#mass effect: nexus uprising spoilers

[not-a-newt]

PSA I'm going to be reading the first mass effect andromeda novel, Mass Effect: Nexus Uprising and will be posting spoilers in the form of excerpts and commentary, which will be tagged under #nexus uprising — so if you don't want to see spoilers, you should blacklist that now :)

[felassan]

Who killed Jien Garson?

Detective Fogg tried to find all evidence so far and invites you all along for the search [x].

Under a cut for length, x-posted with permission. Post contains Nexus Uprising spoilers.

Arrival in Andromeda The novel Nexus Uprising describes how Sloane Kelly wakes up by accident in Andromeda. The Nexus is being torn apart as it moves through – what later will be described as – the Scourge. There are fires, doors are being ripped apart, systems are failing and a whole piece of the station breaks of. After Kelly saves herself and others from cryopods near her own, she wants to find Jien Garson, who she deeply admires. She heads for Operations. She firsts runs into Chen, a janitor, who also woke up by accident. He seems panicked, wants to get to safety badly. In another room, she finds an Asari that’s barely alive. She’s named T’vaan and with her last breath gives some details about the strange phenomenon that caused all the damage (hinting it’s not an attack, but something else, the Scourge we now know). She also tells Kelly to look for Garson in Chamber 00, where Garson’s cryopod is located. Chamber 00 is empty, all the pods already opened. There’s one person there. Foster Addison, with a head wound. “We were all up in Operations. For the arrival”, she tells Kelly. Kelly asks why she isn’t in Operations then. “I’d just left it to find Jien.” “She’s alive?” Kelly asks. “At last check. Before official launch of arrival protocols, the science team wanted to nail down final readings. Jien had just stepped out so when we were ready, I went to get her.” Kelly wants to know why Addison looked for Garson in Chamber 00. “I stopped in here for a sec. I had to use the… restroom.” Addison didn’t find Garson yet. “I was heading back to see if she’d returned when the whole ship lurched.” Kelly finds out T’vaan was also part of the science team. When Kelly and Addison arrive in Operations, there’s a lot of damage. They find the bodies of the Nexus’s senior leadership. But not Jien Garson. They find a list of everyone attending the ‘arrival ceremony’. Except for Addison and Garson they all died because of the Scourge. They find out that Jarun Tann is now in charge, or at least until Garson is found. He’s still in stasis at that moment. Meanwhile search parties are send out to look for Garson. 27+ hours after arrival in Andromeda In the 27 hours after arrival, Jien Garson is not yet found. Those who woke up by accident have to do a lot of stuff to save the mission. One of those things is to fix the oxygen in the Nexus. To do this, a large part of the Nexus is shut off from oxygen. Those who are awake (up to 600 pioneers) can only access a small part of the station. Then Kelly is called to the improvised morgue. Among the 100+ dead bodies, there’s a body bag. In it, is Jien Garson. “Where was she found?” asks Kelly. “In one of the apartments near Operations. We were doing a room to room, clearing bodies”, a tech (gaunt man with tired eyes) answers. A second life support-tech, his colleague, says: “Wounds are consistent with all the rest. Environmental damage. Significant burns. It’s… not a pretty sight.” Addison arrives as well. Kelly sees the last glimmer of hope bleeding from Addison’s eyes. Kelly pulls the body bag. She can’t piece together any evidence of identity at first. Much of Garson’s face is hidden under charred skin. The smell is terrible. Burnt and swollen flesh, left to rot for untold hours in open air. The Scourge survivors are accepting her death as a Scourge causality. At that time there are around 600 pioneers awake on the Nexus, confined to a limited area of the station. Among them, the killer? 14 months after arrival in Andromeda Pathfinder Ryder learned the official story about Garson’s dead: one of the casualties by the Scourge. He’s still investigating her apartment, curious for hints about a mysterious Benefactor that made the Andromeda Initiative possible. Tann doesn’t know about any Benefactor. SAM uses environmental data to reconstruct the scene of Garson’s death. SAM manages to do that with 82 percent precision. He generates an image of Garson lying on the bed in the apartment and ‘an additional unknown person’ standing next to it. It seems to be a male, but with 82 percent precision we can’t know that for sure, perhaps? “This was no accident. She was murdered”, says Ryder. “But… wait. This whole area was shuttered back then – didn’t open ‘til the Hyperion arrived. So what was Garson even doing here?” Further scans show a secret door to a hidden room. There are two datapads in there. Datapad 1: Voice: “This is Jien Garson, I don’t have much time, I’ve been hiding in the sealed-off sections of the Nexus since we got here. Someone’s trying to kill me. And now I can hear them down in the hydroponics area – they’re coming. I’ve embedded what I know in my VI in the Cultural Center. This log has the code. And whatever happens – oh god, they’re outside the door!” Datapad 2: Written: “Garson Notes. Entry 1.1 (2819). In 