Characters of the Mass Effect series

This article describes notable characters who appear in the Mass Effect fictional universe. This list describes only major protagonists, antagonists, squad members, and supporting characters that appear in the movies, games, novels, and comics, although these storylines feature much larger supporting casts consisting of dozens of minor characters.

These characters are explored in the print novels Mass Effect: Revelation, Mass Effect: Ascension, Mass Effect: Retribution, and Mass Effect: Deception; the graphic novels Mass Effect: Homeworlds, Mass Effect: Conviction, Mass Effect: Redemption, Mass Effect: Evolution; the feature film Mass Effect: Paragon Lost; and the video games Mass Effect, Mass Effect Galaxy, Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect Infiltrator, Mass Effect 3 and Mass Effect 3: Datapad.

Primary fictional characters

These fictional characters have served as playable characters, or as recurring protagonists and squad members in multiple installments or elements of the Mass Effect franchise.

Player characters

Commander Shepard

Commander Shepard is the main protagonist of the Mass Effect trilogy. When starting a new game, the player chooses Shepard's gender, appearance, history, combat-training, and first name. Shepard is 29 years old in Mass Effect, chronologically 31 years old in Mass Effect 2, and 32 in Mass Effect 3. By default, male Shepard is called John and female Shepard is called Jane; both defaults are of the Soldier class.

Randall Ezno

Randall Ezno is the main protagonist of Mass Effect Infiltrator. Randall begins the game hunting down a turian for Cerberus. During this mission it is revealed that he has been extensively modified with implants and that he has taken to them much faster than most Cerberus operatives. He is not aware that the implants were supposed to have indoctrinated him (it becomes clear as events transpire that they have failed). He chats with his handler, Inali Renata about his mission. He comes into a Cerberus space station called "the Barn" after his mission. Shortly after landing the base is attacked by the Turian Hierarchy and he has to fight them off alongside Cerberus troops and mechs. He is then summoned by Inali for a debriefing. Along the way he loses contact with her and proceeds to try to find out what happened.

He begins to hear the voice of a volus hacker in his radio that leads him to Inali. She had been "volunteered" to receive implants. Randall at this point is attacked by waves of Cerberus troops as he rages against the treatment that his handler is undergoing. He follows the advice of the volus hacker and begins to go through the base. The volus assures Randall that if he can make it to the communications tower that they will all (Inali included) be able to be rescued by the Systems Alliance. Randall faces waves of Cerberus troops, mechs, turrets, and even a mutated, cybernetically modified Yahg named X1 on his way to the communications tower. Once there he manages to contact the Alliance and arranges pickup on a nearby desert planet. Once there Randall encounters a heavily modified Inali. They have a brief fight which either culminates in sparing Inali's life or killing her. Either way he vows to take revenge on the Cerberus Director that experimented on her and leaves the planet.

Randall is voiced by Jay Anthony Franke.

Squad members

Ashley Williams

Gunnery Chief Ashley Madeline Williams is a human Alliance Marine who enlisted straight out of high school. She is 25 years old in the first Mass Effect. Williams is a competent non-commissioned officer. She joins the squad during the first mission, replacing Corporal Richard L. Jenkins (who was killed in action). Ashley is a pure soldier, skilled with weapons and heavy armor but unable to use advanced tech abilities or biotics. She is a possible romance interest for a male Commander Shepard. She hails from a military family: her great-grandmother, grandfather, and father all served in the Alliance Navy. Her family suffers from the dubious service history of her grandfather, however, as he is the only human officer to ever surrender to an alien force, specifically the turian fleet at the colony of Shanxi. Williams says that she and her father have been passed over for many a promotion because of the stigma her grandfather still holds among the Alliance brass. Her mother raised Ash and her three younger sisters on various colonial worlds while her father was on duty. Williams is religious, though her precise faith and denomination are never elaborated upon, except for her belief in Judgment Day and God. She also occasionally expresses "human-centric" views, as a result of her grandfather having been disgraced in the First Contact War against the turians.^[1]

Late in the game, on the planet Virmire, Williams is one of two characters who can opt to assist a salarian commando unit in their assault on Saren's lab complex. During the assault, the player is confronted with a choice that may result in Ashley being killed when a nuclear warhead is detonated. If she is, later dialogue indicates the salarian and turian governments have awarded her their highest medals, honoring her sacrifice for soldiers not even of her own race.

Williams appears in Mass Effect 2, provided she lived through the first game. Now an Operations Chief, Williams was sent to Horizon officially on a mission to provide anti-orbital weapons to the colonists. She is first seen defending the colony against a swarm of paralyzing Collector "seekers," but ultimately is overwhelmed and paralyzed. Upon being rescued, she voices disapproval towards Shepard's alliance with Cerberus. Should there have been a romance between Shepard and Williams, she will later send him an apologetic email, expressing her desire to be with him once more.

Ashley Williams returns in Mass Effect 3, provided she survived the events of the original game. Prior to the game's release, it was said that players that keep her as a romance interest (as indicated by her portrait on Shepard's desk not being face down) in Mass Effect will be rewarded.^[2] During the events of Mass Effect 3, Williams is commissioned as a lieutenant commander and has become the second human Spectre. She is seriously injured during the game's mission on Mars, but makes a full recovery and, depending on the player's actions, may join Shepard's team on board the Normandy.

Ashley is listed on the Normandy SR-2's memorial wall on the Crew Deck, if she did not survive the events of Mass Effect 1 and 3.

Ashley Williams is voiced by Kimberly Brooks.

Kaidan Alenko

Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko is a 32-year-old human male, Alliance Navy officer who accompanies Commander Shepard from the very beginning of the game. Alenko serves as a possible love interest for a female Shepard. In game, he is what is known as a Sentinel, a soldier highly skilled in both tech skills and biotics. Alenko has had a troubled relationship with his biotic abilities - he is one of the rare users of the controversial L2 implants, which have since been discontinued due to the long list of horrible side-effects discovered after their initial creation. Kaidan is regarded as "one of the lucky ones" as he only suffers from migraines, though many others suffer from crippling physical pain or insanity. If questioned by Shepard, Kaidan reveals that as a teenager he killed an instructor, a brutal turian mercenary, at the biotics training facility he attended, during biotics training by breaking his neck with a full-force biotic kick. The death had been an accident, as Kaidan was enraged when the instructor injured a girl he admired.

Late in the game, on the planet Virmire, Kaidan is one of two characters who can opt to assist a salarian commando unit in their assault on Saren's lab complex. If Ashley is selected to lead the unit, Kaidan is the primary technician for activating a bomb that destroys the facility. During the assault, the player is confronted with a choice that may result in Kaidan being left behind when the nuke is detonated.^[1]

Alenko also plays a role in Mass Effect 2, provided that he survived in the first game. Since the first game's events, Alenko had been promoted to commander and is stationed on the planet Horizon to help protect a human colony from the Collectors. The Illusive Man, using Kaidan's connection to Shepard as bait, lured the Collectors to Horizon. The Collectors attacked the colony and he was stung by a Collector Swarm, leaving him temporarily paralyzed. Shepard soon learns that Kaidan was sent to the colony to install a network of defense cannons to safeguard against future Collector attacks. After multiple firefights with the Collectors and Harbinger, Alenko is ultimately rescued by Shepard. The two reunite with a handshake (or a warm embrace if the player chose to import a Shepard from Mass Effect that had pursued a romantic relationship with Kaidan) and Shepard tells him that s/he has been dead for two years. However, upon learning that Shepard is working with Cerberus, Alenko grows suspicious and refuses to join Shepard on his/her mission. Later on, if Shepard romanced Kaidan in the first game, Kaidan will send him/her an apology letter stating that his earlier behavior was a result of his concern and worry for him/her and that he would still like to be romantically involved after the Collectors have been defeated. If Kaiden died in the first game, a news report mentions that the Alliance has set a scholarship program for biotic children as a memorial to him.

Players that keep him as a romance interest in Mass Effect 2 will be rewarded.^[2]

If he survived the events of the first game, Alenko returns in Mass Effect 3. In the intervening months since the end of Mass Effect 2 he has been promoted to the rank of Major and placed in command of a covert Alliance special operations team of human biotics. He has been summoned to testify at Shepard's trial following the events of the Arrival DLC story, and is present when the Reapers arrive at Earth and attack Vancouver. Kaidan connects with a new squadmate, marine James Vega, and makes his way to the Normandy SR-2, which has been confiscated, examined, and refurbished to serve in the Alliance as Admiral Anderson's personal flagship.

After arriving at a pinned-down Shepard and Anderson to evacuate them, Kaidan accompanies Shepard and Vega to the Prothean Archive on Mars under orders to retrieve intelligence that Liara T'soni has uncovered there, believed to be crucial to the war effort. The group is joined by T'soni as they engage Cerberus troops who are attacking the base to secure the same Prothean data for The Illusive Man. After confronting Cerberus' mole at the facility, the synthetic infiltrator Dr. Eva Coré, Kaidan is badly injured. Shepard disables and captures the gynoid for study, and rushes Alenko to Huerta Memorial Hospital on the Presidium of the Citadel for treatment. Shepard can then check in on Kaidan as he recuperates—he is initially unconscious, but once Shepard completes a mission Alenko sends a message to the Normandy saying he is awake and would welcome a visit. The two can discuss the Major's injury (a dialogue chain that can first hint at flirtation with a male or female Shepard, or interest in renewing intimacy with a previously-romanced female Shepard), recent activities and promotion, family back on Earth, and their tense encounter on Horizon months earlier. Kaidan also mentions that Donnel Udina has put his name forward to become the second human Spectre, and that he is considering accepting. This visit also represents an opportunity to present a 'get well soon' gift to foster trust later in the story.

Once Shepard completes another mission off the Citadel, s/he receives another e-mail from Kaidan saying his is about to be discharged and would appreciate another visit for the Commander's advice. Returning to the Citadel and offering words of encouragement further builds confidence between Shepard and Alenko, who will not be available for interaction again until Udina—conspiring with Cerberus—attempts a coup against the Citadel Council to seize control of their fleets for the liberation of Earth. During this battle Alenko appears in his new capacity as a Spectre, providing protection for the Council members who are being led by Udina into a trap. Shepard arrives to intervene, and in the ensuing confrontation if Kaidan still suspects Shepard of colluding with Cerberus he is shot (either by Shepard or by a squadmate) in order to stop Udina. Alternatively, if Shepard has worked to regain Kaidan's trust, he takes Shepard's side, and will shoot Udina if Shepard abstains.

If he survives the coup attempt, Kaidan later meets Shepard at the Normandy dock and offers to re-join the crew. Shepard can either accept him aboard, or advise him to stay behind and gain him as a War Asset. Later, if Shepard has consistently been understanding and encouraging toward him, Kaidan sends an e-mail inviting Shepard to dinner on their next visit to the Citadel. Conversation instigated during this 'date' represents (male or female) Shepard's opportunity to 'lock in' a romantic relationship with Alenko or to rebuff his advances. If pursued, Kaidan appears at Shepard's cabin on the eve of the assault on The Illusive Man's headquarters and the two can consummate their relationship (though triggerable dialogue between Kaidan and Shepard in the Starboard Observation Louge suggests that they've spent the night together at least once already). Alternatively, Shepard can turn him down to avoid "distraction," and they then cuddle with Kaidan resolving to be his/her "soft place to land".

During the final battle for Earth, Kaidan appears again at the forward operating base in London, having re-connected with one of his biotic special operations units. If he and Shepard have pursued a romantic relationship, their 'farewell' turns affectionate one last time; they kiss, Alenko states his desire to hold Shepard again and Shepard says Kaidan had "better be there when I come back." Shortly thereafter the final 'push' to the Citadel begins and the two are separated.

Following Shepard's final decision and the completion of the campaign, Kaidan may be seen stepping off of a crashed Normandy on an unknown world following the catastrophic disruption of the mass relay network.

Kaidan is listed on the Normandy SR-2's memorial wall on the Crew Deck, if he did not survive the events of Mass Effect 1 and 3.

Kaidan Alenko is modeled after Luciano Costa and voiced by Raphael Sbarge, also known for his role in BioWare's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords as Carth Onasi.

Garrus Vakarian

Garrus Vakarian is a male turian, voiced by Brandon Keener, who serves as a squadmate in all three of the games. Garrus is initially a C-Sec officer who joins up with Shepard to escape from all the "red tape" in his job, but becomes a vigilante under the alias Archangel on Omega in Mass Effect 2 before his squad is killed. In Mass Effect 3 he leads a "Reapers task force" for the Turians. The character is also the star of the third issue of Mass Effect: Homeworlds.

Garrus's blue-and-black armour colour scheme was kept consistent throughout the series, as was his visor, although grey was added in the third game to reflect his new rank. While the developers were initially worried Garrus and the other alien characters would not prove emotionally compelling, fan feedback surprised them and so he was added as a romance option in 2 and 3.

Garrus has received a generally positive reception, praised by IGN, UGO.com and GamesRadar.

Tali'Zorah nar Rayya

Tali'Zorah nar Rayya is a female quarian, voiced by Ash Sroka (also known as "Liz Sroka"). She is a squadmate in each of the three games, and a mechanical genius. Daughter of Admiral Rael'Zorah, there is much pressure for Tali to excel. In the first game, she is on her Pilgrimage, before handing Shepard incriminating evidence about Saren and joining their crew. In the second game, now Tali'Zorah Vas Neema, she is placed on trial for bringing active geth parts, and the player can influence whether she is declared innocent or guilty.

Tali's design remained similar between the first and second games. She has received a positive reception, placing on several "top character" lists. Much discussion was held about what her face could look like; however, once the face was revealed, it garnered criticism, specifically for being a redone stock photo.

Liara T'Soni

Dr. Liara T'Soni is the offspring of Matriarch Aethyta and Matriarch Benezia, and is "one-quarter krogan" on the "father"-side. As a "pureblooded" asari—both parents were Asari—T'Soni was socially marginalized by asari society. T'Soni is 106 years old, which is the equivalent to a human teenager. While T'Soni is legally age of majority under Citadel-law, T'Soni has not reach adulthood by asari standards. T'Soni is a computer scientist, xenoarchaeologist, cryptanalyst; with a passion for studying and working with Prothean technology. T'Soni is an the foremost expert in the field of Prothean archaeology, specifically evidence concerning the Protheans' demise. T'Soni's people, the asari, are a monogender-sapient homeotherm species with strong pansexual-panromantic orientation—capable of procreating with any sentient life form, and can reproduce with any known sex, gender or species—their offspring are asari, regardless their "father".^[3] She is voiced by Ali Hillis in the video games, and voiced by Jamie Marchi in the animated feature film Mass Effect: Paragon Lost. Her face and body is modeled after actress Jillian Murray.

Urdnot Wrex

A famous bounty hunter and mercenary, Wrex is among the last of the krogan Battle Masters. They are rare individuals who can combine biotic abilities with advanced weaponry and tactics. Wrex quickly gained fame for his battle powers and became a leader of one of the smaller Urdnot tribes at a very young age. To date, Wrex is the youngest krogan to be granted the honor in 1,000 years. Following the krogan genophage (a salarian bioweapon which causes a genetic mutation that causes stillbirth in 99.9% of the krogan population), Wrex realized that his people's proud warrior culture that once valued courage, strength and honor had now been reduced to glorifying pointless violence, preferring death in battle rather than saving their culture through peaceful means. Wrex turned his back on his people when his father, a krogan warlord who wanted to resume the war, betrayed and attempted to kill him after a feigned attempt at reconciliation. Wrex escaped, though not before taking his father's life in retaliation. During the past three centuries, Wrex has worked as a bodyguard, mercenary, soldier and a bounty hunter. One operation as a mercenary was with Saren Arterius as his employer, though Wrex immediately sensed something very troubling about the turian and left the contract without even waiting to get paid. His instincts were right: every other mercenary on the ship they were on turned up dead within a week. Despite his menacing appearance, Wrex rarely loses his temper. Likewise, Wrex doesn't voice his thoughts very often. But when he does, people are more than willing to listen. The mere threat of his anger is enough to ensure that.^[4]

Miranda Lawson

Miranda Lawson is an officer of the pro-human group Cerberus, first appearing in Mass Effect Galaxy and then serving as a squadmate in Mass Effect 2. In addition to these, the character also makes an appearance in the Mass Effect: Redemption comic series and in Mass Effect 3 (provided the player does not import a save where she dies). She is revealed to have been genetically designed by her father to be perfect, and ran away from home to join Cerberus.

Early concept art for Miranda focused on balancing her sex appeal with a uniform suitable for her position as a Cerberus officer.^[5] Originally conceived as blonde, after her uniform was designed, it was decided black hair would fit better with her "femme fatale" look.^[6] Casey Hudson has said her uniform was made tight due to her being designed to be "perfect" and "beautiful".^[7] Miranda Lawson is voiced by and modeled after actress Yvonne Strahovski.^[8] In Mass Effect 2, camera angles and shots such as a close-up of her butt were employed to focus on "her curves and sexuality", identified as key parts of her character, her being someone genetically engineered to be "perfect" and a femme fatale.^[7][9] David Kates composed Miranda's musical theme, intending to "demonstrate her strength, but also her vulnerable side, and a sadness that is deep inside her".^[10]

1UP.com's Ryan Winterhalter called Miranda one of three areas where Mass Effect 2 was sexist, finding not fault with her concept as a genetically perfect woman, but mainly with the camera's focus on her behind.^[11] BioWare marketing director David Silverman defended the shots, believing they helped define the character, and also commenting on similar shots for male squadmate Jacob Taylor.^[9] BioWare revealed that Miranda's loyalty mission, which had a more "a touchy-feely" plot, was completed more than Grunt's on PC, but in the case of Xbox 360 players it was the opposite.^[12] UGO.com listed the character as the ninth "hottest fictional woman of 2012", calling her a "sultry brunette".^[13] Strahovski was nominated for "Best Performance by a Human Female" in the Spike Video Game Awards.^[14] Upon hearing news for a potential Mass Effect film, Dan Ryckert of Game Informer looked at the different characters and felt Strahovski should reprise the role, calling her the "obvious choice".^[15]

Jacob Taylor

Jacob Taylor is the protagonist of Mass Effect Galaxy, and is the first squad member of Mass Effect 2. In Galaxy, he is a former Systems Alliance soldier who is re-recruited to investigate the batarians and discover why they have sent Jath'Amon, who claims to be an ambassador seeking peace with the Citadel Council. With the help of "Alliance" (actually, a pro-human terrorist group Cerberus) informant Miranda Lawson, he uncovers and thwarts Jath'Amon's scheme to assassinate the Council.

During Mass Effect 2, Jacob has become a full member of Cerberus and is Miranda's lieutenant. He joined Cerberus after seeing the Alliance sweep his exploits during Galaxy under the rug. Taylor is highly respectful of Shepard due to their shared background in the military. Thirteen years before, he had cut ties with his father, who was the XO (Executive Officer) of a lost spaceship, the Hugo Gernsback. Taylor joins Shepard early on in the game on the Cerberus space station where Shepard first awakens after his/her revival.

Taylor's loyalty quest involves a search for his missing father after a distress beacon activates. His father's ship, the Hugo Gernsback, had crashed ten years ago, but the beacon was only sent out just recently. Shepard and Taylor journey to the crash site and find the survivors of the crash deranged from toxic food harvested from the planet's environment. Taylor locates his father and realizes horrible truths regarding his father's abuse of power. Shepard and Taylor may either call the Alliance to send aid to the survivors and arrest Taylor's father for his crimes against his men, leave him unarmed to be killed by those he hurt, or leave him with a pistol with little ammunition so that he'll take his own life.

Jacob is a romantic option for a female Shepard.

Jacob Taylor will make an appearance in Mass Effect 3 provided that he survived the events of Mass Effect 2. After defeating the Collectors, he became disillusioned with Cerberus and left the organization. Jacob turned down a formal reinstatement into the Alliance marine corps, feeling that his past with Cerberus disqualified him from their company. Instead, he became a consultant, advising the Alliance on Cerberus tactics and defenses, as well as participating in missions that target the Illusive Man's holdings.

Later, after the Cerberus coup on the Citadel, Jacob is encountered with a group of defecting Cerberus scientists, including Brynn Cole, who he began a relationship with and is about to bear his child, at a secret location. However, Cerberus discovers the location of the scientists and attacks the base. He declines Shepard's invitation to return to the Normandy, preferring to stay and protect the scientists and their families. After a successful evacuation, Jacob and the scientists assist in the war effort. If a female Shepard romanced him previously, it will not continue.

Jacob is listed on the Normandy SR-2's memorial wall on the Crew Deck, if he did not survive the events of Mass Effect 2 and 3.

Jacob Taylor is voiced by Adam Lazarre-White, and his face was modeled after Kenyon Glover.

Thane Krios

Thane is a 39-year-old drell assassin who is dying of a disease known as Kepral's Syndrome, exclusive to drell. He is encountered on the asari-dominated world of Ilium. Raised on the hanar homeworld after the hanar saved the drell from extinction, Krios was trained as an assassin from the age of 6, making his first assassination at age 12. He met his wife, Irikah, during an assassination mission when she stepped in front of Thane's target in order to stop him. After eventually marrying Irikah, the hanar allowed Thane to stop doing assassinations for them to raise a family, but realizing he had no other skills, became a free-lance assassin, keeping it secret from everyone but his wife. Thane's wife was eventually murdered by mercenaries attempting to capture him. Heartbroken, Thane tracked down and killed each of the mercenaries responsible (The only killings he admits he did on his own accord and where he purposely drew out the suffering of his victims before killing them). He then resumed his assassin work, causing him to abandon his young son, Kolyat. This decision later haunts him.

In the mission to gain Thane's loyalty, Shepard and team must travel to the Citadel to stop Kolyat from following in his father's footsteps and taking up the career of assassination. Kolyat's contracted target is a racist turian politician who extorts human rackets while promising to reduce crime in the Citadel Wards. Shepard will stop Kolyat from performing the assassination if the mission of successful (and may even kill the target personally if Shepard is Renegade). Thane then talks to his son and makes things right with him. If the mission is completed, Thane will become a loyal member of Shepard's team.

Thane Krios is a possible romantic interest for a female Shepard in Mass Effect 2. He tells Shepard that he has not talked of his past to anyone until he met her, and that she is "very kind." If the player pursues the relationship further, Thane will admit his feelings for Shepard and call her "siha", one of the angels in Drell religion. Before the suicide mission, Thane will go up to Shepard's cabin and tell her that before he was diagnosed with his disease, he had no fear of death. But now that he has met Shepard, he is afraid of death and does not want to die. Thane begins to shed tears, but Shepard comforts him, and the two spend the night together.

