11/7 2185
Normandy SR-2
Mads quite liked the Engineer crew that had been chosen for the Normandy. Kenneth Donnelly and Gabriella Daniels, both were talented beyond belief, even though Kenneth did have a loud mouth. None of them were as talented as Tali, that was simply a fact. But since she wasn't on the team yet, he had to make do. They were hesitant to speak with him at first, having nothing but bad experience with superiors. They had slowly warmed up to him, and had asked for a favor. They had asked for FBA Couplings to make their work easier.
Mads had not only brought the T6-FBA couplings, but he also helped the struggling Quarian, that sold them to him, to get off the rock known as Omega. They had been quite happy at the sight of the new tech given to them. They installed it in record time, and the whole thing gave them more free time. They suggested Mads should join in at a game of 'Skyllian-Five poker'. Mads had been hesitant, but after a little while, he suggested that they play regular Poker at his cabin later that night.
There was a bigger motive to playing in his cabin rather than down in Engineering. It wasn't because he didn't like it down there, or that he thought they were filthy. But because he was worried how they would react to Tali once she was on board. He had a very special position in mind for her, chief engineer. He wasn't sure how she would react to that position, or how they would react. He needed to make sure they understood.
Kenneth and Gabriella had never expected the Captain to actually agree to play poker with them, even if it was just the regular kind. They had certainly never expected to be invited up to the cabin, or the penthouse as some had begun to call it.
Gabriella had insisted that they should wear something a little more... well, fancy. It took some time to persuade Kenneth to put on something else than dirtied uniform he wore every day. He had finally come around to the idea.
They pressed the elevator button and waited for the doors to open. When they did, they walked in and pressed the button for the top. The elevator was slow, as always. But they got there in the end. They pressed the door bell and waited to be let in.
Mads had converted his table into a poker table, he had found some playing cards and some alcohol for the occasion. He heard the door bell and quickly went over to answer it. He opened the door and was surprised at how well dressed they were. He hadn't dressed himself in anything but his usual uniform. "Come in" He said with a smile.
They both stepped inside and were blown away at the cabin. It was marvelous in every way. They noticed the table in the middle of the room. "Go ahead and sit down." Mads suggested. They both did as much.
"Can I offer anything to drink" Mads asked as he opened his small fridge beneath the desk. "No thanks." Gabriella said with a smile, in her head, she spoke for the both of them. "I'll like a whiskey!" Kenneth said, with his usual Scottish accent, out of nowhere, and Gabriella looked angry at him.
"I got a Single malt Scotch, how does that sound?" Mads asked as he took two bottles out of the fridge and closed it with his foot.
Kenneth lit up when he heard that. He could already taste it. "That's damn fine!" He replied. Gabriella punched him on the arm to remind him he was speaking to the captain. Mads placed the whiskey in front of Kenneth with a glass. And brought the Vodka down to his side.
"Are you sure you don't want anything to drink?" Mads asked as he poured Vodka into his glass.
"Yes, I'm good." She replied, shifting slightly in her seat.
"Alright, if you change your mind, just let me know." Mads said as he took out his pack of cigarettes. "Want one?" He asked the both of them.
"No, I don't smoke." Gabriella replied, but Kenneth was quick to give a different answer. "Yeah!" Gabriella looked at him in confusion. "What has gotten into you today?" She asked.
"Let the man live. Just every now and then." Mads defended him. "Yeah!" He confirmed Mads' words. Gabriella accepted defeat and leaned back in her chair. Kenneth took a cigarette from the pack and placed it between his lips.
Mads took out his zippo lighter and gave fire to his own cigarette before giving it to Kenneth. He coughed a few times, it was clear that he wasn't a smoker. That was fine, and rational. Something Mads wasn't.
"You know the rules of Poker, right?" Mads asked as he began mixing the cards.
They both nodded their heads. After a little while, Mads began handing over cards to them and himself. He placed the stack of cards in the middle of the table. They began playing, watching each other closely.
"So, how is going down there?" Mads asked, referring to their work on the FBA Couplings.
