Earthlight illuminated the pressurized observation deck of the Alliance space station. The room stank of coffee, sweat, and frustration. Ambassador Udina ran a hand along the silver stubble on his chin. Captain Anderson drained the dregs of his coffee and lowered the metal mug to the conference table. His dark eyes ran around the room and came to rest on Admiral Hackett. The old admiral had his arms crossed and his fingers tapped on his forearm in irritation.

"We have to make a decision, gentlemen," Captain Anderson murmured, "The Prime Minister expects our recommendation within the day."

"I understand that perfectly, Anderson!" Udina growled.

Udina's beady eyes drifted across the assembled officers. He shuffled the secure data-pads on the table in front of him. They had already eliminated the majority of the potential recruits, screened for their military prowess, intelligence, experience, professionalism, and psychological profile. Udina's fingers stopped and he stared for a moment. He let out a sour sigh. "I can't believe I'm saying this but… What about Shepard?"

The room went still as hard vacuum. Captain Anderson could barely breath. The fundamental constants of the universe were in danger. Udina's face was pinched and his eyes narrowed to slits as he tapped the data-pad and examined the screen.

"Lieutenant Commander Jane Shepard, Alliance Marine Corps," Udina cleared his throat. "We know who she is, and her...troubled history. Earthborn, but no record of her family or education."

"She doesn't have one," Captain Anderson replied quickly. "She was raised on the streets, learned to look out for herself. Enlisted to escape the gangs and never looked back. She's a damn fine marine, a thorough tactician, and an impressive special forces operator. Shepard's spent years crawling through every nook and cranny of the the Verge. She's been Force Recon, Corsairs, and Interplanetary Combatives."

"She's one of the best of the best," Admiral Hackett said. "We all know what's she done for the Alliance."

"Exactly!" Udina slapped the table, "It's not about her skills. Anderson, I know you don't want to hear this, but we have to look at the units she's lead in the field. Look at the casualty rate, and her own reports! Incomplete at best, insubordinate at worst"

Anderson scowled. "We've been over this during when we vetted her, Udina. She's never lost a soldier for anything less than mission critical action. You've met the woman, Udina. Her reports mean nothing, Udina. It's her actions that count."

Udina frowned. "I have met her, Anderson, much to my displeasure. The question is… Can we truly trust a woman like…her?"

Anderson nodded, "She's an Alliance Marine with more commendations than anyone alive, and you pinned a few on her chest yourself."

"As did I. She proved herself during the Blitz," Admiral Hackett said. "Held off enemy forces on the ground until reinforcements arrived."

Anderson nodded sharply. "She's the only reason Elysium is still standing."

"We can't question her courage, Anderson," Udina retorted, "It's her character I'm concerned about. Spectres represent the best of their species. They are not just soldiers, they are symbols."

"We made her a symbol when we gave her the Star of Terra," Admiral Hackett said, " We promoted her—she's the youngest commander in Alliance history. We can't lose faith in her now."

"She's a fine soldier, Admiral," Udina said, "But humanity needs an ambassador, not a sledgehammer."

"Humanity needs a hero, Udina," Anderson said, "And Shepard's the best we've got."

"I know who she really is, Anderson! And she's not a hero."

Captain Anderson stared at Udina. "There's no one else, Udina. The conventional candidates don't cut it. We need someone with experience. Someone who won't flinch. Someone who can stand with the very best in the galaxy. She has the profile required for the job. You know it, and I know it, that's why you suggested her in the first place."

"But..." Udina's lip curled, "Shepard?"

"She's the best," Anderson said. "She's the one."

There was a deadly pause. Udina's eyes glittered. "Very well. I'll make the call."

Earth, Sol System, Local Cluster

2181.11.08

The blue planet shone in the light of the sun. Lieutenant Commander Jane Shepard, Systems Alliance Marine Corps, was illuminated by the azure glow of her home planet. The Earth rotated into view on the other side of the cold crystal observation window. Her armor hummed softly as she crossed her arms across her chest, the actuators whirring as they pulled the black ceramic plates into position.

Shepard's pale face floated above her dark armor. After years in space the color had been leached from her skin leaving only a residue of brown freckles, a legacy of the mother that Shepard had never known. Her wide cheekbones and forehead were carved with small white scars; the most distinctive running from her right eyebrow to her temple. The combination of her broad cheekbones and sharp jaw gave Shepard a haughty face that was accentuated by almond eyes perched on either side of an angular nose. Lightning boomed inside a storm on the planet below and a flash was reflected inside the shadowed pits of Shepard's eyes. For a single second her eyes glowed with green light.

