Maiden Voyage of the Tytonidae

9 August 1886

My Dearest Arabella,

As I write, my mind drifts to the night we met, how we danced as if we had known each other all our lives. I had never danced so well before, nor have I danced so well since. We slipped away from the dance and sat together, under the full moon, just holding each other and chatting about everything and nothing. When I tried to kiss you, your refusal was so impossibly kind.

I had intended to ask you to marry me when I returned from this trip, but my return is not assured. I regret to say I fear for my safety. I dare not contact you by telegraph. I pray that this packet reaches you safely.

Enclosed is a series of journal entries and articles with a few notes.

If you do not hear from me by the 15th of September. Take this packet to my editor at the Chronicle. Do not wait for me after the 15th.

Still hoping for the best.

Your Thomas

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Of all the fixed destiny points I've postulated "Dr. Livingston I presume" is the most puzzling. And yet, all the laws of inverse causation as predicted by both the Babbage Differential Analyzer and the Magnus Cronocomptometer have once again been confirmed empirically.

Journal of Professor Faerwald Tempus, Doctor of Cronomorpholgy, Glasgow November 1871

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8 August 1886

Journal of Thomas Beachmann - international desk - San Francisco Chronicle of the Free City of San Francisco. This article was my first in this astounding adventure.

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San Francisco Chronicle - May 2, 1886

Aeroship Tytonidae Departs on Maiden Voyage to Congo

April 30 - Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland - by Thomas S. Beachman - The aeroship Tytonidae, clad in a revolutionary material called Herculous (patented by Drs. Li and Hu of Hong Kong) and commanded by an international cadre of Bronze Knights of the Cryptic Order of the Brazen Owl departs today on her maiden voyage from Eilean Donan Castle for Zanzibar, after which, she shall continue to the Congo, in search of material which is alleged to have belonged to the famous explorer Henry Stanley and will be of interest to King Leopold II. If authenticated, the implications for the Congo Free State are grave.

Captain Lord Robert MacRae says he expects resistance from The Company Perdurable, the outlaw remnant of the disbanded East India Trading Company, infamous for their participation in piracy and the slave trade, in violation of the Wilberforce Declaration of Abolition of 1807.

Cryptic Order of the Brazen Owl

The aeroship Tytonidae is owned and operated by the Cryptic Order of the Brazen Owl, the international order dedicated to the protection and advancement of practical applications of natural philosophy and metaphysical sciences for the benefit of the practitioner and of Civilization.

The origins of the COBO begin with the assassination of George III by Jacobites in 1780 and the installation of Henry IX who was more sympathetic to the Americans’ grievances.

The charter for the COBO is found in Article 3 of the Jeffersonian Accords of the Treaty of Paris of 1781, signed by Henry IX of Great Britain, Louis XVI of France, and the Holy Roman Emperor, Joseph II of Austria, which brought an end to the rebellion of the American colonies and saw the creation of the Dominion of North American States.

Subsequently, over 20 nations, states, and principalities, including the Free City of San Francisco, have signed the Jeffersonian Accords.

Bronze Knights in Command

Each member of the command staff of the aeroship is a Bronze Knight of the COBO and enjoys full ambassadorial status from his monarch. Lord Robert MacRae of the British Empire is in command of the ship. Serving as First Officer is Pasha Abay Agin, of The Ottoman Empire. Third-in-command is the Signalmaster, Shaleqa Melaku Tekle of the Ethiopian Empire.

Of special note is the Ship's Surgeon, the infamous vivisectionist Dr. Marie Shelby whom readers may recognize as the inventor of the controversial practice of grafting animal limbs and organs into and onto living humans.

The Bronze Knights are a militant order of chivalry within the COBO, unique in history in that they are true knights, dubbed by their monarch.

In all, there are 32 officers and crew manning the Tytonidae.

Of interest, “Tytonidae” is the scientific name for the common barn owl.

This reporter shall accompany the Tytonidae on her maiden voyage and dispatch more reports as this story unfolds.

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8 August 1886 - Thomas Beachmann

In the interest of full disclosure, I inform you that I am an initiate of the Cryptic Order of the Brazen Owl. My membership in this noble order of meritorious chivalry will by no means prevent me from presenting a true and accurate account of my adventures in their illustrious company.

The adventure began with an areo-heliogram.

