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morganaseren · 3 months

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The Bodyguard AU 😌

((Your love for Tevos is showing again, friend. 😏 I gotchu though! I think you wanted three prompts from this if I recall correctly, so I hope you like these!))

Pairing: Rajhi Shepard/Councilor Tevos

Rating: General

AU: Wanna Be On Your Mind (formerly titled the Bodyguard AU)

---

"Who the fuck taught Sparatus how to do air quotes?!" Shepard crossed her arms with a scowl. "I swear, I'm going to break his fingers if he does that to me again!"

Tevos didn't even bother to look up from where she was perusing through various documents on her desk. "Please don't," she deadpanned even though she was all too aware her request was likely to be ignored with as incensed as the human woman currently was. Her point was further proven when Shepard continued on her with tirade without so much as missing a beat.

"Was it his secretary?! I bet it was his secretary!" Shepard began pacing along the length of her office--agitation evident in every movement--while voicing her thoughts aloud. "I see the way he leers at her!"

"Shepard--"

"'Interest in strengthening alliances with the newest members of the galactic community' my ass! They're fucking, Tevos! I just know it! I'd bet my entire salary on it!"

Tevos gave a long-suffering sigh as she pressed her fingers against her temples. "Considering I'm currently paying for your salary, one would think you would act with a bit of decorum."

"Look, outside of your office, I will act as damn professional as you want me to be. There's a reason why I had Miranda put that 'satisfaction guaranteed with services' clause in the contract with our clients." The woman pointed down repeatedly at the floor. "When we're alone though? I want the option to at least vent. If not, that's fine. I can always have Kaidan or Jacob stand in for me if you'd like."

It was likely the wiser option, Tevos knew.

She had met both men often enough to know they were utterly consummate in the duties expected of them. Tevos had employed enough bodyguards in her lifetime to know that they more than met the standards of such an intense industry. Still, there was something... refreshing about Shepard's personality in particular--one that was a powerful and bold as the former Special Ops commander of the Alliance.

And for as wild and spirited as Shepard could be, Tevos could admit the woman would never intentionally jeopardize her position as the asari councilor. Shepard was always the epitome of professional competence even among the most high-profile members in the galaxy.

Her connection to those very same individuals aside, she was everything one could ask for in a bodyguard.

Even Tevos could admit that.

Surely, she could forgive a few eccentricities in these private moments if it meant retaining the part of their relationship that she had come to appreciate. She tilted her head as she turned to consider Shepard more thoughtfully then. She couldn't help the soft smile that danced upon her lips.

"That won't be necess--"

"Councilor?"

Both she and Shepard turned to stare at the intercom at her desk. Tevos immediately recognized the voice of her secretary. She leaned forward to tap at the haptic interface.

"Yes, Esila?"

"The turian councilor is here to see you. He mentioned wanting to discuss some of the upcoming proposals for the Council." There was a pause. "Oh, and it seems he's bringing along his secretary. Would you like me to update the lunch order from your favorite restaurant?"

Tevos didn't at all miss the way Shepard immediately perked up with great interest at the mention of Sparatus' secretary accompanying him.

A dog with the proverbial bone as it were if she were to borrow the human idiom...

"That would be lovely, Esila. You can send them both in. Please do tell me when lunch is delivered."

"Of course."

Tevos ensured she had the intercom turned off before she turned to Shepard with a pointed stare. The woman responded by giving her the most winsome smile, but Tevos knew not to fall for it. "And you... behave."

---

"Miss Lawson's calm conduct in all matters is highly regarded by my colleagues."

"Oh, Miranda?" Shepard chuckled as she wandered over to her desk with their lunch. "Yeah, she's probably one of the smartest people I know. She's got a doctorate or two in fields that I probably couldn't even begin to understand. Don't ask me how she managed to do that between the type of work we do. I just chalk it up to being a Miranda thing at this point." She grinned. "I'm sure the Alliance Admiralty Board is still frothing at the mouth that I managed to steal her away from them when I left. Sorry about the wait with the food by the way. You wouldn't believe how long the line was for these."

Tevos was pleased when Shepard was mindful of placing coasters beneath their respective drinks. Tevos wasn't fond of the marks that were often left behind on the glass surface due to condensation. As she gazed down at the colorful beverages, she realized that the woman had ventured out to one of the Asian restaurants that recently received a boom in popularity thanks to having the asari councilor's personal bodyguard as a frequent visitor.

The drinks were something of a new, but well-appreciated, novelty on the Presidium for the small spheres nestled at the bottom of the cup. They were either made using traditional tapioca, which Shepard preferred because of the chew, or Tevos' favorite of the tropical fruit-filled balls that popped almost instantly on meeting her tongue.

"No need to concern yourself," she answered, smiling gratefully when Shepard handed her an oblong-shaped sandwich. She could smell the sweet, grilled meat almost instantly. Despite her focus toward finishing her remaining work, she couldn't help the way her mouth watered, reminding her she hadn't eaten since early that morning. "Did she hold a similar position to yours when she was in the Alliance?" Tevos wouldn't have been surprised if she had.

"No actually." Shepard wasted little time into tucking into her banh mi. Apparently, the woman's hunger had been greater than her own, for Tevos couldn't help but raise her tattooed brows at the large bite that had been taken. Shepard hummed appreciatively at the taste, finishing chewing before continuing with, "She held the same Lieutenant rank Kaidan had before we left. I honestly thought she'd make Captain before he and I ever did, but if you were to ask Miranda, she'd say something along the lines of her being tired of the bureaucracy."

"Hm. I'm sure with her resume she could have gone anywhere she desired."

"That's what I told her!" Shepard laughed. "I guess for her, working private security wasn't too far different from what we used to do." She shrugged. "The pay's better at least, considering the type of clientele we have. I don't think she's going to complain about being able to pay for the entirety of her sister's university funds without even having to bat an eye." The woman picked up her drink then--a coffee variant from what Tevos could tell of the color--to sample it and the tapioca balls, chewing carefully on the latter. "I appreciate that she was even willing to follow me on this little venture. It was admittedly a bit of a gamble when we first left the Alliance."

"I'm sure anyone would be lucky to have a second-in-command as level-headed and skilled as Miss Lawson."

"Oh, definitely. I'd probably forget that my head was on my shoulders half the time if it weren't for her. She's better at the business side of things than I am. Honestly, she has the patience of a saint, which says a lot, considering Jack and I normally--"

"Shepard!"

And Tevos blinked when Shepard jerked in place at the call of her name by the very woman they'd been discussing. From the volume, Tevos wagered that Miss Lawson was somewhere outside her office.

"Shepard! Why the bloody hell did Kasumi find surveillance footage of you and Officer Vakarian shooting drink canisters off the highest point of the Presidium?!"

"Oh, goddamn Kasumi and her hacking abilities..." Shepard muttered balefully. Still, she wasted little time in gathering her half of her lunch in her hands before throwing a grin Tevos' way. "Uh, I'll text Ash and tell her to take over guard duty for me for the next few hours. I should hopefully see you again during dinner if--"

"Shepard!"

The woman's smile only widened at the shout even if Tevos could see how those golden-colored eyes tightened at their corners with sudden nervousness.

"Excuse me. I have to go hide now."

---

"Whoa, what? Wait, wait, wait! You can't just leave me here with them!" she whispered frantically.

"Shepard, I haven't visited Thessia for the better part of a decade. I'm expected to at least talk to some of the politicians here during my stay. Surely, you can manage a half hour on your own while I do so."

In response, the woman inhaled deeply before placing both of her palms together, reminiscent of a prayer position. Then, she slowly raised her hands up to press the sides of her index fingers against her own lips.

"Tevos, I really don't think you realize just how repressed some of your colleagues are..." she murmured, dark brows raising as she widened her eyes pointedly.

Tevos sighed even as she was unable to stop the wave of fondness that washed over her amidst her exasperation. "Shepard..."

"They are!" she countered in a harsh whisper before flickering her gaze over Tevos' head inconspicuously.

Well, as inconspicuously as she could anyway.

The human stood head and shoulders above most of the asari in attendance.

"Look, remember how long it took for the people on the Presidium to get over their fascination with me when I first took this job? There's a reason why I didn't bother wearing a sari to this thing. I learned from last time! Everyone kept wanting to touch my arms!"

