The City of Steam MK.II (IC/Open)

[Pinki3 Pon-3]

OOC

The sun rose slowly over the City Vaughn. Dirigibles shimmered, resplendant in the early morning light like metal clouds. Transfer cables hung from these clouds, filling in for the earthbound driveways. The steam from the core rose from the large smokestacks, light, white and fluffy with a few wisps of smoke mixed in. Metal arms outside the building grabbed pieces of metal from the scrapyard surrounding the core, pulling it into the core to be melted down and reformed into machines and servants. Massive rolling sweepers were returning to the core after cleaning the streets. Floating surveillance orbs chugged around the sky, their steam clouds chopped up into wispy trails by their spinning propellers. A faint ticking marked the turning of the recording cylinder which recorded the sounds fed into the funnel underneath. A few optic apertures adjusted now and again as images were burned into photographic film. Life in the city continued as it had before. Another murder on the outskirts of town. A SECA killing on the plantations, stories of abuse, theft, greed and hatred ran strife around the city. Plantation slaves awoke to the sounds of yelling taskmasters and clanging bells. The living part of the city rose from its slumber, joining with the machine to carry on its life, unaware that change was coming.

Janet descended from the Aurelia in the transfer car. She had triple checked the cables before she descended,
Can never be too careful
She thought as she stepped out onto the paving. Things were slowly going wrong. She knew it, they had to be, she had seen the patterns. For a few moments she inspected the area around her, watching the cart ascend before walking briskly down the road. She didn't know what she was doing just yet, she was waiting, waiting for something.

Bolt Breaker stood in front of the plantation house that housed SECA, savouring the sunshine for a few seconds before heading inside. There were serious matters to attend to if the war was to be won . . . Especially seeing as the humans thought it was over already. Bolt entered the house and moved upstairs to the mission room, around it there stood some of the more experienced members, scarred faces and branded necks surrounded Bolt.
"We successfully ended the du Bois legacy of lust my comrades."
Bolt said bluntly, moving swiftly onto new matters.
"Our hacked drones have spotted something of great interest. A Hugo. Daughter of the one who murdered so many of our brothers and sisters. She must be brought in, preferably alive. Her brain alone could turn this war if we got her to co-operate. I need volunteers."
Bolt said with the usual quantity of bluntness and straightforward honesty.

[The Flutterlands]

Pitch Black, a coldhearted stallion was at the SECA headquaters, listening to Bolt Breaker's speech. SECA was well aware of Pitch's crimes, and many disapproved of them, particularly the deaths of the innocent children of his cruel masters. Pitch didn't care though, as he thought that they all got what they had coming to them. After all, Pitch, could have done something far worse than a few slits to the throat, after spending four of his twenty years of enslavement plotting their deaths. Pitch stepped forward, and began speaking. "I volunteer, Bolt Breaker." he said, "And I promise I'll bring this human back alive, only if it will truly mean a step forward to ending the humans tyranny."

[Fascist Russian Empire]

Inquisitor

Inquisitor, a more recent member of the SECA, having only served for two years, stood in the briefing room of the SECA headquarters. Inquisitor was a highly active member of the organization, and often participated in missions; despite being a relatively new recruit, his dedication to the cause and his commitment to fighting evil had earned him a bit of a reputation. In addition to being a rather good sword fighter (something showed off by the sheathed short sword around his waist), Inquisitor was among the most loyal and simply determined members of SECA, having an almost unrivaled desire to do good for society. His spirits were always high, and he was always eager to jump on any opportunity to fight the city oppressors. However, in spite of his high morale and loyalty, he wasn't afraid to speak up when he had moral qualms with something the SECA was doing. He was, in fact, a part of the Christian faith, and held his religious morals in the highest esteem.

He listened intently as Bolt Breaker, the organization leader, spoke. Inquisitor couldn't help but jump in and comment on the matter. "Bolt Breaker, sir, I must offer an objection. You want us to kidnap somebody's daughter, simply for the crimes of her father, when she has, presumably, done no wrong. If you want to get more people to join us, then committing petty crimes isn't going to help; doing that would only serve to further worsen the reputation of SECA. No, if you want to recruit this woman, you ought to ask her upfront. Kidnapping her would, in all likelihood, only give her a real reason to think that SECA is a bad organization. I would gladly volunteer for a recruitment mission, but I will have no part in a kidnapping operation; I'm above such petty crimes, and I'd like to think that SECA as a whole would be better than to stoop to that level." Inquisitor said without hesitation.

