In September, we held our first community writing project in which fans could re-write the ending to any game. This was initiated by our own Angela Gerric.
While we received some excellent entries which you can find on Angela’s blog, our favorite was written by @bluerosealne in which they re-wrote the ending script to Mass Effect 3. Please enjoy and let her know if you enjoy it!
Blood slowly drips from their injured arm, stark red against a pristine white floor. Shepard looks up; faced with an impossible decision, ultimately knowing that not everyone can be saved no matter what they do. The child looks up into their face once more.
“What will you do Commander? You need to choose. Will it be Synthesis, Control or Destroy?”
Shepard looks at the walkways that lead to each possible ending, weighing their options as quickly as they can when a voice speaks up.
“There is a fourth option.”
Looking around, frantically searching for the speaker they realize the voice isn’t being heard through their ears, but rather inside of their mind and it feels familiar. A slow smile starts to form.
“Leviathan, is that you? You’ve been watching me then, I take it?”
“You were a curiosity when you found us and we have been keeping our eyes on you ever since. When your people were building the crucible, we had one of our agents infiltrate them and secretly help build in this fourth option for fear that if the wrong people found it, they would do away with it. The Reapers are our mistake and therefore it only seems right that we help take care of them.”
A console slowly rises out of the floor in front of Shepard, oddly simplistic looking. Could this really be what the Leviathan is talking about? The other points all look far more intricate and intimidating whereas this console simply has a touch panel with a hand on it for its interface.
“Is this it? It doesn’t look like much.”
Leviathan almost laughs, or at least sounds like what probably passes as a laugh among its kind.
“Appearances can be deceiving; you should know this best of all. This simple interface will cause the crucible to launch an EMP blast through the Mass Effect relays, specifically targeting Reaper tech. It will knock out their defences and even Pacify the Reapers and their allies for a time. They will be left docile and defenceless, giving an opening to all your forces to lay waste to them. It will also knock out any of your allies, such as the Geth, who posses any Reaper tech; but since this is merely an EMP blast, they will eventually come back online. Be warned however, the blast will take a time to charge up before it fires, but once it fires; the crucible as well as the Citadel will be destroyed. You have a chance to escape, albeit a small one. Good luck Shepard, we hope to run into you again someday.”
The voice grows quiet and Shepard knows that no more questions will be answered by the Leviathan, they have said what they needed to. If the blast is supposed to knock out all reaper tech, that more than likely includes the Mass Effect relays themselves, which means travel and communications will be down until all the tech wakes up once more. The child frowns, clearly upset over this new development.
“Don’t listen to them. They said it themselves, they created the Reapers. You can’t trust them.”
Shepard smiles as they hold in their comms button.
“Attention to Normandy. Can anyone hear me? I need you to pass on this message. The crucible is able to immobilize the Reapers and their allies. It won’t last and we need to make it count. When the Reapers go down, make every shot hurt. Commander Shepard out.”
Their smile spreads despite constant protests from the child as they reach up and place their hand on the interface, leaving a bloody hand print as they step away. A voice booms through the crucible, oddly feminine and comforting, if a bit loud.
“Charge up has commenced. Countdown to Crucible firing. 60… 59… 58…”
That’s as much of a que as anyone needs, mustering what strength they have left Shepard all but runs for the elevator out of this now death trap; hoping their message made it in time.
Soldiers look up at the sky as a bright blue blast makes its way across the heavens and as if on que, all the reapers slump to the ground. Battle cries can be heard echoing across the worlds when as one, weapons are brandished against a now defenceless and sleeping enemy. Ships fly overhead raining down hellfire on the once fearsome Reapers, blasting them apart as easily as a training target. A strange emotion can be felt surging through those in the midst of this fight, hope.
Six months later the after affects of the Reapers are still seen and felt as whole cities on many worlds need to be rebuilt. All the species of the Milky Way now work as one to help rebuild home worlds, a new respect and compassion for each other that only a war could foster. And on a ship named the Normandy, in a familiar common room the crew stare at a memorial wall filled with names of friends and crewmembers that have been lost over the years. A figure steps forward to place a new name on the wall.
“Admiral David Anderson”
Murmurs of respect flow through those gathered like a wave as the figure steps back. Garrus steps up to them and claps them on the back.
“He’ll be missed, but I know he’s proud of you. You set out and accomplished what he tried to do.”
Shepard smiles as they turn around to look at their crew made up of both alien and human alike, with the odd AI thrown in amongst them, all now friends; before pushing Garrus a little.
“Easy. Not all of us mend as easily as you do.”
