G-Data Redacted - Bonus Session 4

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 [17:41] <~Headlong> The Dullahans are gathered outside the Harbor Master's shack. Last time, some interesting revelations were made about espionage, ships, and wooden chests were made, but it seems that it's all just provided more questions than answers.
[17:43] * Redshift ponders. Think think think! What could it be? What was left to do?
[17:44] * Scribbles keeps herself from pacing up and down the shack as the thoughts and senarios swim around her mind,
[17:47] * Giddy gets ready to do some boating.
[17:49] <~Headlong> The crew of the Tide Hauler share drinks nearby, having a general good time. Seems they enjoyed not having to do the investigating for once. The door to the Harbor Master's shack opens to reveal, unsurprisingly, the Harbor Master. He looks at the crowd gathered, pauses for a moment, and waves to them. "Hey, are you all together?"
[17:50] * Scribbles breaks her train of thought to look up at the Harbor Master, then to the rest of the group before nodding. "We are."
[17:51] <~Headlong> He waves them all inside hurriedly. "Then you might want to hear this. Come in."
[17:52] * Redshift frowns as he rushes towards the Harbor Master. "What is it? What is it?"
[17:53] * Kopesh heads in.
[17:53] * Scribbles follows inside, waving the rest to to the same.
 [17:56] <~Headlong> The Harbor Master, whom anyone that looks at his nameplate could tell is named Breakwater, brings them all to his desk. "Right here. Harbor Deputy Starbuck reported seeing a ship about three minutes ago. Never docked in port, never made radio contact with us."
[17:57] * Wishing_Well chuckles after walking in and hearing the announcement. "What kind of ship?"
[17:57] <Pocketwatch> Red blinks, frowning as he questions the Harbor Master. "Where?"
[17:57] * Scribbles breaks out her notepad and pen, this definately sounds important.
 [17:58] * Pocketwatch is now known as Redshift
[18:01] <~Headlong> A printer slowly prints out the remained of the report. Breakwater reads it as it prints. "Hundred and seven-footer... Two masts... Brigantine style. Sails were up, and it was heading out of port. He couldn't get a name, though."
[18:02] <Redshift> Red frowns at Breakwater. "Where is it now?"
[18:02] * Scribbles jots those details down, even making a crude sketch based both on the details and what she saw.
[18:05] * Wishing_Well looks at the report, tilting his head and not saying anything.
[18:06] <~Headlong> "Heading North at about... 20 knots. It's practically off the coast of Labrador by now." Breakwater posits, consulting his sea chart.
[18:07] * Scribbles continues to jot.
[18:07] * Giddy slams a hoof down. "We need a fast boat."
[18:09] <~Headlong> Breakwater nods. "Those are 'The Bigger Boat' out there, right? They'll hook you up. You guys have a Mission Phone?"
[18:09] * Scribbles looks up from her notes and over at Kopesh.
[18:09] * Redshift nods to Breakwater. "Yeah, we do."
[18:12] <~Headlong> Breakwater jots down his number. "Here, call me if you need anything... Especially pertaining to international maritime laws. We don't want to be starting any wars now..." He says with obvious uncertainty.
[18:13] * Scribbles smiles and nods, taking the number and tucking it in her notepad. "Will do. Anything else, Mister Breakwater?
 [18:15] <~Headlong> He shakes his head. "No, no. Just get going. You'll need to be pretty quick to catch it."
[18:15] * Redshift doesn't wait for an answer. He makes a dash for the Bigger Boat and looks for someone to talk to!
[18:16] * Scribbles looks out the door Redshift just dashed out of. "Right then.. Thanks, Mister Breakwater." She said before turning to follow.
[18:16] <~Headlong> All four crew members of the Bigger Boat are on the bow, enjoying lunch still.
[18:16] * Kopesh nods to him. "Thank you." And, follows out.
[18:18] * Redshift screeches to a halt, practically yelling at the crew. "We have a boat to chase! We need to get going!"
