AN: Huge chapter is huge, I had a lot I wanted to put into this one and it didn't set well with me to split it up into two different ones. Also, look at me figuring out to finally put those line breaks in. I've only written 30 odd chapters on this site...anyway. I hope you enjoy and just to be clear for a few people asking. Feral's 'loyalty' is still to be won.
"Wait…Tali?" Kasumi tilted her head at Feral from her place on the sofa in the observation deck, "as in….sweet, innocent, couldn't hurt a fly Tali?" The thief smiling a little as Feral raised an eyebrow at her at the last part. "Figure of speech, but seriously? Treason?" Her eyes flicking back down to the small, paperback book in her hand as she read and talked.
"Yes seriously" Feral sighed from the other side of the bar as he rummaged through the collection of drinks the Normandy was stocked with. His head ducking down and out of sight as his kept speaking, his words being interrupted by the sound of bottles clinking together "No idea what with though, she'd have had to done something that put the entire Migrant Fleet at risk and she's been here since Haestrom…..aha!" The red eyed soldier re-emerging from behind the bar with a bottle in his hand, before he leant over the bar top to look back at Kasumi.
When she'd finished reading the page she was one, Kasumi flicked her eyes back over to the bar and paused. Her book falling as she let her hand drop and she just pointed at him with her free hand "I thought you didn't drink"
Feral blinked at her as he opened the bottle and shrugged "Unless you're planning on poisoning me and trying to blow me up, I think I'm fine" placing the bottle to his lips and taking a swig, his eyes looking around the room a little before he finally swallowed "Besides this whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth, and this is cherry flavoured" Grinning at Kasumi before sighing as she still kept looking at him questioningly "….what? I don't get drunk but situations like these call for more than water"
Finally swatting her hand playfully towards him as she propped her book up again in her hand "Fine, fine, I get it. So where's Tali now?" the thief staring at her book as she just watched Feral from her periphery.
Finishing off his swig and loudly swallowing, his tongue darting across his lips briefly before he coughed a little "She's talking to Shepard down in engineering, after she got the news she just wanted to work" He sighed a little, leaving out the detail of the thirty minutes they had spent together and he'd had to try and console her. "I think EDI passed a message onto Kelly and…whatever she's chatting to Shepard as far as I am aware, and hopefully he'll help us find passage to the Migrant Fleet"
Kasumi turned her head again to face the drinking man, "you'll be leaving the Normandy?"
Feral just shrugged as he placed the bottle down in front of him. "Most likely, Shepard's kinda busy saving the universe again and the Migrant Fleet are wary of strangers…plus this is a technically a Cerberus vessel and that in itself would raise issues…." Bringing one of his hands up to rub across his face and forehead before combing his fingers back through his hair.
"Pity" Kasumi sighed out a little, "I would've loved to have visited the Migrant Fleet, I've always enjoyed the nomadic lifestyle." the thief pausing before she placed her book down entirely and sat around, hugging her knees to her chest as she stared at Feral "What's it like?"
"Like living on the Normandy only with less space, more noise and everyone wears environmental suits…..not sure what else to tell you Kas" Feral shrugged as he picked up the bottle lazily and placed it on his lips "I was only really there for Tali anyway, and other than this headscarf and learning Khellish I was busy doing….things"
Kasumi huffed, seemingly disappointed with his response though she perked up at the way he'd said the last word "things like…classified things or…things like Tali?" giggling to herself as even through the dimmed lighting she could see him tense up a little before he slapped his palm into his face "Sorry but you walked into that one Red, I promise I won't spread it around" smiling at the man as she watched him drag his palm down his face, before turning to face the door as it opened.
"Is Feral in….." Shepard stepped through the door and looked around the room, blinking a little as he pointed at the man he'd been looking for "are you drinking?" the Commander had a small smirk on his face as he watched Feral finish dragging his hand down his face and raise his hands in an overly expressive shrug.
"Evidently not enough" the words were mumbled even before he brought the bottle back to his lips and drank the rest of the container in one, letting his hand fall back to the table with a small slam. Responding to the small laughs from Shepard and Kasumi by mumbling a string of Khellish that was too quiet to be picked up by their translators.
"He likes the cherry flavoured ones" Kasumi just smiled up at the commander from her perch on the large suite, "So what's the word Shep? Are Feral and Tali leaving us for a bit?" Noticing the commander looked over at Feral, the man nodding as he put the bottle to one side letting Shepard know that Kasumi was fully aware of the situation.
"No they're not" he hadn't even been able to finish his sentence as the sound of glass breaking came from over in the corner, the bottle in Feral's hand had been turned to shards in an instant and the super soldier was about to protest when Shepard quickly interjected "instead!" the commander shouted, making Feral bite his own tongue a little "We're changing course for the Migrant Fleet. This is important to Tali, and you Feral, so of course I'm going to help" smiling as he watched the wave of relief wash over Feral's features before looking down as a hand tugged at his sleeve. "….yes?"
Wincing a little as he slowly opened his hand "She wants to come with, I don't care as long as she doesn't steal anything…..it's not going to be any fun anyway but I'd still ask Tali first Kas" the thief biting her bottom lip with her front teeth as she bounced to her feet "and try to act less…excited about it would you? She's going on trial"
Kasumi stopped as she began to walk out, the smile on her face dropping as she nodded "Yeah…sorry Red….I'll ask Tali if it's ok with her" turning again before coming face to face with Shepard "and of course if it's ok with you too Commander" spluttering it out a little, the fact she'd used his rank instead of Shep made the N7 snort a little before he just nodded.
"If it's fine with those two it's fine with me" he shrugged and stepped aside as the little woman walked out of the room, the door hissing shut and leaving the two men alone "Are you ok Feral?"
"Hmm?" the super soldier looked up from his bleeding hand, he'd been picking out a couple of the larger pieces of glass from his palm and fingers. The wounds already sewn together again just moments after the shards were removed "Oh I'm fine, just worried about Tali. It's a really serious thing to be accused of in any society but the Quarians are so closely knitted….it barely ever happens from what I've been told"
Shepard nodded slightly "Yeah, Tali filled me in briefly when she told me what had happened, I'm sure it'll be fine. We both know she could never do anything that warrants treason." Smiling when he saw Feral grin as the man stepped around the bar, still looking at his palm before opening and closing it a few times "…I swear no matter how many times I see it, I'm always impressed"
"Yeah it's pretty handy huh?" The super soldier groaning as soon as the words left his lips before snickering slightly "handy…get it?" laughing out loud as Shepard just rolled his eyes as the super soldier hit the door panel.
"Are you sure you can't get drunk?" Shepard put an arm across Feral's chest as he walked past him "because even EDI would know that was a bad joke" smiling as Feral just laughed a little more in response, the super soldier's healed hand patting the back of Shepard's as it barred him from leaving.
Stepping out of the room as Shepard lowered his arm "Well Tali's just been accused of treason. I've no idea what I'm sure of anymore" shrugging as he headed towards the elevator and hit the button. Shepard could only watch as the red eyed man disappeared into the small lift, he could swear the huge grin on his face disappeared as soon as he thought he couldn't be seen anymore.
Feral just quickly swiped at the pad in the elevator for the floor below him, they'd be at the Migrant Fleet in a few hours according to the update he just received on his omni-tool curtesy of Miranda. EDI must have passed on the information, and he had to wonder how the Cerberus agent would take the mission being diverted for the benefit of Tali. Though he didn't really care, ticking her off a little was just another reason that made this whole thing worth-while.
Finally the elevator doors opened and he was greeted by the sight of Kasumi, the Asian woman just had a blank sort of expression on her face as they stepped past each other. "Well?" Feral asked as he turned around to face her.
