IC: Chapter Three - Departure

[Raiko]

The Rose Room - The Amherst Hotel, New York
07:30pm - Sunday 10th September, 1933

Treasury Agent Parker and the Bureau of Prohibition spend two days searching the cargo holds of the SS Gabrielle for their ‘contraband’, but to no avail; as James had suggested, this appears to be only the latest and most ambitious attempt to delay the Starkweather Moore Expedition.

Thanks to Jack and his editor Patterson the Treasury agents are at least under under some pressure to complete their investigations quickly, but the rest of the city’s press clamour for blood as Parker chases the last high profile bust of prohibition.

The expedition team are placed under what amounts to ‘house arrest’ throughout, unable to leave the Amherst Hotel.

At the end of the two days though an embarrassed Parker is forced to admit defeat and publicly apologize to the expedition, the only alcohol stored in the Gabrielle’s holds was a 55 gallon drum for the photography lab, as well as the box stored in Graves’ cabin for ‘medicinal purposes,’ and both these items are correctly entered in the Gabrielle’s manifests.

When Moore stands beside Starkweather at the evening meal of the 10th the pair are smiling at last, “Gentlemen, and Miss Knight – we sail tomorrow with the afternoon tide. Everything is aboard, but for your personal belongings and the last Boeing...”

Moore pauses and looks at his watch, “...which should be being loaded as I speak.”


There is muted, somewhat relieved cheering from around the room.

“Everyone will move aboard tonight, immediately after you have eaten here. You have your cabin assignments already, First Officer Turlow will provide any further help that you need. So as soon as you are packed and your personal items are stowed aboard, you are free to enjoy one last night on the town.”

“Again, congratulations and thanks for your hard work. We are ready to sail, despite a lot of trouble, and that is because of each of you. You have our eternal thanks.”

“Try not to stay out too late,” he smiles, “and I shall see you all aboard.”


Moore sits down, and Starkweather speaks a few words of his own, “Yes thank you everyone.” He nods to Jack, “particularly Jack and his newspaper colleagues for helping to sort out this final delay.”

“If it’s not too much bother, I would like one or two volunteers to remain aboard the ship during the night. We don’t want any more unexpected delays now.”

[Laraqua]

"What should we do to celebrate?" asks Kitt, smiling around at the assembled people. Her blood was up, excitement shining clearly in her eyes.

[BlackGoat]

Sean sighs in Relief. Finally we'll be taking off. After hearing the need for two volunteers, he figures he may as well get used to the ship since he'll be spending a good bit of time on it. Sean raises his hand to signal he will volunteer.

thinking to himself...

Be good to make sure they have all my equipment too...

[Ghost_1971]

"I'll head back to the the Gabrielle, Professor Moore." says Callum. "I've spent a good few sleepless nights looking after her, and her cargo, so I'd like to see her safely out to sea, I think. And I'll have plenty of time to catch up on my sleep once we're under way."

[Raiko]

The Rose Room - The Amherst Hotel, New York
07:30pm - Sunday 10th September, 1933

"I'm sure I know a few places we could go to celebrate," the young doctor Greene smiles at Kitt.

"Are you joining us Olof? Jack?" He looks around the other gathered explorers, "We'll be aboard the ship for two months, I'd like a night out after being detained in the hotel."

[Laraqua]

Kitt can't help but giggle a little, tilting her head a little to the left and to the right, her cheeks flushed. She tries not to meet his eye, hoping that will save her dignity but knowing that she's flirting far too helplessly for anyone not to notice. It was sad, in its own way, because she knew that once a group started thinking of her as a girl, they wouldn't stop, and she wouldn't be encouraged to do anything dangerous or fun. The best thing to do would be to draw as little attention to her femininity as possible but it was hard to do right now. The doctor just made her feel giddy. Hell, Jack...

"Where should we go, Doctor Greene? Do you know anyplace nice? I'm not from around here..." She rolls her eyes skyward and utters a little tee hee. "...and from where I'm from, we didn't really have as many choices of where to go. I didn't really get a chance to see the sights here anyway."

[OrionUK]

James approaches Starkweather & Moore "I would prefer to stay on the ship tonight, although I dont think I will get much sleep as I want to ensure there is no last ditch attempt at further sabotage our trip. I will head back over there as soon as I have cleared my room & checked out"

[Decrepit]

"Herm, yes, well ..." Jack says, twitchily removing then replacing his hat. "I suppose, that is, well, I could think of some places to, um, go. However, I think I should, uh, see whether Detective Hansen has anything for me. Yes. I think I have that file to return. You remember that file, right? Well, good evening anyway. Perhaps I'll, er, catch up with you a bit later. I'm sure the concierege can help. Help you, I mean. With your finding a spot, I mean.

"Well, anyway, good night, um, evening."

With that, Jack shuffles off in the opposite direction.

[Laraqua]

"The file?" Kitt asks, hopping to her feet and following Jack with a look of genuine naievety of her face. Unlike most women, she had never had to become a champion empath and what skills she did have had been overshadowed by her excitement for tonight.

"Oh yeah, that file. What do you think Detective Hansen might have?" she asks, leaning in confidentially as she follows him, expecting to hear some great secret or mastermind bit of detective work. She had taken to reading pulp detective fiction when she had spare time on her hands and had genuinely believed that people did things like that and came to astounding conclusions.

[Henrik]

Feeling that a night out would be nice Olof tells Dr. Greene. "A break from all these troubles would be nice. I don't know any fun places to visit in New York though."

