In reply to helbent4 (msg # 81):

Darek climbed down from the deck of the tank. He looked at the bodies laying on the pavement, and half out the rear of the Cougar.

"Boss," he said to Taras, "we can stack the rest of the dead guys on the rear deck of the tank. Should be room, keep them on with bungy cords?"

He indicated the rear deck of the T-54.

A winded and excited Koldan ran up to Taras.

"Taras! Tyler and I... we set up an OP 1 hundred metres west down 56 Ave to make sure the Angels didn't come while we were getting set up! Something's coming down the road... sounded like an elephant! Maybe 500m down 56 Ave. West. Coming this way.

"Tyler said we can't use the radio because it's not secure, so he sent me as a runner."

He (redundantly) pointed west down the road, in the direction of the noise.

"An elephant?" said Mac, pricking up his ears from where he was helping with the bodies.

"Shall I go check what's going on?"

"You do that," Andy said, "I'll get the fifty calibre ready."

He went to the back of the Iltis and pulled out the big rifle. He rested it on the roll bar of the truck and waited to see if Jumbo was in town.

Head off then, towards the OP down 56 Avenue, eyes and ears peeled...

For the love of God...

In reply to helbent4 (msg # 81):

Thomas was busy helping with the wounded and working out how they could use the vehicles to their best advantage when the call went out that more company was on its way. He grabbed his the launcher and the two AT-4's and moved to a spot where he had a clear view of the road.

Kelsey finishes her camo job and gets the 240 mounted up on the ring of the captured HMMWV, gets a radio online with it as well.

"This is Bishop 1, radio test."

She looked over to Tremblay "Unless you are an expert machine gunner, you drive this critter Keith."

The Iltis rolled westward as Koldan hopped aboard in the rear. "Might as well catch ride back, yes?"

It was difficult to make out details while moving, but it was clear that indeed, an elephant was walking down the road towards them, about 300m away. Probably more than one, but walking single file so it was difficult to tell. There was some kind of green covering, though, and someone was riding it.

They pulled up to where Tyler was waiting at the OP. He was 50m down the road.

Meanwhile, Tyler showed up at the stranded Humvee, and caught a ride in the captured Humvee with Kel and Tremblay. They quickly arrived back at the intersection where the vehicles were being marshalled.

OOC: Andy and Mac can make Vision checks to determine more detail using the Barrett's Unertl x10 scope and the spotting scope, respectively.

For now, you are 100m west of the intersection. I'll try and correct the map to show positions.
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:07, Tue 13 May 2014.

In reply to helbent4 (msg # 90):

Gripping his CAR-15 in one hand and binoculars in the other, Tyler was lying behind a hedge that gave him concealment from the west (but not cover).

"Over here!" He put down his CAR-15 and waved them over. "What the hell? Is that our elephant from the fort?"

Kelsey will get Tremblay up on the m2 and switch to the optics (night) on the m21.

"Here is hoping they are friendlies with that lot!"

She'll try keying a radio to last frequency and initiate contact.

"This is Bishop, any friendlies?"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:11, Tue 13 May 2014.

Looking through their scopes, they could see an elephant about 200m down the road. This one had some kind of green covering. It took a moment to realise that it appeared to be covered with panels of some kind, US woodland green camo pattern, possibly Kevlar vests formed into a set of crude "barding" style armour on the head and flanks. Over that was draped camo netting, and there was a platform on the back. Riding the platform and sitting on the back of the neck were several soldiers kitted in US army BDUs, webbing, armed with M16A2s and an M249 firing over the head. There was at least one whip antenna sprouting from the small platform, indicating a radio set.

Behind that was another elephant and possibly more, although as they were travelling "Indian file" it was hard to tell total numbers of beasts. As well, they were silhouetted by the fading twilight of the sun setting to the west. (Although night vision would help it would still be hampered looking into the sunset.)

There was the audible roar of a diesel engine to the north, indicating a large vehicle (probably an APC) was moving around somewhere between them and the Trans-Canada freeway.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:41, Sat 17 May 2014.

Andrews had found a depression next to the road on the right hand side that must have been for drainage as his bum was now wet. It afforded him good cover, exposing just his head and the launcher and the long grass gave good camouflage. He watched along the road through the Carl Gustav's optical 3×; laser rangefinder; image intensification system.

