Don't fight a battle if you don't gain anything by winning.

-Erwin Rommel

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This message was last edited by the GM at 21:44, Sat 28 Mar 2015.

Wednesday, October 25th, 2000
1730 hrs.
39F
clear skies; slight breeze from the northwest
Jackowo Gorne, 10km north of Warsaw, Poland


The commander of the Serock militia, Captain Zawadzki, the "mayor" of Wyszkow, Anton Sobczak, and the leadership of the turncoat 10th GTD- Major General Anton Koronev and "Captain" B.A. Johnstone- have agreed, in principle, to actively cooperate with one another in the removal of The Black Baron Czarny from his position of self-appointed sovereignty over the ruins of Warsaw.

They, along with you, are meeting in an abandoned home in the hamlet of Jackowo Gorne, about midway between Serock and Wyszkow, where the bulk of the 10th TD is still camped. Serock has sent a truckload of food for the hungry soldiers of the 10th, but is unwilling to shelter them or allow transit in the fear that the 300 men of the 10th will find the living there so pleasant that they will not wish to leave. Zawadski has made clear that Serock does not have the wherewithall to feed and/or shelter such a large unit of tired, hungry, and well armed men. It's a reasonable position. So, for the time being, the men of the 10th division will remain in Wyszkow. The mayor of the town, however, seems eager to see them leave.

For all parties, time is of the essence. The men of the 10th, despite the recent delivery of provisions from Serock, is still hungry, and only the Baron's granaries can feed them without depriving others. Neither Wyszkow nor Serock can feed the 10th for more than a day or two without dangerously depleting their stocks of winter food.

The objective of the upcoming offensive, therefore, is simple- to either eliminate the Baron and his men or drive them out of Warsaw, whereupon the 10th will take control of the Black Legion's food stocks. The 10th will remain in Warsaw, acting as it's municipal defense force, until such time as sufficient provisions can be secured for a continuation of their march to the Baltic.

Captain Zawadski is rather cagey regarding his resources. From what you can gather, the core of the Serock militia is a unit of Polish Army engineers. They were stationed in the town at some point during the siege fo Warsaw, during which they developed a strong rapport with the townspeople there. This past summer, they deserted and settled down alongside the surviving residents in the remains of the town, forming the core of its self defense force. A Motor Rifles company was sent to bring them back into the fold, but most of those troops deserted in turn and joined the newly-formed Serock militia. It sounds like the militia consists of about 40 experienced men- most former Polish army soldiers- and a few armed civilians. The lynchpin of their defense system is their BMP-1. They've also recently obtained a beaten-up BTR-70. The Serock militia had a couple of violent run-ins with the Black Legion this autumn, but have succeeded in maintaining their independence. As long as the Baron is in charge, though, Serock can not thrive.

General Koronev, a large, bearded man who bears an uncanny likeness to Joseph Stalin, explains that the 10th TD curently musters just under 300 able-bodied men. Able-bodied is putting it kindly, though. In this case, it means "not quite dead yet". Many of the men are sick with colds or flu-like symptoms, some with serious cases of frostbite, and all are somewhat weak due to the combination of hard marching, unseasonable cold, and minimal rations. Having recently arrived within a day's march of objective, Koronev and Johnstone where unable to prevent the ravenous men from slaughtering and eating the division's last pack horses. The division's heaviest weapon is a 120mm mortar for which they have a decent supply of bombs.

What you bring to the table is fresh intelligence, a few spare guns, and a wealth of recent experience in fighting the Black Legion in and around East Bank Warsaw. You also have access to a powerful river tug-cum-gunboat and around one hundred or so fighters of the Gora-Kalwaria militia. You have yet, however, to mention the Wisla Krolowa to Johnstone, Koronev, or Zawadzki, and you have not been in contact with its crew (and, by extension, the town of G-K) for over 72 hours. For all they know, you could be dead right now. It might be time to try to get in touch with them.

Johnstone, a middle-aged man of average height and stocky build (Warren can tell he's lost a few pounds since they last spoke face-to-face) addresses the gathering,

"Alright, you folks are the military minds here. What's the plan? How do we do this?"


NEXT MOVES?
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:11, Wed 26 Jan 2011.

Jan stood up, almost taking the floor in a formal fashion.

“Well first things first,” he replied, addressing Johnstone initially and speaking English.  He trusted that someone else would translate the whole discussion into Polish or Russian for those who didn’t speak English.  “The men of the 10th obviously need food and if they do not get it then our attack on the Baron’s forces is going to lose coordination quite quickly.”  He turned to General Koronev as he continued.  “I do not mean any insult to your troops General but we all know that hunger can do things to an armed man.  Jeff implied previously that his and Johnstone’s superiors had access to significant resources including the ability to stage an airdrop.”

He looked directly at Jeff as he brought up the agent’s previous claims.  He doubted that Jeff’s story of a US/CIA backed enclave in Eastern Europe with the capability to mount air missions was more than colourful fabrication but this was the time to test whether it was.

“If that is true then I think that you need to prove it by supplying these men, and the rest of us, with some food.  Otherwise I fear that any attack on Warsaw is going to fragment as the men encounter opportunities to acquire food and it then runs the risk of escalation from there.”

He avoided using the word looting but it was obvious what Jan meant.  He had no real objection to looting but only once the main objectives had been achieved.

“Once we are attacking with the aim of defeating the Black Baron rather than the objective of finding food to feed an army then I think that we have a greater chance of success.  As to an actual plan I, personally, have a couple of suggestions.  Amongst our small unit we number several snipers and one plan that has been suggested, by Jeff or Thor I think, is to attempt to kill the Baron in person, the idea being that without the Baron in charge many of his troops will desert.  I think that there is merit in this but we need to do this as part of a coordinated attack rather than in isolation, otherwise some of the Baron’s troops might decide that staying in the city under a different tyrant is better than going it alone somewhere else.  Essentially once we kill their leader we need to give them a reason to flee!”

Jan then glanced at some of the new recruits to their unit, the Poles and the Russian Vita.

“Another suggestion to consider is persuading more of his troops to change sides.  Many of the Baron’s soldiers are actually militia who have been forcibly conscripted and have no loyalty to him at all.  There are several of them here who have chosen to change sides and join us and I think that more can be persuaded to do the same.  If the time pressure of feeding the 10th is removed then I would suggest that while the 10th start probing the Baron’s northern defences us lot, under Captain Bayer, return to the city and start to make contact with groups in the city who might be persuaded to join us.”

“Lastly we need to draw up a list of tactically important locations and objectives in the city so that we can plan how to capture it.  Our new recruits have not really had the opportunity yet to tell us what they know of the current state of the city so I think that some updated intel from them would be useful.  Things like what bridges are still standing and so on.  We currently have intel on where many of his outer ring of defensive positions are located, where his motor pool is, where his granary is, where the barracks for his troops are, where he keeps hostages, where his Palace or HQ is located and where he is currently building a new castle.  Any of those locations that can be confirmed would be useful but if you know of any other important locations or of any other troops who could be persuaded to change sides then now is the time to speak up.”

Having finished ticking off a list of locations Jan sat back down and took a sip of water from the tin cup in front of him.  He then pulled out a cigarette and lit it up, inhaling strongly.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:01, Wed 26 Jan 2011.

In reply to Jan Cerny (msg #3):

Dawid took the initiative and translated Jan's speech into fluent but accented Russian and flawless Polish.

     Monika listened to the proposals.  It didn't matter to her what the plan was or would be.  There would be fighting.  There would be dead and wounded.  There was always dead and wounded.  Maybe getting rid of the Baron was a good thing to do.  Monika knew that getting rid of the Baron was a necessary thing to do.  That would have to be enough justification for her.

     She felt the weight of the reloaded and holstered SMG on her webbing.  Monika hoped that she would never need to aim the compact little chattergun at another human being.  She knew, however, that she needed her weapons to keep alive and stay free.  She didn't like that thought, but she accepted it.

     Monika spoke up, trying to get what she wanted to say right in English.  "Isn't matter.  We fight.  I try fix."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:03, Wed 26 Jan 2011.

Piotr had been standing to the side listening to Jan's suggestions, but when the legionnaire glanced in his direction he stepped forward. Continuing in polish, not only because it was his first language but also to be polite to his host and true to his heritage.

“I think there are certainly others that can be persuaded to join up against the Black Baron although it might be a bit difficult to confirm where to find them.” Although it was a problem he'd like to find a solution to. Jan was right, there were still some good guys he didn't want to die fighting for a cause that wasn't theirs. The only thing most of them were concerned about was staying alive. “The Black Baron has taken some losses and might be moving some of his troops around.”

Taking a pause to give anyone translating a chance to catch up.

“As to the tactical points of interest, I can probably point them out if you have a map of the area I can probably be of help in that area”

Tucker moves forward after Jan starts off the conversation.  "Hey everyone.  I'm Robert Tucker, U.S. Army well, formerly of the U.S. Army.  Anyway, after hearing Jan's initial breakdown, my first thoughts would be to have a couple shooter teams sent out to hunt for key areas for harrassment.  Perhaps another squad with some heavier weapons to roam and hit a couple of different strategic points around the city."

"I like Tuck's idea," Mariusz said, "but think it could go a bit farther. The Baron appears to have arranged his positions in a conventional manner, strongpoints with the potential for mutual support backed up by a strong firebase and reaction force. We could use partisan tactics to screw them up. Infiltrate sniper teams in to hit key personnel and add to that several hit and run teams running a variety of assaults. Do that for a long winter's night and keep the Baron's forces awake and on edge, then hit them full force."

"From what I saw," Jan added to Mariusz' comments, "the Baron's strongpoints look designed to keep people in as much as out!"

Thor had slept almost every available moment, but the mention of his name snapped him back to consciousness.
"Mjollnir one mile, night, no problem," he said confidently.
"Two mile, day, maybe better Járngreipr..."

The high-level negotiation reminded Dawid of something. They had not been successful in contacting their own comrades over the last few days, it was time to give it another go.

"Jan, Ondar's radio is charged, now. Why not have Minh set it up so we can send a report to the Queen?"

Bayer listened but added nothing at this point. Interested in hearing their allies first response, he waited for them to speak before joining in.

Dieter felt no need to get involved with the discussion, but when he heard Dawid talking about the Queen, he decided to make himself useful.

"I don't know if my radio has the range, but I can try to make contact with the Queen."

Assuming they are happy to let him continue, he moved to the highest ground he could see. Dumping his rifle next to him, he set up his PRC-77 manpack radio, and tuned into the frequency he had been given.

"Calling Dreamer or Boyar, this is Thunder. Radio check, over." He repeated this message, in English and then in Polish, over and over again until he could either get a response, or it was clear nobody was listening.

OOC - if my radio is no good for this purpose, please substitute it for another radio in the team that might actually do the job.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:37, Fri 28 Jan 2011.

Johnstone gives Warren a quick look of disapproval before responding to Jan's challenge.

"Believe me, Sergeant Cerny, if we could arrange a supply drop, we would.

"Unfortunately, I don't think that's an option. The last time I was able to contact the enclave, the weather was too shitty to execute a drop. Since then, my satellite radio ran out of juice and some asshole walked off with the last spare battery. Can't really blame the poor dumb bastard who did it- probably thought he could trade it for a loaf of bread and a chicken or something. So, an supply drop's not something we can make happen at this time. I'm sorry."

Major General Koronev shares his thoughts in Muscovite Russian.

"We- the 10th GTD- are not quite strong enough for a direct assault against prepared defenses, but our mortar is a powerful weapon against fixed positions.

"On the other hand, my men are desperately hungry. We can't wait much longer- I'm sure the mayor feels the same way. Small teams of commandos can sow chaos behind enemy lines but this should occur concurrently with a main attack by my division, which, we all know, is a division in name only."

"Captain Zawdaszki, what can you do?"

Captain Zawadzki, commander of the Serock militia responds [in Polish].

"Well, we can launch a small diversionary raid against the Baron's west flank. This may be made more difficult by what these people- what should we call you?"

He gestures towards you and your comrades.

"-have already done. The Baron may have reinforced that sector since your recent exploits."

"The defense of Serock is our main priority and I will not risk that in an all-or-nothing gamble against Czarny. The BMP, therefore, is off the table."

"Rataj's 1st Independent Commando." Bayer answers.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:03, Fri 28 Jan 2011.

Jeff blatantly ignores Johnstone's look for now, and instead translates Koronev's Russian for the group.  And although he understands Zawadki's Polish, he allows one of locals to translate that.

Once he gets the moment, he turns to Bayer, "What sort of assets do you have back in that town you said you all came from?  Gorwa-something.  If they have anything of use, the plan ought to include them.  Just be careful you don't tip our hand with excessive radio chatter on an unsecured link."

"Concerning covert action, if you need me to, Captain (Addressed to Johnstone),  I can grab my other rifle  and head back in with or without any members of this group.  If that's what we decide on."

Almost all the conversation was flying over Matias's head.  Oh, he understood the words well enough; all the Polish, most of the English, and a Russian phrase or two.  But he had none of the background that the others had, or any idea who most of the people they were talking about were.

He decided to keep quiet and try and puzzle his way through what was going on.  And he hoped that both his puzzled look and the signs of his concentration wouldn't show through to the others.

"Glaðsheimr have Smot."
Thor waved an arm in a circle over his head and slowly stood up.
"Glaðsheimr have lang skip."
With his hands he indicated a large boat bristling with weapons.
"Glaðsheimr strong."

"Gotta nice ring to it," Tucker thinks to himself.

Jan watched Thor and his pantomime actions and just shook his head in response.  Though Jeff had asked a question of Konrad, Jan chose to answer it, speaking in Polish.

“The village Jeff is referring to is Gora Kalwaria and Rataj's 1st Independent Commando are based out of there currently.  The village itself has a militia of about a hundred armed men, mostly armed with firearms and a couple of heavy weapons, and there are a core of experienced former Polish soldiers who provide the leadership and NCOs.  We captured one of the Baron’s D-30’s and that is now based there, though it has hardly any shells at all and is therefore only really useable in a defensive situation.  They also have a M-37 mortar but without any shells at all.  If you have spare shells for either of those that would be interesting.”

Jan then glanced at Konrad and smiled to himself.  Rataj's 1st Independent Commando indeed!

“There is also a boat under the command of Captain Rataj and that was heavily involved in destroying the Baron’s pirates.  Mounted on board are a large collection of heavy weapons.  There is a MT-12 Rapira AT gun and a Vasilek Mortar but neither has very many shells left.  There are also two DShK machineguns and a Mk-19 grenade launcher and they have plenty of ammo, well certainly for the machineguns.  I do not know if it is possible to move them off the boat however and the boat is armoured anyway so it might be best to leave them on board and make use of the boat against targets near the river.”

Jan then pulled a small pouch from inside his grenade vest and walked over to Major General Koronev.

“When we met Jeff we ambushed a patrol of horsemen working for the Baron who were pursuing him.  We recovered a load of weapons and buried them nearby.  We had thought to take them back to Gora Kalwaria for their militia but we are agreed that the 10th will make better use of them in the short term.  Therefore we give you this pouch that contains the firing pins from them all.  You will have to send some men to dig the firearms up but Jeff knows where they were buried.  We also recovered some spare weapons and ammo from our recent fighting with the Baron and we give these to the 10th as well.  I think that that is a sign of our good faith!”

“I may also have a contact in Warsaw who might be able to help us.  I need to talk to her further over the radio and arrange to meet her before I can tell you more however.  I think that that is everything but if I have forgotten something I am sure that someone will remind me.”  He glanced round his comrades as he spoke, in case someone could think of something that he had missed.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:51, Fri 28 Jan 2011.

Matias was still very lost.  He understood an attack on Warsaw, and that was about all.  The other information was all completely out of context, and lost on him.

When there was a pause, he leaned over to Mariusz and whispered in Polish "What is happening?  What are we talking about?"  He hoped that Mariusz, who had been with the group for longer than he had, understood what was happening.

Making the most of the break in the action Craig has spent as much time in a chair as possible. He has primary been focused on his wounded leg but as the discussion becomes more in depth he decides to add his own two pence worth.

”To be honest I wouldn't like your chances in convincing the Barons troops to change sides. I would give you credit that some are there against their will, some are there for the protection and some are there cause they enjoy it. It's just getting close enough to actually talk and then convince them there is an alternative.”

”Captain Zawadzki are there any other communities that you are in contact with who may also be persuaded to help ? Also since we seem to be giving over the weapons from the Cavalry, you may want this.”

He digs around in one of this PLCE pouches and produces a bag with 298 rounds of 9mmN.

"I was keeping it for the villagers but what the hell maybe well find some more."
This message was last edited by the player at 08:18, Sat 29 Jan 2011.

Jan turned to the Poles who had recently joined them.  "How strict a rule does the Baron keep on the city?  Are there any communal areas like markets and does anyone have any permission to move around the city besides his Black Guard?"

He then switched from Polish to English and directed a quick comment to Craig with a grin.  "Damn, if I had known that you were carrying round a load of 9mm Parabellum rounds I would have taken five off your hands to fill up one of my pistol mags!"

In reply to Jan Cerny (msg #27):

Sliding the plastic bag across the table to Jan, Craig adds:

"Finders first then, if anyone else needs to top off magazines feel free."

Mariusz looked over at the new guys and smiled at Mataias, "Several of us were a security team for a tug boat trying to get to Warsaw. We reached teh town of Gora Kalwaria and discovered the people there trying to fight against the pirate element of the Baron's forces. We helped them to defeat the pirates and because our employer realised he couldn't find his family in Warsaw with the Baron around we joined forces with Gora Kalwaria to try to eliminate the Baron. Our reconnaissence of the city became a sort of running battle and we ended up at your outpost."

He grinned again, "Now we're talking about co-ordinating an attack with the militia of this town, the 10th, which is a bunch of three hundred ex-Soviets under the direction of the CIA and any forces we can summon from our base. That might be hard because we've been out of contact for a few days and they might think we're dead. Any help you can give us using the radios would be great."

"At present," he pointed at the meeting, "the militia are willing to launch a diversionary attack but not commit decisive forces, understandable and generous when you look at their position, and the 10th are a potent force but starving and not able to take out the Baron by main force."

"We've been suggesting infiltrating snipers and small hunter-killer groups into the city to disrupt the enemy before the main attack." Mariusz continued, "Your knowledge of the Baron's forces and tactics as well as recent knowledge of the city will be invaluable to the discussion. When we plan things, everyone has a say and the Kaptain picks what he thinks is the best course. Don't hesitate to speak up, I'd rather be called a fool here than dead because you had a better idea and didn't want to offend anyone by speaking up. I speak decent English and Russian so if you have anything to say say it and I'll translate."

