[center][color=8882be][b][u][H2]The Mysteries of Awilix[/h2][/u][/b][/color][/center][hr][color=8882be][b][u][H3]The Skies above The Landing[/h3][/u][/b][/color]Jackson watched the skies through the scratched window of his Hauler. His gaze glaring out to all the other aircraft that were hovering around The Landing, ensuring that they didn't deviate from their carefully drafted flight path and cause an un-necessary mid air collision. It was a useless sense of paranoid seeing as how they operated on a basic form of auto-pilot. All the control operator had to do was follow the simple instructions, press a button, or pull a lever when necessary. The Haulers could almost fly themselves but decades ago this proved to be dangerous considering some of the wildlife in the area, especially when a computer cannot predict and out manoeuvre some of the Raven pests fast enough.

Ravens, a large wing beast jet black in colour with a long mouse like tail. They almost looked like a giant fruit bat covered in feathers with a gentle screech that was less annoying than the creatures themselves. These creatures used to pose more of a problem before hunters were set up around the city themselves with long range rifles. They didn't want to repeat the mistakes of the old world and specifically kill them, but instead were ordered to use tranquilliser darts and relocate them to the wilderness before they could get sucked up into more engines.

And that was the problem with these animals, they loved the sound of the jet engines. The whirring motor was almost like a mating call for them. They didn't 'want' to attack the Haulers, they just thought it was another Raven calling out for a "special invite". Most of the Haulers had been re-tuned to produce a different sound, but occasionally one dumb Raven would slip past the hunters and decide that a spinning blade of death was the best form of sexual excitement.

[color=6ecff6][b]"You're thinking too much,"[/b][/color] a voice from behind Jackson spoke as he broke thought and turned around to see his robotic companion hanging upside down from the pipe work in rear of the Hauler. She was looking at him in a sort of admiration gaze knowing that the privilege of being able to switch off the body and mind was not something that she was able to do well any more.

[color=c4df9b][b]"Maybe,"[/b][/color] he spoke in a dismissive way, turning back to the windshield to see the drop-pod coming up in front of them, the computer indicating which hanger they would be entering into to land their aircraft. [color=c4df9b][b]"Hopefully the Transport will have some decent ore this time. I'm not doing another half load just to waste my fuel. We're already loosing profit as it is."[/b][/color]

Cerridwen let her body drop to the ground, landing on her feet before performing a gymnastic like tumble roll so that she ended up kneeling next to Jackson and his seat. [color=6ecff6][b]"It's fine, just go for the Gemstones, if you can. I have a buyer who's willing to take us up on a little extra cash if we can secure him a decent amount."[/b][/color]

Jackson knew that her words were easier said than done as he guided the Hauler through the open bulkheads, gently lowering it down on the landing pad and shutting off the engines. Gemstone production had been quite low in recent weeks and it was putting pressure on the economy itself. Hospitals and Healers had become more stringent on who they wanted to help, Acid users had been put under extra pressure to produce purer Gemstones that would last longer and hold their charge better, while Crystal users had been running a very dangerous game in charging the stones to their very limits.

As the two stepped out of their Hauler into the hanger, they could see the crowds of people up ahead all bartering and bargaining for their own private supply. The masses of individuals swamping the docks and making sure that their job quota was met before others. The two weaved themselves through the crowd of humans and the occasional other robot, brushing underneath monitors that were playing the current news for everyone to subtly listen to. It all was the same news that Jackson and Cerridwen had already knew. The low Gemstone supply, the discovery of various ruins around the moon and attempting to link it with the disappearance of a lone scout, and the usual message about how any associates to the Children of Umbra will be dealt with accordingly by the government forces.