Mass Effect: Tali's Requiem

by The Little Kyng

Departing from the Normandy, Admiral Tali'Zorah returns to her reclaimed home world, Rannoch, to celebrate a centuries old tradition. But her return is immediately met with complication. In a state of turmoil, the admirals summon her to end a deadlock between them regarding the future of their species. A vote that could mean a new beginning for all quarians, or a grisly end.

Mass Effect: Tali's Requiem

By Grey Nayr

'Human Systems Alliance Date: January 29, 2191. Location: Terminus Systems, Perseus Veil, Rannoch,' could be read in various places at the helm.

Tali'Zorah vas Normandy sat quietly in the shuttle, a newly produced UT-47b Kodiak. At the control was Steve Cortez, a seasoned pilot, distinguished through years of service flying fighters, and years of service flying the shuttle for the legendary Commander Shepard. She knew them both well. Considering them both dear friends.

She tapped away at the haptic interface of her omni-tool, a wrist mounted computer originally designed for military engineers, but later became popular among members of every species, gender, and occupation for it's wide range of uses. Everything from apps to games to extranet browsing, as well as the core technical functions that originated its design. Tali was checking her extranet inbox, searching for any new messages. From Shepard, from Garrus, or from the admirals, from anyone. But it was empty. Nobody had anything to say. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief that the galaxy was not falling to pieces around her for once, but was saddened by the lack of casual attention from her dearest friends and loved ones. But she reminded herself that it would only be a short while before she returned and would be reunited with them.

"Now arriving on Rannoch," Cortez smiled. "Have a good time, Tali," he wished her well. The trip was longer than it should have been. The destruction of the Mass Relays crippled intergalactic travel for a period of time. But in the aftermath of the war, the united races pulled together for a second time in order to restore the primary Relays and key secondary Relays, and return the Citadel's control network to working order, salvaging on the now dead Reapers for parts. Parts which have also led to new breakthroughs in drive core technology, allowing ships to achieve greater speeds. At the current time, the Citadel stood around 50% restoration, with the entire set of primary relays functional. The secondary relays were still in progress and the estimated time before they were fully repaired was another ten Earth years. But enough of them worked that essential systems could be reached. Anywhere else required long distance FTL travel, but was close enough to only take days or weeks to reach, instead of years or centuries.

"Thank you, Steve," she replied, smiling behind her helmet and ignoring her jetlag. No one, save a select few had ever seen her face. But Cortez was not one of them. Though he was unphased by it.

With a polite nod that just looked like her helmet shaking, Tali departed the Kodiak, hearing a goodbye from Cortez as she stepped off onto the arid, rocky world. She looked onward to see a developing city, named "Normandy" after the vessel that not only saved the fleet from the Geth and the Reapers, but also ensured the reclamation of their lost homeworld after an arduous centuries long exile.

This city was the newly established capital of the Quarian nation. The decision to name the city came at the end of a very long debate by the Conclave and the Admiralty board. But in the end, the decision was unanimous. They all felt a need to somehow repay and honor Commander Shepard for forever changing the fate of their race. And to honor Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, the brave and selfless admiral, credited for bringing the Commander into the politics of their race, and ushering the changes needed within their society to bring an end to their ostracism.

Tall buildings scraped the skies; incomplete, but already in use for various purposes. Skycars and shuttles flew about the skies, and the outskirts of the city were covered in prefab housings. For the longest time, her race had lived in close quarters, having little privacy, being forced to share anything and everything, as well as living in perpetual noise emitted from the jury-rigged vessels they inhabited. She wondered if they felt the same way she did after joining the crew of the SSV Normandy SR-1 eight human years past: empty, scared, lonely, and missing of their original home.

But this was their home, she reminded herself. It was always their home. She knew it, but did not fully understand it. She had come to feel like Shepard's ship was her home, and its crew her family. She had not been able to enjoy her homeworld as often as she should, driven by duty and commitment.

