The bridge of the Alarei held the largest geth which Jack had ever seen, a juggernaut of metal that made a YMIR look like a tinfoil doll. Fortunately they'd gotten the drop on it plus its two little buddies. Jack ignored the smaller geth and just ran right by the big sonofabitch, whooping and waving her arms with no attempt at stealth.

"Jack!" yelled Shepard in frustration.

"I'M THE DISTRACTION, MOTHERFUCKER!" screamed Jack as she felt the bulkhead behind her char and burn from the big geth's blast. She hoped the Boss would remember the lesson he'd taught her a while back.

He did. While the big mech turned to try to destroy this annoying pest, Shepard hit it right in the back with a concussive shot. The mech staggered, and Jack threw a shockwave at it for good measure. Tali, meanwhile, had already scrapped the other two geth and was zipping her drone around the mech to give it yet another thing to shoot at. And every time the big machine turned to respond to a new threat, the other two would pound it mercilessly. After a short while, the thing was down and in a smoking, sparking heap.

Shepard walked up to Jack, who stood panting while sporting a feral grin near the front of the bridge. He opened his mouth as if to give her a harangue, then closed it. "I'm glad to see you remember your lessons," he said shortly, and moved away. Jack chuckled.

In the meantime, Tali found a console on a large pillar in the center of the bridge. "This is linked to the main hub Father mentioned. Shutting it down will deactivate any geth we missed." She paged through the files on the hub, and her shoulders slumped. "It looks like some of the recordings remained intact. They'll tell us how this happened, what Father did."

"You sound like you don't really want to hear it," replied Shepard.

"I don't," said Tali. "But I know we have to. It's just...this is terrible, Shepard. I don't want to know that he was part of this." She reached out to open a video file, then hesitated.

"Tali," said Jack. The quarian looked over in surprise as Jack continued. "Whatever you find there...just remember that it isn't you. You aren't responsible for any of it."

Tali nodded, and opened the video. Sure enough, it showed her father talking with two other quarians.

"Do we have enough parts to bring more online?" asked her father.

One of the other quarians nodded. "Yes. The new shipment from your daughter, combined with our other materials, will let us add two more geth to the network."

The other quarian cleared his throat. "We're nearing a breakthrough on viral attacks into geth logic structures. There will be questions as to how we achieved it. Perhaps we should inform the Admiralty Board now, just to be safe."

Tali's father made an emphatic gesture with one arm. "No. We're too close. I promised to build my daughter a house on Rannoch. I'm not going to sit and wait while the politicians argue about ethics."

Jack looked over at Tali and saw her hood droop as the video continued.

The first quarian rubbed his hands together nervously. "We'd have an easier and faster time of it if Tali'Zorah could send back geth material that was more...active. I'm sure she'd understand the necessity of skirting certain rules."

Tali's father gave him a death glare which Jack could feel right through the video screen. "Absolutely not," he snapped. "I don't want Tali exposed to any political or ethical blowback. She is to be left completely out of this. Assemble new geth using what we have. Bypass security protocols if need be."

The video ended. There was a long and terrible silence.

Shepard finally broke that silence. "It sounds like he was doing this for you."

Tali gave a strangled sob. "As if that excuses him. I never wanted a home that badly! Keelah, I never wanted this." Her hood darted around as she took in the blasted and scorched bridge around them. She waved her arms to indicate the entire ship. "Everything here is his fault! I tried to pretend that it didn't point to him, but this...oh Keelah. He's responsible for all of the tortured geth, for all of dead quarians, all of it! When this comes up in the trial, they'll...we can't tell them. Not the admirals, not anyone."

Jack walked towards her. "Buckethead, without this proof they'll kick you out."

The quarian put her hand on her hood as if her head pained her. "You think I don't know that? You think I want to live knowing that I can never see the Fleet again? But I can't go back into that hearing and say that my father was one of the worst war criminals in our people's history. I just can't."

Shepard put his hand on her shoulder. "Your father's dead, Tali. You heard him, he didn't want you to be hurt by any of this. What difference does it make for him now?"

