Honest
Mass Effect. Drabble. Justine Shepherd (Fem!Shep).
If I was to be honest, I would express how truly terrified I am. Fear grips my mind, shakes my body, tortures my soul. Yet, regardless of my fear and doubt, everyone looks to me with confidence.
What did I do to deserve this? I pulled off a couple miracles, so the universe decided I was the one to pull off the greatest phenomenon of all? How is that rational? I am a single woman, one tiny human soldier against a barrage of massive machines.
"Oh, but you're Commander Shepherd!"
Yes. Yes, I am.
"You stopped Saren!"
Yeah, I did.
"You beat the Collectors!"
Barely, but yes.
"If anyone can beat the reapers, you can!"
Maybe that's true, but must you look at me like I'm—I don't know!—something more than what I am. I am human. No amount of miracles combined with luck and lots of hard work will change the fact that I am a mortal being. I am strong, but I am weak.
And the universe's fate rests on my shoulders.
My body is stiff with fright, my mind petrified. They don't see it because they don't want to. They want to believe I'm invincible. They want me to say I know I will win. That I have no doubts.
Very rarely do I lie. For my squad's sake, for the universe's sake, for my own sake—I will.
Disclaimer: Mass Effect belongs to Bioware. My personal headcanons and developments of Justine Shepherd, my personal Shep, are my own.