With the new Mass Effect on the near horizon I've been seriously cursing the ending of the third game (I thought I had gotten over it but I guess not). With that in mind, I started to write about what happened to the crew! I hope you enjoy, leave me some reviews and let me know what you think!
"Keelah, are we alive?" The lights flickered on overhead of them strangely, reflecting through her mask and causing her to peer out of mostly closed eyes. "Dim.", she muttered mostly to herself. Instantly her mask obeyed her command and diminished the light that it allowed to filter through. "Uuuuuuuuuuuugh." "Garrus?", she weakly asked, summoning the strength to lift her arm and pat around until she found what must be his face. All she got in return was another long winded groan, but she knew it was him. When Joker had been outrunning the blast, Garrus had held her close to try and stabilize her through the rough ride. Obviously that hadn't worked out so well, judging by her pain and his groaning. Unable to hold her head up any more in the moment, Tali just rested it against what had to be Garrus' chest and sighed.
What she wouldn't give to be wrapped in blankets and resting on the softest bed imaginable. Hours after the intimate moments she'd shared with Garrus, Tali had begun to feel the effects of being exposed to the germs of the outerworld. At first it had just been mild aching and a sore throat. By this point she had caught herself shaking violently at times, had a headache worse than she'd ever had in the past, her temperature had spiked, and her environmental suit had been in a constant state of dehumidifying to account for the sweat that seemed to be pouring out of her body, both hot and cold. Her body was throbbing and skin had already been tender, but being tossed around the ship had only made that worse.
"Tali?"
"Mmm?", she groaned in response.
"Are you okay?"
"Define okay.", she muttered to herself.
"Huh?"
"I think I'm alive." His slight shift made her set her teeth. On second thought...
"We need to go check on the others." The last thing Tali really wanted to do at the moment was get up and potentially crawl through the entire ship to find their squadmates. Actually, she wasn't sure if her body would even let her stand.
"Tali?"
"Yeah...", she sighed and placed her hands on either side of him.
Pushing up, Tali scrambled to her knees and knelt forward with her hands on the ship beside her. Garrus didn't seem to be moving that fast either, but definitely faster than her. The slight weight on her shoulder must be his talon. "Hey...are you alright?" No, she wasn't alright. In fact, she was pretty miserable. "Yeah, I think I just must have hit my head." Lying didn't seem to be that great of a way to go, but right at the moment she was sure they had bigger things to worry about than the infection raging through her body.
"Should we see if Chakwas can take a look at you?" That was the exact reason she had lied. If she did tell him about her condition, he would probably overreact and force her to see the doctor right that minute. And probably never touch her again in fear of this happening. Besides, she'd had plenty of bad infections before, it was a way of life for a Quarian. "I think being out of my suit to get my head checked would be worse than letting it be.", she mentioned while he helped her to her feet. "Gotcha." She had already used the emergency immunoboosters she carried on her person to stay on her feet and help Shepard on earth. Just enough to help her stay active, but not enough to actually rid her of the infection.
The lights completely went off around them. "Keelah." What else could go wrong? Garrus must have switched the light on his headpiece on, but it streamed only a small light. "Lights on.", Tali commanded, a second later her suit was illuminating her own light source - considerably stronger than Garrus'. "Well played Tali." Despite the fact that he couldn't see it, Tali smiled behind her mask. "So now you're envious of a suit that also acts as a barrier to the rest of the world?" "Eeeeehh...I like the lights.", he mentioned finally, bumping her playfully on the shoulder.
Gingerly they made their way through Engineering. Neither one of them spoke for a moment, each thinking about what had happened.
"I'm not sayin' I mind ya' bein' on me."
"You just told me that you think I ruptured your spleen! I'm not that fat!"
"Ya' landed right on top a' me!"
Tali turned her face toward Garrus, and he did the same. "Kenneth? Gabby?" "Oh thank God, Tali?" They walked up to the couple just as Gabby was scrambling off of Kenneth the rest of the way. "And Garrus! Thank God we're not the only ones left." Tali felt unease in her gut. "What can you tell us about the Normandy?" After boarding the Normandy Tali had ran to get to Engineering and help with what she could with Garrus hot on her heels. She hadn't made it before the ship had started to feel like it was coming apart and then the impact of being grounded had happened moments after. Before Tali could set herself, Gabby flung herself into her arms and hugged her fiercely.
Stumbling back a step, Tali grunted in pain and took a moment to wrap her arms back around Gabby. They had become close friends since Tali had last joined the Normandy, spending much of their time together down in Engineering. Still, her head was already pounding and she wasn't sure she could take much more of this rough treatment - even if it was in the form of an overly aggressive hug.
