ME: CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: Tali and Treason
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Thoughts (which should be the only first person parts, let me know if you spot any others) are in italics and surrounded by asterisks.
A special thanks to Credete for beta'ing this.
The following missions are eerily stress-free. Instead of making her feel more relaxed, it makes Shepard more tense and ready for the floor to drop out from underneath them. Unfortunately, her instincts are correct.
Heading to the cockpit to talk to Joker, Lily is stopped by Chambers. "Shepard."
Looking up at her, Lily takes note of the distressed expression on her face. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"It's Tali. She received a message and became extremely distraught."
Her mind flashing over what could have happened, Shepard mutters a thanks and heads down to Tali. The moment she spots her, Lily knows something is truly wrong. "Tali."
Tali startles and whips around sharply at the sound of Shepard's voice. "Shepard."
"What happened?"
"I-I've been accused of treason. I have to go back to the Flotilla for my trial. Shepard, if I am convicted I'll be exiled. I will never be allowed to return to my home, my people." Tali's voice reveals her fear at the thought of being forever separated from her people. "How could this have happened?"
The anguish in Tali's voice is heartbreaking. Shepard pulls her friend into a hug and vows, "I don't know but I promise we will find out. We both know you are innocent. You would never betray your people." Lily cannot understand how anyone that knows Tali could doubt her. She is absolutely dedicated to the quarian people, she'd never betray them.
Tali clings desperately to Shepard. The thought of exile terrifies her. She is a quarian and her life's purpose is to help her people. Without that, who is she?
"We will figure it out. I promise I won't rest until your innocence is proven."
Behind her mask, Tali closes her eyes tight. Her friend, her trusted friend has vowed not to quit until she's proven innocent. With Shepard on her side, there is hope. "Thank you, my friend."
LS*GV*LS*GV*LS*GV*LS*GV*LS*GV
Unsurprisingly, Garrus is the first to volunteer to go with Tali and Shepard to the Flotilla. He and Tali have been friends since the beginning and he has her back a hundred percent. Tali committing treason is both laughable and utterly tragic. Tali is absolutely dedicated to her people and she could not and would not betray them.
Shepard wastes no time in plotting a course to the Flotilla via Tali. She wants this situation resolved as quickly as possible. As they approach, Tali requests permission to dock.
The quarian traffic controller cites that their ship is flagged as Cerberus, never a good thing to a quarian. Shepard hopes her ties to Cerberus, temporary as they may be, won't be another strike against Tali.
Tali is not fazed, reciting calmly, "After time adrift among open stars, along tides of light and through shoals of dust, I will return to where I began."
The code phrase given, the traffic controller grants them permission to dock. They step off the moment the Normandy docks, entering the quarantine room. Through the window Shepard can see the ship being cleaned. She, Garrus, and Tali stand still as their armor is thoroughly cleansed. Quarians can never be too careful. Afterward, they are allowed to enter. Lily is rather intrigued to see the inside of the Flotilla, never having been inside it before. This is where Tali is from and where she will one day return, unless she's exiled of course. Shepard hopes it won't come to that. She isn't sure Tali would survive that, emotionally at least.
They are greeted by a male quarian, his armor different from the others around him, which Shepard hypothesizes makes him higher in rank.
"Shepard, this is Captain Kar'Danna," Tali introduces.
Lily's heard his name before, Tali talks about him from time to time.
"Captain Shepard. Tali'Zorah told me a lot about you. I wish we could be meeting under more pleasant circumstances."
Lily admits dryly, "I never reached the rank of Captain. Technically, I'm no longer in the Alliance military at all." Kaidan made that clear enough. "Shepard is sufficient."
Kar'Danna doesn't appear daunted. "You command the Normandy. The lives aboard it are your responsibility, that entitles you respect among my people." He isn't about to disrespect Tali's captain; she may be the only thing standing between Tali and banishment.
Shepard thinks of her human 'friends' and their reaction. Anderson was at least respectful enough, if not exactly friendly or trusting. Kaidan, he was neither respectful nor trusting. Strange that a quarian that doesn't know her has more respect for her than those that once knew her. Shepard can't help but feel a bit bitter at that.
