"Are you ready, Dyad?"
Tali stood on the cargo bay ramp on the morning of departure, the rest of the crew hurrying past her with last minute supplies as she waited for the purple geth to arrive with his transport ship. The ship that she could use for a way back from her father's gravesite.
Dyad didn't come alone, though. When he got off his ship, out from behind him came the frame of her dear Aunt Raan and, to her surprise, the ever calculating Admiral Xen.
"Hello, Tali," came Raan's voice filled with motherly warmth. "We figured we should see you off."
Tali took fast, excited steps down to her aunt and gave her a quick hug. "Hey, Auntie! I'm surprised! I mean I am coming straight back after this."
Raan broke the hug and took a small step back, gesturing an invite to the other admiral for her to enter the conversation. "It was actually Xen's idea to begin with," she responded.
Tali couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the revelation. "Really?"
"Don't be so swindled by disbelief, Tali," Xen said with an eyeroll behind her pale visor. "We're admirals, we have to look out for each other for the good of our people."
Tali rose her other eyebrow, now fully surprised. Well. Those are some words I never thought I would ever hear her say.
"I am well protected, Xen," Tali replied, reassuring her without much care. "After all, I've been through hell on this ship more times than I can count."
"Yes, which means danger comes frequently," Xen pointed out. "Which begs the question, why is your captain in need of this geth here?" Her inquiry ended in a little sing song manner and her hand fiddled upon Dyad's back, almost as if doing a dainty little dance. He noticeably twitched.
"Does it have permission to leave?" She continued, sounding like some kind of empress.
Tali's eyelids drooped low. She has grown quite tired of Xen's constant need for exercising superiority over the geth, and Tali wasn't the only one who felt that way, either. The other admirals have repeatedly denied her access to the self managed Geth House so much in the past couple days that it almost felt like babysitting a complaining child.
"Dyad is free to go anywhere on his own accord," she stated firmly. "Besides, even if he did need permission, Raan and I have encouraged him to come along."
"If that's how it is," Xen sighed in annoyance. "Not that I care, anyways...If you must take it, take it."
Tali almost scoffed at Xen's tone in words, sounding like she herself was letting Tali take Dyad on her own allowance. You don't possess anyone. Tali's thoughts snarled.
"Point is, you should stay safe. Trouble lurks out there, you know," Xen suddenly added, ominously.
The simple statement was random, and it rose great suspicion in Tali. She threw a quick glance towards Raan, silently asking her a question. Did you tell her?
Raan noticed the look and must have known what she was thinking, because she simply shook her head once.
"What?" Xen asked, seeing the exchange.
Tali also shook her head once. "Nothing, Xen. I appreciate that you came all this way to make sure that I'm alright. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get Dyad situated real quick. Shepard wants to get this mission of his done and over with as soon as possible."
As do I.
"That I do."
The voice came from behind her, so she twisted around and looked up to see her future lifemate higher up on the cargo bay ramp, sitting in his wheelchair, appearing as if he was a king on a throne. She couldn't help but smile a little.
"Speak of the devil," she said.
"What?" Xen asked again.
"Old human phrase, don't worry," she quickly answered without looking, nor caring, and continued to watch Shepard carefully roll his way down the ramp, prepared to assist him. He didn't need it though.
"Good morning, admirals," he greeted lightheartedly, with his gaze primarily focused on Tali. He gripped his wheels into a halt once he got down to them, stopping by her side. "To what do we owe the pleasure?" He asked the other two.
"Just checking in on you all, seeing you off," Raan replied smoothly, but her voice was quick to become more firm. "And checking to make sure that all of you will take care to stay safe."
"Always do," Shepard responded with a knowing tilt to his head. Raan didn't seem satisfied.
"Well, Shepard," Xen interrupted. "Seeing that you are about ready to leave us, I'd just like to thank you for everything you've done for us, and personal apologies from me for all of our mistakes or inconveniences done to you in the past...and any more we might cause in the future."
This surprised Tali even more, and it clearly had an effect on Shepard, too.
"Er, thanks?" He replied.
Tali took a hard look at the other admiral. Confidence flowed through her stance like she was made completely of it, even despite her strange words. But then again, Xen was a strange person in general. Tali wondered if she was conducting some kind of social experiment.
A little too strange for my tastes.
"Well, that's all I really need to say," Xen said suddenly, swiftly gesturing a farewell. She made an about face and walked towards the rugged rental that the crew didn't need anymore. "I'm glad we had you here," she called without glancing back, then added, "Shala, I'll be waiting."
