January 10th 2185 CE
The following morning was a bustle of activity. Nalah hadn't taken the Jane-leaving-for-Tuchanka news well, and was currently banging around in the kitchen, angrily cooking. Anyone who trespassed too close to her domain was immediately put to work, or simply hollered at. Apparently, she was whipping up food that could be well preserved, ensuring the nutrients were retained for Jane's journeys.
The young woman was attempting to lighten Nalah's mood without much luck. "I'll be fine. I spent days reading up on Tuchanka. Radioactive isotopes are heavier than atmospheric oxygen. It falls into the crevices and deep in the valleys. Most of it'll be covered by a millennia of storms anyhow. Plus, I'll wear a radiation wet-suit just in case."
"What I don't understand is why you insist on doing this! I'm sure that Anderson fellow will be back any day now. You were on the cusp of being admitted to Grissom Academy, it has one of the most prestigious biotic programs in Alliance Space. Can't you hang..." Her eyes flicked to Jane's wrist, where the dampener was situated, a steely brace digging into flesh. A plastic sealant had been placed over the contraption, to protect the laceration from outside pathogens, but the oozing was clear for all to see. "Would an inhibitor really be so terrible hon? We can protect you."
"I… can't Nalah. I'm sorry but I can't go back to living like that."
She huffed and returned to her cooking. "I'm going to freeze dry and vacuum seal this. Frank!"
"Here woman."
"Don't give me any lip today, I'm in no mood. Where's my PowerVac?"
"At the house..."
"WELL GO GET IT!"
Frank retreated with a great deal of haste, eager to escape the reaches of Nalah's fury.
Garrus gingerly approached the kitchen area, half convinced she would slam him with a muffin pan if he made any sudden moves. After all, he was the one facilitating Jane's request. But as far as he was concerned, she earned the right to choose her own path. "If I might borrow Jane for a bit? I need to get her some armor for the trip..."
"Her measurements are on the table. I took them just this morning as there's no way in hell she's going without proper armor and sun shields. Get on it."
Ignoring the pleading look Jane tossed his way, Garrus fled to the markets. The last thing he wanted to do was risk an attack. Whatever clandestine group was shadowing her wouldn't bother with him. And that notion only increased his anxiety. This wasn't the Blue Suns or the Blood Pack – the fact that they were specifically targeting Jane, ruled out that possibility. With this in mind, arranging transport was going to be much more difficult than she anticipated, a conversation they needed to have in the very near future. And he'd have to carve out some time to train her – in not only how to wear armor but in the art of equipping it rapidly. The Alliance standard was sixty seconds, and he was going to be damn sure she measured up.
He returned a few hours later with a new set of Colossus brand light armor made by Kassa Fabrications, tailored to her small frame. Jane was now scrubbing pots in the kitchen while Nalah, preoccupied with her PowerVac, mumbled to herself. Bits of meat, veggies, and rice were rapidly being dehydrated and vacuum sealed before his eyes, and the kitchen table was absolutely ladened with foodstuffs. In fact, he couldn't see an inch of wood on the overburdened furniture. How Nalah expected the small woman to fit it all into her pack, the spirits only knew. But he wasn't broaching that topic today – if cooking made her feel better and directed some of her rage away from him, then all the better.
He cautiously cleared his throat. "I picked up a set of armor and an under-suit for you. It'd be best if we start training right away."
Before Jane could even open her mouth Nalah snapped in her general direction. "Go on! Someone else can finish up here. I want you to learn whatever he has to teach, inside and out."
They skittered off to the basement, and had barely reached the gym's entrance when Jane caught his elbow. "Are… you sure you have time for this? I mean… aren't you waging a war against the Blood Pack and the Blue Suns now?"
He simply waved her off. "All that's on hold until you set foot on Tuchanka. Gotta make sure you're trained and prepared."
It took her a moment to regain her bearings after that tidbit of information. "Garrus?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you… for everything . . . I… I . . . can never repay…" She choked a little. "No one's ever… just thank you."
"You can repay me by surviving. Now, this armor isn't going to equip itself. You need to learn how to get in and out of it fast. Then you'll learn how to move in it. This is the lightest set I could find, but it's going to be clumsier fighting in than you're used to. We have to make sure your reaction time doesn't suffer."
Jane watched him disassemble the gear, showing her where every latch, buckle, and emergency med-kit was located. It was a wonder really. When she first arrived, she'd never seen a turian before. Everything from his intimidating height to his gravely voice had been as alien to her as this foreign galaxy with its bustling markets and neverending throngs of people. Now it was difficult to wrap her mind around the fact she wouldn't see him every morning, sitting at the kitchen table, cup of torfa in hand. He'd been a steadfast presence at her back, a comforting solace in the storm. But there was no more time for thinking, so she set to work.