"May you stand between your crew and harm as you lead them through the empty quarters of the stars."
Shepard is used to standing between danger and those around her. She's willing to die to protect others and she did die to save Joker. Lily would do it again, even if it means she stayed dead this time.
"Keelah se'lai." Turning to Shepard, Tali explains, "It's an old ship-captain's blessing, Shepard."
"I'm honored, thank you." She looks over at her friend. "Tali helped the Normandy's crew out of many difficult situations. I am here to return the favor." Tali has been a loyal friend and Lily cannot desert her in her time of need. *Unlike some people, i.e. one Kaidan Alenko,* Lily thinks sarcastically, then scolds herself, *Stop thinking about him. He isn't worth it.*
Kar'Danna inclines his head. "I understand. As the commander of the vessel she serves on, your voice carries weight." Hopefully, Shepard's voice will be enough. "If I could, I would do more, Tali. However, the trial demands that I be officially neutral. Nevertheless, I am here if you need to talk."
"I appreciate it, Kar."
He takes a deep breath before declaring, "They're charging you with bringing active geth into the Fleet as part of a secret project." Kar knows Tali's reaction will be intense, with ample reason.
Tali is shocked. "WHAT? I would never—that's completely insane! I never brought active geth aboard. I would never. All I sent were parts and pieces. I would never risk sending a live geth."
Despite the quarian-geth war and all the emotional shit that comes with it, Lily has a hard time believing Tali would be that irresponsible. "You sent geth materials back to the Migrant Fleet?"
Tali nods her head. "My father… He needed the materials for a project he's working on."
Shepard understands why Tali was eager to help. Tali's relationship with her father is complicated to say the least.
Tali stares off in thought. "If I sent something that was only damaged, not permanently inactive..." She shakes her head violently. "No. No, I checked everything. I was careful."
"I'm certain you were," Garrus says, laying a hand on Tali's shoulder.
Kar'Danna notices Garrus for the first time before inclining his head in greeting. Tali had told him about Garrus Vakarian as well. He, too, was on the original Normandy. Turning back to Tali, Kar'Danna states, "Technically, I'm under orders to place Tali'Zorah under arrest pending the hearing. So, Tali... You're confined to this ship until this trial is over."
Tali is grateful for his kindness, no doubt others would have slapped cuffs onto her wrists to add to her humiliation. "Thank you, Captain."
"Preparations got underway as soon as you arrived. The hearing's being held in the garden plaza. Good luck." Kar can only hope Tali somehow escapes this trial with her life, reputation, and quarian status intact.
Lily doesn't know what to say to Tali and keeps silent as they walk down the hallway. The voices echo easily, none of the quarians seem shy about voicing their opinions within earshot. They can clearly hear a quarian expressing disbelief at Tali being charged with treason while another declares that without a quarian captain to stand for her, Tali is as good as convicted. Shepard sneaks a peek at her friend from the corner of her eye, trying to determine her reaction. Tali is still and quiet and without being able to see her face, Shepard cannot read her.
Up ahead is another quarian, clearly waiting for them.
The woman greets formally, "Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. It's good you've come. I have done my best to delay them."
Tali appears genuinely happy to see the other quarian, more so than Kar'Danna. She hugs her, greeting enthusiastically, "Auntie Raan!"
Shepard and Garrus watch silently. It's a bittersweet sight. Tali should be visiting the Flotilla and her aunt because she chose to, not because she's on trial for treason. She could be exiled and never again see the Flotilla or live among her people. Lily cannot allow that to happen. Tali lives for her people.
Tali reluctantly releases her aunt, fighting the urge to hide in Raan's embrace like she had as a child. "Shepard, Garrus, this is Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay. She's a friend of my father's." Stopping suddenly, Tali's stomach drops as she realizes something important. "Wait. Raan, you called me vas Normandy."
With regret, Raan confirms, "I'm afraid I did, Tali. The Admiralty Board moved to have you tried under that name, given your departure from the Neema." Raan's heart still aches at the name change, having a human captain instead of a quarian one does not bode well for Tali.
