Ilyna T'Rea

Ilyna T'Rea
Alias	Blue
Species	Asari
Gender	Female
Age	295
Birthdate	January 26, 1890
Birthplace	Armali, Thessia
Current Residence	Freedom Falls, Aite
Height	172cm (5'8")
Build	Athletic
Hair	???
Markings	White 'eyebrows'
Eye Color	Blue
Skin Color	Violet
Occupation	Redrock Agency Managment
Relationships	Li (Adoptive Daughter) Ehanis Tioran (Sister) Eriana T'Rea (Mother) Vynira Tioran (Father) Verius Arithus (Step Brother) Iera T'Rea (Sister)
Status	Active
Player	Gisle

"If we're lucky, she won't descend from the sky before we can take off and smite all of us for bringing Ehanis along."

—Jason Wolfe

Ilyna T'Rea is a former part of the Serrice military currently working for Redrock. She's also an old friend of Jason and Vasquez, as well as an acquaintance of Tessa. She also adopted Li in September 2185, following the mission to Di Yu IV.

Appearance

She does not look much out of the ordinary, being a violet asari standing at 172cm/5'8". She has faint white markings above her eyes and lines along the outermost crests.

She is most often seen in a very modest darkly-colored dress that doesn't really emphasize the wearer's contours. In combat, she wears her military issued armor as depicted below.

History

Early Life

She was born in Armali, Thessia, to two asari parents. She was very close to her parents, but her youngest years were trying given the perpetuated dissent towards pureblood asari. Besides that, her childhood went well, and she got along with a few others who found themselves in the same situation.

Her parents were to experience the associated risks when she was belatedly diagnosed with the Ardat-Yakshi condition at age 48. However, she and her mother knew long before that but feared the authorities' repercussions if they learned about it. Her condition was relatively mild, and her mother was adamant in keeping her. Her father, Vynira Tioran, was more pragmatic about the situation and disagreed with this decision, which ultimately led to the divorce. After some back and forth with the authorities, Ilyna was staying.

At age 67, she signed up for the military, seeking to give back to society for the chance she was given. She served well, but political minefields had her kept back from many missions despite her ability, especially those off-world or involving other states.

Breaking Point

That was to eventually get to her, and at age 293, it all snapped for her. During one of her leaves, she got the help of a friend's friend to smuggle herself off-world, ending up on Omega. It was a decision she immediately regretted, but it was too late to turn back.

Her first weeks on Omega were in isolation. Her family didn't hear anything from her, and the people she met were few and far between. She would never have guessed that the people she met would become her friends for the following years. Her new life wasn't going to last without support or work. She took the only Aoife's cynical options for asari that fit her and her skillset: mercenary work.

The Evening Star

The first mercenary job was on the RSV Evening Star, a ship headed to a distant colony that had dropped out of contact. The asari kept to herself for most of the trip, feeling very uncomfortable working with a group of what is not much more than acquaintances. She just wanted to do as she was told and get paid for it.

A memorable moment from the mission was when her squad was set upon by a Thresher Maw. They were investigating a blockade in the road. All they could do was outrun it and hope that it would retreat. It was a hopeless plan, but it worked, much thanks to the sand making for a smooth landing whenever Ilyna used her biotics to propel herself out its path. They were eventually rescued by some of the colonists that had taken shelter in a nearby cave.

In the colonists' care, they managed to rest and let their injuries heal for a while, but it was not yet over. A disagreement between Tarlon and their leader lead to the colonists opening fire on Ilyna's group, leaving them no choice but to take them out. After that, they had to wait for the other team to find them, which they did in the end.

It was not over yet, because when they reached the ship's site, it was overrun with mindless cybernetic beings attacking anything in sight. The others spoke of "Dragon's Teeth" – a name given to the artifacts found on the Citadel after the attack the same year – turning people into these things. After some fighting, the ship was loaded up and off the ground.

