It's 06:58am (12m) when the Redrock shuttle is approaching Arix' to pick up Victoria, Zaylus and Celyna. There is still no sign of the hostile shuttle in the air, and it was not in Leah's path from the Miner's Respite.
#FreedomFalls – March 5, 2026
In the air over Freedom Falls, a militia gunship is staying close to the hospital shuttle that's been deployed to Arix's as well. It's about 2 minutes out.
At the same time, Leah arrives at the intersection where the navpoint-building is. She's coming from west, the building is on the corner against the streets going north and east but the entrance is along the eastward street. It's two stories and quite small, being a 8-unit apartment building assembled from aging prefab units. The front door appears to be malfunctioning, as a red haptic interface sputters and glitches. There is
Vasquez has instructed the team members that have them to activate helmet or body cams. Engagement priorities have been quickly gone over - The top priority is the safe return of Va'ynna Atana. The safety of Wenera Leren is a secondary objective. Sala Piros is to be captured alive if possible, but a confirmed kill is preferrable to another escape. How to handle other hostile combatants is left to the team's discretion.
Jasper sets the Kodiak down in the middle of the street, unconcerned with getting in the way. They won't be here long anyway. The rumble can be felt by those nearby as it settles on the road and the doors slide open.
Philip gets on his feet, but remains in the doorway, watching out at the street in the opposite direction Jason exited.
The situation around Arix's has not changed in the meantime. Arix has just gone inside as there is nothing more he can do, but he left the medkit in the snow next to him. Kirev is still breathing, but he is unconcsious.
Zaylus hurries into the shuttle after the asari, taking a moment to check his gun and gear are secure after his run.
Leah arrives in the passenger's side of a beat up old truck. Given her proximity and the lack of any real 'traffic' in Freedom Falls, it doesn't take her very long to reach her destination, though she opts to be dropped a bit further down the street. She doesn't exactly have the firepower to just come storming up. Nevermind the risk it could pose to her ride. She steps out of the truck and passes a glance back to the familiar
driver through the passenger's side window. "Thanks for the lift." she says, a sense of urgency slipping into her tone.
Wade certainly got more than he bargained for when he decided to swing by the Respite early to pay off his tab on his way in to work this morning. After a night drinking with Jason and Ten, he was in no condition to settle debts the previous night. He watches through the windshield, looking for any signs of something amiss, nodding absently to Leah's words. "Looks... quiet." he muses.
Leah only took the time to put her hard plating on, no undersuit or helmet. Boot plates. Shinguards, kneepads, and thigh plating over her black pants. Chestplate, shoulderpads, and gauntlets over her green canvas jacket. Her Predator is attached to her right thigh, Carnifex to her left, and her Mattock is folded up on her back along with a few weighted throwing knives magnetized to her chestplate. A black tac belt with a number
of pouches decorates her midsection. "Yeah..." she agrees, shooting a brief glance further down the street. The malfunctioning door doesn't go unnoticed, but she doesn't bother mentioning it. It's of no concern to Wade and might only cause him to linger longer. Top priority now is to get him out of the line of fire so she can do her job. "But I've held you up long enough, why don't you get to work?" It's a gentle prod for
him to get the hell out of here that she tries to sell with a smile. "Might want to head back the way you came, just to be safe." she adds.
Wade continues to watch out the front window, as if waiting for things to pop off at any moment. He gives a few more nods. "Yeah. Right." he agrees. "Good idea." But he doesn't move immediately and, after a moment, a nervous chuckle slips out. "Well this sure got the blood pumping this mornin'." he says, "Make sure you tell pretty boy about this! Let him know I'm comin' for his job!" he jokes as he puts the truck in reverse, still riding
Leah musters up a snicker. "I'll let him know, Wade. Take care." Her smile slips away, game face on as soon as Wade is out of danger. "I'm at the navpoint. Looks like the front door could've been forced open, so you might want to pick up the pace. I'm gonna have a look around." she reports to the others. Her approach is slow, remaining near the buildings on the same side of the street as her target, and scans her surroundings in
Victoria enters the shuttle instantly the second the door opens and goes to the duffel bag to start changing from her street clothes into her armor.
Leah an attempt at getting a quick feel for the rough layout around her. Any sign of anything amiss. Alternate approaches to the building. Whatever she can leverage.
Jason furrows a brow as he studies the downed salarian through his helmet's visor. He doesn't immediately place the salarian, but he's not about to just leave someone to die on the side of the road regardless. "Vicky, what's his situation? We got medical on the way?" he calls out as he steps closer to Kirev to make sure he's at least been properly field dressed.
