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“Strength for Cerberus is strength for every human. Cerberus is humanity.”

Cerberus is a human-supremacist paramilitary group led by the enigmatic Illusive Man. Cerberus' core belief is that humans deserve a greater role in the galactic community, and that the Systems Alliance is too hamstrung by law and public opinion to stand up effectively to the other Citadel races. Cerberus supports the principle that any methods of advancing humanity's ascension are entirely justified, including illegal or dangerous experimentation, terrorism, sabotage and assassination. Cerberus operatives accept that these methods are brutal, but believe history will vindicate them. Nevertheless, both the Systems Alliance and the Citadel Council have declared Cerberus to be a terrorist organization and will prosecute identified Cerberus agents accordingly.

History[]

Origins[]

Once known as Jack Harper, the Illusive Man, founder and leader of Cerberus, confronts Commander Shepard via hologram in 2186

Cerberus arose from the tumult of the First Contact War in 2157 CE, a conflict between humanity and the first alien race they had encountered after achieving spaceflight, the turians. During the turian occupation of Shanxi, a trio of human mercenaries, Jack Harper, Eva Coré, and Ben Hislop, served with the Systems Alliance forces led by General Williams who were resisting the turians. After capturing a turian general, the mercenaries became embroiled in the general's conspiracy to use an ancient alien artifact to transform the turians into a race of invincible supersoldiers under his command. With the aid of the general's brother, Saren Arterius, Harper was able to foil the plot, but both Coré and Hislop were lost.

In the aftermath, Harper realized that although the galaxy was abundant with knowledge and wealth, it was also a dangerous place, and a dark time was coming for humanity. It was humanity's duty to meet this challenge, and Harper resolved to do everything in his power to better humanity and ensure their place among the stars. With that, Harper published the manifesto of Cerberus and assumed the identity of the Illusive Man.

Expansion[]

As Cerberus grew, it had an indelible effect on the course of human development through acts of sabotage, assassination, media manipulation, and espionage. Cerberus became known to the public after a failed attempt to steal antimatter from the cruiser SSV Geneva in 2165. The sole surviving member of the operation named his sponsor "Cerberus", and the publicity from the incident spurred an increase in recruitment. In 2170, Cerberus engineered the Eldfell-Ashland Energy accident over Yandoa, exposing the colonists to dust-form element zero, and two other similar accidents over the preceding four months in two other colonies.

The following year, Pope Clement XVI is assassinated via rosary beads coated with toxic materials in order to be replaced by Leo XIV, who has eschatological beliefs more in line with Cerberus' goal of militarizing humanity. Claude Menneau, a candidate for the leadership of the pro-human Terra Firma party, was also assassinated in 2173 at the order of the Illusive Man to allow Charles Saracino to gain the position. Cerberus was additionally responsible for funding Michael Moser Lang, who would go on to gun down United North American States president Enrique Aguilar and Chinese People's Federation premier Ying Xiong in 2176, and sabotaging the starship MSV Anixara in 2182, resulting in the death of Turian Hierarchy war hawk Raherix Ursivus.


Mass Effect[]

In 2183, Commander Shepard may encounter Cerberus, investigate their activities and discover they conducted experiments intended to create supersoldiers, including experiments on rachni and Thorian Creepers. The organization accidentally unleashed rachni on Listening Posts Alpha and Theta when their experimental subjects, which were shipped from Noveria, escaped from Depot Sigma-23. They are also involved with a settlement on Chasca whose colonial pioneer team was converted into Husks. In addition, a traumatised marine named Corporal Toombs claims that Cerberus lured thresher maws to the colony on Akuze, resulting in the notorious massacre there; Toombs was one of the only survivors. Soon after the massacre Toombs was captured and withstood brutal experiments.

Things may come to a head if Shepard fully explores the disappearance of a group of marines under Rear Admiral Kahoku and finds that Cerberus had lured them to a thresher maw nest using a distress beacon much like on Akuze. After being informed of the marines' fate, Kahoku purchases information from the Shadow Broker and asks Shepard to track Cerberus down. During his investigation, Kahoku comes to the conclusion that Cerberus is in fact a rogue black-ops group that had broken away from the Alliance. Soon after relaying this information to Shepard, however, Kahoku is captured and killed. His body is in a Cerberus facility on Binthu, which also holds the location for Cerberus' alleged main base on Nepheron.

Cerberus Forces[]

Cerberus bases are usually guarded by the following forces:

The bases also contain whatever dangerous experimental subjects Cerberus is currently working on, which includes rachni (soldiers and workers) and Thorian Creepers.


