A/N: I'm really sorry this chapter is shorter than usual. I just wanted to get this next part out so I could move on. Thank you for reading.

Jane's eyes were intense on the uniforms before her. Examining the armor, the posture, ensuring that all accessories were in place. Her squad mates assumed this was an inspection in lieu of having any genuine drills to run for the shakedown. Partially it was. Jane's hidden motive for the inspection was to have an excuse for her people to be suited up.

Priestly had been an unexpected help back in the office. Jane had been surprised enough when the woman called her by her name rather than her rank. She had felt affronted on Priestly's behalf when the LC revealed Nihlus had harassed her.
The following discussion they had regarding the situation had been validating if not enlightening. The back and forth had been easy. Priestly had obviously not been in a good mood, and yet something about her had been more relaxed than in their previous interactions.

Finding out what kind of person Priestly really was had Jane's mind running around in circles. She was N7 just like her, and ACEM to boot. It was a rate within the Alliance that dealt with harsh situations and mystery environments most often. The Advanced Crisis Environment Mobilization was well-known. Mainly for being about as secretive as they were rough.
ACEM was a career. If one was lucky enough to be recommended for the school and earned the designation, they would stay ACEM until they either retired or died. Many N7s and exemplary sailors served within its closed structure. There was no such thing as leaving it for regular service as far as Jane knew.

Perhaps the most revealing piece of news had been seeing a particular station in Priestly's profile. It listed her under the SSV Vienna from 2176 to 2179. That ship had become famous during its service in 2178. For almost that entire year, the Alliance had conducted the Theshaca Raids. Overwhelming, decisive attacks on pirate ports and slaver fleets. The most well-known assault had been the massacre at Torfan.
Jane's own mother had served during that time on the Vienna as its ACEM commander. She had been promoted to captain for her exemplary leadership. Jane remembered how proud she had felt of her mother when she saw her and her team in the news. They had all been given medals for acting as the vanguard of the raiding fleet.

Wait a damn minute.

Jane signaled for Alenko and Jenkins to wait. She took a couple of steps away and pulled up her omni-tool. She wanted to search for the picture of the Vienna crew. There was one that was taken after the conclusion of the raids. The ceremony had been televised because of the ridiculous amount of media interest back then.

"I'll be damned," Jane whispered. There was her mother on the stage, Hannah Shepard. Right at her side was Priestly herself. They were accompanied by only three others. The entire team was looking about as stiff as Jane would expect of people at a ceremony. They were in their formal uniforms, the blues. Jane liked that uniform on Priestly, but she wanted to see the woman in a suit of armor.

The more Jane learned about Priestly, the more questions she had. Priestly genuinely made no sense. If she had done something to be kicked out of ACEM, she shouldn't still be serving in the Alliance. The Alliance would never spend time and money training someone like Priestly only to let her sit at a desk.

Jane sighed quietly at the chaotic thoughts whirling around in her mind. She was still dreading Eden Prime. She did not need to obsess over her LC on top of that. Yet there Jane was, burning with curiosity.
The very second she had the time for it, she was going to call her mom and ask about Priestly. She wouldn't stoop to asking personal questions when she could just ask Priestly about those herself. But knowing they were on the same team was too much to ignore. Jane needed to know what her mom thought of Priestly.

"Ma'am?" Alenko asked.

Jane tore her eyes from the picture on her omni-tool. She had nearly forgotten where she was. She would need to put this to the back of her mind until the shakedown run was over. Distraction could be fatal if anything did come up.

"Looking good team. Go through a few warm-up exercises," Jane ordered. Jenkins was fresh but he had suited up quickly without any mistakes. He adored conversation, but it seemed he understood when to be quiet. His expression was focused. It was obvious to her that he had some potential.
As much as Jane didn't approve of Nihlus and his little interrogation, she did agree with him. If her life were on the line, Jane would choose Priestly over Jenkins every single time.

Knowing that only made Jane's bad feeling worsen. If Nihlus knew what they were walking into at Eden Prime, why not warn anyone? Priestly had said he was deeply concerned. But he wasn't doing a thing to inform Jane and her team of any impending danger. Shit like that, secrets that big, were the kind of things that got people killed.

