Chapter 12: The Old Ship
The Normandy team spent a night in Illium after successfully recruiting two new members as well as helping Miranda. After things with Conrad Verner were settled and made clear, Tali, Garrus, and Shepard were finally able to have their relaxing night of drinks. The next day, Shepard allowed the entire crew to enjoy their temporary stay on Illium in their own way, be it shopping, eating, visiting places of interest, or simply relax and enjoy the day before they set off again for a new course. As for the ground team, Shepard along with Garrus and Grunt were the only ones who decided to wander around Nos Astra, with the others staying aboard the Normandy, stating they had pending tasks to attend or things to meditate or think of, in the case of Samara and Thane.
Garrus's main reason for staying on Illium was that when he was doing the deed yesterday, he noticed that the gun store had interesting accessories and upgrades for sale. Telling Shepard about it was enough for him to follow. Grunt initially just wanted to be off the ship, but upon hearing Garrus's comments, he didn't hesitate to join them.
As the day went by, so did the group of men, shopping and visiting different stores, stopping from time to time to have a snack. Among the things they bought were upgrades for submachine guns and rifles, reinforcement for armor and shields, tech and biotic amplifiers, detailed maps of different galactic systems, and finally, three scale models of different ships. If the armor and weapons that the group carried with them were ignored, the day could almost be considered as a normal one, like that of anyone who was not involved in mercenary groups or with the military. The reason it was almost a normal day was because of the unexpected encounters with familiar faces and names.
The first meeting was with Gianna Parasini, who had helped the team in Noveria two years ago. Exchanging a few words with the team, she revealed that her reason for being at Illium was because unauthorized prototypes were being sold and she needed to arrest the person behind the sales. Again, with Shepard's help, Parasini was able to fulfill her mission, and as a good gesture, she invited Shepard and company a beer, just as she had promised two years ago. After another little talk, Parasini said goodbye, but not before giving Shepard a kiss on the cheek, justifying that it was better than an autograph, quickly disappearing from the place, leaving Shepard in a somewhat awkward position.
The next familiar face was Shiala's who the team encountered on the colony of Feros as a prisoner of the Thorian. Strangely, her skin color was not the usual, it was green, like the clones that the Thorian reproduced. She explained that sometime after her release, her skin pigmentation changed along with her biotic abilities becoming unstable. She also mentioned having disconcerting dreams of her time with the Thorian. The colonist also suffered from mental illnesses such as insane migraines among other conditions.
She was on Illium, working a medical contract with one of the groups that offered help but things weren't going well. Shepard offered to help, speaking with the representative of the medical company, and with a little effort, managed to reach a better agreement. Shiala thanked him, assuring that the Zhu's Hope colony was safe again thanks to him. Before leaving, Shiala asked Shepard if when she wasn't busy organizing the colony and when he finished with whatever he was doing if there was a chance for the two of them to do something, but before he could answer, she left, with Shepard finding himself once again in an awkward position.
Lastly, the final encounter was with an asari who presented a strange behavior, although she soon revealed why. The asari brought a message for Shepard, from the friend she made in Noveria, and for a moment, neither Garrus nor Shepard knew who she was talking about, but upon hearing the phrase soured the songs of our mother, they quickly grasped who was sending the message, which explained that thanks to his compassion, they are flourishing in peaceful songs and that when the time comes, they will join with Shepard to end the metallic darkness.
Shepard asked the asari how she came into contact with the rachni, remembering the queen's promise to remain hidden. The asari explained how she was captured by pirates, how she was beaten down, injured, and was forced down to an uncharted planet. In the borders of death, the rachni found her and saved her, with the pirates meeting their end. The rachni also repaired the asari's ship and that's when she knew they weren't what people thought. She even found a new purpose by working as a middle-ground for the rachni and the galactic civilizations.
Before leaving, Shepard asked if there was something else he needed to know about the rachni, to who the asari replied with a yes, stating that the rachni wars were a mistake. Something forced them to fight and they believe that what Shepard is fighting were those who controlled them before. With no more to say or explain, the asari said her goodbyes and disappeared between the crowds.
"That's three women who made a move on you, Shepard. I think I'm giving you too much of an advantage with my scars. Though maybe the third one doesn't really count," Garrus commented.
