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Journal of Amos Hunter

Blaze of Glory 4 - by Sol Foster

Biplane with engine running image

 

 

 

 

 

Bleys' private shadow is a playground of swashbuckling adventure. Now, revolution threatens a loyal ally, and a handful of the Elite Guard must covertly intervene.

 

For more information about Blaze of Glory, see - http://ralf.org/~colomon/amber/bog.html.

 

It all started with merchant ships mysteriously disappearing on one of the local trade routes. When a shipment of Bleys's favorite cigars went missing, the Guard mobilized. Two ships were sent out: a merchant ship captained by Ramon, followed at a discreet distance by Lorianne in her best ship.

 

The pirates were operating on a similar principle, using a normal ship to distract their prey, while a mostly ingenious submersible ship snuck into position to disable them. They succeeded, taking Ramon, Otto, Marian, and Eddie captive. Luckily, Lorianne and the rest of the women were able to follow them to their island headquarters.

 

Lorianne and company launched a two-pronged attack on the island, while the imprisoned group staged a jailbreak from inside the submersible ship. Both the island and the ship were captured, even after wacky misadventures. Hint: close hatch before diving.

 

Evidence suggests the sub's creator had fled the island as the battle began. While the crew secured the island, Eloise set off to trail him.

 

Players and Characters:

Liz Trumitch: Jayne Green, the swordswoman trying to get Bleys to notice her. AKA "Plain Jayne"

Kris Fazzari: Lorianne, pirate queen and pilot. AKA "The Pirate Queen"

Cal Rae: Philippe, inventor, tech expert, and pilot.

Cal Westray: Amos Hunter, pilot, swordsman, and tech expert.

Jill Pritts: Bridget O'Malley, Irish mistress of disguise.

Andy Ransom: Lewis Mercer, the only sane one of the bunch. AKA The Spider.

Jeff Trumitch: Westley, swordsman. AKA "The Dread Pirate Roberts"

Joe Filippini: Otto Fromm, master of disquise.

Wendy Strang-Frost: Edna "Eddie" tech expert and pilot.

Anne Devlin: Marian Ravenwood, swordswoman.

Sean Frost: Rámon, swordsman.

Matthew Richardson: Maggie O'Donnell, a nun and underwater specialist. AKA "The Flying Nun"

Bill Gulstad: Cyrano Savinien Hercule de Bergerac, philosopher swordsman.

Arref Mak: Yves St. Laurant-Seaway, swordsman.

 

Background on the cast of characters (as told by the players):

 

Amos Hunter:

Amos, an Englishman, is 30 years old, 5' 10", and 180 pounds. Black hair and blue eyes.

 

His typical attire: Brown leather jacket, Tan silk shirt, Tan cotton twill pants, Brown High laced leather boots, and Tan fedora or Brown leather aviator's cap (when flying). When working on the planes, he wears grease covered overalls, cotton shirt, and bandanna.

 

His primary weapons of choice are the Rapier and Main-gauche. He also uses a sabre and stiletto or bow and arrow in a pinch. Although not the most skilled of fighters, Amos can certainly hold his own in combat.

 

Amos is certain that he is the best pilot the Guard has, but keeps pushing himself to be better. His technical abilities are focused upon making the planes faster, tougher, and more agile. For some unknown reason, technical advancements are very limited here (go figure) and Amos keeps trying to break that barrier (not a chance).

 

Amos is considerably more reserved than the others. That is to say that he 'tries' to be a voice of reason, and instead usually comes off like the straight man. Any attempt at humor on his part, falls horribly flat. Much like British humor as seen by many Americans, who just don't 'get it'. It is very sad. He is a gentleman who doesn't have any 'blatant' quirks and he is 'usually' the one who is there to do the last minute rescue - and 'never' is appreciated for it. He likes women, alcohol, and cigars - in the order of availability.

 

He is secretly enamored with Lorianne, but would never act upon it. He openly respects her abilities in fighting and piloting and leaves it at that.

 

Philippe:

Philippe is something of a mechanical / engineering wizard and pilot (not half bad with a boat), who is also, unfortunately, French. He's a wine (or other alcohol) guzzling womanizer said to have delusions of his own grandeur (mostly affected, the delusions, not the wine woman and song, those are for real). He's also something of a barroom poet and songster.

