Tali looked up when Shepard came over to her. "Just a moment, Horatio. I'll be right back." Tali muted the transmission and stood up. "Hey, Shepard. Is it about time?"
"Yeah," Shepard answered, nodding.
"Are you okay?" Tali asked before Shepard could speak—probably to ask the same question.
"Yeah, though I thought I'd be asking you that question."
Tali smiled. "Shepard, I backed you when I was just a kid on her Pilgrimage. I backed you when the Normandy flew Cerberus colors. What kind of fried would I be if I didn't back you now…and you said you needed me here, coordinating geth and quarian assets…and keeping Horatio company."
"How's that going?"
"Well. You should know, Cortez and a geth fighter are experimenting with geth-organic partnerships for piloting. I don't know what the results are, but they're already making hit and run strikes on Reaper air support." Tali found it interesting; certainly, the geth were curious as to whether the dynamic achieved by the Normandy—that is, between EDI and Joker—could be replicated between geth and other organics.
"Good to know. I look forward to seeing if it goes anywhere," Shepard answered.
"So do I, but you haven't answered my question: are you okay?" Tali concluded.
Shepard considered. "A little nervous, but that'll clear up a bit once we get moving. And that will be soon. I just wanted to check in with you and EDI before I get the signal."
EDI was on the other side of the room, facilitating Horatio's secure line. So far, it was still secure. Whether because the Reapers were unaware or because they didn't care…that was the big question. A question with no answer.
"It's not too late for me to find someone to handle coordination so I can come with you," Tali offered. She suspected this was one of those times where no one really wanted to be part of Hammer One, but no one wanted to be the one who didn't volunteer, either. It was an uncomfortable position.
"No. Thank you, Tali, but no. I need you here," Shepard responded, voice firm with certainty, tinged with gratitude.
Tali nodded. At least she'd tried. She wondered how Garrus was handling not going with Shepard, when he went on most missions with her. She hadn't had time to see Garrus since they left the Normandy. Perhaps it was just as well; they all needed to be focused right now, and she had said goodbye back on the ship…with a promise of 'hello again' once it was all over. They agreed that she'd be more of a hindrance than a help with a fresh dose of gunk in her nose.
"Whatever happens, I'm proud to have served with you, Captain." Hesitantly, Tali saluted after the human fashion.
Shepard, smiling wryly, returned her salute. "It's been an honor, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy."
The pride in Shepard's voice as she uttered Tali's ship-name brought a warm flush to Tali's face. "The Admirals once hung that ship-name on me like a badge of shame. And then the Normandy helped us reclaim our homeworld. It's high time we returned the favor."
"Look after yourself, Tali…" Shepard teetered for a moment, then, "And…look after Garrus, too."
It was like Shepard to make sure someone was looking after the big turkey, Tali thought fondly. "Don't worry, Shepard. I worked way too hard for that dumbass to let him go like that," she snapped her fingers as best she could. "I'll keep an eye on him for you. Both eyes, when I can spare them."
"He's worth using both eyes. I'm glad you two finally got together." Her tone said she wished they'd had more time.
"Me, too. I'll admit, I didn't expect it when we first met." But Garrus had grown on her…and grown up. "You're really okay with us?"
"You are the closest thing to a little sister I've had in decades. And Garrus is like a brother to me. So yes, I'm very okay with the two of you being together. Your happiness matters to me," Shepard answered. "Any plans once this is all over?"
Yes, it was good to start thinking in optimistic directions. Especially with what Shepard had in front of her. "There will be a lot of rebuilding everywhere, and I'm still the quarian liaison to the Citadel. I was thinking maybe we could live there, when this is over. Maybe he'll go back to help rebuild C-Sec, maybe he'll be doing other thing for the Hierarchy. I like the idea of the Citadel; it's kind of like halfway between our homeworlds," Tali admitted.
She couldn't imagine living on Palaven, nor could she imagine Garrus living on Rannoch when Palaven was such a mess. But she could imagine him doing Hierarchy-helpful things from the Citadel. As far as rebuilding C-Sec…she wasn't sure if he could go back to that, or if he would even if he could. He hated the bureaucracy so much. But he was the sort who pitched in where needed, so it wasn't outside the realm of possibility.
They hadn't really discussed what came next, when so much focus was needed for the now.
"I hope you get that and more," Shepard said.
"What about you and Alenko?"
Shepard shifted, licked her lip nervously. "We're…we talked about going on a kayaking trip," she answered with an unease Tali couldn't quite understand. Maybe it just seemed like bad luck to be looking too far ahead, when Shepard was so used to focusing on the next five meters. "You know, find some quiet little backwater and take a week or so off while the galaxy shakes off the dust. It was something we'd talked about back on the SR-1…we just never found the time."
Tali smiled. "I like the sound of that…whatever kayaking is. If you need help getting away, I know a talented tech who would be more than happy to help make it happen."
"Thanks. I might take you up on that."