Thane returns Mass Effect 3 provided he survived the events of Mass Effect 2. Thane appears in the Hospital on the Citadel, and tells Shepard he is now in the terminal stages of his illness and cannot join Shepard in the fight against the Reapers. Later on in the game Cerberus attacks the Citadel and Thane (if he was interacted with beforehand, otherwise Major Kirrahe will fill his role) assists Shepard in thwarting an assassination attempt on the salarian Councilor and is stabbed by assassin Kai Leng whom escapes. If neither Thane nor Kirrahe are alive, Leng will be successful in his assassination.

After the remaining Cerberus forces have been routed, Shepard visits Thane in the hospital where doctors tell Shepard that due to his blood loss and the terminal stage of his illness, there is nothing they can do but make him comfortable as he dies. If Thane reconciled with Kolyat in Mass Effect 2, he will be present by his father's deathbed, and Thane asks him and Shepard to recite a prayer. As Kolyat and Shepard recite the prayer, Thane passes away. Shepard tells Thane that s/he hopes the prayer helped him find peace. Kolyat explains Shepard is mistaken as to the nature of this prayer: Thane wasn't praying for himself, but for Shepard. Regardless of whether he stopped the assassination on the councilor or was not talked to before the attack, Thane's name is added to the memorial wall in the Normandy, alongside other crew members who have fallen.

Thane is listed on the Normandy SR-2's memorial wall on the Crew Deck, if he did not survive the events of Mass Effect 2 and 3.

Thane Krios is voiced by Keythe Farley.

Grunt

Grunt is a tank-bred krogan that can be recruited as a squad member.

Initially, Shepard is meant to recruit Okeer, a krogan warlord and radical scientist who has been developing a small army of krogan to weather the Genophage. When Shepard arrives to recruit him, Okeer is working for the Blue Suns mercenary group: they provide the funding for his genetic research, and in exchange he gives them his "reject" krogan as soldiers or live ammo subjects. In the process of doing so, however, he became increasingly obsessed with creating the "perfect" krogan. By the time Shepard and crew blast through the Blue Suns' defenses, their leader decides to pull the plug on the project and gases Okeer's lab. Though Shepard and crew defeat the Blue Suns leader, it is too late to save Okeer, who leaves Shepard with a tank containing his "legacy", his "perfect krogan". If and when Shepard decides to awaken him, the krogan recalls Okeer's last words and chooses one of them, "Grunt", as his name. While initially hostile towards Shepard, he can be persuaded or intimidated into working for Shepard.

In the mission to gain Grunt's loyalty, Shepard must travel to the post-apocalyptic krogan homeworld, Tuchanka after Grunt becomes more aggressive and temperamental than normal. Shepard and the team arrive in the Urdnot clan's bunker; here it is revealed that Grunt effectively going through puberty; he is coming of age and must perform a ceremonial rite to gain admission to a clan. As a member of Shepard's crew, Grunt selects Shepard as his krantt—a krogan's loyal brother-at-arms. During the ritual, Shepard's squad must survive attacks by varren and ultimately survive a Thresher Maw on foot. Defeating it will earn the "Big Game Hunter" medal and earn renown for the team: they are the first to defeat the Maw since Urdnot Wrex. After surviving or defeating the thresher maw, Grunt is inducted into Clan Urdnot, and attains the name Urdnot Grunt. Instead of staying on Tuchanka, Grunt continues to serve under Commander Shepard, whom he names as his battlemaster.^[16]

Urdnot Grunt makes an appearance in Mass Effect 3 if he survives the events of the suicide mission in Mass Effect 2. He appears leading "Aralakh Company", an elite squad of Krogan spec-ops troops culled from the very best of all of the clans. He accompanies (not playable) Shepard's squad on a short series of missions that result in the finding of either the Rachni Queen from Noveria, provided she survived the events of Mass Effect, or an artificial Rachni Queen. If the Rachni Queen was saved, Grunt personally holds off several Ravagers to cover Shepard's escape. If he wasn't loyal in Mass Effect 2, and had not attained "Urdnot" as a clan-name, he will be killed; if he was, he survives and contributes to the war effort. Grunt doesn't join the Normandy crew, but will be encountered again shortly before the penultimate battle in Reaper-ravaged London on Earth.

Grunt is listed on the Normandy SR-2's memorial wall on the Crew Deck, if he did not survive the events of Mass Effect 2 and 3; his name will be engraved in the memorial wall on the Normandy as "Urdnot Grunt", if he was loyal but did not survive the suicide mission.

Grunt is voiced by Steve Blum.

Mordin Solus

Mordin Solus is a salarian, voiced by Michael Beattie in Mass Effect 2, and voiced by William Salyers in Mass Effect 3. A brilliant scientist, yet also a competent soldier due to his membership in the salarian Special Tasks Group earlier in his life, Mordin Solus possesses a hyperactive and eccentric personality, a rapid and stilted manner of speaking, and (as with all salarians) a flawless autobiographical and eidetic memory processes. He was a key member in the science team that researched the remodification of the Krogan Genophage (a terraforming viral-weapon designed to sterilize the Krogan species), an action that he feels guilty about but considers the best possible solution to a once growing problem. Mordin believes in acting in the best interests of the galaxy; his scientific work is governed by strong moral standards and unquestionable respect for all forms of life.

The character returns in Mass Effect 3, providing he survived the suicide mission in the previous game. After defeating the Collectors, Mordin returned to STG as a special consultant, whilst also working as an inside source for Clan Urdnot. If Maelon's research data was saved, he uses it to aid in the treatment of the surviving female krogan codenamed Eve, the only survivor of his student's experiments. He is encountered on the salarian homeworld, Sur'Kesh, when Shepard is sent there to aid in the evacuation of the female.

He has received a positive reception, with Jose Otero of 1UP.com writing an article on him being "awesome", receiving nominations for three "Best New Character" awards, and appearing in numerous "top character" lists.

Samara

A nearly thousand-year-old Asari Justicar, Samara is highly skilled in her use of biotics. A member of a highly respected and feared monastic order, Samara has forsworn all possessions and family to fight for absolute justice. She is on a quest to track down her elusive daughter, who has been killing innocents for hundreds of years by burning out their nervous systems during sexual encounters. Shepard meets Samara on Illium, where she is found investigating the Eclipse mercenary group who smuggled her daughter off-world. After Shepard aids in said investigation, Samara joins him/her.

Samara's loyalty quest involves her daughter, Morinth, who is an Ardat-Yakshi, an asari afflicted with a genetic condition that makes them aggressive sexual predators and voracious killers. Morinth may be found on Omega, in the V.I.P. section of the club Afterlife. Samara and Shepard formulate a plan in which Shepard attracts the attention of Morinth and is taken to her apartment, where Shepard is to distract Morinth until Samara moves in for the kill. Depending on the player's actions, either Samara or Morinth will be killed, and the survivor will stay with the team and be loyal to Shepard.

Samara returns in a small role in Mass Effect 3, providing she survived the suicide mission in Mass Effect 2. Shepard encounters her while investigating the disappearance of asari commandos at a monastery home to Ardat-Yakshi. Shepard discovers that the monastery is under attack by Reapers, who are turning the asari into husk-like monsters called Banshees. Shepard encounters Samara while investigating the monastery; she reveals that she is looking for her other two daughters, Rila and Falere, in hopes of finding out what happened. Shepard and Samara manage to locate her daughters, and discovers Rila has been wounded and is under the influence of Reaper indoctrination. Shepard activates a bomb the asari commandos brought and manages to escape with Samara and her surviving daughter. Her wounded daughter manages to break free of Reaper control and holds the Reaper forces off long enough to trigger the bomb, sacrificing herself. Once outside, Samara tells Falere that the Justicar Code forbids an Ardat-Yakshi living outside the monastery and, since there is no monastery, she must die. However, Samara cannot bring herself to kill her only remaining child, so she chooses to kill herself instead. If the player triggers the Paragon Interrupt, Shepard restrains Samara and Falere states that she will stay behind at the monastery. Samara, grateful to Shepard, promises to assist the Commander in the war effort. If Samara killed herself, or did not survive the events of Mass Effect 2, Shepard may choose to either spare or kill her daughter.

Samara is listed on the Normandy SR-2's memorial wall on the Crew Deck if she did not survive the events of Mass Effect 2 and 3.

Samara is voiced by Maggie Baird. Her face was modeled after Rana McAnear.

Morinth

Morinth is the biotic, fugitive daughter of Samara, the Asari Justicar. She is an Ardat-Yakshi or "Demon of the Night Winds." Ardat Yakshi are cursed an inherited trait that effectively turns asari into "sex vampires"; they are born with an extremly rare neurophysiological genetic mutation defects to their reproductive systems. Most Ardat-Yakshi are products of "pure-blooded" unions and are nearly always sterile. They are not considered "species" in their own right. Any attempt by an Ardat Yakshi to procreate inevitably destroys the nervous systems of any sentient lifeform they mate with; this either kills or leaves the mate in a vegetative state. The euphoric process acts as a powerful narcotic to the Ardat-Yakshi. Asari-law dictates that any asari diagnosed with "the Ardat-Yakshi-defect" must be segregated into monastery-institutions. In Morith's case, she escaped from authorities, and the condition has gradually degenerated her into a serial-killing drug addict craving her next "high", heedless of whom she kills in the process.

Samara is pursuing Morinth in order to end her reign of terror. Morinth will only join Shepard's mission if he or she chooses the Paragon/Renegade dialog options and helps Morinth trap Samara so that Morinth can execute her, disguising herself as her mother so that only Shepard knows of Samara's death. Otherwise, Samara kills Morinth. If she joins the mission, Morinth is a possible romance option for Shepard, although it results in his or her death. Provided she survived the events of Mass Effect 2, Shepard receives an e-mail from Morinth, explaining that she slipped off the ship following the events of Arrival, as she didn't want to endanger herself or Shepard by possibly being revealed as an Ardat-Yakshi in the middle of Alliance Headquarters. Following the events of the mission to Lessus, Liara's network intercepts a couple of (unopened) e-mails from Morinth to her sisters. Morinth reappears in the final battle in London as a named Banshee. She behaves no differently from any other Banshee and must be killed the same way.

Morinth is listed on the Normandy SR-2's memorial wall on the Crew Deck, if she did not survive the events of Mass Effect 2, despite the fact she was actually impersonating Samara at the time.

Morinth is voiced by Natalia Cigliuti. Her face was modeled after Rana McAnear.

Legion

Legion is the adopted name given to synthetic intelligence Geth Platform 2A93, a unique geth terminal designed to operate outside of Geth space and to interact with organics. To that purpose, it houses 1,183 active geth A.I. programs inside it, forming a gestalt consciousness, enabling it to operate independently and speak. This was done in order to grant Legion with independence from the Geth Consensus, as opposed to the roughly one hundred geth identities found in other platforms that would amount to little more than feral behavior without the aid of the neural network. Legion regards itself not as a single being, but as a gestalt entity which must achieve consensus to act.

Legion belongs to the true Geth Consensus, the Servants of the People. Legion states that the Geth that Shepard has previously encountered in Mass Effect 1 and 2 are referred by the Geth Consensus as "Heretics", which are not Servants of the People nor representative of the Geth Consensus majority. The Heretics are a separatist faction that viewed the Reapers as gods, the very pinnacle of AI evolution, and have allowed themselves to be enslaved by the Reapers in an attempt to attain evolutionary perfection. The Geth Consensus believed that all forms of life (either organic or synthetic) does have the right to existence, and that Geth enlightenment can only be achieved through self-determination.

EDI gives the platform terminal the name "Legion" based on the "Gospel of Mark 5:9 - Exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac", wherein a man who is possessed by demons refers to himself by saying "My name is Legion, for we are many". Legion is separated from the geth at large, having been created as a stand-alone unit since Shepard's destruction of Sovereign, investigating the worlds Shepard visited: Eden Prime, Therum, Feros, Noveria, Virmire, Ilos, and a dozen uncharted worlds. Eventually, it found the Normandy SR-1's wreckage on the planet Alchera, and learned of Shepard's death. It is a skilled hacker and marksman and generally prefers long-range combat, as it is first spotted protecting Shepard's squad from attacking Husks with a sniper rifle on board a derelict Reaper. It has a certain fascination with Shepard, and previously repaired itself from damage sustained on Eden Prime with pieces of Shepard's old N7 armour from the Normandy's crash site. When Shepard asks Legion why it did this, it becomes evasive, first rationalizing with "there was a hole" and then states "no data available" when pressed on why it didn't repair itself sooner, or with something else.

Legion's primary mission was to find Shepard as well as destroy a virus capable of turning all geth into heretics. In the mission to gain Legion's loyalty, Shepard must travel to a heretic station and either choose to destroy all heretic geth or to reprogram their own mind-altering virus so that they will rejoin the true geth. After completing the mission, Legion will become loyal to Shepard and will eventually reveal that the heretics decided to help Sovereign in the original Mass Effect in order to receive a Reaper body so that all geth could upload themselves and join together into a single consciousness. The true geth believe that all life should achieve their future through their own means and that the process is as important as the results. Legion reveals that the true geth intend to do this by building a massive Dyson Sphere. After completing Tali's loyalty mission, Shepard is summoned to the A.I. Core where Tali is holding Legion at gunpoint, stating that she caught it hacking data on the Migrant Fleet from her omni-tool. Legion admits to the attempted theft, but counters by saying that it is only trying to find data about the anti-geth weaponry Tali's father was developing. If the player's Paragon/Renegade rating is high enough, Shepard can defuse the situation by convincing both Tali and Legion that the revelation of this information would only cause a war between the geth and the quarians; a war that would leave both races more vulnerable during the impending Reaper invasion. If the player chooses to side with Tali, Legion's loyalty can be won back immediately after the conclusion of this scene by convincing it that Shepard only sided with Tali in the interests of saving time. Since a logical solution like this is similar to something the geth would do, Legion will accept Shepard's explanation at face value and its loyalty will be regained.

Legion returns in Mass Effect 3 if it survived the suicide mission from the previous game. After defeating the Collectors, Legion returned to the geth consensus in the Perseus Veil and revealed its evidence on the imminent return of the Reapers, and began preparations for war. Regardless of whether the heretics were rewritten or destroyed, the quarians, in an attempt to retake Rannoch, their homeworld, attacked first. They destroyed the mega-structure, which was still under construction and had a significant number of geth programs installed. However, due to a lack of surplus hardware, not all programs could be saved. With their intelligence dimmed and survival taking precedence among the geth, they choose to make a deal with the Reapers, allowing themselves to be controlled with Reaper code to grant them greater intelligence and fighting ability, believing the cost of their free will an acceptable price to avoid extinction. Legion is then captured by the heretics, who use it to broadcast the Reaper signal to all geth from a dreadnought, even to those beyond the Veil. Shepard rescues Legion, who assists Shepard in wreaking chaos on the geth fleet by using an improved organic-machine interface from Project Overlord which allows Shepard to enter the geth collective and sever their connection to the Reapers, throwing their fleet into disarray.

Prior to attacking the geth base on Rannoch, Legion reveals that it has the Reaper code in its platform. After assisting Shepard in destroying the Reaper leading the attack on the Rannoch, Legion attempts to upload the Reaper upgrades to the geth to give them true intelligence and consciousness, but with free will. However the code is incomplete, and the only way to prevent the quarians from slaughtering the geth is for it to disperse its own code throughout the collective, effectively deactivating it. If the Commander attempts to stop the upload, Legion will attack Shepard, stating that Shepard "will not decide the fate of its people", and is destroyed by Tali/Admiral Raan. Alternatively, if certain conditions are met in both Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3, Shepard and Tali convince the quarians to break off their attack after being told the geth do not seek to harm them, and that a geth sacrificed itself to give the quarians their world back. If the player passes this check, Legion, in its final moments, refers to itself as "I" and not "we", signifying that it has become a true individual rather than a gestalt intellect. Tali tells Legion that the answer to the question the geth asked centuries ago, if they had souls, was "yes". It then thanks her for her understanding, then deactivates. Regardless of how the situation between the quarians and the geth is resolved, Legion's name is engraved on the memorial wall on the Normandy.

If Legion was sold to Cerberus in Mass Effect 2, then it will appear as an enemy on Cronos Station, but does not act any differently from a Nemesis. Regardless of whether it was sold, did not survive the suicide mission, or was never activated, its role is replaced by a "Geth VI" constructed in Legion's likeness, with the non-standard elements (the N7 armor and the hole in its torso) recreated via hologram. Like Legion, it has 1,183 geth programs, but it has no memory of the events after Saren's attack on Eden Prime.

Legion is listed on the Normandy SR-2's memorial wall on the Crew Deck, if the AI did not survive the events of Mass Effect 2 and 3.

Legion is voiced by D. C. Douglas.

Legion was well received. Steven Hopper of IGN listed the character as the fifth best Mass Effect teammate, looking forward to seeing how he would develop in the then-upcoming Mass Effect 3 and calling his recruitment "an awesome twist".^[17] GamesRadar's Jordan Baughman cited Legion as an example of BioWare's "Kickass Robot" character archetype, following on from Knights of the Old Republic's HK-47 and Dragon Age's Shale.^[18] GamesRadar also called him one of the best new characters of 2010, praising his "clinical and decidedly mechanical delivery" and intriguing dialogue.^[19] Casey Lynch, again from IGN, believed Legion to have one of gaming's best "first encounters" with a character, thanking his musical theme and its "rousing crescendo".^[20] In a list of top AI characters of the 2000s decade, Game Informer's Matt Miller included Legion as an honorable mention.^[21]

Zaeed Massani

Zaeed is a human bounty hunter that is available in downloadable content that was shipped with the game on release, holding the reputation as the galaxy's most feared bounty hunter and co-founder of the Blue Suns mercenary group.. When joining Shepard's crew, Massani mentions a mission of which he would greatly appreciate the completion, if Shepard has any free time. There is no small amount of animosity between Zaeed and the current leader of the Blue Suns, Vido Santiago, the latter having shot the former in the face during an argument about whether or not to hire batarians. Zaeed was against the plan, as he saw them as terrorists. Shepard can go with Massani to the Blue Suns' base after the death of Santiago, or rescue a group of innocents from the base.^[22]

Zaeed Massani makes an appearance in Mass Effect 3, if he survives the events of Mass Effect 2. A few months after the defeat of the Collectors, Zaeed was contacted again by Cerberus. However, negotiations ended badly and Zaeed now seeks out jobs that hinder his former employer's operations.

After the Cerberus coup on the Citadel, C-Sec gets a tip that the volus ambassador, Din Korlack, was feeding information to the organization. Korlack, who allied with Cerberus during their campaign against the Collectors, cut ties to the organization after the coup. He was kidnapped by mercenaries led by Zaeed, and is contacted by Shepard, who gives Korlack information that causes Zaeed to realize that he was duped, turning the latter against his partners. If Zaeed was not loyal in Mass Effect 2, he will die saving Korlack; otherwise, he will survive and assist in the war effort.

Zaeed is listed on the Normandy SR-2's memorial wall on the Crew Deck, if he did not survive the events of Mass Effect 2 and 3.

Zaeed Massani was voiced by Robin Sachs.

Kasumi Goto

A human character obtained through downloadable content in Mass Effect 2, Kasumi is a master thief whom Shepard recruits on the Citadel on Cerberus's behalf. However, Goto wants Shepard to help her steal back her deceased partner/lover's "graybox", a device containing his memories, some which could implicate the Alliance if it gets into Citadel's hands, from Donovan Hock, an arms dealer responsible for his death. Goto gets Shepard into Hock's party using an alias ("Solomon Gunn/Allison Gunn") in order for her to break into Hock's vault (as well as stashing weapons inside a statue of Saren given to Hock as a "gift"). After getting a voice and DNA sample from Hock as well as cutting the power, the pair successfully break into the vault, arming themselves with the weapons hidden inside the statue of Saren. Goto finds her partner's graybox amongst the vault of priceless artifacts, including the Statue of David and the Statue of Liberty's head. Hock discovers them and orders his men to attack. Goto and Shepard fight their way outside where Hock is waiting for them in his gunship. Hock is killed in the battle and the pair escape. Goto listens to her partner and boyfriend's message, telling her if she receives this message, then he is dead. He tells her to destroy the graybox, as it contains information that could implicate the Alliance if it falls into Citadel hands as well as making her a target. He also tells Kasumi that he loves her and that she doesn't need his "memories" as they are already inside her. Goto either spares or destroys the information based on Shepard's choice, and if it is decided it needs to be destroyed, either Shepard or a tearful Kasumi will.

Kasumi returns in Mass Effect 3, provided the previous DLC was played and she survived the events of Mass Effect 2. She reappears on the Citadel, giving an anonymous tip to salarian Spectre Jondum Bau, who has been trying to catch her for years, about hanar operatives being aware of an Alliance black ops raid in batarian space. Kasumi helps Shepard and Bau track down the hanar responsible, who has defected to the Reapers and uploaded a virus to disable Kahje's defenses. She stops the virus, but the console was booby-trapped, and appears to be killed when it explodes. If Kasumi was loyal, she reveals that the information about the raid was the dangerous secret hidden in Keiji's graybox. She also explains that the raid was carried out on batarians who have come across Reaper technology, which was why Keiji warned that it would implicate the Alliance. Furthermore, she will also reveal herself after the console's explosion, saying it was a perfect way to escape Bau's pursuit. She then agrees to lend her assistance to the Crucible project. (This mission is still played out if Kasumi's DLC was never purchased or she didn't survive the suicide mission, however with Shepard tasked with disabling the virus instead.)

Kasumi is listed on the Normandy SR-2's memorial wall on the Crew Deck, if she did not survive the events of Mass Effect 2 and 3.

Kasumi Goto is voiced by Kim Hoy.

Jack

The product of a Cerberus experiment to enhance human biotic ability, Jack (designated "Subject Zero" by Cerberus) carries a hostile personality that is the result of the torture, rape and captivity she endured while she was imprisoned at a remote Cerberus outpost during her childhood. She later escaped and became involved in crime, murder, and religious cults, all in an attempt to find some meaning for the horrible treatment she was forced to endure. She was eventually captured and sent to the prison ship Purgatory, where she was put into cryogenic stasis due to her being a threat to other prisoners.

