We Won:
Mass Effect fans have been asking for a comment on recent concerns over Mass Effect: Deception. We have been listening and have the below response on the issue.
The teams at Del Rey and BioWare would like to extend our sincerest apologies to the Mass Effect fans for any errors and oversights made in the recent novel Mass Effect: Deception. We are currently working on a number of changes that will appear in future editions of the novel.
We would like to thank all Mass Effect fans for their passion and dedication to this ever-growing world, and assure them that we are listening and taking this matter very seriously.
- Chris Priestly
Source: http://social.bioware.com/forum/1/topic/323/index/9150901/1
Note for the Media and Discerning Readers - While this list may seem nit-picky considering some of the errors, there are a handful worth mentioning that have very legitimate reasons for being upset over. This includes a character ‘growing up’ from being autistic, turning Mass Effect’s only gay male character straight and then killing him, and being literally impossible to reconcile with the timeline made by the games, comics and other books. Errors of this magnitude will be in this format, white text on a red background. Less substantial errors that still have an effect on canon will be in this format, white text on a blue background. And the rest of the errors will be in this format, the default - these may be more nitpicky, or require a more extensive knowledge of the canon.
Feel free to add entries as you please, just try to avoid duplicate entries and keep the formatting as close to the other entries as possible. Also feel free to edit past entries for grammatical errors and the like. <3
1. The Citadel is described as being star shaped - Whilst the Citadel does have five arms arranged around a ring, even when it is fully opened, the arms are not in the same plane as the central ring; rather, they are oriented straight forward:
[Error: Lore]
2. There is a batarian embassy in the Citadel - Batarians closed their embassy after the Citadel Council sided with the human Systems Alliance during a colonization dispute over the Skyllian Verge, and there is no mention of their embassy being re-established in the previous installments. [Error: Lore]
3. Kai Leng visits Chora's Den - Chora's Den was closed after Sovereign’s attack on the Citadel. It never re-opened. [Error: Lore]
4. Citadel surrounded by stars - The Citadel is in the middle of a nebula with only one star - Widow - nearby and clearly visible. A few others are only faintly visible through the gas. [Error: Lore]
5. Kai Leng kills a krogan by slicing into the back of its neck and severing the spine - Krogan biology does not work this way. 1) There is a large hump that makes access to the rear of the neck difficult. 2) Most blades (save for a molecular blade) cannot penetrate the thick hide covering the rear of the neck. 3) Even if the spine was severed, the krogan still would not die, as krogan are uniquely equipped with organ redundancy. Instead of an analogue to the human nervous system, they have a second circulatory system with an electrically conductive fluid. [Error: Lore]
6. Deception claims the asari found the Citadel first and subsequently learnt to use mass effect technology - The asari could not have reached the Citadel without using mass effect technology. [Error: Lore]
7. Asari are said to be asexual - In ME1, Liara describes Asari as mono-gender, all female species. [Error: Lore]
8. Asari Council member saying "My God" - Asari do not believe in any form of male god. Their religious mainstream is a pantheistic belief system called "siari," which postulates that all living beings in the universe are of a single essence. The closest analogue to the monotheistic "God" is a faith in the Goddess Athame. The correct exclamation is “By the Goddess”. [Error: Lore]
9. Kai Leng visits an auction house on the batarian homeworld Khar'Shan - The batarians live on their homeworld in self-imposed exile. This extreme doctrine of isolationism has led the Hegemony (the batarian government) to ban its citizens from travelling outside batarian space. This travel embargo stems both ways: While batarians cannot legally leave for other territories, Khar'Shan and all its attendant colonies are also closed off to foreign races - especially humans. (it should also be noted that an asari, a turian, and another human were also present in the batarian auction house, with a volus acting as the auctioneer). [Error: Lore]
10. Batarian pirates slave-raid on the turian homeworld of Palaven - Whilst not impossible, this is incredibly unlikely due to the militaristic nature of turian society: All turians serve fifteen years in the armed forces (starting from age 15), and the turian race possesses one of the largest military fleets in the galaxy. Had there been a raid on Palaven, it would have likely have been met with overwhelming military force. [Error: Lore]
