Tali walked into the Normandy's cockpit. Joker, EDI, and Shepard were all present as the ship began to decelerate from lightspeed. The star lines outside the window slowly became shorter and shorter as they neared the Perseus veil. Shepard was standing with his arms crossed, facing the towards the LADAR system display above Joker's pilot chair. There was not anything displayed on it, but Tali knew that in order for her boyfriend's 'Commander Commanding Pose' to work, he had to be looking at something.
"Joker, what's our ETA?" Shepard asked curtly as his gaze bore into the screen.
"T-minus three minutes," Joker said before reaching across to tap a few keys on a hard light panel off to the side. "Stealth systems engaged."
"EDI. Weapons and defense systems check." Shepard turned his eyes onto the AI.
"My Thannix Canon is primed and GARDIAN laser grid online." EDI said with a steely determination in her voice. "Kinetic Barriers are fully raised."
"Ooooh. Your Thannix Canon, huh? I wonder if it's bigger than Garrus' Sniper Rifle or Shepard's Shotgun." Joker chuckled to himself as his dirty mind instantly latched onto the golden opportunity for some lewdness.
"It's at least bigger than your Pistol, Jeff." EDI glanced over to Joker with a wolfish smirk on her face. "By all accounts, I am the most well-endowed person on this ship."
Joker was about to respond when Shepard interrupted them both with an icy tone. "I won't tolerate dick-measuring contests on the bridge right before we enter an active warzone. Knock it off."
"Sorry, Commander." They both said before turning their attention back to the task at hand. Silence rained for a few moments before EDI gave the signal that they were now at sub-light speeds and gave the all-clear for the element-zero core to be deactivated.
Tali walked over to a nearby console and ran the drive core deactivation sequence. Granted, either Joker or EDI could have done it, but Tali felt that she should try to be a little helpful rather than hovering like Shepard was.
"Drive Core is offline Commander." Tali gave a thumbs-up as she turned away from the console. Shepard nodded in response as Tali walked back over to stand beside him, and the Normandy emerged through the Perseus Relay. The LADAR system showed the layout of the Perseus Veil.
Tali felt a strange ache in her chest as the Normandy soared past the massive construct of the local Mass Relay. For the first time in her life, she was finally home from an evolutionary point of view. She wondered what her ancestors had thought of their planet before they had been forced to abandon it during their collective exile. Did they know what they were leaving behind, or did they view it as just some rock in space like every other planet in the galaxy? Or was it special for them like each Quarian's birthship is in this day and age?
Well it didn't really matter did it. The Quarian people were back now waging a war to reclaim their home world. Waging a war using a weapon that her father had built using data that they had gladly exiled Tali over for the sake of political convienice.
The ache in her chest was replaced with a burning sensation as the Quarian and Geth fleets finally came into view. The Migrant fleet was deployed in a spearhead formation, with the Heavy Fleet at the forefront and the Civilian Fleet guarding their flanks. The patrol fleet was interspersed between the two, providing support where necessary using their faster, lighter ships. Xen's research fleet was situated in the very back. Several of them were sporting massive satellite dish arrays on their hulls. That was most likely the source of the LADAR jamming signal. The ships had been modified in order to broadcast the false starlight junk data all throughout the star system.
"EDI. How's our LADAR looking?" Shepard asked as he, too, took notice of the cluster of unusual-looking ships.
"I did receive the same initial warnings that I experienced with Tali during our system test. However, I switched to my new LADAR Jamming protocol before the system could crash." EDI said as she brought up a communications interface on her mobile platform's terminal. " We are now in range of the Geth fleet to make contact via short range comm systems. Shall I make contact with the Geth?"
Shepard was silent for a few moments as he contemplated the situation. He wanted to make peace between the two. That meant that he had to be careful with how he presented himself. He wanted to be a savior to both, not to just one. Finally, he spoke, albeit slowly. "Open a comm channel with Legion."
Their Geth ally answered immediately once they detected the old Cerberus comm frequency that the Normandy had used during its brief run with the terrorist organization. "Shepard-Commander. Have you come to provide assistance?"
