<span style="color: DarkSlateBlue">I'm dropping you off.</span>Shira answered Darion's first question, then the second.<span style="color: DarkSlateBlue">I don't know Sorv.</span><br/><br/>Ashana listened, a serious look on her face.<span style="color: DarkOrchid">You don't like us.</span>She said flatly.<span style="color: DarkOrchid">Why?</span><br/><br/><span style="color: DarkSlateBlue">I don't know you.</span>Came the equally flat reply from the cockpit. Ashana nodded slightly. It was a wise answer. Once they were back on the ship with this Shira, Ashana decided she would make a note of it to rectify that.<br/><br/>Ashana redirected her attention back to Darion as he spoke up. She could feel the annoyance radiating from Firas. Ashana pitied him. He had joined a Quarian who was not asleep in a med lab. Without Sorv's say, the human was alone and surrounded by people that didn't know him, and had nothing to do with him being there. He was trying to be open, to avoid hostility, to even be friendly - and it wasn't helping.<br/><br/>Firas snapped back at his comment. He was scared, and aggravated, as he deserved to be. Again they were flying into goddess knew what. Ashana took a moment to quiet her own apprehensions.<span style="color: DarkOrchid">Firas, relax.</span>She said, quietly, calmly.<span style="color: DarkOrchid">We have plenty of things trying to kill us without doing it ourselves. I apologize for Firas. Sorv is the one who brought you in, and he's currently half dead and unconscious. What experience do you have, Darion?</span>She asked, knowing that for now she had to play the good girl trying to keep heads from butting together. In her previous line of work she would accomplish the task bare naked, or damn near. Here, though, the game was all words and she would have to be more careful.<br/><br/>Ashana listened as Darion revealed whatever it was he felt like revealing. Her attention was broken, though as the shuttle broke the atmosphere and descended far enough to see the world of Bekenstein below. Ashana peered out the window. It looked so... clean. It was a wash of white with a mixture of green fields and glittering blue water. The buildings and plaza's all looked designed to fit together. The city that the shuttle was descending over looked like a painting, it was so picturesque. Below she saw sky cars flying about, and as the shuttle descended even lower into the lanes, she could see all the people below. Ashana's lips parted as she took it all in. The entire environment was so alien to her, so clean and peaceful... looking at it made place like Illium or Omega seem like a far away bad dream - or perhaps it was this planet, Bekenstein, that was a dream.<br/><br/><span style="color: DarkOrchid">What is this place?</span>She asked as she watched a fountain ringed plaza pass by.<br/><br/><span style="color: DarkSlateBlue">Human industrial capital in Citadel space.</span>Shria answered from the cockpit.<span style="color: DarkSlateBlue">If you're a rich human, you live on Bekenstein.</span>Ashana stared out the window, her instincts already perking up, surveying the landscape and telling her that this was a place where credits could be made by a woman with her talents. She wouldn't even have too kill anyone. She could work as a consort in a place like this, not some whore. For a moment a pang of regret hit her, making her wish that she had been born on a planet like this.<br/><br/><span style="color: DarkOrchid">Is <i>this</i> what the galaxy really is?</span>She whispered to herself in awe.<br/><br/><span style="color: DarkSlateBlue">We're close. Wake up and grab your guns.</span>Shira announced.<br/><br/>Ashana leaned forward, trying to look out the shuttle's side window to see where they were going. When that failed, she got up from her seat and moved to the cockpit, putting her hands on the seats and leaning forward to look out, unknowingly sticking her ass out for the other passengers. Ahead, among the many tall buildings, was a tower with what seemed to be an open expanse at its base. As the shuttle neared, the open expanse turned into buildings fenced and walled off from the nearby areas. These buildings weren't as pristine as the others, and nearby assemblies of pipes and other fixtures Ashana would have expected from an industrial world.<br/><br/>A light blinked on the shuttle's dash and Shira reached up and struck several keys. A voice came over the comms in the shuttle.<span style="color: Teal">Welcome to the Antoli industrial sector.</span>The voice sounded like the same woman who had spoken with them earlier.<span style="color: Teal">You'll be receiving your landing coordinates momentarily. An escort will be waiting for you on arrival. Again, welcome to Vega Industries.</span><br/><br/>The shuttle descended onto a predesignated landing pad. The door opened and Ashana stepped out into the sunlight of Bekenstein. She raised her hand to shield her eyes from it. It was a great deal brighter than Omega or Illium had been, and the sky was a sea of soft blue with the occasional errant wispy cloud floating in it. At the lip of the landing pad, stood another Human woman. This one wasn't the woman from their previous conversations, but she was just as strikingly beautiful, with golden blonde hair neatly tucked into a bun. She smiled at the mercenaries as they exited the shuttle. The moment they were clear of the door, it closed and took off again.<br/><br/><span style="color: Green">Welcome to Vega Industries. Mr. Antoli is expecting you, and insisted on meeting you the moment you arrived. If you'll please follow me, you can be speaking with him shortly.</span>She smiled, radiating confidence and class.<br/><br/>The woman led them off the platform and into the industrial area. It was clear that they were headed for the nearby very large rectangular structure. All around the area people in hard hats were working. Large moving vehicles were towing palettes of materials and crates. Ashana looked down an open lane and saw a large vehicle in a fenced area. It had six wheels and a long, heavy gun on top of it. Painted in red on its side panel was M35. Behind it was a row of them.<br/><br/><span style="color: DarkOrchid">Screw the Volus, I'll just go to work for this guy.</span>Ashana said with a chuckle. She had to admit, the size of this human's operation was impressive.<br/><br/><br/>***<br/><br/><br/><span style="color: Blue">You can ask Taseer for that. I meant <i>real</i> questions, Kala. Working on this ship like your always at gun point won't benefit either of us anything. If we keep each other at arms length then this will turn into a very unpleasant arrangement. Taseer, introduce Kala to her work.</span>Cantenelli said, breaking his gaze from Kala. He turned and began down the gangway to the cockpit.<br/><br/><span style="color: Navy">Well, come on.</span>Taseer said, standing at the elevator.<span style="color: Navy">Don't worry. The Captain isn't as much of a hard ass as he seems. Get naked in front of him and he'll get real friendly.</span>Taseer chuckled and threw Kala a wink. When the elevator doors opened again on the crew deck, the Salarian doctor was waiting. Taseer exited with Kala and the doctor stepped in.<br/><br/><span style="color: Navy">How's the Quarian?</span>Taseer asked.<br/><br/><span style="color: YellowGreen">He will live as it is.</span>He said before the elevator doors closed again.<br/><br/><span style="color: Navy">Hm.</span>Taseer opened the door to the kitchen and opened several of the wall mounted containers. They were all empty.<span style="color: Navy">Hell, I say we should dry dock and get re fitted, Cap says we stay flying. Sorry Kala, no coffee, or anything apparently.</span>The Asari put her hand son her hips and sighed as her surveyed the empty compartment.<span style="color: Navy">On the bright side, once the Captain gets hungry again I imagine he'll at the very least clear a shore party so that we can restock our supplies.</span>Taseer turned and headed back to the elevator, calling it down.<span style="color: Navy">We docked on Omega for what was supposed to be a week long break while the Acheron here got refitted. Instead, two days in, the ship gets stolen. I wish they had taken it <i>after</i> the new equipment was on board.</span><br/><br/>The elevator opened and Taseer stepped in.<span style="color: Navy">Our work is down in the lower decks.</span>She told Kala as the doors closed and the elevator began moving down again.<span style="color: Navy">Tell me about the other ship you worked on. What systems did she have? What thermal modules are you familiar with?</span><div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>