The Nest

[Lusitano]

"You can use all the quantitative data you can get, but you still have to distrust it and use your own intelligence and judgment." -

Red is at Port Canaria starport with a group of few people waiting for Jack … that is just arriving from a mission … it was reported by friends at Freeport 1, that a big Bretonian fleet was gathering at Omega 3, near Planet Sprague, and Jack went there disguise as trader! Jack saw with his own eyes that fleet, but after a talk with some friends at the bar, looks like some kind of military exercise with the Rheinland Military, but he doesn’t know where, or even when for certain!

Red after hearing this was more relief, but even so … something is very strange! First the bretonian former minister want to settle down on Gran Canaria, now a trading company with some ties to Bretonia, wants to build a base on Gran Canaria Orbit … hmmmm!!!
Something is being prepared … looks like the drums of war are being tuned … more informations are require … we will be waiting for more!

[Lusitano]

Port Canaria City Hall, Port Canaria, Gran Canaria

It was been over one year since the Gran Canaria Council gathered here, the phrase “Never Again!” that Matilda wrote on the wall is still there, and it is why that the remnants of that Council is there today.

Matilda: Ladies, Gentlemen, you all know what happened yesterday on Erie, so let skip the crap. Most of population that left Gran Canaria on the second exodus now lives there on Erie, and it is our duty to help them … the best way possible.

One councilor: And how we are going to do that? We barely can defend ourselves, so how are we going to help them?

Matilda: They have the manpower … many are even veterans of the Gran Canaria wars. What they don’t have is weapons. Our reports say that Liberty just control the main cities and most of them, not 100%. Liberty lost too many against Gallia and the Insurgency, so they are reluctant to sacrifice more soldiers, at least for now. Most of the weapons that our people have are civilian type or sport or hunting, very few military grade. So what we can do is simple … supply them what they need.
One councilor: And how we are going to deliver? They certainly control the starport. And how many weapons you think they need? It took many time to get the weapons we got, and even so … who will sell to us? I don’t think that most of our suppliers, are willing to sell us weapons to fight Liberty, in case some are captured they can link those weapons to them.

Matilda: The delivery leave that to us. We still have some contacts, and the weapons … we buy them, bring them here, modify them, and then take them in packages. We can not forget *points to the wall* what happened here.

After some debate all councilors agree in funding this operation. Matilda starts to contact old suppliers and try to get new ones.

[Lusitano]

“If you want peace prepare to war”

A small freelancer Armadillo Border World transport arrives on Erie, carrying what looks like 2600 crates of scuba diving equipment, but in reality it is 2500 crates of individual combat equipment, from protective gear to modified personal weapons, and 100 crates of real scuba diving equipment, that are there for decoy as well to serve if necessary for any water missions.



This equipment comes from Gran Canaria, that were bought from several sources, and then modified to personal needs and also to mask their origins. This is in response for the request of help from former Canarian Zoners, that left Gran Canaria due the environment changes, most of them veterans of the war against Bretonia, and some even from the Corsair War.

All this was easy to get, the not so easy part is how deliver it, since all starport docks are under Liberty control. But … are they? Many workers are zoners or zoners sympathizers, and some have no choice of being a sympathizer.

Red is in control of the ship, he gets clearance to dock, and few later he receives orders to unload and prepare for inspection. Red gets outside of the ship, and one of the workers subtly signals Red to look to the other side of the dock. It was Marius, former Red´s commander during the Corsair War, and he was the recipient of this delivery. Both men nod to each other, while the cargo is being unload, but then comes the inspection. Red signals to the worker what crates should be open and does what can’t for the inspection. T inspector arrives he start inspection …

- Inspector – Scuba diving? Nice I really like scuba diving. I do it every time when I go on vacation.

Red smiles pretending he really cares, but when the inspector picks another crate to inspect, he chooses one that wasn’t supposed to inspect, the worker tries in vain to convince him to pick another that was closer. Red looks worried to Marius who keeps smiling, and then it comes the reason, the dock director calls the inspector, that is under Marius blackmail, to his presence asap, and with that inspection is over, and the first cargo of military help as just arrived, and is ready to be shipped to equip 2500 combat ready veterans, led by the commander that defeated the corsairs on the ground. Red waves goodbye to his former commander that replies his gesture, and not long, he is in space back to Gran Canaria, were a second cargo is being prepare.