Her Majesty's
Mysterious Conveyance
Her Majesty's Mysterious Conveyance
A Steampunk Anthology
An Echelon Press Special Edition
All rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2012 by
Nick Valentino
Ten Thousand Years
Sean Hayden
Queen of the Travelers
Elizabeth Valentino
Reclaiming the Throne
Jennifer Williams
The Hidden History of Stones;
Or How the Sinking Jenny was Sunk
Cover Art © Myke Amend
Echelon Press
2721 Village Pine Terrace
Orlando, FL 32833
www.echelonpress.com
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address Echelon Press LLC.
eBook: 978-1-59080-860-3
Published by Echelon Press LLC at Smashwords.
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Foreword
As an artist in the fantasy art field, and more specifically that edge that is retrofuturism and Steampunk, I was happy to be a part of this book, and its collection of Steampunk authors.
Some of which, I have had the pleasure of meeting in person at the conventions I attend and show at, some are completely new to me - though all of us have in common a love for that fantastical realm where past and future meet in imaginative and fascinating ways.
Whether art, fashion, music, or literature, our genre is bound together by those of us who are spellbound by all of the possible worlds that could have been but weren't, whether wondrous, or terrifying, the combinations are endless, and as endlessly inspiring, as they are inspired.
Steampunk in art, or in literature, is an endeavor to communicate and share our own imagined future-past, as it is also indulgence in a very vivid culture wherein all of these possibilities collide and intermingle.
In looking at the new through antique eyes, or looking at the past with new eyes, is a spirit of inventiveness, unique to each person like a fingerprint, with infinite possibilities for creativity and invention.
I am thrilled to be a part of this subculture, not only for all of the wonder it has given birth to already, but for all of the people and works it will continue to inspire for years to come.
Myke Amend
http://www.mykeamend.com/
Nick Valentino
1
Gripping the guardrail, Maro stood on the bow of his ship staring at the sky above him. The seas tossed around him smacking the side of the vessel, sending blasts of stinging saltwater over the deck. The ships flag, the Japanese flag with the usual red color inverted to black, flapped violently in the stormy wind. Mixed in the overcast canopy, an airship floated ahead of him billowing ribbons of black smoke from its underbelly while struggling to get free of the dozen specialized harpoons that tethered it to Maro's ship.
His timing was just right as he snuck his black hulled boat, The Kaiyo, or the Sea Falcon under the cover of darkness right into the path of the royal airship and harpooned it in mid-flight. Aboard was the most precious cargo in all of Asia, the Japanese Empress Shoken.
Maro flipped his coat collar up to protect his neck against the violent weather and walked with heavy booted steps to the nearest gunnery station where a three man crew monitored one of the tether harpoons.
"Can we reel it in yet?" Maro had to shout over the blaring wind.
One of the soldiers snapped his feet together. "No, sir, the ship has too much power. It's resisting the strength of our winches."
Maro looked up at the royal airship again. A huge dirigible, the royal airship was bigger than the Sea Falcon with a three-story gondola on the bottom. It boasted over a dozen cannons protruding from each side and posed a threat to anything airborne. Even with the giant sea to air harpoons firmly embedded in it, the ship was too large and powerful to pull down.
"Is the lift ready?"
The soldier looked behind him where four sailors were attaching a tin walled transport to one of the harpoon cords. The contraption was big enough to carry a dozen sailors and could be winched up the woven metal tether on its own power with a coal driven steam engine attached to the top.
The sailor looked nervous. "It's going to take a few more moments Captain. Please be advised that the airship is very high in the air and a lift at that length has never been attempted."
"Understood, Ensign," Maro said. "Run and get my boarding crew on deck. I want to be on the way up as soon as possible."
