The court room was packed to the brim and Emilia Shepard could feel every eye on her like a knife. Camera drones clicked and buzzed. She ignored them, watching the bar table intently.
The bar table was a continuous pine table, with a small gap in the middle. On the other side, furthest from Emilia and closest to the jury, three Navy lawyers sat. The JAG prosecutors, whose job it was to convict her of genocide and terrorism. The senior prosecutor stood up, a tall man with short, neat brown hair and a tan that said he spent at least some time off the station.
"Good morning, Your Honour," he began, in a polite Australian accent. "I humbly ask that we continue where we left off, yesterday afternoon?"
The judge nodded. "Very well, Mr Vogt, you may proceed with cross examination of the Accused. Master-at-Arms, escort the Accused to the stand."
Shepard allowed herself to be escorted up, rubbing briefly at the back of her neck. The loss of her biotic awareness still felt strange, unnatural.
Shepard was seated, sitting in front of a microphone in another wooden box. This time she was closer to the jury - her expressions and body language much easier to be picked up - and she was directly across from the prosecution side of the bar table.
The senior lawyer had full Commander loops on the shoulder of his dress whites. His ribbons were atypical of a lawyer also - where most had the basic service, competency, and conduct medals, he had a few extra: combat action ribbon, Traverse service ribbon, space service ribbon. A SWO who'd changed career tracks or just a very motivated JAG?
It didn't matter.
His gold nameplate read Vogt, and he smiled like a wolf staring down a lamb.
"You were introduced to this honourable court yesterday, Accused, but for the benefit of the transcript, please state your full name, date of birth, and rank."
"Commander Emilia Isabela Alves Shepard, April 11 2154, " she said flatly, staring straight ahead. She kept her shoulders straight and her chin up, light glinting off the rack of medals that stretched to her shoulder. If they convicted her, they'd take her rank and maybe the medals too.
"Thank you, Commander. Now, yesterday, we heard a long, detailed account of your life from what felt like conception to today. This court heard all about your distinguished career, your journey from enlisted Marine to officer, from private to one of the most highly decorated Marines in Alliance history. We heard about your last stand at Elysium, your actions through the Traverse, losing your platoon on Akuze. Your death. We heard also-."
It was at this point Castillo got fed up. He stood, which prompted Commander Vogt to close his mouth and sit down with a frown. "Your Honour, my learned friend has been talking for close to an hour and we haven't heard anything resembling a question, I really must object."
Chakir looked frustrated already. He sighed. "For once, Mr Castillo has a reasonable objection, please get to a question and get there quickly, Mr Vogt."
"My apologies, Your Honour. I will start simply. When did you first have contact or exposure to the terrorist organisation Cerberus?"
"October 2183, during the Eden Prime War, was the first time I had exposure to Cerberus," she could remember all too well the rage that had been in her like a living thing, how close she'd come to smashing Wayne's skull in. "December that year was the first time I had contact with a current member."
"That was the year, also, you became a Spectre, wasn't it?"
The other lawyer stood. Vogt held his arms out as if to say 'really?', but he sat down again.
"Do I even have to say it, Your Honour?"
Vogt stood. "I was leading Commander Shepard to an objective truth, Your Honour, should I introduce the vid footage?"
With some amount of venom, the Judge simply said one word. "Overruled." The other lawyer sat down again.
"Well, Commander? 2183, you were a Spectre?"
"Yes," Shepard said simply, meeting his gaze steadily, "I was made a Spectre in March that year."
"Please explain a little about what a Spectre is, what they do, and most importantly, who they report to."
"A Spectre is an agent of the Citadel Office of Special Tactics and Reconnaissance. The Office's mission is to preserve galactic stability and we answer directly to the Citadel Council." Was she supposed to stand in for Plex? She kept her features smooth. Irritation wouldn't help her right now.
"You reported directly to the council, but did you retain your military rank and power within the Systems Alliance Defence Force?"
"Yes, I did. I retained my command." Not that any of it had been her idea. She hadn't wanted to be a Spectre in the first place.
"A command which included captaining the SSV Normandy, an Alliance warship crewed by Alliance servicemen and women."
Castillo stood again. "I think my friend forgot how questions work, Your Honour." He had a smile on his face and was clearly enjoying himself. Normally, objecting with frequency and vigor was a terrible strategy. It turned the jury against the objecting lawyer and often seemed like they had no good arguments and instead had to rely on interrupting the other lawyer. But Castillo had his reasons, and at least it gave her some entertainment.
"I'll rephrase my statement as a question. Did you retain the command of the SSV Normandy and was it crewed by Alliance servicemen and women?"
"Yes, I did, and the crew were predominantly Alliance personnel. Best ship in the Navy," she replied, with a little smile despite herself. Part of her would always belong to that ship and its crew.
"The SSV Tobruk would disagree I'm afraid," Commander Vogt replied, and he sounded almost friendly for a moment. But in a flash, he was all business again. "Did you have a Marine in your ship's company named Staff Sergeant Ashley Williams?"
Castillo didn't object, but the smile was wiped off of his face. Vogt on the other hand, looked pleased with himself, a smile curling his lips.
Shit. She hadn't thought they'd drag Ash into it. She didn't want what she'd done to torpedo Ashley's career, not now she was doing so well. "Yes. She was the Marine Detachment commander after Staff Lieutenant Alenko was killed in action."
"Did you spend much time with Staff Sergeant Williams?"
"It was a small ship and a small ground crew. We were all, for the most part, friends."
"Specifically, were you friends with Staff Sergeant Williams?"
"Yeah, I'd say so. The crew was close. We had to be."
Commander Vogt tapped two fingers on the lectern in front of him. He took a small step to his left, and pushed his chair in under the desk, as if he expected to be standing for a while. After a moment of what looked like careful thought, he said, "Are you a lesbian, Commander Shepard?"
There was an immediate uproar, Castillo sputtered some kind of profanity-slash-objection and the camera drones clicked frantically.
"Yes," Shepard said coldly.
"Run me through the friendship you had with the Staff Sergeant."
"Your Honour, I really would like to know what my client's sexual orientation has to do with the proceedings before the court - now I understand we were here to discuss some very serious charges, but it seems my friend is more interested in chasing schoolyard rumors than establishing proof!" Castillo was an older gentleman and, though reasonably fit, he'd enjoyed a very successful, high profile career of long lunches, fine food and a couple of beers with lunch. His face was reddening and his squat figure made him look something like a tomato.
