The big blue plain (THESSIA, NARTIN, TEMPLARS)

Gestran kept himslef on the opposit side of the ravine, also trying to find a safe way down. He had a good view of the runner and the landscape below though so he kept reporting in.

"Ok, I got visual on a spot where you can cut him off Neil, It's a narrow pass about a 100 meters ahead of you. Park there and you'll have him boxed in."

"Prefer it if he came peacefully though, dragging him out of there will be a bitch."

As Trixina made her way towards the road she got a message that she could scarcely belive.

"Boomtrix, come in, vohkaidin Knox is moving away from the crashsite in a truck alone. I repeat ALONE."

She didn't hesitate for a second, knox was the leader of these templars, she didn't know why the maniac had decided to do this but she knew that she may never get a chance like this again. She called up her top marksman immediatly.

"Lirena, git that widow of yours into position, with some luck, we may secure this haul immediatly."

A massively buildt Asari lies prone on the little hill with a perfect view of the valley below, as well as the truck that is moving towards the road. Her two squadmates are already getting into position ahead of it. The massive rifle in her hand speaks of extensive gene modification, if not direct limb replacement.

The truck is now just 800 meter away from them. She gets a call on the radio.

"Take the shot."

The sound of the rifle is nearly as loud as the boom from the ship that crashed just a short time ago. It pierces the barriers of the truck like nothing, going straight through the engine block. The truck starts simply rolling before coming to a complete halt.

The two huntresses are on the move before the shot is even fired, running straight towards it to secure the leader of this operation who was foolish enough to head out on his own.

Gallik stopped as he trailed the fugitive, listening to the loud ring of the rifle from far off.

"Shots fired! Where is Knox? Gestran, Maliszewski, find him please. Neil and I can apprehend runner!"

His goggled eyes scanned the sides of the ravine from behind the goggles, looking for any little nook or cranny Snow could have hidden himself in. If that sniper's rifle had fired true... Well the Templar commander may be the late Templar commander. But hopefully the others could intervene.

When the sound of the shot reached his ears, Titus dove to the ground and pulled his handgun free.
"Lupin, did you hear that gunshot? Do you know where it came from?"

Vohk, at first, hadn't quite realized what had happened. The sound of the Widow going off was more like a bark of a thunder than any fire arm he was familiar with.

What the hell?

He managed to think, before the vehicle came to a dead stop. Confused further, the civillian tried to fiddle with the controls for a bit, before glancing upwards through the widow, and witnessing two armed figures, darting through the frozen waste.

Right...

He lunged for the doors, locking each of them manually, along with the top hatch. All the while, he'd opened up two com chanells, one with his own team, the other with the Picasso.

"To anyone who is listening, this is Knox. I'm being attacked by an unknown group of hostiles, who've somehow managed to disable my vehicle. I need an ETA on the asari forces enroute to the crash site. Patrol team, this is Knox, secure the crash site. This may be the precursor to a raid on the eezo there. Do not come after me, you'll just leave yourselves exposed."

Then, he went to the weapons cache. Ignoring the various fire arms, he reached for a bandolier of spherical objects, gently unclasping one, and holding it in his fist.

Whoever they were, they'd try to force themselves in. He'd use those moments to try to talk them down, stall until reinforcements arrived. But if they managed to get in, and their intent was clearly hostile, he wouldn't make it easy for them. He activated the open communications

"To whomever has fired upon me, I request that you cease all hostile activity and identify yourself."

Trixina locked onto Vohks channel, confident that they'd got him where they wanted.

"Hello Vohky boy, you probably ain't know who I am, but I do know of you. An' I just wanted to thank you for takin' the trip out here to us."

"Now I know what yer thinkin'. These ol' ladies that have shot up yer nice little truck here probably don't have yer best int'rest in mind, but I assure you I have no intent of hurtin' you and yours. Not unless you give us reason to that is. That could change however."

"Pers'nally I've got no idea where that big ol' blumber that fell from the sky came from, but I do have an idea of whats in it and of the scum who piloted it. The way I see it, the good people here have lost enough already from those jackals, and its time we got a little bit back if you know my meanin'."

"I propose two options from you. Either you let us take a few of them nice shiny crates for ourselves, not all of em' just a few, and we'll let you walk free. Even let you keep yer little new frostleech friend that yer chasin'. Otherwise I'll have my gals blow you and yer friends to smithereens from a distance and take all the crates and blame it on the runner an' his cronies."

