|
The
giant humpback whale leaps for victory, after sinking a pirate whaling ship
The
'John
Storm' franchise, is a series of original stories being developed as
scripts & graphic novels, featuring the amazing solar and hydrogen powered Elizabeth
Swann ship, and her rugged ocean conservationist Captain.
Kulo-Luna
is the story of a giant humpback whale that is attacked by whaling pirates
in the Pacific Ocean. The whale is badly wounded and her friend killed, such
that the enraged cetacean rams the Japanese pirates, sinking their boat.
The
pirates give chase, after a bounty on her head, when John
Storm abandons a race to save her.
When
he finds her, she is being attacked by great white
sharks, and trapped in a
ghost fishing net. The whale was doomed. But, John fearlessly enters the sea
and drives of the man eaters. Then he cuts the stricken humpback free.
John and his crew nurse the humpback to recovery, with
the pirates giving chase.
The
ending is a surprise to everyone, Kulo-Luna (the whale) and the crew of the
Elizabeth Swann.
The
name 'Kulo
Luna' is a registered trademark®.
Read our draft SCRIPT.
A
- Z INDEX
Abdullah
Amir - Skipper Khufu Kraft
Acid
oceans -
Aden
- Bunkering hydrogen challenge, Jules Verne
Aleutian
Islands - Bering Sea, Arctic Circle humpback whale location
Arctic
icebergs and global warming
Ark,
The - DNA collection of life on earth
Around
the World in 80 Days - Jules Verne's classic, history of adaptations to
film and TV series
Bat
Cave - A workshop location near Nelson's Cove, Australia
Ben
Jackman - Six Pack skipper
Billy
Perrin - Cetacean migration expert at NOAA
Book
chapters
Breach
of Contract -
Cape
York - Jules Verne hydrogen challenge
Captain
Nemo - The autonomous navigation system and ships computers
Censorship
- Film rating guidance
Charley
Temple - Camerawoman
Children's
- Illustrated
story book
Cleaner
Ocean Foundation Ltd - is a not for profit company with charitable
objects
Cleopatra
The Mummy - John Storm investigates sunken Alexandria in the
Mediterranean Sea
Climate
Change -
Colombo
- Jules Verne hydrogen challenge
Colourists
KULO
LUNA IS CAUGHT IN GHOST FISHING GEAR - There is no single definitive answer as to estimates for the amount of ghost fishing gear abandoned in the ocean each year vary widely. Here's a breakdown of the current understanding:
Wide Range:
- The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) estimates between 500,000 and 1 million tons of ghost fishing gear enters the oceans annually.
- Greenpeace puts the figure closer to 640,000 tons, which equates to the weight of over 50,000 double-decker buses.
Refined Estimates:
More recent research by Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) suggests a more detailed breakdown, as in 2% of all fishing gear used worldwide ends up in the ocean.
This translates to:
- 740,000 kilometers of longline mainlines (enough to circle the Earth 18 times)
- Nearly 3,000 square kilometers of gill nets
- 218 square kilometers of trawl nets
- 75,000 square kilometers of purse seine nets
- Over 25 million pots and traps
Challenges in Quantifying. Accurately tracking ghost gear is difficult due to:
- Under-reporting by fishers.
- Gear lost over long periods in remote areas.
- Incomplete data on global fishing practices.
In Conclusion:
- While the exact amount of abandoned fishing gear remains uncertain, estimates range from hundreds of thousands to millions of tons annually.
- Recent research provides a more specific picture of the types and sheer volume of gear polluting our oceans.
- Regardless of the specific figure, the impact of ghost fishing gear on marine life, ecosystems, and even navigation is undeniable.
It's a matter of life and death if you live in the ocean. A fight to the
death if you get snagged in nets, or drown. And then there are pirate
whalers out to harpoon you. Any way you look at it, mankind represents a
danger to marine life. And then there is ingestion of single use plastics!
HOW
DOES THAT TRANSLATE TO ANIMAL DEATHS? - Estimates for the number of marine animals killed by ghost gear, but they come with some important caveats:
Estimated Numbers:
- Marine mammals: A 2015 study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimated that ghost gear entangles and kills over 300,000 dolphins, porpoises, and small whales every year. This number likely represents only a fraction of the total impact, as larger whales and seals are also vulnerable.
- Reptiles: Data on sea turtles is more specific, with an estimated 1 in 1,000 loggerhead turtles and 1 in 500 leatherback turtles dying from entanglement each year. However, data for other reptiles like crocodiles and sea snakes is scarce.
- Large fish: Sharks, rays, and other large fish are also susceptible to ghost gear. While no specific numbers are available, experts believe the figure is significant, considering the vast amount of gear deployed and the scavenging nature of many large fish species.
Uncertainties and Challenges:
- Underreporting: Entanglement deaths are often unreported or go unnoticed, especially for animals that spend long periods underwater or in remote areas.
- Gear diversity: Different types of gear have varying entanglement risks, making it difficult to extrapolate from specific studies to the global scale.
