#Deck2 – March 31, 2016

Sanna is currently standing at the opening between the cafeteria and the window, apologizing profusely to Artullin for the sub-par food. "I talked to the organizers when we were loading the ship up, but they flat-out refused to supply any fresh dextro ingredients. I’ve had to make do with canned goods and barely any spices. Again, I’m really sorry!"

Vannessa Al-Bariqi is currently engaged in conversation with Ilyna and Jason in the cafeteria, having sat down at their table during dinner. She’s a brown-skinned woman in her late thirties, with medium-length black hair. She’s wearing an ExoGeni engineer’s uniform, jacket open and a gray tanktop underneath, also with ExoGeni print. "...so I told them ‘Yeah, sure, the ship could land on a world with 1.5gs, but it needs to be able to

Nicholas is off on his own in the cafeteria, eating some salad while reading from the omni-tool he has placed on the table. He is a light-skinned man in his late twenties, with short, reddish-brown hair and a goatee. He’s wearing standard ExoGeni pants along with a black t-shirt with “Shirt of +5 biotic resistance” printed on it, with accompanying symbol from Galaxy of Fantasy.

Allison enters the gym, stopping in her tracks when she notices Korio. She’s a fair-skinned woman in her late twenties, with a brown pixie cut and wearing a white tanktop and exercising shorts. "Huh, I didn’t realize we had drell on board. Heya!" She says with a small wave while heading for the weights.

Jason raises an eyebrow, poking at his the meatball left on his plate with his fork, causing it to roll around the edges of his plate aimlessly. "So what you're saying is we're not even sure how we're going to take off once we reach our destination." He passes an exasperated glance over at Ilyna.

Korio has been vigilant in avoiding September as best as he can over the past day. Dressed in a pair of loose hanging black workout pants and a matching shirt, he stops in his tracks, mid-pushup, at the sound of the woman's voice. Like something out of a horror movie, he slowly cocks his head to see who the woman speaking to him is, expecting September's stupid face to be staring back at him. He lets out a breath that he wasn't

Artullin sighs and, for the fifth time since beginning this conversation, tries to assure the woman mid talk that it's fine. However, he waits until she is finished before repeating. "It's fine, it doesn't bother me all that much." He's still in his armour.

Ilyna raises an eyebrow, but she doesn't give any answer other than that.

Vanessa Al-Bariqi shakes her head, unable to speak for the moment. Upon swallowing her food she resumes. "No, no, this way something like... 6 months ago? The planet we're headed to now is low-gravity, no problem. But yeah, I had to find a way to a way to get us back into space, and by the time that trip started I was about 75% sure I had a way that would work, so off we went, no time for delay. Lots of credits riding on the mission I

Ilyna tilts her head. "No amount of credits is going to be worth it if you can't fly home to collect it, though," she says. "A twenty-five percent chance of failure is still a considerable risk." She shovels up a chunk of mashed potatoes with her fork and eats it.

Jason nods slowly. "Right... Right... That's-.... awesome. Really, fascinating story." He glances back down at his remaining meatball, the eternal struggle to poke his fork into it continuing as he listens to the woman and Ilyna.

Allison extends a hand to Korio. "Allison." she says with a smile. "I man the guns."

Korio steps forth and grips her hand, placing his second hand over hers and gives it a slight shake as he bows his head. "A pleasure to meet you, Allison. I am with the security team. It appears our roles may have some overlap." he says, simply trying to remain polite and make small talk.

Vanessa shrugs at Ilyna. "I guess they were betting that the cost of sending another ship to pick us up would be worth what we found if things went wrong. They didn't, though. I mean, we had to dump some of the vehicles, but we managed to take off." She takes another bite and then looks to Jason. "Y'know, I get the feeling you're not being entirely sincere right now. And that kinda hurts."

Allison nods, heading over to a machine and settling in, adjusting the weights. "Yeah, guess so. They're saying we might run into geth, wouldn't mind a chance to kick some synthetic ass." she says before pushing handles inward with a grunt.

Ilyna nods, and speaks after finishing chewing. "I take it there's no potential problems for you on this expedition?" she asks. She takes a sip of her glass of water.

