2183, Krogan DMZ

Shepard watched from the cockpit as Tuchanka slowly faded away while the Normandy headed towards the relay. He took Wrex's advice, and didn't leave the shuttle. Saying goodbye to the scarred old krogan was tougher than he imagined, but the Spectre felt as though it wouldn't be the last time they met face to face. Wrex had a new look in his eye, beyond the wisdom he occasionally let out during the missions and their subsequent talks. The former mercenary held his armor, carefully packed away in a crate, in one arm as he returned to his homeworld. The ancient battle armor of the Urdnot Chieftan would need to be restored to be used, but that would be done once he earned the title.

Once they communicated with the turian patrol fleets that they were leaving the system, Shepard went to his cabin, frustrated with the lack of leads on the Reapers. Although the Council privately was attempting to locate information on these illusive ships, they publicly were stating it was a geth invasion. He had reluctantly agreed to publicly abstain from mentioning the Reapers, as it would simply cause mass panic. They had promised, however, to build the fleets and reconsider the ancient treaties as 'defensive maneuvers against a possible second geth invasion'. Regardless of the naming, as long as they built their fleets Shepard had no qualms with their plan. The Normandy was headed towards the Styx Theta relay to rendezvous with an Alliance patrol, though they would be a couple of days behind. The data Shepard and his team had collected on behalf of Admiral Kahoku finally generated a lead, and he felt it was his duty to follow through for the slain Alliance leader. Whether or not any information on the Reapers was involved was anyone's guess, though it seemed unlikely.

Once that mission was complete, the Normandy would refuel, then head towards the Omega Nebula. Reports had been produced that ships had been disappearing in the systems outside of Sahrabarik, and none of the mercenary groups in the area had been claiming them as their work. Most importantly, the ships had been entirely disappearing from the area, with no life pods or survivors located. The complete destruction mirrored geth activity from before the battle of the Citadel, and warranted a closer look for any leads. A few scattered reports had mentioned a special relay in the system being activated, the Omega 4 relay, though any ship attempting to explore it was never seen again. For hundreds of years, the system remained the only one with two mass effect relays, though after numerous ship disappearances, few continued to tempt fate and use the second red relay. Shepard and his crew would not be attempting to use it, as the risk was far too great.

As Shepard was sitting on his bed, reading another seemingly useless 'lead' on the ship disappearances in the Omega Nebula. Wrex was freshly back on Tuchanka, and Liara remained on the Citadel to pursue prothean and Reaper leads with her mother's old information networks. However, both Garrus and Tali remained on board for now as non-Alliance squad members. He had been expecting her to request transportation to the fleet once he had healed from his injuries, but she had yet to bring it up. He had no desire to bring up the topic either. He stretched his back, and turned on the news report instead of further useless reading. Of course, it was another showing of his interview, near the beginning.

-"Thank you for your time, Commander Shepard." The asari reporter graciously began. "I'm Zymina Bralla from the Thessia Reporting Agency. What can you tell us about the dreadnaught?"

Shepard nodded from his podium. "As of now, we are assuming the dreadnaught was created by the geth. A familiar human ideal known as Occam's Razor is currently being applied. This being that generally, the straightforward answer is the most likely. Saren led a fleet of geth warships along with it, and controlled their armies planet side." He paused for a moment, and added carefully. "This does not mean other theories are not being investigated ma'am, but currently it has the most tangible evidence."

A small light blinked on an elcor's head, and Shepard assumed it was its species way of raising a hand. He took a risk, and pointed towards it. The larger alien bowed its head lightly, then monotonously questioned. "Respectfully: Jultor, with the Dekuuna News Bastion. Commander Shepard, we have heard the term 'Reaper' used in your Spectre inauguration, as well as during other communications made public. Genuine inquiry: Is this one of the theories you are researching?"

Shepard grinned at the elcor. "Absolutely. An audacious attack on the Citadel and all that it stands for deserves a full investigation towards every plausible theory involved, both for justice, and to prevent further threats to any race."

A turian raised a talon, and the Spectre pointed at him with another nod. "Major Herzo Tixan active duty with the Hierarchy. With the humans gaining a Council seat, what can you expect from the System Alliance in the form of protection?"

Shepard stood straighter at the question. "Humanity proved itself willing to aid in the defense of the galaxy and all of its denizens during the battle of the Citadel. The Alliance will continue to lead humanity by example, and offer assistance to the Citadel Defense Fleet, as well as aid in other peace keeping assignments as a Council member. If you're asking for specific details and numbers, unfortunately I have not been given those as of yet."

