Why Aftermath starts directly after HL2.

[Mechagodzilla]

I've noticed a lot of people being confused or even disappointed that Aftermath starts straight after the end of HL2.
After all, wasn't Gordon put into stasis?

Anywho, the reason is pretty simple. The G-man actually explains it himself:

It seems as though you only just arrived. You've done a great deal in a small time... span; you've done so well, in fact, that i've received some interesting offers for your services. Ordinarily, I wouldn't contemplate them, but these are extraordinary times.

Rather than offer you the illusion of free choice, I will take the liberty of choosing for you, if and when your time comes round again.

Gordon wasn't put into stasis at all. You'll note that he wasn't made to enter a stasis portal as he had in Half-life 1.
The G-man simply walked up and gave a speech, and then walked away, leaving Gordon in the same place directly beside Alyx. Gordon's vision faded out, but he hasn't gone anywhere.

As for why Gordon was left there, the speech above spells it out.
At the end of Half-life 1, Gordon was hired by the "Employers" to do a job.
The end of Half-life 2 marks the end of that job. Gordon was hired to blow up the citadel, and he did.

So, the G-man arrives and gives his status report: Gordon completed the mission so well, and so quickly, that he a new Employer has temporarily bought Gordon's services. (Let's call them the "Client(s)")

In other words, the entire HL2 ending speech is the G-man saying "Sorry, but you can't leave yet. You've been whored out."

Whoever the Client(s) are, they've paid for Gordon to stay in C17.

MAYBE SPOILERS?
v
v
V
Since we know that the overall goal in Aftermath is to evacuate the city before the citadel blows up or whatever, it would seem that that is the job the Client(s) want done.
It's an offer Gordon cannot refuse - the G-man has already chosen to accept.

Who are the Client(s)?
I suspect that that they are members of the resistance.
Dr. Breen claimed that the resistance has 'bought' Gordon, and we've seen the G-man having a discussion with Colonel Cubbage - one of their big leaders.
So, the resistance is the currently the most likely to be the Employers' Client.
It makes sense too. Who would want the citizens saved more than the citizens themselves? (Assuming that evacuation is the job.)

Thar you have it. Hopefully that explains the happenings.

Oh, and the slow explosion:
Time wasn't slowed down to save Gordon from the explosion. The G-man stopped time in order to give Gordon his new orders without Alyx hearing.
Because of time's relativity, the entire speech would have happened in under a milisecond in Alyx's view. She couldn't have seen or heard anything.
When Gordon's vision comes back, it'll be as though the G-man was never there, and he'll begin this new mission - whatever it is.

I do apologise for what must seem to you an arbitrary imposition, Dr. Freeman; I trust it will make sense in the course of...

...well, I'm really not at liberty to say.

In the meantime, this is where I get off.

 

[Dr. Freeman]

bahh.
i just finished posting about how the "clients" for Gordon's services couldn't have been the resistence fighters mainly because...well look at it...what do they have to offer which is so valuable? maybe i am missing something here and there is infact something the resistence fighters can offer but i don't see it right now.

In other words, the entire HL2 ending speech is the G-man saying "Sorry, but you can't leave yet. You've been whored out."

Whoever the Client(s) are, they've paid for Gordon to stay in C17.

that was undoubtly the best part of ur post

"sorry but u can't leave yet. you've been whored out"

 

[Mechagodzilla]

...what do they have to offer which is so valuable?

Once the Combine are dead, the resistance will control the entire Earth.

:O

 

[Dr. Freeman]

Once the Combine are dead, the resistance will control the entire Earth.

:O

eh??? hmm...right but why would the Gman be interested in Earth?
heres the thing: if the Gman wanted Earth, he has Gordon as an employee and could get the planet through that means.

ur theory suggests that the Gman would be jumping through hurdles to get what he wants...and so far, he has given anything but that one impression of bending over backwards for others.

 

[Mechagodzilla]

eh??? hmm...right but why would the Gman be interested in Earth?
See heres the thing: if the Gman wanted Earth, he has Gordon as an employee and could get the planet through that means.

