the sergeants three episode 2 - the princess of thoth

8/9/2019 The Sergeants Three Episode 2 - The Princess of Thoth

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THE SERGEANTS THREE

Episode Two: The Princess of Thoth

SPACE: 1889 CREATED BY FRANK CHADWICK

BASED ON THE RED SANDS CAMPAIGN BY PINNACLE ENTERTAINMENT

ADAPTED BY ANDREW ROBERTS



Former Royal Engineers sergeants Cutter, McPherson, and

Ballantine are initiated into the Explorer’s Society by wealthy

adventuress Emily Farnsworth. On their first mission in the

Libyan Desert, they are caught in a firefight between Bedouin

raiders and the legionnaires of Fort Oublié. But what is themalady which afflicts the Fort? And what could they learn

from the mysterious glyphs they have discovered?

“Quick! To the stables!” Emily yelled.

Opening the doors, they were knocked back when they flew open. Two

horses afflicted with same malady charged out into the courtyard.

Following close behind was a deranged sergeant. The group fled up

the ramp towards the wall, while the horses charged at the raiders.

Emily could hear their terrified jabbering. Shots rang out as they

fired on the horses and the sergeant while fleeing the courtyard.

Cutter peered over the wall to see them leave, ducking back as

several wild shots hit the wall nearby.

Emily looked at the dead horses and peered into the stables. Six

camels lay huddled in the corner. They didn’t seem to be deranged,

but the dry troughs told the explorers that they hadn’t drank for a

while.

“Come on.” She said, “Let’s go.”

“Don’t you think we should take the wounded Bedouins with us?”

Ballantine asked. Two of the raiders lay on the ground moaning as

they nursed deep cuts and broken bones.

“Even though they tried to kill us?” Cutter argued.

“Ballantine’s right.” Emily replied, “We can’t just leave them here,

and we have spare camels. And if they come back, returning their

wounded could be our only way of getting back alive.”



“Confidence scams, smuggling, even blackmail.” Ballantine listed,

“I’m surprised he didn’t hang. He made a few enemies.”

“I’ll sort this out.” She said, leaving the pair.

“And then there were two.” Ballantine remarked as he watched herleave after Cutter.

“What do you see in Miss Farnsworth?” McPherson asked him, “When you

said you wanted to settle down with a lady I wasn’t expecting you’d

be with her.”

“Emily doesn’t seem the type of person who settles down. But when

she spoke of adventures I thought Cutter would like her as a patron.”

Elsewhere, Cutter was walking towards a pub.

“Cutter!” Emily’s voice called. He turned.

“They told you about me, didn’t they?” He said.

“You’ve known these people for longer than I have. I’m sure that

McPherson didn’t mean any ill with his words.”

“He does it all the time. I just wanted to contemplate it. I’m little

more than a thief. Does the Explorer’s Society really want me?”

“If you want to find treasure, the Society’s the best place to do

so. Now, why don’t you join us? Put the past behind you. After all,

you wouldn’t want to abandon your friends, would you? You’re like

Three Musketeers.”

She extended her hand.

“We’re always together.” He replied as he shook it.



Journey to MarsThree days later, Emily and the Sergeants were boarding the HMS

Glorious Dawn. The captain greeted them warmly as the steward took

their luggage to the cabins. As the time to launch came around, Emily

and her partners were feeling uneasy. While most of them travelled

at sea, this was a new experience. They felt the flyer moving

forwards, and then upwards. Soon they could see the city of London

disappear beneath the clouds, followed by the countryside.

Eventually, they could see the stars as the flyer left the planet’s

atmosphere and was propelling through the ether of space.

That evening, Emily wandered through the lounge. The sergeants were

gathered around a card table with several books, joined by the other

passengers taking turns to recite phrases.

“What are you up to?” She asked.

“We’ll be travelling through space for 74 days.” Ballantine replied,

“You suggested we try learning the Martian languages.”

“Well, by the time you get to Mars you’ll want to be fluent in

Koline, the trade language.”

“Well, we have some good teachers.” Cutter added, “Two of our fellow

passengers are administrators from the Colonial Office. We’ve also

got some businessmen who deal in Liftwood and Bhutan spice, Martian

resources.”