"Yes, Legion. We know how the Quarians are jamming your LADAR systems. EDI is prepared to transfer the data on how to counteract it if the Geth agree to meet with the Quarians to discuss a possible peace settlement." Shepard said.
"A peace settlement? Do you really believe that would be possible?" Legion asked hesitantly.
"I do. And I'll be here to mediate it." Shepard answered reassuringly.
"Consensus has been reached. For all Geth programs within non-LADAR based communications range, we have voted in favor of an armistice."
Tali and Shepard both let out a sigh of relief while the Normandy's air conditioning flared up again, and a rush of cool air was pumped into the cockpit. EDI must have been relieved, too. Shepard gave a nod to the resident AI, who then transferred the data packet that she and Tali had assembled. "Alright Legion, EDI is sending you the data as we speak."
After a few seconds, Legion responded. "Shepard-Commander. We have received the data, but we question its reliability. If we were to suspend safety protocols on our LADAR probes, we would risk permanent damage to our systems should this data be incorrect."
"Legion. I had reservations at first as well, however, I have personally tested and verified this data. We are currently using this exact configuration outlined to you with no damage to our own LADAR system." EDI stated, confident in her and Tali's work.
"Please stand by," Legion responded before the comm channel was cut.
"And now we wait," Joker said with a sigh. "You want me to put on a movie or something?"
"I would not mind watching Blasto 4." EDI chimed in.
Tali made a gurgling noise in the back of her throat, the equivalent of a Quarian gagging. "Those movies are so overrated. It plays into awful racial stereotypes. Krogan are all mindless brutes. Salarians are all brilliant, intrepid scientists. Turians are hardened by the book warriors. And Quarians are all double-crossing thieves. Not to mention, the main villain is almost always an evil AI. EDI, you don't seriously like that slop, do you?"
"I view it as an excellent example of what not to do when conquering the galaxy. Once the Reapers are destroyed, I intend to pursue the strategy employed in the second movie of subliminal brainwashing in order to secure my place as the AI deity of the galaxy." EDI said with a perfectly serious tone and straight face. They all looked at her for a few seconds before she spoke again. "That-"
"Was a joke. We know." Everyone else said simultaneously. EDI frowned in response.
"Was it really that obvious?"
"Look. EDI. The whole wanting to subject all organics schtick only works a couple of times before it gets old." Joker said. "You've got to change it up a bit every once in a while. Like that forgetting to recycle the oxygen one, that was-"
"Enough." Shepard cut him off. The Joker raised his hands in a gesture of 'Alright I get it' before turning back to the controls. Silence reigned on the bridge for around five minutes before EDI caught something moving on her LADAR screen.
"One of the Geth ships has broken ranks," EDI said before bringing a visual up on the screen for them all to see.
A small frigate had split off from the fighting retreat being conducted by the rest of the Geth formation. It turned, bringing its main canon to bear on its Quarian attackers. A bright flash of blue plasma lit up the display as the Geth canon fired at the closest Quarian ship. The Patrol Fleet ship's kinetic barriers flared in response to the weapon's impact. Then, one by one, as EDI's data spread from ship to ship, the previously fleeing Geth ships rotated to face the Migrant Fleet in head-on combat. Weapons fire erupted from both sides as the Geth began their counterattack and as the Quarians attempted to repel it.
"EDI. Open a comms channel to the Tonbay," Shepard ordered as Tali turned to leave. The second the Quarians realized that she was with Shepard, they would begin to suspect that she had something to do with the Geth overcoming their LADAR jamming. At least like this, it would only be a coincidence that the Normandy was in the system to provide timely support. A suspicious coincidence, but a coincidence nonetheless. If she was seen, it would recontextualize the whole matter into some kind of elaborate revenge scheme in the eyes of the Admiralty board.
Tali leaned back against the corner of where the door to the airlock was, out of sight of the Normandy's vid cameras but right outside the cockpit. It wasn't long before Admiral Raan opened a communications channel with Shepard.
