This logfile is imported from aitelogs2 and may contain errors or wrong timestamps.
#RuinsOfRakhana – September 6, 2016
Nathan sighs and cranes his neck, looking up to Jason. "Okay, so what do you want written on your gravestone? 'Eaten by cannibals' or 'They need to add more spice to the stew'?" He shuffles up close to the crest, still keeping his head below it.
As Jason peeks over the top of the dune he'd be able to see the glint of a reflection from the top of the smokestack.
Jason jerks back down behind cover and frowns, rotating in place to glare at Nathan. "That shit's not funny!" he snaps back. After a few more moments, a loud sigh escapes him, "Look. The bottom line is: they have vehicles. We need vehicles. The drell pilgrimage- whatever the fuck that is- seems to pass through this general region so I'm guessing someone in their camp has to speak a language our translators can pick up. You
know-... Maybe there's something we can offer them to use one of their vehicles. Mr. Purple-goo-stew back there obviously had a way to contact Pilgrim's Haven if that old man was expecting us, right? So I figure as long as we're able to get back, we should be able to get a message out." He reholsters his Revenant, doing his best to remain as flat against the sand as he can, "So I'll walk up to the gate, hands in the air
and give a few shouts. If it looks like they're gonna rip me apart with their teeth or, you know, they open fire-..." he cocks a thumb up towards the smokestack, "Drop the sniper. Otherwise, I'll try and charm their pants off. I'll keep comms active so you can listen in. If shit goes to hell, we dig in and try and get one of those vehicles. Sound like a plan?"
Nathan nods and reaches over his shoulder to pat the stock of his M-100. "Oh, I'll drop him alright," he chuckles. "But yeah, sure, you go be charming and we'll see how it goes. Honestly, I'd rather not try and burn through my ammunition slaughtering the locals." He then sighs and waves back towards the direction of the ruined truck. "Just be careful, alright? Some
serious firepower was used to drop the truck and the pair of bastards occupying it. And with these guys being so close, my bet is they have something stowed away that will really ruin our day...".
Ehanis frowns. "This submachine is precise, but not that good," she says, followed by a nod. "I'll come out of hiding if I'm needed."
Jason gives Ehanis a nod. "Just be quick and conserve ammo as best as you can if it comes down to it." he says as he climbs to his feet and begins making his way along the dune in a crouch to remain out of sight of the sniper, "Let's hope it doesn't."
Jason moves a bit of distance from the others before cresting the top of the dune once more. His gaze briefly lingers on the sniper nest as he begins to slowly descend the other side of the slope, doing his best to keep from sliding too fast down the hill of sand. As soon as he touches down on the bottom, he immediately raises his hands and begins advancing on the colony.
Jason's gaze scans around, looking for any places that could serve as cover should things go south in a hurry as well as trying to get a read on the general area.
Nathan chances a look over the crest of the dune, watching Jason for a brief moment. "Be safe, buddy," he mutters as he turns his gaze towards the sniper's nest, clutching his rifle in his hands before he slides an inkling back behind the dune.
There is very little in the way of potential cover outside the fenced area. Barren ground. Cracked pavement, actually, on closer inspection, covered in a thin layer of sand which dances around as the wind blows lightly over it. Just inside the fence there are several chunks of concrete and metal, seemingly placed there for defensive purposes, to provide cover should the settlement need to be defended. It doesn't take long after Jason
has started walking for a group of four to emerge from the shantytown at the base of the factory, advancing in a jog towards the nearest hole in the fence. All of them are armed, carrying antique drell weapons, metal scratched and rusted, wood cracked. Most of them with a mismatch of parts. They stop just outside the fence, spreading out in a semi-circle and raising their weapons as they wait for Jason to approach, or turn back.
Jason continues towards the armed drell. Because that sounds like a good idea. "Well, they've certainly taken notice..." he mutters just low enough to be heard over comms, "...But no gunshots yet." He raises his hands a bit higher into the air. "Heyyyyyyyyyyy!" he announces himself with a shout as he closes the distance, putting as much fake cheer into his voice as he can in an attempt at sounding non-threatening, "What's
One of the drell, a scrawny man wearing the remnants of a military jacket converted into an open vest, gestures with his rifle at Jason and then at the ground, calling out: "All fa fion! Fen ah buoyren! Fen!" in a harsh tone.
