The next morning passed Shepard by quickly. Mother Base's main keep had more than enough spare rooms for Shepard to get her own private quarters, allowing her to take her first full night's sleep in a long time. Sitting with Pyrrha and Thane in the mess hall, she scarfed down a breakfast of questionable Soviet Union rations and coffee before meeting up Snake.
She found him waiting for her at the entrance of the keep, dressed in his regular desert camo fatigues.
"Snake." Shepard greeted, giving a small bow of her head.
"Shepard." He quietly responded, lighting up a cigar. "Walk with me." Snake turned about face and made his way for the entrance of Mother Base.
"So, what do you have for me Boss?" Shepard asked as she fell in line behind him.
Snake gave a quick puff of his cigar before answering.
"A demolition raid. The Empire has set up a listening post along the border of Kabul and Korriban, no doubt looking for us. Your primary objective is to locate and destroy this outpost." Snake ordered.
Shepard nodded in confirmation. "Any secondary objectives?" She queried.
Snake inhaled another breath full of wormwood before answering.
"Recovery of any assets you deem necessary. Weapons, ammunition, medical supplies, food, all have their uses." Snake answered, stopping to look at Shepard as they reached the inner gate. "You're in command of this mission. Your fireteam has already been assembled, designation Wolf. They're heavy hitters from alternate Earths, and operate as the Legion's assault team, so you should work well with them. Meet with them at the armory and head out as soon as you're ready. Good luck Shepard."
Snake extended his hand and Shepard shook it in return. The two parted ways as Shepard continued on to the outer bailey. Walking through the inner blast doors, she found herself outside of the large tent that she passed by the day before. It was a simple, desert tan, canvas tent that stretched 20 to 25 feet. She walked through the rolled up flaps to meet with her new squad.
Shepard stood in front of two giants of iron. When Snake told her she was going to lead a mission with the Legion's very own assault team, she was expecting a pair of grizzled veterans packing enough firepower to take down an enemy platoon single handedly, like Zaeed or Nihlus. She had gotten what she wished for, save for the fact that both of them were power armor wearing, 7-foot tall weapons of war. Shepard was forced to crane her neck up to make eye contact with them, almost making her feel like a child. The first of the two giants, a blonde woman in steel grey armor approached Shepard.
"So, you must be Commander Shepard." The blonde giant said, her large mechanical hand grasping the entirety of Shepard's forearm as they exchanged greetings. "The name's Sarah Lyons. The faceless jackass here is Six."
Six, who had been leaning on the weapon locker, straightened himself out and nodded to Shepard. "Spartan-B321, callsign Noble-Six. You can call me Six ma'am." He said, looking Shepard up and down. "I'll be honest, with what we've heard about you, I figured you'd be taller." Shepard could hear the playful grin underneath his helmet.
Shepard sent him a smirk in return. "Well Six, as I'm sure you've heard before, size isn't everything." She retorted with a light hearted chuckle. However, while she'd enjoy trading barbs with the super soldier, Shepard knew business had to come first. Her stance shifted, standing at attention and she gave them both a stern look. Sarah and Six quickly noticed the change in mood and stood at attention themselves.
"Before we get started I want to set things straight. We've been tasked with taking down an Imperial outpost that threatens our position, and I've been designated squad leader. However I know that getting dropped a new CO out of the blue can be... awkward. So I believe that it's important that we get to know each other first. Learn about the people watching our backs." Shepard explained. She knew just how important getting the two of them to trust her was. Soldiers that didn't trust their commanders would second guess or question orders, something that would only cause disorganization and confusion in an already chaotic battlefield.
"And while you may have heard of me from some of Thane's eventful stories, I think proper introductions are in order. So, my name is Commander Jane Shepard of the Systems Alliance, and Spectre of the Citadel Council. I was born in the year 2154 and was a spacer for most of my childhood, living with my parents who were also Alliance Navy. I've fought against batarian slavers, chased rogue Spectres across the galaxy, wiped out an enigmatic race of aliens known as the Collectors, and waged a war to save the galaxy from a race of hyper advanced AI called the Reapers." She said. Honesty was important now, and Shepard knew that the more she revealed the more confidence would be built.
Sarah and Six glanced at each other, but Sarah was the first to ask a question.
"What was your Earth like?" Her voice a mix of curiosity and sadness.
A small frown found itself on Shepard's face.
"Earth was beautiful. Between technological advances and the wealth from the colonies, it would be safe to say we were entering a Golden Age. It was amazing. Disease, environmental damage, even social injustices were all on the decline. But everything changed when the Reapers attacked.
