all i can think about now is in the future of the galaxy shepard saves, whenever schoolkids of all different races have to answer the question of who they admire most and why, and thousands of them answer ‘commander shepard’
and, on intergalactic shepard day, they’re gathered and displayed on holographic billboards in all the major cities, from planet to planet
in london’s trafalgar square, as the lights begin to go down, kaidan alenko—mostly gray by now—walks past too many pigeons, which can live through just about anything, and takes his familiar seat on a bench, looking up at the flashing lights
the person i admire most is commander shepard because…
and then garrus vakarian, a few new scars since last year, joins kaidan in the square, settling down on the other end of the bench, head tilted in the same direction
commander shepard saved the galaxy and said a lot of cool things and defended everyone
and then james vega, looking every inch the promoted commander he is now, folding his arms and not sitting, the lights flashing over his hard jaw
commander shepard stopped the reapers and they were huge
and then liara t’soni, hands against the back of the bench, mouth softening as she watches the display; leaning against a memorial fountain, jack snorts and spits with her legs crossed at the ankle and her arms crossed over her chest, but she doesn’t take her eyes off the billboard; miranda lawson flanks the bench at kaidan alenko’s side, one hand on her hip, knowing that being perfect doesn’t mean you don’t hurt, but at least she’s taught herself how not to cry
because commander shepard is the biggest hero in the galaxy
and urdnot wrex, on tuchanka surrounded by a goddamn army of hot-headed krogan kids, closes his eyes and bows his head for a moment, just thinking about a soldier he used to know
the person i admire most is commander shepard because you don’t need to be a krogan to have quads like one
they leave one by one the same way they came, knowing they’ll meet each other in the same place again next year, and the year after that, always on the same date
commander shepard because i believe in the same things.
(“Yeah but they all got it wrong,” Shepard says, leaning on that battered walking stick. It’s still got the faded paint from that time Legion took up artistry. Red and white like a piece of old armor from another lifetime. “I’m just the one who pointed at things and said, Blow that up for me.”
Shepard’s eyes roll so hard as to sprain something, or maybe take out an army of Reapers all over again. “That’s not a fair question at all.”)