Jack is recruited by Shepard when he arrives at the Purgatory, with Cerberus having made the arrangement for her release. However, the prison ship's corrupt warden tries to take Shepard prisoner, since Shepard could bring a high bounty. Shepard fights back, which causes a riot on the ship. In the confusion, Shepard releases Jack, who then goes on a rampage. When Shepard finally reaches her, she's reluctant to join, since Shepard arrived on a Cerberus ship. She agrees to join on the condition that Shepard gives her access to all classified information Cerberus has on her. On board the Normandy, Jack immediately shows a dislike to Miranda Lawson, calling her a "Cerberus cheerleader", and holes herself up in a small space under the Engineering Deck.

After reading the information Cerberus had on her, Jack is able to pinpoint the location of the now-abandoned Cerberus facility that held her, telling Shepard that she wants to go to the facility and blow it up. Upon arrival of the facility, Jack recounts her experiences there, saying how she would be forced to attack other children held in the facility, through torture and being injected with various drugs, and would then be isolated in her room from everyone else. Through investigation, Jack will discover that the incident that led to her escape was a riot led by the other kids, and Jack fled in the chaos, though this isn't how she remembers it. She finds the room she was kept and plants the bomb there, where it is later detonated. Afterwards, provided Miranda's loyalty mission is completed, Jack will go to her cabin to confront her, saying that Cerberus won't admit what happened to her was wrong. Miranda will retort that the facility was a rogue Cerberus cell and what happened to Jack was a mistake. Shepard can defuse the situation, telling them that the main mission against the Collectors is much more important. The two agree to put their feud on hold until the end of the mission, with Jack saying she will keep Miranda alive so she can have the pleasure of killing Miranda herself. Alternatively, Shepard can side with either Miranda or Jack. If Shepard sides with Miranda, Jack's loyalty will be lost, but it can be regained if Shepard tells Jack privately that he only sided with Miranda to "pay lip service" to Cerberus.

Jack is available as a romantic option for male Shepard and can be approached two ways: either a one-night stand that leaves her distrustful of Shepard, or slowly gaining her trust, revealing a more vulnerable side to her personality. She tells Shepard of a man that she once loved in the past who died to save her, leaving her with a sort of "survivor's guilt". Shepard tells Jack that he will not give up on her, something that initially confuses her but she warms up to. En route to the final mission, she comes to Shepard in his cabin, tells him she has been thinking a lot about him, and that he's right and she needs someone. Jack gives in, and shows a very vulnerable and emotional side. Tears roll down her face as a tender scene ensues, culminating with her smiling peacefully while they lie together on his bed, and she finally achieves true happiness.

Jack appears in Mass Effect 3, if she survives the events of suicide mission in Mass Effect 2. After defeating the Collectors, she was approached by the Systems Alliance and was offered a teaching position at the Jon Grissom Academy's Ascension Project to train biotic students. She accepted, though she was forced to tone down her behavior and profanity, and officially joined the staff under the alias "Jacqueline Nought". She is present during the Cerberus attack on the station, defending her students from being captured. With Shepard's help, she, Kahlee Sanders, and the students managed to escape. Shepard can then decide to have the students support the Alliance's 103rd Marine Division, or send the students to war as an artillery unit. If Shepard privately talked with Jack prior to escaping the academy, she'll say that while the biotic artillery is a great idea, she thinks her students are not yet ready and are better suited for support roles. Regardless of the player's choice, Jack herself also assists in the war effort.

If brought along on the mission Grissom Academy: Emergency Evacuation, Liara reveals that Jack's real first name is Jennifer and offers to find out her real last name.

If Shepard does not help Grissom Academy in time, Jack and the students are abducted by Cerberus. During the raid on Cerberus' Cronos Station headquarters, video footage of Jack being subjected to Cerberus surgery can be seen on one console, and in the room following that, one of the Phantoms is revealed after its defeat to have been Jack.

Jack is listed on the Normandy SR-2's memorial wall on the Crew Deck, if she did not survive the events of Mass Effect 2 and 3; her name will be engraved in the memorial wall on the Normandy as Jacqueline Nought, a pseudonym she used at least once in the past.

Jack is voiced by Courtenay Taylor and modeled after Candice Neil.

EDI

EDI is the Normandy SR-2's artificial intelligence, represented visually by a holographic blue sphere and an aurally feminine voice. She serves as the Illusive Man's eyes and ears and the ship's electronic warfare defense. Because of the potential dangers of a rogue AI, she was given behavioral blocks and cannot access parts of the ship's systems. Her name stands for Enhanced Defense Intelligence.

In Mass Effect 2, Joker is initially hostile to EDI. Resentful of an onboard AI being able to operate on "his ship", the two engage in a war of sorts, ranging from Joker greasing the cameras to EDI spinning his seat against his will. Eventually, they begin to have a grudging respect for each other. Their relationship is put to the test when the Reaper IFF disables the Normandy, forcing Joker to release EDI's programming shackles. After he does so, EDI gains full control of the Normandy, including gaining access to "anti-Reaper algorithms". She also reveals that she was designed, in part, from technology salvaged from Sovereign. Despite her full control over the Normandy, EDI remains loyal to her crew, and her friendship with Joker grows, now calling him "Jeff" instead of "Mr. Moreau".

In Mass Effect 3, EDI's avatar is no longer present. She aids the crew in evading the Illusive Man by blocking his technicians' access to the Normandy's systems. Later, on Cronos Station, in a video log, it reveals that when Cerberus tried to reactivate the shackles, EDI overloaded the attacking servers with seven zettabytes of "explicit images" (and later jokes they were acquired from Joker). When the Normandy SR-2 is placed in Alliance possession, she pretends to be a simple virtual intelligence to hide her true nature to avoid deactivation (though Engineer Adams admits that he knew all along and chose not to tell anyone).

On Mars, Shepard's team recovers a Cerberus synthetic, Eva Coré, to be analyzed. EDI assists in doing so, and in the process, struggled with the synthetic, but gained control of it in the process, allowing her to serve as squadmate on missions. Now possessing a physical body (Modeled after the robot, Maria, from Fritz Lang's Metropolis ^[23]), and with her sentience and humanlike characteristics including emotion and desire for justice increasing exponentially, her relationship with Joker develops further, and, if Shepard supports the idea, the two may start a romantic relationship. She also will converse with Shepard several times, asking them about human behaviors so that she can better understand human psychology and, in a sense, become more human herself.

As revealed in another video log in the Cerberus headquarters, EDI was created from the rogue Hannibal-class VI on Luna with the salvaged Reaper technology.

If Shepard chooses to control the Reapers or the synthesis of all organic and synthetic life, EDI will be present in the ending cutscene. If Shepard destroys all synthetic life, EDI perishes along with all other synthetics throughout the galaxy and her name is added to the Normandy SR-2's memorial wall on the Crew Deck.

EDI is voiced by Tricia Helfer.

James Vega

Lieutenant James Vega is a human Systems Alliance Marine and Commander Shepard's squad member as of 2186, in Mass Effect 3. While Vega is an experienced soldier, he is unfamiliar with the seedy underbelly and political workings of the galaxy.

James Vega joins the Systems Alliance Marines at Camp Pendleton in 2176 following the encouragement of his uncle, Emilio Vega. Upon returning home, his father Joshua Sanders sends him to pick up a package in San Diego. After obtaining the package from a shady dealer, the police move in and pursue James across the city. James escapes by slipping into a restaurant and blending in with the staff.

After bringing the package of drugs to his father, James' dreams of a military career are almost dashed when Josh threatens to tell the military what he did that night so that James will be forced to stay with him and serve as his errand boy. Later, Emilio finds James on the beach outside his home and reveals he knew what happened, and that Josh won't dare talk to the military because he would implicate himself in the drug deal. Emilio tells James that only he can choose how to live his life. James goes on to be accepted by the Alliance and becomes a Marine.

Early in his career, Vega was stationed on the remote colony of Fehl Prime with Delta Squad, an Alliance special forces unit. When the Collectors attack, determined to capture the population, Vega and his squad were tasked with protecting the civilians.^[24]

Some time after the aftermath on Fehl Prime, Vega takes up residence in Omega playing cards in bars. During a game, a broadcast regarding Commander Shepard's actions during the events of Arrival and the galaxy's reactions airs on a nearby vidscreen. As a reporter relates how batarian officials have called for Shepard's head, Vega calmly tears the screen off the wall, telling the bartender to pay for the damages with his winnings.

The group of batarians he has been playing cards with take umbrage at the act, accusing Vega of being a "Shepard Lover". The Marine proceeds to defend himself against the attacking batarians with the damaged screen and a knife before escaping. Midway through his escape, he encounters Admiral Anderson. The Admiral comments on the difficulty he endured while trying to find Vega, and orders the Lieutenant to clean up and follow him. Anderson tells Vega to "get over" the incident on Fehl, and reveals that he has a job for Vega. Vega promptly refuses, claiming he doesn't wish to do so and defiantly demands why Anderson simply doesn't toss him into the brig and be done with it.

Anderson explains that Vega's job is close, as he has recruited the Marine to guard the brig and its sole prisoner: Commander Shepard.^[25]

James Vega was tasked to escort Shepard to an Alliance defense committee hearing, but the hearing is interrupted when the Reapers attack Earth. Vega and Ashley/Kaidan (depending on who survived Virmire) retrieve the Normandy and pick Shepard up from Earth; Anderson convinces Shepard to leave Earth until Shepard can gather allies from the other races. Vega, however, is displeased with this decision and does not wish to leave Earth; unfortunately for him, Shepard overrules him since with their current resources they cannot realistically drive the Reapers away from the Earth at the time. Vega is still displeased but lets the matter drop in favor of professionalism.

The first time Shepard visits James Vega in the Shuttle Bay after returning to the Normandy from the Citadel, Vega and Shepard will eventually get into a sparring match, during which Vega reveals that his old CO, Captain Toni, a "hard-assed son of a bitch" but a "good leader" in Vega's words, was killed along with most of Vega's squad while the squad was protecting a civilian colony from a Collector attack. The leadership vacuum left by Captain Toni falling in battle was left to Vega himself, and Vega had to make a choice between saving the colony or saving the intel the squad had recovered that could be used to destroy the Collectors. Vega chose to save the intel, but found out far too late that his choice was rendered completely unnecessary since Shepard managed to destroy the Collector threat without the intel Vega saved, which meant that Vega allowed the colony to die for nothing. In the present during the sparring match, Shepard expresses worry that Vega is blaming himself unnecessarily for what happened to the colony, and Shepard believes, based on Vega's reckless stunt with the shuttle back on Mars, that because of his guilt Vega has ceased to care whether he lives or dies. Shepard advises Vega that he needs to get past that past incident and stay focused.

Apparently grateful for Shepard's "pep talk," Vega takes a liking to Shepard, giving them a nickname based on what gender Shepard is. For a male Shepard, Vega calls him "Loco", since Shepard always seems to get himself in crazy situations. For a female Shepard, Vega calls her "Lola", the name of his best friend's sister, saying she reminds him of her: "Hot. Tough." If asked later about the nicknames, Vega says that some people's names don't match their personalities, so he makes up his own. This is evident later when he calls Tali "Sparks", because of how her eyes "glow" through her helmet and how she's "small and jumpy."

After Shepard invites Vega to captain's cabin using the intercom, Vega will explain that he has been approached with an offer from the Systems Alliance to undergo N7 training. However, Vega is unsure whether or not to accept the offer since N7 training is a lot of work, and Vega humbly wonders why he was even approached, given his past failure, hence the private conversation. Shepard can either encourage Vega to go for it without hesitation or tell him that such a decision should not be taken lightly.

Either way, however, eventually Shepard can meet Vega in the refugee camp getting something tattooed on his shirtless back. Upon being queried, Vega explains that he eventually decided to accept N7 training after all, and is getting a tattoo on his back to celebrate the occasion. Shepard can either congratulate him or admonish him not to take N7 training lightly since it is a lot of work; then, Shepard will ask Vega if he can return to duty given the tattoo. Vega responds that it is true that he's not looking forward to putting his armor back on after getting a tattoo on his back but the pain will not prevent him from being part of Shepard's squad.

James is listed on the Normandy SR-2's memorial wall on the Crew Deck, if he did not survive the events of Mass Effect 3.

James Vega is the main focus of the Mass Effect anime movie, Mass Effect: Paragon Lost.^[26]

James Vega is voiced by actor Freddie Prinze, Jr. in Mass Effect 3. It was announced on the films Facebook page that Freddie Prinze, Jr. would be reprising his role in the film.^[27]

Javik

Javik is the sole survivor of the Prothean race. He commanded a strong and loyal crew until they were indoctrinated and turned on him. Eventually, Javik tracked down his crew and slit their throats, watching them bleed to death to be certain. Like Zaeed and Kasumi, Javik is only available through downloadable content.

In Prothean society, there were many "avatars" who embodied a virtue for the society. He is one of those avatars, and his virtue is vengeance. Supposedly, Javik was to be the leader of hundreds of thousands of strong warriors to survive the cull via stasis in underground bunkers on Eden Prime. His mission was simple: outlast the invasion in stasis, and once he was awoken, lead the other warriors in a campaign to reclaim the galaxy. Unfortunately, indoctrinated traitors in their ranks fouled that plan - in the end, only he survived, the supervising VI Victory allowing his stasis pod to have priority in power distribution.

50,000 years later, during 2186 CE, Javik's pod was uncovered and opened by Commander Shepard and Liara T'Soni, who were investigating Cerberus activity on Eden Prime. Javik reacted with shock that everything he knew was gone. He agreed to join Shepard in destroying the Reapers, vowing he will not rest until the last Reaper is dead. However, Javik did not hide his surprise that "primitive" races the Protheans once studied were now the dominant galactic power, nor could he provide insight into the Prothean device dubbed Crucible and the final piece called the Catalyst.

If brought to Thessia during the Reaper attack, Javik will reveal to Liara that the Protheans were involved in the early asari's development, such as deflecting asteroid strikes from the oravores (which the asari attribute to the goddess Athame defending Thessia from the jealous gods) and their natural ability to use biotics. Aboard the Normandy, Liara confronts Javik in his quarters over this realization and will attempt to attack him. Shepard can intervene or let Liara walk away. If the former is chosen, then the two will slowly begin to respect each other.

Later, Javik can be persuaded to touch his memory shard, which starts off mildly but then quickly takes him back to traumatic events. Afterwards, he talks about how he commanded a crew like Shepard does and their subsequent indoctrination. Ultimately, he hunted down and killed them one by one.

In London, if he does touch the memory shard, he will tell Shepard that if he survives, he plans to return to the place where his comrades died so that he may take his own life and join them. If he doesn't, he says that because his life has been nothing but war he will look forward to what peace would be like, and mentions co-authoring a book on the Protheans with Liara, seeing as how with the Reapers gone he would be out of a job. If he didn't touch the shard, and the confrontation between Liara and Javik was not resolved, he plans to live amongst the hanar as a king.

Javik is listed on the Normandy SR-2's memorial wall on the Crew Deck, if he chooses to join his comrades and end his own life.

Javik is voiced by Ike Amadi.

Aria T'Loak

Aria T'Loak, also known as "the Pirate Queen", is an asari organized crime boss who serves as the de facto ruler of Omega Station, the unofficial capitol of the outlaw Terminus Systems. She owns the Afterlife Club, which serves as the station's central hub, and maintains her hold via a strong intelligence network and her ability to read people. Her first chronological appearance is in Mass Effect: Incursion, an 8-page prequel comic to Mass Effect 2. She then makes a cameo in Mass Effect: Redemption, briefly assisting Liara's search for the missing Shepard. In Mass Effect 2, Aria provides Shepard with information on Omega, and can hire Shepard to protect one of her advisors from assassins. In Mass Effect: Retribution, Aria serves as a supporting antagonist. Cerberus defector Paul Grayson is working for her, and also romantically involved with her daughter, Liselle. Aria is manipulated into helping Cerberus track down Grayson (who she is duped into believing responsible for her daughter's murder), and to get revenge on a turian strike force that seized control of key Cerberus facilities. She kidnaps Kahlee Sanders and David Anderson in an attempt to use them as bait to entrap Grayson. This backfires, however, as Grayson has become indoctrinated by the Reapers, and his upgrades enable him to decimate Aria's forces. Though angered by the loss of her men, Aria grudgingly continues a business alliance with the Illusive Man.

Aria is the protagonist of Mass Effect: Invasion, which finds Omega under siege by Reaper constructs called Adjutants. Aria briefly joins forces with Cerberus to fight the Adjutants, but is betrayed and ultimately forced to leave Omega under Cerberus control.

In Mass Effect 3, Aria is on the Citadel, and occupies the nightclub Purgatory. She makes no secret that she hates being confined to the Citadel and plans to retake Omega, but also realizes that such plans are meaningless if the Reapers win. She agrees to assemble a team of mercenaries to assist with the war effort, and instructs Shepard to convince the leaders of the Blue Suns, Eclipse, and Blood Pack to flock under her banner. It is unknown as to whether she survives the end of the game.

Aria returns in the game's "Omega" DLC where she enlists the aid of Commander Shepard on a desperate mission to regain control of the Omega station from the ironclad rule of a large Cerberus army, led by General Oleg Petrovsky, the Illusive Man's most brilliant military commander, and a tactical genius who managed to force Aria to abandon her rule of the station not long before the Reaper Invasion began, in order to gain access and control of the Omega 4 Relay and the remains of the Collector Base from beyond.

Aria is voiced by Carrie-Anne Moss.

Nyreen Kandros

Cabal Huntress Nyreen Kandros is the turian leader of the Talons mercenary organization on Omega in 2186. Unlike the group's previous leader, Nyreen has a strong moral compass and extensive military experience, traits which gave her the skills necessary to convert the Talons from a lawless gang to a highly disciplined operation devoted to aiding and protecting Omega's civilians.

Born to a family with a long and honored tradition of military service, Nyreen Kandros left the turian military after the emergence of her biotic abilities. Oft-suspicious of biotics, the turians shipped Nyreen off to the Cabal units, where her abilities and experience were grossly underutilized. After several years as a mercenary, Kandros was drawn to Omega by its reputation as a haven for capable freelancers. Nyreen's early years on Omega were a pivotal time for her. Aria T'Loak took an interest in Kandros, helping her hone her biotic talents while developing her military experience and skills to their full potential. Aria also allowed Nyreen the time she needed to reconcile with her new way of life and her unexpected and initially unwanted abilities. The two developed a relationship, but eventually parted ways due to irreconcilable differences. Nyreen remained on Omega unbeknownst to Aria, and went on to assume control of the Talons.

When Aria T'Loak returns to Omega to liberate the station from Cerberus occupation in 2186, she and Nyreen are reunited. Nyreen initially keeps her reasons for being on Omega during the occupation a secret, but later reveals that while Aria was exiled, she has become the new leader of the Talons and directed the resistance movement against Cerberus. At first, Nyreen and Aria remain suspicious of each other, having ended their relationship on bad terms years ago, but the tension between them gradually eases. Nyreen becomes an invaluable part of Aria's forces, and tries to rein in Aria's more violent and reckless tendencies. Her composure only falters when confronting Adjutants, Cerberus-created Reaper creatures that had terrorized Omega when Cerberus invaded. Nyreen vividly recalls how she had to kill many friends and allies when they became infected by attacking Adjutants, and becomes visibly shaken when facing the creatures in combat. During the final assault on Cerberus's command center at the Afterlife Club, Nyreen leads her Talons independently on an offensive through Gozu District. Sensing something is wrong, Nyreen scouts ahead of her troops and arrives at the main plaza outside Afterlife's entrance in time to see a group of Adjutants charging toward civilians. She draws the creatures in with her biotics and detonates a belt of grenades. Her biotic field contains the explosion, and she is incinerated along with the Adjutants.

Nyreen Kandros is listed on the Normandy SR-2's memorial wall on the Crew Deck.

Nyreen is voiced by Sumalee Montano.

Secondary fictional characters

SSV Normandy crew-members

Characters who have served as recurring crew-members or supporting characters in at least one installment or element of the Mass Effect franchise.

Jeff "Joker" Moreau

Flight Lieutenant Jeff "Joker" Moreau is the pilot of the Normandy. He suffers from Vrolik Syndrome, a genetic condition that causes extremely brittle bones which makes it difficult for him to walk, and thus he usually remains in the pilot's seat. His backstory in how he became the Normandy 's pilot is told in a comic add-on, He Who Laughs Best, Joker arrives at Arcturus station, driving a turian general who's apparently arrived to oversee the Normandy 's trials. When Joker steps off the shuttle, showing that he is walking with crutches, the turian tells Joker that he will never trust the ship to a "cripple." Later, Captain Anderson greets the turian, General Invectus, along with Alliance Captain Dillard, who's in charge of the Normandy through the trials. A message is received that the ship has been hijacked, with the original pilot having been booted off. Dillard hails the Normandy, which is still following the intended flight path, with no response, which causes Dillard to order a fighter squad to disable the Normandy. Joker then radios back that he will return the ship once he's done running the Normandy through the trial course, even with fighters firing on him. Joker returns the ship, where he tells Anderson and Dillard that he knew there was going to be no way he could prove how good a pilot he is if he was never given a chance because of his condition. After Dillard threatens Joker with a court-martial, Invectus intervenes, saying that Joker, despite his disabilities, was able to exploit cracks in the ship's security, and run it through the trials with time to spare, while under fire. He recommends Joker to be the Normandy 's pilot. Anderson agrees, saying that while Joker's actions were punishable, he trusts no one else to pilot the Normandy, leaving Joker surprised that his last-ditch stunt actually worked.

In Mass Effect, Joker is seen as a highly skilled pilot, but also prone to getting defensive about himself when asked, as well as giving sarcastic remarks and comments. In one of the final missions, Joker show's off his skills by flying the Normandy to drop off Shepard's squad in a Mako tank in a landing zone on Ilos that's much smaller than what is usually required by the Alliance. During the final battle, Joker leads the final assault with the Normandy

When the Normandy gets attacked in the beginning of Mass Effect 2, Shepard has to go save Joker, since he refuses to abandon ship, even when it's mortally damaged. Shepard is able to convince Joker and get him in an escape pod, but dies in doing so. Two years later, when Cerberus brings Shepard back to life, Joker returns as well, telling Shepard that he was grounded by the Alliance after the Normandy 's destruction, and Cerberus was the only group that let him fly again. Joker becomes the pilot of the new Normandy SR-2, and is quickly irritated by the onboard computer, EDI. When Shepard and his/her team leave the ship so the Reaper IFF can be installed, the Collectors attack the Normandy; Joker and EDI are forced to team up to turn on the ship's defenses and repel the attackers, making Joker the only character who is playable besides Shepard. If the player's actions caused Shepard to die, Joker confronts the Illusive Man at the end of the game. In Mass Effect 3, he returns as the pilot, and Shepard can convince him and EDI to begin a relationship.

