The plane roared past, fast and low, propellers chewing the air as it buzzed the crowd of people gathered on the foredeck of the [i]Garrloch[/i]. Armas looked up, his oilskin whipping wildly in the wind, grinning as the pilot gave the plane a jaunty shimmy as they brought it around to the landing pad. He'd known the [i]Garrloch[/i] was going to be carrying some kind of aircraft - that much was obvious from the scuttlebutt and the design of the aft-deck - but he thought it was a helicopter, not anything like that! 

He was just moving closer to get a better look when he heard a shouted [b]"Oi!"[/b] from behind him. Turning, he saw Captain Conway coming up the gangplank. Apparently the last of the passengers and crew had finally arrived. Armas had talked to the Captain a couple of times since he'd first arrived at sea level; when he'd first arrived, and before and after a couple of his inspection dives for the man's new ship. Conway launched into a typically blunt speech about the dangers of their upcoming voyage. As the Captain started barking orders, it was apparent he didn't intend to waste any more time. Looks like they were finally ready to get going.

Armas followed Aric towards the aft deck of the ship at a slow jog. Horns and bells sounded, and the deck started vibrating, as deep below the giant engine that was the heart of the ship ticked over and started rumbling with a deep purr. All along the ship dock-hands were untying the mooring lines and throwing them aboard. As he got to the aft-deck the pilot and Aric were folding the planes wings back along the fuselage, and he gave a low appreciative whistle before helping them push the craft into the tiny aircraft hangar. The pilot thanked them and left the hangar, going deeper into the ship. Armas grabbed a couple of bundles of rope from a locker and threw one to Aric, taking the other and starting to tie the plane down with quick, practiced motions. It didn't take the two of them long to secure the plane, but by the time he exited onto the aft deck it was already raining as they approached The Ring.

Moving towards the fore of the ship, he could see flashes of lightning in the storm clouds ahead, and the sea around them was getting rougher by the second. [b]"Looks like we're in for a spot of weather!"[/b] he said to a nearby crewman, who chuckled grimly. [b]"Let's get below![/b] Armas called, raising his voice slightly over the sounds of the wind and rain, [b]"This is gonna get worse before it gets better"[/b]. The crewman, Bronson, by his name patch, nodded in agreement and the two men headed for a hatch below decks. It was a relief to get out of the rain as they secured the hatch behind them.

Suddenly there was a mighty crash, and the world tilted to one side as the boat lurched suddenly. Armas fell heavily against the side of passageway, gripping onto the hatch for support. Bronson wasn't so lucky. Caught off-guard he went stumbling, arms windmilling as he tried to regain control. With a sudden cry cut short he tripped over a raised lip and went tumbling down a short ladder, landing with a heavy thump and an audible crack. 

Armas cursed violently, moving towards the top of the stairs. Bronson was still moving, stirring at the bottoms of the ladder, clutching his arm in pain. [b]"Don't move! Coming down!"[/b] Armas barked, carefully gripping the ladder as he descended, wary of any repeat waves. The fall hadn't been very far, but the other man had landed awkwardly, taking his weight on one arm. Armas carefully rolled him onto one side, checking for any other injuries.

[b]"All in all, I'd say you got lucky"[/b] he said, somewhat grimly [b]"Just the arm, by the looks - come on, lets get you to sickbay"[/b]. Bronson nodded, extending his good arm as Armas helped him to his feet. Putting his arm around the injured crewmen to help him they started making their way through the rocking ship. Armas already knew the location of the sickbay from a previous visit - a nasty scald from a hot engine, so it didn't take too long to get through the maze of the ship's corridors. Helping Bronson through the sickbay hatch he looked around for anyone medical-looking [b]"Gotcha first patient!"[/b]