John, SR-2 Normandy, Starboard Observation Deck

"Kasumi…." John said as the door closed behind him.

"Shep…" Kasumi said with a dramatic flair as she tossed her book to the side and sprawled herself back on the couch she was lounging on. "Finally come to have your wicked way with me? You brute!"

"Kasumi," John sighed now, dropping his face into a hand. "Stop that. You aren't my type. No offense, but I'd be too worried of waking up with parts missing."

"Aww, you say the sweetest things!" Kasumi chuckled as she sat up. "What can this not-so-humble thief do for you?"

"I...need you to steal something…." John started before pausing, not sure what to say next.

"Well….that's informative," Kasumi's lips twisted in a more impish smile. "Can I just start taking things until I get the right one?"

"No!" John exclaimed. You never knew sometimes. Not with the crew he had gathered. "I...it's...I'm taking a risk. If I pull this off, I will have the happiest quarian in the universe."

"And if you fail, you might end up spaced?" Kasumi's smile vanished as she shook her head. "Shep...if you fuck something up, I don't particularly want to end up murdered with you."

"Nothing like that," John waved a hand. "I'll take sole responsibility. You can take it as an order from a Spectre."

"Right, like that will stand up in Tali court," Kasumi sighed. "What am I getting?"

"Well...a...rock."

"A rock?"

"A rock," John confirmed.

"Okay...and what is special about this rock?" Kasumi's eyes narrowed for a moment before she shook her head. "Nevermind. I think I'd rather not know. Do you know where she keeps this rock?"

"Yeah, it's on her person," John smiled sickly.

Wincing, Kasumi shook her head. "Nope. Not gonna do it. Not even going to try. Move along."

"Oh, come-"

"Move along," Kasumi repeated.

"I have a 1996 copy of Game of Thrones, first run," John crossed his arms.

"What kind of stone did you say this was?" Kasumi stood, rubbing her fingers together.

Tali, SR-2 Normandy, Engineering

Pausing, Tali turned her head, slowly looking about the compartment. Ken and Gabby stood at their stations, as usual, but there was nothing else. Which was odd. It felt almost like somebody was staring at her. Somebody….predatory.

"Xera," Tali frowned as she keyed her comm. "Where are you right now?"

"What?" Xera came back. "I'm in the mess eating. It took a while, but I managed to get Keup out of the Med bay. Why? Something wrong? Come to your senses and decided to throw off the human and come running to my bosom?"

"Xera, you don't have a bosom. I would end up crushing mysell on your boney ribs," Tali snorted.

"Oh, wow, shacking up with the human has turned you vicious!" Xera laughed. "But, seriously, need something?"

"No...I guess not," Tali shrugged. "I thought somebody was stalking me, and you were the only one that came to mind."

"Well, I can't argue the point, but it's not me. And you know where John is," Xera chuckled. "Let me know if you need help with the ghost."

"I will," Tali laughed as she turned off her comm and turned to her staff. "Do you guys feel like you are being watched?"

"Ummm, no?" Ken looked up, blinking.

"Me neither," Gabby stepped back and looked around.

"Weird…." Tali paused and tapped at her helmet's audio light. "Edi...are there any unaccounted for crew?"

"At this moment, the only crew member that I am unable to locate is Kasumi, but that is not unusual," Edi popped up over her holopad. "There was a five hour window when Thane disappeared, but he claimed to be examining the ship's security. And Gerald cloaked for half an hour while he took a shower."

"Wait...Gerald uses an optical cloak when he showers?" Gabby looked at the orb, incredulous.

"He does," Edi confirmed. "He claims it is to keep his chastity, because if he was viewed without cloths on I would be overcome with electronic lust. His words."

"Huh," Gabby shared a look with Ken and shrugged. "Not like he wasn't weird to begin with."

Then Tali heard a small clattering sound. It was faint, but it came from the core room.

"I heard that…" Ken frowned. "You all heard that too, right?"

"Y-yeah," Gabby swallowed heavily.

