[Ericen]

Flicker nods at Harrier

We really do need to figure out what they want to steal from this train, it has been robbed before so it has to be something they pick up and drop off somewhere regularly. Once we know what it is we can figure out what car they store it in and we can setup our security appropriately.

I will come with you BT I would like to see and hear how Oblique reacts to your questions.

[Csjarrat]

___to harrier____
name's Morgan.  Them drones are gonna be damn handy I think, catch you later mate, I've gotta get cracking on this host.

___to luz___
Shouldn't be a problem. Right, I'm gonna go find me bunk and jack in. Give me a call if you need me.


Morgan grab his kit bags waved to the gathered group, explaining his need to go jack in and work privately.
He wandered off down the corridor looking for the accommodation unit and his empty bunk.
Finding the stale smelling carriage, he sat on the edge of the bunk and slid his kit under it, though not before he'd removed his deck. He drew his pistol and synced it up to his smartlink, putting it on the cluttered unit to cover the door whilst he was jacked in.
He shut the door to and flicked the switch to the "locked" position.
Sighing heavily, he laid back into the lumpy mattress and un-spooled his data cable, slotting it into the top of his deck, it's protective case worn and chipped. He booted it up and felt the rush of the transition to hotsim, the datawave tingling at his motor cortex, his muscles trembling slightly at the subtle over stimulation.
In a mili-second he relaxed into it, accepting the digital world as his reality.
He looked at his avatar, spinning it around in his minds eye. Picking the featureless mannequin, he dialed up the glow setting to max, a blazing aura of green lighting up the reflective "surface" of his features.
He opened a terminal to his smart gun lying on the bedside table, slaving its camera feed to a hovering transparent window just to his right.
Firing up his analysis tools from his software suite, he engaged it onto the tool suite on his left arm and ran some cursory diagnostics on the host.

[JackVII]

[14SEP2075 0952 | Cirque de l'Ombre Caravan| Tarislar]

Harrier tensed up when Morgan asked if he was from Britain. His past with the Lord Protector's Office would likely be frowned down upon by any shadowrunner worth his or her bullets. Get a grip, Nigel, it's not like you can hide the accent, he thought to himself. With false enthusiasm, he replied, "You've got a sharp ear there, Morgan. I'm from London, East End to be precise. Anyway, just give me a ring when you get everything set-up. I think a rotating cycle between the Wasp and the drones should work well, given my fuel. In fact, I'm going to go ahead and head back up top to start the Eye Spys on their first area sweep." With a mental command, the rigger recalled his Eye Spys and placed them back into the sleeve, slinging it over his back.

Calling out to the rest of the group, Harrier said, "I'm heading up top to check on my kit and get the drones started on their sweeps." With that the dwarf walked to the side opening and slowly climbed the ladder to the roof of the car. Before returning to the Wasp, the rigger inspected each of the Roto-Drones, wiping ash away from their sensor arrays and checking that their armaments were still clear. Satisfied, he released the Eye Spys again and sent the five drones off to set-up a 100 meter pentacle formation perimeter around the train, each of the drones forming a point of the pentacle with two drones to the front and one to the rear. As slow as this sodding train is moving, I doubt anyone is going to be forced to attack it from the rear.

With his initial perimeter established, Harrier hopped into the cockpit of the Wasp and closed the canopy. He settled down considerably once securely inside the machine. Opening up five AR windows, he examined the feeds provided to him by his drones.

[All4BigGuns]

Being a man of less talk and more action, Cutter has been spending most of his time keeping an eye on the left-hand side of this caravan of sorts from the back of his Mirage. Adjusting the breather mask he's wearing for protection from the ash in the air, he muses quietly to himself, "Whoever these people are wanting protection from must either be well-equipped, highly skilled or both to warrant the cost of hiring this kind of extra security. Ah, well. Money's money."

