As the rest of the crew left, Winona went back to maintaining the guns remaining on the table, Juleena to meditate and Reeva continued to search for any information on Nyla and Mehrkuri.

"Hey, were there any identifying marks on Nyla? Found a somewhat recent picture of Mehrkuri to set up a facial match program, but nothing for Nyla. So far the parameters are just an Asari that looks like she had psychosis."

Winona starts to laugh, but then starts coughing as her bruised windpipe reacts to the movement. "I mean, close enough. Haven't really seen anyone that deranged, much less an Asari. Had a pretty good view of her though. Angular face, medium lips. She had markings at the end of each eye that looked like dots."

Furiously typing, "Anything else?"

"Hm. Wasn't really a regular pattern but her…hair?..."

"Nah, that's just her head. It's similar to us, but softer. For Asari it's just cartilage."

"Ah, got it. Anyway, pattern on her head, kind of random. And across her forehead she had almost like a…circlet design?"

"K, k, got it, and…done! Hopefully I can get eyes on her."

Winona reassembles the final gun, her own pistol, and lights a cigarette. "You ever come across mercs like that before?"

Reeva, still typing, "A couple of times. There's always someone out there with more experience and guns. Usually find it easier to distract them and regroup. Come back stronger and with more in the arsenal."

A slight smile crosses Winona's face as she takes another drag, "Okay, but what's your definition of a 'distraction'?"

Reeva turns, her eyes wide with mischief "Something big enough to get them to fuck off or gain enough time to get away. Blow something up, freeze their finances, sabotage their ship."

"Well,..." Winona takes another drag, "Can't blow stuff up and we have no idea what their assets are."

"...of course we can blow stuff up…"

Winona narrows her eyes "Not without every agent within 4 systems descending on us. I know you know this isn't Omega. Besides, some of us have a reputation to uphold, jobs to get back to."

Reeva turns to face Winona, crosses her legs, and leans in "Well, I know that you know that's bullshit. You're settling in quite nicely."

Winona takes a drag, rubs her face, then props her head up on one hand. Reeva's unblinking stare is somewhat unsettling, but she's come to find an odd comfort in it. There's the feeling of a concerned sister buried in there somewhere. She takes one last drag from her cigarette, puts it out. "Hey doc, I'm taking a shower and then heading out. Getting some real food." As she walks she feels air on her skin, looks down and realizes her pants got torn up in the fight "And some new clothes. Let me know if you want in." No answer, Juleena is still meditating. Winona gets into the shower.

A few moments pass, Juleena feels her mind calm somewhat and she begins to take stock. A Turian and an Ardat Yakshi that rivals any commando she's seen. She knows this mission is important to the Drell, but it may be getting too dangerous. She opens her eyes and jumps. Reeva is directly across from her, sitting with her knees up to her chest, held by her hands. "How're you feeling?"

Juleena collects herself "Well, scared. I…we came so close to losing a friend…"

Reeva cuts her off, "And you."

Juleena continues, "...and me. I'm just trying to figure out how to help our friend despite the current threat. They came from the shadows and took us completely by surprise. Nyla on her own held against almost all of us, and I'm sure her accomplice can do the same. I just don't know how we can beat that."

"First, good job on using we. We are in this together. Second, be careful who you think is a friend. We're all on the same payroll, but some are more…self preserving… than others. The Captain seems to pick decent people, but still. Be careful. Third, who says we need to beat them? Petra, pull up the notes!" Petra flies over and projects a flowchart with the information the party has gathered so far. "So, Ms. Juleena, we've figured out that two groups have been attacking the Sirta Warehouses, right?"

Juleena nods.

"One group is precise, quiet and leaves weird fuckin corpses. The other operates just like a Blue Suns Cell. We can definitively say that Nyla and Mehrkuri are the first group." She widens her eyes and leans in, looking for approval.

"I would agree."

Reeva bows her head, then moves into a squat, moving her arms more as she talks. "So, two groups are attacking Sirta warehouses, using two completely different methods. There's a chance Nyla and Mehrkuri aren't working for the Suns, but they definitely are acting as independent contractors."

"That is logical."

"M'kay, and you were preeeeetty secretive about Ardat-Yakshi."

"Yes, we Asari consider them to be a great shame on our race. They also are incredibly rare, so we tend to not publicize their existence."

"Well maybe the psychosis they develop is because they're societaly pressured to consider themselves failures and disgusting creatures, but I digress."

Tears form in Juleena's eyes as she realizes it's a very similar line of thought that was applied to the Vorcha.

