Riders on the Storm [Open]

[Deleted]

OoC: Everybody who has wanted to get invovled in the steampunk thread, here it is!

Ic:

"The time has come!" A voice rang out amongst the crows of cheering voices as the sun rose higher and higher up on the planet. The people drowned in their own victory and cheerfulness they have completely forgotten what kind of society they have drawn themselves in. A completely regressive society akin to the 1800's, women dressed up in fancy Victorian Clothing and the men wore bowler hats and pocketwatches to keep up the time. But the gears that clicked in the pocketwatch also clicked in their every day society. Clockwork robots cleaned up the streets, clockwork machine helped move them around, inventors ran amuck.

However one man, a mysterious man, had taken it upon himself to change the very society. He had built rockets. Rockets! Can you believe that? The entire society hadn't even thought of such a thing! After all, the entire climate was desert-like, and horseback was usually the best way to travel aside from those infernal expensive machines. Farming and ranching was still rather common... or at least along the coast where it actually rained.

"The time has come for the advancement of society, to bring new order in this poor, wretched society!" The man spoke up. The crowd went wild. Beer was served and dancing took amongst the streets...

Right along the coast was a place that was rather quiet, a place that could easily be used to park a certain Time Lord's TT Capsule and gather up some resources for this task. Omega had finally located the place and what was going on, and he had every intention of stopping it, no matter how questionable it may seem. After all, this target's very intention was to blow up one of the oldest living places in the universe. Naturally Omega was going to stop his own home and time from being disrupted in a way, and he wasn't going to do it The Doctor's way, no sirree. If he could stop it early, it would prevent any tragedy.

Omega had awhile ago sent out a psychic signal-not a distress signal-to see what creatures would come to his aid. If there was one thing he couldn't trust, it was himself. He didn't want to get carried away slaughtering people or even making this... man or whomever launch the missiles early.

Omega put on a Stetson Hat, shielding his eyes form the sun and deciding that, for once, this actually was a pretty cool hat.

[Kikilia]

"It's all the same," she sang as she rode into the town limits, "only the names will change
"Everyday it seems we're wasting away
"Another place where the faces are so cold
"I'd drive all night just to get back home."

The people she passed gave her curious looks, and the menfolk tended to look twice. There was a lot worth looking at, there on the horse. A brown stetson perched atop a head with a shaggy mane of red-gold hair, and emerald eyes shone in a perky-cute face with an infectous smile. The brown duster she wore didn't hide the fact that, though slim, she was proud built under her jeans and white button-down blouse.

It wasn't hard to spot the pistols strapped around her waist, either. Or the holstered rifle hanging from her saddle. Or the fact that they looked well used.

"I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride
"I'm wanted dead or alive
"Wanted dead or alive..."

Kikilia, meanwhile, looked around like she was a tourist and didn't care who knew it. This was great! She loved her chocolate-brown Arabian - named "Cadbury" - and simply adored the clothes. Hell, she'd been so excited about dressing up like this that, first night, she'd even tried the traditional 'plug o' chaw'.

That had ended... poorly. Which was wierd, because Fred smoked like a chimney and Meds probably ate tobacco salads with coffee vinagrette dressing.

"Sometimes I sleep, sometimes it's not for days
"And the people I meet always go their separate ways
"Sometimes you tell the day
"By the bottle that you drink
"And times when you're alone all you do is think."

She tipped her hat to a young couple that walked past, he in a simple suit and she in a full dress that she found unexpectedly cute. Not quite her style, but maybe she'd look into one anyway. Just to try it on. They returned her greeting hesitantly.

"I'm a cowboy," Kiki continued singing, "on a steel horse I ride
"I'm wanted dead or alive
"Wanted dead or alive..."

Form seemed to follow function here, resulting in a small town that could have fit right in on Earth's 'wild west' period. The two main dirt roads were laid out in a cross, with a town hall and a church and some sort of store at the center. The people, clearly human stock even though genetic drift over the millennia had stamped subtle differences on them, moved about with an unhurried purposefullness. Nothing here seemed more advanced than very, very early industrial.

Which, of course, begged the question of who had sent that signal.

"I walk these streets, a loaded six string on my back
"I play for keeps, 'cause I might not make it back
"I been everywhere, and I'm standing tall
"I've seen a million faces an I've rocked them all."

