Thread by @LetsPlayHistory

Let's continue our story of the "The Kaiser's Last Raider: Exploits of the notorious Wolf". 🚢🐺🏴‍☠️

If you haven't read "Episode One: Relief", read the thread below to keep up with Cpt. Jon and the Wolf's adventures.
#boardgames #rpg #adventure #wargames #narrative #ww1

https://twitter.com/LetsPlayHistory/status/1607779867143340032

Episode Two: Odyssey 📝

2nd Officer @JohnLyn83159113 scratched his beard. What was the Old Man up to? Why had they returned to the Gulf of Aden after encountering Admiral Sturdee in these waters not long ago? He didn't know. Captain @hexandcountdown didn't always tell the crew.

In fact, most of the time he didn't. 1st Officer @OberstWKlink had the privilege of knowledge, and this suspicious @Johkmil, of whom nobody really knew what his role on board of the Wolf actually was, often seemed to know things even before the captain did.

Anyway, they were here now, and the 2nd Officer made sure to pull himself out of his thoughts and search the horizon for potential contacts.
The sea was calm when @Tasten_hauer, the ship's Radio Operating Officer, hurried along the deck to find @Johkmil somewhere at the stern.

The agent of the Abteilung III b read the message the radioman had scribbled on a piece of paper. He halted. His code book provided only half of the necessary decryption key. He climbed the steep stairs to the bridge to confer with Cpt. Jon. The latter provided the necessary code

referring to his Kreuzerhandbuch. The message that had been sent from the German intelligence network in Ottoman Arabia directed the Wolf to the Keeling Islands and Australian coast to collect further information from resident partisans of the Kaiserreich.

Note: The rules call for having the objective face up from the beginning to allow prepartion. I'm house ruling that the objective remains face down until the ship enters the objective space or an Obj. Intel has been conducted after the objective's location has been identified.

A few weeks had passed since the rendezvous with Zeppelin 59 off the South African shore. The Wolf had since sailed back north along the coast, picking up some additional Maxim machine guns in the previously German colonies which were now under British occupation.

Chief-Engineer @Hethwill_Khan slowly walked through the engine room, closely monitoring the cylinder strokes and oiling bits and pieces on his way. The machine mates kept the boys in the coal bunker shoveling all day, and the Wolf made good 10 knots.

The moon shed its light across the Indian Ocean as the Wolf cut through the waves. 2-O @JohnLyn83159113 walked the deck, when suddenly @playersaidblog, one of the veteran crewmen of his watch, noticed an unusual noise humming through the breeze ...

The buzzing sound became more destinctive in the melange of sounds created by wind, waves, stomping engines, and beating hearts. The two stood amazed, wondering whether to turn on the searchlights, while the buzz became clearly audible, eventually drowning out everything else.

Pilot @mcribbHistory stumbled onto the deck. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes he joined @JohnLyn83159113 and @playersaidblog gazing into darkness. He rose his troubled view to the sky. It wasn't the usual engine sound, not of one plane, not of a JaSta. Could this really be it?

"Shouldn't we call everybody on battlestations?", @playersaidblog asked, but @JohnLyn83159113 stood in silence, shuddering as he felt unnaturally cold for a moment. The whole ship seemed to be vibrating under the hum. Together with the calm rolling through the sea and the beating

engine, it appeared to him as if the ship was strangely shaking.
It was @mcribbHistory who ripped the moment apart. There had been rumors. Rumors spread fast between sailors. Rumors of an extraordinary weapon employed by the Entente. One that would put the ship at risk.

The sea-plane's pilot grasped the initiative and indicated to switch all remaining lights off. The Wolf continued eastwards, as the strange noise in the sky began to fade out until the waves and the ship's engine were everything to be heard through the night again.

The episode had only lasted a few minutes, but those few had felt like an eternity. Eventually, Cpt. @hexandcountdown, 1-O @OberstWKlink and the agent made their appearance on deck, having been woken up by the noise. "Do you think that was the thing?", @Johkmil asked the pilot.

The other one gave him a brief, but grave look. He sighed, then nodded. "Druk Gyaltsuen", @mcribbHistory mumbled before retiring into his cabin without any further explanation, leaving the others perplexed.

The Wolf was running low on supplies again, when, finally, in the middle of the Indian Ocean, Radio Officer @Tasten_hauer intercepted a Russian radio transmission. At nightfall, the raider tried to close in on the Czar's merchantman. A sudden Typhoon prevented the Wolf to strike.

