Anneka worked hard on her new patient even though normally she would have prefered to save the limited medical resources at her disposal for western allies. But, a pilot was a valuable resource, injured and out of fuel notwithstanding.

A blood donor was of course sought before she started and hesitant as she was to use up irreplacable supplies, she ensured the patient was fully anesthetised.

Bayer nods at the comment regarding the aircraft, "No matter what we do with it, unfortunately the entire town knows its here. It's only a matter of time before that information reaches Warsaw or Lodz."

He then leads the Bishop over to where the newcomers were located. After introducing himself and the Bishop to Coulter, he listens as the man repeats his story. Bayer asks first, "Are there more aircraft in Lodz where you stole this one?"

Then noticing the Norwegian, Bayer stares silently at him for a bit before turning back to the American. He then says, "I don't see much need to hold you." He then looks around for objections before adding, "So if you can put a hold on your plans for getting back to the United States we're recruiting. Know anything about Warsaw?"

Griet saw that the helicopter crew were being escorted into the town so she took the Krowla back to dock in order to help with the maintainence of the old tug.

Mariusz helped the injured woman to the aid station and then went to find Drew. He looked at the man and said, "OK, let's look at the vehicles, I'd like to see if we can salvage something from the URAL. If the bike's wrecked we might be able to save the sidecar and use it on another bike."

Tucker stands near the big Norwegian and says to him, "HEy, we can stand down now.  Who are you again?  I'm Tucker."  Tucker extends a hand to the big guy.

Though he only had a basic understanding of emergency medical care, Jan helped Anneka with treating the latest patient.  He attempted to pass her the relevant instrument when requested and usually got it right at the second or third attempt.

When they finished treating the latest casualty he cleaned himself up before going to find some breakfast for both Anneka and himself.  After filling his stomach as much as he was allowed he then planned to find Konrad and see if any decisions about mission objectives had been made in preparation for their Warsaw scouting missions.

  Looking at the Captain, well more specifically Hauptman would be correct. "Unfortuately I have negetive knowledge of Warsaw it was to far out of our zone.  Lublin, where we aquired that bird from also had a couple of other birds, it seems like being repaired or sevivceable, one was an MI 17 the other was an older AN-2 Colt, a couple of other birds looked like they were nothing but spare parts".
This message was last edited by the player at 00:19, Wed 24 Feb 2010.

Starting to shiver in the predawn cold, Thor grunted, placed a finger to his lips before climbing to his feet and stalked towards the helicopter. A jerk of his head at Tucker indicated Thor wished him to come along.

Reaching the aircraft, he transfered the big rifle to his left hand and drew a bayonet. Circling the vehicle at a crouch, he inspected it with a suspicious eye as if believing it would leap at him at any moment with bared claws. He stopped at the bullet holes and sniffed the last traces of fuel, carefully probing the holes with the blade.

"It visne," he finally declared, standing upright and returning the bayonet to it's webbing scabbard.

"Thor the Thunderer!"
Right fist beat once upon his solid chest proudly.
He stepped towards Tucker, arms open wide and smiling widely.
"Tyr! Good see you again!"

"Dude, you know how early it is?" Drew asks with surprise.  As he reaches for a cigarette then pauses he asks,

"Whatcha got in mind man?"

Sgt Drew
M240, MP-5
Talking to Mar

In reply to Steven Drew (msg #659):

Before leaving, Dawid repeated his questions.

"Sorry, your clothing size? Also, you have any anti-tank weapons?"

After setting aside some fresh clothing (and his weapons), hot food and drawing a bath for the newcomer, Dawid went back to the motor pool, such as it was. He looked at the bike. Having made a point of salvaging it, he was loathe to junk it before taking a good look.

If it was just a bent tire that could be straightened. Re-attaching the sidecar wouldn't be a problem, although the lateral drive train driving the third wheen (on the sidecar) would be more tricky but perhaps they had parts for it.

Bayer nods subtly to Coulter's response. He didn't expect much more than what was given. Then turning to the Bishop, he asks another question he's sure he already knows the answer to, "Bishop. You wouldn't know the location to any aviation fuel supplies would you? Abandoned airstrip or something like that?"

Then excusing himself for a moment, he returns to the helicopter to look it over for himself. Finding Tucker and the Norwegian there, he jokes, "Don't go breaking anything trying to take off Robert." Leaning inside he says aloud, "This thing coming here might bring down more trouble on top of us. I almost want to ditch it in the river and pretend it never happened... but someone will spread the word."

Looking back at Tucker, Bayer's mood changes back to seriousness as he asks, "What do you think?"

After Tucker's reply, Bayer climbs back out and notices the Norwegian picking at it with his bayonet. "Hey? What's your story? I could use someone like you... unless being alone is what you like."

