Page 42 - Click on page above to goto the next page. -- First Seen: 2009-12-02

This is a preview of: Phoebus Krumm

The Transcript For This Page

PANEL ONE (small panel inset into Panel 2)

Krumm points to an outer wall where stairs (known in nautical
jargon as the 'ladder') lead to the next deck, above.

Krumm: 'Shall we, gentlebeings?'

Demondion-Echeverria: 'Must we, Captain?'

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PANEL TWO (middle third of page)

The lower gundeck (of three: the liftdeck, the orlop (or cabelle
tier) above it, the open maindeck, and the superstructure above it do
not count). It's still dark, but the predominant color is red, so
that, in the heat and smoke of battle, crewmembers will know where
they are. Krumm and party walk around the mast and cross the deck's
center, headed toward the steep stairs (hereinafter, the ladder) at
the back and to one side. There's an oval door in the mast and
elevator buttons beside it.

The weapons are large, and arranged around the outer
circumference of the deck. The gunports consist of 'windows' a yard
square and made of some weird material -- like big sheets of mica.

A starsailing ship's guns are called 'projectibles'. Like the
personal thrustibles (and the Coordinated Arm's force projectors),
they create a unidirectional pulse of kinetic energy, 'violating'
Newton's laws in the same way that starsailing ship's #-field
separates mass from inertia. It's the basic technology of the era.

A ship's projectible is a matte black sphere six feet in diameter,
and appears to be made from cast iron (it is not). Its business end is
a boss, or raised disk on the surface of the sphere perhaps six inches
thick and nine or ten inches in diameter. It's integral with the body
of the projecteur, fabricated as a part of it. (All joints and joins
on this device are summarized by graceful curves.) It is not situated
on the 'equator' of the sphere, but above it (its bottom edge touches
this midpoint) so that the projectible is always pointing upward, at
about a 30 degree angle. Covering the outer end of the boss is a large
'lens' like those on thrustibles, nearly as large in diameter as the
boss itself. Not fully hemispherical, it represents only about the top
quarter of a sphere.

On the back of the projectible, there is a circular access port --
it _is_ on the equator -- perhaps a foot in diameter and flush with
the weapon's surface, with an inset handle that turns so the weapon
can be opened and operated or serviced.

The base or pedestal of the projectible is also integral, a short
conical section the very bottom of which is the same diameter as the
sphere, but tapering about a foot upward at about a 45 degree angle.
Each projectible has been given a name by its crew, painted crudely on
the base. Names range widely: 'Thunderer', 'Deathmaker', 'Cuddles',
'Sweet Annabelle', 'Foe-Hammer', 'Pooky'. When the ship is fully
crewed, people on the gundecks will sleep between the projectibles,
often resting their heads on the pedestals.

Demondion-Echeverria (electric, panting): 'Hunh, hunh, why can't we
just use the interdeck lift?'

Krumm (electric): 'No power yet.'

Tarrant (electric): 'And the Baker wants a look at his new kitchen.'





PANEL THREE (middle third)

The middle gundeck. Krumm and company are just coming up the
ladder from below. Projectibles and silence. It's still dim, but the
basic color is orange.

Many of the same features as the previous deck. Due to the taper
of the hull, there's a little more room here. Show an oval door with a
plaque above it that says 'Steam Launch'.

Tarrant (electric): 'Third floor, wagon axles, tire irons, and ladies'
unmentionables.'

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PANEL FOUR (bottom third of page)

The upper gundeck. The basic color is yellow. Far at the opposite
side of the room, the three men have just started up the next ladder.

Demondion-Echeverria (electric): 'Do you think anyone can tell these
colors apart in the heat of battle?'

Tarrant (electric): 'No one can tell their _hands_ apart in the heat
of battle, but it's worth a try.'

Krumm (electric): 'In extremis, your body will do as you've _trained_
it to do. That's why we'll spend the entire voyage on drills.'

Tarrant (electric): 'Oh joy.'