The Mass Effect Diaries, Chapters 2-5

Dealspwn continues their series of diaries chronicling Commander Shepard’s journey through Mass Effect 2 with the addition of chapters two, three, four, and five. A snip from the newest entry:

We return to Cerberus’ Base of Operations, and I report to the Illusive Man, as requested. He congratulates me on the mission, although I still feel hollow about the entire ordeal. He informs me that the Quarians forwarded Veetor’s data on the Collectors to Cerberus. As promised. Surprising. I expect Tali convinced the Quarian hierarchy to relinquish the data.

The Illusive Man doesn’t seem at all concerned by the surprise inclusion of the Collectors. I question him on this, and he admits he suspected they were somehow involved. But not to this extent. He reveals the Collectors often trade with slavers or mercenaries, offering their advanced technology in exchange for organic specimens, alive or dead. They originate from the Omega 4 Relay, an unmapped, and thus inaccessible, region of space. I wonder why the Collectors suddenly shift their passive approach into aggressive territory, and the Illusive Man tells me they only recently shifted their stance, ever since we defeated Saren and the Geth. The connection to the Reapers is unequivocal.

The Illusive Man is tired of the Council’s hesitancy to take direct action. He wants me to lead the charge. But without the Normandy and my crew, I am but a speck to the Reapers, as easily disposed of as dust. I need a team. As if by magic, the Illusive Man unveils a dossier of potential candidates. Soldiers, scientists and mercenaries.

But they’re scattered across the universe, hard to reach and engaged in their own elusive agendas. The Illusive Man believes I’m a (natural leader), and is certain I’ll be able to convince them to join my cause. I’m not so sure. Before I leave, he tells me I must travel to Omega and find Mordin Solus, a Salarian scientist. Brilliant, apparently, and one of the names on my list. It’s believed that Solus may know of a way to counter the Collector’s ‘seeker swarms’, which would be a powerful tool in our arsenal.