"STEAM LONDON" Game Thread

[bluestocking]

Lakshmi handed Ben the crowbar. He dug it into a crack between two rough planks and heaved. The crate lid separated, revealing the contents.

"Well," he said, "Looks like your man Saleh was as good as his word." The crate was filled with smaller boxes - ammunition for the four cannon. They had already inspected and stowed the grenades.

"He's not mine, by any means, and let's get to the other side of the Kush before we count him as good as his word." She shook her head, trying to stave off fatigue. "I'm sorry; I don't mean to snap."

"It's been a very long day."

"That it has." She surveyed the crate. "Stowing this will be easy enough; I'd like to take a look at the cannon, to see if there's some way to improve our rate of fire."

"You said you had an idea?"

"I do. Do you have a pipe-bender and some copper tubing about?"

"Of course. They'll be in the engine room."

"Some sheet copper and a brazing torch would also be of help."

Ben thought he had an inkling of her plan. "You're going to water-cool the barrels, aren't you?"

She nodded. "With the sheet copper, I can fabricate a sump that will also act as a radiator. I suppose a bucket would work too, but not quite as efficiently."

You'll need a pump as well, then."

Ben had become familiar with her devilish little grin when she had a truly elegant plan in mind. "If I build it right, I think I can power the pump off the same crank as the ammunition feed..."

"Which would mean that the two would run in concert. That's beautiful; I think it'll work nicely." He pushed stray tendrils of hair out of his eyes; his usually-neat queue had disintegrated hours ago. "It has been a long day. Tea first?"

[Ben Hudson, Esq.]

'Sterling idea.'
They returned to the galley, and put the kettle on the hob. Soon, thanks to the Boheme's high pressure gas system, it was whistling along happily. Ben took it, warmed the pot, and poured the boiling water onto the leaves. 'Just the thing. Nothing like a cup of tea. It's been a very long day indeed.'



OOC - that was indeed a pointless post just to let you know I'm still alive and to stave off my guilt for not posting. It's all going very well though

[Mercury Wells]

Unknown to them, a great tentacled shape  was writhing in the clouds, waiting.

As the ship nearers the cloud, a tentacle whips out and grasps the ship. The crew as ordered start firing small elecrifed barbs at the head section of the juvenile Kraken, it takes well over a day to stun it into unconsiousness.

Then working quickly while partly deflating the gasbag, some of the crew are dragging both the Kraken & ship closer together, the most nimble of crewmen scramble up and over the creature pulling a fine silver & Vulcanised rubber mesh with them and anchoring it to the airship while attaching deep implanted electrodes into the nervous system of the animal.

Though crudely made, the controls persuade the Kraken to obey orders from the cockpit of the airship. Everytime the Kraken is allowed to hunt, mainly smaller Kraken. The crew harvest the sides of the prey to place on the sides of the ship to avoid detection.

And now...they lie in wait...!

[Stella Gaslight]

George had gone silent and Emma was sure he was brooding.  Let him, she thought If he wants to be a sourpuss let him sulk she had better things to do. Like listen to Patrick give her a basic rundown on raygun design and operations.  He was very good at describing things so they made pictures in her mind.  She all ready had a solid understanding on wave mechanics through the aether and adapting that knowledge was simple.

 When he started to explain how disintegration rays worked a wonderful-horrible idea bloomed in Emma's mind. "That would certanly show Capitan Black when he comes to get us wouldn't it.  Well if it didn't explode first." She muttered to herself.

Patrick looked up at her a bit confused.  "What Em?"   

"Never mind that.  How narrow a focus do you think you could get a disintegration beam without it degrading over distances?"

He was watching her with interest now as she pulled a notebook from her tool belt and started to draw feverishly.  "It depends on how much power you give it." He said hesitantly.

Emma grinned and it was wicked and triumphant.  "Remember how I knocked out communication in Athens?" Patrick nodded.  "Well imagine an aim-able version of that, able to strike a target from a distance. I think we can build it. It may take a while I am not entire sure my science is sound and then there is making it so it doesn't effect us at the same time but I think we can do it."

