A/N: I recommend reading the what I have done for Man of War:Codex before you read this. Lots of crossovers and original ideas taking place in this series such as a Martian Kaiden, a terminator Cortana and Spartan Shepard twins… Yeah just go, click on my name and read that shit first to get a grasps of this A/U universe so nothing suddenly appears out of the blue for you. If you did then… Onto the Story…
A Day of Remembrance...On a cold windy afternoon in a small little park, in a small town on a backwater farming colony few people outside it's local population who couldn't care anymore about it. There on a park bench along a walking path sat a old soldier in civilian attire, who has long been separated from the battlefields of war that has been his home for all of his adolescence and most of his adulthood, now spends his Golden Years as a Storyteller of Old. His old age apparent on his scared face as wrinkles and crow's feet run rampant wherever his scars haven't already mauled, His once pure raven black colored hair is now dulled and striped in silver strains. Adding to the weathered and worn down look this retired soldier walks with a cane that is held with one hand upon his lap as he admires the scenery around him while waiting for his newest and possibly last purpose he has in his life to arrive. His grandchild, who just 12 years old.
That is late, as always.
"GRANDPA!" A youthful, high pitched feminine voice suddenly announced itself. Shattering the tranquility of the scenery around "Grandpa."
"Ha Ho! Look how big yo-uhf!" Grandpa says as he granddaughter runs up to and hugs him around the waist just as he gets up. The child's backpack making all kinds of ruckus as she runs. The child's mother and his oldest daughter calls from her vehicle.
"I got go Father. I'm running late, I'll pick her up as promised!" His daughter yelled to him. He waved her goodbye and gave her a thumbs up.
"BYE MOTHER!" His granddaughter yelled as she enthusiastically waves her hand back and forth. The Mother gave a small chuckle with a big smile as she waved back and began to drive down the road.
"Wanna get some hot chocolate, Squirt?" Grandpa asked his descendant. She gave a cute little pout at her grandpa's nickname for her as she replied.
"Grandpaaa… that's not my name." The child scowled.
"Well too bad, your always gonna be a lil Squirt to me." Grandpa retorted. He leans in and ask in a whisper. "Wanna know why?"
"W-Why?" Squirt asks in a giggly voice, a big smile plastered on her face from the anticipation of what's about to come.
"Because…" Grandpa replies in a whisper. "Your MY Little Squirt!" He says very loudly as he tickles his granddaughter. She leans on him as he attacks her stomach, sides and neck with "tickly little monsters" as she calls them. This continues for a few minutes before the Storytellers assault ends.
"Alright, Squirt. I think you learn your lesson." The weathered Storyteller proclaimed.
"Y-Yes, G-Grandpaa." The Squirt replied, her voice still full of giggling laughter from the tickle attack. The two head back to the Storyteller's home to spend the day after a bit of shopping and walking along the way.
Later at Grandpa's House.
After helping her grandpa with the dishes from dinner the two settle down in the living room as they play a digital board game. Squirt had the look of hesitation on her face and looked deeply troubled by something. As the game near its end, the Storyteller notices the child's unease and decides to voice his concern.
"What's troubling you child?" The grandfather asked.
"Well…" She hesitates for a few moments as she puts down her red piece. The game was momentarily forgotten by both occupants of the room.
The Storyteller patiently waits as the child formulate her words. After deciding just to be blunt she asked.
"WhoIsTheShepardAndWhyDoesNoOneWantsToAnswerThatQuestion?!" She spits out the words in less than 4 seconds and so fast that the sentence becomes one giant word. Luckily the old Storyteller's hearing hasn't failed him and he understood her query. What he didn't understand is why was she asking him. She could learn any number of ways at school, the archives, or speaking to the townsfolk as the man was a modern day legend in every way possible.
The Storyteller frowned at the last thought. Why are they denying her answer to a simple, harmless question about someone who had long been dead?
"Now I'll answer to that if, you would like to share with me why you want to know that?" The Storyteller questioned.
"It's just… who is he exactly and why is everyone acting like he is some horrible plague they will contract if they even so much as think his name? I seen stories of him on the net and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him." The grandchild asked. The irritation in her voice was practically foaming in her mouth as she spoke.
"Ahh…" he replied before continuing with more understanding.
"Well Squirt, They either want to forget him entirely, which I very much doubt or they are afraid of The Cult." The Storyteller answered.
"The… Cult?" She asked mildly confused.
"Yes. More specifically The Cult of Shepard, they worship him as a god among men or a god reborn. They constantly argue which. Anyway they worshiped him as they would any other god: Prayers, Temples, Monuments, Altars. The only thing they won't do is ritual sacrifices as they know Shepard hated pointless waste of life. Some still do a sacrifice but not in the traditional sense, they would dedicate their lives to a respected military doing the most dangerous missions as spec ops or black op forces in the name of peace just as Shepard has done." Grandpa explained
"But most dedicate themselves to justice and act as a unofficial vigilante group which a lot of people don't like. They make they own justice system and go by what they think is right or wrong based on the question of "what would Shepard do?" and they kill the ones they think are wrong. Now if Shepard was still alive he would have burned that whole organization to the ground. Again." The grandfather explains tiredly as he told this story many a time.
"How would you know that?" She teases, trying to call her grandfather's bluff
"Because I known him when he was alive." He replied bluntly. Completely shattering Squirt's world at this revolution.
The girl's eyes practically bulged out her head as she asked. "REALLY!?" As she nearly jumps up to her feet as she gets in her grandpa's face from excitement.
"Yes, really." He said with a smirk.
"Then can you tell me about him?" She asked. This made Grandpa pause for a moment. The aged storyteller thinks on this. He thinks about the pros and cons of doing so…
For all about two seconds and comes to a conclusion.
"Why the hell not? I'm too old to be bothered by petty things like consequences." He thinks to himself.
The Storyteller chuckles at his own inner thoughts. He puts on a his family's signature Shepard Smile as he prepares to tell his granddaughter about his grandfather.
"Do you know our family motto?" He begins. Squirt eyes seem to beam as he begins to tell his story.
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