Tali was afraid.
They had taken her gun, it had been the first thing that had happened when she'd entered the room, they hadn't even explained it, just ignored her question as one of Fist's men handed the weapon over to the human that was supposed to get her in touch with the Shadow Broker.
And there something...wrong.
Six people were in the room with her, none of which could be the Shadow Broker. Of course Tali didn't know how the Shadow Broker looked, or even what species he was...but as any Quarian Tali knew how to read body-language, and none of the ones before her carried themselves with the distinction of such a powerful person.
The office was larger then even a Quarian admiral's quarter. Then again aliens love their space...I don't get it. Standing a few feet from the decidedly locked door to her left Tali had a good view of the office before her.
A small round table was at it's centre, surrounded from three sides by a circular shaped couch upon which two humans sat, both with their legs propped up on the table and their arms resting on the backrest of the couch as they lazily eyed her, pistols tucked into their belts. Tali had even less experience with humans then with other races, and add the fact that the Flotilla had little information on the race...and she wasn't sure what to make of them. Are they always arrogant, or is it just these two?
At the other end of the room the third human in the room stood, sitting behind a large desk of...Wood they called it?...he looked completely at ease as he rested folded hands upon the table and looked her over with an unreadable face. His body spoke plainly though, Fist knew he was in control, he was anticipating gain, and he was dangerous. Why did I trust him!
Had no more options, no more choices, was too much in a hurry... The answers did nothing to calm her down, they didn't help.
The other three were Turians. Two of them flanking the door, looking alert as they stood in near military fashion, hands resting on the guns in their holsters, one of them holding hers...miles away. They had no markings on their faces, wore armour...and looked uncaring, dim guards just doing their job, without sympathy or emotion.
Tali swallowed.
The third was behind her, prowling. Walking left and right behind her, agitated, eager, violence barely contained. Shuddering Tali forced herself to stand straight to conceal her growing fear about to make her tremble, instead she made herself confident. Remember your training, outside the Flotilla many want to take advantage of you, a tough attitude can make all the difference... "Where's the Shadow Broker? You told me he would be here to bring me somewhere safe. That was the deal."
"You don't feel safe yet?" Fist smiled from behind the desk as he held out his hands to the side. Arrogant. "I feel safe here, locked door, armed guards, don't you worry your pretty little head." Rightfully so... Tali found herself glancing towards the door. Heavy security door with resonance type lock...will take me some time to hack it...I won't get a second...
I...She heard the Turian growl at her back. ...I don't want to...die...
"Pretty?" One of the men sitting on the couch chuckled. "How can you tell with that bucket on her head?"
"Yeah, let's take it off." The other suggested with a smirk, one hand coming to rest upon the grip of his pistol as he eyed her like a piece of meat, almost making her take a step back at the horrible idea of the mask slipping off and... He's only half joking... She shuddered.
Fist shook his head, his movement...casual. "Boys, boys, please, we're trying to be polite here, there's no need to threaten our guest, we only have some questions for her..." He looked at her, wickedness in his stance...then to the prowling man behind her. "Isn't that right, friend?"
"This is a waste of time." The Turian snapped, coming to a stop, a clawed hand landing upon Tali's shoulder, making her reveal herself by flinching, the grip didn't release though, only dug into her suit... I...this wasn't how it was supposed to be... "She has the information, why are we still waiting?"
"Because, friend, she might have made a backup and hidden it somewhere else..." Fist cocked his head to the side, smiling at Tali. "Isn't that right little one?"
"Yes, I have." Tali snapped, shrugging the clawed hand off with as much courage as she could muster. "With a VI hooked into it, ready to send the information to the news if I don't deactivate it within the next twenty-four hours." I might have been too hurried in placing my trust in you, but I'm not stupid, if you think you'll kill me and get away scot free...
The hiss of anger behind her made her shudder, the Turian behind her resuming his hateful prowling. "Saren will not like this..."
Saren! Tali shivered, Saren was the name the Geth she'd disabled had given to the Turian in her recording... which meant this man... Keelah...I...I w-won't su-survive this...
She'd been shocked to find Geth outside the Veil, shocked enough to destroy one and rifle through its memories...to understand. The recording had meant little to her and she'd simply asked an information broker if it was of any value...a Quarian on pilgrimage needed all the credits she could get after all.
