[SR - FB 4 - April 620] The hunt for Red Oktober II - The story of doctor Thaum

[Professor Thaum]

Back in March 620, Prio Sea, North shore of Tortuga... precisely at Dr Thaum's pied-à-terre

 

The young Iauln is up the tower, searching the horizon with his telescope, the trusted Callaghan is manning the grill, and the doctor...

 

PSHHHHHHHH ! PSHHHHHHHOUUUT ! SHHHHHH ! SHHHH ! KLANG !

 

 

 

Dr Thaum : EUREKA ! It works ! Callaghan, my steam engine is working ! The wheel is turning !! YEEEEEHAAAAA !

TJ Johnson : Excuse me doctor, your parcel...

Dr Thaum : I don't give a sh... of that parcel Callaghan, you're a bonehead, Callaghan !

TJ Johnson : This is not Callaghan, doctor...

Dr Thaum : UH ?! Oh, sorry, TJ, which parcel ? Errr... OK THE parcel ! You've found him ! Well done TJ ! Here I come !

Dr Thaum : Wonderful guys ! Bring the coffin in my pantry... CALLAGHAN ! Show them in ! And then offer them a drink !

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dr Thaum : Dear professor, you're finally back to me !

TJ Johnson : Allright doctor, can you explain me what's going on ? I terminated about twenty persons for bringing that corpse back.

Dr Thaum : Of course Mr Johnson, You've just brought back to me the corpse of my estimated mentor, the professor Oktober Sippio, he teached me most of my knowledge...

TJ Johnson : Talk, talk ! Why should I bring it back untouched and eliminate all witnesses, the 2 altonian captains and some of the crews ?

Dr Thaum : OK, OK... many years ago, the war between Oleon and Corrington was in full swing, and with this war, its share of destruction, orphans, famine and diseases, notably the leprosy. The lord-chambellan came to the professor Sippio and asked for a terrible disease, ready to take a heavy toll on the Oleonese ranks and he asked for a cure too, for Corrington, of course, for a stated price... Something as terrible as leprosy. I just defended my thesis and became doctor, with my friend Henry, under the direction of the professor Sippio, and all 3 began to work on this scourge.

Callaghan : Wait a minute ! You got paid for that !? For a disease ready to rampage the world !?

Dr Thaum : You're a bonehead Callaghan ! I get paid for my care ! The death is offered ! Anyway, the research, especially for the cure, needed a vast amount of money the lord-chambellan was hesitating to provide, and there were suddenly changes in the royalty and the lord-chambellan was dismissed for womanizing, but this red leprosy...

Callaghan : This leprosy ??

TJ Johnson : Finish your story doctor...

Dr Thaum : This leprosy was good and ready. The  cure was ready too, but we barely had only half a dozen unit dose, we do not have fully tested. A cleaning up was then initiated in the ex lord-chambellan business, our lab was destroyed, Henry and I escaped with few samples (including some of the cure) and books and the professor was captured as he was burning the last flasks of Red Oktober. Nethertheless, the professor was the only one to have the complete formula of the cure, but just before I vanished with Henri, he had time to say " I will point to the solution". Since then, I have done all that I can but the professor died in jail and his body ended up in a mass grave. After years the mass grave was found and under my instructions and with some money the coffin was loaded in the LaCrosse, a ship hired for the Sea of Thieves sea link. Unfortunately the ship sank near Terraversa, and it took me almost a year to find the sinking localisation. But when the LaCrosse wreckage was found, that was only to realize that 2 altonian ships found the coffin, probably floating on the sea near the wreck, and take it with them to Ulric. This is where you come in, TJ...

Callaghan : Why Red Oktober, doctor ? And were are the flasks you runaway with ? I hope destroyed !?

Dr Thaum : Red Oktober... because of the red color of the substrate, and destroyed... No. Have a look around you Callaghan

Callaghan : Reuuaaargh !!! This is the Red Oktober ?

Dr Thaum : Indeed...

Callaghan: And the cure samples ?

Dr Thaum : Already consummate Callaghan

Callaghan : Let me develop a bit... This is the reason why Henri, Barney, Hadvice, Oggy you and I boarded the Leper Messiah and the Leper Crusader ? You and Henry tried your cure ! And it didn't succeed ! We now have 2 doomed ships storming the seas with full crews of infectious demons !! That's an outrage ! You're a fool ! You lost your best friend and even your son ! And you aren't seeking a solution anymore ?

