Shepard-G127

"I'm not dead yet, and your gonna have to do more than that if you want it to change"

- Shepard-G127

Spartan-G127, more commonly called Shepard or just Shep to his friends, is a member of Gamma Company and leader of Team Shoto, designated as Shoto-1. Born as Shepard MacBrayne he would lose his mother early on in his life and then become a war orphan when his father was killed a few years later, he was recruited a year later and taken to for training. He was sorted into Team Shoto though only take his place as their leader when they began to fall behind. He would go on to graduate with the rest of the company and were deployed along the last of humanities battlefronts as the war came to a close. Following the war's end Shepard and the rest of Shoto served tours of duty aboard both the UNSC Crimson Aurora and the UNSC Infinity.

Early life and conscription
As the war with covenant dragged ever on ONI began deploying more and more combat operatives and tacticians to assist in repelling the alien threat, or to buy more time. One such officer was Agent Dawn Knights, daughter of the recently promoted Rear Admiral Sarah Knights, Dawn was deployed as a mission planner and liaison for UNSC and ONI forces on Stormhold in the. During her time there she would grow close to an ODST sergeant by the name of Donovan MacBrayne. Though initially trying to act cold and distant Donovan's kindly demeanour eventually broke through and they began an unofficial relationship.

A year into their time together Dawn revealed that she was pregnant. Perhaps fearing that her new child would be used against her by future rivals or just worrying about what kind of mother she would be Dawn decided to give birth to the child and the leave him in Donovan's care. Though he tried to dissuade her Dawn believed that it was the best choice for the three of them. Conceding defeat Donovan promised to raise the child as best he could. A few months later Sarah gave birth to a boy. her last action was to give her new son his name, Shepard, before being sent off on a new assignment.

Despite being a single parent and having the demanding job of training new ODST recruits Donovan still devoted as much time as he could to his son, as such Shepard and Donovan enjoyed a strong bond. During his time off Donovan would take his son out on long walks and took time to ensure he grew up physically fit as well as intelligent. Because Donovan couldn't always be with his son Shepard also spent his time at the local school where his friendly demeanour earned him a lot of play mates. Being brought up on a military base became well liked by the ODST recruits that passed through and the young boy became a sort of mascot for the battalion.



Shepard's idyllic life would eventually be brought crashing down around him when the covenant invaded the Psi Serpentis system. Though the main invasion force was met with a massive UNSC response fleet lead by the legendary Admiral Preston Cole small splinter groups of the covenant attack force were able to slip through and attack various other planets in the system, including Stormhold. Because of its position as a UNSC staging area the covenant attack was vicious and without mercy, the alien invaders were able to quickly overrun the planet's defences and begun a direct assault.

Donovan, like the rest of his battalion were sent to fight off the attackers while evacuation transports got civilians off world. Knowing they was unlikely to survive this fight Donovan ensured that Shepard was on an evacuation shuttle and allowed himself to say goodbye to his son before he left. In his goodbye he tried to make sure Shepard understood why he had too do what he was doing and told him that one day the fight would probably be his. The last Shepard saw of his father was him donning his helmet as the shuttle took off.

The shuttle carrying Shepard left the system as soon as possible and arrived over the colony of and placed in an orphanage. During his time there Shepard, at first, kept very much to himself and often secluded himself in his room. However as the year progressed Shepard opened up again, he helped out at one of the fitness clubs and was more attentive in class. All the while he kept an unwavering eye on the extranet, hoping that news of his father and his battalion would be uncovered. While news of his father never surfaced Shepard was exposed to a lot of reports of the covenants attacks. These reports slowly built a drive within the young boy, a drive that would be noticed when he was interviewed by one of the ONI agents sent to locate candidates for the Spartan III program. The agent that met Shepard noticed his inherent drive and will to help and found the boy all too happy to join. A few days later Shepard was collected and sent to Onyx.

Training
"If you look, your probably not going to leap"

- A quote from Shepard's father that motivated him to pass the first night jump

After a three week trip, spent mostly in cryostasis, Shepard finally made it to Onyx along with the other 330 candidates. Like Alpha and Beta before them the new Gamma recruits were subjected to the same introduction, a speech from, fully bedecked in his MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armour, and a high altitude night jump. At first Shepard was mesmerized by the giant in his massive suit, he had been told stories of the spartans by the troopers back at base and to see one up close filled him with renewed vigour and determination. A few minutes later that enthusiasm drained away as he was presented with the night jump.



