Chapter 9: A Dying Sun
Haestrom, an old quarian colony which was established to observe the phenomena on Dholen, the system's parent star given that it appeared to be unstable with a high possibility of erupting prematurely into a red giant. The colony was lost to the geth during the quarian exile quickly losing all communication from the planet and its attendant space stations. The colony may have been lost, but not its purpose. The Admiralty board decided to extract any information its lost settlers may have gathered and so, sent a group to recover this vital data, even if it meant to venture deep in geth territory.
The mission was supposed to be easy; land in the colony taking advantage of the emissions radiated by the sun, move stealthily towards the controls and bases of the colony, search the files until finding the required information, return by the same path and leave of the planet before the geth knew it. Everything was going according to plan until the last moment, just when the group of quarians obtained what they were looking for, a geth patrol detected them, launching an attack on their position, causing an intense battle between the two factions, with the quarians losing little by little.
"OP-2 guard this door, protect Tali'Zorah at all cost! OP-3 with me, will go around the geth and see if we can make them fall in our cross shooting," ordered Kal'Reegar. Yes, sir! replied the marines.
"Reegar, wouldn't it be better if we all move at once? I don't want to see any of yo-"
"Negative, Ma'am. We can't risk getting you shot. We'll hold off the geth until we see an opening until then, remain inside that room."
"But-"
"I won't change my orders, Tali," said Kal before cutting communications.
"Bosh'tet!" exclaimed Tali. Everything was going well, how did the geth found us! She started to ramble in her head. What does the Admiralty board even want with this data? It's a dying sun! It's dying faster than normal sure but... every other sun dies too. Why... why do they... Why did this have to happen? questioned Tali as she walked from side to side across the room.
After a couple of minutes, gunfire started to sound outside, the fight between the geth the marines had started. Tali knew this wasn't going to be an easy fight, they didn't have the numbers. She could only pray to her ancestors for a miracle, though deep down, she knew this wasn't going to happen, leaving her with sad and painful thoughts.
"Solar output has overwhelmed Haestrom's protective magnetosphere. Exposure to direct sunlight will damage your shields," said EDI through the comms as Shepard accompanied by Grunt, Garrus and Jack exited the shuttle.
"So sticking to the shade is our best bet," added Garrus.
"How bad can the sun hurt?" asked Grunt as he walked out of the shade. His shield immediately started cracking, losing them in a matter of seconds.
"That bad," said Jack.
"Bah who needs shields anyway."
"Not all of us are freaks who have more than one organ you know?" said Jack with a slight tone of mockery. Grunt just hushed and turned away. Garrus shook his head, wondering how these two could mock each other without starting a fight.
Shepard ignored the talk from his team, his focus entirely elsewhere. He quickly observed his surroundings. Haestrom, despite being another planet, had a similar resemblance to the planet of Freedom's Progress, with its columns and symmetrical stone terrain. Without deviating too much in his observation, Shepard readied his weapon and began walking down the road where they landed, straight into the colony without saying a word. Garrus noticed Shepard's behavior and called out his name, loud enough for the others to hear.
"Not going to give us a heads up first?" asked Garrus as he reached Shepard.
"Sorry, It's just that..." Garrus placed a hand on top of Shepard's shoulder.
"Don't worry, Shepard. We'll find her."
"Who are we looking for here anyway?" asked Jack as she joined the men with Grunt behind. "You haven't said shit since we got inside the shuttle."
"An old friend of ours who may be in trouble," answered Garrus.
"Then what are we waiting for. I'm itching for a battle," intervened Grunt. Shepard nodded as he took lead.
The team advanced towards the colony, looking for signs of life and possible clues that lead to where they would meet Tali. It was evident that something had happened in the place they were, there were traces of a previous battle. Bodies of both geth and quarian decorated the floor and walls. In a small room, there was a message recorded by the quarians that lay dead there. This group of quarians had stayed behind to give their comrades time to escape, remembering that the only thing that mattered was Tali's life and the information she gathered.
So she's still alive...
