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3-10-2186
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"The Alliance News Network provides you now with live updates and coverage of the Colony of Horizon, the latest settlement to be hit in the Shadow Sea Nebula. The abductions of sovereign colonies in the Traverse have become a problem so critical, it has now caught the attention of the Citadel, Salarian STG, and Turian Hierarchy. Horizon, unlike previous abductions, was the first colony to successfully repel their invaders due to the Alliance's recent initiative to fund and arm these colonies with defensive batteries. This did not come without great cost. The Alliance's naval presence was decimated in the attack. The number of lives lost has reached well over seven hundred army, marine, and naval personnel. While official investigations have yet to be launched, the Systems Alliance, in an official statement, assures those affected will have answers soon. We bring you a survivor of the attack on Horizon, Diana Holder:"
The screen switched to show a perfectly normal-looking woman standing just outside her dwelling. Out of context, no one would have guessed Horizon had just survived an attack. Then again, camera work could do an amazing job of shaping what you could and couldn't see.
"I don't remember exactly what happened… and it seems to be that way for everyone." The woman explained, "But I do remember waking up and… seeing destruction around me. And the air was just… different. I was picked up by two gentlemen and… brought to a white tent. They gave us water and told us everything would be okay…" The woman's eyes glazed over and turned into a thousand-yard stare.
The newscaster returned. But at the corner of the screen, the footage of the victims continued.
"Ms. Holder is just one of thousands of survivors who all share similar experiences of muscle weakness and memory loss. Current estimates suggest that the population of Horizon has remained largely intact. That number may soon change until the reports of missing persons inevitably pour in. Investigations are being launched to identify and study the conflict's aftermath as remains of the culprits responsible for these abductions are found. We will provide more updates as the situation develops. This is Diana Allers, Alliance News."
Tali and John watched quietly from their bed and didn't say anything. Eventually, John decided to switch the channel to something less distressing than the emergency occurring on Horizon. Neither of them realized it, but it was reminding them both too much of Ash.
"Would you like me to make you some tea, hun?" John said quietly as he stood up from the bed before yawning slightly.
"I would love that."
"Dextro chamomile?"
"Please." She said with a smile. He walked around the bed and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"Sugar too?"
"You must love me a lot." She breathed as she smelled his soft scent.
"I love you a lot, yes." He said, walking to turn on their hot plate. He poured water into a kettle and set it atop the heating element before going up to the bathroom to wash his face.
She fluffed her pillow, propped herself up, and slipped on the bracelet to her omni-tool. Best if she get an update on Juel, Talukh, and her schedule.
Instead, she noticed she had an email from Garrus. An email from two in the morning. She couldn't help but feel a wave of anxiety rush her stomach.
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-ᴛᴀʟɪ,
ɪ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴀʟᴋ ᴛᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴏʟᴀsɪᴇ. sʜᴇ ɴᴇᴇᴅs ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ sᴛʀᴀɪɢʜᴛᴇɴᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ.
ᴛʜɪs ɪs ɪᴍᴘᴏʀᴛᴀɴᴛ. ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴍᴇ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ᴀᴠᴀɪʟᴀʙʟᴇ.
-ɢᴀʀʀᴜs
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She put a hand on her forehead and grumbled. It was one thing after another, wasn't it? Maybe she was just looking at it through a pair of rose tinted glasses, but she didn't remember there being this much drama on the old Normandy. She swiped the email away and told herself she would remember to reply later.
She closed her eyes and snoozed while John started to brush his teeth.
When the kettle started to whistle, Tali sniffed, tossed the covers aside, and got up. She couldn't help but frown at the touch of the cold metal floor on her feet. She really needed to get a rug or mat for her side of the bed. Or better yet, slippers.
"I got it," Tali said to let John know he could keep brushing his teeth.
"Oh. Thanks, Tals. You know I can still get it."
"It's okay, huneey."
She put on one of her sweatshirts, walked over to retrieve their mugs from the shelf, and poured herself a helping of steaming water. The rest went into John's french press he had prepared the night before. He'd been taking a liking to it lately, making his coffee this way.