"If the court would allow me a little latitude, perhaps we could all find where I'm going with this...?"
The Judge cocked his head to one side. He'd frankly had enough of the civilian lawyer's antics, enough so that he felt like punishing the man, but he didn't want to entertain nonsense. "This had better be relevant, Mr Vogt. Your questioning has been all over the place as it is. Commander Shepard, give details as to your relationship with Staff Sergeant Williams."
"She was my MARDET commander and a friend. She went through something similar to what I went through on Akuze."
He nodded. "Did you bond over that shared trauma?"
She shrugged. "Sure. It's not something a lot of people can relate to."
"Were you closer than some of the other crew, perhaps?"
"I guess," she said warily, "I didn't want her to go down the same path I did after Akuze."
"That path, I imagine, being suicidal ideations and potential self-harm, as we heard yesterday. Were you ever alone in your quarters with Staff Sergeant Williams?"
Castillo had a hand on the table, he was clearly ready to leap from his seat at a moment's notice.
"I was often alone with individual members of the crew," she replied calmly, "including, yes, female members of the crew and Staff Sergeant Williams." She let a tone of irritation leak into her voice when she said female. "Quite often even, if there were issues with the Marine Detachment or we were mission planning."
"Those meetings could go on for a while, couldn't they?"
"Sometimes." She couldn't lie, but if she could deflect, she would. Ash deserved better than to have this - all the pain she'd caused her, all of it - dragged through a court room.
"And no one would be able to attest to what you did or didn't do, in those meetings, when alone, with Staff Sergeant Williams."
"Your Honour," Castillo said, "I'm losing patience."
"As am I. Mr Vogt. If you have a point, I suggest you reach it."
"Of course, your honour, I seek to tender a holograph." He held out a holo, which a Navy Master-at-Arms took and handed to the Judge. It was put under a reader and displayed on small vidscreens for the judge and both sides of the bar table to see.
It was just a holo of some of the crew of the Normandy SR-1, including Commander Shepard and then Lieutenant Williams. They were at a bar somewhere, drinks in hands. Shepard had her arm slung around Ash's shoulders, pulling them together. They were both smiling.
Ashley's hand was somewhere on or near Emilia's back, though it couldn't be seen from this angle, and her head leaned in towards Emilia. Almost touching.
They'd been happy that night. Wulandri had told them a funny story about her time on the Tokyo. Kanu had brought enough muffins for the entire crew. That night she and Ash had spoken long into the early mornings and fallen asleep together in Shepard's Arcturus bed.
Shepard breathed in. Her chest hurt. This old memory of tentative intimacy, a touch they'd barely allowed themselves, twisted into ammunition against her.
"Does the defence object to the tendering of this photograph?"
Castillo did. "Point of law, Your Honour."
The jury were laypeople - lay military personnel in this case.. If there was to be some discussion as to a point of law, the jury had to be cleared which meant removing them from the courtroom into the nearby jury room to wait.
It took a few minutes to clear them before Castillo could speak. "I am simply worried, Your Honour, that this photograph is prejudicial to my client in that it encourages the viewer to draw inferences as to the relationship between the two women."
"It is simply friends at a bar, having a good time, isn't it?" Vogt tried to sound innocent as if he didn't have some ulterior motive. "Its probative value far outweighs any prejudice that my friend has imaginatively, er… imagined. What could possibly be prejudicial about Marines and sailors out at a bar?"
"I am inclined to agree with Mr Vogt, Mr Castillo. No doubt many members of the jury have similar photographs floating about on the extranet. Whether it is probative or not, is irrelevant, I feel, in that any prejudice to be drawn from this photo falls entirely within the realm of impossibility. The photograph is entered into evidence."
Castillo knew about Emilia and Ash's relationship - he'd been given an extensive brief, generated from hours of interviews with the instructing solicitor, which covered it all. He did know that the photo might make Shepard and Ash look bad, hurting both their testimony, especially if it came to light that they were involved.
Shepard kind of wished they'd just start questioning her about shooting Kenson and blowing up the mass relay. That at least she could only be fucking over herself.
Once the point of law had been cleared up, the photograph was displayed on a HV display for all to see and the jury was allowed to reenter. When they were seated, Vogt continued his cross.
"It would appear that you and then First Lieutenant Williams were more than friends at that time, Commander. What was the nature of your relationship, specifically?"
Castillo, of course, objected. "Absolutely not!" He shouted. "Your Honour, I implore, please put an end to this line of questioning on the basis of relevancy!"
"Staff Lieutenant Williams is a witness on the defence's very own witness list, Your Honour. I am simply trying to establish exactly, to what extent the two are known to each other, given that both will be brought before the court."
Staff Lieutenant? Ashley must have been promoted.
"My friend is trying to besmirch a witness - a witness - before they have stepped foot in the courtroom."
"This is directly relevant, Your Honour," Vogt said evenly, not bothering to look at the fuming lawyer to his left. "To establish how the testimony of each of the two of them interacts and to how much weight this court and the jury should give to that testimony."
The Judge thought for a moment. "I will allow the question. However I will, as I see fit, direct the jury in accordance to that testimony. Does that seem fair?"
Castillo clearly did not think so. "Yes, Your Honour."
"If you'd answer my question, please, Commander?"
God. I'm so sorry, Ash. "We were romantically involved for some time after she was commissioned as an officer." Every word hurt to get out. It technically wasn't a lie. They'd slept together before Ilos, but they hadn't started their relationship until after the Battle of the Citadel and she'd pinned those silver bars on her. She stared straight ahead, even as her stomach twisted and the cameras went off.
She'd agreed to be the Alliance's scapegoat. The least Hackett could've done was keep Ash out of it. That had been the deal. She sacrificed herself and her crew walked away.
Vogt tried not to look too please with himself. "But it did go on while under your command?"
"...yes." She'd always understood the need for fraternisation regulations. Ash had been the exception in so many ways. But Ilos - she'd really thought that was the end of the line one way or another. Then it hadn't been, and she'd been in too deep and Ash had said it was what she wanted. It hadn't felt wrong when they'd been together. It wouldn't have been a problem once Ash transferred, and they'd planned for that.
