The Flight of the Meriwether: A Steampunk Outlaw RP (Closed)

[The Zango]

Karl thought over the ins and out of the job offer in his head, weighing up the points in his head slowly and logically. On one hand, it was a great risk, as the work might bring him into confrontation with his long-term employers the Confederacy and if things didn't work out with this crew of malcontents he might have trouble finding work with them in future.

Then again, his relations with the higher ups in the Confederacy were strained at best and if he continued working with them, they might get complacent and try to get rid of him, which wouldn't be good for any of the concerned parties. Perhaps working for himself was the right course of action for the moment, as when he returned to his normal line of work, the Confederacy would see first hand that he was not to be trifled with and they would recognize what an asset he was.

There was also the fact that on the Meriwether he'd be surrounded by some of the best technology of the time and so there would be opportunities to include any designs he encountered, whether their inventors agreed or not.

Finally, after much deliberation, Karl shifted his gaze from Callista onto the Captain, where he nodded and said "Yes"

 

[NeoAC]

It certainly was a motley crew that had been called to this back room, mostly white, as Claire noted. Now she was being asked if she wanted to join it. She had always worked solo in all her endeavors prior to this, so this was a big step.

He said he was against both sides fighting this war, and while she certainly agreed that the Confederates needed to be stopped, the Union soldiers seemed much better than they were. Stories had gotten back to Louisiana of slave families able to make it to freedom because of the kindness of the North folk, so surely they were less of a threat.

Of course, what options did she have if she turned him down? Another long trip back to Texas, to continue being on the run? Him possibly turning her over to a mob down there for the cash? And at least here she would have a definitive base of operations.

Claire looked over at the man who had made the speech. "I guess I will join this little romp as well, provided your intentions are as noble, or ignoble, as they appear to be, monsieur."

 

[Captainguy42]

Anything else would have been a disappointment, Ken nodded and raised no objection. He figured he already needed to keep his head low, having a crew would help with that.

"Alrigh' then, sounds like a great offer, you got me aboard," He said, "Might I question where this ship of your's is right now?"

 

[socialtangent]

One by one, every person in the room sounded off with an affirmative answer. Gideon grinned with a hint of excitement. Now that everyone was on board with his plan, the Lost Regiment could truly begin in earnest.

"Excellent. Now that we're all in agreement here, I think it's 'bout time that I show y'all your new home," he told everyone. "I'm very sure that you'll like what you see. Harvey, get us something to take Mister Radhanite's fine whiskey and load it up, will ya?"

With that, Gideon escorted everyone out of the V.I.P lounge and out of the bar. He gave the still-frightened owner of the bar a small sum of money for his "troubles" before exiting. The Captain and his diverse group of acquaintances were by no means inconspicuous; they earned many a curious gaze from the locals. Karl and Callista especially were the subjects of double takes and stares as they walked through the dusty Western town, heading towards an airship that loomed in the distance.

Moving closer, it could be seen that the ship was tethered to the ground by thick ropes. Those ropes were in turn anchored into the cracked concrete by massive metal bolts. The immediate area was a decrepit, poorly maintained airstrip. In fact, calling it an airstrip was too good of a compliment. It was more of an empty area just outside of town where airships could land. It was obvious that this area did not get very much airship traffic.

Once the group was close enough, Gideon turned around and gestured behind him. "Ladies and gents, I give you the Meriwether, the finest ship this side of the Western Hemisphere!" he announced with pride. "Don't let her modest looks fool ya, she's packin' quite a lot of heat. She's got enough firepower to take on almost any Union or Confederate airship, and enough power in the engines to outrun 'em too". Gideon paused. "Any y'all have any questions before we board?"

 

[Viking Incognito]

"What is the chance that we will all die?" Duke asked.

He exhaled the smoke from his cigarette and dropped it to the ground, stepping on it to put it out. He was ready do do some pirating.

 

[Icarion (aka Stockholm)]

"I have a question, Captain. How do you plan to pay for that whiskey? By my calculations, that worth at least 300 American dollars or, if you prefer, 2400 Confederate. Do you have the money on you? I am perfectly willing to accept things other than money as payment, such as exotic technology, whiskey, you name it. Pay me and I will be on my way, a happy man." Saul spoke smoothly, implying that their trasaction was more of a favor between friends than a buissness deal.

