IC: Chapter One - September At Last

[Raiko]

Chapter One - September At Last

During the dead of night on 31st August the SS Gabrielle slips quietly into port, the media attention of Lawrence’s attack and suicide has eventually died down, allowing the team of explorers a couple of days of relative peace to get to know each other, but now the serious work begins.

The last few expedition members are due to arrive in New York today, most though attended the formal dinner and are already settled in at the Amherst hotel. Each finds a similar handwritten note pushed under their hotel room door when they awake on the first day of September.

Please be so good as to join us at the ship as soon as you are ready, she arrived last night – plenty of work to be done!

SS Gabrielle, Pier 74-B, 12th Avenue at 34th, next to the Italian Royal Mail berth.

Regards,

Moore.

[Henrik]

Olof read the note and smiled. "Finally" he said to himself put the note in his pocket and began packing his bags.

"I guess I can have them sent for" he thought and decided against carrying them to the ship. He dressed simply ready to do some work. He then opened the door to the room and locked it behind him. He was very eager to see the ship for the first time.

[Steerpike]

After the brief trip to the gun shop, McRaven and his three companions had decided to leave the matter for now. But over the next couple of days, it weighed heavily on Mcravens mind.

When the note came through, the preparations helped him focus on something else. He packed his things and put on the labels for the Hotel to forward them to the dock. He then got dressed and checked himself out.

Hailing a cab, he gives directions to the dock.

Things are happening and McRaven decides to put the last couple of days behind behind him and concentrate on the job at hand. As the cab makes it wasy through the streets of New York, he drawing up a check list of things he needs to do.

He's decided to needs to oversee the loading of the aircraft and wants a much closer look at the birds, that he and the other pilots are going to fly.
Mcraven also glances through some of the books he read on flying in extreme weather conditions and wonders if they are going to need to order any new equipment for the planes...

[Ghost_1971]

Callum spends the remaining days in New York checking over his Polar equipment and climbing gear. He uses his time in the evenings to further aquaint himself with Peter Sykes and the Sorensen brothers, swapping notes, storys and the like.

Once the note arrives, he call the hotel desk to arrange some one to take his equipment crates down to the ship, and makes his way, by taxi cab, down Pier 74B .

"Gotta get there nice and early. I want a decent room. " The burly Scot chuckles to himself.

[OrionUK]

James sends his last few telegrams and has his final telephone conversations with friends & family before leaving for the pier, the day after the note arrives, as he wants to get going as soon as possible as his anticipation is starting to mount.

[Decrepit]

His editor was most unhappy with him, but Jack at this point wasn't overly concerned. The Arkham trip, which his paper had paid for, had been a bust, he reported back. Patterson'd wanted to know everything, of course; editors were nosy as hell about things like that, especially when dollars and cents were involved--and he'd wanted receipts, curse him.

Still, what was Jack going to say? He'd said that Pabodie was nowhere to be found, of course, but he kept the bits about McTighe to himself. At one point in his life, Jack would've played up the fellow's near-rantings--on the front page, if he could've gotten play there--but, instead, he decided to keep it to himself (and his companions, of course). What would be gained by smearing McTighe, anyway? Clearly, the man was rattled, frayed. Besides, something about his insistence had gotten under Jack's skin. "Mountains of Madness."

Jack'd gotten so maudlin that, once back in New York, he'd even tried calling up his ex-wives in what they quickly informed him was a misguided effort to set things straight, and what was he really up to anyway, and where was the check? His son, Tobias, wouldn't even go a round or two with him in the ring of emotional blackmail; he'd just hung up. Jack, still smarting, decided to set down a few things in letters to all three of them, to be opened in the event of ... well, whatever. It wouldn't do any damn good, but there it was. He had no name to leave them, no money either really; all he had were some words.

After one night alone with a bottle--he'd heard Prohibition was going to end soon, enforcement was toothless, and a smart man had always known where to find it--Jack pulled himself together, if barely. There was a job to do; he still had that, anyway, at least for now. There might be time to file that long-delayed story about Kitt, if she hadn't disappeared again. There were new people to get to know and profile--filler for the Sunday paper, probably. And he wouldn't mind pigeonholing Moore at some point. That man knew more than he was telling, no doubt about it.

[Charles Graves]

Graves is relieved to hear that the ship has arrived and decides to move into his cabin right away to get away from the media scrum of the hotel.
He packs his personal and medical belongings and gets a cab to the dock.

[Raiko]

Pier 74, Hudson River Dockyards, New York City
1st September 1933

It only takes a few minutes for each investigator to make the thirteen block journey from the Amherst Hotel to the SS Gabreille’s berth by the Hudson River.

