"Where's the Commander?" Ashley briskly caught up with the quarian.
"Sleeping."
"Sleeping." Ash echoed with a little disbelief given the situation.
"He's infirm." Tali corrected, not bothering to tell what happened to John, "Is the Mako ready?"
"Yeah. It was a chore to dig out the cargo bay, but she's ready."
"When do you want to leave?"
"How about right now?"
They both look at the rainfall of killer rocks in the far distance.
"Yeah. That works." Tali mumbled. They made their way down the dirt path toward the dug out bay. There, Garrus, Liara, and a trio of marines were engaged in a muted discussion, conversation lost to the distance.
"Oh, good. The girls are here." Garrus announced, "You guys ready?"
"Yeah. We're ready." Ash answered. Garrus opened the hatch for them all.
"Alright. We're setting off then, Liara. Wrex should be with you soon to help you."
"Please be careful." Liara said warily.
"Don't overdo the biotic digging. Might throw out your back." Garrus said with a laugh.
Liara just waved to them all as they all began clambering in.
Garrus sat in the driver seat and began the preparatory procedure of bringing everything online. Ashley took her place beside him.
"Everyone set?" Garrus asked, looking behind him to everyone settling in.
Several thumbs up as they secured their restraints.
"What do you think we'll see when we get there?" Corporal David Wallace asked.
"Something we don't want to see." Ash said carefully.
"Sovereign was bad enough, chief. I doubt this could be worse." Stacker offered.
"Well, that remains to be seen."
Tali sat on the top of the hill and kept the rifle in her hands at a complete stand-still. Wiring the optic with her helmet's visual feed, she could make out, just barely, the details of the falling rocks.
Unfortunately, she couldn't exactly see where they were falling. Wherever they were landing was hidden behind the next mountain about 20 or so kilometers away.
She got up and handed Garrus his rifle. "Thanks."
Garrus kept staring. They all did.
"Strangest sight in the galaxy." The turian said as he watched reverently at a half-kilometer behemoth that suddenly pierced the atmosphere before disappearing behind the mountain without even a whisper.
That had to be one of the bigger meteors Tali had seen this past day. She actually tensed up a bit to anticipate the coming shock wave that was supposed to follow soon after. When none came, she chewed on her lip and shrugged.
Ashley, who was behind them both, whistled. "Damn... either we're all high up on this planet's air or God's on our side today. I've seen some shit. But that's pretty damn weird."
"I think it's about time we figure this out." Stacker sighed, "We need to get a closer look."
Tali nodded numbly. "...Yeah. We do."
|CHAPTER 4|
|Date: 12/6/2183|
|Location: Planet - Ullipses|
Barry gave out a bewildered yelp. "Yo, what the fuck."
Tali's open-mouthed frown was a pretty good indication that she didn't understand, in the slightest, either what was going on.
To say they weren't all utterly floored would have been the understatement of the century.
The meteors weren't crashing down into the ground.
They were going right through it.
"This planet's nothing but a magic mushroom, ain't it? Alright, where's the camera? I'm ready for this prank to be over."
"I'm feeling pretty lucid, Barry." Stacker intoned, "This ain't no prank."
"Then let me get this shit fucking straight." Wallace was the first to snap, "Not only do these slip out of hyperspace but they go through the fucking ground? I'm done. I'm. fucking. done."
"Wallace, calm down." Stacker urged.
"No. Don't put that 'calm down' crap on me. This is horse shit. This past year was, on god, fucked up. But THIS." He pointed a full hand at the maniacal and mentally challenging performance. "This is the fucking cherry. The fucking cherry!"
For once, Stacker was inclined to agree with his corporal.
While Wallace continued his mad, albeit completely understandable, rant, Tali continued to watch the ground swallow the rocks whole.
