In reply to 2Lt Jack Winters (msg # 54):

"Hell, Ayl Teee, I thought y'all was dead" Spc Henderson drawled from the open gunner's hatch as the group neared the M2. He sounded like he was from some southern state, like Tennessee or West Virginia. That was the state of the morning Jack Winters was having. This man had provided fire support for them and possible saved their lives, and he didn't even know the man's name.

In reply to Spc Christopher Henderson (msg # 55):

"Yo shut the fuck up, Cracker Jack!" Ramirez said, extending his brand of hospitality. "Yo who the fuck is this gringo motherfucker anyway?"

In reply to Pvt Emilio Ramirez (msg # 56):

"I...I was in the Fuchs...before..." Henderson said, looking like Ramirez had kicked him in the stomach.

OOC: Not even your dignity matey :)
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:04, Mon 07 Oct 2013.

Winters always made it a point to know his soldiers.  It disappointed him that he didn't even know this soldiers name.  Before he could reply the ever charming Ramriez spoke up.  Shaking his head at Ramirez he hopped up on the M2 and extend his hand to the new Crooklyn Gunner, "Don't mind Ramirez, he was born angry, and that's his own brand of thank you."  Adding a smile he thought he would never do again he continued, "What's your name trooper?" addressing him in a bit of the Cav style.

Winters knew they didn't have much time, but he wanted to at least extend the courtesy of a name and a handshake for the soldier that may very well have saved their asses.

"Well thank you Specialist Henderson, appreciate the support. Welcome to the Crooklyn. Keep us covered."

After the brief bit of friendliness he would have everyone quickly check for anything salvageable among the wreckage, including survivors.  "Detail folks, move quickly to see if there's anything left we can use and if anyone's still alive.  Let's move."  Hopping down he followed suit with his own orders to check out the wreckages.

In reply to 2Lt Jack Winters (msg # 58):

2Lt Winters fanned out [Private to 2Lt Jack Winters: wearing a pink dress] with the other two dismounts as they searched the ambushed convoy for any equipment they could use. The two-man American crew of the GAZ Russian 'jeep' had, either on purpose, or accidentally, dumped the four 122mm rockets they were carrying in their mad panic to escape the kill zone.

OOC: I'm pretty sure 'dignity' is spelled wrong even though the computer says it's not. Just looks weird I suppose. ESY RCN Winters, please.

[Private to Niewiele Dupek: Merrily skipping along in his pink dress...]Winters checked for equipment/ordnance and survivors as he went through the wreckage with a mind and eye on his watch to make sure they didn't linger too long.

OOC: 11:37, Today: 2Lt Jack Winters rolled 6 using 1d100. RCN 75.

In reply to 2Lt Jack Winters (msg # 60):

OOC: Winters with his low roll would have seen the Hummer 'Guard' packed with BOXES and BOXES of almost EVERY type of grenade known to man burning and kept the dismounts away from there. OK, if he was anyone other than Superman, he might think about getting out of Dodge because the Soviet probe that just whacked his whole team was one small part of the overall enemy forces still in the area; the burning Hummer stuffed with ten freaking tons of explosive ammo might just put a fine point on that fact...

...but hey, what do I know? Stick around and find out; see what happens, might be fun. I've got my special get Crooklyn die ready in case you're feeling froggy.   

Winters knew that enemy force was just a probe.  A probe that fucked them good.  Spying the ordnance sitting in the flaming Humvee, Winters decided this was a losing proposition.  He called out to everyone, "Fuck this, let's mount up and bogey on down the road."  He ran back to the M2 and hopped up into the Track Commander's cupola.  If anyone was lagging behind or still looking he made sure to motivate them, "Leave it all, or kick it into the flames.  We need to GO! Or I will leave your asses!"

OOC: I knew this was time sensitive, hence why Winters was minding his watch.

Did we manage to haul anything?

What direction is safe now?  No map.  Don't know if I like the idea of running headlong into the offensive line...

In reply to 2Lt Jack Winters (msg # 62):

The dismounts quickly loaded into the back of the M2 as Carruba put the Crooklyn into gear and Henderson searched for targets.

OOC: I've been doing some soul searching to see if we should keep up with the pretense of the map. I realized I have no soul, so I'll leave it up to you. The fact is, there are pluses and minuses to the map, but the in the end it is players' story so you tell me what you want JB.

