This logfile is imported from aitelogs2 and may contain errors or wrong timestamps.
#RedrockAgency – November 26, 2017
It's 1AM when the emergency comms alert sounds in Jason and Vasquez bedroom, loud enough to stir the most stubborn of sleepers.
Jason is a light sleeper as it is. The moment the sound rings out, his eyes snap open, waking him from his nightmare. His hand instinctively shoots towards the nightstand on the side of the bed, clawing at the drawer as his gaze searches the bed for Vasquez. Spotting her seems to calm him down and snap him free of whatever nightmare-induced haze he may have been in. With heavy breaths, he mutters a low: "Shit..." as his hand rests
on the drawer's handle and he attempts to push the sleep from his mind and get a grasp on what's going on.
Vasquez ' eyes open in an instant, scrambling up in the bed as she gets her bearings. "What is it?!" she exclaims almost immediately, her gaze seeking out Jason, letting out a breath when she spots him. "Omni-tool!" she calls out, looking around for hers. "Uh-... shit."
Jason is a little slower on the draw in figuring out what's actually going on, his mind still somewhere between awake and asleep. "Huh-...?" he hums in response to Vasquez before blinking a few times as her words set in. "Yeah-... Yeah..." he mutters to himself with a few nods. He slides his hand away from the dresser drawer and towards his omni-tool atop the nightstand. Scooting up a bit so he can position himself seated
against the backrest, he pulls his omni-tool over to his lap and activates it, confusion all over his face. He's still too asleep to actually be concerned over the implication of a 1:30 AM call.
Vasquez grabs her own omni-tool, letting Jason answer the call while she scrambles to get dressed. Whatever it is it can't be good.
Jason furrows his brow as Ilyna's voice comes through. "Wha-..." he starts, the cobwebs quickly being shaken loose by Ilyna's statement. "Li?! Who?" he asks, casting a brief glance Vasquez' way as he jerks the covers off and begins to climb out of bed, omni-tool in hand. "Who took Li?!" he repeats.
Vasquez ' gaze immediately snaps over to Jason as she pulls on her takntop. "What?!" she exclaims, quickly putting on her headset and patching into the emergency comms herself, not interrupting since Jason just asked a question. She has a tense frown as she wait anxiously for the reply.
Jason furrows his brow, Ilyna's words not entirely making sense to him. The confusion is only exacerbated by his half-asleep state. Regardless, Li is in trouble. Halisi is hurt. And his friend is in need of help. That's more than enough motivation for him. "Spaceport." he repeats aloud. "Stay where you are! I'll be there-..." his words trail off as he hears the others in the background. "Are you safe?" he asks, shooting a glance
Vasquez' way as he tosses his hand up, index finger pointed upwards as he gives his hand a little swirl in a circle. "I'll be there as soon as I can, Ilyna. But you and Halisi gotta get safe."
Vasquez ' eyes widen at the mention of Ilyna's mother, pretty quickly gathering what that must mean and shooting Jason a grave stare. She immediately moves to change channels on her omni-tool, wasting no time in starting to send out a general message over Redrock comms. "All Redrock personnel, this is Chief Vasquez! We have an emergency situation! I want status updates on everyone receiving this ASAP!" It's likely the
message won't reach everyone on the storm, and it's bound not to wake all, but it should do. She waits for reports before doing anything else, staring impatiently at the floor with a hand on her headset.
Oxaris 's voice chimes in after only a few brief moments, the Turian sounding alert and ready despite the early hours of the morning. "Oxaris here, message received. ETA, ten minutes."
Nathan takes a much more generous amount of time to respond, voice garbled by the storm and the sleep weighing heavily in his persona. "Say again-..." There's a pause for a yawn before he continues. "Say again, Chief? I only got part of that transmission...".
Vasquez did, of course, not request anyone's presence. "Negative. Stand by, Ortoratus." she replies to Oxaris. Nathan's response gets a shouted "Status report, Tennhausen! We have an emergency!"
"We're safe," is the only immediate response that is audible on the comms channel with Jason. A few seconds later, she shouts: "You've done enough. Leave us alone!"
Nathan seems to snap to after that transmission comes through. It's also possible he may have held his omni-tool closer to his ear that time to try and hear the message better. That's judging by the sound of what seems like the omni-tool hitting the floor. "Uh, report? Awake, Chief. I'm awake, ready to act. What's the sit-rep?"
Ehanis responds to the call. "Y-... up," she says, the storm wreaking havok on the signal despite there being just a few kilometers of mostly flat farmland between them. "...going on?"
Leah's voice is soon to follow. "Leah here, Chief. Just t-.... where you need me." she says, a slight bit of static cutting into the transmission.
