I don't own either AvP or ME
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Presidium Tower, the Citadel
"This is... very interesting, Councillor. Very interesting indeed. And I understand your concerns over the current situation around Eden Prime, of course. But I'm not sure whether what you suggest is even possible."
Ambassador Udina leaned back in his chair, savouring the moment. For years he'd had to play the game, sometimes cow-towing to the aliens, sometimes pounding his chest and mouthing off, all for the sake of maintaining the delicate balance that had been in place since the end of the war. And now, now it seemed as though his efforts were about to bear fruit, even more so than he had ever imagined, especially if the asari sitting across from him actually meant what she was hinting at.
"For one thing, I cannot imagine that the various associate species would be happy to hear of the kind of arrangement you seem to be suggesting. Though, I'm sure, that you are better able to judge that. But on my side, there is the problem of the legal situation. To put it bluntly, when the General Assembly of the United Systems was first formed, no-one thought of the possibility that it would ever have to delegate authority to a higher authority, because, naturally there was no such authority. So, naturally there are no provisions for such a move. "
"Are you saying that it is impossible?" Councillor Tevos's face remained a carefully schooled mask, but Udina thought that he could see something of the tension she must have been feeling.
"Impossible, no. It's not so much that it's not allowed, as that there is simply no procedure for it. It's an old legal problem: Do the members of a government have the right to take any action that effectively reduces the autonomy of the state? Or is such a move inherently treasonous? Many nation-states in our history have had to face that problem as they felt the need for closer cooperation, and therefore the need for super-governmental organisations to enable such cooperation. Historically, this process has occurred many times, though often in the face of considerable resistance. So, in that respect, I would be cautiously optimistic. However, there is also an emotional aspect to be considered. Many of our leadership would welcome your offer, I'm sure, but in the end, they are answerable to the voters, many of whom would take a dim view of increasing our ties with any non-human government. Relationships between our peoples have improved, of course, but a considerable amount of resentment remains; as well as outright xenophobia, I'm sorry to say. These will have to be won over, or at the very least reassured of your good intentions. Otherwise, our leadership will be forced to reject your proposals for fear of being voted out of office."
"Of course, Ambassador. I fully understand that. Which is why I approached you at an early stage. If this plan is to succeed we will have to lay the groundwork very carefully and the sooner we start, the better it would be. I cannot imagine that the rising tensions in the demilitarized zone would be beneficial to such a process."
"Probably not, " Udina conceded. "Though, it might be made to work your favour. After all, if we were to join the Citadel, it would put an end to the threat of renewed war. And that is something many of us would appreciate. Still, we have to move cautiously. No matter the form that our new relationship takes, it must not be seen as a surrender to turian pressure."
"Naturally. But I'm sure we can find a way to mitigate those concerns." The asari smiled briefly. "In any case, I would be most grateful if you could reach out to those members of your government that might respond positively to our suggestions. Meanwhile, I was hoping that you could give us an update on your Commander Shepard's movements. The issue of Saren needs to be addressed as soon as possible and it would help if we had a better understanding of the current state of affairs."
-0-0-0-
Feros
"Another sniper, two floors up."
"Got it."
A roar of gunfire, a hail of bullets, and the mangled remains of a geth sniper unit came tumbling down.
"We're getting better at this," Shepard remarked. "Either that or this bunch of geth just plain sucks at urban combat."
"Perhaps a bit of both," Alenko said. "Perhaps this bunch wasn't all that smart to begin with. On top of that, our sensors have become easier to use, and the extra fire-power certainly helps. Smartguns were made for this sort of thing"
"Please don't let Williams hear you. I'm already pretty sure she won't be able to sleep tonight unless we prop that M56 up in a corner next to her. Let's not push it to the point where we'll have to tuck her in with it."
"Right."
They continued down along the stairs, which were covered with fallen debris. It seemed that the prothean elevator that was supposed to connect the docking area with the rest of the building was no longer functioning. The colonists had not bothered installing an elevator of their own and simply used the shaft to put in some spiral stairs, as well as a hoist to get cargo down to their living area.
"Commander, I think we're getting close."
"Yes, Jin?"
"Down there, two broken-down geth, and they weren't ours. Someone else has been doing some shooting."
"Good for them. Look sharp. If the colonists are still there, they must have heard the noise we're making. Let's not have any accidents. Alenko, anything on the drones?"
"Not yet, ma'am, I'll bring one down to the end of the stairs and start snooping."