"Most of our major cities were destroyed in days. The Alliance was forced into fighting a guerilla war for our home planet." She said, heavy with regret at having to leave when the invasion of Earth began. "But hopefully, with the defeat of the Reapers, they'll be able to rebuild." Shepard finished, her voice still alive with hope.
Sarah gave an empathetic smile. Shepard could tell something about the idea of rebuilding Earth resonated with her. "And this Council of yours. It's a kind of alliance of alien races? " Sarah asked
Shepard nodded her head. "Yes, the Citadel Council is an intergalactic government of various alien species, all working for the common goal of peace and stability. The three original races were the Asari, the Salarians, and the Turians. Humans were recently added thanks to our part in the Battle for the Citadel."
"Ha!" Six audible laughed, causing Shepard to shoot a glare at him. "Sorry, didn't mean to be rude. It's just that where I come from, intergalactic peace is a bit of an oxymoron."
Shepard raised an eyebrow in response. Shepard was always good at reading people, and she couldn't find any traces of malice or disrespect in Six's voice. Only sad resignation behind the sarcasm. "Well why don't you tell me about where you're from Six? What's your Earth like?" She asked, wanting to find the source of the reaction.
Six shrugged in response. "Not much I can say. I'm from the Outer Colonies, never got the chance to actually see Earth. I was born in the year 2533, my name and place of birth are classified. In my universe, we never had the luxury of a friendly first contact. The only experience with sentient alien life we had was with the Covenant, our genocidal next door neighbors. And ever since we've been fighting for the right to exist against a more technologically advanced foe hellbent on our destruction. I was recruited into the Spartan-III program at the age of six to combat the Covenant, but details about that are also classified." Six flatly stated. "I tended to specialize in wetwork, counterterrorism, or direct action."
"Classified?" Shepard asked, not believing what she was hearing. "You're telling me that not only were you a child soldier, but you don't want to talk about any of it because it's classified? We're not even in the same universe anymore, what's the point of keeping it a secret?"
Six only crossed his arms and gave her a blank stare. "Because it was an order."
Again Shepard saw no disrespect in Six's words. His dismissal was so casual it was as if he was stating a simple fact. Shepard was baffled, and before she could question him again, Sarah stepped in.
"You should probably give it up Shepard. None of us have been able to get Six to open up on this, not even the Boss. Whatever mental programming he's been through has him locked down tight. I doubt even Galen's psychic space magic could get him to spill any secrets." She explained.
Shepard sighed. "Alright fair enough. No reason to force it if it's just going to cause issues." She shook her head. Pushing further would only have the opposite effect of what she wanted, causing Six to distrust her instead. She looked to Sarah for a change in topics. "What about you? What's home like?"
Sarah would've done a spit take had she been drinking. "Pfft you kidding? My Earth was a hellhole. You see, in 2077 the US, China, and the Soviets decided that their century long game of nuclear chicken had gone on long enough. The Great War lasted all of two hours, and killed more people than the previous two world wars combined. Ever since then, the survivors have been trying to pick up the pieces. I was born in 2251 in the Lost Hills bunkers of California, to a group called the Brotherhood of Steel. We dedicated ourselves to the protection of mankind, from external threats and from itself."
"What do you mean by that?" Shepard queried.
"Well every new Wasteland we went to was always filled with the same shit. Bandits, slavers, radioactive monsters, super mutants, the list goes on. So one of our main objectives was to protect the civilians just trying to make it day to day from threats like these. However if the Great War proved anything, it's that humanity was not ready for the technology it had birthed. So we also collect the most advanced technology. Energy weapons, power armor, robotics, we take anything we can to keep locals from killing each other with them." Sarah explained.
Shepard recalled the ruined city and super mutants Snake had showed her. The images of a desolate Earth, even an Earth of a different universe, had deeply unsettled her. For her, that was the endgame she was trying to stop; the apocalypse. But for Sarah that was her everyday life. Living in a world that where not even a nuclear holocaust would stop humanity from warring with itself. Funnily enough it reminded her of Cerberus, and how even in the face of mass extinction by the Reapers humanity would still stand divided.
Shepard bit down the bitter feeling. "A noble cause, it sounds like you were doing good work back home. And have to ask, were there aliens in your universe?" Shepard questioned, shifting topics.
Sarah gave a shrug in response. "If there were I never saw any. A friend of mine told me that he got abducted by aliens once. Probed him and everything. To be honest I never really believed him, but now? I'm not to sure." Sarah shook her head as she recalled the memory.
