<div align="center"><strong>Stephen McPherson -- Eavesdown Docks, Persephone -- awaiting the arrival of the Gamble</strong></div><br/>Situational awareness came as second nature to most combat soldiers after a short time -- otherwise they didn't remain combat soldiers, but joined the ranks of the<em>honored dead</em>.  Many of them would settle into a safer lifestyle after the war and their combat skills would take a back seat to fitting in to regular society, while others could never quite let it go -- especially if their circumstances justified a heightened appreciation of their surroundings.<br/><br/>Steve, fresh from his futile attempts to fit into polite society on a core planet, found the old habits were coming back to him with relative ease.  The group of young punks trying to look nonchalant as they gathered to plan some mischief stood out to him like a sore thumb, as did a recently landed ship from which crew members emerged looking as if they were checking for Feds before unloading their innocuous looking cargo.  On the other hand, even a blind man would have sensed the scene unfolding off to his left -- a girl in rags having a bit of a confrontation with a pair of dockside doxies whose clothing tried, but couldn't outshine the younger girl's bright red hair.  Steve just shook his head as he passed, a strange mix of regret that his efforts to fit in to polite society didn't work out, and a sense of relief to be back in an environment more reminiscent of home.<br/><br/>Knowing the two young Feds he confronted earlier would be as far away as possible from the dockmaster's office, Steve proceeded there to find out if the Gamble had landed yet, and if so, where.  Oddly enough, when he to paused scan the crowd in the office, a tall thin scruffy man made his way to the counter to ask about the very ship for which Steve was waiting.  Though he didn't think it was the best of moves for the man to announce to the world he had money to throw away, Steve was glad the man saved him the trouble of having to jump through any hoops or spend any more time in the office to find out what he wanted to know.<br/><br/>"Might as well go to work" he thought to himself as he followed the man out of the office and toward Docking Bay 30, his own backpack in tow.  He kept back a safe distance so as not to alarm the man, and began to close the distance as the two thugs approached.  Before he could get involved, the confrontation was over, and Steve resumed tailing the man who, it appeared, wasn't quite as helpless as he looked.<br/><br/>Arriving at the recently-landed ship, Steve cleared his throat to alert the man of his presence.  More accurately, he assumed the man knew Steve was behind him, and this was his signal to the man that said "I"m not trying to sneak up on you."  Stopping beside Lex (not too close, but not too far away either) Steve gave him a little half-smile and spoke in his more natural voice ... a mix of core and rim with a large hint of brogue.<br/><br/>"Must be the Gamble, eh?  I'm McPherson."  He extended a hand to shake.<br/>