Dismounting, she tied Cadbury outside what appeared to be a saloon or restaurant - and, because this was fun, she was really hoping it was a saloon - and walked inside. As she did, the final verse of the song played through her mind and threw an extra little swagger on her hip.

I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride
I'm wanted dead or alive
I'm a cowboy, I got the night on my side
I'm wanted dead or alive
And I ride, dead or alive
I still drive, dead or alive
Dead or alive
Dead or alive
Dead or alive
Dead or alive

"Afternoon, everyone!" she called.

[Deleted]

Milli didn’t think much on History, but certain portions of the galaxy, every Aspirant knew. The Sector of Forgotten Souls was part of Gallifreyan History 101, although its rather messy tale was not entirely so well known. Omega and Rassilon’s names were both remembered far better than Vandekirian. She probably would never have visited on her own…

But the psychic signal was just too interesting not to check out.

Once Millennia had landed on the planet in question, she had no idea why this was not her first vacation spot. Steam power and horseback and everything the Deca might have talked about playing at with the Shobogans only so much more real! Where was she to even start?

[Deleted]

The town was bustling with people and the noises of the daw spiraled up into the sky. It was a very exciting moment, the town square having a typical speech and the crowd cheering. Horses pulled carriages and carts full of materials (goods and metal otherwise). Workers toiled heavily on the roofs and machine workshops that scattered around the place. The most interesting sight had to be what was seen a good mile away, a very steampunk looking rocket mount spiraling high up into the sky keeping up a very large rocket.

Where did one get the materials to build something so advanced for it's technology? That's what Omega wanted to know. Even being outside of town hiding his TT Capsule, he knew that was completely... wrong. It was off. Like someone displaced out of time bringing in technology. Breaking the laws of Time.

Omega adjusted his collar, feeling a bit out of place in his poet's shirt and vest, but at the same time it felt pretty comfortable to him. He'd climb up onto a black stallion he... borrowed and glanced around. Depending whether or not anybody was around to help him, he would have to approach people, but that would be hard. Or perhaps a little too easy due to the natural telepathy Gallifreyans had.

----

In the saloon Kiklia may come across a rather interesting specimen. He seems human, but at the same time he wasn't. Like there was a little prickling in her skin from just how completely off-putting he was. He didn't seem much, he looked like a typical bandito, with a scarf over the lower part of his face and a hat covering his head. He was silent, creepy dagger-like eyes glazing around the saloon, but not touching the full mug of alcoholic beverage he had-

"Afternoon ma'am. Come here to enjoy the festivities?" A face came into view and blocked the odd man. This one was much more appealing to look at. He had a young, shapely looking face, bright hazel-green eyes and wild brunette hair that flicked upwards at the front (if he could keep it clean it would be good looking in a man's pompadour). He was pretty tall, about six foot three inches, and conveyed a bit of a maverick attitude, with his swagger and grace.

"Name's Andy. Would you like me to buy you a drink?"

[Kikilia]

"Afternoon ma'am. Come here to enjoy the festivities?"

Kiki glanced at the speaker, then decided to have a second look. He was worth looking at a second time, she decided. Tall and lean, with shaggy brown hair that just begged to be played with. Well dressed, too, although she decided he'd look a lot better with less on.

"Afraid not," she smiled. "I'm here following up on a message I was sent. But..." She decided to give him a third going over, "if I'm still here when they start, then I'll hang around."

"Name's Andy. Would you like me to buy you a drink?"

She gave him her best smile, straightening up a little and drawing a breath as she did. "I think I would, Andy. My name's Kikilia; my friends call me Kiki."

[Captain Jack Harkness]

Captain Jack Harkness materialised in the shadows behind a long, low wooden building. For a moment, he paused to catch his breath and regather his senses after yet another headlong trip through the Time Vortex. From the strong smell of horse and the shuffling noises coming from behind the rough wooden wall, he guessed that he had arrived next to a livery stable. In the distance, he could hear cheering, as if from a large crowd.

A grin stretched the ex-Time Agent's mouth as he looked down at the thick leather strap encircling his wrist. It was good to have his vortex manipulator back in working order again, thanks to Sarah Jane Smith and her sonic lipstick. As much as he had loved working with Torchwood on Earth, he had missed the sense of freedom the device had always given him.