Contact to the target was lost, but the crew had other concerns in the very moment anyway. The Wolf was beaten by huge waves rolling over the deck, the bow rose high in the sky just to dive deep back into the sea shortly after. Everything not fixed in position rumbled around.

Many a crewman couldn't keep their rations down, almost none found a second of sleep.
Once the storm had passed, the crew went to assess the damage. The radio station had ignited itself, but fortunately, @Tasten_hauer had a replacement system at hand which he quickly installed.

Much more concerning was the fact that the heavy swell had broken one of the cargo holds' lits and the saltwater had rendered a good portion of the coal and spare parts unusable, as @Hethwill_Khan reported to the Captain.

Maybe even more heartfelt, however, was the loss of the FF 33. One of the cranes had crashed down on the sea-plane, and pilot @mcribbHistory, examining the damage, realized quickly that there was nothing that could be done to get the little bird back in the air so soon.

The Captain assembled all officers in the mess, presenting the following options on how they could possibly continue their journey.

The course was set due north, bearing on Ceylon. Suddenly, one of the men on watch sighted a silouette, strangely low above sea-level. A submarine maybe? Through his binoculars Cpt. @hexandcountdown identified it to be a half-sunken coastal patrol boat, as the raider closed in.

Chief @Hethwill_Khan was sent to examine the ship with a small party to potentially gather spare parts and equipment from the wreck. When he returned, though, the crew curiously spectated in astonishment that the party hadn't found much of worth, in terms of parts and supplies.

When the Engineer climbed up the rope ladder, 2-O @JohnLyn83159113 waited at the railing above him already to immediately receive the report. The 1-O watched from the yardarm. The party had found all the Portuguese crew dead, an explosion had torn a hole into the ship's hull.

Apparently, there happened to be one survivor, though. Coming up behind the Chief, @Wojtowicz_N climbed over the railing. Dressed in heavy boots and tropical clothing, the Explorer explained that she was traveling from Borneo where she had searched for a mysterious apparatus.

The findings, however, had pointed her to Madagascar, thus she had taken every ship she could find to bring her west, until ending up on the very patrol boat that had then run onto a British mine and drifted along the Indian coast for several days.

Explaining that she now would have to travel with them in the opposite direction again, Cpt. @hexandcountdown had the men clear a cabin for the new passenger.
Hours later, three groups of sailors under the command of @OberstWKlink, @JohnLyn83159113 and @Johkmil began preparing.

Mauser rifles, pistols and handgrenades were handed out for the Landgang. The Wolf was inching towards Colombo, Ceylon. Cpt. Jon hoped to plainly sail the disguised ship straight into port under the eyes of British authorities, then have the raiding parties strike at night.

Shortly before reaching the Colombo roadstead, the Wolf was intercepted by a Royal Navy squadron on alert. Initially attempting to evade the patrol to continue into the harbor, the captain quickly realized he couldn't outrun it. "Battlestations!", echoed through the tubes.

Everybody hurried to crew the guns, the torpedo tubes were unpacked. Some sailors began warming up the eels. As always the crew conducted all of these actions ducked down behind the railing, trying to remain undetected until the very last moment.

Whiping the sweat from his face, @playersaidblog waited for the signal, while Cpt. @hexandcountdown grimly watched the ships converge, and @Tasten_hauer tried to keep the illusion up with his best English, luring the squadron into a false sense of security.

The ticking of the clock seemed to turn louder with every tick. The Captain's and @OberstWKlink's eyes met. Upon which the 1st Officer screamed the order into the tube without hesitation. Everything, every life on board now depended on the quick and precise action.

Parts of the railing were hastily pulled aside, the Schnellfeuergeschütze and torpedo tubes wheeled to face the ships of the Naval Patrol which was completely caught by surprise. "Fire!", the officers shouted. "Eel away!", @playersaidblog replied.

The impact's shock wave propagated to shake sea and the sailors of the Wolf alike. Cheering, @Johkmil directed one of the guns again, landing effective hits on a ship's bridge. @JohnLyn83159113 was blasting away with the rattling Maxim gun.

The adrenaline briefly lost its effect, when the enemy guns and turrets turned towards the raider.
The Royal Navy ships still capable to fight returned fire with a coordinated salvo, hitting the engine and deck. @Johkmil was knocked over by a grenade splinter.

The battle continued. A battle the Wolf wasn't meant to fight. Smoke and sweat mixed with explosions and screams. One of the guns squeeked as the metal broke under a direct hit. @Wojtowicz_N had taken over a 15cm gun shelling a British light cruiser which eventually sank as well.

