Deacon Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 Background story. Well the moment had finally arrived. I was walking down the gangplank and unto the Contraption. The swell against the side of the mother ship wasn’t too bad for a change and I easily stepped onto wooden shell of the new wonder weapon of the Polnadian Navy. Sitting down so that the dive-attendants could secure my helmet along with the other guys, my nerves slowly start to calm now that we are ‘for the off’. Looking across at ‘Belcher’ I see him vomit one last time. His mouth is wiped for him and he is given a swig of water before his helmet is put on. Poor ‘Belcher’ he always suffers before a trip, but once buttoned up, he manages to keep his stomach contents where they were meant to be. He is the number two Tube-Grenade Switch-Hand. The two of us are responsible for ensuring that the Contraptions deadly cargo is OK and gets activated at the right time. ‘Steam’ came down the plank and walked over to me, swaying with the role of the machine. “You ready for this Joe?” “You know I just live for these moments mate”, I replied looking up at him. I wasn’t smiling. “I can see that” he says grinning. “Just get us to the target, and not too fast OK. Being pulled along by this thing is alright, until you generate a current that sends us all corkscrewing around you like we are demented carousel horses in a tornado.” “You know I watch out for you guys. Hell if you lot weren’t there to keep the beasties off I’d just be a tasty morsel. Besides, I’d be lonely!” Now I did smile. ‘Steam’ was a good Governor and he hadn’t let us down yet. Although he had a cushy job inside this motorised-bell, I wouldn’t swap places with him. He wore one of our suits, but he had neither helmet nor oxygen-box. How could he! He couldn’t fit inside with all this stuff on. No, if this baby was going down, he’d better make sure he was near enough to the surface so he and Macka could get out. He shook my hand and made his way to the other crew. It was a good luck ritual. No matter what had happened up to this point, you shake the Governors hand he is the one who’s going to bring you back. My helmet came down and was twisted on. Then the attendants screwed it onto the collar. I feel the extra weight of the oxygen-box go onto my back and after a few moments a slight humming noise vibrates through my back. Stale air is slowly replaced with cleaner air. The humming stops and I look up at the attendant in front of me. He holds his thumb up and I return the gesture. The box is working OK. A little help up and I make my way over the wooden deck to my station. Through the portholes of my helmet I see the other guys. Some are at station, some just getting to their feet. ‘Steam’ climbs into the tower on the Contraption and the attendants make their way back up the gang plank as the ropes are cast off from us. The cable that will pull me along with the machine is waiting for me and I attach it to my suit. Vibrations start throbbing through the wooden deck and I look back to see thicker smoke coming out of the funnel. Macka the boiler man had been sat inside the bell 30 minutes before we arrived, stoking the firebox and getting up steam. We were an hour from the target and the little engine would get us part way there and then ‘Steam’ will switch to the power-boxes that will then turn the screw at the rear of the bell. I don’t know how the thing works, but then I don’t need to. 10 minutes into the trip I hear three bangs coming from the tower. That was the signal for us to prepare the bell for diving. Paul and Steve set to lowering the funnel at the rear, careful not to touch the metal with the hands. Although we wear gloves the funnel gets so hot it would melt them to your skin. Macka is ‘damping-down’ below, making sure the pressure doesn’t get too high within the boiler. If it does he will just vent some steam until the pressure is regulated. There is goes, a jet of scalding steam escapes from the rear, appropriate really. Another small burst of steam is the signal that the hatch covering the hole where the funnel fits can now be closed up and the funnel secured. Watching Paul and Steve I make sure they are back at their stations. They put up their right hands, I look to my right and ‘Belchers’ hand is up as are the two ‘point’ pilots to the front, Chris and the new guy er……..Hans. I raise mine. I’m the lead, but I still raise my hand as on future missions I might not be, so better to get into the habit. With the ready signal given by all, I hit the brass plate by my side three times with the butt of my dive knife. We start to our journey under the sea. ------------------------------------------------ The ‘Contraption’ is a new weapon developed by the Polenadian Navy. Born from the idea of the early diving bells, the new machine is fully enclosed and can be propelled through the water either by the use of a steam engine powering the propeller (similar to those found on steam driven ships) or by the use of power boxes which use stored electricity to drive the propeller. Two operatives control the new bell. One regulates the use and power of the two different types of engine, whilst the other steers the machine and regulates its depth and trim. The whole purpose of the Contraption (The Committee still cannot decide on a name) is to sneak up, underwater, onto a target and then release up to two ‘Tube-Grenades’ which are themselves powered by power-boxes (these being much smaller in size than within the bell). These carry an explosive charge within the front end of the tube and a contact pin at the front triggers the charge inside, which is big enough to blow a hole the size of a cow into the hull of a ship. The size of the charge is important as the biggest weapon that this machine has, is fear. This device has already been used successfully on four separate occasions and each time a Finistan ship has gone to the bottom of the sea. So far they are unaware of the new wonder weapon and have come to the conclusion that there is a monster cruising the