The Invenios Expeditions | Chapter 9 - The Coup

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Is there an outlet that I can... Yeah, under the table there. Weren't all the Darkwater agents recalled to Leviathan before the... you know? Uh-huh, most were. But Darkwater agents are embedded on the surface for years at a time, so maybe they couldn't extract. Huh. What's the message say? It's still coming through. It's... it's a duress code. What do you mean? It's a coded beacon signal that Darkwater agents have access to. It's linked to several dummy bank accounts when or if an operative is compromised or being held hostage. Hostage? What's the message say? Sorak's parcel 826 compromised. Extraction request. Shit, it's citizens in danger. Citizens? That means they're not alone. Which is odd because Darkwater agents work by themselves. You said before that there were lost vessels. Ones from the evacuation that you couldn't track. They have to be refugees from Leviathan's collapse. What was that about? Sorak's parcel 826. Any clue what that is? I don't know, but Astrid probably does. I'm contacting her now. Do you have a sense where the signal is coming from? Yeah, the problem is it looks like the signal is incomplete. I can see that there's a location code embedded, but... Here, hand me my bag. I've got a laptop that Anton gave me that I can use to... Oh, uh, oh yeah. Anton. That guy. Are you guys still... Dolly? I mean, I don't really care. I'm gonna log into the Leviathan mainframe. Oh, what's your Wi-Fi password? Um, it's leprechaunlover777. Oh, Jesus. Is that a capital L? Oh, wait, never mind, I got it. Anything? Yeah, it's downloading... Okay, triangulating the location. It's showing Africa. Next sequence. Eastern coast, zooming in. They're in Somalia, somewhere south of Puntland. Citizens in danger. Tully. Tully, that's right near here. We've gotta go get them. You mean with the Inveneos? Of course. We have to help them, Tully. Yeah, yeah, I know we do, but listen, do you want... What? What? I mean, are you gonna call anyone else from Leviathan? I mean, is the Inveneos, you know... What are you asking, Tully? No, I'm just asking if the Inveneos is the best suited vessel to... I just told you the location. They're off the Horn of Africa. We are in the Red Sea. We can get there the fastest. That makes us the best suited vessel, especially if we leave right now. Yeah, I hear that, but I'm just saying that we don't know what kind of situation we're walking into. And that has stopped us before, when? Maybe it's worth considering if you want to have a more specialized team help you. They're in danger, Tully. I know. Wait, is there someplace else the ship is supposed to be? Like something else more important? Well... What the fuck? Is there? It's a part for a 94 Defender, isn't it exactly? The Callan! Oh Berlin! Oh, I'm so glad you're okay! Oh, me too! I heard you had to save. This guy's sorry you're asking it. Hey, the ass-saving has been mutual. Well, I'm just glad you're alright. No, no, no, I'm okay. That... Oh, that woman, Dahlia. Were you able to stop her from getting the PX? We were. We know that she's a member of a criminal group called the Chrysanthemum Consortium. We received intel that she was gonna try to sell the PX in Jeddah. Good thing you got there first. Good thing. Hey, Obi, listen this. Something's happened. What? We just received an emergency beacon on an encrypted dark water channel. It's a distress signal. And we think there's a group of Leviathan citizens that are in danger or being held hostage. Oh my god, that's terrible shit! Do you know who's being held? We're still unpacking the details, but we know that they're in trouble. Oh my god. I'm going to guess that means you're leaving right away. Well, that's just the thing. We're showing a location on the East African coast near Somalia. I was explaining to Tully that we might need the Inveneos. It's the fastest way we can get there. Of course we'll help you, McCallan. We're so close to the Horn of Africa. Of course we will. It's not even a question. Right, Tully? Well, yeah, but I was just explaining that we... And of course you can have the Inveneos. I hope Tully wasn't filling your ears with any nonsense about the Highland Rose shipwreck. What's the Highland Rose? It's the shipwreck we were about to set sail to find. But we both understand that this is more important. Seriously, McCallan, whatever you need, we wouldn't have this ship or any of this if it wasn't for you. Don't you agree, Tully? Yeah. Do you agree, Tully? There was a pause, and Tully turned slightly to peer through the ship's Celadon windows looking out to the Jeddah Lighthouse. Yeah. Yeah, of course I do. We're in. We'll change course and do whatever we need to do to get your people back, McCallan. But, Odell, and we're gonna need to talk to the crew. You're right. We should tell them what's happening. And they should have a choice. This is not treasure hunting. Fair enough. Let's have everybody assemble in the library in 30 minutes and we can deliver the news. I know I don't have to tell you both this, but the rest