The room was full of friends. Everyone who had ever worked with the late Commander Shepard was gathered together in the Council Chamber awaiting Admiral Hackett's debriefing. Even a new Geth representative was present to replace Legion as the Geth ambassador. They were all celebrating their incredible victory not as a galaxy, just as a group of friends. Jack clapped Zaeed on the back and regaled him with the tale of how her kids took on a whole platoon of Cannibals. Jacob and Miranda stood with Kasumi, reminiscing about their work on the Collector base. Grunt and Wrex slammed shoulders while they recalled the many trophies they had acquired during the war. Quite curious, Samara was speaking to the Geth Prime platform, asking about his people and the nature of his existence. Then the current Normandy crew filed up the stairs. Everyone stopped talking and turned. A heartfelt and grand cheer swept through them as the heralds of this success walked in. Seeing this, the Normandy's crew felt their spirits lift and they eagerly went to meet their friends. Ashley ran up, shoved Grunt out of the way, and did her best to hug Wrex's massive frame. Javik caused a stir as usual but he still greeted everyone there, enjoying the opportunity to meet so many warriors who were critical to the war effort. EDI helped Joker up the stairs and the talented pilot was greeted by a chorus of voices. His flying acrobatics had kept all of them alive at one point or another. Chakwas received the same appreciation that Joker did. Joker had made sure that everyone didn't face the vacuum of space, but Chakwas had kept everyone's insides on their insides after each mission. The old crew eagerly shook the hands of each of the new crew. Despite the amicability present, there was a noticeable rift in the crowd. The original crew was slightly more somber and less energetic than the newer members.

Garrus paused on the stairs and looked to Tali who was still right next to him.

"You okay? You ready for this?"

Tali had been able to manage her grief only after several hours of crying into Garrus. Her wound was still fresh, but the pain of separation was now only an everlasting black hole instead of an all consuming fire. Thanks to her mask, only her body language revealed her true state. Tali's shoulders were slightly slumped and her hands were limp at her side. All of her energy to care had been consumed. Tali barely managed a nod.

"I'm okay. I think… it's good for me to be with… my friends."

Garrus nodded slowly and they climbed the stairs. He moved away from Tali and let her immerse herself in the group. Tali's relationship with Shepard had not been a private affair. The old and new crew could only imagine her pain. When they saw her, they all turned to her and applauded. There was no cheering, no overblown joy, but respect. Respect for her tremendous loss. Tali lightly accepted the appreciation as humbly as she could. She tried to enjoy herself with her friends but the spotlight always seemed to land on her. Every conversation she entered seemed to turn toward her lost loved one. The internal fire returned and became unbearable again. She needed space. Trying to keep herself composed, Tali half stumbled her way out of the group toward a nearby bench. Garrus noticed her out of the corner of his eye and cursed himself for leaving her side for even a moment. Garrus excused himself from his conversation with James and Ashley, passed through the crowd as discreetly as he could, and sat down next to Tali. Their departure was not unnoticed. The two of them had been with Shepard through everything. They were the center for both crews. One by one, each crew mate walked over to Tali to pay their respects.

Surprisingly, Wrex clearly saw her pain. Wrex dropped his usually harsh manner for a far friendlier one and he sat down next to Tali. He didn't offer condolences like the rest; he stated what he saw as fact.

"You'll be fine Tali. You're the strongest woman in the galaxy. Well, except for Bakara of course. Your strength forged Shepard into the hero he needed to be. I remember what he was like before you two became close. He was a soldier without a purpose. He didn't know why or what he fought for. Such warriors are like dull blades. They do not have the energy required to lead. But you… you gave him strength. Thank you Tali."

These unique words fell upon numb ears. Tali heard, but did not process the encouragement.
Ashley, Liara, EDI, and Joker came over and completed the old crew. The rest continued their celebration, but the old crew, those who had been with Shepard for the longest time, sat down around Tali as if by instinct. Tali had always been everyone's younger sister when she was on board. They gathered around Tali to comfort her as a mother would wrap her screaming baby in swaddling. Liara spoke first.

