The Log of the HMAS Marigold: The Serpent and Cross (Part Six)

[Alexis Voltaire]

"The Marigold's crew is up there, that should be them." Felix said. He didn't lower his guard or the revolver yet, however; he wasn't entirely sure who was coming down the stairs, and the lack of gunfire from below was worrying.

"Hold up a minute." He said to Dr. Scott, moving to put himself between her and the possible line for fire of whoever was about to round the corner of the stairs. "Who's coming down up there?" He called upward.

[MWBailey]

"Good lads are they, this Rifle Company of yours?" Piggott-Steng asked Bledsoe as the watched the company take control of the rooftop, rolling two of the howitzers down the gangway, along with the carriage-mounted Maxim gun. The windows on the sunward side of the building being wide open, they had heard the smallarms fire, and then the sharp, heavy POWW! of what they guessed must have been a large-bore projectile weapon of some kind. a full squad ran forward as the door of one of the stairhouses on the roof opened, and they filed down into the building. There had been no further firearm reports.

"Yes, sir, they are. As good as or better than the usual Royal Air Marines they use on the big Capital ships."

"Yes." Piggott-Steng answered. "Well, You and Rourke are in charge as usual here. I'll be going down to my offices at Horseguards if you don't mind, just let off there at the roof when we're through here - provided we don't have a full-scale battle on our hands." He suspected a completely different sort of battle ahead, however. Well, let 'em come, I've wanted to have a go at a stuffed shirt like Sinclaire for years, he thought In fact....The Horseguards bunch would stall the 'Tinnies" and the Home Office boys, of course, but he wanted to be in his office when the summons finally made it  there in the end. he pulled his service revolver and checked to be sure it was fully loaded. He'd never stopped carrying it, even when in London, at Horseguards or anywhere else.

"Here they come now, sir, looks like they managed to get off without too much gunplay," Commander Wellborne called out from his position at the portside bridge-glass. Piggott-Steng re-holstered hisweapon and went to the window to see for himself. "Good Lord, what the hell's Rourke toting?"

"Looks like some kind of shell thrower on a stock, and an ATLATL. That loud bang a few minutes ago must've come from the shell thrower; the ATLATL'd have blown out the side of the relevant floor."

Back in Whitehall, The Bosun called down, "Marigold Rifle Company, here! Who's callin up?"

Rourke heard Sinclair's message to Piggott-Steng, and answered back, "Aye, Sir," and added, I expect there'll be enquiries all 'round -- since we told neither you, nor your minions there, what our visit was about, and why you yourself felt it necessary to deploy a force -- within Whitehall? Sir." He began backing toward the doorway, the shell rifle, and the weapons of the rifle company, not - quite - pointed at Richards' or anyone else's chests. "It's me, Rourke, Bosun, and the rest o' the usuals, plus a new fellow. Rifles! Fall back in order to and up the stairs," he called up the stairs in answer to the Bosun. "protect Miss Starling and company, and keep Richards, here," he motioned the rifle muzzle in the black-armored figure,  "covered. I'd not put it past that villain to try a sniper on us." To Richards' shocked and outraged expression, Rourke said, "Sorry lad, it's just that I tend to distrust a fella who tries to 'ave me arrested an' shot, when all I've been a-doin' is defendin' meself an' th' realm."

Rourke saw the artillery when he finally made it to the roof, and said, "Bloody hell, Bosun, what's wi' all th' hardware?"

"Sinclaire's 'ardshells're famous for bein' unstoppable by anythin' but expert armsmen to shoot through the chinks in Their armor, or heavy guns -- like that 'un there, I imagine," he cut in, looking at the shell rifle, "to punch straight through it." Rourke nodded and called the Company to order and to withdraw in order back aboard the Marigold. When he made it to the bridge, he delivered his report along with Sinclair's message to the Brigadier. Piggott-Steng huffed, and then chuckled, and then laughed heartily. "Oh, my. Just like that officious little perfumed popinjay."

He chuckled again. "I'm half of a mind to go down there and barge into the little chair-urchin's office and kick the door in. The white-clad jumped-up hypocrite.  What about his private police force of self-righteous prima donnas? What about all the people he's threatened to silence with his papers and his cute Little cadre? At least my - our - actions are direct and in the open." He rounded on Richards, and said, "And you can report that, word for bloody word, to Sinclair, laddy buck."

