Chapter 1:

June 15th, 2183 CE

"Well, what about Shepard? He's a spacer. Lived aboard starships most of his life." Donnel Udina asked, the Ambassador between Humans and the Council races.

"Military service runs in his family. Both his parents were in the Alliance. Hannah is still an XO. Recently transferred to the SSV Kilimanjaro, if I remember correctly." David Anderson replied, willing to go to bat for his own Executive Officer.

On the other end of the call, Admiral Steven Hackett's voice came through "He proved himself during the Blitz. Held off enemy forces on the ground until reinforcements arrived, and then chased the bastards all the way back to Torfan."

Captain Anderson nodded, remembering the event clearly. "The accusations against him have all but disappeared from the Alliance, and really only the Batarians are still angry about it. Rest of the other races have long since forgiven him in their eyes."

Udina nodded. The whole event was one big clusterfuck, and all three of them knew it. "He's on shore leave now, isn't he?"

Anderson spoke up, knowing that the quantum entanglement communications array didn't do well with subtle movements like nodding. "He's got another week left on Earth. You want to tell him now, or wait until he's back on board?"

Hackett spoke up next, clearly the one who was in a position to decide such things, even though Shepard was directly under Anderson's command. "Let's tell him now. It'll give him some time to process it."

Having no arguments made for the latter, it was decided. Shepard would be put in a position to become the first ever Human Spectre.

"I'll make the call." Udina said.

June 22nd, 2183 CE

Orbital Way Station Lagrange 1

John Arcturus Shepard stood at the viewing deck of Lagrange 1, an orbital platform high up in Earth's orbit. Beneath him was the home planet of the human race. Though the kinetic barriers protecting the station from space debris slightly distorted the view of the planet, Earth's blue oceans and the clouds above them were able to be seen clearly.

John was a large man, made even larger by both his armor and his reputation. Nearly every human had heard the surname 'Shepard' at one point or another. Although his mother holds the same rank and station as him, Executive Officer, he was the one who came to mind when the people thought of the Shepard.

Some claim that his reputation blossomed during the Skyllian Blitz, where he had earned the title 'The Lion of Elysium' by rallying a resistance force on the planet when it came under assault by a band of both human and Batarian slavers and warlords. Shepard was there on shore leave when the attack took place and without any of his standard weapons or armor, he managed to get to a large group of lightly-armed civilians and temporarily became their leader in fighting off the invaders.

As they fought, other Marines who were also on shore leave came to fight with Shepard. As their position became overrun, Shepard used his advanced Biotics to both create an escape for those with him and sealed it with him on the other side, where the Slavers were. From there he managed to almost single-handedly repel the attack and proceeded to take the fight to them. He fought them to a standstill until help came from the Alliance Fleet.

Others claim that his fame comes from what came next, which was a counterattack on Torfan, a small moon which served as a base for the criminals who attacked Elysium. Without so much as a day's rest, he hopped on board the nearest ship that would take him and chased the Slavers down. This is where he earned his second most well-known title, 'The Butcher or Torfan' where he showed how ruthless he could be after witnessing the Slavers beat, kill, and rape the men,women, and children of Elysium.

He knew his path would be covered in blood, so he went alone and slaughtered every single one of the criminals who participated in the Skyllian Blitz, going so far as to kill those who tried to surrender who, moments before, were holding hostages. His act of forging on alone was against regulations and after this was seen and reported back to his temporary CO, Major Kyle, he was subject to a Court-martial. The charges which were levied against him were eventually dropped, but he never once denied what he did. He turned himself in immediately after the raid on the moon.

However, those within the Systems Alliance know that Shepard's rise to either glory or infamy, depending on who you talk to, started before this. John became noteworthy after his mother, Hannah Shepard, enrolled him into Grissom Academy at the age of 13. At the time he was the youngest person to ever attend the Biotic School, and for good reason. His Biotics were so devastating, so powerful, that he once accidentally tore open a massive hole in the Hull of a dry-docked ship after experiencing emotional trauma when he found out his father was killed in action.

Before, John hadn't shown much in the way of Biotic power. His mother and father knew that he was gifted, but he had never shown that much raw power before. After his enrollment, he quickly learned how to both control and hone his power. At 15, he underwent extremely dangerous surgery to have experimental L5n Biotic implants, which further increased his Biotic ability.