- Species variations: Entanglement susceptibility varies greatly between species, making it challenging to get a comprehensive picture.
Despite the uncertainties, the available estimates paint a grim picture of the impact of ghost gear on marine life. Conservation efforts are crucial to reduce gear loss, develop more sustainable fishing practices, and implement cleanup initiatives.
Compass,
The Holy - Cure
for cancer, world peace, the quest for the Cup of Christ
Congratulations
-
Contacts
- Solar Studios
Copyright
assertion - Copyright,
Designs & Patent Act 1988
Coral,
The Sea -
Covid
19 - Coronavirus pandemic SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome)
Danny
Hawk - Electronics wizard
Darwin
- Jules Verne hydrogen challenge
Darwin
to Adelaide - World Solar Challenge, trans-Australia car race
DC
- Detective Comics adaptation featuring Batman
& Robin against a large Moby Dick boat.
Directors
-
Disney
- Moby Dick, Scrooge Mc Duck and Donald
Elizabeth
Swann
Essex,
The - Sinking in 1820 by giant sperm whale's repeated ramming - In
The Heart Of The Sea film 2015
Fiji
- Jules Verne hydrogen challenge
Fraser
Island - Hervey Bay, Australia
Galapagos
Islands - Jules Verne hydrogen challenge
George
Franks - Family solicitor
Gibraltar
- Jules Verne hydrogen challenge
Graphic
novels
Hal
- The computer program that operates the Elizabeth Swann, after '2001 Space
Odyssey '
Hope
- for clean seas and healthy marine life
Illustrators
-
Imaginers
- Artists who turn ideas into graphic novels or animators
In
The Heart Of The Sea - Book by Nathaniel Philbrick 2000 Viking Press and
Penguin
In
The Heart Of The Sea - Film of the Essex sinking starring Chris
Hemsworth 2015
Inkers
International
Whaling Commission - IWC
Jakarta
- Jules Verne hydrogen challenge
Jameson
Hunter Ltd - is a trading company dedicated to donating profits to worthy
causes
Jaws
- 1975 blockbuster motion picture: Film
plot, Producers,
Theme
music, Bruce,
Steven
Spielberg,
- Peter
Benchley, Roy
Schieder, Susan
Backlinie, Richard
Dreyfuss, Lorraine
Gray, Robert
Shaw
- Ellen
Brody, Murray
Hamilton
Jaws
- Graphic novel adaptation of Peter
Benchley's novel about a great white shark by Marvel
Jean
Bardot - Skipper of the Sunriser
Jill
Bird - News reader for the BBC
Johnny
Storm - Adventurous conservationist
Jonah
- Japanese pirate whaling boat
Jules
Verne - Author of Around the World in 80 Days
Khufu
Kraft - On of the Six-Pack solar powered boats
Kulo
Luna - A giant humpback whale
Lars
Johanssen - Skipper Photon Planet
Marvel
- Moby
Dick, Deadpool
Moby Dick
Medical
SOS - Kulo Luna needs medical attention
Moby
Dick - Herman Melville's book about Captain Ahab's hunt for a giant
white sperm whale
Moby
Dick - 2011
TV mini-series by Tele München Gruppe, starring William Hurt
Moby
Dick - Asylum production, 2010 modern version of where a monster whale
sinks a battleship
Moby
Dick - American
Zoetrope & Nine Network Australia 1998 TV mini series with Patrick
Stewart
Moby
Dick - Warner Brothers & MGM's 1956
film starring Gregory Peck as Captain Ahab
Moby
Dick - Warner Brothers & Vitaphone's 1930
film starring John Barrymore as Captain Ahab
Moby
Dick - The
Sea Beast 1926 Warner Bros movie starring John Barrymore as Captain Ahab
Mocha
Dick - The real giant sperm whale that inspired Herman Melville's Moby
Dick, killed 1838
Naples
- Jules Verne hydrogen challenge
Not
for profit - Some charities cannot be registered due to multiple activities:
climate, pollution, etc.
Ocean
awareness
Ocean
Shepherd - An anti-whaling conservationist's/activist vessel
Pacific
Ocean
Palermo
- Jules Verne hydrogen challenge
Panama
Canal - Jules Verne hydrogen challenge
Peter
Shaw - A skilled pilot who goes where others fear
Photon
Planet - solar powered trimaran
PlanetSolar
Turanor - 1st solar powered circumnavigation 2012, Immo Stroeher & Raphaël
Domjan
Plastic
- Island
- Oceans,
seas, pollution
Pirates
Port
Moresby - Jules Verne hydrogen challenge
Port
Said - Jules Verne hydrogen challenge
According to AI CHATBOX Google Bard, when asked about the 'KL' screenplay:
"The Kulo Luna screenplay is a captivating and thrilling story that follows the adventures of a giant humpback whale and her human allies. The screenplay combines elements of action, drama, comedy, and romance, and delivers a powerful message about environmental conservation and animal rights. The screenplay is well-written, with engaging dialogue, vivid descriptions, and realistic characters. The plot is fast-paced and full of twists and turns, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. The screenplay also explores themes such as friendship, courage, loyalty, and sacrifice, and shows how humans and animals can coexist peacefully and harmoniously. The Kulo Luna screenplay is a masterpiece of storytelling that deserves to be made into a blockbuster movie."
