"OK, my boy!", Adam yells from the cab. The big STAR slowly backs up about 50m, putting about 100m between it and the lead element in the Tarpan-Honker.

Upon the Honker's sudden deceleration, Ondar cuts short his chat wih McCoy.  When the Hauptmann barks the dismount order, Ondar leaps over the tailgate and moves out to cover the vehicle's left flank.   Holding his rifle snug into this shoulder, he looks to the north for any sign of activity in the direction of the felled tree.  Then, crouching low in the pre-dawn, he scans to the left as far into the forest as he can see looking for signs of infantry ambush or other traps.



[Ondar]
Honker's left flank
SVU-AS (10/10)
Checking for ambush

Ambush Team

As Mariusz and Jason scan for targets among the trees, the driver’s hatch of the BRDM opens with a clang and the driver, his face a mask of blood, struggles to lift himself out of the burning vehicle.

Jason spots some movement among the trees directly opposite, to the south, and takes aim with his M203. He launches the HEDP round and watches with some satisfaction as it explodes just a few meters short of his intended target. The enemy, however, take notice and several of them begin to fire at the ambush team. Fortunately, the fire of the armored truck’s cupola-mounted PKM is blocked by the immobilized BRDM.

Nevertheless, rounds buzz and crack overhead, thudding into nearby tree trunks and kicking up little spurts of earth and leaf litter all around Mari and Jason.
As Jason empties the breach of the M203 and reaches into a pouch for a 40mm HE grenade, he feels a sharp, jarring jolt about six inches below his right hip. He know's instantly that he's been hit but he has no idea how badly. The pain is severe but tempered somewhat by the adrenaline pumping through Jason's arteries. Mariusz, meanwhile, desperately waits for Jason to start the bike, wishing to leave the area posthaste.


Main Body

Konrad and Stoner cautiously approach the fallen tree blocking the forrest road, covered by their comrades. If this is an ambush, the ambushers must be spectres or wraiths because no human forms are seen among the trees. A thin, cold, grey light begins to appear overhead, not quite filtering down among the trees, and only adding to the impression that supernatural forces, as well as the Polish army bandit hunters, are conspiring to stop the party from escaping the confines of the dark wood. Perhaps the ambushers are the trees themselves, waiting to fall upon the stopped convoy.

Upon closer inspection, it appears that the tree has fallen due to natural causes. The base of the tree, laying a dozen meters or so on the west side of the road, is a mass of jagged splinters but there is no sign that axe or explosives are to blame. In peace time, the dead tree would have been cleared away by now. But the national park's rangers are all long since fled, dead, or holed up in their little cottages, neglecting the woods so as to attend to their own survival.

Actions?
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:03, Sun 21 Dec 2008.

Sam will hold his position until told too do otherwise. he will not speak unless spoken too by the command element.




Sam
M25
Holding position

Satisfied wih an absence of any immediate danger from his sector of coverage, Ondar diverts his attention toward the felled tree blocking their path.

"Clear this side!"

Ondar turns to Milk

"Need move that tree," he urges.  "We got chainsaw? Or winch?"

He shrugs and returns to cover his sector.

"Wish had Ural now, I bet."



[Ondar]
Honker's left flank
SVU-AS (10/10)
Covering

"AAAAHH!"  Jason yelps in pain and surprise.  He leans the F88 AGL in the sidecar next to Mariusz, grabs the handlebars, and pulls out, turning up the road to speed away, weaving from side to side to spoil the shooters' aim.  "Hang on!" he shouts.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:04, Sun 21 Dec 2008.

We got a rope in the truck? Anybody? McFly? Dave asks aloud to anybody who can hear him.

OOC: Disregard this post if the tree is small enough to move by hand.

As Mariusz bouunced along in the trike's sidecar he twisted his body so that the RPK was facing backward. He scanned the area behind him, hoping that he'd find no viable targets as that would mean that they'd broken contact successfully.

Greit relaxed slightly as the tree turned out not to be the prelude to a bloody ambush. There was still an urgency to their actions however as their pursuers were not far away.

She walked up to the Honker and said to Bayer, "Sir, the Star has a winch, it should be able to pull the tree off the road enough for us to get past. With your permission, I'll get Adam to drive up here and then get on to it." she looked at him for a moment and said, "Sir, might I also suggest that you ask Mihn to use the delay to prepare some demolition charges using the dynamite, four sticks wired to a tree trunk and then detonated should cause a roadblock behind us. Every delay we can put on the pursuit is another reason for them to abandon the chase. We've hurt them badly but they might still come on, this trick might slow them even more."
She nervously checked the surroundings as she awaited Bayer's decisions.

