So, this is a new fic. Took me a while to just write again and here I am. This time, it's a Mass effect fanfiction ! I know I know, I'm not the first to write my own Commander's Shepard story nor am I the first to write one with more than one Shep. I don't really care about that though !
So, this is a story about Commander Elizabeth Shepard and her two step siblings. John Shepard, their father, was the type to have a girl in each port as they say. With the three of them, they manage to save Nilhus and the Commander continue her evaluation as a spectre canditade while they are trying to stop Saren. Will they manage to stop the reapers ?
This Prologue is meant to introduce the Shepards since they all have different background.
Prologue: Enter the Shepards
In the darkness, voices of men could be heard. At that time, they had no idea they were discussing the fate of a whole universe.
« What about Shepard ? »
« Which one ? »
« Commander Shepard of course. She's a spacer. Lived aboard starships most of her life.
Military service runs in the family. Both parents were in the navy. Father recently deceased. Mother is the SSV Kilimanjaro XO. »
« We are togeter in this warm evening to remember the man that was John Shepard, husband of Hannah Shepard, fathe of Ethan, Elizabeth and Elena Shepard. »
The crowd was medium sized, silent, but there was not much sobs to be heard. The day was actually radiant and birds were singing. It was the only music. The press was there, small and in the back. Everyone was wearing clean clothes, mostly Alliance's uniforms. In the front row, three woman and a man. Hannah Shepard, her daughter Elizabeth and the child she had come to care for as her own : Ethan and Elena. She kept glancing at the younger girl, biting her lips. Elena was dressed in uniforms like everybody else... except for her feet. She was barefoot. The three siblings had vivid green eyes.
« She proved herself during the Blitz. Held her ground long enough for reinforcement. Elysium would not be standing if it weren't from her.»
« We can't question her courage. »
« She is a hero. The best humanity as to offer and we need a hero. We need commander Shepard. »
« She's the best we've got. Without her, Elysium would have been a second Midnoir. Only worse. »
Dark hair tied in a bun, clean uniform well cut. Her boots were shined perfectly, the star was pinned on her heart. She kept he back straight and her chin high. She was atru Soldier. She was The Commander.
« My name is Elyzabeth Shepard. People knows me from a medal. A souvenir from the Blitz. Many will remember John Shepard as the father of the Hero. Other will remember him for his misconducts. But these people are wrong. My father was a hero ? He was my hero. I worshipped him, I spent every moment he was on our ship with him. He taught me how to fight. Explained to me how important the moral was important when it came to controlling a situation. How to control my own emotion, to keep my cool under stress. Every lesson he taught me ? I used them. I wanted to be just like him. He wanted me to have my own wings. »
It was as if she was stating facts. Her voice remained neutral, only slight glimpse of emotion carrying through her fair skinned mask.
« Rest well father. From the dust we were born, to the dust we return. » She threw a handfull of ashes into the wind. « May the eternal wind carry your spirit. »
« Speaking of Midnoir. Don't you think her family's reputation might stain that image ? »
« Ah yes, Ethan Shepard. The Commander's step brother if I recall ? He was born before John Shepard got married. He grew up on Midnoir. He knows how tough life in the colonies is. A good soldier. »
« A good soldier ? He got his unit killed on Torfan. He's the kind of people that let his past get the best of him. »
« Slavers killed his family if someone knows the ugly side of the galaxie, it's him. Sometime, you have to be ruthless. He doesn't trust aliens so we know he'll always be looking for humanity's best interest. This way he can make sure the Commander doesn't forget she's human first. »
« We're not letting him take decisions that can endanger anyone though. That's why he is stationned under his sister's command. He's more likely to obey her. He's nothing if not competent and able to gets the jobs done. We need people like him, only not under the spotlights. »
« John Shepard was my father. » A dark skinned man, his face covered by ugly scars was speaking to the crowd, not looking at anyone. His eyes was proof enough that he was one of Shepard's kid. Hisstance was different from his sister, more relaxed. « Even before I learnt this, he was always around as much as he could. Not telling me, but at the same time watching over me. When my colony was attacked, he told the truth to his wife. They took me in and raised me alongside Elizabeth. I was a teenager and didn't make his life easy. I made none of their life easy actually. »
Elizabeth and her mother let out a small laugh. This was an understatement.
« Still, he put up with me. Helped me come to therms with what had happened. He accepted me and I learnt to accept myself. Yes. John Shepard was my father and I respected him. » Like his step sister did before him, he took a handfull of ashes.
« Good bye old man. From ashes to ashes it is your time.. » Hedropped the dust for the wind carry. « May you be free. »
« We've managed to keep the spotlight off the youngest. We can manage to keep it off the eldest too. »
« Do you think it was wise to let her continue to be a soldier ? Elena Shepard is not a stabilising element Captain. A street brat that was part of a gang ? Former duster... using an illegaly modded L-2 implant that was most likely taken from a corpse ? Even before Akuze she was... »
« I trust Elena Ambassador. The fact that she survived the horrors of Akuze is proof enough that she's a capable soldier. Her life on the streets are most likely what helped her come up with strategies that would have helped her. »
« Exactly. The side effects of her implant and the mental trauma she's gone through. This girl should be in an asylum ! Don't you think too Admiral ? »
« Actually no. The Captain is right. Her surviving instinc is one of her best skill. She's a talented biotic who's managed to deal with the sides effect of her implant until now. She also have good relation with the Turians since it's a Turian ship that took her off Akuze and she is friendly to aliens in general. It will balance with their step brother's attitude. »
« I barely knew John Shepard » The hispanic looking girl glared at the crowd, defying them all to protest until she was finished. « And he barely knew me. Truth to be said ? That part doesn't matter. I can't say he was much of a father to me... Heck, Captain Anderson is more of a father figure that John Shepard would have ever been... » She lifted up her chin, her general posture... as if she was ready for a brawl. « ... but he was a good man. »
Elena's hands trailed over the ashes slowly, almost shy.
« He didn't even know we were related until they brought my bloody body from Akuze. The wounds had long infected and said infection had run through my system, destroying me from the inside. Kinda guess that's what Quarian's feel like when they get cut a little » She chuckled lightly at that comment and there was a few laugh in the crowd.
« My kidneys were failling me. To find a suitable donor, the Alliance ran DNA test on me... and they found someone compatible. They found a father I had no idea existed. They found John Shepard. He was contacted about me, told of my situationa and well... he didn't think twice. Even though he didn't know me. Even though he had never heard of my name... he didn't have to... heck, doing so would have probably ruined his wedding, lovelife and family life... but he gave me a kidney. In the end Hannah didn't leave him and he got chewed by the others a bit, but it turned up right. Even offered me to tag along the family. I didn't, but hey, he offered. Now I can't tell you if John Shepard was a good father, but I can assure you he was a good man that took his responsibility very seriously. »
She took the ashes and threw them in the air with an absent smile. « You're still alive within me. I'll try not to put this gift go to waste. »
« When do we contact them ? »
« Soon. We found a pilot for the Normandy. For now, we let them mourn. »
So this is my first chapter ! I've realized that with this many character, I'm becoming hesitant about who should be the main Character. Nilhus ? Or Commander Shepard ?