#RedrockAgency – July 21, 2019

Neil nods his thanks to Ilyna and turns to the awaiting medical staff. With a wave of his hand, they begin to work, with him looking back to Ilyna once more. "Thank you. This shouldn't take too long. We just need to run through a few security checks first."

Halisi activates her omni-tool, gaze briefly scanning across the received information before offering a small nod. "Appreciated. The extent of your preparedness is... remarkable for a private organization. Does Sandbeck specialize in this sort of thing?"

Ilyna gives another nod of acknowledgement to Neil, offering a small smile. Ilyna still feels some tension about this meeting, but it's far from what she felt approaching this well equipped group with just a biotic amp for her defense. "Just let me know if we can help," she says.

Leah allows a small smile to tug at the corner of her lips as Rosinha speaks, instilled with a bit more confidence that they'll be leaving the freed slaves in the right hands. A small noise slips out as Rosinha expresses her faith in their ability to cover their tracks. Having spent years running ops like this for the Alliance, there's something slightly condescending about finding her competence under the scrutiny of a

Jattic shifts as the medical staff prepare to begin loading the 'Liberated' up. He passes a hard glance towards the Adjunct, eyeing him up for a moment before looking towards the others. "These people are here to help you." he reiterates, information that has already been shared with them beforehand. "It... will not be easy, but they are the first step in retaking your lives." he continues, his deep, guttural voice kept low. As

Tara gains a tiny hint of a smile as she listens to Jattic, shooting the others an encouraging glance.

Hiesha smiles brightly, a small gleam of pride in her eyes. "Indeed. As a matter of fact, the rescue of the forcefully indentured became Sandbeck's primary focus. The company still operates as a private Peacekeeping force, but the majority of our focus is on liberation and rehabilitation."

Rosinha gives a firm nod. "Very well. I feel that covers everything. Unless there is anything else you wish to add or ask?" During this whole conversation, her focus has been solely on Leah.

Nathan has simply stood there awkwardly, quietly, surprisingly mute for once. Whatever aura this woman projects on him, it's enough for him to curb his usual urge to pipe up with his own feedback.

Leah draws a breath in through her nose, passing a small, quick, reflexive look Nathan's way. "There is." she says as she looks back towards Rosinha. Leaning to the side, she slips a hand down into her pocket and struggles for a moment before fishing out a collapsed datapad. "I-..." she begins before trailing off, her attention pulled to the datapad as she slides it open. Her large green eyes dart from side-to-side, scanning the

Jattic remains back as Sandbeck escorts the first two ex-slaves towards the shuttle. When their focus shifts to the soldier and Adjunct, he's quick to speak up. "This one was Adjunct to Fasha Bar'adon." he's quick to point out to the Peacekeepers with a nod towards the indicated batarian. "I do not know if you are aware of what that means, but I would recomment you keep your eyes on him. He does not yet realize what kind of

Neil offers a small shake of his head to Ilyna, but with an accompanying polite smile. "I appreciate the offer, but that won't necessary. We're just undertaking a few scans to ensure there are no..." He lowers his voice a smidgen. "Implants or cybernetics. You won't believe the sadistic methods that some slavers go to...".

Halisi 's eyebrows rise slightly, clearly not having been aware of this information. She offers a small nod, her attention turning to the rest of the team as they escort the former slaves aboard the shuttle.

Rosinha takes the datapad and flicks it open, briefly scanning over the contents of it before folding it back up. She contemplates returning it, but as a gesture of goodwill, stows it away onto her armour. "Appreciated. We work closely with both Alliance and Council organisations, but any additional help is never overlooked."

Leah gives another polite smile and a small nod to Rosinha's words. "It also contains each of their contracts." she says, lowering her voice slightly. "We managed to ensure that the target released each of them from his service before we eliminated him." she explains, that sterile, military lingo returning. 'Eliminated'. It somehow sounds even more harsh than 'Killed'. Less personal. Like he wasn't a person. "But there still

Jattic shakes his head. "He has not." he says, his voice like gravel. "But he is too smart to be so blunt in his methods." he continues, letting it be known that he's not fooled by the Adjunct's cooperation. "The others have confirmed that he is not to be trusted." he says freely, right in front of the batarian in question. Perhaps he believes it's for his own good. To let him know not to try anything stupid. That they're going

Ilyna frowns as she casts a glance towards the liberated slaves. "Trust me, I can believe it," she says. "I don't think there is a limit to how bad things can get."

Rosinha remains quiet as he merely looks down to Leah in expectation of this last thing she wishes to discuss. But the look doesn't seem to hold any impatience at her, but more of a stoic assessment of the biotic, as if she's analysing her every word and smallest movements.