[Aria]

[Saturday September 14th, 2075; Moving out of Tarislar, Puyallup, Seattle]

@Morgan:

You settle comfortably into VR and find yourself outside the host…a graphical representation of what you presume looks like one of the circus tents when this joint sets up shop.  It’s more like a tepee than a traditional red and white big top but it matches images you pulled off the ‘trix when you found you’d be working for the circus.  Now, to see if the marks they provided you with are legit or another way for you to get in trouble…

Inside you find yourself on the side of a vertiginous mountain, the night air heavily laden with the scent of jasmine and honeysuckle.  Stars grace the firmament and provide more than adequate light for the impossibly steep path that snakes back and forth across lacy bridges and next to vast and shrouded cliffs.  Somewhere above you there is a castle, an odd mix of eastern Buddhist temple and Arabian palace with traces of fantasy elven.  If it’s representative of the make-up of the circus no wonder they are a little chaotic…impressive though, they’ve not stinted on the programming skill to render the scene in vivid detail, particularly through your HotSIM interface…

Two sinuous coiling eastern dragons with a swarm of aerial creatures around them clearly represent the convoy's connection to the host, other than that it is pretty quiet with very few personas interacting with it at the moment, presumably they are all still getting settled in for the ride and haven't got time for frivolity yet...

@Ghost:

<<@Torrent [Ghost]: This is Ghost, one of your runners. I'll just be honest with you. I need a hell of a lot more information than you've given us. I already thought it was a little extreme, but then I found out you sent in god damn air support? What the fuck are we defending against? Judging by the size of our team, this circus must be a lot more valuable than we thought, so who are we suspecting will attack this? We cannot do anything but the most basic of security, because we have no idea what we have to be able to stop. I would rather come out of this alive, and I'm sure the rest of my team would agree with me, so if you want no fragups, better give us some more information, or I don't think this circus, or us, are going to get out of here alive. This is not a threat, but if you want your reputation to remain untarnished, you got to give your team a little more info to protect our charges. Otherwise, I have no choice but to conclude we are sitting ducks out here.

Adios Señor Torrent, I expect to hear from you soon.>>

<<@Ghost/Team [Torrent]: I assure you I don’t believe in sending runners in blind.  You aren’t there as a sacrificial offering, runners are too valuable for that sort of crap and I wouldn’t maintain the rep I’ve built in Europe by organising suicide missions.  I was contracted by Oblique to provide protection through the Puyallup barrens, your numbers are a factor of who I could pull in with the stipulated time frame and the sheer length of the convoy.  Given the nature of the terrain as I understand it eyes in the sky seemed worthwhile and Harrier was available. 

I’ve worked with the Circus before and I understand your frustration at dealing with their oddities but I expect a professional such as yourself to be able to deal with that.  They haven’t identified a specific threat to me and they have hired runners for other hazardous stretches of terrain where they are unlikely to be able to call in the authorities for assistance so it’s hardly unusual.  That doesn’t mean that there isn’t a specific threat but I would advise you to talk to Oblique directly if you can pin him down long enough.

If I can offer other assistance then please ask, I find it is mutually beneficial to be as open as possible and it is refreshing to be taken to task but don’t take the piss omae and remember who you are talking to!>>

@Luz:

Making your way back through the train you make cursory, but highly detailed, observations of the inhabitants and their eccentric costumes, elaborate sets and spartan living accommodation...

@Al:

"Seems like a helluva lot o' headache fer a one day run. What genius done picked this route anyway?"

Frank grins back at you, spitting the swirling ash out of his mouth as he catches a gust from the open window and scratches at an itch on his stubble laden face

“This shit is nothing, you should have been with us when we went to Moscow!  Now there’s some hostile terrain up there I can tell you!  This crap is easy, we just glide on over the ash and flatten it down nice for the good folks in their bitty little trailers in the back..."

@Leaflock:

You are accosted by a tall gentleman with spare frame and shocking white hair.  He is wearing a dark grey leather longcoat buttoned tight to the underside of a square chin and at his wrist you catch a telltale glimpse of something that can only be some sort of focus

"You are handling our metaphysical security ya?  Oblique asked me to talk to you and offer assistance...I am William Zeiss..."

