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Mass Effect 2: Lanius

The Battle for Omega

"…delivering the cure. We go in hard, fast, and save as many people from the plague as we still can. "

Interim Cut Scene 1

This cut scene plays after the completion of the first Omega objective, similar to the Battle of the Citadel.

The Terminus Fleet tries to push in towards the station: with Cerberus driven back, a host of ships dock on Omega itself, even as landing craft and gun ships push into the station itself. Other ships push past the docks, skirting the edge of the station: the first small ship to eclipse the 'horizon', however, is dismantled by a Collector particle beam. So is the second, and the third.

Though Terminus fighters swarm forward, a cloud of Oculi drones meet them: large numbers of both sides fall in the initial exchanges, Occuli drones shooting lasers and being struck down by Guardian barrages. Even so, the Collector threat is real: their advanced technology is decimating the Terminus fleet.

Throughout the missions to follow, EDI radios in reports from the battles, of Terminus vessels lost and collateral damage to the station sustained.

The Plague District

Concept Summary

The Cure Route is, in spirit, the canonical Mordin recruitment mission without recruiting Mordin. The context and themes are different, but the goal is the same: to cure the Plague. The Plague District is a major contested population district of Omega, a cross between lower-class slums and the Zakera Ward of the Citadel.

Thematically, the lack of need to introduce Mordin opens up space for focus on a few new ideas. These issues are the sort that would be introduced earlier in the game through ambient chatter, Omega sidequests, or listening to the news reports. Think of them as Chekov's Gun themes. Such issues include...

-The overpopulation/demographic crisis

One of the key points about the station of Omega is that it is reaching an overpopulation crisis. Between established residents, the constant immigration of new economic interests, and the new waves of Human immigration, the station has been reaching a tipping point in terms of space and racial tensions for years. As long as Aria made her money she didn't care who came and who was kicked out, but race tensions have turned every district into a racially-contested zone. Established populations, be they Asari or Batarian, look at the new arrivals with suspicion that they intend to take their homes... and rightly so, since the Golden Rule of Omega is that he with gold, rules. The two new population groups are Humans, new money, and the Vorcha, the urban blight.

Now that the Omega Plague has broken out, however, the unrest has spilled over into outright turf wars. Even as the Omega Plague culls the numbers, the population groups fight to secure their homes... and expand to take the turf of those who have died or just weakened. The Plague District is one such war zone, where Shepard is fighting through gangs and militias more than organized forces. Human militias (some with ties to Cerberus), merc groups, and Vorcha gangs all fight for control... and Shepard has to fight through. The more the plague devastates the aliens, the more ground the human and vorcha groups make.

-The Omega Plague

Though the 'final' version has only just been deployed, parts of Omega have been under quarantine since before the start of the game. Throughout the game, news reports track how the 'highly mutative' plague is affecting Omega, tracked by which species are affected by particular strains. A quarantine has been in effect and so it was mostly a chekov's gun news piece throughout the game.

-The Human Wave

The Terminus has always been the frontier, and Omega the nexus of the Terminus. As the Humans emerged on the galactic stage, flooding from a hyper-populated homeworld in colonization waves, many found their way to Omega. Once a marginal population, Humans have become an increasingly prevalent and persuasive presence on Omega... not least because they're the newest and biggest investors taking advantage of Omega's opportunities, and filling Aria's coffers.

The 'noveau riche' group of the station, most Humans on Omega are associated with Human corporations or agencies that have been willing to invest much money for the chance to establish themselves in the eternal boom-town of the Terminus. Encouraged by Aria so long as they bring money and don't challenge her, Human interests have elbowed out many older, established groups... much to their displeasure.

-The Vorcha Revolution

Just like in canon, the two groups immune to the Omega Plague are Humans (by design) and Vorcha (by biology). Unlike canon, the Vorcha situation is played up a bit. As the Omega Plague has existed in previous incomplete forms, the Vorcha have likewise been surviving and expanding throughout the game via news reports and ambient chatter. With more established space, the Vorcha have more and more presence on the station, even as groups hunt and enslave them... and the more established the Vorcha are, the less they like being pushed around.

