Four teenagers discuss who the real Commander Shepard actually is.
Legends of Commander Shepard
It'd been a bad year harvest wise for Bashaw, the biggest settlement on Horizon. They'd be calling 2183 the "Year That Must Not Be Named," not so much because of the crop failures as the fact that they had to go hat-in-hand to the Alliance, asking for some assistance with the whole "food" thing. Not what you'd want from a colony that was stretching its independence muscles, but then again, nobody said self-rule meant you couldn't ask for help from your neighbors from time to time.
Or at least, that's what Ishay's father and mother kept saying. Truth be told, he was tired of the whole "politics" thing; so when Ma and Pa started talking about some Alliance soldier getting named to the Spooks or whatever it was, he just packed up the rest of his dinner and said he was gonna finish his meal out in the foothills, up on Mt. Flatmore, under the shad of the single tree that existed for about five hundred miles in any direction.
He'd been enjoying his meal too right up until he heard footsteps. There, just cresting over Mt. Flatmore's slightly less flat cousin (Mt. BigTit) was Marco, Kayley, and Lilith—coming in hot and looking like they had a purpose. Ishay sighed—yeah they'd been planning to meet later anyways but, the thing was, Ishay hadn't gone five minutes without someone making noises at him, and your average high schooler could only take so much.
"Oh man, you brought food?" Marco said as he reached Ishay.
Ishay paused, looked at the last three spoonful's of chili, looked at Marco, then drained the rest of the bowl in under two seconds. He shook his head. "Nope."
"Looked gross anyway."
"Nuh-uh—Grandma's recipe."
"Aww man, screw you for not sharing."
The rest of the gang chuckled and pulled up a patch of grass next to Ishay. "You're all early—what's up?" he said.
"Just wanted outta the house," Jan said. She grabbed a pebble and tossed it towards Mt. BigTit. "The Old Man was ranting again."
"Man, wouldn't that suck," Ishay said. "So much better when you get two ranters."
"Yeah I bet the swearing gets real creative when you've got a dance partner," Kayley said.
"I think wine helps there too," Marco said.
"So we're, uh, all here because our folks are in one of their 'funks' again?" Lilith said. She looked around at all the dejected shrugs. "Okay, well, there goes my plan to rant about ranting."
"Thanks, I'm pretty much full of that right now," Ishay said.
"And chili," Marco said.
"Which was delicious."
Marco faux-whimpered.
Ishay leaned back against the tree. "So are everybody's parents up in arms about some solider getting named to a something-or-other? Or should I expect my folks to be even angrier by the time I get back home?"
Kayley shook her head. "Nah, that's it." She stood up, stretched her arms out like she was addressing a million-strong crowd. "Commander Shepard, first Human Spectre. Apparently one of our people playing around with the aliens is no bueno."
Lilith shrugged. "My parents just don't like the Spectres. Apparently they're the type of organization that my folks used to protest."
"Right, sure," Kayley said. "Twenty credits say that if any organization like the Spectres saw some protestors, they'd just shoot 'em dead."
"I mean…kinda proves their point, when you put it that way," Lilith said.
"Somebody's gotta do it."
"Shoot protestors?"
"It's called deterrence."
Ishay sighed, turned to Marco. "What about your folks?"
Marco shrugged. "Pretty sure Dad just hears the word 'Alliance' and shuts down afterwards. I'll probably have to help him replaster the basement wall tomorrow."
"He should really get a punching bag or something," Kayley said.
Marco shrugged again. "S'already got my brother."
Everyone else exchanged the same "not sure if you're joking and am just on the cusp of being worried" look they always exchanged whenever Marco said something like that, but collectively decided to move on. Ishay leaned forward and looked over the group again. Nobody was saying anything and…and he felt the need to say something, so much for needing peace and quiet.
"So, what, are these Spectre people big shots? Guess that'd make Shepard a big shot too now, right? Whoever they are…"
"Yep and yep," Kayley said. "And honestly, Shepard's the perfect fit for the job. Total badass. No wonder my parents want the Alliance to keep her away from the aliens."
"Wait her?" Lilith said.
