The team zissou story
Below you will find "The tale of team Zissou". Written and directed by Dustin Nolet. This is an ongoing story documenting the trials of team Zissou in their search for revenge on a big fish that swallowed their best friend. This story is set in the present day and new chapters are added as they are written. So if you have read this before and didn't enjoy it, skip to present day Chapter #3. If you have read this before and liked it, read on! It’s a great story!
Cheers
Steve Zissou
Cheers
Steve Zissou
Preface:
While oceanographer and documentarian Captain Jak Subpar (Jason Koulouris) is working on his latest documentary at sea, his best friend Esteban du Plantier is eaten by a creature Captain Jak describes as a "Jaguar shark". For his next project, Captain Jak is determined to document the shark's destruction.
The crew aboard Captain Jack's research vessel Belafonte includes, Kev dos Santos (Kevin Richardson), a safety expert and Brazilian who sings David Bowie songs in Pig latin, and Diesel Daimler (Dustin Nolet) the German second-in-command, who viewed Captain Jack and Esteban as father figures.
Minor crew members include Vikram Ray, a Sikh cameraman, described in Captain Jak's film documentary as a man "born on the Ganges".
While oceanographer and documentarian Captain Jak Subpar (Jason Koulouris) is working on his latest documentary at sea, his best friend Esteban du Plantier is eaten by a creature Captain Jak describes as a "Jaguar shark". For his next project, Captain Jak is determined to document the shark's destruction.
The crew aboard Captain Jack's research vessel Belafonte includes, Kev dos Santos (Kevin Richardson), a safety expert and Brazilian who sings David Bowie songs in Pig latin, and Diesel Daimler (Dustin Nolet) the German second-in-command, who viewed Captain Jack and Esteban as father figures.
Minor crew members include Vikram Ray, a Sikh cameraman, described in Captain Jak's film documentary as a man "born on the Ganges".
Chapter #1 (Vodden the hell 2012)
During their last mission to find the Jaguar shark, the Belafonte crew had to deal with an attack by pirates. 184 of them to be exact. A rowdy bunch, with low intelligence, and fear of nothing. Pirates unlike any seen before. These pirates did not attack by ship, but rather some sort of wheeled vehicle. The only escape for the Belafonte crew was to abandon the vessel and escape in their prized yellow submarine, Jacqueline. Jacqueline was a feat of engineering marvel. Completely comprised of duct tape and bubble gum. Not only very nimble, but this submarine was fast!! Real Fast! Well kind-da fast... For 16 hours Captain Jak and his crew maneuvered Jacqueline through the pack of beastly pirates to only see just a very small glimpse of the prized and sought after Jaguar shark. Some say that Esteban's skeleton is still to this day stuck in the beastly creatures teeth. The Belaphonte's crew's hopes of retaliation thrived with the glimpse of their prey. The plans on how to capture the beast started as quickly as the jaguar shark swam away.
During their last mission to find the Jaguar shark, the Belafonte crew had to deal with an attack by pirates. 184 of them to be exact. A rowdy bunch, with low intelligence, and fear of nothing. Pirates unlike any seen before. These pirates did not attack by ship, but rather some sort of wheeled vehicle. The only escape for the Belafonte crew was to abandon the vessel and escape in their prized yellow submarine, Jacqueline. Jacqueline was a feat of engineering marvel. Completely comprised of duct tape and bubble gum. Not only very nimble, but this submarine was fast!! Real Fast! Well kind-da fast... For 16 hours Captain Jak and his crew maneuvered Jacqueline through the pack of beastly pirates to only see just a very small glimpse of the prized and sought after Jaguar shark. Some say that Esteban's skeleton is still to this day stuck in the beastly creatures teeth. The Belaphonte's crew's hopes of retaliation thrived with the glimpse of their prey. The plans on how to capture the beast started as quickly as the jaguar shark swam away.
Chapter #2 (Sears Pointless 2013)
After piloting Jacqueline back to the Belafonte, the crew felt the need to repair the aging, yet beautiful submarine. After two hundred thousand leagues of travel, the Sub was showing signs of worn out rings on her nuclear powered engine. The crew using their little knowledge about the machine, set off to give her what she needed. Meanwhile the Belafonte was sailing south in search of the beasts playground. The drunken crew used all three of their worn out brain cells in a triumphant repair to the beloved submarine. She was running strong, yet the only thing they could not quite figure out was why the sub felt the need to continuously belch a blueish white smoke from her transom. These geniuses were baffled! But thanks to circumstance, timing, and orders from the captain, the crew of the Belafonte found themselves moored in the exact place where the Jaguar shark was last seen. On the horizon they see the blasted pirates. "Damn" the captain muttered “they followed us". The captain gave the order to launch the sub and hope that this toxic blue smoke would distract the evil advisories. It didn't, it just pissed them all off more. As the crew set out on their 14.5 hour expedition to locate the shark and hopefully their friend, they grew exhausted with the constant pilot change that the sub required to stay ahead of the pack of wild pirates.