Tali had to hold in another scoff at her character.
Raan sighed heavily, most likely sharing Tali's thoughts. "Well, before I go," she paused and looked towards Tali. "Remember what we talked about?"
Tali was immediately reminded of that night on the balcony a couple days ago, and her plan to get Shepard to learn how to relax and realize there's more things he can do other than put his life in danger. The event of cuddling and sleeping with Shepard last night was her first step into pushing him into the right direction.
Even so, Tali still felt like an annoyed teenager when Raan asked the question. "Yes, Auntie," she groaned.
"Good, and Shepard..."
His head snapped towards her.
"Stay safe, and maybe take whatever your future lifemate might say on your journey into great consideration."
Shepard was visibly confused by her statement, but nevertheless gave a simple, "Yes, ma'am."
"Alright then, we came by to also see if you guys needed anything, but it appears that you're already set to go," Raan said, taking a sweeping look up at the cargo bay. "Dyad here will assist in any way he can."
"That I will, Creator-Raan, Creator-Zorah, and Shepard-Captain."
"Glad to have you aboard for this," Shepard replied with the most accepting attitude he could muster.
Perhaps he doesn't want to invoke the wrath of Raan. Tali giggled to herself.
"Anyways, I better be going. I wouldn't want to make Xen..." She paused, looking for the right word. "...exasperated."
Tali wrapped her arms around her aunt into another hug before she could leave. "Keelah Se'lai, Auntie."
"Keelah Se'lai, Tali."
Shepard gestured his own farewell by extending his hand, "Keelah Se'lai, Admiral Raan."
"Keelah Se'lai, Shepard." She took it and gave it a firm shake.
So formal. Tali thought. I'm sure they'll warm up to each other more as time goes on.
"I best be off. Stay safe, Shepard, I mean it," Raan stated firmly as she backed away from the ship.
"Of course."
Raan raised her arm in farewell and crossed the empty desert field towards the transport that Xen was in. Tali had given the crowds that normally surrounded the ship information about the departure a couple days ago when the group had decided on the date. She was happy to see that there were only a few stragglers today.
It's not always easy being famous.
Tali took the handles on Shepard's chair and pushed him up the ramp, with Dyad close behind, his head flaps twitching as he gazed around the cargo bay. A loud beep sounded from his head.
"Creator-Zorah. The non-sentient procedure for immune system assistance that I have programmed per your request has entered beta stages. Others have already begun testing. Would you like to test as well?"
"Sure thing, Dyad," Tali replied enthusiastically. "Feel free to send it to my omni-tool."
"Already done."
"Procedure?" Shepard asked as the cargo bay door closed behind them.
"Remember our conversation about the geth rewriting environmental functions in our suits?" Tali responded. Shepard nodded. "It's the same concept, just that it doesn't require geth control in order to work."
"It's automated, Shepard-Captain," Dyad clicked. "Also, I've taken the liberty to try and make the procedure inclusive to all organic species. But you are the only organic entity other than quarians with similar conditions. The procedure could possibly assist you, too. But success may be limited by your ever-changing DNA."
Shepard gave a thoughtful but saddened sigh. "Sure, send it over. I'll have Chakwas put her own input on it."
Tali's felt sudden liquid tears chill through her veins at Shepard's reaction to the reminder of his condition. The man has been entrapped in so many ways, and now he was entrapped once more by having to leave Rannoch in order to figure out a way to fight Chimera. She hated Chimera with a passion. She made a suit for Shepard so he could walk around safely, and then they come around and force him down again.
Keelah, why am I the one that has to come back so soon?
Tali knew exactly why, but she wouldn't admit it to herself. Shepard was off to take care of the problem of the present, while she had to take care of the problem of the future. It made her stomach boil. She didn't like the idea of leaving Shepard alone while he came up with a plan. But she was smart, she knew how to stay cool headed.
I'll join the fight soon enough. Besides, my people need me now.
When they reached the CIC, they took a sharp turn towards the war room. It reminded Tali how long it has been since she last was in there, back when Rannoch was still under occupation.
Since the war itself had ended for awhile, security wasn't of the upmost importance. The two soldiers, Private Westmoreland and Private Campbell, had even converted the scanning chamber that lead to the war room into a neat little hangout spot.
