Welcome back everyone! Just taking a moment to say thank you for everyone who added this story to your favorites or alerted to my story. I am beyond thrilled with the reception! Now, onto the reviews!

Apollo Wings: Thank you my friend! I'm glad that you enjoyed the chapter and I always take to heart whatever comments you have for me! I can't wait to hear what you think of the next few chapters!

Bernard Karp: Hahahaha! Okay Garrus…although he does have a point! Tali's got them hips!

Guest Reviewer: I'm glad you like it so far! I hope that I continue to hear more from ya in the future!

Lightning S9: I'm glad that you enjoyed the first chapter and I hope that the rest of this story lived up to your expectations. And don't worry, I will be continuing it on to ME3!

Nihlus Oken: I'm glad that you've decided to give this story another chance! And I appreciate your comments and critics. In the future I was planning on having a study or a mild scientific explanation for some of the magic, and who knows…maybe biotics will expand… But I hope that you continue to let me know what you think because I appreciate every comment that I'm given! Thank you for reading and I hope to hear more from you.

Arafell: I'm glad that you are enjoying this story so far! I tried to think of some kind of original way to combine these two stories and I hope that I achieved that. And I got to say, you might be the first person to complement me on my grammar. Thank you very much! And don't worry, at least in the next chapter I will be heading quite a bit off cannon and even more so when we get to ME3. I hope you keep writing and reviewing! I'd love to hear more of what you think!

Main reason for rating: Language

"Normal Talking" ; 'POV Thoughts' ; "Talking in foreign language to POV" ; "Talking over intercom"

Chapter 21

Waiting in the docking cradle connecting the Normandy to the Rayya Shepard fought the urge to begin tapping his foot on the ground as the decontamination cycle finished. Flanked on either side by and equally impatient Tali and a seemingly bored Garrus, the three could do nothing but stand idly by as the inferred beams of light pass over each of them killing scores of bacteria or any other possible contamination the three might be carrying. In their own effort to reduce the amount of contamination they might in avertedly spread on the Migrant Fleet, both Shepard and Garrus had donned helmets with they own oxygen supply. While Shepard and Garrus were able to stand idly by and wait, Tali wasn't. The little quarian was nearly bouncing with how hard her foot was tapping.

"You know, if you keep that up Tali you might just be able to bore a hole right through the floor." Garrus remarked dryly making a poor attempt at humor.

Seeming to just notice what she'd been doing, Tali planted both feet firmly on the ground and held them there. "Sorry." She mumbled. "I'm just – nervous."

"Nervous?" Garrus commented his head tilting slightly to the side. "Perhaps it's time you two fill me in on just what's going on here."

When Tali didn't respond Shepard sighed. It looked like he was the one who was going to have to do the explaining. "Just before we hit the Collector ship Tali received a summoning from the Admiralty board." Shepard began waiting until Tali gave him a slight nod before continuing. "The summoning's indicated that she'd been charged with high treason against the Migrant Fleet. And she was to present herself before the Admirals to defend herself against the charges at the soonest possible date."

Garrus's head perked up. "Are you kidding me?" Garrus asked sounding completely astounded. "Our little Tali…treason? Spirits I think the vorcha would have to give up fighting the asari give up sex before that could come true. What are they even charging her for?"

"We don't know." Shepard continued to answer as Tali continued to remain silent. "But whatever the hell it is they think she did, we're going to prove them wrong no matter what it takes."

The inferred lights stopped and disappeared. At the same time the hatch leading into the Rayya hissed as the docking tube equalized its pressure with that of the Rayya before slowly rising. Just beyond the entrance to the Rayya stood seven quarians, three on each side of the door and one standing in the middle. The one in the middle was dressed slightly different than the others. His red environmental suit was adorned with a sash that went around his chest and up an over one shoulder making him stand out significantly against the blue and plain environmental suits of those on either side of him.

Assuming that the man before them was the Captain of the Rayya, Shepard stepped just beyond the plane of the Rayya before stopping and raising his hand in a salute. "Captain?" He asked tentatively before continuing. "Commander John Shepard, Alliance Navy, Council Spectre, requesting permission to board the Rayya."

The man in the red suit returned his salute. "Captain Shepard, Captain Kar'Danna vas Rayya. Permission to board granted." Lowering his salute the quarian took another step towards them and reached out with his hand. "Tali 'Zorah has told me a lot about you Captain. I wish that our first meeting could've been under better circumstances."

Not wanting to be rude Shepard reached out and took the Kar'Danna's hand in his own. "Thank you Captain, but you can call me Shepard." He said letting go. "I um, never actually reached the rank of Captain. And I guess if you want to get technical, I'm no longer a part of the Alliance either."

Kar'Danna simply shrugged. "You're the commander of the Normandy, responsible for the lives aboard it. That entitles you to respect equal to that of any Captain among our people. 'May you stand between your crew and harm as you lead them through the empty quarters of the stars.'"

Shepard wasn't sure what was going on with the quote, so he was more than grateful when Tali piped in. "Keelah se'lai." She answered lowering her head slightly. "It's an old ship captain's blessing Shepard."

