Jason gives a small shake of his head. "Afraid I don't have a whole lot more insight into that than you do. T'Vezan said it was just a job for her. Signed off on by a salarian named Rellis that she was working with. Said she had some beef with his organization and was trying to uproot it from the inside, so best I can make of it, the job was just a way for her to better plant herself into Rellis' organization. Of course-..." he
#Miner'sRespite – January 25, 2024
lets out a sigh, already feeling the headache kicking in as he attempts to navigate the web of secrets and misleads, "...it was Rellis himself who tried to pull off a hit on T'Vezan, which damn well might've been what saved V's life, so make of that what you will. T'Vezan figured he might've found out what she was trying to do and used the hit on V as a way to catch her off guard, but that doesn't really add up to me.
Given all of the action surrounding V, it just seems too much of a coincidence for her to 'just so happen' to be the target for Rellis' distraction, ya know? I think it's more likely that Rellis did figure out what T'Vezan was up to and was trying to kill two birds with one stone." He winces at his own choice of words, "...err, uhh-... two asar with one stone, in this case, I guess." Much better. "As for why
Rellis might have it out for V? Your guess is as good as mine. The guy isn't exactly on speaking terms with me and the rest of Redrock and, to be honest?" the slightest hint of frustration creeps into his features, hinting at the history between Redrock and Rellis, "...I wouldn't mind ventilating the sneaky little fucker myself."
Enila frowns at the speculation that it might have been an attempt to take out the both of them, but she nods in agreement with it. The last comment evokes another nod. "I agree that it doesn't look like Rellis was trying to save Va'ynna," she says, "but do we have anything to tie that to the other person that's come after Va'ynna, Sala Piros? I didn't find anything about her in the records here, but Va'ynna told me
Jason's gaze turns low for a moment, eyes flitting back and forth as he sifts through the mounds of tentative leads and information before finally giving an unsure shake of his head. "Maybe? It's thin, but it's not like there's much else to go on." he takes a breath as he glances back to Enila. "When Piros grabbed V, she tried to use V's safety as leverage to get me to do some dirty work for her. Track someone down and turn them
over to her. Obviously I told her where she could shove her offer, but it was the only lead we had so I followed up on it anyway." He makes sure to avoid using Wenera's name. Given the sort of trouble she seems to be mixed up in, the less that know the details the better. "Turned out that this person Piros wanted me to grab for her was investigating a murder that Piros seems to be involved in. A murder in Raelos." He
lets that name linger for a moment. "Which happens to be partnered with a nearby island, Aroste, that we nabbed Rellis' brother operating out of. Like I said, it's a thin connection, but it's a connection nonetheless. Couldn't make heads or tails of what Rellis' people were doing out there, but whatever it was wasn't above board."
Enila nods at the information before sighing as it doesn't really tie them together conclusively. "That's very thin, so they could still be separate actors with one goal," she says, "but I struggle to see a reason for them to put in so much effort and resources that isn't about Nari -- no offence to Va'ynna. Maybe she set them both up here for an op, and it's backfiring?" She gives a humorless chuckle before adding,
Jason offers a humorless snort of his own, an involuntary roll of his eyes following at all of the difficult players involved. "Unfortunately 'refusing to answer questions' seems to be the only thing that everyone seems to have in common." he mutters.
Enila nods. "Even more so when Nari's kind are involved," she says. "And before you ask, I cannot get you in touch with her," she continues. "My mother does, and she's willing to forward a call for Va'ynna, but it'll be a waste of time to ask on your behalf. She's military through and through, and will not give you the time of day."
Jason lets out a frustrated sigh, but offers a nod, well aware that Enila is telling the truth based on his limited interactions with Nari. "I just don't understand why she wouldn't want to work with me to keep her daughter safe." he muses his confusion aloud softly, moreso to himself than to Enila. With a shake of his head, he turns his focus back to the asari. "Is there anything you can tell me about why V ended up here...?"
Enila shakes her head. "No, I only have Yseli's user account to the systems here, which does not have access to Janysa's personal communications," she says. "I did look into the hiring processes when bringing Varisa on, but I only found a contract for Va'ynna while the others had a more thoroughly documented process. That could just mean Va'ynna was hired before she had a protocol nailed down, though."
Jason furrows his brow at the unfamiliar name. "Yseli...?" he asks. "That's not a name that's ringing any bells with me."
Enila chuckles. "Oh, sorry, she probably introduced herself as Kanaya," she says. "I forgot she had a fake name for a moment there. She was supposed to come out again, actually, but I learned of it this time and managed to get in the way. Janysa doesn't deserve her putting her life on hold for her again." She sounds a little bitter.
Jason snorts. "Fake name. Of course. Cloak and dagger bullshit seems to be the family business, eh?" he muses, though a smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth, implying a bit of the previous animosity may have dissipated. He shifts in his seat and takes a sip of his drink, pre-empting what seems to be the rapidly approaching end to the conversation. "So nothing stands out to you that might be important regarding V's
situation...?" he asks, leaving the question as open-ended as possible. At this point, any potential leads or direction is better than nothing.
Enila snorts at the first comment. "Not in my side of the family," she comments before moving on to the second topic of Va'ynna, where she sighs. "No, my own research so far has been the security footage, a few careful questions to Va'ynna, and incident reports," she says, "but I've got nothing there that you don't know already." She glances at the terminal. "I could do some more digging, but I'll need to be careful
Jason nods a few times. "Whatever you can do, Enila. That's all I ask." he says in earnest. "And-... uhh-..." he stammers, pausing for a moment to reach up and rub at the back of his neck. "...I'm sorry about how I came at you back there. Really." he offers an olive branch, "But V is a friend, and I'd like to get all of this unfucked as soon as possible so it isn't hanging over her head. Hell, I don't want it hanging over the
Respite." he adds, tired snicker slipping out, "Think we both know the last thing this place needs is more trouble."
Enila seems a bit awkward at the apology. "It's nothing to apologize for," she says. "I could have found nicer ways to suggest we take it in my office too." She ponders for a second, glancing at the terminal, before continuing, "I don't like your line of work one bit, I'll admit, but I can respect what you're doing for Va'ynna."
Jason lets a breath out through his nose, tired smile lingering as he gives a somewhat distant nod. "Fair enough. Truth be told? I don't like my line of work most days." he admits with a snicker. He collects his drink and tray of appetizers, rising to his feet with a shrug of his shoulders, a sense of grim acceptance in the gesture. "But somebody has to do it." he adds, though it doesn't sound like he plans on elaborating what
he's getting at. His gaze briefly turns back to the frozen video still on the screen of Enila's terminal before bouncing back to the asari, "Let me know if you hear anything else, alright? I'm gonna-..." he gestures back towards the door with a nod of his head before popping one of the appetizers into his mouth for emphasis, "...try and enjoy the rest of my night."
Enila scoffs at his comment but leaves it at that before nodding at his question. "Of course," she says, "just don't expect anything too soon. I have a business to run too."