Alas, it was still not over. The ride home went wrong when the ship was locked down for a security breach. It seemed the creatures managed to get onto the Evening Star, and some of the crew locked everything down but their own way out. They fought their way through the ship until they could board a lifeboat. In a fortunate turn of events, every member of the freelance security team had gotten to the lifeboat and managed to escape the ship.

They were still not in safety. The lifeboat trip turned troublesome after the group linked up with another lifeboat, and some of the cybernetics zombies had gotten onto it. A miscommunication between the team had one of them to lose pressure in the lifeboat cabin, greatly diminishing their already low oxygen supply. Ilyna felt she was to blame for it, for it was her throw that indirectly led to the shot hitting the front viewport. Things really seemed hopeless for the mercenary team.

After drifting for another few minutes... or was it hours? At least it felt like an eternity to Ilyna. Regardless, they were eventually rescued by an ExoGeni vessel that picked up their distress beacon. Ilyna didn't ask or care why they had this fortunate timing. Now they were safe, and it was over... for a time.

Secrets

While Ilyna has had to keep secrets her entire life, she always felt more comfortable around people aware of her issues, whom she can turn to when she needs help. That's why she told the others in Fortune's Den about it. The krogan Garr had the most unexpected and memorable reaction to it, for he attempted to goad her on and get her to go through with a melding with him. Being a krogan through and through, he believed he could survive the ordeal, to which Ilyna wholeheartedly disagreed. It made every encounter between the two quite awkward, given just how loud the krogan was about it.

Ilyna first believed it was a consequence of this when the mysterious figure approached them in Fortune's Den. They wanted to talk, and they addressed the group by their names, and anyone with their senses intact should see that was trouble. Not that Ilyna would have stayed out of it had she the chance to go back and redo the decision. The reason for that is that the figure she took to calling Captain Creepy after Jason did so knew about her condition. Not only did they know, but they were going to threaten to frame her if she doesn't do as told.

She did, going with the team from her earlier mission to reclaim the artifact from the ship. The fought hard against the husks still lurking on the ship. They failed to reclaim the artifact before evacuating the vessel. That's when they realized Hunter was an agent working for the Shadow Broker. While there were no repercussions for what came after, Ilyna was living in fear of the Broker for a long time afterward.

Cautionary Tale

Ilyna was part of the first Redrock Agency job on Niacal. While that job was a nightmare, the parts that stick out to her now all pertain to the Ardat-Yakshi. She suspected their warlord was such a menace ever since they saw the first dead body, but she did not want to speak up. She was hoping that she was very wrong.

It was only when she was confident that she told Jason about it. She doubts she would have had he not overheard her distraught muttering outside the inn they were staying at before heading towards the temple. She left out the name of the condition when instructing the others about the danger ahead and avoiding explaining why she had such intimate knowledge on the subject.

The final battle was long and brutal, with the agency's team mowing down countless asari thralls of the demon. Ilyna knew nothing could be done to break the demon's control, and she did her part in taking out the adversaries. It looked hopeless for a while until the commando snuck up on the demon herself and stabbed her in the back, leaving all the thralls completely motionless.

Asari commandos doing what they do, they bombed the place. Ilyna disagreed with that, wanting instead that the former thralls get the help they need. Still, she was careful about speaking up to someone with her ruthlessness. The asari powers always swept her condition and its effects under the rug to maintain the appearance of control, and this was no exception.

The Edge

After the Niacal job, Ilyna built up the courage to speak with Alyssa about the condition after a bad dream. She saw Alyssa taking Vasquez's place on the demon's altar. Even if a non-asari may be more sympathetic to her suffering, she had feelings for her that she couldn't explain. It was an enormous burden off her shoulders when Alyssa accepted her after telling her about her secret.

Alyssa had convinced her that they could make a relationship work, and Ilyna wholeheartedly believed they could be careful enough to do so. It seemed to work, as well, but High Command feared that Ilyna was playing with fire and sent someone to reign her in. After brief incarceration at an unknown location, Ilyna returned to find her bondmate gone with only a message in her wake. The Blue Suns had tracked her down.

