Hey, I know it's been a long-ass time since I've actually updated, but family issues have gotten in the way of things. Witnessing hypoglycemia-induced delirium is honestly very scary. It took a bit for me to get back into shape to finish up the update, but, finally, it's time for:
Chapter 2: What About Shepard?
Here we are. With our Shepard created, we've nowhere left to go but to select our difficulty and other game options one last time, and then head off into the wild unknown.
The initial opening is absolutely beautiful and sets the stage for the game well. The conversations within will be transcribed below for your reading pleasure, but please, click this link!
A conversation starts as the view begins to zoom out from here. We can see Shep on the right as the view continues to pan out.
Voice 1: Well, what about Shepard? She's a spacer. Lived aboard starships most of her life.
Voice 2: Military service runs in the family. Both her parents were in the navy.
Voice 3: She saw her whole unit die on Akuze. She could have some serious emotional scars.
Voice 2: Every soldier has scars. Shepard's a survivor.
Voice 1: Is that the kind of person we want protecting the galaxy?
Voice 2: That's the only kind of person who can protect the galaxy.
Voice 1: I'll make the call.
And the scene fades out.
(The text scrolls up and appears line-by-line.)
(It starts with just the logo, then brightens to this, and the logo fades out before the view of Earth does.)
???: The Arcturus Prime relay is in range. Initiating transmission sequence.
???2: Commander.
(That is, in fact, Jupiter and Neptune. The intro, too, takes place in the Sol system, meaning we were gazing out on Earth as Shepard's fate was sealed.)
Seth Green?: We are connected. Calculating transit mass and destination.
Shepard walks up the ramp to the line of consoles. As she reaches the top of the ramp, our pilot speaks again.
Seth?: The relay is hot. Acquiring approach vector.
We continue on, following Shep, turning to look at the consoles to the side. When the camera cuts away again to a shot of our ship, he speaks up once more.
Pilot: All stations secure for transit.
And Shepard reaches the front of the ship, passing by another crewman
and passing behind a taller figure in black armor, inhuman,
before the camera swings around to point at her face.
Pilot: The board is green. Approach run has begun.
Pilot: Hitting the relay in 3... 2...
1...
After we're apparently rocketed off to who-knows-where in the galaxy, being shot off into space like a railgun projectile, we come back to the cockpit of our ship, and the camera starts to pan in. We have our pilot and co-pilot in view, and as we zoom in, the camera...
focuses on our pilot.
Pilot: Thrusters... check. Navigation... check. Internal emissions sink engaged. All systems online. Drift... just under 1500 K.
Skull facepaint: 1500 is good. Your captain will be pleased.
Pilot: I hate that guy.
Co-pilot: Nihilus gave you a compliment... so you hate him.
Pilot: You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom? That's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. So that's incredible!
Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don't like having him on board. Call me paranoid.
Co-pilot: You're paranoid. The Council helped fund this project. They have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment.
Pilot: Yeah, that is the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story.
The dialogue wheel makes its first appearance here - a staple of Bioware RPGs, the dialogue system takes this form for a more streamlined, more stylistic approach, giving us the possibility of six choices at a time! This doesn't mean that dialogue trees are any less complicated, however - often there are places where some nodes are only visible after talking about one topic and never any other time, and if there needs to be more than six options, there's usually a choice to select more on the left section of the wheel.
Typically, sections on the left half of the wheel are asking for more info, or continuing the conversation at this particular "point", while sections on the right half further the conversation towards its end. Not always... but often. The wheel also ties into the Bioware Morality System of the trilogy - we'll get into this a bit more after our first true mission, but when morality is concerned, the top two sections are usually nicer, more diplomatic, and the bottom two sections are more brusque and direct.
In screenshots, the selected option will be chosen. This, also, highlights a new advance in Bioware Dialogue - the wheel only gives you a preview of what Shep is going to say when you select it.
Shepard: You always expect the worst.
Pilot: Well, bad feelings are an occupational hazard. We don't go anywhere unless there's a good reason, so... what're we doin' he-
A comm system blips online, interrupting.
Captain: Joker! Status report!
Joker!: Just cleared the mass relay, captain! Stealth systems engaged... everything looks solid.
Captain: Good. Find a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime.
Joker: Aye, aye, Captain. Better brace yourself, sir. I think Nihlus is headed your way.
Captain: He's already here, Lieutenant. Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing.