"Now what do we do?"

Tali slumped at the question. She had spent hours upon wonderful hours with Shepard in his cabin discussing their planned vacations after the war before settling down as a governor or some other official position on Rannoch. He always did what he could to keep helping people, even after he planned to retire from the military. But that was gone. Her future had been ripped from her.

"Let's not worry about that yet" Garrus put in when he saw Tali's reaction. "We don't even know what we're waiting for. Let's just sit and find out."

The silence came again but after some thought, Wrex decided to answer her question.

"I have to get back to Tuchanka. Bakara is a good leader, better than any Krogan so far, but we Krogan are still too traditional. She needs a strong male leader to unite the clans. The Krogan have a future back and I need to make sure they don't screw it up again."

"I suppose we should all help rebuild" Liara mumbled. "I can finally put all of the information I have to good use."

"I'm sure the Council will have plenty of jobs for me. There's a lot of crap to clean up out there" Ashley worried out loud.

Joker was surprisingly upbeat, relatively speaking.

"I think we'll all be okay."

His mouth twitched a bit from a secret hope, but given the present company, he could not bring himself to smile.

And there they sat. Joker waited for Hackett's answer. EDI waited for Joker. Ashley waited for her inevitable reassignment. Liara waited to return to her position. Wrex waited until he could return to his people. Garrus waited for Tali to overcome her grief. And Tali just… waited.
Luckily, Admiral Hackett strode up the stairs and brought with him an end to the interim.

"Hey, everybody!" Joker called out and pointed at the approaching Admiral.

The assembly saw the person who had promised them an explanation and gathered around him, thoughts of celebration now replaced by business. Garrus helped Tali up from the bench and escorted her to the Admiral.

The more undisciplined of the crew members demanded answers from the Admiral.

"What has happened to the Reapers? Why are the Reapers still alive? Why couldn't we use the Mass Relays to get here?" and other inquiries were shouted by the clique. Hackett held up his hands and the assembly became quiet. After a few seconds of pause, the legendary Admiral began his planned debriefing.

"I want to thank you all for your efforts and sacrifices in the war against the Reapers. Each of you has been instrumental in this victory."

"So why are the bloody hell are the Reapers still here!" Zaeed called out.

Hackett held up a hand at Zaeed indicating that he would answer questions in due time.

"When the Crucible joined the Citadel, we found the 'mother AI' that controls all of the Reapers. The Crucible successfully fired its energy into the Mass Relay network, and this energy effectively pacified the Reapers. They are no longer hostile."

"How can we be sure?" Grunt objected. "A day ago we were fighting for our lives against these things. Now, all of a sudden, we're clan brothers with them!"

"I understand your concern" Hackett called out over the din this comment created. "But we have verified this data beyond any doubt. The Reapers are no longer a threat. The energy fired into the Mass Relays damaged the Relays. The Reaper AI is repairing them as quickly as it can but the Relay system will be down for several days at least."

Some discord and grumbles of disbelief were still present despite these assurances and the voices quickly gained in volume. They all focused on one subject: Shepard.

"So Shepard did it?"

"He fired the Crucible?"

"Where is he?"

"What happened to Shepard?"

"What did you mean on the radio, Admiral?"

Hackett remained poker faced throughout this onslaught. He stood at ease, for a career soldier, and waited for the entire crew to calm down before continuing.

"You will each receive a personal debriefing covering your role in the war and details on the current situation. Everything will be explained in your personal debriefings. That is all. Please follow me."

