Chapter 13: Sins of Fathers
"The both of you check out fine. Unlike you Katherine, Garrus here wasn't touched on the ship. You however are restricted to your cabin until we get to the Citadel." Doctor Chakwas scolded the soldier sitting on the medical bed in front of her.
Garrus chuckled, even the battle hardened hero that Shepard was would flinch under Chakwas' verbal onslaught.
Shepard groaned. "For once I won't argue."
It had turned out that on the Collector ship, Shepard had sustained a series of injuries. Once Garrus had helped to get Shepard out of her armor to her state of only having her undersuit's pants on, the matronly doctor began her examination of Shepard. She had two cracked ribs, several bruises, and the muscles in her biceps had been pulled.
Garrus and Shepard both froze when Chakwas grazed over a few unexplained marks on Shepard's shoulder and back. The doctor had paid them no mind however, and chose to address only the things that could have been a problem.
Chakwas had only barely looked over Garrus. Nothing had touched him on the ship other than Shepard, and his body showed it.
"You're free to go up to your cabin, I won't keep you here so long as you promise to actually rest this time." Chakwas leveled a glare at Shepard that made her visibly flinch.
"Yes Ma'am." Shepard replied and put the top of her undersuit back on.
Garrus and Shepard both began heading to the door of the medbay, Shepard leaning on Garrus for support.
"Garrus can I talk with you for a moment?" Chakwas' calm voice stopped their progress just before they stepped out the door.
Garrus looked to Shepard, a brow plate raised in askance. Shepard nodded and hobbled out of the room. The door shut behind her and Garrus turned to look at the matronly doctor.
"What is it doc?" Garrus asked and strode over to where Chakwas had seated herself at her desk.
"I need to ask this from both a medical standpoint and to make sure those close to me are safe." Chakwas looked worried, her eyes pleading with him to tell her everything she needed.
"Yeah of course, anything you need." Garrus replied, his own worry beginning to grow in his gut.
"It's standard procedure for an N7 candidate to be tested for allergies and medical symptoms of all kinds." Chakwas leaned back in her chair to look up at him. "One of those tests is if a candidate is allergic to dextro substances."
Garrus felt his eyes widen. It wasn't that he cared if Chakwas knew about him and Shepard or not, she was one of the few that he would trust with that information. No it had finally dawned on him that he could have endangered Shepard's life by being with her and it never crossed his mind.
"Is…. Is she..." Garrus sputtered out, his throat beginning to constrict, unable to say the words he needed.
"Katherine is fine. Even without her implants, both before and after the Lazarus Project, she had no allergic reactions to any dextro substance."
Garrus felt a giant weight lift off his shoulders. For a levo or dextro based being, the opposite amino acid could cause serious reactions when exposed to them. The effects could be anything from mild sneezing to outright death. He let out a sigh of relief.
"Turians have the same thing, but it's part of our standard military. For us it's standard procedure so that the brass knows where different people can be stationed safely." Garrus spoke, looking down at the floor.
"Good. Promise me something will you?" Chakwas spoke, dropping her stern tone.
Garrus looked up at the woman, a curious look on his face. "Of course."
"Promise that you will take it slow with her. The marks didn't go unnoticed, while they are not like some of the other scars she has…" Chakwas took a deep breath, steadying herself. "Her system does still need time to fully adapt."
"All I'm asking Garrus, is that the two of you take it slow." Chakwas leveled a stare at him that was much akin to a mother looking out for her child.
Garrus nodded. "We will doctor. Thank you for the concern."
Garrus strode out of the medbay, eager to do something to get his mind off of the guilt that had been building in his stomach.
"Officer Vakarian." Mordin's fast paced voice spoke over his visor's speaker. "If you have time, I need to speak with you.
"On my way up Doc." Garrus replied, hoping that this doctor would have a better topic to speak of.