In reply to Konrad Bayer (msg #19):

Dawid leaned over to Konrad and made sure the Russians couldn't overhear him.

"Do we want to mention the nerve gas shells for the mortar? Er, sorry, howitzer. They're not ours, but they could be useful."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:02, Sat 29 Jan 2011.

Try as he might, Dieter can't raise the Queen or anyone in Gora-Kalwaria. The radio's battery is running low on juice and the set might just not have the power and range to get a coherent signal to where he wants it to go.

Some sort of long field-expedient antenna might help. Also, if there was some way to amplify the radio's power output, the signal might have the energy to cut through to the tug.

Teh meeting breaks up temporarily for a quick dinner of lamb stew, bread with butter, and a thick, locally brewed beer. It's warm, tasty, and filling. General Koronev, in solidarity with his hungry troops, limits himself to one modest helping. In a show of support, Johnstone reluctantly follows suit.

All the players are there but this is a more informal atmosphere than the planning conference it's interrupting. Small groups of friends gather here and there to eat and chat in relative privacy.

After about 30 minutes, the planning meeting will resume.

Jan excused himself briefly from the meal, after eating his share as quickly as possible, and borrowed the backpack radio that Quyen had been carrying around.  He took it off to a quiet corner and tuned it to a particular frequency that he appeared to have memorised.

He then started transmitting, repeating the same message in Polish he had used the previous time he had tried to contact the woman in Warsaw.  "Motyl.  To jest Żołądź."


OOC: "Motyl.  To jest Żołądź." hopefully means "Butterfly.  This is Acorn." in Polish.

Seconds passed. Then a minute. Then two. He'd repeated his transmission several times already and still no response. Perhaps "Butterfly" had shut down her set- this wasn't the prearranged contact window. But darker thoughts started to creep into Jan's mind. Had she been compromised? Were the Baron's men monitoring this frequency? Did they have the equipment and wherewithal to track transmissions? Had he killed managed to accidentally kill two DSGE agents? Was it all just...

"Acorn. Butterfly. Wait one."

Thank God.

After a brief delay, Jan's contact spoke again in rapid-fire French, thick and dirty. "Acorn, I am happy to hear from you. The Baron is in quite a rage. He rounded up 100 civilians this afternoon and had every tenth one shot, for 'helping the foreign raiders', he said. He's getting desperate. My contact in Legion says there's talk of disarming the NATO company. The Polish fighters want to kill the Ukranians for a shooting earlier today. Some of the irregulars have disappeared on the west bank. A couple more were shot trying to cross over. If there was ever a time to strike, it is now. The only thing going in the Baron's favor is that his second tank is now operational. It's posted outside his HQ. The other is still at the old stadium. There's rumors that he may try to launch a big attack a hostile force up north. What is your status? OVER."
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:58, Sat 29 Jan 2011.

Matias looked relieved upon hearing Mariusz's explanation.  The extra information helped immensely, filling in a great many gaps.  With a new understanding of the situation, Matias began to search his memory for anything that could be of use to the team.

But first, he remembered his manners.  "Dziękuję* Mariusz, that helps a great deal.  I speak a little English too, so I've been able to follow along.  But without knowing the purpose, it was hard to understand."




* Thank you.
Good link for the Polish speakers: http://www.polish-translator.net/polish_phrases.html

When the group takes a break Piotr signals for the group of new recruits to gather around him before he starts rummaging in his backpack. Moments later he takes out a well used map and starts spreading it out. Waiting for the others to join him before he starts talking to them only occasionally taking a bite of food.

Any of the others want to join in on this little party don't be a stranger.

Those that join Piotr will notice the map he has unfolded is actually a military map of Warsaw with several pre-marked fire missions and other useful tactical locations marked out.

“I've been holding on to this map for a while now. Most of the markings should still be valid, but maybe you can all have a look at it and tell me if you think of any positions that have changed. If we can finish the map before the group comes together again it might be a great help with their planning, don't you think."
Piotr looks around the group before he continues.

“As far as I can see most of the major defense positions are still on this. Only thing of interest maybe is the hostage location right here” marking it out with a pencil “And of course the construction site right here” After that he waits for other suggestions and marks them out as they are suggested.

Finally as the map appears updated he once more looks around, serious concern on his face“If any of you have an idea of how we can contact some of our less fortunate comrades I'd be interested to know. If we can convince others to follow our example it's one more saved from the Baron's grasp and more importantly one less enemy to fight against.”

Matias went with Piotr; he was already used to following the older Pole's instructions, and he respected Piotr's ability to lead the group effectively.

Matias pointed at the northernmost set of barracks, near the Castle construction site Piotr mentioned.  "This was my barracks.  There are 3 companies of troops stationed there.  2 volunteer and 1 conscript.  I don't think we'd be able to turn the volunteers, but ah..... maybe half of the conscripts would be interested in deserting, given a reason and a chance to get home."

He stepped back and thought for a moment.  Just when it seemed like he was done, he spoke again: "I always thought that the defenses near the nuclear zone were light.  According to this map, we could take the 634 southwest to Zabki, then pull off to side streets and drive right up to the Castle, or the Artillery Battery.  We'd have to skirt the nuclear zone, but it's not that close."

Craig finishes his food before moving towards Piotr and the map.



"It's getting into the city that is the stumbling block. That little system of lights was incredibility effective. We could use it to our advantage though, ambush the reaction force then in the confusion a "small" party could break away and head further into the city."

"Jean forget sokol smok."
Thor was obviously struggling with language, searching for the right words to get his point across.
"Umm, bird. Falcon. Fly!"

It had been a while since they'd had a chance to relax. Dawid took the opportunity to do some things:

1) Set up a charger on the truck's alternator.

2) Charge any batteries that needed charging.

3) Check everyone's feet and assess any wounds for himself.

4) Make sure everyone had something to eat.

Mariusz walked over to the new members of the unit and said, "Are there any other questions you have about what we've done? It looks like we'll be going back into combat soon so you might not have the chance again."

In reply to Mariusz Tokarski (msg #41):

Dawid nodded in agreement. "Yes, you all know me of course, at least from the short time we were together and that damned BTR charged us!"

"Mariusz, you're doing a fine job of getting our new friends settled in. By the way, have you introduced them to the Kaptain yet?"
This message was last edited by the player at 13:50, Sun 30 Jan 2011.

Monika is moving about during the lull seeing if anyone needs her brand of help.

Much like his earlier attempt with the BTR, Dawid is unable to rig up a battery recharger using the old Ural truck's nearly worn out battery or ancient alternator. He avoids getting a nasty shock or acid burns during the build process, but, try as he might, the completed device does not appear to be passing a charge on to any of the radio or NVG batteries to which he attaches it.

The Serock militia commander gratefully accepts the bag of 9mm N rounds.

"Ah, thank you. Oh, these are parabellem rounds. Very good. Thanks again.

Handing the bad to adjuntant, he addresses Craig's querry.

"Unfortunately, I doubt any of the small communities in this region will want to get involved in a fight over the ruins of Warsaw. Most of the communities within a dozen kilometers of the city have been co-opted or forcibly evacuated by the Baron. Those further out are either empty, too small to bother about, or too distant to conquer. I'm sorry to say that there are not many like us that are too strong to overcome. We are in contact with some mostly independent settlements further north and northwest, downriver along the Vistula, but they have warlord issues of their own to deal with. I believe the national government controls things farther on, up around Torun. I don't know about communities south of Warsaw. With the Baron effectively in control of the river in this area- at least until recently, if I understand correctly- we haven't had any contact with anyone up-river from here. You know more about that than I do."

You remember the warry residents of Minsk Mazowiecki. They seemed to be independent and rather warry of outsiders.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:38, Sun 30 Jan 2011.

As he listens to the Captain a look of concern crosses Craigs face.

”It would seem that with so much to gain from the removal of the Baron that more of the communities would be more proactive.”

”We have only been operating for a short time and this is the first time that the10th has been factored into the assault so maybe if the villages where informed they maybe more forthcoming ?”

As the battery in his radio started to lose power, Dieter eventually gave up in his attempt to contact the Queen. He packed up the radio and went back to the others. Located his commander, he said "Herr Bayer, I have tried to make contact with the Queen, but cannot get through. My battery is low, so I gave up."

To Dawid he continued, "Herr Dawid, if you are trying to charge batteries my radio could do with some more power; it is weak."

Once done he headed to the mess area and helped himself to a helping of the stew. It wasn't great, but it was warm and filled his belly. The beer was, by German standards, disgusting, but he forced himself to drink some, as much as to be polite as to quench any thirst he had.

Once he had completed his meal he approached one of the NCOs of their new host. In his best Polish he said, "Excuse me my friend, is there somewhere where we can freshen up? We have been travelling and fighting for many days, and could do with a wash."

If he receives a blank look he will try again in his basic Russian.

Assuming he received a positive response, he followed up with, "And also, we lost some equipment in our travels, and could use some rucksacks. Do you have any spare?"
This message was last edited by the player at 13:28, Mon 31 Jan 2011.

With a look bordering disgust at having to use such a word, Thor finally struck gold.
"Helikopter! Glaðsheimr have helikopter!"
"Good, no?"
Maybe the General would take notice now...
"Sjåføren hurt. You have?"
He mimed holding a stick between his legs, leaning right and left as he moved the imaginary control.

Bayer nods as Dieter makes his report, and replies quietly, "It's long ways back. We'll probably have to rig up a directional antenna if we can find a signaller in the 10th."

He then removes the batteries from his NVGs and radio to be passed on to Dawid to be charged.

Bayer then says aloud, "I like the idea of trying to turn some of the urban miltias to our side. However, I feel there we simply don't have the needed time to spare. It would also be incredibly dangerous with absolutely every attempt to make contact potentially ending up as another running breakout. There are too many unpredictable factors and risks - including giving up operational security."

"For those reasons, I think we should focus on direct action only - the infiltration and elimination of vital targets in the city core, coupled with larger scale efforts driving down from the north. And utilizing only the assets that we already have... or those we can rely on, such as Jan's support in Warsaw."

Once the discussions were concluded, Thor turned his attention to scrounging. although it was unlikely he'd find any amongst the "enemy", the 10th TD was the best chance he'd had in a long time to score some more ammunition for Mjollnir.
While he was at it, he might as well find a battery charger, spare packs, blankets, cold weather clothing and a compass.

The Q store, or whatever passed for it around here was his best bet, so, with a run of his fingers through mud caked hair to make himself look presentable, off he went...
This message was last edited by the player at 13:21, Mon 31 Jan 2011.

Regretfully, Dawid passed all the batteries back.

"Sorry, I can't seem to do it with this old alternator. I'll have another look later, right now I just can't seem to get it to work."

"We're deciding how to proceed." Jan replied in French over the radio.  He hated talking in the open like this but there wasn't time to arrange a face to face meeting so they had to rely on the Baron's forces being unable to understand French.  Tenuous but it would have to do for the moment!  "Are there any high priority targets we should know about?  What other AFVs does he have still besides the two tanks?  We've heard something about hostages being held somewhere but who are they?  Also, where is the Baron's HQ?  Over."

He know a lot of the answers to those questions already but it was worth checking with another source to corroborate their current intel.  He held off telling Acorn of the death of her husband for the moment.  He needed any information he could get from her at present!

When Matias speaks Piotr marks out the locations and scrabbles a few words in the corner. With his finger he trails the route Matias is speaking about. He nods agreeingly. “When you're right about those defenses around the nuclear zone, that might be an option to consider, great report Matias.”



“Unfortunately I agree with you. Honestly how much I'd like to protect our less fortunate comrades I have no clue as to how to accomplish that.”



Piotr looked at Mariusz it was a friendly gesture and he was right they really did not know much about this group on the other hand that obviously went both ways.

“Thank you... Mariusz, that's your name right? I'm really interested in your stories,but I think if we're in combat soon, it's better you lot get to know us first and figure out how we best fit in, maybe share some basic SOP. You all have worked as a cohesive unit and we're the new guys on the block. Best to get to know the new guys, survive the next battle, and share our stories over a campfire afterward.” The last words even came with a little smile.

Suddenly Piotr appears to reconsider his last words, maybe there was one question.

“One think I was wondering about though, the one that did the talking ” pointing at Jan or if out of sight the general direction where he was last seen “mentioned a female contact in Warsaw during the meeting. Do you know anything about that? Maybe this contact can help arranging the diversion we need”

When the commanders reconvened Piotr made sure he was there with the updated map.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:13, Mon 31 Jan 2011.

A messenger- one of the Russians by the looks of him- entered the farmhouse and spoke quietly with General Koronev. Johnstone was there in a flash.

The General laughed but his face expressed some worry. His announcement to those gathered marked the resumption of the evening planning conference.

"Apparently, this Baron Czarny has sent an envoy of sorts to Wyszkow- a van mounted with large speakers. He has asked my men to join his Black Legion. He offers food and shelter. My men are loyal, but many of them are no longer thinking with their heads. With night coming on, some of them might take the opportunity to slip off and see what's on the menu in Warsaw. Czarny is a cunning bastard, to be sure. I will need to return soon to make sure that I have a division in the morning. I would like you to come with me. Perhaps if my men see some of our new allies, they will be less inclined to consider throwing in their lot with the Baron."
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:13, Tue 01 Feb 2011.

"Well, the Baron's palace, his motor pool, and the granary are all important targets. The hostages are civilians chosen for various reasons to live under guard near the Baron's palace. He keeps them to discourage active dissent.

AFVs must be armored vehicles? Last I saw, which was two days ago, he had the two tanks, three light tanks, two tracked infantry carriers- one of which can swim apparently- and three armored cars. He also has one canon. He used to have two but rumor has it that he lost one."

Bayer nods, signaling agreement, and says, "We're ready." He then adds, "There are some things my team could benefit from that your unit may be able to assist with."

He lists only two of the basics, not wanting to overwhelm the officer with more than his meager force could provide, "We need batteries charged - and somebody with radio communications training to help setup a long range directional antenna with some wire."

Bayer then turns to the NCOs and says, "Get everyone ready. We'll be leaving shortly."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:04, Tue 01 Feb 2011.

Leaving was good. They had a truck to carry them and spare their weary feet. Moving to the main body of the Division might make finding the odds and ends he was after easier too.
Quickly ready, he offered his assistance where needed.
"Ready Magni? Need help Sunna?"

Matias was pretty sure that Thor had called him 'Magni'.  He looked at the large man skeptically, wondering if a correction would be worthwhile.....

"I am Matias," he said slowly in Polish, then German and English.  Surely the man had to speak one of the 3 languages?

Other than the oddity with the Norweigan, Matias was sad to go.  The food had been wonderful, much better than the Baron's mess tent.  When there even was a mess or food provided, that is.  If he understood everything going on around them, maybe he should tell the Russians that.  They might get a meal or two, but then they'd be the Baron's dogs; only fed at his leisure.

Matias supposed he'd get used to this nomadic lifestyle.  He grabbed his pack and went along with the group to join the Russians.

"Is the envoy still here?"

"We will just have to make any attack during daylight. We learned that most of the housing is empty during the day. If we where able to get the APC running well and make a fake turret we could use it to gain entry to the centre of the city. Make out we are black guard troops"

"It would require a lot of luck and some good acting on your part, but I believe it could be done."




"Intelligence gathering more then anything else. They should be captured or attacked, though it does give us another avenue of approach. A fair more dangerous one mind you. We could play a deserter group, several people in the group speak passable Russian we could even take a couple from the 10th with us ?"



With no concrete plan in place Craig gets ready to go. Most of his diminished gear is close at hand so he begins another task he was meaning to complete.

Taking out one of the 30 round mags in his PLCE he empties the ammunition into a plastic bag and begins inspecting each round. He then takes his bayonet and cuts off some the copper casing on the bullet exposing the tip of the lead core. Finally he scores the tip of the lead and reloads it in the magazine. He does this with the four 30 round magazine and the six 45 round mags he is currently carrying. It passes the time on the truck ride.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:48, Tue 01 Feb 2011.

"Thanks for the intel.  It will prove useful in fighting the Baron." Jan replied to Acorn, continuing in French, and making some mental notes of the information she was giving him.  He then paused for a couple of seconds before continuing.  He felt indebted to her for the information she had given freely and he felt that he had to give her something in return, even if it was bad news.  “Before I sign off for the moment I must give you some sad news.  Labędź was killed a few weeks ago, not long after I met up with him.  I’m sorry for your loss and I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I felt that you deserved to know.”

Jan avoided telling her any details of her husband’s death – she didn’t need to know that the warlord who had had her husband executed, along with the other seven members of Jan’s French Foreign Legion team, had made an example of them.  The warlord’s men had stripped them, strung them up from trees and then disembowelled them, even the dead Legionnaires who had been killed during the fighting before they were captured.  It had been a statement to the people he dominated!

After another pause Jan continued.

“I will contact you again and help where I can.  Labędź planned to get you out of Warsaw and the country and I will see what I can do with that.  Getting you out of Warsaw should still be possible, assuming that that is something that you still wish to do.  Anyway, I will contact you again when I can and hopefully we can meet up.”

---

The radio conversation completed Jan returned to the main room where the others were to update them on what he had found out.  He addressed his report to Konrad but spoke loud enough for all present to hear.

“My contact says that the Baron is extremely angry.  Earlier on today executed ten civilians at random for helping the foreign raiders.  He is apparently talking of disarming his NATO company, the Polish troops want to kill the Ukrainians over friction between the two groups and some of his militia have started deserting.  He has shot some deserters to make a point but my guess is that the morale of the majority of his troops is still very bad.  There is a rumour that he may launch a big attack against a hostile force to the north of Warsaw but that sounds like propaganda designed to make him sound more powerful than he really is.”

“I have been told that he now has two tanks operational, one positioned outside his HQ and the other positioned at the old stadium.  As of two days ago he is reported as having those two tanks, three light tanks, two tracked infantry carriers, one of which is apparently amphibious, three armoured cars and one canon, which is probably the other D-30 howitzer.  Now we have done some serious damage to that count of vehicles so if it is accurate then we have knocked out most of his armoured vehicles besides the two MBTs.”

“I have not been able to identify any further priority target locations apart from the ones that we already know.  My contact was able to tell me that the people held as hostages are civilians chosen for a variety of reasons in an attempt to discourage active dissent.”

Jan then turned to General Koronev and switched to Polish.

“General, if you have any spare rockets for an RPG-7 I think that we still have a launcher and some AT capability would be good if we’re going tank hunting!”

Once someone brought Jan up to speed regarding the Baron’s offer to recruit some of the 10th Jan added a comment of his own.

“General, it would be worth telling your men of the Baron’s losses and his distrust of his own troops.  Should they choose to join him they would probably find themselves disarmed and either executed or used as forced labour!”
This message was last edited by the player at 11:28, Tue 01 Feb 2011.

