[GURPS 4e, IC] The Dying of the Light — Infection

[xen0phile]

"Ehh... 'it'? Este... okay, I should help prepare the lifeboat. You, ehh, you know that we will have to leave you if... if they attack us?"

Spoiler

Ese decides not to go with Tal; he will also give Steve the proper radio channel.

[dekova]

Tal: "Maybe as long as I'm headed that way anyway, I should be the first to try your hose rope."

Steve shakes his head adamantly.

"Mr. Faulkner, that would mean you go down and then we sit around waiting for those ragers to come check out the racket, maybe end up with a crowd like we've got outside that door. When we go down that hose, everyone needs to go down together and straight to the lifeboats."

"I don't know what you've got down there, a dog or something maybe, but it's not worth risking her life," Steve looks at Emma Carver, "is it?"

Spoiler

Kind of a crude thing for him to say, but Steve's just verbally clumsy, not mean.

[xen0phile]

As Steve is trying to dissuade Tal, Ese turns to Morten. "Captain, I think I know, pues, I can try to help prepare the life boat. But, ehh, I'm not sure. Because I work on the engine, not the deck."

[Stegyre]

At Steve's comments, Tal takes a moment to look around at everyone else gathered on the Bridge. If we are as noisy as that, we are doomed. The infected move far too fast to get this many people down one hose.

"Okay, but if we are going to abandon ship, we should try to get as many others off as we can. We maybe cannot help those on other decks, but we should at least get anyone else on this deck.

He turns to "John Smith." "I've been down the port side already. Can you cover me while I check out the starboard side? If any more infected come out, I'll just duck down and hope you can . . . do what it is that you do."

Spoiler

Before leaving, Tal grabs the cable from the locker and stows it in his pack – assuming it is not too cumbersome. He looks at the console to see where the fire alarms have been triggered. He then sets off down the starboard side balconies. Unlike last time, this time he will be trying to look in each cabin as he passes by, although he will try not to be too close to the doors: he has not forgotten last time.

[dekova]

"Mr. Faulkner!"

Steve's clearly frustrated now.

"We can't sit here for an hour, popping off gunshots. Noise and time are the two things we can't risk. There are infected at the door, the ship is on fire and the intercom doesn't work."

"It. Is. Time. To. Go."

"Captain, let me know when we're stopped. I'll go down first, then Ese and some of the other guys. Then those that need help go down and you follow. We'll load everyone up as quickly and quietly as possible then you, Ese, Terry and I will lower it straight to the water and follow in the dingy."

"It really is time to go."

Spoiler

Sorry, that's a lot of dialog for one post.

[Stegyre]

Tal pauses again for calm before answering.

"I believe the Captain is still the authority for what will happen on this ship, and I will defer to him. In that regard," turning to Morten, I would point out that we have over twenty people here, and one rope. By all means, get started: it's going to take you a while to get down, and we can only do it one at a time.

"Nothing I do is stopping you, delaying you, or drawing the infected to anywhere you are likely to be. If anything, I will be drawing them away.

"It does not take me an hour to go across the balconies. If we save a few more, I think it is worth it.

"Even if you have to cast off without me -- and I am not asking you to wait -- there are plenty of other lifeboats to use, and I have my doubts about how far a fire can actually get on a ship like this before burning itself out.

"Captain, what do you say?"

Spoiler

Tal will also check the toolbox for some wire cutters usable on the cable.

Originally Posted by dekova

Spoiler

Sorry, that's a lot of dialog for one post.

Spoiler

Bah, I cannot clear his throat without saying more than that!

[Inglenook]

MAXWELL

Harmon doesn't smile at your joke, but rather, considers the question thoughtfully. After a moment he leans in and says in a conspiratorial whisper, "You know, Maxwell, it's honestly been a mixed bag."

Seeing your expectant grin, though, he quickly smiles in return. "I have some ideas, though, that I'd like to discuss with you. After we're off this ship, of course."

Moving over to the control panel, you ask Morten and Lurch if there's anything you can do.

"In my office," Morten says, "there's a journal in the bottom drawer of my desk. And a gun in the top drawer. Could you bring them to me?"

