I LIIIIIIIIIIIIVE! yes, you read that right, I am alive. im sorry it took so long to post. i can;t sugar coat it this time though. this time it was mostly because i was just lazy. but i still got it out B).

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"Our Legacy"

Part One: A Spartan?

Chapter 4: Inductee

Date: January 10, 2681

Time: 0755 hrs.

Location: Arcturus System, Arcturus Station, Sector 1, Alliance Council Chamber, (AKA: Hazard Room)

"Spartan IX?", Nicka Questioned when the admiral had stated it. "There are no Spartan IX's." at least she thought there weren't, but that was before Hackett shot her a look that seemed to say, Really? How much would you be willing to bet on that?

As the tension in the circular room skyrocketed all the leaders in the room Bristled and eyes narrowed with the desire to say something about not being told that Oni had continued development on the Spartan Program without them being informed. Well, everyone save Reck, the massive lekgolo seemed the epitome of tranquility.

This bit of information seemed to bring the Humans Alliance in obstruction of the 14th of the 23 mandates that make up the Alliance Compact. Even though no one but the most elite of politicians could give you a word for word definition nearly every Alliance citizen could define it as if any governing body joins the Alliance they must share information on any secret organization they currently have or ever will create with the Alliance Council Circle.

Anderson silenced himself and sat quietly as the tension simmered. From the moment the admiral declared the existence of a Spartan IX he realized that this had very quickly become a battlefield that he had no business being on. He was a soldier, not a politician. Give him a gun and he could run circles around most other people but talk them to death with brain shattering analogies and explanations that are so long and so pointless that the original point is lost to everyone? No. So he just sat there waiting for the bigwigs to finish their catfight.

After a few moments of the silent simmering Nikka looked about to burst with questions but 'Ronome cut her off. "Before we start shouting and throwing around threats and accusations lets listen to the explanation." He leaned forward with his four digit hands and long forearms on the table. His quadruple hinged mandibles moving into the Sangheili equivalent of a frown watching the two humans across the table. "well, Deran, we're all ears."

The dagger stares didn't faze either human in the slightest. Hackett cleared his throat and started. "Let me begin by saying that there is not" He put a large emphasis on the 'not' "a Spartan IX program. If there were the HA would have informed you. No mandates have been broken here. It was just an experiment." He paused for a moment as he leaned back into his chair with a thoughtful look on his face. "It was an experiment that I thought was a failure, until now."

At the mention of this being an experiment, the tension that had filled the room only moments before dissipated leaving only curious stares and knowing looks.

"What was the objective of the experiment? Were you trying to make another super soldier or was…"

Greensburg cut 'Ronome off with the explanation. "No, we were not attempting to make a new super soldier, we were testing Humans ability to accept multiple changes on the genetic level. Up until a decade ago we could only put so many changes into every SpartanIf we tried to put any more changes than the human body could take the body would shut down. That's why we have half a dozen different types of Spartan. But about twenty years ago we started documentation on an uncharted world that had a unique single-celled-organism that, after infecting it's host it manipulates the host's genetic structure."

A fearful look took over Gikrka's face as she asked, "Like the Flood?"

"Nothing like the flood," Hackett refuted, "This Organism only alters what's there. It enhances the natural abilities of the host. It adds nothing. After studying the organism we were certain that we could use the new information to significantly alter a humans genetic code."

"How many attempts were made?" Zeem'Nee asked in the deep, humming, echoing voice of the Yamn'ee.

"There were two experiments with 24 volunteers in each."

"And John was the only survivor." Ganda stated matter-of-factly in his high pitched voice.

"No actually, there were a dozen survivors. But John was the only one that didn't come out a vegetable and we don't know why. This is also the reason why ONI doesn't know what to do with him."

"Then why class it a failure?"

"Because no new data was found and all 48 subjects are either dead or a vegetable, With the exception of John, and we can't figure out how to replicate it."