"You already forgot that I also have scars?" counted Shepard.
"No, but they're not like mine," said Garrus brushing the right side of his face.
"I don't seem to understand your words. How are you giving Shepard an advantage with your scars?" asked Grunt. Both Shepard and Garrus laughed lightly.
"The women I spoke to, well, they flirted with me to put it simply. Garrus and I have a little... hmm, it's not a game but we just have fun arguing about who has the most appeal to women," Shepard explained.
"So, mating?" bluntly asked Grunt. "That's easy, just fight between the both of you and the winner keeps the females."
"No Grunt, we're not looking for... mates who we want to procreate with," said Garrus.
"Then why go through all the hassle if you're not going to mate with the females?" asked Grunt, still confused.
"Because not all of us do things as Krogran do. Not everything is resolved with a fight," explained Shepard.
"Bah!" exclaimed Grunt.
"There would probably be a fight if we had brought a certain person with us..." Garrus assumed.
"You really think that?" asked Shepard knowing exactly who was Garrus referring to.
"Seeing how Shiala and Parasani acted, I'm sure she would at least say something." Grunt was curious to know who they were talking about but decided to remain quiet as he assumed it would end up in nonsense once again. When the group of men reached the docking bay, Shepard sent a message to all crew members who were still out to return immediately to the Normandy since they would take off in less than an hour.
Upon boarding the Normandy, the group brought everything they purchased to the armory to begin upgrading their equipment as the rest of the crew returned to the ship. When all the members reported in and the permits were granted, the Normandy detached itself from the docking clamps, leaving the city of Nos Astra behind. Within a couple of minutes of taking off, Garrus and Grunt returned to their usual positions with Shepard staying at the CIC.
"Where to, Commander?" asked Joker.
"Take us to the Citadel, Joker. It's about time we pay Anderson a visit," he ordered while adding the newly bought system maps.
"On it. Are we just visiting or you got something else in mind?"
"Both, actually. I'll send a message to Anderson telling him we are on way and, well, there's probably going to be a conversation with the Council afterward."
"Planning on asking them for help? Because if they know we're with Cerberus I doubt they'll lend a hand."
"We did save them two years ago, Hopefully, they'll come to their senses."
"I honestly don't think they will do anything but at least with Anderson there might be a chance."
"Until we arrive, we won't know."
"Commander," said Kelly. Shepard turned to her without saying a word, knowing Kelly would continue. "You just received new messages on your private terminal."
"Thanks for letting me know. Any message that stands out from the rest?" asked Shepard as he stepped down from the galaxy map.
"Only two. They're marked as a military matter."
Military matter? That's weird, Shepard thought as he activated his private terminal quickly reviewing his inbox. Sure enough, there they were. The first message was titled "Transfer Request Approved." which he decided to read first.
-.-.-.-.-
From: Admiralty Board, Migrant Fleet
Commander Shepard,
Per Tali'Zorah vas Neema's request included with her data delivery from Haestrom, the Admiralty Board has approved her transfer to your command. She has been informed that additional duties to the Migrant Fleet may still be necessary on occasion but has been given extended leeway to determine when her mission with you is considered complete.
This choice was hers, but your role as de facto captain during her pilgrimage may have caused her to be more susceptible to your requests. The Admiralty Board trust that you will treat your new crew member with the respect due as an honored member of the Fleet. Should any harm come to her due to negligence on your part, this board will take severe and appropriate actions.
Admiral Rael'Zorah,
Migrant Fleet Admiralty Board.
-.-.-.-.-
As Shepard read the first paragraph, he wasn't surprised to receive this message as any subject of transfer, speaking of a military mandate, would be treated in this way or similar. What did surprise him was the last sentence from the second paragraph. It felt more like a threat than a transfer approval, at least that's how Shepard interpreted it as he read the name of the person who sent the message, Rael'Zorah, Tali's father. Despite not knowing Rael in person, given the conversations Shepard had with Tali, it was clear that Rael was a serious person, strict to a certain extent and he would not be a person with whom one can get along lightly, especially if you're not quarian.
