What did you do today in ME?

"Hey Alec,
I'm back from Benning, and also the Citadel. I delivered the dog tags of an Alliance soldier I found on Benning to an ambassador there and sealed the deal with the last merc band for Aria, the Blue Suns.
Benning was bad. Really bad. We have no idea what Cerberus was doing there, but they've been taking people, then started gunning them down when an Alliance recon team was sent in. Innocent civilians. Officially, Cerberus says they condemn these actions, but I've seen them trying to take people, Alec. And I saw what they did on Eden Prime, on Mars. No way in hell I believe for one second that the Illusive Man is innocent in this. He's as far from innocent as it can get. Bloody bastard.
The good news is that we at least got some people out alive. But not enough.
On the shuttle ride back I wasn't in the mood to talk. I was staring constantly at the dog tags I had found, playing around with them in my hand. I kept wondering how many lives Cerberus has destroyed, how many more they will destroy.
When we were in the shuttle bay, Steve asked me if everything was alright. It wasn't, not really.
Steve said I shouldn't take it too personal. But that's exactly my problem, isn't it? I always do, because I feel sad for these people. Those that died, those who lost someone. I can't just switch it off. He understood that and said that this is a beautiful trait of mine. That he likes this side of me because he can see how I truly care about people. That was sweet of him to say and I appreciated it.
Bilal Osoba. The ambassador's son died there trying to protect those people. The ambassador told me he met his son's friends drinking and that they wouldn't look him in the eye about the mission on Benning. I remember now that I overheard this group at Purgatory. Terrible to lose a friend like that. I'm going to give it my best to stop Cerberus. As if the Reaper threat isn't enough. But I have to try it.
I spent a nice evening with Liara just now. She came up to my cabin and presented me a time capsule she wants to leave on various planets with information gathered about Reapers, the blueprints of the Crucible, and some other things for future preservation. In case we lose this war. I think it's a good idea. I'm glad I have friends like this. These connections with other people are even more valuable in this time. They are what keep me going.
Alright, I'm gonna call it a night now. I'm really tired and I want to be fresh when we arrive at Tuchanka. It's an important mission for all of us. Talk soon.

-Dee"

Pics:

Wow, completely botched this mission, as I died 3 times! The worst was that one of them occured when I was down to 2 enemies And another was one of my famous walking-straight-into-a-grenade death. How I love them

"Hi Alec,
we still did not deploy the cure. On our way to Tuchanka, Traynor received word of Cerberus presence at an old krogan military facility. They had taken control of the facility and we headed there to find out what they wanted and to stop their operation. Hackett briefed me on the shuttle ride that this once was a ground-to-space cannon facility.
When Steve dropped us we already saw that Cerberus got that cannon operational. Steve flew back out and tried to see what they were shooting at. A Cerberus cruiser was approaching, the cannons clearing the way for it. We needed to get to the control room quickly to reset the cannon's targeting and avoid any attacks that cruiser could make on the krogan.
We encountered a lot of resistance, but we made it. Of course, shortly before I could reset the targeting, Cerberus cut the power, but we managed to reactivate it and take back the control room. And not a moment too soon, because the cruiser had initiated bombardement. Steve gave me the coordinates of the cruiser and we blew these assholes up into oblivion.
Back on the Normandy Hackett said he'd send a team to keep these cannons in Alliance hands, before Cerberus tries anything again. Looks like Cerberus has been dealt another blow. A small success at least, and the team did a great job once again.
James, Steve, Liara and I met up for dinner, and with the genophage cure so close we discussed Tuchanka's history. I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels sorry for the krogan. All of them find it pretty harsh what happened to them due to the genophage. James is generally fond of krogan. He told us about the time he worked with one, something he mentioned I think back on Menae already.
Javik has settled in, but he is still very distant, so I didn't even ask him to join us (he'd probably have said No anyway). I try to keep talking to him, but he shuts me down real quick. If he does talk, it's usually how Protheans would've dealt with their enemies or people who made mistakes. Which never is a pleasant picture. I'm pretty glad I didn't live in the Prothean era. Terrible thought to be as callous and cruel as them. I'll keep talking to him though, maybe we can still warm up to each other.
So... guess this is it. Nothing more in our way, and the cure will happen tomorrow. Can't deny it's a strange and surreal feeling, but I'm glad the krogan get this chance.

