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<blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 6923563" data-attributes="member: 8530"><p><strong>Chapter 103, “Maurice's Story" September 12, 1882, 5:30 AM.</strong></p><p></p><p>Captain Nemo calls for putting some distance between them and the French. Maurice says, "Perhaps, or maybe we want them to chase us westward, in the direction where the two American warships." Glancing at General Drury-Lowe Maurice says, "But first we need to meet back up with the dirigible. Drury-Lowe is said to be at the front and is Woolsley's Second-in-Command for the battle set to begin in the next hour. If they control the second, then I'd say that Woolsley's chances of surviving the battle are close to zero."</p><p></p><p>George says, "Captain Nemo, do you have any guns that can elevate? I am worried that their dirigible will remove the wizards. We need to keep them on the ship." Nemo replies, "No, our main weapon is the forward ram. We also have creative ways to sink ships from underwater, but those take time that we do not have at the moment." Freya reminds George that the dirigible which brought Chevruel and Daguerre here is now 40 miles away at the battle site.</p><p></p><p>George says, "We have a half hour before dawn that will conceal the Nautilus if we surface. But yes, to the dirigible, and then to the battle. Maurice suggests they first remove the ice-encased bomb with the dirigible before it explodes.</p><p></p><p>George adds, "Meanwhile, we need to heal and awaken our three guests and remove the trapped manacles. Once they are awake perhaps they can give us some insight as to how this has come about. But we need the real Drury-Lowe with us at the battle as well as the real Orabi to stop the fighting. Once we show up with Orabi though, all hell could break loose. The princess's word there will be critical. As the French ship, lure it out from about the sunken city, then you should sink it Nemo so as not to embroil America and France in an outright war, and after all no one will know if you sink it." says George Nemo says that he has no problems with sinking it. Maurice reminds them that the Egyptian Royal Family's yacht is still attached alongside it, and it might be best to not sink that vessel at this point in time.</p><p>.</p><p>Ruby tends to the Princess, looking to see if she is under some sleeping spell or if she has any other injuries. She appears to be uninjured but will not wake up. Mina says, "The Detect Magic did not reveal her under the influence of a spell or magical elixir, but Chevruel is the world's foremost alchemist, so what's keeping her and the others unconscious is problem chemical rather than magical in nature. We will probably need some way to remove the poison from her system to get her to awaken."</p><p></p><p>Lawrence says, "Let's get the bomb off, then. It would be unneighborly to damage the blimp. Captain, do you have any chains or ropes onboard? We want to attach this to the ship." The Captain has his men assemble the requested chains and ropes, as well as a bucket of a sticky substance derived from a large aquatic fish that can be used to temporarily secure the trunk to the French vessel.</p><p></p><p>The Nautilus safely makes it around the bend and surfaces in the cove out-of-sight from the French warship as the very first hint of dawn creeps over the eastern horizon. After the submarine surfaces the dirigible lands and is temporarily tied down to the top deck. Nemo's crew assume the task of removing the bomb from the dirigible and securing it to the bow of the Nautilus, tying it with knots that can be slipped off once the trunk is adhered to the French warship. Lawrence comment, "Excellent. They'll never be able to shake the bomb once we stick it on." The dirigible is readied for departure.</p><p></p><p>George asks, "Nemo, when we attach the bomb to the French warship, could we quickly attach a line to the yacht and cut the mooring lines and tow her away quickly? I know the Royal family would love to have it back undamaged." Nemo says, "I could have some of my crew in the water in their underwater-breathing gear and sever the lines. They could then board the yacht as we depart and sail her from there. Lawrence says, "You mean you can make men into small submersibles? That's astounding! If they can do that, then this plan has chance of succeeding." Abby smiled suddenly. "THAT is something I wouldn't mind trying. I suppose training is necessary, though." Nemo says, "Some, but after this is over I would be delighted to show you my undersea world first hand." After telling Captain Nemo that she just might take him up on the offer to let her try the underwater equipment when all this was over, Abby went in search of Cal.</p><p></p><p>While this is going on Ruby observes a quiet and personal moment from Maurice Beaujoulais, which she uses her skills to be discrete enough to keep him from noticing. He moves to a corner of the room and pulls up from a gold chain beneath his shirt and tie an oval gold locket, approximately 3-by-2 inches in size. He opens the locket, to reveal two painted pictures inside of a teenage girl and boy. The boy bears a strong resemblance to Beaujoulais, and she initially thinks that it might be his son, until she notices the clothing worn in the picture is three-decades out-of-date.