Shepard's omni-tool pinged, informing her that her shuttle was leaving for Vancouver. She was due at Alliance Naval Headquarters at 1900 hours.

Her metallic hair, dyed red, swayed as she shook her head and deactivated her omni-tool. A spike of anger caused her jaw to tighten and the thick muscles in Shepard's neck tautened. She was angry at Anderson for pulling her out of the Verge. Now, she longed for the comforting weight of a rifle in her hands and the boom and crackle of a mass accelerator round hissing through the air. She raised a gloved hand to the crystal plate of the viewport and traced a finger along the arc of the planet below. Her arm shook slightly; on her last mission in the Verge she had operated her M-97 Volkov 'Viper' sniper rifle in her skin-suit and the recoil had bruised her to the bone. Still, it had been fun.

Shepard frowned at the shining planet below. It had been over a decade since she had set foot on Planet Earth. She was angry at Anderson for pulling the plug on her mission, but, more than that, she was angry at the sour sting of fear that churned in her stomach at the sight of the Earth. It's just a pretty blue planet. It's not going to bite. Get a move on, Marine.

Commander Shepard opened her eyes. She didn't know why she been called to Earth in the middle of a mission, and she hoped Anderson had a damn good reason. Part of her knew that, logically, he had an important reason. He knew what she did. But the sight of the Earth dredged up old memories she preferred buried. Shepard did her best to shed the mass of fear and sin.

She always tried to roll with the punches. Take things as they come. Don't worry about it, the universe was a far bigger place than she could ever see, full of more information than she could ever know. She wasn't aimless, she always had a mission. But it was guaranteed that the universe would throw a wrench in the works. Simple math. So she rolled with the punches, she took what she needed, compartmentalized what she didn't need. Shepard couldn't let the sheer enormity of it all slow her down. It could crush her into dust if she didn't keep going, bobbing and weaving.

She just needed to wait until she could punch back. Just the right moment. Because Jane had a job to do, and Commander Jane Shepard always got the job done.

When Shepard arrived on Earth a UT-47 Kodiak was waiting on the landing pad at the spaceport. The hatch was open and pouring rain sluiced down the sides of the shuttle. Captain David Anderson balanced on the lip of the hatch, one large hand on the handle.

Shepard, black-and-red duffel slung over her shoulder, strode out from under the glass panels that protected her from the torrential rain. She activated her kinetic barriers and the rain hissed and popped on her shields, pouring off her armored shoulders in miniature waterfalls. Bareheaded Shepard sauntered to the shuttle.

"It's good to see you again, Janey!" Captain Anderson yelled over the rain.

Only Captain Anderson can get away with calling me Janey. Shepard had never liked the name the hospital had saddled her with. Thankfully her marines and fellow officers never used her first name, of course, just the little voice inside her head that sounds remarkably like Captain Anderson.

Shepard took Anderson's hand and he pulled her aboard with a grunt. "Christ, you're still in armor," Anderson growled, "I forget how heavy that makes you. When you were younger…"

"Its good to see you too, Captain Anderson," Shepard smiled. "I didn't even have time to change, I've never seen a transit schedule like mine."

She had a rough, almost husky, voice stamped with the unyielding ring of command. Anderson subsided, giving her a once-over with his grave, heavy-lidded eyes. The old soldier sighed and gestured pointedly at the empty interior of the Kodiak. "Come on, strap in and let's get moving."

The airlock hissed closed and Captain Anderson hammered his fist three times on the hatch to the cockpit. In response the Kodiak began to hum, the element zero core decreasing their relative mass for take-off. Shepard stowed her duffel and strapped in on the port side; Captain Anderson secured himself in the crash harness opposite her. He wore Service Dress Uniform: a full jacket and trousers of black and blue panels divided by geometric lines of solid gold. Shepard eyed her former commander with a lopsided smile. It's good to see him again, she reminded herself, trying to suppress the frustration she felt at returning groundside in the middle of a deployment. She had spent the past six months aboard the SSV Taejon, moving from system to system tracking and eliminating the members of a terrorist cell responsible for a series of raids on human colonies. She had been closing in on the leader, Balak, but by the time she returned she was sure that the trail would be cold. Shepard grimaced.