"Yeah," Marco said, "like you've got the badass part right—no doubt about that. But Shepard's a dude Kayley. C'mon, everyone knows that."
"Says who?"
"Says my dad."
"My Dad—and my Mom—say different."
"My parents say Shepard's a guy too," Lilith said. "They also said other things about. Like he's one of, y'know, them."
"One of what?" Kayley said.
"Y'know…one of the, yeah. One of the 'space wizards.'"
"What the hell's a space wizard?" Marco said.
"Forget that, what the hell are you two even talking about?" Kayley said. "Shepard's a woman! I mean maybe nobody can tell—I guess having a lot of tech on you would do that to a person but—"
"Tech?" Marco said. "Whaddya mean—"
"Hey woah, hey," Ishay said. "Hold up a sec." Everyone held up a sec. "So…you're all telling me that none of you know who this Shepard person actually is?"
"I absolutely know!" Kayley said.
"She doesn't but I do," Marco said.
"I…I'm pretty sure," Lilith said. "I mean, I'm sorta questioning it now but…"
"Okay, okay," Ishay said. "Then let's…I dunno. Let's look it up and…" Ishay looked around and saw everyone giving him apprehensive looks. "What? What? We have the extranet—we can just look it up."
"My parents know what they're talking about," Kayley said.
"Careful," Marco said. "Your nose grows any longer and you'll roll right off the hill."
"Whatever. My other point here is that it'll be a lot more fun if everyone else shows you how wrong they are before you look it up. So go on," Kayley gestured at everyone else, "tell Ishay who you think Shepard is so we can see how far off you all are. Then I can mock you for eternity."
"Fine," Marco said, saying anything before Ishay could interrupt and say, 'how does this count as fun?'. "You go first though. Let's hear your story, little Ms. Confident Pants."
"If that's the best you've got then you might as well go first, since your story'll be like two seconds long."
"For the love of—" Ishay sighed again, then looked at Lilith. "Lilith, you're almost sensible—can you go first so we can get this over with?"
Lilith bristled a bit at the "almost" part but otherwise rolled with it. "Okay, um…fine. Fine I guess I will. But, I dunno, I might be wrong."
"Awesome," Ishay said. "I don't care so it's like it doesn't even matter."
"All right, well…okay. So." Lilith stood up; Kayley sat back down. All eyes were on Lilith. "Here's…what I think my parents think about Shepard. So, y'know, it could be all wrong and…yeah. But maybe it isn't! Who knows. Not me."
"Let's goooooooo already!" Kayley said.
"Okay okay sorry. Um…yeah. So, Shepard's a space…a 'biotic'. One of those people that can move stuff with their mind because of some kind of sand I think? Anyway, he's one of them, and I think this whole mission with the Spectres is so he can track down a rogue agent or something. Which makes sense because Shepard's already done that before!"
"What d'you mean?" Ishay said.
"Apparently this N7 guy went rogue and Shepard had to haul him in. I dunno the other guy's name. I think it started with a 'K'. K…uh…Kay? Kal? Kai? Something like that."
"Okay," Ishay said. "So Kai, or whatever, he was an N7 that went rogue, and Space Wizard Shepard had to go in and stop him?"
"Yep!" Lilith said. "O-or…y'know, that's what I've heard. From…y'know, my parents." Jan twiddled her thumbs. "Apparently it was a big fight."
Lilith then started setting the scene, describing a fiery planet filled with brimstone and sulfuric gas, a mining facility, and a landing pad with two N7 soldiers on it; former teammates, possibly even friends, now entire universes apart because of something this Kai person did. Something that in Shepard's eyes was unforgivable.
And Ishay thought to himself: God, I can't believe I'm getting sucked into this…
(***)
Engulfed in the light from the surrounding fires—engulfed in a darkness that penetrated his very soul—Kai refused to look at the bodies around his feet. They no longer mattered; what was done was done.
Kai said to Shepard: "Don't make me kill you."
Dumfounded, Shepard said: "Kai my allegiance is to the Alliance—to democracy!"
"If you're not with me," Kai said, "then you're my enemy."
