With the announcement that there is going to be new content in regard to the ending, I thought I might put up an idea I had that brought some positive feedback on the retake Facbook page, which I will now further elaborate on. Here goes:
In the effort to recycle existing ending assets to reduce production time, the current ending up to making your CHOICE will remain. From the moment you gasp for air (if you went with the 'Perfect' Destroy ending), you now are, again, in torn up armor, armed only with a pistol with limited ammo. The difference here is now you can take cover and stealthily avoid some of the Reaper Patrols around the Conduit. This leaves you with the option to go gun blazing if you are confident of your headshot abilities, or moving from cover to cover to reach the conduit without being detected. Your torn up armor means you have to do this without shields and you have no medipacks. I suppose the difficulty could be adjusted to change this. After a tense approch to the Conduit, Shepard, alone, arrives in the refugee camp on the docks where there is an all out firefight between C-SEC and the invading reaper forces. This solves the issue of what happened to the people on Citadel. Depending on how much you helped the people on Citadel and what characters lived/you helped (shop owners on the Presidium, Bailey in the embassy, Jacob/Dr.Michel in the Hospital, for example), you effect the outcome of what happens as you help clear out these areas. For those who haven't figured it out, this is very reminiscent of Joker's run to the AI Core in ME2. I've decided to flesh out this section as I became a little inspired:
UPDATED 3/22/12
1.) Citadel Refugee Deck/Docking Bay
Upon arriving at the CItadel, you find yourself in a cramped, dark tunnel. after crawling around a bit, a Duct Rat (Mouse if you did Thane's loyalty mission and DIDN'T rat him out, a nameless one otherwise) shows up and leads you to an access port, which opens into the far end of the Refugee Deck, now seperated by a cargo container, in this alcove, are the huddled children being told stories by the Shepard VI as gunfire and screams can be heard on the other side of the open container. After giving some reassuring Paragon/Renegade words, Sheperd walks through the cargo container to the face the barrel of Zaeed's (or refugee's if he died in ME2) gun. After some 'How the hell did you end up here?' and 'Status report' discussion, Zaeed says there's a working taxi on the far end of the docking bay, but they have to get through the Reapers blocking the way. Zaeed hands Shepard a basic weapon (like an Avenger rifle, for example), and they fight their way past refugee barricades and rushing Cannibals, Husks and Marauders, culminating in a battle with a Brute in the Normandy DOck Waiting Area. Zaeed opts to stay behind to help the Refugees secure the area and thanks Shep for inspiring the others to charge. Shep then can either go to another area or straight to the Council Chamber. Be warned, you can only take what you have with you, so at this point you have a pistol, another basic primary weapon, no mods, no medigel, and disabled shields. I'd say you should go to another area...
2.) Presidium Hospital
Upon arriving in the hospital, the area is eerily quiet.There are husks and patients lying dead everywhere. You make your way to the back of the Hospital, where you come to Barricade where Jacob (if living), Brynn, Dr.Michel, and a few survivors are making a last stand against some Marauders and Cannibals. You take them out, and after some dialoguem Dr. Michel refills your Medi-gel, just in time for a new wave of Reapers come down the hall. You hold out until a pair of Banshees arrive, and upon defeating them, one of two things happen. A huge wave of Husks, Cannibals, and Marauders rush the barricade, and everyone at the barricade makes a heroic fight, cutting down the rush. As everyone collectively catches their breath, Jacob is against the wall, bleeding. Dr. Michel can't do anything, and Jacob dies in Brynn's arms. Otherwise Dr. Michel dies if Jacob is not present. OR, as the Reapers make their rush, the Hospital windows explode in gunfire, and Jondum Bau (who you helped with the indoctrinated Hanar) and his Spectre team swing through, blindsiding the Reapers and crushing them. Congratulations are given and Dr. Michel tops off your Medigel and gives you a special back up container that will refill it again to maximum (this is in case you use up the rest before proceeding to the Council Chamber). Bau stays to help Jacob evacuate the survivors and treat wounded. Leaving you to move onto...
3.) Presidium Promenade
Starting in Barla Von's alcove, you find him hiding behind his desk as some residents fight behind a barricade. He refuses to help, prompting an appearance from Kasumi Goto (if she lived), who helps Shepard reach the C-Sec office, which has a pair of Ravagers as a mini-boss. A brief cutscene from C-SEC officers and grateful shopkeepers gives Sheperd access to his armory. Moving onto...
