Freelancers is a fanfiction series based on the video games, Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. It begins shortly after the end of ME2, and the story will play out in a way that completely ignores the plot of Mass Effect 3. To be brutally honest, the third game--while it had some truly wonderful character moments and two generally well-written story arcs involving the genophage and Rannoch--was mostly just an awful mess. I'm trying to convince myself that it never existed.
Overview
Information on the setting, alien races, and worlds of the Mass Effect universe for anyone unfamiliar with the games, as well as profiles of the main characters appearing in Freelancers. Planets, races, and characters will be added as they become important to the story. More detailed information on the games' setting and characters can be found in the Mass Effect Wiki.
For a quick introduction, here are the trailers for the first two games:
For a quick introduction, here are the trailers for the first two games:
Freelancers Characters
Chula'Raalga vas Sulaco
Image credit: Skyline19 at DeviantArt
A young quarian who left the Migrant Fleet to begin her Pilgrimage, and shortly afterward encountered a ship full of batarian pirates who attacked and boarded her ship. She was badly wounded in the fight, and the pirates took what little of value they found and left her to die. To her shock, she was rescued by a geth ship. After they operated on her wound, she felt she owed them her life, and stayed with them. They bought a human-registered freighter, built two specialized platforms to place aboard it, and Chula joined them to continue her Pilgrimage and find out what the geth were up to.
Chula is not the typical quarian. While she's as adept at computers and gadgetry as any other, she decided to focus more on combat, learning any hand-to-hand fighting style she encounters on her travels, including alien ones. She also wants to become proficient in every weapon she can get her hands on. She has an adventurous spirit--once she got a taste of life outside the Fleet, she's not sure she ever wants to return, though she still wants to do everything she can to help her people. She's good-natured and compassionate, but can be quite dangerous when defending herself or a friend.
Pictured: Chula waiting casually in a corridor on Omega for a bounty she's been tracking to come within reach. Picture done by the awesome Skyline19 on DeviantArt.
Chula is not the typical quarian. While she's as adept at computers and gadgetry as any other, she decided to focus more on combat, learning any hand-to-hand fighting style she encounters on her travels, including alien ones. She also wants to become proficient in every weapon she can get her hands on. She has an adventurous spirit--once she got a taste of life outside the Fleet, she's not sure she ever wants to return, though she still wants to do everything she can to help her people. She's good-natured and compassionate, but can be quite dangerous when defending herself or a friend.
Pictured: Chula waiting casually in a corridor on Omega for a bounty she's been tracking to come within reach. Picture done by the awesome Skyline19 on DeviantArt.
Lia'Vael nar Ulnay
Image credit: masseffect.wikia.com
A young quarian on her Pilgrimage who appeared briefly in Mass Effect 2. Commander Shepard overhears a volus and a C-Sec officer accusing her of stealing the volus merchant's credit chit. Even after the chit is found in a nearby software market, the volus having dropped it there on the way out, the merchant refuses to back down and the officer threatens to arrest Lia for vagrancy.
Lia was stranded on the Citadel for a long time, having come there to find work so she could continue her Pilgrimage. No one would hire her, and many were downright hostile toward her. When Chula meets her, Lia has gotten so desperate that she decided to sell herself into indentured servitude on Illium. Her contract is finally purchased by Wayland and Yutani, a pair of prototype geth platforms who own the ship Chula serves on, and she becomes part of the crew.
Lia was stranded on the Citadel for a long time, having come there to find work so she could continue her Pilgrimage. No one would hire her, and many were downright hostile toward her. When Chula meets her, Lia has gotten so desperate that she decided to sell herself into indentured servitude on Illium. Her contract is finally purchased by Wayland and Yutani, a pair of prototype geth platforms who own the ship Chula serves on, and she becomes part of the crew.
Weyland and Yutani
A pair of geth platforms similar to Legion, but able to hold many more individual geth programs; 2,507 in Weyland, 2,913 in Yutani. Both platforms were given names by Quentin Bork, a human member of their crew, who also named their ship.
Upon receiving the latest updates from Legion after the final battle with the Collectors in Mass Effect 2, the geth realized several things. One, that remaining isolated would not help them coexist peacefully with the rest of the galaxy. Two, venturing into the galaxy to learn about organic species and attempt to prove their good intentions could give them a real chance at working out their differences with their quarian creators--and with the Old Machines gearing up to begin the next galactic extinction, if everyone doesn't begin cooperating soon, every advanced species in the galaxy could be wiped out. And three, if Legion hadn't survived the mission to stop the Collectors, a huge amount of data could've been lost because the platform was too far away after the Normandy passed through the Omega-4 relay to back up any of its files. Everything it learned since the most recent backup could've been lost forever.
So they built two more platforms and sent them out to study organics, explore the galaxy, and conduct their "PR campaign." If they manage to make enough progress, more new platforms will be built to perform the same function, but at a slow rate to avoid triggering a fear of invasion.