When the smoke cleared and the combat noise died down, the screams and mourning of the wounded continued to remember everyone of the bloody terrors of war, as the Wolf slowly sailed into port.

Only two of the raiding parties were sent ashore, overrunning the Ceylon Defence Forces who were terrified by the sight of a Royal Navy squadron being destroyed by a single merchantman. The men returned with a few marines of the SMS Emden who had been imprisoned by the British.

Rapidly all necessary supplies were gathered and brought aboard, tons of coal lifted into the cargo holds. @Hethwill_Khan began the urgent repairs, while @Caesar_X stitched @Johkmil's arm together, which had been hit by a grenade splinter below the shoulder, and treated the crew.

To @mcribbHistory's delight a disassembled FF 33 that must have been seized on a German cruiser was found in a depot. He gladly called it Wölfchen and painted the name onto it when the raider sailed out of port again to lick its wounds and continue its journey on the high seas.

Sailing back into the Indian Ocean, a suspicious silouette was spotted in the dark. With the help of the Searchlights and to the relief of the crew it was quickly identified to be a whale swimming its lanes.
A few days later, however, the roar of engines froze the crew's blood.

Out of a sudden a torpedo bomber dove out of the sun to attack the Wolf. The crew hurried to man the machine guns. After a few minutes the relief was great when the eel turned out to be a dud, bomping at the ship's hull without exploding.

Whizzing and buzzing, the bullets of the machine gun cut through the air, until 2-O @JohnLyn83159113 cursed loudly, when the Maxim over-heated. Meanwhile the Wölfchen was assembled and launched from the water, and @mcribbHistory maneuvered the seaplane to deliver the final blow.

On its way to acquire the objective's location of its secret mission that could be of crucial importance to the war effort in the European theatre, the Wolf steered

Steaming and beating the Wolf worked eastwards through the waves, increasing the distance between Ceylon's boiling waters, which must by now be swarmed by the Royal Navy's squadrons, and itself. The crew had calmed down and slowly the stress of the previous battle fell away.

It happened to be a windy new moon's night. @RMasini_WLOG, one of the Kaiser's Marinesoldaten (marines) freed from internment in Colombo, walked along the deck, clinging to the railing as he tried to watch Orion wandering the firmament.

When he reached @OberstWKlink who stood watch on the yardarm, the ship unswervingly continued its up and down ride through the waves. @playersaidblog who currently assisted on the bridge stepped out to join them, then suddenly turned pale: "Do ... Do you hear that?"

The other two listened into the night. At first, they heard nothing but wind and waves. Then, a shiver ran down their spines. There it was again. Undeniably. The three stood and listened in disbelieve, as if they hoped that their senses would be fooling them.

The hum was destinctive. It just couldn't be anything else, there was no doubt, the memories from the incident off the African coast were still very present. Yet, they had never seen the thing. Dismissing the rumors as exactly that: rumors.

And now, with trembling and awe, they realized how real the threat was.
Curious to learn what the noise was about, @Wojtowicz_N joined the group. Shortly afterwards, @Johkmil, holding the hurting shoulder, and @mcribbHistory rushed the stairs up to the bridge. "Wake the captain."

"What is it?" Cpt. @hexandcountdown stepped out of his cabin. "Druk Gyaltsuen", the pilot grumbled, incidentially pointing to the sky. The agent grimaced. Squinting at his 1st Officer, Captain Jon asked: "Can we get away one more time, @OberstWKlink?"

The 1-O answered by ringing the watch's bell. "Not this time, Sir." Mates and sailors, everybody scrambled onto the deck from their cabins and hammocks. "Pemberton Billing's machine?", @Wojtowicz_N asked, "Is it real?" @Johkmil nodded.

"The Abteilung III b had heard that the Empire was working on a prototype. If this is it, we better make sure we get it. If the rumors are true our Zeppelins are in serious danger!"
"What is this Druk something that it worries you so much?", @JohnLyn83159113 wondered.

"Gentlemen, now is not the time for lectures." Cpt. Jon rose his hand to signal silence, while the hum of several engines made the air vibrate. "Everybody on station? Is the plane ready?" Leaning over the railing, the Captain squinted to detect the Wölfchen on the larboard side.

As @mcribbHistory started the engine and pulled the seaplane up, a dangerous maneuver at night, the Cpt. ordered the searchlights to be switched on. The light cones hastily began to scan the sky. Then, finally, they fixated on a shape breaking through the clouds. There she was.