of the crew, they can't know about Leviathan, especially Samantha. That needs to stay secret. This is a good crew, McCallan. They can be trusted. Maybe so, but for right now, for this, this rescue, I'd rather keep things private. Understood. Then what do we tell the crew? What's the cover story? They'll want to know who it is we're trying to rescue, and why? We could say that they're diplomats that have been abducted. That would be true, but you know the follow-up question. Yeah, what country are the diplomats from? Yeah, I get it. We could say they're scientists that they possess some valuable technological knowledge. Hey, that's not far from the truth. I think we should go with that. I do too. Then it's settled. I'll start getting us ready to shove off. If your friends are in danger, McCallan, we need to leave right away. God, I love you, Oberlin. The feeling's mutual, my dear. I'll start disconnecting our water and fuel lines. I'll tell the crew to get ready to cast off. Good idea. See you in 30. Hey, Gibson. Do you read? Gibson. Hi, Captain. I read you. Listen, we need to get the ship ready to shove off ASAP. Contact Jed up Port Authority and get our fuel tabs settled, and have Abby lay in a course for the Horn of Africa. And when you're done, gather everybody in the library, including Samantha. We need to do a full crew briefing. Tell her you're out. Yes, sir. You got it, Captain. Thank you. Thank you. I didn't know about that wreck you were going to. No, listen, it's fine. Hey, this is the last time I'll ask, but are you sure about this, McCallan, that you don't want to call in a better... Hold on. I'm just saying that if you wanted to wait until... Wait? Tully, time is a luxury those citizens don't have. Astrid just looked up Sorax Parcel 826. And? It was something safeguarded within Leviathan. What's it do? Essentially, it's an instrument that detects cosmic radiation. More specifically, it helps locate Saraxian technology. Can the detector still be functional? Tully! Oh, you're not getting it! Not getting what? The bigger picture. Okay, clue me in. Okay, you just had two women, Dahlia and Samantha, doing everything they could to steal the PX, a fuel source for the Saraxian spacecraft. And now, oh, there are Leviathan citizens with the means to detect the location of that very spacecraft on Earth. Exactly, and whatever is in the spacecraft was enough to give birth to Leviathan. Maybe, just maybe, it could be used to create a rebirth. But if the wrong people find it... Hence the urgency. We need the Inveneos, Tully. Okay, okay, I'm in, McCallan, you know I'm in. Thank you, Tully. Since the collapse, there are people on the surface that have learned about Leviathan. People that want to control what's left. What are you trying to say? That we better be prepared, because we might not be the only ones hunting for these survivors. I just hope you guys have some guns. What do you mean she's gone? I looked everywhere, Captain. Samantha's gone. She's not on board. I checked the birth we gave her too, and none of her stuff is there. There's no sign of her, it's like she just got up and left. Well, shit. Make sure you check all the silverware. Hey, hey. Hey, Chief. Chief. Sol, our fuel tab is settled with the Jedapart Authority. We're ready to cast off. Good job. Okay, let's have everyone gather in the library. I feel like there are some things we need to share with the team. The Inveneos crew assembled in the ship's library and took their seats on the couches. Sheffy had laid out a tray of stuffed grape leaves and spring rolls, but no one touched the plate. All eyes hung on Captain Tully, who along with McKellen Orsel approached the front of the room near the central monitor. Okay, everyone. I've asked you guys here to discuss a change in plan for the Inveneos. But before I do, I want to formally introduce Ms. McKellen Orsel. She's a friend to the ship and a very good friend to Oberlin and I. Tully's right. We've known each other well before the Inveneos, and McKellen is someone we have a lot of trust in. Without going into details, McKellen is part of a group that protects people around the world. Uh, I think I wouldn't like some more details. Yeah, I mean, respectfully, Chief, isn't that kind of what Samantha Kell was saying? This save the world, protect the world kind of stuff? No, yeah, I get it. I get it. I do. But a lot of what McKellen does can't be known by the general— Actually, that's a fair question. You're right to ask about who I am. You want to know what my real intentions are. You're still learning your crewmate's names, and now a stranger is asking you to trust them. Trust you how? Uh, our ship did get swallowed by another ship, so I'm a little short on trust right now. I heard about that. What if I told you that ships like the Deccadus were just a drop in the bucket? That there are some dark forces deeper and more prevalent than you thought. What are you saying? I'm saying that you've seen firsthand that there's a shadow world lying just beneath the surface of this world you think you know. And there are some of us that want to keep certain