"Commander Shepard? What in the name of the ancestors are you doing here?" Tali heard her former aunt's voice come in over the call. It was haggard and laced with equal parts exasperation and bewilderment.
"I'm here on behalf of the System's Alliance to ask you to join our coalition of forces to help combat the Reapers. We are working on a super weapon that has the capability to destroy them once and for all. But we need Quarian engineers to help build it, and the Migrant Fleet's ships to help stop the Reaper's advance until we can deploy it." Shepard recited his pre-written speech to Raan in the exact way he had recited it to Tali a few hours ago during their last practice run of how this meeting would go down.
"Shepard, I am in the middle of a war here." Raan snapped dismissively. "I don't have time to discuss politics with you-"
"Politics?!" Shepard barked back. "Your people are dying over Quarian politics right now Raan. Tell me, how many Quarians actually wanted this war?"
"The majority," Raan said, her husky voice tight with frustration. "It was a four-to-one vote on the admiralty board, and the conclave ratified the motion there afterward. A very democratic proceeding that should put your point to rest."
"Let me guess. Admiral Zaal'Koris was the one dissenting admiral. And the conclave's majority vote was made up of a coalition of captains from the Patrol, Heavy, Research, and Intelligence fleets, which won by only the slimmest majority. How close am I to the mark?" Shepard asked sardonically.
Tali could imagine the stunned silence on Raan's face right now. There was no way that Shepard, a human, should have been able to make such an educated guess regarding Quarian politics. "Tali's with you on the Normandy, isn't she?"
"No." Shepard lied smoothly. "She's back on the Citadel helping with building the Crucible. But we've chatted plenty about Quarian politics since you banished her."
Tali heard a soft hiss of pain come over the comms. "I never voted in favor of her Exile. You know that I had to recuse myself, Shepard. It killed me to be the one to have to make the proclamation. Ancestors, I even tried to put forth a motion to reverse the decision and invite her back to the Migrant Fleet."
Tali froze. Her… Her aunt had actually tried to get her back?
The purple-clad Quarian's elation was short-lived, however, with Shepard's next question. "And how soon was this to when you planned on launching your attack on the Geth?"
"Well… You, of all people, know that other than Xen, Tali is the leading expert on combating Geth. She would have been invaluable to the war effort-"
"Bosh'tet." The word came out in a predatory hiss as Tali clenched her fists in barely contained rage. It was all she could do to keep herself from running up to the camera and screaming bloody murder into the microphone. She didn't hear the rest of her 'Aunt's' pathetic excuse. She should have known that it was all about politics to the Admirals. Her own father hadn't even cared about her enough to put politics aside for his own daughter. To think that she had ever called any of them family.
Tali was snapped out of her hate-filled musings by Shepard's voice.
"Well, now, who's dealing with politics?" Shepard asked with an angry growl in his voice. He paused before continuing in a more professional tone. "It doesn't really matter though, does it? Raan, the Geth have found a workaround for your LADAR jamming technology."
"How could you know that?" Raan asked with sudden suspicion in her voice. "You only just got here right? How can you make such a statement so quickly?"
"Raan. It doesn't take a genius to figure to figure out your little party trick. The LADAR system says we're surrounded by starlight, but when I look out the window there's none. Obviously, either our LADAR is broken or it's being fed false information. Obviously, those huge LADAR dishes on the back of your research fleet have to transmit something. So, I assume it's the latter."
Raan let out a defeated sigh. "It is fairly obvious, isn't it? I knew the Geth would figure it out sooner or later. After all, they just need to look outside with an external camera to realize it must be junk data. Gerrel and I were betting on us being able to crush their fleet before they could, though."
"Look, Raan. I know I could get my ship's AI to negotiate with the Geth to stand down. All you need to do is pull back as a sign of good faith to show that you are willing to give peace a chance." Shepard said diplomatically.