Mariusz grabbed his kit and smiled at the others, "We're off again, you'll get used to it, so far since I've been in the group I've ridded on bikes, trikes, trucks and tanks as well as tugs and boats, all I need is a train and a plane to get the whole set!"

Monika took a break to get some of the stew and awful beer.  Monika learned early that you didn't turn down a chance to eat.  After all, you never knew from where your next meal would be coming.

In reply to Mariusz Tokarski (msg #63):

"Horse. Cart. Máni forget," he chipped in with a wink.

The general watches and listens as Thor does his heli-dance. He can't help himself but smile a bit as the large, hirsuit barbarian tries to communicate with the others. The man is odd in any language.

[In Russian]"Is he trying to tell us that he has a helicopter? That seems like something you would have mentioned already."

Robert gets up and shouts for his team to assemble.  "MY PEOPLE, ON ME!"

Once they all gather from around the camp, "OK, we're going to be pulling out of here pretty soon.  Gather up whatever you can and I'll have to check on any extra packs to see if we're lucky enough to get any.  Make sure yer kits are ready to go.  That's all I got for now so, just be ready to move out quickly once the ball gets rolling!"

Once he disperses from his team gathering, he will approach Konrad, "Hey boss, we get any spare packs from these guys?"

Bayer shakes his head as he throws his tac vest over his parka, "I don't know Robert. I'll leave the logistics and administration to you and the other NCOs to handle."

After this was translated for Jan he offered an explanation to the General.

“Some kind of observation helicopter landed at Gora Kalwaria shortly before we left,” he replied in Polish.  “The pilot was wounded and the passenger died shortly after joining us.  I think that the villagers still have the helicopter but I do not believe that it has any weapons mounted or much fuel.”

Switching to English he spoke to Konrad, though not privately.  “Capitaine, what are our immediate objectives?  Are we going tank hunting?  If we are then we need some more AT weapons!”

As the discussion neared its end Jan got all of his gear ready to move out and also asked Monika to redress his wounded arm.

When sergeant Tucker called out for his squad Piotr tapped Janek and Lech on their shoulders pointing at their assigned NCO. “ You better join him, he said.”

Stuffing the map back into his vest, he collected his kit, throwing it into the back of the truck before looking for Dawid and the rest of the squad helping out where possible.

Catching Matias’s eyes and could guess his thoughts. Having fought on the move for most of the war since ’96, Piotr was used to the constant travel, but he could imagine how this was on the young lad. putting a hand on the young man’s shoulder he voiced  “You’ll get used to it my young friend. Eventually you’ll learn to sleep while on the move” adding almost laughing when he recalled a prank he once played on his truckload of passengers “If the driver lets you that is.”

In reply to Jan Cerny (msg #69):

"Sokol. Double you 3 Sokol," he added with feeling.
"Lift, strong. No look helikopter. Strong."
He held his arms out to his sides to indicate something large and powerful.

Wednesday, October 25th, 2000
2130 hrs.
34F
clear skies; slight breeze from the northwest
Jackowo Gorne, 6.5km west of Wyszkow, Poland


The sun has set, leaving darkness and renewed cold in its stead.

With the general anxious to return to his men, especially in light of the increased risk of desertion created by the Baron's latest gambit, the party climbs aboard the Ural (the general and his party piles into a civilian sedan) and the tiny convoy heads for Wyzckow, with the general's motorcycle riding messenger on point. The Serock contingent heads the opposite direction, back to their homes after having established a tentative agreement to reconvene the planning conference- either in Serock, Wyszkow, or Jackowo Gorne- in the morning.

You drive about 6km east down the 62, rolling through fallow fields, mostly denuded of snow, and passing a few abandoned homes.

It occurs to you that this dark stretch of straight rural road, just a few kilometers north of the Baron's fiefdom, would make a pretty good place for an ambush.

It's at that moment that gunfire rakes the three-vehicle column. Green tracers leap from the darkness to the south and streak past you in a pyrotechnic display of supersonic death metal. The steady hum of the Ural's old engine is drowned out by the staccato snare drumbeat of automatic weapon's fire. It's all you can do not to loose your bowels. The evening's hot meal feels like a lump of iron dropping suddenly from your belly down to your genitals.

The tracers are blazing past from south to north. Up ahead, the motorcycle is down in a shower of sparks, its rider lost in the darkness somewhere on the side of the road. The general's sedan swerves into the ditch on the north side of the road, where it clumsily crashes to a halt.

In the cargo bed of the Ural, several of you are showered with blood and bits of skull and brain matter as someone on the right side bench is struck in the head. You're pretty sure it's one of the new guys- Lech or Teo or Janek- but it's hard to remember with all of the incoming gunfire. You estimate that at least 10 men are lighting you up with at least one LMG and several automatic rifles. The dead man lurches forward and falls face-first on to the deck, his ass sticking up in the air. Bullets punch through the Ural's thin skin or ricochet off into the darkness.

It occurs to you that this is how the Spider relief detail must have felt as you cut them to pieces just 24 hours ago.

Vita [NPC'ed] is driving.


Next Moves?


Updated Tac-map: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms...38,0.016469&z=17
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:48, Wed 02 Feb 2011.

"Stop the truck! STOP!" Bayer shouts to the Vita. Then over his shoulder to the men in the bed, he yells, "Dismount! Dismount! Out out out!"

Bayer will then exit the vehicle, waiting only as long as it takes for it to slow to a safe speed (not stopped). He'll then drop into a prone position facing the enemy.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:02, Thu 03 Feb 2011.

Quyen was just starting to nod off when the violence up ahead startled her. Tightening her hold around her rifle, she climbs over the truck's bed rails and holds on with her other arm. She watches the snowy ground passing by, judging when can let go and then does so. Then once she's off of the truck, Quyen will find a low firing position.

Quyen
AK74 (30/30)
Evacuating over the side
Tucker's Team

Jeff had been sound asleep in the left side of the truck when the ambush had commenced.  Instantly awake, he watches as the car carrying both of his bosses swerves off the road.  He curses, and expects to feel the truck to accelerate through the ambush.  As Konrad orders it to slow instead, Jeff prepares for a dismount over the North side.  As soon as it's slow enough to be safe, Jeff is out and over, and instantly in the ditch on the north side of the road.

"I'm going to get the men out of the car and into cover!" he shouts over the incoming fire and still running truck engine.  With that, he crawls his way to the sedan.  Keeping below the lip and away from the bullets.


Jeff Warren
Crawling to Sedan to check passengers/throw them into cover
AK-103 [30/30]

Thor reacted fast for somebody who moments ago had been bordering sleep.
Mjollnir remained on the truck floor, Gríðarvölr taking it's place in Thor's hands as it spat lead back in the direction of the incoming tracers.

"GO, GO, GO!!!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, attempted to drown out anyone ordering a halt and hoping that the drivers training to hit the accelerator and push through would take precedence.

Thor "The Thunderer"
Fire bursts at suspected ambusher location
Wz.88 Tantal/BG-1 (30/30)/(1/1HE) + 3x30 / 2xHE ("Gríðarvölr")
Barret M82A1 ("Mjollnir") (2/10) + 3x10 + 1x7
H & K USP-9SD, 9mm (14/15) + 3x15 ("Fatle")
M-26A1 hand grenade, x2
Bayonet/knife
Individual Tactical Radio
This message was last edited by the player at 02:05, Fri 04 Feb 2011.

Tucker watches as the person hits the floor and grabs his shit and shouts out, "GET OUT!  FUCKIN' DISPLACE AND GET SOME RETURN FIRE BACK!"

Tucker gets out behind Minh and tries to move with her to find some cover and get some fire back on the ambushers from the other side of the road.

TUCKER
M-16A2 [30/30] / M-203 [BUCK SHOT] - {SAFE/SLUNG BACK Rt. Side)} {READY WEAPON}
Browning HP-35 [13/13] SAFETY 'OFF' Cocked & locked
H&K SOCOM Pistol [12/12] (Holstered) {[1] Full 12 round / [1] 10/12 Round mag}

Salvaged Gear:
*Claymore Mine & Pouch    2.0
Mag Bandoleer [6 MAG 30] 3.0  {5x30, 1x22/30}
[1] M-16 mag (BDU Pocket [18/30])

*NOTE: Claymore given to Sutherland (remove upon use)

This message was last edited by the player at 01:02, Thu 03 Feb 2011.

    The medic snagged her backpack and rolled out of the back of the truck.  She ran for what she took as cover.  Knowing that muzzle flashes are a terrific indicator of where you are, Monika drew her suppressed PB/6P9 and looked for someone to shoot.


Monika Sawicki
Suppressed PB/6P9 (8/8) and one extra mag
PM-63 SMG (15/15) and 3 extra mags (15/15) (25/25) (18/25)
Suppressed PM-64 (6/6) and two extra mags
Waiting for target
This message was last edited by the player at 03:21, Thu 03 Feb 2011.

Matias is knocked out the back of the truck in the commotion and lands in a sprawl.  With the adrenaline pumping, he barely feels it though.  He flips over and begins to crawl, trying to get to the southern edge of the road and any available cover.

Matias
PM-63 (25/25) + 4 extra mags, all (25/25)
Seeking cover

When the firing starts Craig drops to the floor of the truck bed. As quickly as he can he moves to the opposite side of the incoming fire and when the truck slows he will clamber over the side. He tries to land on his good leg falling into a crouch beside the rear wheels. Once on the ground Craig will use the ditch to the side of the road for cover. He flips down the Russian NVG's and tries to ID targets

He will begin to return fire, short bursts at the support weapons if he is able to I.D them. Once he hears Dawids order Craig will use the road and ditch to move as fast as his leg allows to the Generals car.

Small edit to reflect the OOC decision


Assault squad
Getting out of the truck

AK-74/BG-15 (37/45) + 4x45 (1/1 HE) + 1x40mm HE- held at shoulder
AKS-74U (35/45) - wedged in webbing
Browning HP (18/20) w/ silencer + 2x20 - holstered
F-1 FRAG Grenade x 6
This message was last edited by the player at 23:30, Thu 03 Feb 2011.

Dieter had been wide awake when the firing started. He never slept well, and had rested most of the day so couldn't sleep in the battered truck on the equally batter road. As Konrad was in the process of giving the order to move, he was already half out the back of the Ural. He hit the ground running, sprinting to the south as hard as he could.

After covering 50 metres or so he hit the ground and kept crawling for another few metres, before bringing his SVU-AS to his shoulder and deploying the bipod. He calmed his breathing and looked for targets in the gloom.

Dieter Brandt
Running South approx 50m then taking cover. Prone, looking for targets
SVU-AS with bipod, 10/10

Before they left, Dawid made a count of how many backpacks they needed by physically going around and counting.

---

Dawid short-circuited Thor's bellowing by poking his head into the cab and calmly saying to Vita, the driver, "please stop and exit the vehicle, now," in Polish.

"Out, out, out!" he yelled in Polish, knowing Konrad had already covered the English part of the spectrum. He switched back to English.

"You shut the fuck up, Thor, and get the fuck out now!" Resisting the urge to kick the larger (but not by much) man in the ass to encourage him to follow his orders, Dawid grabbed the PKM and spare ammo can and bailed out the right side of the truck. It was the one closer to fire but there was no guarantee of safety on the far side.

"Sutherland! Take the rest of the group and help Tucker get the General out of the car!" "Follow Sutherland! Follow Sutherland!" The Poles in his group may or may not understand they needed to follow Sutherland, but that wasn't his problem now. When they got the chance, he intended to at least get most or all the Poles under his command, so he didn't have to keep repeating himself.

After gathering himself, he then ran in a crouch across the road to set up the PKM on the far side.


Dawid Piotrowski

PKM GPMG (100/45)
Ural, then right (south) side of road.
Telling Vita to stop, then bailing out right side of Ural, moving across road.

Jan had been sleeping when the truck was ambushed.  The pain from his wounded arm was now a dull, repetitive throb unless he knocked it and so tiredness had caught up with him.  He was jolted awake as the truck came under fire and the shot of pain through his arm woke him up fully.

He scrambled off the back to the truck as quickly as possible, more falling out of the back than dismounting gracefully.  He spotted Konrad nearby, lying prone and aiming off to one side.

“My squad on the Captain and return fire!” Jan yelled in Polish as he dived down beside his friend.  He quickly brought his rifle up to his shoulder and started scanning around for targets, firing single shots at any targets he could see.  It was dark though so if he couldn’t pick out anyone he lowered his rifle and pulled out his IR goggles so that he could try to identify targets.

That wasn’t the only option though so he said calmly to Konrad, in English.

“Capitaine, do you want ILLUM?”


Jan
Diving prone near to Konrad
Scanning for targets and firing single shots if he can see some or getting out his IR goggles if he can’t
F88 Steyr AUG (30/30 rounds - 7 mags total) - held
 - Underslung M203 (1/1 HE - 8x HE, 3x HEDP & 2x ILLUM total)
Frag Grenade x4
Sig Sauer P226 (15/15 rounds - 4 mags total) - holster

Mariusz blinked as hot blood splashed across his face and a shard of the dead man's skull scoured his cheek, a firey score of pain amrking its passage over his flesh.

More death, more fighting, people were dying so fast that he wasn't even able to know their name. He saw a blur as his companions new and old started to fly from teh death-dealing fire from the ambush. They needed time to get into cover and return fire, time they wouldn't get if the enemy knew their buisness.

Mariusz stood in the rear of the truck and turned to face the strobing flashes that indicated the enemy's rough position. He raised the AK-74 to his shoulder and pulled the trigger of the grenade launcher, sending a HE grenade in the general direction of the enemy position. Once the grenade was launched, he squeezed the trigger of the rifle and sent automatic fire blazing back toward the ambushers.

Mariusz continued to fire, yelling his defiance and hoping to buy his friends enough time to get to safety.

Vita knew one thing, stopping in the kill zone was not a good idea.  She basically ignored the shouts to stop, at least initially.  She was not the best infantry soldier, but she had intelligence and more importantly common sense.  A moving target would be harder to hit.  She floored it until they were a couple of hundred meters out of the kill zone before bringing it to a stop in the woodline as close as she could get without crashing or hopefully being stuck so the troops could dismount and possibly flank the enemy ambushers.  She was not trained in executive protection, so the fact that the general was stuck did not even occur to her.  She could have stopped and backed up, but that would be more time on the "X" that wasn't worth it.  She made her decision.  Everyone could Monday Morning Quarterback later.

At the first sound of gunfire Piotr's grip on his gun tightened. Some blood splatter hit his face but he ignored it. Adrenaline and experience had taken over.

Hearing the captain order the truck to stop he crouched, preparing to move over the side as soon as the vehicle speed allowed for a safe landing. To his surprise though the vehicle instead of decelerate did just the opposite. Not only surprising him, but obviously everyone acting on the CO's orders.

Cursing loud polish words, especially questioning the sanity of women driving and women stubbornness getting people killed, he looked for the best spot of cover before he followed Mariusz example and started putting fire on the enemy.

Piotr Pawlowski
On the truck
SVD  [10/10]
Take cover on truck before taking aimed shots at enemies based on gun flashes if none visible.

In reply to Viktorya Nowak (msg #85):

The sound of the truck behind him speeding up made Dawid whip his head around in shock. Where the fuck is she going? Did someone actually listen to Thor? That's a first! Well, no time to ponder the implications, just deal with the situation.

Looking around he noticed it wasn't Tucker who was going for the car but Warren. He could correct that.

"Correction! My group, go with Warren to the General! GO WITH WARREN!" He pointed in the correct direction.

It seemed none of the other Poles thought to get out, a black eye on his people, but at least he didn't have to repeat himself. At least his friend Woj was alive and with him. "Woj, come here and help me. Look for anti-personnel fragmentation mines."

Once set up he started returning fire.


Dawid Piotrowski

PKM GPMG (100/243)
Ural, then right (south) side of road.
Telling Vita to stop, then bailing out right side of Ural, moving across road.

Firing bursts at ambushers.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:52, Fri 04 Feb 2011.

Ural

Heedless of the enemy fire striking all around him, Mariusz stands up in the bed of the slowly rolling Ural and begins to return fire, sending a hastily aimed 40mm S HE grenade towards the enemy firing line. Before the grenade impacts, Mariusz is felled by a powerful body-blow. He crumples to the floor next to the ambush's first casualty, trying to catch his breath and assess the damage. To his surprise, it appears the bullet that struck him in the midsection was stopped by a combination of two of his AK-74 magazines and his Russian para's flack vest (Mariusz -1 40mm S HE; -2 full magazines damaged).

Thor also attempts to return fire. He's able to squeeze off two rounds before he too is knocked down by a ricochet to the abdomen. The bullet is bled of much of its energy as it passes through the filthy hides and winter jacket in which Thor is clad and it fails to puch through the pasty white flesh of his belly and into his abdomen. Nevertheless, he's knocked down by the impact and gasping for breath. (Thor -2 rounds) (Thor: slight wound to belly)

Piotr crouches down behind the truck's thin side wall and tries to pick out a muzzle flash through the narrow field of view afforded by his SVD's scope. He's able to line up a target just before the truck lurches forward and he fires a single shot. The Ural's sudden acceleration tugs at the long barrel of the Dragunov, and he has to struggle to remain upright AND hold on to the rifle. As the truck continues to pick up speed, he finds that it's almost impossible to line up another aimed shot through the scope. (Piotr -1 round)

The other Poles still aboard the Ural are unable to return fire because of the pile-up of bodies- living and dead- quickly building in the bed of the truck.

After the initial shock of the sudden ambush, and the brief cognitive and vehicular slow-down it causes, Vita puts the pedal to the metal, accelerating through the kill zone. The truck races past the shot-up sedan (to its left) and bumps over something (or someone) lying in the road near the overturned motorbike. The truck handles about as well as it did before the ambush, probably indicating that it hasn't sustained any damage to its engine or tires.

Roadside

Screened by the slowly rolling truck- which is drawing the lion's share of the inicoming fire- most of the dismounts scramble for cover in the shallow roadside ditch furthest from the enemy. Warren immediately starts crawling towards the sedan, stopped in the same ditch about 35m up ahead. There's movement inside and the rear passenger side door pops open. One of the general's bodyguards crawls out headfirst dragging something or someone behind him (it/he is still in the back seat, at this point).

