Chapter Text
Kaelah Shepard sat in her new quarters, staring at the computer screen awaiting her first log entry. This didn’t feel right. All her life she had longed to rise above the rabble, to be better than she was born, to do better for those she cared about. But not like this, not by stepping over the only Commander who had ever given her a chance. Captain Anderson was like a father to Kaelah, or at least as much like a father as she thought such a role was. And here she was, sitting in his room, but instead of discussing tactics or being lectured on her lack of ‘people skills’, Kaelah was alone and the room was officially hers.
It didn’t feel right.
23rd March 2183
It’s all official now. I am Commander Kaelah Shepard, Alliance Navy and first human Spectre. Quite the coup for a street rat from Earth. The prototype ship SSV Normandy is under my command along with the crew that Captain Anderson hand selected for the Eden Prime mission. They are all good people, skilled at what they do and reliable in a fight.
Joker says the whole crew is behind me, that they don't blame me for what happened to Anderson. But how can they not hold some resentment, some question as to whether or not I had something to do with him stepping aside. Most know that I came from nothing, or if they don't it's not hard to find out anymore. Why wouldn't they think that this was just another step up the ladder for me?
But here, in these logs, is the only place I can give voice to such thoughts. Commander Shepard, survivor of Akuze, first human spectre, commander of the prototype SSV Normandy does not have doubts, only self assurance. And when I walk out those doors I step into that role.
I must admit that there are some perks. Not having a bunkmate is definitely one of them. Being the one to decide where to go and when is another. I currently have three leads I need to follow up in order to find the Conduit before Saren does. And if I’m lucky maybe find Saren and put a bullet in his head. Wouldn’t that be nice.
I’ve decided we’ll first go to the Artemis Tau cluster and try to find this Dr T’Soni, some Asari researcher who specialises in the Protheans and might be able to help us work out what this Conduit is that Saren is searching for. She also happens to be Matriarch Benezia’s daughter. I’m not sure what that means about her loyalties, I don’t know how much family relations mean to Asari, but at the very least we should be able to wring some information from her.
The Geth have also attacked Feros and Noveria and it stands to reason that they do so at Saren’s bidding. I’ve no idea what they could be after in either of those locations but we’ll have to visit both. I’ll decide which to visit first after seeing what information T’Soni can provide.
-l-l-l-
Kaidan smiled to himself as he read over Shepard’s first log as Commander of the Normandy. It seemed so long ago now. Back then he would never have guessed his commander had the kind of doubts she expressed in the log. He knew now, of course, that while Kaelah was undoubtedly strong, she was still human, still prone to human fears, doubts, and worries. But to Kaidan, that just made her all the more special.
“You were lonely even then, weren’t you,” he said quietly to himself as he glanced up at the photo he kept of her on his own desk. From there he looked across to the clock. There was still time. He moved on to read the next log.
-l-l-l-
Dha’ilor frowned reading over the first log of The Shepard. There was a lot there he didn’t understand, a lot of names or words that were either incorrectly translated or not translated at all. How was he supposed to transcribe a coherent story of The Shepard without knowing what these words or phrases meant?
With some irritation, he pulled up his human reference materials. With this he was able to ascertain the meaning of words like Commander, Captain, and Spectre. He was able to ascertain through context that Normandy and SSV Normandy was a ship of some kind. He also figured that a number of the words were the names of locations, though he would have to access the Milky Way Museum to find out where they were.
But what was the Conduit? What were Protheans? What was Geth? And what was a street rat?