Hey, what do you know: I'm on time. Yay me!
As usual, we all know I have never, not now or at anytime in the past, owned Mass Effect, so remember that.
Now, before we get on with this next chapter I would like a moment to announce the results for the poll that was running on my profile page. The question I asked was: In a Democratic style of government, such as the one currently employed by the United States of America, do you believe political parties are a good idea or bad idea?
Good Idea: 37% Bad Idea: 62%
It's not the margine it was a few days ago, which tells me people may be regaining faith in democracy as we know it, and while I personally don't know how I feel at the moment I will admit I was one of the 62%.
Also, please pay attention to the first set of Author Notes following this chapter: there are details there, as well as on my profile page, about a small contest I've decided to hold.
Oh, before I forget, those who guessed correctly as to the identity of the mystery Quarian are:
chief1029 and Albericus
ADDITIONAL STORIES BY Guardian Kitch:
Harry Potter and the Touch of Destiny
Star Wars Episode Zero: Shroud of the Dark Side
Chapter 010: Suicidal Hero Disorder
{0903; 9:03 a.m.}
[Location: Black Fleet flagship, Vengeance}
(Earth - Sol System - Local Cluster - Milky Way Galaxy)
Tali'Zorah vas Normandy was running so fast that her heart felt as though it was on the verge of exploding through her chest, and her lungs were heaving rapidly, desperate to drink in the life-giving oxygen her suit was constantly manufacturing. This did nothing to slow the young Quarian down.
She followed the female Quarian she was pursuing around another of the sharp, blocky curves that seemed to be the trademark of this massive ship, and immediately a single elevator came into view, and as the pair approached the doors hissed open.
As she reached the doors the woman in front of Tali stopped and spun around, a small, spherical device in her gloved hands...too late, as it sailed through the air, Tali recognized the device for the grenade it was. Unlike her racing heart and heaving lungs, the following explosion did stop Tali where she stood, sending her diving to the deck for cover.
As she picked herself up off of the floor, however, she realized something odd: her fellow Quarian's aim had been short, and with such a minimal distance between them that wasn't something Tali would consider to be a common mistake someone would make, especially a Quarian...
The elevator doors closed shut, giving the two women some space away from one another, and forcing the intentional short-coming of the other woman's grenade attack, Tali charged the elevator, pulling a pair of grenades free and arming the small explosives.
Just above the elevator doors ran a pair of what Tali suspected were fuel lines, something most ships took better care in hiding and protecting. Thankfully, however, the makers of this ship had not followed what most beings saw as common sense, and a moment later, armed, the two grenades were sitting on top of the fuel lines while Tali was running back down the corridor, trying to put as much distance between herself and the coming explosion as she could...
BBBOOOOOOMMM!
For a second Tali feared that two grenades had been overkill; the deck plates beneath her feet bucked and shook as though the entire ship was about to fall apart around her. Tali, however, ignored the small edge of fear setting in inside of her brain and took off forward once more, hoping she could make up the distance between her and-"
"Tali, where are you?" A man's voice called out from inside of her helmet. "We need to get back to the others before this ships falls apart with us in it-"
"Go, Shepard, get off this ship." Tali ordered, the detonation site of her grenades coming back into view once more. The doors were completely gone, a massive crater now taking their place in the wall. Smoke and flames billowed from a set of wires just to the right of the shaft, and to the left the deck and ceiling were completely gone.
"Not without you-"
"Shepard, if you come after me you'll never make it back to the rendezvous point in time." She said, suddenly realizing that she had possibly sealed her fate by taking off on this chase...
"Really?" Shepard asked, his voice laced with sarcasm. "I mean, I didn't know that when I came chasing after you. I really appreciate the heads up-"
She felt herself momentarily overcome with happiness as she realized that, prior to her dark thoughts minutes before, Shepard had knowingly put his life on the line to come chasing after her, even as the massive triangle ship was falling apart to its death.
"Shepard, the galaxy needs its hero: you're the best chance we have to stop the Reapers from repeating their cycle of extinction."
"I'm not the only hero the Milky Way has." Shepard answered. "And I am not leaving this ship without you."
Tali looked down the shaft and noticed that, despite her explosive solution to make up the distance between her and her target, the elevator was still descending rapidly, and preparing herself for what would come next she jumped.
"Don't be stupid Shepard: my life isn't worth risking the fate of everyone else in this galaxy-"
"No one gets left behind, Tali: that's not about to change now. Now, tell me where you're at-"
"Free falling in an elevator shaft." Tali answered, unable to help the sarcastic response.
"You keep hanging out with Joker and Garrus and you just might become a regular comedian." Shepard responded dryly. "This person you're chasing: why is he so important?"
"I-I can't tell you-"
"Then what are you after?"
"Answers."
And then Tali landed on top of the elevator. Rather than fight the force of the impact she allowed her knees to bend, and once the shock of the landing had worn off she climbed back to her feet, unholstering her shotgun as she did so, and taking aim at the closest corner she opened fire, pumping shot after shot into a roof that had been dented by her sudden impact.
As the metal finally fell away and Tali got the feeling she might be able to catch this woman who should not be here the elevator screeched to a sudden stop, and as Tali finished emptying her clip of ammunition she could hear the doors below sliding open, and deciding the hole was big enough she jumped through, hoping to land close enough to tackle the other Quarian before she could make her escape. As she landed, however, Tali realized that the chances of stopping the other woman at that precise moment had already gone: the woman was already half way down a straight, narrow corridor, running towards a set of heavy blast doors that remained closed.
Sliding her shotgun back into her holster without reloading the weapon Tali sped up, forcing her feet to move faster than they had ever moved before, the green-visored Quarian once more in her sights.