---

TAL

Morten looks dubious but pockets the diamond earrings that Tal hands him.

---

ESE & STEVE

Ese informs Steve that the walkie-talkies he and Lurch are using are set to channel 16; Steve switches his to 16 as well.

---

ESE

"I'll walk you through what to do," Morten explains, as you express your doubts about being able to prepare the lifeboat. "It's going to take a few of us working together, anyway."

---

TAL

You go over to the damage control locker that Yolanda and Jamie are rummaging around in. "I'm not sure how useful some of this is," Yolanda says, raising her eyebrow as Jamie picks up the toilet plunger.

You spot a roll of heavy cable, however, and place it in your pack; you never know when something like that might come in handy. You also look through the tool box and find a pair of wire cutters. They're small, however, and will be woefully inadequate for cutting through the cable, if that's your intention.

The fire alarm monitor now reads as follows:

• SMOKE DETECTED: DECK-01 MED-01 06/09/12 04:37 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+00)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DECK-10 STR-01, 06/09/12 04:54 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+01)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DECK-04 CRDR-04, 06/09/12 04:59 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+02)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DECK-10 STR-02, 06/09/12 05:00 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+03)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DECK-11 WNDJ-02, 06/09/12 05:04 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+04)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DECK-05 PRFM-01, 06/09/12 05:06 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+05)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DECK-05 GFT-01, 06/09/12 05:06 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+06)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DECK-05 CNTRM-00, 06/09/12 05:07 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+07)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DECK-06 CNTRM-00, 06/09/12 05:07 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+08)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DECK-07 CNTRM-00, 06/09/12 05:07 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+09)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DECK-05 JWLR-01, 06/09/12 05:08 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+10)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DECK-05 MRST-01, 06/09/12 05:09 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+11)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DECK-11 WNDJ-03, 06/09/12 05:09 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+12)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DECK-04 CNTRM-00, 06/09/12 05:09 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+13)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DECK-05 FRST-01, 06/09/12 05:09 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+14)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DECK-01 MED-02 06/09/12 05:10 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+15)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DEC-05 SCHN-01, 06/09/12 05:10 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+16)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DEC-01 LBBY-01, 06/09/12 05:10 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+17)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DEC-05 STR-01, 06/09/12 05:12 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+18)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DECK-11 WNDJ-04, 06/09/12 05:10 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+19)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DECK-11 WNDJ-02, 06/09/12 05:10 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+20)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DECK-04 CRDR-09, 06/09/12 05:11 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+21)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DECK-04 CRDR-10, 06/09/12 05:11 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+22)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DEC-05 SVNR-01, 06/09/12 05:12 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+23)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DECK-06 CGR-01, 06/09/12 05:12 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+24)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DECK-11 JADE-01, 06/09/12 05:12 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+25)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DEC-05 GNRL-01, 06/09/12 05:12 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+26)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DEC-05 CASN-01, 06/09/12 05:13 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+27)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DEC-05 STR-02, 06/09/12 05:13 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+28)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DEC-07 BLRO-01, 06/09/12 05:13 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+29)
• SMOKE DETECTED: DECK-11 STR-01, 06/09/12 05:15 UTC — RESET? (Y/N+30)
• ERROR
• ERROR
• ERROR
• ERROR
• ERROR
• ERROR
• ERROR
• ERROR
• ERROR

---

EVERYONE

As Steve and Tal argue over whether Tal should leave, Morten's expression grows steadily stonier. When Tal asks him what he thinks, the captain is silent.

"I'll tell you what I think," Anna interjects, her voice tense and her eyes narrowed. "There were about 200 people left on the ship after the Caymans. Twenty-one of them are in this room right now. Three are on Deck 09. Sixty-three of them were in the medical center before they broke loose. There were at least fifty more sick people who we didn't have room for, and we confined them to their cabins. At least a dozen people dead on Deck 07, wouldn't you say? Roger's dead, Stig's dead, and who knows how many others. And that's not considering the fires.

"If you go out there, you're killing yourself. All for the slight chance of finding one of the fifty people who might be alive and non-violent. And remember: Most of them would be locked up in their cabins anyway, making no noise and not answering the door if someone tried to get in. They would probably attack you even if you did get inside; the announcement said for them to defend themselves, remember?"

