#MSVJackOfDiamonds – December 3, 2017

Jason has mostly spent the time checking his gear. Then rechecking it. Then checking it a third time. There's always some pre-mission jitters. But this time is different. He's visibly worried. Pacing. Going back to his gear. Sitting for a minute before switching gears and returning to pacing. He helped Ilyna into the cot, his concern for her brought on perhaps more by the situation than the physical damage she sustained.

Leah has given her own gear a once over, but since then she's been a warrior monk. Silent atop a crate with intensity in her green eyes, her gaze fixed on a smudge on the ground across from her.

Jattic has assisted with the cots and finished his gear check. But other than that, he's been silent and keeping his distance from Jessica.

Jessica is still seated on the floor in her little corner of the cargo unit. Only now she has a few hand grenades in front of her, gutted and disassembled. She almost seems completely oblivious that she has enough of a payload practically on her lap to wipe out the entire room. She's going through a process, grenade by grenade, of stripping the wires with her teeth. Once finished, she begins rewiring them with little indication

Ilyna has barely been awake during the last hour, using her dwindling energy to force herself to not fall asleep. So her protest to Jason carrying her to bed was met with protest too weak to convince anyone that she needs to be doing anything other than sleeping right now. She has only slept 5 hours total out of the last 50, after all.

Ehanis has been looking over her gear for the first twenty minutes of this, then paced around for a bit looking over every part of the cargo hold. Her current distraction is pushing a few crates around in one of the corners for Ilyna after getting the slightest of affirmation at the suggestion five minutes ago. She did instruct to have one of the cots places there.

Nathan has sat by himself, his gear strewn around him in his own organised chaos. Funnily enough, he seems to share a similar idea to Jessica, sorting through his arsenal and tweaking parts here and there. Unlike her, however, he's using a small kit of tools to strip down gear and alter parts. His face is set in a hard shell of stoicism, his stormy eyes focused on the task at hand.

Halisi has remained near Ilyna. Initially she assisted Ehanis, but she soon found herself sitting on the floor with a back against a crate, staring ahead with an exhausted look on her face. She may have slept better than Ilyna, but not by much, and after the briefing the reality of what they're doing has started to set in.

Oxaris slowly steps across the room, her eyes drifting around her companions with a difficult to read expression. The Turian has given her gear enough checks for now and is simply people-watching, although her focus turns to the crew whenever they decide to show themselves.

Senya heads over toward Ilyna after placing the cot she was carrying. She stops beside the cot, seeking the fellow asari's attention but seeming in no rush.

Zaylus , once settled on the ground with his back to a crate, has scant moved other than the absent turning of his head. One hand rests on the ground close to him while the other taps his talons rythmically against his leg with a gentle, consistent rapping. Eventually his gaze rests on Nathan and his task, inadvertently staring at the human.

Elena heads towards Jason after delivering her cot, clearing her throat to announce her presence. She's changed out of her armor, wearing desert brown military pants and an olive green tanktop now. Her tattoos, and her cybernetic hand, are visible. As is the uncomfortable look on her face.

Jessica furrows her brow, glancing Nathan's way for a brief moment, almost a sense of embarassment settling in at her lack of knowledge. "How many booms we are needing? Mmm?" she asks, looking back to the mess of wires and tossed-aside housing. Booms probably isn't the official measurement for a payload, but she seems satisfied enough with her description. "Is going to need to be big to get through a ship walls, yes?" she

Jason glances Elena's way, his gaze briefly moving back to his gear before shooting right back to her. His brows furrow as he studies her. The familiar hand. The tattoos. "You." he says, surprise giving way to clear anger.

Ilyna looks up at the asari doctor, her expression vaguely curious, but mostly distant. She doesn't plan on falling asleep yet. She can't. Not while Li is in danger.

Senya looks Ilyna over and asks "How are you feeling?" There's something else to her tone than before, not as professional anymore.

Halisi glances up at Senya but remains seated, her gaze soon falling again, but she continues to listen in on the conversation.

Elena purses her lips, giving a small nod. "Yeah... realized I'd seen some of you before..." she says quietly, her gaze briefly going off to the side before returning to Jason.

Nathan catches Zaylus' gaze, perking an eyebrow as he stares at him. He clears his throat and gives him a firm nod of acknowledgement, before turning his gaze towards Jessica. He eyes her improvised way of adjusting her payload causes the demolition training inside him to scream. But he remains composed and carefully picks up one of the grenades of his. "If we need to destroy that ship, we'll need a

Oxaris walks over to Zaylus and she sits herself down besides him, looking up at him with a faintest sign of concern in her eyes. "Zaylus. Are you alright?"

Ehanis steps back after pushing the last crate into place, and nods to herself as she examines the work. The satisfaction of a completed task gives way to restlessness almost immediately, and she makes her way towards the stairs leading up to the door at the back of the room. She better know the layout of the ship if something terrible happens when they finally find the other ship.

Ilyna closes her eyes for a few seconds before forcing them open again. "I...I..., fine," she murmurs. She doesn't feel any pain from her foot anymore, and she's no longer shivering.

Zaylus finally realizes his gaze has anchored on Nathan when he receives a firm gesture from him. Shaking off the metaphorical cobwebs, he turns away and brushes the free hand over his fringe, catching Oxaris' look as she joins him on the floor. "I think I just stared at him for a while there." He mutters quietly, matter-of-factly. "Other than that, I'm great. Aren't you great?" He

Jason's glare hardens and he folds his arms across his chest. "You were there casing us." he says. It's not a question. Just an acknowledgement of the- perhaps incorrect- fact. "You stood there and talked with us? Hung out with us? You-... you had a drink with my friend." he continues, only making himself angrier with each word, "...All of that just so you could kidnap a little girl...?"

Jessica's gaze moves to the floor as she listens to Nathan speak. Her knowledge regarding how ships work has a few gaps. Actually, it's pretty much just one big gap. But she seems to accept that Nathan probably knows what he's talking about. "Mmm." she hums an affirmative. "The reactor." she continues, as if just recalling that, "Of course. I just forget." she decides before burying her face back into her work. Her work, of

Senya continues to study her in silence for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh. "The captain told us what happened. I'm... sorry about your daughter. I need to apologize for my part. The drug cocktail."

Nathan hums an affirmative and looks to Jessica's 'work', halting in his own tweaking for the moment. "What're you doing?" He asks. He already has an inkling of what exactly she is doing, but for the sake of his own sanity, he'd rather hear it from her own mouth.

Oxaris looks to Nathan and then back to Zaylus, humming. "You were." His sarcasm doesn't seem to phase her much and she instead shifts on the ground to make herself as comfortable as she can. "I'm fine. This isn't my first hostage rescue mission." She lulls her head to the side, her mandibles twitching. "What's bothering you?"