An overhead alarm blared, short and loud. It was a five-minute warning for a relay jump. Jane needed to hurry. She wanted to get to the cockpit and see Eden Prime for herself. All she could hope for was a quiet planet surrounded by empty space.

…

The progress Allegra had made in her paperwork was halted rather abruptly by none other than Commander Shepard. The woman swept in like a storm. She locked the office door behind her with a wave of her hand, practically alight with anger. Allegra watched on, wide eyes taking in the bristling commander silently.

Shepard rose a fist as if to punch the wall on her way to the table in the corner only to refrain at the last split second. Her helmet was given no mercy. The commander dropped it carelessly and the metal met the deck with a resounding bang.
Their eyes met. Shepard let go of a whoosh of air, paling as she glanced away ashamedly. Allegra swallowed. She knew what that body language meant.

Allegra began to grow anxious. I don't know her well enough to know what helps her calm down.

When in doubt, run away, "Want me to give you a few minutes alone?"

Shepard breathed in to answer and then thought better of it. She seemed to deflate, allowing the rush of anger to spill from her. Allegra waited, focusing on keeping the unease from her expression. She was glad to have so many years of practice in fielding the tempers of others.

"No."

Allegra nodded a little awkwardly. So, no running away. She wanted comfort of some kind that reminded her she was not alone. That was okay. Shepard had been kind to Allegra since day one. She had to admit that. Whatever her motivations for it were, she had done nothing to earn abundant suspicion. However, returning the favor at that moment felt like a daunting task.

It was something that Allegra could not stand. Being caught off guard.

Allegra stood from her desk, mentally running through anything that might help. She had noticed that Shepard had fewer qualms about physical contact than the LC did. Perhaps she was a tactile person in trusted company. But perhaps not. Allegra mentally cursed, wishing for once that she had gotten to know the woman even slightly.

"Alright," Allegra's tone was soft, understanding, "Let me get you some water and I will listen. If you want to vent."

Shepard didn't smile, but she didn't argue. The jerky nod Allegra got was good enough. She had seen it take days before some people wanted to talk about the things that had gotten under their skin. Others could not wait more than a second to tell everyone about their latest upset. As open as the commander seemed, she was not a woman that was easily read.

The silence was almost unbearable as Allegra retrieved a flask she had stored in the desk. She approached the commander, prepared to hand it off, when Shepard's expression had her freezing. She had seen that look many times before on her own face. Dejection. Frustration.

Shepard didn't reach out to take the offered drink. Instead, her gaze rose from scrutinizing the deck to look at Allegra. Her expressive face was the picture of powerlessness. An uncomfortable surge of emotion went rogue in her chest, rising like geyser water seeking freedom.

"You were right."

Allegra took the hint and set the flask down by Shepard's braced hand on the table, "I won't be proud of that, hm?"

A snort answered her. Allegra was unsure if that was humor darkened by the commander's mood or derision that she was making light of Shepard's mood. Neither made her feel any good about her ability to help her superior.

"Nope," the sound was clipped, firm, "Nihlus had questions for a reason. He's been evaluating me this whole damn trip to be the first human Spectre."

That certainly did explain a few things. Allegra didn't feel any pride for casting suspicion on the turian. She wanted Shepard to stop being upset. Allegra wanted her to smirk that annoying smirk again. The commander seemed like the type to take most things in stride. She had adapted quite well to Allegra's standoffish demeanor.

"You weren't given any choice?"

Shepard shook her head, curling in on herself. Both armored hands went to the commander's face and rubbed, "No."

Derision was rising steadily inside of Allegra at the news. Orders were certainly one thing. But taking full control of a marine's career and future was another. Not only would her daily work change, but her entire lifestyle would follow suit. If she did become a Spectre, who was to say that Shepard would be allowed to stay on the Normandy- or keep her rank in the Alliance? All her hard work, all her years of service, would be nullified.

Allegra hesitated. Her first instinct was to wrap Shepard into a tight hug. It was her most effective tool when comforting Miranda, given she was terrible with words. The blonde refrained. Even if such an action might comfort Shepard, it was doubtful to work if Allegra was the one to do it.

