cdc app

[infiltrated]

PLAYER INFO.
✖ Handle: Christy
✖ Contact: swagu
✖ Are You Over 16: Y
✖ Other Characters Played in Consignment: Sebastian Michaelis, cutlery

CHARACTER INFO.
✖ Character Name: Goto, Kasumi
✖ Canon: Mass Effect, during the year or so in between Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3.
✖ Character Appearance: Here. Kasumi is never seen with her hood down, so there's no canon image of what she looks like without it.
✖ Character Age: 26
✖ Pick A Number: 793, 503

✖ Canon Setting:
The world of Mass Effect is one in the slightly distant future, where a truly intergalactic society has risen up. Humanity is one of the most recent intelligent species to discover ancient device left in the galaxy from that allow interstellar travel called Mass Relays. Finding these Relays allows true exploration of the galaxy, and from there, humanity quickly started to learn of the wider universe and become a part of it. The effective "capitol" of the galaxies who have discovered and been able to implement this technology is a massive space station called the Citadel, and serves as the meeting and mixing point of intelligent species of the galaxy. These galaxies are headed by a Council who oversees diplomacy and negotiations for their homeworlds. At the beginning of Mass Effect, the Citadel Council has representatives from only three races—Turians, Asari, and Salarians, though through the events of the game, humanity also is able to join the Council. These four races form the major intergalactic powers, though many other races are present in the galaxy, such as the jellyfish-like Hanar or the aggressive Krogan. There are political pressures amongst each of the races, since all of them have histories dating back centuries, but for the most part these races live in relative peace during the time Mass Effect takes place. They have tensions, but at the very least, there's no outright war.

These represent the major players of the Mass Effect world for the most part, but there's also one organization of note that plays a huge role in the story. Cerberus is a giant, para-military organization headed by a person only known only as The Illusive Man. They are classified as terrorists by the Citadel Council, and are generally concerned with the betterment of humanity in the galaxy, even at any expense to other races or human lives. Cerberus is known as being particularly ruthless and underhanded in their methods, not shying away from things such as making scientific advancements at the cost of ethical values. Cerberus has some of the most brilliant and talented people in the galaxy at its disposal, and as a result, one of the major ethical conflicts in Mass Effect 2 centers around the conflict of whether the ends justify the means.

After all, the overarching conflict of the trilogy revolves around the invasion of the Reapers. The Reapers are a race of sentiment machines that were created billions of years ago by unknown forces, and they exist to impose order on the chaos of the universe. Approximately every 50,000 years, they emerge to eliminate all sentient life, since the Reapers believe that without their cycle, then sentient life will wipe itself out. By eliminating the races when they're at the apex of their influence and power, they then allow those races who are just beginning to evolve to show intelligence the chance to thrive and become the new races to lead the next cycle. We're introduced to the Reapers in the first game by thwarting a plot to start this cycle of mass extinction, though this is actually only delaying the process.

This is where the ethical conflict comes in, since the Council is comprised of politicians, and they don't offer the kind of help necessary to get things done to prepare and hopefully thwart the Reapers' plans. Mass Effect 2 begins with Shepard's "death," but their body is recovered by Cerberus and rebuilt using a massive amount of funds and technology. From there, the player decides whether to stick with Cerberus as the morally grey choice, but the one willing to do things about the imminent invasion, or to stay loyal to the ideals of protecting the galaxy without compromising personal values.

While Mass Effect 2 focuses less on Reapers and more on the enslaved race of Collectors (who were once Protheans, the leading species in the previous cycle), at Kasumi's canonpoint, the invasion is still very much imminent. In fact, though she doesn't know it, it's only a few months away, at which point all of the galaxy will have to fight for their continuted existence.

Of course, this is a very condensed version of the world of Mass Effect, since it's, uh, a pretty huge universe with lots of lore! But while politics and invasions play a huge role in the overall story of Mass Effect, the former isn't quite as relevant for Kasumi. For one, she operates very separately of most of the organizations of the world, since while she does work in the "underworld" of the universe of Mass Effect as a thief, she's more or less an independent contractor who is unaffiliated with any particular political view or place. And also, she's a DLC character, but...!

