An hour has passed since the meeting up at the rec room, and it's still the 12th of December.
#RedrockAgency – April 3, 2019
Ilyna is in the hallway of the first floor, by the stairs. She has been briefing Uvena about the situation for the last five or so minutes. Ilyna remains in the hallway as they part ways, Uvena heading upstairs to see the people in the rec room to get an idea of who she's looking after. She lets out a long sigh and lets her shoulders drop as the other asari is out of sight, not going anywhere at the moment as
Once things have quieted down and actual security has arrived to maintain order in the rec room Jasper set off to collect bedding. With a number of cots set out in the rec room it looks more like a makeshift infirmary. He's informed the freed slaves of the location of the bathroom and that they're free to roam the rec room and left Uvena to it. With both Uvena and Fergus overseeing the guests, there's little the slaves could get up to
before the others were informed. With everything handled, he sets out to track down Ilyna for a word.
Ilyna takes a step towards the infirmiary, considering going there to check on the patients, but she thinks better of it. Halisi will inform her if there's anything to know, and she doesn't need to disturb them. With how stubborn some colleagues can be, it's definitely a bad idea; she'd rather avoid another situation like when she saw Oxaris aboard the Jack. Maybe check on Li, then, she thinks as she turns
Uvena is in her armor sans helmet, but she does not carry any weapons on her person. She does have her amp plugged in, however.
Jasper catches sight of Ilyna heading towards the stairs as he reaches the bottom of them. He grips the bill of his cap, adjusting it nervously as he exhales a deep breath. "Well, this is a right mess, ain't it?" he sighs as he approaches her.
Ilyna stops in her tracks, looking at him. She briefly tilts her head as his nervous approach makes her stressed out mind race. "Yeah, it definitely is a mess," she says. "Vasquez is not going to be pleased when she finds out, but for now... I think it's under control. We have security, and backup isn't far away if they try anything during the night." Ilyna offers a brief smile as she adds, "Thank you for
Jasper glances up the staircase as Ilyna talks, nodding along to her words, silently dreading Jason and the Chief's return. Her final statement causes him to look back her way with a dismissive way of his hand that comes to rest on his hip. "Eh, it was nothin'." he says, "She's a good kid." He falls silent for a moment. "Hell, they all are..." he mutters, gaze turning low. It's not hard to tell that, despite his low ranking
role amongst Redrock, he seems to feel a certain responsibility for everyone's well being. Perhaps it's something that comes with age. Though standing amongst someone hundreds of years older than him while referring to people a couple dozen years younger than him as 'kids' puts that angle into a precarious light. "S'pose that's why I didn't say nothin' to ya when they started loadin' weapons and armor crates into the
shuttle..." he admits, peering up to Ilyna beneath the brim of his old dirty cap, the admission accompanied by a look of guilt. "I figured that they were up to somethin'. Jus'-... jus' didn't figure they'd go gettin' their hindquarters shot off." he sighs, a bit of frustration slipping into his tone as he delivers the final line. But it quickly subsides as he meets the asari's gaze. "...I shoulda come to you."
Ilyna listens to what he says, trying to focus despite the stress. "What can I say, Sullivan," she says. "Chief Vasquez is going to need all the time off she can get to look after her and her child, and I do all I can to make that work, but springing this on me and Halisi after going out behind our backs.... That doesn't help." She glances down the hall towards the lobby as she ponders. "Maybe I would have
thought differently if you had come to me before they left," she says, "but now... I wish that wasn't up to you." She looks back at him, and frowns. "I don't mean that in a bad way," she says. "You're our pilot, they should trust you with a lot more than this. With their lives. It's Mercier and Tennhausen who have done wrong, it's they who should have come to me."
Jasper lowers his gaze once again as Ilyna speaks, just listening. "...Yeah..." he says softly. "That man has a heart of gold but not a lick a' sense in that peabrain a' his." he sighs, the image of Nathan with a nice-sized hole in his chestplate returning to him. "Gonna get himself killed one day if he don't stop racin' off recklessly, blowin' his god-dang-self up all the time and-..." he trails off with another sigh, though
given his choice of words it seems likely he has read the report on the escape from the Collector ship. " And Leah...?" His other hand rests against his hip and he merely gives a shake of his head. "Trouble jus' seems ta' follow that one like a shadow." His gaze swings back to the stairs once again, following them upwards in silence for a few moments. "...But it sounds like those people up there were in a bad spot. And
they went outta their way to help 'em. To help Tara." he continues, a small, dismissive shrug following, as if trying to weigh what that means. "Might not approve of how they went about it, but I believe they were jus' tryin' ta do the right thing..." he says, looking back to Ilyna with a stern nod, "I do. That's gotta count fer somethin', right?"