At first Shepard froze up at the idea of jumping out of aircraft and, much like many of the children there, became stuck on the lip of the pelican. However as he sat there he remembered some of the stories his father had told him about his experiences performing orbital drops. Deciding to trust his fathers words Shepard launched himself out of the dropship. Despite briefly forgetting how to open his parachute Shepard successfully passed the first test and was accepted as a spartan candidate.

After the initial test the Gamma Company training began in earnest. At first the training was fairly easy, simple physical exercises and brief lessons on military history. Shepard found himself evenly matched against the other youngsters and enjoying the classes and exercises, he was noted as having higher reflexes than most other candidates but other than that he was undistinguishable from the 330 others. Eventually the training branched out into much more demanding subjects, including; small unit tactics, weapons training and hand to hand combat. During this time Shepard also begun making friendships with many of the other candidates and became known as kind if somewhat naive person.

Although he took to each of these exercises with gusto, and proved capable at performing them, as Shepard begun to understand more about what was expected of him he began to demand more from himself, often letting small slip ups get to him more than they should and developing a critical attitude of himself. While this did in some cases lead him to became much more determined it did also hamper his confidence.

Team Shoto
"Spartan's together, now and forever"

- The motto used by Team Shoto, it signified the teams beginning as a much more efficient team

After being shifted through randomly assigned teams and leaders the company was eventually sorted into it's permanent teams. These five man fireteams were what formed the backbone of the last two Spartan-III companies and was part of the 'family not fireteam' training that Lieutenant Ambrose ingrained into them. Each team would become a surrogate family to the ones they had lost. For Shepard this would prove to be his next big challenge.

To his surprise the DI's had chosen him as a potential leader and had sorted him into training team Shoto along with; Jay-G090, a skilled marksman and scout but a bit detached and impassive, Jess-G128, one of Gamma's technical experts who was known for a voracious intelligence, Lance-G244, a protective candidate that Shepard already knew and Shaiming-G231, a quiet candidate but one of the more skilled in the team. It was hoped by Kurt and Mendez that Shepard's potential for leadership would both bind the team together and help Shepard over come his nearly crippling self doubt.

At first the team didn't work as expected. Although Shepard and Lance seemed to work together the other three didn't gel as well, with Jay remaining rather aloof while Jess and Shaiming were either uncooperative or took a back seat in the proceedings. Combined with Shepard's unwillingness to take full leadership of the team meant that in the first few months of training their score dropped considerably, putting them at the lowest rungs of the company along with teams such as Machete and Jian.

Despite average combat performance Shepard seemed unable to push past the block he had placed on himself, however hope would arrive in the form of Tom-B292. One of the last members of Beta Company the older spartan-III had taken many of the other younger spartans under his wing. Having noticed Shepard falling scores Tom decided to intercede. Having lead his own team back in Beta Tom knew what it took to lead a spartan team.

Over the next months Tom put Shepard through his own training regime. Cultivating Shepard's combat skill while also trying to give him the confidence necessary to lead his team. Despite proving to have the necessary tactical knowledge to complete the theoretical battle situations Tom set him Shepard proved to be to indecisive under pressure. However Tom never gave up on Shepard and he kept trying to push him to take the lead.



After six months of disappointing reports and only the slightest hint of Shepard taking the reigns, despite encouragement from Tom and Lance, Ambrose and Mendez begun to discuss disbanding the team and moving the recruits. Tom, knowing that Shepard could still prove himself, requested one more chance for the candidate to prove himself. Ambrose agreed but warned that this was Shoto's final chance. Armed with this Tom took Shepard aside plainly laid out the stakes. He knew that Shepard wanted to succeed and he hoped that this last push would be enough.

In a surprise to nearly everyone in Camp Currahee the next five matches that Shoto played in were their most successful, each one either a victory or a narrow defeat. This proved to be a much needed morale boost for the team as it's members begun to trust their team-mates and their leader. Though not full over his self doubt Shepard know trusted himself enough to lead the team effectively, jumping them up three positions in the company rankings. Unbeknownst to all but Ambrose, Mendez and Tom Shoto's games were slightly rigged by their leaders mentor. Although Tom was chastised for it by his superiors all three of them agreed that it seemed to work for the better, with Shepard now confident enough to lead they had become a much more formidable team than before.



With the whole company now settling into their new positions many candidates begun to mingle with other teams and form rivalries and friendships. During this time Shoto became acquainted with the members of Team Machete, with Shepard becoming good friends with Kodiak-G114. As a result of being friends with Machete it often lead to the members of Shoto being pulled into the other teams pranks, which on more than one occasion put both teams in isolation. Despite this there were very few misgivings between the two teams. Outside of his fellow candidates Shepard also grew to be good friends with Tom, who maintained a distant but approachable vigil on the team and often acted as Shepard's council in times of confusion. Around this time Shoto's fifth member Shaiming was moved to the. The team wasn't told where Shaiming had gone, only that he'd be selected for another task. Despite being a man down Shoto was still able to function effectively.