 

Of late, Philippe has been somewhat subdued by the reappearance of his former arch-nemesis, Gustav d'Everard, the black-hearted master of Devil's Island, the foulest prison in the world. Philippe apparently escaped d'Everard (which means he escaped from the supposedly inescapable Devil's Island, a fact about which, strangely, he does not boast). He apparently was on the run from d'Everard's minions when Lord Bleys found him and offered him patronage.

 

Philippe is somewhat short and stocky, with short curly black hair and a handlebar mustache. He always wears some sort of head gear (train engineer cap, pilot gear, etc.) and a knotted cravat. He's usually somewhat grungy from working on his beloved engines, cannons, etc. (all named for purported former mistresses), carrying a bottle of something alcoholic (preferably of non-English origin) and smoking a cigar.

 

Jayne:

Jayne has a made up completely bullshit last name, because her parents died when she was very little and she grew up in a London orphanage, and they wouldn't let her know her last name because they were asshole orphanage people. (As opposed to the nice people who actually run orphanages all over the world.)

 

Anyway, for those who are interested, Jayne's last name is Green. (It was her favorite color. Jayne is only creative in battle.)

 

Jayne can get very insulting when the men act like idiots. Kris has quotes to back this up. She generally gets along very well with all the women, but the men just can't seem to live up to her standards...

 

Jayne might have a death wish, or it might be something else, but Jayne does the craziest things in battle, given the chance. And amazingly, men continue to follow her on these ludicrous stunts, mainly glory hounds I think.

 

So far, Jayne has attacked landing craft by hand in the water (with about 15 men, only one lived, we call him the Shark. He got a promotion.) She shot flaming arrows out of the back of an airplane at a ship and killed a bunch of people. She jumped from one train to another to save Lord Bleys (a bunch of men got killed doing that too... and she didn't have much to do with saving Bleys... but it was a good try.) She lead a bunch of men incognito to help rescue one of Bley's stupid mistresses. She actually showed off some cleavage in order to distract the bad guy, and then cut off his head. Then some of the men got blown up, but one lived, although he really got flamed. We call him the Phoenix. She was very proud to be able to give the bad guy's head to Lord Bleys, but he was happier to see his stupid mistress than the bad guy's head.

 

That's the short of it anyway. Jayne's pretty plain looking (not ugly, but not really pretty either.) hence the nickname plain Jayne. See the ongoing poetry on that one.

 

Lorianne:

Lorianne is slender and rather tall, reaching a height of 6'2". She has black hair that falls in waves just past her shoulders when loose, and eyes that are mostly green, but are softened with a touch of blue. Her most common form of dress is a loose blouse and belted slacks, the legs of which are tucked into calf-high boots. Her hair is held back from her face by a bandanna, if necessary, and she has piercing in both ears (and perhaps elsewhere, but she's not saying). The effect is that of a sailor (or a pirate, depending on who you ask), which isn't too surprising considering that she *was* a pirate captain until Bleys recruited her. She appears to be in her twenties and has an almost tomboyish air about her, a feeling of energy barely contained. Her personal quarters (for those that have seen them) are loud and messy, with books, brightly-colored clothes, and jewelry in various piles. To an observer it all looks completely disorganized, but she knows where everything is. Her bed is never made. Her weapons, however, are all hung neatly on various pegs, well-oiled and cared for.

 

Anyone who has been in the Guard for a while would know that Lorianne is an excellent sailor, an adequate pilot, and good with a sword. In fact, if Ramon's claims about himself are to be believed, she is quite the swordswoman indeed, as she handily defeated him and tossed him overboard when he began impugning her ability as captain while on board her ship. :)

Lorianne Picture by Kris Fazzari

 

Otto:

Otto Fromm is, by his own description, the "Master of European Espionage". Although he dresses and is groomed to the height of fashion, his features, build, and height are completely unremarkable. All the better to step into character! He is a master of disguise; he travels everywhere with an extensive wardrobe to facilitate his quick-changes, although he has been known to improvise wildly when lack of resources dictate. He is a wicked swordsman, an avid card player and drinker, and an all-around know-it-all, when the situation calls for it. He can also be quite irritating at times, with his assumed aristocratic airs. Oh, yeah... he also has a Little Black Bag, in which he keeps his implements of Torture for when interrogations are called for!

 

No one really knows his origin story; although he has hinted as being the poor son of Bavarian nobles, it is *far* more likely that he got his start from the bottom, and worked his way into riches on the London stage. From there, his acting ability and cunning mind were recruited by Prince Bleys' Intelligence Corps to put his talents in the service of King and Country, or something like that...