The round in the Carl Gustav's was an high explosive air-burst munition, his very last. As the minutes ticked by he got a reading from the range finder on what he thought was the best point to fire.

Watching along the road
Sitting in a drainage ditch on the right-hand side of the road

Carl Gustav M3 Recoilless Rifle [1/1 84mm FFV441 HE]

Mac had the spotter scope to his eye.

"Nope... these are other elephants. Kitted out for war, too. US Army cammo."

"Rook to Knight," Andy said as he risked the radio, "I have one elephant plus an unidentified number of others heading toward us. Jumbos are armoured and carrying armed men in a howdah. We hear at least one APC engine in the north. Permission to engage elephants?"

He raised the Barrett and drew a line of sight on the elephant's head. From reading Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant", he knew how badly these things could go. He also knew that the best location for his shot would be a band about six inches wide running around the elephant's head and centred on the eyes.

From here the sweet spot would be just above the trunk and between the eyes or he could be a bastard and shatter one of the rear knees and send a pain-crazed elephant into it's companions.

He really hoped that Knight had other plans...

"I don't want to hurt elephants!" declared Mac. "Hadn't we better find out who these folk are, if they're friendly, first?"

Ok, everybody. Lets take it easy now. Lets find out who they are and what they are up to.

Kelsey listens to the transmissions, shakes her head.

"Well, I think we might have a lead on a vet for elephants, at least."

"Want I go ask them who they are? And if they have a veterinarian available?" asked Mac.

"Are those elephants really worth dying for?" Andy replied, "We've just been fighting guys dressed like this so standing up and asking seems like a way of getting shot to me. They have radios, see if Kel can get them on an open channel or some shit like that."

He kept his aim, knee, he had decided, let the opposition see that war elephants are as dangerous to you as they are to the enemy.

He held the shot and waited.

I'll take care of that. Darek, drive up towards them. Nice and slow. We'll have a chat.

Taras unfurled the worn out Canadian flag wrapped around the antenna of the Cougar. He was tired, thristy and hungry. The lastt thing out he wanted to do is to start another shooting war. He had his wounded people. Prisoners to bargain for. Above all, the will to go home and rest.

The big .50 was loaded and ready to fire. Corporal Abbot had found some oil in the V that smoothed out the action a bit, but it still wasn't 100%.

The failing light made it hard to see the approaching pachyderms, even a quarter of a mile away.  He dropped down into the turret and retrieved a pair of AN/PVS-504 NVGs from the protective pouch strapped to the side of his field pack. He quickly readied them, having them available for when the he could no longer see well enough.

The Cougar fired up it's engine and made ready to pull out. Abbot thumbed the transmit button on his radio.

<radio>"Queen to all elements.  We're guns up and ready.  Be careful out there. Over."</radio>

"You got it! Rolling."

He started 'er up and put the old girl in gear. She began rolling forward, away from the parked Humvee, V-100 and T-54.

In reply to Stanley Alistair Abbot (msg # 103):

The Ma-deuce's field of fire was restricted somewhat by the Cougar and Iltis to the west on 56 Ave.

About 100m in front of the Iltis (Mac and Andy) and the OP where Tyler and Koldan waited, another elephant with armour and MG-equipped howdah pulled out and stood beside the first. They stopped, and soldiers dismounted from them, as well falling out from behind them. About a fire team was deployed on either side of the road, with rifles and some support weapons (a SAW and M203). They appeared to be dressed in US Army BDUs.

With a start, Abbot realised he heard a vehicle moving somewhere to the north, about 500m up 248 St. Nothing was in sight, though.

Kelsey looked over the scene from her carbine, night scope enabled.

"Mon tabarnac jva te décalisser la yeule, calice!"  She swears, colorfully, in her native tongue, as it dawns on her that these are US troops, and they prisoners and people they had captured were as well.  She just hoped that they had been fed misinformation on exactly who her group is.  She tunes her spare radio to the common NATO frequency during the war and starts to broadcast.

"This is Sergeant Champlain of the Royal Two Two Regiment, Canadian Forces.  I am attached to Royal Canadian Police out of Vancouver and we operate under the authority of the real Canadian national government.  If you can hear this, please advise."