The Sailor saluted Maro and dashed to the stairs that went below deck. Maro took another glance at the massive airship above him just in time to see a tiny puff of white smoke emanate from the bottom followed by a distant pop. A few seconds later a canister slammed into the Sea Falcon's deck and with a deep thud, bounced once off a gunnery cabin, and came to rest just feet away from Maro's boots. At first he thought it was an explosive device, but upon a second glance he saw a piece of white cloth protruding from the object.
Maro tucked his black ponytail that whipped around in the wind into his jacket and walked to the cylindrical brass object. He recognized it as an ocean distress canister used for launching maps, treaty terms, and disease warnings from ship to ship. Maro picked up the canister and unscrewed the top embossed with the empress' seal. A rolled up parchment was inside. Maro took it out of the rain and back to his captain's quarters where he withdrew the paper with a gloved hand and put the canister on his desk. It was common practice for malicious messages to be delivered with poisonous ink. Maro unfurled the paper and held it to the oil lamp affixed to his desk.
You have attacked a royal vessel. This offence is punishable by the harshest death under Japanese law and is inescapable as an armada is en route to intercept and take your ship. Release your harpoons immediately and consideration for your crew's survival will be given upon trial. This is not a threat but an unavoidable truth.
Maro wadded the paper up and tossed it on the floor. He had the upper hand now. Once boarded, he could take Empress Shoken hostage and her ransom alone would be worth untold amounts of wealth in Korea where he planned on flying after he secured his prisoner, her ship, and the advanced technology aboard. Once a member of the Japanese Navy, Maro took to piracy when the Japanese government disgraced him, his brother, and an entire platoon of men by leaving them stranded in a Korean prison when his ship carried humanitarian supplies to the nation after an earthquake. Maro was released with the promise that he would retrieve a suitable ransom for the platoon of men that now had been held in Korea for three years. With the money he gained from Empress Shoken and the ability to travel by air, Maro could restore honor to his men, rescue them all, and become one of the most powerful men in Asia.
He rose from his seat and strapped a waist pack around his belt, a filtered dust mask for his face, and a hearty pair of wind goggles around his neck. Checking the ammunition in his gas-powered rifle, Maro affixed three more handguns to himself and grabbed three extra boxes of bullets for his assorted revolvers.
As he exited the captain's cabin Maro saw his boarding party huddled around the lift, which now seemed properly attached to the harpoon cord. Twelve dark goggled men all armed to the teeth stood waiting for instructions. Each with unique and mostly one of a kind weapons, Maro picked his pirate crew not only for their brutal nature but also for their ingenuity and ability to work with and personalize weaponry. A dozen of his most hardened men with a dozen different kinds of weapons for any situation that arose.
Maro couldn't help letting his men see his grin before he slid the dust mask over his mouth and nose. "Is the lift ready?"
A harpoon gunner ran around the boarding party in front of Maro and snapped his heels together. "Yes, sir! The lift is ready for deployment."
"Excellent," Maro said putting a hand on the man's shoulder and turning to his boarding crew. "The lift is ready men! Climb aboard and prepare for the most amazing and daring operation ever undertaken by a crew such as yourselves. In the sky awaits the Japanese empress, endless ransom, and technology that will make us an unstoppable force in the seas and skies of Asia."
The boarding party responded with cheers raising their weapons in the air.
2
Aboard the lift, the contraption was noisy and swayed heavily in the wind as it rose off the deck. The thin tin walls were only supported by a wooden skeleton, which creaked as the winch slowly cranked them upward. In the past, Maro's crew tested the lift but usually not in such harsh conditions. The integrity of the lift was precarious at best and threatened to break or flip in the wind with every additional foot it climbed. Halfway up the harpoon cord, the lift swung as the tension loosened and tightened. Even the battle-hardened crew seemed nervous at being tossed around halfway between the airship and the ocean below.
An unmistakable explosion came from above them. Somehow, the crew of the airship managed to point one of the cannons straight down. The ordinance whistled by the lift putting the men even more on edge. One successful impact would obliterate the fragile lift. Several of the boarding crew hung their heads out of the window to see the position of the cannon.
