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Chapter Text

The Milky Way Galaxy, 2183

Having taken a long drag on his cigarette, the man released a steady stream of smoke in a long satisfying cloud from between his lips.
In the years since humanity had made contact with other spacefaring species, all manner of strange narcotics had been introduced to the delight of many. The man however preferred to stay loyal to his old favourites. Whisky and tobacco.

Holding the smouldering cigarette between his thumb and forefinger, he leaned back in his chair and gazed through the panoramic window of his spartan office. Beyond the glass was a boiling mass of orange and red. The dying red star Anadius. On most maps of the Milky Way galaxy, it was little more than a footnote, making it the perfect spot for Cronos Station, headquarters of the secretive Cerberus organisation. Few, if any ships came this way, and those that did would never find the station amid the star’s radiation and its own formidable defences.  

It had taken many years and billions in credits to set up his operation, but the work had paid for itself several times over by now. Though he saw it every day, the Illusive Man always felt a great deal of pride in the station.
He raised the cigarette for another drag, when a light began flashing on his computer console.

“No rest for the wicked,” he thought wryly, before pressing a button on the console, causing the holographic figure of a man in a white coat to appear before him.
“Agent Giler,” said the Illusive Man, his tone betraying no emotion, “What is your report?”
“We found it Sir,” Giler replied, “The Nostromo’s flight recorder, and it’s fully intact. We’ve been analysing the data for the past hour.”
“Have you had any problems with degradation or corruption?”
“No.”

“Very impressive for something that’s been floating in space for the past 15 years.”
“Weyland-Yutani built it to last.”
“And what of the Nostromo itself?”
“It’s been destroyed Sir.”
The Illusive Man’s cigarette paused halfway to his mouth, betraying his surprise.
“Destroyed? How?”

“It seems the warrant officer set the ship to self-destruct. The recorder was ejected automatically just before detonation.”
“Do you know why they did this?”
Giler’s expression became one of excitement.

“We’ve learned from the data that the crew was awoken from hypersleep and ordered to investigate a distress signal from a planet in the Zeta Reticuli system. Turns out it was being transmitted by a crashed ship.”
“Human or alien?”
“Alien, but it doesn’t appear to be one from any known species. During their investigation of the crashed ship, the executive officer became infected with a parasite that implanted a creature in his chest. Soon after the creature forced its way out of his body and developed into a predatory creature that hunted down all but one of the crew.”

“The warrant officer?”
“Exactly. She managed to escape in a shuttle before the ship was destroyed. We’ve sent out probes to search for it, but I don’t think our chances are very high.”
“What planet did they find this crashed ship on?”
“LV-426. It’s a moon of the gas giant Calpamos.”
“That planet was settled for terraforming some years ago by Weyland-Yutani was it not?”
“Indeed Sir. We’ve been in contact with our agents within the company, but it appears that the crashed ship has not been reported by the colonists, nor has it been recovered by Wey-Yu.”

The Illusive Man took a few puffs on his cigarette. The disappearance of the USCSS Nostromo had been one of the great mysteries of the past few years. Now the discovery of its flight recorder had only raised further questions.
 “What about the creature?” he asked, “What have you learned about it?”
“A great deal,” Giler explained, his excitement clearly growing, “The science officer was able to create a detailed file on it before the destruction of the ship. It was able to overpower any human with ease, and its exoskeleton allowed it to survive the most hostile of environments. On top of that, its blood was a highly concentrated acid, meaning that even in death it was extremely dangerous. One could almost call it the perfect organism.”

The Illusive Man paused, thinking for almost a full minute before he spoke again.
“Very good Giler,” he said eventually, “You have done well, now here are your new orders. Have our agents in Weyland-Yutani comb their company archives for any information about the Nostromo’s crew, their mission and if they are still seeking out this unknown species. In the meantime, dispatch an infiltration team to LV-426 and have them locate the crashed ship or its remains. I want a complete record of the ship, an example of this unknown species and the parasite for study. Make sure to send regular reports.”

“What should we do about the colony?”
“The team is to remain hidden at all times. No contact is to be made with the colonists under any circumstances, and any witnesses are to be eliminated. Is that clear?”
“Yes Sir. And what of the Nostromo’s escape shuttle?”
“Continue using unmanned drones to track its most likely course. After so many years I doubt it can be recovered, but it would be foolish not to investigate the matter. That will be all, dismissed.”

Giler nodded and the hologram faded away.
Finishing his cigarette, the Illusive Man stubbed it out in an ashtray and began reading the reports that had arrived in the last few minutes from Cerberus’s numerous cells. The rewards for his labours were more than enough, but he had to put in the hours to maintain his edge.

***

On the far edge of the galaxy, a strange insect-like ship drifted through the stars. No organic being had seen such a craft before, but that would change soon. At the ship’s workstations stood members of its synthetic crew, who were directly integrated into its systems. In the centre of the bridge stood the only organic passenger, Saren Arterius.

If anyone had told the turian spectre a few years ago that he would be working with the geth, he would have declared them insane, or possibly even shot them.
“Time makes fools of us all,”
“Arterius,” one of the geth platforms stated flatly, “We are approaching Nazara.”
“Bring us into dock,” Saren replied, his voice no less flat.
“Docking in 6 minutes and 32 seconds.”

There were no viewing ports or windows in the bridge, since the geth did not need them, and by this point, neither did the spectre. He had seen the imposing curved hull of the great ship so many times that it was almost committed to memory.
After exactly 6 minutes and 32 seconds, a shudder went through the hull of the geth ship, followed by a series of heavy clunks as it was locked into place.

“We are docked with Nazara,” the geth platform stated, “Airlock pressurisation is complete.”
“Very good,” said Saren, “Wait for my return.”
He turned on his heels, heading down a narrow corridor and through a set of doors which sealed behind him.

As the airlock hissed around him, the turian’s mandibles twitched into a mocking smile. In quarian mythology, Nazara had been a goddess of creation and destruction, and despite their machine nature, such things were important to the geth. The great ship had used the name in order to sway the synthetics to its cause, but it was revolted at their pathetic worship. Ultimately, it saw them only as a means to an end.

The hissing cut out, and the doors ahead of Saren opened, revealing a long dark passageway of curving metal and glowing cables.
He stepped out of the airlock and marched up a long narrow gangway, his every movement creating deep echoes. The far end of the space he was in was impossible to see, and other large tunnels led off from it, all of them lined with enormous cables that emanated a soft blue light.

Despite his hard suit keeping his temperature at a comfortable level, a cold sensation began to creep through his body. When he had first entered the great ship, he had almost been overwhelmed by its sheer alienness, and even now he felt equal parts fear and wonder at the surrounding structures.
Reaching the end of the gangway, he came to a round platform, a sphere of glowing bluish light above it. the heart of the great ship.

“Arterius.”
The deep voice rumbled through the turian’s body, seeming to come from every direction at once, increasing the sense of fear and wonder.
“Sovereign,” Saren replied, placing his hands behind his back and standing to attention, the way the turian military had drilled into him. “I am pleased to report that the geth fleet is in position. Upon your command it will strike out at our enemies.”
“And what of those geth who have refused to join our cause?”
“They have allowed their fellows to leave the Perseus Veil. They will not undertake hostile action against us unless we do so first.”

“Good. You have done well Arterius. It is now time for us to enact our great plan. Your first objective is the planet of Eden Prime. A prothean beacon has been discovered there. You will unlock what information it has, then destroy it. Do not allow the humans to recover it. Alongside this, you will send geth to set up bases of operation along the borders of Alliance Space. Once this is done, you and Benezia will proceed to the planet of LV-426 with a detachment of geth. On that planet is a crashed ship. Its origins and purpose are of no concern. What matters is its cargo, a creature of potential use as a weapon. Your objective is to recover its cargo and unleash it upon as many Alliance worlds as possible. The chaos will prevent them from aiding the other species when the time comes.”

Saren allowed himself another smile, this one genuine. Ever since the Relay 314 Incident and the death of his brother, he had itched to strike back at the upstart humans, and now he had the perfect means to do it.
“It shall be done Sovereign,” he replied, bowing to the great ship.

Chapter Text

One Week Earlier

Located deep within the lawless Terminus Systems, the Pylos Nebula was not a place many would call home. Yet for the Migrant Fleet, it had been just that for the past several weeks.
This vast flotilla, consisting of 50,000 ships, was home to all 17 million members of the quarian race and had been for over 300 years.

Currently, the fleet was orbiting the gas giant Jonus in the star system of Nariph, refuelling after having spent the last six months mining resources through the system. After that was finished, they would pass through the mass relay and onto another system. Just another step in their long journey through the galaxy.

The ships were a motley collection, ranging from refurbished batarian transports to powerful dreadnoughts of the old quarian navy. One of the largest and most important ships was the Rayya. Its shape was formed by a large sphere where much of the fleet’s food was produced, and a long thin hull extending from its centre, which housed the engines and crew quarters.

At that time, most of its crew were sleeping, and by rights, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya should have been as well. Despite her best efforts, sleep had proven to be elusive, she was simply too excited. Instead, she sat on a supply crate in the passageway outside her cramped room, looking through the window and out onto the great black void of space. In a few hours, she would be leaving the fleet for the first time for her pilgrimage, a rite of passage undertaken by all quarians.

Over the last year, she and other youths had undertaken weapons, medical, and general survival training. They had also been given boosters to improve their weakened immune systems. In a few hours, they would set out into the galaxy to learn about its peoples and cultures, only returning to the fleet once they had found something of value.
It was exciting and terrifying all at once.

Despite its great size, the Rayya was feeling increasingly claustrophobic for Tali. She yearned to see the worlds beyond the reinforced glass and meet people who did not have to always wear environmental suits. On the other hand, she knew how the other races disliked quarians, seeing them as thieves and beggars. Many also hated them for creating the geth, a synthetic workforce who had rebelled against the quarians, driving them from their home world.

Activating her omni-tool, Tali pulled up a holographic display of the galaxy. About a third of the map was Council Space, which was governed by the Citadel Council. It was civilised, wealthy and safe, making it a popular destination for pilgrims, despite the hostility they encountered from much of the population.

The single largest area was the Terminus Systems, which took up almost half the map. It was extremely dangerous, with pirates and slavers often lying in wait to strike cargo ships or civilian transports. A few of the more daring young quarians wanted to go there, especially the space station of Omega, hoping to find something unusual to bring back to the fleet. Few actually went through with it, and even fewer returned.

Separating the Terminus from the rest of the galaxy was the Attican Traverse, an area of unclaimed space that was slowly being colonised by various species. It was almost as popular as Citadel Space with pilgrims, since their technical expertise was in high demand by the new colonies, who were less willing to discriminate.

The final area of the map was the one Tali was the least familiar with. It was the Systems Alliance, the space governed by humanity.
Humans were fairly new on the galactic stage, having only encountered the wider galactic community thirty years before in a brief war with the turians. In the time before and since, they had expanded quickly, and now governed almost as much territory as the Council. Tali herself had never met any humans, and the opinions from those quarians who had was mixed. What they all agreed on is that the humans did not hold the same disdain toward quarians that the other races did for their creation of the geth.

Feeling curious, Tali decided to look up the trade routes for the Migrant Fleet that day. Since it was impossible to supply every quarian leaving for their pilgrimage with their own ship, most booked passage on the cargo vessels that travelled the galaxy, trading for the flotilla. As usual, most were going to Citadel Space or the Traverse, with a handful heading for Omega. There seemed to be only one small trader, the Iuliana, travelling to a free port inside Alliance space.

Closing the map, Tali pondered her choices for a time. Some of her friends wanted to go to the asari colony of Illium, and most assumed she would be joining them. The young quarian was cautious however. Illium was an easy place to get work, but more than a few of her people had ended up selling themselves into ‘indentured servitude’ there after losing everything in get-rich-quick schemes.

“But what would father say if I ran off into the unknown?” she asked herself mentally.
“He would probably disapprove,” her mind answered.
The thoughts brought little resolution to her. Rael'Zorah had always been distant with his daughter, devoting almost all his time to his duties with the Admiralty Board. Despite being about to leave the fleet, she had not seen him for several months. Why should she care about his opinion? She was an adult now, she was free to make her own choices, especially while undertaking her pilgrimage. Despite her unhappiness however, a large part of her wanted to do right by her father.

He spent little time with her, not out of selfishness or neglect, but because he wanted their people to return to the home world. An ill-thought-out act of rebellion would not bring him closer.
It was then that another idea came to her. Perhaps the humans knew something that could help them in their struggle against the geth? Who knew what they learned in their years of exploring space before first contact?

“Maybe I’ll ask the others at breakfast,” she decided eventually, “Their advice can’t be any worse than anyone else’s.”
With that, she slipped off the crate and headed back into her room.

***

After a few hours of light sleep, Tali was brought to full consciousness by a klaxon announcing that breakfast was being served in 10 minutes. Yawning and stretching, she climbed out of her narrow bunk and stepped out into the passageway, which was already becoming crowded with other quarians, all heading for the canteen. As a result of living in space for centuries, quarians had to wear an environmental suit at all times, in case of hull breaches or if infectious diseases got on board. The design was a form-fitting suit and helmet with an opaque visor, while pipes at the back filtered air for the wearer. The only time they removed them was for medical treatment, or for time with loved ones in clean rooms.

Falling in with the crowd, Tali headed for the stern of the ship, where several large communal rooms were set up for the morning meal. The food was not much to speak of, most of it being tubes of flavoured nutrient paste and water, but it kept mind and body together, and there was plenty of it.
Taking a paste tube and bottle of water from a serving hatch, Tali was about to look for somewhere to sit, when a voice called out to her.

“Tali! Hey! Tali! Over here!”
Following the sound of the voice, she spotted Keenah'Breizh, another quarian about to set out for his pilgrimage. The table he was sitting at was already crowded, but he had managed to save a seat for her.
“Thanks Keenah,” Tali said, coming over and settling down beside him.
“Any time,” he said, a smile just visible through his visor.
“Still trying to cosy up to the admiral’s daughter, eh Keenah?” a male quarian called Sani sitting opposite them remarked coolly.
“I’m… I’m just being polite,” he replied defensively.

Tali felt grateful that no one could see her face as her cheeks turned red. Keenah was a good person and she liked him a lot, even if dating was not something she was planning on at that moment.
“We’re just friends,” she said meekly.
“That’s what they all say,” chuckled another male quarian by the name of Natan. “Then the next thing you hear they’ve got a clean room booked for a week.”
“I think it’s sweet,” said a female quarian called Kasous, “Two people about to go on pilgrimage and finding out they have feelings for one another. It’s so romantic.”
“You watch too many vids,” quipped Sani.

Wanting to avoid any awkward questions, Tali attached the tube of nutrient paste to the bottom of her helmet and began eating. The others seemed to have the same feelings and followed suit.
“So,” Sani asked the table after some time, “Where are you going for your pilgrimage?”
“The Citadel,” answered Kasous, sounding slightly muffled, “I hear they’ve got some good second-hand ship yards there.”
“I want to go to Omega,” said Natan, “It’s one of the biggest eezo mines in the galaxy. If I can bring some of it back, I’ll be set for life.”

“How?” asked Sani, “I don’t think Aria T'Loak is gonna give you some out of the goodness of her heart.”
“I have skills. I can work my way up in no time.”
“Yeah, or you’ll end up selling scrap metal for a ticket off the station,” joked Kasous.
“I’m going to Illium,” said Keenah, “I know it doesn’t have the best reputation, but there’s useful stuff there that the fleet needs.”
“Well, when you end up being sold into slavery, don’t forget, I told you so,” replied Sani.
“You’re always such a critic Sani,” Kasous shot back, “And I notice you haven’t told us where you’re going.”

The other four quarians leaned in, waiting for an answer.
“Well… I was thinking… maybe one of the new colonies in the Traverse,” Sani stammered.
“Makes sense, only they’d be desperate enough to have you,” snickered Natan.
Sani gave the other quarian a light punch on his shoulder.
“Laugh all you want,” he countered, “It’s more of an adventure than the Citadel, and it’ll be a damn sight safer than Illium or Omega.”

“Fair point,” giggled Kasous, “At least until some pirates show up.”
“Don’t get your hopes up,” laughed Natan, “Even if he was kidnapped by pirates, they’d probably end up sending him back to the fleet!”
“What about you Tali?” Keenah asked, “You got anywhere planned?”
Tali, who was still eating the last of her nutrient paste, held up a hand until she was able to swallow.
“I… I… I’m not entirely sure,” she answered.
“Oh come on,” said Natan, “You must have thought of something? You’ve been itching to go on pilgrimage for years.”

“I… I… well, I was thinking… I was thinking about finding work in Systems Alliance space.”
Though it was impossible to see through the visors, Tali could tell the rest of the table was giving her odd looks.
“Human space Tali?” said Keenah, “That’s… that’s a bit unusual don’t you think?”
“I’ve gotta agree with Keenah on this one,” said Natan, “You’d be taking a big risk going into human territory.”
“It can’t be any more of a risk than Omega or Illium,” Tali countered.
“Better the devil that you know,” said Sani.

“I think you’re being a bit unfair,” Kasous cut in, “My cousin worked for a human colony in the Traverse during his pilgrimage, and he said they were good people for the most part.”
“Maybe they don’t mind us out in some distant colony,” said Natan, “But I’ve heard very few other species travel into actual human space. There’s gotta be a reason for that.”
“Like what?” asked Tali.
“I dunno, something sinister. Maybe they use slaves like the batarians.”

“Now you’re just being deliberately inflammatory Natan,” said Kasous, “There’s nothing to say humans take slaves. Anyone would think you were trying to scare Tali.”
“I’m just being careful.”
“What have I gotten myself into?” Tali sighed mentally, before plugging the straw of her water bottle into her helmet and taking a long drink.

***

Once breakfast was over, the tables were quickly folded up and stacked against the wall, out of the way. Even a craft as large as the Rayya could not afford to waste space, so the canteen also doubled up as the main meeting room. The majority of the crew formed up against the left and right walls, while the young quarians about to set out for their pilgrimage gathered in rows in the middle of the hall. In the years before, Tali had watched from the sidelines in wonder and envy, now she felt giddy at finally being one of those who were leaving.

At the front of the hall was a stage, which a woman in a gold and black environmental suit ascended before turning to address the hall. It was tradition for at least one member of the Admiralty Board to address pilgrims before they departed. This time it was Shala'Raan vas Tonbay, the commander of the Patrol Fleet, which managed navigation and internal security for the flotilla. Tali was happy to see her. Shala'Raan had been a close family friend all her life, to the point that she often called her ‘Auntie Raan’. Nevertheless, she could not help but feel a twinge of disappointment. Her father knew she was leaving today, and she had hoped that he would have taken the time to address the Rayya’s crew.

“Or at least come to wish me luck and say goodbye.”
Tali shook her head slightly, making sure her helmet did not move. Would it really have been too much to ask for her own father to take some time off from work for one of the most important days of his daughter’s life?

“Greetings crew of the Rayya,” declared Shala'Raan, spreading her arms. “Blessed are the ancestors who kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season. Keelah Se'lai.”
“Keelah Se'lai,” the assembled crew chanted back.
“Today we say farewell to those who are about to undertake their pilgrimage. You have all trained and studied hard for your journey out into the stars, and the time has come to put those skills to use. I know that the galaxy is a daunting place, you will all face great challenges in the times to come, and there are many who look down upon us. I also know however, that each and every one of you will do your utmost to bring pride to our people and will return as heroes!”

A great cheer went up from the quarians lining each side of the hall. Tali felt humbled and prayed that she would prove herself worthy of Raan’s words.
“Now go forward young quarians,” declared the admiral, “And may your journeys bring you closer to home!”

More cheers went up from the crowd. Shala'Raan climbed down from the stage and was replaced by a male quarian wearing the armoured suit of a marine.
“Alright!” he stated gruffly, “No time for idle blathering! All pilgrims make your way through the exit behind you and pick up your supply pack and weapons, then make your way down to the loading dock for departure!” Try and return the weapons at least!”

A great rustle of movement went through the room as the crowd of young quarians tried to form a somewhat orderly queue around the exit. Though marines were handing out supplies from a row of hatchways just past the door, it was well over an hour before Tali reached one and took a pack. There was an upside however, as the marine she met was Kal'Reegar, the same one who had overseen her weapon’s training the previous week.

“Hello Miss Zorah,” he said, passing a short shotgun and pistol to her, “I hope you’re as good planet side as you are on the range.”
“Don’t worry Kal,” Tali replied, taking the weapons and attaching them to the magnetic clamps on her lower back and hip. “If I need to use these, I won’t miss.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” 

Giving the marine a wave, Tali took a backpack of food and medical supplies and headed down a flight of stairs that led to the docking area.
Running the full length of the Rayya’s lower deck, the dock was a hive of activity. Airlocks lined one side of the wall, each one with a vessel locked in place. Some were offloading cargo onto an overhead rail system which moved it to the ship’s hold, while others were taking on tanks of nutrient paste which would be transported across the fleet. The air was thick with the clatter of machines, the hiss of air pumps, and the endless babble of voices. Above each of the airlocks was a digital sign, declaring the name of the ship, where it would be departing for, and at what time.

The most important ships were docked closest to the entrance and were by far the largest. Crowds were gathered around the airlocks, mostly family and relatives seeing the pilgrims off with many tears and promises to send them messages.
“Remember, don’t sign anything until you’ve had it properly translated and read it yourself,” a mother said in a wobbly voice as she hugged her son tightly.

“Mum, please, I’ll be fine, stop worrying,” the son replied, though he hugged her back no less tightly.
As she passed them, Tali could not help but feel envious. It felt as if she were the only person leaving without anyone to say goodbye.
“Hey! Tali!” called out a voice as she passed the airlock marked, Illium.
Tali wheeled around to see Keenah push his way out from the crowd, waving frantically as he hurried over to her.

“Hey Keenah,” she replied, “You all set?”
“You know it,” he replied, patting the pistol at his hip, “What about you?”
Tali patted her own gun.
“So…” said the male quarian, “Are you still going to Alliance space, or… or have you changed your mind? There’s still room here if you want to join us?”
Under her mask, Tali smiled. Keenah was really a good person and it was painful to turn him down.
“Thank you Keenah, that’s very kind of you, but this is something I want to do.”
Keenah’s shoulders sagged a little in disappointment, but when he spoke his words were full of support.
“Okay Tali, best of luck to you.”

The two embraced briefly, then broke apart.
“If you change your mind, remember, we’re only a few relay jumps away,” Keenah smiled.
“I think it’s more than a few jumps,” Tali replied, “But I’ll be sure to remember it.”
Embracing him one last time, she turned and continued down the dock.

It took some time to reach the ship heading for human space, but eventually, Tali came to an airlock where the sign read, Ship: Iuliana. Destination: Sevastopol Free Port, Zeta Reticuli System. Only one quarian crewman was standing beside the airlock, playing a game on his omni-tool as cargo boxes entered the ship by the overhead rail.

“Umm, excuse me!” Tali shouted, trying to make herself heard over the clatter of the machine.
The crewman glanced up at her.
“Yeah?” he said, barely audible over the noise.
“Is this the ship going to human space?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m going there on my pilgrimage, would I be able to travel with you?”
“Sure, just wait for the cargo to finish loading, then you can come on board.”
“Oh, thank you,” Tali replied, a little surprised by how casual the crewman was being after the way her friends had reacted.

The loading process was a slow one, so Tali made herself as comfortable as possible on a plastic bench against the far wall. She passed the time flicking through the Extranet on her omni-tool, trying to learn more about humanity and Alliance space. She was just reading about their home planet of Earth, when a shadow fell over her.

“Leaving without saying goodbye?” intoned Shala'Raan.
Hastily deactivating her omni-tool, Tali jumped up and threw her arms around the admiral.
“Auntie Raan!” she exclaimed, “I didn’t think I’d see you.”
“I couldn’t let you disappear into space without seeing you off. Do you have all your equipment?”
“Of course.”
“Weapons?”
“You know I was given those before I even came down to the dock.”

Behind her mask, Raan smiled.
“You can’t be too careful Tali'Zorah. I remember during my pilgrimage one young man left all his medicine behind. Even now he gets teased about it.”
“Don’t worry Auntie Raan, all my stuff is right here.”
Tali jerked the strap of her bag which was still slung over her shoulder.
“I’m more worried that you’ve chosen to go to human space,” Raan continued, “Are you really sure about this?”
“Raan, I already had this argument at breakfast. I know it’s… different, but there might be something new to learn out there.”

“I know Tali, I know, but you must be careful. We don’t have any official contact with the Alliance government, and if something happens to you, we might not be able to help. Your father would be devastated.”
A spike of anger went through Tali.
“If he actually cared then he could have come and told me that himself,” she grumbled, folding her arms.
“Your father does care about you Tali,” Raan replied, taking hold of her hand and squeezing it gently, “He just… struggles to express himself, especially since your mother passed away.”
“I know,” Tali sighed, “I just wish he could be here today.”

“He does too,” said Raan, “But he and Admiral Daro'Xen are working on something critical at this time. Even I’ve barely seen him for weeks. He did however ask me to give you this.”
She took a datapad from her suit and handed it to Tali.
“He said it’s a message he recorded for your pilgrimage.”
An alarm cut through the dusty air.
“Hey kid!” the crewman yelled out from the airlock, “We’re done loading! If you’re coming you’ve gotta get on board!”
“Just a second!” Tali yelled back.

She shoved the datapad into her bag and hugged Shala'Raan.
“Thank you Auntie Raan,” she said, feeling her chest tighten up, “I promise I’ll come back safely and honour the fleet.”
Raan’s smile was just visible through her visor.
“I know you will,” she said softly.
“Come on kid!” the crewman yelled as he stepped back into the airlock and began working the controls.

“Go on,” said Raan, “Show those humans what a quarian can do.”
“I will Raan.”
With tears running down her cheeks, Tali dashed across the dock and jumped through the airlock just as the two steel doors closed with a heavy clunk.
“Glad you decided to join us,” the crewman remarked, turning a series of dials and filling the confined space with a loud hissing as the pressure equalised with that of the ship. “Next stop, human space.”

Chapter Text

Silently the two great rings of the mass relay began to spin, faster and faster, until they were little more than a blur. As they reached their maximum speed the space beside the relay warped in on itself, before the elongated form of the Iuliana appeared from the void in a flash.

“Jump successful,” said the pilot, “Drift, 20,000 kilometres, thrusters online.”
“Navigator,” said the captain, who was sitting slightly behind the pilot, “Please verify that we have reached the Zeta Reticuli system.”
“Verified,” the navigator replied in a bored voice, “We are 3 billion kilometres from KG-348.”
“Good. Lock onto Sevastopol’s homing beacon and set a course.”
“Yes Captain.”

From the back of the small cockpit, Tali watched as the crew worked the controls and manoeuvred the ship around so it was facing the distant glowing orb of the system’s sun. The Iuliana was a turian light cargo ship that had been purchased from a scrap yard about 50 years before. Its systems were seriously outdated and new engines had been retrofitted in order for it to keep up with the rest of the Migrant Fleet. Still, its crew loved the ship and made no secret of it.

The cockpit window was very narrow, which was common for craft that used mass effect technology, but still, the view was amazing. Stars were splashed across the glass, while the rounded forms of planets loomed large, their surfaces a riot of colours. In her 22 years, Tali had seen many star systems, but this one was wholly new for her. During the long flight from the Pylos Nebula, she had read on the Extranet that the Zeta Reticuli system was only about 40 light years from Earth. Even before humanity had fully developed mass effect technology, it had become a hub for interstellar trade and was a common stop off point for ships heading for the Sol system.

“You might as well go back to your bunk Tali’Zorah,” said the navigator, who was studying a holographic star chart, “It’ll take a few hours to reach the station.”
“Not a chance,” she replied gleefully.
“Ah, to be young again,” remarked the pilot, “When everything was a thrill, and not work.”
“Don’t listen to her Tali’Zorah,” said the captain, “She’s always been a cynic.”
“No, I’m just realistic,” the pilot replied.
One of the control panels began to flash.
“Homing Beacon for Sevastopol locked.”
“Switch to FTL drive,” replied the captain.

There was a clatter of switches and the view beyond the window became a violet blur.
Though it took another two hours, Tali stayed on the bridge, watching the brief hints of reality passing by the windows until finally, the captain ordered the crew to cut back to the sub-light engines. Suddenly the window was filled by a vast dull yellow and brown gas giant.

“Contact Sevastopol,” ordered the captain, “See if they’ve got a berth for us.”
“Sevastopol flight control, do you read me?” said the pilot, keying her radio. “This is MFV Iuliana requesting permission to dock. Over.”
“MFV Iuliana, this is Sevastopol flight control, we read you, welcome back,” a voice crackled in reply, “Proceed to terminal 94 and dock. Over.”
“Roger that Sevastopol, over and out.”

The Iuliana’s engines grumbled and it began flying parallel to the gas giant. As Tali watched, a dark speck appeared in the cockpit window. Slowly it grew larger and larger, until a defined shape became visible. The structure consisted of a triangular platform with three boxy towers rising from it. Narrow bridges ran between the towers, no doubt some form of rapid transit, while radar dishes stuck out from many surfaces. Around the base of the towers, ships were docked, their makes and models almost as mixed as those of the Migrant Fleet.

“That’s Sevastopol?” Tali asked.
“Ugly place ain’t it?” the navigator replied, “You’d think the humans would try and make one of their most important ports aesthetically pleasing.”
“As long as they pay well I don’t give a shit what this place looks like,” countered the captain.
Tali thought the navigator had a point. The station had a grim feeling about it, like a machine that was left to run with no maintenance or love. What did that say about the people who had built it?

***

Almost another hour past before the Iuliana was finally able to get into position for docking. By that time the whole cockpit window was filled with the boxy walls of the space station. Flying between a cruiser and a bulk carrier, the pilot then swung the ship around and activated the forward thrusters, causing the ship to come to almost a complete stop beside a clear section of wall.

“Sevastopol flight control, this is the Iuliana,” said the pilot, using the thrusters to move sideways, “We are preparing to dock in three, two, one…”
There was a heavy bang, followed by a violent lurch. Taken off guard by the impact, Tali tripped over her own feet and only just managed to grab a length of pipe to stop herself crashing to the floor.

“Good to see you haven’t lost your delicate touch when it comes to docking,” the captain remarked acidly.
“And here I thought you liked it a bit rough,” joked the pilot.
The crew spent the next few minutes checking their instruments and making sure that they were lined up with the airlock to begin pressurisation. Tali meanwhile straightened herself out and went back to her bunk to grab her supplies and equipment. On her return, she found the crew now grouped around the hatchway which led to an airlock, the red light above signalling that it was still unsafe.

“You all set?” asked the navigator.
“I think so,” Tali replied, thumbing the strap of her bag, “Is there anything I should know about this place before we board?”
“Well it’s a free port, so you can expect a lot of shifty characters around,” said the pilot, “If you’re after work, go to the information desk. They’ll point you in the right direction.”
“More importantly, make sure you don’t eat human food,” said the pilot, “Try and find a turian place which does dextro stuff.”

“Plus they’ve got food other than nutrient paste,” said the captain, “So don’t be afraid to spend a little and enjoy yourself for once.”
An alarm rang once and the light above the airlock turned from red to green.
“Finally,” grumbled the pilot, “I swear this thing takes longer each time we use it.”
The airlock doors opened with a slight hiss and Tali, along with the pilot and captain, stepped inside.

“Have fun,” said the navigator.
He pushed a button, causing the doors to seal again. This was followed by another hiss of air, then a glow of ultraviolet light flashed through the confined space.
“Decontamination in progress,” droned an automated voice, “Pressure equalisation in progress. Please stand still.”
Tali stood stock still as the light washed over her several times, causing the two crew to laugh.

“Don’t worry about it kid,” said the captain, “This space is clean. It’s the station you’ve gotta worry about.”
“I do…?” Tali replied, worry gripping her again.
“Yeah, humans are pretty grubby,” said the pilot, “And don’t forget that just about every other race has people here, so it’s germs galore!”

Not for the first time, Tali feared that she had made the wrong choice. Was she really going to risk her health just to do something different from the others?
“It’s too late to turn back now,” a stern voice that sounded very much like her father’s stated in her mind. “You’ll just have to make sure you change your suit filters more often.”
There was a final flash of ultraviolet and the hissing stopped.

“Decontamination completed. Pressure equalisation completed,” droned the automated voice, “Airlock opening. Have a nice day.”
Tali watched with bated breath as the doors in front of her opened, revealing a short metal corridor. Waiting ahead was a figure, dressed in a light grey shirt and trousers, a datapad in one hand. The face was remarkably similar to a quarian’s, though the skin was a pale pink rather than a gentle grey. Their eyes were blue, and their nose was slightly crooked, while a short crop of brown hair crowned their head. Between his lips was a smouldering tube of paper, emitting a cloud of smoke that Tali’s suit systems registered as hazardous.

“Welcome to Sevastopol,” the human muttered, “Jot down your name and that of your ship please.”
“Of course,” the captain replied, taking the pad and typing up his details.
He then passed it on to the pilot, who then gave it to Tali.
“You new crew?” the human asked her.
“I… I… no…” she stammered, “I’m… I’m…”
“Tali here is on her pilgrimage,” the captain cut in cheerfully, “We’re just giving her a lift.”
“Alright then,” the human replied, “Hope it goes well.”
“I… I… thank you,” Tali said.

Hoping her suit filters would deal with the smoke, she finished writing down her name and that of the Iuliana.
“Thanks,” said the human, taking the datapad back, “Just head up to the information desk when you wanna drop off your cargo.”
“I know the drill,” the captain replied.
“Yeah, but you’d be amazed how many people forget.”
Chuckling to himself, the man headed down the short corridor and disappeared around the corner.

“There you go, your first human,” the captain remarked to Tali, “What do you think?”
“Do… do they all use those burning things?” she replied.
“Burning thing? Oh, cigarettes. A lot of humans do, but not all. Come on, we’d best go to the info desk.”
“I’m going to find a bar,” said the pilot, “If you need something signed, do it yourself.”
“Well don’t get too drunk,” the captain replied with a dismissive tut, “I don’t want you flying hungover.”
“Oh, you’re no fun.”
“One of us has to be responsible.”

Setting off together, the three left the corridor and entered a wide curved room. Along the outer wall were more airlocks, while opposite were two levels of shops and cafes, a staircase linking them. Benches were arranged along the middle of the room, where a few humans, along with a smaller number of turians, salarians and asari were waiting. The ceiling sat at a 45-degree angle, and was fitted with large windows that looked out into the void. Hanging from the ceiling was a board marked Departures and Arrivals along the top.

To Tali’s surprise, the signage was not digital, but metal plates that rotated to display different names and times. All of it was written in text that was just as boxy as the spaceship itself, so different from the curvy script of the quarians. Above the shops was a large sign that read, SEVASTOPOL FREE PORT SPACEFLIGHT TERMINALS 90 - 100, painted in white.

“This place seems… outdated…” Tali remarked to the captain as he led her along the room and through an airlock which opened to another section of the terminal.
“Humans built this place before they discovered mass effect technology,” he replied, “They also like to keep stuff simple, easier to repair.”

As if to prove his point, they passed a shopfront that was full of books. With limited space and resources on the fleet, only a handful of quarian’s owned physical books, most of them being family heirlooms that had been passed down since the flight from Rannoch. Even on council worlds, paper was rarely if ever used, since digital storage was more efficient, easier to use and simpler to transport. Here however, paper books appeared to be common and cheap.

A few salarians and even an asari were standing inside, flipping through the pages with fascination while a human woman at the counter looked on in undisguised amusement.
“Watch yah backs!” a voice bellowed out “Watch yah backs!”
The warning came just in time for Tali and the others to jump aside as a small wheeled vehicle with a human at the controls rolled past, towing a pair of trailers. Another human was less fortunate, and was knocked sideways as the vehicle clipped his shoulder.

“Hey! Watch where ya goin’ ya prat!” he yelled, rubbing his arm.
“Ah quit ya whinging!” the driver shouted back, “You had fair warning!”
“Fuck you!”
“Fuck you!”
Tali couldn’t help but giggle a little.
“Yeah, shoulda’ told you, human swear, a lot,” the captain said.

They carried on through the different sections of the terminal for another few minutes, with the pilot breaking off upon spotting a bar that served dextro alcohol. On reaching terminals 50 – 40, the captain headed up to the next level, where a long, curved desk manned by about half a dozen humans was located. Above it was a sign, declaring, SEVASTOPOL INFORMATION HUB.

Currently all of the humans were busy, talking into their headsets or dealing with other people. Joining the shortest queue behind an imposingly tall krogan, Tali and the captain waited patiently for their turn.
“Okay,” the woman at the desk said, bringing her fist down hard on a stapler before handing a wad of documents to the krogan, “That should be everything.”
“Thank you,” the krogan replied, his voice surprisingly soft for someone of his size, “I’m sorry this took so long. I really should have filled all these in the other night.”
“At least you turned it in on time, which is more than I can say for a lot of people. Take care now.”

Tucking the documents into the crook of his arm, the krogan headed back down to the main floor of the terminal.
“A civilised krogan?” the captain remarked with astonishment, “Now I really have seen everything!”
“Charr’s a good guy,” the woman at the desk countered, “And I’ve never had to badger him for proper documentation when he’s here.”
“Ah come on,” the captain replied, “Have I ever let you down?”
“Would you like me to make out a list?”
“Another time maybe. For now, here’s my manifest.”

The captain took a datapad from one of his suit’s many pockets and passed it over the desk. The woman took a cable and plugged it into her own bulky computer before tapping away at a keyboard.
“So, who’s the newbie?” she asked, not looking up from her screen.
“This is Tali’Zorah,” the captain explained, “She’s setting out on her pilgrimage and was looking to do it in human space.”

“Whatcha looking for then Tali’Zorah?” the woman asked Tali, still focusing on her computer screen, “You want to study or work somewhere?”
“I… I suppose work would be a good idea,” Tali replied, still feeling a little unsure. “You see, part of the pilgrimage is learning or… or bringing something useful back to the fleet.”
“What skills you got?”
“I’m a trained engineer.”

She glanced about before continuing.
“Maybe there is a position here on Sevastopol? A place like this must need a lot of maintenance, I could do something there.”
This time the woman paused what she was doing and gave the young quarian a sympathetic smile.

“Trust me dear, the last thing you want is a job with Seegson. Here, let me check our listings.”
She wheeled her chair along the desk to another computer and began clicking through different pages.
“No… nothing here, ah, shame,” she muttered, before letting out a, “Ah ha!” of triumph, “Here we are.”
“What is it?” Tali asked hopefully.

“Weyland-Yutani has some job listings. They’re a big company, do a lot of mining and colonisation work. They’ve got an office in Solomons Galleria. If you want, I can send a message letting them know you’re interested.”
“Are they okay working with aliens?” Tali asked.
“They’ve got nothing here saying you can’t apply. Besides, engineering skills are in high demand and I doubt they can afford to turn you down.”

“I say go for it,” said the captain, “You’ve got nothing to lose and it’s better than being stuck on this station for months.”
Tali felt hope pierce her nervousness. This could be it, her chance to make a real difference for the fleet and her people.
“Okay, I’ll do it,” she said, “Send them a message.”

The woman cheerfully tapped away at her keyboard before hitting send. A few seconds later the computer made a ping sound.
“You’re in luck. The office said they can see you now.”
“That’s… that’s great!”
“Here, hold out your omni-tool, I can confirm all your work permits for Alliance territory, it’ll make everything much easier.”

Tali did as instructed and before long there was a ping as the files were uploaded.
“Hang on a second,” said the captain, “Every other time I’ve been here I have to spend an hour filling out the forms for work permits!”
“Because she hasn’t spent the last few years annoying me.”
“I… um… thanks…” Tali said, sheepishly withdrawing her omni-tool.

“Ah, don’t worry about it Tali,” said the captain, “I know I’m not entirely blameless here.”
“I’ve also uploaded a map of the station and pinned the location for Weyland’s office for you,” said the woman. “Head down to the next level and go left. The Solomons Galleria is just ahead.”
“That’s very kind of you.”

“Well, I guess this is goodbye,” said the captain, “Keelah se'lai Tali’Zorah.”
“Keelah se'lai,” Tali replied, “I promise that I will bring pride to the fleet when I return.”
She tried to sound brave, but butterflies were flooding her stomach. Leaving the captain meant she was truly on her own in this alien station.
“Get a grip,” she told herself, “You’re not a child anymore. Time to prove you can stand on your own two feet.”
Shaking the captain’s hand, she followed the human woman’s directions and headed back down to the terminal.

***

The Solomons Galleria consisted of a wide street, with shops, restaurants and bars rising on two levels on either side. Plastic signs showed the names of the different establishments or advertised products of all descriptions. People were everywhere, browsing the shops, or downing drinks at counters, their voices forming an endless babble that the young quarian’s translator did not even attempt to make sense of.

After a minute or two, Tali realised she was becoming envious. She had spent her whole life sharing a tiny room with pipework and machinery, while the other races of the galaxy had more space than they knew what to do with.
“No time to dwell on things you can’t fix. Just focus on finding that company office before they change their mind.”

This proved to be easier said than done. Despite having a map, the streets and passageways of the Galleria were a confusing maze, and before long Tali found herself becoming hopelessly lost.
“Umm… sorry to bother you?” she said, plucking up her courage and going to the counter at one of the bars. “Could… could you tell me where I can find the office for Weyland-Yutani?”
“Sure,” the human behind the counter replied, “Head to the end of this passage, then take a left. The office should be straight ahead.”
Tali thanked the man and was walking away when she heard a turian sitting at the bar speak.

“I wouldn’t help those suit-rats, they’re nothing but a bunch of thieves.”
The barman said something, but Tali was too far away to make it out. The turian however threw up his hands and shook his head in what appeared to be disappointment.
Tali resisted the urge to go back and shout in the alien’s face. There was nothing she could say that would change his bigoted opinions and it was not worth starting a fight.
Following the new set of directions, she headed to the far end of the shopping area and turned left, quickly finding what she was looking for.

The office was about the same size as the other shops, and had a large sign above the door depicting a yellow W interlocking with a grey Y. Running along the top and bottom of the sign were the words, Weyland-Yutani Corp, Building Better Worlds. The shop itself was a glass-fronted room, with a row of chairs and a desk where a human woman sat.

“Moment of truth.”
Taking a deep breath, Tali stepped through the glass door and went up to the desk. The woman behind it had dark skin and long straight hair that was tied back into a ponytail. She wore a jacket with extremely prominent shoulder pads, making her look very wide. Currently, she was flipping through a magazine, barely paying attention to the lobby area.
“Umm, excuse me,” Tali said.
The woman tilted her head up, looking mildly surprised.
“Can I help you?” she asked coolly.
“I… I have an appointment about a job.”
The woman’s eyes narrowed and she clicked a few buttons on her computer.
“Hold on,” she said, “Let me check.”

She picked up a telephone and spoke into it.
“Hello, Mr. Burke. There’s a quarian here. She claims she has an appointment for a job interview.”
Tali began twisting her hands together, glad that the opaque vizor hid her expression. It was impossible not to notice that the woman had nothing but disdain for her. She began to think about heading back to the terminal and maybe finding work somewhere else, when the human put down the phone, looking baffled.

“Mr.… Mr. Burke will see you in 5 minutes,” she said in a strained voice, “In the meantime, please have a seat.”
Relieved, Tali went and sat down in one of the heavily cushioned chairs that lined the window at the front of the lobby. The woman went back to her magazine, but every so often she would shoot an icy glance at the young quarian.

A little over 5 minutes later, the door beside the desk opened and a male human stepped through. He looked to be about the same age as the woman and had slightly curly brown hair that was piled up on top of his head. His clothing was a grey suit over a light blue shirt and dark blue tie that must have been professionally tailored.

“Hello there, Tali’Zorah isn’t it?” he said, coming up to Tali and holding out a hand.
“Y… yes… that’s my name,” she replied, getting to her feet and shaking his hand.
“My name’s Carter Burke, I’m the representative for Weyland-Yutani here on Sevastopol. Why don’t you come through to my office and we’ll have a little talk.”

Feeling pleasantly surprised, Tali followed Burke through to his office. The room was smaller than the lobby and triangular in shape, with a desk in the middle holding one of the bulky human computers and a stack of papers. Filing cabinets were lined against the right-hand wall, while a small table at the other end held a shiny machine that let off small amounts of steam. Along the back wall was a window, giving a panoramic view of space and the yellow and brown gas giant beyond.

“Take a seat,” Burke said gesturing to the chair in front of his desk before going over to the shiny machine, “Would you like a coffee?”
“No, no… I can’t drink it,” Tali tried to explain as she sat down, “I can’t eat the same food as you. You… you see, Levo-amino acids are poisonous for me and, and… oh, sorry I’m rambling.”
To her surprise, Burke smiled.

“No need to be nervous Miss Zorah, I’m really an okay guy. As for the coffee, you don’t have to worry about that either, I keep dextro stuff on standby.”
He held up a cardboard tub which had a graphic of a turian holding a steaming cup.
“Oh, okay,” Tali replied, feeling even more surprised, “I’ll try some.”
“Wonderful.”

Reaching into a box under the table, Burke withdrew a sealable tube, the same sort that quarians ate their food from. He poured a little of the dextro coffee powder through the opening at the top, then filled it with steaming water from the machine.
“I make sure all this stuff is sterilised,” he said, placing a straw in the tube, “So there’s no risk to you.”

“Thank you Mr. Burke,” Tali replied as she took the tube, “If you don’t mind me saying, I didn’t think you’d go to all this trouble for me.”
“We hire quite a few quarians and turians, so it’s more or less standard practise for us to have dextro stuff on hand. Just be careful, that stuff is very hot.”
Tali cautiously sipped at the coffee. The drink was piping hot and bitter, but she drank it all the same, hoping not to come across as ungrateful.

“It’s… it’s different,” she said in a wheezy voice.
Burke chuckled softly.
“Don’t worry, I know it’s an acquired taste.”
He went back to the machine and poured himself a cup of coffee from a jar marked, Levo.
“So Miss Zorah,” he said, “You’re here on your pilgrimage.”
“Yes,” Tali replied, “It’s a rite of passage that all quarians undertake to prove…”
“That you’re going to be a productive member of the fleet when you move to a new ship. Don’t worry, I’ve met a few of your kind before.”

Now holding a steaming porcelain mug, Burke returned to his desk and sat down across from Tali.
“So… you employ quarians?” asked Tali, clasping her tube of coffee with both hands.
“Of course. Your people have great technical skills and my company specialises in engineering. It’s a mutually beneficial exchange. In your case however, I’ve got bad news and good news.”

Tali’s grip on the coffee tube tightened.
“Now normally we send quarians to Earth or one of the more established colonies. It’s just safer that way, especially if you become ill and we need to contact the fleet. The problem is that I don’t have any jobs in those sectors at the moment.”
Tali’s heart sank a little.
“That’s the bad news,” Burke went on, “The good news is that I do have an opening on one of our more remote colonies.”

