Writing The Great Trench Adventure [M-LV]

[Malkav]

[FONT=Palatino Linotype][COLOR=#000080]Caverntown, Aleyska Archipelago

Old Joe wasn’t used to getting visitors this time of the year. When they did come, they always came in groups, whole parties of people to keep him busy all day every day. He built his life around it. In the summer, he collected his money, and in the winter he spent it. This far up north, no one was dumb enough to come in the winter and see the Orwells, the beautiful mountain range just 100 or so miles from Caverntown. So it surprised Joe to see an airship on the horizon.

It touched ground right outside of his shop, a beautiful corvette that showed signs of the aristocracy. Joe checked his calendar to make sure it was winter before setting his eyes back on the ship. To his surprise two people were walking towards him, both wearing parkas. From the looks of it they were a man and woman, Joe squinted slightly to see them, as the snow outside did all it could to blur his vision. He hopped up to man the front desk as the two walked in the door. They both looked around, surveying their surroundings. Their gazes then met each other and they pulled off their hoods and masks. The man had short spiky hair and a goatee, whereas the woman was a brunette and had two different colored eyes one of which had three metallic spots above her eyebrow.

[B]“How can I help you folks?”[/B] asked Joe, the two of them turned to him.

[B]“We need some information.”[/B] said the man, speaking bluntly. [B]“I was wondering what you could tell us about the Orwellian trench.”[/B]

The old man gave a loud and very audible sigh. He should have known…

***
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The crew of the Albatross listened intently as their captain, Jack Deacon, briefed them on their next mission. They were about to embark on a journey that only fools and madmen dared to attempt. The mission: go deep into the Orwells, a mountain range that surrounded the New Globe’s pole, and from there brave the depths of the Orwellian Trench. The trench was a deep glacial valley in which stood an ice megalith. Locals insist that the megalith holds the secrets of an ancient people, and their absurdly rich civilization.
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Patrick Knights, William Buckley, and Marcus Guinness watched on as he spoke to them. Each had their parkas on and sipped coffee. It was damned cold in this far up north, and none of them really wanted to be here. They were the ship’s engineering crew, handling all repairs, although Deacon usually did everything himself. They doubled as the crew’s muscle, assisting Deacon on his frequent raids whenever they were cash strapped. Hopefully after this mission the raids would be less frequent.
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Sitting near the stooges were Kil’ani and Annie Reeve. Kil’ani was the ship’s navigator, and a very good one at that. It was no secret among the crew that she harbored feelings for Deacon. It was also no secret that as a result, she and Audrey Bertrand didn’t get along too well. Annie was a mixed bag. On one hand she was the ship’s demolitions expert, on the other one she was simply everything else she was needed to be. She was a more than valuable asset to the crew.
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Lastly, standing always to the left of Jack, was Audrey Bertrand. Although she hadn’t known him as long as some of the crew, she was loyal and many would take her orders before that of their maverick captain. Audrey was the crew’s first mate and a dynamite lady at that. It’s also known among the crew that Audrey had a relationship with Jack, though she stayed professional throughout and rarely has it ever been raised that favoritism was showed toward her.

[B]“Well gents, and ladies,”[/B] spoke Jack in his usual laid back tone, [B]“any objections to facing death itself?”
[/B]
There was silence amongst the crew. [B]“Well then, let us be on our way!”[/B][/COLOR][/FONT]

[Rachmaninoff]

I was about to ask you if this was before the events in Almagest until I saw that Audrey is a member of the crew. One question though, what happened to her eye patch? She get a new magi technology eye or something? Or is this suppose to not be connected or even in the same universe as Almagest?

Oh and you do know that ratings are old news right? :p

[Malkav]

[FONT=Palatino Linotype][COLOR=#000000]this takes place after the events of the almagest legacy and is only loosely in the same universe. Its alot I want to do that wouldn't fit in the same continuity.[/COLOR][/FONT][COLOR=#000080][FONT=Palatino Linotype]
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Jack looked sternly through the observation deck’s thick forward facing glass as the Albatross navigated the dangerous peaks and slopes of Orwells. Ahead of him the mountains seemed to only grow closer and closer to the ship as they pushed forward. In the skies above and around him thick gray clouds hung ominously, all trying their best to make this trip as perilous as possible. Jack trusted in his crew’s judgment and his pilot, Rohan Reid. Rohan was a young man who reminded Jack much of himself in his youth, and his skills as a pilot had the potential to surpass Jack’s one day.

Having enough of watching the endless chain of mountains, Jack descended from the deck into the cockpit. Inside, dutifully guiding the ship through the pass was Rohan and Kil’ani. Rohan guided the ship with a steady hand while Kil’ani told him a steady chain of coordinates and degrees. He dared not speak to them, fearing that throwing off their concentration would lead to the crew’s untimely death. Jack nodded in approval, even though he knew the two of them couldn’t see him and descended from the cockpit. As he turned from the latter to check on the rest of his crew, he was greeted by Audrey, whose eyes, one brown and the other more of a milky blue variety, looked at him surprised. It’d been a while since they were alone together.