The comm system blips off.
Joker: You get that, Commander?
Shepard: He sounds angry. Something must have gone wrong with the mission.
Joker: Pff. Captain always sounds like that when he's talking to me.
Co-pilot: Can't possibly imagine why.
And that's when we take control! We control Shepard with pretty standard fare for a game of this type - left stick on consoles, WASD on PC, and right stick/mouse movement for camerawork. We haven't got much of anywhere to go other than back towards the aft of the ship - the general "action" button, E on PCs, lets you talk to people, but Joker and our co-pilot have nothing to say other than that the captain's waiting for us. Down the way, though, we catch a conversation!
Navigator: I'm telling you, I just saw him! He marched by like he was on a mission.
Engineer: He's a Spectre. They're always on a mission.
Navigator: And we're getting dragged right along with him!
Engineer::
Relax, Pressly. You're going to give yourself an ulcer.
We overhear both sides of the conversation due to the ship intercom, naturally. But here, we can actually talk to Pressly - our Navigator, responsible for plotting our overall course, who then sends it down to Joker to work the fine details of actually piloting the ship.
Pressly: Congratulations, Commander. Looks like we had a smooth run. You heading down to see the captain?
Shep: Sounds like you don't trust our turian guest.
Pressly: Sorry, Commander. Just having a chat with Adams down in engineering. Didn't mean to cause any trouble.
A beat.
Pressly: But you have to admit, something's odd about this mission. The whole crew feels it.
Shep: You think the Alliance brass is holding out on us?
Pressly: If all we're supposed to do is test out the stealth system, why is Captain Anderson in charge? And then there's Nihlus. Spectres are elite operatives. Top covert agents. Why send a Spectre--a turian Spectre--on a shakedown run? It doesn't add up.
Amusingly enough,
this is the first true part of our dialogue tutorial. By now we know different responses give different attitudes, but until the first wheel of this conversation, every choice has been on the right side of the wheel. So when we see "I heard you arguing" on the left side of the wheel this very first time, maybe we should click that and see why it's on that side!
This leads to a longer conversation and more chances to investigate, this time with an option on the far left that, when selected, just outright leads to more selections! We'll go down the list here from upper-left to lower-left.
Shep: You don't trust Nihlus.
Pressly: I don't like turians in general. Runs in my family. My grandfather fought in the First Contact War; lost a lot of friends when the turians hit us.
Extra options available based on the just-discussed topic, too! Unfortunately in this case, "Plus he's a Spectre" just gives us an agreement followed by the next two voice lines.
Shep: That was thirty years ago. You can't blame Nihlus for that.
Pressly: No, I guess not. But it still makes me nervous to have a Spectre on board, especially a turian. We're an Alliance vessel, human military. But Nihlus doesn't answer to the captain like the rest of us. Spectres operate outside the normal chain of command. And they don't come along just to observe shakedown runs. Nihlus looks like he's expecting some heavy action. I don't like it.
Shep: What do you know about the stealth systems?
Pressly: I just know it masks our location from scans and sensors. Cutting edge technology. The Normandy's the only ship with this prototype drive. But why are we fully staffed? A skeleton crew would be cheaper. Less chance of security leaks, too. Plus, there's Nihlus. It's pretty obvious this shakedown run is just a cover.
Shep: For what?
Pressly: Damned if I know, Commander. We're out here on false pretenses. I'm not a fan of being left in the dark.
Shep: A full crew makes sense. We need the extra hands in case anything goes wrong. And the Spectre is just here as an observer.
Pressly: You may be right, Commander.
(followed by not liking false pretenses again.)
Shep: Do you have a problem with the captain?
Pressly: No, ma'am! But I can't figure out what he's doing here. Captain Anderson is one of the most decorated Special Forces officers in the service. If he melted down all his medals, he could make a life-size statue of himself. You don't send a soldier like that on a do-nothing mission. He's treating this shakedown run too seriously. Something big is going on.
With that done, we select an option from the right side and that ends this conversation!
Shep: I'll see if I can get some answers from him when I see him.
Pressly: Good luck, Commander.
After this conversation with Pressly, we move around to the right and further towards the aft, overhearing another conversation - the corporal who passed by us earlier and an older woman in a more civilian-like uniform with white. Let's listen in.
Corporal: I grew up on Eden Prime, Doc. It's not the kind of place Spectres visit. There's something Nihlus isn't telling us about this mission.