A tear slips from Thor's eye and his lip begins to quiver.
"You truely want me?"
He sounds suprised.
"Faderen, oh takk skal du ha, takk skal du ha!"
The Barret slips from his fingers as he kneels before Konrad, wrapping both arms around his waist in a hug.
"Haptabeiðir, du tilvirke meg slik lykkelig!"
Tears began to stream down his face, soaking his beard.

Once surgery was complete and the makeshift theatre, Anneka sought out Lieutenants Avtomian and Sutherland to conduct her usual interview of recent arrivals to their unit.
Taking each in turn, and eventually adding Coulter to her list of interviewees, she asked them about their experiences, skills and abilities.

"I'd like to talk to you about your skills and so on so we can assign you a suitable role, make sure you're been used to everyones best advantage."
Her ever-present notebook was fished out from her blouse pocket, three quarters full of information about each member of the unit.
"What can you tell me about yourself? Have you completed any qualifications that could prove useful? What skills have you learnt? Have you picked up any other useful skills over the years? How good would you say you are at each of those things?"
She'd spoken at some length with the Norwegian the previous evening while she'd checked his body over. Apparently he was a bit of a combat monster, able to fill any role but excelling at marksmanship, stealth and observation. Her only concern was for his mental stability but he seemed genuine in his wish to help out in return for food and lodgings.

Tucker turns when he hears Konrad's voice just before the big Norwegian soldier put him in a stinky bear hug.  A look of relief comes over his face and a quick smile after hearing Bayer make a joke.  "Couldn't fly it in a dream boss, even if it had a full tank of go-juice.  Honestly, I don't think this is any good at all this chopper and crew show up here, from Lublin no less.  I think we could be in a world of hurt if we don't get rid of it soon.  Might be bringing more problems to ourselves and more so, this town.  Would be better if they had some fuel left and they could get rid of the evidence.

Quick, stupid idea?  We get the fuck outta here and have the people of the town turn over the helo back to who it belongs to.  Tell them that the occupants dropped it here when they ran out of fuel.  That may keep Lublin off of their backs.  Stupid right?"

Apel watches the soldier and Dawid converse, then watches the injured pilot carried off... to sickbay was his guess.

Apel searches for Sutherland, and when he finds him asks "What was that all about?"

Then quotes "To tell you who I am were speech in vain,
Because my name as yet makes no great noise."

Craig looks up from his present task as Apel arrives. ”Seems we have a couple of new comrades and their toy”indicating towards the helicopter



"Rrright, well you where always the one for words."

He then waits for someone to give him the go ahead with the camo job. Offering a cigarette to Apel and anyone else standing around.

  Apparently the interview was over so Coulter goes and takes care of the shower, shave, and chaging out of his blood stained uniform, into a clean if well worn set. Looking at the blood some of it Irina's he stops and is lost to his own thoughts for a few moments.  He rinses the blood off of his clothes as best as possible and finds a spot to hang them to dry.  He decides to give into his concern and see how the surgery is progressing, finally finding the, well what could best be called to his thoughts, a Clinic, he enters.

The rest of the morning is rather less eventful, but no less busy.

At the cost of some of the group's precious surgical supplies, Anneka, assisted by Jan, successfully stabilizes the Belorussian helicopter pilot, Irena. She is left resting comfortably in the hospital ward, two beds down from the convalescing Alexei Ondar.

Entrusting his companion's care to the welcoming strangers, Coulter cleans up and, at the group's insistant prompting, the huge, hirsute Norwegian, Thor Halgeirsen, does too.

Meanwhile, aboard the Polish helicopter, the group finds a pintle mounted doorgun (a PKM) with 200 rounds of ammunition, a box of 12 Soviet-made fragmentation hand grenades, two colored smoke grenades, a large, first generation, Soviet-made passive night vision scope, a flare pistol with four colored parachute flares, and a picked-over first aid kit that includes some analgesic pills and a bottle of anticeptic.

Craig and Apel are taken to ID yet another straggler who had wandered into town during the morning. Neither recognize the German straggler as one of the Baron's men.

At around lunchtime, the entire party- including Thor, Coulter, and the German newcomer, Dieter Brandt, reconvenes the planning meeting for the next day's reconaissance mission to Warsaw. The Bishop begins by informing everyone that the Stalwart has been successfully repaired (for the loss of the old Zil truck and the town's minivan).

"There are several issues we need to address, in addition to the reconaissance expedition to Warsaw.

"First, the helicopter. Should we keep it? Hide it somewhere in the town? We have no fuel for it nor do I know of any aviation fuel in these parts. Should we give it to the government garrison at Kozienice as a goodwill gesture? Or, should we dump it in the river and pretend it never came here?

