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Description
     Vinrey stood atop the engine car. His black Conductor's cloak billowed in the strong wind. He was looking out at a silver building on the horizon. He estimated the distance, speed of travel, and determined they would reach the target in about fifteen minutes.
     He climbed across the engine's roof and jumped.
     Jumping is a very dangerous thing to do on a speeding train. The wind and retroactive momentum tend to whip you into space and out onto the ground, which was never a safe place to be.
     As soon as Vinrey's feet left the dull iron of the engine car's roof, he was catapulted toward the stern of the craft. As his speed of flight increased, he stuck a hand out and grabbed a passing pole that stuck up from the coal car's entrance. His force of travel spun him around the pole, faster and faster. He spun, hanging on by one hand, down into the coal car.
     Bactus happened to be standing right in Vinrey's landing zone at that second.
     There was a the thwack of a boot impacting the wrong side of someone's head.
     Vinrey stood over Bactus, who was laid out on the floor. His eyes were closed. He groaned, "What just happened?"
     Vinrey looked convincingly sympathetic. "Bird. Hit you right in the back of the head. I watched the whole thing happen on my way to the bridge." He helped Bactus to his feet.
     Bactus said, "Oh. Well, alright. Uh, I was just coming by to see if you were ready to start the operation. We'll be at that installation in about-"
     "Fifteen minutes. I know. Like I said, I was on my way to the bridge when I found you lying on the floor there. Let's go, shall we?"
     They opened the door to the coal car on their left. As they walked past a few engineers, one called out, "Hey, Conductor! What's goin' on?"
     Vinrey bustled past him and said, "We're gonna blow something up."
     The engineer guffawed. "Awesome! I'll tell everyone!"
     Vinrey and Bactus busted into the Nav platform on the engine car. A few Nav boys whirled around in their chairs and asked, "What's up, Conductor?"
     "See that building over there? Vinrey asked.
     The Nav guys whirled around again and looked into the distance. "Yeah."
     "We're going to blow it up after we get the people out of it." He snagged the microphone from the PA system and said calmly into it, "Good morning everyone, this is your Conductor speaking. We've had a commission!" Cheers came from the cars behind them. "It's gonna be a bit difficult though. Our mission is, to put it bluntly, get all the people out of that building over there and blow it up as we leave." More cheers. "We're gonna pull alongside the place, tell everyone there there's a dust typhoon on the way, and get 'em on here. I need all of you greasy rail-reavers to be on your best behavior, and if anyone asks why they're here, tell them it's a dust typhoon. We'll pull up in about seven minutes, so prepare as necessary. Over and out."
     He put the PA back on its hook.
     "Alright boys, you heard me. Broadcast the tracksetters and dock at that station. Then open up the main hatch. I'll be the welcoming committee, don't let anyone off the train. They'll come to us, not the other way around."
     "Yes, sir." The Navigation crew got to work.
     Vinrey turned to Bactus. "Keep these monkeys under control."
     "Got it, boss."
     Vinrey walked out the door with a swish of his cloak.

     The Sanguine has a small entry room, on the ground floor of the engine car. It is similar to a foyer, with nice velvet chairs and lamp on the walls. It's really more for impressing people who get on more than anything else.
     Vinrey was seated in that gateroom on a bench. He knew what he was going to say to these people.
     There was a hiss, a clank, and the large steel door began to slide open, flooding the gateroom in bright sunlight. He snapped upright and tried to assume a stance that suggested superiority, menace, and graciousness all at once.
     The searing sun made him squint, he looked out onto the platform.
     On the large sheet of corrugated steel that was the docking platform, a person stood. one person.
     He was holding a very large rifle.
     There was the crack of a gunshot, and the sound of someone yelling in agony.
     Vinrey was standing behind the shooter, holding the rifle by the barrel in one hand, and twisting the assailant's right arm in a way that seemed impossible.
     Inside the gateroom, a bullet hole smoked quietly.
     The gunman looked up and realized how very tall Vinrey was.
     "Look, I didn't mean to-" He yelled again as Vinrey chucked the rifle aside and twisted his left arm in a fashion similar to his right.
     Vinrey spoke, "Why did you just try to shoot me?"
     The attacker replied, "I thought you were a bunch of rail pirates! Turns out I was right."
     Vinrey released him, he fell to the ground. "Wrong." He drew a long and very sharp katana from under his dark cloak and pointed it directly at the gunner. It was a few inches away from his nose, and glinted in the bright sun.
     "I am Conductor Vinrey, and that," he pointed with his sword, "is my train. We've come to rescue you and anyone else at this station."
     The man looked cross eyed at the sword point in front of him. "rescue us from what?"
     "A dust typhoon. Headed straight for this place."
     "That doesn't make any sense. This isn't a zone for typhoons."
     "Bad windy season. Trust me, I picked it up on my monitors." He sheathed his sword. "The lot of you are coming with me and my crew to the earest settlement, they'll have dust shields."
     "I guess we have no choice, huh?"
     Vinrey looked into the man's eyes. "Nope."
     The man walked over to his rifle and strapped it over his shoulder. "By the way, Conductor, there is no 'lot of you'. It's just me here."
     Vinrey raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? I was told there were hundreds of people here."
     "There were, Conductor, there were." He smiled sadly at Vinrey. "Do you want to see the bodies?"