 

He has an Arch-Nemesis, one Crink von Krunch, another master of disguise and espionage in general. But whereas Otto is loyal and principled, von Krunch is a black-hearted conniving Machiavellian bastard (e.g.: a typical Amberite????). We have yet to see this nemesis show his evil face in the game, but I'm sure he'll give us grief sooner or later...

 

Eddie:

Eddie looks like Alicia Silverstone and talks like Egon (from "Ghostbusters"). She rarely drops out of science speak and most often lets an aviation wrench do the talking for her when she does. She wears a pilot's hat, grease-covered overalls, cut off at the knees and sturdy boots.

 

The fact that she has a new submarine to play with has been distracting her from her current project, a crew launcher, which Ramone has promised to help her test (she has to get the range right, after all). Oh, and she has Philippe's tool box, since he wasn't using it...

 

Marian:

Marian is average height and has soft black hair and fetching blue eyes. She's noted for her crooked grin, freckles that only come out at night and card playing expertise in the Guard. She has a temper that few have ever seen her lose. She's handy with a shoulder to cry on or a blade to cover your back. She does a mean splint and a swell peach brandied coffee. Never, ever, ever mess with her brandy.

 

In combat, she's loose limbed and quick to jump into an uneven fight in support of her fellows.

When hard work and tough jobs need to be done, she's almost never first to volunteer but she helps out when its time to get to work. She tries to stay away from the nuts and bolts of the machines loaned out for missions.

 

There is no truth to the rumor that she joined the Guard to forget about a certain archeologist, so just get that idea out of your head.

 

Maggie:

Maggie is a rather feisty young woman with a good heart, an encouraging disposition, and a slight problem with common sense. She has a history of backing the 'bad' plan, of putting all her energies into ideas that just don't work. She's loud; she's supportive; she's optimistic; she's frequently dead wrong. She is generally attracted to idiots with polished demeanors and foreign accents, but she has been raised in a rather puritanical setting, so she doesn't believe in dating without a chaperone. :)

 

Maggie is basically this shadow's equivalent of a Navy Seal. She specializes in naval espionage, and has trained long and hard in underwater combat maneuvers. To be honest, though, her knowledge of ships is relatively basic...more focused in how to break them than how to make them work. She understands the very basics of covert operations, and can manage a very quiet assassination without problem. Asking her to go undercover for any length of time, however, is quite out of the question. She has a deep and abiding mistrust of technology, and so hasn't made much effort to learn aviation or other applications of 'high' technology. Gadgets just make the warfare more complicated, as far as she's concerned. They take the honesty out of murdering your opponent. At the same time, though, she is very enamored of cannons and other explosives. Pretty much all of Maggie's technical knowledge centers around explosives...how to make gunpowder...how to use a fuse...how Greek fire works. There's just something very satisfying about blowing up a pirate ship while all the pirates are still on board. Unfortunately, she's really not very good with explosives, so accidents sometimes happen.

 

Maggie was born and raised in Bleys' shadow, in a convent. At age 13 she escaped from the convent using a rope made out of nuns' undergarments. The nuns were too horrified to stop her. Since then she has been training in Bleys' forces and has only recently been promoted to the rank where she can receive "good" assignments.

 

Maggie stands at about 5'4 and is very muscled, a fact she takes some care to hide with long-sleeve blouses and such. She has reddish-brown hair, blue eyes, and a light spray of freckles across her nose. She's rather pretty, but by no means exceptional. Partly due to her upbringing (and the nuns' warnings about men and wine), Maggie does not drink alcoholic beverages...except for Communion wine, of course.

 

Cyrano:

Who does not know Cyrano? Have you not seen him in the theaters, mocking the actors? Have you not read of his purported trip to the moon? Have you not heard his enemies, too afraid to attack, still baying at his heels like cowardly dogs? Have you never been present when he unleashed his naked steel to rid the world of yet another fool or miscreant?

 

If you had encountered him on the street, you would remember. He is thin from poverty. His clothes are threadbare, but rich in style. To the ladies, he is all manners. He holds the door. He tips his hat. He steps out of the way to let them pass. But woe be it to the man who fails to get out of his way!

 

People choose their words carefully in his presence. Like the basilisk, it can be fatal to meet his gaze. He is quick to anger and even quicker with his blade. In the matter of fencing, few can match him, on or off the Spanish Main. And it would be his honor, on any day, to die upon the sword's point of any who can prove themselves his better.

