JAEL EL-HASHEM – "The Crusher", "The Butcher."
Jael Shepard, original name Jael El-Hashem, was born 2154 in one of many Middle Eastern megatropolis', in the country previously known as Qatar, in the region of Mesaieed (often translated as Umm Sa'id.)
Her parents were Maisah and Yusuf El-Hashem. She has one living younger brother, Arash (aged 17 at when Shepard joined the Alliance, herself 18) and one deceased baby brother, Jul. He and their parents died at age 4 of Chagas disease.
The hostile climate of Jael's childhood home shaped her hardened personality at a very young age. Mesaieed bordered the Persian Gulf, and as a well traveled sea port, it became prime occupant territory for the British military. Eventually the Alliance erected an outpost there in 2150; but even with a strong military presence, local mercenaries and gangs arose to take advantage of the easy trafficking routes the port provided. In 2153 mercenaries smuggling a questionable Eezo shipment (amongst other materials, later discovered to be contraband stolen from the Mars outpost) were discovered by the Alliance, causing the long standing tension between the local thugs and the military to erupt in a brutal turf war.
As a result, the illegal Eezo shipment was compromised and hundreds of locals died immediately from exposure to the Eezo dust in addition to the many civilian casualties due to the ongoing firefights littering the city. However, Mesaieed recovered. In the years following the conflict, children born of the surviving parents began to show notable biotic aptitude. Jael was one of these children. When Conatix Industries came to Mesaieed to investigate the aforementioned Eezo contamination, Jael's parents sheltered her and kept her biotic powers hidden in an effort to prevent her admittance to BAat. She was six years old at the time.
Four years later, at the age of 10, her parents and youngest brother, Jul, were killed by a re-emergence of Chagas disease, leaving Jael and Arash to fend for themselves. Mercenary and gang presence became even more pronounced as time progressed. In order to provide for herself and her remaining sibling, Jael was thrust into her career of crime.
Her first offense is notable; she 'rescued' a leashed Afghan hound from locally stationed Alliance officer, naming her Asima. Jael continued to gain notoriety by committing increasingly major crimes, amongst them blackmail, identity theft, and murder. When her brother Arash was old and competent enough, she began to groom him as her partner and accomplice. She only became a nuisance to the local gangs when she antagonized the head of the '10th Street Reds,' Ayser.
Though Ayser's innermost circle wanted Jael publicly executed for her offense, Ayser saw her potential. But due to prevalent sexism and local attitudes, Ayser favored her brother Arash and uncharacteristically offered to train him to become his protégé. With the hope of security and a 'family' of sorts within reach, the siblings accepted. On the surface, Arash is cooperative and subservient to Ayser. But Jael saw opportunity in their situation – get close to Ayser and eliminate him, leaving Arash and Jael to rule over the slums.
Jael is a gifted combatant, and in cooperation with Arash, the two make a deadly team; Arash handling the business, Jael acting as the muscle. Ayser saw fit to properly train Jael in many forms of hand to hand combat upon her joining, most notably Eskrima, Krav Maga, and similar attack forms. Combined with her intense biotic abilities, she is a devastating fighter. She and her brother are both proficient with a number of knives and basic firearms. Jael has also been known to use psychological intimidation and fear as an assault tactic via the use of her Afghan hound, Asima. Uncooperative victims are almost always left with the dog to die.
Years of this continued until at the age of 18, Jael was betrayed by her own brother. When the siblings were planning to launch their coup, it was revealed that Ayser, with the information Arash had given him, was prepared and ready for the assassination attempt. When Jael arrived at the gang's base to meet her brother, she was surprised by a massive show of force. Narrowly escaping and with nowhere left to go, she enlisted in the Alliance under the false name of Shepard. A young Anderson had evaluated her and after discovering her formidable biotic abilities, recommended her for recruitment immediately.
As an orphan in the slums of Mesaieed with no real record, none of the Alliance officials knew the extent of her criminal activities. Even many years later, her relation to the current crime lord Arash El-Hashem goes unrecognized by all but a scant few. Commander Shepard rises through military ranks and her past encounter with Anderson and his respect for her abilities leads him to hand pick her as his XO when he gains control of the SSV Normandy, despite her shady past and questionable actions on Torfan.