What did you do today in ME?

I did my final Omega run ever in ME3. Aria is just so ridiculously unlikable that I don't ever want to help her again. I really wish you could side with Petrovsky on this one and kill Aria. He is mostly right I feel. Plus he is more likable. The only good thing about the DLC is that you can get the Valkyrie. I also played as an infiltrator so it was super easy even on Insanity. The level design is also super boring too. Also, why is Aria's voice acting so bad? In ME2 it was great, but in ME3 she does this whispery husky crap that makes he sound bored all the time. Its annoying.

Also did a few of the side quests here and there. The Phantom armor really works great for the Infiltrators in ME3 though.

Karen Shepard, Soldier, ME3 cont'd:

Normandy

Wrex requested Shepard's assistance investigating some rumours the krogan had heard about trouble at the rachni relay. Wrex had already lost scouts checking it out, and wanted Shepard to meet up with Aralakh Company to deal with whatever was going on.

Shepard checked in with Samantha, who seemed to be enjoying serving on a starship for the first time; Joker, who made wisecracks about inviting the krogan to a diplomatic summit; and EDI, who wanted Shepard's approval on a bunch of logistical issues an alliance with the krogan would bring.

She read emails from Feron; a follow up from Major Kirrahe; a news report about Rana Thanoptis, who had evidently succumbed to Reaper Indoctrination and attacked an asari research centre; and an update from Ashley, who'd decided to accept Udina's offer and agree to become a Council Spectre.

Dr. Chakwas was telling Engineer Adams about her abduction by the Collectors. It was obvious she was still shaken by it, but Shepard was glad she and Adams got along so well. It was nice to have him back, and now the doctor had someone besides Shepard and Joker to talk to.

Shepard had an interesting talk with “Eve”, the krogan female. She learned that Eve was the shaman of her clan (that's why she couldn't reveal her true name), and that she and some of the other female clans had worked to preserve ancient krogan ways in the face of the despair caused by the genophage. She hoped her species would “find its balance again” after the genophage was cured. It was strange to hear such talk from a krogan, but Shepard shared her hope for the future (assuming they could deal with these damn Reapers).

Mordin reported that Eve's condition was stabilizing. He seemed encouraged that the cure would work, and that Maelon's data had helped, but she needed a little more time to heal before making an attempt.

In Engineering, Ken was going on and on about EDI's robot body. Poor Gabby.

Citadel

The Normandy returned to the Citadel to resupply before meeting up with Aralakh Company.

Ashley was back on her feet, and anxious to get back into action. She wasn't sure what her assignment would be now that she'd been made a Spectre – that would depend on Udina and the Council. She also revealed the sad news that her brother-in-law, an officer in the military, had been killed in action.

Steve was at the memorial wall, letting go of the last memento he had of his husband, Robert.

Kelly re-introduced herself as Felicia Hannigan, having changed her identity to make it harder for Cerberus to track her down. Shepard felt a lot better.

In the Presidium Commons Shepard recognized Matriarch Aethyta tending bar, and went over to speak to her. She admitted to being Liara's father, tasked by the matriarch's to keep an eye on Liara given her “shady connections”. The matriarchs were worried Liara would would go down the same path as Benezia. Liara was at a table in restaurant, and she had already deduced Aethyta's identity and assignment. She was reluctant to talk to her, but Shepard encouraged her to do it.

Aria reassured Shepard that the mercenary groups that Shepard had helped bring under her command would be useful in the Reaper War.
Shepard returned to the Normandy and asked Joker to take them to the Ninmah Cluster. It was time to check out Wrex's intel about activity near the rachni relay.

Well, sure, if you ignore that he takes people and turns them into monsters against their will.  Also, he turned those monsters on civilians when he didn't get his way.

I think Aria made a point that while she could be harsh at least the people were free.  Petrovsky was a sweet talker with a dagger in hand behind his back.

Karen Shepard, Soldier, ME3 cont'd:

Ninmah Cluster: Utukku - Song of the Rachni (reprise)

Shepard, Liara, and EDI took a shuttle to the surface of Utukku, to meet up with Aralakh Company. The leader of Aralakh turned out to be none other than Urdnot Grunt, who briefed them on the situation.

A team of scouts had been sent in to investigate possible rachni activity in the vicinity, and contact had been lost. Aralakh was sent to check it out; Shepard suspected Wrex had asked her to join them since they were the ones who'd last encountered the rachni on Noveria (where Shepard had released the last surviving queen, a decision Wrex was no doubt still less than happy with).

A cave-in separated Shepard and her team from Aralakh, but she kept in contact with Grunt via radio. They confirmed the presence of rachni, but they had clearly been altered by the Reapers, huskified in such a way as to become living artillery cannons.