"What did I do?" Morten whispers, his face blanching. "That announcement … Anyone who stays on this ship is dead because of me … Anna, Tal's right; we have to find them, help them—"

"Wait!" someone suddenly shouts. Everyone's heads swivel to look at the crier.

It's Adam. He's been quiet throughout most of this ordeal, but he's now standing up, looking as if he just had an epiphany. He flushes slightly at the sudden attention before speaking. "The announcement … you said for everyone to stay in their rooms unless the emergency alarm went off, right? And if it did, they should go to the lifeboats?"

Realization creeps across Morten's face. "The alarm …"

"It probably doesn't even work, since Dumb*** here blew the intercom system," Jamie butts in, jerking her thumb roughly in Ese's direction.

Owen adds, "And if those people leave their rooms, they'll run into the middle of a swarm of crazy people. Or a fire."

"Trying to get out is better than sitting in a cabin and waiting to be murdered or roasted alive," Sarah says pointedly.

Morten looks around at everyone, and those close to him can see that he's near tears. "Should I try to set off the alarm?"

Before anyone can answer, the door to the outside deck is suddenly thrown open and Brenda rushes in. "Smoke's starting to come out of the lower deck," she gasps.

Spoiler

Tal can leave if he'd like. There's more information now that might affect your choice, so let me know what you decide.

Otherwise, everyone might want to weigh in on whether Morten tries the alarm.

[xen0phile]

"Yes. Hit the alarm. It might hide our noise when we launch the boat."

[dekova]

Steve nods gravely.

"Sir, hit the alarm and then let's get these people off the ship."

[Stegyre]

"Well, that will be" a blood bath "interesting," says Tal. "If nothing else, all those people coming out of their cabins will be quite a distraction from us. Probably improve our odds of making it onto the lifeboats.

"Best get started.

"Captain, just in case we get separated, are there any skeleton keys? The best hope for getting away from the infected while still on the ship will be to duck into the nearest cabin. It would be nice if we could unlock the doors."

Spoiler

Tal will pocket the wire cutter. It may not be much against the cable, but it can at least weaken it. How thick and how long is the cable, anyway?

Otherwise, Tal is going to wait on the balcony outside the bridge, while the crew ready the hose/rope and start lowering people down. He intends to be one of the last to go down. In the meantime, he will check back and forth between port and starboard, looking for smoke, infected, uninfected ...

[Corrino]

Maxwell nods to Harmon. "After we get ashore, then."

To the captain: "I can't see how it hurts us if people come out of their cabins. Worst case, it's a distraction. Best case, we save some more lives."

Maxwell will go to retrieve the journal and the gun for the captain, and will also quickly glance around to see if there is anything else worth picking up in the office.

[Inglenook]

EVERYONE

"What's wrong with you people?" Danielle suddenly snaps. "Talking about those people down as 'distractions'—That's sick. They're people, not barriers that are there just to buy us time!" She points her finger at Tal. "He has the right idea. We need to be trying to actually save those people rather than throwing open the doors to the cage and hoping they don't get killed!"

"Then why don't you go save them, lady?" Jamie asks, rolling her eyes.

Danielle's cheeks redden but she presses on. "Telling them to leave their rooms is tantamount to murder. All they have to do is stay in their cabins for, what, a day at most? Then the Coast Guard will be here and they'll be rescued. No one else has to die."

"As I've told several others, Mrs. Carver," Harmon says dolefully, "there will be no help coming for the people who are left on the ship. At least not in the foreseeable future. The reports of rioting that we heard in the Caymans were rather severely understated. Leaving now is the only chance they'll have."

---

MAXWELL

Morten's office is quite spacious, especially compared to some of the cramped lower cabins. It looks as if the captain halfheartedly tried decorating, but the calming blue rug and framed Winslow Homer print only make the room seem shabbier in contrast. The overhead light casts a sallow glow on the faux-wood paneling and dusty curtains. The wood of Morten's desk is scratched and pitted, and ugly grey filing cabinets are clustered behind it.

