Dawn of Steam: Gods of the Sun (9 page)

Now that the war has started, I'd be of a mind to push them again to see it through, but York has captured James Coltrane, and that can't stand. Besides, he's got the Spaniard with him, which means the sword has headed south with them. All of that comes before a border skirmish that will resolve with or without us now that reinforcements are showing. On top of that, the fortune-teller says we need to keep moving to stay ahead of the storm. If the last storm she predicted was any indication, whether this one is literal or figurative, I'd just as soon not get caught in it.

Yes, I got involved. I know you think I don't listen, but I do still follow plenty of your advice. I still check my boots in the morning: good habit even where there ain't so many spiders and scorpions. I still make sure I keep up with knowing Apache marks from the other tribes. And I ain't let any man's hand too near that didn't get a knife through it (still no inclination for them anyhow). I just think this venture is worthwhile. Maybe when folks get a better look at what's out there, they'll appreciate it for more than thinking about who might have some gold.

But whatever else we manage to be able to talk about or not, I wanted you to know I found out who stole the sword.

Regards,

Sam

From the journals of Gregory Conan Watts,

February 11th, 1816

New Orleans

29º57'N 090º04'W

Mr. Toomes has returned to America and brought bad news with him. Immediately upon being relieved of command by British officers, I was quite glad for it, of course. We were reinforced by more men than I had hoped, without ever facing a second battle. All accounts have the Spanish as very disheartened by the results of the first, for their casualties were more significant than in many previous battles, and it seems their fencing with York had accustomed them to taking risks and seeing rewards for it with some regularity, as they would catch people overextended or out of place relatively often. They were ill equipped for my complete shift in strategy, much as I did it as a novice officer working from good past examples.

I returned, happily, to New Orleans, with some celebration from the men who had served with me. All of these good spirits disappeared almost immediately, very much like wisps of smoke fading as they rise, when I saw who had been given the duty of assigning these new officers their posts.

Mr. Toomes wanted to speak with me at once, of course. We were given a room with perfect privacy, with only his most trusted guards. Eddy and Miss Bowe joined us soon after. It seemed that he had a great deal of news to pass on to us. In addition to the tragedy that our leader had gone missing, somehow I was not looking forward to news from Mr. Toomes. Before settling in and giving us this account, he let us sit for a time while he fiddled with his pipe, having to select just the right blend for delivering bad news. When he had found it, he settled in, taking just as long to do so, for somehow he was seemingly unable to get comfortable when sitting straight as a stick.

He then informed us that, technically, we were under arrest. There had been no official orders issued that we should attack the Spanish. While Miss Coltrane's letters for support made what we were doing known to any number of people, only my letters, found among Lord Donovan's effects, gave any indication as to why we would attack the Spanish now – though Toomes admitted that there was suspicion New Spain had made some unfortunate alliances.

This was the second piece of news: our employer, Lord Donovan, had died quite unexpectedly. As such, we would not be getting paid.

At least Mr. Toomes acknowledged, however, the rest of our orders had still been true, which provided a mitigating circumstance. Likewise, the letters shed a good deal of light on the idea that there may have been a miscommunication, sabotage, or some additional agenda, for otherwise it would have made little sense to ask for the Motherland's help with an illegal enterprise.

The news of the attacks reached England while our diplomats were in the midst of delicate negotiations with Spain, trying to sort out their current relationship. Apparently, some in Spain's halls of power had some desire to try to follow France's lead in peace as well as war, but were less willing to give up colonial aspirations and valuable territories to do it. They had openly admitted defeat from Napoleon's war and had reinstated a number of the members of their nobility who had lost their land and titles for objecting to going to war in the first place (which brought one person immediately to mind). Now, however, Spain was calling for our heads – and had backed off from almost all further discussion except through the most trusted of agencies until such time as they had them.

Spain had apparently considered sending troops over to try to support their colonial efforts here, until England informed them that any troops from Spain would be would be seen as a further aggressive gesture and matched by effort from England. For now, they had sent over these new orders and ambassadors from both nations to try to make peace, though Spain's would largely be arriving weeks from now when the ships arrived. The British who arrived with Mr. Toomes included both line troops and experienced officers who would be taking over our command here.

In other news, it seems a new proclamation has gone through England. Between international tensions and the ongoing controversy and negotiation of the King's morganatic marriage, new legal decisions were called for in regards to Catholicism. Now, apparently, the men of Catholic belief who will swear to loyalty to the Crown before the pope may remain, and many of those troops will be allowed to rise to officer ranks, a most generous incentive. The rest cannot be deemed entirely trustworthy in putting the interests of the nation first, of course, so they may return to Ireland, if they are from that nation, or they may volunteer instead to serve a term in America. There they can help settle and defend the lands gained from the French and Spanish. For now, the English here are holding onto the two forts we seized and the sections of northern Florida that are occupied, fortifying them until a peace can be reached or some sort of bargain arranged.

Now that we know for certain that England will take the best of all worlds concerning our successes, there remains the matter of what is to be done with us. Certainly they cannot satisfy Spain, for Scotland would be quite irate should Edward McBride be portrayed as anything less than a national hero, and certainly the Scots will protest any outcome save belief he was absolutely deceived. England would be likewise disposed as concerns Sir James, but, of course, he has disappeared. The rest of us have a degree of protection because of association, and the military and Crown are not likely inclined to sacrifice any of us towards peace with a country that we have already defeated and that poses us no threat. The national interest, however, is in trade, so something must be done.