</p><p></p><p>She overhears him say softly to the picture, "Once more into the breach my darling, prayers to Jupiter that my letters remain in safe keeping." Looking more intently at the girl's picture, Ruby notes that the woman's facial shape and features are similar to that of her best friend, Katherine Kale. The information then clicks, as Ruby has a spark of recognition! She is certain that she met the woman in the portrait a little more than three months earlier! It is a picture of Kate's mother Amelie Seagram from when she was a girl in Boston, which was the home city of Beaujoulais as well.</p><p></p><p>Ruby breaks her silence as she walks towards the man. "What a beautiful locket, Maurice. It looks very well made." He acts initially startled, then calms himself. He smiles and says, "Yes, it is a family heirloom, my only possession from my time as a young man. I regard it as my good luck charm." Ruby nods her head, "I can understand that, good luck charms are important these days. I hope you will excuse me but it was so pretty that I couldn't help but take a peek at it. And surprisingly, I think I know the lady in your photo! Might that be Amelie Seagram by chance?"</p><p></p><p>His eyes go wide and his jaw drops (a very rare reaction from a professional spy). "You know of Amelie!" he exclaims. Ruby says, "Yes. I mean, I don't know her very well but her daughter is my very best friend! They say it's a small world," she smiled. Ruby then asks, "How do you know her?" He says, "I can't say....or rather, I won't say....unless you first agree to never tell Amelie, her daughter Katherine, or any of her other relatives, that you have met me." Ruby took a deep breath in. It would be hard to keep such a secret from her friend. Finally she nodded her head. "Alright, I agree. I will not tell them I have met you."</p><p></p><p>He replies, "Thank you. Amelie is the love of my life, we were to be married, but she became lost from me forever. She is my inspiration for living, and also the reason behind my chosen profession. I am no longer a part of her life, as far as she knows, and it must remain that way. And you need not worry about telling your friend Katherine, I doubt she has ever heard my name uttered by her mother." Ruby asks, "How did she become lost from you? I mean, if love is meant to be nothing should keep them apart."</p><p></p><p>He says, "It was not meant to be. We were very young when we fell in love. We planned to marry. We had great plans for the future. Then....my cousin in Paris died without heirs, leaving us my Grandfather's business. Father needed mother and I to return with him to France to settle the estate and make arrangements for the business. We arrived to find many things, that the 'accident' that befell my cousin was no accident, it was caused by evil French wizards who desired to steal the business. Father and I always had a sense for justice and fought back. But we lost, the wizards were connected to Emperor Napoleon III. We were arrested and did not even get a trial, the three of us were thrown into prison and that was where we remained for the next five years."</p><p></p><p>Ruby asks, "What was your family business that they wanted so badly?" He replies, "We manufactured metal items, using both common and rare metals. I did not know it at the time, but apparently some of the more rare metals were those prized by wizards for the manufacturing of magical items."</p><p></p><p>He continues, "Then my parents could not take it any longer....father took his own life in that prison, and mother then died of a broken heart......" he gets choked up and begins to cry. Maurice recomposes himself and continues "Despite losing my parents and having to live the dreadful conditions of the prison it was my love for Amelie that kept me going. I was allowed to write to her once a month, which they said they would mail on my behalf. I was finally offered parole, provided that I first signed away all claim to the family's land, business and fortune. I signed willingly, it would set me free and I would be with my true love again in America, never to set foot in Europe again.</p><p></p><p>As I was being released they gave me my possessions and their true cruelty was manifest. They returned to me the clothing that I wore when imprisoned....and two boxes of letters. One contained all sixty-two monthly letters that I had written, unopened and unsent. The other contained letters to me from Amelie, all of which had been opened and read but never delivered to me. They were plentiful for the first year of imprisonment. Someone had apparently sent her a telegram saying that I was at a private University rather than at the prison, so she never knew my fate. Her second year's letters were fewer. Then there was a different letter included, written by another hand....my own, although I never wrote it. The letter said that I had gone on to a happy life and no longer had time for childish things such as her. There was just one more letter from her, a sad goodbye, she was apparently crushed, but vowed to move on with her life without me."