Presumably for the same reasons he wanted Xen.
Actually, I wasn't implying that the Resistance would deliver the entire Earth to the G.
I just meant that the resistance has much more bargaining power than it would seem.

Technically though, wouldn't selling Gordon in exchange for some part of earth be 'getting the planet through that means'?

However, the question isn't "why doesn't he just use Gordon?" it's "why wouldn't he want even more people on his side?"
There's no reason for Gman not to help out the Clients, as he said himself that whatever they're planning will directly benefit him.

ur theory suggests that the Gman would be jumping through hurdles to get what he wants...and so far, he has given anything but that one impression of bending over backwards for others.

I don't know where you're getting that impression from, to be honest. The speech says clearly that G only let the Clients have their way because he decided to let them.
It's not an arbitrary imposition, so G's not just in it for the money or whatever the Clients are offering.
Whatever the Clients want, it ties into G's overall master plan. It's of mutual benefit.

So, if anything, G's manipulating them.

I'm not claiming to have all the answers here, but there simply isn't enough reason to discount the resistance at this early time. Especially in light of the breen speech and the Cubbage conversation.

That being said, the Client could be any element of the resistance.
Mossman, for example, was responsible for both Eli and Alyx's kidnappings. Without those events, Gordon would not have been able to destroy the citadel or Nova P.
In fact, Nova Prospekt was destroyed because of a 'malfunction' in the teleporter she designed.

Maybe it was the vortigaunts? They seem to know quite a bit about the G-man. Plus they have vortessence powers that may or may not allow them to detect him.
One vortigaunt was watching the G-man on a television. Maybe communicating?
And he cuts the power once he sees that Gordon is watching.

It's just speculation, but it still makes sense to me.
Unless anyone's got a better idea of who the Clients could be?

 

[gabriel]

i stopped reading when you said "maybe gordon wasnt put into stasis at all", because i think you are completley right on that one!

 

[Asknoone]

Makes sense to me

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Mecha's one of those guys with infalliable logic. It's all good.

Just gotta think that the G-Man's not going to be after money. He's got no use for it. Neither does he want power. He already has it. Whatever he wants is most likely really intangible, like peoples souls or something. Or something you can't get on other planets, like an autographed Bon Jovi album.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Asknoone]

Mecha's one of those guys with infalliable logic. It's all good.

Just gotta think that the G-Man's not going to be after money. He's got no use for it. Neither does he want power. He already has it. Whatever he wants is most likely really intangible, like peoples souls or something. Or something you can't get on other planets, like an autographed Bon Jovi album.

-Angry Lawyer

That'd be something he'd only want if his employer was Angry Lawyer

 

[Sulkdodds]

This all makes perfect sense and I said it first! Oh you noticed.

One thing to add: The resistance will control Earth once they push out the Combine. But what do the resistance also have?

The Xen teleportation technology.

 

[Jintor]

I like.

Still don't like that Gordon is gonna be who you play as, but, well, Valve know's what's best. Now to take that out of my sig....

 

[Asknoone]

This all makes perfect sense and I said it first! Oh you noticed.

One thing to add: The resistance will control Earth once they push out the Combine. But what do the resistance also have?

The Xen teleportation technology.

Fact. Thats also what Breens offering the combine and escaping with at the end of hl2.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

This all makes perfect sense and I said it first! Oh you noticed.

One thing to add: The resistance will control Earth once they push out the Combine. But what do the resistance also have?

The Xen teleportation technology.

But doesn't the G-Man already have the ability to call up local portals?

Still, it supports the no Combine-Xen relationship

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Asknoone]

But doesn't the G-Man already have the ability to call up local portals?

Still, it supports the no Combine-Xen relationship

-Angry Lawyer

Which I guess makes you happy

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Certainly does. The only think that outdoes it is a front-row seat at a Bon Jovi concert.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Jandor]

Originally Posted by G-man
It seems as though you only just arrived. You've done a great deal in a small time... span; you've done so well, in fact, that i've received some interesting offers for your services. Ordinarily, I wouldn't contemplate them, but these are extraordinary times.