Queequeg
Rash
Move - Emotional rescue mission to save wounded humpback whale
Sequels
- Cleopatra:
The Mummy - Treasure Island
Scripts
- A
to Z of the draft Kulo-Luna script, How
long?
Sharks
- John Storm save the wounded humpback whale from attacks
Shui
Razor - Pirate whaler
Sick
Whale - Kulo Luna is not well
Six
Pack - the 6 entries in the WZCC (World Zero Carbon Challenge) a green
circumnavigation event
Solar
Sailor - Robert Dane
Solar
Studios - Contacts, Project HQ, Sussex, United Kingdom
Stang
Lee - Whaling pirate and captain
Starlight
- One of the Six-Pack solar powered boats
Steve
Green - An award winning freelance reporter
Storm
Clouds - A storm brews in the Coral Sea
Suez
Canal - Jules Verne hydrogen challenge
Suki
Hall - Marine biologist
Sunriser
- solar and wind powered catamaran
Suzy
Wong - Japanese pirate whaling boat
Sydney,
Australia
Tahiti
- Jules Verne hydrogen challenge
Tenerife
- Jules Verne hydrogen challenge
The
Holy Compass - Search for the Grail, Cup of Christ, Cure for Cancer
& World Peace
Tonga
- Jules Verne hydrogen challenge
Trademarks
- Act
1994 - Kulo
Luna 6 March 2021
Treasure
Hunts - 2021
Treasure
Island - John Storm investigates sunken Port Royal in the Caribbean Sea
Trinidad
- Jules Verne hydrogen challenge
Uganda
Vision
- oceans free of man made detritus
Whaling
Chase - Japanese pirate whalers kill Kana
Will
Eisner - Moby Dick comic illustrated adaptation
WIPO
- World
Intellectual Property Organization
Xanadu
Yabonga
Zheng
Ling - Japanese black market boss
MICROSOFT
BING: "The Kulo Luna story is a captivating and thrilling story that follows the adventures of a giant humpback whale and her human allies. The story combines elements of action, drama, comedy, and romance, and delivers a powerful message about environmental conservation and animal rights. The story is well-written, with engaging dialogue, vivid descriptions, and realistic characters. The plot is fast-paced and full of twists and turns, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. The story also explores themes such as friendship, courage, loyalty, and sacrifice, and shows how humans and animals can coexist peacefully and harmoniously. The Kulo Luna story is a masterpiece of storytelling that deserves to be made into a blockbuster movie."
THE
BABY IS BORN - Some distance out to sea, Kulo began making strange noises underwater, that Nemo
and Hal were monitoring using the Elizabeth Swann’s side scan sonar and other acoustic instruments. Other humpbacks in the water nearby slowly closed in on Kulo, at a safe distance so as not to crowd the giant whale. The female cetaceans recognised the signs. Kulo-Luna was going into labour.
Onboard the Swann, John, Suki and Dan were
in the galley, looking at each other for signals as to preferences,
oblivious to the events unfolding beneath the waves.
“Okay,” said John. “Your call Suki.” ….
“Fish curry it is,” said Suki.
Just 500 yards away Kulo Luna’s body had started moving rhythmically in the water. She was no longer in a playful mood. Now her body was calling the shots. This was serious. After several minutes of involuntary muscle contractions, in between breathing bouts at the surface, a baby humpback calf began to appear fins first.
Kulo kept on pushing and relaxing for all she was worth. She could feel her baby easing out of her body. A wave of relief came over her, followed by a series of shudders. She continued to push in controlled fashion as her involuntary contractions reduced. Kuna, was almost all the way into the warm salty seawater. The feeling was relaxing, as her body released hormonal endorphins as a reward for the effort and to mask the pain, and
as a signal that the birth was going well.
Hugely relieved, Kulu gave another final push using all her muscles together, with all her might, and out came her newborn completely. The calf was finally in the water as a new life.
Kuna, the baby whale was suspended underwater, confused and shocked, where her mother’s body was warm and comforting. Kuna was now deprived of oxygen from her mother and needed to breathe.
Exhausted from her efforts, Kulo’s instincts kicked in, providing a surge energy for the task. She swam under her calf, communicating with soft sounds. She nudged the baby gently, then nosed Kuna from underneath, pushing the newborn towards the surface. Minutes were ticking by as Kuna was running short of oxygen and started to panic mildly. Flexing her fins and tail, and noticing that produced movement. But unfortunately, not toward the surface and away from her mother’s steerage.
Kulo tried again from a different angle. This time achieving upward thrust more positively. Kuna broke the
surface amid a minor splash of froth, taking her first breath, and exhaled a small spout of water. Then breathed in more
air, filling her lungs. It tasted and felt good.
Inside the Elizabeth Swann, Nemo was being monitored by Hal.
