|Present Time|
|Date: 4/25/2184|
|Location: The Neema|
"Hey, Tali."
Tali whirled around and faced him. "Hey. Thanks for coming."
"Why'd you ask me down to the hangar?" Juel asked as his hands wrung a small cloth between his fingers to rub the grease from them.
"I think it's time I tell you something that I've known for a while."
"Anything I should prepare for?"
"All you have to do is listen." She intoned.
"Okay." Juel didn't hide his confused look.
"We should go talk somewhere private."
"Lead the way."
Juel followed her until they reached a hangar far away from anyone that could be within ear-shot.
"I don't even know where to start. This isn't something you can swallow all at once."
"You know, you tell me that a lot."
She chewed on her lip and nodded.
He was right. Most of what she said sounded crazy. To the average galactic commoner, she should've been locked up in an asylum.
"I know. But look." She took a seat on a conveniently placed chair and collected her thoughts, "When I was on the Normandy, I wasn't just fighting geth."
"Alright? Go on."
"We were fighting a reaper. A giant fucking dreadnought hell-bent on destroying everyone in the galaxy."
Juel's head tilted. "—You make it out to be like the ship was alive."
"That's because it was. Its name was Sovereign." She gave a suspicious glance behind her shoulder to make sure no one was listening to her crazy rant.
"So it wasn't being controlled by that turian Spectre."
"No. Sovereign was a sentient machine. Saren was just an agent."
"Why tell me this now? You killed it. It's done. It's over with."
"Oh no, Juel. There's more. I can't even guess how many. Millions maybe. And we managed to stop him from letting the others through the Citadel's Relay."
Juel's stomach didn't feel all that great anymore.
"...what do they want from us?"
"We don't know." She garbled with a disappointing sigh.
"How do you know all this?" He sat in a petrified heap across from her in another chair.
"We spoke to it once. Told us everything it planned. And it almost happened. And the only person I could ever fathom leading us against that kind of storm is dead." Her palm lay flat against her visor is frustration.
"What should we do?"
"Well. The Admiralty board and conclave already know. But it's on a need-to-know basis until further notice. So right now? Nothing."
"Well shit. What does the Citadel council think?"
"I'm not really sure."
"Keelah, Tali. You're really bumming me out. My day was going pretty good."
"Sorry. I just... I needed to tell you that."
"Does Olasie know yet?"
"Not yet, no."
"Are you planning on telling her?"
"When the time's right, I will."
"Don't think there's ever a right time for this, Tali. An info dump like that? Most people aren't prepared to hear about a galaxy ending event. That's what nutjobs do."
All she could do was shrug. "Do you believe me?"
"Hell yes I believe you."
|Present Time|
|Date: 4/26/2184|
|Location: The Neema|
To: Tali'Zorah
From: Liara
Subject: nosubject
Tali. Wish you were here. Doing something very, very important. This rebirth will change everything.
Lazarus will begin.
If only you were a part of it.
-Liara
The only light that stood out from the inky blackness was the computer monitor's bright light. Tali read the message again for what had to have been the twelfth time that minute.
What the hell are you talking about, Liara?
The letter seemed obvious... key words like 'rebirth' and 'lazarus' didn't seem to leave much room for interpretation.
The only thing she could think of was that somehow John was involved.
Nothing else mattered.
Or maybe Liara was helping rebuild the Normandy.
Or maybe her email got hacked to advertise a contracting firm for real estate.
Who knew.
In a second, the message on the screen winked out of existence.
"What the..." Tali's eyes blink frantically to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. After what had to be a minute of searching for the email, she finally gave up, turned the computer off, and slumped over in her chair.
Minutes passed by and she lay still with her head in her arms on the desk thinking of John. Then she slumped lower in her seat before looking up to stare at the ceiling with her teary eyes.
"John… god, I need you."
|Many Months Ago|
|Shortly after Mission on Noveria|
|Date: 7/1/2183|
|Location: SSV Normandy/Frigate Class Vessel|
|Alliance Command CCEDF Number: 33DEFZE9-87541JSN|
Shepard didn't much care for implants.
In part to his laziness, he'd decided not to get haptic interface surgery wired into his fingertips.
Which meant he had to use these pathetically gaudy looking gloves for his holographic keyboard.
"Why don't you just get implants?" Garrus said.
John turned to see that the turian was standing at his door.
"Never got around to it." Shepard turned back around to his computer monitor. Garrus watched him muck his fingers slowly between each key.
"Then schedule an appointment with a doctor for surgery."
"Yeah..." John said in a 'I-don't-really-want-to' kind of tone, "I'll get around to that." His hand waved toward the turian dismissively.
"Suit yourself."
"What brings you here?" Shepard gestured for him to sit. Garrus took a seat at the table.
"I just wanted to let you know, I've settled the tab with Ash. And despite the animosity I get from her, I assure you that it won't affect my job. Bickering or not."
"Good. I'm glad to hear it."
John finished typing up his sentence and faced Garrus head on before looking down momentarily in thought. Sensing that something was bothering Shepard, Garrus decided to speak up.
"You okay?"
