Post by skibble on Apr 4, 2016 10:04:25 GMT
I threw these up on the kickstarter comments back in the day.
The Observatory was, as most of them are, a squat dome topped building perched on top of a hill, far removed from any of the city lights. This building was even more foreboding then most, a brooding concrete structure with small slits replacing windows
The inside of observatory was dark and cold. Congress had once again mandated funding cutbacks to the military. That had reduced the heating budget yet again, and it was the pubic outcry that would result if the observatory had closed that had kept the doors open at all. The Observatory represented the first line of defence against the Martian Menace. On the wall a coat of arms of crossed telescopes over a red chevron with the subtext of 'ever vigilant' was dimly lit by the moonlight.
Wrapped in several layers of woollen blankets huddled next to a small portable kerosene cooker a man in a dishevelled military uniform huddled over the telescopes eyepiece. Lt Joe Halter drew away from the telescope to tend to the bubbling coffee peculator. Somewhere a clock ticked away oblivious to the dark and cold a single chime rang out, Joe pulled a logbook out and made a note. Adding to a large list of identical annotations he spoke it aloud to the darkness 'One o’clock, Visibility clear. Nothing to report, Lt Joe Halter'
The sound of his voice echoed back at him. He glanced up looking through the open section of the dome, looking at the baleful red tinted speck that hung in the sky. Mars. Once though of as a dead red rock in space until Carvell mapped out its extensive canal system. Then later when the natives of the red planet had launched themselves towards earth on their mission of conquest.
They came in silver shells, launch from massive cannons, bringing with them their war machines, their Tripods. Britain had born the brunt of the interplanetary assault. All across Britain redcoats were crushed. Even now little was known about the chaotic times as the Martians swept across the British isles.
Joe sighed to himself as resigned himself to his lonely vigil for the rest of the night. Returning his eye to the brass ring of the telescope. Peering across the void between worlds, he could not help but wonder if they were peering back.
Flames wrapped around the silver tube as it made the last leg of its journey. Smoke trailed behind it as Earth's gravity wrapped it in its grasp hauling it in from the void. The intelligence on-board watched the shifting symbols on the screens as they plummeted through the stratosphere. The plans had been made. This time they would avoid the tiny islands that had held such disaster for the advance force. The increasingly frantic interplanetary transmissions had lead to reopening of long forgotten sciences. The cause of the failure had been located. And solved.
Now the advance parties were arriving. Relying on isolated areas far from any detected natives on the larger continental plates. Several pods had already arrived, no reactions amongst the slave/food populations had been observed. Soon the second wave would arrive but first one of the Overseer's must be landed. A sound echoed through the capsule, as if something had torn lose. Symbols rapidly started flashing and the pull of the planets gravity redoubled as the compensator died. The crews tendrils started flicking switches methodically, bringing up schematics and redirecting power with increasingly frantic speed.
There was another tearing sound as all the panels went dark, followed by a rumbling that blotted the cylinders existence from the sky.
Sibir newspaper, July 2, 1908:[17]
(Newspaper article taken from wikipedia)
On the 17th of June, around 9 a.m. In the morning, we observed an unusual natural occurrence. In the north Karelinski village [200 verst north of Kirensk] the peasants saw to the north west, rather high above the horizon, some strangely bright (impossible to look at) bluish-white heavenly body, which for 10 minutes moved downwards. The body appeared as a "pipe", i.e., a cylinder. The sky was cloudless, only a small dark cloud was observed in the general direction of the bright body. It was hot and dry. As the body neared the ground (forest), the bright body seemed to smudge, and then turned into a giant billow of black smoke, and a loud knocking (not thunder) was heard, as if large stones were falling, or artillery was fired. All buildings shook. At the same time the cloud began emitting flames of uncertain shapes. All villagers were stricken with panic and took to the streets, women cried, thinking it was the end of the world. The author of these lines was meantime in the forest about 6 verst [6.4 km] north of Kirensk, and heard to the north east some kind of artillery barrage, that repeated in intervals of 15 minutes at least 10 times. In Kirensk in a few buildings in the walls facing north east window glass shook.
London times, July 12, 1908
MARTIAN SCARE OVER!
The explosion in Tunguska last month has been identified as an asteroid by a expedition commissioned by the Royal Academy of Martian Science. No trace of any Martian machines has been located nor any Radium signature Additionally a thorough investigation across the worlds Martian observatories have not reported any firing of the Martian 'invasion gun' as recorded by the late Dr Ogilvy. We can therefore conclude that this is merely a incidental impact by a wandering asteroid, not as some papers have reported an Invasion force. The army has stood down and the fleet has been recalled to dock.
- This came about from another kickstarter commenting on how viable a pogo pod would be. I can't remember much other then i bought a second Red martian to model it. Its still unassembled.
Pogo-pod
TOP SECRET
Recent observations of the so called 'pogo-pod' have been dismissed by the the boffin as 'Impractical' 'ludicrous' or just 'Impossible'. The unstable nature of the single legged machine would allow for any of our large cannons to topple the pod.
Any notion that this is a Martian secret weapon to neutralise the rough rider irregulars is unlikely in the extreme.
It has been ruled that the reports that the pod in question is merely a Tripod with its remaining legs merely hidden by the clouds of Black Dust or Green Mist. Any report mentioning such a subject are to be appended with such a description of the battlefield conditions.
Any further pursuit of the subject is to be discouraged.
