Onboard the Normandy, Tali is initially excited to be there, intrigued by the advanced technology used to power the Normandy, and stays in the engine room as a result. The next time Shepard speaks to her, though, Tali now seems saddened and withdrawn. She tells Shepard that she's losing sleep since the Normandy ' s engines run so quietly compared to ships in her home flotilla, where quiet ships indicate a bad engine or a malfunctioning air filter, plus the ship, due to how it's spread out, seems emptier. This results in Tali feeling slightly homesick and she ponders if the true purpose of the Pilgrimage is to remind her people of what they still have. The next time Shepard speaks to her, Tali's spirits are back up, having adjusted to living on the Normandy, plus how the crew has been treating her like one of their own, especially Shepard. She thanks Shepard for this, saying that quarians are treated as second-class citizens by other races and Shepard is the first to treat her as an equal. If the player completes a particular side-mission involving the geth and then speak to Tali afterward, she will ask if she can have a copy of the geth data that Shepard recovered, explaining that it is exactly what she needs to complete her Pilgrimage. If the player allows her to have a copy, Tali is overly happy, promising to pay back Shepard by helping them defeat Saren. If the player declines, Tali will still promise to stay to fight Saren, but will then leave afterward so she can finish her Pilgrimage.