Location: Quebec, Canada, Earth

Date: April 11th, 2154

"Hannah," the woman's regal English accent cut through the screaming of the red haired woman in the hospital bed.

Sweat caked the woman's face, making her long hair stick to her forehead. She lay propped up against pillows in the hospital bed with her legs in stirrups. The baby stirring inside of her was getting ready to make its debut. The English woman placed a hand on her friend's shoulder and let Hannah squeeze her other hand, "You need to breathe." The doctor near Hannah's pelvis nodded at her in a thank you.

The birthing room was filled with Hannah's screams and groans. All of the birthing and lamaze classes she took were shot out of a skyscraper window, completely forgotten as soon as the first contraction had hit her. For an Alliance Doctor, Hannah Shepard was surprisingly intolerant of pain.

Good thing she isn't a marine, her friend thought.

Marine or not, Hannah Shepard was still a surgeon with a pistol and scalpel alike. She was a fierce, passion-filled woman who was about to become a mother. A wonderful mother. The English woman had to breathe slowly to make the little lump in her throat sink back down into the butterflies which fluttered around in her stomach. The butterflies were more or less caused by excitement… the lump in her throat was a combination of emotion and nausea.. brought on by the various of fluids in the room, no doubt. Being an Alliance Doctor herself, she was used to being exposed daily to blood, pus, urine, etc, but she admitted it was never a treat to be exposed to such thing without a sanitation mask.

She took the damp rag from the end table next to the bed and dabbed at her friend's freckled neck and face. Hannah's green eyes shed tears down her flushed face.

"I can't," she sobbed, her shoulders shook violently. She groaned again. Her face scrunched up in pain as another contraction hit her.

"Karin, I can't do this without him."

Karin's heart broke for her friend. Hannah had to make too many hard decisions, she had made too many sacrifices for something the size of a thumbtack. A mother's instinct, she concluded. Karin had always been more calculating as opposed to Hannah's passion and lack of foresight. It was how she ended up in her current position, although Karin didn't see this in a negative light. In fact, it warmed her heart instead. Now, the full grown baby was ready to come out into the world to draw it's first breath. The prospect of witnessing new life amazed her. She had seen so much death.

"Yes, you can, Hannah."

Karin looked her friend in the eye. The same kind of look which established their friendship. Strength. Trust. She grasped Hannah's hand tightly in her own, "You. Can. Do. This."

Hannah gave her a small smile out of the corner of her mouth.

"But…" Her lips quivered as her smile faltered, more tears leaking out of her eyes. She winced as another contraction hit her as she heaved and searched for breath. "What if I'm a bad mother? What if-"

Karin shook her head defiantly, immediately blocking out everything else Hannah was saying to her. Hannah's loving and gentle nature gave her the best qualities for parenting. For comfort. Security. Growth.

"No," she said sharply and dabbed her face again with the wet cloth, "You will be amazing, Hannah."

Hannah began to shake her head and cry, her eyes closing in defeat. She had made a huge mistake, the biggest mistake of her life by keeping this… this thing. The parasite that's been eating all of her food for the past 9 months, making her belly grow big and full of stretch marks all before age thirty. She had just turned twenty five and earned her medical license before the surprise pregnancy. Her lover wasn't there anymore to support her, my fault. There was no turning back and she knew, deep down in her heart, she was going to fuck this thing up when she didn't want to.

"This-" she sobbed and threw her head back as she jerked when another contraction hit her, "This is a mistake."

Karin lifted Hannah's chin to make her friend look her in the eye like she would a four-year-old throwing a temper tantrum when things weren't going her way. "Hannah, you listen to me."

Her green eyes widened, Karin has never been so stern before this.

"Your baby is coming right now." She let go and stooped to her eye level, "And right now, you don't have any other choice but to deliver this baby."

Hannah knew that Karin was right. She had missed her opportunity to terminate the pregnancy humanely within the first few weeks of the conception. Hannah had wanted to become a medical officer someday, she already went through basic and field training, attended college and med school. The goals she had to secure her own future disappeared the moment she stormed out of the women's clinic for maker knows what reason, perhaps it was the quality she had to always take ownership of her mistakes. She ignored the creeping idea in the back of her head telling her she had always wanted a baby. Her mind raced and flickered to the accidental Element Zero exposure she fell victim to while pregnant. The tiny nodes in her unborn baby's brain. All of the women who buried their toddler-sized coffins due to terminal brain cancer.

"Shepard."