The team continued to enter until a noise snapped them from their alert state, a geth ship flew over them rapidly, dropping geth pods. They quickly sought cover, preparing to attack. The Geth attacked aggressively, but thanks to Shepard and Garrus' experience they had gained during their fight against Saren, it was not difficult for them. Another important factor was the aggressiveness that its two other members brought. Grunt was an unstoppable force in his charges, only a Juggernaut was able to catch up with him and even so, Grunt lifted it like nothing. Jack on the other hand, with her powerful biotic attacks, sent groups of geth flying like leaves in the autumn fall.
Without taking too long, the team successfully killed off the wave of geth and was able to move on. After walking down a corridor they heard a few gunshots near them, making them quicken their pace encountering a group with a few geth executing a group of quarians. Fortunately, the geth had not noticed Shepard's presence, making their dispatch quick and efficient.
"Damn, just a few seconds before and we could have saved them," said Garrus reaching down to the lifeless bodies of the quarians, checking for vital signs even if the obvious said there wasn't.
"Break break break. OP-1, this is squad leader Kal'Reegar, do you copy?" was suddenly heard. "The geth sent a dropship towards OP-2. Tali'Zorah's secure, but we need backup. We're bunkered up here. Can you send support?"
"There," said Grunt pointing at a small radio next to one of the quarians. Shepard picked it up.
"OP-1, this squad leader Kal'Reegar, come in, over!"
"This is Commander Shepard of the Normandy. I'm sorry to tell you that the geth got your team."
"We knew the stakes of this mission. Patch your radio into Channel 617 Theta," ordered Kal. Shepard made sure his team got it.
"We're in," said Shepard.
"Good, we could really use a hand right now."
"What's the status of your team? How many of you are left?" asked Shepard, signaling his team to advance forward.
"We were a small squad. Dozen marines, plus the science team. We're down to half-strength now. Made the synthetic bastards pay for it, though."
"Can you share the details of the mission? Why are you here?"
"You're asking the wrong person, Shepard. I just point and shoot. It's something about the sun. It's going bad faster than it should. Some kind of energy problem."
"Any idea where the geth came from?"
"One of their patrols ships found us. Dropships started raining geth down on our heads before we could get off-world. Systems under geth control. We know they made planetary sweeps periodically. We'd hoped going low-emissions would hide us."
"How are you holding up? I don't think we're too far from your position, just need you to pinpoint us."
"We're bunkered down ahead of the base camp, just across the valley. I left Tali'Zorahh at a secure shelter, then doubled back to hold off the chokepoint. Getting Tali out safely is our top priority. If you can extract her, we'll keep the geth off from you. Just take it slow and careful. The sun will fry your shields and if you're unlucky, your weapons too." Although it was confirmed several times throughout the mission and talks, Shepard had to ask personally.
"Are you completely sure that Tali is safe? The geth haven't reached her yet?"
"Affirmative. Left my best men with her. When you get to base camp, you can talk to her on the comm."
"Hold your position. We'll hit their back rank as fast as we can."
"Roger. We'll keep you posted if anything comes up," finished saying Kal.
"Just a little longer..." said Shepard for only him to hear.
Reunited with the team, Garrus showed Shepard the path that would lead them to Kal, the problem was that it was blocked by debris. Shepard quickly suggested using explosions, but his grenades would not be strong enough to break through, and spending a Cain shot was not worth it. When asking Kal for advice, he assured that there should be explosive charges in one of the rooms that they used as storage but before they could get them another group of geth ambushed them.
Once the ambush was dealt with, without losing more time, the team quickly grabbed the charges, set them in place, and let them go off, granting them access to the base camp. Like the starting room at the beginning of the colony, the base camp was dead. Casualties from both sides spread into the camp.
"Looks like they got their asses kicked," said Jack.
"Why do we care? Anyone choosing to come here should be on their own," added Grunt.
"They didn't choose to come here on their own, Grunt. They were sent here," countered Garrus.
Shepard was silent, walking slowly through the middle of the base. Despite being in a situation where they couldn't waste much time, Shepard couldn't pass up the design of the place. The architecture was different from the other species he had seen before.