Her entire body felt like it had been hit and trampled by the Mako Tank the original Normandy had used as a ground-drop vehicle. Between the mental (and unnecessary) anguish she'd caused herself back at the Engine Rooms, her fears of Shepard being found guilty by the Alliance of the charges leveled against him, and the ache of her knees following her suicidal jump down the elevator shaft, she felt as though her Quarian body might soon simply fall apart.
Slowly, as the minutes ticked by, she began closing the distance between her and the ghost she was now chasing, and her hopes suddenly soared as the woman stopped to activate the control panel to the right of the blast doors.
A moment later, however, as Tali continued to force herself to go ever faster, those hopes were dashed: the blast doors began to slowly slide open, and not waiting to allow Tali to reach her the other woman vaulted through the growing gap in the door, and a moment later Tali followed suit.
As she landed Tali realized she was now in a hanger a quarter the size of the one the Normandy's ground team had landed in, and only one ship, a three hundred and fifty-year old Quarian-made fighter, now occupied the hanger...this ship, one of only a handful left in the known galaxy, shouldn't be here either.
As the woman raced towards the boarding ramp of the small fighter Tali was suddenly pulling a third grenade free and arming the device, not knowing what had suddenly given her the idea.
She waited several dangerous seconds before tossing the explosive device, her tactic similar to the one her target had used before. The grenade sailed freely over the other Quarian's head, and the moment it landed, feet ahead of the front woman, it exploded, forcing this woman to hit the deck in the same fashion Tali had used earlier.
This, it soon became clear, was the opening Tali had needed. As she pulled herself to her feet Tali was on top of her, grabbing her by the collar of her enviro-suit and slamming her back against the port-side hull of the small fighter. With her free left hand she grabbed her pistol and shoved the barrel into the other woman's abdomen.
"You traitorous bosh'tet!" Tali roared, the pain of those three words, now used against one she'd always loved so much, filling her body from masked-head to three-toed foot.
"Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, is that anyway to speak to your mother?"
"It's Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, and my mother died seven years ago!"
"Vas Normandy?" The woman asked, as though making small talk with an old friend she'd not seen in years. "You completed your pilgrimage! Wonderful, your father must be-"
"Dead!" Tali roared again, and suddenly she found herself overwhelmed, those hot, stinging tears now threatening to return once more.
"No." The other woman's voice cracked with this one word, full of emotion and sadness-
"You bosh'tet, you don't have the right to cry." Tali hissed, and blinking she found her vision going blurry as the tears moved closer to reality. "You let him die believing you'd be there with the rest of our ancestors."
"Tali, dear, you don't understand-"
"I understand enough." Tali countered. "I understand you're here, in league with a fleet that's attacking the Human-"
"I'm working with the Pyronians, yes, but I have nothing to do with the raid on Earth, Tali."
"You're lying-"
"I'm not. Look, Tali, there's a threat here that you can't even begin to comprehend." The other woman explained in a rush. "This ship's crew, even her commander, is being controlled by an ancient being more powerful than anything-"
"A Reaper." Tali cut in. "I know more about them than you do, bosh'tet. I was with Commander Shepard, two years ago, on the Citadel when he destroyed the one that attacked the Citadel."
"You've encountered them?"
"This crew is indoctrinated: why aren't you?"
"I haven't time to explain-"
Tali forced the barrel of her pistol harder into the abdomen of her should-be dead mother's enviro-suit.
"We've got time."
"I'm afraid you're wrong, Tali. For some reason the Vengeance's shields seemed to have collapsed: the Alliance fleet will soon have this ship utterly destroyed."
"Explain." Tali repeated, pressing the barrel of the gun harder and deeper into the abdomen of the other woman's enviro-suit.
"You would really shoot me?" The woman asked, avoiding her daughter's question.
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't." Tali said, her finger tightening around the pistol's trigger.
"Because I'm your mother." The woman answered bluntly. "And because no matter what happens you'll never be a cold-blooded murder-"
"It won't be cold-blooded murder." Tali corrected. "It'll be execution for Treason against-"
"Tali, please, listen to me." Her mother pleaded. "What I've done is to help the Fleet, not harm it-"
"LIAR!" Tali roared, now closer than ever to pulling the trigger. "Seven years ago you caught an airborne virus-"
"It was planned, Tali." The other woman interrupted. "It was all part of the plan I came up with, both me and-"
"A plan to defect to an enemy of the entire galaxy." Tali finished angrily. "You betrayed both me and-"
"I've betrayed no one, Tali'Zorah, and you will start speaking to me with some respect-"
"Respect?" Tali cut her off, the question sounding hollow and humorous as it escaped her hidden mouth. "Respect is earned, mother, and any respect I ever had for you has been tossed out the airlock-"
"TALI!" The woman suddenly roared as her hands came up to grab Tali's shoulder. "DOWN!"
Before Tali could figure out what was going on she found herself being flung to the side, landing hard on her back as her pistol went skidding across the small hanger deck.
Instincts took over and Tali quickly rolled over onto her stomach and chest, and as she jumped to her feet, ready to strike back at her long-thought-dead mother, she suddenly noticed they were no longer alone.
Orange globs of energy were splattering the hull of the small fighter now, filling the space where, moments ago, Tali had been holding her mother at gunpoint.
As for her mother, the older woman was standing her ground, an assault rifle already in her hands and belching out deadly fire of its own, and for a moment Tali could do nothing but watch as the woman defended herself, her shots controlled and experienced, each shot counting for something and not being wasted.
As a little girl Tali had only ever seen either of her parents fire their weapons in training exercises, both for them and for her, and while she'd never stood side-by-side with them in actual combat she'd always felt proud and safe knowing they were as good as any of the Marines the Migrant Fleet boasted, a feeling that was suddenly begging to make a return once more.