[18:20] * Giddy starts to get to "The Bigger Boat." "Guys! Guys! I need a boat! I need a fast boat!"
[18:21] * Redshift chimes in with Giddy. "The fastest one you've got! Let's go, let's go, let's go!"
[18:24] <~Headlong> Anchor Steam is the first up, clambering up to the wheelhouse. "Then chase it... we will." She says before closing the door. Keelhaul and Anchovy scramble to the back of the ship to undo the moorings. "All right, we've got an open ocean cruiser you can borrow, it's right up the coast. Climb aboard!" Keelhaul says, tossing off a rope.
[18:25] <Redshift> Red is aboard in a flash, flailing his hooves at the others. "Come on, hurry up! Somepony tell this guy where we're going!"
[18:26] * Scribbles makes use of her wings to climb aboard in a hurry
[18:26] * Kopesh does the same.
[18:26] * Wishing_Well stares out into the horizon before trotting out to follow the excited ponies.
[18:27] * Giddy starts running and leaps into the pilot's seat. "Get me some directions!"
[18:28] * Redshift bellows. "Come /on/!"
[18:28] <~Headlong> Anchor Steam is already in the pilot seat. They're on the Tide Hauler, still. "Whoa there... We're headed up the coast to your boat. Just relax..."
[18:28] <~Headlong> The engines roar to life and as soon as the last mooring is cast off, the ship rumbles out of the harbor, building speed.
[18:30] * Redshift grits his teeth, still impatient. "Come on, come on..."
[18:34] <~Headlong> The Tide Hauler is a fast enough boat, and soon, the unmarked Coast Guard cutter comes into view. "There!" Keelhaul points. The engines cut and they drift along side it. "All right, everypony get in! You've got about eight hours at full throttle in those tanks, and the life-vests are in the wheelhouse. She's a little senstitive to steer, so be careful!"
[18:36] * Redshift all but leaps for the cutter, donning a jacket at once before peering over the edge. He's no sailor and he knows the others will have to help. But he'll be damned if he doesn't catch that ship!"
[18:36] * Scribbles flaps onto the cutter, finding a ligh-vest for herself.
[18:37] * Kopesh once again, does the same.
[18:39] * Wishing_Well hops in and gets a vest on, safety first and such. Hadn't been on a boat like this since his uncle took him on that one island camping trip.
 [18:41] * Giddy puts on a live vest, gives Keelhaul a shit eating grin, and says to him. "Don't worry. I'll have her back way before then." And then he gets his throttlin' leg ready for the goin'.
[18:46] <~Headlong> Giddy finds himself at the helm of a dizzying array of controls, gauges, knobs, levers, and instruments. The rest of the group finds seating in the wheelhouse, between small, empty lockers, where the older crew no doubt kept things like weapons.
 [18:53] * Giddy lifts his cap a little. Whoof. Alright, most of these gauges won't matter for a short-term ride. So, odds are this is the throttle, this controls the fin, and this here knob is the ignition. He tries it.
[19:00] <~Headlong> Giddy's hunches are correct. Overcoming the unfamiliarity of the control scheme, he manages to turn the craft on without much trouble. It putters forward, slowly.
[19:01] * Giddy exhales, then slowly starts building to full throttle. "Okay. I have a plan. Kopesh, how good are you with guns?"
[19:12] * Scribbles perks up at the mention of firearms.
[19:14] <Kopesh> "Never shot one before."
[19:30] * Giddy bows his head when he realizes the direness of the situation. "Does /anyone/ on the boat know how to use a gun?"
 [19:36] * Scribbles raises a hoof. "I do, mostly just for research. I was pretty bad last time I was at a range, and I haven't had much practice since.."
[19:37] <Scribbles> "Or rather.. Any practice.
[19:37] <~Headlong> Giddy has let the boat coast for long enough to finally open it up.
[19:39] * Giddy pulls on full throttle and starts to pay attention. "Okay, okay. So. What's our plan to make this boat stop being a problem?"
