In Progress Let's Play Mass Effect 3: Emotional Engagements

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Dear Emperor, the Derp... Everything felt so artificial and inane... The only explanation I can think about is that this mission is only an excuse to allow the player to execute Udina, because he backstabbed you back in Mass Erect 1 and thus you have the oportunity for "revenge" here. Or perhaps Bioware cannot into grey morality characters and made him go full retard 'cause he's supposed to be EVIL. Lastly but not least, Nightwing called, he wants that shit-stain of an anime ninja to stop cosplaying as him:

Wow. This is derp^^^derp.

Leaving the Citadel



Looks like it's time to settle a lot of accounts on the Spectre terminal.



Arms sales approved.



Looks like finance is going to ruin. But really, I can't be sorry. Cause they're still charging me a quarter million credits to gain access to Spectre Gear. Even though I saved the world. Twice.



Covert surveillance authorized. This should keep future Cerberus surprises to a minimum, assuming Bailey is competent at his job of course.



That 'terrorist' the Presidium civilians mentioned. He's a batarian. I should pay him a visit and squeeze him for some info on Cerberus. That, or settle accounts with scums.



I should also sweep his clique. No doubt they're probably involved with the recent security leaks. First console tracked at the Huerta Memorial Hospital. Time to pay it a visit.


Okay. I'll shut it down. Just need to authorize your Spectre status. Looks like someone was trying to requisition medical supplies. Okay, that access code is officially disabled. Can you find any more?

The omni-tool places the next hacked console at Docking Bay D24.



Looks like they were tampering with emergy food requests at the refugee center.
Trying to get more food for themselves?


So this is what we get for harboring a bunch of desperate scum...hey wait, isn't that Cortez?



I hope that man lets go of his burden soon. There's a war to win, what's another dead body to the pile? The next hacked console is located in the Refugee Docks. Time to pay it a visit.



What's going on here?

Aren't you Commander Shepard? Solik Vass, documentary maker. Please, maybe you can help. I'm trying to document the stories of the refugees coming to the Citadel. Their loss, their sacrifices, their moment of bravery.
Something holding you back?
C-Sec won't allow me on the docks. They say I'd be "disruptive." But you could catch a few quick shots for me.

No harm done. Gets the message across: War is here.

Good idea. The galaxy should see what these refugees have been through.
Thank you, Commander. That's exactly what I'm hoping for. I'll be here when you're done.

It wasn't hard.



Solik would've buried himself in a few dozens of shots within moments of entering the docks.



The air is filled with desperation. But I've got a hacked console to find...


Shepard, they're using it right now! I can trace them!
Where are they?
Right there in the refugee camp! I'm on my way!


The trace leads to the batarian refugee camp. I was right all along: they're all scum. Time to deal with these terrorists..



Better dying on the battlefield than wasting Citadel resources. Bastards better be worth it. Time to blow off some steam at the Purgatory before I leave Citadel. I hand over the shots to Solik in exchange for a token sum. Guess that documentary is going to come out soon...


How is this any different from normal?
Can't you see the desperation? This isn't happy dancing. This is "forget my problems" dancing. Look at the arms. If a guy waves his arms like that, he's worrying about a lot more than looking stupid on the dance floor.
That's surprisingly observant.
I've had time to watch a lot of dancing from the sidelines. Speaking of which...
Dancing?
Watching from the sidelines. What do you think about me and EDI?



So the galaxy is about to be harvested of all organics and you feel you should start harbouring feelings about your ship's AI encased in some female synthetic body? Makes absolute sense.

Why not?
Because I could break a bone just from light over-the-clothes action?
That's always a risk. But then, so are the Reapers.
Yeah, I wasn't planning on dating Harbinger.
You know what I mean. If we all ended up dead this time tomorrow, what would you regret?
Getting a shattered pelvis. And a broken heart.


Dear god.

If you could be out there right now on the dance floor, would you be waving your arms?
Yeah.
Sounds like you've got bigger things to worry about than looking stupid.
Yeah. Guess I do. Now, if you'll excuse me...

Atta, boy.



Time for a drink.






A little bit...too...much?




Damn.