Then he rounded on Rourke."And what are you playing' at?" The brigadier's  jaw stuck out suddenly, and fury turned his face white. I don't care what kind o' situation you walked in from, maybe you couldn't help carryin' th' weapons, but why did you have to fire that bloody thing? What IS that thing, anyway? It's no rifle I ever saw before, it belongs in a bloody anti-armor battery, on a carriage, not screwed to a walnut stock and engraved and varnished like some dandy's fowling piece! That bore's two inches if it's a half!" And talkin' back to Sinclaire? That's MY job, not yours!" he chuckled again, and clearly was in two minds about it. "But it was plucky, I'll give you that. Couldn't have said it better myself."

"Horseguards' roof coming up, Brigadier Sir," Bledsoe said. "Begging your pardon, of course."

"Right," Piggott-Steng said, and moved toward the observation deck's hatchway. "I'm not through yet, Rourke," he said. "I can't say what will come of all this, yet," he said, when Rourke joined him at the hatchway, speaking loudly so that no one on the bridge could help hearing his voice, 'but I won't let the bastard have your rank if I can help it. I will say that you'll need to stay on the Marigold for the duration, or at least make her the base of your operations, staying close by her in case the hardbacks or anything else comes after you, until further notice. If you find that you need to alight upon the soil of beloved England to do your duty, you have my permission to do so, though that permission may come to mean little in a few days. It all depends on whether Horseguards decides to oppose Sinclaire's cronies this time or not." He squeezed Rourke's arm. "Sinclaire's not Her Majesty, nor is he Parliament nor the Military, for all he pretends he can order all of 'em around. Chin up,. and see it through. That's the best I can tell you. I'll fight for you on the home front as much and as long as I can, and so I think will most of Horseguards; you're quite the lad around there these days, you know." He stepped out to the rail as a crewman lowered the steps and opened the gate in the railing. "Now, salute me, so the lads'll think I'm in charge." he winked so that only the bridge and Rourke could see him do it, and then returned Rourke's salute. "Fight on, Leftenant Sir Hannibal Rourke," he said, deliberately transposing the title. "All is not lost. Remember what your Dark Parent said about your lineage; that little matter of protocol may in fact save you in the end."

The Brigadier found, however, upon his return to his office, that his superiors had already heard of the incident through several liaisons within Whitehall, and all were to a man behind him and Rourke. "Sinclaire's been taking too much on himself these days," Lord Rear Admiral Jenkins said, "He needs to be taken down a few pegs."

[Cpt Wallace]

He trailed after them all up into the Marigold keeping his eyes on Richards his gauntlet glowing with power, it wasn't until Piggott-Steng had left did he act he strode up to Richards a dark glow forming round his right hand before the Paladin could react a sword point was at his throat the echo of the gate throbbing round the bridge like a pressure bubble.

"Now Malcolm can I trust you or are you Sinclair's whelp now."

The black armoured figure stood solid for a moment then pulled his helm off his face hard a trio of scars running down the right side.

"He's my commanding officer, don't mean I have to like the weasel, you John we go back further than that."

He lowered the sword but notably didn't sheathe it.

"I can trust you not to cause trouble?"

Richards nodded once.

"Good get the hell out of here we need to talk in private, you'll find some space in the cargo hold."

Richards gruffly turned and left, only when he was gone did he sheathe his sword and turn to the others.

"My apologies for bringing him along, but Richards is soldier he' a man who follows orders to the letter, dependable and stubborn and he won't turn on us at the first chance he gets like most of Sinclair's other bastards."

He slid the gauntlet from his hand flexing his fingers.

"Don't get me wrong I'm not defending him he's an utter bastard himself, but he's part of the old guard so to speak he's been one of them for years, a long time before Sinclair stuck his claws in and started to turn them to his agenda."

[Stella Gaslight]

Starling flopped on to one of the benches on the observation deck.  Her leg was tired, mussels she had not used in months were protesting her pace.  "At least we know that those serpent people are not lined up with Sinclair. Fighting a joined effort on two fronts would stretch us thin even with our big guns.  Perhaps now would be a good time for us all to study our enemies and share all the information we have so neither one can stab us in the back."

[walkthebassline]

Morgan leaned against the wall next to Starling and lit his pipe.

"I completely agree. A war on two fronts is difficult enough without knowing so little. Information could be our most valuable weapon right now."

[MWBailey]

Rourke joined them, leaning against the bulkhead and adjusting his harness. "Bosun?" have somebody bring me an 1888 pattern infantry officer's saber, will you? The one with the deep backbone channel. Failing that, one of teh broad-bladed cutlasses will do."

"Aye, leftenant, I'll get Sparkmoor on it."

