In reply to Konrad Bayer (msg #62):

"Kapitan, of the 82mm ammunition, there is one fragmentation round remaining. Two phosphor. Two anti-armour."

"We now have five 100mm anti-armour rounds for the MT-12, and one fragmentation. No anti-tank."

"When I say "anti-armour", I mean the explosive shaped-charge rounds, not the solid anti-armour shot."

"And Kaptian, it was my pleasure to provide what assistance I could. We eked out a slim victory today, and I'm glad I could assist those of you in the line of fire the best I could. Were it only that we could recover more 82mm ammuition!"

Dawid secured Wicks' gear, and handed over the grenades. He then checked if anyone needed western 40mm grenades, passing on to Konrad that Tuck might need some replacement rounds.

When it came to what was going to happen, he had two things to say.

"We left those bandits unmolested to the south of town. They were murdering travellers, leaving their bodies to rot in the ditches. Anyone who's staying, I would suggest that's some unfinished business that needs to be taken care of, if there's going to be any trade in that direction."

Dawid sighed, looking close to tears.

"I kind of would like to continue on to Warszawa with Adam. My sister is there... dead or alive, I need to find out what happened to her. She's also the person I'm assigned to make contact with. I have a duty to carry out my orders for the Polish Home Army."

"It is with a heavy heart I say this... it's been an honour and a pleasure to travel with you all. If we part ways now, it will be with heavy heart, as you are all my friends and comrades."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:28, Thu 12 Nov 2009.

Tucker listened to Dawid give his farewell speach and the only thing that went through his mind was, "Good riddance scumbag!"

In reply to Robert 'Tuck' Tucker (msg #70):

Dawid grinned as he looked in Tucker's beady bloodshot eyes, somehow reading his cheap and greasy thoughts. Fuck you Tucker, you completely worthless shit-for-brains asshole! I hope you can read my thoughts! But you can't, because thoughts and thinking is alien to someone like you.

He said aloud, "hey Tucker, great sailing with you, you are a true hero! Until we meet again, my friend."

Dawid continued thinking, if I do, Tucker my "friend", you'll still be sitting on your lazy ass like you always do. At that point, for a pack of cigarettes, you can suck my dick before I slap you around and put your bony ass on the street as my whore! Good thing I'm thinking this and not saying it aloud, or else there would be trouble! Ah, who am I kidding? He's got no balls whatsoever!

Seemingly amused by some private thought, Dawid began laughing uproariously as he looked at Tucker, then turned away to light a cigarette

Drew:

  Drew comes back with some new weapons in addition to the borrowed AK.  He scrounges up some rags and goes to work doing a thurough cleaning of the weapons.  He has what looks like a small arsenal before him.  His soft cover tipped up, a cigarette hanging in his lips as he works intently with a old toothbrush scrubbing away the carbon on an AKs gas piston.

 "Fucken commies....damn pollacks don't even know how ta keep their weapons clean....lazy bastards."  Drew is talking and swearing at no one in particular.  But he seems content.  As the saying goes, "when troops are bitching they are happy....or at least content."

  Drew finishes with the peice and he runs a rag through the guts of the reciever before punching the bore and looking through it.  He makes a face as he looks down the barrel with one eye.  Muttering,

"Nope." and he runs a cleaning rod through the barrel once more.  After a couple more minutes of cleaning, he runs the rag through the trigger guard and in less than a minute of clicking and popping the weapon is reassembled.  Drew sets the weapon atop a rag to keep it clean.

  Drew still has the M240, he disassembles the weapon once more.  Again like before he inspects each peice as it comes off.  Setting it in order.  When the weapon is totaly broken down he will begin to again inspect and clean each piece.  This weapon he spends much more time on.  To those observing they are learning all kinds of new swear words as he cleans off cacked carbon.  And they come out in very colorful strings when he finds pockets of dirt and carbon and unburnt powder.  The crux of his swearing usualy has to do with a lazy son of a whore who is illegitimate who preforms fellacio.  That is the one term that seems to echos quite frequently from the stern of the boat where Drew has set up shop.