She scooped her crushed herbs into her infuser and set it into the water to steep. Dextro sugar followed soon after. Taking in its sweet scent, she stirred and took a careful sip before John came up from behind her to give her another kiss on the cheek. She sighed at his embrace and smiled.
This is what Tali lived for. Mundane moments like this.
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Four hours later.
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When Tali sat on the edge of their bed, she awkwardly set down her stack of papers and tablet on the nightstand. During her attempt to fix her jumbled folder of paperwork, she had pushed off the necklace that'd been lying at the base of her lamp. It clattered to the floor with a ping and rolled to her feet until the chain caught its unintended escape, forcing it down on its face.
She stopped what she was doing and carefully picked up the pendant with a look of slight surprise to inspect its surface. As it gleamed, just as it had when she had first received the gift over a year ago, she bit her lip and let out a small sigh. One that not even she could hear. Not a scratch enshrined its surface, largely because John had the fortitude to have the thing made in tungsten carbide.
She hadn't been wearing it lately. And there wasn't an exact reason either. She rubbed a thumb over the inscribing and let a smile show.
She supposed the reason she hadn't been wearing it was because she didn't need to remember him anymore. You know. Because he was there for her every day.
She stared for several seconds, the errand she was trying to do forgotten. She still remembered the day she had fashioned the chain for the pendant. Remembered how horrible she felt and how bitter life had been.
With a long thought to keep her, she took out her multi-tool, dangled the chain between her fingers, and cut it off. Two small clicks later and it fell to the floor, the medal now free and alone. With both hands, she cupped the precious metal and decided to put it away in her drawer.
This was a new chapter in her life. And removing the chain, in a weird way, reflected that. She wasn't looking for symbolism or anything like that, but it felt like the right thing to do.
When she pulled the drawer out, she frowned slightly before setting it down. Unfortunately, the box it came in was still on the Neema in her room. She'd make a note to get that when they visited again, whenever that would be. She stood up, retrieved the remains of the necklace on the floor, and dropped it into the trash bin.
"New me, I guess." She said with a slight grin. She grabbed her laptop, since it was the reason she was here in the first place and filed away her papers into her bag. Then, as she slung it over her shoulder, she yawned and stepped out of the room to head back down to engineering. Then she entered the lift and crossed her arms.
"EDI, could you bring me to engineering please."
"Yes, Ms. Zorah."
"Also, do you know where John is?"
"He is at the helm speaking with Mr. Moreau."
Tali nodded as the lift descended. "Oh. Okay. Thanks."
"You're welcome, Ms. Zorah."
When the elevator arrived, she stepped out and made her way to her workstation. She greeted Donnelly and Daniels, set her bag down, and logged into her computer to get an idea of what needed to be done for the afternoon. It was about a minute or two of reviewing the list before a voice spoke from behind her.
"Tali. May I join you?"
She whirled around and her eyes shot up in surprise.
"Thane? What can I do for you?"
"I would like to talk."
"Erhm—about what?"
Thane blinked once and took a thoughtful, if not hesitant, breath. "About familial things."
"I'm not exactly the greatest person when it comes to dealing with family. I only have my dad." Tali answered, partly relieved to know it wasn't going to be about Horizon or their recent briefing about indoctrination. It didn't make the question seem any less odd, however.
"...do you love your father?"
She took a sideways glance to the wall and felt... uncomfortable? Was that the word? She ushered for him to follow her deeper into the Normandy's guts until they were at the engine room. It gave her time to compose herself and to look polite. There was a reason Thane had decided to speak to her about this. She would oblige his request and find out what this was all about.
"Why ask me?"
"I know that quarian families rarely conceive more than one child." Thane began, staring at the engine that vibrated ominously above them. "I've also learned that bonds among quarians are strong amongst each other for reasons that are obvious to necessity."
"Unless fate decided to give you twins, you're not allowed to have a second child, no." Tali acquiesced, "And yes, you're right about the second part too."
"Our stories do share some similarity, Tali." Thane said, staring at her with his big and black eyes, "I am a husband to a dead wife. And a father to a child who'd lost his mother."