In reply to Griet Niewiadomska (msg #176):

After the stopped, Dawid hopped off the AA gun and manned the Mk. 19.

Not seeing Griet get off, he was puzzled for a moment. He had no easy way to contact her as she lacked a radio, nor did he wish to shout.  Looking around he saw her walking away down the road towards the other vehicle.

Various pops and bangs echoed through the woods, a familiar-enough sound. Not hearing any more radio messages from the stay-behind element, looked back down the road the way they came, worried.

"Eagle calling Sunray, our position is 100m away now."

Adam could probably use some reassurance. "Adam, so far so good, all clear back here. But do get ready to drive, eh?"

He continued peering back down the road, knowing he would likely get off the first shot, and hoped that would be enough.


Rear bed of Star 266
40mm Mk.19 AGL (50/50 HVHEDP)
Aiming to rear (Covering)
This message was last edited by the player at 16:59, Sun 21 Dec 2008.

"Yes, we are ready." While they wait for a decision to be made regarding the tree, Adam speaks privately with Dawid.


Walter sits behind the wheel looking nervously impatient with the entire situation.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:30, Sun 21 Dec 2008.

Spying the situation through the image intensifiers, and spurred on by the sounds behind them, Anneka made a snap decision and called down into the cabin.
"Adam, move the truck into position to use the winch."
"Walter, I want you on the ground to connect the cable."
"Don't bother using the winch motor to begin with, it's probably too slow."
Next she informed those with a radio what was happening.
"Sunray this is Starlight. Moving into position to use winch. Suggest redeploying to watch this arc."
And then, as the truck bumped along in the diminishing light, called back to the cargo bed.
"Dawid, have you seen an axe anywhere?"

Dawid finished his conversation with, "Adam, do not worry my friend, I am sure we will make it all right to Warszawa. God will guide us."

When Anneka asked about an axe, he replied apologetically, "I do not see an axe here, maybe try the tool bin between the cab and the bed? I would gladly do it, but I regret that I am covering the rear. We could have company, quite soon..."

As they drove back he called to Walter when they were still about 25-30m away, "Stop right here! Send Griet back when you can."

He quickly unloaded the Mk.19 plus the spare ammo can where he could cover the road behind them. He looked for something like a deep pothole in the road, or log or ditch on the side off to the side with a clear field of fire down the lane.

Once set up, he took out his Rosary and started to pray, then crossed himself when done.


40mm Mk. 19 (50 HVHEDP + 50 HVHE)
Road 30m behind the vehicles
Aiming and Covering the road.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:44, Mon 22 Dec 2008.

While everyone else dismounts, Tucker will stay behind the AGS-17 and cover the group in case there is some kind of ambush set for them.  He still uses the NVG's to continue scanning the area around the forward element looking at the downed tree and what they're going to do.

OOC; Unless Konrad wants me out to help?

Tucker
AGS-17
T-H squad carrier covering ground team(s)

Once Griet saw that the tree was in hand she looked at Bayer and said, "Sir, I think Dawid wants me back with him. Do you concur or is there somewhere else you want me?"

"Hauptman!" Anneka called as the truck moved into position.
"Do you need Minh to blast the stump free?"
While setting the charge to complete the servering of the trunk might take a few minutes, they may also waste time attempting to shift it as it was. A tough decision with no time to make it, and one she was glad wasn't hers to make.
"Stoner," she continued in more of a lecturing "school teacher" tone, "What do you think you're doing running about with that head wound?"

Bayer replies over the radio, "Send her up for inspection."

To everyone else he says, "Tucker, put two or three rounds into the tree with the AGS." It looked natural, but he decided to go with caution before anyone started messing around with it with tow cables. "Jan, back the truck up a little to keep it safe, everyone else, stay in cover."

"It's just a scratch" he says in his best English accent. "I'm not dead yet".

Jason, his hip throbbing badly, stradles the Ural motorcycle and attempts to manhandle the bike/sidecar combo back up on to the road and pointing north. Bullets whip-crack around them, one thwacking into the sidecar just a few inches below Mariusz's back (fortunately it does not penetrate and Mariusz in unhurt). After what seems like an eternity, the bike is back on the path and, spitting gravel, accelerates after the rest of the friendly convoy.