  He spends the better part of the afternoon cleaning the weapons.  When he is done he will return them to his berth.  Then he will return the AK/BG to Dawid before he departs.

  "There ya go, clean as a whistle.  Good luck and thanks."

  As he watches the man depart.  Staring after him.

Sgt Drew
Sitting on the fantale of the ship watching people go.

Accepting the Tantal, Dawid pulled back the bolt and checked the chamber with a critical eye and a slight frown, then smiled.

"Uh... thanks, and you are most welcome! A most fine job, absolute perfection, you're a real natural at this! Pardon me, I have some other maintenance to perform."

Tsking jovially, he expertly and quickly broke down the Tantal and BG-1, making sure it was up to to standard. After, he cleaned the Vasilek and Rapira, as well as the RPD, whistling contently all the while.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:26, Thu 12 Nov 2009.

Jan approached the Bishop. "Until we leave, I am willing to train with your Militia, sir. I like to see them train first, to see how I can best help."

Griet looked at her father and then over to the tug boat. She sighed at the enormity of what they still had to do. They had a boat with more holes in it than there should be and very little in the way to protect it and they had just made an enemy of the biggest dog in Warsaw.

Now they had to put their head into the lion's mouth and try to facilitate a rescue of people they didn't even know were still alive. She spoke to her father quietly, "I'll return to the Queen and get her ready for the journey to Warsaw."

Bayer was torn. Adam was his and the team's employer and up until this moment had always campaigned for keeping everyone focused on that fact. But now, with the Captain wishing to draw anchor, his own priorities were kicking in. "Captain... Adam. Please consider. I know we are close. But I insist we stay a while here. To recover and rebuild ourselves. And to gather information about Warsaw and surrounding places before stepping blindly. Don't let your feelings cloud tactical judgment." He didn't think it would have any effort on the man, but could let things go without something said. Bayer then looks at Griet for support, despite the realization she'd be going with him no matter what. "Griet?" he asks.

After Adam responds, Bayer tests the waters with the rest of the team. Dawid had family issues in Warsaw too, but wanted to feel out the rest of the group's thoughts. Although he was tired of this nomadic lifestyle and realized the need to rebuild the fighting ability of the team... Bayer would ultimately go where most of the others went. "Jan...Tom... who else?" he inquires aloud.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:42, Sat 14 Nov 2009.

In reply to Konrad Bayer (msg #76):

"Wouldn't mind staying a bit here boss."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:08, Sat 14 Nov 2009.

Quyen shook her head slowly, for either decision she made would make her feel like a traitor to the other. But the Hauptmann was right. Adam was acting on emotion fueled impulse. And regardless of the strong loyalties she had to both of them, survival was always the most important thing. Adam had very likely saved her life pulling her out of that village so many miles back up the river, so her throat burned as she made up her mind.

Following Tuck's reply, Quyen nods her head at Konrad and says quietly, "I will stay."

"I'll stick with my father," Griet said sadly, "but I think that pushing on now will be difficult. Our security force looks like it's breaking apart, we have little ammunition for any heavy guns that you decide to leave with us and we've pissed of this warlord in Warsaw. Taking the Krowola downstream in these circumstances seems to be suicidal."

She looked at her father, "It would be more sensible to let a few of us try to get into Warsaw to see if there's anyone there to rescue. If there are, then we could plan something. Now, you'll know I'll follow you wherever, but if we go now, I hope you won't let those bastards take me alive when they overwhelm us."

"You are right, of course. You have fought hard these last days and you all need rest. It is just... we are so close and I have waited so long. But what is a couple more days? The tug needs some repairs and maintainance, anyway. I will wait. Does 72 hours sound reasonable?"

Adam looks and sounds somewhat crestfallen. But, he has shown himself to be a wise man and he clearly sees the wisdom of Konrad's suggestion.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:07, Sat 14 Nov 2009.

