John Shepard (ME: Redux)

John Henry Shepard Jr. (service no. 5923-AC-2826), known informally as Shepard and affectionately known as Junior by close friends and family, is a legendary war hero that served in the Alliance Navy as a marine—reaching the rank of Lieutenant Commander—and Cerberus as a soldier and later leader of the organization. He is universally acclaimed for his role in the defeating the Reapers. Born in Vancouver in 2154, Shepard was born to a underprivileged family of Scottish origin. He spent much of his life battling poverty, a life of crime and gang violence, and protecting his younger sister during their tough school lives. As soon as he turned 18, Shepard enlisted in the Alliance Navy to help provide for his family.

A decorated war hero, Shepard is a veteran of the Skyllian Blitz, and before the Battle of Eden Prime was best known for his actions on Torfan during the Alliance's retaliatory strike on the Batarians, where he hunted down his enemy with ruthless efficiency. Following the battle, he became arguably the Alliance's most notable soldier, with an equal amount of supporters and critics, and he simultaneously bore the titles of Avenger of Elysium and Butcher of Torfan; whichever title was more fitting depended on who you asked. Regardless, the Alliance believed Shepard had shown exemplary talent and leadership capabilities which led to him to undergo N7 training in Rio de Janeiro. He later served as Executive Officer (XO) of the SSV Normandy SR-1 under the command of Captain David Anderson.

During the Eden Prime War, he helped expose Saren Arterius for his involvement with the geth attack on Eden Prime. He also became friends with Kaidan Alenko, Ashley Williams, Garrus Vakarian, Urdnot Wrex, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, and Dr. Liara T’Soni, who helped him uncover the existence of a race of ancient sentient machines known as Reapers. For his efforts, Shepard was appointed the first human Spectre and assumed command of the Normandy when Anderson was forced to step down. After witnessing Kaidan’s sacrifice to destroy Saren’s research facility during the mission on Virmire, Shepard continued to help lead the war effort against the geth and foil Saren’s plans. Around this time, Shepard began a relationship with Chief Williams, despite the regulations on fraternization. At the war's climax, Shepard and his crew participated in the Battle of the Citadel, where they succeeded in killing Saren and destroying the Reaper vanguard, Sovereign. Although widely praised for saving the Citadel from a surprise attack, he became embroiled in controversy because of Shepard's decision to focus the Alliance fleet on Sovereign and replace the deceased council with an all-Human council, a move backed by the might of the Alliance Navy. In the months following the battle, Shepard continued working tirelessly with his crew in order to find a way to stop the Reapers, but was reported as killed in action after an attack from the Collectors.

Despite being labeled KIA by the Alliance, Shepard had indeed survived the destruction of the Normandy, being saved by the pro-human syndicate known as Cerberus. After spending two years in a coma, Shepard would agree to help Cerberus investigate the disappearance of human colonists on the frontier. With the assistance of the organization’s enigmatic leader, the Illusive Man, Shepard assumed command of the Normandy SR-2 and a crew consisting of Cerberus loyalists Miranda Lawson and Jacob Taylor, and soon acquiring Zaeed Massani, Mordin Solus, Grunt, Kasumi Goto, Thane Krios, Jack, Samara and Legion as additions to the Normandy. Shepard's return, perhaps unsurprisingly owing to his controversial nature, was met with equally positive and negative responses; his affiliation with Cerberus made the Alliance weary of resuming contact with him and the Citadel Council, fearful of negative optics, refused to even publicly acknowledge his return (however, unofficially Chairman Udina remained in secret contact with Shepard). Shepard did reunite with some of his old crewmates; he enlisted the help of Garrus after aiding him in taking down mercenaries on Omega, aided Liara in taking down the Shadow Broker, and met up with his old love Ashley on Horizon while investigating the Collectors' abductions of human colonists. Unfortunately, due to the passage of time and affiliation with Cerberus, the two did not rekindle their relationship. It was after this time that Shepard began an affair with Miranda. Shepard and his crew mounted an assault on the Collectors’ main base of operations accessible only through the Omega-4 Relay and managed to eliminate the Collectors, save his crew, and put an end to the nascent Human-Reaper. The Collector Base was subsequently used by Cerberus to further their goals in addressing the Reaper threat.

