Hokay, let's see, where to start. I guess why I'm doing this. The shrinks seem to think that me talking aloud about my problems will somehow help things. And here I thought talking to myself would be a sign I'm losing it even more. Anyway. Umm, so this is going to be a log, of anything that's happened to me that's left an impact, or might have left an impact. Haven't exactly had a sedate life, as a child or as an adult. This'll probably take a while.
*deep breath*
Okay, so, beginnings. I was born to Victor and Hannah Shepard. Dad was an engineer, specialized in EW systems. Mom was also in the navy, tactical track. They met at the academy and married not long after graduating. I, had a brother. Twin brother actually. Older twin brother. By maybe a minute or two. He, he passed away. Officially KIA, but. Fuck. No, no I can't do this-
*crashing sound*
-Evangeline Shepard, Mandatory Counseling Log 001
Prologue
Ira furor brevis est
To Ms. Evangeline Shepard,
I heard what happened, Ms. Shepard. And as someone whom also lost a loved one, I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone. You helped bring my wife home, you gave me the chance to have some final closure. For that I will be forever grateful. And for that, I would offer any help within my means in your time of sorrow.
I've opened a restaurant, in memory of my wife's dream. Many imperial servicemen frequent it, and I've had a chance to meet more of the men and women whom called my Nirali sister. If you ever need a place to enjoy a warm meal and welcome company, my door will always be open to you.
With the utmost gratitude,
Samesh Bhatia
To Little Miss Shep,
I remember when you and John were still kids, barely up to my knees. You two were so excited to see where your mother worked, and everyone in the marine company just fell to pieces around both of you. Especially you. All of us just knew that you would grow up to be one of us. And you did. Did all of us proud. Not just by serving, but remembering the least of us, even after you seemed to rise higher and higher.
I'm sorry about your brother. I know you loved him dearly, and even if he was the big brother it was clear as day you also felt the need to protect him. I was lucky enough to see that. I hope that that is something you yourself never forget. Please be okay, Jane. It wouldn't feel right if you weren't, after you helped pull me back from such a dark place.
Be safe,
Lieutenant Ernesto Zabaleta, Imperial Terran Marine Corps, Ret.
To Major Evangeline Shepard,
I'm writing this because, well, after what you did for me, it just wouldn't feel right not to try to say something. I know what it's like to lose a brother, what it's like to wonder, why wasn't it me. Why him. It hurts, a lot, and I won't try to tell you otherwise. And it should hurt. That hurt lets you know how much you loved him, and how much he loved you back.
You saved my life on X57 and I will never forget that. You saved a lot of lives that day too, including that of my father down on Terra Nova. Dad says that Aaron is with God now, and I'm sure that's where your brother is as well. And I know that they're both looking down upon us, and would want us to keep going. To live, and not be caught in the web of regret and sorrow. Grieve for him. Cry for him. But know that even though he is gone and you are still here, you are not alone, and when the time is right, and not a moment before, you will meet again at His side.
In sincere thanks,
Kate Bowman
To my big sis,
Hey Jane, it's been a while. Not since before Mom passed away, actually. And I'm sorry for not keeping in touch. I could use the excuse that I've been busy what with the expeditions into the Terminus Systems and what not, but that's really just an excuse, and a pretty crappy one at that. Truth is, I've been a bit jealous of how much attention Dad always seemed to pay to you. Sometimes it felt like you were more his kid than me or Scott. But you were always there for us, and I actually kind of enjoyed not being the big sister from time to time.
Anyway, I'm, not very good at this sort of thing. But, I just wanted to let you know. Your little sis is there for you. So is your little bro (though Scott still has that crush on you, so if you're feeling generous you could tone down on the kid treatment). And my grumpy old man is also there for you. You still have family, Jane. Don't ever think otherwise.
Specialist Sara Ryder, Imperial Terran Marine Corps
To Jane,
I don't know how many times I've rewritten this message, I guess I'm not very good at this sort of thing. When I heard about what happened to John, I knew you wouldn't take it well. I mean, you were always there for Sara and me, maybe even more than Dad was at times. We both looked up to you, and honestly, it's more because of you than Dad that both of us enlisted.
Anyway, this isn't about me or Sara. It's about you, and John. He was a good man, and a good brother. I know it hurts, and I know you miss him. If you ever want to talk, or to just have someone to listen, just give me a call. The Charon relay is just a hop and skip from Earth, and I'll be there before you know it. You aren't alone, Jane. You'll always have Sara and me, and even grumpy old Dad.
Specialist Scott Ryder, Imperial Terran Marine Corps
PS – Don't listen to anything Sara says about any crush, she's lying. I swear.
Unread message queue
From: Samesh Bhatia
From: Ernesto Zabaleta
From: Kate Bowman
From: Sara Ryder
From: Scott Ryder
From: Marie Durand
From: Lizbeth Baynham
…
..
.
Unread message count: 314
End Prologue
The draft for the prologue was actually completed long before A Call to Duty was finished, but I held it back to give myself a break. I'm still not actually prepared to start work on more of Vengeance, but I thought all of you would at least like a peek to see what sort of tone I'll be going for, and have something you could bookmark and whatnot.
The ME2 storyline was a sort of contrived reset of Shepard's progress from ME1, and a lot of the storytelling was arguably simplified in order to justify how Shepard ended up working with Cerberus. I however want to retain a much greater degree of complexity in my story, and so quite a few things will be getting tweaked. One thing right off the bat that all of you can presume is that my Shepard is still monumentally pissed. Indeed, her anger is going to distinctly tint her methods.
One thing that I did in Duty that I also intend to do here is do a lot of arc welding. One of the greatest weaknesses of the ME games was the disjointed nature of a lot of the side missions, and even quite a few of the main storyline missions didn't quite feel as tightly woven into the wider background. That was probably a natural consequence of Bioware needing to make sure they don't put in anything that contradicted the user's choices, but it also meant that in a lot of ways user choice could not have much of a meaningful impact in the grand scheme of things. My narrative on the other hand does not have this constraint upon it, so I can more deeply interleave missions and the like throughout, and hopefully build up a more complex interplay between Shepard's actions and the fallout in the wider galaxy. Once I get back to this story at least.
It was actually kind of amusing after Duty ended, I suddenly got this surge of people following me as an author instead of just the story itself. I presume it's because most of you were doing so to get notified when this went up.