Jane Shepard, SSV Perugia

"...John Shepard, seen here, being sworn in as Humanity's first Spectre! This is a momentous day for all members of the System Allian…."

Jane turned off the vid monitor in the officer's stateroom and sat for a moment. The room itself was quiet. The saying 'so quiet, you could hear a pin drop' was probably created for this exact moment. None of the other five officers said anything. None of them moved. One, sweated.

"Hmm," was the sound that broke the silence of the room itself. One officer, swallowed.

"Well," Jane said, her voice was completely neutral. There was not a hint of emotion. "That. That right there. That is a thing."

One of the younger officers, a flight lieutenant, he had just been assigned to the Perugia, maybe, a week before, slowly turned to look at the Captain. When he had first arrived, he had been struck by how beautiful she was. She had that dark red hair, cut, maybe neck length, if it wasn't up in the bun she wore when on duty. Her face had smooth lines, a full lipped mouth, a strong chin. She was tall, probably six feet tall. She was slender, but not in a skinny way. She was a woman who kept herself in top physical condition. But the thing that truly struck him was her eyes. Her eyes were a deep blue. The kind you could get lost in. A part of his brain, when she had seen her brother on the news vid, recognized that they had the same eyes. In fact it was almost uncanny.

However, at this moment. She was still beautiful. But more, she was terrifying.

Jane's eyebrows were drawn down into a straight line over her eyes. Her lips were pursed, also in a straight line. And, probably the most terrifying part was how she did not move. She stared straight ahead and the vid screen. Her feet sat fully on the floor, her knees an equal distance apart. Her arms lay on the armrests of her chair. Her hands, however, clung so hard to the ends of the rests her fingernails literally tore small holes in the fabric. The fabric which, in theory, was supposed to be rip proof.

After, maybe, two heart beats, Jane's eyes snapped to the flight lieutenant. The officer felt her eyes boring through his head. He was fairly convinced she could read his mind right now. He had never wanted to go home, so badly, ever in his life.

"Garcia," she said. "Tell me. What do you think about that?" Oddly her voice was completely conversational. As if she had just asked about the weather.

"Um," he swallowed. Garcia's eyes darted to the other officers in the room, desperately, trying to get some hint how he should react. To his dismay, the entire room found something very interesting on their shoe. "Con-congratulations? You..um..must be quite pr-proud of your..uh..bro-brother?"

"Tell me, Garcia," She tone turned slightly frosty as her eyebrows began to knit into a frown. "Why, exactly, now, is it you sound hesitant?"

Flight Lieutenant Hernan Garcia, mentally, began to write his obituary. 'Here Lies Garcia, The Moron Who Couldn't Keep His Mouth Shut.'

"Well, ma'am," he began. "I was just so shocked at the..um.." Think Garcia, THINK. "At the great news that humanity finally has a Spectre, I couldn't organize my thoughts properly!"

Jane sat for another heartbeat, her gaze boring into his, before her face suddenly relaxed. Her brow lifted, her mouth swung up into a genuinely gorgeous smile. But it was her eyes. Her eyes never changed. They were full of flint, terror and blood.

Standing up quickly, Jane clapped her hands together. "I was thinking the same thing!" she said, her voice seemed to be laced with sugar. "Now then, Mr. Garcia. I was thinking I had not assessed your hand to hand skills yet." Jane's head tilted slightly to the right, looking, sort of...cutesy? "You will get your gear and join me in the exercise room."

Abruptly, she turned her heel and walked out of the room.

As the door closed the entire room seemed to release a gigantic breath. The four officers the were not Garcia, began to smile at each other. They congratulated one another for not being selected as the Captain's stress relief.

One by one, they stood and placing a hand, solemnly, on Garcia's shoulder, saying a kind or supporting word, departed the room.

Over the crew wide informal message board a post was made, anonymously. "All hands. Execution of Flight Lieutenant Hernan Garcia to commence at 1330 hours. Refreshments to be served. Odds stand- 2 mins. 2 to1, 5 mins 5 to1. 8 mins 9 to 1, 10 mins 50 to1. Place bets now with 'Colonel Bettington' "

Garcia continued to stare at the small holes in the arms of the Captain's chair.

John Shepard, SSV Normandy

Looking up from the datapad he was reading while sitting in the mess, drinking a mug of tea, a cold shiver ran down his spine as he frowned first at Garrus, then Ashley, then finally at Tali.

"Shepard," Garrus asked, worried. "Something wrong?"

"I, I'm not sure," John said shaking his head. "It's like a voice cried out in terror, then was suddenly...silenced…."

