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So, I just walked to the local shops to get the paper in extremely humid conditions, and to get my mind off the heat (humidity isn't really heat I guess, but you know what I mean) I thought of how awesome it would be to add a conflict of interest with the Miranda LI for ME3. Bare with me, this is sorta fanfiction rant but I would totally put it in the game if I was somehow magically hired to be a writer.
Anyway, lets assume these things based on what we saw/heard in ME2.
1) Oriana, for a genetic twin, looks nothing like Miranda (possible exception to the lips, but I think their eyeline and even jaw is different but anyway).
2) Miranda's father is stupidly wealthy (as in, I do believe he was called the wealthiest human, meaning he is quite possibly one of the wealthiest people in the galaxy considering the burgeoning weight of the alliance dollar/credit). To paraphrase Sean Bean from Goldeneye; he has more money than God.
3) Miranda's father is quite secretive and is definitely pro-human (even if his financial support with Cerberus has been withdrawn).
So, here's what I'd do (skipping to the more important parts):
Setting the Scene
With little more than token support from the Council (to the point of being rude to nigh hostility, or even Shephard dismissing them with a "Screw You" response) and lack of faith in Alliance command, Shephard is forced to take ever more unorthodox attempts to prepare the galaxy to meet the eventual Reaper invasion. In short, for lack of available options (either Cerberus hasn't had enough time to fully investigate the Collector Base, or Shephard destroyed it) Cerberus and the Illusive Man can not be dependant upon for support and the potential species are illplaced to pre-emptively support any of Shephard's proposals for any number of reasons. Shephard is, even at his success at the Collector Base, at a loss to what he can do... after all that he has done, for the crap he's taken and for all the bad guys he has ended and seeming miracles he has performed, he is still just one man, he does not have intelligence (as in an agency
to support him, rather than IQ) he is alone and isolated and for all his ability, he realises he can not do it with the forces he has. He is up the creek without a paddle, as an Australian saying goes (basically it means he's out of luck and needs help).Lo and behold, an olive branch is offered by none other than the Illusive Man. The Illusive Man, despite his feelings on Shephard, prepares to support him by suggesting a meeting to a Mr. X who just happens to be Miranda's daddy. Miranda is obviously absolutely appalled, but she agrees to it when she becomes aware (quite quickly) that despite her personal feelings, they are running out of options, and Mr. X is best positioned to help remedy this. To cut some of the story short, they arrive at Mr. X's luxurious mansion on Earth (considering Yvonne's own Australian heritage, it probably should be in Australia, also considering the burgeoning population of the World and thus Australia, the mansion should probably be in a massive Megatropolis that has expanded to encompasse Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra (for those of you who aren't in the know, Canberra is Australia's national capital) because this is likely where the vast majority of Australian's live).
Mr. X
Unlike what Miranda implies, Mr. X isn't totally a monster. He should be portrayed as someone who is polite, considerate and even courteous (although not excessively polite like the (impossible) Hanar) but also as someone with a slight temper as in a person who is very much used to getting what he wants. Basically the idea is this; Miranda's perceptions of him are biased and maybe even clouded by the fact that she ran away from him when she was a lot younger (at least 18-19 years, since Oriana was a baby) and Mr. X is also quite smart.
Mr. X, despite Miranda's understandable anxiety is perfectly willing to (re)supply the Normandy SR-2 (it turns out he was one of the major sponsors of the SR-1 concept in the first place, and has his own sizeable shipbuilding business, probably operating in a joint monopoly with Cerberus' own front company) if only they'd be willing to tell him where Oriana is. Hence the quandary.
Mr. X is someone who wholly believes in the threat of the Reapers, but he also wholly believes that they (as in, humanity and it's allies) will be successful, and doesn't agree with the concept of selfless sacrifice (since what's the point of saving the galaxy if they don't plan after it). He offers too, with minimal expense to the System's Alliance, his principal client to upgrade the weapon batteries of all Alliance warships currently in production or in retrofit with duplicates/modification of the Thanix weapon systems. This will be at no expense to Shephard or his crew other than the above needed information, and a televised newscast featuring Shephard's endorsement of the idea.
Mr. X and the Illusive Man ( THE collusion)
Contrary to Miranda's belief, Mr. X did not withdraw financial support from Cerberus after Miranda's 'defection' (maybe it was simple curiousity to what Miranda's accomplishments for Cerberus could be) and is actually one of Cerberus' primary financial backers throughout its entire existence. Mr. X doesn't 'officially' have operational oversight on Cerberus' activities but he no doubt can make his feelings known to Cerberus' command structure, notably the Illusive Man.
Mr. X's financial backing largely made it possible for Cerberus to even attempt the Lazarus Project (and not bankrupt them) and the Normandy SR-2 production simultaneously, donating another 300% to the coffers to ensure that Cerberus' other projects continue on schedule. If Shephard decided against Illusive Man's agenda and sacrificed the base, then Mr. X makes it clear that he really would pull financial support if the Illusive Man attempts to sabotage Shephard's campaign against the Reapers (Illusive Man would likely argue that he wouldn't anyway, he'd just be more careful around him: 'too many eggs in one basket.')
