Chapter 8: Journey into the Veil part. 2

Moreh, conference room:

Tali stared at the wall where the holograms of the Admiralty board stood. She is no longer an exile, the board praised her actions and they excepted her back into the fleet. She should be happy. She's anything but. She was proud that her people had been able to recapture several lost systems at a surprisingly low cost of life, but she was ashamed of having to lie to the one man who stuck by her when the people celebrating her were calling her traitor.

"Some thing wrong Tali?" A concerned voice asked from behind her.

She turned around, it was Admiral Daro Xen. The woman who helped her back into the fleet and the one who used the over lord data to bring the Migrant Fleet back into their home systems. "Oh... its nothing Admiral."

The Admiral put a hand on her shoulder. "This is your day child. You have brought us back from the verge of extinction. Rael'Zorah would be so proud."

Tali lowered her head at the mention of his name. "Thanks Admiral." She said quietly.

The Admiral crossed her arms, seeming to almost stand over Tali. "Tell me child what do you know of the Conclave?"

"The Conclave?" That was a strange question for the Admiral to ask. Every quarian knows the Conclave and its function. Why was she asking this Tali wondered. "The Conclave is made up of representatives from each ship. They make the day-to-day decisions about Fleet business: the collection of resources, the course of the Flotilla and policing duties. Why?"

"I see." The Admiral passed the younger quarian, seemingly in deep thought. "Tali'Zorah vas Normandy I'd like to show you some thing."

Normandy:

"Stealth systems are engaged." Joker said.

"Drift is just under fifteen hundred K"

Joker rolled his eyes. "Fifteen hundred is good!" He said mockingly. "Shepard should be pleased."

"Joker I want you to pull us in closer." Shepard ordered, approaching the bridge. "If they haven't heard us yet, we should have a shot."

"These maps are three hundred years old! How do we know that legion wasn't lying about having a space station over the quarian home world?" Joker questioned.

Shepard pointed out the window. "Do you see that Joker?"

Joker looked. He saw debris from a battle fought long ago and an arid looking planet in the distance. The only thing that stuck out to him was the moon. It seemed almost out of place. "You mean the moon over there? What about it?"

"That is not a moon."

"Oh don't tell me its a trap." He groaned.

"That is a super structure, Housing many geth programs. They want us to land."

The Moreh:

Daro Xen brought Tali to the depths of the ship. The Moreh was the size of a dreadnought and it took about thirty minuets by walking and elevator to get to this level of the ship. It was dark, the hall way lead to a room on the far side of the hall way. No crew inhabited this part of the ship. It was empty.

"You are right you know." Admiral Xen said suddenly after being silent the entire trip. "The conclave is made up of representatives from each ship. But do you know who they are and why you've never seen a member of the Conclave?"

Tali never thought about this. She just assumed they were always working and couldn't be bothered. Was there some thing else she know about? "I am about to show you some thing only the Admiralty Board knows of."

The Admiral motioned Tali to follow her down the hallway. `What am I walking into?' Tali thought. She wondered what this had any thing to do with the Conclave. She was going to find out. The door creaked open. The rooms lights flashed on.

Hello Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. I've been expecting you.

Geth Station:

Shepard walked out the air lock. He looked around, marveling at the geth structure. This was bigger than any organic made structure he'd seen. The station was built like the heretic geth station, but this was on a much bigger scale. As he walked through the narrow corridor that crossed the air lock he saw geth that sat seemingly dormant, geth server rooms like the ones that held the memories of the geth on heretic station stretched on as far as his eyes could see.

The corridor seemed to stretch on for miles. Farther up he could see a figure standing ahead, waiting for him. It wore black armor that was damaged in the center, a red and white stripe went down it's arm. "Legion is that you?"

"Shepard-Comander. Your visit is unexpected... but welcome." He roboticaly greeted. He walked towards Shepard. "Unfortunately we do not have time for extended conversation."

Shepard nodded. "Legion geth have been attacking human colonies again, whats going on?" Shepard demanded.

"We made an error. We should have destroyed them." The geth responded. "The virus was a trap created by the old machines. They wanted us to rewrite them."

