"Oh look, fireworks."
Tali found herself turning her head away from the radar at Wrex's amused mutter, eyes narrowing as the cloudy sky of Therum was lit up by a massive fireball. On either side of it the once sleek design of a Geth cruiser begun to list downwards as the ship was rent in two and began to fall towards the planet itself.
Ha! It was always a pleasure to see her ancestral enemies die, and for an entire cruiser to go down...behind her visor she began to grin.
"Retreat to safe distance." Michael's order clipped through the fiery demise of the cruiser now falling towards the planet, the man not looking up from his controls of the Mako as the vehicle continued its descent towards the planet.
Joker's voice rang through their com-link, loud, a clear grin in his voice: "They won't even see the tail-lights!"
With that there was a glow of firing engines among the clouds above them...and the Normandy was gone, hiding from the remaining two Geth cruisers that they had discovered in close orbit around the planet.
As always there was the horrible realisation of them now being left on their own...all the more poignant by the feel of the belts of the chair Tali was sitting on digging into her shoulders as they continued their free fall towards what she could only trust to be a proper surface. At least I'm used to it by now...not to Michael's driving but – no, shouldn't think about that...
Her stomach was a tight knot. There was no doubt about it, this mission was important, the first real lead on Saren, the first shot of catching up! And now all the more dangerous by the discovery of Geth swarming the planet that held no interest but for that of – like the one they were looking for – archaeologists. The child of a powerful Matriarch and leader becoming an archaeologist...is that running away? I couldn't fathom just leaving my father and his work like that... Perhaps it's just a cover... Tali shrugged as best as the pulling belts allowed, there was no point thinking about it.
Though the more important thing pulling her stomach into a knot was the fact that of everyone he could have picked for the primary team...Michael had chosen Wrex and her! And it wasn't because she was the admiral's daughter and it was right and proper, or a way of kissing up to the father – Michael knew of her father from their talk, but had only joked about her being nobility, she didn't think he really understood...and she preferred it that way – but because of facts! When it came to missions he knew their abilities, judged them without any other thinking but of efficiency...and he had picked her! I'm an important part, and became so on my own merit... The mere thought sent a warm feeling down her spine.
The pride and happiness was easily tempered by worry. Keelah, let me not fail...
Guiltily she snapped her head back to stop admiring the death of the Geth cruiser and return to her work. The radar was acting up, not surprisingly given the Geth's love of using jamming signals...frowning, Tali activated her omni-tool and connected to the Mako's computer, fingers already moving to activate the prepared program in assisting the human computer.. Jam this you obscenities...
"Recon team, status." Michael's voice was curt, short, nearly mechanical. Tali had gotten used to it, even finding comfort in the calm and precise way he executed his work, minimizing risks while making sure one got the work done, admirable in skill as much as in reliance. The Geth were reliable before the rebellion too...she glanced over at the man.
There was a slight crackle in the voice speaking up through the com-link – Tali's fingers darted over the controls, compensating for the effect of the rocky terrain below – and Garrus' voice came in, loud and clear: "Moved on from entry-point on schedule, no opposition so far." A slight pause. "Rough estimate showing Geth ground troops concentrated around a small complex two clicks to your north-north-west, there is fighting around it, unknown who's defending, probably the dig-team though. Orders?"
This time Michael paused, then nodded to himself, decision made. "Proceed with scouting, do not engage until primary team's moving in."
"Affirmative, proceeding as planned." Garrus replied, a hint of thoughtfulness in his voice, before the radio clipped back into silence.
Tali, not understanding the undercurrent of the military blabber, turned back to the radar, finding the screen slowly coming in better...and two blips on it. "Commander! Two infantrymen at ten!" That human jargon is good when you want information out quickly though...
"I see them." Tali turned her head at the calm answer, finding her throat go dry as she saw the Mako listing forward at a near vertical level, making the brown ground of the approaching planet grow dangerously fast through the wind-shield.
The two blots there, a red Geth wielding a rocket launcher and a white one already firing its assault rifle, grew exponentially as Tali stared, heart in her throat. Why couldn't this be a ship that could fly? Then I wouldn't have a problem...
A rocket flew away from the red Geth, the hurtling missile cutting through the air above the falling Mako, the smoke covering the wind-shield, momentarily blinding them. "Commander..." Tali swallowed.
Then the smoke was gone, revealing the ground. Close ground! The two Geth looked up at them, Tali now able to see the glow from their lenses as they looked up at them, the white now continuously firing as the red reloaded its launcher.
Mostly she saw the ground however... "Commander!"
"Calm down." It was an order...and Tali's stomach lurched as the thrusters beneath the Mako fired, making the vehicle hurtle forward as well as plane out with a violent swing.
She nearly screamed as the ground swept before the wind-shield, then replaced by dark clouds...before they crashed into the ground with a crunch that reverberated through the Mako... Keelah! Pulled left and right Tali held onto the belts digging into her, begging the ancestors that they wouldn't roll over...
