shadowoftheheart
Dweller in Darkness
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2005
- Posts
- 3,975
This is an open thread, a spinoff from the dead thread The Long Dark Trek, which continues the adventures of the Russian sniper Tara, who escaped from a German prisoner camp in late 1942.
Looking for French Resistance, French Civilians, German soldiers, other Allies behind enemy lines (escaped POWs, downed airmen, etc) and so forth. Whatever would be appropriate for the setting.
The SRP begins in late December 1942, and the landscape is covered in thick snow. Snowfall is sporadic, but enough to help covering up footprints and tracks.
Tara Schemilick
age: 29
hair: back-length brown hair, normally done up in a tight bun (army regulation style)
eyes: dark brown-almost black.
height: 5'6"
wt: 150 lb
Her upper body is muscular, from carrying her sniper rifle, gear, ammunition, camo uniform, and quite often lifting Vladimir up to a perch.
Born May 3, 1913, Tara is the youngest daughter of an ethnic German farmer and a Russian school teacher. Her brother was one of a group of intellectuals that in the early 20th century conspired and theorized with Lenin, Stalin, and Trotsky, and when the communists gained power in 1918 on the heels of the armistice with Germany, he returned home. The young Tara listened intently at his knee, to his stories of the early communist movement. Because of his influence, the Schemilick family avoided the various massacres and purges of the Leninist and Stalinist governments before the war.
From 1920 to 1930, her German grandfather took her on several hunting trips throughout the Soviet Union and Europe, patiently teaching her how to stalk prey, take advantage of cover, and shoot. At the tender age of 7, she first fired a Mosin-Nagant rifle.
In 1931, she joined the Communist party, and applied to and attended the University of Berlin *Humboldt University of Berlin). She was active in Berlin's Communist party, and though a foreign national, was involved in activism during the election of 1932. She met a large group of English, French, and German communists and socialists, and in that fertile environment became fluent in English and French, in addition to German and Russian which she already spoke fluently. In 1933, as University of Berlin was being Nazified, she and other Communist students met, and agreed to remain as long as possible, to defy the Nazis.
In 1934, she was finally expelled, and decided it was more prudent to escape back to the Soviet Union. That same year, fearing that a war between Germany and the Soviet Union was inevitable, she joined the army.
Unlike most female soldiers in the USSR, who drove trucks, or performed garrison duty, or flew fighter bombers, Tara expressed an interest in being in the front line of fighting. She backed this up with an impressive marksman record. After completing basic training, she was recommended to marksman school, and earned her badge. She was further recommended to sniper training.
She earned top marks, placing first in her class in marksmanship, and in the top 10 overall (her slight build compared to most of her male classmates held her back, though she persisted).
From 1936 to 1939, she and her assistant Vladimir Kharinnon were assigned to a post on the Russian-Polish border. The brigade they were assigned to conducted border patrol, drills, and even several secret exercises with German army units (she felt this a mistake, as she believed Germany was Russia's biggest enemy).
She was 26 when the Nazi-Soviet pact was announced, followed by the invasion of Poland. While she found it distasteful to be working for the Nazis (however indirectly) her loyalty to the Soviet Union and the Communist party was paramount.
Since she was a long-term member of the Communist party, and had displayed loyalty to the Party and its doctrine, she was entrusted with a special mission. The night before the invasion began, she crossed the border into Poland with Vladimir, and a list of 100 important Poles to be killed before the invasion if at all possible, a list given to Commissars and select snipers. Over the course of the invasion, she killed 10 of the 100 herself. She remains ashamed, however, that only 2 of the 10 were generals; the remainder being Polish civilians that were considered to be a risk to the Nazi or Communist invaders.
She and Vladimir had been close before during peacetime: He generally spotted for her, and watched her back while she (the far better shot of the two) focused on her targets. Their relationship grew, and in 1938 they spent a night when they should have been drilling out in the Russian countryside in one another's arms, making love. The depth of their relationship intensified once they were involved in the Polish campaign. The thrill of the kill, the danger of taking live fire, drew them together into an inseparable bond. In late 1939, as the Polish campaign wound down, she found her trust in him had become so total, that the entire world melted away to her and her targets, he was there to protect her from all harm. When they found time late at night, when others were asleep, they had increasingly rough, animal sex. In Tara's mind, the kill, the danger, and the anticipation of sex became entwined.
