Swamped

There's only small traces of gas left in the room. The breather mask is mostly a precaution. You can probably do without it.

It's not going to work too well in a minute or so anyways with the way the rat's going at it. So you take it off and start swinging it around, in hopes of disorienting the damn thing if nothing else.

Unfortunately, there's a problem with this glaxin stuff that nobody warned you about. It smells awful, apparently even in trace amounts. You make a run for the door and thrust it open, flinging the mask aside.

You can still smell the gas. That's not good.

Rexk is staring at you as you emerge.

"What took you so long in there? And where's your mask?"

"A rat leapt onto the tube. I abandoned the mask to get rid of it." You start coughing suddenly. "Guess I'd better go see Donnie just to be safe."

"A rat?" Resk seems upset. "How do we have rats? We checked the whole ship before we left. Are they swimmers now?"

"Maybe it's a sea creature that just looks like a rat. I'll go have a look," Lex says, putting on his own mask. "Swift recovery, Sally."

He goes through the door, and you start to leave. But Resk steps in your way.

"I can't let you leave just yet."

"I've taken in gas. Not sure how much, but I can smell it. I don't have time for a lecture or whatever else you want right now."

"I'm sorry, but this is urgent."

What in the hells could he want at a time like this?

A glass of water?? Is he feeling all right?

"If you walk all the way down there, you might collapse, just like the navigator did. Best that you stay right here for now. Billie! Fetch a glass of water. Nails! Go tell Donnie to get a bed ready for another glaxin patient."

"There's a long line at Donnie's, though," you say, somewhat dazed. Is he actually worried about you?

"Right, best to pass him a note, then," Resk says, quickly pulling out a notepad and scrawling on it. He hands it to the carpenter. "There you are, Nails. Give that to Donnie so he knows to be ready. And send some strong sailors up here on your way so they can carry her."

The carpenter salutes and runs off.

"Wish we had some damn stretchers," Resk mutters. "Yeah, we've got plenty of strong sailors, but when one of those strong sailors needs to be carried, we need three or four more for that job. A good stretcher could cut that down to two. Better put Mr. Lex on that when he gets done in there."

Now you know why things seemed so off, he didn't call anyone Mr. or the like. You suppose he was just in a hurry.

Well. Seems you're stuck here for a little while, with not much to do except talk to Resk. Of course, he's not the sort to start on small talk.

Who else was at the party?

"There was a big fellow at the party who chased us out of the galley," you note. "Maybe he could help lift."

You're not particularly eager to see that sailor again, but it's the best way you can see to get on the subject of the party.

"I suppose that could be useful if the party were still going on, but it should have ended by now. I don't think Mr. Graham will be particularly easy to find compared to anyone else at this point, especially since his actual shift should be starting soon."

Graham's his name? You hadn't realized.

"You know his name? Do you know the name of every sailor here?"

"It's improper to issue an order to someone without knowing their name," he replies. "If you do that, you're telling them that you don't think they matter outside of the job they're doing for you. That sort of attitude leads to mutinies."

You wouldn't have taken him to be the sort to think like that. Then again, the way he got there is entirely in-character. All about what's proper and practical, not a hint of real compassion.

"Guess you knew everyone's name at the party, then," you say with a chuckle. "Probably didn't see anyone who was more out of place than you, of course."

You don't really expect him to respond to that, but much to your surprise, he does.

Lou. Lou was literally out of place.

"Actually, now that you mention it, Mr. Lou barely seemed to be doing anything except eating his birthday stew. Didn't see him talk to anyone. If he hadn't personally asked me to supervise, I'm not sure I would have guessed it was his party."

Now that's real interesting. Colleen said he'd asked her, too. Perhaps someone else talked Lou into having the party, whatever its purpose?

Well. Before you can think more on that, Lex comes out holding a rat.

"Can't find the mask," he says. "I did find this little pest; it was just lying dead in the middle of the floor. Guess it got too much of whatever gas is left. Or maybe it ate the whole damn mask and choked to death, I'm no expert."