It seemed as if Thane was reliving something as he spoke. Tali frowned and had almost forgot that drell experienced memories differently than quarians. She decided to remove him from his self-induced trance by speaking up.
"Forgive me, because I'm not trying to be rude," Tali spoke, forcing him back to the present, "But why are you telling me this?"
He didn't meet her gaze and kept his hands behind his back while he looked at the giant ball that was the Normandy's engine.
"My son is being led astray and is trying to lead the life of an assassin as I have."
"Oh. Well... maybe he's trying to be you." She offered, not necessarily knowing what that entailed.
"That thought scares me more than you can imagine. My skills were honed over a lifetime of training. He has no skill to speak of. Something I pray stays that way."
"When was the last time you spoke to him? Is he not listening to you?"
Thane looked bitter and he stared at the grates under their feet with an empty look. "I have not spoken to him for years. I wasn't there for him for anything. Not even when his mother died."
Anything Tali was working up to say was gone. If he was trying to draw some similarity between her dad and himself, he really shouldn't have been at this point. Thane was nothing like her father. As much as Rael wasn't there for her, she could at least say he was there when her mother died.
"You must think I'm a monster." He intoned, briefly looking at her.
"No. Of course not." She murmured. Who was she kidding.
"I do not take pleasure in telling you any of this." Thane explained, "Limiting my relationship to him was necessary to keep him safe and alive."
"Why did your wife die?"
"My work caught up to me."
The quarian swallowed and she felt compelled to put a hand on his shoulder or something. But she didn't.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I came here to ask for your advice."
"I just... don't think I'm the best with that."
"If you were in my shoes, would you save your son, even if it meant postponing a mission to stop the collectors?"
She thought about something John used to tell her back on the old Normandy. Something about the value of life and about why numbers didn't matter. That when you began to determine the value of lives with statistics and numbers, it blurred the lines between love and logic. Or it being something like blurring the lines between a loving person and a number-crunching calculator. She couldn't remember which. The point of his lesson was that logic was supposed to win out of course, but it sure helped when love won too. So she decided to recite something John had said to her years ago back on the SR1.
"Lives matter, Thane. One or a million, be it your son or a city. Besides, we've done it with Kasumi and I'm pretty sure Zaeed has something lined up for himself also." Tali said before she shrugged. "And we're waiting for the collectors to make their next move. That could be days. Weeks. Months even."
Seemingly satisfied with Tali's answer, he thought about what she had said a little more and finally bowed his head slightly. "Thank you, Tali'Zorah. I extend my gratitude."
"Of course." Tali said with the slight dip of her own head, "Anything for the crew."
He turned around and walked away. One of the more enigmatic men she'd ever seen in her life, she thought to herself. The number of secrets that man kept to himself was probably one too many.
With a lingering eye, she pursed her lips and walked back to her workstation to get back to work. Before she could even raise her hands to the keyboard, she received a text. With a shallow sigh, she suddenly remembered the email Garrus had sent her this morning about Olasie. It was probably him again to remind her of the problem he wanted to discuss with her.
She was pleasantly surprised to see it was actually a text from Juel.
'ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ᴀʟᴍᴏsᴛ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴍᴍ ᴄɪᴠ. ᴡᴇ ᴡᴏɴ'ᴛ ʙᴇ ᴏᴜᴛsɪᴅᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴢᴏɴᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ʟᴏɴɢᴇʀ. ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ʟɪᴠᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴛᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇᴇᴍᴀ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ʜᴏᴍᴇ. ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʀɪɴɢ ᴜᴘ ᴘʀᴀᴢᴢᴀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴋᴀʟ. ᴡᴀɴɴᴀ ᴊᴏɪɴ?'
With a little hesitation in the way her hands moved, she keyed her reply.
- ɪ'ᴅ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ. ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ɴᴇᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴅᴏɴᴇ. ᴊᴜsᴛ ᴛᴇʟʟ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ɪ sᴀɪᴅ ʜɪ. -
Ten seconds pass before she got an answer.