She had failed her bondmate in her time of need, and she only had High Command to blame for it. And herself, for letting it get this far, for not hiding it from the public. The gun and datapad on the table was enough proof for her father to see how hard-hitting this was.

Drifting Apart

A month later, she went home to Armali again. She has been working towards qualifying to start university, but indecision paralyzed her. Her mother had promised to sponsor her studies, agreeing with the asari taking a more peaceful life path, but that only made the decision harder. For she didn't want to waste her mother's credits. She also rekindled friendships from her time in the military while she was at home.

Reunion

Ilyna went to visit Jason on Aite again in February 2185 after getting back in contact with him. She had missed the friends she made in her short career as a mercenary. That was evident when she had her arms around Jason within the first seconds of seeing him again at the Respite.

The year at home had healed the wounds from the abrupt end of her relationship with Alyssa. She appeared much more playful and happy than she's probably ever been. She was still working towards refreshing her secondary education while she was there. Yet, aside from a few interruptions, she could balance her time between being around Jason and that.

She got a tour of the Redrock Agency office while in Freedom Falls, and a chance to ask Jason all about it. Ilyna was firm in her plans to seek another course than that of a mercenary back then and expressed little interest in joining the agency. The tour ended with a conversation in his office over a drink or two. It was light until the topic of loss came up, including Alyssa.

Ilyna promised to not drop out of contact with him, lest Jason would come to find her and kick her ass. There was no length he wouldn't go to seek her out. It was all in jest, but Ilyna did keep her end up on the promise after the time came to depart and return to Thessia.

Back in Action

The university application deadline for this year came and went, and her indecision meant that she would not be attending it. She had a lot of respect for her mother, so the thought of making a poor decision with her credits was deeply horrifying to her. The other side of that story went unexplained.

She had arrived in Freedom Falls and learned that he was in the hospital. She barely said hello before they started discussing what had just happened, and she realized that the nightmare on the Evening Star did not end with Hunter's death on Illium two years prior. Jason tried convincing her that there were other ways to contribute to society than fight, but like him, all Ilyna ever knew was the military.

A small job had come up that Jason could not assign. Renala T'Iavay had refused it, and there were few that he would trust it with. A celebrity, Devin Tanner, was visiting Aite to attend a performance by the hanar DJ Zolnon and needed personal security. Ilyna reluctantly accepted the job, and she was to lead a team consisting of her, Leah Mercier and Victoria Steels.

The job started off poorly, as the star had expected someone far more intimidating than the three women. Ilyna had a poor first impression of him, but she kept her calm while the others in her team were far more vocal about his behavior. Even when they were out of his earshot for a moment, she did not speak ill of him.

Seeing his family, and then the private conversation in the club was something she did not expect. Her idea of the celebrity's lifestyle was utterly alien to her, as the asari did everything to stay out of the public spotlight due to her condition. She could understand wanting to be left alone, and this idea she had of his lifestyle was shattered when that is something he wants. She warmed up to him, but she was not interested in anything intimate.

After their conversation, Tanner had an impulse to buy some Red Sand after being directed to a dealer by the club's staff. Ilyna expressed her disagreement early on, but he wasn't going to be dissuaded. She saw the security risks in that and was on alert. Perhaps it was her prejudice from this trade happening in an alley, but it turned out to be correct; the dealers wanted to abduct him.

With insufficient equipment, they were forced to hold their ground. For the first few minutes of the battle, it was just her and Leah. They held their ground until the local authorities stepped in and forced an end to their fight, and they weren't a moment too late. Ilyna's barrier is extremely inefficient without an amplifier, and the would-be kidnappers put a lot of pressure on it.

Ilyna decided that they surrender to the Enforcers, and they willingly let themselves be taken away from the scene. She took Tanner's hand on their way to the shuttle, which turned out to be a poor decision due to the media attention she received from it. That was going to haunt her to this day.

