“Being a woman is a terribly difficult task, since it consists principally in dealing with men.”

― Joseph Conrad

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This message was last edited by the GM at 16:44, Thu 22 Aug 2013.

December 2, 2000
1400 hrs.
Bydgoszcz, Poland
35F, cloudy with a slight southerly breeze


The Krolowa reluctantly approaches the ruins of Bydgoszcz, giving LaRue time to take several readings on the Geiger counter. The results of the survey show that the radiation levels here, on the edge of the devastated city, are only slightly above the background levels normal to this particularly nuked area of the planet. Assuming that Bydgoszcz was itself the victim of a nuclear weapon (a safe assumption, considering the look of the place), it must have occurred 2-3 years ago, and all of the recent rain and snow will have at least suppressed any particularly radioactive particulate matter, making the city less dangerous even than Warsaw, in which you spent a considerable amount of time. All things considered, you determine that Bydgoszcz is safe enough to explore. Griet finds a suitable anchorage near the city and drops anchor. Although currently upwind of the city, the tug is now slightly downriver from it, making fishing a little less attractive as a food-gathering option. As those that remain on board busy look for tasks to keep themselves busy, Tadeuz takes the landing party ashore in the Princess, returning to the tug after dropping the scout-scavengers off.

The small team (consisting of Tucker, Craig, Mariusz, and Minh) heads into the ruined city. Very little still stands over one story in height, and most buildings, regardless of previous size, are now shapeless heaps of snow-covered rubble. The team steadily works its way inshore. Hitting what used to be a main road, the group finds a rusting procession of Soviet military vehicles. It looks like a motor rifle regiment was making its way through the city when it was nuked. Most of the trucks in the long convoy have burned down to shriveled skeletons, but the few armored vehicles here- prime movers, mostly- are relatively intact. Two-three years of sitting, badly scorched, under the elements have resulted in quite a lot of rust, though, so whatever armor you could salvage here would likely be of suspect structural integrity (and heavy cutting tools will be needed). The procession of the dead stretches as far down the road as the landing party can see. Perhaps there is a wider selection of AFVs further inland. The road is so littered with debris that it now only allows cautious foot (and maybe bicycle) traffic.

Mariusz, Craig, Minh, and Tucker immediately set to scrounging. There's not much to be found. There's very little here that hasn't been blasted, crushed, or burned. Still, in the bowels of a collapsed apartment building, Mariusz does find a single tin of anchovies. There's possibly more to be found deeper inside the rubble, but in order to search it more thoroughly, Mariusz will have to squeeze into some tiny passages, and there's no telling how stable the remains of the building are.

The others have less luck. There's the tantalizing possibility that much more canned food is buried throughout the city, destroyed as it was earlier in the war, when such supplies weren't yet as uncommon. But, considering the small size of the landing party and the sad state of the surroundings, many more hours of searching the ruins- a task not without a degree of danger- would be required to harvest it.

While searching a somewhat less demolished building on the other side of the street, Tucker spies what looks like the rippling air of a heat mirage atop what looks to be an upright pipe of some sort, about a block further inland.


Next Moves?

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This message was last edited by the GM at 16:38, Sat 07 Sept 2013.

Happy that their beginning scrounge had turned up a can of sardines, Robert knew they would need a lot more than that.  The work would be tough and long and time wasn't on their side and who knew how bad the rads were they would be digging through.  On a chance, Tucker happened to look up and see that there was some kind of heating emission coming a pipe about a block away and wanted to make it known to the others in case they were being watched.  He goes back to work and says in a low voice to them, "I'm not sure if we're being watched or not but, about a block away there's a pipe sticking up and it looks like someone has the heat on over there.  Without looking too obvious, can anyone see anything else?"

Tucker gives the general direction of the pipe to the other three in the recon unit.

Connolly pans her field glasses across Bydogoszcz's shoreline, looking for nothing in particular.  The mounded snow obscures the worst of the jagged rubble.  It's peaceful and distracting enough that it takes her a while to realize what's missing.  "No docks," she murmurs to herself.  "Big city, no docks.  Why?"  She steps into the chartroom and answers her own question after a few minutes of perusal.  "Aha."

Trailing a half-formed thought, she seeks out the tug's mistress-after-God.  "Griet.  Do you have a minute?"  She waits for an acknowledgement, then tilts her head toward the city.  "The chart says there's a canal that runs through Bydogoszcz, but it looks pretty narrow to me.  Did it see commercial traffic before the war?  Would there be warehouses along it?"

Anders picked himself an assault rifle from the ship's stores along with six magazines and a chest-mounted carrier for them. It was not a M/62 the Finn was accustomed to, but a somewhat similar albeit shorter AKS-74U. It was in a different caliber than those he had fired before and Anders wasn't sure how it would handle - it'd require some practice with it at some point.

He loitered around the Vasilek, maintenancing the weapon even further and offering anyone willing a chance to study the weapon in a bit more detail. The crew would need to learn how to handle the auto-mortar, should something happen to him. He was not perhaps the best instructor and didn't know as much about the weapon as he would have liked, but still enough to teach people to operate it in a pinch.

Griet looked at the chart and said, "Those canals were the link between the Wistula and the Warta and from there the German waterways. I would imagine they still had commercial traffic, maybe even more once the bombings started. There should be warehouses along them."

Mariusz looked at the chimney and said, "Ah, a badger hunt. Two ways to take on a badger sett. One, find the front door and knock on it politely or two: find the exits and cover them and then stop up the chimney. Once the smoke starts you capture the badgers as they run out. The first option is risky as the badgers might be hostile. The second guarantees the badgers will be hostile but gives us a chance to get our retaliation in first. I'd like option one but either works for me."

"We smoke 'em out like that and we're asking for trouble.  Let's just keep an eye on it.  I was thinking maybe they've already got eyes on us."

In reply to Robert 'Tuck' Tucker (msg # 8):

Craig had kept an eye out for any of the salvage on his mental list, sheet metal, house framing etc... It would seem that most of the wood had burnt up in the fire-storm and anything else was buried under heaps of rubble.

In reply to Tucker he adds;

"Yea smoking them out would start a shit storm if they have woman and kids. They probably have eyes on us now, so a meeting shouldn't be to hard.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:07, Sat 24 Aug 2013.

"Hmm."  Connolly idly begins re-braiding her hair while she contemplates the map.  "Here's what I'm thinking.  The warehouses probably have been looted by now.  But they'll have shipping and receiving offices, and no one bothers to loot mundane paperwork.  So, assuming they didn't burn down, we go in there and get the ledgers.  Those will show us where major shipments of food were going in the city.  That'll be either distribution centers, restaurant suppliers, or big institutions with cafeterias."  She looks up at Griet and wobbles a hand.  "It'll take some time to set up but it may be more effective than poking around the ruins at random."

Danny sets up shop in the wardroom, hangs a red rag on the door to indicate that medical procedures are in progress, and begins check-ups on his patients.  Kellerman and McClurg appear to be healing reasonably well from the injuries they received at Plock, though Mac's left ear is still an ugly mass of crust and pink tissue.  Danny cleans the wounds, checks for signs of infection, and puts Mac on another few days of antibiotics just to be sure.  He decides to spare Thijs any further humiliation and simply gives the Dutchman materials for a fresh dressing and instructions for how to clean his bullet graze.  Bayer's recently-extracted tooth also seems to be healing normally, within the limits of Danny's dental knowledge.  Jan, having only been stitched up a few hours ago, escapes further indignities this time.

After cleaning up the impromptu examining room, Danny wanders over to the laundry room.  He hunts up Mariusz's stash of sewing materials and begins washing and repairing the salvageable garments, starting with the jacket and pants he cut open to treat Thijs' and Jan's injuries.

