CHAPTER 5: IC - At Sea > Panama to Australia

[Job]

Martin ... looks out to sea for a moment while he calms himself down. "There are no pictures of the sabotaged equipment because my own equipment has also been sabotaged. All my chemicals..'poof'." Martin flings his hand up in the air in typical Gaelic fashion. "All gone, all contaminated with chlorine. I attempt to develop one plate but there is nothing, just black." He gestures to his large equipment case. "Everything is packed up including the contaminated bottles. You could try for finger prints if you know how, maybe." He shrugs and then shows the package in his other hand, "These are the undeveloped plates. Please could you lock them up securely Professor: I will have them developed at a lab as soon as we dock."

Moore runs his hand through his hair, responding, "Your chemicals have been contaminated? Martin, I assume that you've ruled out a contamination prior to our departure, that perhaps we received a bad batch of chemicals. If so, I'm afraid that this complicates things even more. This indicates that the saboteur has access to the keys not just the refrigerated hold, but also our other holds, which means that there may be other problems that our saboteur has left for us, ones that we have yet to uncover."

Camille ... frowned as she heard the news, frowned and shook her head and paced, cigarette leaving a thin contrail of blue smoke that hung, heavy, in her wake. "That speaks of money," she said, a rumbling growl that rolled low from her belly. She switched the cigarette from one side of her mouth to the other, teeth flashing. "Fair reeks of it. Dissent amongst the crew may well be a part of it, but that can't be all of it. Not- no. An undertaking like this takes skill and a certain, ah, directness of intent. And you say the crew may be responsible, monsieur le curé?" She spoke to Father Rucker without moving her eyes from the crewman working elsewhere on deck. "The very men we are entrusting our lives to? Well, then. I think I'll be locking my door of an evening."

"Yes, Miss Bardier," nods the Professor. "I believe that this warrants that we all take extra precautions for our safety.

I have a lead.
Father Rucker replies as he moves with unease as he looks back to the crew that works not far from them.
I've given my word as a priest to not reveal the man yet but I intend to speak with some of the crew members to see who is putting this journey in danger. Do not confuse, the man who spoke to me is not a suspect yet but I do know that he shares the concern about the captain's leadership.

Given what we're not discovering," responds Moore, "I ask that we keep these suspicions to ourselves. Father Rucker and Katie, when you question our crew, you'll need to be very careful with your words. If the saboteur suspects that we know, then we may lose our opportunity to catch them.

"Camille and Martin, we must search the holds, our equipment..." Professor Moore is interrupted by shouts from above.

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Job]

"We must turn back sir," a deep voice exclaims from the boat deck above. You all recognize this as the voice of Captain Vredenburgh.


"No Captain! We must not!" This second voice, although sounding somewhat weaker than normal, is clearly that of Commander Starkweather whom you last saw in the Medical Room.


"Mr. Starkweather," argues the Captain, "we are four days out from Panama City. Australia is a good two weeks away. We are dangerously low in food supplies, and those supplies that are sitting on the deck right now are apt to go bad during the next week because they've thawed out. They will rot and be worthless to you before we can possibly arrive in Australia!"

Starkweather snaps back, "We shall not turn back, Captain! We have lost too much time already!"

Overhearing the altercation, you see a group of crewmen begin gathering on the main deck, looking up at the two men.

Starkweather continues, "She is several days ahead of us--we shall not lose another day! We shall buy more supplies, if need be--now press on!" Starkweather storms off towards the bridge. Captain Vredenburgh remains quiet for a moment, voices a single quiet epithet, then follows.

The crewmen all begin looking at one another. "He's crazy," says one.
"He's gone off his nut," says another.
"He's bloody starkers!" A third laughts bitterly.

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Mr. Handy]

"Maybe I'd better help with the search instead of talking to people," says Katie quietly. "I've got good eyes, and I'm not that good at reading people or being subtle. I'm a terrible poker player." She observes the argument between the captain and the commander. "Commander Starkweather is determined not to let Acacia Lexington beat him to the punch. I wonder if she stooped to sneaking someone into our expedition to make sure she'd get there first. What do you know about her?"

[aine]

Martin shades his eyes to look up at the two arguing men. When they have gone, "But what is the problem? Has the Captain gone mad? Of course we do not sail straight to Australia, I was looking forward for the stop in Galapagos and maybe the Marquases. I do not know the route but surely we always planned to stop for fresh supplies on the way?" He turns to Professor Moore, "Indeed I will help to look but it may be hard knowing what is not right on a ship, I am not a sailor. But I am quite good at talking to the surely rascals who are."