"Good feller, that." Rourke said. Then, "Enemies? Well... I'm pretty sure Sinclair wants my 'ide, and all o' Treadstone, May Lee in p'rticular. That woman sure knows 'ow t' carry a grudge forever." He thought for a bit. "Most o' th' milit'ry people who'd hold a grudge're dead now. There's old Cap'n Northridge o' th' 12th Royal Air Marines, but he's more like an old friend gone sour, and last I heard he'd gone into the hills above Kathmandu three months ago huntin' bandits, and hadn't been seen since."

"I can't rule out Nadir foes, but nobody in particular springs to moind." Rourke's voice grew noticeably irritable. "For the loife o' me, I can't figure these serpent nasties. Why are you an' me, Miss Starling, suddenly on their short bad list? Meself I could understand, I tend to make enemies just walkin' into the Officer's Mess, but you're the soul o' good works as far as I kin tell. Anybody else got any enemies we need to keep in moind?"

The ship was noticeably gaining altitude, and had moved northwestward; the southern portion of the English coast along the Irish Sea, and the Atlantic itself, were visible in the near distance. the coastal fields were just distant enough to begin looking like a patchwiork quilt of small irregular scraps of material.

[Stella Gaslight]

Starling shook her head she was not entirely sure where this was coming from either, "I have been a home body the last few months partly because of my leg but there was someone asking about me at work.  from what they told me he was an older man that was well dressed but there was something off about him that made the department secretary warn me about him.  I did all I could to find out who he was but I might has well been chasing a shadow,"

[Alexis Voltaire]

Felix opened the envelope Lowery had given him, and spread out a folded map showing a section of outer London. One building was marked out as 'Temple', and several places in nearby back alleys were designated as locations of underground access points.

Felix also took out a stack of typed documents, taking one and beginning to peruse it, laying the others down on the table next to the map. "This is everything Whitehall knows about the Brotherhood, their location, numbers, and possible offensive and defensive capabilities."

He handed the document he had been briefly reading to Rourke. "Here's a plan of attack that was written up as a contingency some time ago, you should look over it and see what you think."

"As for why they're interested in you at all, Dr Scott..." He said, looking to her with a shrug. "I don't know precisely. Power always attracts those that want to control it, or destroy it because they don't understand it or want to keep others from using it. In this case I suppose the high priests, if they don't actually believe the prophesies they preach to their underlings, see you as a convenient scapegoat for a show of their own power."

[MWBailey]

Lowery had given an envelope to Rourke as well. Rourke remembered it suddenly upon seeing Felix open his own. He go t his own out and read it. "Hmp." was all he said, a monosyllab;le that conveyed little or none of his actual thoughts at that moment. The letter's salutation took his title to extremes, but he supposed it was an effort to err on the side of deference:

To Paladin Sir Hannibal Rourke

Sir,

One pair of paragraphs, however, caught his attention and cause dthe "hmp!" that slipped out. It weighed on his mind, even after he folded the letter again, put it in the envelope, and put it away, all with studied and well-executed nonchalance.

It has come to my attention that the operative mutually known to myself and yourself as 'Felix' may in fact be a double agent. With which government or faction, I and my department are not yet certain. What we are certain of is that his assignment to watch over Doctor Scott was a carefully-orchestrated bit of interdepartmental manipulation and procedural subterfuge. It is my personal belief that he has orders from some entity or other to eliminate Miss Starling. The fact that he ha not yet done so, however, causes me to have a slight doubt of my belief.

If I may ask you to do so, please keep an eye on Felix, and be watchful for any sign that he plans to carry out such orders, if he has such. I would hesitate to confriont him in your usual reputed style; it might cause him to go rogue, as it were, and do things out of hand that he would not otherwise countenance.

So, don't confront him, but see what he's up to? Rourke thought. Well, alright...

He couldn't resist an off-center probe, however.

"Felix, you seem to be extraord'narily dedicated to yer duty, if I might say so. My compliments," Rourke said, hoping his tone did not sound as if he were weedling (which was exactly what he was in fact doing). "I understand it's your job and all, and yer dedication does y' credit, but I can''t 'elp wonderin' what your stake is in this business."

Rourke looked for all the world to be lounging upright against a bulkhead pillar, the very picture of a man in a standing-yet-relaxed pose, yet beneath it all, well-hidden though they might be, the springs of adrenaline and dire fury were winding themselves tighter and tighter, waiting, practically begging for Felix to make a wrong  or overt move. Rourke didn't like double agents; a double agent's betrayal was what had caused his wounds in the Khyber, Wilhelmina's "cure," and subsequently his slow turning into something that still seemed somewhat monstrous.