Understanding better Shepard nodded to the Captain adding his own 'keelah se'lai', effectively completing the blessing. "I must say Capta – Shepard. I am surprised that a man of your stature would take the time to personally help Tali through this difficult time." The Captain said before quickly retracting. "Not that our little Tali isn't worth it to be sure. But humans have had little contact with the quarian people, and what contact we've had has been almost incidental at best."

"Tali is a good friend." Shepard commented giving a brief look back at said quarian before facing the Captain again. "She's helped the Normandy and the lives aboard more times than I care to count. I don't know how we would've made it this far without her. I'm here to help a friend."

The Captain again nodded at his comment. "That is good. As the Commander of the ship that Tali now serves aboard, you word will carry much weight in the trial." Pausing Kar'Danna turned to Tali. "I wish that there was more I could do for you little Tali. This – trial – technically requires that I stay neutral. But…you will always be the little girl I remember who would run through all corners of the ship taking apart and putting back together anything and everything she could get her hands on. I'm here Tali…if you need to talk."

"Thank you, Captain." Tali said inclining her head. "It – it means a lot to hear you say that."

"I wish these pleasantries could continue." Kar'Danna sighed. "But we all have our duties to perform. Tali 'Zorah, the Admiralty Board is charging you with treason on evidence that you sent active geth components back to the Migrant Fleet as part of special, unauthorized, project."

"That's insane!" Tali nearly shouted stepping forward, her head going back and forth between him and Kar'Danna as if she we're justifying herself to each of them. "I would never risk the fleet like that! I only sent parts and pieces for study! But I made sure that they were thoroughly deactivated before tagging them for retrieval!"

"Wait a minute." Shepard cut in generally surprised by this development. "Why would you send geth material back to the Migrant Fleet?"

Tali's head lowered slightly and Shepard inwardly cursed himself as he realized his tone had been much less than supportive. "I – I was sending pieces back to my father." She answered in a small voice. "He's working on a project to help combat the geth. He needed the materials. But before he sent me out we developed a security program to insure that any geth pieces were to be sent back were completely deactivated. He – nor I – would ever risk having active geth components aboard one of the fleet's ships."

"Technically, I'm under orders to place Tali 'Zorah under arrest pending the hearing." Kar'Danna said drawing both of their attention back to him. "So, Tali…I have the unfortunate duty of informing you that you're hereby confined to the Rayya until this trial is over."

Tali nodded as if that was what she was expecting and stepped back to just behind Shepard. "I understand Captain." She mumbled.

Kar'Danna nodded to her, and then turned back to him. "Preparations for the trial began as soon as you appeared on our radar. Not all of the Admirals have arrived as of yet, but they are in route. You can make your way to the garden plaza just down the hall. It is where the trial will commence. But while you and your crewmen are aboard I must ask that you surrender all weapons to our security personnel. Please."

Part of Shepard wanted to tell the Captain that he would have to kiss his own ass before that would happen. But, any hostile actions or words might tip this trial against Tali and that was the last thing he wanted to do. Reaching over his shoulder he unclipped his Valkyrie from his back before handing it over to the nearest marine before removing the rest of his weapons. Tali reached to the small of her back pulling off her shotgun and handing it over.

Garrus looked at the marine as if they'd gown two heads, but after a nod from Shepard he sighed and handed over his Valiant. "I know every scratch and dent on that thing," he growled to the marine he'd handed the weapon off to. "I find one thing out of place and I'm taking it out on you."

Kar'Danna seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Thank you Commander. The garden plaza is down the hall, Tali will be able to guide you there. I hope that this mess will be over soon Tali'Zorah. Keelah se'lai."

Now that they were no longer considered a threat the ships marines and her captain moved away to resume their daily duties. Taking his lead from Tali, the three of them started heading through the corridors of the ship. A quick look behind them assured Shepard that they were alone. Taking Tali by her arm he gently led her off to the side of the corridor away from prying eyes. "Garrus, could you give us a sec?" He asked as his turian friend moved to follow them.

Garrus looked between the two of them for a second before shrugging his shoulders. "Sure, I'll just be down the hall admiring the paint job or something. Don't mind me."

Once he was sure Garrus was far enough down the hall to be out of ear shot he turned back to Tali. His hand was still on her arm, and she'd made no move to shake him off. She seemed almost…defeated. The spark that'd ignited in her back when Captain Kar'Danna told her what the charges were had been thoroughly snuffed out in the interim. "Tali," he said softly removing his hand from her arm. "You need to tell me what this project is that you and father were working on."

Tali looked both ways down the corridor before answering him. "My father told me it was a top secret project he was working on." She began, her fingers starting to twist together nervously. "He was trying to create a weapon to combat the geth, a virus. He never told me the specifics of the virus, or what it could do. My job, as one of the few quarian's with contact's outside the Migrant Fleet, was to collect, deactivate, and send my father geth fragments that I came across while on missions."

"How did you even get them back to Fleet?" He asked. "I haven't seen you ship anything to your father since joining with us."

"We haven't run across any geth yet either." She reminded him. "But while I was on assignment I would secure any geth fragments I came across and left them at secure drop points to pick up at a later time. Usually they would be collected by our trade shuttles or those returning from Pilgrimage."