"What I wouldn't give ta' do tha'."
Gabby just rolled her eyes and shot him a look over her shoulder. "Not that I wouldn't give it ta' do tha' ta you too!", he quickly fixed, leaving Garrus to chuckle. "Oh so now I'm not too fat?" Tali waved her hands.
"Guys...focus. The Normandy?"
"Oh, right. She's got major damage as far as we can tell. I haven't had the time to check her out since we hit. We can do a full systems check, but we should probably see about getting the lights back on first." "Engineer Adams?", Garrus asked from her left.
"He hot footed it to check the Allers woman."
"Not that I blame 'im." Tali gently slapped her mask with her hand. "Keelah."
"My concern for this vessel being inadequate have finally shown its merit. If it had been of Prothean design instead of Turian and human, it would have held up under such a blast." Little wonder who THAT belonged to. As if they didn't have bigger things to worry about than who designed the Normandy. Tali could just feel the speech come bubbling out of Garrus' mouth.
"Turian design is among some of the most well-built and most efficient in all of history.", he argued.
"And the human portion?"
"Uuuuh...well..."
"Hey! Humans know how ta' build stuff!", Kenneth retorted.
"What a fine argument. It is as if you are saying the last species of this cycle to evolve and reach intergalactic space flight can hold up to other species."
Tali sighed deeply. "Boys!", Gabby snapped.
"We can argue about who's prettier later. Right now we have to check on the others."
"She is right.", Tali pointed out.
"Gabby, Kenneth, can you go check on Adams and Diana?"
"Be a pleasure."
"Ugh...come on Kenneth, try not to drool too much."
Shaking her head, Tali started toward the emergency ladder with Garrus and Javik behind her. "After you check on them, can you head below to the shuttle bay to check on Vega and Cortez?"
"Sure thing Tali!"
While they descended, Tali glanced around her and tried not to remember that Jack had inhabited this little section of the ship. She hadn't had anything against the woman really, but Mordin had gone on a rant about how scale itch had worked its way onto the ship after Jack had been added to their crew. ...She just hadn't liked the implications of that.
"Just for the record, it's me."
It took Tali a moment to process that he meant that he meant about who was the prettiest, not how scale itch had gotten it's way into the Normandy. Keelah...that would be so bad. "Primitive species and their need to exert their superiority. Tali'Zorah, the reason you are attracted to this turian is beyond my capacities of understanding."
Tali cleared her throat as they approached the ladder, not liking where this conversation was going.
"The same reason you never had any children.", Garrus quipped.
"Reaper invasion?"
"Y-...no. Women are smart."
"And yet I did have children. Many of them."
"You had children?", Tali asked with interest.
"Yes. Many females approached me for the purpose of reproduction."
"And you say we have primitive species."
"Keelah, can we stop talking about this?", she asked in embarrassment. Tali couldn't help the feeling of discomfort that curled around her belly. Her species just didn't...talk about such things. Ever. Her dad had avoided her for weeks after she had asked about linking suits. Coupled with the fact that she and Garrus had...well, coupled only a short time previous made the whole thing extremely awkward.
Finally at the ladder leading to the upper decks, Tali grabbed the rungs and started to climb, leaving the two men still arguing down below her. By the time they had reached the next level, Tali's humidifiers had kicked in to relieve her body of the sweat she had worked up with just that small climb. Kneeling for a moment while they made their way up behind her, Tali caught her breath and tried to regain her strength. As Garrus popped his head up above the opening and clambered up, Tali was thankful that her environmental suit hid how she looked. There would be no hiding how she felt and looked if there wasn't that barrier. That was second in helpfulness only to being unable to obtain scale itch. Keelah, she was glad Shepard had obtained his pet Varren after that had happened, otherwise Tali would never want to go near the thing. Wait...Urz.
"Garrus, we need to go check on Urz too.", she mentioned.
"We will Tali. I think Shepard left him on the bridge with Joker and EDI. We'll find him when we get to the next level.", he mentioned as he lowered his hand.
"The diseased animal is where your concern lies?"
Sometimes Javik could be a real pain. "He isn't diseased."
"Varren can carry 67 diseases common to other species at one single time. In my cycle, their predecessors were considered unclean and eating their flesh was an offense that could levy a person with fines and quarantine periods of up to three months."
Tali took the hand Garrus offered without comment, simply using his assistance to get to her feet and then pushed on.
"Liara?"
"Doctor Chakwas?" Their voices echoed slightly back at them.
"Thank the Goddess, you're alive."
