The World She Created

Ch. 2

Excitement over finding the Normandy's distress beacon quickly gave way to fatigue. Though the signal was no more than the standard message installed in every Alliance ship's black box, it brought Tali to tears the first time she heard it on the dreadnought's bridge. Moments later, though, was the announcement that another five days would be required for the dreadnought to change course and intercept the signal. To Tali it sounded like another seven months.

During these few days Tali learned everything she could about their destination. The moon of a gas giant, it had no official name. 90% the gravity of Rannoch, nearly identical atmosphere: they might still be alive. The mantra repeated in her head over and over.

The wait still felt like eons, the torture compounded by at most two hours of sleep each night. Work had lost its ability to pass the time as well.

By the fourth day Tali had secluded herself to her cabin. For many hours she remained still on her bed, hands crossed on her stomach. Uneaten paste and a pouch of water lay on the crate she used as a night table.

Finding a signal had been nothing short of a miracle. Crashed on a habitable moon...what were the odds? Was it too selfish, Tali wondered, to hope that any of them were alive.

Tali didn't react as Helor entered her cabin. He glanced at the untouched food before sitting at his usual spot.

"Tali, do you feel ill?"

"No," she replied, tilting her head slightly to face him. "You know, I haven't felt sick since the night...we sat under the stars together. Up until that moment half my life had been sickness: fevers, chills, aching joints. I'm not complaining, but it feels strange to be free of it all. It also gives me hope."

"For what, Tali?"

"That that light might have reached the Normandy before it crashed. It might have protected the crew somehow."

"Though it's possible, a crash landing is not an infection. Also, seven months have passed."

"I know," Tali admitted, once again staring at the ceiling. "Helor, would you stay with me until I fall asleep?"

Helor nodded before sitting on the edge of the bed. Tali was soon asleep.


The shuttle was prepped early the next morning: medicine and weapons took up most of the extra space Tali shared with the squad of Geth Prime. Once the shuttle left the docking bay Tali kept her eyes glued to the monitor displaying the external feed. The blue-green images of the moon reminded her of prewar Earth. Over the next thirty minutes the world slowly expanded in the screen until atmospheric friction cut off the image.

"1,800 kilometers to signal," the pilot reported once the shuttle had cleared the atmospheric turbulence. The video feed came back on, revealing endless swaths of jungle terrain a mile below.

After a few minutes the crash site came into view. Though months' worth of growth had begun to reclaim the wreckage, Tali's heart nearly jumped into her throat at seeing that the fuselage was intact.

"No signs of movement outside the wreckage," the pilot said, circling the Normandy once before beginning descent a half kilometer away.

"Stay together until we reach the ship," Tali ordered, checking her pistol.

Five meters before touchdown, the shuttle's bay door slid back. Thick vegetation covered nearly everything. Tali took a breath, and as soon as the shuttle landed, she jumped with all her energy.

The Geth Prime flanking her, Tali set off in a light run through the sparse undergrowth. Even through her suit she could tell that the early morning air was warm and muggy.

Tali's pace increased as she first spotted the Normandy's wreckage. The fact that her lungs felt like they were on fire meant nothing. She knew the main hatch on the port side would be the only way the crew could have left the ship.

It was closed. Tali futilely banged twice before three Geth Prime moved her aside and simply tore the hatch off the ship. It landed over ten meters away with a loud clash. As the Geth stepped back, Tali hesitated at the darkness inside the ship. Regaining her composure, she launched a defensive drone from her omni tool. Tali guided it through the ship, searching for any signs of life. The blurry images coming from her omni tool reported only darkness. Infrared, radar, nothing discovered a body alive or dead.

Only when she thought her search was a fool's errand, the drone entered the cargo hold on the third deck.

"There," Tali whispered. Second later every Geth Prime was running into the ship.

To the eye it was a scene of tragedy. Over the period of an hour the Geth had retrieved seven metallic caskets from the cargo hold along with the lifeless body of EDI. Each lined up just outside the Normandy, Tali ran her omni tool over them.

"The internal temperature of every casket is hovering just about absolute zero." Despite the sensitivity of her omni tool, it was impossible for Tali to tell who or what was inside. "There's a mass effect field maintaing the internal temperature." Tali sighed, realizing that was in front of her was beyond her years and experience.

"We need to get EDI back online."


A half day of labor resulted in wiring the Geth shuttle into the Normandy's mainframe computer. By early afternoon it was ready to go, or at least try. After checking the connections for at the fifth time, Tali decided that there would be no use in delaying further.

"Transfer the power," Tali ordered.

A few tense seconds of nothing passed once the power transfer started. Tali kneeled next to EDI and took the android's hand. "You have to wake up," Tali whispered.

Tali silently repeated the mantra before she felt EDI's grasp respond to hers.

EDI moved as if coming out of a deep sleep. The green lines that crept along Tali's skin formed along EDI's metallic surface. Covered head to toe in the faint luminescence, she finally opened her eyes.

"EDI," Tali whispered. "It's me."

"Tali'Zorah," EDI replied in her normal tone of voice before quickly standing. Tali instinctively stepped back in reaction to how sudden EDI had gone from unresponsive to fully operational.

"The Normandy's chronometer indicates that I have been offline for five months, six days, seventeen hours and twenty two minutes." Tali could have sworn that EDI sighed in relief after finishing her statement.

"What?" Tali asked.

EDI looked at the caskets and smiled. "It means they're still alive."


At EDI's direction, the Geth loaded each casket into the shuttle before allowing EDI to transfer her programming up to the dreadnought. Only during the ride back to the ship did Tali remember any of the multitude of questions she had thought of during the seven month trip. Before she could speak, though, EDI spoke.

"How is it that you are still alive, Tali'Zorah?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure. I was dying, EDI. I think I even felt my heart stop. But that green light...Helor...one of the Geth said that the light changed me, gave me an immune system."

EDI nodded as Tali finished "When we crashed, I realized that my programming had been changed. The feelings I had developed for Jeff felt different, more intense." She stroked one of the caskets as she spoke. "Every other member of their crew reported their own changes, some physical, others emotional. When food supplies ran low, the only option I could devise was suspended animation. The caskets were the best containment units available."

"What about the rest of the crew. There couldn't have been enough for everyone."

"No, Tali'Zorah," EDI replied, her voice softening. "It was not a problem. The Normandy's impact caused significant structural damage to the lower two decks. We could not even reach the bodies."

A moment of silence passed between them. Tali took a deep breath, and asked the question that had been going through her mind for most of the last year. "Besides Joker, who else survived?"

EDI touched each casket as she spoke. "Liara, Garrus, Dr. Chakwas, Lt. Adams, Specialist Traynor, and Engineer Daniels. Javik and Lt. Vega were with Commander Shepard during the ground assault. It is unlikely that they survived."

"Liara, Garrus," Tali repeated, her throat about to close up. "How long will it take to wake them up?"

"I would not recommend it," EDI replied. "The dreadnought does not have the required life support systems to tend to this many people. It would be safest to keep them in hibernation until the dreadnought returns to Rannoch."

"I see." The thought of seven more lonely months caused a painful knot in her stomach. "EDI, once were onboard, would it be possible for you to teach the Geth to create another hibernation unit? I think I need a long nap."