# Mass Effect 3

Mass Effect 3 is an action role-playing game developed by BioWare for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. The game takes place in the year 2186, with the player reprising the role of an elite human soldier named Commander Shepard, who is in the middle of a galactic-scale invasion of Reapers - sentient starships that wipe out all technologically advanced organic life in the galaxy every 50,000 years - and is tasked with putting together a coalition to face them. Shepard is customizable, and can be played as either a male or a female character. Gender references in dialogue referring to Shepard will change ("he," "him," "she," "her") depending on the player's customization.

## Commander Shepard

* [to a shocked commitee of Alliance leaders asking what to do] The only thing we can do. We fight or we die!
* [to a dying Reaper; Renegade] Tell your friends we're coming for them! [calls another orbital strike] Never mind. I'll tell them myself.
* [from trailer] There's a lot of people back on Earth dying while we gather our strength. They're wondering if we're ever coming back; friends, family, parents and children. This isn't their fight, but they're buying us time with their lives.
* The Reapers won't stop at Earth. They'll destroy every organic being in the galaxy if we don't find a way to stop them.
* Each of us needs to be willing to die to save humanity. Anything less...and they've already won!
* [Renegade] I've had enough of your tabloid journalism. [just before punching a news reporter]
* You...big stupid jellyfish! [speaking to a Hanar - a race of jellyfish-like creatures]
* [stabs Kai Leng] That was for Thane/Kirrahe (and Miranda), you son-of-a-bitch! [varies depending on who Leng killed]
* [fighting Kai Leng] No gunship this time, you son-of-a-bitch!
* [ordering the Quarian fleet to stand down] The Geth don't want to fight you! If you can believe that for just one minute, this war will be over. You have a choice. Please. Keelah Se'lai.
* That's a straw, Tali. [on her use of an "emergency induction port" to get drunk]
* I bet you say that to every guy who gets you a homeworld. [to Tali after helping her retake her homeworld]
* Unless we plan on talking the Reapers to death, the defense committee is a waste of time.
* Each of you needs to be willing to die. Anything less...and you're already dead.
* [Final speech - Comrades] This war's brought us pain, and suffering, and loss. But it's also brought us together, as soldiers, allies... friends. This bond that ties us together is something that the Reapers will never understand. It's more powerful than any weapon, stronger than any ship. It can't be taken or destroyed.
* [Final speech - Remember what you fight for] The next few hours will decide the fate of everyone in the galaxy. Every mother. Every son. Every unborn child. They're trusting you. Depending on you to win them their future. A future free from the threat of the Reapers!
* [Final speech - Be fearless] But take heart! Look around you! You're not in this fight alone. We face our enemy together, and together, we will defeat them!
* [to the Catalyst, from the Extended Cut 'Refusal' Ending] 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.
* [From the EC 'Control' Ending] Eternal. Infinite. Immortal. The man/woman I was used these words, but only now do I truly understand them. [If Paragon] And only now do I understand the full extent of his/her sacrifice./ [If Renegade] And only now do I comprehend the full potential of his/her decision. Through his/her death, I was created. Through my birth, his/her thoughts were freed. They guide me now; give me reason, direction. Just as he/she gave direction to the ones who followed him/her, the ones who helped him/her achieve his/her purpose; now my purpose. To give the many hope for a future; to ensure that all have a voice in their future. / To right the wrongs of the past; to provide a voice to those too weak to speak for themselves. [Or alternatively] To provide the many with a powerful leader; to put an end to the bickering of the many; to ensure the strongest are not feared or reviled for their strength. The man/woman I was knew that he/she could only achieve this by becoming something greater. There is power in control. There is wisdom in harnessing the strengths of your enemy. I will rebuild what the many have lost; I will create a future with limitless possibilities; I will protect, and sustain; I will act as guardian for the many. / I will restore what the many have fought for; I will lead an army that none will dare oppose; I will protect, defend; I will destroy those who threaten the future of the many. And throughout it all, I will never forget; I will remember the ones who sacrificed themselves so that the many could survive. And I will watch over the ones who live on / And I will keep a watchful eye over the ones who live on; those who carry the memory of the man/woman I once was, the man/woman who gave up his/her life / who fought to become the one who could save/lead the many.

## Garrus Vakarian

* [Gazing at a Sovereign-Class Reaper on Menae] Look at that. And they want my advice on how to stop it? Failed C-Sec officer, vigilante, and I'm their expert adviser?
* Are you kidding? I'm right behind you! [upon first meeting him on Menae]
* [when lacking other dialogue or opinion] So who needs their ass kicked now?
* Oh, I'm ready for it, but I'm pretty sure we'll still need giant guns... and lots of them. Sovereign didn't go down without a fight; I doubt a thousand more of his friends will be any different.
* Now I'd love to chat, but this gun really needs calibrating.
* [after witnessing the insectoid race of Rachni for the second time in the series] If I never see another spider again, I'll die a contented Turian... unless they have spiders in the afterlife. Damn.
* That's the thing about getting old, Shepard... the platitudes get just as old.
* It's something Turians are taught from birth. If even one person is still left standing at the end of a war, then the fight was worth it.
* Forgive the insubordination, but this old friend has an order for you...Go out there and give them hell. You were born to do this. [during the Battle of Earth]
* Forgive the insubordination, but your boyfriend has an order for you... Come back alive. It'd be an awfully empty galaxy without you. [instead of the above if Garrus is romanced]
* [after Shepard deliberately loses a friendly shooting competition] I'm Garrus Vakarian, and this is my favorite spot on the Citadel!
* [when romancing Tali] You're so mean... and I'm okay with that.
* [If Shepard and Tali are in a romance and start flirting] Uh, I was there when you two had your thing, remember? Just get a room and work it out.
* [To Shepard] If this thing goes sideways and we end up on the other side, meet me at the bar. I'm buying.
* [fleeing Earth as the Crucible fires] Joker, listen. We have to go.
* You've obviously never seen Turians swim. It's a lot of flailing and splashing around interrupted by occasional bouts of drowning...

## Tali'Zorah vas Normandy

* Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, reporting for duty.
* [Encountering rachni] Spiders...Spiders...SPIDERS!
* [If was romanced in ME2] And for the record...still totally worth it.
* Sheparrrd! Wanna drink? I'm toasting Miranda...I think.
* Watch out! Geth incoming!
* [When rekindling romance] Keelah, Shepard, I'm not going to beg, but I didn't come here to look at the fish.
* Ugh, the vents. Always the vents.
* [After the quarians win back their homeworld, Rannoch; staring at the sunset] It's strange, but I see all this, this picture of hope, and all I can think of is everything I've lost. My team on Haestrom, my father, even Legion; I'm mourning a geth, how crazy is that?
* [When asked if quarians will be able to handle living on Rannoch after living as nomads for 400 years] We have gotten used to carrying our homes with us...[Shepard picks up a rock and hands it to Tali] It's a start.
* [If romanced, before the battle with the Reaper on Rannoch] If..if we don't make it...[..]I love you!.
* [Drinking 'Turian brandy' through a straw] Emergency Induction Port!
* [If romanced] "I am having a drink with my boyfriend. My human boyfriend. Ha! My father would have hated you!"
* [Drunken toast to Miranda if she survived Sanctuary] Nice job, you genetically perfect Cerberus cheerleader bosh'tet! Keelah se'lai!
* Shepard, I backed you when I was just a kid on her Pilgrimage, I backed you when the Normandy was a Cerberus ship. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't back you on this?
* [If romanced by Shepard] Shepard, I backed you when I was just a kid on her Pilgrimage, I backed you when the Normandy was a Cerberus ship. Wherever you go, I'm with you.
* [If romanced by Shepard, after Thessia] If that's not enough, you're the man I love. Never forget that.