This must be quarian architecture, he thought. As he continued walking, a live terminal caught his attention. Most of them were broken or not responding except for this one. He interacted with it, going through what he could. Most of the information was useless data, for him at least, other pieces of information would be pretty normal for any scout group. He was about to ditch the terminal when he noticed one entry logs created by a certain quarian. He hit play.
"Our ancestors walked this planet with uncovered heads. The sun must have been normal back then. Fresh air. Nature. The freedom of going wherever you want. Space as much as you like. Walls of stone... It's amazing. I wish my friends could see it." There was a small pause in the recording, leaving a few seconds of silence. "I wish Shepard were here," was then heard in a lower than normal voice as if it was only for that person to hear.
I'm here now Tali. I'm coming.
Screams of pain from her fellow quarians were heard from outside, sending a cold chill down her spine, causing Tali to close her eyes and kneel down as she brought her hands to her head trying to cover her ears by instinct, hoping to silence everything she was hearing, only to fail as her suit blocked her intention. She could easily turn off her auditory inputs but in her current state, she just couldn't, something stopped her from doing it.
"Geth on the top floor!" was heard behind the door.
"You two, flank east! Ziha cover Vunn and move upwa - aaargh!" A large blast shook the building she was in, causing her to stumble sideways. The recognizable electro-screech of a geth colossus was suddenly heard.
I won't get out of here alive... thought Tali as the reality of things began to take shape. A few minutes before she tried contacting the team from the base camp but after many failed attempts at getting a response, Tali gave up. She Crawled to a corner of the room, pulling her knees to her chest as she hugged them with her arms. This is where I'll die... Another blast hit the building. She brought one of her hands close to her face, clenching it into a fist, leaving a single finger extended. A faint smile appeared on her face.
"It... It seems I won't be able to keep my promise, Shepard..." Tears escaped her eyes as she lowered her head, waiting for the inevitable.
"Tali..." said a familiar voice, causing her to raise her head in disbelief. "Tali are you there?"
Is that...
"Tali it's me, Shepard!"
Keelah! H-he... he's here? asked Tali to herself, quickly standing from the floor, running towards the console in the room. Her crying was now of happiness as seeing Shepard's image on the console brought back all the faith she had previously lost.
"Shepard you... what are you doing here?" she asked, full of hope but also curious as to how he got to her. Shepard was also happy to see her. Seeing her alive, alleviated his mind, mostly. Until he could be right next to her, he would not be at ease.
"I was in the neighborhood. Thought you might need a hand," he said smiling, almost in a playful tone, something Tali appreciated, given the grim moment she was living.
"Thanks for coming, Shepard. It means a lot to hear your voice."
"Wish I'd arrived earlier. Lot's of death on my way here. I'm sorry," apologized Shepard, knowing quarians are a close species, he knew the death toll was hard on her. Tali looked away for a brief moment.
"We knew this mission was high-risk. Damn it."
"Why did they send you here?" asked Shepard, genuinely curious.
"It's about this world's sun. It's aging faster than it should. I got the data I needed, and I'm safe for now, but I've got a lot of geth outside. Some of the men Reegar left to protect me are still alive, but I doubt they will last any longer."
"Then I'll make sure to get to you as fast as possible," said Shepard, his determination was clear.
"You should be able to get here from where you are. Just past the door and cross the field ahead of it. Reegar should be there and what's left of the marines."
"Sorry to you give bad news but, we got a problem here," said Garrus who is standing next to the door.
"What is it?" asked Shepard.
"The door's sealed. Probably to keep the geth from coming through. The console's also fried," he answered.
"Is there any way to open this door on your end, Tali?" asked Shepard.
"Let me see... Yes, I can do it. Here, give me a sec. There, should be unlocked now," finished Tali, and the door opened in sync.
"All right, sit tight Tali. We're coming for you."
"Be careful, Shepard. These geth are more relentless and aggressive than the ones we fought against Saren," warned Tali.
"I've noticed it on our way here, but we'll be careful, don't worry," he assured.
"And please, do what you can to keep Reegar and the others alive. We lost so many people already."
"Will do," answered Shepard, giving Tali a confident smile, before ending the call. "Come on, we don't have much time," ordered Shepard to his team, quickly leaving the base camp.
