Blackwood Gazette # 158- Rinkenbach May Have Crossed Border Into Crowndon, Nor Easter Says

July 15, 2015 rybpierceBlackwood Empire, blackwood gazette, copyright@blackwoodempire.com, Rigel Rinkenbach, Roderick La Pierre, short fiction, steampunk, Where No One KnowsLeave a comment

By Chester Seaton, News

15/7- After a long search of villages and townships in the Nor Eastern province of Des Anges, Nor Eastern investigators say that they have found substantial evidence that Sir Rigel Rinkenbach has crossed through the mountains into Crowndon.

“This is very disparaging, for a number of reasons,” said Feredic Caltou, an advisor to Empress Marcellete Bastian. “Given his close relationship with the Empress and her inner circles, Rinkenbach is privy to all sorts of Imperial secrets. He’s a serious security risk. His natural aptitude for science and mechanical design also presents reason for concern. Should Crowndon get their hooks in him, I shudder at the thought of him being installed as part of their military industry.”

That is, of course, if the Crowndon military doesn’t arrest or execute him out right.

“Let us not forget that Rinkenbach invented the Dragonfly aircraft that decimated Roderick La Pierre’s fleet at the Divide and cost them the war,” Caltou added. “While Rinkenbach enjoys a certain diplomatic immunity during pre-scheduled and tightly controlled appearances in Crowndon, there are many circles there that revile him nearly as much as their expatriated Admiral La Pierre. Should Rinkenbach be discovered, I fear for his life. The Empress is understandably distraught at this possible outcome.”

The Crowndon military commented on the possibility of Rinkenbach’s presence, and denied that any such action would be taken.

“While it’s true that many in Crowndon would see Rinkenbach’s head removed from his body, we are not the unreasonable brutes that Nor Easter likes to portray us as,” said Admiral Winston Johannes. “We are in a state of peace with Nor Easter, and none of us wants a repeat of the war two years ago. Given his relationship with the Empress, killing or arresting Rinkenbach holds no political value. Rather, if we located him, we would offer to return him as a show of good faith to the Nor Eastern Empire.”

Caltou’s response was skeptical.

“I’ll believe such a promise when it is delivered upon.”

***

Given their history, what do you think happens when the ruthless pirate Roderick La Pierre meets the brilliant inventor Sir Rigel Rinkenbach, the man most responsible for the loss of everything he held dear? Find out in Where, No One Knows, the first full length Blackwood Empire novel!

Blackwood Gazette #97-Imperial Super Prison Nearing Completion

April 9, 2015 rybpierceBlackwood Empire, blackwood gazette, copyright @rbpierce2483.wordpress.com, retro-futurism, short fiction, steampunk, Where No One Knows, writingLeave a comment

by Chester Seaton, News

9/4-The controversy surrounding the Triumvirate’s joint project, an ocean-borne maximum security prison, continues this week as details leaked concerning the prison’s progress.

According to the leak, the project had been in development for years before its official announcement last year, with construction having begun nearly two years ago. As a result, the prison is nearly complete, and is scheduled to set sail within the next few months.

Other details in the leak point to prisoners already being held in completed portions of the ship, which is currently in dry dock in an undisclosed location. This has led to citizens across the triumvirate to make inquiries about family members currently incarcerated in maximum security prisons.

A spokesman for the project, currently codenamed ‘Delphinidae’, spoke with press this morning about the allegations.

“The information concerning the construction of the prison is largely accurate,” the spokesman said. “The ship is nearly completed, and will set sail shortly. As for allegations that prisoners have already been transferred aboard, without notifying their families, they are completely false.”

Blackwood Gazette #80: Northern Crowndon Faces Harsh Winter

December 16, 2014 rybpiercealejandro julianos, Blackwood Empire, blackwood gazette, copyright @rbpierce2483.wordpress.com, short fiction, steampunk, Where No One Knows, yolanda de santanaLeave a comment

16/12- Things are looking increasingly bleak in Northern Crowndon, since the first snows began to fall mid last month.

As previously reported, the situation in Monteddor has led to severe rationing of Blackwood in the Crowndonian Empire. Measures were taken to keep the small settlements and townships of Northern Crowndon alight, but as the conflict has drawn out those meager allotments have stopped completely. With winter in full swing now, even Caldebeck Bay, the largest city in the north, has gone dark.

To make matters worse, no one has heard from small villages like Nostholm in nearly a month. Imperial officials claim that the final reports from the region indicated that several of the town’s citizens were planning on migrating south to Caldebeck Bay, but no one ever arrived. Bay officials claimed to send out search parties, but harsh weather conditions prevented them from crossing the mountains.

With its northern territories facing significant losses due to exposure and starvation, the Crowndon government is facing increased pressure to intervene in the Desantana conflict. Their stance as of this report, however, remains the same: out of concern for disrupting the balance of power created by the alliances of the Triumvirate, neither the Empire of Crowndon, nor the Empire of NorEaster, will intervene in Monteddorian affairs without the blessing of Monteddor’s government, who continue to insist they have control over the situation. Monteddor’s capital city, meanwhile, finds itself in the second month of a siege by forces led by Alejandro Julianos and Yolanda Desantana.

***

Want more Blackwood Empire? Check out the full length novel, Where, No One Knows, available now on Amazon and Createspace!

“Where, No One Knows” is LIVE!

