There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat. And we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.

-William Shakespeare

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This message was last edited by the GM at 21:07, Sat 22 Dec 2012.

Friday, November 24, 2000
0900 hrs.
37F
Overcast skies; strong breeze from the northwest
Vistula River, Dobiegniewo, Poland

The air grows colder as the tug steams into the stiff breeze. The banks along the river are drab and lifeless. The surviving inhabitants of this area now reside in Plock.

Kellerman is back in the engine room, although with his left arm immobilized in a sling he can't do much to help besides keep an eye on the gauges. McClurg, his sprained wrist braced and a bandage concealing the wreckage of his left ear, inspects the port side Dishka. He's fairly confident that, given a spare set of hands and a steady working platform, he can return it to service. Mariusz prepares brunch for the rest of the crew. It should be ready by the time they arrive at Dobiegniewo. Craig collects the sandbags and earth-filled ammo crates that were not obliterated by the direct hit mortar strike on the raised quarterdeck and puts together a fairly sturdy, two-person fighting position* to replace the old four-person AGS-17 station (it's rated to stop rounds up to 5.56mm at medium range and 7.62mm at long range). The rest of the security team keeps watch. (OOC: I'm not sure where the PCs are currently stationed).

*This would be a good spot for one of the tug's GPMGs.

The Vasilek is the elephant in the room. No one still aboard has half the skill in operating the automortar that Dawid took with him when he departed. If the tug encounters a hard target, the new gun crew will have to rely on beginners' luck to carry the day.

The tiny village of Dobiegniewo comes into view up ahead on the south bank (port side) of the river. It seems odd for the diminutive hamlet to boast such a large dock in relation to the size of the settlement but, sure enough, twin piers portrude into the Vistula, forming a sort of deep but narrow man-made bay. Dobiegniewo appears to have at least one resident- white smoke from a hearthfire can just be made out against the darker grey of the oncoming clouds scudding in from the northwest. Aside from the smoke, there's no other signs of recent human habitation. There's a larger settlement directly across the river, on the north bank, but it shows no signs of life.

Griet slows the tug and manouvers towards the gap between the two piers. She has to enter nose first, leaving the currently defenseless stern furthest from the shore. As the tug slows to a halt, the smoke can no longer be seen rising from the hamlet. It appears that your arrival has been noted.

https://maps.google.com/maps/m...pn=0.038762,0.132093


Next Moves?
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:57, Sun 23 Dec 2012.

Standing in the wheelhouse, Bayer observes the village through his binoculars. He then says to Griet, "Two short blasts of the whistle please... to say 'hello'. I'd like us to appear friendly."

Bayer then leans out and calls down the NCO's watching from the deck, "Sergeant Tucker, organize a three man shore party to accompany me ashore - light weapons only. Ensure Mariusz is part of your team."

"Jan, organize everyone else into a perimeter guard and to man the heavy weapons. Keep close to the boat until I radio you an all clear once I've met the locals."

Bayer then collects his gear and moves down to the deck where expects Robert's hastily assembled team to be waiting.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:30, Sat 22 Dec 2012.

Once he had finished the fighting position Craig stood back and admired his creation. The chill air cooled him as he made his way to the galley, he suggested moving one of the GPMG's up to the quarter deck if he comes across Jan, Tucker or Konrad.

This he does as the tug continues down the river. Once he had a good idea of the possible fields of fire he made a mental note to lookout for some sheet metal or the like to further reinforce the position. When they had docked and if he was not needed for the shore party he would man the GPMG.

Griet gave two blasts on the tug's horn and then finished the docking procedures, "Ask the shore party to check out potential sources of wood," she asked Bayer, "we might as well top off reserves if we can."

Mariusz readied his gear once more, "I'm good to go, Kaptain."

Danny finishes his morning medical rounds, ensuring no one has a minor untreated injury from Plock that was overlooked in the fight's aftermath.  Once he's sure of the team's general health, he climbs atop the wheelhouse and checks his weather instrument package, which somehow survived the Queen's most recent battering.  Flipping back through the met log, he frowns and gives the sky another glance.

He descends the ladder and squeezes past Connolly into the wheelhouse.  "Hauptmann," he says to Bayer, suppressing the urge to snap to attention every time he's in the German's presence, "medical and weather reports."

He waits for Bayer's acknowledgement, then proceeds.  "Medical: no change with Kel and Mac, both need to stay on light duty for a while.  Mister Warren has a spectacular bruise but no cracked ribs; he's cleared for unrestricted duty.  No change in supplies.

"Weather: there's some winter crud coming in.  First precip should start around noon and it may stay around for a few days.  I give it a fifty-fifty chance of turning to snow or freezing rain.  I recommend keeping Minh aboard until we find her some cold-weather gear.  Same goes for anyone else who's lacking."

