A/N - This chapter should make it pretty clear which is my favorite loyalty mission in ME2, and which is not... Sorry, Jacob fans, I couldn't relive that dreck - even in fanfic - and I just couldn't find a Shenko story there... you may have already noticed, but since this is one of the biggest moments where it matters, my Shepard is a paragon with a few renegade moments *cough*headbutt*cough* thrown in when she feels like being a little badass ;-) As always, all credit goes to Bioware...
Gabe97, thanks for your continued feedback! I'm glad you appreciated the horror of Shepard's comment - might have been her attempt at a weak excuse for her behavior but still... ugh. Everyone else, thanks for reading, following, favoriting! This fic had been challenging to write at many times, and knowing that there are people out there waiting to see what happens next helps crack the proverbial whip for me!
Two umbrellas to my wonderful beta, StoneburntHeart, for all her help and support :-)
After the Normandy left Tuchanka, they investigated the distress call from the Hugo Gernssback and found Jacob's missing father alive and very far from well. They dropped Ronald Taylor at the nearest outpost so that the Alliance could take over and handle the mess. And then Shepard's holo-conference with the Illusive Man was interrupted by Miranda just as Shepard was building a perfect head of righteous indignation steam on Jacob's behalf. That Miranda had been the one to leak the information, rather than the Illusive Man, didn't make Shepard any fonder of either. But it did leave her with more questions about Miranda and her past. Hopefully Liara would come through soon. Shepard winced as she remembered her confrontation with Liara and sighed. She'd need to do some fence-mending there, too.
She shook herself out of her reverie as she saw the ships of the Migrant Fleet begin to take shape out the cockpit's viewport. She turned to Tali, who was also studying the quarian ships, and asked, "Ready for this, Tali?"
"No," came the simple response, then Tali elaborated, "these people are more than Admirals – they're like my family. How do you prepare for your family charging you with treason?"
It was a question that had no answer, at least none that Shepard could find. But she reacted to the pain in Tali's voice and opened her mouth to try anyway, "Tali…"
"No, Shepard," Tali cut her off, "it's ok. Hopefully we can straighten this out once we speak to the Admiralty Board. And if not… I still have the Normandy. You're my family now."
"Damn straight," Shepard answered with a grin.
As they made their approach, Joker opened a com channel for Tali.
"This is Tali'Zorah vas Neema nar Rayya," she identified herself to the quarian flotilla, "requesting permission to dock with the Rayya."
"Our system has your ship flagged as Cerberus. Verify," was the terse reply over the com.
"'After time adrift among open stars, along tides of light and through shoals of dust, I will return to where I began'," Tali quoted in response.
"Permission granted. Welcome home, Tali'Zorah."
"We'd like a security and quarantine team to meet us. Our ship is not clean," Tali returned.
"Understood. Approach exterior docking cradle 17."
~x~
When Shepard, Tali, and Kaidan boarded the Rayya a few moments later, they were met by the captain of that vessel.
"Captain Shepard," the quarian captain greeted, "Tali'Zorah told me a lot about you. I wish we could be meeting under more pleasant circumstances."
Shepard didn't correct the title of captain – her experience with quarian culture made her aware the honorific was due to role not rank. Instead, she returned Captain Kar'Danna's greeting with a nod. "Tali helped the Normandy's crew out of many difficult situations. I'm here to return the favor."
"I understand," Captain Kar'Danna replied, "As the commander of the vessel she serves on, your voice carries weight." He turned to Tali and added, "I wish I could do more to help, Tali. The trial requires me to be officially neutral, but… I'm here, if you need to talk. They're charging you with bringing active geth into the Fleet as part of a secret project."
"That's insane!" Tali stepped forward in her defense, "I never brought active geth aboard. I only sent parts and pieces."
Kaidan and Shepard shared a look behind her back. Through their visors, their eyes communicated agreement – obviously this situation was more complicated than they had expected. Shepard nodded and turned back to Tali.
"You sent Geth materials back to the Migrant Fleet?" she questioned their quarian friend.
"Yes," Tali replied without apology, "My father was working on a project. He needed the materials. If I sent back something that was not only damaged, not permanently inactive… No, no, I checked everything. I was careful."
"Technically, I'm under orders to place Tali'Zorah under arrest pending the outcome of the hearing…" Captain Kar'Danna stated kindly, "So, Tali… you're confined to this ship under this trial is over."
"Thank you, Captain," Tali replied.