Tali frowned. "Wait here," she said, with an air of irritation. "Somebody thinks they are amusing. In my engineering."

"Ack, the lass is mad," Ken said quietly as Tali strode into the core room, muttering under her breath.

"Nah, don't think she's mad. She didn't have her gun out," Gabby laughed, punching Ken on the arm.

The core room was quiet, save for the powerful thrumming of the core itself. It pulled with power as it pulled them through space at FTL speeds.

If this had been a quarian ship, there would have been at least three engineers in the room itself at all times, in case something happened. But then, the core itself would shake and rattle, it's pulses not as perfectly in tune with her heartbeat. The ships were all too old or damaged. In fact, when she returned to the Fleet after the fall of the Normandy, it had taken her weeks to get used to the noie again.

This room, however was clean. Except for the single bolt on the floor in the middle of the room.

"I don't know if I have time for this," Tali said to the room with a deep sigh. Then, suddenly, she spun, her arm outstretched. Her finger hooked like claws as she swung through the air behind her.

As expected, she struck nothing, but was at least rewarded with the scraping sound of soft shoes sliding over the metal grating of the floor. As well as a tell-tale blur, even if momentarily.

"Not bad," Kasumi's voice echoed in the room. Tali wasn't sure how, but the thief managed to copy and pulse her voie in such a way that it not only echoed, but had a distortion to it. "That's what I get for being overconfident."

"What do you want, Kasumi?" Tali huffed as she crossed her arms.

"Ah, well, I have been tasked with relieving you of a certain item," Kasumi's echoed chuckled. "I hadn't particularly wanted to do it, and tried to turn it down, but my employer knew exactly what to offer."

"You could have asked for whatever it is," Tali sighed this time. The only people she could think of that would do something like this was Xera. Or Gerald. Maybe Joker. She couldn't rule out Garrus or John…. Keelah, even Jane could be involved. The whole Shepard family was off kilter. But in a way she loved, so, so much.

Wait...maybe...maybe she needed to learn to think like them more. She wasn't stupid, but they thought faster and more deviously than she ever thought herself capable. But if she was joining this amazing family, she needed to step up her game, or else be the butt of too many jokes.

"I could, in theory," Kasumi conceded. "But I am supposed to retrieve the item so that it...well...think I'll stop there. Good work by the way. As you can tell, there is a reason I'm a thief and not a spy."

"Alright, we can keep this game going then," Tali sighed. "You're profesional enough to not get in the way of my work."

"Indeed. I saw you start the diagnostic. Which should be done innnn….now," Kasumi's laugh faded as Tali's omnitool pinged it's completion.

"Keelah…"

Xera, SR-2 Normandy, Medical Bay

"Xera, got a moment," Tali leaned into the bay, her helmet tilted at just the cutest angle…

"Sure, for you? Anytime," Xera grinned as she spun her chair around to face the door. The blood samples could wait. Nobody would die if she put them off. Anytime soon. Probably.

"I can...maybe go outside?" Keup said hesitantly. The poor girl was able to go out, but only when she was with Xera or Tali. She was more comfortable than she had been...but that wasn't saying terribly much.

"No, it's fine," Tali waved a hand as she walked in and leaned against one of the examination table. "I am having an issue."

"Keelah! No!" Xera cried, cringing back. "Not...an issue!"

"Ancestors...why do I put up with you…." Tali sighed dropping her visor into her hand.

"Because I'm adorable," Xera shrugged.

"I meant that I am being stalked by a ghost," Tali sighed, casually looking around. "She's probably here, waiting."

"Umm….what?" Keup seemed to fidget slightly as she looked around.

"Good work, Tali, as if Keup wasn't nervous enough on the ship, you have to go and add hauntings," Xera leaned back and crossed her arms.

"Ah, sorry," Tali turned to the nervous young girl and bowed slightly. "I didn't mean it like that. Kasumi is hunting me for something I'm carrying. Apparently she has been bribed with something good enough to make her rather tenacious."