And now that Torchwood was gone...

Forcibly, he pulled his mind away from the pain of his past, concentrating instead on the challenges of the present.

The psychic signal coming from this planet had been strong enough to register on the scanners built into his wrist-strap. Strong enough to arouse his curiosity. Now all that remained was to track down the source.

Keeping to the shadows, he edged silently around the perimeter of the stables, heading for the street.

[Deleted]

Milli had been scanning the area Quietly, curious as to who wanted help and why. The planet made her itch, but Milli was not really sure why. It just tickled and teased and felt a bit like pinching and a bit like being covered in fire ants. Squirming in discomfort, Millennia tried humming to make the feeling go away.

Then, when that didn't work, she tried hiding behind a tree and then a large red building. That proved equally unsuccessful.

Running into a cold, solid fact chased the ants away. Oh yes it did. Millennia came to a complete still as she watched the figure in the shadows. Milli was an expert at not moving, her chest did not even rise for breath as the tall, skinny blue haired girl watched the living fact in the shadows.

Teal blue eyelashes lowered a millimeter as shyness surged through the once doll. What did she do? Introduce herself or just follow him from the shadows?

One thing was for sure, Milli did not want him to leave. As strange as he felt, it was better than the sensation of the planet to her on its own.

[Deleted]

Omega felt an odd sensation and it wasn't the sensation of two Time Ladies being around. It was another instinct. Telling him to get out of there and keep it away. No, he had to tell his instincts to forget it, because his entire universe was at stake. Plus? He was a god. There was no way that he was going to deal with his own guts. Because his guts wanted to rip the guts out of whomever was responsible for this mess.

Either way, he rode his horse up to the bar where Kiklia and Andy were, dropping down and balancing himself right between the two anomalies he sensed. One was the fact of course, that seemed to come from the stable, and the other was in the bar. Something far more sinister... a bit more concerning to him.

"It's not like I CAN find out who picked up the message." He muttered himself. Either way it would be easy to spot him. he's tall, blonde and a Time Lord, and other Time Lords would easily be able to pick up his presence like the other two ladies that he knew were around... but could not quite name.


---

Andy was a slight anomaly, not in time, or anything else, but the fact he had great timing and a slight psychic prowess. Nothing too intense, just something that allowed him to just block out emotions and lock himself in. It might be the reason why the masked man was watching him carefully... or the fact he was flirting shamelessly with the young Time Lady. Either way, the anomaly, the masked man, would watch carefully.

"Well, there's been strange things going on about here. However there's been not enough proof to really start any investigations." Andy shrugged. But he then winked, "Not me, though. I'm invited anywhere I feel like."

As soon as he got her name, he would bow to her in a rather proper manner, heading to the bar and waving down the bartender, turning back to the lady. "Then I will call you Kiki. Indeed it is quite a fine name for someone like you~."

[Kikilia]

"Well, there's been strange things going on about here. However there's been not enough proof to really start any investigations." Andy shrugged. But he then winked, "Not me, though. I'm invited anywhere I feel like."

"By sheer coincidence," she said with an impish little grin, "that's exactly how I look at things. If you're not specifically told you're not invited, they probably just forgot to mention it. And if they told you that you aren't invited..?"

She looked left and right, the grin becoming even more impish. "Well, they'd realize soon enough how much they missed having you show up. So... why make them suffer?"

"Name's Andy. Would you like me to buy you a drink?"

She gave him her best smile, straightening up a little and drawing a breath as she did. "I think I would, Andy. My name's Kikilia; my friends call me Kiki."

His response was to - ohmygod how cool! - bow. Like, really bow. He's sexy and gorgeous and has that adorable hair and if he kisses my hand I'll totally do him right here...

It was probably just as well, both for her dignity and the sense of propriety of the other patrons, that he just spoke instead. "Then I will call you Kiki. Indeed it is quite a fine name for someone like you~."

Play it cool... she told herself, following him towards the bar, play it cool you're two centuries old Kiki gawd he's hot you can control yourself...

