There have been a lot of ideas revolving around Miranda working for Cerberus in ME3, but if figured I would expand on my own two cents involving how you left the Collector Base in ME2, just for funzies.
Note, if you destroyed the base in ME2, then Miranda's role in ME3 is unchanged. What follows is a result of you leaving the base to Cerberus for study.
Mars
The first notable difference comes as you speak to the Illusive Man while inside the Mars Archives. rather than see Kai Leng approach TIM, instead you see an obvious female clad in Miranda's DLC armour from ME2. A keen eye will spot this, but for most players it may go unnoticed.
Ori on the Citadel
On your first visit to the Citadel, after you have spoken to the Turian councillor, a young women is waiting by the elevator in the Embassies. She introduces herself as a friend of Oriana Lawson, although Shepard quickly deduces that it is in fact Ori herself, trying to remain unnoticed. She gives you and OSD, telling you that you'll know who it's from and that you should probably open the message in private.
Back on the Normandy you can access the message in your private quarters. A video message plays on the large screen. Its from Miranda, still wearing her classic black and white outfit. She starts by saying she's sorry you have been incarcerated on earth, and that if there was anything she could have done to stop it, she would have. She continues by saying that she never really agreed with you leaving the base to Cerberus, and that she and a group of Ex-Cerberus Mercs plan on hijacking a Cerberus cruiser and correcting your mistake. If she was a LI in ME2, she tells you she loves you and that she will see you soon.
Miranda's Distress Beacon
After you have completed the first of the side missions after Sur'Kesh, Traynor advises you to speak with Liara. When visiting her, she tells you that one of her agents found a distress beacon on a downed Cerberus ship in the Batalla System (Omega Cluster). On the ship was a message left by one of the crew concerning Commander Shepard. Liara, having already watched it, tells Shepard to access the recording upstairs as it's important.
The message is again from Miranda. She tells you that their plan was a success, they destroyed the base, Kai Leng with it. But their cover was blown after the bombs went off, taking heavy damage in their escape. The managed to make it back to the Sahrabarik System only to be met by Petrovsky's fleet, which followed them to the Batalla System. She says that the ship was falling apart, and although she has made it to an escape pod, scout ships will surely find her. Before the recording ends she tells you she'll try her damned hardest for this not to be goodbye, and that, if she was a LI, she was happy for the time they spent together.
Citadel Coup
Now's the meaty stuff.
Miranda drops down by the Salarian councillor, and holds out her hand, ready to deploy a biotic attack. Shepard will ask "Miranda, is that you?" but she will brush it off, keeping the conversation on the situation at hand. Then Thane drops in. The battle of fisty cuffs plays out very similar to Leng's, only rather than a single blade, Miranda wields two custom Omni Blades, and her fighting style reflects this. She then makes her escape, Thane making a comment on how it was Jacob who was against him joining Shep in ME2.
Obviously it might not be Thane that she fights, but I will let you decide how the other fights play out, or you could even post them down below.
The sky car scene is left pretty much unchanged, only that rather than use a sword to damage the engines, Miranda deploys and overload that shuts them down instead, before making her escape in the second car.
You see her again stepping in to the elevator, but nothing is said by either so the scene doesn't need altering really.Then in the scene where she would contact TIM, he is disappointed with here, making a comment about her knowing Shepard and should be able to stay a step ahead.
Back on the Normandy if you speak to your crew, especially Garrus and EDI (Tali not being available at this point), they have a few things to say about her siding with Cerberus, such as she is clearly indoctrinated.
Thessia
"Indoctrinated presence detected!"
Miranda walks in to the temple, the dropship lifting off behind her. Shepard confirms that it was her that killed the scientists and she passively admits that they were 'in her way'. She then deploys the hologram of TIM and Shepard immediately asks about Miranda. He tells you that she has seen the error of her ways and has decided to re-join Cerberus. Garrus, Tali or EDI will call him on his BS, otherwise Shepard will, claiming that she is now just an indoctrinated slave.
After your chat with TIM, you engage Miranda in combat. The combat remains the same, however she will have new dialogue such as "Damn it Shepard!" and "You may have cybernetics, but I'm genetically perfect!", and finally "Now lets finish you off!"
This triggers the cutscene.
Rather than physically throwing Liara in to your other squad mate, Miranda will deploy a biotic throw, sending Liara through the air much faster. She then calls in the ship to bring down the temple. Rather than walk nonchalantly through the temple, she leaps in to the air and flairs her biotics, allowing her to float gracefully to the alter. Instead of Leng's "Cerberus thanks you" line, Miranda will instead say, "Pleasure working with you again Shepard, although I don't wish to take part in it again. Stay out of our way or next time, I will kill you."
She then extracts the Prothean VI and the scene continues much like it does now, Liara saves Shepard, and you run out of the temple firing your pistol.
Sanctuary
Most of this mission plays out as though Miranda had dies in ME2, with Oriana being the one who you see in the vids, followed by her sister on the hunt.
