Chapter 3:
The shuttle scooted closer to the ground. Tali awoke when it touched the plateau. She blinked a few times, and discovered she was lying fully on the bench. Reegar wasn`t there anymore. She looked around and, for a change, he was awake, looking out of the window.
- So this is Rannoch. – he said, in silent contemplation. Tali stood up. He still hadn`t noticed that she had awakened. – It`s… beautifull.
She jumped on his back. He stumbled forward, letting out a curse in Keelish flow out of his mouth when he hit his helmet on the plasti-glass window. Tali laughed like a little child.
- Oh, I`m eventually going to get payback, you know? – he said, as she dismounted. Shepard had once called that a "piggyback ride", but Tali was sure that Garrus was a little less pleased when Shepard had jumped on his back to demonstrate it.
- I am sure of it. But I`ll be watching you, Reegar. You won`t have a chance.
Reegar laughed. Then, he breathed in deep to stabilize himself. He stepped to the side to stand by the door. Tali signaled the pilot a "thank you" sign, and the door opened.
- Welcome to Rannoch, Reegar. – she said. Then, the both stepped out.
The shuttle reengaged its thrusters, lifting of and departing, leaving them both alone. It was the same spot where Tali and Shepard had landed the first time. It still seemed like yesterday. Reegar crouched and passed his fingers over a small shrub on the ground. Then her dragged his hand through the dirt. He seemed entranced.
- So, this is the homeworld we fought to recover. – he said, thoughtfully. She neared him. – This barren desert.
- Kal…
- It`s good to be back home… - he said, getting up. – Now, where are we going to stay?
- In the…
- Beachfront. – came a cybernetic voice behind them.
Reegar pulled his rifle on a moments notice, spinning and aiming his gun. A Geth Prime was standing there, not impressed with the display. Reegar holstered his rifle again, and Tali let out a sigh.
- Sorry. Old habits die hard. – he said. Then he extended his hand. – I`m sorry.
- I did not expect any different reaction. You are a Marine, violence against Geth is part of your life. – the prime took his hand and shook it. – I am Izara.
- Kal`Reegar, Council Spectre. And this is…
- Admiral Tali`Zorah Vas Normandy Nar Rayya, friend of Commander Shepard. You helped broker the peace between geth and the creators. You also worked alongside…
- Legion.
The name hung in the air for a brief second. Tali lowered her head. Ever since her discussion with Legion aboard the Normandy, her view on the geth began to change. After it… no, he… had sacrificed himself to give each geth free will, Tali had finally cemented her thrust in the geth as a species. Izara then proceeded.
- You will be staying in the beachfront, helping to coordinate the rebuilding of major cities.
- Coordinating? – Tali said, displaying a little bit of surprise. – I thought I would be helping them.
- The geth can handle physical labor well. It`s what you designed us to do.
- You are not our slaves anymore, why should we treat you as such? – to Tali`s surprise, that phrase came from Kal.
Izara seemed unconcerned to giving him a response. Instead, he just said:
- Spectre Reegar, your arrival here wasn`t expected.
- I came as a bodyguard to the Admiral. By the way, why the beachfront?
- Come with me. – he hailed them
He turned around and started walking. Tali walked behind him. Reegar observed her. The height difference between her and Izara was almost comical, but she walked forward with a determination Reegar found impressive, not even caring for the big weapon platform in front of her. He fell in line behind her, hand hovering over his submachine gun, just to feel safer. Now that the geth had free will, they could snap any second, just like every other species out in the galaxy. Hell if he was taking that chance, especially with Tali…
They arrived at a transport, some sort of tram. They stepped onto it, and it rapidly speeded in the direction of the sea. Kal watched attently all the rock formations that flew past them.
- They used to write poems about these… - he heard, from his side. Tali was leaning on the railing.
- Yeah. Maybe someday we`ll write again. And I mean write, not type into those datapads.
She chuckled. The train was coming to a halt, near a small platform. Once she stepped outside, she noticed it was the platform from where she had watched Shepard take down the Reaper. Memories flooded her head. Shepard final conversation with the Reaper, her discussion with Legion about not uploading the Reaper code, the tears that had come down when she said that Legion indeed had a soul, and him saying:
"I know, Tali. But thank you."
- Tali? You alright? – Reegar asked. She had stopped right at the exit from the tram.
- Yeah. Just… brings back memories.
