Vladisvack
25-11-2003, 16:46
Nicolai Pestov finished dressing and took his black hat from the wooden hook on the wall. After fixing his long mustache with the hand, he placed the hat over his hairless head, picked up his briefcase and his gold-pointed walking stick and with long steps came out from the room.
A white dressed maid awaited in a chair next to the door. She stood when Pestov came out.
"Is my transport ready, Dzenka?" Pestov asked, looking at the old woman.
She lowered her head gently "Yes, mr Pestov. Istab is outside awaiting for you"
Pestov smiled "Ah, perfect. I will not return until midnight, Dzenka, so I will not be here for dinner"
The woman noded as Pestov walked down the iron stairs and out through the main door.
Outside, a black horse-pulled charriot awaited for him, with a tall man, dressed in also black clothing, standing next to it.
Pestov took a deep breath of cold morning air and went to the charriot. The man lowered his head in salutation as Pestov took his hat off and aboarded the transport.
The driver closed the door and climbed up to the leading chair. With two slash of his whips, the horses began their movement.
*****
The trip went calmly, as for the streets were relatively empty at this hour of the day. Traswagons cleaned the streets, while merchants began setting up their shops here and there. The smoke from thousands of chimneys all over the city was driven by the wind, giving the pale sunlight ways to get into the stony streets.
While inside the charriot, Pestov took time to investigate some of the pappers inside his briefcase. Most of them were blueprints of some type of massive machine, while others were full of numbers and financial tabulations. As president of the Imperial Banks and Vaults, it was his duty to be present at the inaguration of the project in which the empire had invested so much money.
He spent the next hour of traveling reading through the financial reports. The numbers were astronomical and made him uncomfortable. Although he had been against the project since the day the idea was brought up, the pressure from the Defense Department and the Magiserium of Engineers made the directive board to accept the project, even though the cost it would carry were huge.
Now, if the project failed, all the fault would be sent over his shoulders and he would most likely loose the ruling seat of the board.
*****
They finnaly arrived, after nearly three hours of travel. The towering buildings of the factories installed in the outer areas of the city shaded all the light that the smoke could not. At this hour of the day everything was already burstling in activity and the streets were clodged. Gladly, they were already in their point of arrival.
As Pestov walked down from the charriot he could withness the sheer amount of guests also invited to the inaguration. They all stood at the closed iron gates of the great warehouse. Gigantic chimneys grew from everywhere atop it, and the largest railways he had ever seen stretched from the back of the warehouse until as far as the eye could reach.
His attention was driven by the opening of a small door at the base of the main gates. The whole crowd went silent as well as a tall man came out. All silent, only the repetitive mechanical sound of nearby factories being heard.
The tall man walked atop a small podium, where a large clockwork sound amplifier rested. He began speaking into the amplifier's reciever.
"Honorable Chieff Commander of the Armed Forces. Imperial Banks and Vaults Board of Directors. Investors and honour guests. Ladies and gentlemen -he began- We have gathered here to withness a unique event. Today you will all face the picture of the future, a future that only we, Rachtanomov Forges and Assembly, is able to grant to the Empire" His words were followed by energic cheers and applauses from the crowd. He continued "During the last fourteen years, our industries and workers have done marvels. Our engineers have done what before was unthinkable. Today, we take the whole concept of mechanical power to a new level. Today, we withness the future, the might of Vladisvack. I show you...the Leaviathan"
The man slowly turned, his hand pointing towards the great gates. These began moving, among hissing pistons and turning cogs. The inside was dark, and the little sunlight reaching the gates came into as a knife in butter.
Inside the warehouse,. huge mehcanical pannels began moving in the roof, letting more light in. Once the whole interior was iluminated, the guests stared in awe. Pestov was one of them.
The machine inside was, in simple words, titanic. At least two hundred meters in height, one hundred in wide and almost a mile in lenght, the Leviathan engine did indeed honor to it's name. It rested atop a huge railways, dozens and dozens of great wheels sustaining a weights of millions of tons.
The grand exhaust chimneys remained calm and silent, although alreayd blackened by years of testing and use of the engines.
http://www5.domaindlx.com/Sisgardia/Leviathan.jpg
As the man invited the guests to walk in, Pestov began considering the idea that perhaps this project could have future after all. Indeed it could...
