Back in action: Mass Effect Rec, Ideas, and Snip thread
- Thread starter YUIOP10
- Start date
Acatalepsy
Firewall Proxy
- Location
- The Diamond Age
Previously, on another forum....
I suggested that playing around in the ME universe didn't need fancy crossovers or alternate timelines. That playing around in the Mass Effect universe just needed pick a spot on the map, and tell the story there. Or pick a group of people, and see where they go and what they do.
I'd like to put my verbage where my thoughts are. So, SV - scour the galaxy. Pick a spot on the map where you think a story needs to be told.
I suggested that playing around in the ME universe didn't need fancy crossovers or alternate timelines. That playing around in the Mass Effect universe just needed pick a spot on the map, and tell the story there. Or pick a group of people, and see where they go and what they do.
I'd like to put my verbage where my thoughts are. So, SV - scour the galaxy. Pick a spot on the map where you think a story needs to be told.
YUIOP10
radicalized
- Location
- California
Why not try a random human colony? Or Earth itself? We never do get much exposition about Humanity's home planet. Not much, anyway.
Acatalepsy
Firewall Proxy
- Location
- The Diamond Age
For precisely that reason. There's a scarcity of knowledge about Earth, and for good reason; Mass Effect, to me, is about the Galaxy, what's out there, not what's back home. In ME3 we start on Earth and ultimately return there, but while it's our motivator, it's not what we spend our time dealing with.
To be sure, there's stuff there if you look, especially via CDN.
This is what the Codex says about Earth:
Three paragraphs. There's just not a lot there there, though if there was some specific interaction with the larger ME universe it might work.
PhoenixMercurous
Soaring through the stars
- Location
- USA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
"The Miracle of Palaven" cemented the idea that amazing stories can be born from a few lines of the codex, a bit of imagination, and a lot of work.
Lets see... there were plenty of anomalies in ME1 that never were explained. Things like "How did this League of One medallion get halfway across the galaxy from Salarian space?" That's not a great example, but its the most memorable one.
Stories exploring a fragment of the ancient, mysterious history of the galaxy could be interesting. Indiana Jones in the ME galaxy? It seems like 'adventure archaeologist' is an actual thing in the ME universe if Liara is any indication. I'm imagining a series of short stories about a team of archaeologists who travel the less civilized regions of the galaxy combing over ancient ruins. A few chapters telling the tale of this planet, then on to the next.
For less opened ended ideas, there's plenty of major events that are documented in the codex but never given more than a few paragraphs. There's all sorts of wars for intense action stories. For some reason I like the idea of Skyllian Blitz stories, not sure why. Sure The Battarian government is awful, but that doesn't mean every the SA was squeaky clean (I doubt they were). This allows for tales of heroic paragons, stories about the gritty reality of war and how it can break or forge bonds, or the story of a human black ops member who is a ruthless as the slavers he fights. And that's just one border conflict in the history of the Citadel.
Even a 'slice of life' type story could be interesting if used to look into the political maneuvering of Citadel space. A random citizen might not have an interesting life, but what about the average day of a Citadel Councilor, or even just a Diplomat or Ambassador? How many specter reports, inter-species conflicts of interests, and other matters of galactic importance do the Councilors have to deal with every day?
I can't come up with details right now, but I have lots of ideas floating around. I'll need to freshen up on my ME lore before I can even think more on details.
Strunkriidiisk
THE LEGEND
- Location
- Canada
- Pronouns
- He/Him
iospace
The reason we can't have nice things
- Location
- On top of your head
- Pronouns
- She/They
Another thread already exists: http://forums.sufficientvelocity.co...on-mass-effect-rec-ideas-and-snip-thread.260/
Daniel Estacado
ZA WARUDO
A story where humans have the unsettling ability to shoot dead skin cells at enemies.
Acatalepsy
Firewall Proxy
- Location
- The Diamond Age
It didn't draw from just a few lines in the codex, though, but rather from the entire experience of the Reaper War. This is something that you can't really do with an Earth-centric story, not unless you're setting it in Reaper-occupied Earth as Admiral Anderson fights to hold on.
SneakyWalrus
Is the Water Free?