Hope nothing happened. Time to head back to the Normandy. Shore leave is over.



..Ah. Thought I forgot something... or someone.

"interesting". If it's kaiden, he begs shepard to let him back on the normandy.

Naturally, I refused.

Bio may have ruined Ashley in ME3, but Kaidan actually became somewhat alright. Kind of a softie, but doesn't give off a faggot vibe, anymore: even when he confessed his gayness for my male Shep. No longer whiny, too. Got a bit touchy-feely at the hospital, one time, but overall, "good guy" would be a fitting description. Surprising, to be honest.
Garrus and Mordin still out-bro him any time of the month, of course.

Bro, if you let Balak live in ME1...

He's gay?

Balak shows up in ME3 even if you killed him in ME1...

Oh, that. Yeah... He swings both ways, now, apparently.
Straights just aren't emotionally engaging enough for mature audiences, anyway: no crying and dealing with each other's lost loved ones and being conflicted about the whole thing and all that adult stuff that I now envy gays obviously going through on a daily basis.

But it's probably a different Balak! His colour's totally different long-lost brother from the same mother, whose father tragically died trying to save their baby sister from the Alpha Relay explosion.

You let Ashley back into the crew...? Like...why?

The amount of emotional engagements ITT is too damn high.

Seriously, I'm so glad this LP exists, I don't think I would've been the same person after playing this abomination

Back in Black

On board the Normandy



Looks like they all want me now. Good. Make them wait.



War assets are starting to pile up.


What have you got?
A group of Cerberus scientists cut ties and fled. Perhaps they finally realized they were on the wrong side. We don't know what they were researching, but they were among the Illusive Man's top scientist. They could help build the Crucible.

How naive of you, Traynor.

Unless they're indoctrinated, and this is a ruse to get Cerberus close to the Crucible.
I'm not suggesting we trust them fully. But it could be worth investigating.
Has the Alliance tried to make contact?
They've been unable to find them, but they're searching... as is Cerberus. I've been monitoring Cerberus communications. I've charted signal frequency from various Cerberus cells by location and cross-referenced known ship movements....
You found them?
I believe so, yes.
Nice work. Put it on the map, and I'll give it a look.

Checking for some messages on my terminal...




You call this a dossier, Anderson? Where's the weakness? Known hang out spots? Family? Anything to use as leverage. I don't need his service records. Fucking worthless.



What does Meathead want?



Primarch Victus has evidence of a possible traitor. I'll investigate it if I have the time, still I wonder why there's no Spectre terminals in the Normandy. I don't feel like heading back to the Citadel again.



Hmmm....later.

Normandy's Cockpit

Didn't you used to work for those assholes? Something about "leather seats?"
I worked for them when they were vigilantes helping the helpless. Now they're a little too mainstream. And evil. The important thing is that you kicked their asses. And also that Ash aced the "don't shoot your commander" portion of the Normandy reinstatement test.
More importantly, we've finally got the Council on our side.
Be great if they could help us before the galaxy caught fire, but it's the thought that counts.

Yeah, if thoughts could win this war, that is. So far it's nothing but making a lot of noise.


What's on your mind, EDI?
The destruction of the Reaper on Tuchanka. It is rare for a technologicaly superior force to be destroyed by an inferior one.
Yeah, so now all we need is a gun that fires thresher maws.

Long pause. EDI did not respond.

That was a joke.
I am sorry, Shepard. I was contemplating. You said that asking you abstract social questions may lead to unreliable answers, so I stayed silent.
I didn't realize this would be an ongoing issue. Let's air it out.
I was considering this: for all their supposed intelligence, the Reapers are more easily destroyed than they think.

Really? Where did you get this kind of information processing power coming from? We've not killed any Reapers that mattered. That Sovereign class we killed on Tuchanka? That was all Kalros'; all we did was make him mad.

This has caused me to reassess the probably period of time before I am non-functional.

Your programming is defective if you think learning 'fear' is worth adding into your calculations.

You're worried about dying?
In a sense. My processing power is consumed with calculations to help us combat the Reapers. But I can run those scenarios with the rest of the crew. May I ask you another question that troubled Jeff?
Here we go again.


