The importance of the McConnell Process cannot be overstated. When Michael McConnell first introduced his crucible steel techniques all other foundries, if they can even be called such, had been using age-old techniques that while producing steel did not allow for scrap to be used. The McConnell Process also saw the rise of modern alloys and the famous Raven Steel which is practically resistant to corrosion and still used today in our ocean-going vessels.
~ A Brief History of Modern Metallurgy
The town was called Ravens Rest. It had been named after the first ship to use the natural harbor as a port twenty-five years prior to my arrival. The Raven had been batter by a massive storm, what I assumed was a Hurricane, and the crew had lost all hope when they spotted land. They were on a mission from the Crown to scout a chain of islands to the North to discover if colonies could be established there. From what I could find of the local geography the island chain was about the size of the Hawaiian Islands back home. They also boasted a similar climate and very fertile land. The Kingdom of Knoss laid claim to the entire archipelago after Raven’s crew returned with tales of rich lands filled with exotic fruits, spices, and animals. There were no natives on the islands and Knoss was the first kingdom to begin expanding across the seas. The known world was nothing like what I was familiar with. There were four major continents separated by shallow seas much like the Mediterranean except these seas were host to vicious predators that made great white sharks look tame. This the land was at a premium and wars were almost always being fought for control. Knoss was a small nation on the southern continent of Rubella that specialized in naval architecture and used their superior ships to keep other nations from pressing their borders too much. Knoss had been in an age of peace for ten years before the Raven set sail and desperately needed land. They could hold what they had with their ships, but ships were useless in a land battle. If Knoss didn’t get more land to feed her people they would begin to starve. Ravens Rest was a godsend for the small and desperate nation and with their armadas, at full strength, they set out to tame the archipelago.
I had been here for two months now and found I enjoyed the slower pace of life on the frontier. The people were hardy and industrious folk. The first thing I did when I arrived was checked the local currency, I’d have been in deep shit if they didn’t use a gold or silver standard. Luckily, gold was of great value here and one of my bars set me up to be a wealthy landowner a true Gentleman of Knoss. I used my new found wealth to buy out the local blacksmiths and combine their shops into one huge complex right in the shipyard. I kept all the current employees and hired ten assistants/apprentices to help with an increased workload. The main complex housed a smelter, forge, and dorms for all my workers. I kept two smaller shops one for farmers and another for the common folk of Ravens Rest. I kept things simple, the only major change is the consolidation of resources and talent in a central location which was not unheard of in this world. Most of the senior Smiths were happy to work for me for a five-year contract in addition to the buyout of their own businesses and as I treated all my workers fairly there hadn’t been any major incidents. I had been nervous that buying up all the smithing industry in the area would ruffle feathers. I found that thinking in terms of monopoly and even industrial sectors was rare and most of the business and government leaders were happy as long as I didn’t intrude in their dealings. I was happy to keep to myself for now and grow the McConnell Smith Works into a local economic engine.
The level of technology I found in the town was very much like that of late medieval Europe with the exception of the shipbuilding which was on par with the early 17th century. I began to teach the smiths to make better steel by adding other metals to the flux and creating alloys. I commissioned a basic Bessemer furnace so we could begin to make tool steel and eventually stainless. Even these basic improvements revolutionized the industry and my smiths were making stronger, longer lasting, and more resistant tools and equipment. I didn’t want to push the processes any further ahead as it would create a severe imbalance in the progress of Knoss overall. We were already starting to run low on several of our raw ore stores and it would be months before more could be shipped to us. I knew we’d need to expand the operation into mining and transportation before long. I had a lot to do and very little time. I had to leave to go back home within the next few days or I might lose my job and even though I found this new world even more fascinating than Victorian World I still needed my job at home. I wanted to use my job as a platform to launch an engineering and exploration business back home and further fuel my enterprise here. With all I knew about materials science now I was sure I’d be able to set up some kind empire that spanned many Worlds.
