Chapter Text
MASS EFFECT
One Day
By Mike Bison
[ Mass Effect and its characters are owned by BioWare]
-I-
-An End, Once And For All-
A cacophony of voices seemed to scream from all directions through the darkness. He couldn’t focus on one single, bellowing tone, as the black void that surrounded him seemed to swirl angrily. Streaks of bright red flashed through it at random intervals. His name, they roared, some loud and deep, raging. Others were friendly, but just as deafening, saddening.
“You escaped us before, Shepard, not again.”
“I must go to them…”
“We are the Harbinger of your ascendance.”
“Would have liked to run tests on the seashells.”
“You exist because we allow it. And you will end because we demand it.”
“You know it’s the right choice, LT…”
“You cannot stop us.”
“Come back to me…”
“ S h e p a r d…”
“ Shepard!” A hand on his shoulder pushed him with a rough shove, the digits pressing into his shirtsleeve. “John!” His eyes snapped open, looking around, his own hands coming up to meet the one on him. “ Keelah , are you alright?” The voice asked him.
John Shepard, his breath labored, looked up at the source of the voice, accented and feminine, and felt his tightened nerves begin to calm themselves. Two bright, white luminescent eyes looked back at his own clear, blue ones. Underneath the shadow of a purple shawl, framed by several loose locks of midnight black hair, they glowed with concern; the pale white skin around them was creased with a worried expression, something that bit at Shepard’s heart.
He patted the hand on his shoulder in a show of comfort, turning his head to take in his surroundings while his body and mind did their best to fully calm down from the shock of being awoken so suddenly.
Shafts of artificial light shifted as they filtered through the branches and leaves of one of the many trees that decorated the Presidium. The fake sky beyond was a clean, bright blue. A tingle of gentle wind, part of the artificial environment, brushed Shepard’s nose as he sat up, the bench he’d fallen asleep on creaking. He rubbed his face to clear the remnants of sleep as his mind pieced together the context.
“Sorry.” Shepard apologized, breaking the silence. He took Tali’s hand into his as he sat up. The hooded Quarian plopped down onto the bench next to him as he did so, her look of concern not leaving her features. “I didn’t mean to doze off like that.”
Tali’s frown deepened, and her three fingers gripped Shepard’s five slightly tighter.
“You know that’s not why I shook you awake, John…” She said, her voice low. Worry laced every word in only the way a soulmate could convey to their other, and her use of his first name was not lost on him. Shepard looked away from her, sighing uncomfortably as he looked at the Presidium’s artificial sky again.
“How bad was it this time?” He asked, closing his eyes as he spoke, obviously formulating an idea of what had happened after he’d fallen asleep on the bench during a lull in their outing. Tali breathed out of her nose, shuffling closer to the Commander until their legs were pressed together, and her other hand came to rest on his thigh.
“It… you almost looked like you were in the early stages of a seizure , John…” She said, her voice getting quieter with each word.
Shepard sighed again, turning to look at his wife for the briefest of moments before pulling her into a hug. Resting his chin on her shoulder, he could picture it in his mind’s eye: Tali walking back from whichever little shop stand she’d gone to, seeing him on the bench, slumped over and shaking from the terrible nightmare. The feeling of dread, sadness, and regret had mostly faded from his mind, now that he was awake, but he knew they would return.
It had only been about four years after the end of the Reaper War when Shepard had been officially diagnosed, after a reluctant doctor’s visit to the Citadel with Tali. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder , he remembered the curt Salarian doctor read out for the two of them at the end of the examination. After doing numerous tests, and an interview with a professional psychiatrist, the diagnosis felt like a lead weight in Shepard’s gut.
He and Tali had only officially married two years before, the first chance they were able once they’d both recovered enough and had chipped in towards what rebuilding they could assist with. This new problem for them felt like something completely unfair. Undeserved, after all they’d been through, all they’d sacrificed.
During the War, Shepard hadn’t been very forthcoming about his increasingly violent nightmares and panic attacks, even with his closest friends, like Tali and Garrus. It hadn’t taken very long for Tali to realize, of course. Once the two of them had only the company of the other in the aftermath of the War, where their only objective had been settling down on the Quarian homeworld, Rannoch, together, it was impossible to ignore. From their time in Anderson’s former apartment on the Citadel while they waited for their new house on Rannoch to be built, to their first night spent in it, Shepard’s nightmares only worsened, much to Tali’s dismay and concern.
“Part of me wishes I could just let them go, Tali.” Shepard said, breaking the hug. He took both his wife’s smaller hands into his own, in front of his broad chest. He looked down at them, her pale digits sitting comfortably in black, fingerless gloves. They were made of similar material to her old full-body suit, ending halfway up her forearms, with beautiful purple fabric wrapped around each.
“The memories, the regrets.” He closed his eyes and sighed, kissing Tali’s knuckles gently, her luminescent eyes watching him closely. “It’d be like finally putting down a boulder I’ve never stopped carrying.” He admitted, weariness entering his tone. Tali did her best to press closer to him, seeing his emotional turmoil. It was the exact same thing she felt, too.
“But you can’t.” Tali said, gripping his hands in a returning, understanding gesture. Shepard nodded, a mixture of pain and resolve coming over his face.
“I wouldn’t dare forget everyone we lost, not for a second.” He answered, his voice strong, but tinged with sadness. Tali gave a nod of her own. She understood, intimately so. She was equally unwilling to forget all their friends and comrades that were gone as a result of their long fight. That emotional toil was something they shared, and she did her best to make that clear to Shepard. As best she could, at least. Struggling to keep the memories of lost friends alive was something she had already seen him try to burden alone. Convincing him he wasn’t was like fighting the Reapers all over again.
There was a downside to not simply letting their memories of the past go, however. By keeping that past alive for the sake of their fallen comrades, they were also keeping alive everything else: Saren, The Illusive Man, the Reapers. All the fire and violence and death, on a scale never before seen by either of them, or anyone. Tali closed her own eyes as she felt her own memories wash across her mind, victories and loss, love and death. She knew the two of them should be the happiest they could ever be, with the Reapers gone and a home to call their own together, but…
Tali sighed and leaned her head against Shepard's shoulder as they both shifted into more comfortable sitting positions on the bench, their backs pressing into its metallic-plastic surface. She knew that all the violence they'd been through would never leave them, but she wished it would, if only for a moment. Shepard, sensing Tali's discomfort, wrapped his strong arm around her shoulder, the soft fabric of her purple shawl brushing his bare skin. To any observer, the couple wasn't one to stand out amongst any of the other people populating the Presidium, or even the wider Citadel.
Shepard was dressed in an unremarkable button-up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, simple denim jeans covering his legs. Tali, too, wore garments that drew no unusual attention; her iconic purple shawl covered her head, the white swirls that decorated it trailed down the material, from the bunched bulge of fabric that sat on her shoulders, to where it hung more loosely than it used to when she wore a fully sealed suit. Where her shawl had previously flowed into the back and arms of her suit, those extensions now hung loosely, with some resting over one shoulder like a delicate scarf, something Shepard insisted he liked the look of very much.
In place of her old, environmentally sealed suit, she wore a similar buttoned top to Shepard, albeit with a more feminine design to it, with short sleeves reaching her biceps. Dark shorts with golden accents reached down to just above her knees, showing much of her athletic legs, ending in boots that wrapped around her individual toes in a fashion similar to those she wore in the past. They lacked, however, the armored plates and knife she always had strapped to her left calf.
