Chapter Text
Pain. Tali winced, looking up at an unfamiliar ceiling. Pieces of where she was before began to slip away like a dream. Her mind fumbled to hold on, but the harder she tried, the quicker it flitted away. The Normandy’s engine roared, pushed harder than she had ever dared before. Adams had been there too… maybe, and were Gabby and Ken as well? They were trying to escape something. A shockwave closing on them. Then a crash.
It was no use trying. Beads of perspiration poured down her brow. She had a fever. A bad one. Her mind, lost in a heavy fog, demanded more rest. There was a dull, throbbing pain just above her elbow. Hopefully she was somewhere with antibiotics. Hopefully someone was looking after her. Tali had to do something important. The feeling tugged at her. Sleep pulled harder. Her eyes closed again. She tried to open them, but the blackness felt so good. She could stay here forever.
…
Where am I? She couldn’t judge how long she had been out. Long enough for her fever to break. At least a day, maybe more. There was no sound of a ship’s engine, not even the subtle sub-bass hum of the Normandy . Something else didn’t feel right. The suit. It was all wrong. Tali curled her fingers and rolled her head. Its fit was like the one she wore on her pilgrimage three years ago. Slowly, she opened her eyes again. That ceiling from before. But, no. It wasn’t a stranger. It had greeted her once before. It couldn’t be…
She turned her head enough to look to the side. A woman, human, stood at a console with her back to Tali. She was in a medical clinic. That medical clinic. The one she had gone when she’d been shot on the Citadel in an attempt to keep the information she had a secret. Shot exactly where her arm protested in pain right now and just days before meeting Shepard for the first time.
“Ah, good to see you’re finally up,” the doctor turned with a smile. “I’m Dr. Michel, you’re safe now.”
“Thank you, doctor,” Tali tried to sit up, “I seemed to have gotten myself into a little predicament here.” If only the doctor knew the half of it.
Dr. Michel helped by propping some pillows behind her, “I don’t think you should be so cavalier about your situation. This isn’t the Flotilla. The Citadel can be a dangerous place for a young one like you.” Tali chuckled. She’d taken on Cerberus, the Collectors, and the even damn Reapers themselves. A couple of Saren’s goons were nothing compared to those foes. The doctor continued, “Your bullet wound was easy enough to patch up, but your fever had me worried. Although, not as worried as I am about whoever is after you.”
Tali pressed on her wound, a little pain remained, but nothing that was going to slow her down, “I appreciate your concern Dr. Michel, and thank you for saving my life.” She slid off the opposite side of the bed to the chagrin of the doctor.
“I think you ought to stay and rest…”
Tali’s confident head shake quieted the doctor. “I have important evidence about someone who is working with the geth. But they’re willing to have me killed to keep it hidden,” Tali remembered this conversation well. It was surreal reliving it. “I need to contact the Shadow Broker. I’ll give him what I have if he can keep me safe.”
Dr. Michel puzzled over her patient as she watched her begin gathering her belongings. “There’s something different about you…”
“Different from other quarians?”
“No,” the doctor paused, considering her words, “different from yourself. When you walked into my office a couple days ago, you were scared, unsure.”
“I was hurt. I’d been shot .”
“I know the difference between pain and fear in my patients’ eyes, even behind a mask,” the doctor continued to study Tali. “You move with such certainty now. With a maturity beyond your age.”
Tali smiled and dipped her head towards Dr. Michel. “Thanks to your excellent care doctor.”
“I’m sure that’s not all,” but the doctor dropped it at that. “I know a man. He goes by the name Fist. He works for the Shadow Broker. You’ll find him in Chora’s Den, down a level. It’s a disgusting place full of disgusting men. I’d tell you to be careful,” she nods at Tali’s shotgun, “but it looks like you know how to handle yourself well enough.”
Tali collapsed her weapon and clicked it into the holster on her back. If she was actually where and when she thought, Tali knew the good doctor would be in danger herself in a couple hours when Fist’s men came looking to shut her up. Pausing a second, she thought to warn her. But, no. Dr. Michel had to meet Commander Shepard to set her on the path to meet Tali. She couldn’t risk changing the timeline. “Stay vigilant doctor, I would hate for the men looking for me to find you.”