"Liara!" Squinting through the dim light she was powering Tali noticed she was limping sightly. Ashley was walking next to her. Tali quickly walked forward and wrapped the asari in a hug.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes."
"What happened?"
"I was running for the battery to see if I could assist and one of the pieces on the way to the battery broke off and slammed into my leg. It had me pinned down until Ashey got to me." Tali glanced over at where Ashley was standing without saying anything. Though the brunette had seemed to have gotten over her racism since she had first been on the Normandy, Tali still hadn't always gotten along with the spectre. "Good thing Ashley found you.", Garrus commented from her right. Liara nodded. "Indeed."
"I did a sweep of the entire floor. I didn't see anyone else.", Ashley mentioned.
"Keelah, where is everyone?"
"From what I saw, hardly anyone made it back to the Normandy. The people that did make it back are probably on the combat deck. The Doc went to check out that level and sent me to find Liara and do a full sweep of this one. We should probably head up there now."
Tali was really out of it if she hadn't even noticed that the crew on the Normandy had been basically a skeleton of the normal after the battle for Earth. She couldn't blame the human crew members for wanting to fight for their homeworld. After all, she had joined the battle for Rannoch just a short time before they had battled for Earth. While she hadn't really talked to most of them on a regular basis - and for that reason didn't know them all that well - Tali hoped they were alive and doing well.
"They died fighting a noble cause."
"Pretty heavy praise coming from you Javik."
"I always knew you liked us deep down.", Tali couldn't help but mention as she nudged him in the side.
"I am only waiting until you will let your guard down. I have not had such delicate meat as quarian in fifty thousand years."
"Uh...right."
"Heh, you have a warped sense of humor Javik.", Ashley mentioned from the side.
"You believe that was a jest?"
"Remind me never to be alone with Javik again.", Tali muttered to Garrus.
"We'd uh...best get to the combat floor and find Chakwas before Javik sacrifices us all to his stomach."
Tali nodded to agree with Garrus and followed him as he made his way toward the med bay to enter the core and gain access to the second level.
"You would live, turian. I have never had such a vile tasting meal as when we were forced to endure a meal of your species. It was like eating our boots."
"Uh...thanks?"
"You've eaten your boots before?", Tali couldn't help but ask.
"The Reaper invasion was not the best time of my cycle."
"Did you actually get nourishment from that?", Liara demanded.
"It was...not satisfying." Keelah, and yet Javik said that they were the primitive species. At the ladder, Ashley went first, followed by Liara. Tali hesitated and leaned against the side of the cramped space to wait her turn, tilting her head back until she rested it against the side of the Normandy. What she wouldn't give for some more immunoboosters.
"Hey, Tali. You okay?"
"What? Oh...yeah, I am." No...no she wasn't doing okay. She just wanted to curl up in a ball somewhere and cry, but there were bigger things going on than just the pain she was in. "Okaaaaay.", he drew out the word and stared at her until Tali had to clear her throat and push past to grasp the ladder. After they figured out if everyone was safe and what had happened, she would ask Chakwas for assistance.
"I will enjoy my meal if you do not live."
"Yeah...nooot helping.", she muttered and glared at him over her shoulder. "
Javik, you wouldn't aaactually eat us would you?"
"I have already told you, turian. You would survive."
Tali scuttled up the ladder to avoid the weird topic of eating her species. A soft light was glowing as she climbed up. At the top, a pair of strong hands pulled her up. Tali lifted her mask to see Ashley there lending her a hand. Keelah, maybe she had really changed.
"Thanks, Ashley."
"Don't mention it Tali." Now on her feet, Tali glanced up and noticed that a light was shining through the windows of the Normandy. Unable to help herself, Tali glanced out and took in the heavy foliage
"Hey! Doctor Chakwas needs assistance!" Tali glanced around to see a human woman she recognized but couldn't put a name to run up.
"Lead the way private Campbell."
Oooh...that's where she recognized her from. Every time Tali had wanted to go visit EDI and Joker, her and that other woman had stood guard to...do what? Honestly the entire time they had been on the Normandy Tali had been left wondering what their purpose had actually been.
"It is so strange to see that human not guarding the war room as if the very survival of the ship depended on it. I wonder if it knows how to function without the security of being rooted in one place."
" 'It' is a she, Javik.", Ashley sighed.
"They all look the same." "Coming from a Prothean? Shepard showed us that memory can of yours.", Garrus snarked as he got to his feet and followed them on their way to the Doctor.