"We don't have a lot of masks, Mr. Lex. But if it did eat the mask, the wizard might be able to do something about it."

"Should I go and see Wiz, then?"

"No," Resk shakes his head. "Put down the rat carcass and hand me those gloves of yours. I want you to help carry Ms. Sally to the infirmary."

At that moment, a few other sailors arrive.

"Nails said there was someone who needed to be carried, sir?" one of them asks.

"Ah, and perfect timing for that," Resk continues. "So I'll take the rat to the wizard while you all carry the patient."

Hmm. If you're in the infirmary, you won't have much chance to question Lou. The best idea you have right now is to ask Lex to do it for you.

But Resk and a bunch of other sailors are around, so you'll have to be careful in how you ask.

You could pretend like you left something at Lou's party that you need Lex to retrieve for you.

Your mind races. If you'd been at the party, you could have claimed to forget something and maybe Lou knows if it turns up.

How about when you were in the kitchen... no, that would point to asking the chef.

Wait. You weren't at the party, but you were in the galley, before they pushed you out. You could pretend to have dropped something there. But what do you...

Oh, wait. You've got it.

"Shoot! I think I dropped my hare's foot charm."

"I'm not looking for it," one of the sailors says. "Don't believe in lucky charms anyhow."

"It's not a lucky charm, it's a memento. Lex, could you look for it after dropping me off? I might have dropped it in the galley when they kicked us out, so maybe ask Lou if anyone at the party saw it."

You give just a hint of a signal. Lex nods before answering.

"Yeah, I'll look into it. You just worry about recovering. Shouldn't be too much longer before we get you to the medic."

So he got the message. He knows there's a line down there.

"You sure?" one of the other sailors asks. "I heard there was a big line forming. My brother was lucky enough to be near the front and he told me it had been stuck for half an hour."

"Well, the rest of 'em could walk," another sailor interjects. "So she probably gets priority. Hope we don't have to carry her into bed, though."

"I can walk," you protest.

"Perhaps you can, but you shouldn't," Resk replies. "It seems you all have things well in hand, so I'll go take care of my other duties. A swift recovery to you, Ms. Sally."

With that, he walks off and the sailors start carrying you away.

---

You're now Lou. Everything's gotten completely out of hand.

You were hoping one of the people you asked to help out might have figured out something was wrong, but they didn't. Not even Resk, sharp as he is.

Gods, do they really think you like the stew that much? Or that you have that many friends?

But now it's too late. They made their arrangements, and now they've given you an unpleasant task. And they've made quite clear what the consequences are if you don't cooperate.

You stare at the coded message. For the briefest of moments, you hope you read it wrong, but you go through the code again, and no.

It still says the same horrid thing.

"The ship must sink."

The ship must sink.

You wish you could ask why, at least. But you know that's not an option. Asking questions gets you in as much trouble as refusing.

And if you take too long to get started... well, they'll find out. There isn't really a way out of this, barring a miracle - and they certainly wouldn't appreciate you praying to any gods.

You open up your closet and start gathering your tools, when you hear a knock on your door.

Are they after you already?

Cautiously, you open the door and a large sailor steps in.

"Hello, Lou," he says. "The name's Lex. I had some business to take care of with the cook, but it seems your party got in the way of that."

"Terribly sorry," you say.

You're almost relieved. Maybe he realizes something's up. Maybe he can stop you!

But, no. The chance for that has passed. You'll just have to figure out how to get rid of him promptly, without raising suspicion.

"Surprised your party got such high turnout," Lex continues. "You've always been pretty quiet."

"I'm sorry, is there a reason you came to see me? Now that the party's over, I really ought to be getting back to work." You can't think of anything better than being direct.

"I guess I'm just wondering if you can tell me how I can score an invitation next year. We'll be on this ship for a while yet, you know."