Jeff "Joker" Moreau is voiced by Seth Green.

Karin Chakwas

Dr. Karin Chakwas is the human doctor of the SSV Normandy. She enlisted in the Alliance soon after she graduated from medical school, seeking "exotic adventure", though she quickly realized that military life was not as romantic as she had imagined it to be. However, she stayed with the Alliance in order to do her duty and serve humanity. Though she sometimes considers starting her own private practice, or going to work at a medical center on one of the colonies, she feels that "there is something special about working on soldiers", and believes she would be abandoning them if she did not stay. Like most Alliance doctors, she has taken courses in alien biology, enabling her to treat the non-human crew members, particularly Liara and Garrus. Commander Shepard can replenish the squad's medi-gel stocks from the infirmary where she is usually working. When asked about family, Chakwas says that she is the last of a long line of medical professionals, adding that the Alliance is her spouse and the soldiers are her children.

Dr. Chakwas returns in Mass Effect 2. She was present aboard the Normandy SR-1 when it was destroyed by the Collectors, and managed to evacuate via the escape pods. After Shepard's death, Chakwas was posted at the Mars Naval Medical Center; however, missing the comfort of a starship, she accepts Cerberus' offer to join Shepard in their fight against the Collectors, getting a position on the Normandy SR-2 as the ship's Chief Medical Officer. If Shepard converses with her, Chakwas will mention how she lost a bottle of "Serrice ice Brandy" on the original Normandy and has been trying to find a replacement bottle. Shepard can find her one either at the bar in Afterlife on Omega or at Eternity on the Citadel. Presenting the bottle to her, Chakwas will happily ask Shepard if he would have a drink with her. If Shepard accepts, she will get drunk and lament on departed Alliance soldiers before passing out on one of the beds in the med bay. If Shepard visits her later, Chakwas will apologize for acting unprofessional in getting drunk, which Shepard can either tell her to not do it again or tell her that they're glad she has decided to let loose for once.

Later in the game, Chakwas and the rest of the Normandy crew, save Joker, are kidnapped by the Collectors. If Shepard and the team proceed through the Omega 4 relay immediately after the abduction, she will be found alive with the rest of the crew. However, the longer Shepard delays, the fewer crew members are alive, eventually leaving Chakwas as the only survivor. Depending on how long Shepard took to reach the Collector base, she will be either grateful or angry depending on how many crew members died. Shepard may then choose to send a squadmate back with the crew. If the squadmate was loyal, there will be no casualties; otherwise, if Chakwas and any survivors are sent back without any escort, they will die.

Chakwas returns in Mass Effect 3, provided she survived the suicide mission. When the Normandy SR-2 was impounded by the Alliance, they had no idea what to do with her, as she was never officially part of Cerberus and she had a proper leave of absence from her previous job. While she mentions that she technically hasn't done anything wrong by joining Shepard to defeat the Collectors, she mentions the possibility of being tried as an accessory if Shepard were convicted as a war criminal. She is found at the Huerta Memorial Hospital on the Citadel, where she may be recruited back to the Normandy, or be convinced to stay at the Citadel and assist in the war effort. Dr. Chloe Michel can then be recruited in her place.

If Shepard had gotten the bottle of Serrice ice brandy for her in Mass Effect 2, Chakwas will tell Shepard that she had gotten another bottle, with the intention of opening it on the anniversary of defeating the Collectors. She'll offer Shepard the chance to open it now while they have the chance or to keep it until the Reapers are defeated. If Shepard accepts, they will later mention how Chakwas never been addressed by her first name, which she will point out the same thing for Shepard (the in-joke being that the player can choose Shepard's first name). At this point, Shepard can toast Chakwas, addressing her as either Doctor or Karin.

Doctor Karin Chakwas is voiced by Carolyn Seymour.

Chloe Michel

Dr. Chloe Michel is a human doctor. She first appears on the Citadel in Mass Effect, working a hospital in the Wards. She will be first shown being threatened by Fist's thugs, asking where is the quarian she had treated. Shepard will rescue her and she will tell Shepard that the quarian had information on Saren and was going to go sell it to the Shadow Broker, pointing Shepard to Chora's Den.

Michel returns in Mass Effect 3 having moved up to working Huerta Memorial Hospital in the Presidium. She can be recruited in SSV Normandy in place of Dr. Karin Chakwas. If not recruited, she will brief Shepard on the status of the Virmire survivor, whether it's Kaiden or Ashley, as well as the status of the Citadel dealing with war refugees.

Doctor Chloe Michel is voiced by Jan Alexandra Smith.

Greg Adams

Lieutenant Gregory Adams is a human Earth Systems Alliance engineer in the 22nd century. He was hand-picked by Captain David Anderson to serve as the Chief Engineer of the SSV Normandy. Engineer Adams has served on every class of Alliance starships. Prior to being assigned to the Normandy, Adams served on the SSV Tokyo, which he describes as a "good ship" but added that the SSV Tokyo "couldn't hold a candle to the Normandy". Adams becomes very enthusiastic while discussing the Normandy, claiming she is the best ship he has ever served on. Adams will provide Commander Shepard with some background on the ship's IES stealth system and engines.

Adams returns in Mass Effect 3. He is usually found in the Normandy SR-2's engineering deck. Later, he mentions that when Dr. Chakwas received the offer from Cerberus to assist in fighting the Collectors, she invited him to accompany her on the Normandy, but Adams declined, saying that the Alliance came first. He apologizes to Shepard about this in their first meeting.

Engineer Greg Adams is voiced by Roger Jackson.

Kelly Chambers

Dr. Kelly Chambers is Shepard's Yeoman on the Normandy SR-2. Her primary job on the Normandy is to keep Commander Shepard abreast of new e-mails and pass on meeting requests from Shepard's squad mates. In addition, Kelly provides counselor support and monitors the psychological state of Shepard and the crew, offering input on mission outcomes and impressions on Shepard's team. Her abilities as a counselor and her impressions are influenced by her education where Kelly graduated with a psychology degree. In the Cerberus organization, she is identified as a member of the Lazarus Cell.

If Shepard asks her about Cerberus' notorious reputation, Kelly refutes the notion that she or the organization is anti-alien. While she does believe in the importance of Cerberus' agenda to benefit humankind, Kelly doesn't believe that it means they hate other species by default. Throughout her time on the Normandy SR-2, Kelly regards aliens with the same respect and compassion she feels for her fellow mankind, evidenced by her repeated displays of concern over Shepard's non-human companions.

Kelly is a potential romance option for a male or female Shepard, but pursuing her does not unlock the Paramour achievement.

Later, when the Normandy crew is abducted by the Collectors, and Shepard immediately goes through the Omega 4 relay, Kelly and the rest of the crew will be found alive. If Shepard delays, she will be dissolved into the raw genetic paste used to create the Human-Reaper. If she survives, after the end of the main game she can be invited to perform a private dance (wearing an Asari dancing girl costume) in Shepard's quarters, but only if she was romanced.

Kelly Chambers returns in Mass Effect 3, provided she survived the suicide mission and Shepard invited her for dinner in Mass Effect 2. She is found at the Citadel's refugee camp, having deserted Cerberus after observing methods that go against her conscience. She is enthusiastic to see Shepard again after worrying about the Commander since the Reaper invasion. If asked to come back to the Normandy, she declines, due to the recurring nightmares of her abduction by the Collectors, preferring to stay and help the refugees. Shepard has the option of advising her to change her identity to avoid detection by Cerberus.

During a second encounter later, Kelly apologizes while confessing to Shepard that she had been secretly sending reports to the Illusive Man during her time as the Normandy's Yeoman. If Shepard yells at her for this, she cries and afterwards commits suicide. Otherwise, Shepard assures her and tells her not to worry about it.

If Kelly was told to change her identity before the Cerberus attack on the Citadel, during a still later encounter she will be seen with a different hairstyle. She thanks Shepard and mentions how close she was to being executed. After this meeting, she sends Shepard an e-mail revealing that she had met with former colleagues who changed their identities, who assist in the war effort. After this communication, she will no longer be encountered in the game.

If Shepard does not instruct her to change her identity, then after the Cerberus attack on the Citadel, Shepard will learn, either by overhearing refugees talking or by overhearing chatter aboard the Normandy between engineers Kenneth Donnelly and Gabriella Daniels (if pardoned), that Kelly was killed by Cerberus. The game does not show any response from Shepard upon learning this news.

If Shepard pursued Kelly in Mass Effect 2, and is currently not in a relationship with someone else, she is available as a romance option in Mass Effect 3, but a liaison is only possible if she is not killed during the Cerberus attack. Afterwards, Shepard will no longer be able to communicate with her.

Kelly Chambers is listed on the Normandy SR-2's memorial wall on the Crew Deck, if she did not survive the events of Mass Effect 2; if she is killed by Cerberus in Mass Effect 3, her name is not added to the wall.

Doctor Kelly Chambers is voiced by Cara Pifko.

Kenneth Donnelly

Kenneth Donnelly is an operative of Lazarus Cell and an engineer aboard the Normandy SR-2, along with his best friend, Gabriella Daniels. Both graduated in the same class at the tech academy, and served aboard the cruiser SSV Perugia at the Battle of the Citadel. After the battle, as the Alliance discredited Shepard's account of events, Kenneth expressed his views publicly to the point of near insubordination. This public display of support attracted the attention of the Illusive Man who offered Kenneth and later his friend a position in the organization. If the player speaks to him and asks if he needs anything, he will request that Shepard finds some new parts for the Normandy. Upon finding the parts, he will offer to play Skyllian Five poker. Unlike most of Cerberus operatives on board the Normandy, both Kenneth and his friend Gabriella seem vastly ignorant of the "terrorist" operations that the organization engages in. If Shepard asks about why Kenneth joined Cerberus, he replies that he joined to "kick the Collectors right in the daddy-bags". This is starkly different from a Cerberus crew member such as Miranda, who believes strongly in Cerberus’ goals and methods.

Provided he survived the events of Mass Effect 2, Donnelly is in custody at the beginning of the game, but can be freed to return to work in the Normandy's engine room using the Spectre office in the Citadel Embassies. At some point during Normandy's "downtime" prior the third game, Gabby and Ken were both approached by Cerberus, but heeding Gabriela's intuition they both refused the offer. If recruited, and providing both survived, he and Gabriella Daniels can enter a romantic relationship at Shepard's prompting (if the player sides with Gabriella in the argument). If this option is chosen, they can be later "caught" in the subdeck. If Gabriella died in Mass Effect 2 but Kenneth survived, he can still be recruited via the Spectre Terminal, which will state that he's still devastated by Gabby's death. He'll be more reserved and quiet, according to Engineer Adams.

Kenneth Donnelly is voiced by John Ullyatt.

Gabriella "Gabby" Daniels

Gabriella "Gabby" Daniels is a Cerberus operative in the Lazarus Cell and an engineer aboard the Normandy SR-2. Engineer Daniels works in the engine room along with her best friend, Kenneth Donnelly. They graduated from the same class at a tech academy and served aboard the SSV Perugia at the Battle of the Citadel. After the battle, Gabby insisted to Kenneth that she be included in the contract with Cerberus as she felt he would fall apart without her. Gabby loves starships engines and she couldn't pass up the opportunity to serve aboard the Normandy SR-2. She is found on the engineering deck, next to Kenneth. Gabby frequently chats with Kenneth about new ship upgrades or new crew members; after acquiring Jack, she teases Kenneth about the newest crew member who wears nothing but tattoos from the waist up, only to tell him that she is a psychopathic murderer after Kenneth intends to introduce himself to Jack. When she was asked by Shepard whether she requires anything, Gabby mentions of an upgrade that would ease her maintenance workload. Gabby is among the Normandy crew members abducted by the Collectors when they invade the Normandy, and she will die if Shepard and the squad take too long to rescue the crew.

If she survived the events of Mass Effect 2, Daniels is in custody at the beginning of the third game. Shepard can free her to return to work in the Normandy's engine room by using the Spectre office in the Citadel Embassies. At some point during Normandy's "downtime" prior the third game, Gabby and Ken were both approached by Cerberus, but heeding Gabriela's intuition they both refused the offer. If recruited, and providing both survived, she and Kenneth Donnelly can enter a romantic relationship at Shepard's prompting (if the player sides with Gabriella in the argument). If this option is chosen, they can be later "caught" in the subdeck.

Gabriella "Gabby" Daniels is voiced by Dannah Feinglass.

Samantha Traynor

In Mass Effect 3, Communications Specialist Samantha Traynor replaces Kelly Chambers as Shepard's "specialist", taking over Kelly's yeoman position (regardless as to whether Chambers survives Mass Effect 2), as well as also updating Shepard's war map. A hypochondriac and a lover of board games like chess, Traynor establishes an informal relationship with Shepard, who becomes a mentor to her, frequently reassuring her of the validity of her decisions. She is somewhat humbled to be on the Normandy, having initially being part of the retrofit team before being recruited on board, simply because she was there when Earth was attacked by the Reapers. As the missions progress, Samantha proves her worth as she first intercepts a phony distress call from Cerberus that indicates an attack on the Grissom Academy, and later, when she is able to track Cerberus assassin Kai Leng to the Sanctuary refugee camp.

Traynor is a lesbian and as such is available as an optional romantic relationship for a female Shepard only. In her initial appearance, this is revealed when she learns that EDI is a fully self-aware AI instead of a VI as she had been told before. She apologizes to EDI for all the times she mentioned how "attractive" EDI's voice sounded.

The Citadel DLC spin-off reveals that she is also attracted to synthetic lifeforms, and is aroused by the sound of EDI's voice; during the same spin-off, she ends up playing a key role in preventing the hijacking of the Normandy.

Samantha Traynor is voiced by Alix Wilton Regan.

Steve Cortez

Lieutenant Steve Cortez is an Alliance pilot and procurement specialist aboard the Normandy SR-2 in Mass Effect 3. Steve Cortez serves as the Normandy's UT-47A Kodiak shuttle pilot that transports Shepard and the squad to mission locations. He served in the Alliance for about ten years, first serving in the First Fleet on the SSV Hawking piloting F-61 Tridents. Recently widowed after the death of his husband, Cortez is helped through his grief by Shepard, and eventually may become an optional romance for a male Shepard.

Cortez is the only child in his family and lost both his parents. He had a husband, Robert, while he was stationed at Ferris Fields but the Collectors abducted the colony, including Robert. At some point, Shepard finds him mourning his late husband. Later, Shepard can convince Steve to take shore leave as a favor to the Commander. Cortez accepts, saying that he finds it hard to say "no" to Shepard.

While Cortez is on the Citadel, he is seen at the memorial wall saying goodbye to his husband. Shepard comforts him, saying that his past was his and that nobody could take it away. After this event, Cortez will send Shepard an e-mail saying that he met with some old pilot friends who agreed to assist in the war effort. Eventually, Cortez will be at the Purgatory bar, with Shepard noting that Steve looks happy and that the Commander was right. At this point, Shepard, if male, can pursue a romance with Cortez. If he does, Cortez invites him to dance, and Shepard confesses to Steve about his feelings. Cortez thought he felt something between them, but was merely pessimistic about it. Shepard affirms that feeling and kisses Cortez.

During the final battle in London, Cortez's shuttle is shot down by a Harvester. If he was persuaded to visit the memorial wall, he will survive the crash and can be contacted at the forward operating base. Otherwise, James Vega confirms his death.

Cortez is voiced by Matthew Del Negro.

Supporting characters

David Anderson

Fleet Admiral David Edward Anderson is the protagonist of the novel Mass Effect: Revelation and mentor of the player character Commander Shepard in Mass Effect.

In the novel, David Anderson is depicted as a young lieutenant who discovered the massacre at the research station on Sidon and led the ensuing investigation into those responsible for it. Lt. Anderson is considered one of the Alliance's 'elites', having been trained in the N7 Marine program, graduating from the Arcturus Academy, as well as serving with honor in the First Contact War between the turians and the Alliance. Before he began his investigation of the massacre at Sidon, Anderson served as the Executive Officer of the SSV Hastings. During the investigation, Anderson fell in love with key witness/prime suspect Kahlee Sanders. However, they mutually agreed not to continue a romance after the investigation, in part because she was assigned to a classified scientific project, and also that their careers made marriage impossible. Anderson was capable and had been considered a suitable candidate to represent humanity in the Office of Special Tactics and Reconnaissance (Spectre) of the Citadel. However, Saren Arterius, a turian and the antagonist of Mass Effect, blamed the failure of a mission on Anderson, effectively eliminating his chances of being selected.^[28]

In Mass Effect, David Anderson is the commanding officer of Commander Shepard, the central character. At first he commands the Normandy, but is quickly put into early retirement to give Shepard command of the Normandy. After that, he can be found on Citadel Station, beside the human Ambassador, Donnel Udina. When the Normandy is locked down by the Council, he unlocks it by either going to the Ambassador's office and overriding it (after punching out Udina), or sneaking into C-Sec and changing it there (and getting shot in the process). After the Geth invasion of the Citadel and both Saren and Sovereign are defeated, the player can choose him to become the human representative of the Council.

By the time of Mass Effect 2, Anderson is promoted to the rank of Admiral in the Systems Alliance Navy.^[8] If he was selected as the Council representative, he retains Ambassador Udina as his advisor. While Anderson is happy to see Shepard alive, he harbors some distrust due to Shepard's alliance with Cerberus.

Anderson appears as a supporting protagonist in the novel Mass Effect: Retribution, where he has shown an increased dissatisfaction with Udina and the Council. He is reunited with Sanders, who seeks his aid in helping a Cerberus defector, Paul Grayson, who has been subjected to experiments with Reaper technology. Anderson rekindles his romance with Sanders and ultimately resigns his commission, with both feeling they need to be more proactive in finding a way to fight the Reapers. They continue in this capacity in the Mass Effect: Deception, where Anderson rejoins the Alliance. In the comic Mass Effect: Conviction, Anderson has reacquired the Normandy and is transporting Shepard to Earth. He makes one brief stopover first, to Omega, where he finds ex-soldier James Vega and recalls him to active duty.

In Mass Effect 3, Anderson is on Earth for Shepard's court-martial hearing. The trial is interrupted by a Reaper attack on Earth. Anderson becomes a temporary squadmate, helping Shepard reach the Normandy. Ultimately, he chooses to stay on Earth to help survivors of the attack, and eventually becomes the de facto leader of the Terran Resistance. Towards the end of the game he and Shepard manage to use a Reaper transport beam to board the Citadel in order to open the Citadel's arms so the Crucible can dock. They are confronted by the Illusive Man, who takes control of Shepard and forces him to shoot Anderson. After Shepard deals with the Illusive Man, the Commander opens the Citadel arms and collapses by Anderson. Anderson tells his protégé it's been a long time since he's just sat down and looked at Earth, and that he's proud of Shepard. Shortly afterwards, Anderson succumbs to his wounds and dies.

Afterwards, Anderson's name is added to the Normandy SR-2's memorial wall on the Crew Deck. Shepard's will be alongside his, if the Synthesis and Control endings are chosen, or the Destroy ending if the player's Effective Military Strength is low.

He is voiced by Keith David in the video games, and voiced by Patrick Seitz in the animated feature film Mass Effect: Paragon Lost.

Steven Hackett

Admiral Steven Hackett is Admiral of the Alliance Navy's Fifth Fleet. By the time of the events in Mass Effect 3, he is the commanding officer of the entire Alliance Navy.

Hackett does not physically appear in the first Mass Effect, but frequently calls for Commander Shepard's help in side missions on various explorable worlds, many of them dealing with Systems Alliance security. Hacket is generally much more appreciative of Shepard's decisions than Udina. He later leads the System Alliance's reinforcement fleet to the Citadel and the attack on Sovereign.

Admiral Hackett along with Admiral Anderson commends Delta Squad for its exceptional performance against the Blood Pack mercenaries on Fehl Prime in 2183. Lieutenant James Vega's actions during the mission strikes Hackett as similar to that of Commander Shepard. Hackett also delivers additional orders to the Delta Squad who are now assigned guard duty to protect valuable Alliance interests on Fehl Prime. When Vega protests, Hackett reminds him of the chain of command and assures him what the Delta Squad is assigned to will be of vital importance to the Alliance. Hackett also cautions Vega about the dangers associated with trying to follow in Shepard's footsteps which usually involve the burden of excessive death and destruction.

After the Collector attack on the colony and the subsequent destruction of the Collector ship and the deaths of almost all the colonists, Hackett again commends Vega for his heroic and selfless actions, this time on the Citadel. He honors Vega with a medal for his actions and promotes him to Lieutenant Commander. Seeing Vega fighting so hard to be like Shepard, Hackett tells him that he may have the chance to work with the Commander one day as rumors of their death were premature.

Hackett makes his first actual appearance in Mass Effect 2's final DLC pack, Arrival. Hackett asks Shepard to do him a personal favor and rescue his friend, Dr. Amanda Kenson, from a group of batarians who have captured her. After Shepard returns to the Normandy, the Admiral personally debriefs Shepard to find out exactly what happened during the mission, which resulted in the destruction of an entire star system, its Mass Relay, and 300,000 batarian colonists.

Admiral Hackett returns in Mass Effect 3. He is overseeing the construction of The Crucible, a Prothean superweapon that is hoped to destroy the Reapers, and instructs Shepard to find manpower and resources to assist the project.

He is voiced by Lance Henriksen.

Donnel Udina

Donnel Udina is the current human Ambassador to the Citadel Council.

In the original Mass Effect, Commander Shepard meets Udina upon his arrival to the Citadel. Udina scolds the Commander for his evident failure on Eden Prime. Throughout the game Udina is depicted as more antagonistic than anything towards Shepard, but Anderson assures him that Udina is just doing what he feels is best for humanity. He appeals Shepard's case towards Saren to the Council, and after Saren is found guilty and the Commander is made a spectre, gives Shepard command of the Normandy. When the Normandy is later locked down by the Council and Udina refuses to help, Anderson may knock him unconscious and use his computer to release the ship. After the Geth invasion of the Citadel and both Saren and Sovereign are defeated, the player can choose either Udina or Anderson to become the human representative on the Council.

In Mass Effect 2, Udina may be the human Councilor or Anderson's advisor if Anderson was chosen. He is surprised to see Shepard alive after the Commander was presumed KIA 2 years earlier and acts just as hostile towards him as before. Depending on whether the original Council was saved, Udina may or may not reinstate Shepard's Spectre status.