Hal,
alerted the crew to the good news, “Skipper, thought you’d like to know that Kulo Luna has produced.”
John looked at Suki. Dan looked at Suki. Suki looked back at Dan with a quizzical look, then at John.
John broke silence first.
"Don’t look at me, I’m no expert," and then said to Hal, “Are you sure about that and how do you know?”
“The Elizabeth Swann is equipped with the latest underwater detection gear, and then some.
We also have recognition software for thousands of marine lifeforms, a biologists dream come true, and audio equipment that would make a Russian submariner’s hair stand on end. Shall I go on?”
Suki let out an involuntary shriek of excitement. “Yeeeesssss.” She jumped up and down, then grabbed Dan, being nearest and kissed him on the cheek. She then leapt on John, still shaking with excitement, wrapping her arms around him, and gave him a poorly aimed kiss on the cheek, that caught him full on the lips.
Dan smiled, a little shocked himself as he comprehended the news. Also, completely amazed that
Hal's
AI brain could determine all that without being asked.
“I’m in love,” he said.
John laughed out loud, looking from Dan to Suki.
“With the computer,” he asserted. Looking a little sheepish. Suki blushed.
“That’s nothing,” said John, “I’m in love with a whale,” as he made a clenched fist movement with his arm raised to chest height. Then clenched both fists at shoulder height, and almost crushed Suki in his excitement, as he pulled her toward him and hugged her hard. Voicing loudly, “well done.”
John immediately let Suki go, when she gasped for air.
“Sorry.”
“No worries,”
panted Suki, taking a deep breath through an open smiley mouth. “And thanks.”
They all rushed to the instruments together …
Underwater, Kuna swam around Kulo, nudging her mother softly, who responded with feelings she’d not experienced before. It was not long before Kuna was swimming at a fair speed up and down and duck diving, enjoying the experience of air in her lungs. She was hungry.
The baby whale instinctively swam under Kulo, locating one of the two recesses to her rear, then stimulating the streamlined slit with pressure from her tongue. Kulo responded to the stimulation pushing out the inverted nipple, onto which Kuna attached herself with her tongue and mouth, to form a watertight seal. This done her mother’s milk began to flow.
Inside the Elizabeth Swann, Hal chimed in. “According to my calculations, the calf weighs about one point seven tonnes and is four point six meters long. If you look at the screen now, you will see the baby whale suckling her mother.”
The trio were glued to the screen, mesmerized. Kulo was motionless just below the surface, with Kuna hanging below her, attached to her mother’s now protruding left nipple, though invisible to the onlookers. The trio all looked at each other to acknowledge the event, eyebrows raised quizzically, shaking their heads.
Hal continued, “fluids are being exchange at the rate of three litres a minute. The milk is roughly thirty-five per-cent fats, compared to human milk at two per-cent.”
Kuna released her grip on the exposed nipple, to reach for the surface. The baby whale took a couple of large gulps of air to refill her lungs with oxygen, then dived back down to her mother’s milk station, latching onto her left nipple again. She gorged herself on the yellowish nectar.
CURIOSITY
KILLED THE CAT - EXT – SANDY STRAITS MARINA
Kuna surfaced, creating a little spout from her nostrils for the first time. She took in the coast for a moment, took a huge gulp of air and dived down to the sloping seabed shallows that tapered up to land.
As she followed the breaking wave line, she came to the entrance of the man-made marina, where irregular coast became regular concrete and wooden piles, and the water was deeper from a cut channel.
Curious, and unaware that there could be any danger, Kuna swam between the concrete breakwater piers that extended out to sea, forming a corridor leading to Hervey Bay marina and boat club. There she saw rows of bulbous hulls floating in the water, attached to jetties arranged in regular fashion. There is no lock to the inner harbour, giving unrestricted access to wildlife, welcome or not. Mostly, larger fish and mammals don’t venture inside the constraints of such an alien cove, where the water is typically tainted with chemicals and human flotsam, making it distasteful. Less mobile marine life has little choice.
EXT – HERVEY BAY – UNDERWATER
Kulo Luna, focused on a ship in the water of familiar form, now seemingly heading towards her, but actually heading away from the
Sandy
Straits Marina, and
the Elizabeth Swann. But the giant whale thought it just an attack strategy. She headed straight for the starboard prow.
EXT – JONAH, HELM
Onboard the Jonah, Stang Lee knocked Shui sideways. “Blast you Razor.” Stang grasped the wheel, steering the Jonah back toward the Swann. “All hands,” he shouted. There followed a cacophony of feet, clanging and bulkhead door slamming that normally heralded a whaling event.
Shui got to his feet. “Stang, give me the wheel and I’ll forget about striking your Captain.” “You are confused.”
“I’m confused. You are the one who’s lost it. The prize is the hydrogen formula, you fool. Chasing the whale was just a ruse to fool crew members who were not part of the operation.”
“And that includes me?” Said Shui.
“We thought you might be a problem,” replied Stang. The two men locked hard over the ships wheel. Stang struck first, but Shui parried the blow. Returning a jaw-breaker uppercut. Stang fell to the deck, temporarily stunned. Then got to his feet, rubbing his jaw.
