"Hi Tali."

She had heard Shepard coming up behind her, but she didn't feel like turning around. Or saying hello. She didn't feel like doing anything. All she could do was bury herself in work and force herself not to think.

A hand tapped her shoulder. "Tali?"

She finally pivoted and faced him. "Oh, hello Shepard," she said. Her voice came out flatter than intended. But she couldn't help it; the cheerful quarian wouldn't return.

He looked at her oddly. "You okay?"

"I…" she looked away, swallowing. She didn't want to appear weak in front of her new Commander, but it was like he really did care about her. She couldn't act

"Shepard, I killed her," she whispered.

"This is about… Zhu's Hope?" he asked hesitantly. He moved to lean against the console beside her, crossing his arms. They both stared straight ahead.

"Y-yes," she said. "But it won't affect my performance. My feelings won't affect the mission."

"I understand if you don't want to talk about it, but I like to keep an open policy with my crew. I'm always here to listen."

"It's just that… I just killed her, Shepard! She was innocent, and I pulled the trigger! Did she deserve to die?"

"I guess not."

Tali sighed softly and looked down at her hands. "I'm horrible. I'm a killer."

He looked at her emphatically. "You're not."

"How do you know? I s-saw her coming and still, I just pulled the trigger!"

"I know you well enough," Shepard countered, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're not a bad person, Tali."

She was absolutely stunned. His words, while simple, were unlike anything she had heard directed at her before. She was, for the first time in her life, rendered speechless.

Her silence seemed to urge to him continue speaking. He actually looked a little embarrassed too, which was a bit cute because of his typically stoic demeanor. "Anyway, it's normal to feel this way after your first kill. It's… terrible."

He ran a hand through his messy hair. "This is why I didn't want to bring you."

Tali was confused. What was he insulating? She had to ask. "Do you… do you want me to leave?"

"Of course not. I want you to stay," he said quietly. "But I'm not sure how you'll deal with this. It's something you just have get used to. No amount of psychoanalysis or talking will make you feel better."

Tali was elated that he wanted her to stay. Was it the fact that she was wanted here? Or that someone cared for her well-being? They were sensations new to her; both unusual, yet wonderful.

"Actually, Shepard, I'm starting to feel better already," she said, more life in her voice. He gave her a small smile. "Thanks for coming by."

"No problem. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry." With that, he pushed off the console and walked away soundlessly.

"Don't be," she whispered.

Tali sighed and slumped forward onto the mess table, the chin of her helmet clunking noisily on its surface. It was late. Very late. But she couldn't sleep.

The last few days had been exciting, yet exhausting, a combination more effective than any sleep-inducing drug. Fleeing from assassins and battling geth was terrifying, but also quite exhilarating. Then there were her talks with Shepard…

His visits always made her feel welcome and comfortable aboard the Normandy. Tali only spoke to Shepard, Adams, and occasionally Garrus. Kaidan was also friendly, but they didn't converse often.

Shepard always had time to listen to her blab about the Flotilla or listen to whatever problems she may have. His words weren't exactly uplifting, but his caring presence itself was comforting. He was so caring and kind. And handsome. Perfect.

Tali bonked her helmet on the table again. It was stupid. A dashing commander rescued her from death and whisked her away onto a warship and to a life of adventure. Of course she was subject to something of a little crush. The idea was laughable? That would be a first; no quarian could ever be so attached to a member of another species as to bond. It was simply impossible.

Hopefully, this will go away soon, she thought. She had a Pilgrimage to complete and her people to return to. She would never see him again. Her time aboard the Normandy, and all serving on it, was ephemeral at best. Why linger on these relationships when they wouldn't matter?

Maybe it was because these interactions were the first of their kind that she had experienced. Friends? Companions? She was wandering into unknown, uncharted territory, and she loved it. Tali had hungered for these things for her whole life.

As if her thoughts had summoned him, Shepard stepped noiselessly out of his cabin and into the mess, heading for the water dispenser. "Evening," he greeted as he passed her.

"Hello Shepard." Her helmet still rested on the table, causing her voice to come out muffled.

Shepard returned with a glass of water and sat heavily in the chair opposite of her, crossing his fingers on the table. She sat up straight at his presence. "Is something wrong? Isn't this your sleep shift?"

"I-I.. uh… You're right. I'll just go back to my pod. Sorry." she stuttered out.

"I'm not criticizing you or anything," he said, taking a long drink. "Trouble sleeping?"

"Um, yes. It's just… too quiet. I don't know how you deal with it."

He raised his eyebrows. "Too quiet? To sleep?"

"On the Flotilla, the ships are all old, so all the machinery and equipment are noisy. Quiet means a dead engine, or a malfunctioning air filter."

"So you can't sleep without some noise, huh. Anything I can do to help?"

She smiled at him from behind her mask. He was always concerned about her well-being, something that made her feel special. Tali wasn't used to being bragged on or worried about, being an admiral's daughter. Since joining up with Shepard, her life was full of new emotions. "No, it is something I'll get used to. Thank you though."

