Chapter Eight: Breakfast on the Queen

[BackworldTraveller]

by joertexas » Sat Feb 27, 2021 3:18 am

"That sounds serious. Are we in danger?" She looks up at the overhead. "Hun, do you have the outside work party on camera?"

Nālani replies There is danger, but it is not immanent. A breaching charge is attached to our hull, with some form of detonator box. Do any of you ex-Navy people know how to handle such things?

To Mark Kassel:

Can you give us a clearer image of the box? It might give us a clue about the trigger.

It appears to be a plastic box sprayed white and about 1litre in size. One hole in one corner of the top about 2mm across. It is directly adjacent to the charge. Your (lack of) extensive experience suggests that you should probably leave it to someone who can spell "Bang!".

Charge Layout.jpg (6.07 KiB) Viewed 567 times

Mark's opinion is that the Bomb Squad might be handy!
n.b. The charge is much longer than shown! It reaches from the workshop, across the back of the lift shaft to the power-room.

[joertexas]

Nālani replies There is danger, but it is not immanent. A breaching charge is attached to our hull, with some form of detonator box. Do any of you ex-Navy people know how to handle such things?

"Hun, sound the Abandon Ship alarm. "All hands, this is the captain. Abandon ship, I say again, abandon ship. This is not a drill. Hun, override the crew area airlock and open both hatches, my authority."

[ateno]

by joertexas » Sat Feb 27, 2021 3:18 am

"That sounds serious. Are we in danger?" She looks up at the overhead. "Hun, do you have the outside work party on camera?"

Nālani replies There is danger, but it is not immanent. A breaching charge is attached to our hull, with some form of detonator box. Do any of you ex-Navy people know how to handle such things?

To Mark Kassel:

Can you give us a clearer image of the box? It might give us a clue about the trigger.

Pranit looks at the live video and assess the item: Explosives[2d6+2]=6+2=8 (1 for skill, 1 for int)

Is it a standard navel breaching charge, whats different, does he recognize model/make? Anything odd?

I've used breaching charges before, and......."

[BackworldTraveller]

Pranit
The explosive line looks like standard Belt Military Boarding charge - it's hard to tell what the box is as it's been sprayed white. The charges can normally be cut - there isn't anything that would feed back to the fuze in the standard type...which would leave a box and a small charge attached to a detonator...less likely to be fatal if it triggers. On the other hand, if the copper core is wired who knows what would happen! He also reckons that seeing if the box is transmitting anything would pay dividends.

He's rather glad of being inside - but does think closing the pressure doors a good precaution. The hole is (he thinks) where someone has pulled a priming pin.

[The Bindoner]

Nālani to Indrani on crew channel: I think perhaps the police ought to be called. This is a crime after all. I am sure they have experts in such things.

[SpinwardMarch]

Maggie

Thoughts: Well, more excitement than expected. Yes, I will need to understand the history of this ship.

At the earliest opportunity, she is going to do some research on the Queen, to learn more about "her."

I will assume the ship is a "she," as is traditional in wet Navies.

[Bluetongue]

Arnwulf

"A bomb? Is that a left over device from the navy seizure or a more recent addition?"

It is either a ticking clock waiting on a countdown to explode or an ignition device, so radio wave controlled with some watchmen with a trigger finger or a magnetic static device that discharges under conditional movement.

He waits for the Captain to decide what to do but he has collected a few bits of his personal gear.

[The Bindoner]

Arnwulf

"A bomb? Is that a left over device from the navy seizure or a more recent addition?"

We have not gone close enough to check. I doubt it is a relic of the boarding action though. The box, it is painted for stealth. A device to be left in place until it is needed.

[joertexas]

Indrani opens up the ship's internal comms, and also the crew comms. "Everyone get off the ship, right now! Report to me when you're in the bay!

[BackworldTraveller]

Queen
Arnwulf, As far as I can see from my records, the box appeared during the viral attack on the dock.

[SpinwardMarch]

Maggie

She leaves the ship and follows the captain's orders. Heroes are often also called casualties, etc.

