Chapter 10: Take a Rest

The trip back to Normandy was quiet and with little talks from the three old friends. Tali had forgotten that Shepard mentioned the Normandy, so when the ship became visible, Tali was again surprised, just like the first time she saw the ship in the Citadel, only this time, instead of being part of the Alliance, she would be with Cerberus, something that would make her uncomfortable, but with Shepard in charge, her stay would not be all bad.

"I can't' believe they rebuilt the Normandy..." said Tali as she walked out fo the shuttle

"You'll be surprised how much they improved her. From its size to speed to its power," Shepard commented.

"As a new crew member, do I get a ship tour?" jokingly asked Tali.

"Come on, Tali. It's the same ship only bigger," said Garrus.

"Don't ruin the fun, Garrus," said Shepard as he called for the elevator. Garrus was about to name all the new things but decided to shrug it off. Tali needed to clear her mind and the tour would help her do it. The elevator arrived, opening it's doors, allowing everyone to enter. "Do you want to see the engineering bay now or at the end?" asked Shepard. Tali lowered her head, thinking about what she wanted to see first.

"Hmm, let's save the best for the end," she answered.

"All right then, will head to the Mess Hall first," said Shepard, pressing the holographic interface.

"Good, I'm starving," said Grunt.

"That's two of us," said Jack.

"Make it three," joined Garrus. The doors closed and the elevator began to ascend.

The tour turned out to be quite enjoyable, as it brought Tali memories of the first time she boarded the Normandy. She was quite surprised at how friendly the crew was. Compared to the members they fought against in the past, these new ones did not appear to belong to Cerberus. It is as if they are a totally different organization. What surprised her even more was meeting Joker and Dr. Chakwas, who welcomed her back with open arms. Now, Tali and Shepard were both heading down towards engineering, almost reaching the end of the tour.

"The crew was kinder than I thought. It's like they're not part of Cerberus at all," said Tali.

"It's because they aren't, at least not quite," said Shepard, his tone was somewhat serious.

"What do you mean?"

"I have spoken to each and one of them and the stories of how they joined Cerberus are very similar. They are all new, no one has been working with or for Cerberus for a long time, except for Jacob and Miranda."

"If they only knew what Cerberus is like..."

"And if they heard something against them in some way or another they managed to convince them that it was false."

"Maybe telling them you would be working with them changed their minds."

"Might as well be. None of them are bad people in any case. I don't expect them to backstab me, but the Illusive Man..."

"If that's the case then you can count with me loaning you a grenade," said Tali with a mix of seriousness and playful tone, causing Shepard to smile in response.

"I see my methods rubbed on you," he commented.

"If you want to destroy a facility or base, then an explosion is the only effective way to do it. It's more of a... common knowledge than just your methods," said Tali, quoting the word with her fingers. Shepard remained smiling.

"Your personal logs on Haestrom say otherwise," he countered. Tali's eyes slowly widened.

"My... how did you...? I'm sure I left them-"

"Private?" asked Shepard, laughing lightly. "They were free to access. I found it weird you left them like that. Though I suppose with the whole situation on the planet, it must have been a slight oversight on your part." Tali drifted her gaze away. "Don't worry, I made sure I was the only one who listened to them." She returned her back to him.

"If it was only you then... it's fine by me," she said with a smile. The elevator stopped and its doors opened, revealing the second-to-last floor of the ship, or the last place to visit according to the tour.

"Well, we're here. Engineering Bay," said Shepard as he and Tali walked out of the elevator. "The main core is through those doors. The room on the right would be Grunt's quarters while the room on the left would be Zaeed's," quickly explained Shepard. Tali noticed the tank in Grunt's room.

"So he really was bread in that?" she asked.

"Along with many others. Though he's the only successful one, according to his... well, it doesn't matter now anyway. Ready to see your new workplace?"

"Do you really need to ask a quarian if she's ready to see a top of the line engine?," asked Tali with excitement in her voice.

"Just wanted to make sure. Don't want you to get overwhelmed and-"

"Shepard, the Illusive Man wishes to speak with you," suddenly interrupted EDI through the ship's comms.

