CHAPTER 5: IC - At Sea > Panama to Australia

[Ewoklord]

Doug moans quite loudly.

OOC,Just so you know I'm still here!

[royya]

Idea roll (1d100=87) - Success.

[Job]

Katie helps Dr. Greene as best she can and fetches whatever he requires from storage so that he can treat Starkweather without interruption.

Starkweather lay on the bunk, on his side, facing the wall while Dr. Greene trimmed the commander's hair. As his hands worked with the scissors, Greene calmly talked Katie through the gathering of supplies; a bottle of alcohol, towels, his surgical kit, soap and a pan of water. Then the doctor laughed and said, "Commander, I know that you've been across the equator many times, but I'm afraid that you'll be sporting a haircut similar to our new Shellbacks."

"Do whatever. Necessary. Doctor," Starkweather spoke at the wall, weakly. "Trim sideburns as well?"

James' slowly disappearing hair revealed a two-inch-long gash that bled freely. Dr. Greene picked up the razor and began shaving the skin alongside the cut, dabbing at the blood with a towel every few seconds. "Miss Wright, can you take over here while I examine Mr. Orgelfinger? Please shave a two-inch area around the cut, then cleanse it with soap and water."

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Mr. Handy]

"Of course, Doctor," says Katie, following his instructions exactly. She carefully shaves and washes the area. "Don't worry, Commander. You're going to be just fine."

[Job]

Doug moans quite loudly.

Doctor Greene moved to Doug's bunk and began examining his eyes and throat. "It is a good sign that you are awake, Mister Orgelfinger. Don't try to talk. Just try to relax and breathe in the oxygen." Greene listened to Doug's lungs and rolled back his shirt and shorts to inspect his skin. Doug's arms, legs, face and neck were reddened, as if sunburned. "You are lucky to be alive, young man."

"I'm sorry, but this is going to hurt," he said to Doug as he wet a sponge. The Doctor then scrubbed all areas that were exposed to ammonia, causing Doug to cry out in pain.

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Mr. Handy]

Katie can't help but wince. Had she been exposed for longer, she might be in the same state as the two men. There but for the grace of God... she thinks.

[Job]

Peter Stokely shrugs and says, "I don't know, Father. I heard others talking about him. I heard that men have died because of him."

Response from Job,No roll needed Roy. From Father Rucker's questioning, he believes that this is really all that Peter seems to know. [color=#0000FF]EDIT: Roy, please make an idea roll.[/color]

Father Ruckers results,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3507015/]Idea roll (1d100=87)[/url] - Success.

Father Rucker wonders, if Peter doesn't know James Starkweather's history, then who does?

The priest asks, "Can you tell me who it is that told you about James Starkweather? Since I'm a man of the cloth, I'd like to find out whether I can help the Commander, and to do that I might need more information."

Peter appears nervous and looks around the deck before replying, "The steward told me about our Commander, Father. Tall guy. Dark hair. That's all I can tell you."


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Job. (the tortured one)

[Job]

"Of course, Doctor," says Katie, following his instructions exactly. She carefully shaves and washes the area. "Don't worry, Commander. You're going to be just fine."

"Wha..."

Starkweather tried to turn from the wall to look at Katie, but stopped with a grunt, rolling back to his previous position, facing away. "Miss Wright. I... Thank you."

He chuckled softly to himself then coughed, his shoulders tensing up, and said, "I hope.

"That I've misjudged you.

"Miss Wright.

"No offense..." His voice trailed off drowsily.

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Mr. Handy]

"You're welcome," says Katie with a genuine smile, "and no offense taken." It is only now that she realizes that she has proven herself to Starkweather. Without her keen eyes and prompt action, he might have died. He would have to be glad that she was with the expedition.

[royya]

Thank you son
Rucker replies to Peter and leave him be.
With that Rucker goes to fetch the medical equipment for Professor Moore.
Once did, Father Rucker will go to search for the tall, dark haired steward

[Job]

OOC,Please note that there is a bit of time shifting occuring in our play-by-post game due to the timing of different posts. I've tried to address this by adding the times and locations at the top of each of my responses.

7:35 p.m. (ship time) – Monday 25th September, 1933
Action begins on the U.S.S. Gabrielle's Main Deck as Father Rucker leaves his conversation with Peter Stokely to walk to the Medical Area

Thank you son
Rucker replies to Peter and leave him be.
With that Rucker goes to fetch the medical equipment for Professor Moore.
Once did, Father Rucker will go to search for the tall, dark haired steward

Father Rucker arrived at the medical area and saw Adam Henning lying in a berth, connected to an oxygen tank via rubber tubing and canvas mask. As the priest gathered up medical tools for Professor Moore, he remembered first seeing Adam Henning at the "Crossing the Line" celebration as the man served food and drink to the crew. Just then, the cabin became very crowded when James Starkweather and Doug Orgelfinger were led in by Doctor Greene and Katie Wright.
Pictured on the left, Adam Henning without his oxygen mask


7:50 p.m. (ship time) – Monday 25th September, 1933
U.S.S. Gabrielle's Medical Facility: we pick up the action after Dr. Greene and Katie had spent some time working on James Starkweather and Douglas Orgelfinger

"You're welcome," says Katie with a genuine smile, "and no offense taken." It is only now that she realizes that she has proven herself to Starkweather. Without her keen eyes and prompt action, he might have died. He would have to be glad that she was with the expedition.

