064: End Game

Eddie's Journal, October 3rd, 2000

The 3rd dawned bright, for once, and cold.  We heard vehicles moving in and around the Palace.  By mid afternoon there was pitched fighting.  Not sure what sparked it, but with dear leader and his closest lieutenants gone there wasn't anyone to stop it.  Cap ordered us to maintain our perimeter and wait it out.

She left Leo in charge at New/Old and made her way to the boat that evening.  Our worst wounded, including Doc, had been transfered aboard.  Aldon was in charge of the wounded with the help of a few field medics.  He may have only been a vet, but he'd dealt with more illness, injury, and innards on more species than any GP.  He'd been working his trade on men all year.  He took Cap aside to brief her.  I played fly on the wall.

The man wanted us to know that Doc was stable.  Better than she had any right of being.  He'd downplayed the severity of the damage to the other medics and taken sole charge of her.  As far as he was concerned nobody had to know that Clark Kent was Captain America and he sure didn't need to know who had been bit by the spider.  Czarny was dead, the enemy falling apart, and we were leaving once our job was done.  Good work, God speed.  While he mangled a bunch of continuity he managed to take the worry off of Cap's mind.  The way he spoke so earnestly and open, he managed to convince us both he'd keep it quiet.

Doc looked shallow and pale.  Aldon told us it was to be expected.  Her vitals were good.  She needed the rest.  Cap sat with her a bit before heading back to shore.

October 4th, 2000

The fighting dies down after dark.  The sounds of at least one light track and a few wheels moved off into the night.  Nothing tried out walls.  The sentries reported all quiet.

At first light cap called the leadership together.  We'd push slowly, supported by the one functional tank, up the road to the Palace, securing dwellings as we passed.  Slow, obvious and loud, so anyone with a gun would think twice about that nice, open, southern road.  

The troops cleared the hovels and holes.  Civilians were passed back.  They'd be held until we could get a chance to question them.  Doubtless a few of Czarny's men would try to sneak out with them.  Individual questioning would ferret them out.  We even had a few in uniform surrender.  Cap said she'd let Filip deal with them.

Leo and Moonie scaled the palace's outer wall.  It had been the site of heavy fighting.  The smoking remains of a BTR and a BMP were in the courtyard.  The east gate was blocked by an M113 sporting this season's swiss cheese style.  The ammo bunker was surrounded by the radial swaths of directional mine explosions and scattered bodies.  It looked intact.

A short conference later, Leo and Moonie escorted Rutkowski up the wall.  He stood on top, identified himself, and hailed the bunker.  A Sgt Dern limped out of the bunker to report.  They'd held against three assaults after the Palace fell.  He'd prevented any Czarny's 'Free Companies' from obtaining the chemical munitions and he was damned if he'd just hand them over to a dead man.

Rutkowski asked for permission to approach, granted.  Leo and him descended the wall and made their way to Sgt Dern.  Leo promised the men good treatment.  Rutkowski concurred he'd been treated well as had others captured in the tank assault.  'They weren't monsters,' he'd said.  Dern requested that Rutkowski formally relieve him at his post.  Rut did so.

Dern returned to the bunker.  Leo told me later he fully expected to hear a gunshot.  Instead, Dern's men slowly emerged.  There were three effectives and two wounded.  They also had their women and children, another 12 bodies.  They'd packed in like sardines when everything fell apart.

The palace stood abandoned.  The looted harvest lay scattered from the storage cellars to the exits.  Even with all they could carry away much still remained.  The surviving locals would need it.

We'd completed our sweep well before dark and took the remaining populace back with us to New/Old.  A strong detachment kept the bunker secured. 

October 5th, 2000

Coordinated with Filip.  Offered terms to the die hards in the cut off communities.  They had a choice, leave now with what they could carry or surrender to us.  They'd be worked over the winter clearing fields for the spring planting.  If they worked well and hard and there were no outstanding charges, rape or murder, against them they'd be offered a place in one of the communities.  Otherwise they'd be freed to leave.  To my surprise some took the offer.  Others left through the rubble.  They ran a gauntlet of Filip's militia and other locals.  I doubt any of them made it through.

October 6th, 2000

Cap sat down with Emowitz, Filip and Koronov.  They split the new acquisitions.  Cap laid claim to the T-80.  The tank on the barge was to be dragged off at the Praga docks.  Koronov would loot it for parts and remove the engine before draging it back to Sielce where it would serve as a bunker.  He'd use the track to repair the T-80s.  In exchange, they got the other functional T-72 and a choice selection of items from the bunker, mainly mortar rounds and parts.  No one wanted the riddled M113, Sielce received it by default.  They'd be able to use it as an earthmover or tractor.  They split out the remaining small arms and explosives as evenly as possible.

The blood agents were a problem.  None of the participants wanted them loose and none had the means to destroy them.  Instead the bunker would be filled with earth and the site buried with the rubble from fields cleared over the winter.  If anyone wanted them, they'd be a long time digging.

October 7th, 2000

Despite many teary good-byes and promises of eternal friendship Rataj got us underway by midmorning.  Cap gave orders not to be disturbed unless Emowitz led a mutiny or the sky fell.  It was time for her to catch up on her beauty rest.

I spent most of the day below decks with Iosef talking shop.  He grudgingly allowed as how I knew a thing or two.

Doc's up and took a tour of the deck I'm told.

October 8th, 2000

Cap held morning meetings with Emowitz and Rataj.  It is going to be another five days to Krakow.  Going upstream is slower than down.  Wonders never cease.

Iosef proudly shared the 'boiled lobster' divert on the steam engine that he'd used to great effect on the pirate boarders.  A five count clears the deck and only lost him a fifth of the pressure.  Rataj still had maneuverability even if he lost some top speed.

October 9th, 2000

Cap set me down in her cabin with an empty notebook and the RESET notes.  She told me I probably had the best physics background on the boat.  Today, I should read them.  When I was done, I was to make a complete copy them.  I was relieved of all other duties until finished.

This is some serious X-files shit here.


October 12th, 2000

Been writing so much I haven't been keeping up on this or wanting too.

Doc's declared herself fit for duty and is raising all sorts of grief among the new men.  Physicals and dietary plans.  Turn your head and cough.

Iosef's the only one keeping me sane.  I spend my few free hours down in engineering.  I take a turn at whatever project needs machining.  On this boat, something always needs tending.  We talk about tolerances, strain, and simple machines. 

Tomorrow we should make landfall at Nowy Hut.  Krakow's a short march away.