Weeks passed until the great red planet was in sight. Emily viewed

it from the porthole of her cabin.

“I was always told that India was jewel of Queen Victoria’s crown.”

Ballantine said as they admired the view. “But now I could say that

Mars is the crown and the sceptre.”

Emily prepared to reply when a sudden jolt rocked the ship. They

both ran to the corridor. The steward was directing them all to the

lounge.

“What’s happening?” Cutter asked.

“Pirates are attacking. The engine room has taken a direct hit.” The

steward replied, trying to keep composure. “We want everybody

gathered together.”

“And we’re just going to surrender?” McPherson queried.

“I’m sure they will be reasonable and will demand a ransom.”

“We’re outnumbered.” Emily stated as a tremendous clang echoed

throughout the ship when the pirate vessel collided with the liner.



A large band of armed men filled the room, led by an imposing,

sharply dressed figure.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this vessel is now the property of Captain

Ipswich.” He proclaimed. “If you would all like to remain calm,

nobody will get hurt.”

Everybody nodded in understanding. The captain turned to one of his

men. “Find the dispatches!” He barked, “That’s what we came for!”

Everybody remained still as the pirates removed their valuables.

Jewellery, watches, wallets, and other personal effects were

snatched away. One of them reached into Emily’s pockets to find an

envelope containing the glyphs. McPherson prepared to step forwards,

only for Emily to grab his arm.

“Don’t get yourself killed just yet.” She whispered.

“I’d like to commend everyone for their wise choice.” Captain Ipswich

said as the other pirates returned to their own craft. “We’ll signal

for help on your behalf once we depart.”

He cackled as he left.

The passengers could hear the clanging and clattering as the pirate

vessel disengaged from the Glorious Dawn. They promptly felt a sudden

rush as the ship began to descend towards the planet. Everyonescreamed as they tried to hold on to something. It felt like ship

was going to fall to pieces at any moment. A steady, extremely

troubling vibration surged beneath the deck, accompanied by the

tortured groan of beams and supports warping and snapping. With an

enormous clatter of splintering wood, the ship ran into the ground.



StrandedSome time passed as Emily came to her senses. Her limbs ached as she

stood up, but miraculously, nothing was broken. The sergeants also

seemed relatively unharmed. The ship’s captain was nursing a broken

leg, while several of the crew members and passengers were dead or

wounded. Those who weren’t refused to leave the shade provided by

the wreckage.

“We’d better get moving.” Emily told her companions.

“Are you insane?” The captain remarked, “The pirate said he’d signal

for help.”

“I don’t believe him.” Emily replied, “Do you have a rough idea of

where we are?”

“My best guess is the Nepenthes-Thoth Steppe. If you’re thinking you

can get to the Shastapsh-Thoth Canal, you’re welcome to try, but

we’re at least 300 miles from either city state.”

“Or, we could ask for directions.” Cutter interrupted.

A large party of riders was approaching the wreckage. They were

humanoids with a golden brown complexion, ranging from five-foot-

ten to six-foot-two in height. Their mounts were horse-sized, beaked

reptiles with sharp clawed feet. The leader of the band dismounted

and looked over the survivors. A closer look revealed that his hands

had three fingers and opposing thumbs, while his sandaled feet hadthree toes.

“They’re Steppe Martians on gashants.” Explained one of the other

passengers, a Bhutan spice dealer.

“What is your purpose here?” The leader asked in Koline.

“We’re trying to reach Syrtis Major.” Emily told them. Her Koline

was occasionally halting, but she could maintain it long enough to

be coherent.

“The nearest city state is Thoth. If you reach the canal, you can

follow it there. The canal’s seven days away. But be careful. Riders

from Shastapsh are on patrol, and they don’t take kindly to red

devils.”

He gestured to another Martian, who furnished her and the sergeants

with canteens and bundles containing biscuits and some kind of meat.

“If you’re leaving us, you’d better take these.” The captain added.

One of the more mobile deck hands had managed to haul out a smallcabinet from the wreckage. Inside were six revolvers, a small box



of bullets, and ten knives. The four companions each tucked a

revolver and a knife into their belts and began to leave.

