"STEAM LONDON" Game Thread

[Stella Gaslight]

Jimmy was suspicious but he never expected someone to rocket out of the floor and deck him from underneath.  He reeled from the hit as did George. Interacting with the innards of flesh ad blood people made him feel quite ill.  Trip took advantage of the detraction to hit the cold one quite hard with his electrified glove.  The air was full of the smell of burning.

[MWBailey]

Dreyfuss whipped the paterson back out again, advanced on the boy, and pinned himbetween himself and the wheel, the Paterson fully cocked and shoved HARD against the kid's temple.
"DROP. IT. KID." Dreyfuss enunciated clearly and loudly; he no longer cared about the kid's age. Right here, right now, if the kid pulled anything else, he would pull the trigger. The steam pistol dropped to the floor with a loud "THUNK."
--------------
"What's that smell, " Abe asked, wrinkling his nose, and then he began to cough...

Soon the rest of the crew were coughing as well; Jimmy laughed, and opened the Gondola Door on the side of the Steering room, frigid air billowing in , flurries of snow mixed in as well. "I'm immune, but you lot aren't," he said, as he shoved the ladies out, then grabbed Dreyfuss, who had been standing right over the gun when it started emitting its contents into the room. Still, Dreyfuss managed to get off two shots, one grazing the kid's left shoulder. He seemed not to notice, shoving Dreyfuss out the doorway and into the snowy air, to fall into the snow-laden branches of the trees below.

dammit, Not AGAIN! Dreyfuss raged.
DAMMIT DAMMITDAMMIT CRACKSPLIITTTCRUNCH!!![/i] OOFff!!

Dreyfuss lay on his back, staring into the leafy snowiness above as the bulk of teh Boheme passed by, at an alarmingly low altitude. He heard other cracks and impacts. Apparently everybody had been thrown out. He screamed, long and loud, in pure rage and frustration...

[Stella Gaslight]

Emma found herself upside down in a snow bank rather confused as to what just happened.  "I thought we won." she said shivering and coughing the last bits of the gas out of her lungs. Ella was next to her and helped her to her feet.  It was powerfully cold and Emma's jacket was still on the ship.  "Is everyone all right?" She called out

[MWBailey]

"Oh, I'm just bloody FINE!" Dreyfuss raged. "I am so bloody damned sick of falling out of, off of, down from, bloody stinking AIRSHIPS!!! Am I a ground magnet or something?"

"And this time it's all my fault! I should've seen that thing had a deadman trigger! kee- bloody--reist, Dreyfuss!"

Miss Emma, I apologize, both for my behavior just now and for getting us thrown off. Are you all right? Miss Ella? where is Miss Ella? HE ran back to the snowbank, where Miss Ella was quite primly examining one of her pistols. a pistol. A PISTOL?? Dreyf suddenly realized they, the three of them, himself, Ella, and Emma, all had their weapons, or at least the ones they had charged into battle with. He holstered the Paterson; again, he was amazed that he had not dropped it. he also had his bag, which meant he had his firekit

He suddenly realized he was in the presence of two very-violently-shivering ladies. "Here, Miss Emma, he said, and Miss Armitage, please, the two of you sit here on this tree-root, and spread my greatcoat over the two of you. Don't worry about me, now... I'm goingto see about making a fire. With a fire, we'll make it. He began to range around under the tree, gathering up sticks, broken branches, dry grass, twigs, dead leaves, and arranging them such that, once the tinder was lit, they soon have a roaring fire.

He got out the old Military-standard firekit, pulled out a wad of tinder, put it on a chunk of bark, piled the dry grass around it so that it could be quickly shoved under the pile of larger wood, and struck a spark with the steel and flint. It caught, and he spent the next few moments blowing and coaxing the sparks and the flames out of it, then adding the twigs, then pouring about an eighth of the contents of his flask on the larger, wetter wood, capping the flask and putting it away.

He then shoved the small starter fire under the now-alcohol-soaked wood, which suddenly WHOOSHed into flame, right next tothe two ladies, who huddled together and closer to the fire. He kept adding the largest logs, (really just broken branches; quite a few were laying about, as if people had been dropping into this forest all week), until several were stacked on top of teh flames, so theywould dry out and burn as the fire burned. Others began to show up at their fire, The Captain, Abe, Rowland, Elisha (who was ecstatically greeted by miss Ella, who bolted from under the greatcoat to run to  and embrace him)...

