What we're up against (Templars, SSV Picasso)

The Field hospital onboard the SSV Picasso hadn't had a quiet moment since TERF forces entered the Parnitha system. The constant raids had produced plenty of casualties, and their arrival didn't seem to be discouraging them. As a matter of fact, They seemed to be intensifying. Perhaps it was desperation caused by the realization that the opportunity of a lifetime was slipping away, perhaps it was just that more and more raiders was joining the party. What was certain, was that TERF would be busy for a while yet.

Nevertheless, a group of templars were entering the room of Vohkaidin Knox. The same Templar patrol that had conducted a fatefull mission a few days earlier as a matter of fact. Sergeant Gallick was just about to be signed out, his concussion not being very serious. They've all been summoned here for a special briefing by one of TERFS S-2 officers.

The Templar commander is having new kneecaps grown for him to replace the ones that were recently shot off by a vengefull Asari commando. The surgeons are predicting that he won't be up and about for at least another month but that he will be able to personally oversee the last part of the Templars deployment.

As the groups enters the room they find no one but Knox in there sitting upright in his bed.

Gestran Enters first, and smiles with an impish grin as he sees his employer in the bed.

"Boss man! How're you doing?"

He walks over to Vohks bed and gives him a bear hug.

"You know I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't hoped to return the lesson I got from you when I was in the hospital. If I ever catch you getting captured again I might have to get stern. The bed suits you by the way, Goes well with the scars."

Neil steadily followed Gestran. He was wearing a more solemn face than Gestran's. A charity group that is surrounded by raiders, and was only recently attacked while on the job. On one hand, this wasn't nearly as horrible as some of the other situations hes gotten himself into. But the thought that someone like him nearly bled out on the snow on his watch disturbed him.

"Glad your recovering well, sir." He's always been a bit to formal with people he hasn't been well acquainted with. At least, when hes not being a famous doofus singer and musician. It's always been a social quirk hes never been able to kick.

"I'm hoping the injuries are not permanent sir."

She'd been there before all of them, of course. She'd only left his side when the doctors had not given her a choice.

Helena looked up at the others from her seat beside her husband, her normally bright green eyes sagging with exhaustion.

"Hello everyone." She greeted, a somber smile on her features. Her left hand is planted on on the back of her husband's, gripping softly.

Vohk stared at the group with lidded eyes, and took a moment, the drugs in his system making it an interesting experience, to say the least. He was coherent, but it made everything seem like an out of body experience.

"Gestran, when you and tell people about this, years from now, you will always forevermore be the guy who turned into a vomit cannon. Trust me, I could spend years, and never ever equal that accomplishment."

Vohk saluted ironically with his free hand, the other still gripped with his wife's.

He then looked at Neil, and shook his head.

"Neil, sir is what you call a military officer. As you can plainly see, I am but a fool without hope of redemption or recourse. Vohk if you please, Boss if you must, and Idiot if you're being honest."

Vohks said, the words tumbling out almost lyrically. Modern meds, Got to love em.

Titus entered then, hearing enough of what Vohk had said to Neil to immediately feel awkward, having intended to address Vohk as Sir.
"Um... Hi. It's, ah, good to see you alive. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about you."
And with a nod, Titus shut his mouth and tried to blend into the wall behind him. He had only really come here out of courtesy; he wasn't any more than an acquaintance to Vohkaidan.

And just like that..."Of course sir-I mean Vohk, sir." The awkwardness level of the current conversation shot up by several points. Neil scratched the back of his head and cleared his throat. "Also if it makes you feel any better, I think the only town idiot I know of is this guy named Gestran. Not sure if you heard of him." He stated joking tone while attempting to keep a straight face. Hopefully that would have made everyone forget his social awkwardness that took place a moment ago.

The salarian Sentinel was next to enter. Not having far to go, since he had just been checked out. He saw the group already gathered and gave them a polite nod, before addressing Vohk.

"Knox. Good to see you. You're recovering well I hope, given the circumstances? Glad we were able to get you back in one piece, more or less. It could have been much worse, for both sides."

"Wow, really gave you the good stuff huh."

He shakes his head at Neils comment and turns to the other person by the bed.

"Hey muck. How is the kid doing?"

At that moment, an Asari and a Salarian enter the room. The salarian is dressed in a standard uniform, the asari in a more formal outfit, the dress regulations for the asari military being vague as always makes her role hard to pin down. It is the Asari that speaks first.

"Greetings, sorry to disturb the reunion, but our time is as always short. My name is Renevi Pira, intelligence attache from the Asari Navy to TERF intelligence operations and this is my liason lieutenant Primrem, I belive you and Sgt Gallik are already famiiar with each other."

She nods to the salarian who continues.

"We've called you here because of your skirmish a few days ago, after due consideration, we feel that it's fair that you get a briefing on who and what you encountered out there, I realize of course that mr vohkaidin here is somewhat indisposed but the sooner you know what you went up against, the better. Any questions before we start?"

As soon as the other Salarian entered the room, Gallik went into a salute, standing at attention until he was told otherwise. "Lieutenant Primrem, sir."

His mannerism changed slightly as he caught what the asari had said.

"You had intel on what we may have been facing out there?" Not an accusation, entirely, but a curious insinuation.

The Salarian coughs nervously.

"Not untill a few days ago no."

He looks around to see if there are more questions.

The salarian looks around.

"No? Very well. Lets continue."

He then places a holoprojector on the table in front of vohks bed. A small model of the quarian ship appears.

"This is the Plith. Small quarian post-war stealt gunboat design. Prototype. was stolen by anti geth activists after the war, been spotted several times in the system but could was never intercepted. The cargo makes it obvious that they were using it for eezo smuggling."

The projection highlights the engines in red.

"Post crash damage report suggest with certainity that engine was damaged by a directed energy weapon, most likely GARDIAN lasers in the infrared range. Some of our analyst suggest alliance model judging from the heat signature but due the range it was fired being unknown, nothing can be said for certain. Black box and record was wiped by crew as the ship went down so no record exist."

"As for the crew and its status, only two of them, Liz'rani and jony'korvah vas Plith survived the crash. Erv'Jorah, the one aprehended by Maliszewski, died from exposure earlier today. Shame as he was the only crewmember to remain fully conscious through the entire crash. Still, You are to be commended for saving as many as you did, Lupin Volts work in particular was invaluable in this respect and command has decreed to award you the TERF civilian commendation medal for it."

Near the wall. Titus raised his claw.
"Have Liz'rani and Jony'korvah been questioned, or provided any information?"

Helena smiled wanly before gesturing to a sleeping form in nearby portable stroller.

"She's fine. Just getting a little nap."

Not long after this was said, one tiny pair of eyes opened up, and and proceeded to study the world around her.



Helena preemptively picked up little Del an proceeded to coo over her until the baby's eyes drifted back to the land of Nod.

Muck kept her attention on the officials, her eyes narrowing with thought.

"What's going to happen to the survivors? Are they going to be kept imprisoned here, or transfered to Rannoch? And what about the human crewmember? Who is he, and what are you doing with him?

Vohk nodded solemnly.

"Thank you for your concern, Sarge. Or do you prefer Gallick?"

Before that question could be answered, the suits showed up. Vohk's eyes narrowed as they continued to speak.

"And what about the wounded asari? How are they doing?"

"I apologize for tacking onto the the bombardment of questions ma'am, but I'd just like to chime in with my own. What type of precautions should we take in order to minimize future conflicts like this? I don't think we are all ready to engage in serious firefights like this often. Thank you, ma'am."