Mass Effect 2 Arrival DLC TranscriptText/Data is from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFuqIfiwdJs |
Major portions are transcribed because Dr. Kenson in ME2 is a rare example of a semi-high functioning indoctrinee (Besides Saren, Benezia and TIM.) I have included a lengthy Cerberus Daily News Network below, as it shows what Dr. Kenson was doing before; and WHY she went to the Bahak system.
January 2011 - Week Five01/24/2011 - Paper Suggests Mass Relays Predate Protheans“Historians and astronomers alike are abuzz tonight over a new paper published by Dr. Amanda Kenson of the University of Arcturus. Her team claims that by testing the dust trapped in the gravity wells around a mass relay, and comparing its composition to that of dust clouds in the same system, scientists can create a timeline of when the relay passed through the dust. Her conclusion? "Only a small fraction of the mass effect relays date back 50,000 years," she writes, "The majority are far older, indicating they were created by a species predating even the Protheans." Dr. Aurana T'Meles of the University of Serrice met the information with skepticism: "While Dr. Kenson's methods appear sound, the asari tried a similar procedure centuries ago and discounted it. What civilization could have spanned the galaxy for not thousands, but millions of years? If this were the case, we should have found mountains of evidence of their passing. Where is this species now?"” https://masseffect.fandom.com/wiki/Cerberus_Daily_News_-_March_2011#03.2F22.2F2011 March 2011 - Week Four03/22/2011 - Evidence Mounts in Support of Mass Relay Age Findings“Evidence continues to mount that the system of mass relays attributed to the Protheans predate their civilization. Dr. Aurana T'Meles of the University of Serrice, a one-time skeptic of the claim, now says she's a convert. "This team has been meticulous in dating relays from many locations," she says in her findings. "It is not their responsibility to hypothesize who created the relays, only to isolate the eras of their construction." Such hypotheses abound and usually feature disappeared species like the arthenn or zeioph. Nearly all have been ruled out since they did not coexist with the oldest of the relays. Dr. Amanda Kenson, team lead for the initial discovery, could not be reached for comment at broadcast time.” 03/23/2011 - Batarians Steal Mass Relay Research from Serrice Office“Dr. Aurana T'Meles' office in downtown Serrice was broken into last night after she made galactic news for supporting the controversial study that claims mass relays predate the Protheans. "I don't understand," said a flabbergasted Dr. T'Meles. "All they stole was research done by Dr. Kenson earlier this year. If they'd waited a month, they could have read it all in a published paper." Security footage shows four Batarians dressed in civilian clothing breaking into Dr. T'Meles' office at 4:13 AM local [Thessia standard] time. Skin cells from the scene identified one burglar as Palash Tarn, a former member of the Khar'shan military's Batarian Special Intervention Unit. No officials from Khar'shan were available for comment.” 03/24/2011 - Galaxy Continues to React to Mass Relay Revelations“Reactions to the discovery that mass relays were not created by the Prothean civilization continue to pour in. On Kahje, the response is largely denial and shock. Religious leader All-Bright Olos the 10th, the Sounaril of the Manas tradition, reacted by uploading a 13-minute speech to the newsnets that urged calm and peace. "It is no heresy to say the Enkindlers themselves may have been Enkindled," the hanar said. "It is their example of selflessness, courtesy, and willingness to share their gifts that teaches these ones how to live. To say there was something before them, an even more noble being, gives these penitents an even swifter current to ride, a greater model to which we can all aspire."” 03/25/2011 - Researchers Arrested for Attempting to Tamper with Lowas Relay“Two unauthorized researchers have been arrested and charged with attempting to tamper with the Lowas relay. "Zahi Moon and Ellis Veech were found on Lowas' outer surface, planning on accessing the command switches embedded in the relay," says Council Relay Security officer Lisa Tanabe. "They were about as successful as the last hundred people who tried. The real harm was parking a research vessel near a potential collision zone where debris would take weeks to clean, and we know what a single screw can do to a ship at high velocities." Tanabe is referring to the tragic explosion of the Mihairokov, a spacecraft that hit an orbiting metal bolt that caused the ships' cabin to depressurize, killing the passengers onboard.” 