I do not claim to own any of the Mass Effect characters, an dhave attempted to remain true to the spirit of the characters in this story. As it is my first, feel free to post negative comments, as long as they are constructive

Tali's six fingers flew nimbly across the holographic keyboard interface with a speed and dexterity that belied the fact she only had three fingers on each hand. Her time aboard the Normandy SR-2 had been brief, but she had immediately set to work getting reacquainted with the ship's design.

The new Normandy ran even better than the old one. Countless improvements had been seamlessly woven in, but some of the changes had been rather significant. As a result of nearly doubling the ship's tonnage, its state-of-the-art Tantalus Drive Core had proportionally grown in size.

Although the Tantalus Drive Core is a complicated system to explain, the enlarged core of element zero allowed the ship to move without the use of heat-emitting thrusters. Without heat-emitions, the Normandy was essentially invisible to all methods of scanning and radar in the galaxy when its stealth systems were up. Additionally, the core's advanced design gave the ship increased FTL speeds, increased the duration of their jumps, and allowed for superior acceleration and maneuverability in normal space. It was arguably one of the best warships in the galaxy and the perfect fit for a Spectre on a mission to save the galaxy.

The system did have its limitations, however. The heat could not build indefinitely within the ship's hull, making it necessary to occasionally shunt the buildup to prevent the ship from overheating. They also could not mask the ship's heat signature during FTL jumps without cooking themselves alive, making it possible for enemy ships to detect their ship just before or after a hyperspace jump. And as with any experimental technology, great care had to be taken to ensure there were no anomalies in the system. As one of the Normandy's greatest assets was stealth, maintaining the core was perhaps the most important duty aboard the ship. Tali skimmed over the various engine readings, frowning. She turned to right, voicing her concern aloud.

"Gabby, have you looked the FTL drive charge? The readings are disturbingly high."

Gabby, the Cerberus engineer in charge of the ship's propulsion systems, pulled up the readings and nodded, eyebrows knit.

"Yeah, you're right. We're nearly pushing into the red zone. Fortunately, we're only twenty minutes out from our next stop. The Commander is bringing us over to a fueling station in the Tasale system. There's a nearby planet called Naxel, so if we ask him pull in over that—"

"Aye, shouldn't be to hard. We all know about Shepard's fetish for probing new territories…"

"Ken, I swear to God, if I hear you make one more suggestive crack today, I'm going to relieve you of one of you testicles."

Ken, the cheeky Cerberus engineer in charge of the power control systems, answered in his Scottish accent, "Well excuse me for trying to inject some humor into the situation, Mum."

Gabby rolled her eyes and sighed, whispering 'grow up' before addressing Tali once more.

"Anyways, once we're there, we'll have no problem discharging the build-up into the planet's gravitational field—"

"I can think of a few other built up discharges—"

"KEN!" she yelled as she slugged him in the arm.

He smiled even as he massaged his shoulder, putting up a hand in a gesture that he hoped to placate her with. "Okay, yeah, I deserved that. But you can hardly hold me responsible for my actions when you are so deliberately toying with me."

Gabby huffed. "Ken, if you saw a kitten playing around in a woolen sock, you'd find a way to turn it into innuendo."

Ken grinned at the comment, though Tali was unsure if it was because he was still having fun with Gabby's reaction, or if he had somehow actually managed to pervert that innocent image. If he had, he showed enough restraint this time to not comment.

Tali couldn't fight the small smile that crept on her face as she watched the two bicker. To be honest, she had thought that working on a Cerberus vessel would be difficult to say the least. Given the organization's reputation as human supremacists, she had fully expected significant friction from the engineering crew, especially when Shepard had made it clear that she would be taking charge.

She had been pleasantly surprised, however, when she met Kenneth and Gabriella herself. The two were obviously very competent and had no problem adapting to her leadership. Apparently, the two had been best friends through their training in the Alliance, graduating teach class together and even serving aboard the SSV Perugia during the Battle of the Citadel. Seeing Sovereign firsthand had convinced them about the extent of the Reaper threat.

