Augustus does his best to follow along with all this, but obviously he's missing quite a bit of the story  Which really isn't all that unusual for him.  Scrunching his brow, he steps a bit closer, "Terribly sorry..  The Matshal shot you...and now he's forming a...Oh, what's it called..  Not a gang...  Something Latin..  Oh yes..  A posse comitatus I think...."  Looking back up again from his muttering, he continues as though there was no segue, "A posse comitatus to storm the ranch?  Whatever for?  Perhaps you are mistaken and he is coming to assist in fending off the Navajo war party?"

"He shot me, you blithering idiot!" Whateley yells. "Shot me!"

"Arthur, you are going to have to calm down." Ward begins, but Whateley waves his hand furiously at the man, flicking drops of blood everywhere.

"I will not! This is all your fault, you know. He must think you sent Nathanial Frost to attack him, then had him killed to cover up a loose end!"

"My fault?" Ward roars, losing his composure. "If Nathanial had actually listened to me and left Evans well enough alone, he'd still be alive! And if you had listened to me and allowed me to initiate him, we could have avoided all this mess in the first place!"

Augustus remained more than a little confused and it was readily apparent hat the gentleman was in shock from his wounds.  Becoming unreasonable.  This would of course get them nowhere.  Clearing his throat, he offers politely, "Do you need anything Doctor?  Should I wait in the library?  Perhaps step outside and see if the Sherrif is coming and speak with him on your behalf?"

((OOC: sorry about the infodumpy nature of all this...))

Ward sighs, and turns to Augustus. "I apologize. It seems that I have yet another crisis to deal with..." he massages the bridge of his nose as if trying to ward off a headache. "Arthur, would you kindly head into the den? I will look after your wounds there, and we can discuss this matter without alarming our guest."

Whateley frowns, then sighs. "Very well. But we shall have words. Oh yes." he limps stiffly into the adjoining room, slamming the door as he leaves.

Ward sighs again once the man is gone, and takes Augustus into the kitchen. "It's all unraveling...This is another distraction. I should have seen this coming. It's the Serpent, you know. Tezcatlcoatl. He's the one flaring up tensions. Keeping us all pinned down and at each other's throats while his servants move in secret. I wish I could explain more. Everything I've built here, every plan i had for the future...it's all in danger of collapse. He built his traps very cunningly indeed, and now they are being tripped at once." he sighs again. "You don't know how much your offer of help means to me, Mr. Spotswood. And I wish you could, but I don't even know myself what to do. And I don't know if I can, in good conscience, ask you to endanger yourself on my behalf."

Waving the Doctor's concerns away, Augustus counters with, "Did not the oath I just took include provision for aiding other Society members in need, hmm?  Did you not offer me sanctuary and comfort before you even knew me?"  With a smile, the scientist stands straighter and tugs at his coat and starts to say ,ore, but gets distracted a moment, "Yes...  The cave...  It was not comfortable per say, but it was still comfort in the sense...  I don't have to explain myself to you..."  Straightening again, he carries on, "Please allow me the honor of assisting you.  Let me recconoiter with your men outside and assist them should the feared Arapaho war party arrive.  My inventions have proven efficacious before, you know.  Should the Marshal arrive, I can speak with him as well."

"Very well. You should speak with Mr. Michael Bennett, as Mr. Shaw has gone to town with several of the other men to plan a defense there. Once I've dealt with this situation and the rest of our Enlightened Brothers have arrived, we can plan a more effective strategy to deal with the multitude of dangers we face."

"Mr. Bonnett.  Right,"  Augustus gave a nod and began heading for the study to gather jis inventions, "Never fear, sir."  He went through the door, then came out again quickly.  He could have sworn that was the study and not the dining room.  Walking quickly back across the foyer (trying to look like that never happened), he steps into the real study.  To the gentlemen therein, he offers a polite nod and gathers up his inventions.  It isn't easy and in act takes slightly longer than it should.  But, he does finally get everything set and heads for the door again.

...and he has to backtrack a second time, as the study (on the ground floor) was not where he and Ward and Mr. Lazarus had just been discussing spiritual matters. That had been the library (on the second floor). But eventually, he manages to get his bearings and retrieve his belongings, just as another knock on the door signals the arrival of someone new.

Augustus gives everyone a sheepish grin as he backtracks and crisscrosses the house.  Finally, all his equipment settled again he is able to head for the front door to assist the ranch hands.  Reaching for the handle, he pauses at the surprisingly coincidentally timed knock.  With a shrug, he tugs openhe door and does his best to look welcoming, "Yes?"  His welcoming demeanor is somewhat thrown off by his array of devices, headgear, and the very weaponish trumpet gun.

The rotund, well-dressed man with the fluffy white pekingese clutched under his arms gives August the most baffled of looks. The little dog begins yapping at him. "Um, ahem!" The large man says as he adjusts his ascot. "Pardon me, but...do you know where Dr. Ward is at the moment? I'm expected."

There's a moment of awkward silence, punctuated by the barks of the little dog beneath the fat man's arm.

Then there's a shout from the den. "You blithering idiot! Do you realize what it is you've done!?" comes Ward's voice, roaring through the walls.

