David Anderson (MR)

"The problem is that war isn’t orderly. And the enemy is never predictable. Even the most experienced veteran is going to find themselves in situations they haven’t trained for. In those instances, and there’s more than I’d like to admit, your instincts are the only thing keeping you alive. That, and the men and women you’re fighting beside."

- David Anderson, during an interview

Admiral David Edward Anderson (June 8, 2137 – c. 2186) was a career military officer in the Systems Alliance and original captain of the SSV Normandy SR-1. Born in London in 2137, he later moved to Arcturus Station and became the first graduate of the now-renowned N7 marine program.

A veteran of the First Contact War, Anderson became one of the Alliance's most decorated special forces operatives and earned both an excellent reputation and influence. Eight years later, Anderson became involved in the investigation of the Sidon facility massacre and was considered a suitable candidate to represent humanity in the Citadel Council's Special Tactics and Reconnaissance. However, during a routine mission on Camala with a turian Spectre named Saren Arterius, his candidacy was sabotaged when Saren destroyed the element zero refinery and placed all of the blame on Anderson instead―effectively ruining his chances.

At some point in early 2183, Anderson was promoted to the rank of Captain and later became commanding officer of the SSV Normandy. He selected the promising young N7 Commander, John Shepard, as his XO and became his mentor. But when the early stages of the Eden Prime War began, Anderson was forced into an early retirement to give Shepard control of the Normandy when his protégé was appointed as the first human Spectre. When the Reaper known as Sovereign and the geth invaded during the Battle of the Citadel, Anderson led many civilians to safety. After the Alliance-led victory in the battle, Anderson served as the Citadel's first human Councilor.

However, after serving three years on the Council, Anderson grew increasingly frustrated with Citadel politics and soon became embroiled in a Cerberus plot to abduct his friend Kahlee Sanders, where he learned that he was unable to live a life without action. He ultimately resigns as Councilor and returned to the military as an Admiral to be more proactive in finding a way to prepare for the Reaper invasion. The Alliance Parliament named Donnel Udina as his successor.

Upon learning of the destruction of the Bahak system, Anderson attended Shepard's court-martial hearing. The trial is later interrupted by a Reaper attack on Earth, forcing Anderson to help Shepard reach the Normandy SR-2. Ultimately, he chooses to stay behind on Earth to help survivors of the attack and became the leader of the resistance movement. Towards the final stages of the war, Anderson and Shepard are badly wounded but manage to use a Reaper transport beam to board the Citadel in order to open the Citadel's arms so the Crucible superweapon can dock. However, they are both confronted by the Illusive Man, who takes control of Shepard and forces him to shoot Anderson. After Shepard deals with the Illusive Man, the Commander opens the Citadel arms and collapses by his mentor, who soon thereafter succumbs to his wounds and dies. With his dying breath, Anderson tells his protégé how proud of him he was.

Early life
"I was born in London on June 8th, 2137, the last of three children born to Ursula and Paul Anderson--a nurse and a flight mechanic, respectively. That's a little dry. Someone's going to spice this up, right? Never been much for the spotlight. Anyway... where was I? It was a second marriage for my parents. They were almost 50 by the time they had me. My mother worked shifts, so my father would often take me to the base. While he worked, I watched transport ships and fighters take off. Worked his whole life around space travel, my father, but he never left Earth, not for a day. He was a good man. But that's just a side note. Don't put that in."

- David Anderson's journal entry

Born on June 8, 2137 in London, England, David Edward Anderson is the youngest of three children by his parents' second marriage. His mother, Ursula, was a nurse, and his father, Paul Anderson, was a flight mechanic on a military base servicing spacecraft.

During his early teens he saw on television the discovery of the Mars technology cache, the creation of the Systems Alliance to represent and defend humanity in this brand new world, and the discovery of the dormant Charon mass relay. He was fascinated when the legendary Alliance hero Jon Grissom personally led a hand-picked Alliance expeditionary team through the mass relay, to discover what laid beyond known space.

Enlistment
"People ask why I joined the military. Everyone talks about honor, duty, sure. But that's never the whole truth. It's a hundred little things that add up to commitment. I joined because of a dog. Yeah, a dog. This patchy, mean, son of a bitch that used to bark at me every day on my way to school. It'd snarl, and I'd start running. Scared the hell out of me. I was just a kid. I remember being in a bad mood one morning. Angry. I can't recall why. When that dog started in on me, I snapped. Started barking right back. We both kept at it until we had nothing left. Dog never bothered me again. Why'd I join the military? Sometimes, you just gotta howl to make things right."

- David Anderson's journal entry

On the day of his eighteenth birthday, Anderson enlisted in the Alliance Navy and was stationed on Arcturus Station.

N7 training
By the year 2157 CE, the Alliance had just set up what would become its most celebrated N7 training program, preparing for high-intensity special operations.

A system of gradual selection and elimination allowed graduates to progress toward ever more elite training, ranging from the N1 course to the rare few reaching the N7 qualification―humanity’s best of the best. Anderson was part of the first N7 class ever, and was considered the best of this cohort. He was thus commissioned as a Second Lieutenant before graduating.