Shepard stared on, even more dumfounded than before. Kai refused to even turn around—he refused to stare what he had done, who he had hurt, directly in the face. Shepard reached for his gun but thought better of it. No, this wouldn't be decided by guns. Not between these two. Not based on who they were.
"Only a terrorist deals in absolutes," Shepard said. He took off his helmet, set it on the ground, then ignited the omni-blade attached to his wrist. "I will do what I must."
"You will try…"
Finally, then, Kai turned around…
And towards Shepard he leapt, his own omni-blade ignited, the burning orange blades locking together with all the force of colliding tectonic plates.
They swung, they kicked, they punched. From one end of the mining facility to the other, they fought. Entire sections of various buildings they passed through were pulverized from biotic shockwaves, from warps, from a singularity that overloaded the control panels for most of the mining equipment's kinetic barriers. The equipment, now exposed to the full heat of the molten streams the facility dangled over, exploded around them as Shepard and Kai parried and leapt and countered across an elevated platform. It was like the facility was being shelled from orbit.
Somehow, and for some unfathomable reason, Kai jumped from the platform and landed on a square block of shielded metal that was floating along the molten river. Without hesitation, Shepard followed. They exchanged swipes from their omni-blades again until it became clear that one of them would be pushed off. Seeing no other choice—above all, seeing only one chance to talk his friend out of this suicidal path—Shepard gathered as much dark energy as he could and leapt high into the air. Carefully guiding his descent, he landed on a hill of loose gravel and flint—luckily, he was near the top, far away from the molten river below.
Kai's square block drifted past as the two N7 commandoes stared at one another.
"It's over Kai!" Shepard said, throwing out his arms. "I have the high ground!"
"You underestimate my power…" Kai said.
"Don't try it—"
Kai did exactly what Shepard had done: he gathered up dark energy and then pushed off, high into the air, directly over Shepard's head. For a second, Shepard hesitated—for a second, Shepard's unconscious mind considered letting his friend land safely behind him, no matter how vulnerable Shepard would then be…
…but Shepard considered that for only a second. His arm snaked out and with an effortless flick, his omni-blade sliced into Kai's limbs. Kai's torso went one way, rolling down the loose gravel towards the fiery river below; his left arm and both legs went a different way.
Kai just barely managed to stop his torso from sliding into the molten rock.
Shepard, feeling nauseous and near tears as he watched Kai struggle and scream, sheathed his omni-blade. He walked further up the hill, but he couldn't take his eyes off Kai. He couldn't ignore his old friend's screams, either…
"You were top of your class!" Shepard screamed, still fighting back tears. "It was said you would destroy the slavers, not join them! Bring safety to our colonies, not leave them in darkness!"
Kai stared up at his former friend, his face a blend of pain, fear, and anger.
Shepard could take no more. He began to walk away…
"I HATE YOU!" Kai screamed.
Shepard stopped, paused, tried to look back. Then the screaming began again, and he could see, flickering around him, the light from a fire. Then Shepard could hear the sound of clothing catching fire, of kinetic barriers shutting down. Then he could smell flesh beginning to cook.
Shepard walked away, and refused to look back anymore…
(***)
"Wait so he just…left this Kai person to burn?" Marco said. "Dude…that's beyond harsh."
"I don't know!" Lilith said. "I'm just…I'm just extrapolating!"
"From what?" Kayley said.
"From…y'know, from what a Space Wizard might do?"
Everyone exchanged looks, except for Lilith, who instead was searching for a hole to die in. Eventually, Ishay sighed—again—and leaned back on the tree. Again.
"Alllll righty then." He looked around. "Who's next? Anyone else wanna make up a little story?" Ishay looked at Lilith specifically. "That wasn't a shot—I'm pretty sure everybody's making crap up here."
"Says you," said Kayley.
"Yeah, says me," Ishay said. "Simon also says you're going next—thanks for volunteering."
"How's 'Simon says' and 'volunteering' go together?" Marco said.
"You wanna go next?" Ishay said.
"Nah, I'll go," Kayley said. She stood up again. "I'm not a coward. I know I'm right."