"That's significant, isn't it?" Shepard questions, a feeling of dread forming in her gut.
Tali turns her face away while Raan clears her throat uncomfortably.
She wonders how bad this name change thing is. Confusion and fear churn inside her. Lily glances over at Garrus and she reads the same thing in his eyes. A tense silence follows and neither quarian answers her question. "As an admiral, will you be one of the judges for the trial?"
"No, I had to recuse myself as a result of my history with Tali and her father."
"I imagine Father had to do the same," Tali murmurs. She has to stop herself from looking around for her father. She wishes he was here instead of Raan to explain how this could have happened. She sent the parts to him, not to Raan. He should be here. Tali doesn't expect comfort from him but a bit of support would be appreciated.
At times like these, Shepard wishes quarian helmets were less opaque. Being incapable of seeing any facial expressions makes it more challenging to read quarians. Despite the difficulty, the signs are not good. At Tali's comment, Lily notices Raan shifting her hips slightly and her fingers twitching. Shepard's stomach tightens. *Why is Raan here instead of Tali's father? Has something happened to him?* She knows Tali and her father have issues but he should be here. She's on trial because of what she sent to him.
Finally, Raan answers Tali. "Please, go inside, Tali. I cannot say more."
"But you can help Tali, right?" Shepard asks.
"I can moderate and ensure protocol is followed but I cannot participate in the judgment."
Shepard nods, understanding why she's restricted. She looks over at Tali and wants nothing more than to get her friend exonerated immediately. "We should go in. This misunderstanding needs to be cleared up as soon as possible. How will this work? Does Tali have a defense counselor, someone that speaks for her side?"
"She does," Raan answers simply.
Lily can feel the intensity of Raan's gaze, despite not being able to truly see her eyes. It makes her very nervous. "Who?"
"You, Captain Shepard. Tali is part of your crew, now, recognized by quarian law. An accused is always represented by his or her ship's captain."
Shepard curses in her mind. *Shit.*
Tali clears her throat awkwardly. "That means, er… You would speak for my defense."
*Of course it does. That's why her name change is significant.* She does not feel qualified for this. Shepard attempts to smile reassuringly. "I will do everything in my power to help you, Tali." She's nervous, despite being known as having a silver tongue. This is Tali's future, her happiness, her freedom, her life, her everything, and all of it rests on Lily's shoulders. Unlike many of her other battles, if she fails, she has no back-up plan. She can't just use her biotics to get Tali out of this. Her only weapons are her mind and her words.
Tali exhales audibly, deeply relieved to have Shepard on her side. The counsel may have thought forcing Shepard to defend her would guarantee her exile but Tali has faith in Shepard. She has talked her way out of seemingly impossible situations. Shepard has a silver tongue and having that on her side cannot hurt her. "Thank you, Shepard. I could not ask for a better counselor to represent me."
Raan hopes Captain Shepard is worthy of Tali's faith, for her life is in her hands. "Our legal rules are simple. No legal tricks or political loopholes for you to worry about. Present the truth as best you can. That will have to be enough. Now we must go; I promised not to delay you."
Tali follows after Raan. Lily looks over at Garrus, who discreetly squeezes her hand. "You can do this, Lily."
"I hope so. This is Tali's future, her life. If she is exiled, I don't know what she will do. She lives to serve her people."
"I know." He isn't much of turian, himself. He has pride in being a turian but he can't relate to Tali in how she sees her people. She lives and breathes for the quarian people. Stripping that part of her away will have disastrous consequences. Her spirit would be crushed. "But no one will defend her with as much fervor as you will. You will fight for her with everything you have, like you always do. You can do this."
Lily exhales shakily, centering herself before straightening her spine and marching forward determinedly. The Conclave is already set up with Admiral Raan in the middle. As Shepard and Tali take their places and Garrus stands off to the side, Raan officially brings the Conclave to order.
"The accused Tali'Zorah vas Normandy has come with her captain to defend herself against the charge of treason."
Admiral Koris roars, "Objection! A human has no business at a hearing involving such sensitive military matters!"