A noticeable ring came to her omni-tool, and pressing a holographic button at the back of her palm, she said "Hello," switching to the comm inside of her helmet. It was Shepard, calling to check in. "Yes, Shepard. I should be back on the Normandy in seven earth days," she assured.

"Wish I could have joined you," Shepard expressed sadly over the comm, the communication delayed by a fraction of a second due to lag.

"No. No," she retorted, offering comfort. "You don't have to feel bad for not coming. You have important work of your own to do, and I am certain I'll get swept up in the admirals' drama and not be able to celebrate at all. It's just how they are."

"Okay. Well if you need anything, you know where to find me. Shepard out."

Closing the comm channel, Tali took a rapid transit skycar into the city. Peering out the window with the autopilot enabled, she saw the budding metropolis sprawling with life. Decorations, and stands offering everything from food to games to goods were set up all over. It was a holiday, one they celebrated for centuries. The 'Requiem of the Ancestors', they called it. A week of time to mourn the dead, and celebrate their lives. Back on the Normandy, James Vega observantly likened it to a holiday from his own culture; Día de Muertos, the 'day of the dead'. The differences were there, but enough was the same to justify the goofy Latin-American arms master's comparison, and Tali warmed at the thought of her custom not being so alien to her fellow crew.

The skycar landed near the center of activity, a square with a monument erected at the center. A statue of three figures. The first was Shepard, the savior of the Quarians. The second was Tali herself. And the third was Legion, the Geth who died to grant his people true intelligence and individuality, as the stories said. Though many scholars questioned and debated the use of Reaper code in their own evolution, citing that it contradicted the core principles of the Geth in favor of the ways practiced by the hostile Geth Heretics, responsible for the destruction of Eden Prime and the ravaging of the Citadel on the order of the Reaper known as Sovereign, led by the rogue Spectre, Saren Arterius.

Tali tried hard not to be pushed around by the crowd. A sea of customized exo-suits were in view, none belonging to the person she wanted to find. The one who'd promised to meet her.

She made her way across the ebb and flow of the crowd to the meeting place they had decided upon. She looked around anxiously for him. "Okay... he said he'd meet me.." she trailed off a second before he came into view. "OH! Veetor! Over here," she yelled for his attention.

"Hello Tali," he blushed behind his mask as she ran up to him. The sight of her made him weak in the knees and his stomach ached. He knew the reasons for this, but resigned himself to acceptance that it could never happen between them.

"It is good to see you, Veetor," she said perkily. He seemed much more stable and collected since she last seen him. For years, he was haunted by the things he had seen at Freedom's Progress, the human colony world attacked by the agents of the Reapers known as the Collectors. He saw the swarms descend from the skies, latching to the bodies of the colonists, infecting them with toxin that immobilized their bodies, rendering them helpless as the enigmatic aliens scooped them up into coffins, loading them onto their ship, and disappearing through the Omega 4 Relay without any trace that they were ever there.

"Indeed," Veetor said back, almost giggling. "The last time we celebrated The Requiem of the Ancestors was before we had our homeworld."

Tali nodded. "I think our ancestors are smiling down on us now," she frowned.

"Are you thinking about your father?" Veetor asked, sensing her emotions.

"How can I not?" she sighed sadly. "It's a day for honoring the ancestors, and he's with them now." She flashed back to the day of her trial, when she and Shepard reclaimed control of the Alarei from a swarm of Geth that her father had networked for weapons experiments. Originally Rael'Zorah's work was despised and viewed as treasonous. But his discoveries led to the development of new technology by Admiral Daro'Xen that was vital to their people's restoration to their homeworld. For that, Rael was posthumously pardoned for his crimes after they had been exposed in the aftermath of the Rannoch War.

"I understand."

"Is there anyone you will mourn?" she asked curiously.

"Kal," he brightened.

"Reegar?" she said with surprised. "I was not aware that you two were close."