Simple. Vibrators are made to vibrate. Toasters are made to toast.

Synthetics are created with a goal in mind. Just ask their creators what it was.
But my creation was planned by Cerberus. I no longer serve their purposes.
Cerberus was originally created to give humanity a fighting chance. Right now, that might be a goal you can get behind.
It would take significant resources and processing power. Do you think I would find it worthwhile?
Well, you could do it as a favor to me. I'd make a pretty crappy husk.

To be honest, who created you, EDI, wasn't Cerberus. But it was Joker, who set you free. Without him, you'd just be a shackled AI, forced to operate within certain sets of limitations and protocols. Something that were removed completely when you both needed each other during the Colllector's abduction.


The difference is, you decide it's worth it. No one tells you it is.
I see. I will examine this issue.

A short pause later...

Shepard, I have examined the issue. The Reapers threaten the crew of this ship and other organics who are helping me develop perspectives on existence. Were I to approach Reapers to request similar perspectives, it is likely I would be destroyed.

Water is wet, fire is hot. Any other obvious things you'd like to tell me?

I would rather risk non-functionality with the crew of the Normandy than risk it alone.
Glad to hear it, EDI. Good to have you on board.

Bonus Power unlocked: Defensive Matrix



Oh, what now? Time to head to level 3.



Hey, Garrus.


...and you almost had to put down a friend.
Got a little tense there.
If it had come down to it, could you have pulled the trigger?
If they hadn't backed down...yes. This war is bigger than any one person.
I'll be sure to remember that next time we have a disagreement.

You're not that dumb, my friend. You're not like the rest.

Still, I'm glad Ash didn't have to join Kaidan. Losing one was enough.

Right, Garrus. Faggots die alone.


What's going on, Doctor?
Refugees arrived at the Citadel recently in possession of military grade medical supplies and equipment. In reviewing our inventories, I determined we have an excess of medical supplies to treat contagion, exposure, and malnutrition.
They're equipped to help injured soldiers, and we have supplies to help the suffering refugees.
Precisely. Perhaps you could ply your charms to broker a trade?
Why the hell not, I'll find the refugees as soon as I can.
Speak with Tactus. Many of the refugees near the Citadel docks look to him for leadership. Thank you, Commander. With access to their equipment and materials, I believe I could increase the effectiveness of our medi-gel.

Good ol' Doc. I'll do that when I'm finished with the current mission. A visit to Liara's office made me overhear Liara's plan to insert her own team as one of the Councilor's bodyguards replacements. Wonder how that one will turn out. Let's head over to the Engineering Deck and check on Engineer Adams...as well as our Prothean Manhunter.


Got a moment, Javik?
Traitors are the worst form of enemy. In our cycle, we would remove their limbs one by one and offer them a choice: eat their own flesh or starve. Your politician deserved far worse than a bullet. And if the other human had not seen reason, her death would be certain, too.

Any other military extremist commentary you would like to add?

There is only one enemy in this war: Reapers. No others will be tolerated. I would like to visit the Citadel again.

Oh?

When it is not infested with traitors.

Right, I'll just be going no-

The "Kai Leng" human bears watching, Commander. I sensed that the blood in his veins is very cold.

He's dead the next time we see him. Also. I wondered why the Protheans cannot understand the threat that the Citadel represented during their cycle. If their 'learn-by-touch' senses were so advanced, could they not have learned a lot by touching the Citadel Keepers and learning the true nature of the Reaper's plot? Yet another plot hole dug up by their own Prothean DLC writers. Wonderful.



Hope this is the worth the trouble. Maybe it'll save lives, yeah?

Alright, I'm done with these social interactions time to rearm and ready up for the next mission.



I picked up something from the batarian arms merchant in the docks. The M-13 Raptor. This is probably my favorite sniper rifle in the game. The scope is unlike other snipers. Its zoom is perfect, with semi-auto and 15 shots per clip it could really tear down infantry with rapid head shots. Don't expect me to experiment with other sniper rifles after this. It's my go-to weapon when I played Multiplayer on my Salarian Infiltrator.



We're back in black.



All set for a nice evening with Traynor...