11. The public is allowed in the Citadel Council chamber - In the first Mass Effect game, Avina states that very few people are granted access to the Council Chamber. Certainly not the vocal crowds described in Deception. [Error: Lore]
12. Gillian's visit to Afterlife - Afterlife is the most popular bar on Omega and people wait hours to get in (Retribution, Mass Effect 2). In Deception, Gillian enters immediately and without any trouble from the bouncers. [Error: Lore]
13. Quarian clothing - Quarians wear environmentally sealed suits to protect their weakened immune systems. They do not wear "a motley collection of clothing, held together by a variety of straps and metal fasteners". [Error: Lore]
14. Batarian Slave Ship released to Gillian and company by quarians - Quarians view ships as one of their most precious resources, and they would not be so willing to part with a fully functional ship by giving it to Gillian, especially one that has what appears to be a “Tantalus drive core”. [Error: Lore]
15. Thousands dead every day - The novel states that thousands die on the Citadel every day, but given the approximate population of 13 million, this is excessive. [Error: Lore]
16. Beryllium is no longer toxic - At one point, Gillian finds and carries with her slugs of beryllium with no visible repercussions. This might be reasonable so long as the beryllium stays in slug form. If, however, she is ever exposed to it in powdered form (e.g., it is milled, filed, scraped, scratched, or exploded), it would be extremely toxic. Also worth noting is that even in solid form, beryllium is a skin irritant to many people. In addition, the six kilo belt that Gillian was carrying would take up 3.24 L - a ridiculous size. [Error: Lore]
17. Beryllium as currency - It is stated that criminal enterprises are forced to use beryllium (amongst other things) as a form of currency because credits can be tracked. This is in no way stated in any other supplemental material or in the games themselves. All transactions made thus far were done using credits almost exclusively. Whilst it’s certainly possible that beryllium could be a valued commodity, it’s doubtful that there would be any sort of proper exchange rate - and one could always use physical credit chits if one wanted to avoid a paper trail. [Error: Lore]
18. Quarian ships visit Omega on regular basis and maintain a warehouse - The Migrant Fleet is forever travelling from system to system because the quarians are still technically at war with the geth. Quarian ships occasionally stop on a planet or hubworld to trade for resources, but they do not maintain permanent outposts or warehouses. In fact, because of the sheer size of the Fleet and its reliance on strip-mining, a sizable amount of quarian resources are acquired as "gifts" given to dissuade them from staying in one area of space for extended periods. In Mass Effect 2, Tali’Zorah mentions that the quarians maintain secure drop zones, but Omega would not be one of these places, as the majority of quarians avoid Omega; and if there were such a dropzone or warehouses on Omega, then Kenn would not have had such difficulties in leaving it in Mass Effect 2. [Error: Lore]
19. "No" to the quarian embassy - The asari Councilor objects to a quarian embassy "because it implies the existence of an cohesive government", despite the fact that the quarians have a very well-structured government and have had one for centuries. [Error: Lore]
20. Shella is described as a freelancer Kai Leng hired on Omega who didn’t know his true identity - She was a full-fledged member of Cerberus and the one who called TIM to report Grayson’s capture. In fact, the entire team was composed of Cerberus operatives. [Error: Lore]
21. Shella claims more than once she didn’t know Kai Leng was going to kill Liselle - Kai Leng ordered the entire team to take out the asari if they got the chance before they even went into the apartment. And Deception makes it clear that Shella isn’t just lying to cover up her involvement. [Error: Lore]
22. TIM doesn’t know who Shella is - As mentioned above, she was the Cerberus member who was tasked with reporting to TIM that Grayson had been caught. [Error: Lore]
23. Kai Leng is said to have been in the Alliance Marine Corps - While he was an Alliance marine, there is no “Alliance Marine Corps”. It is not a separate service branch. [Error: Lore]
24. Kai Leng was an “N6” rated soldier in the Alliance - Leng was actually designated as N7 in the Systems Alliance military (while “N” designates a soldier belonging to Special Forces, “7” is the highest level of proficiency that a soldier can obtain) [Error: Lore]
25. Anderson thinking that the Citadel trap had been sprung “so successfully” they were still reparing damage - The premise of the first game is that Shepard and her or his squad prevented that particular Reaper plan from succeeding. The damage to the Citadel mostly resulted from Sovereign's destruction. [Error: Lore]