God help her, she still wanted her. She'd had all these vague dreams of living together, arguing over stupid crap like Shepard's taste in HV, getting married one day and then they could serve in the same unit again.
That wasn't going to happen anymore.
"So to add to your long list of accolades, we now have: hero, survivor, fraterniser?"
Castillo stood up, but the Judge held up a hand to stop him anyway. "The jury is directed to disregard Mr Vogt's last comment. You are reaching the end of the rope, Mr Vogt."
"I understand, Your Honour." Vogt looked contrite for a moment and switched gears. "So you and Lieutenant Williams carried on this relationship, in secret, aboard the Normandy. It must have been stressful, seeing her put into harm's way like that?"
"Sure. I've never enjoyed sending people I care about into danger. And that included everyone on the ground team, not just Lieutenant Williams. But I did. I sent her on missions because it was her job and I respected her as a Marine." Shepard said that strongly. She'd never kept Ashley from danger. Ash was someone who wanted to be walking point, leading Marines. Anything else would've been disrespectful - and Ash wouldn't have stood for it.
Vogt changed tact. "I wasn't suggesting that you didn't send her, or that you didn't respect her. It is entirely possible that you had an unconscious bias, Commander, towards keeping her safe, or to avoid being seen as if you had that bias, isn't it?"
Castillo didn't buy it. "Is my friend really suggesting he could possibly know how my client might have thought - or that she was aware of an unconscious bias?"
The Judge nodded. "That seems a silly point to make, wouldn't you say, Mt Vogt?"
"Yes, Your Honour." It was clear Shepard wouldn't simply sit down and be smeared. "Do you think your leadership style broke with the orthodoxy in the Marine Corps? You were more friendly than other commanders, more friendly with specific members of the crew than another person might have been."
"In the 'Big' Navy and Marine Corps, yes. Within SASOC, no, I wasn't considered overly unorthodox. I spent most of my career in the Raider Division or as a N7, so it was inevitable that I developed my command style to fit special operations. The Navy knew this when they chose to take me out of SASOC and assign me to the Normandy." If the Navy was going to have an issue with her acting like a N7, they never should've put her in a billet she wasn't meant for. They'd pushed her into that situation despite her protestations.
"Exactly right. You were a special forces infantry officer with a hasty SWO course, not a Navy captain. Did you ever feel… out of your depth commanding a warship?"
"I'm not sure the Navy would agree SWCOT is hasty," she glanced pointedly at his own SWCOT ribbon, "it was an adjustment, as it is for any CO, but I had an excellent crew, one I knew wouldn't hesitate to bring up any concerns they had to me. I had experience as an officer of the deck and as an XO prior to taking command. In addition, Lieutenant Commander Pressly was an excellent executive officer."
Vogt cocked his head at that. "Did you rely on Lieutenant Commander Pressly to run the day-to-day activities on the ship?"
"I don't understand the question. I relied on him as any commanding officer does to run the bridge and do most of the paperwork."
"Lieutenant Commander Pressly was an experienced Navy officer and by all accounts a good XO. But you were often not on the ship, in command, were you? You led ground operations with the Marine detachment while Pressly had the bridge."
"I was off the ship more regularly than other ship commanders," she conceded, "but the majority of my time during the Eden Prime War I was on the ship. I commanded the Normandy in all of her battles with the exception of the Battle of the Citadel. That battle is to Commander Pressly's credit. That was unorthodox, but that was the solution my command team and I came up with given the extraordinary circumstances we were in."
Vogt looked mildly surprised, and turned to look at the junior to his right, who was avoiding his gaze. Obviously, there had been some mix up with his material and he got an answer he didn't expect and, based on that look, he blamed the poor Lieutenant next to him.
Regardless, he took the answer in stride. "You commanded the Normandy from the bridge in other battles too then, I take it, such as Alchera?"
Shepard went very still, nails digging into her palms. Castillo had warned her that they'd dig and prod at her, but the mention of Alchera still washed over her like she'd been dunked in ice. "Until I made the call the ship was lost. Pressly remained on the bridge to oversee the evacuation of the crew while I went below to ensure the distress beacon was launched."
"Not exactly an exemplary service record, is it, losing the most expensive ship in the fleet on your watch?"
"Your Honour," Castillo interrupted. For the first time in a while, Vogt sat down, but he looked pleased with himself. "My learned friend is clearly attacking this witness."
"Let's see if he agrees, shall we? Mr Vogt."
Commander Vogt stood. "Your Honour, as my friend well knows," he gestured with an arm to Castillo, sweeping in his direction as if flicking him away, "he opened the Accused to a cross in relation to her character and her service record when this court was subjected to yesterday's relentless chief."
"That clears it up, doesn't it?" The Judge asked, before directing Vogt to continue. Castillo seethed, but returned to his seat.
"Not many Naval officers have a ship loss on their record. The Normandy was lost, under your command. The XO, among others, was killed. While some of the crew, including Lieutenant Williams and Lieutenant Commander Nilsson survived, you did not. And yet you maintain that you weren't out of your depth commanding a Navy vessel?"
"Your Honour," Castillo protested
"We've been through this, Mr Castillo, sit down," the Judge ordered. "Answer the question, witness."
You son of a bitch. Castillo had told her repeatedly she couldn't lose her temper. It was an effort. "There isn't a day I don't think of the crew of the Normandy. But I was cleared of any wrongdoing in the inquest into the ship's loss, and we were a reconnaissance frigate ambushed by a battle cruiser with a MHDW. We lost our drive core in the first hit. There's not an officer in the Navy who could've won that fight. Maybe I could've done some things differently - I don't know. I had split seconds to try and save as many of my crew as I could."
Vogt seemed to ignore the answer. "So, if I remember correctly, you've so far admitted to fraternising and you've admitted to losing a Navy vessel under your command. One more and I think you get a free coffee."
"Mr Vogt." The Judge pinched the bridge of his nose, preempting Castillo's objection. "You obviously know that is not an appropriate remark. I am warning you. The jury is once again directed to disregard that comment."
"My apologies, Your Honour." But he didn't look sorry. The jury was hard to read. They wore a smattering of different uniforms, having been drawn from the pool of eligible Alliance service personnel. It was going to be a tough fight, and it was hard to guess which way Vogt's examination would sway them.
"Regardless, your service record is far from perfect like my friend made out yesterday, wouldn't you agree?"
