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Into the Wild (Steam) Blue Yonder (pods6827 and MMRS)

Joined
Jun 16, 2017
Depending on what world you were in, the year 1865 looked remarkably different. In one world, the defeated South would find itself facing "Reconstruction" for the foreseeable future. In another, a newly elected President McClellan signed a peace treaty recognizing the Confederate States of America.

Not all the differences in various worlds would be found in North America. In one world, Paraguay would somehow win the Battle of the Riachuelo. In another, the Morant Bay Rebellion is peacefully diffused. All of these would have repercussions that would lead to worlds no one could have predicted.

But none of these would look anything like the 1865 occupied by one Ander Drumein, currently residing comfortably in the American House in Boston. Boston was the seat of government for a British colony that consisted of what would be known in other worlds as the thirteen American colonies and Eastern Canada. And American House was the hotel where anyone who wanted the latest technological 'necessities' went. The House had an elevator, a telegraph office, and even a dirigible berth on the roof of the building. Granted, the colonies didn't 'enjoy' the airship traffic that could be seen in Europe, but it was growing.

Outside of an expanding Russian presence in Alaska and a Chinese trading city in what would be known as San Francisco in other worlds, North America remained wild. The Spanish maintained colonies in the Caribbean, but there attempts to establish a presence in Mexico, Central and South American had been thrown back by the indigenous empires in those continents. Spain had a trading city on the Caribbean coast of South America, and the French maintained one at the mouth of the Mississippi, but otherwise North and South America remained untamed and unexplored.

Boston had become the stepping off point for young men who wanted to seek their fortunes in the wilds of North America. Legends of treasures, strange creatures and lost cities abounded. Boston was the seat of government, industry and scientific advances. From there, they would go to New York to find financing and manpower, and then proceed to Buffalo either by air, rail or canal, and finalize their forays into the Wild West.

That wasn't why Ander Drumein was in Boston, though. Ander Drumein was there because he was the sole inheritor of the estate of one Nicholas Montgomery, the premier inventor of America who held several patents related to the burgeoning airship industry, among others. What that estate would consist of, Ander didn't know. But as he sat in the waiting room of his room in American House, a knock on the door by a messenger boy was about to put him on the first step of the greatest adventure of his life.
 
Ander rose slowly from his bed as he heard the knock on his room's door, barely awake but unlikely to get back to sleep any time soon. The late night of tinkering had taken it's toll on him, and he'd have probably slept past noon if he'd had his way.

Finally reaching the door Ander opened it and looked at the erson on the other side. "Yes?" he asked, barely holding back a yawn as he spoke.
 
A young lad, all of thirteen but still neatly pressed, stood bouncing on his toes, and acted a little surprised when the door opened.

"Mr. Ander Drumein? I have a letter for you, from Stevenson, Amprey and Unkrich. The legal firm, sir," the boy added by way of explanation.
 
Blearily looking down at the delivery boy, Ander took the offered letter and reached into his pocket, pulling out a few coins and handing them to the lad before closing the door. Realizing that he likely wasn't getting back to sleep any time soon, he picked up a knife and opened the envelope, pulling the letter out and beginning to read it.
 
Mr. Ander Drumein,

Our apologies for not contacting you sooner, but there were certain aspects in the settlement of the estate of your friend, the late Nicholas Montgomery, that were somewhat unusual. However, we are now prepared to explain the details of what exactly Mr. Montgomery has left you. An associate of our firm, Miss Alexandria Wells, will meet you in the cafe of American House at noon today, to explain the particulars of your inheritance. We feel certain she will able to satisfy any questions you might have.

Yours,

Horace Stevenson
Stevenson, Amprey and Unkrich
 
A quick look at the room's clock showed that Ander had a few hours to kill before he would have to meet the firm's associate. Time enough to get himself cleaned up at least. After that was done he started preparing himself for the rest of the day, thinking back on his friendship with Nicholas Montgomery. They had worked together a few times in the past, and over time they'd bonded over their shared love of technology, and the creation thereof. Nicholas had always had grand dreams for the future of science, but unfortunately it didn't seem like he'd made a great deal of progress in that regard before his untimely demise.

Eventually though Ander looked at the clock once more and found that the time of the meeting was fast approaching, and after dressing himself in a suit that, despite it's age, still managed to look good, he made his way to the American House to meet with the associate. He had no idea what Nicholas might have left him, let alone why it was so complicated that his receiving of it had been delayed, but he was sure that he was going to find out.
 