Tali looked very similar to most other Quarians one would see on the Citadel or Rannoch; mostly suitless, with some traditional apparel. Many people across the galaxy were still surprised at the sight of maskless Quarians, with their sharp, near-human features. Some chose to still wear their masks, and even fewer, those with especially weaker immune systems, were advised to continue wearing fully sealed enviro-suits. With the Geth helping as many as possible with the recovery of their health, the progress for the majority of the Quarian people was, to some, a miracle.
Being able to so casually hold his wife's bare hand and look upon her bare face was something Shepard never dreamed of being a reality during the dark days of the Reaper War. The joy of embracing the reality of that fact was something he cherished dearly, pushing back against the tortured darkness his pained memories brought on in his unconscious mind. Tali smiled back at him as she stared, something she found he did often with a small smile of his own, happy to break out of their shared melancholy to simply enjoy each other's presence.
“I love you.” He said, his smile brightening as he did so, squeezing the hand resting around her shoulder. Tali’s smile brightened in response, the corners of her luminous eyes curving upwards.
“I love you, too.” She responded, leaning in almost involuntarily as Shepard did the same, the two meeting in the middle to share a gentle, soft kiss.
“Admiral Shepard.” A brief pause. “Admiral Shepard.” A synthesized, deep robotic voice greeted in tandem, suddenly. The couple parted their kiss and looked up at the bulky figure standing before them. Three eye-lenses rotated around each other, their bright lights meeting the gaze of the amused human and Quarian.
“Gospel.” Shepard responded in a greeting of his own, giving the large Geth a nod, smiling at the admittedly humorous referral to both he and Tali by their shared ranks and last name by the synthetic.
The towering Prime, its bright red paint gleaming in the Presidium’s light, was only obscured by a beautiful, woven sash of gold and blue patterns that crossed its chest from the right shoulder, featuring obvious Quarian designs. Tali gave a nod of greeting herself, standing up from the bench as Shepard removed his arm from her, placing both on his lap.
“Is it time already?” She asked, still having to crane her neck to meet the bright eyes of the Prime. Gospel nodded, the expressive flaps that surrounded its eyes moving like animated flower petals as it spoke.
“That is correct, Admiral. Our own meeting with the Council has concluded, and our delegation shall be departing for Rannoch soon. ” The Geth explained in its bassy voice, its glowing eyes turning to address Shepard. “ Will you both still be accompanying us back? ” It inquired, the flaps above its eyes extending in an inquisitive gesture.
Shepard smiled at the towering machine, still happy by the mere sight of any Geth, even those who he wasn’t directly friendly with, such as Gospel. Ever since the firing of the Crucible by his hand, Shepard had been wrought with the potential guilt that he had condemned every synthetic life form in the galaxy to death as a sacrifice to stop the Reapers, as the damned Catalyst AI had warned him would happen. EDI’s surprise survival had shocked and gladdened the Commander, and gave him hope regarding the fate of the Geth.
It hadn’t taken long after Shepard’s recovery for him to learn that the while some Geth that were in close proximity to Earth when the Crucible fired had indeed died in its blast, the majority of them that had time to react like EDI had survived, coming back online in short order with the help of the Quarians, something that had surprised many onlookers in the huge, diverse fleet around Earth. In fact, the majority of the Geth that were still beyond the Perseus Veil had not even been affected by the Crucible, due to their distance from the nearest Mass Relay. This had worried some military leaders, thinking some Reapers could have survived in that region or others by being beyond the range of the ancient device’s destructive energy, but the Geth had at least somewhat quieted these concerns by confirming no surviving Reapers were present in their regions of control.
Gospel was an impressive example of the Geth, a towering and imposing Prime that still instilled a sense of unease at first glance to those unfamiliar with the synthetic race and their varying platforms, and a brief sense of panic to those veterans who were used to the terrifying sight of such an imposing platform on the battlefields of yesteryear. Even Shepard, used to the company of Geth by now, still occasionally had a flash of his fighting mindset trying to take over whenever one of the larger units came into his sight.
At the least, the naming convention the Geth had adopted for themselves in the wake of the end of their war with the Quarians and their ascension to ‘true’ AI had given them a more pleasant disposition to the other races of the galaxy.
Similar to Legion, the Geth he’d first befriended while fighting the Collectors, names from ancient literature, philosophy, and religion had become the norm for the newly individualistic synthetics. Gospel, being the first Geth after Legion to approach the Quarians in peace all the way back on Rannoch in the wake of the defeat of the Reaper there, had chosen its name in honor of Legion’s own, taken from the Bible’s Gospel of Mark. Other Geth Shepard had befriended in the years since his settling down on Rannoch shared similar names, such as Oracle, Genesis, and Alpha, among other names from the different cultures of the Milky Way.
“We can meet you and the rest at the docking bay, if you don’t mind.” Shepard queried, with Tali nodding in affirmation.
“We’d wanted to say hello to a friend who happened to be on the Citadel before heading back to Rannoch.” She explained, and Gospel’s head-flaps flexed in response.
“I understand. I will inform the other Geth delegates to not depart until you arrive at our vessel’s dock. ” Gospel said, its synthesized voice rumbling from its long, craned neck as it nodded to the two Admirals. “ Admiral Shepard. Admiral Shepard. ” It said to them each before turning to walk off, the tall machine getting numerous glances of surprise and awe as it walked through the Presidium.
“Do you think they’ll get what they want?” Shepard asked, turning to look at Tali as Gospel disappeared from view, getting up from the bench to stand next to his wife. She met his gaze, looking up to his taller stature with a smile, finding amusement in being the shortest among present company even with Gospel gone.
“Well, you know how Council bureaucracy goes.” She quipped, crossing her arms. “Even with the Geth and Quarians both on the Council now, petitioning for colony worlds or resources is the same, terribly slow process it ever was.” She huffed a stray black hair out of her face, shaking her head at how many things remained unchanged, even after everything that had rocked the galaxy. Shepard nodded in response, his lips forming a lopsided line.
“You’d think that requesting worlds for colonization on behalf of the Quarians would be an easy process, but…” Shepard trailed off, shrugging. Tali sighed, wringing her hands in front of her, the classic habit she’d always possessed when she was deep in thought.
“It’s hard to believe, even now, you know.” She admitted, looking up at Shepard again. He raised an inquisitive eyebrow, to which Tali motioned in the direction Gospel had walked off in. “The Geth. Us. Everything.” She began walking in the direction of the Embassies, and Shepard quickly met her stride, coming up next to her. “The Reapers gone, the homeworld ours again, our suits, not needed?” Tali let out a chuckle, a toothy grin on her pale face.
“Don’t forget the Geth and Quarians on the Council.” Shepard added, a smile of his own meeting his wife’s, to which she nodded in response. He knew the feelings she was trying to express, the disbelief towards all that they had accomplished, not just for themselves or their friends, but for the peoples of the galaxy.
“And the Hanar, Elcor, Volus…” Tali read off, counting on her lithe fingers. Shepard laughed outwardly at that, remembering vividly his conversations with the Elcor and Volus ambassadors during his first visit to the Citadel, and their grievances towards not having representatives on the Council itself. Times certainly had changed, but the path to get to that change had been hard, violent. How much blood had been spilled for it to be accomplished?
