Chapter two

Issues

Dear Admiral Rael-Zorah

Subject: how are you?

Father you will not believe the things I have done and seen in my short time away from the fleet. Too much has happened for me to tell you about in a message so I'll give you the best parts. I am now severing on a human ship called the NORMANDY its Captain is the first human Specter Commander Shepard. Shepard saved my life and even though I have helped him the debt I owe him is something I can never repay and yet he says I owe him nothing. He's not at all like how you told me humans are.

Sorry for rambling father I'm just so excited to work with him. Anyway how are you and the fleet doing? And please father do not worry about me. The mission I am helping Shepard with may involve the Geth but this ship is the safest place for me.

Your loving daughter Tali-Zorah.

Tali has been on the NORMANDY for a week now and at the start she was nervous about being around so many new faces and most of them were watching her every move. She would have been worried even more if not for the long daily talks she has with Shepard. Tali knows he checks in with the others but he always spends most of his time talking to her. The two of them talk about Tali's life with her people on the fleet. To her surprise Shepard is interested in her peoples history and culture. Her arm has been out of the sling for a couple of days now but it is still a bit sore. Tali thought about looking Shepard up on the extranet but she decided it would be better to hear about him from him.

At the moment Shepard is making his way into the mess hall and he can hear Ashley, Kaidan and Presley talking to one another about the none humans on the ship.

"I don't know why you two are making such a big deal out of this. Sure they might look different and they were born on different worlds but their still people like us. They have the same problems we do so why are you both judging them and Shepard's decision to have them on the ship," inquired Kaidan. Shepard smiled from his words.

"Kaidan its not that I don't like them I do really. Its just that I don't trust them on the ship. We were at war with the Turians not long ago and we have one on the ship. Krogan are known for their short tempers and mood swings. Then there's Tali sure she may act cute and innocent but her people are known to be thieves. Come on Kaidan they built the Geth what more do you need in order not to trust her," replied Ashley.

"Okay its true her people built the Geth but they haven't done any thing lately to warrant this kind of mistrust and how do you know that her people are thieves. Have you ever seen a Quarian before her steal anything?" asked Kaidan. Ashley became quite.

"I thought as much," replied Kaidan.

"What about you Presley. Do you feel the same way she does?" asked Kaidan. He nodded.

"I've never doubted a decision of Shepard's until now. What does he think this ship is a zoo," replied Presley. Kaidan shook his head when he heard that and so did Ashley, as Shepard is about to walk into the room and say something, Tali appeared and he knew that she had heard all of this.

"None of you know anything about me or my people and yet you hold me personally accountable for the Geth attacking Eden Prime," said Tali with anger in her voice and her words were directed at Ashley. Ashley lowered her eyes and then Tali turned to Presley.

"And you. You have some nerve saying that myself, Garrus and Wrex belong in a zoo. My people are not thieves we salvage what other people throw away and we repair, we fix it and make it our own. The two of you are nothing but bosh'tets," continued Tali with anger in her voice. Shepard heard her run for the elevator and go back down. Everyone in the mess hall were shocked to see her act this way. The quite young girl that they knew has a mean streak. Shepard walked out from where he is and Kaidan saw him and so did everyone else.

"Everyone but Kaidan, Presley and Ashley leave right now," ordered Shepard. Everyone did as they were ordered and Shepard sat down and so did they.

"What happened?" asked Shepard. Kaidan looked at Ashley and Presley and the two of them sighed.

"We were talking about how different things are under your command instead of Anderson's and we got onto the topic of the ship now having none humans on it. Kaidan was trying to defuse the situation Shepard he never said anything like we did," replied Ashley. Shepard nodded.

"I know I heard everything just like Tali did," stated Shepard. The three of them looked at him and he sighed loudly.

"Ashley I know why you think the way you do about aliens and that's understandable but Kaidan is right as well. What you were saying about them is a lot like all the racial tension that our people had had to deal with for centuries on Earth," stated Shepard. Ashley was about to say something when she stopped herself and nodded and then Shepard looked at Presley.

