Spark and I turned back to the camp, having chased off the Russians. Blitz had taken the other two Russians prisoner and dispatched the dog creature.
Now we turned our attention to the truck, to get it unstuck from where it had become essentially a potted plant. All the Poles would fit into it so we wanted to get it operational and then head off for our vehicle. Then would could GET OUT.
Blitz had restrained our captives, who were unconscious. The two dogs were dying in smoldering piles. The woods felt like they were closing in on us.
Blitz and Karl, the leader of the Polish refugees, got back to work on the truck. I grabbed a few Poles and headed out in front of the truck to clear a path. Spark started helping the sick and elderly into the back of the transport truck. We were struggling to move a log that had fallen into the path.
Some kind of small drone came flying out of the brush ahead of where Spark had gone out to have a look around. She took a shot at it and struck metal. It swerved off course and ducked into the canopy of trees, but it was still functional.
I could hear the mechanics when something snapped and broke on the truck though I could not tell what. What ever it was, I was sure it would cause complications later.
A few Poles arrived to report fires spreading in the underbrush, probably the after-effects of the paranormal dogs and what they were spewing.
Panic! I rushed to the back of the truck and pushed with a mighty Ork roar! It finally started to roll out. I ran up to the driver's side running board and Karl shoved over so I could jump behind the wheel. As I pulled away, out of the smoke, a few more people in Russian uniforms arrived on the scene. They fired off a few shots but missed the truck and passengers.
I could hear the team shooting and slinging spells at the pursuing soldiers.
A shot hit one of the rear tires. The handling became rough but I steered off the trail to get out of the shooters' scopes.
We got clear and used the GPS to find my buggy. I hopped out of the truck and Karl shoved back over to re-take the wheel. Blitz and Spark stayed in the back of the big truck. We were off to the rendezvous shelter via a local highway. It was an old airfield, with an ancient hangar and out buildings. It looked abandoned until a few people came out to receive us. Among the refugees, everyone was a little sick and groggy but unhurt.
I promised to help with any further expediting of the Poles to future homes.
"I heard you guys were good," the leader at the airfield said. "Looks like you are." He looked at the three of us. "Motley crew just like us!" We all offered to help with our connections in the future, such as the Polish Army.
Saturday, May 30, 2020
Monday, May 25, 2020
Back to Poland, part 1
Oscar, a mechanic I knew in Hamburg, called me about interest in a job - rescue/repair/extraction.
I got the other two on board and he sent me the information. A guy named Cordero wanted to meet at the Blonde Scorpion, a local bar that caters to ex-military/paramilitary down near the docks.
I hopped on the train to go meet my mates and the contact. It was evening. The place reminded me of the Outpost, the veterans social club we went to during the last mission into Poland. Cordero, a human, was in the bar in a corner booth. I grabbed drinks for all of us. Cordero was drinking a beer so I got a pitcher of the same stuff and three more glasses. He seemed wary, standing to shake our hands.
Straight to business. Said he'd heard of our successful jobs in extraction. He had a group out in the woods of Poland, in a makeshift refugee camp where they'd gone after escaping the Russian Army. They were camped around a power station nationalized by the Russians.
"We just got word that they might be in trouble," Cordero told us. The Red Army was out to find and crush them. Their transport was broken down and though they had mechanics they needed parts. Our job was to get them operational, protect them and get them out. "We're all allies against the invaders."
Cordero provided us with a GPS unit and coordinates to the power station. The terms were good and he covered the costs of any equipment we needed that was mission-specific. I made a note to get woodland camo and more rations.
We took the regular roads most of the way but then there was forest that even my buggy couldn't get through. We walked the rest of the way using the GPS, visually scanning the horizon for the tower. I was on point, Blitz carried the parts and Spark watched out six. The canopy of the primeval forest blotted out the sky. We could still hear drones in the air so we hugged the trees and kept the canopy between us and the mechanical spies.
Soon we spotted a land mine, which I stopped just short of. There were more traps as we got closer to the camp site. GPS got us to within sight of campfires, and there was a building too.
Spark took the lead and I moved to rear guard. She is better at talking to strangers, so we relied on her to keep us from getting shot right away. A big guy on guard chatted us up and said they were fleeing to Germany but the truck had broken down.
Blitz asked to see the truck as we exchanged concerns about the sound of dogs approaching, perhaps Russian patrols.
Spark and I started passing out the ration bars we brought. I passed out food to the children while Spark attended to the wounded. Blitz was working on the engine repairs. The truck was wedged in the mud here and had become overgrown, so getting it out was going to be more complex.
After that I talked to some of the Poles about exfiltration. Spark helped repair some of the small equipment in camp. But the dog sounds were getting close now.
I called Blitz up to help and we attempted to sneak closer to the noises. About 50 yards away in a gully there were two men in long coats and goggles leading a giant dog thing, probably paranormal based on its glowing red eyes. It was sniffing the air. The men had Russian military insignia on their clothing. There was another pair of men and a 'dog' further beyond them, farther from the camp.
Spark and I ran low through the woods to the enemies farther away. Blitz and the Pole who'd been on guard attacked the nearer team.
By the time we'd gotten into position Blitz had cast two spells to attack the dog, beast, thing. A pair of fists made of energy rushed out at it and knocked it over.