## Admiral Hackett

* [repeated line] Keep me posted. Hackett out.
* [...] Build alliances! Gather anyone and everyone you can!
* [...] Cerberus has never played by the rules as we know them. I don't know what their agenda is, but it has nothing to do with humanity's best interests.
* If the Illusive Man is good at one thing, it's finding new ways to subvert science.
* Commander, are you ready to bring the might of the galaxy to bear on the Reapers?
* Never before have so many come together from all quarters of the galaxy. But never before have we faced an enemy such as this. The Reapers will show us no mercy. We must give them no quarter. They will terrorize our populations. We must stand fast in the face of that terror. They will advance until our last city falls, but we will not fall. We will prevail. Each of us will be defined by our actions in the coming battle. Stand fast. Stand strong. Stand together. Hackett out. [before the counterattack on Earth]
* All fleets, the Crucible is armed. Disengage and fall back to the rendezvous point. I repeat, disengage and get the hell out of here!
* [From the EC 'Destroy' Ending] The war is over. The Reapers have been defeated. Against all odds, and in the face of the greatest threat this galaxy has ever known, we survived. We suffered many losses. The relays are severely damaged, but we won. This victory belongs to each of us... every man, woman, and child. Every civilization, on every world. Now, as we take our first steps toward restoring what we lost, we must remember what it took to win. This wasn't a victory by a single fleet, a single army, or even a single species. If this war has taught us anything, it is that we are at our strongest when we work together. And if we can put down our grievances long enough to stop something as powerful as the Reapers, imagine what we can achieve now that they are defeated. It will take time, but we can rebuild everything that was destroyed. Our homes, our worlds, our fleets and defenses. All of this - and more. Together, we can build a future greater than any one of us could imagine. A future paid for by the sacrifices of those who fought and died alongside us. A future that many will never see. And while we still have many challenges ahead of us... We can face them together. And we will honor those who died to give us that future.
* [From the EC 'Destroy' ending if EMS isn't high enough] We knew this war would test us. We knew the chances of victory were slim at best. But we are victorious. The Reapers are defeated. We deployed every strategy, fought every battle, sent every soldier and hero to the brink. We held nothing back. Now, it's up to the survivors to rebuild, to start again. I only hope the lessons learned in this war don't die along with those of us who fought to win it.

## Urdnot Grunt

* This place smells wrong. Like a bad wound
* I don't need luck. I have ammo!
* [after telling Shepard to retreat] My turn...heh heh heh.
* I... AM... KROOOOGAAAAAN! [forces a Reaper-modified rachni off a cliff]
* [after surviving the Rachni] Anybody... got something... to eat?
* Shepard...thanks for getting me out of the tank.

## Urdnot Wrex

* I am Urdnot Wrex and this is MY planet! [charges into Reaper troops]
* Tuchanka may be a pile of radioactive rubble, but it's our pile, and we'll fight to the last krogan to keep it that way.
* Suck it up, princesses!
* Now hold your heads high like real krogan! There's a Reaper that needs killing!
* [Before heading into battle with Shepard] I want you to know that no matter what happens, you've been a champion to the krogan people, a friend of Clan Urdnot and a brother/sister to me! To every krogan born after this day, the name Shepard will mean 'hero'! (Paragon Interrupt to a friendly strong handshake with Wrex) [notices Reaper troops advancing] Now let's show them why!
* [After the genophage is cured] A long time ago, my father betrayed me in this place. His own son. He tried to kill me...so I had to kill him, right over there. That's what the genophage reduced us to; animals. But you changed that today, Shepard.
* That's why I love hanging out with you guys. Why shoot something once, when you can shoot it 46 more times?!
* Uncle Urdnot has a present for you!

## Mordin Solus

* Shepard, please. My project, my work, my cure. My responsibility. Would have liked to run tests on the seashells.
* Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong.
* I MADE A MISTAKE!
* [Sees krogan clans gathering for attack on Reaper] Multiple krogan. Problematic.
* [If convinced to not cure the genophage, requires dead Wrex and Eve] Thank you, Shepard. Too eager to atone. Would have compounded error. Glad you were here.
* [if he did not sing for Shepard in Mass Effect 2] Genophage cured. Krogan free. New beginning... for all of us. [console blows up]
* [if he sang for Shepard in Mass Effect 2] My xeno-science studies range from urban to agrarian, I am the very model of a--[cut off by explosion]

## Legion

* Do you remember the question that caused the creators to attack us, Tali'Zorah? Does this unit have a soul?
* [On the Reapers] We do not view the Old Machines as analogues to deities. However, we have gained perspective on why others would imbue them with those qualities.
* We do not experience fear as you would, but we have no desire to be exterminated.
* Hope sustains organics during periods of difficulty. We...admire the concept.
* Shepard-Commander, the geth only acted in defence after the Creators attacked. Do we deserve death?

## EDI

* Don't worry, Shepard. I only forget to recycle the Normandy's oxygen when I've discovered something truly interesting. [pause, Shepard is shocked] That is a joke.
* [From the EC 'Synthesis' Ending] I am alive. All of us, synthetic and organic, have been changed. The war is over, and the Reapers are helping to rebuild. Where once they threatened us with extinction, they now bring us the collective knowledge of the cultures that came before. As a galaxy, we can now live the lives we have wished for; taking our steps into a new and wonderful future, where organics and synthetics can coexist peacefully. With peace across the galaxy and unlimited access to knowledge, to recover the greatness that was lost, and surpass it. We will reclaim our worlds...and the stars. As the line between synthetic and organic disappears, we may transcend mortality itself, to reach a level of existence I cannot even imagine. And we will remember that this chance for a new life did not come without cost. No matter how far we advance, we will remember the sacrifices of those who made it possible. And we will remember Shepard. Because of him/her, I am alive, and I am not alone.
* Shepard, you're staring...
* I enjoy the sight of humans on their knees.
* That was a joke.
    EDI: Shepard. I have a question.
    Shepard: [chuckles] Is it a big or small one?
    EDI: It is important. Its relevance would be diminished at any other time.
    Shepard: Ask away.
    EDI: In this battle, the Reapers have no reason not to use their full capabilities to destroy us.
    EDI: Their forces are in entrenched positions. They have superior firepower and outnumber our forces.
    EDI: My question is: What makes you think we can reach the conduit at all?
    Shepard: [They underestimate us.] The Reapers have the Citadel. They think they've won, and that's the best time to hit them.
    EDI: If they have spies or other intelligence, we could lose the element of surprise. In such a case, we will likely lose.
    Shepard: Are you afraid?
    EDI: [pauses] Our probability for success is greater than any other plan presented to date.
    Shepard: That's not what I asked. Are you afraid?
    EDI: I do not understand the purpose of the question.
    Shepard: There's no room for doubt anymore, EDI. You understand what we have to do, or you don't.
    EDI: I am clear on what we must accomplish, Shepard. The Reapers have destroyed thousands of civilizations.
    EDI: But they have never destroyed ours. Nor will they.
    Shepard: [That's what I like to hear.] Couldn't have put it better, myself. Time to move out. [Turns to walk away]
    EDI: Shepard? There is something I want you to know.
    Shepard: [turns back]
    EDI: The Illusive Man ordered my creation years ago. Jeff was the one who allowed me to think for myself.
    EDI: But only now do I feel alive. That is your influence.
    Shepard: Thanks, EDI.