What most impressed Tali wasn't their technical expertise, but their loyalty to Shepard. Kenneth had been boldly outspoken in posthumously defending Shepard when the Council and the Alliance had tried to discredit tales of the Reapers. Kenneth's activities caught the eye of Cerberus, a rogue Alliance military group, who offered him an opportunity to serve on the new Normandy alongside Shepard himself, Ken immediately accepted. Though, of course, Gabby made it clear that they were a packaged deal, to which Cerberus happily obliged. They didn't seem to share any of Cerberus's animosity towards aliens, as they treated Tali with the same respect as any CO they had ever served under. Although she missed Engineer Adams and the rest of the crew aboard the original Normandy, she soon felt right at home with the new ship.

Still, Ken's lack of formality with his crewmembers did sometimes get out of hand. She remembered his amusing comments on Miranda, wondering if with her position as the ship's XO, she was privy to the camera feeds she was sure were positioned in this very room. She grinned at the idea of the repercussions sure to follow should she find out. Even Tali herself had not been exempt from Ken's roving eye. She recalled how he nonchalantly started talking about her with Gabby, making no effort to keep his voice down as he was sure that she couldn't hear a word with her helmet. His comments then drifted to her suit, how it was, to quote, "quite snug in all the right places". She'd taken that moment to let him know that she had in fact heard everything, which amused Gabby greatly as she laughed at Ken's sheepish expression. Tali wasn't the only one who had heard that comment who wasn't supposed to either. She couldn't remember another time when Ken looked so uncomfortable, his ears blazing red as he turned to see an amused Commander Shepard standing behind him.

Ken had gotten over his embarrassment enough to thank Shepard for installing the new FBA couplings, inviting him to join in their celebration of their newfound freedom with a game of Skyllian Five poker. Gabby had scoffed at the idea, thinking the Commander was above fraternizing with "grease-monkeys like us". To their surprise, and Ken's delight, Shepard had readily accepted. Ken then turned to Tali and, partly to make up for his earlier comment, asked if she wanted to join them as well. Tali thought it sounded like fun and accepted. She grins again at the memory, thinking about how Shepard had fooled Ken into thinking he was a rookie at the game, easily cleaning him out. Both Tali and Gabby agreed it was worth losing to see Ken taken down a notch.

They had played a few more times since she had come aboard, though Tali had won every card game since, jokingly passing her success off to having a killer poker face. She only lost in games when Shepard would join in. She wondered if anyone else noticed this trend, or if they could guess the true reasons behind it. She couldn't focus her thoughts when she was around him, her mind always drifting away from her cards to the man she secretly adored. She couldn't even remember how many times she had caught herself staring at Shepard while he mulled intently over his hand, eyes flicking over his strong features, his intense eyes, the stubble on his chin, the soft skin...

She sighed, wishing that she hadn't pursued this line of thinking. She knew how it ended every time. Anything between Shepard and her was impossible and she knew it. She was a quarian, and he was a human. Even if having different amino acids wasn't enough to keep them apart, there was still the issue of her extremely weak immune system. Quarian immune systems had atrophied so severely in their time aboard the Migrant Fleet that they literally could not survive without their bio-suits, which they wore from late childhood until death. Even under the best circumstances, physical acts of intimacy were very difficult for her people. Even when every precaution was taken, there were still significant risks that could not be eliminated. She lowered her head, her shoulders drooping, her throat constricting, and that familiar ache rising in her chest.

'Besides', she thought, 'Shepard deserves to be happy. I can't do that, no matter how much I… he could have anyone, anyone at all. Keelah, look at Miranda. It's obvious she has some intentions with him. How could I compete with that? I'm just being selfish. He has been so good to me. He has saved my life so many times. He is one of my best friends. I'm not going to ruin that because of a damn crush. Just let it go.'

She felt a little moisture building up in her eyes, wishing once again she didn't have this helmet on her head so that she could just dash the moisture away. On the other hand, at least the visor kept the other engineers from knowing about her secret heartache. A prison and refuge it seemed.

