Legacy
They look at me but I they don't see me, they see her. The woman who brought humanity and the rest of the universe together and organized one single attack against the Reapers. The woman who brought humanity into the light to be seen for the powerful emotions that we have, that turn into action. Commander Julia Shepard. After the universal war, all efforts went to bringing some of the relays online; most worked, some were too far damaged and had to be completely rebuilt. The Asari worked closely with the Salarians to rebuild them, since they took a lot of the blame of keeping the Prothean technology to themselves. The remaining councils tried to bring all the races together and for a while it worked, but eventually they needed someone. During the last great war, Commander Shepard gave her life for all synthetics to be destroyed. By the time her crew had gotten to her, it was too late, the Shepard had given her life, for the flock to live.
Many others had tried to come up, to bring the races together. But it was all in vain and just made matters worse. So finally they came up with me, the missing piece to the puzzle that they had left to answer. Cerberus and the remaining members of the council came together to talk about how to bring her back to life. They had some remaining DNA tissue that was just enough to make a clone, but not enough for a full grown human. They needed something more, they needed actual life. After going through the crew, the council took samples from Major Kaiden Alenko. With that, the experiments began to bring back Shepard. After years and years of trial and error, and just when they began to lose hope, one of the subjects began to grow. There was a total of 12 of us, we were all connected in these incubation pods. It acted like the womb to a baby, within months they were losing the others. Medical problems or growth defects made them have to discharge those ones, but as each of them were unplugged, I grew stronger.
Within a span of 5 months I had grown to a normal infant size and was born in a Cerberus hospital on Earth in an underground facility. For the first five years of my life they kept me in the Hospital Alliance dorms. They measured my brain power, kept me physically active, but still let me be a kid and cause trouble every now and then. I heard them all the times as I strolled the halls though, their whispers loud enough it was like they were screaming it.
"Hey isn't that Shepard's child?"
"Look, its subject 12!"
"I wonder what the council is going to do with it?"
"Can it do what Shepard did?"
Their ignorance didn't bother me one bit, and the pressure it put on my shoulders of amounting up to such a great military war hero didn't even make me flinch. By the time I was 4, I had solved the most complex math problems in the universe on how to bring the relays back online, give more powerful hyper drives to the ships, and how to help the Quarians with medication on adapting to their home planet once again. Needless to say, I rose above their expectations, thanks to the more powerful genetic engineering of Cerberus. As well as some last remaining prothean technology that they scanned into my brain.
"Are you ready to go meet everyone?" I look up and see the bright shining face of Dr. Anna Pathro. The woman was in charge of this whole project, and in a small way she was like my mother too. During the project, she was the one who made the decisions on discharging the other 'subjects' and when it came to me, she stayed by my pod. When I was born she layed up late in the hospital room watching me while I slept. Taking care of me while I was ill and teaching me to talk and walk. I believe it was because she was never healthy enough to have her own children so she saw me as hers.
"I suppose so... what if they don't like me?" I whined as I stepped away from the window over looking the Earth. We were on an Alliance ship, my first time. I had memories of this ship and others I had seen in images and in my dreams, not my own, but hers.
"Don't be silly," she said as she took my tiny hand in hers as we walked out of the guest room and headed towards the conference room. "They're going to love you."
I had already analyzed all the different possibilities of what could go wrong and how they would react. Some might welcome me with open arms due to their caring personalities on their mental profile. And others might not want someone like me and be threatened and see me as a replacement of her. Which is what I am after all.
As we walked down the long corridor I started to get nervous. 'Stop it,' I told myself. 'There's no reason to be nervous..you've thought it all out, you've calculated the reactions... so stop shaking.' Doctor Pathro looked down to me and gave me that gentle smile that she was famous for.
"Just wait here," she said letting go of my hand and kneeling down to me. She moved one hand up to my freckled face and moved the red curls away. She must have sensed my nervousness in my hand as I struggled to let go. I placed my hand right to my side and looked in her eyes and gave a small huff. She giggled at me and looked into my green eyes and started to stand. "You're the smartest little girl I know. You will be okay." and with that she turned and left the room.
She had left the door slightly cracked it was enough to see the room and I was small enough to where I wouldn't be seen, at least not yet. It was a large grey room, with a podium that Dr. Pathro was now walking up to. As she started to greet everyone and start with the introduction on why they were all gathered I looked around and was able to identify everyone. Sitting in the front row of the room in the first few chairs were her most trusted friends. Dr. Liara T'Soni, A very high and respected Asari biotics amongst her people, as well as the most powerful information holder, she is also known by her alias the Shadow Broker. Not many know who she is but she has been able to keep the Alliance ahead of any type of terrorist attacks against the Alliance or on the relays being rebuild.
"I would like to welcome you all on to the Expedition Medical Alliance Ship," Dr. Pathro started. I continued to look around the room.
