What did you do today in ME?

The continuing adventures of Faith and Owen:

Owen: Landed on Sharjila with Tali and Wrex. Don’t know what we’d find here but it seemed like the perfect place to let our young quarian try out her skills. Besides, we always had Wrex for backup if it turned out there was anything to dangerous here. I should comment that I know Faith isn’t too far away from me. She’s looking for the daughter of some asari matriarch and in a different system but we’re in the same cluster. She’d just think I was following her to watch her back and nothing could be further from the truth. In any case, we came across some pirates. There were a lot of asari and one krogan. What I learned was that they were slavers and I think I’ve established how I feel about them. I wasn’t able to take out that Balak asshole but these weren’t in his class. They went down well enough. Looked the place and found some info linking the leader to an asari ambassador, the one who I think contacted me when I entered the system. I will say Tali’Zorah was a real asset here. Some of the locks here were very tough to crack and I’m pretty sure we wouldn’t have gotten some of this stuff without her around. Got some sweet new Assassin armor out of this deal.



Before leaving this cluster, I wanted to check out another system. My pilot, Lani Reed (a fellow survivor of Mindoir), picked up a signal from Edolus. It made sense to go check it out. This time I was bringing Garrus and Tali with me. Need to try out all my combos. In any case, this was a distress signal from Alliance marines and I was hoping I could save someone. When I got to the beacon, a damned thresher maw popped out of the ground! Now, I’d never seen one of these face to face but I’ve heard tales of these monstrosities. Once we took down the creature, it became apparent that this beacon was meant to lure people to their deaths. I couldn’t even imagine who would do such a thing. I did recall that Admiral Kahoku was missing marines and it looked like these were the ones under his command. I was going to have to inform him. I needed to talk to that asari ambassador on the Citadel as well so that would be my next stop after leaving this planet.



Faith: Wanted to check back in with Udina and Anderson to keep them up to date on my progress. Really wasn’t expecting to see some asshole admiral waiting for me in the docking bay. Did he think he had any kind of hold over me? He was about to discover what it truly means to be a Spectre. He didn’t get his inspection. Asshole.



Just when I reached C-Sec Academy I got a call from Lieutenant Girard about a woman who’d been a batarian slave for the past 13 years. She was from my hometown. He asked me to help her out. This was an area where I always had a soft spot. Right now, she’d somehow grabbed a gun and was holding the officers off. Still, I was going to help her. No one deserved to be a slave and I can only imagine how messed up she was. Girard had a sniper on her, because that’s the job, but he really thought she was a danger to herself more than anyone else. What he wanted to do was convince her to take a sedative so that she could get the help she needed. No way I was letting anyone shoot her. I took some time talking to her, very gently, but she handed me her gun and took the sedative.

For the record, I have a preference for Colonist background just so I can do this mission. Always makes me tear up.



That left me in a better mood for when the reporter ambushed me in C-Sec Academy. Really want to punch her in the face with her stupid accusations but...no. I had to act professional, especially in front of the press. She all but accused me of being a sell out to the aliens and she definitely knew I was after Saren. Still, I used “classified” as an excuse to keep quiet. I in no way wanted the press blabbing my assignments to the entire galaxy.

I checked in with Udina. He complained that I’d destroyed a Prothean ruin, as though I’d had any choice in the matter. I don’t actually control volcanoes. I wonder if he gets that?

Next up: Owen visits the Citadel to follow up on his own missions.

It is so good to see this comment. It makes me smile.

Most of the Adept hate has to do with how in ME1, biotics could disable almost all enemies in a room at once. You could no longer do that in ME2. So people complained that the biotics (and the Adept) was nerfed. Some people adjusted to the new game mechanics. Some people outright refused to try and learn and continued to be mad at how biotics and Adept were gimped. All classes had to deal with the new game mechanics, but only biotics/Adept got complained about.