Kal looked at Izara. The Prime said:
- This is the place where Commander Shepard took down the Reaper. We have already moved the carcass out of the way. We flung it in the sun.
- Oh…
Tali took another step forward. She saw, from the edge of the small platform, something black in near the shore. It looked like a…
… a house?
She quickly turned back to Izara. He continued, still matter-of-factly:
- Admiral Zorah has displayed continuous desire to have a house built on the shores of Rannoch`s ocean. As a thank you gift, we built one for you.
Tali was left shocked. Her mouth was opened, her stance stiff, not sure how to react. She wanted to jump of joy, to slump to her knees. She instead chose the more sensible route.
She tackled Reegar, wrapping her arms around him. He again was left without reaction. Izara tilted his head to this. Tali was crying. She had a house on the homeworld. All those promises had finally been fulfilled.
Reegar wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Izara said something about an elevator to go down and left to the tram again, leaving them alone. After a few more minutes of standing in silence, Tali released Reegar. Then, she walked to the elevator at the edge and signaled Reegar to follow her. He did. She pressed the only button available, and the thing shook and went down.
As they approached the ground, Reegar saw her eyes behind her visor. Those two glowing orbs were so familiar for him he could read them like a book. That and her body language. She seemed so happy. She was almost skipping in place.
The elevator arrived at the ground level. Tali went out first. The house had many angular lines, and she could faintly recognize the architecture as the same she saw on Haestrom. By the door, was a plaque. It read:
"This is the house of Admiral Tali`Zorah vas Rannoch.
The Broker of Peace between the Creators and the Created."
She ran her fingers across the words. It was written in keelish. She then stepped inside her new home.
The house was big. One big dinner table lined up in one corner, next to a door leading to what she assumed was a kitchen. The walls beside it were made out of glass, so she could have a vista of the ocean stretching through the horizon. A couch was on the opposite side, turned toward a vid-screen. There was even a bar. She would have to check that later. A staircase was in the middle of it all, presumably leading up to the living quarters… room.
"I need to stop thinking about ships." She thought.
- Nice place. – Kal said, behind her. She turned to see him.
He was giving a look around. His head darted to the table, then to the couch. He stayed there, thinking a little.
- Since I am your bodyguard, I guess I`ll have to sleep here.
Tali blushed a little. Then she was going to say something, but Kal was one step ahead of her. He walked to the couch and tested it`s softness.
- I`ll sleep on the couch. You go test out that new bed of yours.
She nodded. She was going to invite him up, but she wasn`t sure how he would take it. Probably not in the best way possible. She silently went up the stairs while Reegar detached his rifle from his back and put it on the sofa. He then sat down and waited for her to come back down.
00000
Her room was a dream place. It was spacious, with a big bed in the centre. A window let the sunlight in. A desk was in one of the walls, and a few purple curtains were hanging from the ceiling.
"Say what you will about the geth, but they have got a knack for architecture."
She walked to the desk. She had no idea how they did it, but a photo of the Normandy was there. Besides it, a small photo of the Normandy`s crew. She remembered it. They had taken that one when Shepard had become a Spectre. She, Shepard and Williams were were crouched, and Wrex, Kaidan and Garrus were standing upright. They were on the Normandy`s docking bay, ready to leave to find doctor T`Soni, and Tali was eager for her first mission with those people. All of them were smiling, even Tali, though they couldn`t see it, and Garrus, or the closest equivalent of a Turian smile.
She picked that photo up. She looked in the eyes of the now deceased Ashley Williams. She had no idea how she would die. Not peacefully, but struggling like the true soldier she was. Tali suspected that was the way she wanted to go. Not with a whisper, but with a bang. Shepard was distraught that day. She had managed to convince Wrex to cooperate with her, only for her friend to die a few hours later. It had been the first of many casualties.
Tali beagn to thimk about all the people who had given their lives to this war. Mordin, curing the Genophage. Ashley, on Virmire. Thane, dying to protect the salarian counselor, Valern.
And Legion. Dying to free an entire species of the Reapers.
A tear fell on her purple visor. She wanted to wipe it out, but she was unfortunately blocked by the helmet. She cursed. Then she noticed a small button that had passed unnoticed by her.
She slammed it, and an orange light passed through the room. The door sealed tight, and a small decon unit began filtering the air. She was impressed again by the geth. They had catered to her every need. Even the big window was sealed air-tight, to prevent bacteria to enter her room. She pressed the button again. The cycle ended and the door unlocked.