Shepard’s smile began to fade as those darker thoughts started to overshadow his joyous mood, but was interrupted by a cheerful greeting as he and Tali came into view of the Presidium Embassy’s entrance.
“Hey now, where’s the horns? And the parade? Not even a few banners?” A sarcastic, chiding voice echoed from the Embassy’s lobby, turning the heads of both Shepards. “ Tch tch , poor form, you two. No way to honor the presence of someone so illustrious.”
“Oh stuff it Garrus, you’d sooner drink the champagne before we could pop it in your ‘honor’.” Shepard jabbed back, smiling wider than he had all day. The Turian in question, dressed in a fine blue and black suit traditional for his species, gave a faux jerk to the right, hands on his chest, acting as if he’d been shot.
“Oh! Woe is me, my former best friend accusing ME of being a drunkard! Oh, what injustice!” The subharmonics of his voice added an amusing effect to his dramatic acting, bringing his large, three fingered hand to his forehead, the blue facepaint upon his scaled face shifting as he gave Shepard and Tali the most shit-eating Turian smile he could muster. The facade was broken after a moment of silence, the three friends erupting into mirthful laughter, Shepard and Tali each giving Garrus a warm hug.
“Still tagging along with the Primarch, Garrus?” Shepard inquired, once their laughter and greetings were done, curious to hear what his friend had been up to since they’d last seen each other in person, a few months before. Garrus nodded, adjusting the eyepiece he still insisted on wearing above his eye.
“Even now, four years on, he insists his retinue be made up of Reaper War veterans. Wants the brass ‘forged from war, to make peace.’ Something about new officials and officers coming into position now not appreciating what it took to get where we are.” The Turian explained, making quotations in the air with his fingers as he parroted Primarch Victus’ words.
“And that naturally includes you.” Tali observed, to which Garrus nodded.
“Yeah, so as long as Victus is still the Primarch, I’m stuck wearing suits and making nice with politicians.” Garrus said, sighing as he spoke, shrugging. Tali chuckled at her friend, and Shepard crossed his arms, still smiling.
“Having a cushy government job sure beats hunting mercs on Omega, or fighting Reapers, I imagine.” The human said, to which Garrus shrugged.
“Not so sure about that, to be honest. At least with a husk, I could shut it up with a bullet to the face. An angry politician? Not as easy, I’m afraid.” Garrus frowned, mimicking the movements of shouldering a sniper rifle and firing, letting his arms flop down to his sides afterwards, exhaling in annoyance. Shepard grinned, raising an eyebrow at the Turian.
“You’re telling me a smartass like you finds it hard to talk to politicians? The same Turian who always has some kind of jab for me ?”
“Well, the politicians don’t make it as easy as you do, Shepard.” Garrus shot back, grinning. Shepard feigned hurt, similar to how Garrus had just earlier, before laughing in delight, clapping his best friend on the shoulder.
“I’m glad things are going well for you, Garrus.” Tali said, smiling up at the scarred former sniper. Garrus returned the warmth, nodding.
“Thanks Tali. I hear you two have quite the nice place now on Rannoch, I’d certainly love to come by and visit, next time I can get enough time away from the Primarch.” Garrus said, his gaze sweeping over them both. “Maybe by then, there’ll be little feet pitter-pattering across the floors, hm?” Garrus teased, making both Shepard and Tali quickly glance at each other, looking surprised and uncomfortable, to which the Turian barked a laugh. “Oh come on you two, don’t act like that! Out of all the things I’ve seen you go up against, that is what makes you stop in your tracks?” He laughed again, while the human and Quarian cleared their throats, Shepard looking away while Tali wrung her hands.
Seeing how uneasy the topic had made his friends, Garrus relented, putting his hands out in front of him. “Alright alright, no need to worry about that. Tell me more about what you two have been up to! You’re one to talk about ‘cushy jobs’, Shepard, seeing as the two of you are both in pretty cushy positions yourselves.”
Shepard and Tali glanced at the other again, each sharing one last, lingering expression of unease, before deciding to take the diversion Garrus had given them, going into the details of their own current positions in their respective governments and militaries. Tali, having already been an Admiral in place of her father, Rael, was made a more ‘official’ one in the aftermath of the wars against the Geth and Reapers.
While before it had been mostly superficial, something she herself admitted to Shepard despite his protests, was now something much more concrete. However, unlike during the wars, when the Quarians were still living amongst the Migrant Fleet, the Admiralty no longer dealt with both issues of military and government. With their repopulation of Rannoch, a proper civilian government was established on the planet itself, along with smaller, colonial authorities on planets reclaimed, such as Haestrom. As such, the Admirals, including Tali, resigned themselves to act as traditional military authorities over the new Quarian Navy.
Ships that once housed hundreds or thousands of Quarians were now freed up to serve as proper, dedicated military vessels, with the civilian populace living on Rannoch and other colony worlds. Tali’s experience and expertise were invaluable in helping to lead this new navy, a role she took up with gusto alongside familiar faces, like Admiral Shala’Raan and Zaal’Koris.
Shepard, on the other hand, as he explained to Garrus, had a less central role, given how many more Admirals there were in the Alliance Navy. Following his recovery, a grateful Alliance presented Shepard with a promotion to Rear Admiral, the equivalent to Major General in the Alliance Army. It was certainly amusing, Shepard thought, that he and Garrus now officially shared the equivalent rank in their respective militaries, but they each knew and agreed that the other deserved it.
The new Admiral had to admit, though, that his job was certainly ‘cushy’, compared to his previous role as Commander of the Normandy, something Garrus found quite amusing. Essentially, Shepard simply reported to Admiral Hackett, who was still serving as the Alliance’s Fleet Admiral, the topmost rank in its structure. With both the Geth and Reaper threats over, and rebuilding of their colonies and fleets taking top priority, Shepard’s role in assisting Hackett usually amounted to writing advisory reports on supply chains, colony plans, and fleet movements to deter pirates.
“It certainly sounds like you two have very similar duties.” Garrus commented, a finger on his chin as he listened to his two friends describe their positions. “Have there been many times where you two are apart for long periods of time?” He asked, raising a scaled eyebrow, genuine curiosity in his rumbly voice. Tali and Shepard looked at each other, pondering the question. While they had certainly experienced brief periods of several weeks or so apart due to the requirements of their stations, they had yet to go through any stretch of time longer than that for any reason, not since the six months between the Collector base attack and their reunion during the Reaper War. Explaining that, Garrus hummed to himself as he pondered their answer, looking between the pair.
“Hmm. Consider yourself lucky, truly. From experience, marriage between high ranking officers can be… tested, by duties that keep them apart for long periods of time. Being a general or an admiral is a big responsibility, that much is clear to you both, obviously, but one that usually takes you around, and takes you around often.” Garrus huffed, rolling his shoulders in irritation. “Victus has been dragging me around half the damn galaxy by now, especially now that the Citadel is back from Earth. Spirits know I couldn’t settle down with someone if I wanted to.”
“I guess we really are lucky, huh?” Shepard thought aloud, looking at Tali. He was familiar with Admirals having little time for anything but their duties, but realized that he hadn’t thought about how little time he’d spent apart from Tali ever since accepting the large promotion. He internally wondered if Hackett had pulled some strings to get him an ‘easy’ position that would be more easygoing, or if the galaxy had truly entered a new age of peace so great, he simply wasn’t needed as much as he otherwise would be in his role.
