The Great Asari Conspiracy - Avoid romancing Peebee or Dr. T'Perro or Ryder will be sorry.
Mar 16, 2017 2:08:01 GMT
SalMasRac, aoibhealfae, and 4 more like this
Post by midasear on Mar 16, 2017 2:08:01 GMT
While we are waiting for the Andromeda preload to finish downloading, I thought I would post these thoughts as a warning to anyone considering romancing Pelessaria B'Sayle or Lexi T'Perro. Not only should Ryder NOT romance these characters, contact with Asari should be minimized to the fullest extent possible. Don't let Ryder make the same mistakes Shepard made.
It's pretty obvious the Asari deep state was aware, at least vaguely, of the Reaper threat.
The Andromeda Initiative was probably funded by the Asari government, or the Asari equivalent of Cerberus, as a backup plan to preserve Asari civilization. Human industrial concerns are used as a front to encourage the participation of non-Asari races, all of whom have good reasons to be suspicious of Asari-directed projects. And the Asari greatly desire the participation of other races because they prefer non-Asari assexual thralls 'consorts'.
Seriously, lets look at what we know from the trilogy and support material:
The Asari are powerful biotic race, extensively tampered with by the Protheans. They are capable of a form of highly pleasurable telepathy and mind-melding not only with each other, but with virtually all other sentient organic races.
The existence of an Asari deep state is obvious. An Asari faction had secret access to an intact Prothean beacon. They successfully preserved this secret for thousands of years, both from the Asari public and non-Asari races. This faction's influence is so powerful that it is able to purge all references concerning Ardat-Yakshi from the Galactic Extranet. Matriarch Aethyta as much as admits to the exitence of such an organization, although her explanation of her role is almost certainly a tissue of lies.
The advanced VI operating the Thessia beacon was definitely aware of the Reaper threat. It appears to have received the Ilos-issued warning. Prothean civilization was aware of all the major and minor races of the current galactic cycle. The Protheans engaged in extensive monitoring of, and occasional genetic tampering with, these "lesser races" and their homeworlds. This information was almost certainly available in the Thessia beacon. The existence of the Mars archive, and an outline of the data it contained, was _definitely_ contained within the beacon.
Extensive knowledge of the Reaper threat was available on Thessia, to anyone those who knew where to ask. In 2186 an activation protocol for the beacon's "Virtual" intelligence is revealed to be in place, linked to artifacts that appear to be thousands of years old. Keeping the existence of this knowledge pool secret generally, ESPECIALLY FROM THE REAPERS, would have been the highest priority of those with access.
Galactic History:
The Asari reached the Citadel thousands of years before the arrival of the Reapers, occupied it, and made it into the center of a newly emerging Galactic civilization. Are we really supposed to believe that during this time, with access to the Thessia beacon, they managed to learn _nothing_ about the Citadel's true functionality and purpose?
Rachni queens are able to transmit data to one another across interstellar distances using organicly-based quantum entanglement devices. They are born carrying memories of their ancestors experiences. As a race, they were extensively manipulated by the Protheans. This made Rachni the only race other the Asari with access to extensive, detailed information about the Protheans and, possibly, the Reapers.
A Salarian expidition JUST HAPPENED to stumble into Rachni at the same time their queens are falling under a mysterious outside influence, triggering the Rachni wars.
The Salarians are a people with lengthy track record of controlling their _own_ fertility to avoid ecological problems. Despite this obvious sensitivity, they choose to uplift the Krogan, a race with fertility issues posing potential ecological problems even more extreme than those of the Salarians. And despite their deep knowledge of biology and genetics, the Salarians take no proactive steps to resolve these issues during the uplift process. Care to bet how many Salarian leaders involved in these decisions had Asari consorts?
After the Krogan were unleashed, the Rachni were subjected to genocide, seemingly hunted to the last bug. This _coincidentally_ suppresses the only major alternative to the Thessia beacon as a source of information about the Protheans and the Reapers. It also just happens to destroy the primary military power in the region containing the Mu Relay, and its connection to Ilos and the conduit.
The Council took no steps to control the Krogan's explosive population growth for several centuries.....until the Krogan began attempting to settle Lusia, an _Asari_ controlled world. At this point the Council finally intervened, ordering a preemptive strike on the Krogan and initiating the Krogan Rebellions.
Just as the Krogan Rebellions began to go badly for the Council, a Council sponsored expedition JUST HAPPENED to stumble over and make first contact with the Turian Hierarchy, a militarily capable empire that is quickly enlisted against the Krogan.
At some point, the Salarians create the Genophage to solve the Krogan fertility issues their predecessors mysteriously failed to address centuries earlier. But ethical considerations cause the Salarian government to balk at deploying this fearsome bioweapon. The Turians, a technologically inferior species, SOMEHOW manage to penetrate STG security to learn of this weapon's existence, and SOMEHOW manage to obtain a viable sample that the Turians can reproduce themselves. Care to bet whether or not some of the Salarian scientists involved in the Genophage project had Asari consorts?
The Council, despite its previous willingness to exterminate the Rachni, intervenes to prevent the Turians from wiping out the Krogan. This happens despite the fact that the Krogan have proven themselves to be a greater potential threat than the Rachni had been. The Council puts forward the claim that this is out of ethical concerns, and is motivated by the lessons learned from the exteniction of the Rachni. Of course, unlike the Rachni, the Krogan know nothing about the Protheans or the Reapers. And the Krogan's disinterest in science, violent dispositions and penchant for internecine warfare make the Krogan a _much_ easier species to manipulate than the hive-minded Rachni.
For over a thousand years, the Salarian government (and though it, the Asari-dominated council) monitor the Genophage to keep the Krogan population stable. Note that while the Genophage is beyond the ability of Human or Turian science to cure, manipulation of the Genophage appears to be a _trivial_ matter for Salarian scientists. Mordin Solus admits in conversation with Shepard that the difficulty is not in achieving a targeted fertility level, but in choosing the precise target level needed to keep the Krogan population perfectly stable. A single Salarian scientist (Maelon) working in primitive conditions is able to develop a cure with a few months of effort, albeit with extremely negative side effects. With access to Maelon's data, Solus is capable of producing a modified version without serious side effects in just a few additional months.
Mordin Solus argues that these steps were taken for the good of both the Galaxy at large and the Krogan themselves. But Council/STG policy is also perfectly consistent with a long term strategy designed to keep an extremely powerful, but potentially dangerous, military asset in reserve. In fact, it bears disturbing parallels to the Prothean treatment of the Rachni. And note, that when the Reapers finally appear, the Krogan ARE, in fact, easily manipulated into unifying and mobilizing for war via promises of a cure for the Genophage.
Aria T'Loak:
Coincidentally contemporaneous with the Geth Rebellion/Morning war and Soveriegn/Nazara's effort to enlist the Geth, an Asari 'dancer' of mysterious background arrives on Omega. Omega is a large mining facility and trading center in the same stellar system as the Omega IV relay, and the primary insertion point for expeditions by the enigmatic Collectors. This 'dancer' swiftly proceeds to subvert the forces of the ruling Krogan warlord, defeating him in personal one-on-one combat, and seizes effective control of the station for herself. For the next several centuries, the behavior of Aria T'Loak remains perfectly consistent with that of a former commando turned self-serving pirate and criminal. But she also takes special care to monitor the activities of the Collectors, and to suppress general knowledge of those activities. And T'Loak's importance to the Asari state are obvious. The Asari COUNCILOR appears to be at her beck and call.
