Metal sang off of metal, and lips parted into a feral grin. Whirling, the blade sliced through the air, only to ring against another once more.
"So close…" her opponent taunted.
Shepard whipped out with the blade again, and again it was stopped. Kasumi tsked with amusement.
"Seriously, Shepard…?"
"Fucking hold still!"
The two women surged into one another again, blades wicking and snapping in the bright lights of the small gym. A hiss punctuated one sliding just past the thief's stomach a breath before she whirled and struck out.
Shepard hit the ground with a bark of air, then froze as the edge of Kasumi's katana moved up under her chin. The thief smiled down at her. "I win."
"I hate you so much," Shepard panted. Kasumi laughed before stepping back, allowing Shepard to push herself into a sit.
"Don't," she told her. "I've been training with swords almost my whole life, Shepard. We're two different kinds of warrior, you and I. You're a tank, I'm a sniper. It just is what it is. You've come a very long way very quickly, but you will always be a tank, and I will always be a sniper."
Shepard grunted, picking up her katana and getting to her feet. It was true. Though Shepard had graduated from wood practice swords to the real thing, she had never beaten Kasumi in a blade fight. Of course, Kasumi had never beaten Shepard in boxing either, so it was a fair trade off.
Kasumi's style was like flowing water. The woman shifted and moved so fluidly, relying on finesse and grace and speed. Shepard's natural inclination had always been to charge in and land as much power in a blow as she could…a hammer, more than water. She had learned some level of finesse and was fairly confident now with the katana but a gun or her fist would always be her more comfortable choice.
You can't turn a krogan into an asari, she thought, cracking her neck. Still, the blade was incredibly useful. She intended to make room for it on her weapons-pack, for those special occasions when a fist or a bullet just wouldn't do.
Sheathing the sword she offered, "Boxing?"
Kasumi laughed, shaking her head as she took a drink from her water bottle. "No thank you, Shep. Not until your eyes are yours again, I think."
Shepard lifted a brow. "What the fuck have my eyes got to do with anything?"
"I don't know if you're aware of this but you get kind of intent when you box," Kasumi told her, leaning on the wall. "Your focus is almost like a physical thing, and look in your eyes…it's downright spooky. You can feel it. It's bad enough with your natural eyes but with those things? I feel like you're about to download my brain."
Shepard roared with laughter, and Kasumi lifted her eyebrows. "It's not funny," she insisted. "It's like…creepy plus ten."
"Nah," Shepard grinned. "I was just thinking, if I actually could download a brain, I'd pick one with a bit more in it, that's all."
"Ooh!" Kasumi flung her towel at Shepard, who laughed again. "That's it. You're off my Christmas card list."
"Go take a shower, Goto, you smell like shit," Shepard ordered, still chuckling.
"At least I won't still look like it once I've washed, unlike some people," Kasumi shot back with a smirk, then winked. "See you later, Shep."
"Yeah, yeah," Shepard grinned. As the thief left, the commander sat down on the bench, resting her katana beside her and taking a deep breath, wiping a hand over her sweaty face. It was good to laugh, but it still seemed so brief, and didn't move deep enough…not nearly deep enough to banish that tight little knot of black in her soul.
Resting her head back on the wall she looked up at the plain ceiling, closing her eyes a moment. She needed…something. The weight was growing too heavy again. Most times she could handle it but sometimes it felt like she was being suffocated, pressed down, slowly crushed out of existence…and sometimes it was far too tempting to just let it happen.
Getting to her feet she moved out to her quarters and took a quick shower, changing into her yoga pants and a tank. The battered gold cross around her neck glimmered a little as she stepped out of the bathroom and padded down into the bedroom, a tiny but constant reminder of what was still at stake.
Picking up the guitar from its stand, she sat down on the bed and drew her legs up, crossing them as she rested the instrument on her lap. Strumming a little, she tweaked the tuning, before she set into an actual song.
Closing her eyes, she let the music flow, felt it sweep down into that dark place that so few could reach, felt it ease the pain a little. After a short time, she could almost imagine Liara sitting on the edge of the bed as well, listening to her. The image grew strong enough as she played that she fancied she could smell the soft perfume of her soap, could feel the slight slope of the mattress as it was indented by her weight, sense her presence like a warm light only inches away.
"Li," she murmured, and opened her eyes again as the song ended. Cold absence returned with an ache as she looked at her empty room. Wearily, she sighed.