After a painfully slow elevator ride, Garrus found himself inside Mordin's lab. He didn't know why but for some reason the stark cleanness of the place shocked him. Some how he had almost expected the lab to be like that of a mad scientist in one of Shepard's ancient Earth movies.
"Ah, Vakarian, good to see you so quickly." Mordin spoke, not looking away from his microscope.
Garrus shrugged, more to himself than anything. "You said you wanted to talk Mordin?"
"Yes. Have medical matters to discuss." Mordin quickly typed something into his terminal before turning to a confused Garrus.
"Alright….. What's wrong?" Garrus asked, dreading coming up to speak with Mordin already.
"Nothing wrong, just wished to be of assistance." Mordin spoke hurriedly, trying to relieve Garrus' confusion.
"Aware that different species react to stress differently. Missions like ours can be very stressful, but not uncommon for Turians." Mordian spoke, and Garrus' interest was peaked so he stayed silent, letting the doctor continue uninterrupted.
"Also aware that Turians and humans have similar ways to relieve stress. Aware of how close you and the Commander are, not unnoticable if you were trying to be discreet." Garrus felt his mandibles slacken.
"What are you saying Mordin?" Garrus' mouth blurted out before his mind had the chance to register what exactly he had heard.
"Just that you and the Commander should be careful. Humans softer than Turians, could cause chafing, rashes, and skin irritation. Can offer oils and ointments to help reduce the effects. Also able to supply information packets…" Mordian trailed off, and Garrus interrupted
"Wait. Wait. Wait." Garrus held up a hand, "Please tell me that you're not actually telling me all this and I'm just dreaming it."
A shocked and almost hurt look reached Mordin's otherwise stoic face. "Absolutely not! Insulted that you would even suggest… mockery!"
"Sorry, but I just never expected to be getting this from, well anyone. I appreciate that you want to help Mordin. Have you talked to Shepard about this?" Garrus tried to calm the seemingly miffed Salarian.
"Of course. Talked to her first about it. Told me to talk to you as well."
Garrus chuckled. "Of course she did." He muttered under his breath."
"Send that information to me, I'll take a look at it when I can." Garrus spoke, earning a smile from the Salarian.
"And Mordin? Thanks." Garrus smiled, thankful that the doctor hadn't overreacted to what he had Shepard had.
"Of course. Now if you don't mind I have cultures that need to be examined."
Garrus chuckled. "I'll see you around doc."
Mordin hummed in response and Garrus walked out of Mordin's lab shaking his head to himself.
Shepard looked at the faces around her. The faces off all but two of her crew were flush and full of anger. Even behind Tali's mask Shepard could see her anger. Samara and Thane however were unphased by the news she had just dropped on all of them.
Only ten minutes ago, after a night of sleep, Shepard had called everyone into the briefing room for a meeting. She told them all, bluntly, that The Illusive Man knew they were being sent into a trap and didn't tell them. She let the information sink into all of them.
She looked around the room, gauging each reaction. Tali, Garrus, and Jack were all furious. She knew that the three of them all expected something like this, but it still felt like a dagger in the back. Mordain's anger passed briefly. Knowing the Salarian, he had already accepted it as a necessary risk and moved on.
She looked around and saw that even Jacob and Miranda were infuriated by this. It seemed that the Cerberus loyalties in those two had been strained more than enough since they had been placed in her command.
"So what are we doing now? Did we even get anything useful from the Collector ship?" Zaeed barked out through clenched teeth.
"We got some of the information we needed. Namely that in order to get to the Collector home world, you need a Reaper IFF to pass through the Omega-4 relay without being torn to bits." When Shepard spoke the center of the conference table lit up with a map of the galaxy.
"EDI has found the location of their home world." Shepard spoke and a glowing circle appeared in the center of the map.
"That's not right. That's the center of the galaxy, there's nothing there but exploding stars and black holes." Miranda spoke up in disbelief.
"Could be a space station and not a planet. Could be on far side of the relay and in a safe zone from the black holes." Mordin spoke up, bringing a hand up to his chin in thought.