Bryan Cross eventually arrived at the facility where they were held, and they got a chance to explain their situation. After a short conversation, he allowed them to leave and stay in a hotel room in the Torthus-Cross building. She also learned that he has met Renala T'Iavay and Steve Briggs, but she never looked into that beyond putting it in her report.

The hotel stay was peaceful, and a stark contrast to what had just happened. They kicked back, had a good meal, and got some well-deserved rest. Ilyna and Devin stayed up after the others to watch the rising sun on the horizon. They reiterated their last conversation and reflected on the day's events. She likened the view to her long days standing on the balcony on Illium. They shared the bed, but there was no 'funny business' as he put it.

The mission wound down with a few days in Freedom Falls before she bid him farewell. It was interesting to look behind the curtains on his lifestyle, and she has no regrets about taking this job. Despite her positive disposition towards him, she has not attempted to contact him. The media has mostly forgotten about her by now, and she would like to keep it that way.

Di Yu

There was barely any time to rest after her last mission before Redrock asked her to come with them to a far-flung colony on Di Yu IV. They had terrible expectations for what was in store for them, but it was the next step in their search for answers about the monsters they've faced in the past. That is also a significant reason why Ilyna vetoed Ehanis being a part of this mission.

Their expectations were met. They found the machine cultists they were looking for, but it ended up leading to the end of the colony of New Longhai. Ilyna was in one of the teams that went underground to investigate the catacombs, not the one that rescued Li and the other children at the cultist's compound.

Ilyna did not witness Vasquez' betrayal after they were out of the catacombs, but she was there moments later along with Halisi. Jason was in no shape to explain what had happened right away and for all Ilyna knew at first, she had just been kidnapped by the then-unknown third party.

They made it off-world eventually, and during the trip, she took it upon herself to look after the rescued children. She didn't connect with any of them. With all they've been through, she couldn't have expected that either. She also promised to help Jason manage Redrock Agency in their recovery from this costly mission.

The Children

Ilyna continued to take on the responsibility of the cultist children, Li, Ping, Johnny, Toren, and Evelina, after they were back safe in Freedom Falls. She also lucked out and managed to start a rent contract on an apartment sight unseen.

The older of them were not very happy about their new caretaker, as they understood her affiliation with those that killed their parents in the cult. Evelina, being the eldest, was especially vocal about her distrust for them and would argue with Ping who did not want to hear a word about their old home. Ping did argue and fight with Johnny, who asked to go home. Toren was quiet but within earshot of every argument. Li seemed to have gotten attached to the new caretaker very quickly.

The plan was to contact the Alliance and Hierarchy and ask for assistance in finding these children the care and home they deserved. Ilyna had a lot of trouble communicating this to them as their upbringing did not appear to include much – if any -– education about the greater galaxy. Ilyna had the backing of her family in this mission, and she promised that the apartment and whatever costs involved weren't going to affect Redrock Agency.

Ilyna may have made a mistake not listening more to Evelina and the others' arguments and almost paid the ultimate price. One night, she was woken up by one of the children, Johnny, falling over her from behind the couch. Ilyna was terrified when she saw Johnny on the floor with a knife on the chest. The only other person in the room was Li, who was not responding to Ilyna at first while she was frantically looking around for a first aid kit. She eventually said that it was because Johnny was going to hurt her, and it was clear that Li was the one to attack him.

She called the hospital while performing first aid, and got through to Halisi after dealing with the unhelpful hospital VI. The doctor made every effort to be there promptly, but even if she had been there right as Ilyna called, there was no saving the child. Halisi arranged for transport to the morgue.

Ilyna then spoke to Li, trying to calm her, which was not an easy feat considering that she appeared to understand what she had done. She didn't get much out of her, and she didn't seem calm. The asari then decided that she needed to act much faster and booked the first shuttle off-world.

They all left for the Citadel the day after, and Ilyna looked after them the best she could. She did not even sleep for most of the trip, but she still managed to get them all to the Citadel via Illium without incident. Ilyna went directly to C-SEC and tried to avoid drawing too much attention to those that might know her from the press gossip surrounding Devin Tanner.

