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RP: Cirrus Station [Episode 7] It's All Fun and Trains

Sean walked up to the group as the tram came into the station, looking around and inspecting the group as he came. Not that his opinion mattered, but it seemed to be a fairly ragtag group of people to him, though since it was in operation, they obviously worked together. Somehow. He stood on the side of the group farthest from the tram as it came by, noting the lack of reactions for the most part. "I take it this kind of thing is normal, then?"
 
Noboru gawked at the rails where a train had been all of twelve seconds ago, then shrugged. After the Uniques, and hearing horror stories from other crewmen about Squad 35's other adventures, this kind of situation didn't really affect him too much. He turned towards the other new guy and shrugged impassively once again.

"Yeah, kinda," Noboru said.
 
Himiko just blinked as the tram went zooming by, unsure if it was supposed to do that or not. After seeing the distress signal sent to them by the Freespacer, the Yamataian girl felt a little helpless since she wasn't quite sure how they were supposed to stop the tram.
 
Serra regained her composure and shrugged.

"Well, the good thing is that most of the squad are engineers of some credit, so this problem might be less annoying then the others we've had to handle." She said with a sigh and shake of her head.
 
"How're we supposed to stop a train...?" she muttered to Claire.

Keziah glanced around at the rest of the squad. In the wake of the train's rapid, rapid departure with its cargo of distressed junkers and one very small Freespacer, she doubted anyone really knew what to do.

Where was their captain, anyway? Who was in charge here? Standing around and gawking at how normal this incident was wasn't solving anything.

"Administrator." Keziah cracked the seal on her helmet, revealing her still-slightly-blushing face as she strode up to the volumetric display. Hopefully she sounded commander-y enough. "How do we do that, catch another train and try to reach yours?"

Overrides, overrides. They would need to find the overrides. Either on the train cars itself, or in some central control node. Deploy the things' breaks, cut off the levitation. If it was a system malfunction, then more than one train should be malfunctioning...

Keziah's mind was a whirlwind and, in that moment, she wished she shared the Freespace's communal link again. At least then communication would be easy.
 
"I could jump onto the front of the speeding tram when it comes back, grab hold of something with one hand, to make sure I don't fall off, then peel off the little robot bastards with the other hand. Assuming they're the problem." A little dramatic, and most likely a failure resulting in death, Stovaa's plan wasn't the best on offer. It wasn't really a plan, there was no structure to it, it was just a suicide mission that allowed him a chance at danger. The Id-Sol smirked and mimed his plan, as if people would fail to understand his explanation.

"Or maybe not. Engineers, you know how the tram system works I imagine," he quizzed. "Got any ideas that would preclude my heroic and epic tram-ventures?"

He mimed his plan again, for no real reason.
 
Claire shook her head, "The things probably tried to get it to stop, but now they're just trying not to become scrap as the tram tears through the tunnels recklessly." That was worrying. Malfunctioning equipment was one thing, but malfunctioning equipment that was endangering those who tried to fix/stop it was another. It also brought the question of why no one noticed this yet till now. Hopefully Cassie might be around to give the engineers a few directions.
 
Method stared at the train as it went by, waving at the junkers clinging to it and its living passenger. Hey, robots! I'm good at those. Maybe I can help. She strode to the edge of the platform, then bent down, her head dangerously close to where the tram would pass - she was looking for maintenance tunnels, or controls, or something, totally unaware that her cranium could quickly become a smear on the front of a speeding vehicle.
 
"Ah, in charge!?" Mimi said, frantically looking around as Keziah noticed that their captain was not with them at the moment. "Ah, um! Emergency leadership protocol states that those with seniority combined with compatible service records are to direct Cirrus Station Security squads in the event current captains are unable to lead! AH, Mr. Kokuten is not here yet! That would mean..." Mimi trailed off, her eyes staring off into nothingness as she processed through all of the information in the blink of an eye. "...Miss Keziah! Miss Keziah, you are now acting captain of Cirrus Station Security Squad 35!"