Note that both physiological data about the Prothean species, and data regarding Reaper indoctrination process effects on the Protheans, is definitely contained within the Thessia beacon. Anyone with access to this data could easily discern the true nature of the Collectors. And would probably be keen to keep an eye on Collector activities.
Humanity:
----
Humanity eventually decrypts a portion of a Prothean data archive discovered on Mars, leading to stunningly swift advances in Earth's scientific and technological capabilities. But very soon after mankind develops its first interstellar colony, misinformation leads the Turians to believe a human expedition interacting with Relay 314 belongs to a criminal organization, rather than a peviously uncontacted species. The Turians thus launch a direct attack, rather than initiating first contact procedures. This leads to the First Contact War (A/K/A The Realay 314 Incident). After an Alliance fleet inflicts heavy losses on the Turian forces in the Shanxi system, forcing a retreat, The Council, at the insistance of the Asari, swiftly intervenes and not only forces the Turians to accept a peace, but to pay reparations. This is allegedly done in the name of Galactic peace.
But the Council's behavior, and that of the Asari government, are perfectly conistent with the strategic thinking implied by policy toward the Krogan. Humanity is almost as aggressive the Krogan, almost as well organized and militarily capable as the Turians, almost as talented with information processing as the Quarians, and have demonstrated the ability to exploit information from a relatively small, inert Prothean archive even more quickly than the Asari had managed with an intact Beacon containing an advanced Prothean "virtual" intelligence. And unlike the Krogan, Humanity possess a strong history of diplomacy and politcal adaptability that suggests integration into the Council system is feasible. Humanity represents a military asset, like the Krogan, not to be wasted. And unlike the Rachni, Humanity's knowledge of the Protheans is extremely limited, and clearly inferior to that of the Asari Conspiracy.
Saren & Benezia:
During the First Contact War, Saren encounters an extremely dangerous Reaper artifact, the so-called "Arca Monolith", as does Jack Harper (A/K/A "The Illusive Man"). The events surrounding this artifact are highly public. The artifact itself, and its dangerous effects, are witnessed by Harper and by hundreds of Turians before Saren takes steps to seal off the artifact from contact with the Turian public. Saren's actions lead to the destruction of a major historical landmark on Palaven, and the apparent deaths of hundreds of Turian citizens, including mothers, small children and Saren's own brother.
One might think that with this track record, and with a reputation as a Turian supremecist, Saren would be considered unsuitable for the role of Spectre. But a mere two years later, not only is Saren inducted into the Spectres, he becomes the youngest Turian Spectre in history.
Apparently Saren had _very_ powerful sponsors.
Saren is obsessed with uncovering similar artifacts, and is now able to use the authority and resources of the Spectre corp to facilitate his search. This eventually leads him into contact with the Reaper Nazara, which he refers to as "Soveriegn". This leads to Saren's discovery of the Conduit, and the attack on the Citadel.
At some point, Benezia, a powerful and influential matriarch with deep connections to the Asari government, offered her services and those of her followers to Saren. There is reason to believe she also attempted (but failed) to lure Saren into a mind-meld relationship. Claims are made that this was done on Benezia's own initiative, in an effort to dissuade Saren from his "dangerous path".
But are these claims actually plausible? They are highly self-serving, and require us to believe that Benezia decided to act without consulting the Asari government. Substantial evidence exists that Benezia was so well connected that she was aware of the Thessia beacon. Is it not more plausible that Benezia was acting with the knowledge of the Asari deep state? Or even on its behalf? Keep in mind that SOMEONE informed Saren that a Prothean beacon had been unearthed on Eden Prime, almost immediately after it was dug up, despite the (supposed) efforts of the Council and the Alliance to keep this information secret. Isn't Benezia, with her extensive contacts with the Asari government, the most likely source of the leak? And if Benezia really was acting on her own intitive, wouldn't her request for this sort of information have been known to the Asari government, and raise serious red flags?
It seems more likely that the Asari deep state was attempting to directly monitor and manipulate Saren, with a view toward manipulating Sovereign itself.
The Illusive Man & Cerberus:
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Soon after encountering the Arca Monolith, Jack Harper shows up on Illium. He one of the very first humans to set foot on Illium. He subsequently is kidnapped by Saren, who happens to be accompanied by heavily indoctrinated human and Turian guards, and delivered to a Turian warship in orbit.
Is it the slightest bit plausible that all this took place unobserved, right under the noses of Asari intelligence agencies, on ILLIUM? Illium is the Asari entrepot to the Terminus systems, and in consequence has one of the most heavily militarized customs systems in the Galaxy. Port authority agents are routinely accompanied by combat mechs.
It's fairly obvious that Harper and Saren were both flagged. Benezia was dispatched to "handle" Saren, with one "Matriarch Trellani" assigned to Harper. According to the Shadow Broker dossiers, Trellani eventually managed to seduce Harper into regular mind-melding sessions (Odd choice of favorite sexual partner for a rabid Human supremacist, eh?). Cerberus, probably even before its creation, was effectively compromised by the Asari conspiracy.
Shepard arrives on the Citadel:
Shepard was obviously an extraordinary individual. By 2183, Shepard's reputation as a ferocious, iron-willed companion was so extensive and widespread that lobbying for the Alliance officer's induction as a Spectre began to to arise from within the Spectre Organization itself. During the events on Eden Prime, Shepard manages to interact with the beacon. Shepard proves to be so mentally tough that feedback from this interaction causes the Prothean beacon to explode. There is reason to believe Shepard is only the second non-Asari to succesfully extract data from a Prothean beacon since the last Reaper invasion (Saren being the first). And despite ignorance of the Prothean language and an utter lack of context for this data, Shepard manages to partially decode this beacon-provided mental imagery, at least on a subconscious level. Reports of these events are transmitted to the Council almost immediately. It is reaonable to suspect the Asari deep state was _very_ curious to find out what Shepard had actually learned.
And curiously, the Consort Sha'ira finds herself in a feud with a former client, Turian General Septimus Oraka. The Consort is rumored to be involved in espionage activies, and has extensive contact with diplomats, government officials and powerful commercial actors from virtually every race found on the Citadel. But she chooses to ask Shepard, of all people, an individual neither she nor Oraka have ever met, to intercede on her behalf. In the course of this strange affair, Sha'ira attempts to subtly encourage Shepard to enjoy the pleasurable experience of a mind-meld with the most famed courtesan on the Presidium. Whether she suceeds in this manipulation or not, she provides Shepard with a "mysterious" trinket, that turns out to be a trigger for a Prothean device that engages in a direct contact with Shepard's mind.
Its all a little...odd, isn't it? Its almost like the entire affair is a contrivance designed to get a peak inside Shepard's mind without arousing suspicion. Does anyone really doubt that data from the Prothean artifact on Eletania fed into the Prothean beacon network?