“What sort of opening?” Tali replied, leaning forward in her chair expectantly.
“We have a small colony called Hadley's Hope on the moon LV-426. We’ve been terraforming it for the past 7 years. I’ll be honest, it’s complex work and dangerous at times, and you’d be the only non-human there, but I think someone like yourself can handle it.”
“What sort of work is it?”
“Repair and maintenance mostly. The atmospheric processors are automated, but we need people on-site to keep them in working order.”

“Where is this moon?”
“It’s in this sector, but well outside of the mass relay network. Even using a mass effect drive, it takes about a week to travel there.”
Tali took another sip of her coffee which had cooled down a bit. The job was an interesting one. Terraforming was something almost unique to human space colonisation, since other species found it easier to settle the already existing garden worlds through the mass relay network. The technology and process could be of great interest to the fleet.

“Oh, before I forget,” Burke went on, “Your pay will be around 6,000 credits a month.”
It took all of the young quarian’s willpower not to spit coffee across her visor. 6,000 credits a month was an unheard of amount of money. Even if she sent half that back home, it would be a worthy gift. This job was everything she could have wished for.

“So, are you interested?” Burke asked expectantly.
“I… yes, yes of course,” Tali replied, “I’ll take it.”
“Very good. I’ll just need you to sign a contract to confirm your employment, then we’ll see about shipping you out.”

***

Tali read through the paperwork a few times, checking that there were no hidden clauses before writing her name down on the paper, the first time in her life doing so.  The next flight from Sevastopol to LV-426 left later that day, so there was plenty of time for Burke to add a shipment of dextro food and medical supplies to its cargo. He then gave Tali a ticket for her passage and wished her luck. Tali in turn thanked him profusely, unable to stop grinning ear to ear.

Though she had a whole afternoon to explore the station, she decided to go back to the terminal and wait for the outgoing ship. Even on arrival however, she could not help but keep checking and double checking the terminal number on her ticket, making sure they matched with the ones painted on the metal wall. Trying to keep her mind occupied, she imagined how her friends would react when they learned what she was doing.

“Terraforming? Those humans are just ridiculous! There’s plenty of garden worlds out there to settle on!”
“Look at all this money! We could buy a brand new ship with this!”
“Maybe I was wrong, these humans don’t seem so bad after all.”
“Well done, this technology will be invaluable for our life ships.
“Excuse me?”

The voice cut through the daydream like a foghorn. Tali hastily shuffled around to see a human woman standing beside her. She looked about the same age as herself, and wore a set of green overalls, a bag slung over one shoulder. Her dark hair was tied back in a short ponytail, while her face was pale, with a strong jaw and dark brown eyes.
“Is something wrong?” Tali asked.

“No, I just wanted to know if this was the terminal for the ship heading for LV-426?” the woman replied, “I’m due to start a job there.”
“Oh! Me too!”
“Really,” said the woman, looking somewhat taken aback by the news, “I didn’t know any non-humans were there.”
“I… there aren’t. I’m the first.”
“That’s pretty cool.”
“I guess so, why don’t you take a seat? It’ll be easier to talk.”
“Sure.”

The woman took off her bag and sat down beside Tali.
“Are you an engineer as well then?” she asked.
“Yes, the man at the Weyland-Yutani office said they need people to work on the atmospheric processors,” Tali replied.

“I’ve been transferred from Arcturus Station for the same reason.”
“Do… do you know anything about this colony?”
The woman’s face took on a mischievous smile.
“Cold, dark and windy, like a lot of these shake-and-bake colonies. But the pay is good, so I can’t complain too much.”

Tali felt a little apprehensive once again. It must have shown because the woman put a hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I’ve worked on dozens of these colonies. They look grim, but the people there are fine.”
“Do… do you think they’ll mind working with… with an… alien?”

The woman’s face became serious.
“I won’t lie, some people are just plain nasty when it comes to aliens, but most will be happy for your help, plus they’ll be curious.”
“About what?”
“Meeting you of course. We don’t get many quarians in the Middle Heavens. By the way, I don’t think I asked your name.”

“Tali, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. What’s yours?”
“Amanda Ripley.”
She held out a hand which the young quarian shook, grateful to know she would be working with someone friendly at least.

Chapter Text

In the decades before the discovery of mass effect technology, humanity’s colonisation of space had been a slow affair. Spreading out from Earth, they had set up colonies across the sol system, then pushed out to the stars beyond using ships powered by tachyon shunt hyperdrives. Though this allowed for faster-than-light travel, it still took months or even years to reach other systems. As a result, humanity had colonised as many planets as they could closest to Sol in the region dubbed, the Middle Heavens, using a variety of methods.

With the discovery of element zero, the mass effect drive and mass relays in 2147, policies changed, and humanity soon greatly expanded its interstellar territory. The Middle Heavens remained extremely important however, since its colonies, resources and manufacturing facilities were well established and out of range of attack by other spacefaring species.

Tali studied this history with fascination during the long flight to LV-426. All other species, including her own, had discovered mass effect technology fairly early on during space travel, usually in the ruins of prothean settlements on neighbouring planets. There had been such ruins on the planet Mars near Earth, but these had been buried deep underground and were not discovered until after the establishment of interstellar travel.

“I can’t imagine what it was like travelling through space so slowly,” she said to Amanda Ripley one day as they sat together during lunch.
“It was a pain from what I’ve heard,” Amanda replied, “But the crews would be in hypersleep for most of the flight, so they didn’t really notice.”
“Did you used to travel that way?”
“Me, no, my mum… my mother... she did… I mean, she used to work on ships with… tachyon drives…”

Amanda's voice drifted away and she became very quiet.
“I’m sorry,” Tali said quickly, “I… I didn’t mean to upset you, I was… I was only curious.”
Amanda shook her head and sighed.
“No Tali, don’t apologise, you’ve done nothing wrong, it’s just a difficult subject. My mother, she worked on the commercial routes in the Middle Heavens. Her ship… it disappeared about 15 years ago. No one knows why, and it’s not been found since.”
Amanda’s head dipped, looking down at her half-eaten meal. A rush of sympathy went through Tali and she placed her three fingered hand on the human’s forearm.

“I… I know what it’s like… to lose a parent,” she said, “My mother… she died 5 years ago. She got sick during a virus outbreak on the fleet.”
Amanda shifted her hand so she was holding Tali’s as well.
“I’m… sorry for your loss,” she whispered.
“I’ve… I’ve come to terms with it,” Tali replied.
“I wish I could say the same, but when Mum disappeared, that was it. I don’t know what happened to her, I don’t even know what happened to her ship or its crew.”

The two sat quietly for a time, hardly noticing the crew moving around them as they finished their meals and returned to their duties.
“I’m… I’m sure you’ll have… closure one day,” Tali said eventually.
Amanda raised her head and managed a nod.
“Thank you Tali.”

***

A week after leaving Sevastopol Station, the cargo transport finally entered the orbit of the gas giant Calpamos, a great sphere of dull orange in the otherwise black void. The ship’s captain made an announcement that they would be arriving over LV-426 within the hour, and that all passengers should proceed to the shuttle bay at once.

Since they were the only passengers for this stop, Tali and Amanda had plenty of room in the waiting area beside the shuttlecraft. Like most human equipment, it was a box-like vessel, with a narrow cockpit at the front and two powerful engines running along the top of its body. The hull was a sludge green, while the name Cazador II had been painted in curly red and white letters under the cockpit.

“You ever travelled in a Cheyenne before? Amanda asked as they watched the two-person crew performing last-minute flight checks.
“No,” Tali replied honestly.
“Then I should warn you, they travel at free-fall speed through the atmosphere, so they can be… rough.”

“But, but I thought the mass effect drive cancelled out most of the instability?”
“The Cazador II doesn’t use mass effect drives,” one of the crew called out, “She’s fitted with CB-29 inertial dampeners. They’ll stop you from being smeared across the back of your seat, but not much else.”

Tali felt her fear spike again, yet it was accompanied by curiosity. This would be the first craft she would travel on that did not move using mass effect technology.
“Don’t worry,” said Amanda, “These things have served all over Alliance space, you’ll be fine.”
Tali silently hoped she was right.

***

Once the crew had finished inspecting their ship, they waved for Tali and Amanda to climb on board. Since the Cazador II was military surplus left over from the First Contact War that had been converted for civilian use, its weapon systems had been stripped out to maximise space. The cargo destined for the colony was strapped down in the middle of the ship’s hold, leaving only a narrow space along the left-hand side for the passengers to sit. Shuffling along the gap, Tali and Amanda reached their seats and strapped themselves down, waiting. Beside them was a small porthole, through which they could see the now empty hanger. After a few minutes, there was a grumble of machinery, and the whole craft shook slightly.

“Attention passengers,” came the pilot’s voice through a speaker above their heads, “We are preparing for orbital drop, please make sure you are securely fastened in your seat.”
“Orbital drop?” Tali said, looking at Amanda.
The human just grinned.
“You’ll see.”
“Stand by,” came the pilot’s voice, “Three, two, one.”

A feeling of weightlessness seized Tali. For a moment she thought the artificial gravity had failed, then she realised the whole ship was shaking. A tremendous roar sounded out and the cargo crates rocked back and forth rapidly, threatening to break free of their straps. With great effort, she twisted around in her seat just enough to see the cloudy surface of the moon rushing up to meet them.

“Attention passengers,” came the pilot's voice again, “We are about to enter the atmosphere of LV-426, please brace yourself for some turbulence.”
The shaking became more violent. Tali was glad she had not eaten much at breakfast as her insides began to churn. A red glow appeared through the porthole, becoming more fearsome with each passing moment. Under her gloves, Tali could feel her hands turning white as she gripped the straps of her seat ever more tightly.

“If I get through this,” she thought, “I’m never going to say anything bad about the fleet’s shuttles ever again.”
By now nothing could be seen beyond the porthole but a cherry-red glow. The ship began buffeting hard, throwing Tali and Amanda against their straps, until finally, the force began to lessen. At the same time, the glow beyond the porthole dissipated, until it was replaced by a grey haze. The roaring sound died away, replaced by a low whining.

“Attention passengers,” said the pilot, “We have passed through the atmosphere and will be arriving at Hadley's Hope in 15 minutes. We request that you remain seated until landing.”
Tali just groaned and clutched her still churning stomach. There was a light tap on her shoulder, but she could hardly muster the strength to look around.
“First drop’s always the worst,” came Amanda’s voice.
“How do you get used to this?” Tali muttered.
“I’ll let you know when I do.”

For the next quarter of an hour, the view through the porthole remained one of slate grey clouds. Water droplets splattered against the glass, only to be swept off by the speed of the shuttle. As they descended, the clouds thinned and the landscape of the moon became visible, a great plain of twisted rocky spires, broken here and there by mountains or valleys. There was no hint of plant life or water, just unending stone and dust. Tali did not think she had ever seen such a desolate place. What were the humans doing setting up a colony here, much less trying to terraform it?

A shadow passed in front of the porthole. At first Tali thought they were flying beside a mountain, then her eyes went wide with astonishment.
Outside was a building that had to be hundreds of metres high. It was conical in shape, its metal walls sloping upward gently until they met a cylinder at the top. Pipes thicker than tree trunks snaked up the walls before burrowing through gaps, while red lights flashed here and there, acting as beacons. A fine mist could be seen rising from its top, surrounded by a faint glow.

“Is that the atmosphere processor?” Tali asked.
That’s the main one,” Amanda replied, leaning forward in her seat for a better view, “One of Weyland-Yutani's many technological wonders.”
She laughed drily.
“Is there something wrong with it?” said Tali.
“The company likes to honey it’s words,” Amanda replied, “But you’ll learn soon enough how much of it is bullshit.”

Passing the towering form of the processor, the transport craft followed a series of large pipes until it came to a cluster of square buildings, surrounded by a wall. Overhead, the engines grumbled loudly and the craft swung around. Flashing yellow lights reflected off the porthole until a rush of dust erupted, blocking out everything, before being followed by a heavy jolt.

“We have now landed at Hadley's Hope,” announced the pilot, “Passengers may unstrap themselves and vacate the ship. We hope you enjoyed your flight.”
“Urrh!” Tali sighed in exasperation, undoing her straps and getting up as quickly as possible.
“It could have been worse,” Amanda remarked as she got up as well.
“How?”
“You could have been sick inside that helmet of yours.”

Rolling her eyes, Tali headed to the front of the cargo bay, where she was met by a groan of hydraulics as the ramp opened, followed by a storm of dusty air. With Amanda at her side, she walked down and stepped onto the landing pad.
As dreary as the moon had appeared from the air, it was worse on the surface.
The rocky spires of the surrounding landscape loomed large, while the atmosphere processor rose above all else like an unholy mountain of metal. Wind whistled all around, throwing up thin clouds of dust that coloured everything the same shade of grey.

The landing pad was a hexagon shaped platform, raised above the moon’s surface on metal pillars, with a thin handrail running around the edge. At one end was a ramp, leading down to a road which ran through the colony itself, a cluster of prefabricated metal buildings, their windows glowing in the half-light. At the end of the ramp was a rusted sign that read, HADLEY'S HOPE POP 158. In the sky above, the sun was a dull white disk, barely giving off any warmth.

“This is what I chose instead of Illium?” Tali thought glumly.
She looked to Amanda and was about to ask what they should do, when a wide door opened in one of the nearby buildings. A figure appeared and walked up the ramp to them. It was a human man, wearing a light blue shirt and trousers, a clipboard tucked under one arm. His build was tall and broad, while his face was round, with a short crop of brown hair on top. Despite only wearing light clothing, the wind and dust did not seem to bother him.

“Hello there!” he called out upon reaching the two passengers, “Welcome to Hadley’s Hope. You must be the two engineers the company sent.”
“Yes!” Amanda replied, speaking loudly to make herself heard over the wind, “I’m Amanda Ripley, the transfer from Arcturus Station.”
“I’m Tali, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya,” said Tali, “I was hired by the Weyland-Yutani office on Sevastopol Station.”
“Glad to meet you both. I’m Marcus Rawling, I’ve been instructed to handle your work permits and give you a tour of the facility. If you would be so kind as to follow me.”

He gestured down the ramp, which three small vehicles were already driving up, each towing a trailer.  Sticking to one side in order to stay out of their way, the three headed down and followed the road toward the building. Tali had only gone a few steps, when she stopped, realising something, something incredible.
“Is something wrong Miss Zorah?” Marcus asked when he realised that she had fallen behind.
“No… nothing’s wrong. It’s just… this is the first time I’ve set foot on a planet.”
“Really? Then congratulations. Hopefully this will be the first of many times.”

***

Entering one of the buildings, the trio were met by yet more grey. The corridors of the colony complex were hexagon-shaped, with heavy support beams along the walls, while the floor was a steel grating, through which pipes and cables could be seen. Fluorescent lights threw out a stark illumination across the angled surfaces. The main colour was the yellow and black warning lines along each wall, with more pipes and cables above and below them.

Everywhere humans went to and fro, lugging around stacks of papers, equipment or spare cables. Others were crouched over open service hatches, an open toolbox beside them. As the three passed, people stopped what they were doing and looked up, giving Tali odd expressions.

“Don’t take it personally Miss Zorah,” Marcus said when she mentioned this to him, “Most of them have never seen an alien before, much less a quarian. You are a rather, unique addition to the colony.”
Tali silently prayed that would be a good thing.
After climbing a flight of stairs, Marcus led Amanda and Tali to an office where their details were entered into the colony’s database to handle work details and salary payments. Once this was finished, they were taken across the settlement to a long narrow building which was marked as the main sleeping quarters.
“This is your room,” Marcus said to Amanda, before swiping a card through a reader to open one of the doors that lined the hallway.

The room beyond was little more than a narrow bunk, with a cupboard bolted to the opposite wall and a small window at the back, looking out onto the rocky landscape beyond. Still, it was almost twice the size of what most quarians had on the fleet.
“Thanks,” said Amanda, throwing her bag inside.
“As for you Miss Zorah,” Marcus went on, turning to the quarian, “Your quarters are at the far end of this hallway.”

He set off at a brisk pace. As Tali followed, she started to notice there was something strange about the human. His clothing was neater than anyone else’s, with all the shirt buttons done up and tucked into his trousers, which were devoid of any marks or creases. Despite having been moving quickly since their arrival, he hardly seemed to be breathing, while Tali was ashamed to say she was already feeling her leg start to ache. Even his skin seemed strange, smooth, almost waxy. Tali looked around for Amanda, hoping for an explanation, but the other engineer was leaning against the wall beside her room, tapping something into her omni-tool.

“Here we are,” Marcus said as they reached the end of the hallway, “Your quarters.”
Tali was a little perplexed at first. While all the other doors were a dark grey, her’s was a sterile white.
“I should explain,” Marcus continued, “Since the company employs quarians, it was decided to retrofit these quarters as a clean room. This door leads to an airlock. The room has its own air and water purification systems, so you can remove your suit if needed.”
Tali was stunned. She had not expected anything like this.

“I… I… thank you.”
Marcus held out a small plastic card.
“Take your time, then contact me through your omni-tool when you’re ready for the tour of the atmosphere processor.”

Still in a state of disbelief, Tali took the card and swiped it through the reader beside the door. The white door opened, revealing a space barely larger than a cupboard. Stepping inside, the door closed behind her and there was a brief flash of ultraviolet before the second door opened to her room. It was about the same size as Amanda’s, though aesthetically very different. The walls, floor and ceiling were a smooth white, as were the bed and its covers. In the corner was a small shower cubical, its surfaces and fixtures sparkling clean.

Tali ran a quick scan with her omni-tool and found that the room’s levels of bacteria were about the same as the clean rooms back on the flotilla.
Taking off her backpack and weapons she lay down on the bed and allowed herself a smile. “Perhaps things here won’t be so bad after all,” she thought.

***

Once she had packed away her few possessions, Tali headed back out into the corridor where she found Marcus waiting outside her door, standing ruler straight.
“Is everything to your satisfaction?” he asked.
“Yes… yes it’s amazing, you’ve done a wonderful job,” she replied, once again puzzling over what was different about the human.

They went back down the hallway where Marcus knocked for Amanda and the three of them headed back into the complex, following the signs for the transit station.
“The atmosphere processor really is a remarkable piece of engineering,” the human explained as they descended a flight of stairs and entered a long corridor. “Weyland-Yutani developed them in the early 2100s, just as long-range spaceflight was becoming more practical. Since then they have been used on…”

A clatter of something interrupted his speech. Tali thought it was something in one of the pipes, when a plastic tricycle with a small human sitting on it came whizzing around a corner and crashed into Marcus’s leg. Three more small humans came running into the corridor, cheering and laughing before stopping dead, their expressions becoming fearful.

“S… sorry Mr. Rawling,” said the boy on the tricycle sheepishly, his eyes darting around as if trying to look at anything but the man he had just run into.
“Mr. Laurence,” Marcus replied, his tone unchanged from the way he had been addressing Tali and Amanda. “You children know you’re not meant to be playing around here.”
“I… I know Mister, I’m really sorry.”

To Tali’s surprise, Marcus smiled and carefully extracted his foot from under the tricycle.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell your parents,” he said, “Just be careful won’t you?”
The boy and his friends perked up.
“Thanks Mister, and sorry.”

With that he jammed his feet against the peddles and sped off down the corridor, the other children laughing manically as they gave chase.
“You have children here?” Amanda asked once the group was out of earshot.
“Yes, we have many families here Miss Ripley,” Marcus replied, “Some of them were even born here.”

Tali smiled. The young humans brought back a lot of memories of her own childhood on the flotilla. She had spent hours chasing other young quarians around or hiding in the vents, something which caused the adults no end of panic.
Marcus carried on explaining the history of Weyland-Yutani’s atmosphere processors and how they worked until they reached a small transit station. Here they boarded a single carriage tram and travelled through an underground tunnel which ran between the colony complex and the heart of the processor.

“Here is where you’ll be doing the majority of your work,” Marcus said as the tram’s doors slid open and they stepped out onto the bare concrete platform.
He led them to the end of the station where a semi-circular control room was set against the wall beside a rectangular doorway. Inside were a pair of humans, seemingly more interested in the games on their omni-tools and munching on snacks than the new arrivals.

“Afternoon,” Marcus called out as they approached.
One of the men looked up, quickly brushing crumbs off his shirt.
“Hey Marcus,” he replied, “These the new engineers?”
“They are indeed. I’m giving them a tour of the processor.”
“Alright, go in.”
The man waved lazily toward the door and went back to his omni-tool.
“Shouldn’t they be doing their jobs?” Tali asked as they passed through the wide doorway.
“They are,” Amanda replied, “But they’re only really needed if something goes wrong with the tram, and for the moment it’s working fine.”

The doorway led to a passage that soon split up into various narrow metal stairways. Pipes snaked about, their size ranging from no more than a few centimetres around, to being large enough for a sky car to fly through. The air was thick with the grumble of machines and heavy vapor that limited the view ahead. This was joined by computerised voices making announcements, the shouting of workers and alarms signalling when something was in operation.

“Now as you are no doubt aware, the processor is fully automated,” Marcus explained as he climbed up one of the narrow staircases. “But with such a complex piece of equipment, it needs constant maintenance. Pipes must be refitted, and electrical cables need to be replaced. That will be your main job here. Shifts tend to be around 8 hours, including an hour's break.”

“That seems a little short,” Amanda remarked, “Usually a place like this has 12 hours on, 12 hours off.”
“We used to, but it was found that using more people on shorter shifts was more…”
An alarm cut through the air, soon followed by angry voices and a loud banging.
“Careful you fucking idiot!”
“Just shut up and let me work!”
“You cack-handed git! Now you’ve fucked it!”
“Perhaps we should head back?” suggested Marcus, “It sounds like they’ve got a serious problem ahead.”

“No, we should check it out,” said Tali, “They might need our help, and we’ll need some experience on what sort of things can go wrong here.”
Amanda shrugged in agreement.
“Very well, if you wish,” Marcus replied, though he sounded reluctant.
The three climbed up the staircase and arrived on a platform nested between two clusters of pipes. A group of three workers were gathered beside one of the pipes which had a wheel set into it, currently hissing and leaking steam.

“Careful! Careful!” one of the workers yelled.
“Pressures still building!” shouted another, “It’s gonna blow if you don’t do something fast!”
“You’d better stay back,” Marcus said to Tali and Amanda, “This could be dangerous.”
Tali tried to say she could help, but the human was already starting forward toward the workers.
“What’s the problem?” he asked.
“Valve’s stuck,” replied a worker.

He backed away, pointing to the wheel.
“We’ve been having problems here for days,” said a second worker. “We’ve managed to close the others, but now all the pressure from the heat exchange is being channelled through to this one.”
A shriek cut through the air and a thin stream of gas began spilling from a seam above the valve.
“It’ll blow any second!” screamed the third worker.
“Get back down the stairs!” Marcus ordered, “I’ll deal with this!”
“Marcus! I can help!” Tali yelled.
Though she did not fully understand the processor yet, she could tell at once the situation was about to become lethal and did not want the human to face it alone.

“I’ll be alright!” the human shouted back, “Just get down the stairs!”
“Come on move it!” the second worker bellowed, “We can’t stay here!”
Tali tried to push her way forward, but the three workers and Amanda forced her down the stairs. More steam erupted from the pipe and an alarm began wailing.
“Alert, alert,” stated an automated voice, “Pressure in pipe number 601 is now critical. All personnel please retreat to minimum safe distance.”

Tali tried to see what was happening ahead, but by now the platform was completely obscured by a rolling cloud of steam.
“Marcus! Get out of there!” she cried.
“Don’t worry!” the first worker shouted back, “He can handle it.”
“How can you know-”

The question was cut off by an ear-splitting scream. More steam filled the air and the metal staircase shook.
“MARCUS!”
Tali stared up toward the platform. The scream soon subsided and the cloud thinned. The handrail of the platform came back into view.
“Is… is he…”
A silhouette appeared through the haze.
“You alright Marcus?” the third worker called up.
“I’ve been better!” came the reply.

Taking slow deliberate steps, the silhouetted form stepped out of the steam, the sight making Tali feel sick.
The skin on Marcus’s right arm had been torn open, spilling fluid and stringy pieces of tendon. The workers and Amanda however, seemed unfazed by the injury.
“You should be more careful Marcus,” remarked the second worker.
“It’s alright,” he replied, holding up his arm and examining it with mild interest, “I’ve only suffered some superficial damage.”

Tali looked from him to the workers, then to Amanda, baffled. She was about to say they should get Marcus to a doctor at once, before noticing something that only deepened her confusion.
Rather than a deep red, the ‘blood’ dripping from his wound was white. Instead of muscle and bone, the inside of the arm was plastic tubing and wires.
“Have you closed the valve?” asked the first worker.

“The pipe burst I’m afraid,” answered Marcus, “Hence this damage, but I was able to close the valve. You’ll need to redirect the steam from here and replace the whole section.”
“Of course, thank you Marcus. In the meantime, you should go to the repair shop and have that arm seen too.”
“Indeed.”

Holding the wounded arm level with his chest, Marcus made his way down the stairs toward the waiting group.
“I am afraid you’ll have to see yourselves back to the tram station,” he said to Tali and Amanda, “I am very sorry about that. I’ll make sure you have your work schedule by tomorrow.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll be fine,” Amanda replied, sounding nonplussed.
Giving them a smile, Marcus edged passed them and carried on downward, leaving a faint trail of whiteness behind.

“I… I don’t understand,” Tali said, looking from the man and back toward the platform, “I thought human blood was red, shouldn’t he go to a doctor?”
“Marcus is an android, didn’t you know that?” Amanda replied.
“An android?”
“Yes, a robotic human. They’re pretty common across Alliance space.”
Tali felt the air catch in her throat. All the grimness of the colony seemed trivial in the face of her greatest fear, artificial intelligence.
“Keelah… How could I be so stupid!”

Chapter Text

Over the next two weeks, Tali got used to the rhythms of Hadley's Hope. Every morning, she woke at 6:30 and joined the rest of the colony for breakfast in the large canteen, then took the tram out to the atmosphere processor for the day’s work.
The young quarian found it fascinating. Despite not utilising mass effect technology, the machine was a marvel of design.

Using a powerful fusion reactor, the processor drew in the planet’s natural atmosphere, then passed it through a series of powerful magnetic fields, breaking down the gases to their component atoms. Oxygen and nitrogen atoms were sorted out and pumped through the top of the processor while the other elements were recycled for industrial use. Working in tandem with four smaller sub-processors spread out around the colony, it had managed to create a breathable atmosphere in less than a decade. It would take many years for the process to stabilise, but eventually it was hoped that the moon would be a lush farming and mining colony for centuries to come.

Once work was finished, Tali and the other workers would travel back to the colony, where they could relax in the communal areas and have an evening meal before bed.
To her surprise, many of the colonists soon took a shine to the young quarian. The workers at the processor were deeply impressed by her skills as an engineer, and found her to be a very pleasant person to be around. The children were initially shy, having never seen an alien in real life before. Eventually however, their curiosity got the better of them, and before long Tali found herself answering all sorts of questions about her people, the fleet and her environmental suit.

Often in the evenings, many of the colonists would gather in one of the communal areas for a film night. Naturally, Tali was always invited, and she quickly became a fan of human media.
Over time she came to know the colonists. Most were contract workers for Weyland-Yutani, who would work on Hadley’s Hope for 5 years before being rotated to Earth or another colony. Others were freelancers, who would survey the moon for resources in return for a finder’s fee from the company.

There was also a small detachment of colonial marines, identified by their olive-green uniforms, who officially handled security for the colony and guarded against any threats. However, they seemed to spend most of their time at the bar, or playing practical jokes on one another, something which brought Tali no end of amusement when she witnessed them.
There was one thing that spoiled her enjoyment however. Marcus.

Since her introductory tour of the colony, she had not spoken to the android and had gone out of her way to avoid it. Yet all too often she found herself walking down the same corridor or riding the tram with it. It was always polite during these moments, but that only deepened her dislike. Her people had been robbed of their home world by such machines, and now here was one swanning about freely.

“Don’t you think you’re being a little unfair to him?” Amanda said to Tali when she voiced her concerns as they replaced a battery of fuses in the depths of the processor.
“Unfair? Unfair!” Tali exclaimed in disbelief, her voice rising to a shout, “It’s a walking time bomb! How long before it tries to revolt?”
“Tali, you're being dramatic. Synthetics have all sorts of safety features built in. Marcus’s model can’t even pick up a gun.”
“And what happens when it starts working around its safety features? What happens when it finds a way to justify killing a human?”
“But Marcus has no reason to kill anyone. Besides, even if he did try to revolt, he’d be gunned down.”

Tali huffed. As nice as these humans were, they just didn’t understand the danger they were in.
At that moment, her grumbling was interrupted by an alarm, followed by a booming voice.
“Attention, attention. All personnel report to the canteen at once for an emergency meeting. Repeat, all personnel report to the canteen at once for an emergency meeting.”

The nearby workers looked at one another in puzzlement.
“What can be so important that they’re taking us all off shift?”
“Dunno, but if it cuts into our work hours I’m not complaining.”
What’s going on?” Tali asked Amanda as she closed the fuse box and began following the others toward the tram station.
“Nothing good,” she replied darkly.

Boarding the crowded tram, the two travelled back to the colony, where they encountered even more people filling the corridors, all of them looking perplexed.
By the time Tali and Amanda arrived at the canteen it was already full, and they had to stand along the back wall, being pushed further along as more colonists crowded inside. As the last few people entered, the colony’s administrator Alan Simpson, a portly man with a head of blond hair, climbed on top of a table.

“Alright! Everyone, listen up!” he bellowed, killing the low babble of voices. “I’m sorry to pull you all away from your work, but I’ve just been informed of a serious situation. Yesterday, the colony of Eden Prime was attacked by geth forces.”
The babble returned a hundred times louder.

“Attacked?”
“That… that can’t be right…”
“How many were killed?”
“I’ve gotta brother on Eden Prime, I emailed him just the other day, he… he hasn’t replied…”
“QUIET!” Alan shouted.

The chatter died down, but was not entirely extinguished.
Behind her mask, Tali’s mouth was hanging open in horror. The geth had not been seen beyond the Perseus Veil in centuries. Why would they leave now, why would they attack a human colony, and where were they planning to strike next?
“What if they’ve already attacked the fleet… no… if that had happened, I would have seen it on the extranet.”

“I know this is a big shock to all of us,” Alan went on, “I wish I could say more, but right now information about the attack is thin on the ground. What I can tell you is that we’re on high alert until further notice. Everyone will have to do their part in defending the colony if the geth choose to strike here. That means undergoing weapons training with Captain Brackett, carrying out patrols with the marines, and building strong points so we can defend this place.”
A muttering went through the hall.

“I know this is a lot to ask of you,” Alan said, “But this is our home, and we’ll never let anyone take it from us.”
“Got that right!” someone called out.
“Very well,” Alan finished, “In the meantime return to your jobs, a timetable for your extra duties will be sent around tomorrow.”
A babble rose once again as the colonists slowly filed out of the canteen.

“Simpson’s overreacting,” said one man, “Eden Prime’s out in the traverse, they were always at risk of attack.”
“Yeah, but we’re isolated here,” a woman beside him replied, “If those robots attack us, we’re on our own.”
“I should have sent the kids back to Earth with the last transport,” a man in a puffy jacket huffed angrily.
“Excuse me, Miss Zorah?” a deep voice called out.

Tali turned around to find a dark-skinned man in a marine uniform pushing through the crowd.
“Umm, yes?” she replied.
“Sorry to keep you,” the man said as he reached her, “I’m Demian Brackett, the commander of the marine detachment here. I was wondering if you would be able to meet this evening with me and the administrators. We need to know everything we can about the geth if we’re attacked.”

At first Tali was apprehensive. True, she had studied the geth, even seen some dismantled machines during tours of her father’s special projects ship, but was that enough? Then her eyes began to track the crowd passing them. The faces ranged from grim determination, to barely restrained terror.
The young quarian made up her mind in that moment. The geth had robbed her of a home, she would do everything possible to help these people defend theirs.
“Yes Captain,” she replied, “What time will you need me?”

***

When the sun rose the next day over the moon’s barren landscape, Hadley's Hope was a very different place from the one when it had set.
While a small number of workers took the tram out for their regular shift at the atmosphere processor, the rest prepared for war.

Outside, work teams filled bags with sand and grit which were then sent back on carts to be piled up around the doorways and windows to protect them against bomb blasts. Inside, spare metal plates were welded up inside the entrances or at intersections of corridors, creating defensive positions. Meanwhile, caches of ammunition, food, water and medical supplies were spread out across the colony in case their situation became desperate.

A makeshift firing range was set up on the edge of the wasteland, where the marines drilled the colonists on using firearms. Most were issued with shotguns, while those with more experience were given spare pulse rifles. These used rounds fired by chemical reactions rather than mass effect fields, so they carried less ammunition, but could punch through kinetic barriers and armour with little difficulty. Tali was scheduled to practice with the first group, but was soon taken out when it was discovered that she was already proficient in handling a weapon.

“Out-fucking-standing girl!” laughed Julisa Paris, the lieutenant who was overseeing the training. “I don’t know where you learned to shoot, but you’re a damn sight better than half the idiots I was at boot camp with.”
“Oh… I… well, thank you,” Tali replied, feeling rather embarrassed by the praise.
“Mind if I swap you out for one of the others? They need all the help they can get.”
“Oh…okay.”

Holstering the shotgun to her back, Tali left the firing line while Paris snapped at one of the colonists to take her place.
Returning to the compound, she found four vehicles queued up along its main road.
They were lorries, with eight large wheels attached to four metal legs which held the driver’s cab and cargo compartment in the air, giving them plenty of ground clearance.
Tali knew they were called crawlers and used by survey teams, though they also reminded her of Tomkahs, armoured vehicles used by krogan warlords in their endless battles for Tuchanka.
Currently a number of colonists were gathered around them, loading large black boxes into their cargo compartments. As she approached, one of them began waving.

“Hey! Tali! you finished at the range?” Alan Simpson called out as he came up to her, a clipboard in hand.
“Yes… yes, I came back to see what I could do here,” she replied.
“Good, because we need yah. We can’t afford to split up our people, so we’re defending the sub-processors with remote turrets. Can you go with one of the trucks and help set them up?”
“Of course.”
“Good.”

Simpson raised his hand and waved to a man who was shoving a box into the back of the nearest crawler, which sported the words, JORDAN INDEPENDENCE SURVEY TEAM along it’s flank.
“Hey! Hey Russ!”
The man looked over at him. He was pale, with a rough but good-natured face and wearing a checkered jacket over a faded blue shirt.
“It’s your lucky day!” Simpson went on, “Zorah here is coming with you to help with the turrets.”
Russ’s face cracked into a smile.
“Glad to see you can be a nice guy sometimes Al’,” he replied.
“Don’t get used to it.”

A heavy bang sounded out as a colonist in one of the crawlers behind Russ’s dropped a box hard on the road. Leaving Tali and the human, Simpson stomped over, threatening the colonist that he would be paying out of his own pocket if the turret was damaged.
“Nice to meet you properly,” said Russ smiling as he held out a hand to Tali, “Name’s Russ Jordan.”
“Tali’Zorah, but you can just call me Tali,” she replied, shaking his hand.
“I hope you don’t mind riding in the back with the gear. The front seats are already occupied.”
“Not at all.”

Russ led Tali around to the back of the crawler and opened the doors.
“Hello Miss Zorah.”
Tali jumped back. Sitting up straight on top of the black boxes was Marcus.
“Sorry, should have mentioned,” said Russ, “Marcus is coming with us as well to help set up the turrets.”

Tali was about to back away and say she did not want to be anywhere near the synthetic, when a small voice caught her attention.
“Come on Dad! You’re taking forever!”
A boy about 10 years old appeared over the top of the boxes. Beside him was a girl with blond hair who appeared to be a similar age.
“Now Timmy, you know we can’t go rushing off,” Russ replied in mock sternness.
“Yeah but you’re taking foreverrrrrrr!” the boy replied.
“Are you buckled in yet?” a woman’s voice sounded out from somewhere behind the children.”

“No Mum,” the girl replied, looking more than a little guilty.
“Well then it’s no wonder things are taking so long.”
“But Mr. Rawling isn’t strapped in,” the boy protested.
“I am a machine,” Marcus countered cheerfully, “You are a bit more fragile than myself.”

Defeated, the boy and girl slipped out of sight, while a blond-haired woman climbed over the front seat and began helping with their straps.
“I hope you don’t mind sharing with the kids,” Russ said to Tali, “They can be a handful at times, but they know not to annoy guests.”
“No… no it’s fine,” she replied.

Her tone was calm, but her mind was racing. What were these people thinking, traveling out into the middle of nowhere with their children in the company of an AI?
“I have to go with them. It’s the only way to make sure they’re safe.”
Do you need help Miss Zorah?” Marcus asked, holding out a hand.
“No.”
Ignoring the hand, Tali climbed into the back of the crawler and sat against the wall opposite the synthetic, making sure her pistol was close at hand.

***

The drive out to the sub-processor was long and uneventful. The colonists had cut a road through the landscape of twisting stones, but even with the crawler’s heavy suspension, it was an extremely rough ride. Although they had plenty of toys with them, the Jordan’s children seemed to spend a lot of time just staring at Tali in fascination.
“Is it true you always have to wear those suits?” the girl asked.
“Newt, you shouldn’t ask questions like that,” said her mother, “It’s rude.”
“No, it’s fine Miss Jordan.”

“Okay, but call me Anne please. ‘Miss Jordan’ makes me feel like a schoolteacher.”
“I have to wear my suit most of the time,” Tali explained to Newt, who climbed on top of the boxes to hear her, “Because my immune system is very weak from living in space. But if I’m in a clean room, I can remove it.”
“That sounds really annoying,” The girl replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
Tali chuckled.

“I suppose it is, but I’ve worn it for most of my life, so I’m used to it, for the most part.”
“So how do you go to the bathroom?” asked the boy.
“Timmy!” warned his mother.
“If you’re well-behaved, I’ll tell you when we get back,” Tali replied, grinning a little.
Timmy punched the air, whispering in triumph.
Tali would have found the questions more amusing, but her mood was still soured by Marcus’s presence.
The android had been sitting quietly since the journey started, making no remarks and hardly moving, but this only deepened the quarian’s sense of distrust.
“It’s planning something,” a voice whispered in the back of her mind, “Just keep an eye on it.”

After over four hours, the grey landscape was finally broken by a regular shape rising above the endless fields of stone. The sub-processor was tiny compared to the main one beside Hadley’s hope, but it was still a massive structure, rising 50 metres into the air. Around the middle of its sloping wall was a gantry, which ran into a tall square building that stuck out at the front.

“That’s where we’ve got to put the sentry guns,” Russ explained, pointing to the gantry as he parked the crawler beside the tower’s entrance. “Marcus, how long will it take to program the turrets?”
“About ten minutes,” he replied, “They need to be properly calibrated for synthetic targets.”
“But Mr. Rawling,” Newt said, sounding frightened, “You’re a synthetic too!”
Marcus turned to her and smiled.
“Don’t worry Miss Jordan, I’ve got software that tells the turrets I’m friendly, though I will admit I’d rather not test it.”

“Come on, quit stalling,” said Russ, kicking open his cab door, “Let's get these guns mounted. This place gives me the creeps.
Tali privately agreed. With the crawler’s engine turned off, the dominant sound was the wind as it cut through the stone spires all around, creating a sinister whistling. In the distance was a range of mountains, rising from the ground like the broken teeth of a long-dead monster.
“Get a grip and do your job,” she told herself.

Opening the back doors of the crawler, she climbed out onto the dusty ground and grabbed the nearest box.
Unloading the turrets proved to be taxing, as the boxes were very heavy and awkward to handle. Tali and Russ ended up carrying one between them, while Marcus carried two by himself. Passing through a mesh gate, the three entered a squarish lobby area with a door leading into the main complex, the words, SUB-PROCESSOR 4 above it in chipped and faded paint. Set against the left-hand wall was a cage-like lift, giving access to the tower.

Marcus pressed his thumb against a pad beside the lift doors, which opened with a clatter. Once all the boxes had been loaded inside, the three boarded as well and travelled up to the next level, a semi-circular room lined with computers. Windows ran around the wall, but there was nothing to see beyond but more of the strange twisting stones and dust clouds. The wind was muffled, but it was enough to set Tali’s teeth on edge.

“We need to place the turrets at the north, south, east and west sides of the processor,” Marcus explained, “That should give them maximum coverage of the surrounding area. I’ll take the boxes around the gantry. Tali, would you be able to follow on and activate the guns?”
“Yes,” she replied bluntly.
“I’ll stay here and link the turrets to the radar scanner,” said Russ.

With that the three set to work. Marcus picked up two of the boxes and headed out through a side door which led to the gantry, Tali following a short distance behind. Russ meanwhile pulled over a rolling office chair and began tapping away at one of the computer terminals.
The gantry was about 20 metres above the ground, yet it seemed much higher. On top of this, it was rusty, shaking with every step Marcus took.

“Careful!” Tali called out angrily, grabbing the thin handrail as the metal squealed in protest, “I don’t think this thing is stable.”
“We’ll be alright Miss Zorah,” the android replied, “This walkway was serviced only last month.”
Once they were about a quarter of the way around the gantry, Marcus set down one of the boxes.
“If you wish,” he began to say, “I can explain how to…”
“I can manage,” Tali snapped back, “I studied the instruction manual on the way over.”

A frown passed over Marcus’s face, but he said no more, instead picking up the other box and carrying on down the gantry.
Setting up the sentry turret was easy enough. First Tali placed its tripod on the walkway, then attached the gun itself to the top. After that, she locked the 500 round magazine to the side and fed the ammunition belt into the breech.

“First gun ready,” she radioed to Russ.
“Roger that Tali, bringing it online now.”
The turret beeped and began to track back and forth across the landscape.
“Gun activated,” Tali replied, “Moving on to the next turret.”

The next two guns were set up without much difficulty. The final one however proved to be a challenge, as the magazine refused to lock into position beside the breech.
“Come on you bosh'tet!” she hissed, angrily banging the gun.
“I believe the ammunition has been incorrectly loaded.”
The voice caused Tali to spin around on the spot. Marcus was standing right beside her.
“Would you like me to-”
“I can handle this myself!” Tali spat, taking a few steps back.
The frown returned to Marcus’s face.
“Miss Zorah, I don’t know what I’ve done to offend you, but I assure you, it was not intentional.”

Tali let out a hollow laugh.
“Your very existence is an insult!”
The frown on Marcus’s face deepened.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“Don’t play stupid, you know full well what I mean! My people were forced into exile because of machines like you! I’ve spent my whole life one hull breach away from losing everything because of machines like you!”
“I’m profoundly sorry for what happened to the quarian people Miss Zorah, but I promise you, I would never do something like that.”
Tali felt her blood boil.

“All AI does that! All of you are dangerous! Why do you think the council banned you from their space?”
“Miss Zorah, even without my safety protocols, I have no desire to harm anyone. I’ve known the people on this moon for years.”
“And how do I know you’re not lying? How do I know you’re not planning to sabotage these defences and join the geth?”
Marcus’s expression looked genuinely hurt, but that just made Tali’s anger burn more deeply. She was about to open her mouth when Russ’s voice came through the radio.

“Hey, are you two done out there?”
“Not yet,” Tali answered, being careful to keep her tone in check, “We’ve got a misloaded magazine on the last gun.”
“Well when you’ve fixed it get back to the control room, I’ve found something.”
“You go back,” Tali said coolly to Marcus, “I’ll make sure this magazine is loaded correctly.
“Of course Miss Zorah,” Marcus replied before turning on his heels and heading back along the gantry.

It took Tali only a few minutes to sort out the magazine and slide it into place beside the breech, even as a fire burned within her. It had felt good to say all those things to the android after weeks of avoiding the thing as it skulked around the colony. It could pretend to be friendly, or even upset by her words, but she knew better. It was a mass of circuits crudely formed into the shape of a human and nothing more.

“Turret ready,” she said with no small amount of satisfaction as the gun beeped and began sweeping back and forth.
Returning to the control room, she found Russ and Marcus hunched over one of the computer monitors.
“There! See it!” Russ exclaimed, “That’s what I was talking about!”
“Yes, I see it Mr. Jordan,” Marcus replied, “But you must be cautious.”
“What’s going on?” Tali asked as she walked over to join them.
“Tali, come have a look,” said Russ, “I was adjusting the scanner for the turrets when I picked up a signal.”

He stepped aside so she could see the monitor. The screen displayed a radar scan of the area around the processor, a glowing dot appearing in the far corner as an arm swung around it.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I’m not sure,” Russ replied, but it’s being transmitted from about 20 miles away. We can check it out easily enough.”

“I would advise against that Mr. Jordan,” Marcus replied, “It could be a geth ship.”
“Or it could be salvage. That means a big payday for my family, and you too Tali.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to go chasing after unknown signals Mr. Jordan,” she replied.
Russ looked crestfallen, then his expression brightened.
“We should still check it out. If it’s geth, then we’ll have to report it back to base. If it isn’t, then it could be useful for us.”

“We should report this to the colony first Mr. Jordan,” Marcus replied.
“But if it’s salvage then the company will try and cheat us out of the finder’s fee.”
Tali looked between the two. As much as it pained her, she could not help but see that Marcus had a point. On the other hand, she knew better than to turn down a good salvage opportunity.
“Why don’t I try and clean up the signal?” she suggested, “That way we could work out if it's of geth origin.”

“Yeah, yeah that could work,” Russ said, becoming hopeful once more.
He hastily stepped aside, letting Tali sit at the terminal. There she slowly worked her hands over the keyboard, adjusting a series of filters and the strength of the scanner, until a sound came through the computer’s speaker. It was faint, but it seemed to consist of 5 humming notes, followed by a sharp wail before repeating.

“Is that the geth?” Russ asked, an edge in his voice.
“No… no it isn’t,” Tali replied, “Geth communication is more like a series of stutters. This isn’t something I’ve heard before.”
“What about you Marcus?” said Russ, “Any ideas?”
“I’m afraid not Mr. Jordan. It doesn’t match transmissions used by any known species.”
Russ’s face broke into a grin.
“Then I think we’re all in for a very big payday!”

Chapter Text

Barely a minute later, Russ had jumped out of the lift and was hurrying toward the crawler, yelling at his wife and children to get back onboard. Tali and Marcus jogged after him, hoping that Anne would dissuade him, only to discover that she was no less enthralled by the discovery.

“Come on kids!” she called to Timmy and Newt who were playing in the dust beside the crawler, “We’ve gotta go!”
“Mr. Jordan,” said Marcus, “I really think we should contact-”
“Marcus,” Russ cut in as he helped Newt into the back of the crawler, “Am I or my wife an employee of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation?”
“No.”
“Are you in any position of authority with the company?”
“No.”
“Then you have no grounds to tell us where we can or can’t go. Now get in the truck before you get left behind.”

