by Colin Cook
Seima shivered at the sight. Her fingers were holding in the grating as her arms shake with this, thing. She never saw anything like it. It made the Hanar look common. It
had more tentacles just wiggling around behind its back, what on earth was it?
"So you suppose? That this child is worth your miserable life woman?"
"Ahh…" Seima, gave a nod. "Yes! Yes, she is. She is. She is!"
The creature looked up to Shepard. He, aiming at it. It leered holding up the girl. If they shoot, there is no guarantee it will drop the girl. With tendrils over her legs and
arms, it could just as easily snap her apart. There was a sick, twisted game in the beast's eyes. Whatever it was playing at.
"Have you anything else worthy? I see you are tasty but this little, sweet child. She dies and you grow even more delicious. I could enjoy such a meal in full."
Shepard, snarled out. "You son of a bitch! Let that girl go. Haven't you caused enough pain?"
The creature garbled with his tentacles in a kind of laughter, five chuckles that echoed out as the only 'audible' sound it made all else was like it spoke in the mind of those
near it. "What say you Commander? What is the worth of a child? To equal the worth of Seima in my crew?" His long fingers caress down the quivering helmet, slowly. "An
innocent little girrrrrrl, Commander? What can you possibly sacrifice in exchange?"
Sherpad did not understand what it was getting at. However, as his mind skimmed about. He recalled that conversation prior. He closed his eyes tightly, and snarled, "No.
You wouldn't."
"I would Commander."
Shepard glared back, angrily. "You won't have a chance. I'll kill you myself!"
Hands on the girl's helmet. Seima, cried out, "NO! PLEASE!" Turning, she begged Shepard. "Don't let him kill my baby girl!"
There was the realization in his voice, "You don't know what he wants!"
"I don't care! GIVE it to him!" However, Seima's eyes were growing so hurt. Shepard turned away, and she begged, "Please… she's my only thing left in this world."
No, he can't do this. However, the beast growled out lowly, "Do you not want to save this child? I can understand, but what about Tali?" Tali looked up, and the beast
glowered to her. As she realized the sacrifice being played on. "Would she live so easily knowing her life came at the cost, of an innocent girl?"
Tali didn't believe it. The thing, that it wanted him to sacrifice. She thought maybe it was himself, which she did not understand. It was supposed to be some kind of, pain
thing. The more pain someone felt the more it wanted them. It wanted Shepard she's certain. Yet her being sacrificed for the girl was pain? Was it loosing a friend? Or the
fact HE had to make this sacrifice? Tali closed her eyes. Why was it something like this now?
Shepard held his gun tightly. How can it do this? How can, Ashley… Virmire, Akuze, his parents! The damn world, the universe toys him along. It made him suffer, he
sacrifices everything. Now? Here he is. Another….
"Shepard." Tali grabbed his arm. Shepard looked down, eyes shifting with fear, concern… knowing. "I'll do it. She's a child. Don't, just don't blame yourself. Please?"
"Tali." Shepard winced, "No, don't you make this so simple. You're my team mate, my friend and long time..."
Tali stood, pushing forward. "I'll do it! I'll give myself to yo,-"
"NO!" It raised a tendril, and slammed it onto the bridge. Eyes flared with golden glow as its tendril lips quiver with this loud, audible hiss. "Shepard must make this
sacrifice. I want him to suffer this, to smell him as his heart breaks. As he looses another woman who loves him!"
Tali stood there, blank. To hear it? To finally hear it. Her eyes closed tightly, swallowing. Knowing he now knew and it had to be like this? TO hear this, at this time?
"You never told him…. My, I didn't know that?"
Shepard grabbed her shoulder, saying, "Tali….?"