Opening the desk drawers, you find the pistol and heavy leather journal that Morten described. You give the room a quick search to see if there's anything else that might be useful:

Spoiler

In the desk drawers:

• numerous office supplies
• (directional) compass
• two walkie-talkies, sans batteries
• tucked in the corner: a plastic baggie containing what looks suspiciously like four rolled joints
• playing cards
• a gold wedding band
• a large bottle of O.P. Anderson aquavit, mostly empty
• desktop computer tower

On the desk:

• computer monitor, keyboard and mouse
• an Earth-shaped paperweight
• a letter opener
• a notebook with the cruise line logo and "Incident Log" on the cover
• three labeled manila folders: Greg Decker, Kenneth Loeb, Rita Loeb

On a small display table:

• an expensive-looking antique sextant, well maintained
• five books, either antique or first-edition: 1) written in a Scandinavian language, contains scientific drawings of marine animals and plants, 2) another Scandinavian book that looks as if it might be The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen, 3) Nautical Maps of the Greater Caribbean by Luther Paulitz, 4) Plato's Republic, 5) The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

Near the door:

• a black umbrella

If you want to take any of these, let me know.

You return to Morten with the gun and journal, which he accepts thankfully. He opens up the journal and removes what looks like a photo, stuffing it quickly in his wallet and absentmindedly putting the journal on the ground near his feet.

---

TAL

Spoiler

The cable is 30' long and about 1/2" thick, made of braided metal fibers and very dense.

"You can take mine there on the other seat," Morten says when you ask him about the skeleton key card. He motions with his head at at the pilot seat to his left. You take the card and make your way to the outside deck with Brenda following close behind.

She was right about the smoke. Dark and foul-smelling, whisps of it are beginning to come out of the open doors and smashed windows of Deck 07. It's growing thicker by the minute, and soon you might not be able to see the three people on Deck 09. Aside from some far-off screams, you see and hear nothing else.

"What a cluster**** of a night, huh?" Brenda sighs in her scratchy, crow-like voice. She stares up at the stars. The cuts on her face have stopped bleeding by now but they're certain to scar, adding further to her unattractive appearance.

"You were right back there, what you wanted to do," she says quietly. "Not the guitar, I mean; that would be crazy, getting killed over a guitar. But trying to help the people who are stuck down there … Don would have wanted to do that too."

She gives you a sad, crooked-toothed smile. "Name's Brenda, by the way. Don't think I introduced myself earli—"

She's cut off by a sudden blast of noise.

---

EVERYONE

With everyone aside from Danielle giving their consent (or at least not protesting it), Morten opens a small protective latch marked "ALARM SIGNAL".

"If it even works," he mutters, and presses the button beneath.

The muster alarm is a familiar sound to all of you, since they played it before the lifeboat drill on the first afternoon of the cruise: all across the ship, over intercoms and air horns and alarm bells, a series of seven short blasts and then one long. During the drill they played it only once, but now it continues on repeat. From the other side of the bridge door, the infected people shriek in response.

The fire lights begin to flash all over the ship.

"Let's get everyone down the hose to Deck 09!" Morten shouts over the maddening din.

Spoiler

You'll need to get everyone down to Deck 09 via the hose. Choose an order in which everyone descends (full list found here, although none of the clicky-things are working at the moment). The bloody woman won't be able to get down on her own.

Roll Climbing+9 to make it down without injury. If you don't have any points in it, Climbing defaults to DX-5.

Those who make it down earlier can do things while the rest of the group is climbing down.

[dekova]

"You guys with the guns," Steve nods at Maxwell and John, "keep watch while those of us with axes go down then you follow."

Steve scans the group.

"Then let's get the Carvers down, then the rest of the group followed by Jud and the Captain."

Steve grabs the coiled hose and feeds it over the railing, going slowly at first so the heavy brass nozzle doesn't clang on the metal deck below.

"Nothing to it, right?"

Steve takes a last look over the railing, drops his axe into the 40 feet of coiled hose below, hoists himself over the edge and slides down.

