"I have to admit, Alec. It's been a rough couple of weeks."

Alec, staring at his computer screen, nodded at the person on the other end. Mike Reese gingerly rubbed a hand through his goatee before continuing.

"With all of the Federal activity here, it's confounding how any work has been accomplished here at all. I'm actually amazed at your progress."

"Thanks, Mike," Alec said gratefully. "It's just something to get my mind off the current situation."

"Not that you needed any convincing. You have everything all ready for Monday?"

Alec glanced at the portfolio that sat atop the table. Finally, after five hard months of complaining and negotiating, he finally convinced both the members of UTC and Siemens to sit down and discuss a proposal, his proposal, for the manufacture and distribution of the new radar system.

"It couldn't be any more ready. I'm a little nervous, but it's to be expected."

Mike smiled across the screen, "Perfect. I actually have something for you that you will need for that day, I'll be sure to drop it off later tomorrow." He started frowning, in spite of his earlier excitement, "But there are a few matters that we need to discuss. Are you alone?"

Alec instinctively glanced upward, in the direction where he knew Tali was currently sleeping. For the past four weeks, Tali had been living at his house. He had, after all this time, kept his promise about never leaving her. He enjoyed her company immensely and it was nice to share his large house with another soul after so long.

In the first few days, he had contacted the housing complex to have her dextro food delivered to the house so that she wouldn't have to commute in order to eat. He also exhibited the foresight to install a more powerful air conditioning and filtration system, a precaution against future emergencies.

He felt a possessive air when he was around the quarian. She was living in his house, eating at his table, and sharing his company. But was she truly his? Even after everything that transpired?

"Yes," Alec replied flatly, "I am."

"Good," Mike said gravely, "Because I have some important information for you." He breathed in before continuing, "As of last night, the quarians issued a recall of their people to return to what they refer to as 'Council space.' This means that any and all quarians explicitly named have to return to the complex by a certain date where they will leave Earth."

Alec slumped in his seat. It was unbelievable. After all this time, she would be leaving him for good. It was so unfair. Why was it, when everything was starting to go right for him, that she would be taken away from him. What gave them the right?

"When…when is the recall supposed to take place?"

"Tuesday."

Alec involuntarily glanced at the calendar, "That's only three days away, Mike."

"I know," Mike said sadly, "But because the government has not made any headway involving the murder of those admirals and because of the pressure the quarians are exerting, there is really no other alternative for them to leave until things cool down over here. I'm sorry, Alec. I know how much she means to you."

"You have no idea," Alec said, quietly so that Mike was unable to hear him. His fingers started shaking. A thought crept into his mind, one last ray of hope, "Are there humans allowed to accompany the quarians on the recall? Because, it would make sense if…"

Mike, watching from the other screen, raised a hand, "There are humans going on the voyage, yes. But, the majority of them are scientists and they all received endorsements from the quarian captain. Last I heard, no civilians were allowed."

That hit the nail on the head. Alec breathed out, defeated, "Is there anything else?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

Alec leaned forward in disbelief, "Go on."

"The government has also recently authorized the quarians to bear arms in light of the attacks. They want to make sure that no further incidents are going to take place, but they're not going to alert the public to this in light of a major panic."

Mike now was leaning forward as well, "This is the tricky bit. I know that Miss Zorah will be accompanying you to your conference on Monday, she will most likely be packing. However, if you do run into any trouble, any at all, you must not allow her to shoot anyone. If word picks up that an alien shot a human with one of their weapons, for whatever reason, there will be a major diplomatic incident that will necessitate the moving of mountains to quell. Do I make myself clear?"

Alec sat straight, "Perfectly, Mike."

"You may want to bring a weapon of your own. We will be providing an escort, but just to be safe, I'd bring one along for extra protection."

Sighing, Alec nodded. This was the last thing he needed. To now have to worry about her safety compounded with the information that she was about to leave forever? What a day this was turning out to be.

"I'll do my best."

Mike gave a sympathetic smile, "I know you will, son. Good luck out there."


