Gabriella and the Orient Express
On the Kalos Railway the fleet was busy as usual and the BR Standard Class locomotives were pitching in where they were needed and so far things were quiet but there was no telling how long that would last now that Lord Arcanon was busy and rumors told that he was spotted in Asia before a sighting was reported in Australia, namely New South Wales and Queensland which was a cause for worry.
Later that evening, the BR Standards were in the main sheds in Paris. They had been called back to the main sheds so they could be examined and repairs could be maid if the situation called for it. Right now, the group was reviewing the previous events.
Abigail: So far Duchess Corrinne's showing that she's a strong capable leader. However, she needs the support of the team and by that I mean our support. She also needs to know that the Kalos Railway has her back to the very end.
Nina: You're right about that Abigail but Corrinne needs to learn to stop sending the Gold Dragons to beat entire families down just because some of their relatives did her harm. She needs to learn that attacking those who did nothing to her makes her as bad or worse than those who hurt her to beign with and that same lesson needs to be taught to her counterparts.
Arturo: Shut up Nina. Where is your head? Beating entire families for the actions of their rude relatives makes perfect sense. Haven't you heard the saying one bad apple ruins the entire bunch? So yes I say Duchess Corrinne is right to keep doing what she's been doing and how she's been doing it.
Biff: Exactly right Arturo. At least Duchess Corrinne has a plan but I will say that improvising on the fly is a weakness that needs to be addressed.
Christina: Case in point Biff, the year 1994. Abigail had boiler issues and tube trouble.
Abigail: How could I forget? That was a shocking year in which Edward and Duchess Corrinne were in rare agreement on issues. The only other time I know was three years ago due to dead controllers, Shauntal's family making big strategic moves and threatening the school board. It was also the year I was able to prove that I could hold my own as a goods engine and Gabi finally found her voice and backbone.
Alena: Well it was about time too because as a standard class five Gabi should be able to pull anything namely molten phenol or other dangerous chemicals.
Penny: We can all agree on that. now that Abigail and the rest of the BR Standard Class Mainline Tender Engines have stepped up Duchess Corrinne doesn't have to babysit the hazardous goods train runs anymore. Still transporting hazardous cargo is a task that Duchess Corrinne should not have had to do.
Gabriella: At least we can hold our own as engine who can transport dangerous cargo. Which means Duchess Corrinne can rest easy but now the task of transporting chemicals and dangerous goods falls to us the British Railways Standard Class locomotives.
Biff: And now we are true mixed traffic steam locomotives. Shame we were never able to prove ourselves on the British Railway network but here we have a chance. Here we are able to step up and prove ourselves just as Abigail and Gabriella proved they still had what was required of them. Case in point Abigail's first slow goods train.
Colby: For once I was very surprised to see a pacific on the front of a goods train but then again I used to do a stretch on the Somerset and Dorset joint railway pulling the pines express and I worked in the former London and North Eastern territories most of my life. Still, we do have a fair chance and I'd love to relive some of the glory days but for now let us review the past here on the Kalos Railway and learn for our future.
The BR standard class locomotives all remembered the year 1994 for things were tough but not as tough as they were in 1979. The Kalos Railway had oil burning steam locomotives in the form of Gervase, Sean, and Winslow, the former of the three whom had his issues ironed out while the second of the three was modified to Hungarian railway standards which meant that they had the strength needed to do the jobs required of them. One evening the trio were sleeping in the sheds that the LNER fleet resided in as Colby was elsewhere giving the Southern Railway Locomotives some additional help.
Gervase: The dark witch is gone but our problems have gotten much worse than ever before. Word is that a new more powerful dark witch will rise up and take her place and the new dark witch is said to be much more fearsome than the previous dark witch.
Sean: So logically we need to kill the Dark Witch and the crows while we have the chance before things get worse. Great idea but what do we do? Our enemies could be watching right now.
Winslow: Same thing we always do Sean. We fight back and we do not back down. We are United States Army Transportation Corps locomotives and we never surrender.
Gervase: If we're going to do this we need to get the war department locomotives to help us. This could be the most important thing we ever do even more so than our mainline certification trials so believe me when I say this is very serious. We have no room for error.
Winslow and Sean understood as they prepared for the next days events unaware that Master Xehanort and the Powers Family each had plans of their own plans which involved eliminating steam engines including the ones that dared to defy them and killing anyone who liked steam engines and dared to scrap any diesels or electric engines in the process.
Net morning the trio woke up and found Aaron Belmonte looking grim and fierce.
Winslow: Good morning sir, you look fierce and grim. What's going on this time?
The Kalos Controller: The powers family has had another heritage railway destroyed and all of its steam engines scrapped on the spot and they took over the businesses that considered supporting the heritage railway in question. I've received word that the powers family is even planning to come after our clients and fund all of our enemies.
Sean: I take it there's more bad news or are we due to just snooze all day.
The Kalos Controller: There's more bad news. Abigail has fallen ill so I've reassigned Gabi to the Orient Express to Vienna and Abigail's duties which means one of you must cover for Gabi. Gervase you'll have to pick up the slack and do Gabi's duties while I get one of the War Department locomotives to cover for you.
Gervase: Consider it done. Ever since the BR standards arrived we USATC and War Department locomotives have been feeling like we're the army reserve among the fleet. We hardly get out much.
The Kalos Controller: I do apologize if it seems that way but given that our enemies could attack at any moment and that they have many eyes and ears everywhere anyone could be a target so it's vital that a plan be prepared and we have reserve locomotives on standby. That and I may need either you or Sean to go with Ezekiel and help the Shiba Clan if the situation requires it.