Eventually, after years of rigours training and learning, the 330 members of Gamma Company were prepared enough to face the augmentation procedures. All gamma's were briefed on the dangers they would face during this time and were allowed to watch some of the vid captures of the original spartan II augmentations. Much like the rest of the company Shepard worried as the augmentations neared and brought them to Scott, though not able to fully calm Shepard he at least helped him to fear it less. A few weeks later Shepard and the rest of Gamma were taken to the where the augmentations would take place.



Each candidate was taken to a different surgical unit and sedated. Once they were unconscious they were connected by intravenous and osmotic patches to an infuser which pumped the enhancement drugs into her system over the course of several days. The following chemicals were administered:


 * 8942-LQ99 - a carbide ceramic ossification catalyst drug
 * 88005-MX77 - a fibroid muscular protein complex drug
 * 88947-OP24 - a retina-inversion stabilizer drug
 * 87556-UD61 - a colloidal neural disunification solution

Unlike the other two companies before the Gamma spartans were also given addition enhancement through the drug 009762-OO. A A non-carcinogenic mutagen that altered key regions of the frontal lobe to allow the spartans to access their more animalistic instincts when under stress. This would allow the spartans to fight hard and be harder to kill, making them even more effective on the battlefield. However without the counter drugs 009127-PX and 009927-DG it would cause the Gamma's to loss their ability to reason, causing them to become more violent and uninhibited.

Though he had been forewarned about the pain he would experience, as his bones and muscle structure grew beyond the human norm among other changes, Shepard was no where near prepared for what it actually felt like. He was the first to wake and within seconds was screaming in agony as his he felt the augmentations changing him. He was quickly sedated by one of the one site medical teams and moved away from the others to a separate room. He would wake up two more times before the changes subsided.

When he woke for the third time the pain had gone and he found himself a changed person. Like the rest of the company he was soon shipped back to Onyx to help them adjust to their new bodies and to compete in a final 'top honours' course. During this time Shepard was able to bring the squad up to middle position within the company, much better than the four of them had expected.

As the final stages of Gamma Company's training reached its conclusion Onyx received a dire message from ONI. The Covenant knew the location of Earth, and while the had been able to briefly halt their plans it was likely that they would soon try again. As such Gamma Company was to be sent to Inner Colonies, to bolster the human forces there and perhaps tip the balance in the UNSC's favour.

Lieutenant Ambrose decided to deploy the majority of the company, keeping three teams back to finish the top honour course. Having failed to make the fail three Shoto was among the majority that begun making ready to leave their home, for what could be the last time. Despite worrying about what he'd have to face when they finally reached their first battleground Shepard couldn't deny the infectious energy that surged around the camp, this was what the young spartans had been training nearly their whole lives for and to know their destiny was effectively on their doorstep charged each member of the company into frenzied preparation.

Before leaving Onyx Shepard made sure to seek out Tom, bringing his last few worries to his friend. As always Tom did what he could to give Shepard hope, reminding him to trust his own judgement and keep his team going. Not long afterwards the UNSC Vanguard slipped in system and the spartans of Gamma Company begun to leave Onyx. Just before he climbed into his transport Shepard picked up a rock and placed it in one of his suits pouches. He would keep the rock with him for the rest of his life, a reminder of the world that had forged him into a spartan. As soon as they were aboard the Vanguard the company were lead to the ships cryo chambers and sent to cryosleep before the ship left Onyx, bound for the inner colonies.

Battle of Earth
Team Shoto's first assignment wasn't dissimilar to the other deployments that other Gamma Teams were sent on when they were deployed. With the war moving ever closer to Earth, and the covenant having finally learned Earth's location, High Command was pulling every asset it could back to humanities homeworld in preparation for, what could well be, the final confrontation of the war. As such Shoto was being sent to, more specifically the old Damascus testing facility. At the briefing Shepard and the rest of the team were told that a slipspace probe near the Chi Ceti system had picked up the silhouettes of what looked like a covenant raiding party headed in system. Fearing that the covenant had finally decided to come and back and wipe the facility, which had just recently been evacuated after another brief raid, away Shoto was being sent down with orders to secure any valuable data and equipment that was left there.