2179, once mentioned “A storm is coming.” Said “evidence was clear.” Meaning? Andromeda – why? Hyperion, still no contact. Where is Alec? Did they get him, too?” Ryder visits the VI in the Cultural Center. He hears her secret message on his private channel: “For years, there was a silent partner involved with the Initiative. The truth is, I was running out of money. Then a ‘benefactor’ stepped in. I didn’t ask questions. I never met them face-to-face. That was a mistake… I lied to everyone. Something big spooked them in the Milky Way, and now they’re moving 100,000 of us to Andromeda. I hope it’s all for the good, but… I have my doubts. And now I think they’re going to remove me. Alec Ryder and I had a codeword for this: “Fulcram.” He may have learned more.” Summing up Jien Garson was last seen alive at Operations, just before the Scourge hit the Nexus. After that she hid in her apartment, fearing for her life. One or multiple killers (she’s talking about her murderers in plural) tracked her down and killed her, making it look like another Scourge casualty. There is – in theory – a 27 hour window in which this could’ve happened. Potential suspects In Nexus Uprising there are couple of persona’s mentioned, who could be the killer. Although there’s a big chance the killer is not mentioned in the novel of course. Let’s run through a couple of them. Chen the janitor Chen is running around the Nexus on his own when Kelly encounters him. He appears to be in panic and might just be introduced by the writers to show the chaos. There is no reason – apart from him being mentioned – to assume he’s involved. Foster Addison Addison is the only surviving member of the ‘science team’ that woke up earlier in Chamber 00 to inspect first readings in Andromeda. Her reason for being in Chamber 00 (bathroom break) is suspicious. Unlike Kelly, Kesh and Tann the writers never describe her thoughts. You don’t know what she’s actually thinking. While Kelly, Kesh and Tann thoughts are described in detail, at the moment of arrival they all try their best for the greater good and are upset about Garson’s death. Furthermore, Addison is the first to discuss succession protocol while others are still hoping to find Garson alive. At the same time she seems upset Tann is ranked above her in that protocol (she didn’t know the order) and she still seems sad when she finds out Garson is definitely dead. William Spender Addison’s right hand, of who we know is a bit shady, was still in stasis when Garson was killed. He can’t be the killer. Jarun Tann Jarun Tann was also still in stasis when Garson died. So it wasn’t his way of taking over power. This is confirmed by his thoughts described by the writers. He never expected this to happen and just tries to do his best. The two life support-techs The two life support-techs that find Garson in her apartment could be suspicious. What were they doing there? According to the game that section was sealed-off, shuttered back. And Garson does describe men coming to her apartment in Datapad 1. But that’s far from proof, there could even be a slight writing inconsistency between the novel and the game about the section being sealed-off. Also, the life support staff was awakened by Sloane Kelly, so they weren’t awake during the initial hit by the Scourge. The Benefactor Garson suspects the mysterious Benefactor ordered (or even committed?) the murder. Further details about this Benefactor are in Alec Ryder’s logs and memories. It was the anonymous Benefactor, not Jien Garson, who first approached Alec about the Andromeda Initiative. He (or she) used Ellen Ryder’s disease to motivate Alec to cooperate, offering him his last straw to make SAM happen. Castis Vakarian tells Alec about the Reaper threat, while his son Garrus is still in C-Sec, so pretty short after Mass Effect 1. Alec tells the Benefactor about the Reaper threat, he or she already knew that ‘something’ was coming. But after it got confirmed by Alec, the Benefactor wants to hurry the Andromeda Initiative. When Alec arrives in Andromeda, there is a message from Jien Garson for him. “Alec, this is Jien Garson. For the record, Year 2185. It’s about “Fulcrum.” I’m on the Nexus, and we’re going into stasis for the voyage. Looks like you’re already asleep. I’m very uncomfortable with our “benefactor,” and the fact that we still don’t know who they are… and all these lives in our hands. I should’ve done something sooner. This is all very troubling, Alec. Let’s talk as soon as you reach Andromeda.” He replies: “Jien, I got your message about “Fulcrum.” It’s now 2819. We reached Andromeda, but have no sign of the Nexus. I have the same concerns as you. In all likelihood, the Milky Way… well, something terrible happened there. At least the benefactor spared us from that. But why keep hiding? Something’s off. But we’ve got bigger problems at the moment – Habitat 7 may be a bust. Finding a home is all that matters now.” Traits of the Benefactor - Has a lot of money - Is interested in SAM - Was involved with the Initiative ‘for years’ (before ME1 it seems) - Was an early Reaper threat adopter (right after ME1) - Wanted to kill Jien Garson upon arrival in Andromeda Other clues? So, is the killer someone we already know? When did Jien Garson get murdered, who had motive and opportunity? Is the Benefactor the killer, or did he/she order it? 