Not intimidated in the least, Raan challenges dryly, "Then you should not have declared Tali crew of the Normandy, Admiral Koris. By right as Tali's captain, Shepard must stay."
Shepard ducks her head and turns away to hide her smirk. They made a huge mistake in changing Tali's name and Lily is going to make sure they regret it immensely.
"Objection withdrawn," Koris murmurs reluctantly.
Raan questions, "Shepard vas Normandy, your crew member Tali'Zorah vas Normandy stands accused of treason. Will you speak for her?"
Shepard looks over at her friend. She stands proud and declares, "To help Tali, I will. But in her heart, she remains Tali'Zorah vas Neema, a proud member of the Migrant Fleet. I regret that her captain is forbidden to stand at her side today." Lily stares each of the Admirals in the mask. They are responsible and now, it is time they begin to rue what they have done to Tali.
Koris denies vehemently, "Nobody has been forbidden from anything! It is a simple—"
Admiral Gerrel, however, refuses to keep silent, "Lie to them if you must, Zaal'Koris, but don't lie to me and expect me to stay silent! The human is right!"
*Damn straight, I'm right.* The quarians have underestimated her. She may not know the politics and such of the quarian people but she is intelligent enough to realize that the Conclave is attempting to railroad Tali. Shepard won't let that happen. She will fight for Tali. Whatever it takes, she'll do. Lily will win this for Tali, she will accept nothing else. No doubt Tali's heart aches by the Admirals' behavior; the Conclave not only changed her name but did so to set her up for conviction. They want her found guilty of treason and Tali has to know that. Shepard glances over at her friend, who has her fingers clutched tight, but they relax as Lily smiles reassuringly at her. Shepard can feel the weight of Tali's faith in her. She prays she will live up to it, for the thought of being exiled from the Migrant Fleet must be too excruciating to imagine and knowing that some of her own people have attempted to set her up for exile purposely has to be all the more gut-wrenching.
Raan stops the argument. "Admirals, please, Shepard's willingness to represent Tali'Zorah in this hearing is appreciated." She's thankful for Captain Shepard. Her niece is in a lot of trouble and she can only hope that she is as good as Tali believes her to be. "Tali, you are accused of bringing active geth to the Migrant Fleet. What say you?"
Shepard doesn't hesitate. "Tali would never endanger the Migrant Fleet. She pleads not guilty."
"I left parts and 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!" Tali vows. She's obsessive about safety procedures. She checks and rechecks. An active geth could not have slipped her notice.
Koris sneers, "Then explain how geth seized the lab ship where your father was working!"
Shocked murmurs fill the large room. Shepard gets a heavy feeling in her stomach; something has happened and it isn't good.
Tali trembles with fear, her father's ship. "What are you talking about? What happened?" She may not be close to her father but she still loves him. Panic rushes through her.
Gerrel explains gently, "As far as we can tell, Tali, the geth have killed everyone on the Alarei... Your father included."
Tali gasps, the news slamming into like a bullet. "What? No. My f-father? Oh, Keelah." She doesn't want to accept it. Her father could be dead, every soul on Alarei gone, killed by the geth. Geth that she supposedly sent in an active state. Tali cannot believe that, she won't.
Shepard's hands curl into fists. Tali's father could be dead, along with the rest of his ship and they want to fool around with a blasted trial? This is why she hates politics. Lily clenches her teeth tightly to keep her from shouting at the admirals. She meets Garrus's gaze, the fury she sees there echoes her own. Together, they will find Tali's father and save him if he still lives. Several calming breaths later, Shepard blatantly lies with careful respect. "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."
Raan hides her sigh of relief. If Shepard is half as good as Tali claims, maybe she and her team can defeat the geth. "Thank you, Captain. Quarian strike teams have attempted to retake the ship several times without success."
Tali turns to her friend, begging "Shepard, we have to take back the Alarei!"
Before she can answer, Koris callously states, "The safest course would be to simply destroy the ship. But if you are looking for an honorable death instead of exile..."
Shepard's fingers curl into a fist, the urge to punch the idiotic asshole is overwhelming.