 

There is one other thing that Hercule Savinien De Cyrano de Bergerac is known for, a certain endowment of nature, a heroic feature of the face, a prominence of character. But to name it in his presence is to risk certain destruction.

 

Mighty Frenchman, why do you wander the London streets? What misery of your past has brought you from the cobblestones of Paris to the gaslights of London? Let men think carefully before they ask. Let them tremble and examine their souls. Let them inquire, do I go to heaven if I die today? Then, perhaps, let them speak only of the weather and not remark on that cloud over there that looks like a...

 

Yves St. Laurant-Seaway:

Yves is a young man of 29 with a prodigious talent for trouble and understatement.

 

He is a proud and enthusiastic member of the Elite Guard who hopes to someday discover the fate of his favorite uncle, Rue Paul, who disappeared 19 years ago when on special assignment for Prince Bleys.

 

Yves' family takes service to Lord Bleys quite seriously.

 

And only being 29, Yves takes most things quite seriously.

 

Yves stands 5'4" with coppery red hair pulled back in a gentleman's small bobtail and a blade-thin mustache. He is slight of build and short of patience.

 

He is modest and more than helpful. He tends to admire anyone who has been in the Guard longer than he, which is 98% of the Guard. Most of the veterans are quite tired of it.

 

Yves was taught the sword by the infamous One-Fingered Man.

 

Forty years before today, the One-Fingered Man was a spectacular talent with a blade who could not keep his opinions to himself and was eventually kicked out of *every* military organization in the world for his terrible reactions to authority and discipline. An embittered and lonely man in his declining years, the One-Fingered Man consented to pass on his legacy of talent to young Yves.

 

Yves is not seasoned, but he likes spicy foods.

 

Fedora image

Amos Hunter's Journal:

It has been a month since we rescued Queen Kelly.

 

The planes required a good bit of work to get them back in shape. Philippe and I had pushed them well beyond their normal limits. I wanted some special reinforced parts that weren’t available anywhere, so I decided to look for a metallurgist to have them specially made. I took all the proper measurements and jotted them down (checking twice) - then I sketched the items.

 

To make a long story short, the parts cost me over a fortnight’s pay and the trip kept me away from the planes for nearly a week. I spent the time replenishing my stock of cigars, brandy, and other supplies for creature comfort. (Another week's pay...) Well, I will admit that I had a good time with a couple of the local women. The women of the Guard are desirable enough, but I prefer them ‘softer’ – and less inclined to vent your ribs when offended. And believe me, most members of the Guard are easily offended (or behave so).

 

When I returned to my quarters, most of the Guard was gone on a mission. The details of the mission were lacking. Let's be frank, they were virtually nonexistent. If Lord Bleys 'himself' appeared looking for them, no one could tell him where they went. Sigh! So, I decided to stay behind to make the necessary repairs, in case there would be a need for the planes.

 

Fortunately, they weren’t needed until everyone returned. That was when we received the following letter:

 

BoGers,

On the 18th of July, 19--, a envelope marked, "Bleys & Co: Urgent" arrives at the Guard's headquarters. Unfortunately, Bleys disappeared mysteriously several days ago, as did the brother he was holding prisoner. After a bit of discussion, the decision is made to open the envelope. It contains the following message:

 

July 16th

Tulle, Landes Territory

 

Dearest Bleys,

 

I hope this letter finds you well. My physical health is well enough, but the news I must deliver to you has not allowed me much peace of mind. As you have no doubt heard from my fellow Guardsmen, I left them on the pirates' island to pursue Brian Clancy, the mysterious inventor of the submersible. I finally have caught up with him here in Tulle.

 

Apparently d'Landes is once again up to his old tricks. He is determined to spread his control further inland from his current position, on the shores of Bordeaux. I believe he has an eye toward Burgundy and the Cotes du Rhone. He is reputedly already building great cellars to store the wines of those two great regions, cementing his monopoly power.

 

As last year's aborted campaign showed, he does not have the power to carry this out on his own. Thus he seeks the aid of Gustav d'Everard. d'Everard, in turn, has sent his agents to sell d'Landes a new "super weapon." It should come as no surprise to you who is the designer of this "super weapon."

 

Alas, the initial negotiations are already done. d'Landes merely awaits a demonstration, scheduled for July 22nd. Fortunately, it appears the weapon is not yet in Tulle; they await its arrival. If the demonstration turns out as expected, he plans to move swiftly.

