First Lesson (C 1.5)

Location: The waters near The Undertow
Time: late morning

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Canary,

You traveled toward The Undertow through the night while Dinero slept off whatever Parcher slipped in his drink. Your eyes are burning as the sun rises higher on the horizon. Ahead you see some debris floating on the choppy waters - it looks like wreckage. You're close enough to The Undertow that you don't expect any Sippians or other raiders out this way, but something happened up ahead.

Your study of the wreckage is interrupted by the sound of Dinero climbing the stairs to the main deck to join you. He looks like death warmed over, bloodshot eyes and clammy skin. He squints against the light of day and moves closer to you - at least he's washed out his mouth and tried to clean up a bit.

What do you do?

I always take time to study a patch of debris before closing, and this is no exception. I figure anywhere you find a ship's been lost there's a reason. I do plan to approach and see if there's anything valuable that still floats. Gas cans are a big win.

When Dinero emerges, I sigh loudly, cross my arms and sit on the rail to regard him. I wait a good long time before saying anything. I should call him out, get mad... but as new as he is to sea, I am to having a crew. I'm not going to coddle him, he screwed up, but Dinero is... let's say, a special circumstance. And I can't just toss him overboard or leave him at the next port.

"Mornin' sunshine!" I call loudly once I have his attention. I wonder how many times he's puked in my hold... "how much'a the last twenty-four do you even remember?"

"Yeah. Frelled up," I agree with a shake of the head.

I step forward and grab the rail around the gun ring, look out across the horizon, "we're at sea now. Screwing up will cost us... more... no more frell-ups, right?" I pause a second to let him think but don't give him time to answer, "we're headed to the undertow to make a delivery. Not a forgiving place... you know how to load a fifty-cal?"

I set a hand on the gun barrel where it hangs in its mount. There's a waterproof cover over the workings which needs to be removed before use (which is easy, it just unsnaps) and of course there's the procedure of loading belt-fed ammo which... I really doubt Dinero's ever had to do in the tower.

Little bit skeptical, but sure, the tower lets its rich children play with the weapons. Makes a terrible kind of sense.

I watch long enough to know he's not going to shoot himself, then remind him as I turn to the pilot house, "no firing without my say so... we don't get free reloads out here. Just get 'er ready."

I slowly throttle the engines to bring us slowly alongside the wreckage as Dinero works on the weapons behind me. I keep an eye in the little fisheye mirror I keep pinned up on the right.

That surprises me, "you can dive?"

I cut the power and let us coast along near the wreck and scan with my eyes, and maybe more importantly, ears.

"Yeah... get geared up," I tell Dinero, then stand and take a final scan of the horizon before letting us stop alongside.

Dinero heads to the chest just outside the pilothouse to unlock it and open it up. As he starts gearing up, you peer over the waters. You hear a splash and see a torrent of bubbles rise to the surface. The sea foams white until it disgorges a pair of goggles. The goggles are the kind that's one piece of clear plastic, used by divers. It looks to be in good shape except for the straps. Those have been cut by a sharp knife.

What do you do?

Startles me as they first surface... like some hidden diver rising up to attack! But... discarded?

Cut? What happened here?

"Hey, look sharp!" I call to Dinero as I slip my sawed-off out and hold it aimed vaguely over the side. I wait a good few moments, then slowly pace down the rail to examine whatever-it-is I can see here.

Dinero looks up from where he'd dumped the flippers and wetsuit. He starts trying to put on the wetsuit while also trying to move closer to you. As you look over the rail, you see three figures moving in the water, coming up to the surface - they're all wearing masks. Their masks are much different than the one you just spotted, though. These masks are ones the predatory folks known as the Shark Eaters use. Fashioned from hard glass, it's said their masks could stop a bullet.

You know the seas well enough to know the Shark Eaters aren't common pirates, but they are the kind of people who will savagely kill outsiders if there is something they need.

One of them surfaces and reaches for a handhold on the Refuge to start climbing up.

What do you do?

"No, no that ain't happening!" I I say aloud, not really a warning, as my mind is already made up.

Without hesitation, "I don't think so!" I aim at that hand and pull the trigger!

Truth is, Dinero's all tied up in that wetsuit, and I don't know if he even has a weapon on him... guy's built at least, he could swing an iron. But we're not about to be caught with our pants literally, down and end up swimmin' home.

Your sawed-off belches forth fire and lead right at the Shark Eater, hitting him full in the face and sending him back into the water, which sizzles for a brief moment before swallowing him up. The other two Shark Eaters who were surfacing duck back down - one of them swimming down to try and catch her fellow falling into the deep. The last one waits in the safety of the water, his eyes lit with rage as he swims deep enough that a shot likely wouldn't hurt him.

Dinero drops to the deck with the sound of your shot and starts trying to wriggle back out of the wetsuit, cursing as he frantically tries to get back to his feet. You've bought a moment and they seem unwilling to challenge your shotgun. But the one watching, he's wondering if it's out of ammo or not. Or maybe he's trying to hold your attention?

What do you do?

I keep the weapon trained towards that guy watchin' me, but scuttle quickly over to the pilot house, where I mean to throw the throttle forward and get some distance between us and this wreck.

"Shoulda known!" I shout at myself as I punch the throttle forward.

The Rfuge's engines roar to life and you charge past the Shark Eaters in the water, over the debris, towards the Undertow. After a minute, Dinero comes into the pilothouse, sans wetsuit.

It takes me a little bit to regain my composure... I slow the engines slightly so I don't have to shout quite so loud, "yeah... pirates of a sort. Shark eaters..."

I curse at myself for letting them get so close.

"No divin' today though.... I'm glad to know you can if we need it," I glance back over a shoulder at him. "You all right? It's probably gonna get more excitin' than that."

I nod, yes, lost in thought for a second before I can answer, "yeah, I been plenty... it's a place like any other. People are fine... little... private maybe. Strangers are rare so we stand out... but the water ain't like no other place. Something about the water there, it's... unsettled. Lose your head for a second and some... rogue tide'll drag you over the rocks and leave you stranded..."

I can't help but remember that time there when I was just starting out when literally that happened.

"Buy don't you worry. Refuge is pretty much made for waters like that. And I learned the hard way where not to anchor... we're good."