"STEAM LONDON" Game Thread

[Vienna Fahrmann]

     Lilli heard Emma's voice coming from Olivers cabin.  She paused for a moment.  The discussion sounded scientific.  That was one of the other things that made her feel isolated aboard the Boheme.  Aside from a few very specific applications, she had no interest in mechanics or science.  She debated whether or not to interrupt them, then decided to go ahead and get it over with so that she could go back to her cabin and make out her own list.  It didn't sound like their employer wanted her to leave the Boheme in Kabul, so she might as well have them get some things for her, to keep her occupied aboard ship if nothing else.
    "Could I interrupt for just a moment, Jessica?" Lilli asked.  She turned to Emma "If you make out a list of what things you need before we reach Kabul, their employers contacts will try to get it for you".  She smiled "I got dumped aboard wearing nothing but my chemise, so I needed a few things, too.  I'm leaving the provisions list on the captains desk, you might want to leave yours there, too." 
     Lilli gave a small wave to the other women as she went off to pin the provisions list to Captain Hudson's note board.

[Jessica Butcher]

Jessica stood alone in Oliver's cabin. The others had left so quickly, and the cabin reassignation was so sudden. Why had Lilli used that tone of voice when she mentioned provisions lists? Was she trying to tell her something?

She had heard of the warehouse arson in London. Was it possible both assailants were part of the same sinister worldwide conspiracy? That would be no light speculation now.

Suddenly Miss Butcher felt sick to her stomach.

[Stella Gaslight]

Emma waited until she was back in her cabin to start questioning George.  "What was that all about? Interference are you sure? Well yes I expect you know your own body quite well but still that has never happened before."  Sometimes when aetheric wiring was bad George felt a odd kind of buzzing coming from it but he had never been effected that strongly.  Just what was in Oliver's cabin that could cause that? 

Emma sat on her bunk staring at the blank page in her notebook unable to wright. Asking for things to get the job done was not the same as being bribed by gifts but she was still a little nervous.  Maybe if she only asked for the bare essentials it would be all right. Asking for simple unadorned things would be good too.  Her time aboard The Star had soured her on finery anyway.  A few pairs of pants would be nice.  Skirts had a tendency to catch the wind when one was hanging over the side of a moving airship.  Shoes and socks went on the list too because her once fashionable black boots hadn't stood a chance against the desert.  Sleeping clothes, some undergarments, one or two shirts with three quarter sleeves to cover her scars, A leather tool belt And A visor to keep the sun from her eyes all got added to the list. She printed the names of the coolants and lubricants she needed in big block letters and underlined them just to be safe.  Yawning she looked back over the list.  She would probably have to add some things once work got started but it would do for now.

George helped her put her list on the captains desk and she gathered up her sewing equipment and went to the lounge not trusting herself to keep from falling asleep before her work was done in her cabin.

[Vienna Fahrmann]

     Jessica was doing a lot of deep thinking.  Although she had missed the action with the mysterious intruder in the hold, Oliver had told her that Lilli had used a garotte to try to subdue him.  The Thugees of India were renowned for using the garotte as their weapon.  "Hmm" she thought", Lakshmi is from India, Lilli knows Indian weapons, and her father is some sort of spymaster, or something.   Could the Austrian and Indian governments be involved in a conspiracy of some sort?  Was Lilli possibly a plant aboard the Boheme?"  And the Orb with it's hidden Amulet...the more she learned about it, the more interested she became.  This was certainly turning out to be an interesting voyage.
     In her cabin, Lilli wrote out her list of requests for when they landed in Kabul.  If they were heading for China, where appearances mattered a great deal, she would need something better than her haggled purchases to wear there.  She wasn't sure what would be available in Kabul, but she had liked the look of the tunic and pant outfit she had seen Lakshmi wear.  She included a quick sketch of it and specified a nice silk in either blue, green or purple-no pink!  She also included a request for some silk cloth and embroidery materials.  If the crews mysterious employers were to suceed in keeping her aboard ship for the duration of the voyage, she might as well have something to keep her occupied.
     When she had finished, Lilli put her list on the captains desk.  On her way back through the lounge, she noticed Emma sewing an unwieldy amount of canvas.  The girl seemed a bit awkward with her right hand.  Lilli had noticed the scars when the girl undressed, but had politely pretended not to notice them.
     Emma looked up and saw Lilli watching her.  "George isn't very good with a needle" she explained.
     Lilli inwardly rolled her eyes at the mention of Emma's imaginary companion.  "I'm not doing anything right now" Lilli said "why don't you tell me what this is for and I'll help you sew it".