"I could use a little help here, Tali." Her mother said calmly, ducking behind the fighter to reload her ammunition magazine, and as a burst of enemy fire missed her visor by only a single inch, if that, Tali forced herself back into the present.
She burst into motion, dodging and weaving through the barrage of enemy fire as she covered the deck, rapidly closing the distance between her and her fallen pistol. She knew she still had the empty shotgun, but while it would take only seconds to reload the weapon she knew she was too far away for it to be effective...her pistol would have to do until she could get close enough to make her shotgun effective.
Approaching the discarded weapon she didn't stop nor slow down but instead scooped down and picked the weapon up even as she sped by it, and turning to face her enemies she began adding her own fire into the mix.
While they were heavily armed, these crewmen, indoctrinated as they were, sported very little, if any, armor, and moments later, as her mother again opened fire, Tali watched as the number of enemies began to thin.
She was half-tempted to use Chikktika, but the drone had taken heavy damage during the assault on the Collectors, damage she'd yet had a chance to repair. As she emptied her thermal clip and made to reload it she made a mental note to remedy that situation once she returned to-
She paused as she realized that there was absolutely no chance of her making it back to the Normandy, not now, not after she'd forsaken her safe escape to pursue this ghost from her past.
How ironic, she mused dryly: she had chased after a ghost, gone gallivanting across the largest single ship known to exist to get answers from a woman she thought to be dead, only to end up being the ghost, to end up sharing the fate that she'd always believed had been her mother's.
The ship shook more violently than ever, and now it seemed certain that the ship was beginning it's death around her...
And Shepard, the noble hero he was, was coming after her, trying to save her when there would be virtually no chance of escape for him either: the best hope the galaxy had and he would soon be dead as well, and all because she'd been stupid and childish, chasing...
Tali was so caught up in these thoughts that she never saw the Pyronian warrior take aim with a shoulder-fired missile system, nor did she ever see the puff of white smoke expand as the missile took off, streaking off across the deck towards her...
The explosion picked Tali up as though by an invisible hand and threw her with a most mighty force clear across the hanger, her entire body exploding into agony as she hit the bulkhead, and as she landed and rolled onto her back she opened her eyes, the edges of space now creeping into her line of sight, telling her she was near the very edge of the hanger.
"TALI!"
Tali tasted blood in her mouth as she heard her name being frantically shouted. That voice...
There was something familiar about that voice, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what it was...could that be her mother's voice?
No. There was no way she could be hearing her mother: the woman had been dead for over seven years now...or perhaps it was her mother, and if it was then that meant she, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, was now dead, set to be reunited with...
No, Tali suddenly remembered: that wasn't right. Her mother was still alive, right here with her in the spinning hanger aboard the Pyronian flagship Vengeance...
"Momma." Tali said weakly, her voice so low she could barely even hear it herself. She found her heart expanding like a balloon with happiness as the implications of what this meant came raining down around her. She wanted so badly to hug her mother, to tell the woman of the possibility of peace between the Quarians and Geth and the chances of them soon seeing Rannoch again...and her mom had to meet Shepard-
Boom.
That balloon filling up under her breast suddenly exploded as the circumstances of her reunion with her mother came flooding back through her mind. The lying, the deception, the treason...
This time Tali could not contain the tears: the dam holding them back crumbled like the outer hull of the Vengeance under the combined fire of the Earth Defense Platforms. Her eyes burned and blurred as she allowed the tears to freely flow, unable to contain her emotions.
As she blinked a shadowy shape filled her vision as the sound of intensifying gunfire echoed throughout the small hanger, and that balloon began to fill up once more as she realized who it had to-
The previous explosion, however, had apparently done too much damage to the balloon for it to fill up again, for as it deflated that towering figure's gun took aim directly at her visor, and as she closed her eyes and accepted her end Tali could hear the weapon cocking, and her HUD reported her suit's shields no longer existed..
"TALI, NO!"
That was her treasonous mother's voice again, and now that Tali had met up with her destiny, soon to be reunited with her father and other ancestors, no one else would ever know that one of the greatest heroes of the modern-day Quarians had turned traitor. Tali half-smiled: that would no longer be any of her concern.
Following his exchange with Tali, Shepard believed he had pinpointed her location.
Tali had said she was freefalling in an elevator, and Garrus and Kasumi had reported that she'd taken off chasing someone. Shepard knew that anyone with brains and not indoctrinated would be looking for a way off of the doomed flagship: aft of the main hanger bays there was only one additional hanger, much smaller than the main dorsal bay, and there was an elevator shaft right there at it. Given the maps Duran the Pyronian had given him as he'd taken off after her, Shepard had quickly routed a rendezvous at the hangers, his plan now to come in above her and rescue her in time to escape.
"Commander," Miranda's voice filled Shepard's ear, loud and crisp. "We've got to evacuate, now: this ship's coming down around our ears faster than we imagined."
"What's happening out there?" He asked, desperate to buy or steal as much time as he could: there was no way in hell he was leaving this ship yet, not without Tali.
"We don't know, Paragon," Duran's voice answered. "And quite frankly, we don't care. All I know is even the Vengeance has her limits on the damage her hull can absorb, and I'm guessing she's already passed that limit. Get your ass moving soldier, now!"
"Fuck off, Duran." Shepard snapped, spinning around a damaged corner as the outermost edges of desperation set in.
"Skipper," Ashley cut in. "The galaxy needs you: you're the only one we've got that can fight the Reapers: no one's worth your life right now, not even Tali-"
"What would you want me to do, Ash, if it was you-"
"I'd tell you to get the hell off of this bucket without me." Ashley fired back, not, to her credit, missing a beat.