After graduating from Grissom Academy at 17, his mother allowed him to follow in both her and his father's footsteps by signing a waiver which allowed him to join the Systems Alliance at 17. After graduating Basic Training, he was immediately offered the opportunity to further his training, which he accepted, taking every opportunity to better himself. First he took the standard Infiltrator training, which taught him stealth and marksmanship, followed quickly by Vanguard training, where he conditioned his body to near-perfection to withstand the techniques he learned to use Biotics while in combat.

After all of his training, he quickly made a name for himself on the battlefield. He was quick, silent, and powerful, all in one package. His advanced biotics made it possible for him to tear an enemy from limb to limb, or to pierce even the thickest of armor. Whether he was fighting with raw strength or using such precision that even his mentors thought impossible, he always came out on top.

After the Skyllian Blitz, the Raid of Torfan, and his Court-martial, he was then extended an offer to undergo N training, the System Alliance's Special Forces. He accepted and continued his training after graduating ICT, the Interplanetary Combatives Training. After he earned his N7 designation, the most coveted of all, he then proceeded to train with three separate schools at once- Destroyer, Shadow, and Slayer. These three schools represented the highest ability of the Marine, Infiltrator, and Vanguard schools.

This is what earned him his fame within the Systems Alliance. He was ruthless on the battlefield, but knew when it was time to show mercy. He could rip apart a Mako Tank just as easily as he could offer someone a hand. This conflict of character caused a lot of talk among his superiors about whether or not they wanted him on their ships. He was passed around as no Captain wanted to hold onto him for too long until he finally fell into the hands of Captain David Anderson, one of the most decorated N7 Operatives and the first human to ever be considered for Spectre candidacy.

Now, Shepard was the second to be considered for Spectre candidacy, which is a group of agents entrusted with extraordinary authority by the Citadel Council. In the galaxy, they held sole authority over every other person, including the power of life and death. Their primary directive and responsibility is to preserve galactic stability by whatever means necessary. It was an incredible amount of power and now Shepard could possibly become the first ever Human Spectre, while Humans don't even have a spot on the council yet.

That's why he was there on Lagrange 1, waiting for the Normandy to pick him and several other Alliance personnel up from their shore leave. Afterwards, they'd be heading to the Mass Effect Relay at Charon, Pluto's moon, to pick up Nihlus Kryik, a Turian Spectre, who would then observe Shepard to help judge whether or not Shepard is ready for the Spectre title.

So there he stood, looking down at Earth. This was only his second time on the planet. His first time was to lay his father to rest in his home town. It was a bittersweet moment to visit his father's grave. He missed his father, but he knew that if he were still alive he'd be proud of John.

He'd come a long way from that day he accidentally damaged the ship his parents were stationed on. He could still remember the look on his mother's face when she told him about his father. He also remembered the look of absolute shock after witnessing his extreme outburst.

"E-excuse me, sir?" A soft, female voice said, rousing him from his thoughts.

Shepard turned to see a girl, no older than 13. As she slightly shied away, he realized the difference in their size. She was barely 5'3, where he was 6' 5. He adopted a more casual demeanor and spoke.

"Yes?"

She had a hard time meeting his eyes when she spoke "U-uh, you're stationed on the Normandy, right?"

His eyebrows raised. It wasn't very common that people knew what ship he was on. Instantly, she realized her mistake and started explaining. "I-I'm not a stalker or anything. My brother, he's on the ship. I'm here for school and I heard that he'd be coming by here."

That explains it, Shepard thought. "Oh. Yes, the Normandy will be docked here for a short time. Nobody is going to be able to get off the ship, though. We're all-" he motioned to the other members of the SSV Normandy crew on the Observation deck "- finished with shore leave, and they're just swinging by to pick us up. Who's your brother?"

She fidgeted, clearly not used to speaking to someone like Shepard. "Jeff. Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau. He's the pilot. He told me a lot about you. You're friends, right?"

"Yeah" he said, smiling slightly "Joker- Jeff that is, and I are friends. You must be Hilary, right?"

"Mhm." She relaxed slightly, now feeling more at-ease talking to one of Joker's friends, rather than The Lion of Elysium. "Listen, I know he can't come out onto the platform or anything, but could you take this to him?" She fished a small paper envelope out of her pocket, handing it to John.

She noticed his questioning look. "He asked for an old picture to put on his desk in his bunk. Is it okay for you to take it to him?"

Shepard opened the unsealed envelope, confirming it's contents. It was a physical photo, which was pretty rare these days. The photograph showed four people, which he assumed was Joker and his family, sitting on the roof of an older model UT-47 Kodiak, a Drop Shuttle.

