Collector

The Collectors are an enigmatic race that live beyond the Omega 4 Relay, a mass relay within the same system as Omega, in the Terminus Systems. They are rarely seen in Terminus itself, let alone 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.

The Collectors offer new technologies, often of a startling level of advancement, 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 the individuals concerned after the exchange is completed.

Culture
The Collectors usually operate through agents, such as the quarian Golo, to make their deals. It has been speculated that the Collectors 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 before it becomes adapted to the galactic community.

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.

The Collectors are controlled by a single leader who can possess any member of its species at any time, instantly turning them into the most dangerous Collector on the battlefield. When a Collector is possessed by the leader the outer surface of their body appears to crack open, revealing an orange glow that resembles molten rock.

Biology


Collectors are insect-like and have fully developed wings that allow them to traverse the battlefield. Their skin is susceptible to modern weaponry, including explosives, incendiary rounds, and cryogenic rounds. Periodically, as explained above, Collectors have been seen to be 'possessed' by an overseer at which point their skin begins to emit a bright light. This is probably due to cybernetic implants throughout their body. At this point they become more resilient and are capable of discharging powerful missiles from their body.

Mass Effect: Ascension
The quarian Golo was a member of the Usela's crew, until he made a deal with the Collectors. They wanted two dozen 'pure' quarians from the Flotilla, quarians who were uncontaminated because they had not gone on their Pilgrimage. Golo agreed to sell his own people in exchange for new technology, but he was discovered and punished with exile.

In 2183, Golo offered Cerberus operative Pel a deal to give healthy human biotics to the Collectors, in exchange for enough credits to escape Cerberus. Thus, the latter planned on giving the captured Gillian Grayson and Hendel Mitra in, as well as throw in Kahlee Sanders, a specialists on biotics and Paul Grayson in as bonuses. However, they were rescued by Lemm'Shal nar Tesleya before the deal could be transacted and Pel and his cohorts were all killed.

Mass Effect 2
Shortly after the defeat of Sovereign, the SSV Normandy is attacked by a Collector Cruiser and destroyed. Most of the crew is able to escape, though Commander Shepard, Navigator Pressly and 20 other crew members are killed. Two years later, the Collectors, always believed to be a fringe threat, have begun abducting the populations of human colonies. Cerberus is intent on stopping these abductions, especially after realising that there is a Reaper connection to these Collector attacks, and so the group revives and recruits Shepard to investigate the Collector threat.

The Collectors attack human colonies by arriving in their enormous ship and releasing Seeker swarms, insect-like devices that paralyze everyone in the colony. Once this is completed, the Collectors gather up all the paralyzed people, put them in stasis pods, and leave. Due to the Reapers being behind these Collector attacks, specifically Harbinger, the Collectors are also using husks. The Collectors also hired vorcha on Omega to release a plague onto the station, which, if successful, would have killed all the beings on the station except the humans and vorcha, leaving its human population ripe for the taking.

While exploring an apparently derelict Collector ship, it is discovered that the Collectors share a quad-strand genetic structure unique to the Protheans that shows signs of "extensive genetic rewrite:" three fewer chromosomes, reduced heterochromatin structure, and the elimination of superfluous junk sequences. According to EDI, the Protheans have been genetically repurposed to suit the needs of the Reapers.

During an optional mission on Joab Shepard can find a Prothean artifact which shows the same images as the Beacon did, but this time, with a Collector clearly visible at the end of the vision. Eventually, while studying data on the Collectors in the lab aboard the SSV Normandy SR-2, Mordin Solus determines that the Reapers indoctrinated the Protheans and compensated for their growing lack of ability due to prolonged indoctrination through cybernetic modifications and eventually the transformation into Collectors.

After Shepard obtains a means to safely travel through the Omega 4 Relay to what is thought to be the location of the Collector homeworld in the galactic core, Shepard's team instead finds a space station: the Collector base. After overcoming an extensive debris field, Oculus defences and destroying a Collector Cruiser, Shepard and the Commander's team infiltrate the Collector base where they discover that the Collectors have been processing the tens of thousands of humans they have captured, melting them alive into a genetic paste and using it to create a Human-Reaper. EDI theorised that the Reapers tried to use Protheans to create a Prothean-Reaper, but failed. Shepard eventually destroys the Human-Reaper and proceeds to set a countdown which would destroy the Collectors on the base. As the Collector General perishes, Harbinger "released control", revealing that a Reaper was controlling the Collectors all along.

Troop Varieties:
 * Collector Seeker Swarms – Capable of causing paralysis and of carrying victims away if numbers are large enough.
 * Collector Drones – Equipped with Collector assault rifles. Standard troop type, equiped with barriers on Hardcore and Insanity
 * Collector Assassins – Equipped with Collector particle beam rifles and biotic barriers.
 * Collector Guardians – Equipped with Collector assault rifles and biotic barriers. Able to deploy personal anti-ballistic shields and warp ammunition.
 * Collector General – Leader and conduit for Harbinger (seen in cut-scenes only).
 * Harbinger – A Collector possessed by Harbinger has biotic barriers and armour, equipped with Collector assault rifle and powerful biotic abilities.
 * Husks, Abominations, Scions and Praetorians are also utilized by the Collectors.

Trivia

 * The Collectors were originally inspired by electron microscope photographs of insect heads. Their full-body designs ranged from humanoid to highly-abstract creations.
 * The Collector General greatly resembles Pilot from the TV series Farscape.