He pursed his lips, mulling it over in his mind, but chose to bury it for now and instead just be grateful he was able to enjoy as much time as he could with the one person he loved more than anything. Shepard smiled, which Tali returned warmly. Garrus coughed dramatically, drawing their gaze back to him, the Turian giving a small grin.
“I know that look, you two. Spirits, I’ve never seen anyone more in love with the other.” He teased, thumbing his nose. Shepard and Tali simply turned back to each other, laughing to themselves as they shared another exchange of warm smiles.
“Vakarian!” A rough, thrumming voice barked from inside the Embassy. Garrus seemed to visibly sag, his shoulders slumping with annoyance, as he turned to walk into the facility proper.
“That would be my illustrious Primarch calling me back to the exciting world of diplomacy.” Garrus said, irritation slipping into his voice. “Send me an email when you two get back to Rannoch, you hear? I want to plan that house visit.” He barked, smiling, over his shoulder as he slipped back inside the Embassy and out of sight, Shepard and Tali waving goodbye to their friend.
With Garrus pulled back into his duties, the two decided now would be the best time to head down to where the Geth would be waiting for them, one of the larger berths among the Presidium’s many docking bays. It didn’t take long for them to reach it, with the Presidium’s many (and thankfully faster, with the rebuilding of the station following the Battle of Earth) elevators.
The vessel they’d arrived in, a newer Geth design, was similar enough to be recognized as one of the synthetic race’s craft to those who were familiar, featuring some insectoid characteristics, as well as the shimmering purple hull color. But, unlike older ships the Geth flew before and during the Reaper War, this one had visible accommodations for organics, such as glass viewing ports along each side, visible airlocks, and a prominent viewing deck that rose above the middle section of the ship, thick glass windows spanning its circumference. Shepard knew that such a section could be recessed into the hull during Relay travel, or during emergencies, not too dissimilar to the armored bulkheads that covered the Normandy ’s windows in similar situations.
Emblazoned in large, white Khelish characters along the ship’s prow was the name Hasan’azhana . While it literally translated to ‘elder water’, Tali had explained it was the name of one of Rannoch’s vast oceans. As it turned out, the Geth had as much respect towards Rannoch as the Quarians did, since it, too, was the place of their creation. Many vessels of Geth design bore names honoring Rannoch, from names of landmasses, cities, or oceans, such as the case of the ship in front of them they’d borne to the Citadel, or famous individuals, such as their late friend Kal’Reegar, who had an impressive new dreadnought named after him.
Gospel, among a few other, smaller Geth, greeted the pair as they approached the docked ship, giving the synthetics nods of greeting as they all boarded. After learning the Geth had planned to send a diplomatic delegation to the Citadel to make their case about reclaiming official sovereignty over lost Quarian colony worlds for the Quarians themselves, Tali and Shepard had decided to come along with them. It had been several months since either of them had been to the Citadel.
It was also the first time the pair had been to the Citadel since it was moved from Earth’s orbit, back to its original home orbiting the star, Widow, in the Serpent Nebula. An impressive undertaking, given the still ongoing recovery of most species’ fleets. While it had been a boon for the Geth delegation to have Tali’s voiced added to their case in front of the Council, which she’d happily offered, the primary reason she and Shepard had truly desired to make the trip to the Citadel was to see Garrus, whom they’d learned would be there at the same time.
Ever since the end of the Reaper War, the surviving members of the Normandy ’s crew had gone their separate ways, mostly for legitimate reasons. Having been elevated to near-celebrity status, many of them took part in reconstruction efforts on behalf of their various governments. Garrus, for example, became a permanent member of Primarch Victus’ retinue, and oversaw much of Palaven’s rebuilding, as well as that of the Turian military. Kaidan was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, and as a Spectre to boot, essentially took over Shepard’s duties on the Normandy despite being a marine officer. His rank of O-5 in the Alliance system was the equivalent to Shepard’s former rank as a naval officer, that of Commander.
Like the first human Spectre before him, Kaidan took the Normandy flying around the galaxy solving problems with familiar faces, such as Joker, James Vega, Steve Cortez, and most of the same crew Shepard had served with during the War. He was still delighted to hear often from them, such as the outpouring of well-wishes from the likes of Adams, Traynor, and Ken & Gabby when Tali and Shepard made their marriage publicly official.
Shepard smiled fondly as he and Tali boarded the Geth vessel, filled with a sense of pride at how far his friends and comrades had come through. Even people like Miranda had found new foundations to build their lives on. She and Kasumi were faces he saw often in his Admiralty position, with each of them brought on as specialists for Alliance Intelligence by both he and Admiral Hackett’s recommendations. Jacob had married and settled down on a quiet colony world. Zaeed, he was somewhere on Omega helping Aria of all people rebuild since last he heard. Jack was still acting as a teacher and trainer for the former students of Grissom Academy, easily able to keep in touch with her often due to her official capacity as an Alliance officer.
The flight back to Rannoch was fairly uneventful, as Shepard held Tali in his arms watching the pink-purple glow of the Serpent Nebula turn to the iridescent blue of Relay transit, reclined in a comfortable chair set beside one of the round hull viewports. He could feel her soft breathing as she drifted into a gentle sleep, but Shepard remained wide awake, his mind still reminiscing over his friends and former crewmates.
He wasn’t totally sure if Liara had fully given up operating as the Shadow Broker, but he did know she bounced between helping the Alliance and her own government on Thessia in intelligence matters. Samara, so far as he was aware, remained as a guardian to her daughter’s sanctuary on Lesuss. The only information he’d received on it was from tidbits Liara managed to pass on, the Thessian government being as secretive about the planet and its monastery as they had been during the War.
Shepard paid it little mind, however, knowing Samara to be more than a match for any potential dangers that might intrude on her daughter’s place of refuge. Tuchanka, from what he’d seen in the news feeds and personal messages, was beginning to truly flourish under the determined Urdnot leadership of Wrex and Bakara, with Grunt leading a newly reformed Aralakh Company.
Shepard was happy for his friends, truly, and both he and Tali had wanted to make time between the duties of their respective positions to personally visit them when possible. He ran his free hand, the one not wrapped around Tali’s as she slept, through his short hair, sighing slowly through his nose as he continued to watch the swirling blue light flow by outside the ship.
His spirit was wounded, this he knew. He’d seen so much death, lost so many friends and comrades, it left a hole in his soul that could never truly be repaired. But, at the same time, he had so much to be thankful for, so much to feel grateful that he was able to save. While so many died, yes, so many also survived. He recalled the conversation he shared with Anderson within the first minutes of the Reaper attack on Earth, his brutal entry into the terrible war that consumed him for what felt like an eternity after that:
“It’s hard enough fighting a war, but it’s worse knowing how hard you try… you can’t save them all.” He remembered himself saying, the admission stinging even now, close to five years later.
“Exactly. ” Anderson had responded, his tone as grim as the situation they’d suddenly found themselves in.
Shepard closed his eyes, mulling over his thoughts and memories, doing his best to focus on the here and now. He squeezed Tali’s hand, her three fingers intertwined with his five, and he felt her squeeze back, perhaps involuntarily in her sleep. Her presence, her touch, did much to set his mind at ease, and he, too, found himself drifting off to sleep, their relaxed breathing almost in sync as the calming darkness came. His troubled thoughts slipped away, and no dark nightmares plagued his dreams, this time.