"It sounds like a hell of a lot of work," Griet replied to Connolly, "and the chances of finding anything are slim. You're right though, the chances have to be better than flailing around at random. When the group get back we'll arrange a second team to try the shipping offices. We'll need people that can read manifests in Polish."

Back on the tug, Jay topped up his used magazine with rounds taken from the dead boarders. He also spied the SOCOM pistol, and considered it as a replacement for his Makarov. He would ask Bayer about that later.

Seeing Anders reviewing the various AK options from the hold, Jay went over and offered a smile. While no teacher, he tried his best to demonstrate each weapon and showed the Finn how to hold, operate and clean the weapon. Compared to NATO equivalents the AKs were pretty simple and hopefully the officer would benefit from Jay's simple demonstration.

Once finished in the hold he performed any other duties as required.

Thijs ate his lunch standing up, still being unable to sit down.  "Good food, Mariusz.  It is better than anything I could make," he said, complimenting the young Pole.

Having once again had his offer to pilot the Princess turned down, he spent some time taking care of other things that needed to be done.  He went to see Danny and was given a fresh bandage for the graze on his left buttock and instruction (not particularly necessary) on how to apply it.  Once he had completed that task, he spent a few moments topping off his snail drum with rounds from his other, nearly empty, drum.

Looking toward the future where the ammunition for the C7A1 LSW and the RPK he'd claimed both fell dangerously low, he went below to the hold/armory.  Carefully inspecting the AK-74s there, he picked the one with the least amount of wear.  Next, he looked over the 5.45mm magazines and chose 8 of the best-looking ones.  From the available load-bearing equipment, he took two rifle magazine pouches (three if they only have a capacity of 2 mags each) and placed 6 of the magazines in them.

Taking the acquired booty up on deck he went to find Griet and asked, "Do we have something on board we can float overboard that can be used as a target?"

"Grab one of the life rings from the side and then rig a target up on it," Griet replied, "this cord is marked at ten meter intervals and there's two hundred meters of it. Tie it to the ring and let it into the current. That should help you if you're trying to zero in a new gun."

"Enh."  Connolly shrugs.  "I'm not expecting us to find an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet, but a targeted search has gotta be a better use of our time than throwing darts at random.  It'll be my fault if it doesn't work, so I'm okay with taking the search team out.  Gimme a native speaker to translate the hard stuff and a couple of shooters for security and I'll be okay.  Maybe someone who knows Russian, too, in case we run across military log records."

At Thijs's request, she turns and raises an eyebrow.  "Sergeant, if you're doing a range day, can I beg you for assistance?  I'm still pretty useless if I don't have three door gunners to do my shooting for me."
This message was last edited by the player at 00:25, Tue 03 Sept 2013.

"I wasn't denigrating what you were suggesting," Griet replied, "it's a long shot but more focussed than wandering around and relying just on luck. Work some parties out and we'll ready them for a second try."

Jay would come to find, Anders knew the operation of the AK-family intimately. "Finnish military standard weapon a relative to AK", he said. "Seven point six two." It was quite evident, the gunnery officer had held this type of rifle very often, though not this particular model.

"No firing... dry zero it for now." Bayer says quietly while watching the shore from the wheelhouse. "Get your target and save it for later."

He then glances at his watch, and toggles his radio, "Tucker, Bayer... radio check. Over."

* What time is it Rae?

Tucker continues to act like the smokestack wasn't found yet, he reaches for his radio and replies, "Go ahead boss, you're coming in Lima Charlie."

"Yeah, I know."  Connolly glares at the flattened city.  "Just pissed that I can't do more.  I'll have to take Mariusz back out.  I hate to hit him with a double shift but he's the only native reader we have who isn't critical for shipboard ops... and he knows how to prioritize any food we do find.  Still need security, but I'll ask around for a couple of volunteers who are getting fidgety."

"Tell him there's a chance to pick up some rare ingredients for the kitchen and he won't complain," Griet replied.

*If asked Jay will definitely volunteer for a shore security detail.*

Connolly snorts.  "They told me part of command was knowing how to motivate your people, but...  Hey, kids!  Load up the minivan, we're going to Whole Foods for steel-cut oats and organic tofu!  Shit.  I'll go ask around."

Descending to the main deck, she gives the ruins another scowl before wandering forward to the crew assembled around the main gun.  "Hey, guys.  Once the first search team gets back, we're going to reposition and check out the local docks and warehouses.  I'll be taking Mariusz but we'll need a couple of shooters for security.  Anyone feel like getting off the boat for a while?"

When Quyen helps with the scrounging efforts she will try to use her engineering expertise in judging any unstable or dangerous places that Mariusz might be trying to get into. She knows how much force is needed to bring down buildings and structures so hopefully she'll be able to recognize the hazards here in the ruins too. If needed she won't let him do anything that she doesn't agree with.

"If there are people living below us this area is probably stripped already." she says quietly to Tucker. "Maybe we should try somewhere else. It might be safer too."

"Sunray, roger. We're setting ashore a second team. Will relay position once known. Continue your sweep and monitoring of radiation levels. Over." Bayer replies over the net. He then leaves the wheelhouse to collect his fighting order before moving to the launch in preparation for the next landing party.

Anders gave Dom a polite smile. "I am more worth as gunner, if you need help", he said in his broken English. "I can fire and load this myself, so the others are welcome to go, if they want."

"I copy Sunray. Relay when able. be advised, possible contact. Unknown size or strength. Possible civilian. Will advise. Out."

Tucker puts his radio away and turns down the volume and addresses the rest of his party, "We got a second team coming ashore from the tug in a little bit.  We'll get advised when and where and we need to continue our sweep.  I'm thinking we try to make contact and see where it goes.  I don't want a firefight out here or start something we can't finish.  I was thinking me and Mari approach while you two cover us.  Bayer also wants us to maintain checks on the rad levels so, whoever has the machine, give us a check please!"
This message was last edited by the player at 02:00, Sat 07 Sept 2013.

Bayer acknowledges Robert's transmission, requesting a confirmation from him as soon as possible, and waits for the second party to assemble on the deck. "Possible change of plans." he informs everyone once they arrive. "Sergeant Tucker reports possible, unknown, presence near his position. If it's confirmed we are moving up to his location."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:31, Fri 06 Sept 2013.

Rozkowski ferries a second landing party to shore. It's not hard to follow the first group's tracks from the landing. In a few minutes the two teams are united. Tucker shows Konrad (and anyone else who's interested) the improvised chimney.  Heat waves are still shimmering above the pipe, but they're not as pronounced as they were when Tucker first spotted them.

The canal shouldn't be too far from where the group is now. The highway crosses the man-made waterway at some point so it should be a fairly simple matter to find it. The Princess could also try to navigate the canal, giving the group a greater cargo capacity should any of the warehouses prove to still be stocked. There's probably about three hours of daylight left during which to search and/or scrounge.

OOC: Anyone who wants to be ashore is welcome. Anyone who wants to stay aboard the Krolowa is also free to do so, but there won't be much going on there. I'm assuming that the tug crew will remain aboard, along with Mac, Kellerman, Griet, and either Boots OR LaRue. If anyone else wishes to stay, let me know.


Next Moves?
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:56, Sat 07 Sept 2013.

When Jan gathered that Tuck's team had spotted something, quite possibly a civilian or group of civilians, and that Konrad was taking a second team ashore it made his mind up.  He had been intending on staying on the boat to rest his wounded arm but any civilian these days could still be someone potentially threatening and he would rather be on the ground doing his bit than waiting on the boat to find out what happened.

