Five years later Tom and Victoria were married and blessed with two very healthy children, a boy and a girl so far. Rick was Tom's best man and he and sister Jessica were the children's Godparents. Thanks to Sheriff Sanderson's efforts the threat of Robber cattle barons had greatly diminished. Then there was the shoot out at the OK Corral where Tom was a rooftop sniper and Sheriff Sanderson was in and dirty with revolvers and blades. He was a hero. He'd even co-opted Tom into a second string temporary Deputy 1st class for the little region around Victoria's Ranch. Tom was happy to accept the small accolade and put all his allowance into Charities he and Victoria sponsored. Tom had glowing references from neighbours too and others. Ironic that Tom's flight to save Victoria and Rick hindered the Murphy's cruel plans, it had them distracted by TJ's absence leaving so sudden before he even had a chance to testify to an already bent and threatened Judge. Why? Chaos? The chaos spilled over into Tombstone by wire back and forth. Sandy Gulch had a wire station. Also, certain things are best left unsaid and unwired...
Amen to that! Thanks Shirley, enjoyed it. Would you all like me to plan our next story? A break...? I'm easy, but how about I play a minor character and mainly play the characters encountered throughout the story? Its like the role playing game rules with one overseer and plot driver. I did it for many years with groups of nerds and even gifted kids, slaying Dragons or Alien Spaceships. I feel if our party starts with already enmeshed characters with high level skills, the story could flow better and quicker with shorter posts, especially if Jessica might like another go? I hope she would. Craig? How about playing the senior characters in a troop of Trading Merchants with staff, guards, slaves(?) and Camels along the like the old Silk Road traversing behind the the mighty Himalayas through hot and cold deserts with raging Mongols and Holy men aplenty.... Marco Polo on steroids? Even the mystical become real by magic and its ilk. I think main characters would most likely be skilled in: Merchant, Military, Navigator, Languages, Organiser, Leader, Physician, ...Diplomacy,..'Magical'..Wealthy,..Naturalist, Cartographer and Geographer, and even Astronomer, Astrology, Astrolomy? ,..just my thoughts, ..,
The Boeing 707 sat in one of the giant hangers in Changi Airport in Singapore with engines purring quietly. Baggage handlers and mechanics were tidying up. A tractor hitched to the plane started to slowly tow it out into the sunlight. Engineer Ironsmith had checked off all the boxes on the pre flight inspection and overseeing the loading and securing of baggage, containers, Mail with parcels and even two locked boxes of arms belonging to the soldiers on the flight back home from the war in Vietnam. Ironsmith doubled checked the weapon boxes with one of Army Officers signing each others paperwork. "All good and ready to go!" said Engineer Grier to Captain Wentworth. "Time to let the passengers embark."
Wentworth taxied the 707 into take off position, then was asked to wait by air traffic control for the plane ahead of his to be airborn before he was given the go ahead to take off. Once in the air he informed passengers that they were expected to reach Darwin in just under 5 hours, perhaps longer as his flite plan had observed some nasty weather three hours into the journey, but he had kept that small detail to himself so as not to cause panic...
Jessica loved her job, she enjoyed the interaction with the passengers and the banter with her colleagues. She felt proud in her uniform and always smiled as she tottered down the aisle. She loaded her trolley with tea, coffee, bottles of water and snacks, then started at the cockpit end and made her way down the aisle, she made her way towards the soldiers and noticed how tense they looked.....
Engineer Grier Ironsmith was happy all systems on the plane were A ok. The luggage was balanced well and secured tightly, especially the soldiers' weapon boxes. Poor fellows thought Grier about the Soldiers going home until their next tour of duty. He'd been in the Korean conflict and thought in war there were no winners. Flaming Politicians.
Chief Steward Jessica and Grier shared a quick coffee and she showed him the passenger list: 1 Doctor with 2 Patients and 3 Nurses, 2 Army officers, 1 Scientist, 1 Diplomat with 1 functionary, 2 Rich business men and 3 functionaries, 1 Priest, 1 Nun, 1 English Gentleman and Wife with 3 children, 6 Australian Soldiers returning home, 3 Singaporean people travelling to Australia, 12 returning tourists, 12 workers, 6 Immigrants, 2 Police officers, 4 Rugby players, 2 Cricket players, 2 Musicians, 3 Reporters, ...and some others too. About 80 all up.
Radio Operator and Navigator Brown called out "Captain, just heard that volcano in Java has erupted big time spewing huge clouds of ash into the atmosphere which we'll need to fly around. I'll work out a new course to avoid it. Winds are from the North so we should head north to avoid it. Give me 5 min to work out a new course."
Good Harry get on it. Will need something quick so as to change course yet avoid causing panic among the passengers. Grier bring Jessica in here please. The chief stewardess opened the cockpit door. What is it Captain. Jessica I want you to announce to the passengers that we have to change course to avoid the smoke and fumes of an erupting volcano. It will mean added time to their destination but impress on them.. it is imperative. She left, returning shortly after saying the passengers had taken the news well, specially the soldiers. One said less time in bloody Vietnam....
Jessica was fully trained to stay calm and dignified in an emergency but inside she was far from calm, she was panicking but couldn't show it to the passengers, she had to stay professional. What if the aircraft got damaged due to the erupting volcano, what if they went down in the sea, all these what ifs were racing through her mind. Jessica pulled herself together and went to check on the passengers, making sure they all had their seatbelts on, it was then that she noticed the soldiers didn't have theirs on, it was as if they were getting ready to.....
The six soldiers in coach stood, despite the plane still gaining altitude, and started singing a song about "going home" which was a just released hit song by the 'Rolling Stones'. One poor timid looking soldier fellow was half dragged up to his feet by his mates and half joined in. Another soldier sang loud and passionate with tears streaming down his cheeks. The other passengers were turning around and smiling at the young soldiers with some even joining in. What was Jessica to do?
Wentworth had no time for the frivolities going on behind his cockpit door. His concentration was solely on avoiding toxic fumes, ash and smoke from the volcano as it may affect the 707's four engines. He notified air traffic control that he was changing his original course. He was given the ok so proceeded to veers further south by south west in an effort to escape the growing volcanic bloom which was beginning to resemble a nucleur mushroom cloud.. Then suddenly...
..... Jessica thought she could smell smoke, surely it must just be her imagination, she looked around the aircraft and nobody else seemed to be alarmed, it must be just me, she thought. As she neared the cockpit door she could hear raised voices within the cockpit, was the captain raising his voice, he sounded worried.....