January 4th, 2187 – Vancouver
Systems Alliance Military Command HQ
Despite the widespread destruction that the city suffered only a year earlier, Jill marveled at the progress being made. Buildings were sprouting up everywhere. Progress like this was being mirrored all over the planet, including Calgary, the city where she grew up.
Walking up to the building, she could see workers on scaffolding guiding a large sign hanging from a crane depicting the insignia of the Systems Alliance to where it would be attached to the building.
Taking in the delightful aroma of the coffee in her hand, she doesn't notice that almost everyone either double takes just to make sure that was Shepard they saw, or to snap a salute.
"You can stop looking at me like that corporal." She says without turning around.
"Wha-? Like what ma'am?" Jenkins says, stopping for a second, caught off guard by the question. He quickly steps up his pace to catch up.
"That uncomfortable look people get when they notice that someone is forgetting something." Shepard explains stopping at the top of the stairs leading into the building's main entrance. Taking a second to take a sip of her coffee, she continues. "If I returned every salute and wave I get, I'd throw my shoulder out."
"Yes, ma'am, but that's not it." He answers, a little too quickly. Getting an inquisitive look with a raised eyebrow, he continues. "I just didn't think when I got out of my bunk this morning that I'd be called in front of the old man—I mean Admiral Hackett." He stammered out, his face flushing with embarrassment at the faux pas.
Laughing, Shepard just shakes her head and pats Jenkins on the shoulder.
"While personally I know the Admiral would think that nickname is pretty funny, professionally I think it would be best if we kept that to ourselves." She said, turning around and heading into the building.
"I think you're right, ma'am." Jenkins responds, a little flustered. Stopping half way up the steps to Alliance Headquarters, he turns to Shepard. "Commander, why am I being called in here?"
"You want my Professional or Personal response to that?" Shepard said with a smirk. "Professionally, that's above our pay grades. Command says come hither, you snap to it." She continues, taking a sip of her coffee. "Personally, how the hell is someone with your biotic ability still a corporal?"
Jenkins turns his head, breaking eye contact, his face turning a very slight shade of red in embarrassment. Shepard just stood there, with her hand on her hip looking down at the corporal from her position a few steps above him.
"When my biotics manifested when I was thirteen, the alliance said I could have a future serving. When the Reapers attacked, my colony instituted a draft, and because my ability was on record, my draft number was in the first call. After boot, I was sent to the Officer Candidate School they set up on the Citadel after Earth fell. I washed out. 'A complete lack of leadership ability' they said." He admitted finally.
"Sounds like someone screwed up and sent you where you should never have been sent. Not everyone has what it takes to lead. That's nothing to be ashamed of." She told him. "Now, let's go see what the Old Man wants." She said with a smirk.
SSV Aurora – Aurora Class Frigate Prototype
Hephaestus Shipyards - Titan
CIC – Security Cam 12
***Video Data Corrupt – Audio Only***
Commander Bertram: And this is the CIC, I'm sorry, Combat Information Center. Any and all combat data is centered here for the Commanding officer.
Unknown Female: This is so awesome. Are you sure I'm allowed to be here?
Commander Bertram: I got a week's leave approved for someone for this little favor.
Indistinct audio alarm
Commander Bertram: Emergency flash message? 'Fifth Fleet general order, Reaper forces in Sol System, all forces retreat to…' Oh shit. Shit.
Unknown Female: Eric, what's going on?
Commander Bertram: Rebecca! Sit down there, strap yourself in! Don't touch anything!
Comm-Panel activation audio notification
Commander Bertram: Lydia, spin up the drive core and bring the power-plants online, we're leaving.
Engineer Moody: On it boss.
Door opening
Flight Lieutenant Stephenson: What's going on?
Commander Bertram: Fifth Fleet's ordered us out of the system, get us out of this dry-dock, set course for the relay then plot a jump to rendezvous point theta in Exodus.