 

In addition to d'Landes and Clancy, I've seen several other notables in the area. Clancy is watched over by one Sophia Justin. Short, thin, and blonde, she caught Clancy's eye. Her manner however, is businesslike and efficient. I'm not even sure he realizes quite how he is being manipulated.

 

Chevalier Jacques Rider is here, presumably to protect Clancy. I observed him several times in the company of a deeply tanned Spanish sailor whose name I did not acquire. When the two sparred, it was a sight not unlike our practice grounds. The Spaniard is better, I think. Be certain to tell Ramon of this man.

 

I've also seen them talking to a redheaded pilot named Rachel. She seems competent enough. Obviously I haven't seen her in a dogfight.

 

Bleys ... perhaps I'm being paranoid, but this smacks of a trap for the Guard. d'Everard knows we cannot allow this sort of power to fall into d'Landes' hands. I would not be the least surprised if he has several other special agents, hidden somewhere, waiting for us. Do encourage the Guard to be ... well, as careful as they can.

 

I have traveled as quickly as possible to Bordeaux, to send this by a trusted and speedy courier. I pray that it reaches you quickly, and that you take the appropriate action.

 

Yours, Eloise

A discussion followed the reading of the letter.

 

Cyrano. "This is probably a trap. Let us make haste to fall for it!"

 

Yves. "And could it be that our fearless leader has gone off to scout this perfidy and is now in need of his loyal guard for a rescue? We must into the fray!!!"

 

The mention of my rival, Jacques Rider, made my jaw set. One day, I will have to face him and resolve an old score. His actions may result in the death of Lord Bleys or one of my fellow Guardsmen, and I would like to prevent that eventuality. I am eager to do what I can to aid Lord Bleys, but I tried to bring some caution to the discussion. "Bleys ‘is’ probably in danger and this does have all the markings of a trap. And Bleys ‘would’ be disappointed with us if we didn't spring it. Well, to be honest, he would be more disappointed with us if we were caught or killed and failed to free him. I know 'I' would be horribly disappointed. Can we eavesdrop on the demonstration in Tulle and scout out our opposition? This Clancy chap seems to be well guarded. If we can just do a little something about that... If we knew where they were going after the demonstration, perhaps we could 'greet' them. Ideas, mates?"

 

After further discussion, a decision was made to spring the trap in Tulle and we immediately set sail. Many of us left for France on Philippe's ship 'Marth'. Besides being a fighting ship, it is also a floating workshop. We travel in the company of two other ships.

 

There is much for me to do. I have signal lamps to make for the planes, ships, and train. I will install them as they are ready. Training is going on to teach the pilots and other operators how to send and read the signals. It is a shorthand of Morse Code and easy to learn. Any complicated messages will have to be sent in full Morse. I will also make more brandy based napalm moltov cocktails and fire arrows, then pack and load them into the planes. Lord Bleys, I hope we are in time and successful in this rescue mission.

 

We reach the Mediterranean Sea by the second day and the lamps are ready to install. I installed them on the three planes and the ship. By nightfall, I completed the building and packing of the moltov cocktails and fire arrows.

 

We arrive on the third day. Philippe has me overseeing the unloading of the planes from the ship and loading them onto the train. Philippe designed the planes to have the wings unbolted and folded back to the sides. An impressive technical feat, one which takes time to perform, but does so quite neatly. Finally the planes are fueled and ready for travel.

 

We board the train and head for the border. I notice a romance budding between Philippe and Eddie. She even christened her submersible 'Philippe'.

 

Our disguise experts, Otto and Bridget, are working on our cover story and our disguises. We are to be employees of 'Jayne's Fine Wine and Cutlery': a British company selling wine and knives in France. Rather implausible, right? Well, implausible never stopped 'us' before. The planes are part of the entertainment. We are to fly with banners, advertising our wares. To be blunt, if we were honestly trying to sell these items, it would surprise me to find even 'one' person in France interested in buying anything. That would be like a Belgian Chef trying to market haggis in Scotland.

 

Don't ask me how, but we made it past the border guards. Either the French are not very bright or our story and papers are very convincing. I opted for the former, so I left the planning and negotiating to the others and I stayed with the planes. Someone had to guard them from possible damage from all this jostling around on the train and it may as well be me.

