Who believes I should go back a bit to before Miss Tali crashed into town square? I certainly think so. So, let's rewind to the quarian Migrant Fleet…
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Tali'Zorah was anxious. She was finally old enough to go on her Pilgrimage but, in a strange way, she almost didn't want to leave. She knew everyone on her birth-ship, the Rayya, and was worried that she wouldn't be able to acquaint herself with anyone on the next ship, the Neema.
…She was also nervous because she had to go out into the galaxy to prove her worth to the Flotilla, but that was slightly less relevant.
Just find something useful, she repeated in her head, then you can return and join the crew of the Neema.
She walked to the dock, where a small craft was waiting for her. She had everything she needed for life outside the Fleet: immuno-boosters, armor, weapons, etc, and was ready to go. Her father, Admiral Rael'Zorah, was waiting for her. "Tali," he began, "it's finally time. I trust you have everything you need?"
"Yes," Tali replied.
"Good. You'll need it all; especially the immuno-boosters. And please…" he placed a hand on her shoulder, "…be safe."
"I will."
Rael became professional again. "The ship is ready to go, just start the engine and you'll be on your way."
"Alright."
"Keelah se'lai, Tali'Zorah."
"Keelah se'lai," Tali repeated, climbing onto the small shuttle. As the pneumatic door hissed shut behind her, she thought she could hear her father sobbing. She decided to let him off on that, and started the engine.
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The craft wasn't too shabby; it was big enough to hold the small amount of personal belongings she took with her, while being just small enough to avoid detection by the geth. Not that the added stealth would be necessary, as the geth haven't ventured beyond the Veil since the war, but one could never be too careful.
Tali pulled up a map of the galaxy, and began to decide on where she would go. The map was slightly out of date, a few already burnt-out star clusters were still listed here and there, so she felt the first stop she should make would be to someplace with a newer one. The closest cluster with a fuel depot was the Attican Traverse, so she marked it for her autopilot before rummaging through her luggage.
She brought with her a shotgun, a handgun, a repair kit for her suit, and several-hundred credits, as well as a picture of everyone on the Rayya, including her father. She stowed the photo and engaged the ship's hyper-sleep, as the flight to the Traverse was a long one.
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Tali awoke to violent rumbling and wailing alarms. Snapping out of her slumber, she looked out of the viewport at what was going on. She assessed the situation: she was currently hurtling toward a planet that Tali guessed was a little less than 10,000 kilometers wide, in a compact, pressurized tube, travelling a thousand miles an hour, and wasn't ready to die because of a faulty autopilot. That being said, she strapped herself in and pulled the yoke, slowing her fall speed by about thirty miles. "Still too fast," she said to herself, flipping switches frantically, hoping one of them would aid her plight. The ship continued to fall from the sky, panels from the hull peeling away, thus slowing the fall further.
Time slowed as Tali looked through the window. She saw citizens fleeing. She didn't know what they were, but they clearly were afraid. One stayed, ordering the others to run. Before she could make sense of anything that was happening, the ship slammed into a structure on the surface below, blasting it apart before she lost consciousness.
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When she awoke-well, I say "awoke," but more she "regained consciousness"-she heard a voice, calm and soothing. "Miss?" it said, a tone of concern and hope accompanying it. "Miss, can you hear me?"
I can hear you, she thought, though the sound she uttered was more of a groan.
She heard someone nearby begin to leave, but it decided to stay. Tali put all of her effort into opening her eyes so she could see the voice's owner.
He wasn't exactly what she'd been expecting: his eyes were gray-blue; he had short, dark brown hair, and apparently had more growing from his chin and neck area, which was odd. "Miss?" he said, the same verbal tone as before coming out.
So, it's him… funny. I almost expected him to be taller… She tried to make words. "Where…?" she began, "Where… am I..?"
"Take it easy," he replied. "You're in a med clinic on the little rock we call Mindoir." He pulled out a clipboard. "Can I get your name, Miss..?"
"My name…" she tried to sit up, but the man urged her to do otherwise, "my name is Tali… Tali'Zorah nar Rayya."
"'Tali…'" he repeated. "Nice name."
"Thank you, mister..?"
"I'm John, though just about everyone calls me Shepard."
"'Shepard,'" she repeated. "It has a ring to it."
And it did. Something Tali would later describe as a storybook sort of name. Maybe a hero.
The one called Shepard smiled at the compliment. "Well, Miss Tali… nar Rayya… Um… If you need anything while you recover, just send for me. I'll be more than happy to help."
"Thanks." She watched him leave, stopping to address another from his species just outside the door, presumably one of his coworkers, before they both walked off. I think I'm going to like it here…
Note: Okay, so I may have over-romanticized the bits from the last chapter…