Chromane

Beyond the Storms

Sorry for the late reply - let me known if there's anything to change

Beyond the Storms

The plane roared past, fast and low, propellers chewing the air as it buzzed the crowd of people gathered on the foredeck of the Garrloch. Armas looked up, his oilskin whipping wildly in the wind, grinning as the pilot gave the plane a jaunty shimmy as they brought it around to the landing pad. He'd known the Garrloch was going to be carrying some kind of aircraft - that much was obvious from the scuttlebutt and the design of the aft-deck - but he thought it was a helicopter, not anything like that!

He was just moving closer to get a better look when he heard a shouted "Oi!" from behind him. Turning, he saw Captain Conway coming up the gangplank. Apparently the last of the passengers and crew had finally arrived. Armas had talked to the Captain a couple of times since he'd first arrived at sea level; when he'd first arrived, and before and after a couple of his inspection dives for the man's new ship. Conway launched into a typically blunt speech about the dangers of their upcoming voyage. As the Captain started barking orders, it was apparent he didn't intend to waste any more time. Looks like they were finally ready to get going.

Armas followed Aric towards the aft deck of the ship at a slow jog. Horns and bells sounded, and the deck started vibrating, as deep below the giant engine that was the heart of the ship ticked over and started rumbling with a deep purr. All along the ship dock-hands were untying the mooring lines and throwing them aboard. As he got to the aft-deck the pilot and Aric were folding the planes wings back along the fuselage, and he gave a low appreciative whistle before helping them push the craft into the tiny aircraft hangar. The pilot thanked them and left the hangar, going deeper into the ship. Armas grabbed a couple of bundles of rope from a locker and threw one to Aric, taking the other and starting to tie the plane down with quick, practiced motions. It didn't take the two of them long to secure the plane, but by the time he exited onto the aft deck it was already raining as they approached The Ring.

Moving towards the fore of the ship, he could see flashes of lightning in the storm clouds ahead, and the sea around them was getting rougher by the second. "Looks like we're in for a spot of weather!" he said to a nearby crewman, who chuckled grimly. "Let's get below! Armas called, raising his voice slightly over the sounds of the wind and rain, "This is gonna get worse before it gets better". The crewman, Bronson, by his name patch, nodded in agreement and the two men headed for a hatch below decks. It was a relief to get out of the rain as they secured the hatch behind them.

Suddenly there was a mighty crash, and the world tilted to one side as the boat lurched suddenly. Armas fell heavily against the side of passageway, gripping onto the hatch for support. Bronson wasn't so lucky. Caught off-guard he went stumbling, arms windmilling as he tried to regain control. With a sudden cry cut short he tripped over a raised lip and went tumbling down a short ladder, landing with a heavy thump and an audible crack.

Armas cursed violently, moving towards the top of the stairs. Bronson was still moving, stirring at the bottoms of the ladder, clutching his arm in pain. "Don't move! Coming down!" Armas barked, carefully gripping the ladder as he descended, wary of any repeat waves. The fall hadn't been very far, but the other man had landed awkwardly, taking his weight on one arm. Armas carefully rolled him onto one side, checking for any other injuries.

"All in all, I'd say you got lucky" he said, somewhat grimly "Just the arm, by the looks - come on, lets get you to sickbay". Bronson nodded, extending his good arm as Armas helped him to his feet. Putting his arm around the injured crewmen to help him they started making their way through the rocking ship. Armas already knew the location of the sickbay from a previous visit - a nasty scald from a hot engine, so it didn't take too long to get through the maze of the ship's corridors. Helping Bronson through the sickbay hatch he looked around for anyone medical-looking "Gotcha first patient!"

Beyond the Storms

Hey, still here, am working on a post. I'll try get it up by tonight

Beyond the Storms

Yeah, things have been a bit hectic with uni and work. Gonna start working on a post

Alpha/Beta Experiment

This looks good, might be interested!

Beyond the Storms

How do we think the various characters are going to get on? Anyone got ay ideas for who's going to get along and who's not?

Beyond the Storms

Posted! Lemme know what you think.
Sorry for the delay, been a bit busy with uni work and bits and pieces.

