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Adventures on the Lost Continent (Midnight Lass x Blood Red Romeo)

Orson stepper into the room, baffled. This was astonishing. No, not astonishing. Miraculous. He felt like he was literally witnessing a miracle. He knew how impossible what he was witnessing was. This technology was something out of a novel, not what he expected to encounter on his own ship. His mouth was literally hanging open.

“How much would it cost to do this again?” he asked after minutes of aimless wandering in the impossible room? “Could we do this to the fuel tank? We could last ages longer if you could, though that might be complicated with the connections to the engines. Probably best not to test it now,” he rambled. He couldn’t process what he was seeing. “Patent!” he said. “Patent this, reveal it, wait a week or so for word to spread, and then, if we found a source of darnium on the lost continent, every member of the crew would be set for multiple lifetimes,” he continued. Eventually, he stumbled back out of the room, still mystified.

“You are amazing,” he finally said. “All of you are. This... this is like magic,” he finally said. After a few more deep breaths, Orson brought himself back under control. “Seriously, this is incredible technology. The entire world of shipping and transportation could be changed with this. You could walk off the ship right now to pursue this and I wouldn’t blame any of you. I hope you don’t, but this is something else.”
 
"There are limitations, Captain," Contesa Dimitriu explained. "First, it requires a supply of darnium and other exotic materials. In addition, there are certain mathematical limitations on not only how large the room can be, how close a similarly treated room can be, what state of matter such a treated room can contain, and so on. Luisa is a brilliant mathematician..." Luisa blushed at the compliment "...and Lucille is a brilliant theoretical physicist..." Lucille bounced happily "...and Ninah and Cimonah are unparalleled engineers..." the twins giggled "...and I of course understand the physical nature of the exotic minerals in question better than anyone else on the planet. Still, it will be several years before we completely understand the physics and nature of the room we have here. It may be that an airship such as ours, or any large vessel or building, can only have one such room as this. So for the foreseeable future," Contesa Dimitriu concluded, "You will have the only such room anywhere, Captain James."
 
“This is...something else,” he said again, still amazed at everything he was seeing. His mind was still reeling at the new development. He couldn’t help but look over the women in front of him with much greater admiration and attraction. This intelligence and capability was an incredible set of traits to him to bear witness to.

“I think I understand,” he told her. “This is truly a marvel. I understand that much. So I want to say you to all of you for your work here. If there’s anything I can do to reward you for this, name it and it’s yours,” he told the women. He was having a bit of trouble standing, his legs still shaking with excitement. Who knew what this technology could bring about?
 
"I will leave you to the admiration of the room, Captain James," Contesa Dimitriu announced. "Dr. Wilson requires my presence in the ship's library."

As the Contesa ascended to the library, Ninah said, "So can we start..."

"...filling up the room?" Cimonah asked. "Mr. Tarloff says he can..."

"...get whatever we want within an hour, and..."

"...Miss Basta has suppliers we can contact as well."
 
“Of course,” he replied. “Get everything you think we’ll need. Extra supplies are always great,” he said excitedly. “If you need anything, just let me know. Otherwise, I’ll be having lunch in the mess. Oh, make sure you talk to Vu and Qui about the extra supply room. They should know we’ll have more room for food,” he quickly rattled off. He was having trouble containing himself. He was just so...so...excited. He needed something to channel this energy to. Unfortunately, there weren’t a huge number of options for doing that. It’d burn out eventually. He’d just have to wait.

When he determined everything was clear, he headed for the mess. Maybe eating would be able to calm his nerves. This day was going to completely fry him.
 
"Captain James! Good morning!" a voice called in the corridor behind him, as Orson prepared to ascend one of the stairwells to the Mess. Behind him Luisa's cousin Maria come trotting up, coveralls covering her attire. "Are you heading up for lunch? I just finished cleaning the front cargo area, or whatever the nautical term is for that area, and I was heading up that way myself.
 
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“Ah, Maria, hello,” he said, greeting his crew mate with a smile. “Don’t worry too much about nautical terms. Half of them are used just to act smarter than non-sailors. As to lunch, I’m headed there now. I’d be happy if you were to join me,” he told her. “I was wondering how you were enjoying life on the ship so far? I hope you and Luisa are adjusting well.”
 
"My cousin has been very enthused, Captain," Maria answered, "And I should warn you, you are currently the center of her hero worship, though I doubt that she could make eye contact with you."

Maria paused for a moment, before adding, "I'm just hoping that enthusiasm holds up the first time we hit a rough patch. But I expect it will. Anyway, mopping floors and helping Vu and Qui in the kitchen beats setting up camp in hundred degree heat and hoping you get the mosquito netting up before the local bugs carry you away. Although I know I'll be doing that somewhere down the road," Maria chuckled. "But speaking of lunch, Vu and Qui said they're serving something called a jambon buerre, which I think is French for fancy ham sandwich, but those two could make a feast out of canned meat, which..." Maria added with a half smile "....I know we'll be 'feasting' on when the fresh supplies start getting low."
 