In any event, a preternaturally talented and brave young Quarian unexpectedly managed to recover evidence of Saren's involvement in the Geth assault on Eden Prime. Due to the swift actions of Shepard, and the mechinations of Ambassador Udina, this evidence was brought before the Council during a session open to dozens of diplomats and government officals from multiple races. Saren's horrific acts, his alliance with Geth, and Benezia's involvement with Saren were all publicly exposed, effectively to the entire galaxy. The Asari Councilor on the scene is then quick to identify Benezia, supposedly by voice.
Or perhaps the councilor had been briefed on Benezia's activities, and was engaging in damage control. The Asari government swiftly produced and forwarded the rough location of Benezia's daughter, as well as a couple other leads, and the Council encouraged Shepard to act. Liara T'Soni proves to be an _extremely_ interesting character, who will be discussed in a bit more depth later.
Curious Events on Noveria & The Rachni Queen:
The Council forwards intelligence of "geth activity" on Noveria to Shepard. But when the Normandy arrives on Noveria, no one at the starport is the slightest bit aware of any Geth activity. They are ALL aware, however, of the recent arrival of Matriarch Benezia. This garbling of events seems to display extraordinarily incompetence by the Council-linked intelligence agencies relaying information to Shepard. That is, unless the garbling is a deliberate effort at misdirection by someone who wants Shepard on Noveria, but does not want the reasons why obvious.
On Noveria, Shepard encounters Benezia and the Rachni queen. Benzia claims to be present to forcibly extract the location of the Mu RElay from the queen ("I was not gentle"). She also warns Shepard about Indoctrination, and claims to have been able to break free temporarily, surrendering the relay's location before resuming her attack and perishing.
Think about this a bit. Benezia JUST HAPPENS to be an exutive secretary of Binary Helix, a company that JUST HAPPENS to have obtained an egg containing a Rachni queen. Supposedly it was found "drifting in space". But seriously, how likely is it that a Rachni Queen's egg would rift in space for 18 centuries undetected, and JUST HAPPEN to turn up for a company which Benezia & Saren effectively controlled, _just_ as Sovereign began searching for the Conduit using both as agents? It's simply not credible.
The egg clearly was produced by _someone_ who already knew its location. Sovereign can be discounted. Had Sovereign actually been aware of the egg, it would have sought to extract the Mu Relay location itself via indoctrination of the Queen. There is some indication Rachni queen's may have been highly resistant or even immune to indoctrination. But in that case, Sovereign almost certainly would have supervised the extraction of information from the Queen _directly_, not via the strange scenario on Peak 15.
Three species had been in contact with the Rachni during the Rachni war, and one of them almost certainly captured the egg turned over to Binary Helix centuries later. The Krogan can be discounted as a source for obvious reasons. The Salarians had the motivation, level of social organization and technical skill to cature one or more eggs and maintain them in stasis indefinitely. Indeed, given Salarian state's demonstrated proclivities for the manipulation of other species, the STG probably did just that. But the Salarians have no obvious reason to turn such a priceless resource over to Binary Helix.
The Asari deep state, on the other hand, was deeply connected to Matriarch Benezia, and was attempting to manipulate Saren & Sovereign. It is the obvious source, whether the egg had been obtained by Asari commandoes during the war, or "borrowed" later from the STG. The Peak 15 lab was a ruse, set up to provide a plausible source for the location of the Mu Relay. It seems likely the Mu Relay's location was already known to the Conpiracy, extracted by Asari operatives during the Rachni war in the same fashion that Benezia extracted it from the Noveria queen. It is even possible that the relay's loss was not really an accident at all, but that it was deliberately "misplaced" by a conspiracy seeking to keep access to Ilos under its exclusive control.
Feros, The Thorian & The Chipher:
Both Shepard and Saren are provided with "The Cipher" by Shiala via mind-meld. Shiala claims to have recieved this information by mind-melding with "The Thorian", a bizarre, telepathic plant almost completely alien to any other known life-form. She also claims that the Thorian obtained this purported "collective uncoscious" of the Prothean race via observation and direct consumption of Prothean bodies. Two questions immediately present themselves here.
The first is, where did Saren learn of the Thorian, and it's supposed possession of the Cipher?
The Thorian does not seem like the sort of creature that would even come to the notice of the Reapers. It is wholly uninterested in FTL travel, mass relays or technology of any kind. And even if known to Sovereign, its possession of "The Cipher", and its ability to relay the same to another, would have been completely non-obvious.
On the other hand, the Thorian is precisely the sort of species that would have been of high interest the Protheans. The Thorian could not have gone undetected on a world that appears to have been a major population center for the Prothean Empire,especially if it was in the habit of occasionally eating Protheans, and almost certainly was extensively studied. In fact, given Prothean abilities, the Thorian may not have been natural at all, but a creation of Prothean science. In ay event, its safe to assume that information about the Thorian, its odd nature and its location would be available to the Thessia beacon. Benezia, or some other Asari-directed agent, was the likely source of Saren's information.
The second question is, how likely is it that the Thorian was the true source of "the cipher"?
The Thorian is a giant plant with a mind almost completely alien to that of any of the other race in the galaxy. It appears to lack the ability to distinguish members of one sentient animal race from another, or any serious interest in directly communicating with its thralls, let alone an interest in making an extensive study of a particular civilization. Supposedly it took Shiala "in trade" for information, but no explanation is ever provided as to why such a being would consider Shiala something of particular value. Communication with the Thorian, such as it is, takes place solely through Shiala or her "clones". And Shiala was, obviously, an associate of Matriarch Benezia and a powerful telepath in her own right. Looking back, is it even clear that the Thorian is in control of events and exerting dominance over Shiala? Isn't it possible that it was precisely the other way around, with Shiala the one manipulating events?
Shiala obtained "The Cipher" form the Thessia beacon. Like Peak 15, "The Thorian" is an elaborate ruse, designed to place clues in the hands of Saren, and then Shepard, without exposing the true source.
Rana Thanoptis:
Rana Thanoptis turns up for the first time on Virmire, and claims to be neurospecialist studying the process and effects of Indoctrination for Saren. She also happens to be found in a building directly adjacent to where Doctor Droyas, a rare Krogan scientist, and his _Asari_ assistant have developed a cure for the Genophage.
If she survives this encounter with Shepard, where does she turn up next? As the Asari assistant to yet another rare Krogan Scientist, Okeer. His project? "Defeating" the Genophage. Admittedly, Okeer's plan seems to have involved creating a Krogan genetically engineered to headbutt the Genophage into submission. But still, Thanoptis is in charge of the in-vitro education of the cloned Krogan. And all the Krogan who actually complete the course of education she designs are insane and uncontrollable upon decantation. The exception appears to be a single Krogan, decanted shortly before Shepard's arrival at Okeer's lab.
Thanoptis was likely an agent tasked with monitoring efforts to cure the Genophage. She may have even been tasked with distributing a cure to prepare the Krogan for use against the Reapers. (Okeer's interests turned out to be opposed to a simple cure, so such efforts would wasted). It would be completely unsurprising if evidence of contact between Thanoptis and Maelon Heplorn eventually turns up. While its true that if Thanoptis is still alive by 2186, news reports indicate she has become indoctrinated, murderous and suicidal, there is little reason to take extranet reports from Asari space seriously. These are the people who managed to suppress all data about the Ardat-Yakshi, after all.