Dieter takes the opposite tack and charges south, towards the right (west) end of the enemy's linear ambush in attempt to single-handed flank it. It's a bold move but it almost costs him his life. Dieter feels as if he's run straight into a fense cross-beam set at stomach level. He stops dead in his tracks and falls to the ground, the wind knocked completely out of him. He struggles to breath, fighting back panic. Clutching at his stomach, he reflexively yanks his hand back after cutting and burning it on something jagged and hot.  (Dieter: slight wound to right hand; slight wound to abdomen)

Jan and Dawid attempt to wring order from the chaos, issuing orders and looking for clear-cut targets at which to return fire. By the time they've set up their weapons (Jan is slowed by his arm wound), the enemy fire has stopped.

Minh, Tucker, Matias and Monika also find cover and begin searchng for targets. Once again, by the time they are situated behind meager cover and oriented towards the enemy, the incoming fire has ceased. Craig reopens his leg wound while unassing from the truck and the renewed pain throbbing through his halmstring overwhelms him for a moment. By the time he's recovered enough to take offensive action, the firefight appears to be over.

The Ural is well past the kill-zone and no longer drawing any fire. The enemy, last seen some 60 yards away from where the dismounts are crouching or lying prone, has ceased firing. The flaring after-image of multipe muzzle flashes dance before your eyes (assuming you were looking at the enemy), making it difficult to see what's currenly going near the enemy's position. There's some movement there, but it appears that the hostile force is now moving away from you.


Next Moves?
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:31, Sat 05 Feb 2011.

Bayer heard this the very moment he was about the shout the same thing to the very same person. Pleased the man shared the same concern as him, he silently wished him on.



"Illumination!" Bayer calls from the side of the ditch. When the flare is launched, Bayer will keep one eye closed to maintain his night vision.

He'll then assess the situation and for the moment to advance. While waiting, he inserts a 40mm HE round into his launcher and shouts to the rest of the dismounted team when he hears the pop of the illum round overhead, "Targets front... 75 meters... rapid fire!"
This message was last edited by the player at 02:08, Sat 05 Feb 2011.

Stifling the urge to yell out, Craig rolls off the road and into the ditch. He tries to orient himself towards the enemy. He realises that he can not respond to Dawids order to move towards the generals position so prepares to fire from where he is.

He waits for the ordered flare to be fired as he raises his AK's muzzle and prepares to fire the grenade launcher at the lead enemy infantry.


Support Group
Firing GL on lead infantry

AK-74/BG-15 (37/45) + 4x45 (1/1 HE) + 8x40mm HE- held at shoulder
AKS-74U (35/45) - wedged in webbing
Browning HP (18/20) w/ silencer + 2x20 - holstered
F-1 FRAG Grenade x 6

Mariusz lay on the bed of the truck breathing heavily. He clutched at his chest and felt the bent and twisted magazines that had helped save his life. He dug deeper and found the distorted bullet that, but for a twist of fate, would have taken his life.

He remained on the floor of the truck and slipped the spent bullet into a pocket before reloading the grenade launcher and looking around to see what was happening.

In reply to Cap'n Rae (msg #88):

Crossing himself for his miraculous luck, he noticed Monika was nearby. He yelled in Polish, "Monika, go see to the General in his car, now!"



"Yes sir! Firing!"

He started firing 5-round bursts in the direction that Konrad indicated when the flare went up.


Dawid Piotrowski

PKM GPMG (100/243)
South side of road.
Firing bursts: suppressive fire
This message was last edited by the player at 13:32, Sun 06 Feb 2011.

Recovering from the changed situation Piotr lowers his gun and evaluates their position. Quickly moving  to the cap of the truck he slams his hand hard against it hoping this will get Vita’s attention.

“ Stop moving !!” he shouts out to the female driver.

Waiting for the truck to decelerate he  observes the bed. This is the first time he recognizes the previous owner of the fresh blood covering part of his clothes. Poor Janek. But there was no time for mourning.  Looking at the others he notices how the big Viking seemed to be injured. He wanted to move over to him checking his condition, but there was no time for that now.

“Prepare to dismount!!” he shouts to the others “Form a line to the south”  pointing his arm in the general direction of the southern roadside ditch.

Piotr Pawlowski
On the truck
SVD  [9/10]
Ordering truck to stop and passengers to dismount and take position to the south side of the road. He'll act on these instructions when the truck has slowed enough.

Staggered and somewhat surprised at the pain blossoming in his abdomen, Thor took a moment to gather himself. The incoming fire had disappeared as expected as the truck had moved out of the kill zone, but two thirds of the unit had, strangely, jumped overboard and remained in serious danger.
And then he noticed the enemy had ceased firing entirely, even though they still held the upper hand and had many viable, and valuable targets within their sights.

A few gasped breaths later and Thor was ready for action, sore, but certainly not sorry. Once again his divinity had saved him from serious harm.

He laid the Tantal/GL aside, careful to avoid the pooling blood and gore before retrieving Mjollnir. Lying in the bed of the truck, he flicked on Megingjord and through it's green monochrome searched for the Døkkálfar.


"Shut up." he replied calmly, his eye not leaving the sight.
"You no lead Polevik. Njörun lead."
"Check wounded."

Thor "The Thunderer"
Change to Barret. Lay in truck bed and search for enemy using telescope/light intensifying optics
Secondary task - assess situation of the PCs left in kill zone
Barret M82A1 ("Mjollnir") (10/10) + 2x10 + 1x9
Wz.88 Tantal/BG-1 (28/30)/(1/1HE) + 3x30 / 2xHE ("Gríðarvölr")
H & K USP-9SD, 9mm (14/15) + 3x15 ("Fatle")
M-26A1 hand grenade, x2
Bayonet/knife
Individual Tactical Radio

Matias was confused by the conflicting orders given by Dawid & Konrad.  Especially because now it was just Monika who was supposed to get to the car and see to the General.

Not knowing what else to do, he stood up and found himself a clear line of fire to where the muzzle flashes had come from.  He fired 2 bursts from his PM-63, trying his best to find targets.

Matias
Stand up, fire bursts at enemy position
PM-63 (25/25) + 4 extra mags, all (25/25)

     Monika heard firing coming from around her position.  She kept her PB/6P9 pistol out, looking for the enemy that the others were engaging.  As she waited, she tried to locate where the car from the small convoy ended its movement.

Monika Sawicki
Suppressed PB/6P9 (8/8) and one extra (8/8) mag
PM-63 SMG (15/15) and 3 extra mags (15/15) (25/25) (18/25)
Suppressed PM-64 (6/6) and two extra (6/6) mags
Waiting for target

As the incoming fire ceases and the outgoing picks up, Jeff uses the opportunity to get up and close with the sedan faster.  He keeps an eye to the south nonetheless though.

Once at the car, he acts quickly.  "How bad?" he asks in Russian of the bodyguard.  He moves to get everyone out of the car and into cover.  As others show up, the Captain in him takes hold and he starts issuing orders to make sure they are safe and start first aid.  "Where is that Polish Medic?  Is she still in the truck?"

By the time Warren arrives on scene, the bodyguard in the back seat has dragged the general out of the sedan and propped him against the car's left, rear wheel.

The bodyguard replies, "The general's been hit!" As if to correct him, Koronev adds, "It's nothing." He's clutching his right hip and, even in the dark, Warren can see that the hand pressed to the wound is covered in blood.

The driver's door opens and Johnstone tumbles out, crawling over the obviously dead driver during his clumsy exit. His face looks all wrong. He mumbles, "Vay fot be im my fuffin' fafe!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:13, Sat 05 Feb 2011.

Following Konrad's orders Jan popped open his M203, removed the HE round inside, which he left on the ground next to him, and replaced it with a longer ILLUM round.  He then aimed up high above where Konrad seemed to be pointing and launched the grenade, hoping that the flare would reveal any fleeing targets.

He then aimed his rifle, intending on firing pairs of single shots at any targets that the ILLUM round revealed.


Jan
Lying prone near to Konrad
Loading an ILLUM round instead of a HE round in his M203, then launching the ILLUM round and finally firing pairs of single shots at any targets that the flare reveals
F88 Steyr AUG (30/30 rounds - 7 mags total) - held
 - Underslung M203 (1/1 HE - 8x HE, 3x HEDP & 2x ILLUM total)
Frag Grenade x4
Sig Sauer P226 (15/15 rounds - 4 mags total) - holster

Once lying in a prone position facing the enemy's last known position Quyen waits for the flare to brighten the field. When it ignites, she'll fire 4 semi-automatic shots at the first target she sees.

Quyen
AK74 (26/30)
Firing 4 shots at any (one) target once the flare goes off
Prone next to the side of the road
This message was last edited by the player at 20:12, Sat 05 Feb 2011.

In reply to Monika Sawicki (msg #96):

Dawid paused in firing, noting Monika hadn't moved.

"MONIKA! FUCKING MOVE NOW! THE CAR"

Jesus Christ, we fucking Poles are useless. That's it. I'm moving to Hungary after the war, he thought as he resumed fire.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:00, Sun 06 Feb 2011.

"Stay down, help is on its way." He says calmly to the General.  As the truck roars by, he swears softly then shouts "MEDIC!  Men down! MEDIC!"

As Johnstone stumbles out, he says "Jesus.  You weren't ever going to be poster boy anyway.  Try and control the bleeding.  The medic's are on their way, and it looks like the bad guys are running."

Tucker flips the safety 'OFF' on his M-16A2 and then moves to the M-203 mounted below the barrel preparing to reload the Buckshot round loaded in it's chamber with an HE round.  "Get ready to rock sweetie.  Set up a base of fire here, I'm moving up to the car." Tucker says to Minh as he reloads his grenade launcher.

TUCKER
M-16A2 [30/30] / M-203 [HE] - {READY WEAPON}
Browning HP-35 [13/13] SAFETY 'ON' Cocked & locked
H&K SOCOM Pistol [12/12] (Holstered) {[2] Full 12 round / [1] 10/12 Round mag [Loaded]}

Salvaged Gear:
*Claymore Mine & Pouch    2.0
Mag Bandoleer [6 MAG 30] 3.0  {5x30, 1x22/30}
[1] M-16 mag (BDU Pocket [18/30])

*NOTE: Claymore given to Sutherland (remove upon use)
Reloading M-203 with HE round, Buckshot round back to vest & getting ready to move towards Generals car
This message was last edited by the player at 06:48, Sun 06 Feb 2011.

     At hearing the call for a medic, as well as Piotrowski's invitation to come to the party, Monika shrugged into her backpack.  Then, with her Doctor's bag in one hand and her pistol in the other, she bent over to present a smaller target as she hurried to the General's automobile.  As she scurried, she muttered to herself, "Next war, I'm not doing house calls."


Monika Sawicki
Suppressed PB/6P9 (8/8) and one extra (8/8) mag
PM-63 SMG (15/15) and 3 extra mags (15/15) (25/25) (18/25)
Suppressed PM-64 (6/6) and two extra (6/6) mags
Moving to the car against her better judgment

Forcing his stiff, wounded left arm to work despite the throbbing pain and weakness, Jan loads his M203 with a long illumination round while most of his teammates prepare to return fire. (Jan -1 40mm N Illum)

The flare bursts low and short, dazzling the eyes of those standing by to fire. You catch just a glimpse of the top thirds of several human figures running away from you in the alternating flickering blue light and blacker-than-black shadows. Dawid espies one figure a little closer and more exposed than the others and stitches him with a line of green tracers. The target drops into the murky darkness of the furrowed field. Dawid follows up with two more bursts in the direction of the fleeing enemy, sending another string of green tracers chasing after them. (Dawid -15 rounds)

Thor, still in the back of moving Ural, attempts to find a target for Mjollnir through its night sight. The advanced NATO night optic automatically cuts out to avoid blinding its user as the blazing flare drops into its line of sight. An older night sight would have forced Thor to involuntarily pull away and blink away the fiery green afterimage seered into his dominant eye. The net effect is the same: Thor is unable to locate a target.(take your pick, Thor can't see a target this round.)

Vita (missed turn) has yet to respond to Piotr's calls to stop the truck. She continues to race towards the perceived shelter of the distant woodline, pulling further and further away from her hastily disembarked passengers. Piotr and the rest of his passengers can do little but hold on and wait for the ride to end.

Back in the road, Mattias, swept up in a wave of youthful enthusiasm, stands straight up in the shallow roadside ditch and sends a pair of short bursts towards the enemy. Minh joins in with four single shots. Neither can tell if their respective shots hit their marks. (Mattias -10 rounds; Minh -4 rounds)

Craig lobs a 40mm S HE grenade into the road just ahead of the fleeing enemy column. The momentary flash of the detonation was almost right on target. (Craig -1 40mm S HE). Tucker switches out a buckshot round for a high explosive one and tries to spot someone to drop it on.

The 40mm illumination round drifts down between you and the retreating enemy. Instead of making the bad guys easier to see, it makes it more difficult. Shadows dance all over from the strobing effect of the flare. It's like the fallow field has been transformed into a Euro-disco. It's almost impossible to see past the blazing flare. By the time it burns out, you can't see the enemy any more. They've either made good their escape or they've gone to ground somewhere out there in the darkness.

While their teammates fire on the fleeing enemy, Monika and Warren get to work on the wounded general while Johnstone sits there stunned, bleeding out of holes through both cheeks (the one in his right cheek is a neat little round hole; the one on the left is a jagged, gaping hole). Monika quickly assesses the general's wound in the dark. It doesn't look too bad. A rifle or LMG bullet- probably a heavier 7.62x39mm round- has lodged in his hip. At first glance, the bone doesn't appear to have been shattered. Based on the location of the wound, the bullet probably had to punch through the car door, bleeding off most of its kinetic energy in the process. It's really not bleeding that much but the general's hand is nevertheless covered in a dark sticky substance. A second look reveals only four fingers on the general's right hand. The ring finger appears to have been shot off.


Next Moves? 
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:14, Mon 07 Feb 2011.

Matias looked to the leadership nervously for some direction.  He kept his weapon at the ready, but would only fire if he saw a definite target.

Matias
Waiting for targets and/or orders
PM-63 (15/25) + 4 extra mags, all (25/25)

Dieter rolled at the bullet struck him down. For a moment he was stunned. He had never actually been shot before, so the feeling was weird. He lay back for a second, and laughed. So that is what it feels like!

It was an eerie sound, but he couldn't control the giggling. He inspected his belly, before realising it wasn't serious, so rolled a few times to move away from where he had fallen. From a prone position he raised his rifle and scanned to see where the ambushers were located. Once he spotted them he took careful aim and sent some payback their way.

Dieter Brandt
To the west of the ambush party, sniping at any target that presents itself
SVU-AS with bipod, 10/10

In reply to Cap'n Rae (msg #105):

Dawid continued to fire bursts at where he thought the fleeing enemy was located.


Dawid Piotrowski

PKM GPMG (85/243)
South side of road.
Firing bursts: suppressive fire

Mariusz looked at their situation and at considered what Thor said to Piotr, he dragged himself over to Piotr and said, "Most of the people here are your crew, they'll listen to you first, call it as you see it and I'll follow, the Viking'll do as he bloody well likes anyway."

He readied himself and asked, "What are your orders?"

As the team chases off the ambushers with a few more volley's of gunfire, Bayer shouts, "Dawid! Take Woj and that machinegun and setup security at the crossroads."

"Sergeant Tucker, move in fifteen meters on south side of the road and stay low. Take Quyen, Sutherland, and Matius."

He's then about to send Jan and Dieter over to the motorcycle driver when he realizes the German isn't with him and the others. "Jan. I need you to find Brandt and then meet me at the car."

Bayer will then move to the Sedan and try to place the General's two men facing north and west - but farily still close to the vehicle. He expects them to cooperate but won't press it if they refuse.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:40, Mon 07 Feb 2011.

Piotr acted as if he hadn't even heard the bearded sniper. This was not the time and place to argue the obvious. He'd just work with it.



“Assuming you're fit to jump, we'll dismount as soon as the truck stops and take cover in that ditch assess the situation and contact confirmed enemy targets if they present themselves”

Why wasn't this truck slowing down? Silently, his frustration had passed and now, Piotr started to wonder if Vita was just panicking. This was a frightening thought as they were sort of at her mercy right now. Again he slammed the cab hard with his open palm.

“ Nowak STOP !!”

He paused for just a moment before returning to Mariusz. "You stay close to me after we dismount. I need your experience with this unit's operations."

Piotr Pawlowski
On the truck
SVD  [9/10]
Trying to get the Truck to stop, dismount and take position when it does.

As he reloads his M-203 launcher, Tucker notices that Matias looks like he's standing up and firing at the fleeing ambushers.  He yells out to him, "CHECK YER FIRE AND GET DOWN YOU STUPID SUNUVABITCH!"

=====================================================================


"Not too sure 'bout Sutherland boss, I think he hurt himself falling out of the truck with the rest of us.  Me & Minh will move up and keep him behind us, just in case."

Tucker looks back over to Minh, "Change of plans ma'am!  Me you and Matias the Mad are going to move up and try and see what we can see.  I want a slow advance in case they're any booby traps in front of us.  I'm thinking 'no' since they would've popped them off during the ambush but, what the fuck do I know?  Let's get this over and done."

When ready, Tucker, Minh, & Matias move on the south side of the road about 15 to 20 meters and set up for observation of the immediate area.

TUCKER
M-16A2 [30/30] / M-203 [HE] - {READY WEAPON}
Browning HP-35 [13/13] SAFETY 'ON' Cocked & locked
H&K SOCOM Pistol [12/12] (Holstered) {[2] Full 12 round / [1] 10/12 Round mag [Loaded]}

Salvaged Gear:
*Claymore Mine & Pouch    2.0
Mag Bandoleer [6 MAG 30] 3.0  {5x30, 1x22/30}
[1] M-16 mag (BDU Pocket [18/30])

*NOTE: Claymore given to Sutherland (remove upon use)
Moving about 15-20 meters on the south side of the road and watching
This message was last edited by the player at 00:17, Tue 08 Feb 2011.

On his was to the sedan, Bayer turns and replies, "Hurt? Ok, scratch that. Just the three of you."

Bayer then walks back a bit to find the lieutenant. He'll then help Sutherland move down to the sedan with him.

Hearing Konrad, Dawid paused after firing a burst.

"Yes sir!

"C'mon, Woj. Let's go."

As Woj grabbed the spare ammo cans, he picked up the PKM and trotted down the road to the intersection.


Dawid Piotrowski
PKM GPMG (85/243)
Road W of Intersection
Displacing East to Intersection
This message was last edited by the player at 10:00, Tue 08 Feb 2011.

Matias's finger flys off the trigger, and he drops into a low crouch almost immediately.  He might be an American, but Tucker and Matias's old plutunowy sure spoke the same language!

After a deep breath to calm himself, he formed up on Tucker, preparing himself for the advance.  He follows along, and follows all orders.