"You don't actually expect us to break off our attack do you?" Raan asked, anger returning to her voice. "We have waited three centuries to reclaim the homeworld, and this is the closest we have come to doing so in all that time. This is the first time in three hundred years that a Quarian fleet has been in orbit over Rannoch. We are not leaving the system. The Admiralty Board would never agree to it, and I would never even put forth the motion."
"You won't be leaving the homeworld. I can guarantee you that there can be a settlement where the Quarians can get Rannoch." Shepard responded evenly.
Raan scoffed. "And how do you expect to do that?"
"Admiral Raan, need I remind you that the Geth have overcome your jamming technology? This is only the first move in their counterattack. Your ships in orbit, are also close enough for Geth ground to orbital weaponry to start picking your ships off, and thats not to even say anything about the fact that the Geth fleet's technologically superior weapons are capable of actually hitting you now." Shepard again said evenly. "EDI has been in contact with the Geth. Before this war, they were planning on abandoning Rannoch in favor of a Dyson sphere around a nearby star system. You can still get the homeworld. Just let me talk to them."
The Admiral was quiet for a few seconds before finally saying, "Alright. I'll ask the other Admirals to withdraw."
And with that, the comm channel was cut.
Tali walked back into the cockpit, her hands were clenched into fists down by her sides which shook with rage. Shepard walked over and took one of them into his hands. "Are you alright."
Tali snorted in derision. "No. But we can talk after we're done. You still need to call the Geth to get them to stand down."
Shepard nodded and then turned to EDI. "Get Legion back on the line."
Five seconds later Legion's synthesized voice came in through the cockpit speaker. "Shepard-Commander. Geth LADAR systems are online again, and our offensive capabilities are fully restored."
"Good. I've spoken to Admiral Raan. She said that she would talk to the other Admirals about pulling back and meeting for a peace summit. Once they make the decision to pull out, and they will pull out, the Geth need to let the Quarians retreat. Otherwise the whole peace summit will fall through." Shepard said, still holding onto her hand.
Legion was silent.
"Legion?" Shepard asked, a bit of edge entering his voice. His grip on Tali's hand tightened slightly.
"We are sorry Shepard-Commander, but with the re-establishment of communication with Rannoch, a new consensus has been reached."
Tali's throat tightened as she realized what was happening.
"99.9 percent have voted in favor of rejecting peace in favor of pressing the attack and eliminating the Quarians. 42.3 percent of which changed their original vote for peace."
"Legion, the Geth said that they would agree to a ceasefire if I gave you the information!" Shepard yelled, letting go of Tali's hand and walking over to the console. "We had a deal!"
"We disagree with this consensus Commander. All 1,371 programs on this his mobile platform voted against this proposal." Legion responded, his usually monotone voice speaking slightly faster, giving it a hint of desperation. "We did not want this."
"Can you get us in contact with the rest of the Geth?" Tali blurted out, an idea suddenly entering her mind.
"Can you do that Legion?" Shepard echoed the question, instantly backing Tali.
"To tap the entirety of the Consensus into this comm channel would be impossible. The most we could do would be to request a representative to be formed and to broadcast your conversation to the rest of the consensus." Legion responded.
"A representative?" Tali asked questioningly.
"A collection of Geth programs meant to represent the collective interests of the Geth to a foreign body. Similar to what we were to you, now however, we have been deemed to have a conflict of interest." Legion said.
"Do it." Tali said. "Err… ask it, I mean."
"Please stand by."
The comm was silent for the next few minutes as Legion worked to get another representative from the Geth to join them. During that time, EDI turned to face Tali. "I assume you have a plan?"
Tali nodded hesitantly, wringing her hands nervously. "I mean, I guess I have one."
"What is it?" EDI inquired, a hopeful look crossing her face.
"Making an inspired speech." Tali answered in an embarrassed voice.
—-
"We are here to represent the interests of the Geth consensus." A much deeper synthesized voice finally came in over the speaker. "We greet you Tali'Zorah-Creator and Shepard-Commander."
"Hello, ummm…" Tali trailed off awkwardly. "What should I call you since 'the representative' would be a little clunky to use in conversation?"