@Bittorrent & Flicker:

You finally corner Oblique making a jog for the admin area once the convoy is finally under steam…steam would probably be faster in fact…the harried dwarf has lost the top hat somewhere and is mopping the persistent ash off his face

"You are settled in and ready for our journey?  Yes, I suppose I can answer some questions...please come inside where we can breath and I will answer what I can..."

Leading you along a companionway beside the admin area he takes you to a poky office with not much more than a matrix terminal and a distressed easy chair which has obviously served as his bed once too often

"Come in, come in, there's not much room but it's private and that can't always be said for the rest of the convoy.  So, you are curious why I have hired you?  It is not unusual for us to do so when we are travelling in areas like the barrens, as Tarislar was our last port of call we have little choice but to cross here, particularly as we would like to avoid the worst of the check points that frequent more used border crossings.  It is not just the time taken for customs to deal with a convoy like ours, there are certain areas of the train where it would be better for all if they did not stumble across, bribes will only go so far after all...smuggle is an ugly word, no?  But I suppose it best describes some of our financial transactions... listen to me harping on, that isn't relevant to now.  I asked Torrent to provide a competent mix of individuals because our Seer has identified a confrontation in our future.  She is suitably vague about the whole thing, that's seers for you, but she's clear enough that if we reach the border then the threat will have passed.  I considered taking a faster route to Fort Lewis but she insisted we go this way...she's been wrong before of course but still, magic is one of the things I don't believe in messing with...you could meet her if you like?  Is there anyone else you want to talk to?  I'm sure your decker has pulled up a manifest of the troupe by now and I have told people to cooperate, let me know if they don't..." and from the steel in his voice you can see why he is loosely in charge of this motley crew

@Harrier:

From the comfort of your VR control console you scrutinise the feeds coming in from your bobbing drones.  Visibility is crap and getting worse, almost reminds you of the London smog, and you are relying more and more on the other plethora of sensors at your disposal.  It's going to make spotting incoming hostiles that much harder and more or less negate the fact that you are out in the open away from your comfortable high rises and their turbulent wind sheers.  The ash is laden with static and you can't wait for the inevitable lightening...at least the shielding on the drones is holding up and with your scrubbers the noise isn't too much bother...

@Cutter:

Out on the flank you are buzzed by one of the circus' outriders until the orc, swathed in desert style leathers and face mask, decides you are either part of the new security or otherwise not a threat...

[JackVII]

[14SEP2075 1000 | Cirque de l'Ombre Caravan| Puyallup]

With the drones sensor feeds showing nothing particularly out of the ordinary, at least not any more out of the ordinary than a volcano-blasted, ash-filled, urban wasteland, Harrier figured it safe enough to hit VR. Pulling the data cable out from the Liegelord, the rigger connected it to the rigger interface of the Wasp. Mentally turning on the helicopter's electrical systems, the dwarf slipped his consciousness into the aircraft. His senses flooded with foreign inputs, he carefully examined the feeds from his drones before accessing his communication system.

>>L'Ombre Zep, this is Harrier. Come in, L'Ombre Zep.

The wind slightly buffeted him as he waited for a response, his sensors scanning the tracks and ash cloud left by the massive wheels of the convoy trains.

>>Harrier, this is L'Ombre Zep. Go ahead, over.

That was pretty punctual, the rigger thought to himself, at least they're not sleeping up there.

>>Alright L'Ombre Zep, not sure if you blokes caught the sigs of the drones I sent out, but I've got something of a sensor net up. Does the zeppelin have a sensor suite that I can I add to the feeds I'm pulling from the drones? The more eyes the better, my mum always said.

