Chapter 8: Truth
Shepard's mentality had been shaken as his crew and he cleared Cerberus facilities and bases, and his crew noticed. He looked more disturbed, afraid and angry. While his emotions weren't in his voice nor were they in his actions, they were in his eyes. The intensity grew after finding Admiral Kahoku's body at one of the previous Cerberus bases they found and destroyed. The Normandy just had two locations to look into before their leads into Cerberus dried up. It was at a base on Ontarom to investigate the deaths of several Alliance scientists, Shepard ran into a familiar face.
"Shepard?" Toombs gasped. His arm was shaky as he aimed at the frightened scientist. "My god, Shepard, is that you?"
"Toombs?" Shepard gasped. It was his old buddy from his unit on Akuze. All this time he thought he had died when the Thresher Maws attacked. "I thought you died. I saw you get attacked by that Thresher Maw!"
Kaidan and Tali, who were with him, looked to Shepard and to Toombs.
"The scientists took me Shepard."
"You can't prove any of this!" the scientists screamed. "This man is delusional!"
"They were running tests on the Thresher Maws," Toombs explained. "They let those things hit us just to watch and study. I woke up in a holding cell. The scientists were delighted that I had survived. Now they had someone to run tests on."
"Toombs, I spent the entire week I was on the planet searching for anyone... anyone who survived the attack," Shepard said remorsefully.
"You can't believe Toombs," the scientist scoffed. "He doesn't have any proof. I demand a fair trial."
"He was there, you bastard!" Toombs roared. "He knows the truth! They were part of a secret organization, Cerberus, that runs secret tests like this. They treated me like a lab animal. This man deserves to die, Shepard! For you, for me, for those who weren't lucky enough to get off of Akuze. Are you with me?"
"You're better than this, Toombs," Shepard said. "You're not like them."
"Don't tell me who I am!" Toombs bellowed. "You got away with a few scratches and a scary reputation! I was tortured for years, Shepard! You can't judge me! You don't have the right!"
"You think you were the only one who Cerberus tortured Toombs?" Shepard inquired. "You don't think I don't know what you've been through?"
"What are you talking about, Shepard?"
"Cerberus killed everyone I've ever known and loved, Toombs!" Shepard exploded.
Tali and Kaidan stared at Shepard in shock.
"Cerberus found me when I was four-years-old. They took me and killed my entire family. They proceeded to torture me until I was ten when I finally escaped the torture! I had to bury my own family and I swore upon their graves that that injustice could not go unpunished. Cerberus took everything from me! I know exactly how you feel!"
"I-I didn't know," Toombs muttered. "If that's true then why are you trying to stop me when you know exactly what they've done?"
Shepard took a couple steps towards Toombs. "Because as much as I want their organization destroyed. The last thing I want is for their crimes to fade into obscurity. Killing this man will only help Cerberus. It'll cover up what they did on Akuze. You want justice for what was done to you and the others on Akuze? We take this man in, and let the galaxy know exactly what Cerberus has done. Don't let Cerberus turn you into a murderer, Toombs."
Toombs thought on what Shepard said for a moment before lowering his weapon. "Okay. You're right. I don't want this covered up. We take this to trial. Let everyone know what they've done. Maybe the screaming will stop now. I don't know."
Shepard placed a hand on Toombs' shoulder. "It'll fade over time. I promise you that."
VVVVVV
The crew sat at the table in the mess thinking over what happened. Tali, Garrus, Kaidan, Ashley, Liara, Joker and several other crew members were seated. "I just can't believe that's what happened to the Commander when he was a kid," Kaidan said.
"Did Shepard ever tell you about this, Tali?" Liara asked Tali.
"N-No," she replied. "He's never- Every time I asked him about his past he would tell me that it was an upsetting issue that he wasn't ready to talk about yet. I-I just wish I didn't find out like that?"
"Can't really blame him for that," Kaidan said. "Toombs would have likely killed that scientist if Shepard hadn't said all that he did."
"Did Shepard say anything else?" Garrus asked. "Like where he was held? Who were involved?"
"No," Kaidan replied shaking his head. "When we tried asked for further elaboration, Shepard just said, 'Back to the Mako.' He went directly to his cabin and he's been there since we finished the mission. He... seems fairly upset."
"Someone should talk to him," Ashley suggested while looking at Tali.
"Me?" she said.
"You are Shepard's best friend," Ash pointed out. "It only seems right that it'd be you to make sure he's okay."
Tali got up from the table. "You're right, Ash." She walked towards Shepard's cabin. The door was set to lock. "Shepard? It's Tali. Can I come in?" The light on door went green. She opened the door and walked in.
