207: This Cerberus shell corp clashed with the Quarians

0:12 [SPEAKER_05]: I'm Commander Shepherd, and this is my favorite lorecast on the Citadel. [SPEAKER_04]: Welcome to the Mass Effect lorecast. [SPEAKER_04]: I'm in seven the legend. [SPEAKER_07]: And I'm Genesis. [SPEAKER_07]: Join us. [SPEAKER_04]: As we explore along tides of light. [SPEAKER_04]: And through sholes of dust.

0:30 [SPEAKER_04]: To see where this lore began. [SPEAKER_07]: And consider where it may go. [SPEAKER_04]: Specters who welcome back to another exciting week of the Mass Effect Lorecast. [SPEAKER_04]: I am your host in seven a legend aka Sleepy Sam. [SPEAKER_04]: Joining me as always is Genesis who probably has more energy than I do today.

1:09 [SPEAKER_04]: Genesis, how's it going? [SPEAKER_07]: I kind of do have a lot of energy today. [SPEAKER_07]: I got some really awesome news and I've also had two candy bars like right before the show. [SPEAKER_07]: So I'm a little bit sugardop right now. [SPEAKER_04]: Speaking of candy, you know what I just had right before the show.

1:27 [SPEAKER_04]: I'm just discovering Dubai chocolate. [SPEAKER_04]: I don't know if anyone knows about this. [SPEAKER_04]: It's apparently a big thing on social media right now, but my wife got some. [SPEAKER_04]: It's pretty good, but in my like amateur take it tastes a lot like Nestle like bunch of crunch.

1:42 [SPEAKER_04]: So. [SPEAKER_04]: I don't know. [SPEAKER_04]: I mean, I love bunch of crunch. [SPEAKER_04]: But anyway, yes, today we are talking about other corporations, not necessarily though I wouldn't be surprised if we necessarily did exist in the Mass Effect universe. [SPEAKER_04]: Today we are talking about Elfell Ashland Energy.

2:02 [SPEAKER_04]: Do you remember them, Genesis? [SPEAKER_04]: a little bit but i think a refresher might help okay so they are the it's a human corporation uh... they are the interplanetary mining conglomerates that are very akin to facebook and as much as they have this uh... [SPEAKER_04]: All encompassing corporate culture, if you will, a cradle to grave corporate experience, they call it for their employees.

2:30 [SPEAKER_04]: Where they are also funding the colonies where the employees live, and yada yada, and they're also the corporation who had their easo freighter blown up over Yandoa, and that created a whole [SPEAKER_04]: Quagmire, I guess you could call it with the debris raining down on people and the dust form, Ezo caused birth defects and cancer and some biotics as well.

3:00 [SPEAKER_04]: Anyway, that was Elfell Ashland, but we get this whole other story line with them that I didn't quite know about. [SPEAKER_04]: And I just learned about it and I thought, you know, we really need to cover this in the corporate episodes. [SPEAKER_04]: And this one really serves to illustrate the confrontations that these mega corporations are willing to have with organized nation-state nations of people in the Mass Effect universe.

3:27 [SPEAKER_07]: You know, I had a conversation with Jay Gray, a lead writer and developer at Artile Sorion Games, who does the tabletop RPG of Cyberpunk. [SPEAKER_07]: And he's a huge mass effect nerd, by the way. [SPEAKER_07]: We were geeking out about how much overlap there is with the corporations of mass effect and the corporations of cyberpunk.

3:54 [SPEAKER_07]: A cyberpunk we have this like nitty, gritty or type setting and it's all about the high technology, low quality of life or mass effect is high tech, high quality. [SPEAKER_07]: But these are the type of stories where I see that overlap a lot. [SPEAKER_04]: You know, it's funny that you should bring that up like the high, high tech, high quality of life because I feel like most of it that we get in the game we see that there is a high, higher quality of life than you would expect from like cyberpunk.

4:28 [SPEAKER_04]: However, we also get details in the lore about like really dystopian living conditions that people have to endure even on the Citadel. [SPEAKER_04]: Like within the bowels of the Citadel, there's an entire underclass of people. [SPEAKER_04]: that are existing outside of basically even the words knowledge.

4:48 [SPEAKER_04]: And C-SAC is even afraid to go down there. [SPEAKER_04]: So I think that the Mass Effect universe corporations are just better about serving you the heaping platter of dog do with a nice FU, but it looks prettier. [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, there's that, and I think that aspect of it, the high quality versus low quality of life, it's what is the majority of the population at in these settings.

5:17 [SPEAKER_07]: And I would say that a majority of the population in Mass Effect is at that higher level, or at least a standardized level quality of life where in Cyberpunk a majority of the people are below standard. [SPEAKER_04]: That's fair. [SPEAKER_04]: That's definitely fair. [SPEAKER_04]: It doesn't seem like the slums are that widespread in the mass-fect universe, but who knows what contributions Elfield Ashland energy has toward that.

5:43 [SPEAKER_04]: It doesn't seem like these people are particularly in the business of philanthropy or charity. [SPEAKER_04]: So I wanted to get into this [SPEAKER_04]: particular storyline of a clash they have with the Koreans, the Korean, the migrant fleet. [SPEAKER_04]: So we learned about this once again through server stale news, so we gotta take everything with the grain of salt, especially when server stale news is covering a corporation that may or may not be a server's shell corporation.

6:15 [SPEAKER_04]: So [SPEAKER_04]: Here, just take that, keep that in mind as we go through this and we'll kind of analyze it with that lens. [SPEAKER_04]: But this is told over a series of entries from server-staley news. [SPEAKER_04]: The first one stating, Elphil Ashlin Energy is refusing to meet with representatives from the Corion Conclave, as they clash over rights to rich veins of Pilateum discovered on several asteroids on the outskirts of the Nubian expanse.

6:43 [SPEAKER_04]: Does it all surprise you that a human mining conglomerate is trying to impose basically resource rights in Korean space? [SPEAKER_07]: No, not at all. [SPEAKER_07]: We talked about this a lot in our expansion episode of how rapidly and fast we are trying out there to get out there and gather as many resources as possible to gain a foothold.

7:10 [SPEAKER_07]: And this totally seems like something that falls right in mind with that. [SPEAKER_04]: Right, and I should correct myself. [SPEAKER_04]: I said that it was Korean space, but actually the newbie and expanse I don't think is under single dominant control from any one race. [SPEAKER_04]: However, it is right on the border I want to say of the attic and traverse and as we know the attic and traverse is rather lawless.

7:35 [SPEAKER_04]: So [SPEAKER_04]: not at all surprising that corporations might be willing to go toe to toe with with with another organized nation of people such as the Koreans here. [SPEAKER_04]: And interesting to me that they're looking for Pilatium right because Pilatium is [SPEAKER_04]: one of those resources that we can mind in Mass Effect, too, which is where we get the survey's daily news updates.