There had to be an explanation behind it. This wasn't magic. Something was happening here. There was no way these could truly be traversing through the planet's crust no matter how much it looked like they were. Why the different sizes? What were they made of? What did they contain? What was their mass? Who was controlling them? Mass effect fields somehow involved? Perhaps they weren't passing through the ground at all. Maybe there was a tunnel they just weren't seeing. Maybe it was just a simple trick of the light. A mirage from the ground? They were staring at it from a bad angle now that she thought about it.
A million questions. A million of them to remain unanswered.
She wanted to take a closer look. But intuition told her that getting any closer than this was asking for trouble. Don't mess around with shit you didn't understand.
They continued to stare and watched them funnel into a concentrated column before disappearing into the ground.
She could only come up with so many guesses as to what was going on. The only thing she was sure of was that this was not a natural phenomenon. Someone was making these and someone was controlling them. And, as far as she was concerned, this was technology far beyond anything any of the galaxy's races could be making. So it was probably the reapers. Blaming them for weird shit always was the safe bet.
Ash kept her stare on the spectacle. "You get enough footage?"
"Yeah." Garrus answered, "I got enough."
"Alright. Let's go then."
One by one, they made their way back to the Mako. Tali remained steadfast. Stood there and stared, despair pooling her chest.
"What are you..." She murmured, voice lost to the wind.
"Tali, come on." Garrus' disembodied voice called out. She turned around and caught up to them.
The Mako was filled both inside and out of whatever salvage they happened to chance across. The Normandy had spilled its guts all over Ullipses. Crates and barrels galore strapped to the roof while whatever couldn't be hefted on top to be placed inside.
Garrus climbed up first and offered a hand to Tali and Wallace to perch themselves on the Mako's roof.
"Ash, if you could give the stuff inside another once-over—" Garrus asked.
"Stuff survived a several-mile free fall. I think it'll be fine."
"Do you want to risk our only chance at fixing the beacon with your driving? I heard human women suck at it."
She gave him a look of what amounted to murderous intent and irritation. Tali couldn't tell which.
"Stacker, do me a favor and check the stuff in the hold?"
"Aye, chief."
Before she climbed into the Mako herself, she gave him a look that passed as a smile bereft of what a smile was supposed to be. "Eat shit, Garrus."
He gave her a thumbs up. The Mako thrummed to life and she began her long trek back to the Normandy.
Quite some time later...
"Yo, Garrus." Ashley called over the radio.
"What." Came an acerbic and rather numb reply.
"Aw, honey," She said with a silly drawl, sensing his frustration, "Don't you worry, we're almost there. You can warm up soon."
"What makes you think I'm cold?" He inquired with a forced growl.
"You left your com-bead on and I can hear your teeth chattering."
Garrus fumbled with his bead and swore to himself before switching it off with his trembling hands.
Ash took the next bend and exited out of the crevice into the plains, where the remains of the Normandy lay. A small number of lights surrounded the ship's perimeter to illuminate their makeshift camp.
"I'm going to drop you guys off at the front."
"Leave the stuff we found in the back, Ash. I'll work on the beacon tomorrow when we have sunlight." Garrus ordered.
"I ain't touching it."
Ash parked the Mako at the Normandy's door and waited for them to clamber off. When Garrus, Tali, and Wallace finally did, she drove off.
While Garrus tottered off to find some synthetic kindling for a fire he wanted to start, Tali entered the Normandy.
After nodding to anyone she happened to pass by, going down the stairs, she entered John's cabin and caught him in the middle of changing.
"Oh. Hey." She felt her cheeks flush a bit.
"Hey yourself," He mumbled as he struggled to put on his shirt without touching his nose.
"Having a hard time?" She asked timidly.
"Yeah. The collar likes to snag on the bandage."
His head finally poked through and he smiled as soon as he saw her. It didn't look like she was returning one.
"I'm going to make a far-fetched assumption that the news you're bringing me isn't good." He carefully felt for the white dressing on his face to make sure it was still in place.
"No." She murmured with a sigh, "It isn't something I can really explain. They, uhm—...they're falling through the ground? At least— that's what it looks like."