Kasumi sighed gently "She said yes, but….I'm not going just out of curiosity anymore" her hand lingering over the pad "She's devastated Red, and I want to help anyway I can" the thief smiling a little when she saw Feral smile a little at her reply "Oh and…she's gone back to your quarters. I suggested she get some rest or at least just have some time to think" nodding when Feral just quietly said thank you, her hand finally hitting the pad in the elevator as Feral turned away and walked towards the door.
Through the windows in the cargo bay he could see the shutters were down, either Tali wanted privacy or she was taking Kasumi's advice and was getting some rest. When he opened the door the darkness gave him his answer, quickly stepping in and letting it shut behind him and noticing it locked immediately. She must have activated his locking code, only letting them in or out and shutting off EDI. Shutting his eyes a little as he let them adjust to the darkness, he could hear the sterilisation unit above the door working gently.
As soon as he opened his eyes, his night vision was fully in effect and he stepped towards the bed they shared where he could make out the shape of his girlfriend though the black. Sitting on the edge of the bed as he took off his boots before scooting up towards her, placing a hand gently on her shoulder and squeezing when he felt her skin instead of her suit.
"Hey" Tali stirred a little, her voice quiet and depressed as she turned to face him under the sheets.
"Hey you" Feral whispered back gently as he looked down at her, placing his palm gently on her cheek and stroking along her jawline softly, "you're out of your suit"
Shaking her head slightly as she moved closer to him "just the helmet and collar piece, I don't have time to remove it completely but I just didn't want to be trapped in it right now" letting her cheek rest in the palm of his hand as she placed her hand on his shirt and tugged on the fabric a little "take it off, please?" sighing as she looked up at him "I just want to feel your skin against mine" smiling gently when as he leant down and kissed her forehead before sitting up again, pulling the shirt off quickly before slipping under the covers next to her. Letting Tali place her head on his chest as he covered them both with the sheet "thank you" she whispered up at him, his natural body heat and the sound of his heart beating steadily in his chest already helping her calm down.
Feral just smiled gently down at her through the darkness, he could already feel her slipping away into a deep sleep as her shoulders began to rise and fall steadily every few seconds. Laying his head back onto the pillow before he closed his eyes and relaxed as much as he could, his overly sensitive hearing starting to pick up the creaks of the Normandy behind the sound of Tali's heartbeat and gentle breathing as he fell asleep as well.
It felt like he had only just shut his eyes when he was jolted awake by the sound of banging on the door, sitting up in the bed as he rubbed his eyes and temples. Turning to look at Tali sleeping on her side next to him, she had a habit of rolling around in her sleep and he was used to waking up to find her in another position than the one she'd fallen asleep in. He was about to lean over her when the door shook from three more bangs, Feral grunting a little as he heaved himself out of bed and walked over to the door. Slamming his fist into the panel in response. "What?!" he half shouted as the door flew open, making Jack step back a little when she suddenly came face to face with the super soldier.
"Whoa easy there" chuckling a little at the fact she'd never seen him looking so ragged, his eyes were slightly bloodshot and he had this permanent sort of scowl on his face "Ken and Gabby got a message from EDI to get you two up…and since they are both scared of you they asked me to do it" she shrugged a little as she watched Feral stretch out in the door way before stepping through it to let it shut again.
"Wait they're scared of me?" Feral grunted as he worked out various knots in his back and shoulders, the metal weaving in his joints and bones making slightly louder cracks and pops than usual.
"Well Ken is, Gabby was just busy" Jack shrugged before she tilted her head and smirked a little "what do you have to do to maintain all that?" she pointed a finger up and down his torso as the super soldier just looked down before staring back up at her blankly, earning a laugh from Jack as she watched the usually quick man realise he was shirtless.
Feral crossed his arms over his chest as he just stood up straight "Nothing" he shrugged his shoulders at her, stepping slightly uncomfortably as the biotic was clearly paying more attention to the fact that his muscles were flexing with just about every movement he made, though he was glad she managed to look away long enough to respond.
Jack just scoffed "Bullshit, Jacob isn't even that well-built and that sneaky bitch Kasumi told me what he does every morning" she said half-laughing before stopping as Feral just stared at her blankly "Seriously?" shaking her head slightly as her answer came in the response of a slow nod, "damn Tali's a lucky girl" the pair of them turning to face the door as it opened again and Tali stepped out, clipping her visor into place as Jack stammered "but I prefer a guy with a little ink" rubbing the back of her neck slightly as Tali giggled a little.
"Oh I don't know, maybe one day I'll let him get one" the synthesised voice purred out playfully, Feral stifling a small laugh as Jack just blushed and rubbed her fingers into her face "but yes, I am a very lucky girl. Thank you Jack" Tali ended before turning to face Feral, lifting a hand up with his shirt in her fingers. "You should put this on before Kasumi sees you, the last thing I need is her sneaking into the shower with you like she did with Jacob", looking between Feral and Jack as they just stared at her. "….I'm going to be quiet now" Tali coughed to break the silence as the shirt in her fingers was slowly taken by Feral, the Quarian enjoying the fact her visor hid her face while she pouted as Feral pulled the shirt back on.
Jack sighed a little, quietly thankful that Feral wasn't visibly bulky when he was fully dressed. Whatever Cerberus had done to make him so inhumanly strong hadn't made his muscles bulge out, it more looked like everything had just solidified and toned instantly. Jacob and Shepard both looked the same size as he did, but they were nowhere near as defined. "So…." Jack spoke up finally "Shepard said we're approaching the relay, you two should…go up there or something"
"Thank you Jack" Tali nodded at her, smiling gently behind her visor as she and Feral started walking towards the elevator in the middle of the deck. Feral nodding at the biotic as he walked past, leaving Jack alone in the hallway who as soon as the doors to the elevators closed. The biotic groaning as she finally had a chance to breathe out, the whole situation had just been embarrassing for her and she just stomped her way down into the lower deck of Engineering to get away from people for the time being.
- The Migrant Fleet, Valhallan Threshold –
"This is Tali'Zorah vas Neema nar Rayya, requesting permission to dock with the Rayya" Tali spoke into the com unit beside Joker. Shepard, Feral and Kasumi were standing behind her as she paced back and forth slightly, Feral swatting Kasumi's hands away as she poked at his side. The human was wearing full armour just like Shepard, it was only the second time the thief had seen him like that since they'd first met on the Citadel.
Tali sighed as the reply came through the unit, the system had tagged them as Cerberus and was asking for an verification code to which she quickly responded "After time adrift among upon stars, along tides of light and through shoals of dust, I will return to where I began" sighing as she finished, turning to look back at Feral who just smiled gently at her as the response came that they were cleared for landing.
Kasumi sighed next to Feral "What a beautiful poem, I love that they use that to identify friend from foe" the super soldier chuckling a little before agreeing. The pair of them whispering as Tali requested a security and sterilisation team to greet them.
"You should hear it in Khellish, one of the first things I learnt" he smiled down at the thief as Tali stepped over to the three waiting beside the airlock. "How you holding up?" his voice was soft as he placed a hand on her forearm.
Tali sighed, before looking out of the window in the side of the Normandy's cockpit "Never thought I'd feel this way about coming home…." Even with the voice module synthesizing her voice you could hear the pain in her words "…thank you, all of you, for helping me." The young woman smiling as she looked at her boyfriend, Shepard and Kasumi just smiling back at her. They didn't need to say anything to her just then, the looks alone let her know she wasn't alone.
"You're innocent Tali, we all know it" Shepard spoke up as he watched Tali and Feral stand a little closer together, their hands on each other's forearms as the human whispered in Khellish to her. The Normandy juddering as it came to a stop, the sound of mechanical clangs ringing out as the airlock became connected to the Rayyas.