---

"There's something wrong with the automated engineer in the front car," the little Freespacer Administrator said, the volumetric screen around her shuddering and shaking as she spoke in frantic words. "I sent Goat to go fix it, but he hasn't come back yet! And then all these Junkah's came and they aren't listening to me! RRRGH" Peke vented her frustration by pulling a small ball-peen hammer from the toolbelt on her waist and, with a quick fluid motion, bashed the window behind her. A small junker who had been clinging to said window, rocked by the sudden force as it thudded against the surprisingly resilient glass, unhinged itself and instantly disappeared from view.

Meanwhile, as Method peered down the hazardous tunnel, she would find very few things that would possibly be made useful. The bottoms of the tram tunnel were somewhat dangerous-looking, the large magnetic rails which the tram cars glided on suspended a foot or two above the actual deck. The area below the rails was exposed to open air every so often along the length of the tunnel, revealing large wires and conduits...but no maintenance boxes or the like in sight.

However, Method would notice two things. Farther along the track, near the end of the Tram Terminal, a third monorail could be seen connecting to the the second of the two Main Monorails, the exact rail in fact that Squad 35 had just seen occupied by a large, runaway Cirrus Station Tram. The third rail was apparently leading into the side of the station out of view of Methods eyes into a small, open alcove...and near where the mysterious rail pulls into the out-of-view alcove was a single door, plainly viewable from Squad 35's position. A simple sign above the door read Maintenance - Employees Only

The second of two noticeable events was heard, rather than seen; down the opposite tunnel, the familiar sounds of the second Cirrus Station tram echoed through, the front car appearing in the distant tunnel. This particular tram, however, was apparently in much better shape than its sister tram; there were no visible signs of malfunction and the tram itself was beginning to slow, the screech of the brakes wailing through the Tram Terminal.
 

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The oncoming tram wasn't an issue for Method as she leapt onto the unoccupied rail - in fact, she scarcely noticed it. Her hobnailed boots clanked loudly as she ran down the rail towards the employees-only entrance, the tails of her coat flying behind her. Or that's what would have happened had she not missed her jump by about three feet. In fact, she landed in a messy heap on the floor underneath the rail, then pulled herself to her feet with an undignified grunt before shimmying on top of the rail and making her way down the tunnel with her arms spread out as she balanced along the beam.

Eventually the freespacer made it to the door alcove, jumping back onto the platform and running over to the door. She tried the knob, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. Just in case it blew up.
 
Me? Keziah's vision span for a brief moment when Mimi gave her the news. Well, I guess I was asking for it. Still, she was barely out of training. But... they had been through enough that maybe, just maybe, she could figure things out.

Then the Freespacer jumped, and she had no time left to revel in her new rank. Obviously, it would have to be a 'Spacer to do the crazy thing without telling anyone. But... what was her name, anyway? Widgethead? As good as anything.

"Mimi, can you stop the tram over there?" Keziah pointed across the station. "And does it loop back this way?"

Then, trying to divide her attention, she thumbed her comm on. "Widgethead, what've you found?" She hoped that the 'Spacer had a commlink. The last thing they needed was another communications blackout.
 
As Method turned the handle, the door came open very easily. Inside was a room with a large wall section left open facing onto the main tram tracks. The odd rail that Method had spotted outside curved into the center of this particular room, sunken slightly into the floor. Most of the contents of the room were somewhat unremarkable; apparently the janitorial crew shared with space with the maintenance crew, as miscellaneous cleaning supplies mingled with a length of emergency fire equipment.

The most interesting article occupying the room, however, lay upon the secondary rail that trailed through the room; a tram cart, most likely for use in case one of the trams had halted midway between terminals for emergency reasons. The was rather small, roughly half the size of the regular tram cars, was was open, the only thing separating the inside and outside being a waist-tall divider. A large engine occupied the rear while the front was armed with a single small crane-like apparatus, complete with a length of heavy-duty chain and steel hook.

---

After a moment, Mimi nodded and confronted Keziah with a determined look across her face. "I've contacted the automated engineer controlling the tram and he's agreed to stop. I've also instructed him to inform all of the passengers aboard the tram to leave for safety reasons. Is there anything you need me to ask him?" Mimi said, referring to the mass of circuits and blinking controls at the front car of the tram.
 

