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The Parade of Infamy: The Medusas The notorious band of aviatrix aces, the Medusas, recently made international headlines by rescuing their former leader—Athena "Harpy" Jackson—from a Utah prison. Though linked to a handful of high-profile pirate raids throughout the western portion of North America, this band of she-devils have always remained something of a mystery. So: who are these Medusas? The gang was originally founded in 1934, by pilots Athena "Harpy" Jackson and Sheila "Owl" Carter. Jackson and Carter soon added a local pair, Justine "Battleaxe" Perot and her wing pilot, "Bold" to their ranks. The Medusas hit a series of small targets at first, getting more publicity than money to start, and soon acquired a reputation as a dangerous and vicious gang of criminals. The Medusas grew from four to six to twelve, straining Athena's leadership ability. They soon seized a zeppelin and renamed it the Gorgon, greatly extending their operational range. Two years ago, the Medusas were on the verge of hitting the big time. A half-dozen more raids and hooch-runs and they might have been able to obtain a second zeppelin and attract the best of the rest of the female pirates from across the continent. Athena Jackson big dreams were almost coming true.
Those dreams fell to earth two weeks later when she was shot down in a raid into Utah, captured, and imprisoned. In the midst of this, the Medusas split almost in half, one side wanting to try a rescue of Athena, the other writing Athena off as lost. An abortive rescue attempt by six Medusas followed. It failed, and two Medusa pilots died in the attempt. The survivors fled and, furious with the other Medusas for not joining the rescue operation, and eventually scattered among other pirate gangs. Athena Jackson was, until her prison break two weeks ago, serving a life sentence. During the days following Athena's capture, Justine "Battleaxe" Perot took control of the gang (after publicly bullwhipping a man who was spreading nasty and lewd rumors about the Medusas). The Medusas fell in behind her. A year ago, as the new leader of the Medusas, she faced hard times. The pilots were down to six members, a single flight, barely enough to function. The Gorgon had only a minimal flight crew, and the other pirate bands circled to see if she was predator or prey. Perot quickly brought in some hands for the Gorgon and embarked on a month-long raid across Texas, Louisiana and western Dixie. This proved profitable, and when the Gorgon arrived in Appalachia to off-load prize cargo they were greeted with enthusiasm. On the return trip, the Medusas tore a strip across the ISA and People's Collective. After a short leave, restocking, and picking up some new female pirates, the Medusas ran a punitive raid into Utah, bombing Salt Lake City before hitting targets in the Nation of Hollywood. Where this new phase will take the Medusas is difficult to say. They are still a relatively small band, with a single zeppelin and fielding only a single squadron. Recently, the Medusas lost two elements, one to combat attrition and another to resignation. The very best female pilots are scrambling for the empty slots. Athena Jackson should be proud. 
Justine "Battleaxe" Perot "Justine Perot"—most likely an alias—moved to Denver during the collapse of the USA; she rarely said much about her past, but it was generally understood that she had left an unpleasant past behind her. She was called Jessie Pearl then, a girl with mixed blood and a Midwest accent, but no one knows if that's her real name. In a few years, Free Colorado became a pirate haven, and she found a new beau, a dashing young air pirate named Jose Vega (the brother of slain Hollywood Knight ace, Jimmy Vega), who taught her to fly, maintain a plane, and shoot with a natural dead-eye. Soon she was flying as Jose's wing pilot, nicknamed "Battleaxe" after cutting a militia plane in half with rockets and flying through the separating wings. When Vega went was killed by Arixo militia, she was alone again, but able to hold her own against any man around her. When she was with Jimmy she was Juanita Perez, a fluent Spanish speaker with a strong Mexican accent. When the Medusas were formed, Justine Perot-claiming to be a Creole—signed on as an element leader, bringing her own wing pilot, "Bold" Amanda Hart. "Bold" Amanda Hart Amanda Hart was originally slated to go far in Boston society. She might well have wound up an air militia officer in one of the Atlantic Coalition society militias but for the wild streak that drove her out of her very select private schools, and led her far afield in search of adventure. Certainly Amanda has the talent and instinct to be a crack militia pilot and has no fear whatsoever, but lacks the respect (or at least tolerance) for authority needed for a militia career. Indeed, Amanda respects only skill and accomplishment. She hooked up with Justine Perot a few months before the Medusas were founded, and was impressed with her into-the-fire approach to combat. They've been together ever since. Ching "Wasp" HSi Rumors about Ching Hsi abound. She answers no question about her past directly, only with cryptic evasions. She has been called the youngest daughter of a Chinese warlord, the widow of a San Francisco tong leader, a former Buddhist nun, and—oddly—the ordinary daughter of a Seattle grocer. She is a Chinese woman of no easily determined age, who first appeared in the pirate circuits of the West Coast about five years ago. Already a superior pilot and gunner, Hsi quickly developed a reputation for being an all-around ace pilot. Called "Wasp" for her hard shell, predatory air, aerial agility, precision gunning, and hourglass figure, Hsi moved from gang to gang, usually moving after a run-in with Chinese tong hatchetmen. Someone is out to get the Wasp, but only she seems to know who. Hsi joined the Medusas in the recent membership