I WROTE A THING
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CODEX ENTRY: KROGAN; GOVERNMENT
The advent of the Krogan clan system was originally established as a communal means of maintaining local control over a wider region through the usage of a system of meetings, points of agreed barter systems and general distrust for any Krogan outside of their local sphere of knowledge. This shared agreement of economic means, combined with a tiered level of respect and authority focused around a Krogan's age, in general meaning that they actually survived long enough to teach others, was one of the earliest founding governmental institutions, one that remained with the Krogan during their rise through the various stages of industrialization and eventual 'contact' with the Citadel species.
Many outside the traditional Krogan sphere of influence, such as study through various academic lessons or continued contact with a reasonably friendly Krogan, generally believe that these clans were very much built as a system designed to act as a 'stronghold' against the ravages of the surrounding environment, in order to support their own cultural and economic development, free from the terror of being eaten by the next big, hungry, gribbly monster in the area. In fact, this notion is primarily believed due to the shared belief, and continued spread of a Thessian-centric view, on the Tuchankan environment.
Most study, based off both preserved Krogan histories and extended Salarian research, points to the idea that most Krogan, during the pre-industrial era were in fact more akin to a combination of the traditional nomadic hunter-gather development patterns and a basic pseudo-agricultural society. Research shows Krogan clans operated as a means of connecting the various separated groups within a single area, as each familial group operated within a set territory within the overall 'clan' territory, rotating between different sections of land to farm various crops without lowering the overall soil fertility. This, combined with the widespread domestication of various smaller creatures, specifically the original breeds of Varren, allowed the original Krogan clans to thrive as a unit.
Latter developments, specifically the rise of gunpowder lead to the typical view that the Krogan clans maintained strongholds as bastions of central power, and lacked any sort of mobility within their homelands. Again, this belief is further than the truth, and again, primarily spread by a Thessian-centric view on how the Krogan were violent from their original development. The various strongholds acted not only as a means as defense against the influx of various military raiding forces, a key component of Krogan culture, and the possible attacks from major predators, but, more importantly, it acted as a means of trade, commerce and culture within the Krogan society.
These bastions were manned primarily by the older members of the Krogan society, a form of militarized retirement home if you will, in an effort to maintain the traditional works of the Krogan clans, and protect their major attributes to the clan itself, the detailed repository of knowledge that the older Krogan had access too.
This is not to say that these bastions weren't also home to major sections of trade, domestication of larger animals, defensive points during major conflicts and safeguarding points of major art within Krogan culture, but there most important aspect was the preservation of knowledge for future descendents of both familial and clan lines.
However, following the deployment of nuclear weaponry in a conflict between two sides, made up of various allied clans, the bastions, as they were, were overstocked with the surviving Krogan during the long nuclear winter, a 'miniature ice age' in which the break down of the traditional familial lines within the clans were lost. Such families that did remain usually formed smaller clans within the bastion itself, and the culture began to change to adopt a heavier focus on duty to the clan and military experience within the 'Vaults' of Krogan existence. Such conflicts lead to numerous battles within the vaults themselves, often resulting in the destruction of numerous historical artifacts and great works of art, scarred in order to demonstrate the dominance of a certain clan over another or, sadly more common, to deny the successful attacker the chance to do so themselves.
Few clans survived through this period, many falling into ruin through chronic infighting over the few scarce resources available or the division along familial lines through confusion over possible information lost with the death of the elder Krogan. Even during this period, the rare animal life that did survive were mostly among the top predators of the Tuchankan wildlife, which, originally were use to a rich variety of both prey species to consume and mutualist species that served as a means of maintaining their lifestyles. As such many beasts turned to preying on the Krogan in even greater numbers than before, some, like the famous Thresher Maws, even attack the Clan Bastions, leading to the ruin of some and glory of others.
It was into this period that the Krogan were first introduced to the Citadel proper, and allowed for the solidification of the clan lines. Before contact, the Krogan clans were still under the threat of possible 'extinction' at a clan level following the defeat within their own bastions. The usage of the Krogan as an army however, lead to the clans shifting from organizations focused around maintaining all aspects of their livelihood within the bastion, to a definitive military focus, one that would shape the Krogan clans from the opening days of the Rachnai wars to the present day.