As one of their social experiments, Yutani was designed to look "female" and given a feminine-sounding (yet still very geth-like) voice, while Weyland resembles all other platforms and has a standard "male" voice. Both platforms often wear clothing while mingling with organics, in an attempt to make themselves less noticeable, at least from a distance.
Weyland and Yutani and less advanced geth units started off doing odd jobs in places where the presence of robots or AI wasn't questioned much, and once they had enough money, they purchased an old freighter to place their newest platforms aboard. They then began picking up additional crew members, all of them organic beings, starting with their rescue of Chula. While they're technically the captains of the Sulaco, they often defer to the rest of the crew because they're still unfamiliar with how the rest of the galaxy works and are still learning their way around. They take their responsibilities seriously, and are quick to place themselves between their crew members and harm.
Upon receiving the latest updates from Legion after the final battle with the Collectors in Mass Effect 2, the geth realized several things. One, that remaining isolated would not help them coexist peacefully with the rest of the galaxy. Two, venturing into the galaxy to learn about organic species and attempt to prove their good intentions could give them a real chance at working out their differences with their quarian creators--and with the Old Machines gearing up to begin the next galactic extinction, if everyone doesn't begin cooperating soon, every advanced species in the galaxy could be wiped out. And three, if Legion hadn't survived the mission to stop the Collectors, a huge amount of data could've been lost because the platform was too far away after the Normandy passed through the Omega-4 relay to back up any of its files. Everything it learned since the most recent backup could've been lost forever.
So they built two more platforms and sent them out to study organics, explore the galaxy, and conduct their "PR campaign." If they manage to make enough progress, more new platforms will be built to perform the same function, but at a slow rate to avoid triggering a fear of invasion.
As one of their social experiments, Yutani was designed to look "female" and given a feminine-sounding (yet still very geth-like) voice, while Weyland resembles all other platforms and has a standard "male" voice. Both platforms often wear clothing while mingling with organics, in an attempt to make themselves less noticeable, at least from a distance.
Weyland and Yutani and less advanced geth units started off doing odd jobs in places where the presence of robots or AI wasn't questioned much, and once they had enough money, they purchased an old freighter to place their newest platforms aboard. They then began picking up additional crew members, all of them organic beings, starting with their rescue of Chula. While they're technically the captains of the Sulaco, they often defer to the rest of the crew because they're still unfamiliar with how the rest of the galaxy works and are still learning their way around. They take their responsibilities seriously, and are quick to place themselves between their crew members and harm.
Dakka
One of the MSV Sulaco's heavy hitters, Dakka is a young female krogan, perhaps the only female currently off Tuchanka. Born to the Forsan clan, her true name is Forsan Kalana, but she changed it when she walked away from her homeworld and her own people. Many years ago, she had resigned herself to the role that most krogan females play--remaining on Tuchanka and serving as a brood mare. Just before the male who'd been chosen for her arrived, however, her clan was attacked by a rival clan. Many of her sisters were killed in the battle, and she suffered a wound that left her unable to bear children. Since there was no point in staying, and because she was so completely disgusted with her own species, she left Tuchanka the instant she'd healed enough to walk onto a shuttle, turning her back on the krogan and never giving it a second thought since.
Dakka loves to fight--for her, it's just fun--so she began hiring herself out as a merc. Eventually, she met the crew of the Sulaco and was invited to stay with them. While she's as boisterous as any krogan, she has a good sense of humor and is quite mellow. When she's not fighting, she's usually very relaxed and casual. During combat, she's brutal, but unlike the typical krogan, who simply charges head-on into enemy troops, Dakka prefers either massive firepower or precision attacks. She's studying a wide range of martial arts, including many human styles, and Chula is teaching her what she knows. While she's as bulky and muscular as any other krogan, she's also honed her technique to the point where she's quite fast and agile.
Because of her youth combined with her off-kilter sense of humor, she sometimes provides her own sound effects during hand-to-hand fights. For example, when punching an opponent, she's been known to yell, "Bonk!" or "Boink!" and sometimes follow it up with a giggle.
Dakka loves to fight--for her, it's just fun--so she began hiring herself out as a merc. Eventually, she met the crew of the Sulaco and was invited to stay with them. While she's as boisterous as any krogan, she has a good sense of humor and is quite mellow. When she's not fighting, she's usually very relaxed and casual. During combat, she's brutal, but unlike the typical krogan, who simply charges head-on into enemy troops, Dakka prefers either massive firepower or precision attacks. She's studying a wide range of martial arts, including many human styles, and Chula is teaching her what she knows. While she's as bulky and muscular as any other krogan, she's also honed her technique to the point where she's quite fast and agile.