-Dee"

Also played more ME3MP earlier today and I had the pleasure of playing the N7 Shadow (which I just got today!). I thought I'd totally not be able to play this class, but it was a lot of fun. I didn't spec her into Tactical Cloak (because I wanted both passives fully maxed with extra weight for Shotgun usage ), but I will probably reset her powers soon and spec it into the sweet Bonus Power evolution at Rank 6.

"Hey Alec.
It's long past midnight and I should be sleeping, but I can't. I'm still exhilarated from today's events.
It's done, Alec. The genophage is cured! Even putting down these words right now seems surreal. It wasn't easy though. When we approached, Joker told me that a Reaper sat straight in front of the Shroud, a tower construct with which Wiks had suggested to disperse the cure. I asked Primarch Victus to send some air support while the krogan hit it from below to create a distraction for us.
Everything was in motion, when the salarian dalatrass called me. Bloody hell, she tried to convince me to sabotage the cure. She told me that her people had actually sabotaged the Shroud in case someone ever tries to cure the genophage. Those clever little shits thought of everything to keep the krogan in check. No one would know that I sabotaged the cure. It would be altered just enough to fail.
And I actually thought about it. I thought about what could happen if the salarians would not help in the war. Doubts ran through my head. A lot of What if's. If I could actually afford to turn away salarian help. If we could do this without their fleets, their scientists for the Crucible. When we took the shuttle down to Tuchanka, Eve asked me what's wrong. I was never that good in hiding my feelings, but I didn't say anything yet and made up some excuse. I needed more time to think this through.
But once we were on the planet, I made my choice. The krogan deserved this. And I would not stab Wrex in the back. I told the others about the dalatrass's offer and Wiks said he could now account for it.
As we went through the ruins of krogan society, traces of beauty and culture underneath the rubble, I knew I had made the right choice.
There was still the matter of the Reaper though. Eve suggested something rather amazing. To summon a thresher maw to the Reaper. And not just any thresher maw. The krogan call it Kalros, said to be the mother of all thresher maws. The krogan had installed maw hammers on Tuchanka to call it in ancient times, so that right there was our best bet. Eve is a smart woman, and the plan really worked. My team and I moved up as close to the Reaper as we could, and I hit the 2 hammers in the area.
Then it came. And what a sight it was. You know I still get a bad feeling whenever I see a thresher maw, but how it took down that Reaper... It was one of the small Reapers, but still. It was stunning.
I met up with Wiks afterwards and he told me everything is ready. But he had to go up the Shroud tower to fix the temperature malfunction the sabotage caused. To fix everything that was ever done to the krogan. The bad news was that the tower was about to come down.
Wiks went up there knowing this meant he'd die. I liked him. He was a brave soul, and died for what he believed in. I will never forget what he did for us.
The cure particles burst out from the top of the tower a few moments later. Should've seen it, Alec. It was beautiful, breathtaking. It was hope.
I said my goodbyes to Wrex and Eve for now. I'm glad I ever got to meet these two. I even learned Eve's true name, Urdnot Bakara. I feel honoured, Alec. I know krogan shaman never tell their name anyone, so this is a great sign of trust. And friendship.
Back on the Normandy, Primarch Victus packed up his things, turian support for Earth sealed with a handshake. An honourable man and ally.
Traynor came by and convinced me to get some sleep. I hadn't realised it, but I really needed it. Wish I hadn't though, since I had another nightmare. The kid. Voices of the people I lost. I miss them all dearly. But I didn't want this dream to drag me down, so I made my rounds on the Normandy and proposed a little get-together with the crew. What we just achieved was something none of us had ever anticipated, so most of the crew was eager to gather in the lounge and have some drinks to celebrate. A Reaper was dead, Earth had turian support, the krogan and the turians had formed an alliance. It was a big step.
We all had a great time, and soon, only Steve and I were left. We agreed to have just one more drink and then call it a night, but we stayed up much longer, delved into some stories from both our pasts. I almost told him about you, but I didn't want to sour this evening. It was good to see him smile constantly while he talked about why he became a shuttle pilot in the first place, and I wanted to keep it this way. He really looks happier these days. It makes me happy, too.
Oh bloody hell. So here it is. I'm a bit scared to admit it, but lately I feel... Something's happening. Something that feels wrong on so many levels. I mean, there's this frigging war in which we all could die any time, there's people dying everywhere, there's his dead husband he's just barely over, there's the fact that I still write these stupid letters to my first love. But then there's this feeling. I catch myself looking at him when he can't see, I'm happy whenever we talk. I feel calm around him, yet excited. I haven't felt like this in forever.
It's messed up, but... it just feels nice, you know? To be around someone and finding strength, comfort in all this? To feel such a deep connection with someone for the first time since it happened with you? It's not like I'd tell him or anything, but... there, it's off my chest.
Well, I should probably at least try to sleep now.

