Chapter Text
Everyone knew the fight was over when Shepard managed to pin Jaren’s arms behind his back. No one ever won a training match against her once they were restrained, and even if they did manage to break out of it, they never lasted very long after.
Sure enough, he was down on the ground with Shepard’s knee on his back in a matter of seconds, and after Sergeant Barras finished his countdown that started as soon as Jaren was immobile, he declared Shepard the winner. She gracefully stood back up, brushing a few stray hairs out of her face while a satisfied smile looked down at the other recruit. Then, she reached out and held her hand, helping him get back to his feet despite the shame carried on his face before he left the training mats to grab his bottle of water.
“Shepard wins… again,” Aneta sighed from where she stood on the edge of the mats, shaking her head. “Are you ever going to let one of us win these matches?”
“Sure,” Shepard said with a grin. “Go ahead and fight each other; I’m sure you can win then.”
Aneta rolled her eyes, but she still let out a soft chuckle before tossing Shepard a water bottle too. She accepted it and immediately twisted the top open, downing half the bottle in one go.
As she began to close it again, Sergeant Barras clapped her shoulder from behind and said, “How about you do take a break, Zarena? A proper one this time, not just for water. No one learns from continuing to get their asses beat, do they? Maybe we need to bump you up to the low-grav sims the N-1’s train in and see if you can still handle those fights.”
Before she could give him an answer, her brow furrowed and her lip curled for a moment as she was going to try and refuse the break, red and white flashing lights high in the ceiling started up, followed seconds later by a blaring alarm that brought all conversations among the recruits to a halt as they looked up and around, unsure of what to do.
“Some kind of drill?” one of them suggested, though their voice was timid and unsure.
“Everyone, get in formation!” Barras barked, looking over them to do a head count as they scrambled to gather together. “I’m contacting the office now to figure out what’s going on, but I want you all ready to move in a moment’s notice.”
“There’s no need,” a new voice said as it cut over the alarm.
Barras turned around and stood at attention, saluting. “Captain Anderson,” he greeted.
“At ease,” he said as he stepped up to the mats, carefully folding his hands behind his back and examining the recruits lined up before him. “Barras, Shepard, come with me. The rest of the recruits, return to your quarters and await further instructions.”
“Are we under attack?”
“Not here,” he assured. “You are not in danger by staying in the base.”
“But we are under attack?” Shepard said, eyebrow raised as she crossed her arms across her chest.
His lips pressed together into a thin line, and for a moment, the only sound in the room was the still blaring alarm. “Come with me,” he said instead of confirming or denying, and turned quickly on his heel to show he was dismissing everyone else.
Shepard hurried to catch up to him, passing Barras along the way who was keeping a respectable distance between them as he followed. “Sir, if we’re under attack, shouldn’t the others have the right to know?”
“The information is on a need to know basis right now, Shepard. Things have just gotten… complicated. It will have to wait until the briefing room.”
“Briefing room?” she repeated, slowing down immediately and almost falling too far behind him to hear his answer.
“Your skill is outmatched in your training group, and I have reassurances from every officer that has covered your training that you’re more than capable of handling yourself. We need every hand we can get right now, so we can’t afford to leave you in training. You’ve just earned yourself your first promotion, Shepard.”
She didn’t even have the words to answer, eyes wide as she continued with the men further into the base. There she was, already getting her first promotion, finally getting the chance to see more of space and what the galaxy had to offer, and she didn’t even have the time to write home about it. Sure, she didn’t mind dealing without all the bells and whistles of a formal ceremony, but this was the last thing she expected when she woke up this morning. Whatever this was, it was clearly serious if they were willing to promote her because of it.
Finally, they reached the comm room where most of the other ranking officers on base were already gathered. The stale scent of sweat was no longer present this far in from the training grounds, and Shepard blinked around in surprise as everyone took a seat around the table in the center fitted with top end holographic technology. Squeezing in between several of the other officers, for once in a long time, Shepard felt… small. She sat up a little straighter, squaring off her shoulders, and continued to scan the faces of those within the room, slowly tuning out the alarms that were now only blaring in the distance.
