Terminus Systems
The Lawless Frontier Beyond the Council
The Terminus Systems were a vast, ungoverned region beyond Citadel space, home to a loose affiliation of minor species united only in refusing the Council's authority. A haven for piracy, the slave trade, and mercenary gangs, the Terminus centered on the trade hub of Omega.
The Terminus Systems lay on the far side of the Attican Traverse, beyond the space administered by the Citadel Council or claimed by the human Systems Alliance. They were home to a loose affiliation of minor species, united only in their refusal to acknowledge the Council's political authority or to observe the Citadel Conventions. Lawless and fractious, the Terminus became a haven for piracy, the slave trade, and the great mercenary gangs, with the station Omega serving as its de facto trade capital. The region's instability would draw Commander Shepard into the heart of its conflicts.
A region without a government#
The Terminus Systems were located on the far side of the Attican Traverse, beyond the space administered by the Citadel Council or claimed by the human Systems Alliance. They were populated by a loose affiliation of minor species, united only in their refusal to acknowledge the Council's authority or to adhere to the Citadel Conventions. That independence came at a steep price, for the Terminus was fraught with conflict: war among its various species was common as governments and dictators constantly rose and fell.
The region had no central government, though the station Omega served as its trade capital. Before the Alliance expanded into the Voyager Cluster, the turians had mapped the Terminus in great detail using an interferometric array, with one end in the Attican Beta cluster and the other at the planet Gromar.
A haven for crime#
The Terminus Systems were a haven for illegal activity, particularly piracy and the slave trade. The prevalence of batarian criminal gangs was so great that the batarian language became a lingua franca across the region. It was from these systems that the galaxy's largest mercenary organizations drew their strength, among them the Blue Suns, the Blood Pack, and Eclipse, all of which operated with little fear of Citadel law.
At least once a year a fleet from the Terminus invaded the nearby Attican Traverse, typically in small raids against poorly defended colonies. The Council rarely retaliated, knowing that sending patrols into the Terminus could unify its disparate species against a common foe and trigger a long and costly war.
Colonies and homeworlds#
Despite the dangers, the Citadel species were not deterred from traveling through and even extensively colonizing the Terminus Systems. Humans, turians, salarians, elcor, asari, and volus each maintained a sizable colonial presence there, and because the Council's authority was effectively nonexistent, these colonies were often fully independent of any interplanetary government. The Terminus also encompassed the homeworlds of two species: Rannoch, the lost world of the quarians, and Heshtok, homeworld of the vorcha. Its many clusters and worlds, anchored by Omega and crossed by relays such as the Omega 4 Relay, made the region both a frontier and a crossroads at the galaxy's edge.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the Terminus Systems?
- The Terminus Systems were a vast ungoverned region on the far side of the Attican Traverse, beyond the space administered by the Citadel Council or claimed by the human Systems Alliance. They were home to a loose affiliation of minor species united only in their refusal to acknowledge the Council's authority or to observe the Citadel Conventions.
- Did the Terminus Systems have a government?
- The Terminus had no central government, and war among its various species was common as governments and dictators constantly rose and fell. The station Omega served as its de facto trade capital.
- Why was the batarian language a lingua franca in the Terminus Systems?
- The Terminus was a haven for piracy and the slave trade, and the prevalence of batarian criminal gangs was so great that the batarian language became a lingua franca across the region.
- Why did the Citadel Council rarely retaliate against Terminus raids?
- At least once a year a Terminus fleet invaded the nearby Attican Traverse, typically in small raids against poorly defended colonies. The Council rarely retaliated, knowing that sending patrols into the Terminus could unify its disparate species against a common foe and trigger a long and costly war.
- Which homeworlds were located in the Terminus Systems?
- The Terminus encompassed the homeworlds of two species: Rannoch, the lost world of the quarians, and Heshtok, homeworld of the vorcha. Despite the dangers, Citadel species such as humans, turians, salarians, elcor, asari, and volus also colonized the region extensively.
Sources
- WikiTerminus Systems — Mass Effect Wiki entry
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