A NOSTALGIC TOUCH
"We've called this meeting today to discuss the nomination of Commander Alexandria Shepard for the Spectres submitted by Nihlus Kryik," the Asari Councilor, Tevos, began.
She stood between the Turian and Salarian Councilor, Sparatus and Valern, in the Council Chambers at their respective podiums. Opposite of them and separated by a glass floor overlooking an arboretum, Nihlus positioned himself in the center of a platform as he was called up to speak. Admiral Steven Hackett and Captain David Anderson waited a couple of paces back for their turn to speak.
"We understand the Commander spent time under your supervision," said Sparatus almost as question, thinking it strange for a human to train under a turian.
"Yes. I invited Shepard aboard my ship where she underwent turian military exercises, so I could evaluate and offer guidance until she was summoned back to the Alliance to return to her duties."
"And the results of your time with the Commander?" the Valern inquired.
"Exemplary." Nihlus began to pace as he recounted. "I put her through every drill a turian cadet goes through boot camp and had her compete with the top men and women of my unit. She performed well through the physical fitness portion. Much to their bewilderment, she gave my team a run for their money scoring in the top three – if not first – in each category. Her marksmanship scores landed in the expert range. Shepard's hand-to-hand…er, struggled at first against turians, but I can say now, she's unmatched."
"You also reported that you took her along on missions. How did she perform?" the Turian Councilor questioned next.
"My initial interest in Shepard originated from the news of a brave soldier whose entire team was obliterated in a matter of minutes, and yet, this solider adapted to the situation and defeated the enemy. What I witnessed in the field was no different. While I tend to take a more…callous approach, Shepard never deviated from her virtuous ways. Her intuitive and quick thinking greatly contributed to the success rate of our missions. She served the turian military well."
He discontinued pacing when he reached his original spot at the center of the platform. The Councilors didn't respond. Instead, Sparatus and Valern signaled to Tevos with a slight nod to go ahead and ask the burning question.
"And what of her trauma?" she requested bluntly. "The Lone Survivor is not only notorious for her actions but for her post-traumatic stress. According to multiple statements, she did not cope well after Akuze."
Nihlus clasped his hands behind his back and drew in a profound breath before he spoke. Hackett and Anderson exchanged side-eye looks, apprehensive if the turian would use the opportunity to sabotage her candidacy. Nihlus was the one that put her name forward, but he was exceptionally cunning. Neither of the two seasoned veterans could determine if there was an ulterior motive beneath it all.
"It's under control," he answered undoubtedly.
"Thank you, Spectre." Nihlus nodded in acknowledgement. "Captain Anderson. Admiral Hackett."
A dark-skinned male and older white gentleman both wearing dress blues stepped forward, stopping in line with Nihlus.
"Since her departure from Kryik's ship, Commander Shepard has been serving as the Executive Officer on the SSV Tokyo. Obviously, her recent accomplishments are not in question, but it's her background that the Council has no knowledge of – aside from the incident on Akuze. Please give a quick review of her history."
"Shepard was born into a career military family and lived on various Alliance postings until the age of eighteen when she enlisted. Her parents both died by then, sacrificing themselves on the same mission to save their team," Admiral Hackett told them.
"Anything to add, Captain?" the Salarian Councilor asked.
"Honestly, Councilors…" Anderson paused momentarily. "Not at all. I have raised Shepard since her parents passed away and watched her grow as a person and a soldier. I'm honored that a Spectre as talented as Kryik has spoken greatly in support of Shepard."
"Thank you all for your presentation and to all who spoke. The Council will render their decision on the suitability of Commander Shepard as Spectre within the day."
Spectres are not trained, they're chosen. Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle, those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file.
Spectres are an ideal, a symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination, and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, instruments of our will.
Spectres bear a great burden. They are protectors of galactic peace, our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold.
You are the first human Spectre, Commander. This is a great accomplishment for you and your entire species.
A motivating speech given by Citadel Council inducting Commander Alexandria Shepard into the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel.
"I'm proud of you, Shepard," Anderson almost cried, holding Alex tight outside the Council Chambers after awarding her the title of Spectre. The first human Spectre.
"Thanks, Anderson," she muffled into his shoulder.
When they broke away, Anderson apologized that Admiral Hackett couldn't be here in person. He only docked on the Citadel to give his recommendation and had to leave immediately after.
"Shepard," a female voice cut in. They craned their heads to see an asari waiting patiently for the Commander. "The Council has requested your presence. I will escort you to the conference room."
"Already putting me to work, huh?" Alex spoke outwardly more to herself than the assistant.
"I'll catch up with you another time...Spectre." Anderson grinned at the last word, shining with pride.
Alex followed the asari down a long stretch of hallway not far from the Council Chambers. At the end, she opened the door for Alex and motioned for her to step inside. A large, oval conference table sat in the center of the room with a holo display set up, casting a blank, field of blue light - shapeless without any information or images to project.
"The Councilors will be in shortly," the assistant said as she closed the door behind her.
So fast. Everything was happening so fast.
Not one minute after her promotion and Alex was already conducting her first order of business as a Spectre. She couldn't conjure the slightest idea of what it could be. Alex took the idle time to go through her accumulating unread messages, congratulating her.
[AshWilliams]: You've earned this, skipper. Take me on some missions!
[KAlenko]: Hey, Alex! Just heard the news from Ash. Celebratory dinner sometime? ;)
[KGoto]: Hey, Shep. Let me know if you have any missions come up that include shiny, expensive objects.
[TKrios]: Shepard, I am pleased to find that you have received such a high honor. Be well.
