Note: Mass Effect: B&B will be on hiatus for little while, so I can make up new stories. Think of it, as a midseason finale for fanfic. If you have any ideas for going forward, I welcome it. Thank you and enjoy.

Chapter 10b: Therum part 2

It was dark, Tali found herself in the crowded corridors she was all too familiar with; it was the Rayya, her birthship. "Why am I back here?" she asked. The ship was busy with life, just like before she left for her pilgrimage, but Tali felt very uneasy, something about this was familiar, but not the good kind. "Why does this feel so-nononono Keelah no!" she said in fear. It was the day she would never forget, the day that haunted her dreams, the day she lost her mother.

It was a Quarian's greatest fear; the sound of silence, what Tali listened to every time she tried to go to sleep on the Normandy, but unlike the Normandy it often meant some vital machinery had broken down. The Quarians on the ship started to panic, trying to find what was wrong, but Tali knew, an air filter had broken down. The Quarians in front of her collapsed, one by one, including her mother. Tali tried run towards her, trying desperately to prevent a second tragedy, but as she moved the woman moved farther and farther from her grasp. "Please, don't leave me!" she screamed.

It was all for naught, she couldn't save her, just like before. She fell to her knees, sobbing, just like she did six years ago when she saw her mother's body. She was then moved to another familiar place; in front of her was a Quarian male, her father. "Why? Why did you leave her when she needed you?!" she asked in anger. Her father was silent." Why couldn't you be there for once when I was cradling her lifeless body?" she asked softly. Her father turned away. "Answer me!" she screamed. The Quarian man disappeared, leaving Tali alone again crying.

"Get up rookie, I know you're stronger than that," said a familiar voice. It was a voice she recognized, a voice she was falling for. It was Shepherd, reaching his hand out for her.

"Shepherd…" she simply said. She was reaching for his hand, until crimson red blood splattered on her mask. Tali's eyes went wide in horror; she saw a metallic hand impale Shepherd through his heart. "NO!" she screamed. Shepherd fell into her arms, his blood staining her enviosuit. "Please, don't leave me…not you too…please" she said weakly holding his body tightly. She looked up, seeing the monster that killed the man she was falling in love with. A geth. Her people's sworn enemy, her sworn enemy. All that could be heard in the darkness was a scream of a lone Quarian.

"Tali please wake up" Kaiden said worried. Kaiden was trying to revive Tali after she was knocked out, by the geth armatures, by order of Shepherd. To his surprise, Tali shot up screaming. "Whoa, Tali, you're alright, you're safe now" Kaiden said softly. Tali was breathing heavily, during her nightmare, everything seemed so real. 'Just a dream..it's only a dream...' she thought. As she calmed down, Tali asked for Shepherd. "He's over there, the idiot actually tried to take on a geth armatures by himself" he said pointing to the north.

Tali looked at blankly. "That bosh'tet did what?! Why didn't you stop him?!" Tali asked angrily. Kaiden wave his hand alarmed, he told her that Shepherd ordered him to stay in cover and make sure she was safe, while he took one the armatures alone. Kaiden also told her that tried to help by calling Garrus from the Normandy as backup. Tali was livid at Shepherd risking his life-like that for her carelessness. When she saw Shepherd, she got up and stormed over and punched him hard. "YOU BOSH'TET! Don't you ever do that again! Of all the reckless-" Tali said angrily. The next move from him surprised her, he hugged her tightly. Kaiden and Garrus looked at them surprised. Tali blushed , but stayed in his embrace. 'You stupid bosh'tet you're going to be the death of me, scaring me like that' she thought holding him tightly. They then remembered that Kaiden and Garrus was there and broke the hug looking at each other sheepishly.

Shepherd cleared his throat. "Are you okay?"

Tali blushed. "I am now" she said softly.