First Contact War
"Yeah, I was there. My first real combat. First for a lot of us. I remember one night, early in the war, strapped to my seat as our transport approached the LZ. Everyone was dead silent. Just the sound of breathing. Good men. I'd trained with all of them. We were always joking and horsing around. But not this time. Just the rattle of the shuttle and that heavy breathing. Everyone was thinking the same thing: we're off to fight alien invaders. Aliens! Think about that. We all grew up wondering what was out there, if we were alone in the universe. Now we knew. We weren't alone. And we were in trouble. So there we were, about to face an enemy as different and unknown as we could imagine. I knew I had to say something, keep the men relaxed. So I turned to the soldier beside me, Hendricks I think, and asked him how his mother was doing. "Fine," he said. "Why?" "Cause I heard your momma's so ugly the marines thought she was a turian... almost shot her." That got a few smiles. Then Hendricks turned to me and said... "Hell Anderson, I heard it was a picture of your momma that started this goddamn war in the first place. Scared the turians shitless." Everyone had a good laugh at that. And the boys fought great that night. Sometimes that's all it takes. A joke. A pat on the back. Just a little reminder that everything's gonna be okay."

- David Anderson's journal entry

Having become one of the N7 program's most promising soldiers, Lieutenant Anderson was personally congratulated on his achievements by Rear Admiral Jon Grissom at graduation, only to be informed that an alien force had been sighted near a mass relay. Grissom was impressed by the young Anderson's tactical mind and cautioned him to prepare for combat. Anderson later served with distinction in the First Contact War alongside Gunnery Chief Jill "Amazon" Dah.

Though it was chiefly ship-to-ship warfare, he earned three different medals for merit during the three-month long conflict and was part of at least one combat drop (presumably on Shanxi). Before full-scale interplanetary war between the Alliance and Turian Hierarchy could be declared, the Citadel Council quickly intervened within weeks to stop the misunderstanding and negotiate a truce between the humans and turians. Peace was soon brokered, and humans soon joined Citadel space as a new associate member.

Some time presumably after the war was over, Anderson married a lovely young woman named Cynthia. However, after eight years of marriage and as a result of spending long months apart, Cynthia filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences.

Sidon AI controversy
"We had intel on a rogue scientist being funded by batarian interests. He was trying to develop illegal AI technology out in the Verge. Alliance intel had done all the work, but the Council wanted a Spectre involved. We compromised: I was assigned to help Saren in his investigation."

- Captain David Anderson

In 2165, Anderson was serving as Executive Officer (XO) of the SSV Hastings under Captain Belliard. When the Hastings responded to a distress signal at a remote research station on Sidon, Anderson led the ground team and discovered the Sidon facility had been harboring a traitor. Returning to the Citadel to recuperate after the mission, Anderson received the final decree of his divorce from his wife Cynthia, a separation caused by the long absences of his military career. He then followed the human tradition after getting divorced: he went to Chora's Den, near his apartment on the Citadel, to drown his sorrows.

After summoning Anderson to her offices, the Alliance's ambassador―Anita Goyle―revealed that Sidon had been illegally researching artificial intelligence, and asked him to investigate the matter discreetly, as exposure would embarrass the Alliance. Anderson, with the aid of a salarian information broker, managed to look into the files of the only member of the Sidon staff who was absent during the attack, Kahlee Sanders, and discovered she was Jon Grissom's daughter. He went to Elysium under the cover of shore leave, and confronted Grissom. The retired general claimed he sent Kahlee to the safety and obscurity of the Terminus Systems, but Anderson kept the house under surveillance.

His gut instinct proved correct when a krogan named Skarr came looking for Kahlee, who was being hidden by her father. Anderson and Grissom would likely have been killed, but Saren Arterius, a turian Spectre, had been tracking the krogan and emerged to fight him off. Saren interrogated Kahlee about Sidon; though he seemed to accept her lie that it had been a station for biotic research, Anderson and Kahlee decided to leave Elysium and investigate the Dah'tan Manufacturing facility on Camala, where Dr. Shu Qian had obtained his components. One of Grissom's underworld contacts changed Kahlee's appearance and gave her a false ID to help sneak her off-world.

Spectre candidacy
"We tracked the scientist to a refining facility on Camala. He was hidden away somewhere inside, protected by an army of batarian mercenaries. The plan was simple: sneak into the plant, capture the scientist, sneak back out. Quick, quiet, and a minimum of bloodshed. Saren and I split up to cover more ground. Then, about halfway through the mission, there was a massive explosion in the refinery core. Officially, it was ruled an accident. But I think Saren detonated it on purpose to draw off the enemy guards. The explosion tore the refinery to shreds. The whole place was on fire. Black chemical clouds poured out into the atmosphere. Nobody inside survived. There was a camp for the workers and their families nearby. Between the fires and the toxic fumes, the final death count was over 500. Mostly civilians. Saren didn't care. The target was eliminated. Mission accomplished. And I ended up taking the blame. That ended all talk of me joining the Spectres."

- Captain David Anderson, describing his failed Spectre candidacy

Arriving on Camala, Anderson discovered that Dah'tan Manufacturing had been destroyed. He ran into Saren again, who had discovered the truth about Sidon and was furious that Anderson had lied to him. Saren warned Anderson not to trust Kahlee, a statement that played out when Kahlee confessed she knew the true identity of the traitor at Sidon: Dr. Qian himself. She gave Anderson an OSD with proof, which he later passed on to Anita Goyle. However, as Kahlee was being sneaked off Camala by the Alliance, Skarr managed to capture her, after a tip-off from Saren. Goyle quickly appealed to the Council to let Anderson go with Saren on the rescue mission, to assess Anderson's Spectre candidacy, but Anderson and Saren already disliked each other, and the mission soon went sour. Saren broke from the plan and began destroying the element zero refinery where Kahlee was being held.

