I started writing short-ish pieces focused on different characters for ME character appreciation weeks over on tumblr (masseffectlove dot tumblr dot com). This one is for Mordin.
The damned Cerberus logo was everywhere, winking at her from all the humans' uniforms, splashed large upon the walls. Everywhere. Tali glared at it, every time, as she explored every nook and cranny of the vessel. There were surveillance devices everywhere, too. She'd disabled the first few she found, the ones in engineering, and then she'd simply started documenting the rest. It might be best to consult with Shepard before unilaterally removing the lot of them, as much as knowing they were there made her itch. She would have to show Garrus the ones he'd missed in the main battery. Insufferable turian could still stand to learn a few tricks. She smiled to herself.
It was the middle of the ship's night cycle. It had seemed the best time for her explorations, with most of the crew in their quarters. The night crew cast her curious glances as she went by, but she ignored them. She had started in engineering, of course, and as the shift changed over, she'd worked her way up, mostly using the service conduits buried between the ship's decks.
Tali opened a door and blinked as light spilled into the corridor. Light, and the sound of someone humming, and... oh. It must be the salarian scientist Shepard had mentioned. She stepped in, her eyes and suit adjusting to the new environment. "Dr. Solus? or... Professor Solus?"
"Yes? Either correct. Or Mordin. Formality unnecessary."
Tali blinked. "Okay. Mordin. I thought I should introduce myself. I'm-"
He finally looked up from his experiment. "Ah! Quarian. Tali'Zorah. Latest recruit. Chief engineer. Pleased to meet you."
"You too." Tali looked around. The lab was a jumble of different lights, instruments, something bubbling in a beaker suspended over a burner. "What are you working on?"
"Improving seeker swarm countermeasures. Analyzing samples from Horizon. Various personal—don't touch!—projects."
Tali jerked her hand back. "Sorry." She hadn't meant to touch anything, really. As she looked around again, the apparent chaos reminded her of her own usual work space, arranged in a way that made sense to her, if no one else. She was willing to wager that Mordin was the same way. Only with so much more space. She sighed, her guilt mingled with envy. "I'm very sorry. I hope I didn't interfere with anything."
He sniffed. "No harm done."
She asked hesitantly, "Can I ask you a question?"
"Certainly. Answer not guaranteed." He was busy tapping away at his console still. Tali smiled to herself, admiring his commitment to multitasking.
"Does it bother you, being on a Cerberus ship?"
"No. Shepard's ship. Shepard's crew. Good cause."
Tali nodded slowly. "So you're not worried... that Shepard might... not be herself, or Cerberus might be controlling her somehow?" This was a fear she couldn't quite shake, even after talking to Shepard. It seemed to good to be true, and no matter how reassured she had been in Shepard's presence, her worry returned whenever Shepard was absent. Especially with the Cerberus logo looming everywhere.
"No. Have examined records, conducted medical scans. Results consistent. Confident of Shepard's identity."
"Oh. Good, then."
"Regarding Cerberus—" Mordin inhaled sharply. "Caution advisable. On alert, certainly. Not defenseless. But Shepard's word good." To her surprise, he smiled at her. "Fear unnecessary. Prepare for worst. No time wasted worrying."
"I... thank you." The advice was unexpectedly heartening. Tali felt her shoulders relaxing. "Well, then. Is everything working properly in here? No problems with the equipment?"
"No malfunction at present."
"I'll let you work, then."
Tali left feeling more confident than she had since boarding the vessel. It was good to have friends aboard, but it was also a relief to have her desire to take precautions affirmed. She got into the habit of stopping by the lab every day or two, after that. Sometimes she did some minor repairs, or improved the efficiency of one of Mordin's machines; once or twice she asked him for a bit of medical advice. They seldom talked long, since Mordin was usually focused on his work, but one evening they ended up in a lengthy discussion of the best works of quarian music in the last century.
When the crew broke up, before she returned to the Flotilla, Tali made the rounds of the ship to say goodbye. On impulse, she gave Mordin a hug. "What will you do now?" she asked.
He blinked several times, startled. "Talk to STG contacts. Data to analyze. Much to do."
"Oh, of course, the data from the Collector Base," Tali said.
Mordin blinked again. "Yes."
"Well, I hope we'll meet again someday."
"Perhaps." He smiled. "Farewell, Tali'Zorah."
"Farewell, Mordin. Keelah se'lai."
#
Months later, Shepard told her what happened on Tuchanka.
"Oh," Tali gasped, her eyes filling with tears so suddenly she could hardly see for a moment. "Oh. I never—"
"I know." Shepard rubbed her eyes, looking tired. "I miss him, too."
It was silly, really. Of course there would be losses, even of people she knew. This one hit her hard, though. She sniffled behind her mask. Shepard put an arm around her shoulders, but she made a funny hiccuping sound herself, so Tali hugged her back.
Garrus found them in the lounge trading Mordin stories a while later. If he noticed that Shepard's eyes were red or that Tali's voice was raspy, he didn't say anything about it, only poured them another round of drinks and took a seat.
