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 the Terminus itself, let alone Citadel space, and are generally regarded as a myth by Citadel citizens. Definite sightings of Collectors have been made on Omega every few centuries.

They are most well known for their odd trade requests for which they offer new technologies, often of a startling level of advancement. Their requests usually involve the trade of living beings in odd numbers and varieties, such as two dozen left-handed salarians, sixteen sets of batarian twins, a krogan born of parents from feuding clans, or two dozen "pure" quarians who 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.

Biology
The Collectors resemble human-sized bipedal insects with a chitinous exoskeleton, four eyes, and a distinct, large, tapering head along with fully developed wings that allow them to fly over short distances. Each Collector appears to be little more than a drone with no distinctions between individuals. Although they do not appear to communicate vocally, since none are heard speaking, they have been heard to cry out in pain when shot or killed.

While exploring a supposedly derelict Collector ship, Shepard and team discover the true origin of the Collectors. Since they exhibit a similar quad-strand genetic structure unique to the Protheans, Shepard realizes that the race formerly believed extinct still exists but has been completely subjugated by their Reaper masters. Their DNA showed signs of "extensive genetic rewrite" including three fewer chromosomes, reduced heterochromatin structure, and the elimination of superfluous "junk" sequences.

While studying Collector data in the lab aboard the 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. The modifications are beyond any form of repair, each Collector drone being little more than a clone—it's unknown if they even still possess any form of gender—riddled with cybernetics, lacking glands or digestive system, and having any form of intelligence or self-awareness completely eradicated by indoctrination.

Periodically, individual Collector drones are "possessed" by an overseer, referred to as the Collector General who is itself being possessed by the Reaper known as Harbinger. In effect, Harbinger assumes control of individual Collectors to conduct battles personally. Upon possession, a Collector's skin becomes riddled by red-glowing cracks, and the eyes begin to emit a bright orange glow. Bearing a strong similarity to the husk conversion process used by Sovereign on Saren's corpse, this is probably due to cybernetic implants throughout a Collector's body. At this point, the drone becomes more resilient and wields powerful biotic attacks.

The Collector General differs considerably from a standard Collector, lacking any humanoid traits, with a much larger head, a short body, and multiple claw-like limbs.

Origins
The Collectors arose during the closing years of the Reapers' harvest of the Protheans. The Reapers subjected captured Protheans to extensive genetic experimentation and implanted them with cybernetics. Eventually, the end result was the Collectors, a race of completely subservient creatures that the Reapers could remotely use as tools.

Collectors were deployed against the last Protheans at the end of their cycle. A Prothean plan to place one million of their kind in stasis in bunkers on Eden Prime to wait out the Reapers and then rebuild their empire failed after indoctrinated agents alerted the Reapers. While Reapers razed the Prothean surface cities, Collector Drones infiltrated the bunker system and destroyed hundreds of thousands of occupied stasis pods. In the end, only the Prothean Javik would survive the onslaught. Once the Reapers concluded their harvest, they departed the galaxy and returned to dark space, while the Collectors retreated beyond the Omega 4 Relay.

Emergence
Thousands of years later, the modern galaxy began to report sightings of the Collectors around 1600 CE, but the mysterious aliens were widely dismissed as myths. All known expeditions to investigate the Collectors failed. No vessel that ventured beyond the Omega 4 Relay ever returned, save those of the Collectors themselves. Some speculated that there was a black hole at the relay's counterpart, but this raised the question of how the Collectors can safely use it. Another more fantastic explanation is that on the other side of the relay was a paradise which no citizen of Omega would care to leave due to the crime and suffering of the asteroid. A more likely reason was that the Collectors either detained or destroyed any vessels encroaching on their space.

The Collectors suddenly emerge from the shadows a few months after the geth attack on the Citadel. A lone Collector vessel attacks and destroys the patrolling SSV Normandy, apparently unaffected by the ship's stealth systems. Though much of the crew escaped, Commander Shepard is lost in the attack.

Two years later the Collectors reappear as the culprits behind the mysterious mass abductions of human colonies. The Collectors attack their targets without warning, jamming all communications before releasing massive seeker swarms: insectoid probes that paralyze everyone in the colony. After that, the Collectors themselves gather all the paralyzed victims, seal them in stasis pods and depart, leaving no evidence of their presence. They also convince the vorcha to release a bio-weapon plague onto Omega that would selectively kill all races on the station except humans and vorcha, leaving its human population ripe for the taking.

Downfall
As a human-survivalist organization, Cerberus was intent on stopping these abductions, especially after realising that there is a Reaper connection to these Collector attacks. The Illusive Man recruits the resurrected Shepard to investigate the purpose behind these abductions.

When Shepard and the team obtain a means to travel safely through the Omega 4 Relay to what is believed to be the location of the Collectors' homeworld near the galactic core, instead, they find the Collector Base, a massive space station. After traversing through many hazardous obstacles and threats, Shepard and the team infiltrate the Collector base where they discover that the Collectors have been processing tens of thousands of humans they have captured, breaking them down and using them to create a Human-Reaper. EDI theorised that the Reapers tried to use Protheans to construct a Reaper, but failed. Shepard eventually destroys the Human-Reaper and proceeds to set a countdown which would destroy all Collectors on the base. As the Collector General is about to perish, Harbinger condemns the General's failure and states that he is "releasing control," revealing that a Reaper was controlling the Collectors all along.

