January 22, 2186. It's late afternoon when a message notifies Jason and Ilyna that Vasquez is about to return from receiving the Jack of Diamonds from its salvage trip to Aroste. More importantly, and surprisingly, the message specifies that she is bringing Ehanis with her. It's only ten minutes or so later that Elena drives the salvaged APC from Jelvan's base into Redrock's garage, giving Jasper a rundown of the results of her
#RedrockAgency – September 23, 2026
diagnostics during the flight to Freedom Falls. She seems eager for a project, volunteering to help tune it up, re-paint it, whatever else may be needed. A few minutes after that, Vasquez' truck rolls into the parking lot and, after it comes to a stop and the lights go dark, Vasquez herself steps out, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her fleece-lined camo jacket to protect them from the cold. Her pants are her favorite, in the same
gray camo pattern as the jacket, and accompanied, naturally, by her combat boots, as well as the holster that holds her sidearm.
Jasper is stood over by his workbench, going over the readouts with Elena and knee deep in a brainstorming session regarding plans for the APC. "...Ten'll prolly wanna get a turret on this sucker." he muses with a fond snicker, casting an appraising glance across the hangar towards the vehicle with a nod. "Reckon we'll need to see what sorta budget we got ta work with 'fore we go makin' any real plans, though."
Jason was already in the hangar by the time Elena arrived, Vasquez's unexpected message having kicked him into gear. He's dressed in his usual work attire: Black boots and cargo pants and a long-sleeved shite shirt. In order to keep his mind off of the possibility that Ehanis might just be a stain in the passenger's side seat by the time they arrive, he's busied himself with the APC as well. He tuned out Jasper and Elena's nearby
conversation several minutes ago, however, the technical jargon having gone right over his head and turned into a dull droning as he examined the vehicle. But as he lingers beside the vehicle, one hand keeping him propped up as he stands atop one of the oversized tires, one word seems to cut through all the noise. Turret. "Ilike the shounda that!" he calls out with a mouth full of beef jerky, casting a glance back
Jasper furrows his brow when Jason chimes in, having seemingly forgotten he was even there. "Wha...?" he calls back in confusion.
Jason hurriedly ups his chewing, his face contorting into discomfort as he swallows hard and takes a moment to poke at his back teeth with his tongue to dislodge some rogue jerky. "Turret!" he clarifies, big smile crossing his features as he gives an exaggerated nod of his head. "I like the sound of that!" he repeats.
Ehanis exits the truck with a sigh, but says nothing and tries not to show how little excitement she has about being here. She does grab her bag out of the truck bed on her way. She is not eager, so she waits for Vasquez to lead the way. She is still keeping her helmet on, but the holstered Phalanx has been put away in the travel bag.
Ilyna was with Li negotiating on what to have for dinner the next few days as she was about to head out to get groceries before coming back for her. The message came as a surprise to her in the middle of that, causing a mix of excitement and concern as she told Li that Ehanis is coming for a meeting (presumably). Ilyna is currently in the lobby, looking through the window at the arriving truck. She's wearing her
typical gray casual dress. There is a bit of discomfort both about the possible reasons for Ehanis' presence, and her still unresolved tension with Vasquez.
Vasquez nods in the direction of the building. "Come on, get moving. Little late to try and worm your way out of this," she says, taking a few steps and glancing to make sure that she's actually coming.
Li has climbed onto one of the benches to look out the window, hand pressed against the glass as she watches Vasquez and the armored figure.
Elena lets out a snort from next to Jasper. "Chew before you speak, man. Gonna die chokin'," she calls over her shoulder before cracking a grin. "But fuck yeah, should rig up something with remote control and a sentry mode, like my baby," she suggests, bringing up the schematics for the heavy-duty deployable sentry-turret that defended the Jack from the Collectors two months ago.
Jasper blinks, offering a few placating nods to Jason's enthusiasm before turning his focus to Elena's schematics.
Jason's smile slips a bit at the combination of Jasper's disregard and Elena's jab. He gives one last scan across the roof of the APC before hopping off the tire, the recent flashes of headlights visible through the hangar's shielding and the muffled sound of distant car doors closing informing him that they've probably arrived. "It's jerky!" he exclaims to Elena as he starts towards the door, as if that exonerates him from any
Ehanis starts walking towards the door. She snorts as Vasquez' words and replies, "I'm not that crazy." She casts a glance at the window where she sees both Li and Ilyna and there is a small smile showing up. She does take off her helmet as they approach the entrance door, not wanting to look like a stranger to the people in the lobby. There was a glance towards the road as she did, however.
Ilyna might not have recognized her as easily if not for the message saying who it is, but the helmet coming off causes her face to light up; the excitement pushing out the other concerns for now. She doesn't even admonish Li for leaving fingerprints on the window pane. She steps back and head over to open the door. "Ehanis!" she says and walks up to hug her, murmuring. "I can barely believe you're back." She doesn't
Ehanis sighs at the hug stopping her, but she returns it. "Come on, couldn't you have waited for me to get inside?" she says. "We'll have time to catch up later."
Vasquez comes to a stop as Ilyna rushes out to hug her sister, expression softening a little as she watches them.
Li wastes little time in following Ilyna out the door, although she grows more apprehensive as she starts to get closer to the hugging asari, hands held close to her chest as she waits to be noticed a little behind Ilyna, leaned a little to the side to study Ehanis.
