Edward Scythe

Status


Name and Rank: Captain Edward Scythe

Alias: Sky Bastard

Occupation: Pirate airship captain

Vessel: The Maelstrom 

Status: Active

Joining the military
Edward Scythe, born in Priest Town to a lower class family, chose to join the Steam army as soon as he was able. During his training, he showed great promise in both intellectual and physical pursuits. Though capable with firearm, has greater proficiency with swords, prefering the curved talwar.

Scythe's time in service was a mix of commendations for service and complaints. Though his quick actions in duty would earn him admiration from peers and a gruding respect from senior officers, his continued and increasingly public displays of defiance towards his colleagues was growing in notoriety. A great deal of his early reprimands were due to his continued fondness of pranks on base; Not confined to his peers. Colonel Horatio Bucks stated in a report:

  "Cadet Scythe continues to show willful disregard for authority and any appreciation to command structure. His frequent involvement of other Cadets and Privates, and in this case 2nd Lieutenant Sawenger (now 3rd Lieutenant) only further demonstrates the boy's manipulative use of charisma to coerce people. In all likelihood he should be re-evaluated by the psychiatric team for probably sociopathy...[]...However, it was pretty funny. And Colonel Westwig is a pompous ass and deserved a good dressing down frankly. Considering the jerry-rigged pully-system Scythe built in a short time, mostly in the dark, and with all those herrings we have to consider this kid's potential if appropriately focused..."

Having demonstrated ingenuity in his extra curricula activities, Scythe was allowed to channel his energies into helping design equipment and improve on-ship systems alongside various engineers - often volunteering to test fly new projects himself. It was during this time that Scythe made his first reliable ally, a talented engineer named Catherine Cutter. Though he continued to voice his personal beliefs and concerns with the conduct of the military and country, his apparent dedication led to enough senior officers lending him the benefit of doubt.

The Imperial
Whilst serving as a 2nd Lieutenant in the airforce on a test flight of a new vessel, The Imperial, the crew came under attack from hostile forces. The Imperial was under crewed and with only a modest array of personal weapons, and no ship armaments - still awaiting full commission. The senior officer, Captain John Stokes was killed during the incursion. Dispute followed what occured next, however the majority of the crew independantly supported Scythes claim that acting Lt. Case-Smith could not command, buckling under fear and pressure.Scythe then took charge of the The Imperial, focusing on a tactical retreat away from the hostile to conduct repairs by seeking refuge in a cloud bank on a mountain range. It was at this point that reports became more diverse.

Brigadier Watson (then Cadet) writes:

"...[Scythe] was livid.. You know how he gets that grin when he's planning something you know you don't wanna know about? Like when he rigged that captain's lecture podium with Hux GRs [Gravitas-Magnes Engines]? You knew something was coming, you wanted to see it, but only from a distance - 'cause it was probably bad.

''Well, this'n was bad, when we saw it. He rallied us all up...I don't even really remember what he said. Maybe it was the shock, y'know? [Captain] Stokes was gone, we were drafty [colloquial term for an airship that has taken damage to the hull], and we should've been turning back.''

''But he just made sense at the time. He got us all up on the deck, and just started calmly talking, and it was almost soothing after the cannons. He told us what needed fixing, got us into the best teams to do it. Then he came round, making sure we were ok, like, but I guess he was seeing how far he could push us. Getting us ready for what he had planned."''

Comparitively, the debriefing of Squadron Leader (then cadet) Jacob Lee-Hammer reads:

"...Edward [Scythe] is a bully, and gets what he wants. And that day, he wanted blood. He didn't give a damn about the ship or the crew, he cared that he could do it and wanted to do it.

''...[Cadet] June stood up to him after he marched everybody off to do busy work and patch up the hull and salvage the GRs. I didn't think he knew I was still on deck, but I swear he nearly threw him off the damn railings [of the hull]. I think June was on to what the bastard was planning and wasn't having it. Edward punched him in the jaw without saying a word. When June was off balance, he took him by the lapels and nearly threw him. If the barrier's had been damaged, I've no doubt June'd've gone overboard. Then Edward drew his pistol, pulling the poor sod up to his feet. I dunno what he said, but he spat it in June's ear, before [June] ran off below decks.''

