The Malfunction
The Malfunction – Chapter One
"Any messages for me today, Kelly?", asked Shepard in a disgruntled just-woke-up tone. "None right now, Commander. I fed your fish, though!", exclaimed the Yeoman.
"When?"
"When you were asleep..."
Shepard placed his hand over his eyes and shook his head in a "why am I not surprised" fashion. He yawned and took a step onto the Galaxy map, stumbled on the way up, and grasped the rail. "Everything alright Commander?"
"*psh* Yea, EDI forgot to fill my coffee cup this morning, why the hell didn't Cerberus install a button to do it your damn self?" He shook his head vigorously and opened his eyes wide in attempt to wake himself up.
"My apologies Commander, I was busy running checks on the drive core." Said EDI in a pleased voice. The Commander sighed and told her he'd let it slide. The galaxy map appeared and Shepard selected the Local Cluster Mass Relay. "Roger that Commander, ETA, 42...DAMMIT EDI! 42 minutes!" exclaimed Joker as EDI spun his chair. Shepard walked into the elevator and selected the fourth floor, engineering. The door opened, and Engineers Donnelly and Daniels walked in. "Oh, hello Commander, just going to get some breakfast." said Daniels. "Aye, and ye better leave some syrup for me mum! G'day Commander." Shepard smiled in excitement and walked strait through the doors towards Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. He stopped in the doorway, looking at her. She had heard the door open and turned around. He was gone, hiding around the corner. She shook her head and continued tapping on the hologram keyboard. She felt arms wrap around her, holding her tight. She smiled through her mask, and grabbed his hands, which were firmly gripped over her stomach. He whispered next to her head; "...I'm tired, but I'd sleepwalk just to see you...how are you?" He asked, as she laughed.
"Shepard, I really need to work..." She said with lust. "EDI will handle it, don't worry." He spun her around slowly, and kissed her hand. She rested her head on his chest and they swayed back and forth for what seemed like a decade. He wanted to kiss her, he wanted to hold her without her damn suit. She wanted the same. "Tali, I can't wait until your immune system adjusts to me...It sounds so odd saying it, but hell, nothing makes sense when it comes to saving trillions of lives." She sighed, and held him tighter. "Well, you won't have to wait long...for the past two weeks, I've been...well, taking some antibiotics...and I *giggle*...kind of stole one of your shirts and I place it inside my suit while I sleep!" She looked up at him, her eyes were squinted, he knew she had a big grin on her face. He laughed and said, "Oh, I was beginning to think Zaeed took it, his wardrobe is a bit...awkward." She laughed to the point of a slight snort. It only made her laugh more, and he held her with a chuckle leaving his lips.
They walked to the elevator and selected the Captain's Cabin. Once there, they sat down on the couch and Tali rested her head on Shepard shoulder. "Shepard...I need to tell you something...our mission, to defeat the reapers...if we don't come out of it ali.." "We will, and if we don't, at least I'd go with you." "No, Shepard, thats not what I'm talking about..." She said as she placed her finger on his lips. "If it comes to death...I want to be the one to go...if anything were to happen afterward, I don't think I could handle it without you...nor could anyone if we both were dead." She said in sorrow. "Tali.........you need to understand something;" He said as he placed his forehead on her mask, eyes shut. "I love you...Quarians don't handle love the way a human does. When a human loves someone, they know it, in their heart, in their mind, in their body...in their soul. Their soul binds with the other's, they become one. If you ever separate that soul, you are taking away from it as a whole. If I lose you, if you lose me, we both suffer. Wherever our souls end up, we will not be happy without eachother. I need you to realize that. If saving the Galaxy means your death, I will die with you. I'm one man, eventually I will die, and the Galaxy will need to find another hero. Tali, you are not my hero, you are a Goddess, if you are gone you cannot be replaced." She stared into his eyes for so long...10 minutes, 20 minutes...who knows? She stared. She began to cry...she felt his face, his hands, his lips...she collapsed into his arms weeping. "Shepard!....I love you...I......*sniff*" He held her tight, and whispered, "We will always be together...life or death....we will always be happy".
And so they sat, in eachothers arms, for so long. The Galaxy stopped spinning, the Universe stopped crumbling...stopped producing...For so long. The alarm raised. Red lights flashing, Tali gasped, and remained stunned. She checked her omni-tool, the drive core was letting off 3x times more energy than usual. "Damn! Shepard you bosh'tet! I told you I needed to work!" She exclaimed. "Miss Zorah, there was no way to prevent what is happening, it is no one's fault" assured EDI. "What is happening EDI?" She yelled as she ran to the elevator, Shepard right behind her. "Core temperature is escalating beyond the danger threshold, kinetic barriers are at max. I am unable to detect the problem, but it seems the Drive Core is reacting with the Local Cluster Mass Relay. It seems there is a glitch in the Mass Relay's systems." EDI explained. "How is that possible?" asked Shepard, now passing the Combat Information Center in the elevator. Legion appeared over the intercom. "Shepard-Commander, we have reached a consensus. The old machines have locked the firewalls in the Mass Relays, they are vulnerable to a virus. We are currently unable to detect the source of a potential virus at this time."
The Normandy SR-2 screamed through the relay, all systems shut down....It was dark...the elevator stopped moving...Tali's omni-tool shut down...It was quiet...
The Malfunction – Chapter Two
"Systems back online, rebooting systems, stabilizing drive core, stand-by...
Systems are go, readings confirmed positive. Commander Shepard, the ship is back online." EDI assured.
"Good, the faster we can figure this out, the faster we can fix it."
"Commander, something is wrong with the Mass Relay..........It appears to be....frozen."
"Thats not possible..." Tali muttered as she scanned through her omni-tool.
"Commander, I am unable to contact Cerberus Command, communications remain downed." EDI said anxiously as the elevator came to a halt at the CIC. Everyone inside seemed to be working at their usual stations, running diagnostics. "Joker, status report!" Shepard said demandingly as he stepped up to the Galaxy map, Tali rushing to the lab to get a view of the drive core. "All systems check out as stable Commander. But something is...different. Didn't Pluto have a station?...theres...nothing there, no signatures from the other side of the planet either."
"Whats the status on that Mass Relay EDI?"
"It seems to be frozen as it was before the First Contact War, Shepard. It is as if we have traveled through time." Shepard's eyes went wide. "Joker, boost us to Earth ASAP, I want an ETA." Shepard walked viscously to the cockpit. "ETA 13 minutes, Commander."
13 minutes pass...
"Commander, we've reached the moon...theres no base...no signs of life...nothing." Shepard's face went dark at the sight of what has happened. They drifted towards Earth. Already, Shepard could see no signs of lights on Madagascar, the East Coast was half as dark as before, 60% of Europe was a grassy wasteland. How did this happen? "Commander, I have located a nearby station. It's tag's confirm it as property of the United States of America, it is a military communications satellite. Based on it's readings....the year is 2045...."
Shepard was already slamming on the button in the elevator to the cargo bay. Tali joined him, and so did Mordin Solus. They leaped into the Kodiak drop shuttle. "Joker, fly us somewhere where we won't attract much attention, but we need to get some information nonetheless." "You got it, Commander". The Normandy began hovering over a desert area, with an airfield not too far away. The Kodiak headed for the runway and touched down softly. The Normandy left the area with a sonic boom following. The door opened, and the three left the shuttle, guns drawn...It was silent, dust lingering where the Kodiak touched down. Tali began checking her omni-tool, and Mordin studied the ground. Shepard was silent, the doctor was talking to himself while Tali yelled at her omni-tool for being too slow. Nothing was happening...
"Right, lets get moving, follow this air--" A loud chopping noise zoomed by, then two more, followed by 4 sonic booms. The chopping got louder, and louder, and louder, until dust was flying everywhere. Two odd ships had landed in front of them while another hovered overhead. From each ship, 8 men got out, guns drawn. They crept towards the three until they had a clear shot, if necessary. "Put your weapons down now!" Said one of the men, dressed totally in black gear, wearing a black helmet and wielding a primitive weapon. "Who the hell are you?!" Exclaimed Shepard. "Overwatch this is Bravo 9, contact with foreign personnel, refusing to drop their weapons, permission to fire!" "Negative Bravo 9, detain, repeat, detain, how copy?" Said a muffled voice over a strange transmitter. "Roger Overwatch, detaining, over". The men advanced not two feet before being gunned down by the three "aliens". The two ships fled the area, while the third began firing. Shepard told Tali to use Chikktika, which zapped the spinning blades and caused a bonfire to erupt on the top of the ship, sending it spiraling to the ground.
