Flanked by his bodyguards the
short squat man, covered by their umbrellas, shuffled up the mooring
tower, and onto the gondola.
As the designer and funder of
this airship he had spared no expense while creating this opulent
wealth magnet. Created for the transportation, in extreme luxury, for
the incredibly affluent elite of Thera.
Airships were old fashioned at
the time of 1888, ancient even, but this was the appeal. And if they
needed speed then the steam engines could be augmented by the twin
coils propulsion system. A ballroom with resident quartet and grand
piano, premier restaurant and kitchen, first-rate bedrooms with
ensuite bathrooms. There was also a 10 man crew.
When the designer got to the
boarding area he was piped aboard by a four welcoming party and the
captain.
“Welcome Sir Podney,” saluted
the captain.
“Penn,” acknowledged the
designer as he jerked his head in the captain's general direction. He
then looked at one of the guards, “I would like you to prepare my
quarters straight away, I'm tired.”