Hearing the use of her last name in a firm military voice was disarming, it reminded her of simpler days. "Do you understand me?"

Hannah nodded and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.

"Okay," She huffed and nodded her head again and grasped Karin's hand. "I'm ready."

Five excruciating pushes and contractions later, piercing screams filled the hospital room from the tiny lump of skin and blood in the doctor's hands. The sound made Hannah's heart do flips. It made her heart hurt. She didn't ever want to hear that sound again if she could help it, she wanted to take the sadness out of the innocent, screaming baby.

My baby.

The male doctor cut the cord since the father was not present to do so and asked, "Would you like to hold your baby girl, Hannah?"

Hannah started to sob again as she nodded and reached for the child in front of her. The doctor walked cautiously over to her as he gently cradled the baby in his arms and set her face down on her mother's chest. She shushed and crooned to her baby as she kissed her wrinkled and bloody forehead. The child settled against her instinctually as she cried to soak in her warmth. Hannah wrapped her arms carefully around the baby, so tiny, so fragile. How could she have ever regretted this masterpiece? She counted all of her baby's fingers as the tiny but long fingers wrapped around her pointer. Hannah counted all of the little toes on her feet. Perfect.

Absolutely perfect.

Guilt crushed her heart like a pendulum. How could she ever have thought about getting rid of her? Hannah felt as if she were waiting for her baby for a lifetime. Her soul was complete, melded to her little girl.

A bond nothing could break.

"She's so beautiful," Hannah whispered as she ran her hand carefully over her infant's full head of black hair, "Shhhh. It's okay."

Her infant finally settled down against her chest, Hannah draped the sheet over them so the baby could keep her warmth to herself. She kissed her forehead again and sniffled, Hannah knew she would remember this moment for the rest of her life. The new mother looked to her right at Karin who had already pulled up a chair to gaze at the perfect little baby in front of her in wonder.

Hannah smiled at her. "Thank you for being here."

"Of course." Karin smiled back at her. "I wouldn't miss this for the world."

Hannah giggled and stroked the fine hairs on her baby's head, "Karin, will you promise me something?"

She shifted, unsure. "What is it, Hannah?"

"I need you to promise." Her voice shook as she looked at the little girl in her arms. Her flesh and blood. "That if anything happens to me-"

"Hannah, don't talk like that."

"No." She shook her head. "If anything happens to me, ever, I need you to make sure my little girl is safe and provided for." Hannah sniffled again and kissed her baby once more..

"I need you to make sure she's loved."

Karin smiled at the sleeping baby on Hannah's chest.

"I promise."

Hannah nodded and smiled, satisfied with Karin's answer. She looked down at her baby once more to see the little girl open her eyes slowly. Brilliant, wide blue eyes gazed up at her as if she were the most beautiful thing in the galaxy.

"She has blue eyes, Karin." she spoke as if she didn't see the little girl in front of her. Her voice rattled with sadness, regret.

"Just like her daddy."

Location: The Citadel

Date: 2183

Three men sit on stiff leather chairs in the Ambassador's office on the Citadel. A bronze skinned man with dark eyes and age lines sits behind his desk, his hands are folded neutrally in front of him after he smooths out his sophisticated tan and white suit. He begins to scroll through files on his terminal. Some files he skips over completely, others he studies carefully but then decides to move on after a brief deliberation. Each file holds a detailed description and dossier of an Alliance soldier, most of which are from various spec ops divisions. The files detail the height, weight, eye color, ethnicity, social status, religious background, skill set, weapon proficiencies, strengths, weaknesses, and a full psychological profile on each soldier.

"Good morning, gentlemen," the man behind the desk greets his guests.

His voice has a nasally sound to it, and adds to his constant tone of condescension. It is, without question, the most annoying voice in the galaxy. Udina straightens the sleeves of his distasteful suit and adjusts the blue turtleneck he wears under it. His bronze skin appears to be washed out by the harsh lights in his office.

The two men seated in front of him are both wearing freshly pressed Alliance dress blues, officer uniforms. One man is fair skinned with blue eyes, he wears an Alliance hat to cover his short greying hair. His jacket bears the markings and pendants of an Admiral.

The Fifth Fleet Admiral.