[ShredsnPatches]

Patrick and Jen's mental link came in very handy during that brief flight. Without the need for words they made it perfectly clear to each other what they wanted to do. Jen was going to provide covering fire while Patrick went in for Black with One. Angel and Cain would keep them flying and get them out of harm's way if things went awry. It was a simple plan - what could possibly go wrong?

[MWBailey]

Dreyfus was putting more branches on the already-lowering fire and beginningto realize just how cold it really was, when suddenly, from a little to starboard of the Boheme's apparent heading (When Dreyfuss was on his back, screaming, in the snow, he noted with a veteran airman's eye the heading the ship overhead was taking), they heard a distant crunch and snapping , as of hundreds of tree limbs being smashed to splinters, and the sickeningly-long mixture of THUD and SHUUULLLUUUCCCHHHHSSSHHHH... It sounded for all the world as if someone were shoving trees over with a locomotive -- sideways.

Dreyfuss and the Captain, and to an extent Elisha, all knew that sound, having heard it in various contexts and variations several times during their respective lives: the sound of an aiship trying, and failing, to make a lineal landing (like an aeroplane), rather than an altitudinal landing (like an airship). Dreyfuss straighted up. "He crashed it!" he brightened up immediately. "The little Snotnose crashed the Boheme!" He picked up his Boat gun, made sure it was still sound and loaded (it was), pulled out the ramrod and tamped the load down just to be certain, and reloaded the goose gun and handed it andit's ammo to Rowland, saying "thats not quite the same as the boat gun, Rowland, but it'll take down numerous targets at a distance and really huge ones at close range. I don't like volley guns myself, too manny fiddly bits to put in and take out, but thats just me being old. Just break open the top and it ejects the empties"

"And, it's a pistol, so you dont have to g-g-get tired lugging it onyour b-back. He shivered, hard, and realized exposure was getting to him. "I'm for retaking the s-s-ship. Who's w-with m-me?"

Seeing as how thefire was not much comfort out here in the wind, and they were all pretty much as cold as Dreyfuss was, they all voted for the ship option, simply by turning their bodies towards the direction the crashing sounds came from, and trotting toward them. Just before they got there, they caw the remaining cold ones cavorting around in the snow around the steering room housing, as if they were enjoying a day at the beach. Dreyfuss grinned, and took the boat gun from his shoulder, got down on one knee (he wasnt quite so cold now that he had been walking for a bit, but he was still pretty darned cold), held it at about ankle-level, and pulled the trigger BAAAUUUOOOMMM!!. All of the cold ones in a fan from about ten feet from the gondola, to about twenty feet away (in other words, all of them in his immediate area) and thirty feet wide, were simultanously smashed to goo  by the blast. A close-by BOOOOM!! indicated thatRowland had followed suit. they still heard no sound from thecockpit.

Dreyfuss worried, concerned that the steering room might have been totally smashed, and quickly walked over, wrenched the somewhat-warped metal door open,and was greeted with the image of a mostly-intact steering room, but no Jimmy. Warily, Dreyfuss reloaded everything, then turned and advanced up the ramp toward the interior of the ship.

[Stella Gaslight]

"I hhope that boy hasn't messed the ship up tttoo badly." Emma said with a frown, they had just fixed the ship up and this idiot had to go and slam it in to trees.  Emma heard soft cursing coming from the engine room and smiled.  No obnoxious brat was going to be able to bully her engines in to working.  She ducked in to her room and grabbed her coat, she was in no hurry there was nowhere for him to go. 

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

Elisha and Hudson checked over the steering room, looking for any damage.

"Damn. Captain, it looks like the heating systems are broken."

"Deliberatly?"

"I really have no idea."

"Damn. That's a bit finnicky to repair. Hopefully there's another ship around...either that or we all huddle round the engines..."

