Thomas’s Rhinoceros Engine

"I don't know how you did it, Thomas, but I must say I am impressed. You managed to get the smokeless system on it and it can safely pull so many cars? How many people can ride on it?" James Duhan asked.

"We tested it with two hundred soldiers. Managed to move them from the base to phase three in a quarter-hour. Captain Alexander raced us by horse and managed to reach the same point about a minute later. He was completely sold. If We drop the resource cars off, I can rig it to transport five hundred. We have finished the track now to allow it to make a full revolution around the City. I am planning to build a second engine, that way we will have two separate trains. One for cargo, the other for passengers. we have four passenger stations built with plans for two more around Phase four and Phase one." Thomas puffed out his chest proudly.

"When will we begin passenger service?" James asked, "I think this will increase productivity in Phase three. We are already running behind schedule there."

Thomas nodded and said, "We didn't expect to have the three ships already in service by now. Mr. Hudsucker's group moved too fast. I heard they are already building the airship for Fursia with an order for one to be made for the Windsor Kingdom." He patted the side of the Engine and said, "Second Engine is just waiting on parts from Mr. Hammer's machine shop. I think, at worst, it should be three to five days."

James nodded, "Phase three looks to be a few months from completion at this point, with the docks usable in three more weeks. Once the docks are usable the ships will become a lot more useful to us."

Thomas nodded and said, "You know, I have been working like a demon since I made the trip here, I can't count how many nights I have gone without sleep, but I have also never been as inspired to work as I have since that day she showed up at our old shop."

James smiled and looked down, "I know what you mean. I think it was when the three of us agreed to start the company, I was so excited to start working I got up early to get down the shop. It's just, I had the energy and excitement but we had no budget at all. Her Highness Hasn't just given us an incredible opportunity she has given us an unlimited budget never asking for an accounting of why we used the money."

Thomas nodded with a smile, "Well you heard what happened to Ben Dover's team right? The ones trying to create a wireless communication system?"

James shook his head, "No, what happened?"

Thomas drew his finger under his chin to indicate death, "No one has seen or heard from them since they failed in that public attempt to reach the Zealous with their Dovercode system. Rumor has it that they spent so much of Lady Connaissance's money on that fiasco that she put them to work in the mines to pay her back."

James made a face full of disbelief, "No way. That girl is way too nice to do something like that."

Thomas shook his head, "Nice? Don't you remember when she slit the throat of that bloke from the Inquisition? That woman is a Royal. She can be your best friend when you are showing results and your worst nightmare when you fail." He smiled at James, "Say, weren't you supposed to be working on the Tesla Wasp? What brought you over to my shop anyway?"

James frowned, "I need inspiration. I keep blowing the shell casing apart and it gets stuck in the barrel. I tried cutting back on the propellant but it just doesn't have the bang I need."

"Have you tried making the bee the and shell casing longer?" He walked over to the chalkboard and sketched out a longer pointed bee with a fatter longer shell casing. "See, that way the gas can fill up the shell casing, pushing on the thinner bee taking some of the pressure off the casing."

James smiled, "I'm going to give that a shot, thank you, Thomas."

Thomas patted him on the shoulder, "Don't worry, if you get sent to the mines, I'll bring you down some of those scones from Mabel's shop."

James frowned, "Ugh don't remind me. The last time I went to her shop it was closed. It's been closed for at least three days already. I need a scone damn it!"

Thomas laughed, "I thought you went there for the view."

James grinned, "Oh, I like the service there, don't get me wrong, I just really enjoy her scones."

*****

"I thought this was supposed to be a reward for services rendered? Why does this seem more like a punishment?" James Smith frowned as Captain Gibbs straightened his dress uniform for him.

Captain Gibbs shook his head, "Smitty, she's just going to drape a medal over your head and give a little speech for you. Just think of it as an opportunity to look down her dress and you'll do fine."

Smitty sighed and said, "She is a pretty woman, no doubting that."

Captain Gibbs nodded, "Remember that one-armed Knight we had with us on the last mission? That fella used to be in charge of the trainee camp now he's our boss just because he earned one of these medals. Maybe you'll have a ship of your own before Nate over there."

Nate held his palms up looking bullied, "Oh come on! Have I really done such a bad job?"

Smitty laughed and said, "This uniform itches, I don't think I could be a captain if you gotta wear this all the time."

Nate gave him a slap on the back and said, "Smitty when you are the Captain of your own ship, who is going to tell you to put it on? Look, in all seriousness, you deserve to have this medal. It took balls of steel to walk up to those guys."

Smitty shook his head and said, "Balls? No, I was scared shitless. I'll tell you what though, doing this for me, is ten times scarier than walking up with my life on the line. What if she asks me to speak? What if I make a fool of myself looking down her dress or something. At least with the guys with the weapons, you know exactly what they want you to do and how to keep from getting killed."

"Léon fucking Jean Reno Smitty, she's like a hundred and ten, wet, what is she going to do to you?" Nate facepalmed.