"Even if that is the case, then the gravity of the dying stars would have sucked the station into them by now. Not even the Collectors have the technology to keep those forces at bay." Miranda replied coldly.
"The Collectors most certainly do. The Reapers have that technology and the Collectors are their puppets." Shepard spoke calmly, bringing an end to a potential debate on the matter.
"The point is, we have a way to get a Reaper IFF. There is, or was, a Cerberus science team investigating the corpse of a Reaper that no one else had found. They reportedly found it's IFF, but they've stopped checking in."
"Then let's go get that thing and blow the Collectors straight to hell!" Jack spoke up, earning nods of agreement from others around the table.
"No." Shepard spoke coldly, silencing the others. "For all we know this could be another trap. I'm not going into this without knowing that everyone is at their best. I won't do this while people still have loose ends to tie up."
Shepard leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. "Keep that in mind people. For all we know this will be a one way trip. If you have anything that you need to get done before we hit that Reaper corpse, let me know. If you want to bow out of this mission you're more than welcome to, I will not order anyone to their deaths unless they are willing to take the risk."
Shepard paused, letting anyone that had anything else to say speak up. After several moments of heavy silence, no one said a word.
"Dismissed." Shepard spoke and the room began to clear.
Soon it was only Shepard and Thane left in the room.
"Something on your mind Thane?" Shepard asked leaning back into her chair.
"Yes Commander. I received word while you were on the Collector ship from one of my contacts on the Citadel. They say that a Drell was spotted passing through customs in the wards. That Drell was my son." Thane spoke calmly in his raspy voice.
"They managed to find out what he was doing there. It seems that he has decided to walk the same path I have. I wish to stop it before it is too late."
Shepard nodded. "Of course. If you need help I will gladly assist you…"
Thane cut Shepard off before she could say anymore. "It is not your aid I need Shepard, but Officer Vakarian's that I seek."
This surprised her. If Thane needed Garrus' help then why bring it up with her? "Alright. Have you talked with him about it yet?"
"No. I had hoped to talk with you so as to secure the time I need in order to do what I must to save my son."
Shepard nodded. "Ok Thane. As long as Garrus is willing to help, I will hold the ship at the Citadel while you help your boy."
Thane stood up and bowed to her. "Thank you Shepard. You do not know what this means to me."
Without another word Thane left the briefing room. leaving Shepard alone to her thoughts.
Garrus stood at his usual place in the main battery, his eyes glued to the console in front of him. He didn't notice the door behind him open nor the figure step through it to stand behind him. Garrus for once was too deep in thought and concentration to pay attention to his surroundings.
"Officer Varian?" Tane's raspy voice barely broke into his concentration.
"Krios." Garrus spoke, not turning away from his console. "How is your son doing?"
"He's doing well, or at least better than I expected he would." Thane replied to Garrus' back.
"That is the reason I came here actually. I wished to thank you. You have done a great service to me and my son." Thane spoke calmly coming to stand next to Garrus.
Garrus turned his head to regard Thane's sincere expression. It was perhaps the first time the assassin had shown emotion on the ship. Garrus' mandibles flared in a smile.
"Of course. Think nothing of it. I know what it's like to ressent a father far too well. It's not something I'd wish upon anyone else."
"Again thank you." Thane extended his hand. "You went out of your way to help in matters that should not have concerned you. Not many are left in the galaxy like you."
Garrus took Thane's hand and shook it. "We're all team mates and crew on this ship. So long as you're here, I'll have your back. Just like I would anyone else."
Thane smiled to the Turian and turned to leave the battery. Garrus stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
"Just do me and yourself a favor. Make your last days with your boy ones that he will cherish and not hate." Garrus spoke to the other man, his voice calm and even but his eyes conflicted with inner thoughts.
"I will do my best. I just hope it is enough." Thane nodded.
"It's all any of us can do." Thane nodded once more and left Garrus to his thoughts.
