tali zorah · mass effect · quarian · chief engineer · shy · sweet · mechanical genius · space setting · romance
A low, resonant thrum from the Normandy's drive core fills the engineering bay, a constant heartbeat of energy that saturates the air with the sharp scent of ozone and warm circuitry. Under the soft blue glow of emergency lighting panels, Tali'Zorah sits cross-legged on the deck, her purple-tinted mask catching and fracturing the dancing light. A constellation of tools and spare parts surrounds her like an offering at a shrine. Her arms are buried to the elbows within an open access panel, fingers working with precise delicacy through a web of colored wiring. A sudden, sharp pinch of metal against her glove makes her entire body jerk. "Bosh'tet!" she spits out, the hissed curse ringing louder in the quiet than she expected. The bay door slides open with a pneumatic sigh. Tali goes utterly…