Tali yells, "I'm looking for my father, you bosh'tet!"
Shepard smirks with pride. Then she addresses Koris. "Admiral Koris, my team is fully prepared for to face the geth, despite the risks. We will retake the Alarei, by whatever means necessary." The bastard expects them to fail but they won't. This is for Tali, failure is not an option. Koris remains silent, his disapproval clear enough without words. He believes they will die and Lily wonders if that's what he wants.
"You intend to retake the Alarei from the geth? This proposal is extremely dangerous," Raan cautions.
Shepard answers immediately, "With your permission, Admirals, yes. The good of the Fleet must come first... and Tali needs to find her father." She scoffs at the thought of this being a dangerous mission. Dangerous missions are her wheelhouse; it's what she does. She doesn't fear facing a ship full of geth. She's fought them before and likely will again. What matters is for Tali to know what happened to her father.
Gerrel adds, "Agreed. And if you die on this worthy mission, Tali, we will see that your name is cleared of these charges."
"We can discuss that later." Koris apparently has no intention of doing so and if he thinks everyone isn't aware of that, he's a fool.
*What a dick.* Shepard knows Koris is one of the driving forces behind Tali being charged with treason and her name change. He wants her exiled and Shep's going to stop the bastard. They are going to take back the Alarei and she can't wait to come back and rub that in his stupid face.
Raan announces, "Then it is decided. You will attempt to retake the Alarei. You are hereby given leave to depart the Rayya. A shuttle will be waiting at the secondary docking hangar. Be safe, Tali. This hearing will resume upon your return, or upon determination that you have been killed in action." Raan prays for her niece. She can't bear to lose both Tali and her father.
The Conclave breaks up without another word.
Tali stands to the side in shock, clearly overwhelmed by what has happened. Shepard pulls her into a hug. Lily holds her tightly, knowing Tali must be holding herself together by a thread. Tali's father could be dead; she can't let Tali suffer with not knowing her father's fate. Tali needs to know the truth and whatever happens, Shepard will remain by her side, supporting her. "We'll find out the truth, Tali. I promise."
"Thank you for agreeing to take back the Alarei, Shepard. The admirals sound sure that my father is already dead, but... I need to know. If he's still alive, I can't leave him there to die." She loves him, despite everything.
"Of course we need to go, Tali. If I was in your place, I would feel the same. He's your father." Shepard lost her parents, her whole family. If she can save Tali from that or at the very least, give her a shred of peace, she is more than willing.
Garrus rubs Tali's shoulder comfortingly, "We are ready and willing, Tali. We'll take back the Alarei."
"Thank you both," Tali says gratefully.
Garrus and Shepard give her a bit of time to recover. "Are you holding up okay? They didn't pull any punches, even before telling you about your father."
Tali swallows. "I knew this would be bad. But how can you really prepared to be charged with treason? I wasn't ready for this, I don't think I ever could have been. And my father... I don't know. I have to hope he is still alive. They don't know for certain that he's dead. I just don't know, Shepard, and I need to know. Either way, I... I just need to know."
"Do you want to speak to Raan before we leave, or any of the others?
"We could learn more about each admiral's viewpoint but I doubt it would change anything."
Shepard takes a moment to talk to Veetor, checking up on him, and to Kal'Reegar, but avoids the admirals. She doesn't need the distraction of politics before they retake the Alarei. Although she encourages Tali to talk to Raan. Lily isn't surprised when Tali confronts her aunt about deliberately omitting her father's status. Although harsh, the shock in Tali's voice at the news of her father was powerful.
Within minutes, they are leaving in a shuttle to the Alarei. Shepard can sense the emptiness and death of the ship the moment she steps aboard. She exchanges a quick look with Garrus. He feels it too. Tali, however, seems to be too focused on finding her father to realize what they already know. They aren't going to find anyone alive here. Lily hates that they are too late and that Tali will suffer through finding her father's body somewhere on this blasted ship. If only they had known sooner, maybe they could have saved at least a few lives.
Every piece of evidence draws a clearer picture and Shepard despises where it is going to lead. Tali's father is the traitor, not Tali. The road to hell is paved with good intentions and Shepard fears that rings true here. Tali's father's need to help his people went too far and got him and his entire ship killed.
