When she heard Solar and the two men exit the house without closing the door, she was half-tempted to enter and check it out. Caution prevented her from doing so, though, just in case there was someone or something in the house that she wasn't aware of. Also, she still wasn't completely comfortable with Brie's abilities, and even Solar's loyalties weren't yet carved in stone, so that meant there were four against four in the barn... two of which were women. She had no problem seeing Brie holding her own, but Catherine was so new to the adventuring life that she could wind up being a liability.

So, Felicity followed the men around the corner of the house and into the tack shed.

At Joseph's words, she stepped back and kept out of sight but kept her gun trained on the men. It would only be a momentary ploy... maybe. The smell of the barn might mask the perfume Brie and Catherine wore; otherwise, these 'businessmen' would probably realize there was a woman involved. Besides, Helmuth and his buddy would have the two women with Grimsby.

Arthur seems to have been turned around within the forest he was rather relived to find the rough road before him, nearly stumbling as his foot found the trench that acted as a gutter.

Having found his feet and now standing in the center of the dirt track he looked left and right before deciding on the later and setting off. A large barn was the first building he managed to spot and then having decided to spend the night there if no other buildings were present he saw the house. He could just make out the figures standing close to one of the buildings as he approached, the majority had their back to him so he thought it prudent to announce himself.

"Ah... excuse me, so terribly sorry I seem to have become somewhat lost."

The man is older, perhaps in his mid forties, he carries a cane and is wearing a top hat, gloves and a paisley silk scarf. He also has a bright yellow patterned handkerchief in his lapel pocket of his dark suit and a buttonaire with a lily of the valley flower.


-

In reply to Joseph Rudyard Hunnisett (msg # 718):

Grimsby briskly frisked both men, removing whatever weaponry they might have and stuffing it into his surprisingly capacious pockets. He did not trouble himself over Hunnisett's odd misinformation.

Hearing Arthur's voice, he looked up sharply, and his own (larger) pistol reappeared in his hand. He snapped, "It seems you have indeed lost your way. May I ask who are are and what brought you here?"

Seeing the pistol pointed in his direction Arthur decided to add somewhat more to his explanation.
"Oh... I seem to have intruded.... Doctor Artur Russell. I was looking for the residence of a Professor Solar...."

He was going to retrieve the letter from his satchel and then thought better of it and kept his hands where they could be seen.


-

Grimsby responded, "Professor Solar is nearby, but we have only just rescued him from some dangerous ruffians. May I ask what your interest in him might be?" (He did not identify Solar)

Somewhat at a disadvantage in the half light Arthur now slowly produced the letter he had been sent. "Well the Professor had asked me to come and help him out of a situation, well here is the letter he sent."

Arthur held out the envelope that he had in his pocket. "I was somewhat slower at setting out then  I would have like and I seem to have been late to the party as it were." Arthur looked around at the gathered people.


-

"My dear fellow," Aubrey responds to Arthur, "you are most assuredly confused. Doctor Solar does not live here in Sidona, unless by some chance he had a reservation at the hotel."

Aubrey surveyed the newcomer with a suspicious eye but did not spot anything that roused that suspicion.

"I am Aubrey St. Claire. My companions and I have come here to investigate the case of the Frozen Man. That is how we stumbled upon Dr. Solar's peculiar situation, which we have now rectified."

What happened next would depend on what on what Solar had to say.

Based on Joseph's sudden ploy, Brie kept back in the shadows of one of the horse stalls.

The more often she tried to use her ability in one day, the harder it got. But she'd only used it once, so she was pretty sure she could pull it off.

So, just as soon as Grimsby had searched the two men and relieved them of their weapons, she attempted a psychic assault on both of them.

21:45, Today: Brie O'Malley rolled 17 using 5 dice with the WEG Classic system ((2,{Wild}2,3,4,6)).

The push she gave worked, and both men fell to the floor of the barn unconscious... well, sleeping.

And that was when the newcomer showed up!

She tried to read his mind... just in case.

22:00, Today: GM SteamRoller, on behalf of Brie O'Malley, rolled 17 using 4 dice with the WEG Classic system ((4,1,{Wild}6(+1),5)).

Wow. That was easier than I expected.

