Chapter 51: Law and Disorder

Jack watched Tali pace around the small room Shala had provided them for a brief meeting. They both knew she had indeed brought Legion on to the fleet so saying she hadn't was pointless. And while he wished for a different solution to the Geth problem other than total destruction after getting to know Legion, Jack understood the Geth on Rannoch weren't Legion. Due to Saren injecting the consensus with Sovereign's indoctrination, there was no negotiations, no reasoning with the rest of the Geth. So, how was he going to go about defending her in a court he had no idea how it operated? He was still committed to helping Tali, he just knew it wasn't going to be easy.

Saren was leaning against the back wall and was watching her move, "If the rest of the Admiral's knew these experiments were happening, why don't you just point the finger at them?"

Tali's eyes widened and she sounded terrified, "No! Whatever we do, we can't do that. We're already on the verge of breaking apart because of the food shortage as it is. If the people see all of our leaders working on the Geth, the flotila will break completely. We'd never recover as a species after that."

Jack agreed with a nod, "The Council would let everything fall apart because they're bastards. How do you want to play this Tali?"

She stopped and glanced at him, "Senna said active Geth right? That I brought active Geth on the fleet?" When Garrus nodded she continued, "I never did that Jack, even Legion was half dead when I brought him to my father. So, I'm going to tell the truth, that I only brought back Geth salvage for study. It's still wrong but, not what I was charged with."

Jack bit his lip giving her a worried expression under his painted Cerberus helmet, "Do you think that will work? I don't want you to be exiled for just wanting to help the fleet."

Tali gave a tiny shrug, "I don't know Shepard, they could recharge me with that if there's enough evidence but, telling the truth is worth a shot." She looked at the floor and then back up at him, "I know you said you'd be honored to represent me but, are you sure? Han'Gerrel will most likely be a part of the trial...and given Kal... I'd understand if you want me to do all of the talking."

He blinked a few times having honestly not thought about that. While Kal had been more concerned about confronting his father, he was going to be the one to have to actually talk to him. The last time they spoke the Admiral had been polite enough but, that was before he could've known Kal had been intimate with him. That could be reason for him to make a scene all on its own, however, he doubted it. This was going to be an opportunity for Gerrel to show how committed to the fleet he was by ignoring the issue. Jack just had to be sure his own hate for the man didn't seep out. This was for Tali, not getting Han back for all the years he had made Kal suffer.

Shala pushed past the blanket before he could answer, "I'm afraid we cannot delay any longer. Are you ready for the hearing Tali?"

Jack stood up and stared at Tali to make sure she knew his answer, "We're ready."

The four of them followed Shala through a significant portion of the ship to a courtyard. Crops of different foods grew up along the walls of the room and a light mist of water fell from the ceiling. He was sure there were thousands of identical rooms like this one all over the Rayya to sustain the Quarian population but, he didn't think Tali's hearing would be in a place like this. It seemed like it was too important of a space to risk contamination by his presence. Jack realized the real reason they were here was because of the crowd. There had to be hundreds of Quarians wanting to sit in and watch the hearing. Luckily, Senna and some of his marines were patrolling the area to keep the peace.

Jack counted four Admiral's now standing at the opposite end of the room. Even though she was recused, Shala'Raan was taking the head spot with Han'Gerrel standing right beside her. He was wearing the same suit Jack had seen him in during their conversation on Torfan but, curiously it looked disheveled. A few stitches ran along one gray shoulder and he just seemed off. Jack didn't recognize the other two Admirals, one male one female. They were off in a shadowy corner of the room whispering while Shala got the podium ready. The gestures from the two unknown Admirals made Jack think they were arguing about something important.

Garrus leaned close to Tali with a smile under his helmet, "You didn't tell me you were this popular."

He ignored her groan and was close enough to hear Gerrel say quietly to Shala, "Your running late."

Shala clearly glared at him for a moment, "I was taking care of something." She grabbed a small piece of metal and tapped it against the wall, "This Conclave is brought to order. Blessed are the ancestors who kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season. Keelah se'lai."

The crowd immediately stopped talking and echoed her, "Keelah se'lai."

Shala took a deep breath, "The accused, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, has come with her Captain to defend herself against the charge of treason. As-"

He was taken aback when Han interrupted her, "Objection! A Human has no business at a hearing involving such sensitive military matters!"

Another Quarian in the crowd stood with his gun drawn, "The Admiral is right! This sanark has no right to-"

The rest of the room gasped when Senna fired a warning shot into the air, "You will put that weapon down now Beviin'Goran vas Moreh. I don't care who you are, I will pull this trigger."

Han held up a hand, "It's alright Beviin, I have everything under control on my own."

