* 𝚆𝙷𝙰𝚃 𝙷𝙰𝚂 𝙱𝙴𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙴 𝙾𝙵 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚆𝙾𝙼𝙰𝙽 𝙵𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙴𝙳 𝚆𝙸𝚃𝙷 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚂?
the legacy of commander lorna shepard, the aftermath of the war against the reapers.
with all her stubbornness, commander shepard had somehow made her way onto the citadel, opening the arms to allow the crucible to dock among the catalyst. the last stretch of the fight. when all hope had seemed lost, she was there to continue what she had started. she would not die here / not so close to the end.
her choices laid before her, it is difficult, she wishes for the weight to be lifted from her shoulders because she is so very tired. anderson has earned his rest / is it not time for hers as well?
but she knows – – the bitterness of the truth is that she has to keep fighting. it’s all her life has ever been. she knows the fighting well and knows the loss even better. it ruins through her veins, has built her into the person she is today. so many people have told her they are proud but when will she be proud of herself? when will she be able to finally say her job is done?
the only option she sees fit is DESTROY. she came here to do just that and she will see it through. she knows the losses that will come with her decision but, they’ll rebuild. they always will.
𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘕𝘈 𝘚𝘏𝘌𝘗𝘈𝘙𝘋, 𝘗𝘙𝘌𝘚𝘜𝘔𝘌𝘋 𝘒𝘐𝘈, fills the news as soon as everyone catches their breath. they call her more than a hero – SHE’S A LEGEND. it is thanks to the commander that the galaxy still breathes life and many mourn the loss of such a great soul. some more than others. but, in the passing days of recovery, as people begin to clean up the mess and count their losses through the rubble / striking blue N7 armor is found amongst the chaos. it takes hours to carefully dig her out and while some presume they have found the remains have commander shepard, they instead of found a commander shepard still clinging on to the small thread of life she has left.
she joins the injured but her condition is critical. being made of so much synthetic material has proven its cost but all hands are on deck to save the savior of the galaxy.
as the people rebuild, she’s moved from facility to facility until the citadel is able to bring huerta memorial back to a stable enough location to house the commander. months pass andin the attempt to keep her stable as well as contacting the normandy. the relays being so damaged and all tech being severally injured after the catalyst’s attack make this a difficult cause but eventually it makes it.
𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘕𝘈 𝘚𝘏𝘌𝘗𝘈𝘙𝘋, 𝘈𝘓𝘐𝘝𝘌 𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘚𝘛𝘈𝘉𝘓𝘌, begins to fill the news instead and the normandy and it’s crew eventually make way to see their beloved commander. while she still holds breath in her chest it takes a month longer for her eyes to finally open. she’s stable but is only half the woman she was before. with miranda still being alive, however, the recovery process won’t take but so much longer to get her back onto her feet. to be the woman she was before.
she’s offered a promotion. admiral shepard. she laughs in the face of it and simply says “no” because there’s only room for one admiral shepard and, that’s her mother. she’s happy with commander. happy to have the people behind her. retirement has always sounded nice but, well, she’d get too bored. vacation may be in her better nature.
commander shepard continues her life. she fights when she’s needed but no more end of the world scenarios. she is content.