"Well, hopefully she'll take care of things," Ash said with a slight yawn. "I need to finish weapon inspection before heading to get some shut eye. See you all later."
"I think I'll look into those Prothean disks we recovered," Liara said as she got up.
"Alright now that they're all gone," Joker said. "I'm starting up a new pool."
"And the bet?" one of the crewmen asked.
"Who will Shepard go for?" Joker announced. "Liara or Ashley."
Garrus' mandibles went apart. "We find out about Shepard's traumatized past, and you're making bets on who Shepard will bed?"
"Easy, Garrus," one of the crew members said. "It's not like we're trying to bet whether or not Shepard will go crazy. And this isn't the first time we've made pools. The last one was whether or not the point behind the Eden Prime mission was to see if Shepard was being tested to be a Spectre."
"I made a killing on that one," Joker commented. He took out a blank credit chit and placed it on the table. "Okay just like last time, credits go onto this credit chit. The winner or winners will have the total credits on here. I'll be checking with everyone else on the ship to see if they're joining in. So who will it be: Liara or Ashley. Now we know Shepard has been frequently visiting Liara in her room next to the med-bay; even giving her 'one-on-one' training when many of the crew members here are more than capable of doing it. And then there's Ashley where they exchange poetry, plus the 'Oh Captain, my Captain' line she pulled could have gotten his attention. Kaidan?"
Kaidan gave it a thought and activated his credit chit. "Liara."
"The Chief," one of the crewmen said.
"Wiliams," said the other.
Joker placed his bet on the omni-tool and looked to Garrus. "You joining in Garrus?"
"Why not?" Garrus shrugged. "Though, mind if I put my credits towards a third-candidate."
This caught the attention of the crew around the table.
"Sure..." Joker said. "But who's the third?"
"Seriously?" Garrus chided. "I may not be experienced in Human affection, but even I could see it."
"Who?"
"Tali'Zorah. I mean, I see the Commander really smile when she's around. And then there was when he found her in the alley. Let's just say that hug was a little too friendly."
"Is it even possible to have a relationship with a Quarian that isn't platonic?" one of the crewmen asked. "If I recall, Quarians are stuck in those suits because of their weakened immune systems. Right?"
"True..." Kaidan agreed. "Garrus, have you ever heard of a Quarian leaving their suit for someone of another race?"
"I've heard of... rumors. It's extremely dangerous for a Quarian to leave their suit for someone else. It's even risky to do it with their own race. With another race, they would need anti-biotics, a clean room, et cetera, et cetera. And then they could risk an infection that could kill them. A lot of trust and preparation is involved."
"How exactly do you know all this?" Kaidan asked.
"I'm one of the few C-Sec officers who are more... tolerant towards Quarians. And of course you need to be knowledgeable of other races and cultures in my line of work. I'll tell you, I've seen Quarians date other races, but never leave their suits."
VVVVVV
Tali walked into Shepard's room and saw him sitting on the foot of his bed. He was watching a holo-screen of, in Tali's opinion, a beautiful woman who was singing. She was around eighteen years old and had medium-length red hair. She was singing in a language that didn't translate for Tali. The woman's singing was angelic. Tali felt really moved by it. The song was just at its end shortly after she entered the room, leaving Tali a little dissatisfied.
Shepard looked over to her and gave her a weak, sad smile. "Hey, Tali." He wave to her to get her to move forward.
"I wanted to see how you were doing."
"Better I guess." He leaned forward and planted his elbows, clamped his hands together and rested his head on them.
"Who was that you were listening to?" Talia asked just to fill the silence.
"I'ana. My older sister."
Tali stiffened at the response. His sister?
"Would you like to sit here with me?"
Considering it was on his bed, it was a little awkward for her, but she couldn't refuse the offering. "Yes." Tali came up next to him and slowly sat down next to him.
"She really has a beautiful singing voice."
"She does, doesn't she? When Cerberus did what they did to me, I had only two things left from my original life. My family's sword, Nemain, and two recordings of my sister singing. I would occasionally listen to her to ease my nerves or just to remember her. Would you like to hear the other recording?"
"Yes, I would."
The screen in front of them flickered and there she stood opening with a singing tone that expressed a musically rhythm.
Hahren na melana sahlin
Emma ir abelas
Souver'inan isala hamin
Vhenan him dor'felas
In uthenera na revas
She sang the same tone from the beginning of the song.
Vir sulahn'nehn
Vir dirthera
Vir samahl la numin
Vir lath sa'vunin
The video ended after she took a bow before a large theatre.
"T-That was amazing. What was that song about?"
"It was about someone dying and the feeling of loss we feel when someone's time has come. But continues to say even though that person has died, their memories still live on in those who cared for them."