"Presley you said you never doubted any of my decisions until now. We both know I've done things that are more difficult to come to terms with then this. Look I'm not saying that I don't understand some of what your saying," stated Shepard. The three of them looked at him.

"I'm nervous about having them on board but its not for those reasons. I'm nervous because this is the first time any of them will mostly likely of worked with our kind for a long period of time. So what we say, what we do and how we do it will make a lasting impression on them and when this is done they will tell others what they witness on this ship," continued Shepard. They all nodded.

"We understand sir," replied Ashley and Presley. Shepard nodded.

"Good for now just give Tali some space until I talk to her alright. So go back to your stations and continue as normal," ordered Shepard. The three of them nodded and Shepard stood up and he walked into his personal quarters as he got close to his door he hit the wall to the side of it and walked inside. Kaidan and the others saw a deep impact mark on the wall and some blood inside it.

"I think you two got off easy," said Kaidan with concern in his voice. Ashley and Presley nodded.

...

For next 15 minutes Tali spent the time working and crying silently in her suit with the audio projection turned off.

"What have I done I … I shouted at officers with a higher rank then me. I screamed at them. I called them bosh'tets... Shepard is going to hate me now," said Tali with a number of emotions in her voice. Adams walked over to her.

"Tali... I just heard what happened upstairs. Are you alright?" asked Adams. Tali turned the audio projector back on.

"Yes... I'm fine I just never shouted at anyone before," replied Tali. Adams nodded.

"Well if you hadn't of done it Shepard would of," stated Adams. Tali looked at him.

"Shepard heard and saw what I did?" asked Tali. Adams nodded.

"Yes he did. I just spoke to him. He said he wanted to step in and shout at them but you were on a roll so he let you do it instead," replied Adams. Tali smiled to herself.

"Shepard wants to talk to you Tali. He's waiting for you in his private quarters," stated nodded and she walked out of the room and walked into the elevator. Tali saw Ashley looking at her and she got into the elevator. Ashley ran over to her.

"Tali... when your done speaking with Shepard can I talk to you I need to sort out what happened earlier," inquired Ashley.

"I'll... think about it okay," replied Tali. Ashley nodded and Tali pressed the button and the elevator went up slowly and she saw Ashley walk back to her work station.

A few seconds later Tali is standing out side the door to Shepard's room and on the wall near it, Tali saw his fist impression with blood in it as well. Tali knocked on the door and for a few seconds she heard nothing.

"Come in," said Shepard from his room. Tali opened the door and she walked inside. Tali saw Shepard with his back to her so she used this chance to look at his room. She saw a bed on the far side of the room. Shepard is sitting at his desk, on top of it are a large number of data-pads that have different information on them. On the wall behind the desk is a large screen. Shepard turned around and he saw Tali standing there. Shepard stood up and he walked over to a lounge area in his room and he sat down and he gestured for her to do the same. Tali sat down opposite him. Shepard took a deep breath and looked at her.

"Tali... I heard what happened in the mess hall earlier," said Shepard with guilt in his voice.

"Shep... Commander I am so sorry I have never done anything like that before. I've never even talked back to my father. I am so sorry I don't know what came over me," replied Tali with tears going from her eyes. Shepard smiled.

"Tali. How old are you?" asked Shepard. Tali looked at him, with a mixture of shock and embarrassment on her face and in her voice.

"I'm... 22 years old," replied Tali. Shepard smiled warmly and nodded.

"I thought as much... that's how old I was when I was in Elysium 7 years ago... I'm 29 by the way," stated Shepard. Tali heard the name of the planet before and she looked at him.

"Wait 7 years ago is when the largest ever pirate fleet attacked the planet and a lone human helped the populace and held off the pirates attack for days. Was that you Shepard?" asked Tali. Shepard sighed loudly and nodded.

"Yes that was me. So even the Quarian's heard about that then," replied Shepard. Tali nodded.