It was getting late in the afternoon and I wanted to see the Baron of Ravens Rest before the end of the day to buy up some more land on the outskirts of town and stake a claim to the mountains a few miles to the north. I’d need the mining rights to fuel my growing business. I said goodbye to my smiths and got on my horse to ride to the Baron’s estate. It was a short ride, only an hour outside of town built on the cliffs overlooking the harbor. The Baron’s estate was a beautiful two-story manor house with a small keep in case of the island was ever attacked which was not likely for another decade or two. The grounds were manicured and cared for by a small army of gardeners who could be seen constantly pruning clipping, or watering. I was stopped at the gates, I needed to talk to the Baron about replacing these wrought iron monstrosities with my new stainless steel. It simply wouldn’t do for the leader of this province to have drab metalwork. I chuckled at the passing thought while I waited for the gate guard to let me in.
“Good afternoon Gentleman McConnell, what is the nature of your visit today?” George the Sargent at the gate asked in a friendly manner. We had gotten to know each other in passing and occasionally shared a pint at the local tavern. “I’m just stopping by to speak with his Lordship about this awful gates again. I do hope he takes me up on my offer to replace them with the new stainless. I’m also hoping to catch the lovely Veronica while I’m here.” I grinned. Veronica was the Baron’s daughter and I had been shamelessly flirting with her since I got here. She was a lovely young woman and it would advance my position to be married to the Nobility.
“Ha, you’re a right scoundrel McConnell.” George laughed waving me through the gate to the stables. “I’m afraid you’re out of luck for the next while. Our young Baroness has traveled to the mainland to study her letters and learn more about our great nation.” He was all too pleased to ruin my fun. I waved to him as I rode on to the sables. Leaving my horse in the care of the stable boy I entered the manor.
The Baron had few servants and often saw to his own needs within the manor so I was not surprised to find him in the foyer to greet me. I bowed “Good afternoon your Lordship, it is wonderful to see you in such good health. I had heard you were ill.”
“Yes, the whole Barony gets their pants in a twist if I so much as sneeze. I miss the days where we had to worry about starving.” He scoffed “What can I do for you, McConnell? And before you ask Vicky is not here.” he said grinning. He loved his daughter and found it endlessly amusing how not interested she was in me.
“Baron Greaves, I am here to once again implore you to replace that hideous display of metalwork you call a gate.” I joked, “and also to do some business.”
“If I’ve told you once I’ve done so a hundred times, the gate stays. My wife is taken with the thing and I’ll not be having a needless fight with her.” He led me to his study as we talked and poured us both a glass of brandy. He sat behind his desk “Please sit Mike. Now, what can I do for you today?”
“Baron, I find myself in need of more land. I’m planning an expansion of the Smith Works and the space we have is insufficient to the task. I would also like to discuss claiming land in the mountains to start a mining settlement and possible a small village to meet its needs.”
“I can understand needing to grow your business. You have truly done a great deal in the two months you’ve been with us and I can grant you the land without a problem. Claiming land, on the other hand, is a more complicated and involved process. If you had a title it would be a minor thing but you’re not of the Peerage and I can’t simply give you a title because you have money and business sense. A title can only be granted to those who have done great service to the Crown and the Country. Mike, I like you. You get on well with the citizens and nobles around here, but Knoss is much larger than our tiny island. If you’re serious about this I can grant you a writ to explore the mountains and establish a mining outpost under my direct leadership. You would own the land and business, but I would take forty-five percent of everything you pull out of the ground. You could bu it back of course, but you’d not control the operation it would be a Baronial project.” He held my gaze as he laid out his counteroffer.
“Sir, I understand the restrictions in place and though I don’t like it I will follow your lead on this. I’ll get the materials and manpower together to explore the area. I can leave in a month and have something set up come spring. That will give the Crown six months to evaluate what my Smith Works is really contributing to the Country.” I chuckled, “Then maybe we can be a little more equal in standing”
The Baron gave me a serious look before he smiled “Have it your way, McConnell. I’ll keep an eye on the Smith Works and if it really is all that you hope a minor title will be waiting for you when you return. You may leave now, my Lady wife should be home soon and I’ll not have you flirting with her as you do my daughter.” He was laughing now. We shook hands and I returned to my apartments near the Smith Works.