It wasn't uncommon for SECA to hold executions of slave drivers, or for it to go to the extremes to get things down. Inquisitor had never approved of doing these things, and considered it to be not only immoral, but also bad for the reputation of SECA. Inquisitor himself had killed on several occasions, but only ever as a last resort; he didn't approve of murder, or any other such atrocities, and reserved doing them only for when there would be no other option. Of course, Pitch Black, on the other hoof, would probably be more than eager to kill any human, more likely than not regardless of whether or not they've actually done anything wrong; needless to say, Inquisitor didn't hold Pitch Black in very high regards, and the two of them rarely ever agreed upon two courses of actions. Inquisitor honestly wondered why ponies like him were even allowed into SECA; it would only sully the reputation of the organization to have hardened criminals and serial killers as members.

Inquisitor stared expectantly at Bolt Breaker, waiting for some kind of a reply from the pegasus. He maintained a serious demeanor, keeping a dignified appearance, keeping his head raised high, showing off the rosary around his neck, which served as an affirmation of his Christian faith. His rosary had been a gift from his owners, given to him not long after he got his cutie-mark, which was, of course, a golden cross; Inquisitor had not personally experienced any malevolence or abuse from his owners, unlike Pitch Black and some of the other ponies, which may very well have been the reason for his lack of petty bloodlust when it came to dealing with slave drivers and other prominent human oppressors. He, for obvious reasons, was opposed to slavery, and wanted to fight it, but he stayed firm in his belief that SECA should stick to a strict moral code, and not use questionable tools like murder and kidnapping to further its ambitions.

[Pinki3 Pon-3]

Bolt Breaker
Bolt Breaker's gaze turned on Inquistor, the blank glasses of the gas mask yielding no emotion.
"You speak as if this shall be won through peace and negotiation. . . What you say is true, she is not guilty . . . Yet. But we cannot deny the way the girl has been raised. . . "
Bolt turned away and pondered briefly. Sunlight from the window grazed across the gas mask, causing Bolt to flinch away from the bright light.
"Very well. You may try your method. But Pitch shall go with you. I must have that human alive, one way or another. Be warned, she will not be friendly to SECA members."
Bolt said and turned back to the table.
"Any more questions?"

[The Flutterlands]

Bolt Breaker
Bolt Breaker's gaze turned on Inquistor, the blank glasses of the gas mask yielding no emotion.
"You speak as if this shall be won through peace and negotiation. . . What you say is true, she is not guilty . . . Yet. But we cannot deny the way the girl has been raised. . . "
Bolt turned away and pondered briefly. Sunlight from the window grazed across the gas mask, causing Bolt to flinch away from the bright light.
"Very well. You may try your method. But Pitch shall go with you. I must have that human alive, one way or another. Be warned, she will not be friendly to SECA members."
Bolt said and turned back to the table.
"Any more questions?"

Pitch rolled his eyes, when he heard Bolt Breaker say that Inquisitor will be going with him, and that they're going to try a peaceful route. The black stallion didn't really believe in negotiating with humans, at all, and will only do so, of it will in some way, only benefit SECA. Pitch glanced at Inquisitor, and gave him a cold stare, before returning his attention to Bolt Breaker. "Yes, I have a question." he said, "What if she refuses to have anything to do with us? What should we do with her then? She's no good to us alive if she won't help us achieve our goals."

[Fascist Russian Empire]

Inquisitor

Inquisitor nodded in acknowledgment at what Bolt Breaker said, quite relieved that he was willing to see reason. "Good to hear. I stand firm in my belief that diplomacy is always a viable option, and that there is almost always a peaceful solution." He said, confident. He returned Pitch Black's glare, looking at the brutish murder with condescending eyes. Inquisitor himself had killed before, so he hardly had much room to criticize Pitch for murder, but the key difference between the two was that Inquisitor reserved violence for extreme circumstances and last resorts. Inquisitor always preferred to take the peaceful course of action, regardless of how more easier or more efficient it would be to just use violence to accomplish something. He had a reputation as a respectable and honorable abolitionist, and one of the most diplomatic and peaceful members of SECA.