Hiesha merely inclines her head and, with the information acquired, notes it down on her datapad. "If you'll excuse me, Doctor, I shall go and watch over the Liberated." With a small, formal bow, she turns and strides towards the shuttle.

Neil hums his agreement. "Indeed. Well, everything seems to be in order. Once the last of the Liberated have boarded, we'll depart. On behalf of Sandbeck, thank you, miss T'Rea. Please don't hesitate to contact us again, should you find yourselves in a similar position."

Halisi falls back to Ilyna's side after the Sandbeck doctor departs, continuing to watch the transfer.

Ilyna nods, doing her best to hide the discomfort in being the recipient of his gratitude. She has already told Leah she would have allowed this mission and given them the resources they'd need. That said, Redrock Agency has provided shelter and security for the liberated slaves while waiting for Sandbeck. "I'm glad to hear that," she says, "and I appreciate the offer."

Leah once again reaches into her pocket, fishing around before pulling free a credit chit. Rosinha's intensity doesn't seem to bother her all that much. She's spent most of her life around that military crispness. The Lieutenant Commander's watchful nature doesn't make for the most comfortable of interactions but, right now, Leah seems far more uncomfortable about the subject she's about to breach than the eyes assessing her.

Jattic merely nods, a grunt an affirmation his only response to the Peacekeeper. He remains beside Tara, watching as Sandbeck escorts the pair towards the shuttle. His gaze remains fixed to the Adjunct. Silently wondering if there's any chance this ends well for him.

Rosinha allows for a brief moment of surprise to flash through her features. "Is this from your own pocket?" She asks with a quiet voice, looking from the credit to the woman holding tightly onto it. She doesn't reach out for it yet, instead seemingly waiting on Leah's answer.

Nathan blinks rapidly and looks at Leah, his surprise much more palpable.

Neil smiles and gives a small tilt of his head to Ilyna as the Peacekeeper loads the last Liberated onto the shuttle. He glances to Rosinha for a moment before returning his focus to Ilyna. "A pleasure meeting you and your organisation, miss T'rea. Until next time." With that, he turns and makes his way to the shuttle, motioning to Rosinha as he passes.

Ilyna doesn't say anything in response as he turns to leave, only casting a glance towards Halisi before focusing on watching the Sandbeck prepare to depart.

Leah gives a low snort and a shake of her head. "No it's-... It was from Fasha. He-..." she draws in a breath, shooting an uncomfortable glance Nathan's way. Nothing about their treatment of Fasha felt good. But it was necessary. Hopefully he understands that much. "...Fasha attempted to buy his freedom with this." she explains as she looks back to Rosinha. "I can't keep it. Hell, I don't want it." she says, perhaps letting

Rosinha remains quiet for a moment, some unknown reason to her hesitance as she examines Leah once more. Her chestnut eyes focus on the woman a second more before she gently takes the credit-chit. "They'll get every credit," she says in a low tone. Catching Kirkstead's motion, she begins to walk towards the shuttle, but pauses a few steps towards it. -

Rosinha | She looks back towards the pair, this time directing her gaze to Nathan. She stares hard at him for a moment, before her expression relents, almost softens and she says, "Stay out of trouble... Faísca." She turns away and strides towards the open shuttle door, hopping into it without another look back.

Leah gives a single, stern nod in response to Rosinha's words. It's far from a guarantee, but it's the best she's going to get. Besides, Nathan wouldn't have brought them into the fold if he didn't think they were trustworthy. "Thank you..." she adds softly. When Rosinha takes her leave, Leah draws in a breath, releasing what tension she was holding in her shoulders and stepping bouncing the toe of her boot against the hangar

Nathan can't help but... smile at Rosinha's words, a small module of tension easing from his shoulders. It takes him a moment to realise that Leah has snapped her gaze to him and he almost recoils from the look. He gives her a look of, 'I'll explain later'. Some things are best discussed away from the rest of your colleagues.

Tara gives a little wave to the others before the door, emotion slipping into her face, albeit subdued. Her gaze follows the shuttle closer as it takes off.

Ilyna lets go of a breath she didn't realize she was holding when the shuttle is finally out of sight, relaxing visibly. She looks around at the others present in the hangar, but doesn't say anything.

Leah cocks an eyebrow, her interest clearly piqued, but doesn't press the matter. But the small smirk at the corner of her mouth makes it clear that it's certainly not something she's going to just let go. She tilts her gaze back out towards the hangar door as she watches the shuttle disappear into a pinprick on the snowy horizon. Worry settles into her chest as she finds herself wondering what will become of them. Will they get

Jattic places his hands on his hips as the shuttle slips out of the hangar. His attention scans over the others as silence takes over the hangar in the absense of Sandbeck. Leah. Nathan. Ilyna. Halisi. Tara. "They have a chance they never would have been given while in service to Fasha. We have done what we can for them. The rest falls onto their shoulder." he says. His words aren't exactly dripping with emotion. That's just not

Nathan slowly releases a long breath, allowing all the tension in his body to slip away. He won't admit it, at least not at the moment, but it was absolutely harrowing having Rosie stood before him again. It had been so long and... well she clearly still hasn't forgiven him. He shakes the thoughts from his mind and instead takes a moment to let Jattic's words sink in. They've done a good thing here. The Liberated have

Tara 's attention turns to Jattic as he speaks, gaze falling as she listens. The unexpected touch as he departs causes her to tense up a little, but soon enough her attention is on Leah and Nathan.