Mass Effect: Redemption[]

Shepard's corpse in Cerberus hands

After the Normandy SR-1 was destroyed in a surprise attack by the Collector Cruiser and Commander Shepard is killed, the Illusive Man personally coordinates the efforts of Liara T'Soni and Feron to infiltrate the Shadow Broker's organization and prevent the acquisition of Shepard's body by the Collectors. Miranda Lawson, along with several Cerberus troopers, ambushes and kills the Blue Suns mercenaries that detain Liara and Feron on Omega and takes them to a safehouse to introduce Liara to the Illusive Man.

The leader of Cerberus persuades her to work for him and use Feron, admitting that his own assets are likely to be ineffective against the Shadow Broker; despite its human-centric reputation, Cerberus is not above employing and relying on agents of alien species.

In the end, Liara and Feron succeeds in their mission, allowing Cerberus to gain intel on the Shadow Broker's operations, as well as acquire Shepard's body so that the Commander could be revived.


Mass Effect: Ascension[]

Two months after the Battle of the Citadel, Cerberus focuses its attention on two separate paths of research. The first is human biotics, and the organization infiltrates the Ascension Project to take advantage of the Alliance's biotic research.

The key test subject is Gillian Grayson, Paul Grayson's daughter, whom Cerberus gives specialized medication to amplify her abilities in order to make her into "humanity's savior". The second area of interest is the quarian Migrant Fleet, which the Illusive Man sees as a threat given that the Fleet is the single largest armada in the galaxy. Also, as creators of the geth, the quarians warrant much greater interest in light of the attack on the Citadel.

To this end, the Illusive Man contacts a quarian exile, Golo, to gain the Flotilla's transmission codes. Cerberus' plans are thwarted after the operative Pel decides to betray Cerberus and intends to sell Gillian and her tutor Hendel Mitra to the Collectors. During a Cerberus attack on the Flotilla, Grayson kills Pel to save his daughter, but also decides to abandon Cerberus, realizing that they would use Gillian as a weapon.


Mass Effect Galaxy[]

Jacob meets Miranda

Sometime before the SSV Normandy's destruction, Cerberus sends one of its top operatives, Miranda Lawson, to assist the former Alliance soldier Jacob Taylor in his investigation on a batarian terrorist threat. On behalf of his friend and former CO, Major Derek Izunami, Jacob meets Miranda in a bar called the Fringe on the Cartagena Station.

Once there, Miranda explains the batarian extremists' plan to attack the Citadel on the day of ambassador Jath'Amon's arrival and sabotage the peace talks by killing him. She gives him three leads: A turian arms dealer named Illo Nazario on the planet Tortuga who has worked with the batarians for years, the planet Bekke where a batarian army is reportedly gathering, and a rumor that the batarians have kidnapped several scientists and are holding them on the Ahn'Kedar Orbital Platform.

Miranda assists Jacob in the field during his whole investigation by giving him advice and intel via a holographic system. After gathering intel on the three locations, Miranda and Jacob ware finally able to discover the terrorists' whole plan: the batarians' true target is the Citadel Council, not ambassador Jath'Amon as previously thought. The leader of the batarian extremists turned out to be Jath'Amon himself, who intends to unleash a bioweapon on the Council during the peace talks.

Jacob and Miranda hurry back to the Citadel to stop the meeting; after a fight they are able to save the Council by preparing a cure for the bioweapon. In the end the terrorists were stopped and arrested by Jacob.

After this resolution, Jacob resumes his vacation and later receives an unexpected visit: Miranda comes to his room to shares a bottle of champagne.


Mass Effect 2[]

Shepard's skeleton as scanned by Cerberus before Lazarus Project reconstruction

Cerberus takes an interest in Commander Shepard after the Commander's defeat of Sovereign in the Battle of the Citadel. When Shepard is killed after a devastating attack that destroyed the SSV Normandy SR-1, Cerberus recovers Shepard's body. Understanding the Commander's leadership skills and symbolic value, the Illusive Man commissions the Lazarus Project led by Miranda Lawson to revive Shepard from the dead.

The project lasts two years and costs over 4 billion credits, enough to create an army. The Illusive Man insists that Shepard should not be implanted with any form of mind control, fearing it might alter Shepard's personality. The Lazarus Project almost fails due to a mole, Wilson, who hacks the project's security mechs to kill everyone involved. The timely revival of Shepard allows the Commander and two members of the project, Miranda Lawson and Jacob Taylor, to escape.

While the Lazarus Project is underway, a separate Cerberus cell is also endowed with an enormous amount of resources to build a more advanced version of the Normandy, the SR-2. When asked how Cerberus obtained the schematics and data necessary to reconstruct a highly advanced, classified Alliance ship, the artificial intelligence coupled with the SR-2, the Enhanced Defense Intelligence aka EDI, initially reports that the information is blocked and she cannot reveal it to Shepard.

After EDI's integration with the Normandy, however, the blocks are removed, revealing that Cerberus initially persuaded and backed the Alliance in co-developing the Normandy SR-1 with the turians, allowing humans to observe turian technologies and warship design practices. After its construction, Cerberus retained the schematics, purchased parts from thousands of suppliers and had it assembled by one of their cells at a remote location in the Voyager Cluster.