Tevos blinked before turning to eye her bodyguard's current attire. While she had been curious about the change, she hadn't bothered to question the reasons as to why. Shepard certainly didn't do the dark, three-piece suit a disservice. Still, while it was remarkably well-tailored, it did nothing to hide Shepard's impressive physique.

Considering the asari were a communal species, it wasn't odd for them to be rather casual around one another, but such conduct was typically reserved between close friends and family members. While she knew some of the maidens upon the Presidium could be forward with their curiosity, she had assumed her colleagues would have shown the proper level of etiquette to a foreign visitor in their midst--even for someone as unique as Shepard.

That apparently hadn't been the cause.

Tevos would be in Armali for the next month or so on business. Perhaps she could forego work for at least one night, especially since Shepard seemed so uncomfortable.

...She did, however, make a mental note to watch whomever had caused her bodyguard such discomfort.

Tevos held her hand out then in request for Shepard's own. "Would you dance with me?"

Shepard blinked, taken aback by the request, especially since it wasn't part of their typical routine. "Um, sure. If you really want to."

"Well, it serves two purposes," she admitted with a laugh even as Shepard took the lead. For someone as large and imposing as her, she was remarkably light on her feet. "You wouldn't be left on your own, and it would be easier to dance our way toward the exit than manage through the crowd here. I can announce our farewells, and we can depart for the rest of the evening."

"Oh? Oh!" Shepard grinned then. "That's pretty smart of you."

Tevos huffed out a small laugh. "I do try although I'm sure my mother might be somewhat disappointed that I'm not making more contacts tonight."

"I doubt it. Matriarch Osiria's been more interested in what you get up to during your day to day schedule than anything business-related."

Tevos' brows furrowed at the claim. "I... didn't realize you had become that familiar with one another."

"Oh, well you know that I like waking up early. She's normally down in the kitchen when I make my protein shake, and she likes talking with me."

"About what exactly?"

"Random things honestly although we had a pretty interesting talk this morning."

"Oh?" Tevos could feel a certain sense of wariness settling over her. "Should I be concerned with this topic of conversation? Do I even wish to know what you spoke to her about?"

"Well..." Her gaze turned toward the high domed ceiling in thought. "I'm not entirely sure if my translator glitched out when she asked, but she seemed interested in my pedigree?" She shrugged. "And then she went on to ask about when you would be giving her grandchildren,” she answered, snickering, especially when Tevos stiffened in her arms, almost missing a step. “She mentioned something along the lines of waiting centuries and there still not being a single toddler in sight. Although honestly? I think she only added that last bit to earn some sympathy from me. Apparently, my being around you all the time makes her assume I have better insight into your love life.”

#mass effect #councilor tevos #female shepard #female shepard/councilor tevos #OTP: The Hallelujah On My Throne #AU: Wanna Be On Your Mind #i finally figured out an OTP name for these two!#and i officially gave this AU a name 🙌#opposites definitely attract when it comes to these two 😌

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morganaseren · 3 years

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Mass Effect Fic Pairing Ponderings

Since I finished ME: LE on Wednesday, the plot bunnies in my head have been hard at work regarding my Rajhi Shepard. Her canon romance is still going to be with Sam, but I’ve got a couple AU ideas here regarding Rajhi with some other love interests that I think some of you might enjoy. :)

The Bodyguard AU (Female Shepard/Tevos because I love rare pairings)

(This is an AU where the Reapers never existed and the Geth War never began.)

Rajhi Shepard was the famed war hero of the Skyllian Blitz, a proud N7 graduate, and a loyal marine for over a decade when she felt the winds of change overtake her, especially in the wake of her father’s death years earlier. Given an honorable discharge, she soon went into the private security industry, wanting to do more good on a personal level. To the surprise of Alliance brass, several notable marines left with her along with some who also worked in black ops.

In the years since her departure, Shepard’s team has since become one of the leading security companies south of the Attican Traverse thanks to the combined military experience of the members within it. Although largely a human organization, Shepard offered her services to anyone who was interested in them, and while some were skeptical of the claim, no one could deny the results she could achieve.

On one occasion, Shepard had been able to save the heiress to House T’Soni from an assassination attempt, which resulted in a tense stand-off that lasted for several hours. Although the assassins had breached their defenses, the tight-knit connection Shepard had built with her team along with their military precision led to them ultimately turning the situation against their enemies, forcing them into a retreat, where they could then be taken out one by one. The incident had earned her admirable acclaim across Thessia and various asari colonies thanks to the public words of gratitude offered by Matriarchs Benezia and Aethyta.

In a separate incident, she had also prevented the abduction of Admiral Tali’zorah vas Rannoch, who was on the Citadel for an ambassadorial visit, and for reasons that no one could comprehend, Shepard also seemed to be on a first-name basis with Clan Urdnot’s leaders on Tuchanka.

While Councilor Tevos was aware of the woman’s impressive accomplishments and connections, she never expected their social circles to ever cross until they happened to meet on Illium, where she had to attend to personal business there. As the colony sat at the edge of the Terminus system and was infamous for the latent danger lurking beneath its beauty, there was always the possibility of trouble arising no matter one social’s status.

Tevos ran into complications when the complementary security detail offered to her on arrival was decimated in a surprise attack launched by a mercenary group on the embassy building she was in. No ransom demands were given, and no chance for negotiation was offered. They merely wanted her on behalf of their client, but before anything else could be done, Shepard and her team had arrived to subdue them.

Thankful for her intervention, Tevos extended a contract to Shepard’s company as her personal security team for the next year. Over that time, they both became closer while dealing with murderous schemes by a rival asari house, Tevos’ political rivals across Thessia and the Citadel, and her mother’s constant badgering regarding her lackluster love life...

Of the Feelings Never Told (Female Shepard/Tali)

(This AU is more Tali-centric and begins with her brief reunion with Shepard at Freedom’s Progress in ME2 and continues throughout the events of ME3 along with some post-game content. There will be occasional flashbacks to ME1 though.)

When she had first met Shepard, Tali thought she was incredibly imposing despite her initial gratitude from being saved from Fist’s lackeys. With the woman’s height, she’d almost been convinced Shepard had the height to match a Geth Prime along with the build to match. But then Shepard had smiled so warmly at her as she accepted her help against Saren and welcomed her aboard the Normandy. Such kindness had been a rarity on her pilgrimage, and Tali had wondered why she ever thought Shepard was so intimidating.

Shepard was endlessly playful, and while there was an accompanying sweetness to her as well, Tali saw how often it was taken advantage of, especially as the weight of the galaxy pressed her to do the impossible again and again. Tali had watched as she stood alone for so long against government agencies that refused to heed her warnings or help those most in need of their protection.

It was odd, given that Shepard was such a compelling figure---one who could draw anyone into the gravity of her charm. As such, Tali knew she could have her pick of anyone in the galaxy. Wistfully, she had even watched Shepard slip away with the Citadel’s revered Consort once upon a time in appreciation of a task well-tended to. Although her heart continued to long for her, Tali otherwise accepted that things would never change between them. Thus, she had been content to merely watch her from afar, helping however she could.

She had spent so much time watching Shepard that she was startled to see familiar golden eyes staring back at her one day.

Distance Won’t Make Me Forget You (Female Shepard/Sam)

Sam had met Shepard years ago before the incident with Saren although the other woman had never introduced herself as the hero the Skyllian Blitz or even given her surname. She had merely wandered into Sam’s bar---her night job at university---and introduced herself as Raj before spending the entire evening flirting with her in between drinks. It was intensely flattering, given how attractive the woman was, and Sam was left blushing underneath such attention.

When Raj came back the following evening and had chosen to nurse non-alcoholic drinks while keeping her company at the bar, Sam knew she was likely planning something and was even hopeful for it. When Raj invited her back to her hotel at the end of her shift, Sam was quick to accept it.

What followed was a momentous occasion, and as far as one-night stands went, it was easily the best she ever had. It was supposed to be a chance meeting---perhaps a once in a lifetime opportunity---since she knew Raj was an Alliance marine on shore leave, who was set to leave soon. They’d likely never see each other again, but she’d enjoyed what time they had.