Leah takes a step, the dull pain in her leg reminding her of her injuries and causing her to favor the leg again slightly. "Crappy movie. Crappy food." she reminds, looking up to Nathan with a tired smile as she reaches out to stab a rigid hand into his ribs on her way back to her coffee left behind on the crate near Tara.

Nathan looks down at Leah as he manages to act at least wounded by her clearly deadly stab into his ribs. He chuckles quietly and steps behind her quickly to give her waist a quick squeeze. “Haven’t forgotten.” With that, he leaves her to go to Tara, giving her the space she needs to talk. His next plan is to go home, have a cold beer, then sleep for the next twenty four hours.

Ilyna turns towards Halisi. "What about leaving the clinic one hour earlier?" she breaks the silence between the two by picking up right where she left off. She casts a glance down the hallway and at the walkways above as if expecting to spot Li spying on them.

Halisi 's gaze is torn from the closing hangar doors and she can't help a small smirk from crossing her lips. "I suppose that wouldn't be the worst thing..." she concedes with a nod, raising an eyebrow as she follows Ilyna's gaze curiously.

Li seems to have stayed in the office... for once.

Ilyna gives a small smile at Halisi's acceptance of her idea. It's not the day off that Ilyna thinks she deserves, but it's a start. "I think I'll go check what Li's up to," she says, "but I'll be with you in a few minutes to help you tidy up, okay?"

Leah tilts her head down, sucking in her lips at the squeeze as if to not react, a slight discomfort settling in at others being around to witness the small show of affection. She watches as Nathan takes his leave, her face a shade redder than it had been, and then moves to collect her coffee. She looks to Halisi and Ilyna. "I... should probably get going, too." she says, following in Nathan and Jattic's footsteps. "I just-..."

Halisi offers a small, tired smile, seeming about to respond to Ilyna when Leah addresses them. She draws in a breath, but no frustration manifests. Maybe it's the exhaustion, or maybe seeing the freed slaves being sent to receive the help they need, but she doesn't have it in her right now. She just offers a soft nod of acknowledgement, shooting a glance towards Ilyna to see what she'll say.

Tara just hovers a little away from the others, listening in on the conversation. She has a way of just... fading into the background as others talk. Small and quiet, easy to forget about.

Ilyna tilts her head slightly as Leah starts explaining herself, but nods at the thanks. "I... I have said what I need to say about this, Mercier," she says, her voice sounding weary more than anything else, "but... I am glad that it went as well as it did in the end." She seems thoughtful for a moment before simply adding, "Take care."

Leah's green eyes turn low when it seems as though Ilyna is going to brush her off. But when she continues, a small, restrained smile reappears and she gives a small nod. "Yeah..." she agrees softly. "You too." Her gaze flicks briefly to Halisi before she turns her attention to Tara. The fatigue shows through for a moment before she tries to hide it back behind her smile. "Jasper will take you home when you're ready to leave."

Tara 's eyebrows furrow slightly when Leah mentions Mendez, gaze falling before being brought back by the question, prompting a small nod.

Leah's smile grows ever so slightly before she pushes away from the crate and leads through the door. "So... How has dad been...?" she asks with a glance over her shoulder. "Is he being a pain in the butt?"

Tara follows after Leah, the question causing her to blink. She's quick to shake her head, taking the lighthearted question more seriously than warranted. Her sudden addition to their little family has been strange in a lot of ways, but both Leah and Francois have made it easy from the start to make it feel like she belongs, despite everything. It seems like she might have something to say, but as is often the case, no words come.

Leah continues up the stairs, giving a quick nod to Tara's response, though there's some clear underlying awkwardness. "I-... uhh-... Mendez is doing good." she offers, clearly just trying to fill dead air to ease some of the discomfort. Thankfully she's pretty good at that. "Better, anyway." she corrects. "He's already trying to get rid of me." she continues with a hollow little snicker and a shake of her head.

Tara remains silent as the awkwardness grows, but there's a tiny little smile on her lips at the mention of Mendez as Leah starts to fill the dead air as she does so well. It's not hard to see that she's been worried judging by the hints of relief in her face as her gaze shoots briefly back to Leah during their walk.

