[ME-Privateer] In The Black (Ursus Peregrinus & Atroxa)

“I'll be sure not to mention my Asari conspiracy theories to him then,” She laughed a little, but shrugged as he mentioned her being a pilot, and that pilots tended to crave an adrenaline rush. “I do, don't get me wrong, over the years I've definitely come to the conclusion that you have to be at least a little insane to be a pilot,” she chuckled, thinking of a few of the pilots she'd known during her career, all of them had been weird in one way or another. They were a quirky bunch for sure, and Artemis was no difference. “But unlike most of my peers, I don't seek out near death experiences,” her smile faltered a little, “Half the people I graduated from flight school with are dead. Not from dog fights or crashes, though the Battle of the Citadel definitely did some of them in.” She watched the objects floating around her, watching him slice the apple, “Most of them died chasing that high, doing stupid shit just to get their fix.”

She shook her head a little, disliking the slightly depressing turn that conversation had suddenly taken and put her hands up to take the apple out of the air, picking out a slice and popping it into her mouth, chewing quietly. “So, are you going to tell me what's got you so riled up? Or should I mind my own business?” Artemis asked him around a mouth full of apple. Her tone was frank and the look she gave him was expectant. It was obvious something was on his mind and while she knew he would likely just tell her it was none of her concern, she figured she'd ask anyway. He'd been stalking around the room like he was on stims or something.
 
~~Tahlyn Varro~~

The Turian looked at her and smirked.
"Don't you? But you signed on with me. That's got to be at least a little crazy. After all, you signed on AFTER meeting my mechanic." Tahlyn's chuckles broke his concentration and for a brief instant his power flickered. The apple nearly fell for a moment, but he caught it and brought it back together again. "I think Bronn and I both know how you feel. As far as I know, more than half my Cabal are dead. Probably more than that. The ones who aren't would probably shoot me on sight anyways."

He was happy enough to be steered away from the gloomy topic of the past, and as she plucked one of the slices of fruit out of the air he let the rest fall onto her lap, closing his eyes and leaning back on his hands.
"It's been a while since I was hunted, and knowing there are people out there looking for me makes it hard to relax. My instincts all tell me I should be out there, hunting them down, turning the game around. That's my training." He flexed his fist and then shrugged, standing up and moving towards the bed, flopping down onto his back across the foot of the mattress. "But that's not the right move. The right move right now is to bunker up and keep a low profile, let them get complacent and then hit them just once before we skip out and leave them in our wake."

Turning his head, he looked up the bed to where she was sitting.
"In the bad old days, when I was solo and didn't bother owning anything I couldn't carry in my pocket, I'd have just tooled up and gone to war. I'd be out there," he waved at the window, "making a mess, hunting down anyone wearing Eclipse colours just on general principles. Making myself a big red mark on their balance sheet. Costing them so much to hunt me down that they just couldn't justify keeping up the hunt." He smiled that predatory smile he'd worn when they were being chased through the park. Artemis saw some of the same gleam of adrenaline junkie in his eyes that she'd seen in so many of her dead comrades.

"That's what I want to be doing. Older, wiser Tahlyn Varro knows better, but the programming... it goes in deep, you understand?" He sat up and was about to start pacing again, but instead he made himself lay back, pillowing his frilled head on his arms. "So it's hard to relax. Plus, there's knowing that there's a Salarian out there with everything I need to know in his head and a great big crosshairs on his back. So it's not the most relaxing of times. Sorry if I'm making it hard to enjoy the lap of luxury."

~tag~
 
“Yeah, guess signing on with you is a little crazy. I never said I was completely sane though, and I'm kind of desperate,” She grinned and waggled her eye brows, “No offense.” She just smirked a little and ate another piece of the sliced up apple that was in her lap, listening as he told her about how he used to be, what his instincts were telling him he should be doing. The mattress shook a little under her when he flopped down across the foot of the bed, blinking at him a little but just listening quietly. She definitely saw in him a lot of what she was used to, and a bit of herself, though, she was surprised by how much she'd changed in the short time since the Battle of the Citadel. It'd effected her mote than she had thought it would.

She smiled a little though when he apologized for making it hard for her to relax. “Yeah man, you're totally killing my mood,” she nudged him with a toe but just smirked at him. “Don't worry about it, you'd have to be trying to really get me agitated. I've got a temper, but that's mostly with people I don't like,” she shrugged and ate another bite, “And I'm lazy. Never underestimate my ability and will power to do absolutely nothing when I get the chance.” Artemis drew her legs up to sit cross-legged, “Both my parents were military, I was raised like I was in the military, all of my brothers joined the military, then I did. Go to bed at lights out, get up early, follow the routine,” Artemis shrugged, “So I take advantage of down time when I can.”

“I used to be pretty wired all the time, especially when I was still in the Navy,” She nibbled at a piece of apple, ever hungry, “But since... since I left, I dunno.” Artemis didn't feel comfortable talking about Logan, so she didn't broach the subject, she changed it again instead, “Explain the Cabals to me, I've only ever heard bits and pieces. I really just know that you're biotic Turians, and I gather you guys aren't exactly popular. That's about it though.”
 
~~Tahlyn Varro~~

"Just crazy enough to enjoy life, just sane enough to still be alive." He laughed softly at that thought. "I know that lifestyle a little too well. It's hard to give it up. Not just because it's addictive. Hard to slow down to a safe speed without hitting anything." Tahlyn cocked his head as he watched her shift around to sit cross-legged. In spite of his efforts he still wasn't managing to relax.

Sitting up, he mimicked her position, folding his legs at the foot of the bed, facing her.
"Oh? So you do like me. Even after I threw you off a building in an emergency waterfall?" His teeth gleamed behind his smile. "Lazy, never got the hang of it. The last time I slowed down it was because I was neck deep in a regen tank." His three-fingered hand touched his side, that ugly scar she'd seen. "Usually takes something like that to get me to stop and smell the polycyclic aromatics."

Leaning back on his hands again, he considered her question.
"The Cabals? That's... I don't know if that's a story you need to hear." Tahlyn stood up then, moving away from the bed. "The Hierarchy needs them, because the other powers have biotics, and they don't like them or trust them because no one running things has ever been one of them. Right from the beginning, the Cabals have been one step up from pariahs. Most of us stay in for life, because being a biotic is like having a great big stamp on your face that reads: do not promote. We're actually barred from any higher leadership positions, the few of us who leave always seem to end up either in private security, corporate espionage or on staff positions for Generals or Admirals. No real authority, no real chance to advance. You hit the ceiling and get to watch everyone else move right past you." The bitterness in his voice dripped from every word.