The fat man frowns. "Ah. I see Arthur has arrived and is explaining his part in that little debacle in town." He gives Augustus the most apologetic look. "Forgive me for not introducing myself, but I believe I must intervene. It is apparent that there are some ruffled feathers that must be smoothed with haste, if we are to have any chance of mitigating the difficulties that beset us. Would you kindly step aside?"

Augustus feels the strangest compulsion to do exactly as he asks without question or hesitation...

((OOC: Mayor Bruebaker rolled 12,5 using d12+2,d10, rerolling max with rolls of 10,5. Mystic Persuasion! Augustus, if you wish to resist the command, please make a Spirit Roll.))

Augustus steps aside lightly and opens the door wider to allow entry, "Yes, do come in.  You seem to be in-the-know as it were and the Doctor was expecting others...."  He pauses to glance into the house, "He is...um...  in the study, I believe?  Or was it the library?"  Trailing off, he mutters to himself, "Well...it is a big house...  No, not the kitchen...or the dining room...  True, I haven't eaten in a while, but there's hardly been time...  No not now either...."

There's another bout of shouting. The large man gives Augustus a thin smile that doesn't reach his eyes.

"I believe they will not be difficult to find, sir. Thank you." He says and steps past Augustus. He opens the door to the study and steps indise, speaking to the arguing men within. "Gentlemen! Gentlemen, please! Would you kindly settle this abominable row? We have..." Then the door closes, leaving Augustus alone in the hall once more.

((OOC: Moving this thread forward...))

Augustus is left to his own devices, and wanders out to find Minke Bennett, Bonnett...whatever his name was. Mac says that they're expecting a bit of a fight with the Comanche/Apache/Kiowa menace, and Augustus asks if he can help.

Mike looks at the professor. "I dunno...no offense, but you ain't exactly the fightin' type. If'n you got some suggestions on defenses, I'm listenin', but otherwise I ain't that sure o' what you can do to help."

"Many things, Mr.  Bonhomme!" offers Augustus with a bit of pride in his voice.  Looking about at the preparations, the scientist began offering suggestions, "I might be able to put together a few Sonic Waveform Pulse Generators to bolster some of the positions.  A single pulse could scatter a group of crowded indian braves."  Turning again, he sees a few other places that spark ideas, "Or perhaps a Stabilized Waveform Emitter, placing an almost unbreachable barrier at a weak point....  Of course the duration would be quite short due to power requirements....  Or perhaps a weapon that induces horses to run away...  I did find that quite effectuve afainst the Choctaw previously..."

"How long you figger it would take to make all them whatsists?" Mike asks. "I ain't sure we got a lot o' time...and we ain't sure if they're comin' straight for the ranch or they're gonna go after the livestock. We still don't know what they're after." He thinks for a bit. "Say...you think you can build us somethin' that would give us a clue? Ward knows some kind o' trick that let's him figger stuff like that out...forewarned would be forearmed, and all that."

"Of course...  One of my inventions allows for communication with animals at some distance.  With a bit of extra power, I'm certain tat I could increase the range.  Augustus offers this explanation almost flippantly, as though such child's play wasn't really worth considering.  Having said all that, he carries right back into explaining his weapons ideas, "I think I could create at least two defensive emplacements rather quickly...  But, the problem is determining exactly where the Chumash braves will attack....."  The scientist trails off a bit, then glances to Mike, "Which is why I should instead try to boost the power of my device and get you that information, hmm?"  He actually looks a bit sheepish at missing the point.  Again.

OOC - Here's my thought.  Using Beast Friend gizmo as the base idea, he'll rig up a boost to the system via the expedient of a handcrank generator (from parts in the workshop, a ranchhand to crank, and the lightning rods on the house as antennas.  Basically Gadgeteering a short-term, animal only, Mind Rider effect.  Cool?

"Well, let's get you workin'" Mike says, and leads Augustus to the workshop. "I think I got soemthin' that might help, too...Ward keeps it for the experiments he does in the barn."

He leaves, then returns with a fist-sized nugget of white-specked coal...Ghost Rock!

"Don't tell Ward I done gave you this." Mike says. "Can't afford to have the cost deducted from my pay."

((OOC: Alrighty. normally, Gadgeteer doesn't require a roll to create the item, just to use it. The base effect will be a horse-only Beast-Friend that will affect all the horses in a Medium Burst Template (thanks to the limitation of the trapping). I will allow you to increase the effects with a Weird Science Dramatic Task, though.

Roll Weird Science 5 times, at -2 for the conditions of working in the field. Each Success and Raise will allow you to increase the potency of the effect. (to a maximum of 5 enhancements)

You can choose to increase the range or the area. Horses cost 7 pp to control.

Range:

1 success: Double the range. (Smarts x 200 Yards)
2 Successes: Quadruple it. (Smarts x 400 Yards)
3 Successes: increase it eight-fold (Smarts x 1/2 Mile, Duration lowered to 5 minutes)
4 Successes: Increase it 16-fold (Smarts x 1 Mile, Duration lowered to 25 rounds)

Area:

1 Success: Large Burst Template.
2 Successes: Large Bust Template + 2" (Adds +1 PP to the cost of activation)
3 Successes: Large Burst Template + 4" (Adds +2 PP to the cost of activation)
4 Successes: Large Burst Template + 8" (Adds +3 pp to the cost of activation, basically making the device one-use, all-or-nothing).