In late 1939, she and Vladimir were transferred to Finland. They found themselves trapped in snowbound Finland as the Finns routed the Soviet army and drove them back to the gates of Leningrad. Tara and Vladimir endured a month of snow, of seeing no one but themselves and the occasional Finnish patrol. Nightly, they huddled together for body warmth, each remaining semi-conscious and able to alert the other at the approach of danger. Daily, they slinked over snowbound fields weighted down in winter camouflage uniforms. When they could they pleasured one another: their intimacy helped keep them grounded and sane. When the Soviet counterattack reached them, they were commended for their bravery and skill, and sent to a Black Sea resort to recuperate.
In 1940, they were sent back to Poland, where they served until Operation Barbarossa. In August, 1941, they and the brigade they were serving with found themselves bypassed by the forward elements of the German army, then surrounded by second-echelon troops. A two-week siege, a battle of nerves and snipers, ensued.
With supplies and ammunition dwindling, and German reinforcements arriving daily, Tara and Vladimir came to realize they would likely die. They decided to spend their last night on earth in one another's embrace. Distracted, however, they were unaware that a German sniper was able to take up an enfilade position on the church tower they were stationed in. When the German assault hit the next day, he aimed and took a sweet shot.
Tara, focused on her target, found herself jolted back to reality by a sound like an ax hitting soggy wood. She felt a spray of hot, salty fluid strike her face, and in horror she turned to see Vladimir on the ground, a wicked hole in his chest that was sucking in the tatters of his uniform. Dropping her rifle, she cradled her dying lover. He died in her arms, and for the first time in her life she cried. Deep, heart-rending sobs. 45 minutes later, the town was in German hands, and a strike team burst into the church tower. They found Tara still cradling Vladimir's dead body. The Germans were moved, one even began to cry. They posted two soldiers to guard her, prevent her from escaping, until she passed out from shock, stress, and lack of air 15 minutes later. She was one of only 10 Russians to survive.
Tara, her soul shattered, found herself in an internment camp in Poland. The Soviets interned there, some Comrades she had fought alongside in Poland and Finland, reinstalled in her her patriotism, and faith in the Party. The hole in her soul remained, but layers of anger and determination allowed her to keep going.
She was involved in two separate escape attempts in early 1942. The second time, she allowed her comrades to escape by giving herself up to the German patrol while the others dispersed into the Polish woodlands. It took only a second for her to be captured: a German soldier smashed the butt of his rifle into her head, knocking her unconscious instantly, but the delay of dealing with her gave her comrades time to escape.
Labeled as an escape risk, she was forwarded in late 1942 to an "escape-proof" stalag in western Germany. Naturally, she escaped.
She and five others slipped out one night, but immediately found themselves pursued. They went to ground in a farmhouse along the Franco-German border, where they were nearly captured. They commondered an armored car, and split into two groups: Two remained in the house, three drove off in the car, and Tara lagged behind to cover the car's tracks.
Tara came upon the armored car, which was abandoned. She tried following the others' tracks, but lost them sometime in the night.
weapons: (She considered her rifle to be an extension of herself. She is very proud of her shooting skills, and frequently brags about being one of the ten best shots in the world--which in the period 1939-1941 was true. Her skills have declined some after more than a year of captivity, but she is still a crack shot marksman. ) She is a marksman with top marks in the Mosin-Nagant 1891/30 rifle, and it is the weapon she is most familiar with. She is also rated marksman with other rifles. She is more than adequately familiar with the K98 of Germany, the Lee-Enfield No.4 of Britain, and the US M-1 Garand. She is also familiar with most other rifles used in the world, including the US Springfield and the Japanese Arisaka.
She is a pistol marksman, familiar with any automatic or revolver that she might happen to find.
She is also trained in using a submachine gun, and understands basic concepts regarding correct firing of such small, automatic weapons.
Personality: She let herself become vulnerable to Vladimir: Their relationship was based on a trust forged in the heat of battle, and reinforced in the heat of sex. She has sworn never to allow anyone else to get that close. A dedicated Communist, she is convinced that the Alliance against the Nazis will lead to the peaceful spread of Communism throughout the world. Her first dedication is to Mother Russia, and will kill, or die, for her country. Second, the Communist Party, for which she will also give anything to and including her life. Next after that is the Alliance. She harbors no hatred toward anyone, including Germans (she is proud of her German ancestry) and believes that the war will ultimately lead to a period of peace and understanding.
IC:
Tara realized that she was not going to find the others. She was not certain which direction they had gone, relative to her. She wasn't completely sure if she was headed into France, or deeper into Germany.
The cold and snow didn't bother her. Having only an MP-40 with some 30 rounds left ... that was a worry.
She traveled for several hours, seeing no human tracks, or evidence of human habitation. She figured she would eventually find a village, city, or even an isolated farm. Tired, seeing dawn begin to break, Tara found a snowbank, and tunneled into it. An old survival tactic: Snow was actually a great insulator. Since she had covered her tracks, and now patted snow back into place over the tunnel's entrance (except for a small hole for air) and therefore she had instant camouflage as well.