26. A holo of Grayson being implanted depicts large cables attacking him and burrowing into his body and him pleading for death - In Retribution, he was implanted surgically with Reaper nanotech (which gradually constructed cabling over a long period of time), and was unable to speak at all during the procedure, much less able to beg for mercy. Additionally, he never spoke to his Cerberus captors after the implantation was complete. [Error: Lore]
27. Two volus are described as wearing masks that don’t completely cover their faces - This would result in instant death for a volus, as they must wear completely sealed environmental suits that provide both the ammonia atmosphere and high pressure they require to survive. The suits also keep them isolated from the oxygen-nitrogen mixture breathed by other species, as it is poisonous to them. [Error: Lore]
28. Anderson is repeatedly said to be employed by the Council - He quit in Retribution under rather dramatic circumstances - circumstances that are never properly acknowledged in Deception. [Error: Lore]
29. Gillian is supposedly only allowed to participate in defending the Idenna because she’s 18 and thus not a minor - In Mass Effect 2, Han’Gerrel recalls being a trainee on a gunship with Rael’Zorah whilst still “underage”, and participating in combat on that ship during a batarian raid. He and Rael were subsequently sent off on Pilgrimage early as a result of their actions. In addition, quarians do not determine majority by one’s age, but rather by completion of the Pilgrimage. [Error: Lore]
30. The quarians transfer the rescued slaves over to the Idenna without any sort of decontamination procedures - Even after rigorous decontamination (ship and personal) and preparation (via anti-biotics and supplements), quarians still do not remove their suits within the Flotilla's sterile environment barring certain, special circumstances. Boarding a group of former slaves would be unthinkable, especially people who were as filthy as these. [Error: Lore]
31. The Citadel is said to have a “red ward” and a “blue ward” - These have never been mentioned and don’t fit into the established naming scheme for the wards. [Error: Lore]
32. The Dark Star is described inaccurately - It is said to be on the 28th floor of a generic skyscraper, and to have an excellent view of the Presidium ring. In addition, it is said to be a quiet place filled with people in formal wear and gaming machines and not the sort of place to find a “working stiff”. In actuality, it is on the 28th level of Zakera Ward, has no view of the Presidium (though Zakera Ward itself does), is a loud dance club with no gambling and a place where you can talk to blue-collar folk, like the Presidium groundkeeper. [Error: Lore]
33. Anderson and Kahlee are said to have “joined forces to battle the Spectre named Saren” - They did not. At no point did either ever fight against Saren, and Anderson was in fact working with him for a good portion of Revelation. The closest either got to “battling” him was Anderson attempting to grab him once during an argument over Saren’s methods. It didn’t work. [Error: Lore]
34. The surface of Omega - At one point Leng is said to have returned to the “surface” of Omega. Omega is a space station built into an asteroid, it has no proper surface. (Cited: “Having been returned to Omega’s surface Leng had elected to visit one of his favorite restaurants rather than return to the safe house.” p.225 Google Preview). Also, at one point there was mention of a door leading to a complex built underneath rocky hills. Due to the already explained structure of Omega, where the actual station hangs from the asteroid above, there is no way something natural like rock could be part of the structure, let alone hills of the mineral.
[Error: Lore]
35. The Illusive Man’s motivations to turn on Grayson - When speaking to the Council Anderson says, “There is evidence that Paul Grayson, the man who invaded the academy and murdered a number of staff members, was a Cerberus operative at one time. Then, for reasons we aren’t sure of, the Illusive Man turned on him." This is illogical, as the “we” refers to him and Kahlee, the latter of whom knew that Grayson turned on the Illusive Man first. [Error: Lore]
36. Reaper influence on Grayson - At the Council meeting Anderson says, "It’s difficult to say exactly how much influence the Reapers had over Grayson, but we think it was extensive.” This, despite the fact that the woman who directly spoke to the Reapers through Grayson is standing next to him. [Error: Lore]
37. Turian saints - At the auction on Khar’Shan, one of the items bid on are the “tears of a turian saint”. The turian religion has no saints. [Error: Lore]
38. Omega’s Eezo - Deception states that Omega is still a source of eezo, even though the mines have long since been tapped out. “Now, thanks to both the element zero mines and its location deep inside the lawless Terminus systems, Omega served as a tax- free port where pirates, mercenaries, slavers, assassins, and criminals of every race could trade, rest, and enjoy their profits.” [Error: Lore]
