Garrat looked at her incredulously while she finishes talking “play?”  He looks down sadly “huh, play.”  He turns away from her and speaks quietly to someone he obviously wishes was there “I’m sorry Teela my love.  I tried to be gentle with her.  I really did.”  The old soldier stands for a moment then turns back to her.  “Lights out has a shoot to kill order for Harriet Lynch.  They’re not actively searching at this moment, which is why so far, your plastic surgery is working.  Joseph is still actively searching for you online to throw them off the scent.  I have been completely honest and straightforward with you all this time. I Don’t Play Games.”

     “ right now is the perfect time to be a little paranoid, in fact, you will not survive unless you have someone you can trust and rely on looking after you. If you hide in the hole, you will be found. That’s what they expect you to do. That’s what they’re looking for. my only hope is that I can give you enough of a chance to shine to clear your name before you are erased.  Be careful how much you choose to do. If you go beyond the balance of your capability, you will fail. We will talk about that later. Right now you need to know that anything that was your original family is too corrupt for you to touch, or has already been erased from existence. I’m putting a lot on the line to bring you on board, but as of now I am your family. We are your family.”

      “ you need to act like a regular person not someone who is hiding. But you cannot spend any credits from your trip. They have to all be hard credits. Don’t give anyone a trail to follow. I’ll see to it other people handle things for you in that mannerism. I’ll even leave you some mechanics from my own ship to get you started. However, I can’t give you everything, you’re going to have to fight for some of it yourself. And that I believe I have the right person for the job.  Don’t take on any more of the job than you have to until you have the right people to help you get it done. Again, don’t worry about the Marines, that’s not in your ballpark now.”

By the time Garrat had finished speaking Harry looked like she was close to tears though neither of them would be able to pinpoint the cause of this; perhaps it was down to having the dire situation she was in being spelled out? Or how her family was not what she’d thought it was, or how Garrat had said they were her family? Then again it could just be a side effect of her meds? Or a heady cocktail of all of the above ”kind of a catch 22 you got me in dontcha think?” she quietly responded before giving a humourless laugh that said she more than understood how messed up her life was. And how the whole paranoia thing wasn’t helping with the whole trusting people thing.

”Just leave me a decent mechanic and maybe someone to watch my back and I’ll get the pilots up to speed…as for marines so long as someone is dealing with it thats all I need to know” she quietly replied, kind of relieved that she could tick them off her list with her already feeling no small amount of anxiety over the enormity of the task ahead of her.

Garrat raises an eyebrow “I’VE got you in?   I’ll do my best to get you as well set up as possible before I leave.  Now there’s a lot to be done today.  You even get to be parts hunting at the crevasse.  Let’s get back to camp.”

There was a bit of a sigh from Harry in response to Garrat’s comment ”point taken, but regardless  you have to admit that being paranoid AND trusting people doesn’t exactly go hand in hand” though it was good to know that he was going to help her out, if only to get her started.

With them both needed elsewhere and with work to be done, Harry would remount her bike before being struck by a sudden thought ”Hey Gar, this merc outfit…what are we callin’ it?” she asked before starting up her bike ready to follow Garrat back home, figuring they could always discuss it on the ride home if needed.

“Been thinking about that my self.  It needs to have the power to instill confidence, but not be threatening to the empire yet.  We’ll talk it over as a team and decide.  We’re calling the base high sands now because…well, we’re higher her than 95% of mars, that’s why the air is still so thin.  Did you have any suggestions?”
This message was last edited by the player at 16:11, Tue 10 Oct 2023.

”I agree, it needs to sound professional and have no ties to either the Empire or ESN” Harry replied as the bikes started to move along the red dirt of Mars towards their next stop, with Garrat asking if she had any suggestions ”Not sure really…maybe something like Apollo Company or Martian Tactical Solutions…I’ll have to give it some thought she replied as her bike started to pick up speed.

In reply to Harriet Lynch (msg # 234):

    “ i’ll set up a meeting where we can kick ideas around.  Meet you at base”. Garrat takes off for the hanger they left from. She has a little time to do some maneuvering as her bike as faster than his.

”Roger that Gar, see you at the hangar” Harry replied before snapping down her helmets visor and heading down the dirt track. She would take the long way home; enjoying her moment of freedom and Martian countryside, such as it was, as it flashed by her at high speed.

