There's a public library!

It's kind of small, single story with a couple dozen shelves, and suffers from aggressive censoring. The closest thing to charts are the reference maps in history books which seem probably accurate but are not very detailed, and stylized maps in tourist guidebooks that describe 'interesting sights' in the Reach and Albion.

Not detailed, but a start. The censoring only adds to her concerns. The Workworlds are real, at least; she needs to see if they're as bad as they say, but if they are...

She drums her fingers on the back of a Ministry-censored volume. 

... if they are, then the OTC could become very tangledly involved. She'd be made an Agent, most likely. And given full permission and mandate to eliminate the trade in sapient life. 

And that... on the scale of worlds? A paradigm shift would be necessary. Something radical. Something scary, even for her. 

She puts the book away, and hopes she's wrong. 

Between the maps in the books and fliers and the snatches of Captain DeVries' chart she's been able to see, she has a basic understanding of Reach Geography. Finally. 

She reads one of the histories for background, regardless of how censored it may be. She looks in particular for any references to the workworlds. What are they making? What are they for?

They provide an alternative to the poor and criminal with no other place to go, performing industrial labor at accelerated speed to pay off their debts to society and become productive citizens once again! Each workworld is a fully self-contained, planned industrial city of fifty to a hundred thousand. Many of the Workworlders have positions in their own maintenance and take great pride in supporting their fellows! They produce a wide variety of industrial chemicals, consumer goods, useful materials, and other such things. Anything that is usefully industrialized and needs a lot of manpower and machinery. The Horozon Workworld specializes in fine cloth goods like this colorful rug or these fine coats!

So now she's heard both sides, then. 

She's not going to get the real story from such a book. But it's enough to triply-confirm the worldworlds exist, doubly-confirm they use accelerated time, and doubly-confirm that prisoners and debtors are sent there. 

... The people here don't have Ka, which makes this terrible. The accelerated time means that the prisoners sentenced to the workworlds live like mayflies. A life sentence carried out in how many years external? Who knows?

People, being put to use. 

She rubs her forehead. She doesn't know yet. She strongly suspects, but...

She puts the books back into the shelves. 

What to do next. 

She goes out into the markets, and looks for comfort food. Something sweet.

The candy stores and patisseries of Port Prosper are open to her.

In the line, a man comes up and has a low conversation to the patron in front of her.

"Uh, my apologies sir, but..."

"Chrissake, do I have to do everything, Tomkins? What is it?"

"Could you confirm the name for me. There are two that it could be, and I don't want to try the wrong one."

"How many with the same name can there be?"

"There's a 'Cheery Clockwork' as well."

"It's not that one. 'As Clockwork' is the one."

"Uh, got it, sir. I'll go get the boys sorted."

"See that you do. And please, don't interrupt my lunch again unless something's on fire. So hard to find good help these days..."

... she may only have been aboard As Clockwork for a week or so, but she still recognizes the name of her engine when it's spoken aloud. It sounds like they're planning something - she's not sure what. Something that takes "the boys", and that you wouldn't want to try the wrong one for. Something like seizing the engine? 

She pays for her patisserie and leaves at a brisk pace, the officers' "I want to move quickly but not panic the troops" hustle. She ought to tell her Captain about this just in case it matters. Because if it matters it could be terrible. 

Captain DeVries is haggling over some of his cargo down by the railyard. He seals the deal with the buyer and walks back towards the engine, waving at Thorn.

"Is something the matter?"

"Overhead the name of the engine in what seemed to be an official context. I thought you ought to know in case it was something untoward. Quoting the conversation for you,"

And she does. It wasn't a long conversation. 

"I... See. I see, I see. Troubling. Where was this overheard?"

"In line at the patisserie store where I was. Both seemed official-looking men." She gives descriptions. 

"I don't recognize that, but it sounds like the Windward Company. They're powerful in this town. Not sure why they'd have an interest in my engine particularly. Not interested in finding out. Probably don't have a choice. Was this in the nice part of town? It was a patisserie not a dime deli, I know, but it was in the west end?"