Then the Geth had come after her, everywhere she went they had come in dropships and smuggled aboard stations within the Terminus system, hunting her with a passion the emotionless machines couldn't be capable of. Even when she had entered Citadel space the attacks had continued, but now by mercenaries and assassins...forcing her to run, to flee, hoping that she at least at the Citadel could find some safety...only to find out differently. The Shadow Broker had been her final hope...and now the reaching for that hope had neatly put her in a trap...
Her hands found one another, nervously fiddling with one another before her lap. Ancestors, protect me, in this final hour please let the end be swift and painless, let me join you and forever-
"Calm down." Fist shrugged. Still at ease... "She said twenty-four hours." Then he smiled, hands coming together. Dangerous... "And twenty-four hours is a long time..."
Keelah...
Tali's throat went dry. Still have the knife in my boot, omni-tool integrated into my suit...no offensive weapons really...could make a rush for the men at the door, or the ones on the couch, make them shoot...she swallowed.
Keelah...
"I don't want to spend more time then necessary here, I have other things to do." The Turian snorted, a hand coming over Tali's shoulder...then snaking around her neck. "Lets just rip that omni-tool out of her and try to find where she stashed the copy!" Tali yelped, then found a muffled cough escape her as the wiry arm squeezed into her throat. "Oh shut up you filthy little Quarian!" The growl was near, in her ear, as the anger of the Turian was released upon her.
Tali couldn't reply, her head swimming as the near two heads taller Turian lifted her off the floor, lightning shooting down her spine as her neck begun to stretch...
I...don't...
"Don't be stupid, let's do this properly." Fist shook his head and waved dismissively at the Turian, whose grip lessened, but only enough to drop Tali back to the floor.
She coughed, gasped, a hand moving to rub the soreness, only to be stopped as the Turian's free hand closed around her wrist and – Pain! – wrenched her arm behind her back.
She gasped, her suit beeping a warning of damage to ligaments she couldn't quite concentrate on as she clenched her teeth shut, stopping the sob from escaping her lips. I don't want to die...please...I just-
Then she realised something had changed in the room, the atmosphere becoming tense as heads were turned and hands drifted towards weapons.
Screams? Gunfire? The sounds were hazy to Tali as her head swam with fear, pain and shock...
What is – she turned her head towards the door, only to find it suddenly slide open – going on?
The Turian to the right of the door jerked, dark blue blood splattering the floor as his left leg was ripped open, from a close ranged shot from a massive Krogan, the creature instantly swinging his smoking gun into the face of the staggering guard, the blow greeted with a crack...and the guard slumped to the floor.
Next to him the other guard fared no better. Dark blue energy suddenly formed around him, sent him hurtling through the door, past a still glowing human in dark armour...and then face first into a swinging rifle of a female human. A crunch and he fell on his back...before twitching and jerking as the human poured bullets into his torso, the man screamed as he couldn't roll away, the boot pressing against his head keeping him pinned to the floor even as the screams turned to gurgles.
The men on the couch flew to the feet, pistols firing, one twitching as a Turian in c-sec uniform charged forth with a blazing pistol.
And then Tali's vision swam, her body feeling weightless as she was suddenly spun around and hurled to the floor, cracking the back of her head in the floor. Above her the Turian growled, body shaking with a hatred near madness as he brought his pistol to bear...
No!
Tali's hand moved on instinct, her suit instantly recognising and enacting her command, the powerful code and even more powerful VI establishing the connection to the Turian's pistol with the speed of light, needing barely a microsecond to override the simple computer within the weapon.
With a click the gun refused to fire, its computer thinking the weapon overheated and ordering a temporary shut-down.
There was an awkward move of the Turian to look at the pistol, the surprise on his face clear to even Tali..then a growl as his other hand reached down to painfully dig into Tali's outstretched wrist, the other pulling his pistol back for a swing...
"Stay away!" She felt hope, a fitful, tiny mote of hope...and leapt at it. Her free hand darted down, finding the knife in her boot, swinging it up as she drew it...
Blue blood sprayed over her visor.
A howl and the Turian jumped back, his hand releasing her wrist as the other dropped his pistol and instead clutched at the deep wound in his forearm. Bent forward he then growled, head snapping around to glare at her, the movement of a mad Varren, a Varren intent on goring her and-
A crash and the Turian was sent flying, a large shadow coming over Tali as she moved to wipe the blood of her visor. The Kroga-? She blinked.
Wow...
The man above her was huge, almost looking as big as a Krogan to her wide eyes, human...yet not. A pistol was in his right hand, a bloodied knife in his left, dressed in simple clothing more fitting for a smuggler in the Terminus systems then for an armed assault...and obviously completely oblivious to the blood dripping from the wound down his left arm.
