Yay, we made it to chapter 25 and 50K words! This story is now qualified for NaNoWriMo!
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THR
Chapter 25
Your name was Commander Shepard and you were starting to feel a little more at home.
Admiral Hackett's office at the Alliance Headquarters was flawless. Its beauty rivaled the Presidium's finest locations. The room was expansive to the point of excessiveness. While you sat in a luxurious chair you pondered your surroundings while you still had the chance. This place seemed to be more believable than what you had seen before exiting the shopping terminal. People didn't look so happy here. Perhaps it was your military attitude that was overtaking you, but you felt more at home when you were with the Alliance. It was better than running from Cerberus and the Illusive Man. The stability gave you security and made you feel more humble when it came to your choices. Coming back to the Alliance instead of freelancing with your boyfriend, an AI a stealth ship still seemed like a good idea.
Or, at least it felt like it was the right decision.
Behind Hackett's desk was a set of long windows that gave you and Garrus a picturesque panorama of Vancouver. It was a busy city; however it did not rival New York when it came to traffic. It was a little more rustic and you tried to appreciate it. You could even see a few trees off in the distance. Non-isolated greenery was a rarity on Earth. The environment was so controlled and structured everywhere else.
Sometimes you longed for the freedom of something that wasn't so contained. You wonder if that was why you hadn't left Cerberus earlier.
Had you tried to create a personal rebellion against the Alliance by doing that?
The Alliance was like a parent to you. They had been there since the beginning and had trained you so you could bring some success to the galaxy in the name of humanity. They stood behind you and went to great lengths to put you on a pedestal. They could welcome you back with open arms or turn you away, but their respect was ultimately what you would always strive to achieve.
This analogy would have fit if you had had a better childhood experience.
Nonetheless, you felt like going against the grain was in your subconscious. People around here knew what kind of person you were.
Sure, you could be rigid, but that didn't mean that you had to follow the rules.
A hand was placed on your armored leg and it was then that you realized that it had been shaking.
"I never thought I'd see you nervous. Last time you shook like that was when the Council sprung the Spectre title on you."
You wanted to smile at Garrus' teasing but something was stopping you. You had an ominous feeling about something and you weren't sure what it was. This bothered you to no end and you desperately looked for some form of comfort.
You found it by looking out at the trees.
They swayed in the most nonchalant way possible. They didn't have to worry about saying lives or being on hit lists. They were living, breathing things that lived to help others in a way that didn't hurt people. They didn't have to take people down or—
"Commander Shepard, it's good to see that you arrived safely. I see you brought the Turian."
As if on cue, Admiral Hackett entered the room with two bodyguards following behind him. This man was the most respected person in all of humanity. If you fucked this up too you didn't know what would happen next.
Garrus stood up before you did and nodded his head at the Admiral while you followed his lead and offered a salute. The guards were quickly dismissed and it was time to get down to business.
You could tell that Hackett was looking you over and comparing you with your former self. Not even you knew if you measured up.
"You seem to be in fine shape, Commander. That doesn't mean you'll get to bypass your physical, though. Those L2s aren't giving you trouble, are they?"
"No, sir. It's a pleasure to see you again. I was hoping that we could discuss what we were discussing earlier."
The way you could turn your diplomatic voice on and off was something that you prided yourself on. You wish that this situation would have a more natural informality, but you weren't setting your expectations high.
Hackett picked up on your congeniality and warmly welcomed it. It was different compared to the attitude you had given to your superiors in your younger days. You had been nothing but respectful to the Admiral before. At least he was noticing it now.
"I'd love to usher in that subject a little later. I also want to catch up but I'm afraid that our visitors aren't keen on waiting for you. They've got a packed schedule."
When he said this you made an assumption. These so-called "visitors" were likely rich fans who had lives that were even busier than yours. They could also be government officials who wanted to commend you just asking for a future favor wouldn't be so impolite.
"Are they part of the Shepard fanclub?" you asked halfheartedly.
To your surprise, the Admiral laughed at your remark.
"I think it would be fair for me to say that they started it."
The door behind you opened and a woman that you knew all too well walked in. She looked drastically different compared to the last time that you had seen her. Her hair, like yours, was knotted into an intricate bun. Instead of possessing its old strawberry blonde hue it had turned as white as the smog outside. The dress on her thin frame was as monotonously colored as her hair. Although her skin was wrinkled in a few places and her cheeks were gaunt, she maintained an air of professionalism and cheerfulness that could be found in a much younger woman. The only bit of color on her body was evident in her omni-tool, which, unlike others, glowed a bright blue. Her brown eyes practically smiled at you in a way that they never had before. Every other time you had met those eyes they had given you nothing but disapproval and shame. When you looked at her face you saw yourself.
That scared you.
After she had entered the room, a monstrous man with glasses followed. He appeared to be younger than the woman and it was clear that he must have served for the Alliance at some point in his life. Pockmarks and scars dotted his face and detracted from what used to be his good looks, but he didn't seem to be the kind of man that cared about those sorts of matters. He had given many people a good beat down but had also managed to make the most innocent of children smile. His sideburns were going as white as his wife's hair while the rest of his locks were slicked back and were tinted a dark auburn. He also had an omni-tool at his arm, which looked to be a very advanced model. And, as if this man wasn't intimidating enough, he had a teal aura around him.