Hmmm, I wonder if I should tell Tali about this. ...Maybe not, unless she brings it up but still, let's keep it hidden until then, thought Shepard as he archived the message. All right, what's the other message about, let' see... SSV Normandy... Crash Site?! he read out loud in his mind, quickly opening the message. Reading the contents caused a small pause in his breathing with various memories flowing through his mind. Some good, while others...
"Everything okay, Commander?" Kelly asked, noticing Shepard's downcast expression.
Without turning, Shepard nodded. "Yeah. Everything's good. I... need to re-adjust our course" he said, going back to the Galaxy Map. "Joker, change of plans. Re-route course towards the Omega Nebula, Amada system."
"Yes sir, but why the sudden ch-" Joker quickly caught on. "Wait... the Amada system? Commander... That's the place where-"
"I know Joker," answered Shepard in a somewhat grim tone. "Just get us there."
"Aye, aye, sir," replied Joker. Shepard stood still, in silence, without taking his eyes off the galaxy map, keeping his downcast expression.
"Board is green and numbers seem to be on the correct range," said Gabby.
"Good, let's see if we can increase the power of the injectors," said Tali.
"Yeah, don't worry about me. I'll be sure to catch the explosion when tubes get blown away..." commented Ken, who was under some racks checking for leaks or negative pressure on the ship systems.
"Didn't you say you liked to get your hands dirty?" asked Gabby.
"Aye, but not when my life is in danger. Something goes wrong and I'll be cooked down here."
"Stop complaining and just tell us if you notice any changes down there. All right, ready on your go Tali."
"Initializing test in three... two... one." As Tali ran the new script, the drive core lightened up a bit and the general sounds from the engine room got a little higher. A few vapor leaks came out from a few tubings. "Numbers?"
"Still far from the limits," replied Gabby.
"How are things going down there, Ken?"
"Tubes are shaking and it got a little hotter but everything seems to be in order," he replied.
"Looks like things are going well. Let's leave it working for a few minutes. If we see the numbers reaching the limit or any anomalies, set parameters back to normal."
"We can also reduce the power little by little. See if we can find a sweet spot without returning to standards," suggested Gabby.
"Good idea. That should give us a more precise range work area."
"Does that mean I can leave the kitchen? I can hold out a little longer but I'm sure I can cook something down here. You girls fancy anything?" asked Ken from below. Both Tali and Gabby shook their heads while smiling.
"You can come back up, Ken," said Tali.
"Your orders, Chief."
"Speaking of chief. Is it just the three of us down here?"
"Pretty much. Someone might come down and gives us a hand but only for mundane tasks. Nothing complicated," clarified Gabby.
"So there's no chief? No core-analyst? No drive-"
"Nah, none of that fancy stuff. Perhaps the first Normandy did because it was experimental. But this new girl works so smoothly you really don't need them, though extra hands never hurt," said Ken as he climbed out from below. Tali briefly remember her time working with Chief Adams and the rest of the engineering crew, she learned a lot with them, to the point where she implemented some of their routines into the Neema.
I wonder where they are now... thought Tali. A small beep was heard, followed by a small blinking led, coming from Tali's omni-tool, catching her attention. As she brought her omni-tool up, she saw the notification of a new message in her inbox, quickly opening it. Her curiosity peak when she saw the message titled, "Docking bay, now!". She raised an eyebrow, confused by the subject. Opening the message revealed its sender, Joker, who said to head down to the docking bay before Shepard left on his own, nothing more was added, confusing Tali even more, to the point where she was now worried.
"Something wrong, Tali?" asked Gabby.
"I... S-sorry I need to leave," she answered, quickly leaving the engine room, causing the pair of engineers to look at each other in a puzzled look. What happened now, Shepard? she wondered, growing more concerned about the situation. Arriving in the hall, she pressed the button to call the elevator and because the hall had windows, Tali could see Shepard walking towards the shuttle. A second later, the elevator doors opened. "Garrus!" she exclaimed as she saw the turian.
"Did Joker sent you a message?" he asked in a quick manner.
"Yes, but there's no time," she replied, rushing inside the elevator, prompting the elevator to continue its descent. "Shepard is about to board the shuttle."
"Any idea why he might be leaving on his own?"