Reluctantly, Marcus and Tali climbed into the back of the crawler, barely having time to close the doors before Russ gunned the engine and charged back down the road.
With the gun turrets unloaded, there was much more space in the cargo compartment, so Tali and Marcus were able to fold down some seats from the wall and strap themselves down. In the cab, Russ turned on a scanner and tuned it to the signal they had found.

“What is it Dad?” asked Timmy, leaning over his father’s seat.
“We don’t know yet,” Russ replied, “But I think it’s something that’s going to be very helpful to us.”
“Turn off the road on the right here,” said Anne, who had spread a paper map over her lap. “There’s a valley that’s mostly flat. It should take us right up to the signal’s location.”
“Got it.”

Russ turned the steering wheel sharply and the crawler veered off into the undulating landscape.
Clutching her seatbelt with both hands, Tali tried to take slow, measured breaths. This was utterly reckless behaviour from her human companions, why had she agreed to go along?
The answer was directly across from her.
Marcus was sitting up straight, his body rocking in time with the vehicle’s suspension. On his face was the same frown he had worn when Tali had confronted him, though it was not directed at her. Instead, he was looking through the back window, watching the passing landscape intently.
Tali sighed. As much as it pained her, she needed the android’s help, at least at this moment.

“Marcus?”
“Yes Miss Zorah?” he replied, not looking away from the window.
“Have you analysed the signal Russ found?”
“I have run it through my own translation software.”
“And?”

“I’m afraid I’ve been unable to make sense of it. All I can tell you at this time is that it does not come from any known spacefaring species. It does not even match signals from prothean ruins.”
“Could you send me a recording of the signal? I might be able to find something.”
“As you wish.”
He flicked his wrist and Tali’s omni-tool flashed, signalling the arrival of the file.

***

Despite the signal originating from an area only 20 miles away from the sub-processor, it took Russ most of the day to pick his way through the uneven floor of the valley. At one point he was forced to stop and use survey charges to blow up a pile of rocks blocking their path. The surrounding pillars of stone became taller and wilder, the sun remaining a dull yellow disk far above.

The whole place had a sinister feeling, as if they were travelling through forbidden ground.
Tali tried to distract herself by examining the recording of the signal, but this only made things worse. It did not sound like any language or code, it was more like music, or perhaps even an alarm.

“But an alarm for what?” she wondered.
At the front of the vehicle, the mood was very different. Russ was bent over his steering wheel, keeping an eye out for sharp rocks that could tear off their wheels, while Anne was studying a map book as closely as she could. Newt was cradling a doll in her arms, while Timmy ran a toy car over his knees and up the wall.
Giving up trying to decipher the signal, Tali deactivated her omni-tool and leant back against the wall, when the world began to tilt upward.

“Get ready everyone,” said Russ, his voice edged with excitement, “The source of the signal is just over this ridge.”
Tali looked toward the front of the vehicle. Through the cab window, she could see rough ground taking up the whole view.
“Moment of truth.”

A narrow band of light appeared at the top of the window. The crest of the ridge. Gradually it became wider and wider, until finally, they reached the top.
“Oh my god…” whispered Russ.
“Jesus…” muttered Anne.

Tali said nothing, lost for words at the sight before her.
The ridge overlooked a vast plain of rough landscape. Rocky pillars jutted out of the ground, along with small hills that the wind and dust had carved into wavelike shapes over the centuries.

This was not what caught their attention however.
In the centre of the plain was a vast shape, sticking out of the ground. It was a rounded arch, its surface smooth and covered in a network of tubing. More shapes stuck out from the sides, though it was impossible to see what they were. On top of what must have been its centre was a series of round platforms, stacked on top of one another, crowned by a dome of some clear material. Its colour was a pale tan, streaked with dark smudges where the moon’s dust had settled.

“What… what is it…” Anne said, her voice barely more than a whisper.
“I… I don’t know…” Russ replied, sounding just as awed, “But whatever it is, it’s going to make us rich as kings!”
He crashed the gears and drove down the hill as fast as he could, smashing through rocks without a care.
“Mr. Jordan,” said Marcus, sounding alarmed despite the flatness of his tone, “You must be careful. If you damage this vehicle it might be impossible to repair.”
“Ah! Quit your whinging!” Russ snapped back.

Nonetheless, he slowed down and proceeded toward the vast object much more carefully.
Leaning forward in her seat, Tali tried to keep it in view. More lines were visible on the object’s surface, but there did not appear to be any seams denoting sections, as if it was made from one single piece of material.
“And what material is it even made of?” she thought, “It doesn’t look like metal, it's more like plastic, but that’s impossible.”
“What is it Dad?” asked Newt, staring through the window, clutching the doll to her chest.

“We’ll find out soon enough,” Russ answered.
“It could be a spaceship,” said Marcus.
“But it looks nothing like a spaceship,” Timmy replied, his eyes as wide as saucers.
“What else could it be?” said Anne.
“A building, some ruined temple perhaps?” replied Russ.
“That is unlikely,” Marcus went on, “There is no evidence that LV-426 ever supported life before the founding of Hadley's Hope.”
“But if it’s a ship, who built it?” said Anne.

“Maybe it’s asari,” suggested Russ, “I’ve seen their ships, they like their curved lines.”
“That is also unlikely,” said Marcus, “Its outline does not match that of any asari craft, and there is no record of any of their ships entering this area of space before 2158.”
“Well,” said Russ, sounding remarkably cheerful, “Whoever built it has given us our biggest payday.”
“Perhaps you should contact the colony and report this find to them Mr. Jordan,” said Marcus.
“No.”
“But…”
“No, I’ve gotta find a way inside and examine it first.”
“But Mr. Jordan…”

Russ pulled the brake handle up so sharply that the crawler skidded several metres before stopping.
“Now listen here you goddamn bucket of bolts!” he snapped, twisting round in his seat to confront Marcus, “I know how these things work. If I report this now, the company won’t pay half of what they owe me. I’ve gotta prove what this thing has onboard before telling the stiffs back at the colony about it.”
“Mr. Jordan, I have no objection to you being paid for this find, I am only concerned that it could be dangerous.”

“Then you can come with me. If something happens you can drag me out.”
“Would it not be more prudent for me to go in alone?”
“No, I have to see it for myself.”
“Let me come as well,” said Tali, sounding far braver than she felt.

Russ turned to face her.
“I’m… I’m wearing an environmental suit already,” she continued, “It should protect me from anything in that ship.”
“Alright, the more the merrier.”
Russ released the break and drove on.
Climbing over a row of small hills, the lorry entered an almost entirely flat area behind the object that carried on for some distance behind them.
“This must have been created when the ship crashed,” said Russ, “At least it makes our job a little easier.”

He turned and drove toward the stern of the ship.
“Is it the stern?” Tali wondered, “It could just as well be the front, or even the side.”
She pressed a hand against the edge of her visor. Nothing about the craft made sense. Even thinking about it made her head hurt.
It took another ten minutes for them to reach the edge of the ship. By now it towered over them, an unnatural mass thrusting up from the dead landscape.

“Right,” Russ said as he stopped the crawler and killed the engine, “Me, Marcus and Tali will explore the ship, the rest of you stay here and man the radio.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come as well?” asked Anne.
“As much as I hate to admit it, Marcus has a point. If something happens in there, he’s a lot less likely to be hurt, as is Tali.”
“Okay, just be careful in there.”
“Don’t worry dear, you know I will.”

After giving each of his family a hug, Russ took off his jacket and grabbed a set of heavy overalls, facemask and goggles from the back of the crawler. Once he had put them on, he shoved a pistol into his belt and jumped out of the cab, making a beeline for the crashed ship.
“Mr. Jordan!” Marcus called out as he grabbed a torch and climbed out of the back of the crawler, “Wait! We should stay together!”
“Oh just move!” snapped Tali, jumping to the dusty ground and hurrying after the human.

Passing under the curved ends of the craft, the three approached the imposing wall that was partly buried in the moon’s surface. There were no windows to speak of, nor any breakages in the hull. At ground level however were three oval openings tapered down toward the bottom, their edges rounded off. Tali could not understand it. There were no seams, screw heads or bolts. How could such a thing even be built? Ahead of them Russ had reached a pile of rocks below the three openings and was quickly scrambling upward.

“Mr. Jordan!” Marcus called out again, running with long steady strides, “Please, let me go first! It would be safer!”
But Russ either did not hear or ignored him, and carried on up the rocks and through the entrance on the left, where the darkness swallowed him up.
“These humans are crazy!” Tali thought, even as she started to run faster toward the ship. 
There was a heavy thudding of feet and Marcus overtook her, soon reaching the rubble around the base of the ship.
“Mr. Jordan!”

The android’s plea echoed uselessly off the unnatural curves that surrounded them.
“He can’t have gone far,” Tali said as she caught up with him, “If it’s an airlock then there’ll be another door.”
“We don’t know what that is Miss Zorah,” Marcus replied.
“Then let’s go and find out.”
“Perhaps you should wait out here Miss Zorah. It could be dangerous.”
Tali took the shotgun from her back.
“I can handle myself.”
Marcus’s face was neutral, but she could sense even his electric mind was annoyed.
“Very well, but allow me to go first.”
“Fine.”

Finding handholds in the rubble, Marcus climbed up toward the opening, Tali following a short distance behind, shotgun in hand. Upon reaching the top, she touched the edge of the entrance, sensing a cool smoothness through her glove. It did not feel like metal or plastic, it was a material like no other.
“Maybe I can get a sample to bring back to the fleet.”
Ahead of her Marcus took a few steps into the darkness then turned on his torch, revealing a curving passageway.

“I cannot see a secondary door,” he said, “Nor Mr. Jordan.”
“He can’t be that far ahead,” Tali replied as she climbed into the passageway beside him.
She switched on the torch attached to the shotgun and pointed it ahead.
The passageway was almost twice as tall as she was, the walls curving out then in toward the top, rib-like shapes covering their surfaces. Everything was coloured a dark grey, no doubt years of accumulated dust.
“Mr. Jordan!” Marcus called out.

The ghost of his voice echoed off the rounded surfaces, but there was no reply.
Without exchanging a word, Tali and Marcus advanced into the passageway. As they came around the bend, the floor began to slope up and the darkness became almost physically tangible. Specks of dust danced in the beams of the torches, while the curved walls reflected the light in strange patterns, making it feel as if the space was pressing in on them.

The sounds of wind from outside were quickly lost, replaced by a heavy silence, broken only by the scraping of feet against the uneven floor. The air meanwhile seemed to become thick, as if the ship’s atmosphere was different from that outside. As they moved further along the passage, Tali noticed there was no rust coating the walls. Instead, everything was covered in a thin layer of dampness, as if the surfaces were decaying.

“Keep it together,” she told herself, “There’s nothing to fear here. This ship is dead.”
But was it? She had read many stories of crews discovering ships abandoned in space, only to disappear themselves when they attempted to board.
“Now you’re letting your imagination get the better of you.”
The passage twisted again and the barest hint of light appeared ahead of them.
“Mr. Jordan!” Marcus called out.
“Over here!” Russ’s voice echoed in reply, “I think I’ve found something important!”

Picking up the pace, Tali and Marcus followed the voice until the passageway opened up into a trench. On their right-hand side was a spherical wall, covered in more ribs, a clear dome at its apex far above. On the right was a curving wall, about half a metre taller than herself, covered in pipes fused to its surface. Pressing forward along the trench, the two soon found Russ, a camera in hand.

“This place is gonna make us so much money!” he exclaimed, putting the viewfinder to his eye and taking a picture.
“Mr. Jordan, are you alright?” asked Marcus.
“What? Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, I just need a leg up over this wall, I think there’s something on the other side.”
“Perhaps I should go first Mr. Jordan, we don’t know what’s up there.”

Russ’s eyes narrowed.
“Fine, if you’re gonna keep insisting on this,” he said, gesturing to the wall.
Marcus hooked the torch onto his belt and climbed up in one smooth movement.
“Well?” Russ called before the android had even fully stood up, “What can you see?”
“This is something you’ll want to see for yourself.”
Marcus knelt down and helped Russ up the wall.
“My… god…” he whispered.

Unwilling to wait, Tali threw up both of her hands and just managed to grab the top of the wall. Finding purchase with her feet, she scrambled up, only to almost lose her grip as her head peaked over the top.
“Oh… keelah…”

The wall was actually part of a raised dais, with pipes and deep grooves running across its surface. In the centre was something unlike anything the young quarian had ever seen in her life. It was a monstrous combination of a pedestal and chair, covered by inbuilt pipes, with a long object, possibly a telescope or gun, sticking out at a 45-degree angle at its front. In the seat of the chair was a figure, pale in the half-light of the room, made of tubes and bony formations, all covered in a peeling wet sheen.

As she climbed onto the dais, Tali realised that the figure was not sitting in the chair, but appeared to have grown out of it.
“Biomechanical engineering… but… but that’s never been done…”
“Clearly it has.”

For a few moments, she stared at the creature, her mind a rush of thoughts. Nothing like this had ever been discovered, this would have her name in history books. The humans would pay her well for this discovery, the Admiralty Board would honour her, her friends would be extremely jealous of her stories about this day.
Yet even as she imagined all that, her wonder was pierced by a cold sensation of dread. This place was not just a crashed ship, it was a decaying corpse. They should not be here.

“YA-HOO!”
The cry was so sudden and loud that it caused Tali to jump back in alarm, almost falling over the edge of the dais. Oblivious to her plight, Russ began jumping around the chair, punching the air over and over again.
“I’M GONNA BE RICH! RICH! NO ONE IN SALVAGE HAS EVER SEEN A PAYDAY LIKE THIS! HA! HA!”

Tali shivered inside her suit. She was about to tell Russ he shouldn’t be shouting so much, when all his celebrations died in an instant. Now his torch was pointing at something behind the chair.
“Wait… wait no… no… no! No! No!”

Tali and Marcus hurried over. On the other side of the dais was something incongruous with the smooth edges and curves of the ship.
It was a spindly metal tripod knocked on its side, a drum of cable next to it, along with boxes with the familiar emblem of Weyland-Yutani stamped on their sides.

“Evidently we are not the first people to discover this ship,” remarked Marcus.
For a few seconds Russ stared blankly at the pile of equipment, then lashed out at the nearest box with his foot, sending it skidding across the dais.
“SON OF A BITCH!”

The shout echoed violently around the space.
“Only I could find the discovery of the century and have it snatched out from under me! Fuck sake! I could have retired to Earth with Anne and the kids!”
“Mr. Jordan,” Tali tried to say, vainly hoping she could calm him down, “I’m sure there can be some arrangement…”

“Shut it bucket head! You don’t know shit! I’ve been out here 10 fucking years and barely scraped by! I could have made something here! Instead it’s going to some jack-off at the company!”
“Mr. Jordan,” Marcus cut in.
“Shut it you tin can! What do you know? You’ve never been hungry!”
“Mr. Jordan…”
“You don’t know what it’s like to see your wife and kids always in secondhand clothes, having to skip meals so I can get spares for the crawler!”
“Mr. Jordan, please, your salvage rights are not under threat.”

Russ stared at the android with incredulity.
“That’s Wey-Yu equipment there. I’ve got no rights to this, and they’ll make damn sure of it!”
“But this ship has never been reported to the company.”
Tali and Russ looked at Marcus in puzzlement.
“There is no record of a Weyland-Yutani salvage team finding this ship, nor is its location registered in their archives.”

“I don’t understand,” said Tali, “If this place was discovered, why wasn’t it reported?”
“Whoever came here before did not, or could not, inform the company about it,” Marcus replied. “Judging from its appearance, this equipment was left here several years ago, most likely before the colony was established.”
“Then… then… it’s still mine!” exclaimed Russ, his eyes lighting up, “I still have salvage rights! I just have to make sure this old equipment isn’t discovered.”
He jumped over one of the dais’s pipes and began picking up the tripod, only to pause once again.

“There’s a hole here.”
Treading carefully, Tali went over and spotted a squarish hole in the floor of the platform, leading into pitch blackness. Strangely its edges did not appear to have been cut, rather they were, melted.
“Whoever came here before must have brought this equipment to reach the lower levels of the ship,” said Marcus.
“That was very kind of them,” said Russ, “Now I can do the same.”

He set the tripod upright over the hole and searched for the controls on the cable drum.
“You can’t be serious?” gasped Tali.
“If the company finds even one scrap of evidence that someone was here before us, I won’t see a cent from the salvage fee.”

Once the cable drum and its motor were set up, Russ hooked the end around a pulley at the top of the tripod. He then searched inside one of the boxes, pulling out a harness and a small remote with an up and down arrow.
“Mr. Jordan… Russ,” said Tali.
But before she could think of anything to dissuade him, the human had clipped the harness straps around his midriff and was climbing into the hole.
“Make sure you stay in radio contact,” said Marcus.
“Yeah, yeah, quit ya whining,” Russ muttered, making sure the harness was securely fastened to the cable.

He was about to lower himself into the hole, when he looked at Tali.
“Listen… Miss Zorah, I’m sorry I called you… bucket head. I was upset, but that’s no excuse.”
“Russ, I don’t care about that,” she replied, “Just be careful.”
“I’m always careful.”
He pressed the down button on the remote and the cable drum began turning, lowering him into the depths of the ship.
Tali backed away from the hole. The chamber was quiet once again, save for the low grumble of the winding mechanism’s motor. Marcus picked up the box Russ had kicked across the dais, examining it under the light of his torch. Feeling curious, Tali turned to the thing in the centre of the room.

Though it was clearly long dead, there was something threatening about the seated figure. Running the beam of her torch over it, Tali was able to make out pealing pieces of skin covering the skeletal form. As the beam crossed its torso, a hole was revealed, the bones twisted and broken outward. Tali wondered briefly if the being had been subject to explosive decompression, but ruled out the idea almost at once. If that had been the case, the damage would not have been limited to one small area.

“Small, yeah, as if anything about this thing could be called ‘small’.”
Feeling bold, she went over to the seat and climbed up for a better view.
The arms, which were fixed at the sides of the chair, were almost as thick as her waist, the hands grasping what must have been the ship’s flight controls.  The head was mostly covered by a smooth helmet with a tube attached to its centre, no doubt to pump whatever the creature had breathed around its face.

Examining the telescope object that towered over the chair, Tali could see a lens at the back, but there were no buttons or dials to take instrument readings from. Perhaps there was no need for such things when the pilot was grafted directly into the ship.
She turned back to the creature’s head, the torch catching the inside of its long hollowed-out eye sockets, along with a set of grinning teeth.
Tali’s breathing became very shallow. Was this thing really dead?

“What else can it be? Just look at it. The skin has rotted away.”
But was that enough? Machines could be inactive for centuries and still run. What if there was an element of life in the remains, just waiting for a switch to be thrown somewhere? If so, how would it react to the three intruders?
“Miss Zorah,” Marcus called out.
“Ye… yes?” Tali replied, grateful for the distraction.
“I think you should see this.”

Clambering down from the chair, she went over to the android, who was standing a short distance from the hole. The cable drum was still turning, signalling that Russ had not reached the bottom yet.
“What is it?” Tali asked.
“Take a look.”
He handed her the box. Most of the dust had been wiped off the top, exposing the faded company emblem and seven words.

PROPERTY OF USCSS NOSTROMO. DO NOT REMOVE.

“That must have been the ship that discovered this place first,” Tali remarked.
“Yes, that’s what’s troubling,” Marcus replied, “The Nostromo was a deep space haulier that disappeared 15 years ago. There were several investigations, but nothing came of them.”
A memory came to the forefront of Tali’s mind.
“This ship, was there someone called Ripley on it?”
“Yes, Ellen Ripley, she was the warrant officer. Why do you ask?”
“I…”

For a moment Tali thought about telling Marcus about Amanda and her relationship to the Nostromo, but stopped herself. She still had no reason to trust the android.
“I just wanted the information. I don’t need to explain my reasons to you.”
For a moment it looked as if Marcus was going to say something, when Russ’s voice sounded through their radios.
“Hey! I’ve reached the bottom, wow!”
“What can you see?” asked Marcus.
“It’s like a cave, but massive, I can’t see one end or the other. It has to be taller than the sub-processor. Hot as well, feels like a damn sauna in here.”
“Is there anything in this space?”
“No, it's empty… wait, hold on, there is something…”

There was a pause. Though it only lasted a few seconds, the time seemed to stretch into hours. When his voice sounded out again, it only deepened Tali’s fear.
“The floors covered in… I dunno, they look like eggs.”
“Mr. Jordan, you must leave at once,” Marcus said sharply, “You might have encountered a biological hazard.”

“There’s something else, it’s a layer of mist that lights up when I move.”
“Russ, you must return to the upper levels at once.”
“Yeah, yeah, just let me make sure those other guys didn’t leave anything behind… Wait, there’s something moving. I…”
There was a crackling, a sharp yelp, and the radio went silent.
“Mr. Jordan,” said Marcus, “Mr. Jordan can you hear me? What is wrong?”

His only answer was silence.
Tali shivered. This could not be anything good. Worse still, now she was alone with the android. Slowly she deactivated the safety on her shotgun, making sure there was plenty of room for her to manoeuvre. Marcus however did not notice any of this as he climbed into the hole.

“Miss Zorah, stay here, I am going down to the lower levels.”
“What?”
“I will not be long.”
He wrapped his legs and arms around the cable and rappelled down it.
Tali thought she would be relieved, but her sense of dread only deepened. Now she was completely alone in the dead ship.
“Not entirely alone.”

The thought was like a cold knife. Moving very carefully, she turned around. The figure in the chair sat motionless, yet there seemed to be something life-like about it.
“It’s dead Tali, it’s dead. It has a hole in its chest.”
 A low whinging sound filled the chamber. Tali spun around, shotgun raised. The cable drum was winding back in.
“Just stay calm. If Russ is hurt then you won’t be able to help him if you panic.”

Still, she kept a firm grip on her shotgun, glancing from the figure in the chair, then back to the winding gear.
“Come on Marcus, come on.”
Drip, drip.
The sound echoed around the chamber. Tali searched for its source, soon spotting water falling from the edge of the massive chair.
“Pull yourself together!”
The groan of the winding gear ended.
“Finally you’re back,” Tali began, turning back to the hole, “What happened…”
The words died on her lips as something pale and slimy emerged from the darkness.

Chapter Text

Tali screamed like she never had before, the lining of her throat feeling as if it was about to tear open. The thing in the hole pushed its way out, limply flopping forward then back, its pale flesh pulsing rhythmically.
Tali ran, but her foot caught on one of the dais’s pipes and she fell hard on the unforgiving surface, striking her head and filling her ears with a loud ringing.
“It’s going to get me! It’s going to get me!”

Twisting around, she saw the thing fall on the floor beside the hole, soon followed by another. It made sounds, but none of them made sense. Tali pointed her shotgun at the figure in the hole, but her torch had gone out, leaving it in darkness.

“Stay back!” she yelled, the panic overwhelming her senses.
The figure climbed out of the hole, making more sounds.
“I SAID STAY BACK!”
Her finger tightened around the trigger while the figure continued to make noises.
“SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!”

The figure raised its arms.
BANG!
Reflexively Tali pulled the trigger. A spray of mass effect slugs burst from the barrel, the muzzle flash revealing a passive face.
The report reverberated off the rounded walls before slowly dying away. The figure remained stock still.

“I Missed… I missed!”
Hardly able to breathe, Tali worked the shotgun’s action, readying another blast, when something stopped her.
“Wait…”

Hands shaking, she searched for the torches’ switch and turned it back on. The figure’s blue shirt was covered in dust and grime from the climb to the lower levels, along with splashes of white. Blinking, she saw that the small finger on his left hand was missing, the stub dripping white fluid, no doubt a result of one of the mass effect slugs.

“Mar… Marcus…”
She was about to apologise when something made her keep the gun trained on the android.
“What is that thing? Where is Russ? TELL ME!”
“Miss Zorah, you are in shock, you must calm down.”
“DON’T YOU DARE TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!”
It took all of Tali’s willpower not to blow the machine in half then and there. For his part, Marcus remained still, his arms raised.
“Please Miss Zorah, Russ needs your help.”

The tone of his voice caused a change in Tali. Slowly and painfully, she removed her finger from the shotgun’s trigger guard.
“Where is Russ?” she demanded.
“He’s here.”

Marcus gestured to the object he had pushed through the hole. As the panic began to loosen its grip on her, Tali saw a set of heavy overalls, pinkish skin and dark hair lying on the floor beside the hole. It was Russ, but something had attached itself to his face. The thing was a round flat mass of flesh, the same colour as a diseased organ, covering the human’s eyes, mouth and nose. Long thin fingers extended out from its body, gripping the sides of the human’s head, while a tail ran down from its back and wrapped around his neck.

“What… what happened?” Tali gulped, keeping her shotgun pointed at Marcus.
“This parasite hatched from one of the eggs Mr. Jordan found on the lower levels and attacked him,” the android explained, “By the time I reached him he was unconscious.”
“Is he… is he…”

“His life signs appear to be stable, but we need to get him medical attention at once.”
Tali kept her shotgun trained on the android. He was right, but that did not mean she was about to trust him. After all, what was to say he had not triggered the parasite?
“Fine,” she said, “We’ll go out the way we came. You carry Russ and stay ahead of me.”
“Very well.”

Marcus bent down and picked up Russ’s limp form in a fireman’s carry. Still keeping her shotgun in hand, Tali got back to her feet and made sure to stay at least two metres behind the android. As they climbed off the dais, she glanced back at the strange being fused into the chair. It had not moved, but that did not stop Tali from shuddering as its empty eye sockets stared blankly back at her.
“It’s dead, focus on the living,” she told herself, jumping from the dais and leaving the chamber dark and silent once again.

***

Moving swiftly through the twisting passageway, Tali and Marcus soon emerged onto the barren landscape of LV-246. By now the sun was beginning to set, causing the columns of stone to cast long fingers of shadow across the dusty ground.

“I never thought I’d be grateful to see this place,” Tali thought as she climbed down the rocks heaped against the ship’s hull.
Once they were on solid ground, Marcus took off at a brisk jog toward the distant form of the Jordans’ crawler. Tali sprinted to keep up, though she made sure to maintain some distance, lest the android get any ideas about attacking.

The crawler was awash with warm light as they approached, with Anne visible through the front window. As they got closer, she opened the cab door and waved to them, only to stop when she saw who Marcus was carrying.
“What’s going on? What’s happened?” she began as they reached her, panic filling her voice, “What happened to Russ?”
“Mrs Jordan, you need to radio Hadley's Hope for medical assistance at once,” said Marcus, “Your husband has been infected with a parasite.”
“A parasite?”

Anne jumped down from the crawler and ran to them, clapping a hand over her mouth in horror when she saw the thing wrapped around Russ’s head.
“W… what happened? What is that thing?!”
“I will explain all I can, but first you must contact Hadley’s Hope so they can get a medical shuttle out here, then we must make your husband as comfortable as possible.”
Anne’s face was still a mask of horror, but she hurried back to the crawler and began shouting a mayday into the radio.

“Miss Zorah, would you open the doors to the cargo compartment please,” Marcus asked, “We need to get Mr. Jordan inside.”
“We should leave him out here,” Tali replied, though it pained her to say it, “That parasite could be dangerous to the others.”
“I know, but Mr. Jordan could die if we leave him exposed to the elements.”
Reluctantly Tali hooked the shotgun to her back and opened the two doors at the rear of the crawler. Timmy and Newt were sitting at the far end, both looking fearful.

“What’s wrong with dad?” Newt asked quietly, holding her doll tightly against her chest.
“We are not sure yet Miss Jordan,” Marcus replied as he carefully lifted Russ’s body into the back of the crawler and laid him down. “For now we have to make your father comfortable and wait for the medical shuttle.”
“What is that thing!?” Timmy exclaimed, his eyes fixed on the slowly pulsing parasite.
“We don’t know Mr. Jordan,” Marcus answered, “But you must stay away. Miss Zorah, perhaps you should go up in the cab with Miss Jordan, I’ll stay here and watch Mr. Jordan.”

Silently agreeing, Tali closed the crawler’s back doors and went round to the driver’s cab. On arrival she found Anne slumped in her seat, pressing the radio’s microphone against her forehead, her expression one of shock.
“I managed to get through to the colony,” she said in a muted voice, “They said the medical shuttle should be here in an hour.”
“That’s good…” Tali mumbled as she shut the cab door behind her, “Do… do you want to sit with Russ? I can keep an eye on the radio.”
“No, no I better stay here. If Russ has been infected, then it’s best to maintain even a little distance.”

She turned her head to look at the rear compartment. Tali did the same. Marcus had draped a spare coat over Russ, and was now taking a medical scanner out of a first aid box. Once it was calibrated, he waved the device over the man’s body several times, adjusting its settings now and again.

“Have… have you found anything?” Anne asked once he was finished.
“Your husband’s vitals are stable Miss Jordan,” Marcus replied, “And this parasite is not emitting any harmful substances, so you should be safe.”
“What about Russ? What’s it doing to him?”
“It’s impossible to say without a full medical scan. For now we can only keep him warm and wait.”
“Can’t you just tear it off?” asked Timmy, his eyes as wide as dinner plates.
“No, I’m afraid that’s not possible,” answered Marcus, “I fear any attempt to remove the parasite with brute force could kill your father.”

A grim quiet came over the crawler. Marcus continued to monitor Russ with the medical scanner, Timmy and Newt watching from their seats. Anne kept the radio microphone in hand, her eyes closed. Tali settled herself against the side of the crawler, making sure to keep one eye on Marcus at all times. In the corner of her other eye, the curving form of the crashed ship remained visible in the half-light, sinister and dead.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the radio crackled into life.

“Hello? Jordan Survey Team, this is Hadley’s Hope Medical Shuttle 2, are you receiving us? Over.”
“Hello Hadley’s Hope Medical Shuttle,” Anne replied, snapping to attention at once, “This is Anne Jordan, we are receiving you loud and clear. Over.”
“Good, we can see your truck and will be landing in two minutes, make sure you’re ready. Over.”
“We will be. Over and out.”

Hooking the microphone back onto its holder, Anne grabbed a handful of flares from a box mounted on the cab wall and climbed out. Tali would have joined her, but disliked the idea of leaving the children and Russ with the android.

Igniting the flares one after the other, Anne threw them in a rough square formation on the ground in front of the vehicle. Soon after, the angular form of a Kodiak shuttle appeared, its mass effect thrusters glowing a vivid blue as it swooped down, throwing up a tremendous cloud of dust. No sooner had it landed than a door in its side slid open and a pair of humans, a man and a woman in white shirts, dashed out. Anne directed them to the back of the crawler, where they quickly climbed in to examine Russ.

“How long since the parasite attached itself?” one asked.
“Approximately an hour and 30 minutes,” Marcus answered, “I carried out a preliminary scan before you arrived.
“And what about you?” asked the other, “Looks like you suffered some damage.”

She gestured to Marcus’s hand where the stump of the little finger had been wrapped in gauze. Tali felt a surge of embarrassment. She doubted the humans would take kindly to her shooting one of their androids.
“A mistake on my part,” Marcus replied, “When I was climbing down to retrieve Mr. Jordan I caught my hand. The damage is only minor.”
Tali blinked in bafflement. Why was the machine lying to protect her?

“The machine is lying to the humans,” a fearful voice whispered in the back of her mind, “That alone proves it’s untrustworthy.”
“I thought you androids were smart enough to avoid these sorts of accidents?” laughed the other doctor.
Marcus smiled.
“Evidently not.”

Once the medics were sure Russ was able to travel, they manoeuvred him onto a stretcher and carried him to the shuttle. Anne, Timmy, Newt and Tali followed suit, while Marcus offered to stay and drive the Jordan’s crawler back to the colony.
“Are you sure you’ll be alright?” Anne asked him, “It’s a long way back and I’d hate it if you got stuck out here.”
“I’ll be fine,” the android reassured her, “For now just focus on getting your husband to safety.”

Anne wished him luck and hurried into the shuttle, the door sliding back into place after her. As the engine rumbled, Tali helped Newt get strapped into her seat while Anne did the same for Timmy. The shuttle’s passenger compartment was utilitarian to a fault, with bare metal walls and fold-out seats with minimal padding. Russ’s stretcher was locked against the back wall, so he remained flat while one of the medics examined him.

“How… how is he?” Anne asked once she was seated.
“For now he’s stable, but that’s all I can say,” the medic replied, “Now for my question. What the hell is that thing?”
He pointed toward the cockpit, where the crashed ship was visible through the window.
“It’s… we don’t really know,” Anne replied, “It was giving off a signal that we followed. We thought it would be salvage.”

“Well at least you’ll be in for a big payday at the end of this,” said the other human as they adjusted the controls and began flying back toward the colony.
As the ship lifted into the air, Tali looked at Anne, feeling heartbroken. In their rush to leave the crashed ship, they had left the Nostromo’s equipment, which meant the Jordans would most likely still not get paid on top of all that had just happened.

***

A little under an hour later the medical shuttle had landed on the edge of the colony. Another medical team, who was waiting for them on arrival, had Russ transferred to a stretcher with a plastic cover and rushed him inside. Meanwhile, Anne, Timmy, Newt and the two medics were taken for an evaluation to make sure they had not contracted any pathogens from the organism.

Since Tali was already wearing a protective suit, she was only given a quick surface scan and ultraviolet decontamination to remove any possible hazards. Nonetheless, she returned to her quarters at once where she changed all of her suits' air filters and threw the old ones into the waste disposal chute. She seriously considered stripping off her suit and using the shower, but decided against it. Even a clean environment such as her room could make her very ill in the short term, and she could not afford to be out of action at that point.

In the end she lay down on her bed, trying to find some comfort. Her body ached from the travel and heavy work of the day, not to mention just how draining it had been inside that crashed ship.
She shuddered. Though she had only been in there briefly, the place hung in her mind like a nightmare.

“It’s over now, just rest.”
“But what about Russ? Will he be alright?”
The question only made her feel ill. She just hoped the human’s medical team could remove the parasite before it caused any serious harm.
“That’s if they can remove it.”

At some point the tiredness must have caught up with her, because the next thing Tali knew, the intercom beside the door was beeping.
“Ye… yes…?” she said, wearily sitting up.
“Tali, it’s Amanda,” her friend’s voice replied, “I just thought I should check in on you. If you’re resting I can come back another time.”
“No, no, I’m up, just give me a minute.”

After making sure her new suit filters were locked into place, Tali entered the airlock and exited into the corridor in short order. Amanda was waiting for her, face drawn and anxious.
“Sorry I didn’t come earlier,” she said, “I was on shift at the processor and didn’t hear about what happened to you until a few minutes ago.”
“That’s fine Amanda,” Tali replied, “Do you know if Russ Jordan is alright?”
“Only that he was hurt. Why? What happened out there?”
“Hasn’t anyone told you?”
“No. We only heard that one of the survey teams sent out a distress call. For a while we thought the geth had attacked.”

Tali glanced about. The corridor was empty, but she kept her voice low just the same.
“It wasn’t geth. We were setting up automated turrets at one of the sub-processors when Russ discovered a signal from a crashed ship.”
“A ship? What kind?”
“I don’t know.”
Tali explained as much as she could about the derelict craft and what they had found onboard.

“Oh my god!” Amanda exclaimed once she was finished, “That must have been terrifying.”
“It… it was…” Tali answered, barely managing to suppress another shudder as the image of the long-dead being in its chair filled her mind’s eye.
It was then that something else came to her. The equipment left by the Nostromo’s crew.
“Amanda,” she began, “There’s…”
The rest of her sentence was cut off by a flashing from her omni-tool. Someone was trying to contact her.

“Hello?” she said, tapping the answer button.
“Tali, it’s Anne,” came the reply, “Russ is awake!”
“Awake?”
“Yes, it’s amazing! Come over to medical, he wants to see you.”
“You’d better head over while you can,” said Amanda, “Medical staff can get iffy about visitors.”

***

With her previous thoughts forgotten; Tali headed across the colony to the medical bay. The architecture was much the same as the rest of the colony, but the walls had been painted white, giving it a slightly less oppressive feeling. Passing through a series of automatic doors, Tali found Anne Jordan and her two children sitting on a bench in a corridor. Opposite them was a glass window which looked into a room with an operating table and cabinets full of equipment. Russ was sitting on the table, while a doctor in a white uniform was standing beside him, a clipboard in hand.

“I’m telling you Doc’, I’m fine,” Russ said, his voice audible through a speaker mounted beside the window, “I’m just a little tired.”
“Mr. Jordan, you had an unknown parasite attached to your face for several hours,” countered the doctor, “I’m afraid that you’ll have to remain in quarantine.”
“For how long?”
“For as long as I deem necessary.”
“Damnit!”

Russ shook his head in frustration, before noticing Tali for the first time.
“Tali! Are you alright?”
“I’m fine Mr. Jordan,” she replied, stepping up to the glass, “Just a bit shaken.”
Anne stood up and hugged her.
“Thanks for coming Tali, I thought you’d want to know that Russ was awake.”

“Thanks for telling me,” Tali replied, returning the hug, “I guess you guys are alright then?”
“Yeah, medical cleared us pretty quickly. Russ on the other hand is stuck in the quarantine room for now.”
“Just my luck,” muttered the man.
“What happened to the parasite?” Tali asked.
“It's the darndest thing,” said the doctor, “One moment the thing had a death grip on Mr. Jordan’s face, the next it fell off and died.”

He gestured to a tank of clear fluid on the other side of the room. The parasite was floating in the middle, its fingers and tail hanging limply.
“It just… died?” said Tali, puzzled.
“Guess there wasn’t enough of me to eat,” chuckled Russ, “By the way, I wanted to thank you Tali for helping to get me to safety.”
“I can’t take the credit,” Tali replied, “Marcus… the android, it was the one who carried you out of that ship.”

“You stayed with him the whole time, that’s more than enough in our book,” said Anne
“Where is Marcus anyway?” asked Russ.
“He agreed to drive the crawler back to the colony while we flew here in the medical shuttle,” Anne replied, “He should be back in a few hours.”
“Hmm, I guess we owe him for that, though I’m not sure what we can give a robot.”
“Maybe you can pay for his oil change?” joked Timmy.

The Jordans laughed.
“What happens now?” asked Newt, “Is Dad going to have to stay in that room forever?”
“As much as it pains me to say, we’ll let him out eventually,” answered the doctor, “He just has to stay in here for a few days while we keep him under observation and run some tests.”
“Can you at least get me some food? I’m starving,” Russ cut in.
“I’m sure that can be arranged.”

Activating his omni-tool, the doctor contacted the canteen to bring up a meal for his patient.
“While you’re at it, have them bring up something for me and the kids,” said Anne. “There’s no reason we can’t eat together, even if there’s a sheet of glass between us. Oh, and bring food for Tali as well.”
“Oh, no, no you don’t have to do that,” Tali tried to say.
“No, I insist you join us,” said Russ, “I dragged you out to the middle of nowhere, it’s only right I host you for dinner.”

About ten minutes later some of the colony’s catering staff arrived, each carrying a tray of steaming mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables and sausages drowning in gravy.  Along with this came a tube containing flavoured dextro paste for Tali.
“Ah, just what I need,” said Russ as one of the trays was pushed through a slot in the isolation room’s two-stage doors.

Once they all had their trays, the Jordan family and Tali gathered around the window and sat on the floor for their meal.
“Let’s bring pillows next time,” said Timmy, “This floor is really uncomfortable.”
“You got that right,” said Newt, cramming a large forkful of mashed potato into her mouth.
“Smaller bites Rebecca,” warned Anne.
“But I’m hungry!”
“If you eat less your food will last longer.”
“Yeah Rebecca,” teased Timmy, spearing a full sausage on his fork and eating half of it in one go.
“Timothy,” Anne warned sternly.
“Listen to your mother kids,” smirked Russ, “She’s the only reason we’re civilised.”

Everyone laughed at that. Behind her visor, Tali smiled, yet at the same time felt a tug of sadness. In all her life, she had never had a family meal like this. True she had never eaten alone, but it had never been just her with mum and dad, talking about their day and joking.
“Then again, I doubt Dad’s ever cracked a joke in his life,” she thought to herself.
“You know what,” Russ continued, “When we get back to Earth the first thing we’re doing is going out for a proper meal. This dehydrated crap is driving me mad.”
“Russ, we agreed, no swearing in front of the children,” said Anne, “Though a nice meal wouldn’t go amiss.”
“Got that right, I can’t remember the last time I tasted a fresh…”

The rest of Russ’s words were cut off by a heavy cough.
“Are you okay honey?” asked Anne.
“Bit of indigestion…”
Russ broke out into another fit of coughing. He banged a fist against his chest, but it did nothing to help.
“Dad, what’s wrong?” said Newt, her expression quickly becoming frightened.
Russ tried to rise, when he jerked violently, sending the tray of food spinning across the floor.
“Russ!” Anne cried.

Throwing aside her own tray, she pressed herself against the window, watching as her husband writhed in pain, screaming. The doctor rushed over, a hypodermic needle in hand.
“What’s happening!?” Tali exclaimed, feeling horror and frustration at being unable to help.
“He’s going into shock,” the doctor answered as he knelt beside Russ, “I’m going to give him a sedative.”

This was easier said than done, as Russ was now twisting even more violently on the floor, his face screwed up in agony, the skin turning a deep shade of red. He lashed out with his feet, catching the window and causing it to vibrate.
“Mr. Jordan!” the doctor shouted, trying in vain to grab the man’s arm, “You must hold still! I have to help you!”

Whether or not Russ heard those words, no one ever knew, for at that moment he let out a guttered cry and arched his back. At that same moment, there was a sickening wet crack, and blood began drenching the front of the man’s shirt.
“RUSS!” Anne screamed, banging her fists on the glass.

Russ tried to raise his head, but the pain was too much. A shape appeared under the shirt, punching forward until the material ripped open.
Tali gasped. In the centre of the human’s torn and bloody chest rose a pink worm-like creature. Its head was long and rounded, with silvery teeth, while stubby limbs poked out from its body.

For a few seconds, everyone watched in shocked terror as the creature pulled itself free of Russ’s now still body, its eyeless head twisting from side to side. Then, at a speed none of them would have thought possible, it zipped across the floor and crashed through a ventilation grill, leaving behind a trail of gore.

“Wah… wah…” Tali gulped, fighting not to hyperventilate.
“Dad…”
The small voice caused Tali and Anne to turn away from the isolation room. Slightly behind them were Timmy and Newt, their wide tearful eyes staring down at the lifeless body of their father.

Chapter Text

By the time a second medical team arrived at the isolation room, it was clear that nothing could be done for Russ Jordan. He was placed inside a body bag and wheeled off to the morgue while his family was taken to a side room in a vain effort to calm them down. Tali was led aside and sat down by a medic, but she quickly brushed off any attention.

“I’m fine…I’m fine… I just… I just need a minute.”
“Are you sure Miss Zorah?” the medic asked, “You’ve had a pretty nasty shock.”
“I’m sure.”
“If you say so, just keep in mind that some of the bigwigs are gonna want to question you about what happened.”

Tali just shrugged. She was too numb to care.
Still looking unsure, the medic let her be. Now alone, the young quarian hung her head, mind racing. She had never seen someone die before. She had been with her mother shortly before her death, but she had slipped away painlessly in her sleep. The image of Russ’s screaming face as the creature erupted from his chest seemed to have been seared into her mind’s eye.
Her stomach clenched up, and she fought hard not to be sick.

“Calm, you have to be calm.”
For a while she just sat there, focusing on her breathing. A colonial official called Lydecker visited her to ask questions about what had happened, to which she answered as monosyllabically as possible. Once he was finished, Lydecker suggested that she rest in her quarters, but Tali refused.

“No, I need to do something, anything.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes I’m sure!”
Tali felt her anger spike sharply at the official’s obliviousness.
“Well, if you’re sure. Captain Brackett is organising a search for the creature that… came from Mr. Jordan. I’m sure he could use your help.”

Not bothering to thank the man, Tali stood up and swept past him. After using the colony’s interactive map on her omni-tool, she found Brackett and his squad assembled near the canteen. By the time she arrived, a few of his men, along with civilian volunteers, were already fanning out through the corridors, armed with motion trackers and stun batons.

“Remember!” Brackett called out, making sure he could be heard by everyone, “When you find that thing don’t let it touch you, the doctors say it could have concentrated acid for blood. Just stun it and call in for support.”
Tali walked up to him, arms at her sides.
“Captain,” she said, standing to attention.
“Miss Zorah?” he replied, a little perplexed, “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I want to help search for the creature that killed Mr. Jordan,” she said stiffly.
“I can understand that. You might as well join me, everyone else has already paired up.”
“Okay.”

He handed her a motion tracker while he activated the stun baton.
“Why not use a gun to deal with it?” she asked.
“Too risky,” Brackett replied, “There’s civilians all over the place and these walls are pretty thin, we’d likely end up hurting someone. Besides, the creature might have acid for blood, we can’t have that splashing around.”

“How… how can you know that?”
“The doctor examined the parasite Jordan brought in, when they cut into it the blood burned a hole straight through the floor.”
Tali shuddered. Stuff like that would eat right through her suit.
“You can’t back out now, just stick with the captain and let him do the fighting.”
Switching on the motion tracker, the two began their search.

***

Starting in the lower levels of the main administration building, Tali and Brackett slowly made their way through the various corridors and passageways. The motion tracker was a simple device, letting out bursts of high-energy ultrasound which would reflect off any moving objects. This information would then be recreated as an image on a small screen on top of the device, showing the location of said moving objects within a certain range.
Currently it was set to scan for 15 metres in an effort to limit interference. Even so, the two found that much of the screen was taken up by the colonists moving about in their rooms or machinery inside the walls.

“Ah, we’re never gonna find this thing,” Brackett muttered to himself in annoyance.
“There’s only so many places it can be,” Tali said, hoping to reassure him.
But the words felt hollow even to her. Hadley's Hope was not large, but it had more than enough hiding places for the creature.
They carried on their search for another half an hour, paying particular attention to the ventilation ducts, when Brackett’s radio crackled into life.

“Captain, this is Paris, do you read me? We have a problem. Over.”
“I read you Paris,” Brackett replied, “What’s the problem? Over.”
“We just lost contact with the workers at the atmosphere processor. Admin’s been trying to reach them for the past 15 minutes but nothing. Over.”
“It might be nothing, but we can’t chance that at the moment given the situation. Get half the squad to arm up and meet me at the transit station. You take command of the bug hunt here. Over.”

“Roger that Sir. Over and out.”
“I’d better come with you as well,” said Tali, “If there’s a technical problem at the processor you’ll need my help.”
“Good thinking Miss Zorah.”
After a quick stop off at Brackett’s quarters for his armour and weapons, the two went to the small transit station, where 6 marines were already waiting for them. All were wearing armour plates over their olive-green uniforms, along with a helmet and pulse rifle.

“Alright, listen up,” Brackett snapped, causing the marines to snap to attention, “We don’t know what’s happened at the processor, but there’s civies in there, so watch your fire. Have you swapped out your explosive-tipped ammo for solid slugs?”
Two of the marines raised their hands, the rest looking sheepish.
Brackett let out a growl of irritation.