[Nigel Wetherby]

"Well then..." He said with an impish grin, twisting an invisible moustache, "I suppose I can supply such a power source..." He lead emma to Patrick's living quarters. He slid out from under his bed, a laqered black box, he slid it open revealing a terribly intricate motor. "Behold, The Fire of Prometheus...It took me 6 weeks to put this beuty together, she can generate 9.98 gigamoles of energy per-second....a hypertensed rotational gasket. And a crystal of pure, unadulterated Aetherium, solidified into the purest element known to man..." He said, referring to the motor like a proud father. "She'll give ya the power ya need..."
Emma's eyes were wide with amazement.

[Stella Gaslight]

"My word" Emma said reaching out and skimming her fingertips over the lovingly polished miniature workings.  She could see him in her minds eye working by gaslight in the deep and dead hours of the night fitting the parts tougher, it made her smile. To make something that small and delicate would have been almost beyond her even before the accident took some of fine motor control from her right arm and he was willing to share it.

"Oh goodness Patrick are you sure?  I mean I have been trying to get my hands on even the flawed industrial grade of Aetherium for years with no luck. The closest I have ever come is the mining and refinement exhibit at the museum of technology in Madrid. Then you come along and offer me this. You really are full of surprises aren't you?  I am going to have to come up with a truly spectacular design for it to be worthy of this. Hmm maybe something with variable firing modules" Patrick closes the box and slips it back out of sight. 

They wandered back in to the in to the lounge with Emma debating the usefulness of a heat displacement beam when George yelled her name.  He was as close to panting as the disembodied could get.  That kind of exertion was very rare it set her nerves on edge. "What is the matter George?"  She was staring at the aetherphone worry bubbling up inside her.

"Emma he found us." His tone was so serous it took a moment for the words to sink in. 

"George if this is a joke it is a poor one."  She felt like some one had dunked her in ice water.

"We have fifteen minutes maybe twenty at the most and that is only if he doesn't speed up."

She bit her lip. "How did he find us so fast? I was hoping to boost the engines by at least another 10% before we had to face him.  I wish I had more time."  Emma sat for a moment feeling very much like the world had gone and left her in free fall but then anger and indignation burned away part of the fear making her rational again and she started to pace, thinking hard. Emma guessed he was planning to sneak up on them while they were sleeping, grab her and then hit with a surprise attack all without the improved Eastern Star ever being in danger.  Emma snorted they would just see about that.   If Hieronymus thought she would go quietly back to him he was in for a shock. "George keep an eye on him and be ready to take over for me as soon as The Eastern Star is in range."

"If your sure." It was a very rare thing that she let him take control without a long argument.

"You know I can barely see clearly past my fingers in the dark and I meant what I said about not being useless in a fight. This is our fault and we are going to fix it. Lets give him second thoughts about ever coming near us again." Emma gathered the aetherphone in her arms squared her shoulders and turned to face Patrick more confidence than she actually had.

"I am sorry Patrick, Capitan Black has been chasing after me ever since I left.  He wants me to build version twelve and I can't let that happen. I thought I had given him the slip when I joined this ship in Cairo but I was wrong.  We have to go warn the Capitan Hudson there isn't much time left."

[The Announcer]

*As read by The Announcer over the Signature tune* (The Devil's Gallop" of "Dick Barton-Special Agent")

"Will Emma manage to finish the ray-gun with help from Patrick?,
Will George be able to warn everyone of, the advances of Captain Black's aroe-ship?
And what will happen to the The Boheme?"

(And will The Announcer acquire a decent manual letter input device, where the keys do not randomly move about even if She might be a bit squiffy?    )

Find out in the next thrilling exstallment of "Steam London - out of London"

[HAC]

The Eastern Star flew on. On the bridge, the helmsman strained to keep to the course set for him byt the first mate, who was staring intently at the far horizon through a powerful telescope 
  "Ship in sight, Captain, two points to starboard, ranging on 21 miles"
Black's head whipped up from his charts.  He strode to where the first mate was, and took over the eyepiece..
"That's the ship, we have her now! Set a course to inercept, bring her to flank speed!"
The mate worked the engine telegraph, and in seconds, the pitch of the propellors changed. The ship surged ahead..
Black paced the deck.. "She'll not expect to see me again, not here, not now," he muttered. Turning to the mate, he gave further orders:
"Ready the bow chasers, load with chain and grape, I'll see that ship crippled!  Make ready the  harpoons and boarding lines, I want boarding parties ready to slide as soon as we are alongside. I want the girl alive, the others, if possible, but if they resist, finish them!"