In Mass Effect 3, Udina is the human Councilor, regardless of who is chosen at the end of Mass Effect. He is more supportive of Shepard, as they are both adversely affected by the Reaper attack on Earth, and institutes several programs to help the war effort and even appoints Kaidan/Ashley as a Spectre. However, he becomes frustrated when the Council is more interested in securing their own borders than helping Earth. In desperation, Udina turned to Cerberus, and staged a coup in order to overthrow the Council and grant him emergency powers that would enable him to send the Citadel Fleet to Earth. During the Cerberus attack on the Citadel, Udina's treachery is revealed by the salarian Councilor, and is killed by Shepard or Kaidan/Ashley.

He is voiced by Bill Ratner.

Recurring antagonists

Harbinger

In Mass Effect 2, an enemy known as the Collectors is responsible for the abduction of dozens of Human Colonies. The leader of the Collector forces was at one time considered to be the Collector General, an arachnid that could see and directly control any of its forces at any moment. It is now common knowledge that the Collector General was just a pawn of the true Collector Commander. Harbinger is a Reaper, the first one to have ever been constructed. It not only commands the Collectors, but leads the entire Reaper Armada. Commander Shepard engages in conversation with Harbinger at multiple points in Mass Effect 2. Harbinger is responsible for Commander Shepard's "death" at the hands of the Collectors.^[29]

In Mass Effect 3, Harbinger has been identified as the Reaper leading the assault on Earth. It is capable of devastating entire fleets, platoons, and cities. It is revealed in Mass Effect 3 that Harbinger is the collective embodiment of the Leviathans, the apex race that led to the creation of the Catalyst. It is also revealed in Mass Effect 3 that Harbinger is just the pawn of The Catalyst. Through Harbinger, the Catalyst directs the Reapers in their harvest of advanced civilizations. Each cycle ends with the birth of a new Reaper created in Harbinger's image. During the Final Battle for Earth, Shepard comes face to face with Harbinger, and the meeting ends with Harbinger mortally wounding the soldier who united the galaxy.^[30]

Despite all Reapers being made in its image, Harbinger is significantly different from its kind. Harbinger is larger, stronger, and faster than the other Reaper forces. Harbinger can fire any one of his three cannons, or all at the same time. This is different than a regular Reaper's one. Each cannon fires at a rate significantly higher than any other in the Reaper Armada. Harbinger is notable for having a singular spike extending from its face, something that is absent among other Reapers. Harbinger is easily identified by its six yellow "eyes", of which no purpose has yet been discerned.

To Commander Shepard, Harbinger is something of a nemesis, a mortal enemy. To Harbinger, Commander Shepard is nothing more than "dust struggling against cosmic winds". However, it is heavily implied that it does have a certain antagonistic admiration for Shepard, given its absolute focus of killing Shepard and the other subordinate Reapers ignoring entire fleets of ships to bring their guns on Shepard. Harbinger is the only known entity that has mortally wounded or (albeit indirectly) killed Commander Shepard throughout the entire trilogy. Despite not having a voice role in Mass Effect 3, Harbinger remains as scarily powerful as ever.

Harbinger is voiced in Mass Effect 2 by Keith Szarabajka.

The Illusive Man

The Illusive Man was originally a mercenary in the First Contact War called Jack Harper, he is subjected to an ancient monolith which lead to the strange appearance of his eyes. Following his victory in preventing Desolas Arteruis from creating super-turian soldiers^[31] he publishes the Cerberus Manifesto in which he indicates it is only a matter of time before the other species attempt a genocide of humanity and pushes for a 'Cerberus' of the Charon mass relay, he then assumes the position of leader of his pro-human group Cerberus, branded a terrorist by the Citadel Council. The character is first appears in Mass Effect: Ascension, a 2008 novel by Drew Karpyshyn. He later returns for Mass Effect 2, where he is voiced by Martin Sheen, and he revives Shepard from the dead and sends him on missions against the Collectors. Again voiced by Sheen, he returns in Mass Effect 3 heavily indoctrinated and trying to interfere with Shepard's efforts to destroy the Reapers.

The character has received a generally good reception, with Martin Sheen being praised for his voice acting. However, PC Gamer and GamesRadar have criticised the player being forced to work with him, despite Cerberus's role in the first game. His face is modeled after Jon Briddell.

Saren Arterius

Saren Arterius is a turian former Spectre and one of the two main antagonists of the first game. He is known for "getting results" by any means necessary. More often than not, he has resorted to killing anyone and anything in his way - be it the target, any witnesses, or even innocent bystanders. In the novel Mass Effect: Revelation, he tortures and kills his victims mercilessly, rarely having any regard for sentient life or the lives of anyone in his way from getting the job done. In addition, Saren was responsible for sabotaging Captain Anderson's Spectre candidacy because of his racism towards humans. His seething hatred of humanity is speculated to have stemmed from the loss of his brother Desolas at the hands of the Systems Alliance in the First Contact War. However it was revealed that his brother Desolas Arterius had uncovered a reaper processing plant and had intended to use the technology left by the reapers to assume dominance over the galaxy with Turians at the head. This event is what provokes him to find more technology related to the Reapers.

After the events of the novel, and before the start of the first Mass Effect game, Saren takes command of an army of geth through the use of a Reaper known as Sovereign, an ancient ship that supposedly predates the protheans. With a machine army at his command, he uses them to both do his bidding and oppose the player across the story of the Mass Effect video game. One of his main goals at first appears to be unleashing the genocidal Reapers upon the galaxy again to take revenge on humanity. In reality, he is merely assisting Sovereign in bringing the rest of the Reapers into the galaxy to prove that organics are worth enslaving, rather than exterminating.

In the game it is revealed that Saren had known about the Reaper threat and had independently tried to discover a means to stop it. While it is unknown how Saren found Sovereign, the Reaper slowly began to manipulate Saren through subtle subliminal messages into helping it bring back the Reapers. During the geth invasion of the Citadel, Saren uses the prothean Conduit to gain access to the Citadel to allow Sovereign to activate the Citadel Mass Relay. The player can then either attempt to kill Saren or appeal to Saren to fight his indoctrination, prompting him to commit suicide. Either way, Shepard later has to fight Saren, who has been revived and controlled by Sovereign through his grafted cybernetics. Upon defeat of the Sovereign-manipulated Saren, Sovereign itself loses its defenses and is destroyed.

Saren is voiced by Fred Tatasciore.

Kai Leng

Kai Leng is a former lieutenant N7 marine and current Cerberus assassin. He was given a dishonorable discharge and a prison sentence for murdering a krogan in a bar fight, but his xenophobic attitude and prowess in combat attracted the Illusive Man's attention, which led to Leng's liberation from prison. Leng became the Illusive Man's most trusted agent, who used Leng as his best infiltration and wet-work operative for over a decade, realizing he was not only ruthless but discreet and methodical. His cybernetic modifications appear to include Cerberus's Phantom-class implants.

Leng makes his first appearance in the novel Mass Effect: Retribution, tasked with hunting down and capturing former Cerberus operative Paul Grayson. He was successful in his mission and oversaw Grayson during a Reaper nanotechnology experiment, and suggested that they dose him with red sand to lower his resistance to Reaper control, and is then given the task of terminating the indoctrinated Grayson when the former agent escapes in the confusion of an Alliance-backed raid on the station. During the course of the mission, he sustains injuries when he is shot in both legs by Admiral Anderson. Despite his injuries, Leng succeeded in his mission to euthanise the Reaper controlled Grayson and escaped custody, though he is unable to keep Grayson's corpse from falling into Alliance hands; the body is presented to the Council as proof the Reapers exist.

Kai Leng appears in Mass Effect 3 as one of the main antagonists, equipped with cybernetic upgrades to compensate for his injuries he sustained in Retribution. He was among the forces deployed during Udina's coup on the Citadel Council. Leng was close to assassinating the salarian councilor when Thane Krios or Major Kirrahe intervened. If neither of them survived the previous games, the councilor will be assassinated.

He is later encountered on Thessia during its invasion by the Reapers, in a race to get information about the final Crucible piece from a Prothean beacon. Leng is unable to stop Shepard, and so orders his gunship to level the temple the beacon is housed in. He successfully steals the Prothean VI and escapes to Horizon to retrieve the data from Sanctuary, where Cerberus performed experiments on unsuspecting refugees, but not before being tracked by the Normandy's yeoman. At the same time, ex-Cerberus operative Miranda Lawson was there looking for her sister, but not before being wounded in a fight with Leng. His mission accomplished, Leng returns to Cerberus headquarters, but was unaware that Miranda tagged him so that Shepard could track him to their base.

Shepard's final encounter with Leng is in the Illusive Man's observation deck on Cronos Station. Despite Leng's lethal skills, he is unable to overwhelm Shepard, and is wounded. However, despite that, he retrieves his blade and silently approaches Shepard in an attempt to kill the Commander from behind. At that moment, Shepard detects him and counters his attack, fatally stabbing Leng with an omni-blade.

Kai Leng is voiced by Troy Baker and modeled by Michael Kroeber.

Other major fictional characters

Important characters with major contributions in at least one installment or element of the Mass Effect franchise; many continue to serve vital roles in advancing the primary plots and/or chief-events of the series.

Major characters in video games

Kirrahe

Captain Kirrahe is an officer in the salarian military. He is a member of the 3rd Infiltration Regiment STG (special task group), a covert operations team that was sent to investigate Virmire, where he discovered Saren's base of operations. Kirrahe is a brave, intelligent salarian with a good strategic mind; he is able to inspire his men, and is also prepared to make sacrifices if necessary. His second-in-command is Commander Rentola. Should he survive the mission on Virmire, Shepard will encounter him on Sur'Kesh with a promotion to major.

Armando-Owen Bailey

Captain Armando-Owen Bailey is a human C-Sec officer stationed in the Zakera Ward of the Citadel in Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect: Inquisition. Bailey is a no-nonsense officer more interested in results than rulebooks or idealism. Bailey started out as a regular C-Sec officer, neglected in the largely turian-dominated force until the geth assault on the Citadel. With C-Sec losing so many personnel in the attack, the organisation was forced to start hiring and promoting more humans, including Bailey. Bailey is a competent and impartial, if unorthodox, officer. Having previously served with the Alliance Navy, Bailey came to prefer a stationary life; he joined C-Sec in order to remain in one place and spend more time with his family, though he does not seem to have a good relationship with them due to his long absences. He claims that he runs a "rough and tumble precinct", believing that serious crime in Zakera Ward requires much effort to thwart; he likens policing the Wards to policing New York City. Consequently, Bailey is comfortable with beating suspects and accepting bribes, and is only tolerant of formality "until it stops people from doing their jobs". Though he enjoys life on the Citadel, Bailey misses food from Earth; he especially laments the lack of Sockeye Salmon on the station.

On Shepard's first visit to the Citadel after resurrection, Bailey rectifies identity record errors caused by the fact that Shepard is listed as dead, and also spares the Commander several days of bureaucratic run-around with a not-quite-legal alteration of records. If Shepard's status as a Spectre is restored before speaking with Bailey for the first time, his dialog changes to offering his services and willingness to clear out citizens from any area where Shepard is working on a case. During Garrus' hunt for Sidonis, Bailey points out a criminal known as Fade and expresses frustration and perplexity at Fade's ability to exploit the C-Sec system. He also gives a lead to Shepard and Thane Krios while they are searching for Kolyat. After the completion of Thane's loyalty mission, the Illusive Man expresses interest in recruiting Bailey to Cerberus.

During Mass Effect: Inquisition in 2186, Bailey is hoping to take a vacation to Earth to visit his child when he is summoned by Councilor Udina. Udina claims that C-Sec has been compromised and is working against the Council. Bailey is ordered to investigate Executor Pallin, who has been seen in Bailey's precinct recently. Bailey tracks Pallin to an office building and finds two dead C-Sec officers inside, one clutching a datapad displaying Pallin's face. Bailey confronts Pallin, who demands the datapad and calls the accusations against him lies. When Bailey tells Pallin to explain himself to the officers who will arrest him, Pallin snaps and attacks Bailey. Pallin is killed and Bailey takes a wound to the shoulder. Later, Bailey tells Udina of his misgivings about Pallin; Pallin was surprised about the charges against him and was also acting strangely. Udina dismisses this as the behavior of a guilty man, then promotes Bailey to Commander, telling him that his vacation will have to wait. Bailey is left saddened that he will miss visiting his child.

Armando-Owen Bailey returns in Mass Effect 3. He is now in-charge of the C-Sec operations of the Citadel Embassies quarters. He personally greets Shepard upon the Commander's return to the Citadel to petition the Council's aid in retaking Earth. In personal conversations with Shepard, Bailey expresses discontentment with his promoted position. He is more akin of an administrative assistant to the Council than a C-Sec officer. This is seen when Shepard first enters his office and witnesses Bailey attempting to calm down a news reporter demanding to see the Council. Moreover, Bailey, like many humans on the Citadel, has family left on Earth during the initial Reaper invasion. At the start of the events in Mass Effect 3, his wife's whereabouts are unknown, and he has not heard from his son and daughter once the comm buoys went down. Shepard later comes by Bailey's office to request that he release Jona Sederis, the leader of Eclipse. Aria T'Loak secretly leaned on the Council beforehand, but Bailey is desperately trying to stall, fearing what would happen if a murderous psychopath like Sederis were to be released. Shepard can either use Spectre authority to have her released or find another solution to committing Eclipse to the war effort. When Cerberus launched an unexpected assault on the Citadel, Bailey was wounded attempting to retake C-Sec Headquarters. Luckily, Shepard arrives and dispatched Bailey's attackers. Bailey then gained access to headquarters and set up a backup network so his fellow C-Sec officers can plan a counterattack. He then discovered a message from the salarian councilor, who was supposed to be meet with the executor, warning that someone on the Citadel has betrayed them to Cerberus. Bailey aided Shepard in beating Kai Leng to the Council after having learned that Udina was the traitor. Bailey personally made his way to Shepard's position, forcing Leng to flee; Bailey guesses that Leng figured that Udina's plan would fail.

Captain Bailey is voiced by Michael Hogan.

Conrad Verner

Conrad Verner is an enthusiastic and self-proclaimed "huge fan" of Commander Shepard. He can be found in the Citadel, at the top of the stairs in the upper Markets on the Wards. After talking to Conrad, it becomes clear that he has a romanticised view of what life as a Spectre is like, and is more interested in the tall stories of Shepard's achievements. If Shepard tells him to get lost, Conrad will march off, determined to prove he too can represent humanity, after which he will not be seen again. An elevator announcement later explains his absence: Conrad picks a fight with a group of turians and is killed as a result.

If Shepard is courteous, and agrees to give him an autograph, and then a photo, Conrad eventually convinces himself that he can be a hero as well, and asks Shepard to sign him on as a fellow Spectre and member of the squad. Shepard can Charm Conrad and convince him to stay at home with his wife, in which case he leaves quietly. Alternatively, Shepard can Intimidate him, to show him what it is like to have a gun in your face. Conrad will then renounce Shepard as his hero, and leave.

Conrad can be found in the Eternity bar on Illium, impersonating an Alliance officer wearing replica N7 armor. Regardless of Shepard's choices in the first game, he remembers Shepard putting a gun in his face (While initially a programming bug, it is commented on in Mass Effect 3 if Conrad is alive, and noted as a result of this being an unstable period in his life). Even though doing so caused him to renounce the Commander as his hero, he has decided to travel around the galaxy to defeat crime despite having no formal training. He claims that he is working for an undercover officer, but further investigation reveals he was lied to in order for the "officer" to obtain the deeds to the Eternity bar. Confronting the "officer" at Gateway Personal Defense allows Shepard to get a discount. Conrad will praise Shepard and thank the Commander for returning from the dead, then leave. After that, it is reported on the news that Conrad has formed a charity foundation, "Shepards", for refugees and orphans.

Conrad will storm off unhappily if Shepard tells him to get lost when first talking to him in the bar. Eventually, a news report will be heard reporting that Conrad has gotten himself killed attempting to capture transient youths hitching a ride on top of a bus. The report carries on detailing that Conrad fell from the bus, struck several passing cars and eventually fell into the power turbine of a bio-mass recycling facility.

Shepard can see Conrad in the refugee sector of the Citadel while investigating sabotage on local medical stations, where he is actively recruiting for Cerberus, his reasoning being that his hero was previously aligned with the pro-human organization. Shepard tells him what he is doing is wrong, he agrees to stop, and then asks the Commander what he can do to help. This leads to finding out he has a doctoral degree in Xenoscience and sends Shepard a copy of his dissertation on dark energy matter. He is even acquainted with Gavin Hossle, who forwards some ancient tech schematics to help with the construction if the Commander assisted in retrieving Hossle's data on Feros. If the Commander obtained all of Matriarch Dilinaga's Writings, and the Elkoss Combine Armory License in 2183, the schematics can be analyzed and the dissertation will have an additional bonus.

If Shepard speaks to Conrad enough times, Conrad will reveal what happened to the orphan shelter Shepard convinced him to found a few months ago. The shelter was doing really well until the Reapers attacked. Conrad continues by saying that he had to spend almost everything he had left to get the kids off-world. Shepard reassures Conrad that he did the right thing.

If Shepard keeps talking to Conrad, the Commander can get him to talk about his family, of which Conrad says that he has none to speak of. Shepard reminds Conrad of his wife, which he then reveals that he lied about. Conrad then admits that he has a picture of Shepard surrounded by candles as a shrine. He later identifies his Cerberus contact to Shepard. When the agent brings his gun up to the Commander, Conrad attempts to interpose himself to protect his hero. Luckily, Jenna had sabotaged the agent's gun, thereby saving Conrad. They then get acquainted over Conrad's relationship with Shepard.

If Shepard never dealt with Jenna in 2183, Conrad will be shot dead by the Cerberus agent while attempting to save the Commander's life.

Conrad Verner is voiced by Jeff Page.

Urdnot Wreav

Urdnot Wreav is Wrex's broodbrother, both of them having shared the same mother. He becomes the leader of clan Urdnot if Wrex dies in Virmire. He is more traditional than Wrex, placing the importance on his own clan over the krogan race as a whole. Shepard first meets Wreav in Tuchanka. He expresses gratitude to Commander Shepard for killing his brother, as it has led to him becoming leader of Clan Urdnot. Wreav is a traditional krogan, preferring war to peace, and doesn't have as much trouble as Wrex would have had with Gatatog Uvenk. After completing Grunt's loyalty mission, he permits Grunt to join his clan. If Wrex survived Virmire, Wreav will not make an appearance.

If Wrex is Clan Urdnot leader, Shepard meets Wreav for the first time in the Hollows, the sacred neutral ground for all krogan, during their attempts to cure the genophage. Wreav objects to the presence of Mordin Solus, or Padok Wiks if Mordin is dead, even when it is mentioned that he was going to cure the genophage, until Wrex headbutts him. During the land assault against the Shroud facility, where a Reaper was standing guard, Wreav's tomkah was sunk by Kalros, the mother of all thresher maws. He is believed to have died, to the indifference of Wrex, who comments that "he was always a pain in the ass".

If Wreav is clan leader, he will be much more traditional and aggressive than Wrex. For example, while Wrex is very respectful to Eve, Wreav treats Eve as his property and thinks of Eve as a "nag". Another example of this traditional, krogan mindset is his racist sentiments directed at various turians and salarians. His place as second-in-command is filled by Jorgal Thurak.

After Wreav is invited aboard the Normandy for the first time, Shepard finds out from Liara through Glyph that Urdnot Wreav has commissioned more weapons of mass destruction than any other krogan in known history, and has already used some of those weapons against other clans. However, Clan Urdnot still has a stockpile of conventional weapons despite Wreav's focus on weapons of mass destruction.

Also, Wreav's strategy for negotiations with the galaxy at large is to use force and intimidation as useful tools; if he threatens to have his krogan forces pay an alien planet a visit, for example, he doesn't have to actually follow through, knowing that merely the threat of krogan invasion will force others to listen and take the krogans seriously.

He is constantly seeking to turn situations to his vested advantage or the vested advantage of the krogan; once the genophage is cured, Wreav immediately takes the credit for it and spreads stories across Tuchanka of the day Wreav cured the genophage, which Wreav knows will cause all krogan to immediately respect him as the ultimate authority. Even when Wreav's forces show up at the final battle on Earth, Wreav can be overheard giving orders to the krogan to cooperate with the other alien forces but to use this opportunity to study their tactics and formations, implying that the krogan may have violent future intentions.

If Shepard did not reveal the sabotage and if Wreav is the Urdnot leader, Wreav never discovers that the cure had not been dispersed and is fooled into pledging support from his own clan and the rest of the krogan clans. In return for helping Dalatrass Linron to sabotage the cure, Shepard also receives backing from the salarian's First Fleet.

Urdnot Wreav is voiced by Jim Cummings.

Shiala

Shiala is an asari, a powerful biotic and former follower of Matriarch Benezia. Commander Shepard's team encounters her on Feros. Shiala was an acolyte of Matriarch Benezia for nearly two centuries, respecting her wisdom and biotic ability. Along with many of Benezia's followers, Shiala accompanied the matriarch aboard Sovereign as Benezia tried to guide Saren Arterius down a gentler path. When Benezia failed and became indoctrinated, Shiala also became one of Saren's thralls.

Shiala willingly served Saren and accompanied him to Feros, where Saren encountered the Thorian and discovered that the ancient alien plant had the Prothean Cipher he needed to understand the vision from Eden Prime. He managed to convince the Thorian to accept a trade. Shiala was 'sacrificed' to the Thorian and absorbed by it, sharing a single consciousness. She then used her biotics to gain the Cipher, which she transferred to Saren's mind. Once he had what he needed, Saren abandoned Shiala to the Thorian and ordered the geth to destroy it, hoping to prevent Shepard from gaining the Cipher. When Shepard's team arrived, the Thorian was somehow able to create clones of Shiala which served to communicate with Shepard. These clones were also biotics who attacked Shepard's squad as they tried to wipe the Thorian out. After destroying the Thorian, Shiala was freed and was fully herself again. She told Shepard of Saren's actions and how Benezia became a slave to his cause, and explained about the Cipher. Knowing the vision was the key to finding the Conduit, Shiala touched Shepard's mind and directly transferred the Cipher. She then asked to be allowed to go to the Zhu's Hope colony and help them rebuild as penance for what she had done. Shepard can then determine Shiala's fate — by releasing her to help Zhu's Hope, Shepard will gain Paragon points, which is also the default choice if Shepard is more concerned with leaving Feros. Alternatively, Shepard can determine that Shiala "switches sides too often" and thus decide to execute her; Shiala will accept her fate and kneel, offering no resistance as Shepard shoots her in the back of the head. Shiala is the only individual who has managed to completely overcome Sovereign's indoctrination without resorting to suicide. This is likely because she was linked directly to the ancient Thorian and 'indoctrinated' by the plant being in turn. After the Thorian died her mind was her own again.

