Rannoch
She moved to grab an old rag, something to wipe away the oil and dust from the piece of machinery before her. The metal tubes were covered in the substance, after she had forgotten to check the insides before flushing it out with cleaning fluid. She sighed and wiped at her arms, the oil staining the coveralls she wore. Her hair fell out of the tight bun she wore when working with machinery, and she blew at the loose strand. It simply fell back down and she smiled, laughing at herself.
Sighing again she put down her tools and looked at the engine. Behind her she saw her boss and teacher sitting on a stool playing with his omnitool, flicking at the orange hologram on his arm.
"Zael? Zael, you listening?" she spoke up to get the older man's attention. He turned around and gave a small smile, then chucked.
"Still here? I thought you would have left by now, kid. Huh. Just like your mother always tinkering with something. "
She smiled and turned her head down again, turning the engine's valve again with a pair of pliers. The valve proved reluctant and stuck, turning again but slowly, oil and grease keeping it from moving. She sighed and placed the tool down,before running an x-ray scan with her omnitool. The inside of the engine was clear at least and she could work on the rest tomorrow.
"Well I guess it's about time to give it up" with an air of finality.
Zael perked up and looked at her in amazement at this. Could she really give up like that? Maybe it didn't rub off on her as much as most thought.
"Until tomorrow at least." Zael smiled at that. Always her mother's daughter. Not that there wasn't enough of the father there.
She made to leave heading towards a locker and grabbing a satchel out of it. As she made for the door, Zael stopped her.
"Wait. You forgot this." She walked over and he rolled up the sleeve on her right arm. He placed his own arm next to hers and up popped two holographic displays. He swiped along the surface and after some typing, touched one more button and turned his off.
She looked at her display and faintly smiled but then turned it off and began to turn away.
Before she did however she threw her arms around Zael and said "Thank you."
Zael just chuckled. "Well you do "work" for me. That means you have to get paid. Beside's labor laws and unions and whatnot."
She just smiled and turned to finally leave. She walked out and he could see her throw a hood over her head covering her short brown hair.
The door closed behind her and Zael turned again to his omnitool and put his feet on the table.
Leaning back he closed his eyes,before sitting back up when he heard a message ping.
Must be the wife he thought to himself and debated ignoring it. She could wait a while. After all he was the one who had the job, and he was tired. Several more pings in rapid succession made him rethink that and he scrambled to respond to her. After all he wasn't that busy.
/
She made her way past the outskirts of the small town, walking past several houses. As one got farther from the center of the city, the buildings became less impressive, yet more homely. The center of Rayya was built out of the old flotilla, after the war, the Reaper War, the Quarians fleet once the largest in the galaxy was stripped to build cities most named after the ships they had been built from.
Out here one could see across the large plateau that these cities, the new center of Rannoch was now built on. In the distance other settlements could be seen, glass skyscrapers, taking advantage of years of untapped resources, sleekness and smooth surfaces dominating the sky's and built along many of the windows, metal casts of old Quarian cloth designs. Idenna, Tonbay, Moreh, even farther off one could see the rising skyline of the city of Qwib-Qwib ,something that she chuckled at. A Quarian name still, but an odd one.
Farther back she could even see...Alarei. She dropped her head when gazing at the city. "Rest in peace grandfather, may the ancestors of Zorah guide you among the stars as they guide us now" she muttered the old saying, passed down from generation unto generation. From a past that was almost a legend, older than even the Morning War.
She turned and started her way home again. She started passing by less and less prefab buildings and more stone crafted ones. These were newer homes, built in an ancient Quarian style, stone arches and swirling patterns criss-crossing there facades. She smiled at the fact that some of them reminded her of the patterns on mother's old hood, the one she had been given after her pilgrimage and passed down to her.
She tightened said hood, around her head and pushed her bangs back and tucked them in. The air was starting to pick up and she could smell the rain, not see it yet, but above the gray clouds that had been there all morning now turned black and dark.
She picked up her pace, as she made her way over the dirt road that winded it's way through the rustling grain on all sides. This was farmland that had spread out across the countryside taking advantage of the level plateau that Rayya was built on to grow crops.
