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

"Well, first, you will notice," Cimonah began, before Ninah uncharacteristically cut her off.

"First of all, we have to say this is a creation of ours and Luisa. A lot of this would not be possible if not for Luisa," Ninah said emphatically.

Cimonah energetically nodded. "Absolutely. So if we say we did something, we mean..."

"...us, and Luisa, she doesn't talk much yet," Ninah continued, "But we'll..."

"...get her talking someday!" Cimonah concluded. Luisa just blushed.
 
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Orson gave the warmest smile he could to Luisa when he heard this. She was shy, but clearly incredible. The fact that she had helped with so much so quickly was a testament to her abilities. He had no problems with her being as quiet as she liked if she continued to deliver results.

“So, what sort of miracle have you devised this time?” he asked, only half joking. With the development of the giant room, he had no idea what their limits were.
 
"Well, the obvious thing you'll notice," Cimonah began,"are all..."

"..the readouts available at your helm," Nina continued, "You'll notice..."

"...not only a fuel amount readout, but also..."

"...a fuel consumption rate, and the red lights..."

"...will visually alert you if the fuel level drops below..."

"....a critical amount, as well as if fuel consumption goes above..."

"...normal amount. This is no surprise since..."

"...this is one of the things you asked the three of us to deal with," Nina concluded.

"We also have dealt with the problem of lightning," Cimonah began, "But that wasn't a difficult..."

"...proposition. We only had to ensure that a conductive path existed between the fore and aft of the airship,. And..."

"...since we're utilizing helium instead of hydrogen, the potential hazard that..."

"...lightning represents is reduced even further. You'll also notice..."

"...you have speed and altitude readouts, atmospheric and wind readouts, and..."

"...whoever is working the navigator position can show you..."

"....approaching weather, plus, with a tie in to the analytical engine, the navigator can tell..."

"...you at the helm position a weather forecast up to forty-eight hours..."

"...into the future." Cimonah finished, then turned to Ninah. "Am I the navigator, and you working the engineer position," Cimonah asked, pointing to a position across the bridge, "Or is it the other way around?"

Ninah's brow furrowed before she added, "I think it's the other other way around." Ninah turned to Captain James with an excited look as she said, "But that's not the really, really big news!"
 
Orson carefully looked over each measurement they had added. While many of them probably wouldn’t get used to their fullest for some time as he adjusted to them, their existence alone was something to to be celebrated. This would help him a lot and make his work easier. And make the trip safer.

“Incredible,” he said, examining everything closely. “If this is the small stuff, I can’t wait to hear the big news.”
 
"This panel right here," Cimonah said proudly, pointing to the control panel between the helm and the navigation positions "Are the controls to the gyroscopic stabilizer apparatus. It's..."

"...tied into analytical engine," Ninah continued, "the various input devices we reviewed, and the..."

"...ship's control surfaces and propellers. Once we are at..."

"...a desired speed, altitude, and direction..."

"...you can use this device to 'lock them in'..."

"...and the gyroscopic stabilizer apparatus will maintain.."

"...that heading, speed and altitude automatically. So even..."

"...if you weren't on the bridge, anybody else can..."

"...just monitor the readouts, and call you..."

"...if something needs to be done," Ninah finished.
 
Orson couldn’t help himself. He reached out, pulling the twins into a hug. “You are the best,” he said, holding both of them tightly before realizing what he had done. He quickly let them go, remembering how inappropriate that was.

“I’m sorry, that was uncalled for,” he quickly apologized. “But that was something I was just thinking about how to address. I was thinking I’d need to train someone else to do it as well, but this...this is perfect. Now I can lock us in, which is a majority of flight, and we just need to keep someone in here. That’s so much easier for everyone. You are amazing.” He turned his head, looking at the shy mathematician as well. “That goes for you too, Luisa. This is amazing. You should be proud.”
 
"Luisa should get a hug, too," Cimonah laughed, which made Ninah laugh and even got a shy giggle.

Nina's countenance became more serious as she explained, "The thing to remember, Captain, is that..."

"...the helm still requires an experience pilot during..."

"...certain portions of the flight, such as landing, takeoff, and..."

"...significant meteorological events. So, any of us," Cimonah said, gesturing toward herself, Ninah and Luisa, "Or..."

"...Dr. Wilson or Lauren Evans could fly the Midnight Curse when..."

"...the gyroscopic stabilizer apparatus is engaged, by you..."

"...are the only one who could fly it otherwise, although you might..."

"...be able to train Lauren," Cimonah said thoughtfully. "She's probably your best qualified student."
 
“I may teach her just in case something happens to me, but don’t worry. I fully intend to pilot the Midnight Curse to the end,” he replied. He understood there was no way the autopilot could handle any sort of chaotic condition. There was too much to manage. “After all, if you could replace me that easily, there’d be no reason for me to be on board,” he joked. It was also a moment when he realized how uncomfortable my true that might actually be.