Jason keeps up a big, wide smile, despite the fact that they can't see it through his helmet. "Think they want me to get on the ground." he whispers, "I don't particularly want to get on the ground..." With a low groan, he nods his head a few times, "Yeah! Absolutely! Fen! Preach it, brother!" he calls back, hands still in the air, "I'm just gonna-..." he glances at the ground and lowers slowly onto his knees, "...Wait right
here for you. Crazy ass weather lately, right? See that sandstorm last night? Shit was-..... uhh..... well it was sandy. Like, really sandy."
The four drell approach Jason, two of them walking up to him while the other two hang back, weapons trained at him. Inside the settlement another group of armed drell make their way to one of the concrete barricades, two of them talking to each other while the other two watch the dunes. One of the drell that walked up to Jason would now attempt to remove the Revenant from his back.
Nathan peers over the dune, zooming in with his HUD. "Don't have much choice," he replies over comms. "Hey, I hope these guys aren't too interested in tech and shiny things. I doubt they've seen cybernetics...".
Ehanis remains out of sight, seeming more concerned now that it seems their plan isn't working. "What do you see?" she asks. "Should we intervene?"
Jason continues to whisper through his comms as the armed drell approaches. "Four approaching me. Four more standing guard just inside of the gates." he responds to Ehanis, "All armed with old weaponry. The good news? They're not opening fire yet... Let's wait and see how this plays out." As the drell closes in, Jason gives him a nod. "Hey. So, crazy story, me and my-..." he begins to explain, but his attention is quickly pulled
away as the drell begins to reach for his weapon, "Oh, come on! Be-... be careful with her! She's sensitive!" he instructs, gaze following the drell. "Do any of you understand me? One of you has to speak another language, right? Hi! Hola! [An asari phrase that, while Jason was assured it meant 'good morning', actually translates roughly to 'I have a pickle in my ear']! No? Nothing?" he continues, his gaze moving from
Ehanis grins at the asari phrase, but she doesn't comment on it. "Mhm," she says. "We can't just storm them if they capture him without a fight, though. We'll have to wait for them to turn their backs to us first."
The drell that took the Revenant, a big one with what looks like a home-made metal chestplate, looks at him and lets out a confused grunt followed by: "A kio fet araron a, drian-fall..." as he steps back, looking the Revenant over. The other drell that walked up, who's most notable feature is the multitude of piercings that adorn the ridges of his face, reaches across to grab both the Phalanx and Jason's knife, stowing them away before
prodding Jason in the back with his weapon. Likely a shotgun of some kind by the look of it. "Fat an! Ba ara soris a ill! Fa dren bon sio son sio a." One of the others nods in the direction of the hole in the fence.
Jason sighs as he climbs to his feet and begins marching in the direction prodded towards, hands still held up out to his sides. "Yeah, yeah. I'm moving." he mutters. "Great. You're gonna show me around your place, huh?" he asks, mainly for the sake of informing those listening in over comms that he's being escorted in without giving them away in case any of the drell can understand him, "The whole-... pointing guns at me thing
isn't really necessary. Really. I'm not looking for a fight. Just some conversation. Oooh! What about hanar!? You people like hanar, right? Because they-... uhh.... they saved you and shit? We came here with one!" he says, though a frown suddenly crosses his face. "I guess if you're still here you probably don't like hanar, huh...?" He gives a slight shrug, changing his stance, "Ah well. He was an asshole anyway. Never
liked the guy. Made me strip down to my underwear the first time I met him. He's dead in a truck not too far from here. Team Rakhana right here. Fuck those hanar jellyfish, am I right?"
Two of the drell flank Jason as they walk through the hole in the fence and towards the camp, one remaining behind him and one walking up ahead to talk to the other team. As Jason talks one of the guards to his side glances at him and mutters "Aran an fa hanar... drat fa dren bin fena sio that a." Rather than approaching the cluster of shacks they head straight for the main doors of the factory. A massive metal gate which slides
slightly open with a metallic groan as they get closer. To the right, beyond the makeshift settlement activity can be seen as drell work on their vehicles, repairing damage and restocking them.
Nathan turns his gaze to try and see if the sniper is still watching them. "They've stripped him of his weapons... good thing he has his arms covered, though. If shit hits the fan, at least he can swing them around." He looks back to Jason and mutters. "They've taking him inside...".
