DAY 16 – MAY 3rd 2000
LUBLINIEC, POLAND – MORNING
A trail of dark soil leads into the missile base, dirt compacted by boots traversing it by the dozen on a daily basis, forming a narrow path among the overgrown grass. The metal wire fence establishing the perimeter is slightly bent and shows rusted exposed tips where the gap used as the entrance is located.
NASCAR is the first to travers it, the M72A3 tube slinged on his back; he glances at the empty guard tower, passes by two soldiers of the 1st SOC, past the pile of rubble that used to be the base’s radar dish, and stops by the depot, his eyes on the office building.
The concrete façade is riddled with bullet holes and larger signs of impact, and Polish soldiers are carrying out dead bodies from the main entrance.
“Well…” NASCAR observes the scene, a slightly amused expression on his face “if it ain’t cleanup on aisle 2”
Trailing him is LED, who observes the same scene, then kneels and picks up a spent cartridge, one of many scattered among the grass. He looks around for clues as to how the battle went.
“Hey LT, did the building have that many holes in it last night?” asks NASCAR.
The lieutenant’s eyes quickly scan the structure “hard to tell, it was dark and I wasn’t looking for them”. He points at a round impact sign, where a portion of concrete the size of a fist has been carved out of the wall “that’s some high-power caliber, did you see our hosts bring any weapon that can do that to concrete?”
“Not personally” NASCAR shakes his head “but they sure had a lot of ass back at their HQ”
“True”
“I wonder how things played out here; I mean Ivan got his ass kicked for sure, but I’m wondering whether he managed to land a few punches”
LED looks around once more “well, I think there’s enough clues for an educated guess”
WITH the EYES of the REFEREE [click to expand]
I have a general idea of how the attack of the 1st SOC unfolded and its ultimate result, but I think this is a good time to introduce an element of randomness. Something that can shake my narration a bit and force me to improvise.
The Oracle is one of the tools provided in the Solo Rules appendix of the Referee’s Manual (page 102). Its broader purpose is to provide the solo player with a method to generate answers to their questions, and provide random encounters.
Basically, you draw a card from the encounters’ deck (or any regular card deck with no jokers): red is a boon, and black is a hazard. You can further expand this by looking at the value of the card: low numbers are neutral, while figures move far from it, culminating with an ace.
For this particular scene I drew ♦5, and here’s my interpretation: the assault went good for the 1st SOC, with no casualties on their side. LTC BRANIECKI should be pleased by this outcome, yet he may have one trick up his sleeve to further edge the situation to his advantage…
He sees four Russian soldiers digging a squared hole in front of the barracks, in the grassy area leading to the nearest launch silo, under the watchful eye of two Poles. Bodies transported out of the buildings are lined up next to their soon to be grave.
Another Polish soldier is visible through a window on the second floor of the office building, where he is probably making inventory of what the deserters have accumulated in their arsenal.
LED briefly looks at every soldier in sight and sees comfortable postures and calm expressions. He tosses the spent cartridge and gets up while adjusting his slinged carbine “I’d say our friends here did their job like professionals”
They turn to the entrance, where ALEX is in conversation with Captain WALICH, while DONNA is closing in on them at a quick pace.
“I asked if anybody needed medical attention” she says pointing to her back with a thumb “they said no”
LED nods while looking around “yeah, everybody seems fine from here”
“These guys know their stuff” NASCAR echoes the lieutenant “respect”
“Should I bother asking whether their answer included the prisoners?” asks DONNA slightly fed-up.
“Don’t’ bother DOC” says NASCAR with a shrug “they’re digging a grave over there, and I bet they won’t be able to fill it”
DONNA turns to LED, her brows almost touching the helmet.
“It’s up to the Poles now” he says matter-of-factly.
“Really? And we don’t get a say in it? We led them here, scouted the place, you guys saved one of them from this very place last night” she points at the office building “and we cannot ever say ‘hey, maybe don’t kill any prisoner’”
LED nods towards the space behind her “we’re about to find out” he says.
DONNA turns as ALEX and captain WALICH approach the trio. The Pole only carries his pistol in a side holster, and has his helmet under his arm; his expression is relaxed but – much like his body – still shows signs of his imprisonment.
LED offers his hand and the other shakes it briefly “things look good from here” says the lieutenant “what’s the final verdict?”
WALICH nods “our plan worked. No casualties, only minor wounds, I’ve just informed our commander”
“So what now?”
“I have been placed in charge of this place for the time being” WALICH looks up at a barred window on the second floor of the office building “hard to believe I was a prisoner here just a few hours ago”
LED kicks the dark metal surface of the center cap, sitting centered on the wheel, just a couple of inches from the ground; his gesture betraying a modicum of rage. He turns “and this just happened?”
A short Polish soldier with a blonde beard and large shoulders nods slowly “it was in the final phase of the assault. My squad entered the perimeter and took cover behind the vehicle”
LED points at the damage “and they opened fire on you, meaning on their own vehicle, with an RPG”
The soldier nods again “first they used an RPK, there on top window, then RPG, I did not see from where”
“And got it right on the wheel” says LED to himself.