Tali sighed out louder before looking up at Feral, pulling the Recon Hood out of his fingers as she slid it over his head and pulled it down into position. It had been a long time since he had used it, and the old head gear had its share of scars and dents. "Come on then, no sense in dragging this out" Tali turned to face Shepard, who then turned around and opened the airlock. The four strong squad walking through the door and going through pressurisation before stepping out onto the Quarian ship, and straight into a marine detail waiting for them.
Shepard and Tali were at the front, with Feral and Kasumi behind them as if they were a support detail; which in reality wasn't far from the truth. The group stopping as a Quarian approached them, the marines standing up and looking busy as he stopped in front of Shepard "Captain Shepard, Tali'Zorah told me a lot about you. I wish we could be meeting under more pleasant circumstances."
"Tali has helped me and my crew more times than I care to mention, I'm just here to return the favour" Shepard nodded towards Tali as he spoke back to the man, turning his head as Tali whispered the Quarians name to him before repeating it out loud "Captain Kar'Danna"
"I understand, as the commander of the vessel she serves on your voice carries great weight. I wish I could do more to help Tali but the trial requires that I be officially mute but…I'm here if you need anything" Kar'Danna nodded towards her gently, his eyes were visibly downcast even through his visor. The Captain briefly glancing over to what was the familiar sight of Feral's Recon Hood, the two sharing a quick and silent greeting.
The Captain sighed before he carried on "They're charging you with bringing active Geth onto the fleet as part of a secret experiment" he had barely finished when both Tali and Feral pushed forward a little.
"That's insane! I never sent back anything that was still active" raising her voice as she defended her actions "Feral was with me for several of those missions, we both checked….if we missed anything…no….no we were careful right?" she turned to face Feral who was right beside Shepard now, the man nodding in agreement.
"You two sent Geth material back to the fleet?" Shepard had a concerned tone, it sounded beyond stupid to him and he was hoping for a good explanation.
Feral cut in this time "The Geth are software, we made sure all the platforms and material were safe before we sent them back. This isn't something she or I would make a mistake on Shepard" his head dropping slightly "…unless….no…no there's no way" Feral shook his head as Tali backed up what he was saying.
Shepard sighed to himself behind his helmet, wishing he could rub his forehead a little. This was going to be messy, and after the Captain placed Tali under what was effectively house arrest on board his ship. The group moved on, Kasumi pacing behind the three of them as she quietly took everything in. Feral eventually dropped back to her, letting Shepard and Tali walk ahead towards the garden plaza, "everything you hoped it would be?"
Kasumi smiled behind her mask softly "Oh yes…this is wonderful but…it's a little hard to enjoy it under the circumstances" her smile disappearing as they walked along. Tilting her head at Feral as she watched him look ahead, speeding up with him as he quickly closed the gap. Tali was up ahead with Admiral Shala'Raan just as Tali noticed something her aunt had said.
"Wait, Raan…you called me 'vas Normandy'" Tali turned her head back to the older Quarian, a confused and hurt tone on her voice as she stepped away from Shala to stand next to Feral.
"I'm afraid so Tali, the admiralty board have moved to try you under that name after your departure from the Neema, and I have had to recuse myself because of my relationship with you and your father" Shala explained herself before breathing in "Hello again Feral vas Normandy..." she glanced over at the super human, before quickly turning to Tali again "We should go in whenever you're ready."
"Agreed" Shepard spoke up, making everyone around him stand up a little straighter "Does Tali have legal representation in this trial?"
Shala just nodded at the Commander "Indeed she does Captain Shepard, according to Quarian law the accused is always represented by his or her Captain and Tali serves on board your ship"
Tali turned to Shepard but he just raised his hand "It's ok, I already said I'd do whatever I could to help you" smiling behind his visor as Tali just looked back at him "I'd be honoured to stand for you"
"Good. Now, whenever you're ready. Enter the plaza and the trial will begin" Shala'Raan nodded at Shepard and Tali before spinning on her heels and heading into the large open garden area, leaving the group to themselves for a few minutes. As soon as she turned around, Shepard had let out a large breath and his shoulders had dropped.
"Ok so two things. One, anything I should know about Quarian law and two, why do I keep being called a Captain?" Shepard turned around, looking between Tali and Feral who in turn just looked at each other before Tali turned back to face him.
"Well in terms of the law? Not really, we don't play tricks or have loopholes. Just tell the truth" Tali shrugged a little "As for the rank, you command a ship. In the eyes of Quarians that makes you a Captain regardless of what other races say….thank you for doing this Shepard, it really means a lot."
Shepard smiled as he started to walk towards the plaza "Well…anything to help out Mr and Mrs vas Normandy" smirking before he turned back to see Feral and Tali both took a small step away from each other and looking anywhere but at each other "wait they don't know?" groaning as he stopped and half turned, a hand stretched out towards them "Ok….Feral?" He waited for the super soldier to look at him "Probably best you stay quiet then." Staring at the man as he went to protest before he exhaled dejectedly, Tali placing a hand on his shoulder as she tried to reassure him that it was alright before they all headed into the plaza and the trial began.
Feral and Kasumi stood at the back as a crowd began to form around the plaza, Shepard and Tali standing at the centre of the large square of people. Feral could only watch as the trial began to unfold, the three judges were Han'Gerrel, Daro'Xen and Zaal'Koris but no matter where he looked he couldn't spot Tali's father, Rael. It wasn't long before he found out why, the revelation shocking him as much as he could see it shocked Tali, Kasumi putting a hand on his chest plate as he took a step forward. The thief shaking her head up at him as he reluctantly stood back, watching as Shepard fought Tali's case. Before too long, the trial was adjourned to give them time to take back the Alarai, Shepard pushing for the safety of the fleet above what was appearing to be a pissing contest between the admiralty, and Tali had been pushed into the middle of it all. All she wanted was to find her father.
The crowd began to disperse as Shepard and Tali came back to join with Feral and Kasumi, the young Quarian resisting the urge to throw herself into Feral's arms as much as he was resisting the urge to hold her. "So…take back the Alarai, find Rael and clear Tali's name….what the hell is going on here" Feral didn't so much ask as much as he vented.
Shepard looked around the room "No idea, but the sooner we find out the better." He tilted his head at Tali a little, the woman had her fingers just gently gripped onto the hems of cloth that adorned her suit. They didn't have much time to waste, if the Tali's father was still alive. The Geth would be closing in on him with every passing moment "Feral, Kasumi. Get back to the Normandy and get it ready. I think I should have a quick word with the Admirals. Quarian law or not, they clearly have agendas of their own here." Feral nodded at the Commander before looking at Tali, the woman just nodded at him gently as she tried to hold herself together. Dipping his head slightly as he turned away and he and Kasumi ran back to the Normandy. The ship would be ready as soon as Shepard and Tali got back.
Feral was pissed off, from what Shepard and Tali said to him when they had returned to the ship. The admirals were using this trial as a stage show to push for their opinions on a war with the Geth. Whatever Rael had been doing, Han'Gerrel and he were pushing for open war, Zaal'Koris was opposing them and Daro'Xen had some insane notion of returning the Geth to Quarian control. The shuttle had taken them straight to the Alarai, and from the moment they had set foot on the ship. The group had been under almost constant attack from Geth platforms. The three veterans of the SR-1 were hacking through the synthetics like they were nothing, and Kasumi was fully cloaked; picking her moments to reappear and strike an unsuspecting unit or to put down one that hadn't quite been taken care of.
Eventually, however, they were given a respite as the platforms stopped attacking them. The group making sure the room they were in was absolutely clear before Feral took the opportunity to check some of the logs on the computers. Shepard and Tali came to join him when they heard a loud bang as he slammed his fists into the desk. "Damn it…" his voice came out through gritted teeth as he pushed himself back up.
"What is it? What did you find" Tali asked quietly, lifting her shoulders slightly as he turned to face her.