Sam still hadn’t known who she truly was until the vids showed Raj’s face years later as the news reported the destruction of the ship led by the famed human Spectre.

Commander Rajhi Shepard.

As she saw those honey-brown eyes flashing across the screen along that rakish grin, Sam could only remember her cup slipping from her hands to shatter across the floor as she slowly fell to her knees, feeling as though a cold hand had gripped her heart.

Sam knew it was foolish to be upset over a woman she had only known in passing, but she had felt Rajhi’s loss all the same. She had always seemed larger than life with a soul too vibrant and determined to fall to the likes of death, but if anything, it had proven death didn’t discriminate.

There was little more to do but move on with her life, and so she continued on with her work as a communications specialist with an Alliance R&D lab, but she had grown homesick enough to want to visit her parents back on Horizon.

Sam arrived just in time for the Collectors to attack.

Although she had been fortunate enough not to be taken by the enemy, Sam had been surprised to know that Shepard was also there on the colony only hours before according to Delan, one of the local mechanics who met up with her. It was thanks to her that even half the colony had been saved, but despite that, Delan continued to curse Shepard’s name and that of the Alliance, saying that neither had done nearly enough to save everyone. While sighing quietly at his tirade, Sam couldn’t help but marvel at the chances of a fated meeting that she had only barely missed.

Following the Collector attack, she returned to Earth and spent several months on medical leave from her experience on Horizon before being allowed to return to light duty. Eventually, she was assigned to the team in charge of retrofitting the Normandy SR-2 once Shepard surrendered it and herself into Alliance custody.

After the sudden takeoff from Earth with the initial Reaper attack, Sam prepared to go and introduce herself to her new CO since she was likely to be aboard the ship for awhile. She hadn’t expected Rajhi to remember her at all, given that they had met almost a decade ago, but as that tired gaze turned toward her, she saw that dark head slowly tilt itself as familiar amber eyes blinked in surprise.

“Sam?”

The Supernatural and College Life AU (Female Shepard/Sam)

(This is based off an old fic idea I never posted, but I thought it might work for this pairing.)

With ever advancing technology and the advent of social media, the supernatural community found it a tad more difficult to stay out of the public eye. They made do as best as they could, however, managing to serve in various occupations alongside their human counterparts. While little mishaps did occur, they were quickly swept under the rug by an internal organization.

Still, things don’t always remain a secret forever.

Sam found herself accidentally caught in the supernatural world when she left her job at the bar one night. On her way back to her dorm to get some well-deserved sleep, she found one of the largest dogs she’d ever seen sitting in the middle of her path, tail wagging happily, as if it had been waiting solely for her.

---

As usual, give me a like, comment, inbox message, or a DM if you like any of the ideas listed above, and I’ll see if I can work these into rotation and expand on them a bit more like I’ve already done for some of my DA AUs! If nothing else, I can probably give you a snippet of a scene regarding them. Lol. Until next time, dear readers! Take care!

#Mass Effect #councilor tevos #tali'zorah vas normandy #samantha traynor #female shepard/tevos #female shepard/tali #female shepard/sam #my writing #lee's vague ideas #lee's mass effect ideas #rajhi shepard #AU: Wanna Be On Your Mind #OTP: The Hallelujah On My Throne

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morganaseren · 3 years

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Rajhi Shepard’s Mass Effect 3 Profile History

Click here to see her updated ME3 appearance.

Click here to see an extended version of her history.

Click here to see her Mass Effect 2 Profile.

Game Choices:

Did all miscellaneous sidequests.

Chose Charm options in her conversations with Ashley on Mars and the Citadel.

Allowed Diana Allers to come aboard the Normandy and chose all Charm options in her interviews with her.

Used Charm option on Khalisah when she cornered Rajhi for an interview following the attack on Earth.

Recruited Javik after Priority: Palaven.

Convinced former Yeoman Chambers to change her identity, and she ended up surviving the coup that later occurred on the Citadel.

Omega DLC completed after Priority: Eden Prime. While Rajhi mostly followed Aria’s lead to stay on her good side, when it came time for her to shut down the reactor, the Paragon in her couldn’t needlessly sacrifice all those lives. She managed to reroute power in time, but she earned herself the Neutral ending for the DLC, which led to Aria stating, “I’ve lived for a thousand years, Shepard, and you may be the most powerful and baffling being I’ve ever encountered.” Rather apt description, considering that Rajhi is the most chaotic of goods. :P Needless to say, she didn’t get a kiss from Aria for all her hard work. Lol.

Rescued Jack and the Grissom Academy students and advised that they serve in supporting roles in the war, leading to their survival at the end of it.

Convinced Liara to talk to her father Aethyta.

During the search for Wrex’s missing krogan scouts, she found Charr’s dying message and delivered it to his bondmate Ereba. Rajhi also chose to save the Rachni Queen again.

In Priority: Tuchanka, Rajhi warned Wrex and Eve about the Dalatrass trying to sabotage the genophage cure. Mordin sacrificed himself to fix The Shroud, and thanks to Maelon’s data being saved back in ME2, Eve survived to lead Clan Urdnot with Wrex.

During the Cerberus coup on the Citadel, she was able to convince Ashley to stand down, and Rajhi took the killing shot against Udina. Following that, she also welcomed Ash back aboard the Normandy when the other woman requested it.

Saved Jacob and the ex-Cerberus scientists he was protecting, earning more help in building the Crucible.

During the mission at the Ardat-Yakshi sanctuary, she stopped Samara from committing suicide and allowed Falere to live freely in the monastery.

She punched Admiral Han’Gerrel in the aftermath of Priority: Geth Dreadnaught. She was utterly furious that he had squandered his chance to have the Migrant Fleet retreat and instead opened fire on the Dreadnaught while she, Tali, and Ash were still on board.

She saved Admiral Koris after his ship went down, and she was able to convince him to rally the entirety of Civilian Fleet into staying than risk destruction against the Geth by fleeing.

Rajhi also finished Rannoch: Geth Fighter Squadrons prior to Priority: Rannoch. During the latter, Rajhi instructed Legion to upload the Reaper code to the Geth to allow them all free will. She was also able to use the Charm option to rally the Migrant Fleet to stop fighting the Geth, who would have otherwise retaliated in defense with more devastating power once the code was uploaded. She was able to broker peace between the quarians and Geth, ending a war three centuries in the making.

During the Leviathan DLC, she used one Renegade option with Anne while they attempted to find Leviathan’s location, but Anne’s condition was fine enough to help with building the Crucible afterward. Rajhi also managed to convinced the Leviathan race to help in the war.

Warned Miranda about Kai Leng and gave her Alliance resources, which led her to surviving at Sanctuary.

Attempted to save her clone, who refused her help and committed suicide instead. Chose the Charm option to convince Brooks to go into Alliance custody quietly. Invited all her companions over the the Citadel DLC party and chose all the energetic party options.

Chose the Renegade option in killing Kai Leng during Priority: Cerberus Headquarters.

Chose mostly Charm options in conversations with the Illusive Man throughout the game, which led to him committing suicide later.

Chose the Destroy ending. Effective Military Strength score was over 7,000, so Rajhi survived after the Crucible was fired.

Morality: Paragon. With the weight of the war bearing down on her, her patience was at an all-time low. She took enough Renegade options that her scars made a very brief appearance, but they were all gone again by Priority: Tuchanka.

Love Interest: Sam. She finally meets the love of her life. Shame that it happened while the galaxy is already falling apart. :P Rajhi absolutely adores her and believes Sam’s easily one of the smartest women she’s ever met. Plus, she likes how her confidence comes out to play, especially in the bedroom... ;)

Weapons of Choice: The M-11 Wraith shotgun and N7 Valkyrie assault rifle. Although the former is actually banned in Citadel space, her status as a Spectre allows her to carry it without issue. With a few mods for the Wraith, she’s always endlessly amazed with how tight the pellet spread is even at long ranges. She can get kills at distances that she otherwise couldn’t with her old M-22 Eviscerator. While the Wraith already has incredible stopping power, she needed something that could fire faster to melt through barriers and armor even at a distance, and that task is handled efficiently with the N7 Valkyrie.