Here's the funny thing about me, and my two Shepards: If you told me to choose one of them (to have for the rest of my life, while deleting the other permanently), I wouldn't know which one to pick...It would the one I cherish the most. It's like deciding whether to have the soup, or the salad.

Both are Vanguards though. Couldn't help it. That's my go-to-class (not really a fan of the Claymore). Quorra's an Earthborn; Luis is a Spacer. 

On the hand, I think I would (surprisingly) pick Quorra over him. I don't know why. Maybe it's because there was more effort put into her creation(?). Idk

Hmmm....need to get an external hard drive for recording...I think it's time for Mass Effect to hit YouTube (no matter how awful I am when it comes to gameplay).

Good thing you don't have to choose one for the rest of your life.  I have played most classes (think I'm lagging on Engineer), both sexes, all kinds of backgrounds...never full on Renegade, because I find it to be too evil over the course of the three games but it's been a long time since I did a straight up Paragon run.  I do have a preference for Sheploo but I've also had some great custom Shepards.  BioWare gave us a lot of options.  I see no reason not to take advantage of them.

My canon Shepard is Earthborn/Sole Survivor/Soldier.  He's the first one I created.  Still, I haven't played him in a long time.  I do have a preference for Vanguard (biotic powers, up close and personal combat, and more weapons than most biotics).  I also really like the Colonist background because the "I Remember Me" quest is so satisfying (though irrelevant after ME1).  Given the choice, I'd rather two Paragon points over two Renegade points so I like War Hero (though 1 point in each isn't bad).

My current run, where I'm doing the roleplay of Faith and Owen, they're Colonist Vanguards but one is the Butcher of Torfan while the other is the Hero of Elysium.  I think those military backgrounds work best with a survivor of Mindoir.

masseffectfanforlife: I think the only one who sees it as a waste is you. I have unfinished Shepard posts around. I started a Colin Shepard, imported him into ME2 and then ended up restarting with my current Shepard Twins runs. I get too bored with the same Shepard repeatedly and I've played a lot of Mass Effect since I first began about 2 years ago. I probably can't give you perfect numbers at the moment but it's something like 16 on ME1, 20 on ME2, and unknown on ME3 (the computer it was on died and I can't currently fit it on the one I'm using). Some runs are incomplete but I'll get around to them. I love the story and what there is to offer when I make changes. I also love getting into it, a sort of explaining what's going on in the heads of my Shepards. In some ways, it's even more enjoyable with the Twins I'm writing, since it's total roleplay given that I use genderswap to make it happen. (Has to be Sheploo because genderswapping custom creations causes problems.)

If it pleases you to only have one Shepard, that's fine, but don't think there's any obligation to remove the posts you made. Others get some enjoyment out of seeing them, even if you're not continuing on with them. Just something to think about.

Faith & Owen Shepard:

Owen: On my way to visit Admiral Kahoku, I noticed a salarian looking a little sketchy around one of the keepers. I got him to admit he was scanning them to try to find out someone about them, since they play a large role in the maintenance of the Citadel but no one knows where they came from or why they do it. He also said he thought it could cause problems with the authorities. Garrus didn't comment either way and I found the topic interesting. Told him I'd help him out.

Then I went off to see Kahoku to tell him the fate of his missing marines. He had a hard time believe they could land next to a thresher maw nest until I explained that a beacon had drawn them to it. He wanted to find out who was behind it. I offered to help but he said he's contact me when he knew something.



Emily Wong asked for my help with planting a bug to expose dangerously overworked traffic controllers. I think I got the better reporter than my sister. The other one was just another pro-human type who was against anything that "held back" humanity. (I guess we're meant to be handed things rather than earn them.) Wong wanted to advance her career, sure, but in ways that also let to the betterment of everyone. I could get on board with that.

Also agreed to look into a missing trade ship in the Attican Traverse. I was spending plenty of time out there lately so I figured it couldn't hurt to see if he was still alive. Convinced a hanar not to break the law to spread his message about how wonderful the Protheans were. Met the hanar and volus ambassadors.

