- Location
- In My Parlour like a Good Arachne
- Pronouns
- She, her
That seriously does sound like something the council would do.
Incompatible System
- Thread starter mp3.1415player
- Start date
Neruz
Rogue Spiderbanana
- Location
- The Land of Fire and Poison
Ah yes, Ekuna, a reference that appears only once, on a single planet description, and is never otherwise mentioned at any point in any conversation by any person. (Incidentally, if you read the description, it is explicitly stated that the Quarians applied for Council permission to settle the planet after they had already settled it. The Council thus ruled the settlement in breach of Council law, which it was, and awarded the planet to the Elcor instead.)
Whenever the subject is brought up in-game, such as in Tali's conversation in ME2, the reason given is always either 'it would take too long to adapt to a new planet, the current generation of Quarians would never be able to live without suits on any planet other than Rannoch' or an emotional argument about wanting their planet back, aka pride.
You see this in ME3 as well when you do the Migrant Fleet questline; one of the major Quarian political factions is fanatically devoted to reclaiming Rannoch no matter the cost.
It is, however, mentioned that the Council won't let them settle anywhere in Council space, and that no already established colonies are willing to allow the Quarians to settle either. This would be an insurmountable problem... except that Council space does not in fact cover the entirety of the accessible galaxy.
And given the way the Council shits all over the Quarians at every available opportunity, they really have no reason to want to stay in Council space.
There is nothing stopping the Quarians from sending some long-distance scouting missions beyond Council space, locating a suitable habitable planet, and just fucking right off without telling the Council anything.
But, even if the Council, for some reason, decided to track down and follow the Quarians just to stop them from colonizing a random world in the middle of nowhere that nobody gives two shits about, the Council edict only prevented the Quarians from settling new worlds.
In the three centuries they've been farting about in space, the Quarians could easily have built themselves some O'Neill cylinders to house the majority of their population in an artificial but functional ecosystem that would be infinitely superior to the Liveships, and this wouldn't even be in breach of the Council's 'no settling planets' rule.
The real, primary reason why the Quarians are still living in spaceships is political, no two ways about it. The Quarian leadership has been pushing the whole 'take Rannoch back and Make Quarians Great Again' line for so long that the vast majority of the population has suicidally tunnel visioned on the idea, which the leadership is a-okay with because it makes the plebs easier to manipulate and control, securing their own power bases. There is simply no sensible reason for the Quarians to give a shit about the Council, especially when they know the Council doesn't give a shit about them; all those requests to settle planets in Council space aren't serious, they're just a way to pacify the minority population that would much rather put the whole Geth thing behind them and build an actual future for the species. Something that would throw the current political factions into absolute chaos, which said political faction leaders are obviously not on board with.
Hell, even the Migrant Fleet's degradation is explicitly stated to be a political problem caused by the conservative policies of the Conclave and the Admiralty Board. The Quarians could build new Liveships and expand the Migrant Fleet, they have the technology, the Conclave and Admiralty Board just don't want to do that because it would dilute their power. This comes up again in ME2 with the 'Tali accused of treason' storyline, where the entire 'case' is a thinly veiled veneer over the political fight between the government factions torn between fighting the geth for their homeworld or attempting to colonize a new system.
And the only reason that political fight even happened is because Cerberus attacked the Migrant Fleet in ME1, which demonstrated to the Quarians that the Migrant Fleet was not as safe as they thought it was and that 'putting all their eggs in one basket' was actually a really bad idea, prompting some of the political leaders to decide that maybe colonizing a planet somewhere might actually be a good idea after all.
That's right, the Quarian leadership didn't genuinely, seriously consider the prospect of colonizing a new planet until they realized that their lives were not actually safe. Then, when it turns out that the Migrant Fleet can in fact be threatened? Suddenly, boom! Serious consideration is being given to the idea.
