It's been a while since I've put up any stories or updates, unfortunately. I've been very busy for the past few years, and haven't done much writing. I certainly can't promise that I'll update this or any of my other stories too frequently, although I am still and will still work on them. This one is fairly different than most of my other stories, but it addresses something that really bugged me when I played through Mass Effect. Why the hell was a special forces operator given command of the newest frigate in the alliance fleet, and another as the XO? The only real naval officer on that ship was Pressley, and he didn't have any say in command. So, this story will try to explore what happens if Shepard was a real space navy officer, and not an N7. Instead, he will be a C5 – the Military Vocation Code designation for an officer qualified for command.

There will be OCs, but the story will still center on Shepard and his merry bunch of space mercenaries and killers. However, it will focus more on the daily running of the ship and the crew, rather than the missions I'm sure you've all played and read about dozens of times. Also, this Shepard will not do things the canon way, by any means.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

The man stood, with his back to the conference room, looking out across the starscape. At the edges of his field of view through the windows, he could see other bits and pieces of Arcturus Station protruding from the main station body. In the far distance, he saw a small twinkle of light moving at a fair clip, making it a vessel, not another star. He couldn't really judge the size or distance of a ship that far out, but his best guess would make it a frigate, based on its relative speed and perceived size.

From behind him, he heard a voice. "What about Sorenson?"

The man winced. He opened his mouth to speak, but was forestalled.

"The Butcher? No! Putting him up would set back our reputation with the Council by decades."

The man's grimace did not fade. He hated agreeing with the Ambassador, rare as the event was. Particularly on this pint, since Sorenson had been his subordinate several times, although fortunately not at Torfan. Loyalty to the men under his command was his most firm rule, no matter how long ago or for how short a time they had served him. But in this case, he had to agree with Udina.

The first voice spoke again. "They asked us to nominate a candidate. They can't complain if they dislike the best candidate we have."

Udina disagreed stridently. "He's not the best candidate if he'll be distrusted by the council! Much as you hate to admit it, Admiral, politics will be a part of this, whether you like it or not."

Admiral Hackett spoke again. "What do you think, Captain? You've been quiet so far."

The man at the window turned to look at his superiors. "I'm not entirely sure why I'm in this discussion, sir. I'm just a Captain, not a policy maker."

"And, Captain Anderson, you were the last human the Council considered for a Spectre. Even if you did fail their tests, and put us back by two decades, you still may have valuable insight. That's what the Prime Minister thinks, anyway. I'm not sure if I agree."

Captain Anderson was gratified to see the Admiral glare at Udina. "That is not under discussion right now, Ambassador. And, the Captain is one of the most decorated N7 operatives in the entire Alliance Navy. No matter what you may think, I agree with the PM that Anderson will give us some valuable advice on this matter."

"What kind of valuable insight could that possibly be, Admiral?" Udina glared at the commander of Fifth Fleet. "He wasn't successful in his bid for Spectre. He embarrassed Ambassador Goyle when Saren made his report to the council. I don't want our next candidate doing the same to me."

The Captain spoke to forestall the angry dispute his superiors were about to get into. "With all due respect, sir, Ambassador, I'm not sure why we're only considering N7 for this."

"What do you mean, Captain?"

"Well, sir, I don't see why we have to put forth some highly decorated Special Forces operator to join the Spectres."

"Now, Captain, we need to show the Council races that we can provide a skilled –"

Udina interrupted the Admiral, his voice curious. "What are you suggesting instead, then, Captain?"

Anderson was surprised that Udina hadn't rejected his suggestion out of hand. "What about Shepard?"

"But Shepherd is space navy through and through. He's never even served on a ground team," Admiral Hackett protested.

Udina nodded. "So what makes you think a Navy officer would make a better choice for a Spectre than a Marine who's actually tested in ground combat?"

Anderson was tempted to point out to Udina that technically all of the prospects they were considering were Navy officers, and that the distinction was between space navy and marines, not Navy and Marines. But he decided that, tempting though it was, and entertaining thought it would be, that would just be splitting hairs.

"Well, gentlemen, like I said, I don't understand why we are so set on putting forth a ground operator as our Spectre candidate. Not all of the Council's Spectres are special operations and ground combat specialized like Saren. They can be diplomats, intelligence experts, hackers. So why not a space navy officer?"