[thewhatchamacallit]

Maurice breaks away from the others. Moore's conditioning had sunk so deep these last few months that even when Frenchman dreamt it was of nothing more sorting and checking the inventory over and over again inside of his sleeping mind.

It seemed almost irresponsible not to take these last few moments to once more triple check all of the ice breaking and survival equipment they kept on board. Should things go astray while they traversed the glaciers of the southern hemisphere it would be impossible to send for replacement parts and additional fuel.

"I can stay monsieur," he said to Moore with his hand raised.

Heading to the cargo bay Maurice snatched up a newspaper to read when he required a break and hoped beyond hope that he didn't forget anything.

[Decrepit]

"I, erm, don't know what Detective Hansen has, which is, uh, why I'm going," Jack replies. "It's going to be, well, rather difficult to do anything but sail once the expedition actually begins."

He offers a wan smile. "In any case, he probably doesn't have anything for me--nothing you need to worry about. Not sure what I do about it even if he did--Lexington's already leagues ahead of us. Heh, look at me, talking like a old hand!"

For some reason, talking to Kitt brought out Jack's goofier side. He decides, though, that he'd better sober up fast, as it were. Besides, he just wasn't any damn good talking with women.

"I'd probably, um, better try calling my son, too. I'm sure he'll have better things to do than to talk to his unreliable old man, but it's worth a chance.

"You go have fun."

Not sure what to do next, Jack extends his hand for a handshake.

[Laraqua]

Kitt takes it and shakes it firmly and somewhat exaggerated. "You have a son? Really? Oh, I'm sorry, did you tell me before? I'm terribly forgetful with these sorts of matters. How old is he? Are you still married? Oh dear, now I'm sure you've told me all these things before. How dreadful of me to pry... And now you see why I make a good pilot. Machines tend not to get so offended as people."

Kitt pauses, trying to think back to any advice she had heard about these odd things called a ladies manners that she had heard so much about. Where she used to live, she had many years to establish her reputation and she had a good base of friends, all men, who she could fall back on. A wrong move now, with so many strangers, could turn this exciting trip into lonely monotony. Perhaps she should ask someone. She decided to ask Doctor Greene. Doctors had class and expected to be asked questions, didn't they?

"So..."

[Steerpike]

McRaven was seriously tempted by a the idea of a party before leaving. God knows they all needed to vent some steam after the past few days.
But he knew deep down that they were not out of the woods yet. So there he is, in his room arranging the last of his luggage and personal effects, looking at the dull metal of his revolver lying on top of ther mattress.

He cracks the gun open to look at the fully loaded chamber. McRaven is aware that this is the 3rd time he has done this so far and snaps the revolver shut again and shoves it into the deep pockets of his overcoat.

His mind is made up. He is going back to the ship and stand watch one last time before the ship leaves.

[Decrepit]

"Was married--twice, I'm afraid," Jack says, grimmacing. This was some painful, unpleasant stuff, and he didn't like talking about it generally. Specifically, too, this seemed like a bad time and like the wrong person to drop this on. But if anyone would understand, Jack thought, it might be Kitt. Not because she was a grizzled, down-and-out, over-the-hill wreck like he often felt but because she seemed to have as much trouble dealing with people at a personal level as he seemed to. And he found that ... charming. Yes, that was it.

"It was ... a while ago. I'm not the easiest person in the world to live with, and back then, well, I was drinking more then and quite bitter about the war and my life after it not going the way I wanted it to. My boy hardly talks to me, and I can't say as I blame him. I've been a pretty lousy father to him, and his mother--the first ex-wife--is not big fan of mine, not that I blame her either.

"Anyway, thank you for asking. You should go have fun. God knows there won't be much of that where we're going. I'm going to ... go out for a bit." Rather than shaking her hand again--what an idiot he was!--he lightly pats her on the shoulder.

[Laraqua]

"It's not safe to go out on your own, though," asks Kitt, worried. "I could go and get my gun. Watch from a distance? I could be like those people in detective novels. You won't even know that I'm there." She chuckles a little. "I read a lot of cheap detective novels... I guess that makes me more than a little bit silly. If you want to go alone, then you'll probably be okay."

[Decrepit]

"That's a swell offer, really," Jack says, genuinely touched. "I don't think things are all that dangerous. After all, Lexington has already sailed, and there's good reason to think that she was behind a lot of this. Well, there's Moore's old colleague, too, but we don't know anything about his whereabouts.

"But I get the hint. I'll just try to give Hansen a call, then I'll join you and whoever's going out this evening." Jack's mood has lightened considerably, though he can't quite shake the nagging feeling that he's not taking things as seriously as he should. Once they were underway, there wouldn't be much chance to do anything but--literally--go with the flow.

[Henrik]

"I could follow Jack if you think he needs a bodyguard Ms. Kitt. I don't think that anyone in their right mind would attack two able men." Olof is not sure if Kitt was serious in her worry for the journalist or not.

[Decrepit]

Caught in his own social lie--and, more positively, seemingly embraced by the kind of friends he frankly hadn't had for ... well, for a very long time--Jack decides to slide back into the group celebration.

"Thanks, Olof," Jack says. "I think I'll just try calling the detective, then join whoever's left in a night out. Heaven knows we could use one, and there won't be such a chance later."

[Laraqua]

Kitt nods. "I think I'd better go. I'm going to need as long as I can get to learn how to work the infernal items that is make-up and feminine hair care." She smiles shyly at the two men and then walks off.