Squad of Choice: Tali and Ashley just like in ME1! Her favorite squad’s back together again. :’)

This is starting to get rather long, so for various headcanons along with Rajhi’s thoughts on her companions, check below the cut!

Various Headcanons:

Her Kuwashii Visor from ME2 makes a reappearance here with the same features although once she was off Earth, she was restless enough to tinker with the software a bit more to improve both the imaging and audio quality of the recording mode. This later came in handy during the Priority: Citadel, where she saved Councilor Valern from Kai Leng and learned that Udina helped instigate the coup. When she had the standoff with Ashley, she was able to play back the recording when he said she had no evidence against him of any wrongdoing. It was with vicious glee that she watched him pale immediately when they saw and heard Valern’s damning testimony. (“Look, if you make the mistake of throwing me under the bus more than once, don’t be surprised when I find a way around it...” she deadpanned.) Udina tried to save face, but when he raised his gun against her, Rajhi took the killing shot.

The original ME trilogy came with a multiplayer mode for ME3, and each of the classes had a specialized subclass. As a Vanguard, Rajhi’s would be the N7 Slayer, which utilizes some level of swordsmanship and some minor teleportation abilities due to their biotics. During her six-month lockdown, she had nothing else to do but train and further hone those skills, so she uses these techniques more on the battlefield now.

She used the standard issue sword given to all N7 Slayers, but when she encountered a dying Huntress upon the ruins of Thessia, an asari sword was given to her---a message of defiance against an enemy who knew no mercy. (“Lieutenant Kurin gave one last rallying cry to let the galaxy know the war was won on Thessia. When I bury this blade into the heart of Kai Leng and the Illusive Man, I’ll make sure they get the message...”)

Following the destruction of the original Normandy, Rajhi has a hard time being out in open space such as with the space walk in Priority: Geth Dreadnaught. Seeing the wreckage around her---so similar to the destruction she saw before her death---nearly caused her to have a panic attack until she heard Tali’s voice come over the private comm channel they shared back in ME1 (Rajhi and Liara actually also share one, according to a voice line in ME2 upon helping her hack some terminals). Even as war waged around them, Tali managed to calm Rajhi down enough to where terror no longer gripped her heart and she could proceed with opening up an airlock for her squad to continue the mission.

She took Tali with her to the casino charity event in the Citadel DLC. While Rajhi knew Tali wouldn’t be able to help with disabling the security because of the electronics built into her suit, Rajhi was determined that her friend have a good time.

Following her devastating loss against Kai Leng on Thessia, Rajhi played the footage of their fight over and over again. Although she could outpace him across the battlefield easily as a Vanguard, the assassin was a great deal more agile, which meant her usual methods of combat wouldn’t work against him. Prior to their rematch, she trained endlessly with the sole purpose to kill him for his role in the Illusive Man’s madness. When they finally had a chance to meet on the battlefield again, she was ruthless. Instead of charging in, she kept her distance and used a series of biotic lashes and shotgun blasts to catch him off-guard, forcing Kai Leng into close-range engagements that he had no way of protecting himself against. Without any way to retreat to regain his health or shields, he died with her sword through his chest.

Just before the Crucible fired, Hackett ordered a retreat of all Alliance ships. Rather than have them all grouped together in the event the blast would destroy them all, he had them choose random coordinates in the hopes that some would still make it out alive. Because of this, and the fact the comm networks were down along with the mass relays, no one had a clear idea of where anyone was until they started making their way back to Earth.

All her former squadmates who were on Earth to help against the Reapers survived the final battle.

After the Crucible fired, parts of it and the Citadel fell back down into an already decimated London. After hours of searching, digging, and biotically moving rubble out of the way, Wrex, Grunt, and Jack were the first to find Rajhi amidst the wreckage. It took Samara’s precise control with her own biotics to keep Rajhi’s body stable as they moved her from the crash site and to another location for emergency surgery.

A lot of Rajhi’s cybernetic implants were compromised when all synthetic life were destroyed. That, in addition to her other her grievous injuries meant Rajhi had to be placed in a medically-induced coma while doctors tended to her. Miranda presided over them, as she had the best knowledge of Rajhi’s implants. In comparison to Project Lazarus, Miranda had an easier time working on Rajhi, but her left arm and leg were too far gone to be saved, so she had to retrofit specialized prosthetics for her. Miranda would later find out that Rajhi’s near mortal injuries had been a result of her standing too close to the containment tube that kept the Crucible from firing when she destroyed it.

Rajhi would remain in her coma for several months until doctors felt they could safely wake her up. Unfortunately, comm networks and the mass relays were still down, and since there was no way to determine the status of the Normandy, she fell into a deep depression.

Although she lost several limbs following her death prior to ME2, Rajhi found she had a harder time adjusting to her new prosthetics. As a result of her compromised implants, she couldn’t immediately get up and move like she had when Lazarus station was attacked. She had to resort to using a wheelchair during her first few months of rehabilitation because she was in so much pain and exhausted all the time. It seemed that the years leading up to the war had finally caught up to her, and she had no strength to fight against it.

It would take almost another year for the Normandy to finally return to Earth, and the news was the catalyst in shaking Rajhi out of her depression. She was still using a wheelchair by the time she was able to reunite with Sam and the rest of the ship’s crew. With her lover’s support, she was able to focus more heartily on her recovery.

Because so much of the Alliance hierarchy was destroyed during the initial attack on Earth or throughout the war, there was a significant vacuum of power left behind. Although many rallied to have Rajhi as a new member of the Admiralty Board, she admitted that she wasn’t ready to command fleets again with the war still too fresh on her mind. She took the promotion of Captain instead, which would still allow her to serve more actively on the field. Due to the depth of her experience during the war, however, she also holds one of the key advisory positions to the Admiralty, where she works alongside Hackett in between focusing on her physical recovery.

Thoughts on Her Companions:

Ashley - They parted on rather difficult terms when they last met on Horizon. After learning that Rajhi was willingly working with Cerberus, Ash seemed rather confident that her former CO had turned her back on everything the Alliance ever stood for, which hurt Rajhi deeply. The situation itself wasn’t nearly so clear-cut, but it nevertheless left a chasm within their friendship, especially as their paths intertwined once more following the attack on Earth. On Mars, Ash’s concerns came back to the forefront again with the Cerberus presence there. Although Rajhi had been Alliance custody with limited access to anything outside the compound for half a year, Ash had her doubts, especially as they saw the twisted appearances of the people behind the Cerberus armor. Rajhi understood her reasoning and knew simple platitudes wouldn’t be enough to convince her of her good intentions. She remained patient and chose all the Charm options in their interactions, allowing her actions to speak for her rather than convince her through simple platitudes alone. During a hospital visit, it seemed Ash had finally come around to accepting the truth of the matter, but then it was nearly undone again during their standoff. Although Ash soon saw reason and turned her gun on Udina, it had been a near thing, given Rajhi knew that Liara and Garrus were ready to take the shot against the other Spectre even after Rajhi had already lowered her gun. Her squadmates weren’t willing to see Rajhi hurt if Ash kept pressing the matter. Following the coup with Ash requesting to join the Normandy, a part of Rajhi was happy, but given how grave the situation could have turned out, she gave the other woman an ultimatum because what nearly happened in their standoff couldn’t happen again. (“I get that you were doing your job in protecting the Council, but either you trust me by now or you don’t. If my brief past with Cerberus is still too fresh for you to forget, then it’s best if you take Hackett up on his offer. We’re too close to ending this to let doubt lead us astray.”) Ash swore her fealty, and although some of Rajhi’s squadmates treated the other Spectre with polite distance (with Joker poking fun at her for pointing her gun at her CO), Rajhi saw how hard she worked to watch their backs and re-earn the friendships she’d made years ago. Their relationship was long restored before that final battle on Earth. Ash was actually injured during the final push to the beam, and although it was painful to turn her aside, Rajhi cared too much to let her throw her life away so carelessly. (“You’ve already proven yourself to me, Ash, but I need to know that at least one of us is making it out of here alive.” Her eyes softened. “Look after them for me, alright?”)