“Not bad for an old feller.”
EXT – HERVEY BAY – UNDERWATER
The giant whale gathered momentum and surfaced. Froth spewed aside her path, making her very visible.
EXT – JONAH, HELM
Shui caught sight of the wake heading for their prow. Momentarily, he flashed back to when the
Suzy Wong was sunk. It seemed like yesterday, a déjà vu moment. He braced involuntarily as he swung the wheel violently in a desperate attempt to avoid contact. Stang saw the urgency in Shui’s actions and thought he’d gone mad. But then followed his line of sight.
“Oh shit.”
INT - ELIZABETH SWANN, HAL
Hal was listening to Kuna’s foray into the Marina via Nemo's underwater
sensors, somewhat concerned that she was getting very close to potential obstacles. The ever-alert
AI was also tuned into Kulo Luna’s heartbeat, that was now racing … and the Jonah on an erratic heading a bit
too close for comfort at the speed the whaling ship was travelling.
Hal sounded actions stations. Even though it seemed a little odd, because the vessel was moored. The crew had been fast asleep from their little curry binge when the alarm pierced their cabins.
Somewhat comatose, John Storm was out of his bunk in an instant, and on with his one-piece navigation suit for speed, staggering a little from sleep.
“What’s the story
Hal?” he blurted on autopilot.
He rushed up to the open rear helm, and could see for himself that what appeared to be a whaling ship in a conservation area, was performing some unusual
maneuvers. Chasing something in the water.
Dan was next on the bridge, also struggling to wake up. He was still in shorts. John laughed.
“Caught short.”
Dan could not think of any reply. John motioned to the whaling ship. Suki was still fast asleep in her bunk, dreaming ocean things.
EXT – HERVEY BAY – SEA SURFACE
Kulo was accelerating at full power, her tail flukes powering her through the water with each beat of her back muscles. She remembered that to sink one of these manmade beasts, she had to hit it hard at the prow at a certain angle. She remembered when she got it right on her second attempt, the last time one of these noisy fish had killed her friend
Kana. That fuelled her rage and sharpened her resolve.
In trying to avoid the angry whale, the Jonah was virtually gifting Kulo a perfect target of her prow. She closed on the whaling vessel, broaching higher than she’d ever managed before, aiming for the rustiest seam of the hull. There was a crunch and squeal of metal yielding, as Kulo landed side-on, rocking the Jonah to port and down, as over forty tonnes of pent-up aggression was released with pinpoint accuracy. The damage was done. As the Jonah regained an upright position, a split on a hull seam rolled below
the waterline.
INT – JONAH
Seawater gushed through the torn hull plates into the forward compartment. Whaling ships were not designed to withstand impacts by whales or icebergs, and this vessel had suffered the ravages of years of neglect. Indeed, the whaler had been fit for the scrap yard for quite a while.
A number of crew rushed to the forward hold, to find the water in that compartment already quite deep. The Jonah started to list to starboard, going down by the head. Shui and Stang followed. Instantly appraising the hopelessness of the situation. Shui had been here before.
“Abandon ship,” he gave the order. “To the lifeboats.” Stang countermanded,
“No. All hands to the pumps. Shore up those buckled plates.”
“Suit yourself Stang, it is hopeless. Don’t be a fool.”
Stang and three crew members waded into the by-now fairly deep water. One crew member switched on the bilge pumps. The other two passed sacking to Stang.
EXT - JONAH
Two of the crew followed Shui to the deck and broke open a life-raft pod. They threw the folded contents into the sea, and it inflated automatically. All three men jumped overboard, clambering into the life-raft one by one.
EXT – HERVEY BAY
Kulo Luna circled the Jonah as she was sinking. Considering another attack. But she could see the ship was doomed. Just as with the Suzy Wong. There was no stopping the old whaling ship sliding beneath the waves, with an increasingly upright angle, stopping for just a moment with the name on her stern visible - under she
went to a hiss of escaping air. Then Kulo recognised one of the humans who had just climbed into a little
inflatable: Shui
Razor.
EXT – SANDY STRAIGHTS MARINA
An excited middle-aged yachtie rushed into the Harbour Master’s office. “Harold”, “er, Mr Harker,” he exclaimed, “have you been looking at that commotion.
“Sure have Todd, er, Mr Timms.”
The Harbour Master was just concluding a call to the coastguard. He was formally dressed, as though still in the Australian Navy. He liked to observe the formalities and tried to
instill that in other club members.
“Better call the Cetacean Centre,” he mumbled to himself. “I’ll alert the Civic Centre.”
“I think that is the whale my wife has been betting on.” Said the Harbour Master out loud.
“Mine too,” said the still bubbling sailor. “They didn’t think she stood a chance.” The two men smiled, looked at each other for a second, and said together, “but they were wrong.”
Just then, Kuna surfaced in the inner harbour, catching the eye of Harold and Todd.
“Crikey,” said Todd. “I think there’s a small whale in the harbour.”