"I see it! Just off the bow," one of the pirates yelled. "They've got it tied down. Who has the slug rifle?"
A short pirate with a black cloth over his mouth named Haru grunted and pushed his way through the crowded lift until he reached one of the open windows.
With the assistance of the others, they pointed out the location and the short pirate held his rifle out of the window and pointed it upward. The wind and rain battered the man and the lift making it difficult to get a good bearing. He closed one eye behind his goggles and squeezed the trigger. A thick report from his rifle reverberated through the interior of the lift and a second later, he shook his head in disappointment.
"This thing's moving too much," he shouted as he recoiled back inside the lift. "I see the cannon and it's in range but I can't hit it while this moves so much."
Another sound of cannon fire erupted above. This time the ordinance roared just a few feet by the lift, blowing a wave of heated air inside. One swing in the wrong direction would have pulverized them.
"Hurry, Haru," Maro yelled. "Fire again. The closer we get, the easier it'll be for them to hit us."
Haru cocked his gun and leaned out of the lift. He pressed the butt of the rifle tightly against his shoulder and fired. Again, the bullet missed its target. Picking off a concealed firing crew while cranking up in a violently swaying lift proved a near impossible task. Haru was one of the sharpest shooters in the crew, hence why he held the long-range slug rifle.
Determined to keep firing, Haru leaned further out of the lift. He fired again and again missed his mark. He hopped up in the open window and leaned dangerously out, bracing himself with his legs as he fired a third time. A few seconds went by and Haru yelled with glee as an explosion many times louder than the shot of a cannon roared above.
"I hit it! I hit one of the projectiles next to the cannon!" Haru cheered.
Just then, a piece of falling debris slammed into his shoulder, loosening his grip on the window and spun him face down. Three nearby crewmembers scrambled and grabbed on to any part of Haru before he fell to his death. Amongst the yelling, the men strained against gravity and the harsh wind. Haru dangled outside of the lift screaming in terror. With enough hands on him to keep him from falling, Haru's fellow pirates clumsily hoisted him back through the lift's window.
Haru collapsed on the floor, his rifle still slung around his neck. He lifted his goggles revealing his wide and teary brown eyes. "Thank you! Thank you!" He laughed hysterically.
The men patted him on the head laughing and cheering at Haru's crack shot and daring rescue.
Maro interrupted the celebration. "Well done, Haru," he said. "I'm afraid the party will have to wait until we return to the Sea Falcon. We're close to the airship and we have to board right away."
The men that pulled Haru from certain death lifted him to his feet. Maro was correct, the lift was nearing the airship, and it would be a matter of moments before they would be able to start boarding. They were so close the airship blotted out the sky, nothing above them was visible but the bottom of the lower gondola, which was as vast as a sizable house.
Maro ordered his men to lift the top hatch and prepare the ladder. Moments later, the lift banged against the bottom of the airship and someone flipped a lever to cut the engine and stop it from moving. Two more pirates got under the open hatch and with a modified rifle with a pair of arm sized steel pincers, began to gnaw away at the underside of the ship. With each gnash, the pincers made deep cuts in the bottom of the airship, which the pirates quickly peeled away until they breached the first few layers. From there, they took turns piercing the rest of the bottom deck with rifle fire until they punched through leaving Swiss cheese like holes. Maro's pirates easily broke through the final layer and with the help of their movable ladder entered the airship without hindrance. All thirteen men emerged in the cargo hold of the ship. It was dark with the exception of a few portholes. Freight boxes and barrels littered the large room.
"Ah yes, gentlemen, one of the reasons we're here," Maro said looking at the cargo in the dim room. "Our spy told me that these crates hold technology that can help us in future endeavors. There are things in here that are beyond our imagination."
"Like what Captain?"
