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#RedrockAgency – June 20, 2017
The sun has gone down by the time everything has been taken care of back at Renala and Steve's apartment. Mendez remained at the apartment to ensure everything went smoothly with the militia and that the omni-tools stayed with Renala, though he mostly kept his questions to himself. Steve is currently put up in the rec room. He's seated on the couch, attention focused on the beer balancing on his knee. He's wearing what Renala last saw him
Renala is conversing with Uvena as she enters the lobby, and over the course of a few minutes she's given off a very brief version of what happened. They part ways just inside the lobby, the other asari leaving. Renala proceeds down the hallway, her omni-tool already informing her of the last known location of anyone in or around the building. Thus, she doesn't need to stop at the infirmiary before making her
way upstairs. She stops as she opens the rec room door, surveiying the room without a word. The asari looks exhausted more than anything else. She's changed into a red top under an open white fleece jacket, and simple black pants.
Steve remains where he is, merely staring into his beer bottle. It isn't until Renala enters that he finally notices her and shifts in place. "...Everything good?" he asks tentatively as he snatches up his unopened beer and unscrews the cap.
Renala sighs. "Yeah," she says while making her way over to the kitchen. "It could have gone a whole lot worse." She opens the fridge to see if there's any more beer to be found. "So, Chief or Wolfe given you any trouble?"
Steve gives a couple of nods to himself as he looks over the beer. There is, in fact, more in the fridge. Jason ensures the fridge remains well stocked with booze. "Yeah..." he says with a sigh, "Nothin' I can't handle, though." He leans an elbow against the armrest and looks Renala's way. "Uh.... look..." he begins, seemingly having a bit of trouble with what he's trying to say, "...I appreciate the heads up, Ren. I know it's
prolly gettin' old havin' to deal with this shit by now but-...." he trails off, giving a frustrated shake of his head, "...Just.... thanks, alright?"
Renala grabs one bottle of beer before closing the fridge and starting on her way towards the couch. "I wish I could have done more to put an end to this," she says, "killed him when I had the chance." She sighs and drops down in the couch next to him. "But it is what it is," she continues. "He'll get what's coming to him, unless he's smart enough to cut his losses and fuck off to Omega." There's a hint of
Steve gives a humorless snort. "Henrik ain't exactly the sort to know when to leave well enough alone. If he did then we wouldn't be dealin' with this right now. Can't imagine Omega is none too welcomin' for him and his these days, anyway, so I'm guessin' he's our problem now..." He sucks a deep breath in through his nose and takes a sip of his beer before resting it back against his leg. With his free hand, he reaches out and
pats Renala on the shoulder, "And, while I appreciate the enthusiasm, this burden ain't yours to carry, Ren. Shoulda put him in the ground myself years ago..."
Renala opens the bottle and takes a long sip of the beer while listening to him. "My life right now is as stable as the computer systems downstairs," she begins, "and he's very much to blame for that." Her less than pleased tone more than hints that this isn't her bragging about her current situation. "So, yeah, he's my problem too now."
Steve lets out a long, drawn out sigh. He's clearly not pleased with his own personal shit spilling out into other people's lives. He looks to the asari at his side. "So we find him and we kill him." he says as if it's the simplest thing in the world and Henrik's life is little more than a light switch to be flipped from 'on' to 'off'.
Renala looks down at her bottle. "Sounds easy enough," she says. "I think the hospital is the place to start looking. If he's as dumb as he seems, he might have checked in there." She sighs, keeping her eyes on the bottle. "And that'll be it?" she asks. "Will this mess be over once we kill him?" While Renala seems to be avoiding mentioning any names, but she's talking quite openly about this despite the VI's
Steve shakes his head. "I don't know, Ren. I made a lot of enemies when I turned my back on Eclipse..." he admits, an uncharacteristic amount of earnesty in his voice as he looks to the asari. "S'pose I've got more than my fair share of people that have good reason to wanna put me six feet deep. But for Henrik this is personal..." he nods, "...I can't imagine his people havin' any reason to come after me once we put him down.
Hell, he might not even have anyone left to come after me considerin' how light they seemed to be travelin'." With a deep breath, he switches gears to address her earlier suggestion, "Anyway... For everything Henrik is, he still knows what he's doing. Ya don't survive as long as he has doing what he does if ya don't. I imagine he knows the hospital is the first place we'll come lookin'. Worth a shot, but I wouldn't count
Renala takes another sip of her beer and gives a humorless chuckle. "Well that's what happens when I'm optimstic for once – stupid assumptions are made," she says. "We won't need to go there. Like I said earlier, maybe the doc can check who's been coming and going today."
