- Tali: Treason

Tali: Treason

Speak to Tali once she has a problem and you will learn that she has been accused of treason by the quarian Migrant Fleet. This quest offers the chance many Mass Effect fans have been waiting for, to visit the fleet itself, though the circumstances of her treason are initially unclear. Use the Mass Relay to travel to the Vallhallan Threshold and then to the Migrant Fleet.

Migrant Fleet:

Tali has a lot of friends on the flotilla, but that doesn't change the fact that she has been accused of treason. The accusations are elaborated on. Apparently, she is accused of giving live geth to her father to to experiment on. The repercussions of this for the security of the fleet is clear.

Go to Hearing:

When ready, move through the corridors, stopping to talk to the various quarians en route, and Shala 'Raan specifically. It emerges that Tali has been stripped of her heritage, now referred to as Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, instead of her traditional Tali'Zorah vas Neema. You also learn at this point that the ship's captain is expected to represent their crew, and so Shepard's role in the hearing ahead comes to light.

The hearing begins

With the conversation over, a cut-scene plays and the hearing starts. You will discover that Tali sending parts to her father coincided with a geth attack on his science ship, the Alarei. The suspicion is that this was all Tali's doing. With the revelation of her father's fate, Tali understandably wants to board the Alarei and assist, and the quarians appreciate Shepard's help. This would be a clear statement of innocence from Tali, too.

Board the Alarei:

Before departing, feel free to talk to the quarian admirals nearby to learn their opinions on Tali and the trial. You then need to follow the path up the ramp and through the doors until you come to an larger room. Speak to the shuttle guard, and confirm your desire to head to the Alarei.

Retake the Alarei:

Through the very first door you enter, geth will be waiting to take you out. Take cover and destroy the Geth Troopers. There will also be a Geth Hunter, with shields, so focus on this once it comes into range. Access the two Latptops and play the Quarian Log in the corner of this room. There are also some Power Cells to collect. Proceed into the next corridor, entering the room to the left to get Tali to comment on a Repair Drone, and to collect some medical supplies from the Medical Station and hack a Terminal.

Back in the main corridor is another Quarian Log to play, documenting the moment when the Geth became active. In the next room a Geth Hunter will engage at close range.

Watch out for the Geth Hunter

There are two Laptops to access in this room and a Wall Safe to bypass, with a Quarian Log just next to it. This one speaks of how measures were taken to protect the rest of the fleet from the Geth threat. Head up the stairs and two more Hunters will attack, this time assisted by Geth Troopers, some shielded. Focus on the big guys first, using the excellent cover in this room. Enemies will keep piling in for some time. Once the room is clear, collect the Med Kit and Refined Palladium. The small room joining onto the larger one also contains a Wall Safe and a Console that Tali can use to attempt to decipher what went wrong aboard the Alarei.

With this done, go through the next door. Take cover as soon as you enter. This is a really tough section, with Geth Hunters and shielded Geth Troopers coming from below and both flanks (some from the left, the others from the right, up the stairs). Break out the heavy weaponry if they begin to overwhelm you. Be aware of cloaked Geth Hunters flanking in particular.

With the area clear, move downstairs and access two Laptops for some credits. There is also the last Quarian Log to listen to, and a Med Kit. Move out of the room to find the body of Tali's father on the floor of the corridor. Talk to Tali about it.

You can comfort her during the cut-scene with a Paragon interrupt, before a message plays back that states that we need to destroy the main hub of the geth.

Disable Geth Console:

Proceed up the stairs and collect the model Flotilla ship and access the Laptop without revealing your position to the geth behind the screen ahead. This is another close-quarters encounter with some heavily armoured Geth. When ready, equip some heavy weaponry and pile the rounds on the Geth Prime. Use biotic attacks on it once its shields and armour are down, then take out the Troopers backing it up.

Use the Quarian Console at the back of this room to shut down any remaining Geth. A log entry will play, where Tali's father states that all of this he did to allow him and Tali to get a house on the homeworld. He was clearly reactivating geth to experiment on them, but this log proves that Tali knew nothing about it. Tali pleads with you not to destroy her father's reputation, but it is ultimately at the trial where it will be decided.

Return to Trial:

Note: a wrong decision in the trial can lead to Tali not being loyal, so it is a good idea to save beforehand, in case you make the 'wrong' choice.

Back at the trial, everyone assumed Tali died in the attempt on Alarei. You have returned to defend her reputation, however. When asked if any new evidence was discovered on the Alarei, you have three main options. You can deny that you found anything incriminating Tali's father, in which case Tali herself will bear the shame; you can show the evidence to the court, destroying her father and ruining Tali's respect for Shepard; or, if you have a high enough Paragon or Renegade rating, you can convince the court of Tali's good character, clearing her of any charges. Clearly the latter is the best option, but if it is unavailable you will have to choose (note that picking to submit the evidence will result in Tali not being loyal to Shepard).

Defend Tali in front of the Admirals

Press B (Xbox 360 controls) when you are ready to return to the Normandy. Feel free to look around a bit more first, however, in particular speaking with Veetor, who you may have saved on Freedom's Progress all those hours ago.