Because of her youth combined with her off-kilter sense of humor, she sometimes provides her own sound effects during hand-to-hand fights. For example, when punching an opponent, she's been known to yell, "Bonk!" or "Boink!" and sometimes follow it up with a giggle.
Quentin "Quint" Bork
Human, age 24, he's one of the Sulaco's tech experts. He joined the two geth platforms shortly after they rescued Chula. Slim but wiry, he can handle himself in a fight, but his true expertise is electronics and programming. He's a bit of a geek and has a fondness for twentieth- and twenty-first century books, vids, and games, which rubbed off on Chula soon after they met.
Having grown up reading and watching these, he wanted to see the galaxy since he was a child, and jumped at the first opportunity. He briefly considered joining the military, but it didn't take long for him to realize it wasn't for him. After finishing school, he began hitchhiking on starships, trading his services as a technician in exchange for a lift from his current location to wherever the ship was going. He was already knowledgeable in computer systems and what he didn't know, he learned quickly.
When he boarded the Sulaco, it didn't have a name, and neither did the two geth units. He soon fixed that.
Having grown up reading and watching these, he wanted to see the galaxy since he was a child, and jumped at the first opportunity. He briefly considered joining the military, but it didn't take long for him to realize it wasn't for him. After finishing school, he began hitchhiking on starships, trading his services as a technician in exchange for a lift from his current location to wherever the ship was going. He was already knowledgeable in computer systems and what he didn't know, he learned quickly.
When he boarded the Sulaco, it didn't have a name, and neither did the two geth units. He soon fixed that.
Winchester "Winnie" Magnum
Bio coming soon.
Spectre Operative Valeria Terakkis
Like any other turian, Valeria began a public-service career at age fifteen. Having chosen a military career path, she began as a soldier before eventually moving on to a series of black-ops jobs including wetwork assignments. After proving herself exceptionally talented at combat and lone-wolf operations, she was inducted into Special Tactics and Reconnaissance.
She's among the best there are at fighting and killing people. How unfortunate that she hates it, and hates the kind of person it turns her into – cold, calculating, and often brutal. One of her greatest fears is the thought of becoming a remorseless killer – or worse, one who actually enjoys taking life. She did find herself slipping toward that path a few times, and it terrified her. She's afraid there's a monster inside her, and if she lets it take over, she may not be able to contain it again.
Having developed serious concerns about the way the Spectres handle their operations, she finally resigned after Spectre Saren Arterius went rogue and led an attack on the Citadel in 2183. After spending a few months doing odd jobs and trying to figure out what to do with her life, she crossed paths with a talent scout for Fornax who offered her a role in a series of porn vids. She accepted it just to try something different and do something that didn't involve killing people or getting shot at. She was paired with a human, Irving Kostmeyer, and they got along so well that they began seeing each other outside work, and were married shortly afterward.
Two years later, Valeria was forced back into her old Spectre job. She asked to be reinstated so she could legally resolve the matter of Irving's grandmother being targeted by a local crime boss. The Council didn't want her walking on and off the job whenever it was convenient for her, and made her continued service a part of the bargain. Now she's back where she was two years ago, but is determined not to let it change her ... yet she still fears she won't be able to prevent it.
She's among the best there are at fighting and killing people. How unfortunate that she hates it, and hates the kind of person it turns her into – cold, calculating, and often brutal. One of her greatest fears is the thought of becoming a remorseless killer – or worse, one who actually enjoys taking life. She did find herself slipping toward that path a few times, and it terrified her. She's afraid there's a monster inside her, and if she lets it take over, she may not be able to contain it again.
Having developed serious concerns about the way the Spectres handle their operations, she finally resigned after Spectre Saren Arterius went rogue and led an attack on the Citadel in 2183. After spending a few months doing odd jobs and trying to figure out what to do with her life, she crossed paths with a talent scout for Fornax who offered her a role in a series of porn vids. She accepted it just to try something different and do something that didn't involve killing people or getting shot at. She was paired with a human, Irving Kostmeyer, and they got along so well that they began seeing each other outside work, and were married shortly afterward.
Two years later, Valeria was forced back into her old Spectre job. She asked to be reinstated so she could legally resolve the matter of Irving's grandmother being targeted by a local crime boss. The Council didn't want her walking on and off the job whenever it was convenient for her, and made her continued service a part of the bargain. Now she's back where she was two years ago, but is determined not to let it change her ... yet she still fears she won't be able to prevent it.
Irving Kostmeyer
Bio coming soon.
General Natalie Kurakova (Retired)
Bio coming soon.
Lantar Sidonis
Image credit: masseffect.wikia.com
Originally appeared in Mass Effect 2. Bio coming soon.
Kenn
Image credit: masseffect.wikia.com
Originally appeared in Mass Effect 2. Bio coming soon.
