Tali watches Gabriel running towards her. He vanishes and suddenly reappears in front of her. They both fall down after Shepard pushes her out of the way of the rockets coming towards her. The rockets are released from their invisible grip and land a short distance behind them. Shepard brings Tali in close, shielding her from the explosion.
"Oh Keelah, I guess I have snapped. How is this possible? I watched the Normandy explode with him still on it. He should be dead but he's right here, holding me in his arms." Tali thinks to herself as Gabriel stands up. The orange of the flames highlight his black N7 armor. He lends her a hand and she almost instinctively obliges while not taking her eyes off of him, worried that if she does, Gabriels face will disappear. "I have to be sure."
"Shepard…is that…is that really you?" She asks as she puts a hand to his cheek, making sure she wasn't hallucinating.
Shepard thinks for a moment. "Remember that Geth data Tali? Did it help you with your pilgrimage?"
Tali wraps her arms around Gabriels neck and lays her head on his chest. She didn't care what was going on around her, but it took all her strength not to start crying. "Yes…Yes it did."
Gabriel wraps his arms around Talis waist and returns the embrace. "I'm happy to see you too, Tali. Are you ok?"
"I'll live." She releases him from her arms and takes a few steps back. "How are you he…"
Before Tali can finish her question, a voice comes out and breaks the moment. "Get Back!" It was Prazza and Tali remembers her squad. She looks back and sees all nine of her people pointing guns in Shepards direction.
"Put your weapons down! This is Commander Shepard!" Tali says with authority.
"And the two Cerberus operatives with him?" Prazza asks.
"What are you talking…" Tali tries to ask as she turns and sees a man wearing black, light armor to Shepards right and a woman in a white, tight outfit on his left, both pointing guns in her direction. They both have Cerberus emblems on their chest. "Why is…wait. This could get bad."
Shepard then looks to both sides and realizes what's going on. "Put your weapons down! Tali's a friend." The man and woman comply.
"We're not taking chances with Cerberus operatives!" Prazza yells.
"Put your weapons down all of you! That is an order!" Tali yells back.
Tali could tell that if it wasn't for his mask, she would see the angry look on Prazzas face. She knows of his history with Cerberus and understands why he doesn't want to do anything but blow them away. "I feel the same way, but with Shepard…" Finally, Prazza puts his weapon away and signals to the rest to do the same.
"Why is your old commander working with Cerberus?" Prazza asks.
The same question has been going through her mind as well. "He's seen what they are capable of first hand. Why is he with them?" She then looks at the woman with black hair wearing the extremely tight outfit. "Especially with her?"
"I don't know Prazza…" She then remembers the wounded squad member. She looks for him and finds him leaning against the house they had entered, still bleeding. "How about we get into some cover before more drones arrive so you can take care of your soldier and then we can all talk about it?"
Prazza nods and everybody enters the house, including Gabriel and his two squad members. Dis helps the wounded soldier to a couch and starts applying medi-gel. Tali looks towards a door on the west wall and then looks at Raz.
"Raz, I need you to cloak up and see what's going on through that door."
"Yes maam. By the way, I'm glad you're ok and sorry about before." Raz then looks at Gabriel. "Sorry about drawing on you Shepard. Orders you know…"
"Quit drooling Raz and follow your orders." Prazza says behind him.
"Don't worry about it, Raz. I understand." Gabriel says reassuringly.
Raz nods and then presses a button on his omni-tool. He disappears into the walls and floor. If it wasn't for being there the moment before, no one would know where he was. The door on the west wall opens and then closes.
Tali looks to Gabriel. "So Shepard…How are you here?"
Gabriel explains to Tali how Cerberus spent two years and vast amounts of credits to bring him back to life. Since the commander's death, human colonies had started vanishing. Cerberus brought Gabriel back to investigate the disappearances.
Once Tali ensured Prazza that the money Cerberus spent on Shepard was "well spent", Tali told Shepard about her and her squads mission on Freedoms Progress. She told him about Veetor, his injury, and that he was the one who reprogrammed the mechs. Suddenly the door to the south of them opens seemingly by itself. The door then closes and Raz appears out of thin air.
"How does it look like out there Raz?" Tali asks.
"We are completely surrounded, Miss Zorah. The drones are just waiting for us to leave."
"We should team up to find Veetor." Gabriel suggests.
"Agreed. We'll need two teams to get past the drones anyway." Tali says.
"Now we're working with Cerberus?" Prazza asks in an angry voice.
"No Prazza, you're working for me. If you can't take orders, go back to the ship." Tali says before she looks over to the wounded soldier. "How's the wound?"
"I'm fine. I can still aim and fire my weapon." The soldier replies.
Tali looks back to Gabriel. "We'll take the far side and keep the drones off of you while you make your way to Veetor." Tali holds up her omni-tool and presses a few buttons. Gabriels omni-tool blinks. "I just sent his location to your omni-tool."
Shepard checks his omni-tool. "Sounds good. Make sure to keep in radio contact."