You're so fucking stupid, Shepard.
Her door chimed a breath later, and her eyes lifted to it as she groaned. "Never fucking ends, does it?"
Setting her guitar aside she called "Come in!"
Tali hurried in, wringing her hands frantically. Even without her clear haste and tense body-language, Shepard could feel the energy all but wafting off the quarian girl.
She was scared.
Surging up to her feet, brows knit, Shepard strode over to her. "Mei Mei? What's wrong?"
"Shepard, it's…I can't…"
She sounded on the verge of tears. Taking hold of her shoulders Shepard ducked her head a little, trying to meet the girl's eyes through her face mask. "It's all right, Tali. Just tell me what's wrong."
"I'm being tried for treason!" Tali blurted, and Shepard straightened in shock.
"You're…what? Treason? You? What for?"
"I-I don't know," her friend stammered. "I just got a message from the Admirals. I'm to return to the Flotilla immediately to stand trial. There was no mention of the actual charges but…treason? I think I would remember committing treason!"
"Sit down," Shepard ordered, steering the girl over to the bed. As Tali sat Shepard perched next to her, grasping her hands. "Is it because you're on the Normandy? Working with Cerberus-"
"I'm not working with Cerberus, I'm working with you!" Tali insisted. "And I got permission to do so. I didn't hide anything!"
"We'll get this figured out, Mei Mei…I promise," Shepard told her. "What does this charge…? I mean, what could happen?"
She was thinking of the Alliance response to a guilty-verdict of treason…a firing squad. Her gut steeled frantically at the thought, her mind going dark.
I'll fucking tear apart the Flotilla myself if I have to, before I'll let them do that to Tali.
"W-worse case scenario, if I am found guilty…I would be exiled."
"Exiled," Shepard let out a breath. It wasn't death at least…though she could understand that for Tali, so intrinsically tied to her people, it would seem just as bad. "Ok. Ok, we're not letting that happen. They won't give you any more information?"
"No! I tried to contact my father, but I got no answer. The same for my Aunt Raan. They're both on the Admiralty Board, they would oversee this trial! No doubt they'd have to recuse themselves from judgment but…Keelah, I can't imagine what they are thinking right now…what Father is thinking…"
Shepard could feel that Tali was shaking, and gripped her hands harder. Tali sucked in a trembling breath, the verge of a sob.
"Shepard, what am I going to do?"
Shepard ducked her head again to meet her eyes. "We are going to take you home to the Flotilla," she said. "Then we are going to find out what the fuck is wrong with them, and clear your name…even if we have to break every goddamn neck in the place."
Tali sniffled. "Sh-Shepard, this isn't battle," she said shakily. "You cannot just hit this and make it go away-"
Shepard managed a smile, wrapping an arm around Tali's shoulders and hugging her. "You'd be surprised what I can do, Tali. I mean it. We're going to fix this. Ok? I'm not going to leave you to face this alone."
"Y-your mission is too important," Tali said wearily. "I was going to find other transport, I didn't think that you'd-"
"Oh, I am sticking up for my Mei Mei," Shepard told her. "David's safe at Grissom now, and we have some time until the ship upgrades are complete. We're just putting out feelers, looking for more intel, waiting for our next move. We can get you to the Flotilla, no problem, and I'll be fucked if I let you face this bullshit alone."
"Thank you, Shepard…" Tali murmured. "I…just….thank you."
"Any time."
After a moment and a few more sniffles, Tali sat up and looked at her. "I…meant to ask you. What does Mei Mei mean?"
"Little sister," Shepard told her. "That's what you are to me, Tali. You're not just crew. You're family…my little sister."
"I…never really had a sister before," Tali told her. "How do you say 'big sister', then?"
"Jie Jie."
"Jie Jie…I like that," she sniffled. "I know you'll do everything to help me…I'm just…I'm so scared, Shepard. Confused…I keep wracking my brain trying to figure out what I could possibly have done and…"
"We'll figure it out," Shepard promised. "Give me the coords for the Migrant Fleet and I'll have Joker put the pedal down. Hopefully your father and your aunt will reply back with some answers before we get there but if not…we'll cross that bridge when it's come to. Ok?"
"Ok, Shepard," Tali sniffed, then hugged her again. "Ok…Jie Jie."
The sun was bright and warm. Liara walked through the green grasses, smiling at the faint puffs of erahs blooms as they broke free from the trees to lazily spin in the air.