03/26/2011 - Council Fleets Repositioned to Monitor Mass Relays“A series of security incidents at mass relays throughout Citadel space has led to the redistribution of the Council's peacekeeping fleets. "Public attention has shifted to the relays, and relay-related crime is elevated," says Captain Miyamoto Whelan of the Alliance fleet. He went on to list starship loitering, debris dumping, and suicide by relay as chief incidents to be policed. The resulting military presence has been disruptive enough to cause hours and sometimes days of delays for regular flights. "I don't see why they need to park cruisers on the route to freaking Voya," said commuter Lakshmi Dasgupta. "No one's attacking Voya, and don't tell me they're there to guard something that's indestructible."” 03/27/2011 - Galactic Economy Hit Hard By Widespread Traffic Delays“Commerce took a plunge yesterday as galaxy-wide traffic delays ground transport and finance to a halt. "I'd estimate we lost 612-billion credits across the galaxy," says macroeconomics expert Dora Voke, "and we would have easily doubled those losses if it wasn't for the asari business holiday." While traffic flow between relays is back to normal, the effects are still being felt by commuters and vacationers. "Unbelievable," says Roman Basee, a citizen from Mars who was taking his first holiday in eight years. "The starline says they'll rebook, but it's just crazy that everything can grind to a halt. The Citadel's got to make sure this doesn't happen!"” |
(Shepard is on the Normandy's Bridge)
Comm System: Incoming message from Admiral Steven Hackett, Alliance HQ.
Hackett: Commander Shepard. I need to discuss a sensitive matter with you privately.
Shepard: I'll take this in my quarters.
(Shepard heads to their quarters, where they connect to Hackett via their vidwall)
Hackett: Commander. Thank you for your time. I'll keep this brief. We have a deep-cover operative out in batarian space. Name's Doctor Amanda Kenson. Dr. Kenson recently reported that she found evidence of an imminent Reaper invasion.
Shepard: So why call me?
Hackett: Just this morning I received word that the Batarians arrested her. They're holding her in a secret prison outpost on terrorism charges. I need you to infiltrate the prison and get her out of there. As a favor to me, I'm asking you to go in alone.
Shepard (TERRORISM CHARGES): What's Dr. Kenson actually doing out there?
Hackett: She's a deep-cover operative, Shepard. We talk only when we have to. I'd heard she was investigating a rumor of a Reaper artifact in the system. Her last report said she'd found it.
Shepard (DR. AMANDA KENSON): What else can you tell me about the operative?
Hackett: Amanda is a top scientist and Alliance agent working in batarian space. It's a deadly assignment, and she's one of the few up to the challenge. She and I go back pretty far, Commander. I won't let her rot away in a batarian torture camp.
Shepard (REAPER INVASION): I thought the Alliance denies the Reaper threat. That must be some proof she found.
Hackett: Kenson's team found an artifact out in batarian space. She believes it's a Reaper device, proof that the Reapers are indeed planning to invade. I've known her a long time. If she says she has proof, it's worth checking out.
Shepard (SOLO MISSION): I have a hell of a squad with me. I'm sure they'd help out.
Hackett: Kenson is my friend. If the Batarians see a squad of armed soldiers, they'll kill her. This is serious, Commander. Go in with discretion, or don't go at all.
Shepard (BATARIAN RELATIONS): The Batarians won't take kindly to the Alliance breaking into a secret prison.
Hackett: This is not an Alliance operation -- it's one person going in alone to save a friend. If it were an official mission, of course the Batarians would be upset. You keep this quiet, Shepard, and there's nothing to worry about.
Shepard (I'LL SAVE HER): I'll make this a priority.
Hackett: The prison is hidden underground at a batarian outpost on Aratoht. I'll upload the coordinates now. Once she's secure, confirm her discovery. We'll debrief you when you're back.
Shepard: Got it.
Hackett: Hackett out.
Aratoht"Like Mount Everest inside an oven," was how Jon Grissom described Aratoht while on a fact-finding mission to see if the garden world was worth contestation with the batarians. His team ultimately decided that the planet's air pressure and oxygen content were too low for large-scale human habitation. Undeterred, the Batarian Hegemony colonized the planet's polar regions and began an extensive terraforming effort with cyanobacteria and invasive plant species. Alliance intelligence has confirmed that the colony has several batarian military installations, which are too close to human space for the Alliance's comfort. EDI'S TRAVEL ADVISORY: The Batarian Hegemony considers any presence of Alliance military vessels in batarian space as hostile. The Normandy SR2, while an independent vessel, strongly resembles the Normandy SR1, an Alliance ship. Use of stealth systems is highly recommended. Orbital Distance: 1.15 AU Colony Founded: 2162 CE |
(As Shepard is moving through the prison...he overhears a conversation)
Batarian: Get the human into questioning.