The rest of the day went by slowly. Alec, sat in a chair by the window for a time, his thoughts troubled.

"…the quarians are issuing a recall…"

"…you must not allow her to shoot anyone…"

"Never leave me again."

He was fighting a losing battle. With each passing moment he grew angrier. He had been sitting in the chair for a whole hour in the same position, but to him it only felt like five minutes.

"Fuck," he grumbled, "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!"

He knew Tali was up by now, he should probably go look for her, but instead he lifted himself up and walked towards the kitchen. Eyeing the rack next to the fridge, he grabbed the first bottle he saw and lifted it out. It was a bottle of Tanqueray gin, a gift from Gavin, actually. Opening the top, he swiped the nearest glass off the counter and filled it to the brim. Satisfied at the amount, he lifted the glass to his lips and took a huge swig.

He immediately exploded into a coughing fit, the alcohol burning its way down his throat. His lungs felt like they were on fire. His vision instantly blurred, the stuff was so potent. Wiping his eyes, he breathed in and out for a few seconds before raising the glass again. One more couldn't hurt.


"Alec?"

He was aware of a voice in his ear. The voice sounded distant, rather tinny, with an electronic hint to it. Why was that?

He was aware of something touching him, shaking his shoulder. He couldn't move. He was too tired to even lift his head.

"Alec?" The voice persisted, "Wake up!"

Opening his eyes a crack, he was punished by a flood of light so bright that he shut them again. He also noticed that everything seemed to be at an angle. That was when he realized that he was lying on the floor. As feeling started to slowly seep back into his body, he discovered that the floor wasn't very comfortable. It was stone, after all.

Audibly groaning, it seemed to be a Herculean effort to even lift his arms to prop his body up. His cheek felt wet. His eyes drew to the spot where he'd been laying and saw that the area where his head had previously occupied was damp, he'd been lying in a puddle of his own drool.

Now there was a pair of hands assisting his flight, two strong hands with an abnormal amount of digits gently guiding him up and propping him against the wall.

Vision clearing, a purple mass suddenly appeared in his field of view. He sighed in disappointment. Why did she have to see him like this?

"Hello…Tali," he mustered.

The familiar visor tilted, "You bosh'tet, what did you do? Why do this to yourself?"

Alec lazily gazed across the room and he heard the tinkle of what only could be broken glass. Peering down, he found the source of disturbance: chunks of glass were sprinkled around the kitchen floor. The remains of the glass that held the gin.

He sighed, "I'm sorry, Tali. I must have gotten carried away. No need to worry." He made his best effort to smile, despite the dizziness that surrounded him every time he moved a muscle. "What time is it anyway?"

"It's eight at night," Tali said, scoldingly, "But what were you doing drinking in the middle of the afternoon? If I hadn't checked downstairs after I was performing last minute calibrations, who- who knows what might have happened!"

Alec immediately felt guilty at her words, ashamed at the worry he'd caused her. She seemed to sense this and gingerly wrapped her arms around his waist to get him to his feet. Another wave of dizziness washed over him and he staggered in her grasp.

"You, mister, are going up to your bed right now," she said forcefully.

Alec, about to protest that he had enough sleep, stopped himself when blackness started to creep into his vision, the remnants of his drunken encounter. Wisely, he remained mum, not wanting to worry the woman in his house even more.

"Lead the way, then," he smiled.


The faucet running, Alec splashed water onto his face in an effort to wake himself up. He was standing in front of a mirror in his bathroom, khakis and a button up shirt on his person. Wetting his comb, he applied it to his hair in an effort to control the curling from the humidity that the shower caused.

Yesterday was rather awkward for him. He had spent practically the whole morning apologizing to Tali for his unforgivable behavior. She, in a role reversal, had nonchalantly shrugged off his stammering and wringing and at one point, forcibly put a finger to his lips and told him to stop. But it was all lightness and full of acceptance as she did it, accepting his apologies and Alec shut up then and there.

Gazing at his reflection, he realized that he still hadn't discussed the recall with Tali. She didn't know he knew about it, but how to bring it up? He couldn't just waltz downstairs and say with a smile on his face, "So, you're leaving tomorrow?" That was completely inappropriate.

