Ashley Shepard, Forgotten Hero

Chapter 16

The next morning I walk up to the bridge and I see a robot lady, "Joker who is that?"

"Well that's EDI, she well took control if a synthetic Cerberus robot." I stare at him, then at who is supposed to be EDI.

"Yes, what Jeff said is correct but I am still mainly in the ship," she says, standing up in her new body. I guess that's what you would call it, I really don't know what to call it.

"Ok then, Joker does the crew know how old I really am?"

"Umm, they think you're a small twenty year old," he says awkwardly.

"I am only fifteen! My birthday is in two weeks, if I can live long enough!" I put my head in my hands. No one really knows how old I am, well this could be a potential problem.

If the council finds out I will be in serious trouble for being in the Alliance under 18, before it was a dire emergency. Well maybe since right now is too I will be fine.

"It's ok Ashley, right now I don't think it matters." I nod and say goodbye to Joker and EDI.

My dagger is hidden under my shirt, I added cloaking to it so no one sees it. As I go down to he shuttle area to tweak my armor and talk to James and Cortez.

After I change my armor to Inferno I walk over to James, "Hey James, how are you?"

"Fine, You?"

"I'm good, James do you have any family?"

"Ya, a sister but I haven't seen her for awhile."

"What's her name?"

"Rose, why?"

As I smile as I tell him, "I think I found her, next time we go to the Citadel come to Huerta Memorial Hospital with me."

"Sure, and thanks Ashley." I laugh and walk over to Cortez. He is trying to fix something on the shuttle and I see a loose wire.

"Cortez loose wire," I fix it and he stares at me. As we stare at each other I see how sad he is because the Collectors took someone he loves.

"Cortez, don't let him be an anchor. Also on the Citadel there are good places to watch ships fly by." He stares at me as I turn on my heel and take the elevator to my cabin. I pass Shepard on my way there and I ask, "Hey Katherine are we going to the Citadel anytime soon?"

"Ya, we are going now." I nod my head and continue walking. When I get back to my cabin I decide to draw.

I pull out the art set and change the drawing of that beam, I add the Normandy picking up a squad and me on a flying disk with Shepard grabbing my arm. My necklace is in Liara's hand and tears are falling down everyone's cheeks.

Footsteps are outside my door and I quickly hide my drawing, I think some of the crew might this that's morbid because I of what we're up against.

The door opens but no one speaks, there is just silence. Slowly I turn around and I see Specialist Traynor there with a chess board.

"Do you play Ashley?"

"Ya, and I don't want to be ride but why are you here?"

"Well you seemed board and we have an hour until we get to the Citadel," I laugh.

"Fine, I'll play."

After an hour I have won three games and she has won two, "We are at the Citadel."

"Rematch later?"

"Sure," I quickly run off the Normandy and to Huerta Memorial Hospital.

"Kaiden Alenko?" The doctor points to the door on my right.

"Thanks, Rose!" I yell as I walk into the room.

"Hey Ash, so guess what?"

"You're getting married to Kaiden the second he is released from the hospital."

'Yes! Well good morning sleepy head," Rose says to her fiancé. I see James outside the door and I wave him in.

"James?!"

"Rose?!"

I guess they are siblings, Kaiden glares at them.

"Kaiden they're siblings, trust Rose because she trusts you," I whisper.

"Ash I'm sorry about, well, attacking you."

I roll my eyes, "Kaiden, I would've done the same thing."

I leave ten minutes late in order to give the siblings, and Kaiden some space to talk. I just wander around the Citadel until I find myself In the Specter only shooting range.

I just sit on the bench in there, it is quite and no one comes in here.

"Specter status recognized," the women's voice says.

"Hey Shepard."

She turns around startled and stares at me.

"Let me guess, you told the Council about your past and you were and now are again a Specter."

"Pretty much, but I promise Shepard that I won't take over. This is your mission, I don't know a thing about them." She stops glaring and sits next to me.

"You ok Ashley?"

My eyes water as I think of Rose and this times Kaiden, then I think of my time Kaiden.

"Well I'll call Kaiden Kaid, from my time. Well Kaiden and Rose are getting married."

"That's a bad thing?"

"No, it's just that Kaid dumped me for Jack. Now I have no one, who would want to date a fifteen year old Commander and Human Specter." Damn it, I told her how old I am.

"You're only 15?"

"Well tomorrow I am 16, but ya.... My age won't affect my performance on missions though."

She pats me on the back, "Ash I can't even imagine the horrors you saw during that war. How long was the war?"

"Exactly four years, started on my birthday and ended on my birthday."

The past pulls me in, like a Drell, I don't tell everything that happened.

"So many in the first year, my dad to the Turians, my mom to Quarians," I don't stop.

"The second year I lost Jack to the Collectors and Mia to the Quarians, then we lost Earth." A few tears slip down my cheeks as the memories hit me like a hammer hitting a nail at full force.

"Third year we lost a third of our population to wires implanted through their drinks, they gained control." The memories of that failed base mission are killing me.

"In the fourth year we lost everyone except those that were on Thessia, five billion people killed during the whole war. I killed Garrus Vakarian, it ended the four year massacre."

My voice drifts off and everything is silent, you could here a pin drop.

Before she can speak I stand up.

"Shepard, Kathryn, don't give me sympathy. I don't want it, so please don't see me any differently." I walk out and head back to the Normandy.

The crew on the ship stays away from me because my anger is showing, I guess at least. Instead of going to my cabin I head to engineering, where Jack used to sleep.

I lay down on the cot and stare at the ceiling, reliving those memories made me have a headache. I turn on my side and drift off to sleep.