The Renegade Adored

Memory: The whole of the law (Something heard once, a long time ago.)

"Unintentional or incidental injury or damage to persons or objects that would not be lawful military targets in the circumstances ruling at the time. Such damage is not unlawful so long as it is not excessive in light of the overall military advantage anticipated from the attack."
A cold, cold phrase. Only one question matters: Was it worth it?
"I'm sorry, Major, but we do not have enough evidence to proceed with a court-martial for Lieutenant Shepard."
Apparently, it was.
"I understand your concern, and the loss of forty-five soldiers in the attack on Torfan was indeed regrettable, but given the unique circumstances of the mission, I prefer to consider that the Lieutenant nobly saved fifteen lives under her command."
Somehow, Hayden managed to keep a straight face while Admiral Shan was talking.
"We can't overlook the incredible success of the Torfan mission, Major. We've established ourselves in the Terminus Systems. Our colonies are safer now than they ever have been before. The Batarian Hegemony has withdrawn all claims to the Skyllian Verge and their major slaver outposts have all withdrawn back to their own systems. Four new colonial development corporations have started operations in the Verge thanks to our efforts. Four! That's more than we've seen in years, Major. And none of it would have happened if we hadn't cleared out Torfan."
Major Kyle continued to stare straight ahead, and didn't respond. His face was dark, and angry, but he knew a whitewashing when he heard one.
"As to these ridiculous rumors that the Lieutenant killed hostiles who were trying to surrender, I'm surprised that you gave that story any credence at all. The Lieutenant's orders were quite clear: She was not to accept any offers of surrender, but would contact you if a credible surrender was offered. I have no evidence that any credible surrenders were attempted – remember, Major, these are the same men who bombed hospitals and gunned down children. Surely you didn't expect her to send someone into that den of beasts just because they waved a scrap of dirty cloth?"
"No, sir, of course not." The Major's voice was hard and emotionless.
Hayden tried not to smile. This was all so very, very stupid.
"Of course, if one of her men actually did witness such a thing, I'm sure one of them would have come forward by now. But no one has been willing to go on the record in support of that idiotic story, and the one person who was willing to go on record stated that no credible attempts at surrender were made."
"That was Private Renshaw, wasn't it? The one from Mindoir?" the Major asked.
"In fact it was," Admiral Shan smiled. "Surely you're not going to imply that Private Renshaw allowed her personal feelings to interfere with an official investigation?"
"Of course not, sir."
"And I think we've all satisfied ourselves that the blast radius of the ordnance set by Corporal Sunjeet was within normal operating parameters. The fact that they were unusually effective was solely due to the presence of heavy mechs and other explosives located within the slaver's base, something the Lieutenant had no way of knowing."
Hayden looked down at the floor, and counted the tiles in the chamber.
"I assume no one wanted to go on record to answer that question either?" said the Major bitterly.
"We played back all the available recordings from the HUDs of all survivors, and it seems that the units inside the base didn't see fit to let their commanding officer know about those hazards. While it is possible there was some miscommunication about the placement of the explosives, the Lieutenant made her strategy crystal clear before and leading up to the detonation. At no time did any of the units inside the base alert the command centers to the presence of the heavy mechs."
Loopholes, thought Hayden.
"Wasn't one of the teams on radio silence?"
"I believe so," Admiral Shan scanned the official report again. "Yes, one of the teams was suppressing radio activity in a ten-meter radius. I don't think that would really have stopped them from walking out of the range of their suppressing equipment to alert the commanding officer of something so important, do you?"
Hayden started mixing up the letters in the word 'loophole' but could only come up with nonsense words that made her want to giggle.
"I understand the resulting explosion caused a chain reaction that has reportedly cracked one of Torfan's tectonic plates."
"So I've been told," the Admiral said dryly. "We have a team assessing the damage. We are not going to be held accountable for defending our interests in the Skyllian Verge, Major. Luckily, there isn't anyone in any position to demand reparations for the damage, and we can build an outpost on the side that Lieutenant Shepard didn't bomb into next month."
Hayden glanced at Major Kyle, and saw him start at the phrase that the Admiral had used. Hayden continued looking at the floor, and settled on 'Ole Hop Lo.'
"Was there anything else, Major?" asked Admiral Shan wearily.
"No, sir, you've made your decision."
"Major, we assessed all the evidence that you provided. Besides a few malicious rumors, there isn't any proof that Lieutenant Shepard exceeded her mission. Instead of being bitter about the deaths of a few men, you should be proud of the accomplishment –"
"I want nothing to do with this accomplishment!" barked the Major, before he could stop himself. He recovered himself, and shuffled uneasily. "I apologize for my outburst, Admiral."
"Well, it can certainly be arranged," said Admiral Shan calmly. "And in fact, it already has." The Admiral walked up to Hayden, and handed her one of the glossy white datapads that the Systems Alliance used for official documentation. "Your new commission, Commander Shepard." The Admiral saluted her gravely, but Hayden knew perfectly well that he was holding back a smile. Not a nice, friendly smile, but she also knew the smile wasn't for her, so she didn't care.
Hayden saluted, and accepted the new rank. "Thank you, sir. I am honored."
"Will you excuse us, Commander Shepard? There are some things I need to discuss with the Major in private."
"Certainly, sir." She saluted the Major – no longer her commanding officer – and left the room.