James - She greatly enjoys his sense of humor. It was perhaps one of the few bright spots she had to look forward to during the months she was in Alliance custody on Earth. While their banter can come off as rather flirtatious to an outsider’s perspective, it’s all in good fun. They’re really not each other’s types. Lol. Rajhi did sense a bit of hero worship from him although it wasn’t to the same worrying extent she felt with Conrad Verner. The mission on Mars was her first chance to see him in action, and by the end of it, she found him to be worryingly reckless. On any other occasion, she would have felt the hypocrisy of that judgment, especially given how she thrives best in the thick of battle, but seeing him crash a Kodiak into the Cerberus shuttle attempting to take Eva away---an act that nearly caused both vehicles to crash into her and her ground team---she knew she had to correct that behavior before it got worse. She found out more about him once they had their impromptu sparring session, and she understood more of his cavalier attitude. He did improve with time, especially as they got to know one another outside the jailer and prisoner roles they had one Earth. She considers him a good soldier---one she would trust to guard her back on the battlefield.

Liara - She’s always been one of Rajhi’s best confidantes. Although she’s changed considerably from the archaeologist she met back on Therum years ago, Rajhi still enjoys seeing her passion in regards to her research. She’s always amused when that calm and collected facade fades into barely contained enthusiasm, which was the case for a time with Javik and his knowledge of the Prothean empire. Although Liara’s usually busy maintaining her spy network as the Shadow Broker, she always finds time for Rajhi, acting as a sounding board for her thoughts when they get too overwhelming. Rajhi appreciates how supportive she is in that regard. Their experiences together have cemented a life-long friendship.

Garrus - He’s been a solid figure of support. With the exception of Tali, he’s one of the few individuals who’s been fighting at her side since their days tracking down Seren. There’s a camaraderie there that can’t be brushed aside. As such, he’s always consistently aware of whenever Rajhi hits her limits from working too hard and calls her out on it each time. Rajhi’s always been an optimistic person whereas Garrus has always been more analytical---the type willing to see the ruthless calculus required of war. She’s never wanted to see the people they could or couldn’t save as mere statistics, but the entire campaign certainly pushed her to her breaking point several times. War changes people after all, and the kindest of individuals suffer the most. Garrus, however, always made sure she wasn’t sacrificing too much of herself to see it through to the end.

EDI - The lesbian within her was quite attracted to EDI’s new body. Lol. On the other hand, she also wasn’t quite certain how to feel about seeing it up and running again, given that it had nearly killed her and her squadmates back on Mars, but EDI’s suggestions about taking it into battle to assist them all seemed rather reasonable. Rajhi always appreciates having another tech-minded person on missions as well as another line of defense for the Normandy. While Rajhi doesn’t take her out on missions very much, she does encourage her to visit the sites around the Citadel with Joker as a way for her to experience organic life in a fairly natural setting. She also encouraged her to pursue a relationship with Joker, especially when Rajhi realized how happy he was around her. When prompted, Rajhi always gives the Paragon dialogue options in regards to EDI’s questions about organic life, and she’s always proud of the little accomplishments her friend achieves in understanding them. As for endgame, Rajhi feels a massive amount of guilt for choosing to destroy all synthetic life in a final attempt to stop the Reapers. It’s ever a point of shame for her.

Javik - She found him rather fascinating when they first met although she was admittedly more excited on Liara’s behalf, especially since her friend spent so much of her life researching Protheans. While his attitude can be rather jarring, she’s patient in trying to understand him. He was raised in war after all; she isn’t sure she would have fared much better in the environment he had to live through. She sympathizes with his pain and the chilling knowledge that he was the last surviving member of his race. As such, she isn’t surprised when he reveals his plans to lay himself to rest alongside his late companions should they survive the war. He had long deserved his peace. She respects the proud warrior, and with his gift of the memory shard prior to that final battle along with the handshake that he had originally denied her, she was proud to have earned his respect as well.

Tali - Rajhi’s wife in another life. Rajhi’s always had a soft spot for her. She considers Tali to be one of her closest friends. When she brokered peace between the quarians and Geth, Rajhi actually had no intention of asking Tali to rejoin her on the Normandy. With Rannoch recently acquired, she assumed Tali would have wanted to stay there with her people to help further settle the planet. Rajhi definitely didn’t have any objections when Tali insisted on coming along though. Just like in their past adventures together, she enjoys visiting Tali down on the engineering deck and hearing about the continued progress between the quarians and Geth. They sometimes work on little tech projects together as a way to unwind from the stress from the war.

#rajhi shepard #rajhi faq #photo set #mass effect: legendary edition #her face is so fucking gorgeous

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morganaseren · 3 years

Photo

Rajhi Shepard’s Mass Effect 2 Profile

Click here to read her Mass Effect 1 Profile History along with an extended background.

Click here to read her Mass Effect 3 Profile History.

Click here to see her updated ME3 Appearance.

Game Choices:

Let Veetor go back to the Migrant Fleet with Tali.

Recruited Zaeed. While Rajhi chose to save the refinery workers that had been left to die in the fire---inadvertently giving Vido enough time to escape---she was able to secure Zaeed’s loyalty by having him understand there were more important things to worry about than simple revenge.

Recruited Kasumi. She let her keep Keiji’s graybox because she saw how important it was to her.

Helped Mordin by saving his assistant Daniel back on Omega and also convinced him to spare Maelon and his data.

Convinced Garrus to spare Sidonis. She also prevented him from shooting Harkin before that although she was semi-amused when he headbutted the man instead.

Opened Grunt’s tank and earned his loyalty by helping him undergo his rite of passage while headbutting a couple stubborn krogan along the way, which helped to secure him a place within Clan Urdnot, especially when they were able to take down the Thresher Maw.

Earned Miranda’s loyalty and encouraged her to talk to Oriana before they left Illium.

Earned Jack’s loyalty and encouraged her to let Aresh go before they destroyed the facility.

In the argument between Miranda and Jack following the situation on Pragia, she chose the Charm option to stop the fight and retain both their loyalties.

Helped Thane with his son. She chose the Charm option of shooting out the lamp behind Kolyat, startling him enough that she was able to punch him. The distraction caused Kolyat’s hostage to escape safely, and it also helped to otherwise deescalate the situation before it got any worse. As a Paragon, she also played Good Cop to Thane’s Bad Cop against Elias Kelham and was amused when the crimelord’s lawyer realized he couldn’t do anything against her Spectre authority.

Helped Samara while aiding Detective Anaya with some crime-related issues such as the murder of a volus by an Eclipse initiate along with telling her about Pitne For’s illegal smuggling activities. During her loyalty mission, Rajhi was able to earn Morinth’s interest by defending a dancer from an aggressive patron, saving an undercover reporter, and encouraging the VIP bar owner to offer a round of drinks to everyone. Rajhi was later able to fight off Morinth’s mind control easily and helped Samara in killing her.

Saved Tali and Kal’Reegar on Haestrom. Later earned her loyalty by yelling at the Admiralty Board, furious that they were using the trial as a way to press their respective agendas against the Geth. Exposing that fact while also emphasizing Tali’s accomplishments over the years allowed her friend to be cleared of all charges.

Activated Legion and chose to destroy the Geth Heretics.

In the ensuing argument between Tali and Legion, Rajhi chose the Charm option, allowing them both to refocus on the mission at hand while also retaining both their loyalties.

Didn’t punch Khalisah during the interview. Rajhi chose the Charm option to reprimand her, reminding the reporter that she owed the people who sacrificed themselves in the fight against Sovereign so much more than her petty attempts at slander.

Helped Liara become the Shadow Broker.

Saved David from Project Overlord.

During the Arrival DLC, she successfully held off the waves of enemies in the room containing the Reaper artifact, shot Kenson, and tried to warn the batarians of the Alpha Relay’s imminent destruction. Rajhi didn’t argue against Hackett about the need for her to stand trial for her actions.

Completely upgraded the Normandy to survive travel through the Omega-4 Relay.

Successfully rescued the Normandy crew from the Collector base without suffering any squad casualties.

Chose to destroy the Collector Base and cut all ties with the Illusive Man.

Morality: Paragon. The scarring from her implants are essentially healed by the time she finishes her business on Omega with recruiting Garrus and Mordin.

Love Interest: Tali She was canonically single throughout ME2. Rajhi did flirt and have dinner with Kelly I was trying to keep her fish alive, but she never did the, uh, post-Collector Base activity that would lock her into a romance. Lol.

