IC: Chapter Four - At Sea

[Decrepit]

Jack is momentarily staggered by the odor but manages to remain on his feet and keeps after Starkweather.

[Ghost_1971]

Callum follows the example of the others, and covers his face. Seeing that Halperin is struggling to go on, Callum help the crewman back on deck before following Starkweather into the murky hold.

[Raiko]

McRaven is helped back up the ladder by Darren Horst one of the Gabrielle's quartermasters who is also unable to continue through the noxious fumes.

While some retreat back to the deck Starkweather and the others dash through the hold. As he approaches the Reefer Space Starkweather stoops to retrieve Henning's discarded flashlight with his free hand, and directs its beam through the open doors to the refrigerated storeroom.

It will be impossible to determine whether this is a malfunction or an act of sabotage until later, but a fracture in the Reefer Space's coolant pipes has allowed gallons of liquid ammonia to spray out over the food packages. Rapidly boiling into a transparent gas the escaped ammonia filled the refrigerator until Henning arrived and opened the doors, flooding the whole hold with the toxic gas.

Surveying the scene quickly Starkweather half coughs, half shouts, "Get what... you ... can...up to the ... deck!"

With that he rushes into the Reefer Space, grabs the driest food package he can find and dashes back out towards the ladder.

[Decrepit]

Jack, recognizing the urgency of the situation, does as much as possible to comply with Starkweather's directive. Another crisis, and we haven't even reached the ice yet, he thinks.

[Ghost_1971]

Through all the chaos Callum sees a need for some kind of order. "We should...*cough*.....form a chain, and pass the food along....*cough cough*.....It would be quicker that way..."

[Mister Juan]

For most of the voyage, at least up to today, Isugtag had been true to his usual image of tall silent Inuit. Although he did speak a bit when either following one of the classes, or helping out Sykes with his own knowledge of winter gear; the rest of his time was spent in total silence. With what spare time he had, the big Inuit either simply sat outside, smoking his pipe while looking at the horizon, or down in his shared cabin, reading one of the books he had picked up during they stay in New York. He wasn't particularly interested in their content. It was mainly a personal exercise to improve his own understanding of English. He had even ventured out of his personal cocoon a few times to ask definitions to Sean McPherson.

Isugtag was also growing rather fond of Callum. The Scotsman and himself actually ended up having a lot more in common than he had thought at first glance. His knowledge of mountains were beyond what he had ever seen, especially in a European.

It wasn't until Sunday swung by that Isugtag finally seemed to manifest some sort of emotion toward something. His usual somber and serious air was briefly replaced by a rather obvious frown when it was suggested, through one of the “initiation rights” that he's shave his head. When the “barber” had touched his long black and gray pony tail, the almost animalistic grunt he had been given had made things rather clear: cut my hair and I'll split you in two.

Everything in the day was going rather fine and dandy afterwards... until the telltale smell of ammonia came to the hunter's nostril. As his brow furrowed, the big Inuit didn't immediately understood what was going on. Starkweather was shouting something and diving down the ship hold, to be followed by other crew member, McRaven and Callum. Seconds later, Isugtag flattened his big frame out of the way as Jack passed him, diving head along with the others. It wasn't until Olof passed by him running that he understood what was going on.

As Olof asked him the whereabouts of Greene, Isugtag simply gave him a sort of shrug as he began moving toward the number 4 tween deck hold. His right hand moved to the back of his head, as he pulled on the bandanna he used to keep his long hair tied together. Undoing it, he quickly folded it a few times on itself and wrapped it around the bottom part of his face. As the smell became more and more pugnant, and the sting more and more pronounced in his eyes, Isugtag couldn't help himself but think back to the bloodied fields of France. Keeping his head down to avoid hitting the ceiling, the large Inuit made his way down as fast as he could, passing by other crew members who were going in the opposite direction. About to step down to the lower level, he couldn't help himself but slow down as he saw McRaven being helped out by a member of the crew who's name he couldn't quite remember. For a second, he hesitated. Push on, or stop to check on his friend. He crossed McRaven eyes for a second, giving him a brief nod. The Yank would be alright... he was built strongly. The second after, Isugtag was sliding down the ladder, his boots thudding heavily as his frame hit the floor. He could already see Starkweather and Jack running back in his direction, with Callum shouting something... well, it was more like coughing and trying to shout something. As he neared him, Isugtag simply shook his head to him.

“No time” was all he said as he extended his arm forward “Give me as many as you can”.

[Laraqua]

Kitt has a quick look at the fracture, wondering if she should attempt to fix it, though she knows little about this kind of contraption. If she feels there is no chance, she'll also attempt to grab a few boxes of dried food and rush back.