Victoria is in the middle of taking off some layers of her winter clothing inside the shuttle. "Arix did what he could, which is better than anything I could do. Militia is coming with med."
(Navpoint Area) The door does not look particularly sturdy and it is hinged. It also has a large enough window that Leah could get through if broken. Nobody can be seen through said window, however. There is a narrow staircase along the left wall inside that leads to the second floor.
(Navpoint Area) Things are peaceful outside the navpoint building. Whoever Sala spoke to back then may have taken great care to not leave any traces.
(Arix's) The salarian looks stable where he is lying, and there is a medical probe attached to him that flashes a projection as Jason approaches him; it shows medical stats that are concerning for a salarian, but the only thing that would help is surgery. Arix opens the door and steps outside, having heard the shuttle land. "Go deal with the shooter," he urges, waving an omni-tool on his arm that has the stats from the probe
(Call with Vasquez) There's been some backs and forths about fortifying the room, and some sounds of furniture being moved. Natalie said to Wenera that she was almost done getting the armor on a few seconds ago. The omni-tool has not been picked up, however, and nothing has been reported to Vasquez directly.
Jason nods to himself, stowing his Revenant on his back and dropping to a knee beside the salarian. He gives his vitals a quick once over, not that there's much he can do about them. Beyond field dressing, he has little in the way of medical expertise. "Hear that?" he asks as he clasps a hand on the injured man's shoulder, expecting little in the way of responses from the unconscious salarian, "We've got medical on the way. Just
hang in there a little longer, alright?" As Arix reappears, he shoots him an appreciative nod and rises to his feet, well aware that they're on a timer. "Alright, Jasper. Let's get moving." he announces as he returns to the Kodiak. Soon enough, the doors slide closed and the hulking shuttle rumbles back to life.
Philip glances over his shoulder as Jason and Victoria speak, but soon returns to watching the street.
Celyna shifts her grip on the handle as she watches Jason check on the salarian. She barely manage to hold back the question of 'Who gives a shit?'. They're on the clock here, after all, and the salarian is not part of the mission.
Leah draws her Predator in one hand, but keeps it low and at her side to remain as inconspicuous as possible. She shoots a glance around as she approaches the door, bringing her sidearm up to a low-ready, and reaches out with her other hand to check the door. No point breaking things if it's just open, right?
Zaylus shifts to spy on what's happening outside the shuttle, less irritated than the asari he's next to but anxious to go all the same. When Jason returns he retreats toward the back and finds something to hold onto.
(Call with Vasquez) There is a sharp sound through the call as Wenera picks up the omni-tool to respond, and then the connection is broken.
(Navpoint Area) A loud sound comes from inside the building as Leah breaks through the open door, recognizable to Leah as as a flashbang grenade going off.
(Navpoint Area) The entrance door is locked, and the interface is fully unresponsive input. The flash might also be visible through the window, but not strongly enough to be blinding. The area around the is still clear.
The shuttle can also be heard in take to the air one block south of the navpoint location, and it's seen on sensors (and with keen eyes) as it comes up above the rooftops. It's headed for the navpoint building's roof.
The militia gunship seems to have detected it as well, and breaks off from its escort to get closer to the shuttle. It has the weapons trained on it. The hospital shuttle is less than 1 minute out.
A sky-car taxi is also in the air, coming in at quite some speed from the north-west. The car-owner Carolyn Horsfall working with the militia is not obscure knowledge, however.
Philip stumbles as the shuttle takes of, hurrying back to his seat and strapping back in. On realizing that there's a half-naked Victoria in the middle of the shuttle his face turns red and he turns his attention sharply out the Kodiak's side window.
Celyna remains standing, one hand holding tight to the ceiling handle and the fingers of the other flexing as miniscule ripples of biotic energy flicker between them.
((*The flash will also be visible from the top of the stairwell, as well as through the curtains on the window of Wenera and Natalie's unit.))
Jasper is quick to report the update over comms. "We got company, folks!" A moment passes before he seems to confirm it for himself, "Yep. Might be our shuttle. Lookin' ta be about-... a block? Maybe less from our destination. You gettin' this, Mercier? Could be movin' ta the roof!" The second skycar only registers a few moments later. "And a sky-car from the northwest. Registered to a 'Carolyn Horsfall'...? I-... ain't too sure
Leah tilts her head away from the flash of light, the sudden burst of action kicking her into gear. "They're making their move!" she calls out, taking a step back from the window as a flash envelopes her and she raises a hand, palm outward. With a clench of her hand, the glass in the window ruptures inward cleanly and she grips the top of the doorframe, gracefully swinging in through the open window. "That's gotta be their
exfil!" she reports back upon hearing Jasper's addition. She brings her Predator up on the stairwell with one hand, the other reaching to her chestplate and removing one of her knives. She quickly flicks it upward, embedding it in the ceiling above her and pulls a second one free, bracing her Predator against her knife hand as she hurries up the staircase.