4.) Purgatory
Arriving behind the bar at the dancefloor via an overhead duct, Shepard and Aria fight their way outside the club to fight a unique Reaper, a Elcor Reaper. Essentially another form of Brute, it has similarity to the Tank from Left 4 Dead. After Defeating it by having it crash into power boxes on the walls, you are rewarded with access to various illegal arms and mods, essentially your workbench. You now move onto...
5.) Embassies
Starting at the office near the elevator, you fight your way through the library to the C-SEC Chief office, where you encounter a unique husk, Udina, menacing Bailey. A relatively easy fight, you go into Udina's Office to rescue the Human Councilor, who offers the use of his private lift to the council chamber, which would allow you to avoid a fight at the bottom of the council chamber elevator on the Promenade. This is your only chance to use the Spectre office to buy/upgrade weapons. Now you either take the Long Way or the Shortcut.
Eventually, you make your way to the Citadel Council chamber, bringing back memories of the final battle with Saren in ME1. This is where you confront TIM and again convince him to pull a Saren on himself, but just before he pulls the trigger you hear 'Assuming Direct Control!'. Harbinger takes over TIM, who mutates into a form based on the concept art seen in 'Art of Mass Effect'.
http://img834.images...illusiveman.jpg
After Round 1, Harbinger/TIM breaks the glass, venting the atmosphere, revealing there are leaks in Shepard's borrowed suit (reminiscent of ME2 beginning). As Shepard struggles, the Normandy arrives and slingshots a shuttle into the Council chamber, striking Harbinger/TIM from behind and crash landing behind Shepard. Your LI (if applicable, otherwise will be Liara by default) and Garrus (or Javik if DL's) exit and provides cover fire while your LI seals your suit. Round two opens with Harbinger/TIM appearing to anchor tendrils to the walls and sending out Reaper forces from sidedoors as you and your teammates attack the anchors (reminiscent of the Thorian). Also, since you are fighting in a vacuum, aside from the sound of your own breathing, and perhaps some coms from your teamates, there is no sound, not even music. I feel this would raise the tension considerably. ]Simultaneously, you can see in the background Harbinger and a large group of reapers approaching in the distance. This is a countdown that shows how soon you have to finish off TIM and activate the Crucible, otherwise game over. Eventually, Shepard climbs into the downed shuttle and programs it to ram TIM as he dives out the door. TIM is hanging on by a tendril and almost reattaches himself when the Rachni queen grabs him and throws him into the void (if no Rachni Queen, Shepard pistol shots the last tendril).
Finally, you activate the Crucible, which sends a pulse across Local Cluster, and the Reapers, save Harbinger, stop moving and go dark. There's a pause, and the Reapers light up again and charge to catch up to Harbinger, all seems lost...
And then, the Reapers ATTACK Harbinger, they fire on him, latch onto him, and drag him away from the Citadel. All other Reapers either break off from battle to fight Harbinger or flee the battle entirely. Those that remain have completely encased Harbinger and are now glowing with dark energy as they simultaneously overload their Mass Drive Cores. A massive singularity erupts from the mass of Reapers, sucking the whole thing into oblivion before the singularity collapses. The Reapers are GONE. The husks on Earth and elsewhere, no longer controlled by Harbinger's indoctrination, fall where they stand, returning to lifeless corpses.
(Extra scene if DL'd From Ashes) A single Reaper has remained, but is not performing any hostile action, making alien sounds over all frequencies. Javik (if activated) recognizes it as Prothean language, and responds in his language. A short reply, and he weeps. Shepard asks what the Reaper said, and Javik replies 'Dismissed'.
EPILOGUE
A memorial service is held for those who lost their lives in the conflict, with the unveiling of a statue on the Citadel (Reminiscent of the tour of the Presidium in ME1), now permanently in Earth's system (I figure they can at least move it in system out of Earth's orbit, but don't have the knowledge to move it back through the relay, at least not yet). The statue itself is either Paragon portraying unity with the various races working together (Think the Flag Raising at Iwo Jima for imagery) or Renegade portraying the power of Shepard, which is just a very large Shepard looking grim and foreboding). A speech by Anderson (if he lived) or Admiral Hackett simultaneously praises and eulogizes the conflict. Shepard is not present at the unveiling, but as the speech continues, there are flashes of various characters and races who lived and what they are doing now (trying to do this in order of appearance in ME series):
There is no actual dilogue in the following scenes aside from the afore mentioned speech by Anderson/Hackett
Garrus (if he lived) returns to C-SEC to replace Bailey, but is seen still willing to get his hands dirty. I imagine his scene of him walking up to a C-SEC sniper at a crisis, takes his rifle, aims, fires, and hands the rifle back to the sniper, before walking away past a saluting Bailey, implying Garrus got his job. If LI, Shepard is standing by with a smile on her face as Garrus puts an arm around her shoulders and draws her close as they walk together down the Ward.
