Today was finally the day that the Alliance was holding their awards ceremony. Jane wasn't sure why they had decided to wait so late, but she couldn't really complain. She already knew that she would be receiving at least one award, and the extra time had allowed her to heal enough that she knew she would be able to walk across the stage without crutches.
Plus, the delay had given her and Kaidan more time to just be together. Their trip to the orchard had been wonderful. Being out in the fresh air had done wonders. For now, they had decided to pass on taking it for themselves. Even if they had wanted to retire, which they hadn't, they wouldn't be able to take care of everything by themselves, and it made sense to let someone else be the caretakers for a while.
Even as much as they had enjoyed themselves there, they hadn't gotten much time alone with both of their mothers hanging around. Having an extra week back in their apartment before the awards ceremony was nice. Jane knew that Hackett was going to be talking to her soon enough about her future in the Alliance, so she knew it might be their last chance to just relax with each other for a while. It had been nice, but Jane was also starting to feel restless and wanting to help in some way again.
She would likely not even need to wait a few hours to find out about her next assignment though, as the awards ceremony was set to start any moment. The Alliance had fixed up an old stage theater nearby, purely to use for their purposes tonight. She could already hear that it was a full house, as she was standing outside of the back, centre auditorium doors dressed in her freshly pressed Alliance issue skirt and blazer.
They had only just been informed half an hour ago that there was going to be a particular focus on the Normandy crew, so they would be seated on the stage, and they were requesting a grand entrance as names would be called, which is what they were all waiting for now. Even her non-Alliance, Normandy comrades were going to be honoured today. Jane wouldn't have expected anything less after what they had contributed to the war.
That's when the events coordinator signaled for everyone to get ready, starting with lowest rank first, with her ground crew going in just before James and Kaidan and ending with Commander Shepard. Everyone remained standing until after Admiral Hackett had finished with the introductions
"I sincerely want to thank everyone here today. Everyone had a part to play in this war, but we were the ones on the front lines, defending our home, and making the final push. Without all of your dedication and sacrifice we likely wouldn't be here today. Each and every one of you had an important role to play, and you're all deserving of recognition. Thank you all for your service."
Hackett had gone on to start awarding the lower ranks being clear to point out the people who went above and beyond the call to serve. The ones who were injured in the line of duty, and the ones who sacrificed themselves for the cause. It was a long list, and one that likely wasn't even finished, only the ones that they knew about so far. They could always make amendments later.
He had finally finished off the long lists with a congratulations before continuing to special distinctions.
"Miranda Lawson," he called. She had been sitting next to Hannah in the front row, and had gotten up to receive her award. "You have hereby been officially accepted into the ranks of Alliance Air Force and the Alliance Scientific Division. For your service in the war, we award you with the Airforce Defense Service Medal. With your scientific efforts since the war, we would also like to award you, and your team who couldn't be here today with the Hitara Prize for Biology. Your hard work and dedication to your field will provide us with a stronger future for our injured soldiers. Thank you," he said as he shook her hand and posed for a holo.
Jane was overjoyed by her friends accomplishments. There was a time that she thought Miranda would never leave Cerberus, but now, here she was, joining the Alliance with nothing but pride. Jane knew that it would likely take Miranda time to adjust to having more strict regulations, but she knew her conscience would thank her in the long run.
Then he had called up a few other people. Some Jane knew, and a lot she didn't. She was happy to see Major Coats there, receiving a promotion to General. The man definitely deserved it.
"Rear Admiral Hannah Shepard," he said, waiting for her to come to the stage. "You are hereby awarded the Palladium Star. At this time we would also like to recognize your efforts as one of the leaders of the Crucible project by promoting you to Admiral."
Jane wasn't so surprised that her mother had been promoted. She was good at what she did, and she had carried a lot of the burden to help everyone through the war. She was certainly deserving, but Jane also couldn't help but figure that the Alliance had a lot of personnel needing to be replaced too. She herself had witnessed the entire Vancouver branch's Admiralty board die from a reaper beam pretty much the moment the war started. Everyone's efforts during the war proved their mettle though, so there would be no shortage of people to choose from to go up in the ranks.
