The last rep was always the most difficult. Her muscles were aching, screaming at her to stop and take a break. The logical part of her mind agreed wholeheartedly; she'd pushed herself as hard as possible the last few days, working out like a woman possessed.
But it wasn't enough for Tali. No, she couldn't give up and sit back, while that asari bitch still had her claws in her Shepard.
The young quarian growled; her helmet's vocalizer picking up on the sound and flashing. Her arms were shaking as she finally completed the exercise, raising the barbell up to her chest, and then promptly dropping the weight at her feet. Tali panted heavily while attempting to steady her breathing. Glowing pale eyes looked down at the total amount of weight, and then shut tight in obvious frustration.
Why was her progress so slow?! She needed to get bigger and fast! The skilled engineer had been lifting weights for close to two weeks now, following a rigorous training schedule that would leave even the most dedicated turian drill sergeant sweating. Tali knew the results weren't instantaneous -- she wasn't stupid. However, she couldn't afford to sit by idly while that skank was stealing her future bondmate.
The reason for Tali's anger was simple. Recently, Liara had come back aboard the Normandy after a long vacation, which wasn't that out of the ordinary. It just so happened, though, that the blue-skinned archaeologist might have used her information network to find out Shepard's preferred type of woman; a topic that many had discussed before. There were even entire forums on the extranet about the subject.
As it turned out, the famous commander John Shepard, hero of the Citadel and nemesis of the Reapers, was a sucker for muscular women.
And as such, that harpy had used her vacation to work out a bit, gaining some nice muscle definition that made her look like a fitness model. Even Tali had to admit the asari looked nice with those tight abs and defined legs. Really, had Liara done it for herself, she wouldn't be so upset. But Liara's attempt at gaining the commander's favor was so blatant, she was surprised Shepard hadn't noticed yet.
"Stupid bosh'tet with her stupid, perfect figure." Tali grumbled to herself, pouting behind her mask.
She could safely say that she loved Shepard. Not like or have a crush or anything like that. No, Tali loved Shepard so much it hurt to see someone else vying for his affection, potentially stealing the handsome human away from her. There was no way in hell she would allow it!
So she started her own workout schedule. Jacob and Ashley had been kind enough to give her some tips, and the former had gone as far as to recommended good supplements that even a quarian could use. Almost all of her day was dedicated to molding her body into something that her future bondmate couldn't resist.
The results were... not what she was hoping for. Tali had definitely gained some pounds -- all of it muscle mass -- yet it wasn't enough to compete with Liara, who was already receiving a lot more attention from the commander. Hell, today the blue bitch had 'accidentally' brushed her toned butt against Shepard in the mess hall, making him look at it until she left the room. Tali herself had been fuming for hours after that.
Still, she often compared herself to Liara as a result. Tali knew when it came to the ass department, she was one of the best of the best; going head-to-head with Miranda, who was considered to be a very beautiful and voluptuous woman. Her hips were also amazing -- or so she'd heard.
But now that Liara had decided to buff up, her position was jeopardized by her rival's toned ass. And those muscular legs and defined chest, which made her generous bust stand out more, did not make it any easier for Tali.
"I need to gain muscle faster." The environment suit clad quarian said to herself. The gears inside her head were already turning; trying to come up with a way that would get her what she wanted, "Maybe Mordin could help? He's been asking me to test a new immune-booster, which should help me out a bit. Then again, the last time he asked Joker for help, he gave our pilot nightmares..."
This left only one solution. Of course, it was a risky option, which explained why she hadn't tried it before. The idea was quite frankly ludicrous to begin with. But she was getting desperate; fast. Tali needed quicker results to surpass Liara. Every single thought she had was consumed with Shepard, pushing her harder to claim him as her own, and show that blue-skinned harpy who was the better woman.
Tali left the small gym aboard the Normandy -- nothing more than a makeshift one inside the hangar bay -- and made her way to the engineering deck. There, she climbed down to where Jack had once resided, though that was a thing of the past now. With the war over and no serious threats, most of the team had gone their separate ways, even if they stayed in touch. The ex-convict was too busy teaching biotics than to argue about her place being used as Tali's secret workshop.
A lot of equipment was lying around, some more haphazardly than the other. However, the desk at the end of the room was neatly organized. Tali walked over to it with clear purpose.
She'd been looking for a way to get better results through science for a while now. While Tali was by no means as smart as Mordin or possessed sufficient biological knowledge, she was still considered to be an engineering prodigy; among her own people too. And the result of her research was an object that she kept hidden from everyone aboard the ship, making sure she blocked EDI's surveillance.
Tali looked down at the device that was resting in the middle of her workbench, hands reaching out to pick it up. The small machine wasn't that extraordinary; an arc pistol model, designed by admiral Daro'Xen to take down geth, though it could be used to deplete shields as well. Hers was a bit different, however.
The gun was a combination of different technologies; geth, cerberus, collector and even reaper -- hence her secrecy. No one in their right mind would even think of using reaper tech, let alone combine it with various other kinds. But Tali was a woman obsessed, and she didn't care as long as it would bring Shepard and her together.
To put it simply, the gun was supposed to use the advanced mechanical parts she had acquired to help her gain muscle mass more rapidly. At least, that was the intended purpose. One could never know when playing around with reaper technology.
Which was why Tali hesitated to utilize the ray gun. She wasn't sure whether or not it would work. Worst case scenario, she'd either kill herself or something worse. Maybe even turn her into a husk.
Her fingers tightened their hold on the gun as her eyebrows frowned. There could be no chickening out. A life without being at Shepard's side was a life not worth living. Tali wasn't the kind of woman to give up, and she would not back down from becoming her beloved's dream woman.
"I will become bigger and stronger than ever. Then, I'll get Shepard to love me and break that bitch; Liara!" The quarian growled, heart ablaze with passion.
And with pure, obsessive love and conviction steeling her mind, Tali aimed the barrel at herself before pulling the trigger.
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