There is, one knows not what sweet mystery about this sea, whose gently awful stirrings seems to speak of some hidden soul beneath; like those fabled undulations of the Ephesian sod over the buried Evangelist St. John. And meet it is, that over these sea-pastures, wide-rolling watery prairies and Potters’ Fields of all four continents, the waves should rise and fall, and ebb and flow unceasingly; for here, millions of mixed shades and shadows, drowned dreams, somnambulisms, reveries; all that we call lives and souls, lie dreaming, dreaming, still; tossing like slumberers in their beds; the ever-rolling waves but made so by their restlessness. Herman Melville, Moby Dick.
Scene Four - Part 1:
Chaos Factor: 4
Characters: Jimi, Eddie, Mrs. Rosse,
Threads: Find out who killed the dead guy. Investigate the Salvage Company.
I start this scene out deciding that since Jimi’s attempts to find out who caused this murder have failed, perhaps another murder will occur related to the first. However, I roll on the scene modifier [1d10] and get a 2. This is an interrupt scene. I roll on the random event table. I get [Return] and [Travel] - since the only thing that I know that has been traveling is this Salvage vessel I decide that Jimi was able to sneak aboard the small craft that returned to the salvage company office and is now returning with three men back to the salvage vessel by himself with no backup... a most daring and stupid maneuver. Must be his dreams from last night really screwed him up and got him up in a strange mood.
I have absolutely no idea what I am doing on this boat. The waves keep slamming into the bottom of it and I can hear them really good from my spot underneath a fold down bed in the sleeper section. Common sense should have put me back at my office, not following some half backed lead out into the ocean. I have no idea on how I’m going to get back to shore let alone not get caught in the next few minutes.
However, the minutes drag on and I’m not caught.
Q: Is there a rival organization at odds with the salvage company. [likely, yes]
I can hear the men talking about their find and how if they bring it into the city they’ll have to fight to keep it long enough to sell it. This sets my mind racing. What exactly is it these guys have found. They have a strange sound in their throats when they talk about it.
I don’t have much more time to think about it because soon the boat thumps gently up against another vessel. The men begin moving equipment around like mad from above and I fear they plan to come down into the cabin to gather further equipment.
Q: Do they come down into the sleeper cabin for more equipment? [50:50, yes]
Q: Do they search under the bed? [50:50, no - by one point!!!]
My fears are realized when one of the men comes down into the cabin looking for something. I hear him banging drawers back and forth in the cabin filtering through the contents of the hold until finally calls from above draw him upward. As they were calling he had dropped down on one hand to look under the bed directly at me, but then the calls from above got louder and he jumped up and went back on deck. I give it a few minutes and then slip out of my hiding spot. With my gun in hand I peek up out of the hold to find a much larger vessel looming above the tiny boat that has delivered me here. Getting a bit braver I look around for a way to get up on the larger ship without being seen. If I go up the ladder they used I’ll be spotted for sure.
Q: Is there a way for Jimi to get up on the ship some alternate way? [Unlikely, No]
Damn, it! There aren’t any other ropes or small craft hanging down. I’ll have to wait. I head back to my little hiding spot and wait a while. After about an hour I hear some gunfire from aboard the larger craft. That is enough to get me moving. I head up to the rope ladder and climb the ladder with a gun in hand, moving with two legs and one arm. Peering over the edge of the boat at the top I see no one on the main deck. Directly in front of me is another ladder that probably leads upward to the main engine control perch. To the left of me is a small walkway leading to a door that likely leads to the ships hold.
Random: [rolled a d3 to choose, 1= main deck, 2= engine room, 3= hold, I rolled a 2.]
Heading up the stairs directly in front of me I creep forward in a half crouch and then push open the door with my hand and then peek in quickly. It is empty. Stepping into the room I look out onto the ship and beyond. The ship is completely empty of movement on the front and rear decks. The rear deck is clustered with shipping containers so there could be somebody hiding beyond any of those. The ship is pretty long, couple hundred feet at least. I see a craft departing from the vessel from the other side of the boat. It makes a wide arc and then begins to pull toward shore.
Q: Did something horrible happen to make these men flee. [Likely, Yes]
Q: Did they rig the boat to explode? [50:50, Yes]
Seeing nothing more of interest and wondering inside just what the hell is going on I decide to head down into the hold. It is pretty strange that these men just took off from the ship leaving it unmanned in the ocean with no one at the helm...
ps...That Moby Dick line made me think of things dreaming under the sea... things with tentacles... see you guys again soon with Scene 4 Part 2.
No comments:
Post a Comment