"We became friends while we were both on the Rayya for your trial," he explained. "It was... disappointing that he died on Palaven," he saddened. During the Reaper War, Kal'Reegar met his end during a battle known as the Miracle at Palaven. He and his squad stayed back to hold off the enemy despite numerous suit punctures and critical injuries. He was commended, and promoted for his actions.

"Yes, it was," she sighed. "He was a good man. But I know he would not have had it any other way."

"Yeah... I just... I admired him, you know? So strong and fearless, while all I could do was cower before the collectors," he choked, hating himself.

"You were on pilgrimage!" was her rationale for his actions. "A child, defenseless. Reegar was a marine. He faced situations like that because he was trained for it."

"I know. That's why I've joined."

"You what!?" she jumped.

"I'm going to become a marine, like Kal. I want to be strong, like he was," he laughed nervously, before continuing, "Like you are. You were a child on pilgrimage like me when you first joined Commander Shepard. You proved our worth to the galaxy. You're amazing, Tali'Zorah."

Tali blushed lightly beneath her mask and diverted her luminous irisless eyes. "I... I don't know what to say. Thank you, Veetor."

"It is nothing. So, how is the Commander doing?" he asked curiously. Shepard saved him as much as Tali did, maybe more. Any news pertaining was worth hearing.

Tali sighed again, trying to think of the best way to phrase it. "Shepard is very... tired. The Council always has some mission or assignment. It makes it hard to relax." Tali was surprised Shepard was even working at all. A narrow survival left the Commander both disfigured and disabled after the Crucible fired, but the medical expertise of Dr. Chakwas, and Miranda Lawson's knowledge of the implants grafted by Project Lazarus ensured that the savior of the galaxy made a full recovery, after two years of work. And Shepard was as good as new.

"I see," he noted. "I hope that Shepard is able to get a respite soon. Send my best."

"I will," she nodded.

She stayed with Veetor for several hours, taking in sights and enjoying the day, losing at rigged games and dining on the unhealthy junk foods the concession stands peddled. But all good things must come to an end, and this proverb was no less true for Tali when her omni-tool pinged.

Tali clicked the button on the bracelet mounted on her wrist and the haptic interface manifested from nothing. A few keystrokes later and she was viewing her message. It was a priority alert from Admiral Shala'Raan, requesting her presence at the Admiralty Board's new offices. They were in a meeting and became deadlocked in a ruling. Tali swore under her breath in frustration. She was an admiral too, but the others constantly acted like she had no say in administrative matters. This was the first she'd heard of a meeting or a ruling.

She sighed uncomfortably and returned to the rapid transit station, making her way to the base that had been established outside of the city. "Damn it," she cursed. "I fib to keep Shepard's mind at ease, the admirals make me truthful."

Tali exited the skycar only to be greeted with dozens of salutes. The benefit of command. They knew who she was, and what she had done for them all, and they all smiled behind their masks as they paid respect. Her mask hid her blush from the numbers as she saluted back and was guided upon request to the admirals' offices.

She could only imagine what asinine and trivial matter they were at odds about. And she wondered who sided with whom. She assumed that it was Raan and Korris against Gerrel and Xen. That was often the case as Zaal'Korris rarely agreed with anyone but Raan, unless Tali herself were there. The two had started off bitterly because of her trial. But in the early days of the war with the Geth, they had formed a respect and friendship with one another, being aligned on the decision to spare their numbers, and attempt to negotiate.

As she approached the meeting room she could already hear muffled, inaudible yelling back and forth between the admirals. They were supposed to be examples to their people, the wisest and most qualified leaders. But they bickered like children all of the time. The Citadel Council was more mature, Tali thought. Even if they had been blind fools, at least they stood together in matters of government.

Few decisions the Admirals entirely agreed on without argument, like the decision to augment the ship names of quarians to reflect towns and cities where they were born and live in, in lieu of ships for future generations. The decision was agreed upon because it would have been redundant to label millions of quarians with the identifier 'vas Rannoch', even if they all desired it. Ship names had a purpose, after all. Although it meant everyone in the city had the title 'vas Normandy'. But, for them it had different meaning than her ship name. She was a crewman of the true Normandy. And she wore that name with pride.

