Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit...God damn it, Rael!
Shepard sat next to Cortez while they flew off towards Tali's house in the Kodiak. His patience was dwindling rapidly. He got a message from Randy awhile earlier that Rael had escaped the facility and had stolen the geth hovercraft, and that had made him very worried. Cortez was only back on the Normandy for a few seconds before he was requested to fly out again. Needless to say, Shepard was thankful for his pilot's helpful nature.
Also thanks to Randy who had implemented a tracking system into the hovercraft that was stolen. Shepard was able to see where the runaway former admiral had gone, but his fears sky-rocketed when he noticed that Rael had made a stop at the monument building...and was now was on his way to the location where Tali's house was being built.
He couldn't possibly guess what happened at the building. But he could only assume the worst.
What if he met Tali there? What if she found him and thinks that I'm still at the house? She must have found the location for it after finding him...God, she's going to rip my head off!
Shepard had sent a message to the geth construction team about Rael's potential arrival, telling them to be on their guard and to keep Tali from seeing the house if she was there. They messaged him back shortly afterwards confirming that they had received it, and were on standby for anything unexpected.
"You alright, Captain? You seem a little quiet," observed Cortez.
Shepard kept his eyes forward on the horizon and struggled to keep his worries out of his voice. "Yeah, yeah...just have a few things on my mind."
"Something wrong with the house?"
"No. Nothing to do with the house."
Cortez shrugged and said nothing more. He kept flying across the vast open space of desert in the afternoon sun. Shepard stayed sitting, the time whittling down his composure. He tried to think of how he was going to prepare for the confrontation if Tali really was there waiting for him.
I am so screwed.
His head turned to his pilot. "I'm not trying to rush you here, but is it possible for us to move just a little faster?" Shepard asked, a little strained.
"Oh! sorry! I didn't realize you needed to get there quickly. Hold on a second." Cortez tapped a button on his controls and pushed down more on the pedal, and the shuttle slowly increased its speed.
The cockpit of the shuttle fell silent again except for the slightly louder rushes of wind along the outside. It made Shepard feel a little bit sick as he wondered what he would find at his destination once he got there.
One extremely upset quarian woman. The thought itself was enough to make him shiver. I'd prefer to lose my legs entirely than face...that.
"You sure you're alright? I don't mean to pry."
"No, it's alright, I understand, and thank you...But yes, I am alright. It's nothing you should worry yourself over."
"If you say so," Cortez answered. "...Anyways, do you think you can show me the place this time around?"
Shepard gave a nervous chuckle. If you want to see your Captain possibly get ripped to shreds by his bondmate. "Heh, definitely not this time around."
"So it is the house then," Cortez declared. "I'm sorry for whatever happened, I know you're putting a lot of work into it."
Shepard gave an annoyed glance at him. "It's not the house, Steve. I thought I said not to worry about it."
"Sorry, Shepard. I just don't like seeing you so...distraught. I mean I've dropped you into warzones for God's sake, and I never seen you flinch once. Whatever is getting at you must be pretty serious. Is it the Chimera situation?"
"Steve, I'm fine," Shepard stated reassuringly. "I admit I'm a little nervous about something but it's a situation I can handle." I sure hope to God so.
"Alright...Also, sorry once again."
"It's okay."
There was a small pause in conversation.
"We're there, by the way," Cortez announced.
Already? Shepard feared. He looked outside and sure enough they were coming up behind the rocky hill that shielded the construction of Tali's house from view. Also normal for each of his visits was a geth ground team waiting to be of his assistance.
Shepard didn't see Tali in their company, though, and wondered if she had forced her way to the house. He didn't see Rael, either, so the thought could have been probable. This only caused his nervousness to increase as they finally landed in front of the ground team.
I hope that they have done their jobs!
The Kodiak's side door opened and Shepard wheeled himself from the cockpit, leaving Cortez to himself.
"See ya later," said the pilot over his shoulder.
Shepard said the same and waited for one of the geth bots to come over and help him get off the shuttle. A former geth pyro that was colored red stepped forward from the ground team and grabbed the sides of his seat, dragging him off onto the desert floor.
Each geth had a unique color scheme or design on their bodies, but it was more for practicality's sake rather than simple desires. It wasn't exactly easy to determine which geth was which after all.
"News, Phoenix?"
"We have just received the hovercraft in your message. Creator Tali'Zorah did not seem to be with the Creator Rael'Zorah that you have mentioned. He is currently at the site of construction. He appears to be...contemplating."
