Just finished Mass Effect 3, and while I do not completely hate the ending, I do think it could have been (alot) better. So, I decided to write what I honestly thought the ending would be like, till the last few minutes. Just to state the obvious, and keep idiot flamers away, this little oneshot has HUGE FREAKIN SPOILERS for ME3. Enjoy.
As Anderson stopped breathing, Commander John Shepherd closed his eyes and sighed. It was over. After countless deaths, unimaginable destruction, and more pain and heartache than any one person should ever endure, he had managed to stop the Reapers.
His shock numbed mind was just thinking that his old friend had the right idea, when he heard Admiral Hackett's voice.
"Shepherd? Commander, are you there?"
He groaned soflty and took a deep breath, which caused no small amount of pain, before responding. "I'm here, sir."
The next words he heard made his breath hitch and his heart clench. "The Crucible is not working Commander. It's in place, but nothing's happening. It must be something on your end."
His mind reeled. After everything that had happened, the losses of Kaidan, Thane, Legion, it wasn't working? His thought processes jammed, unable to process it.
As soon as his brain rebooted, he forced himself up and began to hobble over to the terminal in front of him. His eyes searched frantically for anything that would tell him how to activate the Crucible, but found nothing. As Hackett continued calling out to him, trying to find out what was going on, his legs gave out from under him and he collaped in front of the terminal.
He was only vaguely aware of the fact that the floor was beginning to rise.
Shepherd looked up when he felt the floor shudder as it stopped. To his amazement, he seemed to be on the outside of the station. All around him, he could see the monumental battle taking place. Above him, the Crucible loomed, bright streams of energy travelling between it and the Citadel.
As he laboriously got to his feet, he heard a noise to his left. A holographic image was floating there. Though it was badly distorted, Shepherd recognized it as a Prothean VI like the one that informed him of the Catalyst.
"Crucible detected. Awaiting instructional data." It said, it's voice distorted and fuzzy, but still understandable.
Shepherd stared at it for a second before responding. "What do you mean, instructional data? Isn't the Crucible supposed to be destroying the Reapers? And who are you?"
"I am Vigilance, the VI that was uploaded to the station by the team, of what you call Protheans, that came though the Conduit at the end of the last cycle. I was uploaded in order to connect the Crucible and Catalyst, as well as activate it." The VI paused for a moment, before continuing. "In order to perform its function, the Crucible requires additional input in order to perform what needs to be done. Without that data, it will send out a general energy wave which will eliminate everything indiscriminately. Thus, this failsafe was installed."
Shepherd swallowed before nodding in understanding. "Alright, what do I need to do?"
The VI promptly responded. "In order to prevent the Crucible from being used foolishly, a race in one of the previous cycles added the failsafe. It requires a direct reading of the intent that the user has when it is activated. It does so by, essentially, reading the user's mind, and then using that information to perform the required task."
Shepherd stared in slight shock before tentatively responding, remembering what just happened with the Illusive Man. "So, if I wanted to control the Reapers instead of destroy them, the Catalyst would act on that? And how does that stop it from being misused?"
"Correct. The effect the Crucible would have is dependant upon your intent." Here it paused for a second, before continuing. " The reason this was considered a failsafe, is the fact that uploading the data requires stepping into that beam." It motioned to the middle of the platform, where a bright beam of light connected the two structures. "During the upload, the subject's body is destroyed by the process. It was believed that this would make sure it was only used when absolutely needed."
Shepherds eyes widened, before he activated his com to speak with Hackett. "Sir, I found out why the Crucible isn't firing. It requires additional data, which I can input from here. However..." He stopped, wondering what he should say. The fact was, he had no clue whether he should actually do it. He was a simple soldier, and what happened next would change everything. He could wipe out the Reapers, or take control of them. Both options had enourmus lists of pros and cons.
"What is it Shepherd? We need to know what we need to do soon. It's only a matter of time before the Reapers overwhelm us."
Shepherd took a deep breath, coming to his decision. He began to walk toward the beam as he responded. "However, doing so will kill me. It's some sort of ancient safeguard."
For a few seconds there was silence, interrupted only by Shepherds footsteps. However, he was suprised when it wasn't Hackett's voice that responded, but Tali's, sounding rather hysterical.
"No! You can't do that Shepherd! There must be some other way! Maybe we can bypass the safeguard so it doesn't kill you! Or, or..." She trailed off, and Shepherd was sure she was close to tears.
"Tali? How can you hear me?"
Ashley was the one that answered this time, sounding almost as bad as Tali herself. "You set your com to broadcast as all frequencies. We can all hear you."
"Oh" Shepherd shook his head as he continued forward, the beam coming closer. He must have been very distracted to do something like that. "There isn't enough time to try to bypass the system. We only have a few minutes at most before the Reapers break through. I'm sorry, but this is the way it has to be." He was almost to the beam, just a few more feet.
"Understood Commander." Hackett's voice called. "We are all in your debt. You, and what you do here, will never be forgotten."
He'd made it to the edge. He stopped, trying to think of what to say, before deciding to keep it simple. "Goodbye everybody. Know that every single one of you has made me proud." He smiled softly. "I'll see you all later." After a few seconds of silence, his squad, his friends responded in their own, unique ways. The it was time.
As he began taking the final steps of his life, he couldn't help but speak. "Though Death cometh for me, I do not die. I am born, into eternity."
Then he was in the beam, feeling his mind come undone, his body unraveling, as he focused on what he wanted. As all he was faded, he smiled.
Those watching the Crucible from afar saw the light being generated by massive construct suddenly flare, pulsing outward. As the nearby Reapers were affected, it then shot out an intense beam which hit the relay, sending the energy to every relay in existance, which all pulsed out as well, affecting every single reaper.
What would come to be known in the years and centuries to come as the Reaper war, was finally over.
Whew, it's done. Anyway, this fic was more of an outline of what I had imagined would happen at the end when I was playing. I made sure to at least try to leave it vague enough to fit into any play style, paragon or renegade. You decide if I succeeded. Hope you enjoyed it.