"This could set us forward by decades!" Daro'Xen argued desperately. "You both saw what the Geth were doing for us before Shepard destroyed them with the Crucible. With my idea, we could have that back!"

"If we approve this plan, there is no guarantee that it will be the same," Han'Gerrel advised cautiously, staying his usual temper and military bravado.

"I am inclined to agree with Han, for once," Zaal'Korris groaned. "And we cannot afford another uprising when you would inevitably subjugate them, Xen," he accused.

Korris and Gerrel stood united on this matter. A rare sight, as the two disliked everything about each other, and disagreed on nearly everything. But one thing they both agreed on always was that Admiral Xen was shady, duplicitous, and a tad bit insane at times.

"How can you agree with this, Raan?" Gerral demanded in disbelief. "Were the losses we took both losing and reclaiming our homeworld not enough to let the lesson sink in!?"

"You saw the logs Shepard sent us from the Geth server," she said in her own defense. "You saw what really happened. It was our fault, everything! And when we were cooperating with the Geth, they were doing for us in weeks what would have taken years to do on our own." Deep down, Raan had felt pressured into her prejudicial stance by her society, but the day Shepard showed her the truth, she began to doubt. And when the Reaper was killed and the war ended, the Prime unit that offered her a chance to live on her homeworld and aid in their rebuilding efforts. After that, her opinion was forever changed. She felt like a fool, and would not feel that way again.

"Never mind that if they hadn't been destroyed, we would not need our suits to survive," Xen added. "You are both a pair of stubborn old battleships who need to be retired."

"What the hell are you arguing about!?" Tali yelled as she entered the room.

"Hello Tali," Xen said quickly. "It is about time an intelligent and progressive mind appeared to shut down these two imbeciles."

Xen's attempt at flattery was an obvious attempt to get her way that Tali would not bow to. On a normal day, they could barely stand each other.

"Raan, what did you call me into?" Tali demanded.

"Tali, calm yourself," was Raan's uninformative answer. But she immediately followed with the explanation, "We were discussing the Geth."

"The Geth are gone," Tali stated the obvious. "Why would they even be an issue?"

"Because they are not forgotten. Not them, or what they did for us," Xen answered ominously.

Gerrel groaned. "These two buffoons want to develop new artificial intelligences," he stated, disgusted.

"To resume the role in aiding our people left by the Geth when Shepard destroyed them all," Xen elaborated.

"You want to create another servant race?" Tali asked in shock. She knew exactly what the Admiral of Research and Development meant about the Geth's role. She had explained it herself to Shepard once; that the Geth uploaded their programs into the suits and cybernetic implants all quarians have in order to mimic a virus and bolster their immune systems. If it had continued, none of them would need a mask to survive by now. But that day sadly never came.

"We know where we failed with the Geth," Raan argued. "We know to treat them like individuals."

"You, maybe," Korris snorted derisively. "But Xen is power mad. She would not be content with this way of life and you should know it."

Gerrel nodded in agreement. "And when she tries, the new synthetics will rebel - like the Geth did - and we'll be utterly wiped out. We suffered significant losses during the reclamation, and during the Reaper war. We do not have the strength to put down another machine uprising!"

"Which is why we are at a deadlock," Raan grunted tiredly.

Xen approached Tali and placed a hand on her shoulder. It took everything Tali had not to slap it away. "Your vote can allow us to override them and put our race back on the path of progress. Give us a future."

"More like destroy us all," Gerrel spat. "Tali, you saw what the Geth did. Even if the circumstances were extenuating, the damage they did to everyone was substantial."

"I... I don't know," Tali uttered, conflicted. "I need to think this over.." she shrugged everyone off. "There are very different perspectives to consider."

"Very well," Raan allowed. "We shall adjourn this meeting until tomorrow. We can all enjoy the holiday and hear Tali's vote in the morning."