Shepard couldn't help but give a huge sigh of relief that his quarian lover wasn't there. But that was only a fraction of his worries alleviated. She could be at the Normandy instead...
"Take me to him."
"Certainly."
Phoenix went to take the handles behind his seat but Shepard waved him off.
"I didn't mean literally, just show me where he is."
The pyro nodded and turned around, signaling the other geth workers to follow him. They followed along the bottom of the hill to its side, where a small passage upwards led to the construction site. Along the short journey, Phoenix updated Shepard on the progress.
"The stone workers have finished their engravings on the outer walls. The entertainment for the basement has arrived. Ninety percent of the second floor is complete, it only needs furnishing. Electricity and plumbing is now ready once you deem the house complete...And before you ask again, Shepard-Captain, the view for the living room window has not been obstructed."
Shepard nodded gratefully.
"What about defenses?"
"The galaxy's new, 'Shepard Turrets,' have been stationed around the perimeter. It is calculated that any hostile position within a two hundred meter radius will attract no less than two turrets. The force fields you have scavenged from your retaking of Omega from Cerberus has also been set up around the perimeter of both front and back yards. The EMP generator below the basement is fully operational and the house's electrical systems are protected. Geth Colossi are ready to deploy at a moment's notice.
"Any potential hostiles now have a choice to be neutralized through gunfire, incineration, obliteration, malfunctions, or by geth support."
Shepard nodded once more, pleased with his home defense reports. "Anything else?"
"The wallpaper in the armory is now blast resistant."
As the small group exited the passage they came across the stream that led near the front and off towards the side of the house. The first thing Shepard could see was the living room window facing north, exactly where Tali wanted it. With nothing added or subtracted from its view when she first claimed it.
Shepard thought it did look strange for the house. Its landscape looked empty next to it. But that was probably due to the fact that the other three sides of the house was filled with various things that Shepard thought that Tali might like. Maybe she can do something with this one side. Whatever she wants.
The group rounded the side of the house to the front that faced west, and there...stood the former quarian admiral and Tali's father, Rael'Zorah.
Shepard's first thoughts were to wheel right up to him and give him a piece of his mind. He may have revived him but he still didn't completely forgive him for being distant to his own daughter and Shepard's future lifemate. The whole point to his revival was to give him a second chance at being the father he should've been if Shepard had died. Someone to give Tali some comfort.
But now that Shepard was here, and not dead, he was upset with him for probably blowing his cover, potentially causing complications, and then having the gall to show up to his and Tali's house.
For an old quarian admiral, he hasn't been too wise.
He lifted his hand to signal the geth workers to stand back. Phoenix nodded and told the geth to return to their duties while he tended to a terminal that sat nearby. He wheeled across the front yard, kicking up desert dust from underneath his wheels. He took quick notice of Rael's posture, eerily relaxed.
Rael spoke without looking before he reached him.
"As much as I wanted to give my daughter a chance to build a house here, I didn't expect that she would have the chance to live like a princess, too."
Shepard's spine went ridged at Rael's obvious haughty tone. It made Shepard even a little bit more upset. He struggled to keep his own voice from matching the kind of his future Father-In-Law's.
"Well," he grunted. "She is a war hero. She's proven herself time and time again."
"Really? And what did she prove to you? For you to build this? It must be one hell of a story, I bet."
Shit. Shepard's spine began to tingle instead. He assumed the older man was suspicious, but any hint to his intentions would be a grave mistake now. Rael was not happy, and Shepard didn't even know what he found out back at the monument building. At the moment he did not have any advantages.
Shepard coughed. "Well, technically I'm not building it. The geth are. I'm just overseeing the construction for one of my most loyal crew members."
Rael, however, was not deterred by his humble answer. "Still, this house is a major undertaking. I'm sure there's a reason as to why you, the important human Savior of the Galaxy, would be willing to take on such a project. Tell me, is it because of your suit? When you, 'sacrificed,' your health?" he said with a hint of a sneer.
Rael's tone kept digging at his skin. His face scrunched up underneath his mask and he gave the former admiral a steely glare. You have a lot of nerve to come to me pissed off after everything you've done.
He couldn't keep his own hostile words in his mouth, but he could at least try to make it sound nonthreatening. He gave a deep breath.
