The Vanguard of your Destruction: Let's Play Mass Effect!

[The Argent Lord]

Really, no comments? Although I guess with a DFM LP it's kinda hard to come up with much besides "Great as always."

In regards to the question, I'd fully support shorter updates if it's easier on you, and especially if it'd mean faster updates.

[DFM]

I step out of the medical bay and into the ship's mess hall. It's barely a card table, but you don't qualify for deep ops unless you can say you've got full crew accommodations. Williams is waiting against a post. I guess Anderson was serious about bringing her onboard. Little unorthodox, but we do need the extra man to be at full compliment and a marine has a better shot at promotion on a first gen frigate than on a planetside garrison. Or they did, before the Geth decided to declare war.



"You heard about that? I'm a little surprised anyone mentioned it, we have this habit of dying by the freighterload. And it's not like anyone didn't see Jenkins number coming up pretty fast, I'm surprised he made it out of basic."

"His number came up? Really?" Ashley's skeptical, but I can't tell what part of the phrase is throwing her off.



"I survived because I refused to die."

"With respect, sir..." She hesitates, looking for words. "...I think you had someone watching over you."

"Someone who decided my friends and a few thousand colonists deserved to get ripped apart by a nest of Thresher Maws. Glad they were watching out for me, though. Makes me feel special."

"Sir, I didn't mean..."

I know what she means, but over the years I've gotten pretty sick of that kind of justification. I'm not even sure I like when they call me lucky. Lucky compared to the guy who was disemboweled with an acid fang? Sure. Compared to the guy who was feeling a little queasy and spent the drop inside the Kolkata's medical bay?

Not so much.

"It's alright, Williams. I appreciate the thought. I need to be in the cockpit before we hit the Citadel, I'll talk to you again after we dock."

"Yes, sir."



I return the salute as i turn away. Chakwas is still waiting outside the medical bay.

"Doctor Chakwas, where's Lieutenant Alenko?" I haven't seen him since the nightmare. Hopefully he'll have a little more perspective on what happened.

"I sent him to rear medical for supplies, his migraines are acting up again."

"Migraines? Is that from the missions?"

"No. Not directly, at least."

"What do you mean?"





"Lieutenant and I should have a talk about luck."



"Glad to have him onboard. You too, doctor. I usually get to know medical officers on a first name basis, so look forward to that."

"I can't wait, Commander." She replies in a droll accent I'm told is Europoid.



There's three primary decks to the Normandy, the mess and medical being on the second. The main lift only goes to the cargo and engine rooms below, meaning if you want to get to the CIC you need to take a fancy set of double stairs. There's a long neck of combat and monitoring stations extending from the CIC to the cockpit.



I don't really get Turian designs either.





And there she is. The Citadel. The seat of the Council and the center of galactic power. Fifty kilometers long, home to tens of millions. The beating heart of galactic politics, trade and culture. I spent two years in Tayseri Ward with my uncle after the attack on Mindoir, but I've never been to the presidium. Friend of mine said it had blue skies and green grass, with lakes full of all the fish you could eat.





That friend was usually wrong.













Docking goes off without a hitch. Anderson orders Alenko, Williams and myself to suit up and follow him to the Alliance embassy in the presidium for a meeting with Ambassador Udina.

The embassy balcony overlooking the main conduit is the first real look I get at the presidium.



Son of a bitch, it does. I guess I owe him a fish.

The ambassador is having a heated discussion with the council.













The hologram flickers off, and the ambassador turns away to Anderson.











'Accused' nothing. We've got to pin something on this guy.



















"I still can't believe Anderson thinks we've got enough evidence to bring down a Spectre. We don't have enough evidence to bring down a duct rat."

"Don't forget your spooky dream, Commander." Williams says, following behind.

"Yeah. With council deliberations being what they are, that might count as evidence. It's... really sad, when you think about it." Alenko adds.

We take a transit pod to the Citadel Tower, focal point of the entire presidium. It's a long elevator ride to the top, Alenko and Williams exchanging banter that I'm hardly listening to. I feel like a kid who has to tell their mother they've just broken her favorite lamp. I can't believe how badly I blew Eden Prime, but if by some miracle I can turn a Spectre into a fall guy...



No, don't pin your hopes on that. Just get your chin ready to take career suicide like a man.



This is a lot nicer than I expected, although I'm not sure why I thought the galactic council would be modest. On the Wards, we all thought real meat from an animal was a pretty big deal.

There's a pair of Turians arguing up ahead. I think I remember the one on the right being head of C-Sec.





The C-Sec executor turns and leaves, the investigator looking at me for a moment before a light of what I think is recognition hits his eyes



"Find anything useful?" It doesn't sound hopeful, but it couldn't hurt to ask.







Good news on top of good news.

They've already started the hearing by the time we arrive at the council chambers.















"The charges aren't false, Turian.



Would have been nice to have some fabricated reports putting Saren at the scene right now.

"You might have destroyed the beacon, Saren, but I stopped your cover up. How many were you willing to kill just to erase your footprints on Eden Prime?"



He's seeing right through me, this isn't good.



"You can expect me to kill you if you try it again. Spectre or not."

That's probably bad. That was probably a bad thing to say.



Is he getting goaded? That also sounded like a bad thing to say.







Stop seeing through our ruses, you asshole.



Oh god, Anderson, please don't...





There's a moments pause as the councilors glance at one another, readying the verdict we all know is coming.







Goddamn, lot of cinematics this update. Also, thanks to subtitles I finally know that Ashley doesn't say "That ship could rip through the berries on any ship in the Alliance fleet." I mean, I thought it was a ball punch joke she was making.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

I didn't actually know there was an LP of this running on NPF, but seeing as I just started ME2 on ps3 and haven't played the first game this should be quite handy for me.

Keep it up DFM.

[synkr0nized]

Originally Posted by The Argent Lord

Really, no comments? Although I guess with a DFM LP it's kinda hard to come up with much besides "Great as always."

In regards to the question, I'd fully support shorter updates if it's easier on you, and especially if it'd mean faster updates.

Over a month later, I'll respond -- I have been waiting for the thread to get more posts to comment, as so few of us have posted in it. And the updates have been so few and far between that I'll admit I have not wanted to get my hopes up that this LP was going to continue.



I feel for the work involved in a sshot LP of this game, though. You can easily take hundreds of pictures for shit that took like ~10 minutes or less to do in-game. I bet a video LP of a mission would only be a fraction of the time requirement for you to get out an update, DFM, and I thank you for giving us the effort.

[Kerensky287]

Yes, agreed. DFM's a damn good LP author. I appreciate the extra work it takes to do a photo LP, especially when it means you can add that fucking awesome commentary.

[Krylo]

I don't post much here because I give DFM shit about how ugly his Shepard* is and how long it takes him to update and whatever other thing off the forums.


*So ugly.