The Alchemist's path doesn't start when I talk to Maria in the morning. Does it have to be a particular day or season?
The Alchemist cannot specialise until Tali moves. I could swear you can't start that quest until she moves.
This quest popped up before the cursed ones started. I was maxing out my stats and training LP when it popped up.
Turns out I was about to unlock the Tali move event.