"Mordin, take the shuttle and head back to the Normandy, me and Tali will need to get some answers." The Salarian nodded, and returned to the dropship. Tali and Shepard headed into the dust....After some time of walking, they came across a building. Shepard kicked the door in and realized it was a primitive hangar, with a very primitive craft inside. Tali began trying to get some information, but what was there in 2045 for an omni-tool to transmit? Shepard found a console displaying a layout of the area. The title of the map was "Area_51-S232". Shepard thought back, he remembered. Born in New York City, Shepard had heard stories about the place, how they said it was a myth. "Tali, come here!" She ran over to the computer. "Are you able to get some information out of this with your omni-tool?" "
"Maybe, hang on...ok, it looks like they are sounding alarms around the area. Lots of movement in the skies, and...oh no...Keelah, they have something pretty big coming towards this buil--" An ear popping crashing noise rippled through the building, lights fell from the ceiling, the aircraft was a wreck. Hell, there was no ceiling after that. Shepard helped Tali up, they both hopped behind some barrels on a catwalk. They listened. "Go, go, go! Room clear, moving up the catwalk!". Shepard's eyes went blue, he sent a biotic shockwave down the catwalk, chewing up the stairs on the end, sending 6 men flying through the air. He then spotted the beast of a machine that was aiming in their direction, he looked at Tali, nodded, and used warp on the treaded giant. It ripped a tile of armor off the side, nothing bigger than a half a foot. The cannon aimed towards them, bullets rippled the barrels and shredded one of Shepard's pockets, just missing him. Tali didn't make a sound, Shepard assumed she was fine. He pulled out the ML-77 Missile Launcher and fired it into the 'mech', tearing it to shreds and hindering it useless. He then proceeded to fire his M-15 Vindicator BR into the crowd of suited men, who then fired back, striking Tali twice. Shepard then realized that she had already been hit once from the 'mech''s 50 caliber gun. She made no sounds....
Shepard's eyes went blank...he couldn't think...he couldn't move...
He was...dead on the inside......a bullet struck his foot, snapping him out of his shocked trance. His body began to glow blue with power. He stood up...he took bullets, they bounced off of his shields as he signaled the Normandy. He threw his gun to the ground. He hopped off the catwalk and took slow steps towards the aggressors. They continued firing grenades, MG's, sniper rifles into him. They did nothing but bounce back. Some even killed the shooters. He began running, grabbing one by the throat and smashing him into the ground, then throwing him into two more with such force that the body continued to fly past them and hit the wall. He pulled another towards him with his biotic powers, and threw him with overwhelming rage, the man left his sight in a mere second. 10 more, 20 more, 30 more appeared from assorted vehicles. It didn't matter, he threw everything he had at them. Eyes blue with rage, from 50 yards away, he pulled another towards him, enough to grab the man with his hands. He did so, and smashed the mans skull with his own. The others fell back as more treaded mechs showed up.
Before Shepard could do a thing, they were disintegrated. The Normandy SR-2 had fired the main gun into the ground in front of them, either throwing them, or turning them into fertilizer. The ship screamed around for another pass, but nothing was alive, only fire and bodies remained. It was dark now, he couldn't feel his own two hands, he couldn't even walk...he passed out...
Awaking several minutes later, a Normandy medical team was rushing to Tali...they faded in his blurry eyes...it went black again, then more figures appeared...he could feel himself being picked up, as if in slow motion. It went black again, he simply faded in and out continuously. He awoke to Dr. Chakwas with a mask over her mouth trying to yank a metal chunk from his leg. He was gaining his vision back. He murmured a bit..."...T...Tali...". He shook, he was sweating, he had no idea what was happening. He couldn't remember a thing, only her bloody body...He shook and began to yelp and sob as metal fragments were ripped from his body...He blacked out..."CLEAR!", someone shouted as he awoke with a stunning shock rippling through his bones. "CLEAR!" He shook, his eyes wide. He was trembling, nothing was slow anymore, but it was all fast, things shaking, Tali reappearing in his mind...He shook some more..."AAAARRRRHHHH!" He flailed, knocking over medical equipment. He sat up..."WHERE IS SHE?!" Frightened, Dr. Chakwas responded "...in life support...". His eyes were dark, he ripped the tubes from his body and began limping towards the door.
Some nurses tried to stop him but his will was powering his strength, they could not stop him from moving. "Shepard, no! We need to operate!" He continued limping. He made it to life support, where Tali has been on an operating table, surrounded by nurses. He yelled "GET AWAY FROM HER!!!". They were stunned, except the one with the scalpel, a surgeon ready to make a cut into her suit. He limped over to him, and threw him back at least five feet. Although injured, he began to glow, this time...white. He cried while he did so, nay, he broke down. He slammed his fists into the wall, putting a dent in it. Then, he slammed on the table, and proceeded to place his hands on her head. His sobbing got louder, and louder...You could hear it in engineering, some would say. His head touched her mask...Then, he looked to a surgeon and asked as calm as he could..."Is this room sterile?" The surgeon starred in amazement..."IS THIS DAMN ROOM STERILE?!" ...The surgeon nodded, shaking in fear. "...leave...now" Shepard, mumbled. Without hesitation, the surgeon did so, as did his assistants.
He carefully took her mask off...still glowing white...he cried...his tears raining down onto her face. He kissed her one last time...
The Malfunction – Chapter Three
For five minutes, he rested his head on her head...He felt her cold hand...He trembled, shaking in internal pain. He sobbed more, he lost his balance and slid to the floor holding her hand...He sat up against the operating table, his face buried in his hands. Everything was blurry, watery, he couldn't tell if it was his glowing biotic powers or the ocean of tears he just created. He looked up at the ECG, a flatline traveled along the screen. He kicked the machine to the floor from the bottom. He sat...he waited...he didn't know for what, he just waited...waited to die, perhaps.
He started at the ECG, now in front of him, staring into his eyes...taunting him with her...death. He didn't even know who he was anymore. His soul was...separated, just like he told her...just like he told her as she rested her head on his shoulder, her arm wrapped around his back, the other hand placed firmly on his chest. He could no longer think. Everything began to spin, sounds were simply beats...or was that his heart? He couldn't tell, but he wanted it to stop.
He didn't care about the galaxy, he didn't care about the Universe, he cared about her. His first mental breakthrough and it happened with the death of his life. She was his life, she was his soul, she was what kept him going. He didn't even realize it until right before they blew up the Collector Base. Not until she jumped on him like a tiger hunting it's prey. He knew he loved her at that moment...Now, it was gone. His life was meaningless, he didn't care that he was a hero...He wanted to be anything but a hero..."...I was going to build her a house...I was going to build us a house..."
His heart sunk to the bottom of the ship...Then, a beep...he paused. Everything stopped. Everything was grey, everything but the green line on the ECG and his own heart stopped moving, stopped living. He stared. Another beep, a beep in the form of a series of triangles on the machine. Another...and another...and another...and then a gasp. He jumped up and stared into her eyes...The tears he left on her face vaporized in the white biotic power, she began to glow the same color as himself. He realized he was still holding her hand, unsure of what was happening. Her eyes wen't wide, her body jumped, as if she was being struck by the force of defibrillators. For a mere second, a flash of blue appeared around her. And she stopped...her eyes shut...his eyes shut, with a tears traveling down his cold cheek...
He stood there...wondering what had happened...He gazed at the machine, it continued beeping. He looked back, her eyes reopened. The one thing he could think was "...The Lazarus Project..." He looked at his hands, no longer glowing white...Did he just save her life? Her eyes were now shifting, looking...spotting...She spotted him, standing, waiting. In no less than a second, she gained the strength to sit up and hug him with such force and speed that he stumbled back, holding her...He looked at her wounds, they were shut, not even a scar...He looked at his own, the same...He wondered, but didn't care.
