Drake: The Golden Hind Story - News Block #9

Preamble

Today i want tell you about air fleet of Hindale. That's huge theme and i can speak as long as you do not fall asleep. But... it's not a good way to entertain listener. We can go for the short way. Short text (maybe is not very short... maybe... m-m-m... long), good images, little portion of humor and you can go to the next happy year.

"Queen Gas"

All vessels in Hidale fleet flying on the soaring gas. It's a multifunctional type of fuel. Citizens used him for heating, gardeners for hanging gardens, pilots and mechanics for zeppelins. Mechanists used gas for cannon shells, torpedos and other weaponry. As you can see - it's a good resource for good deeds. Bad news that all of this gas is in the hands of the Queen. It's a monopoly. I hate monopoly. Many of citizens hate this monopoly too. Because pricing entirely depends on the Queen. But... Life is life... Labadab dab dab life.

Queen making many good deeds, but make no mistake, only in tales good queen wants to do you be happy. One incident show real face of the royal life. Ten year ago before Drake story began one clan of mechanists declared its independence from the Kingdom. Queen say "good" and turn off valve of gas. Some villages and one middle city were cut off from the heating system. And it is in the midst of winter. Pride of pride, but somehow is necessary to warm up. They issued a public apology, were forgiven and ... and remained in the kingdom.

I do not know who painted the Queen this stupid face, but I know that marketers eat their own bread - for good reason. The whole country is sitting on a gas as on drugs. Valve off - many people can die, workers can lose workplaces, trading can stop, transport can be paralyzed. How you think, it's a good for country if all of this depend from one resource?

It's just a historical reference. If you think that the world is full of miracles and good people, you were badly mistaken. Large taxes, сrown as a constant, corruption and wars, highest prices of the gas - just a first one in the list of troubles of this world.

Well... well... well, politics again. By the way, about gas. And about fleet. Army and civilian forces of Hindale offten used air-vessels for solve regular life tasks. Watering crops, delivering mails and cargos, battle operations, even hunting. All of this use the air-vessels. We know about gas and prices on it, but... just... meet with the second evil of the Hind. Pilots.

Second evil of Hind

If you can see on the street or in the pab haughty guy looks like fopling who are interested only by himself, with the stupid cap on the head, or strange helmet in style of birds of prey - be sure - you saw a pilot. Privileged class very close to the royal court. And no wonder. Without pilots kingdom will be stop. They know it. And they enjoy it. O... crap. Sorry.

As soon as I think about the queen which sitting on gas valve and I remember these arrogant bastards ... my mood deteriorates. Do not get me wrong. Hindale is not bad place. But there are things that can not be accepted.

You are be surprised. Among the pilots have very good people. I know a couple of captains who may be able to help you. These aces. Fathan Nillion and San Holo. The latter can often be seen in the bar. Millennium Fool. Fathan is a rare visitor. Most often, he can be seen at the periphery. Outside of the region under power of Royal Alliance.

Vessels

Enough about politics, i will tell you about vessels. It's be more interesting and more practical for us. Why? You probably already guessed that you needed the pilots and ship captains assistance. To the many places of Hind you can reach yourself, on your foot. But some places are hard to get.

You have a some ways to solve this problem, rent a vessel, rent the pilot for your vessel, to train as a pilot (well, you lay out money for it) and also you can use the royal vessels, but only If you are a member of the royal service.

More about vessels. In fleet of Hindale is a lot of ships. It's a trade and cargo ships, miners, fastest postman's and private vessels. All of this ships fly on soaring gas. Each ship have a capacity for filling of gas. Сontainer capacity depend of tonnage of vessel. Approved for this type of vessel capacity tank fills by gas. This portion of gas give the vessel opportunity to fly on specific altitude of flight. Captains of ships and pilots have maps where they can see rocks, grounds, rivers and lakes and tonnels where vessel can be move. You remember that big part of Hind it's a underground world.

For some of the ships, if necessary, have an additional capacity. This tank is oxygen. When vessel need go up - The burner start work and the air in the tank is heated. The ship rises. If you need to go down - the capacity cools. To do this, on the nose of most ships are windtrap's. We remember that the soaring gas reserve give the possibility stay at the certain altitude. In theory, you can not go down below.