ambitions in check. Look, I know it's a lot. In fairness, you're the one that took the PX. Samantha Kell found it, and her friend died for it. I know that the captain and the chief trust you, but why should we? Let me start by saying that Samantha Kell and her group Evaterra have nothing in common with the people I represent. I get that there's a lot of people running around saying that they want to help the world, and the truth is, most of them are just looking to help themselves. My people are in trouble. Real trouble. The stakes matter. What kind of stakes? Who are your people? My people are researchers who work with other scientists from across the globe to solve problems. One of my people has a device, an instrument in their possession that would allow any kind of bad actors to discover a technology that could surpass anything the U.S. government or any government anywhere might have. It's a technology people would kill for. I think you saw some of that here in Jeddah. Say that second. You should see my car. Miss Orsall. McCallan. McCallan, I have a doctorate in engineering. Can you please explain the nature of this technology? I have questions. I'm sorry I can't do that. Really? Oh, come on. Doesn't seem fair. What you need to know is that these researchers are in trouble, grave trouble. We think they're being held against their will. And so we're making the decision to break port and set a course for the Somali coast. And we're going to save the people McCallan is trying to help. Somalia? And what does save mean? Yeah, and what kind of technology are we even talking about? What's the connection? I'm sorry. We can't tell you more. Not sorry enough. But Captain, what about the Highland Rose? Um, yeah. It appears that we won't be going after the Highland Rose. Damn. I know that some of you signed up for this job, hoping we were going to find treasure and famous shipwrecks, but we're doing something that's going to make a bigger impact than just discovering a rich man's toy at the bottom of the sea. I don't get it. We had that wreck in our sights. We had all the tools. Why Somalia? A short while ago, we received a distress signal from one of the researchers we're trying to find. We're still dialing into their exact location, but we figured out they're in the southern Puntland region on the Somali coast. There's been a huge uptick in mercenary activity in that region. We used to provide military support to merchant convoys when I was in the Navy. It was always a really dangerous stretch of water. Which is why we need to move quickly. But it does raise an issue. Look, when we pull out of port, this won't be a treasure hunting expedition anymore. This is something that none of you signed up for. You can get off the boat right now, and your contracts will be honored, and when we get back, we'll figure out what our next charter is. But I want to be clear that none of you have to do this. What is it exactly that you're asking us to do, Captain? Okay, take a look at the board. We pull out of port here in Jeddah. Our plan is to chart a southern heading down the Red Sea before going around Africa's Horn to rendezvous and extract McCallan's research team. Extract them from what? From whatever situation they're in. They might be marooned, or they might... might... Or they might be in an altogether different situation. We just won't know until we get there. So what do you need from us? We need you at your stations. We're already a skeleton crew as it is, and running the Invenios without all of you would be next to impossible. We could put in for a replacement crew, but by the time they get here, it might be too late. Listen, I don't want to lie. We don't really know what we're going to be heading into, and there's a chance, probably more than a chance, that there could be some real danger and some actual violence. Gibson, I know you've had military experience, but Yuki, Abby, I... You want to know if you can count on us. Look, I know that we're a new crew, and I know that I'm asking you to put a lot of faith, both in me and Oberlin. Hey, you and Oberlin had my back when I was facing down a bar full of fishermen that had no respect for the sea. What are you trying to say, Yuki? I'm in. I never, never, never interested in any role you give me. Well said. I'm in. Um, I'll take that as a yes as well. How about you, Gibson? You know, I knew when I joined the Navy, we'd be doing a lot of military exercises, but my hope was also that we would get the chance to help people. This is more important than getting our pictures on the internet. I'm in, Captain. That leaves you happy. Look, I don't know how much help I can be if things get as rough as you say they could, but I designed this ship to do important things and protecting innocent people is important. This is my crew and this is my ship. I trust you, Captain. We're the Inveneos, and I'm not going anywhere. Thank you. I, I don't know what to say other than I couldn't be prouder of all of you. I really mean it. So that's all of us. What's the first step, Chief? Well, before you say yes, there's bad news and there's more bad