She blinked back surprise when the hologram flickered to life without warning, but kept her reaction minimal so as to not distract anyone, including herself, from the holographic man now standing up on the table. He was only barely recognizable from all of the Alliance posters asking for people to volunteer, and from many of his public announcements as well. The hologram was none other than Admiral Hackett himself.
As everyone suddenly stood up to salute him, Shepard followed suit, making sure to stand her ground and not let anyone push her over as they did. In fact, the one person who did accidentally hit her in their proximity was the one to bounce away, unable to move her in the slightest.
“At ease,” Hackett said with a wave, and quickly everyone sat back down and looked up at him expectantly. “As some of you may be aware, and as I know others are not, one of our fleets exploring the galaxy and opening up more relays to travel further suddenly sent up a distress signal before going dark. Another fleet was quickly dispatched to provide aid, and along the way, ran into the only surviving ship, crippled but trying to bring back the story of what happened. They bring us… surprising news, but not something we were not expecting eventually as we continued to explore what lay beyond the relays. We are, in fact, not the only intelligent life in the universe.”
He paused for a moment and let his words sink in for everyone, making the room fall completely silent. A pin could drop on the floor and everyone would hear it, bt uno one would even look for the source of the noise as they all processed this sudden news.
“Yes, the fleet had made first contact, and it immediately went wrong. These aliens open fired on the team trying to open the relay, an open act of immediate hostility. As far as we can tell, they didn’t even try to communicate with us beforehand. This is an open faced act of war, and unless they come forward and try to rectify the situation peacefully, we must assume defensive positions on the closest colony. We’re preparing once more to attempt some kind of peaceful contact ourselves, as this may have been the act of a few and they don’t represent their entire race, but we are not very hopeful in this outcome. Your superiors have your assignments, begin preparations and ready yourselves to ship out tomorrow. Hackett out.”
The hologram fizzled, blurring his image before going out entirely. Slowly, everyone began to filter out of the room as those in charge began giving out orders, more and more voices mingling in the air and making the room buzz with the most energy it’s seen all day.
“Shepard.” She immediately hopped up from her seat and stood at attention as soon as she heard her name, looking over to see Anderson looking back at her with a barely concealed smile. “You’re with me, rookie. The Alliance has special plans for you.” He gestured for her to follow him out of the room and she did so without hesitation, glad for the wave of cool air that hit her in the hall now that she wasn’t pressed up against so many bodies. She also hoped she could at least get a shower before they have to leave the base and venture out into Anderson knows where, wanting to wash off the lingering sweat of the day.
“What exactly do you mean when you say the Alliance has something special for me, sir?”
“You’re going to be a part of my ship’s crew for now; at least until this threat is over, or if it goes on for too long, until there’s a reason to reassign you. They want me to keep an eye on you.”
“I don’t need a babysitter,” she huffed.
“I’m sure you’re more than capable on your own,” he agreed. “But that’s not why I’m watching you. I’m supposed to evaluate you, see if I think you have what it takes to earn a special promotion into the N soldier’s ranks. I know Barras was joking when he mentioned it earlier, but my superiors are actually considering it. The work you’ve done in your training is rarely seen, but we need to see you in action before you can earn that promotion.”
“Wow, that…” she blinked and straightened up once more. “It would be an honor if you do choose me, sir.”
This time, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Please, there’s no need to be so formal everywhere, Shepard. Definitely not when we’re not on duty yet. Go ahead and get some rest, gather your things, whatever you want to do. I expect to see you in hangar four by oh eight hundred tomorrow, ready to launch our ship.”
“Oh eight hundred,” she repeated with a nod for confirmation. “Thank you… Anderson. I’ll be there.”
“Don’t be late on your first day,” he advised as he turned around to face her, now stopped at a crossroads in the hall where they were likely to part ways as Shepard headed back to the barracks. “Especially when we need to get you acquainted with the ship.”
She flashed a smile in his direction, a multitude of emotions boiling just under the surface of her skin, from surprise to nervousness to excitement to worry. It was all happening so fast—her promotion, the sudden threat of war, her possible future induction to the N soldier ranks. She’d finally be in space, though, and she’d be able to prove to everyone that she had what it took to do whatever was needed of her—everyone including herself. Then, for a final formality, she saluted him before turning and walking down the empty hallway, preparing a mental checklist to make sure she had everything she needed before they left the base, for who knew if or when they would return.