Harrier figured he would have to wait for a response to that one. No telling if whoever was captaining that ship was at the controls or not. As he waited a new message icon streaked into the helicopter icon representing him on the Matrix, showing something new from Torrent. Calling it up, he mentally chuckled at the amiable dressing down Ghost received, but did think it somewhat poor form to send the entire response to the team. What an American thing to do... the dwarf thought to himself, awaiting the reply from the zeppelin. With a few seconds on his hand, he sends a message to Morgan and BitTorrent.

<<@Morgan/BT [Harrier] Checking with the zeppelin to see if they have a sensor feed to add to our net. I'll let you know.>>

[Zweiblumen]

BT follows Oblique and Flicker into the cramped room.  Once they have both seated themselves, he attempts to fold him self into a corner... and gives up, and just stands.  Inadvertantely towering over everyone in the room.
To make up for his looming presence, he speaks softly.  "Thank you for both your time and the explanation Oblique.  We understand how busy you are keeping the chaos here at least somewhat contained.  Could you elaborate slightly on the nature of the, lets call them 'goods,' that might be causing certain parties to look less favorably upon this fine establishment?"
He sees the response from Torrent in his AR feed and nods to himself. Well, that explains a little bit.  Added to what Oblique has said it makes more sense than our imaginations.
"Meeting your seer could be rather... eye opening."  He says with his broad golden grin.  "It would be nice to possibly figure out if I've a few hours to make some preperations."

<<<@Team[Bittorent]: Oblique has confirmed what Torrent said, and was nice enough to mention they are carting a decent amount of contraban of some sort.  Guessing that's what folks will be after. >>>
<<<@Morgan[Bittorent]:  I'll join you in the host shortly, lets check out the manifests and see who/what they say are on this thing.>>>

[adamu]

“Moscow, eh? Never been. But I near ta caught y’all in Taipei, back in ’69. Was onna oil rig inna Spratlys, had some furlough comin’, scored the tix from a net-scalper in Hanoi. Always wanted to see y’all. Then the damned weekly shuttle was a no show an’ ol’ Al spent the week drinkin’ Jack ta old Seattle Star flats.”

“Oh, man, I love those. The one where they take down those eco freaks...oh yeah!”

“Eco freaks...right, the ones tryin’ ta frame Aztechnology’s animal rescue charity - hell, I was reachin’ fer muh ‘link ta donate ta the Big A before I realized the blamed show was thirty years old.”

“Yeah, that was early days for the Star. I was just a kid, but I loved that show. Sergeant Rico, he was my hero, man. But it’s K-E here now, right?”

“Shore as keebs shit green. An’ none the better fer it.”

“Too sad, man. But it sucks you missed the ‘69 tour - seminal year, that.”

“You been with the circus that long?”

“Hell, Ty and I, we’ve been whipping this beast along for, what is it buddy?”

“Higher than you can count, breeder,” responded the troll, determined to remain surly.

“About sixteen years, I guess. It’s a good gig, never dull.”

“So you take these rigs everywhere?”

“Everywhere, man, even roll ‘em right onto the boats.”

“Put ‘em on one Super Panamax?”

“That’s it. Hey you said you drove these?”

And they were hooked. Fifteen minutes later, Al knew all he needed to about their maintenance protocols, and he had a pretty good idea what he might do with the power plant if push came to shove. More important, once he had shown them he knew the ropes, they didn’t think too long before giving him the access codes to both rigs.

Steering the conversation to security, he was unsurprised by what he heard. It sounded a bit sloppy even for him, though, and he figured Ghost would pitch a regular fit.

Tyrone had warmed up a bit, but now he was coughing and looking annoyed - the cab was getting pretty dusty, and he broke off the conversation so they could button up.