seas looking for ships to devour. If the charge within the tube was too big, then the explosion would be witnessed and the survivors report what they have seen. But because the charge is small enough, the resulting explosion is not seen apart from some fiery blast below the water as the monster burns and tears into its prey. The Polenadian Secret Service have nurtured this belief by making it known that at least two Polenadian vessels have disappeared under similar circumstances. Of course they haven’t, they have just been secreted away, repainted, renamed and then returned to the fleet as new ships. Of course the reason that a ship eating monster is a viable possibility is that there are monsters that lurk in the oceans. Hence the need for a team of men to ride with the machine in order to protect it. Armed with a variety of weapons, including spear guns and knives, they keep an eye out for any creature that may be a danger to the machine and repel it. The crew also have other functions such as Point Pilots and Tube-Grenade Switch-Hands and need to use tools to carry out these functions. Special teams had to be set up for the use of the Contraption. Not only was there new skills to be learned but also utmost secrecy was required. All the men are single, have no children and few if any relatives. Any loose talk will result in the culprit being imprisoned for life in solitary confinement or they may choose death if they wish. Fortunately this threat has been enough for crewmen to ‘keep mum’. The oxygen-box is also a new development and is two machines in one. Firstly it contains a tank of oxygen, but a motor inside can circulate the air and re-purify it making one tank last much longer. The other use is that another motor can pull water into the box (surrounding the tank) and then this is pushed out through nozzles in a more controlled fashion, propelling the wearer along. The dive suits, although they look like bulk standard diving gear, are slightly different. The machines crew are not required to be weighed down to walk on the seabed. What they needed was to be able to breath underwater, swim and generally be able to get about more easily. So, no dive boots. Lead weights were still required for two reasons. One, to give better stability in the water and two, to drag the body of a dead crewman to the bottom of the sea in order to maintain the mystery of the new invention. Imagine, a mission goes wrong a crew killed, better for Polenadia that they take there secret where it won’t be discovered. Sorry if you found that a bit of a drag. Here is the model and add ons: The Contraption The crew, The Honourable Boiler suit Company Deep Sea Divers from Tiger Miniatures Space Marine bits All the bits The basis for the Contraption Thanks for looking Deacon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deon Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 Cool! look forwards to seeing this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifer54 Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Great back-story! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deacon Posted February 6, 2012 Author Share Posted February 6, 2012 (edited) Great back-story! Thanks mate. Are you joining us on this one? Deacon Edited February 6, 2012 by Deacon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Ogilvie Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Great back story indeed - and using a submarine too - madness!! Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Hmm sounds like that Nemo chap had better watch out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deacon Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 Thanks guys. I realised after posting the back story that I had mis-judged the scales I was using. The 28mm figure only just fitted into the Contraption and a two man crew would not 'hold water' (sorry). So, I decided to change the build to fit better with the story. There is just one problem. I am a build OOB guy and this sort of thing is as alien to me as a Steampunk GB! Here is a shot of where I am at Thanks for looking. Deacon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iain Ogilvie Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 What a cunning idea - like it!!! Iain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deon Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Splendid idea - should make a very interresting model Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kallisti Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Spiffing I say old chap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifer54 Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 Thanks mate. Are you joining us on this one? Deacon No,sorry mate, got enough on at the moment, I'm doing a WW2 "what-if" for a GB elsewhere, as well as the big scale GB here. And, from looking at the builds on here, my imagination isn't up to the task of coming up with a SteamPunk idea. If I try to think of it as "techno-Gothic", it seems a little easier, but thinking that hard doesn't come easy!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Kunac-Tabinor Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 No,sorry mate, got enough on at the moment, I'm doing a WW2 "what-if" for a GB elsewhere, as well as the big scale GB here.And, from looking at the builds on here, my imagination isn't up to the task of coming up with a SteamPunk idea. If I try to think of it as "techno-Gothic", it seems a little easier, but thinking that hard doesn't come easy!!!! You know you want to though.... Jonners Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deon Posted June 3, 2012 Share Posted June 3, 2012 How's the contraption coming along - any progress to report? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertie McBoatface Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 What a lot of creative writing. Outstanding. Can't wait to see the finished article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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