She S Still Afloat

"She's Still Afloat"

Who: Mr. Pearce, Joanna, Logan, Kate & Matthew
When: May 1940 (RL Date: June 6, 2008)
Where: Engine Room, HMS Viperous

What: Mr. Pearce waxes depressive about the ship's chances of sinking with Joanna, Kate and Logan. Later, Matthew comes by to try and make amends.

Logger: Joanna

Engine room

HMS Viperous-----> > > > > THE GREATEST GENERATION < < <


In this cramped space are the guts of the ship: its diesel engines, generators, and pump control. A few small light-bulbs screwed to the walls light up the room, revealing a mess of twisting metal pipes, huge rumbling machinery, and snaking electrical wires. When the engines are on and at full power, the noise in here is staggering, a ceaseless diesel roar that makes normal speech difficult.

It is currently daytime.

The sea around you is a glassy calm.

Systems:
1. Diesel Engine 1
2. Diesel Engine 2
3. Steering Gear
4. Generator 1 (0% damaged)
5. Generator 2 (0% damaged)
6. Aft Pumps

Sub-Rooms :
1. Engineer

Contents
Joanna
Mr.Pearce

Aft magazine <AM> Stern <S>

Mr.Pearce is sitting behind a small desk here, a large album open before him. He appears to be arranging stamps into it.

Joanna sticks her head into the engine room, rather tentatively, then makes her way in completely so she can have a proper look about the place. "My word…" she murmurs as she gazes at the engine. It takes her a moment to notice Pearce, hunched over his stamps as he is, but there's not much room to hide in here.

Mr.Pearce looks up from his stamps, adjusting his spectacles as he peers at the silhouette in the doorway. "Yes? What can I do for you, Mr…?"

Joanna does not even blink when she's addressed as 'Mr.'. Likely she's heard of this particular quirk in the engineer. "Starling, sir. Pardon me. I'm still getting to know the ship and I wanted to have a look at the guts of this thing. My father served on a V-class in the Great War, but stories are one thing and the reality is quite another."

"Welcome aboard, Mr.Starling. I also served on a V class destroyer, on the Great War. She's an old ship, but still operational." Mr.Pearce carefully lays down the stamp that he had in his tweezers, staring in your general direction. "Mostly mechanical, so things last longer. I'm not very familar with this newfangled electrical engineering. That's probably why I'm on this ship, and not a newer one."

"The ship seems to have taken to the new technology better than one would expect," Joanna says, slowly making her way around the engine room. Not that there's a lot of room to roam, but she tries to get a look at the place from a few angles. "The radar and sonar equipment are in better working order than I'd expected, I must say. How long have you been aboard the Viperous Mr. … Pearce, is it?"

"Well, she's still afloat." That does not sound like sarcasm. Mr.Pearce nods, the chair creaking under him as he turns more fully to face you. "Yes, Mr.Pearce, chief engineer. I've been on this ship for a decade, two decades in the Royal Navy all in all, man and boy."

Joanna lets out a soft "Ah," nodding a little. "It must have been something to sail on a ship like this when it was new, against the Kaiser. The V-class was the top of the line back then." Not so much now, not that she dwells on that. She's young and still enthusiastic about the rust bucket. "Where did you serve back in those days, if you don't mind my asking? My father ended up sailing in the North Sea, mainly. Jutland and all that."

"Oh yes. If we were faced with another Great War, we'd definitely win." This side, the pessimism is sharp in Mr.Pearce's voice - he clearly doesn't expect much from the V class destroyer in the 1940s. Mr.Pearce nods. "The same, more or less. Atlantic Sea, North Sea fleet. I even had ship sunk under me, the HMS Calypso."

"Oh, my," is the only response Joanna has to that for a moment. Tales of sinking were perhaps not what she had in mind as to old sailing stories. "Well, you made it out of her in one piece, at least. That's something to be thankful for. And it doesn't see the Viperous has sunk under you yet."

Logan arrives from the Aft magazine.