"So you end up with tight knit little families of special operations prima-donnas who are all trained right from childhood to be fanatically loyal to the Hierarchy and to each other. It's like living in a community of religious zealots, but without the charm. They keep them in separate facilities from the rest of the military where they spend most of their time training, and when they do let them out, it's either for some mission no one else wants or can handle, or because they want to use us to train against. On leave you always have to remember to hide your abilities because even the civilians don't trust biotics." Tahlyn moved back to the window, leaning both hands on the glass and looking out. He started to say something more, but his jaw clamped shut and he stayed silent. Staring out at Illium's skyline. The sun was down now, darkness lit up by the constellation of neon signs and streetlights and windows.

~tag~
 
Artemis shrugged her shoulders as he spoke of the lifestyle she lived being hard to give up because it was hard to slow down, “Yeah, I know. Believe me I saw enough of my dad's friends just not be able to adjust to civilian life after being in the military for so long. It still drives my dad crazy, but he keeps himself busy. My mom had four kids and a medical clinic,” She laughed a bit, “She probably missed the pace of the military compared to that.” Lord knows Artemis didn't see any appeal in having that many kids, but her mom was an only child and she said all the time that she had always wanted a big family.

She tried to restrain the smirk that wormed its way onto her face when he teased her a bit, and shrugged, “You jumped with me.” If he had just thrown her, well, then if she had survived, which wasn't likely, she'd be hunting him down. He hadn't though, he'd jumped with her, so he was still cool in her book.

Artemis grimaced a little though as he mentioned the regen tank and gestured to that nasty scar she'd seen, but gave a small laugh and shook her head, “Not me. I like down time, might do you good to learn to enjoy it too. But you seem kind of old and stuck in your ways.” Artemis teased, smirking at him. She really had no clue how old Tahlyn was, she wasn't so good at judging age with Turians, but from the sound of things, he'd been in the Cabals for some time before leaving, so he couldn't be any younger than his late twenties, which was still young, but he was older than her so, she felt justified in picking on him for his age.

She leaned back against the pillows and the head board though as Tahlyn stood and started to tell her about the Cabals, despite his initial hesitation. She drew up one of her legs, resting her chin on the knee while the other stayed curled up, foot tucked against the thigh of her raised leg. Artemis frowned a little as she listened, watching Tahlyn almost as much as she listened to him, seeing the resentment in him. “I guess every race has its ignorant fears,” Artemis muttered. “I'm surprised humanity doesn't treat biotics like a bunch of witches as well to be honest, given our history of ostracizing, crucifying, or burning anyone who could be considered unusual,” She sighed and pushed a bit of messy red hair out of her face. “Sorry I brought it up... I didn't meant to upset you,” she sighed a little, wishing she hadn't asked.
 
~~Tahlyn Varro~~

"Well, it's different for my people. It's hard to find a Turian who wasn't military. The Hierarchy doesn't hand out many deferments." He turned and leaned against the window, looking back at the bed. "It's just part of our culture. You serve, and when you're done in the military you keep on serving. Most Turians just move into support roles." Looking down at his hands, he made a non-committal noise. "Of course, doesn't apply to me. I'm not PART of our culture anymore. I'm the 1 percent of the 1 percent who just don't fit."

That thought left a sour taste, so he tossed it away and watched Artemis fight back that smirk.
"I jumped with you, but I already knew I could make it. Wasn't entirely sure I could grab you too. I've seen it done, never managed it myself. Nothing as heavy as your squishy self, anyways." Tahlyn looked over at her, wondering if she'd be offended. Humans could be touchy about how soft they were. "Worked though, but I'm going to need to take it easy for a while. That kind of thing uses up a lot of energy. My brain needs to build up its reserves of neurotransmitters again. So no more basejumping for a few days at least. Or throwing Krogan around. Nothing more than a few kilos, if I can help it."

Tahlyn waved away the thought of downtime.
"Make you a deal: we make it off Garvug in one piece and I will FUND a vacation, you and Bronn can hash out where between you. I'll even learn how to relax. But if you call me old again, I'm going to kill the grav-plates the next time you're using the shower." His eyes narrowed to violet slits as he made the threat, only half-joking.

"Don't be sorry. Humans and Turians have a lot more than either of our species would like in common." Moving away from the window, he tabbed it back to opacity on the control at its edge and moved to the minibar. Punching buttons, he got himself a drink and then looked over his shoulder at Artemis. "Drink? I'm buying, after all." His own concoction was bright blue with a dark red layer at the bottom of the tall glass. "I'm long past upset about it. I got out, after all. The upside is that I don't have to do what I'm told anymore, I don't answer to anyone. The downside... I've got no one backing me up when things turn bad."

Tahlyn sipped his drink.
"But I wouldn't live any other way."

~tag~
 
Artemis rolled her eyes a bit, “Oh, well then glad to know you jumped with your own safety assured but mine still pretty much in the air, pun intended.” She wasn't offended though when he called her squishy, she didn't even seem to notice it. Why should she be offended? It was true, especially by comparison to a Turian. They had plating after all. Humans had soft skin over vital organs. Sure their musculature provided some protection, but really, Turians had them trumped in that area. Humans had flexibility going for them though and agility, she'd seen humans beat Turians in an obstacle course simply because they were able to outmaneuver them in anything that required being able to bend and flex.

She smirked at him though when he promised to fund a vacation for her and Bronn if they made it off Garvug in one piece. “Deal,” she laughed a little, “And I won't call you old anymore since you're so touchy about it.”

Artemis watched him move to the mini bar, getting up when he offered her a drink, peering around him curiously, “Don't mind if I do.” She eyed his drink curiously before taking his place, listening to him as she fixed herself a drink. She was more familiar with alien drinks than alien food, and ended up fixing a sort of spicy sweet concoction, in a short fat glass, sitting back on the bed and sipping her drink. “Hey now, you got me and Bronn,” she told him, “Well, I'd back you up anyway, can't speak for Bronn in all fairness, but he seems pretty fond of you.” She sipped her drink again, “And not just cause you sign his pay check.”

Once Artemis finished her drink she put the glass aside and went into the bathroom to change, coming back out wearing her shirt and underwear, laying her pants over a chair and flopping down on the bed, “I claim this bed in the name of me.” She muttered into one of the pillows before crawling under the covers, honestly not caring if Tahlyn slept with her on the couch. She'd had enough siblings, enough bunk mates, enough roomies to have lost all semblance of personal space.

She slept soundly through the night, exhausted from the long, stressful day she'd had, and kept sleeping well into the morning. Artemis was rarely one to wake own her own at any sort of a decent hour.
 
~~Tahlyn Varro~~

Hiding a smirk at her faint sarcasm, Tahlyn finished his drink.
"Bronn would follow me anywhere, but then he once claims to have spent six months as bodyguard to a Volus smuggler moving Antimatter for a group of Salarian renegades. He's not exactly choosy, you know? He just likes to see new things, and I'm the latest novelty." Looking at her carefully, he narrowed his eyes. "You I'm not quite sure about yet. From the way you handle my ship, you should be conning a destroyer or a battlecruiser... but you don't have the military look." He raised a hand, as if expecting her to take that as an insult. "Oh you've had the training and time in the service, but you don't act like a soldier. Not even like human soldiers I've known. You act more like a merc, to be honest - they tend to be a little less formal, a little looser."

