WARNING! CONTAINS MASS EFFECT 3 EC SPOILERS. CBC Challenge: Science Fiction.
progressive
rock
instrumental rock
metal
fusion
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Story behind the song
Based on the game Mass Effect 3. Again. ^^
Basic story is that every 50,000 years the Reapers, an ancient race of massive AI ships, cleanse the galaxy of higher life forms to stop a cycle of destruction between organic and artificial life. The logic being that if left to our own devices, the synthetics would wipe out organic life entirely, so each cycle they harvest the organics to create new Reapers, capturing the essence of that cycle's species and destroying the synthetics. Our heroine (or hero, depending on what character you choose to start with) Commander Shepard is the main protagonist, determined to stop them at any cost.
For background, the original ending sequence to the game was unsatisfactory and lacked closure, of the state of the galaxy after the Reapers were 'defeated' or what happened to the characters we'd come to love. The gamers let the developers know this in no uncertain terms, so BioWare conceded and released extra content with more closure. One of the further complaints was there was no sense of agency. The whole game had pretty much been about gathering resources to stop the Reapers and build the 'Crucible', a huge construct whose designs had been passed down and added to each cycle for millions of years, allegedly a weapon to stop the Reapers. Once activated by Shepard, 3 options are presented by the Reapers' controller, who concedes that it's solution to the chaos of organic/AI chaos is no longer viable:
1. Destroy all synthetic life, including the Reapers but also a new ally, the geth, a race of AI beings who have only just found self awareness and peace amongst the organics. Also, a human made AI has also become self aware and is the love interest of the Pilot, Joker. She would also be destroyed.
2. Shepard can control the Reapers but will die in the process and lose all sense of self and humanity. The Reaper controller states this will not stop the cycle of AI/organic chaos and the chaos will return at some point.
3. Synthesis, where all life, both organic and synthetic, is merged into a new framework or 'DNA', resolving the problem of difference but Shepard has trouble coming to terms with forcing this on the galaxy without their consent.
In all cases, it is stated Shepard will die through the process. In the original, these are the only choices, which some gamers said were not what they would choose and wanted the option to refuse these options and fight conventionally. So for the EC edition, this option was included, the speech I've used is from Shepard when you refuse the options. Lo and behold, the legion of massive ancient AI ships beat the crap out of the organics and we lose. No-one except Shepard knows what happened or why the Crucible failed to work, in that she/he didn't use it. The next cycle learns of the Reapers via Liara T'Soni's capsule message and successfully defeats them.
Careful what you wish for and all that.
The outro speech is beautiful to a Mass Effect fanatic like me. It mirrors the previous cycle's warning to the future and as Shepard's love interest (if you chose her) Liara T'Soni's desperate capsule message is quite poignant and moving.
Commander Shepard is voiced excellently by Jennifer Hale.
Dr Liara T'Soni is voiced beautifully by Ali Hillis.
All voice samples are property of BioWare and/or EA Games.
Lyrics
Commander Shepard:
"I fight for freedom, mine and everyone's. I fight for the right to choose our own fate. And if I die, I'll die knowing that I did everything I could to stop you. And I'll die free."
Reapers:
"SO BE IT."
Doctor Liara T'Soni:
"If you're hearing this, then there is still hope. Hope that you can avoid the same mistakes we made. We fought the Reapers, but we failed to stop them. We did everything we could. We built the Crucible but it didn't work. We fought as a united galaxy but it wasn't enough. I only hope the information in this capsule is enough to help you before it's too late. My name is Doctor Liara T'Soni. Herein lies the recounting of our war with the Reapers."