"Are you kidding of course we heard about that. Pirates are our biggest external threat so when we hear about them we always keep track of things. I was watching footage of this one strange human... with my mother fighting wave after wave of pirates on his own. I remember my father and the other admirals watching this and saying that they should train their marines to fight like him," stated Tali. Shepard smiled when he heard her talk about something she knew about.

"Quarian marines that fight like I did back then. Scares me just thinking about it," replied Shepard. Tali giggled quietly and nodded.

"We can talk more about that later. Now getting back to why I called you here," said Shepard in a different tone of voice. Tali looked away from him.

"I heard what Ashley and Presley said to you and I know how much it upset you to hear that," stated Shepard. Tali nodded in silence and Shepard nodded in reply.

"None of what they said is true is it?" asked Shepard. Tali looked at him.

"It's not true any of it. I would never steal from you Shepard, or from this ship or anyone on it... I understand if you hate me for what I said to them," replied Tali. Shepard looked at her.

"Tali I could never hate you," said Shepard in a serious tone of voice. This made Tali blush and she looked away from him.

"But do you hate me and the others?" asked Shepard. Tali shook her head.

"What no of course not. I don't hate you Shepard... as for Ashley and Presley I'm more angry at them then hating them now," replied Tali. Shepard nodded.

"Good. Now Tali I'm not going to order the three of you to apologize to each other but I don't want this happening again. They only said what they did because they don't know you that well and if you got to know them you might understand that even though their words were hurtful their meaning wasn't. Can you promise me that you will try to get a long with them if not for yourself or them, or the mission but for me," requested Shepard. Tali looked at him and she took a deep breath a nodded.

"Okay Shepard... I'll try for you," replied Tali. Shepard smiled and nodded.

"Thank you Tali," said Shepard with affection in his voice. Tali nodded.

"So is there anything else that you need to talk to me about?" asked Tali. Shepard shook his head.

"No I don't think so," replied Shepard.

"So do you want me to go?" asked Tali. She started to wish that he says no and she saw him shake his head.

"I never said that," replied Shepard.

"Oh so want do you want to talk about?" asked Tali. Shepard moved closer to her and Tali blushed a little.

"Well you know how much I enjoy our talks about your people Tali and I think I know everything I can possible handle for now. There is a topic I want to talk to you about but that can wait for another day. So for today ask me anything you want about me or humans in general and I will answer it if I can," replied Shepard.

"Okay. What's Earth like?" asked Tali. Shepard shrugged his shoulders.

"I have no idea I've never set foot on the planet," replied Shepard. Tali looked at him shocked.

"What really? Then where did you live before you joined the human military?" asked Tali. She saw that the topic upset him but he took a deep breath and he calmed down.

"I was born on a human colony on the planet called Mindior. I lived there with my family and my friends for 15 long and happy years. Then in one day I lost everything I ever cared about. My family was dead; my friends and their families were enslaved by Bartarian slavers. I didn't get a slave collar put on me because one of them shot me in the back and left me for dead. That's when the other Quarian I told you about found me, she took me somewhere safe and patched me up. The Slavers occupied the planet and main colony for a standard galactic month. When I could move again myself and the Quarian noticed that I had been exposed to Element Zero in my mother's womb and again by the Slavers shooting me. My biotic powers came online and so the Quarian that I already owed my life to saved me again. She built implants from pieces of scrap from around where were hiding and she placed them in me. I still have them inside me to this day. They can out do any implants both civilian and in any military, I don't get any side effects from them and they let me use biotic powers from a number of biotic types," replied Shepard. Tali nodded and she moved closer to Shepard without even noticing and she stayed silent not wanting to interrupt him.

"After I got to grips with my biotics I took the fight to the Slavers. I most of killed hundreds with just my biotics before I even found a weapon. I must have freed so many people in those days. On the last day of the month an Alliance patrol came out and saw what is going on. When they landed on the ground their veteran marines saw me as a boy covered in the blood of hundreds of Slavers and they saw the Slavers either running away for getting down on their knees and begging the marines to take them away from me. Even as a kid I was a fighter," stated Shepard. Shepard became silent and he just stared at his hands for a few minutes. Tali placed one of her hands on top of his and he looked at her.