Jason manages a smirk and a light snicker escapes. He waves dismissively, "No, no, it's not that-... Okay, it is that. But I don't mean anything by it, honest. Just have a lot on my mind." He sets his fork down and folds his hands in front of him, looking straight at the woman, making a show of giving his undivided attention.

Korio returns to his previous position on a mat, continuing with his push ups. "The geth are dangerous." he says plainly, dropping and then lifting his weight back up, "Avoiding would be best for everyone. Should we cross paths with them, we will do what we must."

Sanna ceases her apologies with an embarassed smile. "Alright, alright... any requests for the rest of the trip? Honestly, my knowledge of turian cuisine is limited."

Yan Sun exits the passenger quarters, heading for the nearby elevator without responding. She presses a finger against the interface and waits for it to arrive, shifting her weight back and forth impatiently.

Artullin sighs again, but smiles at her, the first time he has done so for anyone since coming aboard the ship. "I thank you for your concern. But I will be alright. Your soup was delicious regardless," he lies. It was bland as hell, but not the worst tasting thing he has had.

Jessica keeps pace with Yan Sun, glaring at the woman with suspicion in her eyes. "I don't like surprises." she repeats, giving Yan Sun a slight nudge with her elbow. "If you're dragging me off to some uninhabited corner of the ship to kill me, you should know I will not go quietly." she adds, a smirk tugging at her lips.

Vanessa raises an eyebrow at Ilyna. "Well, low gravity sure makes most things a lot easier. Less power needed, less risk of impact damage. Hell, even a crash wouldn't be as bad. The landing can be a bit trickier though, bouncing could damage the landing gear if we're not careful enough. Pretty easy to solve by just... being careful though, yeah?" She takes a sip of water. "There's also the low visibility, but I have full faith

Jason leans forward slightly. "Crashed two so far? Wait, wait, wait! How bad of a crash are we talking?" he interrupts.

Ilyna raises an eyebrow, but doesn't respond when Jason's question about covers what she was going to ask. She picks up a meatball, and scoops it across some mashed potatoes before taking a bite from it.

Allison lets out another grunt as she continues her excercising. "Eh... cannons should make... a frigate think twice... doubt there's anything larger... out here."

Korio continues with his routine, his breathing even and calm. "And if there is? What is the protocol for dealing with a dangerous hostile?" he asks between push-ups.

Yan Sun rolls her eyes. "Just come on." she says and steps into the elevators when the door opens, turning and waiting for Jessica.

Sanna nods. "Alright, if you say so. Just tell me or one of the stewards if the food is no good!" With that she disappears deeper into the kitchen.

Jessica folds her arms across her chest defiantly and taps her foot against the floor as if awaiting an explanation. After a moment, she lets out a sigh and seems to give in as she steps onto the elevator. "You're lucky I like you." she says as she takes a position beside Yan Sun on the elevator.

Vanessa nods, her expression turning somber. "Yeah... the first one, it was... pretty bad. One of the engines exploded on impact with the surface, caused a chain reaction. We lost half the crew." Her gaze falls to the floor and she takes a breath before looking up at Jason. "The second one... that was worse. Overcharged the engines... led to an eezo core meltdown. He was the only survivor that time. I gave my life trying to

Allison stops briefly. "We tuck our tail between our legs and run, of course." She says with a shrug before resuming her routine.

Ilyna stares at her with wide eyes, even after the woman burst into laughter. "You're terrible," she says before turning her gaze to her plate.

Artullin nods and turns away, heading back to the passenger compartment.

Jason furrows his brow as her story begins, leaning forward slightly as it continues and eventually casting a worried glance towards Ilyna. He prepares to blurt out 'WHY IS HE STILL PILOTING!?' when Vanessa reveals the joke and he lowers his gaze to the table, his smirk widening as he gives a shake of his head. "Alright, alright, you got me." he admits with a chuckle.

Yan Sun is unable to supress a small grin at the comment, pressing a finger against the elevator's interface. She activates her eye implant as the doors close and just a moment after it starts moving she presses her palm against the haptic interface projector. Sparks fly and the elevator comes to a stop as it loses power, the interface for both door and elevator disappearing and the lights going out. The space is still illuminated,

Jessica stumbles back against the wall as the sparks fly, bringing a hand up to shield her eyes. "What in the hell are you doing!?" she asks as she turns to face Yan Sun.