Jason opts to remain standing, gripping one of the handholds near the door as they proceed towards their destination. Vasquez' sudden exclamation causes him to shift his weight a bit, but he doesn't chime in. Jasper and Leah's additions, however, causes him to speak up. "Bring us in close and low enough to reach the roof, Jasper!" he barks, passing a quick look around to make sure nobody is confused about what they're aiming for.
Zaylus might be politely ignoring Victoria getting dressed, or he's genuinely more interested in whatever Celyna is doing with her biotics. But as things ramp up he steps closer to Vicky, looking like he's getting ready to hand her some gear if she can't sort it out in time.
Victoria with the soft suit on, and with the time to arrival quickly arriving. Vicky grabs the torso plate and gives Zaylus a tap on the shoulder. "Help me get this on." Believing that protecting her central mass would have to do for now.
Philip looks relieved once Victoria's undersuit is on, but the radio chatter draws his attention, making him shift in his seat, on edge and ready to move.
Celyna glances Victoria's way quickly to check on her progress, before turning her attention back to the door she's facing, looking ready to jump out at a moment's notice.
It's 07:00am (14m). The Redrock shuttle is 90 seconds from reaching the site, so for now it all hinges on Leah.
The hospital shuttle arrives shortly after the Redrock shuttle is in the air, and they waste no time getting the salarian inside.
The enemy shuttle crosses over the street and sets down on top the north-eastern unit (the navpoint is on the south-eastern 2nd floor unit). The doors open, and a pair of smoke grenades roll out as Sala runs out on the roof holding an object that cannot be identified at range before the smoke obscures her.
Inside the building, there is sounds of SMG gunfire coming from inside the apartment whose doors is open. Leah might feel a biotic field inside the unit lifting something while gunshots are still going off. Her immediate concern, however, should be a fully armored batarian (dark red and blue colors, heavy) taking cover in the doorway opening fire towards the stairwell.
Jasper nods to himself as he pokes and prods and swipes at the interface. "Alright... Hold onto yer butts!" he exclaims as the Kodiak sweeps lower, gliding uncomfortably close to a few rooftops. "Gon' be a hot drop so get ready!" The door on the side of the shuttle closest to Celyna and Jason begins to open as they glide towards their destination, aiming to get in close to the roof of their actual target, the southwestern unit.
Leah takes the stairs cautiously but with a sense of urgency. She's trying to cover her angles, but there's only so much you can do on your own when you don't know the floorplan of the place you're walking into. As soon as the batarian comes into view and the muzzle sparks, she instinctively dips her head while her shields flare and retreats down a couple of steps to use the railing for cover as rounds are sent her way. "Taking
fire on the second floor!" she reports, her words likely muffled by the gunfire. She's got shields, but without an undersuit she can't risk taking a hit. And that means she can't risk a prolonged gunfight that's gonna whittle away at her shields. Nevermind the fact that they're on the clock and there's no telling how Wenera is fairing up there or how much longer she'll be able to hold out. The best defense is a good offense,
right? With that in mind she sends a few rounds through the railing at her attacker in an attempt at forcing them to at least lay off the trigger a bit and, hoping to catch him off guard, kicks off the stairwell wall in an attempt to vault the railing and force the batarian to engage her in close combat.
Zaylus grunts in assent, having expected this. He helps hold the large armor piece in place so Victoria can fasten it surely. His stance is wide to try to stay on his feet, looking anxious to get her battle ready before they arrive. "You might have to dress light." He remarks as the shuttle door slides open and he slams a hand against the wall to steady himself.
Victoria fastens the chest piece on at a faster pace due to the assistance of Zaylus. "Yeah, I can see and hear that." She didn’t want to give the turian too much of an attitude. Once the torso is secured, she is quickly seated on the floor of the shuttle to affix her boots at a quicker pace.
Philip unbuckles and pulls his rifle out from where he stowed it, unfolding it and giving it a quick check to make sure he's good to go, before one hand returns to hold himself in place as the shuttle gets into position.
