Tali took a deep breath as she stepped up to the defendant's seat, settling with a sense of comforted unease. On the one hand, the whole situation was stressful. On the other hand, she owned her actions, decisions, and failures. In this case, they weren't trying to get rid of her to advance a political agenda; they were simply establishing how badly she had failed and what degree of punishment was required.
That by no means erased her fear of exile, but even if she was exiled, she still had the Normandy, and therefore time to figure out what she wanted to do. Maybe she'd enlist with the Alliance when it was all over. They took Kolyat, after all. So the gaping maw of an uncertain future did not terrify her as much as it had the last time she found herself looking into it.
"Tali'Zorah vas Normandy nar Rayya," Xala'Far, the adjudicator began solemnly. "You stand before this judiciary review to be held accountable for your actions. You will be given the opportunity to defend yourself, once the accusations have been listed."
Tali waited attentively, her mind trying to buzz with defenses before the charges were even levelled. She took a deep breath, which Xala took to mean 'I'm respectfully waiting for you to continue.'
"Former Admiral Tali'Zorah. You are charged with supporting hostile action against the geth, as prohibited by Council law."
Tali waited…but Xala regarded her expectantly. "Wait, I'm sorry, but…is that all?"
"Is there more of which we should be aware?" Xala asked.
"No, I'm just surprised that the infractions against the Treaty of Frixen weren't mentioned."
"You voted against the arming of the Liveships. That was taken into account in the case against you," Xala clarified.
"I see. Thank you." Tali swallowed hard, taking a moment to think. Shepard's expression was unreadable, though Garrus' wasn't. The situation wasn't nearly as grave as she thought…but maybe it made sense. If the Admiralty Board wasn't being tried together, if they were being tried separately, then the charges must also reflect what each had done or failed to so. "The truth is that I put a unified front for the Admiralty Board ahead of my conscience. I had concrete reason to suppose that there might have been a peaceful way to…to come to terms with the geth. But I let myself forget that, and decided that once a slave, always a slave, and went along with plans to go to war, rather than giving peace a try. In this, I failed my people inexcusably. Although you have declared me 'former Admiral' I would still like to publically offer my resignation. I would have offered earlier, but I didn't want it to look like I was trying to-to wiggle out of anything."
"Although Captain Shepard has every right to speak in your defense, she has requested that she be recused, because she is unable to maintain objectivity, as you are a member of her crew. Spectre Alenko assures us he does not have the same difficulty, therefore he will be permitted to speak in your defense."
In defense?
Alenko got to his feet, entering the space formed by the bench the Normandy's crewmen sat upon, the dais upon which Xala stood, and the dais upon which Tali sat. "I can't speak to former Admiral Zorah's politics and policies," he began slowly, brown eyes darting everywhere. "But I would like to remind this court that whatever decisions she was a part of, her actions were those of someone trying to do what was right. She, an Admiral whose safety some would consider a priority, was willing and even eager to participate in all ground missions on behalf of her people. When it came time to call for a ceasefire, when it mattered most, she was on the side of peace, on stopping a conflict that did not need to be fought. Tali is a very clever, capable young woman, and while it is no excuse, when surrounded by her elders and figures previously recognized as 'authority figured' she deferred to them as she would previously be expected to."
Tali found her mouth twitching. It was true—the situation, and that it was really no defense.
"Given that the charges leveled are for her participation in an ill-fated direction taken by the Admiralty Board, I suggest that her offer of resignation be accepted. But I also ask that this court take into account her vast experience, for a quarian, with species other than her own. If the quarians wish to reenter galactic society, they will need people with her skillsets. She already travels with my Spectre colleague and myself. It is my recommendation that this court consider her possible future value as a diplomatic asset. Thank you."
With that, he returned to the bench and sat down beside Shepard. She wanted to mouth 'thank you' at him, but stopped, realizing that without the accompanying audio, he wouldn't know what she was saying.
The jury leaned together, and spoke for a few minutes. They didn't seem inclined towards severity, and after about five minutes of consultation, a young woman stood up. "The jury has reached consensus," she said, sounding a bit nervous at addressing all these people.
"And?" Xala prompted gently.
"We accept Tali'Zorah's resignation, ex post facto, in the spirit with which it was offered. We find that her actions outweigh the faults for which she is being held accountable, and therefore ask that she consider serving in the capacity suggested by Spectre Alenko." The girl looked pointedly at Tali.
"I-I…of course," Tali stammered, embarrassed to find herself blushing. "I'll be glad to serve my people."
"The details will be hammered out by…by whoever handles details like that," the girl ended rather lamely, making a face as if she found her wording inadequate.
"Very well. Tali'Zorah, you are excused."
"Thank you." Tali addressed it first to Xala, then to the jury, then to the audience at large, before leaving the room.