Reeva doesn't notice and continues on "If they're considered so bad and terrible I have to imagine Asari have some group or some tech that can take care of them." She abruptly pauses, holding an open hand out to Juleena.

Juleena considers holding the hand, but redirects when she realizes Reeva is gesturing for an explanation. "We do. They're called Justicars. They swear off all worldly possessions to live by a sacred code. They also tend to be of Matriarchal age and quite powerful."

"So how do we get one in here?"

"Well, we'd have to prove an Ardat-Yakshi was here…"

"Which we can definitely do…" Reeva is nodding at Juleena and making circular motions with her fingers as in 'keep going.'

"...And then a formal report would need to be sent through the Asari embassy. She knows that we know her true nature and will probably be keeping a watch over it."

"Fair enough, but, correct me if you think I'm wrong, once she knew a Justicar was on the way, she would likely flee?"

"Based on the hatred I saw in her eyes, no, but she would likely back off of us to prepare for her arrival."

"And there you go. Problem solved, no one needs to get eaten or disintegrated or whatever. Well, except for the Blue Suns, but that was the plan anyway. The disintegration part. Not the eating part. Although Skarr might eat them."

Winona, standing in the doorway wrapped in a towel "...Genius and madness are two sides of the same coin…" she walks out.

"Excuse you, ma'am please do not talk about the Doctor like that." Winona pops her head back in the door to glare at Reeva. Juleena lets out a small laugh at that. Reeva turns back to Juleena, "Go out, get some food, and find some clothes for your embassy visit." She stands up and offers a hand to Juleena, she takes it, "And bring back ramen please. Extra enoki."

As Winona gets dressed, she looks at herself in a smashed mirror. Other than the bruising on her neck it doesn't look too bad. She grabs a scarf out of her rucksack and wraps it around her neck. She hears Juleena walk into the room. "Ready to go doc?"

Juleena's stomach rumbles. "Do you mind if we find food first?"

"Honestly I was hoping you'd say that, let's go."

As they stepped out, it was another perfect spring day on the citadel. High 60s and a light breeze. At the end of the block there was an informational VI terminal. Juleena gestures and the pair walk up to it. As they approach it sparks, the MIRA VI flickers, then goes out.

"Damn, this ward really took a hit. Think you can fix it doc?"

Juleena leans in and begins examining the terminal, "I could but there are parts missing." As she's inspecting the terminal, looking through it to the other side, Juleena sees a Volus and Salarian approaching. She nudges Winona. The volus raises his hand.

"Goot morning! Do you need any help?"

Juleena waves back, "Yes, actually, do you know a good place to eat?" As she's speaking Winona keeps her eyes on the Salarian.

The volus replies "Yes! There's a cafe that has the most wonderful crumbles! It's been awhile since we were there, but my sources tell me it's still around. Do you want to walk with us?"

Juleena looks excitedly at Winona, Winona narrows her eyes, sighs, then starts walking over. "Sure, where are we headed?"

"Steamy Beans Cafe. It's just a few blocks this way!" The volus excitedly starts waddling in the direction he pointed, the Salarian next to him. "I'm Jurgen, this is my associate Padok. What are your names, friends?"

Juleena perks up and approaches Jurgen, Winona stays by her side. Juleena chirps out "Well I'm Juleena, and this is my associate Winona." Winona stiffly waves.

"Oh what beautiful names!" Realizing he's just being courteous, Juleena smiles softly. Winona rolls her eyes.

"So what do you and your associate do, Jurgen?"

Jurgen does a happy little clap with hands "Well, we're engineers. Padok had a brilliant idea to help our business, but we needed to secure patents to begin looking for financial backers. And we got the patents! So now we're getting crumbles to celebrate!"

Juleena gives a polite smile, "Wonderful! If I may ask, Padok what is your idea?"

Looking straight ahead Padok replies "0 emission, self-cycling emergency generators. We work for a hotel, and wanting to provide the optimal experience for our guests no matter the conditions, I designed these generators." He can tell Juleena's interest has peaked. "Well 0 emission, with minimal impact and footprint."

"Of course! Motors die, solenoids burnout."

Padok turns to Juleena "Ah! Another like minded engineer."

Juleena blushes a little. "Environmental Engineering, and Archaeology have been my main two areas of study."

Padok continues "The emission rate is not just better for the environment, it also provides a better experience for our guests as it doesn't give off the smell that traditional generators can. That way they can continue to enjoy all amenities without any discomfort if the generators are needed."