I shot at the other dog's handler while Spark fired on the dog. My Remington 950 cracked the air and the bullet ripped into the handler, hitting him in the flank and staggering him. Spark shot and killed the beast with a machine pistol. The animal began to smoke and spew. The other Russian shot back at my Elf friend with his assault rifle but missed.
I took another shot as I heard the other team of allies exchange fire behind us. But I had no clear line of sight and my shot went wide. Spark fired at the Russian who was unharmed, hit him and staggered him. The man took a knee and returned fire.
The dog handler took out a device and put it to his ear. Spark saw the movement and dashed toward him to knock the device away, which she did successfully. She then shot him in the side and close range. I tried to shoot the other Russian but he was withdrawing and I missed. He returned fire but missed me too. I fired again but the underbrush was causing havoc with my line of sight and my shot went astray - again.
The target of my attacks started to move deeper into the trees and I took what I figured was my last shot. I fired another round and missed again, and I saw him disappear into the undergrowth. I dropped the rifle into the low ready position and sagged in embarrassment. I could not have been less efficient, and it might cost people their lives, I thought in the moment. If the Russians come back soon we'd be in trouble.
I got the other two on board and he sent me the information. A guy named Cordero wanted to meet at the Blonde Scorpion, a local bar that caters to ex-military/paramilitary down near the docks.
I hopped on the train to go meet my mates and the contact. It was evening. The place reminded me of the Outpost, the veterans social club we went to during the last mission into Poland. Cordero, a human, was in the bar in a corner booth. I grabbed drinks for all of us. Cordero was drinking a beer so I got a pitcher of the same stuff and three more glasses. He seemed wary, standing to shake our hands.
Straight to business. Said he'd heard of our successful jobs in extraction. He had a group out in the woods of Poland, in a makeshift refugee camp where they'd gone after escaping the Russian Army. They were camped around a power station nationalized by the Russians.
"We just got word that they might be in trouble," Cordero told us. The Red Army was out to find and crush them. Their transport was broken down and though they had mechanics they needed parts. Our job was to get them operational, protect them and get them out. "We're all allies against the invaders."
Cordero provided us with a GPS unit and coordinates to the power station. The terms were good and he covered the costs of any equipment we needed that was mission-specific. I made a note to get woodland camo and more rations.
We took the regular roads most of the way but then there was forest that even my buggy couldn't get through. We walked the rest of the way using the GPS, visually scanning the horizon for the tower. I was on point, Blitz carried the parts and Spark watched out six. The canopy of the primeval forest blotted out the sky. We could still hear drones in the air so we hugged the trees and kept the canopy between us and the mechanical spies.
Soon we spotted a land mine, which I stopped just short of. There were more traps as we got closer to the camp site. GPS got us to within sight of campfires, and there was a building too.
Spark took the lead and I moved to rear guard. She is better at talking to strangers, so we relied on her to keep us from getting shot right away. A big guy on guard chatted us up and said they were fleeing to Germany but the truck had broken down.
Blitz asked to see the truck as we exchanged concerns about the sound of dogs approaching, perhaps Russian patrols.
Spark and I started passing out the ration bars we brought. I passed out food to the children while Spark attended to the wounded. Blitz was working on the engine repairs. The truck was wedged in the mud here and had become overgrown, so getting it out was going to be more complex.
After that I talked to some of the Poles about exfiltration. Spark helped repair some of the small equipment in camp. But the dog sounds were getting close now.
I called Blitz up to help and we attempted to sneak closer to the noises. About 50 yards away in a gully there were two men in long coats and goggles leading a giant dog thing, probably paranormal based on its glowing red eyes. It was sniffing the air. The men had Russian military insignia on their clothing. There was another pair of men and a 'dog' further beyond them, farther from the camp.
Spark and I ran low through the woods to the enemies farther away. Blitz and the Pole who'd been on guard attacked the nearer team.
By the time we'd gotten into position Blitz had cast two spells to attack the dog, beast, thing. A pair of fists made of energy rushed out at it and knocked it over.
I shot at the other dog's handler while Spark fired on the dog. My Remington 950 cracked the air and the bullet ripped into the handler, hitting him in the flank and staggering him. Spark shot and killed the beast with a machine pistol. The animal began to smoke and spew. The other Russian shot back at my Elf friend with his assault rifle but missed.
I took another shot as I heard the other team of allies exchange fire behind us. But I had no clear line of sight and my shot went wide. Spark fired at the Russian who was unharmed, hit him and staggered him. The man took a knee and returned fire.
The dog handler took out a device and put it to his ear. Spark saw the movement and dashed toward him to knock the device away, which she did successfully. She then shot him in the side and close range. I tried to shoot the other Russian but he was withdrawing and I missed. He returned fire but missed me too. I fired again but the underbrush was causing havoc with my line of sight and my shot went astray - again.
The target of my attacks started to move deeper into the trees and I took what I figured was my last shot. I fired another round and missed again, and I saw him disappear into the undergrowth. I dropped the rifle into the low ready position and sagged in embarrassment. I could not have been less efficient, and it might cost people their lives, I thought in the moment. If the Russians come back soon we'd be in trouble.
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