"It's been wonderful. We can't thank you enough!" She replies with a smile as she checks her cards once more.
"You really did us a favor, Captain." Kenneth agreed.
"The Normandy needs to be at its best once we head through the Omega 4 relay. You guys have the talent; I just need to give you the tools." Mads remarked as he placed the last cards on the table. It was now time to show their cards.
Gabriella was the first to show, she had a pair. Two queens on her hand. Kenneth showed his hand, he had 2 pair, kings and jacks. Mads took a deep breath as he turned over his cards, revealing something remarkable. He had three of a kind, 3 aces. He smiled as he leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his Vodka.
"Damn!" Kenneth cursed.
"Jesus Christ, you are lucky, captain!" Gabriella remarked with a smiled, she took it more light heartily than Kenneth.
"Used to play a lot of Poker in my younger days." Mads explained as he gathered all the cards and began mixing them again.
"There is another thing I wanted to discuss." Mads said in a more serious tone. They both picked on the tone and began to listen carefully.
"We are currently heading to Haestrom. A former Quarian colony. We are there to pick up a new crew member. Her name is Tali'Zorah, and she is a Quarian. She is probably the most gifted engineer I have ever seen, and therefore I plan on making her Chief engineer once we have her on board. Do you have any objections to that?" Mads asked.
They remained silent for a little while. Mads feared that they may not be okay with it. "We will welcome her with open arms." Gabriella replied with a smile, finally breaking the silence. Kenneth quickly nodded his head in agreement.
"Great, it's just... She has been through a lot." Mads remarked.
"Don't worry. We will take care of her." Gabriella said.
"Good. If there is anything else you need, you let me know." Mads stated. "Now, let's get back to poker." Mads suggested, they both agreed.
They played for most of the evening. They had a good time, while Mads and Kenneth might have had a few drinks too many.
12/7 2185
Haestrom.
Everything had gone from bad to worse for Tali. She was trapped, pinned down by Geth. They had come to Haestrom for a very simple mission: Gather data on the dying star. It had been anything but simple. They were supposed to have been there without the Geth knowing, but instead it rained down with Geth.
She had been locked in the observatory by Kal'Reegar, an otherwise very capable marine. But even he was in over his head here, they all were. Now, she counted the seconds that went by. She was unable to send the data back to the fleet, and so she was locked down with no means of escaping or even completing her mission. This was, perhaps, the biggest defeat she had ever endured. She would die being a failure.
12/7 2185
Normandy shuttle.
Mads loaded in a new mag for his AK, and began to check that the sights were as accurate as possible. Once he was satisfied with his results, he looked over at the two teammates he brought along for today. Garrus and Grunt. Garrus was an old friend, both of Mads, but also for Tali. He figured it would be nice with a familiar face, even if it was the ugly face of Garrus. Grunt could be used as a tank; God knows how many Geth were down there.
"Alright, here is the plan." Mads said to get their attention. They both looked at him.
"Tali is down there somewhere, and it's our job to go get her. We will bring her back, safe and sound. And we shall take down any Geth that stand in our way." Mads ordered. They both nodded.
"Grunt, you take the lead. Garrus, you follow and give cover with sniper fire. Understood?" Mads asked.
"Quite so." Garrus said as he pumped a thermal clip in his sniper.
The shuttle landed, and they quickly ran out and behind cover. Edi gave the run-down of what they currently knew about the place. True to Edi's word, Geth was all over the place, and the sun was cooking them, quite literally. They had to stay in the shadows, otherwise they were doomed.
Grunt could withstand a lot of damage. He, like most Krogans, preferred to get up close and personal with their enemies. That's a warrior trait not really found so commonly in other species, therefore he was a very useful teammate.
Garrus was always a marksman, that was his trade, and he was damn good at it. He could make that sniper rifle dance, because his fingers knew just the right moves. He gave them cover fire where ever they went, and it was much needed.