Anderson did not suspect that Saren had an ulterior motive during the rescue – claiming Dr. Qian's files on an alien artifact – as he was focused solely on rescuing Kahlee, with whom he had developed a budding romance. With her help, Anderson killed Skarr and the two of them escaped the refinery in time. Though Kahlee was saved, many innocent people died due to Saren's actions. However, Saren shifted the blame onto Anderson, claiming the lieutenant had alerted the guards and forced his hand. True or not, this was enough to keep Anderson out of the Spectres.

After the mission, Anderson and Kahlee had to say their goodbyes, as she was to be transferred to a classified position, and Anderson was devoted to his military career. A confused story of what happened at the refinery eventually filtered back to the Citadel, as a rumor that Anderson had been the first human Spectre and blown his first mission so badly they had kicked him out – a rumor Harkin still repeats almost two decades later.

Commanding the SSV Normandy SR-1
"As commander of the Tokyo, I was consulted on the Normandy's design and on board for her initial training exercises. The average person probably doesn't know that the Normandy was a joint project with the turians. Acting CO Elli Zander was no diplomat. She ran out of patience with turian posturing and politicking during construction. The chief architect of the drive core, Octavio Tatum, and his team of turian engineers were in the CIC for final training exercises. Tempers flared when Zander pushed the limits of the stealth system, waiting to vent the IES well past what Tatum was comfortable with. I tried to calm the situation, but it still ended with the turian scientists in shackles and a human/turian fistfight in Chora's Den later. Funny now... When I first laid eyes on the Normandy, she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Day after that training run, Admiral Wright found me on the bridge. "She's yours," he said, "Can't trust her to Zander. Send me a list of crew from the Tokyo you'd like and prep for your first mission." Short command, thanks to Saren. Still. One of the highlights of a long career."

- Captain David Anderson's journal entry

By early 2183, Anderson was eventually promoted to Captain and for a time served as commanding officer of the Alliance cruiser SSV Tokyo. He soon becomes one of the Alliance officials present to observe the test flight of the SSV Normandy at Arcturus Station, and was accompanied by Captain Dillard and turian representative General Invectus. Dillard complained to Anderson about the Turian Hierarchy's mistrust. He thought they could have run the Normandy through her paces a week prior, but they had to wait for a turian overseer since the Normandy was a collaborative project with the turians. Anderson replied that their sending of only one turian was as close to trust as they were going to get.

Before the test flight was set to begin, an unknown pilot hijacked the Normandy and locked himself in the cockpit to the consternation of Anderson and the other observers. Dillard ordered the nearest fighter patrol to try to force the Normandy to land and, failing that, to target the Normandy 's engines. Anderson was not enthusiastic about the idea of firing at the Normandy, but Dillard pointed out that until they knew what the situation was, they had to assume the worst and prevent the Normandy from falling into enemy hands.

The hijacker then revealed himself to Anderson as Alliance pilot Jeff "Joker" Moreau. When the patrol tried to disable the Normandy, Joker was able to evade their fire, complete the test-course, and return the Normandy to dock unharmed. As Joker was apprehended, Anderson asked him why he stole the Alliance's most advanced frigate. Joker responded that he was the most qualified pilot on Arcturus Station and was born to fly the Normandy, going so far as to say that he was in love with the ship and that the only chance he would get to fly it was to steal it. Dillard informed Joker that he would be court-martialed and imprisoned for his crimes.

Despite this, General Invectus was impressed by Joker's piloting skills. He defended Joker's conduct and insisted that he be made the Normandy 's official pilot. Anderson agreed, saying that while Joker would have to be punished for what he did, he wouldn't trust the Normandy to anyone else.

During the same general time frame, Anderson met with and decorated a young Special Operations lieutenant, James Vega, and kept an eye on the promising Vega.

Aside from recruiting Joker, Captain Anderson staffed the Normandy with an all-star crew, including Lieutenant Greg Adams, Dr. Karin Chakwas, Navigator Charles Pressly, Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko and famous N7 SpecForce operative and hero of the Skyllian Blitz of 2176, Commander John Shepard as his XO, effectively becoming Shepard's mentor.

Anderson and Shepard got along very well, including a general philosophy of integration with aliens and ethical standards. However, Anderson kept some of his cards hidden. He and Anita Goyle’s successor, Ambassador Donnel Udina, wanted to have another go at a human Spectre when circumstances would be right.

Udina worked the Council and humanity had labored its way back to where they were in 2165 – a non-binding agreement by the Council to have a Spectre observe a human operative in action during a Spectre mission, and offer an opinion as to their suitability.

Attack on Eden Prime
"I know Saren. I know his reputation, his politics. He believes humans are a blight on the galaxy. This attack was an act of war."