A Cerberus research outpost inside a dead Reaper

After Shepard's resurrection, the Illusive Man convinces the Commander to help stop the disappearances of human colonies. Shepard is given the new Normandy, command over the surviving members of the Lazarus Project, and a crew handpicked to paint Cerberus in a more positive light. Soon it is discovered that a near-mythical race dubbed the Collectors were behind the colony abductions.

The Commander is able to assemble an eclectic, highly skilled group of individuals to take down the Collectors. Despite Cerberus' anti-alien views, the bulk of the Commander's team is non-human. Shepard's previous work with alien species allows the Commander to make diplomatic overtures to species like the quarians that Cerberus itself could not make due to the organization's past.

Shepard's mission is a success, resulting in the disabling or destruction of the Collector Base beyond the Omega 4 Relay. Cerberus' popularity reaches a high point because of that mission, and it attains a reputation as a highly competent vigilante organization protecting humanity from alien threats, while the Systems Alliance and the Citadel Council appear weak and indecisive.

Mass Effect 2: Side Missions[]

While Commander Shepard assembles the team for the suicide mission against the Collectors, Cerberus also has some involvement in tangentially-related matters.

At the request of Jack, Shepard may travel to the abandoned Teltin Facility on Pragia, which Cerberus had once used to research biotic potential in humans, and where Jack had been the primary test subject. Cerberus had performed horrific tests on children kidnapped from poor human families around the galaxy or bought from batarian slavers. The fruits of these experiments were used to augment Jack's abilities.

The Teltin facility's staff had gone behind the Illusive Man's back in order to conduct their unethical research, however, and Cerberus had no knowledge of their betrayal. The experiments were only ended when a group of test subjects started a riot. The surviving subjects were given mild amnesic treatments and sent to the Alliance, passed off as survivors of slaver attacks, while the facility staff were "forcibly retired".

Shepard can also help Cerberus recover sensitive data which had been obtained by Eclipse mercenaries on Lorek who had captured and tortured Tyrone Rawlings, a Cerberus operative. The Commander has the option to send the encrypted data back to Cerberus, send it to the Alliance, or keep it for EDI to decode.

Mass Effect 2: Firewalker[]

After the MSV Rosalie, a survey ship with Cerberus connections, went missing, Shepard can be sent to investigate the wreck on the planet Zeona. There, the Commander recovers the prototype Hammerhead planet-side exploration rover.

Data retrieved from the MSV Rosalie's emergency beacon contains clues about one Dr. Cayce's discovery of a Prothean artifact. After searching for the the scientist's whereabouts on several planets, Shepard finds the Prothean site on the planet Kopis. After the artifact's recovery, a burst of energy that contained coded information leaves the Prothean artifact. The data Cerberus was able to capture gives its researchers useful data about biotics.

Mass Effect 2: Overlord[]

Cerberus runs Project Overlord, an ambitious effort to not only understand the geth, but to find a way to manipulate them through their religious fervor. Administered on the planet Aite and run by Dr. Gavin Archer, Project Overlord was on the cusp of a breakthrough when the entire facility inexplicably went dark.

Archer had connected his brother David, an autistic savant, to a VI interface to interact with the geth. The over-stimulation had driven David insane and caused him to take control of the base, unleashing geth and Cerberus' own security mechs on the staff.

If Shepard had been sent to Aite by the Illusive Man to intervene, the Commander prevents the Overlord VI from escaping into the galactic communication network and either puts an end to Project Overlord by freeing David or allows it to continue by leaving David in his brother's care.


Mass Effect: Paragon Lost[]

Point-blank betrayal

Cerberus isn't averse to dealing with the enemy itself in order to ensure human supremacy. They send an agent named Messner to the Collectors in 2185, where the human gives them a colony to harvest in exchange for information.

True to Cerberus philosophies, Messner is willing to sacrifice whatever for a crack at the intel within the Collectors' Prothean-style repositories, and with the unwilling help of an asari named Treeya he manages to record the intel into an external storage device. This intel never makes its way into Cerberus hands as Lieutenant James Vega gets hold of it and sends it straight to the Alliance, although by that time the Collector threat was already rendered moot by Commander Shepard.


Mass Effect: Retribution[]

Sometime after the assault on the Collector Base, Cerberus kidnapps former operative Paul Grayson, who had been working for Aria T'Loak on Omega. Operatives led by the Illusive Man's favored assassin, Kai Leng, attack Grayson's apartment, kidnapping Grayson and murdering his lover Liselle. Grayson is taken to one of Cerberus' many research stations, where the Illusive Man orders him implanted with recovered Reaper technology.