As such, the reports shall be that they narrowly missed us here in New Orleans before we moved on in search of evidence as to who kidnapped Sir James and who perpetrated this deception which has so affected England and Spain alike. This should satisfy England and perhaps pacify Spain until tempers can settle enough for talks to resume. However, because of this, we must first follow York to South America to attempt a rescue there, and capture York for questioning. Until such time as we have his testimony, no actions will be taken against Lord Montague. To even suggest that such a well-connected gentleman was guilty of any wrongdoing would require far more proof than we have, and even we suspect he may well have known nothing of York's ambitions.

Should we succeed, we might be permitted to return home for a time, but even then, we have a large task before us. At first, we thought that the fact some reports and orders had been falsified may have meant that another aspect of our orders had also been forged. However, it seems that the single most difficult task of diplomacy included among our orders was, in fact, genuinely included in our instructions and tasks at direct request from the Crown.

The Dutch, who had been occupied by France for a time, have long been the only nation capable of entering Japan in any capacity, for that nation closed its doors to outsiders long ago. A single Dutch isle still is permitted to conduct trade, and every few years, the Shogun – whatever sort of position that is – insists that they present their representatives in his court. The last time, he was shown some trinket that the Dutch had gained of English make, and it most fascinated him. When the English inadvertently released the Dutch from occupation in our wars by defeating Napoleon, it achieved enough good will that the Shogun has issued a unique invitation for a diplomatic meeting.

This presents an especial difficulty to us as well, and were we not already greatly inspired to see to Sir James's rescue, this would add cause. The Shogun has apparently heard of Sir James and requested to meet with him specifically, if the diplomatic group was to be allowed to enter Japan at all. This is the other reason for Mr. Toomes's largess in letting us go in pursuit of Sir James and his kidnappers, as the Crown is definitely most interested in any progress it might make in opening Japan to trade discussions. We are commanded to make certain that whatever else we do, we attend that meeting with Sir James among our number.

Thankfully, the trip to Japan is not even in this year, so we have time to pursue and effect a rescue before the event, but it does assure that we will be kept busy – and unable to return home for any lengthy stay – for some time to come.

We have been provided some resources for further travel, but it is certainly not the pay we were expecting. Even so, should we complete our mission, when we are cleared, a greater part of the royal coffers may be opened to us in reward, but in the meantime, we are commanded to continue serving the interests of England and representing them among some of the cultures along our path. Likewise, we are still to make maps and explore the world to open possibilities of later expansion, colonization or to simply inspire the English public and satisfy the curiosities of the Crown and the Explorers' Society.

So now this has gone from a mission for which we have volunteered, with clear motivation and reward, to a mission for which we have been volunteered. There is no question that we now must not only complete the tasks set out for us, but chase people of the most dangerous sorts who could now be anywhere in the world, rescue our leader – without Sir James's leadership all the while – and still do all we were assigned to do. The cost of failure is now significantly higher as well.

Before, of course, our lives were on the line, but the road ahead has become even more threatening, and there is no guarantee of pay or fame for simply making the attempt. Only success will do. Certainly much of this we might have done anyway, for there is no love lost now for York, and we had set ourselves to going to Sir James's rescue as soon as possible anyway out of personal loyalty and, in some cases, family duty, but now it is an imperative on which so much else rests.

In addition – and just as poorly received – we will have to make room and provide food and facilities for a criminal. Though we had thought we had learned everything worthwhile from Miss Larkin, Mr. Toomes has informed us that she must come with us, just in case she might be willing to give us some further information as we travel, should we fail in South America. She was very much the only part of New Orleans I had been looking much forward to leaving behind.

We have our work cut out for us, a
nd I still find myself quite disliking Mr. Toomes and his pipes. I am not sure this news and command could have come through a worse agent, no matter whom he might represent.

The one additional difficulty that came up in this meeting: Mr. Toomes asked for my journals, notes, photographs and other letters regarding all that we had seen and done, to pass on to the Crown and the military, for the letters to our former employer, while helpful, were obviously missing some details I hinted at having documented elsewhere. I am now not sure why, but at the time, I made up a superstition on the spot. I informed him it would be a terrible omen to surrender journals before they were complete. Likewise, my letters had all been sent away.

While this was not true, something told me that he was not the best agency right then to make sure everything was sent to the proper parties, especially if we wished to receive all proper credit for our work. I continue to question myself over this decision now, but in particular, my letters to my dear Cordelia will not be surrendered, and the information that my company has shared with me – and may wish to be confidential – shall remain in confidence. Most likely it was simply my personal dislike for Mr. Toomes.

As he had limited authority, he did not press particularly hard on this, especially as he had little to offer. After all, we were unwittingly escaping his authority before he'd reached New Orleans. There was no reason to lead anyone to question his word.

However, though I did not surrender my books to Toomes, I have agreed to continue to make reports to the British military and the Royal Explorers' Society, that they may track our progress and log such information as regards our travels and is of immediate importance to them. I am also to report all progress made in regards to the rescue of Sir James and the attempts to bring in York and his fellows.

Letter from Heathsville, Northumberland County, Virginia Colony Archives, Wright Collection.

February 12th, 1816

Dearest Mother and Daddy,