Rael'Zorah's hands remained clasped behind his back while he stared through the Rayya's one of three observation ports.
Tali let her father stare.
She had to remind herself that this was what their relationship stood upon.
Status updates, professional notes, and the occasional meeting to attend. She was a colleague. And if that's how he wanted to show his love for her, then she'd make due.
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Her posture was anything but sub-conscious. Back straight. Shoulders reared. Head leveled and tall. Hands at her side. It was something that she felt necessary to illustrate professionalism. The amount of times she had been berated for her quirky fidgeting was one too many.
"I'm proud of you Tali." He turned around slowly to face his daughter.
Well. She certainly didn't expect that.
She watched her father's shoulders slouch while his hands twitched. His back suddenly hunched over in such a way that made him look like an old tired man instead of a proud and decorated admiral.
"Dad?"
"Tali'Zorah vas Neema." He found a seat next to her, "You've been branded as a hero. How does that make you feel?"
"Overwhelmed." She muttered stiffly.
His put an arm around her. "I couldn't have asked for a better daughter."
"T—Thanks, dad…" Her head clumsily slipped into his shoulder. She wasn't really catching up to what was going on.
"How did you get all of that information Tali? A raid on the homeworld itself?" He nudged her shoulder with a fist before laughing with his husky voice.
Tali's eyes narrowed as she heard him laugh. The number of times she'd heard him do it since mom died was probably less than the number of fingers she had.
"There was a geth incursion that we'd come across in Alliance space." Tali began.
"Yes?" He urged for her to continue.
|A long time ago…|
|Date: 3/8/2183|
|Location: SSV Normandy/Frigate Class Vessel|
|Alliance Command CCEDF Number: 33DEFZE9-87541JSN|
"Normandy?" The voice was heavily obscured by the intercom's electrical noise, "Admiral Hackett here. Are you available, Commander? This is fairly urgent."
"Ready and able, sir. Tell me what you need." John stood up straight and gave his full attention to the PA.
"We're getting reports warning of a marked increase of geth activity in the Skyllian Verge."
Tali, who'd been looking over the maintenance log of an IUR-Coupling Manifold at the CIC station, looked up to listen to the conversation between John and Hackett.
"Our surveillance drones have identified geth outposts on four or more different planets across the Armstrong Cluster… too big for any small group to handle alone."
"And you want us to take them out?"
"Not quite. I don't want you to do this alone. It may be on the verges of Alliance space, but it's still Alliance space." Hackett sighed, "We don't have the resources or the time to evacuate our neighboring colonies. And because of that, we need to take this on the offensive. Frigates SSV-Changsha & Balikpapan, and Cruiser SSV-Mesa are already en-route to the system."
John nodded. "Where do I come into play, sir?"
"It's a lot of information to regurgitate over the radio, Commander. I'll just forward the brief."
"What's the ETA on the task force?"
"Eight hours." Hackett replied, "They'll be the first to contact you when they arrive out of slip-space."
"Any idea what they the geth could be after?" Tali interrupted out loud.
John gave Tali a puzzled frown.
There was an intermittent pause before Hackett answered her.
"Sources indicate the geth are gathering intel on the Alliance's local disposition and armament capabilities... but it's hard to say."
Tali tapped her chin and stepped up next to John. "Do we have an estimate on their numbers?"
"I can't give you an accurate answer. As I've said, any relevant information will be provided in the brief."
"If it's big enough... they could be planning another invasion." Shepard mentioned before frowning at the thought of Eden Prime.
"Let's hope not."
"Anything else Admiral?"
"Nothing else, Commander. Hackett out."
The Normandy's ambient hum returned.
"Sorry..." Tali mumbled while her hands starting wringing anxiously, "I shouldn't have cut you off like that."
John shrugged and thought little of it. "No need to be sorry, Tali. It's fine. That's what humans call 'taking the initiative'. It's a good thing."
She still looked unconvinced. "Oh."
He faced her and smiled. "It's a leadership quality. An important one. Don't be sorry for thinking for yourself."
"Thanks."
"Anytime."