Good night,
Dee"

Pics:


Had a couple ME3MP Silver matches on PS3 again with stephenw32768 last night! Good times, good matches! Repeat soon

Was it that obvious? Haha, well he had to make the most of Kelly's meetups, since it's over now... poor Kel!

Agreed. And I honestly think they did an amazing job in ME3. There was lack of time, yet they still managed to make all these missions where ME2 characters could be absent a unique experience with plenty new dialogue. All of them are great to see and I'm just really happy to always discover something new! Hence why I'm hopelessly in love with these games

It was nice to see the PS3 MP also isn't dead yet.

Been playing a lot of ME 2 the last couple of days.

Turning off her head and her heart on Palaven was as difficult as she imagined it would be. Bringing Liara along was good at giving her a dose of empathy. Her lack of it in regards to the invasion of Earth has contributed to more fighting that anything else. Korynn still loves Liara, and intends on remaining loyal, but Liara needs to understand that just because they are asari, doesn't mean that Thessia will be spared this horror.





Seeing her old friend Garrus was good. She gave him a hug, and Garrus poked at Korynn asking when she will marry Liara and if their first child would be named after him. Korynn laughed and said yes. Garrus thought she was joking, but little does he know that she and Liara already had this discussion. He also stated that the idea of the two of them having children together is an even bigger reason to win this war (fic).









After Palaven it was off to the Citadel to pick up some supplies. Korynn had a chance to catch up with Commander Bailey. Seeing him in an Alliance uniform was a little startling, and the idea that C-Sec being a military arm is disturbing. However, now is not the time to worry about such things. After the war maybe.





After that, it was on to Huerta Memorial. Korynn hates hospitals already, and it reminded her a lot of being in the lab when she was being held by Cerberus. There are foggy memories that Korynn has been trying to convince herself aren't real. She saw Ashley. Ashley is a fighter, and Korynn is confident that she'll pull through. It doesn't mean that seeing her broken and bloodied on a hospital bed isn't difficult. She talked with Ash for a few moments, and then came back before leaving. Ashley was asleep, so she passed a note containing some words of encouragement and a poetry book to Ashley's nurse for when she feels up to it. (fic)





She had a chance to visit with EDI and thinks that her crush on Joker is amusing. Korynn is trying to steer them toward each other, but as subtly as she possibly can. She isn't as good at subtle. She also hopes that seeing her with Liara around the Normandy will give EDI a better idea of how to court another person.