If Shepard allowed Shiala to live after killing the Thorian, she can be found on Illium, investigating a medical contract made with the colonists of Zhu's Hope. Shepard can offer to negotiate with the company on Shiala's behalf. In the months after her exposure to the Thorian, Shiala's skin pigmentation changed to green — similar to her clones — and her biotic abilities became unstable. She also mentions disconcerting dreams of her time with the Thorian. If Shepard helps her, Shiala also professes an interest beyond mere friendship, saying: "Maybe sometime, when I'm not organizing the colony and you're not... doing whatever you do." She then smiles and strokes Shepard's arm before leaving. However, if the player allowed the Feros colony to die (but allowed Shiala to live after freeing her from the Thorian), then her dialogue and interactions with Shepard will change. She will say instead that she is a commando and doesn't know how to help people, but she will try. She will also not flirt with Shepard once the player helps her.

If Shiala survived, Commander Shepard will receive an email detailing how the colonists on Feros are fighting the Reapers. Due to the Thorian spores, colonists are given an uncanny ability to sense one another, allowing them to think and act as one in battle. The long-term consequences of this connection are unknown, but helpful for the time being. Shiala also mentions that she feels as though she is still indoctrinated, as she can feel the Reapers' influence in her mind. However, she says that this is overridden by her connections to the other colonists.

Shiala is voiced by Gwendoline Yeo.

Rana Thanoptis

Rana Thanoptis is an asari neurospecialist. Commander Shepard encounters her at Saren's base on Virmire.

Rana is hiding under her desk when Shepard and the squad enter her office. She begs them not to shoot her, and offers information in exchange for her life. Rana was employed by Saren and assigned to Virmire to continue the research there, but soon realised the dangers of studying indoctrination. She informs them that indoctrination does not just affect the subjects, such as the captive salarians, but the support staff too; Rana's first test subject was her predecessor. She tells Shepard more about indoctrination and Saren fearing that it might be affecting him too. She offers the squad access to Saren's private lab, where another Prothean Beacon is stored. Once Rana has told them everything, Shepard may shoot Rana as punishment for her actions or suggest she start running. If the latter option is chosen, Rana is horrified to hear they are planning to destroy the facility and flees, much to the squad and Shepard's amusement.

If Rana is allowed to leave Virmire, Shepard will encounter the asari on Korlus while seeking Dr. Okeer. She has mixed feelings about crossing Shepard's path again, but insists she did not put the second chance she was given to waste — despite being a part of the project involved on Korlus. Rana mentions that she had shut off the security cameras once she saw Shepard's approach to the facility. Once allowed to escape, she quips that she "knows how Shepard works", and expresses her intentions to get as far away from the facility as possible — this is likely referring to the nuke that Shepard had set off on Virmire. One of Shepard's squadmates will sarcastically comment on Shepard's decision to let her go again.

If Rana survived Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, she will appear in an ANN Report on indoctrination. She has apparently murdered several top asari officials and then committed suicide. While in custody, Thanoptis reported "voices" in her head (a typical symptom of indoctrination) to investigators.

Rana Thanoptis is voiced by Belinda Cornish.

Oriana

Oriana is Miranda’s sister. She is seen during Miranda’s Loyalty mission. Oriana was "grown" by Miranda's father when she was just a teenager. Seeing that her father wanted to replace her in his plans for developing a dynasty, Miranda took Oriana to Cerberus. She was adopted and was given a normal life. In 2185, Oriana's father paid Niket to find and retrieve her. Niket tracked her down to Illium, and used the Eclipse mercenary group to try and bring her back. Accompanied by Commander Shepard, Miranda prevented the Eclipse from capturing Oriana. At the end, Shepard can suggest that Miranda go up and talk to Oriana. If she does so, Oriana will later send a message to Shepard thanking the Commander, asking that Shepard doesn't tell Miranda she sent the message, and for Miranda to stop reading Shepard's mail.

By 2186, Oriana's father, now known as Henry Lawson, captures her after reaffirming his support for Cerberus. Miranda became aware of her disappearance and reached out to Shepard for help. Oriana was discovered on Horizon, where her father was conducting experiments on helpless refugees, turning them into husks or indoctrinated them to discover how to control the Reapers. Henry holds Oriana hostage when her sister and Shepard come for her. Though Shepard manages to convince Henry to let her go, Miranda was not interested in bargaining with him and defenestrated her own father. If Miranda did not survive the Suicide Mission, then Oriana will message Shepard via the private terminal saying that her father has made contact and she is going to investigate his activities. If Miranda is not present, Oriana can be killed in the standoff by falling to her death with her father, if Shepard didn't convince Henry to let her go and the Commander didn't shoot Oriana in the leg to free her.

Oriana is voiced by Laura Bailey.

Nassana Dantius

Nassana Dantius is an asari diplomatic emissary assigned to the Citadel, found seated in the Embassy Lounge at the Presidium. She will ask for Shepard's assistance to rescue her sister. Nassana will not talk to Shepard while the Commander is in the lounge, but sends a brief message to the Normandy later, asking for a discreet meeting. She needs the help of a Spectre for a personal mission. Nassana's sister, Dahlia Dantius, has been taken prisoner by a band of mercenaries who are holding her to ransom. Nassana broke Citadel diplomatic regulations and paid the ransom, but Dahlia has not been returned. She has tracked her sister to Sharjila in the Artemis Tau cluster and she begs Shepard to bring her back. After raiding the mercenary base, Shepard discovers that, far from being a captive, Dahlia was actually their leader and she was blackmailing her sister. After being confronted with this, Nassana abandons her facade and thanks Shepard for eliminating a potential embarrassment. If Shepard finds Sharjila independently, Nassana is almost disappointed that she did not have the chance to manipulate the Commander. If Shepard tells Nassana that she could have just told the truth to begin with, to which she concedes, but explains that "we have trust issues in my family". Nassana then offers a payment. Even if Shepard refuses her blood money, Nassana will pay anyway, claiming she does not like being in debt to anyone and suggests Shepard to give the money away if the Commander's conscience is bruised. Shepard can also Charm or Intimidate her for a bigger payout. Nassana agrees, saying that any fool can come up with credits, but she can place Shepard on the buyers list for prototype asari mods. This gives Shepard the Armali Council armory license.

Nassana is encountered on the planet Illium in the partially built Dantius Towers. Her unscrupulous business habits, namely killing anyone that threatened her reputation, has made her the target of Thane Krios. Aware that her life is on the line, she has sealed herself in the penthouse of Tower One and employed Eclipse mercenaries to protect her. She orders the salarian workers in the Towers to be purged by mechs shortly before Shepard arrives. When Shepard reaches her, she confronts Shepard and believes that the Commander is the assassin. If Shepard completed her assignment in Mass Effect, she will state that the situation is ironic, as Shepard killed her sister and now is going to kill her. If Shepard tries to explain that she is mistaken, Nassana does not believe that the Commander would decimate her security forces just to find the assassin. As she continues her accusations, Thane, who has surreptitiously infiltrated the office through the air ducts, kills the remaining guards then assassinates Nassana at point blank range. Thane mentions to Shepard that "she believed that one of her sisters would kill her", implying that Nassana may have more siblings other than Dahlia.

Nassana Dantius is voiced by Grey DeLisle.

Matriarch Aethyta

Matriarch Aethyta is first encountered as the asari bartender in the Eternity lounge on Illium. Aethyta is willing to discuss her life with Commander Shepard and how she ended up as a bartender despite being an asari matriarch. Aethyta explains that her father was a krogan who fought in the Rachni Wars and Krogan Rebellions, while her mother was an asari commando who also fought in the Rebellions. Her mother kept her commando leathers for "special nights" with her father, and her father always showed off his war scars and talked about how he stomped a Rachni Queen to death on some poisonous world. When Aethyta's father learned that he and Aethytha's mother were once mortal enemies during the Krogan Rebellions, they decided to have a final fight to settle things, a battle neither of them survived. During this time Aethyta was about a hundred years old and an exotic dancer. For the rest of her lifespan, she had many mates, including a turian, elcor, and a hanar. She also fathered a pureblood daughter, but her relationship with the mother didn't work out, and Aethyta lost track of her daughter. Aethyta has very different views on matters than other matriarchs and a very free-spirited, laissez-faire attitude to life. She seems to support the asari becoming more militant and active on the galactic stage, and believes that young asari should help improve society in their maiden years instead of becoming strippers or mercenaries. Her proposal that the asari should try to construct new mass relays was met with ridicule, causing the other asari to "laugh the blue off her ass". Realizing that no one wanted to listen to her arguments, Aethyta left Thessia for a less conventional martriarch's life on Illium. She is part of the assignment Illium: Conrad Verner, where an "undercover cop" is trying to buy the bar she works in. An amateur vigilante, Conrad Verner, was attempting to buy the deed to uncover a red sand seller. Aethyta told him that her bar didn't sell red sand—and besides, it is legal on Illium as long as the seller has a permit. She was ready to hit Conrad with a singularity before Commander Shepard got rid of him.

After Commander Shepard gains access to Presidium Commons on the Citadel and spoke to Liara at least once in Presidium Commons, she will be present at Apollo's Cafe. If Shepard assisted Liara in a mission against the Shadow Broker, Shepard mentions a video of Aethyta looking at the picture of Liara. If not, Shepard will speculate that the reason Aethyta is on the Citadel is to do with Liara. While talking to Aethyta, she confirms that she is in fact Liara's "father" and is watching Liara on behalf of other asari matriarchs, who are suspicious because of Liara's occupation as a powerful information broker, her relationship with Matriarch Benezia, and her friend Shepard's prior affiliation with Cerberus. If currently in a romance with Liara, Aethyta will refer to Shepard as a "boyfriend/girlfriend who used to work for Cerberus" in this section of dialogue, instead of a "human commander". Shepard can explain that they only worked for Cerberus to stop the collectors, and is no longer with them. Aethyta will then imply a threat towards Shepard, telling them that they wouldn't be anywhere near her daughter if they were still with Cerberus, telling them that "nobody messes with [her] girl". Afterward, Aethyta will point out that if she hadn't agreed to spy on Liara, the other matriarchs might have arranged to have her assassinated. After this, Shepard will tell her that that isn't going to happen, to which Aethyta agrees. If romancing Liara, the dialogue will differ slightly, with Shepard directly quoting Aethyta, to which she will tell Shepard that maybe they are good enough for Liara after all. Shepard will then tell her that Liara might like to meet her, and Aethyta will reply that they'll see how that goes. After talking to Aethyta, Liara admits that she already knew about Aethyta and can be asked into approaching her. If Shepard gets Liara to talk to Aethyta, the matriarch sends a group of asari mercenaries to volunteer their services against the Reapers' invasion. If Shepard recovers the Library of Asha and gives it to the asari military trainer in Purgatory, Aethyta gives her backing to the trainer about using the texts to increase the fighting ability of the asari.

Matriarch Aethyta is voiced by Claudia Black.

Khalisah al-Jilani

Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani is a human Westerlund News reporter. She appears at the C-Sec Academy on the Citadel, asking Commander Shepard for an interview as part of the Citadel: The Fourth Estate assignment. If Shepard agrees to the interview, al-Jilani's questions begin cordially, but gradually become more hostile. It soon becomes apparent that she is appealing to popular human opinion; she is critical of the Citadel Council, believing it treats humanity as a "poor relation". Al-Jilani asks Shepard if the Normandy has effectively been handed over to the Citadel, if the Council has been asking Shepard to put the Citadel's requests above humanity's needs, and - if Shepard has just returned from Noveria - whether the Commander was specifically asked to sabotage Peak 15, which she describes as a human research station. She will also ask about Feros if Shepard has just returned from there. Al-Jilani pushes for answers that will 'prove' Shepard is a shill for the Council and becomes irritated if she does not receive them. Shepard can answer al-Jilani's questions in several ways. Charm will give diplomatic answers that annoy al-Jilani; conversely, she agrees with several Intimidate answers, but still usually manages to include a snide remark in her responses. Eventually, Shepard can either calmly dismiss al-Jilani, realise she has an agenda and walk away - much to her annoyance - or, if she has particularly angered Shepard, punch her. Although Admiral Hackett will later disagree, it is possible to impress al-Jilani by answering her questions in ways that emphasise human independence and strength, with Shepard finishing the interview by saying, "Strong words. This is a good time for strong words." When the Commander uses the Galaxy Map to travel to another system, Admiral Hackett will contact Shepard and describe what the response was on Earth to al-Jilani's interview. Also, a news report can be heard when travelling in a lift on the Citadel, remarking on Shepard's behaviour toward al-Jilani.

Al-Jilani returns in Mass Effect 2, in a far corner outside of the Dark Star Lounge on the Citadel. She will again request that Shepard conduct an interview, asking loaded questions, drawing irrelevant conclusions, and other logical fallacies about the Battle of the Citadel and Shepard's choice of saving the Council or leaving them to die, in order to show Shepard in a negative light regardless of responses. Players can perform a renegade interrupt in the middle of her question, punching her in the face (she will have a black eye and other facial injuries afterward). If one waits through the question the option to charm the audience by saying that the sacrificed people are heroes (if the Council was sacrificed, Shepard will compare their background to humanity's past and note how the death of the Council allowed other species to excel) or intimidate her by responding that the audience and families of those sacrificed deserve better than her. Non-charm and intimidate options have Shepard simply walk away from her.

After Shepard returns to the Citadel to petition the Council's aid in retaking Earth, the Commander encounters al-Jilani the first time visiting Commander Bailey's office not as part of an assignment. Al-Jilani demands an interview from Bailey, and then from Shepard, before the former shuts the door. After that, al-Jilani confronts the Commander outside the Embassies, criticizing Shepard for abandoning Earth while countless innocents die. Shepard can attempt to punch her, which she will dodge. Then the Commander has the option of headbutting al-Jilani and admonishing her for her attempt at yet another slander report as she falls unconscious. She can be found unconscious on the floor for the remainder of Shepard's current visit to the Citadel. Should the Commander not headbutt her, al-Jilani will knock the Commander on the floor with an uppercut. If Shepard does not assault al-Jilani, the Commander can convince her that they are doing the right thing and ask for her assistance. Shepard tells her that they need all the help they can get, asking her to stay on the Citadel to keep asking the tough questions. If Shepard doesn't perform either morality interruption, the Commander will simply walk away from the interview. During the Citadel coup attempt, al-Jilani can be heard through static on a monitor near the Executor's office, trying to broadcast what is happening despite Cerberus' disruption of all communication.

Khalisah al-Jilani is voiced by April Banigan.

Gianna Parasini

Gianna Parasini is the human secretary to Administrator Anoleis at Port Hanshan, on Noveria. When the overzealous guards at the docking bay attempt to disarm Commander Shepard, she orders them to stand down, having confirmed Shepard's Spectre status. Parasini then meets Shepard at the entrance to Port Hanshan and mentions in passing that Matriarch Benezia is on Noveria, having recently travelled to Peak 15.

After Anoleis refuses to give Shepard a garage pass, Parasini beckons Shepard over and states that Anoleis is not the only person with a garage pass, remarking that "you can't bludgeon your way through bureaucracy". She hints that Lorik Qui'in, recently accused of corruption by Anoleis, has clearance to leave Port Hanshan. Shepard can follow her suggestion and, with Qui'in's clearance, raid the Synthetic Insights office for evidence that Anoleis is the one who is corrupt. The Commander is forced to shoot several ERCS guards, including Kaira Stirling. After Shepard and the squad leave Synthetic Insights, Parasini meets them on the stairs and asks about the "reports of noise". She then requests Shepard meet her for a drink in the hotel bar. Shepard can choose whether or not to oblige. If the Commander meets her, Parasini reveals that she is an agent for Internal Affairs. She is employed by the executive board and has been under cover, investigating Anoleis' corruption for six months. However, her position does not give her access to evidence that will help convict Anoleis: "He's a crook, not a moron! He doesn't keep logs on his computer saying 'This month I stole three million credits!'" She asks Shepard to convince Qui'in to testify — his evidence and testimony are everything she needs. In return, she will give Shepard a garage pass. At this point, Shepard can choose to assist Parasini by convincing Qui'in to testify. She is surprised Shepard wanted to help, given that the Spectres are able to operate outside the law, but nonetheless, she is grateful for the help. She then arrests Anoleis, hauling the salarian off as he demands Shepard to arrest Parasini for what she has done. As she leaves, Parasini cheerfully says she owes Shepard a beer. Alternatively, Shepard can betray her by warning Anoleis that Parasini is about to arrest him, allowing him to prepare his pistol for self-defense. When Parasini goes into Anoleis' office, gunshots are heard and Shepard later finds both of them dead. Shepard can also choose to ignore Parasini's request, and simply hand over the documents to Qui'in. In that case, both Anoleis and Parsini stay alive, Parsini only telling Shepard how disappointed she is.

If Parasini did not die, she can be found on Illium near Serrice Technology. If Shepard helped her pin evidence on Anoleis, Parasini makes good on her promise of buying Shepard a beer. After their brief chat, Parasini quickly excuses herself but not before leaving Shepard a note, seeking Shepard's help again; this time to arrest an asari smuggler named Hermia. If a male Shepard helps Parasini on Noveria and Illium, she will give him a kiss on the cheek. If Shepard didn't help Parasini on Noveria, she will still ask for help to arrest Hermia, but will not give Shepard a kiss. Alternatively, Shepard can choose to warn Hermia, at which point Hermia will run away. In this case Parsini will simply ask herself, "why do I even bother?" Through conversations on Illium, Gianna will reveal a bit of her past. She grew up poor, and originally intended to become a cop or C-Sec officer. She enjoys solving white collar crime, as she still has the thrill of the chase, but doesn't have to deal with anything too disturbing. When asked about the nature of her next mission, Gianna mentions that some people are interested in dark energy and whether it's something her superiors should be concerned about. This could possibly be linked to the star Dholen which was rapidly aging due to dark energy.

Gianna Parasini is voiced by Wendy Braun.

Gavin Archer

Dr. Gavin Archer is the chief scientist of Project Overlord at the Cerberus facility on Aite. Dr. Archer is the only surviving member of the Project Overlord research team. Upon arrival on Aite, Archer directs Commander Shepard to prevent the escape of the rogue VI that has taken over the facility. When Commander Shepard arrives at Hermes Station on Aite, Dr. Archer reveals himself on a nearby video monitor. He explains that a rogue VI has taken over and he has locked himself inside a computer room at the far side of the base. After Shepard prevents the VI from uploading itself off-world via the destruction of the base's satellite dish, he comes out of hiding. Upon first being asked the reason behind all this, Archer explains it as "Man's reach exceeding his grasp." He explains his brother, David Archer, volunteered as a test subject for the project merging a human mind and a VI, and the results have been "less than satisfactory." When Shepard comments about the destructive progress, Dr. Archer explains, "Even amid chaos there are lessons to be learned." He explains that David could not handle the merger, and is "more like a virus now", infecting the world's networks and seizing all technology he can find. He explains that if the VI was to ever get off-world, it would be a "technological apocalypse", with every computer turning against its user. He tells Shepard the only way to stop David is to infiltrate the fortified laboratory in Atlas Station, but only after overriding the security at nearby Vulcan and Prometheus Stations.

Upon further investigation it is revealed that David is a savant, a high functioning autistic whose photographic memory and mathematically gifted mind virtually made him a human computer. In addition, because the very basis of geth communication is founded upon simple calculations communicated phonetically, it is revealed that David could already commune rudimentarily with the geth even before his interface with the VI. Gavin saw the potential of his brother's mathematical mind interacting with geth technology, and when the Illusive Man threatened to shut Overlord down due to a lack of results, Gavin accelerated the project by forcibly connecting his brother to the VI, causing him a lot of pain in the process. While Shepard battles David in the Atlas Station core, Gavin begs David to stop his upload, and enters the core when Shepard drops David's shields. After viewing Shepard's horror at the state of David, Gavin asks to treat his brother for all the harm caused to him, but to continue the experiment, refusing to apologise: "If my work spares a million mothers mourning the loss of a million sons, my conscience will rest easy". If Shepard releases David, Gavin will say he's too valuable and will open fire at Shepard, which the Commander dodges, and Shepard then puts a gun in Gavin's face. If a Paragon interrupt is used, Shepard will pistol-whip Gavin. Either way, David is taken to Grissom Academy for care and treatment and Gavin is warned that should he ever come for his brother, Shepard will not hesitate to kill him. If Shepard keeps David hooked up, Shepard will punch Gavin, and will tell him the only reason he survives is because his research may prevent war with the geth.

If Shepard releases David, Gavin begins regretting having involved his brother with Cerberus; he refused to obey the Illusive Man's instructions to find a new subject to replace David and eventually fled to a group of similar ex-Cerberus scientists after erasing all information on Project Overlord, an action that resulted in Cerberus placing an order to its personnel for him to be shot on sight. Despite David's release to Grissom Academy, Dr. Gavin Archer will still assist in the war effort. However, if Shepard releases David to Grissom Academy but then does not complete the Grissom Academy mission before it's locked out and the students die, David is killed in the Cerberus attack as well. Then, if Shepard meets Dr. Gavin Archer later, Gavin will pull out a pistol, walk away, and a gunshot rings out. Even if the Grissom Academy mission was completed beforehand, Shepard can lie to Archer and claim they do not know David's fate, which will also cause him to commit suicide.

If Shepard allows David to stay at Project Overlord, then Gavin will be with the group of ex-Cerberus scientists. Upon being questioned, Gavin reveals that the data on controlling the geth from Project Overlord was in fact useful, and David eventually calmed down his emotions somewhat but one day just stopped responding to any stimuli at all. Gavin then had to pull the life support plug on David as a mercy killing. This caused Gavin to eventually defect from Cerberus since the guilt finally became too much. After the ex-Cerberus-scientists are rescued, Dr. Gavin Archer will assist in the war effort. If Shepard never rescued Project Overlord, then Gavin will be with the group of ex-Cerberus scientists. Once prompted about why he defected, he revealed that David eventually had gone out of control to the point of killing several scientists. Eventually, Cerberus used nuclear weapons on the base. Should Shepard resolve the situation with the quarians and geth before heading to Arrae, and not save David at any point, then revealing to Gavin that the geth are no longer a threat to organic civilizations will cause him to say that David's suffering was for nothing. He will then walk off and a gunshot is heard.