Leisure Suit Larry.

He's my brother

This reunion could've been short lived - lucky for Jacob we turned up just in time.


Ugh..I'm all right. The others didn't make it.

I'm supposed to be protecting these people from the Illusive Man and his attack dogs!
Are they gone?
For now. But they'll be back.
Ugh.
Sure you're okay?
Yeah. I'll walk it off. save my life one more time, and I'll start owing you.
This one's on the house.
Hey - good to see you, too.
Thanks. And you as well.
Shepard, this is Dr. Brynn Cole. She's in charge here.
Tell me what's going on. Intel says you're Cerberus.
We're all ex-Cerberus. Scientists, mostly.
Civilians?
Call us "refugees." If we hadn't run, we'd be dead.
Why does the Illusive Man want to kill you?
Our stories are different, but the themes are the same. We were using information from the Collector Base to work on the different components of a larger tech.

That...base. What were they trying to do with it?


As we progressed, we started feeling like we were signing each other's death warrants.
Hope you kicked Cerberus in the balls on the way out of the door.
We took everything we could carry, destroyed what we couldn't.
You had to know they were going to find you.
It's a pretty smart bunch. We covered our bases.
But the Illusive Man is one tenacious bastard.

Sounds of explosions overhead. Looks like Cerberus is bombing the place.

Time to evacuate.
Agreed. Just need to get the AA guns on the roof back online. Cerberus is jamming them somehow. With those guns down, Cerberus will just blow our escape shuttles out of the sky.
Might be the network link.
I'll check and meet you upstairs.


Commander, I should see to my people. Join me upstairs when you can.
You know this guy Jacob? More ex-Cerberus?
He worked with me to stop the Collectors.

We're getting out of here alive. I promise.

I also run across someone unexpected here...



Dr. Archer of Project Overlord. One who turned his own brother into a human geth controller. I let him continue with the experiments...didn't expect this monster to have a heart.


Yes, well, I've tried putting all that behind me.
What are you doing here?
I strayed too far from the path. This was my only refuge. As a boy, I wanted to be a scientist remembered for doing right by the world - curing a disease or discovering a new element. Not a monster who tortured his own brother.
What did you say to the Illusive Man?
I told him if his intention was to work with the devil, he only had to look in the mirror. I wanted out of his nightmare.
He just let you go?
If it had been that easy, I wouldn't be hiding here. Every Cerberus soldier in the galaxy has orders to shoot me on sight.
What happened to Project Overlord?
I recommended it shut down, but the Illusive Man insisted otherwise. I had no choice but to stay on. I couldn't leave my brother alone. So I... continued our research with the geth.
You mean you kept torturing him.
Eventually, he learned to control his emotions.. for the most part. Then one day he simply stopped responsding. His vitals were strong, but his mind... I think he lost the will to live.
So what did you do?
The only thing I could. I ended his misery. My only salvation left in this life is hoping the research proves useful against the geth.
I have to go, and I'm not even going to pretend it was good to see you again.
I understand. But Commander... I know leaving my brother behind wasn't an easy choice. But some good can come from what he endured.

Oh?


This is everything our experiments taught us about controlling the geth.

This could be useful, yes.

I pray you'll find it useful.

Perfect timing since we're headed there soon.



Time to meet up with Dr. Brynn and Jacob.

That's not a sniper rifle, that's an assault rifle. I wonder if that geth data will make any difference.

Dare fits so well

And now The Touch as well.

The Project Overlord choice counts for exactly dickall, I guess.

And yes, over-the-top power ballads fit this game very well.

The fact that Cerberus seems like the main antagonist in Mass Effect 3 is... disappointing, to say the least.

Say what you want about Ashley, she's pretty effective in combat. She's exactly the same as Garrus, she only has Disruptive ammo instead of Armour-piercing. And Incendiary grenade rocks.

If RK47 had waited until resolving the quarian/geth problem (in any way) Shepard then tells Archer the data is useless because the geth are no longer a problem. Hilarity follows.

But yeah, when Bioware say "CONSEQUENCES!" all they mean is +20 to this war asset or -5 to that war asset.

She's a geth killa.