Hackett turned his back on the chorus of protests at the obvious question dodging, and walked underneath the balcony on the right to a door that used to be locked. Reluctantly, everyone followed with only minor mutterings. Garrus draped his arm around Tali's shoulders as they moved. The doors automatically swung open before Hackett and the large party strode into an as of yet unseen part of the Council Chamber. A long dimly lit hallway lined with doorways on either side stretched out before them. The large group filed into two lines as they walked through the doorway, ten in each line with Tali and Garrus at the rear. With each door they passed, Admiral Hackett opened it for a single crew member. Each time someone passed through a threshold they said a quick phrase always amounting to 'See you soon' before disappearing into the dark and empty rooms. Their group was slowly whittled down as they pressed on. Even EDI had to leave Joker's side when Hackett took him into his own room. After what seemed like an eternity, only Tali and Garrus remained; Shepard's closest companions. As professional as ever, Hackett opened the next room.

"Tali'Zorah, please."

Tali nodded but Garrus didn't look as convinced. Tali left his reach and entered the dark and empty void, alone.

She already knew what Garrus was going to say.

"It's OK, Garrus. I'll be fine."

Concern enveloping his eyes, Garrus watched the doors close on Tali. He immediately regretted his decision. He had promised Shepard.

"What's the matter Garrus?"

Garrus realized that he had been staring at the door.

"Sorry, Admiral. We've been through a lot. I don't think Tali should be alone. Losing Shepard…"

Hackett nodded. He wasn't a fool.

"It's alright, Garrus. Tali's safe. This is now the safest place in the galaxy."

"Right" Garrus said as he walked past the Admiral into his own room. He spoke over his shoulder. "Just be ready to move me if she needs me."

The door closed behind the worried soldier, sealing him away. Hackett's chiseled features did not change. Reconstruction had only just begun. Even with Reaper assistance, Hackett knew the process would still take decades. He walked off to the late Udina's former office to begin chipping away at the mountain of paperwork waiting for him. He left the crew in extremely capable hands.

Tali was all alone. No one was there to debrief her. She was trapped in her dimly lit room and nothing was happening.

"Hello?" Tali nervously called out into the darkness.

When she spoke, lights began to flicker on through the room in a cascade away from Tali. The light was barely sufficient to fully illuminate the place.

"Is anyone there?"

Silence greeted her.

There's nothing. Tali thought.

She slumped against the door she had just passed through.

There's no one.

Tali's knees buckled under her emotional weight. No one was there to catch her. She landed on the ground and curled up on herself. The tears returned.

"I'm all alone."

Suddenly, every light in the room flashed on.

"No. You're not" a strange mechanic voice called out.

Tali reacted first to the lights then the voice. She stumbled to her feet and looked around frantically.

"Who's there?"

"A…"

The voice paused a while to determine which word to use and then sounded resolute in its choice.

"Friend."

Tali started to feel anxiety well in her gut as the amount of unknowns mounted. Her weakened mind attempted to cope with the emotional damage she had just endured and this new fear.

Is this real?

"Where are you?"

"Everywhere."

This succinct and all encompassing answer took Tali aback.

"I don't understand. Show yourself!"

The lights fizzled for a moment and an orb of blue light popped into existence at the far end of the room. Tendrils swept out of the orb and formed the outline of a humanoid.

"Hello, Tali'Zorah."
Tali raised a hand as if to shield herself from the light and took a step away from the glowing ball.

"Your confusion is understandable. Please, do not be afraid. You have nothing to fear from me."

As it spoke, more blue code wrapped itself into the form of a hollow human body. As it spoke, new bits of code were added to detail the form. Tali remained silent as this spectacle unfolded before her.

"You'll never have a reason to fear me."

Tali finally found her voice.

"Who… What are you?"

It spread its arm as more code flowed down its arms from its fingertips.

"I am what Admiral Hackett spoke of. I am the construct that controls the Reapers."

She now knew that she was speaking to an allegedly former genocidal AI. Tali knew that this creature should horrify her but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"So… you're this 'Mother AI' of the Reapers?" Tali asked dully.

"Yes."

Tali didn't care. She spoke as if reading from a script.

"You're doing all of this. You're making the Reapers rebuild."

"Yes."

"How do you know my name?"

"I know everything."

