Act 1: The Midday
SSV Normandy
TIM immediately contacts the Normandy as they depart, giving the team their first dossiers, and who they need to recruit for the mission. Jane, Khali, Ash, and Shield are the four always present for these briefings. And Shield has made sure that the dossiers have stayed the same, having constantly given his input into who to recruit since he joined. Jane is unsure which to go for first, and Khali states she simply doesn't care. It becomes clear that she is not invested in Project Lazarus at all when it comes to the team-building. As Chief of Security, Ash recommends going for a familiar face first, and Shield agrees, leading them to head to Omega since it's also closest.
Omega
Standard fare. The Lazarus Cell goes to see Aria at Afterlife. She's amazed Shepard is alive but quickly gets over it. She briefs them on their dossiers. What's going on with Garrus and Mordin. She also expresses shock however to see Shield with Cerberus. Especially after his warning. Shield clarifies that yes, he is working with Cerberus, not for them. He'll gladly tell her if he hears anything that might affect her reign. Aria relents, finding the circumstances funny, and lets him know that she did follow up on his favor, and has learned a couple of useful details from their mutual friend. Who's Paul Grayson. She wouldn't say the name out-loud, but that's who she'd be referring to. Though Shield doesn't actually know the guy at all. See AHL Ch 5 You Only Live Once for context. Anyways, after some clarification and more exposition, they leave to begin their first recruitment mission.
Dossier: The Rebel
The turian's in trouble, so they go to help him first. Shield has been in contact with Garrus since they rescued Shepard's body from the Broker on Alingon, so it's no surprise to the team who 'Archangel' is. Garrus remained on Omega after getting Shepard's body back, and he's been busy cleaning house. Throughout that time, Shield's been providing him advice and informing him on the progress of Lazarus. Shield has also warned him not to trust Sidonis. In the Mass Effect comic: Homeworlds 3, we learn Sidonis is actually the first person Garrus meets and forms the team with, so Garrus disbelieves Shield's warning just a tad. But he's still kept a close eye on him, preventing him from ever being compromised. And when asked, Shield has also warned him not to go too hard with his team, and that convinces hardened Garrus to step off the gas pedal, and allow several members to retire when they express they're tired of the work. Which includes Sidonis. Due to starting work earlier, Garrus has also expanded his reach, and has finally crossed an enemy too big for even him to handle. The Collectors.
Upon shutting down the Blue Suns' human trafficking operation, where they'd give humans to the Collectors (another comic previously mentioned in AHL CH 5 You Only Live Once, ME: Incursion), Garrus had finally run out of luck. As their new intermediary in the galaxy, the Broker would do the Collector's bidding, and use his resources to leak where Omega's Angels had their base. This would lead a coalition of nearly EVERY criminal organization out to get them to siege their apartment in the Kima District. They had made a lot of enemies. Since the Broker is working with the Collectors, it's clear it also wouldn't be safe to join the ranks of the freelancers to infiltrate the coalition, as the gangs could easily be tipped off and capture the Lazarus team. This leads the group to find another way to help Garrus out. The tunnels.
Blood Pack Vorcha infest them exclusively, allowing Team Lazarus (Jane, Ash, and Shield) to cut through the tunnels with ease, though Jane's aim and use of biotics is not nearly as good as they first thought. Once they're at the barrier, they use top-grade explosives, breaking into the apartment, to the surprise of Garrus' team. The situation is quickly diffused, and Garrus fills everyone in on what's happening and vice-versa. They then weather several more waves of mercs and criminals. Looking over the bridge near the end, Shield then catches Cadus on the other side, apparently advising Tarak and Cathka as the next wave of Blue Suns come over.
Instead of going back out through the tunnels once the horde was thinned, Shield is adamant they have a new objective: Catch Cadus. Though reluctant, Garrus agrees, as tagging the Shadow Broker back as well as killing the rest of the gang's leadership would be a 2 for 1 special. There were 8 members of Omega's Angels ready to go (though 3 were injured in the fight), along with the three members of Lazarus. They'd carve through the remaining gangs (most of them fleeing after realizing the tables had turned), Shield would collect the intel on them planning a coup against Aria, and they'd kill Garm, Jaroth, and some other crime lords right as they were trying to escape. Big success. Though Tarak and Cadus are nowhere to be seen, Omega's Angels had cleared house, and severely crippled Omega's crime syndicates.
Garrus thanks them for the help, but also makes it clear that he can't join the Normandy. There's still work that needs to be done on Omega, and his own team needs him. He wishes them luck, hopes that Jane gets her groove back, and then departs, promising to continue hampering the Collectors on Omega. As well as the Broker. Shield is disappointed but understands. Khali is pissed when they report it in, considering the mission a waste of time.