- Captain David Anderson to Commander Shepard

The Normandy 's first mission is the covert retrieval of a Prothean Beacon from Eden Prime. A turian Spectre, Nihlus Kryik, is assigned to supervise the mission and assess Shepard as a possible candidate for the Spectres. Nihlus intends to accompany Shepard on several other missions to assess the Commander and give the Council a recommendation. However, the situation becomes more complicated when the colony comes under attack by the geth and a massive warship, and Nihlus is killed.

Passing on the Torch
"Honestly? This isn't how I pictured my career coming to an end. Pushing papers really isn't my thing. But you're the one who can stop Saren. I believe in you, Shepard. If that means I have to step aside, so be it."

- Captain David Anderson to Commander Shepard

After Shepard is knocked unconscious during the encounter with the beacon, Anderson learns from Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams and Kaidan, the Eden Prime ground team, that the attack had been led by none other than Saren, who murdered Nihlus in cold blood. Anderson believes that his old enemy is working with the geth to exterminate the entire human race, and is determined to stop him. But there is little he could do to stop Saren; their checkered past complicates the hearing with the Council. Ambassador Udina tells Anderson to step aside and let Shepard handle the investigation, so the Council will not claim the Alliance's accusations of treason are based on old grudges. Anderson is able to offer Shepard an explanation of Saren's history, and to find some leads to help build the case against him. Finally, once Shepard has been made a Spectre, Anderson steps down as the captain of the Normandy, handing the command to Shepard. He admits this is not how he imagined his career ending, but he is content to pass the torch on to his protégé.

Anderson remains on the Citadel, able to give Shepard advice and guidance when necessary. He has a tendency to be more supportive than Udina during any debriefs.

Aiding a mutiny
"You'll have a better chance if you go after the ambassador's computer." "I was hoping you'd say that. The ambassador has made this personal."

- Commander Shepard and Captain David Anderson

Throughout the mission, Anderson remains one of the few on the Citadel who actually believes Shepard's vision from the Prothean Beacon is true, and understands the magnitude of the threat the Reapers pose. Anderson guesses that the Conduit is some kind of Prothean weapon, one Saren is planning to unleash against the galaxy. When Shepard finally gathers enough evidence of Saren's role in the impending Reaper invasion and returns, Anderson realizes the Council and Udina might use Shepard's talk of the Reapers as an excuse to ground the Normandy, but could not get a message to Shepard in time.

Concocting a plan, Anderson invites Shepard to a meeting at Flux and offers his help to unlock the Normandy 's systems. Shepard warns him that he could be arrested for treason, but Anderson only cares about getting the Normandy to Ilos in time to stop Saren. He break into Udina's office to countermand the lockdown order, punching out Udina in the process. Anderson's plan works, and the Normandy gets off the Citadel safely.

Battle of the Citadel
Somehow Anderson manages to survive the initial assault on the Citadel when Saren puts his plan into action. After Sovereign is destroyed, Anderson leads the rescue teams into the Council Chambers, searching for Shepard's squad.

Tenure
"My advisor is unavailable. As Councilor, I represent the voice of humanity and the Alliance."

- Councilor David Anderson to Councilor Tevos

After saving the Citadel Council at the cost of Alliance cruisers Cairo, Cape Town, Emden, Jakarta, Madrid, Seoul, Shenyang, and Warsaw and their 2400 crew, humanity is granted their first seat on the Council and is given a list of potential candidates. Leveraging his prestige as hero of the Battle of the Citadel, Shepard nominates Captain Anderson to be the first human Councilor, and the other Councilors agree. During his swearing-in ceremony, Anderson promises to unite all the Citadel races against the coming threat of the Reapers. When approached by Ambassador Udina, Shepard remarks that he thought the Citadel already had too many politicians and expressed his belief that Anderson would be perfect for the job, because he didn’t want it.

Though humanity had thus rocketed to a major position despite being brand new on the galactic scene, Councilor Anderson was clearly junior compared to the asari, turian and salarian Councilors. Still, he brought to the table an integrationist policy and a keen awareness of the realities in the field, which he was unwilling to sacrifice to play purely political games.

Foiling a Cerberus plot
After their mission together, Anderson files a classified document detailing Kahlee's relation to Jon Grissom. This file eventually falls into the hands of the extremist group Cerberus. One of their agents, Dr. Jiro Toshiwa—who is then in a relationship with Kahlee in 2183—reads its contents and later discusses Kahlee's parentage with her, though Kahlee later realizes she has never told Jiro about her father. This later leads to Jiro's exposure and capture.

Anderson is also mentioned by Kahlee later, when she, Hendel Mitra, Paul Grayson and his daughter Gillian are on the run from Cerberus. She suggests that he can protect them, but Hendel dismisses the idea, fearing that Cerberus will intercept any message to Anderson before it reaches him.

Funeral of Shepard
One month after the Battle of the Citadel, the Normandy was ambushed by unidentified assailants and Shepard was killed in action. He, Ashley, Dr. Chakwas and many others were present during Shepard's funeral.

Fehl Prime
Anderson along with Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett commends Delta Squad for its heroic and selfless actions against the Blood Pack mercenaries on the colony of Fehl Prime. Anderson congratulates Lieutenant James Vega for his leadership role in a "hell of a battle" which is expected of combat veterans.

