Tali: Treason

The Migrant Fleet's Admiralty Board has charged Tali with treason. She must travel to the flotilla to answer these charges.

Acquisition
Some time after recruiting Tali, Kelly will tell Shepard that Tali seems distraught after receiving a message. Shepard learns that Tali has been accused of treason, and that she must return to the Flotilla to defend herself. Tali provides the current location of the Migrant Fleet.

The Rayya
The Normandy arrives at the Migrant Fleet. There is suspicion because she is a registered Cerberus vessel, but Tali's passphrase allows the ship to proceed to dock with the ship Rayya. Captain Kar'Danna with a marine detail greets Commander Shepard. If Shepard arrived with Legion, they will have their weapons aimed at the squad. Shepard can use Charm or Intimidate to convince Captain Danna to allow Legion aboard. Otherwise, Legion must return to the Normandy and another squad member selected. Captain Danna reveals that the charges are that Tali smuggled active geth into the fleet. On the orders of her father, Admiral Rael'Zorah, Tali had been sending deactivated geth samples to the fleet. Tali made sure they were not dangerous.

At the garden plaza where Tali is to be tried, Admiral Shala'Raan greets Tali as "Tali'Zorah vas Normandy". Tali hugs the Admiral, calling her "Auntie Raan," and then introduces the Admiral to Shepard as a friend of her father. Tali realized that she was called "vas Normandy". She has been stripped of her quarian ship's name. Shepard is recognized as the captain of Tali's ship. Because of that, Shepard is Tali's advocate in the hearing. Shepard's reaction to being Tali's defense lawyer can garner 2 Paragon or Renegade points. The hearing starts. Shepard may use Charm or Intimidate in two separate dialogue choices to gain morality points. The admirals sandbag Tali with the revelation that the lab ship Alarei has been overrun by geth. Tali's father, who was aboard, is assumed dead. Tali's immediate concern is her father's safety. Shepard and Tali propose to re-take the Alarei. The hearing is recessed pending the recovery of the Alarei and any data that might reveal what truly happened on it.

Shepard can talk with the admirals, Veetor, and Kal'Reegar, if he survived Haestrom. The latter two are strongly supportive of Tali and had come to speak publicly on her behalf. Shepard learns that the hearing is a facade for the members of the Admiralty Board to advance their own individual agendas. Tali's guilt or innocence is secondary. Admiral Raan orchestrated the trial to draw Tali back and maintain fleet stability. Admiral Xen wants to study AI to regain control of the geth. She will be particularly fascinated by Legion if it is present. Admiral Gerrel advocates a war to retake the quarian homeworld. Admiral Koris wants to make peace with the geth. Shepard can also return to talk to Captain Danna, but Shepard will not be able to return to the Normandy or request new squad members.

The Alarei
Shepard and team take a shuttle from the Rayya to the Alarei. Shepard enters a room that has two Geth Troopers. They are quickly reinforced by more Geth Troopers and Geth Hunters. In the room are a Med Kit, a laptop with 1,800 credits, another laptop with 1,500 credits, power cells, and a log. A quarian scientist reports that something is slowing down the systems, so they're taking down the firewalls; Admiral Rael'Zorah ordered them to bypass standard safeties. In a nearby medley is medi-gel, a terminal hackable for 4,200 credits, and an inactive geth repair drone that Tali had sent to her father. Tali talks about what geth parts she sent to her father and how she did it. Close by is a small office with a monitor hackable for the geth shield strength upgrade. In the hallway between the medbay and the office is another quarian log&mdash;a quarian researcher realizes that geth have infiltrated their computers. Shepard goes through the door into the next room, which has a Geth Hunter, a laptop worth 1,800 credits, another laptop worth 2,100 credits, a wall safe that can be bypassed for 4,200 credits, and another quarian log recording a researcher's last moments before being overrun by the geth. Shepard goes up the stairs into another area that looks like a chemistry laboratory with convenient workbenches for cover. Geth Troopers and Geth Hunters will come through the doors. Inside this room is 2,000 platinum and a Med Kit. The adjacent room will have a console, which starts a testy conversation with Tali. Tali's father promised her a house on the homeworld; Tali is concerned that the research on the Alarei was her father trying to fulfill that promise. Shepard can advocate taking back the homeworld or wandering the stars for up to 4 Renegade or Paragon points. There's also a wall safe that can be bypassed for 3,000 credits

After going through the door, Shepard will be on the second-floor of a two-level room. Geth Troopers and Geth Hunters will be coming into a room through a door on the lower level. A few Geth Troopers will also come in through a door on the upper floor from the left. The ramp up to the upper level makes a natural chokepoint, and Tali's combat drone can be used to impede geth progress up the ramp. Hacking an unshielded geth also works well. There is also a notable glitch here that will make the room much easier on hard or insanity. Station one of your squad in the chemistry lab and proceed. If you feel you are overwhelmed, retreat through into the chem lab and take cover in a small counter near the door. The geth will not be able to enter the lab, and will stand by the doorway. Down on the lower level are a Med-Kit, a laptop with 1,800 credits, another laptop with 2,400 credits, and a quarian log. The log confirms that it was Rael's intention to take back the homeworld.