The team went into the mine, once inside the team became wary of ambushes by the geth. Inside the mine the littered with not just human tech, but old tech, some dating back millenniums, Garrus crouched down to exam it. "Prothean tech, we're on the right path" said Garrus. It was Shepherd's choice to let Garrus stay with the current team to be back-up for when Tali weren't fully one-hundred percent. The group stopped at the sight dead bodies of humans and asari, littered the cavern's floor, from the looks of it they didn't notice until it was too late. 'Looks like a warzone here' Tali thought. The cavern also contained geth, but they didn't seem to notice the team's presence. "Shepherd I hate say it, but we may be too-"Garrus was interrupted by a meek voice.

"Um hello? Please help!" the tiny voice said. The group looked up and saw an asari in a blue energy field. 'So she did survive' she thought

"Shut it, you want alert every geth in here" Shepherd said.

"Sorry," the asari replied, her voice quieter, "I'm a little... look; my name is Dr. Liara T'Soni, I'm a prothean archeologist, please help me."

"Hold it, first I want to know, whose side you are on" Shepherd asked suspiciously.

"Side? I'm not on anyone side, the geth attacked me, my team, and the miners out of nowhere." She said still shaken. The team look at each other confused. 'The geth attacked her? She's the daughter of Saren's ally' Tali thought. The team spoke among one another to discuss this predicament.

"What you guys think?" Shepherd asked.

Kaiden crossed his arms. "It could be a trap…"

"It's a pretty poor trap, I'd say, we should let her out" Tali said.

"I agree with Tali, besides our asari here seem like she would be a very bad liar" Garrus said. Shepherd looked at Kaiden, who just shrugged his shoulders, it looks like they were going release her. Shepherd looked back the Liara.

"Hang tight, we'll get you out" Shepherd said.

"Thank the goddess!" The team hushed the asari. "Oh sorry…" The team went to find the way to get Liara out of there. As the group tried to get the asari out they were attacked by the geth, but thanks to an extra tech expert, the battle was quick. They found their way to a mining laser.

"Think we use can this?" Shepherd asked. Tali went to look at the laser, and then looked at Liara prison; no way were they going to free her any other way. She put the laser on the medium setting, as not to make the mines unstable. "Rookie?"

"Shh, I'm working…" She imputed the last command and the laser turned on and fired underneath Liara's prison. Dust immediately erupted from the hit wall, pouring forth in every direction, obscuring everyone's vision. When the dust finally settled the laser had cleared a hole in the rock, opening a way to one of the prothean chambers.

"Done"

Shepherd nodded. "Everyone in" Kaiden and Garrus nodded went into the tunnel. Tali went in last. "Nice one, rookie, what would we do without you?"

Tali smiled. "Give me time, I'll think of something" she joked.

Shepherd smirked. "Smartass" Tali went in and Shepherd could help but watch her as she walked in, Shepherd started to blush and shook his head and went into the tunnel. The team made their way to an elevator, which led to the asari. They released her from her prison, only to feel rumblings, the mine was coming down.

"These ruins are not stable," Liara said alarmed. "What did you do?"

"Nothing, just fired the mining laser, it was the only way to get to you" Kaiden said.

The asari paled. "Please tell me you didn't put the laser on anything higher than low" The team looked at Tali.

"Uh, oops" she said.

"Shit, let's move!" he said. Liara used the terminal near them and the elevator was set in motion, Shepard used the intercom to call the Normandy. The elevator reached the top fairly quickly only to greet them with an unpleasant surprise: At the edge of the top-level stood a huge, yellow-skinned krogan, surrounded by geth. Shepard grabbed T'Soni and put her behind himself. He shouted to everybody to take cover, except there was none. They were on an open, circular elevator platform, with nothing that could give them any sort of protection.

"So, got a plan Shepherd?" Garrus asked.

"Wipe them the fuck out!"

The battle didn't last too long, the geth didn't stand a chance with four tech experts and with Liara's unexpected help the krogan fell in no time at all. The group ran out at break neck pace, dodging rocks and broken equipment. Finally they reached a ramp that led outwards. They reached the exit and in front of them, waiting for them, was the Normandy, ready and ready for take-off. The Normandy sped off the planet.

The group was in the airlock, exhausted. Tali looked at Shepherd and Shepherd looked back. They both blushed, because they knew they were going to have an very awkward conversation later.