Chapter 21

Shepard looked up from his seat as he felt the Kodiak level off. The door gave a hiss as it unlocked and parted to unleash a torrent of bright, midday sun into the cabin of the shuttle. He glanced to Liara as she sat to his right and gave her a nod and a smile before pulling himself to his feet and stepping up to the now open hatch. His eyes squinted involuntarily as the sun shone down on his face, obscuring his view of wherever they were landing. Shepard brought a hand up over his brow and his eyes quickly adjusted. The sight before him was beautiful.

The shuttleport that the Kodiak was landing at was perched at the top of an elevated peninsula that, along with another similar landmass a few kilometers in the distance, formed a bay. The coast of the bay was lined with a hundreds of buildings that made up a large city and it was obvious that the majority of them were under various states of reconstruction. The gorgeous red and golden cliffs reflected off of the water and mixed with the light of the orange sun to give the entire vista an almost burnt tint. Shepard took a deep breath of the dry air as the Kodiak settled onto the landing pad and cut the power to its thrusters.

Garrus had exited the cockpit and stepped up beside him. "Pretty view, eh?"

Shepard glanced over with a grin. "Worth the whole trip."

He stepped down from the shuttle with Garrus at his side. Shepard turned back to the hatch and held up a hand as Liara stepped up with a smile. She took his hand and stepped down onto the landing pad with them.

"So did we manage to sneak in some time with the busy admiral?" Liara looked to Shepard and Garrus with a half grin.

"Well I had to clear my entire schedule..."

The trio nearly spun on their heels as the turned toward the front of the shuttle to see Tali standing with her arms crossed and hips cocked to the side.

"... but I managed to free up a few hours," Tali's mask blinked as she quipped.

"Tali!" Shepard couldn't help but smile at the sight of his friend.

The quarian stepped up to them and shook her head. "It took you all long enough to visit!"

Garrus cleared his throat. "Sorry, sorry... that was mainly my fault. Family business." He shook his head and looked to Tali.

Tali turned to Garrus. "Is that so?" She raised a hand and wagged a finger playfully. "Tisk tisk."

The turian snatched her hand and closed the gap between them, holding their hands at their chests. The two pressed up to one another, Garrus looking down to Tali's mask and her looking up to his eyes as their foreheads touched gently. Shepard watched and glanced over to Liara, who smiled in return. They quickly found each other's hands and squeezed gently.

"Ahem..." Garrus stood back and glanced over to Shepard and Liara. "Right... Admiral Tali'Zorah. Good to see you again."

Tali stuttered briefly. "Y-yes, Mister Vakarian. I hope you have been well."

"You two know that little number wasn't in your heads, right?" Liara commented as her eyes shifted between the two.

"I know," Tali replied quickly. "But you two didn't fly all the way out here just to watch Garrus and I get in the mood."

Shepard laughed and shook his head. "That was only a secondary objective actually."

Tali released Garrus's hands and turned to Shepard. "Okay, no more jokes."

She jumped toward Shepard and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. The commander returned the hug with a smile before she stepped back and drew a deep breath.

"I'm so happy to see you Shepard," she stated softly. The quarian turned to Liara and gave her the same tight hug. "And you too, Liara!

"And we're happy to be here, Tali." Shepard looked to each of this friends. "Just like old times, huh?"

Garrus shrugged. "We might be down a few, but... yeah. Just like old times."

Tali took a step toward the edge of the platform and looked down to the city below. "Well you've all seen the view by now." Tali stated as she glanced back over the shoulder, "Welcome to Sal'heela Daz."

The group stepped up beside the quarian and gazed out toward the bay and city. Tali scanned the horizon with a happy sigh.

"So is this where you're stationed?" Garrus looked over to her briefly and then back to the city below.

"You could say that," she replied.

Liara raised a brow. "Sal'heela Daz is a name that has popped up in my network numerous times, but I didn't think it was going to be the seat of government."

"That's right. But it is one of the first few major cities being reconstructed. It's also the one in which quarian and geth laborers are working in complete cohesion." Tali looked over to Liara and Shepard. "I've been named the 'official' liaison between the quarian government and the geth so I'm kind of overseeing the cooperative efforts here."

Shepard looked from the city toward Tali. "That's incredible, Tali." He shook his head and laughed. "Imagine if you could tell yourself from three years ago that this is where you would be today."

Tali crossed her arms. "A time traveling me that promised an alliance with the geth, a return to the homeworld and a rise to a prominent position in my government?" She paused briefly. "Almost sounds as crazy as stopping a race of sentient super-machines that exterminate the galaxy every few dozen thousand years."

He grinned. "Touché."

Garrus nodded toward the city. "So how's the work going?"

"Wonderfully! Would you like to see for yourself?" Tali glanced to either of her friends.