"Rael ordered them to bypass security protocols" Feral breathed out harshly as he rubbed his fingers into his Recon Hood, watching Tali's head just drop as she took the news about as well as Feral had.
"Could that be the cause of all this?" Shepard threw the idea out into the tense air.
"No" Tali shook her head "standard security protocols would have meant keeping firewalls up and being careful. At best ignoring those would have let one or two Geth programmes into the system. Enough to slow everything down but….it wouldn't account for platforms reactivating like this"
"Or this many of them" Feral added, looking back on the good dozen or so platforms they had taken down in this section of the ship alone. "I was only part of this for a few months but…there is no way they should have been able to reactivate full platforms"
Shepard was quietly taking it in, giving a hand signal for them to move on as he mulled it all over. Ignoring safety protocols would be a good defence for Tali's trial. If the science team had broken protocol it could absolve her of any wrongdoing, not that it would be of any real comfort to her. The group moved through the totally silent ship, Shepard remembered how Tali complained about the Normandy being too quiet once. That Quarian ships were only ever silent when something went wrong, and the Alarai was hauntingly quiet. The only sounds filling the stale air where their feet as they moved through the halls.
Shepard and Feral were in the lead, at least they assumed they were. Kasumi was still cloaked and nowhere to be seen. They were about to head down an L-bend before a door opened behind them, Shepard patting Feral's shoulder as he left the human to keep watch as he followed Tali into a side room. Her attention was placed on a Geth drone of some sort on a gulley in a side lab. "I recognise this drone, it's one I sent to father from Haestrom" her hands moving the small device around on the table as she inspected "It had a reflux algorithm I didn't recognise, and father wanted anything new to be sent back. Any sign of Geth self-improvement or….we just wanted to know what they were thinking, how they were advancing"
Shepard looked over her shoulder before turning to look around the room "Does any of this give you a clue as to what happened here?"
"No" her voice was filled with confusion, she was trying to imagine every scenario that would lead to this and none of them were making any sense "I don't know Shepard, I checked everything I sent back. Feral and I both worked on the procedure for sending back parts…" pausing as she collected herself "we passed up great finds if there was even a chance they were too dangerous or prone to self-reactivation"
"I believe you Tali" he nodded as he spoke, "but we still need to figure out what happened here as well as finding your father" Shepard motioning to the door as they walked back out of the lab, the commander tapping Feral's shoulder as he walked past. Tali moving in two before Feral grabbed her arm gently.
"You didn't do this Tali" he watched as Tali's shoulders sank a little and shook her head.
"I just don't know what's worse….that I got sloppy or that father actually did this himself" Tali said as she looked back up at Feral, it was odd to see his face covered but she could see he was looking straight at her before he leant forward and touched his forehead to hers quickly, smiling softly at the quick gesture.
"We're going to figure this out Palla" Feral whispered quietly to her before their foreheads pulled apart. Tali quickly brushing her palm and thumb against his cheek before they both moved up to Shepard's position at the door before the Commander hit the switch and the Alarai filled with the sounds of gunfire again. More Geth platforms including some of the more dangerous variants were waiting for them on the other side. Feral immediately having to answer a Juggernaut's charge with an overload and a few rounds before the platform grabbed him and pushed him back through the door.
Tali and Shepard could only listen to the crash as they disappeared behind them, their attention being demanded from the other Geth shooting at them. Releasing her drone quickly and using it to draw their fire as she and Shepard pushed forward, the thumping sound of shotgun fire resonating over the constant rattling of burst firing. She was about to leap out of cover and when a Geth platform stormed her position, recoiling back as the Geth raised its weapon before the platform shuddered for a second before dropping. She could only blink as Kasumi's cloak rippled, the small human winking playfully at the shocked Quarian before it destabilised and she disappeared again.
Tali took a moment to calm herself, before moving on again her drone moving in front of her to rat out any Geth in cover before she put a shotgun round straight into its optics. Shepard was doing the same as he moved down the opposite side of the hall, finally they managed to reach the end of the attack and were presented with a set of stairs. Other than the Juggernaut it had been a relatively small squad and they had ripped through them very easily. Shepard was about to ask where Feral was before the sound of a metal being crumpled came from behind them, the super human was crushing a still, albeit barely, functional platform under his boot. "I really…hate Juggernauts" he growled out, mainly to himself, his chest plate and recon hood were splattered with oil and synthetic blood which always managed to tick him off. The smell was never pleasant.
The growl became a little more audible as he just stared off to the side, seemingly into nothing before Kasumi de-cloaked "Spoil sport, always knowing where I am" the thief shrugging as he just glared at her through his hood "All I said was they seemed to like you" she mused teasingly before stepping to the console at the foot of the stairs, before deftly tapping a button to bring up a recording that had been left on the computer.
The four of them could only watch in silence, the recording was a woman quickly speaking into the console as Geth burnt their way through the door. Upon quick inspection, Shepard could see the marks of a plasma cutter on the edges of the open door. Kasumi's head dipped, unable to watch anymore as the woman started talking to her son. "Jonah if you get this be strong for Daddy, Mummy loves you very very much" Tali and Kasumi both visibly jumping a little when the door burst open and the woman's exosuit burst from the impact of bullets before the recording shut out.
Tali whispered Keelah silently to herself as the squad got moving again, moving up the stairs in pairs before coming to what looked like a large lab space with tables set up in a symmetrical fashion on both sides of the room. The peace didn't last long as the doors flew open and the Alarai was plunged into the sounds of a firefight again. Feral taking the brief moment between the doors opening and the Geth breaching to sprint forward and dive behind a table. Tearing into the first platforms to burst through with his assault rifle as Tali and Kasumi backed him up by overloading the platforms systems and shields.
The firefight was proceeding well, at least from Shepard's view near the back. Feral was forward and Tali was providing support with Kasumi….being wherever the hell she wanted to be which was fine as long as she didn't get caught in the crossfire. It wasn't until Feral suddenly started back pedalling towards Tali that he noticed something was wrong, there was nothing there that would make him need to pull back. Nothing he could see, until the super soldier unloaded a few rounds and made a Geth Hunter's cloak fail long enough for Shepard to spot it. "Damn it, Feral! Light them up for us" Shepard roared over the sound of gunfire as Feral did his best to keep the cloaked platforms partially visible by putting single rounds into the group that entered the room.
Shepard and Tali were doing their best to take out the partially revealed Geth as Feral was forced to keep stepping back as they pushed into the room. His eyesight proving to be a great help at long range, Shepard could make out the distortions to the room but only barely from long range and those shotguns made close range very undesirable. The thump of Tali's shotgun filled the room as she took out one of the Hunter's on the left flank, Shepard managing to take one that was bearing on Feral with a quick burst of fire when the lights of its optics became visible. After the mechanical screeching died out, the room became silent again. Feral panning his head around to all corners of the room to try and spot the last one before the force from his side knocked him off his feet.
A charged shot had just collided into his shields, the balls of plasma burning through it and managing to melt away parts of his Recon Hood and shoulder guards. The Hunter's cloak dying out before it was torn to shreds by both Tali and Kasumi, the thief's cloak dying away as she poured small arms fire into the platform. Both women turning to look at Feral as he groaned and pulled himself up "I'm really not used to having my peripheries blocked" his fingers tapping at the corner of the eye piece of his hood, "how is it? That was pretty close range" gesturing to his cheek and neck as he looked over the shoulder pad, the material had melted in several places.
Tali placed her hand on his chin and moved his head around so she could take a quick look "You're fine, the armour has melted away a little….best not to let a hunter catch you like that again. One more and your suit will rupture….the Hood is probably ruined as well" struggling not to smile as Feral's shoulders just dropped and he let out a string of curse words in English and Khellish. Tali patted his cheek gently when he finished and Shepard strolled past them. "Come on, maybe if you're good I'll try and fix it for you" she purred out gently, smiling even more as he stood up straight again before she turned and followed Shepard.