Shepard was racking his brain trying to get this whole situation figured out. Somehow geth had managed to get on the fleet, that much was certain. And they must've caused quite a bit of damage before being put down. The Admiral's had known about her mission…and they needed to show that they were in charge of the situation. Was Tali…was this farce a trial simply to make Tali into a scapegoat so the Admirals could look in control? "Is there any chance, no matter how small, that the samples you sent back to the fleet were still active?" He pressed.

Tali thought about it a few moments before answering. "Well…there might be a slight chance tha – no. No it's impossible. My father and I wrote the procedure's to completely deactivate the geth pieces I was sending back to the fleet. And I always triple checked every piece I ever sent back. There is no way that anything I sent back to the fleet could've become active again."

Shepard nodded. That was all he needed to hear from her. "They'll more than likely ask you that question." He theorized thinking back to the few court martials he'd witnessed. "Use that same tone when you answer them. Be confident. Whatever happened here, it wasn't your fault. You have to believe that before they will."

"Tali'Zorah, it is so good to see you my dear."

Tali jumped slightly and turned at the sound of the new comer's voice. Shit, Shepard damn near got scared himself. Less than a few paces away from them stood a female quarian with Garrus close behind. The latter of who merely shrugged his shoulders as if to say the interruption wasn't his fault. The newcomer was wearing a dark tan colored environmental suit and like Captain Kar'Danna she wore a decorative sash around her chest and shoulders. Unlike the Captains though, at the junction of the sash in front was a pendant that had a small vessel engraved onto its center.

Tali jumped towards the woman the instant she saw her, embracing the new woman in a tight hug. "Auntie Raan!" Tali nearly screamed as the two women came together.

"Little Tali," the older quarian said warmly as she briefly returned Tali's embrace before pulling back. "It is so good to see you again my dear. I just wish that our reunion were under better circumstances."

Tali gained a small measure of composure and took a step back from her aunt. Tali turned back around to him quickly and pulled him forward by the arm forcing him to stand by her side. "Auntie Raan, this is Commander Shepard of the Normandy. Shepard, this is my Aunt, Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay."

Conducting himself accordingly he raised a hand and saluted the Admiral. "Admiral, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Raan returned his salute and held out her hand for him to take. "You as well Commander Shepard." She said as their hands met. "Tali has told us all many stories about you and your exploits. I'm glad that you are here for her. I fear Tali'Zorah vas Normandy will need your help through this more than any other."

The name confused Shepard, but apparently not nearly as much as Tali who expressed her confusion. "Wait…Auntie Raan. You – you just called me 'vas Normandy'."

Letting go of Shepard's hand the Admiral nodded. "I'm afraid I did Tali. Admiral's Daro'Xen, Zaal'Koris, and Han'Gerrel voted and by majority rule to have you tried under that name instead of 'vas Neema'."

"What does that mean?" Shepard asked noticing that once again Tali seemed to wilt beside him.

"It means they've pretty much exiled me already." Tali mumbled.

"That has still yet to be decided." Raan added quickly before addressing Shepard. "When a quarian is to face the Admiralty board they are permitted to have their ships Captain represent them. However, now that Tali's name has been changed to 'vas Normandy', that duty now falls to you Commander, should you be willing."

Shepard almost his 'damn right' comment slip before catching it on the time of his tongue. "Tali has been a good friend to me, and she's been there for me more times than I care to count. It would be an honor to defend her."

Tali's head lowered slightly and she wouldn't meet his gaze. "Thank you Shepard. I can't think of a better advocate than you to act in my defense."

He wanted to put his arm around her to try and give her some small measure of comfort, but he wasn't sure whether or not she wanted her family to know about them yet. "Is there anything specific about a quarian trial that I should know?" He asked going back to Raan.

Raan was staring at the two of them rather curiously. "It is less formal than your Alliance trials," she answered. "You and Tali will stand before the three chosen Admiral's. The charges against Tali will be formally announced and you will be asked to enter a plea for Tali. After which the Admiral's will begin their inquiry. Any questions that are asked must be answered; not answering would be considered a confession of guilt. Once their inquiry is finished you, as her advocate, will be allowed to make a closing statement on Tali's behalf. After which the Admiral's will enter their vote, a simple majority vote will decide her fate."

"What about evidence supporting Tali?" He asked wrapping his mind around the process laid out before them. "Will we be allowed to enter it? Will anyone be able to testify on Tali's behalf?"

Raan nodded. "You may enter any evidence you have during the Admiral's inquiry to support your claims. Those who would speak up in support of Tali, or those who've served with or for her, have already been privately examined by the board."

The garden plaza, as both Captain Kar'Danna and Adrmial Raan had dubbed it, lived up to its name. The vaulted room looked wasn't very large, perhaps only a hundred feet long and wide, but it was completely covered from top to bottom in one form of vegetation or another. Green grass covered nearly every inch of ground with the only exception being the steel floor paneling acting as a path. Trees and vines he couldn't put a name too wound themselves together as grew along the walls. The fact that such a room even existed in the quarian fleet gave testament to the true prowess of the quarian people. And to top it all off, it was currently standing room only as dozens upon dozens of quarian's waited for the trial to begin.

The only area of the room that wasn't packed was small area of the room on the far side from where they were standing. The ground was lower than the rest of the room isolating this one area from the rest of the room. At the far of the isolated area was a platform, and standing upon it were three quarian's. Even from this distance he could make out that two of them were men and the other a woman. And each of them was wearing the same pendant like sash that he'd noticed on Raan. Those had to be the Admirals who would be overseeing the hearing. And behind them was another raised platform were upon which Admiral Raan now stood.

