Editorial Note
It has been quite some time since humanity received the distinction of gaining the first human Spectre, which served as a stepping stone to humanity getting a seat on the Council. While the majority of humanity remains unaware of the circumstances behind that appointment, and how matters came perilously close to the extinction of every race in the galaxy, they remain fascinated with that man, Lieutenant Commander Shepard, to the point where many try to emulate him.
As several of those admirers are part of the Systems Alliance, I felt it was important to provide some insight into who Shepard really was. Regrettably, he only served under me for a short time before our paths separated.
Fortunately, I recently learned that Shepard had written a series of personal logs, a memoir of sorts, detailing the missions he went on in his own words. They were never published, of course, as the subject material remains far too confidential and classified, even today. What distinguishes these logs from the personal logs of other Alliance personnel are the lack of time-points, the informal tone of language and, most importantly, content of the material. In fact, the material is remarkably frank, and suggests that Shepard, the Hero of the Skyllian Blitz and the first human Spectre, was nothing more than a self-serving fraud.
I suspect the truth is far more complicated than that. Shepard was simply a man who was exceptionally skilled at what he did, but was taken aback by the praise and rewards that followed his accomplishments. To him, he was "just doing his job," and deserved nothing more than a simple acknowledgement of his efforts. While he takes care to emphasize his proactive and, ironically, futile efforts to safeguard his wellbeing, one cannot deny that he possessed an intelligence and common sense that other so-called heroes tend to lack, and frequently went above and beyond whatever the mission parameters dictated. I believe that Shepard was all too willing to over-emphasise his shortcomings and give himself less credit than he deserved. Upon obtaining these memoirs, I have strived to edit them for the purposes of limited distribution. It is my hope that the readers who have sufficient security clearance to read these logs will get a better insight into the man Shepard was, and why he truly was "the best that humanity has to offer."
It seemed most fitting to begin by disseminating the logs recorded in 2183; which detail when Shepard first became a Spectre and his first mission for the Citadel Council. Despite my own involvement in several events mentioned here, I have confined myself to adding footnotes and reports, in order to provide a broader perspective wherever necessary, and separating the logs into chapters for easier reading. The majority of this narrative, therefore, is presented in Shepard's own words.
David Edward Anderson
Councillor, Citadel Council