Re: Death From Above
Dawid thought about introducing himself to Stanislaw, the leader of the guerrillas, but decided against it for the moment. Later might be a better time.
Waiting for her operation, Dawid broke off his watch for a few minutes to say a few kind words to Griet.
"My sister, don't worry, the Major will tend to your wounds. You will be fine! You are a strong and brave, and you are far better than those renegade mercenaries in Kraków deserve! So don't give up, okay? I will pray for your swift recovery."
After the one who was nicknamed "Bear died", Dawid attended his body, and that of the man he knew best as "Gunny". Rosary in hand, he said last rites over them both.
"Gunny my friend, although I never knew you well may you find peace and forgiveness at the right hand of the Father. Rest easy now in sacred earth of Poland, for no matter where you came from you are a hero of my people now."
"As for you, "Bear", I did not know you, but you are no doubt a good son of Poland, fighting for the freedom of our people and paying the ultimate price. One day, we shall have it, and you will never, never be forgotten."
Smoking a cigarette after, he reflected on his country, and these strangers that were traveling through it. They came so far, and now some would never leave.
For that matter he thought, I really should strike out on my own. It's far too dangerous accompanying them; the whole point of this trip with Adam was to avoid attracting undue attention, and yet here I am. What I'm doing is too important to risk in heroics on behalf of these strangers.
Damn, I wonder what happened to that helicopter? Is it going to go at us directly? I suppose we shall find out.
The distant thumping of blades and jet turbines announced the imminent arrival of their airborne nemesis.
"Fuck you! Fuck your mother!" He pitched his smoke into the dark river water, murder in his eye.
Forgetting his pledge to attend to his own safety first, he sealed the front of his vest and slapped on his helmet. A man possessed, he ran for the 23mm anti-aircraft gun they had placed on the barge, ignoring his additional personal vow to avoid doing just that.
It wasn't a Mil Mi-24, "just" an armed transport. Perhaps the 23mm armour-piercing rounds would have some negative effect. He reflected he would likely die in the attempt either way, and so there was no point in calling anyone else to share his fate.
Dawid set down his rifle and sat on the cold, metal seat and rotated the gun, aiming through the sights at his foe.
Sighing, he reminded himself of this weapon's limited range and even more limited ammunition supply. He would have to wait and hope that either the helo adopted a stand-off posture and salvo its rockets from long range and miss, or hold fire until it came in close and therefore gave him a chance for a lucky hit.
Failing that, it it fired and hit the damage wouldn't be too severe and he might live to engage it. If it had guided anti-tank rockets as well as unguided rockets, it would fire them from stand-off range, and there would be much grief.
Dawid Piotrowski
23mm ZSU-23 AA gun (33/100 rounds API)
Aiming and waiting
This message was last edited by the player at 12:49, Sat 19 Jan 2008.