[Vienna Fahrmann]

     Hiram finally had time to look through the report on Countess von Lowenstein's recent activities.  She had left her Paris townhouse to travel to Brussels and then London.  Her abduction from her suite at the Savoy had been well planned.  A forged letter, along with a letter of credit for a months payment in advance to hold her suite had been left for the hotel staff.  A similar letter and payment had been left for her ladies maid, Louisa Wells, along with train fare for a vacation to visit her family in Birmingham.  It seemed that the general assumption was that the Countess had left for a private rendevous with an un-named nobleman.  The Prince of Wales name was discreetly murmured in connection with her sudden absence.  The further back the report went, the more speculative it became, but there was an intriguing mention of a fire at the country residence of a known collector of black-market artifacts, and the disappearance immediately after of Lilli's mute Indian maid. 
     Hiram was one of the few people outside the Austro-Hungarian government who knew that Lilli's father was more than a minor descendant of the Habsburg line, spending his life orbiting the brighter stars of the Imperial Court.  He had never had personal dealings with the Duke, but had gathered that he was extremely competent.

[Stella Gaslight]

"It is supposed to be a safety harness so I can work on the engines.  Kind of like a swing seat with straps around my waist and chest.  It will keep me in place even if the wind gusts.  George wouldn't let me go over the side on a rope he says it is dangerous and he is right.  Even with his help my right arms is still weak and if I did get tossed about I don't know if I could keep my grip.  I lost the use of my arm in a lab accident a few years ago, never thought I would get it back but George found a way.  It is almost as good as it once was but it aches sometimes." Lilli was the first person that had seen the scars since her doctor removed the bandages and handed down the dreadful diagnoses. She hadn't flinched or looked away so she deserved a explanation.  Lilli was deft with the needle making effortless progress where Emma had struggled.

"I want to make this ship fly faster and farther than any other but I think it is more revenge for me than kindness to The Bohème.  The man you saw lying on the ground in Ibrahim's shop was chasing me.  I was blind and let myself get involved with something dreadful. Capitan Hieronymus bribed and flattered me in to working on things I should have left alone.  I didn't even notice he was manipulating me.  If George hadn't  found out the truth I would be with him on The Eastern Star still.  Dr. Marleybone-Smythe saved me today but I know it isn't over yet. I want to take Hieronymus on and win but I don't want anyone else to get hurt.  I am sorry I didn't mean to monopolize the conversation like that.  I swear I am getting nearly as bad has George.  Are you traving anywhere in particular or are you just seeing wear the wind takes you?"   

[Stella Gaslight]

Lilli had avoided her question by asking her if she wanted to try out the finished harness.  Emma didn't press her she understood the need for secrets maybe when they got to know each other better Lilli would share her story.  It was just suposed to be a quick test to make sure everything was sound.  If she fell in port it would be safer than the open air.  It felt right siting there almost like coming home.  With the wind and airscrew noise coming from the incoming and departing ships it is almost like being in the sky again.  Emma was worried that her time aboard the Star might of robbed her love for air travel but she was delightfully wrong. It looked like a bit of paneling was loose just within reach.  She should have come back up then but it was taunting her.  Emma pulled the screwdriver from her hair and started work. 

A pigeon flew in close and she pressed her self against the ship to get away from it. Pigeons had been bad in Boston but the ones in London were the devil in feathers.  They liked to dive bomb her while she was going to and from work.  It got tangled in the netting near the port side engine. As far as Emma was concerned it got it's just rewards for trying to attack her but George has other ideas. "Stop that your going to knock us out of the seat."  Her right hand pulls harder swinging them wildly.  "George you are going to kill us both."  Emma is scared stiff and won't listen so George says the first thing that comes in to his head to calm her.  He speaks and suddenly the world has she knew it made a swift turn down an uncharted path.  It is amazing what one little I love you can do. She clings for dear life and he gives her strength and they make it to the bird.