- - -
With an explosion of light, the Crucible, the last gambit of an entire galaxy, seemed to reach out and touch every star in the Milky Way. High in Earth’s orbit, the ancient weapon’s energy rocketed from relay to relay, spreading through every system like a luminescent spiderweb; from Citadel Space to the Terminus Systems, the Reapers and their enthralled forces collapsed in droves, orange lightning seeming to pluck the very life from each and every one of them.
The sight sent cheers and cries of victory across the masses of countless worlds, realizing that their hard-fought victory had, finally, come to pass at last. Unbeknownst to many, one lucky soul had the privilege of seeing the start of this event up-close, from atop the Citadel itself. The streaking lights of the Crucible’s tangerine cloud of energy would be something he’d never forget for all his days. Despite the extent of the injuries he’d suffered getting to that point, not even he could quell his own roar of victory as he saw the Reapers in Earth’s orbit shudder and spark before going limp.
“ZZZRRRT epard? Com ZRRR Sh SSST pard?”
Wincing, Shepard brought his finger to his ear, from both the pain of lifting his arm, the limb feeling unnaturally heavy, and the sudden static screeching in his ear. He wasn’t surprised that his communication gear had been damaged; in fact, he was astonished that any of it was left, let alone his tiny earpiece, given the state of his armor and body both. Charred and cracked all over, several sections were gone outright, exposing the black undersuit and burnt flesh beneath. A new wave of fatigue washed over the Commander as he took stock of the extent of his condition, but gritting his teeth, he forced himself to stay conscious just long enough to tap his fizzling earpiece several times in quick succession.
From what he could make out through the garbled transmission, someone was trying to contact him. He could only guess how many people would be trying, now that the battle was clearly won, at least at Earth. So, he tried one of the most basic methods of communication he could, sending bursts of static, hoping that someone from the Normandy would be listening.
After repeating the process several more times, Shepard was confident he’d sent the right combination of static bursts enough times for someone on his ship to detect. His inner ear aching now, he removed the small bud from it, wincing as he felt semi-melted plastic scrape against his raw skin. The little bud was visibly damaged, much like the rest of him, as he turned it over in his blackened fingers. With another wave of fatigue, his vision became blurry, and he grit his teeth again, dropping the damaged earpiece with a clatter that echoed across the empty space. The small thing rolled next to a set of still boots, connected to an equally still, seated figure that the Commander found he couldn’t pull his gaze from now that he was looking at him again.
While part of him would have been content to let go, to join Anderson in that final rest and embrace the creeping tug on his senses, another part of him pulled in the other direction. His gaze returned to the much calmer expanse of space and the glowing curve of Earth. Shepard closed his eyes, trying his best to take deep breaths despite the stinging pain it caused him to feel across his chest and skin, willing himself to hang on.
The tired Commander knew that he couldn’t afford to let go, not now. Not with Tali out there waiting for him. The thought of leaving his closest friend, his real, true love and soulmate overpowered any desire to give in to his injuries. But, his muscles screamed at him with every little movement. The rush of adrenaline that had kept him upright while he destroyed the red mass of tubes and wires that launched the Reaper-destroying energy pulse was ebbing, and he could feel it, inside and out. Images and memories of his time with Tali raced across his mind’s eye as he strained his body to simply keep functioning.
Their meeting on the Citadel. Giving her what would become her Pilgrimage gift. Seeing her look of fear when the first Normandy was attacked, and their reunion on Freedom’s Progress two years after that. Holding her close as she mourned her father, and then feeling her wide eyes upon him as he raged against the Quarian Admirals in her defense. Their admission of love to each other in the aftermath of those events, and then their first intimate union, before the so-called ‘suicide mission’.
Shepard cringed, fresh feelings of dread briefly bloomed in his gut as he remembered fighting with his own emotions during that mission, knowing Tali was the best for certain tasks. Having to wrestle with the practical side of his brain that told him it required putting her in harm’s way. The way he’d raced across the Collector’s base to make sure she got through a dangerous heating vent system, with every second the enthralled, former Protheans slowed him down increased the chances she’d be burned alive.
And then, in the moment of victory against the incomplete, abominable Human-Reaper, he thought he’d lose her again as the ground collapsed beneath them and she slipped away towards what he thought might be certain doom. Finding her trapped underneath rubble after their fall, not knowing if she was alive…
The Commander couldn’t stop his mind from continuing down this path of memories, flashes of their second reunion only months before, and all the good times they’d shared before the final assault at Earth overshadowed by the times he thought he’d lost his love, and she him. The mission to find the Leviathan, when she and Garrus were almost crushed by a destroyed Mako as Harbinger tried to stop them, once and for all. The words they shared in that final moment still stung, hanging on Shepard’s soul like iron chains.
He’d screamed at her to go, as Garrus to drag her back to the Normandy as it swooped in. Tali raged against the Turian’s grasp, begging Shepard not to leave her. But even as she cried out that she loved him, Shepard turned away, with a final command to go, charging away. Here, now, in the aftermath of all that, the usually stalwart Commander couldn’t help but feel regret in his actions, tears stinging his burnt face as he closed his eyes and attempted to comprehend the kind of torment Tali’s heart must have felt in those moments.
He could feel the pain and exhaustion pulling on his senses, trying to drag him into the quiet abyss, past his memories. He shook his head, opening his eyes quickly, clenching his burnt hands as he saw darkness creeping into the corners of his vision. No longer from the Reapers attempting to indoctrinate him, like when he and Anderson confronted the Illusive Man, but from the last vestiges of that heroic second wind finally seeping out of his body, leaving an uncomfortable, dull and cold feeling.
A forlorn expression formed on his face as he noticed his lower legs and feet had gone numb. Grunting audibly, Shepard used his injured arms to push himself into a better upright position, a new wave of pain blooming across him.
Wincing from the effort, Shepard took several more pained, deep breaths, looking down at his destroyed armor, fresh blood leaking from cracks across it. He spared a glance at Anderson, still sitting where he’d breathed his last, chin resting on his chest, his cap covering his closed eyes. Shepard’s pained frown deepened, but his mentor’s last words echoed in his mind:
“You did good son… I’m proud of you...”
He looked to him once again, staring long at the Admiral’s still face, those words and more repeating themselves in his mind. Shepard was about to lament himself for letting Anderson down, at these last moments, giving in when there were still people, friends, his love, waiting for him to make some heroic return, when an observation snapped him out of his loathing just as it began: the gray earpiece still resting on Anderson’s ear, undamaged. The Commander couldn’t hold back the quick bark of laughter that escaped his lips, edging himself sideways, closer to Anderson, to gently pull the Admiral’s earpiece off.
“Thank you, sir.” Shepard said, echoing his own last words to the man, before putting the communicator onto his own ear. He winced as it pinched the burns and scrapes that seemed to cover most of him, but he pushed through it, tapping the buttons on the side as best he could with his injured digits, configuring it to the Normandy’s radio band.
“Hello? Normandy, this is Shepard.” He rasped, coughing. His voice was dry, rough. His throat burned and his chest heaved with soreness as he did his best to keep talking. “ Normandy, come in.” He coughed again, before repeating, smacking his lips to clear the blood. “Repeat, Normandy come in, this is Shepar-”
“Shepard!? Shepard is that you?!” An astonished voice blasted back, catching the Commander by surprise. He could recognize it immediately, that of his quirky pilot.