“Please,” the doctor dismissed Tali with a hand wave. “I haven’t survived down in the Wards this long without a bit of a sense of self preservation.”
Tali felt confident Dr. Michel could look out for herself, at least until Shepard showed up to save the day. That’s the one thing Tali could always count on. “No, of course you haven’t. Still, it’s probably best if someone comes asking for me, I was never here.”
“For both our sakes,” the doctor agreed, “Consider it doctor/patient confidentiality,”
Tali turned in the threshold back to the doctor, “Keelah se’lai, Dr. Michel,” and stepped out into the Ward.
“What can I get ya?” the bartender yelled over the pulsing music, continuing to dance for the leering eyes around the bar.
“I’m here to see Fist,” Tali said low enough for the barkeep to know she wanted to keep the conversation private.
“Uh, Fist doesn’t usually take visitors.”
“I know, but tell him I have a proposition for his boss. Information he can’t pass up. About the geth.”
The bartender bit her lip for a moment before giving in, “Ok, I’ll let him know at least, but no promises. Can I get ya something to drink while you wait?”
“Turian brandy, triple filtered,” Tali hadn’t drunk the first time she had been to see Fist, but why not give her new favorite drink a whirl a few years early, “and, ah, a straw.”
The bartender gave her a sideways look before shrugging and turning to whisper something to a broad shouldered human who gave Tali an even more disapproving look. He disappeared down a hall, no doubt towards Fist’s office.
Now she had some time to think as she sipped her brandy. Everything confirmed so far that Tali had been thrust three years into the past. For the most obvious clue: the Citadel was lively as ever, floating peacefully in the Serpent Nebula as opposed to sealed above Earth and infested with Reapers. There was Dr. Michel and also the bartender. Tali remembered she was doing some kind of undercover operation that Shepard just had to stick her nose in. If she had traveled to the past, there were so many possibilities. So many needless deaths could be avoided. Everyone in Han'Gerrel’s ill-conceived war with the geth. Her teams on Freedom’s Progress and Haestrom. Legion. Her father.
It was overwhelming to consider all the changes she could make with the knowledge she had. But on the other hand, what would happen if she did make changes. Should she? One thing she was sure of, don’t mess anything up until meeting Shepard. She had to talk to Fist, had to set up that meeting in the alley, and had to get double crossed. She half expected a setup then, now she was one hundred percent sure it was coming. It’ll be fine. As long as Shepard, Wrex, and Garrus showed up like before.
Garrus Vakarian. Tali took a long sip of brandy: it reminded her of him. Shepard gave the order directly after Cronos Station that she was going to take Garrus and James on her team to retake Earth. Tali wasn’t expecting anything beyond a private goodbye to a good friend when she went up to the battery where Garrus had always squirreled himself away. Well, maybe she was hoping something more would happen, but she promised that it wasn’t her intention for things to progress how they did. A knot tightened in her stomach thinking about the next time she sees him, he won’t remember their indulgence. Keelah, he won’t even recognize her. Damn. She took a long sip until there was no brandy left in her glass.
“You. Fist wants to see you,” a firm hand closed around her arm. The bodyguard gave a quick head nod towards a booth in the corner.
Tali jerked her arm away. “I’ll find my way,” she said defiantly, making her way over to the booth in the corner and the familiar face of her betrayer.
Fist waited for her to take a seat opposite him before beginning, “I don’t typically meet with demanding strangers, but you caught me in a good mood, quarian.” She shivered in her suit as his cold blue eyes sized her up. So much confidence for a man playing a dangerous game. If only he knew how soon he was about to lose. “Well,” he leaned in, “let’s have it. I’d be willing to pay you handsomely if this info you have on the geth is really any good.”
“No, I need to give my evidence to the Shadow Broker himself,” Tali leaned back, crossing her arms. “I’m sure he’ll reward you handsomely for sending me his way. Or maybe he’ll reward Barla Von if I share what I have with him instead.” Fist scowled. This was a little more confident, more cocky than she’d been before, but there was no helping it. The slimy club owner was going to get the business end of Wrex’s shotgun before the hour was over and she relished giving him all the disrespect he deserved while she still had the chance. Something she knew Shepard would love to have done.
