The Chronicle
Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2023 8:22 am
The City of London - Westminster Palace - 1879
Bryan Talbot drew his woolen overcoat in tight to ward off the March chill, the great freeze persisted much to the doom prophesizing of the clergy, gods wrath for meddling with unholy forces.
To emphasise this point a wild eyed man stood beside a lamp-post opposite the Houses of Parliament on St Margaret street, his placade announcing 'The End is Nigh' in scrawled gothic font, meeting his gaze the man quickly looked away from Talbot to avoid his attention.
Reaching the entrance to both the public and press galleries at St Stephens Tower, the Parliamentary Guard checked peoples tickets, he showed his papers the guard giving him a disapproving look before letting him through, crossing the large atrium he took the flight of stairs to the right branching away from the public and headed to the Press Gallery.
He moved through the adjorning offices into the gallery overlooking the House of Commons floor, today was to be a grand debate a number of contentious Bills were being discussed or rather argued and both parties were in full attendance including Disraeli and The Iron Duke himself.
As was his custom Talbot had arrived very early to secure a seat at the balcony, a few other journalists had doen the same each giving him the same distrustful look he received each time, he was always unsure whether it was because he was a Snark or that he worked for an American Mogul owned paper The Globe or both.
It mattered not, Talbot was a noted reporter and writer, which was the only reason the London Globe editor Audra Halpine, had allowed him to remain freelance, odd considering she was a female Boojum in the male dominated world of newsper journalism, he would have thought she wold have a degree of empathy but the fairer changed were just as prejudiced as humans in his experience.
He'd even met Pulitzer one of the four News Moguls that now owned the powerful publication empires, to his credit Pulitzer was less interested in Talbots heavy set features and tusks than his nose for a good story, his time with the Boston Globe and his reporting on the gang wars had garnered him favourable attention.
The parliamentary debate in The Lords today was of great significance, the legal aknowledgement of British vassal state Royality as British Nobility, the mere suggestion had instigated months of furough from the aristocracy and upper classes, it had provoked furtehr calls for a Fifth Reform Act granting Women and excuded Boojums full suffrage and a host of other calls.
The origin of this notion had been Wellingtons Military Act of 1843 creating full British regiments from colonial brigades and eligability for loyal soliders and later sailors and their families for citizenship after twelve years service, promotion to the full regiment after six years.
During his first term as Prime Minister Wellesley had been bitterly opposed to Parliamentary Reform and suffered politically for it, having recognised the inevitable changes that The Mysrtial and Magic would bring to the field of battle and indeed society in the 1820s he changed his position and began to support the later Reform Acts in conjunction with his Military Acts.
The Empire was struggling in terms of manpower, it already held vast tracts of territory, was securing more in its pursuit of Places of Power and on the year of Queen Victorias ascension to the throne the first Lost World Etheria opened its doors, Wellington feared that the Emipire wouldn't be able to compete with less sophisticated but more populous empires such as The Russian Empire or the Prussians, whilst at the same time suppressing dissent within their colonial forces.
The later Reform Acts amended the first Acts ban on women voting by allowing certified professional women the right to work profesionally and vote, later amendments to the Military Act added Boojums and Lost World inhabitants to the roster albiet with considerable resistance and resentment.
The recognition of Etheria's upper class as members of scoiety and even the Aristocray had prompted the Mouri, Zulu and Basotho Kingdoms to sign treaties becoming allied vassal states of the Empire, its people becoming eligable for Regimental recognition whcih had inevitably led to the Kingdoms respective request to also be recognised as British Nobility.
The War Office now led by the current Head of the Armed Forces Prince George, Field Marshal Frederick Roberts and The Iron Duke, the latter now over 110 years old, his being one of the few surviving recipients of the Dragon Fish Elixir and subsequent Enlightened Rejuvenation treatments, despite his age Wellington looked to be in his early fifties.
Talbot watched as journalists of all the local and national rags filed in, grumbling about the early birds getting the best seats, his immediately neighbours fussing around the lack of room in the tightly packed seats whcih wasn't helped by his bulk, smiling he watched as the floor of the Lords fillled with the Government and Opposition.
He readied his notepad ignoring the endless clicking of the journalists wrist receivers as their offices began to cascade questions and prompts via morse code by way of the Scope, the tiny devices micro difference engines then translating into text on the smokey screens.
The Lords taking their seats, the newly Knighted Disraeli, now The Earl of Beaconsfield stood and the grand debate began.
