After taking care of his morning needs, Jan settles near the fire. Taking in the smells from the cooking food he smiles. "Mariusz you do wonders with what we have on hand and turn it into a feast. If we survive long enough I will send you to Le Cordon Bleu. Such a gift is to be encouraged."

If no one awakens him, Tucker will sleep until he is awoken by the smell of food cooking somewhere near him.  The smell was incredible, like back on the boat when they used to eat in the galley by meals prepared by Mariusz.  Tucker moves stiffly from the pain in his arm and the cold weather and gets himself up off of the ground and seeks out the source of the food.  "My arm is fuckin' killing me but, before the Major or Doc amputates me, I wanted to get some of this soup and chiken Mariusz!  This smells so damn good," Tucker says to him as he tries to juggle what he can and find a place to sit and eat.

If Bayer is around, he will wave him over and ask him, "Two things boss.  First, how did Milk buy it?  Secondly, you still got my Colt right?"

Bayer nods quietly. They may all be in that position soon. "Let the doctor know. She is sorting out an exchange."

He then changes his clothes. But it makes little difference when you're only putting dirty ones back on. He left his gear where he piled it neatly by his bunk space.

Loitering around the fire, Mariusz and the food, Tucker finds him.


He thinks for a moment. Putting the flashes of memories of the frantic and desperate firefight into order. "Single shot. It was quick... he didn't feel anything." He speaks loud enough for all to hear the grim news. "We had a platoon on us. Too many to deal with. Luck came and went. He got hit and we attempted to withdraw. Ondar took a round trying to get his body back but it was beyond doing." He left it at that.

Shaking his head he returns to his gear and removes the handgun he'd secured in his webbing. If the thought of Milk didn't linger in the air, he'd have been more enthusiastic about returning the Colt. "Here." he says simply. "I never did thank you for pulling through for me... everyone. Thanks."

Sitting down with the fresh rations Mariusz cooked up he unfolded his map. "Who is combat effective?" he asks aloud.

The work never stopped.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:06, Thu 26 Feb 2009.

Quyen sat by the fire, watching the flickering flames consume the wood and paper. She rubbed her shoulder. She was injured - twice. The throbbing jolts of pain intensified with every slight movement. Keeping absolutely still was the only means of rest and stopping the pain. But her wounds weren't deep, no bones were broken, and there was no massive muscle damage. There were others in the group that were in much worse shape - nobody would hear complaints from her.

Still staring at the warm, orange heat, she says, "I." Quyen massaged her shoulder again and thought, "I think."

It was a sad moment for Tucker because Clarence was one of the original hires for the trip to Warsaw by Adam.  Tucker knew that there weren't that many left from just a short time ago and that Milk would be missed.  "As long as it was quick right?  That's the way to go out out, blaze of glory so to speak.  He was a good dude," Robert trails off saying before he begins to choke up and recomposes himself quickly.

He reaches up to take back his Colt Python and place it on his lap for the time being.  He looks back up at Bayer and tells him, "You guys would've done the same thing for me boss!  You don't have to thank me, you're the only family I got left!  I try to look after my own!  Don't know if I can stand a watch yet boss.  Guess you better find out from the Major or Bones about that.  My arm's still pretty fucked up I think."

"Stand down then." he replies. We'll need you soon enough I'm sure anyways, he thought. "And for sure... we would have. But its still good to know I can rely on you to watch our back. To be there."

Nodding to Quyen he says, "Ok... good show."

He looks back down at the map awaiting further replies on who is 'action capable'. He doesn't want to ask directly, or even look around at their faces. He needed effectives, and not battered bodies to volunteer themselves. Save it for next time, he thought.

The head merchant, who volunteers his name as Jupyszyk, arrives at the municipal building at the head of his strange little caravan. The merchants accept the offer of breakfast and rotate into the building to partake in a quick a meal.

Jupyszyk is the last one in. After scarfing down some of Mari's fine cooking, he announces.

"Fantastic. You have an amazing cook here. Well, we'd best be heading out now, in case the snow begins coming down much harder. Your offer is a good one, but if you are headed to Gora Kalwaria, you may as well do your business there. That is where we got our stock and there's much more of the same there. The weapons and ammo are for them anyway. We need to go to Kozienice and acquire more, if possible. But, for your help, here, have these sausages. They are the finest you will ever taste, you'll see."

He unwraps a parcel and hands over a string of fat links, one for each member of the party.

"And, don't worry. We've never met you." He adds with a conspiritorial wink.

