Collector

The Collectors are an enigmatic race that live beyond the Omega-4 mass relay, within the same system as Omega and Shelba, within the Terminus Systems. They are rarely seen in the Terminus Systems or Citadel Space, and are regarded as a myth by Citadel citizens. Definite sightings of Collectors have been made on Omega every few centuries.

They are thought to be highly advanced and are known for their odd trade requests. They offer new technologies in return for - for example - two dozen left-handed salarians, sixteen sets of batarian twins, a krogan born of parents from feuding clans, or two dozen "pure" quarians (quarians that have never left the Migrant Fleet due to illness, importance to the fleet, or disability). One of their current interests is in healthy human biotics.

No one knows what happens to these individuals after the exchange is completed. It has been speculated that they make these strange requests because of strange fetishes or gruesome culinary tastes. However, it is more likely that they perform genetic experiments on these subjects. Regardless of the possible danger, their requests are often granted by fringe groups because the technology the Collectors offer in return is often extremely valuable, giving any race who receives it an immediate advantage.

All known expeditions to investigate the Collectors have failed. No vessel that has ventured beyond the Omega-4 relay has ever returned. Some speculate that there is a black hole at the relay's counterpart, but this raises the question of how the Collectors can safely use it. Another, rather fantastic, explanation is that on the other side of the relay is a paradise which no citizen of Omega would care to leave due to the crime and suffering of the asteroid. A more likely reason is that the Collectors either detain or destroy any vessels encroaching on their space.

Trivia
The actions of the Collectors vaguely recall the mythological sacrifice of Athens, where seven young men and women would be sent to Knossos every year as tribute, only to be devoured by the Minotaur deep in the Labyrinth.