7:59 [SPEAKER_04]: So maybe this was the writer's way of trying to work in, like, hey, these resources aren't just like a gimmicky thing that you care about, other people care about them, too. [SPEAKER_07]: I like that though. [SPEAKER_07]: I love it when Lord ties into like why am I resource gathering? [SPEAKER_07]: What does this have to do with anything?

8:18 [SPEAKER_07]: And this is part of the reason. [SPEAKER_07]: I really like that. [SPEAKER_04]: I also like imagining that like shepherd is going into these areas that are under like contested areas between mining, couldn't conglomerates and like nations of people. [SPEAKER_04]: and they're fighting over the palladium, right?

8:34 [SPEAKER_04]: And then Shepherd swoops in near home and then drops some probes and it's out. [SPEAKER_04]: All the palladium's gone entire fight meaningless. [SPEAKER_07]: Especially with the one probe resource? [SPEAKER_07]: Oh yeah, mod. [SPEAKER_04]: Oh yeah. [SPEAKER_04]: And then all of a sudden one man or one woman in their ship has completely impoverished an entire solar system.

8:58 [SPEAKER_04]: the end. [SPEAKER_04]: Anyway, yeah, Elfo Ashland is basically not backing down from this resource rights fight. [SPEAKER_04]: The next part of the entry says Elfo Ashland's sole contribution to the project was to appear with an armed frigate. [SPEAKER_04]: After we finished surveying, then demand that we vacate the unclamed area, according to Captain Alis Lassparvus Nolok to you.

9:32 [SPEAKER_04]: So that's according to a Korean captain. [SPEAKER_04]: But Elvel Ashland showing up armed. [SPEAKER_04]: And then he goes on to say, we will continue mining until Elvel Ashland presents the conclave with proof of ownership, or speaks to us without hiding behind a gun. [SPEAKER_04]: We would prefer both.

9:53 [SPEAKER_07]: It's spicy. [SPEAKER_07]: I like this. [SPEAKER_07]: Okay. [SPEAKER_07]: And I do understand that the company that's doing the mining would want proof of ownership. [SPEAKER_07]: They were like, we found no documentation on this. [SPEAKER_07]: I see nothing wrong with us being the first ones here in order to gather these resources.

10:15 [SPEAKER_07]: So if you're going to contest this on it, do it through legal battles, not through gunfire. [SPEAKER_04]: Right, and so this is really something especially for a migrant group of people who are kicked from solar system to solar system and really treat it as second class citizens anywhere in Citadel space.

10:37 [SPEAKER_04]: So they go outside of Citadel space and yet they're still having to deal with Citadel space corporations pushing them around. [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, I know that there's not, this is not a good argument. [SPEAKER_07]: I am fully aware that I'm just trying to play a little bit of L field devil advocate.

10:55 [SPEAKER_04]: Fair enough, fair enough. [SPEAKER_04]: I bet they have their own army of well-paid lawyers willing to argue these points in court. [SPEAKER_04]: Probably more lawyers than the migrant fleet, I would say. [SPEAKER_04]: In fact, I feel like the Citadel Council wouldn't even hear the argument, probably from the migrant fleet.

11:17 [SPEAKER_04]: They'd be like, yeah, whatever else a latch on can make as money going there. [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, that's unfortunate, but it sounds right. [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, but and you know what the thing is for me, this this whole [SPEAKER_04]: like why they want the resources, right? [SPEAKER_04]: So Elfell Ashland energy is a corporation, meaning that it has to return profit to its investors.

11:41 [SPEAKER_04]: So it's a growth mindset for that company, of course. [SPEAKER_04]: However, for the Koreans, Pilateum being a critical ship resource, if I'm remembering correctly, that isn't that what the ship hall is made out of, the upgraded ship hall on the Normandy, isn't it primarily Pilateum? [SPEAKER_07]: sound right, but I can verify that while you continue.

12:03 [SPEAKER_04]: So if I'm, I think I'm correct, then the Korean, the migrant fleet could have like a dire need of this as their ships are aging and they need better and better repairs to their hulls. [SPEAKER_04]: So this is like way more of a life and death kind of need for the Koreans, whereas this is just another two percent on the stock for Eltville, Ashland.

12:27 [SPEAKER_07]: Pladium is used to upgrade cybernetics shields, heavy pistols, and armor. [SPEAKER_04]: Yes, so there we go. [SPEAKER_04]: So it even has shield applications as well, meaning that they could probably work this into a lot of different engineering capacities with their fleet. [SPEAKER_04]: I kind of, I've rest my case there.

12:47 [SPEAKER_07]: No, the Koreans need it for actually using it. [SPEAKER_07]: Elbfield, Ashlyn, just wants it for making money off of it. [SPEAKER_04]: All right, so this is like a situation that absolutely needs a diplomatic mediator to go in and ensure that there is a fair and equitable solution here.

13:10 [SPEAKER_04]: That said, [SPEAKER_04]: That is rarely the case in Mass Effect, where there is a fair or equitable solution that works for everybody. [SPEAKER_04]: Why don't we go ahead and go to the next entry that we get from Server Staley News, Genesis, do you want to read this one for us? [SPEAKER_07]: Sure.

13:29 [SPEAKER_07]: Eldfield Ashland Energy has accused the migrant fleet of destroying a cruiser. [SPEAKER_07]: Three frigates and six mining freighters in the Nubian expanse over a mineral rights dispute. [SPEAKER_07]: The Koreans denied all charges saying that they last saw Eldfield Ashland ships retreating out of sensor range, presumably to refuel their cruiser by the system's mass relay.

13:59 [SPEAKER_04]: So this is like [SPEAKER_04]: Okay, so that that Elfill Ashland energy ship blowing up over the planet Yandoa spreading the easo dust over the colony that happened in twenty one seventy and now this is twenty one eighty five right in mass five two. [SPEAKER_04]: So fifteen years later the Elfill Ashland once again finds themselves in a situation with a ship that has been blown up.

14:25 [SPEAKER_04]: I'm sorry. [SPEAKER_04]: That's a total of ten ships blown up. [SPEAKER_04]: And there is a dispute over how it has happened. [SPEAKER_07]: You're right, because the first one, it didn't we find out later on that it was all because of Cerberus did it. [SPEAKER_04]: If I'm not mistaken, it's all but confirmed that it was Cerberus trying to test biotics on humanity or trying to develop biotics in humanity, though it was officially ruled in accident.

14:57 [SPEAKER_07]: course. [SPEAKER_07]: And then again, they're saying that all these ships got destroyed and they're blaming you on the Koreans, but it's not very clear on this one either. [SPEAKER_04]: You know what the thing is for me, the Koreans are such an easy scapegoat. [SPEAKER_04]: They are like such an easy scapegoat.