Shepard and Tali then got Dyad situated in the war room, giving him access to anything that he could make potential improvements on. He took his station at one of the terminals and for a small moment, his photoreceptor dimmed and his head made continual screaming clicks.
"What's going on?" Shepard asked, frightened and concerned. Tali couldn't help but feel the same way when seeing Dyad's head flaps twitch as if he was having a seizure.
Dyad's photoreceptor immediately came back on with full brightness, similar to that of a reboot, and he turned to answer Shepard's question nonchalantly.
"Sending a message to the transport outside," replied the Scandinavian sounding robot.
"Sounded like it took some effort," Shepard said, still a little shakened.
"It did."
Tali let out a gasp of relief and Shepard tilted his head in simple acknowledgement, glad the situation wasn't serious. He turned himself back out of the war room with Tali close behind.
"Well, good luck, Dyad. We're going to go take off now...and...be careful sending any messages around the crew."
"Understood."
"It's good to have you here," Tali added cheerfully.
"Thank you, Creator-Zorah."
Shepard and Tali walked out and went to go give Joker the all clear to leave. But on the way, Shepard said something that caught Tali off guard. "I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this."
"What? It's just Dyad."
"I know, it's just that...all of this...it doesn't feel right."
"All of what, exactly?" she asked, but she felt like she already knew the answer.
"You know...You'll be leaving after we get to...you-know-where...and I'll have to take the backseat while everybody else protects me. I feel like I'm just sitting on top of a tower that's extremely close to toppling over."
Tali gave a small laugh, "Do you really put so little faith in us?"
"Of course not!" Shepard exclaimed. "It's just that...I feel like something is bound to go wrong. Our track record shows as much."
"And yet we keep coming back," she tried to reassure him.
Shepard gave a sarcastic chuckle, "Yeah, in pieces."
Her eyebrows furrowed beneath her mask, preparing to admonish her lover. "John..." She started.
"I know," he interrupted. "It's just..."
He stopped in front of the opened cockpit door, watching Joker and EDI scan systems and triple checking to see if the Normandy was properly prepared to fly. He also took a glance at the others sitting at the terminals that lined the bridge walls.
"I don't want to lose any more people...I command this ship, I'm responsible for the lives aboard. I make sure that they are able to go home safe...I don't get why people won't let me uphold that responsibility anymore."
Tali went to say that technically Garrus was in command of the Normandy now. But she stopped herself as she felt that it wouldn't make Shepard feel any better about the situation.
"That's why you retire," she said instead. Shoot, that wasn't much better.
She could tell that some frustration built up just below the surface, but he let go of it in a deep exhale. She hated to see that Shepard was becoming less and less able to remain cool headed ever since the attack on the Citadel.
He's frustrated, anybody else would be. But this breaking point isn't like him. He got upset almost too easily when we were making this plan.
She had only seen him become extremely upset about a situation once before, and that's when they lost the prothean V.I. to Cerberus. That situation had much higher stakes. The lives of the galaxy depended on the information that the V.I. had on the catalyst. This was smaller. More personal.
Maybe his new limitations get to him more than he lets on.
The suit, and the wheelchair. Never before did he have to deal with these things on a mission. Perhaps he just felt...useless.
Pretty sure he thinks he's got something to prove to us, that he can lead while injured. Not that he hasn't done so plenty of times before, but I don't think he realizes that now, after everything, we just, I just, want to see him alive and well.
Shepard shook his head. "We'll...talk about this later," he murmured.
"Joker," he then called to the pilot. "Take us out."
"Sure thing Cap'n, take off in twenty."
He turned around in his seat and headed towards the elevator. "I'm headed to the medbay," he stated.
Tali followed him, "I guess I better head to engineering."
Shepard wasn't about to leave her while in a heated state that easily. She stood close to him as they entered the elevator, and slowly descended to the two decks below. Gravity shifted for a second as the ship took off.
She stood in front of him when the elevator opened at the crew deck, peering deep into his golden visor that looked back up at her to see the faint outline of his nonluminescent eyes, which were a little furrowed at her sudden action.
She stooped down and wove her arms around his shoulders, holding him close. "We'll be fine, honey. Don't worry yourself too much," she said with a tap of her visor.
She was pleased to see that his eyes relaxed into a soft smile almost instantaneously. It didn't look like it cured his thoughts, though. Only just enough to get him to ease his tensions.
"I know, thanks," he said as he returned the small hug and gave another tap on the visor. "I'll get Chakwas to check out the program. I'll come down later."