"You know you parents are right," Marco said.
"Yeah so, you admit it."
"No that's not—just take the damn insult, for cryin' out loud."
"I'll do then when you actually manage to insult me for once."
"I'm gonna scream," Ishay said. "Somebody get this over with so I don't have to start my life as a convicted murderer."
"Fine, I'm going. Ooooooh boy am I going." Kayley paced around, then pointed at Lilith. "First, Shepard's a woman. Mistake number one right there. Second: she's not a Space Wizard. There're like five human biotics and all of them are insane. That's just a fact."
"It isn't but, okay," Lilith said.
"Whatever. Point is, Shepard's waaaaay cooler than a Space Wizard. Cuz, see, she's got tech. She's got a ton of tech. She's a cyborg, and everybody knows that cyborgs beat everybody."
"Do we really all know that?" Ishay said.
"There was a meeting—we weren't invited," Marco said.
Kayley was already into her story, setting up how the ExoGeni Corporation had its tendrils in everything—including military contracts—and how it wanted newer, cheaper, more obedient workers. And the military? Well the military wanted the exact same thing, just with more firepower. So the two of them got together and found a "volunteer" for a special procedure—a procedure that came back to royally bite ExoGeni in the ass…
Ishay thought to himself: Holy mother of God do I hang out with weird people…
(***)
In an ExoGeni boardroom, high above the busy streets, Executive Vice President of Unusual Projects Richard Jones was addressing the Board on his division's latest project: a new batch of automated farming equipment that had been repurposed into heavily armed military vehicles.
"…the police strike could really work for us," Richard said. "By the end of the week we could have Hammerhead Mrk. II's in place all over the city and expect immediate public support." He reached the end of the conference table and looked over the entire Board, though he was paying particular attention to The Old Man, the CEO. He didn't look impressed…but that was all part of the game, wasn't it? Him and Richard, they were just as much in competition as anyone else. Couldn't let the others see just how interested you were lest they think they could take advantage of you. And after everything else Richard had done for this company, well…
Time for some sweet-talk.
"Whatever happens," Richard said, "this corporation will live up to the guiding principles of its founder: courage, strength, conviction." The Board clapped, lapping up Richard's speech like the sheep they were. He continued: "We will meet each new challenge…with the same, aggressive attitude—"
The doors behind Richard swung open, and in walked a woman who…no, NO, not her, THAT WASN'T POSSIBLE. It was that damn, beaten, bloodied cyborg from the N7 program. Richard Jones immediately backed towards the window while The Old Man stood up.
"How can we help you, officer?" he said.
"Richard Jones is wanted for murder," the cyborg said.
"This is absurd!" Richard said, pointing. "That...that thing, is a violent mechanical psychopath!"
"My programming will not allow me to act against an officer of this company," the cyborg said. She stopped walking just near the end of the conference table and stared Jones down.
"These are serious
charges," The Old Man said. "What is your evidence?"
The cyborg turned, gears and gizmos whirling, towards the wall of TVs just behind her. A metal spike protruded from her fist; she jabbed it into an input cable slot.
The ExoGeni logo blinked away, replaced by Richard Jones' face.
"I had to kill Bob Morton because he made a mistake," the recording said. "Now it's time to erase that mistake."
Richard Jones backed further towards the window as The Old Man turned, shock and betrayal and fifty other emotions on his face. Across the table, another one of the Vice Presidents broke into the biggest shit-eating grin he'd worn in nearly a decade.
The recording played on loop. The cyborg continued to stare down Jones; at the bottom of her vision, the neon-green words DIRECTIVE 4 flashed on and off.
Jones made his move. He grabbed the pistol he'd kept for a demonstration on armed tractors and before anyone besides him could react, he had The Old Man's throat under his arm and the gun pointed straight at the hostage's temple. Shocked murmurs, a small scream, the boardroom chose chaos. The cyborg jerked her arm free of the TVs but, otherwise, was calm. Unnervingly calm.
"I want a chopper!" Jones said, pulling The Old Man away from the cyborg. "NOW! We will walk to the roof, very calmly. I will board the chopper, with my hostage." Jones guided The Old Man past the conference table, nearly back all the way to the row of windows looking out over Lawndale.