- ᴀʟʀɪɢʜᴛ. sᴛᴏᴘ ʙʏ sᴏᴍᴇᴛɪᴍᴇ ʟᴀᴛᴇʀ. ʙʀɪɴɢ ᴄʜᴏᴄᴏʟᴀᴛᴇ. -
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"Is she coming?" Olasie asked as she opened up her laptop.
Juel shook his head loosely and set his hand down. "Nope."
Olasie cleared her throat and shook her head. "Ah. What a surprise. She knew we planned this. She can be such a flake."
"Well, that might be the case, but they're going to get a real good kick seeing you in your bubble," Talukh said weakly with a grin, changing the conversation.
"At least they know I'm working hard." Juel offered. He cleared his throat and frowned. It hurt really bad to swallow.
Kylie fiddled with a smoothie packet while Teri sat in the back reading an article on her omni-tool. Darehk stood behind Olasie as she logged in so she could prep the call.
"Do they know to call us right now?" Darehk asked.
"Of course. Logged it with them three days ago. Don't you check the course chart to see where we're at?"
"Nope. Never thought I'd need to." He answered. He crossed his arms and rose a brow. "Why don't we just use the Normandy's QEC?"
"Security reasons was Cerberus' answer." Teri spoke up, "We're quarians. Calling us with Cerberus SOTA tech is asking for nothing but trouble."
"Ah. That's fair." Darehk nodded, "I can understand that."
"How come Tali isn't coming?" Kylie piped up between a glob of her smoothie.
"Said she has a 'lot of work' to take care of apparently." Juel said, rolling his eyes.
"She's a workaholic, Kylie." Olasie added, "You know her work takes priority over the very air she breathes."
"Understated." Juel said with a soft laugh.
Olasie's laptop started ringing. With a look of surprise, she stared at the screen and saw their call. "Oh good. It's working."
She clicked the button and immediately saw Kal and Prazza sitting in the Neema's lunchroom with the other members of Gerrel's expeditionary force.
"Hi from the Normandy." Olasie said with a reserved smile, "Glad we could all finally talk and catch up."
"Same. We're all happy to see you guys," Kal said earnestly as he folded his arms and leaned into the camera, "Everyone's here to see you too. Say hi everyone."
A small chorus of hi's echoed from Olasie's speakers. It made everyone in the infirmary smile.
"It's been a long month back home without you guys." Kal started, "How's your vacation been fairing? Have you visited an aquarium yet?"
That elicited a small number of chuckles from Kal's end of the call.
"Ha. No aquarium. But we've been busy." Olasie picked up the laptop so she could show them the condition Juel and Talukh were in. She panned to Talukh first, then to Juel and his naked face.
Juel waved to them with his prosthetic hand and stared blankly at the camera where everyone could see him.
"Would you look at that," one of Kal's marines said in the background, "Juel's in a bubble. It's a good look on you."
The naked quarian shook his head and didn't bother hiding his embarrassment. "Thanks, Ulray. You bastard."
"We were on Horizon." Olasie said, getting them back on track after the laughs, "I'm sure you guys heard the news."
The quarians on the screen all leaned forward in exasperated surprise.
"No shit. It was you that stopped Horizon?" Prazza asked, astonished, "...How bad?"
"Bad." Kylie spoke up, now standing behind Olasie with Darehk. "But we won. No one died on our end."
"Anything not ANN has been giving mixed messages about Horizon. None of it all that great." Prazza said.
Kal shook his head. "The news can spin it any way they want it to, but you guys are heroes in my book."
Prazza pointed at Juel with a slight grin. "Heroes yeah; but Juel keeps getting the short end of the stick. He's in the infirmary more than any of us."
"A cheap crack at the poop incident," Juel said, pointing at the camera with his mechanical arm, "Notank to rob me of my arm this time. Just took shrapnel to the face and had it shatter my helmet. Lucky I didn't lose both my eyes to glass. Those are a bit harder to replace."
"So Lukh's on the bed as well. What happened to you, man?"
"Took a round to the chest. Pierced my chest plate like butter. Show them the gear, Teri."
Teri reached for the chest rig calked in dried blood sitting at the foot of his bed and hoisted it for the camera to see.
"Shattered like a dinner plate." Talukh explained, "Didn't feel very good."