Elena blinks, a surprised look crossing her face. "Wha-... no way, man. Fuck no! I-... I had no idea! I didn't even know about the job then. I wouldn't have agreed if I knew-... no!" she exclaims, shaking her head with conviction.

Ilyna raises an eyebrow, a quiet "What?" being her only response to the asari's apology. She straits to keep her eyes open as she looks at her.

Jessica furrows her brow, as if it should be obvious. "I am-... What do you mean what am I doing...?" she interrupts herself, lifting the innards of a grenade. It drags with it the innards of a second grenade that she's wired to it, which hangs loosely off the first. "I am increasing the strength of the grenade for when we are going to blow up the reactor." she explains. "Is like-...." she glances off to her side slightly as

Jason continues to glare at Elena, entirely unconvinced. "You just happened to be in a bar with me and the woman whose daughter you kidnapped days before kidnapping her? You expect me to believe that? Really? Come the fuck on."

Ehanis reaches the top of the stairs and tries to open the door to the back of the ship.

Zaylus stops tapping briefly to glance in Ilyna's direction, and then back to the turian beside him. "Nothing. Job is what it is. A little strange, but..." He trails, giving a light roll of his shoulders. As if anticipating persistence he continues. "Everybody handles the anticipation different. I mean, just look at that one." He nods his head in Leah's direction, letting that itself

Nathan cocks his eyebrow and rests his elbows on his knees, looking at the combination of grenades with an uncomfortable glint in his eyes. "I mean... that's fair." He shrugs a shoulder. "Timed charges are a good idea. But you don't need to increase the explosive yield for the reactor. Merely set standard charges at key points around it. Like near combustion modules, for example." He then smirks faintly

Senya keeps her gaze on Ilyna, speaking calmly. "I imagine you're still feeling some after-effects. The biotic suppressant should wear off soon. I-..." she shakes her head, looking away briefly. "James asked me to prepare something to neutralize a powerful biotic. So I did. Had I known-... well..." she trails off for a moment. "...I am ready to assist any way I can in rescuing your daughter. I can promise you that."

Leah is rhythmically tapping the stock of her weapon against the ground, still holding it by the barrel while perched atop the crate. Just staring. Staring and thinking.

Jessica's expression slowly begins to shift as she feels her work critisized. Mostly a result of her embarassment at having absolutely no idea what it actually takes to bring down a ship and not wanting to let on to that. But when Nathan adds his final sentence, the anger seems to dissipate and she glances down at her work with a nod. "Mmm." she agrees. "Is better to go big just to be safe, yes? More explosions never hurt

Oxaris follows his nod to Leah, eyes lingering for a moment before she leans back. "Mmm," she hums, glancing back to him. She knows when someone isn't willing to speak further about an issue, after all. Instead, she moves her gaze to his pistol and motions to it. "May I?"

Nathan 's brow knits and he tilts his head up to look at the ceiling, the contradiction of Jessica's latter statement going ignored. "Actually, it's probably a good idea we have a back-up charge like yours. There is always the possibility we can't get to the reactor. So setting the charge in another location might be enough to inflict crippling damage." He starts to list off potential locations, more to

Zaylus blinks, hesitating for a few seconds as his mandibles flare uneasily. Then he gives her a 'why not' kind of look and plucks his Carnifex with a deft hand, offering the handle to her. He watches her curiously, not certain what she wants with his only weapon, only slight twitches of his mandibles persisting.

Elena shakes her head again. "I'm telling you, man. I had no fucking idea. I'm not a fucking kidnapper! I'm a marine!" she says, jabbing a thumb at her chest. "I thought it was a rescue! By the time I realized things weren't right, it was too late to sort it out..." She turns in place, running a hand over her short hair as she lets out a long, frustrated sigh. "Mira,I know we fucked up. Whole situation's fucked.

Oxaris takes the pistol with a thankful nod and examines the weapon with a critical eye, looking for any modifications, customisation and so on. She handles it well, as is expected from a trained professional. She looks down the sights, before weighing it up in her hand. "It's a fine weapon. A little heavy for my tastes." She smiles up at him.

Ilyna glares at her for a moment, but she can't keep that up for long in her state. "How... long until... I'm ready to fight?" she asks, her tired mumbling barely understandable. "I... I need... an amp, too."

Jessica nods along as Nathan lists the bridge. Though when he does an about face on the idea, her head nodding turns to head shaking, as if she knew that the bridge was a bad idea. When he settles on his last thought, she gives another single, stern nod. "Yes. This is what I was thinking, too." she lies. "Mmm. Maybe you are not as stupid as you look." she adds. It's probably meant in jest. Probably.

Jason listens, though seems no more convinced by the woman's words throughout most of her explanation. When she gets into TMI territory, he rolls his eyes, uncrossing his arms to wave her off as if he's heard enough. "I trust you about as far as I can throw you." he says. His brows suddenly furrow and he looks her over as if sizing her up. With a roll of his shoulders, he corrects himself, "...Less than I can throw you. You

Nathan chuckles and shrugs a shoulder, turning back to his own work. "Glad we're on the same page then." He pauses for a moment and then reaches into his tool-kit, pulling out a wire-stripper and sliding it across to her. "This'll make it easier for you." He then picks up his rifle and starts to dismantle it, reaching into his kit to pull out a screwdriver.

Elena suppresses the anger that surfaces at Jason's refusal to listen, knowing full well he has reason to be distrustful. She bites her lips and giving several small nods, but when he turns to leave she reaches out for his arm. "Ey. Captain said to tell you she wants to talk. Bridge is up the ladder, Deck 1." she says with a nod towards the door she came from.

Senya nods slightly, seeming to have caught what Ilyna was saying, more or less, perhaps helped by not needing a translator. "You will have more than enough time to get some rest and get ready before we arrive. I have a spare amplifier. Might not be tuned right for you, but it should be better than nothing." She seems more or less unaffected by the glare, taking it in stride.

Zaylus returns the amicable expression when it seems his weapon passes Oxaris' smell test. She would find no evidence of modifications or customisation, only that the body of the gun bares evidence of some rough wear, as if it has been knocked around a lot in the past. Despite this it has been kept impeccably clean and in good working order with fine care and attention. "It definitely

Jessica stops the sliding tool with her armored boot. She studies it for a brief second before- almost reluctantly- giving an appreciative bow of her head. She reaches down for it before returning to her work in silence.

Jason's gaze darts back to the hand on his arm and he follows it up to the woman it belongs to. It's not until she mentions the captain that his look softens. With a sigh, he gives the briefest of nods and starts off in the direction indicated. But certainly not before collecting his Phalanx and holstering it on his leg.