The Vorcha are cast as the 'other' species that's on the rise in Omega, rival-competitors to the Humans. Rather than spread by virtue of being new and rich, however, the Vorcha take on a more under-class role: slaves and vermin who have lived at the margins, exploited and abused for so long. Now the Vorcha on the station are grouping together: primarily in gangs, but a pan-Vorcha movement is also gaining traction. With vaguely socialist/communist undertones, this new Vorcha movement wants to free the Vorcha from their oppression and claim a home... and Omega would suit them well.

In the early/mid-game, the Vorcha movement is another Chekov's gun, involved with minor side quests and news reports. In the end-game, the Vorcha gangs are taking advantage of the plague and Collectors both to try and claim as much territory as they can. No group actually likes them, but the Vorcha are able to thrive in the chaos: the plague doesn't hurt them, Cerberus is focused on the rich alien interests, and they are at least tacitly cooperating with the Collectors by staying out of the way. Ultimately, however, Shepard puts a stop to their station-revolution ambitions: when Shepard restores control of the station to Aria and Terminus forces, the Vorcha get beat down (again).

The Vorcha movement makes a potential plot threat to be picked up again in ME3, but for Lanius-ME2 it is a still-born revolution.

-Sectarian Warfare

As has been mentioned before, the overpopulation crisis and demographics of the station have turned the districts into contested zones. Species have enclaves, communities fight for their own, and so on. With the Omega Plague, tensions have broken out into outright warfare as groups fight for territory and control of the station. Rather than a quarantine force, Shepard and co fight through a multi-factioned gang war during the Cure Delivery phase: Human militias, merc groups, and Vorcha are all fighting eachother, which puts them all in Shepard's way. And rather than looters, Shepard is likely to come across squatters, trying to claim abandoned buildings for themselves.

The theme to take away is that the Omega Plague is a very real, very bloody rebalancing of the station's demographics. Whether aliens to the plague or Humans to the Collectors, whoever dies the least will take the most, and shape the face of Omega for decades to come. The longer the Plague goes on, the more Humans will expand into the formerly alien districts. The more Humans the Collectors collect, the reverse. Which order you do missions in will affect where the boundaries are between Humans, Aliens, and Vorcha.

-The Finale

The final battle Shepard overcomes is just a recast version of Mordin's recruitment mission of canon. Shepard must overcome the Vorcha movement trying to take over Omega by plague, and release the Cure.

Interim Cut Scene2

This cut scene plays after the completion of the second Omega objective, similar to the Battle of the Citadel.

Despite casualties, the Terminus forces make a movement to get closer to the Collector Vessel. As they do, however, small things begin to fly through the Omega 4 Relay and from inside the Collector Cruiser: more Occuli, hundreds of them. Even as the Collector Cruiser remains docked with the station, particle beam stabbing into the Terminus forces, Occuli swarms begin to devastate the Terminus fleets even as the situation on the station stabilizes.

Just when it seems all is lost, however, new ships appear from FTL. The Cavalry. The Council fleet has arrived, and even before the surprise has registered they are firing: not on the Terminus, but on the Occuli drones, as fighter carriers begin launching new waves of fighter support.

The Cavalry has arrived. With them is Anderson, leading the charge.

"Last stop is the Collectors. Time to put them down."

"This is just like Freedom's progress. Everyone's… gone. The streets are just empty."

"One difference, though. Horizon had just humans: Omega has millions of non-humans."

"What did the Collectors do with them?"

"Better not think about it."

"Found the aliens, Commander."

"Shot in the street and thrown to the side. What a waste."

"But what are they here for? Why bother dragging them here?"

"I dunno, but- wait, did you hear that? Almost sounded like-"

"Husks! But these aren't human husks, Shepard!"

"They'll still die if you shoot them. Open fire!"

