Somewhere in the wee morning hours, Tali and Jane stumbled into her quilted home and promptly fell to the floor giggling. About what, neither woman could remember and the more they tried to figure it out, the louder their laughter grew. Finally, when their sides were so sore they ached, the fits died down and Tali rolled onto her stomach, palm pressed against her helmet. "I've missed this."

Jane lazily peered up from the floor, spread out like a starfish, the picture of contentedness. "Hmm?"

But Tali was lost in her own thoughts. Memories of friendship. Of Shepard and Kaiden hollering at Joker to keep the ship steady while they shaved, and the bits of tissue paper dotting their faces when, predictably, he didn't. She tried to tell herself that she had simply fallen for a pretty story. How could she not, with those roguish good looks and consideration of her endless needs? What was it he told her when she put in a request for a food sterilizer?

"Don't be shy about things like this. I'd rather shell out a few creds for something you need than have you get sick or be out of commission. I couldn't do this without you Tali. No one knows more about the geth than you."

She knew he only said that out of need for her technical skills. But was it so wrong to imagine, every-time his boots clomped down to engineering, that he was coming for the sole purpose of seeing her? Of course, he didn't need her school-girl crush on his plate along with reapers, politics, and the shattering aftermath of Virmire. For Ancestors' sake, if all she'd ever be to him was a tech expert, she'd remain at his side, eager to serve. Time and again, he stood firm while the leaders of the galaxy called him crazy, jumped headfirst into impossible missions with those same leaders providing only the scarcest of support, and through it all, he never gave up. The only time she saw him crack under the pressure, was the day they came up empty handed on the Rotund.

In the days following the raid, Tali had watched him disappear. How disconcerting it had been – to see the man emerge from his shell, cautiously let them in, only to be pulverized. That gnawing pit in her chest bubbled over. Normally, she didn't allow herself to dwell on Shepard. He was dead. And it was the responsibility of the living to move on. But Jane brought it all back. And it was painful and wonderful all at once. "He loved you so much you know. I… I want you to know that. How much he loved you. So, you can't die or anything on Tuchanka okay?" But when she turned, seeing the rhythmic rise and fall of Jane's chest, she knew the girl had long since fallen asleep.

Both women regretted that last shot the following morning. Tali even had to show Jane which program to run for vomiting. And didn't press for answers when Jane simply waved off her concern, stating that she was an expert after Datmar. Whatever that meant.

Thankfully, Tali had taken the following day off and they were free to be as lazy as they pleased. They spent the day becoming reacquainted with Galaxy of Fantasy, using the last of Tali's work vouchers to hunt for 'proper hangover food,' and building a quilt-fort in an effort to block the grating, fluorescent lights. Which is where they currently were – physically. Mentally, they were blowing up Fort Graymore deep in the orc-controlled jungle.

Jane's dark elf had several creatures mezzed, others charmed, while she mind-blasted a particularly nasty hell-hound.

"Keelah! I've been playing off and on since this game released and will never understand how you jump between tasks like that."

"There are advantages to having five fingers."

"More like cracked-out octopus hands."

"What the hell is an octopus?

"Bizarre Earth creature. According to Shepard, they were in all sorts of crazy sci-fi movies featuring alien DNA."

"Weird."

"No need to tell me."

After six solid hours of duoing a five-man dungeon, they finally acquired their epics and retired for night. Jane's remaining days aboard the Neema were passing fast, and she required rest before Tuchanka. Life, of course, had other plans.

Hours later, a klaxon sounded, waking them both from a deep slumber. "What the..." Tali mumbled into her pillow, or rather, her helmet which was pressed against the plush fabric. "That's the boarding alarm..."

"Maybe it's a drill?" Jane moaned from her cubby hole, absentmindedly trying to rub her eyes through the mask.

"I doubt it… I'm part of the repelling party. I would've been informed..."

By now, the rest of the quarians on deck four were rousing, their frantic voices muffled against quilted canopies. Captain Yetor'Xaeel's voice boomed through loudspeakers, which were reserved for the most dire emergencies, reaching every quarian aboard. "Incoming hostiles. I repeat, confirmed hostiles incoming. All civilians are to remain or bunker up on deck four. Marines and repelling units prepare for combat and report to deck two."

Tali leaped for her dresser, pulling out her shotgun and boot knife, tossing the latter to Jane. "I told those bosh'tets that disarming you was foolish. Your gear is in the armory. I have to meet up with my team but I won't leave you unarmed."

"Wait, you're leaving? Without me?"

"I'm sorry. But I must. Stay here. Stay hidden." Tali's tone was curt. One hand parted the quilt serving as her room's entrance. "I'll be back. Just stay here."

Jane sat on the bed, trying to push the wrongness of the situation away. With the inhibitor bracelet, she wasn't at her best, yet sitting around amid gunfire really wasn't her strong-suit. So she he opted to listen. At least for awhile.

Deck one was a mess. A giant cluster-fuck. Civilians were practically stampeding towards the elevator and emergency stairs, held in check only by a contingent of Migrant Fleet Police. The Fleet being attacked was unheard of. The Neema? It was one of the first ships acquired after the Great Retreat. And not once had it been boarded by hostile forces. Tali careened around the corner, catching up with Kal'Reegar, as he readied his men. "What is going on? Any intel?"