"Shepard thank you for telling me about your past. I know it must have been hard for you," said Tali with genuine concern and affection in her voice. Shepard nodded and he placed one of his hands on top of hers.

"Thanks... for listening Tali. I called you here to make you feel better but here we are, you cheering me up and making smile," replied Shepard. Tali smiled from his words.

"I can make you smile any time you want," said Tali with affection in her voice. Shepard smiled and Tali quickly looked away when she said that.

"I can't believe I just said that," said Tali with embarrassment in her voice. Shepard chuckled quietly.

"If you want I can pretend I never heard what you just said," replied Shepard. Tali shook her head and she started wringing her hands together and Shepard has only recently realized she only does this when she is nervous.

"No don't pretend you didn't hear me but... can you not tell anyone else I said that," requested Tali. Shepard nodded.

"Of course and can you do the same with what I told you a short time ago. I'm okay with you knowing what happened to me but I don't want anyone else to know just yet," replied Shepard. Tali nodded and she stood up.

"I'm going to go and talk to Ashley and Presley now... I'll let you know how it goes later. If that's okay," inquired Tali. Shepard nodded.

"It's okay Tali and from now on if you need to talk to me and I'm in here you don't have to knock you can just come in," replied Shepard. Tali smiled and nodded and she walked out of the room.

Tali spent the next few hours chatting with Ashley near her work station. Ashley and Tali apologized to one another and Ashley asked Tali to help her understand her people. So Tali explained everything to her. When this was done Tali went and did the same thing with Presley. When Tali finished talking to him he got out his private data pad and added an entry to his journal.

When meal time next came around Shepard walked out of his quarters and he saw Tali sitting between Ashley and Kaidan. Shepard leaned against the door frame and spent a short time watching them. Ashley saw him looking at them and he nodded to her and thanked her as well. Shepard then turned his attention to Tali again and Kaidan walked over to Shepard and passed him a drink.

"We've seen a lot of shit together over the years but I never expected that argument from earlier to be sorted out so quickly. What did you say to Tali for her to make the first move?" asked Kaidan.

"I asked her not to do this for herself, or them or the mission I asked her to do it for me and you can see the results for yourself. Our little quarian is back to her energetic self," replied Shepard. Kaidan smiled and nodded.

"So commander we need to talk. I found something a short time ago and you need to see this," stated Kaidan. Shepard nodded and they walked into his quarters and the door closed behind them.

…...

Dear Tali-Zorah

Subject: Behave yourself

I am glad to hear that you are well Tali and that you are already learning new things that will no doubt be a benefit to the fleet one day. Please try to behave yourself we both know how you get when you get excited about something you find interesting and this human you told me about seems to be the reason for your current excitement. I can understand why you find him interesting though he is a Specter the first human one and I have looked him up he is a hero to his people.

The fleet is fine Tali no one has made any small explosions from trying to make stuff like a certain Quarian I know. Raan has asked about you so send her a message when you can to put her mind at ease. I have to go now Tali, work keeps piling up.

Your father: admiral Rael-Zorah.

Its been a couple of weeks since the incident in the mess hall and since that happened Tali has come out her shell a bit more and she is now talking to more people then just Shepard and Adams. During the last couple of weeks Shepard and his team saved an Asari archaeologist from a dig site over run with Geth. Saren sent the Geth there to either capture her or kill her to stop her from joining Shepard. Liara has helped Shepard understand more of the vision he saw from the beacon. At the beginning some of the crew and some on the team were a bit untrustworthy of her due to the fact that her mother is working with Saren but now they no longer care about that and they treat her the same as the rest.

Mere moments ago Shepard and Tali were talking about the Geth. Tali told him how her people created them and what they were used for. She told Shepard about the Morning War when the Geth fought back and forced her people to flee their home world and any colonies they had in the systems nearby. Then Tali heard words from Shepard that she didn't expect.

