Omega 4 Relay

Location: Milky Way / Omega Nebula / Sahrabarik

Description
The Omega 4 Relay is surrounded by hazard beacons and automated warnings. Over the last thousand years many ships have attempted to pass through it, but none have returned. The only ones to pass freely back and forth through the relay are the mysterious Collectors. There are many theories as to why ships never return from Omega 4. Some say there is a black hole at the far end; others (mostly the impoverished underclass of Omega) believe there is some form of earthly paradise. Most, however, simply think that the Collectors capture or destroy those passing through the relay.

The Omega 4 Relay actually leads to the galactic core, where the Collector base resides on the edge of a black hole. The area is filled with debris from the many ships which had used the relay but did not survive due to their lacking the needed Reaper IFF to trigger advanced safety protocols in the Omega 4 Relay, which would ensure a ship survived coming into close range of a black hole. The relay is in the same system as Omega.

Story
The Normandy SR-2 successfully passed through the relay after having acquired a Reaper IFF as part of Commander Shepard's mission to destroy the Collectors and rescue the ship's crew, whom the Collectors had abducted and taken beyond the relay. While heading for the Omega 4 Relay, Commander Shepard will experience a romantic encounter with his or her love interest (Miranda, Jack or Tali for a male Shepard while Garrus, Thane or Jacob for a female Shepard) in the Commander's quarters (except Miranda, whom Shepard will encounter in the engine room). If the player imported a Mass Effect save game, and Shepard had a relationship with either Ashley, Kaidan or Liara but did not pursue another romance with a squad mate in Mass Effect 2 (stayed faithful), then Shepard will look at his or her Mass Effect love interest's picture and smile for a short while. Male Shepard will roll his arms, pound his fist and walk out.

Trivia

 * Omega is the final letter in the Greek alphabet, and is often associated with ending or death.
 * The number 4 is also associated with death in much of east Asia (see "Tetraphobia" on Wikipedia).
 * The Omega 4 Relay is the only mass relay to glow red and have a brown hull. All others seen so far glow blue, and possess a silver-colored hull. This difference might indicate that the Omega 4 relay was not originally there and was added after the rest of the relay network.
 * If Shepard survives the suicide mission, reports of the Omega 4 Relay's recent use has Alliance officials extremely concerned.