While the stories might seem menial, Shepard knew the importance of getting to know her squadmates like this. Stories like these gave important indicators for how they might act in the field, like Six's wetwork speciality or Sarah's strong morality. Feeling that she had gathered enough basic knowledge about her new allies, Shepard relaxed and leaned on a steel table behind her.
"I think this'll be enough twenty questions for now. As fun as it is, we do have a mission to prep for. Six, I hear you're the quartermaster here, what do you got for me?" Shepard asked, gesturing to the plethora of arms behind the Spartan.
Six popped open two weapons lockers, both filled to the brim with rifles of different makes. Amongst the two of them was a variety of weapons from all of their combined universes. Older AK74s and M16s of Snake's world were mixed with BR55 battle rifles and SRS99 snipers rifles of Six's UNSC. Alliance M-8 Avenger Rifles and M-23 Katana shotguns stood next to Brotherhood of Steel issue AER9 laser rifles and Galactic Republic DC-15 blaster rifles.
"Fortunately, we have plenty of weapons from all of our worlds, so you won't be left wanting. But I would recommend familiarizing yourself with some of the more unique weapons." Six explained, referring to the large amount of energy weaponry that Shepard had never seen before.
Looking over the energy weapons, Shepard eventually decided to drop her N7 Hurricane SMG for a DC-15s blaster, a lightweight carbine used in Sev's universe, and picked up a UNSC M41 Rocket Launcher as well. Shepard couldn't help but be amazed by some of the weaponry. Clutching her new blaster carbine and double-barreled rocket launcher, she'd be lying if she said she didn't want to pick a fight with the first Grimm they found just to test them out.
Sarah settled on her tried and true laser rifle/super sledge combo, while Six went with a DMR and an M319 grenade launcher. Armed and ready to go, the newly formed Fireteam Wolf jumped into a Warthog and made their way for the red desert of Korriban.
Shepard's red mane fluttered in the desert wind as she rode shotgun in the Warthog. Six, the most familiar with the vehicle, was made driver while Sarah manned the LMG. The drive was several hours long on rough, rocky terrain, but Shepard was used to far worse rides in her Mako. Soon enough the yellow, grassy desert of Kabul shifted to a crimson canyon whose hue matched Shepard's hair. What small evidence of plant life that existed in the Afghan desert all but disappeared in the new alien landscape of Korriban.
Shepard could feel the temperature drop as they left Kabul. Everything about the land around her felt wrong. Despite the cooler temperatures, she could feel a cold sweat forming as her paranoia rose, hunting for threats behind every rock formation they passed. She saw both Six's and Sarah's moods sour as well. Six's knuckles wrapped tightly around the steering wheel, white underneath his gloves, while Sarah's normally stoic, professional demeanor shifted into an aggravated scowl. All three could feel something ancient, something corrupting within these evil lands, but they had a job to do and would not turn back.
Snake had provided them with the general area where the Imperial base was believed to be, but they didn't have exact coordinates. Arriving at the area of operations, a jagged rock valley where eroded humanoid statues and ancient ruins could be seen in the distance, they dismounted from the Warthog. Fireteam Wolf hiked from the top of the cliffs down to the valley's floor, careful not to tip the Empire to their presence.
Six took point as they searched for clues. Having spent most of his life hunting down insurgents, this was Six's element. He knelt on the blood colored dirt, scanning for anything he could follow. Surely enough, Six found a trail of footprints in the clay soil, a well worn path that signified a regular patrol. Following the tracks, Fireteam Wolf slowly made their way through the valley, finding the communication array nestled underneath a large stone alcove.
The Empire was unaware of wolfpack hunting them, giving the fireteam time to plot out their plan of attack. The base was placed at the end of the valley, where a sheer 30ft rockwall blocked off attack from three sides. The only way they could approach would be a direct attack through the valley itself or from the air. The only problem with that was the metal barricades and heavy repeating blaster emplacement the Imperials set up watching the valley, making the primary entrance a killzone.
To get a better view of the base itself, Fireteam Wolf doubled back out of sight of the blaster emplacement, and climbed the cliffs up to the roof of the valley. Crawling on their bellies, they stopped above the encampment and continued their recon.