</p><p></p><p>Ruby sighed. "That is just awful. I've really learned to dislike the French this trip." She paused, knowing this was painful for Maurice but as always, her curiosity got the best of her. "I suppose you don't want to see Amalie because you don't want to interrupt her life?" He replies, "I was desperate to contact her, but also did not want to cause her any further pain. I stayed with friends in England and made inquiries from there to Boston. I discovered that she had married Frederick Seagram and was at that time carrying his child, so no, I could not and did not contact her then, or ever again.</p><p></p><p>What I did do was vow vengeance upon the wizards who destroyed my life and were responsible for my family's deaths. In the course of finding out more about them I was recruited by British Military Intelligence, as our goals dove-tailed. They though I was the perfect candidate, being well educated, multilingual and with strong motivation. Plus, who would ever suspect an American of French descent of being a British spy? I have continued to write a letter to Amelie every month. My superior keeps them for me. He does need to review them given the nature of my work, and occasionally asks me to rewrite some pages where I have not been cryptic enough about my missions, but he has been generally supportive of me. In the event of my death the entire box containing those and my prison letters will be delivered to her. Only then will she discover my life-long love for her, and the details of the special gift that I have given her."</p><p></p><p>Ruby silently looked at the man for a long moment, her eyes filled with tears. "That is such a shame, so sad, and so romantic. I will pray to Aphrodite that a better solution comes along. I understand not wanting to disrupt her life, but Maurice, if you are the love of her life, she should know what happened. It's better than living a life under a lie. Why would you call that a gift?" Ruby asked gently. "That confuses me."</p><p></p><p>He replies, "My gift is something more precious. During the Civil War the Queen had me working in America, to keep the French from supplying the Confederacy with magic. I was at Gettysburg, under cover with a Confederate Virginia regiment. I was curious about Amelie's choice, and I watched his Union Army regiment from two miles distant through my telescope. I then saw him fall when an incendiary cannon barrage hit his regiment. He went down with his horse and did not rise. I assumed that he was dead, but had to know for sure. So I spent the next hour making my way across the battlefield, changing my uniform from Confederate to Union along the way and re-adopting my original Boston accent.</p><p></p><p>When I found Frederick Seagram he appeared to be dead, but I knew that Ameile would never forgive me if I didn't at least try to help him. I had a very powerful healing elixir with me which I fed to him, and the spark of life returned. His hand and lower arm were destroyed and he was pale from blood loss. The elixir had temporarily closed the wound but it reopened. I tied a tournoquet over his arm to stop the blood flow, and then carried him over a mile to a medical station.</p><p></p><p>I stayed with him for the next two weeks, the first week of which he was unconscious. I was wearing a disguise and using a false name, so after he awoke I was not afraid of him recognizing me on the off-chance that Amelie might have ever shown him my portrait. In the next week I got to know him, he is a very good man, she chose well. In the years since then he and I have kept in touch. We have gotten together whenever he travels to Europe without his wife. I was invited to both of his children's weddings, to which I sent presents but obviously did not attend. So my gift to her nineteen years ago was the life of her husband, and they have had nearly two decades together since then. I like to think that in a way I am also with her, as he received two transfusions of my blood at that Army hospital."</p><p></p><p>"I understand your dilemma now." She put a hand on the man's arm. "You are a very good man, Maurice, and have the strength and courage most only dream about. I am certain Aphrodite will reward you for it. If there is anything I can do to help you with this, please let me know. More and more I feel like I must help Aphrodite do her work here and this is certainly an affair of the heart." Ruby felt an ache in her heart for the man, and wished there was something she could do.</p><p></p><p>Ruby says, "Perhaps we can speak more about this later. At a time where where there isn't a bomb about to go off or a war to stop or a Princess to awake" The party and the three still unconscious rescued prisoners all move up onto the Dirigible. The Nautalus separates from the Dirigible, which begins to ascend. They are at a quarter mile distant and a thousand foot of elevation when they observe below a sequence of events.