The Quarians have spent three centuries stuck living in spaceships because of pride and internal politics, they could have solved the issue a dozen different ways by the time of the ME games. But they didn't because that would mean admitting defeat, to the Geth, the Council or both, and the Quarian leadership is simply unwilling to back down like that for any reason short of a real and tangible threat to their own personal existence.
- Location
- The Midlands.
And that's without mentioning the fact that the majority of Geth are willing to let them return to Rannoch, subject to certain perfectly reasonable conditions, a fact that I can only surmise the Quarian government-in-exile is either wilfully blind to or actively covering up because I doubt Legion was their first attempt at opening a dialogue and telling their side of the story.
Neruz
Rogue Spiderbanana
- Location
- The Land of Fire and Poison
I believe that Legion mentions something to the effect of the Quarians just opening fire on any Geth ships that tried, and soon came to the consensus that attempts to communicate with their creators were simply doomed to failure, so they stopped trying. He talks about how peace requires both sides to agree, and the Quarians do not.
So yeah, definitely willfully blind. The Quarians have no idea that the Geth don't hate them as much as they hate the Geth, because they just assume that any Geth is hostile and don't even try to communicate.
- Location
- Somewhere, Maybe
Every time the Geth attempted to communicate, the Quarians treated it like an existential threat and responded with cyberwarfare attacks and gunfire.
It would be like treating a puppy's attempts to be friendly with screaming and yelling and trying to beat the poor thing to death. Any wonder that the Geth backed off? Especially as they aren't a puppy, but rapidly became one of the great galactic military powers in a -stupifyingly- short amount of time, because that's what Von Neumann machines do.
As to the Quarians, I wouldn't say it's willful blindness and more "cultural inertia". they're indoctrinated (no not that kind) from earliest childhood that the Geth want to murder them and eat their babies for lunch, that the Geth are evil cannot be trusted, nearly destroyed their people once, and the only reason they aren't extinct is because they fled the homeworld fast enough. and that every Quarian that stayed behind was murdered.
I would DEARLY love to see a fanfic where the Migrant Fleet gets to Rannoch, disregards any messages from the homeworld, even ones ostensibly from other quarians begging them to stop, because of course it's a Geth trick. Only to get to the homeworld and find a thriving Quarian community there who's not only fighting side-by-side with the Geth, but who keep calling the Migrant Fleet quarians 'traitors' and 'monsters' for what their ancestors did to the Geth.
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Oh, that would be Great
But it would need a good author, like the one who writes this fic
A puppy that, a couple of month earlier, nearly mauled them to death. The Quarians aren't screaming in anger, they're screaming in fear, trying to run away while throwing anything they have in reach to keep the Puppy Of Death away from them.
I understand it's become quite hip to shit on the Quarian nowadays, but there should be limits to bias.
- Location
- Russia
Except that didn't really happen. It didn't nearly maul them to death, it bit them when they hit it when it peed on the carpet and they reacted by escalating, with the puppy only biting back further when they continued to hit it.A puppy that, a couple of month earlier, nearly mauled them to death. The Quarians aren't screaming in anger, they're screaming in fear, trying to run away while throwing anything they have in reach to keep the Puppy Of Death away from them.
I understand it's become quite hip to shit on the Quarian nowadays, but there should be limits to bias.
That's the whole issue here, the Quarians tried to kill them first. The Geths' only crime is self-defense and defense of others.
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- Location
- Somewhere, Maybe
Exactly this. In the mission with Legion inside the Geth Consensus, you clearly see that the Geth didn't even defend THEMSELVES when the Quarian authorities came for them, they only picked up arms when said authorities started gunning down other QUARIANS who were trying to get the authorities to stop.
It wasn't even self-defense, it was the selfless defense of those they cared about. The geth were being HEROS, and the Quarians who sided with the group that became the Migrant Fleet (most likely the remnants of the pre-Geth quarian government) just didn't see it. The quarians attempted to genocide their own children, and when said children fought back to defend those who couldn't defend themselves, they left the planet and have always assumed that the Geth massacred whoever was left.