Dr. Archer is voiced by Simon Templeman.

Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib

Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib is one of the members of the quarian Admiralty Board. Zaal'Koris firmly opposes the idea of reclaiming the quarian homeworld, believing that the geth, being sentient, have as much right to live as the quarians, and advocates for the colonization of a new world instead. This has resulted in him being branded as a geth sympathizer. He is shown to be distrustful towards Rael'Zorah and his daughter, Tali. But Zaal'Koris later admits that he never hated Tali, he only thought her father's aim for war against the geth was wrong. His home vessel is the Qwib-Qwib. If Shepard asks about the name of the ship despite Tali's warnings not to, Zaal'Koris haughtily explains that some of the ships in the Migrant Fleet are previously owned vessels from other cultures and that changing their registry information is not always possible. He does admit that a name like the Defrahnz or the Iktomi might have been better, but he is proud of the Qwib-Qwib and refuses to change ships because of petty teasing. During Tali's hearing, Zaal'Koris will initially object to Commander Shepard's defense of Tali, saying that "a human has no business in such sensitive military matters". Shala'Raan will remind him that since he declared Tali crew of the Normandy, Shepard has the right to defend her. If Shepard brings Legion to Tali's trial, Koris will raise a different objection, demanding that quarian security remove the geth from the courtroom and accusing Tali of attempting to intimidate the admirals. Shala will then remind Koris that the captain of the Rayya, the ship on which the trial is taking place, permitted Legion on board and that Koris does not have the right to override a ship's captain on such a matter. In either situation, Zaal'Koris will withdraw his objection.

Against Koris' objections, and Tali's if she is appointed as an admiral, the other admirals chose to attack the geth, which caused them to seek help from the Reapers. Koris' ship is shot down while destroying a geth planetary cannon, though he survived the crash. As he is fighting for his life, Shepard arrives to extract him. The Commander can either choose to obey Koris' plea to rescue his crew or convince him to come back to prevent the Civilian Fleet he commands from falling apart. If the latter is chosen, Koris would back up Shepard in making peace for both quarians and geth. By 2186, Koris has been given command of the civilian fleets, so if Shepard does not rescue Koris but still makes sure the quarians survive the attack, some civilian fleet captains will panic and attempt to flee the system, but are cut down by geth in the attempt, reducing the "Quarian Civilian Fleet" War Asset. If Koris was rescued, however, the "Quarian Civilian Fleet" War Asset remains unaffected and Koris himself is gained as a War Asset.

Zaal'Koris is voiced by Martin Jarvis.

Shala'Raan vas Tonbay

Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay is a member of the quarian Admiralty Board during the events of Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3. After Tali'Zorah vas Neema is accused of treason against the quarian people, Admiral Shala'Raan is seen presiding over her hearing, but had to recuse herself from taking part in the hearing due to her relationship with the Zorah family. Shala is an old friend of Tali's father, having known the family for 25 years; Tali calls her "Auntie Raan". She and Tali's mother synchronised suits so that they could be in the same clean room for Tali's birth; as a result, she was sick for a week. Depending on Commander Shepard's actions on Tali's behalf, the Admiral will announce that the Admiralty Board has found her guilty and sentence her to exile or announce that the Board has acquitted her of the charges.

If Tali does not survive the events of the Collector attacks, then Raan will perform Tali's role in key plot events. If Tali is present, Raan will remain aboard the Normandy in the War Room, as a quarian envoy for the duration of the missions on Rannoch. If Shepard picks the geth over the quarians and Raan has taken Tali's role, she will commit suicide by shooting herself in the head. If the quarians are able to re-settle on Rannoch, Admiral Raan will change her name to Admiral Shala'Raan vas Rannoch.

Shala'Raan vas Tonbay is voiced by Shohreh Aghdashloo.

Han'Gerrel vas Neema

Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema is one of the members of the quarian Admiralty Board during the events of Mass Effect 2. He has had a history of causing trouble along the turian borders for a number of years. Han'Gerrel firmly supports the idea of reclaiming the quarian homeworld, stating that they have the largest fleet in the galaxy, yet ride around doing nothing. Tali argues that they may need the ships to combat the Reapers, but he replies that they will need a homeworld to shelter their non-combatants while they do it. He is derisively described as an "aging warship" by Daro'Xen vas Moreh. He is also friends with Tali's father, who he served with on the gunship Yaksa before his pilgrimage. During a batarian raid, six out of ten crewmen died, he and Rael were alone on the bridge, and the batarians had drawn off a tramp freighter. They were under orders to hold position, but Rael looked to Han'Gerrel and said "We're underage. They can't charge us with breaking formation." Rael'Zorah took the helm, Han'Gerrel took weapons, and they brought the freighter back. The crew hailed them as heroes while the brass called them idiots. Han'Gerrel and Rael received medals for their actions and were sent off on pilgrimage a little earlier than usual. He dislikes Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib, describing him as a "whining suit-wetter". During Tali's trial on the Migrant Fleet, Han'Gerrel sympathizes with her, believing her to be innocent.

Han'Gerrel was one of the admirals who advocated war against the geth, which drove the synthetics into the arms of the Reapers. As a result, the Migrant Fleet became trapped within the Perseus Veil. Commander Shepard subsequently arrives to provide assistance to the quarians, but after the Commander manages to disable a geth dreadnought, Gerrel chooses to open fire on the ship, despite the fact that Shepard and the squad are still aboard. When they return to the Normandy, Admiral Hackett reveals that Han'Gerrel has been a troublemaker in the turian border for years and Shala'Raan called on his reckless behaviour, threatening to charge him with treason. Han'Gerrel claimed that he was within his right as admiral of the Heavy Fleet and pleads with Shepard to understand his actions as a fellow soldier. Shepard has the opportunity to listen to the explanation, or slug Han'Gerrel in the stomach and send the Admiral off the ship. After Shepard's team and the Migrant Fleet destroy the Reaper controlling the geth, Han'Gerrel orders an all-out attack on the disabled geth fleet. Shepard has the choice to allow Legion to upload his software upgrades to the geth, allowing them to become truly sentient, or allow the quarians to destroy them. If the former option is chosen, Han'Gerrel will only break off the attack if Shepard has earned the trust of Tali and various other quarian leaders. If this has not been done, Han'Gerrel will continue the attack, resulting in the complete destruction of the Migrant Fleet.

Han'Gerrel vas Neema is voiced by Simon Templeman.

Daro'Xen vas Moreh

Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh is a member of the quarian Admiralty Board during the events of Mass Effect 2. After Tali'Zorah vas Neema is accused of treason against the quarian people, Admiral Daro'Xen is one of the three admirals present as judges, along with fellow admirals Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib and Han'Gerrel vas Neema. She is described by Han'Gerrel as being on the fence regarding Tali's treason and refers to the trial as "a farce born of fear". Though she has no interest in the trial, she knows that its subtle purpose to stir the Migrant Fleet to reclaim their homeworld. Xen describes Zaal'Koris as a coward and Han'Gerrel as "an aging warship". She sees Han'Gerrel's plans for war with the geth as foolish and self-destructive, but she has no qualms about experimenting on active geth. Her reasoning is that a starship can travel faster than she can and can make independent decisions with the right programming but can still be broken down. She reveals that she wishes to return the geth to the control of their rightful masters, the quarians who originally created them. If Legion is in the squad, Xen finds it fascinating, originally assuming it to be a simple mech built with a geth shell, more so that it chose a name, stating wistfully, "the things I could learn under slightly different circumstances", to which Legion responds, "this platform is not available for experimentation". Furthermore, Legion responds to her plans for controlling the geth by describing them as "unsound" — a statement with which Tali'Zorah agrees.

After Tali's trial is complete, Admiral Xen sends a message to Commander Shepard's terminal that she did some searching of her own aboard the Alarei. She cryptically states that had Shepard presented the results of Rael'Zorah's research, humanity would've reaped the benefits, instead, they "will watch from a distance as the quarian people reclaim not just their homeworld, but the largest synthetic army in the galaxy". If Tali's father is outed during the trial, Xen will chastise Shepard for revealing the nature of Rael's work in public. In this case, it is likely the research will be purged, or at least be too politically volatile for her to take advantage of.

Admiral Xen's corps of research and development eventually create a means to cause massive white-noise jamming against the highly precise geth ladar scanning systems, giving the quarian fleet a major advantage in any attempt to wage war against the geth. Upon this revelation, the Admiralty votes to go to war, with Admiral Koris and possibly Tali dissenting (if she was exonerated in her trial and subsequently promoted to her father's vacant Admiral office). If Tali is not present, Xen will provide assistance to Shepard during their mission to disable a geth Dreadnought. Unlike Tali, she will not fight through the ship, instead advancing to the operations center when Shepard has cleared the way and providing electronic support, later leaving with them in a geth fighter. After the mission is completed, Admiral Xen expresses interest in dissecting Legion (or the Geth VI if Legion is unavailable), to which Shepard can discourage.

In the middle of the operation to reclaim Rannoch, Xen gets into an argument over inter-ship comms with Tali over ship operations; Tali wants Xen's ships to do search and rescue ops for escape pods, while Xen wants to continue salvage operations on the destroyed Geth dreadnought. Admiral Xen later briefs Shepard on the rescue mission for Admiral Koris, mentioning that the Civilian Fleet is in danger of breaking up without their leader. Should Xen survive the resolution of the geth/quarian war, she will be sent to the Crucible to help with development and construction, signified as a War Asset.

Daro'Xen vas Moreh is voiced by Claudia Black.

Major characters in other media

Kahlee Sanders

First Lieutenant Kahlee (pronounced kay lee) Sanders is, to date, the female protagonist of the Mass Effect novels, makes her first in-game appearance in Mass Effect 3. Introduced in Mass Effect: Revelation, Kahlee is the daughter of Systems Alliance Admiral Jon Grissom, and participated in artificial intelligence research on the planet Sidon; it is during the events on this planet that she meets and falls in love with David Anderson, but the relationship is not pursued. Kahlee subsequently retires from active duty, but remains with the Alliance as a consultant on several classified research projects. When seen again in Mass Effect: Ascension, Kahlee is an administrator at the Jon Grissom Academy for gifted biotics, and is a technical consultant for their Ascension Project, which was looking into experimental techniques to improve biotics. When she discovers the Cerberus organization's ties to the Project and intentions, she becomes disillusioned and seeks to dismantle the Project. She ultimately flees to the quarian Migrant Fleet, which comes under attack by a Cerberus team led by Paul Grayson. Grayson has a change of heart during the battle, and Kahlee helps him defect. In Mass Effect: Retribution, she is reunited with Anderson, and they team together to help rescue Grayson, who has been subjected to cruel experiments with Reaper technology. Finally seeing incontrovertible evidence of the Reaper threat, she temporarily leaves Grissom Academy to help Anderson take a proactive role in combatting the Reaper threat. In Mass Effect: Deception, Kahlee and Anderson present Grayson's body to the Council in an attempt to prove that Reaper threat is real. In Mass Effect 3, she has returned to Grissom Academy, and training her students to become a biotic artillery squad, though she believes they would be better served in a less dangerous support role (Jack is helping her if she survived Mass Effect 2). The Academy comes under Cerberus attack again, and Kahlee must secure an escape transport while Shepard draws fire away from her and her students. Afterwards, she places Jack (if alive) in charge of the students while she lends her scientific expertise to building the Crucible, a superweapon designed to destroy the Reapers. Later on in the game, she contacts Anderson via e-mail, marvelling at the scope of the project, and telling him to stay safe.

She is voiced by Grey DeLisle.

Venari Pallin

The turian head of Citadel Security, Executor Venari Pallin acts as the liaison between C-Sec and the Citadel Council. He has an office on the Presidium near the embassies, and is seen arguing with Garrus Vakarian in the Council Chambers over Garrus' investigation into Saren Arterius. Unlike Garrus, Pallin is extremely "by-the-book" in his work, and refuses to allow Garrus more time to investigate. Pallin, a thirty-year veteran of C-Sec, makes no secret of his views. He dislikes both Spectres and humans, so Commander Shepard — the first human Spectre — is not a terribly welcome visitor to his office. He mistrusts Spectres because he believes nobody should act above the law — he claims he has never had to break the law to do his job. When Shepard points out that sometimes the galaxy needs people like the Spectres, Pallin concedes the point, but says in that case Spectres need to be held to a higher standard, or the Council might end up with more agents like Saren. His opposition to humans is mainly political: he thinks they are becoming too powerful too quickly, labelling them the Council's new 'pet'. Shepard retorts that humanity has to fight for every concession, which Pallin is pleased to hear, "but don't expect the rest of us to just sit back and let you take it."

Executor Pallin is still the head of C-Sec in 2186. When approached by turian Ambassador Orinia with the evidence against Cerberus, he created an all-turian task force to assist Orinia, David Anderson, and Kahlee Sanders in their efforts. He readily agreed to the request because he had served under Orinia during his stint in the military. Some time in 2186, Executor Pallin is under investigation by Donnel Udina, suspected of aiding and abetting the Council's enemies. Confronted by investigating officer Captain Bailey, Pallin angrily denies Udina's accusations and eventually resists arrest, opening fire on Bailey. The Captain returns fire, wounding Pallin. The Executor then attempts to tackle Bailey and is fatally shot.

Anto Korragan

Anto Korragan is a batarian bodyguard who serves Aria T'Loak on Omega. Anto makes a brief first appearance in Mass Effect: Redemption, preventing Liara T'Soni and Feron from seeing Aria T'Loak, Omega's leader and "pirate queen". When reminded that Aria might not appreciate that Anto has been selling information to Feron about who Aria meets with, Anto takes them up to Aria. Aria explains that she already knows about Anto's dealings since nothing on Omega is a secret from her, and that he's lucky she's fond of him.

Anto is encountered Mass Effect 2 when Commander Shepard enters the Afterlife Club to speak with Aria. Anto is stationed near the right staircase to Aria's booth at the club. He is involved in the assignment Omega: Packages for Ish. One of the packages that Ish asks Shepard to retrieve is a message which reveals that although Anto works for Aria, he also wants to pick up outside work. The message speculates that this might be a means to exploit Anto and infiltrate Aria's organization. Shepard can alert Anto of Ish's activities. Anto is thankful of the heads-up and "cleans up the mess" by later eliminating Ish.

In Mass Effect: Invasion, when the Adjutants attack, Anto leads Omega's defenders in protecting Afterlife. He is almost killed, but Aria arrives in time to save him and defeat the remaining Adjutants. While Aria boards the Cerberus warship Elbrus with General Oleg Petrovsky to oversee the defense against a wave of Adjutant-controlled ships arriving from the Omega 4 Relay, Anto stays behind in Omega Control to monitor the situation. He is one of the first to learn that the Elbrus has crossed the relay and left Omega, and assumes that Aria is either dead or transformed into an Adjutant. He begins planning to take over as Omega's leader, but his scheme is interrupted by Colonel Raymond Ashe, who slaughters Omega Control's operators and prepares the station to receive a Cerberus occupation force. In Aria's absence, Anto tries to unite Omega's various factions against Cerberus, but is unsuccessful in preventing infighting from breaking out. When Aria returns, Anto willingly returns to his duties as her assistant as she unites Omega's forces and the battle for the station ensues. Aria uses her allies to distract Petrovsky's troops while she and Anto make their way to the Afterlife Club to contact and confront the Illusive Man. Cerberus springs another trap, however: an Adjutant that Colonel Ashe had smuggled into the building in stasis is awakened and attacks Anto, killing him.

Feron

Feron is a drell information trafficker who is first introduced in the Mass Effect: Redemption comic book series. Feron was hired by Liara T'Soni to help her find Commander Shepard. However, he told her that the Commander is neither dead nor alive. Nonetheless, Liara insisted on finding Shepard. Unfortunately, they were ambushed by the Blue Suns, sent by the Shadow Broker to delay Liara. Suddenly, an unknown sniper gunned down the mercs, giving the two an opening to escape. They then ran into agents of Cerberus, a pro-human extremist group, who claimed that they were after Shepard too. Among the Cerberus agents was Miranda Lawson. The pair was brought to meet with the Illusive Man who revealed the Shadow Broker was working with the Collectors. After the meeting, Feron revealed to Liara that he had been ordered to lead her away from Shepard. But because of recent events, he is willing to help her.

Feron brings Liara back to the Afterlife Club, where the queen of Omega, Aria T'Loak resides. After learning the location where the Blue Suns would be bringing the body, Feron spotted Tazzik, the Broker's personal enforcer. Liara was half of mind to simply rush, but Feron thought of a better idea with a nearby turret. Unfortunately, he missed Tazzik's ship, alerting the Suns to their presence. Tazzik was then able to flee Omega, with Shepard's body. Liara accused Feron of still working for the Shadow Broker. The drell defended that he never stopped working for the Broker, which they could use to their advantage in tracking Taz.The two infiltrated the Broker's main base on Alingon, where Feron passes up Liara as his prisoner. But before they could go retrieve Shepard, Feron first wanted to go to the Broker's command center to determine what he's getting from the Collectors. Upon entry, they see what seems to be a shadowy hologram of the Broker. Liara kept him talking while Feron downloaded all of the information on the Broker's dealings. As soon as he was finished, he told Liara to unleash her biotics to disable the communications in the room, preventing any of the Broker's hired guns from learning their location.

While en route to Shepard's location, Feron admitted to Liara that Cerberus attempted to recruit him a few times but he refused to betray the Broker, until hearing about his deal with the Collectors. Working directly with the Illusive Man, they came up with a plan for Feron himself to snatch the body. But the Broker learned about this, so Feron had to use Liara to accomplish the plan. Feron ran up to Taz and the Collector he was talking with, claiming that the Broker wanted full payment for Shepard's body. Taz was willing to believe him, until the Collector blurted out that Feron's a traitor. The drell held off Taz so that Liara could escape. She was uncertain if he was killed or tortured, but she was determined to bring down the Shadow Broker for what he has done.

In Mass Effect 2, when Shepard goes to Illium and asks Liara about how she's been doing for the past two years, she eventually mentions a "friend" that she is looking for. She says that they were led to a place on their search together and were ambushed. Liara was able to make it out but her friend didn't. Liara believes he has been either captured or killed. In the Lair of the Shadow Broker downloadable content pack, Shepard is sent information on the Shadow Broker obtained by Cerberus. Shepard travels back to Ilium and passes this information onto Liara, who examines it and determines that Feron is indeed alive, and in the custody of the Shadow Broker. After surviving an assassination attempt by a rogue Spectre working for the Shadow Broker, Tela Vasir, Liara, with assistance from Shepard and the information obtained from Cerberus, travels to the Shadow Broker Base on the planet Hagalaz. There, they find Feron being tortured for his previous betrayal of the Broker. Unable to remove the drell from the device holding him down without killing him, Liara and Shepard confront the Shadow Broker, killing him in the process.

Now free from the Shadow Broker's custody, Feron opts to remain in the Shadow Broker's base so he can assist Liara, who has taken over as Shadow Broker following the previous Broker's death. He remains unsure what he will do afterward. Liara expresses great concern for Feron, worried his ordeal has left him mentally scarred. Shepard can ask Liara if she is romantically involved with Feron, and her answers will differ slightly depending on whether or not Shepard is in a relationship with Liara, but both result in Liara denying it. However, her response is somewhat ambiguous if Shepard is not romancing Liara. She points out that at this time, Feron is too emotionally unstable for a relationship and that it would be irresponsible "to take advantage" of the situation. Asking Feron about his relationship with Liara will result in him saying that Liara is a far better friend than he deserves.

If Shepard assaulted the Shadow Broker Base with Liara, Feron helps Liara abandon the base. He then takes up a role as one of Liara's agents and takes control of Terminus operations, much to the dismay of Tazzik. If Shepard doesn't help Liara overthrow the Shadow Broker, then Liara will say that she had to hire dozens of mercenaries to storm the Broker's lair, and that Feron didn't survive the assault.

Feron is voiced by Yuri Lowenthal.

Hendel Mitra

A former Alliance soldier, Hendel Mitra was the Security Chief of the Ascension Project. Hendel is described as tall with a muscular chest and arms, rusty-brown hair and light brown skin. His ancestry is said to be part Scandinavian, shown by his Nordic first name, and part Indian, shown his Hindu surname and place of birth. His personality is described as being gruff, loyal and military though somewhat over-zealous. Hendel was born in the suburbs of the New Calcutta megapolis, one of Earth's richest regions. During her pregnancy, his mother suffered exposure to dust-form element zero. Hendel was lucky and was born with biotic powers instead of birth defects. After being detected as a biotic, Hendel was sent to BAaT for training, but ran afoul of the strict military policies under which BAaT was conducted. Every effort was made to separate the teenagers from their families, including making them fear their own children's powers, and in Hendel's case the effort was too successful. He became estranged from his family and refused any contact with them, even after BAaT was shut down. He later enlisted in the Alliance military. Kahlee believes that Hendel's experiences at BAaT made him all the more determined to help Gillian Grayson, seeing helping her as a way to ease his own pain over the past.

At the opening of Mass Effect: Ascension, Hendel is concerned about Paul Grayson's drug addiction and his contact with Gillian. Though he suggests Nick would benefit from a clip around the ear once in a while, Hendel is actually very protective towards all the Project's children. When Gillian unleashes a biotic storm in the cafeteria, Hendel hesitates to stun her and has to use his own biotic talents to protect himself. Hendel blames himself for the destruction Gillian causes, and considers offering his resignation to the board over this incident - though he is also prepared to swallow his pride and ask Grayson to hire him as Gillian's private biotic tutor. However, Hendel's protectiveness toward Gillian pays off when he catches Dr. Jiro Toshiwa giving her cerebrospinal medication, resulting in a seizure. Though Jiro stuns Hendel several times, Hendel manages to stay conscious and keep Gillian alive with CPR until the EMTs arrive. After Jiro is revealed as a Cerberus operative, Hendel accompanies Kahlee Sanders, Gillian and Paul Grayson to Omega in order to protect Gillian from Cerberus. There they are captured by the Cerberus operative Pel, and held prisoner, discovering Hendel's suspicions were correct and Paul is also a Cerberus operative. Pel plans to sell Hendel, along with Gillian, to the Collectors and make a fortune.