"Oh?" Xera's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked around. Then she realized what she was doing and stopped with an eye roll.

"It's how I knew it wasn't you," Tali snickered with a saucey tilt of her hip. "You don't have anything worth while."

"Hey!" Xera stood, indignantly. "I could have bribed her with my sensual body!"

The bay was quiet for a long moment before Kuep snorted quietly, trying desperately to keep laughter in.

"Alright, fine," Xera grunted, dropping back in her seat. "What's been happening?"

"It started in engineering. Since then I have been jumped in the elevator, once, I almost caught her in the Loft at one point," Tali began ticking off things with her fingers. "I was helping Gardener with the kitchen stove, as it was malfunctioning. I almost cornered her in the observation deck she made into her room, but she disappeared into the vents."

"Wow, she's dedicated," Xera's eyes widened. "But the vents?"

"I know right?" Tali threw her hands up. "Why can nobody get the message to make the vents too small to crawl through!"

'Well, not everybody can be an Evil Mastermind like you, Tali," Xera laughed.

Then...it happened.

There was a loud clang as the grate to the air duct above the pair dropped open, drawing the attention of the quarians in the room. It was followed by a blur that sprang up from behind Tali, spreading wide and dropping over her, while her attention was diverted. But it wasn't a person. No, this was a large optical cover, the kind used by infiltrators to cover a sniper position or the like.

With a cry, Tali toppled over in a heap as another blur, this one humanoid, caught her, lowering her to the ground before she could fall.

Then it was gone, just a faint haunting echo of laughter floating in the air.

"BOSH'TET!" Tali cursed as she sat up, her arms working to pull the cover from over herself. Unfortunately, he anger was impeedingher progress as the more she failed, the more frantic she became, the more entangled she was. Which was why Xera was laughing at her, and not helping.

"Hang...hang on!" Keup hurried over, pulling on the cover. Finally, Tali stopped and sat, unmoving as the younger quarian unwrapped her like some sort of irritated purple present.

"Xera," Tali said, deadpanned. "Stop laughing."

"Ha, Ha, Ha!" Xera wiggled in her seat, her legs kicking in the air as she fought to pull air into her lungs. "Can't….Ha, ha! Can't gonna Ha!, Die! Ha ha haaaa!"

"Xera, I hate you very much right now."

"Ha!"

John, The Loft

"The mission is done, goshujin sama," Kasumi decloaked next to John, nearly scaring him to death. She was kneeling on the floor, her face cast downward at the floor, her hands held up before her, holding the simple small stone of quartz granite.

"Good work," John grinned, taking the stone and hefting it. "I'm impressed, it only took you three hours!"

"Really?" Kasumi shook her head as she stood, her hands on her hips. "I could have gotten it within fifteen minutes if I wasn't worried about her not liking me anymore. I also accidently grabbed this," Kasumi handed over a credit chit. "And this." A small colored crystal. "And...this." A mini pack of omni-gel.

"Kasumi…" John sighed, shaking his head.

"Sorry," Kasumi shrugged with a grin. "Habit."

"It's fine, I'll deal with it," John nodded, looking at the stone. With a flick of his wrist, his omni-blade swung out of his wrist and he neatly sliced the stone into two halves. Closing his omnitool, John juggled the, now two, stones, for a moment as they cooled, before tossing one back to Kasumi. "You can give that back to her."

Kasumi's grin died almost instantly. "Oh, no, Shep, that wasn't the deal…" Kasumi held out the stone. "She will kill me if I try to give this to her!"

"I'll have the signed copy on your bunk by the time you are done."

"...what Deck is she on?"

Shepard grunt, SR-2 Normandy, Cargo Bay

"Grunt!"

"Battlemaster," Grunt turned, nodding to the man.

"I remember you mentioning having a lot of skills implanted by Okeer," Shepard grinned, showing those little white teeth.

"Of course I do, shepard," Grunt scowled. "Otherwise I wouldn't be able to talk or go to the bathroom."