Jason continues to glance around as he's escorted through the encampment. "Nice place you've got here... See, I come from a camp of my own a little ways from here. We've got plenty of shit to trade and all for the low, low price of borrowing one of those vehicles over there." he says with a nod towards the aforementioned vehicles. "You understand the concept of 'borrowing', right?" he asks, looking between the drell escorting
Jason is escorted through the large metal gate, which leads to what was once likely a cargo loading area of some sort. Now, it stands empty, but there is a raised platform running along either side, both with several doors that must lead deeper into the factory. He is led up a short stairs to the right side, and through an open doorway to a stairwell going up. The inside of the factory is surprisingly intact after 300 years, no doubt
maintained by its current occupants for at least some of that time. There are clear signs of repairs in places - doors replaced, holes in the walls bricked up, new steps welded into place in the stairs.
Nathan is met with the same glare as before as he turns his gaze towards the top of the nearest smokestack.
Ehanis remains out of sight, or at least she hopes that she is. "That's not good," she says. "Do you think they know about us?"
Jason falls silent as it has become clear that they're not going to respond to him even if they can understand him. For now it's just a case of wait-and-see. He devotes his attention to remembering the layout of the colony for now, taking note of the direction he's being led in case he needs to make a quick exit.
Nathan snorts. "Course they know about us. That sniper is still watching us intently," he replies. "Right, he's inside now...". He slumps back out of sight and sighs, brushing off some sand from his M-55. "A tank, a tank, my kingdom for a tank."
They pass a door on their way up the stairway, inside Jason might catch a glimpse of what might once have been a large factory floor, now converted into a living space, full of additional hovels. There are people moving about in there, and smells of food and sounds of laughter. Children's laughter. One of the guards quickly closes the door when they notice it is open, and Jason is quickly hurried along up two more levels.
Jason visibly eases up as he realizes there's more than just scary reptiles with guns and plated armor sulking around. "A lot of people living here, huh? Families. Everything." he says aloud. Once again, both an attempt at interacting with the drell and to relay information to the others. "So, uhh.... You folks seem to be pretty fit. Keep in good shape and all. I mean, you have to in order to survive a place like this, right?
Ehanis sighs. "People on the inside, too..." she says. "We should have left them alone like I said when you first sighted them."
Nathan shrugs. "Eh, we're set on this course now." He then stands up into a crouch, still keeping out of sight from the sniper. "We should get into a better position, try and close the distance some," he suggests. "Juuuuuuust in case we need to storm the building in a heroic rescue attempt."
The armed drell ignores Jason, and leads him into a short corridor before shoving him through the door at the end as one of the others open it. The room is an office of some sort, and it likely once belonged to a factory overseer or something similar, judging by the it overlooks one of the production lines. No one is living in this one, but rather several drell are at work maintaining, and even constructing, additional vehicles. Another
half dozen in addition to those outside. The room is sparse on decorations, and contains little furniture aside from what looks to be an antique wooden desk, in surprisingly good condition, and a chair behind it. A tall drell man wearing a long, frayed coat stands behind the desk, looking out at the window. His frills seem artificially modified, making for something of a plume of deep red extensions.
Jason casts a glance back over his shoulder, through the door they entered before settling his sights on the red-frilled drell. "You must be the one in charge. You know, on account of you staring out the window all mysterious-like. Classic." he says, mostly just amusing himself at this point as he simply assumes there's little chance any of them are going to understand him. "Nice place you've got here. Can't say the its been the
Ehanis frowns. "I think we should wait here for now, unless we can get closer without being seen," she says. "We don't want them to attack Jason all at once because we made an aggressive move."
Nathan waves idly. "Moving a few meters to the side isn't aggressive," he says with a tone that suggests he's putting on the confidence he's displaying. "It's just... re-positioning for the possibility of an aggressive move. Totally different."
Kell turns to face Jason, raising his left hand palm-up. It holds a clunky disk-like device. An omni-tool. An old one. He adjusts the interface of the device calmly while two of the other drell flank the door after closing it, the others remaining outside. After a moment's fiddling with the old tech he meets Jason's gaze. "I am Kell. This is our Fortress." he says, the omni-tool translating to a language that Jason's translator can
Ehanis nods. "That's not a bad idea, as long as we're out of sight," she says. "It could buy us a few seconds of not being shot at."
Jason furrows his brow, caught off guard by the translator finally working. "...Oh. Uhh, hey Kell. Jason." he introduces with a gesture to himself, "You are certainly not wrong. We don't belong here. And we're doing our damndest to rectify that problem. See, my friends and I had a little bit of a problem. Ended up stuck out here. I spotted your colony and figured it was worth a shot to, you know, reach out and see what it
would take for you to let us use one of those vehicles of yours. We've got a few things we wouldn't mind parting with that could probably be pretty useful to your people and- when we're done- you're free to take the vehicle right back. We just want to get home."