“Me?” he asked, surprised by the information. “I thought she was just shy around men. I’d think if there was anyone she’d hero worship, it’d be Dr. Dubois or the de la Vegas. I’d be flattered if it was true, but I can’t imagine why,” he added.

“As to the food thing, that’s the true test of any airship chef: how do they handle food when supplies get low. If you start seeing nothing but soup, be wary. That’s the biggest sign that supplies are running dry.” Of course, his crew wouldn’t need warning signs. If things were bad, he planned to tell them and make plans to get things better. Though with the new magic storage room, he imagined that was an event less likely to occur. Combine that with foraging and hunting, they should be good to go.

“And don’t worry, you’ll be back setting up campsites before you know it. We’ll probably even climb a mountain before we’re done,” he told her, only partially joking. He remembered what he had been told by Eddie about the Roc’s egg and how they nested on mountains. If they were to help Brynhild, they might have to do that. As he told her that, the duo passed into the mess to see what the Vietnamese cousins had prepared today.
 
As Maria promised, Vu and Qui had a number of plates of "fancy ham sandwiches," along with fried potato crisps and two pots of coffee. The two chefs were sharing a sandwich and conversing with the other women in the room: Lady Jane Silvan, Rose Crosby and Miharu. Rose and Lady Jane were both sharing a cup of coffee, while Miharu was devouring a whole sandwich by herself.

"Captain James, you must try these!" Miharu said happily between bites.

Vu and Qui chuckled at the Japanese girl's enthusiasm, with Vu telling Orson, "Since this was going to be a busy day, Captain, we thought it best to make sandwiches and coffee so that anyone can...'grab a bite?'" Vu said questioningly, before nodding to herself. "Grab a bite."

"The coffee is better than anything I've had in more palatial surroundings," Lady Jane added, lifting her cup in Orson's direction.
 
“How can I resist that?” he asked, getting himself a cup of coffee and a sandwich. He took a seat next to the rest of the women, though his eyes couldn’t help but drift over to Qui, remembering what they had done here last night. Still, his look wasn’t that obvious and he maintained a proper distance. He wasn’t looking to advertise.

“You’re right, this is delicious,” he said after taking a bite. “And these will be easier to eat on the go. Lots of running around today. Good idea.” He continued to eat, but also tried to talk as well. “Lady Silvan, what are you doing today? I know you’re documenting the trip, but does that start right away, or not until we reach the Lost Continent?”
 
"Actually, Doctor Wilson has been training myself and Miss Crosby on your ship's communications system," Jane began. Rose lifted a cup of coffee in response to her name being mentioned. "I know Miss Crosby has been working with the rest of your ship's genius on various projects. And I've also been assigned as ship's librarian, I'll be helping Miss Maria with keeping the upper decks tidy, and I even served as sous chef for today's lunch."

"Dr. Wilson has also asked me to be discreet with whatever I eventually write," Lady Jane concluded. "Which I assure you I will be, Captain."
 
“Wow. A Jill of all Trades. Color me impressed,” he replied. Once again, becoming slightly more British around her. He hoped she left that part out of the book. “And I do appreciate the discretion, though I do trust you if you feel it’s needed to push the boundaries of that word a bit. Sometimes a good book is worth the cost,” he said with a smile. “Any good books you’d recommend for someone not as educated as most of this crew?”
 
"You mean like yourself and me, Captain?" Jane said with a laugh.

"I wouldn't mind being included in your reading group, Lady Silvan," Maria remarked from around her sandwich.

"At least you and the Captain have expedition experience, and the Captain is an accomplished airshipman, Miss Maria," Jane remarked. "I'm merely aspiring at my trade."

"However, we have a number of generalist texts in our library, and a few novels of note as well," Jane continued. "Bullfinch's Mythology is on your shelves. If you haven't read that yet, I would highly recommend it."
 
“Oh, I meant me. I like reading, but I never even finished secondary school. Anything I didn’t need to learn for the ship, I’m pretty bad at,” he confessed, hoping he hadn’t offended her. After the last incident, he had no desire to anger her again. “But a book on mythology could be fun. I’m mainly looking for something to read to relax. Even a Captain can’t be busy all the time,” he confessed.”

“Oh, that reminds me. Vu, I dropped off a book with Qui last night. Did you get a chance to look at it?” Orson asked, turning his attention to the chefs.
 
Vu and Qui exchanged a quick conversation, before she turned back to the Captain. "Yes, we did, Captain. Thank you very much! We have talked to Dr. Wilson and Dr. Dubois about it as well. It has given us some good ideas, about meals to prepare with what we have on board, in combination with what we find."
 
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Orson felt excitement at the sound of all this. New recipes from Vu and Qui? He couldn’t say yes fast enough. “I look forward to seeing what you come up with.”

As Orson finished up his sandwhich, he remembered what Tamra had told him. He needed to go to the library and check on the situation. “Sorry to run, but as you said, busy day,” he told the crew as he got up. “Bullfinch’s Mythology, right? I’ll grab that while I’m in the library. Until then, good day,” he said, moving quickly from the room. He didn’t want to waste too much time if there was something he could do to help. He also needed to remain on guard in case anything happened.

What a chaotic day.
 