news. Take a look here. Like Tully said, we need to head south on the Red Sea towards Djibouti, and when we reach the Gulf of Aden, we'll be cutting east towards Sokotra. Is that the bad news? No. Sokotra is a beautiful island. The problem is on our next leg. There's a storm system that formed off the coast of Oman. It's building some serious steam right now and currently projected to pass right through our southwest course heading to Somalia. Shit. Can we outrun it? That's the plan, but we're going to be cutting it close. We'd have to push the cyclone drives pretty hard, like all the way hard. Are we fast enough? My projections show that speeds over 65 knots in Trident Mode are possible, but at that speed... At that speed what? It's going to put a lot of stress on the hull and the pontoons. We need to make sure that all the subs and tenders are really strapped down. When we pull out of the port, I'll head down to the sub bay to get Beluga and Ajax secured. I had the Beluga prep for a bath-epilogic drive in the Baravasa Trench. I'll load her back into the storage berth. I'll come down to help you. We never finished conducting sea trials for the Inveneos, so... So this will be its trial by fire. I have confidence in the ship, Chief. I know you do, and she's handled everything like a champ, but we're going to be asking a lot of the ship. And also, we're going to be asking a lot from all of you. I have a feeling this is the other bad news. Yeah, we've been tracking a signal from one of the scientists. It's weak, but it was strong enough to get an initial message through to McCallan with their location. Sounds like good news to me. Well, stay tuned, because while the signal has been pinging us locations periodically, it's been getting weaker, which might mean it's losing power. And if we lose these people, we might not be able to find them again. Again, time is a factor. Is that the more bad news? No. No, the bad news is that based on the telemetry we're getting, it looks like the latest signals have been originating about 25 miles off the Somali coast, which tells us that they're traveling by water, but the fact that we can't establish contact tells us... ...tells us that they don't have access to communication equipment despite being on a boat. Someone's got them. Pirates. Mercenaries. So what that means is this is now a marine rescue. And the truth is we're going to have to be ready to face whatever we might find using all the skills and all of the tools we have on board. I'll handle the skies. I'll handle the seas. And I'll handle the ship. I'll make sure she gets us to Somalia in time. And hopefully gets us out. Thank you. All of you. I'm lucky to have such a world-class crew to help us. And a world-class boat. Now let's shove off and find your friends. The world of Sonic the Hedgehog has been thrust into a not-so-dark, not-so-stormy, hard-boiled detective story that probably nobody saw coming. Follow Sonic and the Intrepid Chaotix Detective Agency as they take on their biggest case yet. This high-flying, action-packed adventure will take them across the world, fighting for every clue they can find. It's one heck of a tale, which is good, because this story might be the only thing that can save their lives. Well, if that's all I can just dispose of you. Wait, what? All will be revealed in Sonic the Hedgehog presents the Chaotix Case Files. Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts. Sonic the Chaotix are on the case. Oh, please, not that music. That music gives me nightmares from my childhood. Could we get something a little bit lighter, some lighter music here? Are you a fan of true crime TV shows? And what about Unsolved Mysteries, the show that jump-started all of our love of true crime? I'm Ellen Marsh. And I'm Joey Taranto. And we host I Think Not, a true crime comedy podcast covering some of the wildest stories from your favorite true crime campy TV shows all the way to Unsolved Mysteries. Baby, you will laugh, you will cry, you'll think about true crime in a whole new way, and you'll also ask yourself, who gave these people mics? New episodes of I Think Not are released every Wednesday with bonus episodes out every Thursday on Patreon. And every Monday you can listen to our true crime run down, where we go over the top true crime headlines of the week. So come and join us wherever you listen to your podcasts. The war is over and both sides lost. Kingdoms were reduced to cinders and armies scattered like bones in the dust. Now the survivors claw to what's left of a broken world, praying the darkness chooses someone else tonight. But in the shadow dark, the darkness always wins. This is old school adventuring at its most cruel. Your torch ticks down in real time. And when that flame dies, something else rises to finish the job. This is a brutal rules light nightmare with a story that emerges organically based on the decisions that the characters make. This is what it felt like to play RPGs in the 80s, and man, it is so good to be back. Join the Glass Cannon podcast as we plunge into the shadow dark every Thursday night at 8 p.m. Eastern on