swell, instantly earning a leader position on her reputation alone. Katherine "Katie" Callahan Katherine Callahan is a fresh-faced 19-year old Irish girl from Chicago who joined about the same time as the Wasp. Katie had no prior experience, and was accepted mainly because the Medusas were low on cash, pilots, and planes. Katie showed up with her own Fury and knew how to fly it, although she has never said where she acquired the skills. She was paired up with Ching Hsi, who also flew a Fury and needed a regular wing pilot. Callahan's skills got a workout in the next six months, and she has blossomed under the Wasp's tutoring, although she is still a while away from becoming a leader. Sheila "Owl" Carter Sheila Carter was one of the first pilots in the Medusas and fast friends with Athena Jackson: Carter had been Athena's wing pilot until six months before Athena's capture. Called the Owl for her excellent night vision and quiet habits, she also shows an Owl's hunting instinct. Carter was raised in rural Georgia, and left home for the North at age 14, just before the collapse of the USA. Still dissatisfied, she worked her way West. She finally found herself in Denver bar, talking to Athena Jackson and Sheila Carter. Together, they worked their way into and out of several pirate gangs, learning the ropes, and eventually founded the Medusas. Where the gang might have gone if Athena had not been captured is now a moot point; Sheila lacks the natural group leadership abilities Athena had, and Perot seems determined to win the gang a measure of respectability. Mary "Long Shot" Longnecker Mary "Long Shot" Longnecker is the last person anyone would expect Carter to have as a wing pilot; Mary is an abrasive Texan, a hard-drinking, boisterous blonde who is the opposite of Sheila in nearly every way. Indeed, each initially despised the other, causing a rift in the gang until Athena decided to end the feud by promoting Sheila and pairing her with Mary, whose leader had gone down in a pirate duel over Sky Haven. Mutual dependence either makes partners or deadly enemies; in Sheila and Mary's case a vicious dogfight with Navajo Wind Warriors settled the matter in favor of partners. They've backed each other ever since. Gertrude "Two-Guns Gertie" Puckett Gertrude Puckett, a minister's daughter from Union City, came to Denver as a young widow. After her husband was gunned down by People's Collective border guards as a whiskey smuggler (who hadn't paid off the right people), she headed to Free Colorado with a pair of .45s, intending to sign on with any gang who would raid the Collective. Nearly all pirate gangs raid over Collective territory, and Gertie moved from gang to gang. She learned to fly and shoot and picked up all manner of dirty tricks and sneaky tactics. Eventually she grew tired of her vendetta and considered a quiet retirement in a less dangerous field...until she heard about the Medusas. The idea of a women's gang had occurred to her a few times, especially after she had to show some crude idiot male pirate why she was really called Two-Guns (by shoving her .45 pistols in his face). She joined the group after helping them out with a "little difficulty" (a shootout with the Red Skull Legion), and has made a solid contribution since. Her skill with guns carry over to mounted machine guns, and Two-Guns is noted for her accuracy and dedicated fire. Mathilda "Hag" Hannigan Mathilda "the Hag" Hannigan is a slim woman in her early 40s, one of the oldest female pilots in Colorado. Hag Hannigan had nicknamed herself ("Better than Granny"), for her "broom-riding, nag-to-death nasty" tactics, including an amazing ability to stay on a target's tail. Hannigan isn't the best pilot or gunner in town, but once she gets on a plane's tail it is so much junk. Hannigan's fine-honed tail-riding skills don't lend themselves to being a lead pilot, but she says she doesn't want the job. Hannigan is a former Colorado bootlegger from early Prohibition, and seems to have contacts all over the West. Tactics "Battleaxe" Perot uses different unit tactics than "Harpy" did; Jackson relied on superior flying to maintain firing position, and expected her pilots to do the same. Perot personally relies on heavy concentrated firepower and aggressive shooting, but expects her "snakes" to use their own initiative and methods to down or chase off planes. "Battleaxe" Perot and "Bold" Amanda Hart usually make high-speed sweeping runs to cut down whatever happens to be in their path. Perot is a better gunner than pilot, and relies on Hart to keep bandits off their tails. Hart is a solid pilot, and able to mix it up with most militia pilots long enough for another snake to engage. Hart does have a disconcerting tendency to chase interesting targets after enemy formations get broken up, and leave Perot dangling. Perot accommodates this by hooking up with another element, since by the time Hart runs off the militia pilots are mauled. "Wasp" Ching is a superlative pilot and gunner who prefers agility to speed, and is training Katie Callahan to keep up. Ching sometimes lets approaching pilots inside her defenses in order to reverse the tables and engage them, sometimes dangles Katie out in front as bait, and sometimes chases Perot and Hart as cleanup. "Owl" Carter likes to swoop down on targets and rocket them to death; she is usually the leader of any ground attacks. Once her rockets are gone she continues the tactic with her guns, making do with strafes on damaged planes. "Long Shot" Longnecker is a mediocre pilot with excellent gunnery skills, who likes to snipe at long range. She usually flies cover or follow-up for Carter on approach. "Two-Gun Gertie" Puckett infamous for following "Hag" Hannigan's tailing, getting fight up behind a target, and shredding it by doubling down with her guns. Hannigan does much the same, but doesn't quite have Puckett's knack for steady fire.
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