The town was filled with traffic to and from the harbor carts stacked high with tropical fruits, colorfully birds, and high-quality steel tools my very own Smith produced. There were people in vibrant clothes dyed in a rainbow of colors walking from stores and through the market sampling the wide variety of foods and drinks found only on the Raven Isles, the newly adopted name of the archipelago. It was a prosperous town in a nation at peace and the many ships in the harbor were a testament to our growing merchant class. I walked into my apartments, which were really a large townhouse not far from the main road. I had a small stable, outbuilding for bathing and ablations, the main house had three floors and consisted of the master bedroom on the top floor, my study and workrooms on the second floor and finally servants quarters and kitchens on the ground floor. I only had two servants whom I treated as employees a younger married couple Mary and Stephan Woddright. Mary was my maid and cook while Stephan was maintenance and stable hand. After working for me for two months they were still wary of my less refined ways keeping mostly to themselves and that suited me just fine.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“Good evening Mary, I will be retiring early. I’m going to be away for a short time to survey some land outside of town starting tomorrow. You and Stephan have run of the place, just be sure to stay out of the workrooms.” I greeted her and quickly went upstairs to pack my things to return home. I was planning on bringing back several swords and longbows that had been made over the past two months by my smiths. I had managed to acquire the local bower’s shop when the old proprietor retired and his son left for the mainland. I hired a woodsman to man the shop until I could find a suitable replacement. Including my original gear, resized to fit my more muscular frame, I had twenty high-quality hand-forged long swords with sheaths and belts and thirty longbows and matched leather quivers. I still knew some people in Pitt from my SCA days that would pay top dollar for my loot. I had already picked out the best for myself and hired a sword master to train me once I returned.
I got up bright and early the next day and set off on the rise above town where I had first entered this World. I was going home.
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I hadn’t thought this through. I arrived in the Cathedral with my horse and several bladed weapons on a Monday at the start of a semester. If I could have chosen a worse entrance back to my own world it wouldn’t have been too much different than this. The only thing I had going for me was that I no longer looked too much like my I.D. so I could pretend I was a transfer student out on a lark. Campus security escorted me to the street and waited for me to mount up and head home.
When I finally made it home I was shocked to see my lights on and a car in the driveway. I hadn’t owned a car since I totaled my Chevy pickup in freshman year at University. The puke green Toyota Prius had New York plates and a 26 bumper sticker it could only be one person, my sister. She was fresh out of school with a totally great job in ‘the city’ and always on my case about moving to somewhere more exciting. I loved her, but she took valley girl a little too far sometimes. I stabled my horse, Buttercup, in the front yard and walked into the house carrying almost 200 pounds of gear. “Stace!” I yelled, “How about you help a brother out and carry some of my stuff upstairs.” I hear a muffled curse and a loud thump from the master bedroom.
“Uh, Mike is that you?” You asked poking her head down the stairs.
“Who the hell do you think it is?” I called up giving her some serious attitude “And who do you have up there with you? I thought Bobby was in Nevada finishing his Masters?”
Her eyes narrowed when she saw me, “You sure as shit don’t look like my brother. Mike was starting to get fat. You, you’re ripped AF!” She smiled and came bounding down the stairs in only her underwear and an XL Penguins jersey.
“Haha, Come here Kid! How’ve you been?” I caught her as she jumped from the landing.
“You really do look great Mike. And Damn! those muscles are legit, have you been eating steroids for breakfast or something?” she gave me a peck on the cheek and I set her down smiling.
“Or something for sure. I’ve been traveling around Europe working as a blacksmith. Let me tell you that’s a workout!” We moved to the living room where we could sit and talk. I had a big sectional and we took opposite ends. “Seriously, who’ve you got stashed upstairs?” I was curious. She was usually pretty discrete and honestly, I loved to gossip.
“Bobby!” She yelled, “Come on down he’s bound to find out eventually. This is his house after all.” Her longtime boyfriend Bobby came slinking down the stairs.