Needless to say, such aspects such as the rivalry between the Salarian, Thessian Republic and Krogan militaries are discussed in more depth in their related articles, but the defining feature of the Rachnai war on the Krogan was the intense militarization of the Krogan people as a whole. No longer was there any discussion as to the balance of the clan growth and finances, the heavily ritualized control on breeding requests and the governmental domination by the eldest Krogan, instead, the focus turned to strength, one of the main tenants of Krogan culture, once in balance with aspects of breeding, farming and wandering was now the only thing that mattered.
It is of little surprise to those who actually bothered to pay attention to these developments, which mainly consisted of a single Asari scholar and her assistants working on leave within the Sur'Keshian Geopolitical development academies, that the Krogan, their entire culture effectively 'out of whack', would rebound after the war and demand increasingly larger appeasements in order to provoke a conflict.
The genophagh, and its assorted aftermath is well known, but the affect on the Krogan as a people was harsh. A society already mutated by the influences of outside forces to only acknowledge the concept as strength as the defining feature, now became even more increasingly focused on an individuals strength within its own society to define their position within both the clan and the people. Clans that had been solidified during both the Rachnai conflicts and the Krogan Rebellion soon became as weak and fluid as they had been during the Nuclear Ice Age centuries prior, as Krogan became fixated on preserving their own status and strength. This resulted in the separation and domination of female camps over any attempt of sexual freedom within Krogan society, while any military focus had to spend as much time guarding their own position as they would strategizing against opposing armies.
Even today, these military ideals still hold sway over the Krogan people, along with the absolute authority awarded to the strongest members of their clans. However, some question the validity of such claims, with many researchers pointing to the decaying fabric holding most minor clans together, resulting in an almost ironic return to the ancient familial units that the Krogan once operated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CODEX ENTRY: KROGAN; GOVERNMENT
The advent of the Krogan clan system was originally established as a communal means of maintaining local control over a wider region through the usage of a system of meetings, points of agreed barter systems and general distrust for any Krogan outside of their local sphere of knowledge. This shared agreement of economic means, combined with a tiered level of respect and authority focused around a Krogan's age, in general meaning that they actually survived long enough to teach others, was one of the earliest founding governmental institutions, one that remained with the Krogan during their rise through the various stages of industrialization and eventual 'contact' with the Citadel species.
Many outside the traditional Krogan sphere of influence, such as study through various academic lessons or continued contact with a reasonably friendly Krogan, generally believe that these clans were very much built as a system designed to act as a 'stronghold' against the ravages of the surrounding environment, in order to support their own cultural and economic development, free from the terror of being eaten by the next big, hungry, gribbly monster in the area. In fact, this notion is primarily believed due to the shared belief, and continued spread of a Thessian-centric view, on the Tuchankan environment.
Most study, based off both preserved Krogan histories and extended Salarian research, points to the idea that most Krogan, during the pre-industrial era were in fact more akin to a combination of the traditional nomadic hunter-gather development patterns and a basic pseudo-agricultural society. Research shows Krogan clans operated as a means of connecting the various separated groups within a single area, as each familial group operated within a set territory within the overall 'clan' territory, rotating between different sections of land to farm various crops without lowering the overall soil fertility. This, combined with the widespread domestication of various smaller creatures, specifically the original breeds of Varren, allowed the original Krogan clans to thrive as a unit.
Latter developments, specifically the rise of gunpowder lead to the typical view that the Krogan clans maintained strongholds as bastions of central power, and lacked any sort of mobility within their homelands. Again, this belief is further than the truth, and again, primarily spread by a Thessian-centric view on how the Krogan were violent from their original development. The various strongholds acted not only as a means as defense against the influx of various military raiding forces, a key component of Krogan culture, and the possible attacks from major predators, but, more importantly, it acted as a means of trade, commerce and culture within the Krogan society.
These bastions were manned primarily by the older members of the Krogan society, a form of militarized retirement home if you will, in an effort to maintain the traditional works of the Krogan clans, and protect their major attributes to the clan itself, the detailed repository of knowledge that the older Krogan had access too.