They worked as a team, and that was the most important factor. Their combinded skills made them a deadly force, each of them was deadly on their own, but together they were almost unstoppable. Garrus and Mads knew how to fight Geth, but Grunt picked up quickly. It was true; he was the peak of Krogan evolution, a natural born killer.
They found traces of the Quarian team sent to the planet, mostly in the form of corpses. They had been butchered by Geth. Mads prayed to God that Tali was safe and sound, he didn't know how he would react if she was dead. The logs they had left behind made it sound like she was still alive.
Presented with a huge battleground, they were once again tested in warfare. Geth dropships kept on supplying new troops to the battle. Their weapons were on the verge of overheating, or at least Garrus' and Grunt's weapons were. Geth were easy to deal with, but they were still annoying. It wasn't all that funny to face them again.
They came across a few corpses of Quarian marines. A radio was trying to reach the dead team members. "OP-1, this is squad leader Kal'Reegar, is anyone there?" The voice asked. Mads picked up the walkie and turned it on.
"This Captain Romanov speaking. Where are you?" Mads asked, hoping his signal could get to the marine. He might have some answer to where Tali was.
"Please patch your radio into Channel 617 Theta. I'm afraid everything has come to shit. We were on a stealth mission, and even though we found what we came for, Geth overran us. We are pinned down, can't leave or send the data back home." He replied, although ignoring his question. Mads changed his radio to the channel provided by Kal'Reegar.
"Damn, where are you holding up?" Mads asked, hoping he would reply this time.
"We are bunkered down a base camp. I locked Tali'Zorah in a secure location. The base camp is just across the valley." He answered.
"Is she alive?" Mads asked, trying to not let concern dominate his voice.
"Indeed, I left my best men with her. We are sworn to protect her, tooth and nail." He answered, making Mads calm down.
"Stay safe, we will be there soon." Mads remarked.
"Can't promise that; just make sure Tali is safe." He requested.
"Will do." Mads replied. They pressed on.
After more lengthy fights, they came across a building they had to enter. It was blocked by a pillar of concrete. They had to blow it open; luckily they had some bombs lying around, free for the taking. Mads watched Tali's journal, and it gave her thoughts on everything. Mads couldn't claim to understand all of that science stuff, but her concerns were voiced in the recordings. Especially the last part of the journal: "I wish Romanov was here..."
Well... I'm here now Tali. And I'm going to get you out of here.
After fighting more of the Geth hordes, they planted the bombs. It blew open, sending concrete flying all over the place. Mads walked into the building, it had probably been used as their base. Everyone inside was dead. Such a terrible shame. As Mads was checking around the room, he saw a terminal on the far side of the room. It was active; Mads walked over to it, to see what was going on.
Tali had curled herself into a ball, crying into her own knees. She was lost, defeated and broken. She didn't know what to do expect pray for guidance from the ancestors. She feared what would happen, and she began listing all the things she regretted in her life. The list wasn't long, but at the top was something she always had regretted: Never telling her feelings to her Captain. Romanov had been nothing but kind to her, he had shown her so many things. She, on the other hand, wasted every chance she got. She could have told him before he died, and she could have told him when they met on Freedom's progress.
What she feared most, was his rejection. She wasn't sure how she would react to it. Her doubt kept telling her, that it was better to stay ignorant. But now, in what she thought to be her final moments, it was easy to see her mistakes in hindsight.
But then, something remarkable happened. A voice called out to her, a very special voice. One she knew… And loved.
"Hallo, are you there?" It asked. She jumped from her crying position and over to the Terminal where the voice came from.
"YES! I'm here!" She proclaimed with a very happy tone.
"Tali?" Mads asked, who could almost not believe his own eyes. There she was.
"Yes, it's me!" She said, so happy to see those ocean blue eyes looking back at her.
"So good to see you are safe. I have come to get you, but we can discuss that in detail later. Right now, I need to save you." Mads stated.
"I'm at the observatory... Is Kal'Reegar still alive?" Tali asked.
"Yes he is. I just need to find him. Don't worry; I'll save the both of you."
"Thank you..." She replied in a soft voice.