Weapons of Choice: The M-22 Eviscerator shotgun and the M-96 Mattock semi-automatic rifle. Although she stuck with using the M-12 Locust for the longest time in combination with her shotgun, she largely preferred the increased damage and range that came with using assault rifles, especially during long enemy engagements.

Squad of Choice: Tali and Grunt although the second position is frequently rotated out by either Miranda or Kasumi. She really enjoys the company of smart women with a lot of tech-related experience. Lol.

Various Headcanons:

Because of the optical implants she received under Project Lazarus, her eyes remain semi-vibrant even in the dark, as seen in the last image in the photo set above.

Her biotic implant was also retrofitted while she was still on the operating room table. That paired with the multitude of cybernetic implants she has throughout her body allows her to metabolize alcohol faster, so she can keep pace with even the likes of Jack, who has her own overcharged implant that allows her to outdrink most people---biotic or otherwise. As such, she doesn’t really suffer from hangovers.

Her inability to get drunk easily was an exercise in frustration, especially in the wake of Horizon. She was hurt by Ashley’s words although she understood the reasoning behind them, especially given the atrocities they had seen committed by Cerberus back in ME1. It was the questioning of Rajhi’s loyalty to the Alliance---especially given Ash knew that her late father and mother had faithfully served within it---that truly wounded her however. Rajhi never trusted Cerberus, but she knew they were a means to an end in protecting more human colonies from being attacked, but Ash’s words made her doubt herself.

During Kasumi’s loyalty mission (or in any formal occasion that otherwise requires her to wear a dress in the series), Rajhi actually wears a sari instead.

Her Kuwashii Visor has the standard features, which helps monitor data on the field with sonar, lidar, and thermal imaging technology along with a magnification mode for increased accuracy. However, Rajhi got Tali to help her set up more customized software. Besides being able to listen to music in the middle of a firefight, there’s also a discrete, recording feature that’s tied to certain eye movements. A slow blink of her right eye starts and stops recording, and the footage is stored in the visor and can be uploaded manually to her personal terminal later. Three, rapid blinks, however, causes the recording to be uploaded automatically to the private comm channels she shares with Liara and Tali (they created them back in ME1 for emergency purposes). This came in handy with finding evidence about the indoctrination of Kenson and her entire research team in the Arrival DLC along with the Reapers’ impending invasion. It wouldn’t stop the eventual trial she would have to face in the wake of the destruction of Aratoht, but it did soften the blow somewhat.

Thoughts on Her Companions:

Miranda - Of her two Cerberus squadmates, Miranda was the one Rajhi was the most wary of, especially given the woman was very vocal in her loyalty toward the organization and the Illusive Man. Although she greatly respected her intellect and her ability to simply get things done, Rajhi was almost willing to write her off as a lost cause until she saw that icy mask of hers break with the worry over her sister Oriana. Her aid in the incident led to Miranda warming up to Rajhi considerably. Even so, Miranda constantly has her patience tested on the battlefield with Rajhi’s chaotic combat style along with her blunt method in solving things at times. Lol.

Jacob - She was impressed with his service history in the Alliance, especially as a Corsair. He admits to not being comfortable with Cerberus’ past history, but he also realizes they’re the only ones doing anything about the missing human colonies, which is why he’s willing to work with them. His honesty along with his calm, laidback nature won her over. Rajhi finds him easy to talk to although she’s not necessarily as close to him as her other companions all the options to talk more with him always felt way too flirty, which annoyed me.

Zaeed - His ability to survive just about anything thrown his way leaves Rajhi endlessly amazed. She respects his battle prowess, and she enjoys hearing about his past mission stories. She did initially find his single-minded focus against Vido Santiago to be of concern however. She was worried that Vido’s escape would have compromised Zaeed’s loyalty, but he has since proven himself to be a dependable companion---one who she is proud to call a friend.

Kasumi - Rajhi’s interest was piqued from the very moment they met. She’d never been summoned by advertisement before after all. Lol. She enjoyed the brief play of subterfuge that came with Kasumi’s loyalty mission, where she got to put her natural charm to work rather than resorting to gunfire and biotics. ...That still happened in the end, of course, but that was just a lovely bonus to an already eventful evening. Lol. As for Keiji’s graybox, she found the implications against the Alliance to be concerning, but she didn’t have the heart to tell Kasumi to simply destroy it. It was actually unnerving to see the otherwise playful woman so visibly distraught. Rajhi has a great working relationship with her though. During her downtime, she occasionally spends time in Kasumi’s room, listening to stories of her various heists along with her love of art in between shared glasses of wine.

Garrus - She was greatly concerned about him when they reunited back on Omega. While Rajhi had known he’d been frustrated by the constant bureaucracy back on the Citadel, she hadn’t expected him to have gone all the way out to the Terminus System to exact his own brand of justice. While she respected his intentions, she didn’t agree with his methods, especially since they eventually put him in the crossfire of Omega’s most notorious gangs. She feared her death had been a catalyst in such drastic behavior, and her concerns only grew with his need for revenge against Sidonis. It reminded her too much of the incident with Doctor Saleon, where Garrus had been willing to get innocents killed in his need to deal with the threat at hand permanently. Just like then, she had to force him to stand down on the Citadel, and while Garrus had been frustrated at her interference at first, he realized what his personal vendetta had turned him into. Their friendship thankfully hadn’t suffered, and they’re always willing to keep an eye out for one another. Rajhi is often the one reminding to take a break from calibrating and eat to regain his energy.

Mordin - When she learned about his work with the modified genophage, she never really agreed with it. Rajhi often challenged him on the matter, wanting him to understand how unethical it all was. Given she needed him to work on finding a solution against the paralyzing Seeker Swarm threat, she rarely took him out on missions before then. Mordin admitted he was content to stay within the ship’s lab if she didn’t trust his judgment regarding the krogan. It was only when they went to Tuchanka in an attempt to rescue Maelon did she see him finally break and question himself. She witnessed his crisis of faith when he saw that his modified genophage drove the krogan women into such desperation that they were willing to undergo Maelon’s horrific experiments. It was then she realized there was more to his cool, clinical persona and that he was capable of the compassion expected of his medical expertise. Rajhi’s always amazed by his overall brilliance. She can’t really keep up with all his science stuff, but she likes hearing him talk about it anyway along with discussing his thoughts on religion. She visited him often enough that it eventually led to a misunderstanding on his part, where he believed she was attracted to him. The mishap amused her to no end, but she thanked him for letting her down gently.

Grunt - She didn’t know what quite to make of him even before she opened his tank. She’d never been in the presence of a clone before. Rajhi just knew that he was important enough that Warlord Okeer was willing to die to make sure he survived. As warriors go, Grunt’s quite impressive. Admittedly, he can be as aggressive as any krogan she’s ever encountered, but after her time with Wrex on the original Normandy, she’s used to it. Rajhi tends to steer Grunt’s love of violence in a more positive direction though---namely against their enemies. Between her biotics and his overall strength, they’re a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. They’re close by the time Grunt introduces her to Clan Urdnot as his Battlemaster. She invites him up to her cabin whenever his shipments of action figures arrives, and they just talk while he puts together his stuff and she assembles whatever ship model she manages to get her hands on. She also lets him try some of her curry recipes when she figures out he has the spice tolerance to handle them. Lol.

Jack - As far as recruitment missions went, no one had her going wide-eyed with complete interest quite like Jack. Lol. (“Did she just seriously tear through three heavy mechs?! Oh, this I have to see! C’mon!”) Grunt was also with her on that mission, and he had just been enthused by the sight whereas poor Kasumi couldn’t help but sigh as she followed along after the duo, greatly sympathizing with what Miranda likely went through every time she left on a mission with Rajhi. As mistrustful as Jack was at the beginning, it took awhile for her to warm up to Rajhi, but Rajhi remained patient and understanding whenever she visited. When questioned about her interest in her, Rajhi admitted that she had never met anyone quite like Jack before. Her biotic ability was beyond spectacular after all, and after hearing what Jack had been through, she felt she could use a friend. Jack had brushed off the offer at first, but after awhile, it became clear the other woman respected Rajhi as both her commanding officer and a companion, which is evident by her frequent of use of the title “Commander” during the biotic bubble bit in the Collector Base.