She stepped off the plate, waved Shepard good-bye, and made her way to the elevator down to her room. When she finally entered her clean room, she took her mask off, uncapped a water bottle, and took a swig.
She couldn't stop thinking about what John had told her.
About 'taking the initiative'.
It was a far cry from what her dad had taught her.
To Rael, subordinates were supposed to take orders.
And shut-up.
And while John would give orders that needed to be followed, he still praised individualism and encouraged the others to do the same.
That sounded like a true leader to her.
If she'd done that to her dad... a scolding lecture would've awaited her.
Her PA clicked on.
"Hey." John's voice cracked through, "Just skimmed over the briefing. I'm thinking we'll be on the ground. So I need you to be part of my ground team. You up for it?"
Going ground side to blow up some geth?
Was that even a choice?
"Absolutely, Shepard."
"Great. I'm thinking Garrus should join us." He cleared his throat and stuttered, "I'm about ready to do a combat sim... Care to join me?"
Tali smiled. "Sure. When do you need me? Kaidan said he wanted me to help him with something on the crew deck at lunch."
"1330 hours. Will that be enough time for you?"
"Yes." She said with a grin, "I'll be there."
|0034 hours later|
"Sorry... I'm late."
"Four minutes to be exact." He said while dawning himself in gear.
Her head dipped lower and lower until her eyes were staring at the ground. "S... sorry."
"Tali? I'm just kidding." He gave the quarian a smile. He nudged her shoulder and urged for her to stand next to him.
"Oh..."
"Okay. First things first. I need your measurements."
"My… measurements?"
"The size of your body. I need to requisition you some proper gear. Therum proved that. I need you at your best and I want you safe."
"Oh...! Well—I can't get exact measurements... since, erm, I'm wearing the suit— you know, unless if I go to my room..."
"Tals, we really got to work on your nervousness."
The little nickname made her heart flutter.
He reached out to roughly pat her shoulder while his free hand held a roll of measuring tape to drop into her palm.
Her smile grew as she grasped the long string.
"It's got the universal scale on the back. Make sure you measure around your bust, waist, legs, width, length, height, and shoulder width. Okay? Oh, and those wicked looking shins of yours... Probably need a protractor for those."
"A bust? I don't think that translated right." Tali's head had tilted, her glowing orbs blinking rapidly.
"The measurement around your boobs Tali. Or— I think those are boobs… right?"
Her cheeks flush as she stared at her breasts awkwardly as if she'd just noticed them for the first time in her life. She looked back up to him. "Ye… Yes—we are… kind of… or—almost identi—quarians are actually mamma—"
"Tali you're getting nervous. Again." He crossed his arms.
"I'm sorry... it's a defense mechanism… I just… I just have to explain because people don't really know my expressions… so I—" She mustered the strength to stop the flailing words.
"You know what I think'll help you relax? A drink. You should join me next time we're on the Citadel."
Was I just... invited to go out with him?
Tali knew they were friends.
Acquaintances at the least. (Which Tali was pretty sure she could cross off now since they'd gotten to know each other more over the past month.)
Despite that, she'd never considered herself an option for someone to actually want to hang out with outside the workplace.
Considering there were far better alternatives of companionship for him other than a quarian girl who ate and drank everything through a goddamn straw.
She was flattered completely, yes. But, on the other hand, it almost felt like reaching for a rope she shouldn't really be reaching for. Not because she didn't like John, no. She was afraid of the attachment. Not because she didn't want a steady life or because she wanted a 'taste of the waters'. It was because she'd witnessed and understood the destructive power of having a broken heart.
She didn't know if she could really love someone not a quarian... but... was it worth that chance? To get attached to someone and see them fall for someone else? Or more importantly, to chase something you could probably never have?
Then again, she was thinking of all these intense hypotheticals when all John had asked was 'wanna go out and get a drink sometime?'
Before she could think any more on the matter, John's voice brought her back to reality. "...but we really should get started on this simulation okay?"
"R—right." She nodded before placing her duffel bag next to his.
This crush on John was seriously starting to probe her brain.
Two hours passed before they finished their exercise.