"When you get to town, tell them Jupyszyk sent you. Tell them that Cleopatra is feeling fine. They'll now what it means."

At people's curious looks, Jupyszyk explains, pointing at the camel, draped in packages and blankets.

"Cleo? Yes, strange, eh? She used to live at the Warsaw zoo. She and many of the other animals were evacuated when the siege began. She bounced around from owner to owner for a couple of years after that. When I came across her, she was very ill and I bought her for a bottle of schnapps. But, I nursed the old girl back to health and she's served me well ever since."

The camel doesn't look like it's feeling very well. Every couple of minutes it stretches out its long neck and lets out a burst of loud, honking coughs.

"Well, we must be off. Hopefully, we'll see you back in Gora Kalwaria; if not, fare thee well."

Next Moves?

Griet looked at the Kaptain, "I feel like I could sleep for another month, but I'm fine really, if you need something done, I'll do it. As for effective in combat, I'm not sure I've ever been that."

Mariusz replied to the officer as well, "I'm fine for duty Sir. Sir, are we staying here much longer or do we head for G-K? If we stay I'll forage more fuel but if we go will we be able to run the vehicle heaters? That might be good to keep the wounded warm."

He poked the embers with a stick to get more flame and heat from them, "If you want, I volunteer to scout out the town, if someone will get me close on the trike I'll go in by foot so we don't risk a vehicle."

Taking stock of the shape he is in for a moment Jan speaks up.
"While I do not think it would be to the best for me to do the forced march, I am combat effective. I would be glad to escort the youngster to check the town. Or I could try and find us some more wood for the fire. It is getting colder and we will need more soon."
Looking around for a moment and considering the more seriously wounded he adds.
"Those who are wounded would rest beter with more warmpth, and in this weather it would be dangerous for them to become ill. The wood may be the more urgent of the two tasks."

Tucker manages a smile and motions with his finger for Konrad to some closer so he doesn't have to say something out loud.  "What're we gunna do about RESET now that Clarence is gone?  And, you've got me as long as you want me!  I got yours and everyone elses back Boss!"

"How much food are you carrying?" she asked Jupyszyk, still in negotiation mode.
"Do you have anything else we might be interested in?"
By her calculation they couldn't be carrying more than eight or nine hundred kilograms of food - less if they needed the animals to carry their own fodder. If ammunition in this part of the world was as valuable as most places, the spare AK-74 magazines they were carrying would be sufficent to buy their entire stock. Nearly three thousand rounds preloaded in mags fended off a lot of marauder attacks.
If they threw in the AK-74 she'd already mentioned and Griets AKSU, they might even pick up a couple of those mules, not that they needed them...

Bayer answers, "Whether we stay for a little longer or leave I think that should be a group decision. Everyone knows there own limitations and it'd be best not to test them."

"In either case I want to send two people to reconnoiter ahead. You'll likely be one of them." He mulled over his other options for who'd the boy was to be paired with.

With that, he turns to Jan and asks, "Your leg? Can you operate ok with it?"

"How does everyone feel about staying for a day. Get some rest, forage, do some weapons and vehicle maintenance. It'll also give our scouts more of an operating window so they won't have to rush. Opinions?" he asks aloud.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:44, Sat 28 Feb 2009.

Quyen puts in her 'vote', "Stay. For another day."

She then looks at Mariusz and says quietly, "I'm still volunteering... but I can't drive a motorcycle."

Mariusz said, "I think we should rest up for a day too. If we decide to stay, I'd suggest that Mihn, Griet and I spend a few hours scouting this location and gathering firewood. Then we can rest up until evening and Mihn and I can try to scout out Gora Kalwaria. Can you drive a car, Mihn? If so, you can probably manage the basics of the trike. I managed it without killing us and I've never driven anything."

"I agree we should stay at least a day," Griet commented, "we need to sort out gear in the vehicles and regroup after yesterday, if we push ourselves too far we'll eventually run out of luck or energy and end up as dead as Milk."

She paused, "As for trading, I'd suggest leaving it until we reach the town. The merchant advised us to trade with them directly. We'll probably get a better price there as the trader's cut is taken out. We have food enough to last til then and enough if there's an emergency so I'd say we can afford to wait."

"A few hundred kilos of food. There's much more where that came from in Gora-Kalwaria. The rest is liquor. It's good stuff- much tastier and a whole lot safer than the soldiers can brew up themselves. Hopefully it will encourage them to 'lose' a few thousand rounds. Look, we've got to get going. The roads will be icy and covered in a couple of centimenters of snow so the going will be slow. Farewell, and I hope to see you again."