"If she refuses to work with SECA, then there isn't much more that can be done. If we kidnap her, then she definitely won't want to have anything to do with SECA, and if we murder her then we would be painting an image of SECA as nothing more than barbarians and brutes, and we would be committing social suicide. Our reputation would be permanently slandered if we were to bring any harm to an innocent person. As useful an asset as she might be to our cause, using questionable means to obtain her help would cause more harm than good." Inquisitor was quick to retort, following Pitch Black's comment. He couldn't help but feel a bit disgusted, knowing that he would have to work with a murder-loving serial killer; not only would he be annoying to deal with, he certainly wouldn't be much help when it came to talking to the girl.

"SECA is not a terrorist organization. Our job is to end slavery, not assassinate the family members of prominent slave-supporters. I want to end slavery just as much as the next pony, but if we decide that all means are permitted to fight evil, then our good becomes indistinguishable from the evil we sought out to destroy." He finished, feeling a sense of disappointment that there would members of SECA who would be willing to kill innocent humans without even the slightest bit of hesitation. Inquisitor wanted to broker unity between humans and ponies, and hoped to reconcile the differences between the two races, and end slavery by rallying a great number of humans to the abolitionist cause, thus forcing the human officials to reconsider their stance on slavery and bring about a new era of civil rights and freedom. It wasn't a good feeling to see his efforts constantly undermined by extremists like Pitch Black.

[Pinki3 Pon-3]

Bolt Breaker
Bolt watched the two volunteers quietly while the rest of the members in the room spectated. They knew better than to get involved in a debate between these two ponies. Their poles-apart nature meant this would indeed be a strange mission.
"Inquisitor, you forget that the elitists we are fighting already see us as terrorists. Their control of the press is what keeps the humans afraid of us. Sometimes murder is a necessary tool to reach our goals. And Pitch, you forget we have ways and means of making even the most unwilling talk."
Bolt said, the voice distorted by the mask muffler.
"Now go, before your bickering draws the surveillance drones down on us."

[The Flutterlands]

Pitch Black

Pitch Black nodded slightly. "Fine..." he said with a hidden snare, before glaring back at Inquisitor. Pitch despised Inquisitor, seeing him as a weak stallion who lacks the guts to do what is necessary to insure a better future for the pony and anthro race. The black stallion just could not fathom how and why Inquisitor could not hold the same passionate hatred against humanity, that he held, and was sicken tired of the pegasus always undermining his ways. "Now, Bolt Breaker. Exactly where is this human? And what does she look like?" asked Pitch, "I don't think we'll make much progress if we go running around this Celestia-forsaken city, blindfolded."

[Saestea]

Cinder

A tiny robot sat at the bottom of a cable car terminal. It seemed to be taking its right leg apart and oiling it. Though at some point it realized that it had no oil left in its canister to use. It was obvious that the clockwork was sad, as the flames in its head had begun to dim. It reattached its leg rose from its corner and sighed, but steam came from what could be called its mouth instead. Waddling across the platform, the clockwork nearly ran into a human female. Not that he could cause her to fall anyway, yet he apologized for fear of being kicked into a wall again.

"I-I'm sorry, ma'am..." he said to her in his soft, yet harmonic voice, looking down at his lanky feet and nervously rubbing his hands against one another. "I-I didn't see you coming and... I mean, I'm sorry, it was completely my fault. Forgive me."

[Fascist Russian Empire]

Inquisitor

Begrudgingly, Inquisitor gave a nod of acknowledgment to Bolt Breaker. "Well, for once, I'm afraid I must agree with Pitch Black; we aren't going to get very far if we have no idea where to look and what to look for. I don't know about you, but the last time I checked, it's significantly more efficient to already know who you're looking for." Inquisitor said, agreeing with Pitch for once. It was rare for the two of them to find agreement on something, but it was safe to say that both of them agreed it would be much easier to find the girl if they knew where she was and what she looked like. It was rather amateurish of Bolt Breaker for him to leave out such incredibly important details in the first place; most leaders, if they wanted their men to kidnap somebody, would give the details of what they looked like and where they were first and foremost.

Inquisitor, of course, held nothing but disdain for Pitch Black, and sincerely wished he could take anypony else other than him along on the mission, but since Bolt Breaker was so insistent upon the matter, Inquisitor simply stared expectantly at BB, waiting for him to give the final mission briefings so they could hurry up and get it over with. He obviously wasn't going to refuse to go on the mission simply because of Pitch's presence, but, needless to say, he wasn't even in the slightest bit looking forward to working with him. He honestly questioned the logic behind BB's decision to pair the two together on the mission; two ponies who hated each other weren't exactly liable to work together to get the mission done in the most efficient manner. It might have been a good idea to send two different specialists, both with a different expertise, with Inquisitor being a good diplomat and Pitch Black being a good fighter, but Inquisitor wasn't at all happy about it.

