Steampunk: Steampunk Angels
This is a story that I devized for a photoshoot I wanted to get done with photographer, Bruce M. Walker. We ended up with a lot more personnel than I had anticipated and it was a darn good thing that the inventive Professor MacRaven was involved. He helped with the set design; picked up the gorgeous backdrop we borrowed from a Steampunk colleague (Alex Kung); he helped write some of the bios, and created names for the communications and viewing devices. Inter-Aether Communications Apparatus is one and the Magna-view Long Range Scoping Device is the other. Unfortunately we did not get photos of these items.
It is worthwhile to note that the participants created or made their own costumes.
Steampunk Angels vs the alien
For many years, Earth had been a peaceful place. The wars of the previous years were over and almost forgotten and people were able to go about their daily activities again.
Although it was peacetime, there some who still kept a wary eye on things.
Brigadier General Abbotts-Brackenridge was one of the “watchers”. Having grown up in a military family, when she was of age she followed in their footsteps. By the time she was 25, she had risen through the ranks and became a Brigadier General.
Based on the past conflicts, it was her opinion that you should never get too complacent. Her many years of experience had taught her that sleeping with one eye open, so to speak, was a really good plan.
Another person who was ever-watchful was Lady May Fitzgeoffery-Bannister. She came from a long line of business Aristocracy who made their money from the manufacture and sale of firearms. Lady May had many past memories of conflict, and remained suspicious, even in peacetime. In the previous war, she had been abducted by an alien automaton, and although she had managed to escape, the experience stayed with her.
Finally, Professor Ravenscroft, inventor, and man of science. Phineas T. Ravenscroft attended university in Capital City. While there, he learned all there was to know of electricity, chemistry, steam, gears, sprockets and metals. By the age of thirty he had earned the title of Professor. And, even though these were peace times, he quietly went about his business of building super weapons, “just in case”, also keeping a secretive and careful eye on things.
Professor Ravenscroft kept in touch with the Brigadier General and Lady May, since the three of them had formed an alliance in the past war.
And way out in the stars the last surviving alien craft was fast approaching Earth!
At first no one paid much attention to the silver craft, as it hovered among the various other flying craft. “Someone’s new design” they thought. Except for three vigilant people. Lady May recognized the design of the craft immediately. This was the same type of craft upon which she had been abducted in the last war. She used her Inter-Aether Communications Apparatus to get in touch with the Brigadier, who immediately focussed her Magna-view Long Range Scoping Device on the skies, while at the same time using her own Inter-Aether Communications Apparatus to alert professor Ravensroft.
It was decided they would all meet on top deck of the main observation tower to decide upon what action to take.
Professor Ravenscroft was already there when Lady May and Brigadier General Abbotts- Brackenridge arrived. The all watched the alien craft as it approached.
Clearly no time was to be lost. Professor Ravenscroft offered show them his latest array of weaponry to defeat the alien.
They headed for the Professor’s lab, where he showed them his latest weapons. They were delighted with Professor Ravenscroft newest designs. It was decided that the Professor would supply them with all his latest weapons, and would personally join them in their plan to confront and defeat the Alien.
So, fully armed with the Professor’s latest technology, they once again headed for the Observation Tower, to the landing pad level.
They watched as the alien craft slowly circled and then landed on one of the landing pads and out came the deadly alien automaton, KS1341-D. To say that she was frightening looking would be an understatement. Her weapons were terrible and her demeanour was grim.
Lady May was horrified. Not only was this ship the same as the one that she had been abducted in, she recognized the alien automaton as the one that had taken her, and which she had managed to temporarily deactivate in order to escape using an on-board escape pod.
Fortified by the presence of her friends, Lady May straightened her shoulders, and held her weapon at the ready. They marched over to the landing pad where the alien craft had landed. They confronted the alien and demanded that she surrender to them.
The automation remained defiant, until hit by the simultaneous fire from Lady May and the Brigadier.
It was clear that one of her control circuits had been damaged since she was walking unsteadily. Professor Ravenscroft quickly moved in to push their advantage. Out gunned again, the Automaton tried to retaliate, but her weapons wouldn’t fire, since her attack mechanism had also been damaged.
The three friends lost no time in finishing it off and quickly overcame the automaton. With many of her circuits damaged she lost many of her functions and ended up ignominiously sitting at the feet of the three Steampunk heroes.
Some background on KS1341-D: The deadly alien automaton, KS1341-D began her attack on the Earth as part of an early alien invasion tactic to search and destroy threatening technology. Once the Earth tech was neutralized, she was programmed to then signal the waiting alien armada, and usher in an interplanetary war of epic proportions. However, as she scanned and absorbed earthling knowledge, KS1341-D became enamored with Victorian sensibilities and human emotions. Newly self-aware, she attempted to overwrite her programming in the hopes she could save humanity from invasion. Unfortunately, this tinkering released a subscript deep within her data core — directing her to begin the annihilation of all life on Earth. And, it was at this point that she had and lost the short battle with our heroes. She had been neutralized.