His mind had little chance to wander, for when the door closed behind Thane, his omni-tool pinged at him. He looked to find a new message waiting for him. He froze just before opening it when he read the name. He hurriedly opened up the message and devoured the contents of the message. after reading the message several times over, he began typing out his reply.
Shepard and Garrus stood in the cockpit of the Normandy shoulder to shoulder. They both stared out of the front view screens at the massive fleet in front of them. The two soldiers stared in awe of the largest fleet in the galaxy, their gaze was only broken momentarily when Tali paced anxiously in front of them.
"Incoming frigate class vessel." The voice of a male Quarian crackled out through the ships speakers. "State your business or be fired upon."
'"This is Tali'Zorah vas Neema nar Rayya. Requesting permission to dock with the Rayya." Tali spoke and stopped pacing.
"Your ship has been tagged as Cerberus. Verify." The Quarian replied, a slight steel to his voice.
Tali took in a deep breath before speaking. "After time adrift among the open stars, among tides of light and through shoals of dust, I will return to where I began."
"Welcome home Tali'Zorah. You are cleared to dock." The voice responded with a warmth to it.
"We need a quarantine team to meet us. Our ship is not clean." Tali spoke and Joker sent a glare at her from over his shoulder.
"Understood. Dock at docking cradle seventeen." The voice replied before the com went dead.
"Not clean huh?" Joker barbed at Tali.
"For Quarians it's not clean with just you here Joker." Tali replied earning a laugh from the pilot.
"Fair enough." Joker replied before turning back to his monitors. "We're docked Commander."
Shepard nodded and she, Garrus, and Tali walked to the docking ramp.
"You going to be to be ok Tali?" Shepard asked after they all stepped into the decontamination unit.
Tali took in a shuddering breath. "I think I can manage."
Shepard placed a hand on the other woman's shoulder. "If I have anything to say about this Tali, we'll be out of here before you know it. I'm not going to let my little sis be punished for something she didn't do."
Tali's eyes brightened and she pulled Shepard into a tight embrace. "Thank you Kat. That means more than you could know."
When the two women pulled apart, the door leading to the Rayya chimed and the lock turned green. Shepard and Garrus both put their helmets on and sealed them. On the Quarian ships it was required for everyone, both Quarian and non-Quarian to be in an environment suite at all times. If some foreign bacteria spread on a liveship, it could be the end for the entire crew.
After a solid twenty minutes of being in the hands of a Quarian quarantine team, Shepard and Garrus followed Tali deeper into the ship. They hadn't taken more than a dozen steps before a team of armed Quarians approached them.
"Captain Shepard." The Quarian in the lead, and the only one not armed, spoke. "Tali'Zorah has spoke highly of you. I wish we could be meeting under better circumstances."
"So do I. And it's commander, I never actually got promoted that high and since I'm military not navy, It'd be major." Shepard spoke and shook the Quarian's hand.
"You are the CO of your ship, responsible for the lives of all under you. By Quarian standards, that makes you a captain." The Quarian replied, not taking offence to the correction.
"May you stand between your crew and harm as you lead them through the open quarters of the stars." The Quarian spoke.
"Keelah Se'lai" Tali responded. "It's an old ship captain's blessing Shepard."
"Tali here has helped me and my crew more times than I can count. I'm here to return the favor and lend support to a close friend." Shepard spoke to the Quarian.
"I understand. As the CO of the ship she serves on, your voice carries a lot of weight." The Quarian spoke to Shepard before turning to Tali.
"I wish I could do more to help Tali, but this trail requires me to be officially neutral, but I'm here if you need to talk." The Quarian closed his eyes and took in a deep calming breath before continuing.
"The Admiralty board is accusing you of treason. They are claiming that you sent active Geth back to the fleet."
Tali stepped forward her eyes wide. "That's insane! I would never do something like that!"
Shepard switched her external speakers off and keyed the team's comm. "Your father's program?"