Cold anger sat heavy in her gut. She thought about Steward Medra's panicked face when he'd told her he couldn't find Greico. She thought about Lowe's body tangled up with the wreckage in the CIC. She'd died saving her crew and the Navy had given her posthumous medal, and now they wanted to hang her for it.
"I have made mistakes but combat involves split second decisions as any officer who's commanded in the field knows. I stand by my actions on Alchera and more importantly the Navy's own report on the loss of the Normandy does."
"Well, we'll see if the jury does, I suppose. I'd like to redirect you to my queries in relation to Cerberus. To what extent were you involved with Cerberus in 2185?"
"I was the commanding officer of the Lazarus cell aimed at fighting the Collectors. I had no other involvement with Cerberus."
"How did you come to command the Lazarus cell?"'
"I woke up on a Cerberus station in 2185 and was offered the ship and crew in order to investigate the 2185 colony disappearance."
"You were given an updated version of the Normandy-class stealth frigate, by Cerberus, is that correct?"
"Yes."
"And you were the commanding officer of that vessel?"
"That's correct."
"While working as the commanding officer of the Lazarus cell, did you visit many planets and stations at Cerberus' behest?"
"As a general rule, I decided where to go of my own initiative, but I did travel to some places on Cerberus information, yes."
"You plead not guilty to a charge of treason, and yet, you had complete autonomy over your vessel and where it would go, why did you not simply… return to the Systems Alliance?"
"I counted it as very unlikely that a Cerberus crew would simply allow me to hand them and the ship over to the Alliance," she said dryly, "and I did consider simply fleeing, and even visited a Corsair I knew to discuss repatriating myself, but I saw an opportunity to interdict the Collectors and gather information on Cerberus from an inside perspective. In addition, I was concerned for Jok- for Jeffrey Moreau's safety if I tried leaving."
"But nobody in the Systems Alliance approved of your involvement with Cerberus?"
"No. I did inform the Alliance, and I was given no indication that I should immediately return."
"When do you consider your relationship with Cerberus to have ended?"
"Mid October last year. We dealt with the Collectors, and the Illusive Man was not very happy that I refused to give him Collector technology, so that relationship was well and truly severed."
"How long was there between your relationship and the events at Bahak?"
"Eight weeks."
"So Cerberus didn't send you to Bahak?"
"No, they didn't." She had to be careful here - she couldn't let slip that Hackett had sent her, even if it meant lying to the court.
"Roughly how many of the ship's company had anti-batarian sentiment, would you reckon?"
"A fair few," she said evenly, "There were a handful who'd lost family members to slave raids, which prompted them joining Cerberus."
"How did they react when you told them where you were steaming?"
"I didn't advise them as to my plans, and we'd been to all sorts of Terminus systems previously."
"How many of the crew were aware you were planning to destroy the Bahak relay?"
"I didn't plan on it so they couldn't have known. Their only involvement in that mission was to drop me off in the shuttle and extract me."
Vogt cocked a brow. "Was Doctor Amanda Kenson planning on it?"
Castillo objected. "Obviously, Your Honour, this witness could not possibly attest to what another person was planning."
"Considering that the person in question is the Accused's alleged co-conspirator and is now a corpse, surely the Accused would have at least some understanding as to what she was thinking."
Kenson was space dust now, really.
The other man shook his head. "Doubtful, considering it has not yet been established that the alleged co-conspirator was actually the Accused's co-conspirator at this stage."
The Judge pondered for a few seconds. "Mr Castillo is right on the law, Mr Vogt. Ask another question."
"Yes, Your Honour. Witness, when did you meet Doctor Kenson?"
"When I rescued her from the batarian prison on Aratoht."
Vogt laughed, but was swiftly rebuked by the judge. "Mr Vogt, you will maintain your proper decorum!"
After a few moments, he allowed himself to be cool, calm, and collected once more. "And I imagine you will now tell us you had no knowledge of the project to use asteroids to destroy mass relays until you 'rescued' Kenson?"
Castillo seemed to ponder an objection, but for some reason let this question go.
Shepard stared at him flatly. "Unless you expect me to lie to the court - which I explicitly swore not to - then yes. I'm not a scientist or an engineer. I shoot things for a living. I had no knowledge or any part in the project before that time."
"You were a Council Spectre with virtually limitless resources under Cerberus, an anti-batarian terrorist organisation, and had a heaping of batarian hatred yourself. You didn't need to know anything about science to fund - or organise Cerberus - to fund a project designed to destroy 300,000 batarains, did you?"
"That is a very loaded question, Your Honour, and one I would like my client not to answer."
"Very well, Mr Castillo. Please rephrase, Mr Vogt."
Vogt thought for a moment. He didn't really have a backup question, so he decided to keep it simple. "Would a person need to be a scientist to support a project such as this?"
"No. But they would need to be incredibly wealthy, which I am not," she couldn't help the dry tone that crept into her voice. Limitless resources? She'd needed Liara's help to run the Normandy after cutting ties with Cerberus.
"The Illusive Man is, though, isn't he? And we have already established you were working for him."
"That is not a question," said Castillo.
"What happened to Doctor Kenson?"
"She died during the Bahak Incident." Hackett had told her not to admit to shooting Kenson unless she could avoid it. Save a murder charge.
"Did she set the asteroid on its impact trajectory while you were present?"
"No."
"But she did do it with your assent?"
"No." It was a lie. A lie Hackett had told her to tell, but it made her stomach twist uncomfortably. She didn't regret killing Kenson - she'd been indoctrinated - but pinning everything on a dead woman who'd had her mind stolen from her felt wrong.
"Why did you stay on the station for two days or thereabouts with Doctor Kenson, then?"
"She had intelligence I wanted to corroborate before returning to Arcturus Station."
Though the jury couldn't speak, their body language appeared to be more closed than it had been before. It didn't look as if they believed what Shepard was saying.
"And that took upwards of forty hours, corroborating that intelligence?"
"That, and I wanted some sleep and medical attention after the rescue mission."
Vogt began to raise his voice, not yelling, but talking loudly, fiercely. "It appears much more like you were having some kind of clandestine meeting, at the end of which the order was given to direct the asteroid into the relay, is that what happened?"
Her jaw clenched and she met his gaze steadily. She'd faced down Reapers, one POG wouldn't intimidate her. "No. That was not what happened. I at no point went to Bahak with the intention of destroying it."