"So, um… Why are you awake, Shepard?" Inwardly, she scolded herself for questioning the captain, but she felt that there was something unusual about him, even though she had only known him for a few days.

"Thirsty," he said unconvincingly, taking another drink for emphasis.

There was something about his eyes tonight. Underneath their friendly exterior was a hidden ugliness. They were haunted, troubled, and pained. Tali didn't ask, as curious as she was. It was probably personal; a matter that was none of her business. "Okay," she replied softly.

They sat in silence for a while. It was a comfortable quell in conversation, one where they simply enjoyed the peace that friendly company brought. Yet another new sensation for her.

Suddenly, Shepard piped up. "Do you know what a combustion engine is?"

He wanted to talk tech. There was definitely something… attractive about that. "Didn't civilizations use those many centuries ago?"

He chuckled. "Actually, humans used this technology up until a few decades ago. Ever seen one?"

She shook her head in response.

He smiled and stood, gesturing to his cabin. "I happen to have one, for the sake of luring quarian girls to my room. Would you like to see it?"

Tali blushed harder than she had in her life. Her hands fidgeted nonstop in her lap. Was he inviting her to his room? Personal space was probably less valued amongst humans, but that didn't make her any less uncomfortable. "Uh… wow." She couldn't look him in the eye. "Keelah, it's hot in here," she mumbled.

"I'm not trying anything funny," he said quickly. "It was a joke. If you'd like, I can bring it out here."

The way he backtracked his words was so endearing; there was no way she could refuse him now. "I-It's fine. I'll, um… Let's go."

Shepard's cabin was massive, by quarian standards. At least there weren't any couches; that would've driven her insane. He removed a large piece of machinery and an ancient toolkit from under his desk and sat on the floor. He patted the ground next to him.

Tali thought it was cute that Shepard acted so… ordinary, despite his fame and battle prowess. He never lorded his power over others, and all of the crew respected him for that. Unlike Adams and Pressley, he always wore a regular crew member uniform, reinforcing an ideology of equality. He was truly a remarkable leader.

"Tali?"

She'd been caught staring. Again. Blushing furiously, she quickly sat next to Shepard.

He pushed the machine and toolkit towards her. "Take a look."

They spent hours discussing the intricacies of the ancient technology. Tali was very curious about the mechanical aspects of engineering, as she only dealt with electronic aspects before. Shepard was surprisingly knowledgeable in many aspects of the field. He pointed out that being well-versed meant being a more effective combat engineer.

Tali finally checked her chrono. "Keelah, I should go. Sorry for keeping you up." They both stood simultaneously.

"No problem, it was fun. We should do this again."

She took a moment to digest his comment. He enjoys my company? "Ah, well, thanks for teaching me all of that. You really know a lot."

"I don't know about that," he said with a smile. "You definitely have much more potential, though."

"Thank you, Shepard." she replied quietly.

"Garrus is good too, but don't tell him that. His ego is big enough."

Tali laughed. "Thanks again." She stepped backwards through the door. "Good night."

"Oh, before you go," he called out. "Take this. I just made it." He tossed her a small, flat device which she fumbled with awkwardly before she caught it.

"A-ah, well I can't take this," she said, stepping forward to give it back to him. Tali didn't even know what it was, but if she accepted any more of his generosity, there would be no way she could repay him. He gently pushed it back at her.

"Please, take it. Now, get a good night's rest, Miss Zorah. Tomorrow, we're looking for an asari archaeologist."

"Right." She withdrew to the threshold of the cabin. "Good night, Shepard."

He threw her a mock salute as the door closed. It was an odd, yet friendly gesture, one that implied a slight distance between the two. That was how Shepard appeared to her; amiable, but distant.

Tali slowly walked towards her sleeper pod, examining the device. What could it be?

"Hey Tali."

She looked up to see Kaidan sitting at the mess table, just as she had a few hours ago. "Hi."

"Can't sleep either?" he asked, standing to regard her.

"No, but I think I'm going to try again."

He gestured at the device. "What do you have there?" His tone wasn't malicious or apprehensive, only curious. Kaidan was one of the few who treated her fairly at first meeting, a trait that earned him immediate respect in her mind.

"I'm not sure. Shepard just gave it to me."

He gave her an amused look. "So that was you? You just came out of Shepard's cabin?"

Tali's cheeks went torrid. "Yes, well, we were just, you know... discussing engines. I wasn't… I didn't mean to stay, but we were talking, and-"

"So, you and Shepard?" he interrupted with a grin.

"Us, t-together? What?" The idea was absurd.

Kaidan chortled with laughter and clapped her on the shoulder. "Just messing with you Tali. Good night."

"Good night," she replid quickly, scurrying back to her sleeper pod. Powering her omni-tool, she scanned the object that Shepard had given to her. There weren't any anomalies, no mass effect fields or volatile chemicals. Not that there would be, anyway. Shepard was trustworthy.

Tali pressed the device's button on its widest face. A low, soft humming noise filled the sleeper pod as the object vibrated gently in her hand. A smile graced her lips as she drifted to sleep to the soothing sound and thoughts of her new Captain.