youtube.com slash the glass cannon with the podcast version dropping the next day. What everybody's talking about and join us in the dark. Back in Luchani. We're leaving in four hours. Get my speed boat in the troll already. And make sure they get filled with fuel all the way. We don't know where we can stop yet. The fuel tanks will be guarded by King Bashir's men. They won't listen to you. Then we'll be in town making sure their houses aren't burning down. That King is not going to leave his tanks and guard them. Don't worry. I'll take care of the guards. I can't believe you, Sinclair. I can't believe you would betray your own people. And what people in your mind did I betray exactly? All of Leviathan. What is Leviathan? Hey, Serena? Is it a place? Well, it's gone now. Is it a people or a race? There were people from every part of the world in Leviathan. All colors of skins, all kinds of gods worshipped. So, when you're finished with your sanctum any, I'll ask you again. Who exactly I betrayed? Evangeline. She trusted you and you totally betrayed her. The banker of Leviathan. I don't claim such grievance from beyond the grave. Much like her city, she's gone as well. You don't know that. But I do. I know she's dead because I'm still sitting here with you in an African mercenary camp where we've been captives for weeks. If Evangeline were still alive, we'd been rescued and the entire camp would have been dealt with severely. And yet here we are with your hands restrained. I would submit that it was us that were the ones betrayed. And how the hell does your warped mind get you there? Look what happened. We were promised security. We were promised salvation. We were promised an eternal home as long as we behaved, eh? Every single one of us had to give up everything, our entire lives. Everybody knew to follow a broken promise. We gave Evangeline our lives. Literally. And she gave you back many more. You ungrateful piece of shit. And now you're stealing from her. There's no one to steal from. You seem to be unable or unwilling to grasp the fact that she's gone. Leviathan's gone. There's no victim because no one is coming to save us. Or more specifically, save you. We're good. There's only one of them at the gate. For now. Follow my lead. Kassho and his lieutenants stepped out of their truck and approached a wire mesh fence that surrounded two large diesel storage tanks. Hey, hey, who's there? Kassho, what are you doing here? The king ordered everyone to the beach to put out the fires and camp. That's why we're here. Open up the gates. We need to get the fuel to help. Fuel helps make more fire, not less. And your truck was filled two days ago. You idiot. It's an emergency. We need fuel for the boat. The king wants us to fuel all the boats in case we need to evacuate. Now don't be stupid. Open the gate. I may be stupid, but I know there's not enough boats for the entire camp. King Bashir controls the fuel. Only he tells me when to open the gates. He would have called me with any emergency. Oh, you need to hear from your king. Huh? You want to make this hard. Come on, Kassho. You don't know what he'll do. You don't know what I'll do. Kassho, Kassho is okay. He's alright. He's just doing his job. Huh? Look at that. Good soldier. Don't worry. I'm going to call the king now, now. You can speak to him and he'll tell you to let us in. This is Oharo. Give me King Bashir now. It's an emergency. He'll understand. He's coming. Yeah. Take the radio. Speak to the king. The guard took a suspicious look at Ahado and then approached the entrance. He's on the radio. Talk to him. Okay, Oharo. But I'm telling you now. As the guard extended his hand, Ahado grabbed it and violently pulled the man toward the knife she held in her other hand. Looks like the cost of fuel just went down. Let's move the body to the side in case someone sees them. Sinclair, Serena, come here and help us move them. Sinclair and Serena exited the truck and helped Kassho and Ahado drag the corpse behind a utility shed near the fuel tanks. This will give us all the fuel we need. It could get us to Barida or even Boshassal. We'll take two boats and run north up the coast. Grab Hassan and three other men. I'll get the speedboats ready but have them put the prisoners in the fishing throller. Put them in blindfolds and bind their hands like this one. That's a mistake. You'll scare them and they won't follow orders. They should be scared. You don't need to hurt them. If Sinclair is giving you access to Leviathan accounts, then you don't need us for ransom. You can let us go. Hmm, will it keep you and your friends alive and close to us till you serve no purpose? Everything you're taking, the boats, the fuel, Leviathan's money, even us as your prisoners, everything belongs to someone else. Everything in this world belongs to me. And soon this king and the whole world will know who we are. I can see why you like your new friends, Sinclair. They like to murder their own, just like you. Thirty minutes later. Hey, Keshav! Ahado, is it done? Yes, Captain. The prisoners are loaded on the fishing boat and it's been filled along