[Stella Gaslight]

Starling sighed massaging her knee "As if I dont't have enough problems of my own figuring out how all this works without people useing me like a chess piece. Well they are going to find me shockingly hard to eliminate.   I have my gun and studying magic too, not enough to blow large chunks out of the countryside, but they don't know that.  And I can sling ensnaring vines like a professional."  She did not say that she had mainly learned that as to stop sprouting bushes and flowers everywhere she went barefoot and that she had gotten it to tone down but not entirely go away.  At least the apartment was free of those blasted mint bushes now.  She was rather unsure if she would aver be able to enjoy peppermints again tho.

[MWBailey]

"As long's I have bone an' muscle and th' will t' move both, or one or the other, You'll have my support and help, Miss Starling," Rourke said. "But speakin' as one who's been both knight an' pawn, and is still both and glad of it, I'll tell you plainly that it's not a bad life on the whole."

He paused, and then added, "thing about chessmen and gameboards, though, they don't always tend to think for 'emselves. It's always seemed to me, if th' black and th' white put their 'eads t'gether, they could do away with the people setting 'em agin each other." He chuckled mirthlessly. "Listen to me, talkin' loik that. Almost sounds loike treason, but it's whats in my moind."

"All that's needed is for people to decide which soide they're standin' on. I think we all know what soide Talbot and I and Redburn, and the Marigold's company, and most o' Horseguards, I'd wager, are standin' on." He let the unspoken names hang deliberately, but then paused and stopped talking, looking around and noticing where they were in relation to the ground below, ansd stepped to the haqtchway an dcalled to the bridge, "Cap'n Bledsoe, let's 'ead back to'ard London, we have business there. He had noticed the charts that Felix perused. "Can the Cap'n have a look at these, Felix?"

[walkthebassline]

Redburn had walked over to the pilot's station, but now turned and looked at Rourke and Felix.

"I'll be glad to get back. Although...it's nice to be back on board."

[Alexis Voltaire]

"Yes, he can." Felix replied. "We're supposed to make the best use we can of the information here."

"As for my stake in this," He said after a pause, looking to Rourke. "I'm just here to do the job I was given. I'm not much of an idealist, say what you will about that, but I believe in what I do."

His expression showed nothing of the slight suspicion he felt. It was to be expected, he thought, Rourke's team seemed to be a very close knit bunch, it was only natural that he would be suspicious of someone like Felix who didn't fit in as yet. But perhaps there was something more as well...

[Cpt Wallace]

He'd taken a seat and dipped his head for any to look upon him he would appear to be sleeping yet his eyes were wide open a shimmer of light playing in his iris' he felt much better in himself the bracelet was channelling his power for him balancing it out and acting as a restraint to prevent him from doing any more untold damage it meant he could cast again but he didn't know his limits and needed focus and direct his power within to test them somewhat, his eyes glanced up at mention of his name but seeing it was not a question directed at him they drifted back down staring at the floor.

[Stella Gaslight]

Starling pulled herself to her feet with a little grunt and walked over to Redburn. "It is rather homey here and it is where I met you so I suppose it will always be a good place to me."  She stole a quick kiss and smiled.  "So how do we want to go at this?  They know we escaped and will be watching so do we blaze in or do we try something a bit more tricky?"

[MWBailey]

"The Marigold is built and fortified to stand up to extreme weather conditions and to take on opponents both large and small in the air and come out the victor," Captain Bledsoe said, having overheard Starling's remarks. "But she's not really very well equipped to take on magickal opponents, though we do have one limited-output Sparkmoor device, a sort of replica of the Engineer's Mate's first experimental prototype, for purposes of mitigating excessive magickal activity aboard ship. It would only be a particularly irritating thorn in the side of anybody on either side using magic, however, and not enough to actually negate anyone's magic. I understand the bomb version hindered as much as helped back at the battle of the Crypt, by the way."

[Cpt Wallace]

"I can perhaps help on the anti magic front, but I would have to remain here and counter anything that came our way, it could also drain me from any further action.

He sat up looking at the others.

"I'd need a room to the prow of the ship that can be utterly closed off from any other crewmen."

[MWBailey]

Wellbourne looked back at Talbot, then at the Captain and finally to Rourke. "The Secondary Fighting Bridge is up behind the Forward Ballonet Array," he said. There's a sort of spare situation room off to one side that could be closed off in that manner, but if the Control Car is compromised or lost, we'll have to take over the Secondary Bridge."

"Being able to steer and maneuver is a definite advantage in a battle," Rourke said. "Any other compartments?"