Gerrel yawned. "Fair enough, I shouldn't leave my wife and son waiting," he grunted. "We do have a holiday to celebrate."

"Maybe I can see my grandchild before my daughter tucks him in for the night," Korris mused.

Han'Gerrel and Zaal'Korris both left, to return to their families for a much needed rest and enjoy the Requiem of the Ancestors festival.

As Tali turned to leave after having a moment of casual talk with Raan, she was stopped by Admiral Xen, who just had to take another chance at getting her way. "Tali, you know this is the right decision for our people."

Tali did agree that there could be much benefit to this action, but nothing was ever so simple, and Xen's motives were always ultimately self-serving. Any alliance with her would require extreme caution. But now was not the time to consider such matters.

"Xen. Do not think you can influence my decision away from the other admirals," she snapped.

Xen cringed behind her mask. "I am only saying that the benefits of creating a new A.I. are..."

"Not up for discussion!" Tali stopped her.

Tali left without another word.

Set up in a large suite-like room at the base, Tali fell into bed, succumbing to the jetlag of her trip. She had no time since arriving to rest and it took its toll. She fell asleep almost instantly, haunted by dreams of the past, invoked by the startling circumstances of the day.

Tali found herself on the Alarei, beside Shepard. They fought the Geth Rael'Zorah had reactivated with valiance. Along the way they crossed a video log, belonging to a woman who'd served under her father. It was a last message, for her son. "Jona," the woman said. "Mommy loves you," and the comm cut off.

Everything flashed, and she was on Rannoch, five years ago. It was nightfall, and she was knelt beside a member of Zaal'Korris' crew. His injuries were catastrophic and in his final breath, he uttered a last wish. "Tell my son...," he waned. "tell Jona... that his father made it to the homeworld."

"Rest well, Dorn'Hazt vas Rannoch," Tali said back to him.

Everything faded to black, and the light ushered itself by revealing the evening. A Reaper lied dead before them, slain by Shepard through clever tactics and a world of bravery. It spoke down to them, condescending and arrogant. It told of the inevitable conflict between organic and synthetic life, citing the Geth and Quarians to justify its claims.

The Reaper ceased functioning. Legion asked Shepard, "The Geth only acted in defense of their own existence. Do we deserve death?" as it proposed a new idea: uploading the Reaper upgrades to all Geth. It would make them alive, it argued. They could help the cause. It asked Tali, "Do you remember the question that made the creators attack us? Does this unit have a soul?" Shepard, with the aid of Tali and Zaal'Korris, talked down Han'Gerrel and forged peace after three hundred years.

But then Legion revealed an error. In order to apply the update to the Geth programs, Legion had to disassemble his own intelligence and send fragments of code to his people. Before it died, Tali interrupted to say, "The answer... was yes."

"I know, Tali," Legion said tenderly. "Keelah selai." And it dropped to the ground, gone forever.

Tali gasped, startled awake. She was sweating. A check of the clock revealed she had been asleep for close to six hours. She went to the restroom and stripped off her suit. The immuno boosters she took allowed brief forays from her protective barrier, and she chose to relax by indulging a shower, cleaning her naked body in a pleasurable way. When she was complete, she dried off with a towel that had been sterilized like everything in the room. And covering her nakedness, she smiled and snapped a picture with her omni-tool, saving it to be a gift for someone special.

While she was cleaning herself, her suit was programmed to self clean and air out. She put it on over herself, sealing it intricately, and fastening straps and donning her helmet before laying back down on the bed.

Unsure what to do, Tali thought another distraction might help clear her mind. She decided against activating the nerve stimulation program in her suit. She was not in the mood for an erotic fantasy aided by technology she paid more for than she cared to admit.

She weighed the pros and cons of the situation.

A new race of synthetics could pick up where the Geth left off. Even if they were not a source of cheap labor as they were originally intended, uploading into the suits of quarians was invaluable to their people. It could spare them decades of complicated gene therapy treatments and have them suitless in only a few years.