"No one gets left behind: that's been my rule from day one, and it's not about to change now-"
"It happens, Paragon," Duran retorted. "Now get used to it, kid, and get your ass back here."
"He's right, Skipper." Ashley agreed. "We don't like it, but we do lose people in combat: it wouldn't be war if everyone made it out alive."
"No-"
"Remember Virmire?" Ashley asked, and Shepard could now feel his blood turning to ice.
"How could I ever forget?"
"We lost Kaiden on Virmire." She stated matter-of-factly. "None of us liked it, especially me, but there was no possible way we could have gotten to him-"
"This is different." Shepard growled, stepping into an elevator and forcing it to descend deeper into the bowls of this dreadnaught. "There's not a galaxy-saving nuke that has to be set off manually-"
"You bloody, idealistic Paragon!" Duran snapped. "This is why becoming attached to your crew is so dangerous: it clouds your judgment."
"My judgment," Shepard answered slowly, forcing himself to remain calm. "Isn't clouded-"
"Like my testicles it isn't." He responded angrily. "You're not just saving her because you don't want to leave a comrade behind: you're saving her because you've become too close to her.
"Losing comrades in battle is the way it works: like she said: war wouldn't be war if everyone came out on the other side. People die in battle, so get used to it, accept it, and get your ass back here so we can get off of this ship."
Shepard said nothing as the lift door opened and he took off down the corridor. As determined as he was to rescue Tali and get them all off of the Vengeance, he knew, deep, deep down that Duran and Ashley were both right.
He had known, from the minute he'd decided to go after her, that deviating from the original plan would make it impossible for either he or Tali to make the rendezvous with the others, and he'd also known that the moment he'd gone chasing after his Quarian lover his life expectancy had decreased by ninety-five percent.
All his life he'd known that he'd lose dozens of people he would grow close to throughout the course of his life because, as they had both pointed out, losing people was nothing new in combat, and Kitch Shepard had always been a soldier, through and through.
He had lost countless friends and comrades during the Skyllian Blitz, back on Elysium, and yet he had pushed through the pain, all but single-handedly holding off the Batarian invasion and sealing their breach in the Alliance defenses until reinforcements could arrive. He had survived. On Eden Prime he had lost Jenkins while combating those rogue Geth under Saren's command, and yet he had pushed through the Corporal's death and gone after Saren. He had survived. On Virimire he had willingly left Kaiden Alenko, one of his oldest friends left to him, behind so that the hero could manually activate the nuke that had destroyed the genophage-proof Krogan factor. It had hurt like hell, but he had survived.
Yes, Shepard, of all people, knew that losing comrades was normal in war, and he had long ago made peace with that fact. However, here and now, he could not accept that knowledge so easily.
Yes, he had know the risks his attachment might one day posed the moment he'd realized his feelings for her; hell, he'd known it back when he'd admitted the same feelings to Ashley, two years prior. As embarrassing as he now found it, however, he'd always fantasized that he would be good enough to keep Tali (or any other member of his crew) from dying, and until now he'd prided himself on doing a good job at it.
No. Shepard pushed all possibilities of failure from his mind, again focusing his brain on the task at hand. Since becoming a Spectre he had become famous (or infamous) for doing things everyone else had said was impossible. He'd become a Human Spectre. He'd saved the Rachni from extinction and had reeled in the rogue Spectre Saren. He'd slain a mythological Reaper many believed to be fiction. He had been killed, only to return to life two years later. He had led his crew through the Omega Four Relay, destroyed the Collectors, and returned to tell the tale, without losing anyone. He found a smile forming on his face: getting himself and Tali off of a doomed vessel should be nothing.
"DAMN YOU PARAGON!" Duran's voice roared in his ear. "NO PEACE OF TAIL, NO MATTER HOW-"
His voice suddenly shut off as the sound of several guns being cocked filled the silence. And then, a moment later...
"Shepard," Garrus said calmly. "Go get Tali and bring her back."
And suddenly Shepard found there was no way possible to have any more respect for the Turian than he now had.
"Thanks." Shepard acknowledge. "Everyone get aboard that shuttle and rendezvous with Joker and the Normandy, now."
"Commander-" Miranda began. Shepard, however, cut her off.
"That's an order, Officer Lawson." He said. "Even if we left now, Tali and I would never make it back to you in time: we'll find some other way off this bucket. Miranda, I'm hereby giving you command of the ground team and the Normandy until my return."
"Copy that, Commander. Good luck."
"Hey Paragon," Duran said. "Where you at?"
"Aft of the engines now, en route to a small hanger-"
"According to the data I found while we were on the Bridge there's a small craft docked there: can you fly?"
"Reckon I can manage it." Shepard answered, now racing through a guard station.
"See ya on the other side, Paragon."
"Duran."
"Yo."
"Get 'em off safely."
"Of course: I'm the best of the best."
Sending no reply of his own Shepard ran out through the other, open blast door, quickly and quietly leaving the guard station behind as he jerked left and flew down a narrow set of stairs that would shave a full three minutes off of his ETA to this small, forgotten hanger and the only other unaccounted-for member of his crew.
Once at the bottom of the steps he flew down the corridor, moving faster than he'd been running when the Human-Reaper Hybrid had tried to take him down with it. Up ahead was a small, utility door, armored to withstand sudden depressurization...the words AFT AUXILIARY HANGER B were painted in standard basic, and Shepard's heart soared. Tali, he knew, was just beyond that door.
Even with the armor of the gloves protecting his hand the Human soldier nearly jammed his fingers with the strength he'd used to frantically activate the panel to the door's side, in such a rush that he was sorely tempted to try and break the door down with his body, something his brain knew was impossible even though his mind declared nothing was impossible.
