RolePlayGateway?

Hi.

Perhaps my Story needs some introduction. The Flats is a post-apocalyptic steampunky western setting where I have set RPs in the past. The basic structure is always pretty similar, you got an independent state called the Flats which while far from peaceful is free. The Flats is normally invaded by some big bad forcing the people to band together to fight the threat or alternatively the RPers get sent on some Quest across the region.
This story was just something I put together using three of the more memorable characters. Maybe one day I?ll run an RP set on the Flats but for now I just enjoy writing stories in the setting.

I hope you enjoy reading it, or if you didn?t at least get a few pointers on how not to write.

The Flats- First Day.

The Solider

?The egg is useful, from it we get yolk and white or a chick so we may have more eggs or a chicken for the table. There is more to the egg though for the egg needs its shell. The shell must be hard and separate from the rest of the egg or else it ceases to be a shell. You will be a Guardian Jacob, a shell. That means we must first toughen you like armour leather and forge you like a blade. This will not be an easy time, but know that there are no easy times, not for you, not for the shell.?

Those words were seared into Jacob Tuesday?s brain for they were the only words ever spoken to him by Father Singh. The leader of Hope and the man Jacob was sworn to die for. They had been said years before when Jacob was but child not even an initiate just another Orphan to be dropped at the gates of Hope, the walled town in the middle of the Flats.

Jacob and his fellow initiates didn?t so much grow up as were dragged. Every day they fought, when not fighting they studied combat techniques. Everything was focused at getting these children ready to kill and die for Hope. The Orphans of Hope slowly became skilled at death and started to understand why the town?s people never looked them in the eye. ?The Sheep know the dog will protect them but the dog still looks like a wolf.? As the Elder Guardians said.

Mercilessly the Elders drilled them, every few months a death or injury would whittle their number down. Yet the training persisted until they were worthy of the Guardian?s Mark, a branding on the right hand that forever marked them as property of Hope.

Sharpshooting was Jacob?s calling but the boy had a way with old world objects and seemed to understand them. People called it ?The Echo?, memories from before the incident that scorched the sky and ruined the old cities. When talk about ?The Echo? started townsfolk stopped talking to him all together but he had all he needed in the Guardians. He would give his life freely for Hope or any of her people but he?s never be one of them.

The Tribal

Around the time Jacob was getting his induction to the Guardians another man who would come to shape the Flats was just coming into creation.
He woke in the middle of the Flats face down in a dry riverbed, he didn?t know his name, what he looked like or where he was. In fact he couldn?t remember a thing from before the moment his eyes opened the in riverbed.

He was completely naked with red raw skin that had blistered from exposure to the sun and the wind. Dried blood was caked to his body and he could feel clumps of congealed blood, hair and dirt on the side of his head. He pulled himself up into a sitting position and saw he was not the only one in the river bed. Three men lay around him, they were clothed but dead.

The man slowly got to his feet and was hit with a bout of vertigo followed by nausea. Once it passed he went about rifling the bodies and taking whatever they had of use. He found a lighter in one man?s pocket and instantly turned it on he stood watching it dance for long time. The flame made him happy in the way a woman does, at this moment he realised he was different.

He stripped the man who most closely matched his height and weight and put on his clothes. He found no firearms but each man was carrying a bowie knife which he took along with butcher?s apron that had vast array of cleavers, knives, switchblades and other pointy objects . He put the apron on a felt a smile play across his face, in another life it had been his.

He looked at the bodies for a moment before piling them up on top of each other and dumping whatever supplies he didn?t take on top of that. He then produced the lighter and lit the whole twisted beacon. He watched it for some time enjoying the smell and noises. As the light began to fade from his fire the man felt his heart ache.

He turned his back on the fading fire and made his way out of the riverbed.

He was walking for a long time before he encountered new people. A gang emerged from behind broken building covered in thrown together armour fashioned out of rubbish. They were not like the others, these ones were broken.

?What you got there Mister?? A tall one said as he jabbed his finger.

This was the leader then. Instinctively he grabbed a knife and threw it into the man?s exposed stomach. Bent double the man never saw the cleaver glinting in the sunlight.

After, he looked at the group but nobody met his gaze. He was the leader now, after the music he played with his predecessor it would a while before he was challenged again.