His life found it's way through the darkness, and back to his cold body. The room went warm, everything was moving again, everything was alive, most importantly, she was alive. She looked over his shoulder as she held him, she saw the dents, the wreckage, she saw his rage as if she was looking back into the past. She cried, "Shepard.......you...you came for me...." She knew what happened, she knew he saved her, she knew that they were bonded. She thought, and knew that it only meant one thing...
She immediately kissed him...It was the kiss of a lifetime, the kiss that lasted a lifetime. He was so filled with joy, he couldn't even remember what happened, but he had her. Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, in his arms, in his heart, his eyes, his soul. "Commander, I have run diagnostics, and I am detecting a large amount of ships near Jupiter." Interrupted EDI. He looked into her eyes, nodded, as did she, and they walked out of the room...
The Malfunction – Chapter Four
They boarded the elevator and selected the Combat Information Center. The ride up was long...perhaps it was the time they spent gazing into each other's eyes. He wanted to take her mask off, badly. He gazed through the purple...He could see her eyes were half-shut, teary, and probably stinging from crying so much. He grabbed her hand, toyed with it for the lifetime trip to the 2nd floor. She slowly shuffled her way into his arms, squeezing him tighter. He could hear her breath rattle as she fought the lump in her throat. She continued sobbing. She looked up, feeling his face, his chest, his arms, his hands.
She embraced his presence. She didn't know why she was still alive, she didn't even know what happened before stepping into the elevator, she just knew that he was there, holding her. "Shepard...I...wh...did you...save my life?....was I...dead?" Shepard didn't say a word, he placed his cheek on the side of her mask and took a deep breath. "Yes...and so was I..." He struggled to say, trying as best he could to hold back tears. He felt as though he shouldn't cry, but he couldn't help it...tears flowed down in his face in a steady stream of sorrow, sorrow for what? He didn't know, he didn't want to know..."Wh...what? What do you mean?" She asked as she backed him up to the wall, still in his arms, still resting her heavy head on his strong shoulder.
"...Tali I thought I had lost you...I told you that I would essentially die inside without you...I died Tali...I might as well have been acting like a husk..." She cried even more, squeezing him as hard as she possibly could. Her mask became foggy on the inside. "...I thought you meant it hypothetically...I thought you were just trying to make me feel better...You..you need to save people, thats your job...how could you die for someone as expendable as I am?..." He kissed her shoulder, her neck, and whispered by her mask. "Tali, you aren't expendable...Like I told you...the Galaxy can find another hero...You are part of my life now, my soul, everything I stand for is for you, I stand by you. If you fell off a cliff I'd dive off just to hold you as we plummeted, if you were shot, I'd use my own chest as a shield to protect you...I'd do anything for you..."
She couldn't find the words. She couldn't think about anything but him, how he loved her...She finally mumbled, as the elevator slowed, "...I love you...so much........Shepard......I don't know what I feel....but it is definitely more than love...I don't want to sound like I'm saying that for you...I...I have never even felt so much love for even a relative...I...I can't tell you how I feel...I can't tell you what you mean to me...I can't find the words........", Then, he asked her so boldly, without hesitation; "...Marry me...." She stop rocking back and forth...stepped back...held his hands under her chin. "...Yes...yes, I will...I love you, Shepard..." She placed her head on his chest as the door opened. They stumbled back away from each other, Shepard wiping his eyes on his sleeve, and Tali clearing her mask of fog.
They walked out in joy...in fear...Tali took a right and headed for the lab to have Mordin give her some more antibiotics and have her wounds checked. Shepard told EDI to plot a course for Jupiter. He walked to the cockpit. "Joker, is anyone tailing us?" "It's 2045 Commander, what are they going to do?" Shepard shook his head and leaned up against the wall for the ride.
26 minutes pass..."Commander, I've got something on the scanners...It's huge!" Shepard looked off into the distance and saw nothing but a gray mass. He couldn't make out what it was, but they were getting closer to it, and fast. After some time he spotted a ship that looked like the Rayya. It's orb of a hull spinning in place. They neared the ship, and began to spot more and more, cargo ships, command ships, frigates. It was the Migrant Fleet. Shepard got on the intercom, "Tali, come to cockpit, you need to see this." She walked up casually behind him.
"Is something wrong She...Oh Keelah..." Shepard nodded back to her words in amazement. "Joker, shut down the thrusters." The ship went silent, and drifted towards the Fleet. Some time passed, and a transmission passed through into the Normandy's computers. "This is the Romak, verify your intentions" Tali hesitated..."This is Tali'Zorah vas Neema nar Rayya, requesting permission to dock with the Romak."...There was no response for some time. "Tali'Zorah, our registry shows zero Quarians with that name, verify." She waited...thought. "I...I was not born on the Fleet"
...She was scared, hesitant to say another word. Further silence. "We are sending an armed boarding party, be prepared for neutral boarding." They made their way to the cargo hold, where a shuttle was just entering the bay. 6 Quarian Marines got out, no guns drawn, but they were walking slowly towards Tali. They stopped, they drew their guns and snapped "What is THAT?!" Tali looked back at Shepard. "He is...a...human" She said, shaking slightly. "A human? What in blue hell is a human Tali'Zorah?!" She shook more. "I...we...We'll explain on the Romak, if we have permission to board." She asked in a soft tone. "We will need to ask for you to order the crew of this vessel to disable all weapons and dock at exterior docking cradle 9. You two are coming with us to the main hangar." Tali nodded and signaled Shepard to follow.
They took off in the shuttle, Shepard restrained by the seat. On the way there, the Captain of the Marines began to whisper to one of his men, while gazing at Shepard. "So Tali'Zorah, this human, does he speak?" She looked at Shepard, he nodded. "Yes, he does." The Marine shook his head. "Well why doesn't he? You there, what is your name?" Shepard looked at the Marine...blinked..."My name is Commander Shepard of the Normandy, that is my ship, and Tali is part of my crew." "She is part ofyour crew? I may not have gotten the highest education Commander, but I am damn sure I have never heard of a 'human'." Shepard looked at Tali, sighed, and gazed back at the group of Marines.
"We are from 2185, we traveled through a malfunctioning Mass Relay, which altered the systems controlling the Drive Core. Something happened and we ended up 140 years in the past." The Marines stared into Shepard's eyes. "Whatever you are, you're a bloody nutcase, and it's a damn good thing we restrained you." The Captain said shaking his head in disbelief. "You'll explain it to the Admiral".
The Malfunction – Chapter Five
The shuttle hurtled towards the Romak. Shepard remained strapped into the seat. He noticed they were headed towards a hangar on the ship, it must have been 10x the size of a football field back on Earth. It slowly opened, but the shuttle was nowhere near it. A large shadow began to form from Tali's window. "Oh Keelah..." She said with a whisper. Shepard couldn't see, he tried to leap to her side of the shuttle, but he looked back down at the damn straps and gazed over at the Captain. Tali turned to Shepard as the massive cargo ship passed by the shuttle. It was so far away yet so large that it cast a shadow that filled the shuttle with darkness. She hesitated; "...It's the Alarei"
"Yea, new cargo ship built straight out of the Romak, just got released today." the Captain said casually. "...My father is on that ship...er...he was...well, will be..." muttered Tali. The Captain turned his head to her, and said with a snicker; "Don't tell me you're a loony too, I'll tell 'ya, I meet more of you tha--"
"Look you little bosh'tet! We seem to be in a bit of a predicament, so could you so much as shut your mouth for five seconds so I can at least hear myself think?!" Barked the young Quarian. Shepard shook his head, closed his eyes, placed his head up against the wall and laughed under his breath. "Listen Tali'Zorah, I don't know what your problem is, but when we land, I'm going to--"
"You're going to what, Captain? Whine to your superior officer that the great granddaughter of Admiral Ara'Zorah vas Romak told you off? I have a shotgun you know, and it looks like you forgot to restrain me too!" The Captain sat in amazement. "My apologies Miss Zorah, please forgive my outbursts towards a superior officer." Tali shook her head and stared out the window.