The cafe in the American House tried to accomplish two things at once, both with a modicum of success. On one hand, it wanted to present an air of casualness, so that the business traveler staying at the American House proper would feel comfortable grabbing a bite there at all hours, and perhaps bend his elbow as well, while relaxing from long travels. On the other hand, the cafe also wish to present the image of a more than acceptable dining establishment that the same business traveler could enjoy a meal with a prospective client who would not appreciate being wined and dined at the proverbial "greasy spoon."

By the same measure, Alexandria Wells was trying to project two images as well, and succeeding at both. Her long, lustrous hair was up in a functional bun, and the dress she wore, which included a necktie, vest and a more masculine collar, projected the image of the prim, proper, competent professional woman in her late twenties or early thirties who had not only entered a male dominated profession, but had succeeded triumphantly in it. And in this, Alexandria had. She was already a junior partner in the firm of Stevenson, Amprey and Unkrich, and there were some who had begun to speculate that, before her fortieth birthday, the name Wells might be added to the firm's moniker. She was qualified as both a solicitor and barrister, and was comfortable in both the stuffiest of boardrooms in London as well as arbitrating between two plantation owners in a tavern in the southern part of the colony. There was even talk that the Royal Governor would offer or had offered her a position on the bench.

At the same time, Alexandria still exuded femininity. While her clothing was modest, it still allowed the casual observer to admire her slender but feminine form.

Alexandria waited at a table in the American House's cafe, occasionally adjusting her tie or shuffling the papers before her. Not that Alexandria was nervous. She was simply one of those individuals who must be doing something at all times. And while she waited, she kept herself busy either reviewing her presentation or maintaining her tidiness.
 
It hadn't been a long trip for Ander to get to the American House; even by foot it only would have taken a half hour, and by hansom cab it had taken less than half that. Paying the driver the young man pushed open the heavy wooden door to the cafe and stepped inside. Though it was still relatively early there were a few people present and Ander, not being sure which one of them Ms Wells might be, approached the man tending the bar. "I have a meeting with a Ms Wells," he said, "Any chance you can tell me whether she's already here?"
 
The bartender looked up from polishing his glass, and gestured with his chin toward the only woman sitting in the dining room, before returning to polishing his glassware.
 
Turning to the dining room Ander saw the woman he was supposed to meet with, and after thanking the man at the counter he made his way over to Ms Wells' table. "Ms Wells," he said, getting her attention, "My name is Andre Drumein, here for our meeting."
 
"Alexandria Wells," the woman responded, offering her hands in a masculine fashion. "A pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Drumein. I must say, the handling of the Montgomery estate has been an interesting one. I'm finally glad to meet you."

"You can call me Miss Wells, if you wish," Alexandria added as she retook her seat. "I read that editorial in the Springfield Republican myself, about using the honorific 'Mizz' when the marital status of a woman is in doubt, but since I'm unmarried, there's no need to indulge in it. Shall I call the waiter to take our lunch orders?"
 
Ander took Miss Wells' hand, slightly surprised by the method of greeting but ultimately not lingering too much on it, not when his attention was being captured by the woman before him. She was quite an attractive woman, he thought, and as he took his seat he smiled. "Sounds good, I didn't get a chance to eat breakfast so having our conversation over lunch would be a good way to start."
 
"They have a sandwich called the Dagwood," Alexandria replied, waving a waiter over. "Not something for those who want to appear genteel while dine, but I think a robust young man like you would appreciate it."
 
"I suppose that if you recommend it then I'll have the Dagwood," Ander said once the waiter was standing at the table. He wasn't someone who cared too much about personal appearances, at least within reason of course. "What were you thinking of getting?" he asked, making small talk as they waited.
 
"An American Waldorf salad," Alexandria ordered. The waiter nodded, took their order for drinks, and then retreated to the kitchen. "I've had the original in New York, when the maître d'hôtel invented two years ago, but the American does an interesting twist to it."

"So, if you don't mind me asking, Mr. Drumein, how did you know Mr. Montgomery. Just from handling his estate, he sounds like an interesting man."
 