Setting out, the party was greeted by the sight of an arid Martian

desert. Jackets had been removed and hats were being used as fans.

Days passed, and the hot sun bore down on them. Nobody spoke as they

traversed the sands, finding shade under rocks. After a week of

arduous trekking, they found themselves atop a rugged hill, glimpsing

one of the mighty canals. From her viewpoint, Emily could see a

cavalry force attacking a Martian caravan. Looking through

binoculars, she counted five Martians armed with halberds or muskets

hiding behind a makeshift barricade, taking cover from the riders.

A small group of riders broke away from the main group and rode

towards the hill. Cutter drew his revolver and fired the first shot.

One rider dropped from his mount. Emily, McPherson, and Ballantine

followed suit. The other riders heard the shots and began to pull

away.

“They’re Shastapsh Regulars.” Emily said as she noticed the insignias

on their cuirasses. “I don’t know who the others are though.”

“Let’s find out.” Ballantine replied. He holstered his revolver and

approached the caravan with his hands raised. The five guards emerged

and surrounded him. They looked slightly different to the Steppe

Martians encountered the previous week, with pale ochre skin andfine dark hair. Two figures emerged from one of the tents. The first

was a beautiful Martian woman, wearing fine clothes and jewellery.

The second was a robed male, shorter than the others.

“What are Earthmen doing in this place?” He asked indignantly.

“We’re…lost.” Ballantine replied, surprised that the Martian spoke

English.

“Our flyer crashed in the Nepenthes-Thoth Steppe one week ago.” Emily

reported as she and the others approached. “We’re trying to find the

canal.”

“My name is Kalamir.” The Martian said, “I am a representative of

Princess Aramaranda of Thoth.”

He gestured to the Martian lady.

“My name is Emily Farnsworth. These are my companions, Archibald

Cutter, Victor McPherson, and Douglas Ballantine. They were formally

sergeants in the Royal Engineers.”

Kalamir translated the introduction. The princess spoke in an

unfamiliar language, but Emily could sense a confrontational tone.



“Her highness demands that you escort her to Thoth.” Kalamir

explained.

“How far is it?” Cutter asked.

“Are you questioning the princess?” Kalamir retorted in anger.

“He’s asking you.” McPherson replied, “Something tells me thatintroduction was lost in translation.”

“We’d be delighted to escort you.” Emily replied, this time speaking

in Koline. Kalamir reeled back in surprise. The princess nodded.

“There is a royal barge moored at a canal town. That’s 20 miles from

here.” The interpreter said.



Shastapsh Attacks“What do you know about Shastapsh?” Cutter asked Ballantine as they

travelled with the caravan, “I thought the British occupied the

city.”

“They did, back in 1887.” Ballantine replied, “One of the Colonial

Office administrators on the flight here told me that they revolted.Later, I overheard that they suspect the hostile Oenotrian Empire

and the Germans of supporting the uprising.”

“What about the princess? How does she figure into this?” McPherson

asked.

“Shastapsh is in a position to the city-state of Moeris Lacus.”

Kalamir interrupted. “That’s a British protectorate. But they need

to get help. If they abduct the princess, they can coerce the city-

state of Thoth into forging an alliance with them.”

“And speaking of the devil…” Emily remarked. A large force of

Shastapsh Regulars was approaching. “They brought reinforcements.”

The riders surrounded the caravan once again. Kalamir waved his arms

and them while shouting in Koline. They approached. He gestured for

Emily and the sergeants to stop.

“Drop your weapons!” He said, “Commander Neesh is accepting our

surrender!”

A Martian officer barked orders to five of his men. They pointed

their weapons at the sergeants. Each rider carried a long sword and

two flintlock pistols.

“They want you to go back to the hill where you joined us!” Kalamir

yelled as he and the princess were led away. “You should take them

there!”

“Why would they want to do that?” Emily pondered aloud as she was

herded along the path they had taken.

What fate do the Martians have planned for the Sergeants?

And will they be able to reach Thoth without the Princess?

Find out next time in The Doomed Caravan …

the sergeants three episode 2 - the princess of thoth

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