Celyna shifts her center of gravity, stance widening a little. Her eyes sweep across the exterior that starts to be exposed through the opening hatch, pistol left holstered on her hip.
Jason pulls his Revenant free from his back and grips the handhold tightly with one hand. Leah's report causes a sharp intake of air from him, eager to get boots on the ground to assist. He casts a glance back towards Vicky and Zaylus to check how she's doing with her gear. "Hate to cut this beautiful moment the two of you are sharing short, but you're gonna need to wrap it up quick!" he warns as the sound of distant gunshots are
07:01am (15m) Redrock's shuttle is 55 seconds out ((arrives next round)). The militia gunship is in range to fire on the roof and the shuttle, but is not doing so.
There is another blast coming from inside the apartment. It's not very strong, and there is no flash this time. It would be visible from outside as well even if the smoke is obscuring Sala's position. Thermal sensors would fail to pick her up against the (relatively) hot smoke and the dissipating heat from the explosive.
The batarian pulls back as he takes fire, but stumbles back out in the hallway at the blast from inside. He frantically shoots a not very accurate burst towards Leah's last known position while he regains his footing.
An asari's voice from a helmet speaker shouts inside the apartment. "Give up, Redrock! I'll shoot your asari if I have to!" There are sounds of an armored person being slammed into a wall inside, but the gunfire has ceased.
Jasper begins swinging the Kodiak around and the directional thrusters kick in to fine tune their approach, aiming to come in with their broadside towards the building for a quick disembark. They're still a bit too high to safely depart the shuttle, but they're rapidly descending as smoke from the rooftop billows up.
Leah presses her advantage, dipping a shoulder into the batarian's weaponside to keep him opened up and the dangerous end of his weapon away from her as shots ring out. Meanwhile, she presses her Predator right up against his abdomen to bypass his shields and fires a few shots into him. The batarian's heavy armor likely make the shots less effective in incapacitating him, but that's not the goal. They'll hopefully provide enough
concussive force to keep him unsteady and allowing her to sweep around on the ball of her foot, dig her pistol arm up under his gun arm, and use her momentum to execute a biotically enhanced shoulder throw, aiming to put him through the railing and on a nice (And hopefully painful) trip down to the bottom of the stairs. He doesn't need to be dead for her to make some forward progress, just out of the fight for a few moments.
Zaylus sneers, taking hold of a ceiling handle now that Vicky is seated by his feet. "Oh, is this a bad time?" He calls out. His hand goes to his Carnifex on his hip, but he seems to reconsider after a moment. Instead he extends the hand down to Vicky so she can take it and quickly get back on her feet once she's ready.
Victoria with her boots on good enough to not fall off her feet or lower legs, she grabs her helmet and places it on her head, with that the trimming of the armor pieces that she has on light up a faint red. Standing back up using Zaylus' hand to help her up and takes a wide stance to brace herself, Vicky grabs her Phaeston and loads a thermal clip into it with malicious intent.
Celyna 's gaze sweeps across the smoke-filled rooftop, trying to make out... well, anything. Not an easy feet with unaided eyes. Her body crackles with biotic energy, an indigo aura surrounding her, illuminating and distorting her form. It's obvious that she's rearing to go the moment they're close enough to the rooftop that she can make the jump.
Philip tenses, ready to get out of the seat the moment that the others start clearing out - since he's at the back, he's not about to get up now and crowd things further.
Jason activates his mag boots to steady himself so he can release the handhold, gripping his Revenant in both hands and shouldering it at a low ready as the smoke-filled rooftop nears. "Check your targets! We don't want V catching any strays!" he warns, raising his voice to be heard over the Kodiak's approach and the hell unfolding nearby.
Leah is successful in outmaneuvering the stumbling heavily-armored batarian and he groans as the shots do get through. The shoulder-throw also succeeds, but he does bump into the top of railing and doesn't get as far before falling down hitting the stairs. He loses his weapons and slides down the rest of the staircase, and is not getting up right away.
Wenera shouts, "Let me go." From inside the apartment, and the signature of an asari being carried is clearly visible on thermals as Sala runs for the shuttle. There's a strong biotic field around her. There is a second asari (full armor matching the batarian's) still inside the room that sends a biotic throw at Leah before she also goes to biotically jump up to the roof as well.
The hostile shuttle does have a windshield, but the inside is too dark to get a strong visual inside it. The windowless door to the side is still open, but Va'ynna is not visible from the approach angle. The pilot is clearly salarian, wearing white armor with a helmet that has a visor, but their face is not recognizable in the dark. It's at the edge of the smokes' range, so that is not obscuring the shuttle.
