#FreedomFalls – December 14, 2016

Sioria nods at Ehanis, then looks to the kid. "Alright, see what you can do here, E." she says before turning and activating her omnitool. "HQ... where are- ah!" She finds the contact details nestled in amongst her contacts, and begins her call, turning for a moment to see how things are getting on with the kid. Poor thing, didn't deserve what was thrown her way.

Ehanis moves over to the kid's side and crouches down, the medi-gel finally doing away with enough pain for her to focus. "It's going to be alright," she mutters while looking her over for injuries. "Help's on the way."

Sioria taps her foot as she waits for the pickup, but thankfully its fast. "Hey boss, Sioria here," she begins, turning away again so she could focus on the call. "We've, uh... we've got a situation out here. Ehanis and I are out in the forest, west of Road's End. We ran into an Asari kid being chased down by some bitch with a gun, we disarmed the attacker, but she got away and the kids

Ehanis turns her over, which does evoke a pained cry from the young asari. "Sorry," she says quickly. "What did-... you're the neighbor's kid... Lema. What's going on?" She doesn't get more than a whimper in response, the pain too much for the kid.

Sioria continues her call after turning around, then winces at the pained cry. "Negative, single attacker." she says, out of the blue after turning. She looks down at the rifle held across her chest. "I have her rifle, but we're not dealing with a regular thug here. She's got a kinetic barrier, and got away using a cloaking device and a concussion grenade. Not cheap. I've got my eye out,

Ehanis frowns as she pats the young asari's right shoulder, which causes a pained groan. "They better hurry," she says. "She's in a lot of pain, but it's too cold for me to treat it."

Jason is strapped in on the shuttle, hands gripping the barrel of his Revenant with the stock pressed against the floor. He has filled Ilyna in on what he knew and has just sent a request to Ehanis and Sioria to join the comms channel. "I'm sure she's fine, Ilyna..." he says with a glance towards the asari in an attempt at reassuring her.

Mendez is strapped in tight. His helmet is concealing the fact that his eyes jolt shut each time the shuttle shakes or lists. His Katana is across his lap and he's tightly gripping his straps.

Halisi is seated right next to the door, unarmed as always, and wearing her doctor's coat. She's brought a large medical satchel as well as a stretcher.

Tank is strapped in opposite Mendez, wearing her bulky and unusual armor. Her Carnifex is holstered on her hip.

Ilyna tilts her head. "I'll know soon," she says. Ehanis may have ommited a few details when talking to her over comms, and Ilyna wasn't buying it. She's in full armor, but did not grab a weapon before leaving. If there's a fight, she's going to bubble up anyway.

Tank is strapped in opposite Mendez. Due to the short notice she hasn't had time to put on her armor. She's opted to simple strap her chestplate over her clothes, grabbing her pistol and omni-tool as well, while foregoing the rest of her armor, including the undersuit.

Sioria remains crouched next to Ehanis while she works with the kid, watching the horizon still. When she sees the skycar cresting over the horizon, she's sure to stand and wave at it, hoping they see her. "We've spotted you," she says over the comms. "Keep an eye out up there, I think our attacker bugged out and headed east."

Jasper's voice replies a moment later. "Gotcha in sight, Felcolus." he informs, "We're gon' set down as close as we can!" The shuttle slows its forward momentum and begins to hover as Jasper searches for a place nearby to set the Kodiak down.

Jason chimes in over comms as well. "East?" he asks, "It's probably a lost cause to try and pursue. Guessing she's long gone. Right now we just need to worry about setting up a perimeter and letting Halisi patch you guys up. How is everyone doing down there?"

Jasper, being Jasper, of course goes for the closest option. "Alright, ya'll. Found us an LZ. Gon' be a bit of a tight fit, so ya might wanna hold onto yer butts." he advises and begins to reposition the shuttle to set down at the intersection.

Mendez lets out an audible groan. "...I hate when he says that..."