As she was dressing for bed, Tahlyn just shrugged and rolled his jacket up for use as a pillow. With his shotgun on the floor beside the couch, he folded his long, lanky form onto it and then killed the lights.
"Sleep deep and warrior's luck, Chase." He said softly as he set his omni-tool to buzz him awake at first light.

* * *

Tahlyn woke at sunrise, but kept quiet. Ordering breakfast, he waited for it in the hall and ate quickly before moving out onto the balcony and closing the door. In the morning air, he ran himself through a workout routine, though not as harsh as his usual regimen. Then he used his omni-tool to contact Lyssus and left a message for Bronn, telling him to meet them at 'the overlook'. He should be able to figure that out.

Walking back in, Tahlyn checked the time and looked over at his comfortable looking pilot. Picking up a mug filled with coffee, he sipped and watched Artemis for a moment before growing bored.

With an impatient grunt, he grabbed the covers and jerked them right onto the floor.
"Morning, Cinderella. Time to be up and running. We've got shopping to do, sights to see and a daring escape from under the watchful eyes of murderous Asari to plan."

~tag~
 
Artemis hadn't taken offense at being likened more to a merc than a soldier. It was a fairly accurate observation in all honesty. She wasn't a very good soldier. She was in some ways, but not where it counted. She wouldn't follow bad orders, and she wasn't the type to cow tail to officers. They weren't superior to her, no matter what their rank or age were, they were human just like her, and while she could force herself to be obedient to them (to a point) out of training and protocol, she didn't respect them until she had a reason to. It had gotten her in trouble more than once, her sarcastic attitude and tendency to talk back, even argue, to disobey orders, to think for herself. Because that's really what it was. Artemis thought for herself. As a pilot, she'd gotten away with it more than most. It was true that pilots tended to get a little more leeway than most, but they had to be able to think for themselves. Still though, the military had not been the place for her.

A comfortable bed though, was exactly where she liked to be. Sprawled across the bed on her stomach, face half buried in the pillows, her red hair a mess. Artemis slept like the dead, and looked about as close to peaceful as she ever did. When the covers were ripped off though she instantly turned onto her side and curled into a tight ball. She let out a soft, high whine that formed a word, “Noooooo,” face screwed up and eyes shut tight. A leg stuck out, surprisingly dextrous toes searching for the missing covers, but not finding them, curled back up against her body. Artemis could pick up a pencil with her toes, and her brothers had never really wanted to wrestle with her when she was barefoot, she always managed to lock her toes onto some soft spot and pinch the hell out of them.

“Fuck you,” she growled before finally sitting up, running a hand over her face, looking groggy. She spotted a mug of coffee though and slid out of bed and quickly past Tahlyn, sitting on the couch heavily and stealing his mug in an act of revenge for waking her. Even if he could probably just fix another. She curled up again, shivering a little at being suddenly without the thick covers, glad as the coffee warmed her belly, but gave the Turian a reproachful look. Needless to say, Artemis wasn't a morning person.
 
~~Tahlyn Varro~~

His pilot's reaction to waking was, in a word, adorable. She reminded him of a furnix pup curling up to keep itself warm and safe, but without the prickly exterior. No, definitely not the prickly exterior, Artemis looked almost as soft as the bed she curled up in. It made Tahlyn briefly jealous of his night on the couch, but he let that thought go as unworthy of him as he watched her seeking for the covers and failing to find them.

Meeting her grumpy expression with a placid calm, he let her have the coffee and then even wrapped the coverlet around her shoulders. Her expression of bitter discomfort was enough to trigger a little bit of mercy.
"Never on a first date, Chase." He replied, patting her on the head in a patronizing way. Then he chuckled. "No hurry, if you'd rather sleep than do anything else. But sooner or later you're going to have to get up. I thought you'd rather do it while the coffee was hot." Walking away, he sat down on the couch and stretched his long, lean legs out before him.

"Since you're new, I thought you might want to see a little of what Illium has to offer before we go and do something dangerous and exciting again." Tahlyn blinked his eyes at her, an almost catlike expression, then showed his teeth. "Besides, you looked too comfortable. Making me envious. The couch was just not designed to fit me, and I know those mattresses are almost as good as an ME suspensor field for a good night's sleep."

Leaning back, an almost beatific smile of pure self-satisfaction showing off those sharp teeth, her Turian employer closed his eyes.
"Go ahead and order breakfast if you want, or we can pick something up when we get to Elysium." He named one of the most famous shopping centers on the planet, an arcology-sized monument to retail and wealth. "Not my choice, by the way. Been talking to Bronn... on a secure channel, don't worry. Rowlan tracked him down, apparently he's done the translations already, wants to meet to collect his fee. He insisted on somewhere nice and crowded, and Blue Suns handles security for Elysium so Eclipse will want to keep their distance. Plus, it gives us a day to look around and spend what little hard-earned scrip I've got left."

~tag~
 
Artemis gave her captain a leery look as he put the coverlet around her shoulders and picked at her a bit before patting her on the head. “Is that what this is?” She muttered, sipping her stolen coffee, “You're a bad date, Varro, except for the food.” She gave a shiver despite the coffee and being curled up under the coverlet, listening to him with a groggy but no longer quite so sour expression on her face. She gave a wide yawn, making her eyes water a bit, so she rubbed them before sipping her coffee again.

“You're the one that decided to sleep on the couch, bed's big enough for two and I have no such thing as a personal bubble,” she told him, “I do, however, try to steal the covers.” It was something she only did when some one else was in the bed with her, as if her subconscious self was possessive of the covers. She'd wrap herself into a cocoon if allowed. “It was very comfortable though,” Artemis gave him a pleased grin and then a small yawn and sipped her coffee.

Breakfast sounded great, so she got up and shuffled over to the phone, the coverlet trailing on the ground behind her, and kicked one of Tahlyn's outstretched legs a little, just because he looked so pleased with himself. Not that it would do anything at all to him, her squishy little toes on his scaled limbs. She listened as he told her about talking to Bronn and Rowlan finishing the translations. “Sounds fun,” she told him, before she picked up the phone and got room service.

“Yeah, do you guys have waffles?” She let out a sort of relieved sigh, “And syrup?” Another pause, “Good enough. I'll have three waffles then, with milk to drink.” She hung up and shuffled back to the couch, sitting next to Tahlyn. “So then what's first on the list?”
 