Dr Thaum : Shut up Callaghan ! The cure is a success, as you noticed it, Barney, Oggy, Hadvice, you and I are well, right ? and...

TJ Johnson : Why did you give your last dose to me ?

Dr Thaum : Some flasks were broken in the skirmish as the lab was destroyed and the professor captured, there was a mini leprosy outbreak after this in the city, and the professor died of his own Red Oktober in jail. So the last dose was for you, as you perhaps have to touch the corpse and bring the last sample back. And Callaghan, the solution is here ! That's why I hired TJ for bringing the the coffin back. The cure formula comes with the corpse of Oktober Sippio ! "The professor point to the solution"

Callaghan : You administer me the cure ? When ? Why ? and Henry ? and Hadvice ?

Dr Thaum : Enough Callaghan ! Enough ! You have a drink to offer !

Callaghan (leaving) : You smutty old fool!

 

Dr Thaum : Look, TJ, for the cure, "the professor point to the solution", look at that right arm and the index finger...

TJ Johnson : A false finger ! How did you notice that ? Looks like a true one !

Dr Thaum : Henry and I made this false finger, the professor asked us to amputate him and replace the real one with this prothesis this is an empty one and he probably hid the cure formula inside. That's why I wanted you to bring me the body back or at least the right arm !

Dr Thaum : All our efforts are rewarded ! I now have the cure formula !

 

This is designated to be the Doctor's residence in Tortuga, should be licenced as a medium one with court approval @Bregir @Capt Wolf  @Bodi  @Ayrlego (because of being only a MOD of the old fishing store official)

I hope you enjoyed the story... all is not revealed, there is lot more to come !

 

C&C welcome as usual, bonus pics (of all that was MODed later on )

 

[Sir Kingston]

Oh great, just what we need! 

Excellent story none the less...

[Fraunces]

GREAT story and I really like the adaptation of the fishing store as well! Fits perfectly I think. The moonbaseplate is also very well incorporated in the build.

 

You just broke one rule: the steam-engine era is after the timeline we are in right with BotBS? You are already with one leg in the Brick Seas industrial revolution!   Let's hope the professor needs to focus on this lepracy cure and forgets about his invention for another 50 years or so... 

One more thing: Maybe it is a good idea to re-read the text or let me help with grammar. Now the story is somewhat difficult to follow..

[Professor Thaum]

34 minutes ago, Fraunces said:

One more thing: Maybe it is a good idea to re-read the text or let me help with grammar. Now the story is somewhat difficult to follow..

As I'm not native english spoker my text might be full of "misprint" or "errors"

Feel free to send me by PM whatever remark you consider suitable and I will correct.

[Beleg the Ranger]

Great story and models! Looking forward to seeing the rest of it!

[Professor Thaum]

Bonus pics of the lab under the tower

the opening

open

some pics while in construction

 

 

The attic with the beds

the inside with professor Coco's roost

a small area for medicine with a rest bed

a bonus of the right arm macro build :

and the outside

 

[Bregir]

In terms of steam engine, Watt's first practical steam engine was from the 18th century, and Newcomen's and others were before then. So I don't consider a steam engine as such out of the period. It is the application of the steam engine that defines whether it is in or out. Steam pump for a mine, fine. Steam propulsion for a frigate? Not so much. :)

[Tezclatipoca]

Great story !

And the macro of the arm is excellent !

4 minutes ago, Bregir said:

In terms of steam engine, Watt's first practical steam engine was from the 18th century, and Newcomen's and others were before then. So I don't consider a steam engine as such out of the period.

I totally agree with you; and if you consider the Denis Papin (a French Physicist) steam machine back to the 17th century as a legit steam machine it's totally in our time period... of course the application is the key, like you said... sorry; I added my two cents...

[Capt Wolf]

On ‎4‎/‎18‎/‎2020 at 9:04 AM, Professor Thaum said:

This is designated to be the Doctor's residence in Tortuga, should be licenced as a medium one with court approval @Bregir @Capt Wolf  @Bodi  @Ayrlego (because of being only a MOD of the old fishing store official) 

I haven't brought this up in the court, but I don't see a problem with licensing this as a medium residence. It looks like there is enough original work to satisfy that requirement.

[Bodi]

Looks good, the added part in itself qualifies for a medium build, so it's a yay from me.

[Professor Thaum]

@Fraunces and all interested in the story...

Actually, the story was full of misprint and even a full paragraph was missing... I corrected it.

Now it is much more easy to understand, feel free to ask if you have questions.