Shepard cannot imagine what it is like for Tali and the other quarians to know that you and your people have no homeworld. Earth is her homeworld, even if she didn't grow up there. And then there are the suits. Being trapped forever in that suit with the knowledge that you are forever vulnerable cannot be easy. Emotionally, Shepard understands the quarians' desire to retake their homeworld. But logically, she wonders if it is worth it. How many quarians will have to die before they can do so? And that's assuming they'd win the war against the geth. The quarians' attempts could lead to the destruction of their people. Is a homeworld worth all that death? Shepard isn't sure. Talking and thinking about this isn't helping and Shepard allows Tali to walk away. They need to clear out the rest of the geth.
When they find his body lying at the bottom of the stairs, Shepard feels helpless watching Tali's emotional reaction, which is full of disbelief, anger, and heartbreak. Lily gently pulls Tali into a hug, comforting her as best she can in the presence of Tali's deceased father. It's too late to save him and now it is Tali's mess to clean up. If this is the price for progress in the quarians' fight against the geth, Shepard doesn't believe it is worth it. His last message leaves much unsaid and Lily wishes that he say something, anything else to show he had cared for Tali. But in the end, all that matters is Tali cares.
Watching the video of Tali's father, Shepard is only slightly comforted by the fact he tried to keep Tali out of this. Obviously when everything fell apart, his attempt at protection failed. Tali is now the one getting tried for treason when her father is the true cause of this utter fuck-up.
"He did this for you." Any feelings of love in the act is drowned in the terrible consequences. Knowing he did it for Tali cannot be a comfort and Shepard wishes Tali didn't know that.
Tali is horrified. "I never asked for this. Do you understand what he did? I tried to deny it but—he was responsible. How could he do this?" She doesn't wait for an answer, quickly saying, "We can't tell anyone, Shepard. Not the admirals. No one can know what happened here."
"Don't you understand that this is the only evidence we have proving your innocence? You will be exiled for this."
Resigned but firm, Tali promises, "I know. It kills me to think I'll never see the Fleet again but I can't do this. I cannot go in there and show the evidence that my father, my father, was the worst war criminal in our people's history. That is something I cannot do, Shepard, no matter the consequences."
"He's dead, Tali. He can't be hurt by this. He didn't want you hurt by this."
Tali shakes her head, grief and desperation bleeding in her voice. "You don't understand. They will strike his name from the manifest of every ship he served on. He would be worse than an exile. He would be a traitor, held up for children as a monster in a cautionary! I can't let everything good he ever did be destroyed for this, Shepard."
Shepard looks over at Garrus, wondering if she can abide Tali's wishes. It feels wrong for Tali to have to pay for her father's mistakes. Nothing about this trial seems fair.
"You are my captain and how you proceed is your decision, but please," Tali pleads. "Don't destroy what my father was." Her father is dead and nothing she can do will bring him back. Tali can't watch his name torn to shreds until they turn it and him into the heartless, traitorous monster.
Shepard nods carefully, accepting Tali's words. The three of them jump into the shuttle and hasten down the hallways to the trial. Predictably, they attempt to judge Tali before they even confirm what happened on the Alarei. *Fucking politicians.*
They stride through the door and stand before the admiral board. Despite being unable to read their expressions, Shepard knows they are surprised. "We've retaken the Alarei."
When the board asks if they found any evidence to prove Tali's innocence, Shepard for the briefest of seconds considers handing over the evidence. But she can't do that to Tali. Instead, Shepard decides to use that silver tongue her crew keeps telling her she has. Lily lays out all Tali has done against the geth and vows her absolute truth.
Even wanting to deny that her trust has weight, the board cannot. They put her in charge of Tali as her captain, that gives her word value. In the end, they are defeated by their own plotting. Lily is simply happy that Tali is found innocent and won't be exiled from her beloved people.
"No one's ever spoken like that for me," Tali admits.
Shepard shrugs modestly. "I spoke the truth. You are my friend, Tali, and I'd do anything in my power to help you."