Prazza had to take a breath at the carnage the armor plate sustained. "Keelah. You lived through that?"
"Tough as steel, that one." Teri complimented.
"So you really went face to face against the collectors."
"Yeah," Juel answered, crestfallen, "So the next time you run into Veetor, tell him he did us a solid. His findings helped make the bug repellent we used."
Enyah, the neighbor of both Olasie and Tali, appeared on the screen just behind Prazza. "Hate to take us off topic, but where's Tali? Or is she 'too busy'?"
Olasie sighed lamely. "Enyah, are you surprised she's not here?"
"Not in the slightest." Enyah chuckled, shaking her head with slight disappointment. "Well, tell her we said hi."
"We will." Olasie promised.
"So how're you guys holding up on your end?" Juel wondered, "Anything coming up for you?"
"We're heading out tomorrow. We've been preparing this past week. Gonna be hard without you guys." Prazza murmured, "Can't tell you much more than that. You're out of the loop until you're back here with us."
Olasie gave them an understanding nod.
"Is the aftermath on Horizon worse than what they say it is?" Prazza asked Olasie.
Olasie fell off the face of reality and found herself standing and staring at that stiff little girl with her face down in mud and eyes still open. The self-induced trance had gone as quickly as it had come and she inhaled sharply.
That memory seared her mind every time she remembered it. The mere idea of dwelling on what was in store for the future of those people was tearing at her mental fabric. Knowing it wasn't the right time to break down now, she stalled the choked sigh that was coming.
"...I don't think I could put to words the crisis that's about to unfold down there." Olasie finally uttered. The other quarians in the infirmary remained silent and reflected themselves the rising disaster on Horizon.
"Well. Look," Kal said with a concerned drawl, "I'm just glad you guys are alright. You stay alive out there. I know it's a lot more dangerous than you're letting on. That's an order. All of you."
"Keep us posted as much as you can, alright? We're all here for you." Prazza said himself. "We're all proud of you back here at home."
"Thanks Prazza." Olasie said before looking up at Juel and giving him a tired smile.
"We'll send you guys goodies when we can." Kylie said before leaning down so she could get a better look out of them. She put a hand to her mouth to show she was smiling.
"Wish we could all talk longer, but we've all got to get back to work." Kal said sadly, "We have a lot to prepare for tomorrow."
"We understand. We've got a lot to do on our end as well."
The quarians on the Neema drew their finger to their own faces and bowed their heads slightly. "Keelah'Selai."
"Keelah Se'lai."
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Two hours later.
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The Normandy had a different feel to it these past two days. Existentialism was probably the best word to describe it. Because the crew learned that the reapers, through indoctrination, were capable of yanking away that cherished part of life. To bend someone's free will to do something they otherwise wouldn't.
John had to step back sometimes himself and really reassess the reality of the enemy they were fighting. In a way, the problem always felt so far off. Like it didn't even really exist because it was so damn near intangible to comprehend. I mean, seriously. Indoctrination? Drones that paralyze your body and rape you with amnesia? Just so you could be hauled off to fuck knows where? Giant, near invincible, sentient machines fanatically toiling over galactic genocide?
And the only thing the Milky Way had to fight demi-gods was a frigate of clowns with blood money to keep it running.
A clever string of words, but they stuck in Shepard's head long enough for him to frown.
He found himself idly staring at the twinkling light of the galaxy map and decided to let out a slow sigh. He had emails to check, a meeting to attend with TIM, and papers to sign. Near insignificant things, but they were baby steps at least.
At least there was always something to do.
The elevator behind him opened and several people walked out, of them including Mordin.
"Mordin. Were you at the infirmary?"
"Yes."
"How're the quarians?"
"Will make full recovery. Will take week however. Juel under antibiotics to combat sinus infection and developing pneumonia. Based on predicted models."
"Prediction? Don't know what'll happen exactly?"
"Not with exactitude. Quarian reaction to foreign matter sometimes... unique." Mordin shrugged before cracking a small smile. "Why they call it 'practice'."
John snorted at the joke. "Thanks Mordin."