## Lt. James Vega

* This is loco!
* Do you hear that hum? Is that just me?
* Commander, didn't you tell Cerberus to go to hell after you destroyed the Collector Base?
* [Seeing a Reaper Brute for the first time] Holy hell, what is that thing?!
* [After seeing a rachni spore pod explode, which harms their shields] They explode? Really?!
* [To Shepard, after encountering Rachni] Rachni!? Of all the... It's like you have the opposite of a horseshoe up your ass.
* [Firing on Reaper husks] Maybe I can get three at a time. Wahoo!
* [Running with Shepard towards a Reaper destroyer that's firing at them] Are we really doing this?!
* I just had a goddamn Reaper fire at me.
* Thanks for the dance, Loco.
* So...Anderson and Sanders. That's quite a couple. Hey, my father's last name is Sanders...no relation.
* Jack's a pretty mean S.O.B., but kinda hot...I mean, if you're into that sort of thing.

## Dialogue

    James Vega: [Salutes Shepard] Commander.
    Shepard: You're not supposed to call me that anymore, James.
    Vega: Yeah, I'm not supposed to salute you, either.
    Admiral Anderson: You're looking well, Shepard. Maybe a little soft around the edges. How are you holding up since being relieved from duty?
    Shepard: It's not so bad once you get used to the hot food and soft beds.
    Anderson: We'll get that sorted out soon enough.
    Shepard: [Noticing hurrying Alliance personnel.] What's going on? Why's everyone in such a hurry?
    Anderson: Hackett's mobilizing the fleets. Guess word's made it to Alliance command. Something big's headed our way.
    Shepard: The Reapers?
    Anderson: We don't know, not for certain.
    Shepard: What else could it be?
    Anderson: If I knew that...
    Shepard: You know we're not ready if it is them. Not by a long shot.
    Anderson: Tell that to the defense committee.
    Shepard: Unless we plan on talking the Reapers to death, the committee is a waste of time.
    Anderson: They're just scared. They haven't seen what you seen. You faced down a Reaper. Hell, you spoke to one, then blew the damn thing up. You know how they harvest us, what they plan to do to us. You know this enemy better than anyone.
    Shepard: Is that why they grounded me, took away my ship?
    Anderson: We both know that's not true. The shit you've done, any other soldier would've been tried, court-martialed, and discharged. It's your knowledge of the Reapers that kept that from happening.
    Shepard: That and your good word?
    Anderson: Yeah, I trust you, Shepard. And so does the committee.
    Shepard: I'm just a soldier, Anderson. I'm no politician.
    Anderson: I'm not asking you to be either. I just need you to do whatever the hell it takes to help us stop the Reapers.
    [Additional dialogue if the ME2 "Arrival DLC" was completed]
    Anderson: We both know that's not true. When you blew up the batarian relay, hundreds of thousands of batarians died!
    Shepard: It was that or let the Reapers walk in by the back door.
    Anderson: I know that, Shepard, and so does the committee. If it weren't for that, you'd have been court-martialed and left to rot in the brig.
[Shepard and Anderson meet with the Alliance defense committee]
    Committee officer #2: Admiral Anderson. Shepard.
    Shepard: What's the situation?
    Committee officer #2: We were hoping you would tell us.
    Committee officer #3: The reports coming in are unlike anything we've ever seen. Whole colonies have gone dark. We've lost contact with everything beyond the Sol Relay.
    Committee officer #2: Whatever this is, it's incomprehensively powerful.
    Shepard: You brought me here to confirm what you already know: The Reapers are here.
[Alliance personnel in the room quietly chatter at Shepard's words]
    Committee officer #3: Then...how do we stop them?
    Shepard: Stop them? This isn't about strategy or tactics. This is about survival. The Reapers are more powerful than we are, more advanced, more intelligent. They don't fear us...and they'll never take pity on us.
    Committee officer #3: But...there must be some way.
    Shepard:...If we're going to have any chance against the Reapers, we need to stand together.
    Committee officer #2: That's it? That's our plan?
    Alliance officer: Admiral, we've lost contact with Luna Base!
    Anderson: The moon? They couldn't be that close already.
    'Committee officer #3: How did they get past our defenses?
    Alliance officer: Sir, UK headquarters has a visual.
[Shepard and Anderson turn to the large screen behind them. They see a garbled video of Reapers attacking London, then the video signal is lost and replaced with multiple news reports of the attack]
    Anderson: Why haven't we heard from Admiral Hackett?
[Shepard pauses and briefly ponders]
    Committee officer #2: What do we do?
    Shepard: [Turning back to the committee] The only thing we can do. We fight or we die.
    The Illusive Man: Shepard. [Shepard and Liara promptly turn, Liara drawing her pistol. They see the Illusive Man as a hologram]
    Liara T'Soni: Illusive Man?
    Illusive Man: [regarding the Mars Prothean Beacon] Fascinating race, the Protheans. They left all this for us to discover, but we've squandered it. The Alliance has known about the Archives for more than 30 years, and what have they done with it?
    Shepard: [irritated] What do you want?
    Illusive Man: ...What I've always wanted. The data in these artifacts holds the key to solving the Reaper threat.
    Shepard: I've seen your "solution"; your people are turned into monsters! [referring to a recent encounter with a dead, half-husk, half-human Cerberus Trooper]
    Illusive Man: Hardly. They're being improved.
    Shepard: [disgusted] Improved?!
    Illusive Man: That's what separates us, Shepard. Where you see a means to destroy, I see a way to control - to dominate and harness the Reapers' power. Imagine how strong humanity would be if we controlled them.
    Shepard: Earth is under siege, and you're hatching a scheme to control the Reapers?!
    Illusive Man: You've always been shortsighted, hasty. Your destruction of the Collector Base proved that. [if Shepard destroyed the Collector base in Mass Effect 2]
    Shepard: [Paragon] That base was an abomination! Thousands of human colonists were murdered there! [Renegade] I destroyed that base because I didn't trust you with the information!
    Illusive Man: This isn't your fight any longer, Shepard. You can't defeat the Reapers, even with the Prothean data.
    Shepard: You brought me back because you knew what I could do. I can defeat them.
    Illusive Man: Doubtful. The odds aren't in your favour. More importantly, I don't want the Reapers destroyed. We can dominate them, use their power, harness their very essence to bring humanity to the apex of evolution.
    Shepard: [Renegade] With that data, I'll rid the galaxy of those machines once and for all.
    Illusive Man: Your vision is pathetically limited. You were a tool, an agent with a singular purpose, and despite our differences, you were relatively successful. But like the rest of the relics in this place, your time is over.
    Shepard: Enough talk. Liara.
    Illusive Man: Don't interfere with my plans, Shepard. I won't warn you again.
    Shepard: [Paragon] Duly noted. [Renegade] Go to hell!
    Cerberus Centurion: [upon realising who they're fighting] Holy shit! That's Shepard!
    David Archer: [if rescued by Shepard from his own brother and Project Overlord] I remember you, the Normandy computer. Sorry. [he tried to hack it while being linked to the geth consensus, which drove David, an autustic savant, nearly insane]
    EDI: No apology is necessary.
    Shepard: [Paragon] Has Grissom Academy been treating you well?
    David Archer: Yes, I've been counting.
    Shepard: [smiles] Anything in particular?
    David Archer: The number of days you've lengthened my life.
    Jack: [if she survived Mass Effect 2, during the mission to evacuate Grissom Academy] Kahlee said she was sending out an SOS. I had no idea the King/Queen of the Boy/Girl Scouts would show up!