Once they had linked up with Tuck's team and the heat pipe had been subtly pointed out to him Jan muttered to Konrad.  "Capitaine, what do you wish us to do?  Are we continuing to search or trying to make contact?"

Bayer looks in the direction of the pipe and the surrounding heap of rubble that it was projecting from. He then glances at Jan and says, "We go... along the canal and continue the search." He then glances back at the debris a few blocks away, noting the ease it would be to protect it with booby traps, and adds, "We'll come back here tomorrow. Let's go."

Bayer then turns and nods for Tucker to follow as well, briefing them as he walks, "We'll take the launch up the canal with us... to the warehouses. You and Lieutenant Sutherland scout ahead, follow the water and don't get more than one tactical bound ahead of us... which in this terrain looks to be a couple blocks at most but might be under fifty meters if the debris gets difficult. I'll take the main body and the launch will keep pace with us."

While Tucker heads off with Craig, Bayer next addresses Jan, "We move in loose file formation, staggering ourselves in twos on each side of the road or pathway. I want you to pair up with LaRue and take the rear position."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:21, Sun 08 Sept 2013.

Jay was glad to be back on dry land. Although the boat was comfortable enough, and it was nice to have a little space of his own again, he was a soldier, not a sailor. The constant movement of the boat had made his sick and he wanted to get on solid ground.

As the patrol moved off he took point when required, keeping low to the ground with his weapon ready.

Mariusz checked his weapon and took up his position on the patrol. Badger hunting rarely went well so it was probably best to avoid it. Hopefully the larger group would find better pickings than the can of anchovies that he had found. Anchovies were a great ingredient but wouldn't come to a lot of calories between the whole group.

Craig waited for Sergeant Tucker then followed him as he moved out. He kept his rifle at his shoulder as they moved along the canal. Craig tried to keep and eye out for any of the salvage they had been looking for, but a bigger priority now was for individuals that may pose a threat.

As they moved along the waterway he tried to spot any sunken vessels that might pose a hazard to the launch or provided a chance at salvage.

Jan nodded at Konrad's instructions.  "Oui mon Capitaine."

He then turned to the medic.  "Danny you are with me and we shall be the last pair."

Jan kept his rifle at the ready as they moved off and kept glancing behind for any sign that someone from the hidden house was trying to follow or observe them.

"Yup." Danny acknowledges Jan and does a quick gear check, shrugging his shoulders and bouncing on the balls of his feet to make sure everything settles into its accustomed place.  He glances at the Geiger counter again to get a baseline reading for the area, then powers it down to conserve the battery and stows it in his aid bag.

As the team moves out, he takes his spacing and pace from Jan, periodically turning to walk backward for a few paces every minute.  Winona stays pointed at the ground in a low ready.  "The tug ain't real stealthy," he murmurs to Jan.  "I'm kinda assuming the locals noticed when we showed up and are payin' attention to us."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:00, Sun 08 Sept 2013.

Jan paused briefly and scanned around again before replying.

"Yes and the question is how many people does the heat pipe Tuck spotted count?  And are there more heat pipes that we have not yet seen."

"I'll try to keep it to around 50 meters or so.  We get hit are we going to extract to the river and to the launch?"

"Yes, if you bump into someone and they try to cause problems we'll withdraw. I'll send up two men to support and you form a rear guard while the remainder force our way back to the river for extraction." Bayer explains.

"Roger that boss." Tucker says to Bayer as he looks to find Sutherland.  "You ready to kick this off Craig?  I'll stick right about 10 meters in front, then we'll swap off every couple of blocks?"

"Sounds good."

He then gives a thumbs up ready to move off.

The scavenging team decides to ignore the heat pipe for the time being and use the last few hours of daylight to search the canal banks for the supply warehouses they suspect to be located nearby. They move out cautiously, trying to move parallel to the canal and all-the-while keeping their eyes peeled for observers or other signs of possible inhabitants.

Most of the town wasn't built up to the canal so the going is relatively easy along its banks. Still, there's ice and snow to contend with, as well as the odd rubble field, so it takes about 15 minutes to reach the first warehouse.

It's more or less flattened. The overpressure of the nuclear warhead wreaked havoc on the simple sheet metal building. A couple of seasons of rain and snow likely finished it off. There are plenty of openings in the building and a few of you do a little crawling in order to get a look inside. Rotting wood and cardboard boxes carpet the cracked concrete floor. It looks like a swarm of rats tore through the place at some point, but a couple of trails appear to have been cleared through the debris. There are bare spots here and there, and they appear to have been mad-made. Someone has beaten you here, and it's likely they've cleaned the place out of any useful materials. To further discourage a more thorough search, the corrugated tin roof is already battered and holed and, with snow weighing it down, looks ready to buckle at any second.

You move on to the next warehouse. Rusted and crushed equipment dot the spaces in between structures. This one is in slightly better shape. One corner somehow managed not to collapse completely. This building is full of large wooden crates. Many of them appear to have burned but there are a few that appear to have been spared the worst of it. Craig punches through the wood of one of them to reveal machine parts of some sort- nothing that could be used for armor. Perhaps one of the tug mechanics could find something of use here, but it doesn't seem particularly likely.

The third warehouse is the proverbial charm. It looks older than the first two- it's also partially collapsed but the brick and concrete wall facing the canal is still standing, creating a sort of giant lean-to. A foot path winds from the landward loading dock around the side to an opening that was probably once intended to serve that purpose. In the shadows just a couple of meters within the building, Tuck finds a heavy wire device resembling and old-fashioned bear trap sitting in the pathway. It hasn't been sprung. Anyone unlucky to step on it would find him or herself in considerable pain, and possibly with a broken ankle. You skirt around the trap and into the building. It too looks like its contents have been picked over, but there are still of few stacks of relatively undisturbed boxes. The first one you open contains tins of condensed milk. The next stack over looks like it's built of stewed tomatoes. Shifting one of those boxes in order to verify its contents, Craig disturbs a heavy metal orb. It falls to the concrete floor, landing with a dull clang. By that time anyone watching has recognized it for what it is- a hand grenade.

While most of you scramble for you cover, Jan's mind picks up on one important detail that everyone else has missed. The grenade has no fuse. It's just the fragmentation sleeve. A dud.


Next Moves?

"GRENADE"

Craig yells as he flings himself behind the stack of boxes or any available cover. It took him several seconds to realise the grenade was a dud. Rising from the floor he tried to mask his own embarrassment, as trained combat engineer the mistake was pretty unforgivable.

He then went over the stacks with fine tooth comb trying to locate any other traps or unexploded munitions. Once he thought he was done he asked Minh to check.

 "Looks as if someone knows this is here, they probably won't be happy with us taking it. Just a heads up for when we leave."
This message was last edited by the player at 07:44, Tue 10 Sept 2013.

Jay was relieved to see that the grenade was just a dud and did no damage to Craig. Still, it served as a good warning to be more vigilant.

Mariusz looked at the traps which seemed to be warnings rather than meant to be fatal.

"Do we have to loot?" he asked, "This is obviously claimed so we would be stealing not salvaging. Why don't we contact the owners and offer something in trade?"

Even though Jan had spotted that the grenade was just a fragmentation sleeve he still ducked into cover, though he kept alert for anything else happening.  He was conscious that the grenade had just worked as an effective alarm, prompting calls of warning to be yelled by the team, quite possibly warning whoever had set it up.

"It has no fuse," Jan hissed to the others.  "Mariusz is right.  This salvage has been found by someone else and the trap and this alarm," he indicated the fragmentation sleeve as he spoke, "show that they have marked it as theirs.  Trading with them for some of it would be a good idea if they will speak to us.  We could just take it so we are trading from a good position and we could just do that if we do not find them.  Maybe also they have information about what is downriver or they want to travel on the Queen."