Dossier: The Scientist
After delivering the coup information to Aria, and earning even more good will, she gives them clearance to enter the quarantined zone: Gozu District. The mission proceeds like it does in the game with very little deviation. Humans aren't affected by plague, they pass racist/speciest aliens blaming them, and vorcha infest the place. Jane is appalled by the state of affairs, even stopping to help a sick batarian, conveying she's also lost her pragmatic view, and her INTENSE hatred of batarians. Likely because she doesn't remember the raid on Mindoir. Shield is becoming more and more disturbed that the person they brought back isn't the Shepard he knew. He takes it upon himself to bring her back to the way she was.
In any case, they reach Mordin's clinic, and Shield cuts him off: Cerberus, Collectors, Cure, Help, Fans. The Collectors being responsible for the plague is a surprise to everyone, but Shield asserts it is so. So Jane, Ash, and Shield fight through the rest of the vorcha to spread the cure. They save Daniel, though Jane tries to appeal to the batarian's sense of good will (and fails), making Shield have to use logic and facts to destroy them, leading to them leaving the room peacefully. This reveals Jane also lacks her once strong intimidation factor. They then make it to the end where the vorcha confirm Shield's accusation, the team takes down the Blood Pack, and then turns on the fans. Jane remarks another good way to do that would be for Ash to take off her top, weirding her companions out further. She thinks she has a sense of humor now too.
Where things change is that Tarak reappears, leading a Blue Suns hit squad into the District. They've been tipped off that the people who helped Archangel escape are in the area, and have teamed up with that doctor who had killed their members on several occasions. They're out for blood. They end up clashing outside the clinic, with Mordin lending a hand, and fend off the assassins. They eventually defeat them all, with Shield left to interrogate Tarak about Cadus. Tarak plays dumb, refusing to answer, before shortly dying from his wounds. Luckily, Mordin acquiesces to their request unlike Garrus, and joins the team, leaving the Clinic in the care of Daniel. To Shield's confusion, Zaeed is not on Omega at the time, so that concludes their business on the rock. Or so Jane and Khali thought. Shield takes one more detour before going back to the ship.
Loyalty: Justicar's Hunt
He goes back to Afterlife to ask Aria about any instances of ardat-yakshi's in the area. Aria concludes that would explain some of the disappearances. Shield then asks for access to the VIP lounge so Lazarus could knock out this mission before they leave. Who wants to come back to this dump? After getting the pass-code, Shield incites the crowd in Afterlife, taking out the racist/speciest batarian bartender killing humans. He then explains to Jane and Ash what an Ardat-Yakshi is and that another dossier will depend on them taking it down. This leads to Ash and Shield playing rock-paper-scissors for who will be the bait. Both agree Jane is not ready for a high-stakes solo scenario, which Jane resents, feeling like she's being treated like a child.
Shield loses, forcing him to go into the lair. After entering, he scares off some would-be muggers, offers drinks to everyone (with Lazarus' funds), and prevents that one journalist from dying. She's not compromised yet but Shield wasn't coming back to save her later. Scared that Morinth wasn't even there after jumping through all those hoops, Shield's turns to leave when he's almost stabbed by a random stranger. Taking him out with his omni-blade, he realizes that she's an assassin, and he needs to get out of the crowded area. He's not wearing his armor or any other weapons. But that's when Morinth slithers in, finally interested.
She goads Shield into staying despite his paranoia, and gets a booth. He eventually wins her over by saying he's made a lot of enemies through his work as a mercenary, facing danger around every step. Talking about traveling solo, not trusting anyone, Forta, Expel-10, and wanderlust, he then goes into how he can't understand monks back on Earth sheltering themselves in monasteries, unable to enjoy life's pleasures. He also lets slip he's suffering from a genetic disease, so he wants to experience as much as he can before he dies. Despite being an arrogant tool, Morinth is in denial about being discovered, saying she'd like to run into him again. Shield convinces her to take him back to her apartment instead. She agrees. Score.
