DAY 16 – MAY 3rd 2000
LUBLINIEC, POLAND – DAWN
The Eastern sky is tinted red as the group gets back to Lubliniec and the 1st SOC HQ. Everybody relaxes as soon as they are positive they are not being pursued, and the first morning light dissipates the impenetrable darkness of the night, making it possible to see further than one’s feet.
The double door at the main gate springs open as soon as the guards recognize Captain WALICH. They let the group in, and everybody not on duty (plus some who are) is quick to gather around their liberated comrade and his wife.
LED and his companions set under a porch on the side of the main building, twenty meters from the mass of cheering Polish soldiers.
“Do they have a bathroom in this place?” asks DONNA propping her M16A1 against the stone wall “I really need to go”
ALEX, still trying to untangle himself from the wires of the NVGs and IR light, steps closer to the doctor “they do have bathrooms” he says “what they don’t have is running water”
“Whatever they have” is DONNA’s reply “can you point me to it?”
ALEX trains a finger at a nearby depot “past that is a fenced area. You’ll find a shovel at the entrance”
NASCAR looks the LT while pointing at DONNA “do you want me to…” he says with little conviction.
“DOC, do you want privacy or protection?” asks LED.
DONNA looks at the lieutenant, then NASCAR “given the circumstances, I’d say toilet paper, but I’ll settle for dignity” she taps the pistol secured in its holster “I’ll be fine”
LED takes off his helmet, sits down on a wooden bench with metal armrests and stretches his legs on the concrete pavement, taking in the cold morning air. For a minute his eyes drift around with no purpose, observing how the crescent morning light donates blue shades of color to everything around.
WITH the EYES of the REFEREE [click to expand]
LED hasn’t slept during day 15, and is now Sleep Deprived (cannot recover hit or stress points unless he sleeps for one shift).
ALEX puts down the night vision apparatus and turns his head left and right stretching the neck “that thing is heavy, like having someone constantly pushing your head down”
LED turns slowly towards him “yeah, we were at the second bunker when it occurred to me that we could have swapped helmets”
ALEX stops stretching abruptly realizing the same thing “why didn’t you say something?”
“We were limiting communications to the absolutely necessary”
“Right… well, I guess I was the chosen” says ALEX massaging his neck.
“Uneasy lies the head…” comments LED.
“Hey LT” says NASCAR while observing the Polish soldiers “you think we’re gonna at least get a meal out of this?”
“Sure, we deserve a bowl of good soup after last night. Just don’t tell them you stayed outside the fence”
“If they bump it up to a steak, I’ll say that I brought that guy out on my back”
LED leans forward stretching his arms “they got their man back, but this is not over. Those deserters are still out there, still occupying that base. And that armored vehicle is still in it”
“We got their man, the Russians lost their hostage” NASCAR points at the 1st SOC soldiers “I bet these guys can take care of them now” he then turns towards the LT “or am I missing something?”
“Well” says LED looking in the direction of captain WALICH “they had one big reason to… take care of them. And it’s possible we have taken it off of the table last night”
NASCAR gets a sip from his canteen and looks around “hey LT, Polish brass incoming, and fast” he says with the hint of a nod towards the main building.
LED leans forward and spots LTC BRANIECKI on a fast-paced approach course, closely followed by an armed soldier. He stands and yawns covering his mouth, then rubs his eyes briefly.
“Probably wants to know what happened” says ALEX.
“Probably wants to know how big he owes us for tonight” adds NASCAR.
LED composes himself quickly, making sure he is above the minimal threshold of presentability “and if I were to bet, I’d bet against the both of you. Now I have to convince him of something”
“What’s that LT?”
“That we, well… they are in a hurry now” says LED before quickly adding “don’t forget to salute”
LTC BRANIECKI stops right next to NASCAR, his eyes fixated on the lieutenant, and his single escort a few feet behind him.
LED raises his arm and puts his rigid hand to his temple, quickly followed by his companions. They remain firm in their posture. Eventually BRANIECKI briefly waves his hand interrupting the salute.
“Care to explain you actions of last night Lieutenant?”
“We reconned the place, saw an opportunity, and went for it, sir” says LED calmly.
“And your disregard for the life of my man?”
“On the contrary, sir, I think we showed great regard for the life of all your men. We didn’t ask your able soldiers to participate, and we managed to liberate the only one that was in danger. But that’s not the point now, sir”
“So there is a point” says BRANIECKI “which I am evidently failing to see”
LED raises his hands in front of his chest “sir, time is at the essence now. All I ask is for you to hear what I have to say; that is all. I think we have earned at least that”
BRANIECKI’s eyes briefly go to the now liberated Captain WALICH, then back to LED “go on Lieutenant”
“Last night we kept things quiet, in and out in silence without raising any alarm. We avoided patrols and sentries, but there was one final Russian soldier, right next to the cell they had your man in. We couldn’t go around him, so we killed him. He was a captain, and likely the leader of the group”
“Not bad, uh” comments NASCAR looking at the Polish Commander. BRANIECKI is unfazed.
