IC - Chapter Five - Onto The Ice

[amarriner]

Isugtag watches as Doctor Greene tapes up and tends to his ankle. It's cold out but when he fell, Isugtag's face was bright red and hot. He'd like to think he could blame it on being on that vile ship for so long, but he knows in his heart he just messed up. Best not to start making excuses now. Besides, things need to be done. Can't let something little like this get in his way. Back to work! The ankle doesn't feel too bad thanks to the Doc.

[OrionUK]

James is overawed by the raw beauty of the Antarctic and wonders how the creatures who inhabit this inhospitable place ever survive. He is, however, a little releived that all seems to be going reasonably well so far and nuckles down to work to keep himself busy and warm.

[Raiko]

SME Expedition Temporary Sea Camp – McMurdo Sound.
01:00 - Wednesday 15th November, 1933.

Gunnar Sorensen takes John’s place aboard the sleds. He, James, Frodesen and Isutag depart as soon as the dogs are ready and the sleds loaded – heading south to join Callum’s team atop the Ross Ice Shelf.

06:00 - Wednesday 15th November, 1933.

At around 05:30 the final barrels of fuel for the aircraft are hoisted ashore from the SS Gabrielle. Her work done for now the ship is readied for departure from her perilous mooring at the edge of the ice. Thirty minutes later, the vessel that has been the expedition’s home during the long voyage south raises her anchors and sails towards the open waters of the Ross Sea.

She will remain on station, in the relatively safe waters several miles out to sea until the expedition leaves the icy continent in late January.

Even as the ship sails north, work continues to move all of the equipment and fuel deposited by the Gabrielle, to the more secure ice of the temporary camp. The expedition’s tractors are in continual use ferrying the equipment from shore to camp.

SME Expedition Trail Team - Ross Ice Barrier
11:30 – Wednesday 15th November, 1933

Having been joined by the other two sleds, Callum’s trail team make good progress scouting on the massive Ice Barrier, and soon locate an excellent camp site approximately twenty miles from the barrier’s edge. They radio back to the sea camp at once.


SME Expedition Temporary Sea Camp – McMurdo Sound.
11:45 - Wednesday 15th November, 1933.

Professor Moore crosses the ice from the radio tent, walking briskly towards the team prepping the Fairchild “Scott” for it’s first flight. The professor is still unsure of his footing on the slippery surface, but there is a spring in his step nonetheless. His co-leader Starkweather is right behind him, seemingly much more at ease on the ice.

When he reaches the pilots and engineers clustered around the small aircraft, Moore searches the hooded figures for McRaven. He pulls his scarf down from his mouth to speak, “Excellent news Bill! Callum has just radioed back, they’ve located a suitable site for the base camp!”

“Are you ok to fly? Greene said that your injury wasn’t serious...”

“I thought that you could use this afternoon’s test flight to check out the site for yourself, meet up with Callum’s team on the barrier!”


Meanwhile Starkweather spots Jack, “Ah Jack! Get your camera ready; go and get some damn good photos of the first flight, what!”

[Steerpike]

McRaven grins at Prof Moore "My pride got more bruised than me, i'm ready to go, get the co-ordinates of the site and I'll get things ready here"

[Decrepit]

Despite himself, Jack catches some of Starkweather's enthusiasm. "Will do," he says, excited at the prospect of seeing from the air what so few people had seen in the flesh. It would doubtless tax his powers of description in the accompanying articles and captions.

Still and all, he couldn't help feeling just a tinge apprehensive when he watched the ship sail away, even if it was only to a fairly short distance off. While he felt no romantic attachment to the sea or the ship, it had still been security and warmth in a cold clime.

[Henrik]

Olof is excited and a bit afraid. Will the plane be ready for the harsh conditions of the Antarctica? Only one way to know and that's to try it...

[Ghost_1971]

Callum goes outside to have a look around. Waiting for the others to arrive is a touch boring... But then, the hard bit will begin soon enough... he thinks to himself.

He takes a walk over to where the sled dogs are tied up, just to check them over and make sure they are okay. After petting them, and satisfied that they are well, he heads back to the tent to do some more reading up on the expedition notes.

[Raiko]

SME Expedition Temporary Sea Camp - McMurdo Sound
11:45 - Wednesday 15th November, 1933

“Excellent!” Moore shakes McRaven’s hand, “Finally our first flight, there were times when I truly doubted that we would make it this far!”

“Miss Knight will be your co-pilot, Callum’s trail team will be marking the site with an expedition flag, and also marking out the runway. If you fly some essential gear out to them, then they can begin preparing the base camp site before the first tractor arrives.”

Moore also shakes hands with Jack, Olof and Kitt, “Gentlemen, Miss Knight, you are privileged indeed to be aboard our first flight. Good luck and enjoy the view!”

With that, the Professor leaves to find Professor Bryce, the final passenger for this flight. Starkweather sticks around to help out with prepping the Scott, and to offer his “encouragement to the lads.”


SME Expedition Trail Team - “Base Camp” Site - Ross Ice Shelf
11:45 - Wednesday 15th November, 1933

Preparation for the arrival of the Scott begins as soon as Callum finishes on the radio. The site is excellent, and should serve the expedition well. The first flight should take off at around 14:00 so they won’t have to wait around too long.


SME Expedition Temporary Sea Camp - McMurdo Sound
12:35 - Wednesday 15th November, 1933

The SS Gabrielle forwards a news message to the expedition - earlier today Acacia Lexington successfully flew from the Lexington Expedition Base Camp to the South Pole, becoming the first woman to stand at the bottom of the world.