"I've never heard that language though. I thought Humans translated all their languages."
"It's a long dead language," he replied with further explaining. "I'm sorry you found out about my life like that."
"It's okay-"
"No it's not," Shepard interrupted. "I've called you my best friend, but I didn't tell you this. Even then it wasn't the full truth."
"It isn't?"
"No," Shepard said as he stood up.
Tali got to her feet as well.
"It was only a small part of the truth." Shepard looked her in the eyes. "I-I want you to be the first person I want to tell about my life. About who I am." Shepard reached forward and lightly grabbed Tali's hands, allowing them to rest in his palms.
The gesture surprised Tali, but it was not unwelcomed. She blushed a little.
"I've been afraid to tell you because I was worried you would hate me for not telling you for so long. The way things are going... I want you to be the first to know. "
"John..." she cooed.
"Tali, I'm-"
"Commander," Joker said over the comm. system.
A look of irritation came across Shepard's face. "Yes, Joker?"
"We are making our approach to Nepheron."
"Got it Joker."
"We need to be ready, I want you on the ground with Garrus."
"Okay, Shepard." She reluctantly took her hands back. It was nice holding his hands.
"Oh, and Tali?"
"Yes?"
Another surprising gesture, Shepard wrapped his arms around her in a hug. "Thank you for everything."
Tali couldn't help but wrap her arms around him, just to feel this close to him. It felt so nice.
"I'll tell you everything after the mission Tali, I promise."
VVVVVV
Garrus and Tali sat at the back of the Mako as Shepard drove towards the final Cerberus base. The two sat across from each other. Garrus noticed Tali just staring at Shepard. She looked like she was day-dreaming. Garrus gave her foot a light tap. This broke her concentration. Even though he couldn't see her face through the mask, he could tell she was not happy. Garrus tapped on his helmet to tell her to switch to a private conversation.
"How did it go with Shepard?" he asked sincerely.
"As well as- it possibly can. He'll be okay."
"What did you two talk about?"
"A little about the Cerberus thing. I-I can't say much more than that."
"Did you tell him how you feel about him?"
"What?" Tali yelled to the point where she was worried that Shepard might have somehow heard her. "What gave you the idea that I-I-"
"Tali, relax," Garrus said, surprised at her outburst. "I know. You would have to be blind not to see how you look at him or even act around him. Of course I guess that means the entire Normandy crew is blind."
Tali rubbed her arm. "No, I didn't."
"Why not?"
"Why no- Why do you think? I am stuck in this suit. I can't even show him my face without getting ill. What type of relationship could I have with him?"
"Just a question. Have you seen him with other friends?"
"Other than the Normandy crew? No."
"Have you seen him with a girlfriend or mention someone significant to him?"
"No..."
"Tali, I may not be an expert on Humans, but that sounds like dedication. Frankly, I think he feels the same way about you."
"Look Garrus, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but-"
She was cut off when the Mako's cannon fired shaking the vehicle. Several more rounds went off before the tank came to a full stop.
"Base's perimeter is clear," Shepard announced. "Ready yourselves. This base is going to be one hell of a fight."
"Got it, Shepard," Garrus acknowledged.
They got out of the tank and approached the base's entrance. They went inside and allowed the airlock to do its cycle to allow them inside. The first room of the base was empty, but Shepard's motion tracker could sense move in the room ahead. Shepard approached the doorway to the door and nodded to Garrus and Tali to take cover.
The door sprung open. Shepard rushed to the structure's support to take cover from the Cerberus operatives' fire. "Tali, take out the operative's shield on the right! Garrus same, but the one to the one second to the left."
His team mates responded immediately. John saw the two operatives' shields flash signifying their elimination. Shepard used a pull field causing the two Cerberus agents to fly towards their firing range. They screamed as they watched Tali and Garrus take aim. Bang! Bang! Their lifeless bodies somersaulted from the impacted of the rounds. Two operatives down. Four to go.
Shepard pulled out two grenades and searched the area for the other operatives. Two of them jumped out of cover and started charging at his team. John threw each of his grenades to each of the charging agents. Each grenade stuck to their intended targets. The operatives saw what clamped down on their suits and they frantically tried to remove it. Shepard activated his omni-tool and set off the grenades. Their bodies blew into two bloody halves.
Shepard heard gunfire from his team mates and saw that they took down the other two operatives.
"Area's clear, Shepard," Garrus said. "We should check to see if they have any databases."
"Right," Shepard agreed.
They moved towards the backrooms. Garrus and Tali followed Shepard to the room of the left. Inside the room was a large database with a terminal in the back of the room.