     Bactus stood at the bridge with the Navigation crew. He had his eyes screwed against a pair of binoculars, trying desperately to see what was going on. He was narrating into the PA.
     "Ok, the door's open. Wait, there's a guy on the platform with a gun headed right for him!" Gasps from the crew. "Wait. What the...? Ok, the Conductor just evaporated and appeared right behind the guy, knocked the rifle out of his hands, and... now he's making pretzels out of the poor dummy's arms. Damn, he's fast." He paused. "Ok, he let him go, now they're talking. I guess the guy isn't a complete moron. Uh-oh, the Conductor's got his sword out. He's got it pointed right at the guy's nose. They're still talking." He paused again. "Ok, now the guy is... getting his gun back." Murmurs from the crew. "More talking... and now they're going into the station. Ok, that was a bit odd, but I guess people here are a bit on edge." He set the binoculars down and shouted into the intercom, "Alright, back to work! Nothin' else goin' on, quit lallygagging'!"
     Bactus looked back toward the door of the installation, there Vinrey went. He thought, 'Good luck, Conductor.'

Description
     Vinrey stood atop the engine car. His black Conductor's cloak billowed in the strong wind. He was looking out at a silver building on the horizon. He estimated the distance, speed of travel, and determined they would reach the target in about fifteen minutes.
     He climbed across the engine's roof and jumped.
     Jumping is a very dangerous thing to do on a speeding train. The wind and retroactive momentum tend to whip you into space and out onto the ground, which was never a safe place to be.
     As soon as Vinrey's feet left the dull iron of the engine car's roof, he was catapulted toward the stern of the craft. As his speed of flight increased, he stuck a hand out and grabbed a passing pole that stuck up from the coal car's entrance. His force of travel spun him around the pole, faster and faster. He spun, hanging on by one hand, down into the coal car.
     Bactus happened to be standing right in Vinrey's landing zone at that second.
     There was a the thwack of a boot impacting the wrong side of someone's head.
     Vinrey stood over Bactus, who was laid out on the floor. His eyes were closed. He groaned, "What just happened?"
     Vinrey looked convincingly sympathetic. "Bird. Hit you right in the back of the head. I watched the whole thing happen on my way to the bridge." He helped Bactus to his feet.
     Bactus said, "Oh. Well, alright. Uh, I was just coming by to see if you were ready to start the operation. We'll be at that installation in about-"
     "Fifteen minutes. I know. Like I said, I was on my way to the bridge when I found you lying on the floor there. Let's go, shall we?"
     They opened the door to the coal car on their left. As they walked past a few engineers, one called out, "Hey, Conductor! What's goin' on?"
     Vinrey bustled past him and said, "We're gonna blow something up."
     The engineer guffawed. "Awesome! I'll tell everyone!"
     Vinrey and Bactus busted into the Nav platform on the engine car. A few Nav boys whirled around in their chairs and asked, "What's up, Conductor?"
     "See that building over there? Vinrey asked.
     The Nav guys whirled around again and looked into the distance. "Yeah."
     "We're going to blow it up after we get the people out of it." He snagged the microphone from the PA system and said calmly into it, "Good morning everyone, this is your Conductor speaking. We've had a commission!" Cheers came from the cars behind them. "It's gonna be a bit difficult though. Our mission is, to put it bluntly, get all the people out of that building over there and blow it up as we leave." More cheers. "We're gonna pull alongside the place, tell everyone there there's a dust typhoon on the way, and get 'em on here. I need all of you greasy rail-reavers to be on your best behavior, and if anyone asks why they're here, tell them it's a dust typhoon. We'll pull up in about seven minutes, so prepare as necessary. Over and out."
     He put the PA back on its hook.
     "Alright boys, you heard me. Broadcast the tracksetters and dock at that station. Then open up the main hatch. I'll be the welcoming committee, don't let anyone off the train. They'll come to us, not the other way around."
     "Yes, sir." The Navigation crew got to work.
     Vinrey turned to Bactus. "Keep these monkeys under control."
     "Got it, boss."
     Vinrey walked out the door with a swish of his cloak.