The Hudson River docks are a place of constant motion. Smells of sea water, oil, fish, and damp wood are mixed with the sweat of the stevedores, and fill the air. Dozens of ships of all sizes and descriptions are tied up here, in various stages of loading or unloading. Huge cranes swing heavy loads overhead, and the ground is littered with cast-off packing materials, broken glass, and bits of metal. Investigators are bumped into and sworn at by the stevedores, who stride off without looking back. It takes nimble footwork to avoid being knocked over or shouted at by one of the dockhands.

Tied up on the north side of Pier 74 along the Hudson River shores of New York City is the Gabrielle, its bow facing out. On the south side of the pier, the brightly lit and well-maintained facilities of the Italian Royal Mail Line make the expedition's berth seem shabby and unimportant.


SS Gabrielle at port

Each taxi pulls up at the foot of West 34th Street, as each investigator steps out of their cab and glances across Twelfth Avenue to the pier shed front, they spot an overweight Port Authority guard standing outside his small office.

A small sign has been stenciled and nailed up near one of the two large doors.

STARKWEATHER – MOORE
ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION
PLEASE CHECK IN WITH GUARD
NO SMOKING

Louis Laroche arrives at the same time as a couple of the investigators, he curses loudly when he reads the sign, evidently he hasn’t broken the habit just yet.

The guard is holding a large clipboard and is obviously filled with self importance on this special day.

Much to the dismay of Professor Graves a small group of tabloid reporters also stand nearby, they photograph each expedition member as they cross 12th Avenue towards the obese guard.

“Hey Sir! Care to spend a couple of minutes giving a quote! She’s an impressive ship you must be very excited.”

[Raiko]

The guard carefully checks each investigator’s name against those in his clipboard, once he’s confirmed their identity each person is told, “go on in, bud."

The pier extends six hundred feet into the river, and is eighty feet wide. A long narrow shed runs down the center of the pier, fifty feet wide and thirty feet high in the center. A railway track runs along each side of the pier between the shed and the water. Boxcars stand here and there on the tracks next to large open doors. Glancing through the open doors the investigators see that the shed's interior is piled high with cargo-boxes, bales, drums, and pallets. Crews of stevedores stream up and down ramps between the boxcars and the shed, shifting cargo into the interior or moving it onto pallets and nets to be lifted upwards into the Gabrielle's holds. The ship's cargo booms labor overhead to shift cargo into the Gabrielle's holds.

Climbing the gangway up to the deck, and dodging various maritime types who all seem to be in a hurry to go up or down the gangway, the investigators are met at the deck by a member of the crew. He directs them to the officer’s mess, “through that door, then turn right and follow the corridor. The door to the mess is labeled so you can’t miss it.”

Professor Moore is in the ship's mess hall, standing by a table covered with papers, clipboard in one hand, conferring with one of the cargo masters. He greets the investigators warmly, but with a distracted air, and gestures to his lists.

“Ah! You've arrived! Capital! Good to have you aboard. There's a lot to do, of course, so we'd best get started. Have you eaten? Sandwiches and coffee are on the table over there.”

He points to a small table against one wall that us indeed piled high with sandwiches, as well as a large steaming pot of strong coffee.

“Take what you like, and go see Mr. Sykes in the crew's mess, he’ll be arranging your cold weather gear for you. Back through that door and down the hall. The crew’s mess is at the far end.”

“Oh yes-one more thing. From now on, we will all meet each morning at eight o'clock, in the Rose Room at the Amherst. If I don't see you again today, I trust I'll see you there.”

[Henrik]

"Cold weather gear. This should be interesting" Olof thinks as he walks towards the mess and Mr. Sykes.

[Raiko]

In the Officer’s Mess:
Moore calls Graves to one side as some the other expedition members are heading back to meet Sykes, “Professor, I have need of your services I’m afraid. You can be measured for your cold weather gear later.”

“Each expedition member will require a medical examination immediately after they have been measured. Doctor Michaels has already started, he looked a little surprised when I roused him at four this morning.”

“He’s in a cabin adjoining the crew’s mess, I didn’t bother rousing you as I knew he’d manage the early risers, but now that you’re here you’d best go and join him. There are a lot of chaps to examine this morning.”

In the Crew’s Mess:
There is already a short queue of explorers waiting to see Sykes in the crews mess. The polar explorer stands in the middle of the room surrounded by a large number of chests, racks, and open boxes - all packed full of arctic clothing.

