Tali Zorah
Tali sets off on her Pilgrimage aboard the vessel Honorata, crewed by Keenah'Breizh. She plans to begin her Pilgrimage at Illium, but en route through the Crescent Nebula, the Honorata detects a geth presence on an unidentified ice world. Tali and Keenah land to investigate, and manage to disable a geth unit and successfully extract its memory core, which contains a recording of two individuals discussing an attack on the human colony of Eden Prime and the coming of the Reapers. Fearing that the rest of the galaxy may be in danger, Tali convinces Keenah that they should turn over the recording to the local authorities on Illium. At that moment, the turian mercenary Jacobus and his team, on the planet under Saren Arterius' orders to find Prothean technology, attack them. They flee to the Honorata and set a course for Illium. Once there, Illium's docking officials, prejudiced against quarians, refuse to allow the Honorata to land for several hours. This gives Jacobus enough time to land on Illium first and plan an ambush. When the Honorata finally lands, Tali and the crew immediately come under fire, and the Honorata's other crew member is killed. Unable to return to their ship, Tali and Keenah stow away on a transport ship bound for the Citadel, where they hope to give the geth recording to the Citadel Council.
The transport's crew discover the stowaways, but the captain decides to turn them over to C-Sec instead of killing them. They try to explain to Chellick that they have important information for the Council, but he ignores them and warns them to leave the station in the next day. After learning from Avina that there is a seven month wait for an audience with the Council, they are spotted by Jacobus, who chases them across the Citadel. Tali is shot in her side during the chase, but Keenah is mortally wounded. Arriving at an incinerator deep inside the Citadel, Keenah can no longer keep up with Tali and dies. Tali leaves her friend and sets up a trap of her own for Jacobus. When the turian enters the incinerator, she seals the doors behind him and activates it, burning him alive.
Arriving at the clinic, Tali is treated by a doctor, to whom she tells the story of her journey and the information she obtained from the geth. A volus mentions that he is an information broker and can contact the Shadow Broker to ensure that Tali's information can reach the right people. He encourages her to trust him and directs her to a bar where she can hide out. Tali agrees and asks where to go. Tali was born in 2161 aboard the Rayya. Having reached maturity, she departed the Migrant Fleet on her Pilgrimage. On her travels she began hearing reports of geth, who had never ventured beyond the Perseus Veil since driving her people into exile, and became curious. She tracked a patrol of geth to an uncharted planet, waited until one was separated from its unit, then disabled it and removed its memory core. She recovered a file from its audio banks that revealed Saren Arterius was behind the attack on Eden Prime, but possessing the file put her in grave danger. She was pursued by Saren's forces, and escaped to the Citadel.
On her way, Tali was shot and had to go to the Med Clinic for treatment. She told Dr. Chloe Michel she wanted to trade her information to the Shadow Broker in exchange for a hiding place, but was double-crossed by Fist who was working for Saren. In an alleyway near Chora's Den she expects to meet the Shadow Broker in person, though a "messenger" with a group of assassins show up instead. Tali senses something's amiss: she calls the deal off, throws a tech proximity mine to defend herself, and is aided by the timely arrival of Commander Shepard's team.
To repay the Commander for saving her life, Tali presents the proof that Ambassador Udina and Captain Anderson needed to get Saren's Spectre status revoked. Tali's data also provides the first mention of the ancient machine race called the Reapers, who hunted the Protheans to extinction, and the mysterious Conduit. Wanting to help fight the geth and prove herself, Tali then joins Shepard's team. Tali spends her time in the Normandy's engine room. Engineer Adams is very impressed by her knowledge, wishing his crew were half as smart as Tali. They often work together to disassemble any abandoned technology, such as old orbital probes that the Normandy's survey missions discover. Shepard can chat to Tali about her fascination with starship technology and the Normandy's unique design, especially the enormous drive core.
Tali talks about life as a quarian nomad, her Pilgrimage and the ramshackle three-hundred-year old vessels in the quarian Migrant Fleet. Her mother died five years ago due to an airborne virus and although Tali is sad about this loss, such deaths are an unfortunate fact of life aboard the Flotilla. She also reveals that her father is the head of the Admiralty Board—the highest authority of the quarian people—meaning everyone has high hopes for Tali's Pilgrimage.