Passed the main checkpoint the base had much simpler defenses. The only real buildings were two metal, prefabricated hexagonal buildings that various stormtroopers walked in and out of, along with several simple canvas canopies spread out to give the troopers shade. Shepard could see the comms relay, a rectangular machine covered with an exorbitant amount of satellite dishes and antennae. Adjacent to it, a boxy, repulsorlift Imperial Troop Transport sat parked and emptied out, not ready for any kind of immediate attack.
The trio continued to lay in their spots, watching the stormtroopers move through the camp. It was populated by a skeleton crew of half a dozen standard stormtroopers, some of which were on sentry duty while others loitered around the camp. What caught Shepard's attention however were two additional, fully black armored stormtroopers that immediately stood out as some kind of commando force.
"Shadow Troopers." Six whispered. "Imperial Special forces. They have heavy weaponry and tactical cloaking devices." Shepard nodded in thanks for the info.
"So Commander, this is your op. What's the plan?" Sarah asked, adjusting the sights on her laser rifle.
Shepard brought her fingers to her chin, formulating a plan. She looked at the equipment they had, and it took less than a second for her mind to focus on her rocket launcher and Six's grenade launcher.
"Snake did say that we're the Legion's assault team right?" Shepard rhetorically asked with a big grin. "Well as the new assault team, there's no better way to show off what we can do than by going loud, hard, and with lots of explosions. And that calls for some good old shock and awe."
Shepard watched from atop the cliffs as Sarah and Six made their way down to the valley once more. Quickly the two armored commandos bouldered their way down the cliffs, setting up position down in the valley once more. Once they were out of sight and in position, Shepard pulled out her rocket launcher and readied herself.
Shepard loved this weapon. The double barreled design combined with several preloaded barrels, the M41 Rocket Launcher allowed her to deliver high explosive punishment faster than any contemporary weapon in her universe. Toggling the weapon's scope, she aimed at the repeating blaster emplacement, then the troop transport, watching as the rocket launcher's targeting system painted the targets red.
With a quick double tap of the trigger, two 102mm high explosive rockets soared through the air, ready to deliver death upon their predetermined targets. The last thing the poor stormtrooper in the repeating blaster nest saw was a bright light followed by oblivion as the rocket slammed into his position, turning the nest into a fireball of death and shrapnel. The second rocket struck true upon the Imperial Troop Transport, detonating and disabling the repulsor craft before the Imperials had any chance to get it moving.
The other stormtroopers ducked and jumped for cover as soon as the explosion hit. Some quickly dove behind sandbags or rocks, while other dropped prone, hoping to avoid any shrapnel or oncoming fire.
Without a moment's hesitation, Six and Sarah leapt into action, charging from the floor of the valley as soon as the stormtroopers all hit the deck. The two were almost to the now ruined repeating blaster nest by the time any of the Imperials noticed they were coming. One stormtrooper stood, pointed his blaster at Six and was about to fire, when Six raised his grenade launcher and blew the stormtrooper into little chunks.
Six launched grenade after grenade, suppressing the stormtroopers and forcing them to hunker down behind their cover. Seizing the opportunity, Sarah then rushed in through the breach, the stormtroopers too busy hiding from explosions to stop her. Sarah strode over the remains of the outer defenses and charged two stormtroopers crouching behind a set of sandbags.
Sarah's T-45d power armor ripped through their barricade like it was made of paper mache. The first trooper barely had time to look up before Sarah pulled the trigger, burning a foot wide charred black hole into his chest. Spinning to face the second trooper, she planted her mechanical foot into his sternum, and with a Spartan kick crushed his rib cage instantly.
Shepard, not wanting to be out done by the Brotherhood Sentinel dropped her rocket launcher and switched to her DC-15s carbine. She unloaded a volley of azure plasma onto the scrambling Imperials. The two remaining troopers were forced to stay in their cover, blind firing their guns at Shepard and Sarah. One of the troopers reached for his belt and pulled out a silver thermal detonator. He threw the grenade blindly at Sarah's position and tapped his comrade on the shoulder, getting ready to run as soon as the explosive went off.
The thermal detonator flew through the air, arcing its way towards Sarah's position. However, the grenade's descent seemed to slow, as it was enveloped with a blue glow. The thermal detonator came to a dead stop in mid air as Shepard grasped it with her biotics. With a sweeping motion of her arms, she lobbed the grenade back at the stormtroopers. The troopers, who were waiting for an earth shattering kaboom to make their move, failed to notice that the grenade falling back on their position. With a massive explosion of force and heat, they stormtroopers were incinerated, leaving nothing but shadows of ash on the ground.