Tali looked beseechingly at him. "You don't understand, Shepard. They would strike his name from the manifest of every ship he ever served on. It would be worse than exile. He'd be considered a monster."

Jack had dealt with her share of monsters, and she personally thought it was fine to make sure that everybody knew who they were. But she could also appreciate that Tali had some affection for the bastard.

Shepard squeezed Tali's shoulder. "We're not going to solve it all here and now. Tali, do you trust me?"

"You're my captain, Shepard," replied Tali.

"I'm not asking as your captain. Do you trust me?"

The quarian looked at him. His blue eyes were visible behind his helmet's visor and they had a warm gleam in them that Jack had never seen before.

Finally Tali nodded. "You are my friend, Shepard. My best friend. Of course I trust you."

That gleam in Shepard's eyes got warmer. "Then just follow my lead. Now come on, let's get back before they decide to declare us dead."

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

And sure enough, the fucking admirals had started the hearing back up and were right in the middle of pissing and moaning among themselves. That was fine by Jack, since it just gave them a more dramatic entrance as they came marching back into the plaza.

"Sorry we're late," said Tali cheekily as the three of them came swaggering up.

Gerrel cleared his throat, trying to look official. "Ah, yes. Very happy to see you made it back, Tali. Did you find anything on the Alarei that could clarify what happened there?"

There was a short silence, then Shepard walked forward and placed his hands gently on the railing.

"Shepard, please," murmured Tali in a voice which only Jack could hear.

The biotic looked at the Commander. The set of his shoulders was the same as when he was getting ready unload the fires of hell onto some deserving motherfucker. Jack grinned. Whatever Shepard had in mind, it wasn't going to be some dorky legal procedure. "Relax, buckethead," she murmured back to Tali. "He's got this."

Shepard said nothing, and after a moment of silence Admiral Koris straightened. "Does Captain Shepard have any new evidence to submit to this hearing?" he asked.

The Commander tilted his head. He still said nothing.

Finally Raan started to speak. "Captain Shepard, please, do you-"

"I would spit on you all," said Shepard. "But I'm wearing a helmet. Tali's achievements are the only evidence you should ever need. She's saved your asses ten times over. Hell, she's saved my ass more times than I can remember. And this is the thanks she gets. You do not deserve her." He spun away and nodded at the two of them. "Tali, Jack, on me. We're leaving."

Jack's grin felt like it was going to split her head in two. Fuckin' A! She fell in beside Shepard as he began marching out of the plaza and back towards the Normandy, Tali marching right on the other side of him.

She heard Raan yell "What?" behind them.

Koris also yelled after them. "Captain Shepard! This is a formal proceeding!"

Shepard spun and began walking furiously back towards the railing. It was a good thing that Jack and Tali were off to either side. If they'd been directly behind him, the Commander would have flattened them both right into the deck.

"WRONG, Admiral!" roared Shepard. He pointed a steady finger at Koris. "You know that this trial is a farce. You're just trying to foster sympathy for the geth and forestall the war effort!"

Koris spluttered. "That is ridiculous and completely-"

"Shut the fuck up," snapped Shepard, and moved his finger to Gerrel. "And you! You want your messy experiments covered up so you can throw your fleet at the geth!"

Gerrel drew himself up. "Listen, I-"

Shepard dropped his hand. "No, you listen to me." He glared at the Admirals. "By all that is holy, you will listen to me. Do whatever the hell you want with your little toy ships. But you will damn well leave my crew out of your political BULLSHIT." The yell echoed through the plaza. Nobody in the crowd even breathed. Shepard's fists dropped to his sides, and he faced the Admiralty Board like a boxer ready to go a hundred rounds. "We have no new evidence," he spat. "You can accept Tali's word, or you can exile the woman who saved the Citadel from the geth. Do what you will, you ungrateful cunts."

There followed a very brief and very animated bout of whispering among the four Admirals. Finally, Admiral Raan stood and raised her hand.

"Tali'Zorah," she said, "in light of your history of service, we do not find sufficient evidence to convict. You are cleared of all charges. Go in peace, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. Keelah sel'ai."

