Call this morbid curiosity.

People do bad things, that's a reality in every military or paramilitary organization. The fact that Cerberus became a deformed and bloated monstrosity from what it began as has nothing to do with the ideals that it espoused.

Yeah I suppose Bush from the 21st century was okay too, trying to fight terrorism with state terrorism.

You people keep on talking about the whole of the organization. Obviously there are bad eggs, and there isn't much one can do except allow the authorities to intercept them. I won't even bother with the command elements of Cerberus. Whatever happened, someone fought a long battle with madness and lost. That doesn't automatically seal the fates of dozens of operatives scattered across space.

Apologies, I'm a bit late to this clusterfuck of a thread/debate/dictionary of logical fallacies.

So, anyways, ex-Cerberus?

Huh.

Welcome to CDN I suppose.

Cerberus did crazy and wrong shit even before the war. The fact that it was officially regarded as a terrorist organization should you some clues what that was all about. When you joined Cerberus then, you became a member of a spiritsdamned terrorist organization. I can't possibly stress that enough. If you think you should perhaps resign or something after they started a war against everyone when the galaxy is under attack by a force no one has ever seen before and that required us all to stand together, well, that's just not being out of your fucking mind.

Welcome to the no-longer-acurately named Cerberus Daily News, Songbird. Shame you left Noveria; it's a balmy 3 degrees out near Port Hanshan this time of year.

^this.

There is nothing you can do to justify Cerberus's actions. The operatives will suffer for have being Cerberus because Cerberus was a terrorist organization. Cerberus committed genocide. Cerberus killed the very people it claimed to protect.

So yes, it will seal the fate of operatives who don't regret their involvement because it's a fucked thing to be a part of. And individuals are responsible for being part of something. Especially if it's a terrorist organization.

Well, you keep your hate. I'm damn proud my work helped operatives survive the war, and I wish them the best regardless of what you people think. Those people aren't just nameless goons, they're people that have a family waiting for them to come home. The fact that you people have no remorse for any of them is a sign that vengeance is a greater priority then reconciliation. I'm all for the conviction of war criminals, but pointing your finger at every damn person in Cerberus is ignorant and subjective.

You know what? The families of the people who Cerberus killed weren't nameless goons either. They were civilians and Alliance Marines, a lot of them I know about. They had families waiting for them to come home too. Every damn person in Cerberus chose to be there-oh, except for the civilians they indoctrinated-so yes, they can damn well answer for it. Cerberus didn't jsut lose the plot-they were killing and murdering before hand.

You can pull the victim card but the real victims are the innocents and the young people who lost their lives because of Cerberus's agenda.

Well then you go ahead and keep your opinion. It's not going to get anything done. I suppose you'll have to live with it, because thankfully, some rational people have made outreach to those formerly in or affiliated with Cerberus.

Feel free to explain how trying to hinder the galaxy's efforts to mobilize and counterattack made sense in working to help humanity. After all, a billion people on Earth were killed waiting for Hackett and Shepard to come back, so it's a little hard to be sympathetic when Cerberus was actively diverting resources by attacking colonies or trying to compromise alliances we needed. Oh, and I don't recall Cerberus stepping in to help the Resistance at any fucking point, so could you clear that up too, while you're at it?

I'd hold my breath, but that probably wouldn't end well.

Cerberus pursued an agenda outside that of the Alliance, and sending soldiers to Earth would have been a gross waste. Obviously, I assume, there were operations outside necessity, and to that I cannot justify why. Command, whatever went on there, was obviously out of it's mind by the time the war began, so I'm not keen on defending the actions of the few that guided the many. Cerberus was interested in the Citadel, and the plans they had were apparently more convincing than whatever the Alliance offered. That was their choice, and unfortunately many died because that guidance was crooked. I'm proud that what I could contribute is a deterrent to the loss of more Cerberus personnel. However naive, they deserve a second chance. Call for blood all you want, I don't care. If you marine types are always going to go looking for fights, then do so. I'll stick to doing what I'm trained to do, and you do the same.

Mate, I'm the one supporting the Alliance's decision to pardon Cerberus operatives in return for their help in the war. I'm friends with an ex-Cerberus individual. But the very least you can do is admit what Cerberus did was wrong and stop the victim act. Cerberus is not a victim.

I never tried to justify their wrongdoings, I only defend what they fought for, which was Human progress, growth, and strength. Anything that deviates from that is a gross misuse of lives, resources, and time, which I ACKNOWLEDGE happened in the war. I'm making a case for Cerberus operatives still loyal to the cause they signed up for, not the parade of idiocy they unfortunately were led to die from.

Give me one example of Cerberus actually helping humanity. Instead of, you know, murdering the very people they claimed to help. I'm definitely pro-human, but the shit they did?

Cerberus operatives are responsible for what the organization did. Obedience is a choice.

I spent god only knows so long working under people who believed in killing literally all aliens and they weren't even close to as contentious as you people, holy shit.

They will do this.

If you are ever around Omega and would indulge a drell in a conversation, consider my interest piqued by your background.

I'll keep that in mind, thanks.

One thing going for Cerberus is that they weren't cruel enough to leave families mourning the soldiers they killed.

Instead they lured them on Horizon and threw them in meat grinders.

You know I don't even get that pro-human shit. I'm a human, but I don't think I'm better than Asari or a Turian, so why "humanity first", or any other race for that matter?

From everything I've read about the integration process (admittedly not much), "nameless goons" is actually a pretty good description of what the people who underwent it became.