He kept scanning around, trying to spot whether the noise they had made had attracted any attention.

"How far are we from the heat pipe that Tuck saw?  Maybe this salvage site and that are by the same people."

As the team enters the building, Danny finds a protected position in the lee of the partially-collapsed wall and faces outward, scanning the surrounding area for movement or the glint of the lowering sun on lenses.  At Craig's warning, he rolls sideways, letting his armor and pads take the impact of the bricks.

"Hey," he warns in a low voice as he regains his footing, "don't forget there's still a grenade fuse around here that might be hooked to something worse."  With that, he resumes his previous post, hunkering down a little farther into the rubble.  Winona settles across a collapsed roof beam, her barrel idly twitching back and forth like the tail of a lazy cat.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:08, Thu 12 Sept 2013.

"Might all be connected by the sewer system."

Bayer glances over at Mariusz for a moment before turning his gaze back onto the foodstocks. "Alright..." he says quietly, before looking back at the Pole. It was only a matter of time before they would have to take what was not theirs in order to survive. There wouldn't always be the helpful stranger or friendly town with suplus to trade. Not with winter underway. Today wasn't that day though. Things weren't quite that desperate. Not yet. When the time did come though, he's have to remember to keep Mariusz on board the Queen.

"Alright... leave it." he says to the group, louder this time and waving everyone but Mariusz back outside. Before he follows the others out of the hidden cache, he removes a piece of paper from his field message pad and hands it to Mariusz. "Someone will come to see what we took. Leave them a message. Offer them an opportunity to trade... by the riverside tomorrow before noon. Remind them of our good faith in not takikng anything like we could have."

"Make it quick... we're stepping off in a minute or two."

Once Bayer is back out in the open air, he takes note of the sun then says, "Sergeant Tucker, take us back to the boat. Put us on a slightly different route and sacrifice speed for security. Signal back for any danger areas where ambush may be likely... I want proper obstacle crossing drills at each of them."

"Thank you," Mariusz said.

He quickly scribbled a note:

To the people who have claimed this salvage,

We are crew members of the Vistula Queen, a trading boat on the river. We found your salvage and are keen to trade for food and whatever other goods you have to sell. We apologise for disturbing your stash but we have taken nothing, we are traders, not thieves. If you wish to trade, hail us from the shore and we will send a party to you.

We have small arms and ammunition to trade and a special offer that I will not divulge but is rare and potentially very valuable if not immediately useful to you.

Our priority is food but we will consider other goods.

May your route in life be easier than it has been,

Mariusz Tokarski XXXX

PS I enclose a grenade to replace the dud we disturbed XX
He translated the note into Russian and English and left it with one of his grenades.

"OK," he said, "I'm good to go."

Quyen starts to give the place a check for more traps without touching anything. She used to have a little mirror taped to a telescopic car antenna that worked well for that sort of thing but like most of what she owned it was long gone now. She reminded herself to get a new one for times like this. She doesn't get very far into her check though when Konrad cancels the salvage and orders everyone outside.

When she is back outside Minh quickly sparks up a smoke. She'll dab it out (but not throw it away of course) if the time comes to leave before it's finished. If any other smokers like Tucker or Jan are standing near her she will offer them a puff too. "I forget what tomatoes taste like." she mumbles in a halfhearted complaint.

On the way back if she pass any old cars she will snap off an antenna and mirrored glass to make her new search tool.

Jan reluctantly put back the tins of tomatoes, forcing himself to not think about what Mariusz would be able to cook with them.

When the patrol set out again he resumed his position at the rear.

December 2, 2000
0700 hrs.
Bydgoszcz, Poland
30F, mostly clear


The scavenging party leaves the contents of the warehouse more or less undisturbed and returns, empty handed, to the Krolowa. On the way back, just about everyone gets the feeling that the group is being watched, but no one sees anything that would confirm that this is the case. A few pairs of eyes study the chimney pipe with as much subtlety as can be managed. The heat ripples that were visible before, when Tuck first spotted the contraption, and for a while shortly thereafter, are no longer apparent.

The rest of the day is spent back aboard the tug. There's plenty to do- laundry, cleaning, minor repairs, sleep. The tug also needs more fuel. The unburned crates from the second warehouse the scavenging team checked would serve. There's probably more fuel elsewhere in the ruins, but finding it is going to be tricky. The nuke that flattened the city also set a good deal of it alight.

The night is quiet and cold. The Krolowa's engines can heat the vessel by sending steam and hot water through the pipes that wind around the tug, but to do so requires that the boiler be constantly manned and fed. The alternative is to let the boiler go cold. This saves fuel but leaves the tug much colder and more vulnerable, should the need to flee expeditiously arise.

Morning dawns clear but no less cold. The stand-to watch is still at its posts when a figure is spotted moving through the rubble towards the riverbank. The individual is bundled up in layers of civilian clothes and holds a rifle- probably bolt-action- at the low ready. The person stands there, waves by way of greeting, and waits.


Next Moves?

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This message was last edited by the GM at 17:44, Sun 15 Sept 2013.

Mariusz looked up at Bayer and said, "Kaptain, if possible I'd like to help advise the negotiations. I have a good idea how much value each type of food they have. Condensed milk is six hundred and fifty calories a can whilst the tomatoes are only one hundred and twenty. Given the vitamins in the tomatoes though they are slightly more valuable than their calorific value, say five to the cans of tomatoes to one of condensed milk. We'll need at least three thousand calories every day in this weather. With luck they'll have different foods to trade. If I'm there I could work out relative values for you though I could probably do that over the radio if there isn't room in the boat."

With his head hidden in his smock he tried not to think of the cold. It had been the height of summer when he had grabbed the jacket an its arctic insert and many of his fellow soldiers had laughed at him for the extra weight.

He thought of those guys most dead or lost like him, scattered in the wind across Europe. His watch was coming to an end when the figure was spotted on the bank. He raised his field glasses and tried to get a better look at the individual.

Jan waved back at the figure on the riverbank in a friendly manner, leaving his rifle slung over his shoulder.

"Who is going ashore to discuss this trade?" he asked aloud.

"I'm in."

"Aye, I could always use a walk."

He flapped his arms against his chest trying to get the blood flowing.

Jay nodded to indicate he was happy to go back ashore. He might not be much use in the negotiations, but he could provide security. Besides, he preferred to be on land rather than on the boat.

Connolly emerges on deck, pulling on her Nomex gloves and wincing at the morning chill.  She steps to the rail beside Jan and waves to the presumed negotiator.  After a moment's thought, she pulls off her watch cap, letting the wind sweep her hair back from her face.  "We don't want to send too many people at first," she says in response to the legionnaire's question.  "Where's -- ah," as Konrad makes his appearance.

"Captain, if I may recommend... let's go with a slightly lower threat posture for this.  We're probably not dealing with a military force here and they only sent one person to talk.  I'd say..." she glances around, "One officer or NCO as lead negotiator. Mariusz as," she smiles, "nutritional advisor and translator.  Two shooters as a security element.  And either Minh or I should be on the team.  Showing a mixed-gender crew will help convince them that we aren't pirates."

"And, yes, there are probably snipers, which is why our own should be ready.  But let's hope we don't go there."

"As far as trade, what are we thinking?  Spare AKs, technical services, Larue's Médecins Sans Frontières act.  What else?  Do we want to offer passage downriver for a limited number of people?"

