Steve is standing just outside of the Respite in full armor, sans helmet, with his SMG holstered on his thigh. He folds his arms across his chest and leans against the building as he awaits Renala.
#FreedomFalls – August 27, 2014
Renala makes her way out of the establishment shortly after, and is also in her armor suit. She has her Locust with her, but not the other submachine gun, instead having a small pouch in that holster's place with more than enough clips, a grenade and a few energy bars; not visible as it's closed. "Hey," she says. "A doctor said to take it easy for a few days, but we're just armed as a precaution, right?" She is carrying her helmet.
Steve gives the asari a nod as he pushes away from the wall. A small tote bag is on the ground beside him. "Evenin' Ren." he greets as he glances back and forth down the street, "Yeah, yeah... Shouldn't be much to worry about. Adrasteia just ain't the most stable of places, ya know? Better to be safe." He furrows his brow and levels his gaze on her after her words set in, "Doctor? Shit, you alright? Were you at the agency when it was hit?" he asks in rapid succession, "Lotsa folks talkin' 'bout it right now..."
Renala shrugs. "The building took the hardest hits, but none of our people were seriously hurt." There's a short pause before she adds, "Only I and the chief were there when those assholes paid us a visit, but she was actually prepared for a fight."
Steve reaches up and rubs at the back of his neck, looking a little guilty, "Yeah... I saw the message. Wasn't exactly in the best of places after everything that happened, but I would've hauled ass if I knew you were stuck there." he admits, "We know who was behind it yet?"
Steve sighs loudly and shakes his head, "Another job they sidelined me on? This shit is gettin' old. I didn't sign up to be a glorified bouncer."
A shuttle slowly touches down a few yards away from the pair. Once it settles into place, the doors open.
Renala nods. "I'm not calling the shots, Steve," she says, "but yeah. I shouldn't talk specifics out here, but even if the job went smoothly, it didn't end there." As the shuttle lands by them, she makes her way over and takes the back seat behind the passenger seat.
Steve picks up his tote bag, slinging it over his shoulder, and makes his way over to the shuttle, listening as Renala speaks. "It's Jason." he says as he hops into the seat behind the pilot, "I get the feelin' he doesn't trust me." Steve leans forward and quickly confirms their destination with the pilot before returning his attention to Renala, "He can't expect me to just sit by while everyone is out there rakin' in the credits..."
Renala frowns. "I think that's the problem, too," she says. "I hope all it takes is a field job that doesn't go to hell just minutes after landing." She pauses. "I could actually use a slow security detail, or working on the tech in the agency's place."
The shuttle slowly makes its ascent. After a few moments, it begins to proceed forward. The pilot minds his own business.
Steve shakes his head. "Careful what you ask for, Ren. It wears on ya. I sit on my ass in that place day-in, day-out. Hardly ever any action. It's tiring."
What do you think most of my work is? I sit in my room most of the time, working on the stuff I use in the field.
Steve snorts loudly and shakes his head once again. "Well sittin' on my ass and watchin' a bunch of drunks on a camera ain't my hobby." he jokes, "But if you wanna trade places, I'm all for it." He gives the asari a toothy smile, "You keep an eye on the drunks and skittish asari, and I'll go kick in some doors."
Renala nods. "If you can get Jason in on the idea, then I'm fine with it on the next job," she says. "But he didn't seem too happy about me taking it easy when I asked him on the ship to that nightmare place."
Steve pats Renala on the back playfully, "You brought this on yourself by bein' so damn smart. A walkin' lockpick."
Renala chuckles, and sighs. "Yeah, I was hoping Alex would stick around for that," she says. "The girl wasn't too good with combat, but she could use some of my programs in the field."
Well, after what we went through ya can't blame her for running off like she did. Hell, the kid was lucky she survived. I had her pegged as a fatality from the moment I met her.
Steve shakes his head. "Some people are just born with a deathwish, I guess. Probably got herself killed. I can't see her makin' it out there with another band of mercs. They'd eat her alive."
Renala nods. "I suppose that's the case," she says. "I hope she's alright, though. That job had us all acting unreasonably at some point."
Steve gives a nod of his own, followed by a short sigh. He remains quiet for a few moments before looking over at Renala with a raised brow. "You said the Chief was with you at the agency? You notice anything... Off about her?" he asks.
Renala raises her brows. "Oh, she asked me to pass on an apology," she says. "I didn't ask what it was for, though."
Steve gives an unamused chuckle. "Yeah. She sent me a message. Asked me to come down to the agency for a chat. Guessing that's why." he says, "She's her own brand of crazy, that's for sure. She stopped in the Respite the other day, had a couple drinks, and pulled a gun on me when I tried to get her a shuttle home. And that's the woman we work for." he shakes his head and takes a deep breath, "She probably realizes she made a damn fool out of herself. She's lucky I didn't break her fuckin' jaw."
Renala raises an eyebrow. "I know the woman is ruthless... and merciless," she says, "but I can't say I expected that out of her."