Sighing, he threw on his leather jacket and shoes and started to walk downstairs. While in the kitchen, he recalled Mike's words to him two days ago.

"You may want to bring a weapon of your own…"

He realized that Mike was right. If nothing else, then he was the only protection she had on this trip. He opened the door to the basement, walked down the creaky steps and made for the safe. Twisting the dial in its familiar pattern, it opened and Alec glanced at the top shelf.

Bringing a rifle onto a corporate headquarters was a bad idea all around. The AR-15 was a bulky gun, required two hands to use, and would be useless in an ambush. Alec instead pulled out a smaller box and opened it on the table beside him.

The FN Five-Seven was a Belgian gun, unremarkable by today's standards. It used specialized 5.7 millimeter bullets that were custom made to fit the gun. Unlike most pistols, the Five-Seven had the capacity to fit twenty rounds in its magazine, as opposed to the mean of twelve. It was a light, compact gun that would be useful for the situation. The gun was his own, unlike the rifle, bought with his own money so Alec felt a sense of pride and ownership as he hefted the gun into the shoulder holster, which he then proceeded to attach underneath his buttoned shirt. Satisfied that it was concealed properly, he headed back up.

Tali was waiting in the kitchen when he arrived, but Alec's eyes were drawn to the object at her waist. It was light grey, grooved, and little red lights ran alongside it. It didn't take Alec long to comprehend what he was staring at was a gun and a very futuristic looking gun at that. If Tali noticed Alec's distracted gaze, she didn't mention anything. Alec, for his part, didn't mention the gun as well. The timing didn't seem appropriate.

"You ready?" She asked first, beating him to the punch.

"Ready as ever," he responded with a smile, "I've got everything packed, how about you?"

She crossed her arms in a gesture of mock incredulity, "I've got everything I need right here."

At that, Alec stared for a second, then gestured towards the door, "Shall we go?"

Tali held up her hand, "Almost. I forgot, the package drone dropped this off yesterday." She held out a thin yellow package to him.

Intrigued, Alec ripped open the package to find a set of keys within, along with a note. Setting the wrapping aside, he read the note aloud.

Alec, the folks in the business world like to see employees who exhibit a sense of style, no offense. I got in touch with the guys at corporate and they agreed to provide you with a company car for the day. This is just for cosmetic appearances as we'd like to show you off to the Siemens guys because I don't think a motorcycle or an old Honda SUV is going to cut it. Hope you enjoy the ride. Spared no expense.

-Mike

Alec hefted the keys in his hand for a bit and laughed. Tali, watching, cocked her head, "What's so funny?"

"I think my Hondas just got insulted."

Tali shook her head, "They're just cars, you know."

Alec grinned, "Yeah, I know. But it's also something more, I can't really explain it. Come on, let's go see what Mike brought us."

With that, they exited out the front door, stepping down the cobblestone walk, around towards the back. When they rounded the final corner, Alec let out a whistle.

"They weren't kidding about appearances."

In front of them, in shining black, lay a 2022 Audi RS6 luxury sedan. The wheels were brushed alloys, the side trim was carbon fiber, and the grill glistened sinisterly in the sun. The car cost $90,000 out of the showroom and Alec suspected that they hadn't gone for the base model either.

Clicking the key, Alec heard the doors unlock and the engine started instantly at the touch. Glancing at each other, both of them clambered into the car. Inside was a mix of leather and chrome as the entire dashboard was covered in the stuff. A GPS navigation system took up the bulk of the area, complete with internet access. The dials in the front were electronic, LED lit. And the radio was already on, Bang and Olufsen made, sending classical music flowing throughout the interior (which Alec promptly turned off).

Adjusting herself in her seat, Tali sighed, "It's…very comfortable. Do all cars have such…luxurious amenities?

Alec shrugged, "Only if you can afford it."