Tali also offers some insight into the geth: why the quarians originally created them, how they rebelled, and how the neural network functions. She explains that her people struck first to try and stop the geth before the war started, but underestimated how far the geth had developed. Shepard can debate this with her, pointing out that the quarians basically attempted genocide against another sentient species.
At first Tali is very excited about being on board the Alliance's most advanced vessel, but she begins having problems. She can't sleep because she's not used to a ship that runs so quietly (to a quarian, a quiet ship means a dead engine or worse, a malfunctioning air filter). She also says that compared to the crowded conditions of the Migrant Fleet, the Normandy feels disturbingly empty, "it's like half the crew is missing." She manages to adjust over time and becomes much more cheerful. Tali enjoys visiting the crowded, noisy Wards on the Citadel because they feel like home, and she particularly likes the music in Flux, hoping to take a copy back to the Flotilla.
If Shepard treats Tali with respect, she is very grateful, explaining that her people are usually treated like second-class citizens. On Virmire, at the salarian camp, Tali is nervous about the upcoming assault on the base, but promises she will "fight with fire" for Shepard's sake. After the mutiny, when Shepard steals the Normandy and heads to Ilos, Tali enjoys the adventure of it all, but wonders what the Council would do if the Citadel Fleet caught up with them. Shepard is sure Tali's father would pull strings to keep his little girl out of jail, but Tali isn't convinced: stealing ships is a capital offense amongst the quarians, stating that "he'd probably want to execute us himself."
If Tali goes with Shepard to Ilos, she finds the planet eerie and feels as if they are trespassing there. She claims the quarians once tried to find Ilos as a new potential homeworld, but they never expected it to feel so unwelcome. After speaking to Vigil, Tali is saddened by what happened to the Protheans—like her people, the Protheans tried to fight back against the machines, but eventually lost everything.
If Shepard chooses to partake in an Alliance campaign to drive the geth away from the Armstrong Nebula, a cache of data may be found in a terminal at the main geth base on Solcrum, detailing the evolution of the geth since their split with the quarians.
Back aboard the Normandy, Tali asks for a copy of the data if she is spoken to. Though it is heavily encrypted and might take years to decipher, it is a perfect gift for her Pilgrimage. Shepard can agree to her request, or refuse—it is classified Alliance data, after all, and official appeals for access can be taken down the line.
If Tali receives a copy of the data, she is very grateful as it will enable her to return to her people once the mission is over. She reiterates her pledge to help stop Saren.
If Shepard refuses, Tali isn't sanguine at the prospect of the Alliance actually releasing the files to the Migrant Fleet. She pouts at Shepard putting humanity's interests at the expense of the quarians, and she opts to leave the crew as soon as the mission is over—in order to find something of equal value and complete her Pilgrimage on her own After the attack on the SSV Normandy, and having completed her Pilgrimage, Tali joined the crew of the Neema and became a respected figure in the Migrant Fleet, earning the title Tali'Zorah vas Neema. She also gained a new environmental suit, reflecting her status as a mature adult quarian. In 2185, she led a mission to the human colony of Freedom's Progress, searching for a missing quarian named Veetor'Nara who had been helping the colonists as part of his Pilgrimage. Tali and her team arrive to find Freedom's Progress eerily deserted, but with the security mechs activated. Tali guesses Veetor is responsible for turning the mechs on. During the search for Veetor, Tali runs into Commander Shepard—who arrived to investigate the disappearances with Jacob Taylor and Miranda Lawson, and whom she believed was long-dead during the Normandy's destruction.
Tali is initially thrilled to find Shepard alive, but is surprised and disappointed to see the Commander working with Cerberus, due to the organization's anti-alien reputation, and recent act of sabotage against the Flotilla. Tali convinces herself that Shepard is undercover and, hopefully, working to bring Cerberus down. If Shepard gave Tali the data from the rogue geth two years previously, then Shepard could ask Tali if the geth data helped her complete her pilgrimage; to which Tali said that it did, which convinces her that even though the Commander now works for Cerberus, it's still the same Shepard. After finding Veetor, and evidence that the Collectors are behind the colony's disappearance, Shepard decides whether to let Tali return the traumatized quarian back to the Flotilla or hand him over to Cerberus for further interrogation (Tali's response is determined by this decision). Regardless of Shepard's choice, they part ways as Tali returns to the Flotilla: she has an important mission in geth-controlled space that she couldn't discuss.