"Weapons, equipment, and secret machines of all manner. We'll have to go through them when we take the ship over. I was just told that the things aboard this ship will make us the most formidable independent force in hemisphere."
They lifted their goggles as one pirate lit up a mirrored oil lamp, shooting dull beams of light in three directions at once. It revealed a set of stairs leading up to a closed door. As quietly as they could, the group moved up and piled in next to the cargo hold exit. Maro stood at the front. "We need to secure the next room. Expect to shoot first."
Maro put his hand on the door latch and to his surprise; it clicked and cracked open when he pulled. He looked back at his men, all lined up the staircase at the ready. "We move now," Maro said swinging the cargo hold door wide.
3
The boarding party rushed into another large room, this one a long salon, elegantly decorated in traditional Japanese style. At the far side of the space, ten samurai suits of armor blocked the far door. A wire attached to the door where the boarding crew exited stretched taught and snapped causing the suits of armor to react. The sound of hundreds of gears turning and winding filled the room and overtook the loud buzzing of the airship engines. The suits began to click and clank in unison and like a troupe of well-choreographed dancers, rose into proper standing posture. Each had identical armament, a sword for the left arm and a fat barreled rifle for the right.
"Automatons! Rush them! Go now!"
The pirates didn't need any further prompting. Instinctively they began to yell and they dashed forward to intercept the mechanical soldiers. Leaping over the low tables, the pirates were upon the samurai in a matter of seconds. While the pirates were a mass of confusion and raw energy, the automatons defended themselves in precise movements, swinging their sword arms first, following with a shot from their revolver fed rifles, and repeating the motion. The pirates returned the aggression with bursts of a wide range of gunfire. Different kinds of bullets slammed into the contraptions, some exploding with small bright lights, while others created pressurized explosions on impact. After the first barrage, Maro heard his men yelling as the machines began to take their toll. There was no turning back now, they had engaged in the battle and it was destroy, or be destroyed. Maro leveled his rifle, flipped a switch to change his ammunition from a slug to a pressurized explosive round, and pulled the trigger. A bullet the size of his thumb smacked into the middle automaton and blew it to the floor, tearing the chest plate clean off, exposing an intricate series of moving parts inside. He cocked his rile again and fired another round away from his men. The shot caught in one of the samurai's helmets and with a squealing pop, blew the machine's head clear off the body, causing it to walk aimlessly in circles.
Haru stood in the back with his slug rifle delivering deadly accurate shots to one samurai at a time. While his shots rocked their targets and devoured the internal workings, the automatons for the most part continued to stand and fight to their best ability, slashing and firing in an endless cycle. Maro saw two of his men go down, hit by a fierce rounds from the machine's guns that left brief clouds of blood hanging in the air as they fell. Then several of the machines advanced on a group of his pirates hacking four of them to bits despite heavy gunfire to defend themselves. Maro continued to fire his pressurized bullets, which did a good job in the firefight, but his men were dying too quickly.
Maro located one of his pirates that still lived named Katsu, who had a compressed gas tank strapped to his back. Maro ducked behind a back counter of the salon and signaled Katsu to retreat from the firefight.
"Katsu," Maro said. "I know I instructed you to not use the sticky flame thrower but we're getting cut down fast. Just try not to catch the whole room okay?"
Katsu, a young man in his early twenties pressed his back against the counter. He was bleeding from a shrapnel wound in his neck and sweat covered his face. "Yes, sir."
He didn't hesitate. Katsu took one glance around the cabinet and flicked the flint on the end of the flamethrower, igniting a pilot light from the spark. He ducked low and dashed toward the remaining machines. Haru and Maro gave supporting fire from the back of the salon, adding to the chaos, and flying debris of salon interior and machine parts.
Katsu hit four of the remaining automatons with the sticky fire and took cover under a low standing cocktail table. The machines continued to move about the room completely ablaze. Gunfire from the men and the automatons went in every direction. The remaining pirates attempted to dodge the now out of control machines as they began to slow. After a few moments, the last automaton's delicate inner springs broke under the extreme heat and crashed to the ground, still smoldering on the once finely polished wood floor.