"Of course, Shepard. Will be in lab with Dr. Wilson if you need me. Have many samples of collector flesh taken on Horizon. Will conduct analysis and report findings if deemed worthy of mentioning."
"Be careful doc. Even a smidge of reaper tech and it's out the airlock."
"Of course."
The door closed behind the doctor and John went back to his work. Seconds later, however, John saw Garrus exit out of the armory on a straight course to the helm. Ordinarily, they would exchange glances and a subtle nod to each other. But this time, Garrus didn't even bother acknowledging his existence. A frown tugged at John's lips and he crossed his arms over the galaxy map's railing.
"Kelly. How're the sessions you've had with Garrus been lately?"
Kelly frowned herself and looked at John sheepishly. "He's been pushing his session times back."
"When was the last time you saw him for an evaluation?"
"When he first boarded the Normandy, Commander. Before you even showed up."
John scoffed and let his disappointment show. He recognized and accepted the fact that Garrus wasn't the same man he'd known two years ago. Their relationship was different. His character had changed. He was less idealistic; less than it already had been on the SR1 and for reasons John could totally understand. But that didn't mean that there wasn't an elephant in the room that needed addressing. The friendship and camaraderie between Garrus and Tali and himself looked strained as of late. Add the hate he had toward Jack, him killing Morinth without Samara's blessing, and his recent report of Olasie's borderline insubordination on Horizon? It wasn't that these issues weren't without merit. It's just that Garrus looked like he was struggling with some kind of... mental trigger. Was he still coming to grips with losing two of his team? He supposed so. You didn't really get over them in the span of just a month.
John bit his lip and did his best to hide the thoughts he was having behind his unintentional expression of stress. He wasn't a psychiatrist. He didn't know what or how to identify turian psychology. All he knew is that Garrus wasn't the Garrus he'd known. For that reason, he'd make it his mission to get to the bottom of this.
He tapped some things on the holo display before pointing at Kelly with a finger. "Tell him he's going to see you today. Captain's orders. No excuses. If he tells you he doesn't have time, tell him to make some."
Kelly nodded once. "Aye, sir."
John skimmed through a report and rubbed his chin. "On an unrelated note: do you know what's for dinner?"
The yeoman stammered a bit and cleared her throat so she could read the menu she'd just pulled up on her computer. "Uhm... Turkey or rotisserie chicken over gravy, lingonberry, mixed veggies, and sourdough roll with salted irish cream. Carrot cake is for dessert. For the dextro crew, its Halsey mash with white gravy, winged tusk steak or Paltorian filet, and mixed veggie soup. Dextro-chocolate cake for dessert."
"Paltorian filet. That's Garrus' favorite." John said, half paying attention, "Bit fancy today."
"Celebrating the success on Horizon."
John signed off on some paperwork Tali had sent him when Kelly had replied.
"I see."
Garrus walked back from the helm straight the elevator without saying a word.
When the doors closed and the lift descended, John logged off the map and stepped off the podium.
"I'll be back. I've got some things I need to take care of."
"Okay," She said, looking up from her keyboard, "I'll be here if you need me."
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"I know you got my message." Garrus said to Tali's back. He watched her head dip lower until she finally turned around to face him.
With a sigh, she looked up to see the irritation apparent in his expression. "I've been busy Garrus."
"I understand. We all are. But this is serious."
"If it's serious, then you should address it to Shepard and not me."
"They're quarians. And you know them more than any of us, Tali. I'm trying to be respectful and consult you about it first."
She leaned back on her workstation and crossed her arms in what looked to like submission. "Alright. What happened down there, Garrus."
"Not here. Somewhere a little more private."
For the second time that day, she was asked to take a trip down to the engine room to talk. She followed the turian until they were well out of earshot of both Gabby and Kenneth.
"She defied my orders and it could have cost us more than almost losing Lukh and Juel."
She tried to work her mouth to offer him something, but she couldn't. So she rose her hands up with her palms facing upward.
"Garrus. These people haven't faced what we've faced. This is their first real mission with us. You need to remember that."
Garrus didn't say anything, so Tali took it as an invitation to continue.