Then the bastard looked up deck, and gave me that vicious grin before strolling off."

Official records of the incident are predicatably formal. Cadet June's report omits all allegations of Scythe's threatening behavior. June dropped out of the airforce shortly after The Imperial incident.

Following repairs on the ship, Scythe apparently coerced, encouraged or in some versions of debriefings threatened the remaining cadets and engineers to take The Imperial back out seek the hostile ship that had open fire on them.

Though only three of the main GRs remained functional, The Imperial was able to limp back to friendly port by deploying it's balloon. Instead, Scythe refused to allow the balloon to be released. Repairs to get the ship to function within tolerable levels of safety took an estimated four hours, with acceptance of loss of integraty across various levels.

During this time, Scythe had convienced engineer Cutter to make modifications to the damaged GR engines. Sacraficing the mechanics of one of the three remaining magnetic plates, and salvaging a broken plate from the damaged hull, Cutter had the remaining engineers and cadets overclock the engines on the two remaining plates, whilst she and Scythe make alterations to the damaged one - mounting it on the side of the top deck of their vessel.

Catherine Cutter's official statement on her "coercement";

"[Scythe] came down, whilst we're clearing up the mess and he's got an idea. And I liked it. So we did."

Within a remarkably short time, The Imperial broke cloud bank, in a state of apparent drift, heading back towards the original incursion sector.

Presently the hostile vessel returned. On approach to The Imperial, believing their target to be disabled, the hostile vessel pulled along side The Imperial from a lower angle, rising with intent to "Clip" the ship with her own lightening nets, with intent to disorientate any remaining crew and cause further damage.

At this instance, Scythe ordered an immediate burn of the overclocked engines on the GRs, causing an immediate sharp surge, thrusting The Imperial forwards into the mast section of the hostile vessel. Though sustaining further hull damage, The Imperial successfully incapacitated the lower positioned ship from standard navigation, as well as severe damage to the upper deck.

Allowing The Imperial to lean into the deck of the hostile vessel, Scythe unveiled the weapon he and Cutter had quickly rigged.

Watson:

"...And there it was. As we pushed forwards, we tilted in over the top of them. Timbers and rigging were collapsing down onto the pirates, and I could see a few fall overboard. Then, there was Scythe...And that grin. All that anger that'd burned in his eyes, I thought he'd burned it out seeing us right...But it'd just motivated him. He had this rope tied around his waist and he stood on deck, even as we started to lose stability. I was clinging on to the rails for my life, but he was just grinning.

''Then he loosens the goddammed rope he's holding on to! He slams straight into this GR plate that him and Catherine'd stuck up on deck, and I realise what they've done. Catherine must've been below deck [the crew had not repaired many holes left through the decks, having focused on the hull breaches - it would have theoretically been possible for direct view from engine deck to top deck at this point] - 'cause he looks down one of these gapes, and gives some one a wink and a grin. I heard the engines kick up again even over the wind. And then he leans into the main lever and starts laughing..!"''

The GR plate had been rigged to give an immediate discharge from it's capacitors in the engine room. The resultant blast, aimed directly at the close proximity of the hostile ship's deck created a concentrated pulse blast. The blast ruptured the hostile vessel, and it is believed struck the engines causing a chain reaction to a likely poorly maintained vessel, resulting in a large explosion. It is unclear whether the hostile vessel's explosion caused The Imperial's GR-Weapon to be blown up, or if it was the slap-dash methods of jerry-rigging that Cutter and Scythe had employed. However, as The Imperial was caught in the up blast, so too was Scythe. Some maintain that as he flew backwards across the still righting Imperial deck, he was still laughing.

Once The Imperial had righted itself, Scythe was found by Cutter and Watson to be hanging off the deck, only caught by fortune of being tangled in the rope and damaged rigging. On being hauled back up, he immediately sought to lead an assault on the shattered hostile vessel.

Scythe led several volunteers across to the hostile vessel, and found it to be "sinking" fast. Official reports state that no survivors were found - nor bounty. Personal diaries and rumours suggest otherwise on both - but only that goods were salvaged by The Imperial. Officially, only parts required to repair The Imperial for return to friendly port were taken before the devestated vessel broke up entirely, drifting in pieces before ultimately sinking with loss of power. The wreckage would remain, uninvestigated, in the mountain range.