(to be continued soon...)
A white dressed maid awaited in a chair next to the door. She stood when Pestov came out.
"Is my transport ready, Dzenka?" Pestov asked, looking at the old woman.
She lowered her head gently "Yes, mr Pestov. Istab is outside awaiting for you"
Pestov smiled "Ah, perfect. I will not return until midnight, Dzenka, so I will not be here for dinner"
The woman noded as Pestov walked down the iron stairs and out through the main door.
Outside, a black horse-pulled charriot awaited for him, with a tall man, dressed in also black clothing, standing next to it.
Pestov took a deep breath of cold morning air and went to the charriot. The man lowered his head in salutation as Pestov took his hat off and aboarded the transport.
The driver closed the door and climbed up to the leading chair. With two slash of his whips, the horses began their movement.
*****
The trip went calmly, as for the streets were relatively empty at this hour of the day. Traswagons cleaned the streets, while merchants began setting up their shops here and there. The smoke from thousands of chimneys all over the city was driven by the wind, giving the pale sunlight ways to get into the stony streets.
While inside the charriot, Pestov took time to investigate some of the pappers inside his briefcase. Most of them were blueprints of some type of massive machine, while others were full of numbers and financial tabulations. As president of the Imperial Banks and Vaults, it was his duty to be present at the inaguration of the project in which the empire had invested so much money.
He spent the next hour of traveling reading through the financial reports. The numbers were astronomical and made him uncomfortable. Although he had been against the project since the day the idea was brought up, the pressure from the Defense Department and the Magiserium of Engineers made the directive board to accept the project, even though the cost it would carry were huge.
Now, if the project failed, all the fault would be sent over his shoulders and he would most likely loose the ruling seat of the board.
*****
They finnaly arrived, after nearly three hours of travel. The towering buildings of the factories installed in the outer areas of the city shaded all the light that the smoke could not. At this hour of the day everything was already burstling in activity and the streets were clodged. Gladly, they were already in their point of arrival.
As Pestov walked down from the charriot he could withness the sheer amount of guests also invited to the inaguration. They all stood at the closed iron gates of the great warehouse. Gigantic chimneys grew from everywhere atop it, and the largest railways he had ever seen stretched from the back of the warehouse until as far as the eye could reach.
His attention was driven by the opening of a small door at the base of the main gates. The whole crowd went silent as well as a tall man came out. All silent, only the repetitive mechanical sound of nearby factories being heard.
The tall man walked atop a small podium, where a large clockwork sound amplifier rested. He began speaking into the amplifier's reciever.
"Honorable Chieff Commander of the Armed Forces. Imperial Banks and Vaults Board of Directors. Investors and honour guests. Ladies and gentlemen -he began- We have gathered here to withness a unique event. Today you will all face the picture of the future, a future that only we, Rachtanomov Forges and Assembly, is able to grant to the Empire" His words were followed by energic cheers and applauses from the crowd. He continued "During the last fourteen years, our industries and workers have done marvels. Our engineers have done what before was unthinkable. Today, we take the whole concept of mechanical power to a new level. Today, we withness the future, the might of Vladisvack. I show you...the Leaviathan"
The man slowly turned, his hand pointing towards the great gates. These began moving, among hissing pistons and turning cogs. The inside was dark, and the little sunlight reaching the gates came into as a knife in butter.
Inside the warehouse,. huge mehcanical pannels began moving in the roof, letting more light in. Once the whole interior was iluminated, the guests stared in awe. Pestov was one of them.
The machine inside was, in simple words, titanic. At least two hundred meters in height, one hundred in wide and almost a mile in lenght, the Leviathan engine did indeed honor to it's name. It rested atop a huge railways, dozens and dozens of great wheels sustaining a weights of millions of tons.
The grand exhaust chimneys remained calm and silent, although alreayd blackened by years of testing and use of the engines.
http://www5.domaindlx.com/Sisgardia/Leviathan.jpg
As the man invited the guests to walk in, Pestov began considering the idea that perhaps this project could have future after all. Indeed it could...
(to be continued soon...)