Jan conferred briefly with Tuck and then called out to the rest of the unit while Tuck finished organising his own gear.  "OK, going ashore with the Capitaine in Tuck's team are Mariusz, Quyen and Craig.  Gather your gear and get organised."

He then turned to the others.  "Jeff, get up high and keep a watch out.  Danny, keep a watch back over the other side of the river.  Jay, man the PKM position that Craig set up.  Thijs, once the Capitaine and Tuck's team start to move inland you and I will move to the first house to cover their retreat in case there is a problem.  Any questions?"

He had already gathered his own equipment but he checked his rifle again, just to be on the safe side.

"Will do... but I think it will be best to leave the details to you and the engineers we have on board to work out. You are captain of the boat after all." Bayer answers.


Bayer nods for the American to continue, but motions for him to make his report as they move outside and down to the deck together. When Larue is done giving his reports, Bayer stops and politely thanks him. He then thinks for a moment, tonguing the tooth that he knew Daniel would soon be yanking out of his mouth, and says, "I hope I am not mistaken, but I thought Jan was able to find a Russian jacket for Quyen. I'll double check before we go though."


Bayer flashes a thumbs up in return and once the others arrive, he waves for them to disembark. "Keep vigilant." he says aloud, "But remember we are here to establish contact with the local population... not scare them away."

Quyen quickly returns to the small pile of gear she kept in the room she shared with Griet and grabs her rifle and jacket to be put on under her webbing. She decided to forgo wearing her bush hat in the hopes that it would help identify her as a female and might be make her group seem less threatening to the locals... seeing how bandits and such typically didn't have many female members if ever.

Quyen then retuns to the deck and lights up a smoke while listening to Konrad's briefing.

Jay nodded to Jan and took up a position on the PKM. He took a few moments to familarise himself with the weapon and check his arcs of fire, before settling down to keep warm and keep watch.

"No," is the reply.  Thijs gave a shake to insure his combat webbing -- now adjusted to fit over his vest -- is seated properly.  The night vision goggles he obtained in Plock are strapped to his helmet and flipped up.  Though it is early in the day, he has no desire to get caught without again, just in case there is no opportunity to grab them before dark.

When Jan went ashore, Thijs followed and took up a position at (OOC:  in?) the first house, trying not to look particularly aggressive, but ready to assume a firing posture if necessary.

Craig grabbed his gear from the fighting position and formed up at the tugs rail with the others. He took a look at the sky before concluding they where in for some good "Blighty" weather.

Once on dry land Craig kept his rifle at waist height but pointing in the direction he was looking. In his own mind he suspected these were bandits and nothing more but he kept an eye out for friendlies.

Danny nods at Bayer's thanks.  "Yessir.  Not a problem."  He looks aft to where Minh is smoking and shrugs apologetically.  "Huh.  Sorry, sir, I must've missed that.  Glad it's taken care of."  Catching the set of Bayer's jaw and tongue, he frowns.  "By the way, I haven't forgotten that tooth.  Let me know when you can give yourself at least four hours of downtime."  His skeptical expression strongly suggests that Konrad will want more than four hours to recover after field dentistry.

As Jan issues assignments, Danny gives him a nod and ducks into his cabin to gear up.  Returning to the deck, he circulates through the team that'll be going ashore, checking their first aid supplies and ensuring everyone's fed, hydrated, and ready for shitty weather if their excursion becomes prolonged.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:51, Mon 24 Dec 2012.

Tucked into her usual corner of the wheelhouse, Connolly watches Griet conn the tug into Dobiegniewo's harbor.  Her eyes flick back and forth between the charts and the water and shore as she tries to match the lines (and the Polish notations) to the reality of the river.  She absently listens to Bayer's preparations, mentally tracking personnel assignments, but most of her attention is focused on Griet's shiphandling.

Once the Queen is secured against the dock, she clears her throat to get Griet's attention.  "Do we need to do anything to prepare for winter weather?" she asks.  "De-icing, anything like that?"

Griet looked at the weather that was coming in and listened to Connolly's question, "There isn't much we need to do. I'd like the guns wrapped up and our hoses stowed where they are easy to get hold of. If we need to get into action quickly and the weapon mounts are frozen we can blast them quickly with steam and worry about the fine details after the battle. Otherwise the Queen is designed as an ice-breaker and all the fiddly electronics that might be affected by the weather are gone."

She looked up again, "We'll need a rolling watch and I'll check the deck every two hours to decide if we need any more action. The biggest worry will be security. We'll be nearly blind in a white-out."

While the tug crew maintains watch, the shore party hops on to the rather rickety dock and heads towards the hamlet. The settlement appears to have been abandoned some time ago, its dwellings slowly falling apart due to neglect and the unceasing machinations of mother nature. It does not appear to have seen much, if any, in the way of fighting.