Oxaris runs her talons along a few scratches and dings, nodding slowly as he talks. With his tone of voice bordering on sentimental, she lets a soft chuckle slip. "It means something to you," she observes, flipping the gun to catch it by the barrel. She holds the grip out to him, returning it with a smile.

Ehanis sighs and is about to turn around when the door does eventually open. "Hey, kid," she says, with much less enthusiasm. "Just looking around to learn what's where on this ship." She has heard the stories, and something going wrong on their ride back seems to be a recurring thing... but she doesn't need to scare her. "Probably won't need it, but... who knows," she adds with a shrug.

Wrench nods. "Oh, sure, yeah. I can show you around if you wanna?" she says, flashing a smile and pointing a thumb over her shoulder at the ladder.

Jattic waits until Jason is out of earshot before addressing Elena, seemingly having overheard the conversation from his position a few feet away. "Nobody passes through this life without mistakes and regret." he says in a deep, guttural voice. "It is about what comes after. The actions you choose in order to repent for these mistakes that truly matters."

Ilyna lets out a faint affirming hum, not offering any more of an answer than that. Her eyes closes until she yet again forces them open, still looking at the asari by her bedside. She can't sleep yet.

Elena seems a little startled as Jattic speaks, spinning around to face him. A frown spreads across her face as she listens, nodding slightly. "Right... yeah." she says quietly, obviously a little caught off-guard by the unsolicited words of batarian wisdom. None the less her expression turns thoughtful, her frown lingering as she glances out across the cargo module. "Just hope it's not too late to fix this..." she

Senya sighs quietly. "You need rest. I could give you something to help with sleep." she offers, knowing full well the offer is unlikely to be accepted.

Jattic gives a glance towards Jason's back as he exits the room. "We will know soon enough."

Zaylus nods a bit sheepishly when he realizes she's right. Taking the pistol back in his hand, he too runs a talon over the various marks before securing it back to his waist. "I guess if you carry something around long enough you start to get attached to it." He muses somewhat dismissively as one hand goes up to rest along his fringe. "You know what I mean?"

Jason gives a glance around the bridge as he steps inside. "You wanted to talk?" he calls out, his tone much softer than it was with Elena. His anger is, perhaps, dulled and misdirected away from Lucy due to the sense of dread he feels over what's sure to transpire regarding the woman's husband. "How's it looking? Figure out where we're going?"

Ilyna gives a weak, dismissive hum. "No," she whispers. "Need to be... awake." She's too tired and exhausted to realize that nothing is likely going to happen for at least until they're at the relay system.

Nathan nods at Jessica before falling back into the quiet focus that is his work. However, after a moment or two, he glances up at Leah. He looks to her for a moment, his brow knitted in concern at her whole new persona. If he was being honest, it disturbed him. And he found himself once more unsure whether to go over and speak with her.

Oxaris nods and she plucks up her helmet from her belt, turning the visor around to face her. She brushes at a speck of invisible dirt on the skull-painted helmet, huffing softly. "I know what you mean. Although my attachment is less to my weapons and more to my armour."

Senya nods, not pushing the issue. "I will be back to check on you." she says, glancing over at Halisi. "Both of you." She turns to leave, heading out the door she came unless stopped.

Ehanis nods, not declining another distraction from the upcoming horrors. "Yeah, that works too," she says. "You've probably got the ship on lockdown anyway." She smirks before adding, "That's what I would do if I had a ship full of angry mercs."

Leah's distant expression certainly isn't inviting. The small clank that sounds out each time her stock makes contact with the ground keeps a certain rhythm, but it barely even seems to be on purpose. Just something to keep her hands busy as her mind wanders elsewhere. Her helmet sits at her feet up against the crate she's using as a makeshift seat.

Lucy turns her head, leaning out of her seat to look back at Jason. She gives a nod, waving him over. "We did. Elena's hunch came through. They've been leakin' fuel all over. Managed to plot out their heading. They're not headin' for the relay system. Don't think they can make it far, with the state of the ship. My navigator here, he's almost sure they're headed for this system..." she says, pointing at a glowing

Pivin speaks without looking away from the map and his controls. "Pivin Mazeek. Greetings."

Zaylus drops the hand from his fringe, returning to tapping a talon against his leg. He looks over at Oxaris' helmet with interest, nodding slightly to himself. "I noticed that earlier. Pretty cool design, I can see why you like it." He agrees, tilting his head a touch. "So, it's like... intimidating, right?" He asks with a smirk, seeming less than serious in his question.

Oxaris breathes a somewhat embarrassed laugh. "Uh, sort of. At least it was meant to be when I was younger. It took a while before I realised it was just a silly decoration, but I couldn't bring myself to remove it either."

Ilyna doesn't give her any response, instead turning her head slightly to look in Halisi's direction. She's focusing too much on staying awake to have anything to say, however.

Wrench furrows her eyebrows slightly, leaning over balancing on one leg as she looks past Ehanis. "Angry...? Because of what happened?"

Halisi reaches up, grasping Ilyna's hand gently. "She's right, you know... you need rest." she says with a sigh, the fact that she looks almost as exhausted as Ilyna lost on her.

Elena gives another shallow nod and steps away from Jattic, a troubled look on her face. Her gaze wanders as she identifies and makes note of any other familiar faces among the crowd of mercenaries.

Zaylus laughs with her, willing to let her off the hook easily after that reaction. "No, it's great. I'd be pretty scared to see that comin' right at me." He insists, gesturing at the helmet with a finger. "I bet survivors tell everyone they know about the fearsome turian they met." Okay, maybe not entirely off the hook, but its clear his gentle teasing is all in good fun.

Oxaris sinks a little into the ground, lifting the helmet to try and cover a face somewhat to hide the embarrassment growing in her cheeks. "Stop it," she whines with a chuckle. "You're such an ass, Zaylus."

Jason approaches Lucy's seat, pressing a hand against the back of it as he looks over to the salarian when he introduces himself. "Jason Wolfe." he respond quickly, doing away with any of the normal pleasantries he would usually afford a person. A person who didn't have a hand in kidnapping his friend's daughter. As his attention moves to the hologram, he furrows his brow. "So how long until we're on their ass?" he asks, time

Ehanis snorts. "Why do you think?" she asks. "Everyone in the company knew the kid, and... she was a good kid." She sighs and heads for the ladder. "Let's get that tour started."

Lucy lets out a heavy sigh. "'fraid it'll be a while. Pivin reckons we'll arrive in about two days' time..." she says, seeming to sink into her seat as her gaze turns out the viewport, at the distorted, shimmering view of space in FTL. Moving as fast as they can, but is it fast enough?