?What was his name?? He asked pointing at the pile of gore that had been their leader.

?Gretch.? Someone finally mumbled.

The man nodded slowly.

?I?m Gretch now.?

The Pirate.

?The Flats is a free trade zone! Whadda ya mean there?s a Tax??

Captain Carla Reynolds was irate. She was being told by some Cloud sniffer that the Confederate Army was looking for a take. While standing on her airship.

?Look Sweetheart, if you?ll just calm down, you?ll see all Airships in this??

?The last man to call me sweetheart walked away holding his own tongue. Coincidently he was the last one to tell me to calm down. I ain?t never paid tax to slavers and I ain?t gonna start now.?

The man?s smile dropped.

?I don?t take kindly to be called a slaver.?

?Then turn around.?

?You got a mark on that arm? I think you?ve run off on your master.?

Reynold?s hand dropped to the revolver on her hip, her crew followed suit.

?Fifteen!? Reynolds called out.

?Naw, Twenty!? A member of her crew called out.

?Shit, a strong breeze would knock him over I say six.? The woman by the wheel yelled.

?What are you talking about?? The confederate asked.

?How many holes we can put in ya before you hit the ground.?

The confederate man?s mouth opened but he was cut short by a wall of gunfire.

After they had dumped the bodies and pillaged the small airship Captain Reynolds brought her Airship high into the clouds. The Icarus was bathed in moonlight which glistened on the frost forming on the rigging.

?Sons of bitches. What?re they doing this far South?? She complained to her first mate Jasper.

?Don?t rightly know we?re gonna have to go further south now. You know what?ll happen if they catch us.?

?Guess that was luck. He didn?t know he was speaking to the Bloodthirsty Captain Reynolds and her crew of Motherless Sky Dogs.?

?No need for name calling.? Jasper said with a smile.

?Captain??

Reynolds turned to see Bones, the nearest thing the Icarus had to a Doctor.

?Yes Bones??

?Capt?n. Me and some of the boys were going through the stuff we got off confederate fellas and we found some maps.?

?Maps??

?Got compasses and everything on ?em.?

?I do like a good map.?

Reynolds took the map from the old man and her brow furrowed as she read. She hooked a lock of her red hair behind ear and Jasper knew she only did this when deep in thought or worried.

?These Maps are of The Flats, marking out trade routes. ?

?What?s the Feds doing with maps of The Flats?? Jasper asked.

?Nothing good.?

The Solider.

The Town of Hope had been a great city in the old world but whatever happened to make the sky blood red and old ones leave had also destroyed most of the city. The once beautiful walled city had been reduced to the size of a small town the most complete building was the cathedral which still bore the marks of a battle many years ago. The rest of the city had been cannibalised to the make the sturdy walls that protected the city.

Dotted along the walls stood the great steam Gatling guns which were more for show than anything else as to fire them for five minutes would take all the metal in the town. The real defence came from the sharpshooter posts. With clockwork rifles the Guardian?s Sharpshooters were among the most accurate on the Flats, Jacob was proud to count himself among their number.

The location of the town was revealed in a vision to Father Singh when he was a young man and it became his life?s goal to keep his flock safe from the evils of the Flats. So far he had been successful. The townspeople busied themselves constructing better defences, growing crops and praying. None of them fought for the sake of their souls. Which is why they took in orphans and indoctrinated them brutally.

Jacob raised the rifle scope the horizon and looked at the far city in the distance.

New Mesa.

It was most likely where he was born but he had no memory of the place. He was delivered to the gates of Hope and handed to a Guardian while still an infant. Nobody knew anything about the woman who left him but Jacob liked to imagine it was his mother.

?Jacob.?

The young guardian nearly fell from his post. Of course it was Samuel, famed for the quietness of his step. Samuel was considered to be the best shot in the Guardians as well the most experienced Walker. Most Guardians, like the townspeople, stayed in Hope for their entire life ready to defend it at a moment?s notice, however some were chosen to be Walkers. These Guardians went over the wall and into the Flats to gather supplies and information. That is why Samuel?s equipment was non-standard. He carried a clockwork rifle with specially crafted spiral sight, a heavy Fetlock revolver and a scimitar while his armour had been customised to be lighter.