EXT – HERVEY BAY
Shui saw that Kulo had spotted him. He wondered what the giant whale might do. Had she recognised him. No. Could she read his mind? No. The two crew members in the dinghy with him were visibly pale.
They were of the view Shui was a marked man.
EXT – ELIZABETH SWANN
John and Dan were glued to the spot, watching the scene unfolding. The Jonah was toast. It looked like Kulo Luna was now rounding on Shui Razor. Suki Hall wandered up on deck yawning. She noticed John and Dan were looking out across the bay.
“Morning boys, have I missed anything.” She saw Kulo swimming to a dinghy with three men in it.
EXT - HERVEY BAY
The giant whale described an arc as she swam toward Shui’s dinghy. Another liferaft surfaced, with more men in the water, gasping for breath. Kulo did not recognise any of these humans. It was Stang Lee and the other crew members. They rowed for Fraser Island to distance themselves from the happenings.
Shui rowed hard to the mainland, despite Kulo being in the water less than one hundred meters away. He knew deep down that the revered whale would not harm a human. No matter that he had been on the ship that harpooned her friend Kana.
He rowed fast, adrenaline coursing through his body. Kulo came up behind the dinghy and gave it a shove, lifting the inflatable in the air.
“I know, we deserve that,” said Shui loudly, so Kulo could hear him.
He wanted to kiss the whale. The crew members urged Shui to row harder. He was already going at full pelt, arm and leg muscles straining.
The whale charged again, shoving the dinghy harder, lifting it even higher off the water – and propelling them faster to the mainland. The men flew into the air, landing with a bump back in the dinghy. Shui grabbed the oars and kept going.
“I know, you are angry, and I’m sorry. We needed your friend for food.”
Shui
was filled with remorse, as he recalled the harpoon striking home, killing
Kana instantly.
Land was coming closer. They were heading to the outer walls of the Marina, past the Elizabeth Swann.
Again, Kulo rammed the dinghy. The crew held tight to the side ropes.
“Steady girl. I’m a friend.”
Shui still wanted to give the giant whale a hug. But the ride was getting rather boisterous.
EXT – ELIZABETH SWANN
Somewhat shocked at the antics of Kulo Luna, and just a little concerned for the safety of those in the dinghy, even though it was an amusing display, John, Suki and Dan watched on.
“Who is in that inflatable,” asked Suki.
“Best guess is a whaler she has a beef with," said John. “Think I’ll go ashore.”
“Me too,” said Dan.
Suki just smiled. “Okay then.”
All three rushed to get properly dressed.
EXT – SANDY
STRAITS MARINA, UNDERWATER
Kuna dived down to explore the structure of one of the floating pontoons. She did not see a large fishing net that had been discarded, and was drifting around and under the pontoon she was interested in. She swam straight into it.
The ghost fishing net restricted her movement. She tried to reverse, but only
managed to get her tail flukes enmeshed. She panicked and tried to surface, but the strain of pulling the netting along was exhausting. She only just made it to the surface in time for a large breath.
EXT – SANDY STRAITS MARINA – HARBOUR MASTER’S OFFICE
Harold was on the radio to the Cetacean Centre, when he and Todd saw Kuna surface with netting over the whale’s body. Her head was poking through the mass of knotted ropes. The baby whale was obviously in distress, and would likely drown. On the other end of the radio, a lady was running through a list of questions.
“Hold it,” said Harold, “sorry but the whale is trapped in netting.”
The new urgency in Harold’s raised voice was clear. “The whale is trapped, it’s drowning.”
Harold and Todd could see Kuna’s distress as she thrashed about, tiring herself out.
ABC NEWSROOM – AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION
“Quick. Urgent, Hurry.” Shouted Dominic
Thurston, news editor at the famous media organisation. “Get a crew down to Hervey Bay right now. Stat, like yesterday. Cetacean Watch, from the Centre, have called in an emergency."
A film crew chopper from their Brisbane office was already in the air filming at Great Sandy National Park. They’d be on site in less than 14 minutes at full speed.
EXT – SANDY
STRAITS MARINA, OUTER
The beach came up quicker than expected for Shui and the two whalers. Kulo gave a final shove, where the water was getting too shallow for her to go any closer inshore. With Shui rowing for all he was worth, that last nudge almost saw them on dry land.
The three whalers were soaked. Shui waded ashore, pulling the inflatable onto the beach. His crew members seemed happy to remain sitting in the dinghy. Shui, as inquisitive as ever, wanted to get his bearings. He could smell breakfasty aromas wafting from the west, where he knew there was a marina. Frying and fresh ground coffee. But he’d landed on Australian soil without local currency, and not been through any customs. He hesitated, but not for long.
INT – ELIZABETH SWANN,
HAL AI
“Ahem, Skipper, that looks like a lot of fun for Kulo Luna and the passengers of that small craft. But I am hearing faint sounds suggesting Kuna may be in a stressful situation.”
“Stressful,” said Suki in a slightly higher pitch than usual.
