The Old Firm XVII: A Steampunk Tale

The military steamer pulled out of Aberdeen station it's quad drivers pushing its mass faster and faster down the straight line of track as it picked up speed. Master M stood at the levers of the main steamer as his minions fed its quad boilers and readied the cargo for transfer when the came to the boarder two hours distant. Sparks flashed on curves as the steamer roared along the track at full throttle roaring through stations and passing passenger steamers sitting on sidings.

John sat at a small desk as the courier steamer, light and fast nimbly raced after MAster M slowly gaining as the Alba country side flashed by a blend of colors as Maureen removed a wireless headset and handed John a message. He read it and peered at the map using a knife to find points of interest.

"Rebecca? Have the engineer pull the safety valves, I want this contraption to catch Master M before we hit the border near Flodden Field."

Rebecca arched her eyebrow at John. "What brings this about" She asked.

"The Duke of Westchester-on-Stratford has moved his regiment north near Flodden Field, they've never ran maneuvers near there ever. Throw in the cargo that I was just informed of aboard the steamer we are pursuing and the situation is a tad more dire than we were initially led to believe.

Stefania smoothed her skirts as she listened her eyes going back and forth between John and Rebecca as she found herself feeling more and more out of place.

"Seems His Majesties government has been working on a fissionable power source. Aboard that steamer in a special lead lined transport is Alba's entire supply of fissionable's."

Maureen shook her head. 'It's bloody mad," she said. "That stuff is worse that nitroglycerin and even more unstable. What benefit do they see from such madness?"

"Excuse me," Stefania spoke up, "but what are fissionable's?"

Rebecca turned to her her lips pursed in thought. "They are materials that give of energy when they are destroyed, lots and lots of energy and for long periods of time."

"How is that dangerous? I do not understand?"

"They are unstable and have a very bad tendency to make extremely large and nasty explosions," John replied standing as reaching for his tweed jacket. The amount Master M has absconded off with is enough to destroy Embra and Glasgow."

Stefania's eyes widened and her mouth made a small o. Rebecca nodded. "Lots of madness on both sides of the border and on the continent with all these crack pots toiling away in dark dank basements messing with what they have no understanding of, " she said grimly yet her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"Right, time to get about our business," John said. "We have a villain to catch."

To Be Continued........