Sitting next to her was Jeff Moreau, better known to his crew as Joker and his companion EDI. It was a strange relationship between the two but it didn't bother the crew and civilian people just walking by thought that it was just a robot taking care of a human. But EDI was more than just a Artificial Intelligence to him and anyone can tell by the look he gave her. Sitting behind them was Jack and Miranda, the two of them had became the most unlikely of friends after opening up a school for 'gifted biotic' children and helped them on the right path after the war.
"Now we all know why we are here today…"
Tali'Zorah vas Normandy was sitting next to Garrus Vakarian, She was now the Fleet Admiral for her people and he was now second in command to the Primarch of the Turian race.
"It was a sad time for all of us losing the Commander like we did, but she was strong and knew what had to be done…"
In the far back to the right of the room was Urdnot Wrex, Grunt and Eva who came all the way from Tuchanka. While they were here for a meeting with Doctor Pathro, they were also here for a meeting with the council for a peace treaty. Yeah Krogren's and peace don't mix well but we shall see what happens. Lastly in the corner of the room was my father, Commander Kaidan Alenko, though he never once came to see me in the hospital or ever visit during the meeting with the Doctor, the Council and myself, they used his drop of life, if I may, to make me.
"Doc, I don't mean to interrupt, but I am sure you did not call us all the way from our own lives to talk about the Commander." Wrex intervened, and he took a step forward, looking around at everyone.
"Yes, It has been only 30 years since Shepards death from the great war that we had with the Reapers," He put his hand on Garrus's shoulder who gave a slight wince when he said death. "But I doubt that you would bring the crew together to remind us of that…. What is going on?" all eyes turned towards Doctor Pathro who gave a sigh and looked over at the crack in the door then back at them all.
"The Council, The Alliance and Cerberus have been working together the past 25 years on a top secret project. We started realizing that after the war Humanity might have brought itself to the top on gaining trust of the other species but we as a species ourselves were grieving greatly over the loss of Commander Shepard. So we acted as we thought would be best to try to give Humanity their hope back… by giving their Commander back."
"What are you talking about?!" Jack stated as she stood up. "Shepard is dead! We all saw Garrus bring her down to us! She was all scratched and banged up! We tried but we were too late! We were not able to bring her back! This is fucking bullshit what is going on!" She clenched a fist as Miranda reached over to her and nudged her to sit down.
"No! Let go of me!" she said as she pushed off the worried hand.
"Jack is right," Tali stated. "If we are here to talk about the war then I am afraid that I must leave, I thought that this was a meeting of high importance and if we are going to talk about how Shepard died then I am sorry but I cannot handle the pain of reliving that experience."
"I agree Tali." Liara stated.
"You better get to the point Doc." Kaiden said as he stood up from the wall. He finally said something.
Doctor Pathro nodded her head and continued. "We took action, with the help of Kaiden Alenko we were able to bring a form of Shepard back."
"What do you mean a 'form' of Shepard?" Joker asked.
I looked at everyone, the worried look on their faces. They were hanging on to every word that Doctor Pathro was telling them now. All of them, except Kaiden.
"I am going to get a little personal here Commander, is that alright?" He looked back at the window and nodded.
"Kaiden? Whats going on?" Tali asked standing up and walking over to him.
"On file for the Commanders personal records we saw that she had a love interest with Commander Alenko, so we thought that it would only be fitting to use his DNA with hers. We, and by we I mean Cerberus, kept the DNA the same except for adding some genetic modifications. Such as more Biotic power, brian power, phy-."
"What are you saying?" EDI asked as she helped Joker up.
"Are you saying the Commander is alive?" Joker asked with tears forming as he looked at EDI.
"I am sensing the Commanders bio-signature but… its changed a little." EDI stated.
"A form of her is still alive," Doctor Pathro stated. She then finally turned to me, her serious look disappeared and her smile came back. She held out her hand but stayed where she was at. "Come on out, its alright."
This was it, it was my big entrance. I looked down at myself to make sure I was looking okay, I saw my legs shaking from under me. I took a breath in. This is it.
Putting my head up I opened the door more and I walked out next to Doctor Pathro. I heard some gasps and as I turned they all looked like they had seen a ghost.
"Wha-."
"Everyone, I would like you to meet subject L."
"12! you mean there are more of her around?" Miranda asked.
"There was, We had 12 'test babies' if you will. The incubation pods held them all but slowly during the process each of them slowly began to die and this one was the last one of them alive. Subject A and C almost made it but gave up during the birthing process."
"Kaiden, why didn't you tell us about this." Grunt asked.
"Commander Alenko swore under oath that he would keep this at the highest of secrets to be kept until the time was right."