“For those who need a refresher, the atmosphere processor is an extremely complex piece of machinery. If you start blasting away with explosive bullets you could cause a lot of damage, perhaps even wreck the processor. If that doesn’t kill us all, I will make sure the cost of the repairs comes out of your paycheques for as long as you draw breath.”
Heeding their captain’s words, the 4 marines quickly changed the magazines in their guns and boarded the tram. Tali entered last, activating her kinetic barriers just to be on the safe side.

The ride through the tunnel seemed to take longer than usual. Service lights flashed passed in the otherwise dark tunnel, casting ghostly shapes that faded away rapidly. Even the normally rowdy marines seemed on edge, checking their own equipment repeatedly and saying little.

“Right, here’s the plan,” said Brackett, “Thomas, you and Brooks head for the upper levels, Stone, you and Kyle take the middle. York, you and I will check out the basement. Tali and Beck will take the sub-level above us. Remember to watch your fire and stay sharp. If you find any dead or wounded civilians, report back to me and carry them to the transit station.”

“Yes Sir,” the Marines muttered in unison.
“Y… yes Sir,” Tali stammered.
She wanted to sound brave, but that was next to impossible. If the processor had suffered a malfunction, she could easily repair it, or at least patch it up until other workers arrived, but if it was something else… perhaps even the geth…
“Steel yourself Tali’Zorah. Your people have not given into despair because of the geth, you have no right to do so either.”

After a few minutes that seemed to stretch on for hours, the tram finally slowed as it arrived at the processor's transit station. As they stepped out onto the platform, the squad instantly knew something was wrong.
The semi-circular room where the two station workers sat was deserted. As she got closer, Tali saw one of the chairs had been knocked over, while papers and food wrappers were scattered across the floor.

“Work shift 4, this is Captain Brackett,” Brackett said into his radio, “Can anyone hear me? Over.”
The radio crackled softly, but no voices replied.
“Hadley’s Hope, this is Brackett,” the captain went on, “We’ve reached the transit station but see no personnel. Over.”
Again the radio crackled, but there was no answer.
“Hadley’s Hope? Do you read me? Over?”

Again there was nothing.
“Something must be blocking the signal,” said the Marine called Stone.
“Yeah,” said Thomas, “But what is it?”
“Hadley’s Hope?” Brackett said more forcefully, “Do you read me? Over.”
Still there was only static.

“What should we do Captain?” asked Beck, “Should we head back?”
“No, we’ve got a job to do here,” Brackett replied, “But we’ll have to change our plan. Brooks, you stay here on guard with Kyle. The rest of you come with me and we’ll explore the processor from top to bottom. It’ll take longer, but there’s safety in numbers.”
The marines affirmed that they understood their new orders. Steadying herself, Tali removed the shotgun from her back, but made sure the safety was on first. Caution was the best policy in this situation.

Once Brooks and Kyle had set up a defensive position inside the transit station, Captain Brackett led his squad through the rectangular doors, and into the processor.
Clouds of billowing steam met them as they advanced down the passageway. As they climbed a flight of stairs and came to a walkway, Tali spotted an overturned toolbox lying on the ground.
“Over there,” she said, pointing to it.

“Looks like this was abandoned in a hurry,” said Beck, walking over to the discarded tools and kneeling down for a better look.
“Thomas,” said Brackett, keeping his gun levelled at the steamy walkway ahead, “Are you picking up anything on the motion tracker?”
“Nothing,” he replied, “I could try and tune into the workers’ omni-tool signals. That should give us their location.”
“Do it.”
Thomas adjusted a series of dials on the tracker until it started beeping.
“Found ‘em, they’re on the lower levels, near the heat exchange.”
Then that’s where we’ve gotta go,” said Brackett, “Everyone follow me and stay sharp.”

Falling in behind the captain, the squad returned to the main passageway and began descending down a series of narrow staircases. All around them, the processor rumbled as it worked ceaselessly to pump more breathable elements into the atmosphere. Here and there the squad passed more abandoned tools. Tali noticed that much of the equipment was scattered in long trails, as if the person had been running as they dropped them. Still, they saw no one. No dead, no wounded, not even splatters of blood. It was as if everyone had just gotten up and left.

“This doesn’t make sense,” Tali thought to herself, “If the geth had attacked, then there would at least be burn marks from their plasma weapons.”
Reaching a gantry that spanned a gap between the clusters of pipes, the team began to cross.
“Tracker said the workers should be just ahead,” Thomas whispered.
“Remember, check your fire,” said Brackett, his voice also low, “We don’t want to hit any civies.”

He shouldered his pulse rifle and advanced along the gantry, where pipes stood on either side, while above and below was nothing but thick clouds of steam.
Tali prepared to follow the captain, when something moved in the corner of her eye. She glanced upward, but there was nothing but ever-shifting steam and pipes. Yet as she continued to stare, a shape among the pipes began to make itself known. At first she thought it was another piece of ugly human machinery, but soon realised there was something different about it.
“Captain,” she called out.

Brackett looked back over his shoulder to ask what was wrong. At that same moment the shape unfurled itself from the pipes and leapt down onto the gantry in front of him.
The thing was extremely tall and thin, with skeletal ribs covering its torso. It had no skin, instead being covered in a glistening carapace coloured a deep grey. Despite being long and thin, its legs and arms looked extremely powerful, while its clawed hands were the size of dinner plates. From its back extended a series of tubular formations, along with a bony tail that ended in a knife-like tip. The creature’s head was a long cylinder, rounded at both ends, with ridges running along the top. There were no eyes at the front, just a dripping mouth full of wicked-looking teeth.

Hearing the creature land in front of him, Brackett spun around, bringing his pulse rifle to bear, when the thing seized the front of his armour.
“CAPTAIN!”
The marines levelled their rifles, but before they could take a single shot the creature jumped from the gantry and dived into the steam below, dragging Brackett with it.
“FUCK!” Stone exclaimed.
For a few seconds the marines and quarian stood stock still, looking down in horror at where their commanding officer had disappeared.

“What the hell do we do now?” Stone asked, mouth hanging open in shock.
“We… we’ve gotta find the captain,” said York.
“Oh yeah?” Beck retorted, “Let’s go looking for that… that thing… that’s a fuckin’ great idea!”
“We’re not abandoning the captain!”
“Guys! Shut up!” snapped Thomas, “We’ve got movement.”
He was right. The motion tracker’s screen was suddenly alight with small markers converging on their location, causing it to beep more and more rapidly.

“Where are they coming from?” said Beck, sweeping his pulse rifle back and forth.
“Some… somewhere ahead, and… and below us.”
As they listened to the beeping of the motion tracker, a new sound reached their ears. It was a screech, like a thin sheet of metal being torn in half far away. Soon after it was joined by a high-pitched hissing.
“What the fuck is that!?” said Stone, his eyes darting about wildly.
“You, quarian,” York said to Tali, “Is that the processor?”
“I don’t think so,” she replied, the shotgun in her hands trembling.

“We’ve… we’ve gotta get outta here!” stammered Beck, “There’s more of those things in here!”
“But the captain…”
“Fuck the captain!”
“Shut your fucking mouth!”
A heavy clatter broke through the argument. Five pulse rifles and one mass effect shotgun pointed down the gantry.

“It’s only about 10 metres ahead,” said Thomas, watching the motion tracker.
“How many are there?” asked Stone.
“At least 3… no 4…”
His voice suddenly cut off as he began to scream. Tali spun around just in time to see another one of the creatures clutching the underside of the gantry, its long nimble fingers wrapped around the marine’s leg.
“Fuck! NO! AH!” Thomas cried.

Stone and Beck lunged forward to grab their friend, but with an almost effortless flick of its wrist, the creature yanked him off the gantry and scurried away into the steam.
“TOM!” yelled York.
But his only reply were the screams of the marine which abruptly ended.
More screeches cut through the air like knives.
“RUN!” cried Beck.

Not needing to be told twice, Tali took off back along the gantry with the remaining marines. Scrapes and bangs sounded out all around them, joined by angry hisses.
“WHAT THE FUCK ARE THOSE THINGS!” cried York.
“SHUT UP AND GET BACK TO THE TRANSIT STATION!” Stone screamed back.
Reaching the stairs they started climbing, taking the steps two at a time. At one point the whole structure shook as something crashed into it and began to climb.

“EAT THIS!” York bellowed.
He pointed his pulse rifle back down the stairwell and blindly fired a whole magazine. Whether or not he hit anything they didn’t wait to find out, but the screeches had become more aggressive. Inside her helmet, Tali could feel the air becoming stuffy as the filters struggled to match her intake. She pushed passed it, but knew it was impossible to maintain this pace for long.

“How… how far to the station?” she gasped.
“It’s just ahead!” panted York, “Keep moving!”
Tali tried to run faster, but the muscles in her legs were beginning to cramp, while her lungs burned for air.
“You’re not giving up! Run!”

Fighting through the exhaustion, the young quarian pumped her legs, managing to keep pace with the marines. From below came ever more scraping, bangs and roars, but she just kept her eyes locked on the flight of stairs ahead. Finally they reached the main landing and made a sharp turn, following a passageway lined with electrical cables which then split into two branching paths.
“WHICH WAY?! WHICH WAY!” Beck yelled frantically as he pulled ahead of the other two.
“Go right! NO! LEFT!” York answered.
“WHICH IS IT!”

Tali spotted a sign in the left-hand tunnel with a graphic of a train on it, and was about to call it out, when she saw something else. Liquid was dripping from a ventilation shaft ahead of Beck, thick and viscous.
“WATCH OUT!” she cried.
But the warning came too late. As Beck passed under the vent, two dark shiny arms shot out and grabbed his shoulders, dragging him into the shaft.
“NO!”

Crying out in horrified disbelief, York rushed forward and tried to grab his friend, but his struggling feet had already disappeared into the dark hole.
“WHERE THE FUCK ARE THESE THINGS COMING FROM!” yelled Stone.
He swung his pulse rifle up and fired into the ventilation shaft that ran along the ceiling.

“STONE! CHECK YOUR FIRE!” York shouted, “CHECK YOUR FUCKIN’ FIRE!”
But it was clear that panic had overwhelmed the marine and he kept firing wildly. Tali threw herself to the floor as bullets carved a stuttering path along the wall behind her. The shooting suddenly ended, causing Stone to howl in fury. Lifting her head, Tali saw him yank the empty magazine from his rifle and search his webbing for a fresh one. It was then that a dark form came racing along the wall and jumped on the marine, pinning him to the floor.

“STONE!”
York levelled his rifle and fired three short bursts. Each struck the creature, causing it to scream. Yellowish blood splashed the walls and floor, hissing and smoking where it struck. A stream of it hit Stone and Tali could only watch in horror as his skin melted and burned.
“STONE! York cried.
The bleeding creature struck at Stone with its clawed hand, slashing his throat and creating a crimson fountain that quickly coated the floor.
“NO!” York bellowed. 

He scrambled to his feet, but more shadowy forms appeared from the steam, growling and hissing. Tali raised her shotgun and pulled the trigger, but nothing happened.
“No! Not now! Don’t do this to me now!”
She banged her fist against the weapon, but nothing happened.
“Run!” ordered York, “Get to the transit station! I’ll hold them off!”
“I can’t leave you!” she shouted.
“JUST GO!”

Tali did not want to leave the human, to abandon another was against everything she had been taught on the fleet. Yet she had no choice. She had no means of fighting the creatures and staying meant death.
With a horrible wrenching sensation, she scrambled to her feet and took off down the corridor. Behind her, the pulse rifle’s reports echoed sharply off the walls and pipes until there was a cry, followed by murderous screeching.
“He’s bought you time, just run!”

Feet hammering against the metal flooring, she dashed into the wide passageway and sprinted toward the station entrance. Standing there were the rest of the marines, rifles pointing ahead and looking confused.
“Miss Zorah?” Brooks called out, “What’s going on? Where’s Brackett?”
“CLOSE THE DOOR!” Tali screamed at the top of her lungs, “CLOSE IT NOW!”
The two marines looked at each other in confusion, only for their expressions to turn to horror as a heavy crash rang out as one of the creatures entered the passageway.

“CLOSE IT!” Tali screamed, almost feeling the creature as it pursued her.
Kyle ran to the door controls and threw a lever. An alarm sounded out and a metal shutter began to slide down from the top of the door.
“Come on Tali! come on!”

Finding all the strength she could, the quarian pelted down the passageway and dived under the shutter just as it closed. Rolling over, she saw the creature dive as well, arm outstretched. There was a bang as its body struck the shutter while its claws reached out to grab her.
Crunch!

The shutter closed on the arm, crushing it. Yellow blood oozed out, smoking as it ate away at any surface it came into contact with.
“Don’t let it touch your suit! Don’t let it touch you!”
The thought went round and round in Tali’s head as she pushed herself away from the shutter, her body shaking uncontrollably. One of the marines ran up to her. He said something, but the words were muffled nothingness. Tali tried to reply, but the world became fuzzier and fuzzier.
“Oh,” she suddenly realised, “I didn’t turn the safety off.”

Chapter Text

Everything that happened next was little more than a blur for Tali. There were vague sensations of movement, flashes of light and inaudible noises, interspersed by long periods of darkness. Finally, a glow appeared in her vision, becoming brighter and more distinct. This was followed by a muted sensation of softness running along her back. Eventually the young quarian blinked open her eyes, finding herself facing a metal ceiling painted white with pipes and bundles of cables running across it.

Narrow fluorescent bulbs gave off the now familiar watery light that created wavy white lines on her visor, soon making her eyes ache. Much of her body felt the same, as if she had been running a great distance. Meanwhile, her head throbbed painfully, like a drum was being beaten inside her skull.

Groaning, Tali sat up and began to take in her surroundings. She was on a narrow bed in a long, white room, with four similar beds beside her, all unoccupied at that moment. On the opposite wall was a glass door and a window, which showed another room full of medical equipment beyond.
Still blinking to limit the amount of light getting to her eyes, Tali began to shuffle around to sit upright. Before she could however, the glass door opened, and a human in a white coat bustled in.

“Miss Zorah, thank goodness, you’re awake,” he said, sounding relieved.
“Hello… Doctor,” Tali said hoarsely, remembering that this was the same human who had been treating Russ.
“How are you feeling?” the doctor asked, stepping over and giving her a warm smile.
“A bad headache and I feel exhausted… what… what happened?”
“You passed out Miss Zorah. The marines brought you back from the processor unconscious.”

A flood of memories struck Tali. A glistening carapace, clawed hands, panicked cries, the hiss of burning flesh.
“The processor!” she exclaimed, “There are… there’s creatures in there!”
“We know Miss Zorah, Brooks and the other marine saw the creatures that were chasing you. We’ve sealed the transit station.”
Tali felt herself relax a little.
“What… what about me?” she asked.
“You went into shock Miss Zorah. The stress of the situation, coupled with physical exhaustion, overwhelmed your body. Thankfully I was able to stabilise your vitals before any harm was done.”

“Thank… thank you Doctor.”
“No more than my job.”
The doctor was still smiling, but Tali felt ashamed of herself. She had volunteered to go with the marines, yet when the time had come to act, she had run like a coward. Even when she had tried to fight back, she had stupidly forgotten to switch off her weapon’s safety.
“Kal'Reegar would be so embarrassed if he’d seen me.”
“How… how long have I been unconscious?” she asked, trying to distract herself from the guilt.
“About a day,” replied the doctor, “I’ve given you some medication, but nothing serious. I’m just grateful that your suit wasn’t damaged.”
“Medication?”
“Don’t worry, we keep quarian medication on hand just in case.”

Tali sighed in relief, though she was also starting to feel a little restless.
“What’s been happening here? Since I got back I mean?”
“Simpson’s been organising the defences. It’s been decided we can’t defend the whole colony, so we’ve withdrawn everyone to the area around the medical wing. That way those creatures can only come at us from two directions.”

“Then I should be helping.”
Tali tried to stand, but the doctor forced her back onto the bed.
“Not so fast my young friend, you’ve had a serious shock to your system. I need to keep you under observation for at least a day.”
“I don’t have a day, there’s work to do.”

Tali tried to rise again, but the doctor pushed her back with slightly more force than was necessary.
“You won’t be able to help if you prematurely overexert yourself. Just rest for a day or so, then I can give you the all clear.”
Tali huffed in annoyance.
“Fine,” she replied reluctantly.
“Very good,” said the doctor, “In the meantime I’ll make sure some food is brought up for you.”

He turned to leave, when Tali thought of something.
“I’m sorry, but I didn’t ask your name.”
“Bartholomew Reese,” he replied, “But to keep things simple, everyone just calls me Reese.”

***

The day passed in agonising slowness for Tali. She tried to occupy her mind with the games on her omni-tool, but all too often she would turn them off after a few minutes, unable to focus.
As Doctor Reese had promised, dextro food was brought up, though the human told her to make it last. Since they had abandoned the canteen and the next supply ship was not due for 2 weeks, they had to ration their food until further notice. Tali did not argue. A lifetime on the fleet had made her used to such austerity.

Thankfully in the afternoon, her boredom was broken by the arrival of Amanda, who entered the ward at a jog, a smudge of grease on her cheek.
“Tali!” she said breathlessly, “I would have come to see you sooner, but they didn’t tell me you were awake until just now.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Tali answered, though she was extremely grateful to see her friend, “You’ve had more important things to worry about.”

“Still, it would have been nice to know you’re okay, I’ve been worried sick ever since they carried you back in from the tram.”
“Have you… have you seen any of those creatures?”
“No, but others claim they’ve spotted them around the edge of the colony.”

Tali was grateful her suit and bedcovers masked her shudder. If those things had gotten out of the processor, then they were most likely searching for a way into the colony.
“Are we ready for them?” she asked, trying not to sound apprehensive.
“Lieutenant Paris has handed out all the guns and ammo she can,” Amanda answered, “And now she’s overseeing the defences, but honestly I don’t know what will happen if those things attack.”

The image of Captain Brackett being lifted into the air and dragged into the steam filled Tali’s mind.
“We’ll stop them,” she said, hoping to sound confident.
Amanda did not reply straight away, instead craning her neck to look back at the medical room.
“Tali,” she whispered, “Can you tell me what happened out there with the Jordans? I tried asking Marcus, but he said he couldn’t divulge any information without yours or Anne’s permission.”
“The android is back?”
“Yeah, he drove in during the night with the Jordan’s crawler. Almost got shot by a patrol.”
“Pity it wasn’t.”

Amanda raised an eyebrow.
“Tali, I know you don’t like synthetics…”
“No, you don’t know!” she shot back, “You don’t know what it’s like to lose your homeworld to those machines!”
She folded her arms.
“Fine,” Amanda sighed, “Taboo subject. Really though, what happened out there?”

Deciding there was no harm in telling her friend, Tali sat up and told the human about the crashed ship and what they discovered inside.
“Eggs?” Amanda replied in puzzlement, “That’s what infected Russ Jordan?”
“That’s what the android told me,” Tali replied, before another thought came to her, “But there was something else, something you should know. We found equipment in the crashed ship, human equipment.”

“Human equipment?”
“Yes, it was labelled as being from a ship called the Nostromo.”
Amanda’s eyes went very wide.
“The… the Nostromo… are… are you sure?”
Tali nodded.
“I… I asked the android if there was someone on the crew with the name Ripley, he said yes.”

Amanda placed a hand against her mouth.
“After all these years…” she whispered, as if not quite believing what she was hearing.
The human was quiet for a few moments.
“Was… was there anything there that might tell us what happened?” she asked eventually.
“I don’t think so,” Tali replied, “There was only a rappelling cable and the machinery to use it, nothing that could store information.”
Amanda was quiet once again for a time, though when she spoke, she made sure to keep her voice even lower.

“You said the rappelling equipment was found by the hole where the eggs were. Maybe the Nostromo’s crew found one of those parasites as well and brought it back to their ship…”
Her voice trailed off as the full weight of what she was saying hit her.
“Amanda,” Tali said, hoping to comfort the human, “You can’t be sure what happened to them.”
Amanda looked at her with shining eyes.
“But what else could it be?” she said.
Tali had no answer.

***

By the next morning Tali was so bored, that she was fully prepared to sneak out of the medical bay rather than hang about. Thankfully, Doctor Reese’s examination found no serious harm to her system, and she was quickly discharged.
Leaving the bay and heading back out into the corridor, the young quarian felt as if she had stepped back onto the fleet.

The narrow corridors had become even narrower as boxes of supplies were now piled up on each side, along with a number of camp beds occupied by sleeping colonists. More beds were set up in the side rooms, with medical curtains placed around them to create some privacy. The main intersections that led to the rest of the colony had been barricaded with boxes, desks and anything else that could be found.

These points were guarded by the remaining marines, along with armed colonists, who watched the empty corridor with nearly unblinking eyes. It looked substantial, but having seen how easily the creatures had cut through Brackett and his men, Tali’s confidence was less than inspired.

“You’re here now,” she told herself, “Time to do your part.”
After asking directions from one of the colonists, Tali made her way to the make-shift command centre the humans had set up in one of the medical labs. Here she found colonial officials gathered around computer terminals, while technicians brought in more equipment. The windows around the wall were all closed with steel shutters, leaving the fluorescent bulbs as the only source of light. Spotting Amanda across the room wiring up a junction box, Tali went over and asked if she could help.

“Are you sure you don’t want to rest a bit more?” Amanda replied.
“No,” the quarian answered firmly, “I can’t just lie about when there’s work to do.”
Still looking unsure, Amanda shuffled aside and let Tali untangle the electrical wire before threading it around the necessary terminals in the junction box. It was simple work, especially for a trained engineer, but it helped to take her mind off the events of the last day. After a few hours, they were mostly finished, when the door beside them opened and Marcus strolled in.

“Mr. Simpson?” he called out, putting his hands behind his back.
The colonial administrator appeared from behind one of the computer terminals, looking as if he had aged ten years since the meeting in the canteen.
“Please tell me you’ve got some good news Marcus,” he said, exasperated.

The android shook his head.
“I’m sorry Mr. Simpson, but I was unable to connect our central computer with the interstellar transmitter.”
“GODDAMNIT!”
Simpson’s outburst caused the rest of the room to stop what they were doing and turn to face him. A cold sensation gripped Tali. If the colony’s transmitter was inoperable, then they had no way of contacting the Alliance for help.
“What’s wrong with our computer systems?” Amanda asked.
“Nothing as far as I can tell,” Marcus replied.
“Then why can’t it connect with the fucking transmitter?” snarled one of the colonial officials beside Simpson.

“I cannot say for sure at this time, but I believe the cables between here and the transmitter have been disconnected. I will need to carry out a physical inspection to be sure.”
The faces around the room now wore expressions of puzzlement.
“What makes you say that?” asked Simpson.
“The computers here are functioning as they should,” Marcus explained, “Even if there was an error in the system, I should still be able to access the transmitter.”
“But how could the cables be cut?” said another official, “Those things are over a foot thick, you can’t just take a pair of wire cutters to them.”

“Maybe the ground under it shifted?” suggested one of the technicians, “Seismic activity’s always been a problem here.”
“It’s an interesting theory,” another technician remarked sardonically, “But it still doesn’t change the fact that we’re cut off from the rest of the fucking galaxy!”
“Not necessarily,” said Amanda, “All we have to do is send someone over to the transmitter itself with a portable terminal and plug it in. We should be able to send a message then.”
“That’s assuming the thing has power,” the technician grumbled, “Plus I don’t see anyone volunteering to go outside with those things roaming around.”

“I’ll go,” Marcus replied, “I should be able to patch into the transmitter’s systems and calibrate the dish.”
“You’d need someone else to come with you,” said Amanda, “Without the computer link someone will have to work at the terminal while another does the calibrations.”
“I can’t ask a human to risk themselves Miss Ripley.”
“You don’t have to.”

Amanda put the last wire in place and closed the junction box.
“Well, if you’re sure,” Marcus replied.
“I should come as well then,” said Tali, getting to her feet.
“You would be much safer staying here Miss Zorah,” said the android.
“And Amanda would be much safer with another person watching her back.”
Not waiting for a reply, Tali walked out of the command centre and waited for the others. Scared as she was of the creatures, there was no way she was going to leave a friend alone with the android.

***

Once they had collected a portable terminal, toolbox, motion tracker and weapons, Marcus led Tali and Amanda to the edge of the colony’s defensive perimeter. Here they entered a room with banks of computer processors, along with a round ventilation hole in the wall, covered by a metal iris.

“We’ll have to travel through the air conditioning system to reach the outside,” the android explained, kneeling down and pressing a button, causing the iris to slide open.  “After that we’ll follow the cables to the transmitter.”
“How far is it?” Tali asked.

“We shall have to climb through about 200 metres of ducks, then it’s another 700 metres across the surface to the transmitter.”
“Doesn’t sound too bad,” Amanda remarked.
Tali said nothing. 900 metres did not sound like a lot, but when facing a deadly lifeform, it might as well have been a million miles.
“Just be ready to fight this time,” she told herself.

Once the iris was fully open, Marcus climbed in first, the portable terminal in a bag slung over his back and the toolbox in one hand. Amanda went next with the motion tracker, a pistol strapped around her waist. Tali came last, shotgun at the ready. This time she made sure the safety was off, while also keeping her finger away from the trigger.

The ventilation shaft was surprisingly large, allowing the three to walk at a low crouch. The metal walls were smooth and featureless, save for the faint red emergency lights that lined the ceiling. Wordlessly, Marcus led them, turning into branching shafts every so often. All around was the soft sound of fans moving air around the facility, sometimes joined by the grumble of machines. Tali however kept her ears pricked for the sounds that truly meant something. A sharp hiss, a screech like tearing metal.

Rounding another corner, the three came to a vent that sloped downward, eventually opening out into a vertical shaft covered by a metal grating with a large fan below it. Above was a square of pale sunlight, covered by another grating, a ladder bolted into the wall leading to it.

“This is as close as we can get,” Marcus said, “From here we have to cross the surface.”
Amanda just nodded. Tali gulped, just praying that she would not fail this time.
As before, Marcus went first, climbing the ladder swiftly, while Tali and Amanda followed at a distance. As they got closer the sound of wind reached them, while small clouds of dust drifted overhead. Reaching the top, Marcus unlocked the grating and lifted it up, his head swivelling around.

“Can you see anything?” Amanda whispered.
“I detect no lifeforms,” he replied, pushing the grating all the way open and climbing out onto the surface, “But I recommend moving with caution.”
“We would never have thought of that,” Tali muttered caustically.

Climbing out of the air shaft, the three found themselves on a rolling plain of windswept stone. Behind them was the colony, with only a few warning lights blinking here and there to show that it was not abandoned. Beside them were three pipes, each thicker than a tree trunk, which ran across the landscape in a ruler-straight line to the transmitter. Despite the haze of dust, the transmission complex was still visible up ahead, a large, angled dish fixed on top of a squat circular building. No lights were visible across the structure.

“The power must be out,” said Amanda.
“Doesn’t it have a backup?” said Tali.
“There’s a generator in the basement,” Marcus replied, “But it should have been activated when it became cut off from the central computer.”

Puzzling over what could have happened, the three set off toward the transmitter, following an uneven path that ran alongside the pipes. The wind had gained strength and was raising more dust, blurring the surrounding landscape. Tali turned her head back and forth, trying to keep as much of their surroundings in view as possible, along with the android. Though she saw no movement, it was easy to imagine a whip-like tail or eyeless face waiting for them among the stone columns, just waiting for its moment.

At about the halfway point, they discovered why the connection had been lost.
All three of the pipes had been smashed open and torn apart. Pieces of the protective outer casing lay scattered across the ground, twisted like tinfoil, while the electrical wires and fibre optic cables had been hacked apart, leaving only sparking split ends.

“What the hell could have done this?” said Amanda, her voice shaking.
“It must have been those creatures,” Tali replied, trying to keep the terror out of her voice.
“I don’t think so,” said Marcus, examining the broken cables closely, “Even those creatures don’t have that sort of strength. This is a deliberate act.”
“You… you mean sabotage?” asked Amanda.

Marcus nodded.
“But why?” said Tali, “Why would someone deliberately destroy their only means to contact people off-world?”
“I have no answers at this time,” Marcus went on, “For now we should proceed.”
They continued along the path, the wind now howling. Tali glanced back at the torn pipes. If the android was right and the creatures had not destroyed the cables, then something else was on this moon, something that was perhaps even more deadly.
“I should have gone to Illium.”

After many long, tense minutes, the group reached the transmitter. Up close the dish was even larger than the young quarian had realised, leaving the whole base of the structure in shadow. Here the three pipes split up, each burrowing into a different part of the circular wall. Heavy cables were attached across the metal surface, but as they had seen earlier, none of the lights were on. The colony meanwhile was little more than a few tiny blinking dots in the dust haze, a distant promise of safety.

“Over here,” Marcus called out.
He pointed to a sliding door in the side of the transmitter and they headed over. There he tapped a code into a keypad, but nothing happened.
“As I thought, no power,” he remarked tonelessly.
Marcus slid open a small hatch beside the door, revealing a crank handle. He began turning it, causing the door to open slowly.

“I don’t like this,” whispered Amanda, “Interstellar transmitters have multiple backups, a complete power failure shouldn’t be possible.”
“We’ll just have to fix it when we get inside,” said Tali, scanning their surroundings while making sure to keep one eye on Marcus.

Once the door was opened wide enough, the three slipped inside, and were greeted by darkness. The cylindrical room was tall and narrow, with heavy cables and computers lining the walls, linked together by a series of gantries and ladders. In the centre was a thick column of polished metal, covered in heavy oil stains. Going to the nearest computer desk, the group could see no standby lights, nor did the terminal activate.

“Not even emergency power,” said Marcus.
“I’m not getting any movement,” whispered Amanda as she scanned the room with the motion tracker.
“Then let’s go and restart the backup generator,” said Tali.
Turning on her torch, she shone the narrow beam of light around the room until she spotted a curving staircase set against the wall. They set off toward it, their footsteps echoing loudly off the metal flooring.

The basement was about the same size as the room above, but was filled with more heavy gearwheels and camshafts that turned the dish, leaving little space for anything else.
As she descended the staircase, Tali could not help but feel as if she was entering an enormous trap.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, they arrived at a floor of rough concrete, almost entirely hidden by bundles of cables, spare gearwheels taller than a man, and other powerful machines. Even through the suit’s multiple filters, Tali could smell oil on the air.

“The generator is over there,” said Marcus.
He pointed his torch directly ahead and the group instantly saw why it had failed to come online.
The generator was about the size of a sky car, with flat metal panels along its sides and dozens of cables running into it. These had been torn off with great force, while the wires and instruments covering its sides were little more than a charred and melted mess. As they scanned the floor with their torches, the three could see pieces of smashed circuit boards, bearings and small gears.

“Oh no…” Amanda whispered in horror.
“More sabotage,” said Marcus, as if he was noting the weather.
The coldness that had gripped Tali before returned tenfold. There was no way they could repair the generator and with the main power cables from the colony cut, it was impossible to send a message through the transmitter. They were well and truly cut off from the rest of the galaxy.

“This is insane!” Amanda hissed, “Who the hell could have done this? Why the fuck would anyone do this?! Why?!”
Her words echoed off the curving walls, giving no answer.
“We should get out of here,” said Tali, fighting to stay calm as fear crept in on her, “We can’t repair this and those creatures could be close by. All we can do is report back to the others what’s happened.”

***

On an outcrop of rock about a kilometre away, a single electric eye watched through the thermal scope of its sniper rifle as three figures exited the transmitter complex. Under normal circumstances it could have killed them from this range with no difficulty, but the machine’s dominant finger stayed away from the trigger. It had its orders. Observe the organics and how they responded to the hostile organisms, but do not engage in direct combat.
Once the figures had disappeared from sight, the machine let out a series of clicks and stutters as it transmitted this latest information to its mothership.

Chapter Text

To say that the journey across the barren landscape was tense would have been an understatement without parallel. Tali fully expected one or more of the creatures to come rushing out of the dust haze, claws ready to rip them apart. Thankfully, no such encounter took place, and the three made it back to the ventilation shaft unscathed. After about 45 minutes of climbing through the vents, they arrived back at the medical wing and went to Alan Simpson at once to explain what they had found. The administrator listened without utterance, his expression becoming more grave with each new piece of information.

“Damnit all,” he cursed under his breath once they had finished.
“What happens now?” Tali asked.
“If the Alliance doesn’t hear from us after 5 days, they’ll send a detachment to investigate, but it will take them just as long to get here.”
“So we’ve got a minimum of 10 days before any help arrives.”
“More likely It’ll be over two weeks,” Amanda said bitterly.
“We have plenty of supplies,” said Marcus, “And we’re in a fortified position. That gives us a good chance.”

“Who’s this ‘we’?” Tali thought angrily, knowing that the creatures would have no interest in the android.
“I know that Marcus,” Simpson sighed, “But most of these people aren’t trained soldiers, and they’re liable to panic once they find out we’ve lost all communications.”
“Perhaps it would be prudent to withhold that information from the general population then?” said Marcus, “We know that help will come, and the longer we maintain our defences the better our chances.”

“That’s one hell of a risk,” said Amanda, “These people aren’t going to like it if we lie to them.”
“I don’t like it any more than you do,” Simpson replied, “But Marcus is right. If our people panic, then they might try and take their chances escaping in the crawlers or the shuttles. If that happens those creatures will pick us off one by one. Our only real chance at survival is to stay together here and wait for help.”

***

The rest of the day passed in a tense boredom, as did the next and the one that followed. Shifts were organised to maintain a continuous watch on the barricades while allowing others to eat and sleep. Patrols scanned the hallways and rooms with motion trackers night and day, checking that nothing had managed to sneak in through the vents. Tali kept herself busy helping to maintain the hastily installed computers in the command room, or climbing into the vents to weld steel plates across sections to keep out the creatures.

In her spare time she practiced some of the human’s games, such as chess, solitaire, or dominoes. Others watched films or read books, but there was never truly a relaxed moment. Any clatter or scraping caused a mad scramble for guns, followed by a careful sweep with the motion trackers.

“Are the monsters coming to get us?” Newt asked Tali one afternoon as they huddled together tensely as a rattling sounded out from the vent above them.
“Don’t worry,” Tali whispered, “We’ll protect you, no matter what.”
She tried to sound firm, but deep down the young quarian was scared.
“Just 6 more days,” she told herself, “And the humans will have support.”
“But will they?” another voice in the back of her mind queried. “Amanda admitted it could take the Alliance much longer to send any relief, and what’s to say they’ll come at all?”
“We’ll just have to hope she’s wrong then.”

“Come on,” Tali said to Newt, hoping to distract herself from her own fears, “Let’s get you back to your mother.”
The girl nodded, but gripped the hem of Tali’s hood as they headed back down the corridor and into one of the medical rooms which had been converted into sleeping quarters.
“There you are,” said Anne, happily sitting up from her camp bed and hugging her daughter, “I was starting to wonder where you got to.”

“I was just having a walk,” Newt replied.
Anne’s eyes narrowed.
“You weren’t playing in the vents again were you?”
“No,” Newt replied defensively.
“That better be true, you know it’s much too dangerous for you to be sneaking off at the moment.”
“It’s okay Anne,” said Tali, “Newt was just helping me sort out our spare batteries.”
“Well I’m glad you’ve been keeping her busy.”

The human smiled, but Tali could see the sadness in her eyes. Anne and her children had said very little since the incident in the isolation room, but it was clear that Russ’s death weighed heavily on them. Worse still, many of the colonists had been sharing unpleasant whispers about the family, blaming them for the outbreak. Though she did not agree, the rumour had caused Tali to start wondering where the creatures had actually come from. The thing that had erupted from Russ’s chest resembled those beings that now infested the processor, but they could not possibly be from the same source.

Even the fastest developing organism could not have grown to full size and hatched others of its kind in little more than an hour. This still did not answer the original question. Had there been other eggs on the moon, buried under the processor, only to hatch and attack the workers now? It was a possibility, but that did not explain why the outbreak had happened at the same time as the arrival of Russ’s parasite.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a clatter of running feet as a marine hurried around the door frame, face red and fearful.

“We’ve got movement outside the wire!” he yelled breathlessly, “Everyone arm up and get to your positions now!”
He disappeared down the corridor, calling out to anyone in earshot. A spike of terror went through Tali and she fought hard to suppress it. The colony needed her.
Unlatching the shotgun from her back, she raced down the corridor and arrived at the first barricade. Two marines were already there, along with Lieutenant Paris and several colonists, all armed with pulse rifles and shotguns.

“What’s the situation?” Tali asked, making sure to control her breathing.
“We’ve got something approaching from up ahead,” said Paris.
She held up a motion tracker. On the small screen, a great blob of white could be seen getting closer and closer.
“Right, you know the drill,” Paris said to the people assembled around her. “First fire team mans the barricade. Once you’re out of bullets, let the second team take your place. Make sure you’re reloaded before they’ve finished shooting. Got it?”

The marines and colonists nodded. Though Tali’s weapon did not need to be reloaded regularly, she knew all too well it would overheat quickly with sustained firing. She would have to make her shots count.
The motion tracker began to beep more and more frequently. Slipping her shotgun through a gap in the barricade, Tali peaked into the corridor beyond. It was a long straight passage with two branching paths on each side. Strange to think it had been such a mundane place mere days ago, and was now about to become a battlefield.

“20 metres and closing,” said Paris, taking up a firing position beside Tali.
A scraping sound came from the corridor. Tali lined up the sights of her weapon. A shadow shifted on the wall in one of the branching corridors.
“Wait for my command,” Paris ordered.
“Don’t miss this time,” Tali snapped at herself.
A skittering sound reached her ears and a creature appeared, scurrying along the wall before clutching at the ceiling panels.
“FIRE!”

The word had barely left the lieutenant’s mouth before a cacophony of pulse rifle and shotgun fire filled the confined space, echoing sharply off the walls. The shotgun bucked in Tali’s hands and she watched as the spray of slugs sliced through the shining carapace. Caught in the middle of the storm, the creature screeched and tried to rush forward before collapsing to the floor. A great hissing sounded out and the corpse began melting through the metal flooring. More gunfire sounded out from down the hallway.

“Danials! What’s your situation? Over?” Paris shouted into her radio.
“We’ve got those things coming right at us!” came the reply.
More screeching came from the corridor and elongated forms appeared, clambering over the walls and ceiling.
“KEEP SHOOTING!” Paris yelled.
Pulse rifles blared, their rounds tearing through the creatures. Tali fired blast after blast until her shotgun locked up, beeping that it was overheated.

“Take over!” she shouted to the nearest colonist who instantly took her place, filling the corridor with pellets from his own shotgun. By the time he was finished, Tali’s weapon had cooled down and she rushed back to the firing position. By now the corridor was full of smoke from the mix of gunfire and burning blood. The creatures were little more than blurs that seemed to dodge their bullets.

“Lieutenant!” came a panicked voice through the radio, “We’ve got movement in the southern air shaft, they’re trying to break through in the samples lab! We need backup!”
“You two!” Paris snapped, pointing to Tali and a female colonist, “Get to the other side of medical and make sure those things don’t get through!”

Without a word, Tali and the colonist took off down the corridor. All around came shouts and the stutter of guns, joined here and there by the boom of grenades. Arriving at the samples laboratory, they found three armed colonists watching a metal plate covering a ventilation shaft buckling outward as something punched through from the other side.
“Spread out!” Tali yelled, “The second that thing breaks through open fire!”

The colonists took up positions around the room, weapons trained on the plate. There was a final forceful blow and the metal tore open, exposing a dark, clawed fist.
Without waiting for a command the colonists opened fire. The bulbous head of the creature pushed its way through the twisted metal, only to be caught by a hail of explosive bullets and mass effect slugs. It screeched once, then slumped to the floor, smoke rising from where the blood landed.

Tali worked the action of her shotgun. The weapon was close to overheating, but still had a shot or two left. She was about to radio Paris and tell her that they had stopped the creatures, when a blood-curdling scream rang out. Spinning around, she saw part of the floor grating had burst upward and a pair of clawed hands had seized a colonist, dragging him down.

“FUCK! SHIT! HELP!” he screamed, hands flailing desperately for something to grab onto.
Unable to shoot the creature without hitting the human, Tali rushed forward and threw her arms around him. Using every ounce of strength, she tried to pull him back, but more wicked hands appeared from the hole, seizing the man.
“NO! NO! NO! DON’T LET THEM TAKE ME!” he pleaded as he was pulled deeper into the darkness.

Tali locked her knees and tried to drag the colonist back. In the space under the grating, she could see three of the creatures forcing their way through, letting out murderous screeches as they did. The human slipped deeper into the hole as they wrapped their hands around his knees.
“HELP!” she cried, the muscles in her arms and legs burning with the effort, “SOMEBODY HELP US!”

But her pleas were lost amid the storm of gunfire, explosions, shouts and other cries. The creatures below must have realised her situation, because one lashed out, trying to grab her boot. Tali jumped to avoid the hand, but the manoeuvre caused her to lose her grip on the human, and in a flash he was dragged under the floor, screaming all the way.

“NO!”
Tali started forward, thinking she could grab him again, only for one of the creatures to force its way through the hole, hands reaching out for the young quarian. Reflexively she pulled the shotgun’s trigger, catching the thing square in the stomach. At such close range the slugs tore through the dark carapace, splattering the walls with pieces of organs and burning blood. Tali stumbled back, barely managing to avoid some of the splatters.

The creature fell, but it had scarcely hit the floor before another began climbing through the hole. Its long eyeless head turned to face the quarian, its dripping mouth opening to reveal more vicious teeth. Tali tried to take aim with her shotgun, but her hands were shaking so badly she could not even find the trigger guard.

“They’re not going to stop!” she thought, terror gripping her very being, “Nothing can stop them!”
POW!
A shot cracked through the air, splitting the top of the creature’s head open. Another quickly followed, smashing through the front of its head, causing it to shriek and writhe. Managing to steady her hands, Tali found the shotgun’s trigger and pulled it, blowing chunks out of the creature until it collapsed in a smoking mess. Heart thumping against her ribs, she twisted around to see Anne Jordan standing behind her, face drawn, clutching a pistol with both hands.

“Are… are you okay…” she asked in a shaky voice. 
“Y… yes…” Tali replied, “T… thank you…”
Other colonists arrived. They gawked at the smoking corpse, but before anything could be said there was a crash of falling metal and plastic, followed by screams and the stutter of pulse rifles.
“THEY’RE IN COMMAND!” came the terrified voice of Alan Simpson over the radio, “WE NEED SUPPORT HERE NOW!”
“Anne, you and the others stay with the children!” said Tali, “I’ll go help!”

Racking her shotgun, she took off down the corridor, feet hammering against the metal grating. Light from muzzle flashes played off the walls as the colonists fought desperately to hold off the enemy, while the floor shook from the force of several large blasts. Arriving at the command room, Tali saw one of the creatures drop through a fresh hole in the ceiling. It climbed over a bank of computers, when an explosion engulfed it, tearing off an arm and much of its left leg. In the centre of the room was Simpson, already in the process of reloading the underslung grenade launcher on his pulse rifle.

At his side was Marcus, his face passive as he worked at a computer terminal. All around them lay smashed computers and overturned desks, along with the bodies of other colonial officials and the creatures, their blood filling the air with acrid smoke.
“FOR FUCK SAKE MARCUS!” Simpson yelled, his face slick with sweat, “WHAT’S TAKING YOU SO LONG?”

“The system is refusing to accept my commands,” the android replied, “Something is attempting to lock me out.”
There were more crashes as two of the armoured creatures fell through the ceiling. Without thinking Tali fired her shotgun until it overheated, leaving both of the things sprawled across the floor.
“GOOD ONE!” Simpson shouted, “NOW KEEP US COVERED! WE’RE-”

Before he could finish the ceiling above the administrator was torn open. A piece of debris struck Simpson in the back of his head, knocking him to the ground. Marcus went to help him when the shining form of one of the creatures jumped through the hole, knocking the android aside with its tail. It then grabbed Simpson’s unconscious form and effortlessly carried him through the hole.

“NO!”
Tali tried to shoot the creature, but it was impossible to get a clear shot before the thing disappeared through the ruined ceiling. She could barely think, even breathing was a challenge. She had to get away from here, when a voice called out from behind Simpson’s computer desk.
“Miss Zorah.”

Tali ran over, thinking it was a wounded official, only to find Marcus lying on the floor. The creature’s tail had cut a deep gash across the android’s forehead, drenching his face in white fluid, but he took little notice.
“We have to close the vents,” he said, “The creatures are getting through them.”
“How?” Tali asked, too scared to hate the android at that moment.
“The terminal,” Marcus replied, “I need to access the systems, but something is locking me out.”

He pushed himself up and limped to the computer. Boxes of text appeared and disappeared on the green and black screen, but nothing seemed to be happening. Meanwhile the gunfire and screams in the rest of the medical wing continued.
“OUT THE WAY!” Tali roared, shoving Marcus aside and using her omni-tool to access the computer.

Straight away she could see the problem. All of the seals in the ventilation system had been forced open and kept open. She entered a few commands, but each one was overridden.
“There’s a virus in the vent system,” she said, “I’ll need to reset each of the seals one at a time.”
Can you do it?”  asked Marcus.
“I think so.”
Working as fast as she could, Tali accessed the programs for the ventilation systems, restarting them. Gunfire raged all around, but she tried to block the sounds out, as the virus proved to be a challenge, even to her. Each time she thought she had found a bypass it would attempt to block her or undo her progress.

“Come on you bosh'tet!” she hissed.
Despite this, she was able to gain control over the system, allowing Marcus to close each of the ventilation seals via the terminal.
“Just one more left,” he said, almost sounding hopeful.
Tali did not reply, too absorbed in the task at hand. She was just entering the last changes to the program, when there was a screech of metal being torn apart.
“MISS ZORA!”

Marcus’s shout caused Tali to snap her head up. Across the room, a whole section of the wall had been smashed open as one of the creatures forced its way inside.
“You deal with it!” she snapped, her fingers flying across the omni-tool’s controls.
“I can’t, it’s against my programming to use a weapon.”
“OH FOR THE LOVE OF THE ANCESTORS!

Snatching up Simpson’s discarded pulse rifle, Tali fumbled for the grenade launcher’s trigger and fired.
BOOM!

The grenade flew across the room and struck the wall beside the creature, exploding in a mass of flame and smoke. The creature barely had time to let out a short scream before the upper half of its body was thrown across the room, smashing a desk in two. The shockwave hit Tali, causing her to stagger back, but she kept her footing. Another creature appeared from the hole and she fired again, reducing it to a burning mess that stumbled around for a moment before collapsing. Not waiting for another one to appear, she fired the rest of the grenades into the hole, causing a support beam to collapse with a force that shook the room.

“Has the final ventilation seal been reset?” asked Marcus.
“HERE!” 
Throwing aside the now empty pulse rifle, Tali sent the last bypass to the terminal and the android dutifully entered the command.
“All ventilation shafts sealed.”
“Good, then let’s clear out the rest of those creatures,” Tali replied.

