No 12926, Monday 04 May 2020, Arden

Day 41 of 54 Stay safe at home

Solution to 13A has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only by a non-regular/novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered earlier in the week, please give others a chance.

ACROSS
1   Clean growth? (6) SPRUCE [DD]
4   In case Her majesty the Queen finds some fine wool (8) CASHMERE {CAS{HM}{ER}E}
9   Speaker — a time to check options (6) ORATOR {A}{T} in {OR}{OR}
10 Half-time breaks, later arranged final (8) TERMINAL {TER{MINute}AL*}
12 Caught one way, repeatedly stranded (8) CASTAWAY {C}{A}{ST}{A}{WAY}
13 Few broken pieces in the table, what are they? (6) ?E?A?S (Addendum - METALS Definition by example - See comments)
15 Firm to annex — Iowa's taking number of steps (12) COMPANIONWAY {COMPAN{IO{N}WA}Y}
18 Selfish display of affection from cabinet, means nothing (8,4) CUPBOARD LOVE {CUPBOARD}{LOVE}
21 Decline invitation, only to be kept in place (3,3) OPT OUT {O}{P{TO}UT}
22 Birth of a Chinaman (8) DELIVERY [DD]
24 One price, includes first beer — make it bitter (8) ACERBATE {ACE}{R{Beer}ATE}
25 Thin bar through the firmament (6) SKINNY {SK{INN}Y}
26 Providing direction to drama, receiving jeers from the centre (8) STEERAGE {ST{jEERs}AGE}
27 See him return, covered in brass (6) BEHOLD {B{HE<=}OLD}

DOWN
1   Cop breaks into store to cut water supply (8) STOPCOCK {ST{COP*}OCK}
2   Strange measures to take on again (8) REASSUME*
3   Composed like a doctor collecting coppers in jail (4,2,1,8) COOL AS A CUCUMBER {AS}{A}{CU}{CU}{MB} in {COOLER}
5   Top copy by Times (4) APEX {APE}{X}
6   Ramshackle denim tailored to represent the working class (6,3,6) HAMMER AND SICKLE*
7   Need an alternative to 9 (6) ENNEAD*
8   Bent in the middle, inclination to come on board (6) ENLIST {bENt}{LIST}
11 Instrument physician inserted into girl (7) MARIMBA {MARI{MB}A}

14 Star almost near another star, perhaps (7) ANTARES {STAR+NEAr}*
16 Get emoticon changed (4,4) COME INTO*
17 Why deny odds? Truly simple and trusting (4-4) DEWY-EYED {WhY}{dEnY} in{DEED}
19 Raids so far close to city, perhaps... (6) FORAYS {SO+FAR+citY}*
20 ...one then extracts some organic chemical (6) ETHENE [T]
23 For men it’s 50% still (4) STAG STAGnant

Reference List
Her Majesty = HM, Queen = ER, Time = T, Caught = C, Fe = Iron, w = Tungsten, Number = N, Only = O, Doctor = Physician = MB, Times = X

Dr RKEs TalePiece

MV ANTARES was a cargo ship, that had set sail from the shipping TERMINAL at Southampton. The ship was painted red after the colour of the star Antares. It was carrying a cargo of ETHENE for DELIVERY to the plastic manufacturing plants of Mexico. Capt. John STAG, had REASSUMEd charge of the liner, although he had originally wanted to OPT OUT of active maritime service, as he had COME INTO some considerable wealth by an unexpected inheritance. APEX shipping, the holding company of Antares, had ENLISTed him for this last voyage as they could not find anyone else at a short notice with the experience to make a FORAY into the Atlantic during the hurricane season.

Capt. Stag, was making the rounds one morning. Lo and BEHOLD, he heard the sounds of a MARIMBA coming from the STEERAGE. There was a SKINNY African lad, a stow-away, who had quietly scaled up the COMPANIONWAY while the ship was loading its cargo and hidden himself until it had lifted anchor. Though ACERBATED by the discovery, Capt. Stag was struck by the COOL-AS-CUCUMBER attitude of the lad. The young man was playing the marimba with gay abandon, as if to attract attention, instead of cowering. Taking pity on the boy, the captain said he would employ him as a deckhand and pay him but that he would turn the boy over to immigration on landing. Capt.Stag, asked the lad to CAST AWAY his T shirt with a HAMMER AND SICKLE logo and clothed him in the deckhand's uniform.

How Antares was steered successfully in the hurricane and what became of the boy on landing are very engaging tales, but they must wait for another day and another time.