By Order of Internal Intelligence Services
The Observatory was, as most of them are, a squat dome topped building perched on top of a hill, far removed from any of the city lights. This building was even more foreboding then most, a brooding concrete structure with small slits replacing windows
The inside of observatory was dark and cold. Congress had once again mandated funding cutbacks to the military. That had reduced the heating budget yet again, and it was the pubic outcry that would result if the observatory had closed that had kept the doors open at all. The Observatory represented the first line of defence against the Martian Menace. On the wall a coat of arms of crossed telescopes over a red chevron with the subtext of 'ever vigilant' was dimly lit by the moonlight.
Wrapped in several layers of woollen blankets huddled next to a small portable kerosene cooker a man in a dishevelled military uniform huddled over the telescopes eyepiece. Lt Joe Halter drew away from the telescope to tend to the bubbling coffee peculator. Somewhere a clock ticked away oblivious to the dark and cold a single chime rang out, Joe pulled a logbook out and made a note. Adding to a large list of identical annotations he spoke it aloud to the darkness 'One o’clock, Visibility clear. Nothing to report, Lt Joe Halter'
The sound of his voice echoed back at him. He glanced up looking through the open section of the dome, looking at the baleful red tinted speck that hung in the sky. Mars. Once though of as a dead red rock in space until Carvell mapped out its extensive canal system. Then later when the natives of the red planet had launched themselves towards earth on their mission of conquest.
They came in silver shells, launch from massive cannons, bringing with them their war machines, their Tripods. Britain had born the brunt of the interplanetary assault. All across Britain redcoats were crushed. Even now little was known about the chaotic times as the Martians swept across the British isles.
Joe sighed to himself as resigned himself to his lonely vigil for the rest of the night. Returning his eye to the brass ring of the telescope. Peering across the void between worlds, he could not help but wonder if they were peering back.
Flames wrapped around the silver tube as it made the last leg of its journey. Smoke trailed behind it as Earth's gravity wrapped it in its grasp hauling it in from the void. The intelligence on-board watched the shifting symbols on the screens as they plummeted through the stratosphere. The plans had been made. This time they would avoid the tiny islands that had held such disaster for the advance force. The increasingly frantic interplanetary transmissions had lead to reopening of long forgotten sciences. The cause of the failure had been located. And solved.
Now the advance parties were arriving. Relying on isolated areas far from any detected natives on the larger continental plates. Several pods had already arrived, no reactions amongst the slave/food populations had been observed. Soon the second wave would arrive but first one of the Overseer's must be landed. A sound echoed through the capsule, as if something had torn lose. Symbols rapidly started flashing and the pull of the planets gravity redoubled as the compensator died. The crews tendrils started flicking switches methodically, bringing up schematics and redirecting power with increasingly frantic speed.
There was another tearing sound as all the panels went dark, followed by a rumbling that blotted the cylinders existence from the sky.
Sibir newspaper, July 2, 1908:[17]
(Newspaper article taken from wikipedia)
On the 17th of June, around 9 a.m. In the morning, we observed an unusual natural occurrence. In the north Karelinski village [200 verst north of Kirensk] the peasants saw to the north west, rather high above the horizon, some strangely bright (impossible to look at) bluish-white heavenly body, which for 10 minutes moved downwards. The body appeared as a "pipe", i.e., a cylinder. The sky was cloudless, only a small dark cloud was observed in the general direction of the bright body. It was hot and dry. As the body neared the ground (forest), the bright body seemed to smudge, and then turned into a giant billow of black smoke, and a loud knocking (not thunder) was heard, as if large stones were falling, or artillery was fired. All buildings shook. At the same time the cloud began emitting flames of uncertain shapes. All villagers were stricken with panic and took to the streets, women cried, thinking it was the end of the world. The author of these lines was meantime in the forest about 6 verst [6.4 km] north of Kirensk, and heard to the north east some kind of artillery barrage, that repeated in intervals of 15 minutes at least 10 times. In Kirensk in a few buildings in the walls facing north east window glass shook.
London times, July 12, 1908
MARTIAN SCARE OVER!
The explosion in Tunguska last month has been identified as an asteroid by a expedition commissioned by the Royal Academy of Martian Science. No trace of any Martian machines has been located nor any Radium signature Additionally a thorough investigation across the worlds Martian observatories have not reported any firing of the Martian 'invasion gun' as recorded by the late Dr Ogilvy. We can therefore conclude that this is merely a incidental impact by a wandering asteroid, not as some papers have reported an Invasion force. The army has stood down and the fleet has been recalled to dock.
- This came about from another kickstarter commenting on how viable a pogo pod would be. I can't remember much other then i bought a second Red martian to model it. Its still unassembled.
Pogo-pod
TOP SECRET
Recent observations of the so called 'pogo-pod' have been dismissed by the the boffin as 'Impractical' 'ludicrous' or just 'Impossible'. The unstable nature of the single legged machine would allow for any of our large cannons to topple the pod.
Any notion that this is a Martian secret weapon to neutralise the rough rider irregulars is unlikely in the extreme.
It has been ruled that the reports that the pod in question is merely a Tripod with its remaining legs merely hidden by the clouds of Black Dust or Green Mist. Any report mentioning such a subject are to be appended with such a description of the battlefield conditions.
Any further pursuit of the subject is to be discouraged.
By Order of Internal Intelligence Services
