Samara

Samara is a nearly thousand-year-old asari justicar, a member of an ancient monastic order following a strict honor code. Though she is skilled with weapons, Samara usually relies on her powerful biotic abilities. Justicars rarely leave asari space, but Samara's pursuit of justice has brought her to Illium.

Samara is voiced by Maggie Baird.

Weapon Proficiencies

 * Submachine Guns
 * Assault Rifles

Asari Justicar

 * Rank 1
 * Health: +5.00%
 * Weapon Damage: +6.00%
 * Power Recharge Time: -6.00%


 * Rank 2
 * Health: +10.00%
 * Weapon Damage: +12.00%
 * Power Recharge Time: -12.00%


 * Rank 3
 * Health: +15.00%
 * Weapon Damage: +18.00%
 * Power Recharge Time: -18.00%


 * Rank 4 Unlocks choice between Sapiens Justicar or Caedo Justicar
 * Sapiens Justicar: Samara's biotic abilities now rival those of an asari Matriarch, further reducing the recharge time of her powers.
 * Health: +20.00%
 * Weapon Damage: +18.00%
 * Power Recharge Time: -25.00%
 * Caedo Justicar: Samara's time is spent honing her lethal skills, increasing her weapon damage.
 * Health: +20.00%
 * Weapon Damage: +25.00%
 * Power Recharge Time: -18.00%

Dossier
Like many asari, Samara's Maiden phase of life was marked by adventure and excitement. At one point she ran with a mercenary gang and discovered her talent for combat. Her membership in the gang came to an end when she led a transport mission and discovered the cargo was not weaponry or machinery, but slaves intended for sale to the Collectors. Samara tried to have the ship turned around, but met with resistance from her team and was forced to kill them. The Collector ship arrived just as the battle ended; fortunately, the ship was close enough to a mass relay for her to escape. Once safe, Samara gave the slaves a speech about self-defense and passed out the credits, weapons, and armor that had belonged to her mercenary comrades, then left them all at the Citadel.

Samara left her mercenary career after that and slowed down, eventually finding stability with an asari mate and raising a family. Samara had three daughters, but discovered, to her horror, they were all Ardat-Yakshi, suffering a genetic condition that made them kill their mates during melding. As Samara explains later, she herself is a pureblood; she believes that the stigma against them lies partially in their increased probability of giving birth to Ardat-Yakshi daughters.

Two of Samara's daughters chose to live their lives in isolation and comfort. Her third daughter, Morinth, whom Samara described as the "smartest and bravest" of the three, refused to go into seclusion and fled, beginning a spree of murder and violence. Recognizing her daughter's growing addiction to killing her mates, Samara gave up her worldly possessions, swore herself to the Code, and became a justicar.

Samara hunted her daughter across the galaxy for centuries. At one time, Samara had discovered Morinth had perverted an entire village, making them worship her and bringing her young asari as sacrifices. When Samara arrived, Morinth fled, throwing waves of her minions at her and buying herself time to escape with their lives. When Samara was done only small children remained, who she left in the care of the authorities and continued her pursuit. At another time, Samara crossed paths with Nihlus Kryik after she witnessed him murder an unarmed civilian. She had no choice but to engage him. They fought for days on the planet, chasing each other in the wilderness. Eventually, Nihlus manipulated Samara by putting her in a situation where she had to let an innocent die or let him escape. Despite having lost to him, she was impressed that he had learned how to turn the Code against her and adapt.

By 2185, Samara had hunted Morinth out of asari space to Illium. Following a lead that Eclipse mercenaries had helped Morinth escape off world, Samara hunted them down and interrogated one of the mercenaries for the name of the ship Morinth was travelling on. When the merc refused to answer, Samara killed her only to meet Commander Shepard, who had come to Illium in the hope of recruiting Samara. She expressed interest in Shepard's mission, but was required to go into Detective Anaya's custody for a time.

Samara asked Shepard's help in finding the name of the ship—a task made all the more urgent by the fact that, after a day in custody, the justicar Code would oblige Samara to escape, possibly killing many police officers in the process. When Shepard returned with the ship's name—the AML Demeter—Samara swore the Third Oath of Subsumation, binding herself to Shepard's morals, and vowing to fight the Collectors. However, her hunt for Morinth remained utmost in her mind.

Loyalty: Ardat-Yakshi
Samara's loyalty quest concerns her hunt for her daughter, Morinth. Thanks to Shepard's help in discovering the ship's name, Samara has tracked Morinth to Omega and learned that Morinth has just murdered again. After Samara and Shepard investigate the victim's apartment on Omega, Samara offers a suggestion: that Shepard act as bait for Morinth, and lure her into a trap. After discovering the password to Afterlife's VIP area,they travel there and Shepard goes in alone. You must complete at least two of the quests inside the club which will attract Morinth's attention, then she will lead to a secluded table, where you have to complete some dialoge options, and then she will take you to her apartment where you after conversing for a few moments, Samara comes rushing in and you can either choose to kill Morinth or kill Samara. Which ever option you choose the quest is complete, however if you choose to kill Samara, Morinth will take her place and she does not have a loyalty quest so she is automatically loyal to you.

Trivia

 * In Arabic, samara translates as 'guardian' or 'protected by God', making it an appropriate name for a justicar.
 * Samara's armor and jewelry were created with feminine lines and ornate detailing meant to capture her archetypal description of "mystic warrior".
 * Through conversations, Shepard has the option to show a romantic interest in Samara. She dismisses the advance, but notes that she appreciates the interest nonetheless. This rejection is not due to the Code, which does not forbid such things, but by her own choice. In fact, since Samara has sworn the 3rd Oath of Subsummation: ("By the Code I will serve you: Your choices are my choices...Your wishes are my code."), Samara seemingly breaks her Oath, (and maybe even the Code itself), by denying Shephard's wish to give Samara a good "melding" in the Captain's Cabin. Shepard can also ask if "A special person, can re-ignite old desires?", and Samara will then later express her desire for Shepard.
 * Interestingly, the holo-projector on level 28 of Zakera Ward that mentions a potential love interest by name if they are present is capable of saying "Justicar Samara", despite her not actually being a full-fledged romance option.
 * If Shepard is mostly Renegade, Samara comments that if she wasn't bound to Shepard by the oath, their meeting would have ended in violence. Otherwise she simply says that if Shepard makes her do something that goes against her Code, she will kill the Commander after their mission is over.


 * As with all Mass Effect 2 squad members, Samara will have lines of unique dialogue that can be heard by taking her to various locations and with various other squad members.