Dr. Kenson: Get your hands off me!
(Shepard fights his way through the lower levels and overhears another conversation)
Prison Guard 1: They wanted to slam an asteroid into the mass relay.
Prison Guard 2: Can they even do that?
Prison Guard 1: What difference does it make? We caught 'em.
(Shepard continues to move through prison, and he encounters a security log)
Security Log: Our comm buoy intercepts paid off. We picked up a message to the Alliance coming from somewhere in the asteroid belt. We listened to the feed until we discovered an operation run by a human named Kenson -- smuggling engine parts and guidance systems into the system from Omega. We intercepted Kenson's vessel and took her and her people into custody. Interrogation has produced nothing but frenzied rambling so far.
(Shepard continues and overhears another conversation)
Prison Guard 1: No way it would have worked. Relays can't be damaged, much less destroyed.
Prison Guard 2: Those humans will do anything to destroy us, I swear.
Prison Guard 1: We have to make this one an example to the others. We can't respond kindly to terrorists.
(Shepard continues and overhears yet another conversation)
Prison Guard 1: I heard an artifact was found in that asteroid belt. Think the humans got it?
Prison Guard 2: If they did, they'd have swarmed in and put flags all over it.
(Shepard continues to move and encounters guards in an observation room next to the interrogation room)
Prison Guard 1: This one's apparently the mastermind.
Prison Guard 2: If she doesn't talk, kill her.
(Shepard kills the guards and can listen in on Kenson's interrogation)
Interrogator: I'll ask you again. Where is your base?
Kenson: You're wasting time. The Reapers are coming!
Interrogator: The Reapers are coming here. To this relay.
Kenson: Every moment you keep me here brings them closer.
Interrogator: So I should let you go destroy the relay, then? Just destroy this system?
Kenson: Do what you want to me, batarian. Torturing me won't save you.
Interrogator: No? But it will amuse me.
(There is also a security log in the observation room)
Security Log: The humans still won't tell us where their base is. No way we'll find it even if we have to scan every asteroid out there. I wonder if those humans actually found something. No torture is too great if it gets that information out of them.
(Shepard enters the interrogation room just as the Batarian interrogator is moving to the next level of torture and punches out the interrogator)
Kenson: Who are you? What are you doing?
Shepard: Doctor Kenson? I'm Commander Shepard. I'm here to get you out.
Kenson: Commander Shepard? I'd heard you were alive. Hackett must have received my message.
I'M HERE FOR THE EVIDENCE
Shepard (WE HAVE TO GET OUT): We're not safe here. Can you walk?
Kenson: I'm fine. Just give me a moment....
(Shepard & Kenson fight their way through the Batarian Prison to a shuttle on the landing pad outside)
(With the mass relay in the background of the shuttle window, Kenson and Shepard begin to talk)
Kenson: Engaging autopilot. We should be well out of range before they get their security measures unscrambled.
Shepard: Do you think they'll come after you?
Kenson: I'm not taking any chances. Batarians don't take kindly to humans who plan to destroy their mass relays.
Shepard: So the charges against you are true.
Kenson: Well. To be fair, that's about half the story. My people and I were here investigating rumors of Reaper technology out in the fringes of this system.
Shepard: I guess you found something.
Kenson: We found proof that the Reapers will be arriving in this system. When they get here, they'll use its mass relay to travel throughout the galaxy. We call it the "Alpha Relay." From here, the Reapers can invade anywhere in the galaxy.
Shepard: So you decided to destroy it.
Kenson: Exactly. Doing that would stop the Reapers' invasion. Even at FTL speeds, it'd be months or years before they got to the next relay. We came up with what we just called "the Project": a plan to launch a nearby asteroid into the relay and destroy it before the Reapers could arrive.
(pause as Kenson turns away from the window towards Shepard)
Kenson: Of course, the resulting explosion would probably wipe out the system.
Shepard (LOGISTICS): How did you plan to launch an asteroid into a mass relay?