Wrench 's frown deepens. "Nobody's told me much..." she says with a sigh as she turns towards the ladder, gripping a rung. "That's where I live." she says, pointing at a thin mattress and a sleeping bag stuffed between the generator and the wall in a cramped, uncomfortable-looking space.

Ilyna takes her hand as well. "But... I can't," she whispers. "You'll... fall asleep too, like... last night."

Jason's frustration only seems to worsen at this news. "Wha-... Two days time?!" he repeats. He bites down as he turns in place, looking for a moment like he's going to kick at one of the empty seats, but he restrains himself and turns back to the pair, his gaze moving between them. "Come on, there has to be something we can do to speed this up."

Halisi gives the faintest chuckle at the remark, her concern and exhaustion preventing anything but that tiny bit of levity from shining through. "I think we can trust the others to wake us..." she remarks with a soft smile, which doesn't seem to reach her eyes, eyebrows furrowed in sympathy and worry as she squeezes Ilyna's hand slightly, leaning against one of the metal bars that supports the cot as she readjusts her

Zaylus lets out a restrained snicker, leaning his head back against the crate, a comfortable position attained by his rather short fringe. "So I've been told." He murmurs, looking at her through the edge of his vision before absently taking his own helmet into his hands, dark grey with stock green accents. "Maybe I could put that on my helmet." He offers, poking a talon onto the

Lucy doesn't respond right away, another sigh escaping her. "Can't make the Jack go any faster... ya think I wouldn't if I could?" she says. There's no hostility in the question. Just a sense of helplessness.

Oxaris snorts and taps the side of his helmet after leaning over, giving him a bemused look. "The right message as in 'shoot here, giant ass present'? A truly daunting thought." She leans back, her mood slightly more elevated by the casual banter. But the sombre look of the others quickly grounds her again.

Ehanis stops by the ladder as she waits for her to start climbing, and looks around the room. She lets out an amused snort. "Out of everywhere in the ship, why here?" she asks. "It's hot, uncomfortable, dirty, loud.... Even Omega would be a step up."

Jason turns away and paces a few steps before bringing his hands to his hips as his gaze moves to the floor. He takes a few deep breaths, nodding his head to himself. "Just-... Just get us there." he finally says as his gaze rises to the ceiling, silently hoping that Li is alright.

Wrench starts her climb, commenting that "No. It's better than Omega..." in a quiet tone as she moves up, stopping halfway up the ladder on the next deck. "Core..." she says pointing at one door. "Waste processing..." she says while pointing at another, scrunching up her nose as she does. "Big guy lives there..." she says when she points at the last door. "He doesn't like to be bothered." she adds before continuing her

Ilyna frowns. "But...-," she starts her retort before the words are formed in her head. "No..., Jason might... think I'm-... I shouldn't go." Ilyna knows even in this state that it would be sensible option despite how wrong it would be, and that worries her.

Lucy nods a few times, still staring out the window. "Yeah... ya better believe I will." she says. A moment of silence passes before she slips out of her seat, putting away the whiskey bottle in her hand before speaking. "Your people gonna be alright aboard here 'til then? Wasn't exactly expectin' a bunch of passengers. I know the cots ain't exactly ideal. We've got a spare quarters... if someone wants it. Private,

Zaylus chuckles low at the rebuttal, finding that particular visual very amusing. Maybe after all this is over. He follows her gaze back out into the cargo unit and realizes only they seemed to have turned to humor for comfort. With another glance at the stoic Leah, he leans forward and folds up his legs as best he can to make a space in front of him. Clearing his throat, he returns

Ehanis starts climbing after her, following her gestures and nodding as she commits it to memory. "Have you been there?" she asks. "It sucks right now though, with plagues and that Archangel guy shaking things up, but it usually isn't so bad." She seems curious at the mention of big guy, but she saves that question for later.

Halisi furrows her eyebrows, giving a small shake of her head. "Jason wouldn't do that..."

Oxaris follows his gaze once more and sighs, muttering softly to him, "It must've been hell for them last time. I'm not sure if it was battle fatigue or trauma, but they genuinely seem like they encountered something... explainable. Monsters."

Jason doesn't bother looking back at Lucy. He merely nods from where he is as he sucks in a deep breath. "Ilyna and Halisi can have it. After what they've been through they-.... they could use the rest." he says. His statement starts off pointed, but it loses some of the barbs part way through and ends in a low sigh. Her kindness only causes what he knows about what James is going through to weigh heavier on him. At odds with

Wrench climbs up to the next deck and steps off the ladder. "I was born there." she says without looking at Ehanis. They're in a bigger room now, but it still has the same kind of atmosphere. Pipes and wires run along the walls, and a control console sits atop the stairs which she starts walking up. "Engineering." she explains. "Don't touch anything, or I'm gonna be in trouble..."

Nathan carried on with his tinkering for a while longer, using that as a distraction, a primary focus. It took him a moment to realise that he had set his tools down and started to walk over to Leah. He stops besides her and lowers himself a crouch, keeping a respectful distance from her as he looks to her with clear concern and worry on his face. "Hey..."

Leah doesn't even seem to notice Nathan's presence at first, entirely in her own world. Clank Clank Clank An entirely different person before him for a few moments before she seems to snap out of it, her big green eyes darting over to him as she sucks in her lips. "Hmmm?" she hums, as if assuming she missed something.

Lucy nods a few times, an uncomfortable look lingering on her face. Worry over her husband mixing with regret at the reminder of what happened with Ilyna and Halisi. "Yeah... I, uh... most of my crew's gonna be gettin' some rest in the next few hours. We were runnin' on local time when we took off so... yeah. Guessin' most of yours are gonna want the same. Galley is open for y'all if you want somethin' to eat,

Zaylus lets out a low breath, twirling a thin piece between his fingers as he hums thoughtfully. "I wasn't there... Haven't heard much either, other than what we all did." He seems to chew on his next thought for a moment, holding two pices up to his eye. "Just the way they all talk about it. I've never seen anyone talk about an experience like that." His gaze catches Nathan as he

Nathan 's eyes dart across her face, searching for something as his mouth opens... then closes. "I was... about to ask you if you were okay. But that would be a bit of a redundant question, wouldn't it?" He gives her a thin smile, but the tension in the air weighs down upon him. He can feel it with the others and above all he can feel it with her. It's a disconcerting feeling for him, at the very least.

Ehanis looks around the room, having no intention to touch any of the controls. "Born there, huh?" she says. "I have a friend that was, she turned out completely fucked in the head." Her tone sounds almost like affection rather than a judgement on her so-called friend. "Anyway, why not the hold?" she says as she turns back towards the young woman. "That must be a step up, right?"

