Indra Shepard

[Flies by Handles]

I have three characters. To better distinguish them I found myself attaching an element to each character:

Devi is Earth. She is firm, filled with purpose, and provides a solid ground that one might make the mistake of taking for granted.

Nemain is Water. She takes on a passive role with regards to her direction in life. She bends and molds herself, however imperfectly, to whatever path lies before her. Her character is slippery.

Indra is Fire. She is passionate, reckless, and sometimes overwhelming. She can do good, and god knows she can do a whole lot of bad.

Devi is tied to spirituality. Nemain: intellect. Indra: emotion.

 

~~~~~

 

   Indra was born and raised on Mindoir. Its wide fields were her crib, its mountains her bedroom walls. Indra’s parents were of Irish and Russian-Mongolian descent and they carried with them their love for close-knit communities and challenging yet rewarding landscapes. Her father, Phillip, was a well respected though laconic and stoutly built agriculturist and her mother, Akilina, a dedicated colonial legislator renowned for her sharp wit and hard, Siberian beauty. When Akilina was five months pregnant with Indra and on a routine trip to an orbital space station, a ship malfunction exposed its passengers to eezo. Indra would likely have had many siblings but this health scare deterred her parents from wanting a larger family and ensured that Indra remained under close medical supervision throughout her formative years.

   In spite of this Indra had a good childhood, never lacking for anything. Her earliest years were spent traveling with her father by foot and horseback through large farming sectors and helping fix basic farm equipment. As Indra grew older, so did her interest in her mother’s career and under Akilina’s tutelage she participated in school debates cementing her budding reputation from her playground days as an aggressive, competitive, and brutally honest colonist.  

  Indra’s time on Mindoir could be described as a big fish in a little bowl. Though she had an interest in local politics her true passion lay in the great outdoors: racing the local boys on horseback, roughhousing them, and on a few memorable occasions, cross dressing  and flirting with some of the local girls. Indra was a touch arrogant and loud, traits which lent themselves well to her participation in the yearly fall festival as a singer of old Russian folk songs. Indra did not have, nor desire to have, any typical feminine charm yet she was mighty vain about her hair, the one trait that could indubitably be traced back to her mother.

   Indra’s insulated childhood came to an abrupt end in 2170, when she was 16 years of age. Mindoir fell under Batarian hands and for the better part of a year its colonists were either mercilessly slain or mercifully placed under Batarian rule as slaves. Indra’s parents were killed: her mother hung soon after an attempted meeting with Batarian warlords and her father beaten to death because of his refusal to wear a slave collar.  Her surviving schoolmates and neighbors were corralled off to different slave camps where their heads were shaved, their necks shackled under the weight of collars, and any hope of rescue shattered by daily abuse.

   But rescue did arrive in the form of the Alliance Navy and an emaciated, bald Indra stepped onto a rescue ship, into the arms of an angel decked in blue, and into a world much larger, much colder, than the warm fields of wheat striped across Mindoir’s surface. The Alliance soon identified Indra’s potential for biotic abilities after recovering medical records of the surviving colonists and placed her into accelerated joint biotic-military training. Indra consented to receiving L3 implants, a controversial move given her late age, and proved herself to be a capable biotic skilled in telekinesis type biotics and close quarters combat.

~~~~

  Indra is a formidable officer. She is confident and has a natural talent for commanding attention and demanding compliance. In adulthood she has become very much like her father; stoic, sometimes to a fault, yet expressing much through her face (and often times these expressions range from anger to disappointment). Her experience as a slave on Mindoir has made her judgmental and unforgiving, quick to point out the weakness in others and unable to tolerate self pity or cowardice. It has also made it easier for her to make tough calls and think little of sacrificing her life or those of others. These traits have made it near impossible for lower officers and enlisted Alliance personnel to relate to Indra in any intimate way. Outwardly, the only trait Indra still carries from her mother is her thick black hair that is often kept in a martial bun. Indra fought hard against Alliance regulation to keep its length and over time it became a symbol of defiance over Batarian tyranny and whatever else the galaxy had the balls to throw her way. Beware of the horse rider who rides with hair loosened.

