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Mass Effect 2: Lanius

Hades Dog: Alternate Evaluations

Alternate Evaluations: Cerberus Second

"Benefits?" the Lady asked. "I was under the impression from these reports that the Commander's actions cut your efforts short."

The Illusive Man nodded. "Yes. Though most our operatives were able to evacuate, Shepard's attack cost us some lost opportunities. Though it could have been better, what we did gain was substantial: an evening of the economic playing ground to Humanity's benefit. While Human interests won't be dominant by default, we cleared the more obstructive alien interests in Omega. The Commander's intervention also buys a fair amount of acceptance by the Alien interests that Humanity wasn't looking to plunder and take advantage of the opportunity: no more than any other species, at least. With Human economic interests now equal to alien interests in Omega's economic balance of power, and with the amount of credits and technology Cerberus stole actually covering the monetary costs of this entire operation, I believe we have come out ahead of where we started."

Cerberus Third (Engaged)

"Benefits?" the Lady asked. "I was under the impression from these reports that the Commander caught you before you could leave."

The Illusive Man nodded. "Yes, but while Shepard's attack made us lose some men and resources, it came after most of our forces had already withdrawn. Though I would have appreciated no engagement at all, our gains were still remarkable: a near total remaking of the economic balance of Omega in Humanity's favor. With the decimation of the anti-Human interests and groups in Omega's economic districts, Human interests will dominate just by moving into the vacuum: Cerberus front companies are already sending agents to Aria in order to fill the void, and other Human groups will soon follow. With Shepard's opposition providing a fig leaf against those who claim Humanity deliberately sought to profit from it all, and with the number of proprietary technologies and credits Cerberus was able to scavenge, we are in a position to both figuratively and literally own Omega."

Cerberus Third (Allowed to Leave)

"Benefits?" the Lady asked. "I understood from the reports that the Commander allowed Cerberus to leave, but was not sure if Cerberus succeeded."

The Illusive Man nodded. "Yes. With Shepard allowing Cerberus to retreat in good order, our losses were minimized in both men and material. In exchange, our gains were remarkable: a near total remaking of the economic balance of Omega in Humanity's favor. With the complete destruction of the anti-Human interests and groups in Omega's economic districts, Human interests will be dominant just by moving into the vacuum. Cerberus front companies are already sending agents to Aria in order to fill the void, and other Human groups will soon follow. While a number of species who lost interests may claim Humanity deliberately sought to profit from it all, the Alliance presence and influence can make our gains a fait accompli. With the number of proprietary technologies and credits Cerberus was able to scavenge, we are in a position to both figuratively and literally own Omega."

Alternate Evaluations: Collectors First

"Investments are one thing, but Human lives are another," the Admiral said. "Shepard put off everything else in order to fight the Collectors first. How does that factor into your evaluation?"

"Fitting of a true Human hero," the Illusive Man praised. "I couldn't have asked for better: though the loss of all the humans on the station would have been within the range of other colonies, Shepard's haste to stop the Collectors made the loss of human life as small as possible. Now that the Collectors have been publicly exposed and recognized as a threat, those few may also be the last ones taken. And looking to the future…" the Illusive Man took a smoke. "With the plague devastating the Alien population, Omega's overcrowding situation has been resolved. The capital of the Terminus is far more stable, and Humanity is now the largest species on the station. If Cerberus continues to support Human immigration to Omega, Omega may well turn into a de-facto Human station within our lifetime… an invaluable asset for influencing the politics of the Terminus Conclave in our favor. As long as Aria remains in command and the station a neutral ground, few warlords will risk overtly antagonizing the Alliance for fear of poisoning the environment of the Conclave against themselves."

Collectors Second (Cure First)

"Investments are one thing, but Human lives are another," the Admiral said. "Shepard put off helping fellow humans in favor of applying the cure first. How does that factor into your evaluation?"

"Understandable and reasonable, if not preferable," the Illusive Man said. "While I would have obviously desired for the Human settlers to have been saved first, losses were still far fewer than most other Collector colony abductions. Now that the Collectors have been publicly exposed and recognized as a threat, they will be the last group lost. And looking to the future…" the Illusive Man took a smoke. "With the population of the station diminished, Omega's overcrowding situation has been resolved. The capital of the Terminus is far more stable, and while the Human population won't dominate the station, it is now firmly established as a prominent member population, which will only help in our passive influence over the Conclave."