“No actually, it’s Sovereign, come for revenge… *cough* Ack!” Shepard’s quip was cut short by another bloody cough, seeing the red spittle dampen his damaged chestplate. Any humor he’d sought to find refuge in was dashed as a fresh bloom of dread formed in his stomach.
“Yeah you would be one to joke while injured, if that was anything to go by.” Joker snipped, amusement audible in his concerned voice. “But seriously Commander, where are you? We had to jump out of the system to avoid getting knocked out by the Crucible’s… whatever that was, but we still had to make an emergency landing and reboot everything.” Joker explained. “From what I can tell, we should be able to get back to the Sol system in one piece, but Relay travel seems to be off the table for the time being from the radio chatter I’ve been able to pick up.”
Shepard listened intently, taking in the information. The relays down? He was concerned about that having been a result of the Crucible, worried what it might mean for the rest of the galaxy. But, at the same time, he was immensely relieved to hear that the Normandy managed to escape the battle to safety. Those last moments came rushing back to him, when he’d screamed at Garrus to pull a hysterical, injured Tali into their ship as he rushed back to charge the looming Harbinger.
“Joker, how are-?”
“Tali and Garrus?” His pilot finished for him. Shepard simply grunted in response, his diaphragm burning as he breathed.
“They’ve been in the med bay since we left Earth. Garrus is already up and helping with repairs, but Doctor Chakwas put Tali under while she worked on her, and from what Garrus told me, she’s still out. I guess her suit got torn up pretty bad…”
Shepard closed his eyes, tilting his head upwards. While he couldn’t help but feel grief in his heart to hear Tali had been injured so badly, he also felt relief that she was alive, especially under the care of Doctor Chakwas, with whom he couldn’t trust the life of his Quarian love more.
Another spear of pain shot through Shepard’s core, causing him to audibly grunt and cough again; on the other end, Joker visibly winced.
“Commander, you really don’t sound good.” The pilot commented. Shepard, grunted, nodding in response.
“Yeah, I… listen Joker, how soon can you get in-system?” He rasped, feeling fresh blood on his lips. “ I’m no doctor, but I’ve seen enough to know if I don’t get help now, I’m going to bleed out.” Shepard stated matter-of-factly, the muscles in his chest and diaphragm starting to hurt much more intensely with each breath. It was obvious to him that his injuries were more severe than he’d assumed. His confrontation with the Illusive Man and activation of the Crucible served as distractions to that reality. He supposed that being surprised seemed unrealistic, once he considered how close Harbinger’s energy beam had come to hitting him. Did hit him.
Shepard blinked his eyes forcefully several times, once again forcing himself to stave off the creeping fatigue that still pulled on his consciousness, unrelenting. He should have figured he’d be this hurt, getting blasted by Harbinger at point blank…
“Not soon enough for that, I don’t think…” He heard Joker say, some audible concern creeping into his voice.
“Commander, if your suit transponder is still active, we can direct any nearby Alliance or allied vessels in your proximity via long-range transmission once we are within range of the Sol system. ” A female, synthesized voice suddenly cut in on the comm channel.
“EDI?” Shepard asked in disbelief, coughing again, clenching his teeth as fresh pain arced across his nerves.
“That is correct, Commander. In simple terms, I managed to circumvent the effects of the Crucible’s energy discharge by disconnecting my main systems temporarily. It was of little effort by the Normandy’s crew that my functions were restored after the disabled components were repaired and reattached. ” The AI explained.
Shepherd breathed another painful sigh of relief in response, thankful that at least part of what the Catalyst had warned him had not happened, as he’d feared. However, that still left the question of the Geth’s fate unknown to him.
Looking down at his destroyed armor, though, the potential of his suit’s tracker still being active, let alone usable, seemed… unlikely. Placing his finger to Anderson’s earpiece again, he frowned.
“My armor is very damaged EDI, I… doubt its transponder is functioning.” Shepard relayed, but glancing to Anderson’s form to his side, an idea came to him. “Tell whoever you can contact to track Admiral Anderson’s transponder, it will lead to my exact location.”
“Is Anderson with you?” He heard Joker ask. Shepard took a moment before responding, his eyes turning away to gaze out into the space beyond the Citadel.
“...Yes.” The pause had not gone unnoticed to Joker, who interpreted the meaning. He solemnly nodded to himself, hands dancing over the glowing orange controls of the Normandy ’s cockpit.
“Alright Commander, we should be close enough to Sol to start sending out messages, just hang in there, alright?” The pilot said, doing his best to put as much power as he could into the Normandy ’s transmitters.
“Yeah, will do…” Shepard said, feeling the worst wave yet of fatigue wash over him, a violent cough sending more blood onto his chest. Darkness snaked through his vision, and the numb feeling swept up through his legs and across him, his view of the stars and Earth flipping around as he collapsed.
As consciousness began to finally ebb from his mind, Shepard couldn’t quash a sense of profound dread; what if he didn’t make it? Could he bear leaving Tali alone? As he sunk into that darkness, those thoughts did not abate…
- - -
Shepard’s eyes fluttered as he awoke, a familiar, gentle touch squeezing his hand. He looked down, two kind, illuminated eyes staring back up at him from their position on the face that rested upon his chest. Her smile radiated a kind of warmth that spread through his chest, his mind pushing back the unsettling memories of that final, decisive day of the Reaper War, in place of thoughts of her.
“Sleep well?” He asked, squeezing her hand back. Tali nodded, her purple-hooded head still resting against the human’s broad chest. She toyed with one of his shirt buttons with her free hand, sighing in content.
“These ships the Geth have made with organics in mind always seem to have a… pleasant sound to them. A humming that makes falling asleep so easy.” Tali admitted, closing her eyes to focus on the faint thrumming of the vessel. Shepard smiled wider, shifting in their reclined position a little to stretch his free arm.
“I recall a certain Quarian engineer going on and on about how her sleeping arrangements on a certain Alliance stealth frigate lacked noise.” He teased, his smile splitting into a toothy grin. Tali’s eyes remained closed, and she shifted her own position so that her covered head pushed underneath Shepard’s chin, like she was some sleepy feline.
“And I remember a certain Alliance Commander taking great interest in ensuring that engineer felt comfortable in her new position.” She said, her voice playful as she placed her free hand upon Shepard’s chest. A bright grin of her own spread across her pale face as she felt her husband’s chuckle so close to her, the mirthful rumbling almost soothing.
“What can I say, Tali? I knew you were someone I cared about even from those earliest days.” Shepard admitted, staring off into the void through the viewport, reminiscent memories of their experiences aboard the Normandy SR1 . He craned his neck upwards as he saw an orange-blue glow start to fill the lower left-hand portion of the viewport, however, and gently patted Tali’s back. “Hey, don’t be going back to sleep just yet, Tali, it looks like we’re about to make planetfall already.” Shepard said, feeling his wife lift her head from his chest to look out the viewport too.
Through the thick glass, the pair could see the ephemeral glow of a planet’s edge against the black of space begin filling the circular frame. The soft light blue illumination along the edge gave way to the dark, red-brown landmasses and wide, indigo seas as the vessel approached the planet.