Black turned and strode off towards hs cabin, a smile on his face as he whispered Emma's name over and over to himself.
 

[bluestocking]

Lakshmi poured the tea into two sturdy mugs. Ben savored the fine aroma before adding cream and just a touch of sugar.

"Ahh," he sighed. "At last, a moment's peace in a hectic day."

She lifted her cup in a silent toast.

The galley rocked with sudden impact. Lakshmi grabbed Ben's cup and lifted both in a graceful arabesque, preventing the spillage of either.

"What the deuce?!" Ben exclaimed, rising to his feet.

"It seems, sir, that we are under attack," she said.

"Egad!"

"I had not expected it so soon..." she murmured. "Captain, could I prevail upon you to come to my cabin?"

"What?"

"Trust me on this, sir..."

[Nigel Wetherby]

Patrick gave Emma a assuring smile.
"I've already got a blast-stabilizer and a barrel ready for her, I suppose I can makeshift you a handle and trigger lickety split! Ye gotta do what you can to keep the ship off us, I've made a few upgrades to the cannons, It's amazing what ye can do when you fill a few hollow steel balls with some liquified magnesium, and give it a bit of a timed fuse!"
He said with a proud smile.
"Just be sure no-one strikes a lucifer..."
He laid down the parts for the gun, rummaging through an old tackle box full of useless odds and ends for a trigger and handle.
"I'll get it to ye when it's ready, time is of the esscence!"

[Stella Gaslight]

Emma unprepared for the sudden shift was nearly tossed in to the wall. "We are out of time aren't we?"

"I am ready."  George's voice had taken on a steely edge.

"I wish I was."  Emma said sadly and then shook her head "Alright then lets get this over with George." She flipped the violet lenses of her goggels up revealing the odd configuration of metal and glass beneath. "It is a aetheric amplifying mesh. If we make it out of this I will teach you how it works. Very useful stuff."  Emma's hands shook as she removed her glasses and put them in Patrick's hands.  "Keep them safe for me."  She was trying to reasure him with her smile but it just caused more worry. "I am probibly going to yell a bit. This process isn't pleasant but it looks like there is no getting around it this time. Close your eyes."

The hall was flooded with searing white light for a moment as the reaction in the aetheric battery stabilized.  Emma snapped the battery in to the nose bridge, gave Patrick another shaky smile and called out some last minute instructions to George. "Remember you only have about a half hour before the power runs out. Give him hell for me, both of you." She flipped a tiny knife switch on the right eye cup and multi colored sparks erupted from the mesh in her goggels.  Emma fell to her knees clearly in agony her breath coming in hisses and little gasps.  The sparks stopped as Emma fell over like a rag doll.

Everything went still for a moment and then the body on the floor moaned.  "Damn Emma I forgot how much kick those had."  The voice was deeper than Patrick could have ever imagined coming from Emma's mouth.  George sat up revealing blue eyes behind seemingly empty goggle frames.  "What are you standing around for monkey?  I believe the lady gave us a job to do." A grin lit up his borrowed face as he climbed to his feet.  He moved with a swagger that looked almost absurd on Emma's small frame. When Patrick tried to put a face with the voice from the box this was not what he had imagined. 