Sioria looks from the shuttle to the injured kid and sighs slightly. "Ehanis and I are all good. She did a damn good job keeping her biotic shields up, kept us in one piece. The kid isn't so lucky, probably more than a few broken bones." she says, not mentioning Ehanis' flesh wound. The medigel would take care of it, plus she knew from what she'd told her, if anyone in Ehanis' family

Tank flashes a mildly amused smile at Mendez' groaning, checking her omni-tool as the shuttle starts to descend.

Ehanis gets on the comms. "We're fine, but the kid needs medical attention," she says. "I think her right shoulder is dislocated." Ehanis' jacket is visible blood-soaked around her shoulder, but the medi-gel is keeping her injury stable for the time being.

Ilyna stands up and grabs a handhold while Jasper lands the shuttle, eager to get out and see the situation first hand.

Jasper manages to set the shuttle down, taking out a few stray branches along the way. As the Kodiak touches down, the door begins to slide open.

Mendez' grip on the harness tightens as the shuttle's dampeners kick in when it begins colliding with branches. The jarring change from bumpy to smooth only further aggitates his motion sickness.

Tank 's amusement quickly fades at the mention of injuries, putting on her business face. She steadies herself as the shuttle hits the branches, but as soon as the door starts to open she unbuckles, facing the door as she pulls her pistol, double-checking it and keeping it ready.

Sioria keeps her eyes on the horizon as the shuttle lands, only shifting her attention to it when the doors open. She waves the gang over, stepping aside to reveal the kid and Ehanis behind her. "The attacker went off in that direction," she says, pointing towards the foot prints and large snow-dent the concussion grenade caused. "Mean bitch, didn't know proper gun handling. Disarmed

Ilyna is out of the shuttle the moment the doors open, and already jogging towards their position. A biotic shimmer sorrounds her as she prepares to barrier up at the first sign of hostile action. Her eyes narrow as she sees her sister's injury, but she doesn't say anything yet.

Jason removes his harness as the shuttle descends and hefts his Revenant up by the barrel with one hand. "Alright, people!" he announces, giving a quick look around the shuttle, "It's likely that we're alone out here, but we're not taking any chances. Set up a perimeter and give Halisi a chance to work. Let's not waste any more time out here than we need to." As Sioria greets them, he shoulders his Revenant before stepping out and

Tank is quick to follow Ilyna out of the shuttle, sweeping her pistol across their surroundings as she steps sideways towards the injured asari and the two mercenaries.

Mendez unharnesses himself once they've touched down and lifts his Katana before silently following the others out of the shuttle, though he stops just outside and takes a position beside the shuttle door.

Halisi unbuckles, grabbing her satchel in one hand and the folded up stretcher in the other, jogging over towards the injured asari. She sets her things down and immediately kneels down next to her, looking her over as her red omni-tool interface flares to life and she keys in the command to start performing a medical scan. "We're here to help. Don't worry, you're going to be okay." she says reassuringly as she works.

Sioria watches as all the mercs pile out and take up position, then looks up at the tower above them. "I'll go provide look-out." she says as she slings the Vindicator over her shoulder and starts off towards the tower's ladder. It had been such a nice day when she and Ehanis had first climbed it. Thanks Mystery Asari. She starts climbing, stopping to look around briefly, then heading

Jason follows Halisi over towards the asari. He gives a glance over to Sioria and nods, "Sounds like a plan." he says. He casts a quick glance over towards the injured asari and a brief flash of anger crosses his face. Who would attack a kid? "Do we know anything about who did this?" he asks over comms, though it's obviously directed at Sioria and Ehanis, "Did the kid say anything?" He marches a little further ahead and stops just

Mendez remains near the shuttle. Better to be safe than sorry just in case they need to make a quick exit.

Sioria shakes her head a she reaches the top of the ladder and heads towards the view ports, looking out for any approaching vehicles over the trees. "No clue, boss." Is her reply. "All I know is that she was insistant on pointing her gun at us and the kid. Now, I dunno about you, but I really don't take kindly to that sort of thing."

