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[center][sub]Olympia City, MARS NOW Offices[/sub][/center]
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[color=gray]”Councilman, the representative from Delgriz Corporation in Riah is on the line.[/color] 

Barrick Torres smiled at the news. Not that he never had a reason [i]not[/i] to smile. Everything always went his way. He was the youngest Mars Councilman in the planet’s short history, he was leading the biggest radical movement the planet had ever seen, and fairly soon, he would place himself squarely in the center of history in the Universal Century. With his guidance, Mars would become an important player in the universe, and both the Federation, the Colonies, and Jupiter would see how useful the red planet truly was. [color=brown]”That’s excellent Ms. Gilman. I’ll take the call in here.”[/color]  

Laser-link communication was difficult with the number of asteroids moved between the belt and Earthside. He knew he’d only have a few minutes to press the weasels on the colonies, but he’d do it easily. The pressure from ARES in the area had everyone worried about Mars Space, and with the Jupiter Fleet now being targeted, questions were raised on if a safe supply chain could be made. After all, the closest military base to Mars was Luna II, and even then there was no guarantee supply ships could make the trip unescorted. 

But if the Mars Defense Force had access to better Mobile Suits, better weapons, and a stronger foothold in the sector, [i]they[/i] could strengthen security in the region. It was simple logistics, after all. Most of the mobile weapons on Mars were ancient, dating back to the 80s. Or they had refurbished models from recent conflicts, repurposed, and barely any tactical use in combat. 

They needed [i]real[/i] weapons. The kinds that several of his [i]colleagues[/i] had brought during their Mars emigration after the Gryps Conflict and the Neo Zeon wars. And once the Earth Sphere weakened…

Barrick grabbed his receiver, and spoke quickly, concisely, and with a sharp wit. He’d cornered men like then countless times. And he’d corner hundreds more before he was done. All he needed now were the tools. 
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[center][sub]Salvage Area, Cathartes[/sub][/center]
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Marlowe smiled and nodded along with everything Disker said to him and the group. Disker had always remained quiet about himself and his past, and Marlowe was never someone rude enough to start digging for answers about people. It’s why he had barely any knowledge of most of the crew’s histories. He knew that they’d open up when they were ready, and he was always willing to listen to new stories of the places people had been and people they’d met. He’d extended the same respect to Gaida, Ezmy, and Leon. They’d all come to the crew with different skills and mobile suits, and he knew they all had their reasons for joining a crew like the Cathartes. 

Even he had his own reasons, beyond his grandfather running the entire operation. As others approached, he gave a friendly nod to everyone. Ezmy, and then Leon appeared. Disker invited them along, which was always a joy for Marlowe. Being around others made him feel better, even being around Ezmy, though when he was alone in a room with her, he felt [i]something[/i] just being around her. Nothing hormonal, but...something he just couldn’t quite get. Like a fuzzy, lost memory hidden behind something that needed to be jostled out of place. He assumed that he’d know exactly what it meant, in time. 

As the group entered salvage, Marlowe spied a man in a Federation uniform talking to one of the engineers. When Disker asked, [color=FFE6CE]"Did any of you get a good look on what caused this?"[/color] he knew he’d only seen the readings from the assailant’s verniers in the distance. 

[color=yellow]”They moved fast, that’s about all I could tell,” [/color] he noted, then eyed the Federation soldier and waved him over. [color=yellow]”Excuse me, do you remember anything about the people that attacked you?[/color] 

[color=gray]”Yeah,”[/color] the man grumbled. [color=gray]“They were piloting these souped-up mobile suits that looked like a Marasai. I’d seen one, a mothballed unit from the Gryps Conflict on display on Earth. But these didn’t work like the mobile suits I'd read about. These struck fast and their weapons tore our ship apart in a matter of minutes. If that Zeon Freighter hadn’t come along and took the next round of fire, I think we’d have all died then and there.”[/color] 

Marlowe listened and wondered why the name Marasai felt so familiar. Another distant thought crept into the back of his head and then disappeared. He looked to the others, Disker, Gaia, Ezmy, and Leon, to see if they had their own take about the information. 

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