"I...right…" Shepard blinked for a moment. There were times Grunt was worried for the little man. He was an amazing killer, but a lot of times he was very stupid. "What I meant, is do you have any non-combat skills?"

"What?" Grunt frowned. "Why would I…" Then, it dawned on Grunt that he had never thought about it. Did he….yup. He did. "Yup. I do."

"Don't suppose one of those involved carving stone?"

"Shepard, that would be….Yup. It does."

Shepard's grin grew again, wider this time. "How good are you?"

"How would I know?" Grunt crossed his arms. Seriously, why would he try to carve something that wasn't flesh? The idea was ridiculous.

"Well...if you can't...I guess I can find somebody else…." Shepard sighed, shrugging his shoulders. He turned around, slowly, to go back the way he had come. And he looked so...sad….

"Shepard, wait," Grunt frowned. He wasn't particularly sure why the whole situation made him uncomfortable, but it did. "With a micro-tool kit, I can probably do a lot. Okeer's imprints are almost perfect. Most of what's in my mind are the old stuff, from before we blew ourselves to dust, but I can adapt them."

"Well...if you're sure," Shepard turned back, a small, hopeful look on his sad little face.

"Yeah, yeah, what do you want," Grunt sighed.

With a wide grin, Shepard held out a small piece of quartz granite. "I need to make this into a amazing pendant within two days."

"What?" Grunt looked at the human in disbelief. "This? Pendant?"

"Yeah," John nodded. "I know exactly how I want to do it, but it'll be kinda intricate."

"Hmm…" Grunt turned the stone over a few times, looking at it from all angles. "Good stone. Solid. No cracks, or clear imperfections. Hard, heavy for its size. Probably a metallic deposit in it…." Blinking a few times, Grunt then looked up at Shepard, his surprise on his wide face. "You want to make a pal'tec vis surden!"

"How do you..?" Shepard started before stopping and shaking his head. "Nevermind. You know because of the imprints."

"Yeah," Grunt nodded. "I know a weird amount about most races customs. Not sure why, considering Okeer wanted me to….wanted...what did Okeer want?" It hadn't occurred to Grunt to think past his being. He never really looked into most of the imprinted information. He knew what he needed. How to kill, main. He knew how to descale a turian, what way to peel back and asari's crest to keep them alive the longest. How to split a salarian's head down the middle with those horn things….

But...Okeer didn't give him motivation. He was to make the krogan people stronger. Strong enough to push the genophage aside and rise to the top. But...not necessarily how. Okeer was old. She had seen the rise of her people, as they went to the stars to crush the rachni, then she watched her people turn on the Council, and the desperate wars that followed. By the end, Okeer no longer had a taste for blood. She wanted her people to be strong again. That was all.

"Grunt?" Shepard nudged him, pulling his mind out of his mind. "You okay?"

"Yeah, fine," Grunt coughed as he passed the stone back to Shepard. "If that stone is where I think it's from, then we get one shot at this. If you have the design and tools, we can get this to work, but we had better get started now."

Kasumi, SR-2 Normandy, Elevator

She as not sure how to start this particular conversation. She had been following Tali around the ship for the passed half an hour, trying to find a good time to make her move.

Her first instinct was slip it back onto Tali without her noticing, but that seemed...dishonest. Which, granted, was odd, but she had respect for her crewmates. And she genuinely cared for Tali. She wanted only nice things for her and Shep.

Then the lift stopped at Deck One, its door opening to the small section between it and the Loft's main door. Which was the perfect time.

"Umm...Tali?" she said, hesitantly, ducking back as the startled quarian's hand swung centimeters from her nose.

"Keelah! You bosh'tet!" Tali stumbled back, her hands in front of her, her fingers flexing and unflexing. "I hate when you do that!"

"Sorry, kinda my thing," Kasumi smiled. "I...umm...came to return the….item."

