Omnibus: Volume I

Armageddon

FANTASY!!! Steampunk, and the related airships and Victorian technology, have always interested me, and one day I wrote a 'story' about a warship. This is my fifth 'story', which opens a window into a rather interesting Steampunk universe - enjoy!

****

The loudest sound you can hear on the Steam Ship Armageddon is the whistling of the wind through the rigging, a tense sound for the waiting crew. They are following Her Majesty's Ship Arc Royale, their mission: to destroy it at any cost.

The Captain was patiently waiting on the command deck, by the helmsman. He was wearing a black top hat, a navy blue captain's jacket, with gold braids showing all his military victories. His leggings were black, leading down to shining black boots.

His bright yellow eyes were keenly looking around the crew, searching for the non-existent fear which no captain needs to see.

'First Mate, what is our speed?' He asked the helmsmen stood next to him.

'CREWMEN, WHAT IS OUR CURRENT SPEED?' The man bellowed to the amassed crew. A boy of about 15 responded, grabbing a folded parachute and rope and throwing it overboard. Next he counted the knots which went over, as the parachute filled up with air and was pulled behind the craft.

'We are travelling at 23 knots, sir' the boy shouted to the Captain. He responded by shouting:

'What is our height?' Another boy responded by looking down the hull and shouting back up:

'I'd say 15 fathoms up, sir, and holding.' The Captain looked at him and nodded, before stating that the crew should keep silent.

For most landlubbers this might seem a little strange, especially when they measured the height in fathoms, but this is no ordinary ship. This is the Steamship Armageddon, a mighty Airship of the Eastern Corporation.

It has a red painted hull with a gold rim, two Zeppelin airbags, the finest in the fleet, and its steam powered propulsion system was state of the art. It uses a high pressure release system for manoeuvring in small spaces and its main sails provide most of the thrust.

It was dark and foggy by the time the Armageddon saw the H.M.S. Ark Royale, sailing in the sparkling black water. The Captain quietly ordered the crew to battle stations, while the helmsmen manoeuvred the ship over the Royale.

They doused the lights, quickly and efficiently before opening the bottom bomb hatches, where the crew loaded large granados into bomb slides. Silently, whistling like the wind, they dropped over the edge and splashed into the water, exploding with the might of a thousand suns.

Then the Armageddon dropped in altitude massively, and brought its starboard cannons to bear with the surprised ship, only now getting ready to defend. Unfortunately, the Arc Royale didn't stand a chance as the mighty airship blew it to pieces, the only evidence of the fight being the bright flashes seen from miles around...