Following the assault on the Collector Base, Shepard continued working with Cerberus, becoming a true believer in their goals despite his reservations about the Illusive Man. Shepard was involved in an incident in the Bahak system, where he attempted to delay the Reapers' invasion at the cost of the Batarian colony and its 300,000 inhabitants. As a consequence, the Alliance attempted to apprehend him and his crew to be put to trial. An N7 team successfully ambushed Shepard while refueling in the Attican Traverse; he was able to make sure his crew escaped before being brought into custody and sent to Earth. Before his trial however, the Reapers returned from dark space and began the next harvest. The Alliance had no choice but to let Shepard go in order to organize the galaxy to help Earth fend off the Reapers. Shepard, still under Cerberus, began gathering help from other species in order to relieve Earth's defenders and build an ancient superweapon dubbed the "Crucible," all the while coordinating with the Illusive Man as to how humanity can come out of this war on top when the Reapers are eventually defeated. During the course, he successfully negotiated an alliance between the turians and krogan, secured a temporary truce

Six months later, however, the Reapers returned from dark space and began their next galaxy-wide invasion. Shepard was forced to escape Earth on the Normandy, but not before being re-instated into the Alliance military and being tasked with gathering help from other species to build an ancient superweapon dubbed the "Crucible". During the course, he successfully negotiated an alliance between the turians and krogan upon curing the genophage and ending the three-hundred year conflict between the quarians and geth. Under Hackett and Shepard's leadership, the combined fleets of all the races of the galaxy launch a massive final attack on the Reapers orbiting Earth and on its surface in a last-ditch effort to retake the Citadel and use it to activate the Crucible. Through many hardships and even sacrifices, Shepard used the Crucible to destroy the Reaper threat and put an end to the 50,000-year cycle of extinction.

Biography
John Henry Shepard Jr. was the first of three children born to John Henry Shepard Sr. and Hannah Shepard. Born in East Vancouver,

Beliefs
Shepard is described by many around him as a renegade, someone who has little qualms about doing what is necessary to achieve a goal, even if that means being tough on his allies and ruthless to his enemies. This outlook transfers to his personal and political beliefs as well, being more sympathetic to authoritarianism and desiring leadership that minimizes their care for public opinion in favour of a clear focus on their goals. In fact, the way Cerberus operates under his leadership is actually modeled along the lines of what he believes the Alliance should act like.

Overtime, after the strain that the Reaper threat had on him subsided to a degree, Shepard's personality mellowed, and as his wife brought him closer to Christianity, he started caring more for establishing a moral legacy that would bring about a greater peace in the galaxy. He still believed in humanity's independence and a decisive leadership, and continued Cerberus' mission on keeping the Alliance and the Citadel Council aligned with their greater interests, but the demons in him that caused him to have a ruthless reputation during the war were at least appeased to a certain degree.

Personal life and family
Shepard's romantic life, being a high-profile public figure, was one of the most discussed topics about his life by journalists and tabloids. During his younger years before the Alliance military, Shepard had said he had no serious relationships, as he knew for a long time that he would join the Alliance military and did not want any attachments to hinder that goal. Shepard has been rumoured to be linked with several female marines and officers over the years, but they have all been denied by the former commander.

The first serious relationship he had in his life was Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, who would join him in 2183 aboard the SSV Normandy after the Geth incursion on Eden Prime. Despite being against regulations, the pair continued a romance until his presumed death during the Collector attack on the Normandy. After Shepard woke up from his coma, they did meet again, but as he was working with Cerberus (whom the Alliance branded as traitors), Ashley was apprehensive and refused to join him on his quest, which Shepard interpreted as a breakup.

Family
Following the deactivation of the Reapers thanks to the Crucible, Shepard and Ashley ended up getting married in a cathedral back on Earth. Over the next ten years, the pair would have six children:


 * John Henry Shepard III - Eldest son and heir apparent to the Shepard family legacy. Worked in Cerberus as the head of its intelligence branch.
 * Eleanor Emilia Shepard - Eldest daughter of the Shepard family. Became an author, penning her novels under the name E.E. Shepard.
 * Christopher Kaidan Shepard - Third child of John and Ashley Shepard, Christopher eventually became a Catholic Priest and the Archbishop of Eden Prime.