"There must be untold amounts of data on Cerberus here," Tali though out loud.
"Finally something," Shepard exclaimed, a slight amount of joy and relief in his voice. He approached the terminal and went through its menu to download its data. An alarm went off at the terminal. A program activated and started to purge its data. "No, no, no!" Shepard yelled as his begun hacking its defenses. "Override. Countermanding. Overwrite!" he yelled these things as he tried stopping the purge. A text came up acknowledging his command input, stopping the purge. "Recover. Restore." Shepard breathed a sigh of relief. It was too close. He downloaded the Cerberus data. "Alright, I got the data."
"Which you'll be handing back over to us," another voice said.
Shepard and Garrus turned around to see a squad of a dozen Cerberus operatives. The leader of the group was holding Tali with a knife held to her.
"I'm sorry, John," Tali said.
"You're going to drop your weapons and surrender, or I'll open this Bucket's suit," the operative said.
"Let her go!" Shepard demanded with his pistol leveled at his head.
"I told you to drop your weapons or she fucking dies! Now!"
Tali grabbed the operative's hand that was holding the knife and struggled against him. Shepard couldn't get a shot with the struggling. The operative pressed down on her stomach hard making her gasp. The pause was enough for him to pull his arm back and slam the butt of his knife into Tali's head, knocking her out.
Shepard pulled out Nemain and roared, "Let her go now!"
The stance Shepard took was all too familiar to the operative. His eyes widen. "No... It can't be..."
Shepard finally got a good look at his face. A scar ran diagonally across his face from the top of his right brow to the bottom left of his lips. He knew this man.
"You!" Shepard bellowed. "You're the one who killed my family!"
"No!" the man yelled in a scared voice. His operatives were confused by their leader's sudden change in confidence. "Y-You're dead. You and your whole species is dead."
Now Garrus was confused. "What is he talking about, Shepard?"
"Now is not the time Garrus." Shepard looked at the scarred man in the eyes. It really was him. The man who tortured him. Experimented on him. Forced him to watch his parents have their throats slit. "You remember me. Then you know exactly what I'm capable of. Let her go and you won't be harmed."
"You think you have me fooled, Artician? I know that after what we did to your galaxy, you're here to make us pay for it."
"I'm offering you a way out alive."
The scarred man looked to Tali and then smiled. "Tell me, Artician. Just what is this Bucket to you?"
Shepard didn't answer.
"She means a lot to you, doesn't she?" he gave a throaty chuckle. "She's your Eli'Demi, isn't she?"
Again Sheppard didn't answer.
"Looks like I have my own way out alive." The scarred man used his knife and cut across Tali's stomach. Her suit was open and her skin was cut. Her dark red blood bled from the wound.
"No!" Shepard screamed. His vision began to fade and then turn black.
"Tali!" Garrus yelled. Garrus looked to Shepard. Something happened to him. "Shepard!"
Shepard stood there lifeless. His gun and sword dropped from his hands.
"Shepard, what are you doing?" Garrus yelled.
"Don't bother, Turian," the scarred man said to him. "When an Artician's Eli'Dimi is killed or is dying, the same happens to them. Shepard at the moment is either dead or dying. Either way, the Illusive Man's going to reward me for finding him."
"What the hell is an Artician?" Garrus demanded to know.
"A mistake in Cerberus' past. Now frankly we have no use for you, so..." he signaled his operatives to open fire.
Before they could comply with the order, electricity shot around Shepard's body. His head rose up. John's eyes glowed bright green light. His hands twitched. Green energy went over his hands and formed claws over each of his fingers.
"Shepard?" Garrus said to him. "Are you ok-"
Garrus was cut off by Shepard who gave a demonic roar. The sound was the most terrifying thing he was ever heard, or experienced.
"Oh, god," the scarred man muttered. "Kill it! Kill it!"
The operatives open fired at Shepard. The mysterious green energy stopped any round from wounding him. Shepard vanished and then reappeared in front of one of the operatives. The green energy went over Shepard's face given him the appearance of a monster. The operative was petrified. The possessed Shepard pulled his hand back and struck. The operative was instantly decapitated. His body stood for a full two seconds before falling over.
Garrus continued watching Shepard go on a rampage as he tore apart the operatives. It was a massacre. Garrus was up against the wall watching this unfold, shaking.
Shepard made his approach to the scarred man. He tried firing shotgun rounds at the approaching monstrosity. John grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up. The scarred man tried one last attempt to extinguish Shepard's life by placing the shotgun directly at his face and fired. It was in vain.
John's other hand slowly waved upwards. The man's feet started to turn into ash. He screamed, begging for mercy. More and more of his body disintegrated. It was slow and painful. His screams finally stopped when Shepard's hands got to his mid-section. Finally all that was left of his body was a pile of ash.