"Yes, unlike the captain and the other senior officers. This is rather unusual, as generally when a ship sinks, this rooms is one of the first to be flooded. The HMS Calypso took a direct hit to the command bridge." Mr.Pearce's tone indicates that he intends to drown in here, any day now. At your latter comment, he gravely nods. "Not yet, Mr.Starling. She could stay afloat for several months." It's not clear if he's joking.

Logan continues his rounds, just checking on the soldiers.

Joanna is mucking about the engine room, having a look at the place and conversing with Mr. Pearce. She seems unsure how exactly to respond to his dour attitude about the ship's possibility of sinking. "You…you must put a good deal of work into keeping her afloat. Miss…" She clears her throat. "That is, Warrant Officer McConnell seems to have put a lot of sweat behind getting her ready to sail."

Logan leans against a random pipe in the wall, looking at the two conversing.

"Oh yes. She's an old ship, takes a great amount of effort to keep her on the waves, instead of below them." Mr.PEarce shoots Joanna a meaningful look, indicating that the hole thing would likely fall if he, Mr.Pearce, took his eye off it for a few minutes. He nods without much enthusiasm. "Oh yes. Mr.McConnell has adequately peformed his duties."

Kate arrives from the Aft magazine.

Joanna arches a brow when 'his' is used with McConnell. Perhaps she hadn't thought he took it /that/ far. Still, she doesn't correct him. It even brings a faint smile to her lips. "Yes, McConnell seems very enthusiastic. It's…heartening to know you're both on top of things down here." Perhaps not so heartening in Pearce's case, cloud of doom that he is, but she manages not to sound too dubious. It takes her awhile to notice Logan, quiet as he's being, but there aren't many places to hide in here. "Mr. O'Reily. Good day."

Logan waves to Joanna, almost having fallen asleep just leaning against the piping going through the ship.

"Quite, quite, Mr.Starling. You'll soon know when we cease to be on top of things." Mr.Pearce shoots a dark, conspiratorial look her way. The knowing in question probably involves breathing water. He glances around as Joanna adresses Logan, nodding in the other's general direction.

Speaking of the other snipe, Kate climbes into the room through a vent in the floor, pulling herself up on wiry arms and then swinging her legs out. She really was a little monkey, that one. Of course, having showered a few hours ago, all that good work and water was wasted as she's covered again in grease and soot. "…did I hear my name??"

Joanna clears her throat, nodding a little to Pearce, though she still tries to seem upbeat. "Quite, quite. Though I'm sure you won't let that happen." She's doing some exploring in the engine room, as Logan dozes and Pearce lurks. When Kate enters she turns her attention to the mechanic, offering the little woman a nod in greeting. "McConnell. Good day. Mr. Pearce was just letting me have a look around his shop."

Logan glances at Kate, "I didn't hear anyone say Mr. McConnell."

"I won't?" Mr.Pearce looks at Joanna, clearly a little confused. As Kate enters, he calls out, "Good day, Mr.McConnell." The little engineer offers a solemn nod to the mechanic, turning to his table. "Please excuse me, gentlemen. I have something I must attend to." He picks up the stamp that he was handling in the tweezers, brows drawing together in concentration as he applies it to the stampbook. There. For a millisecond, a look of ephemeral satisfaction spreads on his thin face, before it returns to its dourness.

Kate rolls her eyes a bit as she looks at Logan and swats atg his foot from where she is sitting on the floor. She quickly unfolds herself and stands, "Aye, sir, ye know to yell if ye need me!" She calls to Pearce before she smiles over to Logan and Joanna, "It ain't the prettiest down here, but it's the heart of the ship… with all the ugly arteries and pumping cogs and that."

Joanna seems content to leave Pearce to his stamps. "Yes, I was quite eager to see the guts of it. My father served on a V-class in the Great War and it doesn't sound like things have changed much." Whether this is a good or a bad thing she seems unsure, but she tries to sound upbeat about the old ship. She looks to Logan. "Mr. Reily, you man the sonar terminal, correct?"