After that, she did the only thing she could. Put a hand up to her face. "I'm at a loss for words. We recorded the whole thing for you to see."
John took a deep breath, gave the ceiling a contemplative look, and sighed.
"Alright. Let me see it."
She showed him. He watched them fall and pass through the ground with what barely even amounted to a splash.
"Huh."
"Yeah."
"You know, stuff like this doesn't shock me anymore. The reapers make just about anything believable." Hands on his hips, he tried to think of a tangible explanation to it all but couldn't. If Tali couldn't in the hours it took to get back here, what hope would he have?
"Sounds like we gotta mystery on our hands, huh Tali?" He said sarcastically.
He raked two weary hands through his hair and grimaced. Here they were, stranded under probable peril of some kind of deranged planetary armageddon and without a way to call for help because the Normandy was toast.
"Fucking shit."
She held her arms tightly together and nodded her assent, holding her head low.
He regretted letting that much show. Tali fed off of positive energy and reacting like that wasn't doing either of them favors.
He put his hands down and willed himself to calm down.
"Ugh. Tali, I'm sorry."
"It's okay."
"How are you feeling?" He asked with a partly forced smile.
"I'm okay. I think." She stepped up closer to him and tried to change the subject. "Let me get a look at that awful nose of yours."
He obliged her and let her see. "How's the bandage look?"
"Like you lost a bar fight." She said.
"Ha. Well. Let's hope it heals right. Doc said it might not."
She frowned. "Oh no. It was such a nice nose."
"Nah, I'm joking. Chakwas patched me up good. It's almost like new." He said before interlacing his hands tightly together and sighing. "We're in a big ol' pickle, aren't we, Tals?"
She gave him a subtle snort and tried to smile past the pain of their circumstances. "At least we're together."
He knew that was somewhat true. They were only a few days away from the official call to disband until this happened. The non-alliance crew were to disembark and go on their separate ways, Tali included.
It was a painful angst that'd been burning in him, knowing that this ride was drawing to a close. It would be unlikely he'd ever see her again knowing how reclusive the Migrant Fleet was. And, as much as he didn't want to see her go and have them finally part ways, he wouldn't have picked this even if meant seeing her a little while longer. She was in danger. They were all in danger. They hadn't the slightest idea of what was going on. Who knew if they would even see the next minute? Every second felt like borrowed time here.
"Still," He muttered lamely.
"We need to make the best of it. Just like we always do." She offered with a pat on his hand. He smiled at her comforting touch.
"Any good ideas in that head of yours?"
A yawn managed to escape her when she replied. "On my way back? Thought maybe... that maybe there's a barrier we aren't seeing. They fall into the same place. What they do after that, I just don't know. An explanation is just beyond me. I just think the sooner we get off this planet, the better."
He didn't forget about that yawn. "How you holding up, Tali?"
She sat in a heap at the end of his bed and didn't say anything which was all the answer he needed.
"That sounds about right." He nodded, "You've been up for what? Two days?"
"Ship's wrecked," she stared at her toes suddenly, "...And now your nose is all ugly."
He caught the joke she forced out and just felt heartbroken for her. She was trying so hard to keep their spirits high in the face of everything that'd happened. "Hey, it won't be ugly forever. I promise."
She didn't say anything.
John pointed at his nose and gave her a small smile. "Tali, this is not your fault. And neither is the Normandy."
"Yes, it is," she argued childishly.
"No. It's not."
Another bout of silence. He could see her eyes lazily narrowing.
"I think you need some sleep."
"My room's gone." Tali mumbled sadly, "Did you see?"
He nodded disappointingly. "I did. I checked. Tali, I'm sorry."
She sniffed. "I'm going to have to find a sleeping bag somewhere outside."
It was his turn to not say anything.
When she didn't hear a reply, she grinned faintly at him, but there was an undertone of sadness that she couldn't quite hide. "Hey. It was just stuff. I can always replace it."
This was just unbearable to see. She looked crushed. And the last thing he wanted to see was her sleeping on the Normandy's floor in some cheap bag.