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Western Dominion Office #14, Free City of San Francisco, Via Areo Heliograph

TO THOMAS BEACHMANN

SF CHRONICLE

14 MARCH 1886

MR BEACHMANN

REQUEST YOUR PRESENCE COTBO MOTHR HOUSE EILEAN DONAN SOONEST

STORY OF GREAT SIGNIFICANCY

TICKETS AND TRAVEL FUNDS AUTHORISED AT FCSF LODGE

F TEMPUS PHD MAGISTER COTBO

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14 March 1886 - Thomas Beachmann

In the Lodge’s dispatch chamber, I placed my key in the locking mechanism and pulled the lever.

A brass cylinder was ejected from the pneumatic tube. In it was a ticket for a first-class berth aboard the areoship Nimbus II, of the Stanford Line. In conjunction with his aeroship interests, Leland Stanford owns the 10-acre Babbage Analytical Engine and Comptometer Operating Laboratory on the Northern outskirts of the city.

There was also a cheque for one hundred seventy-five British Pounds drawn on The Bank of Fargo and King.

I prevailed upon my editor to advance travel funds to photographer Billy Lee Arthur, a young man of no more than 17 years but a wizard with the new Kodak film.

21 March 1886 - Thomas Beachmann

We boarded the Stanford Line areoship Nimbus II. I note here that Stanford's pioneering use of the Babbage analytical engines allowed him to greatly reduce the time between design and production of his lightweight hydrogen-powered steam engine, making transcontinental areoship travel practical.

31 March 1886 - Thomas Beachmann

After seven days and 1700 miles, we arrived in the City of St. Louis, Providence of Missouri in the Occupied Territory of Louisiana. Traveling by rail across the Dominion of North American States, we booked passage to Scotland.

12 April 1886 - Thomas Beachmann

We have arrived at Eilean Donan Castle, the Mother House of the Cryptic Order of the Brazen Owl.

14 April 1886 - Thomas Beachmann

Billy got his first taste of real Scotch Whiskey as we explored the library. I retrieved an interesting-looking journal from a remote shelf.

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The Transtemporal Resonator has successfully harmonized with the Temporting Phase Key.

If the American Colonies win their war of independence in the 18th century, France will be destabilized and as a result, the twentieth century will be plagued with World Wars and the civilization will continue to destabilize. By the middle of the 21st century, the world will devolve first into authoritarianism and ultimately civilization will collapse. On the other hand, if they fail to win their war, the tyrannies of monarchs will continue and the excesses of European nobility will go unchecked. The world will devolve into authoritarianism even sooner. Furthermore, if George III is replaced, there is a risk of interrupting the royal line. It appears that the Victorian era is a semi-rigid destiny point, which is fortunate, because if Victoria does not ascend to the throne of Great Britain before 1840, the Crimean War could well degenerate into the first world war, resulting in not one, but two centuries of world wars. This inflection point is delicate indeed.

Journal of Professor Faerwald Tempus, Doctor of Cronomorpholgy, London

May 1780

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18 April 1886 - Thomas Beachmann

I was introduced to "Lord Robert MacRae, Constable of Eilean Donan, Chief of Clan MacRae, Knight of the Bronze Order".

Lord Robert wore an amber-colored, double-breasted, military-style tailcoat, with various gauges, dials, and whatnot up and down his right sleeve. He was removing a leather peaked cap of a darker shade from his head as he entered. A pair of amber-tinted goggles sat upon the brim of his cap. A cutlass hung from his left hip and a revolver sat in a holster on his right thigh.

"Brother Thomas, would you be so kind as to join us in the Hall of Honor?"

The Hall of Honor was lined with maps, models, devices, drawings, letters, proclamations, photographs, and, of course, the order's coat of arms. In the center of the room was a table at which was seated more than half a dozen men and women of varying races and nationalities. Each was dressed in the same amber-colored tailcoat as Lord Robert. At the head of the table was Professor Tempus in his signature plaid waistcoat, wearing a thick brass watch chain from which hung a multi-dial watch-like device.

"Brother Thomas!", the professor exclaimed, “Do you remember the mission of our order?"

I quoted from the ritual, "It is our mission to protect the advancement of practical applications of natural philosophy and metaphysical sciences for the benefit of the practitioner and of Civilization."

"Indeed. Normally this means assisting our members in obtaining patents, negotiating with industrialists, acting as Arbiters, providing access to research materials, laboratories, and so forth. We have chapters throughout the world, The Holy Roman Empire, the North American Dominions, Hong Kong, The Ottoman Empire, Russia, The Empire of Ethiopia - and NOT the Kingdom of Spain nor the Empire of Mexico nor most importantly for purposes of this discussion do we have chapters in Belgium.

