What is a peacetime career in the Alliance? How do you grow as a leader when there is no conflict to test you? You train and train, and then you train others. I received a number of good training assignments, due in part I believe to the fact that I was still single and available unlike many of my peers who were already married and raising young families. For some of us, the Alliance had to be a higher calling. The old attitude was if the Alliance wanted you to have a family, they would have issued you one.

I was fortunate enough to be posted back to Vila Militar in Rio as an N training instructor. I was a little upset to be taken out of field action at first, but I quickly realized David Anderson's reasoning behind my posting out of the field and into the training system. The best way to master something is to teach it. I spent a full year running candidates through grueling N training, 'living in' in singles quarters right on the base, and using the opportunity to hone my skills. It was also during this time I realized the 'why' of all of it.

Danger is not the main cause of psychiatric stress in soldiers. In fact, many seek out danger through roller coasters, action and horror vids, drugs, parachuting, hunting, contact sports, and a hundred other examples to enjoy the rush of a dangerous situation. To be sure, danger in excess gets old fast, particularly when we feel we've lost control of it. And the potential for death and injury is an important ingredient in the complex mixture that makes combat so stressful, but it is not the major cause of stress in either our daily lives or in combat.

Facing aggression and hatred in our fellow citizens in an experience of an entirely different magnitude. It then becomes the duty of the instructor to inoculate the student against hate, so that when they are inevitably faced with the situation here someone they've never met is trying to kill them, they can perform without asking the question "what did I ever do to them?"

The drill sergeant who screams into the face of a recruit while they try to stow their gear or assemble his weapon is manifesting overt interpersonal hostility. Another effective means of inoculating a trainee against hate can be seen in pugil stick fighting or boxing matches during boot camp. When in the face of all this manufactured contempt and overt physical hostility the recruit overcomes the situation to graduate with honour and pride, they realize at both conscious and unconscious levels that they can overcome such overt interpersonal hostility. They have become partially inoculated against hate.

Of course, in the N world, this inoculation was taken to a whole other level. Imagine replacing a screaming drill sergeant with the deafening concussion of live rounds splashing the ground all around you, or running through a field at night feeling the tanks shaking the ground and having no idea where they're coming from, or navigating through the claustrophobia inducing jungle being chased by a highly trained team of soldiers who, when they capture you, will put you through some form of 'resist' oriented training.

The old adage of train hard, fight easy is all too true and I take it very much to heart.

With my training posting done, I was sent to the Alliance Academy of Interstellar Operations for preparation for my next task aboard a proper ship.

Because faster-than-light attackers always arrive before defenders can detect them with luminal sensors, attackers can always surprise defenders. For defense, fleets surround themselves with spheres of scouting frigates scanning for enemy ships and transmitting warnings to the main body.

Cruiser-weight starships are the standard combat unit encountered away from large naval bases, the "poor bloody infantry" of most fleets. Nimble scouting frigates have neither the punch nor the stamina to stand up to serious combat, and the mighty dreadnoughts are a strategic resource, carefully hoarded and committed to the most critical battles.

Cruisers perform routine independent "show the flag" patrols in settled systems and lead flotillas of frigates in small engagements, such as pirate suppression campaigns. In major fleet engagements, cruiser squadrons support the dreadnought battle line by screening their flanks against enemies attempting to maneuver for a main gun "bow shot" from their vulnerable broadsides.

My primary function aboard the cruiser SSV Emden was as the Combat Department Head, a high position for someone as young as I was, responsible for all of the ship's weapons, sensors and operations. I had to possess the knowledge and expertise in a wide range of activities relating to the exercise of Alliance interstellar power, including strategy, tactics and procedures in the operation of ships, ground vehicles and aircraft, sensors, combat information and weapons systems. Officers aboard Alliance vessels also provide input into the design, procurement and evaluation of ships or systems and perform staff, training and administrative duties. I quickly learned that Sir Isaac Newton is, indeed, the deadliest son of a bitch in space.

The working environment included prolonged periods of physically and mentally demanding duties, and for that reason I quickly fell in love with the job. It took a few weeks to get over the feeling of being in constant motion, and of course getting over the fact that there was no sun or moon to tell you when to sleep. But my newly chosen environment became second nature to me rather quickly. I knew that I was being groomed for an eventual position as an Executive Officer, the second in Command of a ship, and eventually command my own vessel.