After piloting Jacqueline back to the Belafonte, the crew felt the need to repair the aging, yet beautiful submarine. After two hundred thousand leagues of travel, the Sub was showing signs of worn out rings on her nuclear powered engine. The crew using their little knowledge about the machine, set off to give her what she needed. Meanwhile the Belafonte was sailing south in search of the beasts playground. The drunken crew used all three of their worn out brain cells in a triumphant repair to the beloved submarine. She was running strong, yet the only thing they could not quite figure out was why the sub felt the need to continuously belch a blueish white smoke from her transom. These geniuses were baffled! But thanks to circumstance, timing, and orders from the captain, the crew of the Belafonte found themselves moored in the exact place where the Jaguar shark was last seen. On the horizon they see the blasted pirates. "Damn" the captain muttered “they followed us". The captain gave the order to launch the sub and hope that this toxic blue smoke would distract the evil advisories. It didn't, it just pissed them all off more. As the crew set out on their 14.5 hour expedition to locate the shark and hopefully their friend, they grew exhausted with the constant pilot change that the sub required to stay ahead of the pack of wild pirates.
They chose to allow their documentarian take the helm while they took naps and played dominoes. This choice would prove to be a bad one as they quickly learned that the camera man they employed to pilot the sub had never steered such a vessel and they found themselves up against a hard coral wall. The poor sub was damaged and incapable of continuing forward (or backward for that manner). The crew dawned their scuba gear and were miraculously able to straighten out the damaged submarine. Once the repairs were made, the crew were back in the chase, still blowing noxious gas on their followers, but still capable of forward progress. The chase continued for hours. They caught quick glimpses of the prized treasure they were after, but never close enough to go to battle with the great beast. Unbeknownst to the crew, the noxious smoke billowing out of the incredible machine was a hint that the rings installed by the crew were of the wrong size. Their first mistake was to purchase rings from china when the engine was built in Japan. Though, told they were correct, unfortunately they proved to be wrong. Just 1 hour left on the crew’s expedition and the poor submarine began to make noises never heard from an engine before. Metal on metal grinding. Captain Jak, a man of little emotion, made the difficult decision of turning around and heading back to the Belafonte. "Being stuck out here with a dead submarine will make us that as well” he said. Reluctantly the dismayed crew headed back to safety of the Belafonte. The lengthy trip back was full of tears and dismay. The great shark eluded them yet again; on top of that, they broke their one proper tool they had to find the great shark.
Upon return to the Belafonte, the crew’s frowns were turned upside down. On the back deck of their mother ship was a man they thought to be dead. Esteban Jr! He is alive; the crew had not seen him since he jumped into the ocean swimming after his father and the evil that ate him. Better yet Esteban Jr. was the creator of their submarine and would be able to get it repaired correctly while they set sail again for the spring breeding ground of the Shark they sought. A dismal place in the middle of open ocean, but with Esteban Jr. here to fix the sub there is no doubt that team Zissou will at last catch their pray, and say goodbye to their friend.
Upon return to the Belafonte, the crew’s frowns were turned upside down. On the back deck of their mother ship was a man they thought to be dead. Esteban Jr! He is alive; the crew had not seen him since he jumped into the ocean swimming after his father and the evil that ate him. Better yet Esteban Jr. was the creator of their submarine and would be able to get it repaired correctly while they set sail again for the spring breeding ground of the Shark they sought. A dismal place in the middle of open ocean, but with Esteban Jr. here to fix the sub there is no doubt that team Zissou will at last catch their pray, and say goodbye to their friend.
Chapter #3 (Button Turrible)
With the crew in high spirits, and the little yellow sub running better than when it was new, the team powered up the Bellefonte and headed south to the area known to be the playground of the great jaguar shark. Shortly into their voyage south, the crew began to notice the extreme change in the temperature. The heat felt as if they somehow motored the mother ship into the depths of a fiery hell. The crews high spirits began to lower as the sweat poured off their brows. They realized that their old, but reliable mother ship was not well equipped for this extreme heat. The salty captain explained to the crew that turning around was not an option. They needed to just hydrate and keep themselves cool as best as possible. The voyage to this far off place was excruciatingly slow, but eventually they arrived. They hoped that when they boarded the sub and launched, they would find solitude from the heat in the cold depths of the ocean below. To the crew’s amazement, the search zone for the beast could only be described as purgatory. The sea floor was covered with raging thermal vents. These little volcanoes dotted the ocean floor they were searching. The cold solitude they expected once launching the sub turned out to be 10 times worse than the heat of being aboard the mother ship. The crew pleaded to leave this awful place and resume their search at another location, but Captain Jak only grimaced and told the crew it was time to be men and push forward with the quest to find and kill the elusive Jaguar shark. Without concern of the crew’s opinion, the Captain forced them to push forward and begin the search. 18 long and sweaty hours later they found themselves at the end of their journey. No sign of the great shark, even worse there was no sign that the shark had even been there. All they found was a desolate desert like bottom that was swarming with odd and aggressive marine adversaries trying their best to knock the sub off of its course. Though there were a few close calls with these ghastly contraptions the crew was successful in completing their mission. After all this action, there was still no avenging the lost soul of their beloved Estaban. Out of fuel, Out of air, wrinkled skin from their own sweat, all hydrating provisions gone, the crew headed towards the surface to re-join the Belafonte. Once back on deck, the crew joyous to no longer be inside of the sweat box they call Jacquelyn, they realized that the extreme heat had taken its toll on the running gear of the Belafonte. They chose to ignore the obvious signs of damage and attempted to point the ship in the direction of their home port with the hopes that the old girl would make it without incident.
