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CHAPTER 2
2-7-2184
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Rael'Zorah was a very regimented man. Organized. Alphabetized. Whatever word you wanted to describe proficiency, discipline, and rules, was a word you could ascribe to the admiral. He was the embodiment of all those things and more. Duty. Stalwartness. Resolute. Unwavering.
Anybody not family would have said he was the model of what every quarian alive should be. The pinnacle of one for the many.
It made for terrible attributes if you were a father for a daughter who wanted nothing but a dad who simply showed he loved her. Her father felt, at best, like a colleague. Their correspondence after mom dying had been nothing but status updates, professional notes, and the occasional meeting she'd have to attend in the years leading up to her pilgrimage.
Don't get Tali wrong; she was never all that much of the clingy type. She'd felt love from her mother; but obviously with her being gone, the family aura that people usually had from normal families wasn't there. Grandparents were out of the picture. Her closest family in the wake of her mother's passing had been Shala. The woman had done an admiral job (Pun intended) of taking on that mantle; but nothing could ever really replace your mom. And Mima by then was already months into her Pilgrimage.
She sighed and parsed through her sparse library of family memories. There weren't all that many.
And, nearly lost to Tali now, was her dad's face. Last time she'd seen it was over a decade ago. She tensed her shoulders and tried to will herself to recall the details. To pick out the shape of his eyes and brows. His cheekbones, nose, and lips. Tried to etch in some sort of feature. But her brain shot back a bunch of null answers. It was all in vain.
She stared on quietly at the man, her father, with his back facing her as he stared through the Rayya's one of only three observation ports.
"It's good to have you back, Tali."
"It's—" She had to stop herself from giving out an automatic reply and just say that it was 'good to be back'.
She didn't want to be back here.
"—It's been a long journey." She said instead. She straightened her posture. Made sure her back was straight. Shoulders locked and tight. Head leveled and tall. Hands down at her side. All of it to illustrate the professionalism that he no doubted expected from her.
Well. She knew he expected that of her. The amount of times she'd been berated for her quirky fidgeting was one too many.
"I believe a congratulations is in order, Tali. You must be proud."
His hands remained clasped behind him, but he turned away from the port window and finally faced her.
Was… was that a glimmer in his eye? She rose a mental brow. She was not expecting him to say that.
She was expecting something more like:
'Tali, merely 13 terabytes? Could you not have strived for 14?' She could hear him say, tone tinged with only the expectation of excellence.
Or maybe it'd be more like 'Tali, you've returned sooner than anticipated. With such scant findings, I expected a longer journey, one befitting the Zorah name.' He'd undoubtedly say, tone not cruel, but coated in the steely discipline of a man for whom every mission, every task, was a measure of one's worth.
Maybe instead it'd be 'Tali, why the delay in your return? Expediency is a virtue. I envisioned your success would bring you back to us far sooner,' He'd chide, a reflection of his unwavering commitment to duty.
"Proud?" She repeated in a question.
"Of course. Proud. How does that make you feel?"
She felt none of those things. She felt dead inside. That's what she felt.
"Overwhelmed." Came her answer. He took a seat next to her. A little closer than he'd ever done before.
This was weird. This was really weird. Was he… was he trying to be a dad? He nodded a little too, trying to think of a good response to her short and rather flat ones.
"Normal." He said at length, "The Zorah name is bereft of any pity. You delivered. I felt the same way when I returned from pilgrimage. The paranoia of underdelivering will wane with time. It did with me."
She still wasn't completely catching up to what was going on. Talking this personally of matters was… just odd.
The assessment he'd given from her answers missed the mark entirely as well. Such an interpretation might have held water with the Tali who had yet to embark on her pilgrimage. The Tali before him now, however, had evolved far beyond that naive girl. Yet, she held no grudge for his misunderstanding. After all, how could he possibly grasp the spiral of torment that shadowed her existence through the veneer of her (quite honestly), detached responses? The layers of trauma that she'd been buried under were not hers to lay upon anyone else's shoulders, least of all her father's. The reasons for keeping such distances were clear to her, and she didn't need to be justifying it to anyone but herself.
"I promise not to tell Zaal; but from where did you procure such extensive data? Surely an operation right on the homeworld itself, perhaps?"
She caught the joke. Because he actually let out a chuckle.
Tali eyes narrowed at the sound. Not because she didn't like it, but because the number of times she'd heard him do it since mom died was probably less than the number of fingers she had.
"Unfortunately, no," She said with a quaint smile, "Geth incursion in Alliance space."
"I've got time for a story if it's a good one."
"It involves killing a lot of geth."