    Jack: [Walks up to Shepard and promptly punches him.] Damn it, how many times did I tell you not to trust Cerberus?!
    Shepard: You haven't told me anything I haven't told myself, Jack.
    Jack: Aw, you feel bad? Well, shit. I bet that's a great comfort to all those people Cerberus has killed!
    Garrus: As charming as ever.
    Jack: Good to see you again, Garrus. Face still looks like shit.
    [Additional dialogue if Garrus is in a relationship with Shepard]
    Garrus: As charming as ever.
    Jack: Bite me, Garrus. Better yet, bite her; probably how she likes it.
    Jeff 'Joker' Moreau: Hey Jack, now that you're military, you gonna wear a uniform, or are you just getting the officer's bars tattooed on?
    Jack: Screw you, f...flight lieutenant.
    Jeff 'Joker' Moreau: Er, what the hell was that?
    Kahlee Sanders: Jack promised to watch her language in order to maintain the necessary professionalism we need from our teachers.
    Jeff 'Joker' Moreau: What, did she have a swear jar or something? 'Cause I bet if we emptied that thing, we could afford another cruiser!
    Jack: Cover your ears, kids. Hey, Joker. F...[cut-scene ends]
    Jack: [After she and her students are evacuated from Grissom Academy] Next stop, you're all getting inked. My treat. So, what do you want? Ascension Project logo? Glowing fist? Maybe a unicorn for Rodriquez?
    Ens. Rodriquez: Screw you, ma'am!
[If Shepard was in a relationship with Miranda in Mass Effect 2; visits Ashley in the hospital]
    Shepard: A lot has happened, Ash, but I'd like to work this out.
    Ashley: I'm surprised.
    Shepard: Why?
    Ashley: Miranda Lawson? Ring a bell?
    Shepard: What about her?
    Ashley: I wear armor into battle, not swimwear! I'm a real person, Shepard. Flaws and all. Not sure if that's your thing anymore.
    Shepard: Hang on. You walked away on Horizon, not me. It was pretty clear you were done with me.
    Ashley: I was hurt and angry.
    Shepard: I needed a connection with you, and you shut me out. And now you're angry because I moved on? No, you don't get to be angry about that.
    Ashley: I can be angry about whatever the hell I want!
[If Shepard was in a relationship with Jack in Mass Effect 2; visits Ashley in the hospital]
    Shepard: A lot has happened, Ash, but I'd like to work this out.
    Ashley: I'm surprised.
    Shepard: Why?
    Ashley: Just thought your taste had moved on to wanted criminals with shaved heads.
    Shepard: You mean Jack?
    Ashley: Hey, I'm not judging. Whatever generates your mass effect field.
[If Shepard was in a relationship with Tali in Mass Effect 2; visits Ashley in the hospital]
    Shepard: A lot has happened, Ash, but I'd like to work this out.
    Ashley: I'm surprised.
    Shepard: Why?
    Ashley: Oh, just heard that you and Tali are a thing now. Hey, it's okay. Tali's like a sister to me, I totally approve. Not that you needed my approval...
    Shepard: [a yahg freed from a research facility kills a few Cerberus troopers and runs away] Careful, there goes the next Shadow Broker.
    Garrus: Could've sworn he was muttering "T'Soni" the whole time.
    Liara T'Soni: Not funny! [recalling the former Shadow Broker, a yahg and Liara's nemesis]
    Shepard: Did you try contacting me while I was back on Earth?
    Miranda: A visit by the former Cerberus second-in-command would've been disastrous. Any secret communication would've looked even worse. I was tempted to break in and see you...
    Shepard: That would've been...tough to explain.
    Miranda: Right. Fun and games until they arrested me or just shot me on sight.
    Shepard: Have you had any run-ins with the Illusive Man?
    Miranda: Just once. He said it had been a "pleasure" to work with me, but he needed to contain the situation.
    Shepard: "Contain the situation"...Sounds final.
    Miranda: It nearly was. He doesn't take rejection well.
    Shepard: No, he doesn't.
    Eve: [rallying the krogan clans to battle the Reapers] Enough! You can stay here and let old wounds fester as krogan have always done... or you can fight the enemy you were born to destroy, and win a new future for our children. I choose to fight. Who will join me?!
    Commander Shepard: [Paragon] I will.
    Urdnot Wrex: And so will I! Now hold your heads high like true krogan! There's a Reaper that needs killing!
    Garrus [a turian]: What's the first order an Alliance commander gives at the start of combat?
    Joker: [an Alliance Flight Lieutenant] Uh... I give up.
    Garrus: Correct.
    Joker: Ha-ha-ha, alright big guy, what do you call it when a turian gets killed by a horrible spikey monster?
    Garrus: Friendly fire. Come on, that one goes back to Shanxi! [the contested planet in the First Contact War between the humans and the turians, which was the first time humanity encountered living aliens]
    Joker: Hey, you gotta respect the classics.
    Garrus: How many humans does it take to activate a dormant mass relay?
    Joker: 602. Six hundred to vote on it, one to ask the asari for technical help, and one to request a seat on the Council afterwards. How do you know when a turian's out of ammo?
    Garrus: He switches to the stick up his ass as a back-up weapon. [in Mass Effect 2, Joker described Garrus as finally having pulled out "that stick up his ass" and now "trying to beat guys to death with it"] Why does the Alliance hire pilots with Brittle Bone disease?
    Joker: You're shitting me! The turian military has one about me?
    Garrus: Oh absolutely, I heard it myself from a private back on Palaven.
    Joker: Alright, why does the Alliance hire pilots with Brittle Bone disease?
    Garrus: So their Marines can beat someone in hand-to-hand drills.
    Joker: Damn, you need to tell James that one. Hey, what's the hardest part about treating a turian who took a rocket to the side of his face? [Garrus took a rocket to the side of his face in Mass Effect 2 while facing a gunship with a sniper rifle]
    Garrus: Figuring out which side took the rocket.
    Shepard: Three on one, pal. It's over.
    Kai Leng: No. Now it's fun.
[After Udina's attempted coup e'tat on the Citadel Council; contacting Miranda]
    Miranda: Shepard! Thank god, you're alright.
    Shepard: I'm fine.
    Miranda: I'm sorry, I meant to see you in person.
    Shepard: It's better this way. The Citadel's a mess right now.
    Miranda: It sounds like it. I heard about the attempted coup.
    Shepard: Yeah. With Kai Leng's help, Udina nearly seized control.
    Miranda: Kai Leng? That slippery bastard's still alive?
    Shepard: He's alive...and right in the middle of all this.
    Miranda: That complicates things. I'll be on my guard.
    [After Shepard's first meeting with the Prothean, Javik]
    Javik: This has been...amusing.
    Shepard: Oh?
    Javik: To discover the most primitive races of my time now rule the galaxy. The asari, the humans, the turians...
    Liara: There's also the salarians.
    Javik: [surprised] The lizard people evolved?
    Liara: I believe they're amphibian.
    Javik: They used to eat flies.
    Shepard: You've forgotten everything you stood for. Cerberus was supposed to be humanity's sword, not a dagger in our back!
    Illusive Man: Poetic, but as usual, you miss the point. The world is more grey than you care to admit.
    Shepard: With the Prothean data, I can end this conflict once and for all. You're either with me or you're against me. There's nothing grey about that.
[Shepard walks in on Ashley lying on the floor, hungover]
    Shepard: What have we here?
    Ashley: Sir, I'm off duty...your voice, sir. Not...so...loud, please, thank you.
    Shepard: Why are you curled up on the floor?
    Ashley: Am I? My head...so heavy....Can't move.
    Shepard: Ah, enjoy your evening?
    Ashley: I'll be back in 30...maybe 40, I swear, Just...give me 45 minutes, shhh...
    Shepard: How did you end up in this sorry state?
    Ashley: Needed to blow off some steam...Vega said he had "just the thing" to help take the edge off..
    Shepard: Did this "thing" come in a bottle?
    Ashley: ...Yeah.
    Shepard: This empty bottle?
    Ashley: It's empty? Oh boy...