39. Day and night on the Citadel - Dietz states in Deception that the entire Citadel simulates day and night, while this is only true for the Presidium. [Error: Lore]
40. Omega has “artificial daylight” cycles - Similar to the above post on the day/night cycles on the Citadel, Omega has never had artificial lights to simulate “daylight” at certain hours of the day in any of its previous appearances in the Mass Effect series. [Error: Lore]
41. A man named Leng - While dying Nick talks about Kai Leng as if he doesn’t know him - Kai Leng had been introduced to the Biotic Underground several times before that and in Retribution Kai Leng manipulated him into getting shot in the stomach - and Anderson was present for this incident. [Error: Lore]
42. The meaning of the quarian phrase “keelah se’lai” - According to Deception, the quarian phrase “keelah se’lai” translates out to “As our ancestors will it”, but in Mass Effect 3, Tali’Zorah states that the closest transition of the phrase is actually “By the homeworld I hope to see someday”. (note: while this error may be due to the novel Deception being released before the Mass Effect 3 video game, the fact remains that no one editing the novel bothered to check directly with BioWare over whether or not Dietz’s translation was accurate to the series planned lore) [Error: Lore]
1. Hendel is said to have never visited Omega before - Hendel was on Omega in Ascension for three chapters. [Error: Timeline]
2. Hendel knows Anderson and knows not only that Anderson and Kahlee are now together, but also where they live on the Citadel - Hendel had never met Anderson before this book, and Kahlee and Anderson only reunited in Retribution, years after Hendel had left with the Idenna. Retribution also states that Kahlee has not been in contact with either him or Gillian since the end of Ascension. [Error: Timeline]
3. Gillian and Nick are 18 years old in Deception - They were both twelve-going-on-thirteen in Ascension, set a bit less than three years prior to Deception; in Retribution, which takes place mere months prior to the events of Deception, Nick was just fifteen. [Error: Timeline]
4. Aria Learns that Cerberus killed her daughter, but continues working for them in Invasion - Cerberus is able to reach an agreement with Aria in Retribution because they promise information on her daughter's killer. In the Invasion comic series, which takes place after Deception, Aria continues to work with Cerberus and even allows them access to the Omega 4 Relay. Yet, according to Deception, before this, she discovers that Kai Leng was the one who killed her daughter, and vows never to work with Cerberus again. [Error: Timeline]
5. Ugho is in charge of the defense against the batarian slavers - He died in Ascension during the Cerberus attack on the Idenna. [Error: Timeline]
6. Timeline Issues - During the three years since Ascension, both Nick and Gillian have aged six years. In addition, the attack on the Citadel is said to have taken place two years earlier, despite it actually taking place three years earlier. Among other issues. [Error: Timeline]
7. Gillian received a pendant containing data on Cerberus from her father before leaving Grissom Academy - This is a double-edged error: Gillian left in the company of Paul Grayson in Ascension. Deception also makes it so Grayson sent this gift right before Cerberus captured him...which happened over two years after Gillian left the academy. In other words, the pendant must also be capable of time-travel. [Error: Timeline]
1. Quarians referred to as “Gas suckers” - Their masks only look like gas masks; their actual function is the filtration of air. Whilst this term is probably being used in a derogatory manner, the fact that quarians use enviro-suits hasn’t been used mockingly in the past, making it odd. A more precise, or possibly wider accepted racial slur would be “buckethead.” [Error: Technology ]
2. Tantalus Drive Core on a batarian ship - Though the Tantalus Drive is referred to as "standard," it was actually a highly secret, experimental drive core first used on the SSV Normandy. It’s doubtful that a dated batarian ship would have one. Additionally, such a core is by itself equivalent to the cost of an entire cruiser class ship. [Error: Technology]
3. Biotics are suddenly classified by their power level - There are continual references to people being “Level One”, “Level Two” and “Level Three” biotics, “Three” supposedly being the strongest. There is no such classification scheme, and it appears to result from confusing the implant designations (e.g. L2 and L3) with an individual’s intrinsic potential. This error is compounded by the fact that, in ME1, it is mentioned that those with L2s can sometimes get better results than those with the newer L3 series, as L2s allow the biotic to "spike higher." [Error: Technology]
