One of the main questions regarding Cerberus in ME3 is where did they get such a large military force from (especially after the damage done to them during Retribution)? And why are they now working with the reapers after their opposition to the reapers in ME2?
"Cerberus, once comprised of small, covert cells of agents, is now a burgeoning and unconcealed threat to the galaxy. In the face of the immediate Reaper threat, Alliance Intelligence has scuttled their attempts to infiltrate Cerberus to find out how the Illusive Man managed to quickly swell his organization’s ranks." -- N7 Ops (from the official website) description of a Cerberus Centurion.
The part that I bolded implies that Cerberus's sudden growth occurred prior to the reaper arrival on earth which means that it's unlikely that the reapers directly had a hand in the growth of the organisation. Not only is this force strong in numbers but it is also technologically advanced:
""Strong as a semi, and just as maneuverable" is how Cerberus soldiers describe the Atlas Infantry Fighting Exoskeleton. Cerberus' research armsought to combine the deadly armor and firepower of a YMIR mech with
the tactical superiority of a trained human pilot, and in this respect they succeeded admirably...
...The shield is made from a polycrystalline material proprietary to Cerberus – Alliance engineers can only hypothesize that it is some kind of synthetic sapphire composite with interlayers to avoid cracking and thermal damage. Whatever it is, it's been the end of many opponents who thought they could put a bullet through it, only to find that they’ve leaned out of cover and angered the pilot of a very deadly war machine. " -- N7 Ops description of the Cerberus Atlas mech.
We know that Cerberus are a technologically advanced faction, but this still seems like a step up for them. Now, if you follow Cerberus Daily News, you may have read this article:
01/10/2011 - Scientists on Mars Assess New Chamber in Prothean Ruins
“Controversy brews tonight as scientists on Mars assess the contents of a newly opened chamber in the Prothean ruins. The opening has been a dream of exoarchaeologists for decades, delayed by the many steps necessary to replicate Prothean code keys and crack the cryptography for entry. Critics say the Milky Way Foundation,which provided supercomputers for the cryptanalysis, could hoard any Prothean discoveries. Dr. Unira T'Lam, liaison from the Citadel Committee on Paleotechnology, says she's been kept in the dark. "Foundation personnel have orchestrated a security system that keeps out everyone except a select cabal," she accuses. "Anything could be taken from inside and we'd never know." Dr. Ilsa Warren, who heads the analysis unit, dismisses the allegation. "We've made it clear all technology stays in situ throughout the cataloging and analysis process,which could take years," she says. "Dr. T'Lam's fears would be more appropriate closer to the end of the decade."” -- CDN
And, as pointed out by poster get fired up (see social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/325/index/8006985), the Milky Way Foundation is a Cerberus front company:
"2168 - Assassination of 22 salarian crime syndicate members on Trident leads to takeover of narcotics trade. Reprisals bloody but tolerable. Milky Way Foundation created to funnel money. New Dawn Pharmaceuticals purchased to begin project TRAPDOOR." -- Shadow Broker dossier on Cerberus
Also Dr. Ilsa Warren could be Dr. Warren, head of the team unearthing the prothean beacon on Eden Prime: masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/Dr._Warren
We know that the Mars prothean ruins were concerned with researching humanity. What if Cerberus found something in those ruins (complex prothean technologies and records of their research for example) relating to the protheans' study of humanity which would help them build a powerful army of humans and which would cause them to change their stance/plans regarding the reapers? What revelations and technology could they have found?
Are Cerberus Indoctrinated?
I personally don't think that the Cerberus troops have been indoctrinated by the reapers. Indoctrination causes mental degradation over time and this would hamper the ability of the troops in the long run- something TIM wouldn't want. However, there may be something similar to indoctrination going on: Drew Karpyshyn in this interview has some interesting things to say:
www.newsarama.com/games/drew-karpyshyn-mass-effect-star-wars-110908.html
Nrama: Now indoctrination, that's something that we touch upon a bit in the games, it's a major plot point of Mass Effect 3; why was that something that needed to be expanded upon outside the games?
Karpyshyn: Well I think one of the things you want to understand about indoctrination and that I tried to get across in the third book, Retribution, in particular is that it's more than just mind control, it's something beyond that. In some ways it's sort of an evolution into a new existence. It brings with it certain benefits!
Nrama: So is it more of an assimilation?
Karpyshyn: Sort of an assimilation, sort of an ascension, sort of an evolution of the organic and synthetic hybrid. But obviously with a dark undertone. The thing we wanted to get across is that it's not just a thing that's done to you, it's something that happens to you. It progresses and grows, and there are benefits to it. You know, Grayson became extremely physically strong, powerful in biotics. With the Illusive Man, this is something he has been studying because he sees the potential of getting the benefits without the drawbacks. Again, I'm not trying to spoil anything... things are never exactly what they first appear. [Mass Effect 3] is more than just "Oh, Cerberus was indoctrinated the whole time." It's a complex story that you can see the roots of in the novels.
Recent Edit (25/10/11): Some related notes
1). Another idea: what if the protheans' Mars bases were part of their long term plan of defeating the reapers?
Sure, they already tampered with the reapers' control over the citadel relay, but what if there was another prothean team working on their own plan? Remember LotSB's revelation?:
Shepard: Why was he [the former Shadow Broker] still looking at Protheans? They gave us the
warning and the Conduit at Ilos, but we've used those.
Liara: The Shadow Broker seemed to think that there was more out there. Perhaps the Protheans had other plans.
Based on the fact that the protheans were studying humanity (see Eletania's orb) using their Mars bases, perhaps the protheans had hatched a new plan to defeat the reapers- a plan which would use humanity as its main weapon. This would explain why they were studying cro-magnons (the oldest cro-magnon fossils are significantly younger than 50,000 years old- therefore the protheans' study of them may well have been undertaken by scientists who stayed hidden who waited for the reapers to leave before commencing the study). They were finding a way to use humans as an effective future weapon against the reapers- they may for example have been building advanced technology that was built based on what they learned about human genetics and physiology- perhaps technology that would allow the mass cloning of these humans?
Perhaps Cerberus's investigation into these newly discovered Mars ruins led to the discovery of this plan
regarding humanity (whatever it may be) and this plan was significant enough to cause TIM and Cerberus to completely change their plans.
2). To further support the idea that Cerberus have important assets on Mars is the fact that in the squad leader trailer ( www.youtube.com/watch ), Shepard appears to be fighting Cerberus at a settlement (possibly Lowell City) that may well be on Mars. Are Cerberus trying to protect their remaining assets (most of the prothean tech would presumably have been moved to other Cerberus bases) by fighting Shepard? Is Shepard attempting to find the prothean chambers on Mars, and as a result coming into conflict with Cerberus who are stubbornly defending their technology?
Modifié par Bad King, 13 novembre 2011 - 12:11 .
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