#RedrockAgency – March 1, 2016

Gren approaches Redrock in a lumbering manner, his head covered by his helmet. He walks up to the doors and peers around, towering in the lobby.

Vasquez is standing in the briefing room, wearing her gray Ariake Tech armor for the first time in quite a while, hair pulled back in her usual ponytail, although she's let it grow longer than usual. Her Kuwashii visor is lit up as she looks across the room, waiting for the team, and their client, to arrive. She has an M-4 machine pistol holstered on her hip, and her hands are behind

Ilyna enters the briefing room. She's not dressed for a fight, however, so it's unlikely she mistook her role in this. She nods to those present before stepping aside from the door, standing against the wall beside it.

Nathan swaggers on into the room, his Ariake Tech armour being the complete opposite to Vasquez in manner. Red with orange trims and covered in grenades and various pouches, he looks like a walking armoury. His face is covered behind his custom helmet, the visor lowered and the mouthguard equipped. An Argus assault rifle and grenade launcher sit on his back with a Predator pistol at

Jason is seated on the edge of the desk in the lobby, specifically awaiting the arrival of the client. As Gren steps through the doors he hops off the desk and clasps his hands together in front of him. "Gren." he greets with a nod. Dressed in his usual attire, black fatigues, combat boots and a long sleeved white shirt, he gives a nod towards the hall and begins to lead the way towards

Jason the briefing room. "The others are getting ready. Everyone should arrive shortly."

Ehanis is not in the briefing room. She is stepping out of a car a bit down the street from the office. She's wearing a white coat with black buttons over her deep blue armor undersuit. She's bringing a travel bag with her. The asari starts jogging towards the office, realizing that she may be late.

Gren follows behind Jason, thudding down the corridor. "I hope you've got a competent team, Wolfe."

Jason continues down the halls, giving a glance back over his shoulder. "The best on Aite." he says with a lopsided grin. "Unfortunately I won't be tagging along on this one. Doctor's orders..." he says with a roll of his eyes, "But you're in good hands."

Gren snorts. "So you've said."

Ehanis reaches the courtyard and starts walking towards the entrance.

Mendez steps through the briefing room door with Jasper in tow. He glances around, giving a nod in Vasquez' direction. "Chief." he says plainly. Fully geared and ready for action, he crosses the room and takes a vacant seat. Jasper puts on a smile and plucks at the bill of his cap as he passes Vasquez, taking a seat of his own in his dirty coveralls.

Li is in the rec room, glued to the TV and watching one of last year's big blockbusters, "Captain Palaven: The First Vindicator".

Vasquez returns the nod to Mendez, gaze following each person for a while as they enter. SHe lingers on Nathan for a while longer, not having had a chance to meet him yet.

Nathan raises a hand toward Vasquez in greeting. "Hi," he begins. "Nathan Tennhausen. You can all call me Ten. Pleased to meet you all." His accent is distinguishable, even through the slightly synthezised voicebox. "

Ilyna nods to Nathan, but doesn't say a word. She steps towards the wall to the left to stand against it, opting to stand back as she's not really a part of this operation.

Jason continues onward until he reaches the briefing room. He taps the panel and steps aside as the door slides open. "You can fill everyone in on the details and we'll see how to proceed from there." he says, giving the krogan a wide berth to enter the room.

Ehanis steps into the lobby and looks around for any sign of where to go. With no other option, she starts down the hallway.

Vasquez nods faintly at Nathan. "Tennhausen. Good to see you. Let's hope you live up to your interview."

Gren nods and stomps into the room, his visor gazing over each and every single person present. Without introduction, he walks towards the front of the room, roughly shoving Nathan out the way before the German can reply to Vasquez.

Nathan stumbles slightly, caught unawares. He glowers at the back of the Krogan, but keeps his mouth shut.

Jason and Gren would be quite visible to Ehanis down the hall to her right. As Gren enters the room, Jason remains outside the room as he spots Ehanis and awaits her arrival.

Mendez looks over the unfamiliar face, sizing him up somewhat. Then his eyes roam over to the krogan. He sits back in his seat and awaits the start of the briefing.

Vasquez takes a step to the side, giving the krogan some room. "Gren, I assume?" she says, looking him over. "I'd appreciate it if you'd share the details of the mission with me and my team now."

