Agents under the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel, Spectres are an elite group of people from different alien species that work for the Citadel Council. They have one primary goal: preserve galactic stability by any means necessary. They are above the law and will do whatever it takes to complete their mission. Spectres either work alone or with others depending on what style they prefer.

The Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch was founded shortly before the Krogan Rebellions began, when the Council became uneasy about the unchecked expansion of the krogan into Citadel space. The Spectres were chosen from the finest salarian STG operators and asari huntresses, intended to function partly in an observational capacity, but also as the Council’s first line of defense. When the krogan finally turned against the Citadel, the Spectres were ready for them, using guerrilla tactics such as computer viruses and devastating sabotage to slow the krogan down before the turians joined the conflict.

All records of the Spectres are sealed and only granted access with permission of the Council. It is not known how many there are: Alliance Intelligence guesses that there are less than a hundred. Each Spectre is hand-picked by the Council after proving that they are an individual of exceptional ability and self-reliance. Ambassador Udina was desperate to get a human into the Spectres, as this would be the first step toward humanity’s acceptance into the Council races.

Spectres have no command structure. They answer only to the Council, and in some cases the Council prefers not to know the exact details of how a Spectre accomplishes their mission. Spectres act in any way they see fit, either with careful diplomacy or ruthless force. Some people, like Executor Pallin, see Spectres as a potential risk because they are not constrained by the law, while others are in awe of them; Officer Lang mentions Spectres on vids are portrayed as super-agents always on some mission to save the galaxy. The assignment of a Spectre is often less contentious than a military deployment, but shows that the Council is aware of a situation.

Because of the rigorous selection process, Spectres might sometimes use unorthodox methods but they rarely go rogue. When it does happen, the only solution is to send another Spectre after them. No one else would be up to the job.