[19:44] <~Headlong> As Giddy does so, he catches a smell wafting from the vague direction of the shoreline. It smells strongly of... cigarettes.
[19:45] * Giddy blinks. "Now? Now you guys start smoking?"
[19:45] * Redshift blinks right back at Giddy. "I don't smell anything."
[19:46] <Kopesh> "I don't either."
[19:46] * Scribbles looks around for the chain-smoker.
 [19:47] * Giddy knows what he's smelling. "SOMEPONY's smoking."
[19:48] * Redshift frowns. "Still don't smell it."
[19:48] <Kopesh> "Where is the smell coming from? What direction?"
[19:49] <~Headlong> Scribbles can, perhaps, make out the faintest outline of a... It's gone. A small whisp of smoke auspiciously drifts across the stern of the ship, from the shoreline.
[19:50] * Scribbles blinks, shifting her glasses and making them do that thing in the animes where they glint. "Something tells me we've got a stowaway of sorts."
[19:53] <~Headlong> Smoke aside, they're up to full speed in no time. While the seas are relatively placid today, they can't see their target just yet.
[19:56] * Wishing_Well glances at Scribbles and tilts his head. "What makes you say that?"
[19:58] * Redshift frowns. What's going on...?
[19:58] * Scribbles points out towards the stern. "I saw smoke. I think it saw that I noticed it, and hid." She looks back at Wishing_Well. "It's just a guess, but still.."
 [20:02] * Wishing_Well nods slowly. "Well, we might want to check, no?"
[20:03] * Scribbles nods. "Best nip it in the bud now, while we can."
[20:04] * Kopesh gets up. "I'll check."
[20:05] <~Headlong>  The cutter isn't all that large. Kopesh arrives at the stern soon enough. They are, however, moving at top speed. Kopesh has to be careful.
[20:06] * Redshift just frowns, watching. He just wanted to get to that ship is all. The sooner the better.
[20:06] * Scribbles follows Kopesh, six eyes would be better than one.
[20:09] * Kopesh has his straight razor out for what little it's worth just in case. He goes slow and crouches slightly to keep his center of balance lower and holds onto stuff where he can.
[20:10] <~Headlong> A railing runs all the way around the boat. None of them need worry about why or how a pony would use a railing. At the strern, there's only a canvas covering a dingy, a few ice chests, and a storage crate.
 [20:12] * Kopesh looks around, finding nothing of note. "I don't see anyone."
[20:13] * Scribbles looks over at the dingy before searching for some kind of long-distance prodding tool.
[20:14] * Giddy sighs. "Alright, Alright. This is a shitty idea." He telekinetically reached into his coat and gave Scribbles his flare launcher. "Use this to get into the fuel area and light the fuel. I'll be here to be your escape route."
[20:15] <~Headlong> Scribbles finds a simple fishing rod tucked under the inner wall of the cutter. Anyone looking out the bow of the ship can begin to see a shape in the distance.
[20:15] * Redshift looks over at Giddy with a frown. "Whaddya think you're doing?" His attention is diverted by the shape in the distance, though, and he tries to take a closer look.
[20:16] * Scribbles takes the fishing rod and gives the canvas covered dingy a few cautious prods.
[20:16] * Giddy briefly looks behind and then focuses on the front. "Redshift, do you have any other plans? Because I'd be real happy to hear them."
[20:17] * Redshift turns back to Giddy. "That's the thing. I don't even know what you're planning. That's why I was asking."
[20:17] * Giddy sighs. "If you introduce fire to fuel, what happens to the fuel, Redshift?"
[20:18] <~Headlong> The dingy does not respond to Scribbles' prods. As Giddy does this, he can see the rapidly growing shape, too.
[20:20] * Redshift blinks at Giddy. He hadn't heard that part from where he was standing. "Whoa whoa whoa. Are you saying you're gonna set the fuel tank on fire? What kind of idea is that?"
