Tali stood in the Normandy's cockpit, looking at the stars of the Rosetta Nebula as the ship rapidly decelerated to sub-light speed. With every light minute they got closer to the Iota Urania system, as the Citadel species called it. Among her people, it was known as Dreina Queltz – the bountiful well. The Quarians had looked to this system for potential colonisation before their fall, which had never come to pass for political reasons, and now, the flotilla often came here for mining operations and to pick up water.

And with every of those light minutes, her anxiety spiked further. Today, she would cement the biggest act of defiance of her father she had ever even conceived of. She could already hear what he would say to her the second he got to her alone – if he was going to be that merciful. It would not have been too unlike Rael'Zorah to chew her out in front of anyone who happened to be around. She exhaled deeply. She would be alright. This wasn't an act of selfish, childish defiance, it was her putting herself to the best use for her people, even if her father would probably not see it that way.

An alien hand settled on her right shoulder, followed by the attached forearm gently brushing against her realk. She turned to the left and found John looking at her. "It'll be fine."

"I hope you're right."

Savoring the sensation of his fingers on her suit and half wishing it was her skin instead, Tali got back to looking out the viewport. They had entered the system and where going to be hailed any second now. As much as she knew that it hadn't been the reason for her decision and that she really would have returned if that had been the right thing to do, she still felt somewhat guilty over how happy a part of her was that she was going to get to stay with the Normandy crew – and John. She still wasn't sure what to make of Ashley's insistence that she had him 'wrapped around her finger' - she had made her peace with her dumb fantasy being, and staying, just that, and to suddenly be told that perhaps it actually wasn't, had her frankly terrified, and she had absolutely no idea what she was supposed to do about it. Perhaps she would have to actually listen to her older friend's suggestions for once instead of just freaking out internally whenever Ash brought the topic up. Some day. If she ever found the courage. Maybe next decade.

As much as her father, John, and the dire ramifications of their mission occupied her mind, and as anxious she was, Tali could barely wait for the moment she would set foot on the flotilla again. The Normandy had become her home, yes, but the closer she got to her actual home, the more she remembered all the things she loved about it and the people she had left behind there, and while her happiness over the joys of her new home still dominated, now that the fact was setting in that she was returning to the fleet just to immediately leave it again, most likely for years, Tali could've best described her feelings as bittersweet.

She tried to force down any negative thoughts. She was going to see her brother and her auntie, and who knew? Once her father had heard the full truth for himself, maybe he would find it in him to appreciate what she was doing.

She didn't believe it one bit even as she was thinking it.

Finally, Joker spoke up. "Commander? We're being hailed. Want me to have it patched through to here?"

John had stepped forward, directly behind the pilot's seat, and laid a hand on top of it. "Do it."

There was a brief instant of white noise before a man with the distinct accent of those born and raised on the life-ship Chayym came through, speaking in a brusque tone.

"Unidentified vessel, this is the cruiser Toonmah. You are approaching the Migrant Fleet. Send identification immediately! If you do not comply within one minute or change course, you will be fired upon."

Joker looked over his shoulder at his commander. "He's not just saying that, Sir. I just registered energy spikes on more than a dozen ships."

"Mills!" John raised his voice to carry all the way over into the CIC where the communication specialists were sitting at their stations. "I want to answer from here!"

"Yes Sir! A moment!" Barely three seconds went by. "You can speak now, Sir!"

He stepped forward to the console, bent the microphone over to face him and pressed the 'Speak' button. "Toonmah, this is Commander John Shepard of the Alliance on the SSV Normandy. I believe we're being expected."

Silence again, until half a minute later, the man on the other end came again, sounding much more amicable now. "Welcome, Normandy. You will be received at the Neema. You will be directed to your docking bay via a targeting beam."

"Confirmed your beam. Following along now." , Joker patched himself in, and the channel went silent again.

Their pilot whistled. "What a warm reception. Now that they've welcomed us, they even powered down most of the guns they're pointing at us."