"Is it too much further?" Shepard asked, her hand entwined in the asari's as she allowed herself to be led. Liara smiled back at her.
"Just a little more," she promised. The grass started to thin, the ground sloping upward. One of the larger erahs trees topped the crest of the hillside, its branches spread wide, leaves rustling slightly in the wind. Liara drew to a halt beside its trunk, drawing Shepard up beside her and pointing out over the valley.
"There," she said. "That is my home."
Shepard looked over the valley at the complex nestled among the hills. The sunlight cast the architectural sweeps into sharp relief, highlighting their edge and making the entire place seem to shine.
"It's beautiful," Shepard murmured, stepping behind Liara as her arms wound around her waist. The smell of cigars and soap joined that of the blossoms floating all around them as Shepard looked over her shoulder.
"I used to play in these hills, among these trees," Liara replied, drawing the human woman's arms tighter around her waist, sinking back into her warmth, her scent. Turning her head, her nose lightly drifted over Shepard's cheek. "I want our daughters to play here as well. I want to spend my life with you…"
Just before they kissed, the sunlight suddenly vanished in a wash of chill dark. Gasping, Liara looked out over the now midnight valley to see the complex burning, flames lifting a thousand feet into the air.
"Shepard!" she cried out in horror, the human woman beside her throwing a protective arm in front of her as a leviathan descended from the sky.
The huge Reaper settled over the complex, the light in its eyes as bright as the sun. Liara tried to grasp hold of Shepard but the human woman shoved her back toward the tree. Her feet tangled on the roots and she fell into a sit.
"Shepard!"
"Run, Liara!" Shepard cried out. "Run!"
Red fire swept over the hillside, a lancing blade of flame the color of blood. As it swept over the rise it consumed Shepard.
Her skin grayed and blackened to ash as she was engulfed, yet somehow Liara could still see her face…a face torn in agony, her brown eyes wide and suddenly glowing a deep and threatening red even as flesh fell away from her skull.
"Del!" Liara gasped, panting as she all but tore herself awake. The dream broke apart, leaving only her dim room, her tangled blankets, around her.
Pushing herself into a sit, Liara could feel the sweat between her shoulder-blades, her body trembling. Leaning forward she covered her face, fighting the tears.
Is this a sign, Goddess? Is this simply a dream of fear or is it a message, a warning? Will we never have our happiness? Will I lose her again?
For a moment, inexplicable anger filled her, choking her breath. How? How was this fair? If there was some power watching over them, guiding their lives, then how could it be so cruel? If it was Shepard's fate to die, to be torn away, then why had Liara been made to love her? Why this pain? Why tease with the hope of happiness only to tear it away again like a bully mocking a weaker child on a playground?
Wiping her face, she cast aside the blankets and turned, sitting on the edge of the bed as she took an OSD from off her bedside stand. She accessed it, and a picture was projected upon the wall.
It was the first one she had taken, in those final moments on the original Normandy. Shepard sitting upon her bed, guitar on her lap. She was just looking up, her dark hair falling into her face. A moment later and she would be scowling, but in this moment, the peace and happiness her music brought her was still there. It made her look young, happy. It was the real Del, beneath all the anger, the gruff, the armor. The Del Shepard Liara had fallen in love with.
She wished, not for the first time, that her mother was still alive. They had been close once, when Liara was young. Benezia had been gentle then, beautiful…understanding. Liara wanted to talk to that Benezia now. Ask her.
Is this how it always is? This love…this torture? How do I endure it?
Liara had been taught more than once that the force between two bondmates was strong but she had not expected anything like this. Love, yes. Attachment, affection, happiness, certainly.
Other asari had lost their bondmates. It was common when such a long lived species chose their partners with so many races that had much shorter lives. She had seen the grief, the pain these asari went through, but she had also seen the recovery…the healing of the wound, the joy in the memory, and the eventual discovery of love with another once again. With beings as long lived as they, acceptance of loss and grief and eventual peace were paramount to their survival.
Liara, however, could not fathom how she would survive it if she were to truly lose Shepard. When she had thought her dead the first time, it had been a pain beyond anything she had expected. It had stolen her breath, her will. Even now, Liara felt that the hope given her by Cerberus was the only thing that had kept her together, perhaps even kept her alive.
