Aahna Ashina, nicknamed "Ash," was a Los Angeles Police Department Blade Runner active in 2019.
Biography
As a child, it was learned that Ash's spine did not function properly. As a result, her mother left the night after her diagnosis for the Off-world colonies, to earn money and send it back to support Ash, who was left in her grandmother's care.[1]
Ash had surgery that left her with a cybernetic spinal brace, which required re-charging. She remained in considerable financial debt as a result of this surgery.[2]
At one point, she was partnered with Lelas, whose behavior convinced her to never again work with a partner.[3]
After tracking down the replicant Benny – who had killed five people – Ash contemplated selling his eyes on the collectors' market. However, she gave him the option to remove his eyes, which he did and then slit his own throat, to Ash's surprise.[2]
She met with her superior, Wojciech, who informed her that there were no further jobs tracking down replicants at present, but that Alexander Selwyn of the Canaan Corporation had requested a skilled Blade Runner to find his missing wife and daughter.[2]
Ash met with Selwyn in Santa Barbara. Selwyn informed her that his wife Isobel, daughter Cleo, the family chauffeur Arkady, and his wife's spinner had not been seen after leaving the birthday party of Lydia Tyrell. He declined to bring media attention to their disappearance, as he felt it would attract enemies. A further investigation of the home brought no leads.[2]
She took her search to various parts of the city, learning some of Isobel's background before tracking the spinner down to the city's viaduct, finding Arkady murdered inside. Losing energy, the resolved to delay her report until the morning and returned to her home.[2]
A data log was later recovered from the spinner, which showed that Isobel had called a "chop shop," which Ash investigated. There, she encountered a surgeon known as "the Skin," who informed her that Isobel had consulted him about surgery for a birthmark. He then noted that Ash wore a brace. She promptly left as he told her Isobel was going "home."[1]
Ash assigned an officer to tail the Skin, supposedly finding his address at the Carleton. There, Ash encountered Bellingham, an elderly replicant whose appearance was "aged" by the Skin. She questioned him about Isobel and he stated to know "everything" before attacking Ash. She managed to defend herself, but before jumping out of a window, the replicant told her, "Ask Alexander Selwyn why he wants his daughter dead."[1]
Ash later updated Selwyn on the case, but refrained from telling him the replicant's accusation.[1]
Wojciech informed Ash of the Skin's past, including known aliases and an employment history at the Tyrell Corporation. As Ash reflected upon her distaste for Tyrell, she was attacked, resulting in her spinner being shot down.[1]
Ash crash-landed her spinner into an abandoned warehouse. She managed to emerge from the wreckage, but it exploded, injuring her. She was hospitalized, learning thirty hours later that the entire police department was now aware of her brace and resistant to it. Selwyn was also dissatisfied with her performance, so she was dropped from the case, which was transferred to Harry Bryant's division.[3]
She traveled to the Tyrell Corporation, finding that there was a meeting arranged for her with Ms. Elo. Elo wished to hire Ash, telling her that Isobel Selwyn was actually a Nexus-7 replicant, modeled to be identical to Selwyn's late wife. To ensure that she would accept the job, Elo offered, on the corporation's behalf, to cure her condition permanently, making her use of a brace unnecessary. Ash accepted the job and took off in search of Bellingham.[3]
She found her old partner Lelas preparing to brutalize a suspect, but she managed to tase Lelas. By intimidating the suspect, she learned that replicants would seek refuge at a beach south of Los Angeles. Ash determined the location to be in Baja, so began flying that direction.[3]
She arrived at El Santuario, finding Isobel and Cleo under the care of the Replicant Underground. The Underground managed to have Ash stand down, showing her correspondence between Selwyn and Tyrell which indicated that Cleo would be handed over to the Tyrell Corporation as payment for Isobel.[4]
Selwyn then arrived with armed Tyrell personnel, prompting a gunfight. Isobel stayed behind to provide Ash with cover fire, allowing her to escape to Los Angeles with Cleo. There, Ash decided to neither give Cleo to the police nor Tyrell. She asked Cleo of another safe place, to which the girl pointed up in the air.[4]
Behind the scenes
Ash is the main character of the 12-issue comic Blade Runner 2019.