Katsu popped his head above the table, looking for any other operational enemies. "I think it's clear," he shouted, holding the wound on his neck.
Maro and Haru emerged from the cover of the cabinet with their guns still at the ready. Smoke filled the salon choking the pirates and limiting their vision to a few feet. Maro and Haru opened the salon's sliding windows where smoke poured out with the suction of the outside air
"Hello? Who's alive? The room is clear for the moment," Maro called out.
A bloody arm shot up from the corner of the room where the automatons overpowered the pirates with swords. "Here. It's me, Ren," a voice said from the corner of the room.
The remaining pirates went to Ren's aid and discovered the automaton's swords had slashed his arms. "I'm sorry, Captain Maro," he said. "I didn't mean to let you down."
Maro smiled at the pirate. "You fought bravely, Ren. Can you go on?"
"Yes, sir," Ren replied. "I'll serve you the best I can."
Maro instructed the pirates to wrap Ren's arms and be ready as quickly as possible. Just as they finished, panicked voices came from the other side of the door.
"At least they're human," Haru said.
"Four out of twelve of us left," Katsu chimed in. "It's not good odds. This ship is huge."
"We fight to the death," Maro ordered. "We're doomed if we go back. This is our only chance."
The four pirates surrounded the salon door and tried to hear what the voices arguing.
"The machines failed," one voice said.
"Maybe they killed each other off," another voice added.
"No, I heard someone say something."
"We need more guns."
"What we have will have to do."
"I am not a soldier."
"Be brave. You are now."
The pirates looked at each other and Maro motioned for them to huddle. "Did you hear that? They're not ready for a fight. They thought the automatons would protect them. We have to continue to be fierce. Ready?"
The pirates nodded and Maro swung the door open. A small ultra-ornate waiting area with seating and minimalistic paintings on the walls awaited them. Three nicely dressed servants stood together in front of a back door and at the bottom of a winding wooden stairwell leading up to the next level. Each held a three shot steam compressed cartridge revolver usually used for decorative purposes. They looked terrified as they scrambled to raise their weapons and fire.
Bullets went everywhere but at their intended targets. The pirates ran in the room with lightning speed dispatching the servants in a matter of seconds. It was quick and ugly, just what the pirates were used to. Three bullet filled bodies in fifteen seconds.
Maro wasted no time. "Up the stairs!"
"What about this back door?" Katsu pointed.
Maro peered up the stairs. "This is the way. She wouldn't be on the lower level."
The four filed up the wooden stairs. There was no way they could hide their boot steps. If there was someone waiting for them, they knew they were coming. At the top of the stairs, a heavy red door with a gold dragon carved in the front was a sure sign that Maro was correct. They were close and the décor revealed it.
Maro gripped the handle but this time it didn't move. He jostled it, hoping to feel that the lock was weak but the door and the lock were solid. Loud bangs echoed from the other side and violent holes punched through the door. One bullet split the butt of Haru's rifle and the pirates clamored to hit the deck in the crowded space, falling on top of each other to avoid being hit. Three more bullets ripped through the door and stopped. Maro spread his arms over his men, patting them as a sign to remain quiet. With a stealthy hand, Maro reached in his waist pack and retrieved a copper device that looked like a clawed human hand with a winding mechanism on the top, the finger tips reinforced with sharp hardened steel. He wound the hand and when it was tight, he placed it on the door handle. It quickly ticked and the fingers began to close, digging the metal fingertips into the door. With unrelenting power, the claws dug deeper grinding and popping the wood until the hand made a fist and burrowed the handle completely out. When the metal claw finished, the handle, and a large chunk of the door, dropped to the ground right next to Katsu.
The door gently opened and Maro frantically tapped his men. "Get up. Get up now. It's open," he whispered harshly.