"Preparations got underway as soon as you arrived," Captain Kar'Danna spoke to Shepard and Kaidan now, "The hearing's being held in the Garden Plaza. Good luck." With that he nodded and walked off.
Shepard and Kaidan each turned to Tali and studied her for a moment, but it was Kaidan that spoke first.
"Tali," he began, his voice soft but firm, "Shepard is going to have a tough time defending you since technically you did some of what they're accusing you of," he raised his hand to stop her when she would have interrupted him, "I know you said it was safe – and we believe you – but it still looks bad. Is there anything else she needs to know? Something else you haven't said?" Kaidan met Shepard's eyes and saw her nod and smile of gratitude. He knew she had a soft spot for Tali and wouldn't necessarily have asked the tough questions. He liked Tali a lot too. But he didn't want Shepard to be blind-sided.
"I swear that's all," Tali answered, her also firm, "I sent materials – safe materials – at my father's request."
"Ok, Tali," Shepard replied with a nod, "let's go talk to the Admirals."
~x~
Kaidan stood quietly behind Shepard's left shoulder, listening to her passionate defense of their young quarian friend with both pride and concern. They had discovered when they spoke to Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay that Tali's ship name had been changed, and that Raan would have to recuse herself from Tali's trial due to her close association with Tali and her father. That alone had been worrying, but what the Admirals were saying now kicked the anxiety up a notch. Something more than what Tali had explained was going on here, Kaidan thought. These weren't the words or actions of 'parents' scolding their child when she stepped out of line. It seemed they stepped off the Normandy and not just onto the Rayya but into a mess of quarian politics as well.
"How could Tali have brought geth to the Fleet while she was serving on the Normandy?" Shepard was speaking in her role as Tali's defense counsel. It was a role she had accepted with honor and pride, and that neither she nor Kaidan had been surprised to hear had been placed upon her.
"To clarify, Shepard, Tali isn't accused of bringing back entire units – only parts that could spontaneously reactivate," offered another member of the Board – Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh.
"But I would never send active geth to the Fleet!" Tali cried in her defense, "Everything I sent was disabled and harmless!"
"Then explain how geth seized the lab ship where your father was working!" Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib broke in angrily.
Kaidan saw Tali stumble back a bit in reaction and moved swiftly to place a hand on her arm to support her. His movement went unnoticed as the quarians around them were all also reacting in shocked surprise. When Tali was steady again, she stepped back on the dais and spoke.
"What are you talking about? What happened?" Kaidan could hear a note of near-panic in her voice now and stayed behind Tali in support.
"As far as we can tell, Tali, the geth have killed everyone on the Alarei… your father included," the speaker was Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema and his voice was pitched low with kindness.
This time both Shepard and Kaidan reached out in support of their quarian friend and their hands nearly touched on her arm. Kaidan met Shepard's eyes through their visors and saw her small smile of gratitude and nodded in return.
Shepard turned back to the Admirals. "I appreciate the need for this trial, Admirals, but right now our first concern must be the safety of the Migrant Fleet," she told them firmly, "The Normandy stands ready to assist in whatever capacity necessary."
"Thank you," Raan replied with some relief, "quarian strike teams have attempted to retake the ship, so far without success."
"Shepard, we have to take back the Alarei," Tali said.
"The safest course would be to simply destroy the ship," Admiral Koris broke in before Shepard could answer, "but if you're looking for an honorable death instead of exile…"
"I'm looking for my father, you bosh'tet!" Tali shot back.
"You intend to retake the Alarei from the geth?" Raan cut in to be the mediator, "This proposal is extremely dangerous."
"With your permission, Admirals, yes," Shepard replied in confirmation, "The good of the Fleet must come first."
"And Tali needs to find her father," Kaidan amended sotto voice from behind the quarian and saw both Tali and Shepard – the only ones within range to hear – answer with nods but kept their backs turned to Kaidan.
"Agreed," Admiral Gerrel answered on behalf of the Board, "And if you die on this worthy mission, Tali, we will see that your name is cleared of these charges."
"We can discuss that later," Admiral Koris corrected.
"Then it is decided," Raan once again played peacemaker of the 'family', "You will attempt to retake the Alarei. You are hereby given leave to depart the Rayya. A shuttle will be waiting at the secondary docking hanger. Be safe, Tali. This hearing will resume upon your return, or upon determination that you have been killed in action."
Shepard nodded to Raan in acceptance and motioned the team out of the plaza.