"What do you mean you can't replicate it?"Dinwal inquired.

"I mean exactly that. We tested it at the genetic manipulations on the cellular level and it worked fine. But once we put the changes into a human something goes wrong and the subject either dies or goes brain dead. We even tried clones. But even that didn't work. Our scientists have theorized that there is something in John's mind that makes the difference. We just don't have the technology necessary to figure out what that is yet. The only reason I bring him up for contemplation is because the Alliance navy doesn't need him. We have an entire army of Super Soldiers to do what he does. Yes, he is a super soldier of a whole new caliber, but he just doesn't fit in anywhere."

"Then why bring his name up here? Why not choose an Arbiter, or even a Mgalekgolo" Gikrka threw in.

Everyone turned their eyes to Reck's massive form when he rumbled in reply "I have offered the names of the Lekgolo I believed would be best suited for this assignment, the Mgalekgolo have to many minds to be proper for this assignment. I can think of no others to add to this list. Besides, we have always been a race of peaceful disposition. Few of our kind know the ways of war any longer." He rumbled with light laughter then continued, "And the Arbiters have always had more than enough on their hands to deal with. If this John Sheppard is really a 'Third Wheel' as humans say, than I can think of no reason that he should not be the Alliance's first Spectre."

Greensburg smiled lightly and looked at 'Ronome "Well Kiga, what do you think? Have any Arbiters that don't fit in?"

'Ronome shook his head and replied, "No, Reck is correct. The Arbiters have more than they can handle now with the recurring Covenant threat."

After a few more answers from Hackett and Greensburg everyone in the room fell silent and turned to Anderson who had been silently reading the information on his console waiting for the leaders to finish. With all eyes on him he looked up.

"What do you think Captain?" the president asked.

He straightened in his seat as he realized that by some unspoken agreement he was back in charge. After a slow visual take in of the rooms occupants Anderson turned his eyes back to the hologram in the center of the room and studied the image for a few moments. Then he took a breath and said, "What's his story?"

Hackett and Greensburg shared a look than the admiral typed in another few commands and a dossier opened up on each of the consoles the name at the top read

Name - Shepard, John Alden

DOB - 4-11-2645

Place of birth - Unknown

At the first 'Unknown' Anderson was curious. At the third, his mind was screaming for answers, but Hackett anticipated such. He raised his hand to stop any questions. "I'll read this through, try to follow along. And if you get any questions just hold them to the end. Most likely your answers will be in here." He pointed to his copy of the dossier. "but keep in mind that a great deal of this is classified information and is not to be shared with anyone outside of this room with a security clearance level below 13-C" basically that meant anyone that wasn't at least Admiral, very high ranking politician, or a highly ranked scientist.

After everyone nodded their assent he began the briefing.

Over the following hour, Admiral Hackett had been giving a very interesting briefing on the image on the holographic display in the center of the room.

John Shepard, The One And Only Spartan IX. The man on the holo looked human enough, but after hearing the unedited version of his File it seemed that a title of "Human" did not accurately describe the man. Even before his transformation into the galaxies first and so far Only Spartan 9.

But what was probably the most interesting thing about him is that John had no records before the age of seven. He was found by James and Alex Shepard when they had to land their ship on the nearest planet for emergency repairs due to a recent pirate attack. After they found him they searched for his family, but all they found was the wreckage of a 60 year old ship that looked like it had been stranded for several decades. After several weeks of examination and immunizations James and Alex adopted him.

He adapted amazingly quickly for a child under his circumstances and even though he had been given no formal schooling he displayed an incredible intelligence and an unbelievable capacity for learning. By the time he turned nine he knew James' and Alex's ship like the back of his hand and he could replace, patch, or repair nearly anything on the ship as well as he could fly it which was actually very good. He never did well in math though which brought James and Alex no end of amusement.