Learned that Nassana Dantius, the sister of that asari slaver, had been planning to manipulate me into going after her sister. When I mentioned that it had already been done, she offered to pay me. I asked her to do better and she put me on the asari preferred client list. That would help me out more in the long run. Given the kind of person she was, I might even need to use those weapons on her one day.

I'd heard one or two references to an asari consort and decided to check her out. Then I learned it was a months long wait to see her. She did sound interesting but who could say where I'd be down the line? As I was leaving, the consort said she wanted to meet with me right then. She said a turian general was spreading lies about her after a falling out and she wanted me to convince him to stop. There was a certain implication that her gratitude might be...physical. I did convince him and he mentioned he'd convinced an elcor that the consort had given away her secrets. It was a lie and he asked me to set the elcor straight. I'd see this particular elcor at the the embassy and thought I'd swing by the see him first before going back to the consort. That out of the way, I headed back to the consort. She said some nice things. Then she took me to her bed. Finally, she gave me a trinket whose purpose she didn't know but felt it was time to pass on.



I also convinced a woman to give her unborn baby gene therapy. (Hell, I'd gotten some of that when I entered the Alliance to make me a better soldier.) Also helped out Dr. Michel against a blackmailer. The trail led to a man named Banes. I talked to Anderson but he said the guy was dead, which didn't add up. I was told to speak to Admiral Kahoku but I doubted that would happen. In any case, her days of being blackmailed were over. Honestly, I almost feel like I should retired from the Alliance and become a PI.

Next: Faith goes to Feros!

I've made some decent male Shepard's in ME1.  Importing into ME2 is mixed, at best, but he usually looks better by ME3.  So...it depends.  I have a Shepard that was decent in ME1 but doesn't look quite is good in ME2.  He's still in ME2 while I'm doing this twin thing but eventually I'll get back to him, import him into ME3, where I expect he'll be okay.

Where is Faith?

Here, an MET related GIF. 



[Edit] I decided to change it a little bit.

Faith & Owen:

Faith: Now that I finally had the damn garage pass I went there to take my Mako to the mysterious Peak 15 - so I could either recruit or kill Benezia. Either worked for me. Of course, once I got to the garage I was attacked by a platoon full of geth! That asshole who was holding me off is damn lucky I didn't go back and shoot him just for the grief I had to go through. Could charge him with conspiracy to harbor geth. I just don't have the time for it.


Curious thing about the trip to Peak 15. Everyone swore up and down that the storm was oh so dangerous and I shouldn't be on that path. Yet, there was no storm. Sure, the path was covered in snow, but I was driving a damn tank! No, the real danger came from the turrets lining the path that fired at us the entire time. I'd guess that was the reason they didn't want me there because those turrets are almost certainly illegal given that anyone on the path had to have authorization to be there given the hoops even a Spectre had to go through to get there. Damn, Anoleis was getting a serious write up in my report to the Council. Screw the board of directors on Noveria. He was going down big time.

Inside the facility, I was immediately attacked by geth and krogan. Fully armed geth and krogan, which is amazing given that the rent-a-cops said there was no eezo cores in Benezia's luggage (geth) and weapons aren't allowed on the premises.

[There seems to be two overlapped images here somehow. Don't know how I managed that but *shrug* it does show that Faith was fighting geth and krogan.]


Now, there were other weird things. First, the facility's VI was saying it was offline and the power needed to be restored. That meant something bad had gone down here, bad in a way they didn't care for. Second, there were turrets pointed inward, meaning something was in there they didn't want to escape, which the Mira VI described as "biological contaminants". Didn't sound like Reapers to me, and it clearly wasn't referencing the geth. What the hell was it? Then I saw it. No idea what the hell it was.



After fighting my way through those...things...I got to the memory core. Required a memory override or 100 omni-gel, which I didn't have. In some inexplicable way, the solution was to solve one of those puzzles where you move blocks from one stack to another in size order. Seemed peculiar to me but whatever. Back on Mindoir, Owen and I used to solve these for fun.



