Dark warning
Do you know where Garrus is? 83%
Fluttershy looked up at Kasumi. She tried being angry at the human before her, wanted to hurt her in all the ways Hock had done to her, but couldn’t as she stared into Kasumi’s sorrowful eyes.
“Fluttershy I...”
“Don’t,” Fluttershy said, cutting off the string of apologies that would have most likely followed. “We need to get Garrus and leave this place. I know you’ve already got that greybox. Hock made that very clear.”
Kasumi averted her eyes as she pulled something from a pocket and off of her back. “I managed to get most of our gear out of the generator. Garrus’ armor was too large for me to carry, but I did take the weapons and your amp.”
Fluttershy immediately took the amp from Kasumi, intent on connecting it back to the appropriate port between her wings, only to realize that there was no way she could connect it herself. “Uhm, could you connect this?”
Kasumi nodded and took the amp back. Fluttershy tensed up as Kasumi attached the amp to the slot that was hidden beneath the fur, flinching every time the human's hand touched her. The moment she felt the comforting feeling of the device's activation, she increased the distance between the two of them.
Fluttershy hadn’t taken her own armor due to the limited space the generator presented. She had argued that she’d be able to create an active biotic barrier to keep herself safe while Garrus would need the shield generator.
Intent on creating that very biotic barrier, the pegasus lit her wings up…
…and fell to the ground with a scream.
The biotic field had made the joints of her wings feel like they were being torn apart and lit on fire. Fluttershy, with an almost instinctive reaction, cut off the biotics again, heavily panting from the large amount of pain she’d experienced in the attempt to use her biotics.
“Are you okay?” Kasumi asked, a concerned look on her face and a hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder. When the pegasus realized she was being touched, she pushed Kasumi away from her and scrambled to put some distance between herself and the human.
“No. Give me that sniper rifle,” Fluttershy demanded. If she couldn’t use her biotics, then she’d need something else to defend herself with.
“Are you sure...” Kasumi tried to reason with the pegasus but stopped as she gazed into Fluttershy’s eyes. It felt as if the weight of the planet had just been laid on her shoulders.
“Give. Me. The. Rifle.” Fluttershy slowly punctuated each word, while the stare forced Kasumi to follow the order. The pegasus checked the thermal clips on it to see how many shots she’d have.
Eight clips, three shots per clip, so twenty four shots total. It didn’t look as if the shield generators and armors of these criminals have been upgraded yet, so every single shot should punch through.
“Now we’re going to find Garrus,” Fluttershy stated as she clamped the rifle below her right wing. As long as she didn’t move the joint in the middle of it, the pain would only be nagging, not crippling.
Kasumi didn’t argue against Fluttershy in any way, motioning for the pegasus to follow her. They moved out of the bedroom and into the hallway beyond, passing a set of stairs leading up and going through a door on the lower floor,
“I took the liberty to hack the security systems after retrieving my gear. I think I know where Garrus is being held, but I couldn’t Identify it precisely. The security in that part of the building is on an isolated loop,” Kasumi explained as she lead Fluttershy through the hallways, masterfully avoiding every patrol they encountered as if she knew where they were. Thinking about it, she probably did. The pair went down a couple of stairs into the depths of the compound where the guard presence seemed to be lighter than in the upper levels.
“At the end of the hallway there are two guards posted in front of the door, beyond that I can’t use the cameras,” Kasumi cautioned as they stopped at the corner. “I’ll give you the all clear when the guard’s aren’t a problem anymore.”
The human activated her active camouflage and faded from view. Seconds later two dull thumps could be heard followed by the sound of collapsing bodies. “Clear.”
Fluttershy immediately moved up through the hallway, seeing a salarian and human lying face-down on the floor. Kasumi, meanwhile, was already going to work on opening the doors. The passage opened moments later as the master thief was quick in her work. The hallway was immediately filled with the sound of someone screaming. Fluttershy’s heart skipped a beat as she realized who it was.
“GARRUS!” The pegasus surged forward, putting caution to the wind. If anyone decided it was a good idea to get in her way, then she’d make them feel every bit of pain she had.
Entering the room from where the scream had originated, she found Garrus sitting bound on a chair with two metal rods sticking out of his legs. The turian coughed up blood as he heavily panted, his eyes falling on the newcomer that stood in the doorway.
“The switch,” Garrus simply said while looking at the large switch attached to the generator that was connected to the two pins on his body. Fluttershy didn’t waste any time running up to the switch and putting it in the off position.