"You did?" Tali's eyes widened behind her visor. Looking down at herself, she patted her body down. "I don't even know what you took! I thought you gave up!"

"Please!" Kasumi shook her head, a little insulted. "I'm the best in the galaxy."

"Fair enough," Tali chuckled. "I'm still going to get you back for the incident in the med bay. But you have time to linger on what tortures I will put you through."

"Looking forward to it," Kasumi grinned as she pulled the stone from her pocket. Then, slowly, her smile faded. "I'm...afraid you might be mad at me. It got a little...dinged up. But I swear! It is a worthy cause! Wait a few days and you'll see!"

"Well, now I'm concerned," Tali sighed. "I will assume John put you up to this. If I'm going to be made, i'll take it out on him, and not you. I promise."

With a swallow, Kasumi held out her hand, passing the stone to Tali.

Who stared at it. First, her eyes went wide in surprise as one hand went to the pocket it had been in. Then they narrowed to anger, as a small growl came from her. Then she paused and took a deep shuddering breath. "I...thank you," she said through clenched teeth. Tai was practically radiating fury. "I'm...mad. But...I know there must be a reason and will trust in it. John has figured out how to hide things from me, and it's….disconcerting."

"Tali, I swear it will be worth it! He explained some of it before I agreed to help him," Kasumi bit her lip in worry. She never liked being close enough to people to care about their feelings. It made things...complicated. But this crew...Tali, Garrus...even Jack...she cared a great deal about them. Like pets.

"Come in," Tali shrugged as she slipped the stone into the pocket of her suit. "Want something to drink? John mostly keeps levo soft drinks. Most of them fizzy."

"Sure," Kasumi smiled, following the quarian inside. "I've seen your fridge, I'll take whatever."

Nodding, Tali pulled a can and tossed it to her while pulling out a tube and hooking it into her helmet.

"Need a little alcohol," Tali explained, sitting on the couch and gesturing across from her. "Did the bosh'tet tell you what the stone even was?"

"No," Kasumi shook her head as she sat, drinking the fruity carbonated beverage. Something in an ale. But...orange?

"It's from Rannoch," Tali sighed. "It's an actual piece of my homeworld. That no quarian has seen let alone touched in three hundred years."

"Oh...my...GOD!" Kasumi almost jumped to her feet. "That son of a bitch!"

"Whoa!" Tali leaned back, he eyes wide, clearly startled at Kasumi's reaction. "Calm down! You said he had a plan!"

"I...yes...but…" Kasumi slowly sank back down, clutching her head now. "He...cut it in half!"

"Yes...so if he messes up whatever he is doing, I'll still have the other half," Tali shrugged rolling the stone in her hand. "When Wrex gave it to me, he told me that my Ancestor, who fought with him, gave him this stone, and was to pass it on. And he did, during our hunt for Saren."

"Mother of…" Kasumi sank back in the couch. She wanted to cry. "That is important, Tali!"

"Of course it is!" Tali laughed, leaning forward and tapping Kasumi's knee a couple times in sympathy. "But...John and I are Bonded. He won't do anything to hurt me. He took a gamble, sure, but he also is taking steps to minimize them by only taking part of the stone. Really, I'm more mad he made you steal it instead of asking for it."

"Yeah….that's weird," Kasumi frowned. "Why the hell did he have me steal it if I was going to have to give it back to you?"

"My John never does things simple, or small," Tali laughed, sitting back.

"'Your John'?" Kasumi grinned leaning forward.

"Yes…." the quarian smiled warmly. Even if Kasumi couldn't see her face, it showed through her voice. She truly loved the man. "My John."

"Well...then I guess you can tell me juicy details!" Kasumi slipped across the couch until she was almost touching Tali. "Since you are sleeping here, what does he look like naked?"

"Kasumi!"

"Ha, ha!"

John, SR-2 Normandy, The Loft

To say it had been a tense few days would be kind.

