ALBA

by HL TRUSLOVE

  “What about you?” she asks, eventually. “What’s your story?”

  You tell her about coming here from the Seed Vault and the journey over the water. You talk of the camp and the storm, and getting separated from everyone you knew.

  “Ah, you’re with Fanon’s camp,” she says with a raised eyebrow, slurping from a mug of tea that’s been brought to her.

  “You know Fanon?” you ask.

  “I’ve had… run-ins with his daughter,” she chuckles, choosing her words carefully. Yes, from what you knew of Mari, that seemed about right for her. “Mostly we stay out of each other’s way.”

  You go to ask another question, but instead are overtaken with a yawn which you didn’t expect. Morag laughs at your shocked expression and claps a hand on your shoulder.

  “It’s getting late, you know. We’ve talked the day away. You’re welcome to stay the night in here on the spare bedroll. If there’s anything you want to do, feel free to do it – I’d better go and let the guards know you’re welcome.”

  “You’ve been very kind, Morag,” you confess, and she smiles.

  “We’ve got to show each other kindness, love, or else we’re no better than the beasts.”

  With that she disappears into the camp.

  Add Duck Curtain (F.11) to your notebook.

  Add Morag (E.2) to your character sheet.

  Hang with the kid – Turn to 6.26, Needs Talk to Boy.

  * * *

  Investigate papers – Turn to 6.25, Needs Power Plant Files.

  * * *

  If you want to rest for the night – Turn to 6.24.

  6.8

  “You’re a doctor?” asks the girl, speaking up. Her voice makes you jump but you nod, happy to have a reason to get on with the villagers.

  “Yes, of a kind. I know medicine.”

  “Come on, we’ll have a use for you after all,” she says, gesturing for you to get to your feet. You do so, though you struggle, as the boy is still holding a spear to you at all times. With your pack strapped back on, you follow the girl into the bowels of the ship.

  It’s a dark and slippery descent – it seems even though the villagers have a way to cross the water and keep mostly dry, living on the ship does have its downfalls. The girl checks every now and then that you’re keeping up with her as she leads you through labyrinthine rooms, full of old, strange furniture and machinery you long to study more.

  Eventually, you’re led into a small chamber a floor down, guarded by the only working door you’ve seen on the vessel so far. It creaks open and you realise why you’ve been brought here.

  It’s a sick bay. About five people are sitting on little makeshift cots, pallid and breathing heavily. A young woman runs between them with a mask on her face to shield her from germs, but she looks tired and in dire need of rest. She looks up at your group for a moment and furrows her brow.

  “Who’s this?” she asks, her voice coarse and giving away her tiredness.

  “Outsider. Doctor,” the girl guard says by way of explanation. A spear at the back pushes you forward into the room and towards the doctor.

  “We don’t know what’s wrong with them,” she explains, “they came back from a trading trip a couple of weeks ago like this.”

  You squat by one of the patients and open your first aid kit, running the few tests you’re able to. The three watch you with rapture until you turn back.

  “They have the flu,” you explain. The doctor lets out a long sigh.

  “Is there anything you can do for them?”

  You consider everything. There’s a chance you could try to nurse the patients back to health, but you’ve no idea how long it would take you. There’s also the added fact that some of them might fight off the virus and make it through on their own, and you’re not sure being here would even help that much.

  “I’m sorry, there’s nothing I can do.” – Turn to 6.21.

  * * *

  “Fine, but I’ll need your help.” – Turn to 6.16.

  6.9

  The boy looks scared and his companion raises an eyebrow at your answer. You sling the rifle from over your back into your hands and allow them to inspect it. The boy looks utterly fascinated and you wonder if he’s ever seen a gun before. Given the sort of weapon he carries with him, you’d guess not.

  He seems to remember himself and pulls back, a guarded look on his face.

  “Have you… come from the raiders?” he asks, carefully.

  “I answer to no one.” – Turn to 6.17.

  * * *

  “No, but I want to meet them.” – Turn to 6.18.

  * * *

  “No, I need to find my people.” – Turn to 6.19.

  6.10

  “You don’t look much like a trader. Or if you are, it’s for worthless items,” the boy muses, poking your pack with his foot. You frown and snatch it up, pulling it back onto you.

  “Maybe to your untrained eyes,” you sniff, not liking the way he’s talking to you. The boy senses the challenge in your voice and instead of backing down he puffs up at you.

  “No, what are you really? A scavenger? Or are you a raider?”

  “I’m a scavenger of sorts.” – Turn to 6.17.

  * * *

  “Where are these raiders?” – Turn to 6.18.

  6.11

  “Look, I don’t want any trouble,” you say, and are met with a spear at your nose.