[Nigel Wetherby]

Patrick looked at him sternly.
"Give 'em a distraction, there are weapons in the closet, their fire is labeled at the butt of the gun, given our situation, you'll want something Aetherium based, and something lead-based, one for range, one for close-combat, I'll catch up, I got munitions to manufacture."
George made his pick of a rather small, round-barreled raygun, and something looking akin to a blunderbuss mixed with a gatling gun.
"Hmmm, perhaps you aren't entireley useless, Monkey."
Patrick flashed him a grin as he rivetted on a long, tapering butt and trigger to the gun's motor, wrapping it in a circular metal shell, and finally soldering the barrel to the end. "Lo, and behold, mortals. I give you, Mjlonnir...." He held up the gun to the light like a master jeweler.
"Good sir," He had an impish smile. "I bielieve we must provide pirate-style hospitality for our intruders...."
He slung the gun over his shoulder. "You give me surpressive fire, I give you wholesale slaughter

[Stella Gaslight]

George had forgotten how wonderful having flesh really was. It was like someone had ripped away a gauzy curtain that he hadn't realized was there before.  Colors, sounds, smells and textures were so vivid George felt nearly intoxicated until he was able to adjust.  Even now blasting away the boarding chains with the monkey he was feeling giddy and near invincible.  The tang of ozone, The flash of light from the blaster and the rush of warm air that followed it, each action, each moment felt like a little rapture. 

He kept nearly calling out to Emma asking if she had seen the tricky shot he just made or taking quick glances over his shoulder expecting to see her there. His triumph felt somehow tarnished without her to share it with.  In all their experiments they had never figured out where Emma's consciousness went.  She always came back in a state closely resembling a hangover with a gap in her memory.  George hoped where ever he sent her was peaceful there were things in the aether that frighted him even after years of living in it.

He fired the gun again melting another chain but with each one he stopped it seamed like Black fired two more.  They were only delaying the inevitable.  George moved back in to a easier to defend position. "Get ready Monkey when the borders start coming over you can sure as hell bet they are going to flock to were ever I am."  Patrick nodded opening fire has The Eastern Star drew closer still.  Shouts from figures on the deck rang out in the still night air as they spotted Emma's blue clad form.  George looked grim as he fired another volley from the round-barreled ray gun momentary illuminating the ship pulling beside them.  He gritted his teeth and made sure the blunderbuss/gatling gun was ready to fire.   They were out numbered. 

[Nigel Wetherby]

Patrick nodded, turning to george. "We need to find a way to bottleneck them, if we shoot out all but one boarding chain, we can pick them off one by one!"
George nodded, "Not bad for a monkey." He retorted, firing his ray-gun and melting the second-to-last boarding chain, Keeping but one latched to the deck.
"ALL HANDS SEARCH MY QUARTERS!!!, Patrick called out to the crew, "FIND ANY WEAPON YOU CAN AND USE IT!!" 
Patrick's once carefree appearance, now replaced with the stern visage of a pirate, his face a commanding sneer, his eyes a perpetual, piercing glare.

As the first pirates began to crawl across the chain, Patrick let loose a madman's cry of battle and let loose a blast from the Mjlonnir, the blasts cracked the air like raw lightning, and caused his hair to frizz from the static it created. His fingers dug into the maple butt of the gun and continued his assault, "Taste hot aether scallywags!!!" He roared, his liveley, red hair clinging to the sides of his head with sweat.

[Ben Hudson, Esq.]

'Bugger. It looks like we're in for a fight,' muttered Ben as he followed Lakshmi down the corridor to her cabin. 'Those cannon I can hear - they're something heavy. Four-inch at least, and there are lots of them.' The air became thick and dangerous with the scent of cordite and... burning. Ben decided he would check on it, before his attentions were crudely diverted.
He looked out of the corner of his eye, and leapt forwards, grabbing Lakshmi's shoulders. She fell down with shriek. Not a moment later, a whistling chain with a weight at either end smashed evily though the side of the gondola, and wrapped itself around a gantry. 'And they're firing chainshot.'
He pulled a pair of green mesh-sided glasses from a pocket and donned them. Lakshmi gave him an odd look as she got up and brushed herself off. 'Eye protection. Onboard a salt-courier ship I saw a man get a shard of glass through one eye and out the back of his head. Not pretty.'
Lakshmi smiled. 'Good idea. And... thank you.'
'My pleasure - I landed on top of you,' joked Ben.
'Shut up, you!' said Lakshmi, smiling.
'Very well. Now, to your cabin. I hope you brought me here for a good reason and not under some pretext...'