Then he recorded a voice message and sent it to the team: “Reckon they take these trains ever’where they go, an’ they ain’t much ta surprise ‘bout the rout nor takin’ on extra hands when crossin’ rough ground. No partickaler threats that these fellers know of. Oblique’s the boss far as they’s concerned, an’ they got no knowledge nohow ‘bout higher up the food chain. Things go south, they safeguard the performers first, then other folk, with property protection dead last. Ta do this, however, they got no plan whatsoever. Jist make it up as they go ‘long, but ‘bout whatcha’d expect from a bunch o’ ar-tistes. Reckon these things’ll run a mite faster inna pinch, an’ ol’ Al kin likely git ‘em flyin’ ‘long ‘round three-oh em-pee-aitch, should the need arise an’ ya don’t mind bein’ grounded thereafter. Attachin’ the access an’ ignition codes fer both rigs if’n anyone needs ‘em. Stay frosty.”

Feeling a bit exhausted after all that work, Al sat down on the big running board and tried to think of a way to smoke with a wet bandanna across his face.

[8-bit]

@Ghost:

<<@Torrent [Ghost]: This is Ghost, one of your runners. I'll just be honest with you. I need a hell of a lot more information than you've given us. I already thought it was a little extreme, but then I found out you sent in god damn air support? What the fuck are we defending against? Judging by the size of our team, this circus must be a lot more valuable than we thought, so who are we suspecting will attack this? We cannot do anything but the most basic of security, because we have no idea what we have to be able to stop. I would rather come out of this alive, and I'm sure the rest of my team would agree with me, so if you want no fragups, better give us some more information, or I don't think this circus, or us, are going to get out of here alive. This is not a threat, but if you want your reputation to remain untarnished, you got to give your team a little more info to protect our charges. Otherwise, I have no choice but to conclude we are sitting ducks out here.

Adios Señor Torrent, I expect to hear from you soon.>>

<<@Ghost/Team [Torrent]: I assure you I don’t believe in sending runners in blind.  You aren’t there as a sacrificial offering, runners are too valuable for that sort of crap and I wouldn’t maintain the rep I’ve built in Europe by organising suicide missions.  I was contracted by Oblique to provide protection through the Puyallup barrens, your numbers are a factor of who I could pull in with the stipulated time frame and the sheer length of the convoy.  Given the nature of the terrain as I understand it eyes in the sky seemed worthwhile and Harrier was available. 

I’ve worked with the Circus before and I understand your frustration at dealing with their oddities but I expect a professional such as yourself to be able to deal with that.  They haven’t identified a specific threat to me and they have hired runners for other hazardous stretches of terrain where they are unlikely to be able to call in the authorities for assistance so it’s hardly unusual.  That doesn’t mean that there isn’t a specific threat but I would advise you to talk to Oblique directly if you can pin him down long enough.

If I can offer other assistance then please ask, I find it is mutually beneficial to be as open as possible and it is refreshing to be taken to task but don’t take the piss omae and remember who you are talking to!>>

One of these days my attitude is going to get me killed. Probably very soon. At least he seems to be as much in the dark as we are.

Ghost chuckles to himself and replies.

Recipient: Torrent
Sender: Ghost

Mis disculpas, Señor Torrent.

Having to coordinate with 7 paranoid runners who are all half a second away from shooting someone has set me on edge. When you sent in the air support, our first thought was that it was an attack. After we received his message, I could see all of us seriously reconsidering the difficulties of this job. We definitely do not like flying in blind. Needless to say, everyone here is a little tense; we've all felt the harsh pain of betrayal before.

Knowing that the you understand the oddities we have to face at the Circus has greatly eased my mind. My associates are already on their way to question Oblique, but knowing that we are not the only ones in the dark is better than nothing.

We need no other assistance, you have been very helpful to us. I have no doubt that we will be able to guard this Circus. Sí, Señor, I remember who I am talking to; the Orc who rightfully put me in my place!

<<<@Team[Bittorent]: Oblique has confirmed what Torrent said, and was nice enough to mention they are carting a decent amount of contraban of some sort.  Guessing that's what folks will be after. >>>

Well, I guess we know what we're protecting. Still doesn't give us anything to really work with.

Ghost tries to sit still but finds he has way too much energy to burn and starts walking the train.