Ehanis gives a relieved sigh upon spotting Jason, and she starts down that branch of the hallway. "I'm here for the briefing," she says. "Sorry if I'm late."

Ilyna raises an eyebrow at the krogan's entrance, but knows better than trying to tell a krogan to be nice.

Jason gives a quick shake of his head. "Nah, everyone is just arriving now. Go on in." he says with a gesture towards the door, "Appreciate you showing up with such a short notice. We've had quite a bit going on lately, we're usually more organized than this." he lies.

Gren turns around, glowering at Vasquez. He nods, however, and turns to address the room, regardless if everyone is here or not. "I'm going to keep this short. My employer wishes for a smuggling operation to be ceased. The cargo is slaves, so our job is to rescue them and capture at least one of the smugglers. Pay is eighteen thousand a head, double if all goes

Nathan listens quietly, watching the krogan with a frown beneath his visor.

Ehanis grins. "Great," she says. "It would really ruin my day to lose this chance." She drops off the travel bag beside the doorway out in the hallway and steps into the room. She finds the nearest free chair around the table. Ehanis only catches the tail end of the krogan's mission description, though.

Jasper puts his hand up before speaking without being called on. "I ain't tryin' ta make waves or nothin', but you ain't expectin' us to make this whole trip in the Kodiak, are ya Chief?

Vasquez blinks. "You-... what? We haven't been informed this job was going to be out of system." She looks rather accusatory as she stares at the krogan. "That's the kind of information we should've been supplied well before now."

Jason follows Ehanis into the room and allows the door to close behind him. He remains near the doorway, arms folded. He, too, only catches the tail end, remaining quiet as Vasquez handles things.

Gren shrugs. "I was only told myself today. I told Wolfe that the location wouldn't be disclosed until today," he says. "Luckily for you, I was expecting something like this." He Taps his omni-tool and brings up a display of a standard cargo ship. "I called in a favour and got us transport."

Jasper was slowly lowering his arm as Gren responds, which prompts his arm to creep skyward once more. "Does this mean I'ma be flyin' a cargo ship?" he asks, sounding a bit confused but enthusiastic, "Or we jus' gon' pack ol' Betsy onboard? I mean, I can fly a cargo ship! ...I think. Ain't never tried, really, but how hard can it be?"

Vasquez lets out a frustrated sigh. "Wonderful." She considers it for a moment and the nods. "Alright, fine. We'll make this work, but my team can't operate without intel, so there'd better not be any more surprises."

Jason gives Vasquez the side-eye as a frown crosses his face.

Gren looks to Jasper. "Sure," he says. "You can bring your Kodiak too if you want, hardly bothers me." He then looks to Vasquez. "I gave you all I know. I can't predict what will happen," he growls. "I ain't a psychic."

Ilyna glances at her sister, a hint of worry in her expression. She remains quiet however, as she's not the only one concerned about the vagueness of this mission.

Jasper was once again lowering his hand, but raises it back up. "Uhh, I ain't exactly sure whatcha mean. Sure I can bring Betsy, or sure I'm flyin' the cargo ship?"

Nathan glances back and forth, watching all the exchange of dialogue. He removes his guard and pulls out a cigarette from a pouch. He places it between his lips and flourishes his lighter, striking a flame and lighting up his cigarette.

Mendez rolls his eyes and reaches up, grabbing Jasper's sleeve and tugging his arm back down. "You're not flying a cargo ship, old man."

Gren glances back at Jasper. "Both. If you think you can fly it, fly it. If you can't, shut up."

Mendez 's eyes go wide at the possibility of being subjected to Jasper's flying on a larger scale. "You can't be serious...." he says under his breath.

Gren looks at Mendez. "Like I said. If he can, he can. If he can't, then... I dunno, give him something to do that won't kill us all."

Jasper's eyes, on the other hand, brighten up. "Yessir! Ain't an issue. Ain't ever crashed somethin' that size..." he says, as if it may inspire confidence. He neglects to mention he's never actually piloted something that size either. He adjusts his cap.

Nathan puffs out a cloud of smoke and grins. "Well this will be a laugh."

