Chapter Text
"This child will be a liability to the Alliance. A deaf soldier will get herself and her comrades killed."
"But, Admiral Hackett, sir, you haven't seen this girl. She has reflexes like no other and she has the determination to survive. How else do you think she survived so long on the streets with no hearing?"
"Be that as it may, Anderson, she won't be able to work in a squad without the ability to hear orders" Hackett insisted, firmly staring down the Lieutenant.
"Sir, I will see to it personally that she is fitted with a hearing device and can operate in a team. If I can have her become a ward of the Alliance, she can become adjusted to hearing in a controlled environment." Anderson's voice grew in volume as he became more heated.
"Fine. I can see you will not desist. But it shall be out of your own expense, Lieutenant, not the Alliance's. Make sure I don't regret this decision."
"You won't, sir."
*
David Anderson was stationed on Earth again for the first time in a while, having a bit of downtime between his longer missions. The Alliance Operations building in London was his favourite to return to, given his fond history with the place, however it was typically a very run-of-the-mill place with little excitement in the way of jobs.
Today, however, Anderson walked in to see that a small girl, barely over 150cm, was surrounded by a handful of Alliance personnel.
"What seems to be the issue here?"
Anderson strode up to the front desk and went to place his hand on the girl's shoulder. Yet, as his hand touched her, the girl jumped, darting out of his reach faster than he could process, a Predator pistol now in her hands. Anderson felt for his hip holster and noted it was now empty, the weapon now in the girl's inexperienced hands.
Much to Anderson's surprise, though, the girl proceeded to flick off the safety and point the gun towards himself and the other Alliance crew.
"Put the gun down, kid." Anderson held his hand out placatingly as he slowly approached her. "Give me the gun now before you hurt yourself."
The girl didn't respond but he saw her watching his lips, reading the words coming out of his mouth.
"You won't be harmed. I just want to talk to you without the gun between us."
The girl slowly lowered the gun before deciding to flick the safety back on and hand it back to Anderson, her knowledge of the gun concerning to the man.
He took her with him into an empty office room so they could talk privately. It was in here that Anderson could finally get a look at this potentially dangerous girl.
Her hair was a chocolate-brown colour and was caked with dirt and grime, cropped closely to her scalp in messy locks as if she cut it herself. Her hazel eyes gazed at him intensely with a ferocity behind them that demanded caution, even from the seasoned soldier. She was small and thin, too thin - her bones visible just under her skin. But she seemed to have a surprising amount of muscle tone too, hidden under her dirty, ragged clothes, a hidden weapon of its own. Her body has seen its share of wars, scars spattered across her arms and legs, a large, prominent scar running across the girl's face from her right brow to her left cheek.
"How old are you, kid?"
He received no response from the girl, he intense stare travelling from his lips back to his eyes. Just when he thought he wouldn't get a response at all, she held up a finger, and then held up six fingers.
"You're 16?" He received a nod from the girl. "Why can't you talk? You aren't in danger here."
The girl, even after watching his lips, made no move to answer in any way. She blankly stared at the imposing but gentle man, her arms crossed defensively.
"Are you deaf?"
The girl's eyes widened, nodding her head emphatically, her hands going to her ears absentmindedly.
Through yes-or-no questions, Anderson managed to gather that the girl wished to enlist in the Alliance because she had been living on the streets and was now on the run from the gang that once housed her. She could neither read nor write, and has never learned how to speak in either words or sign language.
Anderson informs the girl that she is too young to enlist as she needs to be 18, but he wants to make her a ward of the Alliance, providing her with protection from the gangs, as well as simple housing and food. He can also get her equipped with some basic hearing aids - intra-auricular implants that will allow her to hear for the first time, as well as help her learn to read, write and speak.
The girl's eyes grow misty, not used to such honest generosity. She happily agrees to work with Anderson so that, come 2 years time when she is old enough to enlist, there will be nothing stopping her. They have a long way to go before she will be ready to enlist, but this man's generosity will form a life-long bond between the two as they grow together.
Anderson went and received his permission from Hackett, and he could finally help this currently nameless girl to prove everyone wrong.
*
"Anderson!" The girl, still small, but no longer a child, was excited to see his return.
"Happy birthday, kid. You're finally 18," He gave the girl a pat on the back. "I have some presents for you."
The girl was quiet as Anderson presented her with two presents; one, a set of documents sent to her omni tool, and the second, a small box.
Opening the document folder, she read out a legal document from the local court.
"I know you told me that you've always been called Shepard, but I wanted you to have a first name as well. And, well, given your desire to fly into the sky and go to space, I figured it was fitting." Anderson explained
Written on the document was her, now legal, name.
Celeste Shepard
The other documents were the form to enlist in the Alliance Navy, already prefilled with her new name.
The box, however, was something just as important. Anderson always promised that if she worked hard and was ready to enlist, he would get her equipped with the best hearing implants on the market.
And that was what was in her box, in sterile wrapping and ready for her to get inserted, her Orion Plus IA implants.
She dived for Anderson, hugging her pseudo-father tightly, finally ready to put all of her hard work to the test and enlist in the military.