January 21, 8:00pm -- The shuttles have made their way out of Derrai's claimed airspace and are a more than halfway to Freedom Falls. The weather here is a lot less harsh, making the flight smoother and quieter.
#Aroste – May 20, 2026
Va'ynna is still in the copilot's seat, looking over the readouts with a distant look on her face. She's stayed there even if the cold and rain that previously occupied the main compartment is long gone.
Uvena has packed away the weapons and slowly pared down the armor as they got further from Aroste in order to get more comfortable. She tried to get some rest after a tense flight followed by a long battle, but she's currently awake.
Jason has also attempted to get some shut-eye with little success and, soon enough, his entrance into the cockpit is announced by the sound of the cockpit door sliding open. Aside from a brief checkup when they took off, he's remained in the crew compartment, well aware that after a day like this Va'ynna could probably use some time to recover without prying eyes and questions. He's geared down, all nonessential plating like pauldrons,
gauntlets, and thigh plating removed from his undersuit. He offers a dip of his head in greeting before shutting the door behind him. "Hey..." he says, a few rapid blinks probably giving away his attempt at resting, "...how are we looking?"
Victoria has mostly been focused on flying the shuttle, but has occasionally been looking over at Va'ynna. She hasn't been gotten a chance to rest or strip down pieces of her armor, apart from her helmet she taken off earlier. Once the cockpit's door opens, she turns her head enough to see Jason enter and turns her attention back to the controls. "Flight wise? Everything is looking good, be
Uvena looks up at the doorway into the cockpit as Jason enters, but she remains seated for now and takes another attempt at getting a nap in. She and Va'ynna will have time to catch up later.
Va'ynna turns in her seat towards Jason as he enters and looks up to him, but she defers to Victoria to answer his question. "Hey," she says quietly.
Jason offers Victoria a few nods, gaze turning towards the view through the front of the Kodiak as he passes behind the seat closest to the door and takes up a position between the seats. "You two mind a little company...?" he asks, idly fidgeting with a few tubes of nutrient paste in his left hand.
Victoria gives a shrug in her seat. "It doesn't bother me." She turns her head slightly towards Va'ynna still keeping an eye on the shuttle's readout, she lets Va'ynna have the final call on if she is ready to talk to anyone else.
Va'ynna looks a bit hesitant as she looks up at Jason, but nods softly. "That's... okay, I don't mind," she says flatly. "It's been a long few hours."
Jason takes a seat on the divider between the seats with a tired grunt when Vicky and Va'ynna give the okay, hazarding a quick glance at the console to ensure he won't be bumping anything important before using it as a makeshift backrest. "Appreciate it, because things are not very lively back there. Just a bunch of old party poopers out past their bedtime." he jokes despite having been one of those 'party poopers' mere moments ago. A
fact that's reflected by the case of upright-napping-shuttle-bed-head he's got going on that's flattening the back portion of his hair. Propping up a lopsided smirk, he underhands one of the three nutrient paste tubes he's holding onto into Victoria's lap. Taking a second one between his thumb and index finger, he extends the tube out towards Va'ynna in a silent offer. "Cherry Charm." he announces the flavor with a wiggle of his
Victoria grabs the paste that landed in her lap and examines it, she pulls a face when seeing it is cherry. "Cherry? Why do you have the worst flavour of all paste?" A joking tone in her voice, but she holds onto the tube for now.
Va'ynna gives a brief small smile at the status out back. "It's... not any more lively here," she says. She takes the offered paste with a soft nod. "Thank you," she says quietly after taking it, but doesn't really seem too interested in it right now. She looks a bit hesitant as she continues speaking, "I've just been... thinking about what happened.... It still doesn't feel real."
Jason scoffs, shooting a glare Victoria's way, though his desire to defend Cherry Charm's honor fades when Va'ynna continues. He offers a few nods, expression growing a bit somber and he brings one boot up onto the divider in an attempt at getting more comfortable. "I-... uhh-... Yeah..." he stammers with a sigh, shooting a sympathetic glance Va'ynna's way. "I'm sorry, V."
