and game peices. It has always been so and always will.
I remeber Czechoslovakia with a child's memory and I remember our escape. We made a home finaly in France and learned to fit in. I am a French citizen and I am proud of that, I earned that with my blood and the blood of others I spilt. But in the Legion there is a truth we learn early, we are there so real frenchmen do not have to die. It is a harsh truth but it is always preferable to have another group die or suffer rather than your own. That is war, politics, and life in one truth.
Whatever it is this RESET you have, it is obvious it is greatly valued by both the soviets as well as the americans. I hope it is worth what will be paid."

In reply to Jan Cerny (msg #251):

Smiling, Dawid shook his head and corrected Jan in Polish.

"You are quite mistaken my friend."

"Perhaps I should have clarified, but as you can see, I am Polish, not American, so these are not my orders. I am not under orders from the US Army, I am acting under the orders of the Polish Home Army (the western-allied Polsih government forces) and must look after Poland's best intersests before the Amis."

He tapped the red-and-white armband that signified he was a member of the Polish government-in-exile's forces.

"You may be content to die so a Frenchman might not have to, but again, you alone made that choice to be in their army. So often we Poles die for the cause of others, not our own. As a soldier I only ask if I must give my life it be for the cause I choose.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:11, Sun 21 Sept 2008.

While folks prepare to transfer as much of their supplies and equipment ashore as they can feasibly carry once they get there, the scouting party of Tucker, McCoy, Mariusz, and Cerny piles aboard the powered Zodiac. With Minh alone at the helm (Stoner is still too weak to go along on such a mission quite yet), they set off up the tributary, heading northwest towards Zwolen.

The Zodiac motors along between tree-lined banks only 20m or so apart in places. The thick screen of vegetation on either side of the river (a stream, really, in comparison to the mighty Vistula) provides good concealment from any prying eyes on the flat pasture land that stretches away on both flanks of the waterway. However, that same concealment could work just as well for a waiting ambush party.

The boat pushes on through a latice of shadows cast by overhanging boughs. As it pushes further upstream, the river narrows and the branches reaching out from either bank above them grow close enough to touch their counterparts. The noise of the outboard motor is painfully loud, the sound literally hedged in by the the trees and the underbrush. To those in the boat, however, it sounds as if the whole of Poland can hear them passing through.

Without an odometer, it's hard to judge the distance they've travelled, but after about an hour, Mariusz indicates that he believes they are getting close to the friendly farm at which he and his small partisan band had sheltered for a spell last winter. The party finds a particularly thick stand of robust, old willow trees and beaches the Zodiac. They spend a few minutes listening in silence before pushing through the screen of trees to look out across the pasture to the north. Mariusz's dead-reckoning was right on the money. About a kilometer to the north can be seen the long, low cow sheds of the farm. Just past the sheds, the top of a grain silo can be made out through the haze. With the stay-behind element in place, Minh heads quickly back to the Krolowa to begin the tedious process of ferrying goods and people back and forth to the hide sight.

After a somewhat tense and lonely return trip, she arrives back at the tug where preparations for departure are well under way. The refugees are anxious to get going, especially when rumours that government soldiers may be after the tug's crew begin to circulate aboard their barge.

Actions?

OOC: Time is running out to interact with any of the refugees. I gather that ya'll intend to leave everything that you're not taking with you to them, correct? What about the Krolowa's barge? She can continue to drag it with her until she reaches a place where she can swing around with it. Or you can sink it. Also, looking at the map, the River Princess is close by, probably within visual range.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:22, Sun 21 Sept 2008.

In reply to Dawid msg 252:

Smiling at Dawid, Jan shakes his head.
"I see we are both misunderstanding. I ment the orders of Adam which you seemed to feel were doomed. Not the Americans."
Lighting up another cigarette and offering one to Dawid as well he continues,
"I ment the position of the Legion only as an example. I made that choice myself. I blame noone for it, at the time it was the best of the options open to me. I have done well there, but I am  holding no illusions as to its role. All we can do is care for what is ours in an imperfect world and try  as best we may to have the least of the many evils prevail."

As Milk continues to monitor Ondar's R-143 radio for Soviet traffic, and still temporarily relieved of his firearms, Ondar reaches into his ruck and produces a sealed one-pound bag of whole coffee beans.

"You excuse," the Soviet deserter announces to Milk as he exaggeratedly hefts the bag in his hand and points toward the barge.  "Ondar got promise keep.  Man of word."

He leaves the chart room of the tug and moves toward the gangway connected to the refugee barge.  Once aboard, he finds the barge master at the wheelhouse and presents the battered Pole with the coffee, a commodity worth it's weight in gold in the present barter economy.  He then pulls a small velvet pouch from a chest pocket of his fatigue blouse and pours out a number of small gemstones and various forms of precious metal.

"As promised," he declares in the captain's native Polish as he presses the loot into the barge master's blackened dirt-caked hand.  "Payment on delivery."

He scans downriver pensively.

"You should be moving soon," Ondar cautions.  "Government troops not far behind.  Bad news for you if still here.  Go and prosper.  And best forget you ever saw me."

Ondar returns to the boat he find the captain of the Krowlowa.  Once he finds Adam, he approaches and requests a moment of his time.

"Captain Rataj," he begins, speaking again in broken Polish. "I come at great risk to warn you great danger to vessel.  Ondar make no secret allegiance to American mission recover RESET.  Want settle in Montana.  In meantime, see no reason why can not asset to your team and family.  Good fighter, strong back, loyal friend.  All these Ondar is. Time will prove."

He extends an open hand in friendship and inquires what he can do to assist.

The barge masters eyes grow wide as he studies the glistening gemstones resting in the palm of his grease-stained hand. The sound of the barge's engines coughing to life breaks the spell.

"Er, thank you. I can't say that I was pleased to have you aboard when you first appeared, but this whole... episode, has benefitted us greatly. Good luck to you and your new companions. As far as I remember, we never saw any of you. I will try to make this clear to our passengers. Now, if you'll excuse me, the engines are a little peevish."

With that, the barge master returns to the pilot house to finalize preparations for departure.