With Tali matching his every step he marched unhesitatingly across the Garden Room towards the Admiral's. Descending the steps before the Admiral's he and Tali came to a halt at a small table that had been set up for them which placed them directly in front of the Admirals.

As Tali and he took their place, with Garrus staying a few paces behind them, Admiral Raan spread her hands wide in a welcoming gesture. "This conclave is hereby brought to order. Blessed are the ancestors who kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season. Keelah se'lai." A mumbled 'Keelah se'lai' came from every quarian in the room as she finished. "Tali 'Zorah vas Normady. You have been called here today to answer for the crime of high treason on suspi –"

"Objection!" The middle Admiral shouted cutting Raan off. "What is a human doing here? We cannot allow outsiders to be part of a trail dealing with such sensitive military matters!"

Taking that as his que, Shepard rested his hands on the table before them leaning towards the Admirals. "I am Commander John Shepard, Council Spectre." His name drew a wave of gasps and whispers from those who were watching but the Admiral's remained unfazed. "I am the Captain of the SR-2 Normandy, the same ship that Tali now serves aboard. As per your own judicial code Admiral, as the Captain of the ship she serves on I am allowed to act as her advocate during her trial. But I was prepared to stand by her side before I learned I was to be her advocate." Leaning back off the table he gave Tali a brief glance before continuing. "Tali has been a valued crewmember of my ship beyond measure, and a good friend to many on board. She stands as an exemplar of the quarian people and it is my honor to aid her. My only regret in being her advocate is that she has been denied her due course to have her own ship's Captain be present."

The Admiral who raised the objection straightened as his eyes narrowed. "Tali has been denied nothing. If anything she's been given-"

"Lie to them all you want Koris." The other male Admiral snarled. "But don't expect that you can lie in front of me and get away with it. We all know why Tali's name was moved."

"Admiral Zaal'Koris, Han'Garrel please," Raan pleaded from her place above them. "This is a trial. Please conduct yourselves. And Admiral Koris, Shepard states correctly. As Tali's Captain he has the right to be present as any Captain of the quarian fleet."

Admiral Koris shook his head. "Objection removed. Proceed Admiral Raan."

Raan nodded. "As I was saying. Tali 'Zorah vas Normandy. You have been called before us today to answer the charge of high treason on suspicion that you sent active geth parts back to the Migrant Fleet. How do you plead?"

Leveling his voice Shepard spoke loud enough so everyone in the room could hear him. "As I stated before, Tali is an exemplar of the quarian people. She would sooner harm herself than place the fleet in any type of danger. She pleads not guilty to the charge of treason."

Raan, and Han'Garrel he noted both nodded at his proclamation. "Tali'Zorah, your plea has been recorded. Admiral's Han'Garrel, Zaal'Koris, and Daro'Xen will now begin their inquiry as the events leading to your charge. Admirals."

"Tali'Zorah." The middle Admiral, Zaal'Koris, spoke up first. "I shall be brief and blunt. Did you send pieces of geth back to the Migrant Fleet?"

Tali's fingers began their nervous twitch as she suddenly found herself the focus of every person in the room. "I – I never sent active geth fragment's back to the fleet. I always double and tripled checked to make sure each piece was completely deactivated before marking them for transit."

A murmur went through the hall as the three Admirals looked back and forth between each other. "And why Tali'Zorah would you think that it would be acceptable to send even deactivate geth fragments back to the fleet?" Zaal'Koris asked this time his voice dropping several octaves. "Surely someone of your expertise would know that the geth have the ability to reactive themselves."

Tali's silver eyes blinked rapidly as she absorbed the Admirals question. Shepard found himself confused as well. Surely the Admirals knew why Tali was sending these pieces back. "With respect Admirals." Shepard said as Tali continued to stand next to him dumbfounded. "Tali'Zorah was acting under father's orders. She was collecting and deactivating geth fragments for study. It was her, and my, understanding that this project had the approval of the Admirals under the direction of her father, Admiral Rael'Zorah."

Again the three Admirals on the stand looked to each other before answering. "Your father was acting without the Admiralty Board's approval." Admiral Daro'Xen began. "In fact, we had no knowledge of this supposed project of your father's. What is this project your father was working on that required geth pieces to be sent back to the fleet?"

This time Tali staggered slightly as if she took a blow to her middle. In his mind Shepard was trying to come up with something, anything to get them out of this now. "I – I don't know the specifics of the project." Tali answered hesitantly. "All he would tell me was that he was working on a new prototype that would give our people the edge over the geth. My job was to collect any geth pieces I came across while on missions and send them back to my father. We developed a safety protocol to be enacted on each piece I came across that would ensure that they were fully and permanently deactivated."

"If you are truly confused as the nature of her mission," Shepard continued as Tali's voice died down. "Then perhaps it would be best if you contacted Admiral 'Zorah for his own input."

"I'm afraid such a course of action is impossible now Commander Shepard." Admiral Garrel admitted. The despair in the Admiral's voice made Shepard's stomach tighten into knots and he knew something was wrong.