Shepard couldn't help but notice how beautiful Tali looked in the solar light, with Jupiter taking up half the window. Even with her mask...she was so graceful. She reminded him of a deer he once saw when he was back on Earth. He was seven years old, running from the police after stealing medicine from a store to help an old lady he met on the side of the road. He rushed by the woman, tossing her the medicine. He ran for 10, 20 minutes. He ran until he reached the woods. It was the spring, pollen was traveling all around him. Flower pedals floated through the air, a graceful doe in the distance, frolicking through the woods at the sound of branches falling from trees. They passed into the hangar, and he left his trance. The shuttle landed next to a considerably large patrol vessel. "I didn't know you could fit warships inside these, Tali." She nodded at the Commander; "You'd be surprised what Quarians can do in 300 years of floating through the Galaxy. These ships are the equivalent of a small town, in human terms." He smiled at her as she spoke in her snooty intellectual voice, he found it rather cute. The shuttle door opened with a hiss and the Quarians, and one human, proceeded towards an elevator. Shepard remained cuffed. Tali noticed and pushed the Captain in the elevator. "Hey, take these cuffs off of my friend, you bosh'tet. He's with me, just because you find a species you've never seen before doesn't mean you treat it like dirt!" The Captain shook his head; "Right away, Miss Zorah."
The elevator arrived on a small floor, the Command Deck, floor 41. The elevator door opened, a long hallway in front of them. The door at the end of hall opened, with a Quarian using her omni-tool walking out. The group walked down the hall and met the woman in the middle. She stopped, then looked up. "Ah, Captain Krelos, do you need something?" She asked in a slightly higher voice. "Admiral Zorah, this is Miss Tali'Zorah vas Normandy...she claims she is your Great Granddaughter..." The admiral closed her omni-tool and gazed into the Admirals eyes. "What?"
"She claims that her and the crew of the Normandy passed through a Mass Relay, it malfunctioned and altered the systems in the Drive Core causing some form of time travel from the warp. They say they are from the year 2185." The Admiral stood for a moment. "...They?"
"Mam, the Commander of the Normandy is of a race called the 'Humans'."; "Excuse me...?" Asked the asked the Admiral in complete disbelief. Shepard stepped forward. "Admiral Zorah, I'm Commander Shepard of the Normandy, we serve under a Human company named Cerberus. My crewmate, your great granddaughter, is the daughter of Tara'Zorah vas Neema nar Rayya, who is the daughter of Arasha'Zorah nar Romak, your daughter" Tali nodded assuring the validity of the story. The Admiral stood in complete shock, not just because an unknown species was standing in front of her, but the story had to be true. "Step into my office, please."
They walked down the hall, Shepard and Tali entered the room. "Except for you Captain." Said the Admiral. The Captain nodded; "Yes mam." They sat down in the chairs in front of the Admiral's desk. The Admiral then took a seat with her omni-tool open. "Do you mind if I take some readings?"
"Not at all" said Shepard. She passed her omni-tool over Shepard. She studied his genetic makeup, his composition. She shifted through the data, and proceeded to forward it to the labs on the ship. "What planet are you from, Commander Shepard?" Asked the Admiral, laying her elbows casually on her desk. "Earth."
"Earth? Thats an uncharted planet...in this cluster, correct?" ...Shepard nodded.... "I'll have to send a stealth shuttle to examine for signs of life. For now, what are your intentions?"
"First of all, Ara, we need to figure out how to get back to our time. EDI, the artificial intelligence on our ship is running diagnostics on our drive core right now. We suspect that a virus was sent into the Mass Relay a couple years after their activation by the humans. The humans, believing in travel amongst the Galaxy, set up an embassy on the Citadel and was able to negotiate such actions after the First Contact War, when the humans discovered the Mass Relay in this Cluster. They tried to activate it, but a Turian patrol engaged them. Cutting to the chase, the Reapers, the machines that exterminated the Protheans by altering their genetic makeup and replacing their organs with tech, are supposedly the ones that implemented the virus. We need to get the Mass Relay unfrozen in order to travel back through. We need the Fleet's help to do so." Said Tali, now taking a breath.
The Admiral stared into Tali's eyes for quite some time. She opened up her omni-tool and sent an order to the labs not to forward the information on the humans to anyone. "Miss Zorah, I am going to do everything in my power to help you, for one reason. Considering the fact that our homeworld has been lost to the Geth and that is our primary concern, I do not need anything else thrown onto my plate. I will try to get a frigate to the Mass Relay outside Pluto immediately. It will fire a shock weapon into the ice that will crack it throughout. Hopefully, the ice will break from the Relay and the team from your ship can activate it. Once you return, we will power down the Relay and refreeze it. How that will be done is not the issue at hand. Also, I refuse to interfere with the humans at this point, they will discover the rest of the Galaxy as you explained. I am no stupid woman, mind you. If these humans are as smart as this Commander, than we can all agree that your travels could alter the Galaxy when you return. Therefore, this is in the discretion of the Migrant Fleet." The Admiral stood up, and shook both of their hands. "Lets get you home."
The Malfunction – Chapter Six
Shepard gave the Admiral a strange look. "You...you aren't even moderately concerned that we just passed through time? That doesn't come as a surprise? Honestly, I have seen some pretty twisted stuff, but time travel is just...it slips the mind as far as being possible." The Admiral tapped her fingers on the desk. "Commander Shepard, I too have been around, I know that what needs to be done should be done right and done first. Like said, we have priorities. If you are from the year you say you are, and I do endorse that proposal, as your information is relevant, than you must understand that we are aware of future technology developing to process such a thing as time travel, accident or not. Come, we will get you back to your ship, a frigate will guide you to the Mass Relay."
Back on the Normandy Shepard was in the lab, studying Tali through the thick window as she tapped away on her omni-tool. His hand over his mouth, his other crossing over the opposite arm, thinking. The door behind him opened, it was Mordin, studying some datapads. "...hmm, data corrupted. Will need to ask for better datapads...no, no, no, backups in cabinet. Must study time travel theory..." Shepard didn't turn around, almost in a mumble, he asked "What do you think, Mordin?" The Salarian looked up, surprised, but smiling. "Ah, Shepard! Think of what?" Shepard stood, studying. "Should I marry her? I mean, what are the chances of survival against a Reaper fleet. I know we'll find something, but there's always a catch." Mordin paused, walked over to Shepard, and placed his hand on his shoulder, looking down at Tali himself now. "Salarians don't live long. But, our knowledge runs on a simple concept. Enjoy life while it lasts. Shepard, it is your choice."
He looked back, the Doctor was back at his table, pouring liquid from vial to vial. He tuned to look down again, Tali was staring up at him. He smiled, and casually walked to the CIC. "Commander, I have done an analysis with the help of Miss Zorah on the Drive Core. The virus targeted the systems powering the core, as you know. But it changed something very simple, something even I didn't notice. The file containing the information as to where we were going, changed to when we were going. That is why we remained in the same cluster, but in a different time." Shepard gazed out the cockpit as the Normandy followed the frigate. "Makes sense to me, I think I know why they did it too. If they were to eliminate the only threat in the Universe by sending it back in time, they wouldn't even need to hassle with a fight." Said Shepard as they neared the Relay.
"Attention Normandy, this is the Krelak, we are preparing to fire the charge. Stand by." Joker even managed to stand up to watch the blue light form in front of the ship. It was like a ball of electricity, growing larger and larger, it lit up the inside of the Normandy. "Damn Commander, it's only 2045 and the Quarians have badass weapons!" exclaimed Joker. An electrical beam of light soared towards the relay, turning the white, dusty ice blue. It acted like food coloring in water, spreading throughout the icy mass. It didn't take long for the ice to begin falling off in massive chunks. Almost two minutes passed before the last chunk fell off. To the entire crew's surprise, even the Quarian ship, the Mass Relay's rings began spinning ferociously. The legendary blue light appeared in the center. Perhaps the virus was still contained in the Mass Relay, connecting it to the one the Normandy passed through.