As swiftly as Shepard left the elevator, Garrus emerged from sight and entered, giving a friendly pat on Shepard's shoulder. "Don't start getting shot in the shoulders now, too," he joked.
The hybrid retaliated with a friendly jab. "Yeah, I wouldn't be able to knock you all the way back to the battery door."
Both men laughed and Shepard continued on his way as the door closed, leaving Garrus and Tali together.
It wasn't just his appearance that was quick, but his mood as well. His smile evaporated swiftly and was taken away from the sudden chill that encased the area around him. Tali shifted on her feet, wondering what could be on his mind. She didn't have to ask.
"He better not start getting shot in the shoulders now," he finally growled. "Or at all, in that matter."
"He'll be fine," she assured him with a tired gasp.
Tali loved the fact that the bond between the three of them were so strong that they would kill and die for each other, but she felt like she was the only one trying to maintain her temper regarding Chimera. Shepard had enough bitterness and suspicion to spare and now Garrus seemed to be adding to the fire. It was starting to make her exhausted.
Men, she thought with a roll to her eyes.
"Oh, I know," Garrus replied to her previous words. "I just got word from Hackett that we're getting some help on this. I've given them the coordinates on where to meet us."
This news was a massive pleasant surprise. "Backup? Now? You managed to get backup?"
Garrus mandibles stretched to a grin, "Of course, just don't tell Shepard about it. You know how he is."
"I hear that," she mumbled to herself. "Who are they?"
"Dunno. Hackett only gave me a contact address for a ship, so I just sent the coordinates over. They confirmed it and it seems like their ETA should be about a day or two after we arrive...I'm not letting him get shot at again."
Tali was grateful for Garrus being able to secure some assistance. She just hoped these soldiers they were getting sent were well trained and not just kids wanting a chance to work with the Savior of the Galaxy. But Admiral Hackett sent them, so she figured they were the best he could get.
"Thanks, Garrus."
"Heh. You're welcome...I think this is your stop. I gotta go help Mr. Vega with his Typhoon."
The doors to Engineering opened and Tali gave Garrus a friendly pat on the shoulder as she left him in the elevator to head to her terminal. "I'll see you later."
Tali still had much on her mind when she reached her station and began scanning through maintenance reports. It pleased her that her partners on the deck did a good job in keeping the drive core in top notch shape since she hasn't been there for awhile. Then again, the ship haven't flown in a couple weeks so none of the other engineers had too much work to do anyways.
"Welcome back, Tali!" Kenneth greeted enthusiastically once he saw her. The others were so engrossed in their own work that they too hadn't seen her come in. Engineer Adams and Gabby both chimed their greetings to her. She smiled and waved in return.
Tali felt it good to be working on the Normandy again after their break, especially after the last few days of debating with the other admirals. It was a breath of fresh old air. Even despite everything she's witnessed on the ship, it was still her most comfortable place to be. Her home away from home.
It's not going to last forever, though. She thought sadly.
After this trip, she'll have to focus on being a full time admiral. No more working out engineering kinks with Gabby and losing Shepard on tech explanations with Kenneth. It was bittersweet. But at least she could relax knowing that she and Shepard were leaving the Normandy in capable hands.
Thinking of admirals.
She pulled out a datapad and set it next to her terminal. Whenever she decided to take a break, she could focus on doing other work for her people, as well as look over the details of Dyad's program.
The work helped soothed her thoughts. It kept her feelings preoccupied so she could consider the situation in a different light, to help her forget how big of a threat Chimera was. But even so, the idea of visiting her father's grave came and spoiled her mood.
She exhaled deeply and turned to the glowing orange code that scrolled through her terminal, wrestling with her feelings of wanting to stay with Shepard to help fight, but not wanting to go near her father's grave, and her sense of respect of the dead and her duty as an admiral.
She exhaled again. We'll see when we get there. I'm sure I'm just overthinking, everything will be fine. She thought, and activated Dyad's immune system program.
LESS THAN 24 HOURS LATER
"Hey, hon. Get up. We're here."
Tali's eyes lifted like stones. Her face hurt and her body ached.
Dammit, I slept too hard.
She peeled her helmeted head off of her pillow which in turn peeled her face off of the rubber and metal within the helmet. Her cheeks must have been smushed for a very long time, because they were incredibly sore. The same thing could be said for her shoulder that was tucked underneath her own weight while she slept. It snarled in protest when she rolled onto her chest.