Oxaris huffs softly, setting her helmet down with a gentle clunk. "Yeah... not much worries me but... this? This does." She steels herself for the moment before nodding sharply. "Regardless, we have a job to do. It may not be as simple as we expected, but we'll do it."

Jason gives a few shallow nods as he examines Lucy. "Appreciated." he says simply. A few moments of silence pass as he wrestles with his thoughts. "I-... I'm gonna get back to my team." he adds, gesturing towards the door with a thumb, "Should probably let them all know about the travel time so they can dress down." He doesn't move immediately, staying put to make sure she doesn't have anything else to add.

Leah's gaze drops to the floor momentarily before moving back to Nathan. "You weren't there, Nate." she says. Despite her words, her tone is almost apologetic. As if there's no way he could realize just how ridiculous of a question he asked.

Jessica's gaze moves to Leah and Nathan for a moment, but she doesn't linger. Soon enough she's buried back in her work again.

Ilyna doesn't sound so sure when she lets out a weak hum in response. "I... don't know," she whispers. There's a hint of a smile when her hand is squeezed, but doesn't even last half a second.

Wrench furrows her eyebrows. "Too big." she says without further elaboration, proceeding through the door. It leads to a corridor, with three floor hatches on each side. Pipes stretch along the walls and ceiling, and air is surprisingly warm due to the corridor's proximity to the ship's heatsinks, the engines used for all they're worth meaning a fair bit of heat buildup, and there's a spray of steam as they head through,

Nathan swallows and nods, lowering his gaze for the moment as he finds himself at a complete loss of words. No, he wasn't there. And he is somewhat glad he wasn't since it sounded like an experience no one should see in their lifetime. "I know..." he replies quietly. "...I know."

Lucy looks away briefly as Jason studies her, giving yet another nod before adding: "Ya can take my quarters since we're short on bunks. Don't think I much like the idea of leavin' the bridge anyway."

Elena finds herself approaching Jessica, studying her work for a moment before asking "You know what you're doing with those?", arms crossing as she leans against one of the larger crates.

Halisi falls silent, remaining by Ilyna's side, legs pulled up close to her body as she sits next to the cot.

Zaylus studies her intent, determined expression and finds himself emboldened to do the same. "We will. No doubt about that." He says firmly, appearing to turn back to his work while taking another quick glance at Leah, his mandibles flaring slowly as he meticulously works through the inspection process.

Leah nods a couple of times, no semblance of that cheerful happy-go-lucky woman that Nathan is used to remaining. One of her hands releases the vice grip it has around the barrel of her Mattock and she reaches out, placing it on Nathan's shoulder. "Be careful out there, Nate." she says as she locks eyes. It's not just a general 'good luck'. There's legitimate fear in her eyes. "Please.... be careful."

Jason sucks in another deep breath, her offer only seeming to bring his already grim mood down even more. "That won't be necessary. I'll stay with my team." he says before stomping off, eager to leave her presence.

Jessica looks over the mess of wires and cracked open housing units, briefly looking as though she lost track of the wire she was searching for when Elena interrupts. She cocks an eyebrow, looking up to the woman from her spot on the floor. "If I didn't? You would know." she says flatly.

Elena raises an eyebrow. "Yeah... that's what I'm worried about. Cargo module's pretty isolated, but that goes off? I'm guessing we're all toast."

Lucy sighs heavily as Jason departs, interpeting his mood as lingering resentment over her crew's role in what happened. She returns to her seat in silence, a swig of whiskey following before she gets back to work.

Jessica gives a big grin at Elena's observation, acknowleding it with a proud nod. "Bam." she says.

Ehanis definitely isn't ready for it, and she gasps and puts a hand on her side of her crest that got hit by the steam. "Fuck," she mutters. The brief exposure didn't cause a burn, however. She looks over the doors again, to make sure that she'll remember where not to go when the ship is crawling with monsters. "So, what do you do around here?" she asks.

Elena furrows her eyebrows. "Riiight... what's your training?"

Wrench opens the door to the galley, entering and speaking without looking back at Ehanis. "Fix shit. Mostly what the big guy can't reach." she says. "Galley!" she exclaims, gesturing with both arms as she spins around to face the asari. "The good stuff's in there." she says, pointing at the door to the food storage. "Might wanna ask before taking anything. Bathroom's downstairs, and the doc's... place."

Nathan can feel her hand upon his shoulder despite the armour separating skin from skin. It's just that foreboding weight that her action carries that he can feel. He looks back to her, eyes locking as the intensity of her stare burns through him. He clenches his jaw and reaches up for her hand to squeeze it, not moving his gaze. "You too. I promise... we're all getting back. I'm not leaving anyone

Jessica begins to tilt her head, prepping to tap a finger against the small System's Alliance tattoo beneath her ear- seemingly just an instinct to reach for that lie at this point- before realizing that jig is already up. Her gaze moves to Nathan once more and a slight frown crosses her features. She scrambles to make something up, discomfort settling in for a brief moment before giving way to frustration. "Fuck you." she

Oxaris gives a small, genuine smile at Zaylus, her mandibles twitching as she turns back to people watching. Her hand finds itself grasping her SMG and unfolding it, running her talons across it. She looks to Jessica and Elena, silent as she watches.

Elena doesn't seem particularly impressed, just shifting her weight slightly as she looks down at Jessica. Her response, however, is delayed for the moment as Leah and Nathan's conversation catches her attention, and she tilts her head to listen to what she can, a frown crossing her face.

Ilyna glances down at Halisi, but she also doesn't say anything. A yawn escape her after she forces her eyes open once again, not willing to give in to sleep just yet.

Ehanis nods, and looks around once more before moving to stand in the doorway. She perks up at the last bit of information, once again putting off the important question. "'Good stuff'?" she asks. "You mean booze, right?"

Leah shakes her head. Nathan's words don't seem to calm her. If anything, they only seem to further her worry. Worry that this sort of mentality will only serve to get him killed. He has no idea what he's getting into. "No, Nate..." she says, "...You don't get to make promises like that. Not today." She gives a small, apologetic tilt of her head before adding: "It isn't up to you." She brings her hand back, once again

Jessica mutters under her breath as she scoots in place a bit to reorient her position, pulling her attention from Elena and back to the mess of explosives in front of her.

Wrench snickers quietly, offering no verbal response as she heads through the next door. "Lifeboat." she says, pointing right. "Airlock." Up. "Bridge." Forward. Lucy and Pivin can be glimpsed within the bridge. She grabs a rung on the ladder, but doesn't move just yet.

