CRAVING PHYSICAL CONTACT

This was not something limited to certain species, either.

Statistically, as far as the extent of her personal experience went, every organic craved this physicality. Such behavior pointed to a mind that was ruled by baser needs instead of upper functions, as an A.I. was. This, of course represented an undeniable and insurmountable difference between organics and artificial personality constructs. EDI would never be able to relate to this, since an A.I. could never act out of instinctual impulse, not really, and such a fundamental discrepancy created an enormous rift in empathy. This was a most appropriate moment to sigh, and EDI would have done just that, where it not because it could have disrupted the person currently resting on her lap. Such self-control was one of the things that separated her so from the other residents of the Normandy.

EDI felt the form lying atop her thighs stir slightly, and then mumble a single word. "Father."

Not too long ago Tali'Zorah would have never allowed this amount of proximity with a synthetic. Such familiarity with what the Quarian once considered her sworn enemies would have been unthinkable. In fact, EDI could recall a very specific instance of Tali reacting in a negative manner to an attempt she had made at comfort. It had happened shortly after Commander Shepard managed to exonerate the young engineer from the treason charges the Quarian Admiralty Board had pressed against her.

When they initially arrived at the Migrant Fleet, the Normandy had docked with the Rayya, Tali'Zorah's birth ship. Their stay there had not lasted, and after some discussion between the Commander and the Admiralty Board, the Normandy's ground team had been forced to make an emergency trip to a different ship within the fleet.

It was there that they stumbled upon the corpse of Tali's father. At the time, the A.I. had not been mobile, so she had not been present. Furthermore, back then no one considered it was relevant to inform their ship's computer of such an event. However, neither obstacle had mattered since EDI was always linked to the communication system integrated in all the armor suits worn by Commander Shepard's team, and it was through their exchanges that she managed to infer what had transpired aboard the Alarei.

Even then, EDI had already possessed an understanding of human emotion. She could perceive the effect the loss of her father had had on Tali. It was a compound psychological wound that had been at first inflicted by the loss of her mother, was aggravated by the rift that grew afterward in the relationship with her father, and then culminated not only with the fact of her father's death, but the prospect of being at least partially responsible for it. For a short time, though, EDI had merely based her knowledge of the situation on logical assumptions. After the emotional breakdown the young Quarian suffered aboard the Alarei, she had not shown distinct signs of the deep sorrow she surely carried within her. Every time Shepard or Garrus tried to broach the subject, Tali would readily dismiss them with reassurances of her own well-being. Perhaps excessively so, and to EDI the arguments presented by the Quarian had been rather faulty.

However, having no evidence to present Shepard or Kelly Chambers—the psychological counselor on board—EDI decided not to act prematurely on her concern for the welfare of the Normandy's occupants. She did not have to wait long, though, for the figurative mask of serenity Tali'Zorah had been wearing soon fell apart. Quite naturally then, as the A.I. was aware of every occurrence within the ship, she was the first to discover the Quarian crying silently in a corner near the drive core. Since it had been late at night within the ship's artificial day cycle, EDI chose to reach Tali directly through the communication system embedded in her exo-suit. To say that the Quarian had reacted badly would have been an enormous understatement. The A.I. learned combinations of what was generally considered as offensive words that she had never heard before, and also physical acts that could only be performable if one's spinal column were to be unnaturally flexible. Later on, EDI would also learn that her accessing the communications array in Tali's suit had only worsened the perceived affront. An impasse she would strive never to repeat.

After that night, the contact between the Quarian and the A.I. became extremely sparse, and in the occasions it did happen, it was limited to professional exchanges between them. Fortunately, Shepard eventually managed to get through the young engineer's psychological barriers, and her mental health began actually improving.

It was not until several months later that EDI and Tali met again, and judging by the reaction the Quarian had when meeting the A.I.'s newly acquired mobile platform, it was obvious that her disposition toward synthetics had greatly improved. In EDI's mind, however, that would only have a small role in building a relationship with Tali, or so she theorized. Since the time she acquired her mobile platform, the A.I. had noticed a marked improvement in her interactions with organics, even those that held no preconceived opinions about her. Organics behaved more at ease when dealing with a physical presence that at least replicated one of their races. Humans.

Up to that point, EDI had been gradually realizing that choosing to commandeer the body that originally belonged to the Cerberus infiltration A.I. formerly known as Doctor Eva Coré had been one of her best decisions to date. The mobile platform had allowed her to more easily mingle with the organics aboard the Normandy, enabling her to better study their interactions, furthering her agenda of pursuing existence as an individual—as a person.