"You two are so cute" Kasumi said aloud next to Feral making the super human jump a little before slamming his palm into his forehead "Ha-ha, made you jump" the thief sang as she vanished again, Feral making a throttling gesture in mid-air before groaning out loud and chasing after Tali and Shepard. Stepping into the room to see Tali's omni-tool lit up with Shepard watching her tap into the computer console.
"They were performing experiments on Geth platforms, looking for new ways to overcome Geth resistance to reprogramming, new weapon technology against Geth systems and platforms…" Tali's voice trailed off as she shut down her omni-tool "guess we know why Daro'Xen was so interested by all this…." She sighed slightly as she turned back to face Shepard, noticing that Feral had stepped next to him.
"Is this right?" Shepard turned to Feral a little as he asked "testing weapons and other devices on the Geth I mean?"
"It's not like testing weapons or experimenting on prisoners Shepard" Tali threw back sharply, her body language getting a little more tense as she resented the silent accusation this had been similar to what Cerberus had done to Feral "They were just parts, even if father put them together still wouldn't be sapient. You saw what Saren and Sovereign did with the Geth…we need any advantage we can get."
Shepard nodded before turning his head "Feral?"
"I agree with Tali, I'd have issues with it if they were sapient but not parts" Shepard watched his body language, making sure the human wasn't just trying to defend Tali "and I know for a fact the Alliance and the Turians are doing similar things with Geth platforms….hell you had to petition for a body to be released after it'd been hit with Geth weaponry" the super human raising his shoulders as Shepard just nodded, it was a fair point. Research on the Geth was probably being done by most, if not all of the council races.
"Tali I have to ask" Shepard turned back to face the Quarian, his body posture making her stand up straight as he came out with it directly "Do you know what your father was doing here?"
"Are you suggesting…" Tali began to defend herself loudly before she saw Feral motion for her to calm down, she took a deep breath. He was right, Shepard had to ask right now "No, all I know is father asked me to send back any non-threatening Geth parts back to the fleet. I suspected he may have been testing weapons on them but I assumed he was just trying to find new ways to bypass shields and armour"
"Ok" Tali sighed as Shepard nodded before watching his gaze turn to the console "Could any of that data clear your name in the trial?"
"Doubtful, it's only results data" her hand bringing up the data to highlight what she was saying, "Mostly about disruptive hacking techniques, I don't understand all of it though…but…" she stopped herself for a moment, " but they may have been activating Geth deliberately, I don't know. Nothing here says specifically but if they were then….my father was doing something terrible"
Shepard was trying to remain calm and resolute, taking in all the information that was being presented to him as they dug deeper into the ship. "I hate to second guess you Tali but Feral can you take a look? Another set of eyes on this can't be bad"
Shepard and Tali watched as Feral stepped up to the console and pulled up his omni-tool, his head visibly moving from his arm to the screen and the fingers on his free hand twitched a little as he mumbled quietly to himself. "This….Tali's right. It suggests that they may have been purposefully reactivating Geth." He sighed out loud as his omni-tool shut down again, his hands coming up to his face as he turned away from the console.
"What was all this father?" Tali's voice filled the room, every word carefully considered as the anger in them seeped out in every syllable "You promised me you'd build me a house on the Home world. Was this all to bring us back home?!" she half shouted at the console as if her father were standing right in front of her.
For a few seconds, no one said anything. The anger was starting to make Tali shake a little where she stood, her hands visibly clenched into fists until "Maybe the Quarians should stop trying to retake the Home world" Shepard's voice was calm, but even so it made Tali snap towards him as if he'd just threatened her life.
"You have no idea what it's like! You have a planet to go back home too, my home is one hull breech away from extinction!" Tali swiped her hand in front of Shepard, throwing his idea away.
"It's still a home, and you shouldn't throw it away in a pointless war that you don't need" the retort was given in Shepard's still caring tone, his voice quiet as he stood against her views.
"Don't need?" Tali whined quietly, her voice quickly rising again "Shepard if I don't wear a helmet in my own home, I could get sick and die. Do you know how long it took for Feral and I to figure out the specific regime of antibiotics, herbal supplements and sterilisation for us to even think about kissing? I still have to take antibiotics around him just to take my mask off!" Tali sighed out loudly as she looked at Shepard "Every time you touch a flower with bare fingertips, inhale it's fragrance without air filters you're doing something I can't…..damn the Pilgrimage" Tali balled her fists up again and hit them against their thighs "without it I might never have realised what I was missing. What we lost when we lost the Home world."
It wasn't until she'd uttered that last sentence that she finally remembered who else was in the room. After he'd examined the terminal, Feral had moved to a side of the room that was much darker. His black armour had almost faded into the shadows, but her final sentence had made his head snap up, the red lenses of his Recon Hood piercing through the gloom "Oh….Keelah" her hands coming up to cover the mouth piece of her helmet as she just watched Feral's head dip down again, the human was looking at his own hand. Touching his fingers into this thumb before he sighed and clenched his fist "Feral I didn't mean…" she was cut off by the sound of the door opening, Feral's hand hitting the switch.
"I can't take back the home world today…but I can take back this ship" his voice was quiet, almost dejected before he strode through the door. A slight shimmer in the air following behind him as the sound of his boots got further away.
Tali could only watch him exit the room before whimpering slightly as she tilted her head back "Damn it….I….I can't believe I said that" each word shaking as it left her lips, the synthesiser exacerbating the shaking sound of her voice even more.
"You're upset and angry…Feral will understand that Tali" Shepard stepped to her and put a hand on her arm, tugging her back to her senses and watching as she nodded quickly. He was about to say something more, anything to help pull her together before both of their heads snapped towards the door Kasumi and Feral had walked out of. The sound of gunfire was echoing through the empty halls of the ship, the thuds and reverberations of metal resonating through the halls.
The pair wasted no time hurtling towards the fight, Tali had sprinted off first. Not even waiting, not that Shepard was even sure she was willing, to listen to his warnings at this time. By the time they reached the scene the fight was almost over, the pitta patta of gun fire was almost completely gone and the room was littered with close to a dozen dead Geth. Most of them had been put down by bullet holes, but a few looked like they had been mauled by a wild animal. Huge lacerations ripping through their armour, entire limbs missing and in a few instances the platform was only recognisably from its body; the head having been completely crushed.
Soon enough they caught up to Kasumi, the woman putting a round into a platforms head before she turned to face them. "I know I shouldn't be surprised but….damn….you missed one hell of a show" the woman said with a look of small disbelief on her face before it turned to one of confusion as Shepard just glared at her before jerking his head towards Tali "Oh…um…sorry"
Tali sighed as she shook her head, stepping past Kasumi as she started to walk towards Feral. He was stopped in the next doorway and he was standing completely still. Waiting until she thought he could hear her before she called out "Feral I…" her voice trailing off when she noticed the body lying in front of him "Father!" scrambling past Feral, the super soldier being taken by surprise after being consumed in his own head. Grabbing at her but ultimately missing as she dropped to her knees and started as her voice cracked
"No…no no no…." her voice wavered more as Shepard and Kasumi caught up, the thief bringing her hands up to cover the breathing mask she was wearing "You always had a plan. Masked life signs or…or an on-board medical stasis programme…you!" her breathing was getting more and more laboured as she started to hyperventilate "you wouldn't. They're wrong! You wouldn't just go and die like this and leave me to clean up your mess, you…" her head turning to face Feral as she felt the firm grasp of his hand on her shoulder, the glowing orbs looking up briefly before they disappeared and she was pulled into a tight embrace.