In 2185, after the Collector attack on Fehl Prime has been defeated at the cost of almost all the colonists and much of the infrastructure, Anderson commends Vega yet again. Anderson asserts that Vega's actions have placed vital intel about the Collectors into Alliance possession which can not only gives them a tactical advantage over their opponents but also provides new weapons and ships research. After Hackett pins the medal of honor promoting Vega to Lieutenant Commander onto his uniform, Anderson gives Vega new orders. Seeing Vega's efforts to follow in Shepard's footsteps, Anderson tells him that he may have the opportunity to work with Shepard one day as rumors of his death are premature.

Shepard's return
"That's too far! Shepard's a hero! I'm on this Council, too, and I won't let this whitewash continue!"

- Councilor David Anderson to Councilor Tevos, defending Commander Shepard in a meeting

After he hears rumors that Shepard has been brought back to life and has taken control of the Normandy SR-2, Anderson sends a message asking Shepard to come and meet him at the Citadel. As Councilor, Anderson arranges for a meeting with the Council and persuades them to give Shepard the chance to regain his Spectre status. His advisor Udina arrives and is upset that Anderson has arranged things behind his back. Anderson remains supportive of Shepard as always, against the odds, though he reflects that his current position is not how he expected to spend his twilight years. He is mistrustful of Cerberus, and harbors some slight resentment at Shepard joining their ranks, but Shepard makes it clear he don't trust Cerberus.

When Shepard asks what became of Ashley Williams, Anderson mentions that they were on a "classified" mission and that he cannot disclose any details. But after the mission to Horizon, Shepard tells him about bumping into Ashley on the colony, forcing Anderson to confesses that he sent her there to find out if Cerberus was really behind the missing human colonists and he couldn't tell Shepard without compromising the investigation and apologizes. He explains that he had to investigate, given the disturbing rumors he received of Shepard's involvement with Cerberus and believes that the Illusive Man, still the master manipulator he is, is lying to Shepard. Anderson authorizes the building of the GARDIAN turrets on Horizon and Williams's stationing there for the "outreach" program. Anderson also reveals that even though he still does not trust Cerberus, Williams's report on Horizon confirmed Shepard's story about the Collectors being the real source behind the missing human colonists. Anderson also mentions that Williams did not find any evidence to convince the Council the Reapers exist.

Resignation
Just less than a year after the defeat of the Collectors, Anderson continues his role on the Citadel by leading the Alliance trade negotiations alongside the elcor, volus and turians. However, his feelings of resentment at his work continues, becoming increasingly frustrated at the slow pace and difficulty of getting things done in politics, and yearning for the happier and more decisive time he served as a soldier.

After receiving a message asking for help from his old friend Kahlee Sanders, Anderson abandons the trade negotiations to Udina, and convinces the turian Ambassador Orinia to assist him and Kahlee in finding Paul Grayson, who has been kidnapped by Cerberus. Using information Grayson has sent Kahlee, Ambassador Orinia is able to put together an all-turian task force to strike at various remote Cerberus facilities, capturing them and arresting a number of Cerberus operatives on the Citadel itself. Provoking a political storm, Anderson authorizes a joint military exercise with the turians to allow them to strike facilities in Alliance territory, while encouraging them to strike two facilities in the volatile Terminus Systems in violation of the Citadel Conventions. Sick of his role and aware that his actions may have cost him his job anyway, Anderson resigns his post and accompanies Kahlee to the facility Grayson is kept captive to help her decode the Cerberus research files there.

Returning to the Alliance Military
Unfortunately, Anderson and Kahlee learned the Illusive Man has employed Aria T'Loak, the Pirate Queen of Omega, to recapture the facility and Kahlee in particular, so as to lure back the now escaped Reaper-enslaved and upgraded Grayson so that he can be terminated. Her mercenaries kill the turian soldiers and scientists working there, but capture Anderson and Kahlee, with Aria persuading Kahlee to send Grayson a message so that she could capture him alive. Convincing Aria's lieutenant Sanak that he has to be taken along for Kahlee to co-operate, Anderson overpowers Sanak and shoots him as the cybernetically enhanced Grayson butchers the rest of Aria's forces. As Anderson and Kahlee escape with the help of Cerberus operative Kai Leng, Anderson manages to stun Leng before taking him along and stealing his ship.

With Kahlee believing that Grayson had now made his way to the Jon Grissom Academy, Anderson manages to speed to the Academy and, donning an Envirosuit, successfully extends the docking ramp to permit Kahlee to warn the Academy staff of the Grayson incursion. While Sanders rouses the staff, Anderson hunts Grayson, managing to seriously wound him with his shotgun before himself being thrown by a blast of biotic energy, dislocating his shoulder, snapping the tendons of his left ankle, breaking ribs and his collarbone, suffering a collapsed lung and being knocked unconscious.

Upon rising, Anderson manages to find Grayson along with the captured Kahlee and, despite his injuries, defeats Grayson and saves the Academy. With Kai Leng having got free, and the injured Grissom Academy student Nick Donahue bleeding out after being shot by Grayson, Kai Leng presents Anderson with a choice - allow Kai Leng to leave, or else watch as the boy died as Kahlee went to look for a medkit. Anderson chooses to save the boy, using his uninjured hand to apply pressure to Nick's injury to prevent Nick losing too much blood while he is stabilized- but not before shooting Kai Leng in the back of both legs to slow his escape.

