Quoted By:
"Well, enough speculation. For now, you need to understand the past. I will give you as much detail as possible. It can be difficult to say when it all began, but we have to start somewhere, so let's go, say... three years back."
Here, the Man in the Suit opened the briefcase, and rifled through papers. It was difficult to see much under the gas-lamp, but it was impossible for Gladston to not peek. He didn't know what he had expected - a superweapon, perhaps, stolen at great risk and loss of life; some mysterious glowing crystals perhaps; he would even be satisfied with seing some top secret machine stolen from the League.
What he saw instead was just a stack of papers - dossiers, letters, telegrams, alchymical circles, technical diagrams, despatches, and even what was unmistakably a love letter written in flowing cursive.
"I had served on the Pelagius for close on two years already. That was when I first met the unlikely protagonist of this tale." Gladstone could catch glimpses of names and a few notes scribbled in barely legible letters, as the Man rifled through the dossiers. Finally, he decided on one and pulled it out.
"Plenty of pieces on the board, as you can see. But I would say this one turned out to be the most important..."
Gladston read the name on top of the dossier. It said...
> Freiherrin Clarissa zu Engels-Halsgaard - SOCIALITE - ENGAGED (crossed off, the word FORMERLY scribbled above) - MASSIVE DEBT - INTELLIGENCE ASSET - SUSPECTED LEAGUE AGENT
> Everard Holcombe - LT IMPERIAL NAVY (crossed off, the words FORMER, DISHON. DISCHARGED scribbled above ) - 3RD OFFICER GRAND VICTORIA - GAMBLER - SUSPECTED LEAGUE AGENT
> Prof. Isembard E. Calvert - NAT. PHILOSOPHER - ADVENTURER, EXPLORER (crossed out, TOMB RAIDER scribbled above) - FELLOW, IMPERIAL SOCIETY (EXPEL'D) - SUSPECTED LEAGUE AGENT
