The 10,000 Airships Suite

Opening Theme:

Narrator:

No one would have believed,
in those last years of the eighteenth century-
That this mighty engine of technology,
the steam engine,
that smoke-belching workhorse that had brought peace and prosperity to the civilized world-
That selfsame workhorse had brought within itself
an evil twin.
Alongside the vast plains of green growing grain and corn,
there also grew advances in the arts of war.
The same steam engine that plowed our fields and moved our goods across the globe?
It also powered the newest and most horrible weapons of war.
Side by side,
the engines of prosperity grew more numerous,
as did those mighty new engines of destruction.
The airship, that icon of our modern age,
able to carry many tons of passengers and goods from one far-flung land to another?
Just as easily,
those icons of the age could carry the tools of war and destruction.
That same steam tractor that plowed our fields could easily be turned to power mobile fortresses,
turning those once green fields into killing grounds.
But few people stopped to consider the fact that for every advance in transportation and industry we made,
an equal advance had also been made in that sorriest of human pastimes -
war.

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After all,
we had yet to explore the entirety of our own world.
Vast areas of our globe were uncharted,
wild,
and populated with fierce animals and even fiercer "uncivilized" native tribes.
For in that day and time
humanity had, as yet, not been forced to unite against a common enemy.
Civilized Man arrogantly believed themselves restricted to the European continent
and to tiny portions of their far-flung colonies across the globe.
The written history of the known world only included Europe, the Middle Eastern region, and some small fraction of far Eastern Asia.
Even the European conquests of the American continents,
of India,
and of Southeast Asia
had failed to bring the lesson home
that wherever Mankind could be found,
civilizations arose.

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As I said,
the European colonies upon the East coast of North America had only recently concluded an armed revolt against their far-off mother countries.
New nations had been formed there,
secure in the belief that they would no longer need bow to any external authority.
Freedom, and liberty,
and just laws for all seemed to fill the American air like the perfume of exotic flowers.
Grand treaties had been signed and solemnly sworn to between the former colonists and the native tribes of American Indian nations.
Even those multitudes of African natives that had been transported against their will,
to serve as slaves in the colonies,
were gradually being given their freedom and the liberty to make of their lives what they willed-
Rather than serve the will of others.
It was a time of peace,
new prosperity,
new ideas,
and fresh hopes for all mankind.

But those hopes would soon enough be dashed.
The awful truth of humanity would once again stand revealed.
The sad fact that wherever civilizations arose,
soon would follow that baleful specter
of war.
But the shadow of war is still on the far horizon,
for now.

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At the moment,
mankind is still unwittingly enjoying an uneasy peace.
Great fleets of airships ply the skies,
carrying passengers and cargo between cities scattered across the civilized world.
Thousands of people and tons of goods shuttle back and forth between Europe,
the Americas,
Asia,
and the islands nations in the South Pacific Ocean.
Crossing the Atlantic is a mere five-day journey for the amazing airships of the modern age.
Explorers using private airships
reach deep into the African and South American continents.
Even the vast reaches of Russia and China are connected by routes through the air.
Mankind is slowly bringing the furthermost reaches of the globe closer together.
The airship is rapidly becoming the single most recognizable symbol of the modern age.
Just as the locomotive became the symbol of the 18th century,
the airship quickly supplanted that image as the icon of the 19th century.

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This,
my friends,
is the age of the Airship.
The single most useful tool invented in the great Age of Steam.
For the purpose of commerce,
exploration,
transportation,
and even of conquest
– The Airship stands alone.
Supreme among the inventions of human kind.
For no matter what use to which a tool is put,
it remains just and only that
- a tool.
In the hands of humanity
our beloved airship finds many uses.
There are many dangers that still abound
in this modern world we occupy.
But high above our petty problems
the Airship reigns supreme
on the long list of human endeavors.
Alone in the air,
in mighty fleets,
in danger,
at rest...
Our modern Victorian age
would be as nothing
without the Airship.

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Bulling Through The Thunderstorm:

Narrator: Among the hazards faced by airships, Nature supplies the worst. Weather is nearly unpredictable. Storms can strike suddenly, with winds beyond the imagination of mortal kind. Lightning, gale-force winds, driving rain that reduces visibility to nil. Our airships, mighty engines to our minds, are as nothing when compared to the ravages of nature.

First Officer: Captain, I have the latest weather report. We're heading into a storm. The squall line is too wide to go 'round.

Captain: Can we go over it?

First Officer: No Sir, it tops out well beyond our maximum altitude.

Captain: No choice then. Helm, take us down to 3000 feet. We'll just have to bull our way through.

Helm: Aye aye, sir. Descending to 3000 feet.

Captain: Secure the ship for turbulence. We're going to take a pounding 'til we can break out of the other side. Have the cargo checked, and double the restraints. My compliments to the passengers, but they will be restricted to their cabins until further notice. Notify them to use their safety seating and strap in tightly.

First Officer: Yes, Sir.

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Narrator: Time passes. Thunder booms outside. The airship is jolted by turbulence...

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Captain: We can't take much more of this. We'll be torn apart. Helm, go to 4000 feet.

Helm: Yes, Sir. 4000 feet.

Captain: Engine room, Full Steam Ahead!

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Narrator: The airship leaps through the sky as the full power of its mighty engines are unleashed. It smashes through the winds of the storm like a battering ram through a wall. The ride becomes somewhat smoother. Finally, the far side of the storm is reached and the airship re-enters calmer skies.

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Captain: We've made it! Helm, reduce speed. Take us to our cruising altitude and get us back on course.