The two engines, source of the destinctive hum, roared like a poked beast as their speed increased. Tilting towards the raider, the jade-colored quadraplane pointed a glistening beam onto the Wolf's deck. It was indeed the rumored Dragon Queen of the Indies acquiring her target.

The long endurance Supermarine P.B.31E Nighthawk was armed with a 1½-pounder Davis gun and two Lewis guns. All anti-air and machine guns opened fire on the anti-Zeppelin aircraft which could stay in the air for incredible 18 hours, shredding through the plane.

The prototype with the majestic buthanese codename, which was supposed to intercept German Zepplins secretly operating in the Indian Ocean, rapidly fired several of the 20 available shots with its Davis gun, diving down straight towards the Wolf, damaging guns and hull.

Being hit by several of the raider's machine guns, one of the Queen's engines ignited, trailing fiery sparks through the night. The Nighthawk's pilot pulled his stick back. Sharply above the raider's smokestack the quadraplane climbed up into the sky again.

Pestered by the FF 33, the Dragon Queen turned northwards and disappeared into the darkness of the night.
Pointing its searchlights at the sea, the Wolf's crew allowed @mcribbHistory to land the seaplane. After the third approach, he managed to waterborne the Wölfchen savely.

Still on stations, @playersaidblog and @RMasini_WLOG couldn't believe what had just happened, while @Hethwill_Khan assessed the damage of the attack in the dim light of a gas-lantern. @Johkmil walked the deck, obviously annoyed by the fact that the prototype had gotten away.

Cpt. @hexandcountdown and the crew were still joyful they had survived the previous encounter, when sailing into the Java Sea once more. Unfortunately, parts of the engine suffered a mechanical breakdown.

At the instant the Chief-Engineer reported the issue, the outlook sighted a Dutch naval patrol. "Always at the worst possible timing", grunted @JohnLyn83159113, then ordered battle stations. The small patrol was no match for the veteran raider that had lured them alongside ship.

Eventually, the SMS Wolf reached the Keelings. Agent @Johkmil, escorted by @RMasini_WLOG's marines, went ashore to meet his contacts. A week later the landing operation was repeated at the Australian west coast.
When the agent returned he looked irritated. Something was off.

Lightning bolts crashed into the sea, thick torrents of rain smashed against the bridge's windows, the Wolf rode the rough waves again. The crack of thunder sounded when the lightning stroke one of the masts, damaging the radio system.

Leaning into the wind, Radio officer @Tasten_hauer in his oilskin made his way through the surf spilling over the swaying deck to install new wiring. When he returned to the radio room, soaked and oozing, @Johkmil was already waiting for him there. The secret agent looked uneasy.

"Is it operational again?" He pointed at the radio panel. The radioman didn't bother to answer while pulling cables from the panel and plugging them into different receptacles. After conducting a few tests and switching frequencies He got a signal again.

The location Milde had concluded from the intel provided by His contacts pointed back to the Nicobars again. But that simply couldn't be. He had confered with @Wojtowicz_N, browsing old books and ancient manuscripts. When he finally connected to a Zepplin's transmitter, connected

to a global net of flying radio stations, @Tasten_hauer radioed with Berlin directly. After some decyphering it became clear. "I knew it! Our contacts have been corrupted", @Johkmil cursed. The coordinates were wrong.

The new information pointed in the direction the Explorer and the Agent had concluded from their studies: the Bismarck Archipelago. If there was any truth to the legends of the Land Beyond the South Wind, they could not know.

"You've probably heard of Bóreas", Natalia explained, "the God of the North Wind, and of Hyperboreas, the mythic Land Beyond the North Wind, where people live especially long and happily." Her finger slid along the lines of Hesiod's Theogony and Aristotle's Meteorologica.

"Nótos' story is a bit more ... nuanced," @Johkmil added. "Exactly," @Wojtowicz_N turned some pages. "While the Greeks described him as the gentle and warm southern winds, the Romans had a different understanding ..." She began reciting Ovid's Metamorphoses:

"madidis Notus evolat alis, terribilem picea tectus caligine vultum; barba gravis nimbis, canis fluit unda capillis; fronte sedent nebulae, rorant pennaeque sinusque; utque manu lata pendentia nubila pressit, fit fragor: hinc densi funduntur ab aethere nimbi;"

"If the legends are true and we manage to find the Lost City of Hypernotus, there might be a mighty weapon there that causes these 'storms' and terrors," remarked the Agent. "Berlin wants us to find it."

