Alia Shepard

"Hey, honesty's always the best policy, despite what the Alliance and Cerberus think. And charging things. Works well."

Alia Shepard is a former Spectre and yet another incarnation of Shepard currently on the Normandy SR-2. A former Soldier, Alia is now a proficient Vanguard who often forgets the meaning of "subtle"- both in combat and her personal life.

Early Life
Alia was born in Boston on April 11, 2154, though the identity of her parents is unknown. She spent the earliest part of her life in state-funded homes and foster care before running away at the age of 11 to join the Tenth Street Reds. Determined to make a more permanent home and name for herself on her own, Alia threw herself into gaining a reputation as a fighter and crack shot. The effort paid off, and in a few years, she was known as one of the most skilled members of the gang, feared for her intense drive as much as her reputation. In 2171, however, she was targeted by a rival gang along with some of the more infamous Reds members. When the dust settled, the Reds and Alia were victorious, but the incident had attracted police attention. Due to the injuries she sustained, she was unable to escape, but much to her surprise, her and her fellow Reds were taken to Alliance custody rather than staying with the police. Soon, the truth became apparent: for whatever reason, the Alliance was testing them for latent biotic ability. Out of the group, only Shepard was discovered to possess biotic ability. The Alliance offered her a deal: her record would be expunged and forgiven if she signed on. Alia took the deal and was fitted with the L3 implant.

Alliance Service
Alia remained a ward of the military until her eighteenth birthday, when she officially enlisted with the Alliance. She was enrolled in the Biotics program, but insisted on continuing to focus on normal frontline training. In the end, the training gave her a basic level of control, but Alia stubbornly refused to use her abilities, fearing anti-biotic sentiment (as well as harboring a bit), believing that she would earn her place in the military "without using fucking space magic".