BLUE MOON ELSEWHERE
Sitting in the back of the air car Tarja would watch as the scenery rolled by, with her passing through a small village before going into the open countryside which would transition from fields to woodland around about the same time that the road transitioned from glassy smooth resin bonded macadam to dusty gravel, before finally running out entirely.
It was as the road came to an end that what appeared to be a timber blockhouse would appear in amongst the trees. Next to it there was what looked to be a grassed picnic area and a fairly rugged looking all terrain vehicle that had obviously seen some heavy use. Gathering her things Tarja would thank the driver before hopping out and walking towards the building, with the cab turning around and driving off before she’d even opened the door.
Despite its outward appearance the interior of the building was modern looking with a large map and a couple of displays on the walls and a U shape of desks with monitors on it, manned by a youngish looking Angel in a knaki uniform, with an older looking Angel in the same uniform sorting through some boxes ”Can I help you with anything?” the older Angel asked as he got up to approach Tarja before giving the rifle case slung over her shoulder a suspicious look as he added ”…you are aware that hunting is strictly prohibited here, right?”
”Oh…um…yeah this is my first time here and I wasn’t sure how dangerous the local wildlife was” Tarja replied, with the ranger giving her an understanding, if slightly dubious, nod before walking over to the map on the wall ”Well…we have a couple of packs of Fenrix in the area, but they shouldn’t cause you any problems, and the larger Angors may charge, but only if you get too close to their young, to be honest you’re still too close to civilisation for the larger predators…now there’s a camping spot about a click north of here, it’s nothing fancy, just a clearing with a composting toilet and a water point, but from there you can reach the Abaxi cairns located to the east, and Steel Crag which has some amazing views especially at sunrise and sunset…” the ranger explained as he pointed out the separate points on the map, with Tarja taking careful note of each one as he does so ”…it’s a hard climb, but well worth it, though something tells me it won’t cause you any problems…are you with the fleet perchance?” he asked eyeing her muscular physique, with Tarja wondering not for the first time whether she had the word Soldier branded onto her forehead ”I am, First Armoured Infantry”
”93rd Infantry…though that was back when we thought Paradise was on our side” he replied with a note of disgust entering his voice at the mention of Paradise ”well I’ll let you enjoy your RnR, if you need anything give us a call, there’s always someone on duty here” he said before leaving Tarja to study the map awhile longer before she finally departed.