Nathan 's brow furrows deeply and he finds his hand clutching at thin air. He exhales sharply and stands, shaking his head. "Hell it isn't," is all he mutters before he turns and walks off back to his gear. There is always a way, if you look hard enough and he'll be damned if he's leaving any of Redrock behind if it comes down to the wire. He looks to his wrist where the injection went in earlier and he

Leah watches as Nathan steps away, but she doesn't attempt to stop him. There's nothing she could say that would prepare him for what's to come. With a deep breath, her attention slowly lowers back to the floor as she presses her forehead against a gauntleted hand clutching at the barrel of her weapon. It's not long before the low clank begins again.

Jason finally steps back through the door to the cargo unit, looking none too pleased. He casts a brief glance around the room at the others, all armored and ready for a fight. From one to another his gaze moves until it stops on Ilyna. It's her, more than anyone else, that he dreads delivering this news to. Sure, nobody is going to like hearing that they'll be stuck in a crowded room for two days. Especially with the

Oxaris looks up from her SMG and sighs. Two days. "With how high tensions are, these are going to be a long two days," she mutters to Zaylus.

Jessica glances up from her spot on the floor, her frown only deepening. She knew the moment they started delivering cots that this probably wasn't ending tonight, but hearing it out loud caused it to really sink in. "Fuck." is all she mutters.

Ehanis nods at the explanations, looking around at the doors before taking a step towards the bridge to get a better look at it. At least she knows where the booze is, and where to go if she feels like asking first. And now that she's finally got the chance to ask.... "So, who's the big guy you mentioned?" she asks as she turns towards her again. "Krogan?"

Wrench seems briefly puzzled. "Oh. Yeah. Makk. He brought me onboard." she explains, starting to climb down. She apparently has no patience for standing around. Once down a deck she points out the remaining doors. "Ship weapons. Armory. You are not allowed in there, I'm pretty sure."

Ilyna takes a deep breath as she still keeps forcing herself to stay awake, though it's unlikely she can keep that up for more than a few minutes. So she's still awake by the time Jason enters, but she hasn't even noticed that he's been gone from her walled in corner. Her eyes go wide when she hears his announcement. "Two days...," she whispers before drawing a shaking breath. "Goddess...."

Halisi lowers her gaze with a heavy sigh, squeezing Ilyna's hand. She finds no words of comfort to offer.

Jattic doesn't show any obvious signs of frustration, though he does shift in place a bit. "Understood." he growls.

Leah is visibly shaken by the news, her eyes snapping shut. The knowledge that she'll be stuck in a ship with such a threat looming over them with little to do other than wait hits her hard. But she's a soldier, so she does what soldiers do. She deals with it. She takes a deep breath, opening her eyes as she gives a single nod. She doesn't linger in her thoughts for long, quickly rising from her crate and moving across the

Zaylus doesn't have much of an outward reaction to the unfavorable announcement, other than a pause in his reassembling. Then, with a tight sigh, he nods once. "I think you might be right about that." He mutters in return, clicking the last piece of his weapon into place, viewing it from all angles before returning it to its rightful place. With a low grunt he hefts himself up, and

Ehanis raises an eyebrow. "Oh?" she says with a grin. "I guess I should be careful around you, then...." She climbs down after her, and laughs at her mention of the armory. "That's fine, I've got my own stuff anyway," she says.

Nathan stops his work and lets out a huff of annoyance. Two days. Wonderful. He resumes his tinkering, deciding that he'll use these couple of days to focus on making sure his gear is at one-hundred percent functionality. Whatever they face on that ship, he's wading through it and he's getting everyone back. Li, Redrock, all of them.

Elena shifts as Jason returns and speaks, turning her attention towards him. Already well aware of what he has to say, she glances out at the others, observing their reactions with a faint frown.

Jason moves over to Ilyna and Halisi, lowering his voice as he addresses them. "Hey..." he says softly. His gaze moves to their hands, but it doesn't linger for long. He finds himself suddenly questioning just what Halisi was doing with Ilyna in the middle of the night. The lack of sleep and the urgency of the situation hadn't allowed him time to consider it previously. The hand holding adds another wrinkle to the question.

Wrench descends into the cargo hold, dropping down onto the walkway and gesturing around. "...aaaand you know this place. That's... pretty much it." she says with a shrug.

Ehanis walks over to lean on the railing as she looks over the cargo hold from the top walkway. "Yeah, it does look kind of familiar," she says with a smirk before turning to her guide. "Thanks for the tour,... kid," she says, only now realizing she doesn't know her name. Eh, it doesn't matter.

Wrench wipes her palm against her grease-stained jumpsuit before extending it to Ehanis. "Wrench!" she exclaims with a smile.

Ilyna sighs as she listens to Jason. She knows he's right, but guilt and worry still keeps her holding onto conciousness as if her life depended on it. Her mind too befogged by sleepiness to notice his initial awkwardness. "Is... it really two days?" she mumbles. "Can... can you promise to... wake me if... if... if something happens?"

Halisi 's attention turns to Jason as he approaches them, and then to Ilyna as she hears what he has to say. She lets her do the talking for now, but she does get back to her feet with a grunt of effort, using a crate to push herself up.

Jason would rather not wake her. Ilyna is hurt. She's tired. She's under duress. She doesn't have any of her gear. It's in her best interest that Jason just leaves her out of the know. Let the rest of Redrock handle this one. But it's Li. As much as he'd like to step up and let Ilyna sit this one out, this is her fight more than anyone else's. "You bet your ass." he says. "In the meantime? I'll work on putting some gear

Ehanis reaches out a gauntleted hand to take Wrench's. "Ehanis," she says, returning her smile. She tilts her head. "Wrench, is that a nickname because of what you do."

Wrench furrows her eyebrows. "It's the only name I remember having." she says with another shrug, dwelling no further on the subject as she returns a hand to the ladder, starting to climb up. A rather abrupt end to the conversation.

Ilyna gives an unsure hum at first. "Then... quarters sounds... good," she murmurs, a guilty look on her face as she accepts the offer of more comfortable accomadation when Li is probably awake and scared right now. She remains lying in the bed, looking up between Jason and Halisi.

Halisi offers a hand in helping Ilyna up and out of the cot. "Come on... I'll help you over there." she says, once again doing her best not to show her own exhaustion.

Oxaris glances up at Zaylus, her brow-perking as he starts to walk around. "What're you thinking?" She asks as she too stands, gradually falling into step besides him. She rests a hand on her hip, mandibles twitching as he gaze passes over the others.

Ehanis sighs as it's seems to be taken the wrong way. She has to say something lest risk her going to get her krogan... father to sort things out. "Hey, I didn't mean it that way," she says. "I think it's cute." Ehanis shrugs and starts on her way down to meet up with the others.

Jason steps to the opposite side of Ilyna, extending an arm of his own in case Ilyna needs more help. It's probably not the most comfortable support given the armor, but it's the best he can do. "You need a hand...?" he asks.