with the speedboat. Good. I've set all the explosives by the fuel storage tanks. It will keep the rest of the camp occupied. They might even believe that we died in the explosion. Captain. Yes? How much do you trust Sinclair? You know he's still one of them. How do you know he won't take the money for himself? Hmm, he'll try when he's confident enough. But he doesn't know the world we live in. There are ways to control him. The camp is still burning. Let it burn. When we leave, it won't have a reason to exist anymore. Do you think they'll come after us? Who? Bashir? Salah? The king has other boats. They'll need fuel. But it is not his fuel any longer and he is not our king anymore either. I came here when I was six with my father. He died at sea when I was ten. I always hated it here since I was little. Hated the men. Hated the women too. They would make fun of my height. They're fucking things they would say. At least they learned to only say them once. I was a giant among dwarves and you? You were a king without a crown. Crowns aren't power. As king Bashir, we need guns. Guns mean power. I remember my first gun. It wasn't for power. It was for survival. Being hungry stole my childhood. The gun and my fists were our way out. Achado, look at me. We finally have a way out. We will buy our guns. We will buy safety. And we will buy our own army. I trust you, but I'm worried about Zinkli. Even when we kill the other prisoners, there will be others from his world that will soon follow. You don't take this much money quietly. He'll need us when they start looking for him. I dreamed about leaving, but dreaming can be dangerous. Since when has danger ever stopped you? We've been leaving everything we were. You think we can really be free? You will, Achado. I'll make sure of it. Real freedom. Not the kind you're given, the kind you take. A large white truck with a long horned cattle skull attached to its hood pulled up next to the fuel depot. Castle. King Bashir stepped out. My king, our camp and many of your people are burning. Shouldn't you be in the camp helping them? I wanted to make sure the fire didn't spread to the storage tanks with the fuel. Then why did I see Hassan take all the prisoners and bring them all to your boats? Salah, Petimo and of course, Levan. And now, he looks like you are taking the king's fuel for a fishing trip, maybe. Look, Salah brought his little left dog. Ahado stepped forward and stared at Leban's prosthetic leg. Most of him anyway. I hear much talk about taking. It seems like you are doing a lot of taking tonight, Kassel. I have found buyers for the prisoners, for the organs. I need to go south towards Berka. You could take the roads. A truck could be faster. The roads are too dangerous. My king, and I need fuel for my ships. This is my camp. This is my fuel. And these are my prisoners. I say where it all goes, Kassel. Yes, my king. I would never dream of taking what is it mine. Ha! You lies! Shut your filthy mouth! I ain't taking the prisoners, Kassel. All of them. I found someone who wants them. Someone that will pay me a great price to have them. I am pleased to hear that, my king. Why are these people that pay so generously? People that only I speak to, Kassel. We're all glad to hear this news. Isn't that right, Ahado? Hmm. Blasted news indeed, my king. We need the prisoners back to camp, Kassel. We need the help of you and your men to put out the fires and help save the camp. Gather everyone and put the prisoners back in the holding cells. Of course, King Beshir. Luchani is our home. Of course, we will help. Now! Yes, my king. We will follow you back into camp. Come, Ahado. Let's get back in the truck and follow Salah and the king back to Luchani. The king asked for your men as well, Salih. We need all the men we have to help fight the fires. Uh, such a wise captain. Salah, be careful. Yeah, you can use my radio. Kassel glared at Salah as he took the radio from his hand while the king watched carefully. Kassan, this is Kassho. Take all the men and meet me in Luchani. But captain, your orders are to... Your orders are to get all of the men and assist in the fires. Our camp is burning and we must help. But captain, the prisoners... Lock the prisoners in the trolley and return immediately. Kassho out. Now get in your truck and start driving. Yes, of course, my king. We'll be behind you. Yes, my king. Kassho and Ahado shared one brief glance, then turned to enter their pickup truck. We'll have to hurry. Are you sure all the boats are fueled up? Yes, Kassho. We can still do this without the men. You take the speedboat. I can drive the trolley. Good. We'll manage with just the two of us. And with that, Kassho floored the accelerator on his truck and raced toward the boat docks. Before Salah and the king's men could give chase, he removed a small electronic device from his jacket. Now say goodbye to Luchani. The two outdoor fuel tanks erupted in a massive plume of fire and black smoke. The explosions blew out the rear glass of Kassho's truck as it sped away. But for those closer to the blast, the effects were devastating. Le Bon was