[20:21] * Giddy rolls his eyes. "Well, it's the only one I have! So get thinking!"
[20:23] * Scribbles ponders the advantages to keeping a fishing pole on hoof before putting it back where she found it, continuing the search with Kopesh.
[20:24] * Redshift glares at giddy, colt though he may be. "Fine! I'll start thinking! Just don't blow us all to smithereens before I'm through. Sheesh." he frowns, pondering to himself, though his attention is still riveted on that thing in the distance. Couldn't this boat go any faster?
[20:25] * Wishing_Well looks around. "So... Why do we need to set the fuel on fire exactly?" he asks, still managing to aim a (rather strained) smile at Giddy.
[20:25] <~Headlong> Anyone who looks at the shape in the distance can almost certainly identify it as the ship described in Barnacle's report. Notably, however, it's sails are down.
[20:25] * Giddy looks up at the broadening shape. "Well, our job is to make this boat quit it's evil shenanigans, right? Setting the boat on fire'll do that."
[20:29] * Redshift waves a hoof to Giddy to pipe down. "Shut up! I'm thinking." He looks at the ship...could he do it? Probably. Hold on...he looks around the cutter. He needed to get higher for this to work.
[20:31] <~Headlong> There's a ladder leading up to the roof of the wheelhouse, but that'd be dangerous, given the speed at which they're travelling.
[20:31] * Redshift reckons he'll take his chances. He leaps for the ladder and shimmies on up.
[20:34] <~Headlong> As Redshift leaps up, he immediately finds the wind fierce and overpowering. He loses his grip on the bottom rung and is thrown from the ladder, tumbling towards the back of the ship, and Kopesh.
[20:34] * Redshift cries out in surprise as he goes sailing! Waaargh!
[20:36] <~Headlong> Kopesh absorbs the brunt of Redshift as the colt is thrust into his unsuspecting body. They both crumple into the corner, but manage to stay on the boat, more than just bruised.
[20:37] * Scribbles looks over at the sound of a crash before rushing to the pony pile to make sure nopony is seriously hurt.
[20:37] * Wishing_Well blinks in bewilderment at the display, and edges over to ask the obvious question. "Are you both okay?"
[20:39] * Redshift groans, gritting his teeth as he rubs where it smarts. Anything broken?
[20:40] * Kopesh oofs. "What he hell- You alright?"
[20:40] <~Headlong> Both Redshift and Kopesh find themselves hurt in several places. That's gonna start aching soon.
[20:41] * Scribbles helps both stallions back to proper standing position. "What under Celestia's sun was that for?"
[20:41] * Redshift grits his teeth, getting to his hooves. "Urrk..." He shakes his mane. "Didn't...hurt...ow." He winces, scowling at the ladder.
[20:44] * Scribbles looks at the ladder Redshift is giving the stink eye too. "Maybe high places on a boat at full speed is a bad idea from now on." She suggested.
[20:46] * Redshift shakes his head. "Yup. Bad idea. Definitely." He nods his head...even as he trots back to the ladder. He eyes the shape in the distance, wondering if that ship has gotten any closer. Maybe he wouldn't have to take such a big risk this time if it was closer.
[20:46] * Kopesh helps the kid up, his vest and hard shell having taken the impact. "What were you trying to do?"
[20:48] * Redshift makes for the ladder again, looking briefly back to Kopesh. "I need to get higher up," is his simple reply.
[20:49] <~Headlong> They can see the ship quite clearly now. The closer they get, the more obvious it is that the ship is much taller than the cutter. On the side, near the stern, they can make out the words "Merry Celestia."
[20:50] * Kopesh looks at him. "Yeah, no shit. Why?"
[20:50] * Scribbles looks up at the ship, then down to Redshift, awaiting his explaination.