Asari Indoctrination Countermeasure or Resistance:
The only Asari ever directly observed to be suffering from the effects of Indoctrination, other than Ardat-Yakshi, is Matriarch Benezia. An Asari extranet report _claims_ Rana Thanoptis succumbed, but such a source is obviously suspect. Shiala claims to have once been indoctrinated, but also claims to have been cured, via some mysterious means, by the Thorian. And Benezia herself claims to have been able to break free from Indoctrinations effects for short periods of time.
It is quite possible that ordinary Asari are, in fact, immune or highly resistant to Indoctrination. The Asari were extensively studied and manipulated by the Protheans during the preceding cycle, and extensive data regarding Asari genetics were certainly stored in the Asari beacon. It is quite possible this program of manipulation was resumed by the Asari deep state sometime after the Reapers returned to Dark Space. It is even possible that this manipulation continued without interruption. It seems likely that development of some form of indoctrination countermeasure, at least for the Asari, would have been a high priority for those with access to the Thessia beacon.
While Ardat-Yakshi clearly remained vulnerable, they suffer from a rare genetic defect that leaves the carriers with sverely diminished control over their natural biotic abilities. Its also quite possible that the Aradat-Yakshi were segregated and confined, and information about their condition was deliberately suppressed, specifically _BECAUSE_ of their vulnerability to Indoctrination.
Liara T'Soni:
When Shepard arrives on Therum T'Soni has managed to avoid capture by a large battlegroup of Geth lead by a full-fledged Krogan Battlemaster. But somehow, this purported Prothean expert has managed to get herself caught in a Prothean energy field, forcing Shepard to rescue her. During a subsequent battle with the Krogan and Geth, she adopts the passive posture of a Damsel in Distress.
After her heroic rescue, Dr. T'Soni makes a point of flattering Shepard. She adopts a pose of seemingly shy romantic interest with the "fascinating" and "exciting" commander. She makes a point of praising humanity in general, and Shepard's mental toughness and resilience specifically. But even if rebuffed, T'soni finds other, plausible reasons to mind-meld with the commander, potentially on multiple occasions.
Despite her claims to be a young archeologist at the start of her career, she is an Asari with a highly unusual set of talents.
She turns out to be an unusually powerful and seemingly well-trained biotic combatent, with biotic skills rivaling those of a Justicar. (Odd that she forgets this on Therum, eh?)
She turns out to be an expert at operating personal kinetic barriers and other military grade electronics, and at bypassing military grade security systems.
Despite the fact that connections to Ilos were severed centuries before the Asari developed (or at least deployed) FTL capabilities, T'Soni manages to recognize the planet from fragmentary and garbled images in Shepard's mind.
She not only survives the destruction of the Normandy, but manages soon afterward to recover Shepard's corpse from the Collectors, and is the one to turn it over to Cerberus.
She turns out to be an intuitively gifted data analyst. She supposedlt manages to become one of the most prominent data brokers in the Terminus system in less than two years, using solely her own resources.
After the Shadow Broker's death, she is prepared to seamlessly step into the Yahg's place and operate its network without interruption.
T'Soni even manages to (_seemingly_) survive two assassination attempts by a Spectre, one supposedly with access to Shadow Broker provided intel and military assets. Of course, the Spectre in question JUST HAPPENS to be Asari. And note that after Tela Vasir's apparent death, Liara is eager to lure Shepard away from the scene of this "death" as quickly as possible.
At this point, does anyone seriously still believe "Dr. Liara T'Soni, eccentric Archaeologist" is anything but an increasingly thin cover identity?
It's possible, of course, that Liara really was Benezia's daughter. But given the Matriarch's obvious connections, this does little to diminish the obvious conclusion that T'soni herself was acting on behalf of the Asari deep state.
Just as Saren required "guidance" by Benezia, and Harper was monitored by Trellani, Shepard required supervision. Shepard's unexpected appearance, obvious hyper-competence, driven nature and extraordinary mental abilities required a much defter touch, however, than merely dispatching a Matriarch with an offer of an Alliance or sexual liason. Liara T'Soni, daughter of the sinister Benezia, possessed of arcane knowledge regarding the Protheans, in dire need of aid, alternately socially clumsy and coquettish, seems almost tailor made to infiltrate Shepard's confidence, the Normandy's crew, and ultimately Shepard's very mind.
Mars, The Crucible Plans, and other lies:
Liara T'soni shows up on Mars shortly after the Batarian Hegemony is attacked by Reapers. When Shepard and the Normandy arrive, she claims she was there to _extract_ the plans for the Crucible. This claim is made immediately after she coldly and professionally executes two Cerberus soldiers....preseumably the only witnesses to whatever she was actually doing immediately before Shepard's arrival. It soon becomes clear that the Cerberus presence on Mars is a result of Harper/T.I.M. _somehow_ having been alerted to the presence of the Crucible plans in the Mars archive. But in light of subsequent discoveries by Shepard, how likely is this explanation?
In particular, Shepard later discovers the existence of the Thessia Beacon. The "Virtual" intelligence operating the Thessia beacon is named Vendetta, a highly suggestive name. Vendetta's personality matrix was derived from Pashek Van, the overseer of the Prothean's own CRUCIBLE PROJECT. Is it really believable that the plans for the Crucible were not available in the Thessia beacon itself, and were instead stored at the Mars beacon?
Liara T'Soni was not on Mars to retreive the Crucible plans from the archive. She was there to _plant_ them. Its likely Cerberus was "warned" of the plan's "storage" at the Mars facility, and Liara's plan to "retrieve" the plans by the Conspiracy itself, to provide an additional potential vector for the Crucible's construction and/or the preservation of the plans in case the Alliance/Council effort failed.
Vendetta is also likely the ultimate actual architect of the conspiracy. Whether the Asari deep state was aware of Vendetta's existence or not is a more open question. Vendetta could have easily manipulated the Asari via selective leaks of information. It's also possible the Asari deep state cooperated in an above board fashion with the remaining representative of the Asari race's long-time patrons and benefactors. Either way, defeat of the Reapers and preservation of Asari civilization would have been the long-term goal.
Endgame
-------
Its unclear to what extent the Conspirators or Vendetta remained in control of events after the REapers reached the Sol system. A lot of balls were up in the air.
But its highly likely the conspiracy achieved its ultimate goal. Immediately before Shepard attempts to access the Citadel/Catalyst from the London insertion point "Doctor T'Soni" seeks to lure Shepard into one last liason. Unlike with other mind-melds, in this one Shepard experiences a strange, seemingly hypnotic pattern of lights. Afterwards Shepard's perceptions slowly become altered. The commander's perceptions become steadily more distorted and dreamlike. Shortly after Shepard finally reaches the Citadel control center, the injured Spectre begins to experience what appears to be a series of full-blown hypnagogic hallucinations, complete with visions of recently deceased people of Shepard's acquaintance, dialogue that appears to be significant at the same time it lacks coherent meaning, all accompanied by an odd sense of urgency to choose, immediately, between different colored lights, with all choices leading to essentially the same result.