"I'm surprised you would need any reason for that," he said coolly. "I mean, family ties aside, she's proven to be a very valuable person to the galaxy as well as my crew. And I take great care of my crew...Even if she haven't accomplished half of the things she did while under my command, I would still be willing to help her build this house."
He let the disguised criticism sink in. Rael was visibly thinking.
But before Rael could respond, Shepard jumped directly into the reason why he showed up. To ask him what the hell he was doing.
"Tell me, Mr. Zorah, sir, why did you leave the facility? I appreciate the disguise but it was still risky to go directly to the monument building."
"So you've been watching?" He asked rhetorically. "I'm sorry Shepard, but a man can only gather so much research from a terminal before he needs to stretch his legs and find the answers he truly seeks."
"You could have asked me."
"That wouldn't involve me stretching my legs."
"Perhaps a walk around the facility would have sufficed."
"Perhaps...But then again you are a busy man like me, I'm sure we can care for our needs by ourselves," Rael reasoned nonchalantly as he turned to look at the house in a pause, and Shepard followed suit.
"So...what did you find out?" Shepard continued warily.
Surprisingly, Rael laughed. "Well, if Tali is as important to you as you say. I'm surprised you didn't tell her own father that she has taken over his old position the first day we met."
Shepard couldn't help but glare once more, but this time without facing him. What a ridiculous...person!
"You were readjusting. I would have told you soon enough if you were a bit more patient, sir."
"Yes, well...that's a trait I'm not particularly known for, I guess."
"Clearly."
Shepard noticed that Rael had shot him a glare of his own in the corner of his eye.
"Sorry if you don't understand, but it's not just me. We quarians never really had the luxury of patience. Death looks for us at every turn. If we sit in open air long enough, we die. Hell, even attempting to create future generations of our people poses risks. And we very much like to continue our existence. It's why we were so fervent to get here."
I understand the desperation, but patience is a virtue. Your people almost perished! This time Shepard couldn't help but be a bit more aggressive.
"Well, sir. I'm glad that I could help your people by getting back your homeworld so you can do so safely."
"Never going to let us forget, are you? I'm sorry to disappoint, Shepard, but we value our ancestors, not gods."
The wheels in Shepard's mind were turning at Rael's icy retort as he tried to understand what he was doing exactly. Back at the facility, the older man listened respectfully to what he had to say regarding the past couple years. But now he breaks out and tails him here to give him indirect insults. Granted Shepard was also doing the same, but out of nervous defense. What does he really want?
"Alright Mr. Zorah, what are you doing here exactly? You found your answers back at the monument building, so why are you here now?"
"Can't a father come see his daughter's place?"
Maybe if you actually acted like one. "I don't see why not. But there's got to be a particular reason why you came to see me."
"Who says I came to see you?" He snapped. "I did not see you when I first arrived."
A longing pause ensued which was interrupted by a notification from Phoenix at his terminal. The two men walked over to it, and a quick glance told Shepard that it was an urgent message from the housing registration department.
To Shepard,
A stranger is coming to see you soon at Miss Admiral Zorah's house site. He claims to be an old friend of hers that goes by the name of Rora'Zoraal. He wishes to meet her after her meetings today. But after researching, it appears that no person by that name has ever been recorded into the surface population or ever existed on the flotilla. It stands to reason that you might want to approach this situation cautiously. We do not know whether if you get this message in time, for we have also updated the admiral on the situation. We trust that you can handle this, but assistance will be granted if any emergencies arise. We regret any inconvenience this may cause.
He slowly turned towards Rael, failing to keep a small smirk out of his tone.
"So...Rora...you did come to see me...so you can see Tali?"
Rael gave a low growl. "Don't you dare patronize me, human! I just wanted to make sure my daughter was okay. I would be stupid to show back up in her life years later, after she had taken over my position and moved on...unlike you."
Excuse me?
"You came to see me, Mr. Zorah. So, why are you here?"
Rael took a step back and folded his arms in disdain. "To ask you the exact same question. Why am I here? Why am I really alive? What purpose do you have in reviving me?"
...Shepard took a deep breath.
"Why are you here, really, Shepard?"
He wheeled back to get a better look at the fruits of his work. The man before him that he resurrected. Again Shepard had to question himself if he made the right choice. But either way, there wasn't much he could do about it now. He has to learn to live with it.
Shepard almost wanted to tell him everything. To tell him how much that his daughter meant to him and to the galaxy in hopes to convince him that everything he was doing was in good faith. But he did not know Rael that well. He did not know what lengths the former admiral would go to disrupt everything if he found out now.