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Noboru shrugged, lowering himself down onto the tracks and looking out after Method. "So," he said, "I guess we're taking the crane tram?" In reality, even if the squad disagreed he may just take it anyways. His brain was already turning over on its head, searching for a way to use it to his advantage. It had the crane, that was good. If he had to, he could use the crane to latch onto the runaway tram and deactivate it manually, or just connect the cable to the tram and hit the reverse button.

The first option seemed less promising, but more badass. He shrugged, looking at the engineer's cart one more time before shrugging and standing on the platform again.
 
Method lightly touched her ear-comm, pressing the 'talk' button. Unfortunately, she shouted nearly loud enough for the rest of 35 to hear her back at the platform, concerned that if she spoke softly it might not be audible.

"Well, there's a bunch of cleaning junk, and a hose I could probably make something really neat with. And there's a little tram with a draggy thing on the back of it!"
 
"We'll need two chances," Keziah said over the squad's comm. She was nervous as hell, giving orders for once, instead of taking them, and hoped that didn't show at all. Command training wasn't even remotely one of the things she had signed up for. But, now was a good a time as any to learn that particular skill.

"Widgethead, can you get the crane tram running? We'll have to put as many of us as we can on there." She did a full circle of the assembled squad, looking at them all. Her eyes rested on Claire for several seconds longer, and she hoped she didn't look desperate or confused. "Everyone else will come with me to the other tram, and we'll run along the track to catch the runaway. And, if need be, evacuate everyone."

Finally, she looked to Mimi. "Can the trams go in reverse, and is it possible to shut down the system and get all other trams out of the way?"
 
Claire cleared her throat, "Excuse me, Captain? Are you sure that getting on another Tram when something's wrong with the first is such a good idea? What's to keep whatever's screwing up the first one from doing the same to the one we get on?" She wasn't trying to make Keziah nervous, but she was just worried that it wasn't just that tram that was awry. The fact that no one noticed a bunch of junkers trying to stop a runaway tram with an admin on board till now still worried her.
 
"I volunteer to ride the crane tram," Noboru said brazenly, moving off after the Widgethead. He had always wanted to try this action-hero Nepleslian mentality on for size, especially after seeing some of his team-mate's antics while aboard the station. He grinned. This was how to combine fun and work in the most productive way possible.
 
Method saluted, though of course no one could see her, and took her hand from the talk button on her comm. She leapt down onto the rail to quickly clear it of the maintenance equipment that was littered around before clambering up onto the tram itself. Her face lit up when she caught sight of the chunky levers and buttons that served as the maintenance tram's controls. When she put her hands on them, starting to play them as expertly as a pianist in the Nepleslian Philharmonic, the lack of occasional hand-support made the goggles on her forehead slide down, then plunk over her eyes, and she let out a loud cackle as she drove the car out of the tunnel towards the Squad 34 platform.
 
"I volunteer for the crane job as well." Sean raised his hand. "Assuming that's alright, of course." He cracked his neck, and started towards the tram, though he was looking over his shoulder to confirm that he wasn't going to be told to do otherwise. No time like the present to get started, right?
 
Mimi, her face mixed between flustered and serious determination, nodded once with Keziah's orders. "Unfortunately, the trams are only controlled by their automated engineers...and the one on Tram 1 is not responding. Fortunately, however, Tram 2 is still functioning perfectly...and yes, both trams are able to move in either direction. These two trams are the only ones on the Cirrus, so the lanes should be clear..." Mimi bit her lower lip before continuing. "...but we need to be careful. There are personnel on Tram 1 that could get hurt!"

---

Method worked the multiple buttons, nobs and levers with surprising accuracy, despite her simply random use of the controls. As the Crane Cart pulled into the track and stopped next to the halted Tram 2, one of the waist-high barriers along the cart opened automatically and formed a short walkway. It would seem that the Crane Cart could hold roughly 3 people comfortably; most of the room on the contraption was taken up by the machinery and mechanisms.
 
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