Bryan Talbot drew his woolen overcoat in tight to ward off the March chill, the great freeze persisted much to the doom prophesizing of the clergy, gods wrath for meddling with unholy forces.
To emphasise this point a wild eyed man stood beside a lamp-post opposite the Houses of Parliament on St Margaret street, his placade announcing 'The End is Nigh' in scrawled gothic font, meeting his gaze the man quickly looked away from Talbot to avoid his attention.
Reaching the entrance to both the public and press galleries at St Stephens Tower, the Parliamentary Guard checked peoples tickets, he showed his papers the guard giving him a disapproving look before letting him through, crossing the large atrium he took the flight of stairs to the right branching away from the public and headed to the Press Gallery.
He moved through the adjorning offices into the gallery overlooking the House of Commons floor, today was to be a grand debate a number of contentious Bills were being discussed or rather argued and both parties were in full attendance including Disraeli and The Iron Duke himself.
As was his custom Talbot had arrived very early to secure a seat at the balcony, a few other journalists had doen the same each giving him the same distrustful look he received each time, he was always unsure whether it was because he was a Snark or that he worked for an American Mogul owned paper The Globe or both.
It mattered not, Talbot was a noted reporter and writer, which was the only reason the London Globe editor Audra Halpine, had allowed him to remain freelance, odd considering she was a female Boojum in the male dominated world of newsper journalism, he would have thought she wold have a degree of empathy but the fairer changed were just as prejudiced as humans in his experience.
He'd even met Pulitzer one of the four News Moguls that now owned the powerful publication empires, to his credit Pulitzer was less interested in Talbots heavy set features and tusks than his nose for a good story, his time with the Boston Globe and his reporting on the gang wars had garnered him favourable attention.
The parliamentary debate in The Lords today was of great significance, the legal aknowledgement of British vassal state Royality as British Nobility, the mere suggestion had instigated months of furough from the aristocracy and upper classes, it had provoked furtehr calls for a Fifth Reform Act granting Women and excuded Boojums full suffrage and a host of other calls.
The origin of this notion had been Wellingtons Military Act of 1843 creating full British regiments from colonial brigades and eligability for loyal soliders and later sailors and their families for citizenship after twelve years service, promotion to the full regiment after six years.
During his first term as Prime Minister Wellesley had been bitterly opposed to Parliamentary Reform and suffered politically for it, having recognised the inevitable changes that The Mysrtial and Magic would bring to the field of battle and indeed society in the 1820s he changed his position and began to support the later Reform Acts in conjunction with his Military Acts.
The Empire was struggling in terms of manpower, it already held vast tracts of territory, was securing more in its pursuit of Places of Power and on the year of Queen Victorias ascension to the throne the first Lost World Etheria opened its doors, Wellington feared that the Emipire wouldn't be able to compete with less sophisticated but more populous empires such as The Russian Empire or the Prussians, whilst at the same time suppressing dissent within their colonial forces.
The later Reform Acts amended the first Acts ban on women voting by allowing certified professional women the right to work profesionally and vote, later amendments to the Military Act added Boojums and Lost World inhabitants to the roster albiet with considerable resistance and resentment.
The recognition of Etheria's upper class as members of scoiety and even the Aristocray had prompted the Mouri, Zulu and Basotho Kingdoms to sign treaties becoming allied vassal states of the Empire, its people becoming eligable for Regimental recognition whcih had inevitably led to the Kingdoms respective request to also be recognised as British Nobility.
The War Office now led by the current Head of the Armed Forces Prince George, Field Marshal Frederick Roberts and The Iron Duke, the latter now over 110 years old, his being one of the few surviving recipients of the Dragon Fish Elixir and subsequent Enlightened Rejuvenation treatments, despite his age Wellington looked to be in his early fifties.
Talbot watched as journalists of all the local and national rags filed in, grumbling about the early birds getting the best seats, his immediately neighbours fussing around the lack of room in the tightly packed seats whcih wasn't helped by his bulk, smiling he watched as the floor of the Lords fillled with the Government and Opposition.
He readied his notepad ignoring the endless clicking of the journalists wrist receivers as their offices began to cascade questions and prompts via morse code by way of the Scope, the tiny devices micro difference engines then translating into text on the smokey screens.
The Lords taking their seats, the newly Knighted Disraeli, now The Earl of Beaconsfield stood and the grand debate began.