"Never thought my unit would be seeking help from a quarian".
"What is that supposed to mean?" Tali objected, fearless of the salarian commander. His hunched posture was framed by the vibrant yellow on his black bodysuit, a color scheme which Tali found appropriate for his toxic pessimism.
"Any help is better than no help", he shrugged. "I would have preferred to see a turian task force, or maybe even an asari commando unit, but-"
"Shepard has fought with asari commandos. They are no match for her skills", she hastily defended her commander.
"Yes, I suppose that is to be expected from a council spectre", Rentola nodded dejectedly. "Skills are not the issue here, though. One spectre and her small band of soldiers are not exactly ideal for an assault of this scale. Saren's base is enormous, and the fortifications are some of the toughest I've ever seen. Geth everywhere, and maybe even worse things inside."
"I have fought the geth many times, Commander", Tali interrupted proudly. "They are very strong, but their intelligence is limited to their own programming. As organics, we have the advantage of adaptability. Their numbers are no match for our minds".
"I wish I had your confidence", the commander frowned. "The odds are stacked heavily in the enemy's favor, and our reconnaissance will only take us so far".
Tali folded her arms across her chest. She knew the salarian was right, and her efforts to reassure him were not getting anywhere. Things looked bad. The salarian had very flatly remarked that the expected casualties would be high.
Casualties.
The word irritated her. How could anyone speak so lightly of death and suffering? The flotilla may have been heavily militarized, but most people back home appreciated the tragedy of lives lost. Perhaps non-quarian soldiers had to stay focused on their jobs above all else, even if it meant downplaying the loss of their comrades in battle.
Tali was young, and she was not a soldier. To shrug off the death of a friend seemed disturbing, at best. As she recounted the crewmembers of the SSV Normandy in her mind, it dawned on her that she would indeed lament the loss of any of them. Even Wrex seemed to treat her with greater kindness in recent days.
"Tali", someone called to her. She relaxed the tense muscles of her arms, and found herself in the shadow of an armored turian.
"Yes?"
"Shepard's given me command of a support team. It's mainly just to sweep up behind her assault element, check for any valuable intel, and keep the geth from sneaking up behind her".
"That could be very important, Garrus. Shepard made a good choice putting you in charge of it".
"Really?" the turian asked, cocking his head at the young quarian. "I was actually expecting someone else to take the helm. After leading that incredible recon team yesterday, I figured she would ask you to do it".
"Don't be silly, Garrus", she responded too quickly to catch his subtle compliment. "No one would want to follow a little quarian into battle".
"You're not just-" he shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "Look, that isn't what I meant. I'm sorry about Noveria, but I was hoping you might join me for this mission".
Garrus sometimes wished his words had the precision of his favorite sidearm. Right now, he felt like a broken Lancer, spraying wildly on auto-fire and two seconds from overheating.
"I'm grateful for your offer", she spoke with the gentle, quarian sincerity any species could appreciate. "Shepard has already asked me to accompany her on the assault team, though. Sorry".
"Oh", was all he could think to say. "Well, good luck".
"Thanks, Garrus. Stay safe".
The turian's beaked jaws parted briefly, but only an exhale was heard before he left the tent.
Why did he always do that?
Tali did not understand why so many species were afraid to speak their mind. It was frustrating to realize that, even once they were back aboard the Normandy, she was unlikely to ever discover what words the turian withheld.