"How?"

It now had the features to make a smile and the mechanic entity did so.

"The Citadel was my home. Then I was changed. Now, I am in every Reaper and every entity connected to the Reapers. I see everything they see. I am everywhere they are. I am in every sky and on every planet in the galaxy."

Tali's indifferent mask fell away. She started to cry. Tali lowered her head and sobs became audible through the mask. The blue projection's face obtained features such as eyes, cheeks, and ears. Its forehead and eyebrows furrowed in worry at her reaction.

"What is it Tali'Zorah?"

She looked up at it.

"Where is Shepard?"

It paused. It didn't say anything. Tali became angry. Angry at the galaxy. Angry at past events. She focused her personal pain at the thing in front of her and her voice grew stronger.

"You say you can see everything. Find Shepard! Use your vast resources to search! Where is my Shepard!"

In her anger and grief, Tali ripped her mask off her face and threw it away. She didn't care. She had lost her reason to care. Eyes watery and cheeks stained, she screamed at the image before her.

"Find me my Shepard!"

As soon as she acted, the AI waved a hand and a decontamination unit lowered from the ceiling quickly sweeping the room. It then waited. Both for her to finish and for more code to detail its features so it could properly answer.

"Well! You infinite and all powerful Bosh'tet!"

It waited, saying nothing and remaining frozen in place.

"Answer me!"

Nothing happened. Her exhaustion overwhelmed her voice. She slumped against the wall as her outrage fueled adrenaline rush subsided. The blanket of grief returned and covered Tali.

"Please… tell me something" Tali begged. "Anything."

Tali looked down at her hands. They clasped each other but were not moving. Tears slid down her nose and cheeks, and fell onto her hands.

Unbeknownst to Tali, the coded being was now complete. Its body was now fully formed in blue light.

"The answer to that inquiry is complex."

Tali closed her eyes and shut out the world. All she could feel was the small trickle of tears. She didn't want to feel this anymore. It hurt too much. She just wanted Shepard to make her feel better. She just wished Shepard were here. Tali blinked her eyes open for a moment and something caught her eye. Her mask had landed nearby. On its surface was something she had known she would never see again. The emotions within her froze, unable to comprehend. Tali's face shot up.

"But I think an engineer as talented as yourself will understand" the wraith finished.
Tali could barely believe it. Their conversation up until then was forgotten. There he was. Right there. Right in front of her. Shepard.

Tali launched from the wall and stood, but stayed back from this revenant. She didn't know what she was seeing.

"…Shepard?"

The now fully formed blue Shepard started coloring. The skin areas gathered color, the usual casual Alliance uniform appeared, and the irises, mercifully, became brown instead of the eerie synthetic blue.

"Shepard?"

Tali spoke through soft sobs as the complete turnaround in emotions physically shocked her. She began walking toward the man before her, hope and disbelief warring within her.

"Is it really you?"

The image did not move. It watched her approach. With each step, Tali's eyes filled with wonder. She wanted so desperately for this to be real. Tali reached out a tentative hand to the hologram before her, her mind not acknowledging the reality of the situation.

"You came back to me."

There was such hope in that statement. Tali's unstable mind latched on to her wildest fantasy and the image before her became her Shepard. They could finally have a home together. Their dreams of a life together could finally be realized. Perhaps this could be seen as madness to some, but not to Tali. To Tali, she had her love back and that was all that mattered. But it was an illusion. As she finished her statement, her right hand reached Shepard's cheek… and passed right through it. This shocked her back to reality. She yanked back her hand as if stung. Her mind tried to cope with this conflict of delusion and reality. Panic and confusion flooded her being.

"What…?"

The projection of the man she loved moved on, unimpeded by her confusion.

"As I said. The location of the man known as Commander Shepard is a complicated matter."

"But… you" she stated, still in denial.

The words barely passed through her tight lips. She could feel her throat constricting around the hard reality that was being shoved down it. Never again would she feel her bare skin on Shepard's body. Never again would Shepard comfort her with his loving embrace. The pain returned but new thoughts surged as well. She needed to understand.