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

Tali looked shyly at Shepard. The trio stood in the corridor leading back to the Normandy. "Shepard, I just wanted you to know something. What you said in there...I just wanted to thank you. I've never had anyone speak like that on my behalf. Thank you for being there for me..and for my father, I suppose."

Now that the trial was over, Shepard was right back to his old embarrassed self. He rubbed one hand on the back of his neck. "Tali, about what your father said, what he did. I'm so sorry. You deserve better."

She remembered his embrace during that horrible moment on board the Alarei. Tali reached tentatively forward and placed her gloved hand on his shoulder. She now knew how much he cared for her. How could she make him understand that she felt the same?

"I got better, Shepard," she said. "I got you."

The words seemed to float in the corridor. Shepard's eyes got that warm gleam again. "Tali?" he said, almost in disbelief. She moved forward, waiting for him to push her away at any moment. That moment never came. She pressed against him and felt that familiar little flare of pleasure in her stomach as his arms went around her. Only this time it wasn't because of a stupid daydream.

From behind her, Tali heard Jack's muttered voice. "Fucking finally."

She felt Shepard's chest shake a little as he chuckled. "We have been kind of silly, haven't we Tali?"

"Speak for yourself," she murmured into his shoulder. If she dropped dead right now she would die happy. "I want nothing more than to be with you. Always. Even if I have to give up everything."

"Oh?" She heard the amusement in his voice. "Well in that case we could still go back in and get ya exiled, if you want. I'm sure Jack wouldn't mind smashing a few more things."

"I'm always up for some of the old ultraviolence, Boss," said Jack.

Tali looked up at him and smiled. "Nah, I'm fine with things like this. You know, it's fun watching you shout."

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

Mordin was finishing up his report on the Collector corpse when the door to his lab opened. He looked up and saw Tali'Zorah come in with Jack at her elbow. He was a little surprised. In spite of the quarian reputation for 'weakness', Tali had not yet come to see him for any treatment. The salarian suspected that was due in part to the marvelous environmental suit that Tali wore; he had heard they were the last word in automated healing and disease control. Mordin secretly itched with the desire to take one apart and find out how they worked. He wondered if he could persuade Tali to let him have a look at her suit, perhaps if she stayed in the airlock after a few sterilization cycles...

Tali's voice interrupted his musing. "Um, hello Mordin, I have a, um, favor to ask." She wrung her hands together for a moment, then turned to Jack. "It's too embarrassing!" she whispered.

The biotic crossed her arms and stared at her. Mordin wondered what was going on. Was Tali sick?

"Illness not embarrassing," he said in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. "If suffering from varren scale itch, be assured that Dr. Chakwas found it was a rare airborne mutation and not the more common, er, venereally-transmitted variety."

"No," said Tali hastily. "I'm not sick, it's just..." She trailed off.

Jack snorted and shook her head. "I swear, it's a goddamn miracle that any little bucketheads get made. Doc, Tali and the Boss want to get their freak on. Ya got any suggestions?"

Mordin could see Tali blushing right through her visor. But with Jack's words he felt relief. This was an educational visit, not related to a medical problem. Education was always much more pleasant. "Excellent!" he chirped cheerfully. "Honestly expected either Tali or Shepard to seek advice before now. But no time like the present, as the humans say."

He began singing softly as he turned to his terminal and called up the necessary files. "With cat-like tread, Upon our prey we steal, In silence dread, Our cautious way we feel...Ah, here we are! Fortunately humans and quarians similar in skin type and texture, do not have to worry about," sniff "chafing as during turian-to-human coupling. Broadly speaking genitalia between species should be compatible, although due to physical variation among humans and quarians true physical compatibility needs to be determined on a case-by-case basis."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

It looked like Tali wanted to just drop into the floor and vanish, or go running out the door. But Jack's hand on her elbow kept her in place. Jack got an interested look on her face. "Hey doc, you were there when Shepard got all loopy and did his strip tease on Illium. Didja get a look at him?"

"Of course."

"All of him?" Jack grinned and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. Know what your question is leading to. Unfortunately, have had minimal clinical interaction with naked human males. Have limited frame of reference to compare various human male endowments."

Jack kept pressing the issue. "Okay, I got that, but in your limited experience what would you call him?"