Nathan chuckles. "I'm glad you agree," he says. "C'mon. Let's move." He starts to move off a little around the dune, aiming to shorten the distance to any extent.
Kell rounds the desk, approaching Jason. As he gets closer his size becomes more apparent, unusually bulky for a drell. "Indeed..." he says with a thoughtful look. His gaze turns to Jason's arm, the claw-like repair job on the left easily visible, and he raises an eyebrow. "Are you an alien machine, Jason? Or is there a face beneath that plating? I do not negotiate with machines..."
Ehanis nods and crawls backwards until she's at the bottom of the dune. She then moves towards Nathan's position, remaining crouched to avoid being in view of the sniper.
Jason leans back slightly, the offended look on his face hidden behind his helmet. "Machi-... Wha-...? No!" He raps a gauntleted knuckle against his helmet, "Just... armor." he says. His hands move sharply towards his helmet before he thinks better of it and slows his movements, casting a glance at the other drell in the room to assure them he's not trying anything. He unlatches his helmet slowly and lifts it off, letting out a
deep breath as he does. "Flesh and bone, just like you." he assures, though a slight shrug follows, "...Sort of. Mostly." Suddenly he finds his mind wandering. Is flesh the right word? Maybe scales is more appropriate. Do drell have bones? Maybe bones are a human thing. Maybe drell have some sort of organic plastic under their skin to keep them from turning all jelly-like! Do asari have bones!? Focus. Focus. You can
Kell leans in closer, studying Jason for a moment before letting out a grunt. "Who are you? Why have you come to our world?" he asks, looking at Jason with a focused, but hard-to-read expression on his emerald-green face. Several metal studs line both of his eyebrow ridges, perhaps giving the appearance of metal eyebrows to a human.
Nathan continues to poodle along the bottom of the dune, crouched, as he continues his excellent tactical repositioning. "Hey, fancy taking a glance to see if we're in a better position?" He asks after a few moments.
Jason opens his mouth to speak, but suddenly thinks better than going into details. "Work." he states simply. "Security guard. Me and my team offer security to clients. Our client needed to visit Rakhana, so we were hired to make sure they made it safely. Right now all I'm interested in is getting my people home." He shifts his helmet around, transferring it to his left hand and tucking it under his arm. "We're not looking to
Kell nods slowly, but doesn't seem too impressed by the sparse details offered. "Your people? How many of you are there on our world?" he asks while walking back behind his desk, taking out a bottle.
Jason lowers his head for a moment, looking to the floor. "There are eight of us." he says, deciding to be as truthful as he can so long as the details won't hurt their intentions. "Some are wounded. Might not make it much longer." he sighs, "I'm not going to string you along here, Kell. We're in a bad place and if things don't turn around for us soon, we're not all going to make it. I'd very much like to avoid losing anyone..."
Kell listens, taking a moment before responding. "Of course. You must be in dire need of help to risk crossing the desert on foot." he says before extending the bottle to Jason. "Drink. Replenish your strength. Perhaps we can help your people. I can send a vehicle, if you tell me where to go."
Nathan glances over his shoulder at Ehanis. "Okay, so how will we know where we are?" He asks. "Have you been keeping track? I hope so, because I may have zoned out for a moment... my head feels a little... light."
Jason accepts the bottle with a nod of his head in gratitude. It takes him a moment to remove the cap. Once he does, he lifts it and takes a sniff of the contents, not particularly wanting to drink it, but also hoping to avoid offending the drell. "If it's all the same to you, I would prefer showing. I mean no disrespect, but these are people I care about. Simply giving their location to someone I only just met doesn't sit well
with me." He gestures around with a wave of his hand, bottle clenched in his palm, "You run this place. You take care of these people. Their lives are in your hands. Surely you can understand my concern. It makes me no less appreciative of your interest in helping, but-... yeah. I'd feel a whole lot more comfortable if you just allowed me to lead the way."
Ehanis points towards the top of the dune, slightly to the right. "The building is over there," she says. "Do you think that'll hinder you if we need to fight our way in?"
Kell seems about to respond when the guards' radios buzz to life, a string of incomprehensible drell language being heard. The leader furrows his eyebrows as he looks at Jason. "The people sneaking around outside, are they with you?" he asks. The drink Jason was given has a sweet smell to it, like a fruit juice of some sort.