[camalyng]

species lore in MEA: Nexus Uprising

Last Nexus Uprising lore post after my previous posts about aliens vs. English idioms and new human idioms and alien idioms! Interspecies perceptions, cultural stuff, biological stuff.

As always: Direct quotes removed from plot context (the most context will be which species has this idea about another); character identifying information limited only to species, with names and gender stripped; minimal commentary.

Species with data points within (sorted by species it's about rather than species with the perception): Asari (2), human (4), salarian (4), krogan (11), turian (12, including a body language subcategory); three multispecies.

Asari

that mysterious air asari all seemed so fucking good at

Asari blood is purple (see the fight with Tela Vasir), and yet:

the blue splatter of [asari character's] own blood

blue-tinged mucus

Humans

Coffee is still grown on Earth and probably great:

if wishes were packets of Earth-grown brew, they'd all have coffee for days

An asari character knows that "no Alliance, not even X, would attack someone without being absolutely certain of the facts"

Salarian perspective:

[Human] made a face, a uniquely human expression that said, I've got this.

[Salarian] could just about manage to convince themself that everything would be okay. Then they smirked, amused and annoyed that their mind would flirt with that very human way of thinking. Their [humans'] ability to filter and twist reality had always eluded their [salarian POV character's] comprehension

Salarians

More ghosts, perhaps. A reflection that caught them off guard. Salarians (...) saw no use for the concept of specters.

Krogan: "You must have more reason than just salarian instinct to stick fingers in all things at the same time." What may have been a lighthearted joke from anyone else did not translate as such when a krogan said it.

Salarians did not roll their eyes. Well, not as a sign of disdain.

salarian character makes a potentially stupid move while "sending up a small prayer to the Dalatrass that had birthed them"

Krogan

human character mentally considers a specific krogan character "Rational, for their [krogan] kind."

It had been a long few days out in the “wasteland” with [krogan] and their team. This was the term they’d adopted for the parts of the Nexus that hadn’t yet been visited.

They only used it among themselves, [krogan] explained, so as not to offend or worry any of the non-krogan crew. The fact that they [the krogan]'d let them [human] in on the slang was something of an honor. They [human]'d learned a long time ago that when the krogan honored you, you don't take it lightly, no matter how inconsequential it might seem.

if a krogan couldn't understand rising up against oppressors, who could?

Krogan making a political power play: "By sending a representative that is far beneath them in standing but above me in the political hierarchy, you will show them the importance of the request. X will be pleased by this, and also enjoy the opportunity to intimidate a puppet. Treat them like just any krogan (...) and they'll be picking your bones out of their teeth."

Turian looking at destruction: "Looks like a krogan wedding came through." Amused krogan: "We don't have weddings."

a krogan pissed off to be brought out of cryo gets headbutted

Family. Above all things, krogan clans meant family - perhaps more so than any other of the species. After all, for so long, the krogan had only each other.

one [krogan] paler than the rest, gray where the others showed more color in thick krogan hides. His was scarred, brutalized by wefts and ridges, and he very clearly looked older than the others. Ancient, given krogan lifespans.

[The air] smelled even worse [than burned chemicals], and that was to a krogan. They could only imagine what the humans were experiencing.

Human: "Any krogan throwing biotics around you know?" Asari: "No battlemasters around here. Only one I ever heard of was of the Urdnot clan."

big krogan throats led to deep voices, even in the rare women [turian character] had known of

Turians

Krogan, about a particular turian: "Competent, if a bit... you know, turian."

(...) Adding a turian's casual arrogance to this party would be a fascinating new thorn in X [not krogan POV character]'s side, to say nothing of the species' unique devotion to the meritocracy. One foolish move, and they'd all hear about it.

In various degrees of respect, depending on said turian.

Knowing turians - knowing them [particular turian] - they were trying to figure out their [krogan's] angle.

Turian: "I believe in that old Earth phrase: 'Absolute power corrupts absolutely."

This is in the turian section for the implication that turians do not have such a phrase - they said this to a character who also wasn't human, so they're not even adjusting to language use their human audience would be more familiar with to be polite.

Hell, [human]'d probably have made a good turian, the way they liked to cut through the bullshit.

Turians learned to process loss like factors in one's life. Every victory was achieved on the back of those who didn't make it. It made the victory somehow better. Mean more.

Human POV (rare exception to stripping gender because it's part of context):

Turians. It's like they had a weakness for women in charge. She'd never met one who didn't get all... turian-eyed when she started calling the shots.

Turian body language:

X's mandibles tipped up in approval

A tic jumped in the center of X's brow. Right at the crest. It wasn't supposed to move like that. X rubbed at it grimly, but no amount of that would make the stress go away.

X rubbed at a mandible as they worked on arranging their features into something much less brooding. It wasn't exactly a smile, not even by turian standards, but it'd do.

Human POV:

X's head tipped. It was faintly avian.

X tipped their drink into their mouth in that unique way turians did

Multispecies

[Human] laughing at being told to shoot someone's leg if needed "told [krogan character] everything they needed to know about the human's sense of humor. Much more like a krogan's, or a turian's, than not."

Krogan: "Funny. I didn't think they'd send in a salarian [to fix something in the company of krogan]." Salarian: "Funny. I didn't expect a krogan to think." Another two krogan and two humans: /DEAD SILENCE [Krogan] rapped out a burst of laughter.

Sure turians politicked. [Turian] was all too familiar with that truth. But not the way salarians schemed and asari hovered.

Of course, humans could be just as bad. The First Contact War had proved it.

[hobgoblinsandpeachfuzz]

spoilers for Nexus Uprising if you haven’t read it!!

So it’s Reyes Vidal Appreciation week, and while I have LOTS of art with him, most of its shippy, so I wanted to take this time to finish up some of the more general work I have of him.