Shepard could only stand back and watch as Feral placed his hand on the back of her hood, pushing her visor into his neck as the sound of Tali sobbing quietly filled the room. He couldn't make out any actual words but he was sure he could hear Feral whispering against her visor, her arms wrapped around his waist and gripping tightly onto the pieces of armour by his shoulder. "Shepard….check his omni-tool" Shepard turned his head towards the sound of Feral's voice, it was flat and emotionless, his own breathing slightly laboured as he just held onto Tali a little tighter "He'd have known Tali would come, he probably left a message" His grip slightly loosening when Tali turned to watch as Shepard crouched down over Rael's body, finding his omni-tool and activating it.
The moment it turned on fully a hologram of Rael appeared above himself, his hand was clutching at his side and his breathing was heavy as if the very act was taxing him "Tali…if you are listening then I am dead." He stopped as he coughed slightly before groaning "The Geth have gone active and I don't have much time. The main hub in on the bridge, you will need to destroy it to stop their VI processes from forming new neural links." Tali just watched and listened as a hand kept squeezing on Feral's arm, the two of them silent as they listened to what were proving to be her father's last words. "Make sure the data gets to Han'Gerrel and Daro'Xen they must…they must" his words being interrupted by a muffled explosion and a loud clang before they watched as he turn and ran, the hologram cutting out just as the gunfire started.
Tali let out a small sob as her head drooped "Thanks dad…" turning back into Feral as her tears started to stop and she just found comfort in his arms.
"He knew you'd come for him. He was trying to help you. It's not perfect. It's not what you needed but he was trying his best" Shepard spoke over his shoulder as he stood back up, turning to face the pair before turning and gesturing for Kasumi to come with him. Leaving Tali and Feral alone at the bottom of the stairs until she was ready.
"Your father loved you Tali…" turning her head up to look into the eyes of Feral's mask, "I know I've…not been his biggest fan but….he always loved you" releasing his grip on her arm and waist as she pulled away to kneel down by his side again, her hand gently taking his omni-tool off him before she just gently held the side of his helmet.
"I don't know which is worse" Tali sighed out, her voice sounded tired. The weight of the emotions this mission was laying on her shoulders was proving too much. "That he didn't actually care, or that he did and this was the only way he knew how to show it….though maybe you were right all those years ago when you first met him" She looked up at him, he'd moved so that she could just turn to face him without having to stand. "Military through and through….it doesn't matter now. One way or the other, I cared. And I'm here, so let's put an end to this" her voice becoming resolute as she stood, Feral nodding at her before the two readied their weapons again and briskly walked up the stairs to re-join Shepard and Kasumi. As soon as all four of them were back together, Kasumi vanished in an instant as her cloak covered her petite form and the three remaining visible members of the squad pushed onto the Bridge.
Even with a Prime and a few Juggernauts, the Geth Platforms guarding the bridge hadn't been prepared for the onslaught that came upon them. Tali was channelling her emotions perfectly into Geth killing, her drones and tech skills working perfectly with her shotgun as she tore the smaller platforms apart. Shepard had followed on behind her and they were making short work of anything that came there way. Kasumi was no-where to be seen, the cloaked woman diving in and out occasionally to disrupt the Geth positions or to distract a platform from Feral for a brief moment. Allowing the man to continue on cutting his way through them. Within minutes of it starting, the fight was over. Shepard and Tali making their way to the console hooked up to the, still active, Geth hub as Feral finished off the Prime behind them. The mechanical screeching dying out finally, the platform shutting down as the sound of breaking metal rung out through the air.
Quickly checking her surroundings, before she folded her shotgun onto the magnetic railings along the small of her back, Tali stepped up to the console. Shepard alongside her and Feral hanging back as he finished off pulling some wires and pieces of the Prime apart, making sure the unit wouldn't suddenly sit back up. Just like the colossus on Haestrom, some Primes had a repair protocol and he really didn't need the hassle today.
Stepping up to the console, Tali tapped away at the holographic keyboard before standing back a little and turning to Shepard "It looks like some of the recordings remained intact, they should tell us how this happened" a pregnant pause filled the air before she continued "What my father did."
"You sound like you don't really want to hear this" Shepard had noted the hesitation in the way she was speaking, and he didn't want to do anything that she wasn't ready for. Especially now.
"No" Tali replied quickly, it didn't require thought. She didn't want to hear any of it. At best, her father knew nothing and his crew had gotten him killed and at worst he was a war criminal "We have to though, I know. I just…" she huffed as she raised her omni-tool "This is terrible, I don't want to know that he had any part in this." Her hand hitting a few buttons and the recording started to play and they could only watch and listen as Rael and two Quarian scientists spoke.
"Do we have enough parts to bring more online?" Rael began straight away, Shepard didn't even have to turn his head to know the reaction Tali was having. However Feral's was much louder, a loud clang ringing out through the room, the super soldier's foot or fist colliding with the dead Prime, as he yelled out 'Damn it!' The evidence was already there, Rael had done exactly what they feared he'd done.
"Yes the new shipment from your daughter will let us add two more Geth to the network." The male scientist replied to Rael.
"We're nearing a breakthrough on systemic viral attacks, perhaps we should inform the Admiralty board. Just to be safe." Shepard could hear Feral turning around behind him, watching intently as they all just stood and stared and what was unfolding.
"No, we're too close" Rael spoke in a hush tone, as if anyone else in the room couldn't hear what he was saying "I promised to build my daughter a house on the home world" the words making Tali shake her head and her posture drop as she hugged herself "I'm not going to sit and wait while the politicians argue."
"We'd have an easier time if Tali'Zorah could send back more working material" one of the scientists rebutted, his voice brimming with arrogance.
"Absolutely not! I will not have Tali exposed to any political blowback" Shepard moved his eyes in their sockets as he heard Feral mumble under his breath at that "Leave Tali out of this! Assemble new Geth with what we have. Bypass security protocols if need be" and with that, the recording ended.
Shepard looked to his sides. On the one side he had Feral, the super human was tensed up and his fists were clenched into tight balls; he was sure he could even hear the suit starting to strain under the pressure. On the other he had Tali, who was just holding herself. Trying desperately to keep herself together while she couldn't even bring herself to look at the screen anymore. "It sounded like he was doing this for you" Shepard spoke quietly, regretting his words as soon as Tali's head snapped towards him.
"I didn't want this" her voice was cracking, filled with horror and anger "Keelah…I never wanted this" turning around to look back at the Geth platforms littered around the bridge "Everything that happened here is his fault…I tried to pretend the evidence wasn't pointing at him but…when this comes up at the trial they'll" her shoulders rising and lowering as her heart and breathing rate shot up. "We can't tell them! Not the admirals, not anyone!" She stared straight into Shepard's eyes, briefly looking behind him as Feral walked beside the commander.
"Tali, without this evidence you're looking at exile!" Shepard threw back at her, he knew it was about her father but they'd come all this way because she was the one being threatened with exile.
Feral raised his hand as he tried to find the right words but he was beaten to it by Tali, the young woman angrily spitting her words out at Shepard "You think I don't know that? You think I never want to see the Fleet again? But I cannot go back there and tell the Admirals that my father was the worst war criminal in my people's history, I won't!" her voice cracking again as the words left her mouth, her father had done such awful things. Rubbing her hands together as she sniffed gently, turning to Feral "I'm sorry I just can't…I know what he's done and I know how you must feel about it but I can't" even through her visor, she was sure Feral could see the pleading look in her eyes because he just nodded and backed down.
Shepard groaned "We're not going to decide anything here, let's just get back and see what the Admirals have to say" shaking his head slightly as he tried to run this all through his head. Was there a way of defending Tali without the data? If there was he was struggling to find it.
