Spectres

**Spectres** -- ***Sp*ecial *T*actics and *Re*conaissance** -- were elite agents of the Citadel Council. They were given incredibly authority and leeway, having responsibility over the life and death of the population of the Milky Way. Though Spectres were considered, in many ways, to be "above the law" their status could be revoked by the Council in instances of gross misconduct.

Typically, Spectres worked alone. Depending on the task, a small group of Spectres was sometimes required.

## History

In 1493 CE, the Special Tactics and Reconaissance branch was founded out of a growing unease over the krogan population boom. The first Spectre was Beelo Gurji, though the membership was quickly added to by a selection of the most elite asari huntresses and salarian agents of the Special Tasks Group. Each Spectre was hand-picked by the Council after proving their ability and self-reliance - -a tradition that continued until the end of the Citadel Council. They were intended, primarily, to observe but were also expected to act as the Council's first line of defense if necessary.

When the Krogan Rebellion began, the Spectres had already been expecting it. They had prepared computer viruses and guerilla tactics to slow down krogan expansion -- their actions kept secret, but managing to keep the krogan from victory until the turians joined the battle and successfully won the day for the Citadel Council. The role the Spectres played was made public after the Krogan Rebellion -- however, the precise records of Spectres were sealed, and access was only granted by the Citadel Council.

Theoretically, a Spectre could be chosen from any species -- however, they were typically selected from those who were part of the Citadel Council. If a Spectre was selected from a species, their importance was significantly increased. Some associate members of the Council never had a Spectre selected from their number.

After humans joined the Citadel Council, both Ambassadors Anita Goyle and Donnel Udina sought to have a human selected as a Spectre. The first potential candidate was David Anderson -- however, his chance was sabotaged by Saren Arterius. The second candidate was Commander Shepard, who was granted Spectre status after exposing Saren's treachery and alliance with the Geth.

The Spectres final task was to find a means of keeping the mass relay network functioning without the Citadel. They failed in this task. As the Citadel Council dissolved, the various species created their own independent organizations based upon the Spectres. This was the origin of Earth's Section 31.

## Organization

Spectres all answered directly to the Citadel Council. The Council typically preferred not to know the precise means employed to accomplish a mission, and so Spectres were able to act with little to no oversight.

Spectres typically had undergone years of military or law enforcement experience before ever being considered for the job. Then, they underwent more training, psychological evaluations, and finally extensive field training. Spectres rarely went rogue, though on the occasion that it did happen their status would be revoked, and another Spectre would be sent to eliminate them.

## Notable Spectres

* Beelo Gurji
* Commander Shepard
* Saren Arterius

## Source

Spectres are derived from *Mass Effect*. For canon information, please visit:

* Mass Effect Wiki