“I’ll need to test it once we’re up in the air, and I doubt I’ll sleep easy on the first night, but it’ll still be great to have. Again, thank you to all three of you.”
 
"Actually, we have one more..." Ciimonah began.

"...bit of good news," Ninah finished.
 
“Oh?” he asked, even more surprised. Where on Earth did these women get the time to do all of this. “What else is there?”
 
"When we ordered new supplies for the magic room," Cimonah began.

"It's not a magic room," Ninah interrupted. "It operates under the laws of physics---"

"Ill defined laws of physics," Cimonah argued. "So there's no reason we can't call it magic---"

Before the twins could devolve into a broader argument, the usually shy Luisa actually intervened.

"Mr. Tarloff asked us to setup an experimental weather station for his company," she asked. "Miss Evans was looking over all the new cargo carefully. Even the stuff coming in from Miss Basta."

Cimonah and Ninah brought over a chart. "There's a small island about a day's travel to the northwest of the island," Cimonah began. "Going there..."

"..,will add three days travel to our flying time," Ninah continued. "Extra distance plus time setting up the weather station. However, the..."

"...government keeps a small coast guard base there, so we'll get our gas tank filled..."

"...up for free, plus once we get the station set up, the commander..."

"...of the base is authorized to pay us in darnium. Not a lot..."

"...of darnium, barely a pouch, but they..."

"...don't know what we've done with it, so they..."

"...don't know how valuable it could be," Ninah concluded.
 
“Yes,” he immediately agreed. If it was a deal made by Tarloff, he knew it was good. There’s no way anyone would risk screwing him over. And payment in Darnium? That was even better. Orson hadn’t given up his idea of announcing their development of the room before selling darnium found on the trip. Or have the girls use that to come up with some other crazy development. Either way, it wasn’t even a question.

“We’ll take the deal and payment in Darnium. I’ll set the course for us to travel there first before heading to the lost continent,” he told the them. “Is there anything else I need to know about the deal?”
 
Cimonah shook her head. "We'll probably have to make some adjustments. It's experimental, after..."

"...all,"Ninah continued."Which means no one has gotten it to..."

"...work in the field. Not to worry, Captain, between us..."

"...and Rose, whose better at the practical then..."

"...Luna, but that's off the subject. Anyway..."

"...between us and Luna, we'll get it working."

Tamra chose that moment to call the bridge on the intercom. "Captain James, I'm down in the cargo bay. Everyone's ready and all the cargo is secured."
 
Orson smiles at this. Everything was going swimmingly. He nodded to the twins, trusting them to get everything handled. He then moved over to the intercom, setting it to address the entire ship. “Attention. This is Captain James. Preparations for departure have been completed. Departure for the expedition will occur in one hour. I repeat, departure will occur in one hour.”

Orson pulled back his finger, brimming with confidence. It was finally happening. He was going to fly with his elite crew! There was just one last thing to handle, but it was much simpler to handle. “Dr. Wilson, Miharu, please report to the Captain’s Quarters,” he said. He needed to talk to his second in command quickly, and he felt Miharu might be a good ally for the discussion. His announcement made, he moved to his cabin to await his guests.
 
Miharu and Saki were at the entrance to the Midnight Curse, looking down the gangway at the activity on the docks below. Neither one had seen anything worrisome, but that didn't mean that they felt the need to be anything less than hyperalert.

When Captain James made his call, Miharu and Saki exchanged a few words, then exchange a curt bow before Miharu made her way to the Captain's quarters.

------

Down on the cargo level, Tamra was having a quiet discussion with Lauren, along with Jane and Maria. Tamra was happily surprised that Jane, her title notwithstanding, didn't have a problem with doing 'servant work', or taking orders from a 'commoner.' Except for her dressing down of Orson for his assumed informality, Jane was becoming, as the American idiom went, regular people.

When Orson called for her and Miharu to report to his cabin, Tamra left Lauren and her 'roustabouts' to monitor the cargo area while she headed for Orson's quarters.
 
Orson was waiting in his room for the women to arrive. He was a bit more nervous now, but still confident. He was still dressed in his full Captain’s outfit, ready for everything to begin.

When Tamra and Miharu came, he let them both in, closing the door behind them. “So, there’s something you should probably know. Something that may end up making our lives complicated upon return,” he started. “Earlier today, I made a phone call. I talked to Eddie and confirmed that he was the one who had sent the wasp. But as was said by Safa before, the master of the wasp is dead. Combine that with his abscene, and it’s very likely that he has been killed.”
 
Mahira eyebrows furrowed as she asked, "If he sent wasp to hurt us, and he is dead, and we are not responsible for his death, how does that make things worse for us?"

"There is the question of who killed him," Tamra answered. "Just because someone did us a favor doesn't mean they're our friend. And I suspect that more than a few people will make the connection between Professor Murdoch's death or disappearance with the Midnight Curse's sudden departure."

Tamra shrugged and sighed. Turning her attention to Orson, she added, "We really don't know what happened, Captain, and it might cause complications down the road, but I don't see how we have any choice but to make our departure now, and just plan to deal with the complications when we return."
 