That much was true. She'd struggled, staring at the image of the explosion rippling across the system, to unravel how exactly she'd ended with her hand on that button. Her finger on the trigger.
She hoped Hackett knew what he was doing.
"And yet," Vogt theatrically spread his arms out wide, "a relay is destroyed. 300,000 dead. I know they might not be people to you, Commander, but-"
"Your Honour-"
"I retract that statement. You mean to tell this court that it was a happy little accident that an asteroid, rigged to intercept the relay, slammed into it and destroyed an entire system and 300,000 lives?"
"I don't think anyone could call the Bahak Incident happy," Shepard said and it was all too much - memories of Alchera and Bahak and all of it, "and clearly the asteroid was guided. But I am not the one who created that asteroid's guidance systems nor decided to kill all those people. I am not some kind of psychopathic racist," now her voice was rising a little, "who decided to destroy a planet on a whim. I have killed, but only in defence of my nation or Citadel space. Whatever aspersions you cast on my career, I have never killed someone because they have a few more eyes than me!"
Vogt had to try hard to suppress a grin. Witnesses who lost control never looked good for the jury. "You can characterise it however you like, Commander. Why did you leave Doctor Kenson behind?"
Shepard's eyes met Hannah's in the front row. Her mother mouthed calm down. She was right. She needed to keep control. It had been so much harder to hold down the anger since Alchera. Chakwas had explained it as the brain damage - the memory loss, the emotional dysregulation.
Calm down. She breathed scars along her jaw prickled painfully. "The facility was overrun. I barely made it to the rendezvous myself after transmitting my message to Aratoht."
"And, of course, there's no evidence to suggest your version of events is the truth, and the only witnesses - Dr Kenson and the other staff at the facility - are dead, isn't that right?"
She frowned. "There's no evidence of any version of events besides the audio transmissions. And yes, they're dead. If I'd been able to save anyone else, I would have. If I'd been able to save the people of Aratoht, I would have. That's why I warned them, but unfortunately by then there wasn't time for them to evacuate."
Vogt narrowed his eyes. He didn't expect a confession, but he'd be damned if he would let his case die here. "I put it to you that there wasn't time for them to evacuate because you and Doctor Kenson didn't give them enough time."
"If that was the case, why would I even warn them?" she raised one eyebrow, "If you're right and I wanted to kill a whole ton of batarians, why would I transmit that message? I didn't want them to die."
It was clear to Vogt that the jury was pondering the same question. "You knew they wouldn't be able to get away," he said icily. "And you also knew your plan was to come back to the Alliance. You were thinking ahead, you were trying to manufacture evidence of your innocence ahead of time."
"I suppose I ought to be flattered by the prosecution's opinion of my ability to plan on my feet like that, but I risked my life to transmit that message. And if my plan was to commit genocide, try to prove my innocence by transmitting a message that definitively placed me on that asteroid, and then hand myself in, leaving it to chance whether the Alliance convicts me or not...well I'd think that I'd be an idiot. And I'm not an idiot. I transmitted that message because I believed it was the right thing to do, and I handed myself in when asked because I also believed that was the right thing to do."
"Chance? Is it chance that your family is paying for the best lawyer in Alliance space, or that your grandmother is a Fleet Admiral, or that a Rear Admiral accompanied you to court today?" For a moment - a brief moment - Vogt had been standing before the court a lawyer; it was him and his witness. But then he'd dragged in Admiral Shepard and Admiral Anderson, heard the gasp of the gallery and the clicking of camera drones, and he knew he'd fucked up; Castillo knew too or he would have objected. But he couldn't back down.
"I am not insinuating that you are an idiot, Commander, or that you were acting out of instinct. I think you knew exactly what you were doing. You expressed the opinion that war between the Hegemony and the Alliance was inevitable, didn't you?"
"Am I supposed to apologize for having a family who love me?" she asked wryly, "and yes, I have expressed that opinion before. So have a good portion of the military officers in this room, I'd bet."
"Perhaps. Perhaps the Admiralty would support a war with the batarians. With your lips so close to so many admirals' ears, perhaps you and Kenson decided to destroy the relay because you knew it would cause the batarians to draw weapons?"
"Like I said, I'd never spoken to Kenson prior to rescuing her from Aratoht," Shepard crossed her arms, "I at no point made any kind of 'decision' with her, especially not starting a war that would kill potentially millions of my fellow servicemembers - an outcome I handed myself in to avoid."
Vogt smiled at that. "Perhaps. Perhaps not."
A new day, another long, long conversation dragging over and dissecting Shepard's actions in minute detail. Decisions she'd made in split seconds under fire took hours to go over. And through it all Shepard had to keep her bearing, keep calm, ignore the cameras and the eyes of the jury.
Sometimes it felt incredibly surreal that this was how her life had ended up. All she'd ever tried to do was her job and it'd spectacularly blown up in her face.
Today the person called up was Lieutenant Commander Gustaf Nilsson - a prosecution witness, and her former navigator from the SR-1. Frankly she felt a little insulted. The guy had been around for what? Two months?
Lieutenant Commander Nilsson was a tall, slightly built man like a long blade of grass, with streaks of white at his temples and a steady gaze. He looked like he belonged on a warship's bridge even as he was settling into the witness' box.
The Master-at-Arms directed his attention to a small piece of paper that bore a message that had been affixed to the front of the bench, asking him to read it verbatim.
"I, Gustaf Nilsson, do truly and solemnly declare and affirm that my evidence will be completely truthful."
The prosecutor stood. Unlike Shepard, this was his witness, which meant instead of cross examining him in relation to the evidence in chief, Commander Vogt instead had to lead him in chief. "Good morning, Lieutenant Commander. Thank you for joining us. Please state your rank, full name, and rating for the benefit of the court."
"Lieutenant Commander Gustaf Nilsson. I am a Space Warfare Officer, currently the executive officer of the SSV Jakarta."
"And how do you know the Accused?" With that, Vogt pointed across the courtroom to Emilia in the box, as if there was any doubt about who he was talking about.
His eyes slid to her and she met his gaze silently, steadily, until he looked away. "I was the navigator for the SSV Normandy for a period of three months in 2183, serving under her command."
"As the navigator, were you a part of the command team for the vessel?"