"You're mighty fine yourself," she said, then bit her lip. "I mean, Andy's a fine name. Very fine. Totally fine. Uhm..." She thought hard, trying to find a way to change the subject a little and stop scoping his butt out at the same time. "Whiskey would be good. Or... heck, I don't care. Anything with alcohol."

[Captain Jack Harkness]

Still standing concealed by the shadow of the livery stable, Jack peered out into the street, curious to see where he had ended up, before he made his grand entrance. To his surprise, he was treated to a scene that could have been drawn straight from the Wild West back on Earth. Sun-baked, rutted street, weathered buildings, horse-drawn buggies, wood-planked sidewalks. Men in travel-stained dusters with broad-brimmed Stetson hats, ladies in long calico dresses...as well as some not-so-ladies, dressed in leather bustiers and ruffled skirts slit to the thigh, parading their wares outside what appeared to be a brothel. Jack's eyes passed over the latter with amused appreciation, before going on to take in a General Store, a Chinese laundry, a newspaper office, a county jail and a noisy saloon.

But there were differences from a traditional Western town, odd anachronisms that soon reminded him he was not on Earth – the clockwork robots jerkily cleaning the sidewalks, the peculiar steam-driven vehicles clanking and grinding down the street...and most of all, the enormous rocket silhouetted against the hazy blue horizon.

Jack's keen eyes lit up in interest as he studied the distant structure. Such an advanced piece of technology in a place like this...it would be far too much of a coincidence to believe it to be unrelated to the mysterious psychic summons.

And then he felt it...the familiar, unnerving prickling across the back of his neck that always meant he was being watched. Not casually either, but intently and purposefully. His hand slid to the Webley in his belt holster, drawing it out in one smooth movement and whirling around, only to find himself looking into the eyes of a tall, slender woman with long blue hair.

[Deleted]

There were two Time Lords nearby now. And Milli’s instincts were telling her to go find them, to run from the Fact in front of her. On the other side of the coin, the Song of Time around this planet was shrieking and the shivery feeling the man in front of her had blocked out the screams.

Which wasn’t to say she didn’t step back rapidly when he turned and drew a gun on her.

Squeaking, she stumbled back and shrunk away with wide eyes at the possibilities where he might shoot accidentally or intentionally.

“Really unnecessary!”

[Deleted]

And suddenly, he felt it. It was a delay, but he felt that anomaly in space and time. It was enough to pique his curiosity, especially since it was towards one of the Time Lords. For a brief moment he was frightened, that this anomaly was something worse than he thought, but he took a deep breath and then got off his horse, trying her down and then walking towards the stables. It was around the corner that he spotted a young blue Time Lord.

Well she was kind of interesting, but his blue eyes swiveled towards the other man. He was human, he could tell, but clearly tampered with. At least by something very powerful, but Omega knew that wasn't his work. He suddenly felt shy and unsure of what really to say, but he might as well take it in strides. These two were time travelers. The scent of the Vortex was all over them.

"I'd suggest you put the gun down. You won't get to use it." A long pause. He then added quickly and quietly, "... Yet." With that he would glance over to Milli, sensing her two heartbeats.

"You got a telepathic message, no?"

----

"Precisely." Andy clicked his tongue and winked at her. "Besides, the man who owns the company that's making that rocket, Ian Swire... well, I don't know how he came up with this wack of an idea to build that thing, anyway. That's where all the kids in this country have been heading. My place is in Seria, across the mountains, came over to investigate for the offices up there."

Andy was just happily playing along with the young woman, finding fun in flirting shamelessly. He was a gentleman, an adventurer, and a bad boy to boot, and this was all sport for him. Well, he had to admit he found himself a pretty awesome lady. She looked pretty tough in a fight, even. As soon as he got what drink she'd like, he would speak to the bartender.

"Whiskey on the rocks it is, then." He glanced over to his side, noticing that Kiki was watching him, and definitely not in the innocent way. He pulled back his lips into an impish grin, leaning forward on the counter. "So how about you? You're quite a gorgeous piece of work yourself, so I can't imagine you'd come out here for idle chatter, no~?"

[Kikilia]

She looked left and right, the grin becoming even more impish. "Well, they'd realize soon enough how much they missed having you show up. So... why make them suffer?"

"Precisely," Mr. Hot agreed with a wink. "Besides, the man who owns the company that's making that rocket, Ian Swire... well, I don't know how he came up with this wack of an idea to build that thing, anyway."

