Tag: SotC

DeLeon

Man O War: Detachable Pontoons, Armed

DeLeon grew up with his father, a plane maker, who inspired DeLeon with a passion for flying from a young age. He never knew his mother and avoided school as best he could, flying with his father to remote corners of Portugal. They moved to the US, where his Latin Ways intrigued the girls and charmed other boys. When he turned 13, his father died crashing an experimental plane.

With no one keeping track of him, DeLeon joined the military as an aviator. During the war he relegated to gunner… until the day his pilot had to bow out at the last minute due to a sudden flu. They turned to DeLeon, who amazed them with his expert flying. Soon he was a decorated Ace.

DeLeon in Around the World in 60 Days
Guest Starring: Thomas Kretchman and The Shamrock
While filling his plane, DeLeon spotted a flash over the hill. Shots burst out around him; he threw the propeller and got in as it rolled forward under fire. He barely made it off the ground and turned to take on the ambushers when a plane dove toward him out of the sky. Despite several shots piercing Man-o-War, he managed to maneuver, blinding the following plane with the smoke pouring from his plane, before rising up and finishing off his ambusher.

Later, DeLeon hired Thomas to carry his plane across a long gap in the Pacific where refueling would have been difficult. Enemy agents tried to storm the decks of the Princess Greta to sabotage DeLeon’s plane… but were thwarted when Thomas broke out a stash of tommy guns and chased them over the side. The Shamrock, a fellow passenger, noticed a few raiders trying to sabotage Man-o-War and joined the fight!

Micky “The Shamrock” O’Sullivan

Micky grew up not knowing his parents, in an orphanage. His Irish heritage is obvious, and he was always a size larger than his peers, becoming a playground enforcer. His natural talent for fighting soon made him famous on the streets of Brooklyn. His childhood was desperately poor, lighting a fire for wealth in Micky’s veins.

In his teens he found his way to a boxing club and began to make a good living. The sports world took notice as rose quickly in rankings, concealing his true age behind his large frame. He loyally joined the army, but found that secret patrons wanted him kept out of harm’s way– he spent his days teaching hand to hand combat to new recruits. One day he came across a group of men smuggling supplies out of the camp; alone and unarmed he stopped a half dozen men. This brought him to the attention of Colonel Wilkensen, a member of the Century Club.

The Shamrock in Fists and Dollars
Guest Starring: Alastair Carstairs and Jack Hex
The Shamrock was scheduled for the super heavyweight boxing match of the century in France, pitted against the Turk. On the way over, Jack Hex stopped several attempts on The Shamrock, ambushes to prevent him from making the fight. Jack was a motivated defender of Shamrock, since he had his life savings invested in Shamrock’s victory. If the opposition had only known Jack was on the job, they’d never have wasted their time making the futile attempts.

Reporters from around the world witnessed a 12 round bout where the Shamrock won, despite the Turk’s corner cheating. Alastair noticed the opponents slipping a drug into The Shamrock’s water bucket. Taking matters into his own hands, Alastair cautiously foiled the plot by pretending to trip, spilling the bucket of poisoned water.

The Shamrock’s victory secured the mortgage for the orphanage he’d grown up in and preserved the Shamrock Boxing Club building.

Jack Hex

Jack was raised by his Pa in the ways of a gunfighter. Both were surprised when Jack bested his father at age 12. A horse ranch is a great place to grow up; Jack learned a lot from the local Indians who worked on the ranch.

Jack eventually fell in love with a local girl, but the call of glory was strong. He ran off to war, while she pledged to wait for him. Jack rode in the cavalry in North Africa, quickly rising to the rank of Captain. While serving, he got bad news: his sister had married into the twisted R family.

Jack Hex in the Fall of Pancho Villa
Guest Starring: The Shamrock and DeLeon
Seeking the day when the way of the gun was a way of life, Jack accepts Blackjack Pershing’s invitation to quell the Pancho Villa uprising. Using his skill as a horseman and gunfighter, Jack confounded Villa’s army by cutting off supply lines and beating his best men.