"Take us in, Joker. Give the Krelak our wings when we pass by." Said the Commander, squinting as small objects passed through the Relay into their side. "What the hell?" Said Joker in amazement. As they neared the Relay, the light became brighter. Suddenly, something completely unexpected. An alliance frigate, the Montana, flashed through the Relay, a burning wreck. "...Oh shi--" Before Joker could finish his 'sentence', a piece of the ship skidded across the top of the Normandy. The armor and shields protected it as they began entering the debris-filled blue light. "Max speed, fire up the main gun!" Yelled Shepard as Tali and Jacob rushed to the cockpit behind Shepard. "Copy Commander, hang on! This is gonna be a bumpy ride!". They passed through the Relay to see Reapers charging like bulls towards Alliance ships. Debris and fire was everywhere. "Fire the Thanix cannon, NOW!" Screamed Garrus as he made it to the cockpit too.
The blue beam hurtled towards a Reaper, it cut two of it's legs off of it's massive insect-like body. Hell, what use was that? The Reaper took a sharp turn and fires beams into the Normandy's hull. Transmissions were filled with screaming Alliance soldiers, begging for any assistance. "Everyone, get your helmets on!" Ordered Shepard. Beams cut through the shields of the Normandy like a hot knife slicing warm butter. A hole appeared in the side of the Normandy, right over the airlock next to the cockpit. Tali was thrown out of the ship. Shepard heard her fading scream and turned around. He bolted as fast as he could towards the hole, she was plummeting into fields of burning debris, bodies, fire, and a damn Planet below it all. "Joker! Swing us around! I'm going to get her!" Shepard yelled as he dove out the side of the Normandy, a straight body, flying like his favorite childhood hero, "Superman". He extended his arms and latched onto her. Through her mask, everything was blurry. She had been hit in the head by debris after being pulled out. She couldn't understand what he was saying.
Now that she was in his arms, should knew she would be safe, it was Shepard. She began to get her hearing back. At first it was a blur, he sounded like he had his head shoved into a pillow. ".....Tali!...." She heard just once. It faded again, she blinked. Still blurry. "...Are you alright?!..." She started to hear him again. She moved her head, she tucked it under his chin to let him know she was ok. He stretched his legs out further to gain speed. The Normandy flung around in front of them, smoke billowing from where it was hit. Shepard kicked his feet in front of him and they plunged into the smoke. *DING!* Shepard slammed into the wall through the hole he had just jumped out of. His arms were still around Tali, protecting her. He didn't want to let go. He had broken his wrist from the impact, he didn't even feel it. He placed her down onto the deck. He shook her shoulders side to side. Her eyes opened. She gasped for air. Through her mask, she could see two figures. She just knew that one was Shepard. Shepard. She thought. She coughed, fog appeared on her mask. Shepard I know it's you...you came for me...I would have married you right then and there, floating through space above Pluto...I love you Shepard. She thought.
"Tali!!!" Shepard screamed as he stood up holding his rifle. He fired it out through the hole at the Reapers. "YOU BASTARDS! Why?! Why do I always have to be the damned hero!? Why can't I just have someone I god damn care about?! AHH!!!" He continued shooting. Jacob pulled Shepard away from the hole. He pushed Jacob away, he rushed to Tali, he new she was slipping away. She saw a figure appear again. She could feel a hand on her back, one under he knees. It's as if she was floating. She knew she wasn't, she could still feel his hands. It was dancing...she felt like a flower...floating through a field. She fell into a trance, the world bloomed away around her. It was white. Shepard floated in front of her. She giggled in her thoughts. Shepard, where are we? He floated towards her. Her mask was gone, her suit was gone. She was wearing a light silky robe. Shepard began kissing her, her cheeks, her lips, her neck, the top of her hand. She giggled more as he held her in his arms. They floated. Shepard, I love you too much...I wish there were a word for it...It wen't blank, Shepard faded. She looked at her hands, her suit covered them again. She saw charred areas on her forearms.
Everything was going black again. She felt a hand squeezing her's. She looked to her right, it was Shepard. To her left was Dr. Chakwas, sticking a needle in her arm. She could barely make out what Shepard was saying. "Does she have a concussion?" he asked with obvious pain in his voice. "No, but she will be needing some serious rest. Perhaps not taking her into battle is a start." Shepard put his hand over his eyes. Tali could see just enough to notice the tear streaking down his face. She knew he was questioning himself, his own judgement. She squeezed his hand, and breathed heavily onto her mask, making fog, to let him know that she loved him, and that she was ok. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight with everyone around him, watching. They never knew he loved her, they didn't say a word. They trusted Shepard from the bottom of their hearts, they knew that his orders where orders from God himself. He held her forever, which was really until the next blast of the Thanix cannon firing. It made him jump, she held him tighter, then let go to let him get to work. She grabbed his hand one last time. She tugged on it for him to come closer. He did. "...I...love you..." She said as a tear dropped from his face. Before he left, she had one more thing to say to him. "...go kick their ass". He smiled, gripped her hand tight for a moment, then let go. He looked at the rest of his team. "Lets finish this."
The Malfunction – Chapter Seven
The team, minus the injured Quarian, were preparing for battle in the Cargo Bay. The team began to board the Kodiak, Shepard's motivation was in his heart, with Tali. He had a smirk on his face, ready to for battle, ready to avenge her suffering. He was the last to board, he didn't make it half way before stopping to the sweet voice behind him. "Shepard!" He turned to Tali, who was standing confidently in front of him, wielding her shotgun. Her arms were shaking from the weight of the weapon. "I'm ready too, Shepard!". Shepard shook his head, he walked over to her, grabbed her shotgun to ease the weight, and lead her behind a crate, out of the sight of the team. "Tali, you're injured, you can't. I wont let you." He saw the patches over the tears in her suit. She was trembling with pain. He couldn't bear it if she took a beating out there. He put his hand on the side of her head, it was trembling too, it must have felt so heavy on her shoulders after nearly getting a concussion. He played with her hands. He had never done that before, she noticed that, she knew he loved her, but he was breaking a promise.
She threw his hands back, and backed up. "Shepard, you said if there was a chance one of us could die, we'd die together. You made a promise!" He tried to grab her hand, she eased away from his reach. "Tali, I'm not going to die, you are what is powering my ability to fight. I'm fighting for you. Please don't do this, I have the best team in the Galaxy by my side, we'll make it." She shook her head nervously. "Shepard, it's the Reapers! Even with the Alliance out there you'll get cut to pieces! You can't do this to me Shepard! I don't know what I'd do if you didn't come back!" He inched his way forward as he spoke. "Tali, please, I'll be fine. I'll come back for you! Please don't do this to me, don't send me out there with a broken heart!" She stepped forward, mere inches from his face. "Than let me come with you!...I..I can shoot, I can hack for you, for the team...I--" He stopped her, handing her the shotgun. She thought he was going to let her. "Tali, you need to rest....I just can't risk you getting injured more than you already are..." Her hopes sunk, she ripped out of his arms and limped back towards the door. "Tali!" he shouted. She continued walking. His heart dropped, his stomach curled, his face became tense and a lump was in his throat as he tried to hold back tears. He couldn't, he put his visor down and stepped onto the shuttle.
The team knew what has just happened, even Zaeed and Jack looked at him in grief. They made no emotions, everyone forced themselves not to stare at Shepard as he sat down next to the window. He gazed into the infinite mass of debris and flames. Slowly, white words floated by the shuttle in pieces. The Rushmore, the Louisiana, the Montreal, the Montpellier, the Roma. 7 reaper vessels floated in the distance, one of which was a command vessel. Shepard just wanted them gone, he wanted to prove to Tali that he would survive. But he knew that he had betrayed her, no matter how high the risk of her death was if he had taken her. "it'll be alright, Commander." Assured Miranda as she sat down in front of him. He didn't make a single move, he didn't even flinch. All he heard was sounds from underwater. The only thing clear that was running through his mind was Tali's words. You made a promise! It repeated through his mind, taunting him. He had no choice, let her be killed for her happiness, or let her live for her safety.