[E.A. Claringbold]

It breathed with every step, huffing and puffing in healthy rhythm, allowing the steam/smoke to trail out from a open stalk or three. A large machine was heading their way plowing through the snow with mild ease. As it neared, one could see that it was certainly a marvel to behold other than its immense size. The vehicle was an extremely large tank smooth armoured, where at the front it was covered with a metal piece that allowed the machine to push the snow away to create a path for the rest of the machine. At the back of the vehicle, there was a glass dome reinforced with steel. One could see the warm colours inside and see the comfortable furnishing as well as various navigational tools and a few maps. On the surface of the tank, there were a few rails that one could hold onto as they stood to take in the environment, not that anyone would want to do that at the moment in this dire cold. It seemed to be utilitarian in its build as it was protective and armed enough to have held out its own in a dispute, yet comfortable enough to substitute as a home.

Just when the machine stopped in front of the crashed airship, the hatch opened and out popped a woman average in height and frame with a healthy build and trim weight. She wore a cream shirt with long sleeves, the high collar buttoned up all the way. A lighthearted blue corset cut dirndl  that stopped at her knees hung tightly over that. Paired with cream colored stockings , worn leather boots that stopped where her skirt started, and the leather belts that were on her hips, she made a modest female at the age of twenty and eight. Over the whole getup she wore a long dark green coat with a separate cowl and hood to protect her further from the cold, coupled with a slight attempt to mask her disfigurement. Stretching her leather gloves tighter over her fingers, she walked to the ruined ship and knocked on the outside of it.

“Hello- ‘nee one living in there?”

[Nigel Wetherby]

Jen drew her box gun and took careful aim, unleasing a torrent of hot lead towards captain black's husk. The bullets sunk into his papery skin and dissapeared as if he were made out of quicksand. A thin, malignant grin crossed his face as he laughed an otherworldly cackle. Patrick gasped in terror upon recognizing what was wrong. He was dead already, bullets wouldnt work!
"Tha virus must be givin him regeneration..." He thought to himself, and therefor though towards Jen.
"We need to cure him." Jen thought to Patrick.
"Let's take this dried up reject fer tha british museum to tha doctor!" Patrick signalled for Cain to let him drop. He ran past one and Drew his rapier, knowing One would be fine, he ran the edge of his rapier across his back, collecting the transparent fluid and letting it coat his blade.
The rickety machine that was the Captain's throne arose and aimed a pair of menacing looking phnumatic drills at the red-headed thorn in captain Black's side. The first drill came down hard at Patrick, though he managed to dodge it, bits of cobblestone kicked up by the drill bit smacked him across the cheek, giving him a nasty cut. However, he was unaware that the first drill was merely a distraction for the second. The whirling lance hit Patrick square in the chest, whirling at blurring speeds that would usually grind any mortal man to ground chuck. Patrick stood his ground and seemed to be...Withstanding the drill!?
The deus compound which covered his torso defended him like a suit of armor, Patrick could only give a breath-less chuckle as bits of the high-powered drill chipped off and ultimately destroyed the entire extention from the feedback.
"WHAT!?" Black roared in anger, staring at the destroyed implement desinged to bore through bedrock. Patrick had the wind knocked from his chest, so his breath came in quick, stifled gasps and the world seemed a bit hazy. He held the Cure-coated rapier in his hand like a javeline and hurled it at the king of ghouls.  The blade sunk itself deep into Black's chest.
Patrick could only laugh weakly as he slowly fell to the ground, woozy from the loss of air and habving his body vibrated by the merciless assault of the drill.

[Arabella Granger]

Ella cautiously entered the wreckage of the Boheme, her eyes watchful for any sign of Jimmy. She still could barely believe that he had joined up with the Cold Ones. What were the odds of that, honestly? She shivered involuntarily, more from the sense of dread that crept over her than from the cold. He knew I was here. He knows about me, and he remembers me. What if he's still out there somewhere? The crash was bad, but he may have survived... she almost smiled. Of course he survived--he's still one of us, after all.

She joined the Captain and Elisha in the steering room, looking over the damage. "What's the diagnosis?" she asked with a little smile, her eyes still worried. She gave another little shiver, and Elisha stepped forward in concern. "I'm fine," she assured him. She met the captain's eyes. "Will we be able to fix it?"