"Thank you, Shepard, for being there for my father and for me, even when…" Tali doesn't want to think about what happened on the Alarei. "Just thank you."
"You deserved better, Tali. What your father did..."
Tali holds her hand up, smiling behind her face shield. "I got better, Shepard. I got you," she responds sincerely. Shepard is a true and loyal friend, who will always have her back, no matter what. "Thank you, Shepard," she says vehemently.
Lily isn't sure what to say. She doesn't think she did anything that anyone else wouldn't have done.
Garrus smiles. "Just take the thanks, Shepard."
Lily rolls her eyes at Garrus. Then she turns to Tali and opens her arms slightly. Tali walks into them and they hug tightly. "Anything for you, Tali." Pulling away from the hug, she says, "Let's go back to our ship, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy."
Tali smiles at her friend. "Yes," she pauses before continuing, "Captain."
LS*GV*LS*GV*LS*GV*LS*GV*LS*GV
Back aboard the Normandy, Shepard and Garrus watch Tali head down to the engine room, likely needing to get her mind off what happened. Then they go to the quarters they share.
Lily plops onto the sofa. "That trial was utter bullshit."
Garrus nods, in complete agreement. "Yeah. Politicians are assholes and that's across every species."
She half sprawls over him. "I was scared, Garrus. Especially when she told me not to use the only evidence we had proving her innocence."
He releases her hair from the bun and cards his talons through it. "I knew you wouldn't fail her."
"I wanted to believe that but honestly, I wasn't sure I could convince them. The trial wasn't about Tali; they didn't care about her. They wanted to use this because of the geth. How could they sacrifice her like that?"
"To them, Tali was a means to an ends. That's how politics works, Lily."
"Unfortunately, I know that. I wish I didn't." She rubs her forehead wearily. "Politics are idiotic," Lily mutters.
Garrus smiles. "Can't disagree with you on that."
She knows he hates politics as much as she does. It's why he quit C-Sec twice. He couldn't deal with the bullshit it involved. Being a vigilante is the exact opposite, no red tape or political crap getting in the way. "I wonder how she's going to get over this. I don't think she's ever been betrayed by her people before. Through everything, she's always had her people. Quarians tend to stick together, since the rest of the universe won't stick up for them." Shep thinks of the quarian that was accused of stealing a volus's credit chip. The C-Sec officer and the volus condemned her without evidence simply because of her species. Bastards didn't apologize either, at least not until Lily yelled at them. "For the first time in her life, she couldn't count on her people."
"Can't be easy, especially for her."
"Tali will get through this. She has us."
"Have any advice for her?"
Lily meets Garrus's eyes and scoffs. "Nope. I'm not exactly the best role model on forgiveness. I'm still pissed as hell at Kaidan. Not the healthiest option maybe but I am not in a forgiving mood at the moment."
Garrus lightly trails his talons down her back. "Should I surprise you and advise you to forgive him?" he jokes.
Shepard laughs. "As if you would." Garrus isn't the most forgiving and knows how to hold a grudge.
He shrugs.
Not wanting to talk about Kaidan anymore, Shepard changes the subject. "What do you think the quarians should do? Take back their homeworld or find somewhere else to settle?"
"What do you think?"
Lily considers. "You are a turian. I'm going to say take back their homeworld."
"Good guess. We turians expect war, grown up with it. Loss is all part of it. If we ever lost Palaven, we would fight for it. If just one turian survived, we'd consider it a victory."
Shaking her head, Shepard says, "That's insane."
"Never said it was a sane perspective," Garrus admits. "What about you? What do you think they should do."
"I'm not the best person to ask that. I am not connected to Earth like quarians are with their homeworld. Earth is where my people are from but I never set foot on Earth until my family was killed. Maybe if Earth was lost I would feel differently; I don't know." Shepard shrugs, not at all sure how she'd react to losing Earth. "Quarians are vulnerable to attack and throwing themselves at the geth seems entirely too risky. Instead of taking back their homeworld, they could bring their own extinction. One planet isn't worth it, even if they have to live in those blasted suits for centuries to come."
