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One Night in Melbourne
October 2, 1851
The war in the Goldfields has been raging for months. Eureka militias operating out of Ballarat have called miners to arms across the region, driving the authorities out of Bendigo and Castlemaine and seizing the vast grazing lands from their rich owners, dividing it out amongst the miners who wished to settle in the region. In Melbourne, tensions run high as exiled landowners clamour for the government to take further action and restore order to the region by kicking out the miners, while ships continue to unload hundreds of goldseekers onto the streets every day. Militias begin to spread their influence further out of the Goldfields and the conflict is beginning to unfold on the streets of Melbourne, this is the situation we find ourselves in.

Bloody rain again, thinks James as he stands under the pub veranda, smoking his cigarette. In front of him lies Sandridge, the sprawling Port of Melbourne, where he works as a docker, unloading the ships that roll into Port Philip every day carrying goods and people from across the globe. He flicks his cigarette out onto the ground, stamping it out and goes inside, where the raucous noise of workers enjoying beer and conversation after their shift was loud enough to be heard from the street. Inside, the bar was packed with people nursing pints of lager and ale, while the tables were filled with people playing cards and enjoying more substantial drinks, whiskey and gin. As James climbed the stairs, the atmosphere began to change as the noise faded away. Where most of the pub was there for pleasure, James was there for business, as a representative of the underground Victorian Dockers Union, an illegal trade union that sought better working conditions for the workers who kept Melbourne running. As he reached the top of the stairs, he saw the people he was there to meet and walked over to the table, taking a seat opposite them.

"Hello Mr. Murphy", says one of the men, "I'm John, and the man on my left is Bruce. We're representatives of Mr. Lalor."
"Why couldn't Mr. Lalor meet with me in person?" asked James, "He did when we met last time."
"Well, things are a bit different this time" said Bruce, "He's needed to plan our attack on -"
"That's enough, Bruce", interrupted John. "Some things aren't to be said so openly, even amongst friends. The situation has changed James, Mr. Lalor is a wanted man and can't be seen in Melbourne. He sends his regards. Shall we move to business?"
"Very well", said James, "What of it?"
"We need you to move forward your plans to tomorrow", said John.
"We're aware this may not be ideal on your end but this is how it must be done, the conditions are perfect for our plan to come to fruition" said Bruce.
"Tomorrow?" exclaimed James. "That's ridiculous, I was told I'd have months to prepare. We don't have the men and we don't have the arms, we'd never be able to follow through on our end."
"Keep your voice down James", said John, "The last thing we need is our mutual enemy finding out about this. You must move tomorrow, and to make it easier we've got some things to help you out. Come with me."

John steps up from the booth, indicating for Bruce and James to get up as well, and begins walking back towards the stairs. Reaching the bottom, he walks over to the bar, nodding at the bartender who rings a bell. Almost immediately, a waiter opens a door, carrying two plates of food out to one of the tables. A man behind him holds the door open, and the three men walk through into the kitchen. Bewildered, James continues to follow John as he walks through, exiting through a door out the back and walking out into the rain, stopping in the muddy alley behind the pub that serves as a loading dock, currently blocked by a covered wagon. John walks around to the back and knocks on the wagon. To James' surprise, the flaps at the back open, revealing ten men and two dozen muskets and pistols. John turns to James and says, "I trust this will suffice?"
Speechless, James simply nods.
"Very well", said John, "If all goes to plan, Bruce and I will see you in the city tomorrow. Good luck."