And then one day, Clark Edwards unpacked the strange little journal and decided it was time to do something with it. Then, while searching the term "steam mapper", he happened on the term "steampunk". The journal's contents could be used as a short story for a steampunk "zine". As Clark familiarized himself with this relatively new genre called steampunk, he began to pick up the necessary jargon of this alternative Victorian universe.
He decided to test the waters with his short story about Sir Steven Payne. He called his short story "The Steam Mapper" and introduced the main character along with some very strange fictional characters, some inspired by descriptions in the old journal. Knowing which part of the journal dealt with the acquisition of the necessary tools for Steven to become the steam mapper, Clark made references to marsupials and a gaseous ship without identifying Perth, Australia as the location. He left much of the brief encounters in Perth vague and, thought of what he would add in a future installment.
Clark Sumner Edwards' story was included in Steampunk Tales, issue 4. His story about Sir Steven Payne began on page 55 of the 152 page online "zine"
file:///C:/Users/Administrator/Desktop/From%20USB/Steampunk_Tales_Issue_4.pdf
One day, to his surprise, a year after the short story was published online, Clark received a registered letter wanting to know where he learned of Sir Steven Payne, London's greatest detective. The letter writer was wanting to know how Clark, in St. Petersburg, Florida, could know of the Steam Mapper's early 1900s work locating undersea hydrothermal vents. The letterhead belonged to a professor working at Scripps Institute. Researching online before contacting the professor, Clark sensed that the professor could shed some light on Sir Steven.
Sir Steven Payne was an ancestor of the professor's family. Payne had vanished from sight in 1919, never to be heard from again. Up to that point he had been working with Ned Land, former sailor/whaler who had accompanied Prof. Aronnax, on earlier expeditions. Even after Prof. Aronnax's death, Ned Land had helped Sir Steven Payne navigate the waters of the great oceans as he charted the undersea hydro thermal vents using an early invention of a electric battery powered submersible which ran on diesel fuel when it was not submerged. Having a special submersible was necessary equipment.
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Stealth Journeys with the Steam Mapper
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