After a grueling forty-five minutes, Weaver rescued his ineptitude with human armor. Learning how things functioned on a diagram was one thing. Trying to fiddle with the impossibly intricate clasps was another. They sat on the far end of the gym, watching as Jane laid on the ground, curled on her side. She planned to sleep in her under-suit, an additional protection against radiation, which simplified things a little. Garrus would hit the timer and she'd spring into action,
"Remember, storing your gear in the exact same manner is essential. Tidiness is next to godliness." Weaver bellowed from the sidelines. Thankfully, he'd not only completed human boot camp but had a few years of military police under his belt. This was old hat for him.
"I won't have a locker!" Jane shouted back. "How am I supposed to stack it exactly like … agh!"
"We'll improvise. Leggings, chest piece, and arms are stored sequentially next to your bed roll with the helmet…."
"Helmet is the first thing I put on."
"And the last?"
"Gloves, duh."
"What was that?"
"Gloves sir!"
Weaver chuckled a bit before leaning towards Garrus and whispering. "That full circle thing never gets old does it?"
As they walked upstairs, with six hours of training under her belt, Garrus pulled Jane aside. He knew she was exhausted but Tuchanka would be ten times worse, and she needed to understand the situation. "Listen, transportation to the Krogan DMZ is going to be tricky, but I have a few ideas."
"Tricky?" She panted, "I don't..."
"Like I said, I have an idea. But someone is after you – and you specifically. Apparently, you're a hot item." He chuckled, attempting to lift the dark mood that had settled between them. "How do you feel about traveling with Tali, maybe even seeing the Migrant Fleet?"
"I… that sounds interesting but I can't ask more of you … you've done so much for me already. Besides, who'd want anything to do with me? I'd probably blow them up, either on purpose or accidentally. I've checked out several transports and can afford the fare."
"You're not asking. I'm offering. Well, more like demanding. Otherwise, I'll age ten years in the week it takes you to reach Wrex. Even if I came with, I'd be worried. I have no idea who, but someone or some… organization is sniffing around whenever you show up off-base. Krul has a few ideas, none of them good. Anyone with the resources to track you down like that should be treated with the utmost caution."
Jane relented and hit the showers before Nalah saw how weary she was. And Garrus retreated to his room, hoping to make timely contact with his quarian friend.
To: Talizorah_Vas_Neema
From: Garrus_VK2180
Tali, could you meet me on the QEC? It's an urgent matter about our mutual friend. What I'm going to ask is big, but she needs transportation. And suffice to say, she's not safe.
"Garrus?" Tali flickered onto the QEC mere moments after he sent the message. "Garrus is that you? What's going on?"
He relayed the past few weeks events, now a heavily rehearsed story, ending with their current conundrum – how she'd get to Tuchanka in the first place. A civilian transport would be far too risky. The Alliance had her listed as dead and, even if that weren't an issue, she'd need Anderson's political pressure to keep the more sinister forces at bay. Before he even broached the topic of her traveling with the Migrant Fleet, Tali caught on and extended an offer.
"I can take her. I'll have to get my Captain's, and possibly my father's, permission but there are several angles I can play."
"You'd really do that?"
"Keelah, what do you take me for? I already feel terrible for not being there when you raided the Ubralle. Of course I'll help. It's the least I can do for Shepard."
"That's… thank you… it's been an uphill battle getting her help. I can't say how nice it is for something to be easy for once."
"Hah! Just wait until I tell my father I'd like to swing by Omega and pick up a human passenger, nothing's gonna be easy then."
"Well, keep me apprised of the situation."
"Will do. But I don't anticipate too many issues beyond the arguing. Shepard is highly regarded among my people for sharing that geth data. We owe him a great debt. The few who treat us well are not forgotten."
While Garrus spent his remaining time with Jane running her through grueling training sessions, Tali wrote a 1200 word presentation highlighting the benefits the quarian people stood to acquire by gaining Councilor Anderson's favor. He may be out of reach at the moment, but his personal ties to Shepard were enough to ensure their generosity would be rewarded. If nothing else, she had the fact that Shepard shared crucial data on geth evolution to fall back on. They couldn't afford to ignore altruistic actions towards their people, not when most of the galaxy wouldn't so much as spit in their direction should they catch fire. When she appealed to Admiral Han'Gerral, he agreed and arranged a meeting aboard the Rayya to discuss the matter. Unfortunately, that was as far as his generosity extended. The rest was up to her.