[20:52] * Redshift looks towards the ship, then at the cutter, then...dammit. Nope. It wasn't going to work...wait wait wait! 'Merry Celestia'? What was it that the message in the radio had said? "Pull Celestia out of harbor..." he whispers to himself. Yup. That was almost certainly it. Without answering Kopesh, he suddenly turns, hobbling on an achey leg as he looks towards the ship and tries to find a good way to board.
[20:53] * Scribbles blinks and gets in front of Redshift, a simple task no doubt. "Hold on there. Let's put two and two together here."
[20:54] * Scribbles points up to the ship, mainly it's name. "If you're right about this whole deal, and that's the Celestia we're both thinking of, then you'd be climbing aboard a hornest's nest."
[20:55] <~Headlong> Now might be a good time for Giddy to cut the engines. They're within 100 yards of the ship now.
[20:56] * Giddy cuts some of the engine power and starts looking for some way up. "Alright, here we are." He whispers.
[20:57] * Redshift winces. Ow, that hurt. "Yeah, I know that." He looks to Scribbles. "But I don't see you having any better ideas. Now, do me a giant favor, willya?" He looks to Scribbles. "You've got wings. Lift me up a bit into the air so we can see the deck. There's something I need to see."
[20:58] * Wishing_Well just stares up at the Merry Celestia. "Well... It's a very pretty ship." he says, raising an eyebrow. "Rather old looking, though."
[20:59] * Scribbles looks up at the ship. "A bright yellow pegasus might be easy to spot flying this far out to see in this weather..." She thinks aloud, looking for something that might keep her concealed whist in flight.
[21:00] * Redshift growls. This was trying his limited patience. He pushes past Scribbles and heads back to the ladder. Now that the ship was slowing down, he should be able to get to it easy. He gets as high up as he can possibly manage.
[21:02] * Scribbles sighs and flaps after Redshift, trying to keep the wheelhouse between her and the ship as much as possible.
[21:03] <~Headlong> Giddy expertly maneuvers the boat up alongside the Merry Celestia. Wishing_Well's observations are indeed correct. It's very plainly an old ship, but there's almost no signs of water damage, chipped paint, or any signs that it's seen any time at sea at all.
[21:04] <~Headlong> Redshift, from his elevated position, clearly sees an empty deck.
[21:05] * Redshift smirks to himself. Score. He calls to the others. "Don't you all wait for me now!" And with that, he casts a teleportation spell.
[21:05] * Scribbles looks over at Redshift, "What do you mean by that?"
[21:07] <~Headlong> Redshift is gone in a flash, and reappears on the deck in front of him. He sees the same empty deck, but can tell that almost nothing was disturbed on it.
[21:07] <~Headlong> Everything is perfect. Pristine, even. Absolutely untouched.
[21:08] * Redshift hms, looking about. He keeps a sharp eye, looking around the deck for anything that seems out of place.
[21:09] <~Headlong> That's precisely the thing, Redshift finds, everything is in place. So in place, that it's not natural. One could say that it's /anomalous/.
[21:10] * Redshift hms. He heads to the side of the ship, over to the cutter. "Hallo!" he calls down to the ponies below.
[21:11] * Wishing_Well keeps staring up at the ship. He idly wonders if he remembered anything about a ship like this when he was reading through books of urban legends and such.
[21:12] * Scribbles has her face in her hoof, sighing. "I just described it as a hornet's nest. Might as well have told him to set it on fire..."
[21:13] * Redshift chuckles at them. If those slowpokes weren't actually going to /do/ anything, their loss. He knew he had things to solve. He goes back to the deck, looking for a way to head down below.
[21:17] * Kopesh stands, debating on if he should follow. "He must be looking for the crew. What does he expect to happen when he finds them?"
[21:18] <~Headlong> Redshift finds a door to the Captain's quarters, as well as a locked hatch leading to the hold. Either way should yield access to the belowdecks. Wishing_Well can't seem to recall anything special about the Merry Celestia.
[21:20] * Redshift may be rash, but he isn't entirely devoid of sense. He quietly stands outside the Captain's quarters and puts an ear to the crack of the door, trying to listen if anything is there.