Vasquez loudly clears her throat, looking out at the group with a scowl. "Tennhausen! Put that out before you trigger the sprinklers! Sullivan, you're not flying a cargo ship!"

Jasper slumps a bit, a frown growing across his face. "Well, dang..."

Nathan almost leaps into the air at Vasquez's barking. He quickly pinches the end and stuffs it back into his pocket. Maybe he could salvage it later.

Gren growls. He looks to Jason. "She's the only one so far that seems competent, Wolfe...".

Mendez breathes a sigh of relief.

Jason blinks a couple times. "Well, you didn't exactly give us what we needed to plan this properly, Gren." he says, settling his gaze on the krogan, "You can't expect to show up, tell us to take you to another planet with no heads-up for planning travel, and expect things to go smoothly. You get out what you put in, big guy."

Vasquez turns to Gren. "If you have any concerns you'll talk to me directly, understood? Right now I think we have more cause to be concerned than you - this situation is highly irregular, but seeing as we have already accepted your offer..." She shoots a sharp glance past the krogan at Jason. "...you can be assured we'll keep up our end."

Gren shrugs again. "So, any more questions?"

Jason furrows his brow, returning Vasquez' look defensively, as if to say 'not my fault!'

Mendez sighs and leans forward, setting his heavy gauntlets down on the table with a loud thud as he tires of the back and forth. "Slavers on Nos Astra." he says, raising his voice a bit, "Lightly equipped for the most part, and-...?" he asks, attempting to drag the discussion back on track. "Do we have a layout? Enemy numbers? Security information?"

Vasquez seems about to speak when Mendez joins the conversation. She decides to give Gren a chance to answer his questions.

Gren looks to Mendez. "An old warehouse is the location I was given. There aren't too many. A dozen or less. Security wise, nothing too grand. A couple of cameras around the perimeter, more where the 'slave pen' is located." He nods once. "These guys are just the middlemen. They hold on to the cargo for no more than an hour or two before they move them on. If we

Ehanis tilts her head. "That doesn't sound right," she says. "They've got police to deal with slavers, and, well, us if we barge in with guns blazing in the middle of the fucking city."

Jasper taps his cap and points at Ehanis. "She ain't spinnin' a shit-yarn." he says with a nod, "They ain't gonna be too happy 'bout a firefight openin' up outta nowhere. Slavers or no slavers."

Jason rolls his shoulders and steps back and forth in place, looking as if he'd like to say something but doesn't want to step on Vasquez' toes.

Vasquez covers her face with her palm, already regretting getting Redrock involved in this shitshow. "I would like some more details on that." She says to Gren with a raised eyebrow. "We have a license to operate in Nos Astra, but that doesn't mean we can go shoot up whatever the hell we want. Has this been cleared with the NAPD? Why haven't they gone after the slavers? They paid off?

Gren waves a hand dismissively. "It's just outside of their jurisdiction, but my employer has cleared it with them to be safe. As long as we keep collateral to a minimum and within the abandoned area, we should have no problems."

Vasquez nods slowly. She, like other Redrock veterans, is well aware of the inconsistent enforcement on law in Nos Astra, Illium being the gateway world that it is. "Alright. I'll have to review the paperwork on that while we're enroute." She's clearly not happy with things being so haphazard, but there's little to be done - Redrock needs work, and the agreement has already been made.

Li shrieks and hides behind a pillow as an imperial soldier is melted by the Dark Cabal's prothean death-beam.

Gren nods. "You do that," he says. "Any more questions?"

Jasper's hand slowly creeps back up into the air. "So... Where do I come in with all this?" he asks.

Vasquez looks to Gren yet again. "The need for a pilot was specified, so I'm assuming you haven't arranged transport within Nos Astra?"

Jasper nods a couple times as he lowers his arm. "You got it." he says.

Jason glances from Vasquez to Gren. "So... How long are you expecting this whole operation to take?" he asks.

Ilyna hears her omni-tool beep, and she glances at the notification message. "Sorry," she says before walking out of the room, closing the door behind her. Once outside, she starts going down the hall to the right.