 

We reach Tulle and we finally see the secret weapon. Philippe was the only person not surprised to see it, but he was incredibly angry about it. It is an enormous balloon with a gondola large enough to hold a couple of planes. He said it was named a zeppelin or dirigible. We move quickly to unload the planes. I unload Philippe's tri-plane first and some men help get the wings back in place. Next, my plane is unloaded and finally Lorianne's plane.

 

Philippe prepares his plane for take-off, with Otto as his passenger. Soon my plane is ready. Bridget is my passenger and archer. We climb into the plane, and I begin my pre-flight checklist. I tend to go by the book to make sure nothing is overlooked. When I am ready, Lorianne's plane is ready with Marian as her passenger.

 

Philippe is off the ground and quickly gaining altitude. A plane is taking off from the gondola of the zeppelin to intercept him. The plane is zeroing in on Philippe as he climbs higher and higher. He will need help soon.

 

I have to get this bird off the ground and fast. I rev up the throttle and taxi down the road. When I reach the optimal speed, I pull back on the stick and take to the air. My bi-plane 'Cassandra' is a powerhouse, but she wasn't designed to climb as quickly as Philippe's tri-plane. It just takes a bit longer, but she gets the job done.

 

Philippe is already engaging his opponent. The enemy archer tagged Philippe’s fuel tank and he is losing fuel. Philippe maneuvers in front of the chaser spilling fuel onto it. Nicely done! Otto fires a flame arrow onto it, hitting the wing. Still burning but not igniting the fuel. The chaser's archer neatly shoots the arrow off their plane with his own arrow. Rotten luck for us.

 

I will keep the details brief. Another plane leaves the zeppelin's gondola to intercept Lorianne and me. Philippe dispatches his opponent and climbs above the zeppelin to do something I considered quite insane. He actually landed upon the zeppelin!  The plane tore through the skin of the zeppelin and fell into it. Whatever happened next was lost to view.

 

Bridget's skill with a bow and my piloting skill (and a few well placed moltov cocktails) works to dispatch the other plane. Bridget asks me to fly above the descending zeppelin, so we can examine the damage. She also wants to see if Philippe and Otto need any help. The truth be known, I believe she didn't want to be excluded from any action that Otto was involved in. They are both disguise artists, but I think they have a little more than just 'professional' interest in each other.

 

I agreed and got as close as I dared (which is within a dozen or so feet). She jumped ship (literally), landing on the skin of the zeppelin. She signaled that she was alright and made her way into the hole made by Philippe.

 

I continued following the zeppelin until it hit the ground, well it actually hit the grandstand; twisting and shredding wood, metal, glass, and zeppelin skin in a deafening shriek. People abandoned the grandstand like scurrying mice. Many didn't escape in time. So much for their secret weapon...

 

We descended to take a closer look at the scene of mass carnage below us. Hundreds of troops lie dead or dying, about two-thirds of them are the bodies of enemies. Flaming wrecks dot the field: a dirigible, a badly out-of-place submarine, two planes, a grandstand, and the better part of our train. Philippe, Eddie, and Otto are leading a growing gang of Guards towards the one remaining functional locomotive. The old boy actually ‘survived’ landing on and crashing that bloody dirigible! I don’t see Bridget anywhere yet. I hope she made it too, what a gutsy lass!

 

Most interestingly, Westley (with the aid of his devoted follower Yves) has captured d'Landes at blade point. The tiny man hardly looks capable of running a small village, but somehow he has kept the better part of France under his control for years. Now he has a shrewd look in his eyes, as he faces the prospective of bargaining for his life with Westley and Yves.

 

Lorianne signals to me. "Landing would seem to be in order. I’ll look for a nearby field that would work."

 

I am confident that I could land by the tracks (in places where the landscape isn’t littered or covered with flaming debris), but the plane's condition will be doubtful. I wouldn't bet on the landing gear 'not' snapping off. And I doubt that Lorianne would be any more successful than I; damaging the plane is acceptable. Crashing the plane and risk losing the pilot and passenger is not. So for Lorianne and Marian’s sake, we must find another landing spot. The gentleman that I am, I signal to Lorianne, "Agreed. Would you like some company?" I will land in the field with her and we can make our way back to the group as a team, salvaging our remaining bombs and gear. Both planes would then be away from all the carnage. Maybe we can recover them later.

 

Lorianne signals agreement and I follow them, flying northward. We are soon above a field, several miles north of town. Along the way, I watched out for opposition and a clear path back to the others.

