Late One Night... (adventure starts here)

[SpinwardMarch]

Captian Mirakru

Of course we use a good magnetic compass, but a crew member also stands watch in the forward hatch for more direct observation. The H-6 has thick glass ports there, and a searchlight on the bow.

As for pirates, I have heard rumors of a few, but not in the polar regions. Dangerous wildlife? None on Vanejen. If needed, the H-6 can be defended with machine guns and deck guns, but I do not anticipate any trouble.

Wetsuits? We have underwater suits, but they are large and cumbersome, with big glass helmets that need an air line. *

As to travel restrictions, none that I know of. The ruling families that make up the planetary government have better things to do with their time, so they generally leave the commercial ships alone.

* No wetsuits at TL5 (1930), or scuba gear. There might be a few wetsuits at the Research Station, but the citizens do not have access to them. A century ago, Vanejen was at TL2!

[spanningtree]

Ringar

Okay, let's be on our way then... you have enough provisions on board, right?

[SpinwardMarch]

Captain Mirakru

The payments for the needed provisions were made some time ago. We will store them in the cargo space. I guess all of you should get ready to leave. We "sail" out tomorrow morning. Finish up any business or personal dealings; we will be gone for awhile.

Anything the group wants to do before they leave? Make plans for taking Chiree? Go to a bar, have dinner, or?

[Jernau35]

Jrec

"What are we going to do about getting our little friend on board? I sort of thought he'd do his usual magic trick, but what if that doesn't work?"

"Do you think he'd stand to be carried on in a kit-bag or something?"

"There's not going to be a lot of privacy. We might have to take turns watching over wherever he's hiding to make sure nobody finds him."

Jrec's tone becomes a little darker. "And we'll need a plan for what to do if somebody does find him. They're not likely to be happy about it, that's for sure..."

[ybn1197]

Madox

Madox scratches his head. "How many others besides us of course will be on this crate?"

[SpinwardMarch]

The subs usually run with a crew of eight. Four run the engine room, and four are the operations crew. Hiding Chiree might get interesting. Consider how the rest of the planet thinks about the Chirpers.

Idea: The group may want to take him aboard in a "travel crate" which, conveniently, is not locked. That way Chiree can disappear out into the passenger area.

The power is going back on in northern California, after being out almost two days. Sigh.

[spanningtree]

Yes, the crate should work well. Do we need to pay the other crew?

[SpinwardMarch]

The group is getting the trip as the prize for Jrec winning the card game.

The Captain informs you that the sub should leave in two days. It is time to pack up your gear for the trip.

[Jernau35]

Jrec

"We'll need another crate for the guns too. Even if it's legal to walk around with shotguns and stuff, we can't have people seeing an armed posse getting on board. Too much gossip".

"Same goes for the sub. We don't need somebody reporting ahead on the radio."

Jrec grins. "We can buy some white coats and slap a couple of 'FRAGILE!' labels on the crates. Tell everybody we're scientists on an expedition". He turns his face so the others can get a good look at his scar. "I'll tell everybody I got this in a fight about research grants".

[ybn1197]

Jrec

"We'll need another crate for the guns too. Even if it's legal to walk around with shotguns and stuff, we can't have people seeing an armed posse getting on board. Too much gossip".

"Same goes for the sub. We don't need somebody reporting ahead on the radio."

Jrec grins. "We can buy some white coats and slap a couple of 'FRAGILE!' labels on the crates. Tell everybody we're scientists on an expedition". He turns his face so the others can get a good look at his scar. "I'll tell everybody I got this in a fight about research grants".

Madox nods his head. "I like that idea. And should someone get a whiff of Chiree, we can always pass him off as some part of the research and move them away from the crate before they have a chance to contaminate the samples."

[SpinwardMarch]

Excellent ideas, Jrrc and Madox. Any other last minute preparations from other players?

Sorry for not posting earlier... PG&E has shut down the power...again. Sigh.

[spanningtree]

Ringar will do his best to familiarize himself with the subs working components and controls.

[SpinwardMarch]

Good, Ringar. You may need to help the crew at sometime. You just never know.

Back after the second round of power outages. Sigh.

[Jernau35]

Glad to hear you are okay. I didn't realize how bad it was out there until I sat down with the paper the other day . The paper didn't do a very good job of explaining why all the power cuts are necessary though. Seemed to be "Well, they are just happening in case something happens... "

[SpinwardMarch]

Moving this along... getting caught up after the power outages.

Yeah, it sucked being without power for 4 days. I was prepared as I could be; I have propane hot water, and stove top, and lots of batteries for lights. The food in the fridge and freezer survived.

The group has gathered up all their equipment and picked up a crate for Chiree. He is not thrilled about staying in the crate, but when one of you explain that it will keep him alive, he reluctantly agrees.
You bet that Chiree will be able to get out to wander around when necessary.

The day arrives for loading the sub and leaving. No one questions the crates of your equipment. Chiree and his crate do attract some attention from the crew.

Crewman 1- What the hell!? One of those damned Chirpers. Why are you dragging one of those in here?

What do you do?

[Jernau35]

Jrec

"Our research indicates that these creatures have some kind of innate direction sense. Always able to find their way home, things like that. We've got a theory that it works off magnetic fields. So we're doing a field test. Seeing how the southern polar magnetic field affects it".

Jrec does his best to fabricate a believable cover story, hoping someone with more convincing jargon will jump in to aid him.

[ybn1197]

Madox nods at Jrec's explanation of Chiree to the crewman. Back-alleys and brawls were Madox's forte, not scientific explanations.

[spanningtree]

Ringar

Yep, finally found a use for those good for nothin's... smell like the devil.... they are able to parallax two differing magnetic sources at the same time, resulting in a three dimensional reference vector used for navigation. Ruthgar says with a shrug.

OCC: Ringar has a decent navigation score and knows how to talk shop about getting from x to y.

[SpinwardMarch]

Good BS there, Ringer.

The group gets everything packed into the cargo hold, including Chiree in his "crate." Then you begin on the voyage to the southern islands. During the first several days of the trip, the submersible will be cruising at or near the surface. You will get a chances to look out through the thick windows in the forward hatch and see some of the scenery at a distance. The sub runs near the outline of the coast for a while, so it can refuel.

It will take 10 days to reach the next fuel depot, located on the prominent southern point of the main continent. Barring unforeseen circumstances, it will take 20 days to reach the southern island.

The first 5 days are uneventful. What do you do during the next 5 days (besides annoying the crew)?

[spanningtree]

Ringar will continue to educate on the ships operations and get in on a card game here and there.