"Then I definitely have time to listen."
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A long time ago.
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3-8-2183
[ SSV NORMANDY SR1 ]
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"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 roster of an IUR-Coupling Manifold at CIC, 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. Not by yourself. 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 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." Hackett stated flatly.
"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 called 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."
"Okay," Tali didn't know what to make of that answer. It wasn't one she was used to. She was used to her father. And her father was the diametrical opposite of the commander. "I, uhm. Thank you. I'm gonna go."
He faced the CIC's galactic projection before dipping his head to give her a nod. "Anytime. See you later."
She stepped off the plate, waved him good-bye, and took the elevator down to her room.
Now, strangely, if it hadn't already been mentioned, the Normandy's clean room was "given" to her. It was modest in size (Mansion like for her), but big enough for a bed, desk, and restroom. And it served a variety of purposes. Namely for the benefit of a patient needing to be separated from the world. But Tali was fortunate enough to have been given the privilege of living in it.
Now, if it ever came down to it, the Normandy could still reclaim the room for medical or containment purposes. She'd have to make due in the meantime like she always had. To live inside her skin prison until she was cleared to take it back.
Sprayed down by a fine jet of antiseptic mist, she entered before taking off her visor and setting it carefully down on the desk with the care that it deserved.
In the silent hum of the Normandy, she stared at the mauve glass and the warped reflection of the world it tried to display. She pondered this habit she'd been making. The ease with which she was adapting to time out of the suit and the implications it brought in the context of her life. It was too comfortable. Having to leave this behind was going to suck.
Her PA clicked on and she stared up at the ceiling.
"Hey." It was John, "I know you were just up here, but I just skimmed over some of the briefing. Looks like we'll be groundside. Going to need you as our geth advisor. You up for it?"
Boots on the ground blowing up geth and teaching soldiers how to do it? That wasn't even a choice.
"I'm your girl."
"Excellent," Shepard said, "I've also got on schedule a combat sim later today. Down in cargo. I'd like for you to join me. Run some exercises. Get some more tips and tricks for engaging geth."
Tali smiled. "Sure thing. When do you need me? Kaidan said he wanted me to help him earlier with something real quick on crew at lunch."
"1330 hours. Will that be enough time for you?"
"Yes." She said with a grin, "I'll be there."
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1334 hours.
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"Sorry. I'm late."
"Four minutes to be exact." He said while dawning himself in gear. He didn't even grace her with a glance.
Her head dipped lower and lower until her eyes were staring at the ground. "S... sorry."
He stopped immediately and gave her a disarming grin and squinty eyes. "Uh, Tali. I'm just kidding."
He nudged her shoulder to get her to stand next to him.
"Oh."
"Okay. First order of business before we start. I'm going to need your measurements."
"My… measurements?"
"Of you, sans the suit. I'm going to need them to be perfect. Every curve. We're going to get you some real gear. New enviro-suit—"
New enviro-suit.
Oh my.
That sent a shiver down her back and some vivid, unbidden images projected through her head. She was being asked to undress. Asked by her crush.
It wasn't even remotely sexual for him to ask for that given the context, but it still showered her with embarrassment. Why she grasped for smoke like that was beyond her.
She realized he was still talking. "—Therum was… pretty inhospitable. I don't want anything happening to you when we're ground side."
"Oh…! Well— I can't get exact measurements right now. Since, you know; I'm, erm, wearing a suit still—unless if, uh. I go to my room and—"
"Uh, yeah," He interjected her rambling, "That's kind of implied. Don't think it's healthy to be doing that out here, Tals."
That little nickname made her heart flutter.
"Here." He handed her a roll of measuring tape. She let out a soft and rosy smile from the nickname when she grasped the long string.
"Universal scale's on the back. I'm not joking about measuring everything. Head to toe. Might even need a protractor for those backward calves of yours."
He handed her a tablet to show the list in question. "Kassa Fab's got a list here. Everything they'll need from you to make the suit we're gonna buy."
She read through it. Head, neck, shoulders, arms, bust, lengths, widths, circumferences, height. So on and so forth.
"Bust? That's…" Tali frowned, because her translator definitely wasn't giving her the appropriate context, "That's shooting back as broke open? Shatter? Popping? What's that?"
John took the data pad to give it another glance. "Bust." He repeated, nonplussed. "The measurement around your boobs." He sniffed once. "Those are boobs, right?"
She felt her face glow red hot and she stared at her chest awkwardly as if she'd just noticed the things for the first time in her life. She looked back up to him. "Ye—Yes—we are-er, kind of… or—almost identi—quarians are actually mamma—"
He stuck a piece of gum in his mouth and chewed, but that lighthearted look on his face didn't let up. "You poor thing. How do you manage being so anxious all the time?"
