Short Fiction · Character

Pat McKay

Ash Holcomb's sharp-tongued love, who mocks his failed chase across the Belt while her pale face and bitten lip tell a different story.

major

Also known as Pat, Marty

First appearance: riya s foundling

As a major figure in Short Fiction, Pat McKay is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Sacrifices herself to help Ash escape, dying in a hyperspace jump.

In the storyBlood on My JetsOpen this moment free

See Pat McKay in Blood on My Jets Book page

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Pat stands between Ash and Harry Thorsten, laughing at Ash's useless race to Titan even as her eyes stay fixed on Thorsten's face. She defends Thorsten's methods with a quick, brittle mockery, insisting the stakes of…

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The fuller portrait of Pat McKay sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Pat McKay in riya s foundling

Character Web

19 connections

A slice of how Pat McKay sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Friendship
Professional
Other

Character groups

Key and minor characters
Variants and minor characters
Minor Martian characters

+14 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point

This is the dramatic climax because Greaves confronts his deepest fear—becoming a Shadow—and resolves it by ch…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Harry Thorsten
friendship · positive
Harry Thorsten and Pat McKay are close friends or partners, working together frequently. How this plays out →
Ash Holcomb
professional · ambivalent
Ash Holcomb
professional · ambivalent
Harry Thorsten
friendship · positive
Harry Thorsten and Pat McKay are close friends or partners, working together frequently. How this plays out →
Harry Thorsten
friendship · positive
Harry Thorsten and Pat McKay are close friends or partners, working together frequently. How this plays out →

Harry Thorsten
Harry Thorsten and Pat McKay are close friends or partners, working together frequently.
Ash Holcomb
Ash Holcomb and Pat McKay work together, possibly as partners in a dangerous line of work.
Ash Holcomb
Ash Holcomb and Pat McKay work together, possibly as partners in a dangerous line of work.
Harry Thorsten
Harry Thorsten and Pat McKay are close friends or partners, working together frequently.
Harry Thorsten
Harry Thorsten and Pat McKay are close friends or partners, working together frequently.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Pat McKay in riya s foundling

In the story

Pat McKay appears across 10 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Blood on My Jets
Sacrifices herself to help Ash escape, dying in a hyperspace jump.
I
A woman from Ash's past who hires him for a lucrative but illegal job; demonstrates combat skills and a no-nonsense attitude.
II
Ash's contact; she ambushes and knocks him out at the end of the chapter.
III
Holds Ash at gunpoint, accuses him of double-crossing her, reveals she is working for Harry Thorsten to steal the power pile, and later breaks down in Ash's arms.
IV
Revealed to be a decoy sent by Thorsten; Ash suspects she is working against him.
V
Revealed to be Harry Thorsten's wife; defends Thorsten's plan to colonize another star; fights Ash and is knocked unconscious; later shows knowledge of Martian signals.
VI
Thorsten's wife; held at gunpoint by Ash, taunts him after the Titan failure, and is present during the final confrontation.
VII
Present at the dinner; she is in love with Thorsten's dream, which blinds her to the destruction he plans.
VIII
Visits Ash in his cell, helps him attempt escape, and is mortally wounded while covering his retreat.
IX
Given a funeral pyre by the narrator after dying in a hyperspace jump.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Pat McKay unlock in the free preview.

See Pat McKay in riya s foundling

See Pat McKay in Blood on My Jets