"Yes. The command team consists of the commander, executive officer, command master chief and second officer, which on a frigate is the navigator."
Vogt nodded. "As a part of the command team, were you aware of the goings-on of the Marine detachment?"
Shepard bit back a sigh. Vogt was really hammering the fraternisation angle.
"Somewhat. The department heads, including the Marine Detachment, report directly to the CO and XO, but I was involved in some of the meetings as well as the regular command meeting, of course."
"Were you a part of the command team in 2183? Specifically, at the tail end of that year?"
"Yes. I came aboard after the repairs made necessary by the Battle of the Citadel. The Normandy had been without a navigator for pretty much the entirety of the Eden Prime War, with Lieutenant Commander Pressly filling both that role and that of the executive officer," he answered.
"In around late November 2183, do you recall an action on Arcturus by the Normandy in relation to a Cerberus agent?"
"The then Minister of Defence," Nilsson said with a grim look on his face, "the same affair involved the murder of Major General Kahoku by Cerberus. Nasty business."
"In your command meeting, following those events, did the Accused make mention of Cerberus?"
"It was almost exclusively the subject of those command meetings. Following the death of Minister Godfrey, we had an in depth debriefing surrounding what had happened, especially considering that Commander Shepard, Lieutenant Williams and Joseph Coyle were injured in the pursuit, only to find the minister dead."
"How did the Minister die?"
"I object to that question, Your Honour, my friend seeks to adduce hearsay as he has not yet established that the witness was present with my client and the other named soldiers."
Vogt rolled his eyes, but Castillo had a point.
"I agree. Mr Vogt, redirect the question."
"Yes, Your Honour." Vogt placed a hand on his chin, as if in thought. After a few moments, he leaned into the lectern, as if to close the gap between Nilsson and himself. "Were you told by the Accused how the Minister died?"
"Shepard told me that Staff Sergeant Talitha Draven and then First Lieutenant Ashley Williams found Minister Godfrey and her private pilot with their throats cut on Godfrey's private shuttle."
"Did anything-" Castillo stood and Vogt corrected. "To your knowledge, did anything else happen on the shuttle?"
"I was told in the command meeting by those three individuals that Cerberus had left a message drone which opened a channel to a member of Cerberus who spoke with Commander Shepard."
"Was that member of Cerberus identified?"
"The Illusive Man," he said simply.
There was pure shock in the courtroom. Castilo had known what was coming and so had braced himself. The journalists and camera drones however, frantically began to take photos and tap furiously at omnitools.
The Judge took a moment to address the court. "I would like to remind everyone that a suppression order is in place over the entirety of these proceedings in relation to any testimony or evidence that is not a matter of public record. If any confidential information is leaked that was heard in this courtroom, the publisher faces fines up to ten million credits or a prison sentence of ten years, including directors of corporations. Go ahead, Mr Vogt."
"Thank you, Your Honour. Commander Nilsson," Vogt stared his witness down. "Were you told of the conversation that occured between the Accused and The Illusive Man?"
"Draven, Shepard and Williams described the conversation to us as the Illusive Man attempting to subvert Commander Shepard, offering to cut her in on their research and provide resources against the Reapers. Shepard claimed, and Williams and Draven corroborated, that Shepard said no and the Illusive Man ended the call."
"Where is Staff Sergeant Draven now?"
"Staff Sergeant Talitha Draven, and her wife, Damage Controlman First Class Rosamund Draven, were killed in action when the Normandy was destroyed over Alchera," Nilsson said, with an appropriately mournful expression.
Son of a bitch. Draven had hated him.
"So you have just testified that-"
Castillo wouldn't have a bar of that. "You Honour, do we need a recap after every sentence that leaves a witness's mouth?"
The Captain looked down his nose at Vogt. "Rephrase or don't ask it."
Vogt shot a sideways glance at Castillo. "Were you aware that Lieutenant Commander Shepard and Lieutenant Williams were in a romantic relationship at that point?"
"No. I knew they were close, perhaps closer than I thought was appropriate, but I wasn't certain. It was relatively common knowledge aboard that Shepard had a 'soft spot' for Williams, and there were times I thought was prejudicial to good order and discipline."
"You thought she had an unorthodox leadership style?"
"At times, yes. She was respected, but there were times I thought she showed a preference towards certain members of the crew, particularly Williams."
Vogt nodded slowly. "And, I imagine, Lieutenant Williams had a soft spot for Commander Shepard?"
"Certainly. Even if I was unaware of the full extent of their relationship, it was clear the regard was mutual. Williams was very familiar with both her subordinate enlisted Marines and her superiors."
"So as far as you are aware, of the three people who witnessed that conversation, one is dead, and the other two are lovers?"
"Yes."
Shepard kept her expression smooth, but internally she fantasised about punching Nilsson right in the face. She'd talked so bloody candidly in those meetings because she'd trusted them. She'd trusted him.
"Would you say that we could trust their testimony as to what happened in that room?"
"Your Honour, this witness could not possibly to speak to that." There was a note of panic in Castillo's voice, but the law did support him.
The Judge simply nodded.
"I apologise, Your Honour. Were you surprised when, two years later, Commander Shepard turned up working for Cerberus?"
"Yes, I was. I was under the impression that Commander Shepard hated Cerberus to the point of irrationality, and Lieutenant Moreau testified to the fact that she had been trapped in the wreckage. It was a shock at the time. Then, frankly, I started wondering if I'd really known her if that hatred she'd displayed so prominently wasn't real."
Vogt couldn't have asked for a better response if he'd scripted it. "You began to think there might have been a facade she put up in front of the crew, to ally their suspicions?"
Castillo tried to object.
"This is relevant to exactly what the witness was thinking at the time, based on his experiences with the Accused."
"Leading then!" Castillo protested, face reddening once more.
"It seems to me that my friend does not want this question answered."
"I'll allow the question," the Judge said finally, quelling the argument. "Carry on, Mr Vogt."
"Did you think something to that effect, Commander Nilsson?"
"It crossed my mind, yes. The Commander Shepard I thought I knew was very much a paragon of the Alliance Navy. I might not have agreed with her on everything, but who couldn't help but be a little starstruck when serving with a Star of Terra recipient? But she was very insistent that she hated Cerberus, that she was reluctant even to hand over the anti-Cerberus mission tasking to another N7, and that is so incongruent with her actions since then. And then the thought did occur to me that the only people present were her lover and her lover's friend who is now dead."
