Most of their mission so far has just been waiting, it seems. It gives all of them time to get to know each other though, to learn about her crew. Without thinking about it, she heads to engineering. There are a few different consoles and objects glowing and running, Tali seems like she's perfectly in her element among the crew here.

"Hello, Commander," Tali greets her quietly. Maybe she's just invested in her work, but usually she sounds more upbeat.

"Is something wrong?" Elena asks, looking around engineering.

"I don't know. Your ship and crew are amazing, especially your chief engineer. But I feel out of place. The Normandy runs so smoothly-it feels like the ship's not even moving. The engines are too quiet-how do you sleep on this ship?" Tali asks and Elena raises an eyebrow.

"It's too quiet? Does the silence wake you up?" Elena asks and Tali nods.

"On the flotilla, the last thing you want to hear is silence. It means something is wrong-an engine has died or an air filter's shut down," Tali explains. Elena wonders what the flotilla looks like, the giant fleet of quarian ships and lives as Tali continues.

"You don't have to worry about that on this brand new ship, but old habits die hard. It's more than that though-this ship is so empty! It's like half the crew is missing. Quarian ships are full of people. Back home, I couldn't wait to go on my Pilgrimage. I just couldn't wait to get away from the crowds. Now that I'm out here, I kind of miss them," Tali admits.

"Sometimes, we don't appreciate what we have until it's gone," Elena says sagely and Tali nods.

"That's true. I'm starting to wonder if that's what Pilgrimage is really about-it's given me a whole new view on my people and our culture. You know, there are a few people who go on their Pilgrimage and never return-and I always assumed that something bad happened to them. Sometimes bad things do happen on Pilgrimage, but maybe some of them just wanted a different life," Tali thinks aloud.

"You are planning on returning to the Migrant Fleet, right?" Elena asks and Tali nods immediately.

"I could never abandon my people, Gilbert. I will go back eventually, but we have to stop Saren first. Otherwise, I might not have a home to go back to. None of us will," Tali reminds her and Elena nods.

"Do you miss anyone from home?" Elena asks, unsure if that's the right phrasing. She's pretty sure that quarians live with their families then move to the ship of their choosing after they complete their Pilgrimage-home might be the wrong word. Home might not be a ship in their culture, it could be the people or something else entirely.

"I miss some of my old crew. I miss my Auntie Raan and my father but their jobs keep them busy. They're both on the Admiralty Board," Tali tells her, as she taps a few buttons in front of her.

"Admiralty Board?" Elena asks and Tali nods.

"Since the flotilla is a group of ships, each captain usually has the last say on a matter on their ship. But each ship also has an elected civilian council to help make choices with the captain. Then each ship has representatives who serve on the Conclave-our civilian government. They run our day to day decisions and they've overseen by the Admiralty Board. Five quarians who can override the Conclave's decisions. My father and aunt are two of those five," Tali explains.

"Was there a lot of pressure on you to find something special on your Pilgrimage then?" Elena wonders. Tali nods again and sighs.

"Technically, you can offer almost anything and a captain will accept it out of tradition-but yes. I did find something special, and I'll have the choice of any ship I want and get a new name. Technically the only rule for Pilgrimage is that you can't gain your gift by hurting another-but I don't think geth count. Saving the galaxy is more important than that rule," Tali informs her. That makes sense-Elena wonders what ship she'll pick when she returns to the flotilla. She wonders what her name would be in quarian culture.

"Why do you change names when you change ships?" Elena wonders.

"It's part of our culture-once we change ships-we take the name "vas" which means crew of, followed by the name of the ship. So if you were quarian your name would be Elena vas Normandy. But your first ship is also part of your name. A quarian gets the title of "nar" which means child of, with your birth ship. So I am Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. I was born and raised on the Rayya. Zorah is my family name. My father is Admiral Rael'Zorah-and he chose to just go by that. But my Auntie Raan is Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay-she chose the Tonbay after her Pilgrimage and kept that name. It identifies us as crew and family-and reminds us of where we began and where we are," Tali tells her.

It's interesting and meaningful and as she thinks about it she realizes she can't remember the first ship she was on as a baby. Jenna probably has the records somewhere back on Earth-all the ships and stations her father worked on.

"That's very beautiful," Elena tells her and she thinks she might see a smile from Tali at that, under the purple faceplate of her suit.

"See you at dinner, Gilbert?" Tali asks and Elena nods.

Elena finds Caroline in the gym. It's not as large as some of the other ships she's been on, but it's still full of equipment, and enough room to spar. Caroline looks at her as she stretches out.

"It's weird to be back on a ship. It's easy to lose track of time," Caroline comments. Elena nods in agreement. The opposite is equally true, it's hard to adjust to the time cycles on a planet as well.

"Do you miss Eden Prime?" Elena wonders. She starts to do a few situps while Caroline lifts a few weights.

"Not particularly. I liked it while I was there but after what happened, I'll be okay if I never go back. I miss Earth sometimes. Some of the food out here just doesn't taste like it does back home," Caroline admits.

"After this is over, we'll go back," Elena assures her.

"You and me Gilbert, we're gonna get a drink after all this is over," Caroline declares. Elena laughs at her tone.

"I'll hold you to it," Elena replies. She wonders if Caroline's thinking of a normal bar in a city somewhere or a warm beach. Drinking something out of a coconut on the warm sand, as cliche as it is, sounds pretty nice. As nice as the Normandy is, they're still in a metal room, in a ship that likely has no alcohol. It'll be nice to have something to look forward to.

At dinner, the topic of family comes up when Stefan mentions his.

"Who makes up your family?" Tali asks him. He grins, turning to look at her.

"I've got an older brother, Damon. He's a bit of an ass, but I love him anyway. Our Dad's alive but we don't speak to him. Damon's running around Earth, it's just him and my Uncle Zack. What about you guys? Stefan wonders.

"My mom's a sheriff back on Earth. Mystic Falls, Virginia, then I've got my dad, and his family," Caroline volunteers.

"I have my father and Auntie R'aan. I don't know how other ships work-but on quarian ships we are very close, like a family. So if that counts, I miss my old crew," Tali says. Everyone's eyes shift to Elijah. He's next in the circle if they're continuing clockwise.

"Most of my family is back on the triarri homeworld. My mother and two of my brothers on Taestrorm. My brother Niklaus is an artist, traveling around the galaxy. My dad used to be C-Sec too," Elijah says. Eyes look to Elena.

"My brother Jeremy lives on the Citadel. He's an artist too. it's just us and our aunt and uncle who are back on Earth. They raised us for a few years. My parents died in a freak accident," Elena explains. She doesn't want to elaborate further.

She still has the scar she got from the crash in her hairline. Elena knows her reputation, there's barely anyone out there who knows that much. She's pretty sure some people think her first name is Commander. Despite the fact she's in charge of the Normandy, she hasn't made Captain yet. Liara looks uncomfortable at the thought of talking about her family. Her mother is working with Saren after all.

Elena's quick to change the topic before Liara can speak.

Liara sends her a quick, thankful smile.

"What mediums does your brother use?" Elijah asks.

"He's been working on a graphic novel series for the past few months, but he tries to do everything," Elena says. It's always easier to talk about Jeremy. The conversations move on, and Elena does her best to keep her eyes moving, instead of doing what she wants to do, which is to stare at Elijah like she's a teenager again.