Scene Five: Landfall in Japan

[Priest]

Scene Five: 'Landfall in Japan'

The five day trip across the Pacific is relatively uneventful. The sailors on the cargo ship you booked passage on mostly ignore you, except for a few dirty looks. At six AM on your sixth day out of San Francisco, you find yourselves being unceremoniously herded down a gangplank to the port city of Mito. Mito is a city in transition.
While great sections of the city have the traditional architecture and wide green spaces you associate with Japan’s classical period, there is construction going on all over the city. The port where you made landfall is quite modern, with huge steel cranes removing cargo from massive tankers and depositing them on the backs of flatbed trucks. There is a cluster of people at the bottom of the pier, several of whom begin shouting at you as you near the end of the gangplank.
The mob appears to be made up of taxi and truck drivers offering rides, a number of ragged beggars with their hands out, and three policemen who beckon you to come with them.

[BenTheRat]

Ted Nelson
.
"That was a nice vacation, but its time to get to work." Ted stretches standing on firm land for the first time in a week. "Everyone ready to go?"

[jbibblesworth]

Bridget steps onto the gangplank behind Ted and observes the hoopla below.

"Police officers?" she ponders, "How'd they know we were coming?

[Mr. Handy]

"I don't know, but I think we ought to go with them," says Tony. "I don't know if they know who we are. They may just have known a ship was due in and welcome all foreign visitors like this."

[kabukiman]

-We should tell we are just tourist, who would love to visit such an exotic country.

[jbibblesworth]

In lieu of any better plans, Bridget strides down the remainder of the gangway and approach the officers. She clutches her passport at her breast, hoping to clearly identify herself as an American citizen.

She looks to the nearest officer and nearly has to shout over the cacophony of voices.

"I don't suppose any of you speak English?" she asks loudly.

[BenTheRat]

Ted Nelson
.
"Hopefully they do, if not Paul can translate for us. What can we do for you officers?" Ted chimes in.

[DrVendetta]

Paul moves a bit closer to the front of the group so he can hear better. He is a bit amazed and in disbelief that he is actually stepping into Japan. He tries to take in some of the Japanse that is being shouted at them to so how good his Japanse truely is in Japan.

[Priest]

As you make your way down the gangplank the unifomed men walk towards you. They pass, with ease, through the crowd of beggars and taxi drivers etc. And you can tell from the expressions on the faces of the assemblage that these police are not to be trifled with. Maybe it is the long nightsticks they swing as they walk or the large pistol holsters they wear on their belts.
As the approach Paul notices the armbands they wear. To most of you the symbols written there are so much gobble de gook, however Paul, hisses, "Customs".

The lead customs officer, probably the one in charge, stops just before you his stance the wide legged hands on hips pose adopted by officials the world over.
For a moment he eyes you, eyes full of open contempt, then he holds one white gloved hand, demandingly, "Papers!!" he barks in his heavily accented English. It is not a polite request.

The other two officials step toward your luggage which is being wheeled down the gangplank by some of the boats crew. A few words are exchanged in Japanese, and the crew members stand aside allowing the customs officals access to your cases. Which with little formality, or regard for contents, they proceed to search.

Paul Wellington (Dr V),Please roll [b]Other Language (Japanese) + 20% [/b]

OOC:   Anyone carrying a gun or some other contraband (drugs) should roll Conceal to avoid detection

Mr H,Sorry I didn't answer your request at scene four about searching the tree and contacting Mrs Chadwick. The tree revealed nothing out of the ordinary and ther was nothing else contained in the letter from Veronica.

[jbibblesworth]

Bridget's face adopts a bright crimson hue at the sight of the uniformed officers rifling through her...ahem...unmentionables. She's fully aware that they'll find neither firearms nor narcotics among her belongings, though the embarrassment she's being subjected to makes her wish she had brought both.

[DrVendetta]

Paul steps forward takes a small bow and politlely hands his papers over to the leader.

Priest,Japanse 40+20=60% chance [dice]0[/dice]

[Mr. Handy]

Tony hands his passport to the officer, wishing he had done a better job of hiding his gun in his luggage.