Then a wicked grin spread across his face, there was one feature that he'd spied that was sure to shock Tali. This was going to be gold. Reaching towards the touchscreen, he pressed the icon for the seat controls. Before Tali could ask what he was doing, he swiped his fingers across the screen. The result came moments later. Tali arched her back, gasping for breath as Alec laughed beside her. Between her squealing, she managed to choke out a few words to him.

"What…is…this…Alec?" She managed.

Alec still laughing, gestured to the console, "Massaging seats, Tali. I'm guessing that you don't have these on the Flotilla?"

"No," she groaned, "But I know what I'm going to do when- oh Keelah…"

Grinning at her wonder, Alec shifted the car into drive and continued down the road, where he noticed that a nondescript sedan pulled off the street and started following them. That must be the escort Mike had promised.

Tali had switched off the seat by now, but both were still settling into their new surroundings even after they got onto the highway.

Two hours to Hartford, enough time to talk.


Oddly enough, neither one of them had spoken a word since they left the house. The Audi glided silently on the road, the large V8 surprisingly quiet. The ride was comfortable, the car responsive, it was a match made in heaven. The unmarked sedan followed close by, but it was seemingly having trouble keeping up with the sleek German car.

It wasn't until they passed Waterbury, that Alec started to open his mouth to ask what was bothering Tali when she, again, beat him to it.

"I…got a message from the Flotilla a- a few days ago." She hung her head shamefully.

Alec glanced at her, mouth in a hard line, "About the recall?"

At that she glanced upward, "How did you know?"

"Mike told me…around the same time"

"But…why didn't you say anything?"

Alec sighed, found the Driver Assist button, depressed it and took his hands off the wheel so that he could fully face Tali.

"Why? I guess I wanted to hear it from you. I wanted to know that if I mattered enough to you for you to tell me something this important."

Tali let out a little sniffle, "I…I- didn't think y- you'd understand. I thought you would get a- angry. You do m- matter to me, Alec. I just was so caught up, I- I didn't want to see you hurt…"

Alec paused. It was easy to see, despite the visor covering her face, that the woman was clearly miserable. She was upset at the thought of having to leave the planet that for five years, had been her home. But most of all, she was upset at the fact that she had to leave him behind.

Reaching down, he unbuckled his seatbelt so that he could move across the median and wrap Tali in a hug. She was now crying openly. "I do understand, Tali. I would like nothing more than to spend more time with you, if that was possible. But right now, as circumstance has it, if we have to be apart, then so be it. But I will never stop thinking about you. You are a friend that I will cherish for the rest of my life, possibly even my best friend."

Wait, what did you just say?

It was too late to stop the flood of emotion that came from Tali from his words. She threw her arms around him as he gently rocked her from side to side as she cried. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the blissful warmth that came from her enviro-suit. He didn't care if any passing driver saw the scene transpiring in the car: a human hugging a quarian. If he had died at that very moment, he would have been at his most content.

As the car continued down the road, Tali loosened her arms around Alec's neck, "Did you mean all of that?" She whispered.

Alec gently unwrapped his own arms from around her thin body to cup the sides of her mask, "Every word."

At this, she reciprocated by placing her own hands on his cheeks, caressing them and feeling the smoothness of his skin.

"Thank you."


He was too far back, in the sedan that followed the Audi, for the man sitting behind the wheel to even see what was going on. The man, a police officer of fifteen years, yawned as he cracked his knuckles whilst the car zoomed by at eighty miles an hour.

He hated the drive to Hartford. The road was terrible, the route was twisty and convoluted, there was always traffic, there was-

The CB radio on his dash squawked and with military precision, he grabbed the receiver and spoke into it.

"Yes?"

"Report," the voice on the other end barked.

"They just passed the exit to Cheshire."

"And their destination?"

The driver squinted, rummaging on the passenger seat for the slip of paper with his orders.

"UTC corporate, arrival in thirty-five minutes."

"Do you have an estimate for the time they start their return trip?"

"Negative, I'll keep you posted. Out."

As he set the receiver down, the driver couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear. Not just for his own sake, but for the sake of the people seated in the car ahead of him.