A voice quickly made Shepard frown, as it blurted out without being called. "Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, Westerlund News. Commander, humanity sacrificed thousands of lives to protect the Council and the Citadel. Shouldn't we have a leadership role now that we've proven ourselves capable of stopping what the Citadel Defense Force couldn't?"

Shepard's scowl did not abate as he looked down at her smug expression. "Lives were lost among all species, even those not on the Council. As you should be aware, the quarian pilgrim Tali'Zorah nar Rayya put the final bullet into the traitorous former Spectre. Thousands of turian and asari lives aboard the fleet were lost before the Alliance even entered the battle. While again, humanity did show our merit, we did not do so alone." He allowed that to set in, before he added loudly. "Xenocentrism has no place in a civilized and united galaxy. Seeing as you can't even follow the decorum presented in this interview, I am unsurprised by your blatantly imprudent comments."

A second asari waved excitedly, and Shepard pointed at her, ignoring the annoying reporter before she could report. He had to stop himself from chuckling as two turian C-Sec officers began headed towards her location. "Yalle J'Azza, Citadel News Network. Speaking of your team Commander, can you tell us what it was like to serve alongside such a diverse crew?"-

The Spectre turned off the data pad, frowning slightly. While the Council still remained firm in their meetings that they were researching into the Reaper threat, his official interview after he had recovered seemed to directly contradict what he personally thought. Regardless, riling up the galaxy with threats of genocidal sentient starships would benefit little. Using the geth as scapegoats to increase galactic fleet sizes would have to do for now, but the thought of his white lies made him feel…uneasy.

Regardless if they were the main threat or not, the geth obviously could remain a problem in the future. He had yet to hear from the Alliance on his idea about a quarian partnership, but Hackett seemed to be intrigued by the idea. Both build a partnership with another species, as well as research the geth with the ones who likely knew the most about them. Knowing they would be likely supportive on an all-out war against the genocidal synthetics didn't hurt, either. He decided not to tell Tali about it, for now. If it was finalized, and she was still aboard, she'd be the first to know.

2183 Sahrabarik

Shepard brushed his teeth, and stared at the mirror at his exhausted face. Whether or not the gash near his eye would become a permanent scar would be seen soon enough. Rachni were fearsome warriors, and their latest combat mission had proven it. With only Kaiden, Tali, Garrus, and himself remaining on the ground team, they had held the line against the ferocious insectoid creatures. Cerberus still had rachni from their experiments, apparently, though the ones in the Styx Theta had escaped from their clutches. Hopefully the organization didn't have their own personal army of them. It'd only make the queen's peaceful intentions harder to accomplish whenever she did decide to revisit the galactic community, if ever.

The Spectre put on his casual Alliance outfit, and added a small smear of medigel onto the wound. Chakwas had already given it a few stitches, so nothing drastic was needed to further the healing process. Even after nearly a week, it wasn't fully recovered. It was pretty late in the ship's cycle, and they were due to refuel before their 'unofficial' mission into the Terminus systems. He glanced at the near empty room, and was surprised to see a familiar quarian standing by his room's locked door.

Shepard gave her a warm smile as he approached. She had become admittedly his closest friend since he joined the Alliance, and she seemed to reciprocate the strong friendship. Seeing her nervous posture, he was internally less than thrilled at the upcoming conversation, but at least he could remain in contact when possible. He gave her a moment to speak, but when she remained quiet and standing, he broke the silence first. "Hey Tali, what can I do for you?"

She wrung her hands and looked at her feet for a moment, before she met his gaze. "I had a question about our future missions, if you do not mind me asking."

Shepard nodded, and opened the doors to his quarters. Although they had spent time throughout the mission casually chatting in his room, something about her nervousness was different today. He sat down on his new couch, one of the non-standard requisitions he purchased after the battle of the Citadel. "Sure, have a seat, what's on your mind?"

Tali quickly sat beside him on his new couch, though she remained looking away. Shepard was concerned, but didn't want to rush her thoughts. She finally met his gaze, and her sad tone was entirely unexpected in his mind, as was her question. "Do you want me to stay on board?"

Shepard raised his eyebrows, surprised. "Of course, you're absolutely invaluable on the ground team and in engineering. Plus, you're my closest friend, and I'm grateful to have your support. Why would you ask that?"

Her eyes widened at his response, and she hesitantly answered. "Am…Am I really your closest friend?"

Shepard smiled softly at her. "I'm certain of it." He paused, before continuing. "We spent nearly a year in a constant state of stress Tali. We've been through more than many soldiers go through their entire lives. I don't think I could have kept it going without you."