"What do you mean?" Tali asked looking around the assembled masses, her eyes narrowing as if she just now realized something. "Wait…where is my father? He should be here!"

"Admiral Raal'Zorah isn't with us at the present time because his flag ship the Alarei was attacked and captured from within three weeks ago by the geth!" Zaal'Korris exclaimed.

"What?!" Tali shouted taking an aggressive step towards the Admiral's. "Have you even tried to rescue him? Or his crew?"

"Calm down Tali." Han'Garrel said motioning with an open hand. "Three weeks ago we received a distress signal from the Alarei about a possible geth incursion. The ship was isolated from the fleet and a full strike team was sent in to investigate. We lost contact shortly after they contacted command confirming the presence of geth on the Alarei."

"In normal cases the ship would be destroyed upon confirmation of such a breach." Zaal'Korris continued. "But the Alarei is one of our fleet's primer research vessels. And after our first failed incursion to the Alarei the ship has drifted close to several live ships and has since stayed close to them. If we we're to destroy the Alarei in its current position it would take our as many as three civilian ships killing thousands."

Tali's eyes were as wide as he'd ever seen them when he turned to him. "Shepard we need to-"

"I know Tali," he answered softly for her ears only before addressing the Admirals. "Admirals. While I appreciate the need for this trial." A lie, this whole thing was a farce. "The safety of the Migrant Fleet must come first and foremost. We must free the Alarei from the control of the geth."

"And how do you suggest we go about such an action Commander?" Daro'Xen asked crossing her arms over her chest. "We have sent in three squads already to try and reclaim the ship. None have reported back to us."

"Allow myself, Tali, and my crew access to the Alarei and we will reclaim it for you." He answered without hesitation.

"No." Again, unsurprisingly, it was Zaal'Korris who spoke out first. "Commander, while you are a Council Spectre and can be considered neutral, your ship and crew has been identified as Cerberus. The only reason you were allowed access to the Fleet was because Tali'Zorah is one of your crewmembers. And do you think we would give you the chance to potentially destroy incriminating evidence against Ta-"

"I care only about my father you bosh'tet!" Tali screeched pointing a finger at the Admiral.

"Tali'Zorah vas Normandy! You will conduct yourself accordingly!" The reprimand from Admiral Raan took some of the wind out of her sails. "And Commander Shepard, while your offer is generous I'm afraid that Admiral Zaal'Korris is correct. Our relations with Cerberus can only be described as hostile. We will not make the same mistake twice with them."

Standing upright Shepard activated his omni-tool and began putting together a rooster. "While my ship's crew is mostly Cerberus, my ground team isn't." Finishing his list he sent the message off. "With your permission Admirals, I've sent you a roster of my ground team including their names and affiliations. You can choose who will accompany me, Tali, and Garrus aboard the Alarei. And believe me when I tell you this Admiral. Some of the people on that list hold a hatred for Cerberus far deeper than any quarian."

All discussion died down as the four Admirals opened their omni-tools and began looking over the list he'd sent them. The four talked quietly amongst themselves as their hands glided over the holographic displays of their omni-tools. Zaal'Korris seemed to become more than a little agitated at one point, and even Daro'Xen seemed to share his concern, whatever it was. After a long couple of minutes all of the Admirals powered down their omni-tools.

"The Admiralty Board has agreed to your proposal Commander," Admiral Raan said. "Your ground team with the exception of the two Cerberus operatives will be allowed on board the Rayya and escorted to the shuttle bay for transit."

Lowering his head in respect to the Admirals Shepard opened a communication channel to the Normandy. "Joker do you copy?"

"Rodger that Commander."

"Tell everyone besides Miranda, Jacob, and Hawke to suit up." Hawke's arm was still at the point where he'd be a hindrance rather than an asset. "Have them report to the Rayya for decontamination. We've got a ship to take back from the geth."

"The geth?! How the hell…you know what. Never mind. I'm done questioning why crazy shit like this happens around you. Relaying your orders now Commander."

Closing the channel he turned back to the Admirals. "My team will be ready to retake the Alarei in twenty minutes."

"The Migrant Fleet thanks you Commander Shepard." Raan said bowing slightly. "However, as expressed by Admiral Korris the Alarei is a research vessel containing many quarian military secrets. A squadron of marines will be escorting you and team on board the ship to act as liaison to the Admiralty Board. This trial shall be in recess pending your findings onboard the Alarei. May the Ancestor's watch over you and team Commander. Keelah se'lai."

Everyone in the hall began to disperse returning to their daily tasks; even the Admiral's left their place as they were temporarily not need. Only Raan lingered behind. Tali's eyes leveled at the Admiral before marching forcefully away from Shepard and towards Raan. "You set me up Shala!" Tali nearly screeched as Raan descended from her podium. "You told Captain Danna not to say anything to me didn't you! Why couldn't I hear that my father might be dead until I was in the trail? Why would you lie to me?"

If Raan was put off by Tali's sudden assault she didn't show it. She merely stood their mutely taking Tali's barrage waiting for her chance to speak. "The Admirals needed to hear the shock in your voice Tali." Raan remarked calmly. "If they didn't believe your surprise to be genuine then they may have thought you to be responsible for the Alarei, and may not have allowed you this chance to retake it. And retaking the Alarei is your best chance of finding the evidence you need to exonerate yourself. "

Shepard hated it, what Raan was doing, but he understood. God damn it he hated politics. "Are Tali's chances really so bad that you needed to resort to such underhanded tactics?" Okay, maybe he didn't have as good a handle on his emotions as he thought.