As if he was following orders, Beviin sat back down with a huff. Jack had honestly been caught off guard by how Han immediately went after him. Instead of ignoring the invisible elephant between them, Gerrel was trying to use it to his advantage. Kal had warned him that was what was going to happen but, he hadn't fully believed it. Jack had thought as an Admiral, Gerrel would've wanted to just stay away from the controversy. At this point, Jack felt he only had two real options. The first was to just ignore the obvious bias and let the other Admirals handle it. His second choice was to go after the bias in an attempt to get him recused. It would make Tali's trial even more of a scene but, it could help her get to stay on the fleet.

He took the immediate silence as an opportunity to jump in, "I appreciate the concern Admiral but, I'm a Council SPECTRE focused on galactic security. I know how to handle classified information so, I have to wonder where the concern really comes from. Could it be the relationship between me and your son?"

The room seemed too shell shocked to respond and Han readjusted his suit, "Of course not, what the exile does now in his free time is his business. Since you landed here with a Cerberus vessel, I'm sure you can understand my hesitation."

To his surprise the other male Admiral laughed, "Lie to the crowd if you must, Han'Gerrel, but don't lie to this Board and expect me to stay silent! The Human is right!"

Shala banged on the wall again, "If you were so concerned with our security, then you should not have declared Tali a part of the Normandy, Admiral Gerrel. By right as Tali's captain, Shepard must stay."

Han tapped his fist against his own podium and looked down with a groan, "Objection withdrawn."

While that was definitely an interesting few opening moments, it hadn't gone the way he wanted it to. Gerrel had backed down before accusations of an unfair bias could be thrown around. The Admiral would most likely play it safe now so he could participate in what Jack assumed would be a vote to exile Tali. Since the other male Admiral had jumped to his defense, he guessed that would be a vote in Tali's favor. That meant he just had to convince the unknown female Admiral who had remained silent through the exchange. Despite Tali telling him this would be like a family meeting, Jack felt like so far this was turning into every trial he had ever seen on the extranet.

Shala continued as though they hadn't been through that interruption, "Jack'Shepard vas Normandy, your crew member Tali'Zorah stands accused of treason. Will you speak for her?"

He stepped forward following her lead, "If it helps Tali, I will. But in her heart, she remains Tali'Zorah vas Rayya, a proud member of the Migrant Fleet. And I regret that her Captain is forbidden to stand at her side today."

Han's voice boomed over his own, "No one has been forbidden from anything! It is a simple-"

The female Admiral cut him off but, she sounded disinterested, bored even, "Careful Gerrel, keep making lies like that and I'll move to get you removed from the hearing."

Beviin and the rest of the crowd on his side erupted, "BOOOOOO!"

Shala impatiently banged on the wall again, "Admirals, everyone, please quiet down or be removed. Shepard's willingness to represent Tali'Zorah in this hearing is appreciated. Tali, you are accused of bringing active Geth to the Migrant Fleet. What say you?"

Jack was going to follow Tali's wishes here and said, "Tali would never endanger the Migrant Fleet. She pleads not guilty."

Tali nervously walked forward and added, "I left Geth parts and related technology for teams to pick up. My father ordered me to do so. But I would never send active Geth to the Fleet! Everything I sent was disabled and harmless!"

Han fired back with a voice filled with venom, "Then explain how Geth seized the lab ship where your father was working! The captured ship with its crew slaughtered, or living beings trying to survive in pain, bellies your argument."

Jack hadn't wanted to believe something like this could have happened but, reality was smacking him in the face. Having known Legion was being tortured by Han, he could guess that the Geth rebelled to save it's other programs. Tali's father had inadvertantly provided Legion with enough half dead Geth to create an army of them again. He didn't know how hard it was for Legion to remotely access the consensus but, he was sure the Geth was determined to make it happen. Han must've wanted to avoid taking any responsibility for the disaster. His mind was racing, how should he respond? He could point the finger at Gerrel but, Tali had been clear in wanting to keep the Admirals out of it. After sitting in this crowd for just a few minutes, he couldn't help but agree with her.

Tali sounded clearly stunned, probably for the crowd's benefit, "What are you talking about? What happened?"

The male Admiral had a sympathetic tone mixed with regret, "As far as we can tell, Tali, the Geth have killed everyone on the Alarei... your father included."

Tali was genuinely heartbroken, "What? Oh, Keelah..."

Senna marched through the crowd and even pushed him aside, "Permission for alpha team to leave this pointless hearing and infiltrate the Alarei. It's a big ship, there could still be survivors."

Han was quick to answer back, "Denied! I won't throw away my marines to retake a ship that's already lost."

Senna sounded more desperate, "You can't just do nothing! There are thousands of our researchers on that ship. A single one of them is priceless! We cannot abandon them."