[HAC]

On the Eastern Star, the boarding parties made ready. One the Boheme was within cable range, the gunners would fire their harpoon cannons. With luck, the harpposn would hold, and the steel cables attcahed to them would be winched taut. Only then would the steel mesh boarding baskets be attached. Loaded with the boarding parties they would slide from the Eastern Star to the Boheme and disgorge the raiders. Once the Boheme was taken, she would be winched in closer for a final search and looting. That plan of attack had worked countless times in the past.   "Not long, now, and I'll have her again" thought Black, as mixed emotions of rage and something akin to love, played across his face..
"Not long now, my pretty...."

[Stella Gaslight]

The aetheric battery surged for a moment causing a sharp pain between George's eyes.  "It can't be a bad battery, not now." He muttered wincing as it surged again.  His aim faltered letting a chain line past to smash in to side of the gondola.  There was a scream from inside he guessed was from the doctor.  George hoped they weren't injured because of his inaction.  He blasted other two shots but Black knew their weakest link now and pounded the area around George.  Even with fire from The monkey two more made it through.  One smacked the hull beneath them shaking the ship violently, the other tore through the canopy above hitting something that sparked, caused the lights in the ship to flicker and die.  The engines slowed struggling to keep up with the demands of the pilot. 

More shots rang out from The Star with a different sound than the thump clatter of the chain lines.  Harpoons fell like rain George took cover and just in time a spot just inches from he was leaning out to shoot from was pierced through with sharp metal.  Desperately George and Patrick tried to shoot off the lines before they could ready the boarding baskets but every time they had almost cleared them more were fired.  Slowly steadily the Eastern Star drew nearer The Boheme and it looked like they had little chance of escape.

[Nigel Wetherby]

Patrick turned to george, "FOCUS!!" He snarled, "Do you wanna get us all killed!?" He continued letting slip blasts of white-hot fury from the barrel of his gun. Firing apart as many chords as he could, Another metal hook planted itself infront of the the Patrick, letting loose an ungodly 'CRUNCH' Sound, a loud hiss was heard as a spray of bluish-green coolant sprayed from the deck, they had hit a coolent line.
"Bugger!!" Exclaimed patrick, his eyes widened with panic. "We gotta shake 'em quick! we got a good half hour before the pistons melt, and we plummet!!" He cried out to the crew.
Much to his dismay, pirates began to climb across the ropes like ticks crossing a string. He drew the sabre at his side ready for close quarters combat.

[Stella Gaslight]

George ran his hands over the tool belt in between rounds of fire.  Damn it, Emma always had some liquid patch on her. Where did she stash it this time?  His fingers found the strange little needle toped bottle and he raced over to stop the coolant from leaking out.  George was grateful Emma had let him take over even with him giving her directions she tended to move slow and second guess herself.  "I stopped the leak.  It should give us some more time but were still going to overheat."  As he was shoving the bottle away he discovered an odd little device that gave him a surge of hope.  "Back away from the harpoons. I am going to fry some borders.

George activated another aetheric battery using it's light to temporally blind the pirates then he shoved it in to an odd palm sized tube that crackled ominously glowing blue on one end.  It started life has a device to recharge spent batteries that failed in every possible way.  The shock it delivered was nasty and traveled down steel cables in to the boarding baskets quite well.  The air was filled with screams and the smell of burnt hair surged from the sparking basket.  It wouldn't work forever, the others on deck were already donning protective gear and the battery only had a limited charge but it gave them some much needed breathing room.

[bluestocking]

Lakshmi and Ben pelted down the corridor to her cabin. The Boheme rocked under the force of the attack, almost tumbling them both as they clung to the door jamb.

She scrambled for the back of the room and ducked behind a dressing screen. Ben stared in bemusement as she flung her kameez over the top of one sandalwood panel.

"Er... Lakshmi, is this really the time for...?"

"I'm not totally insane, Ben. Behind you is a cabinet; could you fetch a syringe from the top left drawer and one of the little blue vials with the red band around the middle from the third from the bottom on the right?"