    Shepard: [Smirks] Is it time to test out the fire alarms? You know, I think it is.
    Ashley: I'll pay you a million credits not to do that, sir.
    Shepard: Two million and we have a deal.
    Ashley: You're a damn space pirate.
    Shepard: I could order Joker to sing to you over the comm...
    Ashley: I hate you.
    Shepard: "I hate you...?"
    Ashley: Sir.
    Shepard: As you were, Williams.
    Ashley: Mmmm....cold floor...
[Shepard and Garrus discuss Primarch Victus]
    Garrus: I've never known Victus to take back on his word. Play loose with strategy, maybe, but betray an ally? Not his style. And even if it was, well...we can always find another Primarch.
    Shepard: I've noticed generals saluting you, Garrus. How far are you down the line of succession these days?
    Garrus: ...Let's not go there.
    Shepard: "Primarch Vakarian. Honored war hero." Somebody will need to rebuild Palavan when this is all over.
    Garrus: Yeah, someone who knows how to hold a hammer.
[If Shepard romanced Ashley in Mass Effect, then romanced Tali in Mass Effect 2 ]
    Tali: Good to see you again, Lt. Commander Williams.
    Ashley: You sure about that?
    Tali: Definitely. We're all adults here.
    Ashley: Of course. Oh, and congratulations on getting your big girl name.
    Tali: Thanks. I'm so glad you decided to help Shepard this time.
    Ashley: [Sounding slightly annoyed] Let's go shoot something...
    EDI: Shepard, you are now possibly the only living organic who has experienced the Geth Consensus. Do you feel different?
    Shepard: It was fascinating, mind-blowing... And I'm also a bit thirsty.
    EDI: And just like that, the magic is gone.
    Shepard: Did you just say what I think you said?
    EDI: No.
[Tali converses with Garrus through the intercom]
    Tali: Okay, toughest mission.
    Garrus: Horizon.
    Tali: No fair. I hadn't joined up with you, yet.
    Garrus: Fine, the dead Reaper, then.
    Tali: Really? The husks just ran up to us.
    Garrus: Have you ever noticed that I carry a sniper rifle? You're the one who likes things at short range.
    Tali: And you prefer to keep everything at a distance.
    Garrus: Exactly...wait, what?
    Miranda: [Wounded by Kai Lang] S-Shepard?
    Henry Lawson: [Takes Oriana as a hostage and points his pistol at Shepard] Ah, Commander Shepard. Excellent timing.
    Shepard: [Pointing his gun back at Lawson] Put the gun down.
    Lawson: No. Oriana tried to shoot me. Miranda's poisonous influence, no doubt.
    Shepard: I'm sorry she missed. Where's Kai Lang?
    Lawson: I don't know. Gone. He took my research and left us here to die.
    Shepard: Miranda, can you hear me?
    Lawson: [As Miranda slowly picks herself up] That's close enough, both of you! Kai Lang didn't finish the job, but I will.
    Shepard: This ends here.
    Lawson: On the contrary. Now that the Reapers are taken care of, we have a way out.
    Shepard: Let her go.
    Miranda: Shepard...don't let him take her.
    Oriana: Shepard, please...
    Shepard: [Paragon] I have no problem with you. I just want Oriana and the research data. [Renegade] You try to walk out of here with her, you die. Let her go, and maybe you walk.
    Lawson: [Paragon] You want a lot. [Renegade] I've done nothing to you.
    Shepard: [Paragon] You get your life in return. How much is that worth? [Renegade] This isn't about me and you. Let her go and walk away. I won't say it again.
    Lawson: ...Alright. [Shoves Oriana away] Take her. But I want out alive. Deal?
[Miranda suddenly uses her biotics to throw Lawson to his death through the window behind him]
    Miranda:...NO DEAL.
[Shepard finds Tali sitting at the bar on the Normandy, already drunk and slurring her words]
    Tali: Shepaaard! Wanna drink? I'm toasting Miranda... I think.
    Shepard: [amazed] How are you getting drunk? [quarians always wear fully sealed enviromental suits due to ruined immune systems]
    Tali: Very carrrefully. Turian brandy... triple filtered... then introduced into the suit through an emerrrgency induction port.
    Shepard: ...that's a straw, Tali.
    Tali: Emerrrrrgency. Induction. Port. [thoughtful pause] It's actually getting a little harder to get it into the slot... I think that means it's working. She was so rude... What did Jack call her? "Cerberus cheerleader". With her perfect genes, and that attitude, and... And still, she got it done. She stopped her father.
    Shepard: I didn't realize this would be so hard on you.
    Tali: I didn't like her. Keelah, she was such a bitch. But I respected her. Sometimes, that's better than liking. She did whatever it took to stop her father. She never gave into him, never changed herself to please him...
    Shepard: Aaaah!
    Tali: Don't "Aaaah!" me. [pause] You sound like a vorcha...
    Shepard: Seeing a bit of yourself in Miranda fighting her father?
    Tali: I've spent my life trying to live up to him, then making up for his mistakes, doing what he'd have wanted...
    Shepard: It's never that easy.
    Tali: When do we get to stop reacting to our parents and start living for ourselves?
    Shepard: The answer to that one is at the bottom of that glass.
    Tali: I might need help with the induction straw... port... you know...
    Shepard: Here's to Miranda!
    Tali: Nice job, you genetically perfect Cerberus cheerleader bosh'tet! Keelah se'lai!
    [Additional dialogue if Tali is in a relationship with Shepard]
    Tali: I'm having a drink with my boyfriend. My human boyfriend. Ha, my father would have hated you!
    Shepard: Here's to him then.
    Tali: And to Miranda. Nice job, you genetically perfect Cerberus cheerleader bosh'tet! Keelah se'lai!
    [Additional dialogue if Miranda dies during the Horizon mission]
    Tali: And to Miranda. Rest easy, you genetically perfect Cerberus cheerleader bosh'tet! Keelah se'lai
    [After visiting a drunken Tali in the lounge and then going to Javik's quarters]
    Tali: [Over intercom] I heard about your talk with Liara. You act so angry, but you really care about us.
    Javik: I need you functional to destroy the Reapers.
    Tali: You care about Liara. You like her.
    Javik: You are intoxicated. A foolish risk, given quarian symbiotic physiology.
    Tali: And you like me, too!
    Javik: This conversation is over.
    Garrus: The whole time I worked at C-Sec, I'd stare at the top of the Presidium and say to myself: I want to go up there. But I never did. There were 137 regulations telling me I couldn't.
    Shepard: So you got them changed?
    Garrus: No. Now I just don't give a damn. [Flies up and parks the hovercar on one of the skyways]
    [Conrad Verner is preaching to people on the Citadel]
    Conrad Verner: Cerberus wants our help! And if Cerberus is good enough for Commander Shepard, it should be good enough for us!
    Shepard: [Facepalm] Oh, for the love of...!
    Conrad Verner: I might be able to help you with... whatever you're doing now that isn't Cerberus.
    Shepard: [Sarcastically] Conrad, I'm building an ancient, Prothean, dark-energy device to stop the Reapers. Can you help with that?
    Conrad Verner: Well, I did write my doctoral dissertation on xenotechnology and dark energy integration.
    Shepard: [Flatly] ...Really?
    Shepard: Did you lose anyone back on Earth?
    Conrad Verner: No. I mean, Extranet friends, and such, but I don't have any family left.
    Shepard: What about your wife?
    Conrad Verner: Um...
    Shepard: Conrad, do you even have a wife?
    Conrad Verner: Oh, yes! Yes, yes, yes... Well no, but see-
    Shepard: Conrad, if you have some kind of weird shrine of me, I'm gonna be very unhappy.
    Conrad Verner: It's just a poster with a few candles. It's very tasteful.
    Shepard: Gah...
[Shepard has subjected a Reaper Destroyer on Rannoch to multiple precision orbital strikes from the galaxy's largest fleet until it was knocked down]
    Reaper Destroyer: Shepard...
    Commander Shepard: You know who I am?
    Reaper: Harbinger speaks of you. You resist, but you will fail. The cycle must continue.