  Indra is wary of other alien species. She despises the Batarians and is at best indifferent to the Salarians, Turians, Krogans, and less influential races. The Asari she might sometimes admire, in accordance to her sexual inclinations, but in general she views them no differently than the other races. Indra values human interests above all else. Over time Indra’s racist tendencies are lessened as she participates in more joint military operations and with the eventual arrival of Liara T’Soni.


   Indra does have a soft spot tucked deep within her hardened shell. On occasional nights not tainted by the lingering taste of hard liquor or the grueling work of N7 operations, she dreams of owning her own plot of land. And she dreams of children. Maybe one named Phillip. Or Akilina.

 

~~~

Of Torfan:

A partial account from one surviving Batarian:

 

"....I saw nothing. They shot out my fucking eyes! But what I felt......it wasn't death. I prayed it was.

 

No it wasn't what I felt.

 

I heard.

 

Singing! Echoing through the cave tunnels and growing closer. Screaming from my comrades. There must have been a fire not yet spread to our position. My warlord, Nar'Hador cursed. I think his gun was jammed and his other soldiers as fucked up as I was.

 

The singing stopped. These humans said nothing and I only heard their heavy footsteps. Then I felt heat and I heard part of the cave wall collapse. Nar'Hador groaned and then cried. I heard a body violently shifting on the ground and then silence.

 

They said she slowly cut off his head. This woman. A demon. I lay there as though I were dead. They said she killed some of her men for cowardice. They say a lot. Even call her the Butcher of Torfan.

 

I can't see. But her image still burns in my head."

 

~~~

 

 

Game Decisions:

ME1 Council: Indra sacrificed the council. She has no regrets nor remorse over this decision.

The Rachni:  Destroyed.

What happened on Feros?: Most of the colonists survived. Acceptable by Indra's standards.

Virmire: Kaidan died. Indra regards him as a worthy fighter and talented biotic but she refuses to shed a tear in his honor. He knew the risks involved and valiantly carried out his duty. She would have done the same.

Conrad Verner:  Arrogance doesn't always come paired with a desire for popularity. She beat him off as fast as possible. Some people demand a heavy fist to correct their ways.

Bring Down the Sky: The Batarian leader was killed though not in such dramatic fashion as Nar'Hador. Better to sacrifice a few hostages to prevent any further attacks or another situation such as that on Mindoir.

Anderson or Udina:  Udina. Indra admires his willingness to get his hands dirty and his interest in humanity's progress though she won't deny that his mannerisms aggravate her.

The Collector Base:  The base was saved. In spite of Indra's inclinations, she despises Cerberus yet could not deny the value a Collector ship could present to the scientific community.

Suicide Mission casualties:  All crew members survived.

The Geth:  The Heretics were destroyed. Indra cannot accept synthetics as being equal to organics.

Genophage cure data: Mordin was advised to keep the data. Indra knew that if needed, the data could be withheld or destroyed at a later date.

Overlord:  David Archer was released.

Kasumi: Kasumi was not allowed to keep the Grey Box.

Romance: Liara is Indra's primary love interest. However, she is not above flirting with other women, Kelly in particular.

 

[Starla]

Hey Siobhan!

I haven't read it all now but I love how you describe each of them with an element. Something told me beforehand that Indra was gonna be Fire ;) Now you need an Air one...

I don't wanna look at many pics 'cause I don't want spoilers either but I couldn't help clicking the link when I saw a pic of Indra. You know I love all your Sheps but she's got my heart!

[Flies by Handles]

Aww, thanks Starla. Good to see you back and feeling better I hope. This blog entry for Indra doesn't contain any ME3 spoilers so no worries. Haven't thought of an Air one but I think I'll stick to just three characters. Any more and I am overwhelmed! You need to play ME3 as soon as possible~