"No. I... can't think of anything that would cause him to do this."
"Then we're about to find out," said Garrus, just as the elevator stopped. As soon as the doors opened the two friends rushed out, catching Shepard just as he stepped a foot inside the shuttle.
"Shepard!" called Garrus, stopping the Commander in place. He didn't turn, his downcast expression was still present.
"What's going on? Where are you going on your own?" asked Tali. There was no response, just silence. "Shepard..." she said in a soft tone.
"Get in," was all he said, disappearing from sight. Tali and Garrus looked at each other briefly, unable to make any sense of the situation. The start of the engines was their cue to board the shuttle. Shepard was piloting while Garrus and Tali remained seated in the back, catching a small glimpse of the planet they were descending to and after a few minutes of flying to the unknown, the shuttle engines came to a halt. Shepard walked out from the pilot's cabin still keeping his gaze away from his friends. "You wanted to know where I was going, right?" he asked, making a slight pause. "Well, see for yourself," he said as he opened the shuttles side-door. A strong cold breeze stirred the team, but unshaken, Shepard walked out, with Tali and Garrus following behind. Upon setting foot on the planet, Tali and Garrus' eyes widened as they saw the remnants, debris, and torn pieces of a particular ship.
"Hold on, is this..." said Garrus, changing his view from piece to piece.
"The old Normandy," completed Tali. She looked at Shepard, who was clearly going through different emotions. Whatever they came to do here, it wasn't going to be easy, for any of them. With the many pieces scattered across the snowy planet, Garrus couldn't imagine what everyone aboard the old ship went through. As for Shepard, he remained quiet, observing the place, identifying every piece he could, or at least what he could make sense of. A sudden shine not too far from his position caught his attention. He started walking towards it and as he reached it, he kneeled down, clearing the snow above the shine.
"Not that I want to sound rude Shepard but... What's the reason for coming here?" asked Garrus as less offensive as possible.
"For this..." replied Shepard as he raised his arm. A pair of dog-tags hang from his hand. Tali didn't understand what the metal plaques meant, but Garrus did, and as a fellow soldier, he now knew the reason why Shepard wanted to come alone.
"How many unaccounted?" he asked.
"Twenty, counting this one."
"I'll start searching by the west then if you're okay with it." Shepard simply nodded. After Garrus was a few meters away from them, Tali started walking towards Shepard, wanting to give him some kind of comfort but he spoke first before anything else happened.
"Try to find as many of these as you can, Tali," he said, giving her the pair of dog-tags, who carefully took them. She observed them in detail, and now that she had them up close, she understood their meaning and the reasoning behind Garrus's question. She raised her head and to her surprise, Shepard was no longer with her, his figure barely visible a few meters away, fading in the cold breeze.
Should I... said Tali to herself, taking a few steps forward before coming to a halt. No... he'll just tell me to... she paused for a moment. "Bosh'tet..." disappointment, sadness, and annoyance, all mixed together in a single voice. "Why do you always want to do things by yourself?" she murmured as she began searching for the rest of the tags.
Time passed on the freezing planet, with the cold winds calming down for a few moments before raging again, but they did not reach the degree of danger. The place where the remains of the Normandy were found was quite stable, really the only dangerous place was the cliff to the northwest and even so, its base was quite solid. During the search for the dog-tags, there was no communication from the team, comms remained silent. For Shepard and Garrus, this wasn't a problem, as soldiers, situations like this one were to a certain extent common, but for Tali, a species as social as hers required common speech.
A quick check on everyone wouldn't hurt, she stopped just at the edge of a steep slope. Before opening the channel, she checked the number of tags she had found, six out of twenty, the names that were engraved, she recognized them all, not that she always talked to them, they were easy to remember. Back in the Flotilla, to identify someone, voice and tone were the first things to remember, followed by the colors they wore among others, but when working with other species, with those who don't have the need to wear an enviro-suit at all times, things were easier, since one could memorize their facial futures and the greater freedom personality. Tali felt a little pain in her chest, remembering the times she spoke to them, but it would fade away knowing that the families of the deceased could finally rest.
"Garrus. Tali here. How is your search going?" she asked.