"Will do and whatever happens…It's good to have you back." Tali says as she quickly turns and walks towards the door where her squad has massed. She looks back to Shepard. "Please don't die on me again."
"Tali!" Prazza yells, snapping Tali back into the moment. She shakes her head.
"Prazza…you, I, Raz, and Dis are going to provide covering fire for the rest of the squad until they can find cover. When they get to safety, they can provide cover for us." Tali says as she brings up her omni-tool. The map appears above it with a blue dot on it. "That is where Veetor is. Let's get him so we can get him home."
The entire squad readies their weapons. The soldier in front opens the door.
The drones react fast, as does Tali, Prazza, Raz, and Dis as they start firing at the drones. The rest of the squad moves up and finds cover. The other six squad mates start firing to allow Tali, Prazza, Raz, and Dis to move up.
Tali notices a squad of the drones fly away. While in cover, Tali looks to her omni-tool and looks at the map. She notices that the drones are headed in Gabriels direction. "A few drones aren't going to take down Shepard…but still…"
"Shepard, a squadron of drones broke off from us and is headed your way." Tali announces over the radio.
"Thanks for the heads up Tali." Shepard says
"Alright squad, let's go!" Prazza suddenly yells before him and six of the squad, including the wounded soldier, stand up and start running forward.
"Wait Prazza!" Tali yells but it was no use. Prazza and the six others were gone. She quickly gets on her radio. "Prazza, what are you doing?"
"I'm not going to let Cerberus take Veetor because you have a crush on the Commander!"
"Shepard won't let them hurt Veetor. I know he wouldn't."
"But he is more than willing to ally himself with Cerberus? Sorry Tali. I can't take that risk." Prazza says before the radio goes static.
She looks around and notices that Raz and Dis was still with her. She also noticed that the drones must have gone after Prazza. Tali gets on her radio. "Shepard, Prazza and most of his squad went ahead of me. I told him to wait but he didn't listen. He's trying to get to Veetor before you." She then looks to Raz and Dis. "We need to find Veetor before he does something stupid!"
Tali, Raz, and Dis run in the direction Prazza went. They start seeing destroyed drones litter the ground they're running on. "At least Prazza isn't having problems with the drones." Tali looks in the direction of Shepard and his squad. Drones are exploding in midair at about the same pace Tali, Raz, and Dis are running at. "Impressive as always."
Once they past the last of the drone rubble, Tali and her companions finally locate Prazza. He and his squad are advancing on the location Veetor's at. There was a non-active heavy mech standing in front of the building. Prazza and his squad continue advancing before the heavy mech makes a sound.
The mech then starts to move its massive frame and the red U in its face appears. It aims one arm at one of the Quarian soldiers and fires its gun. The soldier falls dead. The mech looks at the rest of Prazzas squad before Prazza yells "RUN!" They start running to the side of the building and the mech starts following.
"We have to help them!" Tali yells. Tali attempts to run toward the mech before Raz grabs her by the shoulder.
"Prazza and the others are not going to make it! There is no point in putting ourselves in danger." Raz says as Dis nods in agreement.
"They are our people Raz! I'm not going to just watch them die!" Tali yells.
"How can you help our people if your dead? I know how important the work you and your father are doing for us is and you know it too! Think about what Shepard would do."
"How does he know about what my father is doing?" Tali thinks to herself. She then realizes there's no time to think about it. Her people are in danger.
"Shepard would help them…and maybe he can. Come on!" Tali yells before running towards one of the houses to the side. Dis and Raz follow her. They exit the other side of the house and find themselves at an open lot with buildings surrounding it. "Tali brings up her map and sees that Shepard is heading towards a door across the lot from her. The door is locked. She gets on the radio. "Shepard, Veetor has reprogrammed a heavy mech! It's going to tear Prazzas squad apart! We're at the loading docks. Please hurry!"
"We're on the other side of the door leading to you but it's locked." Gabriel says over the radio.
Tali lifts up her omni-tool and points it towards the door. The red light in the middle of the massive door turns green just as Prazzas squad comes from the side of the building Veetors is in. They are firing on the heavy mech but they have no where to take cover, their bullets aren't doing any damage, and Shepard hasn't gotten there yet. "We're too late…"
Tali, Raz, and Dis run into the building next to them. Tali looks out of one of the windows and sees her squad still trying to hold off the mech. Then the mech opened fire…
After the first Quarian, the wounded soldier, falls to the mechs chain gun, Tali turns away. She can't see them being slaughtered, but the sounds of their screams fill her ears and her mind. She tries to cover her ears but her helmet makes that action irrelevant. Her people…her family is dying brutally as the sounds she's hearing suggest. "It's Prazzas fault but this mission was my responsibility…Ancestors forgive me."
She then suddenly hears a scream that differed from the ones of her squad. The scream sent shivers down her spine. It was a scream of anger…of pain and the voice it came from Tali would never confuse with anyone else.
"Shepard?"