I’m INTENSELY curious about what he was up to on the Nexus before heading off with the Exiles to Kadara, and I hope we’ll get some info, but until then, I’ve got some headcanons: 

So in Nexus Uprising we find out that they woke up pilots about halfway through their 14 month ordeal (at least?? I think that’s the timeline. There aren’t any dates in the book, so its a bit fuzzy, at least from my memory). I think Reyes was one of those pilots, and he was sent out on a team to go check out the golden worlds. For fun, I like to picture he was sent with Tiran Kandros’s team to Eos, but more likely, he was one of the more random teams (and of course, at least one of the teams that come back because some don’t). 

I don’t really have too many headcanons about who he was before Andromeda (and most of the ones I do have are kind of lowkey and boring, not very dramatic), but I definitely think he was a smuggler before as well, but you know, was trying to figure out where he fit in Andromeda, and how he could ‘become somebody’. I think he was ambitious, and wanted to make things better for people, but wasn’t quite sure how to do that in Andromeda, and was excited to figure that out. I think he makes a couple friends on the Nexus while they are waiting around, not too many because I imagine some folks who’d been awake longer may have resented the pilots who were woken up--at least they were met with mixed feelings, so Reyes mostly hangs out with other folks who are ‘resented’ in a way. I think Zia was one of these people, (and maybe Bane, but he’s a wildcard for me it’s hard to figure him out) but those are headcanons for another day (and there’s a lot there, she’s awesome, and I have lots of thoughts). So the Uprising happens, and I think he’s not really a fighter, he stays out of it. But he sees how Tann and Addison all handle it and that’s the spark, I think, for his ‘wanting to be someone’ feeling. He sees the incompetence that reduces this great dream to chaos and violence, and he’s like ‘I can do better... Somehow I can do better’, so he and Zia decide to ditch with the exiles ‘cause as far as they are concerned, the Nexus is a sinking ship. 

The asari that woke him up is a character from Nexus Uprising, Irida Fadeer, whose pretty interesting and cool, and part of the team that wakes people up--I dunno if she’s really be the one doing that, especially at this point in the story, but she’s cool and I felt like drawing her, and she captured the sort of air that I feel like the pilots were met with when woken up--they went to sleep hopeful, and were woken up to cynicism, bitterness, and fear. 

[afragmentcastadrift]

Random Mass Effect: Andromeda headcanon - 

It was inevitable that it would, again, be considered.

The circumstances had changed, improved. Viability, growth, stability - these were tangible when once they had been figments of evaporating idealism, wishes cast upon dying stars. Yet the option remained, and the suggestion is uttered over the council table - integration of cryo sleep into the justice system.

Statis as punishment, for crimes committed.

And thus are the merits of cryo-sleep versus standard incarceration measured and weighed - just how do you handle the criminal element (mutineers, raiders, rogue factions, drug smugglers, thieves, murderers...) and the inevitable drain on resources to keep, maintain, and manage? Would sleep be a more optimal solution - cheaper than a secure cell, three solids, hydration, sanitation, posted guards? But then cryo crosses the line into ethical dilemma does it not - how humane is it really to mandate a sentence of life suspended? Tubed up, silent, without access to plead one's case, serve time with good behavior (or hard labor), to still be active and alert as a citizen, under restriction.

And what of the prison ships, some inquire. Is the Nexus, or the Hyperion, or any salvaged ark to become the new Purgatory? Moored or adrift, will we create new worlds in the image of our old? The same abuses, the same prejudices (to which the krogan rumble with discontent, a scoff that sounds like thunder as they expect nothing less than humans being incapable of breaking ties with their past).

To sleep, perchance to dream, one councilor murmurs, bittersweet and resigned, remembering the uprising, remembering the choice, and the lack of one. Knowing that it wasn't the intention to travel light years in order to become gods, and yet mortals must inventory the means by which to balance right and wrong.

And another recalls a transmission from the horrifying and desperate days just after arrival. Unfinished text, itself frozen before it could be sent, left on a tablet in a quarantined storage room. Simple words, but they had burned into memory...

If I go back to sleep, will you be there when I wake again? Or will we be separated by factions and years - a decade before there is sustainability, maybe two before those of us considered extra, baggage, are allowed to breathe.

What's a decade to 600 years? A thousand lifetimes away from that singular glance we had of a strange new sky.

And the mood becomes grim, still with no resolute answer. Perhaps all too soon, that sentiment would be called upon again - that restlessness, that uncertainty.

That fear just before night falls.

[omegastation]

Sloane Kelly Facts (from Nexus Uprising)

I’ll make a series of those. We’ll start at the beginning!

