75

Cluster: unknown. System: unknown. Migrating Fleet. Farm ship Raya. Meeting of the College of Admirals

- Now, who will begin? - Shala'Raan asked the question when all the admirals were seated at the round table.

- 'Let me,' said one of the three new admirals, Zahil'Krin, who was in charge of all Quarian intelligence. Some of the Quarians, mostly those who had recently returned from the Pilgrimage, jokingly called him 'Cagebashnik' after some ancient human organisation that terrorised the rest of the planet and knew everything about everyone. And characteristically, Zahil knew what they called him and, in a way, was proud of the nickname. He knew firsthand about the KGB. Zahil persistently studied human books on this organisation, and sometimes the former Admiral, who had more than a hundred sorties behind him, had goosebumps running down his back. And sometimes, there was envy. But still, he could learn something, and now he was the only one with his own agent network and personal archive on many personalities of the Fleet. And no one knew about the former or the latter. Still, it was possible to learn the right things from people. So when the Admiral suggested we start, everyone agreed with him. He always had interesting news. - So, a fortnight ago, we intercepted a message, correspondence to be precise. We only decoded it yesterday, and it was quite interesting.

- Who was the correspondence between? - Another Admiral, Kina Seelie, asked.

- Between the Grey Mediator and Admiral Rael'Zor's daughter, Tali," Zahil replied calmly, but Rael himself seemed unhappy.

- WHAT?! Are you... Are you sure about this? - Rael asked, but Zahil understood his reaction. And also understood that with Tali, there was a... special situation. An admiral's daughter, after all, and here she was, a deserter. But there were nuances. Thanks to Zahil, it had come to the attention of the other admirals that Rael, in a fit of VERY strong anger and outright spoiling, had been abusing his own daughter. What to say about the constant shouting, cursing and even humiliation (at least not publicly, and that was good) when she lost all or part of the squad, combined with the failure of the mission, and then the tape from the Freedom Trail, where Praza spoke very "nicely" about Tali. After all this data reached the Collegium, they delayed the tribunal and Tali's banishment. They decided the girl had finally lost her nerve, so she ran away with the resurrected captain. Then the Board decided to call her back to the Fleet to talk to her, to let her explain herself, to "set her mind right", and to return her to the "Motherland", as they put it. However, there was another problem - she could not be contacted. She had broken off all contacts with the Fleet and was constantly unreachable. Fortunately, there were Quarians on the Pilgrimage. If they found Tali, they were ordered to inform the Fleet and, if possible, to make contact. As a reward, they were promised that it would "count" against them. And it worked. Immediately a report came in that Tali was on Omega. She was seen on Illium, and then a Quarian swore by the filters that he'd seen Tali on Corlus. And then three days ago, a Quarian said she saw Tali on Citadel in a restaurant, paired with a turian. And then followed her and was even able to take some photos. They were definitely having an affair. But the scariest part was that she was WITHOUT a mask! Poor Rael, when he saw that (his daughter without a mask on the Citadel in the arms of a turian), first he cursed his daughter, then he blamed Shepard, Praza, the Geth, then himself, then he finally broke down and began to beg forgiveness from his daughter and his deceased wife, and then he grabbed his heart. Literally, they sent him to the infirmary and even gave him sick leave, though he had neglected it. So now Rael had his full attention.

- Absolutely," Zahil replied. - At least, that's how the other person had signed. What do you want me to think?

- All right, let's get on with it,' Rael said, and Zaheel activated the unic to activate the holo screens on the desk for each Admiral.

Decrypted correspondence

To: Tali'Zora, you Normandy.

From: Grey Mediator

Tali'Zora! Because our mutual friend, and part-time XO on the ship where you are currently serving under the command of Captain Shepard, is rather annoying and demanding, I still have to write this to you. Although he'll probably beat me up later for not being sincere with you, that's not my concern.

Please forgive me for ordering your death two years ago when you tried to sell me information about the SPECTR traitor Saren. I wasn't thinking then and thought the information was too important.

Sincerely your friend, Grey Mediator.

To: Grey Mediator

From: Tali Zora of you Normandy.

Thank you for remembering, at least now. Better late than never. And you were my last hope back then. But I'm still glad that you have a conscience, even if it was at the request of a mutual friend.

To: Tali Zora va Normandie

From: Grey Mediator

Yeah, a request. Of course. It's more like a slap in the face and a very strong one at that. It would help if you listened to what your XO said to me when he remembered that incident. You'd learn a lot of new words. The most judgmental of them, though, are prepositions. Didn't even bother to use pronouns. Rude. But at least my men don't shoot polonium bullets.

To: Grey Mediator

From: Tali Zora, you Normandy.

Could you not remind me of that? It wasn't very pleasant. I hadn't felt so awful even once drinking Turian alcohol. And it was from the harbour district of the Citadel!