Nathan shrugs. "Probably not," he replies. "I mean, we're going against with antiques. We could probably mow half of them down before they even bring down out shields. And then, what's the odds of their weapons having any punch to even get through our armour?" He raps his knuckles against his chest. "...Unless they have those turrets. That would be baaaaaaaad."
Jason winces slightly, but nods. "They are. Again, no disrespect is meant. As I'm sure your guards will agree, I approached peacefully and handed over my weaponry as soon as instructed. Those are my teammates out there, and they're worried. They have no intention of harming anyone, they're simply concerned for my well-being. None of us are looking for a fight, Kell. I give you my word."
Ehanis shakes her head. "They'll have a lot of time to shoot at us before we get to the fence," she says. "It doesn't matter, though, because it sounds like diplomacy finally worked."
Nathan coughs awkwardly as he chimes in a reply. "We... meant to be spotted. Part of the master plan in case things went wrong. Buuuuuuuuuut since they didn't... Hi, nice drell people!" He slowly peers over the top of the dune and offers a little wave towards the sniper's nest.
Kell eyes Jason up and down before looking to one of his guards and extending a hand. The Phalanx is handed over to him, and he studies it, turning it over while talking. "As must you understand that your alien weapons pose a great threat to us. This is no secret. I see little reason to risk my people being led into an ambush."
Jason sighs but nods. "So how about a trade?" he proposes, "One of your vehicles in exchange for that weapon and a few clips?" he asks, giving a nod to his Phalanx. "I know that might not seem like much, but you said it yourself. Our weaponry is dangerous. Besides, you seem like a smart group of people. I saw the construction you've got going on those vehicles. I'm sure someone around here might be able to rip that thing apart to
study it and get some use from it. Hell, I'll even tell you where to pick the vehicle up from. This way, you don't have to risk your people and I don't have to risk mine. And you walk away with a piece of expensive tech without losing the vehicle. It's win-win for you." he says, running a thumb back and forth across the lip of the bottle to clean it off all subtle-like before finally taking a small swig of the drink.
Kell raises an eyebrow. "We do not 'loan' our vehicles. In exchange for some of your alien weaponry, we may be willing to part with some food and water, as well as provide transport for you and your... companions, to the rest of your people. But we cannot leave our vehicles in your hands."
Jason sighs again, giving a shake of his head. "I'm sorry, Kell. That's not good enough. Food and water might buy us more time, but if it's at the cost of being able to defend ourselves by handing over our weaponry, then we're not really any better off. We're just trading one risk for another. We're not getting anywhere without a ride to Pilgrim's Haven. If you're willing to meet me half way here, then I'd be more than willing to
hand over a few weapons. So how about this: one of my team will remain here. Two of us will go with your people to pick up the rest of our team. You can hold our weapons until we return. Then, we'll hand over what we can spare and you'll drop us off at Pilgrim's Haven with enough food and water for a couple days. It's the best I can offer."
Nathan glances down to her and chuckles. "Yes, yes, I'm going to provoke the sniper by waving at him," he says as he holsters his rifle. "I think trying to stay hidden, miserably might I add, is doing more to provoke them than standing in the open." He holds both hands up, flexing them to show there is no weapon being held. "Are you even listening to the comms?
Ehanis nods. "I know," she says, "but the sniper could take it the wrong way. I don't know these people, and neither do you."
Kell turns back to the window, considering the suggestion for a while. After half a minute of silence he shakes his head, turning back to Jason. "No. We are not in the business of ferrying trespassers about. That journey is a long and dangerous one. I have made my offer. If you will not take it, I ask that you and your companions leave this place."
Jason sighs loudly and furrows his brow. "And your offer is simply food and water? You have an abundance of vehicles and you seem to have no problems building more. What I'm offering you is something you can't get. Forget the food and water, how about just a vehicle? We're not looking to survive here, Kell. We need to go home. My people can't ride a bottle of water home. What is it going to take to get one of those vehicles?"
Nathan rolls his shoulders and shrugs, taking a knee at the top of the dune and resting his hands atop his leg. "Well, I haven't been shot yet so, I'm taking that as a good sign."
Ehanis shrugs and sits down at a spot where Nathan is between her and the building. "I'm not going to stop you," she says.
Kell looks a little frustrated by Jason's insistance, but after a moment's consideration his expression changes. He plants his hands on the table, leaning on it a bit. "Perhaps a trade is possible, but each of these vehicles are the result of a great deal of time and effort. We can escort you back to your people, and if what you have is deemed enough, we can trade. If not, we will leave."