She had called ahead, so C-SEC was ready to accept them. Toren and Ping seemed fascinated with this new place, while Evelina kept to herself. However, that wouldn't be the end of the story for Ilyna, as Li did not want to leave. Ilyna was moved by her willingness to stay, and in a rash decision, she agreed to do everything to reverse her surrender.

With the help of her mother's legal connections, Ilyna filed the necessary paperwork to reverse the earlier application. The authorities could contest this, of course, so this was by no means a certainty. However, the station's strained child services chose not to, and after a long night, they had a reunion in the parking lot where the children were evaluated.

Ilyna was happy to go home with Li, even if she didn't plan for it at all, and Li seemed glad to be with her as they went through the Citadel Presidium towards the spaceport. Even if they had a long trip back to Aite, it went much more calmly.

They met Jason and Va'ynna in the Miner's Respite the moment Ilyna was back. Li seemed to get along very well with both of them, but it was an early sign of the incompatibility of Ilyna's work with her new role as a mother that Li worried for her when she went up to Jason's room to speak about a mission.

Li

The matron stage can come early to an asari, but the extreme deliberation needed to conceive means that one is rarely pushed out of their maiden stage earlier than intended. Ilyna's unique circumstances also meant that she would never have a child of her own, though a matron could be childless for many reasons.

Ilyna was not ready for what she had signed up for when adopting Li, but she did not regret the choice she had made. The only doubt she got from those around her was from Vasquez, who was afraid of the cult's possible influence over her. Ilyna was not discouraged and made a subtle comparison to her own problem.

The biggest challenge ahead of her was how the life she led was in conflict with her new role, and she had barely come back to Freedom Falls when the time came to go rescue Vasquez from The Barn. During that mission, she got Ehanis to look after Li.

The next time Ilyna were to see again was at the hospital after the mission, where she sustained an injury on their escape from the space station. This brought her there from the Respite. Li quickly ran over to Ilyna once she spotted her, and that was the first time she referred to Ilyna as "mommy." It took Ilyna by surprise but brought a big smile on her face nonetheless.

Snowball

See also: Surveying the Ice World

It wasn't even a month later that Ilyna would be separated from Li once more for an expedition. Vasquez had insisted on going herself when bringing the plans up with Jason but had later decided she did not want to go. However, she did not feel safe without having someone to watch his back, and Ilyna was her only option. Ilyna was hesitant to leave Li on such short notice so soon after bringing her back to Aite but agreed to do so if she could find a babysitter.

Ilyna did find a babysitter and decided to tell Li about it just before their departure. Vasquez and Renala were going to look after her for the first few days, which turned out to be just Vasquez, and Ehanis was going to live with her for the rest. The idea of her being gone for fourteen days was not received well by the young girl, and Ilyna did not have anything to say to make it any easier.

Ilyna did get a chance to speak with Li once during the trip to the planet, taking up a sizable chunk of Jason's limited call time with Vasquez that day. It was a chance for them to catch up, but Ilyna's attempts to assuage her worries were only working against that purpose.

This mission sounded simple: watch a few scientists do their work on this world and come back; nothing to really worry about. That might be what she told Li, but she did not believe that. She knew their luck, and ExoGeni's involvement did nothing to help that. They were also in potential Geth territory, even though that same territory includes Aite. Everything was lining up for this to be another bad job.

Still, there was a long space trip ahead of them with little to do about anything. Ilyna did not have much of a hand in the maintenance, and her role in this was just to watch Jason's back and get everyone home unharmed.

Her mission with Devin Tanner was brought up during the movie night, leading to a predictably awkward situation. Ilyna did not divulge any details of her and tanner's conversations, which made her unable to quell the misunderstandings from how the gossip magazines and other media in the popular media space covered Tanner's visit to Aite.

What was more important was her voicing her desire to stop doing mercenary work and leave Aite altogether. Jason did not want to see her and Li go, but while Ilyna did not want to leave him, she felt it was selfish to prioritize that over getting Li the safety of a Council Space world. The chance for her to get an education among peers. She did not bring up the legal challenges at the time, however.