Speaking of, she had lunch with Liara, which gave her a chance to really talk with her. Seeing Liara's face light up when she talks about her work is cute, though, she reminded Liara that she needs to take time for herself every now and then. Korynn thought better of reminding Liara that the Citadel won't be spared either. Liara apologized for some of her behavior and explained that she doesn't handle tragedy well. She directed her to Barla Von to help with some critical assets for the war.





Barla Von is always an interesting person. It was good to see him again in a way. Seeing him still wheeling and dealing on the Citadel makes her forget about all the lives lost when Sovereign attacked, and it gives her a sliver of hope that somehow, everything will be okay. It was amusing to hear him talk about the Shadow Broker and pass along "his" blessing, when Korynn had just been thinking about when the right time to propose to her would be.





Upon leaving the Citadel, it was on to hunt down some critical assets for the war. During this time, Korynn got a chance to know James and Steve better, and visit with EDI. EDI's sense of humor is fantastic. Korynn made a note to invite EDI up for some girl talk.

------------

I also played ME3 multiplayer for the first time. It's so fun! I like it better than ME:A multiplayer. So far, I am really digging on the Asari Adept (took me forever to unlock that one), and Quarian Infiltrator. The controls are a little frustrating at times, so I am thinking of plugging in my XBox controller later.

"Hi Alec.
So things didn't quite turn out as expected. Instead of spending some time running errands on the Citadel, the station got attacked by Cerberus. Joker didn't get clearance to land, which was strange already, and then Thane contacted us and warned us about how Cerberus had taken over C-Sec. We immediately deployed the shuttle and Steve took us in. Cerberus was everywhere and they were causing some serious havoc. We managed to clear the outer C-Sec HQ area and ran into Bailey, shot but alive. He helped us get in and we formed a plan.
Thane had said that Kaidan had gotten out safely and that he wanted to protect the Council, so the first step for us was to find the salarian councilor, who was supposed to meet with the Executor just today and had sent out a warning about betrayal from within to C-Sec. My team and I took off and had to fight through a lot of Cerberus troops, but we got to the Executor's office in time. The councilor was in there, alive. Unfortunately, an assassin showed up trying to change that. The councilor could just warn us that Udina was with the other council members right now, and that he had betrayed them, sold them out to Cerberus. The assassin wouldn't back down even with the 3 of us pointing our guns at him. That's when Thane stepped in and saved the Councilor. I didn't think he was still fit to fight, but he held his own, until... Man, this bloody bastard stabbed Thane with his sword. Yeah, he had a sword! The assassin is a troublemaker called Kai Leng, as I learned just now from Anderson and Hackett. Probably one of the Illusive Man's obedient pets.
This asshole fled, and I called for medical help, but had to leave Thane behind to catch up to this guy. We borrowed a shuttle, but this bloody maniac jumped onto our shuttle's roof and stabbed his sword into it, then got off into another shuttle. We lost control and crash-landed right onto the Presidium.
We went after Leng until we arrived at the Council elevators that would take us to a shuttle landing pad Bailey had told us about. This was where Udina led the other Council members. And Kaidan. But we were too late to catch the assassin and lost him. He was just faster than us.
At least we were close to Kaidan and the rest of the Council, so we took the elevator up to warn them. Bailey bought us some time by making Leng's elevator stop at every floor, so we arrived at the landing pad first. When the door opened, Kaidan and I found ourselves in a really bad situation. We pointed our guns at each other, neither of us backing down. I saw the confusion and doubts in his eyes. About me, about Cerberus. Again. I tried to warn them about Udina's betrayal, about Cerberus coming for them. After a few seconds that felt way too long, Kaidan put his faith in me, but Udina wouldn't have it. He still tried to get away with all this, even pointed a gun at the asari councilor. Kaidan took the shot.
Bailey arrived and backed up my story about Cerberus trying to get to the Council, but the assassin never showed up. Lucky for them.
Kaidan, the Council and I went our separate ways and I accompanied Bailey back to his office. He told me that no one had found the assassin, and that they still don't know what Udina was trying to do here. He was used by Cerberus, but he still helped these assholes.
Bailey also told me Thane had been taken to the hospital, and that it looked bad. I went to see him. Kolyat was there, too. He had donated blood, but Thane's illness made it impossible for him to recover. This was goodbye.
Kolyat started reading from a prayer book, and asked me to join him. It was hard to do, but I wanted to do it for Thane. I'll always be grateful for his help against the Collectors, for his help saving the salarian councilor. For being kind enough to keep an eye on Kaidan while he was battling his illness.
Kolyat and I watched Thane go. What a shitty day, Alec. So many people died at Cerberus's hands again, our own councilor betrayed us, Thane was taken from us. I wanted nothing more than to get back to the ship and be alone for a while.
But at the Normandy's docking bay Kaidan was waiting for me. We talked through what had happened. He couldn't shake the feeling that I would've pulled the trigger if he hadn't backed down. I have to admit that I was shocked and hurt he didn't trust me. I thought we were over our trust issues. No way I'd ever shoot one of my friends. But anyway, once again we've cleared the air, Kaidan promising to never doubt me again. And he finally joined us on the Normandy. It's good to have him back, and I will check in on him and the others first thing in the morning, but I really wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone just now. Seeing Thane die like that wasn't exactly something I wanted to witness. I hate this. He died saving someone, but he still died.
Just tonight, I'm allowing myself to wallow in my sadness and toast to an old friend until I'm drunk enough to ease the pain. So here's to you, Thane.