"Yes." Tali replied doing the same.
Tali had told Shepard the day after she had rejoined the Normandy of what she had been doing. One of those things was helping her father with a program in Geth research. Her part was to send back deactivated parts and scrap back to her father. Shepard knew that Tali wouldn't be careless enough to let something slip by. There had to be more at work here.
"I am under orders to place Tali'Zorah under arrest." The Quarian spoke again. "But this is my ship. Tali, you are confined to the ship, but I won't place you under guard. I trust you enough that you won't need it."
"Thank you Captain." Tali spoke and turned to Shepard and Garrus. "We'd best get to the hearing."
Shepard nodded and they followed Tali past the squad of Quarians deeper into the ship. They followed Tali through a winding maze of corridors until they reached a large open room, filled with flowers and other plants. A small theater like area was set into the floor at one end.
Blocking their way into the room was a lone Quarian woman. Tali spotted the woman first and ran to her. The two embraced and only parted when Shepard and Garrus stood next to them.
"Kat, Garrus, this is Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay. She is a good friend of my father's, and my aunt." Tali beamed to her two friends.
"Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, it is good to see you again child." The other woman spoke, her voice holding a thick accent and was warm to Shepard's ears.
"It's good to see you too Aunty Raan. Wait… You called me vas Normandy?" Tali's voice faltered.
"Indeed I did child. The board moved to have you tried under that name." Raan spoke with sorrow in her voice.
"I take it being associated with a human ship isn't good is it?" Shepard spoke and Tali shook her head.
"They stripped me of my ship name." Tali grit out in anger. "It's almost as though they've already exiled me."
"It's not over yet Tali, there are still a great number of people that respect you even if you've been forced to have a change in names." Raan spoke trying to sooth the younger woman.
"We'd best get this over with." Shepard spoke. "Does Tali have someone to speak for her side?"
Tali turned to Shepard and her hands began their habitual nervous dance. "I do. It's my ship's captain so…"
"Me." Shepard sighed.
"I couldn't ask for a better person to represent me Kat." Tali spoke and put a hand on Shepard's arm.
"Well I've talked a Reaper possessed Spectre to kill himself. I've even made Udina look like a three year old trying to understand quantum physics. How hard could a trial be?" Shepard smiled to Tali, letting her eyes brighten in mirth.
"Unlike those of the rest of the galaxy, our legal rules are simple. There are few, if any, legal loopholes. Just try and prove the truth the best you can." Raan spoke to Shepard, who sighed in relief.
"Well that will make this like taking candy from a baby." Shepard spoke earning odd looks from the others.
'Why would you…?" Garrus begam but Shepard silenced him with a chuckle and a wave of her hand.
"It's an old human saying. Let's just get going." Shepard spoke shaking her head.
The three of them followed Raan into the large garden room. Shepard stopped at a small podium in front of a small stage, Tali and Garrus flanking her. Raan strode up to and stepped up to the stage. There were three other Quarians already standing on the stage, conversing amongst themselves.
Around them, the small tiered sets of seats began filling with Quarians. The Quarians around them all began muttering and pointing at Shepard and Garrus. Clearly having two aliens in a trial was unheard of, or even had never happened before.
The voices all silenced when Raan's voice filled the air around them. "This conclave will be called to order."
"Blessed are the ancestors who have kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season. Keelah Se'lai."
"Keelah Se'lai." The room echoed with the rest of the Quarians speaking at once.
Raan waited for the final whisperings to finally settle down. "Tali'Zorah, you are brought here today before the Admiralty Board to face the charges of treason set before you."
"Objection!" One of the Admirals, a male with a voice that was deep for a Quarian. "A human and Turian have no place in a trial of such sensitive military matters!"
Shepard glared at the offending Quarain, but Raan spoke up before Shepard could retaliate.
"Overruled. Captain Shepard is the commanding officer of the Normandy. It was you who had moved for Tali to be tried under vas Normandy. By Quarian law, Shepard must stay."