The Redrock shuttle is now arriving. Carolyn's sky-car changes course slightly as it gets closer, aiming for a neighboring two-story building to the south. The militia gunship stays put.
Jasper lines up the broadside of the Kodiak with the roof and continues his descent, doing his best to track what's going on outside. "Hard to make much out through the smoke but we definitely got movement in there! Looks like they might be makin' a run fer it!" he warns.
Leah presses up against the wall beside the apartment door, turning her head away from the incoming throw lest it kick up any debris. "Sounds like they're trying to retreat with Wenera." she reports. As she speaks, she leans over the railing, trying to get a bead on just how 'out of the fight' the batarian is. With the asari's threat lingering and little tactical awareness about what's going on topside, she draws in a heavy
breath. "At least one hostile remaining between me and Wenera and they're on to me and threatening to turn their weapons on the hostages if I press. How should I proceed?" she asks.
Celyna quickly decides that her best course of action is to go for the shuttle itself rather than the smoke-filled rooftop. The update from Leah about threats to the hostage is lost on her - as soon as the Kodiak is close enough, and before it gets too far she leaps out, using her biotics both to propel herself and to slow her fall a little as she lands on top of the back of the shuttle. The impact is still enough to knock the
wind out of her - she needed velocity to make the jump. As soon as she's recovered from the drop, she starts to violently tear into the area where the engine ought to be with her biotics, aiming to use proximity to bypass the vehicle's barriers and shred enough of the propulsion system to ground it.
Sala is able to feel Celyna's flight above her. She uses a field to push herself into the shuttle, and bumps into the far wall, and the doors start closing the moment she's through. "Gun it," Sala's voice can be heard from inside. The shuttle lurches forward while the doors are still closing, scraping against the roof before it gains enough height to clear the slight lip at the edge of it. It's facing west, so will pass in
front of the Redrock shuttle. The biotics' effect are visible on the surface of the engines, but has not done enough damage yet to disable them.
The other hostile asari emerges from the hole in the roof as the throw keeps Leah from going at her. She cloaks and starts running across the roof towards the east to keep the smoke cloud between her and Redrock's shuttle.
Inside the apartment, Natalie groans as she gets up from the ground, clutching her stomach. She is not wearing a helmet with her armor, and Leah probably recognizes her from the Respite if not the data that Redrock has on her. Natalie approaches the kitchen table, on which there's a only turned-off terminal. The visibility inside the apartment is not too bad despite the fact a lot of dust is kicked up and some of the smoke has
spilled down here. The couch and coffee table that may have been facing the door at one point has been pushed aside during the fight.
Celyna 's footing is suddenly swept out from under her as the shuttle takes off, a cry of "Motherfucking-SHIT!" heard over comms as she tries and fails to get a grip on the warped hull in time. She falls, and the shuttle's backblast sends her rolling across the roof, just barely managing to stop before the edge.
Jason is quick to report back to Leah. "Hold your position! We'll see what we can do from up here!" As Celyna disembarks, he cusses under his breath and watches through his visor as figures move through the smoke. He takes aim in an effort to cover Celyna, but it's just too risky to take any shots with Wenera in the fray.
Jasper continues to monitor the situation from the cockpit. His gaze travels across the front monitor as Sala Piros' shuttle crosses in front of them. But he pushes that lump down for now and focuses on the scanner. "Uhh-... one breakin' off! Usin' a cloakin' device! Got 'em on thermals headin' east!" he calls out over comms.
Jason finds himself forced to make a call once Sala Piros begins to beat a hasty retreat. "Are you fucking kidding me..." he mutters, wincing as Celyna goes skittering across the roof. He activates his own thermals as Jasper calls out the asari splitting from Sala Piros. "We got a runner!" he says, gesturing towards the smoke. "Zaylus! Celyna! Stay on their ass! You two are with me!" he barks, gesturing between Phil and Vicky,
presuming that asking Victoria to leave Sala Piros' scent is just an argument waiting to happen that they don't have time for.
Leah peers into the room. Upon spotting Natalie (And nobody else), Leah gestures her way. "Keep your head down!" she urges. Unfortunately she doesn't have an opportunity to secure Natalie with the batarian still in play. For better or worse, at least the apartment seems to be cleared of hostiles. Up to those on the roof to stop them now. Turning her focus back to the batarian, she mantles the railing and hops down, aiming to land
knee-first atop the batarian to press him back down against the stairs before he can get up. If successful she brings her blade to the soft spot between his helmet and collar and issue a warning. "It's over, hands our at your sides! I won't ask twice!"