Spoiler

My recommendation:

These guys with weapons go first:
Steve
Lurch (doesn't have an axe, but has a weapon I think. If not, he gets the crowbar from the pack.)
Ese
Owen

Then these guys with guns:
Maxwell
John

At this point:

• Steve Lurch and Ese can start to work on the nearest boat
• Owen can assist others down (catch those that fall?)
• Max and John "cover" everyone

Here come the Carvers!
Adam
Danielle
Emma
Pete

This is the "need help" group
Anna
Brenda
Jamie
Sarah
Yolanda
???
Tal
Speck
Harmon

Then Jud and the captain
Jud
Morten

In any case, here's my climbing roll (skill 12):
(3d6)[11]

I'm thinking we go port side, let the other three join us.
And... obviously I took liberty in assuming that Steve could go down first, if anything happens to change that, I'll edit the post.

[Stegyre]

Tal pockets the skeleton key.

"Help me with this," he says to the Captain, lifting the coil of cable. "Tie a bowline loop into the end, and a couple of us can use it to lower those who can't climb."

Spoiler

The cable can be used for Emma, Dannielle, bloody lady, and anyone else. Tal is not particular about the order in which people go down.

[xen0phile]

"We should get the boat ready while everyone else is climbing down." Ese hands Lurch his axe. "Here, hold this so I can climb. Then, hand that and the crowbar to me so you can climb down." Ese moves toward the hose, but mentions to Morten right before he descends, "Captain, we need your help to prepare the lifeboat"

Spoiler

I am fine with that order, except that I think Morten should be one of the first down.

Spoiler

No Climbing skill, defaulting to DX-5 = 6. Plus 9 bonus = target of 15

(3d6)[15]

[Corrino]

Spoiler

I am fine with the order suggested, and the plan for action on the lower deck. For when it is my turn to descend:

Target 15 (DX -5 =6 + 9 = 15):
(3d6)[1][1][2](4)

Also, Maxwell will not take any of the items from the cabin, although the envelopes make him vaguely curious.

[Stegyre]

Originally Posted by xen0phile

"Captain, we need your help to prepare the lifeboat"

Spoiler

Actually, I would expect the captain to be one of the last to leave the bridge, although it may depend upon his perception of where he best fills his role. There's a tradition burdening him, and it may be interesting to see how it plays out.

Besides, Tal spoke for him first!

[Doc_Pippin]

Spoiler

The modern form of the tradition still stands but it goes children first, non-crew, enlisted crew, officers, XO (First mate), CO (Captain or Skipper) its not the bridge though its just off the ship, They are the first on and the last off 99.99% of the time.

Sorry Im not yet a master of spoiler edicate

[Stegyre]

Spoiler

Best spoiler that Doc, as it's all OOC stuff.

My point is not so much that he would stay on the bridge, but that as captain, he is not going closer to the lifeboats (SAFETY!) while others are stuck further away.

On the other hand, if readying the lifeboats is seen as the position of greatest danger, then yeah, I could see him going down to get them ready, but I'd be shocked if he pulled a Lord Jim and left the ship with others still on it.

[Inglenook]

Spoiler

Derp, forgot Tal was being lowered down.

---

* post roll count doesn't match database

[Inglenook]

Morten takes the end of the metal cable and quickly ties a sturdy bowline loop that people can stand in to be lowered down.

Steve lowers himself down to Deck 09 without issue. As Ese hands his axe to Lurch and begins to climb down the hose himself, he tells the captain that they need to start prepping the lifeboats.

Morten considers this for a moment before nodding. "They'll take several minutes to prep," he says, glancing back through the bridge windows at the door on the far side of the lobby; it's beginning to bulge inwards. "And I'm not sure how much time we have." He turns to the others. "Get these people down there as quickly as you can." Then he follows Ese over the edge of the deck.

Lurch takes the crowbar from the pack and heads down, followed by Owen, Maxwell and John. Maxwell miscalculates his footing as he steps over the edge, and for a moment it appears as if he might fall—but he recovers beautifully, doing an Errol Flynn-esque swing and landing gracefully on Deck 09.

Spoiler

Sorry, couldn't resist the crit success.

---

ESE, MAXWELL, STEVE

You all land on the wooden promenade at the bow of Deck 09. The hull his is punctuated by the occasional window, but no doors. A short distance down each side of the deck, the promenade suddenly ends and is replaced by the white metal davit gangway.