So, have the truth bite me in the ass now? Or bite me in the ass later?
"I'm here to assist the quarians and in the building of your daughter's house, Mr. Zorah, nothing more."
Rael only grunted in response, not seeming to believe him.
"Besides, this is my last day here for awhile," Shepard continued, trying to convince him further. "I'm going on a mission tomorrow. I don't know when I get back, but when I do, I'll continue helping you out. But I can't do that if you keep putting your identity in jeopardy. So please, sir, I'm asking you to be patient."
Rael paused in thought with his thumb and first finger holding his speaker light. Shepard was immediately reminded of Tali doing the similar action, although right now the connection in this scenario was a lot less cute.
"Alright. I suppose I should stop causing you trouble. But that is only if you don't cause trouble for me. I still don't know what you're doing, exactly. So I advise you, be very careful."
"I don't intend world domination, sir."
"Very funny."
Despite his words, Rael, however, didn't even give so much as a hint of a chuckle as he turned from the house to leave.
"I'm sure Randy would like an apology," Shepard couldn't help himself but shout.
Rael stopped and gave him a silent glare. But then his gaze then gave one last sweeping look of the house. His eyes shifted back to an arrogant light and he tilted his head back. His final words of conversation gushed of superior knowledge.
"If you really knew my daughter. You would know that all of this would overwhelm her too much...she'd hate it."
Not another word was said as Rael took his leave back towards the facility. Shepard tried not to let it get to him, but Rael's words stirred something. He took a look back at the house.
To the average colonist the house would appear to be a castle or a mansion. It was large and had the mix of ancient quarian and general modern architecture, with engraved stone arches and pillars paired with large windows and simple balconies. It looked something like the apartment from the citadel but with a heavy quarian flair.
Is it really too much? I mean it is like the apartment, but Tali liked it, right? Before it blew up, anyways.
He gave a deep sigh and walked towards the house he was building for his dear quarian bondmate. The engraved walls surrounding the front yard rose high, with an open archway that had secret biometric scanners held on the sides. He entered a password on the wall for extra safety precautions and continued inside.
The sides of the front yard were covered overhead by wooden archways laden with potted plants that connected the front of the walls to the front of the house. A brick path led through the grass of the yard to the front door and off towards the south side where the yard followed.
A deck could be seen that had steps down to meet the same brick path that continued down to make a large patio, with chairs surrounding a centered fireplace. The patio itself had holes in the ground with retractable poles to help create a canopy for hot days, it made something somewhat similar to a gazebo.
The yard next to the patio had a small pool with even more room to spare, and underneath the deck was a bar, a hot tub, and a side door into the house.
Inside the house on the ground floor was the front lobby area, the kitchen and dining room, a bathroom and laundry room, and of course the living room with its window looking outside. The stairs going up held multiple guest rooms and a bathroom, the master bedroom, a private office and study, and a sitting area with a balcony outside. The stairs going down to the basement had an entertainment room with a vid theater and games, the armory, and one more guest room and bathroom just in case.
To top it off, there was a shooting range out in the backyard up against the large hill that hid the shuttle on the other side.
Yup, it's a dream house alright.
It had everything that Shepard thought Tali needed to live comfortably, to live peacefully.
God and the Ancestors knows that she deserves it.
Again his thoughts returned to Rael. He was trusting the older man to lay low, and despite how reckless he might have acted, he was no fool. It would have actually taken more than a fool to realize that Shepard was keeping more than he was letting on. This house was a family home, with expectations of frequent visitors. This was no house for a simple quarian admiral. It was just too obvious.
Shepard sighed. He left the site, unhappy that he couldn't see the whole house because of the stairs.
I can't wait to get out of this chair.
Phoenix followed him through the passageway around the hill back towards the shuttle. The side doors opened once they approached.
"How did...whatever the thing was...go, Captain?" Cortez asked as Phoenix helped Shepard in.
"Better than I thought it would."
Thank God.
Shepard turned to give his thanks to Phoenix and motioned for Cortez to fly back to the Normandy. This time he was in no hurry, so he let the pilot drive at his own pace. He had a lot to think about anyways.
Rael pretty much assumed what was going on, and the evidence supporting it did not help in Shepard's case. Shepard only hoped that the former admiral would not fight it, and if he did, then Shepard didn't know how he would do it.