Jane was however slightly surprised that her mother looked like she had been expecting the news, not thinking that she would have kept this from her had she known. She was also a little surprised to see a bit of a twinkle in her eye, when she shook his hand. After the Normandy reunion dinner, she hadn't heard much about the two of them, and figured her mother couldn't get over the age difference. Maybe she had been wrong. With the amount of teasing that woman berated her with, she would have to be expecting payback about it pretty soon.
As the ceremony progressed to her crew mates, Jane felt an immense sense of fulfillment watching each of them take the stage hearing of their specific accomplishments. Her entire team had all received the Star of Terra, in addition to the Palladium Star and Galactic Union Citation. The last two technically being awards from the council, and the last one being the highest honour they could have possibly gotten, and exceptionally rare to give out.
Gabby, Ken and Adams were all awarded with the Einstein Medal and the Tesla Medal for their special achievements in physics and engineering respectively. Gabby was given special recognition thanks to her tip that helped the Crucible project.
When James went up, he was presented with a promotion to Commander. Kaidan was also promoted to General. Jane was exceptionally happy at that news, because he had worked hard too during the war. She was glad to see that her hero status wasn't overshadowing everyone else's contributions. The tiniest bit of her competitive side made her a bit jealous though. She was hoping to be promoted to Captain so they would technically be the same rank, but it was a fleeting thought and all in good fun anyway. Truly, there was nothing but happiness for him.
"Commander Jane Shepard," Hackett had called out signalling her turn to grace the platform.
She stood at parade rest, as Admiral Hackett listed off all of the same medals the rest of her crew had gotten.
"In addition to the Alliance medals, Each of the council races have passed on some of their highest distinctions. From the Turians, you are awarded with the Nova Cluster. From the Salarians, you are awarded with the Star of Sur'Kesh. From the Asari you are awarded the Medal of Athame. The council has informed me to present these honours on the basis of your extraordinary ability to unite races, feuding and allied alike, in times of extreme adversity. Your hard work has made you a true ambassador of the Milky Way."
"At this time, I would like to inform you of your promotion to Admiral."
With those words, Shepard's mind went blank. She remained in parade rest like the good soldier she was. He said Admiral. Not even Rear Admiral. She couldn't have heard that right, could she? That would mean she was about to skip over two entire ranks at once. That was completely unheard of. The closest thing that had ever happened like that before was only to Admiral Hackett himself, but even he hadn't managed to do that.
She saw the smile of absolute pride on her mother's face. It wasn't a face of shock, just happiness. The woman was clearly too good at keeping secrets. The thought was enough to bring her back to the moment, and finish listening to Hackett.
"With this promotion you have officially broken the record for fastest advancement within the Systems Alliance. At the risk of bragging, I would like to state that the previous record had been set by none other than myself, but I am ecstatic to be passing that honour on to you now."
"For your undeniable performance in leadership, and perseverance throughout the last few years, you have proven your abilities beyond a reasonable doubt. Through constant adversity, hardships and leaderships that wouldn't heed your warnings, you pushed on. You always maintained your stance, and fought for what you believed in. Your extreme power to empathize and your knack for diplomacy has provided you with skills to end centuries long wars. You know what it is to be in the middle of a battlefield. You know what it is to sacrifice. You know what it is to dedicate everything to the cause. All of these attributes will suit you perfectly in your new role. Congratulations, Admiral Shepard," he finally said, handing her the large case of new medals she proudly displayed for the holo that they swiftly took with Hackett shaking her hand.
She moved to sit back down again. The shock of it all had brought her limp back out slightly, but she managed to make it back fine, albeit with a blank stare adorning her face. Her entire team had been looking at her shocked, but she hadn't noticed. She had been too flabbergasted to think of much of anything. She now shared the same rank as her mother for crying out loud. They happened to have both earned it on the same day. Something just felt wrong about that.
Jane had almost thought that they must have been leaving her for the end, which she would have been thankful for because the jolt of information was making her feel lightheaded, and she would have preferred this to be over and done with sooner rather than later. Instead, she saw Admiral Hackett preparing for something else, so she figured she would just have to rely on her calming techniques for now.