[Henrik]

"It's one of... the crew... hurt badly... Starkweather called for you. Take your bag... and come with me..." Olof is tired by the fast running and haven't really catched his breath as he explains to Dr. Greene what's the matter.

[Raiko]

SS Gabrielle

Kitt glances more closely at the fractured pipe before grabbing a food package.

The blown-out pipe section is pitted and corroded. The corrosion, however, seems to be limited only to a section of pipe less than a foot long. Everywhere else, the refrigeration piping is tarnished, but whole. As she turns away to pick up the package Kitt notices that there are a number of small pits and burned-looking depressions on the deck immediately below the damaged pipe.

There isn't any more ammonia left in the pipe, so there is little that can be achieved for now other than saving what they can of the food.

Unfortunately Isugtag is probably correct, the fumes are so powerful that nobody can remain down in the hold for long anyway, it proves safer to dash between the deck and the reefer space, carrying as much food as possible on each trip and pausing in the fresh air on deck each time.

More crew and expedition members join in with the efforts to remove the food and clean up the reefer space. While some volunteers dash in and out of the refrigerator carrying food, others take brief shifts inside scrubbing down the walls and floor in an effort to lessen the smell.

Captain Vredenburgh arranges for the ship's cranes to be used to open up the number four hold's cargo hatch to clear the choking gas from the hold itself, but the reefer space itself it accessed only through it's door, so there is nothing that can be done but to send in the cleanup teams.

Meanwhile Olof returns with Richard Greene to attend to those stricken by the gas, starting with young Henning. Professor Graves soon arrives to help with the treatment.

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

There are twelve tonnes of perishable food stored in the reefer hold, and removing it all by hand takes hours; dinnertime passes by during the commotion. Of the twelve tonnes of food almost a quarter is ruined and must be thrown overboard, either because it was unsealed and exposed to the noxious fumes, or because it's packaging has been soaked by the liquid ammonia. Unfortunately this includes all of the fresh fruit brought aboard at Panama City.

The Reefer Hold itself will be out of commission until the ship makes port, this means that all the remaining perishables will need to be consumed with the next day or two, or they will ruin in the heat, there simply isn't anywhere else aboard to keep them cool.

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

As the sun sets that evening the final efforts at assessing the damage are still underway. Captain Vredenburgh meets with James Starkweather on the boat deck overlooking the hold. Their heated debate can be heard everywhere amidships, particularly by those still labouring in the open number four hold.

"We must turn back, sir," the captain insists.

"No, Captain!" argues Starkweather. "We must not!"

"Mister Starkweather - we are four days out from Panama City. Australia is a good two weeks away. We cannot repair the machinery in the middle of the ocean, we do not have the materials to do so. Your supplies will spoil, sir! They will rot, and be worthless to you, before we can possibly arrive!"

Starkweather scowls blackly. "We shall not turn back, Captain!" he snaps. "We have lost too much time already! She is several days ahead of us - we shall not loose another day! We shall buy more supplies, if need be - now press on!"

Starkweather storms away toward the bridge, Vredenburgh remains for a moment, voices a single quiet epithet, and then follows.

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

Down in the hold, several crewmembers look at one another.

"He’s crazy," says one.

"He’s gone off his nut," says another. "He’s bloody starkers!"

A third laughs bitterly.


---------------------------

Kitt - Spot Hidden Roll = [08%]

[OOC: I remember somebody, Jack I think, made a joke about Starkweather very similar to the 'Bloody Starkers' one back at the hotel. ]

[Henrik]

Olof is tired from today's work, but he is happy of being of assistance, although this was an unfortunate setback. Unlike the crew he does not question Starkweather's judgement. They have come too far to let this incident stop them and as the commander says they can always buy food when arriving to Australia.

Perhaps it is possible to fix the leak? It's a matter of an engineering problem and after all Olof is an engineer.

OOC: If it's possible I'd like to try to fix the leak or at least diagnose the leak.

[Laraqua]

After the first half hour, Kitt gets a headache from the fumes and very soon her enthusiasm peters out, only to be fired up anew when she realises that much of this food now has to be eaten, and soon! There will be a veritable feast for the next few days.

[Ghost_1971]

Callum listens to the conversation between Starkweather and Captain Vrendenburgh, with some trepidation. He is not pleased with what he hears, and goes to speak with the only person that Starkweather even remotely listens to, Professor Moore.

"You really must go and talk to him Professor!" says Callum after relaying the conversation to Moore. "Starkweather is not being rational. We must seek out somewhere to make repairs, and take on more provisions. Even if we can fix the pipes in the cooler system, we have no refridgerant to fill it up again. To proceed, without the correct supplies, would be sheer lunacy."

