Mass Effect Andromeda Life On The Frontier

A mass relay

Mass Relays are mass transit devices scattered across the Milky Way, usually located within sure star systems. They class an enormous galaxy-wide network enabling rapid interstellar travel. Hailed equally one of the greatest achievements of the at present extinct Protheans, a mass relay can transport starships instantaneously to some other relay within the network, allowing journeys that would otherwise have years or even centuries with merely FTL drives to occur in only a handful of days, or even hours.

Overview

Specifications

Mass relays consist of two fifteen-kilometer (or nine-mile) long curved metal arms surrounding a fix of revolving, gyroscopic rings five-kilometers across. These rings incorporate a massive, blueish-glowing core of element zero. The relays are made of an unknown merely incredibly resilient material, the same material that the Citadel is congenital from, and are protected by a quantum shield that renders them nearly impervious to impairment by locking their structure in place at the subatomic level. They are even capable of surviving a supernova's wake without any dissentious effects. They are "common cold" objects that don't emit whatsoever form of heat or radiation, different starships, making them difficult to find if their position has changed over time. Some relays, like the Charon Relay, are "gravitationally anchored" to celestial bodies; others announced to be out in space and are advisedly tracked.

An active mass relay

Mass relays role past creating a well-nigh mass-free "corridor" of infinite-time betwixt each other. This can propel a starship across enormous distances that would take centuries to traverse, even at FTL speeds. Before a vessel can travel, the relay must be given the amount of mass to transit past the transport'due south pilot earlier it is moved into the approach corridor. When a relay is activated, it aligns itself with the corresponding relay in the network before propelling the ship across space. At the other end, vessels have no specific exit points, emerging randomly around the relay with positional "migrate" of many thousands of kilometers being common. Information technology would thus take an impractical amount of fourth dimension to mine or trap a relay finer.

There are two kinds of mass relay, master and secondary. Chief relays can propel a ship thousands of light years, but only link to one other relay, its "partner". Secondary relays can link to whatsoever other relay over shorter distances, just a few hundred light years. After the Rachni Wars, space faring species in Council Space won't open a primary relay without knowing where it links to, in case they see some other powerful and hostile species like the rachni. This caused a rift when the turians constitute human pioneers, ignorant of this Citadel Quango prohibition, trying to open up whatsoever mass relay they could find while exploring the relay network, eventually leading to the Showtime Contact War.

Many mass relays are currently dormant for unknown reasons, though they can exist easily reactivated. A Prothean data cache found on Mars led humans to a mass relay encased in ice and orbiting Pluto, previously thought to be a moon called Charon, which the Charon Relay was somewhen named after.

A slice of Prothean artwork depicting a mass relay, the Relay Monument, tin can be found on the Citadel Presidium. It has been interpreted equally either a symbol of Prothean vanity, expressing the relays as their means to build a galaxy-wide empire, or possibly as a symbol of galactic unity, which the relay network also embodies. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya claims that after their long voyage through the galaxy, the quarians have also come to capeesh the aesthetic value of the mass relays.

An asari dame once suggested that the asari should build new mass relays of their own, but it is unknown if modern galactic civilization actually has the capacity to do then.

Origins

The mass relays, despite common belief, were created non by the Protheans but past the Reapers. As stated by Sovereign, the Protheans were merely one of many sentient species to find the relays and the Citadel and take advantage of them. When the Reapers wiped out the Protheans, the asari were the next race to find the relays thousands of years later. According to Sovereign, by using the relays and the Citadel, galactic civilizations evolve along the paths the Reapers want. In addition, the relays serve to accelerate the rate at which those civilizations advance, shortening the time between harvests and streamlining the procedure of galactic extinction.

However, the Protheans did have a keen interest in the relays, and did manage to scissure the secret behind their operation. This enabled them to build the Conduit before they were destroyed by the Reapers.

Commander Shepard likewise discovers that the Citadel itself is an enormous, inactive mass relay leading directly to dark space, as well as the control center for all mass relays, enabling the Reapers to sever travel betwixt clusters the moment they re-enter the galaxy. Its reactivation is, fittingly, more complex than that of an ordinary mass relay, requiring either a coordinated effort by the keepers or manual intervention by a Reaper.

Blastoff Relay

Mass relays are believed to exist indestructible by galactic lodge, but no known attempts have been made to actually damage or destroy a relay because they are the just means of long distance space travel and thus are besides vital to hazard.

Dr. Amanda Kenson and her enquiry team calculated that if a large enough mass impacts a relay with enough force, the relay should not be able to withstand it. The consequences of destroying a mass relay are immense: as a huge mass effect engine manipulating massive quantities of free energy, a relay could produce an explosion of supernova proportions.