"Why would we put forward a naval officer, though?" Udina asked. His manner had changed from openly derisive towards Anderson to curious and probably at least a little intrigued.

"Because, rightly or wrongly, the Council races blame us for the recent upsurge in galactic violence. If we put forward a ground combat operator, we will we be perceived as continuing that trend by fighting violence with more violence. If, on the other hand, we propose placing a space navy officer, and perhaps a ship as well, at the Council's disposal, the Council may see us as being willing to try to restore the peace of forty or fifty years ago."

Udina looked frankly flabbergasted at his analysis. Anderson hid a grin at the Ambassador's reaction.

The Admiral, though, still looked unconvinced. "Either way our candidate would be a military officer. If you think that's true, why don't we suggest an actual diplomat?" As Udina opened his mouth to interject, Admiral Hackett continued, "I don't believe we should, myself, but I'd like to hear your analysis, Captain."

Captain Anderson took a moment to gather his thoughts. He had been thinking about this whole thing for the last few hours, ever since Admiral Hackett had informed him of the nature of the meeting he would be invited to. He wasn't sure he liked where his conclusions had brought him to, but…

"Well, sir, I believe that the Council will think that a non-military candidate will show that we're not truly serious about putting forth our best Spectre candidate. To be frankly honest, the Council doesn't see us as a diplomatic race—that's the Asari—or a trading one like the Volus, or one which is good at intelligence. Ever since the First Contact War they've seen us as a military race, and at least the Asari and Salarians think we might be a good balance against the Turians."

Udina looked thoughtful at this statement. "That's unfortunately very true, Captain. Of course the influx of humans into mercenary groups, and even C-Sec hasn't helped matters. Our trade routes have helped, but unfortunately humans are as often selling guns as any other product."

Hackett nodded. "I hadn't considered that part, but it's true. My first thought was that a military Spectre will provide a utility that the Council is always in need of, while a Spectre who specializes in intelligence gathering or diplomacy will give them fears of split loyalties. Of course a military Spectre would have that too, but a spook could do far more damage to the Council than some jarhead, or at least they'd see it that way."

"True, true. In a way the Spectre candidacy is a trap. Either we propose a candidate who's…well, a candidate like the Butcher, and show that we're nothing but the militaristic hotheads that the Council claims we are, or we propose a lesser candidate or none, and show that humans aren't ready to exert influence in galactic affairs."

"Right. And the Council will feel that a Spectre candidate with a military background will be used to further our own goals and to set back the goals of the Batarians – and the Turians too. To be fair, I'm sure that a human Spectre would do so, and I'm also sure that for all their protestations of neutrality, all the Spectres support the goals of their own race."

Anderson hid an incredulous look as he saw the way Udina and Hackett had started throwing ideas back and forth instead of the barbs they'd been tossing earlier. They'd probably make a good team if it weren't for the fact that they hated each other's guts.

Abruptly, however, it seemed that his two superiors noticed their almost collegial byplay and began glaring at each other again. The Ambassador turned to him to avoid looking at Hackett and asked, "So, Captain Anderson, how does assigning a naval officer fix this problem?

"Well, Ambassador, as you said, a ground combat specialist will tell them that we're serious about the candidacy, but will also bring out the fears and assumptions we've been talking about. A space naval officer, however, will be able to combat things that plague all of the Council races – smuggling, piracy, mercenaries, slavers – and won't really be able to damage their interests. It'll show that we are committed to supporting the Council and, like I said earlier, committed to restoring the peace that reigned before we came onto the scene."

Udina obviously liked the idea. "That is a very good point, Captain. I would not have thought that a military man would have such a good insight into Council politics."

"Well, he was a Spectre candidate several years ago," Hackett said, not quite smiling. "And Captain Anderson spent some time as the assistant to the military attaché to the Council when he was a Staff Lieutenant. In any case, Captain, why would the Council feel that we are serious about our Spectre candidacy if we are putting forth a space navy officer? A space officer, unlike a ground officer, requires a ship and crew. Would you suggest that we ask the Council to provide a ship and crew? Or do you think we should send the Spectre with a cruiser? I don't think that a frigate would quite convince the Council of our cooperativeness."

Anderson sighed, and his shoulders sank a few millimeters. This was the unpalatable requirement that he'd been wrestling with since he'd thought of this solution to the Spectre problem . The answer was obvious, but it would mean giving up his beautiful command before it even started.