Monday, Oct. 16th
0800hrs.
40F
Clear skies
Gora Kalwaria, Poland

The day dawns clear, bright, and warm. The whole party gets an entire, uninterrupted night's sleep. Breakfast is served at eight in the parish hall.

At the Bishop's bequest, the merchant, Jupyzyk, makes an appearance. As he helps himself to some eggs on toast he explains,

"I'm headed back to Kozienice. You did well bringing back guns for the militia, but they need to zero them and practice their marksmanship and you need ammunition for that. I doubt even I can prise more ammo from the army garrison there, but I've got to try. Have you got anything they might want badly enought to part with it?

"After that, I'm thinking of heading to Warsaw. The Bishop and I have been going back and forth about it. I don't think this Baron knows anything about my little company. I'm hoping I can maybe get some information. A couple of smoked hams would be well worth it, methinks. The Bishop doesn't want us to end up as slaves, though. He's made some persuasive arguments. We'll see. First things first. The trip to Kozienice is no longer routine, if you take my meaning. The bandits didn't catch us in the snow and rain on this last trip. This weather is much nicer today but it does complicate things. Do you think your doctor could look at Cleo? Her cough isn't getting any better."

After breakfast, the party has the run of the town. The townspeople seem very relaxed. The few fields around the town that have been cleared of mines have also been harvested of their fall crops. Teenaged shephards graze their sheep and goats on the stubble emerging from the rapidly melting snow (only a few patches remain here and there in the shadows). A couple of wood gathering parties (under armed guard, of course) leave the relative safety of the town's defensive perimeter to gather fuel for the coming winter. A construction team works on repairing or demolishing damaged buildings. The newly armed militia familiarize themselves with their new weapons.

Adam and his crew begin conducting repairs on the Krolowa down at the town pier.

You feel pleasantly full and well rested. It's a beautiful day.

Next Moves?

OOC: This round isn't very structured so you need to be proactive if you want to participate. Otherwise, I'll assume your PC is just lounging around, taking it easy. That's fine, though. Ya'll have earned a break.

Despite the rigours of the day, Mariusz picked lightly at his food and rubbed the bruise on his chest thoughtfully.

He pulled out the collection of crucifixes, crosses and Stars of David that he'd collected over the last few years, his mother and father's were the first and now he added the one that Brother Stanislaw had given to Kasparov on their first meeting. Five more had been added to the chain since he'd joined the Krowola, with a total of thirteen of the crew or security unit dead.

Tears stung his eyes and the silver chain dug deeply into the flesh of his fist. He listened to the talk around him. Seventy two hours, a reprieve of sorts, maybe the deaths that those days would have brought on their journey would be avoided, or they might merely be averted.

He lowered his head, not far from the Eastern bank of the river was the road that he'd buried his parents beside. Now, he needed to attend to the graves of yet more comrades and loved ones.

He stood up and walked slowly to the cemetary.

Drew:

  Drew with the MP5 hanging on his shoulder and for once in clean camies and boots that are clean but in need of polish is seen inspecting the boat and its gun enplacements.  He will inspect the damage that it has sustained and what kinds of protection for the key funtions and positions they can implement.

  He will pay particular attention to the positions of the guns and mortars, inspecting them and even running their traversing and elevation mechanisms to ensure they are functioning.  He will check for the mask and overheard clearing of the guns.  And note the dead spaces as well as areas that can be armored or sandbagged or protected with logs or timbers.

  Drew next will inspect the fire prevention systems.  Fire hoses, ensuring they are not battle damaged or rotten.  And make notes for filled barrels and buckets as well.

  Drew will then go below to the sickbay and look for Anneka,

"Soleblume,  hey Soleblume." he will call,

"I'm trying ta put together a med kit for when we go ashore our people aren't left without aid until they make it back ta the ship.  Got anything ya can spare?  I'll take bandages and tournequettes and alcohol if thats all ya got."  Drew will also inspect the sickbay and make sure they have distilled water <which should be easy since the vessels engine could produce it.>

  After Drew has inspected the ship, he will beging on helping repair some of the battle damage.  If anyone has started already he will find out what they are doing and lend a hand.

