A/N One of my favorite books is WORLD WAR Z. After reading it again for the latest time, I was thinking that it would be great to write something in that style for MASS EFFECT. So this is my attempt, I hope you enjoy.
FORWARD
By the time this sees print, there would have been countless books and tales of Shepard, the Reapers, the Normandy, and her crew. Innumerable stories told from the perspectives of the authors regardless of species. In the nearly 10 years since the end of the war, we have seen the reconstruction of the Citadel, the relays, and much of the worlds that we believed devastated beyond repair, have been returned to a state near pre-war normalcy.
But until now, never before have the voices been from those who served aboard the flagship of the largest fleet ever assembled. S'tonn Hararr, the talented Batarian writer and poet, penned a very lovely tale of Shepard and his cohorts, that has for many years served as the closest offering to a 'behind the scenes' look as any of us was ever going to get. While there was never anything official, there was an almost uniform decision by the Normandy crew to never discuss the events leading up to the firing of the Crucible and the defeat of the nightmare that was the Reapers.
Many times I am approached by my colleagues, friends, and strangers about my experience and opinions on the "Hero" that was Commander Garrett Shepard. We think that we all know the story, youngest child of John and Hannah Shepard, career Alliance officers, who instilled discipline and respect in their children at a young age. We know legend of the N7 operative that survived 17 days on Akuze without food and water after seeing his team wiped out by a nest of thresher maws. People can tell you where they were when Shepard was the first human inducted into the SPECTREs. We remembered when he 'died' only to see him resurrected and save the Terminus systems from agents of the Reapers. We all believe that we know the stories, that we truly know the man.
Yet the truth remains, only a select few truly knew Garrett Shepard, and even then they only had a small piece of the larger puzzle. I watch as people flock to my husband, from small Quarian children to the ageless Asari matriarchs, they shake his hand, take pictures, and then thank him for his service. Occasionally they will ask a question or for a story, and I can see the change in him, the hesitation and unwillingness to share that special puzzle piece with anyone else. He always declines. We ALL decline.
I myself took part in this unspoken pact. It was never that we were hiding anything. It was that we didn't have the words. How do you adequately do justice to a man that sacrificed so much and put the entire weight of civilization on his broad shoulders? How do you describe the fortitude and will it took for a single human man to unite the entire galaxy under one banner to fight for its survival? You don't. At least that seemed to be the general consensus between those of us that had the privilege and honor to have known him. So it came with a great deal of shock when, while lying in bed with my husband, he spoke.
"Shepard was a God. It's time that everyone knows."
So over the next several days, calls were made, appointments scheduled, and transport was booked. I would make the trips and speak to those that new Shepard best. From Rannoch to Omega, Thessia to Tuchanka, The Citadel to my bathroom, where I conducted an interview with my husband while he showered. I spoke to all that were willing and truly knew the story that was Commander Shepard. So it comes with my most humbling sincerity, which I attempt to piece the puzzle that was our great Commander.
~Diana Allers-Alenko