"I don't know... it's some stupid curse I have… 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.
"Ever try doing a breathing exercise maybe?" He gave her his character grin, "Maybe a drink? To relax?"
"Uh, no. To both." She said flatly.
"Yeah, the breathing exercises are boring. You could join me for some drinks next time though when 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 pretty well over the past month.)
Despite all this, she was never one to see herself as a great option to hang out with outside the workplace. Especially given the objectively better choices available to him, like Kaidan or Ash. Hanging out with some girl who had to eat everything through a damn straw was clearly less appealing if she was trying to be honest.
Now she wanted to placate herself. She was completely flattered. But it also felt a lot like grasping at a mirage that was only meant to be admired from afar. Not because her feelings weren't genuine. She harbored a deep fondness for the man. And it wasn't a fondness to chase after some quick fling to uproot a plain lifestyle or to 'taste the waters'. She'd heard the stories like everyone else of the flings people got caught up in during pilgrimage. That's not what she wanted. She was just afraid of attachment and the consequences that would potentiate. Afraid of trying to get involved in something that she shouldn't even be thinking about, much less chasing. She saw and understood fully the destructive power of having a broken heart.
And you know what? It never occurred to her in all her life that she could fall for a man not quarian. Her imagination had always envisioned her being with another of her own kind.
Was it smart to chase after a man like John though? To get attached to someone not quarian and see them fall for someone else due to your obvious shortcomings? You wouldn't always be able to give them what either of you wanted. All these things could happen with anyone you partnered up with, sure. But her love math told her that these issues would be magnified if they weren't quarian.
Tali made a face and scrunched her nose. She was thinking about all these super intense hypotheticals when all John had asked was a simple "wanna get a drink sometime?"
Keelah. Dial it down. Damn. Thinking 30 steps ahead. Thinking you even had a chance in the first place. These catastrophizing machinations were just ridiculous.
Before she could think any more on the matter, John's voice brought her back to reality. "I'll find you when we're there again. But we should get started on this simulation, okay?"
"R—right." She nodded before placing her duffel next to his.
Oh, this crush she had. Why'd it have to happen? And why so soon? The timing of it couldn't have been any more inconvenient. And all it was good for was stirring up emotions she couldn't have ever prepared for. All of it was beginning to probe her brain with its insistent and unyielding melody.
This had to be more than just some fleeting fancy she had for him. It felt like a distraction from priorities. Every interaction they had and shared glance only seemed to magnify its intensity.
Ugh.
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Two hours passed before they finished their exercise. John was immensely impressed with her abilities.
He'd been impressed since their first mission. She was incredibly capable and witty. Their skirmish on Therum was an outstanding example of Tali's skillset and ability.
"So..." She managed to say through a winded breath, "What do you think?"
"I think you're incredible at holding your own. Lord grant mercy to whoever is on the receiving end of your omni-tool. Jesus Christ."
Praise. Wow that felt good.
"Now tell me this isn't a great way to learn?" John said as he removed his helmet.
"It is. When can we do it again?"
"Tomorrow. Same time. What do you say?"
"Hell yes."
He set his rifle down on their table and removed the training block from its receiver.
"What's the time, Tali?"
"1540 hours." She answered, stepping up next to him and removing the training block from her own gun.
"Means we're still two hours out until the task force arrives."
"Then what?"
"Meetings. Lots of boring meetings." He drawled.
She turned around and leaned back against the table while her hands grasped its edge. "Like?"
"Creating an operation order. Handling logistics. Making up a ROE. Call-signs and tasking. Two days of planning easily."
He zipped up his bag and took another swig of water. "Briefing's after diner. Get yourself tidied up and I'll see you there. Heard it's your favorite. Food tubes."
She smiled up at him even if he couldn't see it. "Ah. Food tubes. Nice."
It was about the only thing that she'd had a growing insecurity of, eating the way she did. She rarely, if ever, participated in meal time, electing to just eat alone on a different floor entirely and out of view of anyone.
He gave her a chuckle and brought her in for a friendly hug. "Keep it up, Tali." He said. The hug ended sooner than she had wanted.
"And I don't know if I ever told you this, but I am so glad you're aboard and with us. Couldn't imagine what we'd do without you."
"Wouldn't want to be anywhere else."
With a nod, he reached for his duffel and made his way to the elevator.
She put her things together and glanced, one last time, at John who 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. He was just as friendly and as hospitable as many of the others here on the Normandy.