Matias
Following Tucker on the advance southward
PM-63 (15/25) + 4 extra mags, all (25/25)

Craig flipped down his NVG's and tried to spot the fleeing men. He takes his time and switches his AK to semi Auto as he takes aimed shots at any enemy targets.




From behind his sights he answers Konrad:

"Popped my seam will be ok if I stay still. I can cover the advance if you want"

Much better at taking lives than saving them, Jeff instead keeps Johnstone calm but alert while waiting for Monicka to finish with the general.

When she does get to the truck, he addresses Monicka humbly.  His Polish is understandable but the accent needs work, "Do you need assistance?  I'm not much good at first aid but I have steady hands.  In addition to the General, the American has also been shot through the cheeks.  He is alert but dazed."

If needed he helps out, but for the most part he tries to keep out of the way.  He says nothing as the others advance up the road, and instead waits for Konrad to arrive, translating for both the wounded Johnstone and the General as needed.  "Both the General and Captain Johnstone have been hit.  However they should both live."

"Alright." Bayer replies, "You make the call."

Mariusz nodded at Piotr's instructions, "I got lucky, I'm good to go. I'll be ready when you are."

"Oui Capitaine," replied Jan to Konrad's instructions.

Firstly however he ejected the expended ILLUM round from his M203 and reloaded the HE round that he had placed on the ground next to him after giving it a quick wipe to ensure that it wasn’t covered in dirt!  He knew that Dieter had climbed out of the truck with the rest of them when it had slowed briefly but he wasn’t sure where he had gone after that.  Before he moved out he quickly fitted his IR goggles and turned them on.

With his vision slightly improved Jan pushed himself up into a crouch and then started moving slowly westwards, back along the road.  His radio was turned off at present to conserve batteries and he suspected that the same was true of the manpack radio that Dieter carried, assuming that it wasn’t still on the back of the truck!

As he moved he glanced around, partly looking for Dieter and partly looking for any other enemy troops who might still be in the area.  He was ready to engage any threats that appeared.


Jan
Lying prone near to Konrad initially but moving
Turning on his IR Goggles and then moving westwards, searching for Dieter and any other threats.  If anything threatening appears he will fire a pair of single shots at them.
F88 Steyr AUG (30/30 rounds - 7 mags total) - held
 - Underslung M203 (1/1 HE - 8x HE, 3x HEDP & 1x ILLUM total)
Frag Grenade x4
Sig Sauer P226 (15/15 rounds - 4 mags total) - holster
This message was last edited by the player at 17:49, Tue 08 Feb 2011.

Dawid prepares to fire another burst into the area where he last saw the enemy. A figure rises from the earth, a few meters to the right and a little ahead of the sputtering flare. Dawid can't help but to notice him. This definite target appears to be bringing a rifle to bear but with the odd lighting it's hard to tell who the shadowy figure is about to shoot at. Both men quickly bring their weapons to bear on the new target and open fire, Dawid with a short burst and Craig with three single shots. A tracer round disappears into the dark profile and slams it back into the earth. (Dawid -5 rounds)

With the target down, and no additional enemy in sight, Dawid and Woj pack up the PKM and its ammo and head for the crossroads. Craig limps along behind ready to provide the machinegun team with cover fire should they need it.

Almost as soon as Dieter sits up and lifts his rifle, he's slammed back down again by several essentially simultaneous hammer blows. He lies on his side, the cold, damp earth pressed hard against his face. He can't move or feel anything from the waist down but his head feels like a balloon that's being overinflated with air. Everything's gone dark- an utter blackness darker than the darkest night. No moon, no stars, no light of any kind. He sucks in a shallow, ragged breath. It sounds like someone's slurping the last few drops of liquid from a cup through a straw. Dieter knows that he's dying. (Dieter- mortally wounded)

The flare dies, leaving the field draped in darkness.

Tucker, Minh, and Matias cross the road and push south several meters. There's a body on the ground a little ahead of them and to their right. They can hear the wounded man struggling to breath from several meters away. Looking beyond the wounded enemy, the trio sees no further sign of their ambushers. It appears that the enemy force has beat feet out of the area in a literal interpretation of the classic hit-and-run attack.

There's been no enemy fire for the last minute or so. No enemy are visible in the field.

Meanwhile, Monika and Jeff attempt to treat the wounded general and his CIA "advisor". Johnstone is clearly in quite a bit of pain. He mumbles curses as he holds a field dressing against the left side of his ruined face.

"Fuf! Fuf! Vey fuffin' fop be, vuh fiffy muvafuffas! Fuh fuff fake, viv be fum fuffin' mofeem."

The general bears his less serious wounds with more stoicism.

"Please, help Johnstone first. I will be fine."

Further down the road, Vita [NPC'ed], encouraged by Piotr's forceful shouting, decides the truck is out of immediate danger and rapidly decelerates. The truck stops over 300m west of the crossroads. The last burst of gunfire you saw was a squirt of green tracers streaking from north to south- friendly fire. That was half-a-minute ago. It looks someone survived the ambush. With the flare extinguished, Thor could probably use his night optic to survey the area. Piotr, Mariusz, and the rest of the Polish squad dismount from the truck and deploy in the ditch.


Next Moves?

Quyen takes up position on the right of Tucker as they cross the road and move to set up their section of the security perimeter. She then signals to Tucker and whispers, "Forward and to the right." indicating the body ahead of them.

Assuming Tuck moves them forward, she'll will advance with him and cover to the flanks for anything else that me be still undiscovered.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:50, Wed 09 Feb 2011.

With the flare dead, Jeff takes a second to let his eyes readjust to the darkness.  He turns to the now very dark figure of Monika "Take care of the face wound first.  It seems worse than I thought.  Do you want me to use my flashlight to help you?  Or I can put pressure on the General's wound if you think that better."

To the others (including Johnstone, whether or not he's listening) he says in Russian "Looks like the attack is over.  You there [directed at Bodyguard], check to see if the car still works.  We can put the driver in the truck when it comes back."

In reply to Cap'n Rae (msg #121):

"This looks great, let's set up here."

Dawid chose the shoulder at the NW corner of the intersection. Where they were located, they could cover the south and SE.

He pulled on his NVGs to better acquire targets and improve his situational awareness.


Dawid Piotrowski
PKM GPMG (80/243)
Road W of Intersection
Aiming and Covering South
This message was last edited by the player at 11:15, Wed 09 Feb 2011.

     Monika pointed to Johnstone's facial wounds.  "Shine the light here."  As she examined the through and through cheek wounds, she continued in Polish, "I'm a good medic, but I'm only a medic.  These men really need a Doctor.  I'll try my best though."

     Monika cleaned and tried to close the head wounds as best she could under the primitive conditions.  She got Johnstone to swallow a mild pain reliever and an antibiotic.  "I would give him something stronger, but he needs to be able to move under his own power."


Monika Sawicki
Suppressed PB/6P9 (8/8) and one extra (8/8) mag
PM-63 SMG (15/15) and 4 extra mags (15/15) (25/25) (25/25) (18/25)
Suppressed PM-64 (6/6) and two extra (6/6) mags
Working
This message was last edited by the player at 03:51, Wed 09 Feb 2011.

Jeff obliges with his flashlight.  He uses the red lens and his body to hide as much of the light pollution as he can.  Coupled with the fact they are currently in a ditch, it shouldn't be too bad.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:58, Wed 09 Feb 2011.

Matias saw that Tucker and Quyen were used to working together, so when she took Tucker's right, he drifted to the left to cover the maximum area.  He kept his eyes peeled for any movement, ready to fire at anything besides the already spotted body.

Matias
Following Tucker on the advance southward
PM-63 (15/25) + 4 extra mags, all (25/25)

SLAM.

Dieter felt himself being hammered to the floor. Lying on his side, he felt the chill of the evening envelop him, or was it just the evening? His legs were numb, like sitting in an ice bath, and his head started to pound. He tried to breath, but struggled to get a proper lungful, As his eyes closed he simply whispered,"Papa."

Staying behind the machine gun crew as they moved Craig continued to scan for movement in the distance. AK at his shoulder he would double tap any targets that presented themselves through the Russian NVG's.


Support squad
Firing on enemy targets

AK-74/BG-15 (34/45) + 4x45 (0/1 HE) + 8x40mm HE- held at shoulder
AKS-74U (35/45) - wedged in webbing
Browning HP (18/20) w/ silencer + 2x20 - holstered
F-1 FRAG Grenade x 6

Jan continued looking around, trying to spot Dieter and using his IR goggles.  He was tempted to call out to the German sniper but he wasn't certain that the enemy had fully withdrawn yet!

He kept scanning before moving back towards Konrad.

"Capitane," he muttered quietly.  "I can not find Dieter.  If the ambushers have withdrawn we should get everyone to report.  Some was hit in the truck but I am sure I saw Dieter get off."


Jan
Crouched on the road and moving back towards Konrad.
Searching for Dieter, using his IR goggles.
F88 Steyr AUG (30/30 rounds - 7 mags total) - held
 - Underslung M203 (1/1 HE - 8x HE, 3x HEDP & 1x ILLUM total)
Frag Grenade x4
Sig Sauer P226 (15/15 rounds - 4 mags total) - holster

Tucker catches Minh's signal and gives her the nod to proceed ahead and check it out.  "Be careful," he replies quietly back to her as he looks for the other ex-Polish military soldier that was with them, Matias.  As Tucker sets up on the right-hand side of the body, Robert signals with his hand to Matias (pointing at him with his finger and then to his eyes to watch on the left) as to which sector to watch while Minh advances.

TUCKER
M-16A2 [30/30] / M-203 [HE] - {READY WEAPON}
Browning HP-35 [13/13] SAFETY 'ON' Cocked & locked
H&K SOCOM Pistol [12/12] (Holstered) {[2] Full 12 round / [1] 10/12 Round mag [Loaded]}

Salvaged Gear:
*Claymore Mine & Pouch    2.0
Mag Bandoleer [6 MAG 30] 3.0  {5x30, 1x22/30}
[1] M-16 mag (BDU Pocket [18/30])

*NOTE: Claymore given to Sutherland (remove upon use)

This message was last edited by the player at 21:59, Fri 11 Feb 2011.

Taking position in the ditch, Piotr looks to make sure Mariusz is within speaking distance before he starts scanning the darkness to the south while speaking to the young partisan.

“You've fought with the captain, any idea how he would proceed. Will he counter and try to run the enemy down or will he hold?”

Piotr's mind was going in overdrive. Without proper communication, in fact without any contact or knowledge of what the German commander was planning there was not much they could do from here. Even getting back to the main element was risky in this darkness.

“Teo, check our lady driver, make sure she's alright. Then secure to the north”

Piotr Pawlowski
In roadside ditch south of the truck
SVD  [9/10]
Observing south for possible enemies, talking and ordering Teo

Mariusz thought for a moment and said, "The Kaptain will keep his eyes on teh most important strategic element, keeping the General alive. He'll establish a strong fire base and try to get mobile again by getting us to regroup and move on. I have a radio, if you want I can request advice, orders may come soon anyway. If you do want to pursue the enemy I'll have to radio the move in, we'll be crossing their arcs of fire and I'd hate to think of them firing at us as we blundered through their fields of fire."

He shrugged, "It's a gamble, if the ambushers have a vehicle they could hit us again before we reach the 10th, if they haven't they could fade into the night and leave us chasing our tails if we do pursue them."

Crouching at the sedan, Bayer nods as Jan reports back, "Alright. I don't want anyone left behind. See what you can do. If nothing comes up we'll have to do a sweep once the General is able to be moved."

Then with nobody else free, Bayer walks down to where the motorcycle rider ended up. He keeps to the road, in the middle of the team's permimeter, but stays low.

OOC - Mari I forgot you had a radio. What type is it?
This message was last edited by the player at 15:30, Fri 11 Feb 2011.

“You got a radio!?!” The surprise made him look sideways. Piotr had missed all about that. All Mariusz was telling was confirming his thoughts. He had already called the German captain a wise man earlier that day. This only reconfirmed this.

“You better try to radio call in our status and position.”

Piotr Pawlowski
In roadside ditch south of the truck
SVD  [9/10]
Observing south for possible enemies, planning and ordering Teo

"No problem," Mariusz said and picked up the handset, "Kaptain," he said, "This is Mariusz, I'm with the rest of the squad by the treeline, requesting orders, over?"

Dawid and Woj set up the PKM at the road junction. A slight upward curve in the terrain to the south about 100m from the crossroads likely conceals the enemy force from view. Craig, a few meters to the west, likewise sees no further sign of enemy activity through the lense of his NOD. From all indications, the ambushers have buggered off. You can't help but wonder why they didn't press their initial advantage or put up much of a fight when your team began to return fire.

Konrad moves a few meters to the west of the crossroads and finds the mangled corpse of the motorcycle messanger. He looks like he must have absorbed a round or two before skidding to a stop on the rough pavement. He may or may not have been dead at that point. If not, it's clear that the heavy Ural truck finished the job.

Meanwhile, Tucker and Minh close on the body 15 meters or so south of the road. Minh's hand recoils from what has become a routine scrounging operation when she recognizes the starlit face of her German comrade in arms. Dieter, somehow sensing the presence of a friend, lets go and breaths his last. (RIP, Dieter)

Matias, covering the small clearing team's left(east) flank, spots a lump in the relatively flat field about two dozen meters to his left. As he stares at it, it resolves into two suppine human forms. Neither moves a muscle and it soon becomes apparent that both are most likely dead.

Monika bandages Johnstone's ugly facial wounds. Besides staunching the bleeding, the bandaging has the added bonus of shutting him up. He settles down and waits for the pain relievers to kick in. The general's wounds are much easier to dress. The severed finger gives Monika more trouble than the clean bullet entrance wound in his upper hip but she manages to bandage both efectively on the first attempt. As instructed, the Russian bodyguard removes the driver's nearly headless corpse, climbs into the vacant seat and, after a couple of attempts, gets the car started and running again.

Several hundred meters to the east, Mariusz radios Konrad, as the Poles from the truck (and the Russian, Vita) attempt to coordinate their deployment with the temporarily stranded main force to the west. Thor, scanning the fields to the south of the ambush zone through his night optic, spots some movement about 150m or so from the road. One or two figures are moving south low and fast. Thor can only see their heads and shoulders bobbing along, close to the ground. He could take a shot, but it would be a tough one and he's running low on rare .50-caliber ammunition. Vita remains alone in the cab, collecting herself and thinking of how best to deliver a justification for her failure to follow the orders of nominally superior officers.


Next Moves?

Upon discovering that the General's motorcycle driver was beyond help, Bayer begins moving back to the sedan. When he arrives, he's about to ask if the vehicle can be driven again when the bodyguard restarts the motor, answering his question. Surprised by that the car was still mobile, he says, "Well Jan, at least now I don't have to tell you to piggyback the General home."

His radio then crackles with Mariusz's voice, which comes as a surprise to him. In all of the excitement and confusion following the long and tiresome days, he had forgotten that the boy was given a radio.



"Captain Bayer here." he replies, not bothering with his call sign. "Bring that truck back some. Only half way to the intersection though... we will come to you. Stay sharp for more enemy. Out."

Bayer then turns back to those by the sedan and says, "Warren. Jan. I've got Mariusz bringing up the truck a ways, but I don't want it to get too close or we might end up having to walk home. You two take front security in front of the car. We move shortly."

"Sawicki. I want you to ride in the car with the General."

Bayer then gets back on the radio, "Sergeant Tucker. Standby for withdraw. But first I want a sweep of the ground for Dieter. You have two minutes. Make it quick."

And, "Dawid, did you copy my last on withdraw? Your team will take the rear and follow us once we pass by your position. Everyone will RV with the truck down the road."

OOC - Basically everyone maintains a security perimeter as the car moves (at trotting speed) down the road to RV with the waiting truck.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:17, Sat 12 Feb 2011.

     Monika stopped and knelt by the body of the driver.  She gathered his belongings, both military and personal, placing them in the front seat of the car.  As she got in the vehicle, she spoke softly to the General.  "I have collected your driver's things and placed them in the vehicle.  Perhaps you can see that they get back to his family."


Monika Sawicki
Suppressed PB/6P9 (8/8) and one extra (8/8) mag
PM-63 SMG (15/15) and 4 extra mags (15/15) (25/25) (25/25) (18/25)
Suppressed PM-64 (6/6) and two extra (6/6) mags
Doing what she can to help
This message was last edited by the player at 02:12, Sat 12 Feb 2011.

”I can't see a thing, looks like they have turned tale and run for it.”

Craig flipped up his NVG's and turned them off. Turning towards Dawid he adds:

”Do you think we will do a sweep for bodies ? I think my grenade was on the money. They may have intel or some of the poles may know them from the Barons forces and the ammo would be good.”

He glanced at his own PLCE.

"Wilco," Mariusz replied and then looked at the others and said, "The Kaptain wants us to head back toward them but only halfway to the intersection where they will join us. May I suggest we accompany the truck on foot? That way we can keep up a defensive perimeter and be able to react better if we are attacked."

In reply to Konrad Bayer (msg #138):

"Yes, I have it," he replied to Konrad.

He turned to Woj. "Everyone will pass us, then we take the rear position. Get ready to move when I say!"


Dawid Piotrowski
PKM GPMG (80/243)
Road W of Intersection
Aiming and Covering South, then moving east.

In reply to Konrad Bayer (msg #138):


Tucker stares at the body of Dieter as he watches Minh's reaction.  He signals for Matias to stay where he's at for the time being as he goes to confirm the findings as his radio goes off with Konrad calling him.  "Umm yeah Boss, good copy.  Won't need that much time though.  We got 'em here.  He's um, K.I.A.. Over."

Tucker kneels down next to the body to try and figure out how Dieter bought the farm.  He looks back up at Minh, "I'm Sorry.  I know you two were close.  Stay with him OK?  Matias thinks he's found another couple of bodies over by him.  We'll take care of it, just stay low sweetie."

After listening to Mariusz, Piotr seemed to consider their orders for a moment.

“You got any idea how much ground we covered after passing the crossroads?”

Not really waiting for the answer he decided to do as the captain told.
“Alright we're going to back her up. We start with 50 meters. Mariusz,  Teo, you lead the way. One on either side of the road. Call out at any sign of danger or obstacles. I'll be at the drivers side, Lech takes the other rear position.”

Looking up at Thor at the rear of the truck,

“I know you don't take my order, but please keep eye out for danger with that thing”

After assigning positions Piotr moves towards Vita to check on her. “You think you can back her up at a slow pace?” He asks while opening the door to the drivers position. “Just listen to my instructions.” After that he makes sure he can keep eye on Teo and will instruct the female driver when necessary to keep the truck on the road or maintain the right pace.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:37, Sat 12 Feb 2011.