Jason extends the bottle towards Kell after capping it. "Which comes right back to me telling you where my people are. You're not doing much to meet me half way, Kell..." he sighs, his own frustration shining through for a moment, "If I'm going to tell you where my people are, I expect my weaponry back beforehand. Before we leave. Before I tell you anything. Bring food. Water. And a vehicle you're willing to part with and we'll
Kell shakes his head. "I will not have armed aliens in one of our vehicles. You will remain unarmed for the duration of the trip. We will bring some food and water. As a gesture of goodwill. The vehicle for trade will be brought in after we have confirmed that you have something worth trading for. You have already seen that we do."
Jason lifts his helmet back up, setting it in place. Now hidden from Kell, he gets his abundance of eye rolls out of the way. "You two heard the offer." he says, latching his armor back together, "Opinions?"
Nathan chimes in over comms. "I don't like this any more than you do, Jase," he begins. "And honestly, I think if we take this offer, we'll have a knife dangling over our heads on a frayed string... But we also don't seem to have much choice. If we get dropped back off and don't have anything to offer, we'll have a little bit more food and water. AND we'll know
where they are. If we get desperate, we can try and quickly raid them and nick a vehicle to get out of here." He then grunts. "Then again, if we can give them something nice, we'll be home free...".
Ehanis nods to herself. "I heard it," she says. "I think we should take it. The others will have guns, and we're not helpless without them."
Jason nods to himself, letting another sigh out. "Deal." he agrees reluctantly, "Before we leave, I expect a chance to secure my weapons before turning them back over to you. I'm not taking you to our people just to turn our own weapons on us." he says plainly. The time for tiptoeing around each other's feelings has long since passed.
Kell nods. "Understandable. Return to your companions, let them know of this and tell them to prepare to hand over their weapons. I will have a truck prepared, which will meet you by the fence."
Jason gives a nod of his own. "They already know." he informs. Maybe hoping it might strike a little fear into Kell. Are they mind readers!? Do they have unnatural super hearing!? Who knows, drell! Who knows! He turns on his heels and starts towards the door, assuming an escort will help him on his way.
Kell seems mostly unphased by this, nodding as Jason leaves. The four drell that brought him in escort him out the same way they came, all the way up to the hole in the fence, where they stop and hand him his weapons back, as requested.
Ehanis removes the clip from each of her weapon before attaching them back onto her armor. "It should be great to finally have some actual food," she says. "I'm very, very hungry."
Nathan waves over to Jason as he emerges, regardless if he can even see him or not. "Hey, Jase. Glad you ain't been eaten!" He says over comms. He then turns to Ehanis and nods. "Yes, no damn paste, hopefully."
Jason accepts his weaponry, though he doesn't remove the thermal clips right away. As he starts back towards Nathan and Ehanis, he tosses a hand up in the air to return the wave. "Yeah well don't go celebrating yet. There's still plenty of time for that. For all we know, they're just hoping to get as much meat as they can. He made me drink something... I think he might've been trying to sweeten me up..." he mutters back over
The armed drell remain by the hole in the fence, weapons lowered but readied as they observe Jason rejoining the others.
Ehanis stands up. "We can still fight back," she says over comms. "Let's hope that if they're going to try anything funny, it'll be while we're underway."
Nathan chuckles and stands, placing his fists on his hips. "Well that'll take a lot of that drink," he quips back. He offers Ehanis a nod. "Yeah, agreed. We have to hand our weapons over though, right?"
Jason rolls his eyes at Nathan's comment. It's been a long day. No time for witty remarks or banter. "Yeah. We'll have to hand them over before we depart. But like Ehanis said, we're not defenseless. Ehanis' biotics. My cybernetics. Your..... ear-piercing intolerable banshee scream. They'll have another thing coming if they think we're going to be easy targets."
Nathan flips Jason the bird. "And my knife. They won't be able to find it without ripping my armour apart," he corrects.
It's not long before an armored truck emerges, a machinegun mounted atop the cabin. The drell manning is wearing an old military helmet several sizes too large along with a gasmask. It drives at a slow pace towards the hole in the fence.
Ehanis starts to walk over the dune, but she waits for Jason to take the lead. "Is their leader going to be with them?" she asks.
Jason nods to Nathan as he moves alongside Ehanis, finally removing the ammo from his weaponry and stowing it away. "Keep it stowed away unless you absolutely have to take it out, Ten. We don't want to show our hand until we have to." As they continue towards the truck, he gives the asari a shake of his head. "I don't know. He didn't specify." he says, "Suppose we'll find out soon enough..."