And then found the vehicle's movement smoothened as the Mako's wheels began to roll, the armoured carrier moving on, unmolested. Did he...? Wrex's bark of a laugh confirmed it: "Heh, flattened Geth." The Krogan shot Michael an approving look even as his clawed hands worked the controls of the turret, checking for movement of anything the radar might have missed. My radar misses nothing... Tali smirked in satisfaction as Wrex snorted with disappointment at the lack of targets.
Michael didn't seem to have heard the Krogan's approval though, his hands on control, eyes fully focused on his driving. "Main path uneven, brace for impact."
Not agai- With a thump Tali was thrown back against her seat as the vehicle dipped into a sudden drop of the ground, before being thrown forward as the Mako whirred upwards out of the hole. Oh...ugh...
Michael glanced back for the briefest of moments. "Targets ahead?"
Noticing the small grey shapes far off in the distance Tali forced herself to look back to the radar, instead of focusing on her shifting stomach... I hate his driving...I know it's supposed to keep us alive...but I hate it... "Yes Commander, five infantry, one armature."
The man nodded, turning back to his driving without comment.
A small flash on the radar, centred around the large blip. "Armature firing Commander." Please don't...the shields can take it, there's no Geth around to ambush or overwhelm us, there's no need...
Of course Michael couldn't hear her thoughts, nor would he have heeded them if she had given voice to her protest. His words were inevitable: "Taking evasive manoeuvres." Here we go...
The Mako lurched to the right, Tali's stomach to the left, seemingly going outside the vehicle as she was pushed against the controls of her station. I...ugh...hate this part... "One down." Wrex muttered, shooting a smirk in Tali's direction before his gaze went back to his controls. She shot back a murderous glare in turn, then forced herself to concentrate on the radar, the one steady thing in the room it seemed...
"Concentrate fire on infantry." Shepard replied, his voice calm and cool, in stark contrast to his crazy and heated driving as he pushed the Mako to veer to the left...only to cut to the right as another blast of energy from the Armature hissed past their bumper. "Upcoming cliff..." Please don't... "...increasing throttle." ...do that.
Gripping the controls of her station tightly Tali found a small squeal escape her as the vehicle jerked with an impact, then begun to list...
"Got two, three in total." Wrex's voice was distant as the Mako lay at a near eighty degrees to the left, the entire thing rattling as they drove upon the cliff-side. Tali however couldn't concentrate on it as she held onto her dashboard with her right hand – gripping it tightly in an effort to steady herself – while her left darted down to press against her rebellious stomach. Must we...ugh...and with cliffs there's always a-
"Bump ahead." Michael muttered...and Tali couldn't suppress the moan slipping from her lips.
Then the world jerked, twisted...and they were spinning, the entire planet spinning, universe spinning...
Don't throw up...Bending forward Tali clutched at her stomach, her visor pressing against the dashboard of her station, her forehead coming to push against the cold glass. It didn't help...her stomach lurching dangerously fast. Keelah...not again...not now!
"All infantry down." They thumped into the ground to Michael's calm assertion. How the man didn't turn into a gooey mess at the swift spinning – or at least lost orientation – was a mystery to Tali.
Wrex too was annoyingly okay as well, and irritatingly chipper as he said. "Armature left then, if Tali won't throw up this will be a perfect win."
Tali groaned, shaking her head as she bit down, swallowing the disgusting thick slosh about to rush up her throat with an effort of will, then managed a gasp as she held onto her tumbling stomach: "Go...suck a quad..."
A snort, the Krogan shaking his head with a smirk on his wide lips. "Heh, got to love a Quarian with a tummy ache."
Michael didn't respond, his shape stiffening where he sat as the engine of the Mako revved. "Armour's weak on the underside, wait for the ram."
Ram!
The world rocked as the Mako smashed into something, forcing the vehicle to a sudden stop and throwing Tali hard against her seatbelts, her stomach feeling as if it was escaping right through her mouth. Which it nearly did, but she clamped her mouth down, refusing to throw up after Wrex's comment, forbidding herself from shaming herself.
Then Wrex was grinning. "Perfect hit, it's bleeding..." His grin turned into an irritated frown. "...and getting up."
"Rectifying." Michael replied, as if it was nothing...and the Mako revved. Oh no...
The Mako jumped, jerked and bobbed as it went over an obstacle to the sound of breaking metal echoing through their hull...and then fell down...
Tali gasped, tensed...but it was a short fall and the machine quickly evened out, making her rebellious stomach calm down to an acceptable level of chaos.
Michael's voice was calm, irritatingly so, as he without turning drove onwards: "Proceeding to objective, Tali'Zorah? Any targets?"
A small moan escaped her as she unwound her arms from her belly, letting the rest upon the console as she forced herself to look at the radar. "None...eugh...Commander." She looked over at his back, eyes narrowing. I hate you...
Wrex chuckled: "I think you annoyed her Commander."
Michael didn't respond at first, but when he did his voice was as calm as ever, stating a fact: "Will make amends."
To her immense annoyance Tali found herself perking up at the words.
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Thanks to Abydos Jackson for hating this one. ;-)