"Thanks for letting me know EDI. Be there in a moment."

"The Illusive Man requested this as urgent." Shepard sighed.

"Sorry, Tali. But I'm gonna have to take this call. The last time something was urgent meant a human colony was in danger. You'll have to finish the tour alone, but don't worry. Ken and Gabby are really friendly, they'll make you feel welcome in engineering, just as Adams did," promised Shepard. Tali didn't like the idea of Shepard leaving, the tour was more of a way to be with him than knowing the ship, but she also knew the importance of the mission Shepard was carrying.

"It's all right Shepard. So far everyone's been friendly and if you say they're good, then there's nothing to worry about. You do whatever you need to do. Talk to you later?" she asked. Shepard smiled, nodding, and without a word, he left for the elevator, leaving Tali to her own. She still had a lot of questions and topics she wished to discuss, from daily activities to missions, who was this voice referred to as EDI, and most importantly, their relationship. Back on Freedoms Progress, Shepard wanted to repeat the conversation they had right before jumping to Ilos, only this time, he hoped for a better end to it, just as her.

Surely a few hours will pass before can continue talking, knowing him, he will get distracted by something before returning. I should go introduce myself to the engineering guys at once, thought Tali. She took a deep breath and walked into the engine room. Upon entering, she quickly noticed that the layout of the place was different from that of the first Normandy.

In the old vessel, it was an open space with a rectangular shape, with a direct view of the core. In this new version, the room had a T-shape look, the horizontal part kept the general consoles while the vertical part was only served as a path to the core's console and the core itself. Even though the space to walk around was smaller, Tali preferred it this way, as space was better used and it somehow made her remembered the crowded halls of the Fleet. Lost in thought she didn't even acknowledge the pair of engineers looking at her.

"Oi mum, you think she would notice us by now?" asked Ken.

"Give her a minute," answered Gabby. "She was part of the old crew remember?"

"Aye, but it doesn't change the fact that we're literally next to her."

"Just keep working. She'll speak to us at any moment." And just like Gabby said, Tali finally noticed them, getting closer, and with a bit of hesitation, introduced herself.

"Um, Ken and Gabby?" she asked.

"Oh, you must be Tali right?" asked a cheerful Gabby.

"Yes. Tali'Zorah vas Neema at your service."

"There's no need to be so formal around us. It's no like we're on a ceremony or something," said Ken.

"Don't hush her like that Kenneth, she just being polite. Please forgive him, he's kinda loose with his mouth. He likes to speak first before thinking."

"I just like to take things as they go. No need to overthink simple stuff." Though no one could see it, Tali smiled behind her visor, even if any words were barely exchange, the attitude of both Ken and Gabby let her know that there was no need to worry.

"It's fine, Gabby. I wasn't offended or anything," said Tali. "Ken would not be the first person I know who decides to act that way. It won't be the best way to do something, but it's always good to have someone like that."

"Someone's getting comfortable really quick and I don't know if what you said should be taken as a compliment or an insult," said Ken.

"Maybe it's time for someone to put up with that act of yours," said Gabby.

"That's why I have you girl."

"Yeah, but sometimes I'd like to take a break you know?"

"Right. Since you're so happy to have someone else, why don't you show our new member here the ropes?"

"I don't think there will be much to show her. Tali, you worked on the previous Normandy right?"

"I may have worked on the old model but..." Tali paused and looked around the room. "I can see Cerberus made some changes. Even if you worked on something similar before, It's always good to check out the basics from time to time."

"You see mum, just because she's a quarian doesn't mean she's a know-it-all," said Ken.

"Give her some time and she'll end up knowing more than you do," said Gabby. Tali couldn't pass a small giggle, seeing the way Ken and Gabby argued. "All right Tali, ready to get your hands dirty?"

"Ready on your go," she answered, and so, her welcoming finished letting her new role aboard the Normandy begin.