He reaches up to his right cheekbone with one of his hands absentmindedly, gently scratching the dark purple three inch scar there, a scar from his old service days when he dodged a rusty combat knife in the hands of a batarian slaver. However, he has been out of action for quite some time since becoming a high ranking officer. His job is now more centered around politics. The Admiral enjoys the thrill of politics and moving the puzzle pieces to their respective places, yet he still misses the weight and balance of a gun in his hand. The pumping in his chest while he aimed for his target, the pulsing in his fingertips as he squeezed the trigger. Now, Hackett is limited to the shooting range a couple of times a week. Whenever he has the time. He adjusts his seating position and shifts the Alliance cap on his head he wears to cover his greying hair. Hackett sighs. This feels like the one hundreth time he's sat in this stuffy little office.

Sitting across from Donnel Udina, no less.

The man next to him is dark skinned with dark eyes, he wears a similar Alliance uniform but with Captain pendants. He looks at his own data pad as he scrolls endlessly through their compiled list of hopeless candidates. He knew no one they picked would meet their standards and be up for the challenge. Their candidates were either too clean or too dirty. Most of the humans weren't charismatic enough to command loyalty, and the people who were, were too pompous to gain any kind of genuine respect and reverence from the public. Humans and aliens, alike.

Now that's a tall order.

Sure, the First Contact War was over and dealt with, but that didn't mean the alien prejudice towards humans was completely put to rest. And vice versa.

"We've been at this for three weeks, Udina." The Captain broke the silence first, his English accent peeked through his pronunciation. "I think we're going about this the wrong way."

The Ambassador grimaced and scoffed, "The wrong way? What do you mean? We need to choose humanity's finest, not some half-cocked jarhead waiting to let a few bullets loose."

The Admiral cleared his throat. "I'd have to say I agree with Anderson. The candidates you've selected are too soft… We need someone who's seen a lot of action and can stand to see some more."

Anderson gives Udina a sharp look. "We need someone who can make the right call. Even if it means defying orders."

The Ambassador rolls his eyes, perfectly understanding the exact kind of incident Anderson is referring to. "Are you saying insubordination is excusable, Captain Anderson?"

"No." Anderson stares at him hard. "All I'm saying is that sometimes it is necessary."

Hackett studies the men carefully. Anderson is cool, calm, collected. Udina is practically vibrating in his chair because they disapprove of the list he's compiled for them. The Admiral half expects him to shoot Anderson with the pistol he keeps hidden in the top drawer of his desk. Hackett smirks to himself, thinking that it would be best Udina doesn't realize that higher ups in the Alliance frequently send 'civilians' in to check up on him.

"Over the last few weeks," Hackett speaks carefully, "Anderson and I have compiled a list of candidates we find appropriate for the job."

Hackett nods to Anderson. "We'd like to choose someone who possess the traits we all would approve of."

There's a glimmer in Anderson's eye. Hackett hopes to the Maker Udina doesn't realize the kind of seed they're attempting to plant. Udina is intelligent, but he isn't very crafty.

Udina clears his throat. "Well. I'm listening."

"The candidates you have chosen are much too humancentric. We need someone who respects all of the Council Races, regardless of their experiences with them." Anderson crosses his right leg over his left. "We need to look at the bigger picture. The First Human Spectre won't gain any respect from the Council Races if they have never had much interaction with them."

Udina soaks in Anderson's words like a sponge, nodding as he does so. "I..." It is clear that Udina is having trouble admitting he is wrong by the way he bites his lip and hesitates, "I think that is an excellent idea, Captain Anderson."

"Ambassador," Admiral Hackett speaks up, knowing he needs to give Udina a little ego boost if they're ever going to guide him towards the direction they need him to be in, "I think you are correct to look into candidates who have minor diplomatic experience. We can't have humanity's Spectre leaving a trail of blood behind them to complete a mission. It won't represent the Alliance well, no less the human race."

"Well," Udina says, "I'm glad we can agree on that. We need a soldier who is not only diplomatic, but clever. Someone we can trust holding a press conference without me holding their hand." The Ambassador turns back to his terminal screen and types something on his holo keyboard. "Someone charismatic."

Anderson smiles. "I think we should look into the more aggressive spec ops groups for our candidate."

Udina looks over at Anderson from his terminal. "What division did you have in mind, Captain?"

Hackett watches Udina carefully. He already knows what Anderson is going to say, and he has to admit he loves watching all of the control slip from Udina's claws.

"Someone from the N-School would be an ideal candidate. They are fully trained in zero-g combat, parachuting, jetpack flight, combat diving, trauma care for both humans and aliens, and hell, even linguistics," Anderson explains. "The higher ranking Ns are taught several different Earth languages on top of a variety of asari, turian, and salarian dialects. Some of them have even picked up a little bit of batarian from combating slaver raids."