Luckily for him, him and the crew were departing tomorrow with Tali coming along just for a short while. So Rael couldn't possibly do anything to complicate things, unless he was crazy enough to reveal who he was to everyone in the middle of the monument building's lobby.
But once Tali returned, then Rael could probably do something. Shepard wasn't sure what, but he figured that if Rael was determined enough to try to bring distance between him and his future lifemate, then he would be able to find something to make sure it happened.
Shepard let his head fall back on the chair.
Perhaps I'm just overthinking things...Right now I got to figure out what to do about Chimera. I'll think better once we're back.
Once they returned, it seemed the crowd had dispersed for the day. Which was surprising considering it was only mid afternoon. But Shepard wasn't about to complain.
Cortez messaged Joker and hailed him to open the ship's cargo bay doors, and the shuttle pilot parked the Kodiak within seamlessly. After landing, Shepard left Cortez to talk with James and immediately took the elevator to the medbay. Ever since Chakwas learned about the mission, she started making Shepard take routine checkups to cover his stomach wounds and DNA.
He had to admit that all the rolling around today was making his arms tired, and he desperately hoped the doctor wouldn't need to take blood from them or something of the sort. He yawned as he crossed the threshold, catching the old woman's attention.
In one swift movement she took the white machine from under his chair and also began scanning his cybernetics. "How was your day, Captain?" She asked without looking.
"Getting more and more tiresome, doc, how about you?"
"Just ready to get this hiccup over with. It's nice having a couple weeks to relax but it's better when you don't get snuck up on and have all of it ruined."
"You're telling me," Shepard agreed. "I just hope it is just a hiccup."
"I'm sure it will be. You shouldn't worry yourself so much," Chakwas advised as she finished with her cybernetic scans and turned towards the little white machine.
"Never underestimate your enemies," stated Shepard as he neared himself closer to stay attached.
"Yes, well," the doctor breathed. "After all of our adventures, I think it's safe enough for us to be a little optimistic."
Shepard gave a sarcastic chuckle. Having the galaxy almost wiped out does give a little spin on people's perspectives. He'd imagine that there will be a lot more big headed soldiers now, thinking that if they managed to survive the apocalypse, they would be able to survive anything.
"I think I might have used up all of mine in order for us to get here," he started. "I mean, I guess we'll turn out alright. It's just that at this point? With these little adventures? It's getting a little annoying. Part of me wonders why you all haven't decided to just get up and leave already. Be somewhere simple and live happy and all that."
"My, my, you have used up your optimism, have you? Is this why you decided to retire?"
"Of course not! I mean...well...maybe...I don't know."
After inspecting the machine, the old doctor transferred the information to a data pad to make it easier to read. "Relax Shepard," she said. "No one's blaming your for retiring. You saved the whole galaxy for goodness' sake!"
"But I couldn't have done it without my crew," Shepard replied without missing a beat. "You all have dealt with the action as much as I have. Why do you think everyone's staying aboard?"
An internal rumbled echo of a voice that sounded from the door answered him instead. "Perhaps it's because most of us don't really have a place to go back to yet. The Normandy has been our home for a long time, and I don't think it'd be fair just to up and leave her now."
Doctor Chakwas nodded in agreement.
"Hey Garrus," Shepard greeted.
Garrus nodded his hello back to Shepard but first spoke to Chakwas. "Doctor, is the Captain good?" He asked respectfully.
"Yes, he just finished giving me his reports. Feel free to take him," she replied. "Be safe now," she said to Shepard.
"Will do, doctor."
Shepard placed the machine back under his seat and wheeled back out the door with Garrus. The turian beckoned him to the main battery where it was well away from earshot. He only begun talking once they were near the door.
"How did the, 'meeting,' go?" Garrus asked as he opened the door.
"Not as bad as I thought it could be," Shepard answered with a sigh. "He's getting suspicious, though. I don't know what he's thinking of. But at least he's on the way back to the facility and keeping out of the way for now."
"I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea that the guy is even alive." Garrus shook his head in disbelief and the two brothers entered the battery. "I mean we saw him dead on the floor...I hope you know what you're doing."
Shepard leaned over in his chair where he parked himself near Garrus's personal modding table, hands clasped in thought. "To be honest, Garrus. I did know what I was doing ever since we were fighting the war. But now? After all of it happened? I...I didn't expect to be here. I'm not really sure if I do know what I'm doing anymore."