Post-obit a botched rescue attempt for Dr. Kenson that turns into an attempt to filibuster the Reaper invasion, a large asteroid is purposely steered into the Bahak system'southward Alpha Relay. The resulting impact tears apart the relay, causing an explosion which annihilates the Bahak arrangement and kills more than than 300,000 inhabitants.

The Crucible

During the battle to retake Earth from the Reapers, the superweapon known as the Crucible may be activated. When Commander Shepard interacts with the Goad, the AI that controls the Reapers, the Commander is given the selection to destroy the Reapers, take command of them, merge organic and synthetic life together, or decline to act altogether.

In all cases save the last, the energy reaction required to reach these options is transmitted through the mass relay network from the Citadel. The relays' chemical element zero cores overload from the massive amounts of energy involved. Every betoken in space for hundreds of lightyears from the relays is afflicted past the Crucible'south free energy, finer irresolute the unabridged galaxy.

The relays are rebuilt past the survivors whichever non-refusal conclusion is taken. If the control choice is chosen, the Reapers themselves assume the responsibleness.

If Shepard didn't rally enough of the galaxy's forces for the terminal fight, the relays suffer more extensive damage. They explode upon transmitting the Crucible's energy, and subsequent rebuilding afterward proves more difficult for the survivors.

Known Mass Relays

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Relay Proper noun	Location (Cluster, Organisation)	Local Points of Interest	Notes
Alpha Relay	Viper Nebula, Bahak	Aratoht	The oldest known mass relay in the milky way. Features unique properties that enable it to aggrandize its range and connect with numerous other relays over long distances. Destroyed, along with the Bahak system, by the Systems Brotherhood in 2185 in an effort to delay the Reapers' invasion.
Arcturus Prime Relay	Unknown, Unknown		May refer to either the Charon Relay in the Local Cluster or the relay in the Arcturus Stream that connects with the Exodus Cluster.
Charon Relay	Local Cluster, Sol	Earth	Encased in water ice until it was discovered and reactivated by humanity in 2149 CE.
Citadel	Serpent Nebula, Widow		A big space station that serves every bit the seat of the Citadel Council. Unbeknownst to its occupants, information technology is also an enormous mass relay that the connects direct to the Reaper lair in dark space.
Conduit	Local Cluster, Sol		A local mass relay constructed in the city of London during the Reaper occupation of Earth in 2186 to facilitate the transport of victims to the Citadel, which at that time had been moved to the planet's orbit.
Conduit	Pangaea Expanse, Refuge		A Prothean-built image relay on Ilos. Connects to the Relay Monument on the Citadel, but the trip is just 1 way.
Harsa Relay	Kite's Nest, Harsa	Adek, Camala, Erszbat, Khar'shan
Kappa Iota Relay	Unknown, Unknown		A charted but rarely-used relay predating the Rachni Wars. Previously abandoned due to the highly lethal radiation of Turix, the neutron star on the other side. The controversial TR-15 Letus probe was deployed through this relay.
Lowas Relay	Unknown, Unknown		Ii researchers were arrested for landing on and attempting to tamper with the Lowas Relay without authorization in March of 2186.
Mactare Relay	Unknown, Mactare	Taetrus	Connects with the Trebia system.
Mu Relay	Hawking Eta, Unknown		Displaced by a supernova 4,000 years ago and enveloped in a cloud of hot gas and grit, making it incommunicable to notice and seemingly lost forever. The Mu Relay links to several other relays and is the only relay that links to the remote Pangaea Expanse cluster.
Omega 2 Relay	Omega Nebula, Sahrabarik	Lorek, Omega, Thunawanuro	I of several mass relays in the Sahrabarik system.
Omega 4 Relay	Omega Nebula, Sahrabarik		One of several mass relays in the Sahrabarik system. A mysterious relay seemingly navigable only by the Collectors; no non-Collector vessel has e'er returned after using information technology. Leads to the Tartarus Debris Field and Collector Base of operations.