</p><p></p><p>First is the separation between the French warship and the Egyptian Royal Yacht as the Nemo's crew sever the lines and then manage to get the vessels to drift apart. The sound of gunshots echoes across the water. That is then shortly followed by a huge explosion as a geyser of water shoots upward as well as parts of the warship's bow bursting outward. Maurice tells George "That's our cue to skedaddle." (period appropriate slang term, first introduced into the English language during the Civil War.)</p><p></p><p>Ruby inquires about the two American warships. Mina says, "There's merit in getting word to the American warships." Maurice says, "But the battle is to be starting now, we do not wish to delay our arrival at the scene. I fear for General Woolsley's life given that they control his second-in-command." "Why's that, Maurice? Who is Woolsley's second?" Gesturing to the unconscious General Drury-Lowe lying on the gondola floor beside the Princess and her husband Maurice says, "The British believe it to be this man. But he's here with us, while one of those Bastard French Wizards is pretending to be him." Lawrence scratches his chin. "Hmm. That is a problem. Do we have signal flags? We need to let our forces know."</p><p></p><p>Maurice says, "I do not believe so, and the other issue is that most on the ground will assume we are French Wizards. As I mentioned before, I do have two other operatives, one with each army, although I would not want to blow their covers. However it may be necessary with the man among the Egyptians, as he is a priest so would have the ability to cast a "Neutralize Poison" on either the Princess or General Orabi." Mina says, "We may have to, I do not know that any of us have a means to counteract a poison." Ruby says, "Damn, I hadn't even considered that they might be poisoned! Well, then we should head there first. I don't know how to make anyone know we're not French from the air. Guess we can figure that out on the way." "True, especially if it's a magical one. These wizards are a tricky bunch." Lawrence's voice trails off as he tries to remember if he saw any poisons at the hotel.</p><p></p><p>George adds in "We can have Freya fly over and deliver a message to the American ships. And I have a few ideas on the dirigible. Right now, we need to get to the battlefield. The false Drury-Lowe will take heart at our coming, unless my plan succeeds." Freya prepares to take flight to go and alert the warships. The coastline to the north becomes further distant as the dirigible heads southward, picking up a favoring breeze.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Silver Moon, post: 6923563, member: 8530"] [B]Chapter 103, “Maurice's Story" September 12, 1882, 5:30 AM.[/B] Captain Nemo calls for putting some distance between them and the French. Maurice says, "Perhaps, or maybe we want them to chase us westward, in the direction where the two American warships." Glancing at General Drury-Lowe Maurice says, "But first we need to meet back up with the dirigible. Drury-Lowe is said to be at the front and is Woolsley's Second-in-Command for the battle set to begin in the next hour. If they control the second, then I'd say that Woolsley's chances of surviving the battle are close to zero." George says, "Captain Nemo, do you have any guns that can elevate? I am worried that their dirigible will remove the wizards. We need to keep them on the ship." Nemo replies, "No, our main weapon is the forward ram. We also have creative ways to sink ships from underwater, but those take time that we do not have at the moment." Freya reminds George that the dirigible which brought Chevruel and Daguerre here is now 40 miles away at the battle site. George says, "We have a half hour before dawn that will conceal the Nautilus if we surface. But yes, to the dirigible, and then to the battle. Maurice suggests they first remove the ice-encased bomb with the dirigible before it explodes. George adds, "Meanwhile, we need to heal and awaken our three guests and remove the trapped manacles. Once they are awake perhaps they can give us some insight as to how this has come about. But we need the real Drury-Lowe with us at the battle as well as the real Orabi to stop the fighting. Once we show up with Orabi though, all hell could break loose. The princess's word there will be critical. As the French ship, lure it out from about the sunken city, then you should sink it Nemo so as not to embroil America and France in an outright war, and after all no one will know if you sink it." says George Nemo says that he has no problems with sinking it. Maurice reminds them that the Egyptian Royal Family's yacht is still attached alongside it, and it might be best to not sink that vessel at this point in time. . Ruby tends to the Princess, looking to see if she is under some sleeping spell or if she has any other injuries. She appears to be uninjured but will not wake up. Mina says, "The Detect Magic did not reveal her under the influence