Stopping to take a drink to ease his raw throat, Callum continues, choosing his words carefully "I'm not suggesting that Starkweather has gone over the edge, but one more setback and he might take us all down with him...."

[OrionUK]

James, after hearing about the cooling incident, tries to find out from the ships captain or Professor Moore, if there is a South American port the could call at and pick up fresh supplies. "That way we wouldnt lose as much time as turning back to Panama."

[Decrepit]

A damnable business, this, Jack mutters to himself. The work has been fatiguing beyond sense, yet the bigger problem was that the food supply was severely compromised. Starkweather's rant, which everyone either had heard directly or knew about intimately second- and thirdhand, cast an even blacker pall over the events. Others had talked about trying to convince Starkweather to find a port somewhere to make repairs and take on new supplies, but Jack knew such efforts, even from Moore, would be pointless. Starkweather was hellbent on getting there before She did, and he wouldn't care whether he had to take the rest of them down to the bottom of the sea with him in the process. Starkweather was just insane enough to be thoroughly dangerous to anyone who impeded him, but not so obviously dangerous that he was operating beyond what Jack assumed was the margin of command. Jack had seen enough of Starkweather's type in the Great War to know that Starkweather couldn't be disloged or even slightly deflected from his chosen task, and he seriously doubted whether anyone would alter the man's mental course by a single degree. No, the die was cast, as far as the big chief was concerned.

Now the question was how to present this to the folks back home. He couldn't outright lie in his story, but he'd have to downplay the severity of what had happened, or else (he assumed) he either get censored by Starkweather or become persona non grata, and neither option was one Jack particularly wanted to take. He was already composing the lede in his mind: "A minor setback today ..."

[BlackGoat]

Sean thinks over the days events and then factors in the events of the recent past. He considers there may be a possible saboteur aboard, but if there is...who? Could it be one of our very crew or is it some hiding away amongst this huge vessel.

His now paranoid nature leads him to believe there is someone aboard this ship trying to stop them from making it to the Ice. At first it may have been bad luck but now it's apparent something devious is amidst the crew.

"Something must be done before anyone else is hurt..."

He sets out to find the bulk of the other explorers to explain his suspicions.

[Raiko]

James finds that Captain Vredenburgh isn't really in the mood to talk to any of the expedition members at the moment, not even one of the financiers, he stares at James and says harshly, "Perhaps you should discuss your ideas with your friend Mister Starkweather. Now please leave, I have a ship to run."

*********

Wandering away from the bridge James locates Professor Moore just in time to catch the end of Callum's appeal to him. Surprisingly though the professor doesn't appear to be all that concerned about today's incident, or not the loss of food at least.

"Actually Callum I rather agree with Mister Starkweather about this. We have plenty of food, more than enough for the voyage to Australia. After all we have sufficient rations to survive in Antarctica for several months. Only the fresh food is ruined, and we still have a day or two to enjoy what remains of that."

"Now granted, I'd rather not be eating the pemmican at this stage, but I don't think that we should delay over this incident," he chuckles dryly, "the dogs are already eating the pemmican, so why not the explorers?"

"Mister Starkweather has radioed ahead already, and arranged for both our fresh food and our pemmican supplies to be replaced when we make port. The refrigeration equipment will also be repaired there."

"However I would like to find out exactly what happened today. If this is the work of a saboteur rather than a malfunction, then it is clearly intended to delay the expedition. Once the saboteur realises that the attempt has failed, they are certain to try again, and we cannot afford for them to find a more successful method."

"This nonsense must end before it costs someone their life, the young man Henning was lucky to survive this afternoon. Perhaps the two of you could organise a very quiet investigation?"

[Henrik]

OOC: As I asked before. Is it possible to fix the leak with the equipment on board? If so I'd like to try if the captain will permit me. I know we don't have any cooling agent, but Olof is kind of bored and fixing stuff might be what he needs to do on this trip. Would I need any other skill than Mechanical Repair for this?

[Steerpike]

"Something must be done before anyone else is hurt..."

McRaven is still coughing when he hears Sean whispering under his breath. He motions for the man to come over

"Someone somewhere means this ship harm, we should team up with a few others, see what we can dig up"

[BlackGoat]

Looking to McRaven he listens intently and gives a subtle nod in agreement.

Sean looks around for anyone else in the vicinity to recruit to their noble cause.

[Decrepit]

Jack sees Sean and McRaven talking and ambles over to them. After hearing of their plans [OOC: presuming they're going to tell him], he replies, "Well, if you fellows think I'd be any help, I'll come along. I'm not a private investigator or anything of the sort, as you know, but I'm decent with a question."