"Well, that's our shift. Hey, Tali, it's our turn to get some rack time. You coming?"

Tali looked over sharply, breathing deeply in an attempt to clear her restricted windpipe. It took her a second to find her voice, but when it came out she was reasonably satisfied with its strength. "You guys go on ahead. I want to do some research on upgrades to the Normandy's kinetic barriers first.

Ken sighed. "Really Tali, you should get some rest. God knows you put in enough work for one day. The research will still be there in the morning."

Tali smiled lopsidedly, touched by Ken's surprising sensitivity. "Thank you for your concern Ken, but really, this won't take me long."

Gabby grabbed Ken's arm, leading him away. "Good night boss. We'll see you up in the kitchen. We gotta grab a bite to eat before we call it a night."

Tali nodded, turning back to her terminal as the door opened to let the two engineers out. She typed on the keyboard as the doors slid shut behind her. She pulled up one promising site. "Cyclonic Barrier Technology" she whispered as she read. Hmm, a multi-core shielding with rotating mass effect field projectors. She read more, curiosity aroused. The rotation of the shields emitters effectively slapped incoming projectiles away violently rather than simply stopping their enormous velocity as conventional barriers did. It worked like an electron cloud, whirling particles creating a barrier over the inside by the sheer speed of their orbits. It was much more effective than traditional shielding, even able to protect against disruptor torpedoes that usually penetrated a kinetic barrier instantly. She was impressed, reading further. The technology was only suitable for smaller ships, perfect for a frigate like the Normandy. Even if the high frequency sensors needed constant maintenance, this could give them a significant edge—

"Whatcha reading there?"

Tali jumped as though electrically stunned. "Keelah!" She whirled around, hand flying to her hip for a nonexistent pistol, only to see a woman grinning impishly as she sat nonchalantly on the railing behind her, kicking her feet a bit.

"Sorry, sorry. Didn't mean to frighten you. Just doing a bit of practice, though to be fair you were very engrossed in whatever it is you're reading."

Tali blinked several times at the strange woman, not sure how to react. The woman was dressed in a black full body suit, with a metallic colored material artistically woven in two pieces from her torso to her thighs. A black hood was thrown over her head, masking all but a glint of eyes in its shadow. A pair of lips was curved in a smile, a bright pink stripe over the bottom lip, adding a touch of flair to her appearance. 'She looks kind of like a quarian' Tali thought. Soon, however, her surprise was replaced by irritation at this unwelcome intrusion. Tali crossed her arms, attempting to communicate through body language what she couldn't with facial expressions.

The woman was unperturbed by her reaction and continued to act friendly.

"But where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself. Kasumi Goto, at your service." She finished with a bit of a flourish of her hand and a tip of her head.

Tali was determined to stay angry, replying, "You know, sneaking up on someone unawares isn't exactly good manners either. Just for future reference", she said sarcastically.

"Well, typically the proper response is to give your name in return," Kasumi continued as though she had not heard, "but fortunately I already know who you are. You must be that brilliant quarian mechanic that Shep was talking about. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Tali'Zorah vas Neema."

Tali didn't know what to say. It was hard to understand how someone could be so endearing yet irritating at the same time. Realizing it was probably easier just to go with it, she said, "Well, its, uh, nice to meet you too Ms. Goto."

Kasumi smiled, "Please, just call me Kasumi, Tali. Tali," she said as though mulling the word over. "Tali. I like the sound of that. It's a good name. I tend to use nicknames for everyone, but I think yours will work just fine. Unless you would prefer being called 'Tal-gal'?"

Tali smiled in spite of herself. Despite her cheekiness, Kasumi was proving rather difficult to dislike. The banter felt as though they had known each other for years rather than just having met. "Tali is fine. Though I'm curious as to what it was you were practicing by sneaking up on me."

"Well, I figured we would get to that eventually. I'm a professional thief; the best in the business, actually, but not the most famous. Need to watch my step to keep it that way. I was just using the opportunity to keep my skills sharp."

Tali frowned, her goodwill evaporating as quickly as it came. "What? Why on earth would Shepard want a professional thief aboard the Normandy?"

Kasumi tilted her head. "I hope my choice of occupation isn't an issue."

Tali crossed her arms again, more tightly this time. "Quarians may have a reputations as thieves and vagabonds throughout the galaxy, but any of us who resort to stealing do so out of necessity, not because we enjoy it. Thievery is a serious crime among my people. So regardless of what you may think, I am not like you, and if think I'd find it acceptable because —"

" Relax Tali. I know that the galaxy tends to treat quarians like unwanted garbage. I've met plenty of quarians during my travels and they have all been honorable and hardworking people. I have only the utmost respect for your people's culture. Besides, I find your fashion sense to be spot-on. Full body suits and hoods are so cormfortable."

Tali was about to heatedly reply that their suits were a prison, not a fashion statement, but she quickly bit back the remark. Tali didn't like what Kasumi was, but that didn't mean she had the right to attack her for it. She didn't believe Kasumi had meant to offend, so her tone softened. "All right, but you didn't answer my question."

Kasumi smiled, "It's a great story actually. You see, I have in the past, uh, acquired some of Cerberus's resources on occasion.

Tali was intrigued enough to overcome her distaste. "What kind of resources?"

Kasumi shrugged, "O you know, some experimental technology, a Prothean artifact, and even one of the Illusive Man's very own cigarette cases."

If Kasumi could see through Tali's faceplate, she would see that her jaw had dropped. "You're kidding me."

Kasumi smiled. "That last one was just for fun. I've rarely seen such extensive security. Had to pass alarm systems, DNA encoders, guards, and plenty of other security measures to get through. But the challenge only made it more exciting. They still haven't figured out how I got through."

She continued, "So you can imagine I was very surprised to hear them offer me a job. They were offering me a substantial reward, but also an opportunity for me to get something I wanted more than anything else in the galaxy."

Tali listened raptly as Kasumi told her story. How she met Keiji Okuda and they became partners in crime. How a ruthless arms dealer named Donovan Hock killed Okuda and his gray box was stolen. How she had gone with Shepard to Hock's mansion on Beckenstein to pull a daring heist. All the intricate details of how they broke into his vault, smuggled in weapons, and fought their way out guns blazing through squads of mercenaries. Kasumi descibed about how they worked together to take down Hock's gunship to kill the man once and for all. When she finally came to the part about opening Keiji's gray box, Tali couldn't help but put an arm around her.

"Kasumi, I'm so sorry."

Kasumi held back tears, her voice still steady. "When Keiji told me to destroy the data to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands, I felt like I was losing him all over again. I couldn't bear to do it, so I left the choice up to Shep. And you know what?" she asked, looking over at Tali with a small smile on her face. "He told me to keep it. He knew how much it meant to me to keep a part of Keiji with me." She sniffed. "It's funny. I knew about Shepard from all the stories, but I never expected in my life to cross paths with him, much less be so indebted to him."

Tali smiled. "That does sound like Shepard though. Always willing to go to any lengths for his team."

Kasumi smiled as they sat on the rail together. "Sounds like that comes from experience."

Tali smiled as she began her own story. She described how she had tracked down a group of geth and extracted one's memory core during her pilgrimage. She explained how she went at the Citadel, only to be set upon by assassins of Saren. She described how panicked she felt as Dr. Michel patched her up and set her up a correspondence with the Shadow Broker. She recalled how she had been betrayed by the Broker's agent, Fist, but was suddenly saved by the arrival of a human, turian, and krogan. The human said his name was Commander Shepard and that he was looking for information that could implicate Saren had betrayed the Council. She described how she had been accepted aboard the Normandy, how she had been allowed to work with the engineering team and about some of the adventures she had.

"He even helped me complete my pilgrimage", she continued animatedly. "He let me take a copy of that geth data I told you about back to the Fleet. I had expected that he would be reluctant because it was technically Alliance property, but he was more concerned that I would leave as soon as I got it. I don't think I've ever had someone care so much about me as he does. He's the best friend I've ever had." She paused thoughtfully.

Kasumi nodded. She had been silent for much of Tali's story, but what she said next was completely unexpected.

"So, was that before or after you fell in love with him?"

Tali blinked, her mind thrown completely off track by the question. She stuttered, "What? I…that's just… okay, I am not in love with Commander—" her protest died on her lips. "Is it really that obvious?"

"Pretty much."

"Great." She said morosely.

"Though I can see his appeal. He's smart, charming—"

"Courageous, honorable, honest, loyal, handsome…" Tali finished the list, her voice trailing off at the end.

Kasumi looked at her expectantly. "Well, he knows how you feel right?"

Tali laughed, but not happily. "What, are you crazy? It would never work."

Kasumi arched her eyebrow. "What, you think that a human has never been with a quarian before? Trust me, it's rare, but I've seen stranger couples."

Tali frowned. "But he's my commander. We're on a mission to save humanity. I know how important this is, what little chance there is of coming out alive. I don't want him distracted."

Kasumi nodded. "True, but that doesn't answer the question of whether he wants it. Is that the real problem?"

Tali stood up, walking over towards Ken's station. What she said next came out slowly, haltingly. "I… it's just too selfish. Shepard… deserves to be happy. I can't do that for him… Why would he want someone when he doesn't even know what she looks like? Why would he want someone he couldn't… kiss whenever he wanted, someone who isn't imprisoned in a damn suit for fear of dying? Shepard has…other options." Saying those last words felt like a punch in the gut. She couldn't talk anymore for fear of breaking down in tears.

She heard Kasumi walk over to her, felt the hand on her shoulder. "Tali, listen to me. You have just as much a chance with Shepard as anyone. More, I would say. I could tell something lay between you two when Shepard set a course for Haestrom. He has feelings for you too, I'm sure of it."

Tali turned towards Kasumi, part of her desperately wanting to believe what she was saying.

Kasumi took a breath, "But if it doesn't work out, well at least you tried. It will hurt, of course, but nothing like it will to continue to keep this bottled up inside. Take the risk Tali. And I know that you're scared that one of you might not make it out of this mission alive, but take it from me. As someone who has known a lot of pain and regret, living with pain beats regret every day of the week."

The tears flowed freely down Tali's face, her helmet's automatic systems kicking in to evaporate the moisture. Sobbing quietly, she wrapped Kasumi in a tight embrace. They stayed like that for some time, Kasumi gently patting Tali's back as she wept. After a few minutes, Tali drew back, sniffing. She smiled despite the obstructing visor. "Thanks Kasumi. For coming by… and for talking."

Kasumi chuckled, some of her usual levity returning. "Well, I think this has been a fabulous talk. Now, what do you say we get you up to bed?"

Tali checked her omnitool, groaning. "Keelah, I can't believe we've been here for two hours. Did we already arrive at Naxel? Who's been monitoring the electrical discharge?"

Suddenly, EDI's interface lit up, the light-speckled globe calmly speaking.

"Given that the engineers were scheduled for hot-bunking at this hour, I have taken control of this operation."

Tali scowled at the artificial intelligence. "Thank you EDI. You're too kind." She said grudgingly. She didn't enjoy having the AI aboard the ship, but it had its uses.

"I am only fulfilling my duties as the ship's artificial intelligence, but I thank you for you appreciation."

Tali's eye's suddenly widened. "Wait EDI. If you heard what I said about the drive charge, does that mean you've been listening to our whole conversation."

"I hope I have not caused you any discomfort Miss vas Neema with my eavesdropping. Mr. Moreau had instructed me to relay the contents of this conversation across the ship's intercom system."

Tali stood stock still in horror. Even Kasumi looked a bit embarrassed. EDI's lights winked, and after a few seconds, she stated plainly, "That is a joke."