But something was... just so different. This is why this infatuation she had was so intense. He just felt so 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 budding feeling in her chest was more than just admiration.
He 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.
She never thought much about anyone giving her a friendly hug or bump on the shoulder either. The people around here all did that to build relationships and to show they cared. She kinda liked that. But when it came from John, it truly felt different.
Her mind went elsewhere. To other places.
…No harm in it, right? Imagining things like that?
Not like there was anything to stop her, much less know. She swallowed and immediately took those thoughts and put them into the proverbial trash can. She was stretching the imagination again. It was wishful thinking. Mirage to be admired from afar, she reminded herself again.
She was a dog legged girl with a handicapped immune system. She didn't even share the same chemistry as him (Literally.) And he didn't even know what she looked like. People could say all they wanted about how it's supposed to be the heart that you fall for but come on. The face was important too.
And they've only known each other for a month. You're not supposed to fall for anyone that fast. Right? Could you even fall in love that fast? That shortly? She stared at the reflection in the mirror beside her. There was little to distinguish about her face. Aside from her dainty nose and glowing eyes, details were sparse. She shook her head and sighed.
Here she went again, 30 steps ahead and thinking about all these terrible things over something fairly trivial and noncomplex.
Keelah. She had to stop doing that. She really needed to stop. She zipped the duffel with a little more force than necessary and went to get cleaned up.
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When everyone took their seats, the projector behind John flickered on.
"Everyone enjoy dinner?"
A chorus of yeses answered him.
"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. Her original outfit. So that's nice."
"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."
"What about Liara and Wrex?" Tali asked.
"Not sure yet. I'll determine that as things develop." 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. Then the default assumption stands. A precursor to some large-scale preemptive strike. Like the one on Eden Prime."
"It's a safe assumption." Was all that Tali could offer.
"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 cargo if you need me."
When he left, John turned to Tali. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd like for you to get those measurements done now. We're going to rush it's delivery. Kassa Fab said we could have that made inside two days."
"That's… really fast."
"It is. They ain't the best for no reason."
"I'll go to my room." She said before standing up with John, "So, odd question, but why an entirely new suit?"
"Modularity. Supposed to work with an external combat chest rig. Comes with quick hook armor plating. To protect the goods. You'll have to change into it when we go ground side."
"I see." Tali said, understanding, "This is— thank you."
Shepard's gaze met hers and his stare was akin to a child mesmerized by the calming dance of fireflies in the night. He stared a little longer than what was considered normal and her cheeks flushed red.
"Go on ahead," He said, coaxing himself out of his stupor as he walked her to the door, "I'll be waiting for the numbers."
She blinked rapidly before replying. "Uhm. Bye." She nodded before stepping through the door. He kept his lingering gaze on her until she disappeared from sight.
He smirked.
Damn. She was pretty.
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"Companies! ATTENTION!"
The deck vibrated with the unified thunder of boots slamming in discipline.
"Forty minutes to touchdown, warriors," Colonel Watson barked, his voice cutting through the air as he paced with purposeful strides. "The bad news. The 13th MEU will be joining the fray alongside us."
A murmur of discontent rumbled through the ranks, but Watson's sharp gaze quickly quelled it.
"You'll get your chance to outshine the jarheads by taking this planet by storm! This time, the army spearheads the charge under dire straits!" Watson halted, his stare piercing. "And let's be clear—the marines are playing catch-up to our lead! If you're lucky; you'll have killed every sumbitch with nothing left to even mop!"
A wave of cheers erupted, echoing his fighting spirit. Much better.
"Your Makos stand ready, primed for rapid assault. They'll hit the dirt first, carving a path straight through enemy lines. You will eradicate any synthetic fool daring enough to stand against my beloved Army. Are we clear?"
A resounding HOOAH filled the air, uniting them.
"Companies, dismissed! To your dropships, double-time!" Watson commanded, his voice booming across the bay.
Companies to platoons, platoons to squads, the lines of men snaked toward the VTOLs destined for the planet's surface. Anyone assigned to the armor unit gathered near the long stretch of Makos and clambered into its cramped embrace. Each IFV would carry four men into the heart of battle.
A man by the name of Private Juan Vazquez sat down and clumsily tried strapping himself into the seat's harness.
"You ever wonder why the brass thinks I need to attach eighty pounds of fucking gear and then also expect me to somehow fit in this shit?"
No one listened to him because they were all used to his complaining.
Private Eric Arzwall sat across from him and pushed Vazquez's feet aside so he could make room for himself. He was busily scratching his neck and stretching his face.
"You alright?"
"That energy drink had pre-workout in it. I'm so itchy. My asshole is so itchy."