Was this chaotic sequence of events what actually took place? Or was it a hypnotic distraction, designed to keep Shepard's conscious mind occupied while the commander's voluntary nervous system responded to a post-hypnotic suggestion inserted by T'Soni?
Whatever Shepard chooses, its the conspiracy pulling the strings.
And that's about all I have time to write out before I am required to flee ahead of the Huntress kill squad...
It's pretty obvious the Asari deep state was aware, at least vaguely, of the Reaper threat.
The Andromeda Initiative was probably funded by the Asari government, or the Asari equivalent of Cerberus, as a backup plan to preserve Asari civilization. Human industrial concerns are used as a front to encourage the participation of non-Asari races, all of whom have good reasons to be suspicious of Asari-directed projects. And the Asari greatly desire the participation of other races because they prefer non-Asari as
Seriously, lets look at what we know from the trilogy and support material:
The Asari are powerful biotic race, extensively tampered with by the Protheans. They are capable of a form of highly pleasurable telepathy and mind-melding not only with each other, but with virtually all other sentient organic races.
The existence of an Asari deep state is obvious. An Asari faction had secret access to an intact Prothean beacon. They successfully preserved this secret for thousands of years, both from the Asari public and non-Asari races. This faction's influence is so powerful that it is able to purge all references concerning Ardat-Yakshi from the Galactic Extranet. Matriarch Aethyta as much as admits to the exitence of such an organization, although her explanation of her role is almost certainly a tissue of lies.
The advanced VI operating the Thessia beacon was definitely aware of the Reaper threat. It appears to have received the Ilos-issued warning. Prothean civilization was aware of all the major and minor races of the current galactic cycle. The Protheans engaged in extensive monitoring of, and occasional genetic tampering with, these "lesser races" and their homeworlds. This information was almost certainly available in the Thessia beacon. The existence of the Mars archive, and an outline of the data it contained, was _definitely_ contained within the beacon.
Extensive knowledge of the Reaper threat was available on Thessia, to anyone those who knew where to ask. In 2186 an activation protocol for the beacon's "Virtual" intelligence is revealed to be in place, linked to artifacts that appear to be thousands of years old. Keeping the existence of this knowledge pool secret generally, ESPECIALLY FROM THE REAPERS, would have been the highest priority of those with access.
Galactic History:
The Asari reached the Citadel thousands of years before the arrival of the Reapers, occupied it, and made it into the center of a newly emerging Galactic civilization. Are we really supposed to believe that during this time, with access to the Thessia beacon, they managed to learn _nothing_ about the Citadel's true functionality and purpose?
Rachni queens are able to transmit data to one another across interstellar distances using organicly-based quantum entanglement devices. They are born carrying memories of their ancestors experiences. As a race, they were extensively manipulated by the Protheans. This made Rachni the only race other the Asari with access to extensive, detailed information about the Protheans and, possibly, the Reapers.
A Salarian expidition JUST HAPPENED to stumble into Rachni at the same time their queens are falling under a mysterious outside influence, triggering the Rachni wars.
The Salarians are a people with lengthy track record of controlling their _own_ fertility to avoid ecological problems. Despite this obvious sensitivity, they choose to uplift the Krogan, a race with fertility issues posing potential ecological problems even more extreme than those of the Salarians. And despite their deep knowledge of biology and genetics, the Salarians take no proactive steps to resolve these issues during the uplift process. Care to bet how many Salarian leaders involved in these decisions had Asari consorts?
After the Krogan were unleashed, the Rachni were subjected to genocide, seemingly hunted to the last bug. This _coincidentally_ suppresses the only major alternative to the Thessia beacon as a source of information about the Protheans and the Reapers. It also just happens to destroy the primary military power in the region containing the Mu Relay, and its connection to Ilos and the conduit.
The Council took no steps to control the Krogan's explosive population growth for several centuries.....until the Krogan began attempting to settle Lusia, an _Asari_ controlled world. At this point the Council finally intervened, ordering a preemptive strike on the Krogan and initiating the Krogan Rebellions.
Just as the Krogan Rebellions began to go badly for the Council, a Council sponsored expedition JUST HAPPENED to stumble over and make first contact with the Turian Hierarchy, a militarily capable empire that is quickly enlisted against the Krogan.
At some point, the Salarians create the Genophage to solve the Krogan fertility issues their predecessors mysteriously failed to address centuries earlier. But ethical considerations cause the Salarian government to balk at deploying this fearsome bioweapon. The Turians, a technologically inferior species, SOMEHOW manage to penetrate STG security to learn of this weapon's existence, and SOMEHOW manage to obtain a viable sample that the Turians can reproduce themselves. Care to bet whether or not some of the Salarian scientists involved in the Genophage project had Asari consorts?
The Council, despite its previous willingness to exterminate the Rachni, intervenes to prevent the Turians from wiping out the Krogan. This happens despite the fact that the Krogan have proven themselves to be a greater potential threat than the Rachni had been. The Council puts forward the claim that this is out of ethical concerns, and is motivated by the lessons learned from the exteniction of the Rachni. Of course, unlike the Rachni, the Krogan know nothing about the Protheans or the Reapers. And the Krogan's disinterest in science, violent dispositions and penchant for internecine warfare make the Krogan a _much_ easier species to manipulate than the hive-minded Rachni.
For over a thousand years, the Salarian government (and though it, the Asari-dominated council) monitor the Genophage to keep the Krogan population stable. Note that while the Genophage is beyond the ability of Human or Turian science to cure, manipulation of the Genophage appears to be a _trivial_ matter for Salarian scientists. Mordin Solus admits in conversation with Shepard that the difficulty is not in achieving a targeted fertility level, but in choosing the precise target level needed to keep the Krogan population perfectly stable. A single Salarian scientist (Maelon) working in primitive conditions is able to develop a cure with a few months of effort, albeit with extremely negative side effects. With access to Maelon's data, Solus is capable of producing a modified version without serious side effects in just a few additional months.
Mordin Solus argues that these steps were taken for the good of both the Galaxy at large and the Krogan themselves. But Council/STG policy is also perfectly consistent with a long term strategy designed to keep an extremely powerful, but potentially dangerous, military asset in reserve. In fact, it bears disturbing parallels to the Prothean treatment of the Rachni. And note, that when the Reapers finally appear, the Krogan ARE, in fact, easily manipulated into unifying and mobilizing for war via promises of a cure for the Genophage.
Aria T'Loak:
Coincidentally contemporaneous with the Geth Rebellion/Morning war and Soveriegn/Nazara's effort to enlist the Geth, an Asari 'dancer' of mysterious background arrives on Omega. Omega is a large mining facility and trading center in the same stellar system as the Omega IV relay, and the primary insertion point for expeditions by the enigmatic Collectors. This 'dancer' swiftly proceeds to subvert the forces of the ruling Krogan warlord, defeating him in personal one-on-one combat, and seizes effective control of the station for herself. For the next several centuries, the behavior of Aria T'Loak remains perfectly consistent with that of a former commando turned self-serving pirate and criminal. But she also takes special care to monitor the activities of the Collectors, and to suppress general knowledge of those activities. And T'Loak's importance to the Asari state are obvious. The Asari COUNCILOR appears to be at her beck and call.