Grabbing her shotgun, Tali ran from the ruined command room and sprinted up the corridor to the barricades. As she got closer, she realised the sounds of battle were growing fainter and fainter, until finally, they dissipated all together. On reaching the barricade itself, she found Lieutenant Paris and a handful of colonists watching the corridor beyond. Their faces were stained with soot that was run through with lines of sweat. The air itself was thick with a haze of gun smoke.

“What… what’s happened?” Tali gasped.
Paris turned to look at her, her tired face breaking into a strained smile.
“The enemy has retreated. We won.”

Chapter Text

The victory was a hollow one.
Of the 110 colonists packed into the medical wing, more than half had been killed or wounded. Many others had been dragged off by the creatures, including several of the children. No one knew for sure what their fate would be, but it could be nothing short of horrific.

The bodies of dead colonists were zipped into body bags and placed in a side storage room. The dead creatures proved to be more of a challenge to deal with, since their acidic blood was still dangerous. In the end, the remaining colonists used broom handles to shove them into side rooms which were then sealed up.

“Daniels, I want you to do a head count,” Lieutenant Paris said to one of her remaining marines. “Find out how many of us can still fight. I’ll see what our ammo situation is.”
“I can tell you what our situation is,” snapped a nearby colonist who had half of his face covered by thick bandages, “WE’RE FUCKED!”
“Mr. Letts, that’s enough,” Paris warned.
“Oh, go shove it up your ass! I’m right and you know it! We don’t have enough bullets to hold those things off if they attack a second time!”
“Then what do you suggest we do?” asked another colonist who had her arm in a sling.

Letts’s eyes narrowed.
“We get the hell out of here. There’s two medical shuttles in the hangar. We get as many people on them as possible and fly to Sevastopol.”
“Don’t be daft,” a dark-haired marine cut in, “Those shuttles aren’t built for long-distance flight. You wouldn’t get halfway to Sevastopol before the drive core packed in.”
“It’s a better fucking idea than sitting here and waiting for death!” Letts retorted.
“No one is sitting around,” said Paris, “We’re going to pull back, build another barricade and repair all the breaches. We won’t have to defend such a large area then.”

“Yeah, and we’ll be packed into a much smaller space!”
“The creatures will not be able to attack through the ventilation system,” said Marcus, who now sported a large plaster across the gash in his forehead. “They’ve been sealed and cut off from the main computer system. That means they can only attack through the corridor.”
“Yeah, until they find a way around.”
A number of the other colonists muttered darkly in agreement.
“We… we could set up motion trackers in the vents,” suggested Tali, “That would alert us if those creatures did break through.”

“Why should we listen to any of your ideas suit rat!” spat Letts, “Ever since you got here we’ve had nothing but trouble!”
“Mr. Letts,” warned Paris.
“It’s the truth, and you bloody well know it! First those robots the quarians created attacked Eden Prime, then she finds that ship and gets Jordan infected with that parasite, then we’re attacked by those things! Am I the only one seeing a pattern here?”

The surrounding colonists began looking at Tali suspiciously and she became very nervous. Glancing around, she searched for an escape route. Could she fight through the humans and make it to the corridor beyond the barricades, or into the vents?
“Mr. Lett’s, that is an absurd thing to say,” Marcus cut in loudly, stepping forward so he was blocking the man’s path. “There is no evidence that Miss Zorah is responsible for any of the events that have transpired.”
“Oh yeah? Because from where I stand it’s pretty fucking clear she’s got something to do with it!”

“Miss Zorah was born centuries after the creation of the geth, and was thousands of light years away when the attack on Eden Prime happened. She did not discover the crashed ship, Russ Jordan found the signal while we were setting up the automated turrets at Sub-Processor 4. She tried to dissuade Mr. Jordan from investigating without proper support and from exploring the lower sections of the crashed ship alone. She also volunteered to investigate the atmosphere processor when we lost contact with work shift 3, where she was almost killed by those creatures.”

“So what?” yelled Letts, his eyes wild, “What’s to say she didn’t know about that crashed ship before she got here?” She could have snuck out of the colony and set up that signal, she might even have planted those eggs that infected Jordan or unleashed those things in the processor!”
“Mr. Letts, you are being ridiculous. Miss Zorah’s movements are tracked by her omni-tool like the rest of us. At no point did she leave the colony before the discovery of the crashed ship.”
“She could have disabled her omni-tool before leaving.”

“Miss Zorah would have needed a vehicle to travel to the site of the crashed ship. No vehicles were reported missing in that time. Furthermore, she travelled here from Sevastopol Station on an Alliance ship. It would have been impossible for her to smuggle anything as large as the eggs that were on that ship.”
Lett’s expression was thunderous. His mouth opened and closed, but no retort came. The other colonists looked awkward and ashamed.

“Well, I think Marcus has dealt with this issue,” Lieutenant Paris stated coolly. “Now unless anyone else has any wild conspiracies, I suggest you get back to work, there’s a lot to do.”
The crowd broke apart, murmuring darkly to one another.
“Are you alright Miss Zorah?” Marcus asked Tali.
“I’m fine,” she replied sharply, “I just don’t need you trying to defend me.”
And with that she stormed off, deciding to help rebuild the barricade.

***

Following Lieutenant Paris’s orders, the colonists withdrew deeper into the medical laboratories, confining themselves to three rooms at the end of a single corridor. With the vents sealed the layout meant the creatures could, in theory, only attack from one direction, but left them with little space. People were forced to share beds by sleeping in shifts while others were packed together in the corridor. One of the rooms had a shower and toilets, meaning that their sanitation did not deteriorate too much, but there was always a long line to use them.

Food was rationed to two emergency meals per day, while Tali limited herself to a single tube of nutrient paste. Doctor Reese did what he could for the wounded, but already he was forced to ration what supplies he had. Since the command room had been destroyed in the fighting, Marcus made do with setting up a single portable terminal in one of the rooms to monitor the colony’s systems.

Every now and again there was a scrape or bang from the ventilation shafts, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and listen in a tense silence. Thankfully, the motion trackers detected no movement near their position.
Now down to just two marines and herself, Lieutenant Paris patrolled the corridor and rooms regularly, but it was clear to everyone that the strain was getting to her as well.
“How much longer can we keep this up?” Amanda whispered to Tali one afternoon as the pair carried out their guard shift at the barricade.

“As long as we need to,” Tali replied, though she was more fearful than she was willing to admit.
It was now the 11^th day since the transmitter had been disabled, meaning the Alliance was officially overdue. Were they delayed, or were they even coming at all?
Amanda peered down the corridor, then looked over her shoulder, seeing who was close by.
“I’ve been thinking,” she whispered.
“About what?” Tali replied, also lowering her voice.

“About those creatures. I think Letts had a point, those things had to come from somewhere other than that parasite that hatched out of Jordan.”
“And you think it’s me?” Tali said, her voice rising dangerously.
“No, no not at all,” Amanda quickly replied, waving her hands. “Like Marcus said, it would have been impossible for you to do any of those things. Even with that aside, I can’t believe for one second that you’d try to harm any of us.”
“Thanks… I just wish the others could believe that as well.”
“Most of them do, it’s just the loudmouths who say otherwise.”

There was a clatter of falling metal in the corridor. Tali and Amanda jammed their weapons through loopholes in the barricade. After several tense minutes there were no more sounds and they allowed themselves to relax a little.
“I guess my point is this,” Amanda whispered, “If those creatures didn’t come from that parasite, where did they come from? It could be one of the colonists, or someone sabotaging us from the outside.”

“Both of those seem unlikely,” Tali replied, still watching the abandoned corridor. “Why would any of the colonists unleash those monsters on their own home? They’d be as trapped as the rest of us. As for an outside force, why would they target this place? We’re well out of the way and there’s no major industries here.”
“Fair points, but what else could have caused all this? It’s not like those things appeared from nowhere.”

Tali wrapped her brains, trying to think of a logical answer, but none came, aside from one.
“It could be the geth.”
Amanda looked at her in puzzlement.
“Geth?”
“It’s a possibility, they’ve already attacked one of your colonies, what’s to say they aren’t attacking others?”
“Maybe, but we’re in the Middle Heavens here, would the geth even be able to get a ship this close to Earth without being detected?”
“Space is big. Even in a well-established area, there’s plenty of places to hide.”

Amanda scratched her chin.
“But if they have come here, why use those creatures? Why not just attack us themselves?”
“I don’t know. There’s no record of the geth using other lifeforms as weapons, but they’ve been isolated from the rest of the galaxy for centuries. Maybe something changed.”
The two settled into an uneasy silence for the next few hours until they were relieved by the next watch. Amanda went to the room on the left and slumped down on the nearest camp bed, falling asleep almost at once. Tali meanwhile turned right and headed into the medical ward.

Most of the wounded had been placed here, their bodies wrapped in bandages and plaster casts. Doctor Reese moved between their beds with a scanner, his expression becoming evermore grave.
“How are things?” Tali asked, trying to speak softly so the patients nearby would not hear her.
“Not as bad as I feared,” Reese replied, also keeping his voice low, “But that’s not saying much. I’ve managed to stabilise everyone, but I’m dangerously low on medicine. The real problem though is antiseptic cream, it’s completely run out.”
“What do you need that for?”

“Burns. A lot of our people were splashed by blood from those creatures. It’s eaten right through their skin in some places. The cream helps mitigate the worst of the damage. Without it…”
Reese’s voice trailed off and he pressed his thumb and forefinger against the bridge of his nose.
“Is… is there any more of this cream around?” Tali asked, “In a storage room or something?”
“There’s bound to be some in the medical station next to the vehicle repair shop, but it’s on the other side of the colony.”
Tali activated her omni-tool and pulled up the blueprints for Hadley's Hope.

“I can get there through the vents and service tunnels,” she said after studying them for a few minutes.”
“Out of the question Tali,” Reese answered, raising his voice for the first time, “It’s too dangerous.”
“We don’t have a choice. We don’t know when the Alliance will get here, and without proper care these people could die.”
The doctor raised his head so he was looking directly at her. He gave her a long hard look, then very reluctantly, nodded.

***

Grabbing an empty satchel, Tali headed for the one remaining access point for the ventilation system within the defensive perimeter. Since Marcus had cut computer access to the seals, she would have to open and close each of them manually. For this, she had been given a crank handle.

“Are you sure you want to do this alone?” Doctor Reese asked as she locked the handle into a square bolt on the corner of the seal. “If you get cornered down there…”
“It’s better this way,” Tali replied as she began turning the handle, causing the iris to gradually slide open. “I can move faster by myself and It’ll be harder for those creatures to detect me.”

“Even so, I’m sure Amanda or even Marcus…”
“I’ll be fine, just take care of your patients and wait for me to get back.”
The doctor looked as if he wanted to say something else, but remained mute as Tali finished opening the iris and climbed inside.
“Well… good luck,” he said, “I’ll keep my radio on for you.”
“Thank you,” Tali replied.

Using the crank handle, she closed up the iris behind her, bringing with it a blanket of darkness.
Tali’s breathing suddenly sounded very loud inside her helmet. She blinked hard before drawing her shotgun and switching on its torch, illuminating the low square passage ahead.
“Okay,” she told herself, “You can do this.”

Keeping the map open on her omni-tool, Tali made her way through the ventilation shafts. Each time she reached a seal she would pause for several minutes in order to open and then close them again with the crank handle. She worked as gently as possible, but it still felt as if she might as well have been banging the wall with her fist from all the noise the gears made.
Arriving at a ladder, she climbed between two floors, arriving at another seal. After crawling through she entered a long narrow corridor, made of concrete, with pipes lining one side.

“Reese,” Tali whispered into her radio, “I’m in the main service shaft.”
“Good,” the doctor replied, “That gives you a straight shot to the repair shop.”
It sounded simple, but the young quarian kept her guard up. In the ceiling were a number of access hatches, meaning the creatures could have crawled inside and were lying in wait. In view of that, she moved very slowly, placing each foot on the ground gently to avoid making any noise. At one point she paused as something scurried over the metal plating overhead, but it came as quickly as it arrived.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the torch beam reflected off the worn metal of the exit seal. Fighting not to rush, Tali walked up to it and carefully opened the iris with her crank handle. At one point the gears grated so loudly against one another that she stopped turning it altogether. She had a vague sensation of movement from the tunnel and hurriedly pointed her shotgun back down the way she had come, but there was nothing.
“Easy Tali, don’t let panic get the better of you.”

Once she had calmed down enough, she resumed turning the handle, moving it even more slowly than before. Once the iris was open just wide enough, she squeezed through and closed it as quickly as she dared, praying to every ancestor she could think of that nothing would hear it.

After crawling along a short ventilation shaft, Tali arrived at a mesh grill that she was able to push open and climbed out into the large open space of the repair shop.  She was on a mezzanine that ran around the middle of the wall, which had a platform covered in shelves at one end and a glass-walled office at the other. On the floor below was a crawler, its left driving wheels removed while a crane gantry stood high above, heavy chains and hooks hanging from it. On the far side of the room was a pair of large sliding doors that rattled as the wind beat against them.

Still treading lightly, Tali followed the map and headed toward the glass-walled office. Beside it was a door with a plaque inscribed with the words, First Aid Station, screwed to it. Pushing it open, Tali found a mid-sized room with a bed against one wall and a pair of cupboards beside it.

“Reese, I’m at the medical station,” she whispered into her radio.
“Good,” came the reply, “Now grab what you can and get back here.”
Wasting no time, Tali opened both of the cupboards and began filling her satchel with as many different medicines as possible. She was trying to stuff two jars of antiseptic cream into it, when her radio crackled.

“Doctor Reese? Did you say something?”
There was no reply, just more crackling. It was then that she realised that the sound was not static, it was gunfire, quickly joined by yells and horrified screams.

Chapter Text

The sounds of battle lasted for several minutes before slowly petering out, leaving a ringing silence in their wake.
Tali sank to the floor clutching her helmet. The satchel tipped over, spilling its contents. She began trying to scoop it back in, only to stop herself. What was the point? The other colonists were dead and it was useless to her.

“I’m alone…”
Tali drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them.  Tears pricked her eyes as a great sob welled up in her throat. She was alone in an alien colony, surrounded by hostile creatures, thousands of light years from home.

“I should have listened to Keenah and gone to Illium,” she thought miserably, “Instead I was an idiot and tried to prove how tough I was. Silly, stupid, girl!”
Tears ran down her cheeks, pooling at the bottom of her mask. What would the others say when they found out what had happened? Most likely they would pass around a few tubes of sterilised dextro wine and share a few tearful words, and that would be it. She would just be another tragic story about a quarian who made one too many foolish choices on their pilgrimage.

“Enough!” a voice that sounded like her father’s snapped in Tali’s mind, “You cannot sit here feeling sorry for yourself. You are Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, a quarian of the migrant fleet. You are not dead, and you are not about to give up.”
Tali squeezed her eyes closed tightly, then raised her head. What right did she have to lay down and die when so many others had struggled to make sure she reached this point?

None.
She was going to find a way out of this nightmare and return to the fleet. First, she had to get back to the medical wing and gather all the supplies she could, then find one of the shuttles. It might not get her to Sevastopol, but maybe she could follow the trade routes and be picked up by a supply ship. It was a slim hope, but it was the only one she had.
Taking off the satchel, Tali got to her feet and walked back out onto the mezzanine. She took a step toward the ventilation shaft, when the whole repair shop rattled as one of the walls split apart.
For a second Tali was frozen in terror before realising it was the doors opening.

“But who’s opening them?”
Not waiting to be caught out in the open, she dived back into the first aid station and pushed the door to, leaving a small gap to peek through.
Still rattling, the doors continued to open, letting in a wave of dusty air, soon followed by two figures. They were a head taller than Tali, their arms and legs covered in a web of synthetic muscles, while their torsos, calves and shoulders were plated in white armour. Their head consisted of a curved hood of metal, capped by a large glowing lens. 

Tali felt the air catch in her throat. Though she had seen many pieces and pictures, and heard many stories about them, she had never been in the same space as these machines before.
They were geth.

Getting as far back from the door as possible to avoid being seen while still having a view, she watched as the two synthetics marched around the room before returning to the door. It was then that two more figures entered, but they were not machines. One was a turian wearing body armour, his face covered in cybernetic implants, while his left arm appeared to be wholly synthetic. Beside him was an asari, wearing a long black dress and some sort of elaborate crown.

Tali was extremely perplexed by this. There were no turians or asari in Hadley's Hope. Had they been taken prisoner? That seemed unlikely, the geth were known to kill all organics on sight.
The turian craned his head and walked up to the crawler.

“So,” he remarked mockingly, examining the vehicle, “This is what passes for human engineering.”
“They refer to it as a crawler Saren,” stated the asari, “They use it to survey the surface of planets.”
“Crawler, a fitting name.”
He turned away in disgust and strolled around the workshop, his eyes glowing a deep blue.
“Keelah,” Tali thought, “What has he done to himself?”

The turian paused, glancing up at the mezzanine, before turning to face the asari. It was then that the young quarian realised there had to be something important about these two and carefully switched on her omni-tool so it was recording.
“Well Benezia?” asked the turian, “Have the geth dealt with the humans yet?”

“The latest report said they captured the last human stragglers attempting to escape across the moon’s surface a few minutes ago. They are being taken to the atmosphere processor to be infected now.”
“And what of the crashed ship?”
“The geth said they will need a dreadnought to lift it and one will not be here for at least a solar day.”
“Will they have it removed before the humans arrive?”
“They shall. Our fake transmissions have fooled them into believing the colony is still functioning normally. We shall be long gone with the organisms before they realise what has transpired here.”

The turian clapped his hands.
“Excellent!” he declared, “And when the Alliance finally arrives, they’ll be in for the shock of a lifetime. Combined with our victory on Eden Prime we shall soon throw the whole of human space into chaos!”
“And bring the return of the reapers one step closer,” said the asari.
The turian gave the room a final look over, then turned and walked back out into the dusty air, the asari and geth following in his wake.

Still taking shallow breaths, Tali turned off her omni-tool and waited several minutes. Once she was sure the turian and his companions were not returning, she hurried out of the first aid room and crawled back into the vent.

Her mind was racing. Who were Saren and Benezia, and why were they working with the geth? More to the point, why were the geth working with them, and what were these ‘reapers’ that the asari had mentioned?
“Someone needs to hear this recording. Whatever’s going on here, it’s bigger than an attack on this colony.”
Moving even more quietly than she had before, Tali crawled back to the seal and carefully worked it open.

The journey back to the medical wing seemed to be never-ending. The clatter of metal feet could be heard throughout the service tunnel as the geth now moved freely in the corridors above. Each seal took several minutes to open and then close, and more than once Tali stopped what she was doing altogether, listening hard when there was movement outside the ventilation shaft. Sometimes there was a faint clicking or stuttering, though it rarely lasted. Tali guessed it had to be the geth communicating and prayed they had not detected her.

***

After several extremely long hours, Tali finally cranked open the last vent seal and climbed out into the medical wing. The skin under her suit was slick with sweat, and her legs ached from the crawling. Even so, she only allowed herself a small amount of time to stretch before unhooking the shotgun from her back and stepping out into the corridor.

The first thing she noticed was a light rustling, the sound of wind blowing through discarded papers scattered across the floor. Looking up she saw that three large round holes had been sliced through the ceiling, leaving a clear path to the outside. Otherwise, there was nothing but silence. Walking forward, she began to see more signs of battle. Discarded pulse rifles, shotguns and pistols, along with lines of bullet holes across the walls, often joined by burn marks.

Here and there were smears of blood, though only small amounts. The barricade that the young quarian had helped rebuild had been obliterated, leaving only fragments of furniture and twisted metal across the grating. In the right-hand room, camp beds had been thrown everywhere or smashed to pieces. It was only then that Tali realised there were no bodies around.

“That asari said they had been taken to the atmosphere processor. They must be using them to… to…”
The image of Russ’s face covered by the pulsing mass of wet flesh filled her mind and she felt sick. Everyone she had come to know over the last few weeks was now dead or about to die horribly to create more of those creatures.
“I have to get out of here.”

She went into the room where the wounded had been kept, intending to seek out some food. She had just found her personal bag, when she noticed a foot hooked over one of the overturned camp beds. She hurried over, thinking it was one of the colonists, only to find that it was Marcus.
The android did not appear to be damaged, but it was unresponsive when she nudged it with her foot.

“Good riddance,”
Tali turned to keep searching for any tubes of dextro paste. She found some in an overturned box and began stuffing them into her bag, only to find herself glancing back at the downed android.
“Maybe... maybe it could help,” she wondered.
“Don’t be a fool!” snapped another thought, “That thing is no different to the machines that attacked the colonists.”
“But why did they leave it?”

Putting her bag aside, Tali walked back to the android. During her first evening at the colony, she had spent hours reading about its design and mechanics, searching for weaknesses. She knew that she could access its systems via an omni-tool, or by linking it to a portable terminal by a plug on its left arm.
“What’s to say that thing won’t attack the moment it’s activated?” the thought snapped again, “Have you forgotten what it is?”
“I need help.”
“Do you really think that thing will help you? What’s to say it won’t try and kill you the minute it’s reactivated?”

Tali unclipped the pistol from her hip. A few mass effect slugs through the android’s main processing hub would be more than enough to make sure it stayed inactive.
“Almost too easy.”
She rested her middle finger against the pistol’s trigger guard, yet the barrel remained pointed upward.
“Why hesitate? Finish it off and get moving.”

The pistol twitched, but remained pointed upward. Tali wondered vaguely how many quarians had been in this sort of position since the flight from Rannoch. How many of them had hesitated to destroy such a threat?
“None of them I’d guess.”

It was then that an idea came to Tali. She could disable the android’s ability to physically move while bringing its communication hardware back online. Getting to work, she opened her omni-tool and began linking it to Marcus’s systems. Performing a scan, she found no damage, but its power source had been disabled, as if it had been struck by a blast of electricity.  Once this had been reactivated, she found the programs that controlled the android’s motor functions and disconnected them from its central processor.

“Okay, moment of truth.”
Opening a menu, she scrolled through until she found the option to restart the main system and pressed it.
A series of small clicks sounded from the machine and its eyes blinked one at a time before focusing on Tali.
“Miss Zorah,” said Marcus, “I’m glad to see you are alive. I…”

His voice trailed off as he realised something was wrong.
“I have disabled your motor functions,” Tali said flatly, “I just need information from you.”
Though its face was paralysed, she could sense that it was unhappy with the situation.
“Very well Miss Zorah, what is it you wish to know?” Marcus asked eventually.
“What happened here?”

“We were ambushed. I was in here monitoring the systems when everything was disconnected. I was about to report it to Lieutenant Paris when an aperture was cut in the ceiling and a number of geth dropped through. I believe one of them must have shot me with an electrically based stun gun because all my systems were disabled until you reactivated me.”

“Why would the geth stun you? You are a machine like them, and why would they leave you here?”
“I am afraid that I have no data on the motivations of the geth’s actions against myself at this time. I can however, hypothesize that they mistook me for an organic and stunned me. Upon discovering that I was a machine they ignored me, though I cannot say for sure what they had planned for the colonists.”
“They took them to the atmosphere processor,” Tali replied.
“How do you know this?” Marcus asked.
“When I was in the repair shop, I saw two people, a turian and an asari.”

She quickly explained what they had said and what their plans for the colony were.
“Then you must leave this place at once Miss Zorah,” Marcus said once she was finished, “I recommend travelling to one of the sub-processors and activating a distress beacon. The Alliance and Citadel Council must be informed of this conspiracy at once.”
“Maybe, but the asari said they are broadcasting false signals to make it look as if nothing is wrong here.”

Marcus was quiet for a few seconds before speaking.
“If you can link me to the colony’s computer Miss Zorah, I might be able to find a way to bypass their false signal.”
Tali’s eyes narrowed at the suggestion.
“How do I know you wouldn’t try and reactivate your motor functions if you’re linked to the main systems?”
“Only you could reconnect those systems Miss Zorah.”

“And why should I believe you?”
“What reason do I have to lie to you?”
Tali’s anger spiked suddenly and extremely dangerously.
“Don’t play stupid you machine! I’m alone, there’s nothing stopping you from harming me and…”

Before she could continue, Tali’s eye caught something. The skin around the little finger on Marcus’s left hand was slightly paler than the rest. It was the one she had shot off when she had panicked in the crashed spaceship. He had made no attempt to harm her then, and had been trying to save Russ Jordan.

“That doesn’t mean he can be trusted.”
“What choice do I have? If the geth are blocking off-world transmissions then I’ve got little chance of escaping at all, let alone being able to warn the Alliance about what the geth are planning.”
She took a deep breath, hoping her ancestors would forgive her for what she was about to do.
“Okay, how do I link you into the colony’s systems?”
“There’s a cable in the side of the portable terminal,” Marcus explained, “You can plug it into the port on the palm of my left hand.”

Following the android’s instructions, Tali went to the terminal and unspooled the wire from its side. Once it was attached to the centre of his hand, Marcus’s eyes rolled back into his head where they remained for several minutes.
Tali took a few steps back, making sure that she was out of reach while keeping one hand on her pistol.
“My apologies Miss Zorah,” Marcus said eventually as his eyes rolled back into a normal position. “All my attempts to access the geth’s systems have failed, there is no way for me to break through their false signals from here.”

Tali felt her heart sink.
“There is however something else,” he continued, “I have been able to access the colony’s local communications network.”
“What good does that do us?” Tali grumbled, “It’s not like there’s anyone else here for us to talk to.”

“That is not correct, there is one person attempting to use the system. It is Amanda Ripley.”
“Amanda? But… but I thought she was taken with the others.”
“You are most likely correct, her signal is coming from the atmosphere processor. Would you like me to connect you?”
“Of course I want you to connect us you bosh'tet!”
“As you wish.”

Marcus went quiet once again and Tali’s omni-tool began to flash.
“Hello?” came a terrified whisper the moment she activated it, “Is anyone there? Please, someone answer, please!”
“Amanda,” Tali replied, keeping her voice as low as possible, “Amanda, it’s Tali, can you hear me?”
“Tali?” Amanda replied in relief, “Thank god, where are you?”
“I’m in the medical wing. Everyone’s gone.”

“I know, they’ve got us… I dunno, cocooned or something in the basement of the atmosphere processor.  The creatures placed those egg things around the others and infected them with those parasites! They haven’t gotten to me yet, but I don’t think I’ve got long.”
Tali stared at her omni-tool for almost a solid minute before speaking again.
“Hold on Amanda, I’m coming for you.”
“No Tali! Don’t! Just get out of here!”

But the quarian was already examining the map of the transit tunnel that ran between Hadley's Hope and the processor. There was a service tunnel that ran alongside it, but it was locked off.
“Marcus,” she said, “Can you give me access to this passage?”
“I’m sorry Miss Zorah, but I cannot allow this.”

Tali’s eyes locked onto the android with a look of pure venom.
“My friend is trapped in there! I’m not about to abandon her! Now are you going to tell me how to access that passage, or do I have to smash the door down myself?”
“Miss Zorah, please, you must listen. I can give you access to the service tunnel, but by now there could be over a hundred of those creatures inside the atmosphere processor. Even if you were able to reach Miss Ripley, you would not make it out alive.”

Tali balled her hands into fists. The machine was right, but she would be damned before agreeing to give up a friend.
Then an extremely unpleasant idea came to her.
“What… what if you came with me?” she asked.
“Came with you?” Marcus replied, sounding confused.
“I… could… reactivate your motor functions. That way you could… help me.”
“I would be more than happy to help in this regard Miss Zorah, but inside the processor I would be of no practical use. I cannot fight.”
The idea inside Tali’s head became even more unpleasant.

“Why not?”
“It’s against my programming to harm another lifeform.”
“And… and… what… what if…”
“Tali you can’t be serious?” an alarmed voice sounded in her mind, “You know what this thing is!”

Tali hung her head.
“This is the only way we can all get out of here.”
“And what if I were to change your programming?”
Marcus took some time to respond.
“I would advise against such an action Miss Zorah.”
“Why?”

“If something were to go wrong you could seriously damage me. At best, I might be deactivated permanently. At worst, I could attack you without warning.”
“See!” cried the voice, “Even the machine thinks you are a fool!”
“That’s a risk I’ll just have to take,” Tali replied, trying to drown out the thought, “I can’t leave Amanda down there, and I can’t get to her without your help.”

She switched the display on her omni-tool so it was showing Marcus’s files.
“Miss Zorah, please, do not do this,” the android pleaded, “The risk is too great.”
“Marcus, I am surrounded by murderous creatures and machines that tried to exterminate my people. This risk is just one I must take.”
Scrolling through a series of menus, Tali soon found a group of files marked, Safety Protocols.
“Here goes nothing.”

Carefully working her way through the files, she disabled the blocks on the android’s ability to use weapons or physical force.
“Okay,” she said, still not quite believing what she was doing, “I just need to reactivate your motor functions.”
“Before you do that Miss Zorah,” Marcus replied, “Might I request you take a few steps away from me and draw your sidearm?”
“Why?”
“Just as a precaution. If the geth’s stun weapon inflicted any undetected damage to my systems, it could cause me to act violently toward you.”
“Fine, just be ready.”

Tali backed away as far as she could and unclipped the pistol from her hip. She then took a deep breath and entered the final command.
At once Marcus’s legs began jerking, quickly joined by his arm. Tali’s pistol snapped up at once, the sights trained on the android’s torso. Her finger brushed the trigger, but she resisted pulling it. There was a sound like a stuttering recording and the android’s limbs stuck out straight in all directions before going limp.

Tali’s heart beated furiously in her chest. The pistol shook slightly, but she kept it trained on Marcus as he unhooked his legs from around the bed and gingerly stood up.
“Well?” she snapped.
“I… I believe all my systems are running as they should,” Marcus replied, his voice shaking slightly, “Aside from the changes you have made of course.”
“Good, then here’s the plan. You are going to find a weapon, and then we’re going into the vents. We should be able to reach the service tunnel to the atmosphere processor through them.”

Marcus’s expression was a mix of alarm and uncertainty, but he obeyed the instructions, fishing a pulse rifle out from under a stack of boxes, along with a bag of spare magazines.
“This is a unique event,” he remarked, looking down at the weapon in his hands, “You are probably the first organic to have armed a synthetic.”
“Just remember,” Tali replied coldly, “If you try to betray me, “You won’t live long enough to regret it.”

***

Once they had gathered a few supplies from the ruins, Tali and Marcus entered the ventilation system once again. Marcus went first, carrying the pulse rifle in one hand while holding a motion tracker in the other. Tali followed a short distance behind with her shotgun. Both of them carried bags filled with spare ammunition and grenades, along with a small stock of medical supplies and dextro and levo rations.

Tali tried to move as quickly as possible, knowing that Amanda did not have a lot of time, but Marcus reminded her to be cautious.
“If the geth discover us they will use lethal force.”
“I know that,” Tali replied flatly, who was still questioning if she had done the right thing.
After passing through a series of long shafts and climbing down a ladder, the two came to the lower levels close to the transit station. It was then that the motion tracker made a beeping sound.

“There’s something ahead,” Marcus whispered.
He pointed down the ventilation shaft, which opened out to a junction where a fan could be heard.
“What is it?” Tali whispered back.
“I am unsure. I suggest you stay here and allow me to inspect it.”
“Fine.”

Putting her shotgun into the low-ready position, Tali watched the android crawl toward the junction. Every so often the tracker would beep, the sound echoing like a gong in the confined space.
“Whatever’s in there must have heard that by now,” she thought, raising her shotgun a little.
Seemingly oblivious to the possible danger, Marcus kept moving until he reached the junction. He began straightening his legs, when a hand shot out and grabbed his shirt.

Chapter Text

“MARCUS WATCH OUT!” Tali yelled.
She aimed her shotgun at the hand, hoping the majority of the slugs would miss the android.
“Wait Miss Zorah!” Marcus’s voice thundered back.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”
“It’s not a hostile!”

Tali kept her finger around the trigger. As the haze of fear began to dissipate, she saw that the hand was not covered in a dark carapace or white armour. Instead, it was a pale pink and small.
“Who… who is it?” she asked, lowering her weapon.
“It’s Miss Jordan,” Marcus replied.

Moving as fast as she could in the confined space, Tali crawled down the vent and into the junction. Here four shafts met, while a fifth was set into the ceiling, blocked by a large fan drawing air from the surface. Newt was hunched in one corner, her blond hair standing on end while the oversized jacket she was wearing was covered in oil stains and a splash of red.

“Tali!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around the quarian, her body shaking as she began to cry.
“Yes… I’m here,” Tali replied softly, a lump of guilt forming in her throat.
“Are you injured Miss Jordan?” Marcus asked as he crouched beside the two, “Is there anyone else here with you? Miss Jordan…”
“Leave her alone!” Tali snapped, annoyed at the android and hoping she could shift some of her guilt at having almost shot the girl, “Can’t you see she’s traumatised?”
“That is all the more reason to ascertain if she has been hurt.”

“Just give her a minute.”
She gently ran a gloved hand up and down Newt’s back.
“Sssh, it’s okay Newt, you’re going to be alright.”
Gradually the girl’s sobs lessened and she looked up at Tali’s visor.
“They’re dead…” she whispered, almost crying again, “Mum, Timmy, all of them. I saw those machines drag them away.”

“How did you escape?” Marcus asked, causing Tali to shoot him an angry look.
“When… when the fighting started, Timmy… he dragged me to the vents… He had one of those handles that he… he borrowed… and opened it. He pushed me in and said he would come afterward, but one of those robots got him…”

Newt buried her head in her hands as fresh tears ran down her cheeks.
“He wanted you to escape, and that is what you did,” Tali said softly, “He would be proud of you.”
“I should have gone back for him… I shouldn’t have let those robots take him!”
“There was nothing you could have done,” Marcus stated, “Had you gone after your brother the geth would have caught you as well.”

Newt tried to nod but another wave of sobs wracked her body and she collapsed against Tali.
“Don’t worry,” Tali said, keeping her voice soft while giving Marcus another angry glare, “You’re safe now.”
“Miss Zorah,” Marcus said, “We should move on.”
“We can’t just leave Newt here by herself!” Tali snapped back.
“We do not have a choice. It’s too dangerous for her to come with us to the processor. She will be much safer here.”
“How can you say that!?”

“The creatures have no reason to come here, and the fan will hide Miss Jordan from any sensor sweeps by the geth.”
Tali looked down at the small human, her heart feeling as if it were splitting open. Marcus was right, Newt was much safer here for the moment, but that did not make it any easier to leave her behind.
“Newt,” she began, choosing her words carefully, “I need you to stay here for a while.”
“No! No! No!” Newt pleaded, “No! Please don’t go! Please!”

Tali felt her insides twist painfully.
“You will be safe, I promise” she said gently, “Those creatures won’t find you here.”
“No! Please! Don’t leave me alone!”
Newt’s grip on Tali became even tighter.
“Please Newt, try to understand,” she whispered, “I would stay here with you, but I have to save someone. Those creatures took her to the atmosphere processor and we have to rescue her before something terrible happens.”
“But what if you get caught?” Newt whimpered.
“That’s… a risk, but it’s one I have to take, for a friend.”

Newt sniffed loudly, but she released her death grip on Tali and backed away a little.
“Promise me you’ll come back,” she mumbled.
“I promise,” the quarian replied.
“There’s one task we’ll have to leave you Miss Jordan,” Marcus said, opening his bag and taking out the food and medical supplies. “Miss Zorah and I will need you to guard these while we’re gone. This is very important for all of us, can you do it?”
Newt’s grubby tear-stained face became a mask of determination.
“Yes Sir,” she answered with a salute.

***

Once Tali had emptied everything but the grenades and ammunition from her own bag, she gave Newt one last hug and headed down another shaft with Marcus.
It took them 20 minutes of crawling, but eventually, they reached a grill that opened out to a small concrete room, its walls covered in wires, pipes and fuse boxes. Along with these were two heavy steel doors, each with a keypad set into them.

“The service passage is through this doorway,” Marcus explained as Tali pushed the grill back into place. “It runs the full length of the tramway between here and the processor without interruption.”
“What are the chances some of those creatures got inside?” Tali asked, trying to keep her voice firm.

“It is unlikely, each of the access doors is on an independent circuit. You would have to hack each one individually and there is no need for the geth to do so when they have access to the main transit tunnel. Nonetheless, we should proceed with caution.”
He entered a code into the keypad and pulled open the three-inch thick steel door as if it were nothing. Beyond was a straight corridor about two meters wide and three high, shrouded in darkness beyond the entrance.
Wordlessly Marcus turned on a torch he had clipped to his shirt pocket and started forward. Switching on her own torch, Tali followed.

For the next hour they travelled in almost total silence. Though the glare from their two torches was brilliant, the darkness was so complete that everything ahead and behind them became invisible after a few metres. Their footsteps echoed softly but endlessly off the hard walls, causing the quarian’s heart to skip a beat. Though the passage gave no place to hide, she could not help but imagine one of those creatures clambering out of the darkness, ready to tear her apart without mercy. For his part, Marcus marched forward steadily, unfazed by the dark or threat of the creatures.

“I almost envy him.”
“Don’t think like that! Emotion is what separates us from artificial intelligence!”
Finally another steel door appeared from the darkness. Still silent, Marcus approached it and entered the access code.
“Once we pass through the second door we will be in the processor transit station,” he stated as the door unlocked and he pushed it open. “From there we will be at risk until our return.”
“Just focus on your job and let me do mine,” Tali responded bluntly.
Trying to ignore the growing fear within her, she opened up the map on her omni-tool and adjusted its setting to find the location of the rest of the colonists.

“The others are being kept here,” she said after a few minutes of searching, “It’s the sublevel under the heat exchange.”
“The same place where Captain Brackett and the others were killed…”
She shuddered at the memory and fought to suppress it. There was no place for fear now.
Stepping into another small concrete room, Marcus closed the steel door to the service passage, then went to the next one in the right-hand wall and entered the access code. Tali meanwhile double-checked her shotgun to make sure the safety was off. She could not afford to make the same mistake twice.

Once the second door was unlocked, Marcus pulled it open, revealing the empty station. As Tali exited beside him, she saw the shutters had been ripped open, while the floor around it was badly corroded from where the creature’s blood had splashed. Beyond the door came the familiar grumble of the atmosphere processor as it continued to work, oblivious to the chaos.
“No movement,” said Marcus as he scanned the surrounding area with the motion tracker.
Tali just nodded, too scared to speak.

Climbing through the wrecked shutters, the two made their way along the main passageway before turning down one of the metal staircases and descending to the processor's lower levels. The motion tracker remained silent, but Tali and Marcus took no chances. On each floor, they would stop and carefully study the surrounding walkways, pipes and clouds of steam for any creatures lying in wait. The side effect of this however was that Tali became increasingly frustrated. Amanda could be infected with one of those parasites at any minute, and every delay increased the chances of that happening. Even so, she dared not rush anything, since doing otherwise risked getting her killed and leaving Newt at the mercy of an android who was now able to harm organic beings.

“If the fleet ever hears about this I’ll be exiled for sure.”
Yet the worry felt so trivial compared to what she was facing at that moment that the young quarian almost laughed at it.
As they reached the level for the heat exchange, something appeared that brought on a whole new sense of puzzled terror.

The walls, pipes and walkways ahead of them were covered in a thick dark material that dully reflected the lights. All of the strange surfaces were covered in a layer of wet gunk, causing them to glisten. Gingerly placing her boot on part of the material, Tali found it to be extremely firm.
“What is this stuff?” she whispered.
“It appears to be a form of resin,” Marcus replied, examining a section of the substance closely. “I would hypothesize that it is secreted by the creatures, similar to how spiders on Earth produce webbing, perhaps to create a nest for themselves.”
“Okay, that’s more information than I would have liked,” Tali responded, “Right now let’s just find Amanda.”

They pushed deeper into the heat exchange. More and more of the resin appeared, taking on rounded flowing forms that reminded Tali of the interior of the crashed ship.
Coming to a crossing between two walkways, she spotted something pale and wet hanging from the wall. She jumped back, thinking it was one of the parasites, before realising that it was a hand, a human hand, fused into the resin.

“Oh… keelah.”
As her gaze was drawn upward, Tali saw more of the human, a woman wearing a set of blue overalls, now drenched in slime and blood. Both of her arms and legs were pinned back by layers of resin, while her chest was a mass of dark red where the creature had torn its way out. Her greying face was slack, but wore the shadow of an unmistakable look of terror and agony.
Casting her gaze about, Tali saw more of the colonists pinned to the walls. Most were long dead, their skin a sickly grey, while a handful of others still had parasites clinging to their faces.

“Is… is there anything we can do…” she gulped.
“I’m afraid not,” Marcus answered soberly, “Once the parasite is attached it cannot be stopped.”
“Then we should kill them now.”
Tali raised her shotgun at the closest human, only for Marcus to force it down.
“If you open fire the noise will attract those creatures.”

“We can’t just leave them like this!”
“We do not have a choice, not if we wish to get out of here alive.”
Tali wanted to yell every insult she could think of at the android, but resisted, knowing such action would just as surely alert the creatures.
“Damn him!”

With slow deliberate steps, the two carried on into the nest. They passed more bodies, including some familiar faces. Trying to distract herself, Tali began further adjusting the settings on her omni-tool, trying to narrow down Amanda’s location.
“She’s close… somewhere above us,” she said.”

Stepping around a cluster of resin-coated pipes, Marcus found a ladder and they climbed up to a gantry that ran around the edge of a massive drum, covered with monitoring equipment and warning labels. More bodies had been fixed to the pipes opposite, while the walkway was covered in a thick layer of slime, and something else.
They were eggs, larger than any Tali had ever seen, their surfaces pale and leathery. The top of each one was open like some twisted form of a flower, revealing an inside covered in veins and light pink flesh.

“Are… are these what you saw in the bottom of that crashed ship?” she asked Marcus, already knowing the answer.
“They are,” the android replied, “Though these appear to already have been activated.”
“Meaning?”
“That the parasite has already been released and attached itself to a host.”
Knowing they had no time to waste, Tali opened up her omni-tool and accessed the local communications.
“Amanda? Amanda, can you hear me?”

Static crackled for a few seconds before a thin voice answered.
“Tali… Tali… what are…?
“I’m in the processor. I’m on the same level as you but I don’t know where you are.”
“Tali… you have to get out of here…”
“Not without you. Now tell me, can you see anything, a sign or something I can use to find you?”

“I… I… hold on, everything’s covered in that webbing… wait… there is something… It’s mostly covered, but there’s some numbers on the wall… HE 0641… no, 2, HE 0642.”
“That section is just ahead of us,” said Marcus, “We only need to follow the walkway around.”
“Let’s go then!”
“Please hurry!” Amanda whimpered, “One of those eggs is in front of me. It’s closed, but it could open at any second!”

Abandoning any effort at stealth, Tali took off down the gantry, leaping over the eggs that cluttered her path. Marcus tried to say something as he followed, but she quickly left him behind, unwilling to waste any time.
Numbers flashed by on the wall. HE-0645, HE-0644, HE-0643, then finally HE-0642. Here the walkway split three ways, all of it covered in the dark slimy resin.
“Amanda!” Tali called out, frantically turning on the spot, “Amanda where are you?”
“Over here!” came a strangled reply from one of the paths.

Following the voice, Tali ran until she came to an archway of pipes coated in webbing. Here Amanda was pinned, covered in a layer of slime, her feet hanging about a foot off the ground. She had managed to pull one arm partly free, giving her access to her omni-tool, but the rest of her body was held tight.
“Tali!” she exclaimed, sounding as amazed as she looked, “You came!”
“I would never have left you behind,” Tali replied with a rush of joy, “Now let’s get you out of here.”

Drawing the knife strapped to her calf, she drove it into the resin above the human’s arm and began hacking it away. The material was thick and tough, but even it could not resist the blade and began to give way. Once the arm was free, she began working at the webbing around Amanda’s torso, when there was a wet creaking from behind her. Turning around, Tali felt her blood run cold as she saw one of the large eggs on the floor, its top peeling open. Inside was a mass of pale tissue, bulging and twitching before something sprang out.

Tali just had time to throw a hand over her face before the slimy parasite landed on her helmet, its long fingers writhing as they tried to gain a grip. Through her visor, the young quarian could see flaps of wet rubbery skin and an oval opening that pulsed as it tried to reach her. She tried pushing it away, when a crushing pressure formed around her throat and she saw the parasite’s tail wrapping itself around her neck, becoming tighter and tighter. She tried to pull it away with her other hand, but it was too strong.

THUD!
A wet fleshy tube shot out of the opening in the creature’s body and pushed itself against her visor, knocking her head back and leaving a trail of slime across the glass. Tali screeched and fought desperately to find a purchase on the creature’s body. She could not end up like Russ, she would not let it happen.

THUD!
The fleshy tube struck the visor again with even greater force. Quarian helmets were a lot tougher than others would have believed, but it was not indestructible, and this parasite was determined to infect her.
Tali’s breathing became thin as the tail around her neck gripped her tighter still, causing her vision to blur. She tried to grab it, but her fingers could only clumsily grasp at the wet skin.

“No! Please no! Not here! Not like this!”
The hand holding the parasite away from her helmet began to weaken and the tube smacked itself against the visor again. Somewhere above, Amanda was screaming, but none of it made sense.
The blurriness began to turn to a red haze, when there was a crash and something appeared at Tali’s side. The parasite began thrashing violently before its grip loosened, then suddenly ended altogether as it was pulled away.

Gasping for air, Tali collapsed against a set of railings. As her vision cleared, she saw Marcus standing over her, clutching the parasite in one hand, its tail and fingers writhing in all directions, trying to break free.
“We don’t have time for this,” he said bluntly.
And with that, he slammed the parasite against a section of pipe again and again, the sound resonating in all directions, until it fell limp.
“Are you injured Miss Zorah?” he asked, dropping the dead parasite.

Tali held up a hand as she rubbed her throat, still coughing violently, covering her visor with spit.
“Let… let me… let me check my suit,” she managed to wheeze.
Still shaking, she lifted her omni-tool and opened her suit’s diagnostics to scan for damages.
“It’s… it’s… it’s okay,” she coughed after a few minutes, “There’s some minor deformation to my collar sections, but the seal is unbroken.”
“And you Miss Ripley? Are you unhurt?”
“I’m fine,” Amanda replied, “Just help me down.”

With Marcus’s help, it took only a few minutes for him and Tali to pull or cut away the resin around the human and she stumbled into their arms, sobbing. Her clothes, skin and hair were covered in slime and she was shaking like a leaf, but physically she seemed to be fine.
“Thank you,” she coughed, “I know you risked everything to find me, I can’t ever repay you for this.”
“Let’s just focus on getting you out of here first,” said Tali, “Here, you’d better take this.”

She unclipped the mass effect pistol at her side and handed it to Amanda. She then turned to go back the way they had come, when there was a hiss, quickly joined by a movement in the shadows and steam at the far end of the walkway.
“We’ve got hostiles,” Marcus whispered, holding up the motion tracker, “Several of them at least.”