[cybersavant]

"Hun, sound the Abandon Ship alarm. "All hands, this is the captain. Abandon ship, I say again, abandon ship. This is not a drill. Hun, override the crew area airlock and open both hatches, my authority."

Reven Stiilpahth stops working and heads off the ship, waiting for the others in the bay.

[ateno]

Pranit grabs his vacc suit and clears the rooms as he leaves, closing each door after him. When in the bay he counts noses, coming up with one extra then remembering he had a extra guest on board.

Pranit calls the police. "This is the Queen of the belt at {?} 13-13, during routine survey,we have discovered what appears to be a naval boarding charge on the skin of the ship, type 7 and has been primed."

After the call he will cancel the cleaning team.

Then contact our lawyer with the news.

PRanit

[BackworldTraveller]

Police
The police don't take long to respond and appear from two directions: One group by cutter arrive first, then a second group by cart arrive outside the dock.

1st Group
Attention, an explosive device has bene reported in this area. Please evacuate the area while the device is investigated.

Mr Kassel
Will do - The charge is attached to the power deck (3m below the cargo deck - you can see the doors) on the dock side. You'll never get that cutter in close.
The surveyor then directs his assistant to steer the inspection raft out of the bay and over to bay 13-11 - which should have unoccupied platform he can use for landing by the air-lock. If Nalani has anything she wants to do, please let me know.

2nd Group
The two officers look familiar to many of the crew - They were here a few days ago looking at the dead plants of the drug-grow.
Captain. You seem to be beset with many troubles. I must ask you to move back to the main corridor - just to be safe. Do you have any idea how and when this device was attached, and how it was found?

[joertexas]

Pranit grabs his vacc suit and clears the rooms as he leaves, closing each door after him. When in the bay he counts noses, coming up with one extra then remembering he had a extra guest on board.

Pranit calls the police. "This is the Queen of the belt at {?} 13-13, during routine survey,we have discovered what appears to be a naval boarding charge on the skin of the ship, type 7 and has been primed."

After the call he will cancel the cleaning team.

Then contact our lawyer with the news.

PRanit

Indrani is the last person off the ship. "Hun, open a comm channel for our comm dots only, please. We will be back as soon as we can." She then steps through the open airlock and out into the bay.

[BackworldTraveller]

Queen
One channel as requested.
Should I reseal the hatches now?

[joertexas]

Queen
One channel as requested.
Should I reseal the hatches now?

"Yes, please."

[BackworldTraveller]

The Bomb Disposal Officer
The removal of the device is straight-forward. Most of the time is spent sitting about waiting for equipment and the actual removal turns out to be uneventful. The leader of the squad, by about 9:30, comes round and meets the group outside the dock.

The explosives are Military issue and we probably have a good chance of tracing wher ethey came from - though how may be trickier. The fuze was attached to an inertial locator...once you were 1,000,000km from here...bang! Your ship would have had a good chance of being disabled. What that would have been the prelude to is anyone's guess.

This ship seems to be the target of a nasty group...and this means that the interest here is an ongoing thing not just historical. Is there anything that you have found while you were aboard that might have meant that there is some reason for this?

[The Bindoner]

As soon as she recommended calling the police Nālani excused herself to mark Kassel and went to stow her suit.

As the police arrive she hurries out, carrying her computer and bag. As she passes Indrani she pauses and tips her head in token of a bow while brandishing a comm: Ah! Captain. Many apologies, but I have an appointment I had forgotten. Only 30 minutes to get there! With the police here I think you will not need me? My comm is fixed, if you do. I will return in 90 minutes, two hours at most. I will bring lunch, to say sorry.

She dashes off, calling a taxi as she goes. ( A motorcycle taxi ideally, for speed ).

[cybersavant]

Reven Stiilpahth listens to the police. Once he is able to take the Captain and/or the XO aside, he whispers, "So, we get a gift of weapons - and a bomb to trigger them? I think once we get the hull repaired we should check the internals - see if there are any secreted storage holes, or devices stuffed inside walls. If the Queen was used for smuggling, the regular crew were unaware - so there must be some unknown spaces inside."