“By the homeworld I wish to see one day, hm?” Shepard quoted, looking away from the view of Rannoch back down at Tali. She gave a hum of acknowledgement, but didn’t take her eyes away from the sight of the Quarian homeworld. She squeezed his hand again, a long breath escaping her nose. Shepard knew that the otherwise routine process of going to-and-from a civilized planet wouldn’t mean much to the average person, but even four years after the conclusion of the Reaper War, Tali and so many other Quarians still struggled to accept the reality that they had truly reclaimed Rannoch as theirs. He took his free arm and wrapped it around Tali, the embrace gentle and warm. She leaned into it, sighing, her eyes aglow with wonder.
“It’s always so… beautiful, from up here.” She finally said, glancing at Shepard before returning her gaze to Rannoch’s wide expanse. Shepard looked down at his wife, grinning.
“It sure is.”
She looked back up at him, a playful smirk on her face, as if she knew he was looking at her instead of the planet. This, of course, only made Shepard grin wider, and the two quickly began laughing in delight at the other. As if they could read their thoughts, they almost instinctively leaned into a kiss, their eyes closing as they felt the warm connection of their lips. Warmth spread across their skin as they let relaxed breaths wash out their noses. After a few moments, they broke the loving gesture, still smiling, clearly lost in this perfect moment.
The journey down to Rannoch’s surface was gentle; the smooth curves of the Geth ship sailed through the atmosphere like a fish cutting through water. The technological prowess of the synthetics still astounded Shepard, and he couldn’t help but imagine what further leaps in innovation the galaxy could achieve in the coming years with further cooperation. Tali’s eyes were still locked on the view from the port, more of the land coming into closer detail as the ship descended. Brown-red crags and plateaus jutted up towards the sky, with deep, yawning valleys between, filled with rough brush and hardy trees. This region of Rannoch’s largest continent, near the planet’s equator, was the one Shepard was most familiar with. The fighting on the planet during the Reaper War to free the Geth from Reaper control had taken Shepard and his comrades across Rannoch, but the location of the last battle wasn’t too far from where they’d be landing.
The sight of that final confrontation against the Reaper responsible for controlling the Geth was something of local Quarian legend. But, while others would speak of when the then Commander Shepard stared down such a monster and won , all he could think about was the cost of victory. He closed his eyes as, while he fondly remembered making the promise to Tali that he’d build her a home right on the gorgeous coastline she’d chosen, the grief of Legion’s sacrifice weighed on his heart.
He also thought of the countless Quarians who had died in the pointless conflict warhawks like Admirals Han’Gerrel and Daro’Xen had pushed for. With the Geth accepting servitude to the Reapers out of necessity, so many had died in a short yet bloody war that could have been completely avoided. The human shook his head, letting out an annoyed sigh, something that did not go unnoticed by Tali.
“What is it?” She asked, shifting her gaze from the approaching ground to her frowning husband. Shepard met her gaze, and then looked out to the rocky landscape beyond the viewport, nodding at it.
“Just thinking of what it took to get here. How many lives…” He finally admitted. Tali turned to look back at the widening view of the landscape of her homeworld, taking in Shepard’s words, her own thoughts and memories coming together in understanding. She didn’t vocalize a response, simply pushed herself closer into Shepard’s embrace. He squeezed her gently, listening to her gentle breathing as the ship thrummed its landing thrusters.
Tall silver structures jutted up from the ground around the vessel, towers and antennas marking the presence of a starport. The large, flat expanse of tarmac stretching away from their view, other ships of various sizes and makes in different spots. Some were surrounded by busy Geth and Quarians moving cargo, while others were connected to a large central building by docking tubes, no doubt loading and unloading passengers.
The rate at which proper civilization returned to Rannoch in such a short amount of time was something of a wonder to Shepard, but he couldn’t help admiring the efficiency of the Geth specifically. After peace was made between them and their creators, and the end of the Reaper War, resettlement of the planet by the Quarians commenced almost immediately.
With the majority of the Geth surviving the Crucible’s blast by being beyond the Perseus Veil, many of which remained in the present, an astounding workforce had incredible numbers of hands to lend towards not just rebuilding Quarian civilization on Rannoch, but rebuilding across the galaxy. Of course, some planets were less than willing to invite the Geth even for reconstruction, but those that did found their civilization’s gears turning smoothly much faster than anyone expected. The repairs on the Citadel wouldn’t have been finished nearly as quickly without the assistance of the Geth, which played no small part in their admittance to the Council alongside the Quarians.
However, the acceptance of both peoples into the Council was not free of problems. Even in the wake of the Reaper War and all of its destruction, there were still voices that objected to the expansion of Council Space. While the movement of the Citadel itself to the Sol System had not totally destabilized the organization of Council Space, the Local Cluster not being relatively far from the Citadel’s original position in the Serpent Nebula in terms of galactic distance, the addition of the Geth and Quarians to the Council meant the addition of their regions of space, too.
As such, a corridor of official Council Space was created that connected the northeastern border of Alliance Space to the Far Rim, bridging it to Rannoch, reclaimed Quarian colonies, and access to the Perseus Veil. This corridor, consisting of the Nubian Expanse and Hades Nexus, became known as the ‘Far Rim Run’.
Because travel to Rannoch requires traversal to the relay orbiting Dholan first, ships traveling from the corridor find themselves in the Far Rim before making the final jump to the Tikkun System. Indeed, with the addition of Quarian and Geth Space to that of the Council, the pre-Reaper War boundaries between the Terminus Systems and the Attican Traverse were redrawn.
Any other point in time, this would have been unthinkable for the Council, and most assuredly resulted in a war with the Terminus Systems. But, in the aftermath of that terrible conflict, little force or authority remained in the Terminus to forcibly or meaningfully object to the change. Even after the Citadel was moved back to its original position around Widow, the path of travel between Tikkun and Sol remained surprisingly active, to the benefit of both the Alliance and Quarians.
The Hasan’azhana finally made its touchdown on the tarmac, insectoid legs extending from underneath its smooth, purple hull. Orange-red dust wafted through the air as the large engines powered down, kicked up by the displaced air of the vessel’s wide mass as it had descended. Along with the Geth delegates, Shepard and Tali exited the ship down an extending stepped ramp.
The two organics took in the warm light of Tikkun as it hung in the sky, orange rays casting a mid-afternoon glare across the craggy landscape and silvery buildings of the starport. As they strode away from the ship, Shepard hefting a modest bag over his shoulder of the few things they’d packed with them, Tali couldn’t help but admire the sight of tall, glass-coated skyscrapers beyond the starport.
Commonplace on urbanized planets such as Earth, Thessia, Illum, or Palaven, the sight of such a city on Rannoch was something new; another thing Tali and other Quarians were finding hard to normalize. After less than half a decade of resettlement, established towns and small cities had already sprouted across Rannoch’s land masses, not only making concrete the Quarians' new lives on their reclaimed homeworld, but also drawing in many travelers, settlers, and tourists from across the galaxy.
While the newly formed government did what they could to keep undesirables in check, the influx of interstellar investment, business, and tourism did wonders to accelerate Rannoch’s repopulation and redevelopment, combined with the Geth’s extraordinary construction abilities. Shepard, too, was consistently impressed by the rate at which Rannoch’s urban centers had blossomed in only a few years, and he often found himself forgetting what the planet was like when he first saw it whenever he was in the most highly developed places, such as the new capital city, Pallu. From what Admiral Raan had explained to Shepard, they’d chosen that name, literally translated from Khelish as ‘nevertheless’, to express all they’d finally accomplished in the face of so much toil.
He’d found it quite fitting.