The pirates clumsily rose to their feet and with guns facing in every direction; they barged into the next cabin. What awaited them was a room almost the size of the entire gondola floor. Large pearl colored silk banners hung from the rafters in two rows. At the far end of the room, a woman sat on an oversized pillow elevated by a small stage. She was a tiny woman with jet-black hair pulled tightly behind her head. Surprising to Maro, she wore formal traditional Japanese garb with a fine deep blue kimono with shining gold constellations woven from head to toe. She turned her head, curious as her eyes met the pirates.
4
Maro and his men had never seen the empress in person before. In fact, few Japanese citizens had seen any of the royal family unless they were privileged or if they were perhaps soldiers that she'd visited on a humanitarian mission. The only reason he knew it was her was from officially sanctioned pictures printed in newspapers and propaganda posters. For a moment, Maro was star-struck. He'd not imagined what it would be like to be in Empress Shoken's presence but the sight of Ren's bloody arms snapped him back to reality. They were here for a reason and here on a mission. He was responsible for his men and many of them had died to get him here. He would be a dishonorable captain if he lingered staring at the empress in awe for too long. His nose crinkled as he boldly stepped forward.
Before he could get a word out, a man dressed in a blue double-breasted jacket jumped from behind one of the silk banners wielding an old samurai sword. Maro recognized the man from military propaganda posters, but he wasn't a member of the royal family. Ren must have seen him before Maro because he was almost at full stride to protect his captain. With little armament and with disregard for his own safety, Ren tackled the man, latching onto his head and dragging him to the floor. The men struggled against each other and Maro pointed his rifle at the tangle of flailing limbs but he couldn't fire without risking killing Ren.
With a clever shift of his body weight, the empress' protector flopped Ren to the side and in two motions slid the samurai sword through Ren's ribs. Ren knew this was it. He yelped and pushed away from his assailant leaving a trail of blood across the floor. Gripping his side, he looked at Maro with desperate eyes.
Maro's blood boiled with vengeance. He leveled his rifle and pulled the trigger, which resulted in nothing but a meager click. His pressurized explosive bullets were out and he'd neglected to flip the switch that changed the ammunition to the normal slug bullets. This gave the empress' protector just enough time to get to his feet, raise his sword, and make a quick charge. Maro flipped the switch but it required him to lower his weapon. There wasn't enough time to level the rifle properly and get a shot off before the man cut him down. The protector swung diagonally with his sword, hoping to land a fatal blow on Maro's neck, but Maro lifted his rifle with both hands in a defensive blocking position just in time to intercept the blade. Steel slammed into wood and the blade stuck for a second, giving Maro an opportunity to deliver a kick to the protector's stomach, which sent him, still gripping the sword, back on the floor. Haru, who already had his long rage rifle trained on the man, fired one steady shot that smacked him square in the jaw and sent him grotesquely sputtering to his death.
Without a second thought, Maro and his men knelt around Ren who was suffering from the wound that would end his life. Maro put his hand on his ailing man. "You're a brave man, Ren."
Ren smiled as blood flowed generously through his fingers. "Thank you, Captain Maro. I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave you soon."
Maro smiled back at the dying man. "You have lived, fought, and died honorably Ren. You will be remembered by friend and foe alike."
Ren opened his mouth to thank Maro but the blood loss made his eyes flutter and roll back in his head. He was still breathing, but not for long. Maro sighed, rose to his feet, and turned to Empress Shoken who was still in the same position at the back of the room sitting on her pillow.
"The Japanese spirit lives in all of its sons. Even in the ones who have ill intentions," she said, her voice high pitched and monotone.
"Ill intentions?" Maro boldly approached her. "We wish you no harm, Empress. Nevertheless, we were driven to this state, forced to become outlaws and now the only way to survive is to behave like outlaws. The only way out is by doing something…drastic."