Shepard, Liara and Garrus all nodded nearly in unison as Tali stepped back from the edge of the platform. "I was hoping you would say that."

Tali turned and began walking off toward a building on the other side of the Kodiak. Shepard, Liara and Garrus all hurried to catch up with her as she entered the prefab building and nodded to a quarian sitting behind a desk. They exited at the other side of the small building onto another landing pad. Unlike the first, however, this one held numerous skycars. Tali stepped up to a slick blue vehicle and tapped her omnitool the open the sidehatch.

She stepped back and nodded the others toward the seats. "After you."

Garrus slid into the passenger seat as Shepard and Liara sat in the back, with Tali jumping into the pilot's seat and pulling them into the air. After a quick ride from the shuttleport to one of the landing pads in the city the group of four comrades had all found themselves standing amid a unique conglomeration of old and new at the center of Sal'heela Daz. The air around them was abuzz with the sound of and sight of workers atop and below buildings that appeared to be in various states of both destruction and reconstruction. Tali waved the other three onward as she started off down the walkway that led from the landing pad to the streets below.

"As you can see we have quite a bit of work left," Tali informed them as the reached the street.

Shepard looked up to the building directly in front of them to see a quarian on the fifth floor waving a pair of geth drones through the destroyed window he stood at.

"How long have you been in the full swing of things?" Shepard shifted his gaze back down to Tali as she continued to lead them along the street.

"Well, we obviously took a small pause when it was time to assault Earth, but we returned soon afterward and have been working nonstop in the weeks since." The sense of pride in Tali's voice was unmistakable.

They turned down a street and began descending the massive, gradual hill that they the city was perched on. A few blocks ahead of them Shepard could see where the buildings came to an abrupt halt at the water's edge.

"The work you're doing here, Tali..." Garrus gave her a glance as they walked side by side. "It's inspiring."

"It really is," Liara added. "After seeing Thessia, Palaven and Earth, the sight of a world equally as devastated being rebuilt is truly... uplifting."

Tali glanced down bashfully. "You know it's more than just me that's working, right?"

"Of course," Shepard answered. "But if you and Legion hadn't been there with me... all of this might not be possible."

Tali slowed as they reached the bottom of the hill and a pier that ran along the coast extending a few meters over the water. The construction was clearly hundreds of years old and signs of slight decay in the stone deck was evident. Tali walked out to the railing at the edge of the water without hesitation, however, and Shepard, Garrus and Liara followed with her. The choppy sea dazzled in the afternoon sun as they all stared out over the bay in silence. Normally Shepard liked to keep a conversation alive as much as possible, but with a view like this one he was okay without it for a few minutes. Behind them hundreds of quarian and geth laborers worked in harmony. The thought of his report to the Council crossed his mind, only to be immediately pushed aside. Shepard had known what his report would say before he even reached the surface.

Tali looked over to them. "Thank you all for coming. It means so much to me."

"Are you kidding? I'm sorry we couldn't get here sooner," Shepard responded with a smile.

Garrus placed his hand on Tali's and nodded in agreement. The quarian drew a deep breath and looked up into the sky. "The sun will be down in a few hours... would you like to head back to my place and have a drink or two?"

Liara raised a brow with a grin. "'Your place', huh?"

Tali averted her gaze. "Aheh, well, it needs a bit more furniture, but the geth were very insistent on constructing my house after I told them about the plot I had picked out."

Shepard chuckled. "Is it nearby?"

The quarian nodded. "Only twenty minutes or so by skycar."

"You don't have to convince me," Garrus chimed in.

Tali shook her head and elbowed him playfully. "Come on, then. It's not far."

The ride to Tali's home had been a beautiful slideshow of rocky mesas and plains. The occasional vegetation that spotted the landscape was particularly eye catching. After arriving, Tali had given the others a quick tour of the home that included a beautiful balcony looking out over a rocky seashore. Tali hadn't been joking about the furniture situation, but they had found a few crates scattered about that served them well enough as a table and chairs. As Garrus and Liara stood in the kitchen preparing the first round of drinks, Shepard stepped out onto the balcony and looked out over the view of Tali's backyard.

As Shepard drew in a deep breath of Rannoch air, Tali's voice called out from behind him. "It's nice, isn't it?"

Shepard glanced over his shoulder to see her stepping through the door from the living room and up beside him. "That's a bit of an understatement."

"You know, our doctors have said it will only take a few years for our bodies to readjust to living on the homeworld again."

As Tali finished her thought one of her gloved hands raised to her face and unlatched the curved mask that covered it. A slight hiss escaped from the seams as the pressure of her suit escaped into the atmosphere. Her hand slowly lowered to expose her pink and purple skin to the setting sun's touch. The slight glow of her eyes glimmered in the light as she looked over to Shepard and smiled. He couldn't help but smile in return.

"Until then I've been doing this for a few minutes each day," she continued.

