Ford Sierra
| Ford Sierra | |
| Born | Misty Carlson September 10, 1989 |
|---|---|
| Residence | Marsbase Sara |
| Nationality | United States |
| Ethnicity | Human |
| Citizenship | Gearheads |
| Occupation | Mechanic. Bounty Hunter |
| Years active | 2008- |
| Employer | Self Employed |
| Home town | Chicago, Illinois. |
| Height | 1.7 m |
| Weight | classified. |
| Partner | Jet Jaguar |
| Parents | Janet and Paul Carlson |
Starting off in Chicago, living near her Aunt's gun shop for most of her life, Ford Sierra went by the name Misty Carlson. And for a time, this was good. She picked up her skills as a mechanic working on the shop owner’s old Shelby Mustang, and for a time dreamed of owning one like it. Until she found out how much they normally sold for. Her first car was an imported Ford Sierra Cosworth, in a very fetching blue. It was her Aunt Irene who taught her how to drive it 'properly', how to shoot straight in a fight and who gave her her signature Beretta pistol for her 18th Birthday.
The then-Misty acquired her first can of handwavium soon afterwards, and set about turning her car into a spacecraft, before launching to orbit off the 95th Street Bridge following a car-chase that would later be narrated by Sheriff John Bunnel. It was one of hundreds of space-cars, but it was still hers and it served her like a loyal puppy. A hitchhikers fan, she adopted the name Ford Sierra from it, in part to save her family from the authorities back home, and in part because it sounded pretty cool. For most of her first years in Fenspace, she used it to travel between callouts, establishing herself as a ship to ship mechanic who always knew where her towel was.
Ford was injured in an accident in 2009, losing an arm, a leg and most of her hearing. She got them back a few months later courtesy of some stellar work by A.C. Peters.
Repairing her car, she got back to work herself, earning a good reputation as a person who could jury-rig fix just about everything, and made a good living for herself operating her own towing company, using her waved car and a bit of strengthened chain. It was crude, but effective, and the Cosworth was more than up to the job.
When the Boskone War began, she found herself being hired to salvage wrecked or abandoned spacecraft and recover lost cargo. She ran a gauntlet out in the main belt, and had gotten pretty good at it too. A few close calls scared her, but they were rare enough. And she always got away. That changed when a Boskone ramship ambushed her as she moved in to claim an abandoned bus. The Boskonians rammed her car, destroying most of the front end and crumpling the cockpit, before leaving her for dead... Having seen the internal atmosphere vent, they assumed she’d died with it.
A jury-rigged pressure helmet and her cybernetics kept her alive long enough to be rescued by a passing courier going by the name Jet Jaguar. Jet kept Sierra alive using her own life support system.
She finished the war putting her mechanical skills to good use on Mars, before acquiring The Dragon Wagon to continue her work. Post-war, she continued her mechanics business, with herself and Jet spending most of their free time together over the next couple of years. Sierra often works with Jet on Troubleshooting missions, though isn't technically an OGJ troubleshooter herself.
Sierra and jet's relationship is a... weird one to say the least and can seem very standoffish to those who don’t know the couple better. They compliment each other well however. Sierra is Jet’s anchor in humanity and reality, while Jet brings Sierra to the stars. Sierra is one of few people Jet trusts to do her maintenance, probably one of two who know the truth about what’s under the armour and who’ve seen a picture of who Jet used to be. The couple have developed their own way of being intimate with each other, despite each other’s bodies getting in the way. Perhaps other people have forgotten just how beautiful a simple kiss can be. And there're ways around if they’re feeling...adventurous.
They often work together was partners on troubleshooting missions, Ford often able to go unnoticed where Jet would draw unwanted attentions. Ford technically isn't on the OGJ payroll, holding a Marsbase Sara-issued bounty hunter's license instead. She's in it as much for the fun and satisfaction, as she is for the money.