The door slid open and Shepard charged like a raging bull across the threshold, his heart soaring to ever-higher heights...only to come crashing down like the SSV Normandy moments later.
He was on what appeared to be a maintenance catwalk that extended high above the entire hanger, and judging by the scene unfolding before him he was at the very rear of the hanger.
Below him was a "unique" looking fighter craft, big enough to hold a single pilot, and taking cover behind it was a Quarian female with a green visor, something Shepard couldn't remember ever seeing among the alien race.
The woman was firing off an assault rifle at unseen targets likely entering the hanger from under the catwalk, and across the hanger, out in the open, was Tali, who was joining her fire with her fellow Quarian's, her pistol a miniature cannon in her expert hands.
As Shepard prepared to join in the fight, however, he saw Tali's clip empty, and as she made to replace it she suddenly stopped, staring ahead and not moving...moments later the white smoke of a small rocket streaked across the deck, impacting the bulkhead meters to Tali's left, and in horror, helplessly, Shepard watched as the young woman was lifted up and thrown clear across the deck...his breath caught as she was nearly thrown through the transparent crimson energy shields that kept oxygen and pressure locked inside of the hanger.
"TALI!" The Quarian woman screamed, and Shepard found he was truly surprised that not only was there a second Quarian aboard the Vengeance but this woman seemed to personally know Tali.
His breathing became easier as he saw her stir: she was still alive. He reached behind him to unholster his assault rifle, but as his hand touched the weapon there was suddenly a dozen or so Pyronian crewmen rushing out from under the catwalk, and while most of them tried to swarm the remaining Quarian one of them made his way to Tali, who was visibly unable to defend herself. The man now stood over Tali, and without stopping to think on what he was doing Shepard left his assault rifle where it was, moving to free the sniper rifle he rarely used.
As Shepard swung his sniper rifle into action he pressed his left eye to the scope, moving the crosshairs towards this new threat.
"TALI, NO!"
The moment after he heard the weapon in the Pyronian's hand cock, Shepard had the crosshairs over the back of the man's head, and smiling, he tightened his fingers around the trigger.
When he could help it, Shepard preferred not to use a sniper rifle. He was as proficient in its use as anyone else, but sniping had never been his favorite form of combat; even though he could hit any target he was given. he was no Garrus Vakarian, Thane Krios, or Legion...this made his smile grow even wider: hitting this target would be amateur play for even the least-proficiently-trained sniper.
Shepard fired.
The man's head exploded.
Tali was, for the moment, safe.
Returning his sniper rifle to its rightful position, Shepard grabbed his fully-loaded assault rifle and charged towards the closest set of stairs, jumping onto the railings and balancing himself as he slid down them to quickly join the battle against his latest victim's comrades.
Landing on the deck Shepard spun around and charged the open blast doors that led into the hanger, and after using the consol to shut the doors he then fired a single shot into the panel, making sure no one would be coming up behind him anytime soon.
As Shepard turned back towards, the battle, his rifle raised and ready, glowing balls of energy began splattering all around him, but Shepard remained calm as he stalked forward, snapping off one shot at a time as he picked his targets, making sure each shot he had left did as much damage possible, and as he closed in on his enemies, moving into point-blank range, he held the trigger down, rapidly spitting out fire while still making sure each shot count.
Inside of a single minute it was all over, and holstering his nearly-empty rifle back in the holster on his back Shepard charged forward, narrowly beating the second Quarian to Tali's still-fallen body.
"She'll be fine for now." The woman said without preamble. "Once you get her off this ship she'll need some rest and immuno boosters, but I don't think she'll suffer any lasting damage."
"The Normandy's on station." Shepard explained, not asking for the woman's name. "Once we-"
"There's a Quarian vessel here?" The woman asked. "I don't even remember the fleet having a ship named the Normandy, but-"
"The Normandy's an All-" Shepard paused, his interrupted court-martial coming back into focus.
"The Normandy is a Human ship." Shepard finished, correcting himself.
"She crews a Human vessel?" The woman asked, her voice mixed between surprise, curiosity, outrage, and amazement.
"Long story." Shepard answered. "Who are you?"
"A friend." The woman answered simply. "Who are you?"
"Shepard." He answered just as simply. "I'm a Spectre. What are you doing aboard a Pyronian ship?"
"Work." She answered.
"This crew's been-"
"Indoctrinated by a Reaper." The woman finished quickly. "Yes, I know."
"Why aren't you indoctrinated too?"
"You need to get her aboard your ship." The woman said, ignoring his question. "She might have a concussion. I trust this Normandy of yours has a medical bay suited to treating a Quarian?"
"It wouldn't be the first time." Shepard said, and while he could see virtually nothing of the woman's face beneath her mask he did get the impression she had cocked her eyebrow, figuratively speaking, at his words.
"Tali's been with us enough for our medical officer to get used to her special safety needs."
"Well, Spectre Shepard, even in my seclusion I've heard the stories about you. Most are likely fictional fabrications, but if even one of those stories is true then I believe Tali is in good hands."
Below him Tali moaned as she began to stir once more.
"I must be going." The woman said, standing back up. "This ship won't be around too much longer."
She headed back towards the small fighter, and as she opened the cockpit and climbed up she stopped and looked back at Shepard and Tali, and he got the distinct impression of a forlorn feeling about the woman...and then she was inside of the fighter, and moments later it had lifted off of the deck and was gone.
"Commander Shepard." EDI's voice came in suddenly. "The defensive Kinetic Dome has been lowered: additional Alliance units have finally arrived and are linking their fire with the defense platforms: my estimation is that ship will be destroyed thirty-one seconds before the self-destruct Mr. Dregan ordered initiates. We have locked onto your signal and are en route for extraction."