of a spell or magical elixir, but Chevruel is the world's foremost alchemist, so what's keeping her and the others unconscious is problem chemical rather than magical in nature. We will probably need some way to remove the poison from her system to get her to awaken." Lawrence says, "Let's get the bomb off, then. It would be unneighborly to damage the blimp. Captain, do you have any chains or ropes onboard? We want to attach this to the ship." The Captain has his men assemble the requested chains and ropes, as well as a bucket of a sticky substance derived from a large aquatic fish that can be used to temporarily secure the trunk to the French vessel. The Nautilus safely makes it around the bend and surfaces in the cove out-of-sight from the French warship as the very first hint of dawn creeps over the eastern horizon. After the submarine surfaces the dirigible lands and is temporarily tied down to the top deck. Nemo's crew assume the task of removing the bomb from the dirigible and securing it to the bow of the Nautilus, tying it with knots that can be slipped off once the trunk is adhered to the French warship. Lawrence comment, "Excellent. They'll never be able to shake the bomb once we stick it on." The dirigible is readied for departure. George asks, "Nemo, when we attach the bomb to the French warship, could we quickly attach a line to the yacht and cut the mooring lines and tow her away quickly? I know the Royal family would love to have it back undamaged." Nemo says, "I could have some of my crew in the water in their underwater-breathing gear and sever the lines. They could then board the yacht as we depart and sail her from there. Lawrence says, "You mean you can make men into small submersibles? That's astounding! If they can do that, then this plan has chance of succeeding." Abby smiled suddenly. "THAT is something I wouldn't mind trying. I suppose training is necessary, though." Nemo says, "Some, but after this is over I would be delighted to show you my undersea world first hand." After telling Captain Nemo that she just might take him up on the offer to let her try the underwater equipment when all this was over, Abby went in search of Cal. While this is going on Ruby observes a quiet and personal moment from Maurice Beaujoulais, which she uses her skills to be discrete enough to keep him from noticing. He moves to a corner of the room and pulls up from a gold chain beneath his shirt and tie an oval gold locket, approximately 3-by-2 inches in size. He opens the locket, to reveal two painted pictures inside of a teenage girl and boy. The boy bears a strong resemblance to Beaujoulais, and she initially thinks that it might be his son, until she notices the clothing worn in the picture is three-decades out-of-date. She overhears him say softly to the picture, "Once more into the breach my darling, prayers to Jupiter that my letters remain in safe keeping." Looking more intently at the girl's picture, Ruby notes that the woman's facial shape and features are similar to that of her best friend, Katherine Kale. The information then clicks, as Ruby has a spark of recognition! She is certain that she met the woman in the portrait a little more than three months earlier! It is a picture of Kate's mother Amelie Seagram from when she was a girl in Boston, which was the home city of Beaujoulais as well. Ruby breaks her silence as she walks towards the man. "What a beautiful locket, Maurice. It looks very well made." He acts initially startled, then calms himself. He smiles and says, "Yes, it is a family heirloom, my only possession from my time as a young man. I regard it as my good luck charm." Ruby nods her head, "I can understand that, good luck charms are important these days. I hope you will excuse me but it was so pretty that I couldn't help but take a peek at it. And surprisingly, I think I know the lady in your photo! Might that be Amelie Seagram by chance?" His eyes go wide and his jaw drops (a very rare reaction from a professional spy). "You know of Amelie!" he exclaims. Ruby says, "Yes. I mean, I don't know her very well but her daughter is my very best friend! They say it's a small world," she smiled. Ruby then asks, "How do you know her?" He says, "I can't say....or rather, I won't say....unless you first agree to never tell Amelie, her daughter Katherine, or any of her other relatives, that you have met me." Ruby took a deep breath in. It would be hard to keep such a secret from her friend. Finally she nodded her head. "Alright, I agree. I will not tell them I have met you." He replies, "Thank you. Amelie is the love of my life, we were to be married, but she became lost from me forever. She is my inspiration for living, and also the reason behind my chosen profession. I am no longer a part of her life, as far as she knows, and it must remain that way. And you need not worry about telling your friend Katherine, I doubt she has ever heard my name uttered by her mother." Ruby asks, "How did she become lost from you? I mean, if love is meant to be nothing should keep them apart." He says, "It was not meant to