Tali stood still in front of the console. Hearing and seeing Shepard lifted her spirits. She was not going to sit idly by. If I could open the door to where they were from here, I should be able to do something else... Tali told herself and quickly started fiddling with the console.
"So what's our plan, Shepard? Jump straight into the geth?" asked Jack as Shepard activated a console that would open the door leading to Reegar and the marines.
"I don't see a problem with that," said Grunt.
"No, we group with Reegar and the marines, try to flank the geth from two different sides and hopefully we..." Shepard stopped talking as soon as the covers from the windows opened fully, revealing a mobile geth thank.
"A colossus, really?!" expressed Garrus. A bright glow was surfing from the geth head.
Son of a... "Get down!" shouted Shepard jumping sideways, the team quickly following his actions. Just as everyone was down on the floor a massive shot hit the building, shaking and creating clouds of dust around.
"Haha!" guffawed Grunt. "This is why I follow you, Shepard. Big things! Big fights!"
Cough! Cough! "Come on, Reegar should be down there," said Shepard as he raised himself. Jogging out of the room, taking a few steps down, the team finally saw a living quarian carrying a missile launcher. "Friendlies, friendlies!" quickly shouted Shepard. The quarian turned around, signaling the team to hit cover.
"Squad leader Kal'Reegar, Migrant Fleet Marines!" he yelled. "We talked on the radio before!" Shepard quickly placed himself next to him.
"Commander Shepard, Alliance Marine!"
"Still got no idea how you got here, but this ain't the time to be picky. Tali's inside over there. The geth killed the rest of my squad, and they're trying to get to her. Best I've been able to do is draw their attention."
"What's their numbers?"
"The geth are near platoon strength, but the colossus is the worst part. It's got a repair protocol. Huddles up and fixes itself. I can't get a clear shot while it's down like that. I tried moving in closer, and one the bastards punched a shot clean through my suit."
"How bad is the suit damage?"
"Combat seals clamped down to isolate contamination, and I'm swimming in antibiotics. the geth might get me, but I'm not going to die from an infection in the middle of the battle. That's just insulting!"
A soldier to the bones. "What can you tell me about the layout of the place?"
"The right side's got a catwalk with a sniper perch. You could wreak some havoc from there, but none of my men made it past the geth." Garrus interest was caught on. "The middle's got cover, but the damn colossus has a clear shot at you the whole time, and you got geth coming from both sides.
Middle is out of the equation, too much of a risk, thought Shepard.
"Left side gives some cover from the colossus, but your ass is hanging out for the geth. That's how I got shot. So as for a plan, I'm not moving so well, but I can still pull a trigger, and I've got a rocket launcher that the sun hasn't fried yet. If your as good as Tali says, perhaps there's a chance to take those bastards out. You move in close while I keep the colossus busy, maybe even drop its shields. With luck, you'll be able to finish it off. "
"I like the plan, but you've already done enough, Reegar. Stay back and provide covering fire," suggested Shepard.
"Wasn't asking your permission. My job is to keep Tali safe. This is our best shot." Sheppard shoved two of his fingers in Reegar's chest.
"We don't have enough people on our side for you to take one for the team! Stand down soldier!" ordered Shepard.
"I'm not going to stand here while you run into enemy fire! They killed my whole squad!"
"And if you want to honor your squad, watch my back! I need you here in case they bring reinforcements!" Both men stared at each other, defying the orders of the other. After a couple of seconds and the barrage of shots they were receiving, Reegar gave in.
"All right, Shepard. We'll do it your way. How do you plan to pull this off?"
"For one, that sniper spot you mentioned?" said Garrus joining the conversation. "If I get there, I'll be easier for you to move on the left side."
"And how do you plan getting there?"
"Jack, think you can create an opening with one of your shockwaves?"
"Who do you think you're talking to turian, just tell me when and I'll start the show," she answered.
"Biotics? Well, now that changes things," admitted Reegar.
"Nice call, Garrus," acknowledged Shepard. "It'll be better if you two stick together. Grunt, you're with me. We'll take the left side," he called. Grunt readied his weapon.
"Right behind you," he said with an intense fire in his eyes, ready for the upcoming battle.