 

[Captainguy42]

"Sir, by my guessin' that's about 100%, the questions when, where, 'n how? An I suggest you don't spend much time thinking about that." Ken told the Duke as he passed him, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Say, if you don't mind my askin' something wrong with you're face?" He asked Duke, motion to his own face to mirror where Duke wore a mask.

 

[CounterAttack]

Callista flinched every time she saw someone double-take or stare in her direction. She hated attention, especially from crowds who gawped and whispered behind their hands to one another. Yes, she had a metal arm. That did not mean she was some freak of nature. It meant she was smart enough to build it, and could use it in her daily life. People could gawp and stare all they want... just as long as it was directed at other people, like the guy who looked more machine than man.

When the group arrived at the airstrip, specifically the Meriweather herself, Callista's jaw dropped silently. Having never seen a contraption along these lines, she was simply stunned by its size and shape. She had seen a few flying devices before, but this took the cake. Closing her mouth as McClellan described the airship in detail, she shook her head at his mention of asking questions. She figured there would be some pretty nifty tech on that ship; maybe there would be some things to maintain and keep in working order... possibly even upgrade through her own technical knowledge.

 

[Viking Incognito]

Spoiler: OOC @Captainguy

I knew I should have specified earlier, but duke isn't wearing his mask at the moment. He saves that for when he is working or when he is in battle

 

[blaze96]

"A simple question sir, am I to be in command or am I under the command of another." It didn't particularly matter whether he was in charge or taking orders from another, he mostly asked so that he would know what to expect when he stepped aboard that ship. Whether there was another doctor he would report to or get a quick briefing on the amount of staff at his disposal was his primary concern at the moment.

The grandeur of the Meriwether wasn't all that surprising in itself, as he had seen airships like these at the forward bases of the union army. If anything, it was almost the lack of visible ordinance that shocked him, as when he had seen these ships before they were packed as densely as possible with bombs and cannons on the outside.

 

[NeoAC]

Claire didn't relish the staring eyes of the locals. She preferred to keep out of sight during the day, even out here in the wild frontier where no one could possibly recognize her or be aware of her roots. She saw the prospectors, the bums, the Chinese laborers just watching the group. This was unwelcome to be sure.

Fears were allayed when Claire came face to face with the massive ship that the Captain had spoke of. It made the stagecoach she rode west in look like a child's play toy. From what the man said, it sounded like this behemoth could take on the battalions of a thousand armies' worth of wandering souls. The fact that it was parked on a piece of land as dismal looking as this was an insult.

Claire dropped the strap on her trunk and further gazed up. Questions didn't seem to be coming to mind at this point in time.

 

[Lizmichi]

"Yea I have one. What are the rooming situations like? I can't sleep with others in the room with me. I've been knows to stab others for waking me up." Lia asked standing just behind the rest of the group. What she said was true but she also like her space. Time to her self was something she was use to after years of being a spy.

Lia shifted her stance some looking up at the air ship, not really showing much emotion, as was normal for her. Her arms where crossed at her chest and her gloved hands setting on her upper arms.

 

[Nukey]

"It is a fine vessel, sir, although I have but one, simple question. I've noticed the quality of the ship is far better than what a normal pirate could ever attain, so how on earth did you manage to get something as magnificent as this?" James asked, placing a hand on his chin as gazed up at the enormous flying vessel before him. He was in awe at the sight of such a mechanical wonder, staring upwards towards it as if it were a god of sorts, a bit of drool accumulating around the corner of his mouth as his eyes scanned over every minor detail covering its hull.

Yes, magnificent. Magnificent in every sense of the word.

 

[The Zango]

Karl stood and ran his gaze over the mechanical beast that loomed over him, his mind mechanically running over what the specifications of such a machine might be. This place would be a haven for salvaging technology to add to his own and with a ship so big, who would notice anything missing? It was undoubtedly a good situation for Karl to be in.

"Acceptable"

 

[socialtangent]

"I hope you don't mind me calling you Lia," Gideon said before answering her question. "Everyone will have their own private room on the living quarters deck. If any y'all have special requests, my crew will do their best to accommodate ya".

The next question came from James, who inquired about how the Meriwether came into his possession. Gideon couldn't help but grin a bit. "That, Mister Black, is a story for another time. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get underway first so we don't waste any more time standin' around here. If y'all would follow me, I'll take all of ya to your quarters".