"Oww..." She grumbled.
"You alright?"
She took notice that her lover's voice was a little further away now. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said, a little louder. "Just waking up, 'on the wrong side of the bed.'"
"The gravesite bothering you?" His voice echoed from the bathroom now.
Please...don't remind me.
"No, I slept with weight on my face and shoulder so I'm hurting a bit."
"Aw, that sucks," he replied nonchalantly over water that was now running.
Pain coursed through her right arm as she clumsily and wobbily lifted herself up with her left one, rolling herself into a maneuver that ended up with her sitting on the side of the bed. Her sore arm ended up hanging loosely and cradled in her lap, and she started massaging the hurting muscles with the good arm.
"How soon are we landing?" She asked with a minor groan.
"We already did."
Tali hopped off the bed, instantly shocked and eager to get ready for the day.
"Keelah! Why didn't you wake me?"
Her face and arm were still sore, but to Tali's resentment, she couldn't give the same massaging treatment to her cheeks the same way she did with her arm. Damn mask!
"It looked like you needed the sleep, and you also looked cute, too."
Tali immediately regretted her painful smirk at Shepard who now returned from the bathroom. "Charmer," she said before quickly lifting her hand to her mask. "But I don't think sleep needed me. Keelah, I feel like I just got punched...multiple times."
She walked up the small steps towards Shepard, who parked his wheelchair right next to his terminal, attending to a message that appeared on screen. She cringed at how she remembered when she was in the same spot, watching Shepard give her a pre-recorded death message for if he died in the war.
She scooped down and wrapped her arms around his chest, an action that Shepard acknowledged by giving a comforting grasp at her good arm. Thank the ancestors he was saved!
The action also caused her head to push up against her mask and give her face a painful squeeze.
She let go with an, "Ow!"
"You alright?"
She cradled her mask in one hand, failing to grasp comfort. She couldn't hold it off anymore.
"Did you run the decontamination unit?"
"Earlier, yeah."
She quickly sidestepped into the bathroom without another word and positioned herself in front of the mirror, ripping off her mask, feeling the cool air against her skin. It always felt heavenly.
Well, except for last time, for obvious reasons.
If she was honest with herself, she was enthralled with looking at her face in the mirror. It's been months since the last time she ever did so. This was intentional though, as she liked to starve herself of the image. It made it that much captivating each time.
She didn't do it because she felt, "pretty." No, she wasn't like that.
She did it because there was something that tingled her senses about seeing her face. This layer of skin that hovered around her eyes yet she could not see it. Her true identity that was hidden from others as well as herself. It helped her simulate an outsider's experience. One like Shepard's.
She ran warm water over a glove and moistened the sore cheek, massaging it with gentle strokes as she stared into the eyes of her reflection.
Alien species often wondered what quarians looked like, but they never realized that some quarians wonder, too, since most didn't always have access to mirrors. Even if they had, they wouldn't be used much since there was always something more important to do. Not many quarians would take off their suits to look at themselves for the fun of it, anyways.
Already she was analyzing her features. Her implant within the brows of her eyes that reach to the top of her forehead was very noticeable. She didn't like it, but she wore it like a badge of honor in a weird way. It reminded her of the struggles of being a quarian, and again, it reminded her of the struggles of being a quarian.
Hopefully Dyad's program can fix that. She thought with a minor glare.
Aside from the implant, she couldn't really find anything too significant about herself. The shape of her face was slender but not too skinny, with just a small hint of roundness around her cheekbones to keep the rest of her face straight. No wrinkles, dips, or bulges could be found in the cheeks.
Her skin was pale, but again she was surprised how quarians and humans shared similar skin tones. Her nose was another thing as well. Her own nose was like any normal human nose, or what she considered normal for a nose. Straight, average length, only perking up slightly at the end. It fit well on her.
Her eyes were probably the only thing that could be considered different from a human's perspective. She didn't know any other species with eyes that glowed steadily, which she thought was quite odd. But she had to admit that alien eyes had a certain enchanting flair about them, something that gave them another level of expression through iris colors and darker pupil shapes.
If anything, her face just made her feel young, and...different in some way.
How in the galaxy did I become an admiral?
After delving into these thoughts for a few moments while working out the soreness in her cheek, she sighed and took a step from the mirror, placing her mask back on her face, and then she jumped.
"AW DAMN IT!"
She turned furiously to her lover that shouted in the doorway, his posture pulling off a full body mixture of a shit eating grin and a disappointed expression.
