Marine Nationale Armoured Cruiser, the Vauban, readies for action

Naval Fortresses of the Future, circa 1887

by Albert Robida

Memories of Past 2017 Conventions

Sir Leo, Cosplayer Vamptress LeeAnna Vamp & my brother Adam, Toronto Fan Expo 2017

 

Sir Leo and Cosplayer Ashley Du, Toronto Fan Expo 2017

 

 

Sir Leo and Cosplayer Riki "Riddle" Lecotey, Toronto Fan Expo 2017

 

 

Sir Leo and Cosplayer Violet Love , Toronto Fan Expo 2017

 

 

Sir Leo and Cosplayer Vera Bambi, Toronto Fan Expo 2017

 

 

A Hidden Past (Part IV)

"Constable, I am well satisfied as to your professional conduct and abilities which have won you a deservedly high regard amoungst your peers and superiors. I think you would be a definite asset to my special investigations detachment." Sir Nigel finally said aloud into the silence that had filled the room after his two companions had abruptly left.

Rumbleton, looked surprised and not a little pleased at his remarks, and her gaze briefly dropped to the center of the table top as she gathered her thoughts to make a response.

"Thank you, Sir Nigel. I have heard a great deal about you since joining the Dead Watch, I am honoured and not a little flattered that you would think me worthy of joining your investigations unit."

Sir Nigel smiled at the young woman's candour although she was right very few of the members of his team were mere police constables with only a few years service to their credit. Still, if his suspicions were correct about this young lady before him, she was no mere let alone average constable either.

"I would like you to come down to our offices so you can meet some of the team and they can evaluate you, and we can best decide who to pair you up with." Sir Nigel said crisply as he rose from his seat, extending his hand towards her in welcome. Josephine Rumbleton rose swiftly and clasped the offered hand firmly, she felt an electric thrill go through her. On a professional level, joining Sir Nigel's team enhanced her career prospects although they also enhanced the dangerous situations she was likely to wind up dealing with from now on, but that was par for the course in any of the divisions and bureaus of the Dead Watch. Whatever was going to happen it would be interesting and worth doing, and that mattered to her a great deal.

"There is a test you have to undergo, everyone who joins us does, myself included when I joined." Sir Nigel remarked as he guided Rumbleton to the door. "It's a deuced annoyance really but it has proven useful so it's been retained by every director of my bureau since before I even joined."

"Understood, Sir Nigel. What do I have to do?"

"Basically, sit in a special monitoring chair and answer a flurry of questions, the chair records and makes evaluations of your physical reactions. Its generally more tedious then anything else. It also administers a test for latent or potentially active magical or psionic abilities."

Rumbleton considered that remark for a few paces as they walked down the hall, then nodded to herself in understanding and agreement.

"Given the weirdness I have experienced in my first year with the Dead Watch I am not surprised, Sir Nigel."

Sir Nigel chuckled softly and gave his own nod of agreement and long experience.

"Too true, weird and dangerous, definitely comes with our territory."

The Imperial Russian Navy underway and leaving port

 by Ewoud Luppens

Attendence at the Kendal Ball (Part X)

Kendal Palace, Grosvenor Square, London, Great Britain: January 1886

Sir Leo suddenly for his part, felt as if a decade has just slide backward in time, he saw a young, mildly nervous and prettily attired young lady making her first presentation to formal society. His lips quirked into a smile at the memory. Ursula saw the smile and the twinkle in his brown eyes, and tilted her head slightly to one side questioningly.

"My apologies, Your Grace, I was suddenly reminded of the first ball, we both attended some years ago."

Ursula smiled in response, that particular ball in 1874 had been memorable for a lot of reasons not all of them pleasant of course given the circumstances, but it had lead to a close platonic friendship between her and Sir Leo which endured to this day. Then Captain-Lieutenant Leo Stanley Worthing-Topper had just returned from Africa on a delayed but necessary medical leave after being seriously wounded twice in action against the Abyssinians the pervious year to discover on his arrival back in Great Britain that he had just been elevated to the rank of Viscount upon the death of his father, the 6th Duke of Shromburg a month earlier. His older brother Stephen, had of course succeeded their father as the new 7th Duke and in doing so passed on his own family courtesy title of Viscount Worthing to his younger brother Leopold along with it's associated holdings, civic duties and feudal responsibilities and the rents, tithes and investments.

In all it had been a thoroughly bad start to the year, and Sir Leo had been in no mood to attend a society ball at his mother's insistence. He had been even less of a mood to stand idly by and watch a young girl be humiliated by a bunch of self important snobs and social butterflies. A man who had recently endured both a sword thrust to the jaw and been run through with an Abyssinian pike was not the sort to quail before the threat of mere social barbs. There were some compensations to being both a decorated military hero and being a member of the British Peerage and Sir Leo decided to make ruthless and entertaining use of them that particular evening.