Just then they heard a voice call out for them, one that Ella did not recognize. She jumped, and her eyes narrowed. "A rescue mission?" she asked. "Or a trick?"

------

Lying in the snow, Jimmy groaned. Pain shot through every part of his body in never-ending bursts, and he was freezing. Damn, he thought. I'll pay for that one later. But my job's not over yet.

He tried to get up but failed, and lay there once more, unmoving, planning his next move.

[MWBailey]

Dreyfuss was scouring every inch of the ship that he could get to, both in regular spaces and odd spaces, sometimes utilizing a map that he had found in the Engine Room tool locker (it was standing open when he arrived, spanners, hammers, lube guns, ratchets all littering the floor, and there on the shelf, fluttering in the slight breeze coming in through the steering room door and up the corridor, sat a piece of folded medium blue paper. He had picked it up, intrigued, and decided to use it to search the ship for cold ones or malicious boys.

He was up in the top of the rear of the ship, next to the Gas cells and looking at the Ballonet in the tailcone, when he heard it: A loud-but-muffled KLUMP-siifff...KLUMP-siifff...KLUMP-siifff... and wondered What in the blazes is that? another ambush? He nearly whipped out the saber and slashed the envelope open so he could jump out and confront the new threat, but then he decided against it. He didnt want to be the one who had to cling to the hull outside and sew it back together again, not to mention rivet a patch over the paper-thin metal hull covering.

So, he retraced his route back pastthe gas cells, across the roof of the hold/stores deck, down through the hatch, and tried to open the hull doors, but they were inoperable. He realized the ship must be resting fully on its belly, thus pinning the doors closd. He re-locked the door-bar, and went back down to the steering room, where Elisha and the Captain were still wrestling with the problem of repairing the heating and steering systems. He decided not to bothe rthem with what might be something innocuous.
------------------------------
Elisha looked up qs Dreyfuss Passed, wondering what he was up to; by the way he walked, the old man was on his way to confront something. Something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he looked out the window --at what was walking toward the Boheme, and swore sulphurously. The Captain said, "Elisha! Watch your language on my ---!!!
Stopping in consternation when he followesd Elisha's pointing finger, Captain Hudson nearly fell over in surprise.
-----------
Dreyfuss rounded the end of the Bow just as the Lithe figure jumped down from the tank and walked over and knocked on the hull. What the-- Why does she look familiar? No matter, she might be a blue-blood cultist. that's a damned expensive rig she's got...He leveled the Paterson at her, the boat gun held in a threateningly ready position, saying, "Thats Far enough , Miss..." cocking the Paterson's hammer back to the final position for emphasis. "State your business, and no false moves. We just had a run-in with an enemy, who put us in this state, and there's thousands more where he came from, so we're a little on edge at the moment. Get my drift?" The attractive young woman stared at him as if he had simply sprouted from the snow. "Oh, and if you have any friends in the rig over there, best tell 'em to throw out their guns and blow out the steam pressure tanks -- or tank, whatever fits."

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

Elisha shivered a bit in the cold. He had taken the heating system for granted when he came on board...being without it in the middle of Russia was not pleasant.

He saw Ella shiver. He removed his long coat and put it around her.

"Don't worry. I'm used to the cold." he said. And he was...but nothing like this. He gritted his teeth to prevent the chill to show, as he was wearing only his shirt. He took a pair of goggles the captain was holding, looking through the lenses. He cranked open the window.

"Dreyfuss! Just to tell you, she's warm blooded." He didn't suggest that meant instant trust. But it was something.

[E.A. Claringbold]

When she saw the gun she cautiously raised her gloved hands up to her shoulders so that she could show the man that she did not have weapons in her hands nor did she expect herself to grab anything from under her coat. When she tried to speak all that came out was a muffled sound so she put out one hand as to signal to him to be patient with her as the other hand slowly moved to her hood and cowl. In a painstakingly deliberate movement, she pulled it off to reveal herself, her charcoal hair put tight into a bun held by a gear charmed hair-fork and the burnt side of her face bared naked before the cold.  It was evident now that she was not so attractive. The burn that marred what would have been flawless alabaster skin turned her into some sort of half snarling monster involuntarily. Holding onto her hood and cowl, she returned both hands to their shoulder length height and spoke again.