Doctor Greene finished cleaning and stabilizing Doug, then moved back to work on James Starkweather. "Thank you, Miss Wright, your preparation of his cut looks good." Greene washed his hands and, using his freshly-cleaned fingers, probed Starkweather's cut, causing a renewed flow of blood. "I don't see any indication of a skull fracture. And I see that our Commander has fallen asleep, but he'll be awake in just a moment when I use alcohol to sterilize his cut. Then we'll get him stitched up."

As predicted by the doctor, James Starkweather awoke with a yelp when the alcohol was applied. With Doctor Greene's calm reassurances to the Commander, and with Katie's assistance, Greene completed the closing and bandaging of the wound.

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Mr. Handy]

"Are you feeling any better, Commander?" asks Katie.

[Job]

7:20 p.m. (ship time) – Monday 25th September, 1933
U.S.S. Gabrielle's Main Deck

Øyvind hurries back up the hatch.

Øyvind climbs back onto the main deck just in time to see James Starkweather being led away towards the entrance to the Gabrielle's superstructure by Professor Moore and Doctor Greene,and then he hears Katie Wright yell from his left, near the port-side railing; something about blood. Øyvind's eyes and nose and lungs are continuing to burn from his just-completed trip below and he suspects that he'll need a little time to recover before he's able to journey again down into the refrigerated hold.

7:45 p.m. (ship time) – Monday 25th September, 1933
U.S.S. Gabrielle's Main Deck

Having spent some time in the fresh air to clear his lungs and eyes, Øyvind feels well enough to make a return trip down into the hold to attempt to stop the spraying of ammonia from the damaged refrigeration pump. He stands and asks "I'm going down to shut off that pump. Is anyone with me?" He looks expectantly at the coughing crew members, a number of whom are waiting for their shift at the hand pump.

"I'll go," responds Peter Sykes with a wry smile. "I can't let the Norwegians be the only ones having fun around here."


Øyvind nods and the two men tie fresh rags over their noses and mouths.

Professor Moore reminds Øyvind and Peter of the exact location of the electrical switch, claps them on the back and says, "Be quick, gentlemen, and keep your wits about you."

They then descend the ladder into the pale green fog.

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Job]

"Are you feeling any better, Commander?" asks Katie.

"I feel as if a I was run over by a bull elephant," responds Starkweather in a shaky voice. He studies Katie for a moment through glassy eyes, then suddenly seems to remember something and attempts to quickly sit up. He grimaces and yells, "Bloody hell," while reaching up to touch the back of his head.

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Mr. Handy]

"Take it easy," says Katie gently, helping him. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

[royya]

7:35 p.m. (ship time) – Monday 25th September, 1933

Mr. Henning ... you are the steward here right.
Father Rucker speaks to the man he helped to save earlier

OOC,Is he blacker haired and tall? If the answer is to my question is no then I'll ask him about the chief steward.

[Job]

7:35 p.m. (ship time) – Monday 25th September, 1933

Mr. Henning ... you are the steward here right.
Father Rucker speaks to the man he helped to save earlier

OOC,Is he blacker haired and tall? If the answer is to my question is no then I'll ask him about the chief steward.

Adam Henning looks at the priest and nods, saying, "Yes Father, I am a ship steward." Adam's oxygen mask muffles his voice, but Father Rucker is able to understand the man's words without much trouble. Father Rucker takes note of Adam's black hair and that the man is thin and likely over six-feet tall.

"Take it easy," says Katie gently, helping him. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

7:45 p.m. (ship time) – Monday 25th September, 1933

After a number of seconds, James Starkweather responds in a subdued voice, "The food. In the reefer hold. Tell Professor Moore."

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Mr. Handy]

"Of course," says Katie. "What exactly do you want me to tell him about the food in the reefer hold?"

[Job]

7:45 p.m. (ship time) – Monday 25th September, 1933
U.S.S. Gabrielle's Tweendeck Hold Number Four

Professor Moore reminds Øyvind and Peter Sykes of the exact location of the electrical switch, claps them on the back and says, "Be quick, gentlemen, and keep your wits about you."

The two men then descend the ladder into the pale green fog.

Øyvind noticed that the ammonia gas seemed less dense than it was during his last trip down into the hold, so he felt relieved that the pumping of air into the hold was beginning to help, but the gas remained thick enough to irritate his eyes and to obscure the hatchway into the refrigerated compartment. The two men moved around the aeroplane towards the reefer's entryway and each began to cough.

They moved past the tail of the plane, carefully stepping over the canvas hose carrying fresh air from above, and the black rectangle of the reefer's open hatch became visible. A fine mist flowed forth from the opening.

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Job. (the tortured one)

[Job]

"Of course," says Katie. "What exactly do you want me to tell him about the food in the reefer hold?"

The oxygen mask covered the entire lower half of the commander's face, but Katie could clearly see concern and weariness in his eyes as he said, "Contamination."

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Job. (the tortured one)