Vanessa swallows another mouthfull of food, still grinning widely. "Seriously though. He's a great pilot. Not to mention I'm here, so... you're in good hands. No need to worry."

Yan Sun ups the light strength of her omni-tool projection with a few quick keypresses, illuminating the elevator more thoroughly. "Just had to get rid of the VI." she says with a smile. "I said I'd help, right?"

Ilyna keeps her gaze at her plate, eating another potato mash covered meatball in silence.

Jessica looks somewhat confused. "Uhhh... help with what? I don't recall saying I needed help..." she says, cocking her head to one side.

Korio holds his body up, balancing as a chuckle escapes him. "That seems.... appropriate." he agrees.

Allison continues the rest of her routine in silence, and then removes her arms from the machine, resting them against her legs as she leans forward, letting out a huff. "So... what's your background? You one of those... assassin types you hear about?"

Korio climbs to his knees and sits back on his feet as the human questions him. "No, no, nothing so dramatic, I assure you." he responds with a small smile. "Security consultant." he says, focusing on keeping his breathing even after his workout, "I provided my expertise to companies seeking to-... run a tighter ship, so to speak."

Vanessa chuckles. "Well, you kinda have that look about you, y'know? Like you're listing all the things that could go wrong in your head..." She tilts her head and looks at him, impaling a meatball and eating it while waiting for a response.

Jason cocks his head towards Ilyna with a smirk. "We've been in some pretty hairy situations. A little crash is the least of our worries."

Allison seems a little disappointed, but grins slightly at the bad pun. "Damn, would've liked to meet one. Seems like... quite the life."

Ilyna nods along with what Jason says, but she doesn't say anything.

Korio lowers his gaze somewhat. "Perhaps. Though, were someone such as that here right now, they may not describe it so glamorously." He cocks his head to the side slightly, "As an outsider, it sounds as though it may be a lonely existence."

Vanessa nods slightly. "Yeah... suppose that's true. Guess the better question is if I can trust you lot then, huh? Do I have to worry about any geth thingamabobs sneaking up on me in Engineering?"

Jason picks his final meatball up with his fingers and pops it into his mouth, taking a moment to chew loudly. "Probably." he says with a nod, "They don't even give us access to the armory, so that's all on your people. Once the shit starts hitting the fan, though?" He shrugs and pats himself on the chest, "You're in good hands. And if shit somehow does go wrong? You'll be dead, so I don't

Ilyna frowns. She opens her mouth to say something, but apparantly thinks better of it and instead eats another meatball.

Vanessa narrows her eyes at Jason. "Wow. Ouch. That's harsh."

Jason gives a quick chuckle. "I'm just fucking with ya." He leans back in his seat and gives a shrug. "I guess if you're looking for honesty, you probably can't trust us. But we've been doing this a long time. Redrock isn't your run-of-the-mill two-bit mercenary operation. We care. All I can offer is my word that we're here to make sure nobody gets hurt. The paycheck is just a nice bonus." he

Ilyna keeps focusing on her meal, dipping another meatball in the mash before eating it. She defers to Jason to do the talking.

Vanessa studies Jason as he speaks, and then gains a smirk. "You're a real softie for a mercenary, aren't ya?" she says, without any indication of meaning it as an insult. She doesn't say anything to Ilyna for now, since the asari is being fairly quiet.

Jason looks between Ilyna and Vanessa, his grin slowly disappearing. "Why do people keep saying that!?"

Ilyna looks over at Jason with a small smile. "Because it's true," she says.

Allison 's gaze falls to the floor as she ponders this. "Maybe." she says with a small shrug before looking back at the drell. "There's just... something really romantic about it though. Intimate. Training your whole life. Honing your skill. Oathbound to carry out your duty..." she seems quite clearly enthralled with the idea. "...a shadow in the dark, swift, unseen, inevitable."

Vanessa snickers quietly, glancing at Ilyna. "Knew it. Good to know not everyone is like the big groups. You hear a lot about all the shit the Blue Suns and all those other huge companies get up to out here..."