Jason gets visibly antsy at the time frame given and looks past Gren towards Vasquez. "Never hurts to have a bit of backup, just in case. I could grab my gear and be ready to depart within the hour, Linda. I'll hang back at the shuttle... I know we're only getting paid for five, but-..." he shrugs, looking hopeful that she'll agree, "Better safe than sorry...?"

Vasquez shoots Jason an annoyed stare. "You're not going anywhere, Wolfe. We'll be fine." She glances at the krogan and then looks out at the team again. "Alright, if there's nothing else, we'll handle the rest when on the ship. It's going to take time to reach Tassrah anyway."

Gren nods and starts to make his exit. Nathan notably moves out of the way this time around.

Mendez climbs out of his seat and pushes it in. "Works for me." he says plainly.

Jasper follows Mendez' lead. "I'll get Betsy ready to depart. Should be good to go in ten minutes or so. Ya'll make sure you're good to go and meet me down in the hangar."

Jason frowns and takes a step back. "Of course..." he says with a nod.

Ehanis frowns. "One question," she says. "Does Redrock cover any fines if we get into trouble with the police while on the job?"

Nathan huffs and follows Jasper and Mendez, not entirely sure where else to go.

Vasquez remains standing in the briefing room, waiting for the others to head out. She shoots Jason a glance to make it clear she wants to talk.

Ilyna starts making her way upstairs.

Ehanis nods. "Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything but follow orders when we're on the ground," she says before standing up, and starting to make her way out of the room.

Nathan lingers a ways behind Jasper and Mendez, reattaching his guard to his helmet, grumbling something about not being allowed to smoke.

Mendez continues out the door. Jasper nudges him once they're in the hall. "I'm gon' pilot that cargo ship. Just you wait and see." he says proudly. Mendez lets out a loud groan.

Jason raises an eyebrow, taking a position near the wall. "Hey-..." he begins, trying to cut her off before she even begins, "...I didn't mean anything by it. Really. This just got far more complicated than I thought it would be and thought it might be a good idea to bring some backup. That's all."

Jasper looks upwards for a moment and lets out a long, drawn out hum. "Well, no." he admits, "But I've flown a shuttle.... A skycar...." he begins to rattle off, "....A shuttle.... A skycare...." he repeats, letting out a loud fit of laughter. "I've worked on just about every kinda ship imaginable. I'm sure I could figure it out!"

Mendez rolls his eyes. "You can figure it out another day... One when I'm not on said cargo ship, preferably." he mutters.

Nathan sighs, his head sagging. "...I agree with him," he says, jabbing a thumb at Mendez. "Let the Krogan's crew do the flying."

Jasper frowns. "Ya'll need to have a lil' faith. There was a time when I hadn't flown a shuttle, too! Only one way to learn." He hangs back slightly to allow Nathan the chance to catch up and begins nudging at him with his elbow, as if to ask 'Right? Right?'

Vasquez looks to make sure everyone is out before replying. "I know." She says, crossing her arms across her chest with a sigh. "I don't like it either, alright? Don't see why anyone would bother looking for a team for a job like this on Aite when Illium is swarming with crews. I figured it was a local job. But we've already accepted, so I'm gonna see it through, and I'm not about to

Jason remains quiet for a few moments, his gaze falling to the floor as he nods a couple times. "I know. Just-... be safe, alright?" He forces a smirk as he makes eye contact again, "I just got you back. Not ready to lose you again."

Mendez taps the panel to open the door to the hangar and steps inside. "Uh huh..." he says dismissively, only paying half attention to Jasper at this point.

Ehanis picks up her bag once out of the room, but she doesn't talk to any of the others.

Ilyna opens the door to the recreational room once she is upstairs, looking into the room.

Nathan looks at Jasper, unable to help grinning at the man's quirky attitude. "Suppose you have a point," he admits. "Still... Try it out when we aren't in the ship, 'kay?"

Gren has left the building and started making his way to meet his crew.

Li is still hiding behind her pillow, looking up over the edge at the movie still. The current scene is Captain Palaven giving a dramatic speech to his team.

Jasper shakes his head as he follows Mendez into the hangar. "No sense of adventure. Ya'll call yourselves warriors and yer' afraid of a lil' turbulence..." he mocks playfully as he crosses the room towards the old Kodiak. "Get yer' trinkets and doodads together and be ready to head out in 10."