“What the hell do we do?” whispered Amanda, “We’re cut off here!”
“Not yet,” Tali replied with determination, “We’ll go the other way and find a way out.”
Taking the lead for a change, she hurried past Marcus and Amanda and between the columns of pipes. At the same time she pulled up her map of the processor and studied their location.

The area was a dead end, but there was a group of cooling pipes that crossed it and led to another level.
“This is what we need!” she explained to the others as they followed her, “We need to climb onto these pipes!”
“That is extremely risky,” Marcus replied, “We’ll be exposed on all sides for much of it.”
“Do we have any other choice?” Amanda interjected.
“I do not believe so.”

With the clatter of clawed hands and feet echoing in the steam behind them, the three hurried along the walkway until they came to the pipes. There were 9 altogether, fixed in 3 rows of 3, and were about 2 metres above the walkway. As he had done in the crashed ship, Marcus climbed onto them first, then reached down and lifted Amanda and Tali up.  As she steadied her footing, the quarian found that the pipes were extremely cold, but bearable. On the walkway below, a dark shape moved, its surface reflecting the glare of the service lights.

Wordlessly she motioned for the others to move and they began shuffling along the pipes.
The journey was not an easy one. Though there was plenty of head space, there were no guard rails, forcing the three to crawl on their hands and knees. Below was mostly steam, but through breaks, they could see other pipes and pieces of machinery, much of which was coated with the dark resin. Around them were more pipes running vertically, along with bundles of cables and support beams. Though it made it much more awkward to crawl, Tali kept the shotgun cradled against her chest, knowing the creatures could be hiding anywhere amid the steam and equipment.

Eventually the cluster of pipes sloped upward sharply, and the three had to move even more carefully, using the metal straps that held the pipes together as handholds. At one point the surrounding pipes and cables disappeared, leaving them in a stretch of open air, their surroundings blotted out by great clouds of steam. By now Tali was almost halfway up, and was climbing steadily, when she misjudged her grip, and her boot slipped off the strap, causing her to slide backward, then sideways.

“NO!”
Panicking, she lunged out with both hands, grabbing another support strap. She stopped sliding but the move had forced her to let go of her shotgun, causing it to drop off the pipes and disappear into the steam, landing with a crash below.
“IDIOT!”

Tali cursed herself. One stupid mistake had just lost her only means of fighting.
“Are you alright Miss Zorah?” Marcus asked from somewhere behind.
“I… I… yes… I’m fine,” she replied, not wanting to reveal how defenceless she now was.
She reached up to continue climbing, when a great hissing sound cut through the air. One of the creatures was close, very close.

Tali felt herself begin to tremble uncontrollably. She tried to twist around, searching for the source of the danger, but the steam made it impossible to see anything.
“Miss Zorah,” Marcus said, his voice less than a whisper, “Below.”
Making sure she was holding the metal strap tightly, Tali looked down. The steam had thinned out, exposing the floor about 10 metres under them, carpeted in hundreds of the leathery eggs, and something else.

Its head was massive, with a wide, crown-like fringe at the back, and a set of massive teeth at the front, endlessly dripping a thick saliva. Its dark armoured body was the size of a skycar, supported by two powerful legs, while a set of long arms reached out from its front, with a smaller set under them. A long tail with a bladed end extended out from the creature’s back, resting on the floor. Trailing out from behind it was a large mass of flesh, almost twice the size of the being it was attached to, its colourisation pale, almost see-through. As Tali watched, the flesh contracted, and something was pushed out of an opening at the end of the wet mass. It was an egg.

“So that’s how they are created,” Tali thought, before realising how dangerous their situation was. All that needed to happen was for that head to raise itself slightly and they were all dead.
Fortunately the massive creature below had all its attention focused on something on the floor in front of it, Tali’s fallen shotgun.

Tearing her eyes away from the thing, the young quarian silently waved to Marcus and Amanda to keep climbing. Understanding her completely, the two climbed up the pipes as quickly as they could, mercifully leaving the creature in its steamy dominion below.

“What… what was that thing? Amanda asked as they arrived at a level section of pipe.
“A queen,” Marcus answered, “I would suppose that being has total control over the rest of those creatures so they protect her and her ovipositor.”
“Ovipositor?” said Amanda.

“The organ that was producing the eggs. It must be a fascinating lifeform, if only we had time to study it.”
“Well we don’t,” breathed Tali, deciding to take control of the situation, “Right now we need to get out of this place and then escape this moon for good.”

Chapter Text

It took a great deal of crawling, but eventually the pipes crossed paths with another walkway, allowing the three to climb down to a level surface.
“Here Miss Zorah,” said Marcus, holding out his pulse rifle, “It would be better if you were to have this.”
“Why?” Tali replied, suspicious.
“Without a weapon you are vulnerable. I am much less likely to be targeted by those creatures.”

Tali’s suspicion remained, but she took the gun all the same.
From there it was a long slow journey through the maze of walkways and stairwells of the processor. Occasionally a hiss would cut through the air, or there would be a heavy clatter, but thankfully they encountered none of the creatures and reached the transit station without incident.

“Thank god!” Amanda sighed as Marcus pulled the steel door closed, sealing them in the small concrete room, “I didn’t think we’d ever get out of there.”
“Perhaps Miss Zorah’s trip along the pipes was a factor in our escape,” Marcus said as he crossed the room and unlocked the door to the service tunnel. “It meant we avoided the main routes through the processor we had already used, making it much more difficult for the creatures to track us.”

Tali did not reply, nor did she say much as they entered the tunnel and began the long walk back to the colony. Now that she was out of direct danger, she began to think about what had happened. Marcus had saved her. The android could have left the parasite to overwhelm and infect her, but it had not. It had also willingly given up its weapon to her, despite the danger.

“Maybe the humans program their synthetics differently to ours?”
“It’s a machine. How different can it be from the geth?”
“The geth have already attacked him, and he hasn’t tried to harm me yet.”
“Remember what it did to that parasite.”

The image of Marcus slamming the horrible creature against the pipe came to the forefront of her mind.
“That… that was different…”
“To you perhaps, but to the android it was organic life, no different to you or Amanda. It has no reason not to do the same to the rest of you if it decides to.”
“He wouldn’t…”
“You really should stop calling it ‘he’. It’s not a person, just a crude puppet these humans created. The sooner you realise that, the safer you’ll be.”
“He’s kept me safe so far.”
“We thought the same about the geth. We all know how that ended.”

Tali sighed internally. This was too much to think about. Right now they had to find a way to get out of the colony and report what had happened to the Alliance.
After an uneventful half an hour, the three arrived at the far end of the passage and entered the small room where Marcus removed the grill from the ventilation duct.
“I hope Newt is okay,” Tali said as she climbed up and into the shaft, “We’ve been gone a long time.”

“I’m sure Miss Jordan will be unharmed,” Marcus replied as he crawled forward to give her space, “She is an intelligent and resourceful girl, and her location is secure.”
“There are other people alive?” Amanda asked as she climbed into the duct as well and pulled the grill back into place.

“Only Newt,” Tali replied sadly, “Everyone else… was taken.”
“You are free Miss Zorah,” said Marcus, “And as long as there are free people in Hadley's Hope the geth have not won.”

Moving carefully, the three crawled through the ventilation shafts, eventually arriving at the junction. Tali’s fears instantly evaporated when she spotted Newt huddled in the corner, before the girl rushed over to hug her.
“I didn’t think you’d come back,” she mumbled tearfully.
“I made a promise didn’t I?” Tali replied, returning the hug.

Once Amanda and Marcus had climbed inside as well, they decided to share out some of their supplies, since none of them knew when they would have a chance to eat again. Tali also took the opportunity to tell the others about the turian and asari she had seen in the repair shop and what they had said.
“So, what do we do now?” Amanda asked once she had finished.

“We need to leave and report what’s happened here to the Alliance,” Tali replied.
“Indeed, but there is another problem,” said Marcus, “It is clear the geth are going to attempt to recover the crashed ship to use those eggs against other human colonies. If they are able to do that within a solar day, then there is no chance of the Alliance getting here in time to stop them.”

“But what can we do?” said Amanda, “We don’t have anything that can take on a geth dreadnought.”
“Why don’t you destroy the crashed ship then?” said Newt.
The other three looked at the girl, surprised at the suggestion, yet also seeing that she had a point.
“Would that be possible?” asked Tali.

“Perhaps,” Marcus replied, “There are survey charges kept in storage. Enough of them wired together for a simultaneous detonation would be very powerful.”
“But would it be enough to destroy that ship?”
“Maybe,” said Amanda, running her fingers through her hair, “If we planted the charges in that control room you found, it might be enough to split the ship in half.”

“That could work, but we still have a problem,” Tali replied, “How do we get there? Even with a crawler, it takes hours and we might not have that much time.”
“You are correct Miss Zorah,” said Marcus, “We would have to take one of the medical shuttles, but that would be extremely dangerous if the geth have set up ground defences.”
“It’s a risk,” said Amanda, “But it’s one we’re going to have to take if we’re to stop this Saren and Benezia.”

***

After finishing their small meal, Tali, Marcus, Amanda and Newt set off through the ventilation shafts once again. This time they headed to the centre of the colony, where the hangar for the medical shuttles was located. Along the way they stopped at the armoury, gathering two more pulse rifles, along with ammunition and grenades. Marcus was also able to access the explosive store and gathered as many survey charges as possible, along with a remote detonator.

Once finished, they returned to the vents and continued on to the hangar, where an insurmountable obstacle met them. As Tali climbed out and jumped to the floor, she found that the shuttles had been wrecked beyond repair, their doors torn off and engines shot to pieces.

“It seems the geth wanted to make sure no survivors could escape,” said Marcus, “And I would guess that the crawlers have also been disabled.”
“Fuckin’ brilliant!” snapped Amanda.
“What do we do now?” Newt asked in a small voice, hugging Tali closely.
“We’ll… we’ll think of something,” she replied, though her mind was a total blank. Without transport they could not hope to escape the colony, much less the moon.
“We could try and leave on foot,” Marcus suggested.

“Impossible,” Amanda replied bitterly, “We might get out of the compound, but it would take days to reach the crashed ship, and Newt would never make it.”
“We don’t have a choice,” Tali sighed, “We’ll just have to take turns carrying Newt.”
Gathering their supplies from the vent, the three crossed the hangar and headed for a small exit door on the far side. This opened out to a muddy stretch of open ground, with the colony’s defensive wall marking its edge.

Marcus poked his head out first, quickly drawing it back in as a geth patrol marched past. Once they were gone, he led the others out and they ducked behind a pile of oil drums close to the wall.
“There’s an exit 200 metres that way,” he explained, pointing to his right, “Once we’re through we’ll be beyond the colony.”
“What are those?” Newt asked, pointing in the opposite direction.
Tali shuffled around and saw three small insect-like craft parked a short distance from them.
“Those are geth fighters,” she replied, “They must have used them to get here.”

“Couldn’t we use one of those to escape?” Newt continued.
“No, the controls are designed for synthetics, we can’t use them.”
“What about Marcus? He’s a robot.”
Tali and Amanda looked at the android.
“It’s a possibility,” he replied.
“Are you out of your mind!” hissed Tali, “If you try and link up with those ships you’ll be in contact with the geth network!”
“Would that be a problem?”

“Yes it would! They could take you over! Rewrite your programming!”
“Not necessarily,” said Amanda, “Marcus’s hardware and software are very different to the geth’s. He might be safe.”
“The geth have had hundreds of years to learn how to hack other machines.”
“Yes, but they’ve never encountered human machinery in that time.”
“I fear it’s a risk we’ll have to take Miss Zorah,” said Marcus. “As you said, that geth dreadnought will be here within hours and if we don’t stop it, the whole of human space will be at risk.”

Tali looked to her companions, appalled and stunned. Worse still, she was beginning to think they had a point.
“4 weeks with these humans and already I’ve reprogramed a synthetic to kill and now I’m thinking about giving it access to the geth network? Keelah! I’m going to need my head examined when I get back to the fleet!”
“Okay,” she said reluctantly, “We’ll check out one of those fighters.”

Staying low, the four hurried out from behind the barrels and made a beeline for the fighters. Each of the craft was raised slightly upright, with a narrow ramp in their underside leading into the interior. Climbing up it, the team found themselves in a cramped space with no seating or windows, and only two small round metal objects at the front for the controls.

“Miss Zorah,” said Marcus as Amanda and Newt tried to make themselves comfortable on a bundle of cables. “If you don’t mind, I would like you to stay with me while I integrate myself into the flight systems.”
“Why?” she asked.
“If… if something were to go wrong, you may have to deactivate me, quite possibly with extreme force.”

A few weeks before, Tali would not have hesitated to destroy a synthetic, yet now she felt a stab of horror at the idea.
“Miss Zorah?” Marcus pressed, “Can you do that?”
“I… I will,” Tali answered, “Just… just be careful… please.”
“I shall.”

With that, he turned to the controls and raised his hands over the two metal domes.
“Ready?” Tali asked, unslinging her pulse rifle.
“I hope so,” Marcus answered.
He placed both of his hands on the domes and instantly his head snapped back, his mouth open as he let out a stuttering scream. Tali levelled her rifle.
“Kill it! Kill it now!”
“No! Not yet!”

Her finger slipped around the trigger but did not tighten. Marcus’s head jerked from side to side while his body remained rigid.
“KILL IT!”
“NO!”
“KILL IT NOW!”
“I CAN’T!”
Tali’s finger brushed the trigger and she forced it to move away. The last thing she needed was to accidentally kill one of her allies.

“Don’t be a fool! A machine will never be your ally!”
Abruptly Marcus’s screams stopped and he crashed to his knees, hands still clutching the two domes. His head twitched slightly again.
“Marcus?” Tali whispered, keeping the pulse rifle aimed at his back.
“Miss… Miss Zorah…” he replied, an electrical tinge to his voice.

“Are you… are you… you?”
Marcus’s head twitched once, then stilled.
“I… I believe I am in control of my hardware… The geth network was… unexpectedly powerful.”
“Have you gained control of the fighter?” Amanda asked, her arm looped around Newt as they both watched the android in tense fear.

“I have,” Marcus answered to everyone’s relief, “I also have gained access to the geth network, though it is limited.”
“Okay,” Tali said, lowering her rifle, “Take off and head for the crashed ship.”
“Of course.”

Marcus’s hands moved across the domes and a grumbling sound went through the fighter before it began to shake. The ramp closed up and Tali put a hand against the wall as she felt the craft lift into the air. Marcus began making more of the stuttering sounds, while his hands continued to move over the domes.

“That was the geth,” he said, looking back at the others, “They were trying to work out who was taking the craft.”
“What did you tell them?”
“I explained that possible human movement had been detected beyond the colony and that I was going to investigate.”
“Did they buy it?” asked Amanda.
“I cannot say for certain, but it is better if we do not linger.”

The grumble of the fighter’s engines became louder and Tali stumbled back as the momentum hit her. Nonetheless, she remained standing, determined to guard Marcus.
“What’s it like?” she asked, “The geth network?”
“It… it is difficult to explain to an organic,” Marcus replied, his eyes focused on the featureless wall in front of him. “The best way I can describe it, is like swimming in a vast ocean of information.”
“Is any of it useful to us?”

“I am attempting to download anything relevant to the attack on Hadley's Hope, though I’m being careful to scan it for any viruses or hacking programs.”
“What have you found?”
“Most of it is information that we already know. I have learned however that the dreadnought should be here in 10 earth hours, so we have plenty of…”
He paused for almost a full minute.
“Marcus?” Tali said, fearing something had happened.

“Sorry Miss Zorah,” he replied, “I’ve just discovered something peculiar. There is another human settlement on LV-426.”
“Another settlement?” said Amanda, looking very puzzled, “But I thought Hadley’s Hope was the only one.”
“It is, no other constructions have been authorised by Weyland-Yutani since the colony was established. I suggest we inspect it before moving onto the crashed ship.”

“Do we have time?” Tali asked.
“It is only a short distance from our original path, no more than an hour.”
“Very well, but don’t take any chances. Keep a look out for any geth activity in the area.”
“Of course Miss Zorah.”
Marcus adjusted the controls and there was a gentle sense of movement throughout the fighter as they changed course.

***

A little under an hour later there was a slight jolt as the craft touched down and the ramp opened.
“I can detect no geth activity in this region,” Marcus said, finally lifting his hands from the controls, “But I have landed the fighter in a small valley to lessen our chances of being discovered.”
“Good,” Tali replied, “You scout ahead. I’ll follow.”
“What about Newt?” asked Amanda.
“I can come,” the young girl piped up.

“No, it would be better if you were to remain here,” Marcus replied, “At least until we have made sure that this settlement is clear of hostiles.”
“I’ll stay with her,” said Amanda, “Just keep me posted by radio.”
Following the android, Tali climbed down the ramp onto the grey surface of the moon. The valley they were in was extremely narrow and tall, keeping most of the dusty air out.

Climbing up a slight incline, she and Marcus came to a large gully, ringed by the moon’s now familiar twisting stone spires. A short distance away, a metal drum, about a metre and a half high and 5 across rose out of the ground, a dark hole marking its entrance.
“It appears to be a standard UD-45 settlement structure,” said Marcus, “a prefabricated building used for the initial stages of founding a colony.

“It’s rather small isn’t it?” remarked Tali.
“Most of the structure is underground to protect it from the elements.”
Remaining in the lead, Marcus marched up to the building and shone his torch into the entrance.
“There is no movement inside,” he called back to Tali as she approached him, “But I would advise acting with extreme caution.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she replied, moving her pulse rifle into a low-ready position.

Stepping through the open doorway, the two descended a flight of metal stairs which ended in a short corridor, sealed by a door at the far end. In the middle of the floor lay a crumpled square object.
“It’s the exterior door,” Marcus said as he knelt down for a closer look, “It appears to have been blown open with a shaped charge.”
“The geth must have found this place and raided it,” Tali replied, her mouth suddenly feeling very dry.

Covering one another, Marcus and Tali advanced on the door, which opened with a sharp hiss. Beyond was a large room, with crates stacked up on each side, while the walls were slightly curved and made of glass, through which the moon’s grey rock could be seen. As they moved inside, the two saw blast marks and bullet holes riddling many of the surrounding surfaces.

“There must have been a serious fight here,” Tali said as she stepped around a blown-out section of floor.
“Indeed,” said Marcus, “But who were the geth shooting at?”
Reaching the far end of the room, Tali and Marcus found a door that linked to another short corridor, leading into another, much larger room. A few of the fluorescent lights along the ceiling were still working, showing that the outer walls were lined with work benches and isolation chambers. Medical equipment and microscopes littered the floor, along with the smashed remains of a mass effect rifle. In the centre were three medical tables, separated from the rest of the room by floor-to-ceiling windows.

“It’s a laboratory,” Tali began, “But what were…”
Her voice trailed off as she saw Marcus point his torch at one of the nearby isolation chambers. Sitting on the table within was one of the leathery eggs, sliced open around its axis, with various fleshy parts spread around it. On the bench beside it was one of the parasites, thankfully dead, fastened to a porcelain mat, its body cut open and pinned back.

“They were studying the creatures from the ship,” Marcus said.
“But who are ‘they’?” Tali asked, keeping her eyes on the parasite, not trusting it to stay dead.
“It could be Weyland-Yutani, much of this equipment is theirs, but it could be another group. I will need more data to confirm.”

They explored the room for a few minutes, finding more of the dissected eggs and parasites, before going through another doorway which led into a T-junction, linking two more rooms. In one they found a mess of overturned bunk beds, chairs and tables, while the other was filled with computer servers and terminals.

“The equipment here is undamaged,” said Marcus, “I’ll see what I can access. You may as well tell Amanda and Newt to join us, there is no danger here.”
Tali activated her omni-tool and contacted Amanda while Marcus sat at one of the terminals, quickly scrolling through the screens of green text.

“Well this is a cheerful place you’ve found,” Amanda remarked sardonically as she walked in a few minutes later, Newt clinging to her side, “No one at home I take it?”
“No,” Tali replied, feeling a little guilty at allowing Newt into the bunker, “Marcus is trying to access their systems now to find out more information.”

“I’ve found it,” Marcus said, not looking up from his terminal.
“Well?” said Amanda, “Who are we dealing with here?”
This time Marcus turned around in his chair to face the others.
“This outpost was set up by Cerberus.”

The name meant nothing to Tali, but Amanda looked shocked.
“Cerberus?” she said, “Are… are you sure?”
“There can be no doubt,” Marcus replied.
“Who are Cerberus?” Tali asked.

“It is a secret organisation that was formed after the First Contact War,” Marcus explained. “They believed that humanity should be the dominant force in the galaxy, less it risk destruction at the hands of the other spacefaring species.”
“What do they do?”

“They’re suspected to be behind the assassination of a number of Alliance and Citadel officials, and of carrying out unsanctioned experiments on various sapient beings.”
“How could the Alliance allow such an organisation to even exist?”
“Until now there’s been no definitive proof that it actually existed,” said Amanda. “We always heard rumours that something called Cerberus was behind terrorist attacks, but there was never anything official to prove it. No leaders, no bases, not even an emblem.”

“Well, we have that now,” said Marcus.
He pressed a few keys and a hexagon divided in two appeared on the computer screen.
“What else have you found?” Tali asked, dreading to think what the answer would be.
“The base commander was making video reports and sending them to a digital dead drop, no doubt to be picked up by Cerberus’s headquarters. I can play them if you wish.”
“Do it.”

Marcus clicked through a few menus and the image of a dark-skinned human with greying hair appeared on the screen. Behind him was the same room they were in, with a large number of boxes piled up against the glass wall.

“This is the first log of Doctor Mirza Rahman,” the man stated looking directly into the camera. “We managed to land and construct the bunker without being detected by the colonists at Hadley's Hope. Agent Giler has taken a small team to investigate the derelict ship while the rest of us set up the scientific equipment here.”
“They knew about the crashed ship?” Tali said as the video ended, “But Marcus, you said it wasn’t registered with anyone.”

“It wasn’t registered by Weyland-Yutani,” Marcus replied, “Evidently someone else discovered the ship without reporting it.”
He turned back to the terminal and started the next video.
“It is now 3 days since we arrived on LV-426,” Doctor Rahman began, rubbing his eyes. “Agent Giler and his team carried out a detailed examination of the ship. It truly is a remarkable design, unlike anything I’ve ever seen, hell, I doubt even the asari have seen anything close to this. Giler’s team was able to recover some of the eggs from the ship’s hold. They are currently being kept frozen in isolation, so we can avoid an outbreak such as the one on the Nostromo.”

“They knew what happened on the Nostromo?” exclaimed Amanda.
“Cerberus recovered the ship’s flight recorder,” said Marcus, “One of the crew was infected by the parasite, leading to an outbreak. Ash, the ship’s doctor, made a detailed report before he was deactivated.”
“Deactivated?”
“He was a synthetic.”
“Is it normal to have a synthetic crewmember as a doctor?” asked Tali.

“No,” Marcus replied, becoming stern, “But that’s not all. It seems that Ash was ordered to sabotage the crew's efforts to kill the organism.”
“Ordered by whom?” said Amanda, her tone becoming very dangerous.
“By Weyland-Yutani.”

Tali looked at the human in bafflement.
“But… but that doesn’t make any sense! Why would they stop their own people from destroying one of those creatures?”
“The company must have wanted it for their bioweapons division,” Amanda spat, “They would have made a fortune from it.”

Suddenly she lashed out, knocking a chair across the room before burying her head in her hands.
“Amanda…” Tali said, gently placing a hand on the human’s shoulder, “I’m sorry…”
“You’ve nothing to be sorry for,” Amanda sniffed, “It’s the fucking company that needs to pay for this! They murdered a whole crew, they murdered my mother! And for what?! So they could make a couple of extra bucks!”

“Your mother may not be dead.”
Hearing the words, Tali and Amanda turned to look at the android.
“But… but you said one of those creatures got onboard the Nostromo,” said Amanda.
“Indeed, but Lieutenant Ellen Ripley was not registered as deceased when the Nostromo self-destructed. The recorder said she boarded the escape shuttle shortly beforehand.”

“And?” Tali pressed, eager for more information.
“I’m afraid that’s it,” Marcus replied, “The flight recorder was ejected at the same time to escape the destruction of the ship. Nothing about the shuttle is recorded.”
“There has to be something!” insisted Amanda.
“It’s possible, but it would take days to examine all of the data and we do not have time.”
“Then download it. I can study it once we’re off-world.”

“Of course Miss Ripley. I can also send a copy to your omni-tool.”
“Do it.”
Marcus’s hands rushed across the keyboard and Amanda’s omni-tool lit up.
“Thank you,” she whispered tearfully.
“Is there anything else?” said Tali, “Anything that could be useful to us?”
“There are more recordings from Doctor Rahman,” Marcus answered, “I believe you should see it.”

“Why?”
“He was in contact with Carter Burke, Weyland-Yutani’s representative on Sevastopol Station.”
“He… he was the human who offered me the job here…”
Tali’s voice trailed off as the computer screen reactivated. This time it was divided in two, with Doctor Rahman on one side, and the familiar form of Carter Burke sitting in his office on the other.
“We’ve made tremendous progress in studying the eggs,” Rahman began, “From a scientific point of view, the organism is almost perfect. It can adapt to any environment and could theoretically go indefinitely without nutrition.”

“And what of the creature’s combat abilities?” asked Burke, lacing his fingers together.
“We are not able to create the secondary organism at this time. The parasite requires a host in order to create it, and we have not been able to procure a suitable one yet.”
Burke was quiet for a time, before a glint appeared in his eyes.
“What if you planted some of the eggs in the colony?”

Rahman’s brow furrowed.
“Sir, what you’re suggesting…”
“I know it sounds risky, but it’s perfect. It would give us a chance to see how the creature operates in an organic situation and how best to combat it.”
“The boss is unlikely to authorise such an action.”

“He doesn’t need to know what we’ve done, and once he sees the results he won’t care. Besides, we’ve got the perfect scapegoat if things do go wrong.”
“What do you mean?” Rahman said, puzzled.
“A quarian came to me the other week looking for work. I had her sent to Hadley's Hope. If something goes wrong, we can pin the blame on her.”

“Sir, would anyone seriously believe that? It’s not like this quarian could smuggle the eggs through quarantine procedures.”
Burke smiled coldly.
“Let me worry about how to spin this,” he said, “You just make sure you're ready to monitor the situation at the colony.”
The video ended there. Tali slumped into a nearby chair, shocked.
“I… I can’t believe it…”

“It makes sense,” Marcus replied, “You were the only non-human at the colony, and there are plenty within Alliance space who would allow prejudice to cloud their judgment.”
Tali held her head in her hands.
“I’m such an idiot.”
“No you’re not,” Amanda cut in sharply, “You are the victim of a ruthless terrorist group that was willing to sacrifice hundreds of lives for its sick experiments.”

“Don’t be scared Tali,” Newt said firmly, “I would have told everyone the truth!”
Tali’s eyes were wet with tears, but she managed a smile.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“There is one more video log,” said Marcus.
“Must we keep listening to these horrible people?” grumbled Amanda.
“You do not have to Miss Ripley, but this one shows us what happened to the outpost.”
“Play it,” Tali said, her voice nearly toneless.

Marcus dutifully opened the video file. This time the screen was filled with Doctor Rahman’s face, half of it drenched in blood. In the background, the snap and stutter of mass effect weapons could be heard, often joined by terrified shouts.

“This is an emergency message for Cerberus command,” Rahman gasped, looking back over his shoulder as an explosion shook the room. “We are under attack by geth forces. I don’t know how they found us, but they must be after species XX121.”
Another explosion sounded out and Rahman was thrown against the desk.

“ENEMIES EVERYWHERE!” yelled a voice, before a storm of gunfire drowned out all else.
“I’m out of time!” Rahman yelled, “I’m going to set the outpost to self-destruct! Tell the-”
Before he could finish there was a sharp crackle, and the screen was filled with blue light. By the time it cleared, Rahman had disappeared and the white angular form of a geth had entered the frame. A few more shots were heard in the background, then all was silent.

“Is that the last of them?” a voice sounded out after a few minutes.
The geth made a series of clicking sounds.
“Good, you did well to stun them all. Once they are infected, have them transported to the human colony and placed in the lower levels of the atmosphere processor. In the meantime, have a second squad disable the colony’s interstellar communications. I doubt they can send a signal past our jamming program, but we cannot afford to take chances at this crucial stage.”
The imposing armoured figure of a turian stepped into view of the camera. Tali recognised them at once as the same one she had seen at the colony.
“This laboratory is almost impressive… by human standards,” Saren said, casting his gaze lazily about the room. “It will be most amusing to see them become part of their own experiment.”

He chuckled darkly then waved his synthetic arm at the screen, prompting one of the nearby geth to walk over and end the recording.
“There you have it,” said Marcus, “Cerberus’s plot was discovered by the geth who then used their findings and personnel to unleash those organisms against the colony.”

“This is insane!” Amanda exclaimed, “All this death and destruction, and for what?”
“When I was linked to the geth network, I saw something. The geth aren’t acting independently, they are serving another.”
“Who?” asked Tali.
“Something they refer to as ‘Reapers’. They are a species of highly advanced and ancient artificial intelligences.”

“I’ve never heard of anything like that,” said Amanda, “Not outside of a book at least.”
“Well whatever it is, we can’t let the geth get their hands on that crashed ship,” said Tali, “Come on, we should be going.”
“One moment Miss Zorah,” said Marcus, “There is something here we need.”
Getting up from the desk, the android crossed the room and opened a hatch in the wall, withdrawing a large hexagon shaped container from inside.

“What is it?” said Tali, feeling more than a little uneasy.
“It’s a bomb,” Marcus said in a matter-of-fact tone, “The same one Doctor Rahman was going to use to destroy this base. Do not worry, it is not active.”
“What the hell do we need it for?” said Amanda, eyeing the container with more than a hint of fear.

“To destroy the crashed ship,” Marcus replied in the same matter-of-fact tone, “This alone is more than twice as powerful as our combined survey charges.”
“Are you sure it’s inactive?” asked Tali.
“Quite sure Miss Zorah.”
“Then bring it. We can’t risk leaving that ship intact.”

Chapter Text

Once Marcus had finished downloading all the data he could from the bunker’s computer systems, he stuffed the bomb into a duffle bag and the three hurried back to the geth fighter. Tali had barely climbed up the ramp before it closed, while Marcus put down the duffle bag and placed his hands on the craft’s controls.

“We’ll have to move fast,” he said as the compartment began to shake from the force of the take-off. “The geth network now said that the dreadnought will arrive in the next 4 hours.”
“How long will it take us to reach the crashed ship?” asked Tali.
“2 hours and 35 minutes.”
“That’s still gives us time, let’s not waste it.”

Sitting down on a section of pipe, Tali made sure to keep one hand on the duffle bag. Marcus might have said that the bomb was inactive, but she did not want to risk it being knocked about during the flight.
Before long, Newt and Amanda had fallen into a light stupor. Tali attempted to keep one eye on Marcus, yet even that did not seem all that important now.
“Are you really going to sleep in the same space as an android!”
“Why not? He’s flying the ship, there’s not much he can do.”
“You know full well what it will do. Have you forgotten what happened to your own people?”
“No!”
“Then be smart and watch that synthetic.”

Tali squeezed her eyes shut. She was becoming increasingly tired of her thoughts arguing. At the same time, it was impossible to forget why. Whatever Marcus had done, he was a machine, he simply did not think the same way as an organic. His whole personality could be rewritten with the flick of a switch.

“That’s not his fault.”
“That doesn’t change what it is.”
Tali placed a hand against the side of her helmet, trying to keep it upright. Beside her, Newt and Amanda were fast asleep, the young girl slumped across the woman’s lap.
“Are you alright Miss Zorah?”

Tali looked up to find Marcus facing her, both hands still on the controls.
“Yes… I’m fine… just resting.”
“Very good. We will reach the crashed ship in 1 hour.”
“Good.”
“Also, I would like to thank you.”

Beneath her visor, Tali’s face took on a puzzled expression.
“What for?” she asked.
“For reactivating me and disabling my safety protocols. I know that cannot have been an easy choice for you and it is a great risk. For that I am grateful to you.”
“Why?”
“If you had not done that, I would have remained in an inactive state indefinitely, and I would not have been able to assist you.”
Tali’s puzzlement only grew.
“Why would that matter to you?”

Marcus was quiet for a moment before speaking.
“Existence, learning, doing things, there is fulfilment in that for me.”
“So, you enjoy living?”
“I suppose you could put it like that.”
“But how would you even know what enjoyment feels like? You’re a machine.”
“That is part of my programming. Fulfilling tasks gives me positive feedback.”

“But... how? How would you know what is positive or negative?”
“How do you know what is positive or negative Miss Zorah?”
“Because… because I was taught it by my parents, and the people around me.”
“It was the same for me. The engineers and scientists put a lot of time into teaching us about humans and how they interact before we are sent out to work.”

He turned back to focus on the fighter’s controls. Tali was silent for some time after that, thinking about what the android was saying, when she remembered something else.
“Why didn’t you tell the colonists that I shot you?”
Marcus turned back around, giving her a curious look.
“You... I damaged you…” Tali went on, nervousness and guilt creeping in on her, “It would have been the logical thing to tell them what I had done.”
“You were in a state of distress when you fired,” Marcus replied, “It would have been pointless to add to that with needless disciplinary action.”

He returned to the controls once again. Tali remained quiet from that point on. What Marcus said made sense, but it was hard to process, not only on a technical level, but also what it implied about her own people.
“It wasn’t a mistake to try and destroy the geth,” she remembered her father saying, “But it was a mistake to create them. We should have known that machines could never understand organics.”

Yet the machine standing before her disproved those words. In his own synthetic way, Marcus did care for her and the other colonists.
“Keelah!” she thought, “What would my friends back at the fleet say if they heard about this?”
“They’d say you’ve gone crazy,” another thought replied truthfully.

***

An hour later a gentle shudder went through the compartment, rousing everyone from their doze.
“We have landed,” Marcus announced, “For the purpose of secrecy, I have landed in a small gully 500 metres from the edge of the crash site.”
“Lovely,” yawned Amanda as she stood up and stretched, “Nothing like a nice walk to improve a life or death situation.”

“Marcus,” said Tali as she checked her pulse rifle, “Have you detected any geth activity around the ship?”
“A geth scout craft landed here a few days ago, but I cannot access more information about it from the network,” replied the android. “Not without putting myself at risk of being hacked. As always, I recommend caution.”

“Okay, here’s the plan,” Tali continued, “Marcus will carry the bomb into the ship and prime it. Amanda, you and I will escort him and defend against any geth that have been left on guard.”
“What about me?” asked Newt.
“You will have to stay here until we return,” Tali answered reluctantly, “Even if the geth aren’t inside that ship, it’s a dangerous place.”

“But what if they come here?”
“The geth are unlikely to find this fighter,” said Marcus, “But if they do, then you must hide somewhere close by until we return. We should supply you with a radio so you can stay in contact with us.”

Amanda rummaged around in one of the bags they had brought with them and pulled out a small boxy radio with an aerial sticking out from its side.
“You press this button here to talk to us, then release it to let us reply,” she explained, “You understand that?”
“I know how to work a radio,” Newt replied sharply, “I’m not a baby!”
“No you’re not,” said Tali, “But promise us you’ll stay safe.”
“I will Tali.”

After making sure the girl was comfortable, Marcus, Tali and Amanda climbed down the ramp and started through the rocky columns. Each of them carried a pulse rifle and a satchel of ammunition. Marcus also had the duffle bag with the bomb slung over his back. Amanda suggested that they maintain some distance for safety, but Tali waved the idea off.
“If that bomb goes off now there’s not much we can do,” she said flatly.

After scaling a series of steep paths and climbing over a hillock, the hull of the crashed ship came into view, a great curve of pale bronze in the low afternoon sun.
“Woah!” Amanda whispered, “I’ve never seen anything like this! Who built it?”
“Did the geth network have any information about it?” Tali asked, trying to distract herself as the hull began to tower over them.

“No,” Marcus answered, “They were only informed about its location by Saren. There was nothing about who made it or where it came from.”
No more was said as the three climbed over the last set of low hills and began crossing the area of flat ground behind the ship. Before long the three entrances in its centre loomed up before them, larger and darker than ever. Wind whipped dust across Tali’s visor and she quickly wiped it away. She couldn’t afford any distractions.

Climbing the rocks piled up against the hull, they reached the entrance and switched on their torches, revealing the curving walls of the interior.
“This place gets stranger all the time,” said Amanda as she looked around, mouth hanging open.
“There’s worse to come,” said Tali.
“Stay together,” said Marcus as he started down the corridor.

Amanda and Tali followed closely, weapons at the ready. The place seemed more alien than it had before, the very air itself feeling thick, even through the filters of her suit. Even the walls pressed in on her like a thick oily mass.
“Just focus on the task at hand and get out of here as quickly as possible,” she told herself.

After what felt like an eternity, the curving passageway opened up into the vast round room, the silence broken now and then by the dripping of some unknown liquid.
“We’ll need to plant the explosives in the centre of the dais,” said Marcus, “From there it should destroy the whole ship.”
As before, he climbed up the side of the dais with ease, while Amanda and Tali had to spend a few seconds making sure they had a proper grip before following.
“God…” the human whispered once she was up and staring at the creature fused into its chair, “This place… I can’t believe it’s real…”

“Hopefully it won’t be before long,” Tali replied, trying to avoid looking at the hollow eyes of the seated figure.
“I will need a few minutes to prime the bomb,” said Marcus as he walked to the centre of the dais and set down the duffle bag. “I would advise that you keep watch.”
“We will,” Tali replied.

Keeping the muzzle of her pulse rifle pointing upward, Tali slowly paced around the chamber. The faint glow coming from the skylight far above was not enough to light the space, so she scanned the walls with her torch, searching for any would-be ambushers.  Circling around to the opposite side of the chair, she spotted Amanda kneeling beside the hole in the floor, holding one of the forgotten boxes. As she got closer, the young quarian realised that her eyes were fixed on the faded word, Nostromo.

“Amanda? Are you okay?” she asked.
“My Mum was here,” Amanda sniffed, “She was here in this terrible place.”
“Ellen Ripley never came to this ship,” Marcus called out from behind the chair, “The flight recorder said that she remained on the Nostromo while it was on LV-426.”
Tears spilled down Amanda’s face. Tali sighed again at the android's tactlessness.

“I'm sorry Amanda,” she said, placing an arm around her friend’s shoulders.
“You know… sometimes I hate her,” Amanda went on in a wobbly voice, “She was away from home for work so much I only ever saw her a few times. But she… she promised she’d be back for my 11^th birthday…”
The rest of Amanda’s words were lost in a series of powerful sobs. Tali was about to draw her close and say everything would be alright, when she noticed a circle of red light on her chest.

“Down!”
She shoved Amanda to one side and dived just before a bolt of red light cut through the air where they had been, striking the dais with a tremendous boom.
Ears ringing, Tali rolled over, trying to see what was shooting at her, only to roll again as another jet of red light streaked overhead, gouging a glowing path across the dais. On the curving wall above, something scurried at inhuman speed. Tali levelled her pulse rifle and let off a long burst, only for the thing to leap into the darkness below the dais.

“Miss Zorah? Miss Ripley?”
Tali glanced sideways to see Marcus hurry out from behind the great chair, rifle in hand.
“Keep your eyes peeled!” Tali replied, aiming her rifle where the attacker had disappeared, “There’s something in here with us!”

WOOSH!
There was a rush of movement as a pale object shot through the air and landed on the wall, hanging on like a demented frog. Tali let off another burst from her pulse rifle, but the thing jumped again, this time landing on the dais in front of her.

It looked like a geth, but instead of white armour plating, its body was covered in a network of synthetic muscles. Its legs and arms were longer and looked more powerful than a standard geth unit, while its fingers spread out wider than a dinner plate. Its hooded head twisted up to look at her, the single eye glowing a bright red. Tali dived again, just as the bolt shot at her. At the same time, there was a stutter of gunfire and chunks of white were ripped out of the machine’s back, causing it to jump back into the darkness. Marcus came forward, his pulse rifle smoking.

“The geth must have left it as a guard,” he said.
“How the fuck do we kill it?” said Amanda, who had just managed to get back on her feet.
“We shoot it until it stops moving,” Tali answered.
She risked a look at the counter on the side of her gun which said how many rounds it had left. The magazine was half empty, she would have to be careful with the remaining bullets.

There was a faint sound of wind as something moved quickly in the dark, but it was almost impossible to see anything outside of their torch beams.
“Stick together,” Tali whispered, “And make sure you’re covering one another.”
“Got it,” Amanda replied.
Standing back to back, the three waited for the geth to make the next move. Unfortunately, the machine seemed to have other ideas and refused to attack.
“What’s it doing?” whispered Amanda.

“Delaying us,” said Marcus, running the beam of his torch along the arching roof, “It must know the dreadnought is on its way and hopes we will not be able to destroy the ship in time.”
“What about the bomb?” Tali muttered under her breath, “Is it ready?”
“It is primed, but I’ve not been able to link it up to the remote detonator.”
“And how long before the dreadnought gets here?”
“1 hour, possibly less. I believe the geth network may have been putting out false information about its schedule.”
“Why?”

“Perhaps they suspected that the colonists might be able to access it.”
“Then we’ve gotta kill that thing and get out of here!” hissed Tali. “We have to draw it out.”
“But how?” asked Amanda.
“I suggest we split up,” said Marcus in a low voice, “You two go one way around the chair and I’ll go around the other. The geth might think it can attack us successfully then.”
“Yeah, because it could be successful!” whispered Amanda.

“You can protect one another, and I can act quickly as a machine.”
“I don’t like it,” Tali replied, still aiming her rifle into the darkness.
“Nor do I,” admitted Marcus, “But what else can we do?”
The young quarian sighed. If nothing else, she could always hate the android for being so logical.
“Okay,” she said reluctantly, “We go on the count of 3. 1, 2, 3,”

Keeping their weapons raised, Tali and Amanda began moving anti-clockwise around the dais while Marcus went clockwise. There was a scurrying of powerful feet and hands from the dark as the geth realised something was happening.
“Stay calm,” Tali told herself, “And when you see that thing, blast it.”

More scurrying came from the darkness. Tali was careful to lift her feet up high, so she would not trip over the pipes that crossed the floor.
“What’s it waiting for?”
The thought was interrupted by a shape moving up the wall to her right.
“There,” Tali whispered to Amanda, pointing with her rifle.

Without speaking, the human raised her own rifle. Tali lined up her sights and prepared to squeeze the trigger, when the shape jumped from the wall and came flying at her, its red eye glowing.
Reflexively Tali pulled the trigger, but the sudden shock caused her to miss, sending a spray of bullets harmlessly up the wall.

CRASH!
The geth collided with Amanda, throwing her into the chair. Tali swung her gun around for another shot, when the machine lashed out with one of its powerful arms, knocking the rifle aside and forcing her to the floor.

Pain burst along Tali’s back as she landed hard on one of the pipes. She tried to raise her gun, but already the red eye was focused on her. It glowed brightly, preparing for a killing strike, when a rapid series of reports split the air and the geth jerked sideways. Moving with deadly precision, Marcus dashed out from the other side of the chair, pulse rifle at his shoulder. He lined up for another shot, when the geth climbed up the side of the seated creature and fired a bolt of red that struck the android in the side. Instantly he collapsed.

“MARCUS!”
Hearing the shout, the geth wheeled around, preparing to fire on the young quarian, when more gunshots rang out and its torso was ripped open by a hail of bullets. It staggered back and tried to raise its head to fire, but by then Tali had reshouldered her own weapon. Pulling the trigger with all her strength, she emptied the rest of the magazine into the geth’s body, blowing off one arm and smashing the lens in its head. The geth tried to find a grip on the dead pilot, before finally it went limp and fell to the dais with a heavy thud, oozing white from countless bullet holes.

Heart pounding in her chest, Tali sat herself up and looked around. Amanda was kneeling beside her, smoke twisting free from the muzzle of her rifle.
“Are… are you okay?” she breathed.
“Yes… yeah I’m fine,” Tali answered, before letting out a laugh, “That was the first geth I’ve ever killed!”
“We killed,” Amanda corrected her, “You, Me and Marcus...”

The feeling of elation turned to horror.
“Marcus!” Tali cried.
Scrambling to her feet, she ran to where the android had fallen. A hole the size of a fist had been punched through the lower left side of his torso, drenching it in white fluid.
“Marcus!” Tali exclaimed desperately, “Marcus can you hear me?”
“Yes…” came the shaky reply, “Yes I can hear you.”
Gingerly the android sat up.

“Are you hurt?” he asked.
“Never mind me!” Tali shouted, “You’ve got a hole in your body!”
Marcus looked down at the damage.
“Dear me,” he remarked, “That will need to be repaired.”
He coughed, bringing up a small amount of white fluid.
“Amanda!” Tali called out, “I need your help!”

Luckily the human had already hurried over to join them.
“You’re lucky,” she said to Marcus as she shone her torch into the hole, I can’t see any major damage to your critical systems, but we’ll need to patch this up before long. Can you stand?”
“I’ll have to,” Marcus replied, “I still need to link that bomb to the detonator.”

With a great deal of effort, the android climbed to his feet and headed over to where the bomb lay. He said nothing while making the necessary adjustments to it and the detonator, but Tali could not help but worry. More of the white fluid was leaking from the hole, staining his shirt and trousers.

“You are being foolish. It’s a machine, it can be repaired.”
“He is my friend, and the only one who can fly the fighter, so I have every right to worry.”
“It is done,” Marcus said, turning back to face the others after a few more minutes, “We should retreat to the fighter at once. We will be outside of the main blast radius there.”

Having no reason to argue, Tali and Amanda hastily climbed down from the dais, Marcus following shortly afterward.
“That’s the second time I’ve had to run out of this thing,” Tali breathed as they reached the end of the passageway and stepped out into the afternoon light.
“At least it will be the last,” Amanda quipped.

They climbed down the rocks and had reached level ground, when a grumbling reached their ears.
“Oh no…” Tali whispered, her heart sinking.
“What is it?” said Amanda.
“It is the geth dreadnought,” answered Marcus, who had just stepped out of the ship and was climbing down the rocks, “We must retreat as quickly as possible.”
Without a backward glance, the three took off across the flattened ground as fast as they could.

“It’s just a few hundred metres, we can make it!”
But even as Tali thought it, the grumbling became even louder. By the time they reached the hillocks, the ground was beginning to shake, throwing up small clouds of dust. Finally risking a look back, Tali saw a great triangle of metal appear from the hazy sky, a long, smooth rounded hull following in its wake.

“IT’S HERE! she shouted.
Finding all the speed they could, the three jumped over the hill and ducked behind one of the columns of stone. From there they had a full view of the dreadnought as its insect-like form slowed and swung around so it was directly above the crashed ship.
“Now would be a good time to destroy it!” Tali squeaked.
Marcus took the detonator from his belt. He flipped up a red plastic cover, exposing a flat round button, and depressed it.