Philip listens uneasily to the chatter, having little perception of what's going on from his position. Jason's orders are met with a firm nod when his gaze falls on him.
Victoria watching the screen play out in front of her, all Vicky can manage to do is pull a face of absolute hate. Victoria now holsters her rifle on her back and then continues with putting the rest of her armor on. "I’m gonna kill that bitch." The venom in her voice is heavy.
Zaylus has his Carnifex drawn and down, trying to keep track of the chaos on the roof. At Jason's order he leaps out, grunting as his feet hit the roof and he propels himself forward to give chase. He's focused entirely on tracking the cloaked target, assuming Celyna is hardy enough to get herself up. He won't take any shots as the smoke obscures the field and he's running hard for
Natalie groans as she stops by the table and turns the terminal on, not heeding Leah's advice. She seems to have a plan to what she's doing, but Leah doesn't stick around long enough to see it all.
The batarian grunts. "Okay, okay," he grumbles as he places his hands on the ground beside him. The weapon is hanging off the edge of a stair step about halfway up, and far from his reach. "You win."
The asari runner make it to the other side of the roof, and a biotic field envelops her as she floats over to the next building. The cloak is active, but her biotics can be felt for a while and she is still visible on thermals.
The smoke is starting to thin. It's not a great experience to breathe in if you're without a helmet, however.
The shuttle arcs right as it gains height, the doors now closed. Va'ynna was not visible through the door through the front viewport, but Wenera being set down by the still invisibile Sala was.
Jason draws in a heavy, frustrated breath of his own. He watches for just a moment as Zaylus disembarks before stepping away from the door. "Yeah, well... I'll rock, paper, scissors you for it." he mutters to Vicky as he steps over to the cockpit door abd gives the frame a few pounds to make sure he has Jasper's attention. "Stay with the shuttle, Jasper. Linda?" he continues over comms, "Piros took off before we could touch down.
We're in pursuit, but we're not gonna win any races in this thing. Can you touch base with the militia? See if they have any non-lethal options for grounding that thing once it leaves town? Make sure they know there's hostages onboard."
Jasper nods a few times to himself, hands already swiping and tapping at the Kodiak's interface. "I'll try an' stay as close as I can!" he announces and the Kodiak's doors begin to close. The directional thrusters shift, pushing the shuttle away from the building and causing it to list slightly before it begins its ascent and starts to pick up speed to pursue.
Leah eases up a bit, bringing the blade away from the batarian's throat but her pistol remains trained on him. She climbs off and begins to back up the stairs, using her boot to kick the weapon away and sending it clattering off the staircase. She steps back over him, positioning herself between him and the bottom of the stairs, and urges him to stand up with a gesture of her sidearm. "Come on. Up. Hands on your head." she
Celyna staggers to her feet with a groan and a cough, getting her bearings and straining to locate the cloaked runner, a hopeless endeavour, helmetless as she is, at least until the biotic field envelops her. "No you fucking don't..." she mutters hoarsely, rippling with biotic energy as she reaches out to yank the fleeing asari back hard.
Vasquez (Comms): Copy that, working on it. Fergus should have eyes soon. Will track them from here for as long as possible.
Victoria continues putting her armor on, deciding to finish up armoring up her legs first before her arms.
Zaylus stops running when it's clear he can't catch up, grounded as he is. With a clear field beyond his target however, he drops to a knee to steady a few shots from his pistol. It's a fairly long shot, aided by his helmet thermal but likely complicated by conflicting biotic fields from both asari.
Carolyn's sky-car opens up without setting down, and a dark-blue asari in black armor charges towards the shuttle. The shuttle ups the speed before that asari can get a foothold, and she is forced to charge back onto the roof two buildings North of the navpoint-building to catch her breath.
The shuttle is facing east when it starts accelerating quickly, and is gaining speed quite fast. The militia gunship keeps up for now and is tracking it. The pilot contacts the Redrock shuttle.
Celyna is partially successful, as the fields interfere enough to make her fall short of the next building. That does make Zaylus' shots miss. She manages to slow her fall enough to just be uncomfortable rather than dangerous, and she crawls a few steps before she gets to her feet. The cloak remains active.
The batarian looks at the weapon, but he complies quickly and stands up with his hands on his head. He sounds a bit pained as he does, but he keeps his hands where they are as he ascends the staircase. He does not say anything.
