Hello, Ric here again back into the Mass Effect universe and this time we are looking above
and beyond the laws of citadel space and into the Office of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance
taskforce; The Council SPECTRES. The Citadel Council is the ruling body of Council space
spanning from the Attican Traverse to the edge of Systems Alliance territories and maintaining
law in such an expansive area can be taxing, let alone the areas of the Galaxy beyond the
Council boarders where their authority ends. It is in these regions that threats to the
council and its citizens are hatched. It sounds like the setting to an action holovid, but
it’s true, pirates, alien threats and unaffiliated governments and species all stand as credible
dangers to galactic stability and peace as well as the forces within Citadel jurisdiction
who move in the shadows, shielded by law or ignorance. Investigative forces such as C-Sec
who we looked at last part, can only operate so far before reaching the limit of their
own red tape tethers and local authorities often only have a fraction of the complete
picture. What was needed was a force that could bring
the authority of the Citadel Council to bear to crush any hindrance to an investigation.
They needed a body of highly trained, autonomous individuals who could pass into the unknown
and unearth dangers before they were even realised and halt them in their tracks.
The Spectres were founded in 693 CE, just before the eruption of the Krogan Rebellions
and around 393 years after the extinction of the Rachni threat. At this time, the Council
consisted of the Salarian Union and the Asari working in tandem to maintain order over the
emerging intergalactic community. The Embassy races at this time included the Volus, the
Elcor, the Hanar, Batarians and Quarians as well as the newly added Krogan. The First
spectre was Beelo Gurji, a Salarian operative of military background, likely the Salarian
Special Taskgroup from his uniform. He had been arrested for using civilians as bait
to end a great threat to the council and instead of being incarcerated; he was briefed on the
new initiative to create the Spectres. They would be selected from the best operatives
in the STG and the Asari Huntresses, the two special forces branches of the council races.
Their training was focussed not just on martial prowess but on the ability to lead, negotiate,
make decisions but above all, get results, as seen by its founder, Beelo’s immoral
actions. The Spectres were to take action of their own volition and report only to the
Citadel Council directly, no chain of command, no go between. The Spectres were above the
laws of the Council. They had a licence to operate wherever they pleased, access whatever
information they needed and override whatever local laws they came across.
This level of autonomy was seen as necessary as many were expected to seek out threats
to the council and respond to them as quickly as possible with nothing standing in their
way. Originally, as the name implies, the Spectres were expected to operate in secret,
individually or in small teams and did so for the majority of the Krogan rebellions.
It is unknown how many spectre operatives there are in operation at any one time, only
the Council knows for sure and their operational reports are for Council authorized eyes only.
The council can deploy Spectres into situations that it feels need oversight and can issue
specific objectives for the agent to fulfil, however the way the it was handled is down
to the individual. Likewise, the Citadel Council often assigned specific missions for its operatives
to complete. Eventually towards the end of the Rebellions
around 900 CE, the Spectres were made public knowledge and news circulated of the above-the-law
organisation and their feats. This lack of oversight is still a point of contention to
this day. A spectre that is deemed to have overstepped their bounds is given a chance
to defend themselves in a closed trial, but if their actions were considered unjustifiable,
even if the net-outcome was for the greater good, their status as a Spectre could be rescinded
and the protection once afforded to them was removed. If they did not return to Council
space willingly, usually another Spectre was assigned to bring them in.
After the incorporation of the Turians into the Council races, Turian officers were also
added to the pool of potential Spectre candidates. The selection process seems to unfold with
an extraordinary individual being put forwards for selection by an organisation or being
scouted by an existing spectre. Then they operate alongside a mentor spectre to ascertain
if they are physically, mentally and hopefully morally qualified to join their elite ranks.
They are then brought before the council for the verdict and officially granted the rank
and privileges of Council Spectre. Spectres as alluded to are highly autonomous
individuals who have often undergone years of training in their own background careers
before being selected. They are usually recruited from military or law enforcement entities
and tend to exemplify the best qualities of these institutions. Although allowed to operate
outside of council law, it is up to the individual to decide whether or not they should. This
often leads them to butting heads with law enforcement and many other individuals who
are forced to comply against their own objections or risk impeding the Spectre’s top priority
operations. Occasionally, the Council, in the interests of self-preservation will turn
a blind eye to operation reports so that they may claim deniability to especially, heinously,
morally grey actions. Giving more credence to those who say the Spectres area a bad idea.
It should be noted though, that the when an individual is elevated to Spectre, they are
still beholden to the laws of their affiliated organization. For example, Commander Shepard,
the first human Spectre was still a Commander in the Human Systems Alliance and utilised
the resources and funding of the organisation, though technically she or he could override
Systems Alliance authority by using the Spectre status. You can see how this could create
conflicts of interests and it is for this reason, that it seems many Spectres end their
relations with their former occupation. Commander Shepard was an exception it seems due their
nature as the first Human Spectre earning them a lot of support from within the Alliance,
hence the reason they were allowed to remain in command of the SSV Normandy SR-1 and it
possessed a full Alliance crew. Spectres are also not funded by the Council
and expected to procure their own credits to purchase equipment, however, the regulations
against certain weapons do not apply to the Spectres allowing them to procure black market
or limited weapons. The Citadel Council does endorse the production of highly specialised
Spectre Equipment from a number of companies however and provides license to agencies like
C-Sec and has numerous installations on the Citadel and likely other worlds, dedicated
to a Spectre’s needs, such as outposts with firearms training and an intelligence libraries.
Due to the nature of Spectres being recruited from the best of the best, a common trait
they seem to share is that they stand out and often make great leaders or otherwise
influential people. For this reason, spectres are expected to have an understanding for
diplomacy, politics and negotiation as more tools in their arsenal. Showing a keen insight
into investigative behaviour in order to locate threats and create their own networks of support
through teams and informants, is also another common trait. Although not required, being
a charismatic individual is often an outcome of a spectre’s extraordinary life and there
is a great deal of reverence for the Spectres. Romanticised tales of their exploits make
for great fiction with retellings of their heroic acts or brutal vigilantism, painting
them as maverick action stars or suave secret agents and while exaggerated, these stories
do make a good job at highlighting the variation of individuals who become Spectres.
Overall, the Spectre is there to be an effective, autonomous arm of the council and act to prevent
threats to the stability of peace in the galaxy. They have little in the way of restrictions.
Usually the only obstacles that they face, apart from the enemies they combat, are obstinate
individuals reluctant to yield their authority. Spectres have a license to procure anything,
access anything, kill anything or violate any rule they like but are expected to justify
their actions. Opinions on the Spectres are mixed but time and time again, they have saved
lives and validated their necessity despite the often immoral choices made along the way.
If a Spectre goes too far, the Council has full deniability and can effectively wash
their hands of the agent, a cushy situation for them for certain. But the goal of the
Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch is to obtain results at all costs, despite
all costs. It is down to the individual to make the decisions
on when to push their influence or hold back. Ruthless or Merciful, Resentful or respectful,
a Spectre at the end of the day is a person. An extraordinary person, but a person nonetheless,
be they human, Turain or Salarian and therefore fallible. And is that the kind of person we
want protecting the galaxy? It’s the only kind of person who can protect the galaxy.
I’ll make the call. Thanks for watching this part of our delve
in to the lore of the Mass Effect universe. What topic should I cover next? An organisation,
and event? Leave your suggestions below, but I was thinking we look at some of the companies
that make up the commerce of the Mass Effect galaxy. I’ve been Ric and until next time,
thanks again for watching. Goodbye.