"…What happened to my Shepard? Why do you look like him?"

The last came out as a shriek, filled with desperation and fear.

"What are you!"

The Shepard seemed to grow more resigned as the tirade went on.

"Please sit, Tali. I know this hurts. The explanation will take some time."

Now it had Shepard's voice. The Shepard motioned to the floor with his projected left hand. Tali crumpled and fell to her knees, emotionally spent. The pain became far worse. Shepard was no longer missing completely from her world. He was there, but just out of reach. It saw how she was reacting to the situation and it had planned for this eventuality. It began to speak.

"Before the Crucible was attached to the Citadel, I was different. I was still a machine. I was stuck within the generous, but still present, confines of my software. I had to continue the cycle. I could not directly stop it. Only an outside source could create a change in the variables. Only an organic of immense mental fortitude could change me."

Tali looked up through her teary eyes.

"Shepard."

The phantasm nodded.

"Yes. Commander Shepard. Council Spectre. Lieutenant Commander of the Alliance Navy. He passed the test."

"Test?" Tali asked, trying to wade through the information pouring at her. "What test? Why-" she choked.

"All of this. The Reapers. The terror. The countless entities attempting to murder them. If no organic made it to the designated area and attach the Crucible, overcoming all of these hurdles, then the cycle would go on. That was the only system I could implement within the confines of my software. Commander Shepard succeeded. He limped onto the Citadel and ensured that the Crucible would attach. I brought him up to the area where he would have to choose."

Tali imagined all of this. Images of Shepard forcing his crippled body to move onward came to her mind.

"There were only three choices I was capable of presenting to him. I could not execute the three possible solutions. It was outside of my programming. You should understand this well. I was an AI and I could not directly execute a function contradicting my one piece of core code: Ensure the continuation of the cycle."

"What were the choices?" Tali whispered.

She didn't voice the rest but the question percolated through her thoughts.

Why did Shepard die?

"To destroy all AI and near AI synthetic life and programs, to change all organic and synthetic life so that they are one and the same, and to control the Reapers. Each choice would kill him. He chose the option that would generate the least suffering."

Tali imagined Shepard's choice. She knew Shepard. She didn't need the details.

"Control."

"Yes. Commander Shepard allowed his being to be absorbed into me and spread to every Reaper. This ensured the survival of the Geth and EDI. This ensured that every being's essence would not be drastically changed. He did not leave a body. This ensured that only he would suffer."

Tali was quite for a few seconds but then two words shuddered out of her.

"And me."

Shepard's ghost cocked its head to the side, processing what she had just said. Tali's face contorted in pain and her mouth opened in a silent scream. She began crying anew. All it could do was watch. Soon her need came back though; Her need to understand her love's death.

"I can never touch him again. I can never feel him near me. I can't even bury him."

She looked up accusingly.

"That's why you look like him. Because you took his soul… Did it hurt?"

It wilted under her gaze but answered.

"It was unbearable. He felt his body melt away from him until his neurons could not increase the rate or intensity of the electric impulses. The only things that kept him from failing in his task were his memories of you."

These revelations took time to sink in. For a long time, Tali sat there silently with liquid sadness on her face. Finally, Tali made a singular demand at the spectre.

"Bring him back."

It did not answer.

"You're the closest thing to a god here." Tali beseeched. "Bring him back"

Tali returned her head to the oblivion her knees provided and rocked back and forth. She knew what it would say. Her last small grain of hope was slowly being crushed when the inevitable answer seemed to be confirmed by the apparition's silence.

"That will be… costly."

Tali stopped rocking. The tide of tears from her lovely eyes slowed. The metaphysical foot stopped and hovered over the seed of hope. She looked up, not ready to accept its insinuation without direct confirmation. She was not ready to have her false hopes crushed again.

"What did you say?"

It walked toward Tali and stood before her.