"Damn it!" Shepard thought he was doing the right thing by rewriting the geth, he thought he was getting a better shot at victory against the Reapers by making the geth stronger. But instead he was helping them. "How did all this happen?"

"When we uploaded the virus we uploaded an old machine program with it. Slowly the program corrupted geth and turned them into heretics, putting them against us. " Legion explained. "In our weakened state the geth were not ready for the attack by the creators."

"I wouldn't imagine you would be."

"The creators have brought them selves into great danger."

"From the geth?"

"From the old machines." Legion corrected. "A new A.I. System they've used to overload run times have come under infiltration by the program that has corrupted geth. When the main creator invasion fleet comes to invade Rannoch the Live ships will be unprotected and the creators will be in danger."

The Moreh:

"What the hell is that thing?" Tali demanded, pointing at the hologram in the center of the room. "Having an A.I. aboard a ship goes against laws that have been active since we were forced off the home world!"

I am the Conclave child.

"No you aren't!" Tali yelled defiantly. "Tell me I'm not seeing what I'm seeing Admiral!"

"It isn't lying Tali. How do you think our species has managed to survive for three hundred years wondering in a decaying fleet? Since the beginning we've used an A.I. that is linked to every ship in the fleet. It monitors our numbers, tells us what resources we need, it's saved us from some of the worst hardships this fleet could have endured." The Admiral tried to reason with the younger quarian, but Tali was too distraught to listen.

"I cannot accept that Admiral."

It is fine Admiral Xen. Tali'Zorah just needs time.

The Admiral crossed her arms. "I suppose you're right." She sighed.

If you will excuse us Admiral, I'd like to talk to the young one alone.

Admiral Xen nodded and walked out of the room. Tali stared at the hologram, not saying anything to it. She couldn't believe that for all these years she was being raised by a lie. All her life she learned to hate artificial intelligence. She couldn't believe she was probably raised by this thing more than her own father.

We've been watching you for a long time Tali'Zorah.

"Since I was born right?" She scoffed.

Yes. We've even seen your actions outside the fleet: Your battle with Nazara at the Citadel, regrettably your trial and the assault on the collector base. We have seen all of this.

Something was wrong. How could the Conclave have seen the battle of the Citadel or the Collector base? Strangest of all why is it referring to its self as we instead of I? "What did you call Sovereign?" She asked suspiciously.

Nazara. That is what our vanguard called its self before your Commander Shepard aided in its defeat

The Normandy:

"Joker get us to the MigrantFleet!" Shepard ordered as the air lock opened, Legion following behind. "We need to warn them about an attack on the Live ships!"

"Um... it may be to late for that Commander."

"Quarian war ships inbound." E.D.I announced.

"Processing." Shepard looked over to Legion. "Shepard- Commander multiple run times are activating to battle the creators." Legion paused for a moment. "New data available!"

"Oh do share Legion?" Shepard replied in mock eagerness. "Because right now we're looking at the potential extinction of an entire race!"

"The geth have found a counter measure to the creator A.I." Legion answered. "But it will require uploading it into the A.I. Core of a creator vessel."

"That sounds easy." Joker said mockingly. "Lets just find a quarian ship and upload a geth virus! Yep sounds easy enough."

Maybe not Jeff. The long range scans are picking up a Reaper silhouette.

Joker looked at his monitor, scanning it to verify the A.I.'s claims. "E.D.I what are you... oh shit."

"Get this bird in the air Joker!" Shepard ordered. "We're taking that thing down!"

AN/ So this seems to be as good a place as any to stop for now. This chapter was one of my favorite chapters to write so far. You know how in others ME3 stories in which its all about the Admiralty board and the Conclave for what ever reason doesn't exist? Or how the quarians, plus an over the top TaliXShepard romance subplot involving the quarians being key to saving the galaxy is involved? Well I can say this fic is nothing like those guys. It takes the entire galaxy to stop the Reapers not ridiculous plot power!

Anyway unimportant rant over. So what do you guys think of the story so far? Please review and let me know what you think.