
Time for another story from Ascension Island. In our previous story a new gang calling themselves the “40 Elephants” has turned up on the island. London has become a bit to hot for them, so they are trying new territory and this new travel hub/destination of the rich and famous seemed ideal. In the last episode they managed to get away with a mysterious “Jewelled tome” in a security van. Now they have hidden the Jewelled tome in the islands power station and are trying to make contact with a buyer, but the military police aren’t far behind…

The Buyer, a “mysterious Heiress” has pulled up at the agreed meeting point in front of the casino.

The leader of the gang, Alice diamond, and her sidekick, Jim Bullock, approach from a side alley…
Suddenly the Island’s military police force arrive, having had a tip off that the deal is about to take place. As they have two cars now, they can approach from two different sides of the town…

This is a serious inconvenience to two of the gang, who were quietly sneaking into a factory yard to steal some small machinery for other nefarious purposes.

Alice sees the police and hesitates, but despite her orders Jim carries on to go and talk to the Heiress about terms and delivery.

This does not go well. The Heiress is not interested in talking with one of the labouring classes and ignores him.
Meanwhile two other gang members are running as fast as their heels will allow, to get to the machinery that Alice told them to steal. Unfortunately Captain Bryant has noticed them and approaches to investigate.

The 40 Elephants don’t seem to have got their various tasks very well allocated today; while Shirlie and Florrie risk damaged nails while dragging the heavy boxes, Mary Carr, who is quite at home dealing with Explosives, is sent to deal with some turf negotiations between the gang and Col. Lawrence. It turns out that she is to negotiations what Jim is to smooth talking heiresses. Unfortunately Alice has also forbidden any shooting which rather cramps her style.

Meanwhile Alice has taken over negotiations from Jim, and Lieutenant Cain of the RNAD Police has noticed the commotion. Jim grins; this is more his thing. He takes a swing at the policeman and fisticuffs ensue.

Meanwhile Shirley and Florrie try to steal the mysterious machine Alice has sent them to get. Unfortunately the area around it is ‘perilous’, so I have to turn a card for a random challenge. This reveals that both need to roll a four or above in their ‘finesse’ skills. Unfortunately, they don’t.

Williams, who has managed to avoid whatever peril is lurking in the box, offers help, but Florrie tells him in some well chosen words what he can do with such an offer and the two pick themselves up and leave the area. (again, a dice roll; they’re both “out” which I take to mean fed up and leaving.

As Bryant and Williams assistance is not required by the two women, they head for the alleged hiding place of the tome. Bryant is confronted with a locked door, but as he turns to ask Williams to go and get the key, his Sargent deals with the problem using a size 12 boot. They head for the boiler room…

At the same time Alice has the information she needed from the Mysterious Heiress and Jim pushes a way through the police. The pair run to the power station, where Jim applies the Sgt Williams approach to locked doors. It doesn’t work.

Recognising that this requires more finesse than muscle Alice yells at Jim to keep the police at bay and picks the lock. She runs inside and…

Amongst the machinery Sgt. Williams is searching for the Jewelled tome; I really need to paint the machinery because I couldn’t see anything. Fortunately the Sargent could and he collected the Jewelled Tome.

Jim ran into the power station to help Alice, followed by Lieutenant Cain, meaning that on a table 1m x 1m (3″ x 3″) almost all the characters still in the game were battling it out in a tiny space in one building. Still, that’s how Pulp is supposed to end, in a big cliffhanger ending full of fisticuffs and drama…

The arrival of Lt. Cain tipped the balance. Outnumbered and realising the Jewelled Tome was in Sgt. Williams possession, the 40 Elephants turned tail. Jim escaped through the back door while Alice ran out the front…

…where she leapt into the limousine belonging to the Mysterious Heiress. This sped off in a screech of tyres and a clatter of bullets…

So the 40 Elephants escaped, but without their prize. The police will now try and return it to its rightful owner, but the criminals aren’t going to give up that easily. Who will have final possession of the book, and what secrets does it contain? Find out (maybe) in the next thrilling instalment of “The Jewelled Tome”…