The Quarian glared at Raan and then Shepard, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Objection withdrawn."
"Shepard vas Normandy, your crew member Tali'Zorah stands accused of treason. Will you speak for her? " Raan asked Shepard, pressing the trial forwards.
"Tali'Zorah pleads not guilty. I've known her long enough to know that she wouldn't send geth parts to the fleet that were unsafe." Shepard spoke evenly, adopting the same voice she used with human admirals.
"Then explain why the Geth have taken over the ship her father was working on! Explain how they managed to slaughter everyone onboard!" The Quarian who had spoken up before shouted out, an evil look of triumph in his eyes.
The room around them erupted into shouts from the other Quarians in the room. Anything that was being said was drowned out into a dull roar of voices. Tali's eyes widened and she stepped up next to Shepard.
"What are you talking about?! What happened?!" Tali pleaded the admirals in front of them, her voice nearly cracking.
One of the other Quarians, the other male on the board, spoke up. The Quarians around them quieted down to hear what the Admiral was about to say.
"As far as we can tell Tali, the Geth have killed everyone on the Aluri." The Quarian spoke, his voice even and soothing. "Your father included."
Tali went as stiff as a board. Her head dropped into her hands and her knees strained to keep her up. Garrus put an arm around her for support, both physical and mental. Shepard sent him a thanking look over the woman's head.
"Admirals." Shepard spoke evenly, her voice demanding attention.
"I'm going to that ship. If I need to take a space walk there, I will. The Geth must be cleared out of that ship before they can do anymore harm." Shepard's voice brokered no questions or arguments. She was stating a fact and everyone in the room knew it.
"I need to know if what you say is true. If any light can be shed on this then it the light must come to it. I need to know if Tali's father is still alive." Shepard made eye contact with each of the admirals, daring them to cross her words.
"The simplest course of action would be to simply destroy the ship. But if you are looking for an honorable death for your crewmate instead of exile….." The first Admiral spoke up.
Shepard felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. Even through her armor and Tali's, Shepard could feel the rage in the other woman. That rage consumed her sadness and she yell out at the admiral.
"I'm looking for my father you bosh'tet!" Tali yelled at the admiral, her hand reaching for her shotgun on instinct.
"Like I said." Shepard spoke up. "I'm going to that ship."
"Agreed." The second Admiral spoke up. "Should you not return Tali, you shall be cleared of all charges."
Raan nodded. "We will provide you with transport to the Aluri Captain Shepard."
"This hearing shall resume upon your return, or until it is determined that you have been killed in action." Raan spoke and stepped off the stage, ending the hearing.
"Thank you Kat." Tali's voice came over their team comms.
"Tali, you're the closest thing I have to a sister. I'm not letting you lose your father nor your people." Shepard spoke in a soothing voice and placed a hand on the other woman's shoulder.
"Ma'ams, Sir." An unfamiliar voice broke into their team comms.
Shepard turned to find a Quarian in a red military environment suit standing at attention next to them.
"Kal!" Tali exclaimed and rushed to hug the soldier.
The Quarian chuckled and hugged Tali back. "It's good to see you again Ma'am. Just wish it were under better circumstances."
"Kal I told you, you can call me Tali." Tali spoke, her voice lighter than it had been just a few minutes ago.
Shepard looked to Garrus and opened up their one to one comms. "Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?"
Garrus' low rumble of a chuckle filled her speakers. "Pretty much. You were out when we met him."
Tali and the other Quarian broke apart. The soldier offered a hand to Shepard, who took it and shook it.
"Kal'Reegar. Migrant Fleet Marines. I was under Tali's command on Haestrom when your crew saved us."
"Good to meet you Reegar." Shepard spoke.
"Likewise Ma'am." Reegar looked to Garrus.
"Vakarian." He nodded and Garrus nodded back.
"I'm the one that will bring you to the Aluri. If you'll follow me, we can leave now." Reegar spoke crisply to the group.