4. Hand Weapons that fire at "relativistic speeds" - For those who do not recognise the term, relativistic speed denotes "close or approaching the speed of light." It is usually used when discussing speeds higher than 10% of C (approx. greater than 29979246 metres/s). Considering that a sand corn fired at such speeds will have the impact of 90 kg TNT, and that the main gun on an Everest class dreadnought only fires at 1.3% of C, one could say that relativistic speeds might be an overestimate. [Error: Technology]
5. No Kinetic Barriers - In the ME games, as well as previous books, all hardsuits come with kinetic barriers (AKA" shields") that must be broken before the user can be killed by ranged weaponry. In Deception, there is only mention of weapons "chewing through armor" or poor references to biotic barriers on characters wearing hardsuits a là Nick. [Error: Technology]
6. Character(s?) in Deception use their biotic abilities repeatedly - In ME canon, use of biotic abilities is described as extremely tiring, requiring an extended rest period after using them multiple times in rapid succession, as well as requiring brief breaks in between each use. [Error: Technology]
7. Gillian gets new biotic implants in a few hours-long (?) operation in a non-medical facility - Biotic implants interface directly with the nervous system and the operation to replace them is considered extremely dangerous, to the point that even biotics who have crippling side-effects from their implants are usually unwilling to run the risk of brain damage and other permanent, deleterious effects. [Error: Technology]
8. Characters use advanced biotic powers with no prior training - After getting her “implants” changed Gillian is able to "reave" and biotically “charge”, abilities that before were advanced and mostly exclusive to Shepard. Hendel creates a gravitational singularity with ease, despite never having that power and being surprised when Gillian herself used it in Ascension. [Error: Technology]
9. Biotic terminology - In addition to the other problems related to biotic implants, Dietz consistently confuses the implants with biotic amps - which are wholly different things. [Error: Technology]
10. Asari Air Kisses - At one point Gillian and another biotic have an “asari air kiss” (which has never been mentioned in previous works) that causes the air around them to crackle with their biotic power. Nothing has ever suggested that biotic power works this way. [Error: Technology]
11. Gillian “sensing” that a pair of asari strangers were capable of biotics - Biotic ability cannot be sensed in this way, and as all asari are natural biotics, it is not something she needed to do anyway. [Error: Technology]
12. Anderson claims Omega has no public newscasts - Mass Effect 2 begs to differ. [Error: Technology]
13. Waiting for the slavers - When the quarians first detect the batarian slavers, they have almost an hour of warning. Rather than immediately jumping into FTL and making themselves undetectable to their enemies, they simply stand and wait for the much more powerful ship to reach them. [Error: Technology]
14. It is stated that it is “impossible to see anything” in FTL - This is untrue. To quote the Codex: “As the subjective speed of light is raised within the field, objects outside will appear to red-shift, eventually becoming visible only to radio telescope antennae. High-energy electromagnetic sources normally hidden to the eye become visible in the high blue spectrum. As the speed of light continues to be raised, x-ray, gamma ray, and eventually cosmic ray sources become visible. Stars will be replaced by pulsars, the accretion discs of black holes, quasars, and gamma ray bursts.” [Error: Technology]
15. C-Sec Checkpoints - In Deception, Kai Leng passes through a C-Sec checkpoint by providing a fake ID chip and colored contact lenses to bypass an ocular scanner. However in Mass Effect 2 it is stated, and even experienced by the player, that C-Sec uses a highly advanced DNA detection system which is extremely sensitive and nigh impossible to fool, even with genetic modification. [Error: Technology]
1. Gillian's autism is never mentioned - The closest the book gets is noting that she was an “unstable twelve-year-old” and a passing reference to her having a “temper.” This is not presented as a disability, but rather an adolescent phase she has largely "gotten over." [Error: Characters]
2. Quarian names - Titling a quarian “Fothar vas Maynar” and referring to him as “Maynar” means that he is being addressed by the name of his ship, not by his own name. This mistake is repeated in the case of several quarians. [Error: Characters]
3. Friendship of Gillian and Nick - Gillian interacted with Nick only once (during Ascension), when Nick attempted to bully her. Nick was consequently flung twenty-odd feet into the air and landed onto a table around which Gillian unleashed a powerful singularity. This is hardly the definition of friendship. [Error: Characters]
4. Gillian knowing about her adoption - Nothing suggests this in Ascension or even in Retribution. In fact Grayson had strict orders from TIM to pretend to be her real father. He never wavered from this role. [Error: Characters]
