Jan (NPCed) nods his head in reply to Konrad and whispers orders to his assault team. Like Drew, he makes sure that their gear is strapped down so that it doesn't clink or rattle when they move.

Jan leaves his AK-74/BG-15 combo behind and takes his shorter, handier PM-84 Glauberyt submachinegun.

He leads his squad in a looping, half-circle first away and then towards the side of the post office which the commanders were watching. He sidles up to the exterior wall and creeps towards the door. He pushes gently against it but it doesn't budge. He moves past it towards the window through which they'd earlier seen the glow of a camp fire. He signals his intentions to his men, takes a grenade from his webbing, pulls the pin, lets the spoon fly, and tosses it through the window. A flash and a crump and he's up and over the window sill. His men follow somewhat awkwardly. A short burst of fire (it sounds like a submachine gun), followed by a second, and a third and then silence.

Someone, tumbles out of the open window. The figure stands and then waves at the waiting and watching elements. Jan appears in the window a second later and flashes a thumbs up.

Next Moves?

Drew:

  Moved into position as the new plan dictated and had his charge at arms reach.  He motioned for the trainee to follow at arms reach.

  When the grenade burst he whispered,

"Its on!" and moved into action following his instrincts and training that he had done countless times in training and in real life.  And now it was almost reflex actions fueled by adrenaline.

Sgt Drew
M16A2
moving in the assault mode

Crouched with his back against the wall Tom covered the exits from the room as Jan and one of the militia climbed out. They had done their job everyone in the room was dead or dying.

Toms breathing was returning to normal as he stared along the length of the M14. The short sharp rapid intakes where replaced by slow and deeper breaths. He had also stopped shaking, the deep breaths where calming him. He wiped the back of his hand over his forehead and exhaled.

He scanned the room several bodies still lay in their beds the others only partially out. With the threat in the building eliminated Tom moves to one of the windows on the opposite wall to where they entered and covers the back of the building.

M14K(20/20) + 5 spare magazines
Sig Sauer P226 (15/15) + 3 spare magazines
RKG-3 x 3 grenades
F1 FRAG grenades x 6
Bandit Camp Assault Group
Covering the rear of the building

Dawid gave Konrad the thumb's up to indicate he understood. He repeated Konrad's orders to Tuck.

After positioning the support element where their fires would not interfere with anyone going in, Dawid made sure to repeat Konrad's orders to the ORMO. "No firing unless I give the command, understood?" He spoke in Polish, so he knew they would understand and there would be no misunderstanding.

He didn't waste his breath repeating this to Tucker. However, he did go over the man's 40mm grenade supply and made sure he knew which round was which, and that they were stored so the correct one could be accessed without looking. "Sergeant Tucker wants fragmentation ready. That's a a yellow one, there. See? good."

While he waited he made sure his arc of fire was delineated by some kind of physical object on either side, so he could conduct grazing fire in the dark and not be firing outside his chosen sector. His night-glasses would make this unnecessary, but they could fail at a crucial moment and he wanted to be sure.

He charged the weapon and set it to full-auto, breathing in the cold night air. The RPK's wooden stock was tucked into his shoulder, held snug by he left hand. When the "go" signal was given, he looked at the ORMO and hissed, "no firing! Remember!"


Dawid Piotrowski
RPK (30/30 + 6 mags)
2 grenades, 2 smoke, 2 flares
Instructing the ORMO, setting up a firing position.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:17, Tue 15 Dec 2009.

Tucker nods in acknowledgement and also gives a thumbs up to Dawid that he heard and understood the order about firing.  Frank waits patiently with his assistant as the assault unfolds.

Tucker
M-16A2 [30/30] / M-203 [HE]
Cover team, awaiting orders to fire

After the assault team rushed the sleeping bandits, Bayer crouches at the entrance way to the building and calls in, "Any casualties?" He then gives a thumbs up to the team and says, "Well done. HQ will hold here and check the bodies. Jan prep your men and sweep the rest of the buildings... watch out for Mariusz's teams on the outer perimeter."

He then nods to Stoner, "Call Griet and have the tug depart for extraction."

Bayer kneels next to one of the dead bandits, and speaks into his own tac radio, "Dawid, objective secure. Assault is going to sweep the hamlet. Hold fire on movement around the buildings. Stand by your team in case there is trouble." Following a pause, he transmits again, "Mariusz? Did you copy that? Assault is moving, keep your security under control. Over."

He then begins searching the bandits and their belongings with Stoner. "Any of these guys alive?" he asks the medic.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:54, Thu 17 Dec 2009.

In reply to Konrad Bayer (msg #199):

There was a bang and not much else. A few controlled bursts after, and it was over.

Dawid acknowledged the instructions from Konrad. "Eagle calling Sunray, understood. We'll keep security where we are."

He turned to the other people. "We did it. Keep alert, but there will be movement in the village, so be calm. Let's look around, make sure we're not attacked from the rear or a flank. Let me know if you see anything, don't shoot unless you need to or are sure. If our own people are hurt, there will be hell to pay!"