Elena shakes her head to herself and expands the hologram, starting to go over the kind of options that are made possible by a turret hooked up to the APCs power supply. A whole lot more firepower than her backpack-portable piece of hardware. Of course, the more extreme options would probably drain said power pretty quick.
Jasper studies the expanded hologram, brows pinching together. After a few moments he lets out a loud whistle. "You design this yerself...?" he asks.
Jason makes his way down the hall towards the sound of muffled chatter just around the corner. He reaches the lobby just in time to catch the touching family reunion, causing a soft smile to spread across his face. Not wanting to interrupt, he opts to remain inside, taking a half-seated position at the corner of the reception desk as he waits for everyone to enter.
Ilyna lets go of Ehanis after giving a doubtful hum at that statement. "I'll hold you to that," she says as she reaches out to silently offer to take her helmet and bag. "I'm just glad that you're back."
Ehanis doesn't doubt her first statement at all, but she does take her offer and hands over her luggage. Her expression has softened as while she has complicated feelings about her sister, she is happy to see her. Or maybe it's because she has noticed Li is just behind Ilyna. "Just let me clean up yesterday's mess first, okay?" Ehanis steps around Ilyna and towards Li, crouching down while leaving a little bit of
space between them. When she last saw Li was right after the kidnapping and the harrowing rescue that followed, so she feels the need to be a bit cautious despite the reports from Ilyna that she is doing better these days. "Guess who I'm most excited to see again?" she asks, looking at Li. "Hey Li."
Ilyna does takes a step aside, but she stays outside for now holding Ehanis' bag and helmet. She nods to Jason.
Li is quick to close the distance once Ehanis crouches down, arms wrapping around the asari in a hug. "Hi Hannis!"
Vasquez glances down at Ehanis and Li, one corner of her mouth quirking upward slightly for the briefest of moments. She gives it a moment, letting her gaze sweep across the parking lot, before speaking. "Alright, take this inside. Let's get out of the cold."
Elena snickers quietly and offers a dismissive shrug. "Just some quick mockups. Can flesh 'em out dependin' on what we can get our hands on. Did some work on armor back in the Alliance."
Jasper seems genuinely impressed, his focus fixed on the schematics. "Gonna have to figure out our-..." he trails off briefly as he reaches over to slide one of the nearby datapads in front of him and quickly pulls up the diagnostics Elena shared, "...uhh, power situation." he trails off as he studies the readouts, the wheels already turning.
Jason returns Ilyna's nod with one of his own before Li's sudden attack draws a snicker out of him. There's no denying that Ehanis has stirred up her fair share of trouble over the past couple of months. And they didn't exactly have the most cheerful of reunions in Aroste. But right now it's just nice to see Ilyna and Li get a little peace of mind. He finds himself seeking out Vasquez beyond the group congregating just outside the
Ilyna nods in agreement to Vasquez. "Yeah, let's get inside," she says and walks into the lobby, content now that Li's previous caution appears to be gone. Ilyna stops a few steps inside, waiting for the others.
Ehanis smiles happily as she gently returns the hug. "It's really good to see you again," she says softly. Vasquez urging them to get inside makes her chuckle. "We could not stand outside like this where I lived without freezing solid." She considers lifting Li to carry her inside, but decides against it, instead giving her a soft nudge to get inside. "I can tell you all about it later."
Li looks curious, but doesn't pepper Ehanis with questions just yet. She takes hold of her hand once the hug ends, tugging her along as she leads the way into the base.
Vasquez allows the smile that almost made itself known a moment earlier to manifest just a little more as her gaze meets Jason's. She starts to head inside after a quick glance to her omni-tool to double check that the truck is locked. Not that there's a lot of people that would be stupid enough to try and steal from the most heavily armed group in town.
Jason remains half-seated at the edge of the reception counter, watching Ehanis as she enters. "Gotta be honest, I really thought I had a shot at that 'most excited to see' title." he teases before relenting with an exaggerated sigh. "But I guess there's stiff competition..." he continues, shooting a glance to Li, "...so I'll try not to take it too personally." There's a brief pause, his smile slipping somewhat as some
of that cautious discomfort shows through, no doubt lingering from their most recent encounter. "Welcome back, Ehanis."
Ehanis stands up quickly to avoid being toppled and follows right behind Li inside. Jason's comment does bring a smirk forward for a moment as she replies, "Different league." Her smile starts to fade as it's clear the happy reunion is about to give way for the less happy reunion she is really here for.
Ilyna laughs softly at Jason's comment as she passes by him to leave Ehanis' things behind the receptionist's desk.
Vasquez is the last one in, the door sliding closed behind her, once again cutting the base of from the winter chill outside. Her gaze flicks to Ilyna, trying to catch her attention just long enough to convey... something. It's hard to say what exactly, but she seems pleased to see her spirits lifted.
Jason snorts as Ehanis hits him with the killshot. He lets out a long sigh before reaching out to briefly rustle Li's hair. "Fair." He concedes, pushing himself up from his makeshift seat and giving a roll of his shoulders. It looks like he wants to ask something, but he holds his tongue for now. Likely due to Li's presence. Instead, he simply glances Vasquez' way.
Ehanis looks down at Li after seeing where Ilyna put her things, her smile returning briefly as she nods. "Oh? I'd love to see it, but I need to have a work meeting first." She does know it's an interrogation, but Li probably doesn't.