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Post by Toz76 on May 21, 2017 23:37:16 GMT -5
It is the year 1933.
The Victorian Empire and the Ottoman-American alliance have been at war for nearly 70 years. The entirety of North America, Europe, and the Middle East are ingulfed in a massive war for resources, to keep the oil-burning war machines going.
Meanwhile, the luxury Zeppelin, Abraham Lincoln, has just set off from Jerusalem Airbase, bringing the greatest minds of the Ottoman-American Alliance on a trip by air around the world. Tiberius "Toz" Zeno, a young steward on the Lincoln, has no idea that he's about to be swept up in a series of events that will change the course of history.
So journey with us to an alternate past where the top hat and Victorian architecture lives on, where steam, clockwork, brass, and pneumatics create monstrous locomotives and mighty airships, where the upper class thrives and the rest suffer, and where World War One never happened, or at least, not as we think of it.
Let us decide: do we join the Brits and King William Stuart Patrick III, or the Ottoman-Americans under King Sajad, President Roosevelt (except with a steampunk wheelchair) and Baron Wyvern?
Let the adventure begin.
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Post by Tug on May 22, 2017 21:51:35 GMT -5
Below the decks of the Abraham Lincoln, currently handcuffed, chained to a chair, and stored inside a cell in the zeppelin's brig, a man was currently sitting inside, biding his time...
"True genius is never appreciated as they say... Hmm... they both fear and want my knowledge for the coming war... This is such a wonderful first impression for a guest... Wouldn't you agree? Oh right, I've gone mad with no one to talk to down here... Oh I cannot wait until 'something' exciting happens sooner rather than later..." laughed the man...
This man, currently a prisoner, was the infamous "Mind of the Machine", the engineer Ferro "Tug" Tuggington, someone who the world both praises and fears...
Before we get back to him, the story truly begins further above deck, where...
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Post by Toz76 on May 22, 2017 22:08:47 GMT -5
Toz was loading on food and drinks for the esteemed travelers on the Lincoln when he spotted a shady figure boarding. Toz grew suspicious and followed the man. He entered the smoking room on B Deck and lit a pipe. Toz watched.
Suddenly, the man pulled out a...
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Post by Eyes on May 22, 2017 22:15:52 GMT -5
...handkerchief and wiped his eyes. Then, glancing around the room, he stood up and exited.
Toz followed close behind. The man ducked into a room where only authorized personnel were allowed inside. More suspicious than ever, Toz did as well... only to find himself face to face with a gun.
"One more move and I blow you to kingdom come."
Toz stopped. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"That's no concern of yours. Now get the hell out of here before I pump your guts full of lead."
Toz moved away.
"Damn brats," the man said. "Of course they're suspicious. Why shouldn't they be? But the British Government is trusting me, me, 1,000 Eyes, to find out what will happen on board this ship... and I'm not screwing up my job for anything!"
Meanwhile...
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Post by Toz76 on May 22, 2017 22:28:01 GMT -5
Toz returned to his quarters, concerned. That man was holding a Victorian Empire revolver. He was clearly a Victorian spy. He was probably here to sabotage the flight. It would kill hundreds if he was successful. So there was only one thing to do: warn the captain.
And so he made his way to the bridge to warn him.
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Post by Tug on May 22, 2017 22:46:57 GMT -5
Tug, meanwhile, sat in is cell...
"Man, this eyepatch is really itchy... Damn am I bored..." huffed Tug
Just then, two guards came back from their scheduled five minute break and resumed guarding his cell door...
"Harry, Richard, pleasant seeing you two again! Any updates from the Lord President?" mocked Tug
"Shut it you..." growled Harry
"Wretched cogs..." mumbled Tug
Meanwhile...
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Post by frankthetriviaman on May 23, 2017 23:11:22 GMT -5
A lone crewman wandered down the hall to where Tug was locked up.
"Hey, Captain's orders- you two need to report to the bridge asap; I'm to watch our guest while you get your briefing" the crewman said.
Suspecting nothing, the two left, leaving only the crewman and Tug.
"Hey... you want out of here, right?" the crewman asked.
"Yea, what about it?" Tug asked.
"You're worth quite a lot if you'll believe that; got a contract to get you out alive. Need a hand?" the crewman asked.
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Post by Toz76 on May 23, 2017 23:58:31 GMT -5
Toz was explaining the situation to Captain Corbas when Harry and Richard arrived.
"What the heck are you lot doing here? You're supposed to be guarding the prisoner!"
"We were told to report here, captain's orders."
"What? I ordered no such thing!"
"The prisoner must be loose!" Toz worried.