"Ah, now there's a story," Ander said, smiling lightly as he remembered the events of that day. "Well this was a few years ago, I was fresh out of school and looking for work. After a long day of no luck I ended up at a bar where I met him for the first time."

"I don't exactly remember what happened next," Ander sheepishly said, "but the next thing I remember is waking up surrounded by a number of things that we built over the course of the night. After that we became fairly good friends and kept in contact over the years."
 
"An unusual story," Alexandria noted, as the waiter returned with a multilayered sandwich and an unusual salad, placing the sandwich in front of Ander and the salad in front of her. "But considering the nature of the bequest he left you, I would expect nothing less. Let's have lunch, shall we, and then we'll get down to the nature of the estate."
 
"Well, now you've got me curious," Ander said as he nodded to the waiter before turning to his order with an expression of something that was almost awe. "They certainly don't do things by half here," he commented.

"But business can wait until after we've eaten." As Alexandria began taking bites of her salad Ander picked his sandwich up and took a polite bite of the end. Immediately he tasted a number of distinct flavors; chief among them ham, salami, and at least two varieties of cheese (though he couldn't for the life of him tell more than that).

After swallowing his bite Ander looked at the lawyer with a smile. "Delicious," he said, "Thank you for the recommendation." With that said he continued eating his meal, taking occasional sips of water from his glass as he went.
 
"I do appreciate a young man with a healthy appetite," Alexandria said with a smile, as she finished her salad.

"Now that we have lunch out of the way," Alexandria said, as she pushed her repast away, "It's time to discuss the nature of your inheritance, and the rather unusual conditions in retrieving it."
 
"Well as ever, I always aim to please," Ander commented, wiping his mouth with a napkin once he was finished with the sandwich, which was only a short time after Alexandria finished her own meal. "Ah, time to get down to business then? Alright, let us begin."

"You say that there are conditions to my receiving my inheritance? I suppose if it was as easy as, say, my just showing up to claim it I could have done so when this all began." The young man paused for a moment, setting down his napkin. "Very well, what are these unusual conditions of Nicholas'?"
 
"Well, in some ways the last will and testament of Nicholas Montgomery reads much the same as any other similar document. He left you a tidy little sum, as well as the royalties off of several patents. Not enough to retire to a life of luxury, but you won't have to pass up a Dagwood if you see one on the menu," Alexandria said with a smile.

"As to the rest," Alexandria continued, "Are you familiar with the phrase 'proof of concept, Mr. Drumein?"
 
Steven nodded at the reveal that he'd been left a sum of money. "About what I was expecting," he said, smiling at the thought of not having to worry quite so much about money from now on. "And yes I am. It's evidence that a design concept or business is feasible." He leaned forward, wondering where the lawyer was going with this.
 
"Although Mr. Montgomery had several 'small' patents to his name," Alexandria began, "His grand scheme, as it were, was to design an airship capable of being crewed by a single person. Or, at the very least, a skilled and knowledgeable Captain, with devices that would allow the airship to be crewed by a small number of novices. To that end, Mr. Montgomery designed the airship Exerevnitís, which is currently located at one of his holdings in Buffalo," Alexandria concluded, naming the large town located on the western edge of the British colonies, and considered the 'jumping off' point fr those who sought to seek fame and fortune in the unexplored wilds of northern North America.

"If you have no objections, Mr. Drumein," Alexis continued, "My firm wishes me to accompany you to New York. To that end, my firm has booked the two of us passage from here to New York, at which point we will take a train on the B&NY. Upon arriving in Buffalo, we will meet an agent of Mr. Montgomery's estate, who will go into greater detail of the various holdings you've inherited, including the Exerevnitís."
 
Ander couldn't help but be shocked by what his old friend had been working on. An airship like what Alexandria was describing would revolutionize the field! That is, if it worked of course. "I don't have any objections to travelling to Buffalo," he said slowly, "And I certainly wouldn't mind having a traveling companion such as yourself coming with me." Ander smiled at the woman, "In fact, a change of scenery might do me some good. I've been having some trouble with my tinkering lately so maybe this will be just what I need to get out of my funk."
 
Alexandria rose to her feet. "I'll have a carriage sent to your hotel in the morning then, and meet you at the pier. We have two staterooms reserved on the Spinnaker. Feel free to order dessert if you wish, Mr. Drumein. The firm has already paid for everything." With a smile and a nod of her head, Alexandria made her exit.
 
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