I have a lot more to say about the next chapter than this one, but I'll give you all a quick rundown of what happens here that I enjoyed.
I've started to really enjoy writing, what I call, The Brainy Bunch. As a result I've been continually expanding their contribution to the story. They were a big part before, but I've kep thinking of ideas on how to utilize them more. Rowan is probably my favorite because I haven't had a chance to write a madcap character in a good while. Not insane, just hyperactive and views things differently from most. I just enjoy seeing these smart people bounce off each other, it's also kinda nice that most of them happen to be women. I didn't intend for that entirely, it's just I like the idea of that. Smart ladies, experts in their specialized fields, just doing what they do in an ancient alien secret lab.
And yes, that was a reference to Hitchiker's Guide. If you know it, you've already spotted it.
Maisey and Asha are a relationship that is really important to the story. I just felt like writing a really good, uncomplicated, loving mother and daughter relationship. Where both are mature enough to trust in each other, they are largely on the same page, but their personalities are slightly off set from one another to a degree that they aren't the same person. Asha is clearly more punk, definetly more action oriented and quicker to jump into a scrap. Maisey is more reserved, thoughtful, she considers her options carefully. Both have chips on their shoulders, but they deal with them differently. I do enjoy writing them, maybe because with all the shitty relationships between parents in the Mass Effect series, it's nice to have one in this story that isn't broken or in need of repair.
Thane and Jack has been obvious for a while now, but we're moving into a part of their arc where things come to a head. Because honestly, as neat as the whole will-they/won't they game is, it has to end before it gets tiresome. Some people think the pursuit is better than the reward, but I feel that I've written Shepard and Tali as a couple long enough to be able to discern how to effectively write a relationship between two people and not rely on cheap drama or third act misunderstandings. At least I hope so.
The puzzle was difficult to work out, fun but difficult. You have to work backwards from a solution in these instances. That can be hard when you have a lot of moving parts. If I've been successful, I've been able to create a puzzle that the readers themselves could conciveably solve on their own. I had to go back and make sure everything was consistent of course, but I think I got most of it right in the end. The puzzle itself relates back, however, to the ultimate culmination of this arc's storyline and the relic itself. So if you're anxious for clues about what's going to happen, read those riddles again and really dig deep into the philosophy of these Forerunners that worked here. Specifically their beliefs about knowledge in all its varieties, scientific, spiritiual and personal.
And yes, Shepard is rubbing off on Chief. I felt it important to show the Spartans talking among themselves and getting a lay of the land for what they're dealing with. They're not just mindless slabs of meats here, they have personalities, opinions, quirks. I hoped to captured them here and in future dialogues between them all. If I have one goal in mind with the Spartans, it's to show how they work as a unit. It was also important to show Chief's own growth in this series, as he will be tested as time goes one. Same as Shepard.
The meeting between the Colony leaders and the UNSC heads was going to be impactful and I wanted to get it right. I wanted to show both sides had a point, both weren't being entirely unreasonable, both are caught in a rough, unknown space that they're unsure of how to escape. And just when they start to come to terms with one another, things go wrong. Granted, Haverson was likely always going to find out about the hangar armory, but now it has become more immediate. If you're wondering why Zek and Retz didn't keep things secret, well, that's for next time. For now, just know there is more to this side of the arc than you think. It makes what comes next for both sides all the more frought with clashing ideals and opposing goals. Makes for good drama, especially with bad guys on the way.
So that's it for now, short one this time, but expect longer ones soon. Especially next time, cause I have a lot to talk about there.
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