W/N - Ok, let's take a look at Tali. How does she get to meet up with the crew? Then, I'm going to try my hand (so to speak) at writing a sensual scene. This was inspired by Padawan Mage's most excellent walk through of the ME experience. Also, are things beginning to bud between Shep and Alenko? We'll see.

The Wards – 2300C

Tali'Zorah nar Rayya

It had been a cat and mouse game since she pulled the data module from the head of that Geth trooper. All Tali wanted was to gain some useful information about the evolution of the Geth to bring back to the Migrant Fleet. That would complete her pilgrimage and she could then begin her adult life. She easily disabled that lone soldier with a tech blast that froze its servos, rendering it paralyzed long enough to peel that chip out. If it felt any pain, she didn't care – there were billions of slaughtered quarians weighing in on the other side of that moral scale.

"I got more than I bargained for," Tali whispered to herself as she pressed the back of her environmental suit against a wall behind a crate. She knew she had heard too much when she played the audio recorder of the trooper's data module. She didn't know who the voices belonged to and she didn't really care…but someone else did. Before she could even get back to her ancient shuttle they were hunting for her. A Geth sniper nearly took her down before she could fully erect a kinetic barrier. The shot knocked her back, but at least the barrier took the brunt of the force, saving her life. Her pilgrimage could have been over before it really even began.

Crouched in a dark alleyway in the Lower Wards of the famed Citadel, Tali began to feel a little claustrophobic in her skin-tight suit. She tapped the controls of her Omni-tool, increasing the oxygen mix…much better. The sour sweat coating her skin began to evaporate as cooling air circulated over her body. Tali never liked wearing the suit for extended periods, but on her pilgrimage she had no choice. With her weak quarian immune system, one bug…one germ and she could be done for. For a moment, the fugitive quarian wished that she were back on the Migrant Fleet where she would roam throughout her birthship, the Rayya, wearing only her homespun dress and her sash, dyed purple with her family colors. The air on the Rayya could be trusted. She could breathe it freely.

"No," she said quietly, strengthening her spirit. "I've got to see this through." There was a lot riding on her. Life or death, Tali could not let her father down.

She thought back on how she had fled the system where she found the module. Where could she go? Returning to the Migrant Fleet was out of the question. Beyond the shame of coming back nearly empty handed, she was not going to lead the Geth back to her people. It would be like giving the wolves the map to the lambs. Before she left, her father, Head of the Admiralty, had given her a way to contact someone…someone only to be contacted in the direst of emergencies. This was pretty dire.

And so she did it. The agent of the Shadow Broker instructed her to come to the Citadel. The Shadow Broker himself would meet Tali and that a human named Fist would protect her and take that module off of her hands. He even promised to give her some technology in return. That would make a fitting prize to present to the fleet.

So now, it was all set up. The Shadow Broker would be here soon and give her a prearranged signal to tell her that it was safe. She'd hand over the module and get a pack full of mods and upgrades. Easy as pie. Why then was her mind screaming a warning to her?

Just in case, Tali glued a handful of Tech Proximity Mines to the crates leading to her hiding place. She might be naïve, but she was no fool. The training that she received before leaving the Migrant Fleet had already saved her life more than once. She gulped hard, feeling acutely alone. Never before in her 18 years had she not been surrounded by people, such was the crowding on the fleet. Sometimes it would annoy her to be jostling around all of the time and never to have any privacy at all – even using the bathroom was a group affair. Right now though, she would pay real credits to have a mob of friendly faces around her.

Through her helmet enhanced hearing she heard footsteps approaching. Tali's muscles tensed and a cold feeling grew in her gut. She forced herself to breathe evenly. Whatever she had in this module was worth killing her for and she knew she couldn't make even a single mistake. Who were those people on the recording? What was Eden Prime?

Using a small mirror, Tali peered around the crate that she was hiding behind and her mouth went dry.

"A krogan? Wh…why would a krogan be here?" Was he the Shadow Broker? She was promised a meeting with the mysterious man personally. Behind the krogan she could see two men - quite a force to make a simple exchange with a wayward quarian. Tali was liking this less and less by the second.

The krogan looked around, obviously looking for something or someone. "I have a chip on my shoulder," he bellowed, giving the prearranged signal for Tali to introduce herself.

The krogan was armed to the teeth and so were his cohorts and the quarian knew that this could only mean trouble. Was one of the humans in the gang the Shadow Broker? There was only one way to find out.

"I have your merchandise," she said out loud, never leaving the safety of the crate. Through her mirror she could see the group turn towards her. "Let me see the mods." Tali's heart was thumping now and, in some perverse way, she liked the rush. It would make for great stories to her friends when she returned to the Migrant Fleet…assuming she made it back.