Ilyna sits up with Halisi's help and carefully puts her foot down on the floor to test putting some pressure on it, recalling the doctor's orders. "Yeah," she mutters to Jason.

Jessica has begun dragging a few crates off to block out her little corner of paradise. She's already moved her cot over there beside her heap of explosives.

Jason climbs down the ladder first, waiting at the bottom to assist Ilyna and Halisi on their way down. "Careful." he instructs.

Zaylus looks back, almost in surprise that she has followed, but ultimately does not seem put off. "Not much, honestly." He admits with a light shrug, picking his way toward one of the walls of the cargo unit. "Get some rest, check our gear... maybe a dozen more times," He remarks, glancing back at the others. "By then everyone will be so eager to get out of here they might not care

Leah has been peeling her plating off until down to her undersuit aside from the plating along her right thigh, to which she keeps her Carnifex holstered. Without a word to anyone, she sets off for the galley.

Jattic has neatly organized his own gear near the wall where he's currently seated on the floor. Elbows pressed against his knees, his back is against the wall as he contemplates the situation he finds himself in and the path that lead him here.

Ilyna climbs down after him, gritting her teeth as she's left without an option to avoid putting pressure on her feet. She has said little during the trip other than giving answers to simple questions.

Jason reaches up, offering a hand for Ilyna to grab to help her soften her impact when she steps off the ladder.

Halisi follows after Ilyna, letting go of the ladder once feet touch solid floor, and looking around the fairly small cabin. There's a locker, a dresser, a small desk, a single bed, and not much else. A small, round viewport sits in the wall next to the bed, giving a view of FTL-distorted space streaming by outside. This is a civilian ship after all. Durability is a secondary concern.

Nathan has left the cots alone, and is instead creating his own room with a few crates and whatever else he can scavenge to form his own section. He sheds the plating, leaving himself in just the undersuit and his armoured boots. He lays out his weapons on one crate, grenades on another and he starts to work on each piece. His brow is set in a permanent frown of concentration as the small sounds of tools

Elena 's attention turn to follow Leah as she exits the cargo module, studying her in silence from her position atop the walkway, arms crossed and leaned against the railing.

Oxaris hums and looks down at the younger turian as he settles down in his own little corner. She chuckles lightly, rolling her shoulders. "Back in my old unit, we used to unwind before missions with sparring. Perhaps you and I can go toe to toe before we reach our target?"

Ilyna leans on Jason once she's at the bottom of the ladder. She frowns when she notices it's just a single bed, a guilty look showing on her face. She doesn't say anything, though.

Ehanis has returned to her position before she went to help Ilyna, and she's seated with her back against a crate somewhat near the door to the back. She's taking off her armor suit at a leisurely pace, putting off figuring out what to do next for as long as she can. There's going to be two whole days of that.... There better be booze in the galley.

Jason wraps an arm around Ilyna's waist to continue supporting her as he guides her over to the bed to drop her off. Once she's seated, he takes a step back, hands moving to his hips as he looks about the room. "Not too bad." he says, trying to ease the mood slightly. Though his own grim mood makes it a hollow attempt at best. His gaze moves to the small viewport. On the distorted space beyond it. That sight always brought him

Leah marches right by Elena and grasps onto a rung of the ladder without a word- almost pointedly so- on her journey towards the galley.

Halisi gains an uncomfortable look as she too realizes there's only a single bed in the cabin. She doesn't say anything, sucking in her lips briefly. As Jason starts to speak she glances around the small room, a slight frown crossing her face as she listens silently to his words, pondering what this mission means for him , and all the others down in the cargo module.

Elena lets out a quiet grunt. "If we're gonna work together we need to-..." she trails off as Leah makes it clear she has no interest in talking. A muttered "Whatever..." follows.

Leah pauses, hand on the rung of the ladder. "We're not working together. We're cleaning up a mess you made." she says as she looks back at Elena. A frustrated snort follows. "You don't have any clue what you've done." She shakes her head, her disgust showing through as she studies Elena. She doesn't seem interested in whatever Elena has to say in her defense, however, as soon enough she's pulling herself up the

Ilyna sits on the bed while she listens to Jason speak, not lying down yet. She sighs, the brief hint of a smile showing when she hears of Vasquez' support. "I... I think you... did the right thing," she says, her words slow and unclear even given the tiny bout of energy this move brought her. "She... must understand that. How much she works,... it can't be good for her...."

Elena takes a few steps toward the ladder, calling up after Leah. "So fucking tell me! I'm trying to fix this shit, but I barely know what the hell's going on!"

Halisi lets out a quiet hum, sounding almost slightly amused for a brief moment. "It's good she didn't. She has no business being in the field right now." she says, letting out a sigh as her gaze turns to the small viewport. "Especially facing this..."

Zaylus raises a browplace at the proposition. "You're kidding." He remarks, genuinely waiting for the laughter to follow. Instead he just laughs to himself, rubbing above his eyes with one hand. "You know... maybe after everyone's settled down a bit... I'll see about kicking your ass." He quips with a small grin, looking up at a turian who is very much his greater in age as well as

Oxaris snorts and looks at the Turian with a mix of smugness and... a hint of arrogance. "Hence why I said in a few days. Besides, no need to drag the others into it if they're too high-strung, after all."

Jason allows a somber, but sincere, smile to show through as Ilyna and Halisi support his decision. He gives a small nod. "At any rate, it wasn't what she wanted to hear. So, haven't even been on my honey moon yet and I'm already in the doghouse." he says, giving an exhausted snicker to accompany a shake of his head. Realizing he's allowed his own concerns to show through, his smile falls away. "Sorry... I'll handle all of

Leah pauses her climbing, passing a glance down towards the woman at the bottom of the ladder. She takes a deep breath before silently continuing her climb.

Ilyna listens to him speak, but his apology makes her look down on the floor. "That's... I'll... thank her when we return," she says. "But yeah, Li..., we... have to find her. If... I... I... don't...I-I...," she shakes her head, deciding to leave that thought unfinished.

Zaylus smirks in turn. "Alright, you're on then." He says, pointing up at her with continued exaggerated arrogance. Then, with indulgent chuckling, he begins to the process of removing the bulky hardsuit to better fit in his chosen space. "But seriously please don't kill me." He mutters lowly in a laugh, just loud enough for her to hear.

Halisi is quick to move to Ilyna's side, taking a seat next to her, placing one hand on her shoulder and the other grasping her hand, giving it a squeeze. "We will. Okay? We will. There's no if." she reassures with a small shake of her head.