Jason sighs to himself. "That makes two of us, Sioria..." he agrees. "Let's just hope she didn't run off to get some help." He casts a quick glance over his shoulder, "How is it looking, doc? Is she alright?"

Ehanis shakes her head. "She hasn't said anything coherent about her, no," she says. "The asari was talking about 'her mistake', whatever that means."

Halisi places a hand on the asari's uninjured arm. "It's going to be okay, I promise. We're taking you back to the hospital. Don't worry, honey." She gestures for Jason and Tank, looking over her shoulder. "We need to get her on the stretcher!"

Ilyna frowns as she gets close to Ehanis. "We need to talk when this is over," she says, sounding less than pleased at having to see the injuries before hearing about them. She then turns to face the forest, looking around for any sign of a reason to get her barrier up.

Jason nods a couple of times to himself as he hears Halisi and he begins pulling back to the shuttle. "You got it, doc. I'll grab the stretcher." he says. By the time he reaches the Kodiak, Mendez has already retrieved it from the shuttle and passes it to him. Jason gives an appreciative nod and returns to Halisi's side. "Alright, how are we doing this?" he asks, looking over the asari.

Jason nods a couple of times to himself as he hears Halisi and he begins pulling back to her side. "You got it, doc." he says as he looks to Tank. "How are we doing this?" he asks, his gaze moving from Tank over to the injured asari.

Tank joins Jason by the stretcher, looking down at the injured asari as she awaits instructions.

Halisi grabs the stretcher, unfolding it and then stepping aside. "Lift her over gently. Watch that arm, its injured." she says with a gesture.

Ilyna glances at the child before resuming her overwatch of the forest on their west, raising an eyebrow. "Lema?" she asks in a lowered voice.

Jason gives Halisi a short nod and crouches beside the asari. "Don't worry, you're safe now." he assures her as he gently supports her shoulders, careful not to put any stress on her arm, and prepares to lift her onto the stretcher as soon as Tank is supporting her legs. "Lema...?" he asks as Ilyna chimes in. "Why does that name so-..." he trails off for a moment as the dots connect, "...From the Respite?" he asks, recalling the

Ehanis frowns at her sister's words and makes herself scarce, moving to a position between them and the shuttle to watch the forest until the injured are extracted.

Tank moves in to grab the legs of the injured asari, carefully lifting her over to the stretcher alongside Jason.

Sioria aims down her scope to get a better, closer view of some points of interest through the forest, but sees nothing of concern. They were alone, it seemed, which was nothing short of a good thing.

Halisi gestures towards the shuttle while tapping on her omni-tool. "Alright, get her into the shuttle. We should leave right away if possible."

Jason quickly straps her into place and grabs the side of the stretcher, nodding for Tank to grab the other end. "Sounds like a plan to me, doc." he agrees as he looks down to Lema. "Once we get you taken care of, you've got some explaining to do. I can't help but notice that trouble seems to follow you." he says. There's no anger in his voice, but it's clear that he's not willing to just let this ordeal slide.

Tank mirrors Jason's movements, grabbing the stretcher and starting to carry it towards the shuttle.

Halisi follows the stertcher towards the shuttle, shooting Jason a look when he speaks. "Not the time, Jason." she says while boarding hte shuttle.

Sioria spots the team beginning to move and heads back down the ladder, grabbing either side and sliding down to the bottom, landing with a dull 'whumph' against the snow. She dusts herself off and heads back to the group. The Turian heads to Ehanis and looks her over. "How're you holding up, Hanis?" she asks, quietly. "Didn't get you in trouble, did I?" She looks to the shuttle and

Ilyna walks beside the stretcher back towards, casting a few glances around to look out for threats. She frowns at Jason's words, nodding in agreement at the doctor's response.

Mendez remains near the shuttle as the others approach and, when nearby, he joins in, holding his shotgun in one hand and using his other hand to grip the stretcher and help slide it smoothly onto the Kodiak.