Once you enter the final room, Henry holds Oriana hostage and mentions Shep's perfect timing. Miranda then drops in from the roof, her gun trained on her father. When he asks why she's here, she says it's to settle and old score. The dialogue wheel now gives you two options [Confront Henry Lawson (Paragon)] or [Confront Miranda (Renegade)].
Confronting Miranda will result in Shepard aiming his gun at her and asking her to stand down. Miranda will shout that 'this isn't your fight' before knocking you and your squad over with a biotic push. While your on the ground, she turns back to Henry and asks him to 'release the girl'. Rather than comply, he raises his gun to Ori's head and says "If I'm not getting out of here alive, neither is she!". Miranda simply mutters 'Fine' before sending them both hurtling through the window. She then quickly exits the room the way she came in before you and your squad have gotten back to your feet. One of your squad mates runs up to the hole in the roof before confirming that she's gone, while Shep looks over the edge to see henry and Oriana lying dead on the floor below. he hangs his head in sorrow and walks away, ending the mission.
If you go the paragon route and confront Henry Lawson, Shepard will keep his weapon on him and say "Whatever this is, it's between you and Miranda. Leave Oriana out of it and maybe we can make a deal." Henry will then throw Ori out of the way, but before he can open his mouth, Miranda says "Thank you Shepard, but no deal," sending Henry through the window. She will then turn her gun towards Shepard, but holsters it, saying "This one's for Ori, but just this once," before jumping up in to the roof and leaving. Shepard will ask Oriana if she is ok, before the mission ends.
Cronos Station
The first change comes with the video log showing Kai Leng talking with TIM. Instead, for the first entry, what we will see is Miranda strapped to a chair while TIM talks about her actions that lead to the destruction of the Collector Base. He says he's disappointed, but willing to put it aside going forward with integrating her in to the ranks. Miranda calmly tells him to shove it, and that she'll never work for him again. TIM laughs before the log ends.
In the second entry, she is strapped to a bed while robotic arms move up and down giving her the Reaper implants. Your view of her is obscured by several scientists standing around her, but not enough to see her legs flailing around while she screams and cries with the pain.
The third log shows Miranda standing in the lab dressed in new outfit that she has been wearing throughout the game. TIM's hologram asks he how he is feeling, to which she relies positively. TIM then tells her to get suited up as he has a job for her on the Citadel involving the council, ending the log.
With each log, Shep, Garrus, Tali and EDI each have something to say regarding what she has been put through.
In TIM's office, Miranda walks in and interrupts your talk with the VI. She talks about overstaying your welcome and how she gave you your chance on Horizon (If you saved Ori), or how you will suffer the same fate as her (If you did not). The fight scene ensues filled with lots of Miranda themed dialogue, resulting in you finally defeating her, leaving her lying in a heap on the floor.
Shepard moves off and sits down in TIM's chair. As you type away, Miranda slowly gets up and silently hobbles up behind you. Shepard is completely unaware until you hear the activation of her Omni blade, at which point you can choose to interrupt with a renegade action or not, much like with Kai Leng.
Not interrupting will result in Shep ducking his head under the swing of her blade. He will then reach out and grab her by the collar and pull her over his head and drop her on to her back in front to the chair.
Choosing to interrupt will have Shep turn in his chair, block her swinging arm with his left, then using his right arm, activate his own blade and plunge it in to Miranda's stomach. "That was for Thane!" Shep says before heaving her over himself and slamming her on to the floor in the same place.
Death
The final moments are defferent depending on if Oriana was saved or not.
If Ori was killed, Shepard gets down on his knees and places his pistol under her chin before saying in a cruel voice, "And this is for Oriana, you monster!" Shepard then pulls the trigger and her limp body slumps to the floor. EDI mentions that she's sorry that Shepard has to do that, and Shep will reply with, "I'm not."
If Oriana was saved, Shepard gets down on his knees and holds up her head in his arms, ripping the holographic visor from her head. Miranda gasps as though she has been holding her breath, and you get to see her eyes. They are Reaperdied like TIM's, but she is still recognisable. She looks up at Shepard and says, "Shepard, it hurts. Please...." or "Shepard, it hurts. I....love...you." (If romanced in ME2).
To which Shepard will reply, "I know, close your eyes, it'll be over soon, " or "I love you to Miranda. Now close our eyes and dream of us."
You are then faced with a Paragon interrupt. If you choose to take it, Shep will pull out a pistol, the camera will shift to show EDI and your other squaddie, while the sound of a gun firing will go off. EDI will say that she's so, so sorry, and Shepard will slowly get up and move back to the VI.
If the interrupt is ignored, Miranda will stay still, her hand clasped with Shepard's for several seconds, before finally dropping away as she dies. After a moment, Shep will get up and and return to the VI.
So that's it.
I realised half way through that this was going to be long, but I though if I don't go in to the smaller details, then what's the point. For that I apologise, haha.
Anyway, this was all just for fun as I had the ideas floating around in my head and thought I would share them. if there is anything I missed or that could be done better, just shout out.
Retour en haut
it was some other character who'd be revealed as a traitor down the line. I was also half-expecting that, when Leng arrived on Thessia and said somebody needed to talk to Shepard, it would be Miranda, now in Cerberus custody as a hostage.