VVVVVV
"John!" a voice yelled.
John became conscious and he realized his was in the abyss. "Wh-What?"
The Oracle was in front of him. "You need to regain control of yourself!"
"I-I can't, she's dead," he wept. "They took everything from me!"
"She's not dead yet, Tiven'Vian, but she and Garrus will die if you do not regain control. You hold the key to saving her life. If you love her you will fight your very nature!"
Shepard looked to the maelstrom of his nature swirl before him. "For her." He jumped into the vortex within in soul.
VVVVVV
The last of the operatives fell. Garrus still hasn't moved an inch. "Sh-Shepard," he mumbled.
The thing before him looked back at him. It moved to him, too fast for Garrus to move out of the way. Its left hand wrapped around his throat. Garrus' breathing was heavily restricted. The creature pulled his right arm back readying the death strike. It launched its hand forward. Garrus closed his eyes.
Several seconds passed which made Garrus open his eyes again. The strike was stopped, just an inch from his face. The being in front of him let go of his throat and stumbled backwards. It roared as it struggled against an unknown force. A burst of energy came from him.
It was Shepard again. Shaken, but it was him. Garrus saw the look in his eyes. Sadness and fear. Shepard went over to Tali's body. He crouched down and held her unconscious body in his arms, holding her against his chest. Tears drizzled from his eyes. "Tali. Tali. Tali." He opened a vacuumed-sealed pack from the side of his suit and pulled out an injector. "It's okay, Tali. It's going to be okay." He injected the needle into the exposed skin of Tali's stomach and activated the injector.
With that last effort, Shepard passed out and fell to the ground with Tali in his arms. Garrus rushed to them. "Spirits damn it!" Garrus activated his comm. "Joker do you read? We need immediate evac!"
"What happened?"
"I-I don't know."
VVVVVV
Tali's eyes opened to see she was in the Normandy's med-bay. Her stomach hurt a little. She looked down and saw that her suit had a large patch on the stomach that was held on using omni-gel. She panicked, sitting up quickly which only made her stomach hurt more.
"Tali!" Chakwas exclaimed while running to her. "You shouldn't sit up so fast. Especially after what happened."
"What happened?" she repeated. "What do you mean? All I remember was being held hostage by that Cerberus operative."
"The operative knocked you out and for some reason, cut your stomach."
Tali looked down at her stomach.
"According to Garrus, Shepard lost it after that happened. Took down the entire Cerberus squad. He then injected you with something."
"What?" Tali gasped.
"Tali..." Chakwas started. "Have you noticed that you don't have a fever after being cut across the stomach in an unclean environment?"
Tali's eyes widen. She just realized that she didn't feel hot at all. No itchy throat. No soreness. She was fine.
"I took a blood sample and found that the Commander injected you with some sort of nanomachines. These nanomachines seem to act as a secondary immune system while interacting with your immune system. I think they are making you immune system stronger. Tali... You can leave your suit."
That last line shocked Tali into silence. Leave her suit. The thought was something she thought she would never hear in her lifetime. "H-How did Shepard get-?"
"I have no idea. These nanomachines are beyond anything I have ever seen. The technology surpasses anything I have ever seen in medicine. Hell, these things make medi-gel look like a band-aid. I would go as far to say these things saved your life."
"Where is he? Where's Shepard?"
Chakwas nodded behind Tali. Tali looked back and saw Shepard lying on the med-bay table.
"John!" she cried out. Tali rushed to his side. "What happened?"
"John passed out after he injected you with the nanomachines. I looked at his brain activity and noticed it is similar to after he encountered the beacon on Eden Prime. Right now, we are just waiting for him to wake up."
"Mind if I stay here?"
"I need you here for observation, anyways, so of course. I found this in Shepard's room." Chakwas handed Tali was box with her name on it along with the phrase 'Happy Birthday'.
Tali opened the box and saw that inside was a Colossus suit. She started to choke and cry. "I-I would like to be along, please."
"Of course, dear."
VVVVVV
"You have done well, Tiven'Vian," the Oracle declared.
"That was a trial?" Shepard bellowed.
"I'm afraid so."
"I'll take all the punishment this galaxy can throw at me, but when it comes to her being harmed, that's over the line!"
"The trials you face ahead will test your very foundation and willpower. Overcoming your own nature was a stepping-stone to make you strong enough to face what the future holds. A future you do not have to face alone."
"I'm sorry?"
"Your Eli'Dimi. Tali'Zorah."