With the Academy and the boy safe, Anderson recovers on the station. He convinces Kahlee to leave the Academy with him in order to perform autopsies on the dead Grayson so as to understand and perhaps find a way to fight the Reapers. At last alone, she and Anderson finally share a kiss.

A renewed effort
Anderson―now re-instated as an Admiral―arrives on the Citadel with Kahlee Sanders and Nick Donahue to present evidence to the Council that the Reapers were behind Paul Grayson's attack on Grissom Academy. Even after being shown Grayson's Reaper-mutated body, however, the Council is unconvinced and argues that Cerberus may be the sole culprit. Afterward, Anderson and Sanders discover that Nick has gone missing and may have become involved with a biotic supremacist group known as the Biotic Underground.

By early 2186, Admiral Anderson is visibly shocked when he learns of Commander Shepard's destruction of the Bahak system. He later travels to Omega aboard the Normandy SR-2 to recruit Alliance marine James Vega for a special task. Anderson and a squad of soldiers find Vega in the middle of a fight with a group of batarians outside a bar. As Anderson leads Vega back to the Normandy, he reveals that Vega is to exclusively guard a special prisoner: Shepard himself.

Fall of Earth
"I'm not going. You saw those men back there. There's a million more like them, and they need a leader. [...] It's a fight we can't win. Not without help. We need every species, and all their ships to even have a chance at defeating the Reapers. Talk to the Council. Convince them to help us."

- Admiral David Anderson to Commander Shepard, deciding to stay behind on Earth

At the start of the Reaper invasion, Anderson is in talks with Admiral Hackett over an unknown force surging into Alliance space. He then goes to Vancouver on Earth, where Shepard is being detained for the destruction of the Bahak system, to bring him to a meeting with the Defense Committee to find a way to stop the incoming Reaper invasion.

Unfortunately, the two end up as the only survivors when the Reapers attack and make their way to the refitted Normandy SR-2. Upon reaching the SR-2, Anderson chooses to stay behind, realizing that humanity can't fight the Reapers alone. He urges Shepard to convince the Citadel Council to send help, make them see the truth if necessary, while he remains on Earth to lead the survivors. Anderson then tosses Shepard new dogtags to reinstate his protégé into the Alliance military.

Leading the Resistance Movement
While leading the resistance, Anderson maintains contact with the outside galaxy via quantum entanglement communicators, periodically updating Shepard on the state of Earth and occasionally giving the Commander advice. The two have a few personal moments too, such as discussing Kahlee Sanders after Shepard saves Grissom Academy. After the attempted Cerberus coup, Anderson is appalled to hear that Udina aided Cerberus, he knew Udina was always power-hungry but never expected him to try to kill the Council and take over the Citadel, and is more disturbed to learn that Kai Leng was involved.

Advising the Student
Anderson calls the Normandy again following the previous conversation with Admiral Hackett. He and the rest of the resistance were surprised to learn that Shepard formed an impossible alliance between the krogan and turians, calling it a shot in the arm. Before going back to work, Anderson warns Shepard not to underestimate Kai Leng, ranking the "vicious bastard" up with the Reapers in threat assessment.

Fall of Thessia
After the fall of Thessia, Anderson gives Shepard some words of comfort for being defeated by Leng. He states that many in the resistance know that their situation is hopeless but they still wish to fight in spite of it.

Personal Apartment
"I want you to have it. Take it off my hands."

- Admiral David Anderson giving Commander Shepard his apartment on the Citadel

When Shepard is ordered to go on shore leave at the Citadel, Hackett suggests they visit Anderson's personal apartment on the Silversun Strip. There, Anderson greets Shepard via a video link and donates the apartment to them, explaining that even if they win the war, the rebuilding means he won't be returning to his apartment anytime soon.

Dotted across the apartment are Anderson's audio logs, which were preparations for his biography, and Shepard can listen to Anderson's interview with Khalisah al-Jilani as well, which was recorded before the Reaper War began.

Second Battle for Earth
"I knew you wouldn't let me down."

- Admiral David Anderson to Commander Shepard

Eventually, Shepard, assembled with the allied fleets in tow, manages to return to Earth and rendezvous with Anderson and the remainder of the Earth resistance in London, UK. They join forces to assault a Reaper Conduit, the only point of access to the Citadel, but as a result of Harbinger, only Anderson and Shepard actually make it through to the Citadel itself.

Death
"You did good, son... You did... good. I'm... proud of you..."

- Admiral David Anderson's final words to Commander Shepard

They are separated on arrival but manage to reunite in Citadel Control, where they encounter the Illusive Man, who immobilizes them with his Reaper enhancements. The Illusive Man asserts that it is preferable to control the Reapers rather than kill them, but Anderson sees he has obviously been indoctrinated and refuses to believe him. The Illusive Man, in a display of power, then forces Shepard to shoot Anderson in the stomach, before taking the Admiral's own sidearm to finish him off. When Shepard manages to convince the Illusive Man to kill himself, he then slouches beside Anderson and the Admiral tells Shepard what an honor it's been to fight beside his greatest protégé. He then dies from his injury.

As Shepard decides the fate of the galaxy, Anderson is seen in a vision and is later seen in Shepard's flashbacks along with Ashley and those who died over the course of the journey. Eventually, Anderson's name is added to the Memorial Wall on the Normandy.