The Kodiak lifted off smoothly, bobbed in the air currents for a moment, then the thrusters spun it around and blasted them towards Naval Headquarters. Anderson rubbed his shaved head, and the lines around his eyes crinkled as he smiled, "You're wondering what you're doing here."

"You pulled me off the Taejon on the middle of a combat tour, Captain."

"I did, and for that I'm sorry, I know that's where you want to be," Anderson said, leaning forward as far as the thick, black yoke around his neck would allow, "But this is important, Janey. Far more important than hunting down pirates in the Verge."

Shepard stilled. There was a note of both anticipation and regret in Anderson's voice and she didn't like it. "What have you gotten me into, Captain?"

"I'm not allowed to tell you," Anderson murmured. "Do you trust me, Shepard?"

Jane Shepard considered the question for a single second. She knew she shouldn't have had to think about it at all. David Anderson had saved her life—not just in battle, but from the gutter. Damn it. "I trust you."

"Keep that in mind when you hear what I have to say," Anderson cautioned, "You're being promoted," Anderson said bluntly.

Shepard scowled and her stomach churned, "Damn, Staff Commander? Captain, please, don't do this. You know what—"

"Janey, enough!" Anderson barked, "I said trust me! I'm putting you on my personal staff. I'm going to give you your own special command."

A fiery blush had formed on Shepard's inclined cheekbones. Her nostrils fluttered as she fought to think through what the Captain had just said. She scraped a hand across her forehead, running her fingers across the raised scar. "My own team?"

"Yes, Commander. I want you to put together an Interplanetary Combatives Team."

Anderson's whiskey-smooth voice stirred painful memories in Shepard, and she slapped her hands on her armored knees to drown them out. "Alright, for you, Captain. " Shepard said roughly, "You're back in the game then?"

"Not yet," Anderson murmured, "But this is going to be big, Shepard. This is the next step for all humanity."

"All humanity?" Shepard smirked. "Captain, I don't care about all humanity. I just worry about my Marines."

Anderson scowled, "I taught you better than that."

Shepard's neck muscles tensed. She fought with herself for a moment and then let out a breath and raised a hand, "You're right. I'm sorry."

Anderson nodded fractionally. "Good. This is about more than you or I, Janey. This is important."

The UT-47 began to descend and then landed with a barely detectable quiver. Captain Anderson and Commander Shepard stood up and made their way to the hatch. The rain continued to fall outside. Bright lights illuminated the armored entrance to NHQ. A glass arcade provided cover from the incessant downpour. "I'll fill you in on the way," Captain Anderson said as he ushered Shepard out the hatch. "We'll drop your kit in my office and get you out of your armor. Fleet Admiral Hackett wants to pin your oak leaves on himself, Shepard, and Ambassador Udina is not a man who likes to be kept waiting. There's also a Council Representative waiting to interview you, so stay sharp, Shepard."

Shepard made a noise of disgust. "Politics, Captain? Udina hates my guts. Feelings mutual, of course."

"You broke his nose with a camera drone," Anderson said dryly, "And you broke the camera drone, too!"

"That's in the official record," Shepard muttered, "Politics!"

"Look, everything is politics, Shepard, you know that better than anyone." Captain Anderson sighed. "Sometimes, I can get the politicians to work for us."

Shepard sighed. Her lips twisted at the thought of encountering Ambassador Donnel Udina again. The controlling bureaucrat had been responsible for managing her goodwill tour after the Blitz. He had treated her like a trained varren, trotting her out in front of the politicians, the cameras, and the military brass. Within a week Shepard had wanted to shove her Star of Terra down his throat. Thankfully, Naval Headquarters had pulled the plug before Shepard had killed someone important. She had never thanked Captain Anderson for that particular kindness.

"I have the feeling this is going to be fun," Shepard said through gritted teeth. "Sir."

"This is going to be worth it, Shepard! Trust me," Captain Anderson laughed richly. "Welcome to the Normandy Project, Commander."

A/N Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy this interpretation of Commander Shepard and the great story we know and love. The plot will move slowly at first and picks up speed during the Hunt for Saren. Be warned, there will be adult language, violence, and sexual content. The events in this story will diverge from the events in the game. I hope you enjoy. [Updated 29-May-2016]