[Morlodania]

Trit Rodgers, young mare that she was, had always been incredibly mature for her age. She had found at an extremely young age that being a 'free' anthro in this city was... Insanely hard. Sure, she looked a slave, but no one truly owned her, and that proved problematic when the... Humans... Vile creatures that they were, in her eyes, asked who her master was. More often than not, she'd quickly remove her inhibitor ring and teleport out of sight, and stealthily make her way back to the safehouse her and her brother had deep within the city's workings. She had cared for her brother for years now, the majority of her life, as of last year. She had had to grow up fast... And that she did.

Begrudgingly, Trit leaps from her perch and lands silently on the ground below, standing slowly and allowing herself to get a good view of the surroundings again. She was on the edge of the part of the city she called hers, just beyond the small passageway at the bottom of the wall before her.... Was the human part of the city... Where she would be treated as little more than property... She needed to head out, to buy supplies for her and her brother... Or steal them if all else failed... But she hated the city, hated the humans... Hated having to lie to literally everyone about who she really was... But she had to, and the NEED for food, the hunger in her belly, made her move, pushed and compelled her to travel through that vent at the bottom of the wall... And enter the land of humans once more.

[Pinki3 Pon-3]

Bolt Breaker
Bolt glared at the two stallions from behind the glass circles. Anger had begun to cloud his vision, a strange anger that cooled the muffled voice. The animosity between the two along with their attitude towards Bolt as their leader was beginning to grate on nerves long since frayed down by years as a slave. A violent rage hid behind Bolt's low, quiet voice.
"She was just seen exiting the Aurelia. I don't know about you but I'd say the most brilliant dirigible and home of the Hugo's would be pretty hard to miss. Go."
Bolt replied icily.

Janet Hugo
Janet stumbled over the small clockwork being, coming to a stop a little way ahead. She stood up and inspected the clockwork cooker while he apologised.
"It's fine."
She said bluntly and immediately crouched down in front of him, taking a close look at the old model's joints and attachments. She was a compulsive tinkerer and immediately found herself wishing she had brought a toolbox with her.
"How often are you oiling yourself? Some of these joints look dry . . . And in need of a good de-oxidizer."
She said and lifted up his arm to test his joint movement. A part of her felt that fixing an old mech might be a good way to wait for whatever it was she was waiting for.
"If you want we can go get you some spares . . . Although I'm guessing spare parts are a little hard to come by for your model."

[The Flutterlands]

[b]Pitch Black[/i]

Pitch nodded, surprised that he and Inquisitor actually agreed on something. Even he questioned BB's leadership, sometimes. "Understood." he said, "Again, I promise, I'll try to bring her here, as undamaged as possible." Pitch then glared at the white pegasus next to him. "Come on, Saint Inquisitor." the black stallion said with pure venom, "Let's go. We're off to Hugo Estate." Pitch turned to the door, and began walking towards the exit.

[Saestea]

Cinder

Cinder winced. It wasn't very often that anyone knelt down to his level. He didn't recognize this woman for some reason, though he treated her like he treated any human out there. Respect and politeness. That way, they wouldn't kick you out of the way.
"Uh... Uhm... Not frequently enough, ma'am." he said in reply to Janet's first question, he was taken further aback as the human took his arm and moved it. A funny squeaking sound came from the joint, making the flames in Cinder's hollow head fall darker, to a very dim blue.

"R-Really?!" he suddenly flared up, but quickly regained his composure. "E-eh... I mean, uhh... I would appreciate that, ma'am."

[Pinki3 Pon-3]

Janet Hugo
Janet nodded as if she were agreeing to some unspoken question before she stood up. She still wasn't smiling, of course, with all the things that could happen at that very moment, she didn't have much to smile about. One of the dirigibles could break down, falling to Earth and crushing them all. The small cooker's gas valves could break, causing an explosion localised around them. She took the small mech's hand and started walking, knowing he would be too heavy to carry.
"We'll need oil, some rust remover, a few bolts, some ball bearings . . . And new boiler gaskets. Then we'll see what else you might need."
She said as they walked towards the shops nearby.

