Mass Effect 3: An Alternate Ending
The Illusive Man slumped to the ground after taking a second-hand gunshot to the gut. The blood that poured from his body was almost as black as the Reaper markings coveted on his face. Finally, Commander Shepard had finished the fight.
Walking up to the Citadel console, Shepard fiddled with a few holographic dials amidst the wreckage of the Citadel to prepare to fire off the Crucible. It felt like the hardest task she had ever done, although after making several overt alien races extinct, besting the Reapers mano a mano on several occasions and overcoming direct indoctrination, this really was one of the easier tasks of her long journey.
Shepard finally finished everything with the Crucible and felt her life force fading. She had survived many an encounter, but Sovereign's onslaught, along with The Illusive Man's gunshot, were finally about to do her in. She stepped back a bit and clambered down next to the wounded Admiral Anderson.
"It's finally over." Admiral Anderson coughed out. "Earth is saved."
"And the galaxy." Shepard remarked.
"Who could forget?"
Anderson managed a laugh even from his mortally wounded state.
"You know, Shepard…you have really gone above and beyond the call of duty. No one could have done what you have. Uniting the geth and the quarians, curing the genophage…I know I've told you this so many times, but you're a hero, Shepard."
"How long will those changes last, though?"
"I don't know, Shepard. But I do know one thing: you've done humanity proud."
"Thank you, sir."
Shepard peered at Anderson. She realized pride was the final thing he felt. That made her strangely happy with his fate.
Shepard decided to make that feeling hers as well. Perhaps show it off to Admiral Hackett, who was calling her over comms.
"Shepard, what's your status?" Hackett's gravely voice was barely seeping through.
"The Crucible has been set up, sir. Awaiting your command to fire."
"What about you, Shepard?"
Shepard paused for a moment.
"I'm not going to make it, Hackett."
Hackett spluttered for a moment. "You can still make it, Shepard. Can you walk out of there?"
A large amount of blood tainted the cold steel around her body. It reflected the vibrant spaceship battle occurring outside, presumably where Hackett sat as well.
Trying to stand up went about as well as expected with a pool that large.
Shepard grunted as she collapsed to the floor, her black eye shadow fading with her life.
"Shepard…I'm afraid that when the fire the Crucible…the Citadel's going to be destroyed as well. You don't have a lot of time to get out of there."
"I don't think I can get out, Hackett. It's strange that after so many suicide missions I die at the very last stop."
Suddenly, down the hall, a familiar turian voice could be heard echoing Shepard's name.
Garrus ran up to Shepard and picked her up, lugging her across the hall back to the transporter before she could say a word. Just as they went back through the gate, Shepard could see the space vista begin to brighten harshly.
Shepard walked through the streets of London, relatively clean a mere two months after the Reaper assault, which had even managed to destroy Big Ben. She had lost the spring in her step she once had, but every interstellar military official was happy to see her as she approached the stage.
Masses of crowds cheered as soon as clambered up to the podium.
After everything, this was probably her hardest task. She never was good with speeches, despite having delivered two very good ones before by luck.
As every settled race calmed down, Shepard began to speak.
"I know you all want me to take the credit for the victory against the Reapers. I know this very speech will only get some of you to say I'm too humble. But the truth is, it was not just me who accomplished the impossible. It was each and every one of you."
Shepard breathed in deep.
"This war was only won because we all stood together. We ended so many ongoing conflicts to resolve what may have been our last one. We stopped the war with the geth and the quarians, but that would not have happened without the co-operation of either. With the genophage gone as well, perhaps we may yet see true galactic unity."
Shepard said that last line ironically. She doubted the leader of the krogans, Wreav, was going to eschew vengeance against the rest of the galaxy after years of the genophage's existence. He would hold back for now, of course, partially out of honour and partially out of fear, but Shepard almost knew war would rage again soon.
"It may have taken the threat of galactic extinction, but I believe now is the time to finally stand together. We have achieved the impossible now. Perhaps we may yet accomplish much more. I realize that much has been lost in generations of conflict, but if this brutal war taught me anything, it's that anything is possible if we just stand together."
"Oh God, I'm repeating myself, aren't I?" She muttered into the microphone. The crowd tittered for a while.
"I'm sorry. I'm just not good with peachy speeches. But every word I say, I believe. We have achieved victory against the biggest enemy force in the galaxy. I want it to be the last one."
Thousands of people cheered in front of the stage. Shepard could not feel any more proud as she stepped off.
"Isn't this ending a little bit clichéd, Shepard?"
"Come on, Garrus. We both promised we'd do this".
"Sure, but that was in the middle of a war zone. My mind…was not in the best frame then."
Shepard breathed in the salty sea air.
"Come on, we deserve this. The Omega 4 relay, ending so many pointless conflicts, dominating the Reapers…" Shepard drifted off gloomily.
"You're thinking about Kaidan?" Garrus asked.
"War has casualties. I know that. But I put him in direct danger on the final run to the Citadel. If I hadn't…"
"Shepard, listen to me. I know you. You're one of the straightest people I've seen in this whole damn galaxy. Kaidan knew that too, even after everything he's said."
Shepard just listened intently while Garrus continued.
"You saved the galaxy. Countless, countless lives. He would be too proud."
"Yeah…I suppose you're right, Garrus."
Garrus chortled. "I'm always right."
The two merely sat along the beach for a while as a setting sun peered behind the wreckage of a Reaper ship.
Shepard usually sensed omens, but she finally felt peaceful. After years of fighting and fighting, she could finally stop holding a gun for longer than a day. Relaxing on the beach was a simple way to tip off the Reaper invasion, she thought, but she had earned no less.
Mission accomplished.