Mordin considered the question. "Impressive."

Jack hooted and dug an elbow into Tali's side as the quarian blushed even more.

"To continue!" he said with firmness. This lecture had gotten off track. "Minor concern due to dextro- versus levo-protein compatibility. Not much data in the literature on human-quarian interaction but my analysis indicates minimal chance of true allergic reaction for either partner. Still recommend minimal ingestion of each other's secretions to start with."

"Secretions?" gasped Tali.

Mordin nodded. "Aside from obvious sexual emissions, should also be careful with sweat, hair, tears, and so forth. Expect that continued exposure to each other will allow for relaxing of such concerns."

"Continued expoooosure," said Jack in Tali's ear as she waggled her eyebrows.

"Jack, please!" Tali wrung her hands together.

The young woman put a hand on Tali's shoulder. Her face became more serious, but still retained a sardonic smile. "Tali, you want to be with Shepard. He wants to be with you. I really wish this could be as easy as locking you both in a room with an economy-size box of condoms. But you've gotta be careful, otherwise you're gonna be dead. And I don't want that, even though you can be annoying as fuck sometimes."

Tali gave her a look with one raised eyebrow. "Only sometimes? I must be losing my touch."

Jack laughed. "That's the spirit. Sorry, doc. Continue."

Mordin grasped his lapels. "Now move on to issue of greatest concern, the quarian immune system. Fortunately, have observed your interest in the Commander. In anticipation of this event, have prepared a complete protocol..."

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

"I can't believe he already had an entire list of steps ready," murmured Tali. She and Jack were riding back down to Engineering in the elevator.

The biotic slouched against the wall across from Tali. "Yeah, well, Mordin's a boy scout, you know, always prepared. Everybody knew you and the Boss were panting after each other."

"I was not panting after him!" snapped Tali.

Jack's grin showed all of her teeth. "Bull and shit. Fer chrissake, Tali, it's not a crime to be horny. Why not admit it?"

"It's just not proper. A good quarian doesn't, well, advertise herself like that."

"Oh yeah? And who taught you that? Your father?"

Tali glared over at Jack and saw that she wasn't grinning. The tattooed woman looked at her with a direct and piercing gaze. Tali felt her anger subside a little. Jack did have a point. "He was very concerned with the family image, yes." She turned away and sighed. "Family image. I still wonder if we did the right thing with the Admiralty Board. Maybe it would be better to just have it all out in the open."

"That was your call, not mine," replied Jack. "I didn't know him. From what little I saw, he was a hard-ass bastard who expected nothing but the best from his children."

Tali leaned against the elevator wall nearest her, mirroring Jack's pose. "That's pretty much right." She thought about what she'd admitted in a roundabout fashion to Shepard back aboard the original Normandy. "Father drove me to always do better. I think he expected me to be on the Admiralty Board someday. I never complained and I never thought he was being unfair. After all, he was the very model of quarian perfection." She regarded her gloved hands. "And underneath it all, he was capable of a cruelty I can't imagine. I have spent my whole life trying to win the affection of a monster." Tali would have screamed or punched a wall like Jack, but right now she just felt spent.

"And now it just so happens that you've won the affection of a truly good guy," replied Jack. "Shepard's too much of a boy scout for me, but for you he's tailor-made. So go and be happy with him. Forget about your dad and don't give one single gods-be-damned fuck about what a 'proper quarian' would do. What about the badass buckethead Tali'Zorah? What would she do?"

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"Gah!" Garrus leaned back and closed his eyes against the oncoming eyestrain. "Half of this Cerberus crap is still encrypted."

"It is all that Miranda and I could get, Garrus," replied EDI. "I am sorry."

He rubbed his eyes and rested his head on the conference table. It was one of the few out-of-the-way places where he could get some peace while he plowed through this.

"May I suggest some rest?" said EDI. "At least take a break. You have been going for four hours nonstop."

A bit of a juice break would be welcome, he thought. Garrus hauled himself to his feet and headed down to the mess. It was between meals and the only other occupant in the place was Thane. Garrus exchanged nods with the drell as he grabbed a juice pouch from the kitchen and then sat down nearby. Thane didn't seem to be doing anything other than meditating. The drell must have gotten tired of looking at the walls of life support.