Thane - Rajhi was admittedly impressed during their first meeting with one another. He dispatched Nassana’s mercs with an ease that was as simple as breathing. There’s a certain nobility to him that she never would have expected such a notorious assassin to have, but she appreciates how calm and well-mannered he is. Much like with Mordin, she greatly enjoys their talks about spirituality.

Samara - She personally finds the Justicar’s code to be a little too black and white for her liking, but Rajhi respects her commitment to it, especially given that she’s practiced it for centuries now. Rajhi asks her about her code from time to time, and she finds her overall serene nature to be rather soothing. In the months leading up to the final battle at the Collector Base, she asks Samara to teach her to properly meditate so that she can get herself back into a better frame of mind rather than deal with the anxiety and stress caused by their mission. She also asks Samara to train her in biotics, especially in how to use them to float mid-air like she had seen her do back on Illium against the Eclipse mercs. Even with Samara’s patience, however, Rajhi was just barely able to get the hang of it, but she perfects the art with Liara’s help when her friend rejoins the Normandy in ME3.

Tali - Outside of Joker, Tali was the first person from her former crew that she saw after her two-year death. Even with the distance formed by those years, Rajhi was beyond relieved when Tali took her at her word and believed she was who she said she was. Tali was easily one of her favorite companions back on the original Normandy, and it would have hurt to have her turn away from her like Ashley had on Horizon. Just as in their earlier adventures together, Rajhi often visited her down on the engineering deck just to talk with her. She couldn’t always contribute much to their conversations as Tali was more the expert in anything technical, but she’d just nod along as Tali thought aloud in her work, and the other woman seemed to appreciate her presence. Tali still didn’t like Cerberus, which was understandable. Rajhi didn’t either, but she was happy to have another familiar face she could trust aboard. As for her loyalty mission, Rajhi didn’t agree with how the Admiralty Board was willing to throw her friend under the bus to press their respective agendas regarding the Geth. As for Admiral Raan, she didn’t appreciate how the woman had blindsided her friend by keeping her father’s death a secret. Rajhi was rather standoffish against them all by the time they both leave the Migrant Fleet together. Her visits to Tali increase afterward, especially since she just lost her father, and when things get too difficult for Tali sometimes, she invites her up to her cabin, where she lets her cry her fill if needed.

Legion - After ME1, her usual game plan with Geth is to just shoot first and ask questions later. However, when she heard Legion speak following his sniping of the husks that had been following her and her team, Rajhi was greatly intrigued by him. Her curiosity drove her to activate him although EDI assured her appropriate measures were in place so that Legion couldn’t suddenly hack into the ship. As she talked with him regarding the Heretics and even the quarians, she realized how different he was from the Geth she had encountered before then. She understood his reasoning for wanting to protect his people just any organic race would. This understanding facilitated an unlikely friendship between them both.

#rajhi shepard #photo set #mass effect: legendary edition #rajhi faq

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morganaseren · 3 years

Text

Rajhi Shepard ME1 FAQ

Name: Rajhi (phonetically pronounced “Rah-Jee”) Shepard

Pre-service History: Spacer

Psychological Profile: War Hero

Class: Vanguard

Morality: Paragon

Combat style: As with most Vanguards, she utilizes a great amount of high-risk, high-reward maneuvers. She often charges first into battle---quite literally---taking out the furthest opponent on the field since they often have long-range weapons that could potentially be used to pick off her squadmates. Most enemies barely have the chance to see the blur of dark energy in the distance before it suddenly closes in on them with bone-shattering force with death soon following afterward from the shotgun slug to the face if the extreme, physical trauma doesn’t down them first.

From her new position, Rajhi uses it to otherwise flank her squad’s remaining enemies, forcing them into a two-sided battle. With gunfire from one end and devastating biotic attacks from the other, it’s a challenge few can survive. Any attempts to fall back into a more defensive position are quickly undone when Rajhi can outmaneuver them with a biotic charge, whittling down their numbers until no one is left standing.

Weapons of Choice: In ME1, she really enjoyed using the Spectre Gear line of shotguns and heavy pistols for their sheer stopping power. While the former sees more use, she does occasionally switch to a pistol if the terrain proves too difficult in closing distance efficiently or there are exceptionally mobile targets on the field such as drones and the agile Geth Hoppers.

Ethnicity: She has a mix of Indian and European ancestry from her father with more Southeasten Asian influence (mostly Thai and Laotian) from her mother.

Height: 6′6″ (198cm)

Appearance: Rajhi has thick, black hair with a faded undercut while the length up top is much longer. It’s often swept back and to the side (as seen in that first image) for an otherwise clean, well-groomed look, but she has some persistent cowlicks along the back right-side of her head as seen in the image above. She’s long since given up on trying to get them to behave and stay flat. Lol.

Her eyes are a honey-brown, and beneath them are the constellations of freckles that spread across her cheeks and over the long, broad arch of her nose.

The scar that runs diagonally across her face is an unfortunate souvenir of sorts during the Skyllian Blitz, where she had to break formation from her team to seal a breach in their defense in order to keep the batarian slavers from overrunning them and the colonists they were helping to defend. A well-timed grenade behind cover sent bits of shrapnel flying toward her, and the heat of the metal seared itself across her face. With no chance to properly heal the injury between persistent enemy attacks, she was left with a prominent scar by the time medigel and a doctor’s aid could be applied.

Physique: There’s honestly more muscles than curves to Rajhi’s body with her broad shoulders and hips---a tall column of absolute strength. She’s pretty proportional to her height in terms of overall mass, but every part of her is just solid muscle from her years of military service. She’s a Vanguard, so she’s trained to be the first and last defense on the battlefield, and it clearly shows.

Personality: Rajhi’s pure of heart but dumb of ass to be perfectly honest. Lmfao. She’s friendly enough to talk your ear off if given half the chance along with possessing a natural sort of curiosity to her (at least that’s what I headcanon as to why she’s constantly asking questions lol). While she always has the best interests of the mission at heart, that doesn’t mean she won’t find the most chaotic way of getting there.

---

“So what’s up with the mining laser, Tali?”

“Besides it being decades old? It’s broken,” she said as she typed away at the console. “Honestly, for a place said to be a Prothean ruin, I’m amazed they’re not using something more state of the art.”

“Well, I think the report stated it was only a theory of it actually being Prothean,” Shepard said as she climbed up to inspect the bulky shaft of the machine. “Probably didn’t want to insure all that equipment to the ass end of nowhere without being certain first.”

Tali gave a noncommittal hum in response while trying to reroute power into the mining laser. “Well, that’s strange. It’s drawing energy just fine, but there’s some type of disconnect between that and the mechanism that fires the—”

She barely caught the haze of blue out of the corner of her helmet before Shepard gave the side of the machine a biotics-powered headbutt. With the resounding bang, Tali gave another startled jerk---hands fluttering briefly over the haptic interface of the console---as the laser actually fired into the debris ahead, clearing a path for them.

“Great! Fixed it!” Shepard grinned, hopping down from the laser before marching through the rubble. “Right. On we go then.”

Tali just stared after her, dumbfounded, while Wrex guffawed loudly in the background.

---

(See Ash’s look there? She knows her CO is solemnly up to no good. Lol. And she’d be right. Where Rajhi goes, trouble is normally soon to follow. :P )

Squad of Choice: Tali and Ashley

Love Interest: Her canon romance is with Sam. She was single all throughout ME1 and ME2 (although she did accidentally sleep with the Consort that one time lmfao). There are a couple AUs I have in mind where she romances other people though, such as Tali or Tevos.

Game Choices:

Recruited Wrex and Garrus before leaving the Citadel and also did their respective loyalty missions when they were available.

Recruited Tali and gave her the Geth data when requested.

Recruited Liara before doing any of the main missions in-game (what monster just leaves her in a bubble long enough to begin hallucinating?)

Saved the Feros colony without killing a single colonist but shot Jeong for what he had knowingly done to them all.

Spared the Rachni Queen.

Saved the hostages in the Bring Down the Sky DLC.

Convinced Wrex to stand down in Virmire.

Saved Ashley on Virmire.

Chose the Charm option in her final confrontation with Saren, causing him to see reason and take his own life rather than add to the harm that he had already inflicted across the galaxy.

