In the year 2163, a fleet of Yehat Terminator ships entered the Pranas system, making contact with the Salarians crewing the local fuel depot. This seemingly innocuous first meeting would signal a significant shift in galactic politics; not only was this new race using a previously unknown method of FTL travel which did not rely on Element Zero, but they were merely scouts for of a hitherto undiscovered galactic power: the New Alliance Of Free Stars. Members of the Citadel Council was overwhelmed to find sixteen races having bonded together without the use of Mass Effect technology, as well as discovering nine unassociated races in their region of space and records of a previously existing galactic union rendered extinct millennia ago. For their part, the New Alliance of Free Stars welcomed relations with the Citadel Council; after the devastating Ur-Quan conflict any new friends were a pleasant surprise.

Despite the cordial relations, however, the races of the New Alliance grew concerned over some of the Council's methods and laws. The treatment of Artificial Intelligences disturbed them, as the Alliance Chmmr were themselves partially artificial intelligences, and their special tactics and reconnaissance force occasionally used methods that they found questionable. The Council, in turn, felt that the entire concept of an ancient galaxy-wide doctrinal conflict which had somehow entirely escaped their notice to be suspect, and considered the haphazard military starship construction laws of the Alliance to be dangerously ignorant. Eventually, the two powers agreed to allow each other embassies through which to directly negotiate, allowing their various member governments to handle trade agreements on a local level. As part of the agreement, the Precursor/Prothean shipyard located on Unzervalt would be crewed by representatives from both factions. However, a combination of design modifications, political interference, the Council/Kohr-Ah war, and the Annexation of Rannoch delayed completion of the second Flagship until 2183...

Shepard Zelnick smiled to himself as he patted the landing strut of the massive starship. "Hey there, girl. Nice to finally meet ya... I hope you do as well as your big sister."

His eyes drifted toward the engine rails; a small crew of engineers were working on the final adjustments to the maneuvering modules, screwing the new Mass Effect channels into the last of the available slots. Already an air of anticipation pervaded the dockyard; everywhere he looked, people of multiple races were quietly conversing and looking up at the new Flagship.

"...you still need a name, don't you?" Shepard rubbed his chin thoughtfully, looking up at the vessel's prow. "Something... something about unity, about the friendship of all races. Hmm."

"A noble sentiment."

Shepard turned towards the flanging voice, nodding politely to the turian behind him. "It's something I hold in high regard. Every race deserves the chance to flourish, and by working in unison we can achieve things greater than what we could on our own.

The turian nodded in agreement, his mandibles tilting slightly outward in his own version of a smile. "Better to live in harmony then reign in tyranny. That's something the spirits taught us eons ago."

"...The Harmonious Unison." The human looked back at the ship, patting the landing strut again. "Yes, yes I think that's her name." He returned his attention to the turian and held out his hand. "Shepard Zelnick, sir."

"Nihlus Kryik." The turian grasped the hand in his talons and shook it firmly. "It is an honor to meet you, of course."

Shepard chuckled and shook his head, waving off the compliment. "I'm just an ordinary man who happened to be in the right place at the right time."

"That may be how you started," thrummed another new speaker, hovering towards them with the faintest electrical crackle. "But it cannot be denied you have rather unique experience."

Shepard looked askance at the floating collection of crystals, noting the blue cyberring's serial code. "Chancellor Oodna, a pleasure as always. Forgive my curiosity, but why aren't you on the citadel right now?"

"This is a matter of some political significance," the chmmr explained. "Delegates from each of the Citadel races will be here to watch the launching ceremony, and so I have agreed to be the representative of the Alliance as a whole."

"That makes sense..."

"There is, however, another matter." Oodna rotated his directional scanner to Nihlus. "I believe this is your field of expertise?"

The turian nodded, turning to Shepard. "You already know that the... Harmonious Unison is meant to be a collaborative effort between the Council and the Alliance. Of course, the Council wants to ensure such a powerful Prothean ship is under equal command of both factions. So I've been asked to join you."

"As a co-captain?"

"Officially, yes. Unofficially, I'm your examiner. You're being considered for the Spectres."

The human narrowed his eyes. "I'm an Alliance citizen. Wouldn't that be illegal?"

"Not technically."

"This is a major fortification of our alliance with the council," Oodna interjected. "There may be some conflict of interest, but I trust in your judgment. Hopefully, allowing them an agent native to Alliance space will appease them. After the Kohr-Ah..."

Shepard sighed, clasping his forehead. "I see. Alright, fine. I better go tell Tali about this..."

"Tali?" Nihlus asked.

"The chief engineer. She's quarian, so..."

"Ah."

"Relax. She might be a bit fiery but she's a professional. I wouldn't have let her aboard if I didn't trust her skills implicitly."

"I have no problem with quarians," Nihlus assured the captain. "If she doesn't make it an issue, I won't provoke her."

"Good enough for me. Are there any other surprises or am I free to go?"

"We have determined the first mission of the Harmonious Unison." Oodna separated a digipad from his cyberring, orbiting it to the captain. "There's a Prothean beacon on the planet Eden Prime. You are to take the Harmonious Unison there, obtain the beacon, and bring it to the Citadel for examination."

Shepard took the pad and scanned through the information. "Sounds simple enough."

"Let's hope it stays that way." Nihlus shook his head. "Eden Prime is a colony world, and Prothean relics are priceless. No telling who would take a chance to snap it up..."

Codex Entry: Shepard Zelnick

A human of wide renown, Shepard Zelnick captained the Vindicator after its construction. His first task on leaving Unzervalt was to determine why Earth had cut off communications with the colony; when he arrived, he found that the human's homeworld had been slave shielded by the Ur-Quan Kzer-Za. This prompted him to gather allies from other members of the former Alliance of Free Stars, during which time he healed a number of alien cultures through diplomacy and occasional warfare. He was also responsible for the destruction of the Sa-Matra, a primary general in the Citadel/Kohr-Ah war, and a confidant of the elusive Arilou Lalee'lay.