John Shepard

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Lieutenant Commander **John Shepard** was a human male who lived in the 32nd century. A hero of the Reaper War and a renowned Federation commander, he would go on in legend to be known as one of the greatest individuals and historical figures in both human and galactic history, even being recognized as a prophet by some.

In his youth he was known to be exceptionally gifted, studying at both Starfleet Academy and the Federation Earth Systems Alliance N7 special forces program (service no. 5923-AC-2826). He was a veteran of the Skyllian Blitz and was assigned to the USS SSV Normandy SR-1 in 3183 as Executive Officer.

## Early life

Shepard was born in the city of Ofeburn, in the United Americas on Earth. His parents, Malak and Hannah Shepard, were both esteemed Starfleet officers, with Hannah briefly serving as the Executive Officer on both the Federation Dreadnought USS SSV Kilimanjaro and the USS SSV Einstein. However, both of Malak and Hannah would die before Shepard was 8, leaving the young boy to fend for himself.

As a kid, Shepard was an orphan raised on the streets of the great megatropolises covering Earth. He eventually escaped the life of petty crime and underworld gangs by enlisting with the Earth Systems Alliance military when he turned eighteen. In time, his strategic genius would see him enlisting in the renowned Starfleet Academy, and serving on a variety of cruisers in his late teens and early twenties.

## Early Military Service

Shepard would serve exclusively with the Federation's Systems Alliance branch for the first few years of service, remaining relatively close to Earth. However, when he turned 21 Shepard signed on with Starfleet, and after breezing through the academy in 2 short years, enlisted on a Federation cruiser headed toward the remote Attican Traverse border colony of Mindoir. The planet was in the midst of a raid by batarian slavers, who slaughtered many families and kidnapped countless others. Participating in multiple ground operations and the subsequent relief efforts, Shepard would eventually harbor something of a resentment for non-human species. However, Shepard admitted to trusting the Vulcans, for their aid to humanity and presence in the Federation, and the Sangheili, for their remarkable sense of honor. Both species were noted for having been allied to humanity for several hundred years.

Early in his Federation military career Shepard found himself facing an overwhelming enemy force of slavers on Elysium. He risked his own life to save his fellow soldiers and almost single-handedly defeated the enemy despite the impossible odds. His bravery and heroism earned him medals and recognition from the Federation fleet. This experience, however, left him changed, and he was the first to admit that after the experience, he regarded acts of heroism as "idiotic" and "illogical", much preferring the safer and more logical standpoint most other military commanders held.

Throughout his subsequent military career, Shepard adapted his philosophy and held fast to one basic rule: get the job done. He's been called cold, calculating, and brutal. His reputation for ruthless efficiency would make fellow soldiers wary of him. But when failure is not an option, the military always goes to you first. When put in command of a squad for the first time, Shepard sent 3/4ths of his unit to their death and murdered surrendering batarians on Torfan.

During his later service, a mission Shepard was on went horribly wrong. Shepard's unit was slaughtered in a thresher maw attack on Akuze. Trapped in an extreme survival situation, he had to overcome physical torments and psychological stresses that would have broken most people. He survived while all those around him fell, and he was the only one left to tell the tale. This would cement Shepard reputation as a hero in some people's minds, but in others he was still the same cold commander he had always been.