15:14 [SPEAKER_04]: And and Elfell Ashland knows it. [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, the entire universe kind of knows it. [SPEAKER_07]: They blame everything on the Koreans. [SPEAKER_04]: They're there. [SPEAKER_04]: is probably no evidence that we see in any of the games or any of the lore that would suggest that the Koreans are so aggressive that they would go after tin ships, destroy tin ships of LDVL Ashland energy just for Pilateum.

15:48 [SPEAKER_04]: Because that is a first of all, it's a level of aggression. [SPEAKER_04]: They just don't don't typically exhibit, but second of all, especially because the geth are nonvolved here and neither is rannick. [SPEAKER_04]: But second of all, it's way too big of a risk for their fleet. [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, I was going to say bring up that in Mass Effect Three.

16:09 [SPEAKER_07]: There's definitely some aggressive Koreans trying to blow up a drug not that I'm still currently occupying. [SPEAKER_07]: But, you know, beyond that, you're right. [SPEAKER_07]: This is way too much risk for not enough gain. [SPEAKER_07]: And they're I feel like they're a little bit more reserved than that.

16:30 [SPEAKER_07]: They would outweigh these and attacking somebody a corporation as large as Elffield, Ashland. [SPEAKER_07]: It's just not them. [SPEAKER_04]: Right. [SPEAKER_04]: And this denial from the Koreans, they give like a supplementary thing where they say that these, they last saw Elfell Ashland ships actually going out of sensor range, retreating.

16:56 [SPEAKER_04]: So, they are providing some kind of testimony as to what they did see. [SPEAKER_04]: They're not just, you know, categorically denying everything and saying it's all a lie, it's all a hoax, blah, blah. [SPEAKER_07]: Okay, so now I want to know if we do find out any further information on that, and we do have, of course, more to this entry.

17:16 [SPEAKER_07]: Elfield Ashland spokesperson, Joes Neville, responded. [SPEAKER_07]: Yesterday, we lost contact with our ships out in the expanse. [SPEAKER_07]: Shortly afterward, we received a distress signal from the NSV Stanislaw reporting a, quote, alien attack. [SPEAKER_07]: We have very little doubt as to what happened here.

17:40 [SPEAKER_07]: Altfield Ashton officials are planning to go before the council and ask that the migrant fleet be banned from Citadel space. [SPEAKER_04]: Boom, boom, boom. [SPEAKER_04]: Okay. [SPEAKER_04]: What stands out to me here is that the Elfell Ashland spokesperson only says that they're distress signal reported in a quote unquote alien attack.

18:07 [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, quote unquote alien attack as if to differentiate it from humanity. [SPEAKER_04]: So it's guys, hey, it's definitely not humans. [SPEAKER_04]: It's probably those alien motherfuckers. [SPEAKER_07]: But like, which ones? [SPEAKER_07]: I mean, all of them are technically alien to human.

18:31 [SPEAKER_07]: So why wouldn't you specify? [SPEAKER_04]: Right. [SPEAKER_04]: Why would you not specify, especially how do you have so much information that you know it's not a group of humans or even any humans involved at all attacking you, but you have so little information that you cannot identify [SPEAKER_04]: what kind of vessels they are, especially if they're part of the Korean migrant fleet.

18:53 [SPEAKER_04]: I understand a lot of the migrant fleet, they're repurposed ships, right? [SPEAKER_04]: And they're scrapyard ships, they're blah, blah, blah. [SPEAKER_04]: However, you would likely know after there were already tensions heating up between [SPEAKER_04]: the Koreans and Elfell Ashland energy.

19:11 [SPEAKER_04]: Um, it just, it, it wreaks of, of servers influence doesn't it? [SPEAKER_04]: Like, hey guys, uh, distress signal, it's those aliens again. [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, all alien ships look alike. [SPEAKER_07]: I can't tell the difference between them. [SPEAKER_04]: And also, just like, even if that is the distress signal that they received, why does the very next sentence out of this spokesperson's mouth?

19:38 [SPEAKER_04]: Why is it? [SPEAKER_04]: We have very little doubt as to what happened here. [SPEAKER_04]: I do, because you didn't tell us anything without distress signal. [SPEAKER_04]: You're just basically saying, it's the usual suspects, isn't it? [SPEAKER_04]: Like, you're just being blatantly xenophobic.

19:57 [SPEAKER_07]: We're being attacked. [SPEAKER_07]: I swear it was those guys. [SPEAKER_07]: I want them banned. [SPEAKER_04]: Well, you know, we just we look. [SPEAKER_04]: We know what's going on here. [SPEAKER_04]: This is just something that they do. [SPEAKER_04]: And man, the fact that they right away asked this council to ban the Koreans from Citadel space, despite the fact that this happened in the attic and traverse, [SPEAKER_07]: right a place where this council doesn't really have authority over I want they were doing stuff that I don't like I'm going to go tell mom and dad my mom and dad are going to do something about it it's what this feels like I feel like it's also very evident [SPEAKER_04]: that Eltfeld Ashland was like, oh, fine.

20:47 [SPEAKER_04]: You think that you want to tussle with the big boys, Koreans? [SPEAKER_04]: Then we're just going to destroy some of our own ships, blame you, and the council already hates you. [SPEAKER_04]: So let's see what they have to say about it. [SPEAKER_07]: Bring it. [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, um, this feels like such a typical corporate scumbag move that doesn't surprise me because like again, there's no evidence right now that the Koreans that any one in the migrant fleet destroyed ten human vessels like [SPEAKER_04]: As far as I know, before the Cerberus attack on the migrant fleet, the corings really don't have anything against humanity.

21:32 [SPEAKER_07]: No, not that I can really think of. [SPEAKER_07]: They weren't really involved in the first contact war. [SPEAKER_07]: There were no notable signs of it. [SPEAKER_07]: I mean, you would think, I mean, shepherd, like right out the gate, shepherd has issues with battarians. [SPEAKER_07]: If there had been some and was cautious around Turians, wasn't sure how to interact with Rogans.

21:57 [SPEAKER_07]: But for the Koreans, there was really nothing that we didn't know a whole lot about them. [SPEAKER_07]: We wanted to learn more from Tally because we haven't really interacted with them. [SPEAKER_04]: Speaking of Tally, her father would have been alive here. [SPEAKER_04]: So I wonder [SPEAKER_04]: Well, actually, depending on when in the game this happened, her father would have been alive, right?

22:23 [SPEAKER_04]: So I wonder how much her father was involved in this specific incident, considering that it was a Korean con clay of those really leading diplomatic efforts with Elfell Ashland energy. [SPEAKER_07]: That's true. [SPEAKER_07]: Definitely for sure, Auntie Ron would have had some influence going on here.

