Trailer Clips
Here are some snippets from various chapters which we hope you
enjoy
Suddenly they were nearly aground again, as
Joe steered wildly to avoid another punt, being driven inexpertly by a shrieking
blonde girl. The two craft almost collided, and Joe bumped the bank once more in
an effort to steer away. The other punt sailed on upstream, laughter floating in
its wake. “I name this punt Titanic, God bless her and all who sail in her”
hiccuped one of the young men from the cushions. Some of the occupants were
clearly the worse for wine.
“Iceberg dead ahead!” yelled a girl, as an empty
champagne bottle was flung riverwards.
“Idiots!”
“Relax Jim,” said Joe,
“no harm done. Shall we tie up for a bit and have our own drink? I don’t know
about you but I’ve a hell of a thirst.” Emma grovelled in the coolbag for the
wine as Joe tied up the punt near the bank. Soon they each had a glass and lay
back on the cushions to drink, chatting idly.
“You know,” said Joe after a
pause, “I guess some Americans wouldn’t understand the way the British make
jokes of something as tragic as the Titanic. I’m not saying we wouldn’t, but all
the same”.
“Well, that’s the inimitable British sense of humour,” said Emma.
“We laugh while we feel the sense of tragedy. Maybe it helps us cope.”
“Titanic exhibition just finished at the maritime museum, or I’d take you to see
it,” said James to Joe. “Lots of artifacts brought up from the last expedition,
the one where they made the IMAX film we saw in the vac.”
This was news to
Emma; she did not realise that James had seen Joe in the last holidays, nor even
that they had been friends for so long. Again the sudden realisation of how
little she really shared his life stabbed her. She asked about the Titanic
artifacts, adding “I think it’s wrong to have brought so much to the surface,
it’s almost grave robbing.”
“Oh come on love, you don’t really believe that,”
said James, “How naïve. The stuff would just rot away and there are no human
remains left. You wouldn’t use the same arguments about the Pyramids, or Jorvik,
or any other dig, so why the Titanic. It’s still an archaeological
site.”
“Maybe I don’t agree with excavation at all, not in some cases. Not
where survivors are still living. They could at least wait a decent interval.”
“Well if they did, you and I would look pretty sick having no course, or cause,
to study, wouldn’t we. What would be the point of our being here? What’s the
point anyway?”, he drawled lazily, then added, “pass the bottle Joe, I need
another.”
James was reading archaeology and Emma Latin and Classical
Civilisation. “Well I don’t see the point of either of you two,” said Joe good
humouredly, “at least I’m studying something worthwhile..............
“So, here we are at last in front of the Titanic replica,
known to us all now as the Titanic II, as passengers board the great ship for
her maiden voyage to New York. In a little over an hour her whistles will sound
three times, the traditional dockside farewell, and she will sail down the River
Test and into open sea bound for America. Unlike the original Titanic, she
carries no steerage passengers, no hopeful emigrants from Ireland and
Scandinavia seeking their fortunes in the New World. This replica carries only
two classes of passenger, an expanded First Class, over four hundred of them,
and an Economy Class of some two hundred. She carries a crew of eight hundred,
six senior officers, her Captain, Bernard Smith, her radio operators, orchestra,
and a group rather like the original 1912 “Guarantee group” consisting of her
chief designer, two of the senior systems analysts who designed the software
which operates her state of the art computerised navigational and safety
systems, and representatives from the shipping company who ordered her,
Seapearl, and their financing bank, Graves in New York. This group includes
Joseph Graves II, the new President on the recent retirement of his father, and
we hope to bring you an interview with him later. His fiancée, Rachel Callister,
is not on board, but will be joining the ship in New York for the return voyage
to England next week.
There is widespread speculation about the fact that
Captain Bernard Smith has the same surname as the ill fated Edward J Smith of
the original Titanic. We believe that the ship was originally designated to have
another captain, but that his sudden illness and hospitalisation forced the
company Seapearl to substitute their backup captain, who just happens to be
called Smith. Some people think this is going to bring the ship ill luck, others
believe that it’s a charming coincidence which adds to the authenticity of this
maiden voyage............”
The dining room was as remembered, or recognised. A great
expanse of carpet, with long tables laid with snowy cloths, silver cutlery and
sparkling glassware, and rows of swivel chairs in oak facing inwards.
She
waited to be seated by one of the waiters, who showed her to one of the smaller
tables for ten people, near a starboard porthole. Janine smiled at her from the
opposite side of the table as she was seated, and presented with a menu which
she saw with a pang of recognition was similar to an original bill of
fare.
Soup, baked fish and a sauce, roast pork, or chops, various vegetables,
a cold buffet, three desserts, and the offer of draught lager beer by the small
or large tankard. Only the price of the beer was different; a dollar or a dollar
fifty, or the equivalent in sterling. She chose soup, the cold meat buffet, some
vegetables and a lager, for which she was asked to sign under her cabin number,
bills to be settled on the final day of voyage at the C Deck Purser’s
office.
Waiting for her meal to be served, Emma watched from the nearby
porthole the grey sea sliding by, as the ship cut through the Channel heading
for the west of Ireland eventually, and out into the Atlantic. A watery sun
sparkled occasionally on the waves, and the flecked trail made by the bow wave
from the ship caught and reflected the light. Idle chatter from the passengers
at the table flicked from person to person. Janine, her cabin mate, engaged her
in conversation and she replied absently, her mind all the time on the
exploration of the ship which she was determined to carry out as soon as lunch
was over. This intention was shared with most of the others at the table.
“Gee, I can’t wait to tour the ship,” Janine sighed. “I’ve got so many books
with illustrations, but to see it for real!