This is not to say that these bastions weren't also home to major sections of trade, domestication of larger animals, defensive points during major conflicts and safeguarding points of major art within Krogan culture, but there most important aspect was the preservation of knowledge for future descendents of both familial and clan lines.
However, following the deployment of nuclear weaponry in a conflict between two sides, made up of various allied clans, the bastions, as they were, were overstocked with the surviving Krogan during the long nuclear winter, a 'miniature ice age' in which the break down of the traditional familial lines within the clans were lost. Such families that did remain usually formed smaller clans within the bastion itself, and the culture began to change to adopt a heavier focus on duty to the clan and military experience within the 'Vaults' of Krogan existence. Such conflicts lead to numerous battles within the vaults themselves, often resulting in the destruction of numerous historical artifacts and great works of art, scarred in order to demonstrate the dominance of a certain clan over another or, sadly more common, to deny the successful attacker the chance to do so themselves.
Few clans survived through this period, many falling into ruin through chronic infighting over the few scarce resources available or the division along familial lines through confusion over possible information lost with the death of the elder Krogan. Even during this period, the rare animal life that did survive were mostly among the top predators of the Tuchankan wildlife, which, originally were use to a rich variety of both prey species to consume and mutualist species that served as a means of maintaining their lifestyles. As such many beasts turned to preying on the Krogan in even greater numbers than before, some, like the famous Thresher Maws, even attack the Clan Bastions, leading to the ruin of some and glory of others.
It was into this period that the Krogan were first introduced to the Citadel proper, and allowed for the solidification of the clan lines. Before contact, the Krogan clans were still under the threat of possible 'extinction' at a clan level following the defeat within their own bastions. The usage of the Krogan as an army however, lead to the clans shifting from organizations focused around maintaining all aspects of their livelihood within the bastion, to a definitive military focus, one that would shape the Krogan clans from the opening days of the Rachnai wars to the present day.
Needless to say, such aspects such as the rivalry between the Salarian, Thessian Republic and Krogan militaries are discussed in more depth in their related articles, but the defining feature of the Rachnai war on the Krogan was the intense militarization of the Krogan people as a whole. No longer was there any discussion as to the balance of the clan growth and finances, the heavily ritualized control on breeding requests and the governmental domination by the eldest Krogan, instead, the focus turned to strength, one of the main tenants of Krogan culture, once in balance with aspects of breeding, farming and wandering was now the only thing that mattered.
It is of little surprise to those who actually bothered to pay attention to these developments, which mainly consisted of a single Asari scholar and her assistants working on leave within the Sur'Keshian Geopolitical development academies, that the Krogan, their entire culture effectively 'out of whack', would rebound after the war and demand increasingly larger appeasements in order to provoke a conflict.
The genophagh, and its assorted aftermath is well known, but the affect on the Krogan as a people was harsh. A society already mutated by the influences of outside forces to only acknowledge the concept as strength as the defining feature, now became even more increasingly focused on an individuals strength within its own society to define their position within both the clan and the people. Clans that had been solidified during both the Rachnai conflicts and the Krogan Rebellion soon became as weak and fluid as they had been during the Nuclear Ice Age centuries prior, as Krogan became fixated on preserving their own status and strength. This resulted in the separation and domination of female camps over any attempt of sexual freedom within Krogan society, while any military focus had to spend as much time guarding their own position as they would strategizing against opposing armies.
Even today, these military ideals still hold sway over the Krogan people, along with the absolute authority awarded to the strongest members of their clans. However, some question the validity of such claims, with many researchers pointing to the decaying fabric holding most minor clans together, resulting in an almost ironic return to the ancient familial units that the Krogan once operated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Acatalepsy
Firewall Proxy
- Location
- The Diamond Age
There were days. There were slow days, boring days, interesting days, tragic days, exciting days, fun days. And then there were days. Today was one of those days.
The kind of day it turns out that one of your most trusted lieutenants is taking money under the table to cover up financial crimes, and then is gunned down in cold blood by galactic law enforcement. The kind of day where your boss is arrested for those crimes by the board of directors, leaving you – theoretically just a contractor – trying to keep everything from fall apart. The kind of day where it turns out your clients aren't just engaging in shady research, but actively conspiring with renegade machine intelligences.