Recording Ends
Further Data Corrupt
"Telemetry recovered from the ship's data banks shows that forty-three seconds after they left dry-dock, a Reaper took out their propulsion and crippled the ship. The Aurora crashed on Titan two minutes later." Hackett explained.
"So, you found this ship, mostly intact on the surface of Titan. Just what was the Aurora?" Shepard asked.
"The Aurora was supposed to be the first in a line of rapid response Frigates. It incorporated design aspects taken from the Normandy SR-1 and SR-2, but sacrificed stealth in favor of defense, firepower and logistics. It was supposed to get to a trouble spot, get boots on the ground, and secure the system." A woman next to Hackett explained.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Shepard asked.
"Lauren Faust, Nashan Stellar Dynamics. I worked on the original design of the Normandy." She introduced herself.
"I'm glad that the Aurora was found, but I'm confused with what this has to do with me." Shepard asked.
"The Asari cruiser Cybaen is helping our engineers recover the vessel, and you're going to oversee its refit." Hackett told Shepard, getting up from his desk, circling around it and sitting on the front edge. "Then you're taking command, Captain." He said, putting emphasis on the last word.
Shepard stood there, stunned.
"You were due for a promotion anyways, and I think everything you've done warrants it." Hackett explained, shaking Shepard's hand.
"I don't know what to say, sir. Thank you." Shepard said, a little flustered.
"Oh, we're changing the name of the class. It'll be known as Monument-Class, and the Aurora is being renamed to the SSV David Anderson."
Shepard's composure visibly faltered, as she fought to hold back tears.
"The Admiral wouldn't like that." Shepard said quietly with a small chuckle. What's with all this fuss? She pictured him saying in her mind.
"Then he shouldn't have been a damn hero." Hackett said with all seriousness, but a smile crept onto his face. Pressing a button on his desk's comm-panel, he spoke. "Send in Corporal Jenkins. You're free to go Lauren."
"Corporal Jenkins reporting as ordered." Jenkins said, snapping a crisp salute, and then stood at attention.
"At ease." Hackett said, returning the salute. Jenkins loosened his stance, but still appeared on edge. "That was an impressive display of Biotics today, corporal."
"Thank you sir."
"I also took the liberty of pulling your file. Not many soldiers who received the Star of Terra during the Reaper War are still alive. Therefore, I was pretty surprised to see numerous disciplinary notes in your service jacket. 'If Corporal Jenkins could only keep his mouth shut, he'd be a hell of a soldier' being one of them."
"You seem to have a problem with authority. You follow orders just fine, but you can't keep your opinions to yourself." Hackett continued, then turned to Shepard then smiled. "Reminds me of a young officer before she got a little noteworthy during shore-leave on Elysium."
"Corporal, I'm putting you on detached duty under Captain Shepard." Hackett said. "Captain, he's your problem now. This young man has potential, see to it he realizes it." Hackett ordered. "Dismissed."
March 7th 2187
New Caledonia Shipyards, Mars
Work on the restoration of the Admiral Anderson was proceeding well. Refitting the hull, a long and laborious task that had to done in the vacuum of space, was completed and the yard technicians had just informed Shepard that they were ready to pressurize the ship interior as a whole for the first time.
Shepard was thankful that no serious damage was done to the ships superstructure when it made planet fall into one of Titan's many liquid methane lakes. She smiled with pride as she watched a worker begin painting on the ships name. Looking over at the technician beside her, she gave a nod giving the go ahead to begin pressurizing the ship.
"Excuse me; I'm looking for Captain Shepard." A voice behind her asked.
"Well, you found her." Shepard said, not surprised that she wasn't recognized since she was wearing an engineer's jumpsuit that had no rank insignia of any kind. Turning around, she was met by a short but stocky asari in an Alliance officer's uniform. The asari was quick to snap a salute.
"Lieutenant Hailey Va'lyn reporting for duty, ma'am. I'm your chief engineer." The lieutenant said, caught off guard.