Garrus wondered how Thane's disease was progressing. Dr. Chakwas had said that he would be relatively unimpeded by his condition until close to the end, when he would begin to have bouts of near asphyxiation. It seemed like a horrible way to go. Garrus wondered what he would do if faced with a similarly unavoidable fate.

He also wondered if he should get Thane involved in his search. If Garrus was honest with himself, the drell was probably as good a sniper as he was. And part of what made a great sniper was not only seeing what was there, but also seeing what was not there and yet should be.

"Thane, would you have the time to help me out?"

"Certainly," replied the drell. "While we are in space, there is little for me to assassinate." He smiled a bit. "Are you looking for marksmanship advice?"

"Ha! No, we have a lot of Cerberus research data to analyze. It looks like there may be a Reaper-based device that will allow us to get through the O-4 relay, and Cerberus has a lot of work going on in reverse-engineering Reaper technology."

"So it is logical to assume that this device is somewhere in the Cerberus network."

"Yeah, but the stuff that Miranda and EDI were able to get has a lot of encryption. I have bits and pieces of various research efforts, but putting everything together is the tricky part."

"I am no scientist, but I am pleased to help."

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

Tali watched Oriana boot up the 'EDI drone, Mark 2'. The latter was a sphere about half a meter in diameter, with two arms dangling from its sides. Oriana had placed lenses on its front to give it something more akin to a 'face'. She had asked Tali to meet her in the hangar as EDI gave the 'Mark 2' a proper run-through. To Tali's surprise, EDI had also insisted that Joker join them for the activation.

"Thanks again for your help with the improved manipulators, Tali." she said.

The quarian shrugged. "I figured EDI would want fingers as well as hands." Instead of simple claws, this drone had small three-fingered hands.

"Great," said Joker. "That just gives her a better way to abuse me. Why am I here again?"

"I wanted to give you the chance to get a head start this time, Jeff," said EDI.

The pilot glared upwards. "You had better follow up with 'that was a joke', Miss Lidless Eye."

"Oh, Jeff! You haven't called me that in ages. Thank you, I believe I am beginning to understand this organic feeling known as nostalgia."

"Yeah, but you already understand being a smart-ass," muttered Joker. He glowered at the 'Mark 2'. "So when are you gonna fire it up? Should I go put on some cast-iron britches?"

"It's already synced," said Oriana. "Give it a try, EDI."

This drone did not jerk like the 'Mark 1' did initially. This drone smoothly raised off of the workbench and then did a slow orbit of the trio. Joker flinched a little as it went by him. "It is definitely easier to maneuver," said EDI. The drone's hands came up and waggled its fingers. "Oh, yes," the AI continued. "This is going to be very nice."

The drone whirred gently into the center of the hangar and spread its arms. "Very nice indeed!" said EDI's drone as it spun around like a top. Then it stopped. "Jeff, come here please."

Joker swallowed. "Really? EDI, I've been a good boy. No pranks at all, you know that."

"I know." The drone extended one hand towards him, palm up. "Please, I have something I want to try. Let's call this my way to make amends."

The pilot looked dubious but still hobbled forward. "If you're going to try something new, you might want to get somebody less fragile. Like Grunt, or Shepard, or...well, pretty much anybody else."

"No," replied EDI. "It should be you." She was speaking exclusively through the drone now. As Joker came up to her, she reached out and took his hand, then extended his arm out to the side along her own manipulator arm. The drone's other arm went around his waist as its body moved close to his.

"EDI?" Joker sounded like he was getting ready to panic. "What is this?"

"This is us getting ready to dance, Jeff."

"I don't dance, and you really don't want me to try. Dr. Chakwas would be busy for a month afterwards."

"Trust me, Jeff. I asked Oriana for this upgraded drone, and I designed many improvements to its mass effect drives. It should hold your skeletal system in place while we do this."

"Um, I really think somebody else should try this holy shit what the hell is that?" A slight blue shimmer appeared around Joker's legs and torso.

"Now we can dance," said EDI with satisfaction. "I am afraid that I will have to lead, although I understand that is not traditional."

