Quoted By:
Some of the ships can be refloated, but there’s no way for all of them to sail once again. If not for damage sustained in the Scouring, then corrosion over time made their hulls unseaworthy. At best, most would be consigned to the roaring fires of the industrial district, melted down and given new life as raw materials. Base metals are at an all-time premium, and the Megiddan Empire charges hand over fist for premium Rocky Mountain steel, zinc, iron and tungsten.
It would be a terrible shame to the reef that’s come to flourish in the graveyard. Cousteau and Bird would have wept at the destruction that the salvage effort would cause. If not outright taken up arms. But that’s what the Teeth are for, mad bastards all. And as opposed you are to that group of eco/Luddite terrorists, you can at least understand their perspective.
But sentimentality’s going to have to take a backseat. Orders are orders, and you’ve got a mountain debt to pay to an affable oil mogul.
Even after each prize has been divvied up by eight, you’ll still walk away with a sizable amount to the debt. One part to the organizers who authorized the expedition (Stolze and Babylonia). One part to the captain (Elishani). One part divided among the commissioned officers (Geary), one part divided among warrant officers (Holt, Kwan, Aalto). Two shares divided among the regular crew…
…leaving two shares to the frogmen, divers and PUEXO pilots who tagged and recovered the salvage.
Best of all? Rich as all the salvage is, the graveyard’s chump change compared to whatever’s in the <span class="mu-i">Olympia</span>.
Firing your thrusters, you jet atop the deck of a cargo hauler, bearing the name <span class="mu-i">Caribbean Courier</span> in half-stripped and faded paint on its side. The metal groans upon impact, but mercifully doesn’t give way beneath the <span class="mu-i">Magellan’s</span> weight. You ignore the containers that’ve been ripped open or otherwise compromised, opting instead to tag what your sensors read as remaining air and watertight.
Out of curiosity, you peer towards an open container on the other side of the deck, magnifying your viewfinder to inspect its contents…
“…washing machines,” analyzes HOPI.
Another container reports…thoroughly waterlogged mattresses. The one next to it reveals assorted tires via a gouge in its side. And many more containing the most diverse range of goods that you’ve ever seen, running the gamut from car parts and toys, TV sets and shoes. Sadly, no smartphone or high-technological end containers, or at least ones that are readily visible. At least two marks after shares.
But the true prize lies within the <span class="mu-i">Courier’s</span> hull. Forty long tons of steel cover up the hold where the Scouring was (hopefully) unable to compromise the seals of the containers therein. Frustratingly, the ship didn’t break on the way down and give you an easy way in. You’ll have to cut through or force it open, both of which have their own challenges to overcome.
(cont.)