Liara was certain she would not survive it again. Perhaps if they had that life together, daughters…if Shepard were to live to the longest years of her kind and went in peace and the love of family…perhaps then Liara would have at least a chance of enduring it. Like this, however, to lose her now…there was no hope. If Shepard…if this fight claimed her, then there was no more hope. There would be nothing left for Liara to live for.
Is this how it always is, Mother? If so, am I just…weak? How does anyone survive it?
It felt strange to be in full hard-suit and helmet aboard an allied ship…almost as strange as standing five times as long in the decom chamber, arms held out as she was bathed in radiation designed to eliminate any microbial presence that may prove in the least harmful.
Shepard had never before seen the Migrant Fleet. Few outside the quarians themselves ever did, and that Tali trusted her with the location while the ship under her command was technically Cerberus said a great deal.
As decom finished and the chamber door opened, Shepard lowered her arms and followed Tali out into the corridor, where over a dozen quarians stood silently waiting.
One rather large male broke off from the group, striding forward. Shepard wondered for a moment if this was Tali's father but their exchange quickly banished that impression.
"Welcome back, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. It is good to have you home."
"Thank you, Captain," she said tremulously, then gestured at Shepard. "This is my commanding officer, Delilah Shepard."
She cast Tali a dry, narrow look at the use of her first name, the corners of her lips tightening some. Had Tali been nearly anyone else, she'd have gotten a flaming earful for it.
"Captain Shepard vas Normandy, it is my honor," the quarian male inclined his head in greeting. "You are well-known among the Fleet for what you did at the Citadel. Tali has told us much about you."
"Thank you, Captain, but I'm a Commander," she told him.
"You are responsible for the decisions of your ship and the lives of your crew. That makes you a Captain among our people."
"It's…kind of an honor, Shepard," Tali murmured. "Especially given that you're not quarian."
"I see. Thank you, then."
Looking at Tali, the older quarian told her, not ungently, "The Admirals have been notified of your arrival. It will take them some time to prepare themselves and arrive on the Rayya. In the mean time…I'm technically supposed to put you under arrest but I think restricting you to the ship would be sufficient."
Shepard could see Tali's faint shudder at the word arrest, and the girl nodded. "Th-thank you Captain. I…wait, Captain…you called me vas Normandy-"
"In light of the situation the Admirals decided…it was best."
"Best to take away her name?" Shepard asked with a frown. "She is my crew for now but her heart is here. They'd take that away?"
"I don't agree with it either, Captain," he replied. "However it is what the Admirals have decided. I'm sorry, Tali."
"I understand," Tali said weakly.
As the Captain and his men departed, Tali seemed to sag a little. Shepard put her hand on her shoulder. "Keep strong, kiddo. Just remember no matter what happens, you have a home, ok?"
"Thank you, Shepard," Tali told her. "I am honored to carry the Normandy name, it's just-"
"I know, Mei Mei. I know."
The Rayya was big, and a fine ship, but more than one thing about it grated on Shepard's nerves. For one thing, it was loud. Always, there was the sound of rushing air, grinding machinery, rumbling engines…a dozen different noises from a dozen different sources. She remembered Tali mentioning when she'd first come aboard the original Normandy how she'd had difficulty adjusting to the silence. Now Shepard understood it.
Secondly, it was crowded. Every hall, every corridor had at least a dozen people in it at any given time, and while she couldn't be certain…she was pretty positive she didn't see the same individual twice. Some stared as they went past…no doubt curious about the human or having heard about Tali.
"I…want you to meet someone," Tali told Shepard as they headed through yet another hallway. Del was already completely lost but Tali had been born here, grew up here. She knew the corridors like the back of her hand.
"Oh?"
"Yes… she enjoyed the stories I told her about you, with the battle at the Citadel and all. She…well, she is a lot like you, I think."
"A bitch?" Shepard grunted with a smirk. Tali snorted, but there was at least some amusement in the sound, which was good to hear.
"At times, yes," she teased. Reaching a door, she pressed the call. A moment later it slid open.
Shepard looked downward in surprise. A quarian child, perhaps the height of an eight or a nine year old human, peered up at her through a rounded mask. The child's suit was simple, less ornate than those of the grown quarians. The mask, however, was almost completely clear and unobstructive, and for the first time in her experience with their race, Shepard could clearly see the face behind it.
The child's eyes were luminescent, inscrutable. Lengths of blue-black hair fell over a smooth forehead. The nose and jaw were slightly longer, and the skin bore dark and slightly raised markings along the forehead and throat, but beyond that she may have been looking at any human child she had ever seen.
