Virtual Alien

The virtual aliens are a race of some one billion individuals who downloaded their minds into a virtual world aboard a starship long ago to avoid the destruction of their civilization. As of 2185 CE, the virtual aliens have established diplomatic contact with the Citadel Council in order to secure a new power source for the systems that maintain their virtual world. The aliens' name for themselves is currently unknown.

Biology
The biological characteristics of the virtual aliens are unknown. All virtual aliens do not currently have physical bodies of their own. To facilitate communication with the Citadel Council, the virtual aliens showed that they are capable of swapping consciousnesses with other sentient beings and can control their bodies.

Exodus
Approximately 8,000 years ago, the virtual aliens faced an imminent crisis: their homeworld's star was about to go supernova. To survive, the virtual aliens built a starship equipped with a network of supercomputers. One billion virtual aliens transferred their consciousnesses into the supercomputers, which contained an entire virtual world for them to inhabit for the duration of the crisis. With a purpose-built AI piloting the ship and maintaining the virtual world, the virtual aliens departed their home system and began a millennia-long sojourn across the galaxy.

Contact with Council Space
In 2185 CE, the virtual aliens' starship entered the salarian-inhabited Antilin system. The starship's AI sought help as the energy source keeping the ship and the virtual world running was dwindling. When the "ghost ship" was first detected by the salarians, it was initially thought to be the vanguard of a geth attack because it emitted strong AI heuristics. Contact between the galaxy and the AI was first established by the famed human exobiologist Dr. Jordan Detweiler, who boarded the ship to communicate with the AI, learning of both the virtual world and the energy problem. The Citadel Council, wary of the threat posed by the AI, was prepared to rule against aiding the ship, placing the virtual world and the lives of its inhabitants in jeopardy. Alarmed, Detweiler entered the virtual world to warn the virtual aliens. Detweiler returned with an offer to the Council: the virtual aliens would trade their advanced technology in exchange for help. A veil of secrecy was immediately erected by the Council and matters involving the ship were classified top-secret.

One month later, it was revealed that a representative of the virtual aliens, Ambassador Sygan, had been using Dr. Detweiler's body to visit the Citadel to speak with the Council. After explaining the situation in a press conference, Sygan asked for asylum from the Council, stating that she is one of many of her race who wish to leave the virtual world. When the question of what would happen to Dr. Detweiler, whose mind remained in the virtual world, arose, a volunteer offered to take on Sygan's mind in Detweiler's place. After this was announced, some 400 individuals from various races also stepped forward to swap places with other virtual aliens.