chunk: Canton and Atherton explain that the ship was attacked by unknown creatures that killed everyone else on board; the group soon discovers human skeletons stripped clean of flesh in the bottom of the ship. After questioning, Canton is also found to be responsible for sabotage of the Argonautica; having realised he created an unprofitable vessel, he hired the mercenaries to sink the ship so that he could collect on the insurance; the mercenaries' payment was to be by way of their robbery, while Canton insists the passengers would've been safely evacuated in the lifeboats. The group is suddenly attacked by the creatures, revealed to be giant tentacles, one of which is shot open, revealing a half-digested Billy. Captain Atherton is also killed, and the remaining survivors reluctantly agree to work together to escape. Canton theorises that the tentacles are an extreme evolution of smaller deep-sea worms which strip their prey of body fluids and then eject the carcass.