"The Geth fought back for their own survival just like any organic race would do the Quarian's were wrong," stated Shepard. Tali turned to Shepard and he saw that his words upset her.

"We were wrong... Shepard they turned on us we had no choice but to wipe them out," replied Tali.

"The Geth only did that because your ancestors attacked them first for being more than their programming allowed. No matter how I look at this Tali your people acted first," stated Shepard.

"Before the war we numbered 18 million when the war ended only a year after it started we were 17 million. Are you saying they were right to kill my ancestors?" asked Tali. Shepard quickly looked at her.

"No. Tali I never said they were right for killing them. I never said that," replied Shepard. Tali turned her back on him and walked out of his quarters, Shepard quickly went after her.

"Tali I...," said Shepard with anguish in his voice. Shepard knew if he says any more now it will only make things worse. So he let her go. Ashley, Kaidan, Garrus and Liara saw all of this from the mess hall. They saw Tali use the elevator and she is now out of sight.

"Shepard what happened?" asked Ashley. Shepard sighed loudly.

"We were talking about the Geth. I asked her about how they were created and how they rebelled. I then said something I shouldn't have done and she got upset and then she left," replied Shepard. Shepard sighed loudly and he sat down with them at the mess hall, Ashley got up and she went after Tali.

"Shepard shouldn't go you and talk to her," inquired Liara. Shepard nodded.

"I will just not now. If I say anything else now it will just make things worse," replied Shepard. They all nodded.

"Commander what I told you about a couple of weeks ago I found it again," stated Kaidan. Kaidan passed him a data pad and he looked it over.

"So the whoever these people are. They are up to something in this system then," inquired Shepard. Kaidan nodded.

"I don't know what though I can't crack their code," replied Kaidan. Shepard nodded.

"Keep an eye on it a bit longer. Once all the team has had training in the Mako we will go and check it out," stated Shepard.

"Who's left for the training?" asked Garrus. Shepard sighed loudly.

"Just Tali," replied Shepard.

"We all know how much she likes new things. So maybe you can use that as a way to apologize to her," stated Liara. Shepard nodded.

"Maybe but I have another idea for that," replied Shepard.

…...

Shepard and Tali haven't spoken to each other for a couple of days now. After it happened Ashley found Tali and she told Ashley what happened. Adams just left Tali alone in the room and after he left Shepard walked in. Shepard just looked at her in silence for a few minutes and then he walked over to her. Tali heard someone walked over to her, she turned around and she saw Shepard there. For a few seconds an uneasy silence took place between them.

"I'm sorry," said both of them at the same time. Shepard walked over to her and shook his head.

"Tali you have nothing to apologize for I was the one that was out line a couple of days ago. I had the right words in my head but they came out like they did. I never wanted to upset you Tali and as soon as those words left my mouth I wanted to take them back right away. I'm sorry Tali," stated Shepard. Tali smiled from his words and she stopped working.

"Can you forgive me?" asked Shepard. Tali nodded.

"How can I forgive you Shepard when you were saying the truth," replied Tali. Shepard looked at her.

"What do you mean?" asked Shepard.

"The reason I got so upset was I found myself agreeing with what you were saying about how the Geth turned on us. In the fleet we're brought up being told that the Geth are ruthless killing machines and that we were right for what we did to them. So hearing you say that my people were wrong and the way you explained it to me made more sense then what I was told as a child. You sounded like my mother, she spoke about the Geth like you did. That's another reason why I was upset it made me miss my mother," replied Tali. Shepard smiled and nodded.

"After you told me what happened I planned to tell you my thoughts on the matter slowly but it all came out in one go," stated Shepard. Tali nodded.

"So... can we go back to being friends now?" asked Tali. Shepard nodded.

"We never stopped Tali. Sometimes even friends fight," replied Shepard. Shepard sat down on the floor near the wall and Tali joined him. Her Omni-tool came on as she sat down and sparks were coming from it.