They were something like the Earth grain wheat, but there "heads" splayed out into several smaller ones that looked like a flower's petals almost, but sharp and long.
She followed the road as it winded through several smaller hills that were at the far end of the field and were some had been made into terraces for growing as well.
She didn't notice the bright red form that was splayed on the side of the road, as if soaking in the sun. She also didn't notice the large ditch along the side of the dirt road. She fell in it and scrambled to grab the side. She grabbed at the exposed roots of a roadside tree, but they broke and she sunk back to the ground. She sighed and began to reach again for the top of the slope.
This time she found purchase against some rock but before she pulled up it fell out off the dirt side and she was trapped again.
She sat down and rubbed her head thinking how she could get back up. Why had she not been paying attention? Falling into a ditch because you were looking forward.
"I can be such a bosh'tet some times. It's important to be aware of your surroundings, Dad says. Be aware of the people around you, what's happening around you, he says."
She was however aware of the white arms that reached down around her and gently grabbed her under her armpits, lifting her by her arms.
She stared up at a Geth, the red rocket model that had once been the shock troops of the Geth Collective, death bringer of Quarian marines and pilgrims.
She smiled at this one, as she wrapped her arms around it.
"Ha, how'd you find me Moon? Were you waiting for me to go home."
This Geth was one of there well, neighbors. In the years after the Geth's gaining of consciousness and individuality, thanks to Legion, the Geth had joined together with the Quarians in an attempt to rebuild Rannoch. All Geth programs were now individuals, and since they all used Legion's underlying code that had been fused with the Reaper software, they were all alive in the way Legion had been.
In a good will gesture pushed forward by Admiral Zorah, the Geth were recognized as citizens of Rannoch and allowed to integrate with Quarian government.
The Admiralty Board, remained, but were now mostly figureheads and a new Rannochian Senate had become the Quarian's and Geth's dual government.
True, Geth concerns were far different. There was no need for food, for medicine, for housing or any sort of space really. The Geth declared however that they wished to be a part of Quarian society, not as servants not as enemies, but fellow beings.
Shortly after the war the Quarians were invited back to the Citadel by the Systems Alliance and there new Councillor, Anderson's replacement. When they arrived, they brought a Geth "diplomat" who was to be the second Rannochian representative.
This had caused a scene of sorts back on the Citadel but when the Systems Alliance and Humanity's greatest hero had spoken up for the Geth, things had gone smoothly. The Quarians had after 300 years regained there Citadel membership, with the Geth alongside them.
This Geth raised "his" eye flaps, the synthetic race's way of showing surprise or happiness. Or in this case mirth.
"Creator's child Sila'Zorah was in distress. I came to aid her. After, recognizing the humor of the situation of course."
The Geth named Moon, raised it's eye-flaps again and she could swear it was laughing.
Moon put her down and straightened out the blouse and jacket she had been wearing.
She looked down and rearranged her satchel,brushing the dust off.
Finally she turned towards Moon and extended her hand.
"Thank you, Moon."
The Geth, gently grabbed her much smaller hand in "his" and shook it carefully.
"With pleasure Creator's child Zorah. We request and advise that you be more careful in the future."
Sili nodded and began to leave, inwardly laughing at the Geth's almost parent-like concern.
"Moon" watched her leave and returned to it's previous activity. It lay back among the rustling grain stalks and twirled the wildflower it had put down, it's hand again.
Beautiful, "Moon" thought to itself and continued to marvel at the way the bright yellow and orange light of Rannoch's sun danced on the yellowish bracken of the grain stalks, all the while pondering whether it could possibly be the universe's first Synthetic artist.
/
Farther off past this road, was a cliff's overhang, covered in a rather spacious house and several smaller structures. The house was an sandstone color, all curving arches and paneled glass that gave it a smooth feel compared to the rocky landscape.
The house was quiet inside yet very bright, the drapes thrown open in every room to let the sunlight soak in. Except for the upstairs bedroom that is, which had it's curtains drawn and shut tight, a lone figure sleeping on the large bed, another watching over it.