“There’s no one in that beauty over there, so you don’t have to worry. I’m Irene Frost, just Irene Frost and I came over this way because I saw your vessel crash. Thought you needed help. But it looks like you’re okay….So I think I’ll just head back…”

With that, a small playful smile upon her lips, she took one slow step backwards as if to prove that meant to return to her vehicle.

[Stella Gaslight]

Emma was currently engulfed in the heating system and stringing together a rather impressive train of darkly muttered curse words in a variety of languages she picked up on her travels.  "He took my portable heat cannon and melted the blasted pipes."  

George was half inside half out of the wall.  "Can  you fix it?"

Emma snorted angrily. "Of course I can.  The question you should be asking is If I have the parts to do so."

"Do you?" He asked ready to make his escape if it proved necessary.  

"No." She said coldly. "I had been planing on having to do exterior repairs when we restocked not interior ones."

Where they were going to get several yards of copper pipe in the middle of Siberia was a tricky question and not one George wanted to ask at the moment.  It took a lot to get Emma riled up but once she was you got out of her way quick or you found out how much pain a small steel toed boot could inflict.  George decided to change the subject entirely "There is a big tank thing oust side."

"Humph." Emma said wriggling her way out of the walls. If it was friendly perhaps they would have parts to spare if not she would smash it and take the parts anyway.


Black looked angry at first and then horrified as he tried frantically to pull the blade from his chest.  One walked up to him singing life and glowing green along the cut on his back.  Black screamed as hie sword in his chest started to send out vines that soon engulfed his body.  One kept advancing as vines and blooms started to climb up his wings and spread up his arms from where the cure had touched his hands.   He sung Black in to bloom as the scream faded, One started to crumple putting almost all his energy in to the song.

[Nigel Wetherby]

    Patrick watched with an air of victoriousness about him as the bitter, half-crazed revenant slowly dissolved upon being exposed to One's cure. His flesh dissapeared in a cloud of flesh-colored particles.
"And stay dead ye damn pirate!" Patrick commanded at the now skeletal Captain Heironymous black. All at once the citizens of germany slowly reverted to their fully human forms.
All at once, a thousand people wondered to themselves. "Where am I?"

[MWBailey]

"Not so fast, Miss...Frost, is it?"

"Dreyfuss! Just to tell you, she's warm blooded." Elisha called from the steering room.

"Thats as may be, but so was that boy, if I recall..." He called back.

"Miss, Frost, please, if you are friendly, please don't be insulted; My name is Jaisen Santiago Dreyfuss." He noted the change in expression, Great, just how far has my name flown ahead of me? even in the back of beyond, so to speak... "I see you know the name. Well, miss, I just fell off another ship not two hours ago, for the third time now, this time with my inestimable friends, and it was my fault." that bit he said with a rueful chuckle, "so I'm a bit on edge; I assure you, it's nothing personal, as long as you're not a threat to us or our mission."
"besides, I must admit, we are probably in dire need of your help."

Dreyfuss lowered his weapons, holstered teh Paterson, and held out his right hand. "Please be welcome, Miss Irene Frost."
 --------------------------------
Abe had hung back, cradling Rosie, who was now very alarmingly still with cold, coiled around him but apparently gone dormant. there were tears in his ayes as he walked up behind the young woman, and said, Miss? Frost? Please, ma'am, Rosie's so cold, I think she's dying! she hit the ground awfully hard. Coul dyou please let her warm up in your spider, walker...thing?" He tried not to gasp when she turned and he saw the side of her face. He had, after all, seen many stranger things in the sideshow, and she was quite the "looker," otherwise.

[E.A. Claringbold]

She stopped and let her smile broaden before letting it simmer back down to an acceptable level.  She nodded in agreement to the things he had said and slowly put her hands down.  A good turn of things; they were not going to shoot her. Taking a step back forward, lifting her head back up to Dreyfuss after she had glanced to the snow in no particular reason , she spoke again. Her voice was confident with a touch of promising gentleness as some women posses in their femininity.  It was not exactly music, but it passed well enough to be definitely labeled as female.

