Deliveries (C 2.1)

Your crew brings the Refuge around and you watch the athletic woman move across the roof. You recognize her - it's the Rafter called Amazon. She's carrying Helix over her shoulder. You watch as she strides from one side of the roof to the other. There are three different turrets training on her and you hear voices screaming at each other on the walkie in Barska's rowboat.

They don't want to fire on the Tower.

Which puts Amazon in control here. Until she moves off that roof, the most they will do is send some troops up there to try and shoot her. But the big guns will stay silent.The biggest threat would be for you to be seen by Vaulters helping Amazon. That would ruin your contract with Jay Pee and get some serious jingle thrown at mercs to hurt you and yours. Also, if you get in Amazon's way, it will be dangerous for you, for the crew, and for Helix.It's a mess. But, you've got the fastest ship here, so you could wait for Amazon to get away from the Vault and try to catch her then. That would mean no turrets, likely no crossfire, and you'd have some advantages in the open sea. Amazon is no sailor.

Helix? How in the seas is she mixed up in this?

There's too many sides at odds here and no good way to jump in... After circling a while, then, disengage becomes the plan.

I lower the gun, "out to open sea, pilot" I call. "I want to pick up on Amazon's tail, got it? Once we're in open water. We got that? Then I lock down the gun and head to the pilothouse myself.

Foster repeats the order as he pulls the Refuge away from Barska and her rowboat. He keeps the engines low to keep from creating too much wake for Barska as you keep an eye on the roof of the Tower. You head into the pilothouse and take over from the older sailor and he stands nearby as you guide your ship away from The Tower towards the open sea.

Suddenly, you see a pair of giant wings on the roof, bobbing up and down with the cadence of a jog. Amazon guides her hang-glider to the edge and over. You spot what is probably Helix tied into some part of the harness. Amazon glides away from The Tower and two of the turrets take aim and light up the sky. But the hang-glider twists and dips away, making the turrets look like hunters with rifles trying to shoot a butterfly. After the hang-glider continues for a quarter mile before it disappears behind a building. By the time you reach the building, you see Amazon speed away in a sleek bass boat, making her escape from the Tower.

What do you do?

What in the world? A flyer?

"Hold on!" I call to the assembled crew... I'll have to return for my pay some other time. For anyone but Helix there's no way I pass up my payday. But... yeah I gotta.

I throw the throttle forward and spin to follow the flyer. I don't know if I can keep up with that boat but I'm fast and I'm persistent. Gonna try.

That storm's still in the back of my mind, though...

Your crew hops to as you steer the Refuge in the wake of Amazon's bass boat. You follow as the rest of the Vaulters buzz around trying to secure valuables and question the flaws in their security and lay blame back and forth.

Eventually, you track Amazon's bass boat all the way to The Roost, the home of Litch and his Talons. You see her arrive and have some trouble with Helix when she tries to escape, but like a shark, Litch swims up to help her back up onto Amazon's boat. There's a brief conversation between them, and Helix stays at the Roost while Amazon pilots her boat away.

Canary,

A few minutes later, you spot Edmund with one of the Talons. You haven't seen him since The Tower and he looks different. Clean-shaven, wearing, well, rougher clothing.

Hanging around the docks, I considered, for a long moment, giving chase to Amazon... but the destination is here isn't it? If we ended up here at the roost then Litch is involved and i don't want to go running in there with guns drawn... that wouldn't end well. And I have to believe Litch doesn't have bad intentions. Especially where Helix is involved.

I can hope.

But then I catch sight of Edmund... what is he doing here of all places?

I whistle, loud, and raise a hand to get his attention from the deck of the Refuge. I don't call his name, because... well. I have a feeling I shouldn't.

Edmund waves back and one of the Talons motions for you to come closer. It seems you have a passenger.

End Scene