-Dee"

The coup:


ME3MP went fine last night, N7 Shadow was fun again, the Paladin was fun (especially since one of my buddies played a Vorcha with the Flamer ). Cryo explosions everywheeere! Then we pushed our luck, played 3 Volus (Voli?) again for the last game and bam, Collectors in London. It was surprisingly fine at first, terrible from Wave 8 on. At some point 3 dead Volus lay on top of each other We had a pretty good random player with us though, and we actually all extracted. I rolled by a Praetorian down the stairs just to run like crazy and reach the Extraction zone with only a few seconds left. So much for a last relaxing match

Finally got caught up with everyone's posts after not having viewed this site in almost a week? (I hope I do not do that again.) Anyway, time to catch up on my own playthrough...



Admiral Hackett ordered Ahmed Shepard and his crew to take some shore leave. Ahmed was not sure about taking shore leave when so much more needed to be done, especially since they had not seem some really heavy fighting. But since orders are orders...

Ahmed docked the Normandy at the Citadel and took a trip to visit Captain Anderson's apartment that Hackett mentioned. The apartment was large and well-furnished. The apartment also looked clean, so maybe it had maid service as well.

As luck would have it, Anderson called to see how Ahmed was doing. Ahmed felt a little guilty that Anderson kept calling him, while it was Anderson who probably most needed encouragement as they fought a losing battle on Earth. After some small talk, Anderson gifted Ahmed the apartment. Ahmed refused to take it at first, but after Anderson insisted, Ahmed relented and accepted the apartment. Anderson got off the call soon after.

Ahmed then took some time to look around the apartment. It had three bedrooms, a hot tub, even a bar. The study also had a small library that had several books. Anderson -- or maybe it was Kahlee Sanders -- was a fan of Matriarch Dalinaga's collection of writings.

Ahmed then got a message from Joker inviting him to lunch for sushi. Ahmed is not a fan of sushi, but he was hungry and he couold think of worse things than lunch with Joker.

Speaking of worse things, the lunch was interrupted by a woman identifying herself as Agent Brooks of the Alliance. Brooks informed Shepard that some people were trying to kill him, and that they were attempting to hack his accounts.

And speaking of people wanting to kill Shepard, some armed mercs sauntered into the restaurant and starting shooting. The apparent leader of the group demanded that someone bring him Shepard.