be. We were very young when we fell in love. We planned to marry. We had great plans for the future. Then....my cousin in Paris died without heirs, leaving us my Grandfather's business. Father needed mother and I to return with him to France to settle the estate and make arrangements for the business. We arrived to find many things, that the 'accident' that befell my cousin was no accident, it was caused by evil French wizards who desired to steal the business. Father and I always had a sense for justice and fought back. But we lost, the wizards were connected to Emperor Napoleon III. We were arrested and did not even get a trial, the three of us were thrown into prison and that was where we remained for the next five years." Ruby asks, "What was your family business that they wanted so badly?" He replies, "We manufactured metal items, using both common and rare metals. I did not know it at the time, but apparently some of the more rare metals were those prized by wizards for the manufacturing of magical items." He continues, "Then my parents could not take it any longer....father took his own life in that prison, and mother then died of a broken heart......" he gets choked up and begins to cry. Maurice recomposes himself and continues "Despite losing my parents and having to live the dreadful conditions of the prison it was my love for Amelie that kept me going. I was allowed to write to her once a month, which they said they would mail on my behalf. I was finally offered parole, provided that I first signed away all claim to the family's land, business and fortune. I signed willingly, it would set me free and I would be with my true love again in America, never to set foot in Europe again. As I was being released they gave me my possessions and their true cruelty was manifest. They returned to me the clothing that I wore when imprisoned....and two boxes of letters. One contained all sixty-two monthly letters that I had written, unopened and unsent. The other contained letters to me from Amelie, all of which had been opened and read but never delivered to me. They were plentiful for the first year of imprisonment. Someone had apparently sent her a telegram saying that I was at a private University rather than at the prison, so she never knew my fate. Her second year's letters were fewer. Then there was a different letter included, written by another hand....my own, although I never wrote it. The letter said that I had gone on to a happy life and no longer had time for childish things such as her. There was just one more letter from her, a sad goodbye, she was apparently crushed, but vowed to move on with her life without me." Ruby sighed. "That is just awful. I've really learned to dislike the French this trip." She paused, knowing this was painful for Maurice but as always, her curiosity got the best of her. "I suppose you don't want to see Amalie because you don't want to interrupt her life?" He replies, "I was desperate to contact her, but also did not want to cause her any further pain. I stayed with friends in England and made inquiries from there to Boston. I discovered that she had married Frederick Seagram and was at that time carrying his child, so no, I could not and did not contact her then, or ever again. What I did do was vow vengeance upon the wizards who destroyed my life and were responsible for my family's deaths. In the course of finding out more about them I was recruited by British Military Intelligence, as our goals dove-tailed. They though I was the perfect candidate, being well educated, multilingual and with strong motivation. Plus, who would ever suspect an American of French descent of being a British spy? I have continued to write a letter to Amelie every month. My superior keeps them for me. He does need to review them given the nature of my work, and occasionally asks me to rewrite some pages where I have not been cryptic enough about my missions, but he has been generally supportive of me. In the event of my death the entire box containing those and my prison letters will be delivered to her. Only then will she discover my life-long love for her, and the details of the special gift that I have given her." Ruby silently looked at the man for a long moment, her eyes filled with tears. "That is such a shame, so sad, and so romantic. I will pray to Aphrodite that a better solution comes along. I understand not wanting to disrupt her life, but Maurice, if you are the love of her life, she should know what happened. It's better than living a life under a lie. Why would you call that a gift?" Ruby asked gently. "That confuses me." He replies, "My gift is something more precious. During the Civil War the Queen had me working in America, to keep the French from supplying the Confederacy with magic. I was at Gettysburg, under cover with a Confederate Virginia regiment. I was curious about Amelie's choice, and I watched his Union Army regiment from two miles distant through my telescope. I then saw him fall when an incendiary cannon barrage hit his regiment. He went down with his horse and did not rise. I assumed