  “Likely story. Sneaking onboard the ship, being an… outsider.” He flounders for a way to make his claim seem reasonable, and the girl behind him rolls her eyes.

  “Honestly, I mean you no harm. I was just looking for the people I was travelling with. Besides, I’m only one person – what do you think I was going to do, storm the place by myself?”

  As much as he’d like to, the boy can’t argue with your logic, so backs down reluctantly.

  “Fine. We’ll take you to our chief. She’ll know what to do with you,” he says. The girl begins to walk towards one of the open doors and gestures for you to follow her, which you do, with a spear at your back and a sigh held in your throat.

  Turn to 6.7.

  6.12

  Even though you aren’t outnumbered now, you know you soon will be. With a long sigh you throw the spear to the side to indicate you aren’t going to cause any more harm.

  The girl takes advantage of this and, with surprising strength, dashes forward and plants one foot squarely in your chest. There’s such force behind it you’re shoved backwards and when you fail to catch your balance you feel yourself falling – she’s just kicked you off of the ship.

  The air rushes past your ears as you go down and the water is both painful and a shock. You’re lucky there’s enough of it to cushion your landing.

  You see the girl’s face sticking out over the side, furious.

  “Go and return to the folk in the south, scavenger. If we see you again you’ll get more than thrown off the ship.”

  With that she retreats and you’re left alone in the water, dripping wet and thoroughly humiliated.

  END.

  Add Instability to your character sheet.

  Add Scavenger Village (Chapter 9, L.9) to map.

  6.13

  You reach back and launch the spear at the girl, but she’s quick, nimbly dodging out of the way as it clutters ineffectually to the ground behind her. She draws the dagger from her belt and launches herself at you, pushing you off of her companion and onto the ground.

  She goes to bring the knife down into your chest but your hand shoots up and grabs her wrist. She grunts in frustration and still tries to force the attack, she trying to plunge the blade into your ribs, you trying to stay her hand.

  Luckily, your battle of strength means she’s wholly distracted. You throw up your other arm, forcing the meat of your palm hard into her nose. She yelps and falls back, dropping the knife to clutch at where blood is now dripping down her face. You think you have the upper hand when you feel something painful clamp onto yo
ur leg. It’s the boy – he’s got up and he’s biting you. You try and kick him off but he latches on harder and you throw your head back and howl.

  “What’s going on here?!”

  The three of you stop and look to the voice. There’s a trio of villagers, armed and looking a lot more competent with their weapons than these kids did.

  “Outsider came onboard and attacked us,” says the girl, wiping her broken nose on her sleeve and leaving a trail of blood up her forearm.

  You don’t have time to react before the three new guards are restraining you. You kick and resist but it’s three against one and you’re injured – you struggle but are powerless to stop yourself from being shoved into a little side room and having a door locked on you. There’s no window and no light, so all you can do is sit in darkness until they come to a decision.

  Turn to 6.20.

  6.14

  A second thought never crosses your mind as you bring the spear down into the boy’s neck. From under you he looks shocked, as if he didn’t think you’d actually do it, and blood bubbles up from his mouth and drips down to the floor. You hear the female guard scream, but your eyes never leave your victim as the life drains from him.

  You’re thrown backwards as the girl jumps on you, desperately trying to stab you with a knife locked in her hand. She’s not used it much, you can see how strange and unwieldy it is to her – it’s simple enough to grab her wrist and restrain her. Then you bring your head up and crack it into her nose and you feel her warm blood dripping down your face from the impact. She screams and falls away, so you jump after her, pinning her down with your weight and pummelling her face with your fists.

  You only stop when you’re ripped off of her by strong arms. Three guards have arrived in the commotion and hold you tightly, forcing you to stop your barrage. The girl sobs in pain on the floor as you’re shoved away and thrown into a small, dark room. Though you can’t see in the darkness, you hear the sound of a deadbolt being locked.

  Add Cruelty to your character sheet.

  * * *

  Turn to 6.20.

  6.15

  “Oh, a mechanic?” asks the boy.

  “Yes, I suppose. I know how machines work, anyway,” you state.

  “You know, Charlie was looking for some help in the back…” the boy says to the girl. She mulls this over and then nods, gesturing for you to follow her.

  With little other choice, you allow the girl to lead you through the ship.

  It’s dark and rusted in here, the only light for most of it being what little trickles in through where metal plates have worn away. Your footsteps echo loudly on the steel at your feet. You worry it might give out at any moment and send you hurtling down into… well, you have no idea what’s on the decks below. Jagged metal spikes? Flooded chambers? You’d hate to find out that way.

  After a little bit of walking, you’re led outside again, to the side of the ship you couldn’t see before. Your eyes widen as you take in the scene.