Rather than offer you the illusion of free choice, I will take the liberty of choosing for you, if and when your time comes round again.

If and when your time comes round again.

He could mean, "if and when I come back for you", or, "if and when you do something heroic", or he could mean, "if and when I release you from stasis".
Just thought I'd bring it to people's attention .

 

[Salad22]

I've noticed a lot of people being confused or even disappointed that Aftermath starts straight after the end of HL2.
After all, wasn't Gordon put into stasis?

Anywho, the reason is pretty simple. The G-man actually explains it himself:



Gordon wasn't put into stasis at all. You'll note that he wasn't made to enter a stasis portal as he had in Half-life 1.
The G-man simply walked up and gave a speech, and then walked away, leaving Gordon in the same place directly beside Alyx. Gordon's vision faded out, but he hasn't gone anywhere.

As for why Gordon was left there, the speech above spells it out.
At the end of Half-life 1, Gordon was hired by the "Employers" to do a job.
The end of Half-life 2 marks the end of that job. Gordon was hired to blow up the citadel, and he did.

So, the G-man arrives and gives his status report: Gordon completed the mission so well, and so quickly, that he a new Employer has temporarily bought Gordon's services. (Let's call them the "Client(s)")

In other words, the entire HL2 ending speech is the G-man saying "Sorry, but you can't leave yet. You've been whored out."

Whoever the Client(s) are, they've paid for Gordon to stay in C17.

MAYBE SPOILERS?
v
v
V
Since we know that the overall goal in Aftermath is to evacuate the city before the citadel blows up or whatever, it would seem that that is the job the Client(s) want done.
It's an offer Gordon cannot refuse - the G-man has already chosen to accept.

Who are the Client(s)?
I suspect that that they are members of the resistance.
Dr. Breen claimed that the resistance has 'bought' Gordon, and we've seen the G-man having a discussion with Colonel Cubbage - one of their big leaders.
So, the resistance is the currently the most likely to be the Employers' Client.
It makes sense too. Who would want the citizens saved more than the citizens themselves? (Assuming that evacuation is the job.)

Thar you have it. Hopefully that explains the happenings.

Oh, and the slow explosion:
Time wasn't slowed down to save Gordon from the explosion. The G-man stopped time in order to give Gordon his new orders without Alyx hearing.
Because of time's relativity, the entire speech would have happened in under a milisecond in Alyx's view. She couldn't have seen or heard anything.
When Gordon's vision comes back, it'll be as though the G-man was never there, and he'll begin this new mission - whatever it is.

Man you sound like Marc Laidlaw himself

 

[Polaris]

Mayby, G-man (and City 17) needs Gordon in city because of Ant-lion invasion to City 17. Only experienced leader of resistance like Gordon can command them and stop the Ant-lion invasion.

 

[Barney_Calhoun]

Hmm. You'd think that G-Man or his employer(s) could just put all the Combine into stasis.

 

[Boogymanx]

There still are the Combine Overseers, I think people are forgetting them. What roles do they play?

 

[iMMuNiTy]

There still are the Combine Overseers, I think people are forgetting them. What roles do they play?

Drug dealers.

 

[scarecrow1]

international/Interdimensional Drug Dealers.......dealing in a precious comodity that is rarely found in the universe: SPICE......"cough" (dune ripoff)"cough", and the only place it is found is a planet called....DUNE, "cough" (dune ripoff)"cough", , "i, uh, mean.. EARTH, yeah a planet called...EARTH. hehe

 

[Boogymanx]

international/Interdimensional Drug Dealers.......dealing in a precious comodity that is rarely found in the universe: SPICE......"cough" (dune ripoff)"cough", and the only place it is found is a planet called....DUNE, "cough" (dune ripoff)"cough", , "i, uh, mean.. EARTH, yeah a planet called...EARTH. hehe

I really should start reading those, I have all of them but never got around to reading them. Still need to finish Amber and the book of something something and sorrow.