The meeting with the Illusive Man lasted a little longer than normal. The conversation was kept on the topics of what happened in Horizon, Shepard's opinion about the Cain, the team status, the Omega 4 relay, and finally, the reason for the trip to Haestrom, although thanks to Miranda's reports it was known why, the Illusive Man wanted to hear it straight from Shepard, who for obvious reasons, did not tell him exactly why.

"You told me I had all the freedom to investigate, do, and go wherever I want. Are you starting to change your mind?" asked Shepard. The Illusive Man knew that when it came to personal matters, getting Shepard to say something or open up would be difficult and would lead to nothing, so he chose to drop the subject and stick with what really matters.

"No, you still have the freedom that you have had from the beginning. I have invested a lot in this, I just want to be informed about the situation," answered the Illusive Man.

It's never enough for you... "Anything else or are we done here?"

"No, Shepard. That would be all. Though I will say this. Now that you have shown to the Collectors what you're capable of, you'll need to be more careful with your actions. They will be watching you," finished the Illusive Man, ending the communication.

With those methods of his, one of these days something is bound to happen in the wrong way, thought Shepard. As he turned around he was surprised to see Jacob leaning on one of the walls from the conference room.

"I guess we're really gonna do it," he said. "Hit the Omega 4 relay, take the fight to the Collectors in person."

"So it seems and it won't be easy."

"Looking forward to the action. After seeing what those bastards did on Horizon, though... makes you think." Shepard nodded.

"We'll need everyone to be sharp and focused if we're going to get this done. That includes you, Jacob."

"That's what I meant, Commander. I don't want any distractions when we hit the relay. I'll take care of a little unfinished business. I imagine sooner or later everyone else will do the same. Get some closure, you know? In case we don't make it."

"Will make it through Jacob. We both seen our fair share of extreme situations. This ain't new."

"I guess so. Still, you never know what they can throw at you."

"Can't argue with that," said Shepard as both men exited the Conference Room.

"Where are we heading next Commander?"

"We still have two more dossiers at hand, plus, we need to find a way to pass through the Omega 4 relay."

"Sounds simple but it never goes that way does it?"

"It never does."

"If there's nothing to do at the moment, then I'll return to my post, Commander.," finished Jacob as he made a salute, followed by a hundred-and-eighty turn, walking towards the armory.

"One last thing, Jacob," called Shepard suddenly, causing him to stop and turn back. "Thanks... for finding her." Jacob smiled, knowing what Shepard was referring to.

"No need to thank me, Shepard. I was just following orders," he replied, before entering the armory.

You're a good man Jacob. Don't let Cerberus change that, thought Shepard. He started walking towards the elevator when kelly called him out.

"Commander," she said in her usual tone.

"Yes, Kelly?"

"Operative Lawson wishes to speak with you."

Miranda asking for a favor, now that's a sight to see. "Where is she?"

"Down in her personal quarters," answered Kelly.

"Thank you, Kelly," said Shepard, who proceeded to enter the elevator.

"With a few tweaks to the forward capacitors, the balance should be back in line," said Ken as he finishes a simulation in his terminal.

"I wonder where Garrus obtained these schematics?" asked Gabby.

"Garrus is turian and a former C-Sec officer. He probably has a few contacts who can offer that type of weapons," suggested Tali.

"Yeah... you're probably right. It still going to be a pain to configure power and all once the weapon is installed."

"Might be, but it would be worse if Shepard hadn't gotten us those FBA couplings," added Ken.

"You didn't have them installed before?" asked Tali.

"Nah, but Shepard managed to found a few. The T6 model from Nashan Stellar Dynamics to be precise. Old but very reliable."

You never stop helping others, do you Shepard? said Tali inside her mind, drifting away from her work. Since she began working on the console, from time to time, she lost track of time, losing herself in thought without noticing it, and the cause of this was how sore her body was, but she continued working instinctively without realizing it. The hectic and overwhelming events from Haestrom left her in this state.

"I think that's enough for today, Tali," said Gabby, not really knowing what transpired before Tali's arrival but she could see her tired state, one which isn't recommended when working on the ships delicate systems.

"Uh, sorry Gabby, can you repeat what you just said?"

"I said, I think that's enough for today. You seem pretty tired."