Kenson: Moving an asteroid just requires thrust and guidance, which are readily available in Omega's salvage yards. Get the right amount of power and a good VI to drive it, and you can pretty much just point and shoot.
Shepard (DESTROYING A MASS RELAY): I've always heard that mass relays are indestructible.
Kenson: I've heard that, too. But I think it's more that nobody's willing to find out what happens when one is destroyed. And, well... we planned to slam a small planet into the thing at very high speed. By our calculations, that's more than enough.
Shepard (THE PROJECT): Is the Project still operational?
Kenson: I... I imagine it is. We were one button-press away from launch when the batarians arrested me.
Shepard (EXPLOSION): Why do you think destroying the mass relay would destroy the entire system?
Kenson: Mass relays are the most powerful mass-effect engines in the known galaxy. The energy released from a relay's destruction would probably resemble a supernova. This is a remote system, but just over three hundred thousand Batarians live on the colony where they held us. The explosion would undoubtedly kill them all.
Shepard (YOUR ARREST): How were you caught?
Kenson: We've been smuggling starship parts from Omega. Thrusters, guidance, an aftermarket eezo core. The batarians thought that looked suspicious. A few days ago, I took a few of the men on a scouting trip, and the batarians pounced on us. They never found our actual base.
Shepard (I NEED MORE PROOF THAN THAT): I still don't see how you learned about this supposed invasion.
Kenson: The evidence came from what we call Object Rho, a Reaper artifact we discovered among the asteroids near the relay itself. When we get back to Arcturus Station, I'll explain everything and provide copies of all our notes on the artifact.
Shepard (I HAVE TO SEE THE PROOF): The stakes are too high. If you were willing to destroy a whole system over this, I want to see your proof.
Kenson: I guess I can't argue with that. Give me a moment. (Kenson activates comm) Kenson to Project Base.
Base: Good to hear your voice, Doctor. You coming home?
Kenson: Affirmative. And I've got Commander Shepard with me.
Base: Shepard? Really?
Kenson: Tidy up the lab. The Commander needs to confirm the artifact.
Base: Right. I'll get everything set up for your arrival. Project base out.
Kenson: All set. Just sit back and relax. We'll be there in no time.
(Fade to black and fade in as shuttle approaches asteroid. It lands and Shepard and Kenson get out)
Kenson: Here we are. Welcome to Project Base.
(A timer on the top of a door reads 02:03:25:27 and is counting down. Shepard motions towards it)
Shepard: What's this?
Kenson: That's our countdown to Arrival. When that gets to zero... the Reapers will have come. Just over two days and counting. Puts things in perspective, doesn't it?
Shepard (ARE YOU SURE THAT'S RIGHT?): How do you know that's an accurate countdown?
Kenson: It is. The artifact has been giving off pulses at definite intervals since we found it. The intervals have been decreasing at a steady rate. The artifact is reacting to the Reapers' proximity. In just over forty-eight hours, the pulses will become constant, and the Reapers will be here.
Shepard (WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME): You're saying the Reapers could be at Earth in two days? There's no time to waste.
Kenson: Then let's show you that proof. That door exits the hangar. The artifact is in our central lab area.
(Shepard and Kenson head to the lab – they slowly walk through the asteroid base)
Shepard: So, what would it take to get the Project back up and running?
Kenson: Everything was in place when we were arrested. It wasn't a question of "could we," but "should we."
Shepard: What alternative do we have?
Kenson: The Reapers will reach this system, regardless. But the Alpha Relay is their shortcut to the rest of the galaxy. If you want to keep the Reapers at bay, this relay must be destroyed.
(Shepard and Kenson are at the door to the Lab that contains the artifact)
Shepard: We have to get the Project running again. It's probably the only chance we have.
Kenson: One sec. Let me get the door.
(Door opens to reveal Object Rho, a giant glowing...thingy)
Kenson: Commander Shepard, I give you Object Rho.
Shepard: You have the Reaper artifact just sitting here... out in the open.
Kenson: When we found it, it showed me a vision of the Reapers' arrival.
Shepard: Kenson, this is not good. (Shepard looks ever more warily at Kenson)
Kenson: Give it a moment, Shepard. It'll give you the proof you need.
(Shepard is hit by a blue burst of...energy from Object Rho; and sees a vision of scores of Reapers approaching the Relay. Shepard collapses to their knees. As Shepard tries to get up, Kenson moves behind Shepard with a pistol aimed at Shepard's head)
Kenson: I can't let you start the Project, Shepard. I can't let you stop the arrival.