His turian friend sighed himself and placed their hand on his shoulder. "We'll get through it," he reassured. "Together."
"Thanks, man."
Garrus leaned on his control panel and the two of them shared a minute of quiet. Thinking. It was obvious. The two men were so close together now that they could almost read each other's thoughts. Both of them struggling to come up with ideas to fight a fleet of ships and get to the end goal of Shepard living it out with Tali. There's just these weird bumps in the way. It's not a problem that you could simply shoot at.
"I have to admit, it's strange," Garrus finally said. "Out of Reapers and Collectors, it's this one faction that's smart enough to attack us with numbers."
Shepard gave him a confused glance, silently asking him to elaborate.
"I mean with the Reapers, they weren't just fighting us. They were fighting everyone. Their goal was simply to harvest all life. The Collectors...well we took the fight to them, hard and fast. And it was just the homeworld that we needed to destroy. Not to mention they were too busy processing humans. We had a bit of a surprise advantage there."
Shepard nodded his agreement.
"I think the difference here is the intentions. No one we faced ever had the primary goal to just...kill us. I mean we acted as a weapon that everyone used to protect themselves. But now...this time the weapon is the target and not everyone else."
"It's personal," Shepard simplified for him. The thought itself gave him an idea, or really just a possibility to propose. "Do you think we can use, well...me...to our advantage?"
"We're not gambling your life on this, if that's what you're saying. It's exactly what they want," Garrus stated firmly.
"Of course not, I'm just wondering if there's something I could do to undermine them. Make them come up and fall on top of themselves..."
His turian friend gave a frustrated sigh, "I don't know."
Shepard's eyes felt suddenly heavier and he couldn't help but give a loud yawn. He was getting really tired after everything that happened today. His mind ached with stress as much as his arms ached in general.
"I think we will have more time to brainstorm once we get to the place tomorrow. Sorry to cut on ya so soon, but I need to catch some shut-eye."
"No problem," Garrus acknowledged. "I could probably use some sleep myself..."
The hybrid took the wheels of his chair and pushed himself towards the elevator.
"...and Shepard," Garrus continued after him. "I still think you should tell Tali sometime soon. It'll makes things easier in the long run."
Shepard scoffed slightly to himself. Garrus had told him how he would personally go about handling the situation yesterday, just right after he revealed Rael's revival. But he still didn't like the idea just yet.
"Maybe someday soon, Garrus...Maybe someday."
A FEW HOURS LATER
It's been awhile since I actually slept a night here.
Shepard was drifting on the brink. Not quite awake but not quite asleep either. It's been like that for a couple hours now. It was almost as if it wasn't quite right to fully commit to either just yet. Like something was missing.
Either way, he was grateful that he could lay down and let his aching muscles rest. The mattress, although not the most comfortable thing in the world, worked its magic on his body. The cricks in his spine from being hunched over so much in his seat were stretched out and straightened. Shepard relished in this.
Disappointment crept into him slightly as he tugged on the covers, begging for the coldness that was so weirdly warm. But it was just beyond his suit, the thing that felt only hot. Almost stuffy. He dismissed his feelings with a grunt.
Normally Shepard would be sleeping early in the mornings when it was still dark outside. This was usually because during the evenings he would be helping build the house while the crew slept. So by the time he got back they would all be waking up, and since Rannoch's days were much longer, he could have a full night's rest and it would still be dawn by the time he himself was awake.
It was like the crew slept for the first half of the night and he would sleep the second half.
It wasn't the best schedule though. Tali followed the crew's sleeping patterns which meant she would be up and about while Shepard got his rest and vice versa. But at least they would share a couple minutes to talk in between.
But because Tali had been more focused on her admiral duties, they haven't talked once in the past couple days.
And because of Chimera, it's going to take longer. He hissed in his thoughts.
But not tonight.
A hiss of the decontamination chamber sounded and a familiar presence could be felt. A pale thudding on the floor echoed in his audio receivers. But yet Shepard still could not bring himself to wake. His conscience imprisoned him with heavy eyes.
He felt the light covers of his bed pull back and then a happy, womanly sigh sounded. Then a deep impression was felt in the mattress next to him, starting from his midsection all the way up to the pillow next to his face and then down to his feet. His arms were then moved open lazily and a familiar, enjoyable form could be felt snuggling up close to his chest in between his arms.
This was the missing key he needed.