Doctor: That's crazy. The captain's in charge here. He wouldn't take orders from a Spectre.
Corporal: Not his choice, Doc. Spectres don't answer to anyone. They can do whatever they want. Kill anyone who gets in their way.
Doctor: Ha! You watch too many spy vids, Jenkins.
Jenkins. That's... an unfortunate name. Another place to stop and chat. There's reasons for just stopping and chatting with these three, I assure you! (The sharp-eyed in the audience may have already seen why in the vids.)
Jenkins: What do you think, Commander? We won't be staying on Eden Prime too long, will we? I'm itching for some real action!
Doctor: I sincerely hope you're kidding, corporal. Your 'real action' usually ends with me patching up crew members in the infirmary.
(A choice here. We go with agreeing with the doctor.)
Shep: You need to calm down, corporal. A good soldier stays cool, even under fire.
Jenkins: Sorry, Commander. But this waiting's killing me. I've never been on a mission like this before. Not one with a Spectre on board!
(Let's reassure him.)
Shep: Just treat this like every other assignment you've had and everything will work out.
Jenkins: Easy for you to say. You proved yourself on Akuze. Everybody knows what you can do. This is my big chance. I need to show the brass what I can do!
Shep: You're young, corporal. You have a long career ahead of you. Don't do something stupid to mess it up.
Jenkins: Don't worry, ma'am. I'm not going to screw this up.
(NOW we can go ahead and talk about the three other topics.)
Shep: What can you tell me about Nihlus?
Doctor: Turians are generally well-respected by the other species. Their fleet has more patrols protecting Citadel space than any other. They don't always get on well with us, though. Some people find them too rigid. Others still blame them for the First Contact War. As for Nihlus, I haven't said more than two words to him. He usually only speaks to the captain.
Jenkins: I hope we get a chance to see him in action. I heard Nihlus took down an entire enemy platoon all by himself!
(We'd get an actually different line here if we hadn't reassured Jenkins yet, followed by the choice to actually do so then.)
Shep: What do you know about the Spectres?
Doctor: Only what I've heard. Spectre agents work directly for the Citadel Council. They usually work alone or in small groups. Spectres don't have any official power, though. Basically, they're a shadow organization with a mandate to preserve and protect galactic stability.
Jenkins: Protect it at any cost. Don't forget that part. Spectres operate above the law!
(Oh god. Well, questioning this part.)
Shep: How do you control agents with unlimited power?
Doctor: I suppose the Council could revoke the Spectre status of an agent who got out of hand. At that point, Citadel Security Services would take over.
Jenkins: Those C-Sec grunts wouldn't stand a chance. A Spectre's worth twenty ordinary soldiers. The Spectres police themselves. An agent goes rogue, they send another agent to take 'em down. That's Spectre justice!
(Is this the 00 program all over again?)
Doctor: The corporal's confusing romantic legends with reality, Commander.
Shep: Why don't we have any of our own people in there?
Doctor: Spectres usually come from the Council races. Like the turians. We've been trying to get a human accepted into their ranks for years now. So far, it hasn't happened.
Jenkins: Hey, Commander! You'd make a good Spectre! They're always getting dropped into impossible situations. Forced to survive unbeatable odds. Just like you on Akuze!
(This is a conversation that changes based on your background. Torvan for the Ruthless is mentioned, so is the Skyllian Blitz for the War Hero.
We're going to let him down gently. Akuze was... not fun.)
Shep: I try not to think about Akuze.
Jenkins: Sorry, Commander. I-- I didn't mean to offend you. I respect what you did there. We all do.
Doctor: Let's not dwell on the past, Commander. Was there something else you needed?
Shep: You're from Eden Prime, aren't you Jenkins? What's it like?
Jenkins: It's very peaceful, Commander. They've been real careful with development, so you don't have any city noise or pollution. My parents lived on the outskirts of the colony. At night, I used to climb this big hill and stare across the fields back at the lights from the main settlement. It was gorgeous. But when I got older, I realized it was a little too calm and quiet for me. That's why I joined the Alliance. Even paradise gets boring after a while.
Shep: Any idea why Eden Prime was chosen as our destination?
Jenkins: Not really sure, Commander. Eden Prime's one of our most stable colonies. Good place to take the Normandy for her shakedown run, I guess. No real danger there. But there's got to be something else going on. We've got a Spectre on board! That's why I'm so wound up. I can't wait for the real mission to start!
