Planets and Locations
Acabar
Acabar (meaning "finished" in the human Spanish language) was named by Alliance explorers because the storms had destroyed their probes, which were caused by the planet's usually fast rotation despite its size. In addition, these storms had a high concentration of magnesia from the crust and a part of its core. The constant tectonic activity had caused the planet's jagged landscapes, with the heavy volcanic activity causing the thick atmosphere to manifest.
As a carbon planet, Acabar was not ideal for colonization, nor does it contain any sign of indigenous lifeforms. There were rumors of rich resources scattered across the planet, including silicon carbide, titanium carbide, aluminum silicates, and magnesium. However, the enterprising few venturing to these parts claimed otherwise.
Persons of Note
Layla Harland
Dr. Layla Harland was born in 2138 to an ordinary but well-off Wales family on Earth, Harland worked her way up and earned top scores in her youth, earning the attention of the fledgling University of Bekenstein. As such, in 2156, she became one of the first students to attend there. During her time as a student, she studied under Professor Miah Carswell, notable for her contributions to colonizing planets. In 2163, she graduated with top marks and multiple degrees in xenobiology, cybertechnology, and biotic study. Because of her contributions among her peers, she gained a reputation as a head researcher, gaining leadership and management skills.
However, there was a dark side to Harland's reputation. Her time on Beckenstein caused her to become ruthless and ambitious, often claiming credit for her peer's works and accomplishments.
Not long after her graduation, ExoGeni sought her expertise and knowledge, hiring her and assigned her to various projects. Over the years, she created quite a résumé along with a web of contacts, some more questionable than others. Supposedly, she had connections to friends associated with a human supremacist group known as Cerberus. On official grounds, she dismissed those rumors as false.
She was married to Elita Bursley for nearly two decades and had adopted two children.
Species and Creatures
The Merged
Whenever a person fell into a black hole, their body would stretch and contort to great lengths as its strong gravity pulled them in. After that, the victim perished instantly. In comparison, as Dr. Layla Harland had theorized, whenever two contradictory versions of one person (such as different ages and genders) were affected by tears in the multiverse, they would eventually merge into one complete self, as the name implied. Or at least, those who survived the process.
Whatever the orb Harland and her team found had gone through, its process of merging was always incomplete, creating excruciating pain in its victims. The merging brains caused severe trauma, leading to strong cases of dissociative identity disorder and other signs of mental illnesses. Autopsies of their remains revealed that many of the Merged's organs were malformed. The more redundant organs created comparisons to the krogans' secondary and tertiary systems.
The Merged were able to retain some semblance of sentience, capable of speaking as well as handling tasks such as opening doors and using firearms. Whenever the orb was about to be destroyed, it would trigger an electromagnetic signal that made them more ferocious in battle.
Whatever the Acabar team knew about the Merged, these creatures had violated the laws of physics, thermodynamics, and biology. A surefire way to counteract their hastened regeneration was disintegration, either from incineration or from the use of biotics, or applying enough firepower to tear them into pieces.