Korlus

Mass Effect 2 Solar System entry
"A garbage scow with a climate" was how one Citadel Council member described Korlus at the turn of the century, and ever since then the Korlus Tourist Bureau has been attempting to re-brand their planet. It hasn't worked -- though they have tried calling it "the recycling center of the galaxy," corruption scandals and a staggering murder rate ensure that Korlus' image is permanently stained.

Korlus' biggest business is the recycling of decommissioned or junked spacecraft into their component parts. While the invention of omni-gel has made this process significantly cleaner, it is still a dirty business that chokes Korlus' sky with smog and fills its ports with megatons of scrap. A shady hospitality industry and a scavenger underclass round out the spectacle of urban decay.

TRAVEL ADVISORY: Korlus ranks second in murder per capita in the Terminus Systems and first in offworlder murder. Civilian traffic is encouraged to employ security professionals when visiting.


 * Note: This planet can be landed on via shuttle, and is crucial to the plot of Mass Effect 2.

Mass Effect 2 & Mass Effect 3 Codex Entry
Known as the starcraft cemetery, Korlus was the regional toxic junk yard for centuries. Ship reaching astronautical "near-death" at connecting mass relays were sent to Korlus, stripped of every useful component, then dumped planetward to clear shipping lanes.

Currently Korlus hosts numerous merc factions such as the Blue Suns, rumored to be using downed ship fossils to test advanced munitions. Massive gun batteries threaten anyone attempting planetfall, with minimal defenses against ground attack.

because ancient vulcanism greenhoused the planet, Korlus was too hot and CO2-rich to develop a biosphere, despite the abundant lakes that could have sponsored the development of life.

Now cool enough for protected habitation, but too scorching for anyone but extremophiles and mercenaries seeking secrecy, Korlus supports numerous krogan outposts. The krogan have therefore seeded Korlus with hardy varren, often kept as war hounds. Varren live primarily on a diet of geophagous vermin and each other.