Nathan follows Jason's lead, ejecting the ammo from his weapons and stowing it away. "I got it, Jase." He stays close to Jason, watching the truck and letting out a low whistle. "I feel like I've seen a film about this before...".
The truck drives up to the group, belching foul-smelling, gray smoke from the exhaust pipes. With a clank the door to the back opens and one of the drell that escorted Jason steps out. He gestures at the truck. "Time to go. Leave your weapons before entering. We'll bring them along."
Jason gives a nod to the others before setting his Revenant and Phalanx down in the sand. "There's gonna be a problem if I don't get those back..." he says. And, oops, the blade sheathed across his chestplate must've slipped his mind. Long day. Hot sun. Etc. He non-chalantly begins to board the truck.
The drell puts a hand on Jason's chest to stop him, smirking before unsheathing the knife from his chest with a shake of his head.
Jason glances down, watching as the knife is removed. With a bit of extra theatric flare, he slaps a gauntleted hand against his helmet. "Ah, shit. Knew I was forgetting something. Appreciate it."
Nathan sets his weapons down, with the M-100 last. He gives it a gentle pat and mutters, "I'll be back for you." He begins to board the truck, still slathered in his grenades. Considering the close proximity they're all going to be in, he's hinging that they won't mind... naw, he just doesn't want to part with them.
Ehanis detaches both of her weapons and leaves them next to Jason's before boarding the truck without a word.
After everyone is onboard the drell climbs into the open bed at the back of the truck as well, a few others grabbing the weapons and heading into the front of the vehicle. "Alright. Time for directions." he says as he takes a seat. Also with them in the back of the truck are two other drell, armed, and two small crates.
By vehicle the journey back to the bunker doesn't take too long, and soon the truck is approaching the blast doors, slowing down as it does so. The ride has been largely uneventful, although the sun has set completely by the time they arrive, heat still lingering in the blue gloom. The drell have largely remained quiet except to relay directions.
Back at the bunker, the day has been mostly uneventful. Scouring of the third sub-level has revealed little of interest, and progress has been slow due to heavier doors and frequent locks. The corridors have become increasingly damp and cold the further Steve and Renala have explored, however. Namira, meanwhile, is still holding on, although she has been able to take no food in her unconcious state, only water.
Jason has remained mostly silent, knee bouncing up and down as they near their camp. "Korio. Change of plans." he reports back, "We've made contact with a local colony. They're returning with us and we're going to see if we can come to an agreement to use one of their vehicles. We're approaching, so hold your fire. Let the others know." he says over comms. "It's just up ahead, right inside of those big-ass doors." he announces to
Renala had elected to give up on the search and she has spent the last hour trying to repair the water purifier. Though, without any water to purify, she cannot really test it. Upon hearing the message from Jason over comms, she stands up.
Steve has remained near Renala throughout the day. Once the message comes through, he replaces his breather with his helmet. "So, whaddya think?" he asks. "Someone holdin' a gun to his head?"
Korio is still near the door, rifle clutched in both hands. "Understood, Wolfe." he replies as he steps off the crate and begins opening a path for them to enter through their makeshift barricade.
Nathan has remained silent, simply glaring at the nearest drell. He has sat slightly hunched, hands clasped together with the index fingers tapping one another.
The truck comes to a stop outside the blast doors, the drell in the back all climbing out and lining up next to the truck, studying the entrance, some of them more anxiously than others.
Jason waits for the drell to exit the vehicle before stepping out himself and looking to the drell who spoke to him before. "So how are we doing this?" he asks, noting the anxiety of the others. Maybe they're anxious because they know they've got a fight on their hands? Or maybe they're just worried they might?
Ehanis has kept to herself, and has made no effort to break the silence. When the truck comes to a stop, she stands up and hops off back of it.
The drell looks back at him. "Show us what you have to trade with." he says, rolling his shoulders as he studies the opening. "You can take the supplies inside now. A gift. For trust."
Nathan exits the truck, looking for the drell carrying his grenade-launcher. He grumbles incoherently under his breath.
Jason's gaze lingers on the drell for a moment longer before giving a single nod and moving to take one of the crates. "Generous." he says as he looks to Nathan and nods at the other crate, "We appreciate it. Hopefully we can offer you something that you'll get some use out of."