"Show me the module!" the krogan demanded. Always impatient, those reptiles. Tali only knew of them by reputation and through her studies of alien races in the Admiralty database. To actually see a krogan in person was a whole different matter. The old images in the database didn't do them justice – this guy was like a living tank, armored from head to toe and bristling with aggression.

Tali slowly raised her hand, holding the chip.

"Okay," the krogan continued, "slide it over here and we'll consider our business concluded."

Wait a minute…this is not according to the deal. Something is wrong. Tali's worst nightmare was beginning to materialize – she was cornered by three heavily-armed mercenaries, who had all of the advantages…well, maybe not all. "No, no, no, this is not what we agreed on. Where are the mods?"

The krogan shouldered a black shotgun, its muzzle aimed in her direction. She could see the large bore staring down at her and a cold sweat trickled down her back, settling between her buttocks. She couldn't take the krogan much less the whole gang. "This is not open for negotiation!" he bellowed. "Throw me the chip and you'll get what's coming to you."

Tali took three gulping breaths of conditioned air and sat up on her feline-like haunches. Decide now…there's no going back. She slowly stood up, coming out from behind the cover of the crate. "Okay, okay, I'll give you the module," she said as she slid her hand into her sash for just a second and then held up a data module. Stupid lizard shouldn't know the difference. "Which one of you is the Shadow Broker?"

"You actually expected the Shadow Broker to show up personally?" the krogan asked, eliciting guffaws from the others. "And no," he said with mock sadness, "we don't work for him either. Saren sent us."

That was all she needed to know. "Here…take the module," she said as she flung it onto the ground in front of them. One of the humans stooped down in front of the krogan to pick it up, blocking the lizard's aim and Tali saw her chance. In the blink of an eye she tapped her Omni-tool and crates around the gang erupted into flash and debris. The standing human was blown into the opposite wall and toppled to the floor while the kneeling one was knocked flat on his face. The quarian moved, hoping that all of the gang had been disabled, but the krogan was unfazed. He aimed the muzzle of his shotgun right at her face and pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

Not pausing to thank her ancestors Tali tapped her Omni-tool again and smoke billowed up in the narrow alleyway, obscuring the krogan's view. She hadn't been entirely sure that her tech mines would work, but they certainly disabled the krogan's weapon. She might only have a few seconds at most though. With a sweep of her hand, her pistol cleared the holster and she fired blindly into the smoke, more to confuse her attackers than to do any real harm. Tali had mapped out the area in her head prior to the encounter just for this contingency and she ran towards what she knew would be the exit. Just a couple more seconds.

She could hear the Krogan shouting and then the deafening roar of his shotgun. It was time to pick up the pace. Now at a sprint, Tali knew she would clear the smoke at any second. There was another blast and this time she felt a sting in her leg. With a gasp she toppled over, crashing into an unseen crate in a heap. She could feel air hissing out of her suit, but that was the least of her worries right now…the krogan was closing on her. In a last desperate measure, the quarian slapped another proximity mine on the ground and then blindly half stumbled, half crawled in the opposite direction.

In a moment, she cleared the smoke and behind her, a tremendous explosion tore the air. As she limped away all she could hear was the krogan's painful cursing. "Suffer, asshole."

Out of immediate danger, Tali ducked into an alcove and saw a strange green insect working on a panel. She saw that there was an open access hatch above it and she painfully climbed in. With a moment to rest, she looked down at the buckshot wound in her leg. It did not look good – part of her suit had been blown away and pellets had embedded themselves deep into her flesh. It was a raw, bloody mess. She quickly tapped off the air to that region so that her supply wouldn't become contaminated. Contamination…. She looked again at the wound and thought of all the microbes landing on her skin every moment.

"No…no…," she said pathetically as she banged the back of her head against the wall. It couldn't end this way, not when so much was at stake now. She knew how much the module meant to someone and maybe that was her ticket to survival. With her hand she pulled the real module from her sash and put it into a pocket. Then, she removed the sash and bound her leg with it. Come what may, one day, she would pay this Saren back.

Tali groaned as she tightened the sash around her thigh. She could feel the tears dribbling down her cheeks from the pain and, for a moment, she began to see dark spots in her vision. She hit herself in the stomach and it dulled the agony if only for a few minutes. Slowly, she brought her Omni-tool up to her tinted mask and hacked into the Citadel's floor plan and directory. "Doctor Michel…Doctor Chloe…Michel," she said haltingly, trying to focus herself. "I need medical attention, but can I trust her?"