Hacking his accounts, trying to kill him, and interrupting his lunch (they weren't even served yet!) all served one purpose: to make Ahmed Shepard mad. And when Ahmed Shepard gets mad, he likes to enact violence on other violent people. Ahmed crushed one merc's chest with a biotic punch and stole his gun, then ran and grabbed another merc and stabbed him with his Omni Tool for some variety.

He helped Brooks get to her feet, only for her to push him away when another merc started shooting. Unfortunately Brooks got shot, and then the glass floor/fishtank shattered from under Ahmed and he fell down several stories. Ahmed managed to survive the fall and still have the gun he had grabbed earlier.

Ahmed picked his way to a used skycar lot where he could meat up with Brooks and his team. A whole lot more mercs were standing in his way, but they did not stay standing for long. Ahmed heard one of the mercs say "I can't believe they let Shepard past the walkway. Those guys are idiots!" Ahmed made sure to let him know that you are only an 'idiot' if you get in his way.

Liara met him at the car lot. A C-Sec shuttle arrived, but it was filled with more mercs. James showed up with a Cobra missile launcher and took out the shuttle. The three of them then held off an assault by the mercs until Joker arrived in a shuttle.

Been taking a break from my ME 2 playthrough for a few days (actually started up an MEA playthrough) but I am thinking I will head back into ME2 either later today or tonight. Only 2 more missions away from the collector ship and picking up that glorious ME 2 version of the Mattock.

Karen Shepard, Soldier, ME2 cont'd:

Collector Base: Infiltration

Kasumi entered the ventilation shaft that would take past the Collector defences into the heart of the base, while Shepard, Tali and Samara would try and keep up by following the path of the vent and keeping the Collector forces off of her. Jacob took the rest of the crew on an alternate route try and draw the Collectors away.

Kasumi's path was blocked a few of times, and she became concerned about the excessive heat building up in the vent, but Shepard simply had to open a few valves from her side to let Kasumi through. Well, “simply” except for the hordes of Collectors trying to kill them. They got through it OK, and periodic updates from Jacob indicated that his team weren't encountering anything they couldn't handle either. Shepard was proud of the way everyone was working together to get the job done.

Kasumi made it through, and was able to hack both of the security doors to let Shepard's and Jacob's teams in. They found themselves in the central chamber, filled with countless stasis pods, including one with a colonist and others with the Normandy crew trapped inside. As they investigated, a colonist in one of the pods was suddenly in great distress, screaming as her body basically disintegrated before their eyes. It was horrific, and everyone moved as quickly as possible to free the crew before they suffered the same fate.

They got everyone else out in time, and Dr Chakwas described how the colonists' bodies were “processed. Those swarms of little robots, they ... melted their bodies into grey liquid and pumped it through these tubes.” Shepard asked Kasumi to escort the crew back to the Normandy – after almost getting getting cooked alive in the vents, she deserved finish the mission with would hopefully be an easy job.

Collector Base: The Long Walk

The rest would have to split up again, and Shepard's team would need to get through a room filled with seeker swarms – too many for Mordin's armour modifications to be effective. Samara theorized that a biotic protection field could be used bring a small team through. Shepard wanted Samara with her in her fire team, so she asked Jack to maintain the field. The two of them were the most powerful biotics in the team, and hopefully Samara could assist if Jack started to struggle to maintain the field. Once again, Jacob took command of the distraction team.

Shepard, Tali, and Samara stayed under the biotic bubble Jack was using to keep out the seeker swarms. Collectors, husks and scions tried to stop them at various points, but they were able to hold them off. Jacob got his team through without any problems, and Joker advised that Kasumi and the crew had arrived safely at the Normandy. Things were going as well as could be expected, so far.

The last step was to take a platform to the main command centre, which they could overload to destroy the base. Shepard took Tali and Samara with her, while everyone else guarded the entrance to keep the Collectors from overwhelming them.

To be continued...

I did the suicide mission for this, making suboptimal choices to eliminate Jacob, Garrus, Jack and Thane from ME3. This Shepard is a Paragon, so the Collector base was destroyed.

Media: