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Personnel File 1313-71B: John Alan Shepard
Bio: John Alan Shepard was born on April 11, 2154. {historical note: the same day that the Apollo 13 space mission, an American attempted manned moon landing mission that almost ended in disaster, was launched [April 11, 1970]} He is a graduate of the Systems Alliance N7 special forces program (service no. 5923-AC-2826).
current rank: commander (promotion received for outstanding valor and bravery in the line of duty during the Skylian Blitz, 2182)
current posting: CLASSIFIED
Personnel File 1404-72D: Jane Rebecca Shepard
Bio: Jane Rebecca Shepard was born on January 31, 2155. {historical note: the same day of the Apollo 14 mission launch [January 31, 1971]} and is a graduate of the Systems Alliance N7 special forces program (service no. 5934-AC-2117).
current rank: lieutenant commander (promotion received for outstanding will and fortitude in the face of near impossible survival odds on Akuze, 2182)
current posting: CLASSIFIED
Personnel File 0681-55R: Hannah Louise Shepard
Bio: Hannah Shepard was born on Februrary 21, 2132. {historical note: the same day that the Apollo 1 space mission, the first manned mission of the U.S. Apollo manned lunar landing program, was lauched [February 21, 1967]} She is also Commander John Shepard's and Lieutenant Commander Jane Shepard's mother. She currently serves as the executive officer aboard the SSV Kilimanjaro. Previous postings include on the SSV Einstein, SSV Victoria, and SSV Mandela.
current rank: captain (promoted for exceptional service and dedication to Alliance mission and valor in the line of duty / July 9, 2178)
current posting: SSV Kilimanjoro (dreadnought class starship)
previous postings: SSV Einstien (carrier class starship) / SSV Einstein (carrier class starship) / SSV Mandela (carrier class starship)
Personnel File 0677-50J: Neil Virgil Shepard |Deceased|
Bio: Neil Virgil Shepard was born on October 31, 2127, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Sergeant Bradley Shepard and Communications Specialist Amanda June Shepard. A third generation Alliance marine, he enlisted in 2145. He married Hannah Louise Kennedy on September 3rd, 2153 abroad the SSV Pittsburgh (dreadnought class starship / decommissioned in 2169). Neil Virgil Shepard was killed in action against batarian pirates on July 30, 2174.
last received rank: captain (promoted for exceptional service and dedication to Alliance mission and valor in the line of duty / July 10, 2174)
last received posting: (KIA 1700 July 30, 2174)
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Background Classification: Spacer: Both of John and Jane's parents were in the Alliance military, with their mother still in active service. Their childhood was spent on ships and stations as they transferred from posting to posting, never staying in one location for more than a few years. Following in their parents' footsteps, they enlisted at the age of eighteen.
Designation: War Hero: Early in his military career, John Shepard found himself facing an overwhelming force. He risked his own life to save his fellow soldiers and defeat the enemy despite the impossible odds. His bravery and heroism have earned him medals and recognition from the Alliance fleet.
[John Shepard was on shore leave at Elysium when the first wave of the Skyllian Blitz struck. A massive coalition force of slavers, crime syndicates, and batarian warlords attacked the human colony, determined to wipe it out.
He rallied the civilian inhabitants, leading them in their desperate fight to hold off the invaders. When enemy troops broke through the colony's defenses, Shepard single-handedly held them off and sealed the breach.
After hours of brutal fighting, reinforcements finally arrived and the enemy broke ranks and fled. Because of his actions, Elysium was saved, and Shepard is regarded throughout the Alliance as a true hero.]
Designation: Sole Survivor: During her service, a mission Jane Shepard was set went horribly wrong. Trapped in an extreme survival situation, she had to overcome physical and psychological stresses that would have broken most people. She survived while all those around her fell, and now she alone is left to tell the tale.
[One of Jane Shepard's first missions after graduating from the N7 program was an expedition to investigate Akuze, a lush world on the outskirts of Alliance space that had suddenly dropped out of contact. Arriving on the surface, her patrol found the settlement intact, but there were no survivors.
At nightfall, the thresher maws struck - mindless abominations of teeth and tentacles that rose from beneath the earth. Constant gunfire couldn't drown out the shrieks of Shepard's fellow soldiers as they were dragged down to a gruesome death.
Fifty marines died on Akuze. No bodies are accounted for. She were the only one to make it back to the landing zone alive. A monument on the planet commemorates the massacre, a grim reminder of the price humanity must pay as they spread throughout the stars.]