The city looked even more impressive from the air, streets and buildings spider webbing out from a central nexus of larger structures and skyscrapers, with large mountains of the characteristic red-orange rock in the distance beyond; the terraforming it had taken to smooth out some of the rocky landscape to make way for this city to spring up had taken the Quarians no time at all with Geth assistance.
From what Shepard had been told, most traces of major cities had disappeared in the three centuries following the end of the Morning War, requiring such steps to be taken to shape the land and rebuild from scratch. That old war had been so devastating, nothing but ruins remained on Rannoch following the Quarians’ exodus into the stars, and as such, the Geth simply ‘cleaned up’ in the aftermath. While some had been disheartened to find little of their ancestors upon the planet’s surface upon their return, the ability to start anew so cleanly was an opportunity many more sought to embrace.
To the west of the city was the vast, shining ocean, reflecting the afternoon sun, towards which Shepard and Tali’s aircar gradually approached as it soared up and away from the starport. Looking to the north, beyond the city’s outskirts, Shepard could see the remains of the Geth facility he’d assaulted with Tali, Garrus, and Legion, those four and a half years ago.
Quar’osh , it had been known, as Tali had explained. Translated from Khelish, it meant ‘Curse of the People’, and before being taken over by the Geth, and then the Reapers, it had been the original facility where the Quarians had first developed and built their synthetics servants, over three centuries prior.
From what Shepard remembered, Legion had quite directly admitted that the facility had been treated as a shrine by the Geth. Revering the place of their birth. At least, they had, until the Reapers took it for their own use, controlling the lesser synthetics.
In the years since Rannoch was retaken, and peace between the Geth and Quarians was finally reached, the facility received a surprising breath of new life. From what Shepard understood, the Quarian Admiralty and civilian government joined the Geth in turning Quar’osh into something similar to its original purpose: a place of science, education, discovery, and progress. To many, it was a living example of the cooperation envisioned by only the most hopeful dreamers all those centuries before. Shepard smiled, knowing how many Quarians found new lives for themselves working at the facility, including children and young adults orphaned by the war.
He frowned, thinking of Jona’Hazt, a young man whom Shepard had met several times studying and learning at Quar’osh. Jona had been making a name for himself as an up-and-coming engineer through his training there, as he recalled. The boy was practically a prodigy when it came to his continuously growing understanding, as Tali had pointed out, impressed by his intelligence and curiosity.
Closing his eyes, Shepard couldn’t help but feel his memories clash. On one side, his first, very pleasant meeting with the peppy young Quarian. On the other, he felt his heart sting as his mind’s eye replayed both of Jona’s parents’ individual deaths. Both by the Geth.
His mother, Dagt, a casualty of the outbreak on the Alarei . His father, Dorn, by the forces occupying Rannoch, and was, by extension, another of the uncountable deaths at the hands of the Reapers. Shepard made a mental note to reach out to Jona at some point soon, now that he was back on Rannoch. He enjoyed speaking with the intelligent young man, seeing the bright future of the Quarians in him.
What was left of the remains of the Reaper Destroyer he’d killed, out of view in the valley further beyond, he could also picture in his mind’s eye. Its bulbous form rusting among the rocky landscape. Frowning, Shepard instead chose to turn his gaze westwards, towards the approaching coastline, where he could already see a small, silver-black aberration among the otherwise unremarkable orange-hued rocky landscape. Outlined against the sunlight reflecting off the water, the sight filled the man with a welcome feeling of calm, pushing back the hurtful recollections.
Thanks to the speed of the aircar, which automatically launched itself back in the direction of the starport once Shepard and Tali exited, they’d reached their coastal home in less than an hour. With only a simple dirt road winding across the rugged landscape between the coast and Pallu’s outermost limits being their only land connection to the rest of Rannoch’s civilization, the Shepard household certainly seemed quite isolated. But, as the couple held each other’s hand and stepped into the foyer of their abode, they felt absolutely content having their own slice of paradise all to themselves.
From the exterior, their house featured very few garish features. The overall shape of the building was that of the letter L, angled so that it more resembled an arrowhead, with the point facing towards the ocean. Bushes lined the outside walls facing inland, and large, ceiling-high windows made up the ‘point’ of the arrow shape, allowing the couple to have a perfect view of the shifting sea beyond. Inside, where the windows met at their pointed angle, underneath the ocean view, an unremarkable reddish-brown stone sat on a small pedestal.
Shepard smiled at it as the two walked inside. Tali peeled off to grab herself something to eat from their kitchen, situated in the western part of the house’s L-shape, also featuring their dining room. The eastern part featured their bedroom and bathroom, with the comfortably open living room in the middle, as Tali had always desired. The tall windows cast warm orange light across the modest coffee table and U shaped couch that surrounded it. Shepard, placing his small bag of he and Tali’s belongings on the smooth hardwood floor, eased himself onto the couch, letting Tikkun’s rays wash over him, warming his skin and relaxing his tired body. The trip from Rannoch to the Citadel was long, and even though he’d slept several hours of the journey, he still felt tired. It wasn’t long before Tali joined him on the sofa, laying against his side with a snack bowl in her hands, munching on something she seemed to be enjoying quite a lot. Shepard simply smiled at her before closing his eyes, feeling his muscles relax as he let himself be at ease, in his own home, with the love of his life.
As he sat there, the content and warmth lulling him into a pleasant state of calm, he couldn’t help but let his mind drift back to his memories. They were vibrant, suddenly so; emotions welled up inside of him, causing his breath to hitch, heart beginning to pound. Before it escalated further, though, Shepard felt a familiar, lithe hand touch his face, along with a feeling of wetness. Briefly confused, his mind still racing, he looked down to the left, and saw Tali gazing up at him, her hand upon his cheek. To his surprise, he only then registered the warm, wet trails running down his face as Tali brushed one away. Shepard brought his own hand up to wipe away the other damp line of tears, taking in a deep, shaky breath, his body reeling internally from the sudden, near panic attack.
“Sorry.” He apologized, sniffling, letting out a long breath. “Just… memories.”
Tali nodded, pulling back her shawl. Exposing her long, black hair, most of the shadows receding from her pale, sharp face; illuminated by the glow of Tikkun’s light, his wife looked incredible beyond words. Shepard couldn’t help but break out into a smile, his eyes still a bit misty.
“That day…” Shepard began, bringing his left hand up to touch Tali’s, a couple fresh tears dripping from his eyes, clearly referring to the final day of the Reaper War, when the Crucible fired. “I.. didn’t know if I’d see you again. But, when I did…” Shepard tried to form the right words, but his mouth simply made mute movements. A familiar feeling. He let out a huff of frustration, simply meeting the gaze of his wife, his mouth lopsided as he failed to find the right conveyance.
“I know.” Tali said, simply. Her small smile put him more at ease, and he returned it with his own. She shuffled closer to him, wiping away his fresh tears. “I love you, John.” She said, her voice quiet, but full of emotion. Shepard’s smile widened, an expression of barely contained emotion conveying the feelings welling up inside of the usually stoic soldier. Around Tali, he found that stone mask had a tendency to crumble, and in the wake of those powerful memories, this time was no exception.
“I love you… more than anything, Tali.” Shepard responded, his voice also quiet, choked up with emotion. She leaned in, and they met in a kiss, arms wrapping around each other. They remained that way until Tikkun’s light sank beneath the ocean.