With the crew in high spirits, and the little yellow sub running better than when it was new, the team powered up the Bellefonte and headed south to the area known to be the playground of the great jaguar shark. Shortly into their voyage south, the crew began to notice the extreme change in the temperature. The heat felt as if they somehow motored the mother ship into the depths of a fiery hell. The crews high spirits began to lower as the sweat poured off their brows. They realized that their old, but reliable mother ship was not well equipped for this extreme heat. The salty captain explained to the crew that turning around was not an option. They needed to just hydrate and keep themselves cool as best as possible. The voyage to this far off place was excruciatingly slow, but eventually they arrived. They hoped that when they boarded the sub and launched, they would find solitude from the heat in the cold depths of the ocean below. To the crew’s amazement, the search zone for the beast could only be described as purgatory. The sea floor was covered with raging thermal vents. These little volcanoes dotted the ocean floor they were searching. The cold solitude they expected once launching the sub turned out to be 10 times worse than the heat of being aboard the mother ship. The crew pleaded to leave this awful place and resume their search at another location, but Captain Jak only grimaced and told the crew it was time to be men and push forward with the quest to find and kill the elusive Jaguar shark. Without concern of the crew’s opinion, the Captain forced them to push forward and begin the search. 18 long and sweaty hours later they found themselves at the end of their journey. No sign of the great shark, even worse there was no sign that the shark had even been there. All they found was a desolate desert like bottom that was swarming with odd and aggressive marine adversaries trying their best to knock the sub off of its course. Though there were a few close calls with these ghastly contraptions the crew was successful in completing their mission. After all this action, there was still no avenging the lost soul of their beloved Estaban. Out of fuel, Out of air, wrinkled skin from their own sweat, all hydrating provisions gone, the crew headed towards the surface to re-join the Belafonte. Once back on deck, the crew joyous to no longer be inside of the sweat box they call Jacquelyn, they realized that the extreme heat had taken its toll on the running gear of the Belafonte. They chose to ignore the obvious signs of damage and attempted to point the ship in the direction of their home port with the hopes that the old girl would make it without incident.
It didn’t! What should have been a quick 5 hour journey back to port turned into a 13 hour epically tragic trip in the extreme heat and hostile environment. The Belafonte is fitted with 4 props to keep it moving forward. Shortly after departure one of those props AKA “wheels” showed dangerous signs of a catastrophic failure. They stopped the ship and sent a diver down to replace it with their spare. Unfortunately, once replaced the crew found that the spare was worse than the original and that they needed to find a new one or they could not continue their trip north. They were approached by a member of a nomadic tribe and were offered a new wheel for a highly inflated price. Members of this tribe are known for taking advantage of situations like this. The captain made the call and paid the hefty price for the new prop. Hours later and many gold coins spent, the Belafonte was back on its way heading north. Not long after one of the other 3 props failed catastrophically and almost sent the ship down into Davey Jones' locker. Fortunately their best pilot was at the helm and was able to keep the ship upright. Now the crew found themselves in a predicament. They had no spare and they were stuck in an area that had nowhere to get a new one. They chose to reinstall their first bad wheel in its place and hope for a miracle. Some say that miracles happen. That was not the case here. Just 4 nautical miles from the area in which they replaced it, that prop blew into pieces destroying both the prop and damaged the Belafonte badly. The great ship was now in pearl. The ship was dead in the water with no way to fix it. The crew was powerless in the middle of a very busy shipping lane. The crew used every resource they had available to make attempts to remedy the situation. For hours the ship lay in peril. Until a miracle happened. This miracle was in the form of a merchant ship called Berto. The ship pulled up next to the disabled Bellefonte and happened to have 1 of the props they needed to continue moving forward. The captain of Berto, quickly dove under the ship and replaced the wheel. Once completed he advised the Captain Jak that he had 3 more of these props at his port just a few miles away. The Captain decided that it would be best to follow Berto off course to replace the remaining wheels. They made it to his port and as they were replacing the remaining wheels they found that they all were minutes away from blowing into pieces themselves. The extreme heat they encountered at Button Willow had damaged all 4 wheels and the Belafonte was very lucky to still be floating. They paid the captain of the Berto with the remaining gold they had and many sleepless hours later found themselves anchored in their home port they call Shanty town. The journey was trying and exhausting, but seeing the faces of their families and soft beds, the crew of the Belafonte were just happy to be back and alive. Though the Captain was thankful for safely completing the expedition, his blood still ran as hot as the hell they had just come from. “The Shark needs to be found and killed” he mumbled to himself. The creature must pay for Estaban’s death! With vengeful fire in his eyes he pulled out his nautical maps and began to plot the course to the location where this tale all began... Thunderhill!