And John was impressed with her abilities.
Not that she hadn't already proved that before. Therum was a shining example of how well Tali was at fighting and keeping her head cool.
She'd been trained well.
"So..." She managed to say through a winded breath, "Did I do good?"
"Phenomenal job." Shepard said as he uncapped his canteen, "But, we can make you even better. You can always get better. Remember that. Even I learn." He pointed towards her, "We'll do this same time tomorrow then?"
"I can do that." She nodded, "Question though."
"Shoot."
"When are we actually going to do this mission?"
John shrugged, "Not sure. It's going to be two hours until the Taskforce arrives. Then we have to link up with them to develop an Operation Order and to determine a ROE. That might take a day or two."
He zipped up his bag took another sip of water. "We're having a briefing after dinner. Get yourself tidied up and I'll see you there."
He grabbed her hand before bringing her in for a congratulatory hug.
"You're doing great, Tali. Keep it up." He said before grabbing his duffel and making his way to the elevator.
She put her things together and glanced, one last time, at John who'd entered the lift.
Wow.
Tali let out a deep breath and tried sorting through her fuzzy thoughts.
It wasn't often she'd come across people like John.
The others on the Normandy were just as polite.
But something was... different.
He felt... more compassionate and thoughtful.
And whether or not he did that to everyone around him didn't much matter.
She felt like a person.
Like an equal around him.
And, somewhere deep down inside, she knew this was more than just some crush.
He'd saved her life.
Let her join the Normandy.
Treated her with decency and respect.
And because of that, she was attracted to him. A lot.
If it were anyone else to have hugged her or pat her shoulder like John did... they'd have earned a snobbish sneer and daggered glare. But John earned the right. And she knew he wasn't flirting.
But she certainly wouldn't have minded at this point.
No harm in it, right?
Imagining things like that?
Who would stop her? Much less even know?
Despite the idea, she tossed them aside, because she didn't have to stretch the imagination far to know it was all wishful thinking.
She was a quarian with a handicapped immune system.
And she didn't even share the same chemistry (Literally).
And to top that, he didn't even know what she looked like.
...and she'd only known him for like, a month so far.
She stared at her reflection in the mirror next to her.
There was little to distinguish about her face.
Aside from her dainty nose and glowing eyes, details were rare.
She shook her head and sighed.
Here she went again, thinking about all these terrible things over something fairly trivial and noncomplex.
Keelah.
She had to stop doing that. She zipped her duffel up and left to get cleaned up.
When everyone took their seats, the projector behind John flickered on.
"Everyone enjoy dinner?"
A chorus of yeses answered John.
"Good. I agree. The meatloaf was good." He looked down at the tablet in his hands and began, "So, the first thing I should tell you is what we'll be expecting."
A slide popped up from behind him. "Intel says the geth have been spreading farther along their original FOB's. Spreading all across the whole damn nebula."
He read the systems and planets off the list. "They've spread along Tereshkova, Hong, Vamshi, and Gagarin systems on planets, Antibaar, Casbin, Maii, and Rayingri, Respectively. Besides the gas giants they've taken over for charge depletion, we're estimating around a total of 8 to 9 planets under geth occupation." He turned around to face the hologram. "If you see here, they've positioned themselves so that their defense would be set as a phalanx of some sort."
He pointed to the various planets and patrols across the cluster. "We can't wait for the planets' orbit to offset their tactical advantage. They'll have taken the entire Skyllian by then." He paced around the hologram as it switched to its next image.
"We're expecting a sizeable force strong enough to oppose and suppress the entire fifth fleet ladies and gentlemen. This is no easy matter."
"Great." Ash muttered. The others sitting nodded their heads in agreement.
Garrus rose his hand to ask a question.
"Yes, Garrus?"
"You're probably going to get around to this part, but if they're across nine planets... how exactly are we going to get around to getting them all?"
John nodded his head. "Great question. We're getting the second and first fleets to aid our repelling efforts. The Alliance is planning on pushing a single front all at once. The Normandy will only be partaking in one skirmish. And that's on Rayingri."
