Tali stepped off the elevator after Garrus, Wrex, and Shepard, walking towards the docking bay. Though the others began conversing with Ambassador Udina and Captain Anderson, her attention was completely captured by the beautiful ship at port. She gracefully drifted from the group and leaned forward onto a railing, overlooking the dock. The vessel had sleek lines and powerful thrusters, signs of a masterful design. She longed to see its internal workings, to study the core algorithms and behavior.
"Normandy…" she whispered, reading the characters on its hull.
"Beautiful, isn't she?"
Tali turned her head to see the Commander next to her. "She looks amazing! On the flotilla, our ships look nothing like this!" A thought crossed her mind, likely induced by her unreasonable urge to enter the ship. "Um, Commander? W-would you mind if I, um, accompany you? You know, if it's not too much trouble."
His face creased with a frown. "I'd love to have another tech expert aboard. But…"
He looked away before continuing. "Are you sure you want to come? You still have your Pilgrimage to take care of. And this probably won't be as simple as taking care of some geth. We might see things, do things that…" He looked back at her. "Do you think you have what it takes?"
Tali nodded emphatically. "Of course. I was trained extensively by the Migrant Fleet Marines in combat, among other things."
The Commander drummed his fingers on the railing in deliberatio. "Combat isn't what I'm worried about." He stared off into the distance, pensive. A moment passed before he responded again. "Alright then. Welcome to the team."
"I won't let you down, Commander Shepard."
Commander Shepard stood before his assembled ground team in the CIC, pacing back and forth. Tali was amazed by his aura of command. The whole squad, even Wrex, stood straight with respect and pride for the man and their mission.
"You know what you signed up for. This mission will be extremely dangerous, if not suicidal. If you chose to leave now, I won't think any less of you." He paused briefly. "Though Saren is no longer a Spectre, he is still a threat. But he thinks that we are helpless, that we can't fight back! We'll prove him wrong. We will catch Saren, and we will bring him to justice!"
He stood and faced the group, hands behind his back. "Alenko, Williams, you have your stations. As for the rest of you, you aren't required to do any work, but if you want make yourselves useful, just let me know. And don't kill each other. I know there's some bad blood between races, but try to deal with it. Dismissed."
Garrus and Wrex walked off towards the elevator, presumably towards the cargo bay. Tali stayed behind, hands clasped nervously in front of her. She wanted desperately to see the mass effect core, to look at its inner workings and tinker with its algorithms. The Normandy was truly beautiful work of engineering from the outside; she could only imagine what wonders it held within. The only drive core she had worked on was the Rayya's, which was ancient. Examining the Normandy would be, literally, a dream come true.
But why would the Commander allow it? Why would anyone allow it? She was a quarian, a thief that would steal the Normandy's blueprints to bring back to Fleet. No, she was lucky enough that she met a tolerant human. Asking for any more than what he'd already given her would be overstepping her boundaries.
"Something you need, Miss nar Rayya?" Commander Shepard's voice broke her train of thought. "Or is it Miss Zorah? I've never met a quarian before, sorry."
Tali met his gaze. "Please, call me Tali, Commander. But if you want to call me Miss Zorah, then that's fine. Whatever makes you comfortable."
"Alright Tali," She couldn't help but smile when he said her name for the first time. "Something on your mind?"
"Um, yes. If you wouldn't mind, I would like to work in Engineering. I know my way around ships and such, but if you don't want me to see them then that's fine too, since this is an Alliance ship and all, but-"
He cut her off with a raised hand. "If you think that's where you'll be most useful, then that's where you'll be. I'll have Adams give you full access. He's the Normandy's Chief Engineer."
Tali shifted her gaze to the floor and fidgeted with her hands. "T-thank you, Commander. For saving me. And letting me join your crew. And for being nice to me." she mumbled.
"You're welcome," he said with a smile. "I have some reports to write, but if you need anything, my cabin is right there. I'm always free to talk." With that, he nodded his goodbye and walked towards the cockpit.
A few of the crew gave her strange looks as she sprinted through the CIC and hopped into the elevator. Tali didn't care, though. She couldn't wait take a look at the Tantalus drive core, or examine the juicy algorithms. This was the best day of her life.
Tali stood at her terminal on the left end of Engineering. Working on the Normandy was the best thing that ever happened to her. Except for meeting Commander Shepard, maybe. It was so kind of him to give her full access to the engines. The Engineering crew was very amiable as well; they didn't seem to care if she was a quarian. Humans seemed less racist than turians, or salarians, or… well, everyone else. For the most part, anyway.