Raan gave him a curious glance before ruefully shaking her head. "When the board moved to have her name removed from the fleet I feared that she would have no one to speak for her Shepard. I'm doing everything in my power to try and protect her. That is what her father would've wanted, and wouldn't you do the same were you in my position Shepard?"

"Don't say it like that!" Tali yelled. "He could still be alive on the Alarei! I won't stop believing that until I see him for myself!"

Raan nodded. "I understand my dear. That is another reason why I wanted to give you this chance." Raan paused as her omni-tool started beeping. Activating the device she read the message and then closed it. "Your squad is assembled at the docking tube currently undergoing decontamination and our fleet marines who will be accompany you are assembled and ready to depart. You best not waste any more time here my dear, the Admiral's may not bother waiting for your return before rendering their verdict."

Again, Shepard wasn't pleased with having another group tagging along on this mission, but he would abide by the Admiralty board. "Any chance Tali will know who's coming with us?"

He couldn't tell because of the visor, but he could've sworn Raan was smiling. "As a matter of fact commander, you both know the squad's leader quite well so I've been told."

A small shuttle detached itself from one of the many docking ports of the Rayya and began heading towards the middle of the Migrant Fleet where the Alarei floated dead in water. Within the shuttle Shepard and his team; consisting of Tali, Garrus, Zaeed, Kasumi, Mordin, Merrill, Samara, Grunt, and Thane were standing in the main compartment of the shuttle surrounding a large projected image of the Alarei that was coming up from the floor. Intermingled with his team were the nine members of the quarian strike team that had been assigned to them by the Admiralty board. Shepard was more than a little surprised when the leader of the squad turned out to be none other than Sergeant Kal'Reegar, the same man they'd rescued with Tali back on Haestrom.

"Commander, five minutes until we reach the Alarei."The pilot's voice filled his ear's as his comm became active.

"Acknowledged." He answered. "Take us in nice and easy and hold position at a hundred meters from the Alarei until further notice."

"Rodger that Commander. Holding at one hundred meters."

Closing the comm link he stepped up instantly gaining the attention of everyone in the room. "Alright, listen up. We're heading into this mission mostly blind. All we know is that about three weeks ago the quarian cruiser Alarei was breached by the geth. And has since been running dark."

"The geth? What the fuck are those tin fuckers doing all the way out here?" Jack asked clearly flabbergasted.

The shared a brief sympathetic glance with Tali before answering. "That is one of the things we're going to find out Jack. Our primary objectives this time are to try and locate any surviving personnel and try to piece together just what happened here."

"Battle-master. Why are there so many quarians with us? They'll just get in our way." Grunt grumbled staring disdainfully at their tag a longs.

Eight set of quarian eyes narrowed at Grunt, who remained completely unfazed despite be the center of their hatred. "Sergeant Kal'Reegar and his squad are coming with us on request from the quarian Admiralty Board. They are some of the best Grunt, so don't piss them off."

"The best huh, hehehe…" Grunt chuckled looking around at that the glaring quarians. "Perhaps if any of them survive this we can have some more fun hehehe."

"That's enough Grunt." Shepard said sharply. "We're here to assist the quarians, not start an incident. Sergeant Reegar is also here to brief us on what is known about the situation. By your leave Sergeant."

Reegar gave him a short salute before speaking. "The Alarei, for those not of the Migrant Fleet, is quarian cruiser class ship. Its primary function is scientific research and is currently the flag ship and home of Admiral Rael'Zorah." Reegar paused a moment to activate his omni-tool, once he did three points on the holo-image of the Alarei began blinking. "As the Commander said, three weeks ago the Alarei began broadcasting an emergency alert indicating the ship had been compromised. After three minutes of broadcast, the signal was cut off. A squad was sent in to investigate what happened. They entered the Alarei using the main hanger bay." The indicator light towards the back of the holo-image turned a different color. "Within three minutes of mission start the squad sent out a signal confirming the presence of geth on board. By minute four all contact was lost with the squad."

Reegar paused in his briefing allowing the information to sink in before continuing. "After contact was lost with the first squad, two more were sent in this time using the port and starboard airlocks leading onto the bridge. Unfortunately the mission ended exactly the same. They were able to confirm geth presences on board, but were cut off nearly a minute later."

"Then why not just blow the damn thing up?" Zaeed mumbled. "Seems like the ship is already lost."

Tali's fist clenched tightly beside him. Reaching down as discreetly as possible he laid a hand over her fist trying to calm her. "Tali's father and his crew could still be alive Zaeed." He said sharply. "The Alerai is also flying dangerously close to several civilian ships in the Fleet. If it were to be destroyed, the resulting shockwave would take out the civilian ships surrounding it."

Zaeed waved his comment off. "Whatever ya say Commander. I'll just tack this little detour onto my fee."

"How are we to enter the ship?" Samara's serine voice floated through the cabin. "It seems our enemy is lying in wait for any to try and board."

"Sounds like fun!" Grunt yelled slamming his fist into the palm of his hand. "Bring them on! I've been itching for a fight!"