(Base personnel start running towards the Object Rho Lab. Meanwhile Shepard struggles to their feet and then disarms Dr Kenson just as the indoctrinated base personnel enter the lab and open fire on Shepard while Kenson staggers out of the lab)
Kenson: Take him/her down!
(Shepard fights against endless waves of indoctrinated project personnel)
Kenson (over intercom): Have faith in the artifact. It'll be over soon.
Object Rho: Do not resist. Give yourself over and be spared.
Kenson (over intercom): We don't want to hurt you, Commander! Lay down your weapons!
Object Rho: Your galaxy is in sight. Your final days are at hand.
Kenson (over intercom): Don't make this difficult, Shepard!
Object Rho: You shall be the first to witness our arrival.
Kenson (over intercom): This will only get worse for you, Shepard.
Object Rho: The end of your species will come.
Kenson (over intercom): Patience. It's only a matter of time.
Object Rho: Struggle, if you wish. Your mind will be mine.
(Shepard eventually succumbs to the security force or Object Rho itself)
(As Shepard's vision dims, the booted feet of Dr. Kenson appear and she slowly kneels down. Shepard sees that Kenson's eyes are glowing brightly – as in ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL glowing)
Kenson: Take him to the med bay and patch him up. We want Shepard alive.
(Shepard blacks out)
Scientist: ...like Shepard was waking up a moment ago. But it could be a glitch in the system.
(Shepard wakes up on a medbay and starts getting up, groaning while doing so)
(Scientist turns to see Shepard getting off the bed)
Scientist: No glitch. The sedatives aren't working! Security!
(The scientist flees the medlab as Shepard leaps to their feet. Shepard punches out a guard and seizes a rifle from the other one but is trapped in the MedLab. While in the MedLab, Shepard encounters a log)
Kenson (on Log): The Project is almost complete. I thought I'd feel a sense of accomplishment, but instead... I feel dread. I can't help but think we're doing something terrible.
(Shepard takes control of a Mech and uses it to kill the Scientist)
Security: Unknown user detected in network. Engaging security protocol.
(Other LOKI Mechs activate – Shepard uses it to kill them and destroy a power junction controlling the force field)
Kenson (over comm): Shepard's escaped! All available personnel to the medical wing!
(Throughout this area, there are miscellaneous fluff pieces)
Datapad (on floor): Shepard has been sedated constantly for two days now. We've had to increase each dosage. It seemed like Shepard was waking up a moment ago. But it could be a glitch in the system. No glitch. The sedatives aren't working!
Scientist (on Research Log): I woke up this morning in a cold sweat. The nightmare was back, the one with the enormous starship crawling through the Citadel and all my friends turning to dust. Even now I can see it in my mind. Why won't this stop?
Guard (on Research Log): When it's silent, when there's no one else around, I can hear it. Whispers in the back of my mind, and I can't tell what they're saying. I spoke to Doctor Kenson about it, and she seemed to understand. What the hell is going on?
Research Log III: Kenson's acting strange lately. Like she doesn't care about the Project anymore. And I know I'm not the only one having those dreams. The Reapers are coming, she says. But I'm not sure if I'm hearing fear or hope in her voice.
(Shepard recovers their armor)
Shepard: Not much time. I have to get this asteroid moving and get the hell out of here.
(the clock now says: 00:01:56:54 before Arrival)
(Shepard fights their way through the living quarters and encounters various logs)
Dr. Kenson (on Research Log): The longer we're here, the more I'm convinced that the Project must be stopped. We simply don't know enough about what the Reapers want. It's foolish to assume that the Reapers mean doom for the galaxy. Legends say they've come through before, and yet life continues, doesn't it?
(Shepard approaches the engine terminal)
Project VI: Welcome to Project Control.
Shepard: I want to activate the Project.
Project VI: Warning. Activating the Project will result in an estimated three hundred and five thousand casualties. Do you wish to continue?
(Shepard steps back for a moment before activating the engines)
Project VI: Project activation in progress. Warning: Collision with mass relay is imminent. Begin evacuation procedures.
Shepard [WARN BATARIAN COLONIES] Alert: All colonists living in the Bahak system: This is--
Kenson: Shepard! No! Do you have any idea what you've done? You leave me no choice. If we can't stop this asteroid, it must be destroyed.