22:45 [SPEAKER_04]: Oh, yes. [SPEAKER_04]: All right. [SPEAKER_04]: Well, that kind of takes us to the middle of the show where we gotta go. [SPEAKER_04]: Thank our patrons and read some reviews and you've got a sound effect voice line for me to guess. [SPEAKER_04]: So why don't we go over to the mid break and when we come back, [SPEAKER_04]: We're going to find out what exactly happens with this LFL Ashland energy, uh, curve fuffle.

23:11 [SPEAKER_04]: I guess you can call it. [SPEAKER_04]: Alright, we'll be right back. [SPEAKER_02]: We have, uh, beef, bacon. [SPEAKER_02]: We have beer, the foods of my people. [SPEAKER_03]: Young men have funny ideas of what a story are like. [SPEAKER_03]: I blame the extra net and computer games. [SPEAKER_02]: Rex, shepherd, grunt, shepherd, Rex.

23:33 [SPEAKER_04]: And here we are in the middle of the show where we read your five-star reviews from Apple, from Spotify, even. [SPEAKER_04]: We're reading those from comments on the most recent episodes. [SPEAKER_04]: And we have one in front of us here from Morton Fisher, who writes, God, GAWD. [SPEAKER_04]: God, I absolutely love everything about this lorecast.

23:55 [SPEAKER_04]: I think I'm on my tenth or eleventh readlisten of this specific lorecast. [SPEAKER_04]: You guys keep on getting better, which I didn't think was possible, but she, here we are, and he actually spelled it, she, I hope that was a reference to the wire, Morton. [SPEAKER_04]: Genesis could talk about absolutely nothing, and I'd still listen attentively, very soothing.

24:19 [SPEAKER_04]: Genesis, you've got a fan. [SPEAKER_07]: I'd like thank you, thank you very much. [SPEAKER_07]: I will do phone book ratings for you. [SPEAKER_04]: Not where I thought you were taking that. [SPEAKER_04]: Anyway, moving on. [SPEAKER_04]: Thank you, Morton, for listening to the show. [SPEAKER_07]: We also do, we did get a review on Apple Podcast.

24:42 [SPEAKER_04]: Oh, did we really, I didn't see that one. [SPEAKER_04]: Yes, please do. [SPEAKER_07]: It just just popped up two days ago from Aspire for more, a spire for more. [SPEAKER_07]: I like that long time listener first time reviewer. [SPEAKER_07]: Five stars on Apple Podcast just began a career in OTR trucking and I'm planning to support the show on Patreon soon.

25:06 [SPEAKER_07]: Please keep the podcast going. [SPEAKER_07]: I'm really enjoying listening to you guys. [SPEAKER_07]: Do the deep dives and theory crafting ideas. [SPEAKER_07]: All I can ask is for the impossible and that would be to make the episodes longer. [SPEAKER_07]: But seriously, thanks for all of your hard work and to everyone who makes this podcast possible.

25:27 [SPEAKER_07]: You're all N seven legends in my book. [SPEAKER_04]: Oh, well, aspire. [SPEAKER_04]: Thank you. [SPEAKER_04]: Thank you for that. [SPEAKER_04]: And that's just Genesis and I know we don't. [SPEAKER_04]: We don't have an audio engineer though. [SPEAKER_04]: That would be nice. [SPEAKER_04]: We don't have a social media manager though.

25:43 [SPEAKER_04]: That would be nice. [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, it's just a two person operation we got going here. [SPEAKER_04]: So you are also an in seven legend Genesis. [SPEAKER_04]: All right. [SPEAKER_04]: Well, thank you so much to both aspire from war and Morton Fisher for the very kind words. [SPEAKER_04]: I will think about trying to make these episodes longer.

26:06 [SPEAKER_04]: We try and go long when we can, but I being a new dad in very tired and struggling to keep up with the dishes and laundry and my life's a mess. [SPEAKER_04]: So I'll just keep trying to do as much as I can. [SPEAKER_04]: For this podcast, but with that, let's move on to the voice lines.

26:30 [SPEAKER_04]: Shall we? [SPEAKER_04]: All right. [SPEAKER_04]: Where's my sound effect? [SPEAKER_10]: Don't fuck. [SPEAKER_04]: There we go. [SPEAKER_04]: I don't know if that played actually. [SPEAKER_04]: Did that play? [SPEAKER_10]: Don't fuck. [SPEAKER_04]: Okay. [SPEAKER_04]: We did get that. [SPEAKER_04]: Okay.

26:41 [SPEAKER_04]: Well, we got it twice. [SPEAKER_04]: Don't fuck with area. [SPEAKER_04]: You heard. [SPEAKER_04]: So here is the voice line from Genesis and the file name is called Play the first five seconds and then pause longer if you need a hint. [SPEAKER_04]: So we'll play the first five seconds. [SPEAKER_00]: I don't get how a close female can be more attractive than I naked would.

27:03 [SPEAKER_04]: What? [SPEAKER_04]: Oh, let me review that. [SPEAKER_04]: Let's roll the tape back one more time. [SPEAKER_04]: I feel like the music is the really key hand here, the music in the background. [SPEAKER_04]: I'm going to try and start broad and work backward from there. [SPEAKER_04]: That music sounds like Mass Effect, too.

27:31 [SPEAKER_04]: Is it [SPEAKER_04]: I'm going to go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you go blank face until you

28:05 [SPEAKER_04]: I want to say, I want to say his disturbing warden's loyalty mission, but I'm going to keep listening to the rest of the clip. [SPEAKER_08]: Okay. [SPEAKER_05]: There we go. [SPEAKER_05]: Okay. [SPEAKER_05]: So, Novaria? [SPEAKER_04]: Uh, and is that Rex? [SPEAKER_04]: It is. [SPEAKER_04]: Well, okay, that is a rare Rex line.

28:41 [SPEAKER_04]: I can grads. [SPEAKER_04]: I've never heard that Rex line in the game, I think. [SPEAKER_07]: I randomly brought him, uh, to no area, uh, just testing out weird dialogue and I heard it and I was like, okay, you could some really interesting dialogue from the men in this game talking to Lord King.

29:01 [SPEAKER_04]: Do you really? [SPEAKER_04]: Wow, I think I always bring Lyra and Ashley to Novaria. [SPEAKER_04]: Big surprise. [SPEAKER_07]: Try bringing Kaden next time. [SPEAKER_04]: Really? [SPEAKER_04]: Okay. [SPEAKER_04]: What is, well, I'll just enlighten us here. [SPEAKER_04]: What is Kaden say?

29:23 [SPEAKER_07]: He talks about the, sorry, you can find on the extra net. [SPEAKER_04]: Wow, combine that with his remarks about Lyra, and I think we know Caden's type. [SPEAKER_04]: Okay, let's in it. [SPEAKER_04]: Keep it in your pants. [SPEAKER_04]: Well, Genesis, thank you for the sound effect. [SPEAKER_04]: We have a planet card here.