In fact, it would be closer to call it a small scale cold war, as Tali did her best to ignore John while he went about his doings. It was clear that she was angry. He could feel it in the Bond. Adn in how she talked. The cold, clipped wording. And moved. The stiffness that took her when he entered the room. But still….she didn't say anything.

She didn't stop sleeping in the Loft though. That was a little odd, welcome, but a little odd. In all of John's experience, whenever his parents had a big fight one of them, usually Hestalia, ended up sleeping on the couch downstairs. Tali, if anything, actually stayed in the Loft more than she had before, but insisted on the couch. Which, naturally, made John feel worse. He was beginning to suspect she had been colluding with his mother and Jane by the end of the ordeal.

Finally, however, he finished his work. And miracle of miracles, didn't fuck it up.

"Hey, Tali?" he stepped into the Loft and cleared his throat.

"Yes...John…" she said absently, not turning from her work station.

"I need to talk to you." Shit, she wasn't making this easy. Or he was terrified. Which was stupid. He had already asked her to marry him dramatically in front of his whole fucking family. Right before a crazed krogan decided…

"John?" Tali sounded a little concerned now, as she spun her chair around to look at him. "John? Are you alright?"

"I...yeah," John wave a hand as he forced a smile on his face. "Fine, I'm great."

"You don't look great. You look pale and worn out," Tali stood and walked toward him "Maybe I should call Doctor Chakwas, or Xera?"

"No...no don't do that," his throat was a little dry maybe.

"John…." Tali frowned. "I don't know how you are able to hide things from me. But I don't like it. I'm worried."

"I'm sorry, love. I don't mean to worry you. I just….think I have a bit of a headache," John wiped his hand across his forehead, surprised when it came away damp with cold sweat. But damned if he was going to back out now! "I've been working on something for you. Did you know Grunt has some serious art skills? He's a natural! When I was his age...well, I was crapping myself, seeing as he is, maybe, four months old. But my art came out a crappy stick figures that mom and dad pretended to be impressed by when they put them on the refrigerator."

"John, you're babbling," Tali took his hand in hers, frowning more. "Keelah, John. You're cold. You're body temperature is always so much hotter than quarian, but now, you actually feel cold!"

"Hang on, hang on," John smiled. "Let me do this. I'm going to mess it up, but I have to do it anyway."

"Alright…." Tali's gaze was worried as she scanned over his face.

John stopped to take a deep breath and reached into his pocket and withdrew a small, important object. His other hand, still clasped by her's came up to his chest as he concentrated.

"Tali'Zorah vas Normandy gar Rayya. Only by the...Ancestor's graces...were you brought into my...life," John spoke, haltingly in Khelish. He formed the words carefully in his mind, thinking all the way through them. Around them. Seeing them for more than they were. "Only with you...is my...soul complete. I ask you, would you travel through this life, together with...me...as one?"

Tali's eyes widened with almost every word he said, until they seemed to take up most of her visor. "John…" she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. Then, her eyes closed for a beat before opening again, now full of more softness and caring than he thought was possible in any living thing. "John'Shepard vas Normandy gar SSV Einstein. My soul only knows the warmth of Kaeli'steiz becasue you complete it. With you, together, we are one whole. My soul will forever, in this life and beyond, until we walk with the Ancestors, and with them, and beyond. We shall be as one."

John smiled widely as he leaned forward and lightly pressed his forehead against her visor. "I'm sorry, love. I can only say that much right now," he cleared his throat as he switched back to english. "Give me some time and I'll learn more."

"John?" Tali frowned again as she moved her head so that she could look him fully in the face. "You're still speaking Khelish."

"I...what?" Now John frowned. "No, I'm not. I'm...nevermind." It wasn't important. "It's not important. I know I'm supposed to wait until we have a real ceremony, but I need to show this to you."

"Not important?" Tali shook her head even as John pressed the stone into her hand.

Looking down at it, Tali couldn't speak. She stared at the stone. It was the same quartz basalt that she had in her suit pocket. Except this one had been expertly carved. The side up was a clear carving of Mindior. It may not be the home world of his people, but it was where John first had a real family. In front of the planet itself was a human style home, modeled after the one John grew up in.

