Chapter 1 - Enrollment

Grissom academy had been reopened after the reaper war, to keep encouraging Biotics to join the Alliance military. Jack retook her position as a teacher, with new students and new staff. To Jack the academy still looked the same, and she was glad that Shepard had taken the time to come and save them.

"Ash are you sure you want to go to Grissom Academy?" Carly asked her sixteen year old daughter

Ashley looked at her mother, and smiled she had fierce green eyes and long black hair.

"Yeah, I do I want to train my biotics, just like you and father did." Ashley explained

Carly smiled and conceded, she knew her daughter was a dedicated as she was, they knew what they wanted and exactly how to get it.

"Okay when do you leave?" Carly asked

Kaidan looked at both his wife and daughter, he wasn't involved in the conversation but he wanted to be.

"Ash, Carly, you didn't ask my opinion." He lamented

The two of them looked at him quickly and smiled.

"Sorry dad, what do you think?" Ashley asked smiling

Kaidan hung his head down a little, and sighed a little.

"I agree with your mother." He muttered.

Jack was waiting at the shuttle bay; she had heard a new student was transferring in today. Kahlee had sent her to go and meet the student, to mostly introduce herself, all Jack was told is that the student was from a prestigious Military family. When the door opened and the student walked out, she recognized which prestigious family Kahlee meant.

"Hell Ash, they never said it was you." Jack said as she spoke to the girl who stood there.

"Hello auntie Jack, it's been a few years." Ashley replied.

Ashley had enrolled under the name Ashley Shepard, she felt more like a Shepard and her parents weren't surprised as she had always said she wanted to change it. Jack lead her to Kahlee Sanders office to get her paperwork ready and her uniform all sorted out.

"Yeah sorry, kiddo this bit sucks." Jack said as she watched over Ashley's shoulder as she filled in the paperwork. "When did you get your implant?"

Ashley's hair had slid over her left shoulder, revealing a scar on her neck, the simple mark of a human Biotic.

"Two years ago, Dad mostly taught me how to use it practically." Ashley explained she signed the page she was on and then looked at Jack "That was dull."

Jack laughed and patted her on the shoulder.

"Just the way I look at it." Jack commented before she disappeared into the adjacent room, she was looking for the uniform Kahlee kept them in the storage cupboard that was half the size of the office.

Ashley had sat down on a chair and tapped her feet on the floor waiting patiently, she felt a little more nervous now as she didn't know what the other students were like. Her thoughts were interrupted when a fellow student walked in, she was the same age as Ashley and was a typical airhead girl with long blonde hair and her uniform decorated a little to show off.

"Oh I didn't know they let airheads in." Ashley muttered to herself.

The girl put a datapad on the desk before she looked at Ashley.

"Excuse me; you are talking to Mina Simone the Grissom academy's best biotic student." She replied

Mina stared down at Ashley trying to terrify her, as she usually did to other new students, she didn't count on Ashley not backing down. Mina flipped her hair, and pouted.

"That's the part when you should be scared." Mina said with a predatory fake smile.

Ashley laughed a little and stood up to look in Mina's cold eyes.

"Usually they would be, but I'm not intimidated by smug little rich girls." Ashley said

The two of them looked at each other, neither wanting to give in to the other so they just stared at each other. They were on the verge of a fight when Jack walked in holding three packaged uniforms; she noticed the standoff going on and made a decisive decision, she dumped the uniforms on the desk as she strolled over to them.

"Ah Mina I see you met, Ashley Shepard." Jack said she drew attention to the name by how she pronounced it. Mina looked at Jack and backed down.

"She's the daughter of the Hero of the Citadel. Fine I'll go." Mina said

Jack sighed and went to pick the uniforms, Ashley sighed in relief.

"Hey Kiddo, you can't go around and bother the airheads." Jack said as she handed the uniforms to Ashley.

"She tried to frighten me." Ashley said

Jack sighed, she was Ashley godmother, and she had managed to pass on her influence on Ashley.

"C'mon I'll show you to your quarters." Jack said

The student's quarters were all designed the same, they were painted in white, and the rooms contained single beds and desks with lamps. All the rooms had the inhabitant's personal touches, pictures, posters and other accessories. Ashley looked around her room, it was white and basic. On the bed was a hard case, the things she had asked her parents to send on for her. She crossed over to the desk and put the uniforms down on it, Jack smiled at her.

"Gotta go write my lesson plan kiddo." Jack said before she left

Ashley sighed and went to unpack the hard case; it had a small box of photos and her few posters of Zion Strings, the band she was addicted to, her datapad and music station she also had a selection of clothes she wanted for her downtime and her book tablet was their too. She managed to make her room look habited before she threw herself on the bed and switched on her datapad to see a message from her parents.

Ash,

Have fun there at Grissom academy, I hope it's a lot better than BAaT. Be careful with the Biotics.

Dad

Ashley,

I'll tell you something my mother told me about us Shepard women, we are tough and get whatever we want so go get it. I bet your dad told you to go easy with the Biotics, well go get 'em.

Lots of love your mother

Spectre Alenko

Ashley laughed at the messages; she was interrupted by a boy at her bedroom door. He was at least six foot tall, he had soft brown hair and simple blue eyes it was his bright smile that made him stand out.

"You're the new student. I am Will Xavier." He said

Ashley walked over to him and held out her hand, he looked at it and shook it.

"Ashley Shepard, go easy on the new kid." She said.

Will looked at her suspiciously. He like many other kids had grown up being told stories about Shepard.

"You're the daughter of the first human Spectre. Wow I'm an alliance kid, I was raised in space, we were told a lot about your mom." He explained

Ashley laughed, and waved her hand at him he looked at her oddly again. Ashley straightened up and smiled.

"Sorry, mom is that hero, but she's really normal." Ashley said "I meet a few Alliance kids and they are really impressed about who my mom is. Some talk to me about my dad to."

Will smiled awkwardly at her, and rubbed his elbow slightly. He shuffled his feet, Ashley picked up on it and smiled, and she reached out and patted him on the arm.

"Don't worry about it." Ashley said "If it makes you feel better you can call me Ash."