29:43 [SPEAKER_04]: Wait, one second, here we go. [SPEAKER_04]: Scans have found something. [SPEAKER_04]: That's right. [SPEAKER_04]: Thank you, E.D. [SPEAKER_04]: Planet card is nomically. [SPEAKER_04]: It's an arid, but habitable planet, Namakli was briefly colonized by the Pyrenea Corporation, a consortium of a sorry colonist since socialized Vorcia laborers.

30:02 [SPEAKER_04]: After an economic downturn, however, many a sorry left the planet, and a Vorcia population kept growing to the point where they bred faster than could be educated. [SPEAKER_04]: Soon, they turned violent and uncontrollable, and the colonies essentially self-destructed. [SPEAKER_04]: Today, Namakli is a wasteland with a little population, or with little population, but vorcipacts are scattered across the deserts.

30:26 [SPEAKER_04]: Settlers frequently run into these packs discouraging recolonization. [SPEAKER_04]: The lack of complex biodiversity of profitable metals drove the last few proverbial nails into Namakli's coffin. [SPEAKER_04]: No one has stepped forth in the past few years with the will, the funding, or the firepower to establish a permanent colony.

30:45 [SPEAKER_07]: Um, I also do not want to be overrun by a pack of vortia. [SPEAKER_07]: No, thank you. [SPEAKER_04]: Several, several vortia. [SPEAKER_07]: That, that does not sound pleasant and I understand why nobody lives there except for the vortia. [SPEAKER_04]: Can you imagine like a group of vortia that like is numerous enough that you just hear a choir of, ah, you're done now.

31:15 [SPEAKER_04]: And it's just all in harmony. [SPEAKER_04]: That'd be terrifying. [SPEAKER_04]: But now I want to like spawn that many virtue in somehow into Mass Effect II in a level kind of like spawning a bunch of scamps and more wind. [SPEAKER_07]: I love your scamp army. [SPEAKER_07]: But also the fact that they were bred faster than they could be educated.

31:37 [SPEAKER_07]: Oh no, that's really not good. [SPEAKER_07]: So these are dumb. [SPEAKER_07]: vortia that are a feral. [SPEAKER_04]: This is basically VORCHA idiocracy on this planet. [SPEAKER_04]: What happened here? [SPEAKER_04]: The dumb VORCHA bred too quickly and then society collapsed. [SPEAKER_04]: So anyway, that's our planet card for today.

32:00 [SPEAKER_04]: Very, very optimistic outlook for the future. [SPEAKER_04]: And we got a shout out to your five patrons, Ed Boy, Kira C. Lieutenant Tassina Retrobot, Superfly Four, Forty, unfortunate bit of factor, and William. [SPEAKER_04]: Thank you so much for your continued support of this show. [SPEAKER_04]: Oh, and we have a special announcement for everybody.

32:21 [SPEAKER_04]: We have become Twitch affiliates. [SPEAKER_04]: If you can believe that, we are affiliates on Twitch because we started the Separate Mass Effect Lawcast channel. [SPEAKER_04]: So come by and watch us sometime. [SPEAKER_04]: So I have to complete the process. [SPEAKER_04]: I got the email invitation basically that we are twitch affiliates.

32:43 [SPEAKER_04]: And so I'll need to complete that process. [SPEAKER_04]: But that is going to be the case. [SPEAKER_04]: Probably by the time you hear this episode on the platform Spotify app or whatever. [SPEAKER_04]: So, but if you want to hear our or see our beautiful faces along with our beautiful voices, then you can come by the Twitch.

33:01 [SPEAKER_04]: Say hello. [SPEAKER_04]: We'll respond to you if we can. [SPEAKER_04]: But, alright. [SPEAKER_04]: With that, why don't we get back to the rest of the show? [SPEAKER_09]: After time adrift among open stars, a long tide of light and through shows of dust, I will return to where I began. [SPEAKER_01]: Celery and reproduction different, very little sex-trot.

33:20 [SPEAKER_01]: If intended to try human, would try you? [SPEAKER_01]: Ow, my bakeries! [SPEAKER_04]: So the Koreans it seems are once again being set up as a convenience scapegoat. [SPEAKER_07]: As per the use, duh, it's easy to blame a species that is already stereotyped as scavengers or space rats. [SPEAKER_07]: Of course, it's the Koreans who are trying to mine illegally and secretly destroying EA equipment.

33:49 [SPEAKER_07]: The well-respected EA isn't doing anything wrong. [SPEAKER_07]: She says with heavy sarcasm. [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, right. [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, you know those Koreans. [SPEAKER_04]: always getting into no good. [SPEAKER_04]: Isn't that what the volus guy says in Mass Effect II when he accuses that Korean woman of stealing his credit shit, but the dumbass actually left it on the counter?

34:12 [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, that's exactly what happens. [SPEAKER_07]: It's a space threat is what he calls her. [SPEAKER_07]: Yes. [SPEAKER_04]: I love going completely off the wall and getting in their face and then the seasick officers face as like shepherd being like, no, you're gonna cut this shit out. [SPEAKER_04]: Right now, this person didn't do anything wrong.

34:35 [SPEAKER_04]: So yeah, the racism against the Koreans is palpable throughout the series and EAE looks like they are just really leaning into this. [SPEAKER_04]: Even if they don't know who truly did it, [SPEAKER_04]: They're definitely jumping to conclusions it seems because they haven't put forward any affirmative evidence that the Koreans really did destroy tin of their ships.

35:02 [SPEAKER_04]: they were seen recently and then the distress signal said alien attack right and we know what happened here right oh yeah just go ahead and say the quiet part out loud EA okay so we have another entry from server stealing news where it looks like this whole conflict is actually making ripples on the citadel [SPEAKER_04]: which perhaps is not good for the Koreans.

35:34 [SPEAKER_04]: So here it is. [SPEAKER_04]: It says the migrant fleets place in Citadel space is today's leading debate. [SPEAKER_04]: As the Presidium prepares to launch an independent investigation into the destruction of an LFL Ashland energy mining fleet. [SPEAKER_04]: quote, that this is even being discussed is frightening, says a sorry diplomat, circa Tonas.

35:56 [SPEAKER_04]: There's been no time to inspect the fleet's wreckage, and no formal charges were lame. [SPEAKER_04]: It's a blatantly premature condemnation of the Korean people. [SPEAKER_07]: Nobody is sticking up for the Koreans. [SPEAKER_04]: And it's an a sorry diplomat. [SPEAKER_07]: Well, wow. [SPEAKER_07]: Circatonis, not to be confused with the Socatana.

36:18 [SPEAKER_07]: Those things are very, very similar. [SPEAKER_04]: Oh, that cannot be a coincidence. [SPEAKER_07]: No, not at all. [SPEAKER_07]: But no, I'm very surprised. [SPEAKER_07]: I am pleasantly surprised that there is an Asari diplomat going, take a second look at this. [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah. [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah.