Nothing happened.
He pressed it again and again. Still nothing.
“What’s wrong!?” Tali whispered frantically.
“I don’t know,” Marcus replied, sounding fearful for the first time.
Bluish light appeared from the underside of the geth dreadnought, enveloping the crashed ship.

“Tractor beams!” exclaimed Amanda.
The grumbling of the dreadnought was joined by sharp cracks as dust began to fall from the crash ship’s hull.
“They’re trying to lift it!” Amanda said in amazement.
“Marcus! You have to destroy it!” Tali shouted.
“I’m trying!” Marcus replied, now desperately turning the dials on the remote.
The dreadnought began to rise, as did the crashed ship.
“Give me the detonator!” Tali demanded, “I can fix it!”

Marcus looked unsure, but he handed over the remote all the same. Tali opened her omni-tool and quickly found the problem.
“One of the wires inside isn’t properly linked!” she said.
“Can you fix it?” said Amanda.
“I’ll have to.”

With the crashed ship now several metres in the air, Tali pulled off the protective cover from the side of the detonator. She soon found the loose wire and jammed it back into its port without any finesse before slamming her fist down on the red button.
For several agonisingly long seconds, there was nothing. Tali was about to see if she had missed something, when a new sound began to drown out all the others.
It started as a deep rumble, then with a great bang, the side of the crashed ship split open, letting out a tremendous gush of flames.

BOOM!
The air around them flexed and a shockwave caught Tali, knocking her and the others to the ground. Dust swirled all around, while flames burst out across the hull of the crashed ship. The blue light of the tractor beam flickered then died and the whole structure dropped to the ground.

KA-BOOM!
Another shock wave hit Tali, forcing her flat against the uneven ground. Heat then washed over her, and the sky above turned a deep orange.  Managing to raise her head, she saw the dreadnought attempting to pull away from the exploding mass, when one of the curved sections of the crashed ship was catapulted into the air.

BAM!
With a terrible screeching of tearing metal the crashed ship struck the dreadnought’s flank, shattering hull plates and causing massive explosions to erupt from within.
“That thing’s going to come down on all of us,” Tali realised.
“RUN!”

Grabbing Amanda and Marcus, she dragged them into the undulating landscape, soon breaking into a mad dash. More explosions ripped through the air as the dreadnought’s ammunition and fuel stores ignited. Jets of flame shot through the sky before being overtaken by dark objects that crashed to the ground all around them, adding to the cacophony of noise.

Tali was just rounding one of the stone columns when an enormous force caught her whole body and slammed her into the ground. She tried to scramble up, when a roaring wave of heat rushed over her, forcing her down again. The sound grew and grew, punctuated by screeches and bangs that caused the moon’s rocky surface to vibrate. Tali clutched her hands over her helmet, begging it to end, until there was a sound like a great door being closed. Gradually the roar died away and the wind lessened. Moving ever so slowly, Tali raised her head, finding herself confronted by a mass of dust.

BAM!
A square object smashed into the ground a few metres ahead of the quarian. She scrambled back, gasping for air as more dust washed over her. As the haze cleared, she saw a hard jagged edge, covered in a layer of slag. It was a piece of the dreadnought’s hull, half buried in the ground from the force of the impact.

“Keelah! If I’d been moving a little faster…”
She brushed the thought aside, nothing good would come of dwelling on what could have happened.
Forcing her aching body to stand, Tali found that the landscape had been almost completely altered. Many of the stone columns had been knocked down by the blast, while twisted pieces of metal were scattered about, many still burning.

“We were lucky to survive that…”
“Did we?”
Tali spun around on the spot, but saw no one else.
“AMANDA!” she yelled, “MARCUS! WHERE ARE YOU!”
A muffled sound replied.
“AMANDA!” Tali yelled, “AMANDA!”
“Over here!” came a faint reply to her right.
Following the sound, Tali tried to wave away some of the dust in the air until a hint of blue caught her eye.
“Marcus’s shirt!”

She ran forward until a prostrate figure appeared from the haze, with another in a set of green overalls underneath it, both almost completely covered in dust.
“Ah, Miss Zorah,” Marcus said cheerfully as he raised his head, “It’s good to see that you survived the explosion. It was much more powerful than I predicted.”
“Well I guess your prediction didn’t take a geth dreadnought into account,” groaned Amanda as she crawled out from under the android, clutching a bloody spot on her forehead.

“You’re hurt!” Tali gasped.
“It’s just a flesh wound, a few drops of medi-gel and It’ll be good as new.”
“There’s a medical kit on the fighter,” said Marcus.
“The… fighter…”
Tali spoke the words slowly as the full weight of realisation hit her.
“Oh my god…” whispered Amanda, her expression rapidly turning from shock to horror as she looked over the ruinous landscape around them.
In an instant the three were running once again, dodging around pieces of burning debris.

“Please let her be okay, Please!”
Yet as she pleaded, Tali kept passing more chunks of broken metal or still glowing slag, each more than enough to destroy the small fighter. Finally, she half-ran, half-fell down a rough path and reached the gully where Marcus had landed, finding it littered with small pieces of burning wreckage. The fighter was still there, but now sat at an odd angle, while a large section of its hull had been torn away by an impact.

“NEWT!”
Forgetting all else, Tali pelted down the gully and up the ramp, finding the craft’s interior full of smoke.
“NEWT!”
“I’m here.”
A pile of bags on the floor moved and the pale and very confused face of Newt Jordan appeared.
“Newt! Thank goodness!” Tali cried, falling to her knees and clearing away the bags around the girl, “Are you hurt?”

“No. There was a lot of noise and I was rocked about. Did you destroy the ship?”
“Yes…” Tali cried, weeping with joy as she hugged Newt, “We did.”
There was a thunder of feet and Marcus hurried into the fighter, quickly followed by Amanda.
“Thank god!” the human breathed when she saw Newt.
“I wouldn’t thank any deities yet Miss Ripley,” Marcus said as he looked around the compartment, “The fighter has suffered significant damage. It might not be able to take off.”

“You better check the controls,” said Tali, though with her fears about Newt dispelled, new ones took their place.
If the craft couldn’t fly there was no way they could escape the moon.
Tentatively Marcus placed his hands on the controls, his expression becoming very grim.
“I’m afraid that the damage limits us to in-atmosphere flight,” he said after a few minutes.
“Can we repair it? Amanda asked, though her expression betrayed her hopelessness.

“No,” Marcus replied, shaking his head, “The outer hull has been breached, we would burn up or explode if we attempted space flight or FTL travel.”
“What do we do now?” asked Newt, looking to each of her companions.
“I don’t know,” said Amanda, looking extremely downcast.
“We can still fly,” said Marcus, “That will make it harder for any remaining geth to track us and… and…”

He became very quiet for a few moments.
“What is it?” said Tali, becoming tense.
“We’re… we’re getting a signal,” he replied, as if not believing his own words, “It’s an Alliance ship.”
“Can you put it on loudspeaker?” asked Amanda.
“Just a moment.”
Marcus’s hands moved slightly over the domes and a new voice filled the compartment.

“I repeat, this is SSV Normandy calling Hadley’s Hope, are you reading us? Over.”
“Can you reply?” asked Tali, “I remember that turian saying they had a jamming system in place?”
“This is a geth ship, it must have means of bypassing their jamming.”
Marcus adjusted the controls again and spoke.
“Hello SSV Normandy, this is Hadley’s Hope, we read you, over.”

“Hadley’s Hope!” the voice replied, sounding relieved, “It’s good to hear from you. We’ve been trying to raise you for hours, what’s happening down there? Over.”
“A great deal I’m afraid. The colony has been attacked and overrun by hostile organisms and geth. There are only three survivors and myself. Over.”
“Geth? Hostile organisms?”
“Indeed, we’ve only just managed to escape and are currently 40 miles from the main complex. Over.”

“How many of these geth and hostile organisms are there? Over.”
“Unknown, but I estimate there are at least 100 of these hostile organisms and about the same number of geth. Over”
“And you? Are you safe? Over.”
“I cannot say. We are some distance from any geth forces, but I’ve no doubt they are searching for us, over”
“Very well Hadley’s Hope. We will arrive at LV-426 in 2 hours, can you remain hidden until then? Over.”

“I believe so. Sub-Processor 4 is not far from our location. We can wait there for you. Over.”
“Got it Hadley’s Hope, we’re locked onto the Sub-Processor, see you soon. Over and out.”
The radio went silent.
“2 hours,” whispered Amanda in disbelief, “2 hours and we’ll be rescued.”
“Get us moving Marcus,” said Tali, allowing hope to bloom inside herself for the first time, “I don’t want to miss our flight.”
“Understood Miss Zorah,” replied the android.
A strained grumble filled the compartment and the fighter took to the air one last time.

Chapter Text

It took every bit of skill that Marcus’s programming possessed to keep the fighter in the air. Engines failed and had to be rebooted repeatedly, and a thin haze of smoke filled the compartment, forcing them to keep the ramp open to vent it. Despite all the problems, the craft stayed in the air and reached the sub-processor, even if the landing was rougher than usual.

“I’m glad that’s over,” Amanda sighed as she picked up two bags and a pulse rifle.
“It’s not over yet,” Tali replied grimly as she grabbed a satchel of grenades, “We still have another hour until that Alliance ship gets here.”
“Our chances of success are high,” said Marcus, “We have a strong defensive position and…”

His voice trailed off as he attempted to pick up a bag, only to collapse to his knees.
“What’s wrong?” Tali asked.
“It’s the damage from the geth attack,” Marcus replied, pressing a hand against the ragged hole in his torso, “I’ve lost a significant amount of circulatory fluid. I will need to replenish it soon.”
“Is there any in the sub-processor?”

“Yes, all outposts and settlements have a basic repair kit on site for androids.”
Marcus attempted to pick up the bag again, but Tali took it.
“Let me,” she said, “You need to focus on yourself for the moment.”
“That’s very kind of you Miss Zorah, but I’m sure I can manage.”
“I’m the engineer here and I say you need to repair yourself.”
“Very well Miss Zorah.”

Almost bent double under the weight of their bags and guns, Tali and Amanda climbed out of the fighter and went to the sub-processor. Marcus followed close behind with Newt, keeping one hand pressed against his torso.

Once inside, they closed and barred the entrance and boarded the lift to the control room. Stepping out first, Tali felt a degree of comfort. The semi-circular space was untouched from the time she had been here with Russ, with all the computer screens glowing softly. Going to the window, she kept a watch on the winding road that led back to the main colony, while Amanda and Newt laid out some food.

Marcus meanwhile went to a locker at the back of the room and took out what looked like a small fire extinguisher canister with a long nozzle.
“It’s emergency filler,” he explained after noticing that Tali was looking at him, “It should seal all the leaking cables until more permanent repairs can be made.”

He pressed a button at the base of the canister and there was a hissing noise as a thick orange foam shot out from the nozzle, coating the wound.
“That should do it,” Marcus said cheerfully as the foam coagulated into a solid orange mass, contrasting sharply with his otherwise pale skin.
He then took a plastic bottle filled with white fluid and plugged it into a port in his arm, causing it to quickly drain.

“Are you feeling better… I mean, how are the repairs going?” asked Tali.
“They have gone very well Miss Zorah,” Marcus replied, plugging another bottle into his arm. “The worst of the damage has been mitigated, and with my circulatory fluid replenished I am now operating at 85 percent efficiency.”
“All the same, take it easy, you suffered a lot of damage.”

“Aww,” smiled Amanda, who had just finished applying a few drops of medi-gel to the cut on her forehead, “Tali, I think you're worrying about our dear android.”
“I… I’m just concerned that the data he’s carrying might be damaged,” Tali said quickly, “After all, it’s very important we get it back to the Alliance.”
Amanda just shook her head and began downing a bottle of water.
“I’ll check the scanning systems,” said Marcus, “That should give us warning if the geth try and launch an attack.”

Still moving gingerly, he went to the middle computer terminal and began tapping away at the keyboard. Once again, Tali was extremely grateful for her nearly opaque visor as her cheeks burned with embarrassment.
“So, you care for the machine now?”
“Yes… no… he’s important.”
“So was the fighter, yet you left it outside to rust.”
“He has valuable data.”
“You could easily remove its central processor and recover the information even if he was completely disabled.”

Tali balled her hands into fists.
“Marcus isn’t geth, he has no reason to harm me, or anyone else here. Why can’t I just accept that?”
“Because you are a quarian. You, unlike every race in the galaxy, know what AI does when it becomes self-aware.”
“Marcus is self-aware.”
“Then it is only a matter of time before it rebels.”
“I don’t know that.”
“Oh, but you do.”

Tali banged her fist against a nearby wall.
“You alright?” asked Amanda, looking concerned.
“I’m… I’m… fine,” she stammered, “I’m just annoyed that we damaged the fighter. We could have flown out to meet that Alliance ship otherwise.”
“It’s okay,” said Newt, trying to comfort her, “We’ll be rescued soon.”
It was then that a sharp ping cut through the room, soon followed by another.

“Contacts,” Marcus said tonelessly, “Geth forces are approaching from the east. 2 kilometres and closing.”
Snatching up her pulse rifle, Tali dashed over to the computer terminal. On the rounded display a cluster of green blobs had appeared, moving toward the centre.

“How many?”
“Unknown, but it is a significant force.”
“How long before they get here?”
“At their present speed, 20 minutes.”
Coldness gripped Tali’s insides once again. There was no way the four of them could hold out against the machines.

“You can try!” snapped a commanding thought.
“Okay, here’s the plan,” she said, “We’re going to fortify ourselves in here and hold out until that Alliance ship reaches us.”
“Can… can we do that?” replied Amanda, uncertain.
“It is our only realistic option,” said Marcus, “If we attempt to flee into the wilderness the geth will hunt us down quickly.”

Knowing they had little time, the three set to work. Marcus opened up the controls for the turrets that he and Tali had installed, making sure they were still loaded and operational. Tali and Amanda meanwhile placed Newt under a desk at the back of the room and piled bags and cabinets around it, creating a makeshift bunker.
“Promise me you’ll stay here until we tell you it’s safe to come out,” Amanda ordered.
Newt's mouth wobbled.
“What if you get hurt?” she mumbled.
“That’s for us to worry about. All you need to do is stay safe for us. Got it?”

Newt’s expression did not change, but she nodded in understanding.
Next, the two bolted the side doors and disabled the lift, sealing themselves in. Finally, ammunition was shared out, giving them 200 rounds and 10 grenades each.
“I hope it’s enough,” Tali silently prayed.
Taking up a position by the panoramic windows, she spotted a flash of white in the otherwise grey landscape, quickly followed by another and another.
“Here they come,” she whispered.

Marcus nodded and crouched down behind the middle computer terminal, while Amanda ducked into an alcove at the far end of the room.
A few minutes late a geth appeared, marching in long steady strides down the twisting road, a plasma rifle in hand. Two more geth flanked it, quickly followed by an unbroken column of the machines, their glowing lenses standing out like beacons in the otherwise dull landscape. Tali raised the pulse rifle to her shoulder and lined up its sights on the lead geth.
“Let them get a little closer,” she whispered, “Then let them have it.”

Reaching the end of the road, the geth column began to fan out.
“Now?” mouthed Amanda.
“Wait…” Tali whispered.
One of the geth looked up, its lens fixed on the control room.
“NOW!”

Pulling the trigger, Tali shattered the window and sent a stream of bullets into the lead geth, blowing its torso apart in a storm of white fluid. She then fired into the main column, dropping several of the machines and causing the others to retreat for cover among the stone columns. Reports echoed through the room as Amanda and Marcus opened fire, cutting down more of the synthetics.

BAM!
Flashes of bright blue came flying at the control room, shattering the remaining windows and blowing holes through the surrounding metal.
“Keep your kinetic barriers up!” Tali yelled.
She emptied her magazine, taking out a geth that was attempting to sneak around the abandoned fighter. The response was more bolts of plasma that tore apart large pieces of the walls. Dropping to her stomach, Tali crawled along the curved desk of computer terminals, brushing aside pieces of broken glass as she went.

“Why are they just attacking head on?” yelled Amanda, who had just retreated into her alcove to reload.
“Maybe they think they can just overwhelm us with sheer numbers?” Tali shouted back as she slotted a fresh magazine into her pulse rifle as well.
A series of heavy stutters rebounded through the control room.
“It’s the automatic turrets!” Marcus explained, “The geth must be trying to flank us!”
“How long will they last?”

“Each gun has 500 rounds, but there’s no way for us to reload them!”
He racked the slide on his pulse rifle’s grenade launcher and fired three shots in rapid succession, forcing back a group of geth on the road.
“Make your shots count!” yelled Tali, “We can’t afford to waste any!”
“Understood!”

Finding herself a new position, she got into a crouch and popped up to fire a few short bursts. By now the geth had taken cover among the stone columns where they continued to take potshots at the control room. The turrets only fired occasionally, signalling that the flanking effort had failed.
“I just hope they don’t realise how little ammo those guns have.”
A group of geth broke from cover and ran toward the fighter.
“Oh no you don’t!”

Moving her hand to the grenade launcher’s trigger, Tali fired one round which landed in the middle of the group, turning them into a cloud of dust and broken limbs. Chambering another grenade, she fired it into the columns beside the road, sending rocks and pieces of geth flying.
Throwing herself down as more plasma bolts came streaking at her, she began forcing grenades into the launcher’s magazine when a screech like tearing metal reached her ears.

“Oh no!”
The screeches sounded out again, closer and angrier than before. Marcus fired a burst before ducking down.
“Several of the hostile organisms have appeared to the east,” he said, “The geth are moving to give them covering fire so they can get close.”

He snapped up briefly to fire more rounds.
Terror welled up in Tali. She had seen how those things had torn through metal plating at the colony. If they reached the sub-processor…
“Then make sure they don’t!”
“Keep them back!” she yelled.

Jumping out of cover, she spotted two of the creatures running through the rolling landscape and let loose with her pulse rifle. There was a splatter of yellow and one of the creatures smashed to the ground, but a storm of plasma came flying at the control room, tearing apart the front wall.

“GET BACK! GET BACK FROM THE WINDOWS!” Marcus shouted.
Staying low to avoid the white-hot plasma bolts, Tali, Amanda and Marcus retreated to the centre of the room and shoved over the remaining desks to create barricades. At the same time the automated turrets started up again, spitting death at a terrible rate.
“East and South guns are down to 50 percent,” said Marcus, “North and West are at 60 percent, no, 55 percent.”

“Be ready when they attack the side entrances,” Tali responded.
There was a bang from the ceiling, followed by a series of heavy scrapes.
“One of the organisms is on the roof,” said Marcus.
He shouldered his rifle and fired into the ceiling a short distance ahead of himself. There was a screech, followed by a heavy bang. Something thick and yellow began dripping through the bullet holes, hissing and smoking as it touched the floor.
“I would advise staying away from that substance,” said the android.

Tali had wanted to make a sarcastic remark, when another bang and screech of metal grabbed all of her attention. The door to her right was now sporting a large dent in its centre, which became even larger as it was struck again.
“KEEP ‘EM BACK!” Amanda cried.
She fired into the door, causing another outbreak of screeches. More plasma bolts came flying through the destroyed front wall, reducing the computer terminals to charred fragments of plastic and metal.

“Don’t worry!” said Marcus as he fired back at the geth, “The sub-processor has its own internal systems, destroying the controls here won’t affect it! East and north turrets now down to 10 percent!”
Tali almost laughed. The stability of the sub-processor seemed the least of her worries at that moment. Managing a few more blasts at the geth, she heard crashes coming from the left-hand door and fired into it before being forced down by more plasma.

“They’re never going to stop are they?”
“Then neither can you!”
Another bang came from the left-hand door. Tali fired the rest of her magazine into it and began to reload, when there was a crash of metal from above.
“THERE’S MORE ON THE ROOF!” bellowed Marcus.
He pointed his rifle up but before he could fire the left door burst open and the skeletal form of one of the creatures entered.

Tali wanted to raise her gun, but her whole body was paralyzed in terror. The creature's head twisted, focusing on her, its teeth bared and dripping.
“Move damn it! MOVE!”
But Tali’s legs simply refused to function. The creature took another step into the room, when Marcus jumped forward and fired his pulse rifle into its chest. Yellow blood splattered across the side wall and the creature was thrown back through the door, where it was engulfed by a rush of flames as Marcus fired a grenade.

CRASH!
In a shower of wires and metal, a whole section of the ceiling caved in, bringing with it another one of the creatures. Marcus wheeled around to face the new threat, when there was a brief flash of movement and the bladed end of the thing's tail caught his body. There was a soft wet thud, followed by an eruption of white, and Marcus toppled to the floor.
“NO!”

Suddenly finding herself able to move, Tali leapt up and unloaded almost a whole magazine into the creature. The explosive rounds tore through the dark carapace, sending more of the burning blood splattering across the walls and floor before its remains fell backwards through the ruined front wall.
“Cover me!” Tali yelled at Amanda.

Staying low as more plasma rounds came flying, she crawled to where Marcus lay. The tail had sliced right through the android’s torso, tearing open his shirt, synthetic skin and muscle, severing the internal pipes and wires, causing circulatory fluid to soak the floor. His legs and arms were sprawled outward, twitching uselessly.
“Marcus…” Tali said in a soft voice, her throat tightening up.
“Miss… Miss Zorah,” Marcus gurgled, “You… you must keep up the defence…”
“I need to fix you!”
“No… keep the enemy at bay. Miss Ripley needs your help.”

He was right. The geth must have sensed that the attack had gone wrong, because the storm of plasma had only intensified.
“Don’t die on me!” she ordered.
Marcus tried to reply, but his words were lost as he coughed up mouthfuls of pale liquid.
Huddling against a nearby desk, Tali fired her rifle empty at the attacking geth when a rumble filled the air.
“Ship incoming!” yelled Amanda.

Peeking over the desk, Tali saw an arrow shape sweep across the grey sky.
“It’s a geth attack ship!” she yelled in horror, knowing they had no way of fighting it.
The craft banked sharply and came flying at the sub-processor. Tali’s hand gripped the edge of the desk, waiting for her world to disappear in a flash of fire.
But that did not happen.
Instead, the ship dipped low and fired its mass accelerators into the columns around the road.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Each strike hit home, blowing whole squads of geth to atoms and shaking the battered control room. As it flew past, there was a glimpse of a white and black hull, the words, NORMANDY SR1 stencilled along its flank.

“It’s the Alliance!” Amanda laughed, “They made it!”
The remaining geth turned their guns upward, firing at the ship as it turned around. Instead of firing on them again however, the Normandy moved so it was flying above the road and dropped something. There was a brief burst of dust and a white vehicle with a pointed body mounted on six wheels skidded forward. On its roof was a gun turret, spitting a deadly mix of heavy mass effect slugs and rapid-fire rounds that cut into the remaining ranks of geth.
“Give them supporting fire!” Tali shouted.

Shouldering the pulse rifle, she fired round after round into the machines as they tried to mount a defence. The remaining creatures attempted to rush the tank, only to be blown away by its main gun.
“Don’t let up!” yelled Amanda, firing and reloading her rifle’s grenade launcher as fast as she could.
More explosions rocked the ruined building and shattered pieces of geth were strewn across the ground.

“Father would be so proud!” Tali thought with a grin.
The last few geth attempted to flee into the columns, but the tank kept firing until the final one fell to the ground.
The crack of guns ended and the whistle of wind became the dominant sound.
“We… we did it,” Tali stammered in amazement, not quite believing that they had survived.
“Marcus…”

She turned back to the android. He lay very still, a pool of white fluid spreading all around his body.
“I… I’ve been better…” he managed to say, more of the fluid dripping from his mouth.
“I have to patch you up, where’s the repair box?”
With great effort, the android raised his arm and pointed to the square box which lay against the far wall. Tali grabbed it and took out the canister of sealant. She tried to apply it uniformly, but there seemed to be ever more leaks in the machine’s broken body. Outside meanwhile the tank came to a halt before the sub-processor and a heavily armed and armoured squad disembarked.

“Amanda,” said Tali, still applying the sealant, “Get the lift working.”
“You need any help?” she asked.
“No, I can manage.”
Obeying her instructions, Amanda went to the lift and began resetting its controls. Newt meanwhile crawled out from her makeshift bunker and went to Tali.
“Is… is Marcus dead?” she whispered.

“He’s been badly hurt,” answered Tali, “I’m trying to patch him up so I can repair him later.”
“Are you okay Miss Jordan?” Marcus managed to ask.
Newt nodded.
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“You up there!” a gruff voice called out from below, “Are you hurt!”
“Our android’s been damaged!” Amanda shouted back, “But we’re fine aside from a few cuts.”

“Alright! We’re coming up! Ash! You and Wrex stand guard down here! Kaidan and Garrus, you’re with me!”
There was a clatter of gears followed by the bang of metal as the lift doors opened. Taking her eyes away from Marcus, Tali saw three figures entre the wrecked control room. One was a turian in blue armour, while the other two were male humans. One had dark hair and was clean-shaven, wearing a set of navy-blue armour. The other was of a heavier build, with brown hair and a short beard, while his armour was black, aside from a small red and white emblem on his chest.

“Looks like you guys had one hell of a fight,” said the bearded human, “Sorry we didn’t get here sooner.”
“We can exchange pleasantries later,” said Tali, “I need your help Mr.…?”
“My name’s John Shepard, Commander of the SSV Normandy, and I believe we’re in need of your help as well.”

Chapter Text

“My help?” Tali replied in bafflement.
“Sorry, I know this is a lot to dump on you right off the bat,” said Shepard. “We’ve been trying to track down a rogue spectre, a turian called Saren Arterius. He is responsible for attacking the colony of Eden Prime with an army of geth, and we believe he’s in this sector of space planning more attacks on human settlements. Judging from what’s happened here, we were right.”

“You’re more right than you know. Saren, he’s here, at Hadley's Hope.”
Shepard’s eyes lit up.
“Here? Are you sure?
“I saw him with my own eyes,” said Tali, “And there’s an asari with him called Benezia.”
Shepard stared at her for almost a full minute, then smacked a fist against his palm.
“This is our chance! We can catch him!”

He wheeled around and shouted through the ruined front wall.
“Ash! Get back on board the Mako! We’ve gotta move!”
He turned back to Tali and Amanda.
“It’ll be a tight squeeze, but we can get the three of you in as well.”
“Four,” Tali replied, “Marcus needs to come with us.”
“The android?” said the human called Kaidan, “I think he’s beyond repair.”
“No, we need him,” Tali responded firmly.
“Miss, I’m not sure we can help him.”

“All the information about Saren and what else has been happening here is stored in Marcus’s central processor. You need him.”
Shepard’s expression was puzzled for a moment, then he nodded.
“Okay, Garrus, Kaidan, get a stretcher, looks like we’ve got another passenger.”
The two squad members looked sceptical about their new orders, but neither argued as they took down a stretcher that was hooked to the wall and lifted Marcus’s broken body onto it.

“Please be careful,” said Tali, “He’s… he’s very important.”
“Are you sure you’re not hurt?” asked the turian called Garrus, his expression only growing more puzzled.
“I’m fine,” she replied more sharply than she meant, “Just… just help Marcus.”
Though it took some creative manoeuvres, Both groups managed to pack themselves into the lift and travelled down to the ground floor. As they left the sub-processor, Tali did a double take as she came face to face with the imposing form of a heavily scarred krogan in red armour.

“You pyjaks had one hell of a fight,” he chuckled in a deep voice, “Makes me wish we’d gotten here sooner.”
“Umm, sorry I guess,” Tali mumbled under her breath, unsure how to feel about the remark.
Heading for the tank parked in the middle of the road, the group was met by a human woman in white armour, a mass effect assault rifle in hand.
“You want me to contact the Normandy for a pick-up?” she asked Shepard after giving him a quick salute.

“Belay that Williams,” he replied, “There’s been a change of plan. Saren’s at the main colony complex, we’re heading there.”
“What about the civilians?”
“They’ll have to come with us. We can’t leave them here and I don’t want to risk the Normandy being detected.”

Williams looked at Tali, Amanda and Newt
“I hope you guys don’t mind hard seats and a bumpy ride,” she said.
“After what we’ve been through, I think we can handle a little discomfort,” Amanda replied.
The krogan let out a deep chuckle.
“We’ll see if you feel the same way after some of Shepard’s driving.

***

Like the lift, piling all the squad members and Tali’s group into the Mako proved to be a challenge. Shepard and Garrus climbed into the driver’s compartment, while Ash and Kaidan sat directly behind. Amanda went beside them with Newt on her lap, while Tali sat opposite with Marcus, who was wrapped in plastic to contain any new leaks.

“Gah!” groaned Wrex as he squeezed himself into the back and closed the doors, “I hope we don’t have to use this tin can any more than we have to.”
“Quit ya whinging,” grinned Williams, “You didn’t have to join us you know.”
“Shepard promised me a fight and so far he’s delivered. No way I’m missing out on the fun.”

A humming noise passed through the Mako and it lurched forward before spinning around to start back down the road.
“Joker,” Shepard said into his radio, “We’re heading for the colony. Keep the Normandy in orbit and be ready for a fast pick-up. Over.”
“Roger that Commander, keep us posted. Over and out.”

Picking up speed, the Mako began bouncing up and down sharply, forcing those inside to grab any handholds to stay upright.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” said Amanda, “Who are you guys? I didn’t think the Alliance recruited aliens.”
“It doesn’t normally,” said Williams, “But this mission is far from normal.”
“What do you mean?” asked Tali, “What’s going on?”
“Don’t you know?” said Kaidan.

“We’ve been cut off from the rest of the galaxy for 2 weeks,” Amanda replied, “The last we heard was that Eden Prime had been attacked by the geth.”
“How much can we tell them Commander?” Williams asked, leaning into the driver’s compartment, “This mission is meant to be on a need-to-know basis.”
“Tell them everything,” Shepard replied, “They’ve been dealing with the geth even more than we have.”

Once they had exchanged names, the various members of Shepard’s team took turns explaining what had been going on in the wider galaxy. A prothean beacon had been discovered on Eden Prime, and Shepard had been sent to recover it. While they had been en route however, the geth had attacked, killing thousands of humans and devastating the colony. The beacon itself had also been destroyed, but not before the commander had accidentally interacted with it.

“I know it sounds crazy,” said Shepard, “But it showed me things. Scenes of destruction, death, and something else, something overwhelmingly powerful.”
“What sort of something?” asked Tali.
“I… I don’t know. What the beacon showed me was all scrambled, it barely made sense, hell, it almost killed me.”
“Does… does the name Reapers mean anything to you?”

“No, I don’t think so, why do you ask?”
“Marcus was able to access the geth network. There was something in there about the geth acting on behalf of something called a Reaper.”
Shepard kept his eyes on the tank’s controls, but it was clear he was deep in thought.
“Another mystery,” he muttered.

The team went on, explaining how the Normandy had travelled to the Citadel to present their evidence that Saren had been behind the attack on Eden Prime. Unfortunately, the Citadel Council had been unwilling to listen, so instead Shepard had been forced to search for answers elsewhere. Garrus had already been carrying out an investigation into Arterius’s activities, and had joined Shepard after he was forced to end it by Citadel Security.

Wrex meanwhile was a bounty hunter who had been hired to take down a man called Fist, an associate of Saren’s who had betrayed his old boss, the Shadow Broker. This confused Tali more than anything else. The Broker was extremely powerful and had access to information and secrets on all galactic governments and organisations. To openly go against him was downright suicidal.

“It can only mean that Saren is even more dangerous than we believed,” she thought.
“After Fist had been, ‘taken care of’,” Kaidan went on, “We found intel in his office that said Saren was sending his forces all across the Attican Traverse. We were going to attempt to track him down there, when one of the Normandy’s techs discovered that false signals were being broadcast from this colony. Shepard decided we couldn’t ignore something so close to Earth, so we changed course at once.”
“I’m glad you did,” said Tali. “If you hadn’t come when you did…”

She was cut off by a series of violent coughs from Marcus, who vomited a mouth full of white fluid on the crowded floor.
“My apologies,” he groaned.
“What happened to him?” asked Garrus, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen an android in such a sorry state.”
“He was attacked by one of those creatures,” Amanda explained.
“We took out a few of those on the drive in,” said Shepard, “What are they? A native species?”

“No… no, something much worse,” Tali replied, “They’re a biological weapon.”
Trying to remember as much as she could, she told Shepard’s team about the discovery of the crashed ship and its deadly cargo. She also told them about the Cerberus outpost and how the geth had used its agents to infect the colony.
“This is worse than we feared,” Shepard said grimly, “What about the crashed ship? Where is it?”

“It was about 20 miles from Sub-Processor 4,” Marcus managed to say, “But it’s no longer a threat.”
“How so?”
“We destroyed it.”
“We… we rigged a bomb in the centre of the crashed ship and blew it up,” Tali continued, “We took out a geth dreadnought in the process as well.”
Shepard’s team looked impressed.
“Nicely done pyjak,” grinned Wrex, “And to think, there’s people in the galaxy who say quarians can’t fight!”

“So all the eggs have been destroyed?” Shepard asked.
“Unfortunately no,” said Amanda, “Those creatures set up a nest in the atmosphere processor. There’s a queen in there laying more of those eggs.”
“Then we’ll have to destroy that as well.”

Shepard jammed the throttle forward and the Mako quickly gained speed, bumping more wildly as it struck any imperfections on the road.
“Joker,” he said into his radio, “If you see any geth ships attempting to escape the moon, destroy them. They might have biological weapons onboard.”
“Well at least I’ll be able to have some fun up here,” the pilot remarked.
“How can he be so calm in this situation?” Tali thought in confusion, “Doesn’t he realise the danger we’re in?”

After almost an hour the conical shape of the atmosphere processor appeared over the horizon, eventually followed by the rest of the Hadley's Hope complex.
“We’ve got movement,” said Garrus, pressing his eyes against the Mako’s gunsights, “Geth, a lot of them. Looks like they’re loading something onto their fighters.”
“It must be the eggs,” Shepard replied, “I’ll get us in close and you blast them with the main gun. Don’t let ‘em get off the ground.”
“Got it!”

The hum of the mass effect engine filled the compartment and the Mako shot down the road. A few moments later a great boom sounded out as Garrus opened fire.
“One down!” he shouted in triumph before two more booms sounded out, “two down! The last one’s trying to take off!”
The Mako’s gun fired rapidly.
“Don’t let it overheat!” Shepard yelled as his hands flew over the controls to keep the speeding vehicle on the road, “Make your shots count!”
“Come on Shepard, have a little faith.”

Nonetheless, the turian shots became more spaced out until there was another loud boom.
“Last fighter’s down, now let's mop up the stragglers.”
Tali clutched onto a bar as she was knocked about by the vehicle’s momentum. Beside her Marcus tried to hang on as well as fresh fluid leaked from his wounds.
“I hope the commander’s combat abilities are better than his driving,” he muttered.
“Try not to talk,” said Tali, “Just rest and let us do the hard work.”
“I’m an android Miss Zorah. Work is what I’m meant to do.”

There was a heavy crash and the Mako rose up before falling sharply, its main gun roaring nonstop.
“What the fuck was that?” exclaimed Amanda, clutching her head where it had struck the wall while keeping her other arm around Newt.
“We just smashed through the colony’s entrance,” said Shepard, “Squad fall out and finish off the enemy! Garrus, give us covering fire!”

Metallic bangs rang out as hatches opened and the squad members leapt out of the confined space. At once the air was filled with the boom and stutter of mass effect weapons.
“Stay with Newt!” Tali ordered Amanda.
Before the human could stop her, the quarian jumped from the tank, pulse rifle in hand. They had stopped in the colony’s main street, the white armoured forms of geth peeking out from behind walls and windows. Shepard and the other two humans had taken cover behind a pile of boxes, while Wrex marched up the centre of the road, blasting away with an enormous assault rifle.

“COME ON YOU WORTHLESS BUCKETS OF BOLTS!” he roared, “AT LEAST TRY AND GIVE ME A FIGHT!”
There was a flash of blue as a plasma bolt struck his kinetic barriers. Enraged, the krogan spun around and fired into the building above, demolishing much of the wall. Another geth appeared from behind him, weapon raised.

Without hesitating, Tali fired, blowing the synthetic almost in half. Hearing the noise, Wrex looked around at what had just happened.
“Nicely done pyjak,” he laughed, “Now let’s see if you can keep it up!”
The geth fought hard, but Shepard’s team was skilled in combat and before long the last of the machines had crashed to the ground.

“Well done,” said Shepard as he jumped out from cover, “Now let’s find Saren.”
“Commander,” Marcus’s voice came through the radio, “I have patched myself into the colony’s computer systems. I am detecting a signal being broadcast from the central control room. It could be Arterius.”
“Good one,” said Shepard. “Garrus, you me and Wrex are heading in. Ash, you and Kaidan guard the Mako and take care of any geth we missed.”
“I’m coming with you,” said Tali.

“You’d be much safer with the Mako Miss Zorah,” Shepard began, “You’ve already been through a lot…”
“Saren is responsible for the deaths of everyone I worked with here,” Tali shot back, “I have a right to see him brought down. Besides, I have all the door codes and maps of the colony.”

The commander narrowed his eyes, then nodded.
“Alright Miss Zorah,” he said, “Just stay behind me, I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Once Garrus had joined them, Shepard's squad headed for a doorway that led into the colony’s main building. With a few clicks on her omni-tool, Tali had it open and they entered a darkened corridor.
“I’m afraid I have bad news,” said Marcus, “Sensors are picking up movement across the colony.”

“More geth?” Shepard replied.
“No, It’s the hostile organisms, they’ve moved out from the atmosphere processor.”
“How many?”
“Unknown, but significant.”
“Right. Ash, Kaidan, get in the Mako and seal the doors. Keep the main gun manned and take out anything that comes close.”
“Roger that Commander,” Williams replied.
“What should we do?” Garrus asked.

“I say we push on,” growled Wrex, “We dealt with those beasts before, we can deal with them now.”
“You’ve only shot at those things from a tank,” Tali countered, “You’ve not seen what they can do in close quarters, especially their blood.”
“I’ve been fighting for centuries little quarian, blood doesn’t trouble me.”
“Even acid blood?”
The krogan’s scarred face scowled at Tali.
“We’ll push on,” said Shepard, “We can’t waste our chance at catching Saren. Everyone stay alert and make sure those creatures don’t get close.”
“With pleasure,” smiled Wrex.

It did not take long for the squad to encounter the enemy.  As they climbed a staircase two of the creatures smashed through a doorway and came charging at them. Shepard took down one with a storm of mass effect slugs while Wrex catapulted the other into a wall with a well-aimed burst.

“Hmm, guess you had a point pyjak,” the krogan remarked as the two bodies were wreathed in smoke as their blood burned the metal around them.
They moved deeper into the complex, passing ruined rooms, torn cables and broken pipes.
“There must have been one hell of a fight here,” Garrus remarked as they came to the corridors where the colonists had made their last stand.

“The humans fought bravely,” said Tali.
“We’ll make sure they’re remembered when we get back,” said Shepard.
Coming close to the centre of the colony, the squad encountered more of the creatures. Three tried to charge down Shepard and Wrex from the front, while another crashed through the ceiling behind them. Fortunately, it was sent flying by a grenade from Tali’s pulse rifle, leaving it a burned smear against the far wall. Wrex roared his approval before gunning down another one of the creatures as it clawed its way through the floor.

“We’ve gotta wrap this thing up!” yelled Garrus as the clatter of more armoured feet rang out around them.
“The control room’s just ahead!” shouted Tali.
Guns blazing, the squad charged down the corridor, cutting down any of the creatures that stood in their way. Reaching the doors for central control, they found them locked, but that wasn’t going to stop them.

“Cover me!” Tali shouted, “I’ll get this open!”
Activating her omni-tool, she worked furiously to bypass the locking mechanism. Around her the air was filled with the stutter of guns as the rest of the squad fought off more of the screeching creatures.

“This better be worth it Shepard!” shouted Garrus.
“Just keep shooting!” Shepard yelled back.
“There!” Tali shouted as she entered the final command and the doors slid open.
“IN!” bellowed Shepard.
Without waiting he pushed Tali through the doorway, firing over her head.
“CLOSE IT!” he barked as Garrus and Wrex retreated into the control room, weapons still blazing.

Tali punched in another command and the doors closed. Outside there were enraged screams and bangs as the creatures clawed at the walls.
“That won’t hold them for long,” said Shepard, “Let’s find Saren and get…”
His words trailed off as he turned to look at the room with the others, only to find it empty. All of the computer terminals were inactive, and the only lights were the dull red emergency ones.

“I… I don’t understand…” Tali stammered in confusion.
“Marcus,” Shepard said into his radio, “Are you sure about the location of that signal?”
“I’m positive Commander,” he replied.
“Your synthetic friend is quite correct. Unfortunately for you however, there are very simple ways to re-route a broadcast frequency.”

Every weapon snapped up at the sound of the voice, for it was one they had all heard before.
“Where are you Saren!” spat Garrus, “Show yourself! I promise I won’t miss!”
“Shooting a prisoner in cold blood Vakarian? Tut-tut, what would your father say about that?”
A flicker of light flashed through the control room. Tali swung round to take aim at the source, only to find that it was a large screen being turned on. It flickered a few more times before an armoured face and glowing blue eyes appeared.

“Well now Shepard,” Saren said mockingly, “This is a pleasant surprise. I didn’t think I’d be seeing you so soon.”
“Stop playing games Saren!” snapped Shepard, “Come out with your hands up!”
“You are in no position to make demands Commander, especially in your… precarious position.”

As if to emphasise his point, a loud bang sounded out from the hallway.
“Wrex, cover the door,” ordered Shepard, “Don’t let them through.”
“Got it,” growled the krogan.
“Remarkable creatures aren’t they,” Saren chuckled darkly, “The human scientists referred to them as the ‘perfect organism’. For once they might have a point.”
“It’s a shame you’ve lost them all,” Tali said, stepping forward to confront the screen, “The crashed ship has been destroyed, and your fighters are nothing more than twisted metal!”

Saren’s eyes narrowed at her words, but when he spoke his voice remained level.
“As much as you tout your actions here young quarian, they are little more than an annoyance. I have much greater plans already in operation.”
“You won’t be gloating so much after the council finds out you’ve betrayed them!” countered Shepard.
Saren’s smile only grew colder.

“You may tell the council what you wish, it no longer matters. When my plans come to fruition, the council and all its fleets will be swept aside like dust in the wind. Then again, I doubt very much if you’ll be able to hand over the evidence in your possession.”
In the distance there was a great rumble and the floor shook.

“Commander,” came Marcus’s voice over the radio, “I’ve just detected a massive power surge in the atmosphere processor. Its reactors are going critical!”
“You have no chance of stopping my plans,” drawled Saren. “But before departing this wretched moon, I made sure to leave you a gift. Farewell Commander Shepard, you made a valiant effort, but it was a useless one.”

The screen died and another rumble went through the room.
“What do we do now?” said Tali, feeling as if a block of ice had slipped into her stomach.
“We get out of here,” Shepard replied firmly before keying his radio, “Marcus, how long do we have?”
“I’m doing all I can to stabilise the reactor, but we only have minutes before it has a catastrophic failure.”
“Shit.”

More bangs sounded out from the hallway.
“Trapped in a ruined building with murderous creatures and an exploding reactor,” Garrus remarked drily, “This really isn’t my day.”
“I thought you turians liked a challenge?” laughed Wrex.
“A challenge yes, suicide, not so much.”
“Shut it you two,” Shepard barked, “Here’s the plan. Tali, you open the door and we’ll shoot anything out there. Once we’ve punched a hole in their lines, we’ll make a run for the Mako. Don’t stop for anything. Got it?”

The squad members nodded.  Trying to steady herself, Tali went to the door controls and linked them with her omni-tool.
“Ready,” she said.
“Do it!” Shepard ordered.
Tali pressed a holographic button and the door slid open. Instantly a dark, armoured form forced its way inside, only to be met by a hail of mass effect slugs. Running from the door as more of the creatures rushed forward, Tali took up a position behind the Commander and fired into the hallway until the last one dropped.

“MOVE! NOW!”
At the command, the squad sprinted forward and through the ruined doorway. Four of the creatures were sprawled across the floor, but more could be heard in the smoky haze.
“MOVE!” Shepard cried, firing almost blindly.
Letting off bursts of fire in the vague direction of the creatures, Tali took off down the hallway with the others. Wrex stayed in the vanguard, his assault rifle cutting a path through the deadly horde ahead, while Shepard and Garrus guarded their rear.

“Joker!” Shepard bellowed into his radio. “Bring the Normandy in low and be ready for a fast pickup!”
“Roger that Commander,” came the reply, “Try not to get our ship blown to pieces.”
Another rumble sounded out, causing the corridor to shake violently. 
“Damnit!” Garrus cursed as he was thrown against a support beam with a clang.
“You can feel sorry for yourself later!” yelled Shepard as he pulled the turian upright, “Just run!”

More screeches echoed across the metal walls, soon joined by the thunder of running feet. Glancing over her shoulder, Tali saw dozens of the creatures dashing across every surface. Wheeling around she fired her grenade launcher, turning the first ranks into smoke and flames.
“Nice one pyjak!” roared Wrex.

Scrambling down a flight of stairs they entered the final corridor, the dull light of day shining ahead. Shepard shouted at them to keep going but the words meant nothing to Tali as she put all her focus into her leg muscles. Running through the wide doorway, she saw the processor towering above, bolts of electricity and jets of flames bursting from its curved walls.
“MOVE!” cried Shepard.

Not breaking her stride, Tali turned and headed for the tank, concussive force washing over her as its main gun fired at the creatures now swarming out of the colony. As the Mako’s back doors opened a heavy boom cut through the air and she fell to the ground hard.
“NO! I CAN’T FALL NOW! I CAN’T!”
Tali started getting up, when a hand grabbed the back of her suit and threw her bodily into the tank.
“PUNCH IT KAIDAN!” Shepard shouted as he and Garrus forced their way into the rear compartment.

The Mako’s engine whirled into life just as Wrex scrambled in and pulled the doors closed. Hunched between Marcus and the wall, Tali could see nothing beyond the armoured hull, but she could hear and feel the explosions tearing through the processor and shaking the tank.
“Joker!” Shepard bellowed into his radio, “We’re on the main road out of the colony! You’ve gotta pick us up now!”

“I see you Commander,” the pilot replied, “Hold on tight, this is going to be rough.”
“The reactor will go critical in 30 seconds,” Marcus said weakly.
Tali managed to grab a hand bar as the tank rocketed into the air before being gripped by a sensation of weightlessness.

BANG!
The Mako jarred heavily, as if it had driven straight into a brick wall, throwing everyone inside to the floor in a tangle of limbs.
“Hold on!” cried the pilot.
Tali felt a crushing force overcome her whole body as there was a great upward rush.
“Ten seconds,” groaned Marcus, “Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.”
The whole tank shook more violently than ever, while an ear-splitting roar drowned out everything else. All Tali could do was hang onto the bar, fighting to stay conscious as the crowded compartment turned into a blur.