"Long enough for everyone's birthday to pass. I don't know why everyone's making such a fuss over mine."

Immediately after you say it, you realize you may have said too much.

"Oh, I know. But most of the parties have been small affairs, you know? Ten people, tops. I only had three people at my own last week. You looked like you had thirty, at least."

He must suspect something's up. Too little, too late, though. If he had any idea of the real story, he wouldn't be wasting time with you.

You almost want to help him. But no - it's too late. They wouldn't have you sinking the ship if they still had work to do here.

Well, then again. If it's too late, giving him a nudge in the right direction would just get him out of your way, wouldn't it? So maybe you could drop a little hint. Got to be the right sort of hint, though, can't give away too much. Just in case someone's watching.

I might have wanted a few extra attendees this time. I had a premonition that I may not be around much longer.

"Well. You know how it is, out on the sea. We had a storm just today, could have lost someone," you say, sounding a little sad. "I suppose I just wanted to reach out to some more people than I already knew, in case something happened to me. Wanted to be remembered."

"Guess I can see that," Lex says with a shrug. "Me, I don't dwell on that sort of thing, but I can't tell you not to."

"It's not that I normally do. I suppose..." You pause awkwardly. "Nah, never mind."

"What?"

"Well, it's going to sound silly. But I had an unsettling dream a little while back. Ever since, I've just had this feeling like my time's nearly up."

Lex seems just a little bit suspicious. Then again, that's what you're aiming for.

"So you spent what you thought might be your last birthday eating stew?" he asks, somewhat skeptically.

"It wasn't about the food. It was about the people. That's all."

Lex pauses a bit before saying anything else.

Then he follows up with a question you really should have seen coming.

"So how did things go with the people, then?"

Kind of awkward, to be honest!

"Not so well. I'm usually a pretty quiet guy, keep to myself. Turns out I do that at my own party, so most of the guests just talked to each other." You shrug. "Still, could do worse than giving a bunch of people a good time together, right?"

"Doesn't seem it would make you very memorable," Lex muses.

"Well. Maybe not. But if they remember me for hosting a good party, that's something at least."

"Guess that's one way of looking at it," Lex says with a shrug. "So how'd you pick the guests? If I was going to throw a big party here, I wouldn't know where to begin."

"Well, ah..." You try your best to act embarrassed rather than worried. "I let my friends handle that part. They're more social than me, so I figured they'd have a better idea who to invite. Guess it sounds a little silly, huh?"

"Yeah," Lex agrees. He looks thoughtful. "Silly. Well, thanks."

"Not a problem! Now, if you'll excuse me, I really should be getting back to work."

"Oh, yeah, of course. Sorry to bother you with my silly questions."

They probably weren't silly at all. But at least he'll leave you alone while you deal with this damnable task.

It won't matter if he finds anything out about your "friends". You'll be done before he can do any real investigation.

Probably better for him that way, really. Going down with the ship is a great deal kinder than what they'd do if they considered him a threat.

You make your way towards the bottom of the ship, occasionally waving awkwardly as someone gives you a birthday greeting. Luckily, they don't pay you much attention - they never do.

Suddenly, you turn a corner and find Colleen standing in your way. What's she doing here?

She's got a printed pamphlet!

The first thing you notice is that she's got a pamphlet in hand. Fortunately, you can see at a glance that it's one of the decoys, the ones that were safe to let Resk see. But even those were only supposed to go to the actual attendees. It's a bit worrying that she got one.

"Lou!" she exclaims suddenly. "What are you doing down here? Goodness me, am I actually getting some help with the cleaning down here for once?"

"Cleaning?" you ask, confused. "If you're cleaning, where's your supplies? You look like you're just standing around."

"Just down the hall. I'm not quite ready to start. But if you're here for that, you really should have brought your own mop..."

Hells, she's easy to read. She knows full well you aren't supposed to be down here and she's trying to figure out why. Though you aren't sure where the pamphlet fits in.