Tali looked down and then, turned. She said sadly. "Yes commander. I do love you." There, was a lot of tension. Everyone got it. Except this creature, his tendrils quiver as
the emotions feed into his being, soaking into his body with the sheer pain everyone felt of this revelation at this time. "I've loved you for a long time, commander. I love
you back with the original Normandy. Hell, I loved you when you died… and I waited for sign of your body, because I wanted to see you off." Lowering her head she shook
herself a little. "I waited when you came back. I waited with Miranda… Jack, and every other person and before that I waited with Ashley and Liara." Closing her eyes she
giggled, "I would have even waited if you found another woman, I just didn't want anyone else."
She pulled hard and snapped, "WE don't have any choice." She looked into his eyes. Tali's heart was beating fast. Her heart was… so fast, so fast with Shepard's touch.
This time it was a lot of things. "Shepard, she's a child. She has her whole life ahead of her. Don't do this. You know you can't do this." She closed her eyes, and suddenly
leaned in hugging him. Shepard shivered from this embrace. "You're better than this Shepard. You always will be."
Shepard winced again. "Tali…. Please, don't make me do this. I don't want to loose you like this." He closed his eyes, "I-I don't know what I want. I just know, this isn't it."
"You'll never loose me." She whispered softly into his chest, closing her eyes and imagining this was something different. That she's in engineering, saying hello. To the
man she loved. Not goodbye. After all this time. "Shepard, I'm always going to be with you. You know that."
"Getting bored…" They hear a whine of annoyance from the creature as the tendrils tighten on the child. "Can you make your decision Shepard? I'd like to take my time
killing Tali after all. I imagine, peeling her skin will probably lead to some nasty infections, though she won't need to worry over healing, now will she?"
Shepard growled lowly. "This isn't right Tali. You can't be serious. Not like this, not to this!"
"I'm not doing this for him. I'm doing this for the girl. I'm doing this for you." Her hands glide down his helmet and Shepard looked to her. How she looked, in his eyes with
that longing kind glance. Then turning on that monster she's glaring, she gripped his hands tightly as she stepped back. "You're better than this. You have to beat it, after…
whatever happens?" She leaned in, whispering, "Just, take the shot. When she's out of the way, just take the shot no matter what he's doing to me… take… the shot." He
closed his eyes shaking his head. "You did it with the Alliance to save those bosh'tet council members, you sacrificed those strangers on that asteroid to stop that
madman Batarian. Shepard, you must make this sacrifice too!"
"How can you ask me to do that?" Shepard closed his eyes, whispering, "I don't think I can take that shot."
Suddenly a shot rung out. The creature jerked up his head, and turned at his hostage. Shaking her head with his hand, he dropped the now dead Quarian child. Then
turned to the next shot that took his right eye. Everyone turned to the shooter, stationed at a spot on a catwalk above, his one lone lens glowing as he aimed the next
shot.
"Shepard-Commander! Assist!"
There was some screech of the beast as he stumbled a bit. The others, open fire. Tali looked up stunned, horrified. Legion shot that girl? HE shot that girl? Legion aimed
another shot, fired, and the monster screamed as he dove into the doorway, closing the door and locking it.
Tali watched, as Legion stood up and turned to her. His eye scanning her, taking in her look. His brow turned up with confusion, as she scowled at him. Legion took that
shot. He shot that girl. Legion was an uncaring machine, and he shot that innocent child.
Legion started down the ladder. Sliding with his
feet clicked to the rails. Landing roughly, he began walking as Tali stormed down on him, the others were at the door trying
to get to that thing as it was wounded. Legion's flaps bent a little up in more confusion. "Tali? Are you-." It was suddenly being pushed, punched… with her screaming at
that part and then kicked.
"You bosh'tet! Bosh'tet! Bosh'tet! You killed that child! You murdered her! You murderer! You're no better than those Heretics you go on about, you bosh'tet!"
Legion took the blows. Allowing them, as he did not have a defense suitable for this time. Standing with his weapon drawn over himself, he took her blows before finally,
she stopped. Gasping and heaving. Turning on him with all her hatred. To think, she THOUGHT of this thing as a friend? It was a cold, bloodless killer.
"We met no resistance in our consensus on this matter Tali."