Pelion Relay	Nimbus Cluster, Pelion	Lesuss
Rachni Relay	Ninmah Cluster, Maskim Xul	Suen
Relay 202	Arcturus Stream, Arcturus	Arcturus Station, Benning	One of multiple mass relays in proximity of Arcturus. Leads into contested space and has an unsavory reputation. Scott Ryder was assigned to an outpost monitoring the relay.
Relay 314	Unknown, Unknown		Unauthorized activation by humanity in 2157 CE led to turian retaliation, triggering the Starting time Contact State of war.
Relay Monument	Ophidian Nebula, Widow		Located on the Citadel. Mistakenly believed to be a piece of work of art, information technology is actually a miniature, prototype relay built by the Protheans. Serves as the destination terminus for the Conduit on Ilos, but a render trip is non possible.
Seinhand Relay	Unknown, Unknown		Said to have seen a 43% decrease in traffic per a relay traffic study intercepted by the Shadow Broker.
Shanxi-Theta Relay	Unknown, Unknown	Shanxi	A cardinal relay in the First Contact War.
Sol Relay	Unknown, Unknown		May refer to either the Charon Relay in the Local Cluster or the relay in the Arcturus Stream that connects with the Charon Relay.
Tasale Relay	Crescent Nebula, Tasale	Illium
Widow Relay	Serpent Nebula, Widow	Bekenstein, Citadel	1 of multiple mass relays in proximity of the Citadel.
Unknown	Aethon Cluster, Aru	Irune, Oma Ker
Unknown	Annos Bowl, Pranas	Sur'Kesh
Unknown	Apien Crest, Trebia	Digeris, Palaven
Unknown	Arcturus Stream, Arcturus	Arcturus Station, Benning	One of multiple mass relays in proximity of Arcturus.
Unknown	Argos Rho, Hydra	Intai'sei, Acme Station
Unknown	Armstrong Nebula, Unknown
Unknown	Artemis Tau, Unknown	Therum
Unknown	Athena Nebula, Parnitha	Lusia, Niacal, Thessia
Unknown	Attican Beta, Hercules	Feros
Unknown	Caleston Rift, Balor	Arvuna, Caleston
Unknown	Eagle Nebula, Imir	Anhur, Korlus, Jarrahe Station, Wrill
Unknown	Exodus Cluster, Utopia	Eden Prime, Terra Nova
Unknown	Far Rim, Dholen	Haestrom
Unknown	Gemini Sigma, Han
Unknown	Hades Gamma, Antaeus
Unknown	Hades Nexus, Hekate	Trident
Unknown	Hawking Eta, Chandrasekhar		The description for Corang mentions a relay in the Century system of Hawking Eta, but no such relay is shown on the Milky way Map.
Unknown	Horse Head Nebula, Pax	Noveria
Unknown	Hourglass Nebula, Osun
Unknown	Ismar Frontier, Aquila	Zorya
Unknown	Kepler Verge, Newton	Ontarom
Unknown	Krogan DMZ, Aralakh	Tuchanka
Unknown	Maroon Sea, Unknown
Unknown	Minos Wasteland, Fortis	Gellix, Invictus
Unknown	Nubian Expanse, Dakka	Yamm
Unknown	Pangaea Expanse, Refuge	Ilos	Connects with the Mu Relay.
Unknown	Perseus Veil, Tikkun	Rannoch
Unknown	Petra Nebula, Vetus	Elysium, Grissom University
Unknown	Pylos Nebula, Nariph
Unknown	Rosetta Nebula, Enoch	2175 Aeia	Formerly on the list of forbidden relays that led to uncharted infinite.
Unknown	Scout Omega, Hoc	Virmire
Unknown	Shadow Sea, Iera	Horizon
Unknown	Sigurd'due south Cradle, Skepsis	2181 Despoina, Sanctum, Watson
Unknown	Silean Nebula, Kypladon	Cyone, Dekuuna, Nevos
Unknown	Styx Theta, Unknown
Unknown	The Phoenix Massing, Tassrah	Aite, Ekuna, Heretic Station
Unknown	The Shrike Deep-sea, Xe Cha	Heshtok, Talis Fia
Unknown	Titan Nebula, Haskins
Unknown	Valhallan Threshold, Raheel-Leyya	Garvug
Unknown	Voyager Cluster, Unknown
Unknown	Unknown, Turix		A relay located about eighteen,000 calorie-free years from Earth, orbiting the neutron star Turix. Connects to the Kappa Iota Relay. Destination of the TR-15 Letus probe.
Unknown	Unknown, Unknown	Tartarus Droppings Field, Collector Base	Connects with the Omega 4 Relay.

Come across Besides

Cerberus Daily News
- "TR-15 Letus Probe" storyline
- "Origin of Mass Relays Questioned" storyline
- "Heightened Security at Mass Relays" storyline

Trivia

The mass relays were originally known as "stage gates"; a relic of this tin be seen in the Codex nether Systems Brotherhood: Military Doctrine.
The mass relays evolved from more than monolithic designs to their final "tuning fork" shape (every bit described in The Art of Mass Result).