"Drastic will only get you a terrible and dishonorable death," she said. "As we speak my best airship is already en route to intercept us and a full formation of war ships has been deployed. There is no way out of this now. Your plan may end with my death but it will also end with your failure."
"Forgive me, but you don't know my plan, Empress," Maro rebutted.
"No, forgive me," Empress Shoken said. "But I know that whatever it is, it will fail."
"You are no longer in control of this situation, my empress," Maro said. "We're taking this airship and we're taking you to the highest bidder."
Maro reached in his waist pack and extracted a thin rope. "I know this is forbidden on every level but the rules have changed."
Maro approached the empress and with an innate hesitation, he stepped upon the empress' stage, gripped her arm, and lifted her to her feet. While a thin and demure woman, the empress was heavier than he thought probably due to the massive kimono she wore.
He led her to back of the platform and bound her hands behind her back and to a long table bolted to the ground so it wouldn't move in flight. Empress Shoken didn't say a word. She just stared at Maro with steely dark eyes.
"What do we do next, Captain?"
"We send a message to the Sea Falcon below for twelve more men to come up the lift and we take this ship to Korea as planned," he replied to Katsu. "In the meantime, we need to secure the bridge. There's no need to wait but proceed with caution. Expect the rest of the crew to fight to the death even if they're not soldiers."
The pirates reloaded their weapons and exited the empress' chamber where Maro addressed his men. "Haru, go back to the cargo hold and send the lift back down. If what the empress says is true, we have no time to waste. Katsu, come with me and we'll find the bridge. With any luck we can frighten the captain enough to continue to pilot the airship under our supervision."
Haru nodded and took off below deck.
Katsu wiped the now crusty blood from his neck. "We're close aren't we captain?"
"Indeed we are close to something, Katsu," Maro replied. "Time is short."
5
"The empress' ship is being attacked," Captain Shoichi Yokoi screamed as he stared out of the bridge window of his airship. "How long until the port engine is repaired?"
"About ten minutes, Captain," a nervous looking ensign replied.
"Ensign Nori, get all hands down there to assist them. I want it fixed in five or the punishment will be severe."
Ensign Nori snapped his captain a salute and dashed off to follow his orders.
Captain Yokoi gritted his teeth as he watched harpoons dart up in the sky from a sea borne ship into the empress' airship. The idea of a hybrid sailing and steamship being able to successfully attack an armed airship was bold and near impossible due to the sea ship's limited speed and range of weaponry. Executing such a plan would only be viable when an airship was taking off, landing, or lowering its altitude when making a diving attack. In this instance, Captain Yokoi's protector ship delayed when a steam engine unexpectantly blew a pipe from apparent pressure build up after a maintenance check.
"This is ridiculous!" Captain Yokoi's harsh voice reverberated through the cabin, putting his men even more on edge. "Everything was just checked before departure! I would have never authorized her to take off unless we were ready. How can something break right after it was just checked?"
Captain Yokoi was not only known for his harsh temper but he was also one of the most famous soldiers in Japanese history. As a new recruit in the Japanese army, he spent ten years living alone in the mountains of China as a hold out after his squad was massacred while on patrol and later seeing Chinese propaganda posters declaring that war with their Japanese neighbors was imminent. Although he was incorrect about the situation, he refused to be taken alive and remained hidden and ready to strike if he came across enemy combatants. While this may be seen as folly in other cultures, Captain Yokoi was a national hero in Japan and reassigned to the new Japanese Imperial Air Corps where he trained as an air officer because of his status.
The sweaty Ensign Nori burst through the bridge door. "Captain Yokoi, the engine is ready!"
Captain Yokoi glanced at his pocket watch and sneered that six minutes had ticked away since he gave his order. He picked up a brass cone with a tube attached to the bottom and held it to his mouth. "Fire the engines! I want the ship in the air as quickly as possible." His voice echoed through sound holes throughout the ship.