"Damned if I know ma'am." Reegar checked his rifle, before leaning in close, tapping their helmets together, ensuring they weren't overheard. "Whoever they are had fleet codes. They managed to jam our flight controls and overrode docking procedures, which is why we're in this mess. We've got a rat, bet my ass on it. Keep that quiet though. Last thing we need is a panic."

Running short on time, Kal turned from Tali to address his men,"Alright listen up you scallywags. I want every gun pointed at that airlock. We're gonna blow them straight to hell the moment the doors open. Hit 'em hard. Hit 'em fast. I don't want to see one unspent thermal clip!"

A chorus of 'Keelah'Selai' went around as Tali moved into position, omni-tool glowing a menacing orange. Moments later, a precision laser was cutting through the Neema's doors and they readied a fitting welcome. The invaders were greeted by an overload and barrage of bullets. It wasn't even a fair fight. The quarians cut through their attackers like tissue paper. For a time, Tali's main concern was possible contaminants these unsuited humans were dragging in, and the fact that they were human in the first place. This was bizarre. Why would humans attack the fleet?

Mere seconds after the last man hit the deck, a distant explosion tore her focus from the docking tube. Stomach sinking, she realized that was -

"They breached the hold." Anger crept into Kal's voice. "Shit. This was a distraction. Who the fuck throws people to their deaths all so they can sneak in the backdoor?"

"Coms are jammed." An unidentified marine piped in.

Cut off from orders, Tali and Kal decided to head to the source of the problem – the hold. As they made a mad dash for the emergency hatch, a ship-wide broadcast broke over the coms. "This is Commander Talbot Pinncock. We are now in control of the bridge and have your captain. This doesn't have to get messy. You have something we want. A human female. Hand her over, and we'll go on our merry way. Fail to fulfill this request, and I'll blow your captain out the air-lock along with anyone else who doesn't comply."

Tali's blood ran cold. Garrus had been right all along. Someone was after Jane, someone with enough power and doggedness to attack the Migrant Fleet, an act of suicide. Provided they survived this assault, quarians were known to ruthlessly hunt down any who threatened the security of the Fleet. Even exiles were expected to aid them in such endeavors. Living one hull breach away from extinction had a way of breeding generations of extremism and unconditional loyalty.

"I have to get to Jane." Tali was already on her feet, racing for the elevator. If these bosh'tets really breached deck five it's only a short jump to…."

"Wait, you know who they're after?" An angry voice interrupted. "We really have a human on board? The hell are we waiting for? Hand her over! Why are we risking lives for a human?"

Before she could answer, Kal marched up to the platoon and shouted them into submission. "Stand down Leem. This comes from the top. If the admiralty board says shoot. We shoot. If they say we're makin' nice with the Alliance, we're damn well gonna do it. That woman is under our protection. Now hustle! We're headed to the cockpit. Gaan, Wosin. The two of you are with Miss Zorah. Protect her at all costs."

And so she ran, clenching her shotgun, trailed by two privates she vaguely recalled from an operation in geth space. She needn't have bothered. When they turned the corner, she nearly ran head on into Jane. The woman was out of breath and bloody, clasping something in her hand.

"Are you alright?" Tali moved as if to check for injuries but Jane waved her off.

"Blood's not mine. Oh… I've.. I have something for you." She held out a recording disc. "Dunno how it works but I'm to deliver it to you or Reegar. Said you'd know what to do."

Tali recognized the device and quickly hooked it into her omni-tool. These were orders, earmarked by either their Captain or Han'Gerrel himself.

"Bullshit!" Captain Yeetor's enraged voice popped over the static. "These nincompoops may have the bridge but they damn well don't have me. We do not negotiate with terrorists! Give them no quarter. No demand will be met. Repelling party to deck one. Let's show them what happens to those who trespass on the quarian people."

Tali spoke while motioning for them to change course to the flight deck.. "You saw him? The captain?"

"Yeah… he's making sure these Hegemony bastards don't breach deck four." Jane panted. "I dropped a forklift on a few along with some crates blocking off the other exit…now they're caught in a choke point. He sent me up the emergency hatch to deliver the message."

"They're not batarian…I know you bleed the same color but we ripped off some of their helmets to identify who was invading..."

"They must want you bad." Gaan interjected, failing to recognize Tali's rank. "Never heard of anyone so foolish as to attack one of our warships."

"I know this group. They were on Kar'Shan, working with the Hegemony." Jane's fist parted as she handed Tali a scrap of bloody fabric. "I know this symbol."

"Cerberus? Those freaks who were experimenting on rachni and thorian creepers? What would they want with you?" She stared at the emblem and shuddered at the mere memory of their monsters.

"Maybe they keep biotics as pets. Hell if I know. What I do know is that they've been trying to buy me since I was a kid."

"Well, they're not getting they're hands on you now."

"No arguments here."

They arrived on the flight deck to a hilarious sight. Reegar had his marines holding up several Cerberus operatives by their ankles, while he rammed the butt of his rifle into them, demanding answers about their Captain. A dozen Cerberus troops lay dead at their feet. Clearly, they came woefully unprepared to fight highly trained marines. And it was all Jane could do not to burst out laughing at these pathetic excuses for soldiers. The main assault on deck five had been far more intense. Yet, despite her handicaps, she managed to assist the Captain and his personal guard. They hadn't lost a single quarian to Cerberus.

The techs broke through the jamming a few minutes later, restoring the Neema to full functionality. And the few unfortunate souls who survived the assault were handed over to the Admiralty board.