She holds the dieing bird in her hands and it feels light and insubstantial.  Tucked away between his motionless wings is a small leather contraption. Probably the reason George was after it in the first place.   Emma squeamishly tucks the bird in her skirt pocket.  Somehow they make it back on to the deck. Emma moved slowly like a sleepwalker her mind a violent kaleidoscope of emotions and ideas.  Was he joking? Did he say it to make her mad?  Why then and why at all? Was he not saying it before because he knew she was sweet on Capitan Hieronymus?  What was he thinking?  I love you was not something that should be sprung on a girl out of the blue. Muttering under her breath at George, the dead bird and her current situation she makes her way inside. Unknown to Emma, a certain gentleman had been spying upon her.

In Hudson's cabin Emma explains what George had risked their necks for, then shows the pigeon, the harness & container to the Capt. Taking the container, opens it and reads the message.

Warning, Enemy agent on board. Meet you at Kabul Aerodrome. Expect a Mr. Dyke (Ambassador Merideth Brown) & Mr. Kabuki (Bodyguard Chiyoko Daiki). Codeword is Oriental Fantails are rare in the wild. Reply is My cousin breeds Grey Pearl Fantails, I must introduce you to him.

"Thank you Miss Lighton, that will be all." As she leaves, Hudson burns the message then leans back to think about what the message said.   She paid no attention to his response but George did.  Something was off aboard The Bohème and he was going to keep an eye on things.  She went back on deck to haul up the harness and go take a rest. "Just what do you think your doing loony?"  Came a rather annoied sounding voice from below.

Tired, cranky and emotional Mr. Umbrella's reappearance on the dock was the straw that broke the camels back. "I was doing my job. I have been hired on as crew of this ship. I don't care who you work for you are a bully and I hope the pigeons take you." The first part was George but the second was all her.  Emma regretted it immediately and hoped she wouldn't cause any problems between Captain Hudson and his employer.  But he deserved it a part of her rants he was ghastly to Lilli who had been nothing but kind to them and he had given her that damn look again.

Emma can feel the tears of anger and frustration welling up and turns on her heels trying to look proud but her cheeks are wet.  Emma runs to her bunk, she would be damed before she let Mr. Umbrella see her cry.  George stays behind mostly to make sure Mr. Umbrella was gone and find out what that note was about but partly because he had no idea how to deal with Emma when she was all worked up like this.  Hopefully one of the ladies on the ship would help her because he was completely lost.

(ok I think Mr. Wells and I have it all set now. Sorry for the confusion)

[Jessica Butcher]

Jessica was certainly not the one to do so. With poor people skills and the present occupation with spies, she didn't have much time for Emma. Neither, it seemed, was anyone else on the ship. Because, indeed, the Boheme was under attack by air pirates! (Prussian air pirates.) "Oh, excellent," Miss Butcher thought. "Exactly what we need right now." Spying a heavy wrench on the engine room floor, she picked it up.

How fortunate she had got out of bed today with the intention of being anything but a lady.

[Vienna Fahrmann]

     Lilli had retreated to her new cabin after Emma had gone outside with the finished harness.  She was trying to concentrate on a book to stave off boredom now that she had done everything else she could think of to pass the time.  Lilli was a bit surprised to hear muffled sobs coming from somewhere nearby.  She shut the book and sprung off her bunk to investigate.  The sounds were coming from her former cabin.  "It has to be Emma" she thought.  Jessica wasn't the type to burst into tears.  Lilli tentatively pushed the door curtain aside.  Emma was curled up on her bunk, crying her eyes out.  Lilli perched on the edge of the bunk, put an arm around the girls shoulders and asked what was wrong.  Emma gulped out the story of George's sudden declaration and her encounter with Mr. Umbrella.  "Oh dear" Lilli thought "her hallucinations are getting out of hand".  But she could understand Emma being upset at Mr. Umbrella.  Eventually Emma quieted down a bit and Lilli suggested that Emma go rinse her face with some cold water, then come to the galley for a pot of tea.

[Vienna Fahrmann]

     Michael was coldly furious.  He glared at Inspector Blenkinsop.  Michael had been in London for three days now.  He had contacted Scotland Yard as soon as he had discovered his half-sister, Lilli, had disappeared from her hotel suite.  Blenkinsop seemed unconcerned that she had vanished at the same time that both of her residences had been vandalized.  The Inspector stolidly maintained that as long as there was no ransom note, Lilli had gone off somewhere of her own volition, despite the fact that she had left all her clothing and other possessions in her hotel room.
     Only one small thing gave Michael some hope.  He had searched the things Lilli had left at the Savoy in a way no one else would think to do.  One tiny object was not there, which probably meant that Lilli had managed to keep it hidden.  She always kept it on her, somehow.

