The Tempest
The Tempest is a survey ship designed for long-range, long-term exploration under a Pathfinder’s command. Its lightweight and efficient design allows it to operate with a small crew and minimal resources.
Built by the Andromeda Initiative, the Tempest makes use of several once-proprietary technologies, including an IES stealth system originally developed by the Systems Alliance. Many of these systems were permitted on the condition that the Tempest only operate in the Andromeda galaxy.
The Tempest’s engine is a variation on the arks’ ODSY drives that allow long-term operation by capturing a percentage of the static buildup in capacitors. This recycled electrical charge powers several of the Tempest’s onboard systems.
As a Pathfinder vessel, the Tempest has Research and Development facilities, laboratories, and a well-appointed meeting space to accommodate dignitaries, anticipating any potential first-contact scenarios.
Science Officer: Suvi Anwar
Suvi Anwar is a member of the Nexus science team and holds advanced degrees in astrophysics and molecular biology. In a screening interview, she stated that she was from a “large, rather boisterous family” of five children. Her neuroscientist mother and mathematician father exposed her and her siblings to science from a young age, sparking a lifelong love of the subject.
While pursuing her PhD in molecular biology, Suvi was handpicked for a team doing cutting-edge biophysical and cybernetics research. After a year, the team was headhunted by a black-ops organization for a classified biomedical project; Suvi was extended an invitation but declined, opting to refocus her attention on her own projects.
She declares that there was no hesitation on her part in signing up for the Andromeda Initiative, once she learned of its existence, owing to a desire to see and experience more than one small corner of this vast universe.
Pilot: Kallo Jath
Kallo Jath was born on Sur’Kesh and, quoting directly, “into a life so boring even an AI couldn’t calculate it.” Pushed toward a lucrative but dull bureaucratic career with Parohe Aerospace, Kallo became more interested in flying the starships he was meant to be cataloguing. He eventually left Sur’Kesh for formal pilot training and joined Parohe’s competitor as a test pilot.
Internal emails show that when the Andromeda Initiative was building teams to develop their survey vessels, Parohe Aerospace warned against recruiting Kallo so fervently that Jien Garson’s interest was piqued. Kallo claims that the prospect of the Initiative was intriguing enough to make him join the Tempest design team, test-flying her early prototypes, running stress tests in regions like the Nemean Abyss, and, rumor has it, helping to “acquire” advanced technology.
Kallo has an acute photographic memory, even by salarian standards.
Technical Officer: Gil Brodie
Technical Officer Gil Brodie is chief engineer aboard the Tempest. After traveling to Andromeda aboard the Nexus, records show that Gil was woken from stasis roughly a year ago to assist with construction efforts before prepping the Tempest itself.
There are no records of Gil’s early life. He explains he was an undocumented “street kid” from one of Earth’s megapolis cities. Though unschooled, Gil showed a remarkable aptitude for mathematics and spatial reasoning at 10; he often broke into a local scrapyard to dismantle and repair destroyed shuttle engines. In time, he was caught and “sentenced to a steady job.”
Gil’s mechanical expertise eventually drew him off-world to numerous colonies across the Milky Way. His unconventional work attracted the attention of Vetra Nyx, who was always on the lookout for new contacts. Vetra claims she persuaded Gil to join the Initiative; Gil claims he won Vetra’s Initiative clearance in a poker game and exchanged it for a guaranteed seat along with his friend Jill. He remains an invaluable member of the Tempest crew.
Doctor: Lexi T’Perro
Although young by asari standards, Lexi T’Perro is regarded as one of the most skilled doctors in the Andromeda Initiative. Born on the crime-ridden space station Omega, Lexi began her medical career by stitching up her father, a turian bouncer at the Afterlife nightclub where her mother was also employed as a dancer. In her screening interviews, Lexi states her parents’ dream was for her to “get off this rock and live a life worth talking about.”
Following her parents’ wishes, Lexi left Omega to continue studying medicine as well as psychology on the Citadel, where she eventually met Harry Carlyle. Carlyle convinced her to join the Initiative as the Hyperion’s physician. Although there was some confusion around assigning an asari to the human ark, Lexi’s credentials and expertise in alien anatomy quickly silenced any concerns. By her own admission, Lexi is a workaholic. “On or off the table, I have a hard time not dissecting people…figuratively, of course.” One of her many goals in Heleus is to improve her bedside manner and learn to “appreciate the moment.”
ND1 Nomad
Seeking a suitable scout rover, the Andromeda Initiative purchased a promising but rejected design from the Systems Alliance military. The issue quickly became apparent: on rough terrain, without the bracing of heavy armor, the chassis was prone to twist. The Initiative had already developed lightweight but strong memory alloys that solved this problem.
The resulting ND1 Nomad exchanges heavy armaments for superior agility. The rover has a tripartite element zero core, which allows fine control over acceleration and a more modest helium-3 fuel cost for its microthrusters. Its lighter weight enables both six-wheel drive (6WD) and four-wheel drive (4WD), as well as four-wheel steering for hazardous surfaces. Fitting the Initiative’s adaptive philosophy, the Nomad can be customized with appropriate camouflage or Initiative colors.
When necessary during long-haul exploration, the rover contains an emergency shelter. It can produce potable water from its hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells, though scientists recommend adding a flavor pack to it first.