Culture
The Collectors themselves are rarely seen since they 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, possibly testing their viability for use in the creation of a Reaper. 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.

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.

Upon studying the Collectors, Mordin Solus surmised that the Collectors are in fact mindless drones, "closer to husks than slaves" and lacking any form of culture. He observed that the Collectors show no concern for self-preservation, and will die in battle even if their fight is completely pointless. Believing that culture is impossible without intelligence, he hypothesized that the Collector living areas and bases are completely without any kind of art or creativity. All Collector technology and constructions, he said, exist only for their utility without ergonomics taken into account.

Military
In space, Collectors use the Collector Cruiser for transportation of troops and abducted colonists, while Oculus fighters lay in wait in the Tartarus Debris Field for anyone attempting to investigate the Collectors' source. The Collectors were known to possess several Collector Cruisers. The bulk of Collector forces consist of Collector Drones; depending on their armament and defenses, these Drones have various titles that designate their general roles in combat. Collector ground troops are supported by seeker swarms that flood battlefields and paralyze victims. Husks and Abominations provide shock troops, while Scions and Praetorians provide artillery and fire support. Collector operations are personally overseen by the Collector General, who is able to command individual Collectors from the safety of the Collector Base and serves a conduit for the Reaper Harbinger.

The Collectors do not engage in direct combat, preferring instead to use "hit and run" tactics. A Collector abduction force usually consists of a single Collector Cruiser carrying many troops and Seeker Swarms. They use the swarms to paralyze their enemies and quickly send in light ground forces to mop up and take prisoners. When confronted with sufficiently heavy resistance, Collectors flee.

Collector troop varieties include:
 * Collector Drone – The standard Collector soldier, equipped with Collector Assault Rifles.
 * Collector Assassin – Equipped with Collector Particle Beams and biotic barriers.
 * Collector Guardian – Equipped with Collector Assault Rifles and biotic barriers, Guardians are also able to deploy personal anti-ballistic shields and use warp ammunition.
 * Praetorian: An armored construct made up of Collector DNA and thirty human husks, armed with twin particle beams and a powerful biotic barrier.
 * Harbinger – A Collector possessed by Harbinger is physically transformed and gains armor as well as biotic barriers and powers.

Weaponry
While rare, the Normandy and allied forces have been able to savage some collector equipment.

Mass Effect 2 weapons
Collector weaponry and armor is found in Mass Effect 2. These include:
 * Collector Assault Rifle [[file:Collector Assault Rifle.png|right|150px|Collector Assault Rifle]] The Collector Assault Rifle uses the same principles as a human assault rifle, but its organic components clearly set it apart. Its power source appears to be an internal organ with biotic capacitance; its ammunition resembles pellets of metallic enamel that strip shields off enemies with deadly efficiency.


 * Collector Particle Beam [[file:Collector_Particle_Beam_Armory.png|right|150px|Collector Particle Beam]] Precise and lethal, this focused-radiation weapon is very effective against shields, barriers, and armor. The amount of energy required to create a destructive beam is several orders of magnitude more than the amount needed to launch a high-velocity projectile via a mass effect field. Efforts to understand the technology and replicate it have failed. With enough research, engineers may be able to produce beam weapons, perhaps on a large scale.


 * Collector ArmorME2 Collector Armor.png The Collectors' chitinous armor is flexible and even tougher than ballistic fibers. Its organic construction allows it to be self-healing, and the muscle-like tissue that assists movement ensures it is comfortable to wear despite its weight. This suit was originally adapted out of salvaged Collector technology by Cerberus, and is incredibly difficult to find on the galactic market.

Mass Effect 3 Weapons
With the exception of the Particle rifle, in addition to the equipment in Mass Effect 2, several additional Collector weapons are available in Mass Effect 3.


 * Collector SMG[[file:ME3 Collector SMG.png|right|150px|Collector SMG]] This short weapon is a hybrid of mechanical and organic parts, some more advanced than the Collector assault rifle. It vents heat automatically rather than requiring thermal clips and, when wielded by a Collector, extends a neural link to their skin at the wrist. Its ammunition is effective against armor and low recoil makes it a good weapon for sustained suppression.


 * Collector Sniper Rifle[[file:ME3 Collector Sniper Rifle.png|right|150px|Collector Sniper Rifle]] This weapon's long-range particle beam is capable of sustained fire, allowing it to switch between anti-personnel or anti-materiel roles just by holding down the trigger. This rifle does not accept thermal clips, instead cooling down by venting heat into a liquid-containing sleeve that radiates it through the fin-like protuberances on its barrel.

Trivia

 * The Collectors were originally inspired by electron microscope photographs of insect heads. Their full-body designs ranged from humanoid to highly-abstract creations. An article on the artistic creation of the Collectors can be seen here.
 * A Mass Effect 3 Codex entry on the Reaper War states that the Reapers had used Collector swarms on Palaven. It is unknown if this was supposed to refer to the Seeker Swarms or to the Collectors themselves.
 * The Mass Effect 3: Retaliation DLC pack adds a Collector enemy faction that is unique to Mass Effect 3's multiplayer. The faction includes the Collector Trooper, Collector Captain, Abomination, Scion, Praetorian, and possessed variants of these enemies, as well as the Seeker Swarm, Seeker Plague, and Collector Web support units.

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