Dedicated to the Memory of Emily Wong: Daughter, Sister, Friend, Colleague

2150-2186

Good evening, Ladies and Gentleman. I am Khalisah bint Sinan al Jilani.

A lot of stories have been rose around the kind of person whom the rather private, and some would say withdrawn, Commander Nora Shepard was. There was a reason for this. Unlike the distinguished Commander Jane Clarke, the Hero of the Skylian Blitz, Nora Shepard had far more going against her even before her enlistment.

In the early part of the twenty second century, there was once a lot of promise for the Megatroplis of Old Los Angeles. New buildings and a matching infrastructure had hoped to make it the focal point of the American West Coast as a hub for anything and everything.

In a twist of irony, the discovery of the Prothean Cache on Mars was the first step towards the decline of this once great city. With the ready availability of new technologies that could be mass produced and distributed, it allowed many people searching for opportunities to head to the stars to start new lives, business, homes, and more.

In Old Los Angeles, however, much of the local government, who had taken out substantial loans from private investment firms, construction companies, and major franchises, found themselves in a renovated city that no one wanted to live in. As a result, the city coffers suddenly emptied, businesses fled, and the population plummeted.

And like in most cases, those without the financial means to move found themselves in a decaying shell of what once was the shining beacon of the West Coast. By the early 2150s, over fifty million people had migrated off of planet earth and to live on new worlds.

What makes this city so significant is where Nora Shepard was born.

Alliance Parliament Speaker John Statton: I had just been elected to be a freshman and was on my way to full Senatorship when I had been made in charge of the Old Los Angeles area. My predecessor, George Sears, had big ideas and big dreams. It was just unfortunate that when people started migrating into space, all the potential for the metropolis went with it.

K: It was kind of ironic that the outlying districts of the city were more or less unchanged because most of the people there had no reason to migrate.

J: Correct. It was considered the affluent neighborhoods with financial interests outside of the city itself.

K: In 2170, you instituted several programs in Old Los Angeles; such as 'Second Chance', to help the people in the slums get back on their feet. To the surprise of most other people, it ended up working better than most expected. What was the impetus?

"Senator Stanton," Shepard said as she hefted the man to his feet as the rest of her troops moved forward around them to help gather the refugees behind him. The door to the shelter behind them opened to show the light that had been shut off for almost a year. After as many refugees could be found, the shelter they all lived in shut its doors and anyone fortunate enough to find this hiding hole had survived by scavenging.

The man in question's once finely pressed suit had seen better days. It was ragged, torn in several places, and one of the sleeves he had torn off to help stop the bleeding from a wound his wife had endured in the last month.

"Oh, Commander Shepard?" he said, surprised. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're here, but what brought you here when you got so many other people to help?"

Nora looked past him to the other refugees the senator had been helping survive the Reaper invasion of the remains of his city and then to him. "For one; we've pushed the Reapers off of Earth. Second; I have a personal reason why I came back here."

"Oh?" he said, somewhat surprised. It was common knowledge that Commander Shepard was born and raised in Alaska, so, it puzzled him as to why she would come to the former metropolis.

She turned around and saw the ruins of the city. The memories of her less than ideal youth came back in droves as she whispered, "I lost a friend here. She was the only one that saw me for the person I wanted to be. But she wasn't the only one," she turned and gave him a knowing smile, "I also made a friend that gave me a chance. My second chance."

The Senator, smiling at the prospect of better times, said, "you remind me so much of a young woman I met once. I only saw one glimpse of that young lady for who she really was and what she could have been." The smile then faded. "Unfortunately, she died to protect me from one of the local gangs. I never got a chance to tell her, thank you."

"Among my tribe, there's a certain belief that those who can alter the course of a person's life can earn those whose lives they change as their guardians from the world of spirits," she turned back to him as the sun peeked through the ashen clouds that covered most of the planet, "I think she must be watching over you. How else could you have saved as many people from the city as you have?"

He looked past her to the sun and smiled himself, "that's a wonderful belief you have, Commander."

She nodded. "Thank you, Senator."

J: I never knew Commander Shepard personally, but she has a, forgive me for saying this, but a certain aura or charisma that knows what you can be at your best. That instant when the doors opened to show her entering made everything worth it. We survived. Thanks to her. And I don't think we'll ever be able to repay that.

Two Weeks Post Victory; Earth.

In the lonely hallways of one of the few remaining hospitals, a single shadow stalked the floor. He had only one destination to go to and with the chaos of the post-War reconstruction; it would allow him to complete his mission much easier. It would have been far too difficult had he brought more men, however, he would have felt safer with more people he could trust. However, the window of opportunity was small and the sooner he completed his business, the faster he could get off this wretched dust-ball of a planet and back to the remains of Kar'Shan.