Leah steps through the rec room door as it slides open and steps through. She raises her cup, sipping at the last drops of coffee while she crosses the room towards the coffee maker. "Which is fine with me. I would much rather be back home. In my own bed instead of that uncomfortable couch." she says, and it's partially true. There's another part of her that's dreading it. The same part of her that's dreading that moment when

Tara follows in continued silence, her gaze darting over to Leah as her unasked question is answered. She remains a couple of steps back as Leah refills her coffee cup, arms crossed loosely over her midsection as her gaze wanders the rec room, now empty after days of housing the freed slaves. The ones that had survived. They hadn't gotten the same treatment she had. Shuffled off. Someone else's responsibility now. Why was she different?

Leah continues to speak as she prepares her coffee. Plenty of cream and sugar. "He's able to walk without too much pain already-... he shouldn't be walking." she says, the latter part in more of a mutter as if to herself, gently vocalizing her own frustrations with the stubborn man, "...but he can. So a couple more days and maybe he won't need me around so much." She puts her back to the counter, head down as she stares into

Tara is clearly paying attention to Leah even though she doesn't say anything. While back at the house she may have started to feel comfortable enough to get something for herself in the kitchen now and then that's certainly not the case here, so she just stands and watches.

Leah doesn't realize that Tara is mostly just hovering until she looks up from her coffee, causing her to draw in a sharp breath. "Oh!" she exclaims, quickly setting her coffee aside and stepping over to the fridge. "Do you want something to drink?" she asks, hurriedly opening the fridge and peering inside. "Soda? They've got some juice, too." she offers, lifting the carton that is only labeled suspiciously with 'JUICCE' with

Tara offers a small nod as she steps a little closer, the awkwardness that might normally accompany such a question pressed down by heavier thoughts.

Leah's brows only furrow deeper in thought, the suspicious juice having gotten her attention. But when Tara accepts the offer, she decides to shelf this mystery for another day. Since Tara didn't specify, Leah opts to put the juice away and, instead, pours Tara a glass of soda. It's the less ambiguous option. She sets it on the counter with a small smile. "Here you go." She shifts back to her previous spot at the counter,

Tara takes the glass from the counter with a faint nod, remaining next to Leah as her gaze again travels out to the cots where the freed slaves slept. She sips the soda, remaining silent.

Leah blows on the steaming coffee in silence as she joins Tara in looking out over the remnants of the makeshift temporary barracks. Eventually she Tara's way through her brow, her eyes big green orbs of emerald. "So..." she begins head bowed so she can touch the tip of her tongue to the coffee to test the temperature once again. Deeming it cool enough, she takes a quick sip. "...How are you?" she asks with a gentleness that

Tara blinks, her gaze falling to the floor as the question is left to linger. There's no immediate response, her eyebrows furrowing as she tries to figure out what her answer even is.

Leah's mood visibly seems to dip when her question is met with silence. She turns her gaze back down to her coffee, taking a slightly larger sip. "I... know this has been a lot to deal with." she sighs, her attention remaining low. She hadn't really thought of what she was going to say beforehand. She just knows that she can't avoid Tara forever. She doesn't want to have to avoid her. But as soon as the words leave her mouth

Tara 's eyebrows furrow slightly, and her gaze shifts towards Leah. There's a moment's hesitance as she seems on the verge of asking something, but the words never come and her mouth closes before her attention turns back to her glass as she rotates it in her hands and takes a little sip.

Leah's expression shifts again when Tara doesn't voice whatever it is she was prepared to say. A silence washes over her as she focuses on her coffee for a few moments, having decided that whatever she was going to say probably wasn't good. "You can talk to me, Tara..." she eventually offers softly, her voice barely more than a whisper. "I hope you know that..."

Tara shifts a little, gaze lingering on the glass for a little before rising to Leah. "They're... going to have a home?" she asks, her voice quiet, uncomfortable. After a brief pause she adds: "Like me...?"

Leah furrows her brow, the question not exactly what she was expecting. Tara's concern causes a small smile to tug at the corner of her mouth. It takes a moment, but eventually she gives a small nod of her head. "I sure hope so, sweetheart." she offers. "Those people they went with are friends of Nate." she explains, her smile widening momentarily to imply she trusts them. To try and quell whatever concerns Tara may have over

Tara nods slightly, although her concern doesn't seem fully dissuaded. Still, she falls silent, eyes falling away from Leah as she sips her drink.

Leah watches Tara, her concern palpable. "This is what they do, Tara." she offers, hoping that might help to ease her concerns. "It's going to take time for-..." she lets out a huff of air, rolling her eyes at herself. Tara, of all people, doesn't need this explained to her. "...You know how hard it is. But now they have a whole lot of people who are going to be right there with them to help them figure it all out."