"Last but not least, I would like to welcome Councilor Tevos to make a few announcements," Hackett said as he stepped to the side, offering Tevos the podium.
"Thank you, Admiral Hackett. Firstly, I would like to congratulate you all on your exemplary service, and secondly I would like to thank the Alliance for allowing us to use this event to make some announcements."
"To start off however, I would like to make a statement. The council would like to formally thank the Normandy and all of it's crew for spearheading this war. We have come to the understanding that your one ship has taught us something extremely valuable that we need to remember now more than ever. Under Admiral Shepard's command, you have provided a ship run without prejudice. Even in your early days, you took on multiple races without question, because you knew it was better not to turn away help when it was offered. Your ship has run more smoothly and with more purpose than any ever seen before its time, and we believe that a lot of that comes from a greater level of understanding between species developed by the bonds maintained throughout your shared service."
"Now, we would like to announce that the Council has developed a new branch of military, deemed the Milky Way Interspecies Initiative. It is being developed with the focus of intergalactic peacekeeping, and diplomacy in mind. Now is the time to remember that we only made it this far through cooperation, and teamwork. Our way forward is together. At this time, I would like to call back to the stage, Jane Shepard, Garrus Vakarian, Liara T'Soni, Tali'Zorah Vas Normandy, and Urdnot Wrex."
She waited for all of them to line up before continuing.
"Today, I would like to announce that you are the first members of the MWII. You are hereby being granted this distinction due to your proven service throughout your time serving aboard the Normandy. We will leave the choice up to you whether you decide to make this an active role or not, but the honour of being the first to carry the distinction is now bestowed upon all of you. Congratulations on becoming the symbols for the continuation of our allied futures."
Jane had suddenly become aware of why the ceremony had been delayed so long. It was likely so the council could work out the details with all of that first.
This is when everyone returned to their seats and waited for Admiral Hackett to finish off the ceremony. Jane had instantaneously gone from no work for months to two new jobs all at once. It was a lot to take in, but she truly did feel honoured. She already knew for herself how much better things were when you were collaborative thanks to her multi species crew. Personally, Jane thought the MWII was a terrific idea, if not a bit of a pipe dream. Peacetime never lasted forever, but maybe this would at least help.
As everyone started to disperse, Jane just stayed seated, afraid to move, feeling like she might actually pass out. It wasn't until Kaidan rubbed her shoulder that she noticed he had been trying to talk to her.
"Jane? Are you okay? You look a little pale."
"I don't know, just give me a minute," she said, as she tried to use her breathing techniques to calm down. It wasn't enough, and she actually had to bend over trying to get the thunderous rushing noises in her head to stop.
This is when Hannah and Ada came over. "Is she okay? Do we need to call a doctor?," Hannah asked.
Ada went over to check her pulse, and tried to feel her forehead to see if there was a temperature. She could feel that her pulse was beginning to calm, but was waiting for Jane to respond.
"I'm fine," she managed to say almost sounding entirely normal.
Ada seemed satisfied enough with that. "I think she's just in a bit of shock," she said addressing the worried onlookers. "Sit down as long as you need," she said, rubbing Jane's shoulder.
This is when Admiral Hackett came to the front of the group. "Would you all mind if I had a minute alone?"
Everyone seemed a little tentative, but eventually agreed. They wouldn't be far anyway, and Hackett would be there should anything really go wrong.
Hackett took a seat beside Jane, and allowed her another moment to compose herself.
"I remember being in similar shoes after my promotion. Granted, mine was only from Staff Commander to Rear Admiral. I still had to get to Fleet Admiral the hard way. But I still remember how overwhelming it was. Imposter syndrome is a real thing, I'll tell you that much. Don't get me wrong. I worked hard to get where I was. I earned my place, but being thrown into it unexpectedly certainly threw me for a loop at the time."
"How did you get over it?"
"Like everything else. One day at a time. You'll adjust," he said, noticing that Jane didn't seem to like that answer. "Listen, Jane. I know you don't like people calling you a hero, but that's what you are. I know as well as you that this war wasn't won with you alone, but on numerous occasions the scale was tipped in our favour only because of you. I will not allow you to think that you haven't earned this. Everything else will come in time."