Liara got up from her seat and walked over to me she knelt down and slowly reached out her hand and touched my red curly hair as she started to try. "Her hair, her big green eyes.. she looks just like her."
"Thank you Liara T'Soni." I said smiling.
"Oh, so you can talk." she smiled.
"Yes, I am fluent in 798 languages and many of those are ancient dialogues. I have the most advance human brain using 68% of it. Three years ago, it was I who gave the council their plans to build a new relay for the ones that were damaged and solved the problems on how to fix them. As well as make the hyperdrive on the ships faster." Yes, exactly like how I rehearsed.
"Okay, are we all seriously going to be cool about this?" Jack shouted as she walked in the aisle. "You test tubed a fucking baby out of Shepard's and Alenkos DNA to make a kid who's going to save the world and bring peace?" Liara stood up and stood between her and Jack. Like a mother protecting its young.
"I have to agree with her on this one," Miranda said standing. "This is ridiculous, even something for Cerberus to get into. This girl cannot be allowed to live. I am being rational here. It is an abomination! I cared about Shepard as much as the next person on this crew but I think we can all agree this is wrong."
"This is fucking stupid! There is no point to this!" Jack clenched her fist as a light blue orb began to glow. Liara put her hand up with her eyes locked on Jack.
"Don't make me Jack."
"Fuck you! Get outta my way!"
With one move of her hand Liara moved Jack forcing her to the back of the wall before she can brace herself. Everyone jumped back. Miranda stood up and quickly moved her arm through the air creating a warp energy movement knocking Liara back. Jack quickly got up and made a mad dash to the center of the room meeting with Miranda and put their arms up charging for a powerful biotic attack.
"Enough." I said.
I squinted my eyes narrowing my own Biotic attack against Miranda and Jack forcing their own to backfire and send them flying back to the room and knocking them to the floor.
"I know that I am not your Commander," I stated. The room was mine now to control, all of the eyes were on me. I didn't know what to do. I didn't rehearse anything. "I know that Commander Julia Shepard is dead and that nothing in this universe can bring her back, nor will it replace her." Jack and Miranda stood up leaning on each other listening. "I may be here in the councils eyes as the 'replacement' but I want you all to know that I am here as me."
The room was now silent and all eyes continued to stay on me. I moved in front of Liara looking up to her and smiling then back to everyone. You can do you this.
"I am Subject L, I am made of the DNA and genetic engineering of Commander Alenko and Commander Shepard. I have the most powerful biotic powers known to humanity and the intelligence of an Asari Matriarch." I looked behind me to Doctor Pathro who was silent, shocked, but happy. I looked then to the right and saw the Earth floating under us and in the window my reflection. I saw a little girl.
Red curly hair, green eyes, pale skin. Looking at the images of her, anyone could think I was her daughter.
"Doctor, she is just a child." Liara stated as she walked back to me and knelt down.
"While I may be just a child, I do have the mental-"
"While that may be true sub- little girl, you are just that still. A child," looking back to Doctor Pathro Liara stood. "You can't ask so much of her like we did Shepard."
"Yes, I agree with Liara, she is just a child." Tali said standing.
Soon the room was in another uproar. Now upset that the council had even agreed to creating a 'clone' of Shepard, how no one could replace her. I could see the worry in Doctor Pathros eyes.
"Enough," I shouted. "I am not here to replace her. I am here to try to help, while they have tried to make me genetically look like her, I am not. I do not possess high military skills. My field is more with bioengineering, astrophysics, and space engineering." Looking around the room was back in my control.
At that moment the only one person in the room who had been silent stood. Looking at me he walked up and looked down at me. I could tell he was reminiscing but even though he saw her, I could tell he was seeing me.
He knelt down putting his hands on my waist and lifted me up.
"A child she still is and with that being said I believe someone should look after her. No offense doc but I think it should be someone who knew her more as a person and not by a file."
"I agree." Doctor Pathro stated.
"With that being said..." he said looking down to me in his arms. "I will watch over Subject L, the Commanders little successor... her little heir, her little... Legacy."
"But, you can't be-" Joker started.
"I believe that he is best... giving his and the Commanders history." Tali states.
"Well, if no one objects.. that was going to be the second matter of business here." Look down at me I could tell she was a little heart broken, for she was also my mother. "Please stand forward."
Turning to face her, he shifted me to the other side and raised his arm and started his oath. I looked around. This all seemed very surreal. My path was always planned out and now it wasn't. I was in unknown territory.
'Legacy... I like that name.'
"-and again congratulations... the council and I would be checking in from time to time." She gave one last long look at me and then turned to walk out from where we came. I could tell she was crying, it was bittersweet but had to happen.
"Well now... Legacy," the turian said as everyone got up and started walking their way to us, congratulating, and speaking something of a cute mini Shepard. "Wanna hear some stories about your mom?"