The Crooklyn is currently about halfway between bridge 5 and 6 on the east side of the river. There is a small dirt trail that runs north-south the convoy was on, and they were all facing south before they jumped off to go...wherever it was they were running to. As I see it, the burning Guard hummer would probably block your route if you wanted to continue to the south, but as you are proceeding UNBUTTONED I figured I would at least ask you before rolled to see if I could get white hot molten death to rain down burning WP shards...on your face.

Jackie Chan, why do you vex me so?

As I see it(keep in mind I am playing the adventure handout BY THE BOOK, so ANY player that wanted to know what the eff the enemy was doing only has to take five seconds out of their busy day to READ it in the basic rules...hell, I even provide a link in the game...JOHNNY CASH GIVE ME STRENGTH), the 4th GTA has enveloped the 5th at Kalisz and is mopping up on the early morning of the 18th July 2000. Tactically, the last probe (you know, the guys that just wrecked your WHOLE convoy without even trying?) retreated to the west.

Your character(s) know that the enemy has come in from the southwest and west, and they can deduce from the General's message that the enemy is also to the north-northwest. Obviously I can't comment, but a BC like Winters might assume that a tactical redeployment to the northeast might give them and anyone else they can save before the lid slams shut a couple hours sleep in the woods before the figure out what to do next</b>

Considering the proximity of enemy forces Winters ordered the M2 to button-up.  He directed Carruba to head northeast into the woods.  If they could avoid it they would stay off roads, or at least major avenues.

OOC:  That's great ND.  I wish I had the time to go back and read stories I've forgotten, but I don't so I appreciate cutting me/us some slack...

Character Knowledge and Player Knowledge are not always one and the same.

In reply to 2Lt Jack Winters (msg # 64):

After five to ten seconds of travel 2Lt Winters [Private to 2Lt Jack Winters: wearing a lovely pink number with flowers on] could hear the grenades in the stricken Hummer Guard go. It sounded to the BC like a B-52 strike from happier times when air support was a constant help instead of a constant threat.

Unbuttoning to get a better feel for the area, Jack Winters guided Spc Carruba around some old abandoned buildings on his right. After about 50-75m he had the track stop, deciding what to do next.

The Alpha company officer cursed his luck. This is exactly what he didn't want. He was still very much in the city, just east of the city's largest river. What he assumed was the eastern end of town was a stretch of woods 100m wide and twice as long. He was at the northeast corner of a box; his stricken convoy was at the south to southwestern part of the 'box' when they were attacked.

At the northeast corner of the box was a 'T intersection' which Winters assumed was '12'. The eff'ing Poles never labeled any streets or highways before the war, but JW knew from looking at maps that it could very well be twelve as it formed the east side of the box and turned right at the 'T'.

In front of him in the middle of the 'T' a few wrecked cars damaged years ago had been pushed out of the lane of travel by one side or the other. East of the box the large building complex, possibly some sort of factory at one time, burned from art'y fire. To the north of the 'T' the smaller group of buildings, office buildings before the war, were undamaged by artillery but broken and looted by years of war.

OOC: I'm still on the map, but this way we can do it without the map if you want. Remember if you are unclear, ask questions, as it is my fault for not explaining and not yours for not understanding.

[Private to Niewiele Dupek: Adjusting his flowery pink dress...] Winters surveyed the scene.  He felt uneasy about the abandoned buildings to the north and wrecked vehicles at the 'T' intersection, both likely ambush points.  He looked to the woodline to his east to see if they could get through to the other side.  He didn't like the idea of being backlit by the fires of the factory building either, but he would just have to make sure Carruba didn't get too close.

Tapping Spc. Carruba he instructed the driver, "Carruba, let's go south of the factory building and see if we can break some brush to connect with the highway on the other side."  Winters buttoned up again in preparation for being near the flames of the factory building.

In reply to 2Lt Jack Winters (msg # 66):

"You got it Lieutenant" Carruba said, taking the Crooklyn's brake off, putting the M2 into gear.

OOC: I need an ESY INT roll and an AVG RCN roll please

He made sure to add, "And don't get too close to the burning building.  We don't want to be back lit or get roasted."

OOC:
18:43, Today: 2Lt Jack Winters rolled 49 using 1d100. RCN 75.
18:42, Today: 2Lt Jack Winters rolled 13 using 1d20. INT 11.