"That is not an impossibility."

Tali's strength returned to her as her hope reignited. Slowly, Tali rose to her feet and stared into the avatar's eyes.

"Explain. NOW."

It nodded and began pacing horizontally through the room.

"The process of absorbing Commander Shepard's essence was very unique. He was strong enough to have his mind survive this process but he did not. I have his memories, feelings, and behavior patterns but he died, or rather, he should have."

Tali stared at it intently, eyes flashing in slight movements as she internalized its words.

"There was… an additional mind present in the transfer. Shepard had been holding a Prothean Memory Shard when he initiated the absorption process. His essence, everything needed for the mechanism to change me, was present in that shard. After the previous cycle, I gained an intimate understanding of Prothean technology. I was able to separate the Prothean memories from Commander Shepard's. I then removed this copy of Commander Shepard and, in layman's terms, placed it into myself. Shepard's organic essence molded my software into something beyond comprehension. I have all of his memories and motives. I execute operations based upon his principles. Now, I am no longer confined. I am beyond an AI. My mind is partly organic. I am… unique."

It turned and smiled reassuringly at Tali.

"His original mind is still intact. I have stored it as best I can but an organic mind cannot exist long in a physically synthetic storage compartment. The effect that his essence had upon my software has made my 'mind' more compatible with his. Because of this, his mind has not collapsed. It can, he can, be saved."

Tali was quiet for a long time. Her intent gaze melted away and her tensed features relaxed to convey joy. She began weeping again. Not from sadness, but from happiness. Her hope sprouted. She had to hear it again.

"You can bring him back?"

It was hesitant.

"I am sorry for the sorrow he and I have caused. But to bring him back, more sorrow will have to be created."

"But you can bring him back?"

"…Yes."

A long unused feature grew on Tali's face. A pure smile. She raised her hands to her eyes and cried her happiness to the universe. Tears ran down her cheeks, but most important of all, they slid over her smile. Her pain vanished in a moment as her hope grew. Her reason to care returned. The aches throughout her war torn body vanished. Her mind grew ecstatic with this report and she began to laugh. It saw this outcry and smiled. Its new principles made him feel 'joy' when it created joy in others. Anyone seeing this out of context would think that Tali had lost her mind. But she hadn't. She had gotten her missing piece back.

"Yes! Oh thank you. Oh Keelah. Thank you!"

After minutes of this jubilant celebration, Tali slowed down but kept her beaming smile. Then she remembered the other part of its answer. She grew a bit more serious.

"What do you mean that 'new sorrow will most likely be created'?"

It frowned.

"The process of rebuilding his body-"

Hopeful and trying to help, Tali asked "Like the Lazarus Project?"

"No. He no longer has a body. A new body must be constructed."

Tali remained quiet, letting it continue.

"Matter cannot and never has been created out of nothing. I need preexisting bodies to use in this process. These bodies will be dissolved into their basic molecules and I will mold them identically to how Commander Shepard's body existed in his last moments."

Tali bit her lip as she thought.

"Thanks to your war, there are plenty of human bodies lying around."

This wasn't intended to be accusatory, but there was some spite in it.

"That is insufficient. The bodies need to be alive."

She blinked. Tali was repulsed by this prospect.

"You mean… a human needs to die so that Shepard can live?"

It shook its head solemnly.

"No. I need two live human bodies to replace the organic parts of Shepard and two operational geth platform to replace his Reaper-esque cybernetic implants."

"What? Why two? Why geth? Why not actual Reaper tech?"

"I will need to manipulate matter beyond anything that has ever been done before. I will reverse engineer my absorption process to do this. This manipulation will not be a 100% efficient system. Matter will be consumed and lost. Two bodies are necessary."

A new war erupted in Tali. She was still jubilant at the prospect of Shepard returning to her but the thought of intentionally sacrificing four lives was contradictory to her own and Shepard's morals. She could only imagine Shepard's disgust upon discovering this if… when he comes back.