[Saestea]

Cinder

The human was holding his hand. How strange. Cinder obediently hobbled along after Janet, wondering why it was that she was going out of her way to help a lowly clockwork like himself. Though he should be thankful, anyway. It wasn't every day that he ran into someone nice. People rarely ever bothered to give him oil or tinder any more, so he had begun to collect trash from corners and alleys to be able to keep himself from going out. He didn't want to be scrapped yet.

He nodded, showing that he understood what Janet said, following as quickly as he could. Maybe he could serve for her later? He was pretty useful, though his series was outdated. There were still around 30 of his model still in the city, either wandering or in average human households. Those were the lucky ones. Usually, when a collector found you, chances were you'd be well oiled, well supplied with fuel, and protected. Collectors loved old models. But none had come for Cinder yet. Maybe they already found some other model and wasn't looking to get another?

"How can I repay you for this, ma'am?" asked Cinder, tipping his head back and grabbing the pot so it didn't fall off of his head.
"Is there anything you want warmed? I'm very good at warming things. Yes, yes."

[Fascist Russian Empire]

Inquisitor

"Don't you give me that sass, child murderer." Inquisitor replied to Pitch, hostility evident in his voice. Inquisitor was starting to lose patience with him; Bolt's less than pleasant response, coupled with the fact that he was being forced to work with one of his biggest rivals and opponents in the SECA was starting to make his patience run thin. Not even bothering to look at Pitch Black, Inquisitor also began walking towards the door, very much so eager to hurry up and get the mission done as quickly as possible. Inquisitor continued to question BB's logic behind pairing the two together; he got the distinct feeling that Pitch would be planning to sabotage his efforts to peacefully recruit the girl to their cause, which would dampen the chances of a peaceful success on the mission.

"Let's just hurry up and get this done as soon as possible, and don't you even think about trying to sabotage the possibilities of a diplomatic solution. I can assure you, I have no tolerance or patience today for your insatiable blood lust and violent tendencies." Inquisitor said to Pitch as the two walked out the door, his disgust of Pitch being very evident in his voice. They already disliked one another anyway, so Inquisitor had no intentions of feigning friendliness towards the unicorn. Inquisitor still couldn't help but be amazed that Pitch even got accepted into SECA, considering his frankly sociopathic and criminal tendencies. Keeping Pitch in his peripheral vision to make sure the unicorn wouldn't try to stab him, Inquisitor simply focused on walking ahead to their destination, hoping time would pass by quickly.

[The Flutterlands]

Pitch Black

"Whatever!" snared Pitch, rolling his eyes, as they walked down the filthy streets of the city. It's not like he's exactly happy about what he has done. Heck, there were more than one time, when Pitch actually questioned his own murderous deeds. Sometimes, there must be necessary evils. the black stallion would tell himself, Especially if we want a brighter future for ponies and anthros alike, without humans ruling over us like the tyrants they are. Nonetheless, Pitch had to admit that he has lost a bit of sleep over the past two years, since he murdered the children of his cruel masters, and it only makes it worse when ponies like Inquisitor criticise him as if he's a psychopath.

Finally, the two ponies came by a street with stores, where they saw a human girl walking beside a tiny clockwork robot. Pitch glanced at Inquisitor. "Do you think that's her?" he asked in a hushed voice, "If so, how are we going to 'peacefully' get her to come with us?" Pitch then glanced at the little clockwork robot, and saw how fond Janet seemed to be of it. Perhaps, if the black unicorn threatens to smash it pieces, the human girl would be persuaded.

[Fascist Russian Empire]

Inquisitor

"Yes, I do think that's her. As for how to get for to come with us, simply talking to her is a good place to start. We can start by talking about the evils of slavery, and try and bring her around to the abolitionists' cause; once we manage to convince her that slavery is an oppressive and evil institution which needs to be abolished, then we try and bring her on-board with SECA. If she has a rational side to her, I'm certain I can convince her that slavery needs to go." Inquisitor said to Pitch, staring up at the human. Inquisitor had a pretty good idea of what he would say to Janet. He held a fervent belief that all people, humans and ponies, had a reasonable side to them, and that they could see the light and realize the evils of slavery. He planned on appealing to her rational side, and showing her that humans and ponies could have their differences reconciled, and making her see past the regressive and reactionary beliefs instilled in human society.