"Second, we still need more small arms ammunition. Jupyzyk has said that we need to trade something of significant military value, not just sausages and beer. We can't really use the 120mm mortar but someone pointed out that the government troops might recognize it. We don't want to provoke them. Is there something else we could trade? The howitzer? Wasn't your AGS-17 contaminated and damaged? The Zil would need to be towed and, in its present condition, is not of much value. What about one of the APCs?

"There is much to discuss and consider. The town's civil leaders have other matters that must be attended to as well, like how to feed the increasing numbers of refugees and stragglers that have made their way here in recent days. With the arrival of a significant number of people from Warsaw, our food supplies will be strained. Winter has come early this year and we should prepare for it to stay late as well."

You settle in for the long discussion that will likely follow, helping yourself to some lunch while you listen and collect your thoughts.

Next Moves?
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:41, Thu 25 Feb 2010.

“Bishop,” Jan answers while fidgeting with a packet of cigarettes before deciding to save them and returning them to an inside pocket of his combat jacket, “before we decide what to do with the helicopter and what we can afford to trade away we need to understand more about the other communities around here.  Who can we trade with besides the government garrison at Kozienice?  What do you know about the other towns and villages around here?”

Still fighting off the urge for some nicotine Jan helped himself to a drink of water before continuing.

“Also if we need more weapons and ammo then raiding the Black Baron might be the best option.  Weaken him while strengthening ourselves.”

"Most of the towns and villages in this region are dead or near to being so. I'm not sure if it is a cause or an effect but many people from this region have come to settle here. None of the still-inhabited settlements have ammunition- or much of anything, for that matter- to spare. The government garrison at Kozienice is, shall we say, rather lax and has traded us ammunition before- as recently as last week. But, as Jupyzyk reports, the prices keep going up and we fear they will soon stop taking food and liquor as payment.

"It is true that we have captured- thanks to you all- quite a bit of ammunition but when it is spread out among the armed militia, it averages out to a magazine or so apiece. As you know, this will not last us long."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:16, Thu 25 Feb 2010.

"Hum," Jan replied, "maybe our prisoners can tell us where the Black Guard's armoury is?  Maybe we should try raiding that?”

He took another sip of water.

“And it sounds like the recce of Warsaw can ignore or bypass any of the towns and villages along the way.  They might be sources of food though but that’s probably best left to you Bishop and not us.”

"If I may Bishop?" Tucker says as he stands first and waits to be recognized.  "I'm thinking that the best thing right now would be to turn over the copter to either the garrison  that's the closest to us, Kozienice I beleive you mentioned?  We should be out of here, or most of us should be outta here when you do this or we'll have to blend in.

If we ditch the copter in the drink, what happens if it's a low tide or the water level recede's and with the way luck is or Murphy's Law, someone will see it at an unopportune time."

"That doesn't seem likely although the copter is too valuable to waste.  And the entire town knows it's here.  We can't put that genie back into that bottle."

Apel eats a last crust of bread and a shriveled carrot (they sure don't grow them like the used to back in the States).

  Drew speaks up,

  "Uh...padre, you mentioned we are getting alot of refugess....this concerns me.  Who is screening them?  Uh, I mean, making sure they are legit, not spies or trying to infiltrate the vil?  And, well, whose loyalty do they have?  Ya know, desperate people in desperate times, they may rat us out for a crust of bread with the baron ya know?"

  Drew continues,

"We got the helo, everyone and their brother knows its here right.  And if we try ta hide it, well word will leak out one way or another.  So, I say we find a couple bodies.  Maybe a couple badies from the firefight last night.  And present em ta that base.  Return the helo, after we make sure they can't use it anytime soon and win favor and try for a reward or something.  I would have said if we could have before anyone actualy saw it, haul it into a barn or somewhere before the townies could confirm it landed here for good.  But, well we screwed the pooch on that one so everyone knows its here."

  Drew pauses, surveying the reaction to the others before he continues,

"Is there any parts in the thing that we can use ta make some of our other vehicles operational?  That'd be something we should look into too."

  "As for food, hate ta say it, but this place can't be known as a refugee center anymore or we'll have everyone and their brother showing up for a handout.  That happens we'll all starve, better now than later when we have alot of folks from all over who don't give a rats ass about this town.  Nothin worse than a shitload of folks rioting and tearing the place apart."

 "As for ammo, good idea ta raid the barrons boys.  We set up a couple ambushes hit em for a day and get the hell outa dodge before they realise what's happening.  For that. figure a three day ambush, a couple days ta study their movements and the last day we set up and hit em ta the best effect, then we run for home with what we can grab."
  Drew then sits back down.


Sgt Drew
M240 sitting next to him
Giving his ideas

"The Sarg-er-Lieu... the Marine is right about the food" chimes in Apel.