Victoria falls silent as Va'ynna starts to talk more, her eyes moving to the read out of the shuttle console. She had her own feelings about the events of today, but that wasn't for Jason to hear.
Va'ynna frowns and nods softly. "I don't... know how you two do it," she says, looking up between Jason and Victoria. "Going into situations more... terrifying than this... every job, and-.... Maybe... if I could fight back...." She shakes her head slightly as she speaks, not believing that hypothetical herself. She looks down at the nutrient paste, turning it over in her hand, but she doesn't really read the label.
Jason falls silent, gaze low as he listens. Truth be told, it's something he's been considering a lot more lately himself. Normal people don't do what they do. They don't run head first into dangerous situations. But, between his time serving in the Alliance and then freelance work on Omega and now Redrock, at some point it just became a part of his life. One that he bears more than a few scars as a result of. Anything can become
normalized if you do it enough but, with the baby on the way, it all somehow feels... heavier. Irresponsible even. The thought causes him to draw in a heavy breath. "It's a whole lot easier to do when someone you care about is in danger." he offers, propping his smile back up as best as he can and dismissing his own thoughts. Her suggestion garners a shrug. "Is that something you want?" he asks. "To learn how to defend
yourself...?" he clarifies, seeming to have more faith in the asari's potential than she does. "We could make that happen if you think it would help." he adds, passing a brief glance Victoria's way as if to gauge her thoughts on it.
Victoria remains silent letting Va'ynna go through with her hypothetical, she could answer how she is able to do what she does but feels like her answer would turn the mood even darker. She opts to remain silent for now until Jason asks if Va'ynna would like to defend herself. "It is your choice, if you want to or not."
Va'ynna looks back up at him as he listens, a hint of guilt as his motivation for fighting today comes up, but at the offer she shakes her head again, though it is hesitant. "Do you... really think it would help?" she says, and glances at Victoria who has seen her at the range. "What good is training if I'll just... freeze up when I need it?"
Jason seems to weigh the question for a moment before responding. "Would it help in a situation like today...?" he begins, offering a small shrug to his own question. The truth is all the training in the world may not have changed how things went down today. She was ambushed. Caught off guard and left with little recourse. "I don't know, V. But knowing how to handle yourself might make you feel a little more secure, right? Help you
to-..." he draws in a breath, shaking his head slightly as he tries to find the right words, "...assess a situation? See what your options are?" Not feel so helpless. That's the phrase he's trying to avoid. Because she's not helpless. But it's become clear from their previous conversations that she's convinced herself that she is. That all of this is inevitable- out of her hands- and it's only a matter of time before it
Victoria | "You wouldn't have to use a gun. You could train your biotics so you could push or throw someone far enough away from you, to give yourself a chance to run." She adds, thinking that tactic might be something Va'ynna would be more comfortable with.
Va'ynna closes her eyes and tries to think back to this morning. "No, I... I don't believe it would this morning, but... maybe in other situations," she says, growing a bit uncomfortable as thinking back also brings to the fore the fear she felt, "maybe I could... have helped Victoria, but... what would you do if I... held her in stasis for a few seconds?" Her eyes move from Jason to Victoria. "What if I... instead... put
Jason dips his head Victoria's way, indicating that he agrees with that suggestion by gesturing to her with his tube of Cherry Charm. But as Va'ynna continues and that natural tendency to lean into her worries shows up, he looks back to her. "That's where the training comes in, right?" he offers, his fingers beginning to work the cap off his tube of nutrient paste. "Knowing when to not do something is just as important."
Victoria goes to open her mouth at first before she decides to rethink her words before she speaks. "Jason is right, training would help you know when to and when not to get involved." She stops another moment before speaking again. "Yeah, I might've gotten into more risk or I could've been safer. But what if me or Jason ain't there? That training could help you." She was trying to add positives
Va'ynna looks a bit uncomfortable at the thought of neither of them being there; which includes much of today. "I... I don't want to think about that," she says, then there is a brief pause and a faint nod. "I... I'll think about it. It... wouldn't make things worse to know... all that, at least." She sighs and looks down again at the cherry paste.