"Grab your clockwork pistols and track him down. We need to neutralize him. He could be trying to escape, in which case he has fifteen minutes before launch to get off, or he could be planning a mutiny or sabotage or something, in which case he must be stopped at all costs."
Toz grabbed the clockwork pistol. Like the British design, it used a complex gear system to shoot up to ten bullets before reloading, no sparks required, making it ideal for airships where the tiniest spark could result in tragedy.
He made his way down the gangplank to the repurposed crew quarters where Tug had been held, pistol ready, as Richard, Harry, and two other crewmembers named Ethan and Susan followed.
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Post by Eyes on May 24, 2017 13:45:03 GMT -5
Suddenly a gunshot was heard.
The men looked around each other. The noise seemed to come behind them. They gulped, as realization dawned.
"The captain...!!"
They turned around quickly, but it was far too late.
Captain Corbas was slouched over the controls with a bullet in his forehead and a gun in his hand...
The men quickly sized up the situation, but they were confused. "It must have been a suicide," said Toz, "but he didn't seem the suicidal type to me."
"There may be more to this than we realize," said Harry.
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Post by frankthetriviaman on Jun 18, 2017 23:57:01 GMT -5
Elsewhere, Frank was getting Tug off the vessel; the distraction had worked and they were on their way out...
"Keep quiet, you never know who might be around the corner..." Frank said, as they turned to corner and ran into... no one. "Well that was anti-climactic"
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Post by Eyes on Jul 25, 2017 14:13:59 GMT -5
Meanwhile, the man known as 1,000 Eyes had heard that the captain had been shot and realized security would start cracking down at any moment. Thus, he decided to get what he came for and get the hell out.
Running as fast as he could while still making sure no one heard him, he finally came to the engine room. Two men were inside keeping watch. A quick knock the head and they were out. Pulling out a box located there, he opened it, plunged his hand in, and pulled it out again.
"Damn!" he swore. "It's not here!"
He looked frantically around the room. He pulled out some more boxes but was also left disappointed. "Damn, damn, damn!" he said.
He didn't notice the crewmembers sneaking up behind him...
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Post by Toz76 on Jul 25, 2017 16:48:37 GMT -5
It was Toz. He pulled his pistol out and pointed it at 1000 Eyes.
"I don't know who you are or what you're doing here, but the captain was just killed and you seem to be the most likely suspect."
****
In the engine room, Harry and Richard were panicking.
"If Tug is loose, everyone is in danger. There's only one chance. Launch now so he can't escape this airship."
So, suddenly and without warning, the airship left the dock and set off on its course.
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Post by Eyes on Jul 25, 2017 19:33:50 GMT -5
The sudden movement made Toz lose balance and drop the gun. He regained it quickly but that was all 1,000 Eyes needed. He jumped up, pulled out his own gun, and told Toz to get over into the corner of the room.
"What are you doing here?" asked Toz.
"Well currently I'm shutting the door and locking it," replied 1,000 Eyes, who, also stepping inside, did just that. "Now then," he said, turning to Toz, "talk, punk."
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Post by Toz76 on Jul 25, 2017 20:11:24 GMT -5
"I'm just a poor steward from the Americas!" Toz said, cowering in the corner. "I don't know who you are and what you want, I just want this trip to go smoothly."
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Post by Eyes on Jul 25, 2017 20:42:36 GMT -5
"You don't know anything about the 'special cargo' on here? Or why it appears to be missing?"
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Post by Toz76 on Jul 25, 2017 21:46:46 GMT -5
"You mean... King Sajad? That was supposed to be a secret!" I said in shock. "Are you an assassin?"
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Post by Eyes on Jul 25, 2017 21:57:47 GMT -5
"It all depends on the day. Look here you, we're flying now, so there's no chance for me to leave the zeppelin. People are probably gonna realize you're missing soon and they'll come searching. In that case, you're gonna be my hostage. They come at me, you die, got that?"
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Post by Toz76 on Jul 25, 2017 22:29:42 GMT -5
"That's hardly fair, I can't control that!"
Suddenly, Toz had an idea. "How about you let me go, in exchange for me not alerting anyone of your presence?"
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Post by Eyes on Jul 25, 2017 22:32:30 GMT -5
"Nah, sit tight and you can get out of here alive when the ship docks."
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Post by Toz76 on Jul 25, 2017 22:37:37 GMT -5
"How about if I... sweeten the deal?" Toz asked, turning his head so his long blonde hair was revealed and simultaneously making his voice higher. Toz glided daintily over and planted a kiss on 1000 Eyes cheek.
"Wait... you're a woman?"
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