(Shepard addresses the VI)
Shepard: Tell me where to find Doctor Amanda Kenson.
Project VI: Doctor Kenson is traveling to the reactor core module.
Kenson: An eezo core meltdown should do it. Because of you, everyone on this rock will be obliterated!
Shepard: Not if I get to you first.
(Shepard fights their way to the reactor core, and finds Kenson standing in front of the Reactor)
Kenson: Don't try to stop me, Shepard. I have to do this.
I WILL STOP YOU.
Shepard (YOU'RE WASTING YOUR TIME): I've already activated the Project. We can still escape this rock!
(Kenson turns around)
Kenson: There is no escape. There's no redemption for what you've done. I will die never having seen the Reapers' blessings. And you will just die.
Shepard: Damnit, Kenson!
(Kenson runs deeper into the reactor room as more troops enter the room)
(Shepard has to fight off troops while manually stabilizing the reactor via cooling cutouts. They finally enter the main core room to find Kenson in front of a control panel)
Shepard: Step away from the reactor.
Kenson: You've ruined everything! I can't hear the whispers anymore.
Shepard: Turn around. Now!
Kenson: You've taken them away from me. I will never see the Reapers' arrival.
(Kenson turns around holding a detonator; she flips it open and holds her finger over the button)
Kenson: All you had to do was stay asleep. None of this had to happen.
[RENEGADE INTERRUPT] – NOT CHOSEN
Shepard: Kenson! You don't have to do this! We can get off this asteroid!
Kenson: No. We cannot.
(She pushes the button and blows herself up. The force of the blast knocks Shepard against a wall knocking them out)
(Shepard slowly wakes up an indeterminate time later)
Project VI: Warning: Collision imminent. (Repeats)
(Shepard tries to call the Normandy, but comm systems are down, so they have to find the emergency escape shuttles on the comm tower's landing pad)
(Shepard enters the landing pad)
Project Guard: No! That's the last shuttle! They left us here! (as a shuttle slowly takes off in the background)
(Shepard slowly fights their way to the comm tower panel to call in the Normandy for evacuation; when Harbinger appears before them)
Shepard. You have become an annoyance.
You fight against inevitability. Dust struggling against cosmic winds.
This seems a victory to you. A star system sacrificed.
But even now, your greatest civilizations are doomed to fall. Your leaders will beg to serve us.
But even now, your greatest civilizations are doomed to fall. Your leaders will beg to be harvested. (alternate)
|
Shepard (WE WILL NOT GO QUIETLY.): Maybe you're right. Maybe we can't win this. But we'll fight you regardless, just like we did Sovereign. Just like I'm doing now. However “insignificant” we might be, we will fight, we will sacrifice...and we will find a way. That's what humans do. |
Shepard (THE PROJECT IS A WARNING SHOT.): Some humans are afraid that the Reapers are too powerful. But when the Alpha Relay breaks, everyone will see that we can fight the Reapers. And win. However “insignificant” we might be, we will fight, we will sacrifice...and we will find a way. That's what humans do. |
Shepard (NO COST IS TOO GREAT.): Yes, people will die. Maybe we'll lose half the galaxy. Maybe more. But I will do whatever it takes to rid the galaxy of the Reaper threat. However “insignificant” we might be, we will fight, we will sacrifice...and we will find a way. That's what humans do. |
Know this as you die in vain: Your time will come. Your species will fall.
Prepare yourselves for the Arrival.
(Harbinger fades out as the Normandy swoops in. Shepard runs and jumps into the Normandy's airlock and it takes off for the mass relay where the Normandy enters the Mass Relay and is projected outwards about 4 to 5 seconds before the Mass Relay begins to interact with the Asteroid.)
(Shepard slumps as they watch the wave of destruction spread across the systems display in the Normandy)
(Fade to black and fade in onto the Normandy's med-bay. Admiral Hackett is talking with Dr. Chakwas)
Hackett: Hm. Looks like you've recovered.
Shepard: Admiral Hackett.
Hackett: Sounds like you went through hell down there. How are you feeling?
Shepard: Fine. No more visions, if that's what you mean. I wasn't expecting to see you here.
Hackett: You went out there as a favor to me. I decided to debrief you in person. That was before the mass relay exploded and destroyed an entire batarian system. What the hell happened out there, Commander?