He was a powerful biotic and you had been made aware of this at a young age.
"I'm assuming you know these two very well. They've joined the Alliance the head of our Technical Services Department. Their philanthropy and intelligence make them an asset to our team and they wish to endow you with a new omni-tool for Arrival."
You wanted to tear apart whoever sent these people here.
Their jolly stares burned into your flesh no matter how protected you were. As much as you didn't want to admit it, they had hurt you more than you had hurt them.
You had left to join the Alliance. They had chastised you relentlessly and you hadn't spoken to them since.
There were no words for your feelings anymore. Your legs shook and you could see Garrus' eyes were widening ever so slightly. Even he knew who these people were.
"Elizabeth, is that you?" the woman asked, her voice gentle. "I can't recognize you behind all of that protective gear." That tone could have made every other child in the world happy. To them it meant that a better life was about to come to them.
To you it meant that all hell was about to break loose.
"I didn't think you'd get so far without our help, Commander."
After hearing that line from the man that you had once been close to, you stood up and sent the chair behind you flying into a wall. Your own body began to glow as blue as the man a few feet away from you.
"You have no right you call me Commander you selfless prick!"
Your name was Commander Shepard, and it was safe to say that you never got along with your parents.
Your name was Liz Shepard and you had just learned the truth behind your fate.
You had also developed a permanent grudge against Batarians.
What had happened made sense now.
No matter how crazed and diseased you supposedly were, not even you were stupid enough to not believe what Admiral Hackett had just stated.
You had destroyed a mass relay and eliminated a Batarian outpost and incinerated an entire system. It was your fault and there was no reason to let it slide.
It was a bad decision. You were aware of this.
But inducing psychological terror from an empty threat? It wasn't right nor would you forgive neither the Council nor the entire Batarian species. You were normally welcoming to aliens, but your liberated attitude was now in the toilet.
Instead of protesting or screaming against what had happened, you did something else. Some would say that it was a mature move for you to make while others would call you crazy.
You were staring at something to distract yourself.
In the corner of the room was something that you had not noticed upon your abrupt arrival with Commander Bailey.
It was a camera.
It was small and finicky and you weren't surprised that the meeting was being taped or something along those lines. At first you shrugged it off.
That is, until you noticed that its tiny red light never turned off.
"Shepard!"
The call to attention was a shock and you practically sprung back into the conversation.
"Sir?"
Commander Bailey glared at you while waiting for a response. You narrowed your eyes as a signal to him, which he chose not to pick up on.
"Are you clear with what the Admiral explained?"
Truth be told, you weren't. You would never be clear with what happened and you weren't going to accept it.
But you were going to force yourself to.
"I don't think there's anything left to discuss here, Commander!" interjected the Turian councilor. "This woman is insane and needs to be convicted! Her input means nothing!"
"Sir, I wasn't finished speaking!"
Everyone directed their attention to Hackett, who had bellowed across the office.
"This woman doesn't need to be the victim of false accusations. Considering the things she's done for all of you, I think she's earned a pardon regardless of her crimes! This woman that you're trying to throw away was the first human Spectre and defeated Saren, the Collectors and the Reapers! How many times do I have to plead her case to this delusional Council?! At least give the poor woman another chance!"
Silence overtook the room and everyone was lost in thought.
They all knew that your insanity wasn't your own fault. Whether or not they would admit it was up to them.
Without seeking the permission of the other councilors, the Asari councilor stood up and looked you in the eye.
"I hereby grant the former Commander Shepard a psychological analysis before any form of punishment is inflicted upon her. This meeting is obviously not accomplishing anything right now and I would like to request a delay."
Knowing that the Turian councilor would never agree, she turned to the Salarian. They needed a two thirds agreement to delay the mock trial to a later date.
"I agree."
Those two words that came from her mouth were never so relieving.
Your name was Liz Shepard, and while you had an extreme distaste for Batarians, you were also finding that you really did have a thing for Asari and even Salarians.
Your name was Kaiden Alenko and you were happy that you were a Spectre.
Like your biotics, it was a good thing to abuse for the right reasons. Although the position was romanticized, the perks behind it were real. You worked above the law and everyone respected you for it.
You had access to every file and you read every single one that had to do with Shepard.
You paid careful attention to the case file from her incident from the previous evening.
Two Turians killed. One by choking with biotic assistance and the other by an omni-tool stab.
It didn't take you long to realize that this wasn't your Commander.
Your Commander wouldn't slaughter anyone without reason. Even after being tampered with by Cerberus you were well aware that she would never do such a thing. Whatever had happened to her wasn't right and you were determined to fix it.
As you sat in your rented apartment on the Citadel, you worked on your computer and omni-tool to do the impossible: free Commander Shepard. Although her title had been stripped from her and you had surpassed her in rank, you owed her the respect that you would give an elder. From one Spectre to another, her achievements were something to be honored.
It wasn't as if she was Saren. She was a woman who needed help.
Help was something you were willing to give.
You started helping by composing a hell of a lot of emails. You contacted everyone that you could think of: Garrus, Joker, EDI, Liara, Chakwas, Miranda, Jack and even Grunt.
This was a team project. Everyone who had served under Shepard had to know everything.
Your name was Kaiden Alenko, and you weren't about to let the Council screw your friend over again.