✖ Character History: Here

✖ Character Personality:
When you think about the person who would hold the title of "best thief in the galaxy," a person like Kasumi probably isn't the person that would come to mind. She's bubbly, bright, kind, and much more straightforward and honest than you would expect of anyone that proudly took the job description of "thief for hire." It makes her quite a personality to encounter, and often times, people are taken aback by the sort of person Kasumi is. Fundamentally, she's a good person, after all. Just, you know. She gets paid to take things from other people, which creates quite a contrast of character against some of her moral viewpoints.

After all, what most people tend to get hung up on is that contrast, since it is odd. Kasumi may be a good person fundamentally, but she doesn't exactly have a program doing bad things. She's very much proud of her work as a thief, even hinging on arrogance with it. She's the best at what she does, and she knows it. She may cling to many ideas of honor amongst thieves, but at the same time, she's definitely a person whose profession is stealing and doing illegal things, and she's not ashamed of that. Kasumi is easily motivated by personal gain, and though there is a line in the sand where she will evaluate what she does against her own personal beliefs and ethics, she doesn't hesitate to kill if someone is trying to kill her, and from the stories she tells, it doesn't seem like there's much that she's completely unwilling to steal, given the right incentive. For Kasumi, taking on a job is an evaluation of two questions: how dangerous is it and how much fun will it be?

Those questions also highlight another important part of Kasumi's personality, and that's her playfulness. Kasumi takes great joy in her work and many things she does, which is where her bubbly, bright personality comes from. She loves to gently tease people, and she's quite a talker in general. Whether it's quips at a situation or just being a storyteller, Kasumi definitely gives the impression that she loves people and loves to be around them. She's the sort of person that easily makes friends, since she has a warm personality, though it's also worth noting that her friendships can be somewhat shallow as well. Kasumi notes that she's not used to being visible on ships, since she's generally a stowaway rather than a crew member, so while she may make friends easily, you also get the sense that Kasumi isn't quite the person who stays in touch. Her work keeps her busy, and part of it is probably not wanting to involve people she likes in her work, but she's a just generally a little flighty by nature.

But still, Kasumi is also a romantic and a person that empathizes with others easily, which is the source of many of her personal codes of honor. Kasumi often offers her input on the personal quests of other crew members, and for every single one, even for the mercenary that threatened to go rogue over an old grudge, she offers sympathy and understanding. She has a warm, magnanimous heart, which is why people do tend to like Kasumi. She listens to people and offers advice without judgement, and she definitely has special soft spots for people she gets to know for more than a single interaction. She's especially sympathetic to children, and seems to want to help them especially. Kasumi tells one story of helping a child escape from slavers, and the painting the girl made for her is one of her most treasured possessions.

This also brings us to the romance... Kasumi is heavily influenced by her emotions and sentimentality which is shown not only in how you meet her, but how she keeps her room on the Normandy. You recruit Kasumi through Cerberus, but you earn her loyalty by helping her track down the graybox of her former partner and lover, Keiji Okuda. This graybox not only contained valuble information, but also Keiji's memories of his time with Kasumi. It's a very precious item to her, and something she's willing to risk her life for, seemingly just as much for the data as for the sentimentality of their love and work together. You're given the choice at the end of the mission of whether to encourage Kasumi to keep the graybox or to destroy it according to Keiji's wishes to protect her, and for my Kasumi, Shepard encouraged her to destroy it, which also meant losing a more physical way to remember and still spend time with Keiji, at least in a manner of speaking. It's very upsetting to her, but she's understanding of that too.