How should you deal with this?

You're just stretching your legs. It's too uncomfortable topside with the seas, weather, and beasts.

"Yeah, well, I'm not quite ready to get to work yet either. Between the storm and the beast attack, I just don't feel comfortable going outside yet. Plus, after the party, I'm not particularly feeling up for being around a lot of people."

"So that's why you came all the way down here?" Colleen asks. "Because you weren't feeling very sociable? Well, I'm not going to blab on you to the officers about it, but I don't think they're going to appreciate that explanation when they find out you aren't where you're supposed to be."

She stuffs the pamphlet in a pocket.

"So I take it the party didn't go too well, then?"

You shrug.

"Not really sure how I was expecting it to go. The planning got away from me a little."

"Sort of figured that from the pamphlet. Doesn't seem like the sort of thing one normally hands out at birthday parties." She laughs a little.

"That part was my idea, actually. It's just that we invited more people than I expected."

"Not enough, if you ask me," she replies. "Not that I'm hurt that I only got door duty. Just, I feel like you'd need a lot more sailors for a strike to be effective."

Well, it hadn't been about striking until they decided they needed a cover story. Still, you have an idea for how to explain this away.

"It's not like we're planning to strike tomorrow. This was more about setting up for it, sharing the plan with people we trust. And giving Resk a heads-up about it so he can tell the officers we're not planning a mutiny."

"I can believe you're not planning one," she says. "Not so sure about some of your partygoers, though."

"Yeah, the guest list got away from me a bit," you say apologetically.

"Well, you'd best be getting back to work soon. I should, too. Figure I'll be down here for a couple of hours, nobody likes to clean this place so it's always real nasty when I get to it."

Hmm. You need to go further this way, but if she's around, she might catch you. And you implied you were going outside, which would make it strange if you went down any of the corridors leading deeper in.

How should you handle this?

A gentle bonk on the ol' noggin ought to put her to sleep.

Act like you're just pacing and taking a different exit, but wait until she goes for her supplies before you go in deeper.

You hear something buzzing in the distance.

It's faint, but to you, very recognizable. It means they think you're taking too long.

No time for subtlety, then. You remove your pouch from your belt and toss it at her. While she's reeling from the surprise, you slip behind her and whack her on the head.

She sinks to the ground. You feel awful.

There's no real chance she makes it to a lifeboat in time. Damn, damn, damn!

But you don't have time to stand around here dwelling on it. You've got a ship to sink.

---

You're now Lex.

You had a hunch Lou was just a pawn in whatever was going on. Always a quiet sort, but friendly enough when you worked with him.

And you're currently talking with Graham, who pushed you out before. He's quite apologetic about that.

"Just doin' what I was asked," he says. "If I'd been thinkin' right, I woulda asked Mr. Resk about lettin' you see the cook."

"And who asked you to keep us out?" you ask.

"Well, it was Lou who asked me to manage guests. I was a little surprised, since I only sorta knew him. But when I got here, he barely said a word to me. Just thanked me for coming and then walked off."

"So he didn't explain what you were supposed to do?"

Graham shakes his head.

"Then who did?"

Rebecca??

"Well, kind of funny thing, it was Ms. Rebecca. Didn't know Lou knew someone that important."

You give him a harsh look.

"Don't mess with me. Ms. Rebecca's been unconscious in the infirmary for some time now. Since around the end of the storm."

"Really?" He seems surprised. "Well... she didn't have her usual coat, now that I think about it, and she didn't actually tell me her name. Figured she was just being less formal for a party, but maybe it was just someone who looked like her. Don't know every face on this ship, after all."

Hmm. Maybe, but you find it hard to believe that somebody could look like her without drawing attention. Unless this mystery sailor doesn't normally let her hair down, perhaps.

Seems a hard lead to chase down, though, even if it is an intriguing one. Perhaps you can try to get more information about the "Rebecca" he saw? Or maybe another line of questioning entirely would be more productive.