Ilyna turns her gaze back to the plate at the mention of the Blue Suns, her smile fading as quickly as it showed up. "Yeah," she sighs before picking up another meatball to take a bite out of.

Korio remains seated on the floor as the woman speaks. "You have quite a way with words, Allison." he drawls, "The act of putting out another's flame is indeed intimate. There is nothing more intimate. But there is a brutality in such an intimacy that I would not wish on anyone-..." He falls silent abruptly, his gaze going distant. "A shadow dances through a hall. Flashlight, casting shapes before me. Whistling, a song broken

Jason sighs, simply repeating Ilyna's words. "Yeah..." He nods a couple of times, glancing back at Vanessa, "We've had our fair share of run ins with the 'big groups'. The day we become anything like them is the day I retire..."

Allison seems both surprised and fascinated by the sudden recall. "Was that-... I didn't-..." she decides to drop it. "Yeah, maybe you're right."

Vanessa raises an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? They as bad as they seem?"

Ilyna nods, but doesn't elaborate. She bites ove the remainder of the meatball before scooping up some mashed potatoes with her fork.

Jason is struck by a sudden queazey feeling in his stomach as he realizes he hasn't spoken to Bela since the recent ordeal on Omega, and then a twinge of guilt as he realizes he doesn't even know how he'd get in contact with her to make sure she's alright.

Korio nods slowly. "Again, my apologies." he says as he climbs to his feet. "I did not mean to make you uncomfortable."

Vanessa nods a couple of times. "Yeah... heard about that Archangel guy. Pretty crazy stuff. Anyway... I should be getting back to work." She stands up with a smile, grabbing her plate. "Nice talking to you."

Ilyna nods, and finally looks up at her. "Good talking with you too," she says.

Jason lifts a hand off the table, giving the woman a quick wave. "You too. Take care."

Allison shakes her head with a smile. "Nah, I'm fine." she says with a reassuring smile and then moves over to a bike, climing on it and starting to pedal.

Vanessa departs from the table, dropping off her dishes at the counter.

Korio grabs the bag he had brought with him into the gym and takes a step back. "I am happy to hear that. Your company has been appreciated, I look forward to speaking with you again." He gives a bow of his head before stepping off towards the exit.

Jason glances over at Ilyna, "So... What is your gut telling you?"

Ilyna frowns. "It's not helping that the crew doesn't take this seriously," she says. "I don't know if I can trust her if she sounds the alarm, that it's not another tasteless joke." She picks up the last meatball from her plate and takes a bit out of it.

Jason gives a chuckle. "I don't know, I thought she was alright. At the very least, they don't seem like-..." he pauses and glances up towards the ceiling before leaning in and lowering his voice, "...They don't seem like a group of people who are, at least knowingly, going half way across the galaxy to retrieve a dangerous artifact."

Allison gives a wave. "You too!"

Ilyna nods. "That's true," she says. "I.... Can't stop worrying about this job, what we might find. If I'm going to see Li again. How worried she must be right now." She drags the meatball half along the remainder of the mashed potatoes before eating it.

Jason gives a shake of his head. "Don't even go there, Ilyna. It's just a simple research expedition..." He glances about the room, "...And if I'm wrong? We'll figure it out, like we always do." he says with far more confidence than he actually feels, "Li needs her mother and I'm sure as hell not letting Linda get out of this wedding." His grin returns as he reaches out and places a synthetic

Ilyna frowns. "But this is about Geth," she says. "The last time we encountered them... I doubt we would have made it out of there hadn't the other ship showed up."

Jason shakes his head again, refusing her response. "Nah, I had 'em right where I wanted them. I was just about to make my move."

Ilyna raises an eyebrow, then nods. "I... suppose you're right," she says, not sounding very convinced. She picks up her glass of water and drinks the remainder of it.

Jason sighs and shrugs. "I'm trying, Ilyna... All we can do is treat this like every other job. Try and put ExoGeni's involvement out of our minds, try and forget about the geth, and just handle shit as it comes. If it comes. Right?" He reaches over and pats her hand, "We'll be alright." He gives her a confident nod.

Ilyna looks up at him. "I know that I should, but..., it's not easy," she says. "I'll try, though."