Tali felt the ship shudder as it went through the Mass Relay. 'What's up with that old man? He's really creeping me out now…' she cringed as she couldn't shake off the feeling of unease at what she had witnessed only hours before. Not only was her mind filled with questions, but she at a complete loss for the presence in that room that she felt. There had to be an answer to it, but she didn't need to think about it right now. 'Just try to get some rest. You've got a big day ahead of you,' she thought to herself as she tried to go to sleep.
However, sleep eluded her. She dared not use any of her suit's sedative supplies, as she might need it later if and when she got a nasty injury. And besides, she didn't want to sleep because she didn't know what the old man would do to her. Trying to get the unnerving thoughts out of her head, she started thinking about her destination and what she'd do while she was out there.
Her reverie was broken by the room's PA speaker chirping away. It was the old man on the line. "My guest, I apologize if I have offended and frightened you. It was not my wish to do so, and I don't wish you any harm. We will be entering visual range of the Citadel soon, so I wanted to make sure you had time to prepare yourself. If you want, you can meet me at the bridge and see the Citadel for yourself. It's truly a sight to behold."
Sighing as her natural curiosity and youthful enthusiasm took hold once again, Tali decided to take him up on his offer. Moments later, she found herself on the ship's bridge, and staring in awe through its viewports as the awe-inspiring Citadel came into view.
"Keelah, that's even larger than I thought it would be!" she exclaimed as she pressed her visor up against the viewport's glass. The station's arms seemed like they could engulf a sizable chunk of the fleet.
The old man chuckled. "Yes, it never gets old. A testament to those that have gone before us, and a beacon of hope for those that will follow. I always enjoy visiting the Citadel when I can. Do you have an idea as to what you wish to do once you get there?" he asked.
"I, really do not know. I was thinking about maybe exploring the Wards, though I would love to see the Presidium. However, I doubt they'd let a Quarian up there, with our reputation." Tali sighed as she realized that she may never see the Presidium in her lifetime, but at least she would be able to see the bustling life that she heard of in the Wards.
The old man smirked and shrugged, "You never know. You may well get your wish. I can think of more outlandish things happening."
"I really hope so. I've only heard from old reports how beautiful the Presidium was. Big lakes, clean and white walls, wide-open spaces…" her voice trailed off as she thought more about the wonders she'd see out there.
"I've only been there a little myself, but your reports still sound accurate. Alright, this is where I've got to take over from the VI, excuse me while I guide us in." The old man wandered over to the piloting station and took over, flying the ship in entirely on manual control.
Tali watched as the Citadel loomed even closer and then noticed the warships patrolling the massive station. She then saw a single behemoth that dwarfed all the other ships.
Pointing to the massive dreadnaught, she asked the old man, "What's that one over there? The really big one?"
He looked over, and a fond expression crossed his face. "That is the Destiny Ascension, pride of the Asari fleet. She stands at approximately one kilometer stem to stern with a main gun that runs almost the entire length. I've always been fond of her, she's something of a favorite of mine. Something about the architecture and how all the lines flow like water into each other," he commented with a wistful tone in his voice.
Tali continued to admire the dreadnaught until it passed out of sight in the viewport. She then returned her attention the old man. "So how does the ship feel now after the upgrades I gave it?" she inquired.
The old man chuckled. "You sure did a fabulous job. It feels like I can make this ship pirouette if I wanted her to!"
Tali cocked her head, completely confused. "Pirouette…? What's that?"
His chuckles became full-fledged guffaws as he belly-laughed. The sudden change in volume was enough to startle her. Wiping a tear of mirth from his eye, he told her, "It's a human term for dancing. I believe it originated in the form of ballet, and it describes a graceful full spin while rotating on the tip of one's foot. Ah, these old bones can no longer do what they used to do, so I can't demonstrate. However, I do have this video on my omnitool. Perhaps you'd like to see it?"
She nodded her head, and he pulled up the video and set it to project on its holo-display. A video of a dancer gracefully spinning came up on the display.
The old man chuckled, "That, my dear, is a pirouette. Oh, looks like we're about to dock. Get your things ready, I have one last thing to discuss with you before you disembark."
Tali went back to gather her rucksack, pondering what exactly the old man wanted to talk to her about. 'What exactly does he want to show me? He's been kind enough so far, but what if this was all just a ruse? No, besides the creepy room, I haven't seen any reason to be afraid,' she thought for a bit. A few minutes later, she was headed back for the bridge, despite her previous reservations. Along the way, she heard the telltale thump of docking clamps securing the ship to the docking port.
The old man looked back at her as she walked up to him. "I keep forgetting how efficiently you Quarians pack. Had it been me packing my things I'd probably have taken at least three times as long to get ready," he chuckled. He looked over at a small bag that lay next to his chair. "I've got something for you, but as you probably figured, we've docked. I'll give it to you once we get onto the station.
Walking off of the bridge and through the airlock, Tali followed the old man and stepped onto the Citadel for the first time. Even though she still hadn't gone through security and entered the Citadel proper, she still was excited. A little ways later, the old man turned around to face Tali.
"As I told you before, I have a little present for you. Your upgrades have enabled that old bird of mine to handle a lot more than she previously could. I want you to have this," he said as he gave her the bag he carried over his shoulder.
Tali accepted the bag, curious as to what was inside. "What's in the bag?" she inquired.
The old man chuckled. "Please, look inside. I'm sure you'll like it."
The bag zipped open and Tali gasped at what was inside. An ancient-looking piece of tech with what looked like a folding screen along with a boxy device with a cord snaking out of either side were the bag's contents. Turning the device over in her hands, she asked, "It's really old! What exactly is it?"
With a smirk, the old man replied, "It's a piece of tech from humanity's earlier years as a spacefaring race. It's called a laptop. This particular model dates back to about the year 2008. And yes, it works. I've modified the power adapter so it'll work with any of the universal charging ports you'll run across. I have compiled a manual that'll show you how to operate the device completely. I've already translated it into Khelish, but it's been a while so I apologize if there were any errors made."
Tali protested, "I appreciate your generosity with the manual and everything, but the fact still remains that this is a precious relic! It must be worth millions of credits, if it isn't already priceless! I can't possibly take this from you!" She tried to push the laptop back into the old man's hands.
He merely smirked back at her, with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "I've wandered this galaxy for a long time, and I know that things happen for a reason. Trust me, you'll thank me later." He pushed the computer back into Tali's hands and proceeded to walk back to the ship. After walking a few steps, he turned around and handed Tali a datapad. "In the event that Citadel Security ends up trying to confiscate the laptop from you, show them this. It has my credentials on it as well as reference information. It could come in handy. Take care of yourself." He turned around to go back into his ship.
Tali was lost for words. Here she was, a lowly Quarian girl still at the beginning of her Pilgrimage, with an extremely old and fully functional human laptop and she had hardly taken more than a dozen steps onto the Citadel! As she walked away she realized she never got the old man's name. "Hey mister! I never got your name…" her voice dropped off when she turned around to find that the dock was empty.
"That's really strange. Now what am I going to do with all of this?" she asked herself as she walked towards the security checkpoint. As she approached, a Turian guard walked up to her.
"Miss, you've been flagged for a random search of all your belongings. Please come with me," he said, indicating that she should follow him past the regular security checkpoint for what looked like another checkpoint with an interrogation room attached to it.
"Oh Keelah…"