 

A section of field was decided upon and we descend. I land first to see how bad the terrain is, Lorianne can make adjustments based upon any problems I encounter. The field was rockier than expected, but I landed successfully and intact. Lorianne followed with equal results and pull their plane along side of 'Cassandra'.

 

I pulled the ignition wires from both planes to prevent them from being used, except by us; until the wires are re-attached. The spark plug wires are the easiest to remove and re-attach. Besides, you never know when you need wire for something else…

 

Lorianne and Marian ditch their plane and gather their gear.

 

I grab my tool pack and map, stuffing the wires in the pack. I strap on my rapier and adjust it for running, and then I pass out the remaining bombs. Throughout all this, my cigar is still lit, of course... I make one final check of the area for any approaching enemies, before we make our way back to the group. I put on the best front possible, considering we are behind enemy lines and unfamiliar with the general lay of the land. Trying to sound gallant and not too flirtatious, I ask them. "Well, ladies, shall we get back to the others?"

 

Marian adjusts her blade for running, then she smiles and nods.

 

Lorianne nods. "The sooner, the better."

 

We run across the countryside in the general direction of our comrades.

 

Along the way, we hear a train whistle blow in an odd pattern. Almost as one, we recognize the whistle as our code. Philippe or someone in the Guard is signaling us to "Form up on my wing." Most likely it 'is' Philippe, using pilot-terminology. The signal is repeated. It also confirms that we are heading in the right direction and they are gathering forces for our hazardous trip home...

 

Blaze of Glory 4 ends…

 

 

Read Blaze of Glory 2 and Blaze of Glory 6!

 

 

Quotes from Blaze of Glory 4:

 

"You don't realize how serious this mission is for Philippe. Not only is his arch-enemy involved, but there's a potential monopoly of all the world's wine!" -- Philippe to the group

 

"Can I have the high chair?" -- Sean Frost

"That's appropriate." -- Anne Devlin

 

"Philippe is a good stuff character. How can you tell? He's always covered in petro-chemicals, carrying alcohol, working with aviation fuel and carrying a cigar, and he's still alive." -- Cal Rea to the group

 

"Sir, you are good for only one thing, and that's taking your clothes off so that I may set them aflame." -- Jayne to Philippe

 

"I do not send my men into battle without me, like some people do." -- Jayne

"She doesn't bring her men out of battle like most people do, either." -- Westley

 

"The small, small land of Bergerac." -- GM

"Which must be free!" -- Cyrano

"It is free!" -- Philippe

 

"I am not just any fool. I am Rámon." -- Rámon to the group

 

"Somehow, I motivate men to give their lives." -- Jayne to the group

 

"There is one woman here who can outdrink me now. That is the one woman I must pursue." -- Philippe to the group

 

"I know I'm good at something, I just can't remember what." -- Rámon to the group

 

"We could practice (using the crew launcher) with cows (instead of Rámon)." -- Maggie

"Why would you waste such an intelligent creature?" -- GM

 

"I'm still working on piloting the sub, but I've learned how to close the hatch." -- Eddie to the group

"What would we do with the submarine on dry land?" -- Lorianne

"We'll roll it downhill over the enemy troops." -- Jayne

"So we're going to have a sail-powered, rail-based submarine?" -- Kris Fazzari

 

"Eddie and Philippe are bonding." -- Wendi Strang-Frost

 

"This flying, it's not right, it's not for men." -- Rámon

"Then you should have no problem." -- Jayne

 

"I can do underwater work, what do you want me to do?" -- Maggie

"Go to the bottom and watch to make sure we don't drop any important tools." -- Eddie

 

"I suppose even Rámon cannot miss something as large as Europe." -- Cyrano

"I don't know, he managed to lose the Spanish Main." -- Marian

 

"Aren't there any horses on board?" -- Jayne

"No!" -- Lorianne

"Oh, OK, I'll just stand on Rámon." -- Jayne

 

"You should name your sub after the first man who stole your heart." -- Philippe

"I will name it the 'Philippe.'" -- Eddie

"That explains why she has so much trouble keeping it up." -- Sean Frost

 

"I will give the Spider 'Dominique.' I tell him to take good care of her." -- Philippe to GM, referring to one of his planes

"Of course he will, it's his way out when the mission fails." -- Kris Fazzari

 

"I know what a good pair of breasts look like, so I can embellish (Jayne's image on the sub)." -- Bridget to the group