The day eventually came where they exited FTL and approached the planet, and it was time to get to work. Ilyna did not have an active role, even policing Jason's professionality with science staff was purely on her own initiative. The job on the ground went as Redrock jobs often do, with everything going wrong that could go wrong, but she held the barrier while the others did the brunt of the fighting.

She got a chance to contact Li once they were in the range of a comm buoy while the ship was discharging its core. A few concerns were laid bare during this short conversation: that Ilyna is deeply worried about how she comes across as a mother, and how scared Li is of losing her. Ilyna made a promise to spend more time with her and never leave Aite again without her.

Ilyna said they would be back the next day, and they were. It was late in the evening when the ship set down, and Ehanis and Li were waiting on the spaceport to receive her. Ehanis let her go as soon as Ilyna was in sight, and they ended up hugging on the landing ramp. Ilyna was just as happy to see Li again, and tears were streaking down her cheeks.

Ilyna declined Jason's offer of going to the Miner's Respite to celebrate a job well done, as it was getting late for Li and she was exhausted after the long job off-world.

Ehanis / Ruins of Rakhana

When Ilyna reunited with Ehanis in 2183, it had been half a century since they've met. She had also been out of touch with their common parent during that time. It was quite an awkward time, as Ehanis did not know about Ilyna's secret. Once past that hurdle, however, things seemed to be going well. Ehanis seemed happy to meet again with her, and the two grew close again in almost no time. There were long biotic training sessions, and Ehanis was even there to comfort her after Alyssa's disappearance.

Resuming back to their time on Aite, things have not been as smooth. Ilyna started to notice that the cheerful little sister she reunited with on Illium was a facade and one that would eventually start to form cracks. With good intentions, Ilyna started to try to get at the heart of it, but Ehanis would get on her back foot at the smallest poke.

This started to boil over after the [Ruins of Rakhana|mission to Rakhana], where Ehanis was signed on without Ilyna being even notified. The power of veto was something she felt that Jason had promised her in order for Ilyna to support the hiring in the first place.

The distance between the two of them grew after that, for Ehanis rejected any attempts that Ilyna tried to reach out to her for the remainder of her time in Freedom Falls.

Halisi / Feelings

Halisi was involved quite early after Ilyna adopted Li. Halisi offered to pick out some literature and an educational VI for her, and Ilyna was happy to receive all help she could get.

The first sign of romantic feelings, however, started developing a few weeks before Jason and Linda's wedding. Halisi visited her to pick up the discussion they had in the Redrock HQ lobby earlier that day over a worrying drawing. They talked for a while, and Halisi opened up about the Ogofau job. Ilyna grew quite uncomfortable when their chat got a little intimate.

As Jason and Linda's wedding was winding down, Halisi hazarded to take Ilyna's hand, which made these feelings bubble up to the surface and it made the asari retreat. When Halisi caught up to her, that was the moment when Ilyna finally admitted to her why it was so difficult. Halisi was quick to accept and sympathize with Ilyna's condition.

Ilyna continued to be awkward about it. The sensible choice would be to not let things go further, but Ilyna could not bring herself to do so. It was always postponed, and the guilt over "holding Halisi up" made this increasingly difficult.

Collector Ship

See Also: The Last Child

It was the night of the wedding when a freezing stranger knocked on the door to Ilyna's apartment. Halisi had fallen asleep on the couch right next to Ilyna earlier that evening, so she was there to examine the woman. Just as she was about to tell Ilyna about it, all hell broke loose. A precise strike was made on the apartment, and they were able to abduct the three of them immediately.

Ilyna was heartbroken, afraid, and freezing as she managed to convince Elena and two of her crewmates that they were making a grave mistake. She was barely able to convey enough information back to Redrock with Halisi's help to muster a team to pursue the kidnappers. Aboard the Jack of Diamonds, Ilyna was a wreck and it was Jason and Vasquez who had to handle the management of this mission. To make matters worse, Ehanis had answered the call too, and Ilyna's repeated pleas for her to leave the ship went ignored.