PROLOGUE: -She has a hangover the day of the Nexus departure. She knows that it isn't professional but she's not the only one, there was a huge party the day before -She worked hard to make sure her teams were up to the standards of the Initiative -She believes Jien Garson is "awe-inspiring" -She's anxious and realizes that as Security Director she will have "far more influence" than the "grunt she used to be" -"Born too late to solve anything, strung out too far by old men in uniforms slinging around old grudges." -She believes things will be different this time (no more vendettas, piracy, Skyllian Blitzes). They will do things right with "pioneers eager for the same dream" -She doesn't take Alec Ryder "lightly", she believes he's not going to be easy to work with. She knows he's impatient. -She predicts what Alec will say before he says it ("Well, it's time to go. So the real work can start."). She smirks at him and he gives her a "quizzical stare" and a nod. She nods back. -The Nexus will be a better Citadel. The Council's flaws, to her, are trying to outmaneuver each other, the krogan and believing humans are "too young for the responsibility." She mentions a death toll. It makes her irritated. "The Nexus would be everything the Citadel had failed in." -Sloane feels "enormous pride" at the "culmination of all the hard work" -"They were all in this together, now." -Sloane respects the fact that Garson is not a pushover -She has the "strange honor" of being the last awake. An excited portion of her brain reminds her that she wields the power to stop it all. She could put the whole thing on lockdown. -She looks forward to spend some time alone and in silence in "her" station. "The place she'd sworn to protect and shepherd on its great mission. The place for which she'd given up her life in the Milky Way." -Doesn't believe in gods or "dodging procedure." -Sloane hasn't left much behind: no family, no responsibilities. She's just leaving behind baggage ("a galaxy's worth of it"), old scars, enemies, grudges, idiot officers "far more concerned about the shine on the medals earned on the back of dead soldiers." -She grits her teeth when she's angry -Being the Security Director is to her "the best job" in two galaxies -She goes through her checklist with "unwavering attention to detail" -She nods and wants to shouts 'hell yeah' while listening to Garson's last speech -Sloane's own speeches are short and to the point. She's likely to say "get it done" or "put them down" (things you say 'fast on the ground') -If Jien Garson commanded her to stride into hell, Sloane would -Sloane believes Garson's strength is to know people, what moves them and what they hope for. -She's been a soldier for her whole life. " -She'd witnessed speeches made to celebrate victories, others intoned to condemn atrocities. War had been her path for so long, the life of a soldier her only way, that she's forgotten what a speech about hope could do to the brain." -Her last thoughts as she goes to sleep: Naptime, huh? -She smiles and closes her eyes.

[quietsun5268]

(Poll) Mass Effect Andromeda: Kadara - Reyes Vidal versus Sloane Kelly

Sloane Kelly is the leader of the Outcasts, the criminal faction controlling Kadara Port. In 'Nexus Uprising,' Sloane does seem like she has her heart in the right place - sometimes, plus at least she's honest about some things. However She has a hatred of the Initiative which can prove to be a problem.

Reyes Vidal is smuggler but is also the Charlatan opposing Sloane Kelly's rule. He lies and has a sniper kill Sloane in the back in what was suppose the be a dual between him and her, but has concerns for angara then Sloane, he shows some desire to improve lives around Kadara, and is willing to work with the Initiative. Plus you can romance him as either Scott or Sara Ryder

Neither are perfect but who do you prefer as a leader of Kadara Port.

Kadara - Reyes Vidal versus Sloane Kelly: https://strawpoll.com/hzp6b13js

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[mass-effect-anonymous]

Nexus Uprising novel spoilers

Confession:  I highly recommend everyone playing Andromeda also read Nexus Uprising! It's, of course, not necessary to Ryder's story, but it fills in some holes that the game didn't (and to be fair, /couldn't have/, because Ryder has no business knowing those things), and that makes a profound difference in the way I think about Addison and Sloane. Sloane Kelly is a BAMF whose treatment by the game was hella unfair, and Foster Addison deserves my undying respect and a damn nap, not necessarily in that order.

[hostagesandsnacks]

me too, Sloane

[sugarbubbleslove]

Kadara - Mass Effect Andromeda

So...that was fun.

And yes - I'm playing this game again and romancing Liam again.

Under spoilers for those who likes Sloane - don't read this.

So, this time I chose to pick 'none of your business' when Sloane asked me what I wanted Vehn Terev (cause I always picked truthfully) but this time, I wanted to play my Ryder as someone who didn't think Sloane had any right to the information.

She's not Nexus, she's not Angaran so really, she doesn't need the information.

and she TRIED to have her escorted out at GUNPOINT! Then I picked the interrupt disarmed her bodyguard (and he's a pretty lousy one since he allowed himself to get disarmed by a 5 feet woman for crying out loud!), SHE raises her gun at Ryder and tells Ryder to drop the gun only for Ryder to say 'you first'.

I was actually impressed with my Ryder. That was kind of badass (and she's totally her father's daughter) but at the same time, really Sloane? You raised a gun at a pathfinder and you expect them to take it sitting down?

I mean - My Ryder is not the most impulsive one (the only impulsive things she done at this moment was Shoot the Cardinal in the back - still sends shivers down my spine when I get that option - and kiss Liam) But seeing a gun in her face is enough to make her snap into action.

Plus I don't get where people says Sloane is professional? I always choose the professional/logical options with her and Sloane basically keeps spitting in her face?

And to top it off - Sloane 'tells' Ryder that if she wants that outpost, she will attend to the meeting to protect Sloane.

Yeah - sure, let's bring an outsider who really doesn't give a shit about you Sloane, considering you shoved a gun and spat in her face.

So yeah - this only just makes me want to side with Reyes even more. He is actually friendly - I have done a professional/Logical playthrough and got called a 'bitch' by him, which was hysterical but eh, I feel like Reyes and Peebee each remind her of Scott so she can't help but pick the causal response because she misses him that much.