Before Grayson had been kidnapped, however, he had sent all the information he had on Cerberus to Kahlee Sanders in the hope she could use it to bring down Cerberus or protect herself from harm. Sanders turns to Admiral David Anderson for assistance, who in turn seeks the help of the turians due to his concerns about Cerberus infiltration of the Alliance hierarchy.

The turians launch raids against several Cerberus bases and front companies. A number of Cerberus agents and supporters are also arrested on the Citadel, greatly impairing the operations of the organization. The capture of two military training bases and four major research labs is estimated to cost the Illusive Man trillions of dollars in losses.

Still believing that Cerberus needs to protect and defend humanity, and that the augmented Grayson, who had escaped Cerberus custody during the turian attack, is now a huge threat to Cerberus operations and to humanity itself, the Illusive Man makes a business deal with Aria T'Loak, asking her to kill Grayson in exchange for a substantial sum of money. The trap fails and Grayson escapes once more. Kai Leng, who had observed the failed ambush, offers to transport Sanders and Anderson off Omega, but they turn on him, overpowering him with the aid of a group of turian mercenaries, and use his ship to pursue Grayson to Jon Grissom Academy. Once they catch up with him, Kai Leng breaks free, eliminates Grayson, and escapes capture, albeit severely injured.

The Illusive Man recontacts Aria, and is able to successfully negotiate the return of Cerberus data logs from Grayson's time in captivity. With all the "loose ends" tied up, the Illusive Man returns to the twin tasks of rebuilding his damaged organization and continuing preparations to combat the Reapers.


Mass Effect: Invasion[]

Cerberus maintains ties with Aria T'Loak after the Paul Grayson incident. It establishes several research bases on the other side of the Omega 4 Relay and is using Omega as a supply hub for its convoys. During a routine convoy stop, creatures called Adjutants emerge from a transport ship and begin rampaging throughout Omega. The Adjutants are the result of Cerberus experiments with Reaper technology found beyond the Omega 4 Relay, and had broken free, taken over the research bases, and used the available transport ships to escape and attack Omega.

The Illusive Man sends General Oleg Petrovsky and Colonel Raymond Ashe aboard the starship Elbrus to aid Aria's defense of Omega. Although this is undertaken ostensibly to eliminate the Adjutant threat, Cerberus has other plans. While Petrovsky and Aria see to defending Omega from more Adjutant ships, Ashe is kept in chains on the station, having earned Aria's dislike for arrogantly ordering her own men around. Ashe kills his guards and contacts the Illusive Man to inform him that the real battle for Omega is ready to begin. While the Elbrus travels beyond the Omega 4 Relay to Avernus Station to contain the Adjutants, Ashe makes use of the Cerberus reinforcements to conquer Omega, taking advantage of the gang war being waged in Aria's absence.

Aria eventually fights her way back to Omega and unites the station's factions against Cerberus. Realizing that she could hold out against the invasion indefinitely, General Petrovsky takes the station itself hostage. Aria is forced to choose between continuing to fight and letting Omega be destroyed by a Cerberus fleet, or exiling herself and surrendering the station. She chooses the latter and leaves, but vows to return. Omega is secured shortly thereafter by Petrovsky's forces, a major victory for Cerberus.


Mass Effect: Homeworlds[]

While Liara T'Soni uses her influence as the Shadow Broker to find a way to stop the Reapers, the Illusive Man secretly monitors her progress and learns of her intent to investigate the Protheans for leads. Later, when Liara journeys to a Prothean ruin on Kahje, a Cerberus Phantom arrives there before her, kills the site's staff, and turns its defenses against Liara's shuttle.

Liara and the Illusive Man

When Liara makes it to the site and kills the Phantom, the Illusive Man contacts her via hologram. He apologizes for the Phantom's attack, but claims a rogue faction of Cerberus is responsible. He suggests forming an alliance with Liara to stop the Reapers and that they pool their knowledge, but when Liara challenges him to turn over his research first, he remains silent.

Liara concludes he either wants to keep his research to himself or he doesn't have any research to share. Angered, the Illusive Man insinuates she is incapable of running the Shadow Broker's organisation and claims that the criminal underworld think the Shadow Broker has become soft and weak, insisting that Liara needs his help. Liara points out that he is the one trying to make a deal, advises him to send an army the next time he tries to kill her and cuts him off before he can continue arguing.


Mass Effect: Infiltrator[]

The Barn

In 2186, Cerberus maintains a remote research space station known as the Barn near the desert planet LV426. Run by the enigmatic Director, the purpose of the Barn is to carry out experiments on humans, asari, krogan, and turians involving Reaper technology in order to enhance the performance of weapons and biotics. The Director sends Cerberus operatives across the galaxy to gather new test subjects. One such operative, infiltrator Randall Ezno, is deployed to capture a high value turian target and field test a set of implants that grant biotic capabilities.