Damn, this is going to be a long wait.

[Carathas]

[Saturday September 14th, 2075; Moving out of Tarislar, Puyallup, Seattle]

@Leaflock:

You are accosted by a tall gentleman with spare frame and shocking white hair.  He is wearing a dark grey leather longcoat buttoned tight to the underside of a square chin and at his wrist you catch a telltale glimpse of something that can only be some sort of focus

"You are handling our metaphysical security ya?  Oblique asked me to talk to you and offer assistance...I am William Zeiss..."

"I am indeed, Leaf is the name Mr Zeiss, or should I say Herr Zeiss?" Leaf raises an eyebrow in a friendly question.

"If you can offer some insights into this strange little troupe that you have that would be extremely helpful. As you may be aware, we've been asked to tag along on your journey at the last minute and many of us have not yet been fully briefed on what we might be needed for. I myself, am here strictly to provide medical assistance should it be required."

A little white lie never hurt anyone...

[Ericen]

Flicker thanks Oblique for the information and ask for directions to the seer's car. With a quick bow flicker departs to the seer's car.

BT Would you like to go to the seer's car with me?

When out of ear shot of Oblique, Maybe she can give us a idea where the attack will be focused and we can figure out what they are trying to take. Plus I am sure she will have information on the circus members as well, just can't be sure how accurate it will be.

On the way to the seer Flicker thinks this is like a repeat of training, remember you don't have to see the attack for it to be so. Use your senses smell it, feel it, hear it be one with your surroundings and you will know. Expand your senses trust your training it will not fail you. And you will not fail me or your training you will show why your training is superior. The Old Man was so old world and you knew he meant every word.

When we are at the door I will knock and allow BT to enter first and quietly slip in behind him standing in the shadows and listen to what us said.

Flicker gives the seer a slight bow.
 

[Csjarrat]

<<<@Team[Bittorent]: Oblique has confirmed what Torrent said, and was nice enough to mention they are carting a decent amount of contraban of some sort.  Guessing that's what folks will be after. >>>
<<<@Morgan[Bittorent]:  I'll join you in the host shortly, lets check out the manifests and see who/what they say are on this thing.>>>

//Got it, I'm in now//
Morgan quickly checked the translucent terminal of the smartgun's camera feed to see if anyone was troubling his meat body before progressing,
He kicked off from the mountain side, aiming for the beautifully rendered castle as he took flight in the cool "air" that tugged at the limbs of his avatar.
He pointed his left arm at it, the glowing blue analysis suite went to work, characterising it's code and purpose.

matrix perception on "castle" (13d6.hits(5)=5)
-what is it's role/purpose?
-what are it's ratings?
-is it encrypted?

[JackVII]

[14SEP2075 1010 | Cirque de l'Ombre Caravan| Puyallup]

Harrier's body lay comatose as his persona icon soared around the Matrix, periodically checking up on the small device icons of his drones. So far so good, he thought to himself. As he checked on the last drone, another message icon streaked towards his persona, this one from BT. Reviewing it would have sent shivers up the dwarf's spine had not been slumped over like a rag doll in the real world.

Contraband, huh? he mused, I'll bet... Harrier thought back to all the things he had ever read and heard about the Cirque de l'Ombre over the years. Some people swore they were smugglers, which sounds like this Oblique bloke had just confirmed. If that was true... then what about all the other things?

Dark and terrible stories claimed the Cirque were powerful shadow spirits that fed on the emotions their daring acts produced. Even more sinister, there were claims that, for a fee, the performers could make one's darkest dreams come true. If so, what kind of banquet would that be for these shadow beasts? Harrier started to gulp before realizing that he didn't have the physical capacity for it at the moment.

Even with all these dark stories swirling through his head, the rigger had learned long ago that there were too many skeptics in the world. He was not about to share his concerns with the rest of his team, lest they think him daft. They wouldn't believe him, at least not until it was too late, no one ever believed him until it was too late. What he would do, however, was keep a sharp eye on the people he was guarding. Grumpily, he thought, The last thing I need is some shadow beast turning my feelings into lunch!