Oriana/Miranda and Mr. X
First of all, Oriana is not Miranda's genetic twin. She is a partial genetic engineering concept performed in utero. The reason why Miranda thinks this is due to genetic screening information being tampering performed at Mr. X's request (He'd likely argue with Miranda that "You're biggest flaw to your otherwise perfection Miranda my dear, is that you think other people aren't as smart [as you]"). Mr. X's motivations are likely to A) See how far Miranda can be pushed, she was afterall, to be his 'dynasty.'
He was somewhat suspicious of Miranda's behaviour up to this point anyway.Oriana was likely conceived under an illicit affair with one of his employee's (who he loved, and this is important as this is a 'conflict of interest'), likely a weapon/ship designer (possibly of the Normandy itself). The idea is however that maybe this woman turned out to be dying and in desperation (and curiousity?) he performed (or more to the point, allowed) medical procedures on her to extend her life. These were partially successful. Oriana was genetically engineered and is healthier and... superior to regular humans as Miranda, but her Y chromosomes were largely taken from the mother herself. This is plausible because Mr. X always was a 'distance' father, and it would be understandable if he was mostly away on business. The mother survived the birth of her baby due to these medical accomplishments.
As we know, Oriana was 'kidnapped' by Miranda at her escape leaving an emotionally shattered Mr. X to pick up the pieces with his now wife (he's super rich, he is likely to believe he can walk over anyone in some way). As Mr. X might say to Miranda: "I used to think that a child was a mere object. Something to be examined and possibly thrown away if it proved ultimately useless. Cold? In hindsight... absolutely, we did not have a child growing inside us, we have no intrinsic nurture capability Miranda. I thought love for a child was based on the love for their mother and the need to be complete with her. I can tell you now Miranda, that as soon as I saw her born, all those preconceptions shattered in in the wail of her tears. Here was someone I could have a fresh start with, to help grow and yes, to be complete with the woman I loved. I thought the old saying that someone could 'die from grief' to be nothing more than an old adage, a pathetic plotpoint from a Hollywood movie entirely too romantic, and completely unrealistic. Oriana's kidnapping broke her mothers heart, I watched helplessly and impotently as the one woman I ever loved wither and die from grief as surely as the cancer in her bowels consumed her." - it should be clear here that in the conversation that Mr. X's usually cool exterior is cracking under his recalled emotion.
Why an illicit affair? To somewhat mirror Shephard and Miranda's own 'forbidden love, in an impossible circumstance.'
The Shephard/Mr. X Broadcast and it's importance:
The political weight of the savior of the Citadel (and his hushed return) combined with the political and military/industrial heavyweight of Mr. X is absolutely staggering (remember, Mr. X is fabulously, even opulently rich).
Can you imagine the political rammifications if such an innocuous quote like this slips into the newsfeeds?
"I'm here with Cmdr. Shephard, flush from his successes from the Reaper... " (turning to his press officer) I'm sorry, the geth... " ('conferring' with his press officer again and barely audibly (but still easily picked up by video recorders:)) "they are still officially calling it a geth invasion right?"
If delievered well enough, it wouldn't make Mr. X sound like an idiot, but make the Citadel Council/Systems Alliance as organizations with something to hide, remember Commander Shephard is a hero to many (no matter what he did at the end of ME1)
The Quandary:
Simply put, whether to reveal Oriana's last known position of Illium to Mr. X. As to 'why doesn't Illusive Man just reveal it?' perhaps he doesn't know, maybe Miranda managed to sneak one around him? Perhaps he doesn't actually know since it isn't one of his main operations or perhaps Cerberus sorta 'outsourced it' (This might explain Lanteia, who is obviously NOT human yet happily is referred to as someone Miranda can implicitly trust)
In terms of prepardness against the Reapers and his wiping off most of the costs to the alliance armada, it's a staggeringly good deal. If Shephard argues the point: "There are greater things at stake than Oriana's location" I think it could be safe to assume that Mr. X could argue that same point as vehemently in his defense "Exactly, just for Oriana's location! That is cheap as chips in comparison to my expense, love is blinding you just as it blinded me, don't make the same mistake!" Basically, is the safety of Oriana's sanctuary as important than the massive technological upgrade of Thanix type weapon systems (or Cyclonic Barrier Technology). For the sake of emotionally compelling storytelling (as I see it) it should offer potentially fuzzy conditions, although deciding against Miranda's obvious feelings shouldn't totally destroy the LI (but undoubtedly break it's hold somewhat, but with the provision that it could definitely be made stronger)
Subtle rammifications beyond the obvious to consider:
1) not passing the information to Mr. X could result in Oriana and her 'family' dying in a Reaper attack... shattering Miranda.
2) Passing the information to Mr. X could result in Oriana and her family dying in a Reaper attack.... shattering Miranda. This isn't a guaranteed response to either decision, but more to muddy the waters. Personally I'd prefer it as a solution to number 1.
Anyway, I think I've typed enough, but that's the general idea, and I'm interested in other peoples takes on it.
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:)