Convincing Ilyna to rest on the first night was a challenge. She was fatigued, frostbitten, and hypothermic, but sleeping over the chance to be there when Li needed her was not an option. It was only when she knew that the trip would take days that she started to relent. She was offered private quarters, which lead to another awkward moment with Halisi who she did not want to leave her side. They ended up sharing a single bed for the night.

They eventually managed to track down the kidnappers' ship and fought their way through it. Ilyna was still a wreck, but she had managed to catch some sleep and was not about to let them leave her behind. They eventually reunited with Li after a long chase and fighting through the ship, but they were not out of the woods yet by that point.

It was the Collectors, who quickly overwhelmed the crew using their paralyzing insects. Ilyna held out the longest due to her barrier, but with nobody to take pressure off it, all she could do was delay them. The collectors took an interest in Ilyna's genetic condition so she ended up being the sole non-human exception to their gathering of humans into pods.

The next thing she remembers is being let out of the pod by Ehanis and Halisi, and she was quickly brought up to speed. She was in poor shape right out of the pod, but at least they still went undetected by the Collectors. Li was not among them, however, and she was missing along with most of the humans.

They eventually managed to bring everyone that was taken from the ship out of their pods, and Oxaris was able to find Li just as she was being transported away from them. A misstep by Ehanis had broken their cover, so they were facing heavy resistance from all directions at this point. They managed to carve a path back to the room where Ilyna was let out of the pod after much fighting.

A maneuver where she had to block the blast of a M-920 Cain with a barrier after Nathan fired into a hallway rendered her unable to continue fighting. She ended up with a quite strong whiplash for the remainder of the escape, but she was not going to get out of there without another fight. Li was reluctant to let go of Ilyna to let her assist Leah, but Halisi managed to convince her.

Then, they were on their way home. Ilyna and Li were nearly inseparable for the return trip. The Collectors' warning stuck with her, though, and she knew they had some challenges ahead, planning for the imminent danger while simultaneously ensuring Li a sense of normalcy.

Linda / Telling the Truth

Ilyna has always been uncomfortable around Vasquez due to what happened to her on Niacal a few years prior, and rifts were forming between them over their disagreements about Ehanis' role in Redrock. That became a problem when Jason brought up the Collectors' interest in her being in the report, and how it will inevitably be put into question.

Ilyna tried reaching for excuses or ways to get out of telling her that she shares a trait with the monster that has caused her a lot of suffering. Jason assured her that she will understand, but Vasquez was different in experience from everyone else she has shared the secret with.

She had no choice, but her plan at the beginning was to put it off for as long as she could, as she had all the time until the briefing to get it off the agenda. That proved difficult too, as it impacted her sleep and her responsibilities. So, she decided to go down to Jason, and together they went to tell her.

Vasquez did not take it well, and the meeting (log) quickly turned into a heated argument that ended with Vasquez hurrying out to go for a drive to clear her head; leaving both Jason and Ilyna without a resolution. Ilyna had nowhere else to go, and her biggest worry in all this was to be told to leave. Thessia was a no-go as Ilyna has a very weak case for custody over Li, and she had no time to research Illium's viability. They spoke for a while, and eventually joined Li upstairs, but the night dragged on well past Li's bedtime without a sound from Vasquez. Ilyna reluctantly agreed to go home for the night.

Ilyna did not hear anything else until the following morning when Jason called her. He had spoken to her she came back the night before and if he was to be believed, she had come around. Ilyna just needed to give her some space for a while to let her process this, which Ilyna understood and respected. Ilyna did not believe it would have gone nearly as well without Jason's help, despite him insisting otherwise.

Space she got, as she and Jason went on their honeymoon after the debriefing and left Ilyna in charge of Redrock Agency in the meantime. It had been an eventful week at Redrock HQ, and Ilyna was not to blame when she almost undid all good that vacation did in record time.