"You're my captain in his hearing Shepard, it's your decision but please. Don't destroy what my father was..." Tali begged quietly her eyes turning down at the floor, her shoulders jumping every so often.
Shepard was about to walk away when he felt a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back and face to face with Feral "Shepard wait…" he started to speak, Shepard noticing Tali's reaction. Neither of them were quite sure what he was going to say "….all personal feelings aside….you can't reveal that data to them. I spent time with these people, I can't say I know them very well but I know them enough to know that if you make this data public." Shaking his head gently as his jaw visibly clenched through the hood "you'll balkanise them Shepard…split them right down the middle and I don't know if they could ever recover from it." His head dropping a little "I don't want Tali to be exiled but if this causes a civil war….she may never see the fleet again regardless of what we do today"
Shepard opened his mouth, but no words came out. It was rare for Feral to be so eloquent but if there was ever a time for him to be it, it was when Tali was involved. From what he'd heard, he knew Feral and Rael'Zorah never got along and right now Feral must have been drawing parallels between this and what Cerberus had done to him. God knows he had already made the connection, but if he was willing to look past it at least superficially for Tali…."Damn it….ok ok….I still haven't decided yet so let's just get the data and go back to the Rayya." Moving past the both of them to hit the console, staring at it blankly as nothing happened. His head snapping back around when he heard Kasumi's cloak dissipating and the little woman uttered a single word.
"Oops" Kasumi's omni-tool was alight but her voice wasn't as vibrant "I tried to download the data but…it seems it became corrupted in the transfer..." her eyes were hidden in the shadows of her hood but her lips were downturned, her bottom lip quivering gently as she spoke again "…guess we can't use it anymore"
Shepard glared at the thief for a moment, making the little woman flinch and step back slightly before he stormed off "Come on! Before they decide we're dead and exile you anyway!" he was angry, not really at Kasumi but at the situation as a whole. This trial was a shame, Tali's father had committed crimes that no court would ever forgive, and he had to find a way to get Tali pardoned without any actual evidence. The hug that Tali gave Kasumi didn't go unnoticed by the Commander however, sighing as he shook his body out. He had to be calm for what was coming.
The shuttle ride back to the Rayya was tense, the air heavy. Kasumi was standing as far away from the Commander as she could, her back in a corner. Both Tali and Feral had thanked her for what she had done but that didn't mean she wasn't afraid of what Shepard might do to punish her for stealing and, subsequently destroying, sensitive data. As soon as the shuttle landed back in the Rayya and they stepped out, she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Over the ships tannoys, the voices of the Admirals were being broadcast and apparently they had decided that they were all dead. "Oh…oh I will not be underestimated like that" Shepard growled out as he barged his way out of the ship and stormed through the corridors of the Rayya. Tali jogging to catch him up as Feral and Kasumi paced after them both. They only just managed to reach the plaza and shove their way through the crowd as the Admirals started to vote on Tali's guilt.
"Sorry we're late." Tali shot at them sarcastically as Shepard glared up at the admirals who had been caught so unaware that they stood in quiet shock for a moment, eventually looking up to see the other two humans glaring at them from the back of the crowd.
"The Alarai has been cleared of all Geth activity, your people are safe to return to it" Shepard spoke through clenched teeth, rolling his shoulders slightly as he began to take deep breaths to calm himself to a steady state of mind again.
Zaal'Koris gulped a little at the sound of the human Captain's voice "Ah…Thank you, you're efforts for the Quarian people are most appreciated"
"Yes, yes" Han'Gerrel flicked his hand slightly at his fellow admiral before gripping the guard rail and leaning forward "but did you find anything that could let us know what happened over there?"
It wouldn't have gone unnoticed to anyone paying attention but Tali, Feral and Kasumi all tensed up at the question, shifting in their places as they watched Shepard who just stood still and stared forward before stepping up. "Does Captain Shepard have any evidence he wishes to bring forward for this hearing?" Shala'Raan spoke from behind the three admirals.
Closing his eyes slightly before letting out a deep breath, he leant forward and grabbed the rail in front of him "Tali helped me defeat Saren and the Geth two years ago!" His voice raised as he pushed himself back, throwing his hand at them as if he was slapping her history in their faces "That should be all the evidence you need that she's innocent. None of you are really interested in what happens to Tali here, are you?" His head turning to face each of the judging admirals in turn "This is all about the Geth and your positions on the war with them."
"This hearing has nothing to do with the Geth!" Zaal'Koris shouted back at the commander, slamming his own fist down onto the small console in front of him.
Shepard didn't even give time for Zaal'Koris to think as he immediately shot back "You want people to sympathise with them, Han'Gerrel wants to go to war with them, Daro'Xen wants to study them. Not one of you actually cares about Tali or the outcome of this trial. It's all secondary to you!" Turning to face her as he put an arm out towards her "She knows more about the Geth than any Quarian alive, you should be listening to her. Learning from her. Not putting her on trial" The crowd was totally silent as they just watched and listened to Shepard speak, least of all the three members of his crew. "Tali'Zorah saved the Citadel! She saved the Alarai! She has shown the galaxy the value of the Quarian people, time and time again. I can't think of better evidence than that." He finished his speech with a slight shrug, staring down the admirals as the entire room stayed in shocked silence.
Kasumi was shaking her head slightly in disbelief, from where she was she could see everyone in the audience and even the admirals themselves were almost unable to move. "Are the admirals ready to make their decision?" the words from Shala'Raan finally brought everyone to their senses, the three pushes came quickly and then Shala opened her omni-tool to read the results. "Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, in light of your history of service. We don't not find sufficient evidence to charge you with treason, you are cleared of all charges"
"Holy shit he did it" were the only words Feral could muster as the verdict was read, Kasumi smiling at the shock in his voice as she looked up at him. Even with his head fully covered, she could see his jaw was dropped. Secretly she was fighting back tears, after all the pain and suffering she'd had to witness today. Somehow, Shepard had done it again. As the plaza slowly began to empty as the crowd filtered away, Shepard and Tali made their way back towards them.
"Damn Shep….if I ever get caught can I ask you to be my defence too?" Kasumi joked playfully as the Commander just stared at her blankly "Ah…you probably wouldn't win but it'd be fun to hear you shouting at people like that about me" giggling gently as the wink she'd given him made the commander roll his head back before he turned to the rest of the group. "Ow!" Kasumi squeaked slightly as Feral pinched her side "damn it that hurt" pouting slightly before she stepped off to the side.
"Thank you John….if anyone could it was always going to be you" Feral spoke quietly before he turned to Tali "You should take some time before you come back to the Normandy, it might be a while before you see this place again"
Tali tilted her head gently at him "You can stay you know…." She didn't finish the sentence, hoping he'd know what she was going to say anyway.
Instead he just shook his head "I…I'm not welcome here Tali, you can see the looks I've been getting since I got on this ship again…" he sighed gently, as she just nodded a little. His head dropping before he placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed firmly before he turned around and headed back to the Normandy, Kasumi flicking her head between the two before running after the super human.
Tali just stood there in quiet shock as she watched him walk away, turning to Shepard and walking closer so she could whisper "does…is…he must hate me for what I said about living in these suits…" she whined gently.
"Tali no" Shepard grabbed her shoulder and held it tightly "I don't believe that for a second and neither should you. When you found Rael, he held you. When I found….that…" he caught himself before he said anything incriminating "he defended you, albeit in a roundabout way but, he knew that it would help sway me towards your side." Sighing at the questionable look he could see in her shining eyes "He's going back to the Normandy, you'll find him in your quarters and he knows that. He probably wants to talk and he can't do it here" looking into her eyes as intensely as he could, begging her to believe in him. Feral rarely hid what he was feeling, he wore his heart on his sleeve and if he had been angry; truly angry. He'd have shown it. "You should give him some time, let you both get your heads on straight…ok?" smiling when she nodded softly "Now…is there anyone here you'd like to talk to before we go back?"