He actually helps me out, is quite happy to work with me and even protects my Outpost without a fee. Hell - he even does away the Protection Fees. The only thing is he hikes up the transport cut but everyone seems happier that there isn't a protection fee anymore.

And another thing - which is just hysterical - is TANN is the ONLY one who actually had faith in Ryder at the beginning. Addison comes off as a bitch, demanding to know how your father dies.

Kesh bitches about Tann and explains why the Krogan left.

Kandros was mostly like - fucking hell, someone else who is actually competent showed up. Finally (poor guy, he was really getting the run around).

But Tann actually tells you he's story for the loss of Alec (first one, BTW), is willing to put faith in Ryder despite being a newbie and he understands the position she's in cause hello 'Surprise! Responsibility!) and gives you a ship and he acts pleasant with my Ryder so maybe it depends on how you speak to him.

Yet Morda and Sloane? You'd think they know Ryder wasn't part of the uprising since the Ark hadn't shown up - which was part of the reason why the whole uprising started. Morda and Sloane know Ryder is the Pathfinder so they are obviously getting intel.

Not sure who Sloane would be getting it from (maybe Spender?) but Morda is clearly Kesh and Drack.

Yet they spit in her face? Even when she acts professional and cordial? Still gets called out on being Nexus Trash and such?

Eh...so...you're letting grudges with the Nexus impact a potential relationship with the person who can actually make the planet viable?

Hmm. Maybe I should read the book but at the same time, it's annoying that those information are IN a book when if they are meant to be impactful, they should be in the game.

I mean - look at Initiation. It focus on Cora and her dealing with SAM-E but at the same time, it doesn't impact the game itself. Sure Ryder doesn't quite know (just yet) that SAM could only be transferred to the twins only because Alec only explained about their mother (though they probably might have an idea since SAM went straight to Scott when Sara was taken out of the game, but it could be explained because SAM node is on the Hyperion and that's where Scott is so it was easier to access Scott instead of Cora who is either on the Tempest or locked in the room with a dead Sara).

I wonder if it will come up at some point - like if Sara dies again (Liam is gonna end up wrapping her up in bubble wrap if this continues) and instead of going to Cora, SAM goes straight to Scott and it's discovered that way. *Shrugs*

So...Bioware. Andromeda 2 is when?!

[thevulturesquadron]

dwead-piwate-meggers

I have questions about Sloane Kelly…

Keep reading

Short answer: She was hoping for a fresh start for everyone. A clean sheet where corruption and the loss of many ‘for a greater cause’ were not gears of the system anymore. She got into the Initiative because she truly believed in Garson’s idealism. And not only did Jien Garson choose her as head of Nexus security, she also trusted Sloane enough to have her by her side as she was being put into her cryo pod, and entrust her with everyone’s lives. Sloane Kelly was the last one to go in stasis after making sure that everything and everyone was ready for the long journey. She had every qualification to be in the position she was when The Initiative left for Andromeda.

Long answer under the cut:

I often see people calling her a psychopath, deranged, greedy or manipulative and she’s nothing like that. I can’t understand where they even get this. The Sloane we get in the game is the product of her previous experiences: the many hits she took during her military life back in the Milky Way, the horrors she had seen, the disastrous orders she had followed; and everything culminated with the events that took place on the Nexus after their arrival. Whenever Sloane ‘rebelled’ against “(fellow) authority figures” it was always based on her guts and it was always when said authority figures were making decisions that were morally questionable. She had an amazing military profile and that made her follow orders but she was not a toy-soldier. She questioned authority based on a moral compass. And most times, it bit her in the ass. It’s one thing to be disappointed in the people you are supposed to follow when you are cynical. The outcome is bad enough. But she was motivated by hope when she joined The Initiative. When your hopes and aspirations are completely ripped apart and your best intentions are smashed into the ground and used against you, you snap. Well, Sloane snapped. But trust me, it was BEAUTIFUL. Before picking up the book I knew I would love her but I always thought her ‘fall’ would be nasty. Instead it was beautiful; and I felt proud; I felt satisfied; I felt avenged. 

Sloane Kelly in game is a damaged person. She is in over her head, doing something that is out of her league. Nothing excuses what is happening on Kadara. She is making use of violence and appealing to people’s weaknesses in order to keep things under control. That is not pardonable and one way or another she needed to be stopped. Either by taking her out of the picture or by balancing her. I think Ryder plays an important part in Sloane’s development. She’s not a leader. You can see it in the book as well. When she’s in a position of political authority she makes mistakes but that is because it’s not in her nature to rule. When she became the leader of the exiles it was out of necessity. She also had made a promise (and if there’s one thing that is shaping Sloane’s character is that she stays true to her word no matter what). But, under the weight of situations she could not solve, her perspective got twisted and along the way purpose dethroned morality.  

One other thing I often see on tumblr is people comparing Sloane to Aria. Which again feels far-fetched. These characters have only two common traits: they are both badass women that take shit from no one, and they are both in a position of power, leading an outlaw force. (+ I love both of them so, so much!) But that is where, in my opinion, the similarities end. 