Shepard (WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD): Have you received any intel about what happened?
Hackett: All I know is that I sent you out there to break Amanda Kenson out of prison, and now an entire system is destroyed. I hope you could fill in the leap of logic between those two events.
|
Shepard (YOU HAVE THE REPORT): I didn't leave any details out of my report. Hackett: Well, I was hoping to hear it from you. (Hackett presumably looks at a tablet) Hackett: Without looking at this, I'm assuming you confirmed Kenson's proof? Shepard: I did. She had a Reaper artifact that gave her visions of their arrival. |
Shepard (I DID WHAT I HAD TO DO): Kenson said the Reapers were the Galaxy's salvation. Then she captured and sedated me, and held me against my will. She wasn't willing to stop the invasion. So I did what had to be done. Hackett: Sounds like Amanda was indoctrinated. Well. That's … a damn shame. |
Shepard (I HAD NO CHOICE): I confirmed Doctor Kenson's proof. The Reapers were coming, and destroying that relay was the only way to stop them. Kenson sedated me for almost two days. I started the engines with little more than an hour left. I tried to warn the batarian colony, but... time ran out. Hackett: The Batarians report no survivors from Aratoht. At least you tried. (He turns away from Shepard) |
Hackett: And you believe the Reaper invasion really was a threat?
Shepard: No doubt about it. We literally had minutes to spare.
Hackett: I'm sure all the details are in your report. I won't lie to you, Shepard: the Batarians will want blood, and there's just enough evidence for a witch hunt. And we don't want war with the Batarians. Not with the Reapers at the galaxy's edge.
Shepard: What are you saying?
Hackett: You did what you did for the best of reasons, but... There were more than three hundred thousand Batarians in that system. All dead.
|
Shepard (WHAT I DID SAVED A LOT MORE): They died to save trillions of lives. If I could have saved them, you bet your ass I would have. Hackett: You're preaching to the choir, Commander. If it were up to me, I'd give you a damn medal. Unfortunately, not everyone will see it that way. |
Shepard (IT WAS WORTH THE PRICE): Any sacrifice is worth stopping a Reaper invasion. Hackett: I happen to agree with you. I'm sorry those Batarians lost their lives, but someone has to make the difficult decisions that get people killed. Unfortunately, not everyone will see it that way. |
Shepard: So what do you suggest?
Hackett: Evidence against you is shoddy, at best. But at some point, you'll have to go to Earth and face the music. I can't stop it... but I can and will make them fight for it.
Shepard (HACKETT AND CERBERUS): I didn't expect to see you aboard a Cerberus vessel.
Hackett: I don't like Cerberus or the way they do things. But they brought you back to life, and they're actually doing something about the state of the galaxy.
Hackett: Besides. I'm not so sure this -is- a Cerberus ship anymore. Right? (said in specific paragon circumstances)
Hackett: So for now... I can be friendly.
Shepard (WAR WITH THE BATARIANS): Is the Alliance concerned about the Batarians' response to this incident?
Hackett: Very. The Batarians have been looking for an excuse to wage war on us since we showed up in the galaxy. If the Reapers invade, we need the galaxy to work together. If we're at war with the Batarians, the other races will be hesitant to give aid to either side.
Shepard (THE REAPERS): Is the Alliance prepared for a Reaper invasion?
Hackett: That's hard to say. It took multiple fleets – and the Destiny Ascension – to bring Sovereign down. And that was just one Reaper. If the Reapers come in force... we're just not ready.
|
Shepard (I'LL TURN MYSELF IN): I'll gladly stand trial once this mission is done. Hackett: Glad to see working with Cerberus hasn't stripped away your sense of honor. |
Shepard (I APPRECIATE THE DELAY): Thank you, Admiral. |
Shepard (THEY SHOULD BE THANKING ME): I stop a Reaper invasion, and they want to put me up on charges? Hackett: It's not a matter of preference, Shepard. You'll be a convenient scapegoat for avoiding open war. |
(Hackett turns and begins to leave the medbay)
Hackett: Do whatever you have to do out here. But when Earth calls, you make sure you're there with your dress blues on, ready to take the hit. In the meantime... you keep this. I don't need to see your report to know you did the right thing.
Shepard: Yes, Sir.
Hackett: You've done a hell of a thing, Commander.