"That is such a small detail to think about! You must work for a fine hotel!"

"The finest!" Jurgen interjects.

Padok jumps right back in "The self cycling part is truly the piece de resistance, they can operate fully independently if they need to…" Juleena moves towards Padok and continues to discuss the science behind his generators. Jurgen moves closer to Winona.

"Are you an engineer as well?"

Winona does actually laugh at that. Trying to hide her true purpose she says "Nah, I just fly the ship. Colony kid that learned how to do anything and everything to a ship. Left to see the stars."

She could tell Jurgen gave her the once over "While I do believe you, I've also traveled enough to know a bodyguard when I see one."

Winona sighs and looks down at her dirty, greasy shirt, torn pants and battered duster "Yeah, guess I didn't hide it that well. What can I say, gotta do a little bit of everything to make a living these days."

Jurgen chuckles. "Ah! Here we are! You two have a seat, the first round is on us!" Juleena and Winona grab a table on the patio of the cafe. It's mildly trafficked, the current residential zone they're in seems to be one of the earlier rebuilds. Not all of the buildings were rebuilt, but it was less run down than a lot of other places they'd been so far.

The chairs for the cafe were designed to accommodate a wide range of species, and were quite large for Winona and Juleena. Winona leans herself into the corner of her chair, her legs almost fully reclined and lights a cigarette. Juleena sits stock straight on the edge of her chair, looking like a child with her feet dangling down. "I'm glad we met some nice people on this trip!"

"Eh, good conversation and can't turn down a free meal but don't get too attached. They've been around more than it may look like. Also, let's just let them think it's us two with no associates. As far as they know you're a top scientist and I'm the bodyguard pilot."

Juleena cocks her head, looking into the distance "I really wish people would just get along. I know that's a very childish thing but it gets tiring having to be constantly suspicious for your whole life. Goddess, I was tired of it by the time I was only two hundred."

Winona smiles in amusement, "Now that is one of the more interesting takes I've heard from the immortal Asari. Figured there'd be a point where you'd just get off on the intrigue and all that."

"I'm sure some do. Well, I know some do. But it's so tiring. Just because life is long doesn't mean it can't stop being bright and hopeful."

Winona flicks ash off of her cigarette, shaking her head. "Just the fact that you can say that after almost dying yesterday is insane. I'm just over here trying to make sure those two don't isolate us so we don't have a repeat of yesterday."

"Well at least enjoy the meal. I can see them coming back."

Both Juleena and Winona start salivating as the food hits the table. Jurgen took it upon himself to get a tray of what seems to be one of each pastry in the store; the employees arranged it all on a double tiered platter. An Asari placed it on the table, smiled and scurried back inside, Padok walked up behind with four coffee cups on a tray, and set one in front of each person. He then helped Jurgen into his seat, it was so large for his body that he looked like a toddler. His feet didn't even hang over the edge. Padok then took his seat, which was far too wide for him, and being an oddly short Salarian, his feet swung freely. Jurgen picked up his cup and gestured to the others.

"This is their house blend, a rare bean found on the Yahg homeworld. One of the few things Salarians were able to pluck from their world before it was left to its own devices. Oh, and please enjoy the pastry variety! It has been awhile since we have been able to introduce someone to this treasure!" Winona bobbed her head, seems high brow but at least it's coffee. She takes a sip. It's the most decadent, smokey, chocolatey coffee she's ever had and it's the perfect temperature. She chugs half the cup before putting it down to take a breath.

"Holy shit! That's amazing!"

Jurgen's eye lights on his exo suit arc up as if he's smiling "I highly recommend pairing the apple streusel and cherry crumble with it." Winona dials up the two pastries and proceeds to zone out in food heaven for a few moments.

Juleena ponders the coffee. "I…I don't think I've had coffee in nearly three centuries."

Padok's eyes go wide, "Oh you must try this. Not only is it some of the best, the caffeine levels are low enough that even I can drink it. Normally coffee makes me stay awake for four days." Juleena takes a tentative sip.

Memories come flooding back. Good ones. Sitting around a table with her colleagues, groggily going over notes in the wee hours of the night. Talking, comparing hypotheses, challenging each other. Giving up on the research entirely for the night and heading out to grab a bottle of brandy and star gaze in the grassy fields. She opens her eyes and Winona is placing a plate with pastries in front of her. Her mouth still full, "You have to try these." Juleena takes a bite, it's been centuries since she had real, homemade food. Her mouth almost couldn't process the flavors that were happening. She snaps out of it and looks at Jurgen. "What do we owe you? This is just too generous!"