Sykes has already met most of the investigators, and he greets each one warmly as they reach the end of the queue. He spends several minutes with each person, firstly measuring them thoroughly: height, weight, waist, chest, collar, inseam, shoe size, hat size, glove size, and anything else that he feels is appropriate. He carefully writes down each measurement in a small black bound leather book

Then after the measurements are taken, each explorer is given a quick instruction on , the use of each of the many pieces of clothing: liners, boots, gloves, trousers, parka, hoods, and overalls - in total more than fifteen pounds of clothes. Each explorer is asked to try on some for size while he begins measuring the next person in line, “Another day or two,” adds Sykes, “and we'll have a kit for each of you. The ski shoes and gloves haven't arrived yet, but they should be here by the end of the week.”

“Ok, if you’d be so good now as to step into that cabin for your medical examination, and then once that's over with you need to go into that other cabin for your photograph.”

[Charles Graves]

As requested Graves goes to assist Dr Michaels with the examinations, quietly relieved that he hadn't been awoken at such an early hour.

[Steerpike]

McRaven stands in line for the exam. He's been here before, albeit some 20 odd years ago, but it's all part routine.

Stand in line, hurry up and wait. Breath in, breath out, Breath in and hold your breath...breath out. Testing eyes, testing reflexes, taking blood, taking piss and when it's all over, you walk out and another walks in.

Somewhere around the door was your dignity, the first thing you always lose. Remembering to pick it up, you smile bravely at te next victim and head next door for the camera.

It's almost over now

*FLASH*

"Thats a keeper, Mr McRaven Sir, you're done"

With that McRaven heads out back in the room where the coffee and sandwiches are hiding out. He then corners the Prof, and between bites, inquires as to the status of the birds and the need for him to check things out.

[Raiko]

By the time the expedition team members start filing back into the officer’s mess to partake in the coffee and sandwiches Professor Moore has affixed a large notice to the wall giving the cabin allocation for the expedition.

CABIN ASSIGNMENTS - MIDSHIPS

Cabin 11: Cpt. J.Starkweather; Prof W.Moore

Cabin 12: Miss Kitt Knight

Cabin 13: Prof W.Griffith; Prof M.Bryce; Prof C.Myers

Cabin 14: Prof P.Albemarle; Prof C.Graves; James Seymour

Cabin 15: Peter Sykes; Gunnar & Nils Sorensen

Cabin 16: Dr. C.Michaels, Olof Eriksson ; Jack Wilson

Cabin 17: Dougas Halperin; Ralph Dewitt; William McRaven

Cabin 18: Isutag Amaruq; Callum McDonald; William Turner

CABIN ASSIGNMENTS - AFTCASTLE

OOC: I’ll allocate this later tonight, as no PC’s are bunked here

“Ok chaps, you can fetch your personal gear to store in your cabins as soon as you like. Just remember to have everything aboard – including yourselves – by the fourteenth!”

“First Officer Turlow here has asked me to make sure that you all know that any firearms that you bring aboard must be handed over to him for storage in the Bosun’s Stores, they will be locked up and returned to you when we reach the ice.”

“It’s also my duty to remind you all, particularly the non-US members of the expedition, that this is an American flagged vessel, and so it operates under the rules of prohibition. There will be no alcohol brought on board – under any circumstances. Captain Starkweather is extremely anxious that we do not attract any more bad press. Especially after the incident with Lawrence, so we don’t want to be accused of prohibition-busting.”

He laughs, “Having said that, Professor Graves will be entrusted with a locked crate of liquor – for medicinal purposes only. I’m sure that you’ll all agree that we’ll be in need of a Medicinal Celebration when we make our first camp!”

"Does anyone have any questions? Your dentist's appoinments don't start for a couple hours, so you can do what you like until then, Officer Turlow has arranged for those people who are interested to have a quick tour of the ship."

*********

When McRaven enquires about the aircraft, Moore replies, "Ah yes, of course you'd want to see the planes. I'm afraid they won't be arriving for a few days yet, but never fear - you and the other pilots and engineers will be travelling to Skillman Airport in New Jersey tomorrow to check them out, and give them each a test flight. They'll be brought by train to the ship later."

"Isugtag, could I have a word with you in private before you leave?"


First Officer Paul Turlow

[Mister Juan]

Since he had arrived aboard, Isugtag had, as usual, done very little talking. The procedures they were all facing weren’t particularly new to him. Actually, they reminded him of his youth. They reminded him of what he had gone through before embarking on a transport ship in Halifax, bound for London, almost 20 years ago. Difference was that, this time around, he wouldn’t have to share sleeping quarters with a whole platoon. Well… that and he wouldn’t have to sleep in trenches when he got off the boat. And he wouldn’t have to duck machine gun fire. And he wouldn’t have to use the bodies of his dead friends as cover. And a lot more things.