Tali sighed. "'Experience has taught my people to be vigilant and not trust easily. Maybe we overdo it sometimes. But keep in mind that there are families with children living on most of these ships. Your trigger finger would be itching too."

The pilot shrugged. "I get it, I do. But this is my ship they're pointing their guns at. I get it, but I don't have to like it."

For a moment Tali had half a mind to point out that the Normandy was Shepard's, or to be really precise Hackett's ship, but she thought better of it. Joker's feelings were understandable, after all. And she didn't want to argue. Not now. The silver shimmer of the flotilla seen from some hundred thousand kilometers away had appeared between the stars now, reflecting the light of the system's sun. As the Normandy rapidly approached it, the blob that was the Migrant Fleet kept and kept growing in size until it finally encompassed and outstretched the entirety of the viewport and single vessels could be made out with the bare eye. She felt her heart swell in her chest and clamped her hands over it. John noticed, and looked back at her.

"It's impressive."

She had no words to answer him, and simply kept bathing in the view of the home she had missed more than the naive pilgrim that had set out had ever imagined, and that she was about to leave behind a second time, this time of her own volition.

"My god...I knew it was big, but...how many ships is the flotilla strong again?"

Tali turned around to see Ashley step into the cockpit, unarmed but otherwise geared up in her suit, the rebreather helmet under her left arm. The look on her face was one of wonder.

"Fifty thousand, give or take."

"It's like...swimming through a school of fish..."

Tali found herself not quite sure what that was supposed to mean. Ashley noticed her questioning look. "Just thousands and thousands of silver and grey slivers all around...it's beautiful, honestly." A cheeky grin appeared on the Gunnery Chief's face. "I'm sure the skipper will be happy to show you a documentary on the subject of earth fish..."

Said 'Skipper' raised an eyebrow. "Chief..."

"Sir."

Tali suppressed a giggle. John and Ashley were far past the point of referring to each other by rank – most of the time.

They flew the rest of the way mostly in silence, only interrupted by Tali pointing out to the other three which of the giant lifeships was which – they were, in fact, mostly identical, but having spent practically her entire life on the flotilla, Tali could tell which of them was which simply by their position in the massive formation. Finally, one speck of reflecting light settled firmly into the center of their field of view and rapidly increased in size as the Normandy drew closer. It was the Neema, an ancient, massive dreadnought of original quarian build, completed more than three hundred years ago, one of very few of it's kind that the migrant fleet possessed and the ship of admiral Han'Gerrel, her father's oldest and closest friend. And, she suddenly remembered, a "pyjak" who still owed Wrex two hundred credits. It's probably better if I mention that after we're done with what we came here for. Though he'd probably just laugh and hand me the money to give it to Wrex when I see him again. If she saw him again; the Krogan had taken off mere days after the battle of the Citadel to take back his place on Tuchanka and prepare his people for the reapers. But there was no time for concern about her 'uncle' to set in, because Joker was already beginning to align the Normandy with the Neema. Barely a minute later, the ship was rocked gently, announcing the connection of a docking tube with the Normandy's forward airlock.

"Well," John said, " let's see what a Quarian welcome home looks like." And with that, he put on his own helmet, and the three of them stepped into the airlock. Liara and Garrus had opted to stay behind, lest any hard feelings between the Quarians and the two old council races should come to negatively influence the important talks of the day.

The decontamination cycle went by in silence; so did the walk through the docking tube, and the decontamination cycle by the Neema's own airlock. With the suits and helmets on, Tali would have had trouble telling what her companions were thinking even if she hadn't been way too nervous herself to even think about it. Nothing but a metal door separated her from home now, but instead of the triumphant return she had dreamed about for half her life, it seemed what awaited her was one of her toughest struggles.