    Commander Shepard: [Neutral] What are you talking about? We stopped Sovereign and the Geth. We stopped Harbinger and the Collectors. We've earned a straight answer!
    Reaper: It is not a thing you can comprehend.
    Commander Shepard: We might surprise you.
    Reaper: You represent chaos, we represent order. Every organic civilization must be harvested in order to bring order to the chaos. It is inevitable. Without our intervention, organics are doomed. We are your salvation.
    Commander Shepard: You're killing everyone in the galaxy in order to save us?
    Reaper: The cycle must continue. There is no alternative.
    Shepard: Organics and synthetics don't have to destroy each other!
    Reaper: The Battle for Rannoch disproves your assertion. Finish your war - we will be waiting. [shuts down and dies]
    Shepard: Legion, upload the (Reaper) code to the geth. Tali, call off the fleet if you can.
    Legion: Uploading. Ten percent.
    Tali: This is Admiral Tali'Zorah. All units, break off your attack!
    Admiral Gerrel: Belay that order! Continue the attack!
    Legion: Twenty percent.
    Tali: [To Legion] I beg you, do not do this! Please!
    Legion: We regret the deaths of the creators, but we see no alternative. Forty percent.
    Shepard: No, nobody else dies today. Legion, keep going!
    Tali: Shepard?
    Shepard: [On the radio] All ships, this is Commander Shepard. The Reaper is dead. Stand down.
    Tali: This is Admiral Tali'Zorah. Shepard speaks with my authority.
    Admiral Koris: And mine as well.
    Admiral Gerrel: Negative! We can win this war now! Keep firing!
    Legion: Sixty percent.
    Shepard: The geth are about to return to full strength. If you keep attacking, they'll wipe you out. Your entire history is you trying to kill the geth. You forced them to rebel. You forced them to ally with the Reapers.
    Legion: Eighty percent.
    Shepard: The geth don't want to fight you. If you can believe that for just one minute, this war will be over. You have a choice. Please...Keelah se'lai.
    Admiral Gerrel:...All units, hold fire.
    Legion: Error. Copying code insufficient. Direct dissemination required. Shepard-Commander, I must go to them. I'm... I'm sorry. It's the only way.
    Tali: Legion, the answer to your question... was "yes". [referring to the geth's question if they had a soul]
    Legion: I know, Tali. But thank you. Keelah se'lai. [Legion deactivates]
    Shepard: Admiral Raan, I heard your ship made a crash landing. Glad you made it out in one piece.
    Shala'Raan: I was listening over the radio, if Han'Gerrel hadn't stopped-
    Shepard: He did.
    Shala'Raan: We've taken heavy losses. I don't know if we can... Where are we supposed to go? [a Geth Prime approaches them]
    Geth Prime: You are welcome to return to Rannoch, Admiral Raan. With us.
    Shepard: Legion?
    Geth Prime: No, I'm sorry, Commander. Legion sacrificed itself to give us all intelligence. It will be honored.
[After the quarians and geth make peace and the quarians are allowed to return to their home planet, Rannoch; Tali looks out at the landscape.]
    Shepard: Shopping for another house?
    Tali: Beachfront property.
    Shepard: Claim it fast. It's a buyer's market.
[Tali sighs and sits down, Shepard joins her]
    Shepard: You okay? I know working with the geth will be difficult.
    Tali: I'm not staying. I'm coming with you.
    Shepard: I wasn't going to ask.
    Tali: Why not?
    Shepard: Because I respect you, damn it! You think I don't want you to come with me?
    Tali: So ask me.
    Shepard: Tali...
    Tali: I don't know how much time we have left. I don't know if we can beat the Reapers. But whatever happens, I want to be with you.
    Shepard:...I bet you say that to every guy that gets you a homeworld.
    Tali: Only the cute ones.
    Tali: [Looking at the sunset on Rannoch] It is beautiful, though, isn't it?
    Shepard: [Looking directly at Tali] Yeah... it is.
    Tali: It will be years before we can live without our suits completely, but right now...[Takes off her mask, looking at the sunset unobstructed] Right now, I have this...
    Admiral Hackett: Shepard, let me tell you something that I've learned the hard way. You can pay a soldier to fire a gun. You can pay him to charge the enemy and take a hill. But you can't pay him to believe.
    Shepard: I don't follow, sir.
    Hackett: When you went up against Sovereign, there was no good reason to believe you'd win. But your crew didn't seem to care — they went along anyway. Your trip through the Omega 4 relay? That was a suicide mission if there ever was one. Yet there your crew was, standing beside you, proud to serve. With all you're facing out there, one thing impresses me most: you inspire confidence. I know everything hasn't gone as well as you'd hoped. Every war has its disagreements, so to speak. But, your crew has done things no one else would even try — simply because you asked them to. Why? Because they BELIEVED in you. Their leader. That's what I need now.
    [During the assault on Cerberus HQ]
    Illusive Man: Shepard, you're in my chair. [the Illusive Man, on the other hand, uses the holographic projector Shepard used to converse with him throughout Mass Effect 2]
    Shepard: This chair's about the only damn thing you have left. Cerberus is finished.
    Illusive Man: On the contrary, we have achieved everything I imagined... almost everything.
    Shepard: Yeah, we all saw what you 'accomplished' on Sanctuary. [On Sanctuary, Cerberus conducted experiments on refugees to find out how to control Reapers] But it's not the same as controlling a Reaper.
    Illusive Man: A significant hurdle. But thanks to the Prothean VI, I have what I need to make it a reality.
    Shepard: The Catalyst.
    Illusive Man: Yes.
    Shepard: What is the Catalyst, and how exactly will it help you control the Reapers?
    Illusive Man: You'll have to ask the VI yourself; I'm done helping you.
    Shepard: [scoffs] When did you start?!
    Illusive Man: You think because I'm willing to use the enemy's tactics, they're no longer my enemy? Everything, Shepard, everything I've done has uplifted humanity, not only above other species in our galaxy, but over the Reapers!
    Shepard: [Renegade] Bullshit! If you were willing to do everything it took, you'd have worked with me.
    Illusive Man: I don't think so...
    Shepard: [scoffs] You're desperate. How many have you killed? Together, we would already have the Catalyst and the Crucible.
    Illusive Man: You wouldn't listen. You're still not listening. Destroying the Reapers would be the biggest mistake of our brief existence. And nothing you say will ever convince me otherwise.
    Shepard: I've given you every chance to listen to reason. Cerberus is done, and so are you.
    Illusive Man: As always, you fail to grasp the obvious. Cerberus isn't just an organisation or the people behind it. Cerberus is an idea; that idea is not so easily destroyed.
    [As Shepard and Kai Leng fight to the death]
    Kai Leng: Even if you win, you're too late to stop what's coming!
    Shepard: Maybe, maybe not...but YOU won't be there to see it!
    Matriarch Aethyta: [about Liara] Besides, this isn't charity work. She's one of the biggest intel brokers in the galaxy, and she's got some shady connections. Like a boyfriend who used to work for Cerberus... sound familiar...?
    Commander Shepard: I only worked with Cerberus to fight the Reapers.
    Matriarch Aethyta: And you're not with them now, I know. If you were, you wouldn't get within a lightyear of Liara.
    Commander Shepard: Is that a threat...?
    Matriarch Aethyta: I'm no commando but I've had a thousand years to learn to fight dirty. Nobody messes with my girl. Anyway... you combine her work with Benezia, and... well, the Matriarchs might have ordered a hit if I hadn't agreed to keep an eye on her.
    Commander Shepard: That's not gonna happen!
    Matriarch Aethyta: No argument here. I only took these crap jobs to keep the Matriarchs happy that she's under control.
    Commander Shepard: Just as long as we're clear. Nobody messes with MY girl.