"How do you think Tali's holding up?"
The turian's mandibles suddenly went limp. This again?
"She's a big girl. She can handle herself."
"Garrus. That's not what I asked."
"She's coping. And she's doing it the best way she knows how, Shepard."
The Spectre shook his head.
Coping wasn't exactly how he'd have put it. Tali, having become terribly introverted after the incident on Noveria, removed herself from all activity save for engineering and PT.
Other than that, she'd stay in her room for an excess of up to six to seven hours at a time without even murmuring a hi to anyone.
"Feros. Remember? A girl no older than her died. Boom. Half the woman gone because she took one for the team."
"Before that was the Citadel. Where she was almost killed by Saren's mercs. They used polonium rounds. I don't need to entertain you on what those do to someone."
Garrus simply nodded.
"And remember Therum?" John added, "Trudging around on top of what remained of the mining crew? Even I had to stomach that down. And we've seen some shit."
"Yeah."
John sighed and couldn't help but feel disappointed with himself. "Christ, Garrus."
"Shepard. If you're that worried about me…" Tali's hands fumbled nervously at her waist while she stood at the foot of his door.
Garrus sat flabbergasted at Tali's silent entrance. "Mhm." He mumbled before leaving the room, "I should go."
John's frown grew when the doors shut behind Garrus. "...How much of that did you hear?"
She sat down across from John. "Everything important," She mumbled, "Sorry."
"Sorry?" He repeated grimly, "That's really not appropriate, given the circumstances as of late."
Her arm absently reached for her other. "I know. Well, it's not that I know— uhm, you know what I mean."
"How have you been holding up?" His tight lipped smile was anything but forced.
"Better. A little jumbled. But better."
"Good. If you ever need to talk, don't hesitate to ask for help. It isn't healthy to be alone and deal with things like that by yourself."
She stared at her toes and nodded. "I know."
"Good."
Subconsciously, Tali put a hand over her mouthpiece to show she was smiling, albeit sadly. Shepard's brows made this puzzled look which, to Tali's guess, meant he didn't know what she was trying to convey. She'd tell him later when their next conversation would allow it.
"Well, I came up here to tell you that I'm ready. One hundred percent. Whenever you need me."
"That's what I want to hear." He murmured. His tone did little to reassure her.
"Really Shepard. I'm doing better. It helped when you stopped by when you did."
"It's what I do." He remarked sadly.
She sat silently for a moment to collect her thoughts while her arms crossed over her chest.
"The scars you've had," She hesitated to say, "Do they— do they haunt you?" Her voice turned dry and hoarse.
The question caught him off guard, but he took in a breath to prepare an answer. He wasn't going to sugar coat it.
"Yeah. They do."
"Oh. I see." The air stiffened, if only slightly, and Tali didn't have to think twice to know she might have crossed a line. "…I'm sorry. For making you remember it."
"Don't be," He bit his lip and lost himself in a memory.
"The worst thing I can remember, Tali, is Akuze. 50 good men died that day. That... that, uh, changes you. You know?"
"You look back and think for days. Months. Just... wondering what the hell you could've done to... you know. Change it." He kept his stare on the floor.
"The point is... you come to realize, that there was nothing you could have done. You weren't prepared. You didn't know. You couldn't have. It's like that all the time for everything."
Tali didn't say anything and John continued.
"In the end?" His shoulders shrugged, "It can't matter. You pat yourself off, march forward, and promise you'll do better next time." He took in a deep breath and hoped that was good enough. "That answer your question?"
All she did was nod solemnly before setting her hands on the table. "...Can I tell you something?"
"Of course."
Tali felt a solitary moment of doubt to even bring up what she wanted to say, but decided to say it anyway.
"Thank you. For checking up on me. Means a lot, Shepard."
Maybe it was a slight exaggeration to say she was at a hundred percent. Of all the things she'd witnessed as of late, it was beginning to take a heavy toll. Opening up to the man in front of her helped in ways she couldn't quite figure out yet. She felt a tear grace her eye and choked a sigh. "Don't know what I would have done if you— hadn't showed up right there for me."
"It comes with the job, Tali. You see a lot of ugly shit out there." He said with some measure of grief, "And sometimes...? Sometimes I wish I hadn't brought you along. Just to spare you your sanity."
Tali appreciated the sentiment, but disagreed with the notion. "You don't have to spare me from anything. What we do is too important. I'm with you 'til the end."
John stood up, walked over the quarian and ushered her up with a hand. When she stood up, he brought her in for a hug and held her tightly.
The tear she'd fought so hard to get rid of finally fell. But it landed on a smile.
"Thank you." She said in one slow sigh. She wrapped her arms around John and buried her face in his shoulder.
|Present Time|
|Date: 4/25/2184|
|Location: The Neema|
Tali had finished climbing down the ladder to the living deck located in the very heart of the Neema.
It was cramped, cluttered, and absolutely full of people getting ready for dinner and breakfast (Both were served together to compensate for the work shift).
She watched a school of children in their mobile bubbles; waddling by, their full attention fixed to the teacher's lesson; explaining hygiene. Smiling inwardly, she continued down the large hallway until she approached Juel's cubicle.