Note that both physiological data about the Prothean species, and data regarding Reaper indoctrination process effects on the Protheans, is definitely contained within the Thessia beacon. Anyone with access to this data could easily discern the true nature of the Collectors. And would probably be keen to keep an eye on Collector activities.
Humanity:
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Humanity eventually decrypts a portion of a Prothean data archive discovered on Mars, leading to stunningly swift advances in Earth's scientific and technological capabilities. But very soon after mankind develops its first interstellar colony, misinformation leads the Turians to believe a human expedition interacting with Relay 314 belongs to a criminal organization, rather than a peviously uncontacted species. The Turians thus launch a direct attack, rather than initiating first contact procedures. This leads to the First Contact War (A/K/A The Realay 314 Incident). After an Alliance fleet inflicts heavy losses on the Turian forces in the Shanxi system, forcing a retreat, The Council, at the insistance of the Asari, swiftly intervenes and not only forces the Turians to accept a peace, but to pay reparations. This is allegedly done in the name of Galactic peace.
But the Council's behavior, and that of the Asari government, are perfectly conistent with the strategic thinking implied by policy toward the Krogan. Humanity is almost as aggressive the Krogan, almost as well organized and militarily capable as the Turians, almost as talented with information processing as the Quarians, and have demonstrated the ability to exploit information from a relatively small, inert Prothean archive even more quickly than the Asari had managed with an intact Beacon containing an advanced Prothean "virtual" intelligence. And unlike the Krogan, Humanity possess a strong history of diplomacy and politcal adaptability that suggests integration into the Council system is feasible. Humanity represents a military asset, like the Krogan, not to be wasted. And unlike the Rachni, Humanity's knowledge of the Protheans is extremely limited, and clearly inferior to that of the Asari Conspiracy.
Saren & Benezia:
During the First Contact War, Saren encounters an extremely dangerous Reaper artifact, the so-called "Arca Monolith", as does Jack Harper (A/K/A "The Illusive Man"). The events surrounding this artifact are highly public. The artifact itself, and its dangerous effects, are witnessed by Harper and by hundreds of Turians before Saren takes steps to seal off the artifact from contact with the Turian public. Saren's actions lead to the destruction of a major historical landmark on Palaven, and the apparent deaths of hundreds of Turian citizens, including mothers, small children and Saren's own brother.
One might think that with this track record, and with a reputation as a Turian supremecist, Saren would be considered unsuitable for the role of Spectre. But a mere two years later, not only is Saren inducted into the Spectres, he becomes the youngest Turian Spectre in history.
Apparently Saren had _very_ powerful sponsors.
Saren is obsessed with uncovering similar artifacts, and is now able to use the authority and resources of the Spectre corp to facilitate his search. This eventually leads him into contact with the Reaper Nazara, which he refers to as "Soveriegn". This leads to Saren's discovery of the Conduit, and the attack on the Citadel.
At some point, Benezia, a powerful and influential matriarch with deep connections to the Asari government, offered her services and those of her followers to Saren. There is reason to believe she also attempted (but failed) to lure Saren into a mind-meld relationship. Claims are made that this was done on Benezia's own initiative, in an effort to dissuade Saren from his "dangerous path".
But are these claims actually plausible? They are highly self-serving, and require us to believe that Benezia decided to act without consulting the Asari government. Substantial evidence exists that Benezia was so well connected that she was aware of the Thessia beacon. Is it not more plausible that Benezia was acting with the knowledge of the Asari deep state? Or even on its behalf? Keep in mind that SOMEONE informed Saren that a Prothean beacon had been unearthed on Eden Prime, almost immediately after it was dug up, despite the (supposed) efforts of the Council and the Alliance to keep this information secret. Isn't Benezia, with her extensive contacts with the Asari government, the most likely source of the leak? And if Benezia really was acting on her own intitive, wouldn't her request for this sort of information have been known to the Asari government, and raise serious red flags?
It seems more likely that the Asari deep state was attempting to directly monitor and manipulate Saren, with a view toward manipulating Sovereign itself.
The Illusive Man & Cerberus:
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Soon after encountering the Arca Monolith, Jack Harper shows up on Illium. He one of the very first humans to set foot on Illium. He subsequently is kidnapped by Saren, who happens to be accompanied by heavily indoctrinated human and Turian guards, and delivered to a Turian warship in orbit.
Is it the slightest bit plausible that all this took place unobserved, right under the noses of Asari intelligence agencies, on ILLIUM? Illium is the Asari entrepot to the Terminus systems, and in consequence has one of the most heavily militarized customs systems in the Galaxy. Port authority agents are routinely accompanied by combat mechs.
It's fairly obvious that Harper and Saren were both flagged. Benezia was dispatched to "handle" Saren, with one "Matriarch Trellani" assigned to Harper. According to the Shadow Broker dossiers, Trellani eventually managed to seduce Harper into regular mind-melding sessions (Odd choice of favorite sexual partner for a rabid Human supremacist, eh?). Cerberus, probably even before its creation, was effectively compromised by the Asari conspiracy.
Shepard arrives on the Citadel:
Shepard was obviously an extraordinary individual. By 2183, Shepard's reputation as a ferocious, iron-willed companion was so extensive and widespread that lobbying for the Alliance officer's induction as a Spectre began to to arise from within the Spectre Organization itself. During the events on Eden Prime, Shepard manages to interact with the beacon. Shepard proves to be so mentally tough that feedback from this interaction causes the Prothean beacon to explode. There is reason to believe Shepard is only the second non-Asari to succesfully extract data from a Prothean beacon since the last Reaper invasion (Saren being the first). And despite ignorance of the Prothean language and an utter lack of context for this data, Shepard manages to partially decode this beacon-provided mental imagery, at least on a subconscious level. Reports of these events are transmitted to the Council almost immediately. It is reaonable to suspect the Asari deep state was _very_ curious to find out what Shepard had actually learned.
And curiously, the Consort Sha'ira finds herself in a feud with a former client, Turian General Septimus Oraka. The Consort is rumored to be involved in espionage activies, and has extensive contact with diplomats, government officials and powerful commercial actors from virtually every race found on the Citadel. But she chooses to ask Shepard, of all people, an individual neither she nor Oraka have ever met, to intercede on her behalf. In the course of this strange affair, Sha'ira attempts to subtly encourage Shepard to enjoy the pleasurable experience of a mind-meld with the most famed courtesan on the Presidium. Whether she suceeds in this manipulation or not, she provides Shepard with a "mysterious" trinket, that turns out to be a trigger for a Prothean device that engages in a direct contact with Shepard's mind.
Its all a little...odd, isn't it? Its almost like the entire affair is a contrivance designed to get a peak inside Shepard's mind without arousing suspicion. Does anyone really doubt that data from the Prothean artifact on Eletania fed into the Prothean beacon network?
In any event, a preternaturally talented and brave young Quarian unexpectedly managed to recover evidence of Saren's involvement in the Geth assault on Eden Prime. Due to the swift actions of Shepard, and the mechinations of Ambassador Udina, this evidence was brought before the Council during a session open to dozens of diplomats and government officals from multiple races. Saren's horrific acts, his alliance with Geth, and Benezia's involvement with Saren were all publicly exposed, effectively to the entire galaxy. The Asari Councilor on the scene is then quick to identify Benezia, supposedly by voice.
