User:Arbington/Sandbox/Shadow Broker

The Shadow Broker is an individual or organization which trades in information, always selling to the highest bidder. The Shadow Broker appears to be highly competent at its trade: all secrets that are bought and sold never allow one customer of the Broker to gain a significant advantage, forcing the customers to continue trading information to avoid becoming disadvantaged, allowing the Broker to remain in business.

The Shadow Broker's identity is unknown, since the Broker always operates through an agent. Barla Von refers to the Broker as "he" for convenience's sake, but tells Commander Shepard that he believes the Shadow Broker is a group of individuals: it does not seem possible for a single individual to monitor all of the information and have such a wide sphere of influence.

The Shadow Broker was part of the reason Tali came to the Citadel: the data file she had proving Saren Arterius had gone rogue put her in danger, but was too valuable to waste. She wanted to trade the information for a safe place to hide, so Dr. Chloe Michel put her in touch with the club owner Fist, who worked for the Broker. However, unknown to her, Fist had changed his allegiances to Saren. The Broker was furious at this treachery, hiring Wrex to assassinate Fist.

Cerberus Data
After raiding the Cerberus base on Nepheron as part of UNC: Hades' Dogs, an agent for the Shadow Broker contacts Shepard aboard the Normandy, wanting to buy the Cerberus files the team managed to recover. According to the agent, Admiral Kahoku bought the Broker's services to find Cerberus' location, in return for passing on any files he discovered. However, all the Shadow Broker could find out was that there was Cerberus activity in the Voyager Cluster.

Shepard can agree or refuse to sell the information. If Shepard refuses, the Shadow Broker's agent claims the information will be dug out of the Alliance databases eventually. Either way, the agent assures Shepard that this encounter will not be forgotten by his employer the next time Shepard needs the Broker's assistance.

Mass Effect: Redemption
In Mass Effect: Redemption the Shadow Broker was hired by the Collectors to retrieve Shepard's body and deliver it to them. As Harbinger is talking about the deal to the Shadow Broker, only one voice is responding to the possessed Collector General further hinting that the Shadow Broker is indeed a singular individual. He sent Tazzik, his personal enforcer, to retrieve Shepard's remains from the Blue Suns on Omega, a task at which he succeeded despite interference from Liara T'Soni and Feron. When the two followed Tazzik to the Broker's base on Alingon, they come face-to-face with the Broker, so to speak, as an obscure shadowy figure. Liara talked to him while Feron downloaded all the information on the Broker's dealings with the Collectors. When asked to why he would sell Shepard to the Collectors, who may be working for the Reapers, the Broker answered that it was simple business. He doesn't believe that the Collectors could gain anything from a corpse. When Liara got close enough to get a good look at the Broker, she finds that it is a just a machine he's communicating through. But before the Broker could alert his men to their presence, Feron had finished downloading and Liara unleashed a powerful display of biotics, disabling the communications in the room. When they attempt to fool Tazzik and the Collector intermediary into thinking the Broker wanted full payment, the Collector General, who was possessing the drone, accused the Broker of treachery. The Broker assured the Collector that Feron doesn't speak for him. Despite the General's warning, Liara is able to escape with Shepard's body, but is forced to leave Feron behind.

Mass Effect 2
In 2185, the Shadow Broker is being pursued by Liara T'Soni, due to the events of Redemption. In response, the Broker placed a double agent named Nyxeris to monitor her progress and when possible, to kill her. It is also heavily implied by Liara in-game that the Shadow Broker is an individual.

Thane Krios also mentions that some years ago, batarian mercenaries employed the Shadow Broker to learn Thane's identity, and later used this information to murder his wife, Irikah.

Lair of the Shadow Broker
In Lair of the Shadow Broker, an upcoming DLC pack for Mass Effect 2, Commander Shepard and Liara T'Soni team up to confront the Shadow Broker.

Known Associates

 * Mass Effect
 * Barla Von
 * Fist (Former Agent)
 * Unidentified agent (Hired to obtain information on Cerberus)
 * Urdnot Wrex (Hired to assassinate Fist)


 * Mass Effect: Redemption
 * Feron (Former Agent)
 * Blue Suns (Hired to retrieve Shepard's remains)
 * Tazzik (Personal enforcer)


 * Mass Effect 2
 * Nyxeris (Liara's assistant on Illium in Mass Effect 2 - a double agent)