"That`s usefull." She thought, stepping out into the hallway. The hallway had one bathroom, no doubt a clean room too, and a small door that led to an attic.
She went down the stairs, and found Kal taking a look at the bar. She crossed her arms.
- Drinking in the job, are you? – she said. He gave a small jump and turned to her, hands behind his back.
- Erm… I was… checking for bugs! Yeah, that`s it. – he faked, shuffling his feet. Tali giggled.
- You are not fooling anybody, Reegar.
He sighed. His posture slumped.
- Allright. Let`s just say the geth have a very wide knowledge of liquors and beverages from all the galaxy.
- You and I will have to see to that collection. – she added. A few seconds later, she took it back. – I mean… see if they are fit for every specie. Unexpected guests have needs as well.
He laughed. She uncrossed her arms.
- Now, what can I do to help the rebuilding effort?
- I checked in on some reports. The geth are thinking about beginning repairs to our ships, and afterwards they would focus on rebuilding the old capitals. Meanwhile, we would go onto the farmlands, living in tents while restoring the crops. All in all, we should be clear to live in the cities in a month or two.
- That soon? – she said.
- I didn`t believe it myself when I first read it. Take a look for yourself.
He handed her a datapad. She took a look at it. In big letters, was written the estimated time of completion: one month, three weeks and four days. Below it, was written a more detailed version of what Reegar had told her.
- That sounds good.
- It is. But, there are other issues. – he added.
- Such as?
- The lack of water. Homeworld or not, we are in the middle of a desert. Our biosuits don`t let us live without water. The good news is that the river that ran close to the main farmland is still there. However… - he continued. – Sustaining a population of seventeen million will put too much strain on the resources in that area. We can`t let everyone land and stay in that area.
She had lost itself in the middle of his extremely long phrase.
- Where is everyone going to stay? – she asked.
- That`s the question, not the answer, ma`am. What do you want to do about it?
Tali thought for a moment. Sure, the place could not sustain seventeen million of her people and still yield resources for everyone. However, the solution came to her rather quickly. Thinking about what Reegar had said about geth as slave labour gave her the spark she needed.
- Reegar, send a message to all Ship Captains. Those who want to collaborate on the reconstruction of the capitals should stay near the cities, and we will ferry supplies to them as needed. The geth can help us in that regard. Elderly, children and people under medical care should have priority on landing on the farmland. We can use the ships as living quarters.
Kal heard all that and immediately begun to type in his omni-tool. He punched the holographic keyboard a few more times and the message was relayed.
- Done? – she asked, innocently.
- You wish. – he said, chuckling. Than he picked up a case that had been on the couch. It was filled with datapads. – The other matters aren`t as pressing, and you can postpone some of them. I wouldn`t recommend it, though. These things can become real problems if you give them time, ma`am.
- Will you stop calling me that? – she said, slumping her shoulders.
- Nope. Can`t do, ma`am. I`m still under your command. Besides… - he pointed to the emblem on his shoulder. – I don`t orders from you, remember?
- Then you got no reason not to call me by my name. – she said.
He was about to say something, but stopped when his omni-tool pinged him. He opened a link, and Admiral Gerrel was on the screen.
- Reegar, what does this message mean? – he said.
- It means what it means, Admiral. Admiral Zora came up with that solution. Is there a problem?
- It`s just...
- Reegar, patch me in. – Tali said. Reegar opened a link to her and she opened the video-feed. – Admiral Gerrel, it`s good to see you again.
- Equally said, Tali. Now, this "solution" you sent me is really the only option?
- Yes, why do you… - she stopped for a brief second before bringing her hand to her visor. – Oh, no. Please tell me you are not asking me this because of the geth.
- I don`t trust them, Tali. What if they turn on us again?
- They won`t, Admiral, I assure you of that.
- But what if…
- They won`t. – she said, cutting the link.
Kal stared at her.
- What happened?
- It seems that I… - she remembered Shepard`s talk with the Council and smiled. – Lost the connection.
Kal laughed. The council had already told him of Shepard`s "bad habit", but he never thought he would have seen it coming from Tali.
- I think being your bodyguard won`t be as bad as I predicted, ma`am...
Wazzzzaaa?
So, guys, as you probably noted, this story has only one review (BTW, thanks, poison1234. You`re awesome), but it has been really popular, actually. So, if I could kindly ask, would you mind leaving a review? It really stimulates me to write further.
Thanks, see ya.
Eddy.