The fate of Kadara Port

I think you misinterpret much of what I wrote. I never claimed that Sloane made wise or ethical decisions. Quite to the contrary, she made plenty of stupid and unethical decisions. My concern is her motive, rather than the present state of things.

Sloane did what she's done in order to keep people alive. They were cast out into void, and her brutal leadership kept them alive. It found Kadara Port and liberated it from the kett. It keeps the darker elements at bay-- starvation, anarchy, the Johans of the galaxy (crazy ass cannibals). Yes, she's crossed lines that I'd never cross, but I'm not in her shoes. I didn't survive those months after Tann's ill-fated ultimatum. The Collective and Reyes, on the other hand, aren't trying to help people, they're trying to make money and acquire power. Their tactics are a mirror image of the Outcasts', plus there is zero  possibility of their returning to a more altruistic course, since they never had such motives. I know Sloane's goals and abilities, and that she's no threat to civilization. The Collective, though, are the galactic mafia in the making. They're ambitions are dangerous.

I think Sloane would be open to "her people" returning to the Ai, ultimately, if they wished to do so. Of course she'd never return to a position of authority, such as Chief of Security, aboard the Nexus. Her days of Ai employment are done for good. I could see her physically returning to the Nexus during future negotiations in the reconciliation process. Tann having to welcome back the exiles, and most importantly Sloane in particular, would be a fittingly humbling experience for him. His petty rivalry with Sloane led to much suffering, and even he was sick about the exiling of so many. He underestimated their resolve, and they called his bluff. His post-exile propaganda may suggest otherwise, but he knew he screwed up as he watched them leave.


The issue regarding Sloane's supposed mistreatment of the angara deserves a separate paragraph. She excluded them from the Outcasts because she feared Roekarr and/or insurgent infiltration. She was very careful about whom she allowed to join, in general, and the Collective wisely took advantage. Sloane did not, however, put any specific mistreatment upon the angara. She's not a racist. (Quite the opposite, in fact, seeming to have a thing for turians.) She speaks with disgust of the kett brutality toward the angara of Kadara Port. She traded peacefully with angara villages, from whom she learned of Kadara Port. Some of the angara of the city are understandably pissy because they now have to pay protection fees, and watch other undesirable changes, in what used to be their city. (I get it, but it's a step up from kett slavery or exaltation, no?) They aren't singled out in this regard, though, as everyone has to pay. With the roekarr pushed out and the Collective no longer striking directly at her heart, I'd expect to see angara being incorporated into her organization in the near future. More will likely join themselves to the Ai in some capacity. Our outposts have angara guards, already.

I just recently played the game for the first time.

For one thing, I tried to tell Sloane that I wouldn't back her up to whatever she was suggesting; cleaning out the "collective base." Also, WTF, an entire BASE of people and it was just going to be my team and Sloane? With the lil army she raised? stupid. The game made Ryder agree to go. I'd actually already accidentally visited the place. Talked to some people that had been nicer to me than most of the rest of the planet and even rooted out a spy. I was actually weirded out that we went back to the very same place and Ryder didn't go...uh, wait. I've been here before. I went in completely blind as I had no clue Reyes was the Charlatan. I'd been sensing that the game was going to make me make a choice between Sloane and the Mystery person and hadn't made my decision. Knowing Bioware, it was going to be Harrowmount vs Bhelen all over again. Bhelen may be progressive but he committed fratricide and destroyed the assembly, making his own voice the only that could be heard. But Harrowmount is a traditionalist classist with pretty low energy for the job.

Anyway, my point is, it was one of those damned Interupts so I only has, what, 2 seconds to decide? And my brain didn't go, "Oh my goodness, it's the Sloane vs Collective decision I've been waiting for!" it went to, "Do I and my Ryder allow an official honorable duel to be fouled or do I not?" That is really the non metagaming question. I didn't even like Sloane, but moments before, she'd agreed to abide by the deal that Reyes himself had presented. I was just upholding the terms- maintaining the duel circle, as it was.

I also thought the interrupt would have Ryder shoot the sniper, so the duel could go on uninterrupted. Instead, Ryder jumped on top of Sloane and Reyes runs off; apparently having never intended to actually duel Sloane.

I am disappointed that maintaining the terms of an agreement between two warlords got me Sloane by default.  Ryder was an outsider, and I feel like this was actually the only NEUTRAL choice.

LadyCass, Sloane doesn't say that she'll keep doing as she wants. She says, "Not even out of the fucking cave, and you're already making demands!" She then tells Ryder, "I'll never trust Tann and the Nexus, but you're out of the doghouse." She has a pretty amiable interaction, back in the HQ, if you open by asking about Kaetus. She was the first person to call my Ryder "Sara" during my entire first PT, barring the intro. I don't know whether you read Nexus Uprising (I'm betting not), but the old Sloane peaks through, in this scene.