After a long silence, Fist’s jaw finally unclenched, “Listen, I’ll give you one more chance since you’re young, naive, and all that, but you’d better straighten yourself out around here or someone is going to put an end to you real fast kid. Judging by that patch job on your suit, someone tried to teach you that lesson once already. Now, give me the information you have. I’ll make it worth your while, promise.” He punctuated with a shit eating grin.
Vitals flashed inside her helmet showing a rising heart rate and blood pressure. “I’m not scared of you,” she flatly declared.
Fist motioned to his bodyguard to come closer, whispered something in his ear before he dismissed the man. He turned back to Tali, “You want me to set up a meet with the Broker?”
“Yes,” she felt the sweat bead around her brow. She needed this ambush set.
“Fine. Ally behind Chora’s Den. Half hour. We’ll be there. Don’t be late.” Fist got up from the booth and stalked back to his office. This would show her.
And now the wheels were in motion. Fist spotted Dr. Michel’s patch, so he would send his men to the clinic to keep her quiet. That would give Shepard the info she needed to eventually lead her here, right as Fist’s assassins would show up. A ball tightened in Tali’s stomach. It wasn’t the assassins who made her nervous though. She checked the time. Five minutes to showtime.
Tali realized she had no idea what her next step would be. Obviously they had to take the proof of Saren’s betrayal to the Council and make Shepard a Spectre, but then what? Even with her knowledge of the future, how could she use that to shape events for the better this time around. She had almost screwed up the meeting with Fist, she had to be more careful. It was probably a good idea to get Liara next. Maybe she could help them find Javik? If anyone could convince the Council that the Reapers were real and coming it would be him. She chuckled to herself imagining the Prothean insulting the councilors one by one for being “primitive” and fly-eaters. But where was Javik? A human colony, Tali was pretty sure. But she had been with the Migrant Fleet when Shepard woke him up the first time. There are dozens of human colonies to search and they still had to stop Saren in time. Beyond that, how could she even justify knowing that there’s a living Prothean hibernating somewhere? This is going to be a lot more difficult to make any changes than she had first thought.
A door hissed at the end of the ally starting Tali. The turian assassin, flanked by two salarians in combat armor, strode down the stairs. Right on schedule.
“Did you bring it?” He demanded walking uncomfortably close.
“Where’s the Shadow Broker? Where’s Fist?” She slipped right into her part.
“They’ll be here. Where’s the evidence?”
Tali swatted his hand away before he could touch her this time. “No way. The deal’s off.” She held the tech mine already primed in her hand and tossed it at the trio. Showtime.
The blast blinded the assassins and Tali dove for cover. She planted a slug in one of the salarian’s chests before either had a chance to draw their pistols. The turian fired on her position, missing widely, still blinded by the blast. Three years ago, this was the toughest fight she had ever found herself in. Now, these second rate assassins barely posed a challenge to her with all the experience she had gained. It almost wasn’t fair. With one peek around her cover, she spotted the other salarian, and another report of her shotgun knocked him down.
“Just you and me now, sweetness,” the turian teased from cover across the room. They volleyed a few rounds before Tali found the right angle to toss another grenade. She drew his attention by firing from the opposite side of her cover just as the little metal ball sailed right behind him. He had no idea what had hit him when it detonated. Shame. He didn’t deserve such a quick death.
Tali stood dusting herself off, proud of a job well done. Still, something tugged uncomfortably at her. Where was Shepard? Surely she was still coming. Fist’s assassins were easy to take on. She must have done too good a job, dispatched them too quickly. Any minute now, the squad would come barreling through the door. Shepard would be impressed to see she had taken care of the men all by herself! Wrex laughing. Garrus…
Something was behind her, Tali spun, shotgun trained, to see it was only a keeper scuttling across the alley. It grabbed one of the dead salarians and began pulling it back to its little vent. Her stomach was in her throat. Where were they? This wasn’t right. Ten more minutes passed. She paced the entire time going over it again and again in her head. Sure, from her perspective it was three years ago, but this was the most important day of her pilgrimage. The first day of her new life. She knew the timing, and this wasn’t right. Blood pressure and pulse alerts were going off in her helmet again. Tali spun on a heel and headed for the end of the alley. If Shepard wasn’t going to find her, she was going to find Shepard.