And then that last barrier slid aside with a hiss. With John to her left and Ashley close behind her, Tali stepped foot onto migrant fleet deck for the first time in almost eight months. Rows of quarians were looking at the trio from all directions, excited chatter filling the air with background noise. Between them and the new arrivals stood an entire squad of armed marines, most of them with rifles pointing towards the ground in relaxed grips, while the one in the center had his hands clasped behind his back, his vocalizer module lighting up as he said:

"Welcome to the Migrant Fleet, Commander Shepard. And welcome home, Ta-"

"TALI!"

A slender shape slithered through the tiny gap between two of the marines, barely evading the grip of one of them who had been quicker to react then the rest. Before she knew it, Tali was tackled so hard it almost knocked her to the ground, and there was precious little she could have done to regain her balance with her arms pressed to her body by a crushing hug. Thankfully, Ashley quickly shot out a strong arm to stabilize her.

She returned the embrace as well as she could and smiled widely.

"Han. What are you doing here on the Neema?"

Her little brother finally let go of her and took a step back.

"Training. I guess father asked Gerrel to straighten me out a bit. I'll tell you, he-"

The sergeant leading the marine detachment noisily cleared his throat, interrupting their reunion. "Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, you have returned to the flotilla. I was told you have already announced something to the effect directly to board members, but in keeping with tradition, I'll still have to ask." He straightened himself even more, and when he spoke again, he did so with an obvious effort to talk as clearly and dignified as he could, and Tali had to admit that he didn't do it half badly.

"Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, you have set out across the stars, only to return when you have found that which shall prove you worthy. Standing before us now, do you deem your quest completed? Do you wish to be presented to the captain of this vessel?"

She could feel all eyes on her now, but instead of feeling elated by the occasion or intimidated by the attention, she found herself calmly considering the question she had been asked. It was the same exact same question, formulated the exact same way, that every single returning pilgrim had been asked for over two hundred fifty years now. Usually , there wasn't much to think about as any pilgrim setting foot on a ship had essentially already answered it with 'Yes' by doing so; if they had a different ship on their mind, they'd have gone there. However, with her having come here at John's side and on his ship, she had not actually picked the ship that would be the stage of her homecoming herself. Did father plan this? , a thought flared up, Did he make sure the meeting would happen on a ship he would like to see me on ?. It would have been like him. But she didn't find it in herself to be angry about it. There was going to be more than enough fighting with father today no matter what; no use in adding to it by rejecting something purely because he might have had a hand in orchestrating it. She let her gaze wander around the ship. The Neema was ancient, but well maintained; her crew had a good reputation, and the dreadnought's service history was one of glorious battles and victories. Her captain, admiral Gerrel, was a good friend of her father and almost like an uncle to her. Certainly someone she could respect. Whenever and under which circumstances she would finally return home for good...the Neema was a good ship. She had certainly been ranked high among the ships she had considered as potential new homes before she had set off for the pilgrimage.

She realized that she had taken an almost unheard of time to respond, and that the room had gone unnaturally silent. Suddenly made self-conscious, she whipped her head around to the sergeant and hastily responded, barely remembering the words she was expected to say.

"Y-Yes, my search is finished and I have come to claim my place among those who shall be my own."

The man nodded contently. "Very well then. Follow me." Having said that, he turned around and got going, the marines forming up beside Tali and the human guests, who had to walk one after the other as their little formation would have otherwise been too wide for the tight corridors, even with the crew scrambling to make place. With Han, walking behind her, quickly engaging Ashley who was bringing up the rear in an over-the-shoulder conversation much more normal for Quarians,who were used to tight spaces, than to a human, she found herself alone with her thoughts, but not for long; it seemed John was willing to try out this particular Quarian habit.

"That sounded pretty ceremonial.", he said with his external speakers turned up loud enough for her to hear it even though he was speaking mostly away from her – which meant that it was loud enough for everyone in the vicinity to hear, and if Shepard had been more adept at Quarian social situations, he would have known that the conversation he was beginning with his friend was being listened with great interest and would be the topic of many a discussion over dinner today, just like the casual chat her brother was having with Ashley. "What you said back there, I mean."