“As you may not know, any monarch who permits our Order in their domain may dub anyone they deem worthy into the Bronze Knights. Our order is an order of merit. However, the Bronze Knights within are a militant order. While their fidelity ultimately remains with the monarch who administered their adoubement, they serve to advance the mission of our order.”

“I gather I am in the presence of a company of Bronze Knights?”

“Indeed. “

30 April 1886 - Thomas Beachmann

“Owls of the Order,” Said Professor Tempus, “I present Henry Morgan Stanley, the famous African explorer.”

What follows is my interview with Mr. Stanley and its accompanying horror as it appeared in the Chronicle.

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San Francisco Chronicle - May 3, 1886

Famous African Explorer Assassinated During Interview for Expose’

April 28 - Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland - by Thomas S. Beachman - While providing this reporter with an expose’ on the nature of Leopold’s claims to the African Congo, the famous African Explorer Henry Morgan Stanley fell victim to a poison arrow fired from a crossbow wielded by the Portuguese pirate and assassin Juan Jose’ Almeida. Almeida, who refused to be taken alive, was killed in combat with Captain Lord Robert MacRae and Pasha Abay Agin, who was forced to fire the fatal shot.

Famous Explorer Had Concerns about The Congo

At the invitation of the enigmatic Professor Faerwald Tempus of Glasgow, Henry Morgan Stanley, the man who located Livingston had joined us at Eilean Donan. He explained his relationship with the Congo Free State and his concerns.

“Six years ago, I was engaged by Leopold of Belgium to open trade relations with the tribes of the Congo region. After much hardship, we established a network of roads and trading stations throughout the region. Every treaty assured that the Congolese would retain their own tribal chiefs and would retain all sovereign rights. Additionally, I wrote to His Majesty that no European officer was permitted to treat the Congolese as though they were conquered subjects - we were to be simply tenants.”

Stanley continued, “The treaties I negotiated were the basis upon which King Leopold claimed adherence to the Principle of Effective Occupation at the recent Berlin Conference on Africa.”

When asked why he had concerns Stanley responded, “Professor Tempus showed me a copy of a treaty that was presented by King Leopold to the Berlin Conference. It was not a treaty I had negotiated, it ceded tribal sovereignty to Leopold personally. I had delivered the treaties to Colonel Maximilien Strauch, (now the governor), who acted as Leopold’s liaison. I believe that Colonel Strauch may have …”

Suddenly, an arrow came flying in from an open window and embedded itself in Stanley’s back, apparently killing him.

Bronze Knights React Decisively

We were on an upper floor of Eilean Donan Castle overlooking Loch Duich, when the villain flew by in a Cayley Glider, a bat-wing machine with a wheeled gondola beneath it. The flyer was piloted by a man, later identified as Juan Jose’ Almeida, holding a recently fired crossbow.

Lord Robert MacRae lept into action. Springing from his chair, he launched himself from the window toward the glider. Lord Robert would miss the glider by mere inches when he drew his cutlass, impaled the gondola, and pulled himself into the glider. The flyer began to plummet nearly eighty feet to the surface of Loch Duich with MacRae and Almeida locked in mortal combat.

Meanwhile, Pasha Abay Agin drew his revolver and adjusted the dials on his sleeve. The revolver glowed, emitting a hellish purple light from its barrel, while a loud humming sound could be heard coming from Agin’s tailcoat.

Almeida had gained an advantage such that he was holding Lord Robert’s head underwater. A Pasha Agin called for Almedia to release MacRae and surrender. The villain refused. A loud report was heard from the revolver, with grisly consequences.

Free from the pirate’s hold, Lord Robert stood on the sinking glider, drew his cutlass from the gondola, saluted Pasha Agin, sheathed his cutlass, and swam back to the castle.

Meanwhile, Signalmaster Tekle, who is a Debtera of the Ethiopian church (a kind of faith-healer/physician) began to attend to Stanley. He identified the poison on the arrow as coming from central Africa. He declared that Stanley had no heartbeat and was not breathing. He poured powders on the wound and offered prayers of healing to no avail.

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28 April 1886 - Thomas Beachmann

An astute reader may note that I said, “apparently dead” in my article. Melaku Tekle later objected to my assertion that the prayers of healing were to no avail.

Professor Tempus was extremely agitated. “NO, NO, NO! Henry Stanley cannot be dead! This is completely unacceptable! Summon Doctor Shelby!”

