The Adventures of Becky - Changoon S.E. Asia

After escaping from India by the skin of their teeth the flight had gone without a hitch. Becky and her friends were expecting to meet with their guide Jonathan Hawke in Changoon, but he’s an elusive character and they were not sure where he would be. It could be that drifting round a town like Changoon asking questions might not be as easy or as safe as it sounded.

 

This is a follow on story in the adventures of Becky and her search for the Red Jade Buddha, a long and so far complicated story. This is the seventh episode, all the others are on the blog, click on the links on the right to access them, I’ve got limited internet at the moment so it’s easier for you to find them than for me to find the link. Sorry.

 

Changoon was a hot bed of gambling, prostitution, and a renowned haunt of the most vicious kidnapping gangs in all of South East Asia. Its reputation had spread even as far as Surry in the home counties of that green and pleasant land, England.

 

It’s a town of low rise buildings and high rise crime.

 

Crooks and Conmen on every street corner and you don’t even want to think of the back alleys.

 

Abu El Soofah minding the back entrance into his esteemed establishment, girls, gambling, or gratuitous drinking?

 

In the background you can see Goodtime Lola, she works for one of the more esteemed establishment on Main Street.

 

Jack Handsome runs the most profitable business in town, he has been on the up since he left Horseman’s Flatts over a year ago.

 

Dorothy has been on her uppers ever since the Mabel Street Mob got busted and may even be working as a good time girl in Changoon or then again she may have other plans.

 

The reason for including this photo is to show my piles of goods covered by tarpaulins. I’m really pleased with these, they are bits of waste foam board, covered in thin cotton boxer shorts cotton, soaked in pva and painted and dry brushed. Yes I did wash the shorts and yes they did have holes in them when I re-purposed them, and yes they did cost nothing.

 

OK finally the game is afoot, the plane has landed and the passengers are making their way into town.

  

The Chinese contingent are at the front, they obviously know where they are headed for. Arne Poulsen following is leading his small group, with the rest following on behind.

 

Becky tells the girls to split up so that they can cover more ground and so make contact with their guide more quickly.

 

There are various encounters spread around the town that may be good, or then again maybe not so good, these are all random and until turned over I’ve no idea which ones will occur.

 

Becky asks the young Japanese girl if she knows where Jonathan Hawke can be found but she just shakes her head and looks demurely down at the ground.

 

Roxanne and Gabrielle have more luck when they speak to Abu, he admits to knowing Hawke and even offers to take them to him, for a small payment into his pension pot of course. Looking closely into his eyes, they are not sure if he is telling the truth but it’s an offer they can’t refuse.

 

Rebecca Salerno has gone down a small alleyway and sees a young child playing in the mud, maybe he knows something that will help.

 

Over in the distance Miss Scarlet the highest, high class girl in town, is telling Charity that she doesn’t work for charity and she can bugger off, until she can come back with a large sum of cash.

 

Ruth Marrott and Dorothy have what appears to be a prime position on Side Street, but are they still involved in the Mabel Street Mob or have they gone freelance?

 

Moving on fast down the road towards their head quarters, Chang the bodyguard is explaining to Lola that she should not come any closer, unless she wants to feel the hot breath of his big chopper. The White Hyacinth Tong are well known for their swordsmanship as well as their big choppers.

 

She has heard it all before and just raises her glass of absinthe and whispers – cheers.

 

 Arne is making his way over to Jack Handsome, it looks like they have business to discuss.

 

Salerno alongside Susan Gunn talk to the little lad but they can’t understand his argot and so they move on.

 

Sidney seems more interested in Lola than the White Hyacinth Tong were and is in deep conversation with her. Personally I can see why but I guess he might have a different agenda.

 

As Becky Roxanne and Gabrielle come round the corner, they are led by Abu, who is making good on his promise to lead them to John Hawke, well that’s what they think but we’ll never know.

 

Arne and Jack are discussing some deal or other. Erasmus is waving a map around and Jack is looking disinterested.

 

Molly who has had too much to drink approaches the group with the traditional greeting. What you lookin at? Well it’s traditional where I come from.

 

She kicks out at Becky who throws a quick jab back in her face and Molly hits the floor, but she feels no pain, alcohol will do that for you. She gets back to her feet only to be knocked down again. Unsteadily she gets back up and as Becky steps in for the final blow Molly hits her hard and Becky goes down this time, Molly kicks her when she is on the ground and as Becky rises unsteadily Molly hits her with a ferocious head butt and she goes down finally, rising no more.

 

At this point Willhelm Schmitt one of the local law enforcement officers steps out of the shadows and in a loud rasping accent calls for everyone to stay still. Looking at Gabrielle and Roxanne he informs them that they are under arrest. She started it they exclaim but he ignores them, maybe Molly is his sister, who knows his reasoning.