To: Tali Zora of you, Normandy.

From: Grey Mediator

You're suicidal. Even I don't take that risk. And yet I do it all the time; my profession demands it. In fact, there are many benefits to me trying to kill you. If I hadn't tried to kill you, you wouldn't have met Captain Shepherd. She would have come to me and wouldn't have known about you.

To: Grey Mediator

From: Tali Zora of you Normandy.

As strange as it may sound, thank you for ordering me to kill me back then. It changed my life back then. On the other hand. Goddamn bosh'tet, you ordered my death! I wish you'd be caught by the Batarians somewhere in Terminus and enslaved!!!

To: Tali Zora you Normandy.

From: Grey Mediator

Whichever race I interact with, they all have one thing in common.

To: Grey Mediator

From: Tali Zora va Normandy.

Which one?

To: Tali Zora vas Normandy.

From: Grey Mediator

Women...

To: Grey Mediator

From: Tali Zora va Normandie

I'm still a girl, by the way! You don't have to hint at stuff here!

To: Tali Zora vas Normandie

From: Grey Mediator

*link to extranet image*

- "Yeah," commented the third 'newcomer' to the Collegium, Roshi'Ken, as he finished reading. Everyone else finished almost simultaneously with him, and they didn't have much in the way of words to describe the situation.

- 'Things,' Kina said.

- It turns out," Shala was the one who had already spoken. - 'That Tali is... friends with the Grey Mediator.

- 'Well, according to the correspondence,' Zahil joined in. - It could really be considered a friendship. And here's what else I noticed. It talks about the XO of the ship where Tali'Zora is now. And from what it says, we can conclude... Well, not conclude, but assume that the Grey Mediator reports to the XO of the Normandy.

- It sounds strange, but... It's quite possible - Shala supported it. - And besides, as far as we know, the XO of the Normandy is that turian.

- I mean," Kina began. Are Tali'Zora and the turian, who we assume controls the Grey Mediator, lovers?

- I'll ask! - Said Rael firmly, who wasn't too happy about such an alias for his daughter.

- 'Seriously, Keena,' Zaheel sided with Rael. - 'Lovers is rude. It's more like lovers," Keena only rolled her eyes doomfully at that statement.

- That doesn't change the fact that it can be taken advantage of," said Roshih, who was here instead of Zaal.

- I'm still sitting here, in case you forgot," reminded Rael, who wasn't too happy about the light in which his daughter was being discussed.

- Rael, we're not suggesting using Tali. But..." Shala tried to defuse the situation. - We still need to contact her. After all, it can help us a lot. For example, to get the details of the Geth that you, Rael, need so badly.

- We've had a good haul recently, thanks to Zahil Kreen and his men. Seventy Stormtroopers, ten Juggernauts, two Primes, a Colossus, seventeen drones, and a downed landing shuttle. And that's from only three sorties," Rael said, recalling the list of trophies Zahil's fighters had brought back. - Impressive.

- Yes, we're surprised ourselves. But we noticed one oddity in all three raids," Zahil began.

- What kind of oddities? - Keena asked.

- You see, Tali'Zorah's reports and videos of encounters with the Getae when she was a landing party commander, show that the Getae use beam and plasma weapons. There's also speculation that they use antimatter in their grenades. And they also have powerful shields, altered tactics, the ability to improvise, immunity to hacking and overloading, and built-in plasma weapons for hand-to-hand combat. However, in our three skirmishes... Nothing. Mass effect weapons, the old, predictable and calculated tactics. Also, we have benefited greatly from the prototype jammer for Geth's digital communications, which was developed by Daro'Zen and refined by you, Rael. It's a really promising development, but..." Zahil paused, trying to catch his breath, but after a few seconds, he continued. - Three days ago, our landing party attacked the Geth, looking for something in the Protean ruins. We pinned them down and tried to destroy them, but to everyone's surprise, they had everything Tali'Zora had ever encountered. The jammer didn't last long. They quickly found another way to communicate with sound.

- Sound? - Keena needed help understanding. - Goths don't communicate by sound. Much less than your fighters would be able to recognise their plans in battle. And why have I yet to learn about this?

- I didn't have time to give you all the data," Zahil excused himself. - Besides, they were not communicating with words but with some strange signals at a very fast speed. At first, I didn't understand what it was. Still, when I slowed down, I got this message," Zahil activated the unic. An unpleasant beeping sound rang across the room. Dozens of lines and dots appeared on the screens in an involuntary order.

