| “ | This is a ritual. A ritual to bring Master Huey back to us once more. This train is an altar, its passengers mere sacrifices. Do not forget that. Let pandemonium begin. | ” |
–Goose to the Lemures, 1931 The Grand Punk Railroad: Local | ||
The Lemures (introduced as the Black Suits) are a militaristic cult that claim to revere Huey Laforet as their master. Their leader is Goose Perkins.
Huey regards their self-proclaimed loyalty as largely meaningless: in truth, most of the Lemures ultimately value him for his immortality rather than as a person, and see him as a means to an end. His impression of their abilities is similarly dim, as he considers them incapable of carrying out a hostage operation without the help of his daughter Chané Laforet.
Chronology[]
On December 29, 1931, Goose gathers the Lemures in an abandoned warehouse. During the meeting, Nader Schasschule leads his allies in an attempted coup against Goose, with plans to defect to the Russo Family after killing their former comrades. Much to their misfortune, Goose is aware of Nader's plan, and the loyal Lemures gun down all the traitors save for Nader himself. Chané severs Nader's right hand before leaving him inside the factory on Goose's orders. Spike uses his sniper rifle to shoot a detonator as he and the other Lemures drive away, causing the factory to implode.
According to Upham, the Lemures loyal to Nader were not aware of Huey's true nature.
On December 30, 1931, one Lemur detachment boards the Flying Pussyfoot ten members per class under the guise of the "Chicago Paysage Philharmonic," their guns hidden in instrument cases. Several hours into the journey, they launch a hostile takeover of the train in an attempt to force Senator Manfred Beriam to arrange Huey's release from jail, only for their plan to immediately go awry: their plant among the train's staff is killed in self defense by the Young Conductor, and two of the three Lemures who hijack the dining car are murdered by the White Suit Ladd Russo after his comrade Vicky wounds the surviving third member.
Though the Lemures are still able to assume control of the dining car and Natalie Beriam early on, their plans continue to be derailed as the White Suits and the Rail Tracer murder more of their number throughout the journey—and are ultimately crushed when Jacuzzi's Gang leads a passenger uprising against them using their own smuggled weapons. Most of the few surviving Lemures are arrested when the train stops at a switch point prior to arriving at the station, excepting Spike, Chané Laforet, and Upham.
While Goose's faction hijacks the train, another Lemur detachment led by Sarges serves as the negotiating team responsible for ensuring Senator Beriam's cooperation. With a base of operations near the bridge over which the train is scheduled to travel on the 31st, their main mission is to launch a signal flare when their negotiator confirms a deal has been made with Beriam. However, unexpected opposition from Jacuzzi's Retrieval Team, a trio of female robbers, identical twin bikers, and a grizzly bear causes Sarges' team to fail as well.
Known Lemures[]
Loyal[]
- Goose Perkins (leader; deceased)
- Spike (sniper)
- Sarges (commander of the negotiating team)
- George (killed by the Rail Tracer in Episode 05)
- The Lemur Conductor (killed by the Rail Tracer)
Non-Loyal[]
- Nader Schasschule (traitor)
- Upham (separated)
- Chané Laforet (left)
Trivia[]
- The name Lemures (leh-mur-ays) is a Latin word referring to a type of malevolent ghost in Roman mythology. The singular is Lemur (leh-mur). Accordingly, Goose uses the metaphor of ghosts to describe the organization, saying that they are living ghosts because they have cut off all ties to the living except for each other and Huey. As 'ghosts', they thus need not have fear of death.
- Though the black suits that they wear during the Flying Pussyfoot incident are simply formal wear in lieu with their cover identity as an orchestra, the color's associations with the occult still lends them a cultish aura. They are never directly identified as a cult in the anime. In normal circumstances, they wore unmarked military uniforms.
- They refer to each other as Comrades, and usually to Huey as "Master Huey."