The stormtroopers dead, Shepard lost sight of any immediate hostiles. Shepard let out a slow exhale, but couldn't help but feel something was still wrong. She was looking over the bodies of the white armored stormtroopers when she realized their mistake. Wait, where did the shadow troopers go?! She thought, worry seeping into her mind.
As soon as she made this realization, a barrage of heavy energy blasts burst from behind Six and Sarah. The shadow troopers, having gone invisible as soon as the attack began, made their way to the entrance to counter flank Six and Sarah while the duo was distracted killing the basic troopers. The Shadow Troopers' T21 blaster cannons fired shot after shot at Shepard's allies. Six's energy shielding burst out of existence forcing him to dash behind the ruins of the troop transport. Sarah was hit twice, taking two large scorch marks on her pauldron and torso. She too was forced behind the sandbags she had just broken through.
Shepard cursed. She needed to do something to get the pressure off her allies, before the Shadow Troopers could push on them. Thinking quickly, she switched to her Crusader shotgun and focused her biotics into herself. In a split second, she flew from the top of the valley and crashed right into a shadow trooper, biotically charging him. The shadow trooper's breastplate cracked, breaking under the pressure of Shepard's fists as he was knocked down to the ground, stunned but still alive. That wasn't good enough for Shepard, so she placed the barrel of her shotgun to the commando's faceplate and pulled the trigger. A hundred mass effect accelerated pellets ripped their way through the shadow trooper's helmet, then his face, then out the other side as the ground beneath him was painted crimson.
The second shadow trooper swung the butt of his light repeater, aiming to bash Shepard's head in. The melee attack was fast, but Shepard was an expert of close quarters combat, and ducked underneath the swing. As she avoided the attack, Shepard's arm burned with an orange light, her omni-tool now active. A holographic knife extended from her forearm as her omni-blade came to life. Shepard lunged forward, driving her knife into the commando's chest, piercing his armor, and feeling it slip between his ribs.
Shepard stared into the shadow trooper's eyes as he gurgled and choked, blood filling his lungs. While she couldn't see his face, she could tell this trooper felt no fear at death as he stared back at her in fierce defiance.
Weakly, the shadow trooper mumbled out his last words. "For...our Lord!" he cried as Shepard heard an electronic ping. Shepard's eyes widened. She looked down at the trooper's belt and to her horror saw his hand on a thermal detonator, primed and ready to blow.
Moving off of instinct and adrenaline, Shepard enveloped the commando in a blue biotic forcefield and flung him into the air while simultaneously creating a barrier around herself. The man barely flew up 10 feet before the detonator erupted. Shepard could only see red and white as grenade burst, the explosion enveloping her with searing heat as the concussive wave blasted her backwards.
Everything on Shepard hurt as she rolled on the ground. She even had that warm, tingly sensation that usually only occurs when she gets irradiated. Her ears blared a high pitched ring as Sarah's muffled voice called out to her. Sarah and Six ran to Shepard's position as she lifted herself to her knees. Sarah knelt down and helped Shepard to her feet, her face covered in worry.
"Commander! Commander you alright?" Sarah had to yell before Shepard acknowledged her.
Shepard shook her head free of her disorientation, "Yeah, yeah I'm good. Wasn't expecting the bastard to kamikaze." Shepard grabbed her head as pain shot through her mind and blood poured from her nose. Sarah's expression grew more concerned with the injury.
"Don't worry about it. Happens sometimes if I over use my biotics in a short period of time." Shepard said, wiping the blood from her face.
"If you say so." Sarah responded, somewhat unconvinced. "But I have to say Commander, that was a pretty gutsy move, charging head first into a pair of commandos."
"If by gusty you mean reckless then I agree." Six cut in, his voice mostly angry with a hint of concern. "That was careless Shepard, could've gotten yourself killed." Before Shepard could respond Sarah gave Six a dirty glare.
"Back off Six." She snapped at the Spartan-III. "Shepard's the commanding officer for this op and you will not speak to her like that." Sarah took an aggressive step towards Six, causing Shepard to move between them.
"Enough! Everyone calm down. Look, Six is right. I got cocky and underestimated the shadow troopers. I wasn't ready for someone so fanatical and almost bit it again because of that. But I'm alive, and I will learn from this. Something like that will not happen again." Shepard spoke, staring intently at both Sarah and Six. Six gave a remorseful sigh and nodded his head.
"Right, sorry if I was out of turn Commander. It's just that I had friends, good soldiers and Spartans, that died because they got careless. Be a shame if that'd happen here." Six replied.