Job,Does Martin know who Acacia Lexington is?

[royya]

It seems our captain feels good already.
.Farher Rucker remarks as he departs. If the captain is here then Adam, the steward is all alone in the medic and this is where the priest heads.

[Job]

8:45 p.m. (ship time) – Monday 25th September, 1933
U.S.S. Gabrielle's Main Deck

The team's conversation on the main deck is framed by the environment: the gently rocking and vibrating S.S. Gabrielle as she powers towards the West, towards the setting sun on the far flat ocean's horizon and its stark, dark shadows cast across the deck. A hot, moist current of air flows over the moving ship, tugging at the group's clothing and hair.

"All right," says Katie. "We should start by making a list of everybody aboard the ship, both expedition members and crew, and then divide it up amongst us. We might also want to search the ship thoroughly from stem to stern, just to make sure we don't have any stowaways."
...
"Maybe I'd better help with the search instead of talking to people," says Katie quietly. "I've got good eyes, and I'm not that good at reading people or being subtle. I'm a terrible poker player."

Moore strokes his chin and responds, "Yes. Searching this ship is our highest priority and we'll need to work in teams, perhaps with two groups starting at opposite ends--one in the bow and the other in the stern---and working their way to the engine room in the center. Katie, perhaps you can choose one or two expedition members and begin at the bow?"

Martin nods in agreement. "A good plan." He looks out to sea, "Providing we don't scare the rogue to more hazardous action."

"That's an important point, Martin," states the Professor. "Everyone must stay alert and keep an eye out for any other crewmen in the holds. Only certain individuals have keys and can access the storage holds, so you should not see many crew in these areas."

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Job]

[Katie] observes the argument between the captain and the commander. "Commander Starkweather is determined not to let Acacia Lexington beat him to the punch. I wonder if she stooped to sneaking someone into our expedition to make sure she'd get there first. What do you know about her?"

"Acacia Lexington has been nicknamed "The Shark", and not without good reason; she is fiercely independent and strong-willed," states Moore as he looks pointedly at Katie and Camille, "and she comes from a family of wealth and high social standing. A little over ten years ago, Acacia's path crossed that of our Commander; Acacia's father arranged a trip to Africa as a birthday present and Captain Starkweather was hired to lead it. And as is usually the case when two individuals of strong temperment meet, fireworks ensued. Although the expedition was considered a success and James Starkweather was hailed as a hero for his courageous leadership when the team was in dire circumstances, Acacia and James' clash was titanic. They each despise the other."

Job Response to What Martin Knows of Acacia,[b]Does Martin know who Acacia Lexington is?[/b] Here are newspaper articles that Martin unearthed during his research in NYC. [url=http://www.callofcthulhu.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=213&t=2856#p117325]Acacia's announced expedition to Antarctica[/url] [url=http://www.callofcthulhu.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=213&t=2856&p=135443#p135441]Acacia's African Expedition[/url] [url=http://www.callofcthulhu.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=213&t=2856&p=135443#p135442]Acacia's Father's Death[/url] [url=http://www.callofcthulhu.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=213&t=2856&p=135443#p135443]Acacia's Retraction of Earlier Statement RE: Father's Death[/url]

Martin shades his eyes to look up at the two arguing men. When they have gone, "But what is the problem? Has the Captain gone mad? Of course we do not sail straight to Australia, I was looking forward for the stop in Galapagos and maybe the Marquases. I do not know the route but surely we always planned to stop for fresh supplies on the way?" He turns to Professor Moore, "Indeed I will help to look but it may be hard knowing what is not right on a ship, I am not a sailor. But I am quite good at talking to the surely rascals who are."

"No, our plan was never to stop along the way," explained Professor Moore. "Our supplies would normally have easily allowed us to travel the entire route to Australia.

"Yes Martin, I agree that both you and Father Rucker would be excellent for questioning our crew. We should perhaps divide up the list and prioritize whom should be first interviewed."

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Mr. Handy]

Katie adopts a look of mock innocence when Moore looks at her and says that Acacia is "fiercely independent and strong-willed." "I wonder if there was ever anything romantic between the two of them," she says. "Hate isn't all that far removed from love, though if there was, something must have made it go sour." She pauses in thought. "I'll start the search at the bow, then. Camille, would you like to go with me? We would lose a lot of time if we changed course to South America to pick up supplies. At least a week, I think. She'd get there ahead of us no matter what then. Can we make it at least as far as New Zealand with what we have left?"