Quyen's shoulders drop and she exhales deeply when she realizes the body is Dieter. She then kneels next to him, leaning in close and placing her ear over his face so she can listen for a moment.

When Tuck passes by with Matias on their way to check on the dead enemy, Quyen stays with Dieter. She slings her AK74 over her shoulder and collects his weapon up off the ground. Then when Tucker returns, she says quietly (knowing there still could be enemy out there somewhere), "Sergeant. The Hauptmann is going to want Dieter's body taken. How about you two carry him and I will take his weapon and cover?"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:58, Sat 12 Feb 2011.

Jan's mood soured at the news, he heard over the radio net from Tuck, of Dieter's death.  He had liked the man - Dieter was one of the few people he had met since arriving in Poland who seemed to have retained all of his humanity.  Many people he had met had a cynical approach to life, regarding death and, particularly, killing people as something ordinary that didn't really bother them.  He would miss Dieter!  Dieter had reminded Jan that turning into the cynical old veteran he envisioned himself as wasn't necessarily the right thing to do!

He still had a job to do though.  Before he moved up the road to take up front security as instructed he made a quick comment to Konrad.  "Capitane, if the motorcycle rider is dead we must strip his body.  The 10th will need all weapons and equipment!"

Jan then moved off to set up front security, keeping a watch out through his IR goggles.


Jan
Moving up to set up front security
Scanning around with his IR goggles
F88 Steyr AUG (30/30 rounds - 7 mags total) - held
 - Underslung M203 (1/1 HE - 8x HE, 3x HEDP & 1x ILLUM total)
Frag Grenade x4
Sig Sauer P226 (15/15 rounds - 4 mags total) - holster
This message was last edited by the player at 22:13, Sat 12 Feb 2011.

Robert sighed as he got up and put his hand on her shoulder, "We can do that."

Mariusz nodded to acknowledge his orders and then said, "I'll take the side of the road the ambush came from, you take the other one."

He kept his eyes peeled for trouble before moving out once everyone was ready.

"CONTACT!" Thor's voice cut across the airways, hopefully silencing all others.

"Movement. One fifty metre south Sunray position."
"One, maybe two move south."

Although confident in his skills, it was indeed the diminishing ammunition that held him from firing Mjollnir. But that didn't stop him relaying the enemy's position to those who were closer....

"Haptabeiðir, Jean. HE."

Thor "The Thunderer"
Calling fire from Konrad and Jan's grenade launchers upon enemy contacts
Barret M82A1 ("Mjollnir") (10/10) + 2x10 + 1x9
Wz.88 Tantal/BG-1 (28/30)/(1/1HE) + 3x30 / 2xHE ("Gríðarvölr")
H & K USP-9SD, 9mm (14/15) + 3x15 ("Fatle")
M-26A1 hand grenade, x2
Bayonet/knife
Individual Tactical Radio

Minh checks Dieter's still-warm body for indications of how he met his end. He's facing away from the road, towards the enemy, his legs twisted almost underneath him. There are two bullet holes in the back of his PAGST vest, and another through the back of his K-pot, just above the thick part that covers the base of the skull. Minh can't avoid the horrifying thought that Dieter was killed by friendly fire.

While Minh stays with Dieter, Tucker and Matias carefully advance on the two bodies to the southeast. Both men lie face-up, facing the road, with one man laying on the other man's legs. Both wear brown summer-weight Soviet uniforms, puffed up by the sweaters worn underneath, and an ad-hoc collection of civilian hats, gloves, and scarves. One of the men has sergeant's insignia on his uniform. Their LBE is also early model Red Army issue but their well-worn footwear is American combat boots. Two AKMs lie nearby. Even in the dark, the dead men's swarthy complexions are noticeable. A quick survey of the field beyond turns up no further signs of additional enemy, living or dead. It's too dark for amateur trackers to pick up blood trails or other spoor. (Recovered: 2 AKMS, 4 full 30-round mags 7.62x39mm, two partial mags- 12 & 23)

After taking the guns and ammo from the dead, Tucker and Matias return to where Minh waits with Dieter. Splitting up the load, they carry their dead comrade and the captured enemy gear back to the crossroads, where Dawid, Woj, and Craig have been providing overwatch.

The general's bodyguard has some trouble getting the Trabant out of the ditch. He finally manages to pull the underpowerd sedan back up on to the cracked bitumen. The dead driver's body is placed in the boot. Dieter is carefully laid on the hood. The wounded are placed in the back (Monika takes shotgun) and the car is driven off at a walking pace, with Adam's Irregulars providing security, secret service-style. There is another brief pause as the motorcycle messenger's body is placed on the hood next to Dieter.

Several hundred meters down the road to the east, the truck begins it's own walking-pace redeployment. Piotr, Mariusz, and the other Poles walk alongside the truck, keeping careful watch for signs of another ambush.

You all meet back up about halfway between the two party's stopping places.


Next Moves?
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:19, Sun 13 Feb 2011.

Jeff remains silent as the bodies are loaded.  Dead friendlies are never a pleasant experience, even if only just met.

When the group meets in the middle, Jeff addresses the Captain.  "Sorry about your man.  The General and Johnstone are wounded but not bad.  Your medic has treated them well, and they will live.  Shall we continue at an increased level of security?"

Bayer nods and says, "I'm sorry too." He adds, "We leave in a moment. My team has some unfortunate matters to address first though." Bayer then waves to the Dawid, Jan, and Tucker.

While the NCOs respond, Bayer motions for Piotr to join him and Warren.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:01, Mon 14 Feb 2011.

Warren only nods at Bayer's remarks.  The cold look in his eye shows he knows exactly the situation.  He turns to Piotr and says in English. "We will watch the Northeast and Northwest.  You and your people cover the rest."

With Piotr's acknowledgment, Jeff heads to the waiting Sedan, and speaks to the driver. "Сержант Бодняк, выйти за пределы на мгновение и мне помочь покрыть наши северном фланге. Вы будете смотреть на северо-восток, и я северо-запад. Не обращай внимания на остальных членов группы и следите за своим сектором, как солдат, а. Я знаю только лучшее иметь привилегию охраны генерал."

As the driver does what he is told and gets out, Jeff adds to the General and Johnstone in the back "Генеральный другие серьезные бизнес принять участие в рамках этого блока. Лучше оставаться в машине."

Piotr listens to what Konrad has to say. Only a worried look betray his inner thoughts. When the captain finishes his only word is ”Understand”



“Alright we focus on Southeast until Southwest.”

After that he calls out to his people in Polish.

”Alright protective perimeter to the South, Lech...Southwest, Teo, Matias...South, Mariusz please take Southeast. Stay alert folks those fools might decide they want to become heroes.”

Keeping an eye on the deployment Piotr walks over to Vita telling her to stay behind the wheel of the truck, for now. After that he will join the perimeter guard.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:14, Tue 15 Feb 2011.

Craig limps along with the others to the meeting with the truck. Once there he takes a seat on the rear of the truck, having let down the tailgate. When he spots Monika he asks her to have another look at his leg:

"Looks like I have popped one of my seams."

Once the rest of the team have assembled he asks:

"Did anyone get a look at any of the bodies ? What they where wearing ?"

It was at this point he noticed Dieters body on the hood of the car. He tried to remember at what point he had last seen the German, but could not place him during the ambush.

It was a great lost to the team and to the over all mission. He would be missed.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:03, Wed 16 Feb 2011.

Matias is walking out to watch the south side of the perimeter when Sutherland asked his question.  He stopped and said "Russian uniforms.  American boots.  Carried AKM."  He wasn't really sure why Sutherland would want to know that, but he had seen the bodies and his description was accurate.

Assuming no further questions, Matias went out to watche the perimeter with Teo.

After her startling discovery, Quyen rolls Dieter's body over to one side, effectively altering the physical evidence that he was accidently killed by their own side. When Tucker and Matias return, she doesn't say anything about how she found him or what she'd discovered.

"I cover." she says quietly as Tucker and Matias carry his body back to the waiting team.

Once back at the truck, Quyen looks to take a up a sentry position while the group gets organized for resuming the drive to the General's camp. Seeing the Poles covering to the S, SE, and SW, Quyen positions herself watching the north from the bed of the truck, using it as a height advantage.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:33, Tue 15 Feb 2011.

Mariusz took his assigned sector to the south east and knelt down to make a harder target. He kept a careful watch whilst the unit reorganised.

Robert walks back to the rest of the group in silence as he & Matias carry the body of their fallen comrade.  "Poor bastard got it in his back!  The headshot shold've done him in quick enough so hopefully he didn't suffer," Tucker thinks to himself until they gently put the body down and then moves off with Konrad, Jan, & Dawid.

Jan ensured that all of the motorbike outrider's gear was also loaded onto the truck.  It was a brutal reality of the life they were currently living that both Dieter and the dead outrider would soon be stripped of anything valuable.  As he joined up with the others he muttered to Dawid, "You should check that motorbike before we leave in case it is worth salvaging."

Jan then moved off to check on the positions everyone had taken.

As Jan moves off, Tucker moves with Dawid off to his (Dawid's) r/h side.  Roberts hands are across his chest .

Ignored once again, Thor watched the enemy until they disappeared, fearing they would pop up again as a thorn in their side at some point in the near future.

"Bring all body. Intel," he radioed once it appeared those on the ground were getting ready to move.
"Maybe Russian deserter. Maybe recognise."

In reply to Konrad Bayer (msg #152):

Dawid's face screwed up with real grief when he heard of Dieter's death. Why him? Dieter was a good man, a German, true. Even then a brave and gentle soul, an intellectual. One by one the best of us like him fall, until it is the unredeemed like me that are left.

It didn't make sense, yet somehow it did. A matter of fate or chance, the result was the same. He crossed himself and said a short prayer for Dieter and the others that had been lost in the short brutal fight.

"Piotr, good man for getting people organised into a perimeter. Trust that your actions do not go unnoticed by the Kaptain and myself." he said in Polish.

After the discussion with Konrad, Jan and Tucker, he wandered with a heavy heart towards Thor, setting down the GPMG on the pavement. When he heard Thor muttering over the radio, Dawid actually thought he had a point about the Russians. Nevertheless, there were other equally or more important matters to attend to. He closed the distance with a firm tread, stopping a couple metres in front of him.

"Thor, never mind that now. It is vital we talk, my friend."

He stood in front of Thor, hands empty and unthreatening, trying to think of how to put this in words that Thor understood.

"You broke your word to obey Kaptain Bayer, uh, "Haptabeiðir" as you call him. For this, you are no longer welcome in our company. You must gather your things and leave immediately. This is not open to discussion, or negotiation, or compromise.

"The Kaptain has decided as you no longer follow, you are not a member of our company. I count you as a friend but you have broken your oath to faithfully serve our agreed leader, the Kaptain, and for that breach of trust we will no longer fight at your back, nor you at ours."

"Go with God, go with Peace. Go however you want, but just go."

He looked meaningfully at Konrad to indicate to Thor he had his blessing, then at Tucker and Jan who were there in clear support of this action.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:14, Thu 17 Feb 2011.

    Monika made sure that her charges were as comfortable as possible, then left the General's vehicle to see if anyone else was hurt in the ambush.  She found Craig by the truck.  She took a quick look at his leg to find that he had injured it again.  She smiled at him as she cleaned the area and replaced the bandage.  "My work good.  You not break."

Thursday, October 26th, 2000
0800 hrs.
32F
party cloudy skies; slight breeze from the north
Wyszkow, Poland


At morning stand, you are awakened by the shouts of Russian and Kazakh non-coms rousing their own men for muster. With the men of the 10th TD providing security during the remainder of the night, you were all able to get some sleep after arriving at your village billet. Before turning in, the division's own medical officer, a proper Muscovite doctor as it turns out, successfully removed the bullet from the general's hip and repaired some of the damage to Johnstone's face. After stand-to, and using some medical supplies "borrowed" from Monika, the doctor also sewed up Jan and Craig's wounds. Despite some recent wear and tear, both men are feeling much improved. You could all use some more sleep, and everyone is longing for a hot bath.

Morning muster revealed 16 men, all Kazakhs, missing (not including the two men killed in the ambush). They could have left at any point since that last head-count at 1800 hours the evening before. No one has seen them since. Perhaps the Baron's loudspeaker unit convinced them to head for greener pastures; perhaps they just struck out on their own.


Adam's Irregulars have also lost a man. Thor, the strange, powerful, and socially inept nordic warrior, was banished on the road from Jackowo Gorne. He didn't take the news particularly well, but his reaction was not as bad as had been feared. After a brief flash of anger, and reminders of his combat prowess and loyalty, Thor acquiesced. His mood quickly changed from anger to deep sadness and several of you started to feel guilty for the decision to exhile him in the middle of nowhere. After handing over his weapons, he stood forlorn on the roadside watching you drive away into the dark in your new old Ural truck. You left his weapons in the road a couple of hundred meters away, as you promised you would, and continued on to Wyszkow, leaving him to face his fate alone. You wonder if you've seen the last of him.

Vita, with Piotr's tacit approval of the Irregular's ultimatum, relinquishes her weapons. The understanding that has been reached as that her weapons will be returned to her once the recently augmented unit has had a chance to clarify it's command structure. She looks none too pleased with her lot but she does not resist. As a remarkably attractive women, being unarmed must leave her feeling rather vulnerable. Before leaving the ambush site, Dawid recovers the 10th TD's motorcycle. It appears to be capable of running again, but the left-side foot peg has been shorn off and the front wheel/handlebars are out of alignment. Some minor repairs should get it operational again soon. When the sedan section reunites with the truck section, the bike is loaded aboard the Ural for the trip to Wyszkow.

This morning, you've met a couple of new misfits- Mrityunjay Byanjankar, a Ghurka straggler adopted by the 10th TD, and Robert Flemming, another CIA "liaison" officer. The Ghurka, in particular, seems eager to attach himself to your group. Both Byanjankar and Flemming arrive with Warren to join you for your morning repast.

Sitting around the kitchen table in a your village billet (the mayor's guest house), you enjoy a meager breakfast of bread and butter and some hot, bitter herbal tea (you surmise that the "herbs" are probably some sort of local tree bark or some such). The fare is not particularly tasty or filling but it's better than nothing. It's time to talk.


Next Moves?
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:20, Sun 20 Feb 2011.

Mariusz watched the huge, dysfunctional Norwegian standing forlornly by the roadside as the truck pulled away from him. He felt his eyes prickly with tears as he thought about abandoning such a comrade, "Now I'll never get to have his gun when he dies," he thought, shaking his head slowly and sadly.

Craig recognised the ethnicity of the Gurkha solider almost instantly he limped slightly as he approached the new arrival:

”Namaste, Mero naam Craig ho. Ma ali-ali Nepali bolchu.”*

He had trained and served with the Gurkha battalions and was gifted one of their large knives. He proudly wore it attached to the strap of his PLCE. He knew it would be a good story as to how he ended up attached to a Russian tank division nearly as good as his own....


*Hello, my name is Craig. Sorry I only speak a little Nepalese.

Jeff walks into the billet feeling very refreshed.  He had slept away from the unit in the night, instead staying with Flemming and Johnstone.

"Good morning.  I hope everyone is well rested.  Busy day ahead.  May I introduce Mr. Byanjankar and Mr. Flemming.  Byanjankar will be working with your unit as he doesn't exactly fit in with the rest of the Russkies or Kazakhs, and Mr. Flemming here is going to help with the wider picture, and analysis of our situation."

Jan had felt a degree of tension lift from his shoulders when they had driven off, leaving Thor behind in the road.  Thor was a good soldier in a fight, very much the warrior he desired to be, but he had created so many problems for the unit in the short time he had been a member that he had become a liability.  Attempting to countermand Konrad’s orders in the middle of an ambush had been the final straw and Jan had no doubt that leaving the Norwegian behind was the right thing to do.  He was also confident that Thor was able to look after himself in the wild and, assuming that he steered clear of people and lived off the land, he expected a highly trained Marine such as Thor to make his way back to his homeland.

It was when he tried to interact with people that Thor seemed to have problems!

---

Jan had slept for as long as he could as they had a roof over their heads for once.  He had also been very grateful to the Russian doctor who had checked over his arm, though he continued to favour it to avoid putting any further strain on the wound.

Over the meagre breakfast Jan listened to Jeff’s introductions and noted that Craig was taking the initiative and speaking in some strange language to one of the new arrivals.  Jan had a couple of questions for everyone.

“Does the attack on the General change our timetable at all?  When are we planning to leave and what route back into Warsaw are we taking?”

Jan also had a question for Jeff and his colleague Flemming.

“As well as the weapons we can donate to the 10th I am keen to trade for some clips for my PM-84 SMG.  Who is the best person to talk to in the 10th to see if they can help?”

"I just had to remove one member because he didn't fit with the rest of my team." Bayer says dryly. "Before people here go deciding between themselves about sending their people to us to deal with, I want to talk to them first."

Bayer then turns to Dawid and says, "In addition to any normal admin needs you are able to sort out this morning, don't forget to get all batteries recharged." He then hands him the batteries from his NVGs and radio.

Bayer then waits for the General and his aides to answer Jan's questions on their intentions.

Before going to bed, he assigned Vita the job of maintaining the truck, while he looked at the motorcycle. Not too bad; the forks could be straightened by hand and a new foot-peg made from whatever was at hand, even wood.

He also detailed Minh to examine their billet for possible safety and security problems. "As a military police and engineer, I trust you are well-knowledgeable about how to secure a structure. Also, Vita seems uncomfortable with being disarmed, which is understandable. I am going to suggest she comes to you with any personal concerns if she feels she can't discuss it with a man. Thank you."

Everyone else was set to cleaning their weapons, and he made sure they had something to eat.

---

In reply to Konrad Bayer (msg #170):

"Yes, Kaptain. I'll see if Vita can hook up the batteries for charging to the truck engine, although if it's from the alternator it's most efficient if we do this while moving, of course."

He collected all run-down batteries for charging. If nothing else, maybe the Russians had some way of charging them while they fashioned something on their end.

Dawid addressed the newcomers, welcoming them with an offer of cigarettes. "Good to meet you both! I hope we can find a place for you here, should we decide to include you in our unit."

"Piotr, my friend, I heard good things about you and of course we fought well together at the ambush. I'm going to reorganise our little unit soon, I'm going to put all us Poles together if I can so we'll be working together. I trust you don't have a problem with working under someone of lesser rank, at least while working with us?" He spoke in Polish, to keep the other man at ease.

Moving along, he addressed Vita, keeping a gentle tone with her, mindful of last night's talking-to.