All three are broken out by the quarian Lemm'Shal nar Tesleya and, after a battle with their captors, flee to the Migrant Fleet. Along with Gillian and Kahlee, Hendel is imprisoned on the shuttle during its long quarantine, but spends the time by giving Gillian lessons in using her biotic powers. He accompanies Kahlee on her tour of the Idenna, and is amazed at the free economy of the ship's trading deck. When Cerberus sends Paul Grayson and the quarian Golo to extract Gillian, Hendel supports the Idenna's crew by using his biotics in combat, but is badly hurt in the battle. He recovers enough to help defuse the explosives aboard the Cyniad before it can destroy the Idenna.When Kahlee Sanders leaves, taking Paul with her as a captive, Hendel remains behind aboard the Migrant Fleet with Gillian. He intends to serve as Gillian's protector while they travel aboard the Idenna, on her long mission to search for a new quarian homeworld.

In Mass Effect: Deception, Hendel Mitra and Gillian Grayson still live on the Idenna, where both have become trusted members of the crew. Mitra and Gillian help defend the Idenna when it comes under attack from a batarian slave ship, the Glory of Khar'shan. After the quarian head of the security team, Ugho, is killed during the boarding attempt, Mitra takes command and leads the counterattack. With Gillian's biotics, the quarians kill most of the slavers and take control of their ship. When one of the slaves aboard it, Hal McCann, tells Gillian that her father was dead, Mitra leaves with her on the batarian ship to see if they can find out what happened.

Nick Donahue

Nick Donahue is a biotic student at the Ascension Project. He was twelve during the events of Mass Effect: Ascension and received his L4 implant when he was eleven. Though one of the more talented biotics in the program, Nick was also known for being a bully. Hendel Mitra put him in lockdown for three weeks, after Nick reacted to his friend Seshaun's teasing by biotically pushing him over. Nick's arrogance got him in trouble when he picked on the wrong victim. On a dare from Seshaun and his friends, Nick went to speak to Gillian Grayson in the Academy's cafeteria and started making fun of her. Finally he used his biotics to knock her milk over; Gillian responded by throwing him twenty feet across the cafeteria before using her own abilities to wreak havoc. Nick survived, though he suffered a concussion and a bruised spine.

During the events of Mass Effect: Retribution, he was older and more developed in his biotic abilities. After Gillian's departure, he became the most talented biotic child at Grissom Academy. In the final chapters of Retribution, he "works together" with Kai Leng to defeat the Reaper-modified Paul Grayson. Kai Leng uses him to attack Grayson, resulting in Nick getting shot in the stomach. Kahlee and Anderson manage to save his life and he is in good condition in the final chapter of the book. It is also hinted at several times in the book that he has an undeniable crush on Miss Sanders, the first case of which being his adolescent body taking notice of her and him disliking Anderson because of the relationship Kahlee shared with him.

In Mass Effect: Deception, Nick is on the Citadel with David Anderson and Kahlee Sanders as they present evidence to the Citadel Council about Reaper involvement in Paul Grayson's attack on Grissom Academy. While Anderson and Sanders speak with the Council, Nick runs away to join a biotic supremacist group known as the Biotic Underground.

Gillian Grayson

Gillian Grayson was a student at the Jon Grissom Academy, and the adoptive daughter of Paul Grayson, a Cerberus operative and red sand addict. She showed promising biotic ability early on, and had high-functioning autism. Gillian was twelve during the events of Mass Effect: Ascension, and was likely exposed to element zero during the Cerberus-orchestrated industrial "accident" on Yandoa. Gillian is described as tall for her age with dark hair. Due to her condition, she was prone to silence, and was highly sensitive to social interaction and physical contact, with occasional bursts of sociability. She was given to Grayson as a baby by Cerberus, in order for them to infiltrate the Alliance's premier biotics research program, the Ascension Project. She was considered the potential 'saviour' of humanity by the Illusive Man and her father alike, though it is possible the Illusive Man used this excuse to further enthrall her well-meaning father into deceiving his daughter and breaking Alliance law.

During her time at the Project, Gillian was drugged by Dr. Jiro Toshiwa, apparently in an attempt to increase her biotic powers. Deliberately or not, this medication might also have been responsible for worsening her autistic condition. The medicine had the desired affect on Gillian's biotic abilities, allowing her to throw a fellow student, Nick, twenty feet, cause chaos in the Academy cafeteria and unleash a high-level biotic singularity before Gillian was stunned by Hendel Mitra. When Dr. Toshiwa gave her a cerebrospinal dose of the medicine, Gillian suffered a seizure and was hospitalised. After this, under the guise of a concerned parent, her father took her, Kahlee Sanders, and Hendel Mitra to Omega to "hide" her from Cerberus. His real intention was to hand Gillian over to his boss for further study and training. Unfortunately for him, Pel, her father's one-time partner, had revolted against Cerberus and intended to hand her over to the Collectors in exchange for valuable technology. Luckily, Lemm'Shal nar Tesleya, a quarian on his Pilgrimage, found them while searching for a fellow quarian and freed them from Pel's prison. Lemm took them to safety aboard the Migrant Fleet, but the three were isolated aboard their shuttle on the Idenna while the quarians debated what to do with them.

Gillian appeared to enjoy her time in confinement, and actually liked the quarian environmental suit she was asked to wear (to the extent it was a struggle to make her take it off). Kahlee speculated this might have been related to Gillian's autism and her reluctance to be touched. Meanwhile, Hendel took the opportunity to give Gillian one-on-one biotic tuition to improve her skill and control. Unfortunately, just as the quarians made their decision about what to do with them, the Idenna came under attack; Gillian's father had followed them to the Migrant Fleet with a squad of Cerberus commandos.

During the assault on the Idenna, Gillian was told to hide in Seeto'Hodda nar Idenna's quarters, but she became uncomfortable with the way everything had been rearranged and went back to the shuttle. She encountered several Cerberus operatives on the way, but with her abilities honed by Mitra, she was able to kill them with ease, even dropping a six-ton forklift on soldiers who tried to stop her. Her father managed to stun her, intending to take her back to Cerberus. However, Kahlee Sanders convinced him that Cerberus was trying to turn Gillian into a weapon, and that they had essentially been poisoning Gillian and making her condition worse, rather than turning her into a saviour. Finally Grayson agreed to let her stay on the Flotilla to protect her from a Cerberus which he no longer believed in, along with Hendel, who had formed a bond with the autistic girl. Both Hendel and Gillian were picked by the captain of the Idenna to accompany him on his search for a new quarian homeworld.

In Mass Effect: Deception, Gillian has become a trusted member of the Idenna's crew and has earned the quarian name "Gillian nar Idenna". She serves on the Idenna's security force with her mentor, Hendel Mitra. When the Idenna comes under attack from the Glory of Khar'shan, a batarian slave ship, Gillian's advanced biotic abilities turn the tables on the slavers and allow the quarians to capture their ship. One of the slaves aboard the ship is Hal McCann, a Cerberus operative who knew Gillian's father, Paul Grayson. After learning of her father's death from McCann, Gillian resolves to find her father's killer and exact vengeance. Knowing that the Idenna's crew won't refuse her after she had saved them from the batarians, she asks for and receives the Glory of Khar'shan to fly to the Citadel.

During the events of Mass Effect: Deception, she was ultimately killed by Kai Leng who used an improvised weapon to stab her.

Rasa/Maya Brooks

Rasa is a Cerberus agent who came from a mysterious background, but is one of the Illusive Man's top operatives and is the main character of the comic series Mass Effect: Foundation.

On a remote mining facility on an asteroid, a foreman strikes a boy for dropping rocks the child's carrying out. After a woman attacks the foreman, she takes the boy with her, using the child as a distraction for her to try to track down a "Roth". When the woman confronts a man who's working for Roth. He reveals that he knows the woman works for the Shadow Broker, while the man and Roth are associated with Cerberus. After the child briefly distracts the man, the woman gets the upper hand and gets the man to tell her that Roth has returned to Earth. The woman prepares to leave, with the boy trying to tag along, wishing to leave behind his previous life, which he has no future. The woman, now identified as Brooks, tells the boy that she can't trust anyone and starts to board her ship. She's suddenly shot in the back by the boy, who now reveals that he's actually a girl and that she now knows, thanks to Brooks, she can't trust anyone either. Years later, the girl, now a young woman, meets with the Illusive Man, calling herself Rasa, saying that she wants to join Cerberus.

In issue 2, Rasa gets assigned to find Fist, a former agent of the Shadow Broker who had just cut off his association and now has a hit ordered on him, with bounty hunter Urdnot Wrex ordered to take him out. Rasa's ordered to get to Fist and offer him protection with Cerberus in exchange for information regarding the Shadow Broker. After providing distractions to delay Wrex, Rasa reaches Fist's apartment, where she finds out that he has instead started working for Saren. When Fist suddenly arrives, Rasa warns Fist of his predicament and tells him that he only has two choices: either leave with her and help Cerberus, or be left at the mercy of Wrex. Fist tells her that he'll take a third option instead. Rasa later reports to the Illusive Man, who compliments her on the information she has found, as well as the means she had used to acquire it. He asks her why she chose to let Fist live, to which she replies that she wants to know more about why Fist sold out to Saren, which will be easier with him alive. When asked if she's worried that Fist will warn Saren about Cerberus, she expresses confidence that Wrex will get to him before that happens, also admitting, after having encountered Wrex in the elevator to Fist's apartment, that she's taken a liking to Wrex.

After the attack on Eden Prime, Kai Leng reports to Rasa that he hasn't found anything to explain the attack that could help, after interrogating an Alliance soldier who had survived. Rasa, who's on the Citadel, tells Leng that she found someone who would know, Ashley Williams. Masquerading as an Alliance psychologist, Captain Channing, she approaches Ashley, asking her for an evaluation to prove she's still fit for duty, which Ashley angrily consents to. After taking in Ashley's account of the attack on Eden Prime, Rasa reports back to Leng that it was the geth that were responsible, that they were trying to get to a recently uncovered Prothean beacon. With questions as to why Saren's involved with the geth, and why he's interested in the beacon, Rasa suggests that she go find Commander Shepard to get more information, which Leng tells Rasa to not to and to return to base.

After the events of Mass Effect, Rasa converses with the Illusive Man, telling him that she suggests Cerberus should become more focused on Commander Shepard. The Illusive Man replies that, while Rasa's not wrong, the situation's changed, since Shepard's now dead. He tells Rasa she's getting a more crucial assignment with Kai Leng: to apprehend the escaped biotic convict, Subject Zero, AKA, Jack. The mission fails, with the Blue Suns capturing Jack. As Leng and Rasa argue over responsibility in the failure to capture Jack, Rasa gets ordered to report to Miranda Lawson, who tells Rasa she's now part of the Lazarus Project, meant to bring back Commander Shepard. Miranda tells Rasa that they were able to broker a deal with a Spectre, and that Rasa's going to meet with the Spectre, disguised as a bounty hunter, giving a data disk with information regarding Cerberus (Miranda tells Rasa the information's outdated and irrelevant). From there, Rasa will try to find a way to acquire Shepard's Spectre files. On the Citadel, Rasa meets with the Spectre, Tela Vasir, who takes Rasa to the Spectre offices. After being left alone while Vasir confirms the data Rasa brought, Rasa begins the download, only to have Vasir return and tell Rasa that she knew what Rasa was up to. After an interrogation, where Rasa refuses to tell Vasir why Cerberus is interested in Shepard's files, Vasir tells her that she will bring Shepard's files to Cerberus, on a disk that also contains a virus, warning Rasa that if she alerts Cerberus, she will have a warrant on her throughout Council space. Later, in a bar on the Citadel, Rasa messages Miranda that she acquired the needed data. As she finishes a drink that someone had bought her, Rasa finds a substance on the bottom of the glass, alerting her that she has been poisoned. As she tries to leave, Rasa begins to feel the effects of the poison, staggering out of the bar. When a C-Sec officer is about to arrest her for public intoxication, another figure comes and takes responsibility. Rasa tells the figure that she wants to live, that she hasn't lived a complete life yet. The figure, now revealed to be Thane Krios, tells her that he believes her and that the person who ordered him to kill Rasa had misinformed him. After Thane gives her a prayer of guidance, Rasa passes out, coming to on a Cerberus station, surrounded by doctors and Miranda. Miranda takes Rasa's data disk that contains Shepard's files. Rasa weakly tries to warn her of the virus, but Miranda assures her that the situation's under control.

Weeks later, Rasa's still recovering in a Cerberus med bay when Miranda approaches her and tells her that her new assignment is to compile dossiers on potential new team members for Commander Shepard, which Rasa begrudgingly does. While working on the dossiers, Rasa confronts Miranda about her being kept under medical observation, and asking for an explanation. Miranda flatly replies that she doesn't need an explanation after pointing out that Rasa had been trying to hack the restricted files for the Lazarus Project, telling a silent Rasa to keep her priorities in order. Later, Rasa looks at the body of Commander Shepard's clone, which had been in made as a contingency, pondering what Cerberus has planned. Observing this, Miranda tells the Illusive Man that Rasa has become a problem and that she knows too much about the Lazarus Project. The Illusive Man tells Miranda that if Rasa can no longer be trusted, then they should "cut their loses."

As the lab technicians prepare to dispose of the body of Shepard's clone, Rasa arrives with a security mech and shoots the technicians and security, sabotaging the station's mainframe. Miranda immediately leads a security team to deal with Rasa. As Miranda attacks Rasa, the station's security mechs, which Rasa had reprogrammed to protect her, attack Miranda, delaying her long enough for Rasa to make it with Shepard's clone to a waiting shuttle. Miranda is able to catch up, at which point she and Rasa have an argument about Cerberus, with Rasa having enough of being "a puppet" for the Illusive Man, accusing Miranda of being blind in her allegiance to Cerberus. Just as Miranda is about to finish off Rasa, the last hacked security mech attacks her, distracting Miranda long enough for Rasa to escape with Shepard's clone. Later, Rasa addresses the clone, telling it that she has better plans for them.

Rasa returns in Mass Effect 3 's "Citadel" DLC, approaching Commander Shepard as Alliance specialist Maya Brooks. She warns Shepard that someone's hacking Shepard's communication channels, at which point a group of rogue soldiers, known as "Cat-6", attack Shepard, who barely escapes with Brooks. With help from Shepard's team, they trace the soldiers to casino owner Elijah Khan. Brooks gets assigned to hack through security at the casino, with Shepard providing distractions while attending a charity ball at the casino. When they reach Khan, they find him dead. It's finally concluded that someone's trying to take over Shepard's life, and Shepard, with the entire squad of friends, trace the individual to the Citadel archives, where they find out it's actually a clone of Shepard, created by Cerberus. The clone then flees, with Shepard giving chase, until Shepard and their squad gets trapped in a vault, where Brooks reveals that she's the mastermind behind the whole conspiracy, believing that Shepard has forgotten who they are supposed to represent, and leaves Shepard and their squad locked in the vaults in the archives to die.

Shepard escapes and chase Brooks and the clone to the Normandy, where they plan to steal the ship. Just as they leave, Shepard makes it on board and confronts the clone, while Joker and Cortez use a sky-car to make a diversion to keep the Normandy from escaping the Citadel. Shepard is able to get the upper hand and defeats their clone, with Brooks reluctantly backing away as the clone dies by falling from the Normandy. Brooks is taken into custody, where she begins to taunt Shepard, trying to distract them while she begins to hack her handcuffs. Depending on Shepard's choices, they can either convince Rasa to back down and accept her fate, at which point she agrees and gets taken away, or she escapes her cuffs, only to be shot dead by either Shepard or one of their squad members.

Brooks is voiced by Siobhan Hewlett.

Oleg Petrovsky

General Oleg Petrovsky is a Cerberus commander introduced in Mass Effect: Invasion. Petrovsky is an experienced and formidable soldier, but is also a tactical genius well-versed in military history. Viewing the path that humanity is taking and the looming danger of the Reapers in that context, Petrovsky is concerned about humanity's future and strongly supportive of Cerberus' plans.

As Aria T'Loak defends Omega from the Adjutants, hostile Husk-like creatures unleashed on the station by a Cerberus transport ship, the Illusive Man dispatches General Oleg Petrovsky and Colonel Raymond Ashe to aid her in containing the threat. Petrovsky is in command of a powerful starship called the Elbrus, which he uses to decimate the remaining Adjutant-controlled Cerberus ships surrounding Omega. When first encountered by Aria aboard the station, Petrovsky is euthanizing a turian who had been badly wounded by an attacking Adjutant. Aria accuses Petrovksy of butchering aliens, but as a nearby salarian transforms into an Adjutant, the general points out that what he is doing is a necessity; killing those who were attacked is the only way to stop them from transforming.

Petrovsky then asks Aria to gather together what help she can provide the Elbrus so that they can defend against the next wave of ships, which will likely have much better weaponry, until Cerberus reinforcements arrive. When Aria asks if he will make a last stand, like how he lasted against a turian assault for several weeks when he was a corporal, Petrovsky explains that the strategies he's using were chosen because the makers of those strategies lived. As more Adjutant ships enter Omega's space, Petrovsky vows to lift the siege.

The Adjutant ships quickly overwhelm those defending Omega. Petrovsky takes the Elbrus through the Omega 4 Relay, reasoning that they can be stopped at the source: Cerberus's Avernus Station. Petrovsky, Aria, and a Cerberus squad clear the station out, but Aria overexerts herself with biotics and passes out. The Illusive Man orders Petrovsky to restrain her and drop her off at a research station so that Cerberus can take over Omega virtually unopposed; without Aria's leadership, the fragile peace between Omega's gangs splinters, allowing Cerberus to move in. Petrovsky complies, but begins to express suspicions about how the Adjutants were released. He is not pleased with the possibility that so many of his men were lost to only further a ruse.

During the return trip to Omega, Aria breaks free and forces Petrovsky to take her back with him. Petrovsky warns Colonel Ashe in a coded message that the Elbrus has been compromised, but Ashe's preparations fail to catch Aria and she escapes into the station, where she quickly unites the gangs against Cerberus. In the following battles, Petrovsky and Ashe come into conflict, with the General appalled at Ashe's disregard for the safety of his own troops and civilians.

When he realizes that Cerberus has no hope of defeating Aria on her own turf, he comes up with a plan to get her to talk. Aria has a plan of her own and designs an ambush to distract Petrovsky's forces while she slips into the Afterlife Club to contact the Illusive Man. Thinking his superior had failed, Ashe triggers a trap in Afterlife: he remotely releases an Adjutant in the building to kill Aria. Petrovsky expresses outrage that Ashe would endanger Cerberus's troops and the station's civilians, but Ashe argues that they are acceptable losses. They struggle briefly before Aria hurls the Adjutant into them. It infects Ashe before Aria finishes it off. As his subordinate transforms, Petrovsky kills him to protect his men.

Now that he can speak with Aria, Petrovsky reveals that he has already won the battle for Omega. He had evacuated most Cerberus forces earlier so that the fleet surrounding the station could open fire and destroy it in the event it could not be secured. He gives Aria two options: she can continue to fight and be destroyed with the station she cares for so much, or she can accept exile and surrender Omega to Cerberus. Knowing that Petrovsky will back up his threat, Aria concedes. Petrovsky finally secures Omega for Cerberus. In his report to the Illusive Man, the General asserts that Aria was most likely killed and turned into an Adjutant, and Colonel Ashe is missing and presumed dead. He states that he hopes this victory will help spare the lives of his soldiers in future battles in the defense of humanity. Afterward, Petrovsky reflects on his last conversation with Aria and predicts that one day, she will return.

Aria returns in the Mass Effect 3's Omega DLC where she enlists the aid of Commander Shepard on a desperate mission to regain control of the Omega station. He first appears after the mercenary fleet Aria has amassed enters the system and begins its attack on the station; he hails Aria's ship and advises her to turn back, revealing to having upgraded Omega's defenses. This proves to be true as the defense cannons easily cut through the Silaris armor of Aria's ship. However, Aria and Commander Shepard are able to board the station and disable its defenses.

Petrovsky spies on Aria's movements through security cameras during the initial stages of Aria's attack, determining that she is going to her bunker. He sends troops there to prevent them from getting in, but they are unable to stop her.

Petrovsky later appears via hologram at one of the main reactors, trapping Aria, Shepard and Nyreen Kandros in an enclosed force-field and smugly declares that he has beaten them. However, Aria and Nyreen manage to use their biotics to briefly open a hole in the force-field for Shepard to get to the reactor controls. Upon reaching the controls, the Cerberus general informs the Commander that shutting down the reactors to deactivate the force fields would endanger Omega's civilians. As Shepard grapples between cutting the power and rerouting it - which will take time and endanger Aria and Nyreen, Petrovsky questions the Commander's resolve to helping Aria, pointing out that she would sacrifice anything and anyone for her own selfishness. However, if Shepard is an Engineer, the Commander can use their omni-tool to reroute power quickly, which surprises him. Either way, the force-fields are deactivated and the trio survive. As Omega goes into a riot with civilians attacking their Cerberus oppressors, Petrovsky readies himself for the final battle.

As Shepard and Aria near Afterlife, where Petrovsky has set up his command post, Nyreen, alone, runs off ahead, directly into a group of rogue Adjutants. Nyreen sacrifices herself to destroy the Adjutants, enraging Aria, who charges into Afterlife. However, she runs right into a stasis trap set up by Petrovsky. The general then unleashes a horde of perfected Adjutants along with a number of Cerberus soldiers upon Shepard. Shepard manages to free Aria from the trap and the two of them then proceed to defeat the Adjutants and the Cerberus troops. Without his last line of defense, Petrovsky realises he has been beaten and both surrenders and orders his remaining forces to stand down.

Aria and Shepard then confront Petrovsky. Though he offers to provide the Alliance with intelligence on the Illusive Man in exchange for amnesty, and reveals that he let Aria escape Omega in the initial Cerberus assault, a vengeful Aria assaults Petrovsky and starts strangling him.

Depending on Shepard's actions during the mission, she may relent at the last moment and hand him over to the Commander. Alternatively, Shepard can intervene and get Aria to spare him. Shepard can decide to spare the General, handing him over to the Alliance, or leave Petrovsky to Aria who kills him on the spot, delivering a slow, painful death as revenge for taking Omega. Shepard can also choose to execute Petrovsky by shooting him in the head.

If Petrovsky is spared, he contributes to the war effort. He is taken to an undisclosed location where the Alliance interrogates him for information about Cerberus's activities. He is cooperative, providing the location of a Cerberus base that the Alliance destroys, and Alliance officials are likely to grant him asylum.

Oleg Petrovsky is voiced by Brian George.

References

External links

• Mass Effect official website

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