With that, the merchant caravan files out of the village, heading west towards the main road between Kozienice and Gora-Kalwaria.

The party remains inside the municipal building, deciding their next course of action.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:16, Sat 28 Feb 2009.

Sam will speak out.
"as A professional military man I see a few things that must be done.
1) We must secure all the fuel we can for the fire during daylight.
2)set up a effective security posture. IE a pair of outside rovers and a wounded one in side on watch.
3)we must transfer fuel from the trailer to the tanks of our tucks and bike to fill them.
4)we must clean the big guns, MK-19,AGS-17,Twin 23's and the PKM.
5)we must clean are personal guns and our gear.
6)we must pool are resources.I have anti biotics here that i have been humping around will give some to the wounded if you want.
7)we must orginise our vehicle loads and the crew of them.
8)treat our wounds. mine is doing well I have got lots of sleep and have treated it twice. I will need more sleep til I'm combat effective.

These are things we must do and make a list of them and any other concerns.If we are too stay here another 24 hours lets make it productive with one leader (Konrad) and the rest of us working with no bitch's towards a greater good. We have made it out of some nasty shit lets not waste our time here.I will help as much as I can and will be here for any adivce I can Give. I would like to work with the boy/cook on his rifle skills if thats ok with the rest here."


With sam done talking he will clean his rifle for th second time same with his pistol. he will then reorg his pack and gear and check and clean his wound. once done he will go back to sleep.


Sam
Doing things
M25

"We should move on about another hour or so," Anneka advised Konrad.
"Just because the merchants said they won't say anything doesn't mean we should trust them."
Trusting strangers was usually a fast path to death.
"First though there's some bullets to remove and wounds to properly stich. I suggest you arrange our stores, refuel and decide vehicle positions while Stoner and I get to work."

Anneka didn't hang around for Konrad's response, there were at least two people in unnecessary pain she could help so after thoroughly scrubbing herself and her patients in melted snow heated over the fire, she set to work...

"Warrant Officer Kasparov, you're first."

"Thankyou for the advice, Sam," Griet replied to him, "that was exactly the sort of thing I had in mind and it's good that you clarified the order of tasks for us. Mariusz is one of the few able bodied we have left at the moment, so he might not be able to be spared for instruction, but if the commander does decide we are going to stay, I'll do my best to task him for some instruction time."

"I vote we stay another night at least. It will give the wounded, which is most of us, a little more time to heal. IF those traders tell some baddies about us, I'd rather fight from a defensive position than jump out of the truck and shoot."

After Anneka's statement to Jason about him being the first for surgery, Dave picks up a piece of nearby rubble. "Yes Mr Kasparov, I've got your anesthetic right here. I'm afraid it's going to have to be a general, our pharmacy seems to be low on locals at the present", he says with an evil grin.

"Is a gamble to stay here longer, yes? On the one hand we make it easyer for the enemy to find and capture us. On the other hand, we have wounded who will heal quicker under cover and with rest. On the third hand with the way the weather has turned, it is most difficult to follow tracks and find us. And on the fourth hand, the worsening weather makes it even more neccessary to stay in cover."
Jan gives a small shrug and a an ironic smile.
"With so many hands it is like being in Kali's grip. I would say it is worth the chance to stay. but like much it is a gamble we take."

"Listen, I'm of no use until I can get this bullet out of my arm.  WE're all pretty whooped from the past couple of days and I think we should stay one more night and then move out the following day regardless."

Bayer nods and says, "Ok. Stay rested and off anything but the lightest duties. You'll leave tonight."

"I'll support the majority vote. We'll stay for a while... even though its has its own risks in doing so."

Tasks
Anneka - set up a suitable aid post and run through the wounded
Stoner - assist in the aid post
Adam / Walter / Griet - collect firewood, maintain fire, transfer fuel, supplementary duties
Ondar / Dawid / Jan - 1st shift sentries, AGS maintenance, pers wep maintenance
Quyen / McCoy / Tucker - 2nd shift sentries, MK-19 maintenance, pers wep maintenance
Bayer / Jason / Mariusz - 3rd shift sentries, PKM maintenance, pers wep maintenance

*Wounded individuals drawn for medical attention as needed.
*Groups to alternate to take 4 hours of forced rest between their duties.

"Stoner, I cleaned and did my own work on my wound. Can you check it just to make sure?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:43, Tue 03 Mar 2009.