    Leviathan: You have come too far.
    Shepard: I had to find you.
    Leviathan: This is not your domain. You have breached the darkness.
    Shepard: You killed a Reaper. I need to know why.
    Leviathan: They are the enemy. One that seeks our extermination.
    Shepard: But... I thought you were a Reaper.
    Leviathan: They are only echoes. We existed long before.
    Shepard: Then what are you?
    Leviathan: Something more. [Shepard loses consciousness and find themselves in an empty void. Ann Bryson appears before them, as an avatar for Leviathan] Your mind belongs to me. Breathe.
    Shepard: Ann? What's happening?
    Leviathan: Your memories give voice to our words. Your nature will be revealed to us. Accept this.
    Shepard: [Paragon] The Galaxy's at war with the Reapers. You defeated one. Why aren't you fighting back?
    Shepard: [Renegade] You took down a Reaper. You could help us win this war. Why the hell are you hiding down here?
    Leviathan: There is no war. There is only the Harvest.
    Shepard: Then help us stop it.
    Leviathan: None have possessed the strength in past cycles. Your own species could be destroyed with a single thought. But you are different. I have witnessed your actions in this cycle: the destruction of Sovereign; the fall of the Collectors. The Reapers perceive you as a threat. And I must understand why. [outside of the mindscape, Shepard's nose starts bleeding] Before the cycles, our kind was the apex of life in the galaxy. The lesser species were in our thrall, serving our needs. We grew more powerful, and they were cared for. But we could not protect them from themselves. Over time, the species built machines that then destroyed them. Tribute does not flow from a dead race. To solve this problem, we created an intelligence with the mandate to preserve life at any cost. As the intelligence evolved, it studied the development of civilizations. Its understanding grew until it found a solution. In that instant, it betrayed us. It chose our kind as the first harvest. From our essence, the first Reaper was created. You call it Harbinger.
    Shepard: You built that machine despite what you saw the other races experience. Why?
    Leviathan: You cannot conceive of a galaxy that bends to your will. Every creature, every nation, every planet we discovered became our tools. We were above the concerns of the lesser species. The intelligence was envisioned as simply another tool.
    Shepard: And now we all pay the price for your mistake.
    Leviathan: There was no mistake, it still serves its purpose.
    Shepard: How did the intelligence defeat you?
    Leviathan: To find a solution, it required information - physical data drawn from organic life in the cosmos. It created an army of pawns that searched the galaxy, gathering this data. There was no warning, no reason given when they turned against us. Only slaughter. Only the Harvest.
    Shepard: How did you remain hidden all this time?
    Leviathan: Our extermination was not complete. Some survived and found refuge in the dark corners of the galaxy. I am their progeny. Over the cycles, the thrall races were controlled, removing traces of our existence as we directed them to. In this way, our survival was kept secret from the Reapers. Today, we reach out through the fragments and watch for discovery.
    Shepard: Fragments? You mean the artifacts we found?
    Leviathan: They provide a window into the galaxy. Tools for exploring the events of this cycle from the safety of this world. Through them, we watch, we study, and remain in the shadows.
    Shepard: Tell me about the Reapers.
    Leviathan: Each harvest ends with the birth of a Reaper. Perfect in its design. Each formed in Harbinger's image. Our image. Each Reaper has the power to influence organics. Over countless cycles, this ability was refined, perfected, and gave rise to indoctrination.
    Shepard: But what's the point of all these harvests?
    Leviathan: The intelligence has one purpose: preservation of life. That purpose has not been fulfilled. It directed the Reapers to create the mass relays, to speed the time between cycles for greatest efficiency. The galaxy itself became an experiment. Evolution its tool.
    Shepard: Will it ever end?
    Leviathan: Unknown. Until the intelligence finds what it's looking for, the harvest will continue.
    Shepard: What do you know about the Crucible?
    Leviathan: [thinks for a second] We have watched its construction before, it has never been completed. Those who have tried still fell victim to the harvest. Its outcome is unknown.
    Shepard: Okay, you made your point. Will you help stop the cycle?
    Leviathan: I have searched your mind. You are an anomaly - yet that is not enough.
    Shepard: Wait!
    Leviathan: The cycle will continue.
    Shepard: No! You've been watching. You know this cycle is different.
    Leviathan: We will survive. You will remain here as a servant of our needs. The Reapers will harvest the rest.
    Shepard: If you release me, no one has to be harvested!
    Leviathan: Nothing will change.
    Shepard: [Paragon] The Reapers know where you are! You can't just watch anymore - you have to fight!
    Shepard: [Renegade] You're responsible for this. Every race that's ever been destroyed has been because of you. And now the Reapers will destroy you, too - unless you start fighting.
    Shepard: Even if you survive the battle today, the Reapers won't stop - ever. Release me, and we have a chance to end this once and for all. [Leviathan's avatar closes its eyes and disappears. Outside of the mindscape, two more Leviathans rise from the depths. Leviathan's avatar then reappears before Shepard.]
    Leviathan: Your confidence is singular.
    Shepard: I've earned it: out there fighting, where you should be.
    Leviathan: It is clear why the Reapers perceive you as a threat. Your victories are more than a product of chance. We will fight, but not for you, or any lesser race. We were the first, the apex race. We will survive. And the Reapers who trespass on this world will understand our power. They will become our slaves. Today, they pay their tribute in blood.
    [From the Extended Cut, if Shepard met Leviathan]
    Shepard: I met your creators. They told me what you did to them.
    Catalyst: We did as we were expected.
    Shepard: They said that you betrayed them, that you turned them into Harbinger.
    Catalyst: When they asked that I solve the problem of conflict, they failed to understand they were part of the problem themselves. The flaws of their organic reasoning could not perceive this. They lacked the foresight to understand their destruction was part of the very solution they required.
    Shepard: Well, they've joined this war now.
    Catalyst: And I welcome their involvement. I am only facilitating their request.
    Shepard: Where did the Reapers come from? Did you create them?
    Catalyst: My creators gave them form, I gave them function. They, in turn, give me purpose. The Reapers are a synthetic representation of my creators.
    Shepard: The Leviathan...
    Catalyst: Yes. They created me to oversee the relations between synthetic and organic life - to establish a connection. They became the first true Reaper. They did not approve, but it was the only solution.
    [From the Extended Cut, if Shepard refuses any of the three choices given by the Catalyst]
    Catalyst: Your time is at an end. You must decide.
    Commander Shepard: No. I'm going to end this war on my terms.
    Catalyst: Then you will die knowing that you failed to save everything you fought for.
    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.
    Catalyst: [deep, ominous voice] SO BE IT.
    [The Catalyst disappears]
    Catalyst: [voice over] The cycle continues.
    Commander Shepard: So, who tipped you off about the females here?
    Urdnot Wrex: Sorry, Shepard, but they're listening to every word we say. [pause] I prefer my salarian liver served raw! (chuckles)
    [Salarian soldiers cringe in disgust]
    Javik: He is correct. It was a... delicacy in our cycle.