Ilyna tilts her head. "If it wasn't for Tennhausen, we may not have made it off the Collector ship," she says. "I couldn't know how powerful the weapon was, and to be honest,... I don't even think he knew, but I still held the barrier in the trust that he had weighed the risks and accounted for the unknown factors." She frowns. "I don't know much about Tara's situation, but both her and Tennhausen went into the
unknown for me and Li, this is...." She lets out a long sigh and closes her eyes. "They are good people, I... I really should reserve judgement until they have a chance to explain."
Jasper gives a few small nods, seeming to ease ever so slightly, as if that was what he was hoping to hear. He reaches out, clasping a gentle hand on Ilyna's shoulder. "At any rate, there wasn't a whole heckuva lot you coulda done here to stop 'em, Ilyna. They handled everything through the proper channels. Took time off. Put it on record that they were takin' the Mantis out for-..." he gives a small roll of his eyes, the word
taking on a new connotation in hindsight, "...huntin'... You ain't a babysitter and they ain't ten years old. So... if this one is on anyone? It's on me. I took 'em out there even though I knew the whole dang thing stank of varren dung. And I'll make sure the Chief knows as much soon as she's back." he assures, forcing a small, comforting- if tired- smile into place, seemingly at peace with carrying the responsibility
on his shoulders. "Besides, it sounds like everyone is comin' outta it in one piece, if a lil' worse for wear, and them folks upstairs get a chance at a normal life thanks to those jack-..." it seems as if another word was up for consideration before he muffles himself and replaces it, "...wagons." he sighs. "So, who knows, maybe the Chief won't whip the tar outta the lot of us." he concludes on, the smile briefly
Ilyna glances off while he speaks, though she still gives the occasional nod to what he's saying. "That's not how this works," she says, a hint of frustration seeping into her voice. "When they raised arms against the slavers, they did so in Redrock's name whether they wanted to or not, and our involvement today is proof of that." She shakes her head. "It's too early to discuss the results of this," Ilyna says.
Jasper lowers his head, giving a small, understanding nod. "You ain't wrong..." he sighs. "But there also ain't a whole lot we can do about that. So there ain't no point in runnin' yerself ragged worryin' 'bout it." he says as he meets her gaze once more and retracts his hand. "One mess cleans itself up an' another jus' spills all over the floor, don't it?" he comments almost as if to himself, news of the Collectors defeat
somewhat undercut by the day's events. "Ah well. All we can do is get out the mops, I s'pose." he offers wistfully, that tired smile returning. "Well I ain't gon' keep ya any longer. Seems like you got more than yer share of work ta keep yer hands full. But I'm prolly gonna be pullin' a late one." he continues, gesturing idly towards the hangar, "Got some-... things I need ta tinker with on the shuttle. She's been
listin' to the left bit. Gonna get that sorted." It's obviously a thinly veiled excuse to stick around in case his assistance is needed, but it's also not out of the ordinary for him to stay in the hangar pretty late, tinkering with the shuttle. This is more than just a job for him. It's a hobby. It's what keeps him from getting old. Or, at least, from feeling old. "So you jus' gimme a holler if ya need anything,
Ilyna nods. "You can't tell me not to worry, it's... it doesn't work," she says with a sheepish smile, then sighs. "I'll leave you to it, then. I doubt there's much I'll need help with that's more important than the shuttle, though." She steps back and starts making her way upstairs. "Again, thank you for looking after Li," she adds with a glance behind her.
Jasper gives a snicker at the asari's initial statement. It's one of understanding. As she looks back at him and says her piece, he gives a small bow of his head, touching his thumb and index finger to the bill of his cap to grip it and give it a small adjustment in acknowledgement. "Any time." he offers through a smile as he starts down the hall. "You know where ta' find me."