Vasquez moves closer and grabs Jason's shirt, pulling him in for a quick kiss. "Not gonna happen." A small smile cropping up from his concern, not that she'd admit it. She just as quickly starts moving towards the door. She spins around as she remembers something else. "...and I told you not to adress me informally in front of the team, looks unprofessional!"

Nathan chuckles lightly and heads off to the side, removing his guard and relighting his cigarette. He inhales deeply of it and puffs out a greyish cloud of smoke. "Ahh...".

Jason 's smirk grows a bit more genuine as Vasquez plants a kiss on him. "I have no idea what you're talking about." he responds, "I am the definition of professional-... professionalism... pro-... professionality....?"

Vasquez rolls her eyes as she turns back around and heads out the door, going for her office. She emerges half a minute later with her armor's pockets stocked with gear, and carrying the Confetti Maker.

Jasper opens the shuttle door and casts a glance back. He does a double take before stutter stepping a few feet towards Nathan. "Ah, no! You don't wanna go lightin' that in here. Plenty 'a 'splosive material!" He nods towards the large bay doors. "Have yerself a quick one outside. Ain't no smokin' on Betsy!"

Nathan groans and dashes to the bay doors. He opens them (if they aren't already) and steps outside, greedily inhaling at the cigarette. "Jeez, alright alright...".

Ilyna steps into the room. "What are you watching, Li?" she asks.

Jason steps out into the hall and proceeds past Vasquez as she reappears from her office, playfully leaning into her as he passes by and giving her a quick pat on the shoulder. "If shit goes sideways, you get everyone to safety and shoot me a message." he instructs, pivoting to face the woman as he continues to walk backwards down the hall. "Backup is one call away!" he adds, despite

Mendez loads his gear up into the shuttle, having stashes his dufflebag in the hangar prior to making his appearance in the meeting room. He uses a handrail to pull himself into the shuttle and get first dibs on a seat away from the doors.

Ehanis starts towards the shuttle, as she has her trinkets and doodads gathered.

Nathan has already gathered his gear and, after finishing his smoke, walks into the shuttle. He stuffs his gear into a compartment and takes a seat near the entrance.

Vasquez shakes her head to herself, not acknowledging Jason. She makes a turn towards the hangar, soon joining the others in the room. She starts heading towards the shuttle.

Jasper climbs into the shuttle and begins looking over everything to ensure things are in order pre-takeoff.

Ehanis gets into the shuttle and puts her bag away in another compartment. She then takes the seat across from Nathan.

Mendez glances between Ehanis and Nathan. "Don't believe I've seen the two of you around." he says, "New? Didn't see any new names on the lockers upstairs."

Nathan looks to Mendez and nods. "Yeah, signed up today. Nathan Tennhausen. Call me Ten," he says with a nod. "Explosives expert, at your service."

Mendez gives a short nod at Ten before looking to Ehanis expectantly.

Ehanis nods. "I've been around for a while," she says. "I was assigned to the Respite and then forgotten about, until now."

Nathan chuckles. "Stuck guarding a pub. Bad luck."

Mendez raises an eyebrow. "Thought that was Briggs' job." he says, "Taking over while he recovers?"

Vasquez enters the shuttle, moving to sit in the co-pilot's seat, placing the Confetti Maker to her side. She listens in silence to her team talk in the passenger compartment behind her.

Jasper looks over at Vasquez with a nod before returning to his pre-flight check. "Welcome, Chief. How ya feelin'....?" he asks casually as he goes about his work.

Nathan smirks, having not returned his guard to his helm. He makes a subtle gesture and the visor flicks up until his helmet, revealing his stormy grey eyes. "Guess it's too late to say 'careful what you wish for'?"

Mendez is suddenly hit by a memory of their last outing. He gives a shake of his head. He runs a gauntleted hand across the side of his head. "This isn't going to be your first bit of action, is it?" he asks the asari.

Jason 's smile disappears as Vasquez moves out of sight. He lets out a heavy sigh and starts up the staircase to the second floor.

Vasquez glances over at Jasper. "It's good to be back on a mission. Been too long." She flashes a brief smile at the pilot.

