Kind of a sequel - though it works fine as a standalone - to Observation & Engineering.
Part two of this will be longer.

The breaking of an omni-tool causes Tali to make some... interesting discoveries.
Feedback would be lovely!

John

Part 1

The sound of bullets echoes around the room. Shepard ducks into the nearest cover he can find. Ashley crouches beside him - he gives her a nod of acknowledgement. "How're you doing?"

"Prime nearly took me out, but I'm fine," she replies breathlessly.

He looks around, and suddenly notices something. "Hey, where's Tali?" He hears the telltale sound of quarian swearing and assault rifle fire nearby. "Right. Wait - shouldn't we be backing her up?"

Ashley seems, oddly, like she's trying not to laugh. "I... think she can handle herself, Shepard."

He comes out of cover to find Tali up against the last geth in the room. Taking out its shields, she pulls a couple of wires out of its arm, then riddles it with bullets; the fight is over as quickly as it began.

Ashley stands beside him, smirking at the look on his face. "Well, she's certainly... talented," he murmurs, still seeming a little in shock.

"Yup. I would not want to get on the wrong side of her."

He looks back at her, confusion apparent on his face. "Tali? She wouldn't hurt a fly."

Ashley rolls her eyes, and they keep moving.

Kaidan frowns as he walks through the CIC. "Seen the Commander?"

Pressley briefly glances up from his work. "Down in Engineering. With the quarian."

Kaidan pretends not to hear the disapproval dripping from the other man's voice. Again? Shepard makes sure to check in regularly with the crew, but he seems to spend most of the time he isn't working with Tali. Kaidan wonders if there's something between them, but dismisses it. After all, he can't even see her face - would he be interested?

Commander J. Shepard, N7 graduate, celebrated survivor of Akuze and now elite Council Spectre, is standing in Engineering with an expression on his face that could only be described as... sheepish. "It..." He clears his throat, grasping for the correct terminology and failing miserably. "Broke?"

Tali looks up from examining his omni-tool; she cocks her head, and, without seeing her face, he can hear laughter in her voice. "Shepard, poking it a lot will not make it work."

Damn. She saw that? He was taught rudimentary hacking and tech skills when he enlisted, and again in the N7 programme, but he can't be called gifted. To be honest, he can barely be called able, and it shows. He is eager to learn, however, which is part of why he comes down here so often.

"You've caused a 6.52 system error..." She sees the blank look he gives her, and shakes her head - he swears she's rolling her eyes under that mask. "Come here and I'll show you."

Tali sighs. Shepard is bright, but he's also a seasoned soldier, and very efficient at killing things - including, unfortunately, all his tech.

He moves to stand by her shoulder, frowning at his omni-tool, and, as she explains it very, very slowly, with lots of three-fingered hand-gestures, understanding begins to dawn.

Kaidan arrives in the drive core room and is taken aback by the sight of Shepard and Tali standing together examining an omni-tool. Face illuminated by its orange glow, he can't help but think how content Shepard - wait, is that smoke?

"Keelah!" Tali exclaims loudly.

Shepard looks at her, confused. "Tali?" He suddenly realises how much of her personal space he's taking up - if she wasn't masked, they'd be almost nose-to-nose - and promptly steps back, professional enough to disguise his embarrassment.

Finding herself feeling equally awkward, and almost - disappointed? No, that can't be right - Tali explains disbelievingly, "You broke an omni-tool. They aren't meant to be breakable."

Hearing a gruff laugh from behind him, Shepard turns to find Alenko standing in the doorway, and strides off to greet him. "Sorry," he says to Tali, "it's... important. I'll see you around."

She watches him go, sighing. Their talks are the highlight of her days aboard the Normandy - not that she'd ever tell him that, of course - it would sound ridiculous, and might... give him the wrong idea about things. About what she thinks of him. Once again appreciating her mask - she can't be seen blushing - she clears her throat, even though she's said nothing aloud (wait, did she ever do that before she met Shepard? Is she picking up her friend's human habits now?) and returns to her work, taking out her own omni-tool.

She stops. Wait. She just called him her friend. He stopped being "the strange human" a while ago, and, now she looks back, he has been a good friend to her...

The omni-tool shows signs of hundreds of modifications and repairs, and is slightly battered, but it works nearly as well as the new model. She sighs - it was her mother's, and just looking at it brings back memories: songs sung over the hums and whirrs of a Fleet ship, the soft touch of her mother's un-gloved hands... un-gloved. Part of what cost her her life. The memories turn bitter, and she pretends to be busy.

Shepard stands in front of the Galaxy Map, deep in thought. "Joker?"

The pilot's trademark drawl comes from the PA. "Commander?"

"Let's make a stop at the Citadel."

Tali jumps at the sound of Shepard's voice. "Got a minute?"

Part two will arrive on Monday night.