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-This file contains the only known recording concerning Spectre appointment of Commander John Shepard and Lieutenant Commander Jane Shepard. This files was uploaded by |NAME DELETED| approximately fourteen days before the designated 'Horizon Incident'. This file was placed in Alliance CLASSIFIED archives on |DATE DELETED|, three days after |NAME DELETED| was made the first Human Spectre in Alliance history. This file was placed into Council CLASSIFIED archives by Council-appointed historical data analyzer Nerric Zutaris on |DATE DELETED|, one day after the Virmire Mission. Any additional information is RESTRICTED.
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file origin: Milky Way / Arcturus Stream / Arcturus System / Arcturus Station (Orbiting Themis)
occupants in recording: Alliance Admiral Steven Hackett, Alliance Captain David Anderson, Human Ambassador Donnell Udina
recording date: Wednesday, March 14, 2183 (Earth year)
"And Udina tells us to always be on time."
"Probably dealing with some last minute political bullshit from High Command." His brows burrowed. "Do you think they're ready for this?"
The recipient of the question took his time before shrugging. "For the fieldwork, without a doubt."
"For the other bits?"
"I wish I had an answer, Steve. I really wish I did."
"Gentlemen. My apologies. I got caught up with some calls from a few old friends regarding...well, what we're going to talk about."
Anderson shot an 'told you' look to Hackett, who tried miserably to hid a smile.
"So, shall we begin?"
A dark room sat one table with three gentlemen, and only one giant window showing the endless sea of stars outside. Two were attired in military uniforms; the third, who sat on the opposite end of the table, was clothed in a somewhat expensive long sleeved dress shirt and pants.
Over two dozen dossiers was piled chaotically over the table. Only the nicely dressed man held one in his hands.
"Well, what about John Shepard?" he asked his cohorts, seeing the face of the young soldier on the dossier, scrolling through the soldier's background. This man was Donnel Udina, an Irish born human, the presiding ambassador of Earth to the Citadel Council, the ultimate authority of all races in Citadel space. From the tone in his vocals, it seemed they had gone through many candidates without agreeing on one. "He's a spacer. Lived abroad starships most of his life." He added.
"Military service runs in the family. Both his parents were in the navy. His mother, Hannah, is still the executive officer of the Kilimanjaro. His father passed away some years ago, if you recall, Udina." The response was from the lightly dark-skinned man across the table from Udina, a soldier heading into his early fifties, a dedicated officer to the Alliance and one who takes no bullshit from anyone: Captain David Anderson. His last remark regarding the last Shepard hung high with regret, remorse, and anger. Udina nodded.
"He proved himself during the Blitz. Held off enemy forces on the ground until reinforcements arrived." The other officer next to Anderson, Admiral David Hackett, added. His scarred face indicated he had seen his fair share of battles up in the trenches. His tone suggested that either he wanted to praise Shepard further...or avoid the topic of Shepard's parents.
"He's the only reason Elysium is still standing." Anderson concluded, looking at Hackett while talking to Udina. He, too, seemed to want to path this discussion to put Shepard's accomplishments at the forefront, and avoid family history as much as possible; it was an uncomfortable subject, political and personally, to approach.
"We can't question his courage." Udina confessed, but his 'compliment' was not heavy on being overly optimistic. He continued to ponder the dossier like a college admission paper: seriously and yet not totally impressed.
"Humanity needs a hero. And Shepard the best we got." The captain hammered home.
The admiral cleared his throat, indicating he had a counterargument to lay out. "John's one of our best; I'll be the first not to deny it, but...this will cause debate, as it already has with Command, but there's someone else that poses as a solid, uh, contender to John, Captain Anderson." Every word of 'contender' was hit with point blank emphasis and prideful backing.
David sighed; he knew this was coming. It had to. Udina beat him to the punch, though. "…you mean his sister, Jane. Is that correct, Admiral?" he asked flatly.
"No one else compares close to John than her, Ambassador. Both Shepards are prime exemplars of Alliance might. If were considering one, we're basically considering them both." He argued. Every word in his appraisal was strong and bold.
Udina nodded, even with his mouth curling with contempt. "Yes, I've read her files as well. Thoroughly, too. I can see why some would say she and her brother on are par in military prowess." A pause whilst browsing hinted at a problem in his mind with Jane's 'selection'. "The only stumbling block evident is her, uh, designation of...'Sole Survivor'...?" The ambassador turned to Hackett for further clarification. "Admiral?"
