The Bureau of Multiverse Affairs

Chapter 11 Target: Moriarty

Shepard wasted no time organising his team for the mission. Booker and Elizabeth were to lead a company of Vox Populi troops and take out the artillery guns blocking the escape route from Columbia. Benton meanwhile, would lead Sarah, Xena and Gabrielle to Monument Island and destroy the tower before Moriarty's forces could reach it. Shepard would lead the final team, consisting of himself, Garrus, Sherlock, Watson and the Doctor, to Comstock House, where they would hopefully capture Moriarty himself. The hardest decision however, was leaving Tali behind with Amanda and Lestrade at the Normandy.

"You can't just leave me with the ship! You know I can fight!" she had shouted upon hearing the news.
"I don't want to leave you behind Tali, believe me," Shepard said reluctantly. "But I need someone to operate Dex's radio scanner so we can track the signal back to Moriarty's universe."
Tali crossed her arms with an angry huff.
Feeling guilty, Shepard put a hand on her shoulder.
"Tali... you're the best engineer I know, and I need to make sure we keep bouncing that signal back to Dex."

Tali sighed slightly.
"I don't like staying behind."
"Neither do I, but I need you on this."
Slowly Tali turned around and looked him dead in the eye.
"Okay John, I'll do it, just make sure you come back to me."
"Don't worry, I don't plan on letting anything stop us now."
Still feeling dejected, Tali followed Amanda back to the Normandy. By now more explosions could be heard in the distance, occasionally joined by the crack and stutter of guns.
"So," said Amanda, who had spent the last few minutes standing by awkwardly as the quarian and the commander had argued. "What do you think about the transmission setup?"

"It's based on the portal technology we managed to get hold of on Sevastopol station," Tali replied, just as eager to forget her argument with Shepard. "Dex and I put most of it together, but it is bound to have problems. Mostly we have to make sure the valves don't burn out too quickly, and replace the ones that do."
"I still can't believe we're using valves for interdimensional communication."
"Neither can I. But Dex did say it would be easier to manage than something from our universe."
"I guess we'll soon find out if he was right."

They came to the Normandy and stepped into the airlock. They waited a few minutes for the pressurization cycle to finish, then entered the ship. With most of the crew out, the command deck was very quiet. Joker was in the cockpit, half focusing on various systems while Lestrade was sitting in a chair near the airlock, lazily adjusting the settings on her electric pistol.
"So you got lumbered with guard duty?" Amanda said, hoping she came off as friendly.
"Yeah," the inspector sighed. "I know someone needs to stay here, I just wish it wasn't me."
"You and me both," muttered Tali.

She headed to the CIC where Dexter's interdimensional radio had been set up. The whole thing had a rather ramshackle appearance, with several of the Flying Legion's crystal radio sets wired up to a holographic map of the multiverse and one of the teleporters.
"Alright, moment of truth," said Amanda.
She pulled up a desk chair that she had borrowed from Dexter's workshop and began switching on the radio sets. Tali did the same, though instead of a radio, she had a small cathode-ray tube screen that would show her the wavelengths of Moriarty's portal transmission.

"Once you see the waves on the screen, it should be easy enough for you to keep tuned in and send the signal back to me," Dexter had told her.
At least that was the theory.
"You ready?" Amanda asked, looking up at her.
"Ready," Tali replied, feeling anything but.
Amanda picked up a microphone and pressed its 'speak' button.
"Normandy to Conran Base, Normandy to Conran Base, are you reading me? Over."
The radio's speaker gave nothing but static in reply.
"Normandy to Conran Base," Amanda stated again, "Normandy to Conran Base. Do you read me? Over."

Still nothing.
"Maybe we need to change the frequency?" suggested Tali, feeling a little worried.
"Alright..." said Amanda, turning one of the dials very slightly, "Okay... I think I'm getting something."
A sound broke through the speaker's static, indistinct at first, but soon became much clearer.
"Conran Base to Normandy, Conran Base to Normandy," crackled Dexter's voice, "We read you. Over."
"Thank goodness," said Amanda, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Have you reached the target? Over."
"We have reached the target and have confirmed enemy presence. We are scanning for Moriarty's signal now. Over."

Tali began working the switches and dials around her. The screen soon flickered into life, a thin white line waving across it. Slowly she adjusted one of the dials, until a faint beeping could be heard.
"Dexter," Tali said, "I think I have Moriarty's signal. Over."
"Yeah, it's just started coming through on my end. Now you just have to hold it. Over."
"Got it. Will let you know if anything changes. Over."
"Roger that. Over."
Tali focused her attention on the screen. Despite only being distracted for a moment, the signal had already become less clear.
"This is going to take a lot of work," she muttered, flicking a series of switches.