His eyes opened and a familiar looking purple mask with two points of light was looking at him from the darkness. The only lights other than her eyes came from the fish tank, and it cast a comforting aqua glow throughout the room.
"Hey...um..." Tali's whispered sentence paused, unsure.
Shepard smiled. "Hey, what's the matter?"
"Well, I'm not human," Tali started slowly and quietly, but began building up in speed and volume. "And I'm not sure if I should refer to you like this since I'm not one. And I don't want to intrude on human customs. And I'm wondering if I should call you this anyways because I never heard of it, or had it, nor could I ever have it, anyways. So I'm wondering if this term of endearment is strange, or applicable, or even right to use in this-"
Shepard raised his hand towards the back of Tali's helmet and tucked it underneath his speaker light, deepening their embrace.
"Tal, you're losing me," he interrupted warmly. She was always cute when she rambled. "What's the matter?"
His bondmate took a deep breath. "Is it okay if I call you, 'honey?'"
Shepard couldn't help but chuckle a little. But then his mind started turning.
Never heard of honey? Surely there's a dextro equivalent? I mean it's such a common food-
Then he remembered.
-oh right, Rannoch lacks insect life...man, ancient quarians were missing out on variety.
Shepard returned his attention to the quarian in his arms and her question.
"Of course, honey," he chuckled again. "I welcome any term of endearment you may have."
Tali let relief escape her in a sigh, then gave a chuckle herself. "Alright, honey...sorry I woke you up."
Again Shepard gave another light laugh. "No worries. I'm always glad to see you. How was your day?"
"Boring and stressful at the same time," she sighed again, but with more frustration. "So much of it is just micromanagement of the ships and the city. We need to start bringing everyone down soon so the Conclave has a bit more power. Give us admirals more room to breath."
"Yeah, I bet. But you got it handled," Shepard supported.
"I know. It's just a little jarring to go from relaxing to intense work so fast."
"I feel you," Shepard said, thinking about Rael and Chimera.
"You wish you could," Tali replied flirtatiously. Her accent dripping with honey.
"Oh do I," Shepard smirked. But then he realized something. "Why are you still in your suit? I thought I heard the decontamination chamber run."
"It did, but I figured if you weren't out of your suit, then I shouldn't be, either."
"Tali," he started. Truthfully, Shepard kept his suit on in case if Tali wanted to get out of hers when she came in. The two of them couldn't be out together since they had to readapt to each other again.
"Don't start," Tali interrupted with an eyeroll in her tone, pulling her head away to look at him. "Besides, I think it's a little...poetic."
Shepard smiled. "If you say so." He returned her head under his helmet. Enjoying the pause of comfort and the feeling of her presence.
"Did you get my message? Did you talk to that stranger that wanted to see me?"
Nervousness chilled the back of Shepard's neck by surprise. He had been thinking about how he would respond to a question like this ever since he saw the message from the home registration department. But to have it suddenly brought up threw him off guard.
"Uh," he began, remembering his excuse. "No, I didn't get your message. But I talked to the guy. Turns out he's just a fan...wanted to remain anonymous. Don't worry, he's harmless. I sent him on his way."
Tali scoffed. "I can't believe they sent a stranger to you. They should've held him for questioning."
"Yeah, well. They didn't know the guy didn't exist until after they sent him."
"Still, it wasn't the smartest thing to do."
Shepard, however, was glad that they didn't hold him. He could only imagine what would've happened if they found out that stranger was Tali's long dead father.
"Not much we can do about it now," Shepard yawned. "Come on, we better get to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow."
Tali snuggled up even closer into Shepard's arms, this time intertwining her legs with his.
"I kind of want to stay like this a bit longer," she whined.
Shepard chuckled. "Alright."
The two of them stayed close together. Tali huddled up in the curve of his chest, her hands resting on his sides below his arms and her elbows by her stomach. Her helmeted head buried under his chin at the base of his neck. Her legs were locked with his and both of their hips close together.
Shepard could almost let a tear break free from his eyes at the fact that he had such an amazing and unique woman cuddled up like this next to him. His arms tightened around her, desiring more and more of her existence. The pressure of their two bodies pressed together making him feel even warmer underneath the covers. In between all that's happened, it seemed like everything was going to be alright in the end.
Shame about the suits, though. But he didn't let that get to him.
I could die happy like this. Just a little bit longer and we can be like this every night.
Unbeknownst to him, Tali was thinking the same thing as the two of them drifted off into a beautiful slumber.