36:37 [SPEAKER_07]: People. [SPEAKER_04]: because right now it just looks like the EA cried wolf and then ran to the citadel and said mommy daddy he hit me and with just the allegations made and no evidence apparently that it was enough for the citadel council to say okay we're opening an independent investigation into these shenanigans [SPEAKER_04]: I would be willing to ask the council how often they're opening independent investigations into mining fleets being destroyed in outlaw space.

37:14 [SPEAKER_06]: Oh, yeah. [SPEAKER_04]: Are you just going to open an independent investigation every single time a mining freighter gets destroyed in the traverse? [SPEAKER_04]: Really? [SPEAKER_04]: Is that the precedent you're sitting? [SPEAKER_04]: No? [SPEAKER_04]: Okay. [SPEAKER_04]: Well, why not?

37:27 [SPEAKER_04]: You know, because you could probably look up how many mining vessels had been destroyed up to that point in the year in the traverse and then say, why didn't you investigate this one? [SPEAKER_04]: Why didn't you investigate this one? [SPEAKER_04]: And why didn't you investigate this one?

37:41 [SPEAKER_04]: And the answer would probably be that the Koreans were never blamed. [SPEAKER_07]: Either the Koreans were never blamed or the people who were attacked never complained about it because they were doing nefarious shit and didn't want to get caught and have an investigation done. [SPEAKER_04]: that does raise the question of why was Elfell Ashland energy operating in Elfell space anyway.

38:08 [SPEAKER_04]: So obviously they want the resources, that's what they'll say, but like Circa Tonas here says, there's no time to inspect the fleet's wreckage where you would find the kind of evidence presumably that you would want. [SPEAKER_04]: And also, as she points out, [SPEAKER_04]: no formal charges.

38:29 [SPEAKER_04]: So there's no charges at the moment being pressed against the Korean people. [SPEAKER_04]: And yet there's an independent investigation that appears to be treating E.A.E. [SPEAKER_04]: with special privilege that other plaintiffs would not normally get. [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah. [SPEAKER_04]: So public opinion a matter on the matter, however, is more mixed.

38:53 [SPEAKER_04]: That's what server-stately news tells us. [SPEAKER_04]: Quote, the flotilla is a floating scrapyard. [SPEAKER_04]: Says an entry from popular blogger, Feyro Dirlin. [SPEAKER_04]: When too many ships are beyond repair, what are the Koreans going to do? [SPEAKER_04]: Take out a loan? [SPEAKER_04]: It was only a matter of time before they turned pirate.

39:17 [SPEAKER_07]: I know, I'm sorry that you had to read those words. [SPEAKER_07]: I bet you feel a little dirty. [SPEAKER_04]: Reminds me of a guy whose name rhymes with fucker Darlson. [SPEAKER_04]: Well, what do we do that again? [SPEAKER_04]: The flotilla is a floating scrapyard. [SPEAKER_04]: When too many ships are beyond repair, when a quarry is going to do?

39:38 [SPEAKER_04]: Take out a loan? [SPEAKER_04]: It was only a matter of time before they turned to pirate. [SPEAKER_04]: Okay, I got to work on the impression a little bit, but you had the point. [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, I got the point. [SPEAKER_07]: Thank you. [SPEAKER_07]: Unfortunately, I also do see this as being an opinion that people would have out there.

39:59 [SPEAKER_07]: You know, somebody is saying this, especially if he's a popular blogger, meaning that he's definitely putting his voice out there, whether or not anybody's actually paying attention to it is a different story. [SPEAKER_07]: But I could see this as being an opinion that could be popularized of people who aren't out there fact-tracking, who aren't out there actually interacting [SPEAKER_07]: I bet you pressed and read these bread this blog before he met Tally.

40:31 [SPEAKER_07]: You know, these are where his opinions on other species were coming from. [SPEAKER_07]: And I bet you that he probably held one similar to this. [SPEAKER_04]: Right. [SPEAKER_04]: Well, I think at this point, Preston would have been dead or Presley, Presley would have been dead. [SPEAKER_04]: However, I love that the social commentary that the writers are making, the Mass Effect writers are making here because they are holding a mirror up to our own society.

41:00 [SPEAKER_04]: And this was two thousand nine when this came out, or I'm sorry, two thousand ten is when this specific server's daily news entry came out. [SPEAKER_04]: So fifteen years ago, they were holding up that mirror and saying, look at how quick the internet is to jump to scapegoat people. [SPEAKER_04]: Often on the whims of racist stereotypes.

41:24 [SPEAKER_04]: Look at that, fifteen years ago. [SPEAKER_04]: That's how long this BS has been going on. [SPEAKER_04]: And if someone's gonna be like, oh, well, you're going woke. [SPEAKER_04]: Like, just miss me with that BS. [SPEAKER_04]: I don't have the energy for that anymore. [SPEAKER_04]: Seriously, the intent here is very clear.

41:44 [SPEAKER_04]: When too many ships are beyond repair, he rides, so what are the Koreans going to do? [SPEAKER_04]: Take out a loan. [SPEAKER_04]: It was only a matter of time before they turned pirate. [SPEAKER_04]: And he's saying this with no evidence. [SPEAKER_04]: So he's he's literally just relying on people to connect the dots for him.

42:03 [SPEAKER_04]: Those dots being connected by a lion called racism. [SPEAKER_04]: This is this is very this blogger and hopefully not representative too much of the public opinion, but it sounds like it is is so reliant on the [SPEAKER_04]: They are the basically the gypsies, the nomads of the Mass Effect universe who are seen as second class citizens who are basically to blame for any kind of property theft or property damage that you might suspect.

42:43 [SPEAKER_07]: Oh yeah. [SPEAKER_07]: It's, that's very much what it is. [SPEAKER_07]: I see them being based on the Romna shell, being based on the Roma, being based on Gypsy culture. [SPEAKER_07]: Because it's all about, it's a little has a lot to do with family and keeping it within your own kind. [SPEAKER_07]: I see that.

43:02 [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah. [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah. [SPEAKER_04]: All right. [SPEAKER_04]: Well, so to Citadel has opened an investigation, [SPEAKER_04]: Apparently social media on the extra net is already crucifying the Koreans for this despite the fact that the only side that we're hearing blame the Koreans is EA with no evidence at all.

43:24 [SPEAKER_04]: But we do get a fourth in final entry. [SPEAKER_04]: Okay, and I have to warn people here because this ending to this little storyline is not exactly as satisfying as you might want. [SPEAKER_04]: So here we go. [SPEAKER_04]: The fourth one begins earlier today, the migrant fleet rescued an Eldfeld Ashland energy employee drifting through the newbie in expanse in a life pod.

