alertcommando | Just Another Day of War

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Just Another Day of War

The door takes them to the main area of a ruined church: pews and benches are missing, the altar is empty and dusty, ruined by time and weather. Outside a broken window nearby the sun is setting, a gorgeous orange ball at which they can look directly. That night, the wind would blow in to add another layer of dust to what had been burying the small dead city for the last three years.

The whitish dust lay over everything, covering the streets and the open spaces, starting the work of hiding the small houses that had been crushed and made into rubble by soviet artillery and their massive tanks.

It is quiet. Like a cemetery. "And here we are."

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"I can deal with eating most anything, so long as it's not alive while I'm trying to eat it or likely to kill me upon ingestion," Annabelle says dryly. Annabelle... has actually run into both of those situations before.

Rations? Good Lord, he hasn't had to survive on rations for two plus years.

"If we come across any trails, I reserve the right to go hunting," Ryan says flatly. He wants his meat, dammit.

"The food cannot be any worse then it was at the school." Petra half smiles at that, and glances back at her companions, curious but not asking.

"Keep to the north woods and things should be fine. Probably you will be able to find deer or livestock going feral from old farms."

Tanya then smirks at Petra. "Hon, you have no idea... I think soviet rations are a wonder of science: made to keep the front line grunts well fed and pissed off."

Annabelle catches Petra's glance and decides to answer. "We were offered live squid once, it was apparently considered a delicacy by the locals..."

"Japan?" Ryan queries, looking over the countryside.

Annabelle shakes her head. "Korea, but it wouldn't surprise me if they ate them alive in Japan too."

She smirks, "The look on Stefokowski's face was priceless..."

Petra listens to the banter while keeping her eyes forward at the long shadows. She is hearing some perspectives she never really did before. Her positions in general alienated her from a majority of the ground troops.

Tanya smiles. "I am sure it is better than field rations. It has to be really bad to be as bad as field rations..."

She keeps the brisk pace... not too long afterwards, she raises a hand to signal a pause, and speaks on a small handheld radio, in german. ["Echo Six, Victor Three."]

Then she continues up a gentle slope and towards some trees: getting closer the others will be able to notice the camouflage netting, and once past it, the camp, very well hidden there. Two men watch them, hands casually resting on their pistol holsters. "Erik, Hans, these are Annabelle, Petra and Ryan."

Erik simply nods to them, Hans eyes Petra and mutters something in German.

She notes Hans' eyeing her, but does not place the reason why simply notes in the back of her mind that she might have to have a conversation with him at some point. But to the problem at hand, now that she is in company, Petra chooses her words very carefully, calling to mind exactly how the people spoke in Armenia from the short time she actually lived there.

"It is good to meet you." She looks both of the men square in the eye, her own hand resting at ease on her weapon of choice.

The camp's well hidden if you haven't got a sense of smell, maybe.

Ryan arches an eyebrow at Hans' mutter before glancing at Petra himself.

He has to trust that Tanya wouldn't have brought her if she wasn't qualified to be here.

Ryan merely nods at both of the men, watching for any other troops in the area.

Annabelle may be able to make out at least some of what Hans is muttering.

Annabelle returns Erik's nod, but keeps an eye out for trouble. Hopefully, Hans cause too many difficulties.

Hans is the one to answer that question: the others are, of course, in guard duty or helping the militia groups in other camps prepare. Everything is up to schedule, and they have six hours before they start moving out.

Tanya thanks the man for the update and turns to her companions. "Six hours. We can review maps, and recheck gear..."

"Ryan, you will be on the north side of the road, and will be firing fron the front of the convoy, some 300 yards away and 30 above. Annabelle will be on the south side, in a similar position, firing from the back. Petra will be south too, leading a squad of militia for mop-up. There will be five more squads, including RPG's. We know the plan, strike hard, strike fast, take everything we can and retreat before anyone else notices."

(OOC: I meant to type "will not cause too many difficulties". Alas, I have no ability to edit comments)

"Sounds good to me."

"Yes. Soon after which, I meet my squad?" Petra is being vary careful not to step on any toes. A military maneuver has one commander, and many sub commanders. But she is much more use to being the top dog, thus must work a bit harder to... not be.

It does not cross her mind that there might be objections based on her apparent age.

Tanya smiles to Petra. "Yes, I will take you there myself. They are good people, brave but not stupidly so."

Ryan doesn't mind staying back on the sidelines a bit this time around. It's a little bizarre to be surrounded by women on a combat mission. Definitely not something he's used to, but at least it's not awkward.

"Will we meet our spotters tonight, as well?"

"I was wondering that myself," Annabelle adds.

"Oh, yes. Hans, can you bring them here?" The man nods, and departs. Tanya gathers the Milliways people for a last revision of the plan:

- Explosives destroy the road behind and ahead of the truck convoy;

- Rocket Propelled Grenades destroy the armored troop carriers, or at least damage them a lot;

- Snipers disable the hummers and provide cover;

- Four groups of Militia assault the convoy and eliminate any remaining resistance.

After that, it is a matter of loot everything they can or want to take, destroy the rest and disappear. If all goes well, they will be back at Milliways in time for lunch.

Petra stands at the end of the meeting a smile on her face.

"I love when plans are simple..."

"Don't let your guard down," Ryan warns, giving the pup a look. "It's all too easy for something, or someone, to slip up and send everything pear-shaped."

And learning the hard way sucks.

Petra blinks at Ryan.

"This is not my first war." She has a sudden epiphany of the strange looks she has been getting since arriving here from Milliways.

"I suppose you know nothing about me... I was trained from age five in battle command, and at fourteen served as the first sub commander in the war against the buggers then for the last five years I have lead the armies of the Hegemon to reclaim peace for my world." Her voice is quiet and she speaks quickly to avoid allowing Hans or any other Tanya-era soldier. "I look young, but I have fourteen years of experience."

Annabelle nods at the explanation of the plan, and raises an eyebrow at Petra's explanation that she started training at 5. Her world's situation must have been unusual to allow for such a thing.
"Let's hope that things go mostly according to plan, at least."

That is what is epected.

Tanya will then arrange the final details: Annabelle and Ryan can meet up with their Spotters, both of whom do speak english well and had training for the job, and Petra will meet with her 'mop-up' squad.

It turns out the night over might be much necessary to work out finer details, but they should have time enough to relax and stretch out...

...or for hunting.

Annabelle isn't planning on going anywhere until morning, although she'll be asking her spotter about the weak points on Hummers.

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