She continued typing for a few more minutes and executed her changes. Adams gave her a quick smile and a thumbs up. Humans were full of strange gestures and expressions. Hopefully, she could also learn more about different cultures during the mission. She buried herself into the readings with a renewed fervor.
A hand tapped her shoulder and Tali froze, muscles clenched, mind racing. The memories of Saren's assassins and Fist's mercenaries were still fresh in her mind, along with the pure terror and panic she felt. Working, as always, only dulled the sensations.
She forgot that she was on an Alliance vessel, that she was under a Spectre's protection. The rational part of her brain had already completely shut down; all that was left was to fight or die. She spun around in a flash, knocking the hand from her shoulder and swinging at her assailant's face.
Her fist was deftly caught in a five fingered hand. She stood in shock; the hand belonged to Commander Shepard, an unreadable expression on his face.
"OH! Commander Shepard! I… I-I just.. I'm s-so sorry." She had ruined her golden opportunity to study the Alliance's most advanced vessel. She had lost her security with the Normandy's crew. Where could she go now? Surely she would be ejected from the Normandy and forced back onto the Citadel.
"I was thinking about the alleyway and those assassin's and thought... I thought…" she babbled quickly, attempting to explain her actions. In the end, if he was to tell her to leave, nothing would change his mind. "I'll just… I'll just go."
She made to move past the Commander, but he put a gentle hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Don't worry about it. Sorry to scare you."
"I… You aren't mad?" she asked tentatively.
He grinned reassuringly. She smiled back, despite herself. "No, that was mostly my fault. I walk too quietly. Force of habit."
Tali quickly forgot about her blunder in the midst of conversation. "Where did you learn to do that? Is that how you snuck up on the turian in the alleyway?"
"Years of practice. And I have a cloak." he showed her where his cloaking generator was clipped to his belt. His tone quickly became serious. "You alright though? Going through what happened must've been traumatic."
Tali didn't want to appear weak or burdensome to her new Commander, but something about this man made her feel safe, welcome, and trusted. She was obliged to tell him the truth.
"I'm scared. They might come after me again." she mumbled. "Not so say that your ship is unsafe." she quickly added.
He nodded understandingly. "A typical case of post-traumatic stress. Those who see a lot of combat just shrug it off after a while." He paused, as if carefully choosing his words. "Look Tali, not trying to underestimate your ability or anything, but this might come up often. I just don't want you to… break. Be sure to let me know if this becomes a recurring thing."
"Don't worry, Commander, I can handle it." she said enthusiastically.
"You know that you don't have to call me Commander Shepard all the time, right?"
"But that would be so disrespectful!" she said incredulously.
"Just call me Shepard. Everyone does."
"Oh, okay… Shepard." Speaking to a Captain so informally was unheard of on the Fleet, but somehow, on the Normandy, it seemed completely ordinary. It was strange, but she liked it.
"And another thing," he said. "I apologize for the lack of food for quarians. To my understanding, quarians can eat turian cuisine, and I don't think Garrus would mind sharing, but there just isn't enough to go around. I'm not sure where we can pick up some more dextro rations, but if I find a place I'll let you know."
It was very sweet of him to think about her food, even though he didn't understand the quarian immune system. "Thanks for the concern, but I can't eat his food even though we share the same protein-chirality. Quarians have severely weak immune systems caused by in sterile environments for the past three hundred years. That's why I wear this suit."
"Oh. Doesn't it come with..." he paused. "Setbacks?"
"Right. We lose the ability to truly interact with the outside world, though these sensations can be mimicked by software. For example, I can't really smell a flower or see without a mask in the way, or even can't touch another person." Her tone got increasingly bitter as her thoughts progressed, and she mentally kicked herself for ending on such a… suggestive note.
His head drooped slightly. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."
Tali was again touched by his open-mindedness and sympathy for her people. "Anyways, the Fleet prepares Pilgrims well for this kind of thing. I have months of nutrient paste to use, so don't worry."
Shepard looked up at the mention of Pilgrimage. "You mentioned a Pilgrimage earlier in Udina's office. What does it entail, exactly?"
Just then, his omni-tool chimed and flashed on this forearm. He frowned at it and looked back up at her apologetically. "Sorry Tali, I'll have to cut this short. We'll again talk soon, okay?"
"Sure!" she blurted out. Tali ducked her head shyly. "I mean, yes. I'd like that."
He gave her a pat on the arm. "I'll see you later."
Tali nodded in confirmation and turned back to her terminal. As she continued typing, her heart continued to pound in her chest, and the smile would not leave her face.