The standing figure, was Humanity's hope and pride, it's savior and once it's most shameful secret. He had once been captain, spectre, soldier, commander, an a thousand other titles. Now he could settle for three. Citizen of Rannoch, the father of his adopted daughter Sila'Zorah Shepard vas Rayya, and husband of the sleeping figure he doted on, Tali'Zorah.
John sat down carefully on the bed and stared quietly at the Quarian woman beside's him, his wife, his Tali, his. She had gotten home late last night, being called by the Admiralty for a last minute diplomatic deal that was supposed to be dealt with the previous morning, not 10:30 last night and she had only got home at around 2:00 earlier that morning and had slept since then.
It was now going on midday and she had slept for hours, leaving John alone with the house while Sili had gone to work. She was a hard worker and determined, he thought to himself with a smile. I guess she get's it from us. Or maybe more from her mom.
Tali shifted in her sleep and began to lean off to the side of the bed,her arm almost brushing the floor. He smiled gently and laying down next to her, grabbed her by the waist and brought her closer. She stirred against him, and he grabbed her arms by the wrists. Bringing her hands to his face he gently kissed the back of them and then hugged her tightly.
She moved again and he felt her pull her hands away. He stifled a laugh when her heard her yawn, a small almost breathy sound, but smiled when she turned around her eyes blinking and looking around the room in confusion at who moved her.
She looked up to see John smiling down at her and she returned the grin.
"Good afternoon, angel" he said quietly and kissed her , first on the lips, then progressively down to her chin along her jawline and on to her neck.
"John! John, stop that tickles" she laughed and squirmed under him, but he continued, starting to gently bite her skin. She finally pushed him away and mockingly glared at him, folding her arms and puffing her chest in mock command. John decided to play along.
"If you insist Admiral 'Zorah. After all I wouldn't wan't to disrespect such an esteemed leader of the Quarians, now would I? After all they might kick me off Rannoch and then, where would I be?" he responded back.
Tali grinned and brushing her black hair out of her eyes,shot back "Spaced." However as she said it her expression instantly darkened and she threw her eyes down and started to mutter "Sorry, I shoul-" before she could finish though John grabbed her hands and lifted her chin up looking her dead in the eyes.
"Don't. We don't need to reminisce about past things. You don't and I don't. Promise me you won't, Tali. Promise. Please. For me."
Tali looked down and hugging John pulled him in tighter, before nuzzling her head under his sighed and started rubbing his neck and back with her hands under his shirt, just wanting to touch him,to feel these small things ,like his shirt and skin and most importantly heartbeats. Because that means he was there.
"I have nightmares sometimes you know" she started saying "Dreams that remind me of things that I've tried to forget so hard,for so long ,but come back when I dream or when I have "moments" that come around when I'm reminded of certain things. Even now sometimes I look at a Geth and I remember,Haestrom. Haestrom and Feros and a thousand other times from...from what I guess are the old days now. The SR-1. I know it's silly and trust me, there's no more hate for the Geth. Legion and you helped me change so much. I see Geth everyday and some I could say that, maybe they are friends and that makes me happy that I could let that go and I couldn't imagine any better way of it turning out."
"But 20 years of your life doesn't just go away. There are moments that just don't leave. I'm sorry."
John looked down at her confused. "For what?"
"For not being there for you as much as I should have. Back on the first Normandy. When the Council locked us down on the Citadel. Whenever you talked about Mindoir. When Ashley died."
John frowned and pulled Tali up to his face and looked her dead in the eyes.
"Tali don't ever blame yourself for that. For things beyond your control. For when you weren't there. Your here now. Sila's here with us now. Our daughter. And that's all I ever wanted."
He hugged her tight, and she buried her head in his shoulder, his fingers running through her black hair, holding her head gently to his chest.
For a moment this was there first embrace again, in the dark halls of the Alarei, broken bodies across cold floors, and fingers gently pulling at a soft hood, the care of simply being there. And that made her remember again.
"Sometimes it's the Alarei. It's in the dark hallways and...and..and I find him. Father. And it's exactly the same, except I turn around and there's...no one. Your not there and I'm lying on the ground alone. And your not there with me. Just me cradling my father in the dark, with the blood and silence and fea-"
He stopped her by kissing her again and she pushed into him, crushing her lips against his, trying to get as close as she could to him.