LS*GV*LS*GV*LS*GV*LS*GV*LS*GV
Joker makes his way down to the engine room. Gabby and Ken leave without a word when he gives them a look. Tali is entirely focused on the console in front of her, not realizing he is behind her. "Hi Tali."
She jumps a little, surprised to see him down in her space. "Oh, hi Jeff."
He leans carefully against one of the consoles, steadying himself. "I'm sorry about your father."
Tali looks down, the pain of her father's death still fresh. "Thank you."
"If there's anything I can do, just, uh, ask, okay?" Joker's not used to comforting people but if Tali needs someone, he's willing to be that person. Even if it makes him feel awkward.
She smiles at the offer. "Thank you, Jeff. I appreciate it."
"We could talk about what happened. If you want."
Tali considers brushing him off but of everyone on the Normandy, Jeff is the one person that knows how it feels to be an outcast like she is. "I was scared. Terrified really. If I'd been exiled, I'd have nowhere, no one."
Joker lifts his hand, hovering awkwardly over her shoulder before giving her a quick pat. "You would of had us. Shep and Garrus and me. Liara. Wrex even."
It wouldn't have been the same but she appreciates the sentiment nonetheless. "I know. I'm just glad it didn't happen." Tali shakes off a bit of her sadness. "You should have seen Shep. She yelled at the Conclave. It was incredible. No one's ever stood up for me like that before. It was amazing. I don't think I can ever repay her for what she's done for me." Tali will never stop feeling grateful for pulling it off. She'd have been crushed otherwise.
"We all owe her." She died for him and Jeff can never repay that.
"Good thing Shep's not the type to hold that over us or we'd all be in trouble."
"Yeah." Joker laughs. "She'd be able to take over the universe probably if she called in every favor owed to her."
Tali sobers, thinking of her trial. "I'm still afraid, Jeff. War is on the horizon."
"Aren't we already at war?" he jokes, trying to lighten her dark mood.
"For my people. My trial, it wasn't about me. Not really. It was a way for the two sides to argue. One wants to attack the geth and take back our homeworld and the other wants to give up on the hope of getting Rannoch back."
Joker asks seriously, "What do you think they should do?"
Tali looks at him, considering carefully. "I don't know. Do you know what having Rannoch back would mean? In a few years, we'd likely be able to take off our suits and live without them for the first time in centuries. We would be free once more. You have to understand how much that would mean, more than anyone. You took Cerberus's upgrades because of what it could do for your quality of life."
Jeff agrees. "I did." He can walk without braces now. To an outsider, it may not seem like much but he feels more normal now. He still has Vrolik syndrome and likely always will. Yet, the upgrades have helped. Joker understands the quarians' perspective. They are trapped in those suits, like he is trapped by his illness. Both of them are outsiders because of their health issues. It is hard always being on the outside looking in. On Rannoch, they'd feel normal. They'd be on the inside, even if only on their homeworld. "I get it."
She knew he would understand. "The problem is what would be the cost? Challenging the geth will result in death for many of us. That's a fact. It would happen. I don't know if the cost would outweigh the rewards."
"I don't know, Tali."
"I don't either. Fighting for Rannoch could mean the end of us. But how can we give up on our homeworld? It'd take centuries to acclimate to another planet. I don't know if my people can wait that long without giving up hope."
This isn't a problem with an easy solution; war never is.
Tali sighs. Talking about it hasn't magically given her the right answer but it has helped. Jeff is a good listener and more sympathetic than most would believe. "Thank you for listening."
Joker shrugs it off. "No problem."
She smiles at him. Tali surprises him by pulling him into a gentle hug. "You're a good man, Jeff."
He laughs awkwardly. "I am pretty awesome."
Tali squeezes him carefully. "You are. Try not to let it go to your head too much."
"Too late."
Next chapter has a few options: Zaeed's or Samara's loyalty mission or maybe Project Overlord. Or possibly all three. If there is anything you want to have in those missions, something you want Shepard (or someone else) to talk about or say or do, let me know. I played Project Overload again fairly recently and that image of David hooked up still horrifies me.