[Ben Hudson, Esq.]

Damn, thought Ben. A traitor in our midst. He had a tendency to think in cliche. The message wasn't signed, and that worried him more than anything else. If there was a enemy agent, who would want to tell him? It could be Hiram, he supposed, but it didn't seem his style. He looked at the ashes, and wondered whether he should have studied it more, though he knew deep down that there was nothing else to be gleaned from the letter. It was a warning, and an instruction. In Kabul, he would have to find these men, and work out what the deuce was going on. In the meantime, he was certainly not going to go into too much detail about the workings of the ship with anyone.

[bluestocking]

Lakshmi shrugged. "I'm reluctant to trust such unverified information delivered so dramatically. An unsigned note delivered by a carrier pigeon? There's just as good a chance that it's an attempt to panic us, throw us off our guard, or lead us into a trap, as it is a reliable notification."

"I have the same doubts," Ben replied, "but worries me, still. Well, we had plans in Kabul, anyway; we'll just have to work in a meeting with these mysterious informants in our copious free time. Who is this Mr. Saleh you want to meet with, anyway?"

Lakshmi was about to respond when the door to the bridge burst open. A burly, disreputable man in tattered clothing stood silhouetted in the doorway. Lakshmi swung to face the intruder; not recognizing him, she aimed the elephant gun she still held.

The man muttered "Mein Gott!" under his breath, then swiftly said "Terribly sorry... wrong door..." and shut it as quickly as he had opened it.

Lakshmi and Ben looked at each other, confused. The noises filtering up from the rest of the ship registered with them then.

"Egad!" he exclaimed. "We've been boarded!"

Lakshmi set the rifle down and started loading the pistols. "Not the rifle?" Ben asked.

"It wasn't even loaded, and don't be ridiculous. A fifty-caliber bullet would tear the hull to shreds. Here." She handed him the loaded .45s, then the speedloaders. He checked the chambers out of force of habit, then thrust them through his belt. She wriggled into a shoulder holster and tucked the smaller pistols away.

They crept to the door, tacitly agreeing that stealth would serve better than force. Lakshmi eased the door open; luckily, burly pirate who had interrupted them was watching the corridor instead. Ben coshed him with his handy blackjack, and the man collapsed into a silent heap.

"Lilli?" Ben asked.

Lakshmi shook her head. "I'm unconcerned about her; if she can't fight her way out, she'll turn her charm on them. We might just find her leading a passel of them in singing "Eidelweiss" in close harmony, while sipping schnapps and cocoa. No, I'm worried about Miss Lighton and Mr. Fulmineus; they're least able to defend themselves, and in one of the most vulnerable places."

"The engine room?"

She nodded. "The engine room."

[Vienna Fahrmann]

     Lilli heard a commotion in the hall just as the water was coming to a boil.  Since nobody except her on this ship spoke German, this didn't sound like any sort of normal activity.  She turned off the heat under the kettle, poured the near-boiling water into an open pan instead of the teapot, then handed Emma the heaviest frying pan the galley possessed.  "Here" she said, "if anyone you don't recognize comes in here, hit them with this".  Lilli readied the pan of water to dash into an intruders face and made sure her garotte was handy.  She also took time to stow a few kitchen knives about her person.  She didn't give Emma a knife, she was afraid that any intruder would be able to wrest the weapon from the tiny woman.  At least the frying pan could also be used as a shield if need be.

[Stella Gaslight]

George was back pretending the awkwardness from earlier never happened.  "George says there are two rather large men headed our way."  Emma steadied the pan hoping Lilli was more confident of her weapon skills than she was.  George was nervously trying to teach Emma everything he knew about fisticuffs before the men could reach them.  His accounts of bar brawls did nothing to inspire confidence.  Emma ducked her head behind the pan she was sure she smelled of bacon now but at least she was protected.