Jason gives a nod. "If you decide that it's not for you, then-..." he shrugs. "...it's not for you. No big deal. But the offer is on the table." he continues, hoping to make it clear that the decision is hers and he's not going to be upset regardless of her choice. Content to leave it at that, he takes a quick squeeze of nutrient paste into his mouth and shoots another look to Victoria, brows pinching together as he nods wordlessly, as
if to further emphasize just how mm-mm-finger-lickin' good it is. "Best damn snotpaste in the galaxy." he brags, flashing a big smile her way.
Victoria keeps half of her attention on Va'ynna and nods at her. "That's all we ask." She is happy to leave this conversation where it is for now. She shoots a look of disgust at Jason enjoying the cherry flavour nutrient paste. "Nah, banana or vanilla are way better."
Va'ynna uncaps the paste and squeezes a pea-sized dot of it on her finger, curious despite not showing any amusement at the debate going on between the other two. She tries the small bit of it and tilts her head in thought as she takes in the unfamiliar flavor, grimacing a bit. "It's... not bad," she says, with the same even tone as before. "I preferred the more salty and... spiced pastes when I... needed to make credits
Jason looks Va'ynna's way, betrayal written on his face. "Not bad?" he repeats with an exaggerated scoff, as if she may as well have called it disgusting. "Back when I served on the Beirut? This stuff was as good as credits, I'll have you know!" he says, giving the tube a small wiggle for emphasis. "Trade value was through the roof. I used to stockpile 'em in my locker." The memory draws a more sincere smile out of him as he
Victoria tosses the tube back at Jason. "See, told you it was the worst. You must of pissed off your supplier to get cherry." She gives a shrug. "I plan on getting some proper food once we are back home. I can hold off until we get home."
Va'ynna looks up at Jason as he reacts to her appraisal, appearing a bit guilty as she looks back down at it while she listens to him talking about the value it had on the Beirut; she doesn't show much reaction to it. "I don't... dislike it, it's just a flavor I haven't tried before," she says and puts the cap back on the tube. "I'm keeping it, though."
Jason jolts up a bit to catch the tube, leveling a scowl on Victoria. "Ordered these from a supplier back on Earth." he says, lifting the tube slightly. "Took me forever to find someone offering the same ones we had back in the Alliance. I'm telling you, Vicky, this is the good stuff!" he argues. When Va'ynna speaks back up he snickers and the smile that slips out makes it clear that he's not taking it seriously. With a shake of his
Victoria just shakes her head at Jason. "Nah, not for me. You can keep that paste all for yourself." Her attention shifts back to her console to make sure their flight is going as expected. "Anyway, as I said I plan on getting something greesy and not good for me. Followed up by something sweet."
Va'ynna looks a bit less guilty when Jason indicates that he was joking, looking back up to him slightly surprised about that he went through such an effort to get it out here. She doesn't say anything about that, though, letting Victoria argue her stance on her own. "It'll be late when we get back," she reminds Victoria.
Jason takes another squeeze of the Cherry Charm and silently studies the label as Victoria speaks. The mention of something greasey makes his stomach growl. Real food. Food that isn't of a questionable consistency and slurped out of a toothpaste tube. It's been a long day without a real meal. "Ya know what? You're right, this shit sucks." he concedes with a sigh, shifting restlessly against the console as he unceremoniously drops the
Victoria slowly raises her head after realising the time of day after Va'ynna mentions it. "Fuck." She thinks for a moment. "I wonder if I sent Austin a message, if he could pick something up for us now and we can reheat it later." She is mostly just thinking out loud.
Va'ynna nods in slight agreement to Jason about the quality. "It's... never a first choice," she says softly about it. She stares at Victoria for a moment before sighing. "I meant, it'll be... too close to bedtime for such food, Victoria," she says, just sounding exhausted, "but... I won't stop you."
Jason looks to Victoria and gives a small shrug at Va'ynna's assessment, seemingly of the mind that it's never too late for a burger, but he remains silent, slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Victoria slowly turns her head towards Va'ynna with a smile on her face. "But food coma, you could have some fries. Salty, salty, fries." She believes the temptation of fries would be enough to convince Va'ynna.