Upon her arrival back at High Sands she would coast the bike through the entrance and bring the bike to a gentle stop beside Garrat’s before dismounting and heading inside to meet him, humming to herself as she did so. Upon finding him she would smile and call out ”Hey Gar, how we looking for that meeting? Also I don’t suppose any ideas came to you on the ride home?” as she walked over to meet him.

      “I have a few.  The meeting hasn’t been arranged yet.  I’ll get on that while you’re in town.” he motions to the dropped ramp on the shuttle where they are parking their bikes.   “remember, we are looking for more ships, ship parts, and places to salvage them.  It is even more important that you are seen looking for these things than that you are getting them.  This our alibi for getting the ships from rebels as well as our source of a larger fleet.   If you seeAny promising flyers you want to recruit, you will have a crewmember with you who knows how much we have to spend.  be frugal, we need to make our coons scream.”

”Sure, I can take a ride into Olympus Mons” Harry replied with a nod as she was informed of the trip into town to look for scrap, even if someone else would be holding the purse strings ”…just so we’re on the same page, when you say flyers are you referring to pilots or aircraft?” she asked, knowing that it could go either way and not wanting to get it wrong. Then again considering her track record she was probably a better judge of aircraft and scrap than people…people were difficult ”so Gar, which unfortunate crew member gets to take a ride with me?

Justin's encouragement and how's things com, popped up, checking to see how things were progressing in their area with Garrat, Harriet and the team.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:47, Wed 20 Dec 2023.

In reply to Justin Kase (msg # 239):

(Technically, Justin has no Idea Harry is even alive. )

      Garrat motions to Delilah.  “Your ship is prepped for departure.  We have a contact that says to look for parts and pilots the Blue Skies bar in Crevice.  Kinkaid is already on board with a list of other supplies we need and a couple crates of deliveries from some of the local farmers.

"Roger that, Blue Sky bar in Crevice...I'll see what I can find" Harry replied with an affirmative nod. She hadn't spent a great deal of time with Kincaid but he'd seemed an ok guy to her, also if memory served he was in need of some flying lessons "Catch you later Gar, you've got my comms number if you need me" she said before heading up the Delilah's ramp.

Entering the Delilah's cockpit Harry would casually wave to Kincaid as she climbed into the pilots seat and started her pre-flight checks "Hey Kincaid, are we all set to go?" she asked whilst plotting a course to Crevice, with her wondering if the place was even big enough to warrant landing pads or whether she would be landing on the outskirts and walking into town.

Kincaid is sitting in the copilot’s seat with a book on his lap and several checklists opened up on the heads up display.  As far as I can tell, everything is prepped and ready to go.  apparently they made sure the ship wasn’t tiptop shape after they buried the bones last night .

"well if everything is loaded and secure, let's get this show on the road" Harry said as she finished her checks and closed the Delilah's ramp before firing up her engines "Gar mentioned you were after lessons, you ever fly one of these before?" she asked as she gently eased the dropship into the air, rotated her round so she was pointing in the right direction and then started moving. Once they were over the open countryside she would fire up the weapon systems to run a few checks and make sure everything was coming up green. She highly doubted that she would be needing them, but it never hurt to check "ok we're at a good altitude and speed, and on the correct heading so you can take over the controls whenever you're ready"
This message was lightly edited by the player at 19:03, Sat 23 Dec 2023.

In reply to Harriet Lynch (msg # 243):

“Might as well squeeze as many hours as I can in.” Kincaid says, grabbing the stick and giving it a slight shake so she knows he’s got it.

”That’s the spirit! Plus it’s always better to do this shit when you’re not being shot at” Harry replied, giving Amos a thumbs up, signalling that she knew he was in control. As far instructors went Harry was fairly hands off with her only speaking up to offer the occasional piece of advice with her more concentrating on them staying on course.

Once they were in the middle of nowhere Harry would fire up the weapons systems and run a few quick checks before powering them down again upon finding that they were all in working order. She didn’t imagine that they would have any need of the Delilah’s weapons but it never hurt to check, not to mention satiate her general paranoia.

”So what’s Crevice like? Is it as charming as the name implies?” Harry would ask as the town in question slowly came into sight, with her having never been there before and so having no idea what to expect ”…also do you need me to land this thing? Or have you got this?”