The Wolf had sailed north again, engaging a convoy in the Java Sea.

After seizing one of the freighters, the raider turned east. In the Banda Sea near the Moluccas, the Wolf was suddenly attacked by pirates. Though, upon the first few shots fired from the Schnellfeuergeschütze, the pirates retired to their islands and left the Wolf unharmed.

The objective was close and the eagerness to find the mythic city increased within the crew, but the raider was running low on coal, lacking ammunition and weapon parts. Thus, Captain Jon contemplated to visit a neutral port on Borneo to restock, before continuing eastwards.

Note: The Patrol Zone I'm referring to as the Java Sea throughout the playthrough is the Indian Ocean East space. The map has the Java Sea PZ much further east near the Bismarcks.

I've ordered the book "Das schwarze Schiff [The black ship]" by a crew member. There are several books by crew members and captives on the Wolf's raid. Beware the typical over-the-top-nationalism, as many were published after WW1 and in the early 30s.

There's also "Des Kaisers Kulis [The Kaiser's coolies]" by the anaechist sailor and writer Plivier who later took part in the 1918 Revolution. Might be interesting to read those two side by side to get different perspectives.

Cpt. @hexandcountdown decided it was about time to resupply the the Wolf before entering dangerous waters again and searching for the mythic Lost City of Hypernotus. The raider sailed north to Borneo, sighting an allied convoy which broke contact between the islands.

Alerted by their presence, the Cpt. tried to avoid being detected by Entente shipping (note: I missed the fact that Borneo is a Coastal Space which doesn't allow refitting. Doh! Good thing, though: I have a Cliché that allows picking up two points of Gear!).

From her previous research on the island, @Wojtowicz_N knew a secret river delta into which the Wolf now carefully advanced to lay anchor and restock coal and Schnapps bought from the locals.

This is probably a good opportunity to show you what's going on the side. The game has a Deadline/Plot Thins table. Certain events reduce or increase the deadline for the episode, Cliché cards make the plot thinner. If both markers meet, the publisher is angry and we lose.

Shortly after departing from Borneo, the raider was hit by another Typhoon, losing some of the cargo again. "Now that's what I call bad luck," @OberstWKlink cursed, steering the ship through the storm.

"Maybe it's the dreaded Notus' wrath?", Natalia wondered. Fortunately, though, the raider remained mostly unharmed by the forces of nature. However, the storm made it necessary for @Hethwill_Khan to spend most of the acquired coal already to prevent the ship from running aground.

Sailing into the Torres Strait [what the game calls the Java Sea Patrol Zone], the storm pushed the Wolf between a group of islands in which's center lay Thursday Island. Cpt. Jon knew that it was defended by Green Hill Fort and some ANZAC forces.

Covered by downpour, @RMasini_WLOG, @playersaidblog and the marines rode the jolly boats through the surf, landed on the island and infiltrated the fort to sabotage the guns. When the Wolf navigated through the small island channels, the crew joyfully watched the fort in turmoil.

Nearing the Bismarck Archipelago, @JohnLyn83159113 spotted an Entente naval patrol, which was roaming the area. Maybe the enemy knew about their mission, @Johkmil wondered, thinking of the corrupted agent network. Cpt. Jon decided not to engage and sneak away unmolested.

The Wolf tacked through the archipelago. Confirming coordinates, comparing land marks and descriptions of torrents and vegetation, the captain, his officers, the agent and the explorer were constantly scurrying around the chart table, trying to locate the mythic city of Notus.

They found the island of St. Matthias (Mussau) to be the best bet, a German colony since 1885 that had been occupied by Australian forces in 1914. It was known for the horrible events which took place on the island in 1901.

After the first German East-Asia expedition had been attacked and three of its members killed in April, a landing party of the SMS Cormoran and Möwe and colonial police forces massacred 81 harmless natives in a cavern system in a punitive expedition in the summer of 1901.

This, sadly, actually happend. I came across the event looking for a spot that could fit into the story. Finding this, I thought it appropriate to include it as a reminder that racism and colonialism were significant factors at the time our fictionalised "adventure" is set in.

As games are shaped by and are shaping the imaginations of the past of their players, I strongly believe that games should be "brave enough" to be disruptive and subvertive, using historic cases to deconstruct history/-ies and popular conceptions. They are never "just games".

Anyway, back to the game.