I haven't spent a whole lot of time with her, but I ain't plannin' on gettin' on her bad side. Not ready to go lookin' for a new job quite yet. Probably best if I just steer clear of her for now.
Might be a little difficult now... I hear they're keepin' a room over at the Respite until the damage to the agency is patched up.
Renala nods. "Maybe I should come down there more often, then," she says. "Distract her while you watch the drunks and the skittish asari." She chuckles.
Steve gives a slight chuckle of his own. "Can't wait to see how she gets on with Va'ynna..." he says sarcastically, "First sign of trouble and that girl crawls into the nearest hole she can find. I've met hanar with more backbone than her."
Renala frowns. "To be fair, someone did pull a gun on her that time we last saw Rellis," she says. "And I can't remember hearing any demands made." She pauses. "She don't look much over sixty, anyway."
Steve shrugs somewhat, "The girl willingly came out to the Terminus. Havin' a gun pulled on you is usually just folks way of sayin' good mornin' out here." he jokes, "She's just lucky she ended up in Freedom Falls. Otherwise, I'd place bets on her meetin' up with our ol' friend Alex in whatever shallow grave she's rottin' in."
Like a lot of young people with more backbone than what's good for them. It doesn't take luck to find this place, and there's a few other colonies out here that's not bad at all.
Steve gives a tilt of his head, "I'm just sayin' there's a whole lot more places out there to visit that are much more welcoming, and forgiving, than the Terminus Systems..." he waves it off with a sigh, "Doesn't matter. It's her life, she can waste it however she wants."
Steve nods a couple times, "Yeah... Switched around my days off. Pullin' in a full week next week to make up for it." he says, "I-... Didn't mention anything to the agency, but I don't see how it's any of their business. I show up for work every day. I do my job. I don't think D'Inea has any complaints with the work I do, so I don't see why they'd be angry over a little altering of my schedule."
Fair enough. I haven't told anyone, either, except my kid in case I won't be able to take her calls.
Steve cracks a smile, "I appreciate you doin' this with me, Ren... I just don't feel right about goin' on my own. These guys-..." he gives a shrug, looking somewhat uncomfortable, "They're pretty serious players on Aite. I don't think they'd try anything. Nothin' for them to gain by attackin' me, ya know? But I just don't like bein' in unfamiliar territory around a bunch of people with guns on my own, ya know?"
Renala nods. "Yeah, I understand," she says, "but you do have a plan in case hell breaks loose, right?"
Steve stares at her for a moment and raises an eyebrow. "Ain't much to plan, Ren. If these folks want us dead, they got the resources to put up one hell of a fight. Best plan I can think of, is just don't give 'em a reason to shoot us." he says with a somewhat uncomfortable chuckle, "Aside from that... We wing it. Shit goes south, we shoot our way out. Cross is a businessman so if hell does break loose, he'll be the weak link. I've dealt with him directly each time, and I've got no doubt he'll be there today. Not sure what his role is, but he seems to be callin' the shots there." Steve gives a shrug, "We get our hands on him, they won't have much choice but to let us go."
Renala nods, again. "You know the location, then?" she says. "And where to go to if we need to leave as soon as possible?" She pauses. "I do hope everything goes according to plan, but... is there anything different this time?"
Steve remains quiet for a few moments, as if he has something to say, but eventually just shakes his head. "No... Nothing has changed. As for the location, I've only been there a couple times. Wouldn't say I know it. But there's not much to know. The shuttle's gonna drop us off about a block away and wait for us. We'll walk from there. The whole exchange shouldn't take more than 10 minutes. 20 tops." he assures her.
Renala frowns. "I hate to say it, but I'm getting the feeling there is something more to this," she says. "Is there?"
Steve furrows his brow. "No. They just-..." he shrugs, "Not really, Ren. Nothing important, anyway. Things are a little different this time, but it's no big deal."
Renala tilts her head. "They just?" she says. "So, there is something. I want to know what if I'm going in there with you."
Steve sighs. "It's really not a big deal, Ren. The first two times I dealt with Cross, he gave me a pretty good deal. This time... He wanted a little bit more than just credits." he says, "It's nothing big... Just a little bit of info is all..."
Steve waves it off, "Really, it's nothing important. Probably shit they could've found out on their own with a little asking around. Few questions about Freedom Falls. Population size, shit like that. Size of the militia. Hell, I didn't even need to dig for the info."
Sounds like they're just checking if it could be a market. Well, except for the militia size part. I've got no loyalty to these people, so I'm not keeping quiet if I think the militia and the agency ought to know of their interest.
Steve sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "Ren... I ain't askin' ya to hide anything. Do you think I'd hand them this info if I thought it was somethin' worth worryin' about? Trust me." he says before forcing a smile, "He's the only guy I know that can get me what I need in such large quantities without me havin' to jump through a whole lot of hoops. Please, don't do anything to jeopardize that."