Tempest: The Pathfinder's Scout Ship
Andromeda Initiative Survey Ship
The Tempest was the survey ship of the Andromeda Initiative's Pathfinder team, a state of the art scout vessel used to explore the worlds of the Heleus Cluster in search of new homes for Milky Way colonists. After its sister ships were lost, it became the one of a kind home and base of the human Pathfinder.
The Tempest was the Andromeda Initiative Survey Ship assigned to the Pathfinder team, a fast and lavishly equipped scout vessel used to range across the Heleus Cluster in the hope of finding suitable homes for Milky Way colonists in the Andromeda galaxy. Between missions it served as the Pathfinder team's home, and everything aboard it was the best the Initiative could build. After the loss of its sister ships, the Tempest became unique, the sole surviving vessel of its kind and the mobile base from which the human Pathfinder directed the search for a new beginning. (Mass Effect: Andromeda)
Origins and construction#
The Tempest was originally one of several purpose-built ships, one intended for each ark's Pathfinder team. Because the Andromeda Initiative demanded absolutely up to date technology for the vessels' construction, some of the components were procured through dubiously legal means. The pilot Kallo Jath was part of the team that designed and tested the Tempest and its prototype. (Mass Effect: Andromeda)
When the Nexus arrived in the Heleus Cluster and struck the dark energy phenomenon known as the Scourge, the other Pathfinder ships were destroyed, leaving the Tempest as the only vessel of its kind. Before the arrival of the ark Hyperion, Nexus leadership had planned to dismantle the Tempest for its parts, but the turian Vetra Nyx protected the ship, and it survived to serve the Pathfinder. The Hyperion's original Pathfinder, Alec Ryder, died on Habitat 7, so the title and the Tempest passed to his child. (Mass Effect: Andromeda)
Internal layout#
The Tempest was divided into three decks, each holding rooms vital to the Pathfinder's mission. Deck 1 was reached by twin ramps from Deck 2, while movement between Decks 2 and 3 was possible by way of several access ladders or a cargo bay lift. (Mass Effect: Andromeda)
At the approximate center of Deck 2 lay the research room, where intel and samples gathered in the field were put to practical use, such as upgrading weapons, armor, and the team's ground vehicle, the ND1 Nomad. The work was supported by discoveries from the ship's tech and bio labs, and a terminal there could be used to coordinate strike team operations. A holographic projector table displayed a representation of the location relevant to the Pathfinder's next major undertaking. (Mass Effect: Andromeda)
Toward the fore of Deck 2 sat the two laboratories. The tech lab sequestered and studied technological items, including comparative research between angaran and Initiative technology and possible blended applications, and the angaran Jaal Ama Darav established his quarters there. Opposite it, the bio lab held containment and analysis facilities for biological samples such as plants and wildlife; Cora Harper tended the hydroponics there during her downtime, and the number of plants grew as the team progressed through the cluster. (Mass Effect: Andromeda)
The aft section of Deck 2 housed engineering and the ship's drive core, monitored by Gil Brodie, while the armory, where the team's weapons were stored off-mission, occupied the aft section of Deck 3. The meeting room, the only chamber on Deck 1, sat toward the upper aft of the ship and served as a place to gather the crew or hold conferences with the Nexus and other parties. (Mass Effect: Andromeda)
Home of the Pathfinder team#
Beyond its role as an instrument of exploration, the Tempest was the Pathfinder team's home. Its crew claimed personal spaces aboard the ship, and the Pathfinder inherited the captain's quarters. As the team ranged across the cluster, evaluating worlds and aiding the settlement effort, the Tempest carried them between the planets of Heleus and back to the Nexus, the central station of the Andromeda Initiative, remaining the heart of their long campaign to make a new galaxy habitable. (Mass Effect: Andromeda)
Frequently asked questions
- What was the Tempest in Mass Effect: Andromeda?
- The Tempest was the Andromeda Initiative Survey Ship assigned to the Pathfinder team. A fast, superbly equipped scout vessel, it carried the team across the Heleus Cluster to evaluate worlds for settlement and served as their home between missions.
- Why was the Tempest one of a kind?
- Several Tempest class ships had been built, one for each ark's Pathfinder team, but the others were destroyed when the Nexus collided with the Scourge on arrival in the Heleus Cluster. The surviving Tempest was nearly dismantled for parts before Vetra Nyx intervened to protect it.
- How was the Tempest laid out?
- The Tempest was divided into three decks. It housed a research room, tech and bio labs, a meeting room, engineering with the drive core, an armory, crew quarters, and a bridge, along with quarters claimed by members of the Pathfinder team.
Sources
- GameMass Effect: Andromeda, BioWare, 2017
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
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