~x~
After speaking with each of the Admirals – which confirmed Kaidan's suspicions that Tali's trial was more about the Admiral's disagreement on going to war with the geth than anything Tali might have done wrong – they boarded the Alarei. They were immediately met with geth resistance as they had anticipated, but Kaidan's and Tali's tech powers combined with Shepard's efficient command of a team she knew well made quick work of the synthetics. They proceeded cautiously through the Alarei, dispatching geth along the way as well as searching various logs and terminals for information that would exonerate Tali. A grim picture of Admiral Rael'Zorah's work began to take shape. Apparently he and his team were reassembling the geth parts that Tali had sent. Kaidan hoped for Tali's sake that this kangaroo court result in Shepard having to trade Rael's honor for Tali's.
They found Rael'Zorah's corpse shortly after. Kaidan stood guard as Shepard comforted Tali, and helped her accept that Rael was actually dead. Then they found his message to Tali, giving instructions for deactivating the geth, as well as his final words to his daughter. Kaidan watched as Tali strengthened in resolve and they moved on to find the console Rael had mentioned.
As they opened the door to access the console, Kaidan's sharp eyes surveyed the room ahead. "That's a Prime guarding the panel," he warned the squad.
"Yeah, I see it," Shepard confirmed. "Let's flank it… carefully. You and Tali go left and concentrate on the Prime – I'm useless on that bastard. I'll go right and handle the trash."
They nodded and put her orders in motion. As Shepard requested, Kaidan and Tali concentrated their tech skills – and guns – on the Prime and took it down together. When it was dead, they found Shepard standing triumphant amongst a pile of lesser – and equally dead – geth. The trio approached the panel in the back of the room together.
"This console is linked to the main hub Father mentioned," Tali supplied, "Disabling it will shut down any geth we missed."
As Shepard reached out and activated the panel, Tali continued, "It looks like some of the recordings remain intact. They'll tell us how this happened, what Father did."
"You sound like you don't really want to hear it," Kaidan commented.
"No," Tali replied in an anxious tone, "We have to, I know. I just… this is terrible. I don't want to know that he was part of this."
They stood together and watched the records that showed Rael'Zorah's plan and the horrific results as well as his reasons for not advising the Admiralty Board of his work.
"It sounds like he was doing this for you," Shepard offered, attempting to comfort their friend.
"I never wanted this, Shepard. Keelah, I never wanted this," Tali replied sadly. "Everything here is his fault! I tried to pretend it didn't point to him, but this… When this comes up in the trial, they'll…" She trailed off and steadied her voice then continued, "We can't tell them, not the admirals, not anyone."
Kaidan winced mentally. He understood Tali's reasons, even supported them. But she was putting Shepard in an impossible position. Kaidan knew Shepard would want to honor the quarian's wishes, but she wanted Tali cleared of charges more. And she wouldn't let Tali sacrifice herself, not even to honor Rael'Zorah's memory.
"Tali," Kaidan began gently, "without this evidence, you're looking at exile. Shepard needs this to exonerate you."
Tali turned to him. "You think I don't know that? You think I want to live knowing I could never see the Fleet again?" she questioned angrily, "but I can't go back into that room and say that my father was the worst war criminal in our people's history. I cannot."
"Rael'Zorah doesn't need you to worry about him anymore," Kaidan argued, "you heard your father say he didn't want you caught in the politics!"
"You don't understand, Kaidan," Tali replied sadly, "they would strike his name from the manifest of every ship he ever served on. He would be worse than an exile. He'd be a traitor to our people, held up for children as a monster in a cautionary tale!" Tali turned to Shepard again and pleaded, "I can't let all the good he did be destroyed for this, Shepard."
"We're not going to decide anything here," Shepard replied non-committally, "Let's see what the admirals say once we get back."
"You're my captain in this hearing, Shepard. It's your decision. But please. Don't destroy what my father was," Tali pleaded. She turned to the exit and added, "Guess we better go before they decide we're already dead and none of this matters."
Shepard nodded and led them back to the shuttle.
~x~
When they reboarded the Rayya, the raised voices of the Admirals reached them in the corridor outside the Conclave and confirmed Tali's guess that the Admirals would try her in absentia if they didn't return to prevent it. They hurried to the dais and took up the positions they had before just as Raan was reluctantly putting the matter to a vote.
"Sorry we're late," Tali interrupted sarcastically.
"Tali'Zorah vas Normandy saved the Alarei," Shepard told the Admirals, "I hope this proves her loyalty to the quarian people."
