#xenotech

besties hanging out part 2/?

This post contains minor and major spoilers, minor about Conrad, major about TIM. Viewer discretion is advised.

Conrad Verner is obsessed with Commander Shepard. That's not the spoiler, that's like the main pillar of the character everyone knows. Conrad seeks your approval, wants to be like you, even as far as recruiting for Cerberus in ME3 (that's a spoiler but not the spoiler I mean). He's recruiting for Cerberus in 3 cause you were working for them in 2, he uhhh, didn't get the memo.

The Illusive Man is also obsessed with Shepard. He literally moves mountains of cash to bring you back from the dead. He also seeks your approval, especially [MAJOR SPOILER] at the end of ME3 on the Citadel when he's trying to argue for controlling the Reapers. That's what drives him, he wants to control the Reapers, sure, but if you're a Goody-two shoes he ends up giving up, Saren style *cough cough*.

Now you maybe thinking Conrad Verner and The illusive Man are so different in position that they could not be further apart. Conrad Verner is a bum trying to impress people with his Shepard Fandom, TIM is the head of a galactic underground terrorist organization with enough sway to bend the law when they need to (or break it if it they can't). How can they be so similar? TIM got to be the head of Cerberus by his cunning and ruthlessness, but in his drive to bring Shepard back, you think Conrad wouldn't have done the same thing in TIM's place?

TIM is very smart, you don't get to be head terrorist of a galactic underground org without having a good head on your shoulders.

[MINOR SPOILER] Doctor Conrad Verner is a doctor. "A doctor honey" - Turanga Leela, wait wrong series. But I feel people underestimate Conrad. He's gota good head on his shoulders, he's a Doctor in Xenotechnology and Dark Energy Integration. If TIM knew this guy he'd hire him on the spot, instead Conrad likely got recruited by some local schmuck who didn't care about his education. TIM would have looked at that resume and locked Conrad into some outpost where he could do Dark Matter stuff and Xenotechnology research, to be fed as many pictures of Shepard as he wants.

Dr. Minerva

-Real name: Minn-Erva

-A.k.a.: Doctor Minerva

-Publisher: Marvel

-Type: Alien

-Afilliations: Kree, Starforce, Xenotech

That one time Quartz drops by Riebeck's camp 👍

I’m used to seeing in stories the other way around. Humans reacting to biotech. It’s gooshy. It’s gross. It’s disgusting.

But consider.

A species used to their tech being alive. It’s half tool, half pet. It breathes and moves and lives. You learn it, and it learns and responds to you. And then humans come and their tech is... dead. Still. Motionless except when triggered. Like the bones of a corpse only moving when you jostle the puppet strings. Cold metal that doesn’t care about you. Doesn’t react to you. Doesn’t even know you exist because there’s nothing for it to know with.

And the visuals. Used to soft, gentle, almost plush flesh. Blended colors with smooth gradients. The pulse of the fluids moving under the skin. Used to warmth and curves. Then seeing sharp angles. Hard covers. Opaque and inscrutable. Painted and fake looking.