The small sphere slipped past them, continuing down the stairs and past Jin until it reached the bottom, where it disappeared from view.
"Nothing..., nothing..., Found it!"
"Do you have visual?"
"No ma'am, but I've got power signatures. Definitely human tech." Alenko worked the controls. "Infrared images... I have movement. There is definitely someone alive down there."
"Good." Shepard checked the surroundings. There was no further sign of geth snipers, but that didn't mean much. "Jin, continue down the stairs, then wait for us. We'll go in together."
Without further interruptions by the geth, it only took a few minutes for the whole team to reach the bottom of the stairs.
Shepard looked around. There was only one exit.
"Hey! Anyone! This is the United Systems Military! Check your weapons and don't fire!"
There was a moment of silence, then a voice answered.
"Come forward. Slowly!"
Shepard walked toward the doorway, careful to keep her hands in plain view and away from her rifle. Half a dozen men and women were clustered near the entrance, assault rifles at the ready. Shepard noted that only two of them wore armour, with the rest in coveralls. An autonomous weapon mount stood nearby, positioned reasonably well, but clearly shut down. behind the makeshift barricade that blocked the entrance, she could see several prefab buildings, as well as a small spaceship that had somehow been lowered into the building.
"Who are you?"
She turned toward the speaker. "Shepard, United Systems Military. Now, what the hell is going on around here?"
There was a momentary pause.
"The geth- They have been attacking us."
"For how long?"
Another pause.
"About a week now... I think." the Exogeni employee looked up, his voice became clearer. "But you should talk to Fai Dan. He is our leader."
Shepard's eyebrows rose slightly. "Right. And where can I find this Fai Dan?"
-0-0-0-
As they walked through the colony, Shepard studied the place. Clearly,it had suffered quite a bit in the recent attacks. There were signs of battle-damage everywhere as well as some -rather desultory- attempts at repairing it. Most of the prefabs were barely habitable and the spaceship she had spotted earlier was now in use as a makeshift barracks/field hospital, apparently with the full consent of its salarian owner, something that gave Shepard momentary pause.
"At least one non-human has set up shop here and it doesn't seem to be a problem. That makes life easier. Alenko, we're going to make some assignment changes. Take Williams and Estanza and return to Normandy. Then send our, eh, multispecies support group forward. All due respect to our alien friends, but when push comes to shove, I want you in charge of defending the ship."
"Yes, Ma'am."
"And, Alenko, don't let any of these colonists on board before I give the go-ahead. There is something here..." Shepard hesitated. "Something is off. I don't know what, but let's err on the side of caution, at least for now."
"Understood." Alenko thought for a moment. "Commander, shall I send Dr Chakwas over as well to help with the wounded?"
"No, " Shepard shook her head. "Not as long as the geth are crawling around. We cannot risk Chakwas in a combat zone. If we need to provide additional medical assistance, we'll take the wounded on board."
"Yes, ma'am."
Shepard watched briefly as Alenko walked away. Then she shook her head. Like she had said, there was something wrong here. She just needed to figure out what it was.
-0-0-0-
Fai Dan, as it turned out had set up shop at the other end of the colony settlement, where the colonists had set up another barricade.
"Finally!" That cam from the woman standing next to Fai Dan.
"Finally what?"
"Do you have any idea how long we have been waiting for reinforcements?"
"About a week, according to the people I just talked to. That's the reality of interstellar travel, Ms...?"
"Please!" The man who had to be Fai Dan spoke up. "Let us not fight each other. My name is Fai Dan. I've been chosen to lead these people. Welcome to Zhu's Hope, Commander...?
"Shepard."
"Right. And this is Arcelia Martinez, who is in charge of our security. I'm afraid you'll have to forgive us, Commander. The last few days have been... trying."
"Trying. Right." Martinez snorted. "That's one way to put it. I was sent here to keep the kids from writing graffiti on the walls. Not to fight against geth."
"Well, if that's the only problem, I think I can fix that quickly enough," Shepard said. "Normandy isn't all that big, but we have enough stretch in our life-support systems that we can accommodate the lot of you. Say the word, and we can have this entire colony evacuated within the hour."
"No!" Fai Dan checked himself, as though he was ashamed of his outburst. "No, Commander. We cannot leave. You see, this is our home now. We're building a new life here."
"A new life?" Shepard looked around. "I see. You do realize that if you get overrun by the geth, your 'life' will be a pretty short one, right?"
