The Journey of the Mary Shelley, Episode 23: Epilogue


Location: 
New Cypress, Orbital Naval Yard


The KCS Mary Shelley has finally arrived home. It was a slow, cautious, and perilous journey. After the massive battles over New Texas, she was so heavily damaged, even the most basic spaceflight navigation was a daunting task. More than half of her compartments were unsealable against the vacuum of space.
It seemed that she would be finished as a warship.

But here in Sector Six, the backwater of backwaters of known space, the laws of physics do not always conveniently line up with Newton, and knowledge is precious and well hidden.  Under these conditions, Hull Construction has become a lost art. Ships that are thousands of years old are far stronger and far more resistant to battle damage than hulls constructed more recently.
In short, her hull is battle proven, and a very precious commodity.

Colores Naval Architects have analyzed the extensive damage and decided a radical solution may save the warship. A full quarter of the length measured from the bow was so devastated by enemy fire, it is essentially nothing but slag. The architects believe than this can be cut away, and a new internal structure can be engineered. She will spend a long time in space dock but Naval command anticipates she will almost certainly re-join the fleet.

As for the success of the mission, it was a victory, no doubt, but not without an asterix or two. The Archuleta Brothers were driven from the planet and away from their source of Teleportium. Far more importantly, the Fourth Reich were denied any access to the rare substance. The allies of Black Vasken and his people have driven back Count Grabbo and the Warlord Kang, and his people in Graveskul are safe for now.

On the other hand, scientists for the Kingdom of Colores do not even begin to understand the teleportation abilities that the Archuleta brothers were able to harness. They have secured a small quantity of teleportium and will continue to experiment and hope for the future, but for now, teleportium is as useful as granite.

For the individual members of the expedition:

Captain Thuries, received the Navy’s highest honor, the “Nelson Star Cluster” and, after a brief leave, will be appointed captain to a ship of the line.

The Staurakia Navigators Guild has already begun construct an Annex on new Cypress and looks to work closely with their new allies in the Kingdom.

Lastly, Eight Ball Command will receive many accolades but all of them classified and kept out of the public eye.

So it goes for the clandestine heroes of Sector Six.

_______________

Thanks for following along all 23 episodes. It was really an incredible journey, and by far the longest campaign I have ever been involved with any group or gaming Club. It was all worth it and I cannot imagine surpassing some of the marks we set.  I think that's a big reason why this last instalment has been so long in coming. It really means I have to let go of the whole experience and put it to bed, and I really don't know that I've been ready to do that.

If you would like me to expand on or clarify anything that happened just let me know (I’m a miniature wargamer, I’ll talk all day about my models.)

NEXT UP, “The B Team”

Comments

  1. Will there be WIP pictures of the 'shipyards' gutting the Mary Shelley?

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    1. Yes. It's not the current project, but when it happens, it will be written up in a post.

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  2. This was by far one of the most entertaining and enthralling campaigns I have ever had the pleasure to witness , hat's off to all involved! I'm also sure that the KCS Mary Shelley
    will sally fourth again one day!

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    1. Thanks Don, yes, the Shelley is already scheduled for a couple of appearances.

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  3. hmmm so a new ship build? Or modifications on the old ship?

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    1. My first instinct is modification, but I've learned so much...

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  4. There's nothing like a great campaign, and this one has been epic!

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    1. Thanks Preacher. I've definitely never committed to a single miniatures project for such a long period.

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  5. I take it transportation was a bit of a bummer? I . . . might still have repairs to do from my last long distance gaming adventure myself. (Let's just say Ed needs some love.)

    Anyway, it was fun to follow along. Entirely rewarding. You guys are the best. :) And I look forward to all that follows.

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    1. No, transportation was fine. I designed the Shelley to fit into my Honda Accord, and that has worked pretty well. It's more an issue of how we designed our games. At 6' she overhangs the short end of the table, and the 1 v 1 duels should play on a 6'x4'. This will scale her more closely to that.

      Thanks for the kind words. Thanks for being the first to have the Shelley in a campaign!

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    2. It was my pleasure. It was a heck of a campaign, though . . . you have since outdone it. :D Loved that model then, love it now. Glad the travels went well.

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  6. Proper epic closure. Fade to back; credits.
    Bravo!

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    1. I hadnt thought of that, but lots of people deserve a credit.

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  7. What a great write up Major. Like a short story out of one of the old wargaming mags.

    I kinda get the impression that you have the same feeling bringing this campaign to a close as you would from reading the last page of a great book. It's a bit sad that it's ended, but you'll always have a great and lasting memory of it for the rest of your life.

    Oh, and that last bit about us wargamers going on about it gave me a chuckle :D It's so true :)

    Good work Major.

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    1. You hit it right on the head. I just didnt want to put it down. But hey, onward and upward, and im looking forward to the new Kill Team: Rogue Trader expansion, cause, ya' know... ships!

      About gamer/modellers going on and on, One of the great things about our hobby is that there are no "intentional" secrets. If you can find the builder, he will absolutely tell you every detail about how he did it. The fact that someone else on this planet shows a smidgen of interest is a huge reward.

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    2. That's an interesting point Maj. I've never stopped to consider how much we share ideas with each other in this game. Quite a lot of other hobbies/careers require by convention to keep all the knowledge to yourself. In that sense wargamers would make the worst magicians :D

      Re strangers showing interest in our hobby, I still remember the feeling when I got my first "real" follower (real life friends don't count) on my blog. I exclaimed in front of the computer screen "Fark! Someone found the stuff that I'm making and likes it!"

      Cheers mate :)

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