"How would you characterise the Accused's… insistence to chase Cerberus down, with the benefit of hindsight?"
Nilsson frowned contemplatively, "I don't know. Like she didn't want anyone else to be in charge of it."
"You think it's possible that she was keeping people away so she could communicate with them directly?"
"I can't say definitively, but it's possible."
The question and response had been so quick, Castillo missed the objection. "On the night the Normandy was destroyed, did you see Shepard get trapped, or die?"
"No, I didn't. I was on a lower deck."
"Who was in command when Shepard couldn't be found?"
"I took command following the evacuation."
"Were you told what had happened to the Accused by any of the crew?"
"Yes. Flight Lieutenant Moreau reported to me that Commander Shepard had never gotten on the bridge escape pod - that she'd been trapped by debris when a bulkhead collapsed. He wanted to go to her aid but she launched the pod before he could."
"And it's generally accepted that she died in the attack, isn't it?"
"Yes. When the mass effect core went critical - well, it's incredibly unlikely any human could survive that. In addition, I was part of the recovery task force sent some months later, and we retrieved bone fragments that were identified via DNA to most of the missing crew, including several fragments that were identified as Shepard's."
Shepard's stomach twisted uncomfortably and without thinking she raised a hand and rubbed at her aching shoulder.
"But the full remains were never found, she was simply presumed killed-in-action?" It was a bizarre line of questioning, one that no lawyer would think they'd ever have to make.
"Your Honour, I believe my friend has already accepted that Commander Shepard was dead at the disputed facts hearing a month and a half ago," Castillo said, with an eyebrow raised and mock confusion in his voice.
"My questions were not trying to adduce whether the Accused was considered dead or not - simply as to what knowledge this witness has in relation to her death."
"I see no issues with the questioning at this time," the Judge said.
"That's correct. Only partial remains were recovered, and for a period of months, she, like many of the crew, were designated killed in action, body not recovered."
"Just to be clear, to the best of your knowledge, was the ship that destroyed the Normandy ever identified?"
"No. All we determined during the inquest what that it was a battlecruiser type vessel that used a MHDW."
"Did you, personally, have any suspicions as to who was behind the attack?"
"I thought maybe it was connected to the Eden Prime War, because of the use of a MHDW which at the time had only been used by Sovereign and was still in development by the Systems Alliance. But the ship wasn't geth and what we'd been investigating was Cerberus."
"So, in the middle of an investigation into-"
"Your Honour, my friend should not have the room to make comments as to this witness's testimony," said Castillo acidly. "I was of the impression that we had dealt with this."
"He's right, Mr. Vogt," the Captain said. "You may ask questions. If you wish to make submissions, you may do so once you've introduced evidence later or at the close of the proceedings."
Vogt glowered over at Castillo.
"Very well. Did you consider the timing of the attack and the Commander's disappearance suspicious?"
"At the time I was focused on the crew. But now, with hindsight, it does seem strange that we were attacked so soon after Hackett had ordered Shepard off the Cerberus investigation."
"Do you believe that the Accused's earlier communication with The Illusive Man and this attack are in any way linked?"
"It's possible. The timing is...strange."
Vogt nodded, giving Nilsson a small smile. He'd gotten what he'd needed from this witness and Nilsson had been a good witness. Even.. eager.
"That concludes my examination, Your Honour."
"May it please the court," Castillo said as he allowed Vogt to sit and take his place standing, "I would like to begin my cross examination."
"You may proceed, Mr Castillo."
He wasted no time. "Commander Nilsson, what kind of relationship did you have with Commander Shepard?"
"We had a cordial working relationship. I certainly didn't have lunch with her every day like some members of the crew," his smirk said exactly what he was implying. Shepard barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. The person who'd eaten with her just as much as Ash had been Pressly - and grizzled men old enough to be her father were the exact opposite of her type.
"You were subject to regular fitness reports, by your commanding officer, like all members of the military, weren't you?"
"Of course. Everyone is rated by their immediate superior."
"And what did Commander Shepard's reports on you say, do you recall?"
His mouth pinched. "She would usually say something positive and then some critiques. I can't remember all of the statements on my fitrep from her off the top of my head."
"Oh, well, that's lucky!" Castillo beamed. Vogt rolled his eyes. He had received discovery - hundreds if not thousands of documents - and knew that Castillo had a copy of every fitrep written by Commander Shepard as the CO of the Normandy.
But that didn't stop the older man from theatrically producing an honest-to-god paper copy with a flourish that he'd obviously printed for this moment. "I happen to have one, all of them in fact, and perhaps we could see if your memory can't be jogged! Your Honour, I seek to enter Lieutenant Commander Nilsson's fitness reports as written by Commander Shepard into evidence."
"Any objections, Mr Vogt?"
"Except the obvious that this is a hit job on a competent prosecution witness, Your Honour?" Vogt retorted evenly. Castillo grinned.
"A legal objection, perhaps?"
"No, Your Honour."
"Very well, Commander Nilsson's fitreps are taken into evidence. Mr Castilo, what do you wish to do with them?"
The Master-at-Arms closest to the defence bench snatched the paper out of Castillo's hand which seemed to only bring more glee to the lawyer.
"I would like to have the witness read from one, dated October 12, 2183."
Vogt stood, tiredly. "Your Honour, I object. This witness did not write these reports."
"No, but he did read them," Castillo replied. "And, I'm sure, he is intimately familiar with them. Given that my friend's witness specifically testified that he did not recall the content, and this is a document written by my client, perhaps we ought to allow him to refresh his memory so that we may get somewhere today?"
"Your Honour," Vogt began, but the Judge cut him off.
"Mr Castillo is correct, Mr Vogt, though he could be correct in a less boisterous way, perhaps."
"Thank you, Your Honour. Commander Nilsson, in front of you is a copy of the fitrep dated October, 12, 2183. Would you read the second paragraph on the second page for the Court, please?"
Nilsson's mouth was a flat line as he picked it up. "'Lieutenant Commander Nilsson is a technically capable navigator and space warfare officer, and has quickly become accustomed to the unique operational characteristics of this command. However, Commander Nilsson has had some negative personal and professional interactions with other members of the crew including the Marine Detachment Commander, Chief Helmsman and Executive Officer. Commander Nilsson has not integrated sufficiently with the crew of the Normandy nor adapted to the unique pressures of serving on attachment to the Office of Special Tactics, which is negatively impacting his subordinates. While I recommend the Navy retain Commander Nilsson and commend his technical abilities, I do not believe his continued service should be within the Naval Special Operations Support Command.'"