Garrus let out a sigh of relief but grunted and gritted his mandibles as the pegasus slammed into him and gave him a crushing hug. “Broken ribs. Please let go Shy.”
The pegasus immediately let go of the pained turian. “I-I’m so sorry, I just wanted to...”
“It’s alright, Shy. Let’s get me out of this chair and leave,” Garrus said as he pushed through the pain, his eyes falling on a second figure in the doorway as he noticed the movement. “You. The only reason I’m not thinking about killing you the moment I get out of this chair is because then you wouldn’t be able to give us the massive favour you owe us.”
Kasumi didn’t reply and helped Fluttershy loosen the straps of Garrus’ bonds. Before the turian could stand up, Fluttershy checked the two pins stuck in his legs. The flesh and muscle around them had burned from the excessive electrical current that had run through them. The pegasus decided that removing them might tear open a major artery, something that she couldn’t treat right now, and that they would have to move Garrus with them still in his legs.
“Kasumi, can you give him some support?” Fluttershy asked.
“I can, but I don’t think I can move through the facility without being detected while doing so.” The ground shook as the dull sound of an explosion could be heard a couple of stories above them.
“Shepard should take care of that situation,” Garrus grunted as he helped himself out of the chair, his legs barely keeping him standing with all the damage done to them. “Let’s get out of this hellhole.”
Just as Garrus had predicted the guards were all drawn to the upper level to counter the encroaching assault squad, something that gave the group the opportunity to quickly get back to the surface. As they reached the top they could see Hock on his knees with his hand on his head held at gunpoint by a very familiar team of aliens.
Fluttershy felt rage coursing through her veins at seeing the human sitting on his knees and brought her sniper rifle to bear.
“Fluttershy, don’t! We have him. We can question him to gain information about his business practices!” Kasumi said as she carefully approached the fuming pegasus.
“Do you have any idea what he did to me?! He hit me with whips, spit on me, cut me with knives, and he… he...” Fluttershy trembled in rage as tears flowed freely from her eyes.
“...He violated me.” Fluttershy quietly said as she looked down the scope of her rifle, the crosshairs shakily staying on target as her mind tried deciding a further course of action.
1. [Let him live. Try to get information from him.]
2. [Pull the trigger. He deserves to die.]
RENEGADE! Pull the trigger!
That bastard deserves to die, kill him.
Split the vote 50/50. It's already like that, let's keep it that way.
I am VERY wanting to go Renegade on this one... ... But then... *sigh* I'm just not that type of guy.
Besides, death would be a blessing to Hock right now.
Mmm, pull the trigger. It's tempting. It's supposed to be tempting. Easy, simple, makes it feel so right...
But doesn't help Fluttershy in the long run. She's not cold enough, not jaded enough for it to not hurt her more in the long run. She doesn't have the rationale to 'make it okay' to just kill so casually.
Certainly not arguing that he should be allowed to live. Personal preference, taken out back, shot. Shallow grave, erase names from all known records. Treat others as if they mean nothing? Then become nothing.
But Shy doesn't need to be the one to do it. You think she's broken now? Fractured perhaps, able to be mended with the right care. But this... this action would truly break her.
But did Kasumi get teh SMG?
renegade, all the way
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Assuming Hock already had it, it was lying right next to the greybox. (again, assuming it was in the same place now it would have been two years from now) So, considering how Kasumi acts and thinks, I wouldn't be at all surprised if she took it along.
If Hock already made the duplicate (which is actually the only time ME2 bothers to explain why every viable squad member gets a newly found weapon upon picking it up. In this case there actually were two of them.) I would probably expect Kasumi to give one of them to Fluttershy, maybe with a lesson on how to use SMGs to go along with it. (She is mainly a biotic, but most of those can use SMGs)
Rip the information out his mind with Stare, then see if Wrex would like to try roast pork? Or maybe Shy could find some other predator they could feed him to. Feet first.
Isnt nature wonderful.
...Paragon.
If it had been me? I'd have shot the ass dead and not felt anything (if I was in Shepard's boots that is) but Fluttershy… She'd have to live with it more than Shepard would.
If it was anyone but Fluttershy, I would say renegade, but I just can't do that to him. Besides, letting Garus have him would be so much more satisfying.
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You wouldn't happen to be the very model of a scientist salarian, would you?
I say number
2
I have to go Paragon. It is by far the best option for Fluttershy mental health. The fact that it is also the most practical option and that Garrus and the rest will make him suffer WAY more that Shy ever could are just nice extra perks.
It is also official, Shy OWNS Kasumi ass for the rest of her life. Kasumi guilt must be eating her so badly right now that she will do anything Fluttershy tells her to do, no Stare needed.