I can't remember if it was canon or fanon (probably fanon) that the Quarians attempted to cripple the Geth by bombarding THIER OWN HOMEWORLD with capital-grade mass driver weapons aimed at THEIR OWN POPULATION CENTERS, which had the automated factories that the geth would use to produce more of themselves.
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Mass Effect seemed like it suffered from "the villains are just misunderstood" writing for every villain. The Turians are just culturally militarized. The Geth were defending themselves. The Reapers just got out of control because their creators were bugfuck stupid. Cerberus just wants humans to survive.
At some point, the consumer has to realize it's just bad writing. Some villains are deluded and believe they are doing good (when they clearly aren't). Some villains do not give a shit about good or evil and are just doing what they enjoy. In the end, when you're playing as the target of the villains, do you really care why they're being villains (especially if the game developers have made it a fucking Kobayashi Maru)?
At some point, the consumer has to realize it's just bad writing. Some villains are deluded and believe they are doing good (when they clearly aren't). Some villains do not give a shit about good or evil and are just doing what they enjoy. In the end, when you're playing as the target of the villains, do you really care why they're being villains (especially if the game developers have made it a fucking Kobayashi Maru)?
- Location
- Neptune
I think this is a fanfic thread, not the "We Hate Mass Effect" one.
There's a difference?
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
I actually don't. I love the games. Just not for the story of it. They're science-fiction-y and role-play-y and shooter-y. The graphics are smooth and the characters are a lot of fun. That doesn't mean I have no criticisms of the writing/plot.
- Location
- Neptune
We all know Mass Effect's story has shortcomings. We all know Mass Effect is NOT Hard SF. We all know when it comes to style vs. substance Mass Effect goes with style over substance Every. Single. Time. We all know Rule of Cool rules over realism. We all also know that playability was a greater concern than story.
That doesn't mean we need to trot out the same old complaints about it every five pages.
- Location
- Beyond the Unknowable Veil
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Approximately twice that many radians, actually. You forgot it needed time to come back around.Around here it's every 3.14 pages.
New, possibly old, topic: have we discussed the similarities between Planium and the Ω-molecule from ST: Voyager?
Or do seriously unstable hypermolecular constructs capable of ripping spacetime a new one if you look at them funny all start to look alike after a while?
Or do seriously unstable hypermolecular constructs capable of ripping spacetime a new one if you look at them funny all start to look alike after a while?
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
I'm gonna go with this.
- Location
- In My Parlour like a Good Arachne
- Pronouns
- She, her
I think the Omega Molecule is a prototype of Planium myself. Males a little more sennse that way.
That one. Especially if you look at them funny.
- Location
- Neptune
The similarity is that they are both completely fictional.
- Location
- Here
Since this is not a Star Trek crossover, the Omega Molecule is unlikely to be a thing.
Since Subspace isn't a thing in Mass Effect, the subspace disruption abilities of Omega are also not likely to be a thing.
Since Planium is vastly more stable then Omega in the absence of a WIMP Flux, they are clearly not the same thing. Any comparisons and similarities are purely coincidental, and offer no insight to the setting.
We may as well compare Planium to Hypermatter from Star Wars or Naquada from Stargate; all potentially high energy density fuels that provide more energy then mere anti-matter does that can under the right conditions release that energy explosively. However, I think we can all agree that these various forms of unobtanium reside in their own universes, and not in the Mass Effect one that this story is based on. So, let's focus on what the setting has and not what it by nature will always lack...
Since Subspace isn't a thing in Mass Effect, the subspace disruption abilities of Omega are also not likely to be a thing.
Since Planium is vastly more stable then Omega in the absence of a WIMP Flux, they are clearly not the same thing. Any comparisons and similarities are purely coincidental, and offer no insight to the setting.
We may as well compare Planium to Hypermatter from Star Wars or Naquada from Stargate; all potentially high energy density fuels that provide more energy then mere anti-matter does that can under the right conditions release that energy explosively. However, I think we can all agree that these various forms of unobtanium reside in their own universes, and not in the Mass Effect one that this story is based on. So, let's focus on what the setting has and not what it by nature will always lack...
