So here is part 2. Turned out to be longer than I thought, but here it is.
Thanks to you all for your support.
White shoulder pads.
No.
Red straps crossing the quarian's chest.
No.
White midsection.
No!
"Father!", Tali cried, as she ran to the quarian.
Probably unconscious from some blow.
Her father always knew how to take care of himself.
Although he was always foremost a scientist, he was also a tough soldier.
She had heard tales of his adventures her whole life.
But not from him.
She knelt before the quarian body, shaking it from it's shoulders. He was not breathing. Was he...No! He always knew what to do.
"No no no, you always had a plan, masked life signs, or, or an on board medical stasis program, maybe. You! You wouldn't!"
Her eyes started to moisture.
The charges.
She had been accused of bringing active geth aboard the Flotilla. But it was her father.
He had assembled the geth, using parts she had send him to do some sick experiments.
She had no idea.
How could he betray her trust like that? How could he? She never wanted this.
He had used her.
She could feel the tears falling down her face.
Long ago, she had told Shepard about her father. She had said, that the best thing she could say about him, was that she respected, and trusted him. More than anyone she knew.
He had always been there, even though always at a distance, but he had never left her.
He was a constant figure, like a rock. Unmoving, unyielding, unchanging. His stoicism had brought her security and comfort in the ever moving world of the quarians.
If she could not rely in her father, how could she rely on anything?
But he had used her. She had loved him, done everything possible to please him, and he had just used her like that.
He had betrayed everything she cared for.
The Admiralty Board had been correct. Even Han'Gerrel had given up hope that her father was alive. Why she had refused to believe them?
Why did she still refuse to believe them?
"They're wrong! You wouldn't just die like this! You wouldn't leave me to clean up your mess! You can't!", she yelled, punching her fathers chest.
She could feel a hand at her arm, pulling her towards a figure next to her.
Shepard had knelt down next to her, gently grabbing her by the arm, pulling her closer.
She put her arms around him, squeezing him as hard as she could.
She broke down, crying in anguish.
She felt as if something had pierced her heart and ripped it from her chest.
How could he?
Shepard put his hands around her, holding her gently.
He could hear her cries in his ear, as she pressed her head to his shoulder.
The sound broke his heart.
He could feel his eyes moisture, his vision getting blurred.
The muscles in his chin bulged, as he pressed his teeth together, fighting the tears.
He was grateful for the protection his helmet offered, because he really didn't want to explain himself to anyone.
He was not even sure if he knew how.
All he knew, was that she didn't deserve this.
He closed his eyes, and could feel a single tear rolling down his face.
"Hush", he merely whispered, stroking the back of her head.
He felt helpless, not being able to do anything to help.
But she started to calm down at the sound of his voice.
He saw Garrus approaching them, his head hanging low.
The turian hesitatingly lifted his hand, and put it on her shoulder.
Shepard glanced at the body of her father, and a wave of anger passed through him.
How could he leave her to clean up his mess?
"Hush...hush", she heard him whispering to her ear, holding her.
The sound of his voice pulled her out of her world of pain, of misery, anchoring her to this world.
She felt a another hand on her shoulder, this one hard, and metallic.
Garrus.
Her sobs became ever the less frequent, ending after a moment.
She did not know how long that moment was or how long she had been in his embrace, but she knew that she wanted him to never let go. She wanted to forget about this cruel and harsh world.
But she knew she couldn't.
She had a job to do.
She reluctantly pulled herself away from him. Shepard's hands still rested on her shoulders.
"I'm sorry", she said after a moment, her voice still trembling.
"Don't say that", Shepard whispered, lowering his head.
She began turning towards her father "Maybe, maybe he had known I'd come. Maybe he left a message", she pressed a few buttons on his omni-tool, and a hologram projection of Rael'Zorah appeared.
"Tali", it began "if you are listening, then I am dead. The geth have gone active. I don't have much time"
"Their main hub will be on the bridge You'll need to destroy it to stop their VI processes from forming new neural links"
"Make sure Han'Gerrel and Daro'Xen see the data. They must--"
The projection stopped talking, and began running away. The transmission ended.
"Thanks dad", Tali said, slight tremble still in her voice.
Both Shepard and Tali stood up, still looking at the body.
"That's the best he could do?", Shepard asked very quietly, talking apparently to himself.
Tali turned her head towards him.
"Oh. I'm...I'm sorry Tali. I should just shut up", he said apologetically, lowering his head.
"No", she replied, her voice now steely "You're right"
She lowered her head before continuing "I don't know what's worse. Thinking that he never cared, or thinking he did, and this was the only way he could show it".
She could feel her eyes moisture again, but brushed her feelings aside, and said: "Lets go"
The squad of five entered the next room in silence. At the center of the room, there was a large computer. They approached the computer, and Tali broke the silence.