"NO!" She points in its face. "Tali'zorah! TALI'ZORAH VAS NORMANDY! My friends can call me Tali! Not you!" She turned, about to storm off. When suddenly, he made her
stop with his next comment as he snatched her hand.
"There was a good reason to our meeting our final conclusion. There is data you were not aware of."
Tali, turned snarling back, "Data! What the HELL do I care about data?" She points at Legion shouting, "Data won't bring that girl back! You killed her Legion!"
"No, we did not."
"I SAW YOU!" She points at the body, "I saw, I saw what you did! I saw how you…" Tali looked as Seima sat there holding the child, but the thing was. The child's back
was… impaled? Tali stood watching for a while. Thinking back, she slowly held a shiver inside her, and the cramping in her stomach. "Legion…. What happened?"
Legion walked closer, and lowered his head. "The child unit was deceased prior to our arrival. We arrived when the unknown creature exited the doorway. When we did our
scans, we did not know how to react. We began immediate consensus with the Geth. However," He looked at Tali. "When we saw your position, and what was to come.
We acted without full consensus." Tali looked up at Legion startled, alarmed. "Our… emotions, got the better of us."
"…." Tali shook now holding herself. She just yelled and berated the damn thing. What did he do? Let her. Why? "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"You were angry. You had reason to be. We did not have time to inform or delay action, we acted and your emotions were right. Your anger was justified and so we
accepted this." Legion, turned to the door. "The creature still is alive and is now in hiding. We must stop it, the engines have stopped. I believe every time it is weakened
the ship becomes delayed. If we kill the creature, we will stop the traversing to the relay."
Tali looked at him but, she felt bad. "You saved my life."
"We only did what Shepard-Commander would have done." Looking at her though, he spun his lens. "We are certain he would have taken the same shot, a 89% chance
was aware to us he was in process of making this consensus."
Tali didn't believe that. "Shepard would never have shot that child…"
"Yes, he would have."
Tali glared, no he wouldn't have. Yet, Legion then said. "There was a 98% chance Garrus Vakarian would taken the same shot when you moved to the transaction. There
was, an evident 99.99% chance of Kal'Reeger taking the same shot and then repeatedly shooting onto the creature from body signs he was giving."
No, Tali did not believe any of this. However, to make it worse? Reeger was behind her.
"Ma'am," Tali turned, and the way he stood. Reeger narrowed his eyes saying, "I was about to take the shot when your Geth friend made it for me, and I'm damn happy
he did."
"Reeger?" She was stunned. Tali, shook her head. "No, you'd never…." she looked down, then to Shepard. He was working on the door still. Could it be true? "Why…?"
"I knew something none of you knew." Reeger looked down, worried. "Well, kind of. That girl had a very serious medical condition, why else do you think she was in the
medical ward?" Tali didn't think it over, she assumed it was something simple. An infection perhaps? "She was born with a serious defect, she was going to die. In truth, I
think this may have been the best option. From what I heard? Vary'Ex warned her disease would have become very painful." Looking back, Reeger held his rifle up. "I
won't say I want to help a Geth, but, he wanted to help you." Turning back, he said lastly. "I'm appreciative of that."
Legion watched the Marine climbing the ladder. Tali and Legion watch, and saw the two other marines do the same…. "Reeger? Where are you going?"
"There's an access tunnel up ahead." Reeger, got up the ladder and started his way, "We're going to end this now."
Tali winced, Keelah. Turning to Legion she gave a nod, "Come on Legion. Let's hurry this up."
A nod, Legion followed her behind on the ladder. "Yes Tali'zorah vas Normandy."
Tali, stopped before saying, "You can just call me Tali." She began going up again, "I… forgive you."
"Yes." Legion, pulled himself up again. "We appreciate this, Tali."
The Engineering room was loud as the side doors opened. Reeger jumped down, and there his two men follow. Soon Tali and Legion enter as well. Reeger bent down,
switching to his missile launcher. Crawling on his haunches as the Quarians can so easily, the team moved very stealthily. Following to the sight of the glow ahead. Down
they looked to the number of diodes and devices, and the core of the ship was here. It was there, Tali looked down and saw it.
