Video Game Spin-Offs: Mass Effect "Foundation" #10

(Spoilers!) The next issue in the "Foundation" series takes a departure from the story that seems to be largely based on the Cerberus activities surrounding Rasa.  The issue, instead, focuses on the story behind Kasumi Goto.  I found it a little strange that they threw in a random issue that seems unrelated to the storyline that is presented in the previous issues.  Kasumi is one of the dossiers that Shepard receives in Mass Effect 2, but she's a DLC character.  If you're a fan of Kasumi, you'll enjoy the focus on her backstory which does have a more romantic feel to it than the other stories.

Much of this issue focuses on Kasumi's activities as one of the most well known thieves in the galaxy.  The story follows Kasumi and her boyfriend, the almost equally talented thief and hacker, as they plot a major heist on the planet Bekenstein.  If you've played the Kasumi DLC from Mass Effect 2, you know that this is the site of the Hock heist.  You get a really nice sense of the relationship between Kasumi and Keiji as they plan together.

Flying!

Kasumi and Keiji

As they land on Bekenstein their plot seems a little crazy--they are sneaking through an empty shuttle bay and then sky-diving across buildings to reach their target.  Once they arrive they realize that what they thought was going to be a soft target is actually well-defended.  As they split up Kasumi tries to distract the guards in order to keep them from discovering Keiji.  After she has used a clever decoy program she catches an elevator and manages to evade the guards.  While she's taking the elevator to Keiji's location she hears him call out and then he's suddenly cut off.  Something is wrong and she needs to get to him quick.  When she arrives she sees Keiji lying on the floor with a pool of blood around his head.  With his last breath, he makes her promise that she will get his greybox back.  In a sad ending to this issue, Kasumi begs Keiji not to go as his life slips away.

This issue was not one of my favorites from the series.  It was nice to see a softer story, but it didn't really add much to what I already knew about Kasumi.  From playing the game I already had a good understanding about their relationship.