Captain Matsuo sighed. The far wall of her office was, under normal circumstances, a stunning vista of mountains and valleys higher and deeper than anything found on Earth. It was one of her favorite perks. The blizzard outside reduced everything to a blur of white. This is was the kind of day where a massive blizzard grounded shuttle traffic and reduced the view to shit.
In a way, she was grateful. She didn't feel like writing these letters in brilliant sunlight. A miserable storm suited things much better.
Dear Mr.Amell, your wife made corrupt deals with corrupt people, and paid the price for it-
Dear Mr.Stirling, triggerhappy Citadel agents killed several ERCS employees because they made stupid side deals-
Dear Redorian-san, I'm not actually sure what a human should tell a Turian parent when their son decides he'd rather get in a gunfight with a Spectre than face justice-
No. This wasn't helping. She'd finish writing these…later. Twenty floors below her there was another potential storm brewing as rumors, accusations, and worries built up about the day's events. She'd clamped down as best she could…but she couldn't dispel them with the truth, or a carefully constructed half-truth, because right now, she didn't know what the truth was.
The executive board had received her initial report and were no doubt busy trying to cover their collective asses from every possible angle, and probably using her as a shield. That meant leaving her without a plan, direction, or backup for now – and of course, they were short on staff even under the best conditions.
Her terminal buzzed; priority, encrypted channel – from Commander Shepard. Because this was the type of day where Commander Shepard appears out of nowhere, smashes through everything, and expects other people to clean up the damage when she's done.
"This is Captain Matsuo, go ahead."
"Captain, this is Shepard. Do you have emergency protocols to lock down Port Hanshan, and keep all of the civilians clear?" The signal was broken and mixed with static – a likely artifact of the weather.
"Yes, there are protocols – in the event of a severe breach at one of the labs. Why? Has something happened?"
The Spectre charged ahead as if she hadn't just asked a question, and she wasn't dictating orders to the person actually responsible for the overall situation. "In a few minutes, Lieutenant Alenko and a platoon of marines will arrive on-site. I'm putting him in charge for now. Pass him through security and give them full access to the garage and any vehicles they need. I need you to keep all civilians out of their way ."
"You can't just do that, Commander. This isn't just some Council world, you don't have the authority to order us to do anything beyond what the treaties and agreements with the Council bind us to do. I have a responsibility to the clients, investors and board of directors here."
"Matriarch Benezia is dead. So are her Asari commando bodyguards, and their pet Geth. I just shot her for, among other things, treason, terrorism, war crimes, and what has to be the most creative violations of Citadel biological research law I've seen." There was an edge to Shepard's voice, and it wasn't just the static. "You want to look out for your investors? They don't want any of this to get on them if they can help it. Tell the Executive Board that you're looking out for their interests here. Tell them that Binary Helix isn't likely to be around as a client much longer and the sooner I'm gone the less of their precious privacy I'm going to invade."
"I…see your point. I think we can come to some agreement. I won't turn over command authority, but I'll keep the spaceport clear for you – for now."
"Good. I'm glad we're clear on that."
The signal cut out. Captain Matsuo sat for a moment, considering her options. Lock them out – and she got the feeling that Shepard's troops weren't going to take no for an answer. Cooperate fully? She'd be accused of giving up on the company's interests. There goes a career, a paycheck – possibly she'd end up in a corporate jail. No. She needed information, above anything else.
She tapped the comm. "This is Captain Matsuo. I'm initiating a code black. I want the spaceport clear of non-essential personnel and reports from all section chiefs in five minutes." She tapped the comm again, selecting a small group of people with access, people that she trusted to be discreet – and started giving a different set of orders.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Ten Minutes Earlier...
The dead commando's lips twitched as she spoke. There was a light in her eyes, as if the previous inhabitant hadn't quite given up the ghost yet. That ghost was silent, though – the real speaker was a massive, insectoid being trapped behind a layers of countermeasures and security screens.
"What will you sing?" it asked. "Will you release us? Are we to fade away once more?"