Dr. Shelby entered the room followed closely by a bear of a man. Literally. He was a man, but his right arm, the right side of his chest and back, and a substantial portion of his face, including his nose and right ear, were all ursine. A bear’s limbs and facial features had been grafted to him. I later learned his name was Charles Boone, he had been wounded by cannon fire in the Second Louisiana Rebellion in 1880. Dr. Shelby had used vivisection to graft the limbs and face of a bear to his body and save his life.

Dr. Shelby ordered Boone to carry Stanley. We all followed to the top floor of a castle tower. She pulled some levers. Gears started spinning and electric bolts of lightning began to dance between two large metal poles. On a table, she began doing surgery while an assistant began transferring blood into Stanley from a live piglet! Meanwhile, Melaku was playing a 10-string lyre, called a begena, and began singing psalms of healing in the Ge’ez language in a beautiful baritone voice.

Dr. Shelby placed two cables on Stanley’s chest and the lighting between the poles immediately stopped and he bucked as if he’d been kicked by a mule. After the third time she performed this ritual, Henry Stanley sat bolt upright, eyes wide and gasped for air before he began to breathe normally.

We decided to let the world believe the assassination had been successful.

Lord Robert had discovered the identity of the would-be-assassin and evidence to prove that he had been sent by The Company Perdurable. Additionally, The Company was manufacturing Cayley gliders. Of course, The Company was hired by someone to assassinate Mr. Stanley. Stanley believed that the culprit was Colonel Maximilien Strauch, governor of the Congo Free State. Stanley also believed that Strauch had substituted forged treaties for Stanley’s originals to advance his own interests.

Stanley told us that he had negotiated terms with each tribal leader and delivered the treaties to Colonel Strauch on Bamu Island on a lake the natives call Nkunda above Livingstone Falls. On an early expedition, Strauch had put a set of treaties into a strongbox on a boat that went over the falls. If the box could be recovered, Strauch’s treachery would be unveiled.

Since the COBO manages the international licensing for the Cayley estate, The Bronze Knights had jurisdiction to intervene against The Company. However, if we took too much aggressive action against The Company in the Congo, Colonel Strauch would be within his rights, as governor to react with lethal force. Until such time, the Tytonidae would have a reason to enter the Congo and enjoy Diplomatic Status - in theory.

Our mission was to search 200 miles of the “wildest stretch of river in the world” for a 7-cubic-foot iron box while avoiding Colonel Strauch’s scrutiny and searching for The Company’s glider facility.

29 April 1886 - Thomas Beachmann

The Bronze Knights and their crew began preparing the Tytonidae. The 75-yard long areoship is powered by a series of gyroscopic-radium-areo-motivators, rather than the more conventional hydrogen-powered steam engine. It is clad in a material called Herculous, which is more than 5 times stronger than its equivalent weight in steel. The four 60-yard long galvanic-radium-cylinders that power the craft are also enclosed in Herculous treated with a refined form of bismite to prevent radium poisoning.

At the heart of the ship, mounted on a gyro-stabilized deck plate, is a next-generation Babbage Differential Analyzer, only 15 yards long and 10 yards wide capable of hundreds of calculations per minute when properly maintained.

The ship’s armorer Elizabeth Jane Colt, of the Independent Republic of Texas, and heiress to the Colt Firearms fortune, informed me that the Tytonidae’s main armament is a Rumhkorff Prismatic Induction Cannon, of her own invention.

30 April 1886 - Thomas Beachmann

We are underway to Zanzibar. The Tytonidae’s top speed is 15 knots in good weather. I’m told we’ll typically be traveling at speeds from 7-10 knots. I share quarters with my photographer, Billy Arthur. The cabin is larger than I expected and quite comfortable. The entire ship is lit with Geissler tubes, giving the interior an unearthly glow.

5 May 1886 - Thomas Beachmann

One of the Babbage Engine mechanics had smashed his hands. It was mangled so badly that I doubted he’d ever work with it again. Melaku Tekle stopped him, took his hand, and began to sing in a language I don’t know.

After a few minutes, Doctor Shelby arrived. She washed the blood from his hand and examined it. “It’s bruised pretty badly, she said, but the scrapes are superficial, you were quite fortunate. Odd, there’s more blood than I would have expected from these scrapes.”

I looked at Melaku, who was smiling and singing softly to himself. “Wasn’t his hand hopelessly mangled?”

“Is anything truly hopeless?” Melaku said, “Do you not believe your Bible? Does it not say that we should hold steadfastly to the hope we possess?”

“But it was mangled badly, how did you … ?”