Beyond 2020, Ford becomes one of the founding members of the Knight Sabers and runs her own workshop on 77 Frigga building custom motorslaves for those willing the pay the price, aswell as providing custom fabrications services and emergency spacecraft recovery and repair. Ford also handles her share of the local maintenance, while continuing to track down occasional bounties.
Description
Sierra is of average height and build, with a dusky complexion to her skin. Her eyes are a pale brown and her hair is cut short to keep it from getting caught in vehicle parts.
Normally, she wears cheap denim clothes and an old Cubs t-shirt which she can afford to get coated in oil. That's not to say she doesn't have more stylish clothes for when it'd be appropriate, she prefers not to get these dirty. On a job, she'll wear an armoured leather jacket, with a bulletproof Kevlar lining. She brought it up with her from Chicago.
Equipment
Sierra runs 'Sierra's Independent Fen Mechanics' on Marsbase Sara, catering to a wide variety of clients, from average Fencars and truck to the occasional Heavy Gear owner. She lives in a small apartment over the workshop, which lately includes a small room for Jet should she be staying over.
She usually has a set of mechanic’s tools available, stored in a handwaved Bullit Green 2002 Ford F-250 in truck for more complicated jobs. The truck itself is one among many, and is utterly unremarkable and ordinary looking. It is reasonably quirkless, aside from a computer that likes to make jokes and s tendency to backfire and spit clouds of diesel soot at electric cars and Toyota Prius'. The truck retains it's full road drivetrain.
Sierra owns a specially customised Beretta 92, equipped with a longer counterweighted barrel, a heavier slide and custom made walnut grips. Engraved on the slide is RV-Special 92: For Misty .
Her right arm, right leg and both her ears have been replaced with good quality cybernetics, constructed and upgraded by AC Peters.
In 2016, Sierra has her own hardsuit built for her by Jet, painted a deep green and styled similarly to OVA Linna’s. It transforms her voice to sound like Yoshiko Sakakhibara when wearing it. The suit is fitted with an advanced stabilisation system, and instrumentation to help Sierra orientate herself properly in space. Also included is a set of camera mounts on the helmet and a number of built in power tools in the forearms, including an arc welder.
Mundane attributes
- Lady McGuyver: Sierra can usually jury-rig anything, either a new tool or a quick repair, so long as it hasn’t been too badly damaged or at least seems reasonably plausible to do. Provided she has access to duct tape.
- I can see the Fords: Ford fangirl. Can pull most Ford engines apart in her sleep, and can do a pretty good job on just about any other vehicle, waved or not waved. She hates GM’s with a passion, and generally won’t work on one unless it’s an emergency, or she’s being paid well.
- Cost me an Arm and a Leg: Sierra’s right arm, leg and both her ears have been replaced with cybernetic parts. They’re not much stronger than the originals... otherwise they’d tear out of her body... but they are more resilient to damage than a normal human’s arm. Her hearing is also somewhat sharper than normal. Her arm has a small compartment containing a Leatherman tool.
- Gunsmith Cat: Sierra was taught to shoot by the owner of the gun shop whose car she regularly fixed. She’s an excellent shooter, a better shot with regular iron sights than cyber-assisted Jet, especially with her own customised Berretta 92. As of 2014 She’s not yet fired it in anger at a human being.
- Wheel Warrior: And she's a decent driver too.
- Family business: Holds a Marsbase Sara-issued bounty-hunter's license.
- Fly me to the Moon: Sierra and Jet are long term partners... and has variably described Jet as her ‘Girlfriend’ or ‘Partner’ depending on who she’s talking to and what their sensibilities are.
Handwavium attributes
None specifically noticed. However, she did survive far longer in what was technically vacuum than any unmodded human had a right to.
Quirks
- Spindizzy: Sierra gets dizzy and disorientated very quickly. It's most likely the result of an undetected and unrelated biomod.
- Zarkin’ Frood: Sierra always seems to instinctively know where her towel is. Or where to find one.
- Yes we can!: Enthusiastic towards her work, and routinely quotes an Illinois Senator’s campaign slogans to herself before she starts a big job.
Stories
Ford Sierra has appeared in the following stories.
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