- --- - --- ---- --- ------ ---- ------ ------ ---- -- ---- --- --- -- --- ---- --- -- --- --- --- --- ---- ---- -- -- --- -- ------ ---- - --- --- ---- ---- ------ ---- - ---- ---- -- -- ---- -- ---- --- --- -- --- --- --- -- -- -- - --- -- - - --- -- -- --- ---- -- - --- -- -- ---- --- -- -- ---- ---- - --- --- --- ------ --- - --- --- --- ---- ------ - --- - - -- ---- -- ---- - - --- - --- - ---- ---- ------ -- - --- -- ---- - - --- ---- ---- - ---- - -- --- -- -- ---- ---- - --- -- -- ------ --- --- - -- ---- ---- -- ---- - ------ ---- --- --- -- --- ---- ---- ---- ---- -- ---- --- --- --- -- ---- ---- --- - - -- ------ --- - --- --- ---- - --- - --- -- ------

- Dash, dash, dash, dash, dash, dot...- Rael said, trying to figure out what it was, and then it came to him. - Is that Alliance Morse Code?

- It is. By the way, we could translate it," Zahil pressed the unic again, and all the admirals saw the translation of the abracadabra.

- Squad B, come in on the right flank! First, get on the balcony with the grenade launcher and take out their snipers! Second, Third and Fourth, don't let the snipers get out! The rest of you, suppressive fire on those in front!

- Did they have a commander now? - Kina was surprised.

- 'Yes, as you can see,' said Zahil.

- This... This is impossible!!! - Keena couldn't stand it. - The Geth have no hierarchy, no command or anything else. They calculate everything down to the last detail. And they certainly don't use grenade launchers to take out snipers!

- Yeah, except that says otherwise. The Geth we've fought in our three successful sorties have been dumbed down by our use of the digital communication jammer, or DCC. But this last time... Each platform is quite autonomous. They can make well-considered decisions, even independently, if they're surrounded.

- What do you mean by that, Zahil? - Keena asked.

- I'm saying that Tali'Zora's theory about the so-called split of the Geth is viable.

- It's nonsense. Why would the Geth go against themselves if their strength is in unity, if I may say so," Kina argued?

- Let us not deny the facts. And the facts are these. The Geth have split, and one group has made significant technological advances, including software. And now, only one of those groups is vulnerable to our GTS. The other one is out of our league," Zahil said flatly.

- Then we need to accelerate my research," Rael said his voice firm, "But I need the materials.

- I agree with Rael," Zahil said in favour. - Reprogramming the Geth is a promising idea. But are you sure you can do it?

- You can't be sure of anything," Rael replied. - But this is our only chance to return to Rannoch. You know we can't defeat them in open combat.

- Khan'Gerel thought otherwise and favoured war," Zahil reminded him. - However, I do not console myself with dreams and hopes. The heavy Fleet is on its last legs. The rest of the Fleet is sad, to say the least. Except it's getting harder and harder to find the Geth. And we still need to know what kind of Geth they are.

- Then we should go to Tali'Zorah. - suggested Roshi. - The Grey Mediator's mercenaries can do more than we can.

- We'd have to contact her first," Kina reminded him.

- I'll take care of that," Rael said confidently, but Shala stepped in.

- No. I'll talk to Tali.

- She's my daughter! - Rael wouldn't let up, but Shala wouldn't back down.

- Who hates you! And it's not even given that she's still in love with the Fleet.

- Tali'Zora has never given any reason to doubt her loyalty to the Fleet," Tali Keena defended herself. - Remember when you, Rael, asked her to copy the blueprints for the stealth system of the Normandy frigate. She didn't say unequivocally no at the time. Although then, she didn't have time to do it.

- All because you gave her a tough choice. Serving the Navy but betraying her friends, her crew and SPECTRE. You put too much pressure on her," Shala said now.

- Not me," Keena raised her hands in front of her in a conciliatory manner, as it seemed as if she was being blamed. - Rael.

- I know! - Rael blurted out. - We could really use this. That frigate managed to fly to Rannoch in peace. Rannoch! But you're right, Shala. She won't listen to me. But she might listen to you. I'll get back to my research.

- Well, that's settled then," Zahil concluded. - Now, let's get back to the other questions. Can someone explain what the Geth mean by "Red October"?

Letter.

To: Agent of the Grey Mediator on the planet Illium.

From: Admiral of the Migratory Fleet Shala'Raan vas Tonbai.

I need to contact the Grey Mediator. You can do it by correspondence or communication. Tell him it concerns Tali Zora, you Normandy. He'll understand. If he wants to communicate by communicator, he can use this channel. It's secure. *link to secure communications channel*.

To: Admiral of the Migratory Fleet Shala'Raan you Tonbai.

From: Agent of the Grey Mediator on the planet Illium.

Your request is granted as a matter of urgency. Contact the Grey Mediator on a secure channel in 1 standard hour.

- Admiral, incoming call," the communicator alerted Shala. She was in her quarters, which also contained Zahil and Rael.

- Wooh," Shala took a deep breath, then answered. - Put it through," the interference was initially felt, but things quickly picked up.