Beyond the Storms

The UIS Garrloch sat in her berth at the DOC-Z as the sun began to rise on the day of her voyage, copper rays lancing underneath the eternal stormclouds of the Ring to paint the cold sharp lines of the vessel with a golden hue. The vast majority of the preparations were already complete, and she was just awaiting the last of her crew and passengers before beginning her journey into the great unknown. Even bobbing sedately in the morning swell, there seemed to be an aura of movement about her, tugging at her mooring lines as though she was impatient to be off.

"Or maybe I'm just projecting" Armas muttered wryly to himself. He wrapped his hands around the hot mug of tea and took a sip to ward off the morning cold. He'd had a restless night's sleep due to the excitement, but he hadn't wanted to miss the sunrise on the day of the maiden voyage. Wrapped warmly in his oilskin he'd filled his mug with tea on his way through the mess and was now leaning against the railing near the aft deck, watching the sun make it's way over the horizon. It had been well over a year since he'd joined the UNIC and taken The Drop down to sea level and still watching the sun set and rise hadn't gotten old. Usually the first and last rays of the sun were hidden behind the eternal clouds of the Geralt Storms that surrounded the Isles, but at sea level you could see clear all the way to the horizon.

He'd moved aboard a few days ago in the midst of the final preparations, shifting his battered trunk from the worker's accommodation and stowing it beneath his bunk in the spartan cabin. The Garrloch had a relatively small crew for her size, and it had been pretty hectic making sure everything was squared away and shipshape in time for the big day. He'd performed a final inspection dive just the other day, walking the full length of the mighty hull to check for any weak points or damage. The Garrloch and her sister ships were in a class all of their own, nothing like the dumpy river barges or pleasure yachts he was used to working on. Armas finished the last dregs of his tea and patted the railing fondly, "Soon" he promised. He turned around and walked back inside the ship, heading towards the mess. There was still quite a bit to do today and he'd be better off with a hot breakfast before he got started.

---

The sun was higher by the time Armas had finished his last few checks aboard the ship, and he walked down the gangplank to the dock. The last crates of supplies and parts were being delivered, and he helped the dockhands get them aboard and stowed with some good natured griping. He’d known some of them since he’d arrived at sea level, and he said a cheery goodbye to them as he went to reboard the ship. One of the passengers had apparently arrived early and was dozing at the end of the pier after taking a swim, and Armas chuckled. He couldn’t really blame her for the swim, but there were better places for a nap than a crowded jetty. He went to reboard the ship, stepping aside as the Captain came down the gangplank, face set in a hard line. Armas nodded respecftfully as he passed and continued back onboard the ship.

A little later he was was with the rest of the crew and passengers, minus a few stragglers as they gathered on the foredeck. He assumed the Captain wanted to make some kind of announcement regarding the voyage. It was good to just relax after the hectic activity of the last week. The lady who'd been napping had taken pride of place at the very of fore of the ship and was holding court, laughing and toasting with a highball glass she'd gotten somewhere. Armas was pretty sure there weren't any on the ship - glass drinking vessels were just too much hassle - she had to have brought it with her.

Armas shook his head. Taking short nap was one thing, but she was acting like this was some kind of pleasure cruise. A distant scream made him look up and he smiled at sight of The Drop plummeting before coming to a somewhat controlled stop at the bottom of The Lift. He still remembered taking it the first time he arrived - and a couple of times after that - it was a hell of way to reach the ground, expecially if you weren't expecting it. A few minutes later a brown haired man with a fuzzy beard came up onto the foredeck, gasping for breath. He introduced himself somewhat awkwardly as a reporter. He'd certainly find some ineteresting stories out beyond the Ring. He was just thinking of introducing himself when the woman swooped down on him and started talking animatedly. He'd heard rumours of some bigshot industrialist coming on the voyage, and it certainly seemed to fit her description. What was her name again - Holloway? That was it.

Holloway led the reporter around and dragged him to a short woman with messy black hair and introduced Sarnick again. Armas was too far away to make out indivudal words, but he caught the other woman's frosty tone over the murmur of the crowd. Smiling slightly he wondered when the last few stragglers would arrive so the Captain could get them underway. He pushed himself off from the railing and started to move through the crowd, looking to see if he recognized anyone.

Beyond the Storms

I've got half my post, just finishing work on the other half

Beyond the Storms

How about we have a pot on how long it takes before something tries to kill us or we almost die? (in-game time)
Closest to the date gets the pot!