Re: 6: Lakshadweep or Bust
In reply to Grimsby Baskerville (msg # 153):
"Actually, Grimsby, I think Mercy may have the right of it." Dash says, frowning, "As I recall, you said that the papers you decoded started with instructions for the Colonel to take command, then to go to Iceland to get some esoteric material--where the Colonel reported engaging in combat and suffering casualties. That could imply he went to Iceland with troops at his back."
"Then his next order was to go to one of the Baltic States--Lithuania, wasn't it? There he was to remove a Vril manager from his position. Again, I imply from that that the Colonel would have gone to perform such a mission with troops loyal to himself."
"Next the Colonel was ordered to go to Scotland, to Lord Kentigern's mine site, and there capture both Professor Cavor as well as all the available supply of the ore being mined. To do that the Colonel would need men--not just soldiers to take control of the mine, but a large number of laborers to move that ore quickly aboard the airship. Again, an indication that the Colonel should have at least a platoon of men aboard."
"Everything after that was the Colonel answering calls for assistance, where he just happened to be in the area to respond to. Marseille, Graustark, Lugaash, Bourbony--while they all may be along a lazy trail to Lakshdweep, the coded papers the Colonel left us state that he was diverted to each to aid with some other Vril operation."
"And the icing on the cake for Mercy's point is that, of all the things we've found aboard this airship, a bank draft or a chest full of money with which to buy a submarine has not been found. Either the Vril already at Lakshadweep have those funds, or, as Mercy suspects, this airship is bringing troops to aid in stealing one."
"Maybe there are already Vril submariners waiting at Lakshadweep, or maybe some of those once aboard this airship had submarine training. The Colonels orders were to bring Cavor to Lakshadweep, let him assess the possibility of converting a submarine into an interplanetary craft by the use of Cavorite, and then the Colonel was to aid in 'acquiring' a submarine..."
"Damn it--oh, your pardon, Ladies--but I think I just talked myself out of wanting to go to Lakshadweep. If neither Cavor nor the expected Vril troops with the Colonel ever show up, then the Vril are thwarted--at least in the short term. They still have the Cavorite, and they can still acquire a submarine, just at a later time."
"So, really, the only reason I can think of to continue on to Lakshadweep would simply be to warn the local Rani of the threat of one of her submarines being stolen, and to warn the local British authorities--they are on friendly terms with the Rani--of the same thing."
"I know we're almost to Lakshadweep, already, but really...why? We'd run the risk of the Professor falling back into Vril hands, should we choose to interact with the Vril at Lakshadweep. Can we really take that risk? Should we?"
"As much as I'm enjoying all this running around and intriguing, the facts of the matter are that we were only empowered by Lord Kentigern to recover Professor Cavor, and the ore if possible. That we have uncovered a possibly world-threatening plot by this Vril organization...frankly it concerns me that we are content to have just us--a handful of civilians--pursuing it. This sounds like something that Government Agents, or the Military should be pursuing."
Dash grins and rubs the back of his head, "Like I said, it's not that I'm not just as anxious to see the resolution of all this, personally, as the rest of you are--I'm just saying that I think it's starting to get...bigger...than just us. What happens if the Vril get Cavor, again? What happens if we fail to stop the Vril?"
"Grimsby, you're the closest thing among us to any kind of official representative of a government--and I know you've been making reports, whenever we've contacted any of your Governments offices. But if we were to be taken out of the game by the Vril, do you really think that the British Government, based solely upon what you've reported so far, would be prepared to increase their focus upon the Vril? Honestly?"