- Admiral Shala'Raan," came a voice heavily distorted by the filters, "You wanted to contact me.

- Yes. It's about Tali Zora. I... I need to contact her.

- And that's why you contacted me? - the voice was surprised.

- We need to find out where she is. But it's urgent.

- Wait," Zahil interjected. - How much will your services cost?

- When it comes to Tali'Zorah, it costs nothing. Eh, well, wait for me, I'll try to contact her," the voice disappeared, and Rael and Zahil looked at each other nervously. They were worried sick.

****

The frigate Normandy-SR2

A nasty beep woke Tali, sleeping peacefully on Legate's bed. He wasn't there, though they'd gone to bed together. I went to check on the ship or talk to someone.

At first, Tali wanted to ignore the sound, but then she realised it wouldn't just disappear. Opening her eyes and standing up, Tali noticed the holo clock. 02:17.

- I'll kill you, bosh'teta," she said and went to answer the call. It was going to her personal computer. Blinking at the bright light, Tali sat down at her desk and looked at the call. - Mediator. Not again," the Quarian said, mentally cursing the Mediator for waking her up. Still, the bed is so soft...

- Tali," came a distorted voice, and the screen showed only lines showing sound.

- Mediator, bosh'tet damned bosh'tet, goddamn you warren... What more do you want? - Tali said in a sleepy voice, but the Mediator didn't pay much attention to this attitude to himself. He realised he had called at a bad time, but it was urgent since Shala wanted to get in touch.

- Tali, I'm sorry to call so late. Admiral Shala'Raan contacted me and asked me to schedule a conference call with you. What else am I supposed to do?

- Shala...," Tali repeated as if trying to remember what the word even meant. - Right now? - Tali asked.

- Right now.

- Come on," Tali replied, and the Mediator fell silent momentarily. The Quarian began to wait, trying to fight sleep. Her eyes were closing on their own, and her head was already resting on both hands. Suddenly there was static on the computer, which after a few seconds, began to take shape. After a few more seconds, the image became clear, and on the other side of the screen, Tali saw Shalu'Raan. More precisely, her mask, hood, and body part. Although, Tali had never seen the other Shala before

- Tali? - Shala was surprised to see Tali like that. It was understandable. Tali was wearing only a tank top and shorts, standard spacesuit underwear. Tali had long ago noticed that she felt cosier in it. So now Shala could only see Tali's face. - Why...why...why are you without a spacesuit?

- Aunty Raan...- Tali said sleepily. - Everything is clean here. You can walk around without one - Tali composed on the fly and only then realised that she had lied. But then the thought quickly faded away. All her brain was saying now was "sleep!". - How are you?

- The same as always, actually. From system to system," Shala replied.

- Yes... So... Why are you calling? Is something wrong? - Tali came to the point.

- Yes, Tali. You see, your father... Eh, he's gone completely insane. He's sending fighters to their deaths for Geth parts. Look, the Collegium found out that you're friends with the Grey Mediator.

- Well, yeah... There's a bit of that..." Tali said, almost falling asleep.

- 'So, could you... Ask the Grey Mediator to get as many Geth details as possible.

- Why would your father need them?

- No one knows. He's in charge of some projects on the Alarea, sometimes misses board meetings, and has a heart condition.

- What-- Is he-- Is he all right? - Despite her drowsiness, she sounded a little worried.

- Yeah, almost. It's just nervous fatigue. He's been very emotional lately. Many troop groups go missing, or they get killed in skirmishes with the geth, and the survivors return with nothing. Look, Tali, I'm begging you. You can talk to the Mediator. The more details, the better. The Collegium only listens to Rael, and it's no use going up against them...

- Okay, Aunty, I... I'll talk... to the Mediator... - Tali didn't say anything further. Finally, they passed out, falling her head on the table. After that, Shala heard the peaceful sniffling of the girl, who quickly fell into the world of dreams.

- Tali? Tali, can you hear me? - Shala asked, but the connection was cut, and the session ended.

****

Raya's farm-ship

- Well, thank you..." Rael said with caustic, almost venomous sarcasm. He and Zaheel stood behind the computer so Tali wouldn't see them.

- I'm sorry. There's no other way," Shala excused herself, "Although it's partly true.

- I know, but she said yes.

- She'll talk to him. "I hope your project pays off," said Shala.

- 'I hope so myself,' Rael replied without playing any great scientist or trying to entertain mere hopes. - Yes, and one more thing. Zaheel," Rael addressed the "scout". - Did you find out where those three Cerberus cruisers were headed?

- Yes, they stopped in the Thorn system, and they're looking for something in Mnemosyne orbit.

- 'Good, that should be checked out, and if it's something worthwhile, we should capture it,' Rael said, and Zaheel didn't argue.

- I agree. We shouldn't give Cerberus something that could be useful to us.