He turns and observes once more the left side of the BTR: the last two wheels are completely unserviceable, their remnants hanging from the mounting axle. The metal is chipped and charred, and the rearmost suspension broken. The second wheel from the front has suffered extensive damage and is riddled with holes.
NASCAR uses his finger to trace the rim of one of the holes “I thought BTRs had like bullet-resistant tires or something”
LED turns to the soldier and just looks at him.
“These are old tires” says the Pole “taken out of a depot, probably made in Soviet Union time”
“Yeah” comments LED, unconvinced.
The soldier shrugs and moves away.
NASCAR’s eyes follow the Pole “I know what you’re thinking LT, and I’m with you”
“Right… hopefully the inside of this metal hunk looks better than the outside”
NASCAR is now one knee, checking under the mounting post for the second wheel “hey LT, if the engine’s okay, we can take a couple wheels from the other side and put them here, then we can limp this thing outta here”
LED exhales loudly “we don’t have the tools, nor the manpower”
NASCAR shakes some dirt from his hands “there’s usually a box of tools in these things, and I bet these guys can help”
The lieutenant checks around, making sure there’s nobody close “trust me, they’ve already done enough”
WITH the EYES of the REFEREE – PERSUADING PLAYERS [click to expand]
If you are a player and an NPC (or another player) is trying to persuade you of something, there’s no need for an opposed roll. After all, it’s your PC, and you get to decide whether he’s believing what he’s being told, or not.
ALEX and captain WALICH join the duo. “Not good” says the former frowning his brow.
“Yes” says WALICH “we have been unlucky”
“Sure” slowly comments NASCAR while moving towards the engine compartment.
LED steps in front of the Polish captain before he has a chance to react “what is the plan for this place?”
WALICH briefly collects his thoughts “we are collecting everything useful and burying the bodies. When it is done most men will leave, and I will remain with a single squad, five men”
“We need to assess the condition of the radios in this vehicle” says LED “I think my team will stay here until we know what we’re dealing with, is that alright with you?”
“Tak American, of course you can stay”
LED turns to ALEX “can you get inside? Start checking the equipment?”
“Sure” answers ALEX, who then moves for the access panel.
“Can I assume your men will take care of security?” asks LED.
WALICH point around “we have established a perimeter, yes. I have a radio operator in my team; I believe he can be of help”
“Good to hear” LED checks the Russians digging “what about the prisoners”
WALICH turns as well “they will be taken to our headquarter for interrogation”
“And then?”
“Then we will see” says WALICH with a neutral expression. LED decides not to investigate further.
“What’s the latest?” DONNA is standing next to NASCAR, who has his head and arms deep inside the engine compartment “is this hunk of junk worth our troubles?”
“Ah s**t” NASCAR emerges from the vehicle’s frame and shakes his hand, tiny droplets of oil stain the grass. “This thing probably works, but it’s in bad shape. We need to clean all this gunk, and some new gaskets, and that’s just the start” he cleans his hand on the upper part of his trousers “engines need some love, you get it?”
“Yeah” says DONNA with little enthusiasm “looks like the outside took a beating as well, or is that new?”
NACAR checks around “well, according to the natives here, this happened when the Russians fired an RPG on the vehicle” he raises his brows.
“I get it you have a different opinion”
NASCAR lowers his voice “Ivan opening fire on his own comms vehicle? Come on… and who the f**k fires an RPG aiming at the wheels of a BTR?” he shakes his head “nah, this was deliberate; they wanted this thing to remain here, so they booked a long-term parking spot”
“How about the radios?” DONNA points at the top of the vehicle “the antennas?”
“ALEX is inside checking it out”
“If those work then we got what we wanted, right?”
“Yeah” says NASCAR “but it’s stuck here. If the radio works, I say we call WARREN, tell her to bring here a squad to remove every radio component they need, and bring everything up North to the 116th. We torch the remains and leave this place for the next group of squatters”
DONNA looks around “what’s wrong with this place? We got guard towers, shelter, a fence all around”
“And nothing but trees for a couple clicks in every direction” comments NASCAR “this place is good for hiding, but if you need to go back and forth to… say the Poles’ HQ, you’re inviting an ambush every time you step out of the wire”
“Yeah, and the fence doesn’t seem to be in good shape either”
“Right, remember last night? LT and ALEX entered this place, knifed a guy, and got out without anybody noticing nothing” NASCAR pauses briefly “nah, the sooner we get out of here, the better”
FINAL COMMENTS
At first I thought I had attached too great a value to what the oracle’s result. The (allegedly deliberate) damage inflicted to the BTR during the fight rendering it unmovable can prove quite a burden in the long run: do my players decide to fix it and make it operable again? Where do they get the parts and the tool? How long are they going to remain in the rocket base?
Yet I then remembered why I had employed the oracle in the first place: introduce an element of randomness and force me to improvise (at least a bit). That’s pretty much what I got.
After all, priority is now fixing the radio, and then I can unload the maintenance and manning of the vehicle to the 1/116th if I want to; plus, my players can benefit from some respite after last night. And if I really need to have my group move and get into trouble, I can always bring trouble to them…