"Direct personality dissemination required…" Legion announced.
Tali would have covered her mouth if her helmet had not been in the way. Was it possible for a geth to sound shocked? Or bleak?
"Legion?" Shepard's voice had an edge again, as if she knew where this was going and was trying to find a way of stopping it…but knew that she couldn't. Not really.
"Shepard-Captain. I must go to them. I am…sorry. It is the only way," the geth announced.
I. It called itself 'I' instead of 'we.' Knowing what she knew about AIs, she knew what it meant: Legion had fully actualized, become an individual instead of an entity. And now it was going to give that up for the sake of its fellow geth. She would not have expected a machine to be capable of self-sacrifice.
Shepard looked as though she'd had more than she could take for one day. Rather than give voice to the scream that seemed to be building up behind her eyes, she reached out and put a hand on Legion's shoulder, a fairly universal gesture of comfort and reassurance.
Tali swallowed hard, her eyes and nose stinging threateningly. She had never grown as attached to Legion as Shepard had—she was too much a quarian—but at the same time she had served with it and she still remembered Legion's argument about roles on the Collector base: 'Creator Tali'Zorah's competency is not in question. Geth are more durable. More…replaceable. Your Flotilla needs you. We are the optimum choice for this mission.'
"Legion. The answer to your question was 'yes.'" She had to say it. The simple fact that she felt it so absolutely necessary to say it meant something to her—that, on some deep level, maybe she did believe it. A machine with a soul. The idea was…unsettling. But because it was Legion…why not?
Legion looked at her, its eyebrows opening into what might have been a sympathetic expression. "I know, Tali. But thank you." Then after a pause, the kind of pause an organic would use to take a deep, fortifying breath, "Keelah se'lai."
The words stabbed at her.
"It's been an honor serving with you, Legion," Shepard said quietly, her expression tense but her eyes brighter than usual because they were so bloodshot.
Tali's losses had always been losses in combat or the aftermath thereof. This, though…watching Legion walk boldly into death—which wasn't the same as for organics, she was sure…this was somehow worse. From the look on Shepard's face she'd seen it before, resignation chaining the need to do something to make such a death unnecessary.
"Thank you, Shepard." Suddenly, Legion's lights went dark. It collapsed to its knees, head bowed.
"Damn it!" Shepard screamed, picking up the nearest rock and throwing it. "Just…damn it…" She swallowed hard, squeezing her eyes shut and pursing her lips until they blanched. After a moment, she sat down beside the shell that had been Legion and put her arm awkwardly around its shoulders.
She didn't cry, but her face grew rosy as she regarded the inoperative geth.
Tali sat down beside Shepard, pulling her knees up to her chest. Tears slipped from her eyes, much to Tali's own surprise, and her visor promptly began fogging up. She was mourning a geth. A quarian was ready to break down little a little child over a machine.
The thought was too much for her and turned the few treacherous tears into a full gush.
Shepard sniffled softly, but said nothing. Clearly this was a time for each person to wrangle her own grief.
Eventually, a loud crunching sound—so loud it had to be on purpose, designed to attract attention—made both women scramble to their feet, weapons ready.
A geth Prime stopped where it was, then slowly saluted after the Alliance's fashion. "Shepard-Captain."
Shepard lowered her weapon. "…Legion?"
Tali was glad no one could see her tears…there was something terrible in Shepard's voice.
"I'm sorry, Captain," the geth responded. "Legion sacrificed itself to give us intelligence. It will be remembered."
The unit called itself 'I.' Tali bit her lip.
"Good," Shepard nodded. "So…what can I do for you?"
"I wish to deliver my report, if it is convenient," the Prime answered.
"Report?"
It was not the first time Tali had seen a geth evade a question—Legion had been bad at it, but it…he…did it often enough. What did surprise her was the impression that the Prime was being considerate of Shepard's feelings, which suggested to her that Legion's dissemination had left something for the geth to respond to. The geth had taken action based on something they gleaned from Legion. The loss was still fresh; hearing that Legion had done what it could to help Shepard's cause in its last moments would be painful.
Tali certainly ached at the thought.
"Units are currently making sweeps to locate downed quarian vessels. If possible, personnel will be retrieved. A camp for survivors has been established here." It raised an arm and Shepard's omnitool flared. The geth reached up to the approximation of its ear. "Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay has been recovered. She is damaged, but in no immediate danger. A unit is bringing her to the camp. The geth would appreciate your assistance in…dialogues…with the Creators. We do not know how to apprise survivors on Rannoch that we mean them no harm."
"I'll handle it…or maybe Admiral Zorah…?" Shepard looked over at her.
"I'll handle it." She toggled the recording function on her omnitool. "This is Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. The geth threat has ended; units have been dispatched on Captain Shepard's behalf. They are to take you to safety pending further arrangements. If you won't go with them, just don't shoot them, okay?" It wasn't the most dignified way to end a message, but it was the best she could do. She turned to the Prime. "Your units can play this. If they run into trouble…they can open a direct line to me."