“Again, do you not believe your Bible? Did the Lord Jesus himself not say that believers would lay hands on the sick and they would recover?”

“But almost all of Europe is Christian, why do we not see this all the time?” I protested.

“Why indeed?” said Melaku.

7 May 1886 - Thomas Beachmann

Life aboard the Tytonidae is typically pleasant. Billy has been taking photographs of the ship’s interior and the crew at work. He’s also been given full access to the ship’s photographic darkroom.

The primary activity among the crew seems to be good-natured theological debate. First officer Agin is a Muslim, Signalmaster Tekle is a holy man in the Ethiopian Church, Alexander Nicholi the cartographer/navigator is a former Russian Orthodox Priest, Lord Robert is a devote Catholic, Liz Colt is a “Backslidden Baptist” and two of the Babbage Engine operators are Jewish, the Feldman brothers from Bavaria. Sometimes they raise their voices, but most often they laugh and ask questions of one another, and they actually listen to each other’s answers.

I asked Melaku about the debates. “Our Ethiopian emperors are descended from Solomon who said, ‘It is the glory of God to hide a thing, but the glory of kings to seek a thing out,’ and the Lord himself said that those who seek shall find. How can we seek unless we ask? How can we find, unless we listen?”

13 May 1886 - Thomas Beachmann

We traveled the normal areoship lanes across Europe and across the Mediterranean Sea without incident. We stopped at Cairo to take on water and supplies. I dispatched an article about the voyage thus far to the Chronicle via telegraph and Billy sent his photos via courier. Our next stop was to be Zanzibar.

While in Cairo, I was informed that Lord Robert sent a telegram to Hong Kong, requesting that a small supply of Herculous be sent to the COBO Lodge in Zanzibar.

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15 May 1886 - Thomas Beachmann

I was informed that Zanzibar was no longer our destination, that we would be flying directly to Bamu Island. Lord Robert said he expected the Colonel to have a trap in Zanzibar, so he was changing plans.

18 May 1886 - Thomas Beachmann

I was awakened by claxons calling all hands to battle stations. Two hydrogen-driven Stringfellow Flyers were pursuing us. Although I knew I shouldn’t, I scrambled to the flight deck to watch what was happening. The hostile pilots were firing Winchester rifles at us, but the bullets were simply bouncing off our Herculous hull.

Miss Colt gave the order to fire the Induction Cannon. The ship slowed and every light dimmed. A flyer ignited. What happened next was unfortunate. The other flyer, trying to avoid his falling comrade and our cannon, flew into one of our areo-motivators. The flyer exploded, damaging the motivator and putting a small crack in our hull, resulting in a hydrogen leak.

Lord Robert called for damage control parties when we began to take artillery fire. We were hit twice, resulting in more hull damage, a hydrogen leak, and a fire. Worse, yet, the cannon was damaged. Miss Colt ordered two Hydro-Natrium missiles fired into the ground artillery. Both missed. She ordered two more fired. One finally hit.

Pasha Agin spotted their encampment using an electro-enhanced-optical-scanner. He confirmed it was The Company. Lord Robert ordered the aerial bombardment of the camp, expending over half of our Hydro-Natrium missiles, but utterly annihilating it.

1 June 1886 - Thomas Beachmann

Repairs are complete, though all spare Herculous has been expended. The crew had used the power from the galvanic-radium-cylinders to generate hydrogen from river water to replace the lost hydrogen from the battle. We are once again underway.

14 June 1886 - Thomas Beachmann

We began our search.

Shadowed by the colonel’s soldiers and by slavers from Zanzibar, the ship sent landing parties to measure the river currents and perform other experiments, continuously feeding numbers into the Babbage Engine.

27 June 1886 - Thomas Beachmann

The crew is excited. They believe they have found what they’ve been looking for. They once again lowered their diving machine into the swift and very deep river. When the diving bell came back up, the crewmen were ecstatic. Held in the mechanical arms was the strongbox.

They had just attached the strongbox to the ship’s lift cable when hell itself began to rain down. We were attacked by Zanzibar slavers and Belgian soldiers using small arms and artillery. The crew of the diving bell was killed, but the rest of the ground crew was able to return to the ship while firing back at the attackers. There was one other death of note that I shall detail later.

The Tytonidae emptied its supply of Hydro-Natrium missiles and fired the Induction Cannon until the trans-phtonic-resonator cracked, releasing the vital carbonic gas, rendering the device useless. Fully a third of the ship’s systems were damaged. The enemy was defeated, and we had the strongbox, but the ship was badly damaged and unarmed. We limped toward Zanzibar where we hoped to make repairs.