?Yes, Elder Samuel.? Jacob said looking down from his post.

?Keep your eyes on the horizon.? Samuel barked.

Jacob snapped his eyes back to the horizon.

?I?m going over the wall, need medical supplies from New Mesa. Last time Brother Kyle was unlucky so I need a new spotter.?

Jacob could feel his excitement building.

?Gather your things and go to armoury, tell them I sent you.?

Half an hour later Jacob was similarly outfitted to Samuel and standing on the wall. Samuel lowered a rope ladder and both men quickly made their way down to the desert floor. It was the first time Jacob had been outside Hope since the day he arrived.

?This is not the world you know, you only know violence through training or the scope of a rifle. Out here you must be flexible, smart and most of all quick. In Hope it?s easy to know your enemy because your back is always against the wall. Allies inside, evil outside. Out here things are blurrier, be aware.?

Jacob nodded and the two men set off, leapfrogging from cover to cover.

After a few hours they were within view of New Mesa.

?They tell me you have the Echo.? Samuel said after hours of silence.

?Yes, I understand clockwork? on weapons.?

?You should have been a smith then, but you can?t choose your parents.?

?Or lack thereof.? Jacob said finishing the old Guardian joke.

Samuel cracked a grim smile.

?We?re here to get medicines. Normally I meet a man half way between here and Hope but last time we were ambushed by raiders. Killed the trader and Kyle, then took the supplies. I was lucky to escape with my life.?

Jacob knew random violence was the order of the day. All along the journey he felt the most alert he had even been but things were going to get more complicated. They were going into New Mesa.

The Tribal.

In the years since he taken the name Gretch, Gretch had been busy. First he solidified his power, this was a bloody but amusing time in his life. As the animals he led learned that to challenge Gretch?s leadership was a quick way to a fast, violent and often creative death the challenges and attempted murders dried up. Next, he expanded. This was simple enough first he introduced the concept of tactics to his savages, a notion they never full mastered but a half trained team will always beat a group of clueless individuals. He noticed every tribe he took on had one technique and that was to swarm.
Each tribe he fought got a onetime only deal, swear allegiance to him or he?d turn your tribe in to dinner. It was a no brainer for most agree and all you had to do was hand over your best weapons and warriors. Decline and you get turned into Barbecue.

Gretch entered a new phase after years of searching and slowly building his team he eventually put together a gang of what he considered to the most lethal Tribals on the Flats. Sure they were a little rough around the edges but each one would help get him a step closer to his goal.

Revenge on New Mesa.

It all started a couple of weeks after he became Gretch. He led a raid on a trade caravan and was dispatching the survivors when one called him by a name he didn?t recognise.

?My name is Gretch.? He told the man.

?No I remember you from before, from New Mesa.?

?You know this face??

?You used to work for Fat Nick Escobar, in New Mesa. You were his chief bodyguard.?

?Then why am I here??

?He had you killed. Sent into The Flats with his boys. Was worried you were gonna overthrow him.?

?Alright. I?m going to kill soon. A dead man should never lie.?

Gretch then plunged his sword deep in to the man stomach and ripped it out with a trail of gore following.

?You?re dead, maybe twenty seconds before you pass out. Don?t lie. Is what you say true??

The man screamed but nodded. Gretch slit the man?s throat and ended his suffering.

The story made sense, it was clear Gretch had a skill for leading men so maybe Fat Nick had been scared of him and he felt on some deep level the story was true. As the months passed he started to get shadows of memories that belonged to someone else. There had been a man and a woman and something else, possibly a fight or argument. He devoted the next few years to putting together the toughest group of Tribals he could find and plotting his revenge.

Then he met Mr Autumn.

Mr Autumn said he was a businessman interested in ?development? but he needed someone to take Fat Nick and his band out of the equation. Gretch was no fool and knew there was more the Autumn than met the eye but they had a shared desire and that made them partners. Autumn provided the supplies while Gretch provided the manpower and they were in business.

Now the plan was ready to be put into action. He was dressed for the first time he could remember clothes, not rags, he was clean and as near to sober as he was ever likely to get. The pockets on the trousers he was wearing felt strange and his feet were not used to boots but he felt he was fitting in. He knew his gang were dotted around New Mesa ready for the right time.