When Randall returns to the Barn after a successful mission, he discoveres that his implants were intended to indoctrinate him and other Cerberus personnel. As Randall had adapted to the implants too quickly and rendered them ineffective, the Director forces Randall's handler and friend, Inali Renata to become the test subject for more powerful technology. Outraged, Randall goes rogue and turned against Cerberus, fighting through the station to find Inali. Through Randall's actions, the facility's test subjects are released and violently rebel against their Cerberus captors, and a force of geth is attracted to the station after Randall activates a communications relay.

By the time Randall escapes the station, the Barn is severely damaged and its operations crippled. Vowing to take revenge on Cerberus for harming Inali, Randall goes on to contact the Systems Alliance and provide them valuable intel on other Cerberus operations.

Cerberus Forces[]

Cerberus has a substantial number of personnel and mechs stationed at the Barn. The following are deployed attempting to stop Randall's insubordination:

  • Assault Captains: Cerberus officers leading squads of Assault Troopers into battle.
  • Assault Troopers: Elite Cerberus infantry equipped with assault rifles or shotguns.
  • Centurions: Cerberus shock troops that lead regular trooper squads into firefights.
  • Engineers: Cerberus technical personnel armed with shotguns.
  • Ogre Mechs: Advanced, durable Cerberus mechs armed with pulse rifles and laser cannons.
  • Orcus Mechs: Standard mechs used for security purposes in the Barn.
  • Riot Troopers: Troops armed with shotguns and large, bullet-resistant riot shields for crowd control.
  • Snipers: Troops equipped with sniper rifles and specialized in long-range engagements.
  • Troopers: Standard Cerberus infantry stationed at the Barn.


Mass Effect 3[]

Cerberus Centurion in 2186 with some troubling additions...

By the time of the Reaper invasion in 2186, Cerberus had undergone a dramatic transformation. Seeking to take control of the Reapers at any cost rather than to merely stop them, the Illusive Man intended to use the Reapers to make humanity the dominant force in the galaxy. Experiments with Reaper technology allowed the organization to indoctrinate civilians and convert them into absolutely loyal troops, swelling Cerberus' army. Cerberus' rapid growth also fostered public distrust of the organization, as commentators took notice of Cerberus' increasingly anti-alien stance and the blind obedience of its employees.

During the weeks immediately preceding the invasion, Eva Coré, a Cerberus infiltration android, gains access to the Prothean archive research facility on Mars. As the Reapers conquer Earth, Cerberus invades the research facility, massacring Alliance and civilian personnel alike. Their objective is to retrieve the data for a Prothean superweapon, the Crucible, which in theory could defeat the Reapers, or, as the Illusive Man believes, control them. Commander Shepard arrives in time to stop Cerberus from succeeding. Although Eva had downloaded the data and damaged the archives, the Commander is able to prevent her escape, disable her, and retrieve the data.

Cerberus opposes Shepard's attempts to create an alliance between the krogan and the turians, the first step to unifying the galaxy against the Reapers. A Cerberus squad raids Sur'Kesh to kill a fertile krogan female who is vital to curing the genophage. On Tuchanka, they are also attempting to detonate a massive bomb to start a war between the turians and krogan.

Kai Leng, Cerberus' top wetwork agent and cereal killer extraordinaire

After Shepard gains support from both the krogan and the turians, Cerberus launches a coup attempt against the Citadel Council with the help of Councilor Udina. The invasion force is led by the assassin Kai Leng. Cerberus' strategy is to capture C-Sec headquarters, throwing any defensive efforts into disarray, and then hunt down the Councilors. The coup is foiled by the timely intervention of Shepard, and Cerberus withdraws.

Cerberus is able to triumph over Commander Shepard during the Reaper assault on Thessia. When the Commander attempts to retrieve a Prothean VI containing key information needed to complete the Crucible, Kai Leng reappears, supported by a Cerberus gunship. After a brief battle, the gunship destroys the temple floor, allowing Kai Leng to steal the Prothean VI and escape before Shepard and their squad can recover from the wreckage.

Shepard followed Kai Leng's trail to Sanctuary, a refugee center on Horizon which is actually a Cerberus research facility directed by Henry Lawson. The purpose of the facility is to study the Reapers' indoctrination signal and replicate it against them; those refugees who were not experimented on for this research were converted into more Cerberus troops. When Shepard arrives, the Reapers had already stormed the facility in retaliation for the Illusive Man's plan. With intel obtained from the facility, Shepard is able to pinpoint the location of Cerberus' headquarters, Cronos Station.

The Cerberus fleet and headquarters orbiting Anadius

As the Prothean VI is necessary to complete the Crucible and carry out the counterattack against the Reapers on Earth, the Alliance's Fifth Fleet assaulted Cronos Station, engaging Cerberus' main fleet while Shepard boards the station. Inside, it is revealed that Cerberus had acquired the remnants of the Human-Reaper for experimentation. Shepard recovers the Prothean VI and kills Kai Leng, and Cerberus is effectively destroyed. Unfortunately, the Illusive Man had fled to the Citadel before the attack and informed the Reapers of the Crucible's existence. The Reapers then moved the Citadel to Earth, where they could best defend it.

