Since it would appear the ending for ME3 has been botched, I decided to formulate my own. It seemed to be the only thing I could do to ease the pain, after investing quite literally hundreds of hours into Mass Effect. I'm assuming you're reading this after having played ME3 at least once, while there is technically few spoilers in this. I suggest you have played ME3 through once before reading this.
This is an ending for my male paragon, who romanced Ashley. I hope you enjoy it.
Shepard looked towards his left hand, briefly taking it off his wound. It was covered in blood, he was dying and knew it. Likely would already be dead if not for his cybernetic implants. He was starting to get groggy, he couldn't have much time left. The comm unit he had spurted to life, it was Admiral Hackett.
"Shepard?" His eyes started to flutter open, not aware if any time passed. "Commander!" Hackett was alarmed at the lack of response.
"I…uh." Shepard shook his head to try and break out of his slumber, something must be wrong. "What do you need me to do?"
Hackett responded. "Nothing's happening! The Crucible's not firing, it's gotta be something at your end." The Commander tried to pick himself up, barely able to crawl towards the console he needed to access. Several seconds passed without any further exchange.
"Commander Shepard!" The worry in Hackett's exclamation was plain. He just wasn't sure if the lack of response was down to there being no solution or if the Commander was wounded. They were running out of time, the fleet couldn't hold off the Reapers from the station very long.
"I don't see…." Shepard tried desperately to reach up to the console, but he was well out of reach and rapidly losing his energy & strength. "I'm not sure….." He didn't get to complete his sentence, before the blackness took him.
Hackett tried raising him again. "Commander?" The platform Shepard slumped on suddenly had a beacon of white light shining on it, it began to rise. It was taking the Spectre to another previously unseen part of the Citadel. At the same moment, the massive station began to open up its arms in a way no-one has ever witnessed before, it took on a star shape. Hackett made no further attempt to communicate as it seemed Shepard solved whatever the problem with the Crucible was.
A white beacon of light began to take form and approach the slumped form of Shepard.
"Wake up." The form said, in an almost emotionless fashion.
The Commander began to stir, and slowly opened his eyes. He gradually began to pick himself up, still feeling like hell. Though he was definitely feeling improved to how he was a short while ago. He looked around this new area, then to the form that called on him to wake up and saw….
"Kaidan!" His mouth gaped at the site, at least it was Kaidan if he were a VI.
"No." It replied with a perfect replica of his voice. Though there was a slight, almost godly echo attached to it. "I have taken a form within your mind so you may comprehend me. I have analysed your thoughts & the data within the station since I have been re-awakened."
Shepard's mind instantly became full of questions. "Who are you?"
"I am the Catalyst." It replied.
"I thought the Citadel was the Catalyst?" He questioned, now confused by this turn of events.
"This station is the mechanical portion of the Catalyst, I complete it." It explained. "By your measure of time, I have waited many millions of your years for the necessary conditions for my awakening. You are the first to have achieved this."
"Conditions?" Shepard queried. "I don't understand. Why have you been dormant for so long? What is it you are supposed to do?
"My people created me before the darkness fell." It began to explain. "We created the Citadel and forged the Mass Relays as our means of travel. After exploring the galaxy, we found ourselves as the only species in existence. There may have been countless billions of us, but we were alone." Shepard listened intently as it continued.
"Our people sought to create events that would allow new life to spawn on the uninhabited worlds. This planet for example." It gestured towards the Earth. "We sent a conditioned asteroid to create an event that would allow new intelligent life to one day rise."
Shepard was both awed and horrified at the same time about this little revelation. "Your species wiped out the dinosaurs and everything else? How could you possibly know what would happen?"
It was unmoved by the hint of contempt in Shepard's voice. "The evolution was charted, no intelligent life would have ever formed on your planet unless conditions changed. The only mistake we made was in the creation of our mechanical life." That sparked an intent interest to Shepard, he had to ask the question.
"Was it your people that created the Reapers?" It seemed to be the only thing that made sense.
"Not in the present form you see." It answered. "The events we set in motion for new life would have taken millions of year for fruition. Others wanted to create mechanical life to add immediate diversity to the galaxy."
"What went wrong?" He asked.
"The mistakes that were made are as lost in time as my people. I only know that they have taken the form you witness now, utterly ravaging every advanced species to suit their own whims. We created this life for it to take its own shape. There was nothing pre-programmed, they used free will. They proceeded to re-purpose the Mass Relays and the Citadel for their own use."