[Vienna Fahrmann]

     Lilli had a moment to wonder if Emma was clairvoyant before the galley curtain was pushed open by a man who could, indeed be described as "large".  He immediately received the pan of hot water directly in his face and reeled back, cursing.  Lilli flung the pan at him for good measure.  She caught a glimpse of his companion, also "large".  Both were wearing ragged clothing and smelled as though they had slept in a sewer.  Lilli stayed in the doorway.  It would be more difficult for both of them to attack at once that way.  She decided this would be knife work, which she disliked.  It always ruined her clothes. 
     Lilli didn't give the burned man time to recover.  As he began to blunder toward her again, she pulled a kitchen knife from the waistband of her skirt, and plunged it into him, just under the ribcage, aiming up toward the lungs.  If she was lucky, she might hit his heart as well.  It was a good thing his sight was impaired, she thought, or he might have been able to see this coming and block it.  Lilli tried to stay out of close contact with larger opponents when she didn't have the drop on them.  She twisted the blade inside his chest.  He gave a horrible wet, bubbling sound.  "Got his lung" Lilli thought. 
     The dying man's companion learned from his soon to be ex-partners experience.  He grabbed the knife from his companions chest and stabbed toward Lilli so fast that she had to jump backward to avoid the blow.  The man pressed his advantage, shouldering his way into the galley.  He noticed a girl in the corner, holding a frying pan.  He actually laughed out loud at the sight.  He could subdue her in moments once he got past this red-haired bitch.  He thought he'd keep the girl alive, for later.
    Lilli was slightly off balance.  Her right hand came down squarely in the middle of some sort of fluffy pastry the provisioners had delivered.  She scooped up the entire plate and slammed it into the intruders face.  She used his momentary blindness to slip past him and get her garotte around his throat.  He growled and grabbed backward at her, getting the fingers of one hand into her hair and wrenching her head toward his side.  The pastry drippings were making the garotte slick and Lilli was beginning to be pulled forward.
  Emma startled herself immensely when she sprang onto the galley bench to gain some height and brought the frying pan down on the intruders head with all her strength.  "Let go of her, you brute!" she screamed as she whacked him again.  Whether it was the fourth or fifth whack that finally knocked him out, Emma never knew, or cared.  All that mattered was that the man collapsed onto the floor with Lilli in a heap on top of him.
     "Oww" Liil said, putting one hand to her scalp.  "There's some cord in the second drawer, Emma, lets tie him up before he wakes up.  I don't want to go through that again".  As she tied up their would-be killer, Lilli thanked Emma for saving both of them.
     

[Stella Gaslight]

Emma turned a shade normally seen on beets.  What on earth was she thinking taking him on like that?  She was lucky he hadn't swatted her like a fly. But the pan had made such a lovely thwack noise when she swung it and Emma had her fill of bullies for a lifetime. "George says the coast is clear now.  Should we try and find the others? There has got to be more where these two apes come from."

[Vienna Fahrmann]

     Lilli made sure to anchor their attacker to the leg of the galley table before she answered Emma.  She was in a bit of a dilemma.  Emma had performed extremely well in the galley, but how well would she do in a larger scale encounter.  Well, she decided, Emma was probably safer staying with her and she was going to look for more intruders.  The last she had seen them, the Captain and the Doctor were heading for the bridge, and they were capable of taking on anyone who managed to get on board. 
     Lilli said quietly to Emma "Let's go to the engine room.  Move quietly, stay behind me, but watch out for your back". 
     Emma agreed "George says the engine room is the right place to go.  The captain is going there with the doctor.  And he can watch out for both our backs".

[Ben Hudson, Esq.]

Ben and Lakshmi ran along the corridor, trying to make as little noise as possible as it became little more than a metal grate. His hobnails clicked annoyingly on the mesh, regardless of how careful he was. Besides, speed was more important now. Lakshmi reached the door to the engine room first, and pulled at the handle.

It didn't budge.

'What on Earth?!' Ben shoved the door. It stayed solid. It was locked. 'I don't understand,' he muttered, 'this damn door's never locked.' There was an ominous thump from somewhere  the other side of the door. 'Sod stealth.' He pulled one of the revolvers from his waistband, and aimed it downwards at the lock. Lakshmi moved back. Ben pulled the trigger. The revolver fired, and the lock mechanism was ripped to shreds. She ran forward and kicked the door, already pulling one of the small pistols from her holster. The door swang open beneath her boot.

Lakshmi stepped into the room, and framed a pirate in her sights. With a sharp crack, he fell to the ground, bleeding between his shoulderblades. Ben dodged around one of the fuel tanks as she went to check out the fallen man. As he turned the corner, a spray of shot whipped past his head and buried itself in the wall. He pulled back his head, and took a revolver in his left hand. That, he reflected, was one benefit of being right-handed and left eye dominant. Smallarms worked equally well in either hand in firefights. He quickly stuck his head out, and saw another man hastily reloading an outdated shotgun. He shot two rounds at him. The first hit him in the left shoulder, the second in the chest. The pirate went down, groaning. Where the hell are Emma and Leonard? he thought, weaving in between aether-stacks and tool cabinets. He could hear more shots ringing out from Lakshmi's pistol.