Lauren Evans literally ran into Orson as he exited the mess hall. She caught herself from stumbling by wrapping her arms around Orson.

"What? We have a very huggable Captain," Lauren told the onlooking mess hall.

"Yes he is!" Miharu said happily. Vu translated the conversation to Qui and the two Vietnamese chefs giggled.

The arched eyebrow from Jane made Lauren remark, "Don't knock it until you try it," which produced more good natured laughter from the room.

"I came down to fetch Miharu and Maria for some help, Captain," Lauren advised. "We have some last minute supplies that the twins and Miss Basta ordered. One of your Japanese guards make the dock workers scares the dock workers. Both of them together terrify them so much that they can't think straight enough to copy the devices I use for cargo movement. And Maria is a quick learner when it comes to my innovations. Maria? Miharu?"

Miharu took one last huge bite of her sandwich, finishing it completely before getting up and moving to join Lauren. On her way out of the mess hall, she gave Orson a smile and a hug. Maria finished her coffee and, as she passed Orson, impulsively gave him a quick hug as well.

"Lauren's right, Captain, you are very huggable," Maria said, joining a laughing Lauren and Miharu as they headed for the ship's entrance.
 
Orson was surprised by the hug from Lauren. Not unwelcome, like the hugs from Miharu and Maria. It was just...different. The idea of receiving hugs from crew mates, especially in from of the rest of the crew, was completely alien to him. Though his crew already broke half of the conventions he had learned over the years. What was wrong with messing up a few more? So he returned each hug he got and laughed along with the rest of the rest after Maria called him huggable. Then he looked at the rest of mess hall and gave the women a confused but accepting smile, and continued his way out. He needed to get to the library.
 
The intercom located by the entrance to the mess hall took that opportunity to make a sound at that moment. "Captain James, are you there?" Tamra's voice queried over the speaker.
 
He stopped in his tracks, turning to the intercom itself. He hadn’t gotten used to the versatility of the new intercom system. That said, it was incredible. The ability to call any room from any other room wasn’t just convenient, it could be life saving in the event of an emergency. “Dr. Wilson, I’m here,” he said into the intercom. “What’s the situation?”
 
"I'm on the bridge, Captain," Tamra answered. "I've got the twins up here, as well as our mathematical genius Luisa. Contessa Dimitriu, Dr. Dubois, Dr. Motwani, Nurse Costa and Miss Basta are in the library with our...'little guest.' For various reasons, the scientific, medical and archaeological staff of the Midnight Curse would like to put some distance between us and the island. They think they can collectively work out something to answer the questions we were asking earlier, but they need a couple of more hours. Miharu and Saki are on sentry duty, and Miss Evans has Miss Van Dijk helping her get our last minute cargo squared away. She says she should have everything squared away in an hour. We'll have everything ready up here for you, Captain." Tamra added.
 
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“Got it. I’m heading to the Bridge now,” he said into the intercom. He was out of the mess now and into the halls. That’s when something hit him. Something so impossibly, incredibly obvious that he had forgotten: a second helmsman. Any of the tricky flying, he would handle, but he needed people capable of flying when he was asleep or needed a break or was otherwise incapacitated. He almost hit himself for being so blind. Well, it was what it was. He’d find a way around it.

Orson steppes onto the Bridge to speak to the women assembled. “So, why do we need to leave the Island so soon? And are we certain that there are no more people we need to rescue?”
 
All eyes on the bridge locked on the Captain as soon as he appeared on the bridge and began spouting question. "Back to your preparation, ladies," Tamra ordered, then led the Captain to one side.

"I haven't advertised our 'little problem' to the remainder of the crew, Captain," she said in a quiet voice. "We're not sure if there aren't other wasps, but we are confident that Brynhild is the only person who was...well, for lack of a better, 'converted' to a wasp. As for leaving the island now, Dr. Dubois, Dr. Motwani, Nurse Costa, Contesa Dimitriu are all convinced that the authorities will somehow find out about Brynhild and take her away from us. And they won't be doing so to try to reverse what's happened to her. And I have to agree with their assumption. They'll do a fairly brutal examination of Brynhild that won't end with her in one breathing piece."

"Safa feels that if we get water between us and the island, that will eliminate the thaumaturgical threat from whatever..." Tamra looked around the bridge quickly, to make sure that the bridge crew wasn't trying to eavesdrop on her conversation with the Captain "...shrunk Brynhild a thousand years ago."

"On a more optimistic note, the twins and Luisa have something to show you at your helm station," Tamra added.
 
Orson nodded along with her. “It’s not impossible,” he agreed. “I may have accidentally made that more likely,” he confessed. “We can talk about it more later, when we’re not on the Bridge. Until then, I need you to go to everyone on the ship and make sure that they are prepared for departure. If they need something, find out what everyone needs and report it to me. I don’t want people wandering around the city right now.”

He trusted Tamra would handle everything for now. With that, he moved towards the helm station where the other women were. What sort of development did have now? Maybe they had developed a way for the ship to fly itself? He laughed at the thought, then reached the trio. “Hello ladies. I heard you have something to show me?”
 
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