They battled their way through reaper forces to reach the underground lair of the queen. She was in restraints and hooked up to all sorts of reaper technology. She claimed that the rachni had kept their promise when Shepard released her on Noveria, that they had remained hidden and did not interfere with the rest of the galaxy, until the Reapers came.

Shepard freed the queen from the Reaper shackles. She couldn't shake the feeling that wiping out the rachni would play right into the Reapers hands somehow, that the rachni's hive mind capabilities could be useful in some way. It might blow up in her face, but they needed allies for the war. And with the galaxy in the state it was in, she was even less inclined to wipe out an entire species than she was three years ago.

Aralakh took heavy losses covering the queen's escape, and at one point they thought they'd lost Grunt as well, but somehow he pulled through. He'd be out of action for a while, but there was no doubt he'd be back and fighting before too long. The remaining rachni joined the growing alliance; their presence would likely make things very interesting.

Normandy

Hackett was pleased (after a fashion) with the result of the mission, and Wrex expressed disappointment at missing the fight, and made sure Shepard understood that there would be consequences if the rachni got “out of line” again.

Mordin reported that the genophage cure was almost complete, and that they just need a method to deliver it to the population. He called a meeting with Shepard, Wrex, and Victus, they came up with a plan to use the Shroud – used in the salarian uplift program to purify Tuchanka's atmosphere – to disperse the cure.

Anderson contacted Shepard via vidcom to check in, giving an update on the situation on Earth (short version: it wasn't good).

My renegade broshep, Alex, decided it would be fun times to take Miranda on Jack's loyalty mission. It wasn't nearly as snarky as I'd hoped it would be, but it's a nice headcanon lead-up to the Miranda/Jack argument.

After the argument, Alex stuck around to talk to Miranda and ended up kissing her. I'd intended for him to complete Ashley's romance, so he'll probably break it off with Miranda once I get the opportunity. But at the time, their body language was definitely leading up to something.

He got an apology email from Ashley, which I thought was a nice touch because I hadn't expected it.

I agree that it doesn't make sense. It made me laugh, though; I think that was all it was intended to do. I consider it to be a throwaway sitcom moment and don't include it in my headcanon.

It can be avoided by throwing a quiet party instead of a rowdy one.

Karen Shepard, Soldier, ME3 cont'd:

Normandy

Liara was feeling discouraged about their chances in the Reaper war, and that since she was “only” 109 years old, she could conceivably survive to see the end of the cycle (which would last for decades). Shepard did her best to lift her spirits (and teased her a little about the “only 109” remark).

Garrus was in the lounge telling Ensign Copeland tall tales about past missions that he wasn't actually directly involved in (i.e. speaking to the rachni queen – it was Liara and Tali who accompanied Shepard on that mission). Copeland seemed to be enjoying it, however, so Shepard left them to it.

Samantha reported that Cerberus was attacking civilians on Benning. Shepard asked Joker to take the Normandy to the Arturus Stream so they could put a stop to it.

Arturus Stream: Benning

During the shuttle ride down to Benning, Admiral Hackett called to brief Shepard, Liara, and EDI on the situation. Cerberus had apparently been there recruiting, but for some reason had turned on the populace and starting killing people. Hackett believed it was some sort of rogue operation not sanctioned by The Illusive Man. Shepard wasn't so sure.

Shepard and her team landed in one of the larger cities, and did their best to protect civilians from Cerberus forces long enough for them to escape. Shepard also looked for intel on Ambassador Osoba's son; unfortunately, all she found was his dog tags, not surprising given that she'd overheard soldiers talking about Osoba's death outside of afterlife. She hadn't wanted to say anything to the ambassador without proof, however, and now she had it.

Admiral Hackett promised to send in more teams to liberate other parts of Benning from Cerberus.

Karen Shepard, Soldier, ME3 cont'd:

Normandy

Liara asked to visit Commander Shepard in her cabin to discuss a “project” she'd been working on. It turned out to be an archive, similar to Vigil on Ilos, to be left for future cycles in case this cycle failed to stop the reapers. It contained plans for the Crucible and other technology, as well as entries on the history of the races of the current cycle, and other knowledge that would otherwise be lost if they failed.

She wanted Shep's input on the Commander's own entry, but Shep felt that Liara knew her better than anyone and would know what to say. Liara completed the entry, and Shep was happy to enjoy a quiet moment with the person she cared for the most.

In Engineering, Shep joined a philosophical debate between Adams and Donnelly about EDI's nature. Shep agreed with Adams that EDI and the Normandy were inseparable, and EDI was the ship, rather than just a passenger on it.

Krogan DMZ: Tuchanka - Cerberus Attack

Admiral Hackett briefed Commander Shepard, Liara, and EDI during the shuttle ride down to the surface of Tuchanka. The details of the mission were vague –
Hackett could provide no details on why Cerberus would be attacking an old Krogan outpost with no strategic value. Shepard wanted to deal with any loose ends before attempting to roll out the genophage cure, however, so she wanted to kick Cerberus off of Tuchanka ASAP.

