Chapter 10: Therum part 2

It was dark, Tali found herself in the crowed corridors she was all familiar with; it was the Rayya, her birth ship. "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 nearly lost her mother.

It was the 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 something 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. Tali tried to run towards her mother, trying desperately to prevent it, but as she moved the woman moved farther and farther from her grasp. "Please don't leave me," she screamed.

But a dark figure came to her mother. She looked at the figure and found out that it was Ragan that saved her mother. Tali then remember that the Alliance was trying to settle a treaty with the Quarians so that they can help the Humans.

It was all for naught, she couldn't save her, just like before. She feel on her knees, sobbing, just like she did six years ago when she saw her mother on the Aliera. 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?! A Human saved her," she asked in anger. Her father was silent. "Why couldn't you be there for once when I was cradling her body?" she asked softly. Her father turned away. "Answer me," she screamed. The Quarian disappeared leaving Tali alone again crying. But she wasn't crying for a death because this tears were tears of joy to see her mother alive.

"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 John, reaching his hand out to her.

"Shepard…" she simply said. She was reaching for his hand, until crimson red blood spattered on her mask. Tali's eyes went wide in horror; she saw a metallic hand impale John through the heart. "NO," she screamed. John fell into her arms, blood staining her enviosuit. "Please, don't leave me… please don't leave me," 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 was worried about her. Kaiden was trying to revive Tali after she passed out when Ragan got her to cover. 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 John and Ragan. "They're over there, the idiots actually tried to take a Geth armature by themselves," he pointed to the north.

Tali looked at blankly. "Those bosh'tets did what?! Why didn't you stop them," she was angered. Kaiden waved his hand alarmed, he told her that John ordered him to stay in cover to make sure she was safe – which she passed out due to hyperventilation – while he took the armatures with Ragan. Kaiden also told her that tried to help by calling Garrus or Jane from the Nomandy as backup. Tali was livid at John's risking his life-like for her carelessness. When she saw John, she got up and stormed over and punched him hard then punched Ragan, who felt nothing.

"YOU BOSH'TET! Don't you ever do that again! Of all the reckless –," Tali said angerly. The next move from him surprised her, he hugged her tightly. Kaiden and Jane 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 though holding him tightly. They then remembered that Kaiden and Jane was there and broke the hug, looking at each other sheepishly.

John clearned his troat, "Are you okay?"

Tali blushed, "I am now." She looks at Ragan, "And thank you for saving my mother on the Rayya."

"No problem," Ragan didn't want to take credit because it made him feel like he was a tool.

The team went into the mine, once outside 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. Jane crouched down to exam it, "Prothean tech, we're on the right path." It was John's choice to let Jane stay with the current team to be back-up for when Tali weren't fully one hundred percent. The group stopped at the sight of 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 was thinking it must have been brutal. The cavern also contained Geth, but they didn't seem to notice the team's presence. "John, I hate to say it, but we may be too -," Jane was interrupted by a meek voice.

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

"Shut it, you want alert every Geth in here," John said.

"Sorry," the Asari replied, her voice quieter. "I'm a little… look; my name is Doctor Liara T'Soni, I'm a Prothean archeologist, please help me."

"Hold it, first I want to know, whose side you are on," Ragan looked at John. He understood why John was suspicious.

"Side? I'm not on anyone side, the Geth attacked me, my team and the miners out of nowhere," Laira was 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 his predicament.

"What you guys thing," John was still not sure about her.

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

"It's a pretty poor trap, I'd say. We should let her out," Tali was trying to find a way to break the blue field.

"Poor trap it is. I say we get her out. So yes, I agree with Tali'Zorah," Ragan then looked at the field. "We get her out, she helps us. A win-win situation."

"I agree with Tali, besides our Asari here seems like she would be a very bad liar," Jane said. John looked at Kaiden, who just shrugged his shoulders, it looks like they were going to release her. John looked back at Liara.

"Hang tight, we'll get you out," John was happy to help her.

"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 can use this," John asked. Tali went to look at the laser and then looked at Liara's prison; no way were they going to free any other way. She put the laser 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, pour forth every direction, obscuring everyone's vision. When the dust finally settled the laser had cleared a hole in the rock, opening a way to open the Prothean chamber. "Done."

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

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

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

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

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

"Uh, oops," she said.

"Shit, let's move," John said. Liara used the terminal near them and the elevator was set in motion, John used the intercom to call the Normandy. The elevator reached the top fairly quickly only to great 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 in the opening, circular elevator platform, with nothing that could give them any sort of protection.

"So, got a plan brother," Jane asked.

"Wipe them the fuck out," John yelled.

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. 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 to take-off. The Normandy sped off the planet, after the whole team got in.

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