Aria is a true leader and she is completely mind-blowing at what she does. She doesn’t get messy. She knows what she wants and she knows how to get it. She’s smart and leadership is second nature for her. She’s also merciless and manipulative. Even if she creates a connection with someone she won’t bat an eye before breaking it if it’s to her advantage. She’s also not the protective type. She’s the sort of person who’d take revenge rather than sacrifice something/putting herself in a weaker position. And one huge difference between the two - she doesn’t shy away from creating a bloodbath (she actually instigated the civil force on Omega to use them as manpower, leading them to slaughter) if that’s what it takes to stay in power. 

Sloane is the complete opposite to all of this. She knows she’s better at executing orders (that she believes in). Unless forced by circumstances she’d rather avoid responsibilities. In game she doesn’t have that luxury anymore. (If you ask me she didn’t have it in Nexus Uprising either, and that was one of her mistakes - that she still cowered away from responsibilities). She doesn’t have the training nor the drive to be a leader. People only followed her because she stood up for them. But once the imminent danger is dealt with (ex: the Kett occupation on Kadara) she’s lost and disastrous for the people she’s supposed to lead. Sloane also gets attached. When I played the game I was under the impression that she probably knew all her men by name and the book proved me right. She knows her people and she takes all her losses personally. (The same way the betrayal she suffered when Kaetus was beaten by her own people was a heavy blow for her). The people around her are her weakness. It was why the Charlatan went for Kaetus. Because he knew that would push her to the edge and make her desperate. Also she’s anything but manipulative. Honesty - that is both her strength and her weakness. It’s a weakness because she becomes predictable. But it’s her strength because she will always stay true to her word. No matter what. That also makes her loyal - if you earn it. And the biggest difference between her and Aria - she’d do ANYTHING to avoid a bloodbath. Her people will always come first. That’s why she’d never give Kadara back to the Angara. She earned it for the people that were exiled from the Nexus and depending on her. Her one priority has always been and, one way or another, will always be the civilians. The lives of many - her many.  Her instinct of protecting people is probably what could redeem her further (if given the chance).

I don’t believe Sloane has to be given the pardon card. I think that when you look at her, and when you deal with her in game, you have to acknowledge the good, but always be aware of the bad. At this point all I want is for the game not to forget her just because she was a disposable character at one point. The best outcome I see for her is one in which your character has an influence on her, like a catalyst. It’s still based on experience. If Ryder can still inspire in her what she has lost, I want it to matter; or otherwise, I want Ryder to be the last straw, the last hit she takes before she gives up to anger and ‘brings war in Heleus’. I want her to remain in the grey area and I want her personality to make sense to her story arc. I don’t want her to be put aside just because she’s probably not alive in many gameplays. And most of all I would hate to see BioWare simply turn her into a villain just to make it easy to dispose of her so that they can continue with a singular plot-line. It’s enough that they treated Sloane and Reyes in such an unbalanced way where one of them dies in one outcome and the other one stays alive no matter what. Anyway, yeah... this has been a long post. Longer than I expected when I started to write. The point is that it would be nice if people in general would stop reducing characters to just a few traits. And it works both ways, not just when characters get extra vilified but also the other side of the coin - closing an eye on the less flattering traits of a character just to put them on a pedestal.  

[not-a-newt]

Pls. Would you ever write a fix-it for Calix 🥺

Spoilers for Mass effect andromeda & nexus uprising below v

I spent a lot of time thinking about how I would un-gank calix and I think I've settled on the hc that he DID get shot in the head BUT didn't die and was left in critical condition (bonus points for sloane still thinking he'd been killed?) then was consequently shoved back into cryo because 1) They didn't have the resources to fully treat a serious neurological injury like that and 2) they didn't have the judicial/penitentiary resources to handle that serious of a criminal even if they did manage to get him patched up — because you cant, you know, exile someone who's unconscious?

Then, AFTER the events of the game (where Sloane may or may not survive depending on how angsty I'm feeling?), paragon Ryder pushes for exiles to be universally pardoned for crimes they committed in the name of survival (theft, insurgence, etc.) but not "actual" crimes (homicide, cannibalism, nonconsensual and inhumane sapient experimentation, sabatoging life support operations, etc.)

Whereupon Calix gets revived, gets treatment, begins a regimen of intense, morale-breaking physical therapy, and is then given some kind of house arrest/indentured servitude punishment ft. major angst and dissociation from getting knocked unconscious during the middle of an explosive, blood-drenched rebellion, then waking up to a new utopia where everything is suddenly clean and perfect again but (MAYBE) finding that the one person who had his back and who he was maybe starting to feel a deeper (more than platonic?) connection to is dead? Or maybe she isn't dead, but she's changed? Maybe she went pirate and was complicit in the deaths of countless innocent civilians on Kadara and had becomes warped into something unrecognizable to him, fueling the disconnect between his already broken mind and the reality around him?? Ouch!