The Creature stood there mouth wide open. The core was spinning slowly as inside, many glowing forms shifted strangely within. It did not look like a normal core. Then
Tali was startled seeing a glowing form fly from the core, and into the mouth of the creature. The form, gave a glow over the creature as it was consumed and then
wounds began healing quickly. Tali asked, "What are those?"
Reeger, looked back to her like she should already know. "Tali… that's the crew."
Tali looked closely, there were shapes to those disembodied forms. She winced, realizing it was a number of Quarians. Tali's heart sank in her chest as she thought, all
those people. All those innocent men and women, never able to finish their pilgrimage? She closed her eyes shivering. This was the worst kind of thing. Tali wanted to get
revenge.
Reeger looked to the five controls, one on the upper level behind the core… four, on the main floor near some diodes. He shook his head, whispering, "Five of them and
five of us? What are the odds, really?"
Legion, prompted to say, "Considering the size of this ship? I would assume there was a 47% chance there would be one device to each station. However, there are five
powerful boosters that most likely are in control of propulsion and for thi-"
"Nevermind." Legion felt Reeger glaring at him. "Geez, leave it to a Geth." Pointing at the device behind the Engine. He said, "Legion, you get that one. Tali and I will get the
two nearest the door, I'll give her cover so she can try and let the others in. You two take the two nearest the back. When Legion shuts his down, we shut ours down."
Tali looked at Reeger, "When he shuts his down, that thing will attack him."
"Yeah…. Funny how that works." She glared, but Reeger wasn't that worried. "Tali he is a Geth. He'll be fine…" And if he didn't? Well, Reeger had his objectives. Keep Tali
safe. Not the Geth.
Legion turned to the device beginning to move, however she grabbed his wrist. "Legion, you don't have to do this."
"We are willing to do whatever it takes to save the Creators." He turned to Tali. "It is in your best interests."
Legion moved again. Tali began following Reeger as she thought about that. In her best interests? Or did he mean our, for their best? It didn't matter. Moving she rea
died
to take the device. Reeger gave a nod. Legion, turned to him. Then he moved quickly before switching the engine off. When the power down sound came out, the
Creature opened his eyes from the feasting. Then he leaped up, tendrils snapping out to the rafters as he swung toward Legion.
Legion, raised his rifle firing. However the creature landed on him and pinned him. Now, Reeger and the others were shutting down their engines. Tali had done hers the
second the monster jumped toward Legion and rushed to the door working on it.
Gunfire, echoed behind the creature. It screeched before turning back and seeing the two other marines. Angrily, it turned tossing Legion like a doll. Then leapt up,
slamming onto the floor with tendrils bent to cushion himself. The creature sent two more flailing out and impaling the two marines, taking minimal damage. Charging then
on its many limbs it went for Reeger, who fired his missiles as the creature swerved left to right. With a hand pulled back it swung, throwing Reeger across the room.
Slamming him onto the wall where he landed roughly.
The Creature slammed onto the door as Tali ducked, rolled and pulled out her pistol. Scrambling up she fired as she strafed to the nearest Diode, and with her size ducked
down crawling behind them, back as the beast screeched and slammed his massive tendrils around the other diode. Tali pulled up and ran across the room, to Reeger.
Keelah… Reeger! Get up!
Looking back she saw the creature slamming his tendrils into the other diode, then turning. Tali gasped back and slammed her back into the area behind the diodes
nearest Reeger… did it see her?
The creature slowly walked forward. Tendrils slapping around a little. It sniffed the air, snorting with that way the tentacles bent. He growled this guttural kind of sound
before turning to try and find the little Quarian woman. When, it clicked who he saw.
"Tali'Zorah? Why, I don't believe my luck. Perhaps I will get to have some time with you after all?"
Tali's eye twitched. Keelah, she shouldn't have gone. She never, ever would have… but, if she hadn't? Reeger would be dead. Definitely. Well, pretty sure. Luckily she