 

Police corruption, white and black female slave trade, any form of fast buck con game are things that come immediately to mind.

 

Arne and Jack are definitely in cahoots, Jack is a renowned fixer in the port, maybe they are after guns and guides, we know they have a map, maybe it is a route to the Red Buddha or maybe to the green butterfly..!

  

Sugar looking on sees Roxanne and Gabrielle carrying the unconscious Becky along the road to the local jail, followed by Officer Schmidt.

 

The White Hyacinth Tong has almost made it to their HQ. Chang’s scar is hurting, the heat does this and also the humidity, Changoons climate always makes his scar livid.

 

Mind you it doesn’t do much for his temper either.

 

Rebecca and Susan drop lucky and against the odds meet up with Jonathan Hawke.

 

He tells them that everything is prepared, he has transport laid on to take them up country, they just need to get to the dock on the river and then embark for the long journey in front of them.

 

At this point the line of prisoners comes into sight. John Hawke whispers urgently to Rebecca that she mustn’t let her friends fall into the hands of the police in this town, they will never be heard of again.

 

By now Becky has recovered a little and is walking groggily between the other two girls, Officer Schmidt is covering them with his shotgun. He’s taking no chances with these three women but he’s also no Brain Surgeon and has neglected to search the girls for weapons, a bad die roll that was going to do him no favours.

 

He spots the other 3 girls and turns, he is caught in the middle of 6, possibly dangerous opponents and he is on his own with no back up, suddenly arresting Becky Gabrielle and Roxanne doesn’t seem such a smart move after all. Short term gain is probably short term pain.

 

The showdown, everyone throws to see when they will act, this is dependent on how good they are, highest number reacts first, the blue counters reflect the number of passed dice. Becky and Sugar react first with 3’s and react simultaneously. Becky shouts wait, but too late, Sugar fails her Brains test.

 

 She opens fire on the cop, the SMG stutters, bullets fly and Officer Schmidt is hit in the right leg, it must have clipped the femoral artery, because he falls to the floor and is dead within a heart beat, well one or two heart beats but pretty damn quick anyway.

 

The sound of shooting brings cops pouring out from their station house, they see the girls and everyone takes an insight test and again the blue counters indicate who reacts first.

 

Becky failed to react, I guess she was so horrified at Sugar shooting the cop, but Gabrielle and Hans, the cop on the left react together, he failed to fire and she misses him with her first shot and then her pistol clicks on a dud round.

 

James Lamore snapfires at Gabrielle and scores 3 hits, fortunately for her the gate provides unexpectedly good cover and only 1 shot hits her, but in the chest.

 

She falls OOF. Enrico shoots at Roxanne but misses and realises he’s only put 2 cartridges in the shotgun when it clicks empty - bugger. Captain Andy can’t get a clear shot and when Roxanne points her pistol she realises with a sinking feeling that she didn’t put the clip in after the flight and there’s just a deafening silence.

 

Becky reacts last and in spite of her misgivings about a gun fight with the cops on their first day in a new country coolly puts a round into Hans, killing him outright and then 2 into James, right leg and chest and he drops to the ground OOF.

 

Roxanne starts to load her pistol and Enrico is so shocked by the gunfire he fails to activate, Susan Gunn walks calmly across the road and fires 3 times with her shotgun but misses each time. Rebecca with a gun in each hand blazes away and hits Enrico in the gut and he dies a painful death.

 

Becky cool as a cucumber shoots Captain Andy before he can get a shot off, and hits him twice, sending him OOF.

 

It’s all over in a split second, lots of dead or injured cops, that’s not a good start to this part of the story.

 

The view from across the yard. With all the police down the girls make their way quickly out of town to the rendezvous with John Hawke and the river boats. They have to carry or half drag Gabrielle but all eventually get there.

 

Tune in next time for the journey up the mighty river Changoon in a selection of newly painter river boats, through fresh jungle, not more than 2 weeks old, although still needing a coat of mat varnish, into the unknown and unexplored Changoon hinterland, meeting strange and deadly creatures, wild and dangerous inhabitants as well as natural dangers the like of which have never been seen on wide screen cinema before.

 

I just thought this picture of the overall table might be interesting, or maybe not. This is my new wargames room, much brighter and pleasanter than the last one.

 

Well if you’re still here – thanks for reading and I greatly appreciate your thoughts on how the Becky saga is progressing.
It's late at night and I'm in a boatyard in Devon, tomorrow we get launched and after that electricity, water, and internet become rarer than hens teeth, so I'm not sure when I will get to respond to anything you might comment on but give me a bit of time.

 

Cheers.