He said in Polish, "Vita, would you please fashion a battery charger from the alternator with the leads going into the cab of the truck? Thanks. I tried but failed, you may have better luck than I. Rest assured that you are not helpless. Should anyone harass you or do or say anything unwelcome towards you, they will answer to me. Or if you prefer talking to another woman, let Minh know and we'll deal with it."

"Also, do you prefer Polish or Russian?

He addressed everyone:

"Once we have finished our business with the new folks and I'm clear what we have available, I will be assigning people into teams."


OOC: If Vita can't make a charger, Dawid is going to ask the Russians' quartermaster if they can charge their batteries. Also, regardless, if the quartermaster has anything to trade. Finally, if they have any backpacks, enough for the team?
This message was last edited by the player at 05:23, Mon 21 Feb 2011.

In reply to Dawid Waldus Piotrowski (msg #171):

Rob took an old mug filled with tea. Although he loves tea, he hates this poor quality. Nevermind, its wartime-tea.
He took a place at the table and nodded to all the other guys.
"Thanks Mr. Warren. My name is Robert. I'm working for CIVGOV as polad*. Glad to see you here."

He turns to Jan Cerny.

"I think the quartermaster of the 10th can help you. Which caliber does it have? 9x18 or 9x19?"


*political advisor

Naik Mrityunjay Byanjankar stood naked in the stream. He quickly washed himself all over, ignoring the coldness of the water and the northerly breeze. There seemed to a lot of excitement in the camp, as a large group of newcomers had arrived during the night. He had asked one of the NCOs who spoke a little English, who had told him that a group of Americans and Poles had come into camp.

He finished washing and shook himself dry, the water flying off his smooth skin. He jumped up and down to remove the last of the water, before quickly dressing in his British Army fatigues. Grabbing his old Mosin Nagant rifle, he ran over to the billet where the newcomers had been stationed. Peering through the door, he tried to make out some faces. They seemed like a strange bunch, with a rag-tag collection of equipment and uniforms. He tried to spot insignias, but couldn't make any out. He then spotted a strange sight in the room; a woman. Was she Chinese, Korean, maybe Vietnamese? He couldn't be sure.

Suddenly behind him two faces appeared. One he recognised as an American named Flemming, who he had seen around the camp. The other was unknown to him. Flemming gestured to him to follow, and they entered the billet.

Upon entering he listened as the new man introduced him and Flemming to the group. He smiled awkwardly, looking around the group and bowing politely to each member. One man, a British officer from the look of him, stood gingerly and spoke.



Mritjunjay's eyes widened. It had been many months since he had heard anyone speaking his native tongue, and he certainly hadn't expected to hear it any time soon. A wide grin split his face. Excitedly, he replied, "Subha prabhat Craig-ji! Mero naam Naik Mrityunjay Byanjankar ho! Tapaaiilaaii bhettera khushii laagyo."

Looking around at the blank faces of the other members of the group, he grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. My name Mrityunjay Byanjankar. Please to call me Jay. I am Gurkha Rifle. Nice to meet you."

Jay waited for a response from the team. From what the American with Flemming had said, they would be his new colleagues. He stood there in his battered but clean uniform, complete with boonie hat, webbing and canteen, his kukri proudly strapped to his belt. Besides the WWII Mosin Nagant rifle on his shoulder, and the gurkha knife on his belt, he appeared to have no other weapons or significant equipment.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:28, Mon 21 Feb 2011.

Jan nodded in greeting to the newcommer who called himself Jay but left Craig to take the lead on evaluating the man.


"It is 9x18mm Makarov," Jan replied, "so hopefully it will not be to hard to find.  I need clips though and not just rounds."

He made a mental note to ensure that Flemming introduced him to the 10th's quartermaster but left it for the moment.  They needed to work out the current timeframe for the plan and that was partly dependent on Jeff and the 10th.  The bits of organising he wanted to do would have to wait if they needed to leave promptly to return to Warsaw.

Piotr still looked tired when they gathered around the table. Only when he was sure Janek’s body was well taken care of  after they arrived in town he had been able to get some sleep. He was just savoring his mug of bark tea, personally greeting the new faces, when Dawid addressed him.



Piotr looked at Dawid, holding silent for a moment making his junior countryman wait just long enough for his response while he also considered the talk he’d had with the German captain in this matter before he answered.
“Depends if that someone is just as wise as the commanding officer and also knows when the listen to recommendations" Although the words were said with a big smile there was definitely a serious undertone. “You and the captain have worked together for a while, so it makes sense.”

Robert walks up to the Gurka soldier and extends his hand to him and says, "Hey.  Names Robert Tucker, foremerly of the U.S. 10th Mountain.  Mostly everyone calls me Tuck, Jay.  If you're interested, I got a Romanian AK folder and some mags if that Nagant & knife is all you got.  Even got a pistol if you want?"

    After a wonderful night of sleep and the meager fare for breakfast, Monika found a quiet corner away from prying eyes where she inventoried her medical supplies.  The only thing she was running low on was bandages.  She sought out the Captain to tell him of this.

    Moniks waited until the Captain has a free moment, then tried to speak to him in English.  She held up her Doctor's bag.  "Have droogs.  Need..."  Monika couldn't think of the words, so she dug in the medical bag and pulled some wrapped gauze pads and a roll of white bandaging tape.  She displayed them for the Captain to see.  "...More"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:22, Mon 21 Feb 2011.

"Polish is fine, but my Russian is better. I am happy to help but I won't do anything without at least my pistol. This camp is full of men- Red Army men- and Kazakhs at that, and I will not go about alone and unarmed. I do not mean to be difficult but if you had seen what I have seen, you would ask for the same."

Dawid waited for Piotr to continue at his leisure, smiling a little as he lit a cigarette, then offered the pack in a comradely fashion.



He smiled in return, obviously amused by the subtext of Piotr's words.

"Ah! So it all "depends" on if I "listen to recommendations", now, does it?"

Dawid casually waved away any response, his question being meant rhetorically.

"You did not look pleased with how I handled Vita's punishment. Please understand, unit discipline is my responsibility, no matter who it is. Vita and the rest of "your" people get no special treatment with regards to discipline, no option to follow orders or not if they feel like it. I trust you understand there cannot be two chains of command in the same unit, and that trust and a voice is not merely granted but must be earned, even by you."

"If that is not acceptable, then I'm sure something more suitable can be arranged."

Dawid saw Vita out of the corner of his eye and said to Piotr, "please pardon me, my friend, I must continue my discussion with our mechanic." He switched from Polish to Russian to talk to Vita, wondering if Piotr could follow the conversation and guessing he could.



"Fine, I understand, Vita, and do not wish to be difficult in return. If this isn't acceptable and you wish to remain armed then of course you can see if the Russians will have need of your services, or I can have you dropped off somewhere convenient, like a community where you can find work and earn shelter."

Apparently, letting Vita keep her pistol wasn't on the table. He looked at Piotr, then back to Vita. "Your being disarmed is not just done out of spite, it's a symbol of our lack of trust you. If you want to earn back that trust then you'll abide by Konrad's decision. If not, there are other choices."


OOC: There were two interesting but parallel lines of conversation between Dawid and Piotr, and Dawid and Vita. I took the liberty of joining them. Please forgive me if it feels clumsy or forced!

This message was last edited by the player at 08:29, Tue 22 Feb 2011.

Jay smiled at the warm welcome he received. Certainly more friendly than the Russians. He took the proferred hand and shook it vigourously. "Subha prabhat Tuck-ji. Yes please to new gun please." He dropped the old Mosin Nagant off his shoulder and held it up for inspection. "This is good gun, but as old as my grandfather, and just as slow! Also, I think Russian want it back if I leave. I take anything you offer. I very good shot with gun. Also good with rocket. Good tank killer! I kill many!" Realising he was getting a bit too excited, he quietened down. "What pistol you have?"

Rob nodded.
"Ah, the 9x18. A bit uncommon I think. But I am not a weapon specialist. I will ask the quartermaster later on."

He took a nip from his tea-mug and started searching for cigaretts.

Matias was depressed.  Losing two in such a minor scuffle, and then the surprise of Thor's dismissal had taken it out of him.  Janek's death hit him especially hard.  He'd always liked the man, and had thought of him as an older brother of sorts.  Janek had given Matias the 'bird & the bees' talk about a year earlier, because Matias never got one from his own parents.  Janek's version was more explicit than his father's would have been, to be sure, but Matias had been 18 at the time, and needed to know.

Other than quickly introducing himself to the newcomers with "I am Matias," and a quick handshake, he kept to himself for now.

Mariusz listened to Dawid's talk with Vita and said, "If Vita is worried about our Allies, I'll accompany her wherever she needs to go. I'll make sure no one takes advantage of her."

Piotr silently listens how Dawid makes his point. He knows when to keep quiet.



Giving the Polish partisan an appreciative smile he talks “Thanks Mariusz, I think that's a very good idea,... assuming you agree of course” he completed after a short pause, while looking at Dawid.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:04, Tue 22 Feb 2011.

Tuck nods and smiles, "Maybe old and slow but reliable to get you this far huh?"  He takes the Russian rifle from the Gurka and inspects it and then hands it back to him.  "You keep it for now unless someone tells you otherwise OK?  It's an American Colt forty-five with only the magazine in it but, it's full," he says as he waves him over to his rucksack where he's keeping the weapons.

Vita looks from Dawid to Mariusz, weighing her options. The young man looked earnest but you could never be sure with boys of that age...

"I made a mistake. I got scared and I didn't want to sit in a kill zone. I panicked. You're going to leave me defenseless for that? After I found you and brought you to the Spider? I could have saved your lives and this is how you repay me?"

She looks pointedly at Piotr, expecting his backing.

"Well?"

As you finish up your meager breakfast, the 10th TD's supply officer arrives. He's a thin, balding man, anywhere between 25-45 years of age. He introduces himself as Sergei Krinkov. Despite the prominent dark bags underneath his yellowed eyes, he is almost annoyingly jovial. His cheerful demeanor stands in stark contrast to his sickly visage. The stereotype of the Vodka-sodden manic depressive Russian comes instantly to mind.

"I hear that you have some weapons for us? This is most excellent. I suppose you have some needs as well?"

Someone informs him of your need for packs to replace those lost when you quite literally went underground in Warsaw.

"Packs? Of course we have packs! There's nothing in them, of course- hasn't been for weeks- so you are welcome to have a few. How many do you need? Blankets and winter gear, though, we don't even have enough for our own men. We chose the wrong time of year to defect. If we'd waited a couple of weeks, we might have gotten our winter clothing issue but I have my doubts. We've had to scrounge most of the cold weather gear we do have. The medical officer will tell you that several of our men are suffering from frostbight. Can't help you there."

When batteries are mentioned, Krinkov laughs for a good minute before composing himself enough to answer.

"Batteries? Are you serious? No, the recon team and the general have the last pair and they are both running low on power. Johnstone's 'Blackbird' dropped a few for his fancy satellite radio but that was, oh, about two months ago. We have no motor vehicles with which to charge them. Our batteries aren't as good as your NATO ones."

Jan lit a cigarette and offered Flemming a drag.  Just one, enough to take the edge off the nicotine craving.  He smoked the rest himself.

He smiled at the American's comment.  "You are not a weapon specialist as you say.  That round is the round fired by the Makarov pistol amongst others and the SMG I have is often called the Polish Uzi.  Therefore it is not uncommon in Poland, though the mags I need may be rare amongst the 10th."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:44, Tue 22 Feb 2011.

Craig studied the Russian supply officer before asking:

"We have an RPG-7 but no grenades. Apart from that I'll take one of the packs even though I have shit all to put in it."

Krinkov adds that, as far as he knows, there are no PM-84 mags among the men of the 10th. He suggests that perhaps one of the Polish townspeople is hiding one somewhere but it's plainly a shot in the dark.

To Craig, Krinkov explains,

"We have only two RPG launchers and a handful of rockets between them. Are you a good shot, because my men are not."

Jeff only shrugs at Konrad's reception of Byanjankar.  As the Gurkha wanders about the unit, he says to Konrad "I'm only the delivery boy.  Talk to the General if you don't want him.  Flemming is agency as well, but he's not like me.  Paperwork and analysis side of things.  Probe him if you want some more intel of the big picture.

I'm going to speak with Johnstone now to see if he's come up with anything."

With that, Jeff departs, first nodding farewell to Flemming.  With that he seeks out the General and Johnstone.

First seeking the General asks "Sir I hope your wounds are recovering well.  It is a shame about those Kazakh traitors.  I'm sure after this battle it won't be an issue again.  Anyway, the unit I came with is eager to learn their place in the battle plan.  If you want to pass this on to me so I can pass it onto the unit, they would appreciate it.  Or if you are up to it I'm sure they have many questions.  They are very impatient"  After speaking with the General, Jeff looks for Johnstone.

Upon finding him with the Doctor, Jeff asks for a moment of privacy away from the Doctor and medics.  "How's the face?  You look absurd with those bandages.

Anyway, have you had any word from higher lately?  Do we have any assets in place to help us out in regards to equipment for us, or strikes against Warsaw?  I've got good coordinates on several targets, although I suspect that our allies have some heavier firepower of their own.  Any more FROGs lying around, like that one we used outside of Pisz?"
This message was last edited by the player at 14:58, Wed 23 Feb 2011.

In reply to Jeff D. Warren (msg #191):

"I didn't say I didn't want him." Bayer replies. "Just hesitant and skeptical about the motives when any unit tries to unload someone onto another."

Bayer then changes the topic and says, "Find out what the Division plans on doing so my team can figure out how we can fit into things."

Turning to watch Jay for a moment, Bayer quickly gets the impression that the man is quiet friendly and open. The man seemed like a decent fellow all around actually. When Jay looks in his direction, Bayer nods to the Gurkha and says simply, "I am Kaptain Bayer." and waits to see what the man has to say - if anything.

Taking the Mosin Nagant back from Tucker, Jay replied, "I only use few time since I come here one month ago with my friend. Before, I have just this for many month in wood." He gestured toward the kukri knife on his belt. "I live in wood since my mission end, many month now. Enemy no find me, I sneaky!" He grinned and tapped the side of his nose.



Hearing the German officer's greeting, Jay turned to face him. He snapped a formal salute, holding it as he spoke. "Namaste Kapitanbayer-ji. I Mrityunjay Byanjankar, Corporal, Firs Battalion, Seven Duke of Edinburgh Own Gurkha Rifle. I loyal British soldier, I fight good, I kill many enemy, I fight for you army now, help all friend go home." He held the salute until it was returned, and waited for the man's response. Hopefully he would be allowed to join the new team and leave the Russian's behind.

Craig shrugs his shoulders:

"I tagged two of the BTR's and missed two shots on the BMP, so I guess OK."

He seems to be deep in thought for a moment then adds:

"Could of been worse."

Craig is not smiling as he adjusts his position in his chair to favour his unwounded leg.

In reply to Viktorya Nowak (msg #186):

Dawid didn't respond directly to Piotr.

Nevertheless, with Piotr's response about Vita's situation, Dawid's body language subtly changed. The tension between the two men ebbing away as some kind of non-verbal communication passed between them.

"See? Your boyfriend here thinks Maruisz's offer is a solid one." Dawid smiled at Piotr, then back to Vita. Piotr could tell this was more of a friendly jab, not a barbed comment meant to get under his skin.

"There's nothing I wouldn't like more than to get into a debate with you, Vita. Suffice to say, without the factors you mention it could be a lot worse."

"For the third and final time, no gun until we say so. What's it going to be?"
This message was last edited by the player at 10:05, Wed 23 Feb 2011.

Bayer returned the salute, a gesture that suddenly felt strange and forgotten. He couldn't remember the last time he saluted somebody, having been on the go and in the field for so long now. But then again, considering how the past was blurring together, it might have been just yesterday.

"Right." Bayer replies finally. Then instead of giving the man "the new guy talk" like he had planned, Bayer suddenly changes his mind and simply offers the man his hand and says, "Welcome aboard."

Jay grasped the Kapitan's hand and shook it firmly, a wide grin spreading across his face. He bowed in head in a gesture of respect to the man who has just become his new commanding officer.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:27, Wed 23 Feb 2011.

"Hmm, field dressings, yes?" Bayer says while looking at the bandages. "I'm sure those are at least easier to come by than medicine." he adds, before realizing she probably didn't understand him.

Nodding slowly, he says, "Yes. Okay." and scratched a memo in his field message pad.

Following this, Bayer turns to Jan and says, "It's redundant to go chasing after supplies before we know of our mission, but once we do, I want you to deal with it. Alright?" He then passes him the scrap of paper. "You are now in charge of administrative requests."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:55, Wed 23 Feb 2011.

"Thanks!" Jan replied a little sourly.  "How much time do you think we have before we need to move out?"

He took a deep drag. "Lord, those bloody Polish cigaretts." But he smiled and took another nip of his tea. "Yeah, you're right." he said to Jan. "The good old Polish Uzi. I meant it could uncommon here among the 10th."

When the supply officer arrived, Rob turned to him with a small sheet of paper from his writing pad. "Good to see you sir. I've got a short list what Mr. Warren needs. And we need some ammo 9x18. 120 rounds, if possible."

In reply to Viktorya Nowak (msg #186):

Piotr was suddenly aware Vita was looking at him for support. Something he couldn't give. The fact that she'd made a decision to negotiate over a direct order only made her position worse. He wondered if she really didn't see that.

“Sorry Viktoria, it's Dawid's decision. Even if I thought it unwise for any combatant to walk around unarmed, it beats the usual penalty for your actions. Be it out of panic or otherwise.”

“Mariusz is a good boy, I completely trust him and so should you. You do what you do best, do your tinkering and I'm sure you'll be able to redeem yourself.”

After these words his eyes rested on her waiting for her to reply to Dawid's lingering question.

In reply to Piotr Pawlowski (msg #201):

Dawid nodded his thanks to Piotr.

"Only not just my decision. Konrad's, too, which I support. You let me know what you want to do, okay? I have other things to attend to so I must take my leave."

"Oh yes, Vita, should you decide to stay then please look into the battery situation."

Leaving Vita and Piotr with a nod, he sought out the Russian quartermaster, and procured a backpack for all personnel in the unit that needed one, which was basically all personnel in the unit.

He then sought out Konrad.

"Kaptain, I can report that Vita's not happy with being disarmed, but I made it clear that was her only option. She may or may not stay, her choice. I am happy to say Piotr supports this course. I gather he was the section leader under the Baron, but I believe he's going to fit into our unit nicely, he shows initiative and cares for his people. Qualities to note for the future."

When I can, I will reorganise the unit. Any suggestions or recommendations? Or will you have Jan do this?"

"At any rate, I advocate we don't wait for the Baron to strike. Using the truck and one or more wagons we can pull many people... slowly."

"Also, if no one has contacted the Queen to make a report, let's do that now."