"Mornin', kids.  How we doin' on this beautiful winter's day in scenic icy Poland?"  Cradling a mug of tea in his hands - and far too perky for the break of dawn - Danny arrives in time to hear his name mentioned.  "Huh, what?  What'd I do?  Whatever Tuck said, he's a damn liar, ma'am.  You know you can't trust that fuckin' Yankee."  He grins hugely at Tuck, then sobers slightly as he catches sight of Bayer.  "Aaaand I mean 'that fuckin' Yankee platoon sergeant and NCOIC,' of course.  Good morning, Hauptmann."

In reply to Daniel Larue (msg # 62):

Robert smiles when he hears Daniel come out with his cup of tea and witty comments.  "Damn liar huh?  I was trying to convince everyone that you didn't like middle school boys but, you heard the man!

The NCOIC Yankee shit is cute too Danny.  Morning, suck up!"

Her name is Ewa- at least, that's the name she gives you. She's alone, as far as you can tell, but there are others- you haven't seen them, but you've got that uncomfortable being watched feeling. You guess that she's about 30. It's hard to tell these days- this world tends to make people old beyond their time. It's something about the eyes, how she seems to be looking through you, the way she speaks, her choice of words, spare and measured and straight to the point. She hides most of her face behind a scarf. She tries to sound like a man, but she's not fooling anybody. Her weapon is an SKS rifle, the kind issued to bottom-of-the-barrel reserves and local People's Militias (ORMO).

She's clearly uncomfortable with the number of people sent to meet her. She retreats from the bank and shouts that she will only treat with two of you; the rest must wait in the boat.

She wants guns and ammunition. Half a dozen military-style weapons and a couple hundred rounds. She's willing to trade a box of condensed milk, a box of stewed tomatoes, and a box of potted meat (something you didn't see in the warehouse)- enough food to stretch your dwindling rations a few more days into the future. The numbers seem to be negotiable. More weapons and ammo most likely will net you more food.


Next Moves?
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:36, Wed 18 Sept 2013.

"Okay, time for some hearts and minds action."  Connolly makes a show of looking around the boat but she's already decided.  "Mariusz, you look the least threatening to anyone who doesn't know you.  You're with me."  She keys the radio she swiped from Larue.  "Sunray, Boots.  Locals are willing to trade but they're as nervous as we expected.  Mariusz and I are going ashore.  Over."

Releasing the microphone, she turns and hands Tuck her AIMS-74.  "Once we're over the side, I want you to pull back into the river and hold station.  My duress code is my call sign.  If I keep using 'Boots,' everything's okay.  If I use 'Seagull,' I'm being coerced.  If things go totally to shit, we'll pop smoke and run toward that barge."  She jerks her chin at a beached, rusted hulk that once carried grain before running afoul of a NATO iron bomb.

With that, she swings her feet over the side of the Princess and crunches ashore, adroitly keeping her balance on the icy gravel.  "Good morning," she says nonchalantly in her best Polish, offering her hand to Ewa.  "I am Dominique.  This is Mariusz.  Thank you for meeting us.  We can offer rifles and ammunition.  Maybe some other tools or supplies.  If you need work, we also have several - Mariusz, what's Polish for 'mechanic?'  Thank you.  We have several mechanics and a doctor."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:32, Wed 18 Sept 2013.

In reply to Dominique 'Boots' Connolly (msg # 65):

Tucker takes the Russian assault rifle from Boots as she gets ready to get out of the boat with Mariusz.  "I'll keep her safe for you Major," he says making sure the rifle is still on safe as he rests it in the bottom of their boat.  "We got your back ma'am.  Anything goes wrong where you got to di-di out of there, we'll try to give you a base of fire and meet you there.  Good luck to you both!"  Tucker has the boat backed off and waits to see what unfolds before them.

Craig stayed in the boat with his rifle resting across his lap. He causally looked around the ruins trying to spot the watchers while casting a look up and down the river every now and then.

It did not seem any warmer being this close to the river either so he did his best not to freeze to death.

Ewa's posture and expression (it's all in the eyes) relax markedly when she sees that she's dealing with a woman. Although she continues to throw worried glances at the small boat fairly loaded with armed men, she seems much more eager to talk now. She listens intently as Connolly attempts to strike a deal, but she practically cuts the American off at the mention of a doctor.

"You have a doctor?" Ewa asks (in Polish). Her demeanor changes, she drops all pretense of being a man (although she's naturally got a fairly low voice for a woman). She proceeds with a poorly concealed desperation,

"We can trade more- more food. We have sick. It's nothing contagious. If you could send someone with me? I'll... we'll leave a... hostage with you. One for one? If you want to bring another for... security, that is fine. If you bring a couple of rifles- to trade- we'll send back some food."

-

Connolly nods.  "I think we can help each other.  Let me get our doctor on the radio."  Staying in Polish, she keys her microphone.  "Sunray, Boots.  The town has sick people and needs medical services.  Please have Coyote listen.  I will try to get a description.  Over."

Turning back to Ewa, she says, "I am sorry.  My Polish is still weak.  Please tell us more about your village and what it needs, and about the - Mariusz, 'symptoms?' - symptoms your sick people have.  Mariusz will help translate for me."  She tilts her head toward the heavily-armed teenager.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:41, Wed 18 Sept 2013.

Mariusz smiled at the older woman, "Dominique is asking what sort of symptoms your sick have. That way our doctor can come prepared for treatment. We'll get some guns ready for you too."

He looked over at Boots and said, "I think we should give them the weapons and ammo for what they offered us after we check how many tins are in a box and then negotiate for more after our medic has had a look at the sick."

He translated anything else that Ewa and Boots needed to know.

Standing on the deck, watching the shoreline, Bayer turns and motions for Larue to stand beside him. "Listen..." he says, holding up his radio handset so the two can hear the chatter coming in over the airwaves.

Ewa seems reluctant to tell Connolly the symptoms that her sick friends are experiencing.

"It's hard to describe. Get your doctor and come and see them."

After Connolly insists, Ewa shares a few details, "They're sick! No appetite, problems when going to the bathroom, tiredness- that sort of thing. They're not getting better on their own." That's about all she'll say, but it seems likely that there's worse. The woman abruptly changes the subject.

"You need metal for your boat? I can help with that... if you help us. Fair trade, yes?"

-

Danny trots over to Bayer, pulling his notebook from his aid bag.  He poises a pencil stub but, as Mariusz' translation crackles from the radio, frowns rather than scribbling.  When the transmission pauses, he cocks an eyebrow at Bayer and murmurs, "Radiation."

Connolly nods.  "Fair trade, yes.  We need food, wood or coal for fuel, metal for protection.  You need weapons and a doctor.  We can help.  But you need to understand that just having a doctor can't fix every sickness."  And why do I think you're not telling us everything?  She glances at the surrounding rubble, still feeling like someone's lining up for a missile lock on her.  "Ewa," she says quietly, turning her head so the fall of her hair masks her lips from the unseen observers farther inland, "is anyone forcing you to talk to us?"

Ewa narrows her eyes, incredulous or offended, maybe not both.

"No, I'm not being forced. No one tells me what to do. You didn't steal our stuff and you offered to trade. And there are women on your boat. I came of my own free will."

-

"Good.  Some of the places we have seen..." Connolly makes a throwing-away motion with her hand, then smiles grimly.  "I think you know.  If you were being forced, we would help anyway, but we would work with it differently."

She glances over her shoulder at the Princess, still holding position offshore, throws Tuck a quick thumbs-up, then turns back to Ewa.  "I will send for our doctor.  He will have an escort.  If you have anyone here who knows medicine, or who wants to learn, he will want to talk to them as he looks at the sick."  She glances sideways.  "Mariusz and I will stay here.  I will see what else you need, and what you can offer.  He will translate for me."

"We also will bring two rifles as a sample of what we have to trade, if you will bring equal value of food.  Agreed?"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:19, Fri 20 Sept 2013.