"Her loyalty was never in doubt," Admiral Koris corrected, "only her judgment."
"Perhaps Tali'Zorah can offer something to encourage more trust in her judgment?" Admiral Raan inquired.
"Yes," Admiral Gerrel added, "Did you find anything on the Alarei that could clarify what happened there?"
Shepard and Tali shared a long look through their visors, then Tali pleaded, "Shepard, please…" as Shepard stepped forward to address the Board.
"Does Captain Shepard have any new evidence to submit to this hearing?" Raan asked formally.
"Tali helped me defeat Saren and the geth at the Citadel," Shepard answered, her voice ringing strongly through the assembly, "that should be all the evidence you need."
"I fail to see what relevance-" Koris began before Shepard continued, cutting him off.
"You're not really interested in Tali, are you?" she said, looking directly at Koris now, "this trial isn't about her. It's about the geth." Kaidan wasn't surprised Shepard had also drawn the same conclusions he had about quarian politics. But apparently the quarians weren't ready to give in.
"This hearing has nothing to do with the geth!" Admiral Koris countered.
"You want people to sympathize with them!" Shepard argued, "Han'Gerrel wants to go to war! None of you care about Tali! She knows more about the geth than any other quarian alive. You should be listening to her, not putting her on trial." Shepard paused to let her words sink in then began to pace back and forth on the small dais as she argued passionately, "Tali'Zorah saved the Citadel! She saved the Alarei! She showed the galaxy the value of the quarian people." She came to a stop in the center of the dais and paused, and her voice lowered with emphasis, "I can't think of stronger evidence than that."
For a moment, there was a tense silence as the Admirals pondered her words. Then Raan recovered first and performed her duties as mediator, "Are the Admirals prepared to render the judgment?" she asked.
Again silence prevailed as the Admirals glanced at each other, then one by one, accessed their omni-tools and entered their votes. Raan consulted her own 'tool for the result, then spoke again, "Tali'Zorah, in light of your history of service, we do not find sufficient evidence to convict. You are cleared of all charges." She spoke again, offering Shepard gifts in recognition of her service, but Shepard shook her head to decline and interrupted.
"If you appreciate me, then listen: the Reapers are coming. I'm going to need your help to defeat them." Shepard softened her tone and pleaded, "Please don't throw away your lives against the geth."
"Thank you, Commander Shepard," Koris said with some satisfaction, "I hope the Board carefully considers your advice."
"This hearing is concluded," Raan stated, "Go in peace, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. Keelah se'lai."
"Keelah se'lai," the quarians in the gallery echoed.
~x~
As they walked out of the Conclave, Tali paused and turned to Shepard.
"I can't believe you pulled that off," she said wonderingly, "What you said… I've never had anyone speak like that on my behalf. Thank you for being there for my father and me. Thank you." She turned to Kaidan, and added, "I'm sorry for speaking to you that way, Kaidan…"
He placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled, "Don't worry about it, Tali, everything worked out."
"We can still go back and get you exiled," Shepard drawled.
Tali giggled and turned to her, "Thanks but I'm fine with things like this." Then she paused and added in a sly tone, "its fun watching you shout."
"That's because she wasn't shouting at you," Kaidan bantered with a mock shudder.
Tali laughed again and turned her head as something caught the corner of her vision. She turned back to Kaidan and Shepard and said, "Do you two mind if I stay here for a while? I'd like to catch up with some old friends."
Shepard shook her head and replied, "Go ahead, Tali. We'll head back to the Normandy now - join us when you're done."
Shepard and Kaidan watched Tali beeline to a waiting Kal'Reegar with twin speculative grins then headed toward the Normandy in companionable silence. Just before they reached the airlock Kaidan broke that silence.
"You know, Shepard," he said, his tone mock-serious, "maybe you should retire from galaxy saving. Looks like you have another promising career in law…" he started to chuckle as he saw her face blanch in horror. Then she grinned.
"Yeah I'll pass," she bantered back, "I think quarian court is the only one where they let you keep your guns and armor."
Kaidan laughed all the way through decon at the fanciful mental picture playing in his head of Shepard drawing her shotgun on an unsuspecting judge.
~x~
When they were back on board, a message from Liara was waiting for Shepard. It was short and vague to avoid Cerberus detection, but Shepard understood the meaning clearly. She plotted a course for Illium in the CIC then headed to the cockpit. She told Joker to execute the course once Tali had returned, and then she headed to the elevator to join Kaidan in their cabin.