"Okay, Garrus, your call. Once you see an opening, we move." Garrus nodded, and slowly peaked out of cover, studying the geth movement, waiting for the perfect moment. Jack started charging up her biotics, the familiar blue-ish hue surrounding her. Garrus slowly raised his hand up, everyone getting ready on his go.
Two on top, three moving through the middle. Another three on the left... come on, come on... "Now!" he shouted.
Jack, without wasting any time, jumped out of her cover and without giving the geth a chance, shot a shockwave in front of her, followed by a pull and throw at the geth from the catwalk, allowing Garrus to move into the sniper position. Shepard and Grunt seized the opportunity to provide covering fire, allowing Jack to take cover. Once the first set of doubles was in position, it was now there turn to give the second pair a moving chance. Reegar also peaked over his cover, firing a missile towards the colossus.
"Everyone good?" asked Shepard, getting into cover just as his shields went down.
"Couldn't be better, aaargh!" shouted Jack as she smashed a geth against the wall.
"We're all good up hear Shepard. But that colossus is still a problem," said Garrus, quickly changing thermals. "They've changed quite a lot since the last time we fought one," remembering their first encounter back on Therum.
"They made a number of significant changes these last years. It's like they learned to master new technologies," added Keegar to the conversation.
"Good thing I brought the Cain with me," said Shepard.
"The Cain?"
"A portable mini-nuke," answered Shepard as he launched an overload. Reegar shook his head.
"So Tali wasn't kidding about how you solve things with explosions."
"It has always worked for me."
"Except for that one time at a Cerberus base," countered Garrus.
"That wasn't an explosion caused by me," retorted Shepard.
"Oh, but you wished for it."
"Are you going to keep talking or are we going to take care of that thing?" asked Grunt pointing towards the colossus.
"I need to get a clear shot for the Cain. Can't risk it from here. We need to get closer," suggested Shepard.
"There's quite the open space between your cover and the next one. It'll be suicide trying to get to the other side," said Reegar, firing another missile.
"I like the challenge," said Grunt.
"That makes two of us," added Shepard.
"You're really going to make a run for it?" asked Garrus.
"This shouldn't surprise you, Garrus."
"With you, anything can surprise me."
"Grunt, move up and hold at the edge. Move on the next colossus shot," ordered Shepard.
"On it," replied the krogan, quickly moving forward, a few bullets scratching him but luckily his shields deflected them. Once in position, he waited for the colossus. The team heard the electro-screech followed by a loud shot, giving the green and just as Wrex ran back on Therum, Grunt was no exception. With his powerful legs, he gave himself a push of the ground allowing him to quickly gain speed. A barrage of bullets was shot towards him taking his shields down but thanks to his heavy back armor he didn't get injured, allowing him to safely reach the other side.
Just in time. If I boost my shields and have Grunt providing cover fire I can probably make it. Huh, probably is not so reassuring but... "I'm not fast as you Grunt, so I'll need some firing cover," said Shepard, prepping his omni-tool for a shield boost. Grunt nodded, switching from his shotgun to his rifle.
"Colossus is going on a repair protocol, now's your chance!" yelled Reegar.
Now or never. Shepard sprung from his spot, trying to give himself the same push as Grunt. As he entered the open space, bullets rained over him, more than with Grunt, forcing him to activate his shield boost sooner. Halfway through, the colossus stood up, a shot already prepared to be launched. Shepard's eyes widened, the geth learned their plan, and prepared a counter-attack.
"Hurry up Shepard!" yelled Grunt, his arm extended out of cover. If he could grab Shepard just a bit it would be enough to pull him in.
The colossus fired, the plasma shot flying quickly towards Shepard with tight precision. He tried to put all the energy he could on his legs, he had beaten the odds before, he wasn't going to give in on this one but the purple hue was clearly visible in the very corner of his eye. On instinct, Shepard began to walk a little to his side, raising his weapon in an attempt to cover himself. The brightness of the shot was at its peak, causing Shepard to close his eyes and hunch himself up, ready to take the hit.