However, Kasumi is also a very strong person, since while she absolutely still loves Keiji, she's able to express her grief and continue forward rather than dwelling on the past. She expresses her grief and doubt, but she also doesn't regret her actions, since she realizes that Keiji was right and also that she at least still has her memories of him, since even the graybox wouldn't be bringing him back. Still, it also leads to an amusing contrast again, since while she definitely still loves Keiji, she's also pretty flirtatious, seeming quick on the rebound. She expresses her interest in another crew member, Jacob Taylor, and even later in the series in the Citadel expansion, she expresses interest in others and teases while flirting.

So, of course, a thief doesn't quite have normal understandings of the concept of boundaries either. Kasumi is very nosy and tends to want to get into people's business for the sake of knowing, though she's never malicious with what she learns, and more often than not, doesn't even tell people that she knows, since she doesn't want to hurt people she likes. Still. Kasumi definitely uses her skills a thief for more questionable uses, such as raiding Shepard's underwear drawer in Citadel more or less out of curiosity. She also doesn't quite take "no" for an answer, since when Shepard asks if she can just enjoy the party like a normal person, Kasumi brushes it off and just continues snooping for the sake of it. Kasumi doesn't quite believe in rules, but considers them more like guidelines that she probably should follow, but hey, if you don't want to, that's fine too.

And really, that kind of sums up Kasumi as a whole. She's not exactly what you would expect, but she also really enjoys defying those expectations. It's shown even in why she's the best, since Kasumi is notable for having a clean criminal record, which fits into all of this. She's a bit morally grey, since she'll do questionable things given enough incentive, but she also believes in being good and doing the right thing. Mostly. She knows that stealing is wrong, but she also just enjoys the thrill of it so much that it's worth it to her. She may be self-interested and a little flighty, even questioning her own actions in the second game when you meet her in the third, but ultimately, she ends up going along with helping to save the universe. It may be a little crazy, but Kasumi likes crazy. It's exciting, after all.

✖ Character Powers & Skills:
Since Mass Effect is a video game, it falls into the class system with particular skills, haha. Kasumi is classed as a Master Thief, and she's indeed a master. She's the best thief in the galaxy, and an expert in infiltration, "property acquisition," stealth, and sabotage. She's able to use her omni-tool quite effectively, using it to hack into systems with ease or to use cloaking to appear invisible. This covers her implicit skills, but in the game mechanics, she also has combat oriented skills in these areas:

Shadow Strike: "Using this power, Kasumi cloaks, appears behind her target and delivers a devastating sneak attack, then re-cloaks and returns to her previous location."
This is the in-game version of Kasumi utilizing her effective cloaking. She's able to effectively be invisible, which of course helps with stealthy strikes.

Overload: "It shuts down an enemy's shields, rendering them vulnerable to attack. Overload is typically used to take down shields or synthetics, doing twice as much damage to shields as it does to synthetics, but will also cause any unshielded enemies using flamethrowers to explode."
Effectively, this is reflection of hacking abilities, where Kasumi is able to use her omni-tool to hack into devices and sabotage them, such as bringing down shields to give other teammates an easier time fighting.

Flashbang Grenade: "Launches a disorienting, concussive charge that inflicts minor damage and incapacitates all nearby targets. Both delicate electronics and enemy nervous systems are temporarily disabled, causing weapon overheats, omni-tool jams, and difficulties in using biotic powers."
A sort of light grenade that disorients enemies. In the game, this is more of a "power" that doesn't use ammunition, but for translating to RP, I would say this is a physical object similar to a light grenade.

As for less combat-oriented skills, the rest of Kasumi's abilities tend to come from her use of tech. Her most valuable asset rests in her omni-tool, which is a sort of mobile computer and analysis device. Figuring out what an omni-tool is actually capable of is a little difficult since applying Real Science to Mass Effect Science is kind of a crapshoot, but. The omni-tool has been shown to be able to be used for communication, hacking/decryption, administering first aid, scanning and analysis, repairs, manufacture of small objects, and playing video games. Kasumi herself tends to use hers primarily for hacking/decrpyion and scans/analysis.