Jasper does what he can to follow behind the shuttle, but their brick is no match for the sleeker shuttle's pace. The asari's attempt to board the moving shuttle garners a curious glance as he wonders just what she was hoping to accomplish, but little more. "Militia gunship is hailin' us." he announces as he follows in the wake of Sala Piros.
Jason hurries into the cockpit, one hand resting against the back of Jasper's chair. He shoots the pilot a nod and, once Jasper accepts the gunship's request to open a line, he leans in a bit. "This is Jason Wolfe with Redrock." he introduces as he watches the gap between their Kodiak and Piros' shuttle widen.
Leah reattaches her blade to her chestplate and reaches down with her free hand, fishing for some zipties from one of the pouches on her belt. She waits until he reaches the top of the staircase before gripping him by the wrist and pulling his hands back behind him. Given his armor, it's probably not the most comfortable thing, but comfort isn't really in the cards for him at this point. Assuming he doesn't try anything, she
secures his hands and nudges him forward, sheparding him back towards the apartment so she can check on Natalie. "How are things going out there? I've got one of Piros' people here, secured and ready for pickup when things quiet down." she reports.
The runner is on the ground near the wall of the opposite building, the fall was straight down. There is no no soft snow where she landed as it had been cleared and the last few days' mild weather hasn't provided any fresh snow.
Victoria finishes with her right leg plating, she gives everything on her right leg a quick jostle to make sure everything is secured and in place. She starts working on her left leg plating. Fixing her armor at the moment was the only thing keeping her focused.
Celyna focuses entirely on keeping track of the falling asari, the faint biotic flareup as she lands helping her lock in. With the runner already starting to move she doesn't have a whole lot of options - time to pull out the big guns. She reaches out with both hands, fingers arching and arms shaking as if struggling to grip something large and unsteady. The air around her distorts with a biotic glow, and down below, a spot of
unnatural black flickers to life, growing and distorting the light around it as gravity shifts, pulling anything down below in towards the violent maelstrom of distorted reality and destruction.
Zaylus hisses, holding his fire as the cloaked asari falls to the ground. Peering over the edge he levels his weapon again but doesn't fire, cognizant the biotic distortions will likely thwart him again. Besides, whatever Celyna is manifesting looks promising, so he watches and waits to see how it pans out.
Philip briefly considers asking if Victoria needs any help, but quickly changes his mind. When Leah's question comes through he activates his comms on realizing that no one else seems to have time to respond. "Uhhh... this is Phil. They got away. We're trying to catch them. There was one left on the roof, Zaylus and, uh... Celyna, are on it."
Natalie is sitting down on the floor behind the kitchen table, and she looks up at Leah as she enters. Her wound looks quite bad even if the armor's squish-skin has done well to buy her time. The terminal shows just a single program with a text-scroll, but the line with large font at the bottom reads: 'Message Acknowledged'
(Shuttle Comms) "Jensen, milita," an older human woman's voice replies. "Arius just told me to contact you. The shuttle's in my sights, but there's reports of hostages onboard. Confirm?" She is transmitting the tracking data.
The batarian grunts at the discomfort, but he is successfully restrained. "I'll cooperate, but you're wasting time on me," he says. "I never met Piros myself." They reach the apartment.
The runner's cloak fails as she gets pulled into the singularity, and just as up becomes down, left and sometimes right, the unstable field also keeps her from trying to use her own biotics to remedy the situation. She draws her weapon and manages to hold onto it, but is unable to aim.
Celyna gains a satisfied, albeit strained grin. With the singularity having served its purpose, she maintains it only long enough for the asari to be floating underneath the dark energy sphere, and then... she detonates it, collapsing the field in on itself with an explosive reaction, aiming to propel the captured runner into the ground hard enough to make sure she's not getting away. Hopefully it knocks her out or breaks some
Leah nods to herself as Phil updates her and is quick to reply: "Copy. I'll stay at the apartment with our new friend for now. Let me know when pickup is on its way." She rolls her eyes as the batarian speaks, nudging him forward once more to keep him moving. "Put your life on the line for someone you've never met." she tsks, "You sound like a real smart guy. Hope it's not gonna blow your mind to hear that she ran off and left
you behind." she muses as they enter the apartment, not all that invested in having a conversation with the man. As a matter of fact, when she notices Natalie's state, she doesn't even bother waiting for a response from the batarian. "Shit..." she mutters, retrieving another tie from her belt and roughly jerking the batarian over to whatever semi-permanent structure she can strap him to so he can't take off or try anything
Jason nods a few times despite the pilots inability to see him. "Yeah-... that's right." he confirms. "At least two." he adds, unwilling to make any assumptions at this point. Could be a hostage clown car for all he knows. "If we're gonna bring it down, we need a way to set it down gently. You got anything that can do the job...?"