For a moment he could feel the heat emitted from the shot, followed by a force that brought him to the ground. Surprisingly, he did not feel any pain, only the slight buzzing that would be heard if one was near an explosion, which seemed strange to him. He could hear his name being called, then shots and finally electric screeches. Shepard opened his eyes. I'm still alive... but ho- Out of nowhere, he felt something big grabbed him by the shoulder, dragging him across the floor.
"Come on, Shepard! You're not dead yet," said a familiar deep voice. Shepard looked up and saw Grunt shooting from his shotgun, remembering where he was.
"You okay, Shepard?" asked Garrus.
"He's fine. Just a little knock off," replied Grunt as he let go of Shepard.
"Shit, Shepard, that was really close. Got a guardian angel looking out for your ass or what?" joked Jack.
"Wh... what happened?" he asked, getting back on his feet.
"The colossus shot was about to hit you, but one of the cranes over there suddenly moved, blocked the shot with its arm. The force of the explosion sent you flying away. You were lucky if you ask me. That shot would have been the end of you," explained Reegar. Shepard looked towards the automated crane, its arm was torn to pieces, a clear indication that it indeed blocked the shot.
"Speaking of, not many geth troops are left but the colossus still stands," said Garrus, bringing back the team to the main issue.
"Let's nuke the bastard then. Get ready for the blast," warned Shepard as he pulled the Cain from his back. He leaned on the wall and pressed down on the trigger charging the weapon. The Cain emitted a chime, indicating it was ready. Let's see if you can repair this, asshole... said Shepard, leaving his cover. "Everyone! Brace yourself!" he exclaimed, letting go at the trigger. Every team member rapidly stood behind the most cover they could find, waiting for the explosive force of the shot, unbeknownst to them, the explosive force never came. Shepard looked puzzled at the weapon. Why didn't it shoot?
"Shepard, watch out!" yelled Grunt pulling Shepard back into cover as the shot from a colossus hit where he was standing. "Am I going to save your ass every time you drift off?"
"Thanks for the save Grunt but the Cain, it didn't shoot."
"Any idea why?" asked Garrus.
"I don't know. Maybe the firing system got damaged."
"You're lucky it didn't explode on you," joined Reegar. "Now what? I've only got one shot left and that colossus still standing."
If the Cain won't shoot, then we'll set it off manually, thought Shepard. "Grunt, break this thing up. Try to open it from here," he ordered, handing the Cain to Grunt. The krogan placed its hands on the edge of the barrel and began pulling sideways. Small cracks could be heard, slowly getting louder as the gun was ripped. "There!" exclaimed Shepard, reaching inside the gun.
"What are you thinking, Shepard?" asked Grunt.
"Hey, Garrus. How good are you at shooting small moving objects?" questioned Shepard in a suggestive tone.
"Been practicing with them since my dad started training me back when I was a kid, why?"
"Let's just say this little object I'm about to throw is a little livelier than what you expect. So aim quick. Middle altitude, just in front of the colossus in three..." Garrus positioned himself, aiming where Shepard told him to. "Two... one..." Garrus took a deep breath, steadying his aim. Shepard threw what he took out of the Cain, this was there only shot at taking the colossus down. As the object came into Garrus' view, a grin formed on his face.
"Clever bastard..." he muttered. Pulling the trigger and with tight precision, he sent the bullet directly to the Cain's explosive. A bright flash protruded from the object, causing everyone to cover their eyes, followed by a large fire-like blast. When things calmed down, one by one, the team emerged from their cover, observing the trail of destruction left behind by the explosion with the distinct mushroom-like form a nuke left. The remainder of the geth troops were scattered everywhere and the colossus lay motionless, no sign of coming back to life.
Shepard, seeing no danger, immediately ran towards the door of the building where Tali was kept sheltered. He noticed the door was slightly opened, not enough space for him to slip through but enough for a gun or grenade to pass through. He noticed the walls and some of the consoles did have bullet marks, sending a shiver down his spine. Placing his hands against the doors, he started pushing them with all his might, making the gap wider little by little until there was enough space for him to enter.
"Tali! Where are you? Are you okay?" he asked, standing in the middle of the room. A shadow behind a wall began to move slowly until its owner came to light.