On the other side, Admiral Xen could not be trusted. And there was no guarantee that the new synthetics would see things the same way as the Geth. And Tali knew how Xen could be when facing failure. Anger was her first reaction, following by scheming and subterfuge. She had heard plenty of myths and rumors of people Daro'Xen had destroyed along the way, climbing to her position, and not being completely honest with the other admirals about the nature of her experiments, which were likely even more checkered than Rael'Zorah's.

Hours passed, going from one argument to another, even offering her own opinions on each. And before she fell asleep, she had decided.

The next day Tali called the admirals to the meeting room early in the morning. She didn't care if she had dragged them out of bed and away from their lives. They had done the same to her, while treating her as less except when they needed something. In the back of her mind, she enjoyed it.

"Okay Tali," Gerrel said, eager. "What is your decision?"

"Yes, I hope you can see sense," Korris sighed.

"As do I," Xen agreed with Korris, "though I suspect our definitions are not the same."

"Everyone, please!" Raan snapped. "Tali, have you made a decision?"

"I have," Tali answered. "But I have something to say."

"Very well," Gerrel allowed, curious.

"I stayed up late last night, considering what you all had to say. You all have points, good and bad, which makes this decision hard for me. Shepard taught me that we need to stand united for the good of all. But in this situation, that is impossible. I have weighed all the sides, added my own views, and my knowledge of the benefits and the dangers," she explained before answering. "And I have decided to vote in favor of Admirals Korris and Gerral."

Xen was speechless, and Gerrel was overjoyed. "Thank the ancestors!" he praised.

"Tali, but... why?" Raan begged.

"Because our experiences with the Geth mean nothing to a new synthetic race," she pointed out. "You're assuming that they will behave the same because you will treat them the way you think we should have treated the Geth. They'll still end up being treated differently than what is appropriate for them, and you'll hold them to expectation," she explained her belief. "What will happen if the new synthetics do not want to upload into our suits? You'll try to force them," she stated with certainty.

"You're being closed minded and foolish," Xen snapped, as expected.

"No, I'm being careful and considerate. I don't trust you."

Xen was shaking with anger. She was being told what to do by a child. If it were her own, she would strike her for such insolence. But this child was a colleague, a fellow admiral. Acting against her now would be tantamount to treason. Which would eliminate all chance of her plan ever coming to pass. "...This is not over," she swore.

"I think it is," Tali dismissed her.

"You did the right thing, kid," Gerrel smiled behind his helmet, patting her on the back. Tali welcomed the gesture of affection, having long since forgiven him for his actions while she was on the Geth dreadnought. He was her Uncle Han again, the man who was like a brother to her father.

Korris offered her good wishes for her decision and left.

"I hope I did the right thing," Tali said under her breath.

"What will we do now?" Raan asked Xen, in a private meeting place. Their dreams of revitalizing their race depended on Tali, and she had betrayed their confidence. They were in shock and disbelief.

"Continue forward," Xen answered her, resolute. "The other admirals don't have to know. And when the time comes to reveal, they'll be unable to stop us."

Raan swallowed nervously at Xen's words. Worse was the way she said them. She knew it was the right course of action. But she was unnerved by the Research Admiral.

Back at the outskirts of the city, Tali opened her omni-tool and opened a comm channel to Commander Shepard. She had grown to miss her home and needed to return.

"Shepard. Could you send Cortez to pick me up? My business is done," she said.

"Are you sure? It's only been a day?" Shepard asked. At this point, Cortez was still close enough to swing back and get her within a reasonable amount of time. So it wouldn't be too much trouble.

"Yes. I think I've celebrated enough," she answered lightly.

"He'll be there soon."

"Thank you."

Tali sighed. This holiday was a time for her to remember and honor those lost. Her mother, her father, Kal'Reegar, and Dorn'Hazt. But there was one she forgot to consider, and blamed herself for quietly. But the Requiem of the Ancestors was still ongoing. And she still had time.

"May you rest well with the ancestors," she smiled, "Legion."