Collectors Second (Cure Last)

"Investments are one thing, but Human lives are another," the Admiral said. "Shepard put off helping fellow humans in favor of attacking Cerberus first. How does that factor into your evaluation?"

"Unfortunate but not unreasonable," the Illusive Man said. "While I would have preferred Shepard attacked Cerberus after saving the Human settlers, if he were to attack Cerberus at all, the Human loses were still far fewer than most any other Collector colony abduction. Now that the Collectors have been publicly exposed and recognized as a threat, they will be the last group lost. And looking to the future…" the Illusive Man took a smoke. "With the plague devastating the Alien population far worse than the Collectors damaged the Human population, Omega's overcrowding situation has been resolved. The capital of the Terminus is far more stable, and Humanity is now the largest species on the station. If Cerberus continues to support Human immigration to Omega, Omega may well turn into a de-facto Human station within our lifetime… an invaluable asset for influencing the politics of the Terminus Conclave in our favor. As long as Aria remains in command and the station a neutral ground, few warlords will risk overtly antagonizing the Alliance for fear of poisoning the environment of the Conclave against themselves."

Alternate Evaluations: Plague First

"Don't talk to us about safety and stability!" the General exclaimed. "The plague didn't just threaten the Omega population: the Terminus Elites were directly threatened as well! The Terminus is in chaos!"

"Chaos, General, that works to Human advantage," the Illusive Man said. "The Terminus is chaotic almost by definition: the rumored death of a tyrant is commonplace. But the Elites know that they survived thanks to Shepard's haste: even the Terminus understands gratitude to an extent. If only to the next Conclave, the Terminus Elites will refrain from strenuously objecting to anything moderate the Alliance does, and will prefer to prey on each other rather than the Alliance or Human colonies. This tenor of relations will not last for long, but while it does they will refrain from objecting as the Alliance moves in to take control of Human Terminus colonies. Cerberus will, of course, also try to manipulate this temporary feelings of gratitude into more stable and desirable relations for Human interests."

Plague Last

"Don't talk to us about safety and stability!" the General exclaimed. "The plague didn't just ravage the Omega population: most of the Terminus Elites present were killed as well! The Terminus is in chaos!"

"Chaos, General, that works to Human advantage," the Illusive Man said. "The Terminus is chaotic almost by definition: a constant cauldron of coups and conquests and rebellions at the first hint of weakness. The Elites who survived will be too busy trying to reassert control to bother with revenge, and the successors who come up on top will primarily remember the Alliance as the force that made their ascent to power possible. Nearly all of the Terminus will be so busy fighting amongst themselves to establish a new order for the next Conclave that none of them will have the energy to spare to object as the Alliance moves in to take control of the Human Terminus colonies. Cerberus will, of course, act in these rebellions towards the preferred results for Human interests."

Author Notes:

And here be the rest of the evaluations. As you can see, 'best' is dependent on perspective, but for those who like Conspiracies and Great Power dynamics, the Omega Crisis is a defining moment of... not much in ME3, all things considered, but certainly in any post-game setting. Turning Omega into a Human colony would be a lot like having the UN headquarters located in your country: it might not give you direct control, but there's a lot of informal influence you can gain from it.

TIM's analysis are the most explicit example, and validation, of the Cerberus goals of Human security and advancement. While Shepard has an influence, the entire Collector conflict can be described as a Cerberus maneuvering effort to put Humanity in a 'better' place: accepting the Collector deal for advanced technology, arranging the Omega Crisis with an eye towards securing a Human position and influence in the Terminus, and the Collector Base as well. Clear and understandable gains go a long ways towards making Cerberus a more credible organization than in canon, where the only successes we see are due to Shepard's direct intervention. While Shepard is still required for 'best', by making Cerberus able to claim victory regardless of player decision also helps establish Cerberus as a more credible manipulator. Sometimes it is because of Shepard, sometimes despite, but establishing TIM as a clever schemer is key to credibility.