Since he was a natural born biotic Alex taught him everything she knew from training in BAat and it quickly became apparent to them that, for a human, John was a very powerful biotic. He just absorbed anything that anyone would teach him from reading and writing, to swimming, shooting, hand-to-hand, playing musical instruments, and even singing, and virtually anything to do with computers. His father was an excellent technician and would play a game with his new son where they would take turns creating and hiding a virus then locating and destroying it which brought endless complaints and threats from the crew. They had to stop that one when one of John's misplaced viruses joined with one of James' then nearly caused the ship to self destruct. Alex grounded them both for a month after that one.

All in all, they were a very happy family. And with the addition of Alisha, James' and Alex's new born daughter it only got better.

Then came the First Contact War in 2657.

The Argos, James' and Alex's freighter was making a delivery of goods to one of the larger settlements on Shanxi when the Turians assaulted the Colony. The Argos was shot down when they tried to escape. Most of the crew survived the crash but most of them were killed by a Turian assault team that boarded the wreckage. John killed five of the Turian commandos that had boarded the ship; the first two were in defense of his three year old sister, Alisha. The second two were the ones that had killed James and the last was the one that shot his mom, Alex. John and Tina were held hostage with the two other survivors of the Argos until the siege was broken nine days later

After that John and Alisha were taken in by Alex's younger sister, Joan, and her family who lived on an outer colony named Mindoir. Little Alisha took the change rather well, considering that she never actually got to know her parents, John never fully got over it. Then almost five years later during the pirate assault of Mindoir. His entire new family and all his friends were either killed or taken, even his seen year old sister, Alisha. John managed to survive, but not only did he survive. While surviving for three days without food or fresh water awaiting rescue he managed to kill over two dozen pirates that were unfortunate enough to find him in the ruins most of whom were Batarians.

Three months after Mindoir after he turned seventeen John Shepard registered and started military training. After basic training he started the more advanced stuff but his first live training mission had gone terribly wrong. A thresher Maw had gotten into the training Center on Akuze. He had saved 5 of the 50 N7 cadets on the assignment by risking his life drawing the beast away from a drop-ship to allow them to get aboard and escape the planet. When an assault team arrived the following morning to hunt the thing down and find the remains (if any) they were surprised to find the young cadet covered in dirt, filth and gore cradling his sniper rifle had managed to kill the monster with explosives and heavy weapons fire from around the camp.

John Shepard's entire life was full with many dozens of similar scenarios and even better examples of how versatile and dangerous this man really was. Before he turned twenty-seven he had been an infiltrator, a sniper, an ODST, an N7, and a fighter pilot. And that was only up until he became a Spartan nine years ago. Since then, his record nearly tripled in its incredulity. Even though he was only 27 at the time it was hard to believe that he had never made the rank of captain. In fact he had only earned the rank of commander 5 years into the Fourth Covenant Incursion when a small squadron of ships were dispatched to investigate sightings of Covenant ships. The squadron was not equipped to take on a fully equipped Covenant fleet of over 600 ships. When the Alliance ships took flight to warn earth John stayed with a small crew in the hope that they could slow down the Covenant fleet. John and his team managed to cause enough havoc in the fleet to slow it down enough for the Alliance to prepare for the assault. millions, possibly billions of human lives were saved because of John's decision.

And then there was the Zion incident. Anderson shivered while he read over it. He had to fight off the images his mind had created to go along with the story. He had been through a lot in his time in the military but never had he heard of anything like what was explained in this file. Any person that could survive what John did there deserves the chance at being a Spectre.

Anderson looked down from the Projector to his own console where the information was also displayed. He reached out and selected physical statistics and read the information that it displayed. The data included a great many stats, many of them, he did not understand. He ignored those.