Looking for French Resistance, French Civilians, German soldiers, other Allies behind enemy lines (escaped POWs, downed airmen, etc) and so forth. Whatever would be appropriate for the setting.
The SRP begins in late December 1942, and the landscape is covered in thick snow. Snowfall is sporadic, but enough to help covering up footprints and tracks.
Tara Schemilick
age: 29
hair: back-length brown hair, normally done up in a tight bun (army regulation style)
eyes: dark brown-almost black.
height: 5'6"
wt: 150 lb
Her upper body is muscular, from carrying her sniper rifle, gear, ammunition, camo uniform, and quite often lifting Vladimir up to a perch.
Born May 3, 1913, Tara is the youngest daughter of an ethnic German farmer and a Russian school teacher. Her brother was one of a group of intellectuals that in the early 20th century conspired and theorized with Lenin, Stalin, and Trotsky, and when the communists gained power in 1918 on the heels of the armistice with Germany, he returned home. The young Tara listened intently at his knee, to his stories of the early communist movement. Because of his influence, the Schemilick family avoided the various massacres and purges of the Leninist and Stalinist governments before the war.
From 1920 to 1930, her German grandfather took her on several hunting trips throughout the Soviet Union and Europe, patiently teaching her how to stalk prey, take advantage of cover, and shoot. At the tender age of 7, she first fired a Mosin-Nagant rifle.
In 1931, she joined the Communist party, and applied to and attended the University of Berlin *Humboldt University of Berlin). She was active in Berlin's Communist party, and though a foreign national, was involved in activism during the election of 1932. She met a large group of English, French, and German communists and socialists, and in that fertile environment became fluent in English and French, in addition to German and Russian which she already spoke fluently. In 1933, as University of Berlin was being Nazified, she and other Communist students met, and agreed to remain as long as possible, to defy the Nazis.
In 1934, she was finally expelled, and decided it was more prudent to escape back to the Soviet Union. That same year, fearing that a war between Germany and the Soviet Union was inevitable, she joined the army.
Unlike most female soldiers in the USSR, who drove trucks, or performed garrison duty, or flew fighter bombers, Tara expressed an interest in being in the front line of fighting. She backed this up with an impressive marksman record. After completing basic training, she was recommended to marksman school, and earned her badge. She was further recommended to sniper training.
She earned top marks, placing first in her class in marksmanship, and in the top 10 overall (her slight build compared to most of her male classmates held her back, though she persisted).
From 1936 to 1939, she and her assistant Vladimir Kharinnon were assigned to a post on the Russian-Polish border. The brigade they were assigned to conducted border patrol, drills, and even several secret exercises with German army units (she felt this a mistake, as she believed Germany was Russia's biggest enemy).
She was 26 when the Nazi-Soviet pact was announced, followed by the invasion of Poland. While she found it distasteful to be working for the Nazis (however indirectly) her loyalty to the Soviet Union and the Communist party was paramount.
Since she was a long-term member of the Communist party, and had displayed loyalty to the Party and its doctrine, she was entrusted with a special mission. The night before the invasion began, she crossed the border into Poland with Vladimir, and a list of 100 important Poles to be killed before the invasion if at all possible, a list given to Commissars and select snipers. Over the course of the invasion, she killed 10 of the 100 herself. She remains ashamed, however, that only 2 of the 10 were generals; the remainder being Polish civilians that were considered to be a risk to the Nazi or Communist invaders.
She and Vladimir had been close before during peacetime: He generally spotted for her, and watched her back while she (the far better shot of the two) focused on her targets. Their relationship grew, and in 1938 they spent a night when they should have been drilling out in the Russian countryside in one another's arms, making love. The depth of their relationship intensified once they were involved in the Polish campaign. The thrill of the kill, the danger of taking live fire, drew them together into an inseparable bond. In late 1939, as the Polish campaign wound down, she found her trust in him had become so total, that the entire world melted away to her and her targets, he was there to protect her from all harm. When they found time late at night, when others were asleep, they had increasingly rough, animal sex. In Tara's mind, the kill, the danger, and the anticipation of sex became entwined.
In late 1939, she and Vladimir were transferred to Finland. They found themselves trapped in snowbound Finland as the Finns routed the Soviet army and drove them back to the gates of Leningrad. Tara and Vladimir endured a month of snow, of seeing no one but themselves and the occasional Finnish patrol. Nightly, they huddled together for body warmth, each remaining semi-conscious and able to alert the other at the approach of danger. Daily, they slinked over snowbound fields weighted down in winter camouflage uniforms. When they could they pleasured one another: their intimacy helped keep them grounded and sane. When the Soviet counterattack reached them, they were commended for their bravery and skill, and sent to a Black Sea resort to recuperate.