"It was, I had been looking at the local library."

"Walk with me, please. We're finding Gene. Just thinking out loud... I see two options. Either prepare for some kind of pretext seizure from the Windward Company, or leave before they get here. I see risks with both of those options. Possible legal battle, possible literal battle - possibly leaving crew behind, losing the rest of my business and the chance at leave. At this time of night I'm not sure where everyone even is. I don't keep close track, we're not a military outfit."

She walks with him. "Gathering crew can only help us, no matter which route we take. But I don't know where anyone is. I might be able to roust some from the local inns, but there's no guarantee of being able to get everyone. I know Lenora has business ashore somewhere. If I may ask, sir, how many crew are currently accounted for? Are we even able to depart?"

"Eight. Me, you, Gene - he's aboard - and," he names a few more. "They like to sleep aboard and not have to pay for inn rooms. We could leave and probably make it back to New Winchester, but that's undesirable for several reasons. Leaving people behind not the least of them. I know which inns five more are at. We're low on stores, too. Again, we'd likely be fine, but closer to the line than I'm comfortable with. I'm expecting a delivery in the morning and most places that would sell coal to me are closed now. They picked the moment well, if that was their goal, at least."

Thorn nods. She tries to take a step back; as Captain DeVries has just reminded her, she's no blood here. So instead she'll be a good tool to the proper blood. 

"If you need emergency funds I'm carrying a fifty-sovereign piece. I'm also good in a brawl if it comes to that. I'm ready to receive your orders as soon as you compose them, and I can relay complex orders verbatim."

"I'm not a commander I'm a captain. I'm not cut out for this shit. I don't even know if I'm getting alarmed over nothing, all I have is - your report. That said- You don't know this business, but you seem to know your business."

Deep breath.

"Go get Sam from cabin four, then both of you go to these five places, in order," He gives five addresses. And the names he expects to be found at each. "Tell any crew you find to get back to the engine, leave is cancelled immediately, urgently, there'll be a bonus. If any of them want a codeword, 'Kelvin Alabaster Four'. Use your discretion for short sidetracks. Then come back here."

"Yes, sir." She flushes a bit. Oops. 

She goes.

Several of the crew know of places other crew probably are. Other inns, bars, a casino, a Definitely-Not-A-Brothel. One of the crew has an idea where Lenora is. He has connections with, uh, some people with questionably legal lines of work and they mentioned something offhand that he thinks might be her - 'an old woojack is visiting the rat bin tonight'. He doesn't know what 'woojack' means and only knows the 'rat bin' is in the far East End, the abandoned bits, but since Lenora left with a suspicious character maybe it's her?

She'll start with the other crew and move on to Lenora once she's checked everything reasonable. She can't go running off after the first halfbaked information she hears, and if one of the crew knew something, maybe she can find someone else who knows something.

Everyone is pretty annoyed at the interruption, and the guy at the casino insists on staying long enough to cash out, but the promise of a bonus helps. Nobody else has more recent information on Lenora, and three other crewmembers remain unaccounted for.

On the path back to the railyard, a few members of that urchin gang she saw earlier earlier block her path for a moment. "None may pass!"

She halts. 

"I'm lookin' for a friend of mine and I'm in a tearing hurry. She's a cutter name of Lenora. Heard she might be in the rat bin tonight. Might've been called a "woojack" but I don't know local cant. I'm willin' to pay good coin to anyone who can give me good knowledge on her whereabouts."

"Woojack's a cutter but not your cutter, if you know what I mean. But we gots a previous business tonight. Who's your boss? If you answer right and know the password I don't have to poke you wif my broom."

She has no chance of getting this right and using "cutter" in a foreign cant might've sold her but now it leaves her trying to backderive. 

"I'm from far and away in the Birdcage, my boss is Thousand-Stars Evangeline and I ain't got a password. Do I gotta hightail it now?"

"I gotta scream real loud if you try to go past us anyway."

She tries to poke Thorn with her broom.