Iosif was, least to say, appreciative of the new lease of life that their upgrades had given to the Borealis. With the new air filtration system, it tasted less of sweat and burnt electronics and more like the fresh sheen of a well-greased system, an aroma that he was more than welcome to take on. Any doubts he'd had about the airlock seals had been set aside, with the cargo ramp smoothly closing shut with a tighter seal than the cloaca of a volus asked for credits. Plus, with the installation of the VI from Roca's store and a few examples of fine tuning from both him and Dex, they'd managed to get the cockpit running a little more efficiently - a bonus for any self-respecting pilot.
Finally, to top it off, was what Iosif saw as his favourite part - the MV74 Kite now sitting in the hangar where the scrapheaps used to be. Granted, he'd initially wanted to go for a stalwart A-61 Mantis after seeing one up for sale, but after some consideration about both the team's funds and their needs, he eventually conceded that the Kite was the practical optiol. Like Dex, he'd given it his seal of approval after a thorough examination and was eager to get behind the controls of the Turian shuttle, if only because he had a certain admiration for the practicality of the design and the notion that it wasn't completely defenceless if someone tried to harrass it, thanks to the kinetic gun they'd fitted up to it as well.
All in all, he was satisfied - and their time on Elysium had given him a chance to purchase and install some software improvements to his Omni-Tool along with a model of a certain Turian cruiser that he'd decided would be better off decorating his space of the cockpit.
Now, with the plan underway, Iosif had been the one to volunteer for piloting the shuttle - after all, he'd need a chance to get familiar with it and a job such as this was as good an opportunity as any.
It felt good to be behind the controls of a bird again.
Taking off from low orbit with the observation team, Iosif quickly brought the shuttle down low to the surface to keep their presence a secret and out of the range of any concealed defence syatems, though one could've argued that it was equally dangerous to be flying so close to the ground. Thankfully, he'd committed Tonka's map to memory and knew how to manoeuvre the shuttle around any environmental hazards. Besides, what other pilot would've offered the team one hell of a view, such as of the coastal island cliffs and the rainforests clinging to their rocky faces?
"Before you complain, flying this low keeps us under the radar. Take the opportunity to appreciate the view."
Soon, once they were past the coast, they hit the drop-off point and Iosif brought the shuttle to a steady pace, carefully setting down in a clearing in the thick jungle, before finally touching down and cutting off the engine. As the observation team prepped for the job, he offered a few parting words.
"This is about as close as I can get you before they can detect the shuttle. I'll double back to cover your tracks and then head back to the ship. Assuming all goes well, I'll see you back in one piece. Thank you for flying with Shevchenko Shuttlelines."
With that said and done, he quickly brought the shuttle's systems back online and took off the moment they'd scattered into the jungle. As promised, he took another route to throw off any radar systems which might've detected the shuttle and give the observation team some cover, before again making a steady ascent towards low orbit.
Reuniting with the Borealis, he brought the shuttle back into the hangar bay and set her down nice and smooth. That was one part of the plan done with - and soon would come the other. With a little under twelve hours before they'd be on the move again, Iosif opted to catch a few hours' rest from the comforts of the cockpit.
Part two went underway with Iosif taking the helm of the ship, for a change - with Dex stowed away in the Yolac with the others, someone was needed to take the Borealis down to the landing site. This one was a little trickier, due in no small part to her size, but with a little careful work he brought her down all the same, setting down in a wide clearing that Tonka had chosen.
Heading down to the cargo bay, he gave the krogan a hand with the crates (believe it or not, a cybernetic prosthesis really helped with the heavy lifting) and saw the vehicle off, before closing back up with a parting message over the comms.
"I'll stay with the ship and hold the fort. Pirates and slavers aren't exactly the kind of company I prefer to keep."