20 July 1886 - Thomas Beachmann

We arrived at Zanzibar, where we discovered that many members of the local COBO lodge were ill and two had died. Melaku confirmed that it was poison, and has administered an antidote. It seems that the slavers have gotten word to their allies. The Herculous has not yet arrived from Hong Kong and we are unable to find the material to affect repairs.

24 July 1886 - Thomas Beachmann

Oh, the irony! Pasha Agin has found a black-market supplier, provided by The Company. Using proxy agents he has been able to get what we need.

24 July 1886 - Thomas Beachmann

The Herculous has arrived. Twice we have been set upon by assassins who were killed by Bronze Knights. Their diplomatic status kept them from being arrested. A sarcastically smiling constable reminded me that I didn’t have ambassadorial status.

2 August 1886 - Thomas Beachmann

I dare not use the telegraph office, I am watched suspiciously by men who surround the building.

Repairs are going slowly, being beset by accidents and pilfered supplies.

Pasha Agin has introduced me to someone who can deliver a packet to San Francisco for me. I’ve begun assembling a packet to send to someone I can trust. The Company may be watching the Chronicle. I will include Billy’s photographs.

I have been secretly keeping company with Arabella King because her father does not like me. Perhaps this secrecy is providential. She can receive this packet with no danger of interception.

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Journal of Arabella King - 15 September 1886

I have informed Father that I am a modern woman and I will marry whomever I chose, regardless of his permission. Sadly, now, I fear it is a moot point, my Thomas has not returned, nor have I received word.

As I entered the Chronicle building I saw the afternoon edition. My heart lept for joy.

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San Francisco Chronicle - September 15, 1886

Leopold of Belgium’s Treachery in the Congo Exposed

September 7 - Munich, Bavaria - by Thomas S. Beachman

The aeroship Tytonidae, commanded by a heroic cadre of Bronze Knights of the Cryptic Order of the Brazen Owl under the command of Lord Robert MacRae has uncovered incontrovertible evidence that Leopold II has treacherously violated the terms of Effective Occupation from the Berlin Conference of 1884. His Congo Free State is a sham.

He had obtained recognition of the Congo Free State from The Great Powers by claiming that he was involved in humanitarian and philanthropic work in Central Africa. The strongbox the Tytonidae recovered contained not only the original treaties but instructions to Ludwig’s man Colonel Maximilien Strauch, to replace them with forgeries. “There is no question of granting the slightest political power to the negros in this project”, Leopold wrote to Strauch, “The treaties must be as brief as possible and must grant us everything.”

Based on eyewitness testimony from the crew, not only did he fail to fulfill his obligation to protect the local population from the slavers of Zanzibar, he actively profited from the capture and sale of Congolese People to slavers of both Zanzibar and The Company Pendurable.

Prince Regent Luitpold of Bavaria has demanded that Bavaria, in the name of the Holy Roman Empire, be granted the right to effectively occupy and humanely and beneficially help the native population benefit from the sale of ivory, rubber, and other resources to European industry.

Queen Victoria, King Louis the XXI of France, and Emperor Ferdinand IV of the Holy Roman Empire have issued official statements that they no longer recognize Leopold’s right to rule in Central Africa. The Great Powers have agreed to meet in Munich to discuss the matter in detail, but have yet to agree on a timeframe.

In an unexpected twist, envoys of the Emperor of Japan, have communicated to the Emperor of Ethiopia that they intend to press a claim to the African interior.

The Recovery of the Strongbox

At great risk to ship and crew, the Tytonidae was able to search over 200 miles of Livingstone Falls, one of the wildest stretches of river in the world. The onboard Babbage Differential Analyzer running hundreds of calculations per minute for nearly a week was able to provide an estimate, within a few miles of where the lost boat containing the strongbox likely sank. Using a self-propelled electric diving bell, the crew was able to locate the sunken craft and recover the box. Unfortunately, while returning the box to the aeroship, attacks by Belgian soldiers under the command of Colonel Strauch caused the submersible craft to go over the falls. Two crew members, Bosun Kyle Carson of North America and Signalman’s Mate Franklin Boone (brother of the ursine Charles Boone) also of North America were lost. The strongbox was retained, though, for a time, that was by no means certain. The advanced armament of the Tytonidae made short work of the attackers.

In addition to the crew, Chronicle photographer Billy Arthur was killed in the fighting.

Though damaged, the Tytonidae was able to fly to Zanzibar for repairs, before continuing to Bavaria.