After several days of our guest and Rollie assembling the Ecto transmitter receiver they were ready for an initial power up and test run. "Captain, " Rollie said with the enthusiasm of a child at Christmas, "We are are ready to tap the main generators, the crew might notice a slight dimming of the lights but hopefully the enhancers Genevieve brought with her will compensate enough to keep any one from being too suspicious." I had to admit this was a on my mind.We still had a few Hungarian…

  Um, Captain...Rollie stuttered as she tried to ignore the sight of our guest sprawled out her bed.  ..It's OK , I told her" Just say what ya have to apparently our guest already knows more about us any way." "Captain, we have finally figured out what that mysterious box really was. Apparently, it's their contingency plan built into all their new vessels. If we disobey orders, they can use the new wireless telegraph to send a signal to detonate our compressed aether tank and well, ya know…

    As I approached my new "guests" quarters I was over taken by a scent , I had smelled it before and it wasn't totally pleasant...it was the smell of the incense that crazy old man used in his cabin aboard the Morning Glory. Great , that cinched it for me she was a no good magistrix who not only apparently had contact with dark powers had access to top secret military technology. This is gonna be a fun conversation.  I knocked on her door , rather gentlemanly I thought since my instinct…

   I made my way through the corridors of the ship to the main stair way, in dry dock under construction, this ship was originally laid out as a pleasure cruiser. Her main stairway is far more ornate than a regulation military vessel built from the keel up but I had to admit I'm beginning to get a fondness for the wood paneling and rails makes me feel all civilized and such.As I finally reached the sickbay in the aft section of the mid decks I was greeted by the Cantonese chatter of Xaio Min…

   I cursed my luck as I walked to the main stairway to get to the bridge level. "A Dark summoner, just what I need right now.." As I conversed with myself I failed to notice I had already made my way to the bridge. I was brought back to my senses by the shrill voice of one of the remaining Hungarian crew, a youngish man who still sounded like he should be hiding behind a nannys skirts. "Sir, we have resumed our previous assigned course and should be back to our assigned route within a few…

   I remember being dumbfounded by my new passengers sudden kiss and while it was not unpleasant I wasn't about to be put off by a mere kiss. I broke our connection and with as much dignity as I could muster with Rollie watching and about to burst out in laughter I asked "Madam please, " She looked at me with an urgency in her eyes, eyes I realized for the first time weren't completely human. They were a swirl of ice blue and green like mixing tides in the ocean and it seemed as I looked at…

  As we approached the port in Rejeka, cruising in over the Adriatic Sea the scene should have been tranquil, the fishing boats out on the water, the commerce vessels all packed to the gills with useless trinkets that folks don't yet know they can't live with out. It was both chaotic and serene looking down on them.  "Sir" my pilot spoke up " We are being signaled by light tower to approach the Eastern docking frame. They signal strong cross breeze so it might get bumpy."

    "Very…

   As we made our way back to our "Secret staging area " a base simply called "Home Port" another surprise occurred." Sir," my wireless officer called to me "We are receiving new wireless orders ..yet again " "Really ?" was my somewhat exasperated reply. "Where are we to alter our course for now ?" I admit that myself and all my personal crew were at this point even more on edge. "Sir, message reads report to aerodrome in Rijeka within the next 48 hours. additional orders to follow upon…

   As I pondered my predicament a crewman knocked on my door..."At least someone knocks around here" I thought to myself..."Enter"  "Sir, we have recieved a message over our new wireless telegraph."  "Oh, great " I thought " Its already working and I wasn't made aware nor was Rollie, better and better."  "Sir?" The crewmans voice snapped me back to my desk. "Yes, whats the message?" I tried to sound nonchalant but I had a bad feeling about this.  "Sir," the crewman spoke again" message…

     I might have mentioned before from time to time I get what can only be described as an "itch" in my brain pan, usually just before everything comes crashing down around my feet. I had been feeling the itch but so far no insane wizards , no gangsters with heavy artillery , no lame brained young pups with an urge to prove themselves, even the temporary crew provided to me by the Austro Hungarians was getting along well enough with those who chose to follow me aboard our new vessel. She…