Sean: We understand but Duchess Corrinne's gonna have a headache when she finds out she has to train a newbie. You know she has a valid point on that.
The Kalos Controller: I'm well aware of her history of being blindsided by somebody she thought was a friend but turned out to be a backstabbing traitor. Why do you think I told her and had her see for herself the state Abby was in? So she could come up with a strategy. You should know by now that Duchess Corrinne is a brilliant strategist.
Winslow: That much we already covered but what does that have to do with anything.
The Kalos Controller: Duchess Corrinne tends to get blindsided by unexpected variables and has trouble making up a quick plan on the fly considering the numerous unexpected factors.
Gervase: We understand. Still this is where the time to act has come or should I say when. Either way in times like this being reserve engines comes in handy like right about now huh?
The Kalos Controller: That is true and I'm sure Duchess Corrinne has things covered.
The Kalos Controller need not have worried for Duchess Corrinne was taking the job of teaching Gabriella seriously and with the level headedness the job required. Currently the Stanier Duchess began teaching the BR Standard Class Five about the Orient Express.
Duchess Corrinne: Pay attention Gabi because this is very important. The Orient Express is one of the most important trains ever. Even sot his train requires basic common sense like all other trains. Remember that Gabi and you'll go far. One other thing, focus on the track.
Gabi was under the impression that Duchess Corrinne wasn't telling her something and that she was hoping that Abigail, Princess Aurora, or even Claire was the one present at the moment since they were all trained in the ways of Passenger Train duties.
Duchess Corrinne: Focus on the track and get your head in the game Gabi. That's also vital.
Gabriella: Understood. I know that this is my first service on the front of a passenger train and I know that pissing you off is going to tbe the last mistake I ever make in my entire career.
Duchess Corrinne: You learn fast Gabi. But then again I expected nothing less from an engine designed by somebody who served as Stanier's Principal Assistant.
Gabriella: I understand and by the way, Arturo or Tina should be here right now. They have had much more training with passenger trains than I have but if anyone asks I have a plan in motion to handle it.
Duchess Corrinne: See Gabi. Now you're thinking.
On that note the guard blew the whistle and Gabriella left for Venice with the orient express behind her. She took great care to follow Duchess Corrinne's advice and handle the coaches gently.
Duchess Corrinne's Driver: It will go well Corrinne. She has an experience sensible crew with her she'll be in good hands.
Duchess Corrinne: Let's hope so for all of our sakes. Fortunately members of the Gold Dragons are on board the train as per usual so Gabriella has a safety net in the event something goes wrong.
Corrinne's Fireman was about to make a comment but a porter ran up and gave him some bad news.
Duchess Corrinne's Fireman: Looks like our duties will have to wait. We've got problems. A pack of school yard bullies is on the move again and supporters of the Gold Dragons need our help. They want you to give the order to use brute force Duchess Corrinne.
Duchess Corrinne: Tell the supporters of the Gold Dragons we're on our way and to do what we usually do. Which is use brutal and potentially lethal force upon the pack of bullies and eliminate anyone and everyone who dares to assist the bullies and all of their relatives.
The porter understood knowing that as a trusted member of the Gold Dragons this task was more important than any work given to him even the tasks given to him by the Kalos Controller himself.
Gabriella meanwhile was heading to Vienna with the Orient Express. At first she was a little nervous but she soon began to enjoy herself and was starting to have some fun.
Gabriella: Now this is the life. If I knew express trains were this much fun to pull then I would have transferred to the London Midland Region or Southern Region of British Railways. Heck I could've made a huge difference on the Sommerset and Dorset Joint Railway if I had stuck around until the end.
Gabriella's Fireman: (Concerned) Should we really be letting Gabi go this fast? You do remember what happened in the thin clergyman's books and I don't want history repeating itself.
Gabriella's Driver: Relax will you. We have common sense and so does Gabi and we have skill so we can just relax and do what we usually do. Oppose the enemies of the Gold Dragons and support Duchess Corrinne.
Gabriella: That makes three of us at least. At this rate we'll be in Vienna and by we I mean the train itself. That is assuming we're going to Vienna.
"Gabriella's Driver; According to the sheet Abigail's driver and fireman gave us we're heading to Zurich. We stay for the night and take an express back to Paris the next day.
Gabriella: Makes sense considering it will take the same time to get there and back.
Gabriella steamed on ahead to Zurich and made excellent time. She arrived as planned and the crew uncoupled her from the coaches and found a siding to rest in as they waited for another engine to take the train the rest of the way but the engine was running late.
Gabriella's Driver: What's going on? Did something happen to the locomotive again?
Gabriella and her fireman wanted to comment when the diesel arrived for the orient express. The diesel apologized for the delay citing to engine trouble and bolted with the train as soon as possible.
In the present day Gabriella finished wrapping up the rest of the story.
Gabriella: And that was the end of that. on the way back we fought some of Duchess Corrinne's enemies and my crew slaughtered each and every last one of them.
Abigail: Now that's something Duchess Corrinne approves of considering that the enemies of Duchess Corrinne are not to be given a choice at all.
The rest of the BR standards agreed to that but Nina had a comment.
Nina: Couldn't you have avoided using such brutal methods?
Biff: Grow up Nina it's either kill or be killed these days. And just for that I will be telling Duchess Corrinne what you just said and I will make sure that you get assigned fish and scrap detail for this.
Nina wisely kept her mouth shut knowing that Duchess Corrinne was going to have her boiler on a plate for this.
Colby: Okay so that covers what Gabriella did on the Orient Express now can you cover what Abigail did during her Goods train?
Abigail: I would but that's a story for another day. Besides it's getting late and we need some sleep.
The fleet agreed as they went to and get some rest for the next days events.