Matthew arrives from the Aft magazine.

Matthew grunts as he walks into the room. "I'm not knowledgeable at this.."He says through clenched teeth, "But, will one of you..Liked to be My Friend."

Logan glances at Matthew and lets out a small snicker under his breath.

Kate is about to say something more to Logan, but then she just blinks and stares… leaning against the side of the wall as she considers, "…are… ye jokin', lowlander?" She dares to ask, confused and caught off guard by the enemy's strange tactic!

Joanna also turns to stare at Matthew, puzzled. "Is there something we can help you with in your duties, Doctor?" she asks.

Logan lets something slip under his breath to the tune of, "He seems to enjoy being knocked out."

Matthew ignores Logan

Matthew shakes his head. "It's..Not a Joke..I thought it would be best..if I were..friendlyer…"

Logan says "Because if you weren't the captain was going to bypass getting you thrown out of the navy and just have me and Hudson throw you off the boat."

Matthew looks shocked at this. "Really? Hmm..good thing I started now then Eh?"

Kate shakes her head to the boys, stepping over a bit closer to Joanna and wrinkling her grease smudged nose. "Dae ye think he is drunk?"

Joanna seems neither guarded nor amused. Merely very, very confused by Matthew's behavior. "We're all shipmates, Doctor," she says, still clearly having no idea what's going on. "I'm certain if we all perform our duties in a capable, cordial manner we can all keep on good terms."

Matthew hearing Kate frowns. "I'm not drunk Mate..Just thought we…all..started out on the Wrong..Foot."

Kate sighs and stands a bit straighter, narrowing her sharp eyes in his direction, "Ye are the one who called me a traitor. Dae ye lose yer ideals quite so quickly? I still owe ye a beatin'… then maybe we can talk bein' friends."

Matthew strokes his chin. He then removes his belt and hands it to Kate. "Here, beat me."

Kate rolls her eyes and sighs, "Nae… that ain't fair, beatin' a man like that. Ye got tae get me mad first! Ain't eye ever been in a bar brawl before, man? Are ye really Irish?" kate asks with a good laugh, half disbelieving.

Matthew grins. "Cork born in bread."

Joanna just kind of stares at Matthew, letting him and Kate work out their Irish business.

Logan glances to Kate, "How do you get so dirty Katey?"

Kate dead pans to Logan, "I make sweet love to the dust bunnies in the smallest corners of the ship." But her eyes are on Matthew, apparnetly saying nothing more about her joke to her old friend. She sighs to Matthew. "…Jus'… yer with the Royal Navy now. Ye got tae let go of home. Sad but true, or ye won't fit here."

Logan glances at Kate, "As long as you aren't making love to any of these sailors, I'd 'ave to beat 'em senseless."

Joanna's eyes widen a notch at Kate and she does another one of those habitual clearings of her throat. Dust bunnies, indeed. She turns to Logan, arching a brow. "Is this some matter one needs to be Irish to understand, O'Reily?"

Logan shakes his head at Joanna, "I'm basically Kates big brother."

Kate smiles to Joanna for a moment, "I need tae break his brain on occasion or he gets too comfortable and thinks he's in charge." She then winks teasingly at Logan.

Matthew sighs. He looks at Kate, "I suppose your right. I'm sorry mate." He holds out his hand to Kate.

Kate turns her eyes almost warily towards Matthew, but she does extend her hand in his direction and gives a quiet shake. "alright then. Truce, for now."

Matthew nods his head. "Right, well I'm off to go make peace with other people."

Matthew heads off Stern.

Joanna watches Matthew go, shaking her head a little, then seems to think it time to return to her own duties. "Warrant Officer," she says to Kate as a sort of farewell, before striding out of the engine room. As she goes she mutters to herself, "I will *never* understand the Irish…"

Kate nods curtly to Joanna…"Be well, ma'am… I might have tae come visit the baby soon." She states with a warm smile before disappearing back into the floor. Literally.

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