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.

• Weekly Refill Cycle: Standard loops hit each machine once a week; high-traffic kiosks (markets, mines) got mid-week top-ups.
• Jam & Damage Triage: Couriers logged malfunction reports from stewards, fixed what they could immediately, and flagged bigger repairs for the next mechanics team run.
• Token/Notch Management: They swapped token notch patterns per HQ orders to invalidate stolen “infinite-use” tokens and pulled suspect coins for audit.
• Data Return: Ledgers and empty crates returned to HQ each evening dispatch; discrepancies triggered internal audits.

• Saddle Hours & Shed Nights: Most days were spent in the saddle, panniers clanking and ledger straps digging into shoulders. Nights meant quick bunk space in machine alcoves, 3B hostels, or a tarp by the Hoos if no inn was near.
• Routine with Surprise: Routes were familiar, but every machine could spring a surprise — sand in a chute, a bent lever, or a broken lock from some desperate settler. Some riders kept spare parts hidden under kiosk steps… “just in case.”
• Thin Pay, Thick Pride: Wages were modest, but the pride of “keeping the levers alive” ran deep. They saw themselves as vital as wells or med-bays.

• 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 Bottles Blackmail: Talia "Quickshot" Maren, the founder of the Frontier Supply Company, receives a ransom note: pay 10 000 Kourou by next Friday or more Quickdraw goods get laced. The blackmailer claims one water bottle is already lethal. She hires the PCs for a covert op — find the poisoned bottle before it’s pulled, trace how the supply chain was breached, and unmask whether the culprit is an insider. Clues might include mismatched seal stamps in the Receiving Dock, altered ledger lines, a missing refill crate, or Hoos resin on a forbidden mezzanine door. A staged payout sting at the Dispatch Platform could nab the perp — or trigger a desperate sabotage attempt …

• 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)