Once the other two men fall asleep... not as much unexpected as impressive, clearly courtesy of Brie O'Malley, Aubrey goes over to the bodies and searches them.

He pulls out some papers and starts looking over them.

"I suggest we don't tie them up but just let them sleep it off," Aubrey says.

"We should get Solar's device and wagon and horses, and get out of town as fast as we can. Of course, that brings up the next question: where do we go now?"

In reply to Aubrey St. Claire (msg # 727):

"I recon that would be up to Doc Solar." Joseph says, replacing his large pistol to its holster with a spin.

"I mean, we can always go back to Gibraltar--and the Doc could come along if he feels it's the safe thing to do.  Or, if the Doc has some reason to prefer to stay right here, well, we can do that, too--at least until Aubrey has exhausted his supply of questions to ask."

Grimsby says, "Meanwhile, perhaps our new companion would care to explain himself further."

In reply to Grimsby H. Baskerville (msg # 729):

Arthur hands over the letter and envelope to Grimsby, there is little written on the sheet of paper just an address and a short paragraph asking for Arthur's help in a delicate matter.

"As I said I seem to have taken to long and now we seem to be at the end of whatever this is." He looks at the two sleeping men. "Is the Doctor with you ? I am sure he can clear this all up, or at least vouch for who I am."


-

Grimsby reads the letter through very carefully and says, "I do not know Dr.Solar's hand, but the content seems to vouch for your bona-fides."

Solar had been standing there the whole time but now he stepped forward.

"Arthur! You finally made it!" Mathias said, shaking Arthur's hand profusely.

"It isn't over by any means; it may be just beginning!"

"My device is in the house, my wagon and horses are here in the barn. They were discussing how to take the device to the ship; they didn't want to use my wagon as they felt it was too noticeable."

"These men..." he gestures to the four sleeping men... "were investors... or so they claimed. Helmuth Schilling is from Germany, Nikolai Cherenkov is from Russia, Enrico Bellini is from Italy, and Ambrose Warwick is from, I'm sad to say, England."

"They kept talking about a long journey they were going to make, but I never heard them say just where they were going. I did get the impression, though, that it might be somewhere in the Far East, but it could also have been to the New World."

"They showed me letters of credit... oh, I see you've found them, Mr. St. Claire... so I thought they really wanted to manufacture my invention."

In reply to Dr. Mathias Solar (msg # 732):

     "So, ah, Doctor Solar, ah, Sir, you say these four gents presented themselves to you as investors in your freeze ray--freeze gun--whatever.  Might I ask, Doc, what was it that tipped you off that they were not true and actual investors?  'Cuz I really want to believe, right now, that they wazn't no investors--and that they outright said they was gonna steal your machine."
     "They did say that, didn't they, Doc?  They said they was gonna take your machine away from you, right?  Please say they did..."
This message was last edited by the player at 04:18, Sat 06 Apr 2019.

"If you mean did they actually use the word 'steal', Mr. Hunnisett," Solar replies, "I am afraid you will be disappointed, for I can not recall them ever saying that exact word."

"The fact that they had no intention of going to England, that they forced me to drive out on the road and then forced me at gunpoint to fire the freeze ray at that man, and then made me drive back here and kept me in hiding... I construed that to indicate they would keep the invention for themselves."

"I do not know what else they planned to do with it, but I did hear them mention the word 'war' several times."

"Oh, that was quite amazing. No one was hurt" Catherine said happily.
She curtsied to Russell. "Pleased to meet you Doctor Russell. I'm Catherine Harston. I'm sorry for the trouble when you arrived. I'm sure we'll all get along wonderfully now" she said, smiling at the doctor from behind her mourning veil.
"A war?" she added, worried. "I don't know much about that, but it certainly can't mean anything good."

In reply to Catherine Harston (msg # 735):

"Oh, no, no disappointment from me, Doctor." Joseph said with some relief, "It seems quite obvious they had you under duress, and were holding you against your will, all of which justifies our use of the threat of violence--and that what little violence did occur was minor in its damage."

"The next question is, what to do next?  Do we call the local Lawmen and hand these--gentlemen--over to them?  Is there enough evidence to get them arrested, do you think, Doctor Solar, or would it just be a case of your word against theirs?  For if we cannot get them arrested for holding Doctor Solar against his will, then when they awaken, they most certainly can have us charged with assault. . .maybe."