He was glad Tamra understood his thinking. She thought through these things quite quickly. “I know. But I didn’t want to wait until after things were done to tell you this. I felt like you should know before we leave,” he replied. “Though it does get even more likely that they’ll come for us, depending on how public he was about my offer,” he continued. He sighed before going on.

“I invited Eddie to come onto the ship as a crew member. But I wasn’t intending to keep that promise. I had lied, saying you had been affected by the wasp and that he was my only chance at saving you,” he continued. “It’s why I had you stay in the Bridge and cleared out the sickbay. When he came aboard, I planned to take him there and kill him.”
 
Mahiru, of course, didn't react. She had heard her Captain's plans already, and had mentally planned more than a dozen contingencies dealing with the situation, including the possibility of either her or Saki having to kill this Eddie person. Morally, she had no problem with it. Mahiru had been on expeditions with Dr. Wilson before and really liked her. Point of fact, Mahiru have started become fond of all the crewmembers of the Midnight Curse. In addition, Orson had taken in her cousin when her cousin was having problems with the government back in Japan. And considering what this Eddie person had tried to do, Miharu had no problem with dispatching him. Or perhaps she did have one problem. She felt that all Captain James needed to do was lure this Eddie person to the airship, identify him to her and Saki, and then let her and her cousin do the 'dirty work,' as the idiom went. But perhaps Captain James felt he needed to prove himself as a comrade as well as a commander. She'd have to think on that point and discuss it with Saki.

Tamra, though, had a different viewpoint on the subject. On one hand, she had definite feelings toward Orson. He was the first man she had ever allowed to have any type of physical relationship. She still got a little warm at the thought of Orson's hands and mouth on her bare breasts.

But Orson had just described a plot to lure Edward Murdoch to commit cold, calculated murder on him. Tamra had no illusions that Edward Murdoch was a warm but erring human being. She wasn't even sure that Edward Murdoch qualified for human being. And one only had to look at six inch high Brynhild to know that what Edward Murdoch had planned to do to her was a very, very real threat. Still, what Orson had described was a man rushing to her defense in an attack. It was a cold, calculated murder plot.

Confused, Tamra still maintained a composed posture, even if it had become a little stiff. "I think, Captain," she began, "That the threat that Professor Murdoch represented, or how you planned to counter that threat, is something we should keep in this room. I don't know what countermeasures our engineers already have to detect potential intruders, even when in flight, but we might ask the twins and Miss Evans to discuss additional alarms."
 
Orson noticed Miharu thinking about something in regards to the plot. This surprised him. He thought she had been completely in favor of them eliminating Eddie. But she voiced no objection, so she at least mostly agreed with him. That was enough for now, though he would like to talk to her about her concerns.

“I didn’t plan to advertise it. Only the three of us and Saki know what I planned to do. I just know I had you do things that were unclear and this may come to affect you in the future. And you’re my second in command. I thought that you had a right to know,” he explained. It would’ve been easy, not telling her all this. But he felt like she should know, as strange as that might sound.

“I know I sound cruel, talking about how I planned to kill someone. And you wouldn’t be wrong. But Eddie was capable of dangerous, unknown things and was prepared to target you again. You’re part of my crew. And if it was to protect anyone on board this ship, I wouldn’t hesitate to kill someone,” he told her. “To me, that’s what it means to be a Captain.”
 
"Of course, Captain," Tamra replied, though there was still a certain stiffness to her response. "Is there anything else we need to go over before departure?"
 
Orson felt his stomach drop while watching her. He hated it. This sinking feeling of dread. He took a half step forward, planning to wrap her in his arms. He liked her. He didn’t think he liked her more than other women, but she held a special place someone reliable and trustworthy. Seeing her treat him like this hurt. But he stopped. It wasn’t his place to force her. She was an educated college professor. He was airship captain that had killed plenty in his short life, and fully expected to kill more before it was over. By all rights, he should never have gotten the chance to kiss her once. He wouldn’t force her to do something she might be too scared to object to.

“That is all, Tamra,” he replied. The way she said Captain instead of Orson also stung. But it was to be expected. “I’ll speak with Miharu a bit. You’re free to go and make any final preparations.”
 
"I'll go talk to Lauren and the twins concerning alarm systems," Tamra said with a nod.

As soon as Tamra had left, Miharu smiled and bounced on the balls of her feet. "What do you need, Captain?"
 
“You look quite happy,” he observed, smiling at the girl. She really was unflappable. At least, she seemed that way. “I wanted to give Tamra an out. She didn’t look entirely comfortable. But I also wanted to know if you had anything to report from when you were on watch or just anything to discuss in general.” He also wanted to know if Saki has told him what they did earlier, but that could wait until after the more important business.
 
"The dockworkers were nervous when they were loading the last of our supplies," Miharu advised. "Which is good. Nervous people are predictable. Scared people, not so much. It was a usual crowd at the docks."
 
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