It went dark, as if they were back at the Migrant Fleet as the Alarei passed beside them, casting a shadow. The thoughts in his mind vanished as he looked out the window at the passing ship. It was a Turian vessel, followed by eight, nine more. Hell, there were even more off to the flanks. It hurtled over the Kodiak like it was another piece of debris. They fired their weapons into the Reapers, even Reaper shields were no match for the Turians and their desire to bomb and blow things up. Without any challenge one of the Reapers was already separated into fragments of hot metal. This clearly wasn't the bulk of the Reaper Fleet. They had to be attacking other places. This is the Local Cluster, how the hell did the Reaper ships make it this far without being detected by us before we entered the Relay? He thought. He radioed the pilot and told him to land in the hangar of the lead Turian ship. They approached the hangar, yellow lights were flashing to signal the crew on the Turian Cruiser that an unknown vessel was landing.
They landed inside, next to some Turian shuttles that were taking off, probably full of assault teams. The team disembarked, and were greeted by guns, of course. "Where is your commanding officer?" Asked Shepard, politely. "Shut up and get on the ground, hands on your head!" Barked a Sergeant. "Easy there Sergeant, put your weapons down, all of you." Said a mysterious Turian, moving the soldiers out of the way. He had a helmet on. "Ah, Shepard! My friend, you saved my life! And Garrus!" Said the Turian in a joyous manner. "Who the hell are you?" asked Garrus, stepping forward beside Shepard. The Turian removed his helmet. It was Sidonis. "Sidonis?! What the hell are you doing on a Turian ship, let alone commanding these men?" Yelled Garrus, now furious of his presence. "Easy Garrus. I know you'll never forgive me but I'm slowly redeeming myself. Lieutenant Commander Sidonis, Commander of the Eighth Turian Strike Batallion."
"Wait a minute Sidonis! You killed ten men! How did you make it into the Turian military?" Asked Shepard. "Hey hey, keep it down alright? That wasn't in Alliance Space, even if my crew knew it wouldn't matter, but I don't need them looking down on me for my horrible past. I managed to work my way up to the high ranks, I'm doing good Garrus." Said Sidonis, now extending his hand to formally greet Garrus. He had turned away with a snicker and proceeded to lean up against the shuttle. Sidonis understood and went back to talking with Shepard. "So, what the hell have you been doing Shepard, I mean for a year you weren't here to stop these damn things. I've heard a lot about you but you never showed up to rally the crowd!" Shepard gave him a funny look. "A year? What are you talking about?" Shepard then thought to himself. That explains how these damn Reapers got so far, the Mass Relay skipped us ahead a year. "Uh, nevermind Sidonis. But, do you mind if we piggybacked onto your teams, we need to get these damn Reapers out of the Local Cluster, and away from Earth." Sidonis laughed. "Hell Shepard thats what I like to hear, spoken like a true soldier. Lets get you some ammo and a few men to go with you."
3 hours laterTali was back at her station in Engineering, she felt she had the energy to keep working. Shepard walked up behind her, and confidently asked; "Tali, can we talk about earlier?" She stopped using her omni-tool, she glanced over her shoulder. She was glad that he was alive, and now shaking to hug him. She restrained herself and continued working. "Please Tali...I just want to make things right...Can we please talk about this?" She slammed her fist into the station, shutting down the hologram. "Dammit Shepard! Theres nothing to talk about. You promised!" Shepard signaled for Ken and Gabby to leave the room. "Stay! You deserve to hear that your adored Commander is a liar!" She screamed. Shepard's eyes immediately began to glisten in the light, tears ready to form at her harsh words. "Tali...I told you, I was going to survive, I did survive. You kept me going!" She shook her head. "Thats not the point! I already explained this to you!" A tear slid down his cheek, dropping onto his shoe. "Tali, I know what I did was wrong...But I just knew...I can't explain it, I know I can't convince you...not now...I'm so sorry..."
He began to walk out, he stopped in the doorway to finish what was on his mind. She was already back at work. "Tali...There is a reason I survived besides my will to fight for you...Fate...I know it sounds completely stupid, but if we weren't meant to be together, those Reapers would have crushed me and the rest of the team. I was supposed to return to hold you in my arms, to marry you, to make you happy, to end the suffering. At least all I can say is that I returned, and that all I care about is your safety, I don't care if I spend the rest of my life alone, knowing I was a hero but a failure as a man. I care that you were always there, and you were always safe...I love you Tali...and I'm sorry..." He walked out...She stopped her work...a tear fell from her eye. It was warm, it slowly traveled down her cheek until it ended at her chin, spreading out, and tingling her masked skin. She stood for the longest time. She didn't know what to do, but she just wanted things to be right, and things were definitely not all right. The fog cleared on her mask and she began working again.
The Malfunction – Chapter Eight
Shepard was sleeping in his Cabin. The only light was that of Saturn as it shined through the skylight. The room had an underwater glow, the shield that Tali had provided created soft ripples on the floor and walls. The door opened. A silhouetted figure walked slowly towards his bed, they were shuffling their hands together at their waist, nervous. They gently shook Shepard's shoulder. He mumbled something about Geth, probably the ones on the Reaper they had landed on, and turned the other way, still asleep. They shook harder. He gasped, and snapped over to look at the figure. Everything was blurry, he blinked, rubbed his eyes. Still blurry, he was almost disoriented from dreaming of battle and conversation he had with Tali earlier.
His eyes were bloodshot, probably from sobbing. He was able to make out the figure, the beautiful shape of the body of the person he fell in love with, Tali. "...Shepard..." Said the soothing voice, he thought it was a dream until he felt her playing with his hands again. He sat up, his vision was clearer. "Tali! I...um...do you need something?" She sat down next to him, still holding his hands. She stared into his eyes for almost 10 minutes. He knew she was contemplating what had happened. He felt her hands begin to shake, her breathing got louder and he could hear the choppiness in it as if she was about to break down crying.
She hugged him as tight as she could. "Shepard! I am so sorry I said all of those harsh things to you! I...I wasn't thinking straight, and I overreacted--" He released himself from her arms, he placed his hands on the side of her head. Their heads touched, and a tear came down his face. "Tali. You don't need to apologize for anything. I shouldn't have made a promise I couldn't have possibly kept." She pouted under her breath. "But I thought about it, and I guess we were both wrong. I thought about what you said before the suicide mission, about how I spent too much time thinking of the fleet, and not enough about myself. I took that too seriously and I was only going to get personal gain out of risking my life...I would have died for myself, because I knew I was still strong, I thought I could have fought...I wasn't thinking of what it would do to you or anyone else...and I feel awful..."
He kissed her mask, he felt strange doing it...but he just wanted to kiss her somehow...Her mood brightened, she giggled. "Shepard, I think I'm adjusted enough for you to kiss me, not my suit." He laughed slightly, his eyes still watery. He pulled her mask off, he felt her skin against his, his lips on hers. "Shepard, we both screwed up. I can't let you take all the blame, it's not right, I--" He stopped her again, this time by kissing her. "Tali, if I'm ever going to feel good about my mistakes I need to take full responsibility for them. If I had told you that stuff the right way this entire thing never would have happened. But I'm torn between that and wondering if this was meant to happen. But I don't care, as long as I have you."
She laughed, tears going down her face in joy of his kind words. "Oh...Shepard...*further laughing* I don't care either..." Smiling, wiping her tears, she jumped on him, kissing him. His life felt complete. They held eachother close in the soft ripples of the shields, enhanced by the light from Saturn. "So...Shepard...We haven't talked about this marriage yet, have we?" She said, full of lust, giggling. "Do you have anything to officially propose to me with, aside from a romantic moment in an elevator after my near death?" She asked, her eyes wet, a sweet smile on her face.
"Actually...I heard from an...unexpected...Turian contact that Rannoch is being negotiated...peacefully, that is...with the Quarians and Geth." Tali's smile crew to a massive grin, she buried her head into his arms, creating an ocean of joyous tears. "Shepard...I know what you are thinking...Thank you...thank you..." She said, kissing him all over his face. She rested next to him, happy as ever. She very slowly drifted off into a deep sleep. Shepard remained still, thinking about his potential future with Tali. He wrapped his arms around her and fell asleep.