Or perhaps the councilor had been briefed on Benezia's activities, and was engaging in damage control. The Asari government swiftly produced and forwarded the rough location of Benezia's daughter, as well as a couple other leads, and the Council encouraged Shepard to act. Liara T'Soni proves to be an _extremely_ interesting character, who will be discussed in a bit more depth later.
Curious Events on Noveria & The Rachni Queen:
The Council forwards intelligence of "geth activity" on Noveria to Shepard. But when the Normandy arrives on Noveria, no one at the starport is the slightest bit aware of any Geth activity. They are ALL aware, however, of the recent arrival of Matriarch Benezia. This garbling of events seems to display extraordinarily incompetence by the Council-linked intelligence agencies relaying information to Shepard. That is, unless the garbling is a deliberate effort at misdirection by someone who wants Shepard on Noveria, but does not want the reasons why obvious.
On Noveria, Shepard encounters Benezia and the Rachni queen. Benzia claims to be present to forcibly extract the location of the Mu RElay from the queen ("I was not gentle"). She also warns Shepard about Indoctrination, and claims to have been able to break free temporarily, surrendering the relay's location before resuming her attack and perishing.
Think about this a bit. Benezia JUST HAPPENS to be an exutive secretary of Binary Helix, a company that JUST HAPPENS to have obtained an egg containing a Rachni queen. Supposedly it was found "drifting in space". But seriously, how likely is it that a Rachni Queen's egg would rift in space for 18 centuries undetected, and JUST HAPPEN to turn up for a company which Benezia & Saren effectively controlled, _just_ as Sovereign began searching for the Conduit using both as agents? It's simply not credible.
The egg clearly was produced by _someone_ who already knew its location. Sovereign can be discounted. Had Sovereign actually been aware of the egg, it would have sought to extract the Mu Relay location itself via indoctrination of the Queen. There is some indication Rachni queen's may have been highly resistant or even immune to indoctrination. But in that case, Sovereign almost certainly would have supervised the extraction of information from the Queen _directly_, not via the strange scenario on Peak 15.
Three species had been in contact with the Rachni during the Rachni war, and one of them almost certainly captured the egg turned over to Binary Helix centuries later. The Krogan can be discounted as a source for obvious reasons. The Salarians had the motivation, level of social organization and technical skill to cature one or more eggs and maintain them in stasis indefinitely. Indeed, given Salarian state's demonstrated proclivities for the manipulation of other species, the STG probably did just that. But the Salarians have no obvious reason to turn such a priceless resource over to Binary Helix.
The Asari deep state, on the other hand, was deeply connected to Matriarch Benezia, and was attempting to manipulate Saren & Sovereign. It is the obvious source, whether the egg had been obtained by Asari commandoes during the war, or "borrowed" later from the STG. The Peak 15 lab was a ruse, set up to provide a plausible source for the location of the Mu Relay. It seems likely the Mu Relay's location was already known to the Conpiracy, extracted by Asari operatives during the Rachni war in the same fashion that Benezia extracted it from the Noveria queen. It is even possible that the relay's loss was not really an accident at all, but that it was deliberately "misplaced" by a conspiracy seeking to keep access to Ilos under its exclusive control.
Feros, The Thorian & The Chipher:
Both Shepard and Saren are provided with "The Cipher" by Shiala via mind-meld. Shiala claims to have recieved this information by mind-melding with "The Thorian", a bizarre, telepathic plant almost completely alien to any other known life-form. She also claims that the Thorian obtained this purported "collective uncoscious" of the Prothean race via observation and direct consumption of Prothean bodies. Two questions immediately present themselves here.
The first is, where did Saren learn of the Thorian, and it's supposed possession of the Cipher?
The Thorian does not seem like the sort of creature that would even come to the notice of the Reapers. It is wholly uninterested in FTL travel, mass relays or technology of any kind. And even if known to Sovereign, its possession of "The Cipher", and its ability to relay the same to another, would have been completely non-obvious.
On the other hand, the Thorian is precisely the sort of species that would have been of high interest the Protheans. The Thorian could not have gone undetected on a world that appears to have been a major population center for the Prothean Empire,especially if it was in the habit of occasionally eating Protheans, and almost certainly was extensively studied. In fact, given Prothean abilities, the Thorian may not have been natural at all, but a creation of Prothean science. In ay event, its safe to assume that information about the Thorian, its odd nature and its location would be available to the Thessia beacon. Benezia, or some other Asari-directed agent, was the likely source of Saren's information.
The second question is, how likely is it that the Thorian was the true source of "the cipher"?
The Thorian is a giant plant with a mind almost completely alien to that of any of the other race in the galaxy. It appears to lack the ability to distinguish members of one sentient animal race from another, or any serious interest in directly communicating with its thralls, let alone an interest in making an extensive study of a particular civilization. Supposedly it took Shiala "in trade" for information, but no explanation is ever provided as to why such a being would consider Shiala something of particular value. Communication with the Thorian, such as it is, takes place solely through Shiala or her "clones". And Shiala was, obviously, an associate of Matriarch Benezia and a powerful telepath in her own right. Looking back, is it even clear that the Thorian is in control of events and exerting dominance over Shiala? Isn't it possible that it was precisely the other way around, with Shiala the one manipulating events?
Shiala obtained "The Cipher" form the Thessia beacon. Like Peak 15, "The Thorian" is an elaborate ruse, designed to place clues in the hands of Saren, and then Shepard, without exposing the true source.
Rana Thanoptis:
Rana Thanoptis turns up for the first time on Virmire, and claims to be neurospecialist studying the process and effects of Indoctrination for Saren. She also happens to be found in a building directly adjacent to where Doctor Droyas, a rare Krogan scientist, and his _Asari_ assistant have developed a cure for the Genophage.
If she survives this encounter with Shepard, where does she turn up next? As the Asari assistant to yet another rare Krogan Scientist, Okeer. His project? "Defeating" the Genophage. Admittedly, Okeer's plan seems to have involved creating a Krogan genetically engineered to headbutt the Genophage into submission. But still, Thanoptis is in charge of the in-vitro education of the cloned Krogan. And all the Krogan who actually complete the course of education she designs are insane and uncontrollable upon decantation. The exception appears to be a single Krogan, decanted shortly before Shepard's arrival at Okeer's lab.
Thanoptis was likely an agent tasked with monitoring efforts to cure the Genophage. She may have even been tasked with distributing a cure to prepare the Krogan for use against the Reapers. (Okeer's interests turned out to be opposed to a simple cure, so such efforts would wasted). It would be completely unsurprising if evidence of contact between Thanoptis and Maelon Heplorn eventually turns up. While its true that if Thanoptis is still alive by 2186, news reports indicate she has become indoctrinated, murderous and suicidal, there is little reason to take extranet reports from Asari space seriously. These are the people who managed to suppress all data about the Ardat-Yakshi, after all.