"Just stretch the cheeks around. It'll move around your balloon knot. Might help." Was all the Hispanic man managed to offer.
Desperate for relief, Arzwall did just that and began grinding his ass into the chair.
"Arzwall doesn't need tips." Specialist Jared Vowell said flatly, squeezing into his seat.
"Y'all hear that Commander Shepard's going to be part of the forward RD? We might see him."
Corporal Nollen Tillman was the last to sit inside the Mako. "Who that?"
"The… first human Spectre?"
"Oh. That guy."
"Dude my asshole itches."
"His ship's escorting the deployment. We're gonna see aliens too."
"Oh shit. No way."
"So long as they're not turian."
"Yeah you just might see a turian."
"Holy fuck dude, my asshole."
"It's not the pre-workout, Eric," Vowell said with a tight and annoyed grimace to Arzwall, "You probably got gonorrhea."
"Everything's an ass joke to you isn't it? You're so fucking gay."
"I'm not the one bitching about their butt. You got the clap, faggot."
Before Arzwall could send in his rebuttal, the Mako's driver told them to mind the bump. "Boarding the RADREV. Stand by."
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Sixty-four ships flew in a loose phalanx formation, the leading ship, the Normandy.
"Ladies and gentleman, this is Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau of the SSV Normandy with a non-stop service to your special destination: Rayingri. A beautiful vacation spot for any budding couple or adventurer looking for their once-in-a-lifetime chance to catch geth outside their natural habitat. We are first in line and are expecting to jump at a comfortable 40,000 feet. Atmospheric pressures are a pleasant 0.8 with a pleasing resting temperature of 46 degrees Celsius. Please keep your seatbelts fastened and table trays in the upright position during descent. Turbulence from passing ordnance has been forecasted, so expect a bit of a bumpy ride on your way down. Thank you for riding Alliance Airfare. We sign you up, we ship you out."
Vowell leaned into Vazquez. "Yo. What planet we landing on again?"
Vazquez gave Vowell an exaggerated shrug. "Bro, I don't know. I'm just here to shoot shit."
"It's Rayingri. He just said it on the radio. Jesus Christ, why am I in this squad. Why do I have you as a battle-buddy."
"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.
The RADREV began to hum with tension, the crew's collective gaze fixed toward the windshield. A crackle of static momentarily filled the cabin, and the RADREV pilot's voice bled over the intercom. "All call signs. Declaration to final. Drop in twenty. Stand by."
As the bay doors yawned open, the Mako crew watched the slowly passing terrain unfurl beneath them. It was a beautiful, and equally deadly, canopy of crimson dunes that stretched to the horizon.
"We're fire contact. Adjust vectors. Minimize signature. Where's escort?"
"This is Escort-1 actual: Fencing in. Master arms checked hot. Targets locked. Hard-kill counter in effect and commenced, over."
The crew from within the Mako could see noodles of tracer fire racing up to meet them.
"Overwatch, this is Yellow-4, geth have guided munitions; received fire is effective, confirm receipt, over."
The RADREV began to rumble from the shockwave of flak of exploding ordnance. One of its engines began to plume black smoke after having eaten whatever the geth were so keen on sending them. "Engine 2 down! Shunting! Drop! Drop! Drop!"
The Mako's VI squawked and the RADREV's compartment bathed them from red to green. "Release. Release. Release."
The clasps let their package go and the Mako began its descent to Rayingri.
The formation of RADREV dropships took to the west and dispersed a rainfall of countermeasures that escorted the thirty-one Mako's in their freefall.
Tracer fire still tracked their descent and the tanks held steady from the dependable protection of their kinetic barriers.
Coms was beginning to turn into a mess of status reports, but the six men inside the Mako remained silent amidst the violent turbulence and groaning metal. Flecks of flak splashed across the windshield. Auric explosions rattled the cabin. But thirty one hulks continued their fall.
The ground, rising up to meet them, the VI finally blarred its announcement.
"Flare. * * Flare. * * Flare."
Flaring as instructed, the armored division slowed their descent into something a little more survivable for humans and landed.
As fast as it had come, the repelling effort from the geth ended and the sky cleared. The tanks dispersed into a loose formation and scanned their sightlines only to come up empty handed.
Tillman finally had the bravery to open his eyes. "Holy shit. We made it."
"All call-signs, all call signs, report status."
A grid of greens began to overtake the status reporter.
"13th needs their route safe and ready, folks. Route markers sent. Confirm green lines. Disbound. Execute tasking. Out."