During the battle for Earth, the Illusive Man has one final confrontation with Shepard, attempting to stop the Commander and Admiral Anderson from opening the arms of the Citadel so that the Crucible could be activated. Shepard defeats the Cerberus leader either by shooting him, or by convincing him he had been indoctrinated, which leads to the Illusive Man committing suicide. With that, Cerberus has come to an end.

Mass Effect 3: Side Missions[]

While Commander Shepard rallies the galaxy's forces to counterattack the Reapers, Cerberus has several plots often at cross-purposes with the overall war effort.

Prior to the Reaper invasion, Din Korlack, the volus ambassador to the Citadel, had become an informant for Cerberus, but he had a change of heart. The turians, who had discovered Korlack's duplicity, did not know this and put a bounty on his head for passing classified information to Cerberus. The ambassador has information about a turian colony that Cerberus planned to attack, but he refuses to divulge it, fearing Cerberus would know he had turned traitor. If Shepard rescues Korlack, he offers the use of the volus bombing fleet instead. The Commander could choose to take the fleet, save the colony, or convince Korlack to give both.

Cerberus also attempts to kidnap personnel and students from Jon Grissom Academy, potentially including former test subject Jack if she is serving there as an instructor. Should the Commander not intervene, the abductees are indoctrinated and used against the Alliance. Otherwise, the students are rescued and provide biotic support for Alliance troops in either an offensive or defensive capacity.

The Illusive Man also pushed his science division to work on Reaper technology salvaged from beyond the Omega 4 Relay. When a scientist had completed their work, they'd mysteriously disappear, prompting a number of scientists under Brynn Cole and their families to leave Cerberus and go into hiding, possibly with the aid of former Lazarus Cell operative Jacob Taylor. Cerberus discovers these scientists and sends a strike force to capture them. Shepard may intervene just in time to rescue them.

Several facilities throughout the galaxy are raided by Cerberus forces. Even if Shepard initially drives them off, Cerberus invariably sends reinforcements attempting to retake their lost territories.

On Tuchanka, Cerberus seizes control of krogan ground-to-space defense cannons for their own purposes. Later in the war, they attempt to hamper Alliance operations by assaulting an Alliance communication hub on Ontarom.

Despite the Illusive Man's control over Cerberus, one Cerberus cell is reportedly massacring civilians on Benning, which Cerberus disavows as a rogue cell.

Shepard can also raid several Cerberus facilities including a Cerberus lab on Sanctum and a fighter base on Noveria, which can give the Alliance valuable intel on Cerberus' studies on Reaper technology as well as squadrons of advanced Cerberus fighters.

Mass Effect 3: From Ashes[]

Eden Prime has recently excavated the stasis pod of a still-living Prothean. Learning of this, Cerberus occupies the colony in order to recover the Prothean.

If Shepard intervenes, they are able to thwart Cerberus' goals and obtain access to the pod's occupant. Additionally, the Commander may discover enough Cerberus intel to help the local resistance movement overthrow the occupation.

Mass Effect 3: Omega[]

Cerberus claims Omega

The occupation of Omega gave Cerberus a huge strategic advantage, bolstering their mobility throughout the galaxy and providing access to the station's abundant eezo mines, but the organization had some difficulties maintaining the occupation. The Talons, a gang led by Nyreen Kandros, instigated a resistance movement and sought to liberate the station. In order to contain the civilian population, General Oleg Petrovsky deployed large energy-intensive force fields throughout the station along with Rampart Mechs to maintain order.

Cerberus also conducted experiments with Reaper-based Adjutants in an effort to create a new supply of troops. Initially, this proved to be a disaster. Large sections of Omega had to be shut down with significant loss of life to contain outbreaks of uncontrolled Adjutants. Further experimentation gave Cerberus full control over the newer batches of these creatures. Had Cerberus been able to begin mass-production of Adjutants by converting Omega's population, it was projected that the organization would have greatly exceeded its demand for troops in the ongoing war.

With Shepard's help, Aria T'Loak may eventually launch an invasion to retake Omega from Cerberus. Despite Cerberus having the advantages of an occupation fleet four times the size of Aria's and Omega's heavily-upgraded outer defenses, Aria is able to land her troops on Omega. Aria and Shepard are able to bolster their expeditionary force by forming an alliance with the Talons. When Shepard, Aria, and Nyreen bring down the force fields throughout Omega, the civilians revolt. Talon and Aria's forces assault Cerberus' Omega headquarters in the Afterlife Club, overwhelming their remaining forces.

