Chapter 30 of 78 · Book 5, The Butcher's Masquerade

Chapter 30 — A Valtay landing vessel

Book: The Butcher's Masquerade · Part: The Unhinged Child · Previous: Chapter 29 — Blood and ink · Next: Chapter 31 — The juvenile quickdraw · Floor: Floor 6 — The Hunting Grounds · Series: the series

Opening

I, once again, transferred to a space station.

Summary

Part Three opens with Carl back in the orbital checkpoint, interface blacked out, Donut and Samantha left on Lucia Mar's doorstep; something big is burning at the southern tip of India. An older gnoll with a quarter-moon insignia and mandarin breath, the head of security on the vessel below, asks a favour: look approvingly on his grandpup Lix's art contest entry, and Carl's habit of stealing from green rooms will be overlooked. The production facility is not a trailer but a Valtay landing vessel parked on the ocean floor near the headquarters, pressurised to Earth standard, a show being recorded under his feet; the old rental trailers' owner, Senegal Production Systems, was thrown off system after an escape attempt, and Loita's death, and 'they've decided to be a little more strict' — constant surveillance by the ship's own security. Zev, out of her suit, small and tired: there was a fight, but Donut is safe in the guildhall; and Carl should stay aboard between events — six hours to the panel, a bed, food, a training room — because 'it might be in your best interest to… linger', and whoever is waiting where he was transferred from will still be waiting. 'I thought you guys plugged up the communication…' 'Stop talking.' The CrawlCon badge goes on; its schedule tab is blocked to crawler wetware, but his gauntlet still forms. The first event: judging a children's art contest. 'Try not to swear for this one, Carl. They're children.'

Characters

• Carl — Helpless in orbit; a gnoll's favour; told to linger.
• Zev — Small, tired, and choosing every word under the ship's surveillance.
• The head of security — Grandfather of Lix; head of security below.
• Princess Donut — Safe in the guildhall after a fight Carl is not told about.
• Lucia Mar — Fought Donut.

Locations

• The security checkpoint — India burning below.
• The Valtay landing vessel — A landing ship on the sea floor, sectioned and pressurised, cheering under the deck.

Motifs

• The Valtay Corporation — Their vessel, their security, their strictness; the old trailers gone.
• The show — CrawlCon from a metal bench; a badge tab the wetware cannot open.
• Production trailers — Replaced after an escape attempt.