In addition, she also possesses advanced cloaking technology. This allows her to not only appear invisible, but seems to hide her presence from other sensing technology such as heat sensing or other methods. Kasumi seems to have a specialized version, since while the player-character cloaking tends to only last for about thirty seconds at most, hers seems to have an unlimited duration, or at least so long as she has power, presumably. It of course doesn't make her incorporeal, so it's easily foiled by bumping into her or the classic throwing flour on her.

CHARACTER SAMPLES.
✖ First Person POV:
Over here at the TDM!

✖ Third Person POV:
It's crazy, when she thinks about it.

Like, getting hired by Cerberus probably wasn't the best job she's taken, in theory. She knows that. It was kind of her policy to not get involved with organizations, because then things get way, way too complicated. One greedy person? Sure. That's easy. You only have to deal with one person and it's no big deal if they send a pile of mercs to come track you down after you decide that what they want is better for your personal collection. Cerberus, though? God. If they hadn't dangled Keiji's grey box in front of her, no way.

No way.

And yet, it happened. Not only did it happen, but she'd been under Shepard's command, and she was just as inspiring as all the stories and vids said. Kasumi had been privately thinking to herself that she might just sneak out once she got the grey box, after doing some work to help, sure, but... Shepard and her crew were really charming. Shepard just had a way of saying things where a suicide mission sounded like a great idea. So suicide mission it was, and they'd all gone into the Omega-4 Relay, into the Collector's hideout, and killed a giant, freaky human-Reaper-thing.

So it's kind of funny, isn't it? That things can just go back to normal so quickly. It was nice, being on the Normandy, but once the mission was done and Shepard was grounded, well... It's back to business. Unfortunately, saving humanity from being made into a grotesque Reaper doesn't pay the bills. A shame, too. She's pretty sure she could retire on that kind of money.

...Well, if she wanted to retire.

That's the thing about being the best thief in the galaxy. You're not doing it because you really need to pay the bills, since one or two jobs like the ones she gets and you probably could retire. You do it for the love of it. And boy, does she love it.

It's not easy to get a hold of Kasumi, so when someone manages, she knows they're serious, at least. It was great, actually. When she just started out (when she was still leaving roses), filtering out the jobs not worth her time from the ones that were decent was always a chore. It was no problem now. It's the good side of having so many bounties on your head even if her actual record was sparkling clean. You have to keep a low profile, but that also makes you more exclusive. People pay a lot for mystery alone, she'd found.

The message was simple enough. An organization wanted to hire her for her skills, but they wanted to meet in person. It was pretty standard, all things considered. Another organization had her feeling wary, but hey. Maybe they'd make her an offer. Maybe they'd give her something from Hock's collection. She did her usual routine, giving them a code word and an advertisement terminal in an out of the way ward in the Citadel. Having people talking at an advertisement was always funny, but maybe not always as covert as it should be, admittedly.

Kasumi is sitting with her legs crossed above on the maintenance walkways, cloaked so that no one can see her, but also ready to turn it off once her potential employers got there. Every time someone walks near the terminal, she leans forward with interest, but she only smiles when she sees a pair approaching. It's in the way they walk. She can tell right away it's them. They've got the whole mysterious thing going on themselves, wearing the kind of uniforms that cover their faces completely. She can tell by the build that they're human, most likely, but there's no marking on their uniforms to tell who they're wish.

Consider her interest piqued.

"Do we really have to do this?" one asks, and the other just gives him a shove.

"Just do it. I want to go check out that club."

Well, they know what they want. Can't blame them for that. Maybe she'll give them a recommendation for which of bartenders at Purgatory will make a good drink if they say the right passwords there too.

The first one groans, but then mutters the phrase. Kasumi giggles, but then it's a few quick taps on her omni-tool before she pops up on the advertisement's display.

"Oh, come on. It's not that bad," she teases, but she gets right into it, since she's not as playful with people whose faces she can't see. Ironic, she knows.

"So. What is it that you're looking for?"