lifted up high in the air and thrown down hard. The other men were knocked to the ground as well, and most were no longer moving. When Salah regained consciousness, his first sense was the intense smell of burnt flesh. He struggled to get up to his feet as the world continued to spin around him. Where are you, Le Bon? But finally, he rose to his feet and stumbled to Le Bon's motionless body. No, Le Bon! No! He was lying face down on the ground, and when Salah rolled him over, he saw Le Bon's face, body, and hair had been grievously burnt. Shit! I need you! I need you! You are my best friend! You know things I don't know. Please, please, I need you! Come on, Le Bon! Salah searched the man's body to find any signs of life, but Le Bon was gone. His limbs fell flat on the dirt, and his chest was still. My God! Salah gently put Le Bon's head down and stumbled over to the king, who was lying backwards across the hood of his truck. As Salah got closer, he saw the white paint of the truck was smeared with blood, and the cattle horn on the truck's hood was protruding from the king's abdomen. Please, help me! Get me back to my villa! Can't I take Doctor to save me? Salah carefully lifted Bashir up and helped the man into the back seat of his truck. As he turned to get into the driver's seat, he looked out into the distance and saw the moon reflected in the inky blackness of the ocean. He could see the lights of two small boats at sea, slowly heading north. You have been listening to The Inveneos Expeditions, a Leviathan Chronicle story. Written and created by Christof Le Pucca. To view the blueprints of The Inveneos, go to inviniosexpeditions.com. The Inveneos Expeditions is made possible by the generous support of our listeners to listen ad-free and get exclusive bonus content and behind-the-scenes footage. Become a subscriber at patreon.com slash leviathan chronicles. The Inveneos Expeditions was executive produced by Amish Jhun, produced by Robin Shore. Original music by Luke Allen and Lindsay Jones. Editing by Luke Allen and Robin Shore. Sound design by Jonathan Stevens and Robin Shore. Casting and production by Claire Dodan. Directed by Christof Le Pucca. Starring Kim Donovan as McCallan Orsall. Matt Shale as Captain Jeffrey Tully. John Patrick Higgins as Oberlin St. Clair. Laura Post as Abigail Evinton. Justice Slocum as Gibson Donahue. Stephanie Wong as Yuki Yamamoto. Amato Dappolito as Sheffi. Brittany Cox as Serena Narobi. Georgina Elizabeth Ocon as Ahado. Lex Demon as Sunny Kashi. Time Winters as Sinclair Rousseau. Sophia Makhmoud as Hassan. BK Phillips as King Omar Bashir. Isaac Robinson Smith as Muhammad Saleh. Patrick Cabarty as Laban Ugas. And Melissa Medina as The Narrator. Additional voices by Michael Woodley. For a full cast list and to learn more about our other audio productions, go to leviathanaudioproductions.com or follow us on social media. Thank you for supporting Leviathan Audio and thank you for listening. Welcome to the Vulgar History Podcast. We're going to be looking at the Balls, the gowns, and all the scandal of the Regency Era. Vulgar History is a women's history podcast, and our Regency Era series will be focusing on the most rebellious women of this time. That includes Jane Austen herself, who is maybe more radical than you might have thought. We'll also be talking about queer icons like Anne Lister, scientists like Mary Anning and Ada Lovelace, as well as other scandalous actresses, royal mistresses, rebellious princesses, and other lesser-known figures who made history happen in England in the Regency Era. Listen to Vulgar History wherever you get podcasts. Well, we have seen, of course, every episode many times, but we figure, hey, now that we're wrapped, let's watch it all again. And we can't do that alone, so we're inviting the cast and crew that made the show along for the ride. We've got writers, producers, composers, directors, and we'll of course have some actors on as well, including some certain guys that played some certain pretty iconic brothers. It was kind of a little bit of a left field choice in the best way possible. The note from Kripke was, he's great, we love him, but we're looking for like a really intelligent Dukovny type. With 15 seasons to explore, it's going to be the road trip of several lifetimes, so please join us and subscribe to Supernatural then and now. I'm not going to pass to the moon to the taste of blood on my tongue, but vampires are dying out, we are a fading kind, and I am the first one created in so long, and that is a dangerous thing to be. Those who came before me, elders of all stripes, they do not want to see our kind gone, and they will do anything to keep their power. And for myself, and for Grace who created me, that is a sword that hangs above our heads. And the worst person of all carries our secret, and he will use it however he sees fit. Who do you look to when things are at their darkest? From the creators of Park del Haunt comes Woodbine, a podcast about monsters, dreams, and changes, those you want and those you never saw coming. Season 2 arrives September 24th, distributed by Realm.