Seemingly satisfied with John's answer, he continued from where he left off.
"We also know that the Skyllian verge borders batarian space." The slide changed as Shepard spoke, "Not an important detail... but the Brass are afraid the Hegemony might mistake the geth for the Alliance or stage them as reason enough to declare a war. Obviously, we don't want that."
The group all nodded.
"Oh. Another detail I missed was that the Normandy's been temporarily assigned to the 63rd Scout Flotilla."
"Who'll be joining us on the ground?" Kaidan asked.
John flipped through his tablet. "The 13th MEU and 132nd Army BCT."
"Really? That many battalions on Rayingri?"
"No. They'll be attending across all nine planets. We'll only have about two companies of men."
"And what about our marine detachment?" Ash picked up, "Will they be on the ground with us?"
"Yup," John said, "Kaidan will be the one leading them."
"Okay." Ashley said, satisfied.
"That's about it so far. The OPORDs still being planned out, so I can't go over anything about that yet... but I'm expecting something from the uppers tomorrow morning."
Ashley thumbed behind her. "So, we good to go?"
"Yup. Everyone's dismissed. Except for Garrus and Tali. I need to speak with you two."
The crew slowly rose from their seats and silently filed out of the room to tend to their duties.
When everyone finally left, and after the doors closed behind them, Garrus spoke.
"So, Tali told me that we're part of your ground team."
"That's right. Kaidan will be leading our detachment and Ash will be aiding him."
"What about Liara and Wrex?" Tali asked.
"Not sure yet. I'll determine that when we get the OPORD." He took a seat next to them both and sighed.
"Tali... It's a far fetch to ask... but do you have any idea why the geth are out there?"
Tali shrugged and shook her head. "Other than what Admiral Hackett mentioned in the brief, no. I have no idea."
John felt the stubble on his chin and nodded. "That's fine. Was just wondering. Can't help but think this is some kind of precursor to some large scale preemptive strike. Like the one on Eden Prime."
"If it's a size that big... then maybe it is." Tali offered.
"Maybe we'll find a lead on Saren." Garrus mentioned.
"That's my hope." John sighed, "Here's to hoping it all goes as planned."
"Anything else, Commander?" Garrus wondered.
John shook his head. "No."
Garrus got up and headed for door. "Then I'll be down in the cargo hold if you need me."
When he left, John turned to Tali. "If you wouldn't mind Tali, I'd like for you to get those measurements done."
"I'll go to my room and do it now." She said before standing up with John, "So, odd question, but why do I have to take off my suit for this?"
"You're getting an independent rig. You'll have to change into it when we go ground side."
"I see." Tali said, understanding, "Thanks again. Really."
Shepard's eyes locked with hers and he stared the same way a child would fireflies.
Her cheeks flushed red.
"Go on ahead. I'll be waiting for the numbers." He said as he walked her to the door.
She blinked rapidly before replying.
"Uhm. Bye." She nodded before stepping through the door.
John kept his lingering gaze on her until she disappeared from sight.
He finally smirked.
Damn was she pretty.
"Brigade! Atten-TION!"
A loud sound of hammering feet boomed across the deck.
"We are touching down in forty minutes, men." Colonel Watson began before he walked to and fro, "Remember. The 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit will be joining us."
Watson curbed the urge to frown when he heard several groans come out of the formation.
He pointed out to the crowd of soldiers to see if he could pick out any guilty faces. "Can it! You'll have your chance of proving yourself better than the jarheads by securing this planet! Under extraordinary circumstances, the army will be leading the assault this time!" He stopped in his tracks and faced his soldiers. "The marines will be a little late to the party!"
Hoots and hollers boomed across the floor.
Much better.
"Makos have been positioned to your respective drop points, going in via rapid deployment. They'll be the first on the ground. Those IFVs will be clearing a path right into the heart of their infrastructure. From there, you will annihilate and kill any synthetic simpleton stupid enough to mess with the Systems Alliance Army! HOOAH?"
The voice of many joined as one: "HOOAH."
"Brigade! Fall Out! Move to your designated dropship! Move!" Watson's voice echoed across the entire docking station.