Gretch was standing in the middle of Fat Nick?s casino with a satchel full of explosives and timer. He didn?t remember the place but that was alright, he felt like he had been here before. He was at the bar enjoying the first drink he could recall paying for and watching the women standing at the tables dealing cards to drunks. They were scantily dressed in stockings and corsets which Gretch found ridiculous but could understand the appeal. Soon was all he told himself.

He took a deep swig of the jam jar containing his ?shine and left the bar. He walked outside and looked up at the sun and decided it was about time.
Seeing stars from looking at the sun he returned to the dark casino and walked towards a store room he?d spied in the back. It was darker, cooler and quieter here than anywhere else in the casino and for an instant Gretch thought he was getting a memory but it quickly passed, leaving just a faint smell of perfume. Whistling to himself he opened the satchel and twisted the knob on the timer, Mr Autumn had provided the best of equipment. Gently he placed the satchel behind a crate and stood up.

?Hey you shouldn?t be in here.?

Gretch turned and did his best impression of a drunk which was easy as he had experience. A guard was standing pointing a shotgun at him.

?I?m looking for the? uh outhouse.? Gretch slurred.

Gretch staggered towards the man pointing a shotgun at him.

?Well the outhouse won?t be inside. If you?ve made a mess in here you?ll be cleaning it up along with your teeth!?

?Sa.. So sorry? sorry friend. HAHA!? Gretch started to laugh and tripped towards the man.

?Lose??

The man didn?t expect Gretch to move so quickly and accurately. Before he could finish the word ?loser? Gretch had buried a dagger deep in the man?s throat. Gretch tossed the shotgun aside and then gently lowered the man to the ground. He covered the Guard?s mouth but knew the only sound he could make was an occasional gargle as the pink blood foamed. Gretch watched the life drain from the man?s eyes.

He cleaned the blood off as best he could on the dead man?s clothes and hurried out of the Casino.

In a few minutes this place would be a very unhealthy place to be.

The Pirate.

?So you want to work for Fat Nick, eh??

Captain Carla Reynolds had been in Fat Nick?s office for five minutes and already wanted to kill the man. Of all his disgusting habits it was his use of the third person that annoyed her the most.

?I got a ship and a crew. I know you run from Cloudcove to New Mesa. I?ll move your cargo faster than any other ship.?

?How?s that??

?We don?t have dead weight. Plus moving fast is what keeps us alive.? She looked out the large window behind Nick it gave an excellent view of the poverty below.

?Yeah, Fat Nick knows about Captain Reynolds. A slave who killed her master, stole a confederate ship and lives as a Sky Pirate. They would be very interested to know where you are. Make an example of you, Fat Nick knows the value in examples.?

?I?d say they?d be just as interested in you Nick.?

Fat Nick laughed and nodded.

?Deal. I?ll have a cargo run in a few days until then you enjoy Fat Nicks. Maybe you like it so much you come work for me here. Never had a redhead before. Love to see you all prettied up.?

?You won?t. I?ll be back in a few days for the cargo.?

Reynolds left the office and met Jasper who was eyeballing Fat Nick?s guards. Reynolds sighed, testosterone was thick in the air.

?Let?s go Jasper, I?ll buy you a drink.?

?Not in here.?

Obviously something had been said but Reynolds was too tired to care.

?Down the street then.?

As they walked through the streets Reynolds told Jasper about the agreement with Nick.

That?s when they heard the first explosion.

?Was that?? Jasper started before the building next to them blew up sending shards of wood and glass into the street.
Dazed, Reynolds got to her feet with a ringing in her ears. In a few short seconds New Mesa had gone from relatively peaceful to an all explosions, all the time shootout. The default response to violence was to open fire so the entire town had turned into a shooting range. Reynolds looked down at Jasper?s burnt corpse, he?d taken the brunt of the explosion and saved her life. Shaking herself awake she ran back towards Fat Nick?s Casino figuring it would be the best defended location as well as the tallest.

More explosions rocked the town as she pushed and shot her way down the boardwalk. When she reached the saloon doors a wave a heat and fire blew her back into the street. She looked up at the wrecked building that was Fat Nick?s.

