Mass Effect 3: After the End

[tov01]

This is my own head-canon for what happens after ME3. I have tried to stay within what happened in game, while at the same time make the endings just a little less depressing. It is still a work in progress, and I wouldn't mind everyone's opinion on how to flesh it out more.

Edit: Some new information has recently come to light from Pax, and I have

Comments

[lostacanthus]

Oh wow, very cool! Very thorough! I've been thinking about a lot of this myself, but haven't gone into such detail yet.

Personally, I think the relays can be rebuilt even if they were destroyed in the ending. The protheans have done it before, and with all the scientists around from the crucible, I'd like to think they could figure something out. It's not perfect, and it would definitely take some time, but I think it's totally doable.

I like your rationalizing of the Normandy crash! That is still the one thing that bugs me :| It's the one thing I'm still chalking up to ~*~it was a dream~*~ lol. I just can't accept that it actually happened, and with my ground crew on board--and completely unharmed? I just can't make it work. :| But yeah, I still really like what you have!

And er, some other things I really really liked:

- If Citadel Security has high strength, then Commander Bailey will sacrifice himself to get Kolyat on the last remaining evac shuttles.

-If Miranda is still alive, she will volunteer on the medical team treating

[tov01]

Thanks for your reply. I'm glad you liked it.

On the mass relays, I suppose it might be possible to rebuild the mass relays in all endings, but at least in control, they're not working from scratch. I figured that since the conduit was cutting edge Prothean technology, and the Protheans were more advanced than the current cycle, that they would still have a long ways to go before they can rebuilt the mass relays on their own. Defiantly not in our character's lifetime (well, except maybe Liara's. She is only 109, after all)

The Normandy crash really bugged me as well, and I sat thinking for a long time trying to make sense of it. I think my current solution still has a few leaks, but overall it's a decent patch job.

This has hooked into my brain.

[arrlaari]

I think it's probable that the Reapers paid little heed to the wards when they seized the Citadel - instead, Cerberus forces (backed by "controlled" Reaper ground forces) led by the Illusive Man pushed directly for the controls in the Presidium tower, moved the structure to Earth, and closed it up. From then until the arrival of the Crucible Fleet, surviving C-Sec and armed civilians within the Wards engaged in sustained and bloody combat with the Cerberus/Reaper army.

When the Crucible begins to activate, the Wards lose most of their atmosphere, but many buildings are sealed. If the Citadel is destroyed, the wards lose power (therefore, airlocks fail) and enter a decaying orbit. Some few survivors are evacuated, and if the surviving fleet is strong enough, one of the Wards is pulled into a stable orbit to preserve it for study. The protein vats are of particular interest.

Re: This has hooked into my brain.

[tov01]

I admit that my view of what happened at the citadel is fuzzy at best, and I kind of like your vision better than mine. If you don't mind, I think I might incorporate some of it into my post.

I still think that the Reapers will be processing everyone they can get their hands on, but now I don't think that they will be done by the time Shepard arrives.

[raelynae]

This is so well thought out, I respect the sheer amount of thought that you put into this. It's amazing, I will happily adopt this as my head-canon ending from here out.

I like how much of the war you depict beyond the main force in London, and the hints of how it would play out in the different ending variants without the use of everyone's default response to the ending indoctrination/dream-walking. I currently can't think of anything I could add to it. Great work!

[tov01]

Thanks. I'm glad you appreciate this.

I for one am not very happy with the indoctrination theory. It just feels wrong to me, somehow. I don't feel like it solves the underlying problems, and raises more questions than answers. If you want a new ending, I feel you should just replace the old ending, rather than force the player through an extended dream sequence first.

There's still room to talk about some of the Character's fate, even through the remaining characters aren't inspiring me at the moment. I can't seem to say anything about them other then "bring x amount of military strength or they die." To be honest, though, this all started as an attempt to allow my Shepard to give Liara all those blue babies he promised her. Everything else is extra.

[alias_sqbr]

I've been putting off reading this until I felt able to properly process it: very nice!

I've been poking about the wiki for my own speculations, but yours are much more detailed! How are you estimating travel times though? The only speed I could find for FTL travel implied that it's around 4000 times the speed of light, but your estimates seem to put it lower than that (which does make sense for longterm travel instead of short bursts)

Also: did you make up Devonia? I'm inclined to make up a convenient planet myself, poking around the systems to find a binary star with a habitable planet is way too much work given that one may not exist.

[tov01]

Yeah, it's a lot to digest at once, isn't it

[raelynae]

Knowing the inspiration for your planet names makes my day.

[tov01]

Thanks. I'm glad you appreciate it.

[tov01]

Well, I redid my distance calculations, and things are worse than I thought. No one will be returning home for a couple of years.

Also, if anyone was what map I used, here's a link: http://engorn.deviantart.com/art/Mass-Effect-Galaxy-Map-215055063

[alias_sqbr]

Thanks for the link, that's a really nice map!

[tov01]

Yeah, it is.