The platoons broke into squads and formed single file lines to enter the VTOLs that would take them to the surface. Anyone assigned to the armor unit gathered near the long stretch of Makos and made their way inside the cramped space.
Four men were assigned to each IFV.
"I'm shaking, man. Itchy as shit." Private Vasquez muttered, "Shit always happens when we do a drop."
"You're a fuckin' pussy, Vas. I swear. Dropped your balls back at basic." Private Arzwall insulted.
"Fuck you."
"Both of you. Shut up:" Vowell said from behind them both, "Wanna hear something good? Commander Shepard'll be with us. He's part of the forward RD."
"What?" He turned to Vas and slapped his shoulder, "Vas here might just shit his pants."
"Arzwall." Vas leaned in with an acrid looking smile, "I'm going to cram my rifle up your ass. Horizontally."
"Everything's an ass joke to you isn't it? You're so fucking gay."
Vowell ignored them both and continued. "The Normandy, if you're both done jerking each other off, is escorting the deployment. We're in good hands."
They all sat down in their seats and strapped themselves in.
"The op's changed a little. After we've crossed the FOBs off the list, we go on foot. We're actually going to see him."
"Fuck yeah dude. Maybe he's got that hot ass asari with him." Arzwall said.
"For what fucking reasons do you think he's got an asari on his team? And what asari isn't some prude self-deprecating bitch?" Vasquez breathed with a frown.
Before Arzwall could reply, the Mako's driver told them to mind the bump. "Boarding the RADREV. Stand-by."
Sixty-four ships flew in a loose phalanx formation, the leading ship, the Normandy.
"This is Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau of the SSV Normandy. Hold your saddles guys, bumpy ass rides are the norm." Pilot's quirky voice croaked through the Mako's PA, "We're jumping in thirty seconds. Thank you for riding Alliance Airfare, ladies and gentlemen. We sign you up, we ship you out."
"Cocky assfuck." Vasquez murmured.
"What planet are we landing on again?" Vowell yelled.
"Rayingri, you dumb-ass." Vasquez said with a frown.
"I just forgot dude, Jesus. Don't get your ass in a knot."
"Get prepped, we're falling in thirty seconds you lot." The driver turned around to get a look at all of them, "Don't lose your lunch on her pearly floor, yeah?"
The four in the back nodded.
A click of intermittent static flowed through the intercom, patching the RADREV's pilot through.
"Hit em' hard for us, boys. You'll get the job done. Hooah."
"Dropping in 5."
"…4"
"…3"
"…2"
The RADREV's door opened and the Mako's crew saw the red land below.
"God-Speed gentleman." The pilot's voice ended with a shriek, the Mako already falling through the sky's thick atmosphere.
Thirty one Makos fell seamlessly through the air.
Vasquez did indeed look like he was going to lose his lunch. All Vowell could do was laugh.
"Think I'm shitting my pants..." Vasquez mumbled.
"What?"
"I think I'm shitting my pants!"
Tillman turned to see the driver and copilot mumbling something.
"What're you guys talking about?"
The driver looked back and shrugged. "We're not receiving any AA fire. Intel told us we'd be receiving some resistance by now."
Tillman nodded and closed his eyes to will himself away from this shitty free fall.
After thirty seconds of falling, the 2nd Armor division finally touched ground.
In minutes, the 2nd Armor established a FOB and finally got the call to roll out.
"Pictures don't do this place justice."
"It's 110 degrees outside." Vowell said as he looked out the port window, "I already hate this place."
"Dawn your helmets. We're scheduled to be at our objective in less than thirty minutes."
The group put on their headgear.
"We've got thirty minutes people! The 132nd needs that pave way!" The actual announced over the PA.
John watched the high set walls and empty postings. To him, Tali, and Garrus, it looked like the geth just upped and left the damn place.
"This isn't right." Garrus was the first to say when he looked over one of the Mako's diagnostic screens. "It's a giant trap. And we're all driving right into the middle of it."
"Then stay sharp."
All Tali could do is nod and agree.
John reached for the radio.