Udina's jaw locks as he grinds his teeth. "A sound recommendation."

Picking an 'N' would make Anderson look too good, being an N-7 himself. Udina cursed Anderson, kicking himself because he knows the Captain is right. An 'N' would be perfect… especially the highest ranking one. Udina looks back to his terminal and pulls up the files relating to the Ns.

"It wasn't a recommendation, Ambassador," Anderson says smoothly, like he was complimenting Udina on his tie instead of telling him that this is his show.

Udina has to clear his throat to keep himself from making a strangling noise and expressing his irritation. Anderson acts like he hadn't said anything while Hackett laughs internally. He loves to watch snakes writhe and deflate. The best part of the situation is that Udina knows he needs to cooperate. Without Hackett and Anderson, he has no Spectre. He has to remind himself, it goes both ways.

"May I remind you, Captain," Udina recovers quickly, plastering on his pretty politician's smile, "Once your soldier is made a Spectre, he or she will no longer answer to you." He takes a sip from the glass of water sitting on his desk. "As humanity's current representative, I will be working rather closely with our Spectre. In addition, I will be handling most of the public relations."

Anderson cuts in, "What exactly are you implying, Udina?"

"Oh, I'm not implying anything, Captain. I'm saying we need synergy. Without it, your Spectre may become more loyal to the Council than to the Alliance. Without a human representative, I don't think either of you are prepared for that sort of thing."

Son of a bitch.

Hackett is neither shocked, nor threatened. The reason he chose to assist Anderson in choosing a candidate was so Udina wouldn't be able to trap one of their best and brightest into his vice grip. He is a smart and convincing man, as manipulative as they come. Hackett saw it from a thousand light years away that Udina's main goal was to become the First Human Councilor, and he knew he would want to groom a Spectre properly so he could achieve his goal.

Nice try.

The Admiral clears his throat."Gentlemen, I think you should set aside your dick measuring contest and get back to the task at hand. We need to make a decision."

"Yes, Sir." Anderson responds to his superior officer in a respectful fashion and nods in acknowledgement. "I apologize."

Udina says nothing as he goes back to scrolling through the files on his terminal screen. He taps his finger on his desk, appearing to be deep in thought.

"What about your so called," Udina puts his hands up and curls his fingers into quotation marks, "poster children? A family with several generations in the Alliance. It will look good for the press, and the soldier will most likely have a strong moral code with vast experience."

Hackett shakes his head. "Too clean for a Spectre." Too moldable.

Udina nods and crosses his arms, tapping his chin in thought.

Anderson clears his throat before he speaks, Udina rolls his eyes and keeps his gaze fixed on his terminal.

"I think we should choose a soldier native to Earth." Anderson gives his opinion even though he's sure Udina has had enough of him today. Udina is still typing away at his terminal. "Someone relatable. Not too privileged or dramatic. Someone with enough foresight and intelligence to handle questionable situations with tact."

Udina's eyes widen as he studies the first file on his screen. He sits back in his chair, "Well…" He pauses and massages his chin. "What about Shepard? Earthborn… but little record of her family."

Udina is skeptical, even though he made the suggestion. The one thing he has always admired but hated about Commander Shepard is her uncanny ability to smell horseshit.

Anderson responds to him eagerly before Udina can reconsider his suggestion, "Doesn't have one. She grew up on the streets. Learned to look out for herself."

Perfect, Hackett thinks as he shifts in his chair. Not only has his first choice been mentioned, they were able to get Udina to think of the Commander himself. However, he knows he needs to speak about this critically, being the superior officer. "The Commander saw her whole unit die on Akuze. She could have some serious emotional scars."

Six years later, she still has scars from the incident. Hackett knows every soldier has gone through an earth-shattering incident comparable to hers, himself included.

"Every soldier has scars," Anderson retorts respectfully. "Shepard's a survivor."

Hackett knows Anderson is right. She is stronger than any soldier he's met in his entire life.

"Is that the kind of person we want protecting the galaxy?" Udina says disapprovingly. He's never liked Shepard much, but he has to admit, she was a damn good soldier.

Someone who can play the part.

Anderson smiles pridefully. "That's the only type of person who can protect the galaxy."

Hackett nods to himself in agreement, Commander Shepard is the perfect fit for the job.

Udina sighs, scratching his temple, knowing he's going to regret this.

"I'll make the call."