Tali'Zorah nar Rayya stepped around the commander. "Look." She pointed at the enclosure. "Those tanks? Acid. Strong enough to kill anything, no matter its biology. They wouldn't have installed that if they weren't afraid of the consequences of her getting loose."
"They made a mistake." Liara T'soni argued. Perhaps it was an objective, historian's view of events – or there was something about slaying a mother that felt deeply wrong at that moment. "They let the krogan go too far. This is a chance for us to – atone. She has done nothing to us."
The puppet's body shook as the queen attempted to speak through her. "Your companions hear the truth. You have the power to free us, or return our people to the silence of memory."
Shepard stepped past the commando and leaned against the glass, looking the Queen – the real creature, not the puppet – in the eye. It was so easy to see her as just another animal. She didn't look like a person, not even in the way other aliens looked like people. "No. I won't destroy your entire race."
"But that doesn't mean I can just let you go free, either. Plus - you grew up in a cage. Do you even know what planet you're on?"
Shepard took the shaking silence of the puppet for an answer.
"I didn't think so. You're on Noveria. I don't know if the name means anything to you, but out there nothing lives. You'd starve, if you didn't freeze to death in minutes."
"What then, Shepard?" Liara asked. "Are we to just…leave her here?"
"That's not an option, either." Shepard tapped the cage. "Tali, would you say that this cage is about the same size as the Normandy's cargo bay?"
"Yes, it's a little bit smaller, actually, if you don't count the redundant kill mechanisms...Keelah, are you planning on doing what I think you're planning on doing?"
"Probably." Shepard gestured with the omnitool. "Normandy, this is Shepard. Patch me through to Kaidan. We've got work to do."
She turned to the queen. "You're going for a ride."
The kind of day it turns out that one of your most trusted lieutenants is taking money under the table to cover up financial crimes, and then is gunned down in cold blood by galactic law enforcement. The kind of day where your boss is arrested for those crimes by the board of directors, leaving you – theoretically just a contractor – trying to keep everything from fall apart. The kind of day where it turns out your clients aren't just engaging in shady research, but actively conspiring with renegade machine intelligences.
Captain Matsuo sighed. The far wall of her office was, under normal circumstances, a stunning vista of mountains and valleys higher and deeper than anything found on Earth. It was one of her favorite perks. The blizzard outside reduced everything to a blur of white. This is was the kind of day where a massive blizzard grounded shuttle traffic and reduced the view to shit.
In a way, she was grateful. She didn't feel like writing these letters in brilliant sunlight. A miserable storm suited things much better.
Dear Mr.Amell, your wife made corrupt deals with corrupt people, and paid the price for it-
Dear Mr.Stirling, triggerhappy Citadel agents killed several ERCS employees because they made stupid side deals-
Dear Redorian-san, I'm not actually sure what a human should tell a Turian parent when their son decides he'd rather get in a gunfight with a Spectre than face justice-
No. This wasn't helping. She'd finish writing these…later. Twenty floors below her there was another potential storm brewing as rumors, accusations, and worries built up about the day's events. She'd clamped down as best she could…but she couldn't dispel them with the truth, or a carefully constructed half-truth, because right now, she didn't know what the truth was.
The executive board had received her initial report and were no doubt busy trying to cover their collective asses from every possible angle, and probably using her as a shield. That meant leaving her without a plan, direction, or backup for now – and of course, they were short on staff even under the best conditions.
Her terminal buzzed; priority, encrypted channel – from Commander Shepard. Because this was the type of day where Commander Shepard appears out of nowhere, smashes through everything, and expects other people to clean up the damage when she's done.
"This is Captain Matsuo, go ahead."
"Captain, this is Shepard. Do you have emergency protocols to lock down Port Hanshan, and keep all of the civilians clear?" The signal was broken and mixed with static – a likely artifact of the weather.
"Yes, there are protocols – in the event of a severe breach at one of the labs. Why? Has something happened?"
The Spectre charged ahead as if she hadn't just asked a question, and she wasn't dictating orders to the person actually responsible for the overall situation. "In a few minutes, Lieutenant Alenko and a platoon of marines will arrive on-site. I'm putting him in charge for now. Pass him through security and give them full access to the garage and any vehicles they need. I need you to keep all civilians out of their way ."