“Well, sir, I am at your disposal. Here is my vessel and there is plenty of food for how many you might have in there to last us a good enough while. I have extra clothes. A little extra fuel. Extra of this and that.”

[Stella Gaslight]

Angel went over to one and slowly helped him sit up.  "Here this is for you."  She gave him a lollipop she had hidden away in her pocket.  One just stared at it, Angel smiled.  "Silly One, here." She peeled the paper off and and stuck it in his mouth.  With the sugar helping him recharge his energy One made it to his feet.  He tried to untangle the vines from his skin but found it to be quite painful. Angel saw his struggle and stopped him.  "No One, those are yours. you shouldn't pull on them like that."  He let out a series of alarmed notes. "Don't worry you are much prettier now and you smell nice."  One did not look like that was much of a comfort.

Emma nearly tumbled out in to the snow in her haste to see the newcomer. "Do you have around seven feet of 8 cm copper pipe do you? Some weevil melted our heating system."

[MWBailey]

Dreyfuss rolled his eyes as Abe shouted "thank you" and bolted to the tank, rushing rosie into the warm interior.

"Er, Please Pardon him, Miss irene, he drawled, that snake is like a membe r of Abe's family. I'll have to admit I'm pretty fond of her too. I wouldnt be surprised to find her to be hyper-intelligent and in complete understanding of everything around her." He heard Miss Emma and her query, and said "this is Miss Emma Lightol. Emma, Miss Irene Frost."

"Great, I'm the welcome wagon now, he thought wryly."

"The Fellow in the gondola over there who said you were warmblooded is Elisha Kettell, and the man beside him is our Captain. Captain Ben Hudson, of teh A.P.F. Boheme. That young 'thal man with the snake is Abe Inksmith, and there are several others either inside the ship or elsewhere.

[E.A. Claringbold]

She watched Abe rush into her tank and smiled contently. Anything to help. Her mind spun as Dreyfuss began to introduce her to the people. In response, she merely nodded as if she memorizes everything. She supposed as she stuck along with them longer and got to know them better, their names would eventually stick to her mind.

“Well…er.. Emma, I do believe I have some of that in there,” she nodded over to her vessel, “But I’m not so sure that there would be seven feet of it. You’re welcome to go take a gander though. You’re welcome to anything in there that would aid you in fixing your…ship.”

As her eyes rolled along their ship, she wondered what indeed happened to this crew and what enemy he had mentioned, but as she was, she did not ask. If it came around to the point they got around to a table and one of them decided to spill, well then, that was up to them.

[Stella Gaslight]

"Thanks Miss Frost." Emma chirped with a grin and ran off to scrounge what she could. 

George half glided half walked over to Irene glad Emma's dark mood had dissipated.  "Please pardon Emma she treats the ship like it is her child.  I am George Lewastine pleased to make your acquaintance." One of them had to have manners and since Emma was preoccupied George decided it should be him.  "Have you seen a young man out there? Our ship was hijacked fortunately the scoundrel crashed it before he got too far but he did manage to do quite a bit of damage before he did."

[Arabella Granger]

Arms wrapped snugly around herself, Ella trudged to meet the rest of the group. "Hello, Miss Frost. I'm Eleanor Armistead, but you can call me Ella." She smiled, coming to stand beside Elisha, her arm barely brushing his. "And what brings you to Siberia on this..." a huge gust of wind blew her hair back, chilling her to the very bone and making the very act of breathing painful. "...lovely day?"

[ShredsnPatches]

Jen pressed her palms together, humming a serene air. When the tune built to a crescendo, she opened her hands and spread them wide. A sense of peace and calm rippled through the confused and worried crowd. This ought to let us get the job done quickly, she thought.

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

Elisha went back to the engine room. He was no theorist, but he figured he might see something if he stared at it long enough. Plus, it was warmest back here. The problem was that even if they got the pipes sorted, there still was little power...

He turned to Rowland. He had figured out that when it came to Aether, Rowland was the expert.

"Hey. Professor. We're out of some valuable power...I was just wondering...the Boheme gets alot of thrust off Aether. Gives far more efficiency. I was thinking, could some sort of thing like the Aether stacks be used for a heating system?"

He really didn't know how that worked, but he was willing to try anything at the moment.