Shepard nodded her head in understanding. "Don't worry, that won't happen here. Now come on, we still have a job to do. Sarah, I want you on scavenge duty, find anything that's still functional and get it back to the warthog. Six, you're on demolition. I want that comms station in pieces yesterday. Move!" Shepard ordered, and with military precision they moved to their duties while the Commander kept overwatch.
Two E11 blaster rifles, a DLT19 heavy blaster rifle, a T21 light repeating blaster, and a surplus of spare energy cells, not a bad haul Shepard thought to herself as she looked into the rearview mirror of the Warthog. A miniature mushroom cloud rose over the former comms array where Six had jury rigged a series of thermal detonators as a makeshift bomb. The drive back to Mother Base went much faster, with the lack of Imperial presence allowing them to move at a faster pace. Within a few hours, the Sun had fallen and Fireteam Wolf made its way back to its den.
Upon returning, the Fireteam broke up to go to their individual duties. Sarah had to repair the damage done to her power armor while Six needed to strip and service the stolen Imperial blasters. Shepard made her way back to the keep to give her report to the Boss. The Spectre found the Boss smoking a cigar atop the roof of the keep looking out at the Afghan night sky.
"Snake." Shepard crisply nodded.
"Shepard." He replied in kind, not breaking eye contact with the stars above him.
As Snake took another drag off his cigar, Shepard took that as her cue to continue. She reported the mission's success to Snake, leaving out no detail for him. Snake betrayed no real emotion throughout the debriefing, simply content to listen and absorb the information. When she finished her report, she stood at attention for several awkward seconds as Snake slowly put out the cigar and turned to face her.
"Good work Shepard, I expected nothing less." He rasped out. There was a beat. Shepard noticed that Snake liked to pause for effect while talking. She admired the fact that even with his age and experiences, he could still enjoy dramatic flare. "While the mission itself was a success, the destruction of the comms array was only part of the reason I sent you."
"Only part?" Shepard asked, raising an eyebrow. Shepard didn't like being deceived. And while there seemed to be no deceit or dishonesty behind Snake's words, several months of working for the Illusive Man had made her wary of missions that don't give the full picture.
"Indeed. The other, and in my opinion more important objective was to gauge your combat skills and leadership potential. We heard many stories from Thane about your abilities and your moral fibre, it was important that I see whether or not the tales held true." Snake revealed.
Shepard scowled, feeling conflicted over this. "While I understand the need for some kind of test Snake, I don't appreciate being lied to. And a lie by omission is a lie all the same. I've deceived a few too many times for my liking."
Snake let out a sigh. "I'm sorry for the deception. I felt that if you knew it was a test the test would lose its meaning. And I needed to see what kind of leader you were going to be. But from now on there will be no more lies. I swear." Snake solemnly said, his eye never wavering from Shepard's.
Shepard gave a respectful nod. "That's all I ask for Snake."
Snake's eye hardened on Shepard.
"You speak your mind, that's a good thing. You're respectful, but not blindly loyal. You are virtuous, but are willing to do what is necessary. You care not only about the mission, but about your men as well. You may make mistakes, but you admit your own faults and learn from them. These are not common characteristics, Shepard." Snake complimented. Shepard felt herself beam at the praise, but her discipline kept her face rigid.
Snake continued on, "While it may seem rushed, I believe you should become the Legion's XO."
Shepard was taken aback as the sudden proposition. "I'm honored by the offer Snake, but why? I've been here what, two days? Why not make someone who's been here longer second in command? Sarah and Galen both seem to have leadership experience."
Snake only shook his head. "The others, they are all wonderful soldiers, but they do not have what is necessary to lead. Sev and Six? They are master warriors and killers, but ultimately were made to follow orders, not give them. Galen and Thane are far too reserved, while Sarah and Pyrrha are weighed down by their own doubt and insecurity. Commander, I wouldn't ask you if I didn't think it was the right call."
Shepard paused for a moment. She hadn't seen any signs of unease or anxiety in Sarah, but Snake has known her longer. Having only seen their fight and not actually worked with them, she couldn't have a strong opinion on Pyrrha or Galen. As for Six, Sev, and Thane, she knew Snake was right about them. While Shepard would never treat them this way, she knew they were weapons, tools used by their masters to kill at the drop of a hat. Nice to have under your command, but not someone you want to be taking orders from. While she hated to boast, she knew she was the best choice.
Steeling herself, Shepard met Snake's eyes with a confident smile and extended her hand. "You have yourself a 2IC, Boss."