"isn't that were you come in?" Martinez was at it again. "The United Systems Military exists to protect our citizens and-"
"You decided to set up a colony outside the boundaries of the United Systems, Ms Martinez. You should be grateful we responded at all."
"We have assurance from Exogeni-"
"What Exogeni Corporation does is their business," Shepard was rapidly getting fed up with this conversation. "What the United Systems Military does is something else entirely. We live today, not a hundred years ago."
"We understand, Commander." While he didn't seem to be the smartest tool in the shed, at least Fai Dan displayed some people skills. "We really do. But we have put a lot of work in this place. We cannot just pack up and leave."
Shepard was about to respond when a shout came from the barricade. "They're back!" Then there was the sound of gunfire.
"Let me guess: more geth?"
"They're coming in through a gap in the roof," Martinez said shortly. "They've set up some sort of jamming gear, so we get no advance warning."
"Right, Jin, get on that barricade." Shepard checked her helmet display. With Alenko and two of her marines gone, she was not about to launch an attack on an unknown number of geth, but it seemed the situation was about to improve. Her non-human support team was already inside the colony.
"Vakarian,"
The turian's voice came back through the commlink. "Yes, Commander?"
"Any sign of an attack on your end of the colony?"
"None, but we can hear the gunfire from your side. Do you need us?"
"Oh, yes. Apparently, this has been a regular occurrence. I think it's time we put an end to it."
"Understood, we're on our way."
"Good." Shepard looked at Fai Dan, who had taken cover. "We're going to continue this conversation later. Now, I need to go and dismantle some robots."
-0-0-0-
This bunch really seems to be pretty dumb. Even without the support of Williams' smartgun, the team did well. Either the geth had some overriding reason to get into the colony as quickly as possible, or they figured they had so many platforms in reserve that it didn't matter how many they lost. Either way, they were pushing hard, too hard. The first geth to come down the stairs was cut down by gunfire, the second never even made it down the stairs. Two more were cut down at the top as soon as they appeared.
"Wrex, take point. Let's clear this place out."
"Sure."
The krogan moved quickly, shotgun at the ready, but there were not more geth platforms. They reached the landing.
"Heavy jamming." Tali looked up. "Far more than normal. I cannot get any kind of reading. It's not just the platforms. There is something else in there as well."
"Not for long." Shepard risked a glance into the room, then jumped back. "No sign of movement, but Fai Dan was right, the roof is open and there is a geth ship hovering above us. They can drop additional troops straight into the building." She checked her map. "Okay, we don't know how many of those geth have gotten further down into the tunnels, but if I were them, I'd definitely get a fireteam down there to lay in ambush, so let's exercise a little caution. Jin, stay here and keep our line of retreat open. T'Soni, stay with him. Everyone else, with me. Let's shut down whatever it is. I don't like it when people interfere with my sensors."
She turned the corner, advancing into the room. "Nothing on the motion scanners. Spread out, and keep an eye on that open ceiling-"
Before she finished her sentence, two, three small drones dropped down into the room. Shepard fired a quick burst, plucking one of the drones out of the air, a cracking noise from Garus's sniper rifle indicated the death of the second. The third dropped down behind a fallen piece of masonry.
"Push it." Shepard moved forward, trying to get an angle. Shots rang out from further back in the room and she dropped flat as at least one round hit her barrier. "Contact."
She rolled to the side and into cover as gunfire flashed back and forth. The drone popped up again, only to be swatted out of the sky by a shotgun blast. Two more geth platforms dropped down from the ceiling and, looking up, Shepard could make out the shape of a dropship hovering over the building. She fired a few shots into the open drop bay, more on general principle than in the hope of achieving anything. Still, it must have made some sort of impression as the ship rose, moving out of reach.
More gunfire erupted as geth and organics clashed in the middle of the room. A biotic shock wave sent one of the geth flying, the second was ripped apart by concentrated gunfire. Shepard ducked behind a piece of stone that looked like ti had been part of the ceiling and pulled out a grenade. One of the advantages of the new grenade launchers was that, once again, the grenades they launched could double as hand grenades. Useful in situations where the launcher was simply unnecessary. Checking her sensors to make sure none of her team were inside the blast-radius, she lobbed the grenade into the back of the room.
As soon as the explosion sounded, she moved out of cover, ready to fire, but there was no need. All the geth had been disposed of.