Several hours laterThe Normandy was speeding towards Rannoch after Shepard radioed the order to Joker. Perhaps sleeping while approaching a planet where anything could happen was not the best idea. Something was terribly wrong. As they gazed down onto the planet, fire was visible, spreading through miles of land. Massive explosions visible from space were shooting from the ground like lava. In the distance was the modern Migrant Fleet. Several of it's cargo ships were burning in places. The fleet was clearly fleeing the area, while some of the Quarian Frigates remained, unleashing waves of Quarian Marines by shuttles. "Joker, get the Normandy to that frigate, we need to find out whats happening." Ordered Shepard, standing in the cockpit with Tali.
They had both just left his room after a rather pleasant night together. "Roger that Commander. Theres some Geth ships on the other side of the planet...Just letting you know in case you get the urge to incinerate some synthetics..." Joker said...he then paused. "Uhh, Commander, it looks like they aren't just bringing Geth into the battle. The Reapers are here too. Maybe the Turians will show up again." Shepard looked at Joker, he wasn't happy with his remarks. He gazed out the window. "Shepard...how are you going to...you know..." Tali said, looking around, not wanting to mention the home Shepard was going to build if there we people around to hear it. "We'll find a way Tali...Don't worry." Assured Shepard, still focusing on the Quarian Frigates in front of the Normandy.
The Normandy approached the ship, luckily, they were registered as allies this time. "Normandy, you are clear to dock at starboard docking cradle 13. Approach with caution, shuttles are leaving the Tylos at all times." They docked and proceeded to board the Quarian ship. Alarms were going off, signaling Quarian Marines to board their shuttles. Shepard, Garrus, and Tali walked fast amongst the halls of the ship, trying not to block the traffic of heavily armed personnel. The Captain of the ship was almost fast-walking down the hallway next to one of his advisors. Shepard's squad caught up to them.
"Captain!...Captain!" No answer as Shepard tried to get the man's attention. "Captain!" Screamed Tali. "What?! I am very busy, can you not see tha...Oh! Tali'Zorah! My apologies! I uh, I heard about your father. I am very sorry...um...Do you need anything...er...well, hell, why are you here?" Stuttered the Captain. "We came to see Rannoch, in one piece, not falling apart from war! What happened?!" Yelled Tali.
"Tali'Zorah, we were engaging in agreements with the Geth, however, more Geth began landing on the planet. These were definitely not friendly. In fact, the Geth we were trying to negotiate with were heretics, we hadn't known, they began shooting at our diplomats. We had no idea what was happening, we tried not to shoot the good Geth that were amongst us, who might I add...previously advised us of hostile presence, we...ignored it...Things got out of hand so quickly. It's all falling apart Tali'Zorah, my job is to keep the fire going, essentially, at least until the Fleet makes it out safely."
Tali shook her head. "Shepard...I knew we should have blown those Geth to hell!" She yelled as she turned her back to the Captain. "It wouldn't have made a difference Tali, those Geth were with the Reapers, out of the blast zone." Said Shepard. She shook her head. "I suppose you are right...We need to get down there though, find some kind of central network..." She said as she turned back to the Captain. "How did you not detect the Reapers?!"
"They were never there to begin with, I assume they just showed up minutes before you did. They must have launched the Geth ships while out of our scanners. We did approach with caution, the Geth on Rannoch must have knew of our presence, but didn't know we landed. At first sight of us, they started shooting, waves of them hit our lines. We were informed of your active Geth,Legion, was it? We studied some of the Geth on the Migrant Fleet, when activated, they performed the same, they didn't wish to harm us. They had joined us on Rannoch, but like I said, things got out of hand...I'm no diplomat, but I'm afraid our chances of negotiation are scarce." The Captain looked back at his advisor, who was waving for the Captain to join him at the hangar. "I must go, I'm sorry I can't provide any more information Tali'Zorah. Keelah Se'lai!" The Captain stormed off.
"Shepard, we need to get down and stop the attacks, then we need to hit the Reapers and get rid of all the remaining heretic Geth that were out of the Galaxy when we rewrote the remainder that were in the Galaxy." Said Tali in her commanding voice. Shepard got lost in her words. He knew he had to get rid of the Reapers soon, otherwise Tali would hypnotize him into never paying attention. "Alright, we land on Rannoch first. I'm sure EDI must have picked up some readings for some kind of Geth command center on the planet." Shepard said as the airlock opened and they boarded the Normandy. "We're going to need everyone for this, even you Tali."
The Malfunction – Conclusion
"Joker, shields up, we're going in. EDI, have you found a target?" Asked Shepard, now walking straight towards the cockpit after emerging from the airlock. "I have Commander, I have located the largest of the Geth communications hubs. I must warn you that it is also the location of a major Quarian offensive against the heretic Geth." Said EDI as the hissing noise of the Normandy leaving the Quarian Frigate was heard. The Normandy roared towards the planet, Shepard and his team were loading their guns near the Kodiak.
"Geth Hub in sight Commander...damn theres a lot of shooting going on down there. We're going in hot, no time for stopping!" Yelled Joker over the intercom. "Stand by....stand by..." Joker said slowly as the team boarded the Kodiak and it's thrusters came to life. "Go go go!" Joker's voice faded as they screamed away from the cargo bay of the Normandy, now overlooking the battleground. The shuttle rocked back and forth as it was pelted by gunfire, it hurtled towards the back of the Quarian lines, most likely where the Field Commander was located.
The shuttle touched down near some barricades, where a Quarian in a red suit was barking orders to the men through a radio. "Push up 3, hit those Geth from the side and 7 will knock them with the heavy firepower!" Yelled the Quarian as Garrus and Thane set up sniping positions on the barricades. The man turned around, it was Kal'Reegar! "Lieutenant General Kal'Reegar, Quarian Marines, how can I hel...Tali! And Shepard too! Hell I don't even want to know what you're doing here but things are getting real hot. It's good to see you though, and it looks like you brought some heavy firepower too, I like it!" Kal said, his voice brightened in relief. He noticed Legion leaving the shuttle. "Hey is that thing going to be a problem?" Now grim. "Don't worry Kal, you have my word that he is here to help. But why didn't you listen to the Geth the first time, they warned you." Assured Tali, now hugging Kal.
"Hell I wanted to, but the Admirals looked at me like another Marine. They didn't want to trust those things. Anyway, let me give you a rundown. I have 70,000 Marines kicking some serious ass down there but I'm pretty sure those Geth are going to be getting some reinforcements real soon. Their numbers are somewhere around 40,000 but my guess is that theres another 60 on the way, thats why I need that damn tower knocked out, it runs the Geth on this planet, without it, they're blind!" Screamed Kal, bullets hissing by everyone's head. "I'll see what we can do, Kal, don't worry, that tower is going down!" Yelled Shepard, now pulling out his M-15 Vindicator Battle Rifle.
"Everyone get to the shuttle, double time!" Said Shepard. "Shepard! One more thing, the Geth have some AAA down there, we can't get our gunships in without it taken out!" Kal shouted as Shepard boarded and nodded at Kal. "Thane, Garrus, you two stay here and keep the fire on those Geth! when we reach the hub and hit the AAA, I'll send the Normandy to come and get you!" Ordered Shepard, the door on the shuttle now closing.
"Shepard-Commander, there are three Anti-Aircraft Artillery batteries, each connected to one generator. The generator has little protection and smaller amounts of hostiles guarding it. Recommend landing at the generator." Advised Legion as the shuttle flew around the surrounding buildings to avoid anti-air attention. "Shepard...These Geth, heretics or not...they preserved our cities..." Said Tali in amazement. "...Well, thats what they were built for, right? They did their job, but that doesn't mean they don't want to eliminate the Quarians while working for the Reapers." Assured Shepard, gazing out the window at the battle. The shuttle zoomed around a building, landing about 100 feet from the generator at a square in the city.
The door opened, and the team was greeted by bullets. They immediately began opening fire, biotic powers flew in every direction, Chikktika was busy at the generator, zapping it into a melted piece of scrap metal. Hundreds of Geth poured into the team's position, they were holding them off due to their special abilities. "Shepard! Chikktika has cut into the generator but I'm at the extent of my range! I need to move up!" Yelled Tali as she hopped over the wall. Shepard thought to himself. She is going to get shot again I just know it, do something you idiot! "Tali! Wait until we can suppress the Geth! Tali!" She disappeared into the smoke.