The Solider.

Jacob raised the scope to his eye and watched Samuel exit the small medical supplies shops and make his way through the streets. The first explosion seemed distant and far away but when Samuel broke into a run Jacob realised something was wrong.

Fire and smoke were obscuring his view but he provided as much cover for Samuel as possible dropping anyone holding a gun within twenty feet. The town had seemingly gone in mad as the people began fighting among themselves and fleeing in terror. The wooden buildings were catching fire quickly and obscuring Jacob?s view to what was happening but he had a clear line to the south. That?s when he realised what was going on.

Tribals were pouring into the city, this was a coordinated attack on New Mesa. For a second Jacob thought about pulling the trigger but hesitated, he?d never take all the Tribals, better to cover Samuel then get the supplies and get word back to Hope.

He picked out Samuel again but could see he had slowed dramatically. The smoke was thick but Jacob could make out bloody wound in Samuel?s gut. Samuel looked towards Jacob before collapsing. Quickly Jacob collected his rifle and took off towards the town.

Samuel was looking at the smoke and clouds passing above him. He wasn?t sure if he?d passed out or simply collapsed. He patted bag he was carrying that contained the medical supplies and pulled out his Fetlock revolver. He?d need to defend the bag until Jacob got to him. Tribals had seemingly materialised out of nowhere and where raining havoc on the city. He pulled himself into a sitting position as a hulking sunburnt Tribal turned and looked him straight in the eye. His eyes then dropped to Samuel?s hand.

He?d seen the Guardian?s Mark.

The tribal yelled something unintelligible before Samuel?s Revolver silenced him but he knew his life was now measured in seconds, minutes at a push. Tribals were converging on his position all hungry to get a Guardian?s scalp. He drained his revolver and took five more. He tried to pull his scimitar from its scabbard but weak from blood loss.

Then they were on him.

Feet and fists beat him as he tried to keep his right hand close but there were too many. The Tribals yanked his hand away and pinned his arm. Samuel looked in horror as a skinny tribal brought his own scimitar down and lopped his hand. For a moment Samuel was glad he always kept his blade sharp.
Samuel screamed in pain while the Tribal did a celebratory dance, shaking the hand like a trophy. Taking the Mark of a Guardian had made him a living legend in his tribe. Until a round from Jacob?s revolver scattered his brains across New Mesa.

The other Tribals stopped their attack and stared open mouthed as Jacob dispatched the rest. Roughly Jacob then grabbed Samuel by the scruff and dragged him to an alley.

?Samuel! My God!?

?Listen. The medicine is in my bag? you?re cut off now? need to fight out. Tribals?? Samuel handed Jacob the bag and groaned. ?My gun? don?t? don?t leave me like this.?

Jacob nodded and got Samuel?s gun. He loaded it with six rounds and handed it to the fallen Guardian.

?I can get you out.? Jacob said.

Samuel smiled and shook his head. ?Hope, first. I?ll be behind? just need a rest.?

Jacob nodded and said goodbye to Samuel for the last time.

Rage controlled Jacob so when he came across a group of Tribals surrounding a woman with red hair he didn?t think just acted. He emptied his Revolver and used his blade on the rest. Panting and covered in blood he didn?t hear the woman talking to him.

?We have got to move!?

Jacob snapped back to reality when he felt the woman?s hand on his shoulder. She had equipment he?d never seen before and he guessed she wasn?t from around here.

?Where??

?The casino. I have an idea but we need to be higher.?

The pair ran into the casino which was not too badly damaged.

The Tribal

Fat Nick was at his desk and terrified. A man he didn?t recognise was standing in his office staring at him while his city burnt around him. Not a word had passed his lips despite what Fat Nick said, begged or promised. His gun was sitting on the table but he didn?t dare reach for it. After seeing his entire guard posse dispatched by one man with a couple of knives he knew he had no hope of getting the gun, aiming and firing before a blade found its way into his skull.

?My name is Gretch. I?m here for answers.?

?I?ll tell you anything.?

Gretch thought for a long moment but was cut short when two people broke into the room a woman with red hair and dark skinned man carrying a rifle and bag. His eyes never left Nick but he raised a pistol towards them.