"Does it help with your immune system?"

Tali held her mask at her side as she looked out over the water. "A little bit. But that's not why I do it."

Shepard put his arm around her shoulder and gazed out with her. "I know."

The two stayed silent for a few moments before Tali looked over and up to him. "Thank you for this, Shepard."

The commander glanced back. "I only helped, Tali."

She nodded. "But you helped more than most." Her lips curled back into a smile. "Then again, I know a lot of people who could say that to you."

"I don't do anything for the thanks," Shepard stated as he looked back out to the water. "But it's appreciated."

Tali shut her eyes and drew another deep breath before bringing up her hand and guiding the mask back to her face. Behind them they could hear a door opening.

"Hey now, looks like things are getting cozy out here." Garrus stepped up beside them and leaned against the railing.

Shepard pulled his arm from Tali's shoulder and smiled. "Just enjoying the view."

"Well there's a big window here." Garrus nodded toward the living room window. "And Liara and I have mixed up a few drinks. Care to join us?"

"Sounds like fun to me!" Tali crossed her arms. "And I need to be hear about what you have been up to since Earth."

Shepard put his arms around each of them and turned the trio back toward the door. "Well, Admiral, I'd be glad to tell you."

For the next few hours Shepard, Tali, Liara and Garrus shared nearly every story they could muster amid cheers, laughs and raised glasses to their comrades, both fallen and not. By the time they had decided to call it quits for the night the sun had long since set and been replaced by a blanket of stars. Shepard and Liara had regrettably decided that they should head back to the Normandy given the lack of furniture available for sleeping in Tali's home and they soon found themselves being whisked away in the skycar back to the shuttleport. After they landed and exited the car, some slightly more tipsy than the others, the four friends found themselves standing at by the Kodiak that Shepard would fly back to the Normandy. Shepard smiled as Tali and Garrus stood with arms around one another's waist looking to him and Liara.

"Well... I guess this is it, huh?" Garrus looked around the group.

"You're staying here I take it?" Shepard looked between the turian and quarian with a knowingly.

Garrus slowly rolled his head from side to side. "Yeeeeah, I think I might spend a little time here on Rannoch before following up on that Spectre nonsense."

Tali glanced over to Garrus. "So you're actually going to do it, then?"

The turian shrugged. "Sure, what the hell. I guess someone's gotta take Shepard's place."

Liara smiled. "I wouldn't want anyone else keeping the galaxy safe, Garrus."

The turian nodded to Liara. "Too kind, Liara. I'm gonna miss having you around."

Tali pulled Liara into a hug and bounced happily. "Thanks again for coming."

Shepard stepped forward to Tali and Garrus and nodded to each of them. "We'll be back to visit before you know it so you'd better keep each other in line."

Tali leaned forward and gave Shepard a tight embrace. "Not a chance, Shepard."

The commander chuckled as she pulled back and held out a hand to Garrus. The turian looked down and grabbed hold of the hand firmly. As their eyes met Garrus released the hand and pulled Shepard into a hug as well. Shepard reciprocated gladly.

"You better let me know when you get that itch to save the galaxy again, Shepard," Garrus ordered as he stepped back.

"Will do. And when just your gun isn't enough... you'd better call me," Shepard replied with a grin.

"Deal," Garrus nodded.

Tali and Garrus waved goodbye and turned to walk back toward their skycar, waving one last time as they boarded. As their car zipped up into the sky and over the horizon Shepard's eye shifted up into the night. He took Liara's hand in his as he slowly became lost in the thousands of shining stars above them. Around a handful of those countless stars were the people that had brought him to this moment, physically and metaphorically. He smiled knowing that he would always have them there.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

Liara's gazed was rested on him as he stared above. After lingering for another moment Shepard lowered his eyes down to his love and smiled, taking her other hand in his. He had spent the past few weeks struggling to accept that the fight was over, but as he looked into her eyes this time he knew that it was true. The war was over. A new chapter in both his and her life had begun.

He was scared, but in a good way. He had her.

"Do you remember what you said to me the night before Cronos? About finding a place where we could live in peace and happiness?"

Liara smiled softly and leaned into him, placing a soft kiss on his lips. "Of course."

Shepard looked into her eyes and returned the warm smile. "I want to find that place."

His gaze shifted up into the sky one last time. "Let's go get lost up there."

Final Note

Well, that's it. I knew going into the end of Mass Effect that I would be tough to satisfy, but I'm happy to say that I can now call my Shepard's story complete. I hope you enjoyed reading this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it! It's hard to express how therapeutic this entire process has been for me so I want to say thank you to everyone who gave the story a read and kept me inspired/motivated to write the next chapter. With the conclusion of this story I'll be working on Contingent Absolution as my primary project... so if you enjoyed this one and would like to read more of my work then give it a read! Thanks again and I hope you enjoyed it.