"Alright, where's that jammer? I want it shut down before they come back for another drop."
"Back here." Tali was already moving toward a piece of machinery that was standing a little off to the side. "No problem. All I need to do..."
She pulled open an access panel. "Do you want any of this thing intact."
Shepard snorted. "Not particularly."
"That makes it easy." The quarian levelled her shotgun and fire directly into the opening. "That should do it."
"Good." Shepard looked around. "A pity we have no easy way to fix the roof, but I'm not going stand around and at play construction with geth platform dropping down on top of me. With the jammer down, those fools downstairs should get enough warning if the geth come back. If that isn't enough..." She shrugged. "Meanwhile, we're going back to Zhu's Hope or whatever they call this place. I have a lot of questions that need answers."
-0-0-0-
Feros
"Okay, if one more person tells me that I have to talk to 'Fai Dan, who is our leader', I will not be held responsible for the consequences. Either to that individual or to Fai Dan."
Shepard shook her head in frustration. It had been hours, wasted hours. They had been all over Zhu's Hope, such as it was, talked to everybody, and they were no closer to finding out what was going on. It had been an interesting experience. Clearly, the colony was in trouble. Everyone agreed on that, from its leader, Fai Dan, to the salarian merchant who, for some reason, had thought that trading with human colonies in the Attican Traverse was a smart business move and been caught in the geth attack, By now, his ship was no longer operable and had been converted into a makeshift habitat. Strangely enough, he seemed fine with that fact and appeared to see himself more as a member of the colony than a visitor.
That was not the only strange thing. The colony was barely surviving. Half the colonists were guarding the entrances while the rest were busy making repairs to its infrastructure, such as it was. The water supply was down and the power grid was fluctuating, which in turn mean that the autonomous weapon stations that were supposed to protect the colony could not be used properly. It was a mess. Meanwhile, the geth had launched repeated assaults, at one time fighting their way into the colony. Numerous colonists had already lost their lives, others were injured and medical supplies were running low. On top of that, the infrastructure was falling apart. Somehow the geth had been able to shut down the water and the power was fluctuating so badly that they'd had to shut down their automated sentry guns in order to reduce the strain on the system. But, no matter how many times that was pointed out to them, they refused to budge. And any questions regarding the future were always met with the simple statement that such questions had to be addressed to Fai Dan. Except that Fai Dan did not seem to have any answers, other than that Zhu's Hope was home and they could not leave.
They're fighting a losing battle and over what? A couple of prefab buildings inside an empty prothean ruin. Why bother? Shepard's first thought had been to simply evacuate the colony. Normandy had enough excess life-support that they could carry the entire population -about a score of people- to safety. But Fai Dan would not hear of it, and neither would the rest of the colonists. It was not that they denied the danger, it just did not seem to make an emotional impact. The only thing that mattered to them was the colony, which they insisted they would stay in, irrespective of what happened.
"I take it that this is not normal human behaviour under stress," Garrus asked.
"No. If these people were normal, they would A) Be loudly complaining about their fate, complete with shouting matches. B) Blame whoever was in charge, instead of referring us to him, and/or C) Be convinced that it was all some conspiracy by Exogeni Corporation to get them all killed. Unless, of course, they blamed it all on the United Systems because, well, why not?
Humans are quarrelsome under the best of circumstances and, for most of us, stress does not make us stoic. Facing a common enemy can help keep us united, but not forever. By now, after more than a week of constant attacks, they should be at each other's throats. At least half would want to leave, with the other half calling them cowards. The only one that acts remotely normal is Martinez, and even her response is pretty tepid. Besides, there is no continuation. She flares up, but then it just disappears. At first, I thought they were on drugs, that they'd been taking stimulants to stay awake. I still suspect at least some of them did but that would not have such a uniform effect. Besides, where would they get all that stuff? The security people probably carried some stims but you'd need a lot of pills to get this many people this spaced out.
None of this makes sense. These people are behaving like they're part of some fringe doomsday-cult rather than an exploration-oriented colony." Shepard shook her head. "And then there is 'our leader Fai Dan' himself, apparently just as stoned as the rest, who keeps telling me how this place is home and that they're building a new life here. That's what seems to be uniting these people. But have you looked around?"
"Hah," Wrex snorted. "Doesn't look like the place is worth a shit!"