Victoria upon hearing Phil’s words, Vicky was reigning herself in as best as she could in this situation to not blow up at Phil or anyone else in the shuttle. Listening to Jason’s conversation with the Militia’s pilot did bring her some hope in this dark situation. They might be the only thing that could ground the shuttle with little to no damage. She starts putting the armor
Zaylus relaxes his aim, growing increasingly convinced Celyna has it covered as the scene unfolds below. Hearing his name mentioned on the comms he remembers they're alone on the roof now and chimes in to update, "Our runner made it down to the ground, but it looks like D'Kira has her stopped." One way of putting it.
Philip turns his focus to listening to Jason's conversation with the militia, as well as the ongoing radio chatter.
The gunship keeps trailing on the hostile shuttle's eight, even as it keeps accelerating. It's going to be out of the outskirts in just a minute at this pace, and Freedom Falls' territory not long after that. The pilot sighs. "No, I've got nothing non-lethal," she says. "The scan shows the eezo core right up against main propulsion, and a missed shot will definitely cut clean through the hull."
The runner has a very bad time when the singularity detonates, and she slams into the ground with a worrisome sound that confirms that bones have been broken. She does not move. The gun skids into the middle of the road.
The fighting inside has torn some wall panels, one near the door revealing a convenient sturdy-looking vertical metal pipe. He does not put up a fight as he is restrained to it. "I wasn't supposed to go with her," he simply says in response.
Celyna 's grin widens briefly, her arms lowering as she drops to her knees on the edge of the roof. "Gotcha, bitch," she mutters, remaining where she is for the moment to catch her breath.
Jason bites down, his eyes scanning back and forth across the Kodiak's interface as he tries to come up with something, anything, to keep them in the fight. He mutes comms to the gunship, mouth opening as he turns to Jasper, as if to say something but nothing comes. Frustration quickly turns to sheer anger as he realizes they've got no plays left. There's no chance of them catching up to Piros' shuttle. And with Va'ynna and
Wenera inside, shooting it down just isn't an option. Even if they were able to land a clean hit, there's no way to ensure the hostages survive the crash. He's out of the fight before it even started. That realization is enough to cause the walls he was holding up to come tumbling down. You promised her. You told her you wouldn't let anything happen to her. "Fuck!" he growls, swiveling around and
aiming a trio of punches at the cockpit's back wall that reverberates throughout the crew compartment on the other side. He seems to catch himself just a bit too late and his hands drop to his hips, gaze turning downward for a moment, trying to cling onto whatever composure he can salvage. Deep breath. We've got at least one of their people. Maybe two. They might know something. We've got
options. He nods to himself and turns back to the console, reaching out to reopen the comms channel, pointedly avoiding looking Jasper's way. "Understood..." he says. "Do what you can to track their movements, but don't risk the shot. I'm-... uhh-... not sure what options you've got, but anything that might give us an idea of where they're headed would be helpful."
Jasper shrinks a little in his seat, unable to resist feeling like he fucked up as his boss nearly has a meltdown beside him.
Leah secures the batarian to the pipe and hurries to Natalie's side, fishing a canister of medi-gel from her belt as she does. "We've got wounded in the apartment." she reports, "I'm gonna need medical ASAP, Chief!" Clear and concise. The details can wait. Dropping to a knee beside the woman, she does her best to assess the damage. "Gunshot?" she asks, green eyes seeking out the woman's.
Victoria | "See if anyone of those cunts you got know about a rally point or if they know where Sala is going?" She states over the comms. She wanted to add that if they have nothing, put a bullet in their skulls. She finishes up with her left arm and starts to move to her right arm, however once she starts hearing Jason break she stops completely. She opens her omni-tool and starts
sending a message to Austin, telling him to get enough done to the Siren’s Call to let her get airborne and ready to hunt. After sending the message she slams her fist into the side of the kodiak.
Zaylus reflexively makes an 'oof' sound at the singularities violent conclusion, followed by a dry laugh. "Didn't get far." He remarks, straightening up and turning away from the ledge. And again they're stuck awaiting pickup, far more marooned than last time. He can't help the injured party in the apartment, so he moves closer to Celyna. "Alright?"
Philip flinches as Jason starts hitting the wall, wide-eyed and startled. There's not a peep from him, especially not after Victoria does the same.