[Zweiblumen]

Looking to Flicker BT responds, "I'm not that experienced with the mystics and future predicting, but from what I've heard they tend to lack on specifics.  Still worth a chat.  Lets see what the lady has to say."

As Flicker holds the door, BT ducks into the small room and introduces himself to the Seer, "Hello Madam, they call me Bittorrent and my associate here goes by Flicker.  Oblique said that we should come speak with you."  As he says this, he extends his massive hand gently with his trademark golden smile.

[Lusis]

Luz strutted through the length of the train to get some familiarity with it and it's occupants.

The passenger portion of the train consisted of four cars of coffin-motel-sized, roughly rectangular 'bedtubes', stacked two high, laying perpendicular to their travel. At one the end of the car is a small closet-like restroom, the other end consisted of storage for items that couldn't fit inside the bedtubes or in a small storage space underneath the lower one. A pathway ran along one side of the car.

The rear three cars were packed with burly, rough men, several orcs, and one troll who had moved into a storage area at the end of a car, too big to fit into a bedtube. Already the stench of too many people living together was present, the troupe having traveled together before hiring the runners. Small particles of ashen silt, kicked up from the motion of the convoy and defying the poor filtration units of the cars, wafted through the air and clung to everything.

The noise of conversations drew down as she passed, the men staring at the cyber-laden woman. She squeezed past a particularity tall orc, who grunted and smiled. She felt her ballistic skirt move, looked down and saw that the orc’s hand had found its way into the split that exposed the side of her upper leg, was now resting on her metallic buttock
 
Luz stopped, looking up to the orc and returned his smile. The orc chuckled softly as Luz ran her metallic left hand up the man’s chest, stopping to hold back the side of his exposed neck.
Suddenly, the orc tensed up, his back arched and his eyes rolled back into his head before falling limply to the ground. The other men stared quietly for a moment at the dazed orc.

The car erupted in laughter. Luz turned and continued towards the front of the train; the remaining men moving against the walls to allow her passage.

¥

Next was a car consisting of two parts common rooms, and one part closet-like showers, clearly not designed with orcs or trolls in mind. The rooms were mostly packed with gear or sleeping passengers; including a couple more trolls and a minotaur.

There were roughly enough beds in the forward passenger car to house the performers, or what Luz assumed to be the performers, since their bodies were lither and more toned than those in the other cars.

The lights were dimmer in this car, almost to the point of requiring Luz to use the low-light in her cybereyes.

“Ugh, this ash is terrible! “ Someone complained softly. “It’s everywhere!” 

“We’ll be out of it soon enough…get some rest.” A deep voice responded.

“I need a shower; hopefully the help hasn’t clogged the drains already”

“There’s no point until we leave Puyallup”

“Excuse me” A new voice said to Luz from one of the nearby tubes.

She turned to see a female elf with strikingly unusual black skin and long grey hair looking at her horizontally, just below eye-level.   

“Are you new? Because if you aren’t, you know your bed is back there.”

Luz turned on her enhanced vision to see who was addressing her. “I’m not the normal ‘help’.”
“Yeah well, we don’t appreciate the kind of help you bring here,” the dark woman said, looking at the assault rifle hanging from Luz’s shoulder, “this is our home.”

Luz adjusted the settings on her voice modulator to give her voice a softer, sweeter tone, “You don’t have that luxury, because your home is moving through other’s home, and they might not like that.”

“Well I don’t care what they think…we are here to entertain, and we hardly have anything of value”

“Leave her alone” The deep voice said as his two hard hooves hit the floor. “She’s just doing her job that Oblique hired her for.”

Luz looked at the voice to see that this one was a Satyr, with thin, swept horns and the hair on his legs dyed black.

Luz silently moved forward to the prime mover, where she found a ladder leading to the roof.