OK, now the stupid VI was working and told me that, as a Spectre, I could access anything other than corporate secrets. Really wished this stupid thing would shut up. You know it's just a step away from being a geth. It told me Benezia left on a tram but - SURPRISE - it was broken and needed to be repaired! First thing was to go to the roof to repair the landlines. Required squashing some more of those stupid bugs, some of which were tiny but explosive. What kind of creature explodes as a survival mechanism? Then down to the main reactor to repair the fuel lines. These were guarded by more geth. I was starting to recognize their presence by the fact that they jammed my signals. Then the passage to the tram contained "loose contaminants", which was more of those bugs. I didn't have the electronic skills needed to open it but I did have the authority to make Mira do it for me. Killed the bugs and finally made it to the tram.

Hate to do it, but I need sleep so Faith is going to have to finish up Noveria when I wake up. And since I've got nothing to do Monday except maybe see Black Panther with a friend, I'll have time.

Since last update, I've done a lot (I've made it to ME2 with my shepard), so I'll try to hit the big points.

The story picks back up after the trip to virmire.

- Made a quick stop on Therum to have a nice drive through some active volcanoes and geth emplacements. Fun times, especially if you ask Joker. Oh and he picked up an annoying blue alien that got herself stuck in a force field, and then proceeded to "take cover" in the middle of a fight by kneeling in the open. Why is she a needed asset again? So, she mind probed him or whatever... it wasn't important.

Then it was time to head to Ilos to stop Saren.

- Landed in the Mako along with Ashley and Garrus just as the doors closed by Saren allowing him a head start. Thus, he had to search the rest of the facility for a way to open the doors.

- While exploring the ruins... he came across some weird, squid-headed looking dudes that were either statues, or beings frozen in carbonite by the Reapers. Shepard could only assume these were protheans or shrines to protheans. Shep: "Ugh... imagine getting attacked by that thing and its tentacle face!" Garrus: "And I thought Humans looked weird..." , Shep: "Careful bird boy" Garrus: "What's a bird?" Ash: "uh guys, could use a little help vs these armatures over here, wait... nvm, we're good."

- Found an old VI message that had been badly damaged. Ashley and Garrus couldn't understand anything, while Shepard knew it was a warning message, but couldn't make out much either. After listening to this... the door previously closed by Saren was able to be magically opened. Or was it the button he pressed? Who knows?

- After shooting up some more Geth, was stopped in his tracks via a giant, golden force field with a conveniently placed open door just off to the right. Here they found another old VI named Vigil that informed them of the protheans history and how they sabotaged the current cycle in favor of organics. "I knew I should have touched those keeper butts a little more... they were the key to everything!!"

- Drove the mako into a mini mass relay. Didn't think that would work, but what do you know... he got a double kill on the geth by landing on them when they arrived at the Citadel.

- Headed into the council chambers to confront Saren. Ash: "I TOLD you that these stairs would be great defensible positions... didn't think it'd be the geth using them!"

- Convinced Saren to kill himself to end his indoctrination. Turns out, he was easier to defeat than Saren would have had Shepard believe. After convincing Saren to commit suicide, Shepard ordered the 5th fleet to ignore the Destiny Ascension and the Geth fleet and focus all their firepower on Sovereign as that was the only thing that mattered. Why waste part of the fleet on the Geth when you don't know how much it will take to bring down the Reaper? Plus, ya know, when has the council ever believed Shepard? Maybe they'll believe him now as they die to the Reaper's fleet? *sips tea*

- Fought a mutated, cyborg Saren and by defeating him, somehow through space magics, this caused the Reaper's shields to overload and leave it vulnerable. The 5th fleet destroyed Sovereign and saved the Galaxy!

- When confronted by Udina about who should head the new all human council, Shepard recommended Anderson because of something about military and war and whatever. But really because, "no one stabs me in the back, Udina! No one!" Told you bitch!


Now Commander Shepard was tasked with wiping out all remaining geth resistance...