The SkyWriters
As a result of his "Bravery and ingenuity in a time of crisis" on The Imperial, Scythe was promoted to First Lieutenant and became a regular on many missions. However, due to his antagonistic nature, wishing to take a more direct (or at times, allegedly "Profitable" routes), Scythe found his time on ships brief.

It was due to tenacity and those seniors that were impressed with his skills in flight (on personal crafts and ships), navigation and fighting capability that Scythe managed to earn enough air time and skills to be picked for The SkyWriters.

Though the current Commander of The SkyWriters at that time had allegedly wanted Scythe for some time, believing the prestige may motivate Scythe into more appropriate behavior, it was outside military policy to accept a new officer without satisfactory demonstration of skill.

Scythe was indoctrinated into The SkyWriters and quickly rose ranks to Lieutenant Commander of The Black Cat squardon, serving along side The Valkerie squardon, commanded by Lt. Cdr. Marici Roam on the Behemoth class carrier "The Ocean Wind".

It is here that Scythe spent a great deal of his career as a SkyWriter, before being given command of The Andrealphus as her captain.

Much of Scythe's military - and specifically SkyWriter career remains classified or often denied, due to the nature of the work. Records, however, show that during his time in The Black Cat squardon, he recieved various commendations and awards for continued bravery and skill, often taking missions with a high threat or skill level.

It has been speculated upon that the higher demands of his focus and his growing rivalry to out perform Marici Roam had tempered his usual flare for acting out against authority, having found a more direct use of his skills through piloting, commanding and challenging himself and Roam.

It is undoubtably because of this apparent focus that he was able to quickly progress to captainhood of The Andrealphus.

Piracy




Relationship with Captain Roam
Through out his tenure in the military, Scythe and Roam had maintained a consitantly growing rivalry. Roam's main issues with Scythe came from his lack of respect for peers or seniors, coupled with his frequent flare for showing off and spectacle on training and missions. Ultimately, Roam became the indirect cause of much of this, as Scythe sought to annoy her further for his amusement.

The rivalry became much more observable as they rose through the ranks on par with each other, eventually serving as equals on The Ocean Wind. During this time, the two became much more active in trying to out shine one another on missions, either through efficiency or creativity.

Roam attempted to avoid or ignore Scythe to the greater extent of service, however various crew members would comment on the frequent heated arguments between the two. Scythe often used these as opportunities to spur Roam into sparring duels, either with sword or on occassion in Weaver Gliders as part of training.

It should be noted that during this time, Roam and Scythe worked well together on missions as exemplary commanders and pilots. This would be the closest to a gruding relationship the two would ever come.

Towards the end of Scythe's career with the military, Roam had forsaken any ideas she held of respecting her competitor beginning to feel him to be brash, arrogant and potentially dangerous to himself and others. Once Scythe went AWOL, Roam's dislike for him had developed into a full hatred, resenting all that Scythe had come to represent and his mockery of what they had both earned and often fought for.

Professor Elemental attempted kidnap
Captain Scythe made his intent clear to kidnap beloved Professor Elemental. He cited reasons being for his own personal amusement, wanting a "muse" or "minstrel".

Despite his bravado in seeking kidnap of the Professor, Scythe's arrogance and lack of preperation proved to be his undoing.

His choice to target The Professor at a large event Elemental was guest speaking at led to a requirement to be unarmed to slip into the event with ease. As Scythe arrived alone, and without crew it has been speculated that the attempt had been only a matter of passing the time whilst The Maelstrom was under repair, and the crew taking shore leave. However it has been noted that Scythe was notably disappointed at being "outwitted" by Professor Elemental.

Scythe has since alleged that he had "over-estimated" the Professor, based on tales of his exploits, and was not prepared for the sheer "dumb luck" the Professor exhibited on the night.

Scythe has not made any further attempts to kidnap the Professor. It should be noted that since both The Professor and Scythe have publically spoken favourably of the same weapons and supplies shop that they may have since interacted on peacable terms.

The Chronodoxum Machine
It has been rumoured that Captain Scythe is showing interest in aquiring (through various means) the antique parts for building The Chronodoxum Machine.

Information at this time is still pending.