"If yer wise, and take me up on my first offer, I'll come by an' say hi at yer little kindergarden. Give you a few hints on whats what, around these parts. Only if'n you don't go tattlin' to them nice little friends of yers afterwards however."

"So, what'cha say Templar boy. You goan make it difficult for us?"

"I'm not sure where those shots came from either, but keep going after the runner! I see the spot where I can cut him off from the other side." Neil quickly brought the truck on the other side of the ravine. He parked it vertically, head first facing into the ravine.

"I'm in position. Let me know when you have spotted him!"

"I can't go on", Snow whispered as he fell down, his legs quivering from the cold and exertion. The admission was painful, but the fact was undisputable, he had reached his limit. He slowly righted himself into a sitting position, the blue sky above and the ravine walls encircling the forlorn salvager, indifferent to his plight as he reached into a pocket on his jacket.

"Only hope these weren't wrecked", Snow giggling as he struggled to open the pack of smokes in his near useless left hand. After a brief struggle he found one that wasn't completely ruined. The bleak nature of this situation making the kid laugh even more, not out of normal amusement, but the realisation that he was truly fucked. Finally lighting up after the giggling fit passed, the harsh mixture of nicotine and tar sedating Snow, causing him to lean back against the rock. Gazing up at the sky, the dire situation almost adding to the calm of the ravine, it was if this makeshift execution ground was chosen for him...

As the salarian came upon the the smoking runner, he paused, cautiously approaching Snow with his OT directed towards the salvager.

"Subject acquired." He spoke into the team's comm, and then directly to Snow; "You need medical attention, and we can provide it. Provided you come willingly." He looked around at the bleak ravine that could become Snow's tomb.

"Gloomy choice of vistas for one's death. The truck is more accommodating."

"I-it's only gloomy to you frog", Snow rasped back at the salarian, indifferent at the intrusion as he took another drag, the heat welcome as he fixed his eyes on his pursuer, letting his blank gaze creep through.

"F-f-for me, it's rather p-peaceful at this moment, s-so don't fucking ruin it."

Gallik blinked impassively behind his goggles, the OT dispersing and offering a hand.

"Come on, we'll get you somewhere where death isn't imminent. No need for things to be forced."

The offer of a peaceable escape wasn't false, but the Salarian had full intent of getting him out of this ravine, one way or the other.

"Besides. I doubt the asari on the way are friends of yours, or ours."

The salvager blinked at the salarian, "No one is a good samaritan these days, especially when eezo's involved", Snow thought as he turned back to the sky.

"Yeah right, another merc crew offering aid? No one is t-that dumb", whispering at the salarian, Snow starting to rise, if he was to die, he'd do it on his feet. Turning back to the merc , his grey eyes displaying no emotion as he flashed an obscene gesture at the frog,

"Do what you have to frog, but stop with the self-righteous bullshit, it's making me tired."

The frog shrugged, and applied a dose of medigel to stabilize the ex-marine. He got a shoulder underneath Snow's and started limping them both to the end of the ravine Neil was waiting at.

"Not mercenaries. With the government forces. Peacekeeping units. Either way, we'll get you out of here."

He tapped over to Neil's line.

"Neil, on our way out. Get ready to pull out and head back to the crash site."

"G-gov't, well then do your worst", Snow gasping as he made one last futile attempt to resist, wrenching away from the salarian, his last steps towards his previous resting spot, craving the quiet he had found, he wasn't about to let some goddamn gov't thug take it away. Falling down, Snow's eyes rolling back as he thought...

"No better place to die..."

"Suit yourself." As Snow wrenched away, Gallik turned to deliver an OT stun to his back, but was beaten to the point by his collapse to the ground. He sighed, and bent to the ground to lift the unconscious man into a fireman's carry, and trudged off back down the ravine.

"Correction Neil. Now heading out."

"You got him? You need me to pick you two up? I'm literally right in front of you. In fact, I think I can see you now that some of the wind has died down."

"Pick up would be appreciated. He's heavier than he seems. Just be careful, don't get the truck stuck down here."

The salarian was just about exhausted. He limped towards the approaching truck and set the fugitive down, before climbing in. Once they were secure, he pulled down his mask, chomping down another energy bar. Wheel-damned fast metabolism. He prepped the runner against falling further into hypothermia.

"Thank you Neil. Now we should head back to the crash site. He's safe for the moment."

gestran slid down to help Gallik get the unknown runner into the truck.

"Mind If I ride with you guys back to Titus and the crash? We need figure what the chief has gotten himself into, or Muck will kill me."