"Copy that, EDI: the hanger is clear of hostile forces: have Dr. Chakwas prepare for incoming wounded."
"Who shall I tell her has been injured, Commander?"
"Tali."
"I-I'm o-okay, Shepard." Tali said weakly.
"Doctor Chakwas has been informed, Commander; we're inbound on your position."
"Standing by, EDI." Shepard said before cutting the line of communications with the Normandy.
"What happened?" Tali asked, trying to sit up.
"I saved your life-again." He joked, fighting to keep his emotions from showing in his voice.
"Good." Tali answered with a cough. "You need the practice." Another cough. "Keelah, my body feels like it got run over with our old Mako tank."
"I'd be surprised if it didn't." Shepard responded. "You were slammed across the deck by an explosion that got too close."
"Really?" Tali asked. "I would never have guessed. That explains a lot: the loud explosion, the bright flash of light, and every bone in my body feeling like they've been broken twice."
"I really am going to have to have a talk with Joker and Garrus-"
"Why?" Tali countered. "You're the bad influence on me."
The ship shook violently again, and through the deck under his boot he could tell the ship was now in its death spiral.
"Tali, do me a favor." Shepard said, suddenly all seriousness once more.
"W-what?"
"Don't ever do that to me again."
"Do what?"
"Scare me." Shepard explained, pulling the Quarian woman close to him and holding her tightly.
"I'll be fine, Shepard." Tali protested. Shepard, however, shook his head.
"This time." He answered. "In less than 24 hours you've cheated death three times. The Collectors, the mechs on the Cairo, and now this: each time your escape gets narrower and narrower."
"Need I remind you, Commander, that you were in each one of the situations?" Tali asked. "Each time you escaped death just as narrowly as I did."
"I-" Shepard began, only to stop. Really, at the end of the day, what could he say to that, especially when it was so true? There was no way in the world he could use the excuse of her being a woman: even if she'd been one of those princess-wannabe Human women that'd have been sexist, and it'd not have earned him any favors.
"Just promise me you'll be more careful." Shepard said as the ship under them buckled. "I'm supposed to be the suicidal one, remember?"
Tali laughed weakly. "What can I say; you've always been one of those leadership-by-example types."
Shepard joined in with a laugh of his own as he looked up to see the Normandy quickly approaching the small hanger.
"That Quarian that just took off." Shepard said, now seeking one final answer before they rejoined the rest of the crew aboard the Normandy. "That's who you were chasing, wasn't it?" He asked, standing up so that he could help Tali to her feet. The young woman nodded.
"Who is she?"
"No one-"
"Do I have to pull rank and order you, as your Captain, to tell me."
"You wouldn't."
"Wouldn't I?" Shepard asked, choosing his words carefully. "Tali, I trust you with my life, and whatever you say will stay between us. I must know, however, who she is: her presence here unsettles me."
"Unsettles you?" Tali asked.
"Yes, me." He answered. "She knows that Reaper for what it is, and she seems to have resisted its indoctrination process, something no one else aboard this ship has done. She spoke of seclusion-"
"She was Lena'Zorah vas Rayya."
"Was?"
"She died seven years ago of an airborne virus-"
"Zorah..." Shepard repeated, and suddenly the gravity of what Tali had just said struck him, and Shepard knew without a single doubt who the woman was. "She's your mother!"
"Was." Tali corrected. "My mother died seven years ago."
"Tali-"
"What you saw just now was a ghost."
"She was very much alive-"
"You are imagining things Shepard." Tali said as the Normandy pulled alongside the stricken Pyronian warship and the docking arm extended out over the ship's airlock, not stopping until it was through the energy shields, which were beginning to flicker rapidly.
Tali grabbed his hands and allowed him to pull her to her feet: as he moved to drape her left arm over his shoulder, however, she fought him off.
"I can walk on my own, Shepard."
As if to prove herself wrong the young Quarian swayed, and Shepard was right there to catch her.
"Yeah," Shepard answered as he pulled Tali towards the safety of the Normandy. "You can walk on your own."
"Bosh'tet." She murmured. As they entered the extendable docking arm, however, Shepard stopped and turned her so that she was facing him, and wasting what few precious seconds of time they had left, he bowed his head so that their helmets were touching.
"I'll always be here for you, Tali, never doubt that."
"I-"
"Whatever happens in the future, you're among friends and family here, and you always will be, okay?"
Tali nodded her head. "Don't leave me."
Shepard shook his head, failing to hear the double meaning in those three words. "Never." Was his answer.
He draped her arm over his shoulder once more and together, as the Vengeance began falling apart behind them, they opened the airlock, entered their ship, and then, as the airlock closed and the Normandy fled the doomed Pyronian flagship, He sat Tali gently on the ground and knelt down beside her as Chakwas began her examination of the pair.
"Well Shepard, once more you walked right through the gates of hell and come out without a scratch." Garrus laughed, and looking up Shepard realized the entire squad was now on the Bridge.
"Commander, look at me." Chakwas ordered, and turning to look back at the doctor Shepard was blinded as she flashed a small light in his eyes.
"Hmm." She began thoughtfully, and before Shepard could say anything she began rapidly slapping his cheeks several times in quick unison.
"What-" Shepard began, but the doctor cut him off.
"You caught something."
"I what-"
"You've been infected with a contagion." She explained quickly.
"A virus?" Shepard asked, his mind spinning. Chakwas shook her head.
"It's worse than any virus; much, much worse, and far more deadly."
"I-"
"I am hereby diagnosing you with Suicidal Hero Disorder."
The entire Bridge, Tali included, exploded into laughter.
"You, on the other, hand," She continued, turning to face Tali. "Can accompany me to the medical bay, now."