The liberation of Omega is a huge blow for Cerberus. In addition to losing large numbers of troops and its Adjutant research, Cerberus loses the services of one of its top tacticians, General Petrovsky. Aria's troops are also extremely motivated to continue taking the fight to Cerberus elsewhere in the galaxy. The allied forces are able to collect a significant amount of intelligence about Cerberus, helping to expedite the eventual fall of the organization.

Cerberus Forces[]

Cerberus ground forces are formed from personnel who are deemed physically suitable, be they unsuspecting volunteers, refugees or abductees. The research performed at Sanctuary allowed for Cerberus to control Reaper ground troops.

Personnel are put through an "integration" process - a combination of Reaper-inspired indoctrination, implantation or other conditioning - and become the various troop variants. While indoctrination is involved, and troops are physically altered into a husk-like state, the integration does not reduce them to the feral behavior that Reaper husks exhibit. Instead, Cerberus troops retain the mental capacity to perform their roles while maintaining complete loyalty to Cerberus' cause. Though there is a risk of Cerberus soldiers falling under Reaper control, the Illusive Man was confident that he could maintain control.

By 2186 Cerberus has created a significant military force, the development of which was greatly aided by tech scavenged from the Collector Base and from resources plundered after the Cerberus conquest of Omega.

Cerberus mechs supported by Shield Pylons on Omega

Cerberus troops make liberal use of Shield Generators. These can power portable cover systems or Shield Pylons, which envelop nearby units in an extra layer of kinetic barriers. Shield Generators are fairly resilient and can usually be manually reactivated if they short out, though they can overload dangerously when damaged. Pylons on the other hand are delicate devices and can't usually be reactivated or repaired in the field if destroyed by enemy fire. Both Generators and Pylons, being fairly simple electronic systems, can be vulnerable to hacking that can temporarily reverse their function, turning them from shield rechargers into shield dischargers.

Vehicles employed by Cerberus forces include the M-080 (APC variant), the A-61 Mantis Gunship, and UT-47 Kodiak Drop Shuttle. Cerberus also maintains a significant flotilla of warships to perform covert operations across the galaxy. A large fleet in particular is stationed at Omega. These fleets consist of cruisers, fighters, and at least one dreadnought that are considered extremely advanced by Alliance standards. It is speculated by Alliance intelligence that this is because of Cerberus' acquisition of Reaper technology.

Near the conclusion of the Reaper war, the bulk of Cerberus' warships engages and loses against the Alliance Navy's Fifth Fleet at Cronos Station.

Cerberus deploys the following forces against Commander Shepard and allies:

  • Adjutant - Reaper creatures genetically engineered by Cerberus to serve as troops.
  • Assault Trooper - Standard soldiers that form the bulk of Cerberus forces.
  • Atlas - Slow, heavy, and durable mechs equipped with rocket launchers and cannons.
  • Centurion - Front-line tacticians that lead squads into battle.
  • Combat Engineer - Specialized support units that deploy Turrets.
  • Dragoon - Armored combat specialists armed with biotic lashes for close to mid-range attacks.
  • Guardian - Fortified units equipped with highly-durable shields.
  • Nemesis - Sniper specialists that can inflict instant death on opponents.
  • Phantom - Agile biotic units armed with a monomolecular blade and Palm Blaster.
  • Rampart Mech - Heavily modified LOKI Mechs used to contain Omega's civilian population.


Mass Effect: Andromeda[]

On Kadara, Pathfinder Ryder can discover two former Cerberus scientists performing mind control experiments on an asari, salarian and krogan, rendering them dependent on a neural signal. They explained they left Cerberus to join the Andromeda Initiative as they felt Project Lazarus was ridiculous, and mistrusted Miranda Lawson for recruiting those they deemed lowlives. However, a terminal shows the Illusive Man terminated their position for continuing their "unnecessary" neural research despite orders from Lawson to stop. Ryder can turn the scientists' mind control device on the scientists, ease the torture inflicted by the signal, or just walk away.

Ryder can also encounter the Firefighters, an anti-AI group led by former Project Overlord contributor Katherine Nigh. The scientists on Kadara deem Project Overlord a good idea with poor execution. Nigh's bombs planted to destroy the AI-reliant Nexus computers can be disarmed, and she can be swayed to end her crusade or be killed by a sniper.

Organization[]

Cells[]

Cerberus is divided into numerous independent cells which have no knowledge of their counterparts. This ensures that should one cell be compromised, the others would not be captured. Each cell is led by an operative who reports directly to the Illusive Man. Cerberus operates many kinds of cells, ranging from military to political to scientific, but all united under the common goal of advancing humanity. Cerberus also has operatives throughout the Alliance, often embedded in high-ranking positions, giving the Illusive Man constant updates and feeding him information that would otherwise be classified.