“Hey man.” He nodded “You’re looking good bro. I need to get some of what you’re on man.” That was Bobby, he always talked like he was a stoner from the 70’s. He was really a crazy good classical composer, but you wouldn’t know it if you talked to him.
“Hey Bobby, what are you guys doing here? I thought you were working on that Masters and Stacy shouldn’t you be at work in ‘the City’?”
“So don’t get mad.” She was off to a great start, “We’re both taking some time off to find our true calling. You know like you did when you took that trip to Russia after what’s her name dumped you.” Stacy knew just what buttons to push to take the fight right out of me. What’s her name was Laura and I had been in love with her. I thought we’d get married, but on Valentine’s Day three years ago she slept with me and then told me she was seeing someone else. I mean talk about devastating. “Damn it, Stace, you know that’s a low blow.” I could only weakly retort.
“Come on Mike, we’ll just be staying for a few months. It’s no big deal.” Stacy had it in her head and she was so stubborn unless I called our Mom shed be staying. I wouldn’t call that could only lead to a knockdown drag out family fight and no one wanted that. “Alright, you guys can stay. You pay your own way through and I’m going to be traveling for work next month and be away until spring. So take care of the place.” Stacy rolled her eyes “I mean it, Stace if I get home and it’s party central I’m gonna be pissed.”
“Fine, just call before you get on the road so we can clean up.” She threw her 1000 watt smile at me and damn it if I didn’t give in.
“I’m gonna take a shower and then I’ve got to get these weapons to the SCA guys downtown. Stacy, I’m taking your car. Buttercup has been through enough.”
“Buttercup?”
I gave her an evil smile “My horse.” she squealed and ran out the door to entertain my noble steed. “Girls and horses,” I mumbled under my breathe.
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The drive to meet my SCA contacts was quick for someone so used to traveling long distances by horse. I would need to construct a railway to the mountains after I got the mining operation going, convenience for logistics was a secondary concern to my own comfort. I loved riding and living in Knoss, but damn it all if I didn’t miss cars and other modern convenience.
The local chapter of the SCA met in a park outside of the city, that during the summer it was used for ren-faires. The park was in an old wood forest and reminded me of the forests around Ravens Rest, I felt at home here. The SCA members would be practicing their swordsmanship, the perfect time to sell my wares. I was grinning like a fox in a hen house. I pulled into a small parking lot surrounded by a sparse young wooded area with a dirt path leading to the field where the SCA would practice and hold their ‘war’ events. As I got out of the car I could hear the sound of metal on metal and grunts of effort as the fighters tried to beat the hell out of each other alongside the frustrated yelling of their master at arms and my old friend Marie. “John! Do you think that sword is a golf club! For the love of all that is Holy, we’ve been over this for weeks and you’re still flailing around like a spastic child.” I entered the training grounds just in time to see John throwing his training sword to the turf and huffing like a petulant child “Yeah, We been over this, but when are ya gonna pony up and fight me. If you’re SOO good why not put your money where your mouth is.”
Marie simply shook her head, “Kid if you think you can beat me, maybe we need to rethink out helmet strategy.” She turned her back and walked over my way having seen me walking up carrying two overstuffed duffel bags. “Mike it’s good to see you. I heard you were traveling and it looks like it really agrees with you!” She eyed me up and down smirking.
“Ha, Marie you and I both know that I’m not your type.” I laughed. Marie was happily married to her college sweetheart and one of my first big crush, Anna. I had been devastated when I’d learned they were dating but ended up spending a huge amount of my time at LGBTQ rallies and events after we’d all become fast friends. “You know that kid is going to be coming after you with a vengeance now?” I said sure that it would make no difference to Marie, a trained combat medic with the Marines and two years hard experience in ‘The Stan’ after college.
“Yeah he will, but I’m not afraid of some two-bit chump who thinks buying good equipment makes him a good fighter. I may not be a medieval knight, but I can run circles around just about anyone here.” She and I walked around the field as we talked and John glared at Marie between his matches. I had to say the guy looked pretty good to me, but I wasn’t much for the sword, yet.
