The Kraken Wars - Epilogue

Epilogue

Time passed more slowly after the  Cobalt Brotherhood abandoned their underwater base. The few Kraken that had been left behind, showed a listless quality and were easily collected. Without the stimulation by the Marconi Receptive Leaf, they gradually became lass and less a terror threat.

The Cobalt Brotherhood seemed to have abandoned Piracy by Kraken, and if they had undertaken any other form of larceny, it remained unknown.

Air Piracy was still a matter of concern to Consolidated Airship Transport.

The Kraken Wars - Part 9

Archangel Finds the Base

The high speed Zeppelin flew at an altitude of 21,000 feet. Her crew wore specially heated flight suits and their full face masks supplied them with an atmosphere fortified with oxygen. Her powerful engines were silenced and an array of colored lights on her belly could be varied to make her nearly invisible from the surface.  The camera system in her gondola was top secret and could read the traffic signs on a road at her current altitude. Every aspect of this craft was classified, top secret and every one of her assets was trained on the patch of sea floor below.

The Kraken Wars - Part 8

The Taking of Black Molly

Captain Xerxes brought his vessel to a stop in calm waters under a buttermilk sky. He waited for the breaching of a submarine vessel, for which he had a new radio device and some fuel and stores. He stood behind his helmsman and peered about, looking for the disturbance on the still sea that would signal the rise of his ward from the deep. He barked orders into the speaking tube above his head, "Prepare to send over the stores and the new radio and to take the defective radio for repairs. Ready the pumps for refuelling."

Captain Xerxes had no indication of what was about to befall his small ship. As he waited for the submarine that would never surface, a pair of elite military airmen were streaking toward his vessel. They flew with Terra Infinity Jetpacks with wings extended.

Captain Xerxes held binoculars in his hands, ready to look for any signals from the submarine. He was startled by the clang of boots on the starboard side of his bridge and then another on the port side.

Both bridge doors were slammed open. Two men wearing jet packs and carrying short, deadly rifles stepped onto the bridge.  With the wings of the Jetpack retracted, and rifles at the ready, their orders were clear and decisive.

The Kraken Wars - Part 7

Another Cobalt Capture

Jacob looked around Wyatts office, and  nodded in agreement, " Armed is always a good idea in my opinion,especially since Jack chose to nail the submarine to the seafloor. That  event, clearly told the C B that we were on to them. I do not believe the core of their organization knows it yet, but they will, soon enough."

"The Navy has two salvage vessels and four teams of divers working on cleaning up every scrap of debris from the seafloor. The submarine was blown in half when her magazine went up and the more intact parts of the sub are providing information that we need to track down these criminals. The wreck is being described as a maritime disaster and a tight news blackout is covering it all up."

The Kraken Wars - Part 6

Marconi plays the Mamba,
listen to the radio


One week, 27 Kraken beaks and many air miles later, in the office of Sprokitt and Kogg, two very weary airship captains sipped mugs of hot coffee.

Phineas looked at Jack over the rim of his coffee mug and said, "We may be making a lot of money, for ourselves and our crews, but we are all too tired to enjoy any of it."

Jack nodded and replied, "I hope Jacob can get Bane back to me with her modifications soon. Nymbus needs a rest too. And you will have to fly her while Doom gets her new radio gear."

"Starla sent the gear over yesterday. Her tech says it can be installed in a couple of hours, and there is a new wrinkle in place for us. She says we cannot only intercept the signals to the Kraken, we will be able to scramble them. We may be able to immobilize the Kraken, and kill them in that state!"

The Kraken Wars - Part 5

A Fate-full Meeting

Two Airships converged on Tong Island, and slowly began to descend through the night to the dirt runway below.

Nymbus and the cargo blimp Ajax brought four friends to a meeting with Wyatt Tong at his secret lab.

The Kraken Wars - Part 4

A Pair of New Weapons

The contracts from Consolidated Airship Transport continued to arrive at Sprokit & Kogg.  Jack and Phineas continued fly convoy patrols and the Kraken beaks continued to pile up.


Wyatt was spending more and more time on Tong Island. He carefully and gently explained  to Elder Tong that his cafe crew was superbly trained and would produce five star meals regardless if  he was there or not. However, Elder Tong and Wyatt both knew that it was his presence at the Green Door Cafe that kept his patrons returning. His greetings to them and the knowledge that the magnificent food on their plate was prepared especially for THEM by a master of the culinary arts was essential to the unparalleled  success of the Green Door Cafe.

Wyatt also knew that this leaf; this mystery that defied all understanding, was important. He suspected that it held importance far beyond his cafe or it's patrons or for the entire Tong Family. Whatever the leaf might do, or not do; it was connected to the continued attack of the Kraken.

Wyatt Tong knew the the reason behind it all was sinister and evil to the core.

The Kraken Wars - Part 3

The Battle in the Frozen North

The cargo blimps assembled at the same beachhead on Marmedunck. However, this was a much longer voyage with no stops and would end with delivery to Juno airport in the Blake Passage area where the cargo blimps would refuel and take their cargo to various ports in the vast northern area. Kraken attacks had not occurred in these cold, northern climates.

The first attack came just after the first hour of their patrol.

The Kraken Wars - Part 2

Kraken Battle Over Crows Nest

The contract details were delivered to Sprokit and Kogg by express courier and were most clear and concise.

Mercenary Merchant Marine will provide two (2) Merlin Class Cutters for the protection of a convoy of Five (5) cargo airships flying under the flag of Consolidated Airship Transport. Said convoy shall be under the protection of Mercenary Merchant Marine from Marmedunck to the fishing port of Half Hitch and then to Hollywood Airport.

Said convoy will be protected from attack by Kraken or Air Pirates.

All previously agreed upon fees and bounty shall apply.

Jack had two days to have his craft and crew ready to fly and fight.

A few more rounds fired at targets and time spent in formation flying did help, but still they had never fought Kraken before and they simply didn't know what to expect.

The Kraken Wars - Part 1

My friend and fellow Never Drifter Jack Tracker, who publishes the Aeronaut Express, told me some time ago about the idea for a steampunk story he had. I was intrigued by his draft and offered him to publish it online. I haven't heard of it in a while and wondered what happened with the story. Until one day he sent me the full thing - and here we go!

I will publish a new part of The Kraken Wars every Friday over the course of the next months. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I did!

The Kraken Wars

Jacob Elwood linked into the Village Plaza in Never Drift and slowly let himself take in the sights and sounds of the warm spring morning. He took a seat on a bench under the statue of Winged Victory. The smell of the sea, the sun in his face and the sweet sound of birdsong in his ears could have lulled him into an easy complacency. It was the screech of a gull that snapped him out of it and it happened just as his lifelong friend linked in to join him.