Saved the Council.

Chose Anderson as the first human Councilor.

This is already getting a little long, so you can read the rest of her history below the cut.

History: Her parents were both already in the Alliance when they first met.

Her mother Hannah was being stationed at Sakharov Station with the rest of her infantry unit as part of a cooperative defense effort with a team arriving from the Alliance Engineering Corps. The latter was there to retrofit the equipment used to collect helium-3 fuel from Uranus while also updating the defensive grid across the station.

While all the engineers were impressive in skill, none captured Hannah’s attention quite like Aakesh Shepard. While he seemed rather intimidating with his towering height, he had an easy charm to him along with a witty sense of humor that earned him fast friends with just about anyone that would listen to him---traits that he would eventually pass to his daughter.

While properly trained in firearms and combat, Aakesh didn’t see nearly as much field time as Hannah’s team did. Thus, he seemed just as easily taken in by her prowess as a soldier, often watching from afar as the woman participated in drills across the station that had her outpacing the rest of her colleagues.

Their respective friends teased them both about their seemingly mutual infatuation, but it took them being set up on an impromptu date together (both their teams locked down the mess hall so that they were the only two within it) that they eventually confessed their feelings for one another, entering into a relationship that would later see them married and have a daughter together.

Rajhi was the absolute pride of her parents. While she adored both greatly, she was always closest to her father, ever fascinated with the many things he could create even just mere scraps of metal and a discarded circuit board. During his off-duty times, they spent a great deal of time building things together, and he introduced her to a lot of the engineering knowledge he built up over the course of a lifetime (which is my personal headcanon as to why Shepard can hack things in-game lol).

Rajhi was a fairly agreeable child growing up despite constantly being on the move every few years as her parents were transferred across ships and stations. Her friendly personality meant that she earned friends easily, however, and she learned to adapt to her new surroundings when needed.

Her only problem came when her biotics started further developing during her early teenage years. Before then, Rajhi could only get a brief biotic glow across her fingers. It was only when she accidentally launched herself backwards across the room with an impromptu sneeze that her parents realized she needed help and got her fitted with a implant. The standard version improved matters somewhat, but she was still having fits of accidental charges.

The fact that she was already clumsy to begin with certainly didn’t do her any favors. It became evident that Rajhi would end up inheriting her father’s height by the time she was through with puberty. With her tall, lanky frame, she was constantly bumping into things while also struggling to grow into her new abilities.

Despite it all, Rajhi ended up enlisting not long after graduating high school.

Her parents weren’t necessarily surprised since she had never been shy about voicing her plans to follow in their footsteps, but they were concerned. With the First Contact War, things had changed greatly ever since they themselves enlisted. There was more to see in the galaxy now, but there was certainly more danger to be found as well. Nevertheless, they supported her decision as she left for basic training.

The biotic instructors didn’t know what to do with her at first since Rajhi was constantly falling all over herself with the smallest displays of dark energy even with the new L5n implant they fitted her with. She still accidentally charged into the (thankfully) padded walls of the training facility or right into the racks of exercise equipment, which earned her more than a few exasperated reprimands from her teachers along with the jeering of the other cadets.

It quickly looked like she would end up failing until one of the Vanguard instructors took her under his wing, instructing her on both meditation and tai chi to deal with both her restless energy and to help regain her balance.

“Had the same problem as you did, kid,” he explained gruffly while walking her through the motions again. “It took a while for my body to catch up to what my brain knew I could do. I learned how to center myself better by doing this, and it helped. Might work the same way for you.”

And it had.

With patience and more than a little determination on her part, Rajhi was able to re-dedicate herself to her training. Over time, the gangly form she had all her life finally began to fill out with impressive bulk and muscle (although the N7 program would be where she would further enhance her physique). No longer stumbling over herself with every display of biotics, she took the Vanguard division by storm in several exhibition matches. Where she was once the lowest-ranked cadet, she now held herself firmly at the top, and she found that she’d earned herself more than a few new admirers with her accomplishment, and she was more than happy to entertain their attentions off-duty...

Rajhi was on shore leave several years later on Elysium when the event known as the Skyllian Blitz occurred. She had little on her at the time but her usual service uniform and a pistol as did the rest of her colleagues. They were in a highly indefensible position with some civilians along a commercial store front when one of their walls suffered a breach by pirates. Rajhi immediately fell back to that position alone to prevent the batarians from overrunning them all.

What followed was a battle of attrition over several hours as she held the line using biotics and a few well-placed pistol shots. She even requested that her colleagues toss her their spent thermal clips, which she used to toss over the batarians’ barricade only to snipe them mid-air, causing a series of miniature explosions from the latent heat still left within them. They startled the enemy enough to fall back in their position, and she was able to hold her own even longer by the time more Alliance ships arrived to help. Her bravery and unorthodox tactics that day won her the Star of Terra along with a commendation to the coveted N7 program, which she later became a proud graduate of.

Her father died a few years after that incident. A fuel refinery had been raided by pirates out in the Traverse system. It was on the verge of going critical from equipment and the internal systems being negligently mishandled, and the resulting blast would have been enough to level the densely-populated colony nearby. With his team providing cover fire, Aakesh was able to seal himself inside the central chamber in a desperate attempt to limit the explosion radius if he couldn’t redirect fuel lines in time.

He was able enter one of the last few commands into the console to restart emergency protocols just as one of the overheated generators nearby discharged, killing him instantly. Save for the pirates---either dead or surrendering themselves once more Alliance soldiers arrived on scene---he was the only casualty that day. He was hailed a hero for his efforts and was posthumously awarded the Star of Terra by the Alliance.

Rajhi and Hannah took the loss hard.

However, their respective duties meant that they often went long periods without seeing each other very often although her mother always made certain to send care packages whenever she could along with messages saying how proud she was of her.

Working in special ops, Rajhi was without that aspect of family for several years until she hand-picked by then Captain Anderson to join the Normandy, unaware that she was being considered as a Spectre candidate at the time or that she would be taken on the mission of a lifetime with those she would eventually consider her closest friends and allies.

She got on exceedingly well with all of them.

She greatly respected Liara for her intellect, and Rajhi had the best conversations with Tali. Because her own father was an engineer, Rajhi had a soft spot for any she met. Thus, she was utterly fascinated by how quickly Tali could pick up on anything remotely tech-related. She often spent time near the drive core just to talk to Tali and ask her questions, which might have inadvertently prevented any confrontations involving the crew and their suspicions regarding the non-humans aboard.

Ashley---besides Pressly---was the only one brave enough to voice her concerns. Rajhi was more than willing to let her speak her mind since she admired the other woman’s battle prowess, but she was able to better able understand her concerns once she learned about the Williams’ history in the Alliance. Rajhi was sympathetic, but she still wouldn’t accept discrimination on her ship when there were far bigger things to concern themselves with after all.

That was the first and only time they had that conversation, and Ash promised her feelings wouldn’t interfere with the mission. It did nothing to stem their growing friendship. Given Rajhi grew up as only child, she knew nothing about the sibling dynamics Ash dealt with her sisters, but she admired how close she was to them. Across several missions with the woman guarding her back and their allies, Rajhi eventually began to see Ash as a sister-in-arms, and the feeling was mutual.

It was this friendship that allowed Ash to see past her prejudices.

As for any possible romances, she had to field off Liara’s and Kaidan’s respective attraction to her (lol). The latter actually left her more than a little baffled since she wasn’t sure how he didn’t notice that she was all moon-eyed over Emily Wong or the Consort prior to him confessing his feelings to her (poor guy lol).

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I’ll have more info about what she did in ME2 and ME3 respectively---along with screenshots from those games---in different posts later today or this week. Let me just say Rajhi was not the least bit happy about losing two years of her life only to come back and find out that so much had changed while other things only frustratingly stayed the same.

“Another galaxy-wide threat where I’m getting thrown under the bus? Must be another Tuesday...”

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Click here to read her Mass Effect 2 Profile History.

Click here to read her Mass Effect 3 Profile History.

Click here to see her updated ME3 Appearance.

#Mass Effect #femshep #female shepard #rajhi shepard #mass effect: legendary edition #photo set #rajhi faq

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