[BenTheRat]

Ted Nelson
.

conceal,target = base chance, [dice]0[/dice]

.
Ted gives the police his passport, but the butt of his .38 flashes out for just a second. "Oh crap" he is thinking to himself, you're going to pick now to stick out.
.

priest,I'm trying to use psychology to see if I can read if these guys are just looking for a bribe or are they serious in what they are doing? Psych roll target = 50%, [dice]1[/dice]

[Priest]

Paul Wellington (Dr V),You overhear one of the customs officers order the crew to move away from the luggage. Then as they start to rifle through the individual cases you over hear a mixture of ribauld comments interspersed with laughter, especially it seems when Bridgett's case is being searched. You know that this is a calculated insult, that there is no reason why the luggage should be searched in full view of the assembled crowd. This laughter ceases abruptly when one of the gaurds pulls a pistol from the depths of one of the cases. Both of them turn and look towards your group...

***************

As you approach the custom official he holds out his hand for your documents, "Papers" he again demands. It is possibly the only English word he knows.
Paul Worthington, with a polite bow, hands his passport over the Japanese official looks at it studies the photo for a few moments the hands it back. He turns to Ted Nelson and irritatedly snaps his fingers "Papers!!!". As Ted bends forward the meerest hint of his .38 is exposed. At this the Customs official bursts into a long stream of Japanese as he snaps his pistol free of its holster and points it at Ted.

Ted Nelson (Ben),You think that trying a little bribery might not be a good idea in the present circumstances.

OOC:   Taking a liberty here but, the Japanese customs officer is shouting about Ted's gun he is basicaly telling you to stand very still or he will shoot

[DrVendetta]

Paul steps between the Leader and Ted and holds his hands up signaling the leader to stop and starts speaking to him in Japanse

Priest & any others who can speak Japanese in the group,[color=#0000FF]"Hold! We have not done anything wrong up to this point and you have no authority to go through our luggage out here in a public place in front of this crowd like this. Japan is suppose to be a country of honor, making jokes while going through our female companions personal items in public like this does not reflect well on you or your men as proffesionals. This is a clear insult to us as legal visitors to your country and I wish to take this up with your direct supervisor if this flagrent disrespect to us does not stop immediatley. We all have our papers to enter your great country and wish to do so. We will cooperate with great respect to you as proffesionals doing your job provided we are treated with the same respect in return."[/color] [b]Paul[/b] uses a calm but firm voice making direct eye contact with the Leader and also clearly letting him know that he understands what his men have been saying believeing that they would not be understood by anyone in there group.

[BenTheRat]

Ted Nelson
.
"Whoa, whoa," Ted raises his hands up defensively. "What is the problem?"

[PatGrillo]

Professor Krugman steps forward cautiously to reassure the customs men. He hopes that as a senior academic, his natural authoritative demeanor will impress them.

[Priest]

The customs officer waves his type 94 8mm Nambu pistol from Ted to Paul to Professor Krugman and back again. From the set of his eyes you think he is going to fire he just hasn't chosen at who yet.

Before he has a chance to fire, a willowy, beautifull female, dressed in traditional Japanese costume calls from behind him in Japanese. What she says has an immediate effect as he lowers the pistol and turns. He answers, and she replies, her eyes downcast in a non-confrontational manner. You hear her mutter something about Americans. He laughs, puts away the pistol and turns back.
"Welcome Americans to the Empire of Nippon, your guns are confiscated. Please to hand them over" he holds out his hand while the other rests ominously on the butt of his pistol.

Paul Wellington,Allthough hard to keep pace with the speed of her words, it seems she had warned him that it was not in the Empires best interests to annoy the Americans.

The danger seeming to have passed, she approaches and with a smile introduces herself in perfect oxford English.
"My name is Jennifer Toganama a humble student at the university. It seems you have little understanding of Japanese culture. I am willing to act as your guide and translator while in Mito for the sum of $5 American a day"
She bows politely and waits for your reply.

[DrVendetta]

Paul looks Jennifer over, bowing slightly to her when she looks in his direction to show his appreciation for helping to defuse the situation.

[jbibblesworth]

Bridget composes herself and approaches the young woman, smiling graciously as she nears.

"Thank you Jennifer." she says, trying to subtly coax the woman away from the nearby customs officers. "It would seem we're in need of some local expertise.