Tali quickly reached over, and squeezed his hand for a moment, before releasing it just as rapidly. "Thank you, John. I feel the same way." She fidgeted slightly. "I just wanted to make sure you wanted me here with you." She wrung her hands nervously and added. "On the ship, and on the team I mean. I know you could recruit whoever you wanted now. I am sure many of the governments would be willing to provide experienced crew members to fight the Reapers… including engineers."

He nearly blushed at her physical contact, wondering if she came up here for entirely different reasons, but quickly pushed his illogical thoughts aside. He focused on her likely question, or reason. Even though she had helped save the galaxy, she still feels guilty about returning to her home. He couldn't help but chuckle lightly at her question, which seemed to confuse her. "You don't have to feel guilty if you want to return to the fleet Tali. You've done more for me, for the galaxy, than anyone could have asked from you."

She looked more confused, and her hands had even stopped their dance. "I would not feel guilty, but that is not what I am asking." She sighed. "I do not know if I can compare to a turian saboteur, or some of your N7 members you told me about. I know I can help, but I am well aware that I was not as experienced as the rest of your team." Her toes tapped individually against the floor of his room, the only sounds against the silence afterwards.

Shepard struggled not to frown. The woman helped save the galaxy, but her unyielding self-doubt constantly crept into everything she did. It seemed to be more than just her quarian upbringing, though he would never openly criticize her father's negative influence on her psyche. He decided to be thoroughly honest with her. "Tali, when you first joined, you were already as good with combat engineer protocols than some of the N7 Demolisher graduates. What you were lacking was weapon proficiency, and updated equipment. That's why I brought you to the Spectre range, and asked you to practice with us. That's also why I had you stay in the back during Feros. Your father's training helped substantially, don't get me wrong, but training with Wrex and I has turned you into an incredibly effective combatant even without your omnitool. Now, I have no doubt you could go toe-to-toe with any engineer on the field, and your weapons skills are nothing to scoff at." He let the words sink in, and stalled her response with a lifted finger before softly adding. "Also, I know I can implicitly trust you, both on and off the field."

She tilted her head in a clear smile. "Thank you, John, maybe I just wanted to hear you say that. I still want to practice more when we have time to make sure I can be as effective as possible." She looked down at her hands, relaxed her posture, and quietly added. "I hope you know I fully trust you as well."

Something about how she said her last sentence threw the Spectre off, but he didn't show his musing on his countenance. "You've told me how insular quarian society is, and how your people have had to deal with racism from other species for centuries. It means a lot to hear that, Tali. Thank you."

She laughed softly, though not the normal giggle he had become accustomed to hearing. "We do not trust easily, even among ourselves. Even our suits have become a barrier against it. You have more than earned it, though, and I am proud to be here."

Shepard thought about what she said for a moment, and noticed she had become confident in her reply. With the heavy part of the conversation out of the way, he thoughtfully perused. "I'm curious Tali, is it just because it's more difficult to read facial expressions?"

She crossed her legs, and nodded. The young quarian often was more than happy to explain concepts involving her people, at least to someone who was genuinely interested in learning such as himself. "Yes, that is a reason. They also represent an inseparable part of our lives, always living sealed off from one another. Unfortunately, our suits are as necessary to our survival as our ability to eat, or to breathe."

The commander nodded, trying to comprehend how life would be if he had to live with a barrier against the outside world like the quarians and volus. "I don't think I could live in a suit my whole life Tali. Then again, I grew up with an entirely different lifestyle. I can't imagine it's easy, but you still don't let it bring you down."

She slumped her shouders slightly, but spoke before he could apologize for his possibly rude conclusion. "We are in our suits even among family and friends, John. Maybe one day, when we can take back Rannoch, things will change." She continued faintly. "Our most important gesture of trust, and acceptance, is to link our suit environments. We get sick at first, but adapt. I have not trusted anyone outside my family… except… well no quarians."

Shepard pondered at her nervousness, wondering if she felt obligated due to his earlier comments. He reached over and gently squeezed her shoulder. "It's okay Tali, I already said I trusted you. You don't have to do that to prove anything. If you want to, I'd be more than happy to, though I'm not sure how I could without wearing one to begin with."

Tali's posture immediately turned rigid, and her eyes widened as they stared at his own. She fumbled over her words as she responded. "I..you mean..John? Keelah…" She stood up, and began wringing her hands. "I..uh.. will talk to you later. I… do not think I explained everything." Before he could reply his confusion, the quarian darted out of his room.