"Yes,", she responded, happy to calm her nerves by falling into their comfortable routine of explaining their cultures to each other, "every Quarian knows those words exactly. We learn them when we're still children. Just as the pilgrimage is both a sacred tradition and a pragmatic necessity, they are both a ritual and a legal request."

"So how is this going to work? You're applying for the crew of the Neema, and then we have to convince the captain to basically lend you to the Normandy?"

It took her a while to formulate an answer; not because he was wrong, or because the answer was in any way complicated, but because the way Shepard's mind casually broke down complex matters to comparative simplicity, be it quarian legalities or a lethal tactical situation, continued to amaze her. "Conventionally, yes. But since our mission isn't exactly conventional...I figured out something different with Raan. Over text and calls." She paused for a second, quite aware that up to a dozen of her people were listening in at any time. "I actually sent the Geth data to father before we even left for Illos. Raan says she would get the others to agree to look at this as me giving my gift to the board, and therefore the fleet, directly. This way, I don't have to first present it to a captain and go through the entire ritualized ordeal surrounding that. With admiral Gerrel being a member of the board and the captain of the Neema, this all taking place on the Neema, and you being an outsider, I will be raised into official adulthood specifically by his blessing, and unless I speak out against it - which would be a disgrace at this point- I will become vas Neema. But until I return, I will, by quarian law, be crew of the Normandy in all but name, and you will be my captain. With you not being quarian and not falling under the board's authority, that means that I would answer to you...and, uhm...only you."

He was silent for a second. "Oh. I'm, uh, honored, Tali."

They walked the rest of the way in silence – it wasn't very far. Barely a minute later, they stood before two big blast doors. Their guide turned around. "Commander Shepard, you are about to meet the admiralty board. I must ask you to leave your weapon with me. You understand."

If John showed any irritation with this, Tali had no chance to see it as she was still behind him when he already unholstered his heavy hand cannon and handed it to the quarian sergeant, grip first. Without any further words, the man connected his omnitool to the door's security system and tapped a few buttons. A second later, the blast doors slid open, admitting them into the room, with their escort staying outside.

Entering the room, Tali found herself in an ordinary courtroom – in ancient times, when the Neema had been a purely military vessel, it had probably served as a recreational space for the crew. Now, it was a place to conduct official business of any kind, be it the ruling of an (in quarian society, exceedingly rare) court case, the registry of a marriage, or meetings of the ship's council of elders.

There were two chairs in front of a table waiting for them, and opposing them, the long table that was bolted down to the ground, serving as the both workstation and place of honor for whatever dignitaries were leading the various proceedings held in rooms like this – mostly the captain and his officers. Not today though; today this table was populated by four of the five most powerful quarians alive, half a dozen marines in the colors of the Nuulah'Shel, the honor guard, standing vigil behind them like statues. To the left, Shala'Raan; Tali's heart leaped in her chest upon spotting her beloved 'auntie", and from the beaming of her eyes under the mask, the feeling was very mutual. Right next to her sat Zaal'Koris ; he was a Geth lover and held ties to the Nedas movement, and so Tali didn't think particularly highly of him; still, she payed him her respects with a deep nod, which he actually returned. The other two were Han'Gerrel and her father. She would have expressed her respect to the man she hoped to call captain soon – or captain in waiting, at least – but the sight of her father took the words out of her mouth,and so she just stood there, looking at and wondering what Rael'Zorah would say. But it wasn't her father to break the silence. Shala'Raan raised her hands from the table in greeting.

"Commander Shepard, " she said, her speech laced heavily in the accent of those hailing from the continent of Leevetirastam, cultivated over three hundred years to preserve some sense of identity in a life forced into suits only distinguished by pieces of cloth and the color of opaque visors, " you are most welcome. A pilgrim's friend is a friend of our people. Even leaving that aside, your reputation as an honorable man precedes you. Tali has already alluded to the matter you have come to consult with us about." She looked at the aforementioned. "It is good to see you, child. Even if you bring grim tidings."