The first house is more or less gutted, as is the second. Scavengers have clearly visited this neighborhood before, likely several times. In the third house, the party finds a family of raccoons, like most of the Kommando, an invasive species here in Poland.

At the fourth house, the shore party finds signs of human habitation. There's a stack of firewood against the southern wall and an old icebox against the northern wall; it's locked with a rusty padlock. The ground near the front door has been worn smooth and hard by the passage of many feet (or the same feet many times). Behind the house (on its west side), they find a large stump used as a chopping block. A small pile of logs waiting to be split into faggots sits nearby. Scattered around the chopping block are several large bones, split as if by an axe. Since there are only pieces, its not clear what animal they belong to. Leaving the workspace, the the shore party returns to front of the house and calls out to the occupant; they receive no reply. After five minutes of calling and waiting, Konrad decides to enter the dwelling. The shore party does so cautiously, ready for the worst. Fortunately, no one is currently home. The interior of the small abode is fully but modestly furnished, the hearth still warm. The kitchen table is scared with hundreds of cuts and gashes, much of its surface stained dark with blood; the place reeks of its coppery tang. A meat cleaver is lodged upright in the wooden tabletop. Whoever lives here likely left in a hurry when he or she heard the tug arrive.

Warren, in the sniper's eerie atop the Krolowa's bridge, keeps an eye on the surrounding countryside. He provides overwatch as the shore party enters the dwelling. Looking through the bare branches of the woods west along the road that parallels the Vistula here, Warren spots six riders approaching. They wear brownand grey and a few of the men sport Ushanka hats. All are armed, AK-style rifles slung across their chests. They slow as they approach the hamlet. About 400m from the westernmost structure, they stop. One of the riders leaves the road and angles towards the river. From here, near the muddy bank, he glasses the hamlet, scanning the settlement from a distance. He quickly spots the tug and a brief, animated discussion with his roadbound comrades ensues. Two of the riders break off from the party and gallop north, the way they'd come, while two more riders, one of them removing a white cloth from his saddlebag, begin to ride towards the village at a canter. As they approach, the man slows his mount, raises the white cloth, and waves it vigorously overhead. The two remaining riders stay put where they'd stopped, watching their comrades attempt a parlay. (At the moment, the riders can't be seen from any point on the tug lower than the bridge roof.)


Updated tac-map: https://maps.google.com/maps/m...pn=0.009693,0.033023

OOC: Anneka's dead body is cooling on the cot in sickbay. Brunch is cooling in the galley.


Next Moves?
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:16, Mon 24 Dec 2012.

As Konrad's party moved from house to house, Thijs said to Jan, "I cannot see them.  Perhaps we should move a little closer to provide cover."

As instructed, Danny keeps watch at the starboard rail, occasionally exchanging banter with McClurg.  The river is empty, save for a small flock of ducks.  Danny squints, gauges the range, gets a bad idea.  "Hey, Mac!  Do we have a shotgun on board?  I'm thinkin' roast pintail."  He frowns in thought.  "Holy crap!  Dude, it's the day after Thanksgiving!  We gotta do something for dinner!"

Danny
Winona [30/30 + 5 magazines] - slung, on SAFE
CZ 75 [15/15 + 2 magazines] - holstered, cocked and locked
AN-M8 HC smoke grenade x2 - on vest
AN-M18 red smoke grenade x1 - on vest

watching the river and contemplating fowl deeds
This message was last edited by the player at 02:05, Tue 25 Dec 2012.

Connolly nods at Griet's response.  "Thanks.  I'll ask Mac to find a couple of tarps and make sure he knows where the hoses are in case we need them."  She stands up and stretches, testing her still-healing calf muscles.  "I need to walk or I'll be as stiff as my grandmother.  Unless you have anything more critical, I'll grab Kel and get started on a damage survey.  Once we know everything that's broken, we can start prioritizing repairs."  She swipes a clipboard and pencil stub from the chart room and heads below decks to find Kellerman.

Boots
M11 [13/13 + 2 magazines] - holstered, hammer down

damage assessment

Bayer sits at the kitchen table as he looks around, resting his rifle on his lap. He then glances over to Tucker and says quietly, "Robert, put a man on the door and see if there is a cellar or attic, or anything."

"Be careful... and remember this is somebody's home." he then says aloud to the rest of the group.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:29, Tue 25 Dec 2012.

Quyen hears this and offers to inspect further "I can look."

If her offer is accepted Quyen will sling her rifle and draw her sidearm to free up one hand. She will keep it pointed at the floor and not too manacing looking but ready in case there is anything about to jump out. She will start looking for a cellar first, beginning with obvious places to hide trap doors like under rugs and then to suspicious floorboards (displaced dust, worn sides, nook holes in place of handles, etc).

"That would be great," Griet replied to Connolly, "take a visit to the laundry room, we have lots of spare clothing there. You may want to layer up if you don't have your own cold weather gear."