Drew, MP-5
Inspecting and repairing battle damage
This message was last edited by the player at 20:32, Sat 14 Nov 2009.

Looking between the Captain and Dawid, Tom was glad to hear of the delay. Even though he was largely unscathed from the last conflict he need some down time. Turning to the Captain he asks.

Sir could we mount a recon mission of the area where the mortars where attacked maybe find some of the enemy forces equipment and keep some eyes on the pirate camp from a fairly safe distance from the gas ? or we could mount an attack on the bandits Dawid mentioned"

I'm happy to go if there are other volunteers.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:54, Sun 15 Nov 2009.

In reply to Tom Jones (msg #84):

Dawid had spent the rest of the previous evening cleaning and maintaining the Queen's weapons, get reacquainted with her crew.

He also made a point of hanging around Mariusz. Although Mari was a damn fine fighter and fearless, he was also a boy and not a trained soldier. Even his experiences as a Solidarnosc partisan he had been protected by the close cameraderie of the guerrilla band and of course the wisdom of Brother Switek. That was long gone now, and he was worried that the westerners, while generous enough, still occasionally tended to look down upon the Poles and treat them sometimes as outsiders or even inferiors, often without meaning. Mariusz probably could use someone closer to his age to talk to, to relate to. So many Poles had lost their lives in the war. The tragedy was, those that remained risked losing their souls. Especially the young and sensitive like Mariusz.

"Tom, I think that's an excellent idea. As well, we need to secure more 82mm ammunition. I volunteer as well. Does anyone know how long the poison gas remains effective?"

"But someone's gotta go with the merchant up the road! There's a pack of bandits in that goddamn town we stayed in. This is the fourth or fifth time I've brought this up!"
This message was last edited by the player at 08:58, Sun 15 Nov 2009.

Once the work on the boat was well under way, Griet sought out Bayer to talk to him. She looked at him over a steaming cup of parched wheat grain tea and said, "OK, we have several tasks to achieve and not much time to do it in. I've put some thought into it and I have the following suggestions for your consideration."

She sipped the tea and winced at the bitter taste, at least it was hot, "The crew of the tug have the repairs in hand and aren't likely to need much help, that leaves the training of the militia, aiding the merchant and getting some sort of recon under way."

She swirled the tea around watching the burnt grounds twist and spin at the bottom of the cup, honey would be nice, "We're not going to get much training done in three days so I'd suggest the following: we set up a series of talks and demonstrations for the militia, I'd say that you and Anneka could lecture on small unit tactics and fire observation, Dawid on heavier weapons, Mihn on booby traps and fortification and Ondar on small arms."

She sipped some more tea, "That way there's a chance something might stick in a few days, you might also want to suggest to Bishop that if they have any teachers in town, they might want to train up their best troops in instruction so as to keep up training when we leave."

"That leaves Mariusz, Stoner, Jan and Drew to work with the merchant. As for recon, the militia may be able to help us there."

Tucker takes every minute of that uninterupted sleep that night and wakes up feeling a lot better after he washes up and takes a couple of minor pain relievers to try and comfort his sore muscles and arms.  He changes uniforms and puts the dirty one to the side and gingerly puts on his shoulder holster with his Colt Python and two spare sppedloaders, lighter and a cigar before he heads off for breakfast.

Tucker will eat and excuse himself when he is done (unless someone talks to him) and then goes to find a place where he can just sit and relax, smoking one of his cigars in peace.  He doesn't try to hide and will actually call out for Knorad if he does see him in passing.

Tom turns to discuss the next course of action with Dawid.

"Well I’m happy to help with either; hopefully they didn’t retrieve the small arms from the dead on their retreat to the boat. Sounds like the mortar group hit them hard so maybe we will get lucky."