"I can't... She deserves someone better than me. You told me that I'm suppose to die, AGAIN, in my final trial and then come back after two years. Am I supposed to ask her to wait for me? I cannot put her through that pain. She deserves better."
"Maybe you should consider what she wants as oppose to what you think she deserves." The Oracle pointed Shepard to a portal that acted as a window. Through it he saw Tali sitting next to his unconscious body holding his hand. She was wearing the Colossus suit John was going to give to her for her birthday tomorrow. Shepard could hear Tali crying.
"I'm so sorry, Shepard. I shouldn't have gotten caught. I'm so sorry. You saved me, again. Like you've always done since we were kids. Always looking out for me. You're the best friend I ever had and it pains me to see you like this because you don't deserve this. You deserve so much. You're always giving and never asking for anything in return. Even now you have given me a new suit and now... Now thanks to whatever you injected me with, I can feel unfiltered air on my face. Actually feel something without a glove in the way. A-And I never admitted it, but you come to mean more to me than a friend. So much more. I-I love you."
Those words made Shepard's heart jump. He felt the Oracle's hand on his shoulder. "Stop denying how you feel and for once in your life, be happy."
"I just love you so much," Tali said through tears. She felt Shepard's hand tighten around hers.
Shepard's eyes opened and he said back sweetly, "I love you too, Tali."
Tali was speechless. So many emotions ran through her. Relief that he was okay, joy that he admitted the very thing she has longed for so long.
Shepard quickly got to his feet and stood before her. He looked her in the eyes and said it again, "I love you, Tali."
"John!" She wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his chest.
"I'm so sorry that I took so long to admit it to you," Shepard said.
"It's okay," she said through tears. Tali looked up at him and took a step back. She reached for his mask.
"Tali, wait," Shepard said.
"It's okay, John," she cooed. "Chakwas told me about the nanomachines. I-I want you to see my face. You're the only one I've wanted to see my face."
Shepard softly grabbed her hands. "And I do want to see your face, but there's something I need to tell you. I need to tell you who I am. I just... I want you to love me for me and not what you think I am. I just need you to hear me out, listen to the full story."
The resistance she gave his hands that were pulling her hands away from his face, gave away. "I'll listen, John."
"To the whole story?"
"To the whole story," she said with worry in her voice.
"Tali... I'm not a Human," he admitted.
Tali could have expected him to say many things, but this... She would never have guessed this was his confession. "What? If you're not a Human then what are you?"
"I'm an Artician. A race from a parallel universe."
"I-I don't know how to respond to that. All this time you were pretending to be someone you're not."
"Tali...I'm still me."
"Why did you not tell me this before?" There was anger in her voice.
"Because trillions could die."
Again Tali was struck speechless.
"Tali, an ability my race has is to be able to share memories. If you allow me, I can show you everything, if you still trust me."
Tali thought it over for a minute before offering her hands. She looked him in the eyes. Shepard's eyes glowed blue. There was a flash and Tali found herself in a dark area. There were no noticeable objects. Just darkness. She felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Shepard.
"Where are we?"
"We are in my mind."
"It's a bit empty."
"If I allowed all of my memories to come forth at once it could do serious harm to you. I will tell you the story of my life." A world appeared before them. It was a lush garden world with large oceans and the land masses were covered in greenery. There were storms all over the planet. "This was my homeworld: Artice. We evolved in a harsh environment. So we developed DNA that is in flux, making us extremely adaptable to our harsh environment. We also naturally evolved neural nodes that manipulate dark and alpha energy."
"Alpha?"
"It is another form of energy that exist alongside dark energy. As far as my people know, it existed before the universe did. It is partly responsible for the creation of everything. It is also partially responsible for the rapid expansion of the galaxy. When I glow green, that's me tapping into Alpha energy. It has more uses than dark energy such as manipulation of molecules and physical attributes. I can sue it to briefly make myself stronger. The downside of Alpha energy though is that you can easily become consumed by it if you are reckless. It takes years of training to use it responsibly. Over time we evolved to conquer our world and rapidly advance in technology. We had interstellar spaceflight without the use of Eezo, which doesn't exist in our galaxy."
"How is that even possible?"
"Our ships used two forms of travel. FTL and instantaneous. For FTL travel we have Alcubierre drives. It uses negative energy to create a warp bubble. This bubble contracts space in front of the ship while expanding it behind the ship. This causes the ship to ride a wave of space. It's roughly ten times faster than the fastest traveling ship in this galaxy."
"Keelah."
"Our second form of travel is creating temporary wormholes. Our ships fire what amounts to a negative energy bomb that briefly connects a folded space. This is how my kind overcame FTL travel. My civilization has existed for over fifty thousand years. Over that time we ran into other races. Rasitians, Praetorins, Rak'en, and Tia'zu. We also created one."