[21:21] <~Headlong> He hears nothing, but then again, the rolling sea and creaking of the gently rocking ship aren't helping him focus.
[21:22] * Wishing_Well shrugs. "Well... Should we make sure he doesn't burn he whole thing down?"
[21:22] * Redshift gingerly tries the door, grasping the knob in a telekinetic hrasp and situating himself where he can't immediately be seen if anyone happens to be inside.
[21:22] <Kopesh> "Do you want to be aboard if he does?"
[21:24] * Scribbles flapped back down with the others. "I'd rather he not set it on fire in the first place. Not until we know what it could be, or hold."
[21:24] <~Headlong> It's locked. It does, however, seem like a pretty flimsy knob.
[21:25] * Redshift tries tugging on the door harder, grasping the knob tightly and trying to forcibly wrench he doorr open.
[21:27] * Wishing_Well chuckles. "I'm sure it's no worse then being in a building that's on fire." he muses, staring up at the ship.
[21:27] * Kopesh sighs. "We should probably follow him then."
[21:27] * Scribbles nods, taking flight after Redshift.
[21:28] <~Headlong> Redshift finds that he is too tiny baby colt to force the door open.
[21:30] * Redshift may be tiny baby colt, but he's certainly no quitter. He tries to pick the lock! In lieu of tools, he has a horn. He uses that instead, both as a magical appendage and a physical tool if need be.
[21:35] * Kopesh takes off after the impulsive Redshift. He's starting to see why they gave him to them flanked by armed guards...
[21:36] * Scribbles flaps down to spot Redshift in mid-lockpick. She decides to not break the colt's concentration
[21:37] * Redshift growls, muttering darkly as he keeps trying.
[21:38] <~Headlong> Redshift hears something snap inside the lock at his first attempt, but manages to avoid cocking it up twice. The door swings open slowly.
[21:39] * Redshift smirks softly to himself. Oh yeah. Lookin' good, Red. Lookin' /real/ good. He peers inside to take a look about the captain's quarters.
[21:40] * Kopesh lands, but keeps a few feet back to not spook Redshift.
[21:43] <~Headlong> The Captain's Quarters is fairly plain. Eggshell wallpaper and brown, wooden floors are sparsely decorated. Breakfast, with a still-steaming cup of coffee, sits on the table, half-eaten. Maps of various seas lay scattered across the table in front of the  breakfast. The bed is still made.
[21:44] * Scribbles peeks into the door, looking around the Captain's Quarters for herself. "Not a soul around, yet the ship's all the way out here."
[21:46] * Redshift hms, looking around to see if there was anything of interest here. Anything that would suggest why the ship was out here?
[21:46] * Wishing_Well stares up at the ship, letting out a sigh. "Well, just us now." he says. Not having wings or a horn really made his life difficult sometimes.
[21:47] <~Headlong> Perhaps those maps would help?
[21:47] * Redshift takes a look at the maps!
[21:47] * Scribbles trots over to the maps, taking a look as well.
[21:48] * Kopesh does too.
[21:52] <~Headlong> These maps are of vastly different areas around the world. The Old Hooviet Union, the Fillippines, Caneighda... They're all over the place. None of them seem to be penned in the same hoof, either, and each seem to be written during vastly different eras of world exploration.
[21:54] * Redshift looks upon the maps and tries to consider any particular patterns or contradictions he might be able to discern.
[21:56] <~Headlong> The maps are, despite not being penned by the same person, are all marked with a hasitly written red X's, and the characters "БЕИ".
[21:57] * Scribbles looks at the location of the X's, perhaps a pattern would be in there.
[21:57] * Redshift in the meantime peers at the strange characters. Does he recognize the language or what they mean?
[22:02] * Kopesh might.
[22:04] * Redshift is checking in the meantime.
[22:13] <~Headlong> Kopesh identifies the characters as NADSAT, the language of the old Hooviet Union. Scribbles sees that these X's are all at ports. Other than that, there's no real connection between any of them.
