'EXPATRIAT' LEGACY CHARACTERS

Harry Blake was born in Belfast. His mother Mary, is English and his father Jimmy Blake was Irish, a member of the Freedom Fighters and murdered by Magnus Brannagan of the IRA on the day Harry was born. Raised by his aunt Briony, a nun, in a convent close to Carpienne, Marseillles, his life was influenced by two men as he grew. Zarak, a Maltese man who worked at the convent, and Marcell Goutier, a brothel keeper from the Algerian Quarter of the city, and weekends were spent aboard Marcels boat, Expatriat on which the young Harry acquired his love of the sea.

Having grown into a tall, sturdy and strong young man, Harry's dream had always been to join the SAS but because of his love of boats and engines, he choses the Marine Commandoes instead, in which he rises to the rank of Captain. While becoming adept in unarmed combat and an expert sniper, he excells in exlosives and demolition work, his physique improves also with military discipline and he grows to 6'3" and 200lb. He has blue eyes and fair hair cropped short and is constantly chased by beautiful women. His life begins to change almost from the day his mother remarries and Andrew Bellamy, a high ranking SAS officer, becomes his step father. At the time he applies for a job overseas with the Foreign Office, his application is netted by MI6 and he finds himself head-hunted by the Diplomatic Service for British Intelligence.

On his official demob, Marcel gives Harry his boat and the young man choses to live aboard, making it his home, becoming a recognisable and popular figure on the Marseilles waterfront, dressed in a straw coloured suit over a bare chest, with sleeves rolled up and white shoes with no socks, speaking fluent French and Arabic as well as English he is becoming a hot potatoe for the watching eyes of MI6 and at the time of upset in his family, when efforts to catch Jimmy Blake's killer nears its end on Malta, he is pressured by MI6 to join them but Harry choses to follow the lucrative work he had found in the Middle East and goes to the island of Masirah to earn his fortune.

Shortly after his mother and father are killed in a car crash leaving him very wealthy, Harry finds himself involved in an incredible situation, when he is framed by MI6 and sent to jail, charged with spying while on the island. Inside, he meets the Kurd, Tarik Aziz and Bob Pilbeam a cockney safe cracker both of whom play a huge part in his future, After only 6 months in Parkhurst jail, MI6 admit the their treachery to catch Harry and ask him to go 'undercover' in a gang suspected of planning a heist on Ramat Gan, the diamond centre in Tel Aviv and it is here that he meets Sir Phillip Ransom, a young MI6 agent of the same age and physique as himself, who becomes a life-long friend.

The use of Harry's boat with the Diplomatic Service as a Hospitality Boat, it changes his life completely and when recruiting his crew, he meets friends Bronco Stevens, an American pilot and falls in love with a beautiful young Iasraeli woman called Ruth Sapperstein. During a fight with Iraqui terrorists, Harry is almost killed and suffers very bad facial injuries which mark his appearance with noticable scars aross forehead and right cheek, which do nothing to dimninish his rugged good looks but rather make his personallity even more appealing to the people he meets.

After a dangerous mission in Israel during whch his boat is severly damaged, everyone is surprised when Tarik Aziz becomes the new President of Kurdistan and because of the assitance given by Harry on their behalf, Tarik presents Harry Blake with a brand new boat Expatriat 11 which will be his base for future excapades.

While their relationship strengthens, and he recovers from injuries, Harry and Ruth, spend many hours discussing ways to help Third World countries and Harry developes a plan that could revolutionise Charity Air deliveries. They also become involved in religious discussions and hours of research is done on Christianity and Judaism leading to heated discussions about holy relics such as the Arc of the Covenant, completely unaware that it is this fabulous treasure that will stamp an indelible mark on them and millions of others during the Eve of Millennium.