"Created?"
"Over a thousand years ago, my race was experimenting in automotive advancements and accidentally created AIs."
That sounded too eerily similar to her people.
"What did you do?"
"We had our own policies when it came to sentient life. The Exions, as we all have come to call them, fell into the category of sentient life and were granted status and a seat in our galactic government. They have been close allies of our since. I understand if that hits a little close to home."
"You think? Are you trying to say that what we did was wrong?"
"No," he replied matter-of-factly. "While we don't agree with the elimination of any sentient life, in this case your people were not one hundred percent that what you had was truly sentient or on the verge of sentience. The Geth were just further along than you ancestors first thought. There was also the matter of Council law that your people were trying to a bid to. No one blames your people for what happened. Not even the Exions. Your punishment is unjust. The vial I gave you is just one of the ways we wish to help your people. We have been working on fixing your people's immune system for the last 18 years. The vial I gave you was the finished product. We are now actively working towards having enough doses for your entire population and for future generations until your people have recovered."
"You mean my people will be freed from our suits."
Shepard placed a hand on her cheek and with a smile replied, "Yes."
Tali hugged him. "Th-Thank you. I'm sorry I got upset with you."
"I understand. This is a lot to take in."
"You said today that that Cerberus thing was just a part of the truth. What does Cerberus have to do with anything?"
The image of a wormhole appeared. A ship flew through; it was a Human. "Over twenty years ago, a wormhole opened up connecting our universe and galaxies. Cerberus agents were the first to find it. We interacted with one another. Learned from each other, but as it turned out they were doing experiments behind our backs. I was one of them. I was chosen as my people's Tiven'Vian."
"Tiven'Vian?"
"It comes from three words from my native language. Tivos meaning Defender. Via meaning Honor. Ano meaning Morality. Defender of Honor and Morality. A Tiven'Vian only appears in my family's bloodline."
"Your bloodline? How exactly is a Tiven'Vian is chosen?"
Shepard's sword Nemain appeared before them. "The crystal at the end of this weapon flashes when it is touched for the first time by a Tiven'Vian. This weapon was crafted over fifty thousand years ago by a man who allowed his body to act as a temporary vessel for the Oracle."
"Oracle?"
"She is a spirit that has acted as our people's guide four eons."
"Do you worship her?"
"No. We take in her advisement and council. She'll directly guide Tiven'Vian, which she has for me. Now I was chosen by the sword twenty five years ago. This was a horrifying day, because Tiven'Vians only appears when a cataclysm is over the horizon. Cerberus agents were interested in me, so they kidnapped my family and me. This caused a panic among my people."
"Because they took you, their Tiven'Vian?"
"That's not the only reason. My family. My family was the monarchy. Our people operated with a Constitutional Monarchy government. Technically I'm a Prince."
"Technically?"
"I-I'll get to that. Cerberus experimented on and tortured me for a year, before I was freed by my family's friend, Aether. By then it was too late. While I was held captive, Cerberus tried to reverse engineer a lot of our technology. One of which was our medical nanobot technology, like what I gave you. Usually it takes years for this tech to be adapted to another race. Cerberus didn't want to wait that long. They tried creating their own version which resulted in a glitch. This glitch spread into our medical nanobot network. This resulted in a techno-plague. Two trillion. Two trillion."
Several worlds appeared before them. Nighttime befell them. Lights around the worlds went out.
"That's how many died in one minute."
Tali loudly gasped.
"Usually we wait until someone is over a hundred before implanting them with the nanobots. To make sure their immune systems don't weaken. Close to two trillion were over a hundred years old. The plague didn't just kill them. It brought them back to life as an undead cannibal. People were eating each other. In this time... In this time... In this time, my race went extinct. I am the last of my species, Tali." Shepard couldn't hold back his tears.
Tali wrapped her arms around him.
"Thank you."
"Did any other race go extinct?"
"No. Just mine."
"Why?"
"My race's greatest strength, was also our greatest weakness. My race is a very empathetic race. When we fall in love, there's a bond between us. We call our partner an Eli'Dimi. The closest translation this galaxy has is soul mate. The bond is to the point where if our Eli'Dimi dies, we die. If in an occasion where an Eli'Dimi is murdered, the other goes into a murderous rage as a natural form of vengeance. Their soul has basically left their body at this point so all that is left is a husk. That is how my specie died out so quickly. That is why I'm not really a Prince. I can't be a ruler of the dead."
"Am I your Eli'Dimi?"