Anderson almost laughed. John Shepard stood just less than 7 feet at 6 foot 11 inches in height. He thought for sure the man stood over seven the holo is deceptive. He weighed four-hundred and twelve pounds and, thanks to the extensive genetic and cybernetic modifications, he could lift four times that. What those modifications also did was give him super human speed, reflexes, cognitive function, and a wickedly high metabolism which made him heal a dozen times faster than the average human. Throw in his advanced control of biotics, his natural ruthless efficiency, his calm calculating mind, and his technological aptitude. The man was a Human Tank.

After hearing the story of the man's life Anderson was practically ecstatic. This John Shepard, had to be the one man that literally could not fail in becoming a Spectre. But he kept his excitement hidden; there were some answers that he needed before he could make a proper judgment.

"So," Anderson eyes were pulled away from his console at the sound of Hackett's voice. "Any questions Anderson?"

He turned to Hackett, "I have three."

Hackett raised an eyebrow inquiringly. "Yes, Captain?"

"You said that he doesn't fit in anywhere, but with his resume he could probably get any assignment and placing he wanted. How does this make it difficult for ONI to think of a way to use him?" this thought had been bouncing around in Anderson's brain since the admiral had said it. but only now, after hearing and reading John Shepard's story he just had to know.

Hackett replied "would you want to fight next to a man that was most likely going to get you killed? he survived more than his fair share of missions where his whole team died and was unfairly granted the nickname 'Death Wish'. He managed to get on board with several very prestigious squads, but once they figured out who he was, they almost always found a way to get him off their roster. Next question?"

Well, if he makes it into the Spectres he'll be working alone. So we won't have to worry about that getting in his way. Anderson thought then asked, "what reason did he give when asked why he wanted to join the Military? Why did he take up your offer to possibly join the Spartans?"

Hackett smiled and answered "he quoted a movie from the early twentieth century. He said that 'I don't like bullies, no matter where their from.' Then added that he never wants anyone to go through what he's been through and that he'll do anything and everything he can to prevent it from happening again."

"So he's not a xenophobe?"

Greensburg barked a laugh. "Are you joking? Most of his best friends and lovers have been aliens."

Anderson thought on this for a moment. That falls in line with what I've been reading. So he has morals and virtues. He's not a loose cannon. That at least takes out some of the Liability. He will do his best or die trying and is at least professional around non-Humans. I'm liking the guy more and more the more I learn about him. He smiled lightly at the thought. But he cleared his thoughts and sobered before he continued. "Alright, last questions, then I'll make my recommendation."

There were nods from all around the room as the people around the table signaled they were ready.

Anderson took a deep breath then asked "is this man," he said pointing to the image on the holo, "the type of man that you would trust with the fate of the galaxy and all the people in it? would you trust him to make the decisions necessary to ensure the survival of not only humanity and the people of the alliance, but every other race of aliens that we know of now. Will he show the galaxy what the people in the Alliance are capable of?"

Everyone in the room stopped breathing for a few moments after Anderson asked his final question. In a single instant, they all realized what it was that they were going to ask the man they decided on to do. If Shepard was chosen, that would be exactly what would be expected of him. It would be his responsibility to make the choices that could change the galaxy.

Anderson almost expected scream from Gikrka, but she just sat there, quietly thinking.

"Is this the kind of person we want protecting the galaxy?" Anderson looked every leader in the room in the eye as he asked.

Dinwal was the first to answer. "He probably has some serious emotional scars."

"He's lost his family, not once, but three times." Hackett chimed in.

"He was crippled… lived through that nightmare on Zion." 'Ronome added solemnly

"He was ostracized on numerous occasions merely because he managed to survive where others could not." Reck rumbled.

"He's lost his home twice." Zeem'Nee continued.

"He is already weighted down by thousands of decisions. Can we trust his mind not to buckle under the weight of thousands more?" That was Greesnburg, but when he spoke his eyes showed the weight that the last six years of his term have made on his mind.

Anderson turned his eyes to Nikka, the only person in the room that has yet to add any thoughts to the question presented. But she just sat there staring into the eyes of the man on the holo as if she could reach into them and draw out the answers she was searching for. After a few more moments of soul searching she blinked and her mind came back to the table and the question at hand.