There was someone that Shepard reminded Allegra of. A woman that she loved and admired as deeply as any friend could. Allegra could attempt to comfort the commander as she would comfort that friend.

Allegra stooped and took up Shepard's helmet. She ran her fingers over the sleek metal to ensure it was alright. The red stripe was deeply nostalgic. Memories of another time surfaced, eager to be refreshed. Shepard hardly minded her care. The commander rubbed at her face and shoved at her hair as if her armored hands were softer than they were.

"Nothing is truly decided if you won't allow it to be, commander. Fail the evaluation if you must. I am certain it would take little effort to do so."

A dark, disbelieving frown twisted the commander's face, "Captain said humanity needs this."

Allegra's fingers tightened on the helmet, "Humanity has been pushing for this for almost twenty years. You cannot convince me that now, suddenly, we have run out of time. All of this is likely only to put a human on the Council. And then what? You aren't a stepping stone, commander."

Shepard let go of a heavy sigh, "I know. But I can't just fail. We got a distress call. Marines are dropping like flies and some massive flag ship is taking up the sky. We're pulling into atmo right now. I have to do my job, Priestly. I couldn't live with myself if I did otherwise just for personal benefit."

Allegra took in this new information as fast as she could. Things got complicated very quickly. Too quickly. When did they not? It might continue to do so.

"I understand. Put your mind on the mission. Keep yourself safe. I will look into this evaluation business."

Finally, genuine relief softened the commander's face. It was as if she fully believed Allegra could stop this chain of events, "You'd do that for me?"

"Of course I would," Allegra barely resisted rolling her eyes at the question, "You are a member of this crew. I know that this business is likely need-to-know. I will be discreet. You just focus on your sights for now."

"Right," Shepard grabbed the flask and took a long drink of water. Hydration was the key to happiness, as her old instructors used to claim. It had the commander breathing a little lighter than she had been.
"Thank you, Priestly," those beautiful eyes focused back on Allegra. The blonde felt a suspicious little flutter in her gut. Something that she was not at all interested in investigating further.

A warning klaxon sounded off, signaling a drop was about to happen. "That's your que. Be safe, commander."

"Always am," the commander took back her helmet and fastened it swiftly. The march she presented on her way out of the room was much smoother compared to the stomp she had had coming in.

Allegra crossed her arms in the following silence, careful not to hurt her arm. As satisfying as it might have been to lend any sort of assistance to her superior, the work wasn't done. Allegra hardly had Spectre friends that she could question about their evaluation methods. Nihlus was doubtless going to attend the ground team, disqualifying him. Perhaps the captain? Although he might be upset if Allegra revealed that Shepard had confided in her.

An annoyed breath left the blonde as she considered her options. Or her lack thereof. A headache brought on by tension began to brew at the base of her skull. Rather than sit down, she paced slowly about the room.

Failing the evaluation was only a part of the issue. If human leadership and their own damn captain were pressing Shepard so forcefully, they would not take kindly to failure on her part. Any failure. So, she might avoid becoming a Spectre against her will, but her career might still be wrecked for years to come. The Alliance could be an exceedingly difficult place if one had a strong negative reputation attached to them.

Allegra could better devise a plan if she knew who exactly had a hand in choosing Shepard. Short of finding a replacement within a couple of days and convincing the brass to take them instead, Allegra was stuck. She wanted to perform her duty to the best of her ability. Part of that entailed safeguarding the rights of her crew. But the situation felt more inevitable the more she ruminated on it.

Soon enough, Allegra's attention strayed back to Eden Prime itself. What little Shepard had told her sounded quite dangerous. A familiar little niggling dread prodded at the back of her mind. Something was going to go wrong. Shepard might not need to concern herself with the evaluation if she lost her life down there.
The thought of Shepard being killed in action was a little harder to swallow than Allegra would have expected. They weren't close by any means, but that didn't mean she would easily brush off losing her. Allegra deeply hated to lose comrades. She was simply accustomed to saying her farewells.

Allegra clenched her fists to rid them of the uneasy tingle. She was beginning to feel agitated. The walls of the office felt shorter, closer, than she remembered. An unmistakable urge awakened inside of Allegra. An insistent, aggressive impulse that she had prayed never to feel again.