Suddenly, there was a crackle of energy, and the sharp smell of ozone. He heard Leonard cry out from the far end of the engine room. 'Have that, you damned b___!'
Ben rounded a corner, and saw him leaning against an grenade magazine-loader. Two more pirates faced him down. One of them was shaking violently from the blast of Leonards's weapon. One of Leonard's hands was pressed against his side, trying to stem the flow of blood where a weapon had caught him, the other holding some sort of raygun. The gun fizzled and whirred, then released a bolt of energy towards the other man. The huge spark struck him full in the body but the pirate, who was at least six foot six and carried a carbine in one hand and a spike in the other, merely jerked and raised his gun. Ben raised both of the revolvers, but was conscious of not only Leonard but also the large grenade store behind him. It was a wonder that with the firefight it had not gone up already, but he wasn't going to take the chance. He dropped the revolver and pulled up his sleeve, revealing the weapon Hiram had sent. With his left hand he pressed the trigger on the band. A burst of compressed air propelled the dart snaking through the air. It caught the pirate dead in the back of the neck. With a cry of anguish, he fell to the ground. Leonard looked up and met Ben's eye, then stepped over and gave the pirate a burst of elyctricity for good luck. His body leapt and jerked. 'Leonard... are you hurt.'
Leonard looked absentmindedly at his wound. 'A bullet caught me. Or a knife, it doesn't matter. I'm fine.' Lakshmi joined them. Her blouse and trousers were lightly specked with blood. 'Where's Emma? I swear she was in here!' Leonard shook his head. 'She left earlier on. I don't know where she is now.'

There was the sound of running feet from behind. Lakshmi turned and raised her pistol, only to lower it as she saw who it was. Lilli, breathing heavily and holding her garrotte; Emma, looking rather gaunt and holding, for some reason, a heavy frying pan. 'Ah, hello there. We thought we had lost you for a second. Let's sweep the rest of the ship. There may be more of these damned pirates on board.'

[bluestocking]

Lakshmi holstered her pistols. "Mr. Fulmineus, let me see that wound." He attempted to protest, but she calmly batted his hands away. She ripped his shirt away and examined the lesion in his side.

"It's from a bullet, not a knife. It's clean, but you're losing blood rather quickly." She ripped the bloody rags of his shirt into strips and improvised a bandage from them. "Captain Hudson, I need to get him to the infirmary. The sooner, the better. Can you stand, Mr. Fulmineus?" he nodded, ashen-faced, but his knees buckled when he tried. She pulled his arm over her shoulder and pulled him upright. Supporting his weight on her shoulder, she retrieved one of her pistols. "Let's go."

Ben led the way out of the engine room. Lakshmi, supporting the injured Leonard, and Emma, clutching her frying pan, took the most protected position in the center of the party, and Lilli scooped up Leonard's energy pistol and the pirate's discarded carbine and covered their retreat.

They made their way through the lounge and up the companionway to the bank of cabins. Up here, everything seemed quiet; the pirates didn't seem to have gotten this far. Ben and Lilli covered both directions of the corridor as Lakshmi dragged the increasingly unresponsive Leonard to the makeshift surgery.

"Help me get him on here." She boosted the inventor up as Emma helped ease him onto the table. Once she was sure he was situated, she scrubbed her hands in the tiny sink. "I'll be fine here; I'll barricade the door, and Durga help anyone who comes through it. Make sure the ship is clear. Oh, and Ben? Bring me one of them alive. I'll ask him a few questions." There was an unholy glint in her eyes.

He nodded. "I'll be sure to do that."

Lilli followed him unhesitatingly into the corridor. Emma wavered, though, obviously uncertain about heading out in search of the well-armed ruffians. Lakshmi saw her hesitate in the doorway.

"Miss Lighton, could you do me a favor and stay here? I may need some assistance." The girl nodded; she was grateful to avoid further armed conflict, and knew George would keep her appraised of events in the rest of the ship.

"Thank you. Now, if you would shove that steamer-trunk in front of the door, scrub in, and come here, I would greatly appreciate it..."