"Alright. I agree. Bring two rifles- and ammunition- and we will pay you in food, one tin each of milk, tomatoes, and meat. For your doctor to look at our sick, we will give you more. After that, we'll see. I'll wait here."

She glances over her shoulder, as if to find someone, but catches herself and whips her head back around like nothing just happened. Since you expect there to be someone amongst the ruins, providing overwatch, this isn't something to be terribly concerned about.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:42, Fri 20 Sept 2013.

"Agreed."  Connolly suppresses a sigh of relief at being able to switch back to English and keys her radio.  "Sunray, Boots.  The deal is two rifles for three tins of food.  They're offering more for a medical survey.  Send in Coyote with one escort, please."  She pauses, keeping the channel open for a moment.  "Pick someone non-threatening.  Part of why they're willing to talk to us is the fact that we have women on the crew.  Over."

Danny frowns at Bayer's radio.  "Great.  Sounds like a bunch of PTSD cases and me without my DSM-IV.  If I can recommend..." he glances around the tug.  "Minh?  Or Jan, maybe?  I'll need a good translator and the sling makes him look less dangerous than he is."

Quyen loiters around one of the DSHKs just in case they're needed. Her rifle is slung and she does her best not to look too aggressive for a "trading boat" crewman though. Eventually she lights up a smoke letting the brief flicker of fire warm her hands. She hated this... the cold. The metal of the tug only made things worse too.

Quyen then flicks the cigarette butt over the side and watches it float downstream. They'd be heading that way soon again. She then hugs the Russian tanker jacket against her. It was nice but she'd kill for more warm clothes.

Bayer nods but says nothing on the matter of suspecting the illness to be radiation sickness "Not Jan..." he then replies quietly regarding the escort. "I don't want us to look aggressive... but not banged up either. Quyen will do." He then steps away from the railing and calls over to Jay, "Draw two AK-74s from the armory."

Bayer then toggles his radio, "Sunray. Two rifles being brought over with the medical team. How many are staying with us as an exchange? Over."

"Yessir."  Danny begins to turn away, then pauses.  "How's her Polish?  I'm probably gonna need a translator."

Connolly blinks hard as she tries to translate Bayer's question diplomatically.  "Ewa, my ship is getting the doctor and rifles now.  Who from your town will stay with us while the doctor and I are with you?"

"I can't recall. Have to ask. Let me know if it's a problem." Bayer answers. He then waves up to Griet in the wheelhouse and calls up, "One or two are coming aboard as an exchange. Need you to talk to them about downriver... if they know anything."

As Tucker is keeping the meeting under his watchful eye and his binoculars, he is relieved when Boots gives him a thumbs up signal meaning that all is going good so far.  He goes to his radio and transmits, "Sunray, Tuck.  Be advised, have a good contact signal from Boots.  I say again, good contact hand signal from Boots.  How copy and how do you want us to proceed with transfer?  Over."

OOC: I need a call sign for Tucker
This message was last edited by the player at 01:48, Sat 21 Sept 2013.

"Okay.  If she can't translate, I'll grab Mariusz and ask her to back up Boots.  It looks like the major has enough Polish to handle the casual stuff."  Danny pulls off his helmet and hangs it from his aid bag by its chin strap.  He extracts his baseball cap from his thigh pocket, snaps it open with a flick of his wrist, and, after a moment's thought, slaps a PJ morale patch onto the velcro swath.

Pulling on the cap, he steps over to Minh near the Dishka.  "Hey, you ready to take a walk?"  He nods shoreward.  "I gotta go act like a doctor and I need a responsible adult to be my chaperone.  How's your Polish?"

Griet nodded to Bayer, "I'll do that."

She got out some of the charts for the next stretch of river and got some tea on the boil. The visitors would probably be nervous but hopefully some tea might reassure them somewhat.

Mariusz wasn't happy trading a rifle for what amounted to a little less than a days' food for one person, but he consoled himself by thinking of the near hundreds of rifles they'd collected over the last few weeks and given away for much less. The fact they weren't asking for ammunition was interesting.

He kept smiling pleasantly and waited for the decisions to be made about the next phase of the trade.

Quyen is about to put another smoke in her mouth when Daniel stops next to her. Instead she lowers it and says "I don't speak it."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:41, Sat 21 Sept 2013.

Ewa refuses to leave a hostage with the tug, but she does agree to leave someone on the shore. She waves towards someone to the northwest and, a couple of minutes later, a young woman, probably close to Mariusz's age appears atop a rubble pile, a WWII-era Soviet submachinegun in her hands and a long rifle slung over her shoulder. She waits near the princess while the med team accompanies Ewa back to her shelter.

Ewa leads the medical team through the rubble towards the improvised chimney, taking a roundabout way. She points out a crawl space under a large slab of canted concrete and towards a hatch of sorts in the floor. She bangs twice on the metal door, then thrice more. The sound of a bolt scraping against metal is followed by the creak of the hinges. A young woman of about 20 pushes lifts the door and Ewa pulls it the rest of the way open.

There's a stair, pieced together with various pieces of scrap, leading into a basement of sorts. It's fairly large, at least 20 feet a side, with several improvised support beams propping up sections of sagging ceiling. There's some furniture here, and lots of blankets, and a pot-bellied stove that does a good job of warming most of the room. Several ersatz rooms have been sectioned off with hanging carpets or blankets, and a low, Japanese-style table and large wash basin near the stove serve as the shelter's kitchen. Two women, one in her teens and one near middle age sit near the stove, preparing some sort of tea-like beverage. The teenager who opened the door cradles a Polish PM-84 submachinegun in her thin arms. She eyes the med team wearily. Ewa, though, says a few words to calm her younger friend down.

"Tea?" Ewa asks, "It's not real tea, but it's pretty close."

She leads the med team down a short curtained hallway to a room in the far corner of the basement and peels back the drape that serves as a door.

"This is Greta; she's by far our worst."

Greta looks to be a woman of about 70, but after closer inspection, she's revealed to be much younger- 20s or early 30s at the oldest. She's lost most of her hair and her eyes seem drained of color. Only thin grey irises ring her dilated pupils. The woman looks to way about 70lbs. "She can't hold anything down anymore." Ewa whispers. She lowers her voice even more, "I know there's nothing to be done for her. We just don't want her to suffer anymore. The others are over here." She leads the med team out and to another vestibule across the hall. Neither of these other two women are as far gone as Greta. One just looks like she's got a bad cold, maybe bronchitis, the other has a cut on the heel of her palm- it's red and swollen and leaking milky fluid.

OOC: If anyone wants to continue to search the city, just let me know. Whoever stays on the bank with Ewa's teenage bodyguard can engage her in conversation (but she only speaks Polish).


Next Moves?

-

As the medical team enters the basement, Danny starts at the sight of the teenage guard, then recovers and gives her a tentative smile.  "She kinda reminds me of my daughter," he murmurs to Mariusz.  "Ewa, tea would be very good."

He politely finishes the tea, privately grateful that the past weeks of drinking Walter's vile brew have hardened him against lesser evils.  He's also grateful for the opportunity to mull over the local social dynamics.  Setting the teacup aside, he turns back to Ewa.  "Thank you, ma'am.  If your patients are ready for me, I'll see them now.  I'd like you to stay with me while I examine them.  If you have a midwife or nurse or anyone else who knows medicine, she can join us, too."  In an aside to Mariusz, "Thanks, man.  You're savin' my ass here."

He works his way through the examinations, introducing himself to each of the women in turn and narrating his intentions and actions through Mariusz.  He occasionally questions Ewa about the patients' medical history and recent activities.  As the examinations and questions continue, he focuses more on local geography and resources, trying to tease out as much information as he can on Ewa's little survivor community.