"This is the Commander. Exercise extreme caution. Engage without discretion. I repeat, Engage without discretion. Anything beyond this point is to be considered hostile."
The radio squawked. "Uh, say again, Commander? Am I hearing that correctly? Intel reported the possibility of POWs."
John sighed before replying.
"Geth don't take prisoners, Captain."
There was a long pause.
"Understood, Commander."
"We'll be at our target in two minutes. I want every soldier ready and in formation. Sat Images confirm the geth withdrew their forces near their main hub. Out."
Tali took a moment to take a breath and another sip of water before reloading her shotgun.
The battle had been long and brutal, but this was it.
An entire company of men lay waste to the geth's last line of defense.
John rolled onto his back, and grabbed Tali's shoulder. "Tali! Garrus! Get ready!"
"For what?" Tali yelled back.
"You'll see!" Shepard faced the company commander, "Captain, I want first and second platoon to bound up and maintain overwatch as we advance! At that mark, first platoon will throw every grenade they have up that damn hill. Follow that with a three round volley of kill-shot concussive rounds only. Tali will execute a cyber-attack to mop up the rest. Am I understood?"
"Clear! Advance! Grenade Volley! 3 round kill concussive! Cyber-attack!"
"Good! Execute!"
Thirty-three men vaulted over the hill, while the remaining thirty suppressed the geth.
When first platoon passed their mark, standard TA-50 disc charges were thrown up toward the geth.
Tali curbed the urge to grin as she threw her own grenade up over the steep hill.
After that, any geth soldier who'd happened to survive the ordeal was cut down with concussive blasts.
Then the battlefield fell silent. The smoke cleared, and the soldiers took the chance to reload.
"Commander! Orders!"
Seeing the opportunity to finally finish this, he motioned with an arm to the hill top.
"Move up!" John shouted, "Move! Go! Up the hill!" He turned to Tali and put a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. "Now's a good time to put your hacking skills to good use."
"We killed them all." Tali whispered to her dad.
"Your commander sounds like an excellent tactician. But, you didn't tell me exactly how you got around to getting the data."
"It wasn't easy. After we'd taken stock of what was left over, I'd realized one of the hubs were still networked with a lace. Somehow it misfired and didn't initiate a self-destruct sequence. Faulty wiring I guess."
"Unbelievable." He muttered.
"But I have to tell you one thing."
"What is that?"
"The geth… they were… studying us. I think."
"In what way?"
"...our art."
Her father gave her a look. "...Why?"
"I don't know. It came up as a hologram. And it was a woman reciting some poem. Sorrowfully." Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember.
"We're clear, sir! No contacts!" PFC Vasquez called out.
"Excellent job, soldier. Take a break everyone. You've all earned it."
Vasquez would've asked to shake Shepard's hand, but he was too goddamn tired to ask. So he slumped down onto the closest wall he could find before setting away to eating an MRE. The others scattered about to look around the wreckage while a group of soldiers lined up for a picture with a dead geth at their feet.
"Commander! Do us the honors!" A soldier called out by shaking his camera. John, with a shrug and smile, stood in the middle of the group and posed for the picture.
Tali watched from the sidelines and shook her head. For being in the middle of a recent combat zone, they all seemed pretty okay about it.
After the picture was over with, John came up to her and uncapped his canteen before downing its contents.
"You okay, Tali?"
"Good actually." She said simply, "Still alive."
John grinned at her. "Want to help me take a look around?"
"Would love to."
John pointed to a headless geth before approaching it.
"First time I've ever gotten to see one up so close." John said as he leaned down to touch it, "They're pretty intimidating to look at."
"Not without a head they aren't." She said with a snort.
"Ha. Very true." He agreed before standing back up to move on to some of the other stuff.
Tali followed.
"So, you never told me how the hell you managed to sneak up on a geth and take its hard drive back before we met." John asked randomly as they enter a hallway and walk down its length.
"It's tricky. And a lot of it has to do with luck." She explained as they walked.
"Luck would be putting it mildly, I think."
She didn't answer.
"Tali?" He turned around and saw her face to face with what had to be a geth computer.