That broke Kiki out of the mild 'wonder what his abs feel like' reverie she'd been in. "I, ah," she hesitated. I guess I can't say "you're a colony world, right? So it came out of your history." "Just somebody clever, I guess. Takes a smart man to notice recoil, and turn it into propulsion."

"That's where all the kids in this country have been heading. My place is in Seria, across the mountains, came over to investigate for the offices up there."

"Really? An investigator, huh? Legal, or industrial?" she asked with a wink.

Then he introduced himself and offered to buy her a drink, and she accepted with as much good grace as she could muster.

"You're mighty fine yourself," she said, then bit her lip. "I mean, Andy's a fine name. Very fine. Totally fine. Uhm..." She thought hard, trying to find a way to change the subject a little and stop scoping his butt out at the same time. "Whiskey would be good. Or... heck, I don't care. Anything with alcohol."

"Whiskey on the rocks it is, then." It was obvious from his expression that'd noticed her staring. Fine, then. She lifted an eyebrow as she leaned against the counter, and matched his impish grin. "So how about you? You're quite a gorgeous piece of work yourself, so I can't imagine you'd come out here for idle chatter, no~?"

"Oh, I dunno," Kiki said, sipping her whiskey. "I'd imagine any number of women might come out here for..." she made a show of trying not to look like she was checking him out again, "idle chatter."

A smile. "Of course, I'm also curious about the rockets. I got a message, saying it was worth looking into. So far," she winked at him, "I'd say it is."

[Captain Jack Harkness]

“Really unnecessary.”

Jack stared at the blue-haired woman. The first thing he noticed was that she was very pretty. The second thing was that she seemed to be quite young. However, he knew better than most that appearances could be deceiving. Something about the woman's eyes told him that she was much older than she looked, maybe even older than him. There was something fey and shy about her, something almost otherworldly, as if she was a figment of his imagination and might vanish at any moment.

He lowered his weapon a fraction. “Sorry about that, Blue,” he said, his American accent an amused drawl. “You startled me. What are you...?”

But before he could complete the question, another voice cut in.

“I'd suggest you put the gun down. You won't get to use it.”

Jack whirled around, his gun raised high again, angry with himself that he'd allowed the woman to distract him from what was going on around him. His eyebrows raised as he sighted the newcomer. Greek god, was his first shocked thought. The man was a veritable Adonis, tall and blonde, well-built and handsome. Not only that, but he had a regal presence about him, as if he was used to command.

“Yet...” the man added, the single word an ominous rider to his initial statement.

His lofty gaze encompassed both Jack and the blue-haired woman. “You got a telepathic message, no?”

So this was the source of the mysterious summons. Jack slanted another glance at the blue-haired woman. Whatever this was about, it looked as if they were all on the same side, at least for now.

“Yeah,” he responded, returning the Webley to its holster. “And I don't know about Blue here, but I'd really like to know what's going on.”

[Deleted]

He lowered his weapon a fraction. “Sorry about that, Blue,” he said, his American accent an amused drawl. “You startled me. What are you...?”

Blue... She had been called that name plenty of times before. Her hair was unusual in a society that rather loathed change.

Years had passed before she met anyone who cared to learn her actual name. But Magnus had made up for it in spades.

“I'd suggest you put the gun down. You won't get to use it.”

The speaker was unfamiliar, but Milli's eyes rounded in excitement all the same. He was wasn't quite her brother, but they held such similarities! And he had just stopped the Fact from shooting her.

That was rather good enough as an endorsement for her.

“You got a telepathic message, no?”


Milli ran up to and hugged the strange Time Lord, shying away from the Fact who kept calling her Blue and in general acting the part of a scared child.

A breath, three, and Milli suddenly let go of his neck apologetically.

"My apologies, my Lord. You reminded me of... It's not important."


“Yeah,” he responded, returning the Webley to its holster. “And I don't know about Blue here, but I'd really like to know what's going on.”

"I have a name, Undying One," she told Jack balefully, almost but not quite hiding behind Omega. "The Vortex is screaming here; the Reapers want to feast on the Children of the Rocket."

No one could say Milli had made logical sense she left the playroom, but her hearts were in the right place. Mostly.