He separates and she looks up again and this time he talks.
"Did I ever tell you, how no matter how wrong it seems and how I wish it could have been under different circumstances in any other way, then how it did, that I have a fondness about the Alarei."
She looked up at him with a mixture of questioning and shock and he quickly continued before she could question him.
"Because on that cold ship, I hugged my girl, my lady, my wife," and this he said with a caring tone that made Tali, feel warm in her chest and stomach "for the first time and I held her so close I could hear, so faintly but still there, her heart beating so fast and I remember thinking how small and frail, yet how warm and alive you felt. Remember how often I invited you up to my cabin on the Normandy, after we became an official thing?"
She smiled at this memory. "Yeah. Gabby and Donnelly thought I had gotten in trouble somehow with you and you liked to personally reprimand your crew."
He smile and the continued.
"It was because that before I went on a mission that worried me, before I put my life, my crew's life, sometimes yours, in danger I needed something to make me know it would be okay. Something that reminded me, that it was worth it."
"Holding you reassured me of that. Talking to you, spilling my worries to you personally. I probably asked you about missions, about what you felt I should do more than Miranda, and she was my XO. And I knew everything would be alright. Because you gave your advice and comments when I needed them and I appreciated them a lot more than you may have thought. And sometimes you just listened to me. That meant a lot to me."
"And even back on the Alarei, I didn't want to let you go. I didn't like hearing you cry. That was the first time I heard you crying and it hurt me deeply,even more so, because I knew there was nothing I could do. And I promised myself, I guess it was in truth a promise to you, that I always would be there for you. I never wanted to hear you cry again."
He held Tali by the shoulders and looked at her.
"I'm here now. For you Tali. For Sila. I'll always be there for you. For whenever I wasn't there for you when you first became an admiral. For whenever my parents weren't there for me, I'll be there for Sila and you."
Tali smiled again and kissed him.
"Yeah but it was you who made me cry, on our wedding."
He laughed and with a happier tone continued.
"Yeah but those were happy tears, Tali. That's different."
Tali responded by pushing him back on the bed and brushing herself across his chest. She locked hips with him and squirmed down smiling triumphantly when he moaned.
"I remember the first time you gave me "happy tears", Shepard. And then I got sick. You really didn't have to smear that gel on just for me. You know us dextros."
Shepard smiled, this one different, more of a smirk, more mischievous.
"Hearing the sounds you made however. Totally worth it."
Tali recognized her own words and blushed at the memory of how she described there, uh her, first time to Shepard all those years ago. To compensate she shot back.
"You should have seen your face bosh'tet , the first time it was just me covered in the jumpsuit. No cloth, no mask, no armor. Those suits were so very snug. Form-fitting. To save space."
Shepard laughed at the last word and how Tali almost slurred it, her accent annunciating the word 'space' in a way that reminded him of the way she talked when she had a commanding tone. As an admiral. As a mother. And every so often in bed. He loved it.
Before he could show her how much he loved the loose, flowing clothes she and most Quarians now wore, just as much, he heard the sound of running as someone bolted up the path to the house.
Tali sat up and slightly brushed him off, a smile on her face. "Sila's back."
He jumped off Tali and pulled her off the bed towards him. After one more kiss he headed for the stairs and began to walk down the spiral staircase. That had been his idea, one that Tali thought was "extravagant" when it was built. Of course the idea of having a home with more than one room, was extravagant to her. Soon however she got the idea and wished to spare no expense, something Shepard was all too able and willing to do for the Quarian who had spent her entire life on starships.
The house had three floors, much more room than was needed but a lot like the general style of Quarian architecture. To some in the galaxy it was another symbol of Quarian "excess" much like the flowing, loose, and sometimes provocative clothing they wore, or the taste for art and luxury that dominated much newer Quarian culture.
John simply saw it as a culture that had so recently been set free to spread it's wings after almost five generations of bare necessities and stripped down socialist lifestyles. The Quarian communal life stayed strong, as a race that didn't trust many others beside's Humanity, yet the old ways were now garnished in every luxury and opulence possible.