"Shepard..." she said in a low tone, letting all the stress she had built over, free. The mission was over and she was safe. As for Shepard, his mind was finally at ease. Without saying a word they both ran to each other, embracing tightly, almost in a loving way. Tears of joy escaped their eyes as a burst of emotions filled their souls. "I... I thought that... for a moment... this is where I was going to-" managed to say Tali before Shepard cut her off by placing his hands over her shoulders, looking directly into her eyes.
"Hey... hey... It's over. You're safe," assured Shepard. Tali could see deep in his eyes, he suffered as much as her, causing her to hug Shepard again, who gladly received it.
"This whole mission has been a disaster. I wish I'd joined you back on Freedom's Progress."
"The Normandy could use another engineer aboard. I... could really use your help." Tali opened her eyes, pulling away from Shepard.
"Wait, the Normandy...?" she asked, puzzled.
"Hey lovebirds, are you done, or are you going to keep the rest of us waiting?" asked Garrus with his arms cross, standing by the doors, with Jack and Grunt behind him.
"Garrus!" exclaimed Tali.
"Do you have a habit of spying on people?" jokingly asked Shepard.
"What's that human saying? Old habits die hard?" answered Garrus, approaching his friends. Shepard smiled as he shook his head. "It's good to see you again, Tali."
"The feelings mutual, Garrus. After our last meeting, you went completely out of the map."
"Yeah, let's just say things got complicated. Shepard can tell you the story once we're back." As always, Tali's curiosity got the best of her. Shepard noticed her leaning to her sides towards were Jack and Grunt where waiting.
"The big guy is Grunt," he began to present. "It's like having a younger version of Wrex. Next to him is Jack. Quite the powerhouse with her biotics."
"Sup," said Jack. Grunt only raised his head.
"So Tali..." said Shepard, bringing her attention back to him. "Can you join me now?" he asked with a faint expression of hope. Tali smiled and nodded, relieving Shepard's worries.
"I promised to see this mission through. I did. I can leave with you and send the data to the Fleet. And if the admirals have a problem with it, they can go to hell. I just watched the rest of my team die."
"Maybe not the whole rest of your team, ma'am," said Reegar from behind, joining with the group.
"Reegar! You made it!" exclaimed Tali.
"All thanks to your old captain here. He's good as you said. Crazy way to take out a colossus."
"He's always been like that. I imagine the big explosion from outside was your doing?"
"With a bit of my help," Garrus budge in.
"If need be, we can get you out of here, Reegar," offered Shepard, seeing how he was limping on his way over.
"Thanks for the offer but the geth didn't damage our ship. As long as we get out of here before reinforcements show up, we'll be fine."
"Actually, I won't be going with you, Reegar," said Tali. "I'm joining Commander Shepard. I... made him a promise some time ago and, I intend to full fill it."
"I understand ma'am. I'll pass the data to the Admiralty Board and let them know what happened."
"Thank you, Kal."
"She's all yours now, Shepard. Keep her safe."
"Will do, Reegar. You can count on it. Shall we?" asked Shepard looking back at Tali, who nodded as in reply. Both of them began walking away from the group, with Kal and Grunt soon following behind them. "Tali... did you had anything to do with that crane over there?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Garrus stayed behind, smiling as he saw two of his friends together once again. Seeing them like that reassured him in a way.
"So what's the deal with those two?" asked Jack, standing next to him.
"They're just really good friends. That's all," he answered.
"Uh-huh, right. Well, at least we're done with this shit. Are all missions with Shepard like this?"
"More than you can imagine," answered Garrus.
Author's Note:
At last, they're together!
Good day everyone. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Lots of dialog on this one, hope it wasn't confusing reading through. To clarify some stuff in case it might look weird to you on some occasions using italics meant to be someone on the radio. I've been using them for internal thoughts or low speaking but thought it could also be used for this.
So the Cain makes it's appearance one again and this time, well, I wanted to kinda describe how it felt using it when late on the mission you noticed there's not sufficient ammo for it to shoot. So breaking it open and manually exploding the shell/bomb sounded cool in my head. Hope it worked.
That is all. Later!