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Assemble The Fleet!:

Narrator: One of the best examples for the hope of mankind is how we react to a call for help. Natural disasters care nothing for the imaginary lines drawn up as borders on a map. At such times, humanity has shown a remarkable ability to set aside petty problems and national feuds. By pulling together to render aid to those struck by calamity, we demonstrate our fullest potential as human beings. Airships from many nations band together, speeding to the stricken area. Their sole mission at such times is to save lives, working together without regard for international disputes. When that dreaded message comes winging through the aether, we rise to the challenge: “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday...”

Wireless Operator: Captain! Message from the Admiralty, Sir!

Captain: Read it, Mister Bryce.

Wireless Operator: Message reads; “All ships, respond immediately. Earthquake in Egypt. City of Cairo suffering great damage. Many casualties. Medical aid needed urgently. Search and rescue teams needed urgently. Civil Defense and humanitarian aid requested by Egyptian government. Volunteers to make all speed to Cairo and render aid. The Fleet is instructed to join the rescue effort.” After that is a short list of patrol ships ordered to stay put for national defense. We aren't on that list, Sir.

Captain: Very good, Bryce. Mister Svenson, bring us about and set a course for Egypt.

Navigator: Yes, Sir! Plotting course now... Course laid in, Sir.

Captain: All ahead, Svenson, full speed. Time is of the essence.

Navigator: Full speed ahead, Captain.

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First Officer: Lookouts report ships sighted, Captain. To port and starboard, three formations. Possibly fifty airships in each. Converging courses indicated.

Wireless Operator: Signals from the Fleet, Sir. We are requested to join the nearest formation and increase speed.

Captain: Acknowledge the message, Mister Bryce. Svenson, what is our estimated arrival time for Cairo?

Navigator: Six more hours, Sir.

Captain: Thomas, notify the medical staff of the time remaining. Tell them to prepare for ground operations to commence the moment we arrive. And get your troops together. There are sure to be looters and pirates already active by the time we get there. I want everyone ready, for anything.

First Officer: Yes, Sir!

Navigator: We've reached our assigned position, Captain. Matching course and speed with the Fleet... Now.

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Narrator: As the Fleet arrives in Egypt on their humanitarian mission, clouds of smoke from many fires billow into the air. The city of Cairo looks like an anthill that has been trodden on by some uncaring giant. Buildings tumbled to the ground, debris scattered everywhere, and a mass exodus of the city's surviving inhabitants trudging wearily towards temporary campsites on the outskirts of the once beautiful city.

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First Officer: Looks like a war zone down there.

Captain:No, it looks worse than a war zone. None of those people signed up to join in a battle. Nature is a far more merciless enemy than any army. Helm? Do we have our landing co-ordinates?

Navigator: Yes, Sir. South Southeast, Zone Five, just outside of that refugee campground.

Wireless Operator: I have our orders, Sir. The gist of it is that once we set down, we're to deploy a third of our medical teams to treat the wounded here. The rest of the Medics will advance into the city, along with our rescue teams. Here is the text of the full orders, Sir.

Captain: Thank you. (Pause) Gentlemen, we are also to launch our two Scout ships to join in picket duty above the city. Evidently the arrival of the Fleet scared off a few pirate craft. Fleet Command fears that they might return, either on the ground or in the air.

First Officer: If an airship fires on us while we're grounded-

Captain: Exactly. Not only would we be at a disadvantage, with no chance to maneuver and only a skeleton crew aboard, but these civilians around us would suffer even more losses. Assign an extra observer to each Scout ship. I want someone on those telescopes at all times.

First Officer: Consider it done, Sir.

Captain: Helm, set us down.

Navigator: Yes, Sir.

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Exploring Exotic Lands:

Narrator: The Airship has many uses. Transportation of goods between distant points, military, and even exploration. The use of private airships by groups and individuals to traverse the globe in search of adventure illustrates that as the cost of building and operating an airship became lower, their usage became even more widespread. Museums, Geographical Societies, Explorers Clubs, and even individuals found owning and operating an airship increasingly within their means as time went by. Vast reaches of our world were first mapped from above, then later explored in greater detail. Gradually, the airship drew the four corners of our globe closer together. A new age of exploration began to make great use of our aerial workhorse. Similar to the previous age when ships plowed the seas, the airship searched our Earth from the skies. Many new lands became known. Contact with exotic civilizations became more commonplace. Humanity became increasingly aware that there was more to the world than we had ever imagined.

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Pirate Attack!:

First Officer: Captain! Lookouts report a small airship on an intercept course. Coming in from above us, and to our stern.

Captain: That's odd. Time to intercept?

First Officer: Ten minutes, Sir. No flags reported. No signals on wireless or Aldis lamps. I don't like it, Sir. We're a lightly armed merchant ship. The intruder can only be one thing.

Captain: A pirate? Agreed. Helm, increase speed- and give us some more altitude! Number One, sound the call to arms.

Helm: Aye, aye, Captain.

First Officer: Aye, Sir. Battle Stations. All guns! All hands, stand by for action!

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Narrator: As with any form of shipping, there has always been the threat of piracy and privateers. These rogues of the air prey on any target of opportunity. Given the near impossibility of closing with, and boarding a ship in the air, their usual method was to cripple an airship in the hopes of forcing it to land. Although a grounded vessel has been known to triumph over boarding parties, the usual outcome is rather more grim. A dead crew, a looted cargo, and the target airship either burned or part of the booty. It is by no means unknown for such a defeated airship to be repaired by these pirates, the spilled blood cleared away and the original crew's bodies disposed of, whilst their ship goes on to be sold in some far-off land, or used by the pirates themselves in other attacks.

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The Scourge Of War:

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The Age Of Reconstruction:

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