9752587
I fear not, for I have not studied everything, urban and agrarian.
Gotta go with choice 1. She should still shot him in the d*ck...in the d*ck. He can survive that. Not for bleeding heart reasons.... she now has the perfect guinea pig to see how far her stare can go. Is it possible for the stare to rehabilitate/brainwash someone to the point that even thinking about doing a crime makes them breakout in a psychotic/mental breakdown.
Anyone is welcome to have whatever kind of content they want in their stories, but you must use appropriate tags if you do so. The non-con tag exists for a reason. This isn't fiction for some people, and they'd rather not read about it.
That said, it doesn't matter if fluttershy shoots him or not. Either way he won't survive the day, once Garrus and Shepard know what he did.
Yeeesssss, let the anger blossom, let the hate flow....
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Yeah sorry, I just got back from being out all day. I hadn't noticed that I hadn't properly edited the tags, they're fixed now.
He did WHAT?!?
Paragon, but only just. Ventilating his skull is so tempting...
Can always kill him after questioning him.
9752718
So you aren't good at genetics (as a subset of biology) because you aren't an expert (which you know is a tautology)?
Isn't there a third option where we make him suffer?
9753464
I wish I could say I had those gifts, or hell even general theology,
But to be perfectly honest I'm also rubbish with rhyme-eology.
Wanted to stick to it best I could, but honestly I don't have anymore lyrics for that song bouncing about my head. Was fun though.
....is it really so Paragon when the method I wish for them to gain such information be via her Staring him into an emotionless zombie?
Also, yes. If this was me, Shepard or not, I'd likely kill this guy as soon as I hear what he did to Fluttershy.
Goku: "Vegeta! That was not very Paragon!" Vegeta: *spits* "Renegade for Life."
I thought for sure renagade option is going to win.
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me as well when I wrote it.
He violated Shy.
Keep him alive, and let him live, wishing for death for the next few centuries. It still wouldn't be enough.
I wasn't going to comment until I caught up, but I'll make an exception here.
All these comments are about how Fluttershy wouldn't do this, or it would be OOC to do that. That's a pretty flimsy argument to make. The whole point of these choices is to shape Flutters personality and responses. Yeah, there's a point where things could go off the rails, but being hardened by a harsh reality is perfectly natural for a dark isekai like this.
Plus, so far, she's mainly killed Geth, and justified it by saying they were mindless robots. That mindset will shatter her when she finds out they're sapient, and she murdered dozens of them.
Such fury within her. One step closer to becoming like Scorch215's Commander Twilight Sparkle. Though Fluttershy got off easy compared to her.
Really guys? Paragon? After what he did to her?!
10534678
I really tried getting them to choose renegade there too
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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Now I can't read your comments without hearing Mordin's voice! Nuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! My feels!
I always have to choose to let him die in my playthroughs as it's his character's development in the story and the other way just isn't Paragade enough for me. More like Renegon at that point. And I HATE those kinds of points in the series.
ME1 - Get to Virmire and have to split up. One of two teams sets a timer off that doesn't leave enough time to save both? I don't like it, but since it's only a choice of who do I save in an impossible situation I have to accept it.
ME2 - Go on Suicide Mission. Bring everyone back alive? Challenge Defeated! Aw, YUSSSSSSSSSSSSS! These are the days I live for, EVERYBODY LIVES!
ME3 - So, here's a situation. It's not an impossible situation, but a pretty bad one. If I let Mordin go, he settles his guilt but he dies. If I don't, the Krogan don't get their cure, at this moment... But we still know how to cure, and buildings can be rebuilt or a new one for the same purpose. So as much as I want to cure them now, we can do it later without his death.
...Wait, where's the option to do that? Wait, WHAT?! There's no such option?! OH COME ON! WHAT?! Just ambiguously, nope you can't save the day, you can only send him to die or not? THIS IS COMMANDER F'ING SHEPHERD, and suddenly he can't save the day?!
The first game I completely understood. We had a jury rigged bomb. Bomb's design meant once you start it going off, then it goes off. Bomb site threatened and timer got started, not enough time to save everyone. I get that. Don't like it because I don't like losing people, but I get that.
Second game we went on a SUICIDE MISSION AND COULD BRING EVERYONE BACK ALIVE!
And now... the third game, NOW he's incapable of saving the day for no reason? Suddenly the Paragon/Renegade system just reinforces the situation instead of opening paths? Bull.
Then I saw the endings of the game. 3 choices with unacceptable aspects.