Zaal'Koris had looked at his colleague as she spoke, but turned his head now to address them. "Safe for admiral Xen who hasn't left her ship ever since Tali's gift arrived, you stand before the de facto leaders of the quarian people. I do not remember the last time we have granted an outsider an audience with a member of the board, let alone four at once. You may take this as a manifestation of our respects to you, Commander."

John actually bowed a little. " I am honored, admirals. Thank you for having me, even though I assure you , hearing what we have to tell you is in the best interest of your people."

"I don't doubt it." , Han'Gerrel said, not having averted his gaze from his guest since he had entered the room. "Even though my fellow admirals have already welcome you with fancy words, I wont have it denied to me to officially welcome you on the Neema. I am Han'Gerrel, admiral of the heavy fleet and captain of this vessel. I have heard many good things about you, commander. It is a pleasure to meet you in person."

John nodded so deep it almost was a bow again. "Likewise, admiral. Tali has told me in length about the Neema and her glories. I've heard only good things about you from her."

Keelah, he's laying it on thick. With Korris, that's probably the way to go. But Gerrel? I don't -

"However, I've heard something different from Urdnot Wrex. He said you're a pyjak who still owes him two hundred credits."

Tali stood stock still, absolutely shocked at the tone in which her captain had just spoken to arguably the second most powerful man in the migrant fleet; and the room mirrored it, falling perfectly silent – for all of three seconds. Then Han'Gerrel began to guffaw, a loud and sincere laughter echoing off the bulkhead forming the walls.

"Ha! Should've known that gnarly old lizard would get back at me eventually. Tell you what Shepard, I'll give the money to Tali when you leave. That way, she can give it to Wrex when you run into him again. Together with my regards."

As of now, nobody seemed to expect Tali to say a word, and that was a good thing, because for a moment, she was utterly speechless at the fact that John had apparently managed to secure the agreement of the most important man in this meeting in all of ten seconds – by insulting him.

Her father of course was not so easily impressed. "If she leaves with them.'" he said, glowering at his decades old friend. He turned to John. "That is all very well, and I am curious indeed to hear what the commander has to say. However, we prepared this meeting to be between us, him and my daughter, but in addition to them, I am looking at an alliance non-commissioned officer I am not familiar with as well as my son, who has somehow found his way into a formal and classified meeting of the admiralty board with a foreign dignitary."

To Tali's amazement, her brother actually shrank a little under the disapproving glances of the admirals. To her side, she could see Ashley and John exchanging a glance, and a nod. Then her friend stepped forward and snapped a salute towards the man who had brought her presence up. "Admiral, Sir! Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. I served with the commander through he entirety of what he has come here to speak to you about. So I'm qualified to act as an additional witness, if required." Since her father had actually returned the salute, Ashley now dropped her hand – but remained straight like a pole. "Though to be honest, that isn't why I came with, Sir. These two will be able to answer any questions. I'm just here to satisfy my curiosity about your people. I consider Tali a sister in all but blood. There is no way I would've passed up the opportunity to see the flotilla for myself."

That one produced some interesting reactions, the admirals exchanging meaningful glances. After a while, Rael'Zorah spoke again, sounding almost touched now. "We are not used to outsiders showing interest in the lives of our people. It is...a pleasant surprise." A predatory edge crept into his voice. "How fortunate that my son happens to be right here, ready to show you around while my colleagues and I converse with the commander and Tali."

She had to put considerable effort in not even snorting as her brother briefly stiffened as if to protest, but then slumped under the stares of the four admirals and confirmed his fathers order, leading Ashley out of the room. A moment after the blast doors had closed behind her and John, Raan extended a hand to point at the table and chairs in front of them.

"Please, sit. There is much to discuss."