Just beyond the room is Rael's dead body. Tali tries to convince herself that her father isn't dead. Shepard can comfort Tali with a paragon interrupt or dialogue choices for morality points. Tali finds a recorded message for her from her father. Rael's last words to his daughter are to order her to destroy the main geth hub and to bring the data to Admirals Xen and Garrel. In the room besides Rael is a wall safe bypassed for 1,500 credits, a Med Kit, power cells, and another wall safe bypassed for 2,700 credits.

Up the stairs from Rael's body is the final battle of the mission: a Geth Prime, a Geth Hunter, and Geth Troopers. The geth will have their backs turned towards the squad, so Shepard has the element of surprise. In between Shepard and the geths is an unbreakable glass wall. Though the geth can be seen, they cannot be targeted by powers through the glass wall. Before getting the evidence from the console at the back of the room, Shepard should pick a quarian model ship for the model ship collection, and find a terminal with 3,000 credits. Once Shepard uses the console, the team automatically goes back to the Rayya. The console has recordings revealing that Rael was re-activating geth and linking them in neural networks to reach sapience in order to perform weapons test on them. However, Rael makes it clear that Tali has no knowledge of his criminal activities. Tali begs Shepard not to reveal the evidence at trial to preserve her father's name.

Return to the Rayya
Shepard returns to the Raaya to discover the admirals believing Tali dead and ready to pronounce judgment in absentia. The admirals ask if Shepard discovered anything on the Alarei. Tali gives Shepard a meaningful look and pleads, "Shepard... please..." Shepard has several choices:


 * ME2-Tali-verdict.jpg) Use Charm or Intimidate to point to Tali's history as proof that she would never betray her people. If Shepard took the time to speak to the Admiralty Board before departing to retake the Alarei, (and thus uncovered the political debates between the admirals over war with the geth) the speech given will focus more on how Tali's trial is being abused to generate poltical ammunition. Either way, it will generate 30 of the appropriate morality points and the Admiralty Board will exonerate Tali, granting Shepard her loyalty.


 * 2) Lie and say no evidence was found, gaining 30 Paragon points. Tali is found guilty of treason and exiled from the Migrant Fleet. She has six hours to leave. However, Tali's loyalty is earned.


 * 3) If Veetor and Kal'Reegar are present and Shepard asked them for their help before leaving for the Alarei, Shepard can rally the crowd. The option is only avilable if Veetor was returned to the Fleet instead of Cerberus on Freedom's Progress and Kal'Reegar survived Haestrom. They will speak on her behalf and say Tali "did more for the fleet" than the admirals ever will. The admirals are cowed and find Tali not guilty. 30 Paragon points will be awarded. Shepard now has Tali's loyalty.


 * 4) Present the evidence of Tali's father's crimes, earning 30 Renegade points. Tali is declared innocent, but her father faces dramatic consequences. He is posthumously exiled and his name is stricken from the rolls on every ship he served. The Migrant Fleet becomes Balkanized, as the public revelation of the data brings simmering tensions to the forefront. Some ships want to use the research to make new weapons against the geth. Others want to make peace with the geth. Tali is angry at what Shepard has wrought and is not loyal.

If Tali is found not guilty, Admiral Raan presents Shepard with a tech damage upgrade in thanks. With the trial concluded, Shepard may talk to Veetor, Kal'Reegar, Captain Danna, and the admirals once more. Depending on how the trial unfolded, morality points may be earned; see the Morality Guide for details. No matter what, upon completion, a new outfit will unlock for Tali.

If you talked with the Admirals before the trial, you'll get another dialogue option in which Shepherd requests the Admirals hold the Migrant Fleet for the fight against the Reapers. The admirals will reply that they'll "consider it". This may or may not have an affect on Mass Effect 3.

After the trial, Tali retains her changed name, and is listed as "Tali'Zorah vas Normandy".

After the mission, Shepard receives the following message:

Enemies

 * Geth Trooper
 * Geth Hunter
 * Geth Prime

Mission Summary

 * Experience: 750 (937)
 * Credits: 45,000
 * Cerberus Funding: 15,000
 * Credits Found: 30,000
 * Upgrades:
 * Cyclonic Particles (Geth Shield Strength)
 * Multicore Amplifier (Tech Damage)
 * Powers
 * Tali Power Unlocked: Energy Drain
 * Minerals:
 * Palladium: 2,000

Trivia

 * Bringing Legion along on this assignment results in some unique dialogue with the various members of the Admiralty Board, as well as quarian security personnel.