Hackett sighed heavily, and interlocked his fingers together. "The nickname comes from…She saw her whole unit killed on Akuze. A Thresher Maw nest. I know this is off record, but it's been asked before and I'll just say it so you know it plain and simple, Udina; despite her track record, she...could have some serious emotional scars."
"Every solider has scars. Jane's a survivor." Anderson defended. This unfortunately was the problem that the two Alliance officers saw over the course of both Shepard siblings' careers: one would get a big job, the other left to mop up the dust.
"Is that the kind of person we want protecting the galaxy?" Udina asked skeptically.
Anderson went all 'evil-eye' on Udina's ass. "That's the only kind of person who can protect the galaxy."
"That may be so…" After a respite, he put the dossier down and locked both eyes upon his advisers. "...but we're still in murky waters with asking the Council to accept a human into their ranks. Two candidates would be like shoving two servings of coddle into an upset stomach." The two officers' baffled countenance forced the ambassador to quickly clarify, "It's a Irish delicacy. I'll explain it at a less important time. The point is we need to present the strongest candidate to the Council we got."
"So you suggest we leave Jane out of this discussion?" Hackett asked, one quarter in contempt, three quarters pissed.
"I'm saying, Admiral Hackett, that the Commander has a more healthier outlook for us to deal to the Council than the lieutenant commander."
Steve nearly lost his grip on reason and, despite his aging, body, almost prepared himself to flying across the table and smack the politician around senselessly. "Are you insinuating that -"
"Admiral, Ambassador. Please." Anderson pleaded. The last thing he wanted now - though at times he was tempted to give Udina a piece of his own mind simply become he was a pompous ass without trying - were men loyal to the Alliance going at each other throats at this crucial point on human history. "Politics aside, Udina, we do have two good choices for the Council. I don't see any reason to bicker over who's better. They're both very good. They're both qualified enough."
Hackett was going to have his say, no matter how Anderson refereed the discussion. "No offense, Captain, but I can see as clear as daylight you really want John for this, even if it means -"
"Jane's under your command. John's under mine. It's a dilemma we should have seen coming. Perhaps if we did-"
"Then what?"
Udina's raised hands prompted both men to turn their attention back to him. "What matters now, gentlemen, is who makes the strongest case for this selection. I understand your consideration, Admiral, but wouldn't a war hero, as I see the commander has been described as, suit our needs better than a lucky survivor?"
"Luc-" Hackett used every available ounce of self-restraint to not tear a new one into Udina. He came up with a cold and sharp reply. "Yes, Ambassador."
"So we're agreed then, gentlemen? Push the Commander forward for Spectre appointment and put Jane next in line should this go our way?"
They nodded, both reluctantly, of course, with Hackett expressing it with full color to Anderson's half-enraged, half-relieved face.
Udina stood up, said, "I'll make the call.", and left the way he came in.
The old war veteran sighed before apologizing. "David, look. I'm sorry. Things got -"
"I know, Steve. I'm sorry, too. Goddammit, I hate these type of politics."
The admiral was going to say something sarcastic but tossed it out of consideration. "You hate politics altogether. We're men of action, and this action is..." "Not to hurt our fellow soldiers' prides, but if only one of them was our cream of the crop, this discussion wouldn't be so...heated."
"True. Still, nothing wrong with two siblings that define the meaning of being an Alliance soldier."
"Except at family reunions." Hackett stated very flatly.
"Fair enough. I won't tell John yet, not until we get word from the Council. No need to rattle his mind with any of this."
"If they do agree, and John is chosen, what should we tell Jane? Another short end of the stick?"
"How many times would -"
"This would be the sixth."
"...Dammit. We'll have to talk to her together." "You remember our promise to their father, Neil?"
"Like it were yesterday. He looked like shit before his deployment. When he asked us...I'll be honest, David, I thought he was going insane. With this, though...maybe he saw something like this happening well before we thought about it."
"Makes you wonder. We spent more time with his kids than he could with his postings, and still his knowledge about them makes ours looks like a training pistol to his grenade launcher."
"Let's hope John's up to the challenge, David."
"He will be. Jane will be, too."
"Jane's not our candidate, old friend."
"The brass may think they have their poster boy, but we both know John better than that. Plus...isn't Jane our candidate as well?" he asked with a smirk as he left the room with his comrade.
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In the year 2148, explorers on Mars discovered the remains of an ancient spacefaring civilization. In the decades that followed, these mysterious artifacts revealed startling new technologies, enabling travel to the furthest stars. The basis of this incredible technology was a force that controlled the very fabric of space and time.
They called it the greatest discovery in human history.
The civilizations of the galaxy call it…
MASS EFFECT