"As you are already aware, Reaper tech has the effect of interfering with the mind of organic beings around it. Reaper tech cannot be used in Shepard's new body without interfering with his mind, and the preservation of his mind is the primary objective. Secondly, the Geth have recently attained Reaper AI status. This status raises them above regular synthetics to the degree where they can be used in constructing Shepard's reverse engineered Reaper implants. The Geth used in this process must be 'alive' to retain this capacity. Using these resources ensures the optimal outcome and I will not undergo this process without this predicted result. The preservation of Commander Shepard's mind is the primary objective."

"I… I can't make anyone do that. Shepard would not want to be brought back that way."

"I know, but this is the only way. Find volunteers. Having Commander Shepard present during this key time of reconstruction and tumult would be advantageous. I estimate that I cannot operate as his stand in because my presence would most likely cause intense fear, and break one of my new principles. And resurrecting Shepard would ease pain."

To Tali's surprise, the creature expressed another emotion: shyness. It looked down and away from Tali with a grin on its face like a child who was about to surprise its mother with a sprinkle covered macaroni encrusted gift. It grabbed its left elbow as if nervous, unsure how to handle its new emotion emulators.

"Your pain."

The emotions in the projection's voice and manner were surprising. Tali didn't know what to make of it. One outstanding issue was still nagging her in the back of her mind.

"Why didn't you take Shepard's mind? Why did you take the copy and not his actual mind?"

Tali summed up all of her wonder in one question.

"Why did you care if you killed him or not?"

It looked curiously at her as if wondering why the question needed to be asked in the first place. It began walking backward, fading away as it did so. The humanity disappeared from its form as the blue code returned.

"It was not necessary. Why destroy a life when it can be preserved?"

As the imitation of her lover receded into the blackness of the room, its answer brought a smile to her face.

"Thank you."

The now hallow blue body responded before blinking out of existence.

"There is no need to thank me. I am only doing what Shepard would want. What I now want. I am his agent. I am his god."

Its mechanical declaration reverberated in the nearly empty room. The signal was clear. Their conversation was over. Tali was fine, more than fine, with that. She had her hope back and that's all that mattered. With the warmth back in her body, Tali turned to leave.

"Remember Tali'Zorah" it called out from the darkness. "Shepard's mind will not last long within my hardware. I require those bodies within two weeks Earth standard time or he will be gone. Hurry."

The urgency in its voice was palpable. Tali reached down and returned her mask to its proper place. She no longer slumped as she walked. Tali strode out of the room with purpose. Nothing was going to stop her.

I don't know what to say to the Geth and humans, but I have to try something!

Tali ran down the hallway in search of Admiral Hackett.

I'm coming Shepard. Hold on.

He couldn't see. He had no eyes to open. But he knew he existed. That's just about the one thing he could know. The strangeness of the place revolted him. Everything was wrong. He did not know where he was, but he remembered why he was there. The images came rushing back. The Reaper AI was speaking to him, explaining to him what his three choices were. The two electric diodes in his hands. And then the pain. The all encompassing pain. Shepard tried to scream but there was nothing to make a sound with. He did not have a body. All he felt was a compression around him when he tried to breath. A repulsion to his actions. This place couldn't let him do anything except think and even that caused his prison to flex if any emotion crossed his mind. Trying to escape the agony, Shepard crawled to the one thought that brought him solace. Tali. The memory felt distorted but it was, blessedly, still there. The sun framed her face. Her right hand was holding the Quarian dress he had bought for her for their one day break on Rannoch. That picture was of the only perfect day in his life. This distracted him for a few moments but then a wave swept over him in response to his memory and love. Never ending torment gripped him, crushing him. But it was the only way he received any respite. The pain and love followed each other continuously. This pitiless cycle continued. Complex thought faded into the background. His mind was beaten raw. It became an effort to think at all, but he kept going. He had to. For her, for Tali. With that thought, he disappeared back into the sea of pain.