"Of course, we probably aren't going to have much luck in talking to her if we have weapons out in plain sight. I highly suggest that you hide whatever weapons you have on you, since we want her to trust us, and she certainly won't if she knows we're armed." Inquisitor said, taking the sheathed sword from around his waist and tossing it into a nearby bush, out of sight; diplomacy was significantly smoother when intimidation wasn't a factor, after all. Sure, there was always the threat of Janet being armed and attacking them, but Inquisitor was more than willing to take that risk. Expectantly, Inquisitor stared at Pitch, waiting for him to dispose of his weapons; Inquisitor already knew that Pitch probably had a half dozen different guns and knives on him, and he didn't want the unicorn to suddenly whip out a pistol and try to threaten Janet into submission. Inquisitor wasn't going to resort to threats and scare tactics to get what he wanted, and he certainly wasn't going to let Pitch do it either.

[The Flutterlands]

Pitch Black

Pitch Black rolled his eyes. Of course the peace-loving pegasus would urge him to drop his weapons. "Very well." said Pitch with a snare, as he disposed his weapons, into a bush next to Inquisitor's. The black stallion disposed ten knives and daggers, a loaded rifle, and one of two his two fully loaded revolvers, saving the other one perfectly hidden, in case something goes wrong. "There." said Pitch, "Now, let's do this..."

[Fascist Russian Empire]

Inquisitor

Inquisitor looked skeptically at Pitch Black. "Why do I get the distinct feeling that you're holding back something? I know better than to think a sociopath like you wouldn't keep a spare weapon on you. Well, I won't be having any of that. I have no intentions of having you whip out a hidden weapon and use threats and intimidation to try and force the girl to do what we want. I'm not going to let you ruin the reputation of SECA to satisfy your own hateful rhetoric and your own violent tendencies." Inquisitor said, bluntly, not trusting Pitch even in the slightest bit. Besides, if Pitch had that damn many knives and daggers, it was ridiculous to think he'd only have a single pistol; Inquisitor was, by no means, gullible, nor was he blindly trusting.

Inquisitor simply stared at Pitch, waiting for him to dispose of all his weapons; Inquisitor was certain that Pitch Black would have at least one weapon hidden, he had grown to expect that kind of thing from the sociopathic and violence-loving unicorn. It would be naive to think that a serial killer and a violent criminal could be trusted to willingly fully disarm himself. Inquisitor was a pacifist, but he was by no means a fool or an an idiot; he knew better than to put his blind trust into somepony like Pitch Black.

[Pinki3 Pon-3]

Janet Hugo
Janet looked down at Cinder briefly, her emotionless visage turning away a second later as she continued on.
"Call me Janet or Miss Hugo. I hate being called Ma'am."
She replied bluntly as they walked,
"You don't need to repay me, but I'm sure there's a place for you aboard the Aurelia if you need a home. You are a pet project of mine. I am waiting for something huge, and until then I could use a distraction. Coming out here is too dangerous to do often. So restoring a model such as yourself would prove safe and occupying." She says blankly.

[The Flutterlands]

Pitch Black

Pitch's emerald green eyes narrowed into silts. He was not surprised that Inquisitor saw through his ruse. It's not like Pitch planned on killing Janet, if she refused to go with them. However, he was thinking about putting a bullet into the clockwork robot's head, as a means of persuasion. Though, the black stallion could just grab the human and teleport her to the SECA headquarters. Nonetheless, Pitch rolled his eyes and disposed his remaining weapon into the bush. "There." Pitch snarled, "Are you happy now, Saint. Inquisitor?"

[Fascist Russian Empire]

Inquisitor

Inquisitor wasn't at all surprised that Pitch had been holding back on him. "That's better. Now, let's hurry up and get this mission done already." Inquisitor said before he started walking towards Janet, motioning for Pitch to follow him. He sincerely doubted that Pitch would be much help when it came to persuading Janet to join the abolitionist movement, but if he didn't keep an eye on Pitch then he probably would have done something stupid. Without wasting any more time standing around, Inquisitor walked over to the girl. It was quite irritating to have to waste time making sure Pitch wasn't going to do something to not only ruin the chances of making Janet of want to join SECA but at the same time ruin SECA's reputation.

"Excuse me miss, you're Janet Hugo, correct? We wanted to talk to you, if you happen to have a minute to spare." He said, simply, to Janet, interrupting her conversation with the clockwork being. It was a bit rude to interrupt, but they had important enough things to talk about that Inquisitor figured it would be a forgivable offense. Inquisitor kept a polite smile on his face as he stared expectantly at Janet, waiting for her to say something; Inquisitor didn't want to look hostile, since he wanted her to trust him, so he kept a friendly expression on his face.