"John! Don't give me a heart attack!"
She grabbed his toothbrush from the sink and threw it at him, but was surprised when he caught it with a heavy laugh. She wouldn't admit that it she was feeling a little joyful, but she could tell that her demeanor was betraying her.
"Sorry, hon. But I don't see how else I can express how much I miss your absolutely gorgeous looks."
She smiled and took one more look in the mirror. "I don't know, I don't see it."
Shepard gave a mock scoff and set down his toothbrush. "Then you're blind. You'd have to be."
His words made her feel fuzzy and she looked at her purple mask once more. She still couldn't see how she could be anything more than average, though. But since the handsome alien is the only one who has seen her face in years, asides from her family...members...
Well, because he complimented her rare appearances in such an energetic fashion, she felt inclined to take his word on it.
"Well, I'm ready to go when you are," she said, passing by him in the doorway.
"Aren't you gonna..?" Shepard started to ask hopefully, tapping his own mask.
Tali giggled a little, and stooped down to him to press her visor against his. The closeness of him was intoxicating. She had to restrain herself from trying to make out with him through both of their masks. "This face isn't going anywhere, honey. Come on, we better go."
She made for the door but felt his arms held her back. She rolled her eyes.
She felt his deep rhythmic breaths in her side as he hugged her close like a child.
"You know I love you, right?"
Her gaze softened and she bent down once more to return his embrace. "I do, but we really should be going."
"Alright," he replied simply.
The Normandy sure enough had been parked while Tali slept. This small, remote planetoid only a few systems away was where her father was buried.
Let's just get this over with. She sighed with moderate resentment as the airlock opened and sunlight peered into the ship.
She noticed Shepard next to her when he shared the same reaction, but probably for different reasons. But he also seemed more wary. Tali could only imagine why.
"You still uneasy?"
"Shepard's uneasy?" Joker interrupted, calling from the cockpit.
"Shepard's uneasy?" Garrus joined in, revealing himself from the cockpit. The turian had just brought the pilot his breakfast from the crew deck. "That's not good."
"Relax, guys. I'm just cautious is all," Shepard responded, but his head movements didn't match his words. It was on a swivel and Tali could tell he was scanning and studying the surroundings outside the ship. "Joker, monitor our radar just in case."
"Sure thing, Cap. I'll let you know if any zombies start attacking."
The joke was received with an awkward silence, and Joker couldn't help but cringe. "Ooh...yikes...sorry...Tali."
She ignored the apology, not wanting to focus on her deceased father. In fact, it made her want nothing more but to breeze past all of this and get it over with. So she grabbed Shepard's wheelchair and cautiously strolled him down the steeper ramp.
"Garrus, come with us," Shepard threw over his shoulder, "Get everyone else to unload, Joker. We're going to scout out the area."
"Aye, aye."
"Careful," came EDI's voice, "My sensors indicate that there will be a strong storm coming in soon."
"Got it, EDI," Garrus replied.
As Tali neared the ground, her skin crawled and a pit in her stomach began to burn.
I hate this place.
She kept the thought suppressed, lessening the effect of her feelings.
They were greeted with a station next to the landing pad. A simple quarian structure that was dwarfed by the size of the Normandy next to it. Even the ship that Dyad towed along with them was larger.
"Kinda strange to build a place for a gravesite," Garrus observed.
"That's because it wasn't built for that. It was originally an outpost where we monitored the geth. It was the closest we could get to Rannoch without a large risk of engagement. Of course, we probably had to pull back the scientists that were here after the attack on the Alarei."
"And now it's become our hideout," Shepard added. The other two silently agreed.
Entering the building, the evidence of terminals and supplies strewn around the place confirmed that it did used to be an outpost. At least we don't need to worry about having to use up our own resources.
It was comfortable place to be, albeit small, and messy. Tali initiated cleaning up the place and the others followed suit. Papers and datapads on old geth movement patterns were the main things that flooded the floor, and it pained Tali how old they were, ever since before her father died.
Meanwhile cleaning, a heavy sound of metal footsteps entered the building. The rest turned to see Dyad with a box of hardware in his grasp. A large antenna could be seen sticking out of it.
"I've come to unload my own supplies," he stated simply. He placed the box on the counter and went to work on getting a nearby terminal fixed.
The sight of Dyad reminded Tali of something, and she set down the papers in her hands and walked over to Shepard, who was busy placing dirty cups into a sink.