Tali made her way down the spiraling stairs and opened the front door , smiling at their daughter who was now simply walking up the path.
The cobblestone path was surrounded by a variety of flowers, some common scrub brush, but to the Quarians one of the symbols of everything they had regained.
Sila looked up from the slightly overgrown flowers to look up at her mother. She smiled and walked quicker, throwing her arms around her mother who ruffled her brown hair.
Tali smiled and pulled back looking at her daughter, her head titled to the side. She of course looked very little like either of them. She was adopted and a Quarian, so that took all genetic similarity out of the equation.
She was wearing Tali's old hood, the purple framing her brown hair and somewhat pinker skin-tone unlike the lavender skin of her mother.
"Back from work,huh? How was the boss, today?"
"Same as ever. I'm still waiting for that promotion though. 30 credits an hour isn't enough."
From behind them a louder voice spoke up.
"It never was. When your wedding come's remind me to tell your Mom, to take out the Admiral credit chit to pay this time."
Her dad, John'Zorah Shepard vas Rayya(The taking of the family name Zorah had been something John had insisted on. Tali had told him her father would have liked that. That convinced him more than anything.) appeared behind them, wearing a smile bigger than any Tali had ever seen, except one other time.
He came up to Sila and pulled her into a hug and kissed her on the top of the hood.
"How was my kid today? You left early enough."
"That was because I had to. Told me if I got there for an hour early each day the first week, I'd make a good impression. All it did was make Zael expect it."
He chuckled at that and ruffled her hair, being the tallest member of the family he throughly enjoyed being able to do that. He only laughed more when he heard his daughter mutter "bosh'tet" and walking into the house with Tali holding tight to his side, Sila already going on about her latest gripes concerning her boss, her pay and job, John silently thanked whatever God's were out there and his ancestors, a habit he had gotten from Tali, that he was here on Rannoch. Nowhere else could be more beautiful.
AN: So yeah my first Mass Effect fanfic out there, based off my own character(Whose actually named Taylor Shepard after my own name, picked due to a lack of creativity. I didn't use it here, because I didn't want to sound like an OC self-insert.) who romanced sweet little Tali, found the Quarians and Geth to be the most interesting races, and wanted to give my Shepard and Tali a sappy, sugary, fluff-fic. If you guys like this, I might do some more one-shots, most probably focused on family interactions with the Zorah's and general introspections on Geth, Quarians, and a Mindoir-born Shepard finding a home on Rannoch.
P.S. Given the way Quarian names are shown in game,I presented them in the story as so:
Tali- Personal name, given name, first name.
'Zorah- Given the fact both Tali and her father have this in there name I assume that this is there family name, or last name. Likewise, Daro'Xen is from the Xen family, Kal'Reegar is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Reegar, whatever. Marriage changes this in a way that were not given and that I haven't speculated on.
Nar, Vas- Tali is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya in ME1 before completing her Pilgrimage and becoming an adult in Quarian society. Nar to me would literally read "Tali'Zorah born of the Rayya" to distinguish a child who still belongs to there birth-ship. Tali'Zorah vas Normandy would read "Tali'Zorah of the Normandy" to distinguish that a Quarian has been accepted into and lives on another ship after pilgrimage. In my imagining of post Flotilla society, "nar" and "vas" would distinguish a child from an adult. So when a Quarian reaches legal adulthood they change there name from nar to vas.
Shepard- Like I said Tali takes Shepard's name because she likes the human tradition, Shepard takes Tali's as a way to respect her beliefs.
Rayya- I decided ship names would continue to exist as city names. Most new cities on Rannoch founded by the returning Quarians have been named after ships from the flotilla. This both reflects the fact that initially ship crews and populations stayed together after the initial landing on Rannoch, and the fact that most ships names seem culturally significant even past there formal use as ship names. Yes even Qwib-Qwib. Quarians now use "place names" instead of ship names. If you were born in Alarei, you'd be Tali'Zorah vas Alarei, born in Qwib-Qwib, Tali'Zorah vas Qwib-Qwib.
So yeah hoped you enjoyed this and if you'd like more like I said I'm considering doing a series of little one-shots. Tell me what you think in the reviews, because I love them!