A few days later, Jason wanted to share some of the Thessia Wine he had acquired in Adrasteia over some good conversation (log). Vasquez eventually joined them and after a few moments of tense conversation, she brought up the argument they had a few weeks prior, explaining herself. Ilyna, in turn, opened up about it and admitted that it scared her too. However, she owed her life and freedom to the chances she's been given by people that know about it and opted against the safe and easy way out.

Then, she hugged Linda.

Christmas

Something else brought to her attention in the conversation mentioned above was Christmas, a human holiday that is fast approaching. She had heard about it before from Va'ynna, but she was unaware that – as Li's mother – there were great expectations on her to come up with a great present.

Almost as soon as the present dilemma had come into her life, however, it had sorted itself out. She would later explain how her written expressions of despair among her old friends back home had set in motion a galaxy-spanning operation to get the gift to Enila who was on her way to Aite to step in for Aylena D'Inea at the Respite. Renala also had a hand in it as she had inspected it and given Ilyna enough instructions to get Li started.

The collector's defeat and the promise of peace had really underscored the holiday. Worrying about whether the gifts were appropriate was a nice change of pace for the asari, but it was something that she agonized over for the remainder of time until they were to go to Redrock HQ to celebrate with Linda and Jason, and whenever she observed the opening of one of her presents.

There were moments during the celebration that reminded her that Li's scars were far from healed, but for most of the evening, it appeared that both of them were able to push that to the back of their minds and enjoy the holiday. Everyone close to Li had chosen to spoil her to make the day extra special for that reason, and she knew early on that she would need a lot of time off to help Li check out everything she had received.

Logs: Christmas: Redrock

Halisi / Relationship

Halisi promised Ilyna to help her out with the work ahead checking out all the new things Li got for Christmas, and on the day after she showed up to help them. Ilyna expected to make good progress, but all they had to show for a full day's effort was one assembled castle – Halisi's gift. It was still worthwhile as it was time for Ilyna to spend a whole day with Li and Halisi without worrying about work.

The proverbial can they've been kicking down the road did rear its head again, however. Li was busy playing with the fully assembled castle. When it looked like Ilyna was about to take the easy way out of pushing it back further, she gave in and committed to giving a relationship a chance (log). It was a bad time to do so, as she was not ready to explain her emotional state to Li right away and things were a bit awkward until they could discuss it.

They awoke on the couch the morning after from having fallen asleep watching a vid, as both predicted would happen. That worried Li, but Ilyna reminded her that not everyone has someone to carry them off to bed whenever they fall asleep on the couch. While they had little time before Halisi had to leave for work, it was a very relaxed morning. The concerns of what her friends and colleagues would think were extensively discussed, but it was a problem that could be postponed since she wasn't expected back to work right away anyway.

Skills

Biotic

Ilyna was a barrier specialist in the military, and she can put that kind of field to good use protecting herself or extending it to deny an area or protect people close to her. It's her endurance and resolve that make her stand out.

The asari is skilled enough in telekinetic abilities to put it to combat use, either as a throw to push them or by lifting an up to 120kg target off the ground. She can handle a much heavier weight when lifting herself and has used it to help others to higher ground. The only problem with that is the slow speed at which she moves, making this only useful once combat is over.

She knows the theory involved in manifesting a singularity, but she has not put in the effort to make them suitable for combat use. At best, it may unbalance a light target if they're caught unaware, which is a tough ask in a combat situation. It makes a neat snow globe effect when put above loose snow, which Ilyna discovered on a mission to the ice planet.

Weapons

She can use a pistol and sub-machine gun well enough and is a passable and patient sniper, though the latter is buried beneath a heap of metaphorical dust.

Languages

Ilyna has mostly grown up around asari, but knowing the galactic trade language was given importance by her education, given the asari's diplomatic role in the galactic community. She also worked hard to communicate with her recent turian family members without the aid of machine translation.

• Asari (Native)
• Turian (Advanced)
• Galactic Trade (Advanced)