"Did you hear anything from Chakwas about Dyad's program?" She asked after gaining his attention.
"Yeah," Shepard replied disappointed. "Unfortunately the program would need some kind of adapting feature. Which is kind of pointless anyways. What's the point of fixing your immune system when your DNA can screw it over at any time?"
"Keelah."
"So I guess we're going to have to fix that before we get anywhere close to me being able to get out of the suit."
"And how are we going to fix that?" Tali asked, referring to his DNA.
"Well my body is already going through an evolutionary time machine. But it's still hundreds of thousands of years worth..."
"Which means..?"
"Either we figure out how to get the evolution process moving from light speed to even faster than faster than light speed, or I'm never going to be fully human again until I'm old...or maybe not even until after I'm dead."
"Ancestors, no!"
"Shepard-Captain," Dyad interrupted. "If you wish, I can stay here and continue setting up. You can continue with your scouting."
"How'd you know I was-?"
"Joker-Pilot told me...I've taken a scan of the surrounding area from the ship, if you're interested, there's a hint of a path leading to Creator-Zorah's father's gravesite just outside."
Tali had to take a small step back. She just found out that Shepard could quite possibly never get out of his own suit ever again, and the last thing she wanted to hear was anything about her father. With this on top of Chimera and being an admiral, she just felt a little overwhelmed.
She took a deep breath. One thing at a time.
She pushed everything that wasn't immediate back in her mind, and unfortunately that was everything but the gravesite.
If she was being honest with herself, she would rather pretend that it didn't exist. But she knew it would just eat away at her whenever she's alone with her thoughts. She needed to go, pay respects, get it out of her head.
Get it over with.
"Yeah, let's go, Shepard."
"You sure? I'd understand if you don't want to," he replied, a hint of a wary edge in his voice.
"I'm sure, let's go."
Shepard rolled himself over next to her, and they both went out the back door with Garrus behind them. It was here that Tali got a real look at the surrounding scenery.
Her feet sunk into the rich clay, and the tall trees cast long shadows on the ground like prison bars. Before them was a small valley with an ocean on the far side, and sure enough, a path of broken sticks and flattened land could be seen branching off around a hill. She took another deep breath.
"You really don't have to go if you don't want to," Shepard said.
"I don't, but I need to."
She handed the handles of the wheelchair to Garrus and started her way down the path by herself slowly. She could tell the two of the closest people in her life followed her, muttering to each other, but a ways off. Most likely so they wouldn't interrupt her thoughts.
The soft cracks of twigs along the journey tuned her to her feelings, and she allowed herself to think about everything about her father. She was surprised when she didn't cry.
I already wept once for him, and I drunk myself under a bar because of him. I guess there's nothing else but to finally say goodbye.
Her hands danced on the trees as they passed several bends in the path. Light shined bright into her purple visor. The planet here was in its afternoon hours, and the sun moved slightly faster in the sky than she was used to.
Everything here reminded her of an old Khelish song, and she started to sing it softly in her head.
It was a song about desert sands, about the light of a loved one's life, and it moving faster than it should have. All the way until it was time for the darkness...the joining with the ancestors.
The last bend in the path lead up on top of the hill, it marked the entrance, shadowed by the trees. As if acknowledging what they were about to see. At the same time, Tali concluded the song in her head.
"Hey," came Joker's sudden voice over their comms. "Do you think one of you guys can let Vega in? He said the door's locked and you guys aren't answering him."
Tali heard Shepard a little ways behind her. "Call Dyad!" He hissed. "We're in the middle of something important!"
"Dyad's not answering, either!"
"Then wait! I'll open the door once we're finished!"
Keelah! Tali thought angrily. A pause ensued and she rolled her eyes.
"The hell are you guys doing in there?" Joker responded.
Tali snorted loudly. I'm getting real close to throttling him the next time I see him!
"Shut up, Joker!" Shepard continued.
"Alright, alright! Let me know when you all are done having fun," he said as he cut off.
Tali threw her head back around and popped out a leg while folding her arms into an angry stance. She also threw Shepard a dirty look, though it wasn't directed at him.
He raised his hands in defense. "By all means, I'll let you kill him when we get back."
She rolled her eyes again and snorted once more, calming herself down. "No...let's just..." She sighed.
"Let's just get this over with."
She let the anger ebb away and once more felt the clay cake up between the toes of her boots, returning to her previous troubled state of peace.