Ehanis shrugs. "Something doesn't feel right about this job, is all," she says. "I've worked on Omega for a long time.... If this job is exactly as the big guy says it is, then we're not going to have a problem."

Nathan nods. "I know what you mean... I don't trust him, personally." He glances off to the side. "Or his kind, to be frank...".

Jasper nods to himself as he flips a few switches and pokes a few buttons, glancing about as if he knows what he's doing... He probably does. Probably. "Good ta have ya back, too." he offers with a smile, "But-... uhh..." he stutters, trying to find the appropriate way to word his concerns, "...Don'tcha think maybe you oughtta take some time to rest? Relax a bit? I was there when we got ya outta that place, Chief... You've been

Mendez rolls his large shoulders in a shrug. "Don't need to trust him. Just need to trust the Chief to get us out of there in one piece." he says with a glance towards the cockpit.

Nathan lowers his voice, looking to Mendez. "What's she like? The Chief?"

Li looks at Ilyna, still hugging the pillow. The guilt is all over the visible part of her face. "Captain Palven..."

Vasquez scowls at Jasper. "Your concern is noted, Sullivan. I'm fine."

Mendez glances back over at Nathan. "Tough." he says plainly. "Can't say I know much about her outside of the jobs I've been on with her, but she's a survivor. Wouldn't worry too much with her in charge."

Nathan nods, leaning back into his seat. "Good enough for me," he sighs. "As long as I'm alive to receive my pay."

Jasper continues poking at stuffs and things. "Fair 'nuff, Chief. I ain't tryin' ta tell ya what ta do. Just sayin' you certainly deserve a lil' R&R."

Ilyna frowns. "And should you be watching that?" she asks, though her admonishing tone strongly implies the answer she wants to hear. She walks over to her, looking for the remote control.

Jason hears the sound of Ilyna's voice and scuttles down the hall towards the rec room. Upon seeing Ilyna and Li, a smirk returns to his face and he leans against the doorframe, watching the exchange.

Li looks down at the floor, and mumbles "No...", muffled into the pillow.

Jasper finishes with the last of his pre-flight check. "I ain't gon' tell ya how to get yer' jollies, Chief." he says, glancing over at her with a smile, "Just happy everything worked out the way it did. Was worried as a salarian in a slapfight with a tickled krogan fer' ya. Anyway, 'nuffa that. I'll shut my trap and earn my paycheck."

Vasquez can't help but crack a small smile at the ridiculous analogy. "Uh-huh..."

Mendez removes the shotgun from his back and lays it across his lap as he straps in with his harness. "Mendez, by the way." he finally introduces himself to the others with a nod, realizing he hadn't yet. "Good to see more new faces onboard."

Ilyna sits down beside her. "Why are you watching it, then?" she asks.

Nathan looks to Mendez. "Pleasure is mine, friend," he says, his accent tinging at the edges. "What's your specialty, friend?"

Ehanis nods. "I'm Ehanis," she says. "Nice to meet you, Mendez."

Li is immediately distracted as Jason speaks up. "Yeah... it was scary!" She says, halfway complaining and halfway enthusiastic. "Can turrians really melt people?"

Mendez tilts his head to one side, then the other as he ponders the question. "I get shit done." he finally settles on with a nod, not bothering to go into detail.

Jason nods a bunch of times. "You bet your ass they can!" he says, "Shit is craaaazy."

Nathan chuckles. "Well, that's a handy skill."

Jason coughs loudly as he realizes his choice of words.

Ilyna looks up at Jason with a scowl. "No, they can't," she says, defensively. "And please mind your language, Jason!"

Li giggles loudly, a mischeivous grin now on her face.

Jason frowns. "....Sorry." he says. "Bad habits..."

Jasper leans over from his seat to give a shout back to the passengers. "Alright, folks. Time for the goin' to get got. Buckle on up!" he calls out before returning his attention to the console. Within a few moments the doors slide shut and the thrusters come to life.

Ilyna glances around for the remote control. "Now where did you hide the control?" she asks.

Ehanis straps on the harness as advised and leans back in her seat.

Li produces the remote from behind the pillow, holding it out to Ilyna as the guilty look returns.

Ilyna takes the remote and presses a button that she assumes pauses the currenlty playing video.