"You're always itching for a fight." Garrus sighed. "I swear it has to be something in the water on Tuchanka."

"Unlikely." Mordin comment quickly. "Multiple studies performed on food and drink on Tuchanka. No biological reasoning for enhanced aggression found. Most likely result of social upbringing an-"

"Doc," Garrus raised a hand stopping the salarian. "I was joking."

"There…there may be another way onboard." All eyes turned to Tali as she stepped forward, her own omni-tool active. The holo-image of the Alarei flipped over and zoomed in on small section of the ship that began blinking. "This is an emergency maintenance air lock; it leads directly to the living quarters. But…there's a problem."

"What's the problem?" Shepard asked. It seemed like a good plan to him. "Can we not open the hatch?"

Tali shook her head. "No, opening the hatch shouldn't be a problem. The problem is there is no place for the shuttle to latch on to. In order to use the hatch…we'll have to go outside."

"Wait, you mean going outside as into fucking space?" Jack asked rhetorically. "Fuck that shit. I want to die in god damn bar brawl stoned and drunk up to my fuckin eyeballs not floating through fuckin nothing."

"It can work." Shepard said out loud stopping any further disagreement. "Back when I was in N7 this was a method for boarding ships undetected. One man would be attached to a cable and jump onto the target ship using their mag boots to keep them in place. Once they had the hatch open they would secure the cable onto something in the air lock allowing the other members of the squad to use it and board the ship."

"I'm not gettin paid enough to do that kind of shit Shepard." Zaeed mumbled.

"I'll –"

"Don't worry, I'll do it." Shepard said quickly cutting Tali off and making her jerk towards him.

"Shepard!" She nearly hissed. "You can't risk your-"

"I've done this before Tali." He said ending the discussion. "The pilot will bring us in as close as he can to the hatch and I'll jump on. After I've secured the cable inside the air lock everyone else will board. This isn't up for discussion. Sergeant Reegar, please inform the pilot of the change of plans. Everyone else stock up on extra thermal clips, antibiotics and medigels. Once we're on board we're on our own. Dismissed."

Everyone broke away from the circle going to different lockers and storage units grabbing enough thermal clips, grenades, and medigel to supply a small army. Only Tali stayed with him. "Shepard," she hissed low so only the two of them could hear. "You can't risk yourself like this! This is my problem! I should be the one to make the jump."

Checking to make sure no was looking at them he quickly raised a hand to the side of Tali's helmet. "I'll be okay Tali," he said running his hand down the side of her head, he knew she couldn't feel it, but even still she seemed to be leaning into his touch. "Besides, it's only a few meters. Trust me; I've done this type of mission several times. I'll be fine."

Tali eventually nodded. "Okay Shepard…I trust you."

Fifteen minutes later standing in the open hatch leading out into space with nothing but a finger width wide cable to catch him should he miss, Shepard was wishing he hadn't lied. He did tell the truth about being on this kind of mission before, but he was never the one to make the jump. That job was usually left to the tech experts or someone who could hack into the ship. As he stood there on the edge of the shuttle staring down in the vast emptiness of space trying desperately to control his heart rate and watching the hull of the Alarei slowly pass them by, he kept repeating the words of his first squad leader over and over in his head.

The man was one tough son of a bitch that much he remembered. Always took the dangerous of assignments during a mission as to protect his squad. One night while his squad was out on leave Shepard, with the aid of some liquid courage, managed to ask his squad leader why he never gave the rest of the platoon the dangerous assignments. The man replied simply that 'any commander who isn't willing to do things they assign to the ones under them shouldn't be in command'.

Taking one last deep breath he turned his head so he could look behind him. His ground team and the quarian marines were gathered behind him waiting for him to take that first fateful step of no return. "Cable secure?"

Garrus, who was standing directly behind him, nodded and tugged on the cable showing that it was secure to both Shepard's belt and that the other end was securely attached to the ship. "You're all set Shepard. And…this has got to be one of the crazier idea's I think you've ever had."

Shaking his head he faced out the hatch again. No, this wasn't the craziest thing he'd done…but it was definetly in the top five. "Alright, here we go," he breathed deactivating his mag-boots and giving the shuttles floor a light push with his foot.

In the zero-gravity of space his body slowly floated off the floor. The momentum from his last push off the floor turned his body in the zero-gravity until he was lying perpendicular at shoulder height to the rest of his crew. A three fingered talon grabbed hold of his shoulder and the other grabbed hold of his belt. "Garrus Vakarian dropping back for the win! He's looking for the open man down field-"

"Garrus!" Shepard hissed tilting his head back so he could glare at his turian friend. "Now is not the time to be making football references! Just throw me for fucks sake."

Garrus's head shook. "Damn Shepard, when did you lose your sense of humor?"

"Ever since a certain ugly ass turian started making jokes right before he was about to throw me out into open space. Now just throw me god damn it." He muttered bringing his head back so he could stare down at his feet which were now pointed at the Alarei.

"Alright pilot," Garrus said as Shepard felt his body move backwards. "Give me a count."

"Rodger. We'll be in line with the target zone in three…two…one…mark!"