Mads cut the connection after the door opened, leaving Tali alone. But this time, she was full of life and energy. She had... Hope, hope for a better outcome of today. She even felt.. safe.
They found the main problem, Geth were trying their hardest to break through the door and get to Tali. Lord only knows what would happen to her, most likely death in a gruesome manner. Mads, Garrus and Grunt linked up with the Quarian squad leader, Kal'Reegar. Mads could quickly see he was injured.
"I don't know why you are here, but I can't very well be picky now, can I? The Geth are trying to get to Tali, and they have killed pretty much all of my squad. All I have been able to do, is being a pain in their ass" Kal remarked.
"And Tali is still safe?" Mads asked.
"Yeah, that door is reinforced. The Geth need time to hack it, and I'm not giving them that time. The Geth are at platoon strength. The Colossus is the worst of the bunch, it keeps on repairing itself, and from where I am, I simply can't get to it once it is repairing." He answered.
"Alright. Garrus, you take the right, provide cover with your sniper. Grunt, you take them head on, draw their attention. I'll go left. Kal, you stay behind." Mads ordered.
"WHAT?" He asked in a very angry tone. He found it very insulting to be ordered to stand down. Mads understood that, but he didn't wish for Kal to die, not now.
"You stay here; try to provide cover with your rocket launcher. Don't lose your head." Mads ordered.
After a little while of discussing it in very angry tones to each other. Kal agreed and stood down, only offering some small support.
Mads began making his way across the left side. They were spread out, but that worked to their advantage here, the Colossus didn't know who to target. The troopers were trying to stop them from all sides, but where simply out of manpower to do a good enough job.
After much fighting and many bullets later, they stood against a single enemy, the Colossus. The damn thing was so annoying. But, they attacked from three sides, making Colossus unable to defend itself properly. As its health dropped, Mads took out his .44 Magnum and shot it one final time in the head. It exploded, dropping into a thousand pieces.
They stood victorious. Now, all they had to do, was get Tali out. Mads walked over to the door, but was horrified to find it damaged by the Geth. Their fighting had caused the door to get damaged; now it wouldn't open, neither from outside or the inside.
Then, they came. The voices. Inside his own head.
Looks like you failed again.
Another girl you let down.
Time moves forward and nothing changes.
Mads grew frustrated at the voices taunting him. He grew angry and began kicking the door. To most people, it looked fruitless. But Mads had received the cybernetic updates in his bones and muscles. He began kicking harder and harder, the metal began to dent with every kick after a while. Until finally, it came off.
Tali had lost communication with the outside after speaking with Mads. Now, all she could hear was the banging on the door. She feared the Geth had gotten to her, and they would now kill her. Then, the door sprang open, and instead of the Geth she was expecting, it revealed a familiar figure.
His boots once again made a sound that echoed throughout the room, and she knew who it was. She began sprinting towards him in joy. And he also ran towards her. She hugged him tight as soon as she was within reach. Mads picked her up and swung her around while holding her tight.
"Romanov! I thought I was going to die!" She remarked as her tears of sadness were replaced by tears of joy.
"I'm here Tali. And I won't ever leave you again." He replied while holding her tight. They stayed like that for a little while, not even noticing Garrus, Grunt and Kal walking into the room. They watched the two, and they knew (Well, Grunt probably didn't know.) That they were quite fond of each other.
"Is this the right time to ask if you will join my crew?" Mads asked while laughing a bit.
She looked up at him, and while he didn't know it, she was smiling. "Of course I will join you now. I can send the admirals the data once we are off world." She answered.
"So this means you won't be keeping me company on the way home?" Kal joked.
"I'll go with Romanov. Be sure to give a report to the Admirals of what happened here." Tali ordered.
"Will do, see you around, Tali'Zorah." Kal replied.
"Let's get back to our ship." Mads suggested. Tali held a tight grip on his arm all the way to the shuttle. She would tell him how she felt soon, very soon. Garrus was quick to crack a few jokes about the old times on their way back. Tali, like she always did with Garrus, threatened him with her shotgun.