Garrus nodded. "Not much of a colony, I agree. It's more like a campsite. And that makes no sense either. They say they'd been here for months before the geth attacked, but I don't see any signs of it. They just picked a spot in this ruin, rigged up power and water and left it at that. Getting the basics done could not have taken more than a week or two. What have they been doing since? It's as though they just sat down and waited."
"Good question. And all these questions and more will not be answered by these colonists or 'their leader, Fai Dan'. I think it's time we looked a bit further afield."
"You want to go after the geth?"
"The geth, maybe, but mostly that Exogeni Science team they mentioned. I don't expect to find any of them alive. I mean, the geth landed on top of them, but we may find out what's been happening. A record of activities, anything really."
That was the one useful piece of information they had obtained from Fai Dan. The colony of Shu's Hope was only part of the Exogeni effort. It had been set up to serve as a support base near the landing zone from which the actual researchers would be able to operate. A single science team was currently operating somewhere in the nearby ruins. Or, at least, they had been when the geth arrived. Since then, all communications had been lost. That was not too surprising considering the interference of the buildings themselves and the geth's habit of jamming communications. Unfortunately, there were indications that a geth ship had landed on, or nearby, the building they had chosen, which made it likely that the scientists and their security force were dead.
"So, how do we get there?"
"According to 'Fai Dan, who is our leader', there is a half-collapsed skyway that connects the building to the research-site and they have a couple of vehicles in their garage. I'm not entirely sure why the protheans didn't build their roads on the ground, like sane people, and I certainly don't like the sound of 'half-collapsed', but it seems to be the most practical way of getting there. I'd rather not manoeuvre Normandy around at low altitude among buildings that are about to fall apart, especially with geth ships in the neighbourhood."
"What about the colony?" Wrex asked. "These idiots aren't going to last much longer. And they won't leave either. Unless you want to drive them into the ship at gunpoint?" he sounded almost hopeful.
"No, my authority to do something like that is doubtful at best, especially out here, beyond our borders. Besides, I cannot spare the manpower to keep them under control. I'll take only a small squad and leave the rest of the team behind. Alenko will be in command. But no risks. If they can hold the colony fine, but we're not going to throw away lives for people too that are too dumb, or stoned, or whatever, to see what's in front of them. Meanwhile, perhaps we can help get the water and the power back up. Dehydration is a major problem for humans and I certainly want those automated guns back up. Speaking of which," Shepard activated her communicator. "Alenko?"
"Ma'am."
"Any movement on the docks?"
"Nothing."
"Good. Lieutenant, we got a couple of those autonomous sentry guns in storage. I want you to set them up on the docks. Run the power from Normandy. Whatever happens, we need to keep our line of retreat open."
"Yes, ma'am. Consider it done." "
Good, once you're done with that, move a bit forward, so you can keep an eye on Zhu's Hope as well. I'll be moving out shortly to go after that science team, or whatever is left of them. I'll take Jin, Wrex, and T'Soni with me. Vakarian and Zorah will stay here, both to help out with the colony defence and to help with the engineering problems that are popping up all over the colony."
Shepard closed her comm unit and turned back to her companions. "Well, you heard. Those of you that stay here, try to keep this colony up and running and free of geth as long as possible. I hope to come back with some answers so I can decide what to do next. But don't take too many risks. To put it bluntly, other than the location itself, there is nothing here that's worth fighting over, so if the pressure becomes too strong, fall back on Normandy. I'll leave Lieutenant Alenko some more instructions before I depart, but what it comes down to is this: If the geth break through, Normandy has to get out. Even if it means leaving us down here. As long as the ship is intact, you may be able to come back for us. But if Normandy takes too much damage, or is captured, we're all screwed. So, that's a risk we're not going to take."
Vakarian nodded. "I understand."
"Excellent. Now, let's go down to that garage and see what we've got to work with." She started to move away when Tali's voice called her back. The quarian had moved away from the others, far enough to be out of earshot. Behind the mask, the quarian's face was impossible to see, but Shepard was getting better at reading her body language and she did not appear pleased.
"Yes?"
"I agreed to accompany you because the Council insisted. Because they promised not to penalize my people for the fact that the geth have started to attack other species."
"And because it got you off the Citadel without further delay."
"And that too," Tali conceded. "So, I will advise you on the geth, because I made that promise. And I will assist you in finding Saren. But there are limits, Commander. I'm not a soldier under your command and I did not sign up to do engineering support for human colonies or to help the United Systems in an all-out war against the geth."
"And I did not sign up to command humanity's first multi-species combat experiment, and yet, here I am," Shepard said. "But I get your point. So?"