Asari Indoctrination Countermeasure or Resistance:
The only Asari ever directly observed to be suffering from the effects of Indoctrination, other than Ardat-Yakshi, is Matriarch Benezia. An Asari extranet report _claims_ Rana Thanoptis succumbed, but such a source is obviously suspect. Shiala claims to have once been indoctrinated, but also claims to have been cured, via some mysterious means, by the Thorian. And Benezia herself claims to have been able to break free from Indoctrinations effects for short periods of time.
It is quite possible that ordinary Asari are, in fact, immune or highly resistant to Indoctrination. The Asari were extensively studied and manipulated by the Protheans during the preceding cycle, and extensive data regarding Asari genetics were certainly stored in the Asari beacon. It is quite possible this program of manipulation was resumed by the Asari deep state sometime after the Reapers returned to Dark Space. It is even possible that this manipulation continued without interruption. It seems likely that development of some form of indoctrination countermeasure, at least for the Asari, would have been a high priority for those with access to the Thessia beacon.
While Ardat-Yakshi clearly remained vulnerable, they suffer from a rare genetic defect that leaves the carriers with sverely diminished control over their natural biotic abilities. Its also quite possible that the Aradat-Yakshi were segregated and confined, and information about their condition was deliberately suppressed, specifically _BECAUSE_ of their vulnerability to Indoctrination.
Liara T'Soni:
When Shepard arrives on Therum T'Soni has managed to avoid capture by a large battlegroup of Geth lead by a full-fledged Krogan Battlemaster. But somehow, this purported Prothean expert has managed to get herself caught in a Prothean energy field, forcing Shepard to rescue her. During a subsequent battle with the Krogan and Geth, she adopts the passive posture of a Damsel in Distress.
After her heroic rescue, Dr. T'Soni makes a point of flattering Shepard. She adopts a pose of seemingly shy romantic interest with the "fascinating" and "exciting" commander. She makes a point of praising humanity in general, and Shepard's mental toughness and resilience specifically. But even if rebuffed, T'soni finds other, plausible reasons to mind-meld with the commander, potentially on multiple occasions.
Despite her claims to be a young archeologist at the start of her career, she is an Asari with a highly unusual set of talents.
She turns out to be an unusually powerful and seemingly well-trained biotic combatent, with biotic skills rivaling those of a Justicar. (Odd that she forgets this on Therum, eh?)
She turns out to be an expert at operating personal kinetic barriers and other military grade electronics, and at bypassing military grade security systems.
Despite the fact that connections to Ilos were severed centuries before the Asari developed (or at least deployed) FTL capabilities, T'Soni manages to recognize the planet from fragmentary and garbled images in Shepard's mind.
She not only survives the destruction of the Normandy, but manages soon afterward to recover Shepard's corpse from the Collectors, and is the one to turn it over to Cerberus.
She turns out to be an intuitively gifted data analyst. She supposedlt manages to become one of the most prominent data brokers in the Terminus system in less than two years, using solely her own resources.
After the Shadow Broker's death, she is prepared to seamlessly step into the Yahg's place and operate its network without interruption.
T'Soni even manages to (_seemingly_) survive two assassination attempts by a Spectre, one supposedly with access to Shadow Broker provided intel and military assets. Of course, the Spectre in question JUST HAPPENS to be Asari. And note that after Tela Vasir's apparent death, Liara is eager to lure Shepard away from the scene of this "death" as quickly as possible.
At this point, does anyone seriously still believe "Dr. Liara T'Soni, eccentric Archaeologist" is anything but an increasingly thin cover identity?
It's possible, of course, that Liara really was Benezia's daughter. But given the Matriarch's obvious connections, this does little to diminish the obvious conclusion that T'soni herself was acting on behalf of the Asari deep state.
Just as Saren required "guidance" by Benezia, and Harper was monitored by Trellani, Shepard required supervision. Shepard's unexpected appearance, obvious hyper-competence, driven nature and extraordinary mental abilities required a much defter touch, however, than merely dispatching a Matriarch with an offer of an Alliance or sexual liason. Liara T'Soni, daughter of the sinister Benezia, possessed of arcane knowledge regarding the Protheans, in dire need of aid, alternately socially clumsy and coquettish, seems almost tailor made to infiltrate Shepard's confidence, the Normandy's crew, and ultimately Shepard's very mind.
Mars, The Crucible Plans, and other lies:
Liara T'soni shows up on Mars shortly after the Batarian Hegemony is attacked by Reapers. When Shepard and the Normandy arrive, she claims she was there to _extract_ the plans for the Crucible. This claim is made immediately after she coldly and professionally executes two Cerberus soldiers....preseumably the only witnesses to whatever she was actually doing immediately before Shepard's arrival. It soon becomes clear that the Cerberus presence on Mars is a result of Harper/T.I.M. _somehow_ having been alerted to the presence of the Crucible plans in the Mars archive. But in light of subsequent discoveries by Shepard, how likely is this explanation?
In particular, Shepard later discovers the existence of the Thessia Beacon. The "Virtual" intelligence operating the Thessia beacon is named Vendetta, a highly suggestive name. Vendetta's personality matrix was derived from Pashek Van, the overseer of the Prothean's own CRUCIBLE PROJECT. Is it really believable that the plans for the Crucible were not available in the Thessia beacon itself, and were instead stored at the Mars beacon?
Liara T'Soni was not on Mars to retreive the Crucible plans from the archive. She was there to _plant_ them. Its likely Cerberus was "warned" of the plan's "storage" at the Mars facility, and Liara's plan to "retrieve" the plans by the Conspiracy itself, to provide an additional potential vector for the Crucible's construction and/or the preservation of the plans in case the Alliance/Council effort failed.
Vendetta is also likely the ultimate actual architect of the conspiracy. Whether the Asari deep state was aware of Vendetta's existence or not is a more open question. Vendetta could have easily manipulated the Asari via selective leaks of information. It's also possible the Asari deep state cooperated in an above board fashion with the remaining representative of the Asari race's long-time patrons and benefactors. Either way, defeat of the Reapers and preservation of Asari civilization would have been the long-term goal.
Endgame
-------
Its unclear to what extent the Conspirators or Vendetta remained in control of events after the REapers reached the Sol system. A lot of balls were up in the air.
But its highly likely the conspiracy achieved its ultimate goal. Immediately before Shepard attempts to access the Citadel/Catalyst from the London insertion point "Doctor T'Soni" seeks to lure Shepard into one last liason. Unlike with other mind-melds, in this one Shepard experiences a strange, seemingly hypnotic pattern of lights. Afterwards Shepard's perceptions slowly become altered. The commander's perceptions become steadily more distorted and dreamlike. Shortly after Shepard finally reaches the Citadel control center, the injured Spectre begins to experience what appears to be a series of full-blown hypnagogic hallucinations, complete with visions of recently deceased people of Shepard's acquaintance, dialogue that appears to be significant at the same time it lacks coherent meaning, all accompanied by an odd sense of urgency to choose, immediately, between different colored lights, with all choices leading to essentially the same result.
Was this chaotic sequence of events what actually took place? Or was it a hypnotic distraction, designed to keep Shepard's conscious mind occupied while the commander's voluntary nervous system responded to a post-hypnotic suggestion inserted by T'Soni?
Whatever Shepard chooses, its the conspiracy pulling the strings.
And that's about all I have time to write out before I am required to flee ahead of the Huntress kill squad...
