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“You sure this is necessary?” Shepard said, self-consciously smoothing down her Alliance uniform. She’d been wearing the things for months, sure, but having her rank show was new.
“You’re already a familiar name to Battlespace viewers, Commander,” said Diana Allers. “And you must know you’re a controversial one. This is a chance to clear the air and let viewers know who you really are.”
Shepard sighed. “Okay.” If she was going to have a reporter embedded on her ship, she should at least try to make use of her, she supposed.
Allers flashed a grin. “Don’t worry, Commander. You have partisans, too, you know. Ready?”
“I guess so.” Shepard sat up straight and tried to look trustworthy while Allers turned her camera on and started her opening spiel.
“… and I’m here today with Commander Shepard, who really needs no introduction. Longtime Battlespace viewers will remember that we’ve had many discussions of the Commander and her record on our forums. What you may not know is that she’s recently been reinstated to her former rank and command, isn’t that correct, Commander?”
Shepard blinked as the camera’s light turned on her, but she and Allers had discussed the outlines of this conversation before. “Yes. Obviously things have been happening very quickly, but I was reinstated by order of Admiral David Anderson before leaving Earth, and subsequently confirmed in that rank by Admiral Steven Hackett of the Fifth Fleet. I’ve also resumed my work as a Council Spectre to facilitate coordination between Alliance and Council forces.” The words slipped out a little too easily, maybe. Oversimplification.
Allers nodded. “Commander, you’ve been embroiled in controversy for most of the last year due to your part in the destruction of the Bahak relay. Some have argued that you should be tried for terrorism. What do you have to say to these arguments?”
Shepard flinched, even though she’d known this one was coming, too. She sighed. “I’ve never tried to hide my responsibility for the relay’s destruction. I regret it deeply. At the time, I saw no option other than to take that course of action, in order to prevent an immediate and devastating invasion of the galaxy. What’s happening now is exactly what I feared would happen then.”
“So you maintain that your actions delayed the Reaper invasion, even at a cost of hundreds of thousands of lives,” Allers said evenly.
Shepard swallowed and nodded. “I do. I know that may not be good enough for some people, but I hope you can at least trust in my sincerity. One thing I have not wavered from is that I will fight the Reapers in every way I can, and that’s what I intend to do now.”
Allers said, “There have also been a lot of questions concerning your reported death several years ago and your whereabouts in the interim, including concerns about your connections to Cerberus, a well-known—”
“I am not affiliated with Cerberus,” Shepard said firmly.
Allers raised her eyebrows and finished, “—a well-known human supremacist organization. You feel strongly about this, Commander.”
“I do,” Shepard said. “A lot of people have questioned me about Cerberus.” She thought of Kaidan, still unconscious at Huerta Memorial, and tried to control her face. “I’ve spent much of the last few months answering questions like this before an Alliance commission. I am not with Cerberus, I bear no loyalty to that organization, and in fact I think they’re an extremely dangerous organization. Unfortunately, there’s a lot that I’m not at liberty to say.” That wasn’t strictly true, but the whole Collector mission was unbelievable – what the hell could she even say about it that wouldn’t sound like somebody’s insane ramblings? Cerberus brought me back from the dead to chase boogeymen through the Omega-4 Relay? Who would believe that? Ever? “As for my death, well.” She sat back and smiled into the camera. “As you can see, I’m doing fine now.”
Allers gave her an encouraging nod. “One last question, Commander. What do you say to those who wonder why you didn’t stay on Earth to fight?”
“Admiral Anderson stayed behind to coordinate Earth’s defenses,” Shepard said, and had to swallow to force down the lump in her throat. “There’s no one better for the job. His rank and combat experience are what we need down there. The fact that I’m a Spectre and have contacts in a few alien governments make me more useful out here. Listen.” She leaned forward, trying to imagine the audience on the other side of the camera. “I know we’re not getting a lot of communications on or off Earth right now, and I know our defenses took a hit. But I think we all know that humanity’s not going down easily. And neither is the rest of the galaxy. We’re going to fight the Reapers with everything we’ve got, every breath in our bodies, every scrap of strength and courage and ingenuity we have. And if by some chance this transmission is getting back to Earth, you hang in there and keep fighting. We’re coming back for you. And I’ll say the same thing to every planet that the Reapers have already invaded. We will not stop – I will not stop – until we have defeated the Reapers and won back our galaxy. I promise you that.”
There was a silent moment before Allers said, “Well, I hope we can agree that we’re glad you’re on our side, Commander. Thank you for your time. That’s all for today, folks, please send in your questions. This has been Battlespace with Diana Allers and special guest Commander Shepard.”
The camera turned off, and Shepard let out a long breath, aware of the tension still lingering in her back and shoulders. Allers said, “That was great, Commander. Exactly what I was looking for. Sometime, though…” She smiled. “I’d like to hear about what was really going on those last two years.”
Shepard’s mouth twitched. “You wouldn’t believe it.”
Allers chuckled. “Try me, Commander. I’ve seen my share of weird crap.”
Shepard somehow doubted whatever Allers had seen was weird enough, but she nodded anyway as she stood. “Maybe later, over drinks.”