Jason nods a few times to himself. "Keep it that way!" he responds to Ilyna. He casts a glance back Vasquez' way and, assuming she has things under control, stomps out into the hall in just a pair of boxer-briefs, hurrying towards his office. The follow-up shouting that's addressed at someone else gives him cause for concern, but she said they were safe. For now that'll have to do. "Linda is already organizing a team, Ilyna. Just
Jessica's voice comes through again. "Shhhhh! Is work! Not all of us can just sleep all of the times!"
Renala answers shortly after. "I'm awake," she says. "I'm leaving this rock in six hours, do you really need me?" While her words were transmitted completely, the lower bitrate of the audio signal makes her voice difficult to recognize.
Ehanis seems to have cought that. "What's h-..., what's happening? What's-..., .... happening?" she says. Maybe if she repeats herself, enough will come through to make a full sentence.
Jessica's voice picks up once again. "Is nothing. I am here." A moment passes before she elaborates, using Vasquez' words. "Uhh... Standing by."
The gravely voice of Jattic finally chimes in. "Kur'don here." A bit of static seeps into the transmission, "....and standing by."
Jasper follows soon after Jattic. "Jus' firin' up the shuttle now, Chief." he says, his voice making it clear that he was quite asleep, "Whatcha got fer' me? Everyone alright?" he asks, concern showing through even over comms.
Vasquez speaks up again. "Tioran. We have an emergency. Stand by for instructions. Repeat, we have an emergency. Stand by for instructions. T'Iavay, you're our only tech specialist right now. We need you. Sullivan, get that shuttle here ASAP. We'll do pickups on the way."
Jasper's voice returns to the comms channel right away, "Be there in two shakes of a diddle stick, Chief."
Vasquez nods a few times to herself, briefly turning her comms off to call out to Jason: "Tell her we need more details, now!"
Renala can be heard sighing into the comms as she starts talking. "How long will this take?" she asks. "I'm going home in six hours, no matter what."
Jason's attention is briefly pulled back to the door to their apartment as Vasquez' voice sounds out. He gives a small nod to himself as he starts down the stairs. "Ilyna..." he says, omni-tool still clutched in his right hand, "...I need you to tell me what's going on. Whatever you can. Just-... walk me through it, alright?" he says as he navigates through the building, doing his best to keep his own voice calm to keep from
Vasquez speaks again, sounding rather frustrated: "T'Iavay, we have a goddamn emergency, understood? You're on duty now. Your trip will have to wait." she says before moving to put on her boots, and then holster her Shuriken on her right thigh before stomping out into the corridor, heading for her office.
Leah's voice once again chimes in over the emergency comms. "You need us geared up, Chief?" manages to get through without interference.
Vasquez speaks up once more: "Everyone gear up and stand by for shuttle pickup. You'll be briefed when we have more information."
Jason reaches his office and moves right to his locker. "Ilyna?" he chirps. "I know you're probably pretty shaken up right now, but I need to know what we're getting in to. We're going to find Li." he assures, "But-... But I gotta know what's going on."
Vasquez enters her own office not long after Jason enters his, starting to exchange her clothing for armor.
Jason sighs as his question remains unanswered. He sets his omni-tool on his desk to free his hands as he begins gearing up.
Vasquez has slipped into her undersuit, and is now attaching the plating of her Ariake Tech armor, moving with haste.
Jason nods to himself as he hears Halisi's voice. He begins attaching the plating to his undersuit. "A ship. Right." he says, "So... So where are they?" he continues, "The people who took Li? I mean-... Pursue where? Who? Is there-..." he sighs, shaking his head at the fragmented information, "...Do you have any details, Halisi? Anything that might help us?"
Vasquez finishes with her armor, grabbing the Confetti Maker by it's carry handle and exiting her office, heading for the armory.
Jason gives a loud: "Fuck!" at the mention of a ship. He lowers his head, calming himself with a few nods. "Alright. Sit tight, Halisi. We're on our way." he says, "I'll leave the line open." He scoops up his omni-tool and slots it into his armor, giving him a little more control over what he broadcasts rather than simply having an open mic. After holstering his weapons, he tucks his helmet under his arm and steps out into the
hallway just in time to join Vasquez. He's quick to clasp a hand on her shoulder to stop her in the hallway. "Linda-..." he starts, looking over her armor with a shake of his head. "What do you-... No." he says simply, a hint of frustration creeping into his voice. "Did you hear that? They have a ship. That means they could be going anywhere. There's no telling how long this might take. I need you here."
Vasquez lets out a snort as she is stopped, her expression a mixture of frustration and confusion as she turns around. "Yeah, they could be going anywhere. I need to be there." She furrows her eyebrows as she looks at him. "It's Li, Jason. I have to help."