They found her surrounded by bodies. Tali took one look and stopped abruptly. Someone - Garrus by the sound of his grunt - ran into her, propelling her forward a step. There was a semi large hole ripped out of the side of the Normandy connected to the war room. There were a few crew membersthat appeared to be just sitting and recovering, while a few were bleeding quite heavily.
"Keelah."
"I need medi gel!", Chakwas' no nonsense tone snapped out. Hurriedly Tali went forward to help. Dispensing some on the patient she was motioned toward, Tali was relieved to see the bleeding cease almost immediately.
"By the Goddess."
"You've got that right, I think my insides just decided they wanted out. I feel sick."
It was no secret that James wasn't so good with wounds. He'd had plenty of them, but for such a huge man, he seemed to turn into a puddle of water whenever he saw a nasty one.
"Get him out of here!", Chakwas commanded sharply.
"Tali, come here." No one liked to see so much blood coming out of a person, and that included her. Still, Chakwas had asked and so she obediently dropped to her knees beside the woman Chakwas was already kneeling by.
"Javik, Garrus, hold her steady." Tali's stomach did a few flip flops as well when she really looked at the wound. A large piece of twisted metal was imbedded into the woman's lower abdomen.
"Tali, as soon as Ashley and I get it out, apply a medi-gel and then get pressure on it. When it comes out there's going to be blood spurting, so I need you to get it done as quickly as possible. A wound this size will need some time to close and knit together and we can't have her bleeding out."
Tali nodded "Okay.", she said meekly.
"Private Westmoreland, this is going to be very painful. Try not to move and focus on Garrus' face while we remove the metal."
Garrus hand his hands on either shoulder and Tali glanced up at him for a moment. He had been looking at her, but as soon as Chakwas instructed the woman to look at him, he grinned down at Westmoreland instead.
"Try not to gawk too badly, I know these scars attract women like crazy." Despite the pain she must be in, the woman almost smiled. "Okay." Tali watched Chakwas grip the metal and swallowed hard. "In three, two-" On two, the doctor tugged the metal out - ripping a scream from private Westmoreland and startling Tali, who had to scramble to dispense the medi gel properly and timely. Though her hands were shaking, she accomplished it and immediately covered the wound with the sterile dressing Karin had given her, applying pressure while the woman struggled against her captors.
Tali watched silently as Chakwas quickly applied an anesthetic, to which the woman relaxed and slumped back down from where she'd been trying to clamber to her feet. "By God, that never gets easier.", Chakwas muttered under her breath. All the while she began to wrap the wound in dressings until the wound was tightly bound. At that moment the lights flickered back on. "Thank God for small favors.", Chakwas said with obvious relief.
Tali was standing and watching Chakwas make one last round and feeling dead on her feet when she felt an arm stabilize her. Glancing to the side, she saw Garrus standing there looking down at her with a concerned expression on his face. "Come on, let's go check on Joker and EDI.", he said and guided her away from the war room and the recovering crew members. Out of anyone, those two would know what the hell was going on anyway.
As they moved in a group toward the bridge, each talking about something different. Tali glanced up to see Joker limping toward them, supported by EDI. Immediately she felt relief. Those two meant a lot to her, and her worry that they might not have made it had been eating at her.
"Joker!""EDI!", various voices called out in a welcoming tone. The greetings lasted for some time before a tension arose. Each wanted to ask the question they had all been wondering, but no one seemed to know how to do it. Finally Liara took a step forward. "Shep-..." Her voice cracked slightly and she had to pause to clear her throat before continuing. "Shepard? Did...did he..." Tali noticed she was wringing her hands to death and then realized that Liara was doing the same. "Is he...?"
When Tali saw the look Joker and EDI shared, her heart sank. Tears began to flow down her face, fogging up her mask and causing her dehumidifiers to kick in with a gentle whirring. The moisture was absorbed in her suit as Tali's head started to hang. "Liara..." Tali had only heard that tone in his voice once since she had known him. It had been after Shepard had died when the Normandy SR-1 had been destroyed. Since he seemed at loss for what to say, EDI took over. "The readings from Shepard's suit indicated a blast of extreme volume and energy hit him from a very short distance. At that moment the vital signs being monitored from his armor cut off and we haven't received any transmissions since to indicate life." A heavy sob tore from Liara as she stood there in shock. Moments later Tali watched the asari whirl around and bolt back toward the war room.
"Liara!", Tali cried and attempted to catch her arm on the way by, but was brushed off. She prepared to chase after Liara when strong arms caught her and spun her around. Tali found herself tucked up against Garrus. "Let her go.", his voice was raw with pain, hardly recognizable. For a moment she resisted, but finally let herself be held and shook as she started to cry like her heart was breaking.