~~Tahlyn Varro~~

The Turian couldn't resist a chuckle.
"I'm a bad FIRST date. Second dates are usually more of a high speed chase occasion than a running gun battle. Bar brawls are, of course, just flirting." He told her with a gleam in those violet eyes. "Glad you were comfortable, but I do have personal space. Not to mention sharp spurs and a lifetime of paranoia." He flexed an arm to point his elbow. "Flying us off this rock will be interesting enough without those kinds of bruises, don't you think?" Glancing down at her kick he examined those nimble pink feet. So very different from Turian claws. How did these soft creatures ever make it to the top of the food chain?

"Enjoy your breakfast. First on the list, a little shopping and meeting Rowlan at Elysium Galleria. I've set up a rendezvous with Bronn later today. From there, we'll play it by ear." Tahlyn snapped a heat sink into his shotgun and collapsed it before tucking it into its holster at the small of his back.

* * *

Elysium was a shopping centre the size of an arcology, the largest on Illium. While it catered mostly to the wealthy and well-heeled, there were citizens from all over space who came to visit. The flight there had been a winding one through the spires of the city, Tahlyn changing the destination repeatedly to make them harder to track. Elysium was a tall spiral shape, tapering towards a point up above the clouds, with its sprawling galleries coiling around the spiral containing thousands of shops and boutiques all interspersed with some of the most fashionable restaurants and nightclubs in the sector. Placed upon a natural high point of Illium's terrain, it had a commanding view from its upper levels.

Thousands of tourists and locals walked through the long curving corridors or rode the transit shafts that ran along the exterior and offered an unparalleled chance to look out at the city. At least a third of the folk working or wandering through were Asari, but every species was visible to some extent. Here and there uniformed Blue Suns security personnel patrolled in ones and twos. They wore light armour and carried only sidearms, but they all had the look of professionals.

Tahlyn kept turning around as they walked up the spiral or slid along on the regularly placed slidewalks that let them cover kilometers of distance easily. Once or twice he tensed and Artemis saw his hand reaching for a weapon, but each time he relaxed again. The combination of open space, curving perspective and crowds of people was obviously making him tense.
"We're meeting Rowlan up on the observation deck. I think the Salarian's playing a prank. Probably wants to see if I'll jump from THIS high up." Tahlyn paused to look over a display of body jewelry designed to adorn Turian scales and plates. "What do you shop for, in a place like this? This stuff's all a little shiny for my tastes. I'm more function than form." He put down a glittering piece of heat-stressed platinum alloy, the purplish-blue metal formed into the shape of a stylized thresher maw and designed to wrap around an arm or leg.

~tag~
 
Artemis arched a brow at her captain, smirking a little, “Well, we've already gotten in a bar brawl, and now a running gun battle... so I should expect a high speed chase on our next date?” She laughed a bit, “Fine, but I'm driving.” As for human feet, she would admit that they were soft and squishy, but she'd like to see a Turian pick up a pencil with their toes. The mention of shopping at the Elysium Galleria, and meeting up with Rowlan made her not a little and tilt her head to the side, “I've never been much for shopping but not like I can really pass up the chance to look around. It is Illium after all.” She remained curled up in her blanket though, waiting impatiently for her waffles.

---------------

Artemis had never seen anything quite like Elysium, it was imposing to say the least, and unlike Tahlyn, she wasn't looking for imaginary enemies every five minutes. Crowds didn't particularly bother her, they never had. Having grown up on Elysium, the planet that is, she had regularly gone into the city with her mother, and while these crowds definitely were a lot bigger, and had a hell of a lot more Asari, there had still been that 'packed in like sardines' sensation like now. The crowd did make it a little hard for her to much of anything, she was either shorter or just as tall as everyone around her, save for the Volus waddling around, so she could really only manage to see anything that wasn't high up through the occasional gaps in the crowd. And she kept constantly checking to make sure she didn't lose Tahlyn in the crowd. That'd be just great.

She looked at the Turian though when he spoke, having been eying some very outrageous looking shoes. She refused to believe anyone could actually walk in the torture devices on display at a particular kiosk. She couldn't anyway. Artemis laughed a bit under her breath, glanced towards a near by window, she was pretty sure the top of the building was so high up you'd need oxygen if you were outside for any sort of time, “Well I'm not. So if you decide you want to go free jumping again, count me out.” She shrugged though and moved to stand back beside him when he asked about what to shop for in a place like this, “Hell if I know. Fashion isn't really my thing...” She eyed those shoes again with a dubious expression.

Artemis glanced at some of the Asari around them, wearing revealing clothing, even the few human women around were dressed similarly. She frowned a little, looked down at her own clothing, pants and a t-shirt, combat boots, and heaved a sigh. “I'm remembering now why I avoid malls,” She muttered.
 
~~Tahlyn Varro~~

Giving Artemis a faintly amused look, Tahlyn sighed.
"Don't tell Bronn that you've given up base jumping. Our resident mad scientist has an emergency descent pack he wants to field test." The Turian winked, "funnily enough, no one's been willing to test it so far. Not after hearing about the original test subject and his near-terminal impact with Bronn. Apparently it broke half his ribs down one side and the human wasn't looking so good either."

Putting down the crest filigree he was looking at, Tahlyn looked Artemis up and down and then gave the shoes she was looking at some consideration.
"Well... they'd make you look taller, but your feet seem awfully delicate and soft for something like that." Glancing over at a pair of Asari walking by in short skirts and high heels he cocked his head. He shot Artemis an appraising glance, as he pictured her wearing something similar. "Though they do seem to be popular for a reason. Are they a human thing or an Asari invention? I've seen both species wearing them but honestly I never thought to ask who had the idea first." The thought crossed his mind that, given similar enough anatomy, both species might have developed them independently, but he discarded it. The shoes were so very anti-ergonomic looking that he doubted two species would have come up with something so awkward-but-attractive. It was surprising enough that one species had.

Holding up a hand he laughed.
"Fashion's too much work. Why do you think I own a dozen of these lack skinsuits? It's easier than having to think about what I'm going to wear. So long as it'll help stop a slug and won't stand out I'm happy. Function over form. Though I do need a new jacket. Something a little less conspicuous." Moving to a different store he tossed his leather jacket onto a counter and tepped up to a holo-plate. Tapping the screen, he began calling up different designs, flicking through a dozen or so patterns before choosing one that he liked.

It was a long greatcoat design with padded shoulders and a low, stiff collar. Lo-glo patches on the shoulders, arms and back allowed the wearer to program in different displays, and it was certainly a change. Ordering it in a smoky grey with polished silver gekkro tabs he stabbed a cred chip into the vendor's comp and waited the minute or two it took the Asari merchant's autotailor to make the desired changes to colour and detail.

"Here you go sir," she said in a breathy voice as she passed the long garment to Tahlyn, smiling. "It's an excellent choice for someone of your stature."
"What do you think, Chase?" Tahlyn pulled it on and shrugged his shoulders, settling the heavy coat onto his tall, lean form. It made him seem broader and more heavily built than he was, the smoky colour of the fabric only a few shades lighter than his own plates.