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"We landed." Tali said pensively, eyes in a concentrated stare as if she'd been visualizing it all again, "And… there was nothing to greet us. No ambush. No front-line to engage. They'd all retreated in the understanding that they wouldn't survive a conventional engagement. At least, that's what we surmised. They massed every unit. Consolidated to operations for a final stand."
"Fascinating." Rael murmured, fully enriched in Tali's recounting of the events, "Please, go on."
"They didn't last long. We outnumbered them almost ten to one. Casualties from the Alliance were negligible, if any. It was an easy slaughter. At my recommendation due to our numbers advantage, we dismounted from the Mako's and continued with small arms without CAS to keep collateral damage to a minimum."
"CAS?"
"NAF. Sorry. Used to the human acronym."
She tapped her chin idly, thinking even harder. "As a matter of fact, one of the first shipments of scrap I sent back to you was from Rayingri. I wish I could've told you about where I'd gotten it when I sent it, but it was all deemed classified. I abided by that decision."
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Tali paused, drawing in a deep breath and sucked down what was left of her canteen before reloading her shotgun. The skirmish, though brief, had decisively tipped in their favor— a proper display of might over the geth's singular line of defense. Scores of enemy units were dismantled amidst the wreckage of their hastily erected barricade.
John rolled to his back from his prone position and grabbed a hold of Tali's shoulder to get her attention. "Tali! Garrus! Get ready!"
"For what?" In the din of battle, she strained her ears to make sure she could hear him.
"Just stand by!" Shepard commanded, turning back to focus on their company commander.
"Captain!"
"Sir!"
"Orders to follow: I want second platoon to maintain overwatch and issue suppressive fire. First platoon to advance and get in range with grenades. Second platoon issues three waves of kill-shot concussive rounds. Geth advisor to deliver cyber onslaught to dispense the rest. Are we crystal?"
"Full copy. Advance with overwatch. Grenade bombardment. Three round concussive send. Cyber on cue!"
"Now, captain!"
"Second platoon! Suppressive fire!"
As ordered, dozens of men mag dump rounds down range.
"First platoon! Advance! Forty meters! Prep grenades!"
To their feet, first platoon began their ascent up the hill, guns down on slings while they reached for their issued explosives.
"Send it!"
Reaching their designated marker, first platoon lobbed their standard issue TA-50 grenades in a graceful arc toward the geth. Tali, barely able to suppress a conquering smirk, lobbed her own grenade over the crest.
A pitter patter of violent explosions rattled the sand. Concussive rounds raced above them soon after from second platoon and dismantled any geth unit that dared remain.
Silence descended, the aftermath revealing the extent of their dominance. Soldiers hastily reloaded, eyes on their captain for the next command.
With the enemy's defenses obliterated, Shepard saw the moment to seize victory. "Advance! Take the hill!" he roared, rallying the troops.
The men howled, and they pushed further up, screamed their wonton screams to get revenge on the monsters of Eden Prime.
John turned to Tali with a firm stare. "Tali, this is your moment. Time to shine."
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"And that was it. Geth base intact. Save for the marring of a few grenades." Tali whispered.
"Glorious." Rael felt triumphant, even if it was only vicariously. "The humans sound incredibly capable."
"They are. Working with them was an incredible privilege."
John flashed through her mind again for the umpteenth time that day. "When we took stock of what was left over, we discovered a geth computer that was still networked and online."
"Unbelievable."
She shrugged indifferently. It was pretty believable when that happenstance competed against everything else she and Normandy had dealt with. Comparing everything else that'd happened, a geth computer that forgot to wipe itself was pretty tame on the list of unusuality. "It… hadn't been wiped. I never was able to figure out why."
"How strange."
"Strange, yes." She agreed with that, "Stranger was what we saw."
"What did you see?"
"A movie. Or… a recording of some kind, I think. It was hard to make out but it was definitely pre-war. Like it was being studied maybe."
"Studied? I don't understand."
"I don't either. I believe the geth were studying us. Are studying us. And not just through the optics of war."
"How so?"
"Our art." She answered with a composed sigh, "Our culture."
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Vazquez and Arzwall stood over the cooked remains of a dead geth unit. Vazquez knelt down to get a better look of the fried shell and scoffed. "Fish in a barrel. How did we get tossed up so bad on Eden Prime. Crazy."
"There were more of them, Vazquez. Probably thousands."
"Fuck them." He said distantly, comedic hue gone from his voice. "I can't wait to kill more."
"We're clear, sir! No contacts!" Hillman called out.
Shepard eased himself off the trigger and relaxed. "Clear here too. We're good. We're clear. Safeties on."
The small squad that'd been trailing John, Tali, and John dispersed to start exploring what remained.