Isugtag had almost declined the offer of “custom made” winter gear. Fact was, beside skis, he had brought all of his own things. He hadn’t considered the fact that such gear would be procured for him. Fact was, he was much more comfortable using his own winter equipment, which he had mostly fashioned himself, than something that might end up being made by a fellow who had never seen snow.

The big Inuit stood leaning against one of the walls of the room, absent-mindedly chewing on the end of his unlit pipe. He felt mildly useless in such an urban environment. He had been contemplating the idea of offering his services to load crates aboard the vessel when Moore spoke up.

When the professor made mention of firearms, Grey Wolf was suddenly reminded of Enfield revolver that was stuck in his belt, under his rough tweet shirt. Since the “Lawrence incident”… and since he had been made Sergeant-at-Arms, the ex soldier had taken his new duty very seriously. As far as he was concerned, it was now his job not only to ensure everyone’s survival against the harsh weather of the south pole, but also against any physical harm. Even though carrying a loaded firearm was probably frowned upon, Isugtag had sworn himself not to be caught off guard anymore. With Lawrence, he had been lucky: the man was demented and probably distracted by things only he could see.

When Moore approached him, Isugtag slipped his pipe into one of his pocket.

“Yes sir.” he said in a sharp tone, almost standing at attention.

[Charles Graves]

Graves wanders over to introduce himself to Turlow. "I have my old service revolver in one of my cases, I'll hand it over for your safe-keeping when I unpack. I'd also like to sign myself up for your tour of the ship, it's been quite some time since I was on board a vessel as large as this."

[Ghost_1971]

Callum goes along for his medical exam, but declines the polar gear provided by the expedition.

"I've spent a bloody fortune buying my own gear over the years, and I feel more comfortable using that. But thank you anyway."

[Henrik]

"We seem to be sharing the same cabin, doctor." Olof turned to Dr. Michaels. "If you need help with anything, just ask. I don't know much about medicine, but I guess I got strong arms and a good back, so I could carry any crates containing medical supplies and such." The engineer smiled.

[OrionUK]

James completes his medical and makes his way over to Turlow "I have a couple of shotguns & shells to hand over when I bring the rest of my gear from the hotel" he then takes his supplies to the cabin to stow for the time being.

"I am heading back to the hotel in about 20 minutes if anyone wants tro share the cab back?" James states in general to save the trouble of everyone having to wait for individual cabs.

[Raiko]

Callum:
Sykes’ replies with a laugh, "That’s up to you Callum, you know your stuff and I trust your judgement, but why not take a set of our gear as well?”

“It’s free…”

“…and one or two items may turn out to be better than your gear, no offence intended.”

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

Graves & James:
First officer Turlow shakes each investigator's hand, "That’s fine turn your firearms over as soon as you’re ready, I’ll make sure that they are carefully labelled and secured in the stores."

“I’ll give you a short tour in a minute.” He looks at James, “It won’t take long so you’ll still make your taxi, the ship isn’t too busy yet, much of the expedition supplies are still arriving.”

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

Everyone:
SS Gabrielle – Ship Tour
12:30pm – Friday 1st September, 1933

Turlow spents twenty minutes taking anybody who is interested around the Gabrielle, he keeps his tour mostly to the midships area, showing his guests the passenger cabins and galley, before taking them down some metal steps onto a gallery overlooking the ships engine room, the massive steam engine and the twin boilers sitting quietly for the moment.

Isugtag joins the tour a little later than the others, having had a quiet conversation with Moore in his cabin when the other explorers had departed.

After leaving the engine room, Turlow leads the explorers up two decks above the messes, through the boat deck, to the bridge deck. From the bridge, dominated by it’s large wheel and compass binnacle, the explorers have a clear view of the forward holds. Although Turlow said that the ship isn’t very busy at the moment, the Gabrielle’s cargo cranes are in constant motion, and the cargo areas clearly aren’t a sensible place for a large sightseeing party.

Once the tour is complete the explorers file back off the Gabrielle onto the docks, Moore makes sure that each member of the team knows the address of the dental practice in downtown Manhattan, where he has arranged a mass-checkup, He tells them that apart from the dental appointment there is no more expedition business until the eight o’clock meeting in the Rose Room the following morning, “Enjoy the free time, it may be the last that you’ll get!”

Downtown Manhattan – Dr Mitchell – Dental Surgeon
4:30pm – Friday 1st September, 1933

Fortunately none of the investigators are in need of dental work, although a few of the other members of the expedition are asked to return to Dr Mitchell’s practice at over the following week for filling or extractions.

As each investigator leaves walks back out onto the bustling streets of downtown New-York, they wonder how to best spent their last evening of “freedom,” Moore seemd to be serious when he said there’d be no more free time.