The dark path reached up on top of the forested hill into a small clearing, the ocean visible due to the height, and in the center was her father's grave. But it wasn't what she expected.
The hell?
The ground where the grave was had rough dirt, as if it was kneaded, and the metal bar that acted as a headstone was bent. A storm?
She quickly rushed to the site and knelt down in front of it, looking at the damage that had been caused. She used her gloved hand to pack the dirt down and smooth it out, at the same time looking at the metal bar.
Upon it was a sheet of metal, and it was engraved with her father's name and his birth and death year, alongside a few words about who he was as a quarian admiral.
An accomplished soldier and leader.
Tali scoffed as there was only a simple mention that he was a father, and nothing else.
And here I am making sure you look pretty. She thought bitterly.
She didn't remove the bar, but she positioned herself on the ground to where she could bend it back with an arm and a leg. She noticed how tough it was to do so.
The storms here must be insane for something like this to happen.
"Keelah!"
"Tali..." Shepard began.
"I can do this!" She snapped, and sure enough, with those words, the bar bent slowly back, almost into shape.
She could still see the strain in the metal when she stepped back to look at it, and was disappointed that it still wasn't completely straight.
Not much I can do about it anyways. She thought as her breaths tore through her throat from the sudden burst of effort she had on fixing the grave. She relaxed herself by finally sitting down in front of it.
You always were hard to please.
Her breathing was still rough, so she closed her eyes and bent a little forward, hoping to suck in more air from the filters in her mask.
The thought was a gateway to more. Her blood mixed into a concoction of bitterness, grief, and regret.
Her eyes stared half lidded, almost blankly at the name on the sheet of metal. All the feelings within at her ate at her insides. She wanted to get this over with, but now that she was here, she didn't know exactly where to start.
Maybe just a simple greeting...
Hey, Father...Dad...
Don't know where you are now...But I'm sure you know that we're on Rannoch now, and that I'm getting a house, and that a good man is having to...pick up where you left off by building it for me...
Keelah, this feels ridiculous...I don't know if actually care...maybe if Mom was still here then you would...I guess I have to hand it to you, you didn't let it tear you down...you kept moving...I wish I knew it was away from me...at least you're with her now.
I hope she is keeping you in line...as well as the rest of the ancestors.
Her thoughts became more clouded as different urges to be hateful or mocking kept grasping at her, and she tried her best at being respectful of the dead. She didn't know how long she had been kneeling there.
She inhaled deeply as if to suck all her thoughts back into her head, no longer trying to make sense of it all and instead simply accepting them as they were, confused.
Her hand lifted up and rested on the nameplate, her eyes boring into the letters that made up his name.
Keelah Se'lai, Dad. May the ancestors-
She took another deep breath before she could finish the thought.
May the ancestors-
"Tali, there's something-"
She felt herself turn and throw herself into her human's arms, feeling stressed and confusing tears welling up in her eyes. But most of all she felt thankful to have someone that loved her and did their best to treat her right and make sure she was safe.
The human Savior of the Galaxy, of all people.
"John, thank you," she said simply. But she noticed large, geth-like footprints around the gravesite.
The next voice she heard wasn't Shepard's, and it wasn't her own about her newfound evidence. Instead it was Joker once again, this time shouting over the comms in a frantic frenzy.
"Shepard! Something-! No! Many things, are popping up in the atmosphere on our radar! Fun time is over! I repeat, get your asses back in the ship!"
Tali winced from the pilot's warning and let go of her lover, and the trio looked up to the skies to see what would cause their joking pilot to turn into such a serious sounding one.
Tali found out the cause, alright, and she felt shocked as what seemed like thousands of ships poured in high overhead in the sudden dark evening clouds, the fleet growing in size as they came closer and closer.
"Shepard!"
"Tali!"
The next thing she heard was a grunt by Garrus and a pained yell by Shepard.
She whipped her head around and was utterly horrified to see a purple geth holding her future lifemate up with a large hand, lifting him by his shoulder so his feet dangled helplessly over his wheelchair.
OH, KEELAH!
The Scandinavian sounding robot's photoreceptor glowed a brilliant red light and an antenna swung from his back. The air was now filled with his terrible screaming clicks alongside a smell of moisture.
Shepard yelled louder in pain as Dyad tightened his grip. Rain began to drizzle and a loud strike of thunder was heard.
The geth stopped his clicks, and his old voice returned, tired and mangled.
"Dyad to all of Chimera, I have the target."