"This is the main hub father mentioned. Shutting it down will disable all the remaining geth on the ship"
She tapped a few buttons on the computer's console, and a list showed up on the screen.
"Few of the recordings have remained intact. They should tell us what happened"
She lowered her head and voice: "I mean what father did".
"We should see it", Shepard said.
Tali pressed few buttons, and three quarians appeared on the screen.
At the center was Tali's father, Rael Zorah, he had two quarians at his both sides.
"Do we have enough parts to bring more on-line?", Rael asked.
The quarian on the right answered "Yes the new shipment from your daughter will let us add two more geth to the network"
The quarian on the left continued after him: "We're nearing a breakthrough on systemic viral attacks. Perhaps we should inform the Admiralty Board, just to be safe"
"No", Rael answered. "We are too close. I promised to build my daughter a house on the homeworld. I'm not going to sit and wait while the politicians argue"
The quarian on the right spoke: "We'd have an easier time if Tali'Zorah could send us back more working material"
"Absolutely not!", Rael snapped "I don't want Tali exposed to any political blowback. Leave Tali out of this. Assemble new geth with what we have. Bypass protocols if need be"
Tali had not wanted this.
She did not want him to build a house on their homeworld.
What she would have wanted, was a father that was there for her.
A father that would have held her, tell her he cared. He could not give her that.
He gave her this.
"He did this for you?", Shepard asked with a surprised tone in his voice.
Tali lowered her gaze and shook her head."I never wanted this", Tali whispered, her voice trembling again.
"It's all his fault..." she could feel her eyes getting wet again.
It's all his fault.
All of it.
But he doesn't deserve this.
"We can't use this Shepard", she turned her head to Shepard.
"We can't show this to the Admiralty Board"
"What? Why?", he asked, again surprised.
"If we use this, they'll..", she stuttered, clearly distressed.
"...they'll strike his name from the manifest of every ship he ever served on", her voiced was broken again, and tear were flowing down her face.
"He'd..."
"He'd be worse than an exile. He'd be a traitor to our people, the worst war criminal in our people's history"
"I can't let all the good he did be destroyed for this.", she lowered her gaze to the floor. Her voice had stopped trembling, and had a steely tone "I won't".
Shepard looked at the rest of the squad.
"Could you guys give us a minute?", he asked quietly.
Garrus nodded "We'll be at the shuttle".
They turned and went through the door, leaving Tali and Shepard alone.
Tali kept turning her head between Shepard and the squad, looking confused.
The two of them stood there a while in silence, Shepard was looking at the floor.
"Without this evidence, you are going to be exiled", he said quietly.
"I know", she replied quietly.
Shepard could feel a wave of anger passing through him, barely managing to keep his voice steady
"You're father did not want you to take the blame for him"
"I don't care. I'm not like him"
Shepard could no longer control himself.
"Damn it Tali!", he yelled has he grabbed her by the upper arms.
"I won't let you throw yourself into the fire for him!", he yelled, shaking her a bit.
"He's my father...", she said quietly, shaking her head "He doesn't deserve this."
Shepard straightened himself, looking into her eyes.
"Yes, he does", he said coldly.
Tali lowered her head.
There was a short silence, and Shepard could hear Tali sobbing.
"What a about me? Don't I deserve to say anything", she said with a quiet, teary voice.
Shepard released his hold of her, and took a step back, stunned.
Damn it.
He could feel his eyes moisture again, and a another tear fell down his face.
The muscles in his jaw were bulging again.
He raised his gaze to the roof, and then shaking his head, lowered it to the floor. They were silent again.
"You're my Captain, Shepard, it's your decision", she said quietly "Let's go".
Rayya, the Migrant Fleet
20 minutes later
"Does Captain Shepard have any new evidence to submit to this hearing?", Shala'Raan vas Tombay, the trial's chairwoman asked.
Shepard glanced at Tali.
"Shepard, please..", she begged.
Shepard stepped forward, leaning to a railing in front of him, deep in thought.
The information he held could be vital for anyone who wants to understand the geth.
It also had the power to save his friend from a certain exile from her home.
The decision seemed to be a no-brainer, but...
There was always a but.
She did not want to use it.
The Fleet could maybe be a little disorganized after finding out what Rael had done, but they would get their act together in time to fight the Reapers.
In his mind, the right decision was to give them the data, it would benefit everyone.
But Tali did not want to, even though it would most probably ruin her life.
Could he sacrifice her future and the benefits to the galaxy just because she said so?
He could hear Tali's teary, quiet voice inside his head: "What a about me? Don't I deserve to say anything?"
Goddamn it.
Shepard squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath before answering.
"No. We have nothing".