Shepard was bewildered at her behavior, though he decided to give her space like she mentioned. He wanted to search on the extranet for what could have made her nervous, but decided against it. If he broke taboo, or said something insensitive, he would rather find out from her. Plus, as he had noticed a few times, the extranet had proven a poor resource to learn about quarian culture, so he would need to wait.

Tali deftly avoided speaking to him unless they were around people afterwards, and she seemed extraordinarily nervous at his presence. Before he could bring himself to talk to her again in private, the Normandy SR-1 was attacked. Commander John Shepard was spaced in the Amada system only a few days after their conversation, though the quarian woman remained in his thoughts as he took his last breaths.

2185 Far Rim

Shepard had returned with Tali, Kal, and his original team of four back to the ship aboard the quarian shuttle. The ride was oddly silent, as the rush from battle seemed to wear off for all of them. He did manage to give Tali a quick smile, which she wordlessly returned as she sat close beside him. The shuttle was small enough that it wasn't entirely obvious, but she did manage to sit closer to him than entirely necessary. Zaeed didn't seem to notice, or if he did, he didn't necessarily care. Kal was barely awake leaning against the door, and Miranda surprisingly was keeping a vigil on the quarian with her omnitool. Garrus simply glanced in his direction once and nodded, though he knew he'd get a few jabs in during their next conversation.

Once they landed, he noticed the quarians from his shuttle's initial evacuation meandering around in the cargo bay. They didn't seem sure where to go, though he noticed the injured male quarian from earlier and the upset female weren't in the group. Probably in the Med-Bay, and she's either his significant other or a relative. He asked Garrus to show the remaining ones to the third floor, and specifically ordered Reegar to check in at the Med-Bay. The marine looked ready to pass out in exhaustion, and didn't argue as he followed the team, with Lawson following behind them. I'm surprised how concerned Miranda looked, but then again, I don't think she's a bad person. She's just so damn professional with what she does that she unintentionally appears to be rude. Joker should have us out of the system soon, so not much else to do until we're out of here. EDI already told me she would masquerade as a VI and lock the AI core door whenever non-crew members were on board as part of her programming, so no need to worry about that.

Shepard turned to the last person remaining in the cargo bay, and attached his helmet to his hip. He closed the distance and tightly embraced her. She seemed surprised at first, but immediately returned the favor. After a few moments, he whispered. "I'm sorry Tali, I came as fast as I could."

She shook her head, and softly replied. "You saved our lives John, please do not blame yourself. We are all upset that a few of us joined the Ancestors, but I am just grateful most of us escaped in time…. thanks to you." She sighed against his shoulder, and her voice thickened as she continued. "I wanted to give you all of the mission information, but my father refused my request."

He frowned, thankfully hiding it from her. He nearly sent his daughter to her death, and wasn't even the one to contact me… He hid most of his frustration from his voice as he said. "The important part is you're safe now. But you're right... I'm glad we got most of you out. Whatever they needed your team to get, I don't think it was worth it."

She let go of the embrace reluctantly, and typed into her omnitool. "I just sent the data to Kal'Reegar. He can deliver it to the fleet, and my leave request was already approved." She closed the omnitool with more force than necessary, and scoffed with a flicked wrist in disapproval. "If the Admirals have a problem with it, they can go to hell. We lost too many good people for readings about a damn star blowing up."

I agree with her. Sure, Dholen is undergoing some intriguing behavior, but was it worth it? Even if Mordin is right, and they're trying to get to my old team specifically, going into geth space relying on stealth is a hell of a gamble. Shepard ignored his thoughts, and focused on the far more pleasant prospect ahead instead. He smiled at her, and replied. "So, does that mean you're part of my crew again?"

His diversion from the day's events seemed to work as intended. Tali's eyes and posture softened, and she answered with a clear smile in her voice. "I am, for as long as you need me."

His grin widened, and for a moment he felt as though no time had passed between them. I keep finding reasons to delay saying my mind, but I have to promise myself it's only until she gets some rest. He grabbed both of her hands in his, and gently squeezed them as he whispered. "That's the best news I've heard today." He paused, and added. "Once we get your team out safely Tali, and maybe after you get situated on board, I want to speak to you in private… if that's alright with you."

Her grip tightened, and she softly confirmed. "Of course, my Captain." Another brief pause occurred before she continued in her regular tone. "Can show me where the ship's engineering section is? I need to meet the chief engineer, and working on the drive core should help me relax for a while."

