Chapter 2 (remade)

Murmurs spread among the crew as they watched the red-headed man follow Shepard to the bar. The man has a name similar to their commander, but their relation is unknown to them. Well to some of them at least. Kaidan moved towards the balcony rails and watched the two Shepards from the upstair lounge. He knew who that man is, but before he could make a comment, Vega interrupted his train of thought

"SHIT, it's the Admiral", he yelped, probably the first time the crew heard from the young lieutenant.

"Admiral? What's an Admiral doing here?" Kasumi asked, suddenly appearing behind Vega.

"Not an Admiral, THE Admiral. That is Rear Admiral Jared Cox Shepard" Liara answered. "An old friend of Shepard...John. Also the Butcher of Torfan" the broker added.

The other group of biotics, one muscled lieutenant and a constantly hiding thief joined the Major watching their CO and his friend enter the bar room, which was occupied by one Comm Specialist and three of the galaxy's most brutal veterans of war, enjoying a swill made by the said Comm Specialist.

"That is a strange, if not, overwhelming trio I've seen by far" Miranda interjected. The others nodded in silence.

The two Shepards walk towards the bar, where they met Zaeed, Javik, and Wrex sitting around the coffee table awaiting a glass of Traynor's mix and Traynor preparing the said drinks behind the counter, showing off her bar-tending skills which Shepard had no knowledge she had.


"How about some for us?" Jared asked

The unfamiliar voice and the battle-worn face enforced a sense of hostility among the group as they could tell a person from their own kind. Everyone looked at Jared for a moment, but one suddenly recognized the Admiral and stopped mixing the drinks.

Who the hell are you?" Zaeed said. Jared's demeanor could outshine Zaeed's own scarred face. It was even worst than Garrus' scares. Jared's face looked like it could peel off any moment.

"Admiral Shepard, Sir!" Traynor saluted to the Admiral, whether out of fear or respect or both, she did so instinctively. The two Shepard who stood before her are legends in their own respect and feared by through their reputation, especially the one beside her CO.

"This human appears to be another Shepard" Javik stated. The Prothean's statement caught the two merc's attention, interested in this "other" Shepard. "A brother. Not of blood, but bond".

"At ease" Jared said, "I'm just here to meet with my old friend" he gestured to Shepard. He then turned to the group of exceptional warriors, not flinching a bit at the hostility they were releasing. "You must be the Prothean I heard a lot about." He glanced at Javik. "Admiral Jared Shepard, Alliance navy" Jared gave the group the widest smile he could afford, except it made him look even more menacing than his regular smile. The smile sent shivers down everyone's spine. "As the prothean said, no relations to the commander".

"If you were with Shepard, you gotta have some interesting stories" Wrex said. There is no hiding the slight gleam of excitement to meet a person that the commander deemed as 'brother'.

Jared let out a grin, "Ever heard of Torfan?"

Torfan. It was as if the word itself echoed throughout the apartment. Everyone heard of the Torfan incident from a few years back, even Javik was slightly impressed from the story of the ruthless human soldier who sent most of his unit to their deaths just to end up murdering the batarians who surrendered during the mission. His name was known and he became a symbol brutality, showing the extent of what humans are capable of.

"You're the goddamn soldier who killed my target?" Zaeed started.

"Zaeed Massani, I presume" Jared replied ,"That's right. I am the soldier who took down those batarian slavers at their own base of operation".

"I was paid a lot of credits to murder that bastard. Well, I still got paid, but there was no satisfaction from a half-ass contract"

"Are you related to a one Jane Shepard, Admiral?", Javik interjected, a bit intrigued by the Admiral's past.


"Indeed I am...Javik, if I am not mistaken. I believe the Councilor will make her appearance here soon"

"Wait, Jane's coming?" the look in Shepard face was filled with excitement as well as curiosity and surprise.

"Yeah, Star is busy with work at the moment. She'll be arriving soon"


The two made their way to the bar and sat down on the stools placed at one corner of the counter at Traynor's left. Traynor placed two glass in front of them and poured the mix she was working on. "A Samantha Traynor Original, boys"

"Thanks, Traynor" Shepard said, eyeing the drink for what seems to be glowing with luminescent green.

"My pleasure, Commander"


Shepard lingered back to the old nickname of his female companion, "Star..". The thought that Jared said nonchalantly shows the depth of their friendship. Although a second thought came through his mind and out of his mouth. "Councilor!?"

"Right, you haven't heard yet. Star has been picked to be Udina's replacement. The other councilors thought that maybe a new figurehead will at least bolster some moral for the human species. It was Hackett who nominated her" Jared explained "You would not know how infuriated she was when she received the news, but it was all settled when Hackett and Hannah explained to her that it was just temporary"

"There is no way that Jane took that lightly"

"As I said, infuriated. She damned the council to suggest such a thing even after all the protest she did during the 2 years you were gone. But bygone be bygones, she begrudgingly accepted the role "

"So that Councilor Shepard was one of you! Ha, I knew you two were connected somehow" Wrex commented.

"You know her, Wrex?" Shepard turned to face the old battlemaster

"Do I know her, she was one of the councilors I was butting heads with on that little topic I mentioned when we met" Wrex answered "She has quads to argue with me on the expansion, I'll give her that"

"She's damn stubborn, like someone I know" Jared added, looking at Shepard's direction.

"She also had a child with this one fool who got half of his face melted attacking a batarian slaver with a flamethrower and can break that said fool's neck on a whim" A female voice said.

They turned to see the direction of the sound and saw the owner. She was lean, wearing a dress similar to the asari councilor, except white in color. Her hair was red, but in comparison to Jared's dark-red hair, hers was bright like flames, with eyes crystal blue and her features sharp with freckles covering part of her face. The woman was beautiful at the same time intimidating, holding a small child with similar features to the woman.

Shepard looked at the toddler, reminding him a little of Jared's face when he first met the colonist. He looked back at the woman, his old friend, the spacer, whom he met during his first day enlisting to the Alliance.

"Jane" Shepard smiled at the spacer

"Hi, John:"

"DADDY!" the toddler shouted