[Jack]: Fuck yeah Shepard! Drinks on you!
[Joker]: Hey, Commander! Big congrats on becoming a Council slave. If they send you on a suicide mission, you know who to call.
[Joker]: Just to be clear. I meant someone other than me.
[Joker]: Like anyone else you could possibly think of.
[LT'Soni]: Alex, I wish I could be there to celebrate this achievement with you, but I'm afraid my work on Mars is too important to leave. We will get together some other time.
[Wrex]: Sheparrrrrrd. It's not Clan Urdnot, but it's a good second! If you got the quads, take the rite of passage next time you come to Tuchanka.
In the months Alex spent running around with a Spectre, she met a launching list of interesting people – and aliens – on their missions. She stayed in touch. Not only for peace-making and networking purposes but because she established bonds and genuinely enjoyed being around them.
Whoosh!
Alex heard the doors slide open and she shut down her omni-tool. She adjusted her posture and ran a hand over her shirt to straighten it out – as if it would help any. When she turned to face the door, it wasn't the Councilors that walked through.
"Nihlus…" she said softly as the burgundy turian stepped towards her, equally in awe.
"It's been a while, Alex," he remarked, stopping right in front of her.
"One year."
Alex held her out her hand as a greeting. Nihlus complied with the handshake. She moved to release their grip but felt a tug back in resistance. He held her hand just a little longer, letting the nostalgic touch linger. She heard an almost imperceptible purr originate from his chest.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, freeing her unforgettably soft hands.
"Not sure. Spectre business I guess."
"Ah, so they accepted you then?"
"Less than five minutes ago, yeah."
"You're welcome," he said in a light-hearted complacent tone.
"Excuse me?" she said, raising an eyebrow.
"Couldn't have done it without me."
"Arrogant asshole," Alex chuckled shortly, playfully shoving Nihlus' shoulder. He swiftly caught her hand by the wrist.
"I see you still have a pistol for a mouth. Glad to know some things haven't changed." His voice was smooth. He pulled her in and slid both hands down to her hips. Intuitively, she rested her hands on his cowl. Alex's stomach felt light and fluttery. Her heart pounded in her ears. It almost distracted her from the several hurried footsteps coming down the hall. They casually stepped away from each other, not letting the lascivious gaze between them break until just a few seconds before the Councilors entered. Per usual, Tevos spoke first.
"Spectres. We apologize for the short notice, but now that Shepard's Spectre status has been settled, we need to move onto more pressing matters."
Valern approached the table and pressed a button on his omni-tool. The glowing display that had been blank before transformed into a 3-D design for a sleek spaceship, rotating slowly at a steady speed. Tevos continued.
"It has only been up until recent years that we have found evidence of the eventual return of the Reapers. Thanks to the work of Dr. T'Soni, we have time to prepare."
"According to her research, Reapers are massive in size, ranging anywhere from one hundred sixty meters to two kilometers. They are technologically superior and capable of destroying masses of organic life in an instant," Valern added.
Sparatus took over. "It's no doubt that we will need to pull together forces to fight off the Reapers. Our hurdle remains in the reality that there are many species which will not work together. In many cases, the bad blood has penetrated too deep into each of their histories. Additionally, we don't have enough information on how to defeat the Reapers."
Alex knew as soon as she heard it what the objective is, but what's with the ship? Tevos would answer her question.
"Now more than ever, we need to show the galaxy that species can work together. A symbol of unity for the inevitable war. Spectres, with the sponsorship of the Council, the Alliance, and Turian Hierarchy have co-designed and will co-develop a prototype deep scout frigate. She will be optimal for recon missions using state-of-the-art stealth technology powered by an experimental drive core."
Valern enlarged the ship design, and Alex followed Nihlus as he approached the table for closer examination. Sparatus cast an authoritative look upon both Spectres.
"Naturally, we'd like a turian-human crew for a turian-human vessel. That being said, you both have been selected to oversee its construction, and upon completion, head the ship."
Alex's heart leaped and sped up to a hundred miles per hour. It was unclear if it was that an enormous responsibility just fell into her hands or the culmination that she was going to be spending a considerable amount of time with Nihlus – not that it's a bad thing.
"Kryik, you have been assigned as the Commanding Officer, and Shepard you will serve as his Executive Officer. Your primary objective is to collect intel, whatever you can scour on the Reapers and how to defeat them. Secondary: you will need to convince the galaxy's multitude of races to provide their support when the time comes to go to war. However you decide to do that is at your discretion."
It was all starting to become overwhelming. Her breaths quickened, and she could feel the heat of pressure build up underneath her skin with sweat forming in undetectable places. Unexpectedly, Nihlus reached for her hand and reassuringly squeezed it for four extended seconds. For the length of time he maintained the pressure, she inhaled deeply. When he let go, she exhaled. Instant waves of calmness coursed through her and her breathing normalized. Because of the height of the table, none of the Councilors noticed the slight interaction.
"You two have worked well together in the past, and Shepard..." Tevos directed her words solely to Alex. "You have laid excellent groundwork creating relationships with others already. Most admirably, krogan battlemaster Urdnot Wrex. It's that with that set of skills that we are confident that you can live up to expectations. The both of you."
"Thank you, Councilors. Shepard and I will begin preparations immediately. We will take on the task assertively."
Goosebumps bloomed on her skin. Alex always liked the way how eloquent and confident Nihlus' speech sounded. She forgot how much.
"So, does she have a name?" Alex questioned the Councilors.
Tevos smiled.
"Once commissioned: The SSV Normandy."