List of characters killed by Anderson
The following is a list of characters David Anderson has killed:
 * Skarr

Personality and traits
"Family is something you make for yourself, Shepard. It’s not about blood, it’s about gut feelings. I knew as soon as I saw you – shivering in your boots, skinny and desperate as a rabid dog, big blue eyes like dinner plates – that you were something special. I saw endless potential in your eyes and a fire waiting to ignite. I also knew that I would never have a big pain in the ass as you either but I’m proud of you, kid."

- Commander David Anderson to a young Lieutenant John Shepard, c. 2176 CE

Anderson is a dedicated, smart, and professional soldier whose entire life was about protecting Earth and serving humanity to help it navigate the most difficult decades of its history. He’s a serious, tough but fair, experienced man with a high level of authority and discipline.

Though he’s foremost a soldier at heart and believes in decisive action, Anderson was never one to sit still, and as a result despises desk jobs and politics, but is willing to handle a more political and diplomatic approach, particularly with the Citadel Council. He has grown jaded of the upper echelons of political power, as he has achieved his rank through skill and time served, not through connections. He tries to set his sights on what’s best for the galaxy as a whole, realizing that life isn’t just about humans anymore. However, he is aware that professional diplomats have skills, experience, and a form of patience that he doesn’t possess. Complicated, elusive, sensitive conversations annoy him, and he’s rather fight a krogan with a baseball bat rather than having to negotiate with a salarian dalatrass. Still, he does whatever is needed in order to serve. He is good at inspiring loyalty and friendship with troops under his command, the only person he is at odds with being Donnel Udina. It is unknown how many politicians hate him: Anderson is a man of action, one who is not fond of mincing words, and that has caused him to step on some toes.

Forged from various experiences and a hard life, Anderson always tries to do what is right and help those in need, even if it involves risking his life. He often comes across as a hard-nosed officer who demands a flawless performance from every single person under his command. However, he considerably relaxes once he feels assured that his subordinates are courageous, competent professionals and they have braved grave risks together. People who have faced death at Anderson’s side or on his direct order will find him acting much more like a friend than a commanding officer, feely making jokes and otherwise expressing soldierly camaraderie. He once broke the tension of a particularly stressful combat drop by trading “your momma” jokes with his commandos. A reputation isn’t enough – he has to see the person in action before this sort of bond appears. Though his life involves much deadly violence, Anderson’s a considerate and ethical person. He would never, for instance, execute a prisoner – no matter how dangerous.

Anderson is extra-ethical in his relationship with women, doing his best not to be influenced by misogynistic attitudes still implicit in human cultures – and to be reliable and non-predatory in romantic matters, though as far as we know his life only had room for two romances: on the map, he’s well past “proper” and deep into “classy”.

Aside from Saren Arterius, Anderson has great respect for the turians – their military values and discipline are something that he appreciates, and they respect him as a great warrior. This is even more noticeable since he’s a veteran of the First Contact War, but he’s always willing to build bridges with turian veterans who fought in the same war. This is often successful, manifesting as professional respect between skilled fighters and strategists and a willingness to let bygones be bygones. Anderson was apparently a pioneer of cross-species military training exercises, and was part of turian exercises on Palaven – where he learned a great deal from his former enemies.

Anderson is a humble man. He never boasts, seldom overestimates his capabilities, and has no problem admitting he made a mistake.

Appearance
Anderson has black hair (albeit graying slightly as he gets older), brown eyes, and dark skin. He often wears the Alliance military's dress blues while on-duty and briefly wore a fancy blue suit with red linens during his tenure as the Citadel's first human Councilor.

Skills and abilities
"With enough soldiers like you, Anderson, humanity just might be ready for this after all."

- Rear Admiral Jon Grissom to a young Lieutenant David Anderson, c. 2157 CE

Abilities= Equipment= Weaknesses=
 * Expert leader: A charismatic and famous leader, Anderson is usually counted among the four great heroes of humanity’s Mass Effect age – on par with Jon Grissom, Steven Hackett and John Shepard. However, though he was thrust into a diplomatic role, he never became a good diplomat and was keenly aware of it. Marines under Anderson’s command know that they have a particularly smart, loyal and determined officer giving orders. He’ll have them move like a disciplined, well-oiled machine leaving nothing to chance and implacably outmaneuvering their opponents even when outnumbered. Doctor Karin Chakwas, who apparently worked with Anderson for years, considered that this was an excellent mix of strictness and liberality and that he was great at keeping his crews at once disciplined and resourcefulness.
 * Genius-level intellect: Anderson is primarily known for his penetrating tactical mind and superior intelligence. His mind moves quickly, he considers all the right questions, stays calm and analytical under all circumstances, and has ample experience from which to drawn. In his prime he was a resourceful, near-cinematic special operations soldier with nerves of steel and a remarkable power of observation. Even now, he’s plenty dangerous.
 * Indomitable will: Albeit he cannot match Kai Leng or John Shepard in a one-on-one fight, Anderson has an impressive willpower, and keeps fighting and soldiering well past the point where anybody else would have given up in despair and exhaustion. He also never hesitates to sacrifice himself for the common good. While fighting the Reapers-repurposed Paul Grayson, Anderson ended up with a collapsed lung, a mangled arm, a concussion, serious blood loss, etc. and he was still plodding forward zombie-like and slowly firing his shotgun one-handed by buttressing it against his abs.
 * Peak human condition: Anderson is an seasoned N7 Special Forces operative with decades of battlefield experience. He’s familiar with various illegal tools, grey and black market service providers, forgery techniques, shadowing techniques, etc. and how to defeat them, and knows several high-end data brokers. He also knows his way around lying and manipulation, though again this is more about countermeasures than employing this himself. Anderson’s medical skills are surprisingly good – they’re all about fixing wounds in the field, but he could be an excellent trauma nurse. He even knows basic physical therapy.
 * M-8 Avenger Assault Rifle: Anderson is seen carrying an M-8 Avenger assault rifle along with the Alliance military personnel.
 * Human vulnerabilities: Anderson's greatest weakness is that he is quite vulnerable to the physical attacks of stronger and more powerful opponents. However, he usually compensates for this quite well with his combat skills, his brilliant tactical intellect, and his long battlefield experience.