"You can't just do that, Commander. This isn't just some Council world, you don't have the authority to order us to do anything beyond what the treaties and agreements with the Council bind us to do. I have a responsibility to the clients, investors and board of directors here."
"Matriarch Benezia is dead. So are her Asari commando bodyguards, and their pet Geth. I just shot her for, among other things, treason, terrorism, war crimes, and what has to be the most creative violations of Citadel biological research law I've seen." There was an edge to Shepard's voice, and it wasn't just the static. "You want to look out for your investors? They don't want any of this to get on them if they can help it. Tell the Executive Board that you're looking out for their interests here. Tell them that Binary Helix isn't likely to be around as a client much longer and the sooner I'm gone the less of their precious privacy I'm going to invade."
"I…see your point. I think we can come to some agreement. I won't turn over command authority, but I'll keep the spaceport clear for you – for now."
"Good. I'm glad we're clear on that."
The signal cut out. Captain Matsuo sat for a moment, considering her options. Lock them out – and she got the feeling that Shepard's troops weren't going to take no for an answer. Cooperate fully? She'd be accused of giving up on the company's interests. There goes a career, a paycheck – possibly she'd end up in a corporate jail. No. She needed information, above anything else.
She tapped the comm. "This is Captain Matsuo. I'm initiating a code black. I want the spaceport clear of non-essential personnel and reports from all section chiefs in five minutes." She tapped the comm again, selecting a small group of people with access, people that she trusted to be discreet – and started giving a different set of orders.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Ten Minutes Earlier...
The dead commando's lips twitched as she spoke. There was a light in her eyes, as if the previous inhabitant hadn't quite given up the ghost yet. That ghost was silent, though – the real speaker was a massive, insectoid being trapped behind a layers of countermeasures and security screens.
"What will you sing?" it asked. "Will you release us? Are we to fade away once more?"
Tali'Zorah nar Rayya stepped around the commander. "Look." She pointed at the enclosure. "Those tanks? Acid. Strong enough to kill anything, no matter its biology. They wouldn't have installed that if they weren't afraid of the consequences of her getting loose."
"They made a mistake." Liara T'soni argued. Perhaps it was an objective, historian's view of events – or there was something about slaying a mother that felt deeply wrong at that moment. "They let the krogan go too far. This is a chance for us to – atone. She has done nothing to us."
The puppet's body shook as the queen attempted to speak through her. "Your companions hear the truth. You have the power to free us, or return our people to the silence of memory."
Shepard stepped past the commando and leaned against the glass, looking the Queen – the real creature, not the puppet – in the eye. It was so easy to see her as just another animal. She didn't look like a person, not even in the way other aliens looked like people. "No. I won't destroy your entire race."
"But that doesn't mean I can just let you go free, either. Plus - you grew up in a cage. Do you even know what planet you're on?"
Shepard took the shaking silence of the puppet for an answer.
"I didn't think so. You're on Noveria. I don't know if the name means anything to you, but out there nothing lives. You'd starve, if you didn't freeze to death in minutes."
"What then, Shepard?" Liara asked. "Are we to just…leave her here?"
"That's not an option, either." Shepard tapped the cage. "Tali, would you say that this cage is about the same size as the Normandy's cargo bay?"
"Yes, it's a little bit smaller, actually, if you don't count the redundant kill mechanisms...Keelah, are you planning on doing what I think you're planning on doing?"
"Probably." Shepard gestured with the omnitool. "Normandy, this is Shepard. Patch me through to Kaidan. We've got work to do."
She turned to the queen. "You're going for a ride."
Leeanderthal
Derp Dragon
Oh god. Looks like Wrex is in for an aneurysm.
Along with the Council, but who cares about them?
Acatalepsy
Firewall Proxy
- Location
- The Diamond Age
We were distinctly missing a Rachni squadmate.
doorcf the first and only
I'm gonna cut you down
- Location
- Lost in a BROB
OMG this will be so awesome
Is that even biologically possible for krogans? At least two hearts, possibly more.
When the turian idiot is chewing Shepard out for not committing genocide, why not simply introduce the Queen to the council with either a speech about not discriminating* or terrorize the council** with the implied threat of humanity and the rachni teaming up against them.
