James sighed as he stared down at the security screen, currently bored out of his mind. He thought that when he accepted the position of Commander Shepard's guard, it might have been a bit exciting. After all, there were continual threats on her life by the Batarians after the Alpha Relay incident but so far, it seemed like it was all bluster on the part of the Hegemony.

His ward was currently laying on her bed, her data pad raised above her as she read one of the books that had been downloaded onto it. They had disconnected it from the extranet, as well as taken away her omni-tool. That one had caused a bit of a fuss, apparently it had been expensive when she had gotten it on Omega and was extensively modified.

After a while, she set the pad down next to her on the covers and stretched, her arms above her head and her back arching off the bed as sounds bordering on erotic left her lips. He heard one of the other guards at the security station clear his throat nervously and he looked over to see him shifting in his seat. James snorted in amusement as he looked back at the screen, watching as she settled again, her hands on her stomach.

The Lieutenant would be one of the first to admit it: Commander Shepard was hot. Long honey blonde hair, dusky skin, piercing green eyes, and a curvy yet firm physique. If she were an Alliance pin up model, she'd make a fortune. Instead she was the Hero of the Citadel, Conqueror of the Collectors (or so the news networks had so romantically called her) and First Human Spectre.

Soldiers everywhere followed her career since she survived the Thresher Maw attack on Akuze that had wiped out her entire unit, the networks painting her as the Lone Survivor, defeating impossible odds to stay alive even as everyone around her died. It was very inspiring. After the fight at the Citadel against the rogue former Spectre Saren Arterius, she was held up as a paragon of humanity.

There was a galaxy wide moment of silence when she was declared KIA after the destruction of the SR-1 Normandy. Testimony from the surviving pilot stated that he saw her get pulled into the void of space even as she made sure his escape pod launched, thinking of his safety rather than her own. It had been obvious to everyone who had seen the testimony that the pilot felt extreme guilt over her death, as he had refused to abandon ship with the rest of the crew, forcing her to get him herself and causing a delay in their own escape.

News crews had been there as the remaining crew of the Normandy stood at her memorial service, some military, some civilians, even a few aliens. Despite an extensive search of Alchera and the wreckage of the Normandy, no remains had been found to bury.

Then Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko spoke at the service, talking about the Commander's bravery in the face of incredible danger, how she had pulled all these different people together to stop a threat to the entire galaxy. It had been clear from the way his voice broke with emotion from time to time that he had cared for her more than one would care for his Commanding Officer.

A Turian former C-Sec agent, an Asari archeologist, and even a Quarian had spoken as well, the last two needing to be helped off the stage as emotion got the better of them. The service ended with a showing of a vid, recorded sometime before the fight on the Citadel. It had been surprisingly candid, the Commander smiling and laughing, poking fun at the Turian who returned the jabs with a dry sarcasm, commenting on her Mako driving skills, or lack thereof. She had gathered the crew around her for what resembled a family photo, and they all looked happy as they crowded around her while the exploration droid took the shot.

Two years after the service, rumors started circulating about an SR-2 frigate named the Normandy travelling the Terminus Systems, but flying under the recognizable colors of Cerberus. That's when stories of a woman matching Shepard's description started running rampant through the ranks. None of them believed it at first, that Shepard was alive and working with Cerberus against the Collectors as whole colonies of humans went dark.

James had been on the Citadel when the Normandy docked, the black, yellow, and white ship catching quite a bit of attention. He had watched her come through the airlock with two others in Cerberus uniforms, and she had even looked right at him, but her eyes slid past without a second glance. It had been brief, no more than a second, but it had confirmed it in his mind.

Commander Sarah Jane Shepard was alive.