“Speaking of equipment,” I grinned “That’s what brings me out here. I’ve been touring around Europe learning to Smith and even met up with some pretty good old school bowyers. You think any of your people would be interested?” I asked sitting at a picnic table and setting the bags down. I opened them so she could have a look.
She sat across from me and took a look through my merchandise her eyes widening slightly, “Mikey, boy did you ever make some nice stuff here. Just one of these swords is worth a few grand and the bows are fifteen hundred easy. There’s got to be a hundred grand worth of stuff here.” She was whispering at the end. “I can definitely find some people interested in this, but I can only think of a few guys here with that kind of cash on hand.” She said shaking her head a little dumbfounded.
“I figured you’d at least know someone I could offload this on. I’ll be in town for a few weeks then I’ll be leaving my job and traveling full time. I’m thinking it’s time to start my own firm, but before I do I’m gonna see the world a bit.” I laughed. My face turned serious, “I’m trusting these to you, Marie. You sell them and I’ll give you ten percent and you get your pick of the swords. What do you say?”
“Haha, Mike no need to get so serious. I’ll help you out and I appreciate the kick back. Anna and I have been looking at taking a cruise and that'll make that happen; she’ll thank me all night long for that.” She barked out a laugh that drew her fighters eyes to us. I just rolled my eyes and stood, shaking her hand my business here was done. “Thanks, Marie” I called over my shoulder as I walked back to the car. I’d be sure to visit her and Anna before I left again; It’d be nice to catch up and get a little drunk.
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That Sunday I spent relaxing at home with Stacy and Bobby. We watched the Pen’s get creamed by the Capitols and drank what was left of my beer. I talked to them about my plans to travel and then start up my own engineering firm. Bobby was skeptical of the plan, but my sister had my back and encouraged me to follow my dream. It was a nice day and I went to bed feeling energized about my plans for the future.
The next morning was my first day back to work in two months and it was like I never left. The office drama was the same, the company was still looking to cut costs and make us efficient machines of commerce. It was exhausting after spending time as an employer and businessman in Knoss. The end of the day came slowly as I worked through tedious redesigns that with my perfect recall and newfound knowledge of materials felt like child’s play. I was in my boss’ office as the final bell rang and the rest of the staff was leaving for the day. I had spent my lunch writing up a tastefully worded letter of resignation and expected him to offer me a severance and kick me to the curb. They weren’t big on the whole two weeks thing here, why pay an employee that’s got one foot out the door. I could understand it as a businessman myself, but it still felt a little dehumanizing to me.
My boss was a tall man in his early sixties. He was trim, but not fit, one of those guys whose metabolism keep him from gaining weight even as he aged. He was dressed in a nice suit, his tie loosed and glasses sitting on the desk in front of him. He sighed and looked at me his eyes held a weariness that I’d never noticed before. “Mike, I’m sorry you’ll be leaving the company and to be honest I can’t blame you. I remember when I stared here thirty years ago.” His gaze got that far away quality of someone reliving the past, “It was a different world and companies took care of their people. I’m tired.” He sighed again, “It’s about time I retire as well and I’ll be taking everything I can from our corporate stooge owners before I go.” His eyes set with a determination and fire that startled me.
“Sir, I’m not sure how this pertains to my leaving. Why are you telling me this?”
He gave me a genuine smile, “That is of course because I’m giving you the most generous severance package that we can offer. They authorized me to give you this if you threatened to take any of their projects to a competitor since they didn’t have a no-compete or confidentiality clause for draftsman at your level. Stupid cost cutting bastards, I told them it would come back and bite em’. But no, I was just a veteran of the Industry.” He laughed and handed me my dismissal package. It was a staggering five years salary. My face must have betrayed my surprise, “Mike it’s a very good deal, the only thing is that you have to sign the NDA.” He slid the paperwork over to me and I signed without reservation.
“Done,” I smiled “easiest decision I’ve ever made. They don’t have anything Earth-shattering anyway.” I laughed. I stood shook his hand and left forever. I really hope he finds his happiness.