OOC - Wow.  Cool.  I might try that...  But, I was just going to use Gadgeteer to spin off the Beast Friend gizmo he has and create an animal-targetting Mind Rider effect.  Basically trapping is boosting and tuning his device to recieve signals over a wide area.  Basically listening in on animal chatter to find the Comanche warparty.  He could extrapolate direction and distance by triangulating the received signal through his reciever and another cobbled together receiver set up across the ranch?  Again, just trappings for Mind Rider was the idea.  If you prefer, I'll do it your way and get more power!  Bwhahaha

((OOC: Oh, going for Mind-Rider? Sure, you can try that, too. I'll have to figure out new things for all those successes, if you want to do the mad science boogaloo there...I'll let you attempt 2 Gadgets this time only.))

Augustus accepts the piece of Ghost Rock almost reverently, understanding its unique properties and how they expand his options.  "My thanks, Mr. Benoit...  I'll get right to work..."  Turning away, he hustles to the workshop, muttering as he goes, "I agree, in part, that defensive weaponry is useful...  But he does make a fair point...  Just think of the applications if this works....  No...what would the military want with a secret long range detection and ranging device?  Don't be silly..."  As he reaches the door, the scientist turns anout suddenly on a bootheel, "An assistant would be helpful!  Someone...um...not skittish...  Unmarried too."  With that, Augustus slips into the workshop and begins gathering tools and parts for his newest ideas....

OOC - 2 Gadgets.  Alrightie.

1st Gadget - An animal targetting Mind Rider.  Normally it requires line of sight or a resonance object.  Can I escape that clause by limiting the machine to tuning in on birds?  Basically scanning through and listening in through local birds to find chatter about the   Then triangulating speed and position as noted before?

2nd Gadget continues to spin off the Beast Friend idea.  A horse targetting Fear gizmo.  Basically setting up the system to generate an aimable pulse of panic towards a group of horses in range.  As a spare defensive measure along the same mental lines he's currently thinking on.

"Yeah...I got someone in mind, then." he heads over to the door of the workshop. "TEX!" he shouts. "HEY, TEX! GIT ON OVER HERE!"

Augustus notices the floor shaking a little...and then a giant crouches low and steps into the shop.

The...man(?) is huge, topping seven feet tall, and wasn't so much hit with an ugly stick as beat near to death with it. He's a massive slab of muscle, built like a brick shithouse and colored like one), with reddish-grey patches all over his hide. He looks like he was flayed...his "skin" looks more like wetly-shining muscle tissue. His mashed-in face regards August, and he gives the scientist a vacant, gap-toothed grin.

"I reckon there ain't nothin' you can do that'll make Tex here so much as blink, Doc." Mike says, stepping outside.

Very suddenly, Augustus is all alone with the giant.

The giant looks at Augustus. He doesn't blink. Augustus might wonder if he even can. He smells faintly of rotting meat. A glob of drool grows at the corner of his mouth.

((OOC: Make a Fear Check! -4 for the local Fear level, + Grit))

Augustus had remained busily engaged in his current bit of work as Mike explained and exited.  The scientist offered only the vaguest grunts of positive acknowledgment.  Only when he finished his careful filing of the repurpised gear did he start to turn around, "Mix was it?  Strange name....  Dear God Man!"  The very image of the monstrous man threw a wrench in his thoughts and he openly gawped for a moment.  "Pardon me...  Its just, well, it was a surprise..."  Standing he moves in  bit closer to examine the strane patches and stanger glistening skin, "What on earth happened?  I assume The Doctor is the cause of your survival from what mst have been horrendous...  Perhaps I could try..."  He paused again, "No! There are urgent enough matters and you seem fine for now..  Never fear, I will consult with the Doctor on your case after the crisis.  How are you at pulling wire?  I need quite alot...."

OOC - Surprisingly, Fear Check a 9.

18:51, Today: Augustus Spotswood rolled 2,9 using D6-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 4,(6+5)11. Fear!

The giant watches Augustus babble a bit, mutely, before saying, "N-No. My brother Gus done this. Saved me from damn dirty Injuns." His voice rumbles like thunder. "How much wire? From where?"

Augustus pauses again, glancing back again at the scarred ranchhand, "Oh...  Well...  We'll still see what we can do, hmm?"  Standing he gathers up some small gauge stock metals and another flat metal piece with a series of differently sized holes punched in it.  "Its quite simple really.  Apply some heat via this stove here and then pull the metal through these holes until you can get it to this size..." He indicates a particular hole in the wire tool "It isn't easy mind and a stove is hardly a proper heat source, so it may take some pulling.  Do your best."

The giant nods, and does as Augustus asks. His hands sizzle as he touches the hot metal...he hasn't put on any gloves. He yanks on the metal and pulls them through the gauges without much apparent effort...he must be incredibly strong.