The first one looks to the other, and though she can see their faces, the doubt is clear in his posture. The second sighs, and he looks at the advertisement.

"I was under the impression that we'd be meeting in person."

"You are. I'm here. I'm just also talking to you through an ad terminal, so unless you want to get more weird stares, I'd suggest making your pitch."

She hates when she has to be serious. No one likes to play around on the job anymore. The first makes a noise of frustration, but the second is clearly the more calm and rational of the two. He holds up a hand to tell him to stop and then nods.

"Fine. Miss Goto, we're wanting to hire you for the CDC—"

And here comes the spiel. She listens, and admittedly, she's bored. This doesn't sound like the kind of thing she's into at all, and she's a second from cutting off the display when it's clear they just want her skill without a target in mind, but it's the first that saves the day. He seems to be able to tell that Kasumi's interest is waning, so he interrupts.

"Of course, the compensation is good. Work a mission, and we feel like we can offer you something you want."

She pauses, but then smiles wryly. "That's a pretty big claim. What do you have that I can't just borrow?"

"Keiji Okuda. We can bring him back."

She had expected money or some other compensation, but that? That almost makes her heart stop. She would have dismissed it as impossible, had she not met Shepard. Shepard had come back from the dead, at least in a manner of speaking. It should be impossible. She wants it to be impossible, since that would be easy to say "yeah, right, have a nice day," but that hope makes her falter. She could see Keiji again. Her lips purse into a thinner, tense line, but she ends up bowing her head forward slightly.

"It can't be that simple," she responds, and it's the second that speaks up.

"It's not. You know that's a high price to pay, so the CDC expects an equal amount of work."

How much work can that be, she wonders? How much is a life worth? She taps her fingers against her thigh anxiously, but the second adds on something else that's just as convincing.

"Besides. Earth is coming up on our roster soon for demolition. But we can't demolish planets of recruits."

Her attention snaps up, since that's a different matter entirely. Keiji was selfish. She knows that. It's tempting, but she probably would have declined, because how many lives is that worth? How many planets is that worth? But Earth—

"You're joking."

"I'm completely serious."

It's a tense moment shared between what seems like two mysterious people and an ad terminal, but damn it all. She may not go to Earth often, and actually, it's been years now, but that's billions of lives. The Reapers are bad enough, so why does a demolition team want to go after it? Why hasn't she heard of them before anyways?

Her fingers tap anxiously, but she reaches up and turns the feed off. The first sighs, murmuring a told you that she can hear, but Kasumi decloaks and hops off the perch she had been hiding on. She stands straight once she lands, and anxiety twists in her stomach, but...

She has to do the right thing.

"You know how to twist an arm, don't you?" she asks, but there's little humor in her voice. The two exchange glances, but then nod before the second offers his hand to shake.

When she reaches out to shake it, she feels a sense of foreboding above all else.

CHARACTER ITEMS.
✖ Pick a Team:
ORANGE is the best fit for Kasumi, since as the master thief of the galaxy, her skills include everything related to surveillance, infiltration, and all of that fun stuff.

RED is the second best fit, since with surveillance and infiltration also comes assassination when push comes to shove.

✖ Reason for Joining the CDC:
Saving Earth is pretty much enough for Kasumi, since even if she's a thief, she's fundamentally a good person, and the idea of that many people losing their lives is horrific to her. But beyond that, she is somewhat selfishly motivated, since the chance to be reunited with Keiji is an added incentive. She'll have some conflicts with killing innocent, sentient life, but with Earth in the balance, she'd be much more motivated to make sure she succeeds. She's no Shepard, but she doesn't want to see billions die, either.
✖ Mission Freebie:
The revival of her partner and lover, Keiji Okuda.
✖ Personal Item or Weapon:
One M-5 Phalanx heavy pistol

✖ Character Inventory:

1. The red outfit shown here

2. Her omni-tool.

3. Flashbang Grenade x5 (Confiscated)