Transferring over to the UNSC Wayward Watch the young spartans were taken the system. They arrived a few days later to find a covenant corvette already hovering over the planet. Deciding to approach the facility on foot the Watch slipped around the side of the planet and was able to deploy the spartan's without being detected.

Personality
Shepard's personality, in contrast to the other spartan's of Gamma Company, didn't endure the same level of change that many of his friends would go through. This is often attributed to the semi-militaristic environment he was brought up in which softened the change in his life when he was conscripted into the program. He started off life as most children of his age did, happy and playful with a slightly naive streak. However, while he never voiced it, he did always wonder why his mother was never with him. This eventually lead to him believing that she was in some way disappointed in him, even when Donovan found out he couldn't dissuade his son and he grew a very self critical outlook that lasted well into his life. Even when he eventually did meet his mother and found out why she'd left him his self critical attitude would remain long after.

The loss of his father, as well as his home planet, was a great shock to the young Shepard. Again unlike his future compatriots Shepard didn't succumb to grief filled anger but instead developed a fierce desire to help protect what humanity had left rather than the need to get even with the covenant. This difference in drive most likely came from the moral's and sense of duty that his father instilled in him at a young age. That isn't to say that Shepard didn't possess the same motivation necessary to become a Spartan III, it was just directed differently.

During his time as a spartan, especially in his early years, Shepard's personality went through it's greatest changes. Initially he allowed his self critical attitude to get the better of him which lowered his overall scores and almost got his training squad disbanded. This also made him feel uneasy around others, especially those he didn't know, and lead him into a slightly introverted state of mind. Eventually Shepard was able to over come his self doubts and in doing so was able to come out of his shell and display his true personality.



He was often known for being very naive, even late into his career, which often lead to him making rash decisions or saying things that he shouldn't have, though he never often meant to cause offence and would generally apologize if he did. This came from him being a very kind-hearted spartan, he always tried to see the best in others even if they couldn't and, if possible, he would always attempt to diplomatically end a tense situation.

Many that knew him noted that he possessed an almost indomitable will and would staunchly stick to his moral's even in the darkest of times. Even when he was being hunted by ONI and held in captivity by a forunner commander among other scenarios he always held to his belief's of selflessness and duty to those around him. Often Shepard would rise from defeat's stronger than before, possessing a great drive to better himself and win. These façades of Shepard's personality allow him to become an inspiring presence to those around him, motivating them through his own belief in them.



There is a side Shepard that he rarely if ever lets others see. Even during training Shepard worried that he was developing a much darker and more sadistic side to his personality. This was something that all the spartan III's struggled with and it was an doubly so for Gamma Company due to the extra drugs that they were given during the augmentations. Shepard greatly feared losing himself to his more violent side, and in turn ending up like some other spartan's. Although he has at times lapsed into a much darker state of mind, as many Gamma's did, he was often able to pull himself back out again.

Skills
"It's not a question of skill for you Shepard, it's one of self belief. You can do more than you give yourself credit for."

- Tom-B292, Shepard's brief mentor on Onyx, trying to get Shepard to believe in himself

As a spartan Shepard is a natural fighter. Years spent combating both human and alien foes as well as forunnner constructs has given the young spartan plenty of time to perfect his combat style. Early on in his training Shepard proved himself to be highly adaptable to battlefield situations. Where others would grow used to a specific roll Shepard would always work around his team-mates. He did however show great skill in close range and hand to hand combat where his natural athleticism and quick reflexes allowed him to triumph over those much larger than him. Shepard's fighting style mixes together a variety of martial arts techniques including Jujitsu and Krav Maga as well as kick boxing and Savate. Using this Shepard is able to use a combat style that capitalises on his abilities and allows his to face foes that are either stronger or in greater numbers to him. As mentioned before Shepard is a natural athlete. Even when he first arrived on Onyx he was noted as being one of the faster candidates, both in terms of running and reflex's.



Outside the realms of close quarters combat Shepard was also adept with a number of firearms. Commonly arming himself with weapons that allow him to flow with the battlefield situation. One of the most common weapons in his arsenal is the venerable Battle Rifle, allowing him to be as deadly at medium range as he is up close. To supplement this he also carries a pair of M6 handguns which he can wield with surprising accuracy. Shepard is one of very few spartans to refine the art of duel wielding weapons and his abilities are seen as almost effortless by some.

Along with his combat abilities Shepard has a variety of other skills that he has cultivated over the years. As with all spartans he was trained in weapon maintenance and years of combat have taught him how to get the best from his weaponry. Similarly he has an understanding off first aid, though not near the standards of other spartans more heavily trained in that area. He is however a very skilled pilot, often taking charge of any vehicles Shoto has the privilege of using. He has a great love for flying vehicles and has displayed a great level of skill will in control of them.