Halisi is quick to move to Ilyna's side, taking a seat next to her, placing one hand on her shoulder and the other grasping her hand, giving it a squeeze. "We will. Okay? We will. There's no if." she reassures with a small shake of her head.

Jason doesn't leave Ilyna time to finish her thought anyhow, giving a big shake of his head. "We will find her." he says confidently along with Halisi's words of encouragement. "The captain says their ship is leaking fuel." he continues once Halisi has finished her thought, "We know exactly where they're going, Ilyna, and they can't run forever. So... yeah." he gives a glance to Halisi before repeating her words, "There's no

Oxaris laughs softly and shakes her head, turning to look around the bay. "Don't you worry, Zaylus, I hadn't planned on it... although with how tense everyone is, it wouldn't surprise me if an actual fight breaks out at this rate."

Jessica glares at Jattic as she gets the crates into position for her makeshift bedroom.

Ilyna gives a slight nod before leaning on Halisi. "I..., yeah, I...," she mumbles, not sure how to respond to the onslaught of reassurances at first. "I'll rest." Ilyna can't stay up for two days, not even on a full night's sleep, and she knows it. "Just... remember, you promised...."

Jason's lopsided smirk makes a brief appearance at Ilyna's insistance. "I promised." he agrees with a nod. He looks from Ilyna to Halisi. "Make sure she gets some sleep." he says before backing up towards the ladder.

Halisi shifts slightly as Ilyna leans against her, wrapping her right arm around her back to her far arm, while her left hand remains grasping the asari's hand. Her attention turns to Jason as he looks her way, and she nods, a faint, slightly awkward smile crossing her face.

Zaylus huffs softly as he works. "And with all the explosives those two have been putting together, let's hope Jason can end any fights quickly." He mutters pessimistically, stopping for a moment to really consider if Jessica or Nathan would actually blow them all up. Ehh... probably not. "As long as everyone gets some space from each other we should be alright. I mean spirits, it's

Ilyna looks over at Jason, and nods. For now, she's inclined to trust him. "Look... after Ehanis for me," she mumbles before her eyes closes. And once again, she forces them open.

Oxaris grunts. "A few days is all some people need to lose their cool." She nods to where Nathan and Jessica are in their respective places. "And I don't think either of them are stupid enough to use those on this ship." At least, she hopes not.

Jason reaches back, placing a hand on a rung of the ladder. "Like she's my own sister." he assures her before beginning his climb.

Halisi turns toward Ilyna after Jason has left the room, the uncomfortable expression returning as she withdraws her hands to her lap. "You... should get some rest." she says, adding "I... didn't realize there was only one bed." as she starts to stand up.

Ilyna frowns, and she reaches out, but she stops short of grabbing her arm. "It's... my... my fault you're here," she says. As much as she needs the rest, her conscience isn't agreeing with turning her away. "It's... I... I it's... you should... you should...." She takes a deep breath, and adds, "You can have the bed."

Zaylus finishes stacking his armor and his pistol in a neat pile next to him on the floor. Sighing with relief, he puts his feet back up on the wall and tucks his arms around his chest, appearing content with what seems like a rather crampt position. Popping an eye back up at Oxaris, he sniffs. "Are you going to keep your watchful eye on them until we get there?" He quips, settling

Halisi remains just next to the bed after standing up, shaking her head slightly as her gaze briefly moves over to the bed before looking back at Ilyna. "Don't-... don't be ridiculous." she says, frowning slightly. "Do you think I wouldn't have come anyway? And... you need the rest more than anyone." she insists, glancing around the cabin. "I-... I can stay in the room, if... you don't want to be alone." she offers quietly,

Oxaris seems to ponder over that question for a silent moment, before shaking her head. "No. I have faith that they-... oh, was that a joke?" She narrows her eyes at him, her mandibles twitching faintly.

Zaylus snickers lightly, his position making it abundantly clear he's not planning on moving around again for at least a while. "It was a joke." He admits, "But I'm glad you have faith in them anyway." He adds wistfully, his eyes half closed. "It certainly can't hurt at a time like this."

Oxaris nods in response, a small smile flickering onto her face. "If what we're going up against is real, we'll need faith in one another to pull through." She steps back, offering him a little motion in farewell. "I'll go and catch up on some sleep, I think. Since you seem ready to do the same." She turns and makes to find some corner to rest up in, leaving the cots for the others.

Ilyna shakes her head. In that case, Ilyna could have talked her out of it, but... there is no changing that now. "That's... not fair," she murmurs before sighing. There's no way she'll agree to take the bed, and Ilyna knew it. She looks up at her. "I... could make room for you if... if... if you're alright with that. It... doesn't... have to mean what... what it sounds like."

Halisi sucks in her lips slightly, her gaze breaking away from Ilyna to look down at the edge of the bed, but it's not long before she gives a small nod, looking back at her and repeating the nod. "Yeah..." she says quietly. "If... you are...?" She hesitates slightly, an uncharacteristically awkward look briefly crossing her face before she sits down again. It's not be hard to tell that this is where she'd prefer to be, her

Zaylus watches her part with a self feeding smirk, but there is no malice in it. He raises his hand in a return gesture, "See you later." He bids her farewell, turning back to the wall and soon slipping into a still quiet that won't break until he's disturbed again.

Ilyna gives a slight nod. "I... wouldn't have offered... then," she says softly. The guilt of having her stay awake or sleep in a hard chair far outweighs the discomfort she feels about this while things are still undecided.

Halisi reaches down to remove her boots, leaving them on the floor as she pulls her legs up into the bed, seemingly intent on taking the spot not against the wall, so that she can climb out without waking Ilyna should she be needed for something."

Ilyna climbs under the blanket, being careful not to put too much pressure on her feet as she does so, and takes the side nearest the wall. Ilyna lays her head on the pillow, facing towards Halisi. She doesn't say anything.

Halisi crawls under the blanket as well, lying down on her back, but she almost immediately turns to face Ilyna, blinking her silver eyes before studying her in silence, a wide mixture of emotions swirling beneath her hard-to-read expression. Sadness, exhaustion, sympathy, dread, affection, worry, nervousness, all vying for prominence, but just ending up a tiring mess.

Ilyna mostly looks tired and exhausted at this point, but the sadness still manages to stand out. "Good... night," she whispers, and closes her eyes. This time she concedes and sleep finally overtakes the worried asari, her facial expression fading soon after.

Halisi hesitates for a moment before leaning in as Ilyna's eyelids grow heavy, pressing a brief, gentle kiss against her forehead and whispering a tired "We're going to save her... I promise.", seeking out and squeezing her hand as the words leave her mouth. She remains awake a while longer, the peaceful look on the asari's face after she falls asleep giving her a strange bit of comfort. Her gaze turns briefly to the