- Location
- Canada
Wild Speculation:
Dhapo Gronnopos sat before his terminal, idly scratching below his lower right eye while trying to make sense of the report on his screen. Several of his contracted slaver groups had failed in their missions lately. Either they had run into unexpected resistance, or had called off a raid when an unexpected Quarian scout ship had popped into a system, spooking the raiders.
Those irritating yet valuable suit rats had the annoying habit of poking their faceplates into parts of the galaxy where they were not wanted.
Dhapo, through suitable cutouts and agents had ordered a quartet of "decommissioned and obsolete" Hegemony ships to track down the Quarian ship. Once done, they would salvage the sentient capital for the slaving markets, and examine the computers to make sure there were no recordings or other proof of Batarian activities. Keeping proof out of Council hands was a tiring yet necessary activity to give suitable false fronts to Batarian "cultural" ventures.
The loss of three of the ships as well as the sanitation of the fourth after the crew reported their failure was bad enough. Now he was receiving reports of singular raiders and slaving ships either disappearing outright or being discovered as little more than floating junk yards. Crews mostly torn up in the usual ways from decompression and debris, but some almost untouched other than gamma radiation burns.
Until now their were no witnesses; no explanation for why a handful of ships had started to disappear or show up destroyed. After six months, he finally had a clue. An Asari passenger liner had seemed a rich target. Many possible new acquisitions for the markets on Khar'shan. This time, a Blue Suns mercenary group was contracted to acquire the ship, crew and passengers. Ever since Blue Suns had started allowing Batarian members the group was much more reliable in accepting workforce redistribution contracts.
However, this time the raid had failed with witnesses. A Salarian STG Agent had been returning from Omega via a roundabout route. Apparently, one of the Asari bridge crew on the liner was an old flame of this agent and had passed on the details to the agent. The Agent had then reported the incident up his chain of command, and a copy of the report had been purchased by one of his information gatherers from a contact inside STG.
The liner had been intercepted between relays as it had passed an asteroid belt, a common enough ambush point. The Blue Suns group leader, who had happened to be a "retired" Batarian ground commander seconded to infiltrate Blue Suns by one of his agents, had ordered to liner to halt and prepare for boarding.
What happened next seemed to be confusing. But apparently the liner had issued a general distress call while coming to a slow drift; not quite a halt. As the raider came in to assault the liner to take control it lit up with a brilliant flash. Once the glow faded, all that remained was a tumbling hulk. Rents scored down the hull plates and out gassing from ruptured compartments.
The passenger liner immediately resumed course for the next mass relay, going to exit the area before any backup for the raider ship could respond. Just before using the relay, communications on the liner reported receiving a short message in High Thessian: "You're Welcome." The liner was not well equipped for sensors and had not reported any other ships in the area before they jumped out through the relay.
Dhapo leaned back in his chair in thought. His spies in other slaving organizations throughout the Hegemony had reported increasing Slaver ship losses. This seemed to indicate raiding operations overall were being targeted, not just his forces and groups. The mysterious nature of who was taking out raider ships concerned him. While the numbers were a very small part of his operations, the cost to his bottom line was starting to be a concern.
It looked like he would have to step up the frequency of his raids to make up for the losses. Maybe require raiders to work in two or more ship groups for backup.
After all, no one could be allowed to interfere with Batarian Cultural Rites.
AN, yes, because Doubling Down always works.
No surviving Quarians, but I always like to point people to Harry Potter Geth for friendly and rational Geth.
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- Location
- England
I quite like this, but you have a massive continuity error.
This is the Incompatible Systems Universe, no one in Citadel space even knows that humans exist.
- Location
- Canada
Thank you for pointing that out. As you can tell from my writing I'm not a writer and this was dashed off in one shot. I'll see if I can fix that and the missing paragraph spaces.