Jason sighs as he notices the discomfort. "Calm down. We're gonna help you out. But you're going to have to tell us what in the hell is going on. We can't have a shootout breaking out any time you're around, Lema, that's not good for anyone..." he says, sympathy clear in his voice despite his obvious frustration. As Halisi speaks, he winces slightly from behind his helmet, worried he may have come across as harsher than intended.

Ehanis sighs. "No, you didn't," she says with a dismissive shrug, though she lowers her voice. "This is nothing compared to the crap going on between me and her." She then nods and follows the turian towards the shuttle.

Sioria nods an affirmative and pats her back gently. "Alright. We'll talk later, yeah?" she asks as she heads towards the shuttle. She climbs in and grabs one of the hand holds, looking much out of place in her coat and flapped hat, amongst the armoured and armed. "All aboard the Redrock express." she mutters to herself a she looks at her friends and coworkers.

Lema winces as the stretcher makes contact with the shuttle floor, more at the anticipation of pain than actual pain. "Wasn't... m-my fault," she mutters between sobs.

Mendez reaches up and uses one of the handholds to pull himself up and into the shuttle before retaking his seat and beginning to strap himself in.

Jason climbs in behind Mendez. "Nobody is blaming you, Lema. I just want to get to the bottom of this..." he responds, deciding against making this a 'thing' while the poor girl is strapped to a stretcher. "Like I said, we'll talk once the doc has taken care of you, alright? Then you can tell me what's going on. For now just take it easy." He reclaims his seat as well, unholstering his large weapon so he can sit down.

Ehanis takes a seat in the shuttle without a word. She wasn't going to argue with her sister's unfounded concerns right now.

Ilyna is the last one to enter the shuttle, and she takes a seat opposite her sister's. "So, what happened exactly at the Miner's Respite?" she asks. "I haven't gotten around to reading that report yet."

Lema gives a faint nod, mouthing the English word 'Alright' as a response. She's staring up at the ceiling, trying to lie as still as she can.

Jason once again holds his weapon upright as the shuttle doors slide shut once everyone is inside. "Lema here-..." he gestures to the asari with a nod, "...was ordered to kill Aylena. When she didn't follow through on it, a group of people attacked the Respite trying to finish the job. Our people managed to fight them off, but we never got to the bottom of it. I can't recall the details off the top of my head, but it's all in the

Sioria looks to Jason as he explains. "The attacker might be from the same group." she says, stating the somewhat obvious. "Was there any visiual footage of the attack? Suit or security cameras? I should be able to make a positive ID if she was there." She asks, still standing and holding one of the upper hand-rails.

Jason gives a shake of his head to Sioria. "Appreciated, but not necessary. The only one who got away that day was a salarian. And he didn't make it too far. Ended up in the hospital a few hours later. Unfortunately we didn't get a chance to speak with him before he kicked it." he says. "I don't doubt that this asari you encountered has something to do with that, but there's nothing on the footage that's going to help tie that

Sioria shakes her head slowly. "Damn... ah well. Less scumbags in the universe isn't a bad thing." she looks down at the rifle against her chest and sighs. "At least we got this one's gun, she won't be up to much mischief until she gets her hands on a new one. That, or she'll be coming after me to get it back." she looks up again. "Which means we could try and go for a trap. Silly ideas,

Jason shakes his head once again. "Judging by the attack on the Respite, I doubt losing a gun is going to slow these people down much. They had hardware. Real hardware." He sighs as he nods to Lema, "Afraid to say it, but I think she's the only one they'll be coming for." After a moment he adds sternly, "But we're not going to let that happen. We've got enough people on standby at the moment, we're going to keep her under watch

Sioria nods firmly at her boss. "In that case, I'm ready for guard duty." she says with a firm nod. She was often relegated to guard duty, not that she minded too much, so she was used to it by now. Usually in the quieter areas, it gave her time to catch up on a few small tasks, like an audiostory or even her own thoughts.