?You here to kill me?? He asked the new arrivals.

?Just passing through.? The woman responded.

?Carla. Kill him and I?ll pay you whatever.?

?I wouldn?t recommend that.? Gretch said with a smile as he cocked the revolver. ?I?ll tell you this, my boys are on the way and on account of you being from the fairer sex you probably don?t want to be here when they arrive.?

?Right we?re backing off.? The dark skinned man with the rifle and mark on his hand said.

?Much obliged.? Gretch said lowering the revolver.

Slowly the pair backed out of the room leaving Gretch with Fat Nick.

?Please. Whatever you want.? Nick begged.

?I wanted answers but you know something? I don?t anymore. Instead I?m taking this town.?

?What are you talking about? There?s nothing lef??

A flurry of blades ended Nick?s sentence and life. Gretch thought he looked like knife block.

?That chair is just ruined.? He muttered.

Gretch pushed Fat Nick out of the chair and put his feet on the desk.

He felt comfortable, secure and in control.

?Gretch?? It was Jenks, one of his boys, standing in the doorway.

?How goes the war??

?They shot each other up when the bombs went off. The Tribes are clearing up.?

?Super. There?s a couple of shady looking characters upstairs. Deal with it.?

Jenks nodded.

?Jenks, One of ?ems a lady.? Gretch said with an exaggerated wink. He spun the chair around and looked out the large window behind him at the chaos he?d brought. His one overriding thought was how easy it had been and how quickly the people had turned on each other. People are the same all over he thought when the chips are down its survival of the fittest.

The Pirate.

On the roof of Fat Nick?s Casino Captain Reynolds was scanning the sky looking for the Icarus. At the first sign of trouble it would have floated down to Skyhook range so she and Jasper could have gotten out of there. The ship was slowly descending, cautious of the havoc below. She produced a thin baton and a book of matches. She lit the baton and green smoke started pouring out. She dropped it and The Icarus immediately responded by moving towards her.

She then produced a pistol with a large claw instead of a barrel.

?Jacob was it?? She asked.

?Yes.?

?Ok we?re going on a little ride I need you to hold tight and clip this to your belt.? She handed Jacob a harness which he put on.

?Bit closer than that.? She said pulling Jacob into a tight embrace and tethering them together. ?Now count backwards from ten.?

Jacob complied but ?The Echo? was annoying him. He looked at the gun then at the airship.

?Are you serious?? he said as he comprehended what about to happen.

?Always.?

At that moment Jenks burst through the door just in time to see Reynolds fire the pistol at the Icarus, the claw make purchase and the pair fly into the clouds as the skyhook pulled them towards the Icarus.

#

On board the Icarus Reynolds and Jacob watched as New Mesa burnt below them. They tried not to think about the atrocities that were happening while they were safe in the clouds.

?We need to get to Hope. Warn them. I have supplies they need, they?ll reward you for my safe return.?

?Good a plan as any.? Reynolds said.

She noticed Jacob?s hand and the mark on it.

?Were you a slave? Is that your master?s brand??

?No I?m a Guardian of Hope. This is the Guardian?s mark.?

Reynolds snorted. ?They got you good. A slave who doesn?t even know it.?

Jacob didn?t know what to say so he said nothing. Soon she left Jacob watching the clouds and went to chart a course for Hope.

The Tribal.

The two men met out in the Flats. One dressed in a Confederate Army Uniform and the other in scavenged armour.

?I gotta say while I knew you weren?t just Mr Autumn I didn?t guess this.?

?It?s Colonel Autumn actually. I notice none of the buildings were destroyed. I?m told you used half charges.?

?I?m taking New Mesa. I focused on body count, not destruction.?

?That wasn?t the agreement.?

?The agreement was to kill Fat Nick and remove the threat from New Mesa. Done. You even got a friendly face in New Mesa now and you?re gonna need help.?

?Maybe, we?ve got bigger problems at the moment.?

?Hope? Good luck, won?t be half as easy as New Mesa.?

?That?s our concern. Expect delivery of the weapons in the next few days. Congratulations you?re the second most powerful gang on the Flats.?

?Second??

?The Confederates are coming.? Colonel Autumn said with a smirk.

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