Jessica looks over Namira one last time to make sure she's still breathing before adjusting her cap, grabbing her Avenger and exiting the tent, using her weapon as a makeshift cane to help with her limp.
Ehanis walks to stand out of the way of the truck's rear, closer to the entrance. She waits for orders or her weapons to be returned.
Jason leads the way with crate in-hand towards the entrance. "Right this way." he directs. "We can spare a few sidearms. A few items out of our medical kit, too. That might be useful. Know what medigel is? We had a team searching the building today, so they may have come across a few things as well." he says, making idle chit-chat.
Nathan follows Jason, still remaining silent as he glowers at a random drell, automatically assuming that this one was the bastard who touched his gun.
The drell all remain outside. The one with the translator speaks up. "Bring the items out for us to see."
Renala stands up, leaving the purifier project behind outside the tent. "Let's find out," she says. She makes her way over to the entrance to take a look at the situation, still being armed and in armor.
Jason nods to himself. "Right, right. You just wait right here, we'll be right back out..." he says, stepping past their makeshift barricade. He greets those inside with a nod, setting the crate down just beside the door. "What did you find?" he asks Renala right away, keeping his voice low enough so the drell waiting outside can't hear. "These people have vehicles and they're willing to trade... It's important that we make this
worth it for them Renala. So... So were you able to build something-... fix something-... find something? Whatever?" he asks, the desperation finally beginning to seep out in his voice.
Renala shakes her head. "No, I didn't find anything worth bringing up aside from that," she gestures towards the water purifier. "It's powering on, but I haven't tested it." She pauses, humming thoughtfully. "We collected the guns on the Blood Pack mercs downstairs, you could offer them."
Jason nods a few times. "Guns and a water purifier? Hell, that sounds good to me. Bring them outside, along with the thermal clips you found on them." he says, "I'm gonna grab a few things from the medkit." He looks to Steve, extending a hand, "You didn't take any hits. Give me your medigel. I know, I know." he continues pre-emptively, "But if we want to get off this planet, then we're going to have to make this trade worthwhile
Steve furrows his brow and goes to protest, though he simply sighs as Jason continues and removes the cannister of medigel from his suit, handing it over reluctantly. "If I get shot, one of you folks better be generous with your stash..." he mutters.
Nathan sets the crate down, stretching his arms out. "Dooooooon't worry, Steve, I'll be generous and share," he assures the man.
Renala nods. "Understood," she says. She heads over and picks it up, bringing it to just outside the exit.
Steve rolls his eyes. "Uh huh. We'll see if you're still so generous when the projectiles start flyin'." he says as he begins to collect the Blood Pack weaponry they've amassed and carrying it out.
Jason gives a lopsided grin. "This is going to help a lot, Steve." he assures, giving the cannister a shake. He turns on his heels and returns outside, dragging one of the crates from their makeshift barricade with him. He sets the medigel down atop it along with the water purifier and stands aside as he waits for Steve to return with the weaponry.
Ehanis remains outside by the truck, watching the strangers while she waits for the trade to complete and their weapons to be returned.
Steve exits the bunker with the Blood Pack weapons, laying the Punishers out neatly atop the crate. He has already unloaded each of them and he takes a moment to set the thermal clips beside them. It takes him another two trips to bring out the rest. Again, he unloads them before bringing them out. The shotguns and the firestorm he simply sets beside the crate. "That's all of it." he says.
Nathan watches the deal from a crate he has now sat on, tapping his leg impatiently as he glances back to the drell.
Jason steps over to the crate, looking it over with a nod. "I'd say this is a pretty good haul." he says, his gaze rising to meet the drell's, "Handful of weapons. Enough to pull a couple apart and see what you can learn from them and the clips to use them for defense if the need arises." He points to the water purifier, "Water purifier." he states plainly, "I figure that's the sort of thing that could be worth a bit for a
settlement like yours. Annnd we've got the miracle drug-..." he taps a gauntleted finger against the medigel cannister, "It slices, it dices, it-... doesn't do any of that. But by some modern miracle, if ya slap it on a wound, it fixes that shit right up. I'd explain how, but I don't actually know how." he shrugs, "But it has saved my life more times than I can count. All yours for the low, low price of one vehicle."
The drell with the translator walks up to the lined up items, inspecting each of them in turn, a a process which takes a couple of minutes all in all, before heading back to the others, discussing with them in their own tongue. After a while he returns, alongside two of the others, who dump Nathan, Ehanis and Jason's weapons on the ground. "No deal." he says. "These are useless to us."