Jason shakes his head a number of times. "No." he repeats. "Linda-... No." He sighs, a pained expression crossing his face. "Yeah. It's Li. And we will get her back, but-..." he lowers his voice slightly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "...What about what we talked about? Huh? We have to be better, Linda. I know you don't want to hear this but-... For fuck's sake! You're pregnant! This isn't just about
Vasquez ' brewing anger is immediately undercut by the mention of the pregnancy. She bites her lips, looking away for a moment with a frustrated growl. "We have to help! Somebody needs to lead the team!" she exclaims as she looks back to him. "You heard what they said... her mother. I-... you know what that means." she says, giving him a serious look. "Can't just sit this out." she adds, but it's obvious that Jason's
Jason's hand on Vasquez' shoulder tightens, giving a firm squeeze. "We're going to help. But I can't be worrying about Li and you." he says with a shake of his head. "If my head is gonna be in the game, then I need to know you're safe. Please, Linda... Just-... Just trust me. I can handle this."
Vasquez raises an eyebrow, staring at him. "You think I'm gonna let you go? Alone? Fuck that, Jason! No fucking way!" she exclaims with a shake of her head, jabbing a gauntleted finger at his chest as she glares at him. "This is your kid too, jackass! You think you can just-... fuck off!"
Jason is nudged back slightly by the finger jabbed into his chestplate. "Alone? I'm not going alone, Linda. We've got good people. Skilled people." His hand moves from Vasquez' shoulder to the hand jabbing at his chest, wrapping his around hers as his voice softens somewhat, doing his best to keep her emotional outburst from getting to him. "Linda. Please." he pleads, the slightest hint of impatience slipping into his tone.
"My kid, too." he agrees, locking eyes with a small nod, "You're damn right it is. Which is why it's gonna take a hell of a lot more than a few monstrosities to keep me from coming back to you." he says confidently. "I need you to trust me on this, Linda."
Vasquez scoffs, her glare remaining firmly in place as she yanks her hand free. "Like you trust me?! Right. Fuck off with that shit, Jason." she snarls, tossing the Confetti Maker to the floor and going to move past Jason toward the armory door. "Do whatever the fuck you want, I'm gonna load up the shuttle."
Jason furrows his brow, turning to follow Vasquez with his gaze. "The fuck is that supposed to mean? Of course I trust you. Trust doesn't have shit to do with this. I mean-... Fuck!" he lets out a long, drawn-out groan as he begins to lose his patience. "We talked about this shit! We. Have. To. Be. Better! You're pregnant! I mean-..." he stammers, shaking his head, "You think I'm looking forward to this? You think I
want to be out there without you? Fuck no! But this isn't just about us anymore, Linda!" he repeats.
Vasquez keeps heading for the armory. "Clearly it isn't." she responds. It's obvious from her tone that she took the last comment rather differently than intended. "No one is forcing you to go, Jason." She disappears into the armory, starting to load up one crate with thermal clips and another with grenades.
Jason sucks a deep breath in through his nose, his frustration rising a notch as he follows behind Vasquez. "What does that even mean?!" he shouts in confusion. "What do you want me to do? Huh? Stay here? Is that what you want? What about Li? What about Ilyna? They're family, Linda. I don't know what has gotten into you, but this is-..." he shakes his head, gaze lowering as he struggles to even form a coherent sentence through
his frustration. "...not cool." he decides on when nothing better- or less antagonizing- comes to mind.
Vasquez turns to Jason as he enters, an unamused chuckle sounding at his words. "That's what you're telling me to do, no?!" she exclaims with a glare, gesturing out with her hands and giving an exaggerated shrug. "You think I like the idea of you out there? Guess what?! I fucking don't. You think you can just tell me to stay behind and expect me to be cool with that? You think I don't fucking care about them?" She
Jason's shoulders fall a bit. "Linda...." he says, giving an exasperated sigh. "That's not what I'm saying and you know it. Come on. Don't do this." He steps over towards the crate and balances his helmet at the edge, placing a hand across the opening to block her progress in hope that she'll give him her attention. "I know you care. But you. Are. Pregnant." he says slowly, pronouncing each word clearly. "When the shit hits the
fan, there's nobody I'd rather have by my side. But if you go out there and put yourself in danger you're putting more than just your life on the line. You don't have to like it, but that's the way it is now."
Vasquez stops her packing when Jason interrupts, and she looks over at him. Each word causes her frown to deepen, and at the end she grits her teeth, looking down at the crate again, her hands gripping the edges. She remains silent for several seconds before she says, quietly: "Just fucking go..." She resumes the packing, prepping a fourth and final crate with heavy weaponry. Her frown remains firmly in place, and there's
a great deal of tension in her movements, but she offers no further protest. She grabs one of the crates and starts carrying it out into the hangar.
