DAY 11 – APRIL 28th 2000
EAST of DOBRODZIEN, POLAND – MORNING
ALEX exits the church and contemplates the cloudy morning sky. He stretches his arms breathing in the fresh morning air and then rubs his chest and sides trying to fully wake up. In the open area turned encampment multiple little fires are lit and among one of them is LED, sitting on a folding metal chair by himself.
ALEX joins him; two bricks are staked on either side of the fire, propping up a metal grid upon which sits a hat-sized pot full of dark liquid with a trail of steam lifting from the surface. LED notices his comrade and salutes with a nod, pushing a wooden chair towards him with his foot.
“There’s a faint smell” says ALEX pointing at the pot “I can’t quite tell of what”
“Tea” answers LED “well, instant tea. I don’t know the chemicals, but it’s supposed to taste like tea”
“Peach” comments ALEX, his face closer to the pot.
“That’s what the label said. Water is from my canteen, that should spare us a few rads”
“Right” nods ALEX “did you get any sleep?”
LED shakes his head “I’ve been up with ELK talking to FATHER ŁUKASZ and some of the locals, trying to piece everything together; you know, past, present… future”
ALEX looks at the encampment slowly coming alive with movement and voices “what about them?”
LED adjusts the pot using the single wooden handle “they’re still talking with ELK, but word is they’re going to split. A group will move to Dobrodzień with the 116th and another group will move away on its own”
“Really? They’re just going to leave for the unknown? Where will they go?”
“Somewhere South I heard. Apparently, there are rumors about the city of Krakow: they say there’s food there, shelter, hospitals, the rule of law. FATHER ŁUKASZ told me the city was untouched by the war”
“I’ve heard the rumors: a couple months ago a guy told me that there are bars in town and that people go there to play music and dance every Saturday night”
“Yeah, I was waiting for someone to tell me they still have dinosaurs there”
“I take it you don’t believe it”
“It’s rumors, there’s not much value to attach. At best it’s a place like Praszka, or Dobrodzień: you get there, if they don’t shoot you on sight, you are allowed a few hours for trading while being held at gunpoint, and then you’re told to get lost. Still, we went to Dobrodzień because of a rumor about a US unit being there, so… I’ll try and keep an open mind”
LED hands ALEX two tin cups, wraps a rough around the wooden handle of the pot and pours the light red liquid “it’s going to be light in flavor, I had a single packet for the whole pot”
They both take small sips of the hot beverage.
“Maybe they have rumors in Krakow too” says ALEX “rumors about the lost paradise that is the city of Kalisz”
“Good luck with that”
ALEX takes another sip “it could be the constant lowering of standards, but this is not bad”
LED nods “as NASCAR would say: it’s better than stepping on a landmine”
ALEX chuckles “that guy should keep a journal, I bet it would be a great read”
LED looks around and slightly lowers his voice “better than Staff Sergeant Crenshaw’s?”
“You know, that would have sounded made up had I not seen the corpse or the chalice; now… I don’t know”
LED takes a small sip “back in Dobrodzień, WARREN told me she could point us towards someone who might know something about the chalice. I told her we didn’t have it with us and that was the end of it”
“If you ask me, going back with the 116th is our next logical step, that’s a good topic for a future conversation”
A group of locals walks by and the two men remain in silence, sipping from their cups until they are alone again.
“Thinking closer in space” says LED “last night we got some intel about what happened here before our arrival”
“Does it have something to do with half the city being a pile of ashes and rubble even before our mortar strike? Because when we entered town, one of the rebels said something about a Baron from up North”
LED nods, putting the tin cup on the ground “looks like the Flock is pissing off someone else too”
LED and ALEX enter the backroom of the church, right past the now disarmed booby-trapped door, and inhale the stale air while observing old blood stains on the floor. CSM ELK is washing his hands in a tin bucket full of water that has been placed inside a wide, stained ceramic sink that’s missing its faucet. He is wearing his fatigues with the sleeves rolled up and his figure is made even bulkier by the dim light coming from the small windows.
A soldier enters from the storage room “the leg wound doesn’t look good. If he doesn’t get treatment, he’s a goner”
ELK nods slowly “thanks corporal. Dismissed”
The corporal nods in return, then again while passing LED and ALEX before leaving the room.
As ELK turns and shakes some droplets from his hands, small scars and dry blood can be seen on his knuckles. LED and ALEX both notice; they exchange a glance, but remain silent.
ELK grabs a canteen from a nearby shelf, takes a sip and points at a table and some chairs. They all take a seat.