As a leader Shepard was far from inspired but still proved to have a certain flair and tactical understanding that allowed him to successfully lead his team through multiple engagements alive if not unscathed. Shepard's tactics often involved a swift and overwhelming application of force is a specific area. This mind set made Shoto a highly skilled hit and run unit and during the later years of training on Onyx Shoto was well known for launches sudden surprise attacks, both on and off the field.

Appearance
Like many of his fellow spartans Shepard possessed a well built physical profile, he didn't have the same kind of muscle mass that identified a lot of spartans and he had more of an athletes build which reflects mostly in his combat abilities. His face, which remained remarkably unmarked even after his many battles, always seemed to retain it's youthful charm and his friendly demeanour. Through out most of his life he kept his hair below medium length, though slightly longer than military regulations would allow.



Although his face managed to remain safe from scars the rest of his body wasn't as fortunate. Below his armour and clothes are many scars and burn marks from plasma scouring, ballistic damage as well as from forunnner munitions. When not sealed inside his suit or wearing his fatigues Shepard usually dresses in a black coat and trousers, wearing this he can pass off a regular human. While not always looking the smartest Shepard always makes sure his appearance isn't too untidy.

Weapons and Armour

 * The MK II version of SPI armour was the main armour type worn by Gamma's at the beginning of the war. Following the suggested upgrades following Operation:Prometheus the light armour featured a much more effective cameo layer that provided the spartans with increased stealth capabilities. Shoto was deployed in this armour during their first battles.


 * During their mission to the Titan Facility Shoto was able to acquire suits of decommissioned MJOLNIR armour similar to the suits worn by teams such as NOBLE. Taking different armour pieces from various suits, including a prototype MK VI helmet, he created an armour system that maximised his effectiveness at medium to close range.




 * As his primary weapon Shepard carries an MA5 Assault rifle, favouring the series' versatility and over all effectiveness in combat situations. Shepard tends to favour the C and D models for the increased use as a trade off to the B models increased ammo capacity.


 * To supplement his primary weapon Shepard carries a pair of M6 Magnums. Often used as back up weapons Shepard is also adept at wielding them together in a spartan combat style known as Gemini. The combat style focus's on the use of two weapons in a variety of combat situations and allow Shepard to be a much more dangerous opponent even without his main weapon.


 * A relatively unusual weapon choice for a spartan Shepard learned to handle the railgun during his tour on the Infinity and soon found it be to his liking. Favouring the portability and versatility it allows Shoto's leader to bring some explosive fire-power to the battlefield without weighing him down.

Shepard's Journal
During his career Shepard was known to have kept a form of journal with him. The entries themselves often took many forms, including voice recordings as well as typed up conversations, but Shepard was able to store all of them away safely over his lifetime. Following his final disappearance a compilation of his journal entries were found hidden in the and subsequently were distributed in the compilation known as Beneath the Armour.

Starting of his journal during the early days of gamma companies training as a way to find a way to talk it eventually became a habit from him. He would usually record an entry every month, although often his adventures meant he had to just do one when he was able. His entries tell a much more personal story than most other works done by other spartans and, while not as high profile as other works, it is still beloved by many who see it as one of the true links to the age of the spartans.

The extranet file can be found here

Quotes
"The first time I killed something was on Titan. We were moving through the corridors and suddenly I turn the corner and there's an elite looking at me. And for one second there were these two sides screaming at me. One was yelling at me to pull the trigger and kill it, the other was scared and it told me to run. I don't quite remember what happened after that. But remember another voice, it was cold and quiet and it said "Keep the team alive". After that, it was easier to pull the trigger I suppose, but I always remember the voice."

- Shepard remembers his first run in with an enemy during a psy-evaluation

"That is a terrible plan. I love it"

- Shoto get's mixed up in Team Machete's plans

"There are days I wonder how i've not gone completely mental after all the stuff i've been through. The, all the deaths, the betrayal's and the losses. But every time I think that I remember what I was told at the start of the program, that I might have been trained as a killer but my mission is to be a protector"

- Shepard-G127

Trivia

 * His personality is partially based on a character that the author plays in an RP.


 * Shepard's armour colour is partially inspired by a jacket the author used to wear, it too was a light shade of sage and was dubbed the 'Spartan Jacket' by the young Kestrl.


 * Shepard in his youth is modelled on the anime character Kirito from Sword Art Online