Annika Shepard

*Annika Shepard commanded the Normandy SR-1, where she met Liara T'Soni and fell in love.

Personal History

 * Parents were born on Earth. Her mother was Irish, her father was Swedish. They met while at university, and eloped to Mindoir soon after graduation. Both became teachers at the colony's public school.


 * Was born into a liberal household in a predominantly conservative community. She grew up an only child, and developed a love for animals and the outdoors at an early age. Would spend most of her free time exploring, always wanting to see what was over the next hill. Was very generous, sometimes to a fault, as she would often give away her toys to friends, not understanding how hard her parents worked for the money to buy them. Inherited a passion for dance from her mother, and excelled at Irish step and ballet. Did relatively well in school, but wasn't a standout. Kept a small circle of close friends, but never shared their interest in boys. Came out to them on her 15th birthday, and to her parents three days later.


 * Had snuck off to be with her girlfriend the night before the colony was assaulted by Batarians. When the attack occured, she raced home to be with her parents, but panicked when she saw her father's dead body in the front yard of her home. Hid in a nearby cornfield, and witnessed the execution of her mother by a Batarian slaver. Was nearly captured by him, and still bears his "brand" of ownership; a crescent shaped scar under her right eye. Survived on her own for weeks before being rescued by a passing Alliance cruiser. Lit the fuse for emotional trauma later in life by blaming herself for her parents death, and hiding the misplaced guilt from everyone. Fell under the care of the cruiser's XO, David Anderson. Impressed with her spirit and sharp mind, he sponsored her education at the Systems Alliance Military Academy. As a tribute to him, she enlisted in the Marines after graduation, with no intention of making it a career. Soon discovered, much to her dismay, that she was a naturally gifted soldier and leader, with immense physical and mental stamina, lightning reflexes, and an assertive but casual command style that instilled great trust in those who served under her. In time, she was able to refocus her long-dormant generosity into a passion for saving lives, and helping those in need. Became well known for her ability to resolve volatile situations peacefully.


 * Lost her entire squad on Akuze to a thresher maw attack. Survived by pure luck; became pinned underneath a maw she had managed to kill. Had to literally dig her way through the carcass to escape. By the time she freed herself, everyone else was dead. Re-opened old wounds by taking the blame for her squad's death. Took a leave of absence, and nearly lost herself to hard liquor and loose women. Came to her senses when David Anderson shared with her the plans for a top secret vessel that, once built, he would command. He promised her the position of XO, on the condition that she get her ass back to work. To convince Anderson that she was fit for duty, she caused herself further emotional damage by re-burying her guilt over Mindoir and Akuze, instead of confronting it.

Mass Effect

 * Helping others is what drives her. It is what makes her put on the Alliance uniform every morning. She may be a proficient killer, but she finds no joy or satisfaction in it. Followed the paragon path very closely. Given the choice of taking a life, or saving it, she always chose the latter.


 * She only bent the rules when she thought it might lead to a greater good. For example, by aiding the Shadow Broker, Nassana Dantius, and Helena Blake, she gained powerful allies in worlds where having the title of "Spectre" doesn't carry much weight.


 * Tried, and failed, to rescue both Williams and Alenko on Virmire. Kaidan was a close friend, but in order to make sure the bomb went off, she had to save Williams first. Saren's surprise attack cost her the time she needed to save Alenko. Once again, she blamed herself for a loss she had no control over, and added Kaidan's death to the mountain of guilt she keeps hidden inside her.


 * Fell in love with Liara T'Soni the moment she saw her. Beyond the young Asari's cherubic face and flawless body, she was immediately attracted to her many contradictions. Young and naive, yet much older than Shepard, and extremely intelligent. Carried herself with the poise and grace of a ballerina, yet often nervously stumbled over her words. Looked at the world with the same optimistic wonder that Shepard once did as a child. Empathized with everyone, even Saren, and had absolutely no idea how beautiful she was. Shepard had never been with an Asari before, so when Liara came to her the night before Ilos, they were both virgins, albeit from different perspectives. Since that night, she hasn't looked at other women the same way. As cliched as it sounds, she only has eyes for Liara.

Mass Effect 2

 * After saving the Council and defeating Sovereign, she had hoped to take some time off. Had gone so far as to book a vacation for herself and Liara T'Soni the night before the Normandy SR1 was destroyed. Nearly left Joker to his fate, but her desire to protect her crew won out over her anger at his refusal to evacuate. That decision cost her her life.