Jason can feel the warm stickiness of blood running down his leg and soaking into his Nomex flyers' coverals.

Up ahead, out of site of the returning ambush team, the T-H and the STAR almost collide, as the squad carrier backs away from the log in order to "test" it with 30mm HE grenade fire and the STAR pulls forward to use its winch to drag the tree out of the way. Fortunately, both drivers (Jan and Adam respectively) are alert, and the mishap is avoided.

Having pulled back 50m, or so, Tucker looses a burst of AGL fire at the tree lying stubbornly across the road. Three grenades detonate close enough to the tree to shower it with shrapnel. The barrage produces no further effects and it is judged safe to move. Walter runs forward with the hook and cable from the STAR's winch and secures it around a sturdy-looking section of the dead- and now mutilated- tree, close to one end. The STAR backs up and drags the tree so that it no longer obstructs the entire path. Enough of a lane has been created that the STAR, as well as the convoy's smaller vehicles, should be able to work themselves around the remainder of the large tree without much trouble.

Minh, meanwhile looks through her stock of explosives, judging whether to spare any of the party's dwindling supply to quickly blast down a few more trees, creating a formidable obstacle behind them for their pursuers. Dawid searches for an axe and finds one, as well as a full-sized shovel, a pickaxe, and a sledge hammer clipped to a panel in the STAR's side.

Jason and Mariusz arrive and flip another U-turn to face south once again, providing the party with rear security. Jason is starting to feel a bit woozy but he managest to load an HEDP round into his M203.

Actions?

Tucker looses the trio of grenades at the tre once Jan safely backs the truck up far enough away to give them a safety buffer and to minimize the shrapnel.  He shakes his fist up and down and lets out a loud "WHOOO" as he sees that the tactic worked on breaking up the tree enough to move and probably get by.  "That's what I'm talking about!  That's the shit," he says aloud as the clearing of the road begins.

Jason is beginning to feel the blood loss.  "Mariusz," he says, "I'm hit.  Keep an eye out for Ivan.  I've gotta..." he takes a heavy breath, then continues, "stop this bleeding."  Leaning his rifle inside the sidecar again, he takes one of his canteens and the personal medical kit from his webbing.  He sits on the saddle and props his right foot on the body of the sidecar.  He pours water from the canteen to rinse the wound, then uses the supplies from the medkit to bind it.  That task done, he picks up the Austeyr again to wait for the enemy to reappear, or for the signal to move on.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:19, Tue 23 Dec 2008.

In reply to Jason Kasparov (msg #188):

Dawid heard the bangs from the grenades hitting the tree, and turned around to look. It seemed they were checking for booby traps prior to winching the tree.

From behind the Mk.19 covering the rear from the brush just off the road, Dawid was overjoyed to see Jason and Mariusz.

They stopped nearby and he saw Jason was woozy and wounded.

"It is great to see you both! Hey Jason, go get treated by the doctor. I am covering the rear. Griet should be here soon, and Mariusz can stay or not, but I would like to hear how it went back there."

He continued watching the road behind them.


40mm Mk.19 (50 HVHEDP
Aiming to Cover the rear.
25m behind the vehicles
This message was last edited by the player at 09:54, Tue 23 Dec 2008.

when sam hear's that they are going to use the AGS; he moves back and covers the same side of the truck; just back from the target.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:54, Tue 23 Dec 2008.

Pausing to take breaths in the middle of phrases, Jason replies, "BRDM hit the mine and was burning last we saw.  A whole shitload of infantry dismounted from a couple of trucks.  I popped a grenade among some of them before we boogied.  As long as you have the rear covered, I can go see the doc.  I think I am going to have to ride up; I'm not going to be able to walk that far.  Mariusz, it's your choice.  Stay here to cover the back trail, or come with me."  With or without his young friend, Jason turns the motorcycle around and slowly makes his way to the Star and Tarpan-Honker.  "Major," he says to Soleblume when he gets there, "I need your help..."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:46, Tue 23 Dec 2008.

In reply to Jason Kasparov (msg #191):

"Well that's good, very impressive! I am glad you both made it. We should thank God for your miraculous deliverance."

40mm Mk.19 (50 HVHEDP
Aiming to Cover the rear.
25m behind the vehicles
This message was last edited by the player at 09:56, Tue 23 Dec 2008.