"It's your crew, Captain, obviously you should be allowed to pick them. However, there are other concerns to consider beyond the simple balance of your command team." Admiral Hackett's gravelly voice was a match for his serious demeanor as he leaned back in his chair, eying the two other gentlemen in the small conference room.

"I know exactly who I want for my command crew, sir, and I hope my choices will serve well for all our goals." Captain Anderson sat, back straight but not stiff, apparently completely at ease. "I want Shepard."

"Lieutenant Commander Alexis Shepard is an excellent choice, Captain. With her family ties, she's exceptionally loyal to the Alliance, and she's a PR dream, thanks to her heroics in the Blitz." Ambassador Udina nodded sharply, obviously already planning his press release.

"I think you misunderstood me, Ambassador. I want all three of them."

A slight pause greeted Anderson's assertion, before Hackett leaned forward and fixed his serious gaze on the younger officer. "That would give you four biotics on one frigate, Captain. That's a concentration of resources that Command does not normally condone."

"These are not normal circumstances, Admiral. If they were, you would never have called this meeting. The situation on Eden Prime is unprecedented." The Captain paused, as if daring his superior officer to disagree with him. When neither of the other men broke the silence, he continued. "The choices for my command team are all on the short-list of potential candidates provided by the turian agent. The more options we give him, the more likely he'll be satisfied with his final recommendation. And if we're very lucky, he might recommend more than one." Anderson turned his dark gaze on the Ambassador, whose current expression couldn't seem to decide between the gasp of a landed fish and the sour pucker of biting into a lemon. "I understand your reservations regarding Lieutenant Commanders Meghan Shepard and Ella Shepard, but you have to admit, they have survived the worse the universe can throw at them, and they get the job done. These are traits the turian will respect. And I believe the potential benefits would out-weigh any negative press either might temporarily generate."

"Temporarily?" Udina sputtered. "There have been rumors regarding the sole survivor of Akuze's lack of mental stability since she somehow managed to get herself enrolled in the Academy, never mind what happened to her later, and the fuss over the butcher's inclusion in special forces training never really died down. You want soldiers like that raised up as humanity's best and brightest?"

"Yes, I do. Because they are." Anderson's gaze stayed level, and he answered the angry politician calmly and firmly. The two men glared at each other, neither willing to back down.

"These are the kind of people you want protecting the galaxy?" Udina demanded.

"They're the only ones who can protect the galaxy," Anderson responded coolly.

"Enough." Hackett broke the stand-off in disgust. "The Captain has a point, Ambassador. We have the opportunity to get more than one candidate under consideration, and we'd be fools not to take it."

"The press will have a field day! The slightest hint that we're moving three of the most infamous members of the Alliance to the same posting, and concentrating human biotics on a turian ship? It will be impossible to distract them back to anything we want them to report!"

"The Normandy is not a turian ship!" Anderson scowled at the politician.

"That's not the point, Captain. The point is that the press will make a story out of their pasts, not the future we're working towards." Udina sneered back at the captain.

"Ambassador," Hackett interrupted again, "you're right."

Hackett's unexpected support managed to shut the verbal combatants up, as they both stared at him in surprise.

"We won't send their orders through channels. It'll leak, and we'll have a public relations disaster." Spinning his chair, he brought up the holo-display on the console built into the table against the wall, ignoring the previously squabbling men behind him as he worked.

"Based on their current duty assignments, I think I can get them all on leave about when the Normandy will be ready to depart." Hackett finally turned around. "It shows they went to Academy and N training together. They're friends, aren't they, Captain?" At Anderson's slight nod, Hackett allowed a small smile to cross his face. "Then you shouldn't have any trouble picking them all up on Arcturus Prime. I'll make sure I send a staff officer to round them up for you when you arrive." He paused a moment in thought. "Lieutenant Villanova's discreet. He'll probably do." The Admiral stood, nodding in satisfaction. "I'm glad we got that figured out. Thank you gentlemen. If you'll contact the Council representative, Ambassador? Good luck on your shakedown run, Captain." Without giving either man a chance to reply, Admiral Hackett turned on his heel and strode out of the room.

Udina's lips tightened for a moment before he stood as well. "I'll go make the call, Captain. Good luck. I hope we don't regret this decision."

Alone in the room, Anderson sighed softly, the slightest loosening of his shoulders the only signal of his relief. Standing, he pulled his jacket straight and headed out to return to his new ship.

The holographic display in the conference room gave one last flash, before powering down in the silent room.

keyword(s) recognized: Shepard
Demeter Status: Dormant
subject artemis: upgrade to active watch
subject atalanta: upgrade to active watch
subject athena: upgrade to active watch
Persephone Activated