Gideon faced the Meriwether and took in the grand view for a moment before leading the group to the descended boarding ramp that lead into her cargo bay. The cargo bay was a very large and spacious room, filled with crates of assorted shapes and sizes. A few crewman holding clipboards could be seen with walking amongst the crates, taking inventory of the Meriwether's cargo. As Gideon and his group passed, the workers stopped to salute their captain before returning to work.

After scaling a few stairs, Gideon led everyone up to the Living Quarters. Leaving the stairway, there was a wide hall that had doors on either side. These doors were adorned with signs that read "Crew". The muffled sounds of hearty laughter and conversation could be heard coming from them.

"These here rooms are where the normal crew live, but for you, I've set aside some more...comfortable accommodations down closer to the stern," Gideon said, pointing further down the hall. "Now, do y'all wanna claim your rooms now, or shall I finish the tour first?" he asked the group. "It's up to you".

 

[CounterAttack]

At the mention of claiming a room for future use and accommodation, Callista visibly brightened up a little. Not wishing to speak in front of the whole group, she simply nodded to Gideon and carefully made her way through the hallway in the direction he had pointed. Once free of the confines of the group, she breathed a quiet sigh of relief and began to examine the rooms that their captain had indicated, trying to determine which would be best suited for her.

It turned out that almost all of the rooms in question were identical, with the exact same layouts and furnishings. With that out of the way, and glad that it wasn't going to be a game of 'first-in, first-served', Callista was left with which room she was going to pick. Not one of the middle ones: she preferred to be left alone and she might not get that with people on either side of her most of the time. With that in mind, she chose a room at the end of one of the rows of doors, and stepped inside.

There was a large bed that looked fairly comfortable, a table - which could easily be converted into a workbench with a little help from the inventor - with a couple of chairs sitting near it. A chest of drawers and wardrobe rounded out the room's fittings. Happy with her choice, Callista carefully set her suitcase down on the bed, careful not to unnecessarily bump or jostle the contents, and stepped out of the room to return to the tour.

 

[blaze96]

Samuel didn't particularly care about the rooms, everything he had he was carrying anyway, so he figured he may as well stay with the group.

"I would appreciate being able to see the rest of the ship, so that way I can figure out how to get around." He said simply.

 

[Icarion (aka Stockholm)]

Saul placed a strong hand on Gideon's shoulder.
"Listen friend, I don't take kindly to being ignored, especially over a matter of buisness. Now you seem like an ok type, but I've met more upstanding men who have tried to outsmart me. And they've in turn met Adonai, if you get my gist. Now, how are you going to pay for the whiskey?"
Saul's voice was low and semi-threatening. He prepared to let his .22 slide out of his right sleeve and into his hand, just in case.

 

[The Zango]

Without waiting for permission or any other social cue, Karl turned on his heel and walked off to explore the ship. His intolerance for the presence of others would impede his ability to learn from the tour and plus, Karl just preferred to learn by doing on his own, it was just better. As he walked the corridors of the truly massive ship, Karl got no end of scared, intrigued and even suspicious glances, but unsurprisingly, no-one approached him, he had that effect on people and the effect was only compounded when his helmet was off.

 

[socialtangent]

Gideon flashed a grin. I like his style.

The Captain faced Saul. "You'll get your payment very shortly," he told the irritated merchant. He paused for a moment. "Tell ya what, I got a better offer. How's about you join the crew? The Meriwether could use someone with your...approach to business. Plus you stand to make a mighty mean profit". Gideon lowered his voice. "I also know about your...Lazarus problem. Trust me, Lazarus and I ain't the best of friends," he added quietly.

[hr]

Harvey had spent most of the tour of the Meriwether tagging silently behind the rest of the group. He was still relatively unsure about some of the people Gideon had picked up. Working with the rejects of society always had its dangers. Upon reaching the Living Quarters, Gideon allowed the new members of the Lost Regiment to claim their own room. Some abstained, but a few walked off. One of them caught Harvey's attention. The masked man Karl. He had walked off on his own and had not returned.

This don't sound right one bit

Heading down the way he saw Karl leave, Harvey walked at a brisk pace in search of the man. Maybe it was the mask that rubbed him the wrong way. Or perhaps it was his apparent disregard for common courtesy. Whatever it was, Harvey did not want him roaming the Meriwether by himself. A few terrified crewmen directed him in the right direction as he passed by.

Now where'd ya go?