Jurgen sips coffee through a straw and takes out a processor, to allow him to get the pastries inside of his exosuit. "You seem to travel a bit. Next time we meet, you show us one of your favorite places! Seems fair?"

Winona and Juleena look at each other, nod, and turn back. Juleena chirps "Those terms are agreeable!"

The conversation stays jovial as they finish their coffee and drinks, eventually Winona and Juleena are able to roll out of their chairs and they begin walking down the street.

Moving more towards the center of the district, the crowds were larger. Many of the buildings had already been repaired and it appeared nowhere near as devastated as the surrounding areas. Winona spots a General Store, Delan's Supply Depot. "Hey, I think I'm going to duck in here to look for some new work clothes. And, uh, not to be too much of a killjoy but I think we should stay together."

"Oh! Some clothes from this century would be nice! And it's okay, we have all day to look around at whatever we want."

Winona shrugs and walks towards the building "Fair enough."

As they enter the store they can see racks of sturdy work boots, padded work pants and shirts, as well as tools and other basic items. Winona goes straight to the boots, Juleena slips down a different aisle. Winona panics for a second, thinking she already lost Juleena, but spots her through a rack of shirts. As she walks through the boots, she sees Turian boots, Krogan boots, Elcor boots, but no human boots. A Hanar floats up to her, "This one is the owner of this store, do you require assistance?"

The multi-layered voice throws Winona off for a second; she's never actually talked to a Hanar in person. "Oh, uh, do you have human boots? Preferably steel toe?"

"Of course! Right over here." The Hanar begins to float, wait no, Winona notices his feet slightly moving along the ground. "This one thinks you will find these suitable for your needs. All are in stock, except for these two pairs. For those, unless you are a male human size 10 or a female human size 4, this one cannot meet your desires."

"That's fine! I'm sure one of the others will work."

"Very well, this one will be around if you require more assistance."

Looking through the racks there seems to be three candidates. Right size, subtle and steel toe. Winona begins to try them on. The first pair feels stiffer than she likes, but the second pair fits like a glove. The third pair feels good as well but they're a bit overpriced. As she goes to box all the pairs back up, she pauses. She knows which one she's getting, but it's been so long since she was in a normal store that was meant for civilian shopping. No need to be efficient, no need to grab and go. She starts putting the different pairs of boots on and looking in the floor mirrors to see the aesthetic of them. Nostalgia starts to wash over her, remembering the yearly trips to the city of Scott with her mother and sister to buy clothes. She smiles as she jogs up and down the aisle a little bit to 'test the feel.'

Juleena moves through the aisles in fascination. So many new styles and improvements in clothing! Better materials, better safety padding in work clothes, fire retardant clothes were so much lighter! She bounces down the aisle, flipping through padded work jackets. A Hanar floats down the aisle, "Good morning! Can this one assist you?"

"Oh! Assistance would be appreciated! Do you have any long, durable coats in a size appropriate for a human female, that's shorter than me but about my size?"

The Hanar bobs up and down for a moment. "Would you be referring to the human female looking at footwear?"

Juleena hops up in the air, clearing the racks by a whole head and spots Winona admiring a pair of boots in a mirror. "Yes! That's her!"

"Judging by that one's footwear selection, this one believes there is something in stock, this way please."

Juleena nabs a couple shirts she likes off of the racks as she follows the Hanar. As they approach the rack, the Hanar glides its tentacles through the display and removes a high quality, pseudo leather duster from the rack. "This one believes this shall suffice?"

Juleena rubs it with her fingers, and inspects the storage pockets. "I'm sure she'll love it! Thank you so much!"

"Of course! Let this one know if more assistance is required." The Hanar floats away to greet a group of Salarians that have just entered.

Juleena grabs a new pair of work dungarees and goes to where she last saw Winona.

Approaching her, Juleena can see that Winona is in a memory. She likes it when the stoic human gets this way. She slides onto a small bench in the middle of the aisle and watches with glee. After a few minutes Winona notices she's there, "Hey, find what you need doc?" Juleena nods, still smiling. Winona coughs, looks down at her feet, "Uh yeah, found some boots. A shirt and some pants and I'll be good. And a new coat." Juleena presents the duster the Hanar helped her pick out.

"Is this one agreeable?"