"What the hell is that?" John asked as he came up from behind her.
Her hands started digging through her pockets for an OSD.
"Tali? What are you freaking out about?"
Tali whirled on him and pointed at the hub. "Don't you see? This computer is still connected to the lace!"
"Lace? What?"
"Shepard... I don't have time to explain." She said as she felt for her pockets again.
"Here." He handed her one of his.
"Thank you."
"I've been getting the impression that this has something to do with your pilgrimage."
"You guessed right." She murmured between inserting the disk into a conveniently placed port. Data spilled across the screen in preparation for an upload.
John smiled sadly. "Look at that. Not even a month in, and you got what you needed."
Seeing as how she did everything she could, she turned back around to face him. "It's not like I'm just going to up and leave you."
All he did was give her a single nod. "I know."
They both stood silently and watch the geth computer do its thing.
"Tali. Question."
"Yes?"
"How the hell does an OSD connect with that?"
"The geth probably take OSD's they find and study them." She explained, "And if you can take information off a memory source, you can put it on it too."
"Huh." John nodded. "Do you have any OSDs on you?"
Tali checked for the last of her pockets and shook her head. "I must've forgotten them on the Normandy... I don't know what I would've done if you weren't here."
"Wasting the chance of a lifetime, obviously." He joked.
She rolled her eyes.
"Look." John said as he pointed with his chin. The geth hub pinged and turned off.
"How much you get?"
She peered at the readout and smiled brightly. "Thirteen terabytes..."
"That's a decent amount."
A sudden flash of migraine-inducing light from the geth hub shimmered brightly before John and Tali.
"Holy fuck, Tali! That's bright as hell! What did you do?!"
She didn't get to answer.
"Echoed brilliance and a flickered blaze… those lost to us now have been gone forever…" The blazing fire of light said in a deep and howling voice.
John and Tali took several steps backward with their hands up to protect their eyes.
For some reason, Tali's visor wasn't polarizing fast enough!
"Time is reminiscent... sacrifices made pointless by those who inherit them…"
"What the hell is going on?" A soldier shouted from down the hallway.
"Is this some kind of sick ass joke?" Another yelled.
Garrus reared the corner, caught wind of the bright light, and stopped dead in his tracks.
"What in spirits..."
The turian's eyes were wide and his frown long.
Tali visor finally darkened enough for her to make out the details of a naked quarian woman.
"Futile threats erupting through shoals of ash and ice… souls dispersed into the quaking light of dawn."
Then the light disappeared and the three were left in stunned silence.
"What the living hell..." John's frown couldn't have gotten any deeper, "Tali. What was that?"
"I... I don't know..." She said in a petrified whisper, "I have no idea..."
"That was it. A close save."
"Tali," His rasp made Tali sit up straight, "You were lent something you should have had readily available on your person. I've taught you better."
"Dad. It's no big deal."
He stood up and shook his head. "No. It is a big deal. Had Shepard not been there, you would have lost the chance of ten lifetimes. That is unacceptable."
She stared dumbly at him with the saddest look she'd ever had in her life. "Dad..."
Rael ignored her and made his way to the door. When he opened it, he paused at its berth and faced her. "I cannot believe how disappointed I am in you."
The walls and ceiling started to close in on her while her hands and feet went numb. When the door closed behind him, and after she'd just caught up to everything he'd said to her, she took an unsteady and trembling breath.
"You... You fucking—" She choked through grit teeth, "I can't. I can't do this."
Her head fell into her hands.
"...Just kill me. Please kill me."
C-58B Rapid Deployment Reconnaissance Vehicle (RADREV) - Designed by Jayden B.E. Air Systems in the early 2060's, The C-58B RADREV platform is a small, mobile deployment air and space craft used by the Alliance military for dedicated QRF operations. While many criticize the RADREV's limited role in deploying cargo and vehicles no larger than the M35 Mako, the platform has seen extensive service on over eighty-five worlds. Intentions to replace the vehicle have yet to be fully realized. Three programs have been launched to replace the RADREV before being summarily canceled. No other plans to develop a replacement have commenced since then.