5. Gillian claiming that other children in the Academy tormented her - Nothing suggests this. In fact, they paid her very little notice; the incident with Nick was unique. Gillian even thinks to herself in Ascension that they never even teased her to her face. [Error: Characters]
6. Aria T'Loak never uses her biotic abilities, nor are they mentioned - Aria is a very powerful, highly-skilled biotic, but in Deception she never utilises her abilities, and it’s implied she needs her "Level 3 adept" bodyguards to put up barriers and counter biotic attackers. [Error: Characters]
7. Hendel Mitra is described as ogling asari strippers, a very heterosexual reaction - Hendel was established as homosexual in Ascension. [Error: Characters]
8. Quarian's names, continued - None of the quarians named in Deception have a clan-name, which is akin to a family name or surname (previous examples from Mass Effect video game/s: Tali'Zorah, Han'Gerrel, Daro'Xen, Shala'Raan, et al). [Error: Characters]
9. Udina not "named" as the Human Council member - By this time, Udina is the canonical human Council member in the Mass Effect universe, but Dietz refuses to use Udina's name for the human Councillor throughout the entire novel (despite the fact that the character's personality is clearly presented as Udina's, and that there can be no other individual in this role given the events of Retribution and Mass Effect 3). [Error: Characters]
10. Referring to Aria as “T’Loak” and Kai Leng as “Leng” - In previous works, these characters are either referenced by first or full name (e.g. "Aria wants to speak to you") but now subordinates simply call Aria "T’Loak." This is not so in Invasion, therefore it cannot simply be new subordinates referring to her by this name. [Error: Characters]
11. There is no T’Loak family - Aria attends a funeral for her daughter where she is joined by members of the T’Loak family. However, "Aria T’Loak" is a pseudonym, as Aria is on the run from old rivals, creditors and the law. It is extremely unlikely that she would return to Thessia, the asari homeworld, where it would be much easier to track her down. [Error: Characters]
12. Kai Leng knows who Liselle is - In Retribution, Liselle’s identity as Aria’s daughter isn't well known, and Kai Leng did not know her name at all. In Deception, Kai Leng knows who she is quite well. [Error: Characters]
13. Aria does not recognise Kai Leng despite having seen him before - In Retribution, Kai facilitates the agreement between TIM and Aria. During this meeting, Aria examines him rather closely, even noting his tattoo work (tattoos which are never once mentioned in Deception). [Error: Character]
14. Kai Leng enjoys watching an asari dancer, going so far as to wink at her - Kai Leng is physically repulsed by aliens. In Retribution, he is completely uninterested in Liselle’s nudity, thinks of asari as “whorish,” and finds the sights of Afterlife disgusting. [Error: Character]
15. Anderson and Kahlee are said to have started a relationship during Revelation - They did not. The attraction was acknowledged, and the possibility of a relationship discussed, but, ultimately, it was agreed that it would not work. [Error: Character]
16. Hendel was given the title “Hendel Vas Idenna” by the quarians for seemingly no reason - A quarian’s “ship name” is only earned after he or she has completed the Pilgrimage and has presented a Pilgrimage “gift” to the captain of the ship that he or she wishes to serve on. [Error: Character]
17. The volus information broker Barla Von is described as one of Anderson’s “close friends” - In actuality, the two characters have never met in either the video games or the previous novels. Anderson is only vaguely aware of Barla Von’s reputation and rumoured connection to the Shadow Broker in Mass Effect 1. [Error: Character]
1. TIM's hideout - In Retribution, it is written that TIM is hiding on a space station that relocates after each visitor - including high-clearance operatives like Kai Leng. In Deception, TIM resides on a planet, where he remains even after Leng's visit. It is even explicitly referred to as his “home”. [Oddity: Lore]
2. Lack of security in Afterlife - In Retribution, Aria uses a hidden backdoor to arrive to and depart from Afterlife without her patrons' knowledge; similarly, she has a series of backrooms for private conversation. In Deception, she drives up to the front entrance in a limo, passing by several enemies who would want to kill her, and takes a call from the Illusive Man in her main lounge. [Oddity: Lore]
3. Kai Leng's Equipment is Inadequate - In Retribution, Kai Leng uses a six man commando team to take down a non-biotic Paul Grayson. Later, he goes on to use a state-of-the-art surveillance suite to log Aria's comings and goings - a system that would alert him so that he could use the proper facilities when needed. Now, he attempts a solo op to take down Gillian, who is known to be a powerful biotic, and uses a sniper rifle to survey the main entrance of Afterlife. This method forces to pee into a vase so as not to miss anything. [Oddity: Lore]