"What's our situation?" Shepard asked as he helped Tali to her feet.
"The Reaper came in-system shortly after you vaporized the rest of the attack fleet." Anderson answered as he came in to help Shepard pull Tali to her feet.
"It joined the battle?"
"Momentarily. It fired on the Cairo and destroyed the entire station, along with the stations Denver, Albany, and Montgomery."
"Oh no." Shepard said, looking over at Ashley: her sister, along with most of Alliance High Command, had been aboard the Cairo...
"It's okay." Anderson quickly explained. "Shortly before it attacked, Ensign Williams led a bold evacuation attempt: she single-handedly got Admiral Sebastian and Alliance High Command off of the Cairo. Admiral Sebastian has already officially transferred his flag to the Defense Platform Tokyo, and that is where your court-martial will resume."
"They still plan on court-martialing him?" Joker asked, outraged. "That's really some way to show your appreciation for the guy who saved your ass. Commander, I can have us to the Mass Relay in-"
"No, Joker." Shepard cut in. "We're staying."
"Oh, okay, I see: your last suicide attempt failed so you're going to try again-"
"I will see my court-martial through." Shepard answered. "Besides, as Ash's sister pointed out, they have no real grounds to court-martial me, so I doubt I'll be convicted of anything."
"It resumes in two standard hours." Anderson added as they began moving Tali to the medical bay.
As per usual with events that one dreads, time flew by impossibly fast...two hours later Shepard found himself standing before the re-gathered officials of his trial, he himself once more flanked by Tali and Garrus.
Chakwas had tried to keep Tali in the medical bay, but the Quarian had refused to be separated from Shepard, and so, after nearly a full hour of intense arguing, the greatest doctor Shepard knew had agreed to allow Tali to accompany him, but only if she too were present, which was the reason she now sat in the front row of the small audience assembled behind them.
Admiral Sebastian stood, and in that moment the sea of small talk and whispered chatter died off.
"Shepard, it is a very rare predicament I now find myself in." The man began. "As such, I hope you understand the gravity of this situation and the words I am preparing to speak. Am I understood?"
"Sir." Shepard answered with a nod of his head.
"I would like to begin by offering you my most sincere apology." Sebastian continued. "Despite your admitted cooperation with the terrorist organization calling itself Cerberus and the questionable actions you performed during this unholy tenure, it is the unanimous opinion of the Systems Alliance High Command that you were, as you claim, acting in the best interests of Humanity and the Alliance.
"We have browsed your preliminary reports you forwarded to us immediately following the end of combat operations above Earth, and though we await your full, official report we are forced to conclude that the mystery ship that attacked the Cairo before fleeing Alliance space was indeed, like the ship that attacked the Citadel two years ago, a Reaper and not an advanced Geth warship. Are we correct in assuming that these Reapers are capable of total mind control?"
"You are, Admiral." Shepard answered, not believing this sudden change of attitude.
"Disturbing indeed." He murmured. "Very well. Kitch Shepard, it is the unanimous decision that, while questionable and unorthodox, your past actions have been solely for the betterment of the Alliance, and that, as Ensign Williams pointed out, we have no longer got any jurisdiction over you. You are cleared of all charges and free to go, with our gratitude and our apologies."
"Thank you, Admiral-"
"We do, however, have one request."
"Admiral?"
"Seeing as how you are still very much alive, I have been authorized to reinstate you into the active duty roster of the Systems Alliance, with a promotion to the rank of Major. Should you accept your record will be altered so that rather than be removed from the duty roster following your death you will have been promoted: this comes, of course, with all due back pay."
"With all due respect, Admiral, are you trying to buy me?" Shepard asked, drawing a gentle laugh from the assembled.
"Hardly, Shepard." The other man answered. "However, if we are to prepare for this Reaper threat you claim is coming for us we will need every soldier we can get: that includes the best of the best."
"What about the Normandy?" Shepard asked suspiciously.
"She will, of course, be re-designated the SSV Normandy SR-2." Sebastian answered. "You, of course, will retain full command of the vessel."
"And my crew?" Shepard asked, my Cerberus crew?"
"Officially, they're suspected terrorists-"
"Officially, if I don't get my crew then you don't get me." Shepard intervened sternly. "I'll accept this new commission, but only if the Normandy's Human crew are given the chance to either reactivate their Alliance military commissions, with a double promotion similar to mine, or to be allowed to activate a new commission if they've never served in the military. Every member of my crew will be given full pardons, never to be asked about or held accountable for any and all crimes they may have committed in their past."
"Are you trying to blackmail us-"
"I'd never dream of anything so bold, Admiral, especially not here." He answered. "You say you're offering me this re-commission because you need all the soldiers you can get, that this includes the best of the best: I understand that, I really do, because I'm in the same situation.
"Those aboard the Normandy right now know that ship better than anyone else in the universe; I don't have the time nor the luxury to train in an entirely new crew."
"Your points are valid, Shepard. We will have to perform background checks on all members of your crew, of course, but any not found guilty of major felonies will be given the terms you've negotiated-
"I'm not finished, Admiral."
"You never are."
"The nonhuman members of my crew should be given the chance to accept honorary Alliance commissions as well."
"Nonhuman crew-"
"Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, our Quarian Chief Engineer. Garrus Vakarian, our Turian Gunnery Officer. Doctor Mordin Solus, our Salarian Science Officer. We also have Grunt, our Krogan Warrior, Samara, our Asari Justicar, and Thane Krios, our Drell Target Neutralization Specialist-"
"Target Neutralization Specialist?" Admiral Hackett asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Sorry, Admiral." Shepard apologized. "I've grown proficient in improvising recently."
Another laugh from those gathered.