"Were we any better on the SR1?" Tali spat with an almost angry hiss, "Do you remember Noveria and the things that we saw? You of all people remember what I did there. You saw it and John did too." She pinched her pointer and thumb together to emphasize her words. "I lost it and came within a centimeter of calling it quits."
Garrus searched for the face behind her mask and took a slight step back.
He remembered vividly the torture and pain inflicted upon of the inhabitants of peak 15. To say Tali had lost it wasn't much of an exaggeration. It had come to head when they saw rachni playfully torturing a half dead man. The things he saw Tali do to that rachni were well deserved, but something he didn't particularly want to remember.
There was a moment of silence, so Tali put a hand on his arm and looked him in the eye.
"Garrus," Tali said softly, "They've gotta get used to it."
"It almost came at a cost too great, Tali." Garrus murmured, pulling away from her and shaking his head. "There is too much riding on us this time to be making mistakes. The situation we're in is different. So. Terribly. Different." His eyes hardened enough for them to pierce her visor with a visage of unyielding focus. "And if we don't recognize that and adapt to it, we're all going to die."
She felt herself begin to tremble with what could only be a mix of anger and angst. "Damnit, Garrus. I know that. We all do. What you fail to recognize is that we are all still just people. When have you forgotten that?"
"What the hell is going on." They both turn to see John standing at the very end of the walkway with his hands closed into fists.
"Go ahead, Garrus." Tali spoke through a clenched jaw, "Tell him."
"I was expressing my concern about Olasie's insubordination." Garrus said in an almost noncommittal way.
"Discussing that shouldn't be a shouting match." John said, walking up to them with a glare, "I don't know all the details about the last two years of your life Garrus, but it's becoming apparent that it's changed you in ways that are in affecting the team. Above that, it's beginning to affect our relationship between the three of us."
Even though Garrus stood at nearly a head and a half taller than Shepard, he managed to stare him down. "Garrus. You're my best friend. We've been through a lot together. You're one of the most valuable people on this ship. Your concerns are absolutely valid about Olasie and we will discuss that with her. But to be as hell bent as you are to want to discipline Olasie's slip of judgement after the show we all saw? She's still just getting over killing an innocent life, which, I might add, is an acceptable statistic to you." He put a hand on his hip and pointed at him like a father would scolding his son. "It isn't right, Garrus, and it isn't fair. Especially when you consider our checkered experiences back on the old Normandy. We were no better than them when we first started."
John clasped his shoulder and gave it a good shake. "We're all still alive. Every single man that went down there made it out. That never, ever, happens. I remember a certain turian telling me that I should take this as it goes."
It was catching up to the turian that he was being overly critical of a woman who volunteered for this. He slumped his shoulders and relaxed slightly.
"I'm sorry." Was all he said as he looked at both of them with tired eyes. "I'm just—I'm sorry for being this way. Guess the pole I've worked up my ass got a little bit deeper this past month."
"It's more like you've yanked it out and have been trying to beat people to death with it." Shepard joked.
"You heard that from Joker." Garrus said flatly, unimpressed.
"He's been telling everyone." Tali said, a little unimpressed with the joke herself, "It was funny the first time. Not the second or third."
"He's repeats himself a lot."
"It's his flavor of autism." Garrus panned.
Shepard chuckled.
"Too offensive?" Garrus asked.
He shook his head. "Nah."
Tali couldn't help but giggle a little. "Offensive jokes make life better."
As Garrus was turning to leave, John grabbed his attention.
"Oh, and Garrus?" John said, his serious tone returning, "You're scheduled to see Chambers. Make a time, but it's going to get done today."
The turian's mouthparts moved until they clasped back to his jaw. "Okay."
"Good."
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Six hours later.
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They both step into their room together. And as soon as Tali had her mask off, she mashed her lips against John's and hugged him. It came off as kind of a surprise, but it was a very welcome one. When the kiss was done, she put a hand on his chest and smiled up at him.
"John? I love you. Do I tell you that enough?"
"Huh. I'm not so sure."
She gave him a stupid smile and kissed him again.
"Well, I love you."