There were other soldiers mingling about the pre-fabricated building, exploring and idly mucking about since the fighting was over.
Tali was doing largely the same. Picking about through the random scrap, examining dead geth, or looking at dead computers. It was all fascinating. This was the first time she'd ever been surrounded by this much geth tech.
God she wished she had more pockets for all this crap laying about. She noticed a group of soldiers lining up for a picture with a dead geth at their feet.
"Commander!" one of the men called out as they all gathered together, "Do us the honors!"
Giving Tali a quick sideways glance and shrug, he went over to stand in the middle of the group and posed for the picture.
Garrus stood next to her and they both watched from the sidelines.
"Can we get the turian and purple lady over here?" One of them said with a grin.
"Come on, Tali. You too, Garrus." John waved with a hand.
"You sure?" Garrus asked, "Thought you'd all hate me?"
"Naw, we got a new grudge now. Geth's the new bad guy. Come on bone head."
Garrus actually laughed and made his way over. It also got a smile out of the quarian as she timidly stepped up to get into the picture.
"Right here guys. Next to me." John said. The soldiers nearest to him obliged and gave the two the space they'd need to fit in.
Shepard wrapped his arms around the shoulder of Garrus and Tali and smiled. She actually, for once, had the confidence to put a hand on her hip while reaching out to hold his back when the picture was taken.
The picture taking was over as soon as it had started. And after failing to decline several requests to sign people's gear and guns, he eventually found Tali by herself down a hallway and in some room. She was busying herself with the remnants of a dead unit missing its head.
"Hey."
"Hi." She said, looking up at him. "How many pistols and breast plates got your signature on it?"
He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Uh. A lot."
She gave him a soft laugh. "Wow. You're becoming a celebrity. How's it feel?"
"Laugh it up, Tals."
Oh it was that nickname again. Her heart fluttered the same it did the first time she heard it. God, she loved that.
"Maybe I can get an autograph too?" She said to keep the mirth alive.
It was his turn to roll his eyes. "Alright, alright. Very funny. Maybe I should knock you down a peg to keep you a little more humble."
"Try me." She said, giving him an unseen pair of pursed lips.
"Making fun of you is like picking low hanging fruit."
"Ouch. I don't get it, but it hurts all the same."
He bellowed a laugh and leaned back up against a pillar to settle himself down. "Find anything useful yet?" Deciding to change the subject.
"Lots. I'm going to have to pass up some amazing finds. It's just too dangerous to be messing with."
He frowned. "Really?"
"Yes." She said simply, "The stuff I send back has to be safe. Can't chance the safety of the fleet."
"Abundance of caution is probably the safe route, yes." John said, nodding. He took a good gander at the geth she'd been hovering over.
"First time I've ever gotten to see one up so close." He mentioned, leaning down next to her. "Pretty intimidating."
"Not without a head they aren't." She said with a snort. She stood up and started making her way toward something that caught her eye.
"Hm. Very true." He followed. "Speaking of being close to geth; you never did tell me how you managed to sneak up on one and take its hard drive back before we met."
"It's tricky. And it's mostly luck." She said.
"Luck? What's the chance of failure?"
"I—" She peered closer at the computer she was staring at and realized it was… on.
"…Tali?"
"It's on…"
"What is? That?"
"It's still connected to their lace. Keelah. That's…" her breath left her and she began to feel for her pockets.
"What are you searching for?"
"Blank OSD. I— it's somewhere he—"
His hand came into focus with an OSD pinched between his fingertips. "Here you go."
She took it and began to search for a port. If the geth were smart, they'd have procured these stations with ports used by the galactic community at large.
Conveniently, she was right. Six ports of different configurations of the galaxy's most commonly used peripherals lined the side of the computer. She jammed it right in before interfacing with the machine.
"What are you doing?"
"Finding my pilgrimage gift."
"Oh. Wow." He bristled, "That was fast, huh?"
She didn't say anything; focus beset upon the preparation for a total download of everything this thing could give her.
"Look at that. One month in and you got what you needed."
"You have no idea how much of a relief this is to me." She said, finally able to split her attention between him and this computer, "I can't believe it came so easy…"
"Easy huh? You had Probably half a trillion dollars riding here to help stop this."
"You know what I meant."
John said nothing. She faced him, seeing as how she didn't have anything else to do but wait for the transfer to continue doing its thing. Sensing where his thoughts were going, she spoke up to relieve him of any budding worry that might've been burdening him. "I hope you know that this doesn't change anything. I'm here for the long haul. Until Saren is brought to justice. Or dead. Preferably dead."
"Thank you, Tali."