“So” he starts while wiping his mouth “our friend the KNIGHT is not inclined to talk other than to curse, and my efforts to… improve his social skills proved futile. However, I got enough intel out of the other prisoners and the hostages combined, that I’m thinking about leaving this particular bone to the people currently camping outside. That is, unless you have anything against it”
LED raises his eyes from the table “depends, can we hear the intel first?”
“Well, we’ve already talked to the locals” says ELK looking at LED “but in the interest of…” he gestures towards ALEX “I’ll piece together everything we have”
ALEX leans forward, his elbows on the table.
“The Flock was supposed to stop in this town briefly, say ten days tops, while waiting for another group of fifty or so men to join them. Everything points to the fact that this second group is the one you met in Praszka, so we now know why they were late”
ALEX looks at LED who nods.
“The KNIGHT grew tired of just waiting and decided to raid a small city North of here, Krzepice. After the usual threats of total annihilation, he launched an assault that was repelled with casualties. He then switched to ambushing patrols sent out by the city and managed to kill a dozen soldiers or so, but four days ago the town here was attacked and half the buildings burned to the ground. That was retribution from Krzepice”
“How do we know it was them?” asks ALEX.
“The locals described an explosion occurring in mid-air above the town” says LED, “then a handful of bright white lights falling down and setting everything on fire. That’s military-grade weaponry”
“Could it be an American unit?”
“We do have something that could cause that effect in our arsenal, but so do the Russians” answers LED.
“The only US unit around here is the 1/116th” says ELK “and it wasn’t us”
“And Krzepice has this capability?” asks ALEX.
“That is both interesting and complicated” comments LED.
CSM ELK adjusts his position on the chair “the city of Krzepice is controlled by the Baron Janusz Waleński. He runs a tight ship, and controls a small, yet well-organized militia. I say a fire ordinance is not beyond his capabilities”
“Who’s he? Some sort of self-appointed dictator?” asks ALEX.
“He is a former Polish army officer, and he was given the title of Baron of Krzepice by someone else, someone to whom he is now loyal. The Markgraf of Silesia. He controls a large area around Racibόrz, down South. And I mean really controls”
“The Markgraf appointed the Baron?” asks ALEX with incredulity.
“It’s like going back in time, I know” says LED “but it makes sense: in trying times most people look for simple answers. Someone saying ‘I’m the king, do what I say and you’ll be fine’ may not be ideal, but it’s simple enough”
“You give me power, I’ll take care of your problems, that sort of deal?”
“Well, I can’t speak for this particular individual…” ponders LED “but yes, that’s usually it”
“Does the 116th have contacts with the Markgraf?” asks ALEX “can we consider him an ally against the Flock?”
“Well, I would be surprised to see anybody side with the Flock” says ELK “but the situation is more complicated”
“Meaning?” asks LED.
“Listen, I have already tested the limits of what I am allowed to share with you. You guys helped us greatly here, and I mean that, but I have orders. Get back to Dobrodzień, I bet WARREN is going to share more. In here, my hands are tied”
LED nods “got it”
“What about the crate the Flock dug up and took away?” asks ALEX.
“What about it?”
“Are we going to pursue them?”
ELK shakes his head “my mission is to here and back”
A soldier knocks on the door frame “excuse me, sir” he says holding some papers.
“Right” says ELK getting up “we’re packing and I need to make the necessary arrangements. Find me later, we need to finalize the details of our return”
“Sure” says LED as he gets up followed by ALEX.
After CSM ELK has left the room, ALEX turns to a lower tone of voice “are we going to let them go with chemical weapons or whatever else is in those crates?”
LED turns more serious “yes, yes we are. We don’t know where they went, we don’t have a vehicle and we don’t have supplies save for a few days. Plus, if it’s really chemical stuff, dismantling it requires training and a small lab. I don’t think we can just blow it up”
“But…”
“No” interrupts LED “the answer to your question is: no, I don’t like it. But there’s nothing we can do about it, so for now it goes into the ever-growing list of things I don’t like. There’s only so much we can do”
FINAL COMMENTS
Where once chapter ends are the clues to what is ahead.
The threat posed by the Flock in the region has been greatly reduced, and in their final stronghold the group found precious information about their surroundings. Seems there’s a few more factions around, and their interests somehow intersected here.
Referee’s hat on: I’m trying to expand the world around my characters, though if you have players around the table keep in mind that more possibilities for your PCs equals to more situations you have to plan for.
The group will not pursue the Flock’s members that left with the suspicious – and potentially deadly – cargo, but it provides something that I can go back to at a later point and have them link back to what they chose not to do here. In an RPG such as Twilight: 2000 it’s important to show the connections between (in)actions and consequences.