Not bothering with disclaimer suing the broke is pointless, there is no debtors prison (three squares a day makes it too good a temptation I guess)

Various changes to ME/ME2 slightly AU mostly relating to TECH and the Size of the Normandy and its crew.

Background

Jules Shepard, Class Techie hard-arse, Sole Survivor and War Hero and Ruthless, Spacer.

Raised by his parents both of whom were elite Space-marines, contrary to Alliance protocols he lived on an Allaince Colony Escort Cruiser, when his parents were sent on missions; he stayed on earth at his grandmother's farm. The spacer / farm-boy spent most of his time around the military, this lead to him learning dozens of different combat techniques. Upon enlisting he was placed in advanced combat training, after a few years in the field was placed in the N7 Academy. He was one of the youngest applicants in the history of the organization.

Whilst in the N7s he scored the highest combat grades since the discovery of biotics forced the grading system to change. The massively built man was, according the insignia on his shoulder, from the engineering core, the three main disciplines had a long standing rivalry, the leaders of course being the soldiers and the biotics, the engineers never had a chance. That was until the strongest nerd in human history joined, a multi black belt martial artist, a marksman with a pistol, reflexes that left most in awe, a powerhouse who took hit after hit without slowing, and according to bar-room legend a grandmaster in the ancient arts of pool cue, barstool and beer bottle.

He alone survived stumbling onto a thresher maw nest the rest of his troop didn't. When the rescue team arrived he had spent nearly an entire a day in the rocky terrain, futilely shooting at the thresher maw with a team mate's sniper rifle and dodging its acid attacks. He went on a few more missions after Akuze after that was given leave which he unfortunately took on Elysium. Still dealing with the loss of fellow marines, he attacked the Batarians with reckless abandon, for almost an entire day, he and his squad of 6 held off the 8 pirate bands that had attacked the colony, hundred of mechs and pirates even Heavy Mechs, fell to his relentless fury.

After the Blitz the Alliance ordered their new poster boy to lead a company in a retaliatory attack on Torfan, it was to send a message, a determined man with incredible will and sense of duty delivered it unconditionally without mercy the cost of which was the lives of his own troops.

He is now a legend throughout the Alliance; he is recognised by most marines and has his own page on the Official Alliance Extranet Site. When there is a situation that the Alliance want spun they send Shepard, solo, with a squad or a whole company it doesn't matter it gets the press they crave. If the message is lives saved-colonies protected or pirates killed-raids stopped, they have the Hero of Elysium for the people of earth to look up to and the Butcher of Torfan for the pirates to fear. Already known for his outstanding combat skills and determination with a record of going rogue under stress, he is perfect for plausible deniability if (when) it goes pear shaped.