[Cymrea]

Colonel Aries

The clacking of the train down the tracks beat a rhythm in time with the gently swaying cars. Rolling through an indigo morning heavy with clouds and the promise of rain, the train made its way toward City Vaughn from the outskirts, transporting the residents of the affluent neighbourhoods much faster than dirigible.

Alone in one of the private seating booths in Platinum Class and gazing out the broad window was Colonel Jefferson Barlow Aries, commanding officer of the feared and elite 9th Clockwork Cavalry regiment of the Steamguard. He was a tall man, even sitting; his immaculate grey vest and trousers were custom tailored to fit his long and barrel-chested frame, and of the finest quality. The colonel’s iron-coloured hair was also finely cut, short and in a military style that contrasted the prodigious muttonchops and mustache decorating his ruddy face.

There was a soft tapping at the door to the booth. It opened a crack and a stewardess poked her head just inside. The soft glow of the teslic light illuminated her moon face.

“We’re about thirty minutes from the station, Colonel. Is there anything I can get for you before we arrive?”

Colonel Aries turned to face the stewardess and her smile slipped just a little. The colonel’s left eye, pale blue and twinkling with mischief, winked at her. His right eye, an orb of black marble and set with a glinting, pale blue gemstone, stared unblinking.

"Thank you kindly, young miss, but no. I’m just fine with my coffee and grits,” he said, indicating the simple breakfast on the small table before him. A growling drawl pronounced his aristocratic origin.

With just a slight nod, the stewardess retreated, closing the door behind her. Colonel Aries chuckled lowly at the clear discomfort he never tired of eliciting with his unusual false eye, and tucked into his buttered grits.

* * * * *

His breakfast settling comfortably in his belly, Colonel Aries sat back in his opulently upholstered chair. He was considering lighting his pipe when a glint of reflected morning sunlight caught his eye. Looking out the window, he could see the complex of cranes and warehouses of City Vaughn come into view.

“My sweet Lady Fate,” he whispered.

Gleaming dully in the rainy morning was the burnished brass dome of the Gauntlet, the headquarters building of the Steamguard military. Like an armoured helm, the dome capped the cityscape and lent itself strongly to the distinct skyline of City Vaughn. Behind interceding buildings would be columns and patrician facings in marble and brownstone. In a city of metal, even timeless stone seemed understated yet gravely dignified.

Colonel Aries sat back in his chair, unaware that he had half stood, and exhaled loudly. His breathing returned to normal. He straightened his posture, then his vest, and then returned his gaze out the window.

* * * * *

The train hissed loudly, the venting steam adding to the morning fog as Colonel Aries stepped down from the luxury passenger car. He now wore a large Stetson decorated with the gold braiding of a cavalry officer and a double-breasted wool greatcoat, both in the same grey as the rest of his ensemble. Under his arm he held a polished hickory swagger stick, capped with steel at each end. Stout black boots with thick steel buckles rose to the colonel’s knees, hugging his calves tightly and blousing his trousers. A shining silver spur jangled from each heel.

A porter came forward from the station, craning his neck up. At six and a half feet tall with a broad chest and shoulders, the colonel was positively heroic in scale. The porter gulped as he took the man in. Colonel Aries pulled a gold watch from the greatcoat, examining it briefly before snapping it shut and returning it to his pocket.

“Right on time, my boy,” he greeted the porter.

“Colonel Aries, sir, it’s a great honour and pleasure to serve you,” the porter said bowing deeply. “I regret to have to inform you that while we were quite ready for your arrival, sir, the team of horses drawing your carriage has been badly spooked by an accidental gun discharge a short time ago.” The porter winced.

Colonel Aries nodded. He had lived most of his life in the saddle and knew horses well. Proper horses, of flesh or clockwork, not those bloody Ponies. “Don’t you worry none, my boy. Let’s spare the horses any further distress. Just load my baggage aboard and make your way to the Gauntlet at a gentle pace. I am perfectly content to walk.”

The porter fairly goggled at the colonel. “Walk, sir?”

“Yes, walk. You’re not deaf, are you, boy? It’s a fine crisp morning and a brisk constitutional is just the thing after sitting so long on the train.” Before the porter could protest, Colonel Aries brought his swagger stick from under his arm, and marched off. “A gentle pace for those horses, mind,” he called over his shoulder as he entered the station, headed for the street.