After exploring her apartment, and relenting that it is pretty swanky, Shield reveals that the jig is up. He doesn't mess with monsters like her. Ardat-Yakshi's either belong in monasteries, or in the ground. That's when...no one shows up. Shield is furious as he's forced to dodge biotic abilities. Right before Morinth escapes, Jane and Ash enter the room, having been held up by their own assailants. They all had hits ordered on them. This leads Morinth to unleash her biotic wrath, and if it wasn't for Jane, they might have all died right then and there. Though Morinth easily overpowers Jane in the long run, Ash is able to distract Morinth long enough for Shield to deal the final blow. And with that, their last piece of business on Omega is over. Shield says they unfortunately have to bring the body with them as proof, to Jane and Ash's horror, and he's forced to drag it back to the Normandy himself before leaving. On the way back, Jane Goodall also finds a malnourished hamster in the window of Harrot's Emporium, and is compelled to buy it, to the chagrin of her escort. Upon seeing Harrot however, Shield also remembers Kenn, and does him a solid, buying him a ticket off Omega, as well as preemptively buying Kenneth and Gabby their FBA Coupling.
Dossier: The Subject
Purgatory. With how their last missions went, the prospect of recruiting Subject Zero had become a lot more perilous. While Shield knew that Warden Kuril couldn't be trusted to begin with, he wasn't sure if they'd all just be downright killed due to the Broker's influence. Especially with the hits. But obviously they had to have Jack. So off they went to set up the trade. Only the four of them would take a shuttle to the prison ship instead of the Normandy to prevent its hijacking (Khali would accompany them on this trade). Once on the prison ship, Jane would agree to relinquish their weapons, which everyone else immediately vetoed. Kuril allows them to enter despite this, and the mission proceeds as it normally does. Shield plans to hold Kuril hostage once they're alone to get Jack safely. However, the processing center they're in is gassed and they each wake up inside different cells, without any of their gear. Not an ideal turn. Jane is essentially locked in a similar prison to Jack, and the rest find themselves in containers. Fortunately, though they took everything (including omni-tools), they didn't catch Shield having a second omni-tool. I mean, who carries two. He uses it to fry the door's controls and free himself.
Then using l33t infiltrator skills, he'd get to the prison controls undetected, where he'd run into Khali who had similar luck escaping. They'd then unleash every single prisoner on the ship, unable to find anyone they were looking for, causing a ship-wide riot. They'd find Ash and Jane near the rec yard fighting off inmates in the chaos, and after meeting up, go to the armory to get all their stuff. They then hunt down Jack. They'd find her facing off against Kuril himself, and after helping her defeat him, they'd recruit her onto the team in exchange for a ride off. Through promises of Cerberus secrets and Jane winning her over, Jack would also agree to work with them for a trial period.
Dossier: The Warlord
The last dossier on hand would be recruiting Warlord Okeer. The team lands on Korlus, and begins their search for the krogan, though the supposed site looks abandoned. In fact, there's a very distinct lack of loud speaker and rampaging krogan in the debris-covered area. After coming to a clearing, it's revealed why, as the trap is sprung. Jedora and her Blue Suns had been tipped off that Cerberus had been coming for their mad scientist. And have also been paid a hefty amount to kill the ground team. And at her side is none other than Captain Vamshi, who delivered the news, and is directing her troops' movements throughout the grounds.
As the Lazarus team backpedals, barely escaping the ambush thanks to Jack's biotic prowess, the Normandy tries to come back into orbit to provide support, only to be fired on by an AA tower. They also find their shuttle has been destroyed. So in addition to surviving the ambush, they have to take down the AA gun, get another ride, AND find out if Okeer is even on planet. Jane suggests splitting up which Shield immediately vetoes. After his experiences, you should never split up the group in a high stakes scenario. Jane gets mad, as they chose her to lead Lazarus, yet her command is constantly undermined by them. Shield relents, approving that Jane is finally showing some backbone. They'll need to do this carefully however, as they're severely outgunned. Stealth and speed would be required to survive.
She orders Shield, Jack, and Mordin to shut down the AA tower, and that she'll find Okeer with Khali and Ash. They split up, and Jack immediately goes off the handle, bulldozing her way through the Blue Suns. To Shield's joy, Vamshi himself is forced to focus his attention on them due to their speed. Lazarus can take him out here and now. To everyone's shock however, Vamshi is able to deflect most of Jack's biotic onslaught, using expertise and knowledge to counter most of her moves' overwhelming power. And every time she does take down his barrier, his tech armor underneath would prevent him from taking any true damage. When Shield's team finally takes down his barrier and tech armor through their first coordinated maneuver, the man fortifies his failing shields. It's at this point they realize he's a walking tank. And their focus on him allow the Blue Suns to flank them. That's when the krogan horde comes on the scene. They've been released from their tanks, and cause the one-sided cat and mouse game to become a pitched fire-fight. Vamshi falls back with his guard, and Shield's team avoids the krogan trenches, making their way to the tower to knock it down.