Winona takes one look at it, and her eyes widen. As she runs her fingers over the material, staring at the quality of the stitching "This is great! Been awhile since I've seen something this nice. And actually had the money to buy it." Winona gingerly takes the coat, grabs a work shirt and hardened cargo pants. Juleena finds some adventuring supplies she used to use in her archeology days, it might come in handy. They go to the register to pay Delan, change into their new clothes, then exit. "Anything else you want doc? My armor and weapons are good."

"Oh, um I'm okay–"

"Hey Reeva," Winona hails her over the comm " we found a shopping district, want any toys?"

"Only if they come from local shops…"

"There's plenty here. Don't worry I won't give any of your money to Skald Pro Shops."

"Oh good. Well, if you can find me an echo cancel unit for my armor, a copy of , and a voice modulator I'd appreciate it. And Ramen. Still waiting on that."

Winona raises an eyebrow, "That's a pretty specific list. Care to elaborate?"

"If I'm going to keep up with Jorram a little extra help wouldn't hurt, and Plan D in case we get cornered. And I'm still hungry."

"Keep up with him?"

Reeva laughs on the other side of the comm, Winona blushes, "...Oh no, I don't date narcs. He likes to keep it quiet and if the Captain keeps pairing us together I want to make sure I don't mess up and give us away when we're sneaking around."

"What do you mean he's a narc?"

"Oh come on. He's gotta be involved with the Hierarchy somehow. Ex-agent my ass. Haven't pinned it down yet, but I'll figure it out."

"Maybe he just actually follows the law once in awhile?"

"Yeah. A narc." The comm connection cuts, Winona lets out a frustrated sigh. She looks over and Juleena is looking at her with a bit of a shit eating grin.

Winona narrows her eyes. "What?"

They walk towards Suvi's Weaponsmith, as it seems to be the only decent weapon store near them. As they walk in, there are a few merc looking types and even some off-duty C-sec officers browsing weapons and mods. A Turian is manning the counter; she's in an intense bargaining session with a Volus. Looking less busy is a Salarian. He seems to be working on omni tool programs. Winona and Juleena approach him, Winona leans on the counter.

"Hey, I'm looking for a copy of ?"

The Salarian saves the code he's currently working on and turns around. "Easy enough, new or used?"

Winona's curiosity gets the better of her, "Does it matter?"

"One's cheaper. There's less variance to the results, therefore it has fewer uses."

"Oh. Sorry, I'm buying it for someone else. What's the price difference?"

"New is 8,000. 15 uses left is 6,000 and I have one with only 3 uses left for 500."

"New one will be good. Any chance of a discount if I'm getting some armor mods?"

The Salarian rolls his eyes "I'll set it aside. Talk to Suvi when she's done with the customers in front of you." He sets the module on the back counter and goes back to programming.

As they move down the counter, the Turian is leaning over it, staring at the Volus, locked in a battle of wills. After an uncomfortable minute or two the Volus exhales, "Fine. 60% now, 4% interest on the rest of the payments."

The Turian smiles to herself and pushes off the counter, "Glad you could see the advantage to doing business with us." She rings up his purchase and he waddles out the door, mumbling to himself. She turns to Winona and Juleena, "I'm on a streak today, and I'm guessing you want to bargain for the omni tool program? Can't do much if that's all you're getting."

Winona leans on the counter, "Well, we're getting some more ourselves but we also know a few people that'll want to gear up. Little word of mouth for 5% off up front?"

The Turian looks her and Juleena up and down. She turns to the Salarian, "I think for once our customers actually know serious buyers Janos." The Salarian grunts and waves a hand. "Alright, 5%. What else are you lookin at?"

"An echo cancel unit for Turian armor and a voice modulator."

"Alright, let's see." She browses through some bins behind the counter. "I've got a standard unit for 12k, or a fully customizable unit for 65k."

"How exclusive is that customizable one?"

"That's a trade secret."

Winona smirks, "Got it. And the echo cancel?"

"That's pretty standard, 4k."

"We'll take the standard modulator and the echo as well. 24k with 5% off by my count."

The Turian lightly slaps the counter, "Deal!" and packages up their purchase. As they walk out of the shop, Winona contacts Reeva. "We got your stuff."

"Looks like you got a little discount too, appreciate that. Dinner's on me."

She dials up the rest of the crew, "Not sure where you're at but I've pinged some store if you want to arm up. Supply shop with general gear and a weaponsmith. She also has a programmer on staff for omnitool needs. Grabbing food then heading back to Reeva, meet you there when you're ready to get Juleena to the embassy?" A flurry of grunts and affirmative noises, then the comm goes back to silence.