Oddly enough, he lived alone.
He never did mention family before.
"Juel?" She knocked at the cubicle's frame, the milky gray patterned curtains jostling.
"I'm here Tali." He said rather loudly; trying to yell over the crowd.
"Can I come in?"
"Sure." He pulled the curtain back, and welcomed her inside. Sparing a few seconds to look around, she noticed only a bed, desk, computer, and lamp, coordinated in a dress-right-dress, military fashion. She kept forgetting that he used to be a pre-pilgrimage marine.
"What brings you here?" He yawned and grumbled something under his breath. He sat back down on his bed and heard its springs crunching under his weight.
"You actually have a bed frame? You lucky bosh'tet."
"Beats those requisitioned cots and mats everybody uses. I bought this one when on pilgrimage." He wrinkled the sheets with a hand, "It was awkward installing the frame and box spring. People were watching me from out in the hallway with dirty looks. Worth it now. Sleeping is a hobby."
"I should have brought one of those back from pilgrimage." She mumbled.
Juel laughed. "Should've just bought a whole set for the whole ship. That would've been better than the gift you got."
Tali's arms crossed over her chest.
"Really? And what did Juel'Kaan ever bring back for his pilgrimage?"
"A little of everything I suppose." He answered, "I spent three years on my pilgrimage. Brought back alloys, antibiotics, food stores, and a frigate to carry it all back in..." He brought up a hologram of the ship. "She serves under Han'Gerrel now. Turian design. Armed with four MAC cannons along with a whopping set of 500mm torpedo tubes. She serves the Heavy Fleet well."
"Wow. How the hell did they ever let you get your hands on something that could butt heads with a damned dreadnought?"
Juel noticed a little pang of jealousy in the way her head cocked to the side.
He inwardly scoffed.
Tali must've known her gift, in the long term, would outweigh any ship's potential usefulness. That in itself should have been reassuring.
"Well. I bought her with all of her gun ports empty and ready for re-armament... Stuck the ship into a warehouse for three years and spent the rest of my time finding parts... Amazing what you can buy outright on the extranet on Crogslist or Yibay. Second hand equipment or not, she's the best damned looking frigate in the entire fleet. And I'm proud of her."
"I never knew. That's why you love ships so much." She stammered and quickly corrected herself, "Well… more than we typically do. You know what I mean."
"Yes. I do." He nodded and suddenly remembered something, "Oh. I forgot. Your aunt left me a message for you. Said she left you a box in your room."
"Why didn't she just tell me through my omni-tool?"
"It's broken. Go on ahead. Oh, and also, she told me to tell you not to open it until you can get a clean room."
"Should I go and see?"
"I ain't gonna stop you."
Tali shrugged. "Well. Okay. I'll catch you later then. Bye."
"See you later."
She left Juel's cubicle and dived back into the crowd before finally arriving back to her room.
When she pulled her curtains aside, she saw the box in question sitting on her chair.
"Huh." She went up to the fair sized box and gave it a look.
The first thing Tali noticed is that it wasn't your ordinary box.
It was vacuum sealed one.
Which meant Juel was being serious about scheduling herself a clean room to see what was inside.
Seeing as how Tali had nothing better to do at the moment, she took the box and decided she'd try and pull some strings to get a clean room now.
Aboard the Neema, many compartments were requisitioned into clean rooms, like most ships refitted by quarians. The Flotilla's Sanitation Department designated sanctions with three different distinctions, ranging from low to high contamination risks.
Standard-risk clean rooms allowed a suited user to make third party repairs with little need to use an abrasive decontamination protocol.
Higher-risk clean rooms allowed an undressed user to make repairs outside of the suit, while maximum-risk clean rooms wouldn't permit even the user to come into contact with their own suit.
Tali was reserved for a maximum-risk clean room, in which she was forced to take her suit off in its entirety because of strict protocol. Not that she was complaining, the ability to actually strut around naked was a luxury. Especially being able to spare enough water to take a real shower like John did…
Humor aside, it didn't stop her from relieving some of those brash feelings of desire.
Without so much as a second thought, she turned the water, stepped inside, and slipped in a finger.
She moaned as quietly as she could (a near impossible feat) while her back leaned against the tub.
As the pleasure began to tax her muscles, she went faster and even entertained the idea of John joining her.
Ha! Keelah that sounds so dirty.
She'd be lying if her imagination wasn't doing an amazing job. Soon enough, her climax threw her high into the air before leaving her completely breathless.
Whew.
"Wow." Was all she could manage to say.
After she was done showering and pampering herself, she made her way to the small bed and finally decided to open the gift Shala had given her.
When she did, she was left speechless for a long moment.
"Oh... Wow..."
She reached in and saw a new helmet, realk, and bodysuit. She even made this gleeful cheer that reminded her of human women showing off their newest pair of heels to their jealous friends when she unraveled her new realk.
Zorah's iconic purple, of course.
She placed the fabric over her bare breasts and looked into the mirror just to see what it'd look like.
She could rock this.
Definitely.
For the first time since coming back, she felt happy.