"We should give him the Normandy."

Surprise was not an emotion that Admiral Hackett expressed often, but he certainly did now. "The Normandy? Captain, that's your command, you earned it."

"Sir, it's the best option. We were talking about showing the Council we're serious about this…well this will show them. Besides, Shepard will be a better captain for her than I'd ever be. I'm a grunt at heart, not a spacer. He was born to command the Normandy."

Hackett was obviously still unsure. "Captain, I'm not sure if—"

Udina interjected, "Captain, that's a very good idea. I understand that you don't want to lose your command, but I'm sure that we can give you a better posting somewhere. Giving the Normandy to our Spectre candidate will show the Council our good-will and commitment."

Captain Anderson glared at Udina. He didn't understand what it meant to be given command of the Normandy, the newest and most advanced ship in the Alliance fleet, and he certainly didn't understand how Anderson felt about it. Just because it was his idea, and just because it was the best solution, didn't mean that he had to like it.

Nonetheless, it was the best solution, and duty forced him to agree, whatever his personal feelings. "Admiral, I am not happy about this, believe me. But it is for the best. It's not about my career, it's not about my being a plank owner of the Normandy, it's not even about my crew. It's about doing my duty as I see it, and that's what this is.

Admiral Hackett nodded. "Very well, I agree. I don't feel happy about it, but I agree. I promise I'll get you command of a dreadnought after this."

Udina smiled. "Good, then, we've settled it. Shepard will be given command of the Normandy and will be our candidate to the Spectres. Unless either of you have different suggestions? I will admit to not having read the files of any navy officers before this meeting."

"No, I think Shepard is the right choice. He's a decorated naval officer, and this won't be his first independent command. He commanded a small scanning post in the Verge when he was a 1st Lieutenant, and managed to destroy a Batarian ship and evacuate his men during the Blitz in '76."

"Still, he hasn't commanded anything other than that, sir," Captain Anderson said, playing the role of Devil's Advocate. "He's currently the XO of the Perugia. He went through command school, but he's still slated for another XO posting before getting his C5 designation."

Ambassador Udina looked a little bit lost at this, so Anderson explained. "Shepard hasn't been in command of a ship before, just a scanning post, which counts as shore duty. It's standard to give prospective commanders two tours as an XO, or executive officer – that's second in command, effectively – before their first command tour. That's doubly true for a ship like the Normandy."

"Well, we can't wait for however long he needs to do that. We need a candidate to give to the Council within the month. Should we consider another option?"

"No, I think we can disregard standard protocol on this one," the Admiral said. "Shepard's good, and given his record I think I can justify it. Admiral Kahoku won't be happy, though. The Normandy was slated for one of his wolf packs, and Shepard was supposed to be the XO of another of his frigates – he just lost the most sought after ship and the most sought after officer in the fleet in one blow." Hackett paused, and then grinned. "I'll also be hard-pressed to explain to Shepard's mother how her son got a command before she did. She still outranks him, but who knows how long that will last."

"Very well, then. It appears the matter is settled," Ambassador Udina looked pleased. "Admiral, please assign the Captain here to my staff, as it appears he no longer has a ship. He impressed me, and I think I can make use of him on the Citadel."

"Sir, I don't really—" Anderson protested vainly.

"That sounds like a fantastic idea," Hackett boomed. "Captain Anderson, you are now assigned to the Ambassador's staff on the Citadel. I'll see about getting you that dreadnought in a few years."

Captain Anderson tried to reason with the Admiral – he really didn't want to deal with Udina, and wasn't too fond of the Citadel either, but Admiral Hackett wouldn't budge.

Several hours later, an order went out to a cruiser patrolling in the Skyllian Verge:

To: Lieutenant Commander John Shepard, Executive Officer, SSV Perugia,

From: Admiral Steven Hackett, Commanding Officer, Fifth Fleet,

Commander Shepard,

You are hereby directed to proceed to Arcturus Station and report to Admiral Hackett. You will take command of the SR-1 SSV Normandy, and take her on her sea trials. The crew of the Normandy will be hand-picked by you and Captain David Anderson, N7, and therefore you are authorized to bring three (3) members of the Perugia's crew with you to your new assignment. This has already been conveyed to Commander Greene as well.

Good luck, Shepard. I'm not sure that you'll be thanking me for this.

Respectfully,

Admiral Hackett, Fifth Fleet