"Yeah, I can get it to him." He said, putting the photo back in the envelope. This was met with a bright smile from Hilary.

She thanked him and quickly went on her way, already a bit late for her shuttle back down to Earth. As he watched the shuttle depart, he could see the glimmer of the SSV Normandy in the distance. He hollered to the other crew members to get their gear. Grabbing his own duffel full of his civilian clothes, which consisted of a few pairs of black jeans, a few grey shirts, and his N7 Leather Jacket, he made his way to the gate.

Later That Day

SSV Normandy SR-1

"So what's the story behind this picture?" Shepard asked, handing the picture back to Joker.

Joker's head dropped to the picture in his hands, a small smile gracing his face. "You know about my Vrolik's syndrome. Because of that, I can't really do much manual labor. But the summer I was 15 I wanted to fix a ship. Like, actually work on something."

Shepard nodded. Ever since he had been stationed on the Normandy, he had known of Joker's condition. Extreme brittleness in the bones, meaning that even with all the advancements of modern medicine, he could break a leg just by walking wrong.

"Well, on Arcturus Station, there was this really old Drop Ship. Old, blown to hell, rusted inside and out. When I was younger, most of my broken bones came from playing around in it. Well one day, I decided I wanted to fix it up. So I did. I got some help from some of the adults and my family, but mostly it was my project." Joker said, putting the photo back into the envelope, patting it fondly.

"This picture was taken just a few minutes before I was allowed to take it out for a spin. God, I had such a smug smile on my face."

Shepard chuckled slightly, shaking his head. "I take it that's when you became the greatest pilot to ever grace the skies?"

John's slight jab was met with a derogatory noise from Joker. "Pfft. Nah. Crashed it and nearly broke every bone in my body. But while I wasn't busy losing control, it was the single greatest experience of my life. That's when I decided to enlist."

That got an honest laugh from the Normandy's XO, prompting Joker's own laugh. They had a fairly unique friendship, making jokes at the other's expense, even while in the middle of combat.

Jeff 'Joker' Moreau shook his head, changing the subject "So, what's with this Spectre business? You gonna become some super celebrity?"

He was obviously referring to Shepard being considered for Spectre candidacy. "I'm not too sure. Maybe if I pass this little test, I can afford a nice little apartment on the Citadel and bathe in champagne."

Joker scoffed, turning his chair around. "Yeah, well you better remember the pilot who's pulled your ass out of the fire more times than I can count once you make it to the big leagues. Now, let's get to Charon in once piece. Gotta make a good first impression on that Spectre we're picking up."

Shepard nodded, turning on his heel and walking back towards the Galaxy Map. Although he felt good about his chances, he still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He was sure everyone else could feel it, too. Somehow, they were missing something. Some piece of a puzzle. Without it, whatever was going to happen would blindside them. He shook his head violently, trying to rid himself of these thoughts.

One way or another, this mission would be seen through to the end. The plan was to pick up the Turian Spectre, Nihlus, and then proceed on a shakedown run to some unknown planet. If all went well, Nihlus would recommend the council grant Shepard the title of Spectre. If all didn't go well, then..

A/N: I apologize for being away for an extended period of time without any prior warning. Life caught up to me and I was pulled away from my writing. The upcoming chapter of Michael's Rangers is still in the works, though close to completion. In addition, I have one more new story almost ready to go up. I felt that instead of delaying this story's debut to coincide with that one, I'd polish this pilot chapter and send it out for appraisal. If the feedback is positive, I'll designate some of my time to working on this story.

In this story, you'll see all your favorite characters. Though I have taken some creative liberties with the story, as you probably noticed, I promise that it's done for the greater good of the story. Shepard will indeed be an ass-kicking badass in this story, but he'll still be able to remain grounded as a character. This will be helped along by several OCs as well as a home-brewed encounters and conversations. If you're looking for a 1:1 retelling of Mass Effect, this might not be the story for you. While I do plan on sticking to canon for the most part, I do have a specific direction for this story to go in and there will be instances of "Hey, that's not canon!" in this particular story.

As you might have read in my profile, where I've outlined all my 'plot bunnies' in somewhat significant detail, there will definitely be at least two sequels to this story. Each individual story will follow one game each. In addition to that, there is a possibility of a spin-off story as well. Once I get my hands on Mass Effect: Andromeda, I'll likely attempt to incorporate that specific storyline into these three stories. I already have an idea of how that will work, but you'll just have to wait and see.

As always, I thank you all for reading and hope you'll join Shepard on this journey of his.