 * Initially refused to work for Cerberus. Her experiences on Akuze, and the loss of Admiral Kahoku, had instilled in her a deep hatred of the group. It was only after being brushed aside by the Council and the Alliance that she bedrudgingly agreed to help The Illusive Man in his fight against the Collectors. But secretly vowed to undermine and sabotage his organization as much as she could.


 * Suffered tremendous mental and physical trauma from undergoing the Lazarus project. Beyond the constant pain she felt in her rebuilt body, she had to deal with the spiritual implications of dying and being brought back to life. She slowly spiraled down into a deep depression, and became convinced that she was no longer Annika Shepard, but a re-animated cybernetic perversion of what she once was. Did not try to contact Liara for fear of being rejected by her, and their eventual reunion on Illium was awkward and frustrating.


 * Despite her poor mental state, which she managed to keep hidden most of the time, she was still able to recruit and earn the loyalty of all the potential squadmates suggested to her by The Illusive Man. She took her time preparing her crew and vessel, and was able to complete the suicide mission without any casualties. Additionally, she was able to destroy the Collector base and convince The Illusive Man's closest advisor, Miranda Lawson, to quit, thus dealing Cerberus a serious setback.


 * Eventually received information through Miranda concerning the Shadow Broker, and returned to Illium to deliver the information to Liara. She vowed not to make the same mistakes she made on her last visit, and in between finding and defeating the Shaow Broker, was at long last able to reconnect with Liara, and rekindle their romance. For the first time since the SR1's destruction, she felt alive again.

Random Facts

 * Loves fresh fruit; especially mangos, apples, and peaches.
 * Hasn't danced since Mindoir, but will occasionally run through the 5 basic ballet positions to clear her head, but only when she's alone.
 * Has had the same haircut for a decade. Is constantly looking for new styles; always chickens out before getting it cut.
 * Hates makeup, but adores lingerie.
 * Never enjoyed reading. Would rather take a walk than open a book.
 * Can name every pet she ever had, and how long each lived.
 * Makes yearly anonymous donations to animal protective charities.
 * Has refused all offers to remove the scar under her right eye.
 * Would kill the Batarian who gave her the scar in cold blood, without hesitation.
 * Has a low intensity counting obsession. Knows exactly how many steps it takes to get from her bed to the door, engineering to the galaxy map, Udina's office to the Citadel Tower, etc.
 * In addition to a love of dance, also inherited a complete lack of cooking skills from her mother.
 * Has a recurring nightmare in which all of her teeth are falling out.
 * Favorite movie genres are musicals and naval dramas.
 * Fell off a horse and broke her neck when she was 8. Surgery saved her from paralysis, but scar tissue makes her neck chronically stiff.
 * Can't remember the last time she burped.
 * Never pictured herself as a mother, but has caught herself numerous times, fantasizing about what it would be like to raise a child with Liara.

twitterverse

 * At some point following her successful completion of the suicide mission, Annika awoke to find herself alone on her ship. Nicknaming it the Lonely!Normandy, she initially tried to make the best of her situation. She spent a lot of time communicating with Ashley Williams and John Shepard, quickly growing close to both of them. But her inability to escape her empty vessel eventually got the best of her, and her mental state began to deteriorate. She became depressed and erratic, and suffered from paranoia and hallucinations. After an intervention by Ashley and John, Annika slowly recovered, and now resides on John's ship.


 * Annika almost never changes out of her bathrobe and bunny slippers. Her bunny slippers are named George and Gracie.


 * Still suffers occasional bouts of depression, brought on by the feeling that whatever made her the hero she once was became lost during her transition to the Twitterverse.


 * Has a ravenous sweet tooth, and has stashes of candy all over the ship.


 * Severely damaged one of John's shuttles while attempting to land it in the shuttle bay. Keeping her promise to fix it, she piloted it to Liara's Shadow Broker vessel, and let her robotic repair drones perform an overhaul on the shuttle. Not content with the finished product, she instructed the drones to install a Slushie machine in the shuttle, repaint it sky blue. She rechristened it the Lili-Bear Cruiser.


 * Jack has given Annika the nickname "Red" for obvious reasons and the two share an awkward friendship.


 * Annika has a small blue fish that she named Liara. She taught her to jump through a flaming hoop.


 * Annika's best friend onboard is Ashley Williams.


 * Annika strongly dislikes Ethan De La Motte and Caleb.