Admiral Terahn Balak took quiet steps past the few operating hospital personnel, making sure they would not see his face, though it was a bit obvious that a batarian seen anywhere would raise a few eyebrows, since there was less than a million of them left, scattered throughout the galaxy. They were distracted enough that no one would notice what he was about to do as he calmly opened the door to the room where the person he wanted dead more than anyone else was recovering.

With the door closed behind him, he looked through the shadows to the sleeping form on the bed. As much as he would love to hear Shepard scream in agony, he would not have the luxury. There were far too many of Shepard's allies around and once the deed was done, he would have to return to the shadows of the Terminus, where he still had some operating bases.

He pulled the single shot pistol from his sleeve. One shot was all he needed as he stepped up to the side of the bed, where Shepard lay on her side with the covers over her head.

He aimed at her temple and growled beneath his breath, "for Aratoht and for Kar'Shan." He pulled the trigger and instead of gore and blood, all he saw was feathers. It was then he realized his mistake as a shadow emerged from behind him, clamped a large hand over his mouth, and a stasis field rendered him immobile. A familiar voice hissed venomously, "you missed, Balak."

The shadow stepped in front of him as Nora Shepard, still in her hospital gown, despite her many injuries, appeared in what little light the moon provided through the window. Balak tried to scream, however, the wicked and predatory smile on Nora's face, the glowing red eyes and scars, along with her hand clamped tightly over his mouth, silenced him. She then pulled out a smoothly curved and well maintained asari CQC dagger from seemingly nowhere as she raised it and aimed it at one of his eyes, "and now," Nora chuckled darkly, "you're dead."

Admiral Hackett's lips thinned into a line.

Shepard was gone. The body of Admiral Balak was found in the street just outside of the hospital she was in. What bothered him more was how he was able to get there in the first place. Yet, already there were accusations being flung at the remainder of the Batarian fleet that Balak's actions in conjunction with Shepard's disappearance pretty much spoke for all them and the Quarians and Krogan were screaming for blood.

Admiral Han'Gerrel had to be talked down from training the guns of the Heavy Fleet away from the Batarians while everyone was trying to take stock of the survivors.

What unsettled him more was the condition Balak's body was in. All four of his eyes had been gouged out, in addition to the various stabs in his torso and open slice on his neck. It was no secret that Batarians believed that the eyes were how the soul departed upon death and that the greatest sacrilege was to remove the eyes. It brought back a single uncomfortable memory, watching the debriefing after the events of Torfan.

"Their eyes? You gouged their eyes out?!" one of the civilian liaisons of the Alliance military practically screamed after reading the report at Nora Shepard as she stood tall and rigid.

Nonplussed and completely indifferent to the severity of her actions, Shepard nodded once. "Yessir."

Another liaison, also encased in shadow, grumbled audibly, "can you kindly explain why you felt it necessary to commit actions that the greater galaxy would deem nothing short of barbaric, considering how little they think of us now?!"

Staring straight into the darkness, Nora's own eyes narrowed, as though she were facing the specters of the slavers she had murdered not too long ago. "Because I felt it best than a message be sent to Kar'Shan. They would eventually find the remains of their men, fully aware that we've adapted to their tactics, customs, and so on. And in this case, using their superstitions, myths, and folktales against them can weaken their morale."

The first liaison frowned and grumbled. As much as he hated Shepard, the fact that the Batarians were seen pulling all their forces out of the traverse was a victory they could have only dreamed of.

"Are you aware of the kinds of repercussions this can have on the Alliance, yourself, and humanity as a whole?" the second official said, hoping to weaken Nora's resolve.

Shepard nodded again, more than aware of the consequences of her actions. "Yessir. I was in command and as such, the responsibility is mine." She stood still, seemingly indifferent to the ramifications of her actions as the several military and civilian officials spoke in hushed whispers.

"Very well, Lieutenant Shepard," one of the military commanders said calmly, "as grateful as we are that Torfan was taken care of, until further notice, you are relieved of duty. You will still keep your rank, however, until the inevitable PR disaster is dealt with, you will be on stand-by until summoned."

Shepard gave no indication of any emotion and simply nodded, "Yessir."

"Dismissed."

He looked out to the window were the remainder of the Allied Galactic Fleet was busy cleaning up the debris, hoping quietly that as soon as the cleanup was completed, they could all go home and begin reconstruction without shooting each other in the back.

Author's note: Since there's a lot of flashbacks going into this, better get your airsickness bags ready, since we got a lot of jumping around to do.