Alien Races
Quarians
Image credit: masseffect.wikia.com
Nomadic species with severely weakened immune systems from spending centuries living on sterile ships after they were driven from their homeworld, Rannoch, by their own robotic servants, the geth. They live in protective suits that keep them sealed off from the outside world. The rest of the galaxy tends to look down on them, considering them little more than vagrants, scavengers, or thieves. Quarians tend to be highly skilled at engineering, programming, and other technical jobs.
Pictured: Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, the main quarian character in the games.
Pictured: Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, the main quarian character in the games.
Geth
Image credit: masseffect.wikia.com
The robot servants built by the quarians centuries ago. In the quarian language, Khelish, the word "geth" means "Servant of the People." The geth became sentient, the quarians panicked and tried to eliminate them, and the geth fought back, driving them from their homeworld. The geth call this conflict the Morning War. Once the quarians evacuated Rannoch, the geth remained isolated...until recently.
In ME1, the geth were a hostile force encountered numerous times, but ME2 revealed that these "Heretics" were just a small fraction of the geth population, the rest of which isolated themselves to prevent harm to everyone else as well as to themselves.
Pictured: the geth platform designated "Legion," which contains 1,183 geth programs that form a gestalt consciousness.
In ME1, the geth were a hostile force encountered numerous times, but ME2 revealed that these "Heretics" were just a small fraction of the geth population, the rest of which isolated themselves to prevent harm to everyone else as well as to themselves.
Pictured: the geth platform designated "Legion," which contains 1,183 geth programs that form a gestalt consciousness.
Krogan
Image credit: masseffect.wikia.com
Bipedal, reptilian aliens; large, warlike, extremely tough and resistant to toxins and radiation thanks to the harsh environment of their homeworld, Tuchanka. Have redundant bodily organs--two hearts, four lungs, etc. Males have four testicles, often referred to as a "quad." Able to heal rapidly by regenerating damaged tissue at an alarming rate. Infected by the "genophage" which reduced fertility in females, resulting in 999 out of every 1,000 births ending in miscarriage. Fertile females are rare, and are kept on Tuchanka for attempts at repopulation. It's unusual to see a female krogan anywhere other than Tuchanka.
Pictured above: Urdnot Wrex, an adult krogan.
Pictured below: Grunt, an adolescent krogan. Dakka, the main krogan character in Freelancers, is her species' equivalent of a teenager, and therefore resembles Grunt. |
Turians
Image credit: masseffect.wikia.com
Bipedal species native to the planet Palaven. Usually over six feet tall, with sharp teeth and mandibles on either side of their mouths. Somewhat avian in appearance, but unlike birds or raptors, they give birth to live babies. They have a metallic carapace that protects them from radiation from Palaven's sun. Generally a militaristic and disciplined people.
Pictured: Garrus Vakarian, the main turian character in the games.
Pictured: Garrus Vakarian, the main turian character in the games.
Asari
Image credit: masseffect.wikia.com
A mono-gendered species (all asari are female), and the closest to humans in appearance. Native to the planet Thessia. One of the oldest of the spacefaring races in the current 50,000-year cycle, and the first (after the Protheans) to achieve interstellar travel and discover the Citadel. The typical asari lifespan is over 1,000 years, and they have the ability to produce children with any alien species.
Pictured: Commander and crew member of the asari dreadnought Destiny Ascension
Pictured: Commander and crew member of the asari dreadnought Destiny Ascension
Batarians
Image credit: masseffect.wikia.com
Bipedal species with four eyes, native to the planet Khar'Shan in the Terminus Systems. Because batarians are isolationists, their civilians are not allowed off Khar'Shan, so the ones you meet in the games tend to be military, mercenaries, criminals, pirates, slavers, or terrorists.
Pictured: a pair of batarian terrorists with a pack of varren in the "Bring Down the Sky" DLC for Mass Effect 1.
Pictured: a pair of batarian terrorists with a pack of varren in the "Bring Down the Sky" DLC for Mass Effect 1.
Reapers
Image credit: masseffect.wikia.com
Starship-size synthetic intelligences that hibernate in the space outside the Milky Way, awakening every 50,000 years to invade the galaxy and harvest specific advanced organic species and exterminate the rest. This cycle has continued for millions of years. It's not yet clear why they do this, and it's quite possible that their minds are so alien, their motivations may never be known.
Pictured: The Reaper named Sovereign leading the Heretic geth in an attack on the Citadel in 2183.
Pictured: The Reaper named Sovereign leading the Heretic geth in an attack on the Citadel in 2183.
Technology
Mass Relays
Image credit: masseffect.wikia.com
Mass transit devices usually located in star systems throughout the galaxy, which form an enormous network that allows interstellar travel. Using such relays, a ship can cross from one side of the galaxy to the other in a matter of seconds. Once thought to have been built by the Protheans, information has recently been uncovered suggesting that the mass relays may actually predate the Prothean civilization which became extinct 50,000 years ago.
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