Tali just stared for a long moment before John laughed quietly and turned the stone over himself. His smile widened as he heard her small gasp. The opposite side had a carving of Rannoch itself, in as perfect detail as he was capable making. In the foreground, as on the Midior's side, stood a small house. This one, however, was in the old quarian style.

"Just like us," John whispered. "Two sides of the same thing. Together forever. It's even etched in stone!"

"Keelah...John," Tali looked up at him, smiling. She grasped the sides of his head in her hands, pulling him to her, and pressing her helmet against his forehead as she took a long shuddering breath. Then, she pushed him back with an even more worried look. "John, something is wrong."

"What? Did I mess it up?" John swallowed heavily as he felt himself tear up slightly. "I know I wasn't supposed to give it you yet, I just thought you were upset about what I did, and wanted to show you why, and…"

"John, stop, please," Tali sounded frightened, nearly to tears herself. "John...you're still speaking khelish. Something is wrong."

It's not important.

"It's not important," John half laughed. As he wobbled slightly on his feet. "I...feel a bit dizzy. I think I need to sit."

"Yes, please," Tali gently pulled him, partially held him up as she led him to the couch and sitting him down. "Edi! Call Chakwas. And Xera. Maybe...maybe call Jane. Have her bring Mordin."

"I am already explaining Commander Shepard's condition," Edi appeared over her pad. She was blue. Made of light. But...more. There were ones, and zeros. That was what made her code. But it was also shot through with red...threes? Here and there bits of the code turned purple, where to two colors met. They throbbed and pushed at each other, sometimes forming fours, where they shined brightest. "Doctor Chakwas and Xera are on their way."

"John, John stay with me," Tali pulled his head around to look at her. "I need you to focus on me, alright? Focus on me."

"I will always focus on you, saera," John smiled as the world blurred slightly before snapping back into focus. "I will always focus on you."

Tali frowned, her black lined brows pulling down over her softly glowing eyes, cut through with the cross shaped pupils of their people. Her long, flowing black hair was tied up behind her, held in place by sticks of green jade. She had colored her claws again. That shade of dark green, the same as her hair sticks, always did look good against her dark lavender skin. The thicker skin almost looked like scales as it ran down the sides of her long gently curving neck. She grimaced slightly, flashing him those lean white fangs that he so loved as they bite down on his own neck.

Slowly, with seeming difficulty, John looked around their small home. "I was thinking. Maybe we should have children. I know how much you want them. You do so much for...for….I…" John blinked again.

It's not important.

Tali's gloved hands wrapped tightly around his as he looked into her visor. "It...is….important….."

"John? John!" Tali said quietly, then again, louder. She shook him lightly. "Keelah, no...no...not again!"

"Tali! What's…." he heard a voice say. It sounded like Xera, but...it was so far away….It was all…

...so…

...dark…

Quarian Lexicon

Pal'tec vis surden: Medallion presented during the Ceremony of Bonding. Literal translation: Symbol of Souls United. Quarians followed a different path, where humans would place a ring upon their bride, a quarian male would present a medallion depicting the future life of the newly bonded pair. Worn on a chain around the neck before the war, they now are carried by every bonded female in a special pocket within their enviro-suits, just above their heart. Usually made from precious metals, the quarians in the fleet now use scrap metals to conserve resources.

Kaeli'steiz: Name used in the ancient text of the Ancestors. Literal meaning: Warmth's Herald. The home star of the quarian race.

Saera: Term used when speaking to ones lifemate. Literal translation: My soul's soul. Other meanings include, but are not limited to: Keeper of my soul and My souls protector. Most commonly used word throughout the fleet by a quarian when speaking privately to their lifemate. Though unconfirmed by any quarian, there are implications that this word holds extreme intimacy as well as absolute trust. No single human word or phrase encompassed all that this one short word implies as it appears to contain both dominant and submissive traits.