The smoke is slightly thicker now, and the acrid taste of it fills your mouths and causes you to cough. It's the taste of burning plastic and wood and wiring and scorched metal.

Morten leads the way down the port side, heading into the smoke toward the first lifeboat. It's a little over thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide, with an electric orange top partially covered by a tarp. The bottom half of the hull is white, and on the sides are the words "CALYPSO QUEEN 2".

On the far side of the lifeboat is one of the triangular davit platforms where the brake controls are located. "Ese, you're in charge of the brake. Lurch, Steve: get on top and unhook the three ropes with yellow ends. Get back on the gangway afterward, and pull out those metal stops there on the davit." He unhooks one rope himself and throws it over the edge of the gangway down to Deck 07. "I'll go down and lower the pilot ladder and attach the painter. Ese, when you hear me yell, release the break."

And then he's gone, running down the gangway toward the stern and disappearing into the black smoke.

Maxwell and John keep watch as the others work on the lifeboat. With the blaring of the alarms it's impossible to hear if anything is coming, and the two keep their fingers tight on their triggers.

Suddenly, three uninfected people appear out of the smoke from the same direction Morten went.

The first is a beautiful woman in her thirties with shoulder-length blonde hair. She's wearing a white robe.

The second is a muscular man with a strong jaw and longish black hair; he's naked aside from a pair of red boxer briefs.

The final young man is tall and lean, with short black hair, a small soul patch, and friendly, open features. His face is twisted in anxiety at the moment, however, and he clutches his arm tightly.

"We couldn't get the lifeboat unlocked!" the woman gasps, coughing.

The muscular man has a fairly thick French-Canadian accent when he speaks. "Is there anything we can do?"

[dekova]

Steve leans in close so the man can hear him over the blaring of the sirens.

"We're going to prep the lifeboat now. Stay here, you'll be joined by the others shortly."

Steve hesitates for a moment, then presses his axe into the man's hands.

"Just in case."

With that, he turns his attention to his assigned tasks.

Spoiler

Steve's doing exactly what the captain requested, unhooking ropes and then pulling out the metal stops.

[Corrino]

Maxwell will cover while the lifeboat(s) are being rigged up, will assist where necessary, and scan for infected - and keep an eye on the newcomers as well.

[xen0phile]

Ese will wait by the brake release until Morten gives him the word (or anything unexpected (e.g. infected attack) happens).

Spoiler

Crewman: Seamanship at 10. Feel free to roll for me if you think my activity is complex enough to warrant a roll.

[Inglenook]

TAL

"Be careful," Danielle warns Adam as he slides down the hose. She turns to Tal. "Emma needs to be lowered down."

"I've climbed trees and stuff before, Mom," Emma sighs, rolling her eyes.

"This is a lot different than a tree."

Emma complies with her mother and steps into the loop of the metal cable. Several people—Peter, Jud, Brenda, Anna and Yolanda—gently lower her down to Deck 09 where Owen and Adam are waiting.

As Danielle prepares to go next, Pete pulls her aside. "I have to stay up here and help some of the others down. All the muscle is already down there," he says, pointing at the gangway.

Danielle searches her husband's eyes and nods. She stands on her tiptoes and gives Pete a short, fierce kiss. "I love you. Be careful." Then she follows her children down.

Anna is next, and as she places her foot in the loop she asks, "Mr. Carver? Whenever you go down, can you bring that woman down with you?"

The bloody woman stands near the railing, swaying slightly and staring up at the moon. Anna managed to lead her out onto the deck easily enough simply by tugging on the woman's hand, but it's doubtful that she'd be able to stand in the loop and hold on to the cable while being lowered down.

Brenda declines to go next, saying that they'll need her help with lowering people down. "I'm not saying this to be cruel," she tells Tal, "but you ain't able to do much with that hand of yours."

Jamie is lowered down easily, and when Tal suggest that it's Sarah's turn, she bristles. "I'm blind, Tal. I can still use my arms and legs just fine, thank you."

Sarah grabs the hose and begins to step off the edge. Like Maxwell, however, she misjudges her footing. Her legs slide out from under her and she falls over the railing, barely holding on to the hose. There is a dull thud as she hits the deck below, followed by a pained scream.