"Yes. You are." He planted a kiss on her hand. "After I was freed thanks to Aether, I led the remainder of our forces to get to the main facility for the nanobots. It was a long five years, but we shut down the network and cleansed the network free of the glitch. Shortly after I met with the Galactic Order's Ministers and we chose to pursue Cerberus through the portal. I was to be an infiltrator. Find out everything I could about this galaxy. Whether Cerberus was representing their race or if they were acting alone. But that mission has changed. Partially. With the Reapers. My people have encountered them before."
"Wait if you have, then why not tell the Council, about everything?" Tali exclaimed.
"My people have been badly weakened by the plague Tali. Earth has a higher population than every race of my galaxy put together. We have been spending the last twenty years building our forces up so that we can stand and fight. We did debate whether to reveal ourselves to your galaxy, but after knowing what they did to your race, the Krogan and their views on AIs, we came to the conclusion that the chances of being subjugated by them is too high. They have also been people too willing to accept what is before them without asking what IT IS before them. After spending thousands of years on the Citadel, have they actually learned anything of the structure or its origins? Or the Keepers. Made it a crime to even examine them. Too willing to abide by status quo. So we keep quiet while we build and prepare. We can only hope to convince them of the Reaper threat before we have to reveal ourselves, and that day is coming."
"What did happen with the Reapers?"
"About a hundred Reaper ships entered our galaxy fifty thousand years ago. Each of them like the one that attacked Eden Prime. They were trying to wipe out the Rak'en. My race came to their defense in time. We lost a lot of ships, but we won out in the end, but... One of the Reapers escaped with information of our technology. The Reapers ships were encountered used some sort of rail gun weapon system, while we used Magnetic-Hydrodynamic weapons. Through our encounter, the Reapers might have gotten stronger due to our battle. We now build and prepare to protect this galaxy and ours. The Reapers are a threat to us all. That is my story."
Tali found herself back in the med-bay with Shepard standing before her. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you all this before. I love you, Tali. Can you ever forgive me for pretending to be someone else?"
Tali's hand cupped his cheek. "You are still the same friend I had throughout my entire life. The same person who defended my people's shelter on Mindoir. The same person who came to comfort me when my mother passed away. Please remove my mask."
Shepard reached for the sides of her helmet and looked for the helmet. Tali's subconsciously held his hands as instinct told her to stop the intruder from removing her mask. This the first time she would show her face to anyone. Would he find her beautiful? Would he still want her? The thoughts of doubt scared her. Tears came from her eyes which closed shut worried to see the look on Shepard's face. Please don't reject me.
A click was heard from the mask as it unlocked. Shepard pulled the mask away and finally saw the face of the woman he loves. He was speechless. She was beautiful. Her skin was a light aqua color with horizontal stripes along her nose and over her forehead. John would guess it went over her bald head. Her face was slender with shallow cheek bones. Tali's nose was very pointed and her lips were a dark aqua.
Shepard saw her tears run down her face. Her eyes were closed. He cupped her face with his hands and used his thumbs to wipe away her tears. "Tali," he cooed. "Please, let me see your eyes."
Tali slowly opened her eyes. Of all parts of her face, her eyes were wanted Shepard loved the most. Her irises were dark blue with silver pupils that reflected the light that shone upon them.
"You're beautiful."
"Y-You really think so?"
"Tali, of the hundreds of languages I know, I know of none that have the words to truly describe how beautiful you are and say it with any justice."
This made her smile. It was the kindest thing anyone has ever said to her. It meant a whole lot more coming from him. Shepard and Tali leaned forward and kissed. Her lips were very cool since Quarians have a lower body temperature. It was relaxing to Shepard. To Tali, Shepard's lips were fiery warm. It was surprising to her since the only thing she felt her whole life was a temperature regulated suit. It was different, but felt so good to her.
Their kiss grew more passionate. Tali's and Shepard's arms wrapped tighter around each other. Tali leaned forward causing Shepard to lean against the med-bay. They didn't want to stop. The sound of the med-bay door hiss caused them to stop immediately. Tali frantically grabbed her mask and quickly placed back on. There was Chakwas at the doorway with a smile from ear-to-ear.
"I see that you two are already taking advantage of Tali's freedom."
Tali blushed at the comment.
"Though in seriousness, Commander we need to talk about where you got that vial and this technology and-"
The door opened again revealing an angry Garrus. He walked right up to Shepard and punched him in the face.
"Garrus!" Tali screamed. "What the hell are you doing?"
"This bastard nearly killed me! You have a lot of question to answer Shepard! What the hell happened? What did that operative mean by calling you an Artician?"
Shepard looked to Tali. "The Cerberus operative already told him too much, he has to know the rest."
Tali nodded.
"What I'm about to tell you two, cannot leave this room."