Author's Note: This scene takes place between chapters 8 and 9.
EXTRA: Tali
Tali'Zorah nah Rayya did her best to ignore the blistering stares that the people of the Citadel affixed her with as she made her way to what was once the Council Chambers, and which now held the heart of the Quarian Empire's government. She knew why they stared at her, and why they did not attack her. It was because she was a quarian, a species that had gone from "suit rats" to undisputed rulers of the galaxy in a dizzyingly short amount of time. With that power came hatred, more vehement and intense than anything she had experienced from the galaxy pre-Empire by several orders of magnitude.
Truthfully, she did not think their hatred was misplaced. She had been part of the crew assigned to reclaim New Rannoch following the Death God's eradication of what had once been the turian homeworld. Like everyone else, she had disabled the olfactory sensors on her envirosuit to avoid being drowned in the stench of death. But she could do nothing about the vacant, empty stares of the dead turians who lined every street and filled every building. They had done that.
She couldn't really deny that she was part of an evil race, one that had surpassed the Rachni a thousand times over. But despite everything, she was loyal to her people - and indeed, all quarians had little choice but to accept the position of galactic ruler that had been forced upon them.
At length she cleared the numerous security checkpoints leading to the inner sanctum of the Imperial Councilors. Her father, Rael'Zorah, was among them. They stared at one another for a moment, but said nothing. They had already spent many private hours arguing over what their people had done.
"Tali," her father said. "Welcome. Do you know why you are here?"
"I can guess," she replied with no enthusiasm. The Admiralty Board had not been a hereditary institution, but it seemed as if the Imperial Council was going to become one, with her as the first case study. A happy moment it most certainly was not.
"We know you do not approve of the Empire's founding-"
"Father!" She was about to launch into a rant, unable to contain her fury. "Do you have any IDEA what you are saying? What we did?"
"-but there is a reason we acted the way we did," her father continued, unfazed. "We were not responsible for the deaths, and none of us are the Death God."
"W-what?" She stammered, unable to hide her shock. "If you aren't, then who is?"
"We don't know," Han'Gerrel replied. "We know the Death God is a quarian, and they have threatened to take over and kill all five of us unless we do exactly as they say. The Empire is not our doing. It is the Death God's."
The revelations continued for some time, until finally all had said their piece with the understanding that Tali'Zorah would inherit her father's position. With that, Tali requested a moment alone with her father.
"Father…" she began.
"Tali. I know what you are thinking."
"Do you?" She questioned.
"Do you not remember that I was there on New Rannoch on the day it was bathed in death? The Death God is truly a monster, this I do not deny."
"That's not what I was thinking." She blinked slowly. "There is nothing we can do to undo the horrors of the Death God. We must look to the future now. To Rannoch."
Her father caught on immediately. "The Geth most likely cannot be killed the way the Council races were. They are a hive mind, after all."
"We won't have to kill them."
As Tali explained her plan, her father grew intrigued.
This could work.
"Tali, you will make a fine Imperial Councilor."
Tali lowered her head. "You know, I had that dream again last night."
Her father stared. "Tali…"
"I don't think I'm going to stop having it. Every night for months, it's been the same. I'm walking along the surface if Pal-New Rannoch, all the corpses surrounding me. Then suddenly they all turn to face me, and start screaming." She put her head in her hands. "Keelah, the screaming…"
"Come here, Tali."
She did not resist as her father embraced her. There, at the heart of the Empire that had slaughtered billions, father and daughter shared a moment together that their victims' families never would.
A/N: Not quite sure how I got this out. It's been months since I've written anything of substance. Also not sure if this scene is any good or not, but it felt good to get something out there.