DIRECTIVE 4 continued to flash in the cyborg's vision.
"If anybody tries to stop me..." He finally stopped moving, held the gun even closer to The Old Man's face. "...then the old geezer gets it."
The cyborg tensed.
"Dick," The Old Man said, "you're FIRED!"
DIRECTIVE 4 disappeared from the cyborg's vision.
"Thank you."
The Old Man drove his elbow into Jones' gut and dove out of the way as the cyborg raised her gun. One burst, two bursts, three bursts, four-Jones was driven back towards the window.
The same Vice President with the shit eating grin rose from his seat.
A fifth burst and Jones rocketed backwards, through the glass, and out into the 1800 feet of open air that separated the top floor of ExoGeni's headquarters and the pavement below. He didn't stop screaming until he hit solid ground.
A smiling Vice President gave the cyborg a thumbs up.
The gun twirled in the cyborg's hands and, like a perfectly controlled glider, found its way into the holster built into her leg. She turned to leave, but The Old Man called out to her.
"Nice shooting, ma'am," he said. "What's your name?"
The cyborg paused, then turned to The Old Man.
"Shepard," she said.
(***)
"Y'know what?" Marco said. "Wrong as that is, it did kick ass."
"What d'you mean wrong?" Kayley said.
"Err, exactly what it says on the tin? As in, cool story bro but nope, nuh-uh, that's not how it actually went down."
"Fine—you just wait, though, for when we all look this up. Then you're gonna be eating your words."
"You can tell me how they taste," Marco said, "'cuz you're gonna be the one—"
"Oh my god will you both stop," Ishay said. "Holy…like come on people, we're talking about one stupid soldier here."
"Does…that mean you don't wanna hear my take?" Marco said.
Ishay looked at him, sighed, then shook his head. "No no, it's cool—you take your turn. Just, everybody stay cool, right? This whole thing is turning ridiculous."
Marco looked around, checked out everyone's face. "Yeah," he said eventually, "ridiculous how wrong everyone else is."
Ishay smacked the back of his head on the tree. "Oh for crying out—"
"It's cool it's cool!" Marco said. "I'm just being difficult, easy does it." Marco caught Lilith's face out of the corner of his eye. "Oh, hey, especially for you, right? Like you at least admitted you weren't sure so…that's something."
"Gee, thanks," Lilith said. She sighed too. "Ishay's right, this is getting silly."
Before Marco could say anything, Ishay—his eyes now closed—waved his hand. "Yeah yeah, go ahead. It's still your turn."
Marco paused to collect his thoughts, then stood up. Kayley replaced him on the ground. "All right, so Kayley's right that Shepard's a dude. Already said that. But everything else? Nah, Shepard's not like that."
"Then what's he like," Kayley said, "since you're his brother or something."
"I'm telling you," Marco said. He cleared his throat. "Shepard's old, that's who he is. Like real old. He's been doing this forever. And you know what? He's still kicking ass—and he doesn't need biotics or cyborgification to do it, either."
Marco dove into his story about how the Alliance wasn't just a military organization: in the colonies, they used to be the police too. And groups like N7 got to do a whole bunch of crazy things when they were policing the really violent colonies—things that the Spectres pretty much did, except cooler.
And Shepard? Well, Shepard had a particular reputation, especially with the Blood Pack mercenary gang…
And Ishay thought to himself: wait, Blood Pack? In Alliance space? Sure, whatever, if it gets this story over quicker…
(***)
The Leader—a hulking, brutal, and far too young krogan that had killed as many of his own men as colonists and militias since the Blood Pack had entered Alliance Space—stood atop a jagged plateau, an M-300 Claymore shotgun in his hand. His Blood Pack troops—all vorcha, since the vorcha left a lot more opponents alive for him to kill himself and none of the other krogan thought he was old enough to command anyone else—were down below, listening to his every word.
This planet used to be a human colony, but now? Now it was a hunting ground, and anyone still on the surface was fair game. Prey for the hunters: if that's all you were in this life, then tough.