  It looks like a filtration system. At least, a much more primitive, cobbled-together version of the ones you had back in the vault. Its pieces are mismatched and look like they’ve been taken from other machines rather than made for this one, and there’s a man grunting as he tries to tighten something with an old spanner.

  “Charlie!” shouts the boy, and the man jumps and turns. He has a thick grey beard which blends into his mane of hair, making him look like some sort of overgrown badger. He frowns at you and waves a gloved hand at them.

  “Dinnae need ya antics now, boy. Piss off.”

  “No, Charlie. This outsider is a mechanic. They can help fix the water.”

  He stops at that, and runs his eyes slowly up and down you. You feel incredibly uncomfortable but stand still, allowing him to take you in.

  “Aye, a’right. Come on then, ya wee bairn. Come ’n have a look at this gadget.”

  He waves you over to come and inspect the water filter.

  You spend the next few hours out there, diagnosing the root of the problem and then fixing it with your superior tools. It’s a shame you don’t have access to better supplies; it seems to be a series of small problems that could be fixed by replacing the parts. Given what you have, you have to make do with patching it up as best you can. Charlie and the female guard watch you inquisitively, but the boy stays on his toes at all times, spear in his hand and a steady eye on you.

  Eventually, you jump down, covered in sweat and grease, wiping your brow on your coat.

  “Give that a go,” you say, and Charlie wanders over to a control panel. His fingers fly over the buttons and there’s a worrying clanking noise as the machine tries to whirr to life, followed by a low hum which Charlie claps his hands together at.

  “Ah, you’re a miracle worker!” he laughs, slapping a hand on your back in a show of camaraderie. You smile, genuinely proud of the work you’ve done here. “Wish we had more of you about, eh?”

  What you ask next is a long shot, but you ask anyway.

  “I’m, erm, I’m looking for my group. Have you seen anyone travel by who’s like… well, like me?”

  Charlie’s face falls and he shakes his head with an honest sadness.

  “No, sorry. Jus’ you from the outside.”

  “Ah, well,” you sigh, trying not to let the disappointment show.

  Charlie seems reluctant to let this end on a sour note, so asks, “Have ya tried the city? Lotsa people there, may have your folk in it too?”

  Hmm. Yes, that’s probably worth a try. Maybe your group tried to seek out a bit of civilisation? It seems something to investigate at least.

  “Thank you, I’ll go there,” you say, and Charlie beams.

  “And eh, chuck, you can always come back an’ work for ol’ Charlie!” he beams, and you laugh.

  The guards escort you back to the side of the ship and watch you leave. The boy seems calmer now – Charlie’s stamp of approval seems to have put his mind at ease. You wave them goodbye as you head away from the ship, at least with a new lead to follow.

  END.

  Add Charlie the Mechanic (E.4) to your character sheet.

  Add Ship’s Token (O.23) to your inventory.

  Add Compassion to your character sheet.

  Add Bridge (Chapter 11, L.11) and The Raid (Chapter 7, L.7) to the map.

  6.16

  You end up there for longer than you expected. You must have stayed for a few days at least, you and the doctor toiling over the sick, looking after them as best you can. At first you work in silence, both a bit distrustful of the other, but eventually you begin to talk – you find out her name is Naomi, and that she was left to take over the medical care of the ship after the previous doctor passed suddenly from a heart failure. She’s working non-stop, and is constantly exhausted. You tell her of your camp being disrupted and trying to find your group, and of all the little adventures you’ve had. She listens to your stories, enraptured.

  Though the guards watch you for a while, eventually they realise you’re more interested in making sure the patients are safe than killing everyone and looting, so they only check in on you occasionally. You even become friendly with them, after a while. Well, at the very least, the boy isn’t always pointing his spear at you.

  After much concentrated, hard work the patients begin to get better, coming back to themselves. They seem nervous an outsider has been treating them, but Naomi reassures them everything is fine, you’re the best assistant she’s ever had (you’re also the only assistant she’s ever had, given what she’s told you, but you let it slide).

  You talk to the patients about yourself to let them feel more at ease around you, and it’s during that time one of them asks if you’ve tried the city to look for your lost companions. You haven’t, and decide that once they’re better, you’ll head out.

  One night everyone in the sick bay is eating together, doctors and patients alike, with food your guard friends have brought to you. You really have made a huge difference
here. Naomi reaches out suddenly and takes your hand, and you almost drop your bowl.

  “Do you need to leave? You could stay here and be a doctor. You could do good,” she asks. You sigh, because it’s tempting – stay in this comfortable place and actually put your skills to use, or go back into the wide world to find your group?

  “I’m sorry,” you say in response, and although she nods, she can’t hide the sadness on her face.

  The next day you leave before Naomi wakes. You don’t want to say goodbye to her. It will hurt you both to drag it out. And besides, the flu patients are better; there’s no reason to stay any more.