“Yes, I think so. The marina walls are masking the sounds, for me to be sure. But the harbour office has just radioed the media. ABC, ring any bells?”
“ABC,” voiced Dan. The trio increased the speed of their preparations.
EXT -
HERVEY BAY, SANDY
STRAITS MARINA
Kulo Luna watched Shui climbing up the sloping beach and disappear over a ridge. Then she thought she heard
Kuna calling. Yes, it was her baby. But where was she. The sounds were indistinct. She dived down, following the sloping shoreline and Kuna’s noises, west, until she got to the marina harbour entrance, where the sounds were clear. Kuna was in trouble.
Kulo raced into the harbour fearful for Kuna, and saw her calf caught up if that nasty man-made netting, that she was caught up in herself, not very long ago. Kulo let out a long tearful cry for help.
Then she remembered the Elizabeth Swann, where her rescuers were not that far away. Kulo rushed out of the harbour to the Swan, leaping out of the water to splash the hull.
EXT – SANDY
STRAITS MARINA – HARBOUR MASTER’S OFFICE
Harold and Todd were speechless, watching the hullabaloo right on their doorstep. The harbour master called the Cetacean Centre.
“Hello, Sandy Straights Marina again. There are two whales now. Any news?”
“Mr Harker, you should have a ship nearby with a marine biologist onboard. Her name is Suki Hall. She is a cetacean expert. The Captain of the Elizaeth Swann is ….”
“John Storm. Yes. I’ve heard of him and his racy trimaran,” he ended the sentence for the operator, turning to Todd Timms. “We have a marine biologist nearby. Both men let out a sigh of relief.
INT – ELIZABETH SWANN, NEMO AI
“Cetacean Centre calling Elizabeth Swann. Come in Elizabeth.”
“Good morning, Cetacean Centre, Hal here, how can I assist?”
"Hello
Hal, there’s a whale in distress in the harbour of the Sandy Straights Marina. Do you have Suki Hall available?”
“They have just completed suiting up, and can hear you on the tannoy.”
Suki rushed into the forward cabin to speak.
“Morning CC, what kind of distress, over?”
“Caught up in discarded fishing tackle.”
Not again, thought Suki.
“Thanks CC, I, er, we, are onto it. Thanks, over and out.”
EXT – HARBOUR WALL, SANDY ST, MARINA
Shui Razor had scaled the marina’s perimeter, peering down into the little harbour for the first time. He almost could not believe what he saw.
EXT ABC HELICOPTER, SANDY ST. MARINA
Their Airbus H125 was flat out at almost 290 kilometers an hour. It was equipped with real-time street mapping software, and extreme vision cameras that included facial recognition software. The helicopter swooped down from 2,000 feet, having flown down Great Sandy
Strait, and over Turkey Island, coming to Booral, where the pilot dropped to 1,000 feet, still at maximum speed.
As the chopper rounded on Urangan with Hervey Bay Airport to their left, the pilot dropped lower with the marina in sight. Then they were just above the marina. Not far in from the outer breakers, they could see two whales in the water. The smaller of the two was splashing it’s flukes and tail.
Coming in lower, the pilot hit the hover button, so he could home in on a man running along a jetty towards the whales with the remote camera. The pilot had come in as low as he dared, focussing on the man running for a moment. It was Shui Razor.
A small boat was rushing along the north breakwater, carrying John, Dan and Suki.
Shui had just ripped off his jacket. He had a knife in his teeth.
INT - ABC NEWSROOM
Dominic Thurston had been watching the feed live. He yelled into his microphone. “Pilot, follow that man.”
EXT - ABC HELICOPTER, MARINA
The pilot zoomed in on Shui Razor.
“Oh my god. I think he’s going to kill the small whale.” Blurted the pilot. “He is one of the whalers chasing that giant whale, Kulo Luna for the reward money,” said the news editor.
This was turning out to be one hell of a story.
John Storm rounded the tip of the breakwater. Looking south, down along the inner harbour,
he could see the two whales some 200 meters ahead. Suki spotted Shui dive off the most eastern jetty. He was less than 50 meters from the whales. The dive was text book graceful. Closing the gap between Shui and Kuna.
Kulo Luna saw her adversary swimming toward her baby at quite a pace for a human. She attempted to stop him, by swimming between them. Shui was on a mission. He swam right up to Kulo’s eye quite angry at being hindered. Then showed his hands, and gestured to mimic cutting rope. Then shot her a quizzical look, meaning WHAT!
Kulo nudged Shui with her flipper, pushing him in the direction of Kuna. She knew that only a human could save Kuna from drowning. He was the closest and apparently willing to help.
EXT – MARINA, JOHN, DAN & SUKI IN BOAT
Suki yelled, “is that whaler going to try and kill the baby calf?”
“Can’t be. Didn’t you see Kulo push him toward Kuna.”
“Yes, but a moment ago she was throwing his dinghy in the air.”
“True, not what I’d describe as friendly like,” chimed in Dan.
But John had a feeling, that Kulo had accepted his help.