A large blue explosion erupted from the smoke, the generator was destroyed. But where was Tali? Shepard waited for the sight of her. He jumped over the barricade he was hiding behind and signaled the others to follow. He ran towards the Geth, through the smoke, his rifle at his hip, shooting ferociously while he yelled in a fearsome raspy tone. His weapon clicked, out of ammo. He ran up to the Geth in the smoke, beating them senselessly with his biotic fist and smashing them with his weapon. There were too many, the team tried to keep up, and he still couldn't find Tali.
Suddenly, he was shot in the leg. He fell to the ground, his shields were disabled. He could see Geth eyes staring through the smoke, they took aim. He yelled as loud as he could. Three Quarian gunships flew by in a flash, the ground in front of him lit up as if napalm was dropped on the Geth. Tali did it, she shut down the AAA, but where was she? "Tali! Taaaali!" He screamed as Samara helped him up. "What? I'm right here." He turned around, Tali was standing there, shrugging at him. He ran over to hug her. "Tali...when I call your name it would help to answer before I do something stupid like that..." He whispered to her. She laughed and pushed him away. "Come on Shepard, we need to get to that hub." Said Tali as Quarian Marines stormed by them, gunships landing all around them, letting off reinforcements. "All my time in the Flotilla and we never had this much firepower...as far as I knew, that is." She laughed as the team ran to the Kodiak. "Better to have it now than then, I suppose, I always liked a good ground war." Said Zaeed with a smirk.
The Kodiak hurtled towards the hub, hundreds of muzzle flashes could be seen from the base of the huge tower. They flew alongside a Quarian dropship. It was incinerated by a Geth gunship, which proceeded to be incinerated itself by another Geth gunship. "Looks like the good Geth made it." Said Shepard, watching as Quarian and Geth ships landed side by side onto the battlefield, hundreds of feet in front of the hub. For a third time, a familiar shadow appeared in the Kodiak, it was dark, even on the ground. The entire team looked out the window. Not only were the Geth here, the Alliance was too, in one hell of a cruiser.
"I'll be damned, looks like the Alliance cares more about the Quarians than their own damn colonists." Said Jacob, laughing to himself. "Commander, looks like my joking wasn't actually a joke at all. Your friend Sidonis wanted me to give you this message. Tell Garrus that this is for him." Remarked Joker over the radio. Garrus shook his head as explosions fluttered throughout the Reapers, miles into the sky. From behind the clouds the Turian ships fired their cannons into the floating beasts, eliminating those 60,000 reinforcements the Geth had in mind.
Kal also came over the radio. "Shepard, looks like the 40,000 Geth that were laying down some firepower have turned into 5,000 Geth with peashooters! Nice work out there, give my regards to the lovely lady in the shuttle, oh and the Alliance too!" Laughed Kal as the transmission cut out and the Kodiak landed at the hub. "Lets take us back a planet. And before we do, I want you all to realize that we're doing this for the Quarians." Shepard said confidently, yet lying through his teeth. Tali shook her head with a smile growing behind her mask. They hopped out of the shuttle, the Normandy appeared behind them, letting out Thane and Garrus from the airlock. The best damn team in the Galaxy once again stood their ground to face death.
On Omega
"So Thane, how many headshots?" Laughed Garrus, downing a drink. "163, and you?" Asked Thane with a smirk. Garrus stopped drinking halfway, and put the glass down. "Doesn't matter, I killed the bigger Geth." Laughed Garrus, with Thane following. The two snipers sat at the bar, enjoying their victory. Jacob and Miranda sat at their own booth, with Miranda completely unaware that Jacob was constantly complimenting her. Jack sat with Zaeed and Grunt, the three biggest badasses of the team, all arguing about who could shoot a skull in better.
Samara and Mordin were enjoying some insightful religious discussion, one being a Justicar, the other enjoying his short life in the best ways possible. Everyone was having a good time. Of course, Tali and Shepard were at a booth, across the room, out of sight. It was certainly the darkest corner with the best view. Tali rested her cold mask on Shepard's warm shoulder, his arm around her, a drink in one hand. "Shepard...how many good things have you ever done for me?" She asked, looking up at him. "I don't know, how many times have you saved my ass in battle?" They both laughed.
"I can tell you one thing though, I can tell you where I fell in love with you." He said charmingly, with a smile on his face. "Oh yeah? Where was that?" She asked in lust. "Well, I mean I liked you a lot before that time, but...when we were on Haestrom, you said in one of your logs that you wished I was there." Shepard said in an accusive tone. "...I didn't mean it like that, I meant it as a friend...I mean, you know, I did mention my friends in that log..." She said, nearly stuttering again. "Oh, sure, right." Said Shepard, taking a drink again. "I mean it!" She raised her voice, laughing and hitting his chest while he drank. It made him spit his drink onto the table. "Oh thanks Tali!" He yelled, laughing with her. "Well, I can tell you where I fell in love with you too." She said, now helping him clean up the mess.
"When you were crazy enough to take a girl on her pilgrimage on a mission of dire importance. I thought to myself, either he's desperate, or he really likes me. To this day I don't know which it was." She rested her head against his shoulder again. "It was probably both. I don't remember specifically, but I needed all the help I could get. Then again I thought I was a weirdo for not being attracted to a human at the time. Now I'd rather be attracted to the love of my life than anything...so it's debatable." He said as she laughed some more.
"...Hey...you said you'd build me a damn house!" She said, holding back the desire to giggle at the good time they were having. "Well do you expect me to build it out of smashed Geth bodies? We need a location, we'll have to find time to find the perfect spot too." Shepard said as she sighed. "...well, how about now?" She asked. "Now?" He said, giving her a strange look, then back at the team. "What about them?" He asked as she gazed over at the rest of them, they were laughing and having drinks. "How fast can Joker get us there?" She said, looking back at Shepard, and running her hand through his hair. "I don't know, 3 hours round trip, maybe." He said as he raised an eyebrow at her. "So lets go dammit! They can sit here and enjoy themselves for 3 hours!" She asserted, jumping up and pulling him along with a glass in his hand.
They boarded the Normandy, Shepard was wobbling around the cockpit. "Joker, get us to Rannoch, ASAP *hic*" Ordered Shepard, holding on to Tali, who was struggling to support his weight. "Roger that Commander, what about the team?" Asked the tired pilot. "They're fine on Omega!" Yelled Shepard, now boarding the elevator with Tali, who was laughing at his drunkenness.
About an hour later
On the darkest side of Rannoch, where the battles hadn't taken place, Tali was on Shepard's lap as they examined areas for a house while in the Kodiak. They searched the woodlands, the beaches, they were all so beautiful, but not beautiful enough, he thought. He looked and looked while she drifted off into a deep sleep, resting her head on his chest. At last he found a worthy spot. A small canyon, with a river at the bottom, not 50 feet below a lush green cliff that overlooked a beautiful waterfall. In the nighttime light, the water glistened and danced like angels floating to the ground. Beyond the waterfall opposite this cliff were snow-covered mountains, beyond which sat a moon. "...There" he whispered next to her head. She gently rose from her slumped sleeping position on his lap. She blinked, fluttered her glowing eyes. Even that beautiful location was not as beautiful as she was waking up, but it was as close as he could get. She paused in total awe.
"Shepard...it's beautiful..." She said under her breath as the Kodiak landed on the cliff. There was a cool nighttime breeze that tingled the skin...at least for Shepard. She embraced the landscape, she let go of his hand and walked a bit further towards the cliff. She stopped, and began twirling like an angel dancing on a cloud. So majestic. He loved her so much. He approached behind her, grabbing her with both hands by the stomach. He kissed her shoulder and her neck, and they danced in place, overlooking the waterfall. They sat down on the ground at the edge of the cliff, he held her close in his arms. She felt safe, finally, for once in her life she didn't have a single care in the world, nor did he. She whispered into his ear, "You are the best..."
Back on Omega
The team walked out of Afterlife and towards the airlock, most of them wobbling and laughing, even Zaeed and Jack. Garrus stopped at the door and looked out the window. The Normandy wasn't there. "...What the bloody hell is *hic*...is going on?" mumbled Zaeed. "Do you think they're coming back?" asked Thane.