[Vienna Fahrmann]

     Lilli commented to Ben that she and Emma had left one of the intruders unconcious, but alive, in the galley.  "Emma coshed him with the frying pan" Lilli said with a grin.  "We tied him up and anchored him to the galley table, then went looking for the rest of them". 

 

[Ben Hudson, Esq.]

'Jolly good show. Would one of you mind coming to help me bring him up here?'

Lilli nodded and led him to the galley. The man was still firmly hogtied, though he had regained consciousness and was wriggling around spouting obscenities. Ben gave him a kick to the back of the head, which quietened him down somewhat. He untied him from the table, making sure he was still securely bound. There was a large bump on the pirate's head, which was rapidly turning purple. Lilli and Ben took hold of the unconscious man and half pulled, half dragged him to one of the empty cabins. Ben tied him to the bunk and made fast the door, then returned to the infirmary. 'One unconscious pirate in cabin six. Door's locked, he's tied up. He's safe.' He threw Lakshmi the key. 'How's Leonard?'

'Not so good but by no means bad. The bullet tore clean through the flesh beneath the ribcage. He's bleeding a lot but I should be able to stop that soon and put in stitches.' She grabbed a clean cloth, splashed it with iodine and dabbed the wound. Leonard grimaced and looked pale.

'Good. Now, I want to make sure the ship is safe. How many have we got? Two in the galley, one in the corridor, four in the engine room. Seven in total. That's not much for a boarding party. I want to make damn sure that there aren't any more of them scuttling around, and then I want to know how they got on board. Any volunteers to come search?'

[bluestocking]

"This should be quick. Miss Lighton? In the top drawer of that chest over there, you'll find a black leather case. If you would bring it over here and open it?" Emma sprang to help. She found the case in question and removed the lid. Inside, semicircular needles, already threaded with fine, silky thread, and long-nosed hemostats gleamed brightly. Lakshmi took a hemostat in each hand and picked up one of the needles.

The rest of the crew watched as she sutured the wound with swift delicacy. Emma briefly envied her skill; even with the clumsiness of the tools, her stitches were deft and sure. Lilli wondered in passing whether the doctor ever applied her talents with the needle to cloth, instead.

"There now." she snipped the thread after the final knot. "How are you doing, Mr. Fulmineus?"

"All right. I've been better, though." His voice was weak, but a faint current of humor ran through it, which relieved her to no end.

"Would you prefer to stay here, or would you rest easier in your own cabin?"

"I'd prefer... my own, if it's quite all right."

"Of course. Captain Hudson, could you help me with the stretcher? It's over there." She showed him how the metal contraption split in two along an irregular line down its length, to make it easier to ease it under the patient. He noticed the intricate machinery on the underside; what purpose could it serve?

They gently lifted Leonard onto the device, then Lakshmi pressed a button near the head. To everyone's surprise, a multitude of spindly legs unfolded from underneath the stretcher, lifting it a short distance above the tabletop. It delicately walked off the table, its legs unfolding further to keep the patient level, until it was standing at her side like an obedient metallic spider.

"Well, then." She picked up a scalpel from the array laid out atop a chest. "Let me get Mr. Fulmineus situated, then my suggestion would be to start with the gentleman in cabin six. I suspect he will be able to give us many of the answers we need."

[Stella Gaslight]

Emma watched the stretcher move almost hungrily her own constructs were nowhere near as graceful. She had an idea for a tool box that could climb up engines with her percolating in the back of her head now.  George had fled at the sight of blood but he was back now with intersting news to report.  "George says half the docks on this level are in a uproar and many below us as well.  I don't think our borders are the only ones.  The Cairo Gard is trying to get things under control but we have a while before they reach us." 

[Doctor Trakov]

(Since I'm not overly sure on the story of this, this will be a little vague. If this is not the way I play, please PM me)
In the crowd/ground a breastplate winked. A tall man in tattered, faded uniform that had once been dark red with gold braiding, and wearing a dark cape, despite the heat was standing there, the impassive lenses of his mask winking.

(I'm really not sure)

[bluestocking]

Lakshmi looked up from getting Leonard settled in his own bunk. "The entire aerodrome's under attack? Interesting. May I suggest that we expel our unwanted boarders, then get underway? Cairo seems to get more hazardous by the moment." She put one of Leonard's energy pistols within his easy reach. "Now, Mr. Fulmineus, rest as much as you can. Shall I lock the door for you?" He nodded tiredly.

Back out in the corridor, she said grimly, "Let's see to our guest in cabin six."