I always wondered why the Council didn't demand that Shepard resign from the Alliance. It makes sense; after all, do you really want your elite agents to be in the service of a separate, though allied, state? Also, no oath did they lay upon her, just some amusingly elitist lines about 'spectres being born, not made'.

So I decided to make Kara an actual renegade, not the bigoted pissant that passes for such in Bioware's minds. Speaking of divided loyalties. At least Kara chose a side.

Short update, I know. I wanted this to stand alone. Next chapter will be short, too.

CHAPTER FOUR
Truths

All hands, this is Shepard. As most of you have heard, the Council has appointed me to the ranks of the Spectres. My charge is to discover and disrupt plans of Saren Arterius, and to bring him into custody. His actions on Eden Prime speak to his cruelty, where he sought the same Prothean beacon we were sent to retrieve.

I accepted this duty with great reluctance. I no more desire to obey the will of the Council than I do the Alliance; I judge that both serve the elite first, and I do not serve the rich. Wars are ever squabbles between elites, fought with our blood, and we should refuse our part. In Saren, though, I see a threat not just to those with power, but to us all, regardless of race or wealth.

If so, he must be stopped. To do so, I need a ship; the Normandy. We will have need of stealth and speed, to pass by the enemy unmarked. No other ship in the fleet is capable of such a feat. I requested that the ship be transferred to my command. The Alliance refused. It was they who demanded a human Spectre, and now reject her. They are more concerned with politics than their stated goals, for they have discovered that I am not what they imagined; as an agent of the Council, I resigned my commission as an officer of the Alliance.

Within their narrow reasoning, they are right to be concerned. The Alliance and the Council have their conflicts of interest, but the task before me serves us all. Would we not be better served by working together, setting aside our self-interest, for the benefit of the whole? Is one ship too much to ask?

I cannot in good conscience accept the Alliance's decision, for it would mean abandoning a task I pledged to complete. As an associate member of the Council, the Systems Alliance is obliged to lend all necessary aid to Council Spectres, and my need is great. I am taking command of the Normandy, in the name of the Council. I will not compel you to join me in this, but I will need a crew. The choice is yours; help me defeat Saren, or take your leave.

As you consider your decision, think on this; why did you join the service? I am offering you a chance to make a difference.

Those of you who wish to disembark, assemble on the bridge in one hour. Shepard out.