2 January, 2183: Captain Montgomery called me into her office this afternoon to tell me that I had been offered the position of XO on the Normandy – that new ship that the turians helped us build. And what's better is that Captain Anderson will be my CO. I haven't seen him since my N7 graduation, so I'm excited. More than a little nervous, though … this is the highest-profile position to come my way since I reentered the service after Akuze. But I guess that if I needed a reminder that I'm not that scared, broken thing that barely made it out of that hell, this qualifies. We're meeting the Normandy at the Charon relay in ten days. It will be good to see you again, sir.
11 January, 2183: My fire team threw me a going-away party in the mess. Not sure exactly how much I drank. Managed to stop myself from kissing Vasquez. Damn anti-fraternization regs. Haven't been touched by anyone in months. Will have to take long hot shower to start sweating out the booze. Must be on top form tomorrow.
12 January, 2183: Thanks to a few aspirin and Dad's genetics, was able to present myself to Captain Anderson and assume my post without embarrassing myself (thanks, Dad!) Anderson introduced me to the turian observer, Nihilus. He's not just any observer, either; he's a Council Spectre. I kept noticing that he seemed to be staring at me a lot, but who can really tell with turians? Of all the Council races, they're the ones that are hardest to read. I asked Anderson why we had a Spectre aboard, but all he can tell me for now is that he can't tell me anything about that until we're closer to Eden Prime. This flight is going to be the longest twenty hours ever.
12 January, 2183: Spent the first few hours of the flight getting to know the command staff and the guys in my squad. The pilot insists upon being called "Joker", apparently because he thinks he has a sense of humor. Not sure yet whether I agree with him on that. Navigator Pressley is stiff and formal, even for a lifer in the service, but that may just be because he was hoping for the XO slot and is still unhappy about not getting it. Doctor Chakwas is the Normandy's chief medical officer. If Anderson is the father to the ship's crew, she's definitely the mother. She gives off the aura of somebody who's seen it all, and it's entirely possible she has. Lt. Alenko is a biotic, which should prove handy in the field. That voice, though … if I can stop picturing myself tearing off his uniform and doing things that would get us court-martialed when I listen to him talk, I think we'll do well. Cpl Jenkins has a solid record, but he's so very gung-ho about the idea of getting into firefights. Was I ever that young and enthusiastic? If so, I apologize to every single one of my COs, ever. Must get some sleep; have to be rested before we reach Eden Prime.
14 January, 2183: Wow. Anderson finally told me our mission parameters. They discovered an intact prothean beacon on Eden Prime, and I and my squad will be working with Nihilus to retrieve it. No wonder they sent the Normandy – our ECM suite is the most effective stealth tech in the entire Alliance fleet, and this is something that needs to be gotten to the Council as quietly as possible. But the really big surprise is that I was chosen to be a candidate for the Spectres. Sorry, Kaidan, but all of those dirty little daydreams of you will have to stay just that. I can't afford to let humanity down by screwing up this chance the Council is giving me. I can't let Anderson down – I know he had to have gone to bat for me on this. And I can't afford to let myself down, either. Almost at Eden Prime, so I have to go get suited up. I'll update this further when I get back.