Shepard nodded and motioned for him to lead the way.
"Father!" Tali cried out. Shepard lowered her Vindicator and took in the heart breaking sight before her.
Sprawled out on the ground was a lone Quarian, his chest riddled with holes and scorch marks from Geth plasma weapons. His suite was unfamiliar, but the pattern was akin to that of Tali's.
Tali rushed forward to the fallen Quarian and cradled his head in her lap.
"No!" Tali sobbed, her entire form shaking. "No! NO! NO!"
"You said you'd build me a home! On the homeworld!" Tali cried, her head dropped.
"You can't leave me like this!" Tali sobbed out.
"You always had something! Hidden life signs! A stasis protocol! Something!" Tali sobbed out, her words starting to become incoherent.
"Hey." Shepard spoke softly to her friend, laying a comforting hand on the other woman's shoulder.
To her surprise, Tali stood up and wrapped her arms around Shepard's chest. Shepard, after recovering from her minor shock, returned the Quarian's tight embrace. Shepard noticed Garrus laying a hand onto Tali's shoulder, letting her know she had his support as well.
After several minutes of Tali sobbing into Shepard's shoulder, The young woman pulled away.
"Thank you." Tali sniffed. "Both of you."
"You get through this Tali." Shepard spoke comfortingly to the woman that was like a sister to her.
"Losing a parent is hard, I know, but you're strong." Shepard told the other woman soothingly.
"All you can do is make your father proud by keep going on." Shepard smiled to her friend, even though she wouldn't be able to see it.
Tali nodded, her eyes brightening slightly.
"May-maybe he left me a message." Tali sniffed, pulling up her omni-tool.
Above the corpse of her father, a holo appeared. The way his body language moved and changed, he was speaking hurriedly. After a few moments, Tali's father looked to the side and then the holo faded.
"No." Tali spoke out in a whisper.
"Tali?" Garrus asked. "What's wrong?"
"M-my father." Tali spoke in horror.
"He-he was trying to rebuild the Geth!" Tali exclaimed, turning to the two of them. "And it worked!"
"What was he trying to to that for?" Shepard asked, biting back the venom that she knew would surface.
"He wanted to make a way to fight them." Tali spoke softly.
"To retake the homeworld." Tali spoke in a whisper. "For me."
Tali looked down to her father's corpse and then looked back to Shepard and Garrus.
"Kat, we can't give this to the Admirals." Tali spoke strongly. It wasn't a request, Tali was telling her what to do.
Shepard smiled slightly. If only it wasn't this hard for her friend to find her backbone.
"We won't." Shepard smiled to Tali.
"Then how are we going to clear her name?" Garrus asked, always the downer.
"I'm sure I can think of something." Shepard smiled to him coyly.
"Come on." Shepard spoke, readying her rifle. "We still need to clear the rest of the ship."
Both Tali and Garrus nodded and raised their own weapons. They followed her deeper into the ship.
"It has only been a few hours!" The voice of Admiral Raan floated to Shepard's ears when they stepped back onto the Rayya.
"Looks like they've already started." Garrus grumbled. Shepard nodded and the three of them jogged towards the courtyard where the hearing was being held.
"We have had no word from them! It is clear that the Geth have been the end of them." The voice of the Admiral that had opposed Tali snapped in response.
Moments later Shepard, Tali, and Garrus jogged into the courtyard.
"You really don't know who I am do you?" Shepard snarled at the Admirals.
"Ah Captain Shepard. It is good that you are back." The other male Adrimal sighed in relief.
"Tell us." Admiral Raan sighed. "What did you find on the Aluri?"
"Nothing more than what I expected to find." Shepard replied to the Admirals, earning odd looks from both Garrus and Tali.
"And what was that?" The last Admiral asked, clearly bored with everything.
"I found that the Geth came online after an accident in their research." Shepard replied smoothly.
"Shepard please." Tali whispered to her over their team comms.
