Lilja Darkstar soon discovered that the engineering and research firm she had inherited had not one human employee. She discerned that one of the clanks that seemed the only employees was a foreman of sorts and had the gift of understandable speech. "You are designated?" She inquired of the rusty, battered device. "The Guv'ner called me as 'Fat Bob', yer ladyship," the clank replied. It nodded to the taller clank that accompanied it. "E's called as 'the Guardian'. The Guv'ner left strict instructions in 'is regard. E's always and ever to be near to yer. E's yer protector, like." "I see," the young woman replied. "I'd be most pleased to receive a tour of the enterprise. Let's start with the area where my late Uncle was last known to be working." "Ehm. Ehm. That'd be the time lab." Fat Bob led the way to a strange room on one of the upper levels of the immense building. "I left 'im in thet chair these 2 years past," the clank grated. "Eventual-like the lawyer what cares fer finances and patents and such learned of 'is absence. The courts declared 'im as deceased. An' now yer the mistress of all what you surveys." Lilja scanned the room thoughtfully. "What on Earth was he up to in here?" "That'd be above me station ter speculate upon," Fat Bob replied, evidently not gifted with subtle enough intellect to recognize a rhetorical question. Molly's art notes: Set up and rendered with Poser 12.0.484 using the Superfly Cycles 2 rendering engine. The mesh is La Femme with the new Lilja texture by Tempesta3D. The hair is Matuk by Afrodite-Ohki. The costume is Dark Aurora by RPublishing and Ravenhair. The setting is the Steampunk Time lab be Deadhead. The clanks are the Guardian by Jonnte and Fat Bob by Simon 3D. There is another picture of Lilja Darkstar here: https://www.renderosity.com/rr/mod/gallery/lilja-darkstar-ponders/3000402/ It's easiest to follow the story (if you like) at DeviantArt. It begins here: https://www.deviantart.com/mollyfootman/art/Lilja-Darkstar-ponders-875997592 I loves me some Steampunk