43:52 [SPEAKER_04]: Navigator Camilla Gutierrez, the only survivor of the MSV Stanislaw, says that Koreans had nothing to do with the attack that strained her. [SPEAKER_04]: The ship's silhouette was just massive. [SPEAKER_04]: There's no way the Koreans had that monster in their flotilla. [SPEAKER_04]: I have never seen anything like it.

44:17 [SPEAKER_07]: Whoa, okay. [SPEAKER_07]: The fact is one, thank you, Camila, for coming out and stating the truth that the Koreans had nothing to do with this. [SPEAKER_07]: But that also shocks and scares me. [SPEAKER_07]: because me and my masterfight brain, I know what this is, but the me in the twenty ten or not twenty ten time frame, but in the lore of the game, how we know is that there's a monster ship out there?

44:47 [SPEAKER_07]: That's attacking things on the outskirts? [SPEAKER_07]: What could that possibly be? [SPEAKER_04]: Right. [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, exactly. [SPEAKER_04]: The heavy implication here is that it's potentially a reaper, right? [SPEAKER_04]: However, that would be surprising if that means that reapers actually were active before the bulk of their forces got there for the harvest.

45:14 [SPEAKER_04]: So to speak, in Mass Effect Three. [SPEAKER_04]: Well, my other thought was that it could have been the GIF. [SPEAKER_04]: Also have massive ships, the heretics being at the command of the old machines, right? [SPEAKER_07]: A dread not definitely is bigger than what we have in the quarry in Flotella, so I could see that.

45:35 [SPEAKER_04]: And most people would have never seen a geth ship. [SPEAKER_07]: It's true. [SPEAKER_07]: Isn't Harbinger somewhere around at this point though? [SPEAKER_04]: No, I believe at the end of Mass Effect, too. [SPEAKER_04]: Harbinger is seen leading the reperforces through dark space toward the Milky Way.

45:52 [SPEAKER_04]: So I don't think that he's in the Milky Way quite yet. [SPEAKER_04]: But again, this also could be one of those inconsistent writing things where it was very clear that they were trying to elude to a reaper presence in the galaxy, but it was never really fleshed out. [SPEAKER_04]: There's also the possibility that there were like, you know, other reapers left in the Milky Way that we just didn't know about.

46:17 [SPEAKER_04]: But you'd think that they would have caused more of a ruckus. [SPEAKER_04]: Of course, it could have been the collectors too, because they are human ships. [SPEAKER_04]: And the collector ship is huge. [SPEAKER_07]: Oh. [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah. [SPEAKER_07]: It is, I mean, especially the one that we see on the other side of the mega floor relay.

46:36 [SPEAKER_07]: Now all that stuff too. [SPEAKER_07]: Hmm. [SPEAKER_04]: You know, I'm just realizing that that distress signal from the Stanislaw being alien attack, you know? [SPEAKER_04]: That's oddly similar to what Joker says in the beginning. [SPEAKER_04]: It's not the death. [SPEAKER_04]: Not really descriptive, but it just tells you who it's not.

46:56 [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah. [SPEAKER_07]: And put that I wonder if Joker knew that it wasn't the guess why wouldn't this person know? [SPEAKER_07]: But then again, that's why they said that it's alien because it's a ship that they haven't seen before. [SPEAKER_04]: Right. [SPEAKER_04]: And since they are in the newbie and expands, they are in the attic and reverse somewhere where the collectors are known to have operated.

47:16 [SPEAKER_04]: My guess is it was almost certainly them, although it really does sound reaper-esque the way that they kind of put it this ship silhouette was just massive. [SPEAKER_04]: So collectors, yeah, they're acting on the bass to the reapers. [SPEAKER_04]: Anyway, but as far as I know, no other reapers left in the antican traverse.

47:37 [SPEAKER_04]: So probably the collectors. [SPEAKER_04]: So maybe that means that EAE actually did think that it was the Koreans, but they just truly thought it was the Koreans because they are racist. [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah. [SPEAKER_04]: They jumped to the conclusion. [SPEAKER_07]: Because they couldn't conceive of it being anything else, but that.

48:01 [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, or since Elfell Ashlin seems to have so many close ties to Cerberus, the elusive man would have known damn well that this was the collectors. [SPEAKER_04]: But he could have seen this as, you know, why waste a good crisis? [SPEAKER_04]: you know, we can use this crisis to further the server's agenda of fear of the alien invaders, right?

48:28 [SPEAKER_04]: We can just release the details that makes it sound like it was just aliens, right? [SPEAKER_04]: Oh, and there's a circumstantial evidence that puts the Koreans in a really negative light. [SPEAKER_04]: There we go. [SPEAKER_04]: That's the kind of PR campaign that the elusive man would go with.

48:45 [SPEAKER_07]: I unfortunately see that working and the elusive man pulling those strings. [SPEAKER_07]: All right, to do we get anything else to this story. [SPEAKER_04]: Yes, we do. [SPEAKER_04]: And here is the last bits that we get more remarks from Gutierrez who says, asked about the attack itself Gutierrez reported they blew out our engines before we knew what hit us.

49:10 [SPEAKER_04]: Smoke was everywhere. [SPEAKER_04]: I heard the captain yell something about borders before he ordered us the life pods. [SPEAKER_04]: Elfel Ashland says it's relieved Gutierrez was recovered, but that Citadel investigation should continue, quote, until all parties are satisfied. [SPEAKER_07]: Okay.

49:30 [SPEAKER_07]: I don't know if this like makes me feel less vapor or more vapor because the borders, meaning that where they like sending husks onto the ship or if it was a vapor attack, I guess we haven't really seen that in a space battle in the game to know if the reapers would deploy onto a ship to try and overtake it, but we do know that the collectors would have.

49:58 [SPEAKER_04]: I was just going to say that infamous mission where we play as Joker. [SPEAKER_04]: Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. [SPEAKER_07]: So yeah, no, okay, this is definitely sounding a little bit more collector than Reaper in my head now. [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, yep. [SPEAKER_04]: So clearly the collectors behind this attack on the human mining conglomerate with server's ties, but I believe that we have enough evidence here to reasonably infer that the elusive man understands it was the collectors [SPEAKER_04]: EAE being a possible shell corporation for service was basically ordered to put out PR that would paint the Koreans in a very negative light.

50:43 [SPEAKER_04]: We know from the events of the novels that the Alusaman has no love lost for the Korean fleet is totally willing to attack them if need be, especially to get Paul Grayson back. [SPEAKER_04]: So yeah, I think that this is just another kind of chess match. [SPEAKER_04]: between the elusive man and Citadel space, the elusive man acting on behest of the reapers who are also controlling the collectors.

51:13 [SPEAKER_06]: Where's the cork board? [SPEAKER_06]: Where's the cork board? [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, right, yeah. [SPEAKER_04]: So, and all the while the Citadel Council, Feclus and Infective are just sitting back and completely, apparently unaware of how they're being used. [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, because until all parties involved are satisfied, your own person is saying that it wasn't the Koreans.