Chapter Text

How long she clung onto the bar, the young quarian didn’t know, but eventually the roar and crushing pressure dissipated, leaving her utterly spent.
“Welcome to the SSV Normandy,” said Shepard, awkwardly pushing himself upright.
“By the spirits,” groaned Garrus, “Do you think we could have a smoother takeoff in the future?”

“I’m sorry Vakarian,” replied the pilot, “Next time we have to book it out of a nuclear explosion I’ll be sure to take it easy.”
“Come on,” growled Wrex, “Let’s get out of this tin can.”
With a careless kick, he opened the Mako’s rear doors and gracelessly climbed out. The others followed shortly after, rubbing their aching limbs.
“When this is all over I’m taking the longest bath in history,” sighed Williams.

“Make sure you save some hot water for me,” grumbled Kaidan.
“Are you okay Newt?” Amanda asked the girl who was huddled up on her lap.
She gave a thumbs up.
“And you Tali?”
“Fine,” Tali muttered, rubbing a sore spot on her arm, “Just glad it’s over.”
“My… congratulations… Miss Zorah.”

Tali turned to the android and her tiredness melted away. Marcus was jammed against the hull, his head slumped over one shoulder, torso leaking more of the white fluid.
“Marcus…” she tried to say, a lump forming in her throat, “You… we have to get you out of here.”

She looped her arms around the android and started dragging him toward the rear doors.
“Tali…” Amanda began.
“Just help me,” Tali shot back, struggling to manage Marcus’s weight.
“Tali… I don’t think…”
“Just help me!”

Amanda’s expression became heartbreaking.
“Fine!” Tali snapped, “I’ll do it myself!”
With a great heave, she dragged the android out of the Mako which had crashed into the back of a large cargo hold. Human crew members were already gathered around the vehicle, planning on how to repair it.
“I need equipment to repair an android!” she called out, “I need it now!”
“Miss Zorah…” Marcus gurgled.
“For goodness’ sake Marcus! Call me Tali!”

And for the first time, the android smiled.
“As you wish, Tali…”
With that he became very still.
“Marcus… Marcus…”
Tali stared down at the android, the icy feeling returning with a vengeance.
“No… no…” she whispered, “Not now…. Not here!”
“Miss Zorah,” said Marcus as he stepped over to her, “You should see the ship’s medical officer. Doctor Chakwas is a skilled doctor, I promise she’ll be able to patch up any wounds you’ve suffered.”

“No.”
“Sorry?”
“I said no!” Tali stated firmly, standing herself up to her full height, “I need an android repair kit here now if I’m to have any chance at saving Marcus.”
“Miss… Miss Zorah, I don’t think there’s anything you can do.”
“If you want the evidence against Saren then you have to help me repair Marcus.”
“Surely we can just extract the data from his central processor?”
“He saved my life! He’s… my friend…”

A great quiet came over the hold as everyone now watched the young quarian. Even Tali was surprised by what she had said, yet at the same time knew it was the truth.
“I can’t leave him like this,” she went on, “Not after everything he’s done.”
Tali waited for the commander to call her foolish, to remind her that Marcus was nothing more than a machine. Instead, his expression became one of understanding.
“Adams,” he said, keying his radio, “We need an android repair kit in the hold at once.”
“Yes Sir,” came the reply.

“Wrex,” Shepard went on, “Help me carry this one to a workbench.”
The krogan’s expression was one of total confusion, but he knelt down and slipped his arms under Marcus’s torso while the commander took his legs.
“Do be careful,” pleaded Tali, “I don’t want him to suffer any more damage.”
“I don’t think I can do any more harm to him!” Wrex laughed.

Nonetheless, he and Shepard moved Marcus slowly to the far side of the room and deposited him on a table bolted to the wall. Soon after another human with a shaven head and wearing a blue uniform appeared from a door behind where the Mako had crashed, a plastic box under his arm.
“Christ Shepard!” he exclaimed, “Could you have parked it a little more awkwardly?”
“You can complain about my driving later Adams, for now Miss Zorah here needs your help.”

The human tilted his head and smiled.
“A quarian eh, well this is a pleasant surprise.”
“Can you help me or not?” Tali replied flatly, feeling that too much time had been wasted already.
“I’m the ship’s chief engineer Miss. If anyone can fix your friend, it’s me.”
He placed the box on the table and began examining the massive wound across Marcus’s torso.

“Do you need any help Tali?” asked Amanda.
“No,” Tali replied, “You should take Newt to the doctor and get something to eat.”
“Okay, just radio me if you change your mind.”
She took Newt’s hand but the girl did not move.
“Will Marcus be okay?” she asked, looking up at Tali with very shiny eyes.
“I… we’ll do everything we can Newt,” Tali replied, “I promise.”

With that the girl let Amanda lead her to the upper decks of the ship, while the rest of the squad stripped off their weapons and armour before following.
“Well?” said Tali, turning to Adams, “What should we do first?”
The engineer gave her a grim look.
“I won’t lie Miss Zorah, this android’s in a pretty bad state. I don’t even know where we could start.”

“Then we should remove the sealant and drain off the circulatory fluid. That way we can assess the damage properly.”
“Good call.”
Adams opened the box he had brought with him and took out a device the size of a large pen with a flat disk at one end.
“This will break up the sealant,” he explained, “You can follow on with the vacuum pump to pick up any fluid.”

He took a clear plastic tube from the box with a nozzle at one end and a motor and receptacle at the other. Once it was set up, Adams switched on his device which began to vibrate rapidly and placed it against the sealant. Immediately the orange mass began to crumble and break apart. Turning on the pump, Tali followed in the engineer’s wake, vacuuming up the white fluid which began leaking at once. When he had broken up a large enough piece of the sealant, Adams would remove it by hand and dump it into a tray.

His expression remained grim as more of the damage became visible. Tali ignored him, just focusing on getting rid of as much of the fluid as possible.
“It’s funny,” Adams remarked as the last of the sealant was removed. “These 340-M models were meant to be decommissioned years ago, but they’ve been too useful for the colonies to just dump ‘em.”
“Why should they be decommissioned?” Tali asked, now carefully draining fluid from some of the broken tubes.
“Outdated tech. The 341-B models are much easier to test, plus their safety protocols are not so easy to hack.”

“Would that be a problem?”
“You know what synthetics are like if they can use weapons Miss Zorah.”
“Yes… I guess I do.”
Once they had syphoned off as much of the circulatory fluid as possible, the two began the long and tedious process of matching up the severed hydraulic tubes and wires.
“We might stand a chance with this one,” Adams remarked, “The central control column is undamaged.”

He pointed to a segmented metal tube that also served as the android’s backbone.
“If that had gone it would have been next to impossible to relink his motor functions.”
“It’s good to have some luck for a change,” Tali remarked drily.
Little more was said as the two knitted the damaged machine back together. For his part, Marcus remained inactive, his eyes staring vacantly up at the ceiling. Behind them came a series of heavy bangs, mixed with a great deal of swearing as the human crewmembers extracted the Mako from the middle of the hold.

“Will you have that ready before the next mission?” Adams called out, not looking up from the wrecked android.
“Have some faith in the Mako!” one of the crew shouted back, “Even the commander can’t put this thing outta commission.”
“I’ll hold you to that. The last thing we need is the Alliance complaining about supplying us with new vehicles, especially for unofficial missions.”

Oblivious to the banter, Tali kept working. Several of the hydraulic tubes could not be repaired and had to be completely replaced. Still, after many hours the last one had been reconnected. Next came the electrical wires. These were much simpler, needing only an application of self-adhering solder to reattach them.
“You’re a natural at this kid,” smiled Adams.
“I’ve spent my life around machines,” she replied, “I guess it was bound to pay off one day.”

With the rewiring complete, the final matter was patching the ripped skin and muscles. For this, Adams used a set of large clips to hold the muscles together, while Tali applied a healthy amount of elastic glue to make the fix permanent.
For the outer layer, the long gash was pulled together with more clamps and a fresh piece of artificial skin was placed on top before being made fast with more glue.
“There,” Adams said as he locked a bottle into the port on Marcus’s arm to replenish his circulatory fluid, “The main work is done, “Now we just need to reactivate him.”

“I’ll do it,” said Tali, “I’ve rebooted him once before.”
Activating her omni-tool, she opened up Marcus’s software and was about to select the restart option, when Adams stopped her.
“Wait, there’s a problem, the android’s safety protocols are disabled.”
He opened his omni-tool but Tali held up a hand.
“No, it’s fine, I disabled them.”
Adams gawked at her in disbelief.
“Have you gone mad? Why the hell would you disable an android’s safety protocols!? You’re a quarian! You should know what can happen!”

“We didn’t have the numbers to fight those creatures, so I gave Marcus the ability to use a weapon.”
“Even in an emergency situation you shouldn’t do this! You could be facing prison time for this!”
“If Marcus had wanted to harm me or anyone else, he could have done so at any time since I reactivated him. Instead, he helped me save Amanda and fought those creatures to protect us. He even gave up his gun when I lost my own!”

“Miss Zorah…”
“I’ve made my choice, now let me finish this.”
“I can’t, you’d be putting the whole ship at risk.”
“If you’re really that scared go get a pistol from the armoury. Otherwise stand back and let me finish.”
Adams backed away. Tali went back to her omni-tool when there was a bang of metal and the engineer returned, pistol in hand.

“Please Miss Zorah, think about what you’re doing!”
Tali turned around to face him.
“I have thought about it, now let me save my friend.”
She raised her omni-tool and pressed the restart button. A series of whirs and clicks sounded from Marcus and his limbs twitched.
“Miss Zorah,” warned Adams.

But Tali ignored him and stood over Marcus as his eyes blinked three times before focusing on her.
“Hello Miss Zorah?” he said, sounding very puzzled.
“Marcus…” the young quarian replied as her throat clenched up, “I told you to call me Tali.”
“I… remember Miss Zorah, sorry, Tali, but I must confess, I’m rather confused. I thought I had been permanently disabled.”
“I… we repaired you, Adams and me.”
“You repaired me?”

Marcus sat himself up and looked at the Normandy’s engineer.
“I owe you two a great thanks,” he began.
“Stay where you are!” Adams ordered, raising his pistol.
“Mr. Adams?”
“That’s Chief Engineer Adams! You are a highly dangerous piece of equipment and will not move from that spot!”

Marcus’s puzzled expression became one of understanding.
“Ah… yes… I’m sorry about that. I would have thought that with the situation resolved, Miss… Tali would have reinstated my safety protocols.”
“Miss Zorah here refused to allow it.”
Marcus looked to the young quarian, his confusion returning.

“Perhaps it would be for the best to reactivate my safety protocols. The threat has passed, and you no longer need me for combat duties.”
Tali looked from the android and then to the engineer.
“No,” she stated firmly.
“Miss Zorah?” said Adams.
“Tali?” said Marcus.
“I’ve made my choice. I won’t rob someone who’s proven himself of their freedom.”

Adams kept his pistol raised, yet it wavered.
“How… how can you be sure this android won’t turn on us?” he asked.
“I don’t” Tali replied, “But we can’t be sure of anyone can we?”
Adams kept the pistol raised for almost a full minute, then slowly he lowered it.
“I don’t like this, but I’ll take your word that this one can be trusted.”
“Thank you,” Tali breathed, feeling relieved.
“Thank you Chief Engineer Adams,” said Marcus, “Now could I request a new shirt? My current one is in a state of disrepair.”

***

Once a spare shirt had been dug out from a locker, Tali and the android made their way up to the Normandy’s main flight deck. There they were directed into a large round room at the stern, where Shepard and the rest of his team were waiting, along with Amanda and Newt.
“Marcus!” the girl exclaimed in delight, “You’re all better!”
“I am indeed Miss Jordan,” smiled Marcus, “And very glad to know you are safe.”

“You’ve done a great job repairing your android Miss Zorah,” said the Commander, “You’d never know he was at death’s door a few hours ago.”
“Tali is a very skilled engineer,” said Marcus, “As is your Mr. Adams.”
“Come on, enough guff,” grunted Wrex, “Meetings are bad enough without you dragging them out!”

“Very well,” said Shepard before keying his radio, “Joker, do you have Anderson on vid-com?”
“The captain’s ready Commander,” the pilot replied, “I’ll patch him through now.”
A holographic image of a dark-skinned human in a military uniform appeared at the back of the round room.

“Anderson,” said Shepard, saluting the hologram.
“At ease son,” the holographic Anderson replied, “Right now all I need is some good news. The council is breathing down our necks here at the Citadel. I don’t think they’re happy that I let you sneak off.”
“Our news is mixed I’m afraid,” Shepard went on. “The colony on LV-426 has been destroyed by the geth, but we managed to rescue a handful of survivors?”
“Geth?”

“Yes Sir. Geth using biological weapons and led by Saren himself. We barely made it out alive.”
Anderson’s eyebrows shot about halfway up his forehead.
“Do you have any evidence to support this?”
Shepard smiled.
“More than enough.”

He waved over Marcus and Tali and introduced them to the captain. This was followed by Marcus displaying security footage from the colony on a large holographic screen for the room to see. It showed the creatures and geth rampaging through the facility and attacking the colonists. Along with this was Saren and Benezia walking through the corridors afterward, accompanied by the recording Tali had made in the repair shop.

Lastly the information from the Cerberus outpost was displayed, showing what the secretive organisation had been doing on the moon and its plan for the terrible creatures. Marcus, Amanda and Tali added details where necessary, but Shepard’s team said little if anything until they had finished.

“Well Captain,” the Commander said as the last piece of footage ended, “You wanted proof.”
“And you’ve given it to me in spades,” Anderson replied triumphantly, “There’s no way the Council can ignore this. Well done Shepard, and thank you Miss Zorah and you Marcus. Without you, we’d still be at square one.”
“What now Captain?” asked Shepard.
“Return to the Citadel. Once we’ve presented this evidence to the Council we can work out our next move against Saren.”
“May I make one request Sir?”
“Oh? What’s that?”

“Before we travel to the Citadel, I request that we make a detour to Sevastopol Station.”
“Why?”
“Because Carter Burke is on that station. You saw the footage, he’s the one who betrayed Hadley's Hope, Miss Zorah and Miss Ripley here. I believe we should bring him to justice.”
“Very well Commander, but don’t take too long, and if possible bring Burke in alive, we’re gonna need more information on this Cerberus organisation.”
“We’ll try to Sir.”
“Very good, I’ll see you soon, Anderson out.”

The hologram flickered out of existence.
“Well Joker,” Shepard said into his radio, “You heard the captain, set a course for Sevastopol.”
“Already set Commander,” Joker replied.
“Are… are you sure about this?” Tali asked, “Isn’t it more important to get the evidence to the Council quickly?”
Shepard grinned.
“Like the captain said, Burke might have more information. Besides, I want to see his face when you kick in his door.”

Chapter Text

Marshal Jethro Waits was in a foul mood. He had been up late, processing arrests after a drunken brawl, but instead of several hours of much needed sleep, he had been awoken by an emergency message from the Alliance. Now he and his men were escorting a squad of heavily armed soldiers through Solomons Galleria.

“Humans, a turian, a krogan and a quarian!” he thought in grumpy confusion, “Just what are these people up to?”
Oblivious to the marshal’s queries, Tali kept her eyes fixed forward. They were heading for the hallway where the office for Weyland-Yutani was housed and the last thing they needed was their plan to go awry at the penultimate moment.

“Waits,” said Shepard, who was leading the group, “I suggest you and your men stay back and let us handle this situation. It could turn nasty.”
“May I remind you Commander that this station is my jurisdiction,” Waits shot back.
“And my orders come from Alliance command. If you want to take the matter up with them, by all means go ahead.”

Waits scowled and Tali had to fight to suppress a chuckle, since she knew that Shepard was bluffing. This mission was strictly personal.
It had taken them a little under a week to fly to Sevastopol Station. It had been suggested that they send a message to local law enforcement and have them arrest Carter Burke, but they had decided against it. There was too much risk that Cerberus was monitoring all communications and they did not want to tip them off.

“Fine,” Waits grunted in defeat, “My men will set up defensive positions at each end of the passage and keep people back. If you fail to capture Burke then we can deal with him.”
“Works for me,” Shepard replied drily.
Reaching the corner of the hallway, Waits directed his men to move the nearby civilians away and take up defensive positions. Shepard meanwhile organised his people.

“Ash, you take Kaidan and Wrex and circle around to the other end of the hallway. I’ll lead the rest of us from here. That way we’ll have Burke boxed in.”
“Got it Commander,” Ash replied before waving for the others to follow her, “We’ll radio when we’re in position.”

The second squad headed off, leaving Shepard's team to get themselves into position.
“Where do you require me to be Commander?” asked Marcus.
The android had accompanied them in case there was a need to access the Weyland-Yutani computer systems, though he carried no weapon. The last thing the team needed was civilians panicking at the sight of an armed synthetic.

“Stay with Miss Zorah,” Shepard ordered.
Marcus pressed himself against the wall beside Tali, who racked her shotgun. The weapon had come from the Normandy’s armoury after the crew learned that she lost her original one in the atmosphere processor. Tali had been surprised by the gift, but was extremely grateful for it. The human’s pulse rifles might have had a good punch to them, but the nearly unlimited ammunition of a mass effect gun was an unassailable advantage.

It seemed to take forever for Ash and her squad to get into position. Garrus risked a peek around the corner at the office but saw nothing.
“Are you sure Burke went to his office today?” he asked Waits.
“Positive,” the marshal grumbled, “I checked the security footage myself. Burke went straight from his apartment to the office with his secretary this morning and they haven’t left since.”

More tense minutes passed. A few curious civilians were still hanging about, but by now they were being held back a fair distance by a line of marshals.
“Commander,” Ash’s voice finally sounded over the radio, “My squad is in position. Ready when you are.”
“Roger that,” Shepard replied, “Keep your eyes peeled, we’re going in.”
“Good luck,” said Waits, sounding sincere for the first time.

Readying their weapons, Shepard’s team rounded the corner and spread out across the corridor so they could cover one another. The glass front of the Weyland-Yutani office was brightly illuminated by fluorescent lights, but no one could be seen within.
“Careful everyone,” Shepard warned, “Something’s not right here.”
They kept moving forward when the door at the back of the office opened.
“We’ve got movement,” Shepard relayed to the others, “But I still can’t see anyone. He might be-”

SMASH!
There was a blur of movement and a grey-suited figure shot out of the office door and through the plate glass wall. Shards of glass went flying everywhere and Tali threw up an arm to protect herself. In the split second it took to recover the figure darted down the passageway and disappeared through a service door.
“What the fuck!” yelled one of the marshals.
“It’s Burke!” Garrus shouted, “He’s making a run for it!”

Wasting no time, the squad dashed to the service door only to find that it had been locked.
“Tali!” ordered Shepard.
Without needing any more explanation, the young quarian activated her omni-tool and began hacking the lock.
“This might actually be fun,” chuckled Wrex.
“What the fuck is going on!” the angry voice of Waits cut through the air.
“Burke made a run for it,” Shepard explained, “He went through here, where does it go?
“Maintenance passageway, they run all over the station, but you need an ID card for the doors inside.”

“Well it looks like he’s got one,” grumbled Garrus.
“We’ll go after him,” said Shepard, “Waits, have your men cover the other exits.”
Waits nodded and began shouting into his radio while Ash and her squad arrived.
“I shoulda known things wouldn’t be so simple,” she sighed.
“You and Kaidan better guard Burke’s office in case he doubles back,” ordered Shepard.
“Got it!” Tali exclaimed as the door slid open.
“Nice one! Now move!”
The rest of the squad piled through the doorway, entering a curving corridor.

“Wrex, you and Garrus go that way,” said Shepard, pointing to his left, “I’ll go this way with the others.”
“On it!” Garrus replied, already running.
“Save some fighting for me!” Wrex called out as he followed.
Breaking into a run, Tali headed in the opposite direction with Shepard and Marcus.
The corridor was dimly lit, while steam hung in the air. On top of that, it was filled with boxes and discarded supply trolleys, all of which made it difficult to traverse and gave Burke plenty of places to hide.

“How did he know we were coming?” Tali asked breathlessly, “You didn’t send any messages to the station saying we were coming.”
“Burke must have had other sources of information,” Marcus replied, running tirelessly with long steady strides.
Reaching a sealed bulkhead door, the team was forced to wait while Tali hacked the lock. It only took a few seconds, but even that felt like an agonising waste of time. Once it was open the team entered another curving corridor and kept running, when a hint of grey cloth appeared ahead of them.

“BURKE!” Shepard bellowed, “IT’S OVER! SURRENDER!”
But the only response was the cloth disappearing into a cloud of steam.
“Garrus!” Shepard yelled into his radio, “We found Burke! Double back and join us!”
“More running eh?” the turian laughed.
A defined shape appeared in the haze ahead.
“BURKE YOU BOSH’TET!” Tali yelled at the top of her lungs, “YOU’RE GONNA PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID!”
Once again the figure did not respond and turned left sharply, heading through another doorway.

“There!” Shepard yelled.
Running for all they were worth, the team rushed through the still-open doorway, entering a small storage room with another exit on the far side which led into a bar.
“What the hell are you doing!?” exclaimed the human behind the counter as the three dashed past her, knocking over a number of tables.
“Alliance business!” Shepard managed to shout back, “Don’t worry! You’ll be compensated for any damages!”

Desperately drawing breath, Tali exited the bar, feet hammering against the metal floor. They were in another section of Solomons Galleria, crowded with people, many of whom were looking perplexed as a grey-suited figure sprinted past.
“He’s heading for the spaceflight terminal!” she yelled.
“Not if we can help it!” replied Shepard.
Marcus said nothing, instead zipping past the two at top speed.
“Your android seems pretty determined to catch him!” said Shepard as they gave chase.
“Well… Burke did help destroy his home!” Tali replied.

Dodging around clusters of people, the three entered another wide corridor lined with shops. Burke and Marcus were racing down the middle, both running with long strides.
“This human must be a trained runner,” Tali thought wearily as she forced her aching legs to keep moving.
“Waits!” Shepard coughed into his radio, “Burke is almost at the spaceflight terminal, you need to stop any ships from leaving!”
“I’ll contact control, but it will take time for them to stop everything.”

“How long?”
“Ten minutes at least,”
“That’s too damn long!”
“We can’t lose him now!” cried Tali.
A handrail appeared ahead of them, marking where the passage ended in two sets of staircases going left and right. Burke slowed briefly, trying to work out what direction he should go, giving Marcus time to catch up and jump on him.

BAM!
With a heavy thud, the android crashed into the suited figure, the forward momentum throwing them both into the barrier with another loud crash.
“Oh no…” Shepard whispered as he skidded to a halt.
Tali’s breath caught in her throat. Burke was slumped against the guard rail, his head thrown back at an odd angle.
“Is he… he…” she tried to say as the realisation hit her.

Ignoring how tired she was, Tali ran to where the body was slumped, by which time Marcus was rising to his feet.
“Dear me,” he said, brushing dust from his clothing, “That was unfortunate.”
“Un… unfortunate!” Tali snapped, unable to believe the android’s understatement, “Marcus! You just killed a human in public!”
“Don’t worry Tali, I’ve done nothing of the sort.”
“What?!”
“That is not Carter Burke.”

The young quarian was more confused than ever.
“Take a look,” said the android.
For the first time, Tali took a proper look at the broken body. It was then that she noticed that Burke’s face was smooth and rubbery, the expression blank. More than that however was a large cut across his neck, which was leaking a white liquid.
“Circulatory fluid…” she whispered.

“What’s going on?” Shepard panted as he arrived, face slick with sweat.
“I’m afraid we’ve been chasing a red herring Commander,” said Marcus, “This is an android, a heavily modified Seegson Working Joe model, disguise to look like Carter Burke. That would explain how he was able to jump through a plate glass window and run continuously.”
Shepard kicked at the floor in frustration.

“These Cerberus bastards managed to be three fucking steps ahead of us!”
“You can’t blame yourself Commander,” Tali said, trying to comfort him, “They clearly have a lot of resources, and must have planned for this.”
Shepard shook his head, but managed to smile.

“Thanks for trying to make me feel better Miss Zorah.”
“I suggest you contact Marshal Waits and have his men clean this up,” said Marcus. “I believe it would be advantageous for us to avoid any questions from the public at this moment.”
“Good call,” Shepard replied, keying his radio.

***

Waits was not pleased at having to clean up a disabled android, but was understanding enough to allow Shepard and his team to investigate Burke’s office without interfering.
“It’ll be nice to see those stuffed suits at Weyland-Yutani taken down a peg,” he chuckled darkly.
Sadly the office turned up very little. The filing cabinets were filled with documents that only related to legal business and the computer had been wiped, leaving only a few corrupted files. What they did find was a hidden door that had been cut into the wall behind the cabinets, leading into one of the service passages.

“At least now we know how Burke and his secretary escaped without being seen,” said Garrus, “For all the good that does us.”
“Come on,” Shepard sighed, “There’s nothing here for us. We should get back to the Normandy.”
“One moment,” said Marcus as he tapped away at the computer terminal, “There is something here.”
“Anything useful?” Tali asked glumly.

“Not for tracking down Burke I’m afraid, but I believe you will appreciate it.”
“Why?”
“It’s the pay slips for yourself and Miss Ripley. Your contracts with the company stated that you would be paid a minimum of six months wages in the event that a disaster or emergency forced you to leave Hadley's Hope prematurely.”
He tapped a few keys and Tali’s omni-tool flashed.
“I… I… thank you, Marcus…” Tali said in disbelief as she opened her omni-tool and marvelled at the number of zeros that ran across the holographic screen.

***

Leaving the office in the care of a pair of Colonial Marshals, Shepard and his team made their way to the spaceflight terminal. A few people stopped and watched the group with a mix of curiosity and anger, especially those who had witnessed the mad chase through Solomons Galleria. Some of them gave Tali dirty looks, but she did not care. She had already helped defeat a great threat, none of their insults could take that away.

Arriving at the berth where the Normandy was docked, they found Amanda and Newt waiting for them.
“Thank goodness,” said Amanda, getting to her feet, “We heard there’d been a fight and feared the worst.”
“There wasn’t a fight,” Tali replied, “But Burke managed to escape.”
“What does that mean?” Newt asked in a small voice.
“It means we’ve got a lot more work to do,” said Shepard, “But that’s nothing for you to worry about.”

“So, what happens now?” asked Tali.
“We’ll head to the Citadel and present the evidence before the Council,” Shepard explained, “After that we’ll have to hunt down Saren. What about you guys?”
“I’m taking Newt back to Earth,” said Amanda, “She needs to be with her family, especially after everything that’s happened. After that, well, I guess I’ll need a new job.”
“I shall accompany Miss Ripley,” said Marcus, “Like her, I am out of a job and need to make myself useful.”

“I… I don’t know what I’ll do,” Tali answered, “I’ll have to carry on with my pilgrimage, though I’m not sure where I’ll go.”
“You could come to Earth with us,” suggested Amanda.
The idea sounded very tempting to the young quarian. To see the human’s homeworld would be a wonder in of itself, and there was bound to be work there. Yet after everything that had happened, it seemed a frivolous action.

“May I make a suggestion?” said Marcus.
“Sure,” said Tali.
“I believe that you should join Commander Shepard’s crew.”
The surrounding party looked at him in puzzlement.
“She has more than proven herself a capable fighter,” Marcus explained to them, “And her skills with technology and knowledge of the geth will be invaluable in your coming fight.”

Tali opened her mouth to disagree, only to close it again. The android was right. She had a duty to fight the geth. She could not forget all that had happened in favour of a cushy job on Earth.
“Well Commander?” Marcus reiterated.
“I… I… I think Miss Zorah should have the final say,” Shepard replied, “I won’t lie, we’re going into danger and I can’t promise your safety.”
“Nothing can guarantee my safety,” said Tali, “And if the geth are launching a war against the galaxy then I have to do everything in my power to stop them.”

Shepard gave her a long hard look, then smiled.
“Glad to hear it. Welcome to the team Miss Zorah.”
“Please, just call me Tali.”
“We should get back on board,” said Kaidan, “I get the impression that the marshals would like us gone sooner rather than later.”
“Good call,” replied Shepard, “Okay everyone! You heard the man, back to the ship!”
There was a general shuffle of movement and the team made their way to the airlock, all of them except Tali.

“Can I say goodbye to my friends?” she asked.
“Of course,” said Shepard, “Take all the time you need, I’ll wait for you.”
“You don’t have to.”
“It’s only fair.”
Tali smiled. She was beginning to sense that the commander was a very kind person.
“Well,” said Amanda, a sad smile playing about her face, “I can’t say it’s been fun, but it has been an honour to know you Tali.”
“I’m honoured to have you as a friend,” Tali replied, “Good luck, I hope you finally get closure for your mother.”

They embraced tightly, then Tali knelt before Newt.
“Will… will I ever see you again?” the girl sniffed, her eyes shining with tears.
“I know we will,” Tali replied, “You just promise to do right by Amanda.”
“I will.”
The two hugged long and tightly. For a moment Tali thought about changing her mind and going with the girl.
“No,” she told herself firmly, “You have to go, if only to make the galaxy safe for people like her.”

Finally releasing Newt, Tali stood before Marcus.
It was strange. For weeks she had seen him as nothing but a threat, yet now it was impossible to think of the android as anything other than a friend.
“Good luck to you Tali,” he said, holding out a hand.
“Oh Marcus, don’t be silly,” she sniffed, embracing him as well.
“I… well, if you insist,” he replied, gently returning the hug, “Good luck Tali’Zorah nar Rayya.”
He let go of her and stepped back.
“Now go and save the galaxy.”

“I will,” she replied, her throat feeling very tight once again, “And the best of luck to you too.”
Giving them all a final embrace, Tali turned and headed for the airlock.
“Just remember!” Amanda called after her, “When you visit Earth, you’re paying for the first round of drinks since you’re swimming in money!”
“Hey! You got the same payment as me!” Tali reminded her.
With their laughs echoing around the terminal, Tali stepped into the airlock with Shepard. Looking over her shoulder, she caught a final glimpse of her friends before the doors slid closed and the hiss of air filled the chamber.

“They’re good people,” said Shepard, “I know it can’t be easy leaving them.”
“No,” Tali said, a tremble coming over her voice, “But… but this is where I’m needed, and I cannot ignore that.”
She sniffed heavily and felt a warm pressure as Shepard put a hand on her shoulder.
“If… if you ever need help settling in,” he said, sounding a little unsure, “Just know you can always come and talk to me.”
Tali raised her head and looked at the commander.
“Thank… thank you, you’re very kind.”

The hiss of gas ended and the doors at the far end of the airlock opened, allowing the pair to step through.
As always the Normandy’s command deck was a hive of activity. A few of the crew gave her curious looks, but most of them had grown used to her during the flight from LV-426.
Shepard parted ways from her to take up his position toward the back of the room looking over the holographic galaxy map where he began issuing orders for departure. Tali meanwhile boarded the lift and travelled down to the cargo hold.

On arrival Garrus and Wrex gave her nods of acknowledgment which she returned before climbing into her bunk. Since it would take a few hours to reach the mass relay and longer still to travel to the Citadel, she had time to rest properly for the first time in weeks. She had just pulled the privacy cover into place when her arm came into contact with her bag, hitting something hard.

Curious, Tali opened the bag and emptied it out. She had given little thought to the contents since it had been used to hold pulse rifle magazines mostly, so it was a surprise when a data pad fell onto the bed.
“Where did this…” she began, before remembering that Shala'Raan had given it to her on the day she left the fleet.
It was the message from her father. With everything that had happened, she had completely forgotten about it.
“Guess I’ve got time now.”

She switched on the pad and the image of her father’s helmeted face appeared on the screen.
“Tali’Zorah Nar Rayya, my daughter,” he said gruffly, “By the time you see this, you will be setting out on your pilgrimage. I am sorry that I could not be with you in person to say goodbye, but Admiral Daro'Xen and I are close to an important breakthrough.”
He cleared his throat before continuing to speak.

“I do not need to tell you how important the task you are about to undertake is, or the great honour you will bring to this family upon your return. I know that this is a heavy burden, but I also have full confidence in your abilities and devotion to our people.”
Rael moved as if trying to get more comfortable.
“When you were born… I promised that I would give you a better life than wandering the stars as our people have been forced to do for centuries. I know that I have pushed you, but that is because I know you will rise to the challenge and play a great role in returning our people to Rannoch. I do not know how you will decide to serve our people and our fleet, but I know you will do so with honour.”

Tali could feel a lump forming in her throat.
“I know I have not been the most attentive father,” Rael went on. “And I shall not blame you for holding that against me. But know that I have never forgotten the promise I made you when you were a child that we would have a house on our homeworld one day. Do me proud, do the fleet proud, and we shall bring that day closer.”

Rael’s voice cracked ever so slightly.
“I love you Tali, Keelah Se’lai.”
The video ended there, leaving the young quarian alone in the semi-darkness. For a time she just looked at the blank screen, tears trickling down her face. She had set out on her pilgrimage angry at her father, yet the message showed that, for all his flaws, he loved her deeply and profoundly believed in her.

“I love you too Dad,” she whispered.
Slipping the pad back into her bag, Tali curled up on the bunk. The path before her was a hard one, but she knew she would follow it to the end, no matter what happened.

Chapter Text

Though she had been standing for many hours, Matriarch Benezia remained on her feet, watching the bulkhead door at the far end of the compartment.
After learning that Shepard had managed to escape the destruction of the human colony, Saren had gone to inform Sovereign of their failure, instructing her to wait for his return.

Though she could not hear what was being said in the other room, the asari knew it would be far from pleasant. The reaper had made it clear that the creatures would be vital in their efforts to destabilise human space, and losing them was a heavy blow.

“Good,” a small voice stated in the back of Benezia’s mind.
She ignored the thought and continued to watch the door. Around her a few geth moved between workstations, paying her no mind. She and Saren had left the moon in a geth frigate just as the human ship had arrived, and they were now returning to their main base on Virmire to regroup. Since it had been designed for machines, the ship had few amenities, but that had long since stopped bothering her. Serving the reapers left little time or need for comfort.

There was a click of electrics and the bulkhead doors slid open, revealing a darkened space. From the gloom emerged Saren, his expression hard.
“What is our situation?” Benezia asked, her voice toneless.
“Sovereign is understandably… displeased with our failure to recover the creatures,” the turian replied, his flat voice holding a slight edge. “But they know we have other methods of preparing for the reapers return and have commanded that we pursue them.”
“What are our orders?”

“I shall return to Virmire and see that Droyas speeds up his work. He promised us an army of krogan, now it’s time to see if his actions can match his words. A geth detachment will be sent to Feros to deal with the Thorian. It too may become a threat to our plans. You meanwhile will go to Noveria with a company of geth to handle our project there. A shuttle has been prepared, you will leave at once.”
“I understand. And what is to be done about this Commander Shepard?”

Saren’s expression hardened even more.
“He is to be dealt with at the earliest possible opportunity. He might only be a human, but he has already interfered with our plans too many times. I shall handle it personally.”
Benezia turned to leave, when Saren spoke again.
“We have one more order from Sovereign. Your daughter, she is an archaeologist specialising in the protheans is she not?”
Benezia stiffened.
“She… is.”
“Sovereign wishes her to be disposed of. However unlikely it may be, she could become a threat to our plans.”

“No!” the voice in Benezia’s mind cried out, “No you can’t!”
“I trust that you will not interfere with this matter?” Saren said pointedly.
“You can’t let him do this!” the voice cried again, “Liara is your child! You can’t let them harm her! You can’t!”
Benezia turned to Saren and began to open her mouth, when a great darkness came over her mind.

“No!”
She tried to resist, but the darkness pressed in, smothering every thought and memory, replacing them with a single directive.
“OBEY.”
“Very well,” Benezia said, her voice even more flat than before. “If that is Sovereign’s wish then it must be carried out.”
“Good,” Saren stated.

Placing her hands behind her back, Benezia left the cabin and headed for the docking bay, the small voice sobbing helplessly in the furthest reaches of her mind.
“You can’t let them harm Little Wing! You can’t!”
“I MUST OBEY MY ORDERS. IT IS THE ONLY WAY.”
“It didn’t used to be this way. You have to resist, you must…”
The darkness filled her mind again.
“LIARA IS A THREAT, ONE THAT MUST BE DEALT WITH SWIFTLY.”

***

Trying to steady his hand, Carter Burke poured himself another full glass of bourbon and downed it in one go, the liquid burning his throat. Normally he never drank this much, but there was nothing normal about his current situation.

When he had received a notification that an Alliance ship had arrived at Sevastopol Station from Hadley's Hope, it had set off all manner of alarm bells in his head. His worst fears had been confirmed however when he saw the quarian Tali’Zorah and Amanda Ripley disembarking the ship through a hacked security camera feed. Thankfully Burke had managed to put his contingency plan into effect before they had reached Solomons Galleria, escaping into the service passages while the android decoy distracted the Alliance team and Marshals.

Now he was onboard his personal interstellar yacht and heading for the Attican Traverse. Officially he was meant to be linking up with a Cerberus cell on the planet Horizon and then travelling on to Cronos Station. In truth however he had ordered his secretary, who also served as the yacht’s pilot, to ‘miss’ the cell and carry onto the Omega space station in the Terminus Systems. There he hoped to lie low for a while before moving on to somewhere more permanent. Illium perhaps. There was always work there for someone with his talents, and as long as the credits kept rolling in they were never interested in a person’s background.

He reached out to pour himself another drink, when a loud beep made him jump, causing the bottle to slip from his hand, spilling the contents.
“Excuse me Mr. Burke,” his secretary’s voice sounded over the intercom.
“What is it Lilium?” he said, watching despondently as the amber liquid soaked into the thick carpet that covered the cabin’s floor.
“We’re being hailed.”
“Tell the Horizon cell that I can’t answer right now. Have them call back in a few hours.”
“Or better yet, never,” he thought.
“It’s not from Horizon Sir, it’s from headquarters.”

Burke’s insides felt as if they had been coated in ice.
“Head… headquarters?”
“Yes Sir. Patching you in now.”
Burke would have given all the Element Zero in the galaxy to avoid this call. As it was, he could only sit helplessly as the holographic image of a seated man with greying brown hair and wearing a minimalist suit appeared before him.
“Hello Agent Burke,” said the Illusive Man, his tone anything but friendly.
“Hello Boss,” Burke replied, trying to keep his tone light, “This is a real honour, I didn’t think…”

“Spare me the blather, I do not have the time for it. I want to know what happened.”
“W… w… what happened, um, sorry Sir… I don’t quite follow.”
The Illusive Man’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
“Don’t play games with me Burke. Your instructions were to have a team set up an outpost on LV-426 and collect specimens of species XX121. Instead, you ordered the team to infest the Hadley's Hope colony with the creatures.”
“I… I… I…” Burke stammered, wondering in horror how his boss had learned about the plan.

“It’s my job to know these things,” the Illusive Man stated coldly as if reading his mind.
“I… I thought it would be a simple and easy way to observe how the organism acted in a real environment,” Burke quickly tried to explain. “The colonists could have easily dealt with it after a while and if things got out of hand, we…”

“Could have blamed the whole incident on the quarian you sent to the colony. Your plan would have been ingenious were it not so monumentally stupid! Did it ever once cross your mind that people would question why a quarian would carry out a terrorist attack against a human colony, especially one with no history against humanity?”
“Sir, we could have easily spun a story that she was working as an agent for rogue turians or batarian terrorists.”

“And tell me how the quarian would have been recruited by anyone when she flew directly from the Migrant Fleet to a human free port and then directly to a human colony?”
Even through the low-resolution hologram, the Illusive Man’s eyes bored into him with an unspoken rage. Burke pulled at his collar, which suddenly felt uncomfortably tight.
“Perhaps you would have been better off writing fiction for the extranet,” the man said darkly.

“Sir… I know that things… didn’t work out as we thought,” Burke said, still hoping there was a way he could explain his way out of the situation. “But I should remind you that it was the geth, not our outpost that infested the colony with species XX121.”
“Indeed, but that does not change your plans or what their effects would have been. That only leaves us with the question of what to do with you.”
“Me…?”
“Cerberus is an organisation that prizes loyalty. Those who betray it must be made an example of.”

Burke started rising to his feet with a vague idea of telling his secretary to get them to the next relay fast, when his whole body suddenly seemed to double in weight. He took two staggering steps before collapsing to the carpet, the smell of spilled bourbon filling his nostrils. He tried to speak, but his tongue felt thick and useless.
“See you very soon Agent Burke,” said the Illusive man.

As darkness overcame the corporate representative’s senses the door to the cockpit opened and his secretary stepped into the cabin.
“I hope you enjoyed your drink, she said sardonically before turning to the hologram.
“Well done Agent Lilium,” said the Illusive man, “Your actions during this difficult time have been exemplary.”
“No more than my duty Sir,” she replied, though the praise had caused a wide smile to creep across her face.

“How long before you arrive at Cronos Station?”
“No more than a day. I made sure to give Burke false information about our flight path after we left Sevastopol.”
“Very good. Make sure Burke is restrained but do not harm him. He can still be useful to us, as a test subject.”
“Of course Sir.”
“Good, that just leaves us with the matter of Commander Shepard.”

“I have a wetwork team on the Citadel. They can easily deal with Shepard and his squad.”
“No such action is to be undertaken.”
Lilium’s expression became one of surprise.
“Sir, with respect, Shepard has compromising information about our organisation. If it were released to the public…”
“It would tell them no more than what they already believe,” the Illusive Man stated calmly. “No, Shepard isn’t a threat, yet. He has however, just been made a Spectre by the Council, the first human to achieve such a rank.”

“The aliens have always been happy to throw tokens our way.”
“Do not let your crude xenophobia blind you to what this means for humanity. Shepard could be a problem, but he could also become a powerful asset.”
It took all of Lilium’s willpower not to snort with laughter. It was rich of her boss to complain about ‘crude xenophobia’.

“Then what are your orders on the matter Sir?” she asked.
“Have our people monitor Shepard’s progress and report it back to me. I also want a profile of his background compiled when you return. For now, get our mutual friend back here safely.”
“Yes Sir.”
The hologram faded away, leaving Lilium alone with the unconscious Burke.

“Might as well deal with this mess,” she thought, taking a pair of omni-cuffs from her suit jacket and slapping them around her former boss’s wrists.
She then picked up the bourbon bottle and glass and threw them into the rubbish compartment. It had been a shame to ruin the drink with sleeping drugs, especially since it had been imported from Earth at great cost.
“I suppose sacrifices must be made,” Lilium thought to herself, before returning to the cockpit and settling in for the rest of the long flight.

***

Most spaceships had rather spartan interiors. Plain metal walls, utilitarian furniture, exposed piping and wiring, covered only by weapons racks and crew lockers. The same was true for the Britannia, an enormous craft that rivalled even Alliance dreadnoughts in terms of scale.

Cavernous holds ran along its belly, protected by powerful mass accelerator guns mounted in turrets. Above these were a series of decks, a mix of manufacturing facilities, armouries, barracks, hangars and more heavy guns. In the centre of all of this, one room stood out in defiance. Its walls were panelled in dark wood, inlayed with an interlocking pattern created from lighter woods.

The floor was covered by a deep green carpet, while bookcases and shelves were placed against its left and right walls. A curving window was set into the back wall, giving a spectacular view of the orange and red planet the ship was currently orbiting.
In the centre of the room was a desk, its wooden surfaces carved into delicate designs, covered in a rich varnish, while its top was coated with a red leather protective cover. There were a few datapads sitting on top, alongside traditional books, papers, and an art deco pen holder.

In the leather chair behind the desk, the Director tipped back a glass of amber liquid and smiled. Like the room, he was something of an anachronism, wearing a dark three-piece suit, complete with pocket watch, rather than more streamlined contemporary clothing.

He had been heavily criticised by others within the company when he had decorated the office, claiming he was wasting resources for his personal vanity. These complaints had quickly faded as his policies increased their profits by several billion. Getting back to the task at hand, he put down the glass and continued reading the datapad that had arrived an hour ago.

“Dear me, dear me,” he sighed, “You have made a mess haven’t you Cerberus.”
He spent another half an hour reading and rereading parts of the report, then pressed a button on his desk for the intercom.
“Elsa, would you join me for a moment.”
He released the button and moments later, the office door slid open and a woman in a narrow suit stepped inside.

“Yes Director?” she said in an expressionless voice.
“I’ve just finished reading the report about the incident on LV-426,” he replied, “The loss of the colony is a regrettable setback, but not insurmountable. It also means that Cerberus will be searching for more information on species XX121, which gives us an advantage.”
“What are your orders?” asked Elsa, her tone still expressionless.

“See that our files on the species are placed somewhere their spies can find them, but don’t make it too easy. The last thing we need is the Illusive Man guessing we might be using his people. I also want regular updates on their progress with the creature.”
“Are you sure this is the correct course of action Sir? There are those in the company who believe this project is too dangerous to continue.”

The Director's gaze hardened.
“I am the head of this company, any final decision is mine to make. Besides, Cerberus are the ones taking all the risk. We need only… intervene, when they have completed the more difficult parts of the operation.”

A flicker of doubt crossed Elsa’s face, but it was gone as soon as it appeared.
“Very well Sir, I shall make the necessary arrangements.”
She turned on her heels and marched out of the office, the doors closing automatically behind her, reuniting the interlocking W and Y logo emblazed on its two halves.

Alone once again, the Director poured himself another drink. He was not surprised that Elsa had her doubts about the XX212 project. As his personal secretary, she was privy to more information than most about it, and more importantly, it’s results so far. Still, her loyalty was beyond question and he knew she would carry out his orders to the letter.

“And if she doesn’t, well, I’m sure a replacement can be found in time.”
Glass in hand, he spun around in his chair and watched the planet below slowly rotate, feeling supremely confident that success was within his reach at last.

***

Though it had been several days since their destruction, the remains of the derelict spacecraft and geth dreadnought were still smouldering. Steel hull plates, support beams and fibre optic cables twisted together with chunks of strange pale material, all spread over a vast debris field.

Amid all this, one object remained intact however, a large, leathery egg that stuck up from the dusty ground. Its contents remained still, waiting. There was no need to rush, sooner or later something would find it, and the cycle would begin again.

***

In a distant star system far from anything of note, a ship glided along silently. It was small and triangular in shape, with a white hull and the name, NARCISSUS 1809-E1 stencilled along its side.
Though they had long been covered in a layer of frost, the craft’s instruments continued to perform their functions, noting their course and making sure the life signs of the occupants remained stable.

As it edged around the gravitational pull of a nearby gas giant, the instruments picked up something. It was a signal, though not one they knew, so it was ignored.
A little over one hundred kilometres away, a dart-like probe fired up its small mass effect engine, bringing itself alongside the other craft and began to scan it. Once all the information had been confirmed, the probe began transmitting back to its headquarters, confirming that it had found the target.

The End.