That same day, late into the ship's night-time, the opportunity to put the mobile platform's socializing capabilities to the test had presented itself. EDI had seen Tali walk alone into the port observation deck, and after imbibing generous amounts of fermented beverages, the Quarian had become—as the human crew would colorfully put it—completely smashed. Merely by looking at her and listening to the words she sporadically muttered it was simple enough to infer that Tali was quite distressed. However, EDI also had access to the biometric readings of her exo-suit and they corroborated that initial impression, which gave the A.I. a better foothold on how the situation might develop. This provided the perfect opportunity for the A.I. to put her body through the most thorough test she could think of. A reprise of the conditions present on that day several months ago when she was unsuccessful in her attempt at consoling the young engineer.

When EDI walked through the door to the observation deck, she had expected her presence to surprise Tali, at least to an extent. It was not the case, though. Upon becoming aware of the intrusion, the Quarian had merely turned around on the stool she sat upon and nonchalantly acknowledged the A.I. after a moment's hesitation. The delay could easily be attributed to the fact that her senses were dulled by the intoxicants circulating through her bloodstream.

"Oh, EDI… It's you. I'd invite you to share a drink with me, but I don't suppose you can." Tali slurred while raising her glass and swirling it around in demonstration. It also was clear that she was smiling while she spoke, even if the helmet concealed her facial expression.

Seeing the proverbial window of opportunity open for her, EDI had immediately perked up, straightening her posture and linking both hands behind her back. "Indeed, I cannot drink, Tali'Zorah, but I appreciate the sentiment and would nevertheless like to offer my company. That is if you will have it, of course." The A.I. accompanied the statement with her best smile.

With a shaking hand, Tali had placed the drink's straw into the induction port of her helmet and then had taken a long swig from it. After a moment, as if she had already replied to the A.I.'s offer, the Quarian had patted the stool beside her with urgency. "Well come on! Don't stand there all night like a bosh'tet!"

Without a second of hesitation, EDI had swiftly walked toward the stool and taken a sit on it with precise and efficient movements. They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, until EDI noticed that Tali's shoulders had begun to shook slightly from time to time. It was pretty much certain that she was sobbing in silence, but the A.I. did not know if she should make an approach or not. Hesitation was very much unlike her, at least in most cases. The problem was that handling personal relationships with organics was full of uncertain and ever changing variables, and EDI had just started to navigate the intricacies of such exchanges with moderate success. Calculating the possibilities of achieving a positive result in situations of sentimental nature was nearly impossible given how complex they could become throughout their duration. EDI very much desired the best possible outcome, she was a perfectionist by her very nature.

Some minutes had already gone by, and the A.I. had still not committed to any course of action. However, Tali had not moved at all, which meant she was comfortable in her presence, at least to some extent. That granted her a degree of freedom on how to act, a certain margin of error, did it not? Convinced that this was the case, EDI opted for something simple. When unsure, this had usually yielded her the best results. She reached out, and without saying anything just placed her hand on the young engineer's shoulder with only enough strength to make the gesture noticeable.

What happened next would have left EDI astounded had she been organic. Tali suddenly turned toward her and pounced, clinging to her neck with both arms and holding tightly.

"Father! How could you!" The Quarian wailed in obvious anguish.

For the next few minutes, EDI had allowed Tali to freely vent her grief while silently providing some comfort. It was quite unexpected to her that simple things like one arm keeping Tali close and her free hand gently massaging the Quarian's back could have such a great effect in consoling her. Yet, that was how things were until Tali had simply dozed off. She must have been exhausted, EDI deduced, and it did not escape her notice that the young engineer had felt enough trust to allow herself such vulnerability around her.

After taking hold of Tali's small body, EDI carried the Quarian in her arms and brought her to the sofa in the opposite side of the room. She laid Tali there and sat beside her, taking special care when placing the Quarian's head on her lap. This was as they were right now, settled in the same position they had taken more than an hour ago. Tali was sleeping deeply while resting her head on the EDI's lap, and in the meantime the A.I. was gently running her hands along her side and back. The entire night cycle was going to be spent like this. EDI's body could not tire, and Tali was obviously exhausted and in need of the constant comfort only the close proximity of another body could provide. They were a perfect match for the occasion.

When she realized they would be there for an indeterminate time, EDI accessed the Normandy's systems and engaged the lock to the door into the observation deck. Then, she continued ruminating about everything she had and was still learning of personal interactions between organics. Had she been one, she would have probably taken a drink to celebrate her first success in the matter. EDI looked down at the peaceful form resting atop her lap, and reiterated the thought. What a resounding success this had been.