When he's done, he washes his hands, then glances around to ensure Ewa is the only local within earshot.  "Okay.   Here's what we have.  You said Greta and the others have been doing salvage work near the nuke crater.  I think that's exposed them to more radiation than the rest of you, probably from breathing fallout particulates - ahh, shit, Mari, translate that as 'radioactive dust' - that they've stirred up while moving things."

"There's not a lot I can do for Greta other than," his eyes flick sideways, "give her mercy.  I have morphine.  She'll just go to sleep and... stop.  The others aren't as heavily dosed, but the radiation sickness is interfering with their white blood - uh, their ability to heal.  I can give you antibiotics, and depending on the food supplies you have on hand, we probably can make some broth that will help them recover."

"The real solution, though, is to stop fuckin' around in the hot zone, and Mari, translate that however seems best to you.  I can do a survey with the Geiger counter and mark the worst areas.  But the best thing to do is gonna be to let us help you rebuild somewhere that the land itself isn't trying to kill you."

As Ewa leads Danny and Mariusz away, Connolly jogs over to the beached Princess for a quick word with Tuck, Craig, and the others in the boat.  "Gentlemen, here's your sixty-second cultural brief.  What we're dealing with is a survivor community that's entirely or almost entirely female.  Their negotiator was pretty clear that they were willing to talk to us only because we didn't steal from them and we have women on the crew."  She glances over her shoulder to where  Ewa's bodyguard is eyeing Minh warily.

"Right now, my negotiating position is that we have medical and technical skills that can help them.  The fact that most of those skills are attached to dicks needs to be minimized."  She smiles thinly.  "I know most of you have been without anything more than a combat jack for a long, long time, but this is not the place to relieve the pressure.  Pass the word: until otherwise ordered, do not move out of sight of the Queen unless you have Ewa, me, Minh, or Griet as a witness.  Don't put yourself in a position where they can accuse you of anything.  Questions?"

In reply to Dominique 'Boots' Connolly (msg # 92):

"Excuse me ma'am, but are you suggesting that we may rape these women if given the chance ?"

"It would seem to me that while those pips on your shoulder gave you the option to state your opinions during the war pretty freely you may wish to moderate any accusations towards those covering your arse on the ground now."

"As it is I don't think the Hauptmann briefed us on how you fit in the chain of command off the boat being that you turned up yesterday."
This message was last edited by the player at 07:22, Sun 22 Sept 2013.

Connolly blinks at Craig before responding. "Um, what the fuck, over? No. I'm suggesting that these women may aggressively misinterpret anything that a man says or does. My intent is to ensure witnesses at all times so they don't have the opportunity to generate any spurious charges. Lieutenant, do you think I'd still be on the boat if I thought you were a pack of rapists?"

"And I don't care about playing chain of command games with you guys. I'm not Anneka, I don't want tactical command, and I'm perfectly happy to leave that to the shooters. But this kind of civil affairs crap is in my lane, whether or not I want it to be."
This message was last edited by the player at 03:55, Sun 22 Sept 2013.

Jay stood quietly as the discussion continued. The Major was right, even if she hadn't come across well. He decided to interject. "Major she right. We no bad people, but they no know we no bad people. They scared we do bad thing. I see many bad thing with 10th, they bad people."

He turned back to the major and continued. "When you go back I come too if you want. I small, no scary. I nice guy." He flashed her a warm smile. Jay was probably the smallest of all the Kommando, apart from Minh and maybe Mariusz, and was probably the oldest as well. He certainly didn't look scary.

In reply to Dominique 'Boots' Connolly (msg # 94):

"Maybe I misheard your intention then. But if you are going to handle these negotiations then you need to pony up as there is no way two rifles are worth a handful of cans. Especially considering how we acquire them."

He was in no mood to argue the point with another REMF.

Once he heard Jay's two cents he added;

"Jay's made a good point, you may wish to warn them about the 10th cause when it gets really cold and the foods gone they are going to roam. If they see that stack they will roll through here like hell fire."

Mariusz was close to tears as he helped the medic. The air of desperation tempered by fierce independence struck a note deep in his heart. A heart he thought he had armoured thoroughly against the horrors of the world he had come to inhabit.

The eyes of the women around him reminded him of the refugees he had escaped Warsaw with and the hard eyes of the women of the warlord's harem: women used and abused by the world and yet still looking to survive, still looking to live on their own terms.

It had been these women that had arranged for his rescue when the warlord had become jealous of his boyish good looks and now his heart went out to these women.

Slowly he began to form a plan, one that would possibly aid the Princess and these women at the same time.

The problem was that he couldn't broach the subject with these women without seeming to be trying to worm information out of them.

As he translated for Danny he also came up with a plan and whilst the medic concentrated on the injured he spoke softly to Ewa.

"The Princess is a haven on the river in some ways," he said, "we've made mistakes and it's a hard life, but somehow we keep on moving: keep alive and well. We're a family of sorts, one that's going to get broken up soon though: the NATO troops who act as our security team will get home soon. My Captain is determined to do that, to let them find peace. The problem is, she is worried about how we survive after these fighters have gone. I'd like to gather a new group, Poles that can help us to make a life: one where we can live for ourselves and be afraid of no-one. We have the defences but we need people to help us. Do you know of anyone who might be interested in such a proposition?"

Ewa accepts LaRue's offer of mercy for the Greta- she seems relieved that she didn't have to bring it up directly. While LaRue metes out antibiotics for the other sick women, Ewa calls on two of the younger ladies to fetch payment for the services currently being rendered. The pair returns a few minutes later with a armfuls of tins before darting out again for more.

In the meantime, Ewa speaks to Mariusz.

"We've been here almost two years. The soldiers don't come here because of the radiation and that's why we stay. We've built this place- it's not much but it's our home. Your offer is generous, but I will have to discuss it with the others. Besides the American, how many more woman are on board your boat?"

Ewa seems genuinely tempted by Mariusz's offer, but she's clearly going to need some more convincing.

The young ladies come back with more tins and the whole lot is placed in a laundry basket for transport back to the tug. Three tins of condensed milk, three tins of stewed tomatoes, three tins of potted meat, and a single tin of cocoa powder.

"There's more, after you give us the guns."

Back on board the tug, things get a little testy between Connolly and Sutherland. The hostage, meanwhile, paces around on shore, eying the tug wearily. She's clearly not happy to be out in the open.

Mariusz did start to dry when he saw the cocoa, "Ma'am," he said, "if you ever decide to marry, I demand first refusal. There is Boots," he continued, "then Mihn, an American engineer of Oriental descent and the Captain herself, the Master of the Queen is a woman."

Danny's impassive professional mask almost slips when Mariusz breaks down, but a quick glance at Ewa and the other women assures him the situation probably isn't about to turn bloody.  "Mari, you okay?  I think I lost something in translation there."

With his piece said Craig resumes his position on the weather deck. He takes a seat and does not approach any of the weapons. He takes a drink from his canteen and keeps a watch down river and on the opposite shore from the city. If he is needed to accompany the boat back to the city he would.

He looks over and says, "Coco, Danny, they gave us cocoa..."

"Thank you for the input, Mister Sutherland," Connolly responds dryly.  "Perhaps we have a cultural problem here.  I wasn't aware the Royal Marines had such delicate sensibilities.  In our CSAR squadrons, you're usually slacking if you don't slip a crude but witty sexual reference into every conversation."  She inhales deeply, then turns to Jay.

"Jay, you're right," she acknowledges.  "The Soviet loyalists at Torun are also a threat, and probably more immediate - they're closer and have more mobility on the river.  But the 10th is a problem too.  I'll put a local threat report on the list of things we can offer them in trade."  She glances back at the shoreline.  "And yes, you should come too.  Though I usually think of you as being taller than you are," she concludes.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:46, Mon 23 Sept 2013.