The Nexus
Statistics:
Length: 15.74km
Vane Width (Widest Point): 4.9km
Anchorage Wheel Diameter: 5.3km
Gross Weight: 2.2 billion metric tons
Max. Population (When Complete): 2.7 million
Intended as a safe anchorage, embassy, and financial center, the Nexus is a vast space station sent ahead of the main ark fleet. It traveled to Andromeda in an incomplete state to reduce fuel demands, with construction planned to be completed within a standard year after arrival. However, syncing with Nexus databases reveals that damage from the Scourge has set the timetable back significantly.
Arks returning to the Nexus anchor at the central wheel, integrate their power grid, and off-load colonists for orientation and temporary housing before deployment to outposts. The Nexus collates and manages the resources that form the basis of the Initiative’s economy, coordinates scientific research and defense, and acts as headquarters for Pathfinder teams. Once outposts are established, the Nexus will become the permanent seat of government for the Initiative.
Nexus: Leadership
As the central command of the Andromeda Initiative, Nexus leadership was intended to be split between the Initiative proper, station operations, and colonial administration. Jien Garson planned to retain an honorary role, electing the asari Matriarch Nuara as Initiative director. Unfortunately, both Garson and Matriarch Nuara are listed as deceased, along with many of Nuara’s senior staff. The current director of the Initiative, Jarun Tann, was eighth in the line of succession.
Today, Director Tann remains officially in charge of Initiative operations and Pathfinder teams. Foster Addison retains her post as director of Colonial Affairs, managing colonist and outpost deployments. The Nexus itself is administered by Superintendent Nakmor Kesh, who also oversees construction efforts. In the wake of kett attacks, Tiran Kandros emerged as leader of a de facto volunteer militia that has taken over station security. Though technically a civilian, Kandros is counted among the Nexus leadership.
Tiran Kandros
In his screening interviews, Tiran Kandros states he is named after an ancestor who captured a dreadnought in the Krogan Rebellions, and he was expected to live up to the name. After beginning boot camp at the traditional age of 15, Kandros rose through the ranks and was assigned to Sagirus Eight, one of the Hierarchy’s counter-terrorism divisions.
Persistent rumors on the Nexus claim that Kandros was sent to investigate the Andromeda Initiative when the Hierarchy became suspicious about its activities. Kandros refuses to comment on former operations, citing family pressures as the reason he later joined the Initiative.
During the early days of Nexus’s arrival, Kandros left the station to act as protection detail for a prospecting team and was captured by the kett. He managed to lead several other captives in an escape and returned to the Nexus, eventually founding a volunteer militia to defend the station.
Director Tann
Andromeda Initiative Director Jarun Tann is a replacement leader for those who died in the Scourge disaster. Personnel records indicate he was the Nexus’s deputy director for revenue management when the arks departed the Milky Way in 2185. However, upon arrival in the Heleus Cluster, the disastrous encounter with the Scourge led to substantial loss of life among the senior leadership. The line of succession eventually fell to Tann as the next in line for director, much to the apparent consternation of certain Nexus personnel.
Born on Sur’Kesh, Tann’s application to the Initiative lists his previous work experience as “Senior Consultant, Advanced Matrix-Based Accounting” with hobbies in model ship building and “travel…someday.” When queried if he had any prejudices that would affect his ability to serve the Initiative, his answer was blank. However, careful data forensics reveals his original reply was: “Wait, you’re letting krogan come along?” Today, Director Tann has official oversight of Initiative operations and strategy and effective supervision of Pathfinder teams.
Nexus: Nakmor Kesh
Overseer of the Nexus’s initial design-and-construction phase in the Milky Way, Nakmor Kesh is currently superintendent of the station. She has oversight of Nexus proper, maintaining systems, integrating any returning arks, and continuing construction efforts. She is also considered a senior figure in Clan Nakmor, despite the departure of the majority of the krogan from the Nexus. Kesh herself describes her role as “fixer-in-chief.”
Records from the Nexus uprising show Kesh played a key role in keeping the station operational during the crisis. Her strong management and knowledge of the station make her an irreplaceable member of the Nexus leadership. Though minutes of official meetings suggest she and Director Jarun Tann are often at odds, Kesh’s presence ensures that the krogan still have a powerful voice on the Nexus.
william Spender
When the Nexus first arrived in Andromeda and an uprising arose among the desperate crew, it was William Spender who convinced clan leader Nakmor Morda to put down the mutineers. By all accounts, it did not go well.
In return for her help, Morda claims that Spender, in his authority as assistant director of Colonial Affairs, promised equal status for the krogan in any decision-making by way of a seat at the council. When the agreement came to light, Initiative Director Jarun Tann refused to honor it, and most krogan left the Nexus.
Privately reprimanded but publicly credited for stopping the uprising, Spender maintained his position a step away from Nexus senior leadership.
Foster Addison
Previous to the Initiative, Foster Addison was the chief operations officer for a provincial capital. She stated in her screening interviews that she preferred the position because it was the highest non-elected municipal office: It carried responsibility without requiring a public face.
Foster was asked to head Colonial Affairs early during Initiative training. She accepted after being assured that it was temporary. After arrival, outposts would appoint a council, and she could be obscure on a new world. In the meantime, she would remain senior advisor to Jien Garson. Unfortunately, Garson died in the Nexus’s initial Scourge disaster and was replaced by Director Tann.
During the rebuilding, Colonial Director Addison had no colonial affairs to direct. That limited the influence she wielded and increased the scrutiny demanded. She has expressed frustration at the open-ended nature of her position and the ongoing need for statements about the status (or lack) of outposts. Though she remains eminently capable, it appears to be exactly the job she didn’t want.