DESTROY = Kill Reapers, but Geth and EDI die too. (We're trying to save everyone!)
CONTROL = Reapers under your control, but you sac' your humanity and validate The Illusive Man's view of how things should work. (Striking first and/or taking what you need/want at any cost before anyone else can take something from you or possibly hurt you in any way is how things work and should work. Soooo much nope! We must be better than our ancestors.)
SYNTHESIS = Reapers and the galaxy are uplifted to a new kind of existence, but you sacrifice both your life and their free choice for... what reason exactly?
...Seriously, what reason is there to have to do it all at once? The Will of the Reaper AI, the Starchild, says, "Now that we know it is possible, Synthesis is inevitable", meaning no matter what else happens it will happen. So why rush? Why does the cycle have to continue? The Reapers could declare "THE CYCLE IS STOPPED. A NEW SOLUTION HAS BEEN FOUND" and just return to dark space to start planning how to encourage Synthesis from the background. Not like they're lacking in practice in that kind of work. They could encourage the study of Synthesis and be ready to intercede against a Organics vs Synthetics genocide war.
It's inevitable, so even if Commander Shepard grows old and dies they'll just look for another canidate as time goes by. Why right there and now or not at all?
But worst of all, in the Synthesis explaination, is that the Starchild reveals they tried something similar before but it always failed as "the organics were not ready. It cannot be... forced." And yet what does the SYNTHESIS choice do to the galaxy? It forces Synthesis on everyone else. (facedesk)
Then they added the fourth ending. And they just muddled everything.
REFUSE = The cycle continues, Reapers kill everyone, and an unknown amount of cycles later the Reapers are... defeated? ...not fought?
The Stargazer tells the Child, "They fought is a terrible war, so we wouldn't have to." So there's a couple of possibilities I can see. Either that cycle made their Crucible and triggered the DESTROY ending in their time, in which case the chaos of an Organics vs Synthetics genocidal war is still a threat.
Or...
The Reapers, now knowing of the Crucible and of the possibility of Synthesis, bided their time and worked in the background to steer the new cycle towards Synthesis and achieving their goal without fighting.
Meaning that Synthesis was inevitable, and choosing REFUSE was pointless for our cycle and just got everyone killed.
Otherwise, the whole REFUSE thing doesn't make any sense at all and looks even worse. (Everything the story told ya, it's in the hole.)
Where's the Paragon/Renegade choice to press the Starchild on why they are insisting on rushing the solution if it's inevitable? On if Synthesis can't be forced, why is it trying to convince him to force it on the rest of the galaxy? Why not take the time now? Why not start with this cycle?
(This part assumes everything here has been done because this is best case senario) The galaxy's unified like it hasn't been before, the Geth and Quarians are at peace and the Geth have started down a new path with Legion's sacrifice, Joker and EDI are trying a relationship (possible first volunteers for Synthesis if it can be scaled down). It's a situation similar to Solus' sacrifice. They have the "cure" for the "chaos", they can take the time to do it right but, arbitrarily, the option just isn't there for no good reason. If the Starchild had been offered this alternative and refused it itself for either good reasons or its own choice, then the other options (even the fourth) look more viable.
If you've played without saving the Geth or valuing EDI then DESTROY.
If you've played Human's First focus then CONTROL.
If you've played to save everyone and end the cycle, then SYNTHESIS.
If you've played to free the galaxy from the Reapers or die trying, then REFUSE.
Because it becomes an impossible situation where the story is forcing your hand, not the game, it's immersive so there's nothing to really complain about. Just like in ME1 with Virmire. A situation you are put in and can only choose how to handle, not your choices being arbitrarily rendered powerless.
I was never happy with how the series ended, "No time to explain! Choose one and go away." Now years later, after the cancellation of Mass Effect: Andromeda, the debacle that is/was Anthem, and EA's shift to Live-Service Microtransaction/Lootbox focused games and away from Single Player, I now wonder...
Was Mass Effect 3 a victim of EA interference? Bioware being pushed by EA to move on from ME3 so they could start refocusing the games Bioware made towards greed? Was the ME3 ending one of the first EA debacles? Not that it matters, I suppose. My words made no difference back then, and EA now is even less likely to be swayed today.
How much have you paid EA since you bought your game to keep having fun? (That was sarcastic, please ignore)
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I gave EA approximately 0€ after getting BF4
they don't get cash if you buy via grey market
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ODST Lunar Armor? Awesome ♡
Nr1. And a day or two before Harkin get out of jail, than its time for Nr2!