Everyone rushes to the railing. Below, Owen is standing over Sarah, who is clutching both of her ankles and gritting her teeth in pain. Between the alarm blasts you can only make out a tiny amount of what she's saying: "—I th—twisted—stupid—"

Yolanda turns to Tal and Brenda. "I, uh, think I'm going to take the cable."

You all lower Yolanda down. Pete then grabs ahold of the bloody woman, placing one of her feet in the loop and then one of his own; she barely responds to his touch. The extra weight causes the muscles of your arms to burn, but the two make it down to Deck 09 safely.

You, Brenda, Harmon, Jud and Speck are the only ones left. And since you have an injured hand, you are next. You step into the cable loop and slowly descend twelve feet to Deck 09.

You can see Pete leading the bloody woman around the port side toward the gangway—and just as quickly they're gone, obscured by smoke.

Owen is still kneeling over Sarah, whose face is pale and sweaty. "She says nothing's broken," he tells you, "but she landed on her feet at an awkward angle. Her ankles might be twisted."

Sarah looks furious with herself, but manages an ironic little smile. "'Pride cometh before a fall', so they say."

Spoiler

Sarah is injured and can't walk without help.

Brenda, Harmon, Jud and Speck are still on the bridge deck above, but should be down shortly.

[Inglenook]

ESE, MAXWELL, STEVE

Steve hands the axe to the muscular man, and together he and Lurch begin unhooking the ropes that Morten specified.

One-by-one, the people from the bridge deck begin to trickle around the side of the ship onto the narrow gangway. John and Maxwell continue to keep watch on either side of the group.

The wind shifts slightly. Deck 07 below is still hidden from view, but the smoke is now drifting out into the darkness of the sea rather than billowing directly up to Deck 09. It's much easier to breathe and see now.

Steve and Lurch return to the gangway and remove the metal stops from each arm of the davit. Seconds later, you all hear Morten's yell from the dark smoke below. Ese hits the brake lever.

There is a mechanical click, and with nothing to hold it in place, the lifeboat slides down the davit to Deck 07. For a moment it displaces the smoke and you can all see Morten standing near a gap in the railing below.

"Brake!" he cries out again. Ese reapplies the brake, and the lifeboat stops neatly on level with the gap in the railing.

The smoke quickly fills in the hole created by the lifeboat, but between the alarm blasts, Morten's voice is clear: "Toward the stern and down the gangway ladder! Bring everyone down, hurry!"

Spoiler

The lifeboat is ready for loading on Deck 07.

[xen0phile]

Ese motions toward the ladder they need to climb down, but remains at the brake release himself. Taking advantage of the slight shift in wind, he quickly extracts one of his smokes, lights it up, and tries to take some shallow puffs without inhaling too much burnt plastic and wire from the ship fire. He then checks his surroundings, looking both ways down the gangway and on Deck 07, in case there are any infected in the area.

Spoiler

Ese intends to remain at the brake release for the moment, both in case they are attacked by infected, and so he can make sure everyone got off the bridge.

General "situation awareness" check, versus Perception of 11:
(3d6)[9]

[dekova]

Steve looks over the group, checking to see if everyone's down from the bridge.

Mr. Faulker? The Carvers? That comatose lady? Dr. Holm?

Satisfied that everyone's together, he motions to the group to follow quietly and stay down then starts off towards the stern in a low crouch.

Spoiler

In a crouch to stay below the level of the windows.

[Stegyre]

"We'd best go down now, too," Tal tells Brenda. "We won't be able to help anyone else from up here, I think. I'm going to make one last look around for anything we might need later. You get in the hoop and let them lower you down. Tell the crew they should lower all of the lifeboats. That way, any other passengers that reach Deck 7 won't be stranded. They've probably already thought of that themselves, but you never know."

Tal makes a quick search of the Bridge and the Captain's Office for any remaining supplies.

Spoiler

Assuming he sees it in the office, he will grab the sextant and a compass, if he sees one.

The fiberglass patches from the locker he stuffs in his pack. Lastly, he grabs the extinguishers, which he will try dropping over the side to someone waiting on deck 9. He will try to quickly identify what kind of extinguisher they are. Whether foam of CO2, they can create a quick blind someone perhaps long enough to slip away.