For once Starkweather takes the bad news well, concentrating on helping to prep his own expedition’s first flight, rather than raging about the achievements of his bitter rival.

“Never mind lads, the Lake Camp’s the important one! That and the mountains, the tallest in the world they say!”

[Dave Syrinx]

SME Expedition Temporary Sea Camp - McMurdo Sound

John listens to the news wire and watches the morale being kept high in camp. "I´ll take a small trip around the shelves here to see if I find something interesting." Keeping just around the temp camp John tries to better his familiarity with the cold climate wearing an extra pair of socks and gloves. "I´ll be bat inside two hours!"

[Henrik]

Olof is not so sorry that the Lexington woman came first to the pole, even if it had been fun if Kitt had got that honour. All this competion is just bad according to him. What if the three expeditions would have co-operated instead? Nothing good can come out of this hunt for personal fame and national glory. Didn't the horrors of the Great War teach people anything?

Thoughts like this occupies the engineer's mind as he makes himself ready for his first flight trip ever.

[Steerpike]

"Well that plane ain't going to get ready by itself"
McRaven shakes hands with the other pilots, then heads over to the fairchild to give it the once over and start pre-flight checks.

[Raiko]

SME Temporary Sea Camp - McMurdo Sound
14:00 - Wednesday 15th November, 1933
Characters present: John, Starkweather, Moore, most of the other NPCs

With it’s two pilots and three passengers on board the RF Scott rumbles down the makeshift runway and takes gracefully to the air at precisely 14:00. Everybody stops work to watch and applaud the beginning of the first flight, and fortunately everything goes without a hitch for once.

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

Inside the Scott - Above McMurdo Sound
14:01 - Wednesday 15th November, 1933
Characters present: McRaven, Kitt, Jack, Olof and Prof. Bryce.

Professor Bryce is very excited as the small aeroplane climbs smoothly into the sky, he turns away from the window for a second to clap Olof on the back, “Isn’t this wonderful Olof - to see the continent from the air? I have never flown before, it is both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time!”

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

SME Base Camp Site - Ross Ice Shelf
14:02 - Wednesday 15th November, 1933
Characters present: Callum, Isugtag, Graves, James, Pulaski, G Sorensen, O Sørensen, Frodesen.

Professor Moore’s voice is a little crackly and distorted, but still clear enough over the trail radio:
<<They’ve taken off now, over... Should be joining you, after a short test flight, over.>>

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

OOC: I shall post again today, with the arrival of the Scott at the Base Camp site. I thought that I should give you all chance to post first though!
BTW: Steerpike, if you read this please make a skill roll to land. This won’t be necessary for every flight, but until the tractors get up to the site of the Base Camp, the ‘runway’ is just a nice patch of ice.

[Steerpike]

The take off had gone off without a hitch and they were soon in the air. McRaven smiled broadly, he felt liberated after days cooped up on the boat. It was almost as if he was on his first solo flight again, with a tremendous sensation of power and freedom running through him. They flew above the area of the 1st camp, crossing over the short distance to the new base camp; short that is, by plane at least, as the magnificent scene of pure natural beauty unfolded before them.

The fairchild was soon passing over the camp, its rotary engine grumbling as McRaven did a slow circle around it.

"Nows the time to get some good snaps Jack"

He then guides the aircraft into its final approach and shouts out to the passengers.

"This is going to a get tad bumpy, folks but don't worry I've been through worse"

He then concentrates on the landing ahead, watching the dials and speed, waiting for the first jolt of impact and throttling back. Clouds of snow and ice are thrown up as the fairchild skis down the "airstrip". The plane rattles and shakes as it hits every contour and lump of ice, but the plane can take it and McRaven waits for the speed to trail off enough to allow him to turn round facing back the way they had come. They had arrived.

[Dave Syrinx]

After having witnessed the successful take off and feeling finished with the day´s preparations John retreats and reads up on the previous expedition of the Miscatonic U.

[Raiko]

SME Expedition Base Camp site - Ross Ice Shelf

McRaven lands the Scott lands successfully and eventually the small aeroplane rolls to a halt close to where Callum and the rest of the Trail Team stand waiting.

[Decrepit]

"Top-notch flying, sir!" Jack exudes, only half-jestingly. He'd hoped that his photographs would come out looking as dramatic as what he himself saw from such a height. These sorts of pictures, if done right, could really make a man's career--or re-make a somewhat disreputable one.

[OrionUK]

"Congratulations, that's a relief to have that one over & done with, here's to many more sucessful flights"

James has been fortunate enough to have been on a flight or too over the years but is still very excited by this achievement.

[Henrik]

"It was indeed both terrifying and beautiful". Olof wonders how Stockholm would look from the air. Perhaps there would be money in photographs taken from the air? Perhaps as postcards?

[Raiko]

Within a day the Fairchild’s first successful flight, both Boeings are also operational and the move to the expedition’s base camp begins in earnest. The heaviest equipment needs to be hauled up Callum’s route onto the ice-shelf by the expedition’s caterpillar tractors, but most lighter items can be accommodated on-board the big Boeings.

Most of the cargo that was deposited on the shore by the Gabrielle has now been shifted up to the temporary sea camp at least, only about half of the fuel drums remain on the shore now, and a small team are still working around the clock to move them up to the airstrip. Everything else is either stockpiled at the temporary camp, or is joining the gear at the base camp site, where Nils Sorensen and his younger brother direct the efforts to assemble the base’s wooden huts at the side of the makeshift airstrip.

[Henrik]

Olof helps whereever he is needed, although he is careful to never be far away from the Peabody device. He has thus far not seen it in action and he would not see it broken when it has come this far.