Even in the crouched fighting stance he held over her he was angling his body slightly, blocking sight of the fighting in the rest of the fighting...blocking any shots that could come her way... He did it on purpose, though it hardly showed as his eyes were fixed on the Turian jumping to his feet, his entire body fixed on fighting that one opponent, to keep him away from...her.
Wow...
A mad growl and the Turian leapt...
The man barely moved, refusing to move himself from being between her and the gunfight at his unarmoured back. No hesitation, no fear, ready to give all...just like that...for a stranger.
Wow...
He thrust his knife out, catching a swinging arm right beneath the fist, spearing the howling Turian's right wrist, his thrusting blade moved towards the ceiling, making the Turian straighten...and then there was a bark as the man's pistol shot the Turian in the leg.
Wow...
A thump and the bleeding alien fell to the floor, rolling around in his own blood as he growled in impotent rage and pain.
Silence.
The man stood still, a statue, the pistol and knife both still aimed at the wounded Turian, his back still keeping Tali safe from the now ended gunfight.
Wow...
A short little turn of his head and the man glanced over at the rest of the room, nodded, and moved forward, revealing three dead humans with their blood sprayed across the walls and furniture as two other humans, a Turian and a Krogan stood amongst them, the woman among them muttering something to the Krogan as she prodded Fist with her foot, eliciting a chuckle out of the Krogan.
Tali's eyes followed the man though, only now realising he was, in fact, 'only' as tall as a Turian, not the size of Krogan... Yet he still seemed like a giant as he came to sit down upon the wounded Turian,one leg on each side of the wounded creature as he put his gun aside – surprisingly careful for one who so easily risked himself just moments ago – and grabbed a hold of the Turian's collar. "Are you working for Saren?"
As a Quarian Tali wasn't good with faces, but she did know voices, and this one was cold...yet held a tint of...not quite desperation, but a nearly hidden need...
She sat up, everything feeling...surreal...as she stared at the human holding the Turian at knife-point. His stance was sharp, perfect in a way...each leg and arm precise and economic in their movement...and now stance. Machine-like...like a Geth...yet light-years away...
Wow...
"G-go to hell." The Turian coughed, jerking against the man...who lifted his knife away from the Turian's throat by an inch, no more, no less. "I wo-won't..."
"You are coming with me." Decisive, calm, and punishing the Turian that had hurt her...
Wow...
"Ha! I...I..." The Turian jerked, hard, his back arching as his eyes widened, white froth flowing from his mouth. A gasping for air, a twist of his head...blue blood seeping the corners of his eyes, eyes widening in panic...and then going dim as the Turian went still. Good riddance...
"Poison." The man stated, a near imperceptible shrug...and he picked his gun up and smoothly rose to his feet.
Silence, the man just standing there, his back to her.
Then he holstered his gun, the knife slipping into his belt...and turned.
It was something different with the man turning to look at her, though what she couldn't quite understand. The voice was clearly different though, yet not. The cold harshness was gone, replaced by a worry, but just as with the coldness this voice too held an undercurrent of need...driving the voice. "Are you okay? He didn't injure you did he?"
Wow...
Tali's mouth worked, she didn't know quite why, as she stared up at the giant that now smoothly moved towards her. His moves precise and economic like a machine's, yet with a hint of eagerness, an undercurrent of decisiveness...
Wow...
He slipped down on one knee next to her, his hands precise as they moved to her arm, helping her to sit up more properly as blue eyes met hers through her visor, seemingly pushing through it, growing...filling her vision... "You might be suffering from shock, can you talk?"
And Tali realised why her mouth had been working.
Blushing she thanked the ancestors for the visor obscuring her face even as she forced herself to speak: "I-I...y-yes...I mean no...I'm fine...suit's f-fine...I..." She struggled for words, finding none.
"Are you sure? I saw you defend yourself well, despite your disadvantage, but I didn't see what he did before the door opened." The man cocked his head to the side, a need to know dominating every facet of his movements as he looked her up and down...making sure she was unharmed as if it was the only thing that mattered in the galaxy.
And Tali too had a need to know: "W-who are y-you?"
The eyes moved once more to meet hers...and Tali found her chest tightening. "I'm Commander Shepard, I'm here to help you."
Wow...
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Thanks to Abydos Jackson for suffering through this one. ;-)