Once all of the women and children are off the Bridge, Tal lets himself be lowered down. "I know I'm just stating the obvious," he says the the rearguard, "but if the last man loops the coil once around the railing, you can probably lower yourself down without too much trouble. It's what I would do, if I were still two-handed."

Once on Deck 9, he takes one of the fire extinguishers and removes the safety. He tests whether his right hand is up to holding and aiming the nozzle, while his left hand carries the weight of the tank and can activate the trigger, when needed.

[Inglenook]

ESE

You motion down the gangway to a metal ladder, about midway down the ship and right beside the davit station where the two men and the woman were crouched earlier. It leads directly down to Deck 07. The group takes off in that direction.

You light a cigarette and assess the gangway and Deck 07 below. Deck 07 appears clear, as does the gangway … but then you see something through the smoke. On the far end of the gangway, making their way from the stern toward the group, are two women. One of them appears to be carrying a small child.

---

MAXWELL

Spoiler

Right now you're still standing bow-ward of Ese, keeping watch. Act otherwise if you wish.

---

STEVE

Ese and Maxwell are both staying behind for the moment, and several others haven't yet made it onto the gangway: Tal, Brenda, Jud, Harmon, Speck, Sarah and Owen.

You lead the group toward the ladder, crouching low to keep out of sight from anything inside the Deck 09 cabins (the windows of which are to your left).

You don't go entirely unnoticed, though; the blonde woman in the robe whom the group just met shrieks as one of the things in the cabin to her left throws itself at the window. The portholes are small and thick, however, and the person trapped inside can do nothing but claw futilely at the glass.

Ahead of you, two figures suddenly appear past the ladder at the far end of the gangway, running toward you. For a moment you tense, expecting them to release screams of insane rage like the other sick people, but as the smoke shifts you see that they look terrified rather than crazy.

One is a young, short, darker-skinned Asian woman. Her hair is cut short, and she has to keep one hand on her glasses as she runs to keep them from sliding off her nose.

The other is a woman in her late 40s or early 50s with blonde-grey hair and a drawn, exhausted face. Clutched tightly to her chest is a small crying boy, perhaps three years old at the oldest, his head covered in blond curls.

They reach the ladder at about the same time as you.

"The lifeboats!" the Asian woman gasps between breaths.

Spoiler

With you: Adam, Anna, Danielle, Emma, Jamie, John, Lurch, Pete, Yolanda, the bloody woman (assisted by Anna and Pete), the muscular French-Canadian man, the lean young man clutching his arm, the short Asian woman, the older woman, and the little boy.

You are at the ladder if you wish to do anything in particular before going down, or if you want to go down in a particular order.

---

TAL

Spoiler

Technically you were already down on Deck 09 per the order everyone agreed with earlier, but I'll give you some leeway since I'm godawfully late with posting this.

Brenda shakes her head. "You're gonna have to tell 'em yourself; you're in a lot worse shape than I am, at least climbing-wise. I'm going to help some of the others down first." She flexes her arm and grins. "I'm tougher than I look."

While Brenda and the others are helping the rest down, you go inside one last time to do a quick scan for useful supplies. Through the glass partition you can see that the top hinge of the bridge door is about to give way.

You run into Morten's office, spotting the compass in the upper drawer and pocketing it. For good measure, you also take the antique sextant sitting on the display table; you don't know what sort of navigational supplies are aboard the lifeboats, so they may very well come in handy later.

Then to the damage control locker, shoving the fiberglass patches in your pack. You can only manage to carry one of the fire extinguishers, however, because of your bad hand. Reading the label, you see that it's a CO2-based extinguisher.

You run back out onto the outer deck and lean over the railing, shouting out to Owen below: "Hey! Catch this fire extinguisher when I drop it down!"

Owen looks up at you incredulously. "Are you kidding? I'm not going to stand here and get my head bashed in! Bring it down yourself!"

Once you're lowered down next to the injured Sarah, you test to see how well you can wield the fire extinguisher. Turns out … not very well. Your right hand can't grip the nozzle, so to use it you have to spray with your left hand and keep the canister tucked under one of your arms.