"Had a rough today or something?" Ken ignorantly asked.

Tali averted her gaze momentarily, she couldn't get mad at Ken, he didn't know about what happened in Haestrom. As for Gabby, if it weren't for her, Tali would not have noticed the fatigue her body was carrying, something that began to weigh on her since it was mentioned. She looked back at the pair of engineers.

"I think you're right, Gabby. Today has been quite..." there was a small pause, followed by a shook of the head. "A break would be good for me."

"Well, it's already a little late. We can continue working tomorrow without any problems. We'll finish any pending task so you can go and rest without worrying about it," assured Gabby.

"Are you sure? There were still a few-"

"Come on girl, you're falling apart every second that passes. You should really take that rest," insisted Ken. With all the pushes against her, Tali gave in, nodding in acceptance.

"See you tomorrow," she said lowly, exiting the room, and as soon as she reached the main hall, Tali felt her body swing from side to side as if her whole body acted like a pendulum. Kelaah... How did I not realize how tired I am? she pondered, extending her arm, placing her hand on the elevator's interface. After a couple of seconds, the doors opened with Tali slowly walking in, leaning on one of the walls. She was about to press for the third floor, but stopped, her eyes drifted to the first floor.

She didn't remember if Shepard, during the tour of the ship, said anything about the first floor. She knew that starting from the second to the last, the ship consisted of the CIC, the Mess Hall, Engineering, and lastly, the Docking Bay, leaving the top floor as a mystery. She closed her eyes, bringing one of her hands under her helm, more or less where her chin would be, and began to think of different things that the ship could have on that floor. There was already an intelligence room, a weapons room, a motor room, a dining room, bathrooms, cleaning, a warehouse, and so on she went listing every available option.

Suddenly, the elevator closed its doors and began to ascend, surprising Tali. The interface had an indicator that marked the floor through which the elevator was passing, from its initial position which was the fourth floor, it went to the third and without stopping in it, continued towards the second, and in the same way, it kept going upwards, which meant it would stop on the first floor. What was the reason the elevator was heading there? Was it some type of protocol for when a level was not selected in a certain period of time? It wouldn't make much sense to implement something like that, it was unnecessary. The doubt of what she would find upstairs ate her inside, making Tali feel nervous, even a little scared.

After a few more seconds, the elevator reached its destination. Tali's heart was beating a little faster than normal, the urge of not knowing what was on the other side of the door was growing bigger. With a swift motion, the doors contracted, finally revealing the mystery.

"Tali?" asked Shepard, surprised to see her up here.

"She... Shepard?" she equally asked.

"I was about to go down, you didn't tell me you would come up, or did you?" Tali remained quiet. She was glad to see Shepard but was still puzzled as to what the first floor was. "Ah... you probably did and I didn't notice, right? After the meeting with the Illusive Man, I got caught on some stuff and couldn't check for-" he began explaining but was interrupted by Tali, who shook her head.

"N-no, no. I... didn't send you any message. I left engineering and entered the elevator. I was going to the Mess Hall but..." Tali made a pause, catching Shepard's curiosity. "I noticed the first floor on the panel and... well, I couldn't recall you mentioning it, so I started to wonder what was up here. That's when, um, you called for the elevator and I ended up... here." Shepard brought one of his hands to his forehead, rubbing it with his fingers, his face making an expression of having forgotten something.

How did you forget? "Sorry, Tali but I completely forgot about it. The first floor is my private quarters. They aren't down at the Mess Hall anymore."

As he revealed the mystery, for Tali, it all made sense now. She knew the crew quarters were on the Mess Hall, just like on the first Normandy, the only difference being that the room that would serve as Shepard's quarters was now property of Miranda. It was possible that Shepard used the common beds this time, he wouldn't mind given his personality and attitude, but knowing that Cerberus wants to keep him comfortable, it was obvious they would give him his own room. She looked down at her feet as she now realized how stupid it was thinking something else was up here. Shepard noticed her actions, confusing him a little.

"Something wrong, Tali?" he asked.

"No, nothing. I was just... forget it, no need to worry. Where you heading down to the CIC?" she quickly asked.