- The Normandy –
Kasumi and Feral had just stepped into the elevator, and the thief had hit both of their respective floors quickly before turning to him now that they were in private "Wanna tell me what leaving Tali behind was about?" her voice wasn't accusing or playful, she just wanted to know. Sighing when Feral just turned his head away and looked down "…are you two going to be ok?" her head snapping back when Feral's jerked around to stare at her through the Recon Hood "Whoa…ok…sorry….look you know where I am….if you need to talk…I'm there" she sighed as the elevator doors opened, stepping out as two Cerberus operatives went to step in "Uh…I'd wait until he's off boys" she said matter of factly, sighing when they brushed her off but having to stifle a smirk when a very, loud growl came from the elevator and they both stepped back out.
Letting out a tired moan as she stepped through into the observation deck, working out a crack in her neck before stopping and looking over at the bar. "Can I help you Garrus?" she smirked slightly at the sight of the Turian mumbling to himself as he was looking through the drinks, mainly because of how much it reminded her of Feral when he was last in here.
"Oh…hey Kasumi, how'd it go? And no I'm just looking for some Turian Brandy. I picked it up on the Citadel, human made. I thought I'd give it a try" Garrus muttered as his mandibles flared out slightly.
"Shepard got her cleared of all charges and…that's it" She smiled back at him, sitting herself down on the sofa and folding up. Hugging her knees to her chest as she left the rest of it out, she'd had enough of today and reading her book would help her get over the slightly less favourable memories the day had created.
From the bar Garrus just let out a deep huff of frustration "I'm sure I left it in here, maybe someone moved it…I was really looking forward to that" he spoke out loud, ignoring the tired look on Kasumi's face as he slouched over the bar, "the clerk said that the cherry was a popular one" the Turian jolting up and bracing his shoulders as Kasumi suddenly burst out giggling on her sofa, "what?" throwing his arms out as the thief laughed more at the confused sniper, dropping her book as she just snorted and brought her hands to her face. "What?!"
Tali hadn't spent too much time on the Rayya, it was nice to have met Kal'Reeger and Veetor again but she honestly wanted nothing more than to get back and try to fix what she'd said back on the Alarai. Shepard had let her take the elevator straight down, apparently The Illusive Man had some urgent news that needed his full attention right away. However, in light of what had just happened, Shepard had promised her that both she and Feral. Wouldn't be needed for the next mission.
As soon as the elevator doors had opened on the engineering deck she could see the shutters were closed, sighing as she approached the door and opened it. Stepping in gingerly trying to spot him before noticing he was sitting at the work bench, still fully dressed in the gear he'd come on-board the Rayya in. "Feral I.." stopping herself in mid-sentence as he jumped a little, she only ever got the jump on him like that when he was deep in thought and she walked further into the room when he stood up and locked the doors down and set the sterilisation unit working. "Feral…please…" she whined out through her visor as she watched him raise his hands to her.
"Were you hit on the Alarai?" rolling his head as he looked away for a second at the look on her face "Please I'm going somewhere with this and…I need you to just go along with it for now. I promise it'll make sense" his voice was soft even through the voice module of the recon hood, and Tali just shook her head gently in response "and the antibiotics and herbal remedies…are they all still in your system?" his tone was still quiet and he rubbed the back of his neck when she nodded, he could see the look in her eyes and her body position; hands rubbing over the other and gently shuffling in place. "Then….I need you to take off your helmet and gloves for me…"
Tali shook her head in slight disbelief before the she caught the look in Feral's eyes through the red tinted visors, they were pleading even more than his body language. Sighing gently as she flicked open the seals on her mask, taking it off and placing it down on the work bench before she pushed back the headdress and released the back of her helmet, placing the unit on the bench next to her visor and quickly slipping the gloves of her suit off. "Are you going to tell me what this is all about Feral or am I…" stopping mid-sentence as Feral's gloved hand came up and cupped her cheek, his thumb stroking along her cheekbone and his fingers along her jaw. The gentle way he was caressing her skin made her shut her eyes and lean into his touch before she sighed out sadly when she felt the warmth of his hand, even through the material of his glove, pull away. Opening her eyes to see him looking down at the hand that had just been holding her.
"So that's what it's like for you…" he barely managed to whisper out, his eyes not leaving his fingers as he moved them around in mid-air like he was strumming at invisible strings. When he finally looked up, her jaw had dropped slightly and her eyes were wide as she had finally figured out what he was doing. "No warmth, no…texture…just pressure…I mean I knew…but I'd never really thought about it…" He managed to stammer out before he shook his head, his hands dropping to his side and his head starting to fall before Tali returned the gesture, cupping in his cheeks in her hands and lifting his head up so they could look into each other's eyes.
"And this is what it's like for you…what it's always been like for you" she smiled gently up at him, her eyes welling slightly as her fingertips rubbed gently across the fabric covering his skin "and you...you fell in love with me anyway" swallowing gently as she stroked her fingers down his jawline, towards his lips. Placing them exactly with her fingers before she pushed herself up on to her toes and pushed her lips into the spot where his were. Pulling back after a few seconds as she gazed through the glass in front of his eyes "I love you Saera"
Reaching up to take her hand gently "and you know I love you too, I'm sorry if I worried you…especially today of all days but…I needed to know" threading his fingers inbetween hers as they made a little space between each other, whilst still being as close as possible. "The way you said it, I just…the idea that you couldn't be happy inside a suit it just" stopping when Tali put a finger to his lips and shushed him.
"The only reason why I want those things is so I can be with you, all the time, and not just when we can make a clean room or our supply of antibiotics is full" she could feel his hand shaking gently in hers, and she had to bite her lip gently to hold back her tears at the state a fleeting moment of frustration in her had created in him "Fer….Alex, without you. Having the home world and getting out of this suit would be pointless" her voice cracking at the end of that sentence as finally her glistening eyes gave out and she started to cry gently.
Pulling his hands free of hers and bringing his fingers up to her cheeks as he started to wipe away the gentle tears that rolled down her vibrant skin. "If we survive all this and if, by some miracle, the Quarians retake Rannoch" his voice resolute, each word carefully chosen as he looked down at her "I'll build you that home your father promised you"
Tali just smiled up at him, biting her lip before she let out a small, breathless laugh. "The electronics maybe" bringing his palm to her lips as she kissed and nuzzled it, her wet eyes looking up at him playfully as his jaw clearly clenched and he turned his head slightly before looking back at her. "If it's any consolation I doubt my father could actually build a house either" her lips pursed as Feral sighed and shrugged, before letting out a small chuckle.
"We were having a moment you know" Feral managed to compose himself for a second, before they both started gently laughing. Feral's hands gently squeezing her sides as they pulled themselves closer again, Tali moving her fingers to the seals around his neck. "Though...it's good to see you looking a little happier"
Pushing on the edge between his armour the recon hood, making a small hiss as she slipped her fingers under the fabric and started pulling it up and off his head. "I can't help it" slowly smiling more as she worked the hood over his jaw and up past his lips, her fingertips brushing into the bottom of his hair as she slid her hands up through his hair to pull the recon hood off completely. Breathing out softly when she finally saw his face again, letting the damaged hood drop to the floor as she pulled his forehead to hers. "I just want you to be happy too so…just for now…let's forget what happened today and just….enjoy this while we can" sighing out when she felt his hands squeeze at her sides more. Her fingers stroking through his hair and along his jawline in return, before she pushed her cheek into his. Stepping up onto her toes so she could whisper into his ear "Shel'lahia Na'Saera" her feet gently dropping back to the floor. Gazing up into his eyes for a brief moment before gasping as Feral tugged her to him forcefully and his lips crashed into hers.