4. Female salarian mercenary- A female salarian merc appears at one point during Deception. It is well established that 90% of the salarian population is male, and, being such, females usually stay on their homeworlds as wielders of significant political power. Despite this, her presence in a low-rent Omega merc band is not considered at all remarkable. She’s simply there to be a red shirt in one scene. [Oddity: Lore]
5. Aria allows Cerberus to keep a base of operations on Omega by the time Invasion occurs, despite finding out that Cerberus was responsible for her daughter’s death - Aria knows that Kai Leng is a Cerberus agent (see 59), but, in Deception, after learning that he is responsible for her daughter’s murder, she allows Cerberus to continue operations on Omega. (Mass Effect’s head writer Mac Walters previously established that the Deception novel would take place before the Invasion comic series in the ME universe timeline.) [Oddity: Lore]
6. Kahlee tells the Council that Grayson “doted on” Gillian - Grayson rarely saw his adopted daughter, and was the definition of an absentee father. He loved her, but he did not lavish attention on her. [Oddity: Lore]
7. A salarian is said to have “Big , luminous eyes” - Salarian eyes do not glow. Nor has there ever been one with eye coloration that would allow this to make sense figuratively. [Oddity: Lore]
8. Keepers strangely absent - Despite large parts of the novel being set on the Citadel (including scenes in the lower levels of infrastructure), keepers are neither encountered nor mentioned. In Mass Effect lore, they are an ubiquitous presence on the station. [Oddity: Lore]
9. Kai Leng goes to the auction to acquire a bio-weapon tuned to TIM’s DNA - Because TIM is, put mildly, a very private and secretive man whose location and true identity are known to very few, it is unlikely that anyone besides a high-clearance Cerberus operative could manage the means to devise such a weapon. The book never explains where the weapon came from, and completely drops the subject after the prologue. [Oddity: Lore]
10. For murdering a krogan on the Citadel, Kai Leng is sentenced to serve at the “brutal prison ‘Misery’” - The notion that the Systems Alliance would openly support what is essentially a “murder-prison” - a facility with no cells or guards (located off-site, observing the inmates kill each other for amusement), a place where the prisoners engage in a brutal system of Darwinian self-governance (tribes of convicts are constantly fighting and murdering each other in perpetual warfare) severely stretches the suspension of disbelief. That the Alliance would sentence an N7-trained Special Forces officer to such a facility is incredibly ludicrous. [Oddity: Lore]
11. Watching the sunset - Anderson and Kahlee watch the sunset on Eden Prime, though as the planet has a 64-hour day, this would last quite some time. [Oddity: Lore]
12. HMBA amps - Whilst in "Hu-Town," Gillian has her old implants removed and replaced with implants produced by HMBA. Disregarding that implant removal is in of itself nearly never done, HMBA-produced amps are listed as gear for Citadel Spectres, only available through a licensed requisitions officer. It is unlikely that any vendor in "Hu-Town" (a ghetto) would be selling them. [Oddity: Lore]
13. Poor Citadel Security - The security that Kahlee and Anderson go through to visit the Council is incredibly primitive compared to the security required to even get into the wards during Mass Effect 2.
14. The Grim Skulls - In Revelation Saren wiped out most of the Grim Skulls mercenary group, while they appear no worse for wear in Deception.
15. Boxes of ammo - “Boxes of ammo” are mentioned in Deception- though this could refer to thermal clips.
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1. Caring about Gillian - The text mentions that “The first emotion Gillian experienced was a deep and abiding sorrow. She was forever cut off from the only person who hadn’t been paid to care about her.” In fact, Gillian was currently on a ship full of people who cared about her without having been paid, including Hendel, who left his life behind to take care of her. [Oddity: Characters]
2. People Gillian can count on - Following the previous scene the narrative states that: “Gillian’s sorrow began to morph into anger as she thought about what had been taken from her. The only person other than Hendel that she could count on.” This, despite the fact that she is on a ship full of quarians who agreed to care for her at her most desperate, and whose lives she just saved. [Oddity: Characters]
3. Kai Leng and salarian curry - At one point Kai Leng eats some salarian curry, which is odd considering that he hates anything and everything to do with aliens. There’s also the fact that curry refers to a variety of South Asian dishes.
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