There's the Nose Hole, but that's only got a tiny hole a nman can barely squeeze through, and its not really a room, just an open space inside of where the steel nosecap of the envelope joins onto the oute r and inner skins," Wellbourne said.

"Miss Starling?" Rourke asked, "What's your take on the problem?"

[Stella Gaslight]

"Well lets think about this useing what we know. The grunts aren't likely to use magic but I bet he higher up will have a few magic users.  I am guessing they use ritual magic the fussy stuff with chants and items of power.  Hard to get started but pack a wallop when they do so if we nip that in the bud I think we will all fare better."  Starling put her head on her chin and though.  "Maybe we should do something disruptive.  Get them working on a bunch of little problems and I bet the rituals will fall apart.  They need concentration after all."

[Cpt Wallace]

"The situation room will do, If the need to take over the bridge is requires I think my abilities will be fairly moot."

He stood brushed himself off a little.

"I'll head there now make my arrangements, I can throw up some magical turbulence so to speak as we make our approach."

[MWBailey]

Rourke punched the line for the Quartermaster's cabin "Bosun, Assemble the Rifle Company, and get five volunteers for wing duty;  equip the fliers for strafe and raid, the usual dirty tricks plus incendiary packages, and brief the others for multi-squad probing with the same equipment... Oh, and get that set of Russian wings for me as well, if you will." Rourke figured on providing all sorts of "little problems" for the monks.

[walkthebassline]

Morgan swallowed a mouthful of absinthe and returned the flask to his coat.

"Since I'm here, I might as well report for duty as the Marigold's pilot."

[MWBailey]

Rourke mentally imagined himself knocking on a black-japanned* multiple-raised-panel front door of a detached house on a ground fog smothered London backstreet, where the full moon fairly blazed overhead. Wilhelmina answered the door, and said, "You know, all you have to do is call my name; I'll hear you." The image disappeared and he glanced around the bridge, yet he could still feel the Nadir queen in his head. Only Cmdr. Welborne seemed to have noticed that he had been woolgathering. The man stared at him, a knowing smirk on his face. Rourke shrugged that off, and thought, I need to know how to do that smoke thing, so I can get in through a keyhole or summat.

You don't half think big, do you? Wilhelmina answered. That's a Master's ability, and its not obligatory. An extremely odd sensation, an itch of a sort, bordering on a burning pain, crept through the inside of his skull.  Alright, Cheeky Darling, she said both lovingly and worriedly at last. You seem to have the predisposition for it, but it's not a quick, painless thing for someone like you. Her voice in Rourke's head turned deadly serious and took on a warning note, You're still alive, somewhat, so it'll hurt like blue blazes, but get someplace where you're alone and can't be interrupted, and then think to me. Brace yourself for feeling like you've been set afire. Wilhelmina must have read his deeper-level musings, because she said suddenly, irritably,No, you can't turn into bats, not at the same time. I can, but it hurts like hell even at my level, sometimes I lose myself. It takes a hours to get back together. The voice turned impatient, but no less loving, Go on, go get the wings and brief your people. I'll be waiting...

Rourke turned to theothers, and said, "Good to 'ave you, Redburn. If you lot'll excuse me, I 'ave a few 'li'l problems' to spread around..."

[Stella Gaslight]

"I think we should have enough wing packs to launch most of us down there while the ship provides cover fire.  Once we are inside tho we are on our own.   Be ready for what ever nasty surprises they have as soon as we hit the ground. If they are willing to let loose hell hounds in the city who knows what they have waiting for us."  Starling smiled she missed the fight sometimes,  "Tho I bet I can blast a nice chunk of whatever they send our way with Old Betsy here."

[Cpt Wallace]

He left heading to the fighting bridge he scooped up the horn and spoke into it.

"I'm here, I'll leave this open so I can hear what's going on."

He want into the situation room and cleared the furniture from  the centre of the room and knelt drawing a casting circle about him in white chalk, he worked quickly his hand moving in great sweeps as he drew ancient runes across the floor, after he'd finished he removed his outer layers of clothing and weapons, folded the clothes he piled them off to one side and laid the weapons on top of them, he then went to the door and closed it locking it from the inside he drew another circle on the door and filled it's lines with runes before heading back and kneeling in the centre.

He closed his eyes let out a deep breath and was outside the ship standing on the nose cone he looked down at the land before him, he could feel the wind whipping round and through him he could see the sparks of individuals and the growing glow of magic building before him, he opened his arms and would anyone able to see they would see scale growing across the Marigold's surfaces, they appeared to him to glisten with pearly light as they set in place, the barrier in place he turned his gaze upon the growing glow and readied himself.