"Do you love me enough to marry me?" John asked with his coy grin.
"Of course. I've been waiting for you to officially ask me."
"I could do it here right now if you'd like."
"Oh you don't have to huneey." She laughed as he was about to get on a knee, "You can do it whenever you like."
"Yeah, you're right. I have to take you out somewhere special first."
That gave her a bubbly feeling and she hugged him tightly.
"Sorry for the drama today, John."
"Par for the course, Tals. It's no big deal. People have problems to work out and Garrus isn't an exception."
He kissed her forehead and they separated.
"I'm taking a shower. We should really go to bed earlier than usual tonight. We've got PT in the morning."
She sneered and mentally groaned. "Oh. Lovely."
The shower started and John undressed while Tali went to their bed. She took off her boots and began peeling herself from the layers of her suit. When she finally freed herself from the second skin, she sat down on the edge of the bed and massaged her feet before folding the clothes and placing them in their closet. Then she let herself fall backward on the bed and just lay there naked.
She stared out at the moving canopy of stars, emptied her mind of the day's events, and waited for John to finish his shower. He came walking out wearing a towel with shaving cream on his face.
"Hun, you look like a starfish."
She turned her head and gave him a crooked brow. "What's that?"
"Sea animal. Weird things."
"Gee. Thanks."
He bent down and put a dollop of shaving cream on her nose.
"You're welcome." He said with a smile. She beamed at him, but didn't move a muscle.
He wicked more off his face and put a helping of the stuff on her boobs. He couldn't stifle his laugh when she looked down to see she had been gifted shaving cream tassels.
"Gee. Thanks." She complained with a creeping smile.
"Love you, Tals. Shower's free for you."
She slowly stood up, wiped the cream off herself with both her pointers, and returned the favor. "Love you too. Thanks huneey."
"Still have a little on your nose."
She went cross eyed to see that there indeed was still some on her nose. "Mhm. I see."
As she turned to head to the bathroom, she undid his towel and gave his ass a good smack.
"Ow."
She giggled at his expense and kept walking to the bathroom.
With a grin, he bent down to grab it. "I deserve it. I know."
He followed her into the bathroom so he could finish shaving while she showered.
Soon enough, they were lounging on their bed with Tali tucked around his arm as he read through something on his tablet.
"So you really want to marry me?" Tali asked after she had been thinking about it for the past ten or so minutes.
"Yup. You're the one."
She snuggled up closer to him. "Sweet talker."
"It's sweet because I mean it."
She closed her eyes. "I know."
John set his tablet down on his nightstand, turned off the lights, and stared up at the soft glow of their glass ceiling. This is where he was most at peace. When the day was winding down with Tali next to him in bed. It reminded him of something, so he decided to share it with his future wife.
"Sometimes... sometimes I have this dream, Tals." John said with a nostalgic look on his face as he spoke from his heart, "That it's just us. You and I in our backyard. I'm making some barbeque on our grill. Us both drinking beer. And you're in this... beautiful dress. And the air is warm. With the birds singing. Not a breeze for miles."
She found herself staring at him, entranced in his aimless imagination. His eyes narrowed as he recalled the details of his dream.
"The sun is just above the mountains. And you're sitting on this picnic table you and I made. And it looks terrible" He said at length before chuckling slightly, "And you're telling me how I really need to mow the grass soon before it gets all overgrown."
"That's beautiful John." She whispered.
"I want that dream to come true, Tals." John said distantly before looking down at her.
She gave him a kiss on the cheek and smiled softly. "I think we can arrange that."
"What kind of house you want?" He looked at her with a gleam in his eye.
"Think we talked about a mansion remember?"
"A mansion?"
"Yes. A mansion." She entertained, "With a bunch of sports cars."
She tossed a leg over him and nuzzled herself closer. "We'll have to save up for a down payment. Don't think either of us have a credit score either. Bad for when you want to get a good interest rate on your mortgage."
He kissed the top of her head and smiled.
"Doing research? You're just the sweetest thing in the galaxy, hun."
"I try to be." She cooed. He brushed a hand softly through her hair until he kissed her goodnight. Sleep soon overtook them both.