It was then that Tali realized that she really had no choice.

Chamber of the Asari Consort – 0900C

Lieutenant Commander Claire Shepard

Yesterday was a long day, a really long day for the commander. The fact that they were now sitting around waiting for the Asari Consort didn't make her mood any better. The Alliance had presented their evidence to the Council and what did it get them? Squat. How many human bodies had to be piled up in front of the Council for them to take any action? Who, other than Saren, could have gotten the drop on Nihlus? That turian agent, Garrus Vakarian, had done an admirable job in his investigation, but the C-Sec wouldn't give him enough time to find the smoking gun. And, besides that, the Council refused to give any credence to their witnesses from Eden Prime.

"I can't believe how blind those Council pukes are, ma'am. How much clearer did you need to make it for them?" Ashley Williams told her in consolation.

Claire leaned back into the comfortable Ottoman and put her feet up. There was no use ruminating about it all day. "Thanks Chief, but if I didn't know the truth I wouldn't believe our witnesses either. First you have Doctor Manuel. You remember him, don't you?"

Ash chuckled. "No one is saved!" she said with a scrunched up face, imitating the disturbed scientist's babbling rants. The poor guy was already half gone before the Geth attack.

"And then we have Mister Powell, smuggler extraordinaire."

"Mister Forty Winks….yeah, you have a point." Only two witnesses had seen Saren during the attack on Eden Prime and they were…iffy at best.

Shepard nodded and looked over to Lieutenant Alenko talking to a human woman dressed in the revealing attire of an asari acolyte. He glanced back over. "Hey, this woman's brother is a private back on Earth. She's the first human acolyte here…how about that?"

"Outstanding," Claire said with a thumbs up. She thought back to Jenkins' funeral and how Kaiden held her hand. The guy really had a way of calming her nerves and she was glad that he was along for the ride. He was steady under fire too.

Ash gave a big sigh. "Between Chora's Den and here it seems that a woman's place in the galaxy hasn't moved forward since whalebone corsets."

The commander lightly backhanded Ashley on her armored stomach. "I dunno, Chief, I think your existence disproves your own statement. You're one hardcore marine."

"Ooh rah, ma'am."

Shepard shifted in her seat, crossing her legs. Sometimes, that could be a little tough when wearing armor as the cuisses and greaves covering the legs could be a bit stiff. She thought it was funny how the names of the pieces of armor hadn't changed since the days of knights and jousting. "So Williams, do you think that the Council races really are sticking it to us?"

"Dead on, commander. You know they're only thinking of themselves first. Just look at how Executor Pallin treated us."

She had to admit that Ash was right on the Executor. He wasn't a bad guy, assuming you didn't speak to Garrus about him, but he was turian first. "Yeah…unfortunately, we're just going to have to suck it up and press on."

"Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full," Ash said, using an old military phrase meaning that they both knew it was all BS, but oh well, you had to live with it. Williams was pretty used to being screwed by her own race so why should the Council races be any better?

Claire was getting pretty antsy by now waiting for the Consort. She'd gone out of her way to track down General Septimus and square things away between him and the Consort, Sha'ira. The turian leader wanted more from the asari that she was willing to give and thus he went on a smear campaign against her. Then, Shepard convinced Xeltan, the Elcor diplomat, that it was Septimus who had leaked the sensitive information and not Sha'ira. What a tangled web that was. The things people did for love. "Ash, what do you think of Septimus? Have you ever had that big a crush on someone that you'd lie and pout like a two year old?"

"Me? Nah, but I could very well imagine it. The L T over there didn't seem to think he could get that upset over a woman. I told him it was because he didn't understand women."

The commander snickered. "Good one."

"Thanks. What about you, ma'am?"

Shepard almost laughed out loud. She couldn't even remember the name of the last guy she'd slept with. God forbid that she would ever get that attached to someone to the point where she'd drown her sorrows in a bottle of gin. "Nah, me neither. I like to travel light and fast." She started tapping her foot aggressively now as if every passing moment was robbing her of life. "What's keeping them? This is bu-"

"Commander Shepard, the Consort is ready for you. She would like to see you…alone." It was Nelyna, the receptionist.

Shepard took a deep breath and pushed out any irritation that she felt at the lengthy wait. The disappointing day was hers alone and there was no reason to take it out on others by being snappy. She smiled up at the Asari acolyte. "Thank you," she said and then looked at Ash. "Take lover boy with you and head back to the Embassy. I'll meet you back there."

"You got it, commander."