"And—oh, by the way, while you were out, we successfully waged war against a highly intelligent, yet genocidal race of aliens that we just happened to run into out here, plus we discovered and conquered this ancient, more-advanced-than-prothean technology to terraform all of those world's that were supposed to be garden paradises that turned out to be desolately uninhabitable, so they actually are habitable again... also here are the angara, they're our buddies :) "

I don't know if I would ever get around to actually writing this... but that's the way it exists in my head. It's not so much saving calix, but rather forcing him live so that he can suffer longer because I like to play with my blorbos like someone who uses the sims to design prisons <3

[scifi-flyby]

on a scale from 1 to "the nakmor clan was allowed onto the nexus under the agreement that they would be exploited unpaid labor to the point of potential slave labor as the krogan do not die and would have to work forever", how disturbing are the implications of your tie-in game novel

[camalyng]

public view and physical facilities of the Andromeda Initiative in MEA: Initiation, Discovery, and Nexus Uprising

Lore compilation on the above, with one additional Andromeda Initiative data point unrelated to either topic that I couldn't find a place for in another post. Canon sources listed in order of most to fewest datapoints. The physical facilities are two locations which are not seen in the game, which is to say, not the Nexus nor Arks.

This post has direct quotes removed from wider context. No plot spoilers, but one humor spoiler (by humor spoiler, I mean it made me lose my shit laughing when I read it) which I've put at the end so you can stop reading if you like.

Unrelated to everything, but Sidera Nyx is not the only child on the Initiative: "every last one of the people still in stasis, every man, woman, and child who had registered with the Andromeda Intiative"

Public view of the Andromeda Initiative

The Initiative airs video recruitment ads across the extranet in 2184; these are made by the Central Nairobi Advertising Agency.

Their first ad, with an initial airdate of January 1st 2184, has a voiceover encouraging exploration, with "stills of ark Hyperion superimposed with shots of the Andromeda Galaxy" and "something inspiring" for the soundtrack which is notably not from Vaenia ("adjust style for local market tastes per extranet IP address").

Another ad airing later in the year (developmental notes are dated June 1st 2184) features a "helmeted figure in body armor" (whom the director would like to be "an actor who looks like Shepard", though they do also wonder, "Will Shepard's estate sue us?") observing an unfamiliar galaxy map:

"The Cluster. That’s our target site. By best estimates there should be more than half a dozen garden worlds in this region which are habitable or readily terraformable. The conditions are right. The suns are in the main sequence. The atmospheric compositions are exactly what we need. What are you waiting for? It's only the unknown."

A commercial for a human news item in late December 2184 calls the Initiative the "pet venture of the eccentric wealthy inventor Jien Garson" as an opening line, and goes on to question whether it's "a thrilling, romantic scientific project" (unclear whether this is a commonly held perspective on top of its own self portrayal), aiming to uncover "graft, corruption, and questionable ethics which threaten your investment, and galactic civilization's future".

The Initiative was subject to "gossip, the media coverage, even threats", and the threats are "Constantly. Mostly just the usual alien-conspiracy kooks. The asari are controlling everyone's mind, the turians are doing this to - somehow - wipe us out in vengeance for the war, the whole thing is a hoax done on an STG-run holovid stage... But a few of the threats have been credible."

Homeward Sol protestors harass a known associate of the Initiative on the basis of a commercial for the above news item.

There's a protest about the rigid selection process, with signs including "the Initiative is rigged" and "free travel for everyone". Though this protest was partially caused by paid agitators, "resentments and anti-Initiative attitudes" were already there to stir.

By contrast, the asari (Thessia) perspective on the Initiative:

"... the Initiative is seen as... A vanity project. A way for a baby spacefaring species to score a few popularity points, in a galaxy that isn't easily impressed. A few asari are going along because it's interesting, and you can always find matriarchs looking for a fulfilling way to end their lives — or maidens in the 'young and idealistic' category. But really, most of the galaxy has better things to do than pay attention to the Initiative. What's newsworthy here [in the Sol system]... isn't, out there."

Physical facilities

Some prelaunch research offices are on Theia Station, an old, "ancient quarian low-orbit [space] station" which is within the Sol System. Facilities include a lab, a small gym on level 5 "supposed to be only for senior staff of the Initiative - science team leads, Pathfinder team members, investors when they visited" which is "not used as often as it should have been", and a "small medbay".

The Initiative also has another office in a skyscraper on Earth in an unnamed city, where Jien Garson has an office up high. (The view of the surrounding skyscrapers shows it's not the tallest building around.) This is publicly known to be the Initiative's, as this is where the protest mentioned above takes place. Also mentioned or seen are a medical center and a rooftop shuttle landing pad, though it's unknown whether these are in the same building.

Humor spoiler below!

That first recruitment ad uses basically the voiceover of the 2015 N7 Day "you are that explorer now" video, right down to suggesting that the voiceover should be a "tough-sounding" "woman's voice, alto-sounding":

"We are travelers, constantly moving forward—and looking back. Alone and as one, we have no choice but to try. For our insatiable curiosity. For our fear of what should happen if we don't. You can be that explorer. We will say goodbye, and you will look back one last time—and know that wherever you go, we will be with you."

[theindieangel]

So the nexus was alone for about 14 months right? About how long did they last before the uprising? The book is pretty vague with times, usually saying "weeks following/after.." and shit when show passage of time. I know the scouting missions were out for about 2 1/2 months My figuring is probably anywhere from 6-10 months maybe? But idk it's pretty hard to tell from the book... thoughts?

[bramblebeau]

Just finished Nexus Uprising before work and it was 👌👌👌