In reply to 2Lt Jack Winters (msg # 68):

OOC: JB just so you know you are still officially on the WEST side of twelve and have not crossed the 'street'(looks like an exit ramp of some sort from the map, but we'll say it's level) yet. I don't know how close you are studying the map(if at all, which really doesn't matter because sometimes I think the map actually takes away from the game with some players), but your M2 is actually a few meters from breaking cover at the NE corner of the 'box' I described earlier where 'W-wa' and 'Boat' streets meet. The northwestern corner of the factory is to your SW 20-30m, so you would have to either stay in the box(west of 12 in the grass still)and then break out more to the south of where you are now OR drive south on 12 to try to find a way around it.

With your rolls you can deduce that 12 goes east TO THE NORTH OF the factory ruins, but at that close range you would in fact be in a kill zone if something was there. It's a big city, so you might be able to pick 12 up somewhere else, but you could just as easily get lost as hell doing that too. You can't see anything in either grouping of buildings, but you don't know if that's because you can't see it or because it's not there.

Clear as mud?

Winters did a map check and directed Carruba where to go.

"Let's stay in the treeline as long as we can and head south paralleling route 12. Once we have to come out, which I think we will as buildings are likely along the way, we'll dash down the road. About 700 meters from here there's a wooded cut-through that will come out on a smaller road that parallels the east-bound part of 12 for a bit, and we should be able to follow a tributary road to eventually link up with 12 further out of town."

OOC: Ok, actually looked at the map this time...

In reply to 2Lt Jack Winters (msg # 70):

Heading south along 12 inside the box, the Crooklyn moved slowly and carefully as Carruba tried to keep the interstate road in sight. When they got to the AW road, a ruined metal outbuilding was to their right. It was as the Crooklyn crossed this road quickly and spilled into the open area south of it that the M2's gunner came alive on the comms.

In reply to Niewiele Dupek (msg # 71):

"Shit...SIR...uh, troops, I saw some guys...back there on the bridge, Lieutenant" the Southerner fumbled on the M2's comm system as the turret motors whirred in the background.

When you have time, please post

Winters cursed internally as he questioned the nervous sounding gunner, "Henderson, enemy or friendly troops?  Description, direction, distance, give me something."  He of course turned on the external camera at his own terminal to see what the gunner saw for himself.

In reply to 2Lt Jack Winters (msg # 73):

"Sorry Lt" the gunner said as the M2 continued south in the open after leaving AW behind them. "Couple'a Rooskis standin' on the bridge, sir, like they owned it...back there on the right...can't see 'em now, sir.."

In reply to Spc Christopher Henderson (msg # 74):

Looking where his gunner had suggested to the M2's right rear flank, Lt Winters could only see trees, although he did remember the road they crossed going in both directions(east-west) as they crossed it.

Winters debated within himself for a moment.  They were "on their own" as the General had stated, but they were still soldiers too.  He thought of the advancing armored columns, and although their passing would be slow at this point, they could do it.  Did it pay to try and sabotage this bridge to slow the advance and buy themselves some time too, or was it better to continue with their tactical retreat.  Duty would get the better of him as he ordered the track to stop, and move for some cover and concealment nearby.  He hoped they could get a view from the concealment at least and made an assessment on possibly taking out the bridge.

As they moved he asked the senior dismount to make an accountability of their ordnance and explosives if any.

In reply to 2Lt Jack Winters (msg # 76):

The grenades still continued to go off randomly in what was left of the HMMWV Guard, providing noise discipline for the M2 Crooklyn as it moved into an overwatch position facing west. From where he was, 2Lt Winters could see that there were in fact a couple of figures moving around on the bridge, although who they were or a clean line of fire were impossible to ascertain from his current position.

OOC: Summers is the senior dismount

Summers nodded and did a quick check of what they had.  She wondered what the Lieutenant had in mind.

OOC: What do we have?

In reply to Sgt Kitty Summers (msg # 78):

OOC: Crooklyn has what's in Msg 13, plus what the characters have on their person, which is listed on their character sheet. Ramirez has the SAW plus ammo spares in the quantity of two green plastic SAW boxes in little cloth bandoleer type-deals. He leaves those in the M2 when he is out 'werk nit'.