Turning slowly, he brushed back one side to make sure he could still reach his weapons easily. Then he folded his arms and looked to Artemis, head cocked curiously.
"Well? Is it 'me'?" Varro's smirk was amused as he accepted his old jacket back, folded neatly and placed in a shopping bag for him.

"Nah!" Bronn's rumbling, booming voice interrupted. "Not grumpy enough to be you, Captain. You need something in a hair-shirt to match your sunny disposition." The Krogan was ambling towards them through the crowd, drawing stares because he was wearing his armour and hauling a duffel that clanked ominously every few steps. Beside him was an Asari who was at least as tall as Tahlyn and more muscular than the usual slender build her species ran to, broad across the shoulders and hips, she looked like a blue amazon. She wore a blue-black bodysuit with a low-slung holster on her hip and a bolero jacket in blue trimmed with gold. A dark red flower was tucked into one lapel of her jacket as a boutonniere.

The Krogan moved up and nodded to Tahlyn, then grinned at Artemis.
"Hey Varro, saw you made the news. Sorry I missed all the fun, Chase, it looked like a blast." As his companion slipped up beside him, Bronn wrapped an arm possessively about her broad shoulders. "Artemis Chase, meet Lyssus T'schell. Lyssus, this is our ace pilot." The Asari extended a hand, she wore fingerless gloves with reinforced studs across the knuckles and a winking LED that gave away the presence of powered stun-knucks.
"Nice to meet you, Artemis. Bronn's told me good things." Her eyes were blue and her smile was friendly as she took in her Krogan's friends.

~tag~
 
“I'll keep it to myself then,” Artemis muttered, thinking that all sounded pretty horrible and she'd like to have no part of it. Not the jumping or this very dangerous emergency descent pack. She'd rather just not jump at all, or give her a good, old fashioned parachute, she knew how to work one of those just fine. She been taught ditching and ejection procedures in flight academy, but she'd ever had to actually put any of that into practice first hand, until recently anyway.

She glanced at the shoes, “I can wear heels just fine, my mom taught me. They're not exactly comfortable though, or practical. I don't get all these vids and video games where women are running around in combat with high heels on... puh-lease.” Artemis imagined the typical, beautiful, busty babe in some skin tight leather suit with high heels and a gun. There was a reason the military issued boots to both genders, it was ridiculous to think most women could actually fight in high heels. She glanced at the pair of Asari Tahlyn looked at, not seeing him look at her, brows drawn together in a slight frown, but looked back to the Turian when he asked about who invented high heel. “I don't know, I mean, they've been a human fashions for centuries so I know that we had them before we made contact with other races but maybe the Asari had something similar?” she shrugged her shoulders.

Artemis followed after captain to another store, leaning against the counter as Tahlyn flipped through the catalog, trying to ignore how one of the Asari clerk kept trying to get her attention. Whether it was to try and sell her something, or to hit on her, she didn't know, but either way, she wasn't interested. She looked at Tahlyn though when he got the coat on and displayed it a little, smirking and laughing softly when he asked if it was 'him'. She pursed her lips, looking him over for a moment, deciding it did look good on him, and he looked good in it, but was interrupted by her favorite Krogan before she could tell him as much.

She gave Bronn a warm grin as he approached, glancing one last time at Tahlyn before she gave the Asari she could only assume to be Lyssus a curious look. She definitely looked far... sturdier than most Asari, but not in a bad way. Artemis could see why Bronn was attracted to her, she had admittedly been a little skeptical at the thought of one these little Asari with the moving mountain that was Bronn. “Yes, free falling forty stories sure was fun,” the small human said with a roll of her green eyes.

Artemis gave Lyssus an equally friendly smile and took her offered hand, shaking it firmly, “You too, heard a bit about you myself, all good of course.” She supposed it was good, Tahlyn didn't really seem inclined about her one way or the other, but they hadn't been bad, and it seemed smart to just say she'd heard good things if nothing else.

((don't forget to jump ahead))
 
~~Tahlyn Varro & Kurrlok Bronn~~

Adjusting his new coat, Tahlyn glanced from Lyssus to Bronn. It was the first time he'd encountered the Asari, beyond a brief meeting in the bar where she worked and where he and Bronn had first met one another. Bronn, on the other hand, looked a little dubiously at his two shipmates.
"Should mention, you won't be meeting Bayhr. The Salarian's gotten even twitchier than he was last time I saw him. He had someone drop me this OSD and the message that you should get off-world while the getting's good." Lyssus looked a little disappointed, but Bronn murmured something to her in his native tongue and she gave him a smile.

Checking the disc, a display winking into life on his omni-tool, Tahlyn nudged Artemis.
"Looks like I dragged you all this way for nothing. Rowlan's not just playing games, he's getting off the planet too. Apparently being hunted by Eclipse made Illium lose its charm."
"Pansy," Bronn broke in, "if he didn't come through for you, I'm going to look him up and braid his horns."

Tahlyn shrugged his shoulders.
"Either he got the translations right or he didn't. We won't know until we're on Garvug. For now, we've got other problems... I want my ship back."

* * *

Almost a week later they were making their way through the Valhallan Threshold en route to the Paz system. Life on board had been surprisingly quiet since they'd left Illium, making the jumps and discharging their drive on their way to Garvug. The escape from Illium had been much easier than the time spent since, with both her shipmates growing a little... odd.

Bronn was more than a little subdued since leaving his Asari belle, spending most of his time either buried hip deep in the ship's engines, changing a set of alluvial dampers that were well past their sell by date and pulling them apart right down to the wiring to try and breathe life back into parts he didn't have spares for. He had, though, offered an open invitation to his quarters every evening, where he was working his way through "The Flotilla" a Turian vid-drama series of politics and interspecies romance during a fictional interstellar war against a resurgence of the Rachni. Once while working in a maintenance crawlspace under the cockpit Artemis had heard him humming something from Vaenia.

Tahlyn, meanwhile, had been spending more and more time in his quarters with the doors locked. When he wasn't there, he was inevitably found either staring into the navicomp's monitors to check their progress or driving himself in hours long workouts in the empty cargo bay. Twice now she'd seen him head to the little closet that served as an infirmary and hook himself up to the autodoc after pushing himself too hard.

The closer they came to the Paz system, the harder the Turian was working, and just this morning he'd ordered Bronn to go over every weapon on the ship, as though Bronn didn't already care for them like he would his own children. The two had spent a tense few minutes sniping at each other verbally over breakfast and then Bronn had disappeared into the Engine Room, sealing the door and clattering away. Tahlyn was once more in the cargo bay, and the sound of him thumping against things was faintly audible all the way up to the command deck.