"Very well." Sebastian answered, actually one of those laughing. "It's unorthodox and unprecedented, but the same conditions will apply."
"And Admiral, this includes Legion and EDI."
"Who?"
"Legion is our Geth Target Neutralization Specialist-"
"You expect us to commission a Geth?" Sebastian asked as those gathered gasped collectively.
"I do." Shepard answered. "Times are changing."
"Send me to the brig." Sebastian said. "Who's Edi?"
"EDI is the Normandy's Artificial Intelligence-"
"You mean Virtual Intelligence-"
"No, Admiral, I mean Artificial Intelligence."
"That's illegal, Shepard-"
"So is half of what I've had to do over the past few weeks." Shepard admitted. "But, without it we're all doomed. Both EDI and Legion, like the rest of the Normandy crew, have proven themselves not only trustworthy but also vital to keeping the ship in tact."
"I might as well request to be given a new duty station peeling potatoes by hand." Sebastian muttered. "This would never be accepted under normal circumstances, but as we've all witnessed today these circumstances are anything but normal. Very well; pending official background clearance your terms will be accepted."
"Then I accept my commission."
"Very well, Major Shepard. I will be sending a set of top-secret coordinates to your helmsman shortly: you are to leave here aboard the SSV Normandy and proceed immediately to those coordinates for repairs and a complete refit."
Shepard snapped to attention. "Yes, sir."
"Dismissed." The older man muttered as the entire room exploded into applause.
As Shepard led Tali and Garrus through the throng of people inside of the room he noticed one of the reporters, a familiar looking woman, and smiling he sent a quick, private message to Kasumi, asking her to "invite" one Ms. Emily Wong for a brief stay aboard the Normandy SR-2.
"Major Shepard," Ensign Williams addressed in a whisper, fighting to keep up with him. "I need a favor."
"Anything you ask, Ensign." Shepard answered, grateful to the young woman for her unique defense of him against the Alliance prior to the attack on Earth.
"I've had to pull some strings, but I've managed to secure a transfer for me, to a new duty station of my choice. All I need is your signature."
"My signature?" Shepard asked.
"What duty station?" Tali asked, though Shepard already knew the answer.
"The SSV Normandy SR-2."
"Why?" Shepard asked.
"Look, Commander, I fought those mechs aboard the Cairo, and I led the evacuation: I've seen what we're facing: you need every gun you can get."
"Why not go with your sister aboard the Okinawa?"
"With all due respect to Ash, sir, she's a great sister, but I'll never be able to adequately serve under her as my Commanding Officer."
"Any additional skills, aside from handling a gun as big as you and having a law degree?"
"In basic I excelled in specialty training for alternate communications and navigation."
Shepard nodded his head. "Welcome aboard, Ensign Williams: I'll have your orders signed before we leave Earth."
"Thank you sir: I'll meet you there." She said, offering a quick, sloppy salute before she turned and ran off.
Shepard couldn't help but feel upbeat about their chances to stop the Reapers now: Earth was safe, he was free, and he had the Alliance on his side. The Normandy was no getting ready for repairs and a refit, and his crew was all but fully rounded out with experts in every field he could immediately think of.
Too bad he didn't know that the party hadn't even begun...
Okay, before I begin my usual explanations, I am going to hold a little contest for those of you reading this. See, through all of my research, including my worship of the official Mass Effect Wiki page, I have only found a few native Quarian words, and of those words only one, bosh'tet, is a curse word. As an author, both of my own original works and of fanfictions, I prefere to have a wide-range of words at my disposal; I find it keeps the story I'm telling from becoming too bland and boring. So, here's the deal: if you can think of a nice, colorful Quarian curse that sounds like it came from the actual Mass Effect universe then send it to me, either via a private message or at the end of a signed review. The winners will be announced at the top of the next chapter: I will be choosing three when I make my next update. In addition, if someone out there finds an official curse, aside from bosh'tet, that has been used by a Quarian character, either in the video games, books, or comics, you may send it to me, along with a link to where you found it, and provided I feel it's accurate I will give you credit for bringing it to my attention.
Okay, now that that's out of the way, I'd like to say how glad I am that no one found the last chapter too rushed...at least, none of you that reviewed. I equally hope that this chapter isn't rushed, and I also hope I was able to keep the characters in-character.
I must admit that when I finished the last chapter I had intended to make the mystery Quarian be Tali's mom: I never remembered hearing anything about her mother. However, hours after posting Chapter Nine, I was re-reading what I got from the Mass Effect Wiki and it mentioned Tali's mother died five years prior to the first Mass Effect, due to an air-born virus. Luckily, however, I have already devised a way around this particular issue, so all is good.
I have finally found information on N7 ranks within the Systems Alliance, and as Shepard was at the rank of Lieutenant-Commander, I decided to skip the rank of Staff Commander and give him the next available rank, Major. Now, according to the Wiki this rank is that of Captain or Major, with Captain being Alliance Navy and Major being for Alliance Marines. As Shepard is the latter, he gets the rank of Major.
And I know the Alliance would have to have a hard time allowing an active Geth and an active AI remain aboard the Normandy, hence the reason I had Shepard, as they say, go to bat for his entire crew. Don't worry, though: there's going to be plenty of exciting backlash.
I would like to also take this moment to give due credit to MB18932, who guessed that the mysterious Quarian might be Admiral Daro-Xen; while incorrect his reasoning for this theory has given me some additional ideas and helped me refine others.
So, what's everyone think of Chapter Ten? You know, I never really thought, back when I posted the first chapter of this story, my pilot, that anyone would want to read this, and yet here I am, finishing up Chapter Ten...thank you, everyone. I am most humbled and honored you take the time to read what I write.
Until next time...