"Huh."  Danny peers at the tins.  "Sure enough.  Damn, dude.  What can you do with that?  No, don't tell me, surprise me."

He turns back to Ewa. "Ma'am, I'll have the morphine ready.  Let me know when you've said your goodbyes.  I'll be outside."  He waits for Mariusz to translate that, then nods solemnly to the women and exits the warren.  Perching himself on a taller piece of rubble, he dangles his boots against the concrete and stares at the jagged skyline.

Anders had found a couple of pieces of cloth - one bigger and a few smaller ones. He sat on the deck by the Soviet-built auto-mortar with the bigger cloth spread out in between his legs and caringly dismantled the old FN Browning 9mm pistol, one of the few things that still reminded him of what he had used to be - an officer in the Finnish Navy. There was only few of those things left. The ragged woolen shirt with only one epaulette left, his dogtags and the garrison cap that sported the red cockade, half-spherical in shape on a golden base and the Finnish coat-of-arms lion with a sword.

The former naval officer handled the gun with gentle care, cleaning it with care, spending plenty of time to do so. There was not much else for him to do right now. He cleaned the barrel using the cleaning rod from his AK, then the lock and the slide. After he was done with the sidearm, he took apart the AK for the same procedure. He had plenty of time to spend, unless somebody wanted him to do something else - all they had to do was ask.

And while he did that, he was humming a song, he had heard his grandmother sing so many times.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dC93ebwZr1M
This message was last edited by the player at 17:46, Mon 23 Sept 2013.

In reply to Dominique 'Boots' Connolly (msg # 103):

"That's fine Ms Connolly, can I suggest you shove the attitude where it don't shine. I think we all have had our full of non-combative's trying to run the show."

"There don't seem to be much negotiation going on, just grabbing your ankles and taking what they want to pay for items you had no hand in collecting. From what I see those rifles you want to hand out are a huge advance for these woman so they need to pay well. You need to start talking about weeks of food not days otherwise we can trade further down the river."

"Its not our place to try and help these woman more then for what they can pay for and we are not a charity, those days are done. If you have been emotionally compromised maybe one of the other female members of the crew with longer standing can take over."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:57, Mon 23 Sept 2013.

Wearing only his uniform, with his fighting gear stowed in a corner of the wheelhouse, Bayer emerges out into the cold. As he picks up on the words being exchanged between Craig and Connolly, but he ignores them at first and instead calls over Jay. "I want you to take Griet ashore... and once you are over there act as security for her while she talks to that woman. Okay ja?"

Bayer then listens as the discussion between Connolly and Sutherland continues, and decides to speak up before things got worse or drew in other Kommandos, "Lieutenant Sutherland... on me." When the Commando arrives, Bayer says quietly to him, "Jay and Griet are taking the launch ashore... go with them. Take Sergeant Tucker with you, and one other if there's a volunteer, and do a recce along the riverside for anything that could be salvaged for the tug, for trade, or ourselves." He was referring to the large amount of resources such as wiring, clothing, automobile parts, chemicals, paint, tools, and other things that he felt were surely still lying around in city that had some use to them or someone else.

If there are no questions from Craig he'll then walk over to Connolly. Bayer then says to the pilot, "He's right. You need to push for better deals if they are still open to trading for more. If I can't be assured that my unit won't be starving in the near future, then I can't assure that when the time comes we'll have the restraint shown here yesterday. Make it work."

Bayer then double checks that a sentry is posted and returns to the wheelhouse to tell Griet that she can go ashore now as discussed earlier.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:00, Mon 23 Sept 2013.

In reply to Konrad Bayer (msg # 107):

Craig nodded and added;

"Sorry Sir sometimes my mouth has a mind of it's own."

He went and changed out his shotgun for the grenade launcher and past the word along that they were returning to the city and looking for a volunteer.

He then waited for the others on the side of the tug. When Tucker arrived he also apologised to him for his outburst, before returning to his notebook and the list of items they were looking for.

Danny and Mariusz give the women of the warren some privacy, to say their goodbyes to the dying and discuss Mariusz's unauthorized offer of passage aboard the Krolowa. Neither man could get a full count on the occupants of the Bydgoszcz subterranean sisterhood, but there must be a dozen at least.

After about ten minutes, Ewa pops her head through the hatch and calls, "We are ready."

Meanwhile, a secondary expedition is launched to sweep the riverbank for anything useable. The hostage looks at the group with more than a little suspicion and, as the sweepers climb the riverbank and move away (heading roughly north) from the anchorage, she scampers off into the rubble, disappearing among the concrete middens.

The salvage team finds quite a bit of interesting detritus, but nearly everything in plain sight is badly damaged by fire and/or by exposure to the elements. Most structures have collapsed and those that haven't are mostly burned out. If there's anything of use, the team is going to have to go underground.

-

Griet looked at the rubble and refuse and determined that nothing would be of direct use to them. She waited with the others to see what would happen next.

On the deck, Bayer exhales deeply as he watches the "hostage" walk away. For whatever reason the hostage was allowed to remain on shore without any escort. Ultimately it was his responsibility.

He then goes into the wheelhouse and collects his radio, turning it on and toggling the transmit button as he returns to the deck, "Larue... Sunray. Need you to return to the boat now. Over."
This message was lightly edited by the player at 17:29, Tue 24 Sept 2013.

Craig dropped the piece of tread plate he had been examining by the river shoreline. It was another to brittle for use, exposure to the cold and the heat of the initial detonation had rendered most of the metal useless.

He stood up and took out his field glasses giving the rubble a sweep and then the opposite shore. If there were any structures still standing on the shoreline he would suggest they have a look.

In reply to Konrad Bayer (msg # 107):

"Yes, kapitanbayerji, I go now." Jay offered a quick nod in lieu of a formal salute and scurried to assemble his gear. In a moment he was ready and headed off towards the shore with Griet.

As they landed he watched in dismay as the lone female on the bank disappeared into the debris. He couldn't really blame her though, she was right to be cautious as a group of strangers approached.

While awaiting further instructions from Griet he kept his rifle at his side and scanned the area with his binoculars, looking for anything out of the ordinary. If he spots anything he will inform Griet.

With their primary mission aborted by the disappearance of the woman he looked over at Griet. He wasn't sure if he should stay on the bank with her, or let her return to the Queen while he joined Craig and Tuck.

OOC - I am happy to join Tuck & Craig if needed. Maybe Griet can come as well as it seems a woman's touch might come in handy. Or is she too valuable and should return to the boat?

Danny's lips compress into a thin line as he withdraws the syringe.  He caps it and drops it into an outside pocket of his aid bag for later disposal.  He considers his response for a moment, gauging Bayer's voice and the lack of gunfire in the background.  Leaving one hand holding Greta's, he keys his radio with the other.  "Sunray, I'm in the middle of a procedure here.  Will comply in ten mikes.  Larue out."

He switches off the radio and kneels in the candlelit gloom of the warren, holding Greta's hand until her breathing falters and stops.

When he's sure she's gone, he folds her hands across her chest, then collects Mariusz and steps outside.  Taking a deep breath, he switches his radio back on and heads for the shore.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:54, Thu 26 Sept 2013.

Griet looked over at Jay and said, "Let's get near the launch, we'll be ready to go when the others get here."

She checked her rifle and then headed over to the landing.

In reply to Griet Niewiadomska (msg # 115):

Jay nodded and headed back towards the Princess, he kept his rifle slung for now to maintain a non-threatening pose to the unseen observers who were undoubtedly watching them.