(If we hadn't already re-assured Jenkins, we could do that now.)
(And we're done here!)
Shep: The captain's waiting for me.
Doctor: Goodbye, Commander.
(A previous draft had me say that Pressley says his last line as you're given control, this was a lie. The first time this happens is here with the Doctor.
In-game subtitles will already give the Doctor's name as Chakwas, but the route I'm taking, she's not referred to by name yet.)
Our true destination is at the aft of the Normandy, behind the wall that's located behind the comamnd center. Through this door is the Comm Room, and where we were expected to meet with Captain Anderson. Unfortuantely for us, he's not here, but the alien who was up at the cockpit in the introduction is.
Clearly, that means he's the next one to talk to.
As we approach, however, he turns around and addresses us when we "activate" him to talk.
Turian Spectre: Commander Shepard. I was hoping you'd get here first. It will give us a chance to talk.
Shep: The captain said he'd meet me here.
Nihlus: He's on his way. I'm interested in this world we're going to - Eden Prime. I've heard it's quite beautiful.
Shep: They say it's a paradise.
Nihlus: Yes, a paradise. Serene, tranquil, safe. Eden Prime has become something of a symbol for your people, hasn't it? Proof that humanity can not only establish colonies across the galaxy, but also protect them. But how safe is it, really?
(I don't like his tone...)
Shep: If you've got something to say, just say it.
Nihlus: Your people are still newcomers, Shepard. The galaxy can be a very dangerous place. Is the Alliance truly ready for this?
(Enter Captain Anderson from behind as the comm room door slides open, then shut, off-screen. The game actually loads a new talk file after Nihlus' last line!)
Anderson: I think it's about time we told the Commander what's really going on.
Nihlus: This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run.
Shep: I already figured that out.
Anderson: We're making a covert pickup on Eden Prime. That's why we needed the stealth systems operation.
Shep: There must be a reason you didn't tell me about this, sir?
Anderson: This comes down from the top. Information strictly on a need-to-know basis. A research team on Eden Prime unearthed some kind of... beacon during an excavation. It was Prothean.
(Prothean?)
Shep: I thought the Protheans vanished fifty-thousand years ago!
Nihlus: Their legacy still remains. The mass relays, the Citadel, our ship drives - it's all based on Prothean technology.
Anderson: This is big, Shepard. The last time humanity made a discovery like this, it jumped our technology forward two hundred years. But Eden Prime doesn't have the facilities to handle something like this. We need to bring the beacon back to the Citadel for proper study.
Nihlus: Obviously, this goes beyond mere human interests, Commander. This discovery could affect every species in Council space.
Shep: Why didn't we keep the beacon for ourselves?
Nihlus: You humans don't have the best reputation. Some species see you as selfish. Too unpredictable. Too independent. Even dangerous.
Anderson: Sharing that beacon will improve relations with the Council. Plus, we need their scientific expertise. They know more about the Protheans than we do.
Nihlus: The beacon is not the only reason I'm here, Shepard.
(wait, what?)
Anderson: Nihlus wants to see you in action, Commander. He's here to evaluate you.
(Again, what?)
Shep: What's going on, Captain?
Anderson: The Alliance has been pushing for this for a long time. Humanity wants a larger role in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say with the Citadel Council. The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority. If they accept a human into their ranks, it shows how far the Alliance has come.
Nihlus: Not many could have survived what you went through on Akuze. You showed a remarkable will to live -- a particularly useful talent. That's why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres.
(And once again, what? That's... a little odd after hearing about the First Contact War.)
Shep: Why would a Turian want a human in the Spectres?
Nihlus: Not all turians resent humanity. Some of us see the potential of your species. We see what you have to offer to the rest of the galaxy... and to the Spectres. We are an elite group. It's rare to find an individual with the skills we seek. I don't care that you're human, Shepard. I only care that you can do the job.
(Well, good to know that not everyone is against us, I guess.)
Shep: I assume this is good for the Alliance.
Anderson: Earth needs this, Shepard. We're counting on you.
Nihlus: I need to see your skills for myself, Commander. Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together.
Anderson: You'll be in charge of the ground team. Secure the beacon and get it to the ship ASAP. Nihlus will accompany you to observe the mission.
(This is when we finally get a chance to ask some further questions. No harm in doing so.)
Shep: What do you know about the Protheans?
