At that moment, he Bosun and a squad from the rifle company showed up, one of the riflemen carrying what looked like a rather ungainly wood-and-leather pack on his back. "Leftenant Rourke, Sah! Marigold Bosun, acting Rifle Major reporting, sah!" The bosun snapped to attention, saluted, and holstered his sidearm.
Rourke returned the salute, and said, "Let me at the aether set, Bosun. Over 'ere, rifleman." There was not a second to lose, by the looks of Talbot. "Bosun, have one of yours tend to Captain Talbot, if y' will. He's at th' point o' physical collapse, I expect."
"You're a bit worse fer wear y'rself, sir."
"I'll manage." Though I could do with a pint of th' red st--!" he stopped that thought as soomn as it appeared in his brain.
"Oh dear, Hannibal darling, you really should drink, you know. That impact with the wall of the chamber will leave quite a nasty briuise. You'll heal much faster with a bit of what you need" Wilhelmina murmured as she stepped up close. "Marmont, please help them with Starling if you will, while I see to Han."
"Right you are, Majesty." Marmont said, and he leapt down into the pit where Starling lay, and shook her gently. "Come on, now, Doctor, you're scaring Rourke, Redburn and my Queen all at once. Do wake up and lets get you out of here," he said, a note of worry entering his voice. In spite of himself he was growing fond of these Marigold humans, an event that had not happened in a couple of hundred years.
"I'm alroight, Mina, really, and besoides, I 'ave ter call th' ship for a looksee if the enemy're still about. Got to turn off Sparkmoor's gadget, th' sooner th' better for the Cap'n." He turned to the radio on the rifleman's back, and lifted the reciver, calling out the particulars over the set for the Marigold.
"Marigold here, Wellborne speaking."
"Commander, can you check the instrumnets for me? Any sign of Aethermagnetic concentrations like the ones before the device was dropped?"
"Roger that, Lieutenant Rourke." There was a pause, and then, "Negative for your vicinity. There is a source heading away from you towards the Northeast at approximately mailcoach speed, range ten miles. No, scratch that, there are two signatures to your immediate left as well."
"That'd be our allies, Sir. Alright, I hereby say 'Mission complete,' and 'disable device.' "
"Roger that, Leftenant. Deploying torpedo rocket in three, two, one..." There was a HUURROOOSHHH in the background as the rocket left the ship, and then a click followed by static-crackled silence, as the Commander let go of the broadcasting button. There came a BOOMMM that could be both heard and felt through the chamber walls and floor, and then suddenly it was to the magic users and the vampires as if a fresh breeze blew though the chamber as the energy damp ceased to function.
"Device disabled, Leftenant. Wellborne out."