After rowing through the turquoise lagoons into a bay at the southern end of the island, 1-O @OberstWKlink, Agent @Johkmil, Explorer @Wojtowicz_N, @RMasini_WLOG and the marines and @playersaidblog and some of the veteran crew members went to shore.

Carefully advancing through a settlement of scowling residents, they made their way to the cave systems below the island. Natalia was in her element, quickly following the traces to the entrance and leading the group into the cave passages.

Despite vigorous search, they didn't find the entrance to the Lost City. At the surfaces, a French merchantman sailed passed the island, but apparently didn't spot the Wolf. Or so Captain @hexandcountdown hoped.

Stone engravings and statues led the way, Natalia, Johann and the group, lighting the caves with torches and lanterns, got closer and closer to what they believed to be the cranny of the mythic site and whatever type of weapon there potentially might be.

On board of the Wolf, Cpt. Jon and @JohnLyn83159113 were getting nervous as the hours passed. Pilot @mcribbHistory, reconnoitering the area from his seaplane to provide early warning, signaled a Japanese freighter heading in the direction of the Wolf's offshore roadstead.

The remaining crew was alerted, all hands on battle stations. As always hidden behind the railing, almost holding their breaths to create the perfect illusion. Would the enemy realize the threat, would they close in and try to control the raider, would there be an engagement?

The Japanese ship held course. Watching the enemy closely, @JohnLyn83159113 detected some suspicious movement on their aft deck. Realizing the danger and trying to avoid cannon sound, the Captain let the merchantman come alongside. Quickly, pistols and grenades were distributed.

The closer it came, the more obvious became the fact that the enemy ship was indeed a Q-Ship, even though it had its guns well hidden. Knowing that the respective adversary must by now know about the nature of the ship, both sides tried to keep the bluff up as long as possible.

Only after the ships were alongside and moored, an extensive hail of bullets and handgrenades was exchanged. Cpt. Jon gripped his Mauser C96 Red 9 semi-auto pistol and joined the fray, firing down from the yardarm. The Japanese crew was overwhelmed by ferocious resistence.

While the underground expedition was still trying to find the assumed weapon in the Lost City of Hyernotus down below the island, the Wolf was, right after taking over the Japanese Q-ship, attacked by an Australien seaplane!

This is not going as planned. I've managed to roll a single 6 in four rounds of rolling 4d6. Must be quite the labyrinth down there ...

Like a hawk the seaplane dived down on the two ships, blasting away. As the salvo shred through the deck, it creeped towards @hexandcountdown.

The captain turned his head, looking at the attacker, and saw the impacts coming closer as if time was slowed down, but there was nothing he could do. Two bullets pierced through his body before he smashed lifeless onto the deck. The anti-air guns opened up.

But the plane circled back for another attack run, this time hitting a torpedo tube. The ship was shaken by the detonation. The tubes had been loaded when the Japanese Q-Ship had been spotted earlier. Meanwhile, however, the Wölfchen was at the enemy's tail.

Firing bursts of his 0815 machine gun, @mcribbHistory got the better of the enemy pilot. The Australian seaplane began spinning before crashing into the sea with screaming engines. The joy of the survivors was short-lived, when the Ship's Doctor @Caesar_X hurried along the deck.

Shouting at the sailors nearby to grab the captain and carry him into the sickbay, he ran after them with his valise.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the caves below Mussau island, @OberstWKlink, besides not being fond of dark and narrow caves, was getting increasingly impatient.

Confronting @Johkmil with the inevitable question whether there was actually anything to be found in this rotten place, he caused a brawl between the Agent, who was determined to execute his order and find what was supposedly down here, and some of the marines.

Lunging a stroke against the Agent, @RMasini_WLOG stumbled against a wall, causing it to break down and opening a patch to a hidden chamber. @Wojtowicz_N stepped over the scrambling men into the room where she found a weirdly energetic, gleaming object on a sort of altar.

The party picked up the artefact and hurried back to the Wolf, which was about to sink the Q-Ship, while sailors were treated on the deck. @JohnLyn83159113 took command of the raider, as the captain lay struck down in the sickbay and the 1-O was still a bit numb from the brawl.

Leaving the Bismarck Archipelago, the Wolf disappeared into a thick bank of fog. A few days later, @Tasten_hauer had coordinated a rendezvous point via the Zeppelin radio network, the artefact was handed to an agent on a German U-Boat operating in the Coral Sea.

The Wolf turned west again. With new orders from Berlin. On a new quest to change the course of the war.

The End of Episode Two.

@UnrollHelper please unroll