BACKSTORY

Sparrow was made by [REDACTED] as an experimental prototype. She was deemed unfit for her designated purpose of Security Work after only a year or two of her existence and put on ice [cyrostasis] while paperwork was being processed of what to do with her.

During that time, the warehouse was assaulted by a local gang. Her stasis pod opened due to damage from an accidental fire and she stumbled out blindly. A piece of building fell on her, burning her severely. They discovered her soon after, grabbed her and ran- all while the building was burning with the box of documents they were after tight in their fists.

After her wounds were tended to, she lived with an elderly tough, rough and tumble sort of sailor-type named Lucus Whittaker- or just ‘Whit’. He ran a bar where many gangs, and other underworld types would meet and talk business and treaties. The bar was known as ‘Polyphemus’ Retreat’ as he was ‘conveniently blind to the shady businesses his patrons ran’. But they were still his flock just like the great Cyclops’. As long as they never dealt in people and were just trying to scrape by he was fine. It also was also a den for folks smuggling information, clones, debtors, criminals and other types off Mars.

Sparrow got to know her would be rescuers. A group wary of [REDACTED]’s frontier business and bent on trying to warn family and friends out on the frontier. She had a feeling they felt bad for the burns and getting her tangled up with the mess.

The documents were mostly transnational data between [REDACTED] employees and people at places Sparrow didn’t recognize. There were transactions for ammunition and weapons, medical looking chemicals, rations, armor, and fuel. She wasn’t sure if it was for a security operation or a friendly frontier exploration jaunt. There were a few medical looking documents that even with her having earned their trust, they wouldn’t let her see. All she could remember was the look on their faces- a mix of anger and concern.

Sparrow met many people including Spacers, aliens, the occasional lost tourist, and many, many people who felt left behind and lost by the current systems. Eventually, life would catch up with her as she was out picking up groceries for Whit when she was arrested.

[REDACTED] had put a warrant out for her arrest as the paperwork that was stolen those years ago had some damning evidence and she was the only face to the scheme. She was given a fairly light sentence given the judge saw [REDACTED]’s attempt as ‘a bit of a reach’ but knew evidence though little, was still evidence- and he hoped [REDACTED] would leave the poor girl be.

After that she was under [REDACTED]’s thumb for a while, stamping her with a Service Work designation. She was working odd jobs at restaurants, janitorial companies, but never a bar. [REDACTED] kept her contracts short and busy. Sparrow was more concerned about steering clear of her friends and family in the underworld than making work friends anyway.

It was mundane but when a new manager at a restaurant job was very anti-clone, calling her many phrases like ‘skinjob’, ‘tubelet’, ‘batch baby’, and so on- she eventually snapped. Stress from her worrying about Whit, constantly watching her back with [REDACTED] and her family thinking she backstabbed them was piled high. He was in front of her. In a swift move to shut him up, she got him in the arm with a fork, pinning his arm to the counter top.

There was another few years in prison and another stain on her record.

Now exasperated, irritated and needing a new place to work and get away from everything she’s signed up to head out to work for the Port Authority and technically 4CA by extension. Nine Lives Promenade should be a breath of fresh air, right? At least [REDACTED] won’t be breathing down her neck. She has a feeling her handler, Cooper Wright, isn’t too happy about losing this one. With these documents from so long ago saying somethings about that part of space, Sparrow’s got a bad taste in her mouth.

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Everything on this page is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is purely coincidental. Be safe and wise, please.