"Do you hold a grudge, Commander?"
Vogt was out of his chair in an instance, but Castillo waved him off. "Your Honour, this is an attack on my witness to discredit his testimony!"
"He was a good enough candidate to provide testimony in relation to my client's command ability not fifteen minutes ago, Your Honour." Castillo was calm. "If Commander Nilsson was a flawed officer, wouldn't that reflect on my client's abilities as a leader?" Castillo's smile was sickly sweet like poison.
Vogt bristled, but said nothing while the Judge ruminated. "I note your objection, Mr Vogt. I will note that appropriate directions be made to the jury as to what weight they should give to this portion of Commander Nilsson's testimony. Carry on, Commander Nilsson."
"I thought the fitrep was overly harsh," Nilsson admitted. "I wouldn't say I have a grudge against Shepard."
"But it negatively affected your career didn't it?"
"Yes," he shifted uncomfortably, "I was transferred back to the Fifth Fleet after Alchera."
And, he was still a lieutenant commander. Shepard hadn't intended to damage his career - but he hadn't listened to her, and she'd been pissed off by the business with Lance Corporal Fredricks and his interference with the Marine Detachment.
"You were a young, competent officer. You'd been granted an awesome opportunity to work on a special forces ship, but you couldn't hack it."
Vogt stood, but Castillo cut in. "I withdraw that statement, what I meant to say was you didn't make many friends on the Normandy, did you?" Vogt stayed on his feet for a few moments, but sat down again, composing himself and placing his hands on the table in front of him.
"No. The Normandy had a few officers whom...I had personal disagreements with."
"Including Commander Shepard herself and Lieutenant Williams, who we now know was Shepard's lover, isn't that right?"
"What a lovely way to phrase a question," Vogt interjected sarcastically.
"Did those personal disagreements extend to Lieutenant Williams and Commander Shepard?"
"Commander Shepard and I didn't have personal disagreements. I did have an...argument with Lieutenant Williams."
"And what was that argument in relation to?"
"One of her Marines, Lance Corporal Fredricks, acted insubordinately. I told her to mast him, she disagreed, things got a bit heated."
"Why did he act insubordinately, give the court some context please."
"I gave him a directive while aboard the ship, and he not only refused to do as commanded, he called me a REMF."
"Was Lance Corporal Fredericks under… any additional stress at that time?"
"There'd been some...recent casualties in the Marine Detachment, and his girlfriend was pregnant, if I recall correctly."
"So a young Marine who had recently lost dear friends in battle and was far away from his pregnant partner was insubordinate towards you, and your response was to tell the Marine Detachment Commander, who was not your subordinate, to mast him?"
"Yes," he bit off, "I was trying to maintain discipline and Lieutenant Williams didn't seem interested in doing that." There was a hint of resentment there. Shepard hadn't picked up on that at the time. She'd just thought Nilsson was too 'Big Navy' for the Normandy.
"In your opinion, Lieutenant Williams wasn't an effective platoon commander?"
"I can't attest to her in field work but my experience was that because the Marine Detachment were N5s they thought they were separate to the crew and only beholden to Williams. Williams seemed to coddle them."
"And you thought Shepard coddled Williams?"
"It was clear she had a soft spot for her. She enforced only giving orders to the Marines outside of normal duties through Williams."
"That's not entirely atypical in a small, tight-knit group like N5s, though, is it?"
"That was my first time working with N5s," Nilsson replied, shifting in his seat.
"And your last, because of my client."
CODEX ENTRY
Correspondence - Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett (unclassified):
From: Commanding Officer, Operational Detachment November
To: Chief of Defence
Subj: Operation Overture
Sir,
Operation Overture proceeds as planned.
Major Riley's team has continued surgical strikes against high priority targets. Please find attached Major Riley's most recent reports. I am pleased to report the capture of three high profile Cerberus agents alive - the rapid use of the antidote kits on prisoners has worked to decrease post-capture casualties. I have taken the liberty of introducing the use of such kits into SOP for anti-Cerberus operations. However, I expect they will seek to counteract our new tactics shortly.
In terms of public relations, limited blowback has occured as you no doubt know. However the majority of this has been reserved for the overt actions by our colleagues at the Department of Justice to arrest and interdict sympathisers in the media and corporate arenas. I have briefed the Chief of Public Affairs in case our own operations become public.
While Commander Shepard's intelligence has assisted us in locating several Cerberus cells, we have had limited success in finding any Cerberus members associated with her own cell. I respectfully request to meet with Shepard and impress how important it is that we find Miranda Lawson especially, due to her no doubt in depth knowledge of the organisation. I know better than most how loyal Shepard is to those she considers her teammates, but Lawson's intel could save N7 lives.
Although Major Riley has been effective in her role, I am concerned that we're only scratching the surface. The major threat, in my opinion, is not even these external terrorist cells. While they have committed atrocities and continue to pose a risk to our relations with our allies, I fear that it is the Cerberus infiltration of the Alliance we should be most occupied with. After all, the Godfrey Incident demonstrated that sympathisers and active agents are present at the highest levels of the Alliance government. I am convinced that Shepard isn't the only one of my own people who has been compromised.
Such investigations are not within the scope of my position, but I would be remiss if I didn't raise my concerns with you.
Regards,
Teng
From: Commander Alexander Frankston
To: Chief of Defence
Subj: Investigation
Sir,
The Naval Investigative Service wishes to speak to you at your earliest convenience regarding the incident on the 14th of August 2185. I reminded them that you are, of course, very busy, but they wish to go over your statement again.
I have also spoken to Lieutenant Singh and she reports that she is feeling well, considering. They aren't expecting any further surgeries and she's looking forward to coming back to work. I reminded her of your order to take some time off after she's out of hospital, but she got that look on her face, I'm sure you know the one. I may have to lock her out of the office.
I have attached your itinerary for tomorrow. You have the Defence Council meeting at 10:00, lunch with Admiral Egues at 13:20 and your meeting with the Prime Minister at 15:40.
Regards,
Frankston