Anderson: Just what they taught us in school. They were a technologically-advanced species that ruled the galaxy 50,000 years ago. Then they vanished. Nobody really knows how or why, though I've heard plenty of theories. But everyone agrees galactic civilization wouldn't exist without them.
Nihlus: Their Citadel is the very heart of galactic society. And without their mass relays, interstellar travel would be impossible. We all owe the Protheans a great debt.
(That's our history lesson for the conversation.)
Shep: I'd like to know more about Eden Prime before we touch down.
Anderson: It's a peaceful farming world, but it represents something much bigger. Eden Prime is one of our oldest and most successful colonies. It proved we were ready to face the challenges of settling new worlds, to forge a place for humanity beyond Earth. It symbolizes humanity's growth and evolution as a spacefaring species. And after this, it will be known as the world where humans made a discovery of galactic importance.
Shep: Why is this beacon so important?
Nihlus: All advanced galactic civilization is based on Prothean technology. Even yours.
Anderson: If we hadn't discovered those Prothean ruins buried on Mars, we'd still be stuck on Earth. That was just a small data cache. Who knows what we can learn from this beacon? What if it's a weapons archive? We can't let it fall into the wrong hands.
Shep: Like who?
Anderson: The Attican Traverse isn't the most stable sector of Citadel space. There are plenty of raiders and criminal groups active in the region. They might figure a Prothean beacon is worth the risk of attacking an Alliance ship. Plus, Eden Prime is right on the border of the Terminus Systems.
(Another mysterious group name.)
Shep: The Attican Traverse is under Citadel protection. If the Terminus Systems attack, it's an act of war.
(It's nice that sometimes the game actually shows that Shepard has been around the neighborhood, so to speak - instead of asking what the Terminus Systems are, like the option would have you think, Shep takes the opportunity to explain just as much as we need to know - they not aligned with the Citadel and there's a political standoff.)
Nihlus: Technically, yes. But some of the species in the Terminus might be willing to start a war over this.
Anderson: The last thing the Council wants is to get dragged into a major conflict with the Terminus Systems. We have to keep this low-key.
(That's all the information we need. Time to signal that we're ready to begin the mission.)
Shep: Just give the word, Captain.
Anderson: We should be getting close to Eden-
(Suddenly!)
Joker: Captain! We've got a problem!
Anderson: What's wrong, Joker?
Joker: Transmission from Eden Prime, sir! You'd better see this.
Anderson: Bring it up on-screen.
And on the comm-room's screen is a scene of chaos. Gunfire, both almost traditional-sounding and futuristic, plasma-sounding. Explosions. The viewpoint is forced to the ground by a woman in white-and-pink armor, yelling "Get down!" Still shaky and barely able to make anything out other than terrain, the three in the comm-room stand, transfixed by the sight.
Transmission: We are under attack, taking heavy casualties! I repeat, heavy casualties! We can't - <garbled> - ...mediate evac, they came out of nowhere, we need -
The voice is cut off as the speaker takes what's likely a killing hit. The camera pans around to other soldiers' faces as they look on in disbelief, then pans to view a gigantic, claw-like ship, shooting out red bolts of energy, almost like lightning. More camera shakiness, explosions... and then it cuts to static, and nothing more.
Joker: Everything cuts out after that, no comm traffic at all. Just goes dead. There's nothing.
Anderson: Reverse and hold at 38.5.
The message is reversed, held on a still of the mysterious ship. Nihlus looks on silently, a look of concern on his face.
Anderson: Status report!
Joker: Seventeen minutes out, captain, no other Alliance ships in the area.
Anderson: Take us in, Joker, fast and quiet. This mission just got a lot more complicated.
Anderson and Nihlus share looks.
Nihlus: A small strike team can move quickly, without drawing attention. It's our best chance to secure the beacon.
Anderson:
Grab your gear and meet us in the cargo hold!
Nihlus leaves, as Anderson turns to Shepard.
Anderson: Tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up, Commander. You're going in.
We'll leave off here, on approach to Eden Prime. Everything has gone south and we haven't even arrived yet. We've been introduced to a few of the most important people in the crew, we've met our first non-human in the series - the slightly avian-like Turians - and we're about to jump into the middle of the fire on what everyone was telling us was going to be a milk run.
We'll meet again in the cargo hold of the Normandy, preparing to make our drop on Eden Prime, for
Chapter 3: "Say goodnight, Manuel." Until next time!