"This notion of yours is ridiculous!" Han'Gerrel snapped at Tali.
Tali, sitting on what felt like a lifetime of stewing in her own juices, ashamed, remorseful, and angry, was only too glad to fire back. "Going to war with the geth while the Reapers are running roughshod over the galaxy was ridiculous!"
"And you agreed, nevertheless!"
"Yes, I did," Tali agreed as calmly as she could, her stomach burning uncomfortably. "And I've done as much as I can, with the resources I have, to support this endeavor. But the quick victory you and Admiral Xen assured us of hasn't come to pass. We're getting pounded now and for what?"
"Battles don't win overnight," Gerrel growled.
"And the liveships have taken more fire than was suggested," Zaal'Koris growled. "The geth have ignored Heavy Fleet targets the better to attack they liveships. I told you putting a cannon on a greenhouse was a lousy idea, if that greenhouse wasn't well-shielded!"
"We can still win this," Gerrel answered in a smothering tone, glaring at the silent Daro'Xen (who was playing on a datapad and giving no indication of really listening to the conversation), then at Shala'Raan, who looked uncomfortable.
"I'm motioning for permission to contact Shepard. She's worked with us before, perhaps she'll work with us again—you have to admit she's about results," Tali concluded.
"To be honest, I'm surprised she hasn't reached out already," Xen declared in a snide tone that made Tali want to hit her. "The Flotilla is the largest assemblage of ships in the galaxy, after all."
"Shepard is more than aware that a goodly number of our ships are held together with omnigel and good luck," Raan cut in. "She wouldn't throw such vessels at her enemies—"
Tali still loved Raan, but she found herself more professionally critical of her than ever. It was time for her to retire. Raan just didn't seem to have the energy or the strength to fill her post the way it needed to be filled these days. But she wouldn't resign, either.
"The Reapers are everybody's enemies," Tali inserted scathingly.
"It's a small step from geth to Reaper. AI are less variable than organics," Xen mused.
Tali balled her fists. "Geth don't brainwash people," she pointed out.
Before anyone could say anything, there was a bang on the door and the ship's captain strode in, looking serious. "You'll want to see this, Admirals," she said darkly before withdrawing.
The five quarians exchanged a look, Gerrel and Tali leading the way.
"What is it?" Gerrel demanded, regarding the map of Rannoch and the new pulsing signal emitting from it.
"It's a signal unlike any I've ever seen," the captain answered shortly. "It's emitting from a major geth strongpoint on the surface, and…and it's changed their behavior."
Xen moved to a terminal and fiddled with it. "Hm. Nothing I recognize, either. Do you suppose," she didn't say it, but Tali heard it—'little miss expert'—nonetheless, "the geth could have gone back to the Reapers?"
"Why would they want to?" Tali asked, but the uncertainty in her voice showed.
"Birds of a feather, dear," Xen responded condescendingly.
"Then we really need to contact Shepard," Tali said.
"Seconded," Koris put in sharply. Tali knew he was hoping that there might be a way out of this fight they'd gotten into, had stalled in, and now seemed to at the turning point towards losing. Shepard had talked to the geth, in the form of Legion, before. He was probably hoping she might be able to do it again, and broker some kind of ceasefire.
Shepard wouldn't be happy about this war, Tali already knew. She'd be appalled, considering she'd hoped the geth would want to destroy the Reapers, to assure themselves of not ending up pawns to other machines, as disregarded in the long run as any organic species.
"I'll pass the motion," Raan said, as the main screen on the bridge lit up, casualties beginning to rack up with a new speed. "Admiral Koris, as representative of the Civilian Fleet, would you be willing to contact the Alliance leadership? And Tali, as Shepard's crewman, perhaps you would be willing to…invite her…here for a face-to-face conversation?"
"It would be easier to contact the Embassy and have them forward the message to their Admiralty," Koris said with a sigh. "Assuming they don't just throw the message in their garbage folder."
"I'll call Shepard as soon as I can get to a private terminal," Tali answered.
"Then please hurry," Raan said, regarding the numbers now flashing across the main screen. "I fear time has just become of the essence."
Tali turned, rolling her eyes even though she knew some of the bridge's staff saw her do it. So melodramatic! She hurried to the nearest private terminal, shutting the door behind her. Her hands were shaking, her thoughts jumbled together in a messy heap.
She needed a moment to think out what she was going to say…and what she wasn't going to say. Not at the moment, anyway.
Tali took a deep breath, listened to the noises of the ship. It had taken time to adjust to the noise of the Flotilla's ships from the silence of the Normandy. After a few minutes of slow breathing and ordering things according to their priority, Tali plugged in the Normandy's frequency…then removed the sash of office. That was a conversation for another time.
"Quarian vessel, you have reached the SSV Normandy," EDI's voice declared. "Please state your business."
"EDI? It's Tali. I really need to talk to Shepard, if she's available." Tali regarded the way her hands were shaking, then lay them flat on the terminal.
"Wait one moment while I encrypt this channel."
Shepard's face appeared on the terminal. "Hello, Tali. Is everything okay?"
The answer was no, but Tali bit down on it. "They could be better. Shepard, I'm actually calling on behalf of the Admiralty Board. They would like meet with you face-to-face. About the war."