Chapter 1: Embarkation of the Weary.
Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or Halo in any way shape or form.
IMPORTANT: THIS STORY HAS NO TIES TO THE UNKNOWN DEFENDER OR IT'S FUTURE SEQUEL: THE UNKNOWN GUARDIAN.
Now, on with the story!
The Wreck of Dawn:
In the depths of a Nebula, she waits, her once glorious might laid low.
Torn asunder, her body lays broken, yet stubbornly, she still holds her own.
Her purpose: to guard a secret, an epic tale stored within. Even though age and ruin have dimmed her harnessed stars, she yet remains alive deep within.
Her purpose: to guard a secret, a weapon of power her existence is. Her appearance was a gift of knowledge to those that would seek her and her scattered, broken kin.
If ye wish to avoid the Harvest and save your people's precious skin,
Then seek the Dawn and learn the ancient knowledge stored within.
Be wary, O ye righteous Pilgrim, you who seek for saving grace among the stars.
Learn to guard the gifts delivered from another realm jealously!
The sharks will seek what they wish to keep and take your newfound treasures, whilst leaving you with naught but death and scars...
Innocents be damned!
But if fate is yet still kind to you, O pilgrim, the greatest secret you still might find...
Whether your greatest ally or greatest foe, you shall learn...
In time!
The Migrant Fleet.
A sprawling armada of ships of varied ages – newish, oldish, and ancient-ish – that many humans whimsically likened to a real-life Battlestar Galactica, but on a grander, more majestic scale.
Home to over 17 million Quarians, it was the last cradle of all Quarian culture and recorded histories, the proud home of the Zorah family... the home of Tali.
At this juncture of her life, she found herself wishing otherwise.
She would have traded everything – her heritage, her right to call the Migrant Fleet home – just to bring back her captain, her mentor. The one who had become a mischievous elder sister to Tali during those year-long, exhilarating adventures and escapades of the Normandy and its crew of eccentric, endearing adventurers.
Their world had shattered when Shepard died.
When that enigmatic, hostile vessel had mercilessly torn the Normandy to pieces.
From her detached emotional sanctuary, the young Quarian observed the aftermath, watching events unfold in a surreal blur.
Debriefings that felt cold and impersonal, empty condolences, the bitter slandering and discrediting of her captain at a funeral marked by an eerily empty casket... It pained Tali to hear Shepard's own superiors and so-called allies dismiss her captain's monumental discoveries, deriding her warnings of looming catastrophes as mere ravings of a supposedly deranged mind.
Their insinuations were never explicit, but their implications painted a clear, disheartening picture.
Shepard's prescient words of warning seemed doomed to be ignored, only resonating with the galaxy's fringe groups – those minor, shadowy factions that prepared in secret and silence.
Tali witnessed the disintegration of a once inseparable group of friends.
Without Shepard's unifying presence, the bonds frayed and finally snapped.
Attempts to maintain contact were futile. Tali had tried, desperately, but even Garrus had urged her to let go, to move on. Wrex's blunt refusal, citing dangers from Salarian assassins and his reluctance to drag a young Quarian into peril, was the kindest rejection she received.
Yet, none of these reasons justified the total abandonment by those who had profoundly impacted her life.
The abrupt loss of two years' worth of camaraderie and companionship left Tali reeling in pain.
She craved solitude, a respite to seek answers and to escape the constant reminders of her time aboard the Normandy.
"KEELAH!" she sighed, the name of the Normandy escaping her lips like a sacred whisper, a testament to her longing.
The Migrant Fleet, with its bustling corridors and familiar faces, was far from the haven of solitude she sought.
"TALI, I FORBID YOU TO GO!" Her father's voice thundered with a mix of fear and authority. "You've just returned. It's not safe out there. Stay with the Fleet where it's safe. Start a family; you've completed your pilgrimage. Why cause me such worry by venturing into danger again?"
But Tali was resolute, standing firm before her father who blocked her path to a small, modestly-equipped scout ship – her chosen vessel for solitude. The ship, laden with supplies she had meticulously gathered since her return, represented her desperate need for escape.
The destruction of the Normandy and the brush with death had ignited an overprotective fire in her father, Rael'Zorah. His concerns were palpable, his love for his daughter unyielding.
"Father, please understand... I'm not seeking danger. I just need space to think, to be alone. Scouting for resources will allow me that, while I still contribute to the Fleet. I love you, but I need this." Her voice, laced with a mix of determination and affection, softened the resolve in her father's eyes.
After a heartfelt hug and reassurances of safety, Tali skirted past him to the airlock of her new ship.
Rael'Zorah, his shoulders drooping under the weight of his daughter's departure, turned to watch her. Despite his reluctance, his love compelled him to offer a proper farewell. Standing tall, he saluted his only child, "Keelah se'lai... Tali."
She returned the salute, a symbol of respect and assurance, "Keelah se'lai, Father. Don't worry about me. I'll return. You can't get rid of me that easily." With a burst of feigned cheerfulness, she boarded her vessel and sealed the airlock.
As soon as the door closed, Tali's façade of cheer faded. Her movements reflected the weariness of a combat veteran. She had seen too much – battles, death, the haunting visage of Reaper husks. Despite her youth, she bore the scars of war, both visible and hidden.
She needed a respite, a distraction. A few months exploring the galaxy's less-traveled corners in search of rare resources seemed a welcome diversion.
And so, Tali set off into the stars, unaware of the significance of her journey or what discoveries awaited her in the vastness of space.
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This Chapter has been reworked as of 16NOV2023