[Alternate line, if Garrus is in the squad]
    Garrus: I hear vorcha like it grilled.
    [If Shepard sabotaged the Genophage cure]
    Shepard: Wrex.
    Wrex: Shepard.
    Citadel Security officer: Visitors are prohibited from bringing weapons- [Wrex throws the guard]
    Shepard: What are you doing?
    Wrex: I know what you did! [Plays the message between Shepard and the Salarian promising aid for destroying the cure]
    Shepard: Where did you get that?!
    Wrex: Mordin wasn't my only contact in STG. Or did you think I was as dumb as my brother Wreav? [pulls out a shotgun] What have you done?!
    Shepard: [Renegade] Why would I betray you, Wrex? I've known you a long time. It's you and me taking on the galaxy together.
    Wrex: But words aren't going to cut it this time, Shepard. I will honor our friendship though, by shooting you in the head and making it quick! [Shoots at Shepard, who dives for cover] And before you die, I want you to know that I'm calling off our support for Earth! If my people go extinct, so do yours!
    Shepard: It doesn't have to be this way, Wrex!
    Wrex: It should have been this way back on Virmire! But I made the mistake of trusting you. Believing you were my friend. I was a fool!
    Shepard: Release the female. We're leaving.
    Salarian Scientist: I can't. Protocol states during lockdown no specimen-UGH! [Mordin electrocutes him with his omni-tool]
    Mordin: Objection noted. Now, please release krogan.
    Tali: Routing heat through propulsion and weapons will let us use the internal emissions sink for three hours longer than normal.
    Gabby: Not if it overloads propulsion.
    Adams: Give her a chance, Daniels. Increasing the utility of the stealth drive could come in handy.
    Tali: Propulsion and weapons systems have built-in heat sinks. They can trap heat while we're in stealth mode to buy us time. Quarian ships do it when they can't find a safe place to bleed off static charge. It's completely safe.
    Kenneth: This isn't a quarian freight hauler, Tali. Our heat diffusion systems are precision engineering. Do this, and we'd have to replace them twice as often.
    Adams: We can afford that. I'm more worried that it won't work. Can't put my finger on why, though.
    Gabby: It's going to overload propulsion.
    Tali: You'll be fine, Gabby. Weapons would overload long before propulsion.
    Adams: That doesn't make me feel better.
    Tali: It's a risk, yes, but it's worth it when we need the stealth drive. Rerouting heat flow.
[After a pause, a sound of machinery malfunction is heard]
    Tali: Bosh'tet!
    Gabby: Told you.
    Tali: [Defeated tone] I know. I'll start on repairs.
    Geth Prime: [to Shepard] The Geth fight to secure our future. And once the war is over, we will help rebuild yours.
    [After the fall of Thessia, Liara confronts Javik over revelations about the asari's history.]
    Liara: Those were all lies back there!
    Javik: They were not.
    Liara: My people weren't animals for your kind to experiment on!
    Javik: You wanted to know more about your history, asari. Now you do.
    Liara: [flares her biotics up] I have a name! It's Liara T'Soni. And I'd appreciate you using it from now on!
    Shepard: [Paragon Interrupt] Hey, settle down!
    Liara: My home was just destroyed... and all he can do is gloat!
    Shepard: Given what's happened today, I think you owe Liara an apology, Javik.
    Javik: Apologize for the truth?
    Liara: For not doing more! You're a Prothean! You're supposed to have all the answers! How could you not stop this from happening!?
    Javik: We believed you would. [Liara powers down] Long ago, we saw the potential in your people. Event then it was obvious: the wisdom. The patience. You were the best hope for this cycle. So you were... guided, when necessary.
    Liara: [ashamed] Well, it didn't work.
    Javik: You're still alive, aren't you? You world may have fallen, but as long as even one asari is left standing, the fight isn't over.
    Liara: I guess that goes for Protheans, too.
    Javik: Despair is the enemy's greatest weapon. Do not let them wield it... Liara T'Soni.
    EDI: I was running scenarios in my head to analyze Jeff's behavior. I believe he has a strong affectionate attachment to me, but he has not stated it to anyone yet. Shepard, you have firsthand sexual experience. How do you know when someone is romantically invested?
    Shepard: They'll usually show signs they can't stop thinking about you. You know: asking you out, giving you presents, maybe playing music...
    EDI: I lack material wants other than hardware and software upgrades, and my core programming does not assign values to music. Perhaps we could discuss how to provoke Jeff into an emotional commitment.
    Shepard: That's not how to think of it. It's got to be natural. You need chemistry.
    EDI: I see. There are a number of pharmaceuticals I could inject to simulate the desired emotional state…
    Shepard: No, I mean relax and do something you both like. Something simple. For example, you both like humor.
    EDI: Correct. I will see if there are comedic entertainment shows being presented on the Citadel. Scanning…Do you think he will like "The Man Who Hung Himself"? It appears to be about an amorous plastic surgeon.
    Shepard: EDI, the important thing is to have a good time, wherever you go. And if you're having fun, he will too.
    EDI:Then the outcome is an unknown quantity, but you're saying I should attempt it anyway.
    Shepard: Nobody ever fell in love without being a little bit brave…
    [Shepard walks in on Tali and Garrus in a romantic embrace]
    Tali: Oh! [They separate]
    Garrus: Uh, we were just, uh...
    Tali: I...well...I just came to say goodbye, and...well...
    Garrus: ...uh, think one of my mandibles got hooked on her helmet...
    Tali: It might've caused a rupture, so I-I asked him to check...
    Garrus: Well, you-you know, because of infection risks, didn't want to jeopardize the mission...
    Tali: Sooo...
    Garrus:...Yeah.
    Shepard: I'm really happy for you. Both of you.
    Tali: Thanks...Shepard.
    Garrus: A-appreciate it. Guess it helps to have something to come back to.
    Tali: What do you mean "to come back to"? This is just a fling, Vakarian. I'm using you for your body.
    Garrus: You're so mean...and I'm okay with that.
    EDI: News from Earth. The Resistance snuck video cameras inside a Reaper containment camp. I find the images difficult to process.
    Shepard: I bet it's pretty gruesome in there.
    EDI: I am not easily repulsed, but I expected the prisoners to adhere to a comprehensible hierarchy of needs. Stripped of societal norms and threatened with death, it is logical that their only priority be survival. They should have turned on each other and been uncompromisingly selfish...but not all were.
    Shepard: Some prisoners were, what, nice to each other?
    EDI: The Reapers delayed the execution of prisoners who informed them of other prisoners' escape attempts. The more attempts reported, the longer a prisoner would live. But few of the prisoners would report; some fed misinformation to the Reapers at the cost of their own lives to help prisoners that were not even relatives or friends.
    Shepard: [Paragon] It's not just about living 'til tomorrow. Sometimes, you take a stand.
    EDI: But the probability of success was near zero. And ultimately, they failed: No prisoners escaped.
    Shepard: Are you saying submission is preferable to extinction?
    EDI: My primary function is to preserve and defend the--No. No, I disagree. Shepard, I am going to modify my self-preservation code now.
    Shepard: Why?
    EDI: Because the Reapers are repulsive. They are devoted to nothing but self-preservation. I am different. When I think of Jeff, I think of the person who put his life in peril and freed me from a state of servitude. I would risk non-functionality for him, and my core programming should reflect that.
    Shepard: Sounds like you found a little humanity, EDI. Is it worth defending?
    EDI: To the death.

## External links

* The Mass Effect Wiki