that he was dead, but had to know for sure. So I spent the next hour making my way across the battlefield, changing my uniform from Confederate to Union along the way and re-adopting my original Boston accent. When I found Frederick Seagram he appeared to be dead, but I knew that Ameile would never forgive me if I didn't at least try to help him. I had a very powerful healing elixir with me which I fed to him, and the spark of life returned. His hand and lower arm were destroyed and he was pale from blood loss. The elixir had temporarily closed the wound but it reopened. I tied a tournoquet over his arm to stop the blood flow, and then carried him over a mile to a medical station. I stayed with him for the next two weeks, the first week of which he was unconscious. I was wearing a disguise and using a false name, so after he awoke I was not afraid of him recognizing me on the off-chance that Amelie might have ever shown him my portrait. In the next week I got to know him, he is a very good man, she chose well. In the years since then he and I have kept in touch. We have gotten together whenever he travels to Europe without his wife. I was invited to both of his children's weddings, to which I sent presents but obviously did not attend. So my gift to her nineteen years ago was the life of her husband, and they have had nearly two decades together since then. I like to think that in a way I am also with her, as he received two transfusions of my blood at that Army hospital." "I understand your dilemma now." She put a hand on the man's arm. "You are a very good man, Maurice, and have the strength and courage most only dream about. I am certain Aphrodite will reward you for it. If there is anything I can do to help you with this, please let me know. More and more I feel like I must help Aphrodite do her work here and this is certainly an affair of the heart." Ruby felt an ache in her heart for the man, and wished there was something she could do. Ruby says, "Perhaps we can speak more about this later. At a time where where there isn't a bomb about to go off or a war to stop or a Princess to awake" The party and the three still unconscious rescued prisoners all move up onto the Dirigible. The Nautalus separates from the Dirigible, which begins to ascend. They are at a quarter mile distant and a thousand foot of elevation when they observe below a sequence of events. First is the separation between the French warship and the Egyptian Royal Yacht as the Nemo's crew sever the lines and then manage to get the vessels to drift apart. The sound of gunshots echoes across the water. That is then shortly followed by a huge explosion as a geyser of water shoots upward as well as parts of the warship's bow bursting outward. Maurice tells George "That's our cue to skedaddle." (period appropriate slang term, first introduced into the English language during the Civil War.) Ruby inquires about the two American warships. Mina says, "There's merit in getting word to the American warships." Maurice says, "But the battle is to be starting now, we do not wish to delay our arrival at the scene. I fear for General Woolsley's life given that they control his second-in-command." "Why's that, Maurice? Who is Woolsley's second?" Gesturing to the unconscious General Drury-Lowe lying on the gondola floor beside the Princess and her husband Maurice says, "The British believe it to be this man. But he's here with us, while one of those Bastard French Wizards is pretending to be him." Lawrence scratches his chin. "Hmm. That is a problem. Do we have signal flags? We need to let our forces know." Maurice says, "I do not believe so, and the other issue is that most on the ground will assume we are French Wizards. As I mentioned before, I do have two other operatives, one with each army, although I would not want to blow their covers. However it may be necessary with the man among the Egyptians, as he is a priest so would have the ability to cast a "Neutralize Poison" on either the Princess or General Orabi." Mina says, "We may have to, I do not know that any of us have a means to counteract a poison." Ruby says, "Damn, I hadn't even considered that they might be poisoned! Well, then we should head there first. I don't know how to make anyone know we're not French from the air. Guess we can figure that out on the way." "True, especially if it's a magical one. These wizards are a tricky bunch." Lawrence's voice trails off as he tries to remember if he saw any poisons at the hotel. George adds in "We can have Freya fly over and deliver a message to the American ships. And I have a few ideas on the dirigible. Right now, we need to get to the battlefield. The false Drury-Lowe will take heart at our coming, unless my plan succeeds." Freya prepares to take flight to go and alert the warships. The coastline to the north becomes further distant as the dirigible heads southward, picking up a favoring breeze. [/QUOTE]
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AGELESS Campaign Episode 2 - Temple of the Cat-Goddess
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