"You should sleep here."
"You had me in here for ten minutes and you're already inviting me into your bed..." She humored herself out loud and John scoffed.
She didn't protest. She kicked off her boots, took off her belt, and fell into the sheets. She was snoring inside a minute.
Admiring the view for a solemn moment, he left her to peace, closed the door behind him, and set out to see what needed doing.
|CHAPTER 5|
|Date: 12/7/2183|
|Location: Planet Ulipses|
"Tali." Shepard murmured as he sat at the edge of the bed next to her.
"Mm."
"You've got a good nine hours." He squeezed her arm. "How you feeling?"
"Mm."
"Mm. Quite." He mumbled.
She didn't say anything.
He slowly got up, rubbed her shoulder carringly, and made his way over to his closet to separate himself from his chest rig.
He was exhausted. After visiting ground zero himself, a pit had settled into his gut the whole ride back. He'd barely eaten since waking in the infirmary. He had to force himself to scarf down a chalky meal replacement bar to make sure he was treating his body right. Add in all the long discussions he had with the entire crew and with nothing to show for it, he retired for the time being and let Pressly know he was going to catch some sleep.
But John's mind remained rife even if sleep beckoned him.
Space was large. So unbelievably vast. How they even managed to get caught in the blinding volley of these hyperspacing rocks was anyone's guess. These kinds of happenstances were supposed to be so mathematically unlikely that they might as well relegate them to the realm of fiction. It just didn't happen. But maybe, just maybe, they met that infinitesimally small chance of coincidence. It was technically, non-zero. Even if there were more zeros on the right-hand side of that decimal point than one could count.
Regardless, the math didn't matter. It happened. That's what mattered.
All they knew was that they were strong enough to damage the Normandy and breach atmo, but delicate enough to pass through the ground of this stupid planet. Tali's suggestion that perhaps there was just a barrier they weren't seeing was the best idea he'd heard. What happened after was anyone's guess. Only god and whoever was responsible would know what this was all about.
All the other ideas he'd heard from the crew as they brainstormed weren't worth entertaining.
He watched Garrus' recording again. Watched them fall and disappear. Watched their brown and chitinous bodies surrender to Ullipses. He wanted to stop calling them rocks because they didn't look it. They looked like something else. There was an aesthetic uniformity to them. No two were the same per se, but the hunch they'd been assembled by something wasn't unfounded.
He sighed and neatly tucked away the thought. He was fried. There was no sense piecing together what you couldn't understand. Especially when you could barely think.
Turning to look at Tali again, he watched carefully for the steady rise and fall of her shallow breaths and smiled. He hesitated, only slightly, at the thought of sleeping next to her. Figuring she wouldn't mind, he kicked off his own boots, crawled carefully into bed, and engulfed his head in a pillow.
"Good night, Tals." He said with warmth. His breath steadied into a quiet snore.
Two hours passed and neither of them moved.
Her sleepy eyes fluttered open to the dim light of John's quarters and, a little confused, blinked several more times to make sure she was seeing right.
She was lying beside him. That confused face she had softened into a lovelorn smile. She felt peace. A repose so strong that it was like a balm crossing over her crestfallen mood. He was still asleep. And this feeling of yearning and longing bubbled in her chest, as it so often did, while she kept her gentle gaze fixed on this wonderful man.
She watched the cadenced rise and fall of his chest that whispered of a future she dared to hope for. One where she could see this every day. Where she would wake up and have him be the first thing she would see.
Here, in the silent communion of shared space, the anxiety of the days ahead waned. She was mesmerized by how comfortable and natural this all felt. She realized, even more, that her soul was made for him. Made for John. It had to be. Her feelings were so tender and so undeniably real that she no longer tried denying or hiding them from herself.
She wanted nothing else but to hold him close and to hear him dream.
But she didn't dare stir. She didn't want this to end. So her stare lingered, eyes soft, and indulged herself this moment.
This happy little moment.