I really hate picking up ships with the Civilian Grade-Hull, and looking over the Shepherd, it seems like it would make a great Auxiliary candidate. Good logistics profile, pd support from it's borers, shielded, relatively low tech, and just like the Kite, a pair of dinky little weapons. I think from a lore perspective, because it shares so much with the Kite, it makes sense that there would also be Auxiliary Shepherds.
I think some good modifications would be to change the Civilian Grade hull to Auxiliary, and add some maneuverability(turning speed) and flux capacity.
Let me know what you guys think!