As of 2185, Cerberus consists of 150 operatives organized into three cells. The Illusive Man oversees all projects carried out by the cells personally; consequently, there are never more than a dozen projects active at one time. This degree of micro-management leaves the organization vulnerable should the Illusive Man ever be compromised, though he has been smart enough to avoid detection so far.

Communication[]

Communication throughout Cerberus sometimes takes the form of steganographic messages embedded within extranet broadcasts. These messages can range from troop movement orders to instructions to financiers to direct money into certain cells. This method of communication was recently compromised by the Systems Alliance.

The Illusive Man can also afford quantum-entanglement communicators. One such device was installed within the Normandy SR-2 to give the Illusive Man a secure, direct means of communication with Commander Shepard.

Financing[]

Cerberus has wealthy sympathizers within the Alliance military-industrial complex, who contribute credits and resources to Cerberus, and trust the Illusive Man to make the right decisions. Cerberus also owns several front corporations which further fund and support their operations. Spending trends indicate that Cerberus has a reliable income running up to several billion credits per year.

Network[]

Cerberus has operatives planted across Citadel space and the Terminus Systems who regularly report to the Illusive Man. Due to their widespread network, Cerberus effectively has access to almost every settled system, major trade stop, and colony in the galaxy. However, Cerberus has no knowledge of what goes on in uncharted systems and the Migrant Fleet, thus rendering the Illusive Man blind in those areas.

Cerberus operatives usually work alone. If an operative is captured, depending on their usefulness, Cerberus might attempt a rescue or simply declare them to be expendable and abandon them to their captors.

Projects[]

  • Enhanced Defense Initiative - An initiative to create a "shackled" AI developed from a rogue Alliance VI and systems salvaged from Sovereign. The result was the Enhanced Defense Intelligence, or "EDI", which was installed onto the Normandy SR-2 as an analysis and cyber warfare system.
  • Lazarus Project - Established in 2183. Based out of Lazarus Research Station and led by Miranda Lawson, the Lazarus Project spent billions of credits in pursuit of one goal: bringing Commander Shepard back to life.
  • Project Doorway - Established in 2163. Produced forged Council-standard medicards and identitags to allow operatives unrestricted movement.
  • Project Eva - Commissioned by the Illusive Man after Cerberus lost contact with Commander Shepard, EDI and the Normandy SR-2 following the defeat of the Collectors. Project Eva developed Dr. Eva Coré, an infiltration mech.
  • Project Firewalker - Responsible for field-testing the prototype M-44 Hammerhead planet-side exploration rover.
  • Project Mia - Developed by Cerberus scientists studying indoctrination and Reaper-Husk communication who later fled the organization and took refuge on Gellix with their research. Due to the compartmentalization of the project's components, and at least one of the researchers is dead before the group's exodus, the surviving researchers could not piece together the true nature of the project.
  • Project Overlord - Based on Aite, Overlord was intended to develop a specialized hybrid-VI capable of controlling the geth to serve Cerberus.
  • Project Phoenix - Experimented on enhancing human physiology to develop stronger biotics. Many Phoenix Operatives defected from Cerberus after the Illusive Man began using indoctrination to ensure the loyalty of his troops. Dragoons may have been the end-result of Project Phoenix.
  • Project Trapdoor - Established in 2168. Using the front corporation New Dawn Pharmaceuticals, the drug omega-enkaphalin (O-E) was developed to disrupt the powers of biotics. Cerberus personnel were nanosurgically altered to resist O-E.
  • Unnamed Biotics Project - Based at Pragia's Teltin Facility, this project aimed to increase biotic potential in humans through experiments on child biotics kidnapped by Cerberus or bought from batarian slavers. Among the subjects were Jack and Aresh Aghdashloo. The project's highly unethical methods included the use of torture (both physical and psychological) and drugs on subjects as well as gladiatorial combat between subjects. Fatalities were not uncommon. The project ended following a riot by the child subjects, leading to the deaths of many guards and children.
  • Unnamed Genetics Project - An illegal operation that aimed to create an unstoppable army. Its main base of operations is on the planet Nepheron.
  • Unnamed Project - An operation to create a device that disrupts higher mental functions, allowing the victim to be controlled. Shut down sometime after Lazarus Project started. Finally used in the Andromeda Galaxy by a team of ex-Cerberus scientists.

Resources[]

Equipment[]

Cerberus produces its own proprietary weapon and armor systems for the exclusive use of its operatives, and has a reputation for being of the highest quality. Such Cerberus equipment that is captured intact is prized among soldiers.

Facilities[]

Front Corporations[]

Operatives[]

See Also[]

Trivia[]

Cut Content[]

  • A colony outpost named Misery was planned at some point during the game's development and was said to be heavily linked to Cerberus.
  • One of Mass Effect's cancelled DLC's, Cerberus Brainchild, was going to be focused on Cerberus and would have been the first time Shepard met the Illusive Man.

See also[]

References[]

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