As soon as the word 'mark' reached his ears Shepard's body moved forward as Garrus threw him. Floating between the ships Shepard was stuck with the memory of the last time he'd been free floating like this. It was just after the SR-1 had been attacked and destroyed by the Collectors. And right before he died from a breach in his suit. His heart rate began to race as he was forced back into the memory of his death. 'Damn it all.' He cursed himself as he tried to calm his racing heart. 'I'm better than this god damn it! Pull it together solider!'

"Shepard, your heart rate is approaching dangerous levels, are you alright?" EDI's voice gave him a slight distraction from his current situation.

"I'm fine," he hissed bracing himself as he drew closer to the Alarei. "Impact in three, two, one."

Right before his feet impacted the hull of the ship he reactivated his mag-boots. The magnets on the bottom of his boots attached themselves the metal hull pulling him down forcibly. "Shepard! Are you alright?" This time it was Tali's concerned voice that came over the comm.

"I'm fine." He said heavily. Damn, that impact with the ship hurt like hell! "Alright Tali, where the hell am I going here?"

"The access hatch should be about twenty meters straight forward from your current position. You'll see the outline of the door etched into the hull."

"Alright," he said beginning the slow process of walking in mag-boots.

It didn't take him long to find what she was talking about. From far away it would've blended into the paint of the ship, but this close he could clearly make out the edges of the door. "Alright Tali I'm here, what's next?"

"Just before the hatch, basically right at your feet, there should be a smaller square etched into the hull. Underneath is the manual release mechanism for the door."

Just as she said right at his feet was a perfect square roughly one foot by one foot. Going down onto one knee he noticed that there was a slight divot just large enough for him to put his fingers under. Wrapping his fingers under the panel he gave it one pull, and the damn snapped off the ship completely throwing him off balance.

"Shepard! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He breathed. Shit that was too close.

Looking down at what was under the panel he was met with the sight control panel. In the center of the panel was an indented circle with a handle going across. Ten black indicator marks were evenly spaced along the outside of the circle. "Alright Tali, I see a circle handle with ten marks going around it. What do I do now?"

"Grab the handle and pull it out towards you."

Wrapping his hand around the handle he pulled it towards him which in turn caused a cylinder object to extend a hands width from the panel. "Done."

"Turn the handle counterclockwise three places. Then clockwise eight places and then back counter clockwise six places. Once you've done that push the handle back in."

Doing exactly as Tali described he turned the handle first counter clockwise, clockwise, and then back again. Each time he passed by one of the marks the handle gave off a slight click. After the last move he pushed the handle back in. The moment the handle clicked back into place the door leading into the airlock cracked open down the middle with a hiss as the last remnants of air in the airlock was sucked into the void of space. Moving up to the now cracked hatch he strained as he slowly pushed the two sides of the hatch open. Once it was opened far enough he carefully pulled himself inside the ship.

Inside was completely pitch black. Reaching down to his hip he pulled out his Paladin, raised it to eye level and activated its light. The inside of the airlock seemed almost pristine. No obvious signs of damage except for those brought about by age. The floor of the airlock was actually the hatch leading outside and a ladder was leading upwards towards another hatch that would lead into the ship. "Is everything alright Shepard?" Garrus asked as he felt a tug on the wire attached to him.

"Yeah," he said simply, reaching behind him and detaching the wire. Going over to the ladder he secured his end of the cable to it. "Alright Garrus, all set on this end. Start coming over."

Looking down through the airlock hatch towards the shuttle Shepard waited as the rest of his squad attached themselves to the cable running now running between the two ships and proceeded to glide through the open space separating the two. Tali was the first across, in her hurry to get on board though she pushed herself off the shuttle with more force than necessary making Shepard have to catch her before she slammed into ladder of the Alarei.

"Are you alright?" He whispered still holding her in his arms.

"Yes – no – I don't know." She answered honestly detaching herself from the runner cable and moving off to the side so more could board. "I just want all of this to be over. And…and I'm scared about what we're going to find up there."

One by one the ground crew of the Normandy and the quarian marines boarded the Alarei. He almost chuckled as he watch Merrill attempted to quiet literally swim between the two ships. That was of course until she realized it wasn't necessary and tucked her arms in.

After the last quarian marine, and Shepard removed the cable attaching the shuttle to the Alarei was on board Tali went over to a control panel near the ladder. Keying in a few sequences on her omni-tool the hatch leading out into space slowly closed and everyone in the airlock were slowly lowered to the floor as the ships artificially gravity took effect.

"Mordin, how are we looking?" Shepard asked as everyone began readying their weapons.

Mordin had a curious look on his face as he took note of the reading's being displayed on his omni-tool. "Mmm, interesting. Perhaps…no – too early to tell. Must acquire more data points for conclusive evidence – oh sorry. Artificial gravity in acceptable ranges. Life support systems potential damaged, limited breathable air present. Advise limited outside air exposure only."

Figuring that was case Shepard waved everyone in. "Alright everyone rules of engagement are only to fire if fired upon. Even though we haven't had any contact with the Alarei people did live here so watch your fire. We move as one everyone, let's move it."

Well there we are another chapter down. Please leave a review if ya want! As I've said multiple times I appreciate any and all comments. And just as a fair warning, the next chapter will be extremely off cannon. And I've got another reward for ya all. Whoever gets review number 90 will get to name something else! (Will be a spoiler for the next chapter!)

See y'all in the next chapter!