"What are you?" the child asked bluntly. Though it was difficult to tell by face alone, it was clear when he spoke that the child was male. Shepard blinked in bemused surprise.
"Rekka, don't be rude," Tali admonished. "This is Captain Shepard. She's a human."
"Oh."
"Rekka, is Deefa here?" Tali asked. The expression that suddenly passed over the boy's face was troubling. His face tightened, his lower lip trembling a moment.
"Deefa-"
"Rekka, who is it?" A voice called, a breath before a grown quarian woman suddenly appeared in the doorway. Her suit was just as inscrutable as Tali's, but the ice in her eyes was obvious.
"Nari, I-" Tali began, only to jump as the other woman pulled the young boy away from the door and hit the control. The door whisked shut, right in their faces.
"What the hell?" Shepard scowled.
"Sh-Shepard," Tali gasped, suddenly gripping Del's arm. "Shepard…I think something horrible has happened to Deefa…"
"Tali, who is Deefa? What does she do?"
"D-Deefa'Raan vas Rayya is…she's a marine, which is why I thought you would like her. Before I met you she was the strongest person I knew. I…well, I suppose she is not really my cousin since Aunt Raan is not really my aunt…Shala'Raan and my father have been friends almost since they were children. Deefa is Shala'Raan's oldest daughter. That was her grandmother and her youngest brother. I…Rekka's face and…Nari would never close the door on me, I…w-what's happening, Shepard?"
"I don't know," Shepard said. She was half tempted to bang on the door and demand answers from that rude bitch but she knew that would only hurt matters more than help them.
"What if it is because of this treason charge? What if…what if whatever happened to Deefa is my fault? Oh, Keelah…"
"Tali, stop…" Shepard took her shoulders, peering at her. "Don't tear yourself up like this. The Captain said it wouldn't be long until the Admirals got here. We'll shake the truth out of them if we have to, but you need to hold together until then, ok?"
"O-ok, Shepard, I…ok…"
Shepard prayed that Tali was wrong. She knew in her heart that Tali would never do anything to betray or endanger the Flotilla…the girl would sooner cut her own throat. However it was clear that these people blamed her for something, and if her friend had indeed suffered the consequences of whatever this…something…was, she knew that Tali would never forgive herself.
"Auntie Raan!"
Shala'Raan turned at the cry, feeling her throat close a little. It was not hard to spot Tali, hurrying toward her with her human captain on her heels. Struggling down on her emotion she opened her arms and embraced the girl tightly.
"Aunt Raan, what's happened?" Tali all but sobbed. "Treason? Wh-what's going on? Where's father? What's happened to Deefa-?"
"Tali, I…" she forced herself to loosen her grip, to hold on to her professionalism. "Tali, most of those things will be answered shortly."
"But…"
"This is your new Captain?" she asked, and offered her hand toward the human. "Shepard, Tali has told us many stories about you. Keelah se'lai."
"My honor," Shepard greeted. Though her words were polite Shala could feel the iron tension in her hand. There was no question she was shaking hands with a warrior…and an angry one. "With respect, Admiral, Tali has been left in the dark about everything that's going on. She deserves some answers."
"She will have them," Shala promised. "There is…little I am free to tell you at the moment, Tali. I have recused myself from this trial but I will be moderating. You are accused of sending active Geth to the Fleet."
"What?" Tali's horrified gasp was genuine enough. Even if Shepard had ever had any cause to doubt her, that emotion would have banished it immediately. "What are you-…no! No, I never sent active geth! That would be insane, I-"
"What, Tali?" Shepard pressed gently when the girl broke off.
"I just sent parts," she admitted. She was shaking again, fiddling with her fingers. "They were for research, just…parts, I swear it! I was so careful, Shala! Nothing I sent could repair or reactivate on its own. I was careful!"
"I believe you, Tali," Shala said softly. "I do. I know you would not do this."
"Keelah," Tali moaned, her voice thick. Then she sniffed, lifting her head again. "Shala, please…Deefa-"
The quarian Admiral felt her own throat tighten again, and struggled to speak. "I…we are needed inside. I promised I would not keep you-"
"You can't even tell her about her friend?" Shepard asked hotly.
