| #metrilogyweek2026: day 2 (2/2) - friends, family, LI
Carrine met Joker right before they enlisted, while he was in flight school and she was under Anderson's guardianship instead of being shipped back to Earth to family she didn't know after Mindoir. She had some major problems with drinking, and he happened to find her after one of too many blackout episodes and managed to get her to help. They've stayed close ever since, and consider themselves siblings. It was no question that she would stay behind to drag him off the SR1, and when she doesn't trust Cerberus at all on the SR2, she can usually only sleep curled up in the corner of the cockpit.
Ian Shepard is her brother, 5 years older to the date. She assume he died on Mindoir, and did not find out he was kidnapped until the SR1 comes across a slaver ship and he's recovered. He's in intensive therapy on the Citadel and is transferred to the SR2 shortly after Shepard is revived. He handles other races better than he used to, but is never able to fully shake his distrust and avoidance of batarians. He eventually marries Miranda, and they have twin daughters. He and Carrine are extremely close, especially during her recovery post-ME3.
Digging through my fic files that are around 10 years old and found a kid!Shepard fic where Juliana got the scar that bisects her mouth. I think at the time, I headcanoned that Spacer kids got to live with parents on ships that weren’t on active duty at the moment so it would be an easy transition to Alliance service once they hit sign-up age. Captains could keep an eye on kids who had leadership potential and train them over the years so they could quickly move up the ladder once they start their military career.
I remember I was reading a lot of Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos and Nick Fury: Agent of SHIELD back then and modeled Ian Shepard after 1960s Nick Fury. Gruff, intimidating, but a total marshmallow when it comes to his Julie-Girl.
Anyway, have some tiny!Commander.
SSV Fuji, 2165
"All right, tell us what happened from the beginning."
Juliana held a towel against her mouth. "Philip was picking on Naomi, so I told him to stop."
Ian Shepard raised an eyebrow. "Philip is telling everyone that you punched him first."
His daughter scowled. "I wouldn't have punched him if he hadn't shoved me first."
Behind them, Captain Jacobs crossed his arms. "So you're wanting us to believe that my son is picking on other children and then you decided to put a stop to it yourself by starting a fight?"
Juliana's eyes blazed. "But he is!" She let go of her towel and showed off the cut on the left corner of her mouth. "And he doesn't even have the guts to hit a girl with his own fists! He shoved me down and kicked me instead!"
Ian dabbed at her still bleeding mouth with his handkerchief. "If this is true, we want to know why you didn't come to either of us with this information. Why did you go after him yourself?"
She looked away. "I didn't think anyone would believe me. He usually beats kids up in places the guards don't patrol and he picks on the ones he knows won't tell on him. Naomi's my friend; I couldn't just stand around and let her get hurt."
Captain Jacobs uncrossed his arms. "I wanted to get your side of the story before I came to a decision, Juliana. I've already spoken with your friend Naomi and the officer who discovered and broke up your fight." He paused and looked at Ian. "While I don't condone fighting on my ship, I believe you did the right thing at the time. Philip is a lot bigger than you; you put your friend's safety before your own welfare. I'm ashamed of my son's actions and I want to apologize to you for not realizing what he was doing.”
“He was the one to be a jerk, not you.”
"Believe me, Philip will be apologizing to you in person and he will be punished for his behavior. I raised him to treat others with respect and he has been ignoring my lessons. I want to ask you, Juliana. What do you think is a fitting punishment for his crimes?"
Juliana looked from the Captain to her dad, then back again. "I think whatever you decide would be enough, Sir," she said cautiously. Looking at her dad again, she sat up straighter. "But I want him to know that there are people that won't take his bullying. Now that the rest of us know that someone is willing to stand up to him, he's going to have a harder time pushing us around."
Captain Jacobs nodded. "I'll be sure to let him know." He clapped Ian on the shoulder. "Your girl has a good head on her shoulders. I see leadership potential in her; you should be proud."
Ian nodded. "I am, Sir." He grinned at Juliana. "Damned proud."
Juliana watched as the Captain left the medical bay. "Am I in trouble?" she asked, her voice wavering and all the bravado vanishing once she and her father were alone.
"Nah," he replied, pulling out a first aid kit. "I sure as hell know that you're not in trouble with me." He dabbed a pad of gauze with antiseptic and pressed it to the cut. The ragged edges bubbled and he winced in sympathy, but he was quietly surprised that she didn't cry out. He'd seen grown men react to the stuff worse than his daughter's short hiss of pain. "This is probably going to scar."
"Good."
He tilted his head. "Good?"
"Yeah, so when I get bigger and people ask about it, I can tell them that if they thought this was bad, they should have seen the other guy."
Laughing, he took a wet cloth and cleaned away the drying blood that had dripped down her mouth and chin. "Now, let's see the damage on your hands." Clearing a space on the gurney Juliana was sitting on, Ian boosted himself up to sit at her side. Taking her right hand in his, he cleaned her skinned knuckles. "What happened here?"
"I hit him in the mouth." She shut her eyes tightly when her dad poured more antiseptic on her scrapes.
"And what did I teach you about fighting?"
"Go for the body shots," she recited. "Hitting someone in the face will up the chances of you breaking your hand." She cracked open an eye. "But he would have hit me again and his face was the closest target, Dad." She had been aiming for his cheek, but Philip ducked his head down and her knuckles wound up skimming his teeth before she could correct her move.
"I'm just glad that there aren't any tooth fragments in your hands," he told her. "Your mother…"
She winced even more than she had with the antiseptic. "She's gonna be mad, isn't she?"
"For a little while, maybe, but then I'm betting she'll be proud of you for standing up to a bully." He picked up her injured hand and kissed her fingers, just like he used to when she was five and she came to him with skinned knees. I'll kiss it and make it better, he'd told her, and it had always been enough to stop her tears. His little girl was eleven now. He hated the fact that she was growing up so quickly, but at the same time, he was pleased to get to see the person she was shaping up to be. "Just like I am."
"Really?"
"Really." Letting go of her hand, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and tucked her snugly against his side. "You think I was telling the Captain I was damned proud just to hear myself talk?"
Juliana beamed as best as her split lip would allow her to. "I love you, Dad."
He kissed the crown of her head. "I love you too, my Julie-Girl." Hopping off the gurney, he put the first aid kit away. Tucking his hands underneath her arms, he lifted Juliana and then set her on her feet. "Now, did you finish your homework?"
"Yes, sir."
"And all your chores?"
"Yes, sir. Before dinner."
"Good. Then let's head to the exercise room. It's time we moved from basic self-defense to some more advanced techniques." He looked at her sternly. "I'm not saying that you should take matters into your own hands all the time if something like this ever comes up again, especially if you can inform an adult of the situation first. There are proper channels to go through with stuff like this, and I want you to follow the rules, is that clear?"
She nodded. "Absolutely clear, sir."
Ian looked down at her and marveled at her serious expression. She might have her mother's high cheekbones and flame-red hair, but it was like looking into a mirror at his daughter's blue eyes. He reached out and ruffled her hair, thinking that even with inheriting his stubborn looking chin and slightly squared jaw that she was going to grow into a strikingly pretty woman. Gonna be a force to be reckoned with when she gets older, he thought wistfully, wishing again that he could keep her this age forever.
"Then come on, Shepard," he said, clearing his throat and ruffling her hair again, just to hear her squawk indignantly. "Let's work on not getting knocked down so you don’t get kicked in the face again. If we have time, I’ll teach you how to throw a punch where you won't get a fist full of teeth."