Steve gives a couple of silent nods before taking another drink. "Guessin' you got ahold of their omni-tools? Figure our best bet on findin' a lead is either through them or-..." he trails off, giving a tilt of his head as he looks back to his beer, "...Well, seems like most of the trash that finds its way to Freedom Falls passes through Quinn's place at some point. Maybe Henrik has someone on hand to patch him up, but if not?
Well, if Henrik is lookin' to get patched up quick without anyone askin' questions, I figure that's where he'd go." he says confidently with a stern nod, turning back to Renala once more, "It's what I'd do."
Renala raises an eyebrow when Quinn's place as mentioned, finally looking at him rather than the bottle. "I'll check out the omni-tool while you go there," she says. "I'm not sure if I'm welcome there after we used Quinn to take out the slavers."
Steve gives a snicker and a shake of his head. "I've been kicked outta Quinn's place more times than I can count. All that lil' weasel cares about is credits. And it just so happens that he owes me quite a few of 'em." He gives a frustrated, pained grunt as he moves his leg and then pats his side gently with his free hand, "...You know I wouldn't ask if I didn't need to, Ren. I ain't too proud to admit that I feel like I was just
hit by a fuckin' truck." he says, giving a short, humorless chuckle that turns into a cough. He winces at the pain it sends through his side and then sucks a deep breath in through his nose. "You just ask Quinn if he knows anything 'bout Henrik and let him know his debt with me is cleared in exchange for any information he can provide. I promise he ain't gonna give ya no trouble. He's a businessman." After a second
Renala leans back in her seat with a sigh. "Fine, but not tonight," she says with a sip of her beer. "Tonight I'd merge him with the nearest wall at the slightest hint that he's not going to cooperate." An exaggeration, probably, but then again that's what happened to the last uncooperative person she met. "Even if that means Henrik gets a head start."
Steve gives a short snicker, raising his beer slightly in acknowledgement. "Can't say I would mind seein' that, but fair enough. I ain't too worried 'bout Henrik gettin' a headstart, anyway. He's wounded and down a few men. Smart money would be on him layin' low for a few days and takin' a breather. Besides... I know Henrik. He ain't gonna let this go and run off with his tail between his legs..." he says, leaving much unsaid as
Renala frowns, downing half of the remaining beer. "So...," she begins, somewhat hesitant about prying. If there's one thing she's learned from prying into others' omni-tools and terminals is that more information isn't always better. But she's part of this conflict, so there ought to be something helpful to know in Henrik's motivation. "Why's Henrik more pissed off at you than the rest of his organization is?"
Steve falls silent, his gaze moving across the room. After a few charged moments, he takes a long drink from his beer and sets it back against his knee. "When I showed up on Omega I was barely more than a kid. Stealin' to get by. I met Henrik pretty early on. He was doing his own thing back then..." he explains, finally looking back to Renala with a nod, "...Runnin' his own crew. Before he was with Eclipse. He put me to work.
Gave me a way to take care of myself. Even eventually got me a spot with Eclipse right along with him. Made me feel like a human being again. Like someone gave a shit. Like-... like maybe he saw somethin' of value in me, ya know?" A small grin threatens to tug at his lips as he recalls years long past, but just as quickly as it appeared, it slips away. "But I ain't the naive kid I once was. I know exactly what he saw in
me now. Same thing as everyone else." A light glow begins to surround him as he glances to his beer bottle, lifting it off his knee and, without hesitation, whips it towards the wall. The bottle slows to a crawl before it can shatter against the wall, coming to a complete stop a foot or so away, and then snaps back across the room into Steve's hand. It hits his hand with such impact that small fissures begin to erupt
throughout the bottle, but it manages to hold together. Steve examines the bottle for a moment before giving a humorless chuckle and taking another sip. "A loaded gun." He falls silent once again and seems to have second thoughts about telling this story as his discomfort shows through. With a sigh, he shakes his head, "So-... So I don't know, Ren. Maybe he just took it more personal when I turned my back on 'em. He vouched
for me, maybe I got him in some trouble when I left and-... " he says, obviously making excuses to avoid answering the question directly. "It doesn't matter." he finally settles on with a shake of his head as he looks to the asari.
Renala flinches at the bottle crossing the room, but a sigh of relief escapes her when he stops it just in time, and she looks at it as well. "Maybe we'll get a chance to ask him his exact motivations," she says, "but him being in trouble would explain why they're not pouring enough resources into that mission of his." She looks back up at him, going back to what he said before answering her question. "It's not
Steve's discomfort shows through for a brief moment, but he quickly bites back on it and takes a long slug from his drink. He gives an appreciative glance at Renala, passing a small smile her way. "Think you might be gettin' all soft on me, darlin'." he teases with a snicker as he reaches out and gives her a few pats on the leg.