Geth

Revision as of 08:58, 18 July 2008

The Geth are a machine race that feature in Mass Effect.

History

The Geth.

The Geth were robotic servants of the Quarians over 300 years ago to serve as tools of war as well as labourers. However, in time, the Geth became sentient and began to question their makers. Seeing this as a threat to their existence, the Quarians embarked on a method of extermination of their servants. However, the Geth won the resulting war and drove the Quarians away making them a nomadic race that were confined to their ships without the chance of settling on a new world. The creation of the Geth led to the systematic suppression of artificial intelligence in galactic society due to the fear that such creations would turn against their creators.

Saren with his Geth allies.

Once the Quarians were driven into exile, the Geth began to isolate themselves from the rest of the galaxy as they confined themselves in their systems beyond the Perseus Veil. As the Citadel began to send ships to the edges of the Veil, they made a cautious attempt at watching at possible signs of a Geth invasion force that might emerge from their territory. However, the Geth made no attempts at attacking and have not been seen outside the Veil for centuries. Their activities in their space are a mystery to the races of the galaxy.

Since that time, the Geth have been evolving beyond what the Quarians originally programmed them for allowing for newer types that blur the line between synthetic and organic. Furthermore, at some point, they encountered the entity known as Sovereign and began following its whims.

Background

The Geth.

The Gethare a bipedal race of networked artificial intelligences that were shaped in image of their creators namely the Quarians. This networked nature means that they are capable of learning and growing intellectually but progress far more slowly than an organic being. Their construction involves a large plastic or steel outer shell which serves as a kind of synthetic muscle tissue providing some series with incredible level of agility. They contain a white conductive liquid which leaks out of their blood that serves as a kind of blood though they do not contain any internal organs or a nervous system and as such do not suffer from hunger or pain. Their construction has an organic appearance to it that appears to blur the line between organic and synthetic beings.

One of the biggest advantages of the Geth is their neural network which makes them more intelligent they closer they are physically to one another. This is because the individual units are capable of sharing processing power though this is not the same with sensory data which means they do not possess a hive mind. Individual Geth possess only basic intelligence on par with animal instincts but in larger groups, they are capable of reasoning, analysing situations and use tactics as well as any other organic being. As part of their standard operating procedure, should a Geth be terminated then it automatically wipes its memory core in order to prevent the enemy from learning about them though a skilled computer technician of the Quarian race was able to bypass this action.

After encountering Sovereign, the Geth began to develop a pecuiliar form of religion which results in their worship of the ancient long vanished mechanical Reaper race. They view them as gods and offer devotions by building monuments in their name and as such work to ensure their return to the galaxy. However, while they are devoted servants, the Reapers appear to show little regard to them.

One of the key elements of Geth warfare involves the use of suprise, sudden and unexpected attacks. They have been described as the perfect ambushers with their mechanical nature meanining that they can leave dormant garrisons at key positions for ages. Furthermore, its common for the Geth to drop their forces from overhead as their machine forms allow them to withstand such impacts beyond a normal organic being. Furthermore, they are even capable of packing their bodies into storage in crates allowing for later deployment whenever they are needed. Another typical tactic used by the Geth is the use of distress signals in order to lure rescuers into a trap.

Their secretive isolated nature means that items of Geth manufacture are incredibly rare to find.

Types

Their machine nature means that the Geth are capable of adopting numerous sub-forms from small probe shaped models to Humanoid series to gigantic lumbering war machines.

Trooper

Shock Trooper model.

The Troopers are the basic form of the Geth with the standard units serving as grunts in their warmachine. They are lightly equipped with no exotic weapons but are typically found in groups. They are Humanoid in form with a single bright blue flashlight eye on their head. These troopers are divided into different types such as a long range firing snipers or the heavy support rocket troopers.

Above the standard trooper lies the more elite shock trooper that are an advanced variant with a recognizable white armour. They also carry a pulse rifle but also possesss four levels of shield barriers and are extremely resilient. They serve as officers, heavy infantry and as well as combat engineers.

Hopper

A Hopper.

The Hopper is a newer infantry subtype Geth that were developed by the machines themselves as the Quarian's do not recognise the design. Their body's are made of a springy synthetic substance which resembles organic muscle tissue. This substance can be compressed then released giving the Hopper the capacity to leap enormous distances which is also the source of their names. Furthermore, they possess tiny hooks on their hands and feet allowing them to climb walls and ceilings.

In addition to these traits, the Hopper makes use of cyberware platform techniques allowing them to wreak havoc to hardsuit computers and certain weapons. Beyond this, their primary method of attacks appears to be a powerful laser that fies from their single eye. Similar to the Geth sniper troopers, they make use of radar jammers and tend to ambush in packs where they use their rapid movements to cause chaos among the enemy.

Armature

A deployed Armature.

The Armatue is a mobile anti-tank and anti-infantry model Geth that are employed in high risk areas and can be directly deployed from their dropships. They appear as quadraped shaped tanks with the typical Geth styled head and are often accompanied by Geth rocket troopers. These are easily a match for armoured vehicles used by other races and when combating such foes, the armature makes use of a siege pulse weapon that is devastating but slow to recharge. A secondary smaller machine gun styled weapon is also used that provides a more rapid rate of fire.

Though they are large, they are not really vehicle but sentient Geth machines capable of independant thought as well as learning. When inactive, they can be folded into a compact space where they can be garrisoned for later use or hide for an ambush.

External Link

• Mass Effect Wiki Entry

This article is a stub. You can help Multiversal Omnipedia by expanding it.