"It's the least I can do at this point, Shepard."
They both stare wordlessly at the machine for a bit.
"So, Tali."
"Yes?"
"Question."
She looked at him, waiting.
"How in the world does an OSD fit into a geth computer?"
"Easy." She said, "Geth find source material from wherever they decide to attack. In order to use our hardware, they have to interface with it. Hence these ports. And if you can pull data from something, then you can write it on there too."
"Well, find your other OSD. Let's download it all twice. Being redundant is a good idea."
"That's a good idea, yes." She started rifling through her pockets again. But after a full-on minute of searching her person and backpack, she gave up in a frustrated sigh.
"I… don't think I have it on me. Keelah. What would I have done without you?"
"Missing the opportunity of a lifetime, apparently."
She frowned and let her eyes show her distaste for the remark, but it wasn't far from the truth.
"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. "13 terabytes. Wow."
"Is that supposed to be a lot? What're the margins you're looking for here?"
"I would've been happy with a single gig. But here I am with over 13,000 instead. Oh god. Wow. Keelah."
A sudden flash of a migraine-inducing light from the geth hub shimmered brightly before John and Tali.
"Holy hell, Tali! That's bright as hell! What did you do?!"
She didn't get to answer.
"Echoes of brilliance, a dance of embers in flame's embrace. Those amongst us, now shadows in endless grace." 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 stands to witness silent graves. Sacrifices made, yet no one to save."
"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's visor finally darkened enough for her to make out the details of a naked quarian woman.
"Through ash and ice, threats faintly roar. Souls slip away to their eternal shore. In dawn's first light, quietly to soar, merging with the cosmos evermore."
Then the light disappeared and the three were left in stunned silence.
"What did we just see…" 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..."
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We saw this from that same computer. I think its projection was malfunctioning, because the screen turned into a giant flare. I could barely make out an unmasked woman. No suit. Reciting a poem. I don't remember what she said either. It was… very haunting from what little I could recall."
"Perhaps a clue?" He suggested.
"I don't follow."
Rael said nothing for a few moments and stood back up, thought plastered all over his face. He went back to the observation window with focus in his eyes. "Try to remember, Tali. Recite the steps leading to this."
"I—" Tali narrowed her stare and wondered why that was important but gave it a shot anyways. "John… handed me an OSD. I pulled data. Then that bright light. That's it."
Rael paused and turned around. "You used who's OSD?"
Oh no. Oh, god no. Oh fuck. "…The Commander's. He gave it to me."
"Why?"
"I…" She was too deep in. There was no lying out of this. "I didn't have it on me."
"He lent you… something that should've been readily available on your person. Am I hearing that correctly?"
It was absolutely a rhetorical question.
Stifling silence. Repressive quietness. "I… I don't know what to say."
She could see his gears churning. And they weren't churning in a way that was going to turn out in her favor.
"Tali, are you grasping the magnitude of what was nearly squandered? This could have been our most significant advancement since our exile from Rannoch, and you—through sheer negligence—nearly let it slip away."
She shut her eyes tightly together, teeth clenched even more so. Why did she tell the truth. Why did that even slip out? Whatever had passed off as being a regular father to her was completely gone. Back was the stalwart and dedicated admiral she had always known.
"Such oversight is not merely a personal failing; it's a failing of our people. We have fought and struggled and survived on the fringes for centuries; clinging to the dream of reclaiming our homeworld. Every piece of technology, Tali; Every shard of knowledge we gather brings us one step closer." He stood over her now, his gaze cast down against hers. "And yet, on the precipice of monumental discovery, you nearly let it fade into the ether because of... what?" He shook his head, looking up at the ceiling for the appropriate words, "A lapse in memory? Inattention?"
"I—"
"—I'm not done. This is not a matter of simple oversight; it's a question of competency. We cannot afford such carelessness, not when every decision, every action we take, must be for the whole of the fleet. We are adrift, daughter, a people without a planet, and it falls upon each of us, especially those of us with the privilege of your position, my position, to strive tirelessly towards our collective salvation."
There was a deafening silence that befell the two. She averted her stare. Eyes wet and throat a swollen lump. He distanced himself and went for the door seeing as how he had said everything he needed to. At its breadth, he faced her back, where she remained unmoving, and said his parting words. "Remember this, Tali. Remember the weight of the legacy you carry. The legacy we all carry. The hopes of our people that buoy you. Do not falter again, for the cost is too great, and the opportunity too precious to squander."
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 caught up to everything he'd said to her, she took an unsteady and trembling breath.
Her head fell into her hands. She gnashed her teeth and let out only a single choked sob from her lips.
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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, 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.