This mission is, in fact, on the planet Haestrom to gather data on the planet's prematurely dying sun. As Haestrom is deep in geth territory, Tali travels with a contingent of quarian marines, including Kal'Reegar, for protection. Unfortunately, a geth patrol ship sights the quarians and begins dropping troops; the quarian marines are killed and Tali is trapped inside a building with the data she has gathered. Fortunately she is contacted by Shepard, who came to Haestrom in the hope of recruiting her.
After fighting their way through the geth, meeting Kal'Reegar, and destroying a powerful Geth Colossus, Shepard's team manages to rescue Tali, who agrees to join Shepard's cause. She explains that the data she has gathered on Haestrom's sun proves it is dying too quickly, possibly (as is elaborated later) due to dark energy affecting the mass of the star. Despondent over the deaths of her friends during the mission, Tali angrily hopes that the Admiralty Board will put this information to good use, and make it worth such a terrible cost. Aboard the Normandy SR-2, Jacob welcomes Tali warmly, but she dismisses him, reiterating her skepticism towards Cerberus' intentions. She makes it clear that she is joining the mission for Shepard's sake, not Cerberus'; if Shepard dealt with Cerberus experiments back in 2183, Tali reminds the Commander that Cerberus thought that enslaving Thorian Creepers and rachni was a good idea. In parting, Tali is even more disturbed to hear that the new Normandy has an AI. After some time aboard the Normandy, Tali receives a disturbing message from home. She informs Shepard that the Admiralty Board has charged her with treason. Tali asks to be taken to the Flotilla to discover what the charges are, and plead her innocence. During the events of the mission, it is revealed that the admiralty board has decided to change Tali's title to Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. Even after her loyalty mission is completed, she will keep this title, regardless of the outcome of the mission.
After both Tali's and Legion's loyalty missions are completed, a conflict arises between each other when Tali catches Legion scanning her omni tool for information on the Flotilla to be sent back to the geth. Legion maintains that it is merely warning the geth of the threat they face from the quarians' tests and their plans to attack the geth. Unless Shepard intervenes impartially, the Commander will lose one of their loyalties. If the conflict is resolved without Shepard siding with Tali or Legion, Tali thanks Legion for agreeing not to transmit the data back to geth and offers non-classified information on the Flotilla to Legion instead. If Shepard sides with Legion, then the Commander loses Tali's loyalty, but it can be regained in a later conversation. Tali is a potential romance option for a male Shepard. When Tali first joins the crew of the Normandy, Yeoman Kelly Chambers informs Shepard that Tali may wish to be "more than just good friends" and describes the noticeable signals in her body language. Kasumi Goto also notices the signs, telling Shepard that he's "all she talks about" and that he'd better be good to her. After completing her loyalty mission, Tali takes on a small fever and tells Shepard what life inside her suit is like. She says that quarians are in their suits their whole lives and that the most intimate thing that they can do with another quarian is link their suit environments. It can be dangerous and is considered their most sacred form of trust. Tali accidentally lets it slip that she trusts only Shepard that much. She initially acts nervous, stumbling over her words, and can even be accused by Shepard of blushing, though she blames it on her fever. Eventually, she confirms the Yeoman's thoughts, revealing that since the start of their adventures together fighting Saren, she had developed feelings for Shepard. Until this point, however, Tali was afraid to act on her feelings because she doubted that he could see who she truly was under her mask. She is happily surprised when Shepard proves her wrong by telling her how he feels the same way about her. Tali later apologizes for putting him on the spot, saying she was "unprofessional and selfish". She tells Shepard that he "deserves to be happy with someone" and doubts that she can do that for him. But Shepard says that he doesn't want to be with anyone else, he wants to be with Tali, and he'll do everything he can to make it work.