    Amos obviously knows how to handle controls, just not these controls.  He has lots of habits he’s working on changing over to piloting from being a turret gunner, but he’s working hard and has some tricks to learning that sets him apart from most new pilots.

    The drop ship has been stripped down to be a cargo vessel.  She can have her defend herself, with an impressive chin, Canon, and two banks of Flack missiles.  The targeting system is still pretty good, if a little outdated.

    When asked if the crevice was like it sounded Amos would laugh.  “ the term preference is almost generic name for fronteer town around here.  when making the cross once on Mars, the easiest thing to do was find the crack and cover it over with domes. Then you dig into the side of the crack to make your houses and businesses.”

Having observed Amos for a little while it would become apparent that he didn’t require training so much as a little guidance and time to get his head around the unfamiliar control system. Similarly Harry was currently trying to get her head around the targeting system for the missile banks as for some strange reason the ESN had moved away from missiles in favour of cannons. Part of her wondered whether it was just the simple fact that neither the Angels nor Demons had ever developed missile tech and that the fledgling humans had simply copied their more advanced allies?

Upon hearing the explanation as to the origins of the settlements name Harry would softly chuckle ”Ah so a literal hole in the ground, gotcha” she said as she powered down the weapon systems ”This is air traffic, please state your business and present your credentials” a bored sounding voice spoke out of the ship’s comms system, prompting Harry to readjust her headset before replying ”This is the cargo vessel Delilah, we’ve got some goods to offload and looking to do a little trade in town, forwarding credentials now” Harry replied with her accent seeming grow even posher as she spoke ”ok Delilah, your cleared to land, put her pad 4D, have a nice day”
”Roger that control, have a good day…I’d better bring us in Amos, that letterbox looks a little tight” Harry would say as they approached the entrance to Crevice.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:11, Mon 05 Feb.

    Just after receiving the instructions Amos looks at the dash speakers incredulously then keys the mic.  “What the heck is going on?  I swung by last night to pick up Pizzas and no one said Jack.  Now we just want to hitch our horse at the salon and you want us to reserve a spot in freighter parking?”

    There is a pause before the voice on the radio stammers “ Sorry sir, we have important Guests inbound.  We want to give the appearance of being organized.”

      “Well make sure to set down at a perfect 45 degree angle to the loading strip for the third lift up-ravine from Old Town.”

      “Dropping by the blue sky?”

     “Not that it’s any business of yours, are the VIPs going to be causing any delays around town that we might want to avoid?”

     “They shouldn’t be leaving uptown.  It’s just the bigwigs making sure we know who’s in charge.  They may have scheduled the trip suddenly but there’s almost no other reason they would bother with little fish like us.”
This message was last edited by the player at 01:20, Mon 05 Feb.

       The Crevice is barely visible from a distance.  It is covered over with a transparent sheet of carbon.  workers can be seen as they approach using backpack covers to clear dust off the protective sheeting from the previous nights, dust storm.  Access buildings set over the entrance to similarly covered side crevices With weather appear to be red cement to walkways leading out from them. Sure enough, small shuttles, pressurized hover vans Levibeds (most with inclosed cabs) and even the occasional lover bike are pulled up to these walkways, seemingly to be parked at the traditional 45° angles.  The access point Amos refer to had more long range, hovercrafts and shuttles around it than other lifts in the area.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 17:41, Tue 06 Feb.

Harry would listen to chatter over the radio before swinging the dropship round and bringing her in to land with a flourish in the designated space, clearly showing off ”right let’s get this show on the road” Harry said powering down the engines and tucking a cigarette into the corner of her mouth, though she wouldn’t light up until she was outside.

Amos looks at his data pad. “The car goes to be dropped off seven levels down with the locals call Route 66. That’s a level of roads in the warehouses that supply the crevice. Our final destination is about three floors under us.“

Harry would blow a stream of smoke up into the Martian sky as she listened to Amos explain where they needed to go ”well…unless we need to follow it I say we let the cargo go on its merry way and go where we’re needed” Harry said with a shrug before popping the cigarette back into the corner of her mouth and signalling for Amos to lead the way.

Justin's comm, checking how Garrat & Harry were getting along, pinged in their incoming mail items.