[B]“Hello Audrey.”[/B] He said in a whisper, trying not to disturb his pilot and navigator.[B] “What are you doing?”[/B]

[B]“I was checking on the cockpit. It’s half past the hour.”[/B] She replied. Jack checked his watch and saw she was right.

[B]“I’ve checked, the two of them are fine, you needn’t worry.”[/B]

[B]“Hmph.”[/B] Audrey replied, and turned to walk off.

[B]“Audrey wait…”[/B] Jack said, grabbing her arm with his metallic hand. He saw her shiver from the feeling of cold steel on her flesh.

She stopped and folder her arms refusing to look at him. Jack looked around to make sure no one else saw them. He then wrapped his arms around her and held tightly. She didn’t move, only leaning back slightly coming to a rest on his chest. Jack towered over her, being well over six feet tall to her five and a half or so. [B]“Audrey,”[/B] he began, [B]“I’m-”[/B]

Before he could finish the intercom began blasting with Kil’ani’s heavily accented voice. [B]“CAPTAIN DEACON, SIR WE HAVE A SITUATION!”[/B] He suddenly felt the ship jerk to a halt and jerk Audrey away from him as well. Seeing this as her moment of escape, she immediately took of down the corridor leaving Jack. He cursed to himself before turning back toward the cockpit. Audrey, I’m sorry…

They didn’t have to explain to him why they’d called him. A quick glance at the windshield told him enough. It was starting to snow, and hard. Jack cursed again before raising Kil’ani up and taking his place in the navigator’s seat. [B]“Report.”[/B]

[B]“Its bad,”[/B] spoke Rohan,[B] “If it continues to pick up we won’t see anything. I suggest we ground and start again after the storm’s over.”[/B]

[B]“We can’t ground,”[/B] Jack corrected,[B] “There isn’t a piece of flat land anywhere in these mountains.”[/B]
[B]
“We could anchor. I’m sure if we aim our anchors for the mountains around us, we could remain suspended while the storm passes through.”[/B]


[B]“That presents two more problems, Mr. Reid. For one we don’t have enough anchors to keep us level, and also the storm will jerk the ship around so much that one or more anchors are bound to break off.”[/B]

[B]“So what exactly do you plan to do?”[/B] asked Rohan sarcastically.

[B]“What else? We brave it.”[/B]

Kil’ani, who had stayed out of the talk until now spoke up, [B]“But captain. We won’t be able to see more than five feet in front of us.”[/B]

[B]“Yeah,”[/B] piped Rohan, [B]“I can’t fly that well!”[/B]

[B]“Well fortunate for us we have a better pilot onboard. Go tell the others to buckle down. I’d rather not use that annoying intercom.”[/B]

Rohan, looking rather insulted, nodded and ran toward the ladder. Jack hopped into the pilot seat and Kil’ani slinked into the navigator’s seat beside him. The snow began picking up and the ship started to shake under the force of the wind. Kil’ani, nervous, began watching the outside to help Jack correctly navigate through the pass. The sound of the storm grew as loud as that of the ship’s engines, still Jack held his course.

As he steadied the ship, Jack’s confidence began to grow and he increased the speed. The hum once again rose over the sound of the storm and Kil’ani, stuttering, continued to spout out coordinates. Suddenly, Jack’s eye noticed something in the distance. He wasn’t quite sure because of the snow, but there was a figure standing on a peak. He blinked and looked once again, and the figure was gone. Then, without warning the ship jerked violently. Jack’s body jarred and before he could get his head back together he heard a voice over the intercom. It was Guinness’.

[B]“Jack! One of our engines just ripped off! What in shit bloody hell kind of flying are you doing out there?!”[/B]

Jack cursed slightly as he began pulling levers and pulleys to divert power to the opposite engine. He didn’t want to open the crew up to the speculation of sabotage. Without warning, the storm cleared and he found himself staring at a large crevice sitting in the middle of a valley. It was his destination, the Orwellian Trench.

[B]“Prepare for a belly landing!”[/B] Jack yelled through the intercom, Kil’ani braced herself into the navigator’s seat and Jack held steady to the joystick in an attempt to keep it steady.

The ship hit the ground hard, sliding on the slippery permafrost of the valley. The Albatross was not built for this kind of landing, and Jack could feel as the bottom of the ship ripped apart under him. He jerked it sharp to the left, causing the ship to hydroplane and begin spinning. Just ahead, Jack knew the ship was headed toward the trench, and then suddenly, he couldn’t feel the bottom of the ship anymore. They were falling into the trench itself…[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Horendithas]

[COLOR="Indigo"]Jack seems to be fond of wrecking ships. :p [/COLOR]