If no one had contacted the Queen that day, he takes care of that immediately. He asks around for the best radio operator, including the present personnel, the Russians, and the team's new personnel. He guesses it's Warren but wants to make sure!
This message was last edited by the player at 07:18, Thu 24 Feb 2011.

Bayer nods and replies, "Well... keep an eye on her, as long as she is here anyway. Also, perhaps the 10th can accomodate her and take her on in some capacity - a support position or something."

"Hold off on the reorganizing. That'll happen once we know what our objective is first." Bayer then pauses, and adds, "I have a feeling you are going to want the Polish contingent to be in one group, under yourself?"

Finally he says, "I would like to act now as well, before we lose the initiative. Only waiting to see what the General has to say, but after that we can get started. And yes, try to see if someone can setup a directional antenna for our radio."

"And the batteries!" he reminds him.

Turning to Jeff, Bayer then says, "We need to see the General."
This message was last edited by the player at 12:45, Thu 24 Feb 2011.

"Konrad," Jan interjected.  "After I have spoken to the 10th's Quartermaster, and while you and Jeff speak to the General, I am going to go and talk to the Mayor to get some idea of the strength of the village militia.  I will also see if they have anything worth trading for.  Is that ok?  I will take some of the Poles with me, particularly Monika as her medical skills might help the villagers stay friendly.  If we need to leave soon then we can be back quickly."

Bayer shakes his head in agreement, "Yes. Good idea."

"Ok," Jan announced to everyone else still present.  "I am going to see the 10th's Quartermaster briefly before going into the village to speak to the Mayor to find out more about the village and whether there is anything worth trading for.  It would also be good to find out more about the village militia.  Anyone is welcome to come along but I would like Monika and Jay to join me for certain.  Monika, it is possible that the villagers have a need for medical advice, though the 10th may have already done that, and Jay, I assume that you know your way around?  Anyone coming, we leave in twenty minutes."

Jan then repeated himself in Polish to ensure that everyone understood.

Before he left to go and see the 10th's Quartermaster Jan gave the satchel with Alexei's code books and maps in it to Konrad.  If Konrad was going to see the General then that might be the right time to share that intel.  That was for Konrad to decide though.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:58, Thu 24 Feb 2011.

In reply to Jan Cerny (msg #206):

"Please to come with you, mister..." he tailed off, as Jan had not yet introduced himself. "If I am leave here I must return rifle," indicating the Mosin Nagant on his shoulder. "We see quartermaster, then we go to village. I know way, I have map." At the last he tapped the side of his head, indicating that the map was in his head.

Turning back to Tuck, he said, "excuse please mister Tuck-ji. I will take the AIMS-74 if you spare." Once Tuck has handed it over he continued, "dhanybhad, thank you." He then quickly checked the weapon to make sure it was serviceable, and that the mag was correctly fitted. Finally, he checked the safety was on, before holding it by the foregrip, in a non-threatening manner.

Once Jan and the others were ready he said, "follow please, we go."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:41, Thu 24 Feb 2011.

Before Jan leaves, Bayer says to him, as a friendly jab, "Field dressings."

"That was one of the key things I wanted to sort out and is part of the reason I am taking Monika," Jan replied to Konrad's prompt.  "I am also going to give Monika the medic bag and supplies that Anneka gave me before we left the boat.  I am not a very good medic and Monika has proved herself."

Jan realised that he hadn't introduced himelf to the new recruit.  "I am Jan Cerny," he replied in accented English, offering his hand in greeting to Jay and stressing that his first name was pronounced Yahn.  "Formerly a Sergent Chef in the FFL.  Dawid, Tuck and I are the Capitaine's NCOs."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:03, Thu 24 Feb 2011.

Mariusz looked over at Vita and said, "Come with me, the more useful you are the sooner you'll get your guns back."

He walked over to the Kaptain and said, "Sir, permission to try to fix up the motorcycle first. If we can't raise the Krowola from here we might be able to use it to get a radio closer to the tug."

He paused and said, "May I also draw a second weapon to issue to Vita if I deem it absolutly necessary for her survival? I've been without a gun in this world, Sir, and I don't ever want to be again. She's too pretty to last long without either a minder or a gun. I wouldn't give it too her unless our lives were under threat but I'd rather have the option than not, Sir."

In reply to Jan Cerny (msg #209):

Jay took Jan's hand and shook it, again beaming a big smile. "Namaste, Yahn-ji." These people certainly seemed a lot more friendly than the Russians. As Jan continued a look of puzzlement overtook Jay's face. "You no look like cook."

"Alright." Bayer agrees, "See what you can do. We might not have much time though."

After hesitating, Bayer looks at Dawid and then quietly addresses the second request, "If there are no objections from any of the NCOs then it may be permitted. A pistol only... and keep it unloaded with the magazine in a separate pocket. Then upon returning the pistol is to be turned back in."

     Monika examined the remaining supplies in her Doctor's bag.  After the 10th's Doctor had helped himself to what was in it earlier, there wasn't a lot left over.  Monika suspected that a few antibiotic and painkilling tablets had gone into the Doctor's pockets as "payment" for treating Johnstone's wounds.  Fortunately, he didn't go near Monika's backpack.  It would have been at best... uncomfortable... to have to explain why she would have shot him... several times... in the head.

     The medic heard the mission being given out.  Maybe she could use this as an opportunity to scrounge locate and salvage some items that the team could use.  She walked over to Mariusz.  Happy to be using a language she knew, she spoke to him.  "Would you ask the Captain if I could borrow Vita to help me?  She could help me with the villagers."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:25, Thu 24 Feb 2011.

In reply to Mariusz Tokarski (msg #210):

Dawid cocked his head and replied to Konrad. "Ha, the batteries? I'll see if Vita can rig something up. So far, no luck for me or the Russians."

He shook his head as Mariusz requested a weapon for Vita.

"No need to carry something for her, if it comes to that then we'll issue her a weapon at that time."

"Also, if she's staying her priority is to get a battery charger set up. That is her main priority, that and maintaining the truck. I hope that's clear."


OOC: I know the Russians don't have a charger, can they rig one up? Sorry, I can't recall if this was settled or not, thanks!

Mariusz listened to Dawid and then replied, "So if I'm off with her and we get into a situation where she needs a gun, I'm to return to the unit and request one from stores, got it."

Maybe I'll just shoot her on the spot to save her any further pain, Mariusz thought.

He heard Monika's request and said, "The Kaptain's tasked us with fixing the motorcycle first. If you set up your aid station nest to where we work I can help you with the villagers as well as help Vita. Before you go, you might want to request the .45 pistol, I know your gun is only for self defence but if it jams you might want back up. It's an idea, take it or leave it."

In reply to Mariusz Tokarski (msg #215):

"I'll go with you." Quyen says. She then lights up one of her smokes and takes a count of those remaining in the waterproof case, eight. "Whenever you are ready."

Jay approached the Quartermaster and returned the rifle and ammunition he had been issued. He didn't feel the need to say anything. The man had been very rude when he had reluctantly given Jay the ancient weapon, so he was glad to be rid of him.

Returned to QM:
Mosin-Nagant Model 1891/30
25x 7.62mmR rounds

The general, resting in bed in the mayor's large house, is cleary agitated.

"They are impatient? We can't sit around here much longer. The men are literally beginning to starve. Even men I was sure would remain loyal are deserting. We are getting weaker and I suspect this Baron fool is gaining strength from our losses. He must know how weak we are now. I can't make this more clear. Your friends say they have an armored tug. Where is it? They ask for much and offer little. They talk and talk and it leads nowhere! We need that food, Mr. Warren. We will attack tomorrow, one way or another."



Johnstone chuckles at the memory of the mushroom cloud over Pisz. Capturing one of Ivan's own tac-nukes and then using it against him was one of their finest moments as a team.

His speech is still somewhat slurred, but it's much clearer now after receiving treatment from the 10th's medical officer.

"HQ is wooling out an airdwop vif clofe to Wawfaw. Dey have duh bird, but dey don wanna wisk it. Dey've pwomised an airdwop aftuh we take duh fity. Bwilliant, eh? I keep tewwing dem dat we're wosing the Tenf, but dey're not budgin'."
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:50, Thu 24 Feb 2011.

Vita spits "This is bullshit, Piotr! And you know it!" before stalking off with Mariusz. He seems like a good kid, but all boys are the same, especially at his age- sooner or later he'd make his first clumsy, dick-brained move on her, and then what? Her sambo was pretty good...

She pops the hood on the old Ural and finds the alternator.

"I need some wires."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:00, Thu 24 Feb 2011.

A cry goes up around the town.

"Tanks! Tanks are coming up the road!"

This morning just keeps getting better and better.

Next Moves?
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:02, Thu 24 Feb 2011.

Standing next to Jeff, Bayer says as diplomatically as possible, "With respect General, everyone is talking - except for you. And you are the voice I need to hear before I can start issuing any orders."

"We are going to try to reestablish radio contact with our gunboat and militia allies to the south. And you will be informed immediately when that happens. Which can be in as little as twenty minutes if you have a signaller to assist us."

Bayer then says, "In the meantime General, my team is nearly ready except for some minor administrative issues."

"I want, I need, to know about your input into your division's involvement in the attack. I can't plan without knowing what your intentions are. My team will be able to infiltrate and attack point targets, but your force plays too huge a role to go ahead and plan without your input first."

Leaving the General's side, Bayer races back to the rest of the team, shouting, "Fall in for battle..."

"Assault One, Tucker, Quyen, Mariusz and Matias."

"Assault Two, Jan, Sutherland, Warren and Jay."

"Support (MG/Sniper) Dawid, Piotr, Teo, Janis, Lech. Teo grab that RPK-74 and some ammo."

"Headquarters, myself, Flemming, Sawiki and Nowak (medic asst.)."

Bayer then looks to whoever sounded the alarm and tries to find out which direction is the enemy approaching from and how many are there.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:24, Thu 24 Feb 2011.

Mariusz heard his officer's call and said, "Looks like life has caught up with us again, let's move it."

He rallied to his position and checked his gun, "Sergeant," he said to Dawid, "does this count as a situation where Vita gets a gun or should I instruct her to use harsh language against the tanks?"

Konrad had issued squad assignments so Jan went into full NCO mode.  He gave Teo the RPK-74 with ten 30 round mags for it, Jay the Romanian AIMS-74 with seven 30 round mags and Flemming the AKS-74U with five 30 round mags.  It appeared that Konrad had forgotten the other CIA man Flemming so Jan also gave him the PRC-77 Manpack Radio that Dieter had carried previously and then dragged him over to Konrad.

"Konrad, we seem to have Flemming with us as well.  I've given him the spare manpack radio as well as a carbine.  He can operate as a dedicated radio operator for you if you need him to."

Jan then rushed over to the 10th's Quartermaster and pointed to the pile of 7.62x39mm weapons and ammo that had been piled in a corner.  He spoke in Polish or English, whichever the Russian understood best.  "They are for the 10th.  Issue them as you need them.  If you have any rockets for an RPG-7 or any other AT weapons you can give us we must have them now!  We will go tank hunting I believe!"

You move quickly, south along the main road through Wyszkow, towards the rumoured approaching armor. Those of you with binoculars or rifle scopes find good vantage points with clear LOS and peer down the road. Through the early morning haze you spot the offending "tank".

There it is- the Baron's PTSM. You've seen it before. It creaks to a stop over a kilometer away and a greeting booms towards you across the fields from a powerful loudspeaker. You can't understand more than a few words of what is said but it's not for lack of volume.

The 10th TD's quartermaster followed you from your billet and he translates for you (through one of the party's Russian speakers).

"It's Kazakh. It's one of the deserters. He's saying, 'Come join us. The Baron is a honorable man. There is much to eat and warm lodgings waiting in Warsaw. He has told us to tell you that tonight is your last chance. Tomorrow, the Baron will destroy all who remain. No quarter will be given. He has tanks and artillery- we have seen them. You don't have to die. Come, join us. You will be well treated. We have suffered enough. The Americans have given us nothing. The Baron is our true friend. If you don't leave by tomorrow at dawn, we can't save you. Goodbye, brothers. We hope to see you soon. Er, that is all."

The PTSM spins on its tracks and clanks off towards Warsaw.

Next Moves?
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:58, Fri 25 Feb 2011.

In reply to Konrad Bayer (msg #222):

"Yes sir."

He called out in Polish,

"Piotr, Lech, Teo, Woj. On me!"

"Woj, you're my assistant with the PKM so grab the ammo. Teo, you're on the RPK-74. Piotr, you're our spotter."

After a short jog they got into position where they could pour flanking fire on any dismounts, but that didn't appear to be necessary. Dawid debated checking in on the radio but decided against it, instead locating himself close to Konrad so the support element could be more easily directed by the Kaptain.

As the cry went out Jay quickly stuffed the magazines into his webbing, even though they were an awkward fit for his British PLCE, and stowed the rest of his new kit as best he could. Hearing the Kapitan's order he joined up with Jan, Craig and Warren, with his new weapon ready.

Finding good cover he scanned for signs of activity, first with his eyes then using his newly acquired binoculars. He spotted the tank in question. As the loudspeaker belched forth it's propaganda, he listened to the translated version, and did his best to follow it.

The message seemed to be the usual rhetoric, stay and you will die, desert and you will live. Not subtle or clever, but could be effective. Turning to his team, he said, "he lie! He bandar ko chaak!"

OOC - Rae, any chance of a new map?
This message was last edited by the player at 08:29, Fri 25 Feb 2011.

Craig rose from his chair and cast a glance towards the supply officer. He made a move towards the man then turned and followed the other members of the team. He muttered under his breath "Never enough bloody time."

He made a gimace when he saw what the "tank" was;

"You know what my friends I will at some soon stage take great joy in blowing that bloody thing off it tracks."

"It looks like we are going to have to make a move sooner then later. That is bloody convincing even though it is untrue. The new recruit probably has a gun to his head and the rest of his fellow traitors are in a heap behind him."

He raises his field glasses and tries to spot any other personnel.



Without lowering his glasses he says:

"In the land of mad people, there are insane rituals."
This message was last edited by the player at 09:31, Fri 25 Feb 2011.

Mariusz joined Tucker, his team leader and said, "So, looks like the Baron's come to us. Nice of him to save us the walk. How do you think this will go down? I presume we're going to wait til dark and mount a fighting recce patrol. Find out what the Baron's got and cause as much carnage as we can. Damn, I love it when a plan comes together."

Turning to the others, Jeff says worriedly "His argument although false is very convincing.  We need to address the 10th and keep them from deserting.  You who've fought with him need to tell them of the horrors you've seen, which you have seen whether you like it or not.  We need to convince them that they will be treated like garbage if they join the Baron, whereas if we liberate the city we will be treated as heroes.

Additionally, we have been promised an air drop once the city is secure.  I'm not sure what will be on it, but we can sort that out after the fight."

Jeff tells the General "Sir, you need to address your troops.  The NATO unit I've been with has some deserters from the Baron's forces.  They will back up the tails of his horrors."

The men of the 10th are rounded up by their Russian officers and senior NCOs and brought to the village square. With some help, the General climbs atop a permanently parked car and addresses all of those within earshot. His speech, although somewhat long-winded, is rousing. Although you have yet to see him lead his men in battle, you appreciate Koronev's motivational speaking as top-notch.

The defectors from the Baron's army are introduced, and a few of them share a a couple of choice low-lights from their experience in his service. The part about the primacy of the veteran Poles and Ukranians in the Black Legion seems particularly persuasive. By the end of the impromptu rally, most of the Kazakhs seem molified, if not convinced. From the rally, you proceed to the modest town hall. The General is there, along with his senior officers. Johnstone is there too- he looks like he's got a bad case of the mumps.

"We must attack today. We can't wait for this tug of yours. Hell, we can't wait until tomorrow. I don't know how much good our little dog and pony show did. I'm afraid we'll lose even more men tonight to desertion. We must give them something to do, something to fight for. We must take the fight to the enemy. I want you to scout ahead and find targets for the 120mm mortars. According to our intelligence, there is a toll station south of here on the main highway. We'll start there. If the Baron really is preparing an attack for tomorrow, it's likely that his forces are beginning to mass there. Once the Baron's forces have been softened up, we will attack in force. We'll start there and continue to fight until we've taken Warsaw or been killed trying.

"That is, unless you have a better plan?"


Next Moves?

Luckily Piotr didn't get much time to think about Vita's outburst as it only angered him.

When Bayer came back he had already picked up his rifle and gear. Listening to the Captain's orders he quickly fell in at Dawid's side. As by the pluto's orders Piotr quickly searched for the best observation spot to set up. Soon he put his eye to the scope, scanning for possible other movement, inwardly wishing the ugly vehicle to come just a little closer.

Although his Russian was not that strong the combination of the words honorable and Baron so close in the same sentence forced a moment of sarcasm to surface.

“Yeah, I'm sure he'll honorably put a bullet in your back the moment you take him up on that offer.” he voiced to no one in particular.

Tucker takes out one of his cigars and lights it, drawing on it until the whole thing is fully lit.  He turns to Mariusz, "It's been coming Mari.  We've been messing with him for long enough now, and I guess he's had enough.  Can't blame him really, we did do a number on his troops in a short amount of time.  Now, we're faced with either shitting or getting off the pot as they say.

I think that the leader of the 10th is going to try and talk to everyone because we're almost out of food and the desertions are going to continue if we don't act now.  He's just forcing our hand a little earlier than we would've liked.  We might be up for reecein' some of his areas for targets of opportunity.  I don't think our anti-tank capacity is all that great either."

Rob got his new SMG and was then interrupted by the loud alarm "Tanks Tanks".
Is he attacking right now? was his first thought.
Everybody knew what to do, except Rob. Finaly he had a radio and was standing next to the German Captain. He looked at the radio and smilied because of this odd and old communication-"thing".

The words from the loudspeacker were clear for him. Therefore he didn't listened to the quartermaster. "Nice man, the baron." he said more to himself than to anyother.

In the town hall Rob listened carefully to Jeff and the General.
Then, a small flash of inspiration appeared. He turned to Jeff and whispered. "Sir, I have got some pictures of mass graves. I collected them on a recce mission a few months ago. Well, it's not a problem to say that these are deflectors, killed by the baron. Isn't it a good argument?

After the rallying call from the General, things seemed to settle, for a while at least. Jay quickly returned to his original billet and gathered the last of his belongings, which didn't exactly take long. Once back with the squad heapproached approached Jan, wondering if the shopping trip to the village was still going to happen. "We go village now?"

Seeing Jan Craig walks over and asks:

"Mind if I tag along on your shopping trip ?"

If there are no objections Craig will join Jan and Jay as they go to the village.