Shepard, becoming aware that the battle was still very much raging and can't afford to drag on, now had to press for the solution.
"Are you able to help us destroy the Reapers?"
"Yes." It replied. "Before the darkness fell, the Citadel was modified and can be used as a massive dark energy converter. To which we discovered the Reapers are vulnerable to. We were not able to design the device, that you have named the Crucible to save our species. It would appear most cycles have gradually added to the designs. This cycle appears to be the first that has actually completed the device."
This was it, Shepard frantically thought. A chance to finally end this! "What must I do?"
"A massive amount of energy must be collected to convert into dark energy. The sudden gathering of dark energy would attract every Reaper in the galaxy to the station. Releasing rapid bursts as they come to bare would destroy them."
He nodded. "How would you gather the energy you need? It doesn't sound like anything we have could generate that kind of power."
"That is correct, and how I gather that energy is up to you." Shepard gave a confused look to that statement, it seemed an unusual thing to say. "The station is linked to every Mass Relay in galaxy, which would enable me to gather what is required from anywhere a relay is present."
"Alright." Shepard started to shift after he said that, the pain was returning and he was starting to feel much like he did earlier.
"We must hurry." It said. "I was able to briefly stabilise the condition of you and Admiral Anderson, it will not last long."
Shepard could feel throbbing, his condition was declining rapidly. "You're not kidding, let's get this finished."
"I can harness the required energy from the Mass Relay network. This would overload every Relay and possibly destroy them in the process. Alternatively, I can also make use of life force to gather the required energy. It would require approximately half of the current galaxy's population. I can even purpose the gathering to ignore species such as your own. This would leave the Relay network intact."
Shepard knew he had almost no time to think this over. Either decision would be disastrous. If the Relays are gone, the fleets would be stranded and quite possibly die out due to lack of supplies. The same would be true of most systems that would be cut-off as a result. On the other hand, sacrifice half of the galaxy now and keep the infrastructure intact. Shepard made his decision.
"Too much has been accomplished just to throw away half the galaxy in a whim." He shook his head. "I have to take this chance, gather your energy from the Relays."
"Acknowledged." The imitation of Kaidan began to fade away. "My primary function will soon be completed and I will cease to exist. Make sure your people never repeat our mistakes." It vanished completely and Shepard was left on his own, the platform that brought him here lit up again. He slowly stepped towards it again, thankfully he didn't move too far from it. The platform began to descend, he sat down and activated his comm unit.
"Admiral?" He didn't have to wait long for a reply.
"Status report Commander? The Citadel's arms have opened in a star like fashion, but nothing's happened since then. Is the Crucible working?" He urgently queried.
"It's powering up Admiral, but soon you'll have every Reaper in the galaxy bearing down on it. We should evacuate anyone left on here." Shepard was getting groggy again, but had enough to place himself back beside Anderson.
"We're dispatching ships now Commander, hang in there. Hackett out." The comm channel closed.
Shepard turned to Anderson. "David, you still with me over there?"
The Admiral's eyes briefly fluttered open. "Just about." He sounded even more exhausted than Shepard. "I feel like it's been years since me or you could just sit down." He was able to afford a small smile.
The Commander afforded a smile back. "Yeah. We both need a vacation."
Anderson coughed slightly as he tried to speak, no doubt his wound was taking its toll. "You did well son. I'm damn proud of you."
"Thanks….." Shepard tried to say more, but he didn't have anything left to do so. The two officers closed their eyes and all went dark…
At the same moment, what appeared to be like bolts of red lightning emitted from the Citadel. What started as one bolt soon became many, instantly reaching the Sol Mass Relay and as quickly cascading to every Relay in the galaxy.
The furthest away Relay was the first to be literarily sucked dry of energy and shook apart from the sheer force of it. The force of gathering energy as quickly working its way back to the Sol Relay and then the Citadel. The colossal ball of energy gathered at the centre where the Crucible was docked. Reapers of all kinds abandoned their present activity to swarm the Citadel, which started to emit short bolts of red lighting to each on-coming Reaper. They were vaporised one by one until they were no more.
An unknown amount of time passed, Shepard fought to open his eyes even for a moment. It was chillingly similar to his premature awaking while being re-built. He was able to see…Ash! He lost the energy to keep his eyes open, but before going under gain he managed to hear…
"It's alright, you're gonna make it. Anderson too." She spoke softly and reassuringly. "You did it, we're safe."