"So? So, to put it bluntly, Commander, why would I continue to risk my life -considerable risk in my case- crawling through ducts invested with who-knows-what in the middle of a geth attack, rather than doing the minimum required and staying as safe as possible?"
"I take it you have something in mind?"
"I do." She turned away. "I need information. My people need information. Why are the geth doing this? What are they planning? How have they evolved over time? Most of our data is centuries old. Since then, there have been only a handful of encounters by scout parties near the Perseus Veil. We need more. Especially, if the geth continue these attacks. And there is only one way to get it: from the geth themselves. That means I need access. I need the opportunity to study them."
"If you are suggesting that we should bring an intact geth platform onbo-"
"No! Are you insane? That is the last thing I would suggest. But geth datacores can be hacked in the field after they've been destroyed. That's how I obtained the recording of Saren and Benezia. I need to be able to do that again, to gather as much data as I can."
"So do it," Shepard said. "I wouldn't mind having more data on the geth myself. I cannot promise that we'll hang around for hours while you perform vivisection on geth platforms in the field, but we can spare a few minutes. Just let me know."
"Very well. And something else. I need equipment, resources. And I need to be able to work, to use my omnitool when I'm on board Normandy."
"Wait, what? You mean you haven't used that thing?"
"Not outside my room. I'm quarian, remember?" Her voice sounded bitter. "Whenever anything goes wrong and there is a quarian within a kilometre, you can bet who takes the blame. The last thing I need is for one of your crew to see me with an active omnitool and accuse me of spying or sabotage. And don't tell me they wouldn't. I've seen the way they look at me."
"They look that way at anyone who isn't human. Well, except for the men when they see T'Soni. Then it gets more complicated. They don't quite know whether to scowl or drool." Shepard shrugged. "To be honest, I'm a bit surprised there haven't been any incidents yet. If anything, my people have started to relax. Maybe humans have come along further than I thought. Or perhaps military discipline is just a good check on people's behaviour. In any case, don't worry too much about it. You're thinking in terms of the Citadel species with their anti-quarian bias. But to the average human, a quarian with an omnitool is far less of a provocation than a turian with a rifle and they're learning to deal with that as well. As long as you don't try to get into engineering or the command centre, it can be handled. As for equipment, I'll speak to Adams, the chief engineer. He'll know best what we can supply. Fair enough?"
"Yes."
"Good, then let's get to work."
"Of course. And, thank you, Commander."
-0-0-0-
Feros
Darkness. Darkness was good. It hid; it protected; it favoured those whose senses were adapted to it. Warmth too, and moisture. That was also good. This place would do well for a nesting place.
They did not fully understand how they had come to this world. But that did not matter. They were here, now. What happened before made little difference. If it became important, she would know. Of course, she had not yet been born, but that was also irrelevant. The eggs were ready and there was prey for the newborns to grow in. Soon, she would be born. And then all would be well.
They moved silently through the tunnels, committing them to memory, looking for the safest, best-protected spot. There, the eggs would reside. There were others on this world. Others that would serve as prey but could also be a threat, to the nest, to the eggs, even to her. And there was something else as well. Motionless, but all-pervading. A presence they did not fully understand. That was worrisome. But they did not worry too much. once she was born, she would know what to do. She always did.
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A/N: I'm trying to continue writing Tali as a bit older and more mature than she was in ME1. Also, I've largely ignored the whole 'pilgrimage' thing. While it makes for an interesting story hook, it seems very impractical. They turn teenagers loose into a galaxy that's by and large hostile to them, with the goal that they not only keep themselves alive but earn enough to bring back that 'gift' and be able to pay for transport back to the migrant fleet. (Is someone arranging cheap charter flights?) I shudder to think how many corpses of quarians, barely more than children, are lying all over the galaxy, (together with expensive suits and other equipment that the migrant fleet can ill afford to lose!).
Instead, I imagine a situation where young quarians are used as crew aboard transport ships, traders, scouts, etc. That gives them the opportunity to interact with the rest of the galaxy, without cutting them off from support. Groups of adult quarians might also travel around and take jobs on deepspace construction projects (Like the engineer in the 'The sky is falling DLC' described), which could be a good way to earn credits. In fact, technical skills could (and should!) be one of the Migrant Fleet's main export products.
Tali is now more or less in that position, but it's not unreasonable that she wants something in return for her efforts.