"Alien husks… what do you want to bet the Collectors have researched us for hundreds of years?"

"The Reapers have been preparing their armies ever since we went to the Citadel. They were just waiting to use them."

"The Collectors aren't a threat to just humans: they're a threat to every species in the galaxy. Husks, the plague… they've been preparing to start wiping out species even before the Reapers arrive."

"We'll stop them. Come on."

"We will direct this personally."

"Big guy is here, Shepard: ready to fight?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

"Your victory here is irrelevant."

"Commander, system defenses are back online. The Collector Cruiser has begun to withdraw, and Terminus forces approach."

"Make sure they know we're friendly, EDI. I don't want to be bombed by mistake."

"Understood, Shepard."

The Collectors

Concept Summary

The Collector District has a simple premise behind it: it is the dry run for the ME3 experience of a Reaper genocide. This isn't simply an abduction, but a Reaping.

In tone, fireworks, dialogue, and encounters on the way, the Collector District is the Big Fight. Fighting Cerberus is fighting the pesky commandos who don't quit. Curing the Plague is a bunch of gangs. But the Collectors... the Collectors are single-handily fighting off a Terminus fleet, crushing nearly all opposition before them, and wiping out millions. And this is the 'weak' group of fighters. You should be even more afraid when the Reapers themselves arrive.

Mentioned in the dialogue are references to alien husks. Even if only tentative, I feel this part would make a good 'trial run' for early non-human husk concepts. Just like how not all the ME2 husks will return in ME3, these ME2 foes could make a good prototype for the ME3 ones.

Not mentioned in the dialogues are some of the other sorts of encounters Shepard could have in the Collector district. Alien families trying to hide even as the plague kills them (or not), or Humans in the process of being abducted. Also a minor Cerberus presence: Cerberus soldiers who have committed themselves to the suicidal goal of holding back, or at least slowing, the Collector advance on the Humans.

As a major 'Human' district, this section of the station offers up a glance at the more Human-owned parts of the station. Refurbished, re-invested, and in many places re-built, the Human district stands apart from the poorer parts of Omega we see. Hub-world Omega varies between 'pisshole slums' and 'edgy-gritty snazz', depending how close you are to Afterlife and how close you are to the bottom. The Economic sector, where Cerberus is, has something of a 'dockyards' cyberpunk theme: patches of high-tech businesses and shine, but between them lays the dirty dark streets. The Plague sector is residential slums, more or less. But the Collector-occupied Human district is a veritable home-away-from-home: more akin to a Human colony than part of the station, with clean floors and white lights and the gloom only in the distance. A cross between a gated community and a military base, the Human district was (re)built by Human corporate investment to house and protect and serve the Human population of Omega.

As with all the districts in the finale, the order of routes makes a difference in the experience. The earlier in the crisis you arrive, the better: more Humans are still frozen and alive. The later, the more empty and battered the streets. The longer you wait, the more de-populated the Human bastion.

Author Notes:

First, an honest apology: I don't actually like this section, because it didn't write well (or at all) despite being important. Hence the mix of style: compared to the Butcher's section, which was dialogue specific, the rest of the Omega Plague is more about tones and themes than actual dialogue.

The Omega Plague scenario is something that sounds tricky, but is simple in design. It is, in effect, a Big Decision based on order of priority: what you did first, second, third. Everything else is gravy, but there's a lot of gravy to be made: one of the cooler points about the order of events is altering the missions slightly to reflect the damages being done. The longer the plague goes on, the more dead aliens you find. The longer the Collectors attack, the fewer Humans. The longer Cerberus is unopposed, the greater the economic damage. Just showing these things in minor ways can greatly boost verisimilitude.

I realize that the 'pacing' here is messed up due to the lack of good dialogue. I realize, and apologize, but we can move on anyways. There's still some interesting things ahead for us to cover, and I think some of you will be surprised and pleased when we do. Not all of it will be dialogue... but the parts that are should be interesting.