     "Mr. Steelcastle please report to the bridge" The words had no sooner left my mouth into the speaking tube it seemed till standing before me was my First Mate and 2nd in command Miryiam Steelcastle. "Captain?" his island accent thick and deep, "If tis be aboot ta men making ta wagers on the last capture....."  "No, no " I cut him off  with a wave of my hand , in truth such wagers were frowned upon as potential trouble starters but since I myself had been on a winning streak lately I…

     Lachlan sat at the bar quietly nursing his drink and thinking to himself " Well, another good run, good haul, no trouble, no Air Navy pursuit....its too easy I must have missed something." Just then a faint whiff of a scent in the air crossed his nostrils it was New Orleans, the smell of the river and the magnolias, the gumbo and sweat of humans it was a combination you never forget. He looked around the room it was close, just outside the doors. He scanned the bar quickly Wil was in…

  "Boy.."  Papas weak voice trailed off "Listen to..me now I tell you over and over revenge not the path for anyone ...(he sputtered and coughed) Heaven know why but I love you boy everybody in this house love you" As he said this both Mrs Olean and Joan squeezed me tight " We all know you got the spirit in you to kill him, everybody gonna be expectin ya to run out there ..(more coughing, this time so hard it caused him to violently sit up in the bed.) I broke free of the women beside me and…

   I rushed to take hold of his hand as he beckoned me, "Yes Papa, I'm here". In truth the man always seemed ancient no matter my age and everyone has been calling him "Papa Jocko" for as long as I can remember. "I see you boy," he said half attempting to appear agitated "I ain't a gone blind or deaf " he let out a small chuckle as if this were just another day."Tell me Boy, where ya been hidin your self?"   "I'm afraid I've been somewhat busy of late,...mostly South America but I'm home now…

   Strolling casually through the lamp lit river of life that is Bourbon Street at night I check my pocket watch...11:30. This had better be good I had been spending some "Special " time in Storyville when the messenger found me. The old man must surely be upset sending for me at this time. I cut up Ursuline and the lack of lamp lights becomes more obvious, couples on porches taking advantage of the dim light. The moon was only half full so human vision wasn't at its best now,that being said…

   I knew they were there ,their vain attempt to hide their scents in the perfume of the street was a good idea but traveling in a group like they were just concentrated the stench of common lap dog. I ducked quickly into the next alley and did a quick once over, few windows and doors all of them closed , dead end lots of clutter this was gonna be just fine. I hid behind a stack of haphazardly stacked crates and waited to see if they were truly stupid enough to follow me in. Soon enough the…

   I'm really not sure what happened next , it became a bloodbath, the creatures mindless flailing and clawed fingers versus bullets and blades, while mindlessly viscious, the effectivemess of their attacks were somewhat hindered by th fact that once the fight began the seemed just as happy to rend each other as us. To make matters worse, for every one that fell the stench inceased, I heard a scream from behind me and watched as Brown, one of my best combat boarders was literally washed over…

   "Captain," Mr. Steelcastle whispered to me "This place is unholy, full of evil ! " Holding the crucifix and voodoo doll that he kept together on a necklace, he spoke again"Captain I know I owe you but ,please..not in there." This took me aback, Miriam Steelcastle, the only man I ever saw get shot and then walk over to the guy who shot him take away his gun and shoot him with it, that same man is now begging me not to go somewhere. I can't say as I blamed him a bit truth , I didn't want to…

     As I thought to myself this cant get any better, my mechanic Rollie comes racing into the bridge"Sir" she struggled to speak as she caught her breath, " We gots trouble in the engines, I dont ...know how but the batteries are completly drained and we have somehow managed to bend the main drive shaft . Its gonna take at least a day to get it reshaped true." 

     I shot the old man a dissbelieving and hate filled look "I dont know how you did it, I dont even care " Turning back to…

    "Someone to meet?! " I mocked, "You actually want me to make landfall anywhere near that place?!"

"It is in your best intrests captain, we did have a bargain..."

"Yeah," I replied" But that was when I thought you were a harmless crazy old man."

"Insanity, is all about perspective." There was something in the way he said that , the tone of his voice and the haze in his eyes that made me want to throw him overboard to his precious whatever out there. "I require you to…