Tessa

A weather‑worn trading steamer named Motutapu drifts at anchor off a remote Pacific village, its decks piled high with bags of copra and its hull stained by months at sea. On board, a feverish trader lies exhausted under a makeshift awning, his thin frame betrayed by the heat and the relentless hum of the tropical night. Beside him, a burly Yorkshire mate and a Scotch engineer share a bottle of lager, swapping cynical jokes while the ship’s crew prepares for a night departure that may never come.

Tensions simmer as the sick man, Carr, voices his distrust of the ship’s captain and supercargo, suspecting deceit and cruelty beneath their polished façades. The mate, Oliver, fuels the suspicion by brandishing a hidden letter‑book that hints at secret dealings. As the island’s smoky air settles, listeners are drawn into a world of colonial trade, clashing personalities, and the uneasy balance between survival and betrayal, all set against the sweltering backdrop of the Equatorial Pacific.