Head canons about turian biotics, because I think about this entirely too much:
-There’s a saying: “From the Terminus they come, to the Terminus they return”.
Hierarchy born biotics are fairly rare because of the Hierarchy’s strict safety standards. (Fairly certain I’m stealing that from somewhere, but I can’t recall whose idea it was.)
So many of the Cabal recruits are from the Terminus; many join to have a biotic implant safely installed (“safe” operations in the Terminus varies widely) and for training.
After a stint in the Cabals, many leave for the Terminus again – including many Hiearchy born biotics. They’ve grown attached to their comrades, and biotics are rejected by turians everywhere so might as well stay with the people you’re close too...
The Hierarchy has a huge biotic drain problem. There are more turian biotics than most people realize; most just aren’t in C-Space.
-A side-effect of many biotics coming from the Terminus and many leaving for it is that the Cabals have a good information network. They frequently know about events or hear whispers of what will occur prior to Hierarchy intelligence.
They may or may not give the Hierarchy a heads up in advance, depending on what it involves. Sometimes this involved anonymous messages to Hierarchy intelligence.
This appearance of precognition does not help the reputation of biotics.
-Biotic enclaves are common across turian space, both C-Space and Terminus.
Biotics tend to live in the same neighborhoods or on space stations dominated by biotics nearby turian worlds.
Biotic kids are frequently rejected by their families or iced out, and many find their ways to their enclaves for training and a safe place to live. Or are picked up and brought to them by adult biotics.
Their mentors frequently spent time in the Cabals, and encourage young biotics to join.
-Biotics tend to have a different view on territory than other turians.
Most turians are innately territorial to varying extents; the Hierarchy puts a lot of effort into drilling into its citizens that their “territory” should include the entire Hierarchy.
Biotics – othered by society, frequently forced to leave their childhood home because they’ve been rejected – tend to be far less territorial about a place than others. Their territorialness is more likely to be directed at groups of people.
This ambivalence is one of the reasons why other turians tend to reject biotics: Their lack of territorialness about a place marks them as “not-pack” and viewed as suspicious. And so the cycle self-perpetrates.
-Many biotics have ambivalent feelings towards the Hierarchy, regardless of where they were born.
They don’t have the patriotism many native-born non-biotic Hierarchy citizens do, but they appreciate the safety it provides to biotics.
That lingers even if many leave for the Terminus after a Cabal stint.
-The exchange of biotics to and from the Terminus Systems means that if the Hierarchy knows where to look, they can frequently find friendly (or at least non-hostile) faces in the Terminus Systems.
Former Cabals may be reluctant, but they can often be grudgingly talked into assisting the Hierarchy on matters that aren’t a threat to their society. For example, in hunting down slavers or pirates.
Most Hierarchy personnel are completely unaware of this; Cabals, however, are and it’s one of the reasons why they have such a high success rate in Terminus missions.
-Late-developing biotics have a difficult time integrating into biotic society.
Biotics tend to be tight-knit, since others are wary and suspicious of them. They have a subculture of their own with language, etiquette, etc. A basic level of skill with your biotics – enough to not be a danger to those around you – is expected.
Late-developing biotics are not familiar with this and many struggle with accepting their new abilities. They don’t want to integrate with these people they still don’t trust, don’t want to learn a new culture, and don’t want to train these new talents they never asked for. The struggle with being rejected by friends and family.
Biotics who have dealt with this their whole life tend to have little patience for this. This is just what life is for biotics; get used to it.
Some late-developing biotics do adapt and integrate into biotic enclaves; many do not and spend the rest of their lives on the fringes of both biotic and non-biotic turian society.
-As a follow up, this is why many late-developing biotics transferred to the Cabals leave Hierarchy service quickly.
The Cabals are first and foremost a biotic specialist unit; to rise in the ranks you need to be a skilled biotic, and preferably strong.
Late-developing biotics have to learn these skills from scratch, and are often frustrated that their former skills (engineer, sniper, etc.) aren’t highly valued. Their rank often doesn’t transfer either, or at best is stalled – they don’t have the biotic skills necessary for it in the Cabals, and it will take them years to catch up.
So many leave ASAP. Their units are frequently relieved to be rid of them.
The Hierarchy has a big problem with retaining biotics.