"Fine, I guess. I've got eight tags with me, and I don't think I'll find more on this side. I've swept the zone three times by now," he replied. "What about you?"
"I've found six tags instead of eight, and I'm also sure there are no more over here."
"Six you say, that's fourteen so far. Let's hope Shepard found the rest. Do you know where he is?"
"He went north from where we landed, haven't seen or heard from him since then."
"Hmmm, must be taking his time."
"I thought about searching along with him but, before I could say anything he left on his own."
"Why not go with him now?"
"Wouldn't make more sense if you went with him? As a fellow soldier?"
"I may be a former soldier like him but this is more of a... personal thing. You're more suited for this stuff than me. So go on and check on him before we end up frozen."
-.-.-.-.-
"What am I supposed to then?! We're out of the game! The Council and Udina grounded me and refused to go after Saren. We both know that if he's not stopped from finding the Conduit, we're all dead! ...I'm just one man, Tali."
"Shepard... You did everything they asked and more. Nobody else could have done what you did. But you have to remember you're not alone in this fight. There are people you can rely on. People who care about you. You don't have to play the tough soldier all the time. If you need a shoulder to cry on… I'm here for you."
-.-.-.-.-
"Tali...?" asked Garrus, seeing there was no response from her.
"S-sorry, I was just remembering something from the past." she sighed. "I'll go with him."
"I'll be waiting at the shuttle, but if things don't look good..."
"I'll let you know," she finished, ending the call. Using her omni-tool she displayed the layout of the zone. I'm here... and the shuttle's there. Then... she raised her head, looking a little to the east, ...Shepard must be somewhere over there. Closing her omni-tool, Tali carefully placed a foot on the slope, putting some pressure on it to make sure it was solid. Convinced it was strong enough to support her weight, she slowly began walking down with her upper body slightly tilted back. There were other ways by which she could go down safer, but she was already halfway there, no turning back now as it would only become more difficult and time-consuming.
Everything seemed to be going well when a strong blizzard appeared abruptly, forcing Tali to change position to resist the force of the wind, unfortunately, the surface she was on did not allow her as much maneuverability as she would have liked, and in one of her movements, her leg stretched out longer than it should have, causing her foot to brush the floor. With the imbalance of her body and the force of the wind, Tali ended up slipping, slamming herself hard against the freezing floor as she slid all the way down.
Because the slope was merely made of ice, she picked up speed as she slid down, but thanks to the soft snow below, her landing was cushioned. Like all quarians, the first thing to check was her visor, which fortunately did not show any kind of cracks. The second thing to do would be to check the part of the suit that was in contact with the ice during her slide. The quarian suits were tough, but it was common to check them down to the smallest detail. The problem was that being covered in snow and with the constant blizzards, it would be difficult for Tali to check her suit, so she opted to run the automatic quarantine program of her omni-tool, a tool that would potentially seal the most common infected of her suit so she could later give them specific maintenance. The quick scan produced no negative reports, which relieved Tali.
Keelah... why did I decide to walk down through that, she said to herself as she slowly stood up, removing some snow in the process.
"Tali?" she suddenly heard, causing her to turn around.
"Shepard?"
"Over here," he said in a higher tone as he got close to Tali.
"Sorry. I couldn't see you with this blizzard."
"I can see that," he agreed, looking briefly around before returning his gaze to Tali. "But there's something else obstructing your view."
"What do you mean?" she asked. For the same reason, she didn't notice Shepard bringing his hand towards her visor who carefully wiped off the condensed water that formed over it, clearing only the part where her eyes were, leaving a curve-like line from one eye to the other, surprising her by the sudden action.
"Better?" he asked. Tali had her eyes widen and blinked a few times. Her view was much clearer than before.
"Y-yes. Thanks," she said, not sure as to what else to say. What Shepard did was simple and it should have been obvious to her as well, but being so concentrated on the task at hand, she completely forgot. She noticed Shepard didn't have his previous expression, he was now more in a neutral state and the way he was talking was different than when they initially arrived. "Shepard. Are you-" before Tali could finish, an even stronger blizzard hit the two of them.
"This place is getting pretty bad. Have you seen Garrus?" asked Shepard.