"Actually I was heading down to... check up on you. See if you were feeling better." Tali's eyes widened at his words. He cared for all the people he works with, but he was always closer and attentive to her than anyone else, which she deeply appreciated.

"We didn't really have time to chat while taking out geth on Haestrom, did we?"

"No, we didn't." Shepard looked to his room before returning his gaze to Tali. "Would you like to... come inside and talk?" he asked, though without words he knew the answer to his question as Tali's eyes soften, followed by a simple nod. There was also a smile behind her visor, though not visible, it was clearly there. Shepard gestured with his hands to enter as if saying after you.

The doors to Shepard's room swung open, revealing it's interior. The first thing that caught Tali's attention was the huge fish tank that illuminated the room with its blue tones, giving an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. Shepard noticed Tali's gaze on the tank, clearly, there was no such thing in the Flotilla, and even if they wanted to, it would be impossible to maintain it. He was about to turn on the regular lights but stopped, pulling his arm away.

Better leave them off. Don't want to ruin her enjoyment, he said to himself, deciding to lean on the wall, waiting for Tali to be the first to speak. When Tali was satisfied with observing the aquarium, she looked the other away, finding a desk with a private terminal, and a collection of small ships above it, causing her to raise get curious.

"When did you start a collection like this?" she asked, keeping her gaze on it.

"Remember Kelly? After a few talks with her, given all I've been through, as a way to keep my mind focused on something else rather than..." Tali quickly looked back at him, knowing what he meant. "...she said I should start a hobby I've never tried before. I remember back in the days of training a guy from the squad always talked about collecting these, so I tried to give it a go. It does keep one's mind busy. Especially when the illustrations aren't all clear, " he explained. Tali looked back on the desk, imagining Shepard putting together one of the ships. A small giggle escaped her mouth. "What's so funny?"

"I just can't picture you building one of these without wanting to put some kind of firing system on it," she admitted.

"If I put the effort into it, no doubt I could build one like that, but their fine just as they are. No need for more, additions," he said, following the joke. Tali smiled again, she missed these kinds of talks. Her gaze now shifted to the rest of the room, where there was a small coffee table surrounded by an L-shape couch, similar to the one from the first Normandy, Shepard's bed with a small next to it, another desk, and finally a wardrobe.

"So... this is your new room. It's quite, different from the old one," she said.

"If I have to put it in Joker's words... Civilian comfort by design."

"Although it has more things than the other, it has less space."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No, on the contrary, the space and distribution of things are better used," explained Tali, giving a quick look at the whole room. "I like this style better."

Good to know... Shepard told himself. "Come on, let's sit down on the couch," he said, pulling away from the wall he was leaning on. Tali waited for Shepard to get close to her before going down the mini stairs of the room. Once they were next to the couch, they sat down, one perpendicular to the other. The chair was quite comfortable and the moment Tali sat down, she closed her eyes, leaning back on it with her head tilted slightly back, followed by a short resting sigh. "Tired?" Shepard asked the obvious.

"Quite a bit. With what happened today..." she moved her head forward, looking down at her hands, resting on top of her lap. "I still can't believe so many people died today. All for data about stars blowing up," a bit of anger was heard in her voice. "I hope the Admiralty Board gets some use out of it."

"Was it worth it?" Tali shook her head, still keeping her head down.

"I... I don't know, Shepard It wasn't my call. The Admiralty Board believed the information from Haestrom was worth sacrificing all our lives for. I have to believe that they know what's best." Shepard leaned towards Tali, placing one of his hands over her shoulder.

"Tali... look at me," he said with her following his order. "I didn't ask what some admiral thought. I asked, what you think of this," he tried saying as soft as he could. Tali averted her gaze briefly, before answering.

"A lot of people died back there. Some of them were my friends. All of them were good at their jobs. That damn data better be worth it. The price was too high," she finally admitted, both grief and anger could be heard and seen.

Let's hope it is... thought Shepard. Not wanting to keep Tali's mind on the dead, he thought about asking for the person he could at least save. "Have you heard from Reegar? He was injured but said he got it patched before it got worse."