Hannah Shepard, SSV Kilimanjaro

Crossing her legs, Hannah brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face, and tucked it behind her ear. She noticed, to her dismay, that her red hair, much like her daughter's, was beginning to get some grey. Well, she thought. They do say it is usually caused by children.

As she had that thought, a young ensign approached the Captain's chair. In the woman's hand was a datapad, but it was a smile on the woman's face that raised one of Hannah's eyebrows.

"I am wary, Ensign Roebuck," she said. "You seem all to pleased."

Roebuck's smile became an outright grin, as she nodded to the datapad. "Ma'am, I can guarantee, this is nothing but good news."

Sceptical, Hannah looked down at the report she had been handed. Then she read it again, frowning slightly. Then a third time, a slow motherly smile on her face. Looking up at Ensign Roebuck, Hannah smiled warmly to her. "You are quite right my dear. This is quite good news."

As she handed the datapad back Hannah was struck with a thought. "Oh, dear. Jane must be… checking some poor crewman's hand to hand skills about now…"

Roebuck looked slightly alarmed. "Captain, I heard she knocked a Krogan unconscious once with a lead pipe!"

The bridge crew laughed warmly around Roebuck. They had all heard the story before. Hannah, herself, just chuckled ruefully. "No, dear, she had a riot baton." Nodding Roebuck stepped back. It was a silly idea anyway… "and she beat the poor man to death." the Captain finished.

Jane Shepard, SSV Perugia, Exercise Room

Stepping back from Garcia's prone form, Jane sneezed, looking around in a frown.

Her hair was tied up in a loose ponytail, and she had changed out of her Alliance uniform to a sports bra and track pants. She was wearing fingerless, padded training gloves, and her feet were bare.

The most striking thing that Flight Lieutenant Hernan Garcia noted, as he stepped onto the mat earlier, was the impressive muscle definition on the Captain's body. He had probably forty pounds on the woman though, and he was confident in his hand to hand ability.

Well, he was also impressed and very confused by the large crowd that had gathered. And he was pretty sure a couple people were filming this?

At the moment, however, He found himself on the mat and he wasn't entirely sure how he had gotten there. He did know, for a fact, that everything was blurring and sort of spinning. And he sorta wanted to throw up.

"You better not puke Garcia," he heard Captain Shepard say. "It's been less than a minute. I am currently, underwhelmed. I'm thinking, we should make this an every other day thing," Jane nodded to herself. "Yeah, I think I need to whip you into shape."

Garcia heard a woman whoop from the crowd as Shepard glanced up. "Yeah, Medici, you are off the hook."

Flight Lieutenant Hernan Garcia, began to cry.

To: Captain Jane Shepard

From: Admiral Peter Mikhailovich

Subject: Report to Citadel

You are to bring the SSV Perugia to the Citadel Station for inspection, reload, refit, and personnel transfers.

You are to report to me, personally, upon arrival.

Peter Mikhailovich

Rear Admiral

63rd Scout Flotilla

To: Admiral Peter Mikhailovich

From: Captain Jane Shepard

Subject: Re: Report to Citadel

Yes, sir. The SSV Perugia shall put into the Citadel immediately upon finishing the patrol assigned to us by Admiral Steven Hacket.

Jane Shepard

Captain

SSV Perugia

To: Commander John Shepard

From: Captain Jane Shepard

Subject: Really?

Really, Jay Jay? Really? You couldn't handle me beating you to being a Captain as well as getting a command, that you had to cheat and get Captain Anderson to get you into the Spectres?

Mother must be SO disappointed in you right now.

Jane Shepard

Captain

SSV Perugia, 5th Fleet

To: Captain Jane Shepard

From: Commander John Shepard

Subject: Fwd: Congratulations!

Suck it.

Good work, Son! I am so proud of you! Your sister is a Captain and you make it into the Spectres! Words fail me. Truly I am blessed.

I know your work is dangerous, and about to only get more so, but don't forget that you can ask your Sister, or myself, for help at anytime.

Hestalia and Kelly send their love.

Love you, Mom

Hannah Shepard

Captain

SSV Kilimanjaro, 2nd Fleet

To: Commander John Shepard

From: Captain Jane Shepard

Subject: I Fucking Hate You

No, seriously, I fucking hate you.

Mom was there when I got my eagle. You got Ambassador Udina.

Kelly loves me more

I hate you, fuck off and die in a varren fire.

Jane Shepard

Captain

SSV Perugia, 5th Fleet

PS Good work, we are all proud of you

PPS Don't forget to die in a Varren fire