 Shepard is brought to meet the Illusive Man, who reveals that entire populations of human colonies have been disappearing all over the galaxy.Now working for Cerberus, Shepard is sent to investigate a recently attacked colony, where he/she finds clues suggesting that the Reapers are working by proxy through an insectoid species called the Collectors.The Illusive Man explains that the Collectors reside beyond the Omega-4 Relay, a place from which no ship has ever returned, and tasks Shepard with assembling a team to stop them.