~tag~
 
Artemis looked at the Krogan curiously when he said that they wouldn't be meeting Rowlan, a touch of disappointment to her features. She'd rather liked the Salarian, but she wasn't surprised. He'd seemed a very flighty sort of person. She looked at Tahlyn though when he nudged her, shrugging her shoulders a little with a small smile. “It was too torturous so that's alright,” she told him, “But I'm ready to go when you are.” She shoved her hands into her pockets, thinking that getting back to the ship sounded like a better idea. She felt far more at home behind the controls of a ship than she did in a mall.

Getting to Garvug was a bit of slow going, but nothing new to her, she'd spent months at a time on a ship with far less in the department of personal space. Sometimes she missed the feeling actually. Having grown up with so many siblings, and then crammed in with her flight squad like sardines all the time, having people around her had become a bit of a comfort at times. Now though, she was mostly alone, either up in the cock pit or in her room, she'd taken to reading, and catching up on new vids she'd missed over the years thanks to being out on patrol. She spent time with Bronn and Tahlyn too but they were both being less than sociable.

Bronn seemed a little... melancholy, since leaving Illium, no doubt missing Lyssus, though she joined him most evenings when he watched “The Flotilla”, finding it interesting even if romance wasn't usually her thing. Still though, it wasn't half bad, and she found it enjoyable to not be cooped up somewhere alone. Bronn didn't seem overly inclined for company though, and Tahlyn even less so, so she kept to herself in an attempt to make herself a nuisance.

She was in her room trying to get a nap (something she'd grown fond of recently), arms wrapped tight around Short Round, her panda. Sleep hadn't been achieved just yet though when the sounds of another one of Tahlyn's work outs managed to reverberate through the walls. Artemis let out a sigh and sat up, frowning a little, knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep now and got up, padding barefoot down the hall to the cargo bay in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, her old dog tags tucked under it. Artemis figured that even though she wasn't in the military anymore, it was a good idea to keep them on. After all, her name hadn't changed.

Hopping up onto a small stack of crates, legs dangling as her feet didn't quite reach the floor, Artemis watched her captain for a moment before speaking up. “Having fun?” she asked, her tone just a touch irritated. Tahlyn's agitated mood was dragging her own down, since it had Bronn in a less than stellar mood as well. She didn't know if he was just anxious to get to Garvug, worried about what would happen what they got there, or something else, or maybe he was just trying to wear himself down before they even got there. She doubted it, but it sure seemed that way at times.
 
~~Tahlyn Varro~~

Tahlyn was in the cargo bay, standing in a circle on the floor. Around him at three points of a triangle stood a trio of battered, metal-plated fighting dummies, their articulated limbs held in approximations of combat stances. As Artemis entered he stepped in towards one and threw a blistering combination of punches, slaps and elbows that slammed the dummy backwards. Before it could even start to fall, he spun and kicked a second dummy with bone-crushing force, then brought the foot down and followed through with a hopping fist-fist-knee combination. It wobbled but a faint hum of a gyroscope brought it back upright and held it there, but the other two fell over with a clatter before beginning to crabwalk back to their feet.

Her captain was clad only in a pair of black shorts and cloth wraps around his forearms and hands. Tahlyn was breathing hard and bouncing on his feet, just about to launch himself at another of the dummies when she spoke. Stopping himself, he put his hands on his hips and looked over at her, his violet eyes glinting with aggression.
"Not as much as I would with a real sparring partner," he said and the toothy smile left no doubt that he really did want to lay into a life target. "Feel like joining me?"

While he looked down at his sparring targets trying to clamber upright, Tahlyn walked towards Artemis.
"Something else you wanted?" He stopped himself before he said anything else, then grunted and took a breath. "How's Bronn doing on that maintenance? Or is he still buried in the engine room sulking like a whipped varren?" His own voice was a little sharp as he spoke, but his eyes widened as he heard himself.

Tahlyn growled and shook his head.
"I'm sorry. Three people on board and it doesn't take much to sour the atmosphere. I've got a lot on my mind but keeping it to myself isn't going to deal with it. Time I shared it anyways." Varro looked at her again and nodded to himself. "Go winkle the Krogan out of his hidey hole and meet back on the command deck in fifteen. It's time to let you in on what Rowlan found for me. We've got a lot to talk about, and I haven't been feeling like talking."

Turning, Tahlyn walked to the entrance. He needed to shower and dress before he gave them the story, or as much of it as he could share.
"Thanks, Chase. Wish you hadn't waited so long to give me a kick in the ass."

~tag~
 
It was strange to see Tahlyn in so little clothing, Turians looked so... strange, but she supposed humans probably looked very odd to them. She raised her brows at him though when he gave her a rather aggressive, almost predatory grin and invited her to spar with him. “Ah, no thanks cap,” she laughed, “I'm a brawler, not a martial arts expert. I fight best when I'm drunk.” She gave a shrug, not so proud that she couldn't admit that her fighting skills weren't as up to snuff as her piloting skills. She could scrap and brawl with the best of them, but she only had the basics in more refined hand to hand combat from basic in the way of fighting discipline.

“Yeah, I was trying to take a nap, but you're making that a little difficult in here throwing a temper tantrum,” She frowned at him. When he asked her about grunt she just frowned at him some more, “Well you were a bit of an asshole to him.” Artemis had never been one to really sugar coat things just because some one was technically above them in rank. Tahlyn had been a jerk, and she wasn't going to say that she thought Bronn was over reacting, she'd probably be kind of ticked off too really.

The pilot sighed though when he apologized, her mostly bare legs swinging slightly from her perch on the crates, raising her brows a bit as he told her that it was time he shared what had been eating at him. Artemis looked curious, but nodded when he asked her to get Bronn and they'd have a talk, “Alright.” She hopped down from the crates as he left, but looked at Tahlyn when he called back over his shoulder to her, “Fine, I'll just do it sooner next time.”

She left to go down to the engine room, padding barefoot down the hall and down the stairs, “Hey Bronn!”
 
~~Tahlyn Varro & Kurrlok Bronn~~

Her captain had the grace to look faintly apologetic when he heard how he'd ruined her nap, but his smirk returned fairly quickly and Tahlyn riposted with a chuckle.
"If you've got that much time for napping I must be paying you too much," he shrugged and then the smirk turned into a toothy smile as Artemis hopped down from the crates. "I'll hold you to that, Chase. Oh, and if you ever decide you'd rather learn something a little more refined than drunken brawling, let me know. I'll even promise to pull my punches." He watched her go, then took a deep breath, shut down his sparring dummies and headed for his cabin and a hot shower.

When Artemis called for him, Bronn's head popped out from behind a half-disassembled console. The Krogan was wearing a pair of welding goggles and holding a life plasma torch in one hand. The blue-white light of the tightly focused flame was blinding.
"Hey kiddo, be right with you." Bronn jerked his head at her and ducked back behind the console. There was a sizzling sound and a shower of greenish sparks, then the lights dimmed briefly before flickering back to their regular level. "Think that's got it."