Jane finally nodded, accepting his advice. "Okay," she said, simply.
"Good. Now would you like to know about your assignment?"
"I guess that would be best."
"I would like you to be one of the Heads of the Citadel Alliance division, and sit on their admiralty board."
"Wow. That sounds like quite the honour, sir."
"I figured it might give you a better opportunity to take advantage of your position in the MWII as well. The only problem is that the Citadel won't be ready for general population for about another month or so."
"I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but does that mean I can have time to think about it? I'd like to talk about it with Kaidan, if I have the chance. We were kind of waiting to see about our promotions before trying to make more permanent plans."
Hackett had almost expected as much. He couldn't blame her for needing time to make sure that this was what she wanted, especially since he had been the one keeping her in the dark for so long.
"I think that should be acceptable. In the meantime would you be open to run one more away mission?"
"I suppose that depends on what it is, sir."
"As I'm sure you're very aware by now, we happen to be housing some increasingly impatient dignitaries that would like to go back home. Garrus Vakarian is needed back on Palaven, and Urdnots Grunt and Wrex have been requesting transport back home for quite some time. I'd like you to do one last outing to drop them off, get status updates from Tuchanka and Palaven, and also do a supply run while you're out that way."
Jane just smiled at the offer. She knew he was throwing her a bone with this one. There would be other transports available to bring them back to their planets, though she supposed that it did truly look better for them having them personally escorted by a high ranking officer. She still knew it was an offer of kindness to allow her one last mission with her friends.
She nodded with a smile on her face. "Thank you, sir. That sounds like the perfect last away mission. Could I make one request though?"
"What is it?"
"Can I have the Normandy?"
He laughed at that. "I think that can be arranged, Shepard. It's flight ready, though I don't think it's running at full efficiency. Even in its current state, it's still the best ship we have though, so I'll grant permission as long as it passes all of the requirements."
"Thank you, Admiral."
"You're welcome, Admiral."
Damn that would take some getting used to.
"I'll give you until this mission's completion to decide about your position on the Citadel," he continued.
"Thank you. I really do appreciate you giving me the time."
"Sure thing, Shepard. In case it makes your decision easier though, it's well within our power to fit Kaidan in somewhere there too."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"So, any last questions?"
"Only one."
"What's that?"
"Are you sleeping with my mother?"
He coughed with the surprisingly blunt question. "I think I'll allow your mother to address that one," he said after managing to compose himself.
"Mhmm. I think you just answered it for me. It's okay, Hackett. I think you're good for each other."
He didn't really have anything to say to that for now. Even if Jane had guessed it, he didn't really want to confirm anything. Plausible deniability and all that.
"Well, I think I'm feeling better. Sincerely, Admiral, I do want to say that I really appreciate everything you've offered me today. I don't want you to think my needing time for consideration has anything to do with lack of gratitude," she said, finally standing up.
"Not at all, Jane. No one's gone through more in this war than you. It's healthy to assess your options. I do hope that you'll be joining us, but at the end of the day, we all just want you to be happy."
"Thank you, Steven." She had never addressed him so informally, but something about the moment made it feel right. They were only one rank apart at this point, so it wasn't insubordination. He seemed to quite like the informality of it, anyway, so she was in the clear.
"Alright, now get out of here already. Take advantage of the festivities tonight, because you'll be shipping out in two days."
"Already?"
"Absolutely. Wrex kindly keeps reminding us that he likely has children already waiting for him back on Tuchanka, and Grunt keeps threatening to headbutt people if they're not going to be granted transport. I think it's long overdue that they be headed home."
Jane laughed at the thought. It definitely sounded like Grunt.
"Well in that case, it can't happen soon enough. Thanks for giving me this, Hackett."
"No problem, Jane. It's just as much your send-off as it is theirs. Enjoy it."
"I'll keep that in mind," she said before shaking his hand.
She quickly met up with the rest of their crew and family and headed over to the banquet hall. They all shared glasses of champagne, with the dextro version for Garrus and Tali. Jane gave them all the same orders to be ready to ship out in two days, and they were all excited about the prospect of one last mission together, even if it would be a tame one.