They settled in the plaza, a massive chamber in the heart of the Rayya, usually used for deliberations among the admirals, trials, and the bi-annual assembly between the civilian captains and the conclave. The other admirals had no objections to Jane's presence, but her father was proving far more difficult. Despite her achievements, he still saw her as a child and dismissed her ideas with an ease that left her feeling as though she'd never left the leikskóli. Thankfully, her Captain, Yetor'Xaeel vas Neema, accepted her proposal with great enthusiasm and joined the fray, ready to defend it
"I'm simply saying Tali," Admiral Rael'Zorah began, his tone had taken on that of one speaking to a bleating child. "I think you've grown too attached to Shepard and his cause. Using your connections to the Admiralty Board in an effort to help his sister borders on abuse of power. His mission is not ours, the reapers..."
True to his promise, Captain Yetor'Xaeel stepped in to defend her proposal. "If what her human commander says is true, the reapers are far more advanced than our creations. Not to mention how terrifying I find the prospect of an AI-alliance. Alone, what hope for survival do we have? Gathering favors makes sense. I don't see another way forward."
"Councilor Anderson has been missing for three weeks and Shepard is dead. I don't see the point in gaining the favor of men who've passed into the Beyond. Udina is projected to take the council seat if Anderson fails to return, and he is about as human-centric as it gets."
Tali only stood up to her father once before – the day she announced her intentions to complete the Pilgrimage aboard a human vessel. And she had the buffer that came with several light years of distance back then. However she couldn't let Shepard down, not when his only living family was in jeopardy. "What does it say about us if we refuse? Shepard went against Alliance protocol to forward us that data on the geth – data that has proven crucial in numerous ops. Are we to abandon an ally simply because she doesn't wield the same political power as her brother? This is the last member of Clan Shepard."
"Exactly Tali, thank you." Yetor added. "I believe the message that we remain loyal to those who've aided us a worthy one."
"One we can't announce! The galaxy doesn't even know she's alive, the woman is traveling as a Jane Doe!" Rael interrupted angrily.
"That should make us want to help her more not less! She is in need, vulnerable. I won't ..."
"And you are too attached!" Rael cut Tali off, voice booming across the galley. "I have half a mind to…"
She was probably risking a reprimand, but Tali just couldn't stop herself from interrupting, anger fueling her onward. Her father looked at her as though he would rather see her flinch in pain than talk back to him. "This man risked his life for you, for us. And lost his life in the process of defending all organics. We of all people understand the risk AI pose, he alone stood against the reapers and the geth. I will not abandon him! Not even in death!" The last line fled from her throat like venom, voice shrill with emotion.
"For three centuries we've stood alone. I will not condone bending over backwards for some human girl who can't personally deliver what you're promising. Whatever minuscule favors we stand to gain. they're not worth it."
"Your Ancestors would be ashamed to hear this Rael! If you cannot see past your own selfishness, or consider this an opportunity, realize that they're not asking much – not when one considers her brother's contributions to the fleet." Yetor leaned forward, forefinger stabbing in animation. "We're already in the Terminus Systems. The Neema alone can divert to Omega. It's one relay jump, a few days. Then we return to the fleet with whatever essentials are gathered on Omega, followed by a seven day journey to Tuchanka. It isn't complicated. Plus, the Krogan DMZ is littered with untapped resources from the war. Good salvage."
"You sound like Ysin more and more lately."
"Perhaps he has a point. The fleet is crumbling. How long can we live like this? Isolated from the rest of the galaxy, traveling aimlessly? We can barely support our current population despite the one child law – let's not even touch the overly complicated subject of maintaining a diverse genetic pool with dwindling resources. Keelah, our population is on the decline and we still have too many mouths to feed. Exploring new paths forward may be our only way out of this rut. Perhaps the humans will be more amenable to our plight than the other council races. We know very little about this species after all."
"Fine. I will permit the Neema leave to divert to Omega." Rael stood, palms pressing against his broad, domineering shoulders in turn. A stretch that would look odd to other species. "But she is your responsibility Tali. I do not want some foreigner freely wandering about the fleet. You are to remain with her at all times. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have much more pressing matters than this nonsense."
Tali loved her father, but sometimes she wondered if he cared about her at all. She spent her whole life trying to live up to his standards only to fall, time and again, beneath his impossible demands. Her Captain was the one who believed in her, not the one man she tried so desperately to please. However, these thoughts were inconsequential. Her proposal had been accepted, and she was more than a little excited at the prospect of having a guest.
A/N: leikskóli - Clean-room nursery where quarian children live during their formative years.