The Vermillion Chronicles: - How things came to pass

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The Journal of Capt. Thaddeus Isembard Bancroft.

Ethership: S.S Vermillion.

October 28, the year of our lord 1887.

Current Monarch: Queen Victoria long may she reign.

I have finally managed to locate the lair of the great enmy to the empire, a mission given to me by the noble empress herself, I  my duty to queen and country stands as we postion ourselves some where over Newfoundland, my quarry belives he can escape me in the chaotic wilds of our former colony, America however has ben independant for some time and the local authorties are being distinctly unhelpful.

I may have to take matters into my own hands.

The door rapped and I was interuptted from my ministrations by the first mate Boyle.

He was a gruff man who had been pressedinto the service when he was merely a guttersnipe but the navy had taught him that grit and discipline were ways to godliness and well as manliness.

"Captain, We have a vessel 140 Miles to the north east and closing, sensors have picked up an etherstorm in the vicinity, your orders?"

I considered the news even as I stoop and gathered my effetcs, my orders were merely to persue our quarry butth good doctor had been a known consort to the Tzars and the Kaiser.

No, something was afoot and I could feel it.

"Full speed ahead, set us on a course to intercept bring the cannons to full battery.. I think it's time we put a stop to the good doctor, we can always blame it on the storm, right Boyle?"

Boyle's smiels from a sbarer scar inflicted on him in a Dublin bar brawl said it all, he understood what was required, that's why I kept him on staff, hwy we saw eye to eye. He knew the value of discretion.

Naturally at some point he was going to try and kill me to obtain my commision, but for now we had an understanding.

It was later on the bridge that the cry came up.

"SHIP OFF THE PORT ASTERN! She's listing in wind!"

I couls scarely beleive my ears, I had been hunting the pilots of this ship for momths I had seen wh at it was they could do and to hear they were listing at the face of a storm did not fit the crew that I had spent so many months chasing.

"Bring us in closer, prepare to board! We have to be in sight and not a shot fired? Something isn't right!"

If I had known then what I know now, I would have blown that blasted thing out of the Ether then and there.

The crew was dead to a man, even our quarry lay at the feet of the strange machine, the core of his reason decoationg the wall of his study, all the papers ahd been burnt, jounals scorched and ruined be ond examination as we looked at what seemed to be a mutiny trying to make sense of it, we transfered the machine to the Vermillion and scuttled the vessel to the ever increasing wind and mad preparations to leave the storm.

The storm never left us, it occured to me perhaps too late that machine had been activated, but we were thrown into a whilwind of activy, all control lost and crashing was all I could recollect.

The world has changed so much, strange visages of velocipeeds, Direct current and technology that I both recognise and silumtenaously do not things tehre beyiond teh reach of the common man are now proflic and worst of all The empire has fallen I find myself a stranger in Strange land in a strange time, I shall invetsigate further, try to repair my ship, lay my dead to rest Boyle and the Machine are gone.

I hope God is with me.

Capt. Thaddeus Isembard Bancroft

September, 3rd -in the year of our lord 2016

Current monarch: Elizabeth II - Long may she reign.

Current Ether Naval Status: Unknown.