Va'ynna gives a small shake of her head at first as the attempt at tempting her doesn't seem to land. "Maybe... one, or two," she says, "but... it'll be so late when I'm... done at the hospital." That is, if they'll let her go home after the checkup and medi-gel cleanup.
Jason lets out a sigh as Va'ynna's weariness serves as a strong reminder of how long the day has been. And it's not over yet. The pair's back-and-forth causes his smile to fortify a bit, but it quickly fades away. "I-... uhh-..." he stammers, bringing a hand up to run through his hair, "...don't want to ruin the mood, but I feel like there's a few things we should talk about if you're feeling up to it...?" he asks, shooting an apologetic
Victoria lets out a defeated sigh. "Your right. I'll have to drop you and your mother off to get that checkup done." She turns to look at Jason. "You think Jasper could drop... right, should talk about that." Her focus goes back to the shuttle's console.
Va'ynna looks quite uncomfortable as Jason wants to talk with her about today, and her first instinct would be to say no and return to distracting herself with dinner plans. That would be short-lived, as she'd soon be left with her own thoughts again. "I'm... really not, but... I suppose we should," she says softly.
Jason draws in a deep breath, offering a small nod of understanding. "Yeah... I get that..." he offers softly, gaze traveling to his boots for a moment as he sorts through his thoughts. "I'll try to make this quick." he begins, his attention shifting back to the asari. "Got some good news and some bad news. The good news? Jelvan and Piros?" he shakes his head. "They're not gonna be a problem anymore." he informs and, while he doesn't
outright say they're dead, it's probably the logical conclusion. "The bad news? Well, for starters Rellis is still out there and, unfortunately, it sounds like he's not even the top of the totem poll. We also still don't have much to go on when it comes to the why of it all." he admits, frown forming. "Hopefully we'll find something on the omni-tools we collected but, other than that-..." he shrugs, trying not to let his own
frustration over it all show through, "...we're still mostly in the dark. Jelvan didn't seem to know much."
Victoria is mostly focussed on the control panel in front of her, listening to Jason explain what he knows. Vicky lets out an annoyed breath. "Fuck."
Va'ynna nods at the good news, not showing much of a reaction beyond then even if the implication is clear to her. The rest of the bad news makes her heart sink, as well. "This isn't over, then," she voices her conclusion. "And we don't know why. I... I hoped-...." She takes a slow deep breath to try calm herself.
Jason's gaze drops once more and all he can do is offer a few slow nods. "Yeah..." he mutters quietly. A short silence follows before he continues, looking back to Va'ynna. "Seemed like you weren't the primary target today. Like Piros went off-script. At least according to Jelvan. So either the salarian is an idiot and really had no idea why you're being targeted, or was lying through his teeth. I wouldn't count out either option at this
point. But-... Wenera did mention something that caught my attention. She said that when Piros melded with her, she could tell that Piros was angry at someone tied to you." He lets that linger in the air for a moment before offering a shrug, "...You think this could all be about someone that has beef with Nari?" he asks hesitantly. "I'd imagine someone in a position like hers wouldn't have trouble making enemies. And, I
mean-... it would explain why she sent you away. Maybe she thought she was-..." he sighs, shoulders rising as he draws in a breath and offers a shake of his head, "...I don't know, getting you out of the line of fire...?"
Va'ynna listens to what he says thoughtfully, closing her eyes for a moment as she thinks back to the time. "She admitted to lying to me yesterday about me being in danger," she says, repeating what she told Jason then, "but... maybe the truth wasn't as far from it as I thought." She shakes her head. "I... I don't know, she led Uvena here, so... it's possible she's... involved." That potential answer to explain her role in
Jason falls quiet once more, unsure of what to say. Moments pass but, eventually, he reaches over to place a hand over Va'ynna's arm and offer a few comforting pats. "We're gonna figure this out, V." he offers simply. And, while he might not know exactly how that's going to happen, it's no less of a sincere promise.
Victoria keeps herself silent for now, she doesn't have anything to add that would help the situation and decides that being silent would be the better choice for now.