I know that feeling, I usually take apart and clean my rifle after a rough mission, though with Jacob I'll need to find a new way. I know she wants to forget about her mission if she's not asking to see the other quarians. Plus, it's good to know she still trusts that I'll make sure they're okay, even on a Cerberus funded ship. I'll just have to make sure I'm there for support when they depart. Shepard let go of her hands, and motioned towards the now empty elevator. "Sure, let's go. I'll speak to your team once you're situated."

The quarian was hot on his heels as he walked, and she perused. "So, who is the chief engineer, John?"

He quickly and nonchalantly answered. "Me of course, who else could manage such an advanced warship, hmm?" They entered the elevator, and he heard a slightly metallic snort as he turned to face her. "Thanks for the vote of confidence Tali." Not going to ask her to put away her weapons just yet. Let her relax and bury herself in the engine room for a while, but I'll have to make sure she's okay maybe even before the squad leaves. I can almost guarantee she's going to blame herself for it.

She laughed as he pressed the elevator button for the fourth level, and she nudged his shoulder and teased. "You know Wrex told me about his mission, right?"

Damnit Wrex…of course that old fart wouldn't keep a secret. Shepard's face immediately reddened. His quarian companion wasn't done, and she continued after noticing his cheeks. "He did say you were part krogan, and I guess that confirmed it."

The Spectre sighed in defeat, though he couldn't help but join her in a light chuckle as the elevator doors opened. "I'm really glad you're back Tali."

He turned to the left, and she cheerfully replied. "I am too, but you never answered my question."

I wonder how poorly I can pronounce this word. The first door opened, and he shrugged. "Don't be a bosh'tet, you're about to see for yourself."

She quickly turned to him in surprise, before she lightly slapped his shoulder. "Of course, that is the one word you remember."

He narrowly avoided replying to her accurate assessment thanks to the second door opening, revealing the two engineers at their posts. Both turned at the sound of the door opening and quickly saluted. Of course, Kenneth was the first to speak. "Commander Shepard, welcome back! Who's the new lass you brought down?"

Gabby stomped on his foot, earning a surprised grunt while maintaining her salute. "Sorry Commander!"

Shepard could tell he was in a good mood, as a light laugh escaped him. Of course, Tali helped bring up my spirits. "At ease. As long as you do your job and follow orders, I'm willing to skip the formalities in the future." He turned to Tali, and continued. "This is Kenneth Donnelly and Gabriella Daniels, but they go by Ken and Gabby. They're both ex-Alliance, and they served in the battle of the Citadel. So far, they don't strike me as Cerberus loyalists."

Gabby grinned at the statement. "Thanks Commander. Before Ken says something stupid, is this Tali'Zorah nar Rayya from your old crew?"

Guess she did her homework. Before he could answer, the famous quarian spoke up. "It's Tali'Zorah vas Neema now, but please just call me Tali."

Ken added cheerfully. "Great! We could always use the help down here!"

Shepard grinned at Kenneth, and decided to drop the news. "Glad to hear it Kenneth, because she's your new supervisor. Tali is the Normandy's new Chief Engineer."

Gabby seemed more than happy with the choice, while Kenneth raised his eyebrows in surprise. The most nonplussed individual though was the newly appointed head of engineering herself. She nervously exclaimed. "Shepard, are you sure? I haven't even checked the drive core yet!"

Shepard laughed again, something he was doing far more often now that she was on board. "I'm absolutely sure of it. This ship is based on the old Normandy, but with some substantial improvements. You worked on the old Tantalus drive core for nearly a year, and Adams isn't an easy man to impress." She leaned on one leg nervously, so the Spectre resorted to threats. "Well, if you don't want the position Tali, that leaves me as Chief Engineer. Your call."

Kenneth interrupted with some surprise. "You've trained in engineering too Commander?" Gabby seemed rather shocked at the new information as well. Shepard smirked and faced his favorite quarian.

Tali, of course, was not fooled. She shook her head in disapproval. "Keelah , okay I'll do it, just don't touch the terminals." She faced the two human engineers who were both now somewhat confused, and cheekily added. "Don't worry, I've got plenty of stories involving our Captain's 'technological prowess' if you are interested." She then turned to Shepard, and innocently asked him. "Would you care to stay and discuss the schematics for the new Normandy? I'll need to know every detail, down to the very last thermal dissipation algorithm."

Shepard's smirk disappeared at her all-too-smug tone, while the two humans looked at him with wide grins. Even Tali had crossed her arms confidently, with a clear smile hinted at with her eyes. Well, I still need to go check on the other quarians. He sheepishly cleared his throat. "I should go."