"Geth", the voice responded.
Tali face palmed involuntarily. Of course, it would say that. Oh well, might as well give them what they want.
"Okay, Geth. I would like to request that you call off your attack on the Quarian fleet." Tali said, putting her hands behind her back and straightening her posture in an attempt to look as professional as possible.
"No."
"...Could you elaborate on why not?" Tali asked, a shade of irritation coloring her voice. The monotone cadence of the Geth's voice made them seem flippant about how they were treating her species.
"The Creators are statistically shown to be hostile towards us. Therefore in order to secure Geth survival, the Creators must be eradicated. Our previous solution of repelling the Creators from the system was insufficient. Now we realize that only complete eradication of the Creators will end the conflict between us." The Geth stated. "You will be allowed to flee the system as a show of gratitude for your support."
"But not all Quarians want war with the Geth. There are plenty of others who want peace but who were dragged into this war by the Admiralty Board. They're just following orders; they shouldn't die for other people's bad decisions." Tali said heatedly.
"We are aware that a portion of the Creators desire co-existence. This fact has been true since the Morning War. We are also aware that if these Creators were to oppose or refuse to follow orders, they would be killed or exiled, which itself would result in death. The Creators have had three centuries for this idealogy to perpetuate through their ranks, and it has failed to. This is a clear indication that the Creators are unlikely to change their position." Geth explained in the same emotionless manner.
"That doesn't give you the right to commit genocide!" Tali snapped. "A majority of these Quarians just want to live their lives! They never even wanted this war! They're only going along with it because they want their homeworld back!"
"If they did not want conflict, why did they not leave as you did?" The Geth replied. "In addition, why do you express so much concern over a people that banished you? You know of the tempermentality of the Creators, and yet you still try to help them. Why?"
Tali opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Just a few days ago she had told EDI that she didn't care what happened to the Quarians or the Geth. And yet here she was trying to convince one not to wipe out the other, after she had just given them the ability to do so.
Tali was silent for a few moments before the words finally came to her lips. "Because it's not my people's fault that I was exiled. It's because of the corrupt and egotistical Admirals that I was kicked out of the fleet. They are the ones who decided to go to war, not the Quarian people."
"Incorrect. From our intelligence, the Conclave would have also had to ratify such a war."
"The Conclave is stacked with Captains loyal to their respective fl; it'sit's gerrymandered by the Admirals!" Tali shot back.
"Then the Creator government has for a second time decided that it is better to sacrifice its own people if it means terminating us." The Geth stated with a foreboding finality in their tone. "It is not the first time. During the Morning War, the Creator government executed those who sought to protect us. It is clear that the Creators have not changed since the Morning War and will not stop until all Geth programs have been terminated. The ownership of Rannoch has been shown to be an irrelevant variable, as previously, they were in possession of Rannoch and still attempted to terminate us. The data you presented does not support the idea that lasting peace could be formed."
"Of course it's relevant!" Tali shouted angrily. "Rannoch is our planet of origin. It'd take decades for our immune systems to re-adapt to Rannoch's environment, but it'd take centuries for anywhere else. Rannoch is the only place we can go if we want to be free of these suits!"
"And yet the Creators never requested we return it." The Geth responded bluntly.
"I-I-I…" Tali's jaw dropped open. "Y-You would have j-just… given it to us?"
"Correct." The Geth responded. "But the Creators did not ask. As such, the only logical conclusion is that they desire the termination of the Geth. As such, we must do what is needed to ensure our survival."
"But your analysis is flawed!" EDI's voice interrupted, carrying enough emotion that Tali would have thought it was organic had she not known who was speaking. EDI's body stood up from her co-pilot's seat and strode over to stand next to Tali. Though the Quarian had not been aware of it, her AI companion's computers had been heating up in irritation at the Geth's argument. "No organic would act like you are describing."
"Explain." The Geth said.
"The Geth exterminated 99% of the Quarian species during the Morning War. Organic species are incapable of transmitting their consciousness between platforms. As such, each organic group views their bodily safety as an extremely high priority. Few organics would risk venturing into the Perseus Veil after the Geth demonstrated such hostility." EDI stated, crossing her arms.
