REFILL & MAINTENANCE COURIERS (FRONTIER SUPPLY COMPANY)

The Refill & Maintenance Couriers were the field spine of the Frontier Supply Company during the Beta Age. Riding sturdy Hoos across the Free State of Settlers, they restocked the Frontier Quickdraw Network’s purely mechanical vending machines, fine‑tuned springs and chutes on-site, logged sales and jams in grease-stained ledgers, and hauled back empty refill crates.

When Communardist nationalisation followed the 2631 Peace Treaty, most were folded (grudgingly or pragmatically) into the Federal Allotment Agency’s distribution corps or reassigned as riders in the Federal Courier Service.

• Company Riders, Not Freelancers: Unlike the Free State Courier Riders, these couriers were on FSC payroll—scheduled routes, company tools, company ledgers.
• On‑Site Refills: Couriers brought sealed refill crates and sachet bundles, swapped them in the field, and adjusted trigger tension with pocket torque keys.
• Mechanics On the Move: Each rider carried a roll of springs, ratchets, chute flaps, seal stamps, and a mini hand-crank tester. Minor jams and misalignments were fixed on the spot.
• Hoos-Mounted Logistics: Hoos handled rough terrain and heavy panniers. Refill crates dangled in balanced saddlebags; damaged parts rode lashed under the tail rack.
• Arms and Equipment: All riders carried weapons for protection, including Ironstrike Slingshots from the Forge of Atrana, Knives for close combat and utility. This ensured their safety on hazardous routes often threatened by wildlife or hostile forces.
• Field Ledgers & Seal Tags: Every dispense counter reading, jam incident, and crate swap was inked into field ledgers. Seal stamps matched HQ stencils to prevent swap fraud.
• Security Keys & Notch Pins: Riders carried master lock keys and rotating notch pins to re‑pin coin/token escapements if a counterfeit surge was reported.

Riders wear charcoal oilskin dusters with hand‑stitched reflective bead stripes along the seams so stewards can spot them at a distance. A canvas hood with a narrow slit visor (lined in felt) pulls over greased‑glass goggles — plain glass plates rubbed with soap/fat to keep fog at bay. Fingerless torque-gloves (flip‑down mitten caps when it gets cold) let them tweak springs without freezing their fingers. Knee‑high hoos‑hide boots, waxed against mud, and a cross‑chest tool bandolier complete the look.

Layered wool and <Hoos‑fur parkas bulk them out — cream or rust colored, bound with bone toggles. A fur‑rimmed hood carries a slit mask and a hood lamp clipped above the brow. Tool rolls are wrapped in felt and tucked inside the parka to keep metal from snapping brittle. Thick mitts with cut-away finger tips (buttoned back when working) and spiked crampon straps over the boots handle ice. Strips of tritium paint or glow‑resin beads are sewn into hems so a partner can see them in the dark.

(Every rider had a “swap bundle” at HQ to re-kit before heading into another region.)

• Weekly (or Sooner) Refill Loops: High-traffic markets got mid-week top-ups; remote outposts saw a weekly sweep.
• Jam Triage & Field Fixes: Minor repair? Fix it. Major damage? Tag it, log it, and schedule a haul-out.
• Token/Notch Management: Swapped notch patterns to cancel stolen “infinite-use” tokens; pulled suspect coins for audit.
• Ledger Return: Daily handoff of ledgers and empty crates at Dispatch; anomalies triggered internal checks.

• Saddle & Steel: Most hours were spent riding through dim or black landscapes, panniers clanking. Nights (whenever the shift clock said so) were in 3B hostels, machine alcoves, or under tarps beside a steaming Hoos.
• Routine Surprises: Every lever could hide a surprise — sand-jammed chutes, pried lockplates, or a note from a grateful settler. Some riders stashed emergency mini-crates under kiosk steps for storm weeks.
• Pride over Pay: The credits were okay; the satisfaction of “keeping the levers alive” was better.

• Tight Crew, Tight Lips: The eight core riders at HQ were a small, tight clique — sharing route tips, spare springs, and the occasional contraband schnapps.
• Rivalry with Freelancers: Friendly (and sometimes not-so-friendly) rivalry simmered with Free State Courier Riders — who called them “company mules,” while FSC riders shot back with “tender-chasers.”
• Black-Market Temptation: Access to stock and keys attracted shady offers. Most said no; a few didn’t. Internal sting ops weren’t unheard of.
• War & Weather: Storms, raiders, and the looming Great War lines made remote refills dicey. Riders learned to move fast and quiet.

Refill & Maintenance Couriers are perfect for hands-on logistics drama and sabotage mysteries:

• Poisoned Bottle Blackmail: Talia "Quickshot" Maren, founder of the Frontier Supply Company, is in full panic mode. She just got a ransom note demanding 10.000 Kourou by next Friday — or more Quickdraw goods will turn lethal. One water bottle’s already been tainted, and every vending‑machine staple could be next: the Starshine Schnaps, Chew Meat Strips, even the Emergency Space Nutrition Packs and Dry Shampoo & Soap Kits.Talia hires the PC to Intercept the poisoned bottle before it reaches a customer, trace the breach in her supply chain and to unmask the saboteur …

• Beta Age
• Gamma Age
• Free State of Settlers
• Federal Confederation
• New Kourou
• Free State Courier Riders
• Frontier Supply Company (Beta Age)
• Frontier Quickdraw Network (Beta Age)
• Federal Courier Service (Gamma Age)