[Job]

It seems our captain feels good already.
Farher Rucker remarks as he departs. If the captain is here then Adam, the steward is all alone in the medic and this is where the priest heads.

Father Rucker finds that Adam Henning is no longer in the medical facility. He had last seen him in that area approximately 45 minutes prior.

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Job. (the tortured one)

[royya]

Father Rucker finds that Adam Henning is no longer in the medical facility. He had last seen him in that area approximately 45 minutes prior.

Hmmm...
Paul Rucker goes to Adam's quarters and if he is not there he will try the kitchen or the mess hall. On his way he will ask other crew members if they saw him.

[Job]

Katie adopts a look of mock innocence when Moore looks at her and says that Acacia is "fiercely independent and strong-willed." "I wonder if there was ever anything romantic between the two of them," she says. "Hate isn't all that far removed from love, though if there was, something must have made it go sour."

"I'm not aware of any relationship between the two other than as antagonists," stated Moore. "If there was ever something more, James has never shared the details with me."

[Katie] pauses in thought. "We would lose a lot of time if we changed course to South America to pick up supplies. At least a week, I think. She'd get there ahead of us no matter what then. Can we make it at least as far as New Zealand with what we have left?"

The professor responds, "I believe that we'll reach Australia without any real trouble. We have a large supply of pemmican for the dogs that can also readily be consumed by humans without harm. Although we keep the pemmican in the reefer hold, it need not be frozen since it is dried meat product, pre-cooked, and made into cakes with molasses and other additives."


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Job. (the tortured one)

[Job]

Paul Rucker goes to Adam's quarters and if he is not there he will try the kitchen or the mess hall. On his way he will ask other crew members if they saw him.

Father finds Adam Henning in the kitchen, talking to the cook and, as Rucker enters, he overhears Adam telling the tale of his recent brush with death. "...and my lungs were b-b-burning! I c-coughed and ran. I kn-n-new there was s-s-something wrong w-w-when I s-saw the mist in the hold." Adam stopped when he saw Father Rucker enter the kitchen, and swallowed hard.

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Mr. Handy]

."Guess I'll just have to get used to pemmican, then," says Katie. "Never tried it, but I enjoy trying new things. Who knows, maybe I'll like it. Do we have fishing nets on board? If so, we can supplement our food supply with fish."

[aine]

"Yes Martin, I agree that both you and Father Rucker would be excellent for questioning our crew. We should perhaps divide up the list and prioritize whom should be first interviewed."

.Martin watches Father Rucker head off to the medical bay. Then he turns to Moore and the ladies, "If the madames are happy to search, I will browse the crew. Maybe it would a nice to have pictures of everyone as they work as a memento. It would give me an excuse to talk to the crew. Although we are all upset from the accident, the expedition must continue as planned. No? I will pretend to take pictures most of the time as I haven't enough film to cover everyone. If this plan is acceptable, do I need permission from the Captain? I try not to interrupt the crew's work too much. And who should I start with first?"

[royya]

.I'm sorry to interrupt gentlemen.
Rucker says and addresses Adam
Adam, I glad you are feeling better, can we have a word in private son?

[Ewoklord]

.Doug seems a bit confused by the goings on, probably compounded by his recent over-exposure to ammonia. "Er, does anyone currently need help with anything? I'm open."

[Mr. Handy]

."If you have nothing else to do," says Katie, "we could always use someone else to help with the search."

[Ewoklord]

."Alright, search it is, then." Doug says, "Err, I'll go search wherever needs searching."

OOC:   Spoiler: What's a place that needs searching?

[Mr. Handy]

."You should come with Camille and me," says Katie. "Our group is going to start at the bow and search systematically. Others will start at the stern, and we'll meet in the middle."

[Job]

"Guess I'll just have to get used to pemmican, then," says Katie. "Never tried it, but I enjoy trying new things. Who knows, maybe I'll like it. Do we have fishing nets on board? If so, we can supplement our food supply with fish."

Professor Moore smiles at Katie, "If you're hungry enough, you'll thoroughly enjoy pemmican! I speak from experience.

And yes, we have fishing equipment aboard, but the Gabrielle is generally traveling at too great a speed to deploy nets or hooks. If we slow or stop for repairs, then we'll recruit a few fishermen--or fisherwomen."


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Job. (the tortured one).