I enjoy Reyes, but can't trust him; whereas Sloane is very much an open book. I also like having a world in which both are still alive.

LadyCass , it's not really about liking Sloane. I just think she's better for the Ai than Reyes and the Collective.

She absolutely would've put Reyes' head on a spike, just as he absolutely tried to assassinate Sloane right in front of Ryder. Neither is a good person. Reyes shows some humanity in that moment on the roof. Sloane shows it throughout the novel, and in the post-showdown scene. (Her in-game content was terribly handled.) They're both great characters. I think the setting is richer with both of them alive.

It occurred to me, somehow for the first time, that this situation may play out poorly for Sloane, regardless of our choice. The fact that she dies automatically, unless the player uses an interrupt, may bode ill for her future. The Collective may seize Kadara eventually, regardless of what happens that day. Then, we have a friendly Collective; a somewhat understanding Collective (didn't shoot Reyes); or a less friendly Collective (shot Reyes), depending upon our choices in that cave.

The Collective seems like a group into which the writers intended to put some future development. I'm not sure if Sloane is the same. She got a novel; but that novel serves whether she lives or not.

I agree with some of this. Sloane mistreating the Ai colony personnel? Never going to happen, even if she were so inclined. She doesn't rule the outpost, and would liKelly be killed by an APEX strike team or a Pathfinder (or more likely by former STG guys). She has no slack in the leash with the Ai. The slightest provocation would garner a response.

I also disagree that she promotes based upon who is "nice to her". This aspect of her personality is developed, a bit, in the novels. It's also explained via datapads in MEA. She promotes from among those whom she trusts. She's a more than a bit skeptical and slow to trust, in the beginning. By the time of the game, she's approaching paranoid. She absolutely harms her own cause by alienating people. Reyes is much smarter in the way he handles many things, people first and foremost.

I'm not convinced that the Collecitve isn't dong the few good deeds they do simply for PR, given the terrible stuff they do behind the scenes. Even if Reyes truly has a heart of gold, I don't trust an organized group of intelligent criminals. Reyes is one bullet, dose of poison, anurysm, etc.. from losing power. Sloane's band of ruffians can be much more easily manipulated, neutralized or eliminated, precisely because they aren't as clever and sophisticated as the Collective.

I wanted to see how these characters and situations would evolve in a sequel. It will be a shame if we never get one.

If they are going to piss on player choice like that, it better at least happen during the events of the game and not between the games. Also if they do that we better be able to put the Collective down. 

The security logs in the Militia area seem to suggest that Tann has been using Kandros to try and hunt her down. I wonder if her fate would really depend on who you choose as Heleus Ambassador, and the results of the council "elections." Once Tann loses influence, then it would be harder for him to hunt her down; but too much influence, then it spells trouble for her. She's fighting the Kett, the Roekarr, The Collective, and then the Initiative? Ouch.

Conversely, Sloane's ability to throw her weight around Kadara, I would think, would be lessened if the Moshae is chosen.

I think The Collective is where we're supposed to go with Kadara, I just can't do it. I can't do it to Sloane. Either way, I see reconciliation or death in her future. If she dies later on, I hope it's better than a shot to the back, and she at least gets a hug out of Addison.

I can't imagine that Kandros would ever turn Sloane over to Tann. I'm pretty sure he'd shoot Tann to protect Sloane, were it an option. I doubt it's bad luck that they've not learned that she's in Kadara Port.

I never noticed this, though it makes perfect sense. A kill order is ridiculous, anyway. Exile was already extreme. The novel and game seem to diverge on this point. Novel-Tann felt nauseated that his bluff was called and he had to go through with his exile threat. That's saying something for a salarian. Game-Tann has squads looking for further retribution, though? Doesn't make sense, really. They could've just executed her to begin with, if Tann were this big a douche.

In the security logs, Kandros rejects Sloane stating that she isn't the person who he thought she was. Over the course of the logs, he gradually grows to dislike her, and the exchange between him and Tann suggests that there were conversations between the book and the game where Tann did his best to sully Sloane's reputation. It makes sense that he might sour anyone against her that wasn't there to witness what happened as a way to gain loyalty.

Killing Sloane while she was still on the Nexus would have been enough to sway Addison, Talini, and Kesh. It hurt Addison to sentence Sloane. There was no ulterior motive in the book, but thinking from an objective point of view, Sloane siding with the Exiles gave him an excuse to do the next best thing to killing her physically.

To rationalize game-Tann vs book-Tann, I can imagine that there was still fallout from the Uprising between the book and the game. Davis and Keri hint at it when you talk to them, and Keri's whole arrest is over this very thing. I am guessing that wanting to hoard as much influence as he possibly can and continue this idea of blaming her for everything, he started sending out hit squads on her. I could see it that he would figure that she would be better off dead than expose his lies about what actually happened...or teaming up with Morda.