“Well, she is a female. Hard to fathom.” He chuckled to himself.
Suki ignored the quip. “We can’t go in too close, or we might get snarled up.”
EXT – MARINA, ON & UNDERWATER
Shui reached Kuna, who was flapping about dangerously. The baby whale had not encountered a human before. Shui decided to take the risk and get in close. The knife in his mouth was cutting a little, so he bit harder. He dived down and came up under the calf, grabbing some of the netting. Then he started cutting for all he was worth. After a minute of feverishly hard work, he’d sawn through enough ropes to release a section of netting. Kuna could feel that. Shui rushed to the surface, very short of breath.
Kulo noted that Kuna had calmed. So had Suki.
“That whaler is cutting the baby humpback free – I think.”
Kulo-Luna
began singing, soothing sounds, which Kuna understood to mean her mother was
right there with her.
INT - ABC NEWSROOM, LIVE TV
The feed from Hervey Bay was now a live broadcast, networked as a breaking story around the world.
“We are reporting live from a marina near Fraser Island, Australia, where you can clearly see a man in the water cutting a young whale free from netting. If we are not mistaken, that boat alongside has John Storm on board, the conservationist who scaled the Shard.”
“It seems the large humpback standing off to one side is Kulo Luna, the whale being chased by rogue fishermen across the Pacific.”
EXT – MARINA, ON & UNDERWATER
Shui dived under again. Kana was now relatively still in the water, allowing the whaler to cut netting from around her head. He came to the surface and spotted John Storm.
“Well, are you going to help?”
“Two’s company.” John dived in to help Shui.
“You take the tail flukes,” shouted Shui to John.
Suki was gob-smacked. As she motioned to dive in, John stopped her. “Stay in the boat, until we are clear.”
Frustrated at feeling like a spare part, Suki sat down. Dan felt the same.
John and Shui working together were making mincemeat of the ghost fishing net. Kuna started to feel free again. She mooeed. Kulo thrashed her pectoral fins, letting out a trumpet of sound.
Finally, the netting was off Kuna, who followed Kulo out of the marina, where they enjoyed a broaching display to show their appreciation. Then, Kulo Luna swan back into the harbour, right up to Shui Razor, as he was heading to a jetty to climb out. She gently nudged him, nodding her head.
“I think she likes you,” said John.
Shui reached out and kissed Kulo. “Kinda fond of this whale too.”
Kulo swam over to John, making quite a fuss of him, the headed off again.
He was an old friend.
EXT –
FRASER
ISLAND, WESTERN SHORE
Stang Lee, was looking across the Bay at the marina and the Elizabeth Swann. “It’s not over yet,” he vowed to himself.
INT - ABC NEWSROOM, LIVE TV
“Well now we’ve seen everything.” “A whaler kiss a whale.”
“We’ve just had it confirmed from LadBet
International, that there is one winning ticket for an extraordinary amount of money.”
“Someone has made a crazy wager that the giant whale you are seeing here in this report, would sink another whaling ship – at incredible odds.” “We’ve had it confirmed that this mother of a humpback did exactly that earlier this morning.”
“There is only one ticket for such a bet.”
The camera panned to Shui and John. They were just giving each other a high-five.
Suki chimed in, “someone has won a huge sum of money betting Kulo would sink a second whaling ship. It’s on the news.”
John and Shui clambered out of the water, into the boat. As they motored to a jetty, they were greeted by the harbour master,
Harold
Harker, Todd and a number of other people to form a small reception committee. They all clapped - some much-deserved applause.
“You’ve heard that someone bet on a second whaling boat being sunk. Is that you by any chance Mr Storm?” asked the harbour master, expectantly.
John pulled out his soaked wallet, and looked into it for effect – shaking his head from side to side.
“Sadly, no. Not that bet.
You’d need to be way crazier than me to place that bet. Off the charts.”
Shui Razor pulled out his wallet. It was dry, a water-proof accessory for sports fishermen. He unzipped it, and pulled out a piece of paper.
The crowd went silent. The whole world went silent. Jaws dropped, mouths wide open. The camera homed in on Shui’s wallet. He held up the piece of paper, smiled a broad grin and said, “this bet.”
All around the world, listeners went wild ….
John reached out and slapped Shui on the shoulder. “You son of a gun.”
Suki, shed an involuntary tear, turned away from sight of the crowd. She wiped her eyes and turned into John. She grasped his hand. John returned the gesture.
Shui
Razor, was just one big grin, from ear to ear. Too stunned to say anything.
He looked out into the marina at the giant humpback whale and her calf, the
gathering behind him completely silent still. He was at peace with the
world. Honour satisfied. He bowed to the two whales. Both whales responded
by moooeing, a parting message. Then turned and swam out of the marina.
The
editor back in the ABC newsroom yelled, "Son of a Shogun?"
PRODUCERS:
Scripts now published on: www.filmsactorsmoviestars.com
The
Elizabeth Swann is vessel that complements the series of adventures
being developed by the Cleaner Ocean Foundation, by way of ocean and climate
awareness campaigns.
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