Comic Series

 * Mass Effect: He Who Laughs Best
 * Mass Effect: Conviction

Video Games

 * Mass Effect
 * Mass Effect 2
 * Zaeed - The Price of Revenge
 * Kasumi - Stolen Memory
 * Lair of the Shadow Broker (Mentioned only)
 * Mass Effect 3
 * Extended Cut
 * Citadel

TV Series

 * Mass Effect: Paragon Lost

Novels

 * Mass Effect: Revelation (First appearance)
 * Mass Effect: Ascension
 * Mass Effect: Retribution
 * Mass Effect: Deception
 * Mass Effect: A Hero's Legacy (Mentioned only) (Appears in flashback(s))

Mass Effect: Revelation

 * "Any reason those doors should be closed? […] Check it out. Take it slow and careful."
 * (to Kahlee Sanders) "Dammit, Sanders! Don’t you dare quit on me now! Your unit is moving out, so get up off your arse and get your feet moving! That’s an order!"

Mass Effect

 * "Humanity needs a hero. And Shepard’s the best we’ve got."
 * (about his failed Spectre candidacy) "In his report, Saren accused me of blowing his cover. He said it was my fault the guards were ready for us. He claimed that's why it turned into a massacre. Saren's report was all the proof the Council needed to kill my chances of becoming a Spectre."
 * "Shepard's right. Humanity is ready to do its part. United with the rest of the Council, we have the strength to overcome any obstacle. When the Reapers come, we must stand side by side. We must fight against them as one. And together we can drive them back into dark space!"

Mass Effect 2

 * (to Councilor Tevos) "My advisor is unavailable. As Councilor, I represent humanity and the Alliance. Shepard will be here any—[notices Shepard walking in] Oh, Commander! We were just talking about you."
 * (to Ambassador Udina) "I don’t answer to you, Udina! Why don’t you go to your office and think about that for a while?"

Mass Effect: Retribution

 * (to Ambassador Orinia) "I have a favor to ask. One soldier to another."
 * "Stay focused, soldier. No R&R until the mission is done."

Mass Effect 3

 * (staying behind to lead Earth's resistance movement) "I’m not going. You saw those men back there. There’s a million more like them and they need a leader."
 * "Sometimes, you just gotta howl to make things right."
 * (after learning of Udina’s attempted coup) "Udina? That SOB was always power-hungry, but this…!"
 * "No matter how good you think you are, there’s always somebody quicker, faster, and helluva lot smarter than you just around the corner. That little lesson’s kept me alive more than once since then."
 * (about Kahlee Sanders) "End of the world has a way of reminding you what you forgot to do."
 * (about Shepard) "Sure, I can talk about Commander Shepard. Big topic. There’s been a lot written about the Commander, but most of it isn’t true. People are quick to judge. They don’t know the whole story. But I know the man. Worked with him, fought with him. Trust him with my life. Shepard’s had some rough patches. Who of us hasn’t? He’s been forced to fight a lot of battles alone. God only knows how he got out of some of that. Makes your head spin. Thing is, you never heard a complaint. Never once got ‘No, sir. I can’t do that.’ He never hesitated. Few people know what Shepard’s been through. I’d like to think I come pretty close. And I worry sometimes he forgets: there’s a whole bunch of people who lose sleep over him getting back home. Maybe it doesn’t need to be said. Maybe we’re too dumb to say it. Soldiers like the Commander are rare. Men like Shepard… even more rare."
 * "The problem is war isn’t orderly. And the enemy is never predictable. Even the most experienced veteran is going to find themselves in situations they haven’t been trained for. In those instances, and there’s more than I’d like to admit, your instincts are the only thing keeping you alive. That, and the men and women you’re fighting beside."
 * (to the Illusive Man, about the Reapers) "We destroy them, or they destroy us."
 * "God, feels like years since I just… sat down."
 * (last words to Shepard) "You did good, son. You did good… I’m… proud of you."

Trivia

 * David Anderson is voiced by Keith David.
 * He used to own an apartment on the Silversun Strip, before donating it to Shepard during the Reaper invasion, explaining that even if they won the war, rebuilding the ravaged war-torn galaxy meant he wouldn’t be returning to his apartment anytime soon.
 * Despite being born in London, Anderson has no British accent.
 * He never had children of his own, for which reason he thought of John Shepard as a son.