Wrex (if he lived) sitting in his throne laughing surrounded by little Krogan that are headbutting each other, Eve and Grunt (if living) at his sides. They look out at a gradually greening Tuchanka, a new atmosphere generator being built by Salarians. Otherwise, just anonymous Krogan fighting in the wasteland.
Jacob (if he lived) with his newborn baby and Brynn at the Citadel Hospital looking out the window at the memorial.
Samara (if she lived) and her remaining daughter rebuilding the Ardat-Yakshi Monastary.
Aria and Zaeed (if he lived) sitting in Purgatory (Omega's Afterlife if upcoming DLC completed, Citadel's Purgatory otherwise)
Joker landing the Normandy at a base on a jungle planet, and stepping out with EDI looking out over the jungle, embracing each other (if encouraged to have an relationship).
Now for the LI epilogues:
Asheley/Kaidan and Vega ( with Shepard if LI) are fighting Cerberus remnants at an unknown location. They smile at each other and break cover, guns blazing.
Tali helping to adjust construction equipment on Rannoch using her Omnitool, her helmet resting on a table nearby. She turns to talk to a geth (Shepard if LI), revealing her face, which I personally prefer to be this, though the opinion seems to be that it is TOO alien and that's fine, it's just my preference:
http://nebezial.devi...in-3d-290554560
Miranda (if living) and her sister (with Shepard if LI) sitting on the Presidium watching the memorial from a distance, as Kasumi Goto (if she lived) uncloaks revealing she took something from Miranda, an impish grin on her face. If only Kasumi lived, she steals from Barla Von.
Jack is either in Purgatory in a bar fight with her students cheering her on (if students are in support role), or is crying at a graveyard with a few surviving students if they went into artillery. If LI, Shepard is also in the bar fight grinning with Jack, or is holding her at the graveyard.
Liara is at the temple at Thessia, going through the rubble looking for Prothean artifacts, when a hand emerges in frame with an artifact. She smiles and accepts. If LI, the hand lifts her up revealing to be Sheperd, who holds her close revealing she is pregnant (if Asari are like that). They then turn to look out over the city which is undergoing rapid reconstruction efforts.
In all these cases, the screen fades to black, followed by credits. If 'From the Ashes' is completed, an extra epilogue is used showing a stoic Javik, alone on a vessel, which pans back revealing he is on a Reaper vessel that is going into a star. This is implying that he is on the Prothean Reaper and they are committing suicide, perhaps within the Prothean Home system.
After the Credits, The Grandfather relates this to his grandchild, but instead of the double moon/planet in the night sky, it's the Earth's moon with the Citadel distantly but clearly visible behind it. The Grandfather begins to tell another story of what happened after..describing how the freed Reapers that didn't sacrifice themselves, sought to make themselves into gods, gradually building power, threatening to destroy the future that had been so hard fought for...To be continued?
On a side note: The surviving Reapers now truly being a nation unto themselves without the benefit of Harbinger's Reaper technology or Indoctrination power creates an opportunity for new allies and antagonists for future games as those that couldn't end themselves either become tyrannical or benevolent as per their original culture dictated. For those who argue that they could make husks and such I believe that aside from Harbinger, the Reapers themselves were indoctrinated to Harbinger's purpose, and retained no knowledge of how to make more of themselves or how to Indoctrinate or any Reaper technology. whatsoever aside from what they originally at time of being harvested.
UPDATE 3/22/12
After reading about THIS:
www.gamefaqs.com/boards/995452-mass-effect-3/62230265
I think I have some more ammo to support the feasibility of my ending. Perhaps my ending would be considered the Epic Happy Ending if you manage to get 3900+ War assets (aka 100% completion in Single-player). However, if what is described in the above link is true and will be what any ending DLC is based on, I still think that some form of epilogue is called for. There also needs to be an opening where you can destroy the Reapers and save the Geth/EDI. My understanding of the above also suggests my theory that aside from Harbinger, the Reapers are Indoctrinated pawns to his will as well, a desperate, petty attempt for a species to escape the entropy of the universe. I personally think Harbinger was one of the earliest, if not the original, Reaper, whose purpose was to function as a repository for his dying/doomed creators, a living time capsule, if you will. Not satisfied with merely being a talking library, his AI must have justified that he was the pinnacle of existence, and must share his 'ascension' with races it found worthy.
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