He bent to do as she asked, carefully placing the syringe with its wickedly sharp needle and the tiny bottle on a tray, as he had seen her do.

"All right... oof! Would you be so kind as to help me with this?" She emerged from behind the screen.

She was wearing the loose, baggy salwar trousers, now tucked into tall leather boots, and the oddest top Ben had ever seen. It fit her closely, with a deep, plunging neckline and no sleeves at all. As he took her burden - a strange yokelike thing, made of many intricate metal parts - he realized that its only back was three ties across her neck, ribs and waist.

She turned a chair backwards and straddled it, wrapping her arms around the back. Between her shoulderblades were two round, metallic implants. Ben suddenly realized what he held, and looked for the terminals which would fit into those connectors.

"You know, I couldn't quite envision what you meant when you said you made clockwork limbs." he said.

"I usually make them as prostheses - replacements for lost limbs - but I figured I'd try additional ones, to see how they work."

"And?"

"You'll find out in a moment, won't you?" She untied the strings of her top, getting it out of the way. "Connecting the neural interface is rather painful, but at least it's over quickly."

"All right." He wrestled the unwieldy contraption into place. "Ready?"

She swallowed, hard, took a firmer grip on the chair back, and nodded tightly.

It was easy, once he got the prongs lined up. She stiffened, biting down on a scream, then relaxed. While he braced the device in place, keeping the connections in place, she swiftly fastened the straps that held it secure, then retied her top.

"So why the syringe?" he asked, passing it to her.

"It's a neural stimulator; it gives me the extra mental capacity I need to manipulate the extra limbs, plus it enhances my reflexes, diminishes my reaction time, and reduces the effects of fatigue. Very benign side-effects, from my observation, and does no harm on a long-term basis."

"Useful in combat."

"Very. I have a slightly less concentrated version in pill form. Second drawer down, right side, if you like. Just one, though." She set the used syringe aside and reached up, grabbing the wrists of the mechanical arms and pulling them down to waist level, letting the self-winders power the clockwork joints. Once wound, they moved independently.

She buckled on her gun-belt, all four pistols across her hips and a large, bent-bladed knife at the small of her back, and nodded to Ben. "Let's go."

[Nigel Wetherby]

Patrick gave a long, low whistle of admiration. "Ya know, fer a mostly intangible being, ye aint half bad..." He said with a pat on his back. His shaded goggles had been slid into place, preventing aetherium-induced blindness. A wry grin slowly crossed his face. George turned towards him with a look of fear on his face, The monkey had a plan.
A terrifying prospect.

Patrick held the glowing tube in one hand, tossing it hard into the open sky, as it reached it's zenith, he fire Mjlonnir, held in his other hand, and propped up against an empty barrel.
"Ever read about Newton's law of aether? Pressurised Aetheric energy plus Heated Aetheric energy, creates a MASSIVE discharge, once it's container is busted!"
A flash of white light seared the clear blue sky. Hands on deck fell to the ground, clasping their eyes, temporarily blinded. Those who were unlucky enough to cross the boarding lines flailed about in blindness, falling off into the unforgiving blue. Patrick smirked.
"God I love science."

George looked terrified at the product of The Monkey's idea, the casualties didn't frighten him, what really frightened him was that the monkey's idea was a sucess, and that He didn't think of it.

[Stella Gaslight]

The bright light didn't reach effect George's eyes but he could feel the heat of it on his skin.  It was very odd to see light work its way through tiny cracks in the floor and shine up at them from below. He released a breath he hadn't realised he was holding watching the crews fumble on deck.  Thank god for Emma's magpie like tendencies.  They worked fast to cut what lines they could when the Capitan and the Doctor burst in to the room. 

George wondered for a moment if his eyes were truly unaffected because the doctor appeared to have four arms.  He blinked waiting for the image to fade but it was real.  As they came closer he saw the truth they were incredibly clever bits of metal that moved like flesh.  He smiled a plan forming.  "If you can cover me I can fix the brake in the coolant system and with luck get engines back up to speed.  Then the fuel additive's boost in speed may just get us out of here."