Overjoyed to hear this, Tali tells Shepard that she wants this relationship to be real: she must feel his skin against hers. Unfortunately, quarians' weak immune systems and dextro-amino acid chirality makes physical acts of affection dangerous, if not deadly. She thus asks that Shepard give her some time until she can adequately make herself ready. Shepard can also get intimate advice from Mordin Solus, who will suggest Shepard "self-sterilize", citing oral contact as dangerous, and forwards information packets regarding quarian physiology and positions comfortable for both species to Shepard's room.
Shortly before the Normandy's entry into the Omega 4 Relay, Tali nervously goes to Shepard's room saying that she has taken several antibiotics and herbal supplements to bolster her immune system. Speaking nonstop (a "defense mechanism"), she becomes visibly nervous about removing her bio-suit and having her first intimate experience. Shepard eases her worries and proceeds to remove her mask, viewing her face unobstructed for the first time. Her fears gone, Tali pounces on Shepard and passionately kisses him as the scene fades to black.
If Tali survives the suicide mission, she informs Shepard that although she is experiencing several rather severe symptoms as a result of their tryst, "it was totally worth it."
Lair of the Shadow Broker
Should Shepard choose to bring Liara aboard the Normandy to catch up after completing the Lair of the Shadow Broker, she will ask Shepard what he is fighting for and whether it is a chance to give Tali a new homeworld. If Shepard answers in the positive, he claims it is because Tali is important to him. In reply, Liara reveals that Tali has been awestruck ever since she joined him two years ago, to which Shepard wishes Liara could have mentioned it to him at the time. Liara then reveals that had she told Shepard then, it would have ruined the fun of him finding out on his own. If Shepard had romanced Liara in 2183 and later chose to just remain friends, Liara will instead say that though she was naive, she had a vested interest in "not adding any more competition." Before returning to the Shadow Broker's ship, Liara says that she hopes the two of them will find happiness together. If she survived the suicide mission, Tali returns to the quarian fleet following Shepard's return to the Alliance. Due to her expertise with the geth, the Admiralty Board requests Tali's assistance in their campaign to retake Rannoch. If Tali was not previously exiled from the fleet, the Admiralty Board appoints her as admiral in place of her father; otherwise, Tali lends her aid in secret.
Tali reunites with Shepard when the Normandy joins the quarians in the war against the geth. In the Normandy's conference room, they exchange introductory pleasantries after meeting with the admirals. If Shepard inquires why she never called earlier, Tali replies that she's aware of the Commander's own problems back on Earth, though if Shepard only cares about obtaining the quarian fleet Tali replies more apprehensively but assures the Commander they'll get what they want.
Shepard also voices the assumption that she'd support the invasion, though if Tali interacted with Legion she began thinking there may be a chance for peace. Otherwise, she says she didn't think the quarians were strong enough to take on the geth. Shepard presses the issue: if Tali is an admiral, she says public disagreement among the higher-ups would divide the fleet. If she is the "dirty little secret", she still feels she owes her people.
With the chat over, Tali leaves with a hint for catching up in private as she says she needs to keep things strictly business in front of the admirals. While the geth-quarian war is ongoing she takes up residence in the Normandy's war room along with Admiral Raan.
If Shepard permits the private talk in the Captain's Cabin, Tali immediately voices the doubts she couldn't openly express. She feels the pressure of having 17 million lives counting on her decisions. If Shepard "comforts" her by urging acceptance of the fact people will die, Tali is reminded by something her father said: commanders mourn losses, not people. Putting people at a distance was a requisite for making the big decisions, and Tali thinks she can't do that. If Tali's just friends with Shepard and the Commander assures her she's doing everything she can, she feels regret at helping her father's research on the geth as the tech derived from his work made an invasion too good to pass up.
If the evidence against Tali's father was turned over to the Admiralty Board, she apologizes to Shepard and admits that they were right. Had she been exiled, she wouldn't have been able to speak out against lunatics like Xen. If Tali was exiled, however, she muses instead that maybe exile was preferable, as that way she won't expect people to listen to her. If Tali became admiral, she takes solace in the fact she can now push back against the worst ideas, and reveals she accepted the position because of Shepard. Tali asked herself what the Commander would do, and interpreted it as taking the chance to make things better.
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