"I did actually. It looks like he'll make a full recovery. Any time you get a suit puncture, it's a matter of luck. Reegar got out with a relatively minor infection." Shepard remembered that time when Tali explained to him about the infections that a quarian could run and about the dangers of it. It was good to hear that Reegar was fine.

"That's good to hear. He's a fine marine. A soldier to the core."

"That he is," agreed Tali. There were a few silent seconds before Shepard decided to continue the conversation.

"Everything good in engineering?"

"I like the quiet," quickly answered Tali. "I miss the old faces, though. Pressley, Engineer Adams, all of them. It doesn't feel right having Cerberus in charge of this ship," Tali hesitated to ask the next question, but she had to know about his thoughts on the matter. "Are you sure working for them is the right thing to do?" It was now Shepard's turn to look away.

"We're not... working for them, Tali," he answered, returning his gaze. "Though I hate to admit since the facts are so clear," he sighed "But like I told you before, I don't trust them fully, so I'm more than glad to have someone like you here with me, along with Garrus and the rest of the people I've recruited."

"I'm glad to hear that, Shepard. Just let me know how I can help,"

"Just you been here is more than enough, Tali," he said honestly. It didn't matter what Tali would be working or helping on, he was at ease knowing she was here with him. His answer made Tali slightly blush behind her visor. She was about to say something but something she had momentarily forgotten came back suddenly, a natural instinct of the body that causes the mouth to open involuntarily and take a deep breath which generally means that a person is under a certain condition, but the action itself is pretty simple, in a single word, Tali simply... yawned, and not just any, no, Tali's yawn was a long and powerful one, truly establishing how tired she was. Even she was surprised by such demonstration, causing her to bring both hands to her face, more or less where her mouth would meet, soon feeling embarrassed.

Kelaah, Tali! How could you do such a thing! And in front of Shepard! Tali quickly turned away, covering her face, or at least part of her visor, completely. "Oh, Shepard, I didn't mean to do that, it-it just came out like that I didn't even want to-" she began explaining when she heard a slight laugh behind her. Her curiosity winning over her embarrassment made her looked behind her. Shepard had his hand closed, right in front of his mouth, a playful smile was visible, followed by eyes that were staring at her, but with no intention of judging. Shepard lowered his hand, closing his eyes briefly as he let a small sigh out.

"Tali... Why didn't you tell me you feel this tired? If I had known, it would have been better to talk later instead of me keeping you here struggling with your body." Her eyes narrowed a little, looking away.

"It's just that... I still wanted to talk to you. I could have waited until tomorrow because of my fatigue, but my curiosity won me over and..." Her speech started to ain speed. "...that was when the elevator happened and then you said that you wanted to talk too and I didn't want to disappoint so I thought it would better to put up with it and- " Shepard placed a hand on top of hers, making her look up to him, their eyes locking with the other once again, the smile she always loved to see on him was also present.

"Go get some rest, Tali, you've earned it. We can talk tomorrow. There's no rush." Shepard rolled his eyes, keeping his smile. "Well, maybe a little," He admitted. "But I'd like you to be in better shape before we... discuss that matter." Tali didn't say anything for a few seconds, she just stared at Shepard the same way he did at her, processing every word he said. As time passed, Tali finally accepted his words.

"Okay..." she said softly. and without saying another word, they both got up from the couch, walking side by side towards the elevator. With a small wave of dismissal from both of them, Tali entered the elevator and left Shepard's quarters, who stood for a few more seconds in the outer corridor.

"Sleep well, Tali," he murmured, before returning to his room, preparing himself for an equally well-deserved rest.

Author's Note:

Sweet dreams...

Hello everyone, new chapter here, a bit late but it's here. So with this chapter, you got a bit of romance, banter, and some slight comedy, all in all, a good chapter in my opinion.

Once again, I'd like to thank all the people who give me and my story a chance. Be it as a favorite, a follow, or a review (I read every single of them, from short and simple ones to the more extensive). I do mean it when I say I appreciate you all. As always, critics, advice, and corrections are welcome.

Cheers!