"I didn't know there was an asari serving in the Alliance. Are you part of an officer exchange?" Shepard asked, shaking the woman's hand.
"No, as far as I know, I'm the only one." She explained. "They made an exception for me when I volunteered after Earth fell, given that my father was an Alliance Captain."
Considering what she said for a moment, she paused. Va'lyn… Va'lyn… I've read that name somewhere before. She thought. "Why don't you come with me, we'll talk in my office."
A short walk down the corridor they came upon Shepard's office, a large room with a curved window looking out over the dry-dock complex where several alliance vessels were berthed along with the Anderson. When the door opened, Jenkins snapped to his feet, interrupting the chess match he was losing to Shepard's drone Rex. Taking advantage of the situation, Rex moved one of Jenkin's pieces to an even more favorable position for the drone. Little bastard's cheating! Shepard thought to herself with a smile.
"Matthew, can you get me a coffee?" She asked; turning to Hailey, she gave an offering glance.
"I'll have a Green tea." Hailey told the Corporal, and he headed out the door. His opponent no longer in the room, Rex turned his attention to the asari lieutenant, giving her a quick scan. "Mark VI?" She asked, pointing at the glowing orange orb with her thumb, who was now meandering around the room.
"Mark II actually, I've been programming and upgrading him for years. One of my friends, a quarian, upgraded his V.I. package last year, and I've been tweaking it ever since. When we walked in, I caught the little bugger cheating at chess." Shepard explained. "Now, down to business." She said taking a seat on the couch that lined the wall under the bay window and gesturing that Hailey do the same. "Tell me about yourself."
"I got my masters in both electrical and mechanical engineering at University of British Columbia, and my doctorate in applied mass effect sciences at Brown University. I was on Illium when news about earth hit. I made my way to the Citadel to enlist, and because of my engineering background I was fast-tracked through OCS and assigned to the SSV Benjamin Davis as an Engineer."
"I can read about that in your service jacket, and I have no doubt that you're qualified to do the job, otherwise personnel wouldn't have sent you here" Shepard said, leaving out the fact that she'd refused two other candidates because, while being good officers, they were lousy engineers.
Caught off guard, Hailey's face turned a darker shade of cerulean. "Well, I was born in Chicago. My mother, Matriarch Nila Va'lyn, was an attaché to the Asari ambassador to Earth. My father was Captain Eugen Rommel, he was attached to the alliance's diplomatic corps, and that's where he met my mother."
"I knew I recognized your family name. You're-"
"The first child of an asari and a human." She said, wishing to avoid this. Looking over at Shepard's desk attempting to avert her gaze, she noticed a photo of Shepard with an asari at a very posh Citadel restaurant, and that they looked very much in love. Hailey realized that this wasn't going to be a problem.
"Her name's Liara. She's MIA along with the rest of the crew of the Normandy." Shepard said, a twinge of sadness in her voice, but a glint of fiery determination flashed in her eyes. "What do you think of the Monument-class?" Shepard asked, changing the subject.
"A very good design that fits its proposed role. In addition, the fact that it survived planet fall onto Titan is a testament to its sturdiness. Can't wait to take her for her shake down ma'am, if she works like she does on paper, we're in for a treat." Hailey said, excitement filling her voice.
"I'll think you'll do." Shepard said with a laugh.
The two continued to talk shop for another ten minutes until Jenkins interrupted them with their drinks.
"Sorry, beta shift was on lunch in the galley, tried dropping your name but Agnes wouldn't have it." He said, handing Shepard her coffee. "Sorry, all they had was orange pekoe." Handing Hailey her cup and a small dish with cream and sugar packets inside.
"Corporal Jenkins, this is Lieutenant Va'lyn, our new chief engineer." Shepard introduced.
"Ma'am." Jenkins said professionally, shaking her hand. Looking at the chessboard, his eyes widened. "That little bastard cheated!"
Rex, on the other side of the room made a chattering of noises that sounded like gloating. All Shepard and Hailey could do was just laugh.