DeLeon contributed by scouting from the sky, strafing an enemy formation, and flying back to Jack Hex with Pancho’s location. The Shamrock joined up with Jack and cleared away a bunch of rebels standing between Jack and Pancho. Jack took on Pancho, defeating him and earning a congressional medal of honor for his actions.

Alistair Carstairs

His mother, a successful and beautiful debutant could always get him to do anything with a smile– a trait that has continued to haunt him through his life. Alistair was with his father on an Aztec dig in Central America when he fell down a shaft in a pyramid, and knocked over an Aztec mask which somehow landed on his face. The glowing mask offered him power…

Alastair ran away to join the army, enlisting as a foot soldier, in contrast to his older brother and father. They each served as officers, directing the war safely behind the lines. He was in the trenches when a canister of mustard gas landed nearby and crept over the trenches. A wind sprang up, saving Alastair and his companions… and bringing him to the attention of Grandpa Merlin, who inducted him into the Century Club.

Alastair Carstairs versus Devlin Vonstein in The Mask of Ra
Guest Starring: Thomas Kretschmann and Jack Hex

The call of the Mask of Ra lured Alastair and Devlin into a race for the power of the gods. Stormy Mediterranean seas, rogue sandstorms, desert nomads, and Devlin VonStein conspired to thwart our hero.

When Alastair took the Greta from London to Cairo, neither Alastair or Thomas suspected that thugs had stowed away inside a secondary cargo crate. When they made their move, the ship was trying to thread a stormy gates of Gibraltar!

In the desert, Jack decoyed a band of nomad attackers away on a two day detour, finally making a stand while dressed as Alastair to draw their fire.

Thomas Kretschmann

S.S. Prinzessin Greta – Futurization (Faster Turbines), Rugged (Built to Last), and Secret Compartments

Thomas left home in his teens to live a life at sea. Thomas did not maintain contact with his estranged father, a wealthy Prussian industrialist, or his uncaring and detached mother. The only member of his family that he maintains a correspondence with is his sister Inga.

While serving on a merchant vessel, he was incorporated into the merchant arm of the Kriegsmarine during WWI. Thomas was made a junior officer due to his abilities, family name, and Prussian heritage. While serving as second officer of the merchantman Hamburg, Thomas took charge of the ship when the Captain and First Officer were killed during an attempt to break a Britsh blockade in the Baltic. Tom’s luck enabled the ship to break through and deliver the medical supplies needed by the German Army. He was given an Iron Cross by the Kaiser himself. His parents did not attend this ceremony and they kept Inga from attending as well.

After the war, Thomas signed on with a freighter, the S.S. Austria, owned by a salty old sea-dog named Karl Lundtz. Lundtz was a friend to the Century Club, his father having been a member in it. Lundtz noted the date of Thomas birth and realized that he would be a prime candidate for the Century Club. With that secretly in mind, Karl became Thomas’ mentor and he soon realized that Thomas had some special gifts in dealing with people.. There were many adventures and it wasn’t too long before Thomas was recruited into the Century Club. After a while, he became the First Officer aboard the newly launched S.S. Prinzessin Greta. When Lundtz passed away, he left the new ship to Thomas, much to the dismay of the wealthy ship-building Lundtz family, who had wanted to sell it to the Weimer Republic or another government as a proto-type.

Thomas Kretschmann in “A Tale of Two Princesses”
Guest Starring: Alastair Carstairs and DeLeon

The Russian princess Anastasia, fleeing communist agents from the Port of Leningrad, begged for passage aboard the Greta. When the Russian navy sorties to cut off the Princess Greta, Kretschmann realizes that escaping with the last of the Romonovs will be cutting it close.

Alastair Carstairs had booked passage to protect the fleeing princess and escort her to England. When the Russian navy sought out the Greta, Alastair called upon the Mask of Thor and divine mist cloaked the ship, concealing it until it made port in Norway.

There, Thomas was tipped off that two Russian ships lurked just outside of port, waiting to snare the Greta and recover Anastasia. Thomas tracked down DeLeon, who chivalrously flew the fleeing princess out of Norway. Thomas continued on course and allowed the Russians to board his ship in a futile search for the Princess who was already winging her way to London.