"Yes…" she began, her words were spoken softly but loud enough that Anderson did not have to strain his ears to hear it. "He lost his family. He lost his home. He survived Zion. And he was even ostracized because of his incredible ability to survive. And yes, he probably has a great many emotional scars." She meet Andersons stare evenly. "but under all that weight, and under all that pain. He survived. And if there is one thing that I know, it is that whatever does not kill you makes you stronger." She glanced down at her console then looked at and pointed to the holo of John. "and he, my fellow members of the Circle, is exceptionally hard to kill. And from what I have read, his judgment if unquestionable. He would kill himself before he'd risk the safety of the galaxy. I vote in favor"

This took everyone in the room by surprise. They didn't exactly expect Nikka to support the Spartan. It was more likely that she would point out another thing that was wrong with him and why it made him unable to do the job. But after she spoke the other leaders in the room smirked as if they had just played a major joke that only they understood.

If I were a betting man I'd say they planned that. Anderson thought drolly

"He is a Survivor and will not go down without a fight." Reck said thoughtfully, "I also vote in favor.

"He's a leader. He will lead by example" Dinwal added. "I favor as well."

'Ronome spoke up next, "He is a Warrior. He will not give up until the battle is either won or lost. I favor."

A Yamn'ee hum filled the room with Zeem'Nee's response. "He is a Hero. People will idolize him and want to be just like him. I believe he will make an excellent Spectre."

"He is certainly capable of making intelligent decisions and being able to support them with reason." His lips twitch in a smirk. "I can say that I favor."

All eyes once again turned to Anderson as Hackett smoothly inquired, "What about you Anderson," he motioned to the holo once more, "Is This the sort of man you want protecting the galaxy?"

The answer sprang to that question had been on Andersons tongue since he spoke the first of his three queries. "Admiral," he considered each member of the circle with a glance, "Members of the Circle. I believe that this is the Only kind of person who can protect the galaxy." A leery smile dusted the captains features as he fell silent considering the implications of what just happened. The first Alliance Spectre… The first Human Spectre. Christ, this is sure to get interesting quick.

"I'll make the call." Hackett announced as he stood to leave. Without breathing another word he nodded to the Circle and left. The rest of the Circle gave short goodbyes and left. After a few short moments Anderson was alone. Sitting in a seamless room with no companion apart from the man on the holo.

Anderson remained silent; Speculating at what awaited John in the near future. He had been there once, A long time ago. And it was the least that he could say when he thought that he did not envy the man.

He sat there another ten minutes just contemplating then he stood and walked to the door. But before deserting the room he turned back to the holo and silently uttered, "Don't let us down John Shepard."

Then he left and the door hissed shut in it's airtight vacuum. The lights remained only for another ten seconds then, once again, for the twenty-eighth time in over three centuries the Hazard Room went black.

I hope this clears up a little more of the fog enshrouding my universe.

Galactic Codex: Systems Alliance

The Systems Alliance, Created in 2420 is a coalition of races who have bound together to strengthen and reinforce each other, ensuring their continued existence. Though it only contains six races, there is no limit given to who may join. Each of the governments within the Alliance must rule itself with the same basic principles that govern the whole, the list of which is given in the form of the Alliance Compact.

The Alliance Compact was written and signed by the three Original races in the Systems Alliance; Humanity along with the Unggoy and the Lekgolo The only two races to completely pull away from and sever ties with the Covenant Created the Alliance Compact as an affirmation of their peace and has resulted in a very close friendship between the three races. it took another 40 years for the Sanghieli, Yamn'ee, and Kig-Yar to join however some of their factions remained loyal to the Covenant.

The Alliance was originally meant to provide allies against the growing covenant threat but has grown into a thriving society of a multiracial government that has lasted for over two centuries.