Joker gave a little yelp as they both levitated a little off of the deck, and then the two interlocked figures moved forward a little. It almost looked like Joker was skating; his lower body was held stationary as they slid forward a little. Then EDI began moving them both around with greater speed. Tali stared in amazement as they twirled about the middle of the hangar. Joker's initial look of utter fright was replaced with disbelief.

Oriana grinned and clapped her hands. "Bravo!"

"It lacks something," added Tali. "We need some music."

"I agree," replied Oriana. "EDI, do you have any suggestions?"

In response, a song began to play throughout the hangar. It was some sort of instrumental with violins. Tali couldn't recognize it. The initial melody seemed to speak of a longing for connection, a need to touch someone else's heart. The pair in the middle of the hangar began moving in time with the music.

"What is this, EDI?" asked Oriana. "I like it."

"This is an Earth song called Por Una Cabeza," replied EDI. "It's a tango written in CE 1935." The pair in the middle of the hangar continued their stately spinning as the violins swelled into the next portion of the tune. Now the song spoke to Tali of the joy in finding that certain other, the one that made you complete.

Joker was now grinning ear to ear, his initial fear totally forgotten. "Holy shit, look at this! We're dancing!" He laughed, the first truly happy and non-cynical laugh which Tali had ever heard from him.

The quarian crossed her arms as she beheld Joker's happy face. This was not something that had just happened by accident. EDI had wanted to make him happy, and she had done so. Tali thought back on her initial misgivings about unshackling EDI. She gave silent thanks to her ancestors that the AI had actually wound up being benign. And now she saw that EDI was not just benign, but capable of true affection.

It made her wonder about the future of her people and their long struggle with the geth. Her father had resorted to unthinkable means to end that struggle, and Tali had no doubt that he would have wiped out the geth if he had finished his logic weapon development. But was there the possibility of reconciliation? She had dismissed Admiral Koris as a fool, but now she wondered if he had a point.

Thinking of her father brought another twinge of sadness. All that Tali had ever wanted was to get his approval, to see him as happy as Joker looked now. But she had always failed, and never once had she questioned if his demanding of perfection was fair. But then his own supposed 'perfection' had turned out to be a cruel joke.

"Are we doing this right, EDI?" asked Joker.

The AI's voice had a warm tone to it that Tali had never heard. "There are no mistakes in the tango, Jeff. If you mess up, you just tango on."

The strings of the music subsided a little, and now the song spoke of the back-and-forth that always comes in a new relationship. That was something that Tali had never experienced first-hand. But now she at last had the chance. And better still, that chance was with the dashing captain that had first captured her heart. Proper quarian decorum dictated that she should proceed slowly, and always be hesitant to proceed to the next level physically or emotionally.

"Are you feeling brave enough for a dip, Jeff?" asked EDI.

"Go for it!" Joker's face gave a little flicker of fear, was quickly replaced with fresh joy as the pair pivoted parallel to the floor.

"I've got you, Jeff." said EDI.

The pilot laughed again as they pivoted back upright. "I never doubted it."

Tali realized that she had also never doubted Shepard's love for her. Through the many months she had been on the new Normandy, it had been just like old times...no, it had been better than old times. Shepard had always been there, always ready to talk with her. And if there was no doubt, then why bother with decorum? Given what her father really was, why give his notions of propriety any weight at all?

The two figures in the middle of the hangar slowed and came to a stop as the music wound down into a final promise of true connection.

"Thank you, EDI." Joker sniffed a bit, cleary trying not to cry.

"It was my pleasure, Jeff. Let me know if you would ever like to do this again."

Tali dropped her arms to her sides and stalked out of the hangar like a quarian marine on a mission.

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

Shepard yawned and scratched his ass as he walked out of his shower. He slung a towel over one shoulder and strolled naked over to his closet. For once he was glad that Garrus had dragged him off on that shopping trip during their stay on Illium. He wanted to wear something special, since this was going to be he and Tali's first...hell, call it what it was. Their first date. It was a wonderful if odd thing to say to himself.