[Nigel Wetherby]

Patrick nodded. "Alright, then, we'll let the others handle it fer now..." He tossed Mjlonnir to the captain. ""I'm leavin' this in yer capable hands! It's got a good kick! Aim it at whatever the enemy's got what can go boom!" He ran off with George under the deck, drawing his sabre and charging down the stairs to the motor room, drawing a small revolver from his waist-pocket, remaining behind george.
They came upon the now damaged motor. Patrick looked apalled at the damage done to it. "Those ANIMAL!" He cried out in grief. George rolled his eyes and began to work. Patrick at his side. Within moments, the grease-stained duo gave eachother a thumbs-up as the motor hummed to life.
"Not bad for a monkey." Admitted george with a smile.

[Ben Hudson, Esq.]

Meanwhile, on board the Eastern Star, the boarding parties made use of the break in the defence. Three harpoons penetrated the outer skin and held fast in the mesh armour, thankfully still a foot clear of the gas bags. Captain Black forced a smile from the bridge. Cat squealed as his hands tightened in anticipation, until he checked himself and loosened his grip. 'Fire up the winches, scum!'
At his cry, the engineers flung knife-switches. The electric winches sparked into life with a smell of ozone, and began to take in the slack. Soon the steel cables were taut, and boarding cages were slung beneath them. Five men crammed into each cage and set off across the breach.

On the Boheme, Ben noticed the sudden change of action. He leaned out of a window and took aim with his aethercannon. 'No!' thought Ben suddenly, 'They're too tightly attached. If we take them down, the cables are liable to pull us down with them.' He shifted, and fired a burst at the nearest cage. It clipped the bottom, sending sparks and molten metal flying. The boarders leapt into the air to avoid the superheated steel, only to find that there was nothing beneath them but air when gravity took hold. 'One down,' he said grimly. He took aim again and pulled the trigger.
Nothing happened.
He pressed the other buttons. Still nothing. 'Damn thing. No idea how it works.' He put it aside and drew a revolver. He emptied the chambers at one of the other cages. Two bullets found their mark. But it was too late for that. The cages bumped against the skin of the Boheme, and the boarders began to abseil down to the vulnerable windows. They swung out, then smashed through. 'Bugger. They're inside!'

On the Star, Black laughed, and stroked Cat. 'Very good.'

[Stella Gaslight]

Luckily Condor engines were some of the toughest things in the skies and most of the damage was easily fixed by tightening things that had been loosened and reattaching small things that had been knocked off.  Some of the gauges were cracked and the paint was marred but they had gotten off easy. George was sure if Black wanted them dead it would have been a different matter entirely. 

The aether stacks that helped power the engines were far worse off.  The chain shot had managed to knock one of it's holding bolts and in to the stack next to it.  They were going to have to make due with only having half the power they normally used until they could rig a replacement.  "Tell Emma she might want to make an altered version of number eight to replace this.  It should be a substantial improvement." George said up to his elbows in aether reactor.  It flickered to life unexpectedly causing George to leap out of the workings with a grace he wouldn't have guessed he had. The lights came back dimly flickering and casting more shadows than they dispelled.  The repaired stack would only hold about 70% of it's capacity but they would have to take what they could get. The battle outside was picking back up if the noise filtering in was any indication. 

The glow from the battery George was using as a head lamp was dimming.  George was running out of time and when the light died Emma would come back regardless they were safe or not.  She would be defenseless until she recovered from the shock of being ripped from her body.  "Black has been following on our heels tirelessly for weeks a bit of speed isn't going to stop him." He nearly shivered remembering the the hungry way Black repeated Emma's name when he spotted them.  He would rather be suck in the aether forever than lose her to Black again.   "My time is running out so whatever we do we better make it quick." 

As they were trying to formulate a plan someone was creeping silently closer in the half light preparing to knock the boy out and then secure the girl aboard the Eastern Star before those below even knew she had gone.  He had lost Black's favor when she had snuck past him to escape but he was desperately sure bringing her back would fix that.