The engine room was a study in organized chaos. Most of the maintenance panels had been removed and molecular circuitry boards and nano-filament wiring bundles were visible everywhere. Tools were strewn on every flat surface along with spare parts and half-rebuilt components. Bronn's quarters might be a little cluttered but the engine room looked like a bomb had gone off in an electronics boutique.

Standing up and killing the torch, Bronn gave the console a kick that caused the lights to flicker again.
"What can I do for you, Chase?" The engineer asked as he walked towards part of the environmental control system and swung a cover aside to reveal metal tubing and glass beakers of bubbling liquid. "Buy you a drink? My latest batch is done, and 1300 hours is a decent vintage. Much better than last week's 1045 Chateau Brunch." He picked up a large jug from a tub half full of what looked like dry ice and opened it, sniffing and then taking a swig. "It's not my best work, but it's about 45% ethanol with subtle hints of alliance survival rations and blasting compound. Had to get the starches and sugars from somewhere, right?" He proffered the jug, already sweating with condensation. Then a light lit on omni-tool and he switched hands as he activated it and began running a program.

"That should put our glorious leader in a better mood." Bronn said and his expression was wicked as the ship's plumbing made a gurgling sound and the pipes overhead vibrated and hissed with increased pressure. "Let this be a lesson to you, young human," he intoned as he took another long swig of his homemade vodka. "Do not meddle in the affairs of Mechanics, because we're not subtle and we have wrenches." The delighted grin on his broad snout was almost beatific as he listened to the water pipes shudder and knock.

~tag~
 
Artemis saw that wide Krogan head pop out from behind a console that he looked to be working on and wandered over while keeping a safe distance. There was no telling what he was doing, or what might blow up. So she hung back as he continued to weld for a moment, glancing up when the lights dimmed then flickered back to life. She arched a brow and narrowed her green eyes at the Korgan, looking him suspiciously, not sure he was up to anything good. He seemed oddly... happy, where as last time she'd seen him he was far from that.

She opened her mouth to answer Bronn's question but he was offering her some of his own personal alcohol, making a bit of a face, “Ah, not thanks, I'm good.” She told him, waving the jug off. Then he activated some program and Artemis could hear the pipes overhead gurgling and hissing. She looked up, brow furrowing and her lips frowning, before she looked back to Bronn when spoke.

The pilot sighed and rubbed her forehead, muttering something indiscernible under her breath, “Bronn what did you do?” she asked him, “Tahlyn was finally ready to remove the stick from his ass and talk to us. I'm not saying maybe he doesn't deserve whatever you just did but couldn't you have done it sooner? Or later?” Artemis sighed, “No matter the species, men are all the same,” she groaned, looking up at the ceiling with her hands on her hips. “Come on then, he wants to see us in the cargo hold,” She sighed, turning and walking back up the stairs, bare feet making hardly any noise on the metal flooring.
 
~~Tahlyn Varro & Kurrlok Bronn~~

Taking another swig of his concoction, he set it back into the dry ice bucket and beamed at his shipmate.
"Well, I hate to ruin the surprise, but I suppose I can tell you. All this tension was starting to make his nibs unbearable. I was starting to consider mutiny, something had to be done." Bronn paused and listened to the sound of rushing water and gurgling pipes. "I thought the best way to get our fearless leader to relax would be a nice soak in a jacuzzi, so I... overcharged his shower. Captain Varro is currently enjoying every last ounce of the Harlot's potable water as it's cycled through his shower cubicle continuously. All six thousand liters." The beatific smile on his broad, reptilian face was utterly self-satisfied and Bronn walked over to a cabinet and hauled out a bulky looking carbine in the black and midnight blue of Elanus RCS. The gun had a muzzle that must have been more than two inches across and an extremely large revolver magazine that spun once with a whirring sound as he thumbed off the safety.

Overhead the sound of rushing water petered off and Bronn made a snickering noise as he looked from the ceiling back to Artemis.
"Nothing like a good soaking to relax, right? So he's finally telling us what's got him all wound up? Marvellous. Haven't been back to Garvug in, Vaul's Teeth, must be sixty years or so. Nothing like as nice as Illium or the Citadel... kind of like Omega, but without the charm. Remind me to check over your armour's environmental package, you don't want to get caught on the ice with a bad heating coil." Slowly and with great care Bronn began to load large egg-shaped rounds into the weapon he was toting. As each slid home the drum spun to the next empty slot all on its own, accepting thirteen before the port snapped shut of its own accord. Hefting the stubby, bulky little cannon, Bronn actually spun it in his hand like a cowboy. "Don't worry, it's a riot gun, they're just tangler rounds. In case Varro decides to hold a grudge."

With a soft laugh, Bronn headed for the stairs up and out of the compartment.
"Come on, let's go see what our disagreeable paymaster wants to share. Bet you fifty creds it's bad news, and double or nothing it's REALLY bad news." His voice still had that cheerful rumble to it, but his fingers did flex around the grip of his gun as he paused in the door and looked down the corridor.

* * *

Tahlyn was waiting for them, dressed and fiddling with a holo-caster. Bronn tensed as he entered, but after a long moment both of them just smiled and nodded.
"If you're planning to use that thing, I should remind you that we still haven't tested your orbital descent gizmo." Tahlyn told the engineer and Bronn actually chuckled.
"Me? Would I do that... again?"
"Not if you know what's good for you. Alright, settle in and get comfortable because this is important." Tahlyn flicked his omni-tool and a holographic image of Garvug, a meter or so in diameter, flickered into life between the. "This is Garvug, former Asari research colony and current Krogan bribe-world. The indigenous population is split between Krogan clans, pirates, mercenaries, a few corporations still scratching for Prothean relics and a handful of wildcat miners. Not the nicest place in the galaxy, but it does have something to recommend it."

Pressing another key, the slowly spinning globe stopped and a section zoomed in to show a crevasse visible from space opening up between a mountain range and a glacial sheet the size of Europe.
"This was, in its time, the location of the Onyx Deeps xenoarchaeological dig. An Asari group led by Matriarch Sheyliss Marel spent more than a century here, unearthing and exploring a Prothean facility before the changing climate and new discoveries elsewhere gave them a reason to leave. That was a long, long time ago, it's been a Krogan concern for 1800 Earth years and was a major front during the Krogan Rebellions. There were at least two orbital bombardments, one of which caused this crevasse to start opening up. From the satellite imagery, it should be deep enough to allow access to Onyx Deeps, or at least get us close to it."

