[h1]Episode 2 Finale Part 2 - Net Gains[/h1]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/t2w0g4b.jpg[/img]

JP/Collab by [@wanderingwolf], [@Aalakrys], [@Gunther], [@Xandrya], and [@sail3695]
(Parts for Rex Black written by sail3695 in the author’s absence.)

Sam patched through the feed, and Penelope was starting to feel mighty spoiled by having an assistant on hand. If she were the sort to worry, the AI’s ability to function without command might be a bit peturbing, but weren’t no concern of hers.What was her concern was the message playin’ and what it meant.

[b][i]”China Doll, China Doll, this is Morning Light.  We see you approaching to our West.  We’re laying across the wind to keep our masts and crane clear of your hawser.  Point your nose to about two-ninety degrees and you should steady up fair nice, copy?”[/i][/b]

“Copy.” Penelope responded, figuring Sam was transmitting again for her. “Linin’er up.”

“Estimations show windspeed ranging between 20 to 30 miles per hour with gusts in no discernable pattern.” Sam supplied as Penelope watched the gauges, navigating to the sweet spot after flipping the thrusters as the AI continued to provide statistics. “The fishing vessel is ‘pitching’ on waves topping at 6’.”

“Rollin’, Sam - if they were pitchin’ this would be a different number.” Penelope said just before falling into an old habit of pressin’ her tongue to her canine as she found the rhythm of the waves. That was more predictable. Gusts would have to be improvised by her arm-strength, or the steadiness of them anyway. 

Instead of continuing the conversation, Sam played the incoming transmission: [b][i]”Good to go, China Doll.  Lower your net.”[/i][/b]

“‘s time to cut in, Cap’n.” Penelope radioed Cal. “Cargo’s waitin’.”

After a moment, Captain Strand’s voice replied, “Copy, that. Keep ‘er steady; don’t want Rex to take a dip,” his comm was still on, but he paused, “Though I reckon it’d be a might funny to see from up here, outside of rifle range,” replied Cal, a smirk in his voice.

Joe had a good view of the water below. He could see the First Mate clinging to the cargo netting. He could see the ship below. The waves were rolling pretty good now, maybe six foot swells. He began working the winch lowering the netting and Mr. Black towards the waiting fishing vessel below.

Rex descended from the ship’s belly toward the fishing boat.  China Doll wasn’t hovering much higher than the tips of the radio masts on Morning Light, but still, rolling as she was in waves that smacked her side, she still looked like a mighty small target to hit.  Below, two deckhands reached up with gaffs, looking to capture the cargo net and guide him in.  When he finally set down, it was with a tough bump as the deck rose up to finish the trip.  The First Mate held on until he could make a reasonable show of having his sea legs.  

Once steadied, he unclipped both the cargo net and his harness.  The deckhands laid the net flat, and set to work shoving the first heavy tub onto its’ center.  Rex watched the work, until the tap of a hand to his shoulder distracted him.  The man he turned to face was huge, a tower of ebon flesh and muscle.  “You got somethin’ for me?”

He answered with a wink, and the withdrawal of a cash pouch from his jacket.  The payment thuis transferred, Morning Light’s First Mate gave a thumb’s up to his deckhands.  “Welcome aboard the Morning Light.  Pleasure doing business.”

Once the first tub was secured, Rex reattached the net.  With a thumb’s up signal of his own, he stood back to watch the first load rise upward.  

When he received the signal from the first mate, he began bringing the netting back up into the ship. Then he would angle it over to one of the locations to store the fish during the trip to Greenleaf. He repeated the process several times as the hoist lowered to the fishing vessel and then back up into the cargo holds to store the fish for the trip.

Rex chose the seventh load…”lucky seven”...to make his trip back to the boat.  Morning Light’s deckhands knew the drill.  He could count on them to handle setting up the final load themselves.  The job had gone pretty smoothly so far, a thought he regretted the instant it crossed his mind.  He had no business tempting fate like that.  Still, luck shone through as he rode up into China Doll.

As Hook, Rex, and Cal sorted each batch of fish into their respective corners of the bay, Cal saw Rex readying himself to take the last plunge for the final payload. “Hold on, now. Got something special for Captain Nguyen to celebrate our mutually beneficial relationship on such short notice.” Strand produced a bottle of bourbon with a holographic label from a compartment under the cargo bay stair and held it out to Rex. Bottle in hand, Rex nodded in a flourishing toast before stepping onto the netting. Hook lowered him down to the fishing vessel below.

On the final trip, the hoist started to sputter and yaw making all sort of noises. The First Mate would have felt the netting jerk and tug then stop halfway up to the [i]China Doll[/i]. “Captain! Somethings wrong with this thing?” Joe yelled to Captain Strand. He stopped the system so it wouldn’t put any unnecessary force on the hoist. Then he climbed up the arm to wear the cables were and found it was bound up slightly. “May need to lower him back down to fix this.”

The whole gig was going swimmingly until this hitch, “Check the winch, Joe. I’ll hold ‘er tight down here,” Captain Strand said, swapping sides of the hoist with Hook. “Look out below!” Cal bellowed down to Rex.

Joe clambered back down to the deck and yelled, “Mistah Black! I need to lower you agin. The cable is bound up!” He then returned to the seat and tried to lower the cable. At first it did not want to go, but the weight of the fish helped get it back to the fishing vessel below. Once the weight was off the cable, he climbed back up with a prybar and was able to loosen the cable enough so it would move freely over the pulley.

The First Mate responded with a wave.  “Winch problem,” he told Darius, his counterpart on Morning Light.  “I could use a Wench problem right now.  By the way,” he pulled the bourbon from his coat.  “Captain Strand sends his compliments.”

He returned to the bombay door. “Ok Mistah Black! Ready to lift you agin!” He jumped into the hoist seat and was able to bring the sixth load of fish up into the cargo bay and deposit it into its space. “That should do it, Captain,” Joe responded with some finality.

After a handshake for Darius, Rex clipped his harness to the hawser once again.  He didn’t bother looking up to gauge his progress.  Not about to tempt the fates a second time.

Cal gripped Rex’s forearm with his own as he hoisted his first mate the last step up into the China Doll. “Almost lost you to the soup, there; thought I might have to write your epitaph: ‘The ugly duckling who took a swan dive.’”

*******************To Be Continued******************