From 2180 to 2183 I worked as part of a ship's crew, patrolling various areas in and out of Alliance space. I participated in the Theshaca Raids, successfully driving Terminus ships completely out of the Hong system. We sent boarding parties aboard suspected pirate vessels to examine a ship's cargo in a search for drugs, weapons, passengers which are unrecorded on the ship's manifest, or any other type of contraband that could possibly have been carried aboard.

True boarding assaults in this century are extremely rare, generally by small shuttles or by individuals, who enter the target vessel surreptitiously and exploit total surprise to seize control before resistance can be effectively organized. Modern-day pirates in space faring ships similarly depend on speed, stealth and surprise to take their targets, usually unarmed and poorly defended, without serious resistance.

I was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and expecting my next posting as an Executive Officer (XO). I had expected maybe to be posted on board a ship assigned to special operations, but I had no expectations that my first posting as an XO would be with Normandy. The SSV Normandy SR-1 (Systems Alliance Space Vehicle Stealth Reconnaissance 1) was a prototype "deep scout" frigate, first of the eponymous Normandy class, co-developed by the Alliance and the Turian Hierarchy with the sponsorship of the Citadel Council. She was optimized for solo reconnaissance missions deep within unstable regions, using state-of-the-art stealth technology powered by an experimental drive core. Should the Normandy's design been proven useful in field tests, it was expected that a follow-up class incorporating "lessons learned" would be produced.

I remember her commissioning very well. I stood at Anderson's side as he leaned over the Turian designed galaxy map in the Combat Information Center (CIC), contemplating his first act as ship's captain.

"What are your orders, Sir?" I asked.

He paused a moment and smiled at me, "Shepard my boy, let's see what we can find."

"Aye-aye, Sir." I snapped, and keyed the comm. to the cockpit. "Joker, take us to the relay, Captain's ordered two and one."

"Two relays on the first go?" Anderson chuckled. "Let's hope she's ready for such a rigorous shakedown".

"Sir, she's not my ship and I don't want to break her on the first day."

"Good enough, you can go watch, but once we're one away from Terminus I want a full run through of battle drills until I'm satisfied."

"Aye, Sir."

We were just about a month into our first tour of duty when Captain Anderseon was summoned to meet with Admiral Steven Hackett, Commander of the Alliance Fifth Fleet via QEC. It was explained that Normandy had piqued the interest of the council so much so that a council Spectre would be attached to our mission for the purposes of observation and reporting.

Several days later, we detoured to take aboard a large, very intimidating Turian in heavy black armour and intricate white facepaint named Nihlus Kryik, one of the council's top Spectre agents. Cool under pressure, Nihlus had an uncanny ability to find an enemy's weakness and exploit it. He never hesitated to efficiently and thoroughly eradicate anything or anyone that stood in his way. We were introduced in that meeting but I was given no other information as to his mission or the reason he would be accompanying an Alliance vessel. I knew whatever it was had to be important. The Council doesn't send Spectres on small tasks.

I was half running, half walking towards the bridge, listening to Flight Lieutenant Jeff "Joker" Moreau count us down on our approach. I wanted to get a front seat view. The mass effect relays have always fascinated me and I find I get a little less motion sick when I can see the jump instead of just feel it.

Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, my Marine Detail Commander, was seated beside him as Jeff completed the FTL jump while Nihlus observed.

"Thrusters…check. Navigation…check. Internal emissions sink engaged. All systems online. Drift…just under 1500k."

"1500 is good." Nihlus stated in a voice that was clearly all business. "Your captain will be pleased." And he strode and walked away.

Joker sighed and shook his head, "I hate that guy."

"Nihlus gave you a compliment, so you hate him?" Kaidan inquired.

"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom? That's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. So that's incredible."

Joker, like most pilots I've met, was cocky about his abilities. It comes with the territory. If your unsure or uneasy about your skills, you probably won't be able to deal with the stress of having hundreds of millions, or in our case billions, of credits sitting underneath you.

"The council funded this project," Kaidan said, "They have a right to send someone to oversee its trials."

Joker let out another dismissive laugh. "Yeah. That's the official story. But only suckers go for the official story."

I couldn't help but agree. But I trusted my chain of command enough that if such information was a need to know, I would know when I needed.

"Such a pessimist." I interjected.

"Yeah well, bad feelings are an occupational hazard."

I smiled to myself and startled a bit when Anderson's booming voice erupted over the comm. "Joker. Send status report."

"Everything's good up here, sir. Stealth systems engaged. Board's running green." Joker replied quickly snapping back to focus.