The female Admiral held up a hand, "Senna, your letting the fear of losing your mother cloud your judgment. The ship is already lost with all systems shut down, we have time to decide what to do."

He was honestly surprised the Admirals would rather continue this trial rather than wanting to retake the Alarei. Even if the entire crew had been killed by the Geth, it was still a science ship. Surely they wouldn't want to lose presumedly years of data forever just because Geth currently had the ship. Also, if the rest of the Quarian marines fought as well as Kal, Jack was sure Senna's team was more than capable of taking back the ship. Which made Jack feel like the only reason that Admirals were saying no was because they had dirty laundry on the ship they'd much rather bury. Since Tali's own father could possibly still be alive, Jack knew he couldn't let this go, no matter the future consequences to the fleet at large.

His own tone took his signature commanding quality to it and stood beside Senna, "I appreciate the need for this trial, Admirals, but right now our first concern must be the safety of the Migrant Fleet. The Normandy stands ready to assist in whatever capacity necessary."

Han waved a hand dismissively, "The safest course would be to simply destroy the ship. If you are looking for an honorable death instead of exile, that can be arranged through other means..."

Tali was close to yelling and pointed a finger at him, "I'm looking for my father, you kriffing bosh'tet!"

Shala finally spoke again, "You intend to retake the Alarei from the Geth? This proposal is extremely dangerous."

Jack stiffened showing a stubborn determination, "Honestly? With or without your permission, Admirals, yes. The good of the Fleet must come first... and Tali needs to find her father."

The male Admiral jumped in before Han could argue, "Agreed, maybe you can find out what set the Geth off in the first place. And if you die on this worthy mission, Tali, we will see that your name is cleared of these charges."

Han was obviously speaking through gritted teeth, "We can discuss that later."

Shala bowed her head in Senna's direction, "Sergeant, prepare a shuttle for Tali and Captain Shepard to attempt to retake the Alarei. This trial will be postponed until Tali returns, or a reasonable amount of time has passed to assume death."

Senna disappeared with a flash shoving members of the crowd out of the way. In some ways he felt even worse for the marine than Tali. She at least knew under the surface what was going on here, Senna was most likely totally in the dark. How was he going to react when his mother was involved with researching a talking Geth right here on the fleet? That the Admirals knew the risk of what could happen and went along with it anyways because there was a possibility they could return to their fabled homeworld? Just picturing the number of possible responses reinforced Jack's belief they had to keep this quiet, it would inevitably lead to a civil war otherwise.

Once the crowd and Gerrel had left, Tali stormed towards Shala with tightened fists, "You set me up, Shala! I don't hear that my father may be dead until I'm in the trial? Why?"

Shala froze and didn't say anything for a few seconds, "The crowd needed to hear the shock in your voice, Tali. Otherwise, we might not have been able to let you try to retake the Alarei. That is your best chance at recovering evidence that can exonerate you. I am sorry. We cannot afford sensitivity, Tali."

The female Admiral slowed down from walking and turned to face them, "I would've said yes regardless, the Geth need to be put down. Gently mind you, there could still be a chance to research the active units. See how they operate."

Shala rolled her eyes and shook her head, "The answer is still no Xen, like it's always been. If you'll excuse me, I have a family matter to attend to. Good luck on the Alarei Tali." She left them without another word.

Saren broke his silence for the first time since they arrived, "It sounds like your ideas about synthetics are in the minority."

Xen laughed but it was seemingly sarcastic, "A random Turian mercenary interested in Quarian philosophy? Fascinating. Yes, your talent for observation serves you well. At least on the Admiralty Board. Han'Gerrel sees the Geth as an enemy that must be crushed. On the other hand, Zaal'Koris would have us run away and hide on some new colony world. I'm still convinced Shala'Raan is undecided depending on how the political wind blows. I had thought Rael to be firmly in Han's camp, but if his experiments were on active Geth, perhaps we have ideas in common."

Jack raised an eyebrow and looked around to make sure no civilian was still here, "If? Come on now, no ones around so there's no reason for you to play that game."

Her eyes lit up and he could almost hear the smirk in her voice, "My apologies Shepard, lying has become part of the..game on the fleet if you will. It's refreshing to have someone who'll cut through the usual osik."

To his slight surprise, Saren spoke again, "If we don't find Rael alive on the Alarei, what do you think will happen to your plans?"

Why was Saren so interested in Quarian politics? He certainly could care less about Tali's own position for the fleet Jack was sure. Then, he remembered how Saren had asked Anderson what the death toll was on the Citadel and realized this was something similar. Saren felt guilty for uploading Sovereign's virus into the consensus. Even though the Quarians were already in a bad place for a long time, the Geth fighting with Sovereign turned public opinion away from them all over again. He had to know that the Council were much less willing to help the Quarians after the things he did. The fact that Saren was even asking these questions showed Jack he wasn't the same Turian he fought two years ago.