"As for the bandits a small group attacking during the night shouldn’t have any trouble, and then maybe they could go with the merchant to access the strength of the unit he trades with, see if they could be hit."

"We should also re-interview the captives for a more accurate picture to the location of the 120mm and 82mm morters in the pirate camp and where the ammunition for these systems was stored."

Quyen spent the first part of the morning, disassembling the various demolition charges. All of the tools, explosives, wiring, and other components were returned to the chest and stowed back aboard the tug's armory.

With this self appointed task complete, she limped back to where her gear was stowed and cleaned her rifle. If given another job to do, she'll reassemble the AK74 get on it.

Bayer sat at the table, wearing only his uniform. His gear was stowed in one corner of the room, relieving him of the aching burden of his heavy Kevlar and tactical vest. With only his sidearm, he eventually arrived at to breakfast after purposely rising 'late'.

He listens to people's ideas, but says little, opting to stare in silence at his food as the suggestions register in his mind. He was grateful... no... shocked, that Adam gave in, but three days was still too short for what he had in mind. Nevertheless, he didn't complain and he put on his best 'appreciation' face. After all it was still better than watching him sail off on his suicide run.

...he snaps his attention back to the ideas being thrown around. Bayer then says quietly, "Yes. Five times it is Dawid. But noted and supported."

Following breakfast he has little else to say for the moment. Unit maintenance and admin was still underway and there was still time for the proposals to sink in. Intercepted first by Griet, he replies, "Reasonable. There are many things I'd like to get done here in town, and yet so little time. Come around in an hour or two for a quasi warning order." He then adds, "Oh. And thanks for speaking up about delaying heading to Warsaw."

After returning to the billet, Bayer approaches Tucker who calls him over. After a short discussion, he returns to the main quarters.

Once the majority of the team returned from their duties, he says, "Alright. I've heard a few proposals already, but before any are considered, lets have one last opportunity for suggestions. I haven't yet heard from everyone who usually speaks up during times like this. We've got three days at best... and a great deal of work ahead of us."

He was particularly thinking of a timetable for completing the following objectives:
-Eliminate the bandits
-Recover the AGS and any other spoils (like 82mm) at the pirate camp
-Give some basic lessons to the militia
-Recce the pirates
This message was last edited by the player at 14:30, Mon 16 Nov 2009.

Tucker stands up when konrad comes over begore they start conversing.

Drew will interject:

"Forever.  But with the wind, the moisture and concentration not long.  A couple days, a week.  But anything in the AO would still need ta be deconed.  We ain't gotta worry about kickin up dust so if we go in with waders and gloves we should be good ta go.  Its kinda like "RAID" Bug spray.  Besides, they are binary rounds, they need the spin of firing ta arm and mix right and I doubt that happened so I bet their effectiveness is less than normal.  Of course, I could be wrong."

Drew will speak up;

"Well cheif, I see we got three main things.  Repair and uparm the ship.  Prep the townies as best we can.  And get intel on the hostiles."   as he holds up three fingers.

  "I suggest we put those folks to work who are best suited to those tasks.  I can work on the boat and lend a hand with the townsfolk.  I think we need to get a cadre together of the most able townies so they can work on training their own, and they work with our cadre so they can both work on putting a plan together, or training schedule."

  Drew pauses,

  "With the time we got we gotta use the KISS method.  So teach em the basics, some basic team organization and team formations, fire and manuver and covering your buddy as you move.  I got alot of time on the range, I can spend a couple hours with em working on snapping in and aiming and developing muscle memory and combar reloads and stuff, we can do that anytime.  Maybe toss in some basic first aid too.  I suggest we break em into squads for training ta make it easier for the cadre.  That's just my idea on the subject cheif."

  Drew will return to the 82mm where he will be familiarizing himself with the gun.

Drew, MP-5
Weapons familiarizarion with the 82mm, later the 120mm