     The Sanguine has a small entry room, on the ground floor of the engine car. It is similar to a foyer, with nice velvet chairs and lamp on the walls. It's really more for impressing people who get on more than anything else.
     Vinrey was seated in that gateroom on a bench. He knew what he was going to say to these people.
     There was a hiss, a clank, and the large steel door began to slide open, flooding the gateroom in bright sunlight. He snapped upright and tried to assume a stance that suggested superiority, menace, and graciousness all at once.
     The searing sun made him squint, he looked out onto the platform.
     On the large sheet of corrugated steel that was the docking platform, a person stood. one person.
     He was holding a very large rifle.
     There was the crack of a gunshot, and the sound of someone yelling in agony.
     Vinrey was standing behind the shooter, holding the rifle by the barrel in one hand, and twisting the assailant's right arm in a way that seemed impossible.
     Inside the gateroom, a bullet hole smoked quietly.
     The gunman looked up and realized how very tall Vinrey was.
     "Look, I didn't mean to-" He yelled again as Vinrey chucked the rifle aside and twisted his left arm in a fashion similar to his right.
     Vinrey spoke, "Why did you just try to shoot me?"
     The attacker replied, "I thought you were a bunch of rail pirates! Turns out I was right."
     Vinrey released him, he fell to the ground. "Wrong." He drew a long and very sharp katana from under his dark cloak and pointed it directly at the gunner. It was a few inches away from his nose, and glinted in the bright sun.
     "I am Conductor Vinrey, and that," he pointed with his sword, "is my train. We've come to rescue you and anyone else at this station."
     The man looked cross eyed at the sword point in front of him. "rescue us from what?"
     "A dust typhoon. Headed straight for this place."
     "That doesn't make any sense. This isn't a zone for typhoons."
     "Bad windy season. Trust me, I picked it up on my monitors." He sheathed his sword. "The lot of you are coming with me and my crew to the earest settlement, they'll have dust shields."
     "I guess we have no choice, huh?"
     Vinrey looked into the man's eyes. "Nope."
     The man walked over to his rifle and strapped it over his shoulder. "By the way, Conductor, there is no 'lot of you'. It's just me here."
     Vinrey raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? I was told there were hundreds of people here."
     "There were, Conductor, there were." He smiled sadly at Vinrey. "Do you want to see the bodies?"

     Bactus stood at the bridge with the Navigation crew. He had his eyes screwed against a pair of binoculars, trying desperately to see what was going on. He was narrating into the PA.
     "Ok, the door's open. Wait, there's a guy on the platform with a gun headed right for him!" Gasps from the crew. "Wait. What the...? Ok, the Conductor just evaporated and appeared right behind the guy, knocked the rifle out of his hands, and... now he's making pretzels out of the poor dummy's arms. Damn, he's fast." He paused. "Ok, he let him go, now they're talking. I guess the guy isn't a complete moron. Uh-oh, the Conductor's got his sword out. He's got it pointed right at the guy's nose. They're still talking." He paused again. "Ok, now the guy is... getting his gun back." Murmurs from the crew. "More talking... and now they're going into the station. Ok, that was a bit odd, but I guess people here are a bit on edge." He set the binoculars down and shouted into the intercom, "Alright, back to work! Nothin' else goin' on, quit lallygagging'!"
     Bactus looked back toward the door of the installation, there Vinrey went. He thought, 'Good luck, Conductor.'