“Goodnight,” she was variously
wished as the group ordered another round of drinks. She rose and left, making
her way to the Aft Grand Staircase, which was identical to that forward, with
the same delicately wrought iron and glass dome, softly lit now, but without the
magnificent clock.
Deciding more definitely on some fresh air before bed,
Emma made her way up a deck to the top landing, and through the lobby to the
Boat Deck, emerging on the First Class open promenade aft.
It was a quiet,
calm night, very dark. The coast of France had now receded, and the ship sailed
steadily through open sea. She walked as far aft as the deck promenade would
allow, leaning over the railing to watch the trail of spray made by the bow
waves, fanning out whitely against the black water. There was little cloud
about, and stars were out, shining brighter and harder against their completely
dark backcloth. She wished she had a shawl or coat with her, for it was too cold
to stay long, and a brisk breeze blew along the deck, generated not by wind but
by the movement of the ship. In the distance she caught sight of one of the
officers doing his rounds; he paused to speak to two crewmen who appeared to be
making some minor adjustment to a boat davit. Two men passed her on a tour of
the deck, and then there was silence again except for the swish and roar of the
sea...............
After dismissing the officers, he asked the software
designers to remain.
“At ease, lady and gentleman,” he said, “Let’s sit shall
we.”
They took their seats and leaned forward expectantly.
“First of all,
the navigational system. Parts of it are new to me, so as I said just now I want
a full test run at 16:30hrs when we’re in the open sea. I believe there were
some problems with over sensitivity, but you’ve managed to correct
them?”
“Well not exactly,” began Brian, “The thing is, the command line..”
Captain Smith cut him short, quite pleasantly.
“I am the head of the
command line on this ship, and that includes all its systems.”
Julie
intervened, fearful that Brian was going to explain what a command line was in
computer systems.
“What Mr Knowles means, Captain, is that some of the
original programming was slightly out of line with what was required, due to
errors in the specification, but we’ve been into the system and altered some
commands, and now it really should do what we want it to and no more,” she said.
“I think you’ll find this afternoon’s test satisfactory.”
“Good. Thank you,”
said Smith, “Anything else?”
“I don’t think so sir.”
“Right then, I shall
see you both this afternoon at four thirty precisely. Mr McInerney and I need to
talk over one or two things, so if you will excuse us..”
That was dismissal.
Julie and Brian rose, and she led him from the bridge. “Honestly Brian!” she
expostulated, “When will you learn not to blind the officers with ICT jargon!
Just tell them what the effect will be, they’re users, not
programmers.”
“Sorry Julie,” he said, “I can’t think any other way. Oh hell,
I forgot to change this mouse. We shan’t be allowed on this bridge again before
this afternoon shall we?”
“Four thirty precisely,” she said primly with a
smile, “so change it then before we do the test demo.”.................
“I can’t really explain what happened next,” she said
slowly, “the teacher ordered us all, the non swimmers, to get into the shallow
end and stand up, and take a float from the side of the pool. The others all
obeyed, and I tried to, but when I put one leg in the water something very
strange happened.”
She stopped and took a sip of water from her cut glass
tumbler.
“My leg disappeared into the water, which must have been quite
heavily chlorinated, for it was very green. I watched the distorted shape of my
greened leg, and the thought ‘too deep, in too deep,’ came into my mind. Then
the echoes around me seemed to intensify and take on a different, unearthly
quality. And I had two sudden split second visions.”
“Go on,” said Joe
urgently.
“One was of dark, dark, intensely cold waters closing over my head,
suffocating me and driving me down, down, into utter darkness. The other was of
looking up from a great depth at an iron latticed gate, part of a mob of
shouting, struggling people, and the gate was locked against them.” She stared
out of the window at the sea, and spoke so quietly that he had to strain to hear
her voice...........
“Humbling, isn’t it, to know that great riches don’t buy
you immunity in such a situation.”
“Nor should they,” said Emma. “Every
passenger in steerage had an equal right to a lifeboat place.”
“Oh, I’m not
so sure,” said Simon, “some of the greatest minds in America and Europe, people
who could do a great deal of good, were lost while some pretty poor specimens
were saved because they happened to be the right gender, or age. It makes you
think.”
“You mean some of the minds who could turn their grey matter to
making the most money!” cried Emma, “that doesn’t mean they were any more worthy
of life than the poorest peasant in steerage. Who are we to judge who should
live and who should die.”
“Sure,” said Joe, “but plenty of folks tried to
make that judgement at the inquiries after the disaster.”
“I know,” she
replied, “I’ve read all the transcripts. And I could remind you of the argument
put forward by one of your own countrymen. America was built on peasant stock,
enterprising, bright people who had the courage to sail to a new world. How did
anyone know that one of those poor Eastern European immigrants wouldn’t give
birth to another Lincoln?”¸............
“Mr Graves sir,” he said, “Captain’s compliments, but
would you join him on the Bridge sir? There’s a little problem, to do with a
seal in the engine room, and there’s some flooding. We’ve sent for Mr McInerney
and the Chief Engineer and we thought as the ship owner you should be there.
Please do try not to spread panic sir,” he added as he caught sight of the
breakfast table for two and the empty champagne glasses on the verandah.
“Of
course. I’ll be there right away,” Joe replied tersely. The young sailor
departed.
He appeared at the bedroom door. “Summons from the Bridge,” he
said, “Nothing urgent darling. I’ll see you as soon as I’ve finished.”
“I
thought you were playing squash now!”
“Yes. Well, we’ll see what this is
about first, then I probably will. Where will you be?”
“I’ll go to my cabin
and change, then I’ll be in the verandah café by half past eleven.”
Joe
reached the Bridge rapidly. Flooding in the Engine room! What could have gone
wrong?........