In 1940, they were sent back to Poland, where they served until Operation Barbarossa. In August, 1941, they and the brigade they were serving with found themselves bypassed by the forward elements of the German army, then surrounded by second-echelon troops. A two-week siege, a battle of nerves and snipers, ensued.
With supplies and ammunition dwindling, and German reinforcements arriving daily, Tara and Vladimir came to realize they would likely die. They decided to spend their last night on earth in one another's embrace. Distracted, however, they were unaware that a German sniper was able to take up an enfilade position on the church tower they were stationed in. When the German assault hit the next day, he aimed and took a sweet shot.
Tara, focused on her target, found herself jolted back to reality by a sound like an ax hitting soggy wood. She felt a spray of hot, salty fluid strike her face, and in horror she turned to see Vladimir on the ground, a wicked hole in his chest that was sucking in the tatters of his uniform. Dropping her rifle, she cradled her dying lover. He died in her arms, and for the first time in her life she cried. Deep, heart-rending sobs. 45 minutes later, the town was in German hands, and a strike team burst into the church tower. They found Tara still cradling Vladimir's dead body. The Germans were moved, one even began to cry. They posted two soldiers to guard her, prevent her from escaping, until she passed out from shock, stress, and lack of air 15 minutes later. She was one of only 10 Russians to survive.
Tara, her soul shattered, found herself in an internment camp in Poland. The Soviets interned there, some Comrades she had fought alongside in Poland and Finland, reinstalled in her her patriotism, and faith in the Party. The hole in her soul remained, but layers of anger and determination allowed her to keep going.
She was involved in two separate escape attempts in early 1942. The second time, she allowed her comrades to escape by giving herself up to the German patrol while the others dispersed into the Polish woodlands. It took only a second for her to be captured: a German soldier smashed the butt of his rifle into her head, knocking her unconscious instantly, but the delay of dealing with her gave her comrades time to escape.
Labeled as an escape risk, she was forwarded in late 1942 to an "escape-proof" stalag in western Germany. Naturally, she escaped.
She and five others slipped out one night, but immediately found themselves pursued. They went to ground in a farmhouse along the Franco-German border, where they were nearly captured. They commondered an armored car, and split into two groups: Two remained in the house, three drove off in the car, and Tara lagged behind to cover the car's tracks.
Tara came upon the armored car, which was abandoned. She tried following the others' tracks, but lost them sometime in the night.
weapons: (She considered her rifle to be an extension of herself. She is very proud of her shooting skills, and frequently brags about being one of the ten best shots in the world--which in the period 1939-1941 was true. Her skills have declined some after more than a year of captivity, but she is still a crack shot marksman. ) She is a marksman with top marks in the Mosin-Nagant 1891/30 rifle, and it is the weapon she is most familiar with. She is also rated marksman with other rifles. She is more than adequately familiar with the K98 of Germany, the Lee-Enfield No.4 of Britain, and the US M-1 Garand. She is also familiar with most other rifles used in the world, including the US Springfield and the Japanese Arisaka.
She is a pistol marksman, familiar with any automatic or revolver that she might happen to find.
She is also trained in using a submachine gun, and understands basic concepts regarding correct firing of such small, automatic weapons.
Personality: She let herself become vulnerable to Vladimir: Their relationship was based on a trust forged in the heat of battle, and reinforced in the heat of sex. She has sworn never to allow anyone else to get that close. A dedicated Communist, she is convinced that the Alliance against the Nazis will lead to the peaceful spread of Communism throughout the world. Her first dedication is to Mother Russia, and will kill, or die, for her country. Second, the Communist Party, for which she will also give anything to and including her life. Next after that is the Alliance. She harbors no hatred toward anyone, including Germans (she is proud of her German ancestry) and believes that the war will ultimately lead to a period of peace and understanding.
IC:
Tara realized that she was not going to find the others. She was not certain which direction they had gone, relative to her. She wasn't completely sure if she was headed into France, or deeper into Germany.
The cold and snow didn't bother her. Having only an MP-40 with some 30 rounds left ... that was a worry.
She traveled for several hours, seeing no human tracks, or evidence of human habitation. She figured she would eventually find a village, city, or even an isolated farm. Tired, seeing dawn begin to break, Tara found a snowbank, and tunneled into it. An old survival tactic: Snow was actually a great insulator. Since she had covered her tracks, and now patted snow back into place over the tunnel's entrance (except for a small hole for air) and therefore she had instant camouflage as well.