"He's already at the shuttle. Between me and him we found fourteen tags, hoping you would find the last ones," explained Tali.
"I did," he said, tapping with his hand a small suit compartment. Tali also saw Shepard carrying something else but couldn't clearly see what it was."Six of them. Wich means we found all of them," Well, almost all of them... "Let's get back to the shuttle before it gets worse out here." Tali just nodded as the zone was indeed getting harsher with no indication of stopping.
Shepard and Tali made their way to the shuttle where Garrus was waiting for them, already sitting in the pilot's seat, ready to take off when called upon. Once inside, Tali could clearly see what Shepard was holding in his hands; an old broken helmet, although it was not just any helmet since its colors and iconic logo made it recognizable even for those who were not human. She noticed how Shepard stared at it, surely remembering the events that led to the helmet being in that state. What would it feel like to remember your own death? And one as tragic as Shepard's, Tali wondered during the return trip. When the three friends returned to Normandy, Miranda was waiting for them at the docking bay.
"Commander!" she exclaimed as Shepard stepped out from the shuttle. "What is the meaning of this? You can't just leave the Normandy like that. You need to notify me before doing something as rash as this," demanded Miranda.
"He didn't leave alone," said Garrus as he and Tali walked out of the shuttle.
"It doesn't change the fact that I wasn't notified," she insisted.
"Just because you're the XO doesn't mean you should know every move the Commander makes. That just sounds like you want to be controlling him."
"It's not controlling, it's being organized and prepared for any outcome. As a former C-Sec officer, this should be inscribed in you."
"Really? Well, let me tell about how I-"
"Enough!" shouted Shepard. "Lawson, you can discuss this matter with me another time. But just so you know, this was a personal matter like yours. Just because I died two years ago doesn't mean I don't have any unfinished business to tend," said Shepard before continuing his way to the elevator. Garrus and Tali were soon to follow, leaving Miranda behind.
The ride to the Mess Hall was silent as Shepard had his gaze fixated on the many tags from the deceased crew members hanging from his hand. The elevator upon reaching its destination opened its doors. Nor Garrus or Tali stepped forward, as both waited for Shepard to act.
"It must be a bit late now. Go get yourselves some rest," he spoke without turning. Tali and Garrus looked at each other. They knew their friend was trying to act as if nothing happened but none one could deny the truth of his emotional state. "I appreciate that you helped me down there and that you want to keep doing it but... I need to be alone for this," he finally turned, barely looking at his friends. It seemed as if Gurras was going to say something, but in the end, he decided not to and simply stepped off the elevator. Tali got out of the elevator turning once more to Shepard, expecting some kind of change in him, but only watched as the elevator doors closed.
There you again. Always doing things by yourself, she said to herself.
"He'll pull through, Tali," said Garrus. "I was like that no too long ago."
"I know Garrus but... he's probably relieving the memories from..." Garrus place a hand over Tali's shoulder.
"It's true, but look at it this way. We all had time to grieve and accept his death but I am sure he hasn't t had time to really think about what happened to him, and now that he is back... Sure, I want to help him as much as you do but this time, we must give him his own space," said Garrus.
Tali let Garrus' words sink in. She remembered back on Freedom's Progress how Shepard reacted upon hearing two years passed since his death. She helped him cope with it there but it sure wasn't enough. He needed some time alone, though seeing how emotional Shepard could really get, Tali still worried for him.
"Well, I will take that rest. Hopefully, Shepard is better by tomorrow. Goodnight Tali," said Garrus after not hearing a reply, leaving her to her own thoughts.
Garrus is right. He needs time. But I can't stop thinking he might... No, he won't do anything rash. You need to trust him Tali. she said to herself and began walking away only to notice a small portion of snow still attached to her arm. Right... I still need to check my suit, she said, without worry or in alarm as any other quarian would. Tali glanced one last time at the elevator before leaving to work on her suit.
Author's Note:
Hello everyone!
New chapter here. This time I wanted to focus on the Normandy Crash Site, as now having both Garrus and Tali, original crew members, it seemed fitting for me to work on that as it would also give me more space for, well, you'll have to wait until the next chapter, sorry.
What are your thoughts about this DLC/part of the game?