With Khali's aid, Jane's team sneaks through the shipyard with little incident. They find Okeer in his lab, entirely focused on his work: the perfect krogan. After discussing the Collectors and offering him the resources of Cerberus to complete his project, he agrees to join them. Jane realizes he's already cloned an army of failures in his lab, and wonders if they could help their situation. Okeer grins, releasing them against Jedore's orders. While he gets his perfect krogan ready for transport, he tells them to find a shuttle off this rock. They cut their way to a landing pad through a force of retreating Blue Suns, taking out Jedore herself upon reaching her shuttle. Shield calls in that they disabled the AA tower, Jane picks them up after loading up Okeer and his krogan, and then said shuttle's picked up by the Normandy as it's attacked by Vamshi's squadron of gunships.
SSV Normandy
Mordin and Okeer get into a diatribe when they first meet, discussing the Genophage and the unique way Okeer is addressing it. Okeer also comes off as krogan hitler, as they realize he's really into eugenics and krogan purity. Shield opines to awaken the perfect krogan so he can help them, but Okeer rebuffs him. Jane comments that they all really worked well together for their first mission as a team. She adds they'd have to start bringing a full squad on any following missions which Ash, Shield, and Khali relent on now that it seems Jane has a handle on command. Khali then contacts TIM to discuss their options as the Shadow Broker's becoming a pain in their ass.
In-between each missions' downtime, Ash would be improving Jane's shooting, Jack honing her biotics, others would be sharing memories they had of Shepard hoping to jog something, and Chakwas would be running tests on her brain activity, to see if there was any damage overlooked during her reconstruction. Shield takes it upon himself to address her perceived naivete and softness, trying to get her to see things from his point of view. A view he thinks Shepard herself once held. Jane struggles with the ideology, and her responses cause Shield to pause in his thinking as well. He used to see things like she did, once upon a time.
One of the main facets of this story though would be the mission summaries, events relayed by Khali to the Illusive Man to summarize things like I'm doing now. The character dialogue would be relayed through EDI's spy cams, and through the conversations sent to him by Kelly. As the 'unofficial' counselor of the ship, she'd talk with every member coming aboard to get a sense of their personality and mental fortitude. She'd also continue to offer more talks after each mission, but the only people who'd ever really take those would be Jane and Shield. Through their sessions, you'd get a sense of how they feel after each mission, and what's currently going through their heads. Jane and Kelly would have a sisterly rapport, sharing deep thoughts and opinions of the crew, while Shield would be a little more surface-level, willing to talk about events (and mostly about Jane), but unwilling to really share.
Shortly after Korlus, news also hits that Cerberus is being framed for the Collector abductions. Not knowing better, the Alliance believes Vamshi's report from Cyrene, that Cerberus killed his team (Cerberus bodies there to even prove it), and is responsible for the missing human colonies. And thanks to the Illusive Man painting Cerberus' logo everywhere, the SSV Normandy will no longer be able to go into Council Space without hassle. They'd be stuck to the Terminus Systems lest they want an incident with a legitimate government's navy. Drat.
Author's Notes:
I think it goes that ME1 had the best story, ME2 had the best characters, and ME3 has the best gameplay. One of the reasons ME2 suffers for me is the weird angle Bioware took for the story and lack of presence from the main antagonists. Shepard dying and coming back to life with almost no consequence is kind of wild, and the fact they never really even address this in the story is a missed opportunity. In real life, I think it was to time-skip really easily without explaining what Shepard's been up to, but it was a lazy plot-device, and they could easily just have done what they did in ME3, and have Shepard on probation or on leave for constantly spreading panic about the Reapers. Since this is a 'SI affects the story' story and not a 'plot rewrite' story though, I kept the Shepard resurrection hook. Because addressing how that experience might change someone is a really interesting thread.
Another weakness of ME2 is that you kind of just explore the universe, recruiting teammates and solving random issues in the Terminus. The Collectors' presence are only really felt in the three missions you fight them. They don't really even feel like a true threat until they attack the Normandy and kidnap the crew, which is kind of crazy since they also don't even do it with Shepard on board. By throwing the Shadow Broker in as ME2's Saren equivalent, I thought it would make the mission feel a lot more dangerous, as they're forced to deal with galaxy's equivalent of the illuminati who opposes them at every turn, and gives their enemy an actual face. The Collector General, leader of the Collectors and only seen in cut-scenes, is literally never even seen once by Shepard, or even acknowledged to exist by them. The Shadow Broker's involved in so many missions and backstories that it's criminal he's only addressed in a DLC, especially since he becomes Liara's backstory in ME3.