Dawid repeated the order in Polish for the benefit of clarity, pointing out where friendlies were located, and the other sectors they would watch.

Wednesday, Oct. 18th
0200hrs.
20F
Clear skies
Quarter Moon
5km SW of Gora Kalwaria, Poland

You cycle through the room where the bandits had been camping out. It's actually the same large lobby that the party had occupied a few nights before. The three men are in sorry shape. They are dressed in various pieces of threadbare Soviet kit. Their hair is long and unkempt and all three sport scraggly beards. Blood has pooled all around them and some fairly nasty wounds are clearly visible on their still-warm corpses. Two AK-74s are recovered along with a couple of magazine of ammunition for each of them. The third rifle took a couple of bullets from Jan's SMG and is beyond repair. Nothing of value is found in their packs. It appears that the deserters have previously discarded their identity discs.

In another room, you make a shocking discovery. A nude man, face down on the floor. His buttocks and the backs of his thighs have been cut out. A dull butcher's knife and a hatchet rest on the floor nearby. The man is also rather gaunt and has probably been dead no more than a couple of days. One hopes he'd been dead when the butchering had begun...

The group breaks up into teams and spreads throughout the small village, searching each and every building. The job is twice as lengthy and nerve-wracking in the dark. The initial approach is made using the few sets of NVGs carried by the TLs, and then filtered flashlights (torches) are used to search the interiors. The houses are mostly empty. Anything flammable (furniture, wooden fixtures, flooring, etc.) has been removed for use as fuel.

With its spotlight glaring, the Krolowa makes its way south to pick up the clearing team. Anyone within a couple kilometers of the river can probably see her, but the risk is considered acceptable by Griet, Adam, and the Bishop. The tug arrives off shore near the ghost-village and awaits the signal to commence pick up. The small boat is readied by Tadeuz.

Next Moves?
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:11, Thu 17 Dec 2009.

Tucker enters the room where the dead marauders are lying in their own pools of blood.  He scans over their faces quickly and then moves onto the other room where he sees the body of the person that has been cut up.  He shakes his head and can only say, "Ah man!  Their fuckin' eating people!  Fuckin' cannibals!"

Mariusz replied to the Kaptain, "Copy that, Kaptain, I'll keep my men low and out of the line of fire. Let us know when you want us to come in."

He let his men know that they were to lie low and then huddled down into his jumper as he tried to keep warm in the freezing cold.

In reply to Robert 'Tuck' Tucker (msg #202):

As Tucker heads into the post office, Dawid reminded him, "we're the security element, so have a look but come back as soon as you can. I'll need your expertise to help with the ORMO."

He orgamised the support element so they were covering the southern approach to town, the one he figured government troops would be coming from.

With the house clearing finished Tom tries to give his buddy as much feedback as he can. These men will be expected to train and lead the more green recruits once they get back so he tries to make it as worthwhile as possible.

The body had been a real head spin, he had heard stories but never though it would happen. As he kept watch to the rear of the last building they cleared, he thought on the cannibalism, he had been hungry in the past but would he really go that far.

Once the assault group was called back he waited with the others before the move to the river.

"All right," Tucker said as he left and came right back to the security element.  He sets up with the group where Dawid tells him to.

Wednesday, Oct. 18th
0400hrs.
20F
Clear skies
Quarter Moon
Gora Kalwaria, Poland

After the small village is searched, the four bodies are dragged out of the post office- a messy and unpleasant task- and tossed into a particularly run-down cottage. One of the older militiamen wisely points out the undesirability of leaving the corpses to rot- possibly to become breeding grounds for disease- in Gora Kalwaria's own back yard. The bandits had collected enough fuel to last a couple more nights and that is used as kindling for their ersatz funeral pyre.

The mission completed successfully, the search and destroy force marches the short distance to the Vistula and signals the waiting tug. The tug's small boat, manned by Tadeuz makes several round trips to relay the force back to the Krolowa.

Once you're aboard, you look back at the town, now eerily lit by the orange glow of the ad-hoc crematorium. The tug slowly spins on its own axis and begins steaming northwest, towards Gora Kalwaria. There is no laughing or back-slapping but the militiamen exchange pleased smiles. The modest operation seems to have achieved its second, and most important goal: boosting the militia's confidence.

You know that you're almost home when you can see a few flickering lights of Gora Kalwaria on the west bank. But something else on the east bank catches your eye- a flashing red light, blinking on and off rythmically. Through your NVGs, you can see two figures, one squatting, the other, with the flashlight, holding a field torch and aiming it directly at the Krolowa. Walter swings the beam of the tug's spotlight on the two men. They shrink back from the bright white light but make no attempt to run or hide. Both are armed, but their weapons are slung. Neither makes any move to retrieve or employ them. They raise their arms to shield their eyes and await their fate.