[22:14] * Scribbles decides to jot down these locations in her notepad, just to be on the safe side, before moving on to something else in the captain's quarters.
[22:15] * Kopesh hmms. "Does anyone know about how old this ship is?"
[22:16] * Redshift shakes his head. "Not a clue." He looks to Scribbles and Kopesh. "Found anything?"
[22:16] <~Headlong> There's a small hatch in the floor, seemingly leading down to the belowdecks. Other than that, though, there's no apparent clues in the Captain's Quarters.
[22:17] * Redshift peers at the hatch. As he waits for an answer from the ponies he addressed, he looks to the hatch and tries to open it.
[22:17] * Scribbles trots over to inspect the hatch.
[22:17] <Kopesh> "They're using the old Hooviet Union's language."
[22:18] * Scribbles perks up at the mention of Russkis. "Really? That's... Interesting."
[22:18] <~Headlong> This hatch yields to their opening. It descends into the darkness of the unlit hold.
[22:20] * Scribbles looks down into the hatch and waves Redshift over to help.
[22:20] * Redshift perks up, frowning at the mention of Hooviets as he looks into the darkness of the hold. He doesn't hesitate, lighting his horn and making his way below.
[22:23] <~Headlong> Yet another ladder greets Red as he casts light down there. It seems servicable enough, though, to aid his decent.
[22:24] * Redshift . Hates. Ladders! He hates them! But he goes down anyway.
[22:25] * Scribbles peers into the darkness from the top of the ladder first.
[22:29] <~Headlong> It gets markedly colder as Redshift climbs down, until he feels a solid, wood floor beneath his hooves. It's a little damp, but that's to be suspected... Right? In the light of his horn, Red can now see what cargo the Merry Celestia was holding: barrels.
[22:30] * Redshift investigates the barrels. What's inside?
[22:34] <~Headlong> He doesn't have anything to pry them open with on hoof, but when he does decide to magic them open, he can see water. Just water.
[22:35] * Redshift peers at the water. Anything strange about that?
[22:38] <~Headlong> In the bottom, he can make out some vague shapes that look to be slabs of meat. Whether he's well versed on his medieval methods of meat-curing or not, it's obvious that they were stored in here for a voyage across the ocean.
[22:38] * Kopesh glides down to join him.
[22:38] <Kopesh> Or buzzes rather.
[22:44] * Redshift looks at the weird shapes. "So, um...I found these." He grasps one of the pieces in a telekinetic grasp to lift it out of the water.
[22:45] <~Headlong> It's a run-of-the-mill porkchop. Slightly soggy, having been soaked in brine, but otherwise, totally edible. If you go for that, anyway.
[22:45] * Kopesh keeps a little back. This place is weird, who knows what those are or why they're here.
[22:46] <Kopesh> Yay! Something normal... which is kinda of odd in and of itself.
[22:48] * Redshift scrunchymuzzles and puts the porkchop back in the brine. gross. he puts the lid back on and explores the hold. There must be something more than just pickled meat.
[22:48] * Scribbles gets that feeling as well, further investigating the hold.
[22:54] <~Headlong> As time passes, wandering in a sea of pork brine barrels, none of them see or hear a thing, that is, until they can all hear a radio crackle to life.
[22:55] * Redshift jumps, standing to attention as he tries to find the source of the sound, listening carefully.
[22:55] * Scribbles looks around, trying to figure out where the sound is.
[22:57] * Kopesh 's ears perk and he looks around.
[23:00] <~Headlong> "Haywire... Come in Haywire... Stalliongrad to Haywire... Comrade... are you there?" A mare's voice asks. Red can pin it as the voice he heard earlier. The trio in the hold finds the radio on a table, somewhere near the bow of the ship. In a chair, in front of the radio, is a stallion. Upon further inspection... The stallion is dead. Throat slit with a straight razor, which dangles limply from his hoof. The blood is fresh,
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