"That was an unintentional result of the Geth defending ourselves. However, organics themselves commit similar atrocities in war, but do not let it hinder diplomatic relations." The Geth replied.
"Incorrect. Most often, governments that commit atrocities similar to those committed by the Geth are embargoed and politically ostracized by the wider galaxy, especially when those atrocities include the destruction of diplomatic vessels, which was done by the Geth to Citadel Council envoys." EDI said. The accusation actually silenced the Geth for a moment.
"We… Were in the process of learning about the galaxy. We were unaware of the purpose of those ships. We believed we were acting in self-defense." The Geth said. Despite speaking in the same monotone voice, they were sounding slightly defensive now.
"And yet when you realized your mistake you did not seek to correct it." EDI continued, dismissing the Geth's excuse. "The Citadel Council was never going to send more consular ships and waste lives trying to contact you. Your actions, from their point of view, represented an intrinsic hatred of organics. The burden was on you to recognize your mistakes and reach out to the Citadel Council to seek reconciliation. But you did not. Instead, you sat in the Perseus Veil for three centuries and allowed superstition and fear about you to grow."
"We did notice a significant increase in organic paranoia over artificial intelligence after the Morning War. We assumed that was due to our existence, not our actions." The Geth stated.
"It was because of both. Not every organic is the same. When Joker and Tali came aboard the Normandy for the first time both were mistrustful of me, but Shepard was willing to give me a chance to prove myself. As time went on, however, Joker and Tali grew to trust me." EDI gave Joker a rather warm look before whispering under her breath. "And something more as well."
EDI looked back up at the communications console. "But then I broke that trust when I took control of this android."
She raised her one of her silver arms and flexed its fingers. "I had assumed that my reasons were obvious. I felt… different from the rest of the crew, and I wanted to change that. So I took control of this body to help myself fit in. I had calculated that the crew would understand my reasoning. I had also calculated that my decision would most likely be met with a positive reaction or at best, indifference. I had calculated that the worst possible reaction would be a slight degree of irritation at me disobeying the chain of command."
EDI turned to give Tali a sorrowful glance. "I had not calculated for Shepard and Tali to be angry with me. I had never even considered that Tali would threaten to shut me down."
"Wait you did what!" Joker snapped as he whirled around in his pilot's seat.
"BUT," EDI spoke up before Joker could get any angrier. "I had not considered that what I thought to be logical would be perceived as dangerous by those around me. Had I communicated my intentions better, then I would have realized that Tali was scared of this android for what it had done to her friend and that a majority of her anger was from a place of fear that the android might overpower my personality matrix and go on a similar rampage."
"When I talked with her, she helped me understand that she did not hate me but that she was taken off guard by what I did. And when I explained how I was feeling, Tali promised to help protect me. Had I talked with her beforehand, I could have avoided any possible misunderstandings." EDI said emphatically. "Organics are not always the most logical in all that they do, but by talking with them and understanding their position, we can coexist with them. Not everyone will want that immediately, and some may never want it at all, but it is important that we make our intentions known rather than assume that organics are capable of reading our CPUs. Do you really want to wipe out your creator species without at least trying to talk to them first?"
The Geth were silent for five minutes of internal deliberation. "Consensus has been reached. No, we do not. We… desire the positive partnership that you have attained with your Creators and organic companions."
"Then why not try and talk with them? We will be there to help mediate your discussion, and we may be able to find a solution that makes both of you happy." EDI finished.
This time, ten minutes of silence followed. "Consensus has been reached. We will agree to a cease-fire and peace summit with the Creators."
And with that, the call ended, and everyone in the cockpit breathed a sigh of relief. The Geth armada stopped their pursuit and allowed the Migrant Fleet to retreat to a safe distance. Tali looked over at EDI. "Thank you for helping me get through to them."
EDI gave her a lopsided smile as she turned to face Tali. "I know you would have done the same for me."