Jason remains in place, Vasquez' words causing his gaze to lower. He gives a couple nods to himself when it grows clear that he's not going to be able to hammer any common sense into her stubborn head. "You got it, boss." he says in annoyance before snapping his helmet up and stomping over to the thermal clips to begin loading his weapons. "Alright, people." he announces over the emergency channel to the others as he slams a clip
into his Phalanx, "Sounds like we're gonna be in pursuit of a ship. That means there's no telling how long we might be gone. Prep accordingly. Hours. Days. Just be ready when the shuttle arrives." His gaze moves back to the armory door as he hears Vasquez shuffling things into the hangar.
Jason moves on to his Revenant. Once both weapons are loaded, he silently assists Vasquez in moving cargo to the hangar in preparation of Jasper's arrival, pointedly avoiding her gaze as he stomps through the hall.
Vasquez remains silent as they move the cargo into the hangar, crossing her arms and waiting in silence for the shuttle, which should be arriving any moment.
Jason seems to have no intention of being the first to break the silence. He folds his arms across his chest, eyes locked on the hangar door, his nerves completely wrecked over the situation at hand. Vasquez' piling her shit on top of it only served to further his anxiety.
It's not long before the hangar door begins to slide open and, soon enough, the Kodiak is touching down. The shuttle doors slide open.
Vasquez chews anxiously on her lips as she waits for the shuttle, frustration still written all over her face, masking the sheer dread churning underneath. As soon as the shuttle touches down she goes to load up the crates. Quick work since they're positioned to be loaded.
Jasper remains onboard, tugging the crates in as Jason and Vasquez set them inside of the door. He looks between them, the uncomfortable silence not going unnoticed. "....So-... uhh..... What's the plan, Chief?"
Jason reaches up for one of the shuttle's handholds and pulls himself inside. "Yeah, Chief." he says as he takes a position beside Jasper. There's a mixture of frustration and hurt in his eyes as they lock on Vasquez. Frustration over the whole ordeal. Over the argument. Over Li. Over Ilyna. And hurt that Vasquez would even pull this shit in a time like this.
Vasquez bites her lips, nodding a few times as she answers Jasper, her attention entirely on her husband instead. "Jason will be leading the mission. Pick everyone up, head for the spaceport. I-... I'll be on comms. Report the situation." she says, struggling to keep emotion out of her voice. Or her face for that matter. Her bitter frown is starting to give way to hints of the underlying worry, but she does her best to
Jasper gives a few nods as he listens. "You got it, Chief." he says before turning back to give a couple of the crates a quick nudge into place with his foot and then disappearing back into the cockpit.
Jason remains at the door gripping the handhold as he looks down at Vasquez, a bit of the frustration slipping away as her worry begins to show through. A sudden pang of fear shoots through him as he hears Jasper prepping systems. A worry that things may be left this way. "I-...." he stammers, worried that anything he says might just make her more angry. "...I'm going to bring Li home." he decides instead, eyes locked on his wife.
Vasquez draws in a deep breath as she feels her composure slipping. She breaks her gaze away from Jason's after he speaks, and offers only a stiff nod in response, a fresh mask of anger settling into place. She can't even tell where it's directed. At herself? At him? At the situation? It's starting to seem like she isn't going to say anything else, deliberately avoiding his gaze now.
Jason nods a couple of times to himself when it becomes clear that she's content with leaving things this way. The shuttle roars to life and his gaze moves towards the front of the shuttle, his own worry deepening as a sharp panic sets in. Di Yu changed things. Every bone in his body urges him to suck up his pride and not leave things this way. What if something happens? What if this is it? His gaze travels back to his wife.
"...I love you, Linda." he says softly as he releases his grip on the handhold and backs up towards one of the seats. "I'll see you soon."
Vasquez ' defenses crumble as Jason speaks, the fear obvious in her eyes as her attention snaps back to him, seeking his gaze as she shuttle roars to life. She sucks in her lips as worry and uncertainty takes over, mixing with the frustration that still remains. It seems even now she has no words for him, but whether by choice is unclear.
Jason sucks in a deep breath, at least a small weight having lifted from his shoulders at voicing it aloud. He glances behind him to drop into a seat before looking back to Vasquez, eyes locked on her as the doors begin sliding shut. But before they close, he forces a small, lopsided smirk that doesn't quite reach his eyes in hope of providing any comfort to her that he can.
Vasquez meets Jason's gaze for as long as she can. After the doors shut she lowers her head, eyes closing as tears almost immediately start to escape once Jason is out of view, and the shuttle departs. She draws in an uneven breath, shaking her head several times and aiming a hard kick at a toolbox near the wall, her armored boot sending it flying, spilling its contents across the floor with a series of loud clanks. She
bites down hard on her lips, eyes opening but tears still flowing as she runs a gauntleted hand across her head, staring up at the ceiling of the now-empty hangar.
The shuttle glides upwards slightly before angling around in the hangar. It's not long before Vasquez has nothing but the silence of the empty building for company.