He regarded his clothes as he considered his options. At least Tali didn't have to worry about what to wear. And that was why they had to be so very careful. Shepard would never forgive himself if he hurt her, so getting physical was something that would have to be done very gradually. He would have to read up on quarian immunology as well as their environmental suits.

The thought of Tali in her suit led naturally to thoughts of getting Tali out of her suit. He had to admit to a strong curiosity about what she actually looked like. And not only did he want to see her face, but see the rest of her. That led his mind into some pleasantly dirty daydreams and he felt some stirring down below.

"I see the captain is coming onto the bridge," said a familiar modulated voice from behind him.

"GAH! Who.." Shepard spun and hurriedly dragged the towel off of his shoulder to cover the important bits. "Tali?"

She lay on her side on his sofa, with one knee up and her head propped up on one hand in the classic 'centerfold' pose. "Don't mind me," she said. "I'm just enjoying the view."

Shepard realized he had just walked past her with his ass hanging out. Hell, with his everything hanging out. He clutched the towel nervously in front of his groin. "I, ah,um...we were meeting at seven, right?"

"Yes, we were. And I know how this was going to proceed." Tali gracefully slung her legs down and got to her feet. "We were going to be oh-so-careful. And you were going to be your usual gallant self and keep things chaste for at least a month or so." She walked forward, those amazing hips of hers hypnotizing him as they swayed. "Holding hands, gentle hugs, that sort of thing."

"Well, I, ah, yeah something like that."

"And then after that, maybe a little friskiness. Some fondling, a little...what do you call it...heavy petting? In a couple of months, we might even try something like this." She reached over with her left hand and touched her right forearm. Shepard felt his heart stop as she unlatched her glove and removed it.

"Tali, Jesus! What are you..."

"It's sealed around my forearm," replied Tali. "No unfiltered air is getting into my suit. I'll just need to wipe my hand down and sterilize the glove before I put it back on." She tossed the detached glove aside.

Shepard was mesmerized by the sight of her exposed hand. Tali's skin was a warm gray in color and as smooth as a baby seal. Her long thumb and two thick fingers splayed out as Tali stretched them, then she reached towards him. He would have grabbed her hand to stop her, but that would involve letting go of the towel. And it would wind up contaminating her anyway. "Tali, I really don't think that's a good idea..."

He trailed off as her bare finger touched his chin. The sensation of her bare skin on his flesh sent an electric shock all down his spine. Tali gave a little pleased hum as she gently stroked along his jawline. Shepard could feel his stubble rasp under her touch. "Human facial hair is so weird," mused Tali. Her hand traced down his throat, then she pressed her palm against his bare chest. Tali's skin was warm to the touch, much warmer than he expected.

Shepard looked down in disbelief, then up at the predatory gleam in Tali's glowing eyes. "I am done with trying to be a model daughter for a monster. I am done with being careful."

He finally found his voice. "Careful isn't necessarily a bad thing, Tali."

"We're in the middle of what is practically a suicide mission. I just saw a man who could barely walk dance. I'm not wasting one more second worrying about careful." She pressed her body up against him, trapping his towel between her and 'Little Shepard'. That gleam in Tali's eyes deepened as she slipped her bare hand around behind him and grabbed his ass.

Shepard almost squeaked as he felt her strong fingers grip one of his glutes and give it a good kneading. "Niiiice," she murmured. Her faceplate was very close to his lips, and he could see her eyes peering intently at his expression as she fondled his rear.

He could also feel the heat coming off of his beet-red face. "Tali, really, we should at least make sure-"

"Go talk to Mordin," she said in a low and lustful growl. "I'm giving you one week to read up and get ready. And then I'm coming back to claim this ass." Tali gave his cheek another firm squeeze, then let go and stepped back. She retrieved her glove and gave his astonished face a silver wink. "I'll see you at seven, big boy. I'm glad to see that Mordin wasn't lying."

Shepard stared dazedly off into the distance as his cabin door closed. He gradually realized that sometime during the proceedings he had lost his grip on the towel. It was now in a heap on the floor. He had also gotten an erection which could hammer a nail into concrete.

"First Samara, now Tali," he muttered. "Is there something in the goddamn water?"