One rachni squadmate? This is a Queen. Expect loads of larva shortly.
* Paragon
** Renegade
Richardson
CAN YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING?
- Location
- Yes
Idea: Krogan Samurai/Confucians.
Idea being similar to that of 'Lost Sons', only it's a lost krogan cargo ship/personal vessel that crashes in east asia in the mid 1500-1700's. The crew/pilot gets taken in by the locals and starts adsorbing the culture while repairing his ship (has to wait several years while gathering resources, and goes on tour.) The locals (like the monks and samurai and others) impress him through solving similar social dilemas to the krogan's issues, along with a few particularly brave souls willingly dueling him. Works best if it's Wrex or someone with a similar attitude.
Then he heads home, and all hell breaks loose as the cultural ideas start to spread....
Idea being similar to that of 'Lost Sons', only it's a lost krogan cargo ship/personal vessel that crashes in east asia in the mid 1500-1700's. The crew/pilot gets taken in by the locals and starts adsorbing the culture while repairing his ship (has to wait several years while gathering resources, and goes on tour.) The locals (like the monks and samurai and others) impress him through solving similar social dilemas to the krogan's issues, along with a few particularly brave souls willingly dueling him. Works best if it's Wrex or someone with a similar attitude.
Then he heads home, and all hell breaks loose as the cultural ideas start to spread....
Ninja Wrex?
So much yes.
For that matter, why not get earth involved in the rachni war as an AU? Rachni land, start breeding, humans get into space a lot sooner as refugees with the Council/having teamed up with the krogan warriors sent to earth to handle the infestation.
Richardson
CAN YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING?
- Location
- Yes
Because it's not as fun as Wrex making a pilgrimage to Tibet in order to report to the Shaolin monks and compare notes after 500 years.
Main thing you'll have to get around is the unopened relays. But honestly, there's a number of ways to do that plausibly. Maybe Wrex was hired on a long-distance mapping expedition that went deep south real fast, maybe he got captured by some crazy batarians who felt like doing something stupid and then they needed him (or he just took command by kicking their asses), etc.
Though, I think the real meat of the idea would probably be the framing device of Wrex meeting the descendants of the monks he talked with and comparing notes and the cultural struggle itself. Wrex surviving isn't the question, it's what he went through surviving.
But this idea... a lot of good things can come from it. You just have a few hurdles to explain, but that's par the course for a lot of awesome ideas.
Though, I think the real meat of the idea would probably be the framing device of Wrex meeting the descendants of the monks he talked with and comparing notes and the cultural struggle itself. Wrex surviving isn't the question, it's what he went through surviving.
But this idea... a lot of good things can come from it. You just have a few hurdles to explain, but that's par the course for a lot of awesome ideas.
Richardson
CAN YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING?
- Location
- Yes
Plus Wrex coming back with the idea of the krogan waging information warfare to change the perception of their race into something platable for the galaxy at large through an idea he got from 'The Art of War'. And in general Wrex using things he learned to kick his race back into gear and to get their shit screwed on straight, cured or not.
I always wanted to see what Wrex could build of the krogan without the genophage cure, honestly. I think that could of been a much more telling tale of the krogan than giving them the cure in ME3.
So yeah, I think you've got the meat you need for a story. The main thing is the hiccup of getting Wrex on Earth, then having him leave without getting A) Earth involved 300-400 years early, or B) Wrex being nailed by a dozen Spectres (well Shep isn't around to be krogan-ite...) because of a massive violation of opening relays
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Richardson
CAN YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING?
- Location
- Yes
"You know, I didn't think a map could be trickier than the rachni..."
YUIOP10
radicalized
- Location
- California
"Well, all you have to do for Rachni is take a gun and shoot 'em. Not like you can shoot a map and call it a day.."
Richardson
CAN YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING?
- Location
- Yes
"I've still got no idea how I ended up on that 'Japan' place. I didn't even notice crossing any ocean. I was just looking for a tiger to punch in the face, then the next thing I know some fool with a curved sword is trying to poke me between the eyes!"