"I-…Tali, it…" her throat caught as well, and she steeled herself, taking a deep breath. "Captain, all must be explained inside, and there is a favor I must ask of you. The Admirals are trying Tali today under the name 'vas Normandy'. As her captain in this regard, we ask that you speak on her behalf."
"If it helps Tali, you're damn right I will," Shepard replied.
"Good, then…we must get inside. This…it will all be over soon, sweet one. I…come. This way."
As Tali and Shepard followed the older woman, Shepard reached out and rested her hand on the young quarian's shoulder. As always, her anger was making her bold…hopefully, not too bold. As Tali had pointed out, this wasn't a problem to just punch. Brute force wouldn't be winning this, and Shepard had never been a good speaker, a good politician.
Tali's fate may end up resting on my words. Fuck, but I think we're both in some serious trouble.
The older woman led them into a wide garden Plaza, an amphitheatre already lined with a few dozen quarians. If she remembered correctly, this would be the Conclave…representatives from each ship who formed a more day-to-day hierarchy of government. The Admiralty Board, who would be presiding over this mess, were in charge of defense and more serious criminal actions…such as treason.
As the three entered, the entire room went quiet. Two men and a woman stood in front of a promontory at the center floor of the theatre; the Admirals. Shala'Raan indicated to Shepard and Tali to halt a few feet in front of them, then took her place on the promontory itself.
Shepard was searching the face-plates of the two men, wondering which was Tali's father, when the girl leaned over and whispered, "Father isn't here."
"If I may call this meeting into order," Shala spoke from her position, the silence simply thickening with weight. "We are here because one of our Fleet, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, has been accused of treason. She stands now with her captain, Delilah'Shepard vas Normandy."
"I object," the male on the right snorted. "A human…she has no place here. This is a quarian matter!"
"You should have thought of that before you stripped her ship name and declared her crew of the Normandy," the male in the center pointed out.
"By law regardless of race, her captain has the right to stand with her," Shala intoned. The first male huffed, and then nodded.
"I withdraw my objection."
"Does Tali's captain have anything to say?" Shala asked.
Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuckity fuck fuck.
Shepard cleared her throat, thinking frantically. After a moment she lifted her head. "Tali serves on my crew but she is Tali'Zorah vas Neema, and she will always be a part of this Fleet, before anything else. I was honored to meet her on her Pilgrimage, and I have been honored every day since for knowing her. You will not find a more dedicated, harder working, and more loyal member to this Fleet, I promise you that."
"Thank you. Tali, you are accused of sending active geth to the Fleet. How do you respond?" Shala asked.
"I never sent active units!" Tali protested. "I sent parts and pieces, but I was very careful to insure they could not self-repair or reactivate. Nothing I sent was dangerous!"
"Then how do you explain geth seizing your father's lab ship?" the terser of the two males demanded.
Shepard heard Tali's inhale, the faint whimper she uttered before she stammered, "W-what? What happened?"
The female admiral spoke now, lifting her voice for the first time. "Tali'Zorah, geth seized the lab ship Alarei two days ago. As near as we can tell, the entire crew, including Admiral Rael'Zorah, have been killed."
Tali wavered and for a moment Shepard feared the girl would actually faint. She grabbed her arm to steady her, watching her struggle not to crumple.
"Keelah," she moaned thickly. "Oh, Keelah…father…"
"Admirals, are you saying one of your ships is right now under geth control?" Shepard demanded, still holding Tali's arm.
"The Alarei is under guard and isolated at the edge of the Fleet," Shala told her. "We have managed to block all communication from the vessel but yes…the Alarei is in the control of the geth."
"And you're holding this trial now? With all due respect, our first priority needs to be the safety of this Fleet!"
Tali heaved in a breath, steadying a little. "You have to retake it," she said urgently. "A heavy strike force, an infiltration team…we need to take the ship back from the geth before they find a way to communicate with the outside or infiltrate other ships! You have to send in the mari-"
Tali's breath suddenly caught mid-word as if she'd been hit in the gut. Realization dawned upon her at the same moment it dawned upon Shepard. Shepard slung an arm around her waist as Tali gripped her shoulder, a muffled sob escaping.
Raan's voice was heavy with emotion but remarkably steady as she spoke to the silence. "Marines were sent to the Alarei. Twenty good men and women under the command of Deefa'Raan vas Rayya."
"Keelah, no…" Tali moaned faintly as Raan straightened a little, her voice all but inaudible as she concluded.
"There were no survivors."