Tali glared at him, "Don't say that! My father could still be alive fighting on the Alarei!"

Xen ignored her tilted her own head with a curious tone, "You have a lot of questions for your average mercenary. Well, the power balance will surely be disrupted. Han loses a vote for his foolish and self-destructive war. That would favor peace, then, as Shala'Raan is too careful to risk her own neck. But if the Admiral replacing Rael agrees with me... things could become very exciting."

Jack folded his arms with a questioning rebuke, "Even after spending two years with Legion, you still think war is the only option?"

Xen chuckled as though she was scolding a child, "A ship travels faster than I ever could imagine. With the right programming, it can choose locations, even defend itself when attacked. But is just a machine. It was built for the sole purpose of serving its master. And it can be dismantled whenever its master desires. Legion is the same, right now he just has the ability to talk back and disagree with orders. Take that away and he's a tool to be used. I wish to return the Geth to the control of their rightful masters, the Quarian race. If you'll excuse me, I have to make sure the Moreh received its food shipment from the Rayya."

Tali was anxiously looking around for Senna to return and Jack also had to wonder how long it was going to take to get a shuttle. Surely the Quarians had a surplus of shuttles on all of their ships since they weren't being used to transport people across the planet. If Gerrel was smart, he wouldn't interfere with what the other Admiral's wanted but, at this point nothing the man did would truly surprise him. Jack would've told them they'd use their own shuttle if he had known it was going to take this long to get one. Every second counted at this point if they were going to be able to rescue Tali's father alive.

He put his hand on her shoulder to stop her from pacing some more, "Hey, are you ok? It has to be hard knowing what's really going on and not being able to say anything."

Her voice was shakey when she answered, "It's not that, I'm...I'm worried about my father. If Legion blamed him for what the other Admirals were doing.. Something awful happened there Jack and I'm so scared."

Garrus came to her other side and put an arm around her, "We'll find him, I promise."

Saren scoffed quietly at that, "The science ship is large enough to house thousands of scientists according to the sergeant. The likelihood we'll find one among thousands is slim to none. The most important thing we can do is find Legion and keep him away from people like Admiral Xen."

Garrus' helmet stared at Saren's and Tali slowly let go of the hug, "You know your brother can be a real di'kut right plagerizer?"

He was about to answer when the other male Admiral from the trial approached them, "Tali'Zorah, can we talk a moment?"

Tali sighed and composed herself again, "Commander Shepard, this is Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib. Do not ask about the name."

Zaal gave him a polite nod, "You got Admiral Gerrel backing up worse than a Krogan toilet. Glad to see Tali's captain knows how to handle a courtroom."

Jack put his hands on his hips trying to not seem too impatient, "I appreciate the apparent compliment Admiral but, we need to get to the Alarei as soon as possible. No offense."

Zaal kept his respectful tome, "Agreed, which is why I'm having Senna'Olam prepare my own private shuttle for your journey to the Alarei. I just wanted to say I take no pleasure in this, Tali, truly. But you have gravely endangered and dishonored our fleet. I respect you immensely. Your actions against Saren are to be lauded. But like your father, you want nothing but the destruction of the Geth... When we could be focusing on working with the Council."

Tali sounded angry and indignate, "The Geth drove us from our homeworld! What are we supposed to be doing Admiral?"

Zaal sounded as though he had this argument often, "Of course they did. We tried to kill them, two wrongs do not make a right, no matter how just they may seem."

Saren tilted his head, "You and Gerrel appear to have some disagreements beyond Tali's trial. Do you think they'll impact the outcome of the proceedings?"

Zaal looked down and sounded ashamed, "You are correct, I apologize for it being brought into the trial. The other Admirals are pushing for war. Rael'Zorah was researching new weapons to use against the Geth. They would see our fleet destroyed in the skies over our homeworld rather than find a new colony and adapt."

Jack had a skeptical tone, "Do you truly believe the Quarians could coexist with the Geth after all your history?"

Zaal shook his head, "You misunderstood me Shepard, I'm not saying we should get in a circle and sing songs together with them. Just that we need to stop obsessing over the homeworld for the survival of our species."

Senna returned to them partially out of breath, "It's ready, you should go as soon as possible."

As they started moving, Zaal called after them, "I'd start in the medbay Tali. You'll find what you need there..."

Tali looked back at him, "And what do I need Admiral?"

He shrugged innocently, "I don't know Tali. Maybe something we all deserve to find out about."