Ursula's own white eyes began to twinkle brightly at the memory and something like a mischievous grin graced her lips, Sir Thomas saw the look and raised an eye brow in silent question and not a little curiosity. He knew that both Ursula and Sir Leo had a history together and while their closeness gave him occasional twinges of jealousy it never gave him cause for concern otherwise.

Before anyone of the three could speak a word, someone cleared their throat quietly but none to subtlety at Ursula's side. Both Sir Leo and Sir Thomas watched in only partially concealed amusement as Ursula's lips tried to flex into both a bemused smile and a grimace at the same time. Ursula's aunt, the Lady Penelope Wraithdale, took a step forward and tapped her niece gently and reprovingly on the shoulder with her lace fan.

"You still have a great many people to greet, young lady. Time to socialize with old gallants and admirers, later."

"Yes, Aunt Penelope."

Lady Penelope's own lips quirked into a very alluring full lipped smile, her dark eyes sparkled at her niece. She was actually only a few years older then her niece, being closer to Sir Leo in age, although greatly surpassing him in looks as far as he was concerned. Lady Penelope was quite as beautiful and iron willed as all the Wraithdale women were, although her hair was a soft blond, with darker highlights and her eyes were dark brown rather then silver-white of her late sister, the Duchess of Kendal, Ursula's mother. She was also one of the seven appointees that acted as trustees to the Wraithdale fortune.

"Do not take that tone with me, young lady!"

"Oh dear..." Sir Thomas said half aloud, half to himself and exchanging a side long glance with Sir Leo, who was obviously trying to avoid breaking out into outright laughter at the two women's discourse. This unfortunately brought him to Lady Penelope's attention, her fan snapped shut and rapped him soundly in the chest.

"Sir Thomas! I expect you of all people, to set this incorrigible young lady a good example before the guests."

"My apologies, Lady Penelope." Sir Thomas said contritely, Ursula for her part eyed her man with scant favour at this moment and a wicked look glimmered in her eyes, which promised loving trouble for him later on.

Attendence at the Kendal Ball (Part IX)

Kendal Palace, Grosvenor Square, London, Great Britain: January 1886

Sir Thomas Jameson, stood close to Ursula, dark haired, dark eyed, handsome with an erect carriage and trim figure, he looked every inch the experienced and dashing sea captain that he was. The Jamesons had originated in the Isle of Bute, in the Hebrides, Scotland before putting down roots in the County of Barcestshire, England sometime in the 1300s. The Jamesons had become overtime, gentlemen farmers, artisans and county officials over the next five hundred years, they had acquired a baronetcy some three generations back due to service in the American Revolutionary war and quietly become part of the English Gentry.

One of the few things that Sir Thomas and Sir Leo had in common, aside from Ursula, was they were both members of the London Travelers Club and had attended Barchester College. Sir Thomas had studied with an eye to the medical or military profession, and had hopes of becoming either a physician or a surgeon. Family connections had garnered a commission as a midshipman in the Royal Navy and Sir Thomas had entertained hopes of a long and distinguished career. Illness in the form of an extended and nearly fatal bout of fever contracted in India ended his military career after six years. Sir Thomas was forced to retire from active service at the rank of Lieutenant. Family financial constraints had then forced Sir Thomas to turn to the merchant marine to find gainful employment, as a ship's doctor. While not Sir Thomas's first choice, he would have preferred to establish himself in a lucrative London practice, he had made the best of it and gained both experience and a solid professional reputation in the Locke & Key Line. Over time he had become the doctor of choice for the Line's fast passenger ship captains.

In 1882, Doctor Thomas Jameson's world changed forever, a routine passage from Britain to Brazil turned into a bloody disaster when three pirate airships and two privateering surface ships attacked the Liner S.S. Laura, which he was aboard as chief surgeon. In the space of half an hour, Jameson wound up being the only ship's officer still standing unwounded or killed. By dint of hard effort he rallied the crew and passengers and managed not only to retake the liner from it's captors but turn the tables on them, capturing one of the surface ships, while sinking the other pirate ship and blowing two of the airships out of the sky. The surviving pirate airship fled the scene, leaving Jameson in command of the field of action and the spoils so to speak. One Lady Ursula Wraithdale happened to be one of the passengers about the S.S. Laura on this occasion, and in the course of events, the two made considerable impression upon each other. A very lasting impression as events would later show.

Sir Thomas, as he became after the affair, knighted by the order of the Queen, had become something of a celebrity in nautical circles. The Locke & Key Line, had transferred him from the medical branch to the command branch of their service, and from then on placed him in command of a variety of their fast passenger liners. His captaincy of the various Liners had been to date a success and much to his credit. Energetic, charming, capable and an extremely pushy young man, many expected him to rise to the post of senior commodore of the Locke & Key Line within a few years.

Sir Leo expected that once Ursula and Sir Thomas were formally engaged, although he suspected that the two were secretly engaged already that he would be seeing a lot more of both of them together whenever he was in London.

Ursula turned to greet Sir Leo, who moved to stand before her.