The krogan base had a ground-to-space cannon, which Cerberus had repaired and were using to clear a path for a Cerberus cruiser trying to bomb krogan settlements. Shepard and her team defeated the Cerberus troops guarding the facility, and used the cannon to destroy the Cerberus cruiser. Admiral Hackett was pleased, both with the defeat of Cerberus and the fact that they had an additional military asset in the krogan theatre.

That's kind of what I mean This way, the argument that happened immediately after Jack's LM doesn't just come out of the blue, it's just an extension of what started when Miranda saw exactly what was done to Jack and still made excuses instead of having some sympathy.

Totally off topic, but who are the guys in your avatar?

Face models for Shepard (Mark Vanderloo) and Kaidan (Luciano Costa) photoshopped to be like a couple.  I didn't make it but found it somewhere.

Karen Shepard, Soldier, ME3 cont'd:

Tuchanka: The Shroud - “Let's move pyjak, it's time to cure the genophage!”

The Normandy returned to Tuchanka and headed for the Shroud facility, which would be used to distribute the genophage cure. Naturally, it wouldn't be that easy, and the discovery that a Reaper destroyer was guarding the Shroud, and using it to poison Tuchanka's atmosphere, was “problematic”, according to Mordin.

Commander Shepard proposed a combined attack from ground and air using krogan troops and turian fighter craft. Mordin could then use the distraction to enter the Shroud and distribute the cure.

As they were getting ready to disembark, Shepard was contacted on vidcom by Dalatrass Linron. The Dalatrass tried to convince her not to cure the genophage, and informed her the Shroud had been sabotaged years early to prevent it from being used in the way Mordin planned. Shepard could have the support of salarian fleets for the Reaper war if she tricked the krogan.

Shepard had always felt that the krogan were wronged by the Council during the uplift / genophage fiasco, and she had no intention of betraying them now. She was also quite concerned by the obsession with old conflicts given the current circumstances. Why worry about krogan vs salarian, or geth vs quarian, or humanity vs whoever, when the only conflict that mattered was reapers vs everyone? The krogan dominating the galaxy thanks to their rapid breeding ability would be irrelevant if everyone was dead.

Wrex had gathered the krogan clans at the Hollows, and Shepard, Liara, and EDI accompanied him, Eve and Mordin. Some of the other clans weren't happy about Mordin's presence, but Eve quickly brought them into line (she was an impressive leader). They all boarded a convoy of Tomkahs and headed for the Shroud.
Shepard revealed her conversation with the Dalatrass. Mordin assured them that he could counteract the sabotage of the Shroud and successfully distribute the cure. Wrex and Eve were grateful for Shepard's honesty and loyalty.

The battle started, and the turian fighters engaged the Reaper Destroyer. A fighter crashed in the middle of the convoy, causing chaos. Mordin and Eve were OK, but Shepard and her team got separated from the convoy and had to make their way through some ancient krogan ruins to find their way back to them.

Eve called it “the city of the ancients”, after Shepard described what she was seeing over the radio. They found ruins, wall paintings, and statues that gave insight into krogan history and culture. Shepard could imagine Liara already making plans in her head to return and explore once the war was over.
They experienced periodic tremors, which were explained by paintings they found of Kalros, “the mother of all thresher maws”. As if they didn't have enough to deal with.

They regrouped with the convoy and made it to the Shroud. Eve had come up with a plan to lure Kalros to the site using maw hammers located in the ruins, so the thresher maw would engage the Reaper Destroyer and they could use the ensuing battle as a distraction to get past it and complete the mission. It worked like a charm.

Shepard had to dodge brutes and reaper lasers to reach the maw hammers, but she succeeded, and Kalros played her part. In one of the most spectacular battles Shep had ever witnessed, Kalros dragged the Destroyer down to its death beneath the surface of Tuchanka.

Mordin informed the Commander that the Shroud had been damaged during the fighting, and he would have to go up to the top of the tower to initiate the dispersal of the cure. The explosion that would result would be “problematic”, and he wouldn't be able to make it back down. Shepard asked him if there was any other way – she didn't want to lose her friend – but there wasn't. Mordin sacrificed himself to save the krogan. Shepard was both proud and saddened – she would have done the same in his place, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

She may have lost one friend, but she made another. Eve revealed that her name was Urdnot Bakara, and expressed her gratitude for giving the krogan people hope again. It struck Shepard that to feel hope at a time when the galaxy was in such peril was an indication of how bleak things had become for the krogan. But now the alliance with the turians had been cemented, and the first step in ridding the galaxy of the reapers forever had been completed.

Now if only they could obtain a “gun that shoots thresher maws”, they'd be all set.

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