"Come on you stupid little bosh'tet," said Tali with annoyance in her voice. Shepard smiled.

"How long have you been using that old Blue-wire model?" asked Shepard.

"About four years. Its acts up now and then but its been customized a lot," replied Tali.

"Well it sucks... so as a way to make up with you I got you something," stated Shepard. Tali looked at him and Shepard passed her an Omni-tool.

"What is this?" asked Tali.

"My older sisters Omni-tool. I got it fixed and modified extensively. Think of it as a replacement for the one you have," replied Shepard. Tali took it from him and she looked it over.

"Shepard it's an amazing gift but I cant accept it. Its one of the few things you have left from that time in your life," stated Tali. Shepard shook his head.

"No I want you to have it Tali, even though this means a lot to me your friendship means more to me then a memento of my sister," replied Shepard. Tali blushed brightly and nodded.

"Thank you Shepard... I'll take good care of it for you," said Tali with gratitude in her voice.

"I know you will. I have to go now Tali, I need to do some work and so do you for a change," replied Shepard. Tali glared at him.

"I would get more work done if I wasn't talking all the time but I wonder whose fault that is," inquired Tali.

"Hey I never once heard you complain about me keeping you from your work," replied Shepard. Tali blushed furiously and turned away from Shepard, Shepard chuckled loudly and he stood up and then helped her up.

"Try and get a good nights sleep tonight Tali because tomorrow when we find a suitable planet I'm going to teach you how to use the Mako," stated Shepard. Tali looked at him.

"What really? I get to go in that tank?" asked Tali. Shepard nodded.

"Yeah you really do," replied Shepard. Tali nodded.

"Good but I don't know about sleeping well I can't sleep that well on your ship," stated Tali.

"Whys that?" asked Shepard.

"Your ship is too quite. Back in the fleet if the ship was quite we would know something is wrong. I can't sleep without a noise," replied Tali. Shepard nodded.

"Right well come to my quarters and you can sleep there alright. My quarters are built next to some machinery so there's some noise. You might sleep better in there," stated Shepard. Tali went red in the face.

"But that's your room don't you need to sleep for tomorrow as well?" asked Tali. Shepard smiled warmly at her.

"I'll be fine Tali. I can sleep just about anywhere. So you can use my bed alright I most likely won't go to sleep until late anyway so it will be fine," replied Shepard. Tali nodded.

"Okay Shepard I'll come by in a little while," stated Tali. Shepard nodded and as he walked out of the room Adams walked back in and he saw Tali transfer everything from her old Omni-tool to her new one. He noticed her back to her happy self.

"So from you humming a tune I'm guessing you and Shepard patched things up?" asked Adams. Tali nodded.

"Yeah we did and he gave me a new Omni-tool due to my old breaking all the time," replied Tali. Adams smiled from her reaction.

...

A short time later Tali is on a break and she is sitting the mess hall and she is writing a message on her Omni-tool.

Dear Auntie Raan

Subject: My Pilgrimage so far.

Auntie Raan sorry for not writing to you sooner but so much has happened in such a short amount of time. I tracked and disabled a Geth sniper to extract its memory core. On it I found evidence of the man who attacked the human colony Eden Prime. I went to the citadel looking for help. I was hurt when I got there and I was running a fever and as I was leaving a bad deal the people I waited for attacked me. Then from nowhere a strange human appeared in front of me, he put down one of people who were going to hurt me and wounded another two. His squad members then put down the others. That's how I met Commander Shepard, he is so amazing Auntie Raan its hard to put into words. I owe him my life and he asks nothing of me in return expect my friendship.

The ship I am serving on is nothing like I ever seen it's really advanced according to Shepard. He wouldn't give me the technical details because he said they give him a headache when he tries to think about tech stuff. Garrus told me the ship was built by Human and Turian engineers. Oh Garrus is a Turian C-sec officer, he joined Shepard as well. Apparently he and Shepard don't like obeying the rules when a criminal is trying to escape justice but I think it's just an excuse to have fun. We even have a Krogan on the ship, Wrex was a little scary at first but once I got to know him my opinion of him changed. Don't get me wrong he's still scary but he has really good stories.

I had some problems with a couple of humans on the ship but thanks to Shepard I was able to deal with that and now their my friends. We recently rescued an Asari named Liara. I didn't like her much at first but that was mainly because her mother is working with the Geth but I don't care about that any more, she's become a good friend as well.

Do you remember when pirates attacked a human colony 7 years ago and you and the other admirals were watching the footage like I was. You'll never believe this but I met the human we saw holding of the pirates on his own. Can you guess who it is... never mind I'll tell you it was Shepard and when I told him that you and the other admirals thought about training our marines to fight like he did he was concerned it was really funny.

Much to my surprise I wasn't the first Quarian he met, I don't know her name but she saved him 14 years ago. Shepard has asked about my past as well as the history and culture of race. He isn't like how we all thought humans are. We had argument about the Geth and we didn't talk for a couple of days but we made up today and that's why I'm really happy. (like you couldn't have noticed that from what I have said so far).

Anyway I can write another four pages about Shepard but I won't. So is everything alright back with the fleet father wouldn't tell me much.

Your little Tali.

Tali red her message over a couple of times and she smiled to herself when she red parts of it. As she is sending it Liara and Kaidan joined her at the table and they can hear her humming to herself.

"Well someone is happy. What's going on Tali?" asked Kaidan. Tali sent the message and turned her Omni-tool off.

"Shepard came by earlier and we made up," replied Tali. Kaidan and Liara nodded and they sat down next to her.

"Has he told you when you're doing your Mako training?" asked Liara. Tali nodded.

"We're doing it tomorrow when Joker finds a planet that will do for the training," replied Tali.

"Where is Shepard anyway?" asked Tali as she sorted a drink out for herself.

"He's in the conference room. Admiral Hackett needs to talk to him about something he should be done soon," replied Kaidan. Tali nodded and she inserted the straw into her drink and started to drink it slowly. Shepard walked down the stairs and Kaidan saw the look on his face.

"Shepard what's wrong?" asked Kaidan.

"A friend from a long time ago died on a recon mission. Hackett said Geth were involved," replied Shepard.

"Where did it happen" inquired Liara.

"On an uninhabited world in Hades Gammer Cluster. Joker is taking us there, we'll be doing your training in a possible combat situation. You think you'll be able to do it?" asked Shepard. Tali nodded.

"Of course... I might turn in a bit earlier to make sure I'm well rested," replied Tali. Shepard smiled from her words and Liara saw a deep care and affection for Tali in his eyes.

"Let me know when and I'll clean the place up," stated Shepard. Tali nodded and Shepard walked into his quarters.

"Tali I know your not sleeping in the hot bunks so where will you be sleeping?" asked Liara.

"Shepard's bed," replied Tali. Kaidan and Liara looked at each other and Tali went red in the face and the two of them started to laugh.

"I didn't mean it that way. Shepard knows I haven't been sleeping so he said I could use his bed and that he doesn't plan on sleeping for a while," stated Tali. Kaidan nodded.

"Of course Tali. If you want I can get some romantic music for the two of you" replied Kaidan. Tali went bright in the face and she turned away from Kaidan and he walked off laughing.

"Tali I can tell from your words that you want your words to mean what Kaidan and I first thought don't you?" asked Liara. Tali turned to her and she looked away from her and started wringing her hands together.

"Maybe... I don't know Liara. Shepard's been such a good friend to me and how he and I first met that I do have some of those feelings for him but I don't know if he feels the same way," replied Tali. Liara nodded.

"Liara can you keep this to yourself please... its embarrassing just talking to you about it. So do you mind?" asked Tali. Liara shook her head.

"It's okay Tali I won't tell a soul and give Shepard some time. Humans are hard to read but I think he does care for you as more than a friend but he might not know it yet," replied Liara. Tali nodded and the two of them spent some time talking about Tali's upcoming training with the Mako.