Dirk stood on the docks, watching at the engineers and mechanics removed the last cannon from the Lady Sphinx.  The government had included repairs and refitting in his contract when he returned to Zeidleberg with Relics of Rauros; he was officially a privateer.

Slowly and steadily, the gun was lowered down onto the docks, where a simple brassbug picked it up effortlessly and hauled it into a hangar nearby, placing it next to the other seven cannons.  Dirk smiled; new weapons, new ballasts, new sails, new paint- the government was giving him all the repairs he needed in addition to the hefty price they paid him for the artifacts.

A steam mobile pulled up to the docks and Cori slid herself into the passenger seat.

“Get in, Dirk, or we’ll be late for the Harvest Feast at Cyril’s!”

Dirk smiled and climbed into the vehicle.  Cori had repaired it shortly after returning to Zeidleberg, and Dirk had spent many hours practicing in his own.  He turned the vehicle around and navigated the busy streets to the edge of town.  When he reached the country roads, Cori pulled out a pocket watch and marked the time.  The vehicle skidded to a halt in front of the Ballox Manor fifteen minutes later.

“You’re getting better and driving these roads,” Cori said, “You cut five minutes off of your regular time!”

“I’m hungry,” Dirk replied, “I haven’t had anything to eat all day.”

A servant greeted them at the door and led them into the dining hall, where Anna greeted them with a smile and a hug.  During the flight home to Zeidleberg, the cause of her nausea had made itself apparent; her womanly figure was bulging at the abdomen.  A female shaman had confirmed her pregnancy when the Lady Sphinx landed in the city, noting that male shamans were often baffled by the presence of a second being within a first.

“How’s my nephew?” Dirk asked.

“The physicians say he will be ready for delivery in a month and a half, but the shaman thinks he’ll be born in a month.  All the examinations say that he’ll be perfectly healthy, so far as the doctors can tell.”

The three took their seats at the dining table, and in half an hour all the chairs were full.  Dirk’s officers, Cyril’s officers, and family friends of the Ballox captain dined on the finest foods in Ziegland.

***

Footsteps echoed down the spiral staircase, and the young woman looked up from the paperwork at her desk to greet the man entering the archives.  She smiled, it was Aaron, a member of the Leoganni Guild of Espionage; he was carrying several sealed papers under his arm.

“Aaron!” she said, putting a pout on her face, “You haven’t stopped by in months; I was beginning to think you’d forgotten about me!”

“Duty calls, dear.  I was on a mission; nothing I can tell you about, of course, but these ought to make up for it.”  He tossed the papers onto her desk.  “And remember, if you get caught reading them, I have no clue where you got the Guild’s signet ring from; you’re on your own.”

The blonde set the papers gently onto the top of a stack of unfiled reports.  “How long are you on the castle for?” she asked.

“Several days, but I’ve got a debriefing to report to.  I’ll be in the common hall for supper tonight; I’ll save you a seat.”

He turned and walked quietly back up the staircase; the archivist waited until she heard the door at the top of the staircase click shut before she tore open the first of the classified reports and began reading.  She smiled again. Aaron had brought her the final reports from the Forgotten Continent incident.

She flipped casually through the briefing before re-sealing it an opening another.  Finally, she found the report she wanted, the summary of the additions to the final report of the incident.  She listened carefully for a moment, to make sure nobody was coming down the long staircase to the archives, and then began reading the final additions to the incident report.

Final Report

This document lists the final additions and revisions to LGE#IN3426.

Incident Identification Number:  LGE#IN3451

Incident Codename: Forgotten Continent

Incident Status: Resolved

Section 10.2.4 (Supplement)

Captain Gisko’s (LGE#PE887425) unprecedented escape from the forgotten continent has been attributed to his skill and cunning; all Leoganni captains involved in the escape have been cleared of charges of treason.  Captain Gisko is currently grounded in Zeidleberg.  Reports from agents at the Zeidleberg Docks indicate that the airship “Lady Sphinx” (LGE#SH5553892) is undergoing extensive modification and repair and have been instructed to document all modifications to the airship.  Captain Gisko has been classified as minor threat and priority until further notice.

Section 11.3.18 (Supplement)

Interrogations of the defector have revealed that the “sentient brassbug” codename “Ashe” is responsible for the death of Librarian Llyris.  Ashe is the result of machine contact with the artifact Cerebrum (LGE#AF525) and superior programming.  Ashe has been classified as a high priority capture; agents in Zeidleberg have orders to secure the machine as soon as conveniently possible without provoking international incident.

Section 11.3.19 (Supplement)

Interrogations of the defector have revealed that the skill of the engineer Coriander Meadows (LGE#PE887426) is beyond normal human capacity and her designs were responsible for the technological superiority of Captain Gisko during the events of the incident.  Engineer Meadows has been classified as a high priority capture; agents in Zeidleberg have been notified of her suspected location and have orders to secure her as soon as conveniently possible without provoking international incident.

Section 12.4.2

At this time, Anna Ballox (LGE#PE887427) has returned to Ballox Manor in Zeidleberg and has not been seen wearing the artifact Pulse (LGE#AF520.) She is no longer considered a priority target for capture.

Section 13.1.2

At this time, Rikkard Razputin (LGE#PE763341) has been banned from entering Leoganne or from travelling on any Leoganni licensed vessels due to the subversive nature of his performances.  Due to his status as an international icon, he is no longer considered a priority target for re-capture.  All records of his imprisonment in Castle Archambault have been classified or destroyed.

Section 15.5.24

Interrogations of the defector and of Captain V. Sterling (LGE#PE15663) have revealed that Lady Renee Kathryn Archambault (LGE#PE40032) acted with subversive and treasonous intent on the forgotten continent.  Lady Archambault has been sentenced by the High Court to solitary imprisonment in the dungeons of Castle Archambault without privilege of external contact for the remainder of her life.  Should Duke Robert Thomas Archambault perish without a legitimate heir, the High Court will review the case against Lady Archambault in determining the next ruler of Leoganne.

Section 22.15.9

Operation Restoration (LGE#O15563) has been temporarily suspended pending the reports of Agents Crow and Raven from Zeidleberg.  Agent Raven has successfully infiltrated the Government Archives in Zeidleberg and is in the process of locating the missing relics.  Agent Crow’s probing of paid officials in the Zeidleberg bureaucracy revealed that Captain Gisko received significant compensation in exchange for artifact Cerebrum and artifact Optic (LGE#AF522).  The current location of artifact Pulse is unknown.

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Flight of the Calliope! by William Nagel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

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