Actions?
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:07, Sun 20 Dec 2009.

In reply to Cap'n Rae (msg #207):

Dawid seemed skeptical about the grisly find. They saw what they saw, but...

"It doesn't make a lot of sense. I've seen many civilians die from starvation without resorting to... that. Even men in my own unit suffered from malnutrition, and some died. We ate very few people! Just kidding, we didn't eat anyone. There's just enough food to go around, farms and towns and such, and on travellers. If they couldn't take it from others, men with guns can always find work in the town ORMOs or even with the Black Baron or Communist government."

"Perhaps this was just torture, maybe these men went mad. Then again, they were Russians, a barbaric and uncultured people, so who who knows?"

He was talking to keep himself sane, to a degree, as well as the Gora Kalawria ORMO. Anything to keep them from dwelling on what they'd seen.

"At least the bastards are dead! Something to be very proud of, I assure you all."

When the men were spotted on the bank of the river, he instructed the gun crew on the Vasilek to load the last fragmentation round and keep watch to the flanks. Just in case this was a distraction for an ambush from an unexpected quarter, he scanned the entire area through his NVGs.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:08, Mon 21 Dec 2009.

Squinting into the beam from the quarter deck, Tom lined up the pair with his RPK. The front sight post was just below the bulk of the figure on the left. As soon as the order is given Tom will fire three 10 round bursts into the group.

There had been something familiar in the pattern of the lights but Tom’s best subject was not signalling or patrol skills. He was dog tired all he wanted to do was close his eyes.

RPK-74 (45/45) + 6 spare magazines
Sig Sauer P226 (15/15) + 3 spare magazines
RKG-3 x 3 grenades
F1 FRAG grenades x 6
Quarter Deck Tug
Bead on the duo

After ensuring a head count was passed up once the platoon was ferried to the Krolowa, Bayer congratulated the Poles on their performance. Even though the raid was far from how they probably pictured it, Bayer emphasized their good performance regarding march discipline and field craft - telling them it ultimately led to them saving bullets and likely going home with everyone in one piece.

He is up on the Bridge with Griet, talking to her quietly when the two people are spotted on the riverside. "Great." he says quietly with a strong trace of suspicion. "Now what."

Although dawn was nearing, it was still dark. So Bayer digs out the image intensifiers and studies the pair on shore. "Griet slow the tug, but don't drop anchor. Keep her still."

Then over his shoulder, he says while still staring through his optics, "Tuck. Get everyone to stand to. Have the machine guns manned immediately and cover the other bank too. Quietly as possible."

After the Krolowa halted, Bayer says, "Seems they want to talk. Maybe envoys. Maybe deserters. Maybe spies. In any case I want to hear them out. Is that Morse Code? Griet?"

If they are too far for verbal communications and it isn't Morse, only then will Bayer ask for a volunteer to row to the shore to pick them up.

Griet replied, "Holding steady, Sir. It might have been Morse, but it was too fast for me to get it."

Well this is it Craig thought, he looked over at his companion with a nod of is head he indicated the next move. Standing he slowly moves towards the tug with his hands slightly out from his sides. Once at the edge of the river he waits for the crew to make the next move.

In reply to Konrad Bayer (msg #210):

"As quietly as possible, take your team and make ready on the tug's weapons.
Tucker hears Bayer tell him to get everyone ready in case there is trouble with the two person's they just spotted on the river bank.  "I'm on it," Tucker says as he begins to move away from where Bayer is watching the 'watchers' on the bridge.  Tucker fisrt locates Jan and tells him, "Jan, take your team and cover these newbies on the bank with the Queen's guns.  Be as unconspicuous as possible."

Robert then tries to locate Mariusz and tells him, "Mariusz, need your team to cover the other bank these two aren't on to make sure this ins't some kind of trap."

  Drew:

  Drew makes his way to one of the forward machineguns to either man the gun outright or lend a hand.  His rifle will be slung crosswise overhis back.

  "Here, let me help out" he will say as he moves to the gun.


Sgt Drew
helping man a gun
M16A2 slung

Apel follows his partner and moves slowly to the bank with his arms raised.  "Slowly, Apel, slowly," he thinks to himself.  "You've come too far.."

After helping ferry the team back to the tug, Quyen sat in the galley resting her leg. It was her intention to stay off of it as much as possible with the goal of recovering as quickly as possible to be of better help to the team again. When Tucker went about readying everyone, she collected her rifle and said, "Unless you want me elsewhere Sergeant, I'll keep the rear under watch."

Then getting into position, she lowered herself just enough to still be able to watch for any activity coming upriver.

"On it, Tuck." Mariusz replied and moved his militia companions to the opposite side of the boat to the incomers. He got them to scan the bank and see if there were any surprises, he stroked the HK-69, maybe he'd get a chance to shoot the marvelous contraption before the night was out.

"No, that's cool Minh.  Take the rear and keep your eyes open," Tucker tells Minh as he goes to make sure everyone is ready.