 

"And we miss the assault because we can't find a train." -- Sean Frost to the group

 

"But Rámon's deepest disappointment will be that when he is disguised as himself, no one recognizes him." -- Cyrano to the group

 

"Crappy beaches." -- Philippe, in a thick French accent

"Crappy bitches?" -- Bridget

"No, crappy beaches, the place where the land comes to the shore." -- Philippe

 

"Jayne wanted to board the first car, kick everyone else off, then unhook all the other cars." -- Kris Fazzari

"That's more subtle than her usual plans." -- Liz Trumitch

 

"We could disguise the train as a bucolic French countryside." – Philippe to the group

 

"Why do you have a nun on board?" -- French official

"She's trying to save our souls." -- Lorianne

"John, confession, john, confession." -- Wendi Strang-Frost

"Bless me father for I have sinned, it has been 45 minutes since my last confession." -- Anne Devlin

 

"You see a man uncoupling the train cars." -- GM

"I jump on him. This is going to hurt." -- Rámon

"When in doubt, throw a Spaniard at him." -- Sean Frost to the group

"So, what would happen in that situation?" -- GM

"(Rámon and the man) both fall under the wheels and go splat." -- Jeff Trumitch

"That would be a win-win situation." -- Bill Gulstad

 

"I have a 30 disguise, I can look better than you." -- Rámon to Lorianne

"I doubt that." -- Westley

"You have not seen me in a dress." -- Rámon

"It would be hard to pick you out with the beard." -- Westley

"In France? Yes!" -- Rámon

 

"Rámon, you're starting to lose your grip." -- GM

"I lost that many years ago." -- Rámon

 

"I can't believe we should have listened to Jayne. Who knew?" -- Rámon to the group

 

"I grab Rámon and yank the front half of him up, so if he has to lose something it will be his legs." -- Jayne to GM

 

"Otto is the master of disguise, he is the essence of a Frenchman." -- GM to the group

"Oh, is that what that smell is?" -- R.F. McCaughey

 

"We strap the glider on the nun and launch her." -- Eddie to GM

"I become a whirlwind of unfashionable black death." -- Westley to the group

"Next time, I won't wear the nun costume." -- Maggie to the group

"It's the flying nun." -- Kris Fazzari and Sean Frost, in unison

"I think you just got your nickname." -- Cal Rea

 

"Maybe demolitions and medical should be two new skills." -- Cal Rea

"Yes, yes they should." -- Jeff Trumitch

 

"So we have a stretched and squished Rámon." -- GM

"And a sore but excited flying nun." -- Matthew Richardson

 

"I don't understand this decision you're giving (the prisoners). Join us or die. It's the same thing." -- Rámon to Jayne

 

"We can take the bodies on the train." -- Jayne

"I hope this trip doesn't last too long." -- Cyrano

 

"We've got them right where we want them." -- R.F. McCaughey

"We're in between them." -- Sean Frost

"We have surrounded ourselves." -- R.F. McCaughey

 

"They killed an innocent train." -- Rámon to the group

 

"Fifteen minutes is enough time to shuck a nun...costume." -- Matthew Richardson

"You've gotta drop that habit." -- Jeff Trumitch

 

"We all know that Spain is smaller than it boasts of being." -- Cyrano

"That is a vicious lie!" -- Rámon

 

"I'd rather fall to my death than drown." -- Otto to the group

 

"(Maggie's) a Jayne's Shark wannabe." -- Wendi Strang-Frost

"No, she's who Jayne's Sharks want to be." -- Cal Rea

 

"I think my favorite moment was when Rámon was holding the train cars together." -- Kris Fazzari

"It had to be Rámon. He's a master at coupling." -- Sean Frost

 

"Philippe, the land-torpedo, has exploded." -- Cal Rea to the group

 

"What you do not realize is that I am Rámon, disguised as an Englishman." -- Yves to the Spaniard, Rámon's enemy

 

"It's not worth it, his wife was not very good." -- Rámon to Yves

 

"You killed my enemy. Now I have to kill you." -- Rámon to Yves

 

"We're inside the Zeppelin. Don't set it on fire!" -- Philippe

"We don't know that." -- Lorianne

"I have good stuff!" -- Philippe

 

"I can't even take (my enemy) badly burned." -- Rámon to GM

 

 

 

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R. Cal Westray, Jr.
Revised: January 29, 2009.

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