"They think we a gang!" the Leader said. "They think we just noisy pests! But soon they see: We are da future! We are da LAW!"
He raised his shotgun into the air—the vorcha below cheered in their hissing, guttural noises.
"Rrrrrragh!" a vorcha said to his neighbor. "Leader riffing now!"
"Leader kill everyone!" the other vorcha said. "You see, you SEE!"
The Leader continued: "I myself will kill anyone who shows d'ier coward face! I will rip the meat from their bones and suck them dry! Dis solar system belongs to da BLOOD PACK!"
More cheers, building and building until you couldn't hear anything except vorcha. That was why nobody heard when a whole group of vorcha exploded until the fire began to spread and bits of vorcha rained down on the ground.
Everyone looked off into the distance. A cloud of dust was moving towards them, and now that everyone was quiet you could hear the sound of an engine.
It was a Mako tank. As soon as the vorcha could make out what it was, they opened fire with their assault rifles and pistols. The rounds bounced off the exterior of the Mako like pebbles hitting a mountain.
And inside the Mako, surrounded by red light, was Shepard. He shook his head.
"They don't even wait for an order. Kids these days—no respect."
He grabbed hold of the controls for the Mako's main cannon and secondary gun and returned fire. The vorcha weren't much of a match for the storm of bullets sent their way; Shepard didn't even need to use incendiary rounds.
In no time at all, Shepard had mowed down every vorcha in his path. The main cannon of the Mako was pointing directly at the head of the Leader. Through the onboard computers Shepard could see, clearly, that the Leader wasn't the least bit afraid. If anything, he looked annoyed—and disappointed.
"SHEPARD!" the Leader bellowed. "I call you COWARD! Come out and face your death like a man!"
Shepard stared through the computer screens. One pull of the trigger and that would be it: the greatest scourge the Alliance had seen since the Skyllian Blitz would be little more than a nasty-looking crater on a planet he had nearly stripped bare. It would be poetic; it would be a good death…
…but not good enough.
"I KILL you!" the Leader said. "I eat your heart! I show you who rules Alliance space!"
The hatch opened. The bulky shadow of a man dressed in specialized Defender Armour loomed over the Leader. The top half of Shepard's face was obscured by his helmet, but the bottom half was clear for anyone to see: a contemptuous frown, canines bared and ready to pummel this upstart into the ground.
"Okay son," Shepard said, leaping down to face the Leader head-on. "Show me…"
The first hit went to the Leader; Shepard followed up with a haymaker of his own. Then it was a literal back-and-forth: one punch one way, another punch the other way. The problem was that Shepard lacked redundant organs; the Leader had as many as two, depending on which body part you were talking about. So by the time the two of them had punched each other close to a pool of mud, Shepard was clearly on the backpedal.
The Leader was bloodied and bruised, sure, but he wasn't tired. Shepard, though, was starting to feel his age.
An improperly timed kick was caught and then, off balance, Shepard was sent backwards into the mud. A massive hand clamped onto Shepard's face and easily pushed his head under the mud. Through the thrashing and the inrush of mud into his lungs Shepard could still, somehow, hear the Leader laughing. No, this wasn't a good death—it couldn't be. Shepard still wasn't done with this universe yet…
Up came his omni-tool, and from underneath the mud he could see the faint flicker of electricity. The massive hand that had been drowning him receded, and up came Shepard, not pausing for even a second to collect his breath. Across the other side of the mud pool, the Leader was staggering, holding a smoldering patch of his face. Shepard pressed his advantage: he delivered two haymakers to the back of the krogan's neck, sending his opponent down face-first into the mud.
Time to end this.
"You don't get it, son," Shepard said, yanking a knife out of his boot. "This isn't a mud-hole. It's an operating table…"
Shepard grabbed onto the plate on the Leader's forehead, dug the knife underneath.
"…and I'm the surgeon…"
A crack of thunder nearly drowned out the screams of the krogan Leader, and the grimaces from the few surviving vorcha in his once massive army…
(***)
Everyone stared at Marco. Everyone stared at Marco hard.