Smitty frowned and looked down, "I'm just not good with pretty women and she's like one of the most beautiful women in the world."

Captain Gibbs laughed and slapped him on the back, "Trust me, Smitty, you don't have to worry about her wanting to date you. I think she doesn't even like men."

Nate rolled his eyes, "Smitty, have you heard this yet? This idiot thinks because she didn't hang on him like a cheap whore, that she doesn't like me."

"That's Captain idiot to you, Butler." Captain Gibbs ran his hand through his hair with a smile, "I'll have you know that every lady looks at me a certain way that lets me know that I can take her to my cabin any time I want."

"What about that Fursian Princess?" Nate asked.

"She doesn't like men either, probably why she traveled together with Lady Connaissance." He nodded.

"Captain Idiot sir, I need to get going, the bigwigs are starting to gather over on the steps of City Hall." Smitty blurted out.

Captain Gibbs frowned at Smitty, "Don't pick up his bad habits, Smitty."

Emily and Princess Teslaimia walked over to Smitty and smiled, "You look very handsome in your uniform, Smitty. I hope it's ok if I call you Smitty?"

"Yes ma'am." He looked down a slight blush on his cheeks.

Emily giggled and then said, "Don't worry, I'll keep it short and get you back to your post before you die of the embarrassment. Don't forget, the other men on your ship you led out there? They are living vicariously through you so try to smile a little bit."

She walked over to the podium and spoke up, "Ladies and Gentlemen, onboard the CCAS Zealous when the impossible needs to be done Captain Gibbs only has one name he calls. Mr. James, Smitty, Smith. I hereby award you the City of Connaissance medal of valor." She walked over bent down and slipped the medal over his head and neck. As she straightened up she whispered in his ear, "What are you looking at there?"

Smitty turned bright red and stood at attention most likely not breathing as the gathered audience broke out into a cheer of "Smit-ty, Smit-ty, Smit-ty!"

As they all started heading back to their regular duties, Emily walked over to Captain Gibbs and asked softly, "Tell me you have good news about the Electromagnetic Radio array."

Captain Gibbs smiled at her and said softly, "All testing successful. Mr. Dover and his boys allowed us to send a transmission to the Indomitable from as far out as the western end of the Holy Chadtom Empire while they were almost to Inja. The Dovercode is a little tough, but they taught several of our boys how to use it. Nate and I are passable with it, Smitty is hopeless still, but he's getting there."

Emily nodded, "Good, that's going to be more important once King Andrew and King Darius set their invasion plan in motion. I'll need you on the southern end of the Windsor Kingdom while the Indomitable guards the north."

Captain Gibbs nodded, "We are ready to fly right now. I gave my boys some R&R here in the city while Mr. Hudsucker's boys made the changes I requested. I wanted just a bit of armor plating under the deck so I don't lose any men to projectiles fired up at us again. We lost some of our cargo weight but it's a good exchange for our primary mission."

Emily nodded and said, "Let's give them five days rest. You can be down at border in a day anyway."

Captain Gibbs gave her a salute and dragged Smitty and Nate away, "I know this great little bar..."

Emily felt that she was leaning too heavily on her cane she made her way back to her office. She found Teslaimia excitedly reading something in the newspaper. "That tea shop you like, was the owner Mabel Kelly?" Teslaimia asked.

Emily thought for a moment, "I've never asked her what her last name is, but how many tea shops like that are there in the city?"

Teslaimia got up from her place on the couch and showed Emily the article, "They say that she was killed four days ago by the Westside Ripper."

Emily looked carefully at the article, "Yes, that was the same, Mabel." She sighed sadly, "I wasn't done with my revenge for the article yet."

Teslaimia made a terrible face, "That woman died in such a gruesome way and that's what you have to say? You used to sit and talk to her and drink tea there for better parts of the day watching the construction."

Emily took a breath and said, "I'm sorry, Mia, it's just. People die. I can't change that no matter what I do, I am trying to do the best I can to make a place where it's harder to be killed, but some things just slip through the cracks." Teslaimia noticed that Emily had started to shed tears without realizing it."I'll try to do better."

"Wait, that's not what I meant Emmy... You just didn't seem to care which I thought seemed a little odd since you knew her is all." Teslaimia looked concerned as she brushed some of the tears on Emily's cheeks away.

"I'll talk to my inventors to see if there is some way we can make the city safer from murders..." Emily trailed off as she started to cry so hard she was choking.

Teslaimia pulled her down onto the couch and held her as she cried. Jon Alexander opened the door and started to head for his normal seat, he saw that Emily was crying and turned around heading back out of the office. Teslaimia called out, "Jon!"

He stopped, looking like he wanted to make a run for it before slowly turning around, "Something I can help with?"

She frowned, "Look at this story in the newspaper."

He picked up the paper and asked, "The Westside Ripper? Yeah, the Constable was asking me about lending him some of my... What the..." He stopped talking and read then crumpled the paper as a vein appeared over his right eye, "Excuse me, I need to go look into a matter."