"And what proof do you have of this?" Admiral Raan asked.
"This." Shepard held up a hand and her omni-tool flared to life.
Above her outstretched palm, the image of a Quarina appeared. It was one from one of the recordings they had found on the ship. Shepard opened the sound so that everyone in the room could hear.
"Did it work?" The Quarian asked, looking next to her, probably at another member of the crew.
"No." An exasperated voice replied.
"Wait." The same voice spoke in slight fear. "Some-something's happening!"
A scream sounded throughout the hall. The Quarian in the image turned and backed up in fear. The arm of a Geth raced into the image, but then cut out. The last sounds that filled the room were the woman's screams.
Shepard closed her omni-tool and looked around her at the assembled Quarians in the room.
"That's what happened." Shepard spoke to all of them.
"Research gone wrong." Shepard spoke, her voice carrying in the silence.
"The only one at fault were those that didn't check everything before trying an experiment." Shepard spoke coldly.
"As you can see, it is not the fault of Tali, nor her father. It was the fault of user error. Something we all could have been the source of." Shepard told the crowd, turning back to the Admirals.
"Your Admirals here knew about this too." Shepard snarled to the Admirals.
"Admiral Zorah sent that to the Admiralty Board before his demise at the hands of the Geth." Shepard snarled.
"In his last breaths, Tali's father tried to save and protect the fleet, as is his duty as an Admiral." Shepard spoke to the crowd.
"This entire trail, is just a ploy by them to start a war with the Geth!' Shepard shouted to the silent courtyard.
"A war that will only end in the genocide of the Quarian race." Shepard spoke. She turned back to the Admirals and grinned at seeing they were all dumbfounded.
"So if you convict Tali, you are only showing how right I am. Her sentence in the end, doesn't matter. Not when the truth has been shown." Shepard finished.
There were several moments of silence before the omni-tools of every Admiral flared to life.
"Tali'Zorah." Admiral Raan spoke to the room. "You are hereby cleared of all charges."
A roaring cheer went up around the courtyard. Every Quarian in the room cheered for Tali being rightfully cleared.
Tali turned to Shepard, her eyes wide. "Kat… what…?"
"Shepard asked for my assistance in this matter Tali." The voice of EDI spoke in their comms, a hint of a smile in her voice.
"What?!" Tali asked in shock.
"I told you." Shepard smiled. "I had a plan. Might as well use the assets I have to their fullest."
"Thank you for agreeing by the way EDI." Shepard chuckled to the AI.
"Of course Shepard. Anything for my crew." EDI replied.
Shepard noticed Kal'Reegar walking towards them.
"Looks like someone wants to talk to you." Shepard chuckled, nodding towards the Quarian.
Tali looked to Kal and from her body language, Shepard could tell Tali had a longing look on her face.
"I'll let you two be." Shepard chuckled.
"Thank you." Tali whispered to her.
"You've got forty eight hours before we leave Tali, make them count." Shepard chuckled.
Shepard dragged Garrus away from Tali when the Quarian Marine stepped up to their friend.
"You sure know your way round words Kate." Garrus chuckled.
"Especially when it comes to our lovesick Quarina there." Garrus chuckled, nodding to Tali and Kal, who were now embracing each other.
"I do know what a first love is like Garrus." Shepard chuckled.
"With Tali, might as well give her time to get a clean room." She smirked to her lover.
"So thoughtful." Garrus purred.
"Don't go using that voice just yet Vakarian." Shepard smirked, shoving him playfully. "Not til you can act on it."
"Aye, aye ma'am." Garrus chuckled.
A/N: Took A while, but I finally found the inspiration to finish this chapter. Unfortunately, I'm about to start my Fall semester in college and and about to get a job. That is going to severely limit my writing time. I will do my best to try and update this again sometime in the next month, but no promises.
Anyways, Sorry about the long wait everyone. Hope you all enjoyed.
Please let me know what you thought!
Until next time!