"Well. . .I mean, we did point weapons at them--so they shall say--but then they 'blacked out and collapsed', yes?  Another case of 'They said, we said'."

"But, would the good Doctor be safe if we stayed in Sidonia over night?  With these four roaming free in the streets, they might try to take him and his device back and. . ."

Joseph stops in mid-sentence, a puzzled frown on his face, as he suddenly remembers something said earlier,

"Doctor Solar. . .earlier, I think you said something about these fellows arguing about how to get your device to a ship--what ship?  Medina-Sidonia is land-locked with no river traffic to speak of, and the coast is almost twenty-five miles away.  Are you sure they were talking about a ship, and not how to get it 'shipped'?"

Grimsby commented, "I suspect they were speaking of some kind of airship, since as you say, we are not near the coast here."

In reply to Grimsby H. Baskerville (msg # 737):

     "That. . .would not be good." Joseph frowns at Grimsby's comment, "If these jokers actually have an airship, then they can follow us no matter where we go.  And like our old pal El Diablo the Bandito, they can bushwhack us out where nobody can see it."
     "But, short of blowing up any such vehicle--assuming there is an airship--I can't think of a way out of the situation.  But even I gotta think twice about blowing up somebody's airship!"

In reply to Joseph Rudyard Hunnisett (msg # 738):

"Ah should we wake one of them and ask them of their plans ? It might save us some difficulty in the future." He looked at the men on the ground before asking "Are we sure this is all of them ?"


-

"They had no other accomplices that I'm aware of," Solar responds. "If, though, as you suggest, they have an airship waiting somewhere nearby, might that indicate accomplices? Or whatever you'd call them."

"Why blow up the airship? We not just use it for our escape?"

"Which brings up that question again: where are we off to? To be honest, I had not given it any more thought myself. I was expecting to catch a ship for England."

"I doubt if we'd get anything useful... or truthful... out of these men," Felicity points out. "Leaving them sleep until they wake up naturally will help confuse them as none of them will know what happened."

"Taking their airship, if, indeed, they actually have one, might be a problem for Dr. Solar as it would mean leaving his horses behind and possibly his wagon."

"If Schilling is really a German, then it is a bit more reasonable that he would have an airship, is it not? I can't imagine him not leaving at least a guard on his ship, but that might be the only accomplish he has."

In reply to Felicity Van Horn (msg # 741):

     "Yes, Mister Russell, I'm afraid Miss Felicity is likely right about these men--from what Dr. Solar has said, they sound like hard men.  Unless we're willing to torture them, I doubt we could get much information from them." Joseph says with a shrug.
     "Doctor Solar, Mister Russell, you must understand that we..." Joseph gestures to indicate everyone he's come here with, "...did not come here, riding in like the Cavalry to the rescue.  We are all simply travelers who happened to meet in a café one day and engage in a lively conversation with Mister St. Claire, here, who is a man of science interested in the story of the Frozen Man, here in Medina-Sedonia.  We are all here simply because we were fascinated by the mystery--for us, this is nothing more than a weekend romp."
     "That we have become caught up in some kind of kidnapping scheme--don't get me wrong, Doctor, I'm glad we could help you--is one thing, but now it looks like we might be chased across all of southern Spain, or quite possibly have to steal or destroy an airship to avoid such a chase, and we aren't even sure who is chasing the good Doctor--or us, for that matter!"
     "And I can't say that I have any great confidence that the local Spanish authorities will have any interest or sympathy in our problems.  So, in answer to your question, Doctor, I not only do not have a suggestion as to where we can go to get away from these people and their patrons, but I do not think there is any place we can go to get away from them!  Heh!  Except, I don't know--Mars, maybe?  Anywhere but on this planet?  Heh-heh."

In reply to Joseph Rudyard Hunnisett (msg # 742):

Grimsby commented, "I would not mind at all returning to Mars at some point, but for the moment I think that if these fellows do have an airship -- and we can overcome whatever guards it might have --it might be the swiftest means of eluding possible pursuit, whether by allies of these ruffians or the Spanish authorities."