"Good. Link us into a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance before we reach Eden Prime."

"Aye, aye, Captain." Joker began pressing his console with trained precision in response to Anderson's order. "Man he's a little micromanagy today."

"Careful, Joker." I cautioned, "that man has hyper hearing, and I'm assuming you want shore-leave again this millennia."

"Yeah, yeah" he chimed as I left the bridge, knowing Anderson would want me listening in on whatever mission report he was sending. Throughout our short deployment, I always had the feeling that Anderson was taking special care to mentor me on the duties of a Captain, and I was extremely thankful for his forethought and dedication to my development.

As I walked through the CIC to the comm room, there was an air of nervousness, apprehension and of mistrust. When soldiers don't know what's going on, or why they are doing something, or even simply where they're going, their minds are not focused on the task, and they are less likely to trust.

I did my best to quell their uneasiness but it was always in vein. My Chief Navigator Charles Pressly was particularly anxious and arguing over the comm with Lieutenant Greg Adams, my Chief Engineer (CHENG).

"Sir, I just don't understand why we're being left in the dark. It's obvious there's something big going on. Captain Anderson is too highly decorated to be commanding a simple shakedown run, and then there's Nihlus, a turian Spectre. You don't send a top council operative, who operates outside of the law, on something as simple as this."

"Charles, I'll see if I can get some answers when I see the Captain. But for now, do me a favour and keep a cool head. And maybe see Doc Chakwas for some antacids." I smiled as I continued to the comm room.

When I walked into the comm room, Nihlus turned to face me and greeted me with his usual "Ah, Commander Shepard." His eyes were bright green, he stood nearly a foot taller than me, and his facial markings were intricate, indicating his status within the Turian Hierarchy. He intimidated me at first, but he was never overtly hostile. I always felt like I was constantly being assessed or judged by him.

"I'm curious about this world, Eden Prime. It's become quite a symbol for humanity hasn't it? Proof that you can not only establish colonies across the galaxy, but also protect them. But how safe is it, really?"

I hate it when people ask me questions to which they already know the answer.

"Do you know something I don't?" I asked.

"Your people are still newcomers, Commander. The galaxy can be a very dangerous place."

I bit my tongue, resisting the urge to bring up Mindoir, choosing to give a thin lipped smile instead.

Before the situation escalated further, Captain Anderson stepped in. "I think it's about time we told the commander what's really going on, Nihlus."

Nihlus turned to face the screen projecting the peaceful colony. "We're making a covert pick-up on Eden Prime. That's why we needed the stealth systems operational. This is more than a simple shakedown run."

This being more than a simple shakedown run was obvious from the start but my experiences as an N7 had taught me that when I needed to know, my superiors would tell me what I needed to know.

Anderson began making his way towards Nihlus. "A research team on the colony unearthed some kind of beacon during an excavation. A Prothean beacon, Shepard. The last time we discovered working Prothean tech, it advanced humans ahead by hundreds of years."

Nihlus stepped closer to me. "So you understand this goes beyond mere human interests then. This discovery could affect every species in council space."

"What's the task?" I asked, getting down to business.

Anderson moved to the console and brought up a map of the dig site. "You'll insert and extract the beacon and bring it back here so it can be transported back to the Citadel for further research. Eden Prime simply doesn't have the resources to research or secure the beacon there."

"Sounds simple enough." I said.

Anderson folded his arms and faced me. "That's not the only reason Nihlus is here though." He began. "He's here to evaluate you. You're being considered for Spectre candidacy."

That one nearly knocked me on the floor. There had never been a human Spectre and to my knowledge, humanity's role in council politics had been relatively small.

"The Alliance has been pushing for this for a while now." Anderson explained. "We want a bigger voice with the council, and having a human Spectre will show truly, just how far we've come."

I was having trouble forming words. "Who put my name forward?"

Nihlus stepped forward. "I did." He said casually. "You've displayed your exceptional skill and leadership abilities again and again. You're fit and of the right age. I see the potential in your species, and in you. I don't care that you're human, Shepard. I care that you can do the job."

"This day is full of surprises." I joked. "A working Prothean beacon and a Turian complimenting a human."

"This will be the first of several missions that Nihlus will accompany you on." Anderson sid, quickly changing the subject. "Think of it as a mentorship, as well as a constant evaluation of your skills and attitude."

"No pressure."

He let out a low laugh. "Don't worry, Shepard. Just treat this like every other assignment you've been on and you'll be fine."