51:42 [SPEAKER_07]: What more satisfaction do you need? [SPEAKER_04]: You know, it's really telling here. [SPEAKER_04]: If you go back up in our notes to the original notice that Elf El Ashlin put out when their ships got destroyed, they never said anything about all of the people that they would have lost.

52:01 [SPEAKER_04]: Just their ships. [SPEAKER_04]: Eldfeld Ashland spokesperson Eve Neville responded yesterday, we lost contact with our ships out in the expanse. [SPEAKER_04]: Shortly afterward, we received a distress signal from the MSV Stanislaw reporting an alien attack. [SPEAKER_04]: We have very little doubt as to what happened here.

52:22 [SPEAKER_04]: Nothing about all the people that would have died. [SPEAKER_07]: like hundreds to a thousand people on ten ships, minimum of a hundred people per ship, and especially on some of those larger ones? [SPEAKER_04]: Yep, the frigates, three frigates, yeah. [SPEAKER_04]: So, that's pretty telling in and of itself.

52:41 [SPEAKER_04]: If I were Gutierrez, honestly, I would go into witness protection at this point because I don't think EA is going to allow her to escape. [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, no. [SPEAKER_07]: They definitely need her silenced. [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, bad time to be in EA whistleblower. [SPEAKER_04]: All right.

53:03 [SPEAKER_04]: Well, that's all. [SPEAKER_04]: That's all she wrote quite literally. [SPEAKER_04]: That is all server saled news wrote about this storyline. [SPEAKER_04]: But this is just one of those many different corporate story lines that are going on in the background of Mass Effect to what we're kind of exploring around the galaxy and chasing down leads on the collectors.

53:23 [SPEAKER_04]: And all of this different, you know, power struggles, power dynamics, and politics is happening. [SPEAKER_04]: And I just thought this was a really cool part, do to our coverage of LDVL Ashland energy. [SPEAKER_04]: What do you think, Jen? [SPEAKER_07]: I love the obscure, especially these citadel daily news network ones because it's something that I didn't get to experience firsthand because I didn't have the game back then when it was actually playing through it real time.

53:53 [SPEAKER_07]: And I never had the companion up either so I didn't get to read any of them on a own time. [SPEAKER_07]: So listening to this lore and learning about it now, just means the next time that I do a playthrough, I'm going to be paying more attention to it. [SPEAKER_07]: In fact, I know that that's how I'm now been playing these games.

54:15 [SPEAKER_07]: Because when I did, or not Ilyam, but when I did Feros, I was actually paying attention to whatever exo-geny came up. [SPEAKER_07]: And I was like, oh, I know all about this and it was actually paying attention to it. [SPEAKER_07]: And it just revitalizes the game over and over the more that I learn about the lore.

54:36 [SPEAKER_04]: I have started another playthrough of the original trilogy on my laptop. [SPEAKER_04]: It's going to be my game that I play in bed while the baby sleeps while my wife sleeps. [SPEAKER_04]: And I have committed to doing a nomads playthrough. [SPEAKER_04]: because I've played with mods so much that what is canon and what is mod added is conflating in my mind and that's bad.

55:02 [SPEAKER_04]: That's bad when you run a podcast based on the lore of Mass Effect. [SPEAKER_04]: So I have to re-acquaint myself with the gospel of Shepherd. [SPEAKER_04]: Um, and its entirety. [SPEAKER_04]: Um, yeah, but other than that, uh, next week, we have more lore coming at you. [SPEAKER_04]: We need to huddle and talk about where we're going to take this next episode.

55:24 [SPEAKER_04]: I believe it's time to cover another character, perhaps a secondary, tertiary character in the background. [SPEAKER_04]: Um, Genesis, what you got going on until next week and how can people go to thehold you? [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, I've got two other shows. [SPEAKER_07]: I do this cyberpunk lore cast with Toasty and the two girls one ship podcast with Vervada.

55:44 [SPEAKER_07]: Good, happy times. [SPEAKER_04]: Right on. [SPEAKER_04]: And are you ready to share that big news about that one podcast in that one convention? [SPEAKER_07]: Yeah, that one podcast and that one convention. [SPEAKER_07]: So we are very, very honored that the two girls, one ship podcast, has been requested, has been approved for their panel at Pax West.

56:12 [SPEAKER_07]: The girls did host host two panels last year at Pax West working with a game developer. [SPEAKER_07]: But this year we got our own panel and it is going to be digital love throughout the decades. [SPEAKER_07]: So it's a video game romance history analysis that we will be presenting at Pax West.

56:34 [SPEAKER_04]: And that is so exciting. [SPEAKER_04]: I'm so proud of you. [SPEAKER_04]: I'm excited for you. [SPEAKER_04]: I am going to try and be there if I can because I definitely want to see that panel. [SPEAKER_04]: But more importantly, I want to see everyone else that's in there in the convention hall while they're watching your panel.

56:55 [SPEAKER_04]: And no one better say anything mean. [SPEAKER_04]: But anyway, [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, if any of our listeners are planning to be at Pax West, just hit us up. [SPEAKER_04]: Our email is in the show notes. [SPEAKER_04]: So you can reach out to us on social media. [SPEAKER_04]: And we're going to plan to be there.

57:12 [SPEAKER_04]: Pax West is in Seattle. [SPEAKER_04]: So until next week, I don't have anything else going on streaming quite irregularly from my own in seven alleged account. [SPEAKER_04]: Yeah, that's just kind of whenever I have time because having a baby is nuts. [SPEAKER_04]: Um, but he's a cute little guy and he's learning how to grab his feet, uh, which is very cute.

57:38 [SPEAKER_04]: Um, so yeah, until next week, people can get hold of me on social media. [SPEAKER_04]: If I have it, it's at in some of the legend. [SPEAKER_04]: or you can add me on Steam and as a reminder, if anyone does add me on Steam or Xbox in seven legend, in this ghost for Genesis two, if you do end up adding either one of us, just send us a little note that, hey, you know, I listen to Laura cast, that's who I am.

58:01 [SPEAKER_04]: I'm adding you that way. [SPEAKER_04]: Otherwise, there's so many like spam and body counts that we just don't know. [SPEAKER_04]: All right. [SPEAKER_07]: If you can figure out what my steam account name is, then yes, you can add me as a friend, because it's not Genesis. [SPEAKER_04]: Well, I know what it is, but I'm not going to dox you.

58:19 [SPEAKER_04]: So until next time, specters, we should go. [SPEAKER_04]: Thanks for listening to the Mass Effect War text. [SPEAKER_04]: Reach out to us on Blue Sky, Twitter, Discord, Patreon, or email us at Mass EffectLorecast at gmail.com. [SPEAKER_07]: Join us next week for more lore, same space, same time, or check out our live streams at twitch.tv slash Mass Effect Forecast.