“I don’t know who will stand up and fill the void” continues LED “but I’m sure they know they have lost their leverage, and more importantly their protection”
BRANIECKI nods in agreement “they cannot afford to remain still now; they need to act”
“Precisely. Here’s what I’m thinking: the extreme options are gathering everything they have for an attack to this HQ, or digging in, reinforcing the defenses of their camp in anticipation of an attack. I’d say the chances for both are slim”
“They could attack one of our patrols, try to get another hostage” ponders BRANIECKI.
“Yes sir” agrees LED “or they can lower the bar and get another hostage, any other hostage, by simply kidnapping civilians in town and around it. If they are unscrupulous enough, or if they feel cornered enough, they won’t care about dragging any Polish citizen into this”
BRANIECKI ponders for a while “your hot-headed action last night has placed me in a difficult position”
“Consider it an opportunity to get rid of the problem once and for all, sir. Either you attack, or eventually I’ll guarantee we’ll be back to yesterday, or an even worse version of it”
BRANIECKI appears to stare ahead for a few moments, his eyes focused on an invisible map in front of him; he then turns to his escort and says something brief in Polish. “Tak, proszę pana” says the latter before moving towards the group of Polish soldiers.
“I am gathering my senior officers. We should be ready with an adequate attack force in thirty minutes”
LED nods “the Russian prisoner told us most deserters would choose to go home if given the opportunity. You might want to let them surrender, sir”
“I am not in charge of the enemy’s actions”
“Still sir, you may want to… nudge them towards laying down their weapons”
“We will see” says BRANIECKI, his mind evidently occupied with other matters. “I need a full report of your recon”
“I can tell you about the interior and the little we saw in the darkness of the night, but I think Captain WALICH’s wife can provide a more detailed account”
“His wife?”
“She wanted her husband back; she scouted the base thoroughly in the past days. We stumbled into her by chance, and she was our point man for most of the night”
“I shall speak to her then, get all the details” the commander pauses briefly “that frees you for your next assignment then”
“Our next assignment, sir?” asks LED.
“Yes, I need eyes on the base, and right now. I need to know what they are up to now that they have lost their leader”
“I am sorry sir” interrupts ALEX “we just spent the night around and inside that base”
“Then you have up to date knowledge of the area, and I am sure you will know where to position yourself and what to look out for in the light of day”
ALEX is about to say something but he’s interrupted by LED “commander BRANIECKI, sir, we can lend a hand once more, but there’s something to stipulate first”
“What lieutenant?”
“There is a Russian BTR-60 inside the base, the comms-variant. They had its engine hooked up to use it as a generator. When the base is secured, US army gets to use its antennas, and if it can be moved, we get to bring it North, to the unit in Dobrodzień. If not, they can send here personnel to use its radio and if possible, make it movable again. All intel acquired will be shared; you get to know everything we hear”
BRANIECKI stares at LED “is that the real reason you came here for?”
“One of the reasons” answers LED “another is to be good neighbors, and good allies; I think Captain WALICH can testify in our favor on this one”
“I think that asset should remain here, and its radio should be manned by one of my men, and one of yours, jointly”
WITH the EYES of the REFEREE [click to expand]
Yes, we have approached an opposite PERSUASION roll.
Both LED and BRANIECKI (INT B, PERSUASION C) are asking for something valuable (physical control of the BTR), resulting in a -1 for both, but LED can offset it because the group has rescued Captain WALICH (helped your opponent previously: +1 to your roll). He also gets another +1 for his Psy Ops specialty. Commander BRANIECKI gets a +1 for commanding the bulk of the forces in the agreed assault (my interpretation of having more men on his side). Here are the final rolls:
- LED rolls PERSUASION [D12+D10]= 1 SUCCESS (rolled 7 and 3)
- BRANIEKI rolls PERSUASION [D10+D8] = 0 SUCCESSESS (rolled 4 and 1)
LED won’t budge: the BTR will be under the American flag.
LED shakes his head “sir, we have to agree on what I said. You can hammer out the details with LTC WARREN in Dobrodzień., she’ll be in charge of the vehicle. But as I said: every intel will be shared”
BRANIECKI seems to hesitate briefly “agreed” he then says “now get a radio and move, we are wasting time” and he moves away.
NASCAR follows him with his eyes “you’re welcome by the way”
LED masks a yawn and grabs his assault rifle “get ready, we’re mobile in two” he intercepts NASCAR’s eyes looking at him, the man’s head slightly tilted, an unspoken question in itself. “Ask me when it’s over” says the lieutenant.
NASCAR nods “copy”
DONNA gets back “I still maintain humans were meant to go to the toilet inside” she stretches her arms “think we can all lay down for a couple hours?”
NASCAR hands her rifle and helmet “new mission DOC, we’ll rest when we’re dead”
FINAL COMMENTS
Much like with the Flock business before, there is no point in leaving the deserters be. They would certainly try to improve their precarious situation with whatever leverage they see fit. Dealing with the problem once and for all, now that there is a window of opportunity, is the next logical step.
Yet LED has seen enough and been through enough to push for an alternative resolution: one in which the enemy gets to surrender and no shot is fired.
Twilight: 2000’s tagline is ‘roleplaying in the WWIII that never was’: surviving is an imperative, and there’s little room for anything outside of cold calculations. Yet I think clinging to one’s humanity in a broken world makes for a better story, which is what I’m trying to get out of this campaign.