However, captains often placed in the gas tank of vessel special valves. These valves allow the bleed a gas if it's need. This is a good way to change altitude or landing. To restore the volume of gas in the tank uses spare gas balloons. They are bought on the black market. Because swimming at a certain height, not only the technical requirements for each ship. It is the will of the queen. Most cities are built specifically to the same height (or ports of this cities built on the special altitude). Ships could sail between them on the same altitude level. This makes it possible to control the cargo throughput.

Can you imagine a bird without wings? Pilot without the sky? Pilot without freedom? I can not either. Nobody has the right to limit people in their thirst for freedom. Queen can. But she was wrong.

In general, ... have the opportunity to landing if necessary. By the way, the idea of the valves - traders see at the battle cruisers. They have a giant valves which can help change the altitude faster than this do civilian ships. To increase maneuver and avoid the torpedoes. Official invention with royal permission. But this permission not for all. Nonsense, agree?

In old times gardeners invented the hover gardens based on soaring gas tanks. People says that when main mechanic of queen look at this gardens he steal the idea and "invented" of mine fields. It's a proof that even a good deeds can be used for evil purposes.

On the ground near Hindale, in special mines, waiting when time is coming, air mines and torpedoes. I think it's be a very bad day for invaders.

Royal Butterfly (B-Class Vessel)

Also I want tell you about one vessel B-class which you can see on the Hindale shipyards and ports.

Royal Butterfly is most fast and powerful weapon of Kingdom, with the big potencial, but and most unstable. Butterfly can piloting by only a real ace. Almost all of B-pilots woman’s, trained them personally Queen. Butterfly raise up from special airfield platform which you can see in each big city of Royal Alliance.

Mechanists were not able to develop a stable construct of landing devices. They try weels, skids and many different variants but always construction will be broken. After years of trying mechanists research of strengthening the bottom of the fuselage. Layered fuselage which included few plates of specific metal. After this vessel can landing on its belly.

The best option is landing on water, or on a special coating ground which softens the landing. But even if the pilot can't find the place for landing - vessel can sit directly on the bare rocks. The main thing that the surface is straight.

Resource of endurance of vessel approximately for five or seven landings. If pilot land vehicle on the rocks count of landings decrease to two or three attempts.

When Batterfly been invented old queen said he would not allow that on this ship flew peasants or losers. To gain admission to the ship - you need to learn to be a pilot, exams and reach of proof for the queen (flying on other ships), that the pilot is worthy of trust.

As a result, after hundreds of attempts different people - queen sat behind the steering wheel itself, and after that started train pilots itself too. Sorry for this historical fact - but she was a lesbian, Although this fact carefully concealed. Not surprising that the Guard consisted solely of women.

Next Queen accepted the female pilots as tradition. After accepting this way to become a pilots of B-Vessel for male are closed forever. In present time at the royal court have only two male B-pilots.

Despite all the advantages B-Vessels looks like a god have a serious limitations:

• Limited range of flight (soaring gas burn so fast)
• No refueling capabilities in process of flight
• Before langing pilot must burn remaining gas
• High chance to blow in process of landing without special airstrip
• High risk of flight
• Low cargo capacity

Mechanists also how and a queen have a fleet. But after Great War Queen give they limit on the number of vehicles and vessels. It is assumed that the Queen feared retaliation by mechanists after end of the war. Furthermore mechanists develop truly powerful and scary types of weapons. Dead Cities of Dwarfs the real evidences of this. In this regard, the number of tugs, cargo ships working on the screws is very low. The same goes for B-class ships.

Results of compelling reasons of retrograde politic of develop have a negative impact on the progress of the kingdom. B-class vessels - only one novelty which been developed over the last hundred years.

Modified B-vessel could be a formidable and reliable weapon. Tugs and big-crew-vessels of mechanists could unload ports, freight traffic volume would increase. But ... Queen resists - progress is stand on one place. Only queen can give the acces on science research of mechanists.

That's all for today - Happy New Year!