"Ooooooo-kay," Kayley said eventually.
"Oh what, so that's worse than someone cutting all your limbs off and lighting you on fire?"
"Why do you keep coming after me?" Lilith said.
"Sorry sorry, you're right," Marco said.
Ishay, for like the ninetieth time that evening, sighed. "All right so, what we've learned is that nobody knows who Shepard is and we all need to talk to a psychologist."
"What was wrong with mine?" Kayley said.
"Compared to your normal conversations? Not much but that's the exception that proves the rule."
"Hey, you said we'd look after we were all done," Marco said. "And we're all done, so…are you gonna look? See who's right?"
"Yeah sure, whatever," Ishay said. He opened up his omni-tool and—
"Wait!" Kayley said.
Ishay gave her a look.
"It's…well wait, just hold on."
"That's what I'm doing," Ishay said.
"Yeah, yeah, so…here's the thing though: what's looking it up going to solve?"
"Oh here we go…" Marco said.
"So now you don't want me to look it up?" Ishay said.
"I know I'm wrong already so I don't care," Lilith said.
Kayley shifted on the ground. "Well here's the thing: why ruin the surprise?"
"Because I'll get to see you eat crow," Marco said.
"Not if I jab your eyes out first," Kayley said.
"For the love of God," Ishay said, "so what, I'm not looking it up? I am looking it up? What am I doing here, fellas?"
"Look it up," Marco said.
Ishay started to pull his omni-tool up again and, on cue, Marco grabbed his arm.
"Don't look it up," Marco said.
"Ugh," Ishay said.
"Just…it's fine. Don't bother with it. It's fine."
Ishay looked at Kayley, then Marco, then finally at Lilith. "What a great waste of time," he said.
"I'm sure the truth lies somewhere in the middle," Kayley said.
"Yeah," Marco said. "Bit of column A, lots of column B."
"It probably isn't mine so that's fine," Lilith said.
Ishay stood up. His head was well past the point of hurting at that moment.
"Fine, whatever—case closed, nobody wins, fine by me." He started to gather his things. "Just know, the two of you, that one of these days I'm gonna look, and you'll both have to explain to me why you were so friggin far off."
Kayley and Marco gave him legitimately horrified looks. Ishay shook his head.
"I'm kidding guys. I really, aggressively, do not care."
"Um…yeah, sure, fine," Kayley said.
"Yeah uh…hey you're heading home?"
"That I am."
"See you later!" Lilith said.
And Ishay said his goodbyes, wondering to himself what exactly all the fuss was supposed to be. Nothing he'd heard made it seem like this Shepard character was the end-all be-all, so what? What was the point? Why was a colony with soooooo much more on its mind all up in a tizzy about this?
He didn't know and he was pretty sure he didn't need to know.
Ishay got home, snuck past his parents, and went to his room. He still had some homework to do, and that required being on the extranet, so, y'know, that was fine. While he was working he could search it up if he really wanted to. Search up who this Shepard person was supposed to be and maybe why everyone cared.
He got as far as "Comman" before he stopped, shook his head, and sighed for the final time that night.
He was a high schooler on a poor colony that didn't want anything to do with the Alliance. Horizon was basically outside Alliance jurisdiction anyways, and it's not like the Citadel gave a rat's ass about what happened here.
No, Ishay, decided, he probably wouldn't ever need to know who Shepard was. Nothing like that was ever going to impact his life in any significant way.
So what the hell, just finish the homework and then go to bed.
It was gonna be a long day tomorrow, and knowing who the real Commander Shepard was wasn't gonna change a thing.
FIN
Hello all! So, uh, that was a thing, wasn't it?
So as you can probably guess, this was inspired by that episode of Batman: The Animated Series where a bunch of kids talk about what Batman's really like, and no I don't know why I had this idea. Hope you enjoyed it all the same but, if not, well...you get what you pay for I guess.
Anyways, Lazarus Shunned WILL be updated soon too: life's just been unbearably busy and, I mean, look at the size of that thing. It's massive. It takes time.
So, yeah, apologies - but hopefully soon it'll get an update!
Peace out y'all.