Tahlyn paused for a moment to look at his crew.
"Now the bad news: trouble is probably going to be waiting for us. Rowlan was kind enough to share that one of the corporations active on Garvug is Cold Iron Conflict Resolution. They've been retained by Guanghui Solutions to provide security for their Eco-Engineering facilities, so the Colonel already has troops on the ground and since it's a Krogan world getting on and off-planet without anyone finding out will be a challenge. Worse, Sonax Industries has an Iridium extraction operation in these mountains. Their sensors are likely to see anything coming down in the area, which makes getting in quietly that much harder." Bronn shifted and removed his pipe-tomahawk from its loop on his belt, slowly stuffing the bowl with tobacco and lighting it as he thought. Puffing a few times, he gestured at the hologram.
"What if we came down here, at the south end of the glaciers?" Pointing with his pipe, he indicated the lower end of the crevasse. "There are settlements there, even if it is on the far side of the planet from Dhazil. It's popular with pirates, there are caves in the mountains and a few spots big enough to land smaller ships. If Clan Raik still has a stronghold there, we might be in luck. I ran with the Aralakh Pirates when I first left Tuchanka, and this was one of our stops. We can land there and blag a ride, or even fly the Harlot if Chase thinks she can manage her in the ice."

Spinning the map and zooming it in, Varro examined the area Bronn was describing. There were a few visible settlements, but it was too far north of the equator for anything large. Even with Krogan architecture, there were only a few large enough to see from the sat-scan.
"Could work. If you can get us in with the locals, we can at least try. What do you think, Chase? Willing to try flying this tub up an ice ravine two thousand kilometers long?" The Turian looked to her, wondering if she could do it, or if they'd have to trust his home to the tender mercies of Krogan Pirates while they were exploring the ruins.

~tag~
 
Artemis gave a glare to the Krogan as he explained his plan to her, “You used all our water to get back at Varro? I don't suppose you thought I might want to shower? Or that I don't particularly want to know what a Krogan smells like after not being able to shower either?” She rubbed between her eyes, her other hand on her hip as he loaded up his carbine, obviously expecting to have started a war with their captain. “Men never change no matter their species...” she muttered, making an irritated dismissive motion with the hand that had been rubbing her brow. Male egos were the worst, she knew because she'd grown up around them.

She watched him dubiously though as he loaded up his little mini canon, a brow arched and the corners of her mouth turned down in a slightly disapproving frown. Artemis crossed her arms, the tattoos across her shoulders and biceps shifting with the motion, and cocked out one hip, waiting impatiently. When he spun the hefty weapon though she looked from it to him, pursing her lips and narrowing her eyes at him, though she just rolled them when he explained it was just a riot gun with tangler rounds. “You better hope I don't hold a grudge,” She grumbled, following him up the stairs and down the hall.

When they entered the hold and Tahlyn and Bronn got a look at one another, Artemis tried to sidle out of the way as subtly as she could, taking small steps to the side while watching them both with a curious if wary expression. But the tension in the air dissipated, and Artemis found herself actually a little disappointed. All that and she didn't even get to see them fight, what a bust. Typical though. She sighed and went and took her usual perch on a stack of crates near Tahlyn, watching curiously as he brought up a holographic projection of Garvug, their destination, and gave a bit of a summary on it. Artemis felt like she was back in school. She paid a bit more attention though when he got to what actually concerned them, and she glanced at Bronn when their captain mentioned 'bad news'.

Legs swinging back and forth slightly, she listened as Tahlyn laid out the resistance they were likely to meet, and the difficulty they faced of getting in without being noticed. Bronn though seemed to have a solution, and eventually the conversation turned to the possibility of flying the Harlot into the ice packs, which meant maneuvering through ice ravines. Artemis arched her brows and shrugged her shoulders, “As long as you don't mind having to probably invest in a bit of face lift for the old girl when we get out, yeah. She's no star fighter, so don't expect me to be pulling stunt maneuvers, but I can do it and not get us killed.” And if she was wrong, well she'd probably be dead so she wouldn't have to worry about what Tahlyn would do.
 
~~Tahlyn Varro & Kurrlok Bronn~~

"Calm down Artemis," Bronn assured her on the way down the corridor. "I said cycled through. Should be finished refiltering by now, to get all that eau de Turian scent out." He chuckled again, and turned up his snout with a haughty little sniff. "I'll have you know that we Krogan have a pleasing musk that many species find quite attractive. Possibly because dire and horrible things happen to those who disagree."

Tahlyn was watching her closely as he zoomed in the map and gave Artemis a view of what was awaiting them. She had to fly the Harlot and the Turian knew he couldn't handle his ship through quarters that close.
"I think I can spring for a fresh coat of paint, but please try not to do any damage that won't buff out. Hull plates are pricey." He held up a hand, "but not as pricey as fixing us up after we slam into a wall at a few gees, so I think I'll be able to forgive you so long as we make it through in no more than five or six pieces." Laying his hand on Artemis' shoulder, he gave it a squeeze. "If anyone can do it, you can... and I really don't want to let Bronn drive a Tomkah all that way." The Krogan looked up and grunted.
"After our last little field trip? Not a chance, Varro." Bronn cleared his throat and did his best impression of Tahlyn. "Are we there yet? Can't this thing go any faster? Everyone's shooting at us! Vexpag's poking me! I want my Mother!!!"

The two looked at one another and dissolved into laughter, Bronn's rolling chortles mingling with the sharp guffaws of Tahlyn's snickering.
"Alright, alright. I promise to behave. Both of you. We've got sixty-seven hours to landfall, here's our to-do list: Artemis, diagnostics on atmospheric flight systems and control surfaces. Let me know if you need me to take a space-walk to check them. Bronn, you get to play gunsmith again: find something in your toybox we can use as a gift for the pirates. You're our goodwill ambassador in charge of spin control and public relations... Gods help us. I'm going to be checking the sensor systems and packing what we'll need once we get to Onyx Deeps."

Looking from Bronn to Artemis, Tahlyn nodded.
"Any questions, either of you?"

~tag~
 
~~Tahlyn Varro & Kurrlok Bronn~~

As they were making their final approach to Garvug, Tahlyn was in the cockpit with her. While Artemis brought them in on a low-emission trajectory that would keep them from being too noticeable to the orbital stations that the corporations and the locals maintained her captain was laying in the course down to the surface. She would have to bring them in fast and hard, aerobraking to dump velocity and then flying nape-of-the-earth along the equatorial coastline until they reached the mountains and the valley Bronn had pointed out.
"I'm glad we brought you along, Chase," Tahlyn said, shooting the course to her display and placing his hand on her shoulder. "I can handle my lady alright, but I wouldn't want to try this one on for size.

A few moments later, Bronn stomped up the steps onto the command deck. The Krogan was already wearing his armour and was draped in weapons and gear, obviously ready for anything.
"Artemis," he broke in as he strapped himself into a seat at the point defense console, "don't know if you've got anything heavier than your clothes but I refitted an old suit of Duellist armour that'll fit you. It's going to get cold in the glacier... and Krogans have been known to play a little rough."

The hull shuddered and pinged, heating up as they hit the atmosphere. From here on in, it was up to her to bring them in.

~tag
 
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