December 8, 2014 rybpierceBlackwood Empire, copyright @rbpierce2483.wordpress.com, Pixie Sinclaire, Rigel Rinkenbach, Ryan Pierce, steampunk, Where No One KnowsLeave a comment

Whew! Hey everyone, just let me get rid of this dust…

I’ve been away for awhile, and while I wish I could say it was because I was toiling diligently away on my NaNo project, such wasn’t the case. I completely failed to manage my time between writing and working a job in retail, and as such was unable to complete the required 50,000 word goal.

Boo hoo. There. I’m over it. Moving on!

I am pleased to announce, however, another small victory. The other novel I’ve been chipping away at for the last couple of years is now available to purchase through Createspace and Amazon.

Right now, it’s only available in paperback, but a Kindle version is incoming once I fix some of the formatting issues that came with converting the files from Createspace.

So, go on! If you’re looking for a light-hearted, pulpy adventure to curl up with this holiday, go check it out. And if you do, let me hear what you thought and if you have any suggestions to help improve future projects, let me know. I’m always open to constructive criticism.

“The Blackwood Empire is facing a bit of an energy crisis. Everything runs on steam, and the fuel for the fires, an alchemical substance called Blackwood, is running out. Only the brilliant scientist, Sir Rigel Rinkenbach, knows the secret, and he’s gone missing!

He’s been taken to Where, No One Knows, a massive prison ship that patrols the Imperial seas. There’s only one way onto Where, No One Knows, and only one way out. It’s a delicate job requiring finesse, and in the Blackwood Empire, cutthroats are a dime a dozen. Pixie Sinclaire, former agent provocateur, outclasses them all.

Pixie and Rigel have a rocky past, but the flame persists. When the NorEastern Nations hire her to infiltrate the impenetrable floating fortress, Pixie takes it as a challenge and opportunity to set things right.

Once on the ship, things quickly go south. Pixie must deal with a jail break led by a charismatic political prisoner hoping to use Rigel in the creation of an independent nation state, a pair of air pirates looking for revenge on Rigel, and others who stand to lose everything should the secret of Blackwood ever reach Imperial shores.

Oh, and did we mention the nine foot tall death machines roaming the ship? Will the world know the secret of Blackwood? Or will it be lost to the waves forever?”

Blackwood Gazette #17: Triumvirate Leaders Unveil Plans for Nautical Super-Prison; Reactions Mixed

June 3, 2014 rybpierceBlackwood Empire, blackwood gazette, copyright @rbpierce2483.wordpress.com, flash fiction, prison, pulp fiction, retro-futurism, Rigel Rinkenbach, satire, scifi, serial fiction, short fiction, steampunk, Where No One Knows, writingLeave a comment

3/6-Last week, high ranking officials from the member of the Imperial Triumvirate announced a massive joint project they promised would change the world. This weekend, it was announced that the project is a massive prison for holding ‘special cases and undesirable entities’ from around the Triumvirate.

“Once constructed, the prison will be run by a private organization made up of former Crowndonian and Monteddorian Naval personnel,” said Admiral Derval McTavish. “I myself will be stepping down as Fleet Admiral of Crowndon and assume the role of Chief Warden of the ship.”

The announcement was met with mixed reactions from all corners of society.

“Oh, look. Another prison,” said Samson Aldous, a Sarnwainian exchange student studying at the Empress University in Oeil de Fleur. “The only reason they are building the thing is because their prisons are already full, and their prisons are full because their system does not work. And now they are privatizing it! I bet a Crowndonian came up with it, and no mistake.”

“I think it’s outstanding,” said Elizabeth Dubois, a wealthy merchant from Toring. “We have a huge crime problem here. They like to use my storefront door for shelter from the rain. The nerve of them! Putting those filthy heathens on a ship in the middle of the ocean, and away from rational folk like myself, is exactly what society needs. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some downsizing to do. Word has it our taxes are going up for some reason. Stupid taxes.”

“I’m concerned,” said one Nor Eastern citizen, who asked to remain nameless. “They talk about ‘special cases and undesirable entities.’ What exactly qualifies as a ‘special case’, or an ‘entity’? That could be anything. Especially if you’re in Crowndon. I’m shocked and ashamed to know that Nor Easter has anything to do with this, to be honest.”

Oculus, self proclaimed ‘Editor and Chief’ of that smut rag The Exhumanor, wasted no time in gloating.

“See! It’s a prison! What did I say?! What did I say, people?! Didn’t I say they’d be rounding us up?! Laugh at me again, why don’t ya!”

We asked several of the Triumvirate’s most well known pillars for comment. As of this printing, only Rigel Rinkenbach as responded.

“I fear all that I can do is shake my head,” Rinkenbach said. “This is a bad idea. I should know; they didn’t ask me to consult. Something is bound to go wrong.”

Book Excerpt No. 2: Where, No One Knows

March 20, 2014 rybpierceBlackwood Empire, copyright @rbpierce2483.wordpress.com, fantasy, fiction, Pixie Sinclaire, pulp fiction, retro-futurism, scifi, steampunk, Where No One Knows, writingLeave a comment

Today I thought I’d share another excerpt from Where, No One Knows (or, as I’ve started to call it, the novel that killed two computers). It’s pretty much the entirety of Chapter 5, in which our protagonist, former agent provocateur and alchemist extraordinaire Pixie Sinclaire, faces off against a ten foot tall Murder-Bot and learns that the situation aboard the prison ship she has infiltrated is much more complicated than previously thought. Enjoy, and feel free to leave feedback on how it can be improved. A previous excerpt can be found here (though, it’s been revised since).

Continue reading “Book Excerpt No. 2: Where, No One Knows” →

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