Claire made her way up the stairs to the Consort's chamber once again. She looked back to see the human acolyte give Alenko a hug and there was a surge of heat in her cheeks. Was that a pang of jealousy? She scoffed and rolled her eyes. May she be struck down by Zeus on Olympus himself if she ever got that wound up over someone. At Sha'ira's door, she rang the bell. She liked the sound of it as it tinkled like wind chimes. This place really did have a comforting, healing presence even if it was a brothel of sorts.

The door opened and she saw Sha'ira seated on a cushion on the floor, wearing a flowing, form-fitting dress that would be scandalous on any human world. The asari gestured that Shepard take a seat in front of her. As before, just being in the presence of the Consort had an intoxicating effect. She nodded in thanks and sat cross-legged on the open cushion.

"Commander, you look so uncomfortable in that armor. There is no need for defense here. Should you wish to change, by all means, I want you to be relaxed."

"That sounds like a great idea. I think I'll take you up on that."

Sha'ira pointed to a robe on the wall in front of a changing room and Claire rose and went over to take it off of the peg. She slid into the room and released the catch on her cuirass, popping the breast plate off of her chest. It came off like a suction cup and that did feel better. Next, came her gauntlets, vambraces, and rerebraces covering her arms and hands. Finally, she pulled off the cuisses and greaves, freeing her trapped legs. Every day, she found new respect for the likes of Henry V or The Black Prince for having worn and fought in such heavy gear like turtles. Once she retired, she was going to hang up the armor for good and never willingly put another suit on. She slid the robe over her bare skin and tied the string in front. She took a moment to rub the terry cloth on her cheek, feeling the plush fabric. She was beginning to see the attraction of being with the Consort and maybe, Septimus wasn't so crazy after all.

Shepard returned to sit on the cushion before Sha'ira and she noticed how the asari's blue skin seemed to glow iridescent under the lights. Sha'ira grasped both of her hands and thanked the commander for speaking to both Septimus and Xeltan. "It was my honor to aid you," Shepard said with a bow.

"You are too kind, commander. But I would not expect you to aid me out of the kindness of your own heart," Sha'ira said, but indeed, it was Shepard's own kindness that brought her to Chora's Den to solve the dispute. The asari continued, "I also have one more thing to give you…if you are interested."

"I'd be honored."

The Consort brushed her hand on Claire's cheek and looked deeply into her eyes. "I offer a gift of words…an affirmation of who you are and who you will become. I see you; your uniform fits as though you were born wearing it. You are a soldier through and through…proud, solitary, alone, but it gives you strength. It is that strength that people are drawn to. It is why you lead and others follow without question. You will need that leadership in the battles to come. This may be who you are, but it is not who you will become. It only forms the basis for you future greatness. Remember these words when doubt descends, commander."

It was as if Sha'ira had reached into Shepard's soul and had bared her thoughts and fears. The commander bit her lip, suddenly feeling vulnerable and weak. It wasn't a feeling that she liked and she looked away. Sha'ira's finger ran down Claire's neck to her collarbone. Her skin tingled where the asari's finger had been and she inhaled sharply.

"Close your eyes and relax, Claire," the Consort said in a soothing voice as she cupped Shepard's chin.

The commander surrendered her will and closed her eyes. She could sense Sha'ira moving behind her and then felt a tug on the back of her robe. Warm, gentle hands worked the robe down her back and then guided her onto the carpet. She heard the robe plop nearby. The fingers dug deeply in the muscles of her neck, soothing out the tension, the disappointment, the anger. It was like the Consort was in her heart, digging out every hurt and letting it flow into her asari body. Claire's father…the Council…the Ambassador…none of it mattered now as the hands made their way down her back, kneading and rubbing. Her skin felt alive as if every pore had been opened to the cosmos and she was soaking up the healing energy of the universe. Even Sha'ira's scent left her calm and rejuvenated.

The hands worked on her buttocks now and Claire licked her lips. It was as if she could feel the beating of the asari's heart. She felt Sha'ira lean on top of her, the Consort's body now completely covering her. Warm lips touched her ear. Words were whispered. "Do you want more?"

Shepard couldn't speak, but merely nodded. A soft hand pushed gently between her thighs. She gasped, releasing the last of the darkness that had built up in her.

CODEX –

Cuisses - a form of medieval armor worn to protect the thigh

Greaves – shin armor

Vambraces – armor for the forearm

Rerebraces – armor for the upper arm

Cuirass – armored plate protecting the chest

Henry V – King of England at the Battle of Agincourt

Edward, the Black Prince – Prince of Wales at the Battles of Crecy and Poitiers