Human-Reaper: The Proto-Reaper of the Collector Base

The Human-Reaper was an incomplete Reaper being constructed by the Collectors at their base beyond the Omega 4 Relay. Built under the direction of Harbinger from the processed remains of abducted human colonists, the larval being was intended to become a new Reaper made in the image of humanity, until Commander Shepard and the crew of the Normandy reached the heart of the base and destroyed it.

Construction at the Collector Base#

Under the orders of Harbinger, the Collectors began abducting humans from colonies across the edge of the Terminus Systems and carrying them back to the Collector Base. There the captives were stored in organic pods, then periodically broken down into raw genetic material that was pumped through tubes to the center of the base and used to construct the Human-Reaper. The being took the form of a vast humanoid framework, fed continuously by the processed remains of countless abductees.

A Reaper in humanity's image#

Examining the process, EDI suggested that the Collectors were facilitating Reaper reproduction by building an entirely new Reaper, and estimated that they would have to gather millions of humans to complete it. She speculated that every Reaper was built to resemble the race used to create it, which explained the being's human shape, and noted that the Reapers had even made an unsuccessful attempt to construct a Reaper from Prothean genetic material.

Confrontation and destruction#

When Shepard's squad reached the core of the base, the Human-Reaper hung inactive as a larva: a vaguely humanoid upper torso suspended by tubes that funneled genetic material into it. The team destroyed the tubes, sending the unfinished Reaper falling away in its apparent destruction. It was not finished, however; it activated itself and climbed back up to attack, slamming the surrounding platforms and firing a charged energy weapon from its mouth before the squad finally brought down the cyborg construct for good.

Aftermath#

Components of the Human-Reaper did not vanish with the base. During the later raid on Cerberus headquarters it emerged that the Illusive Man had salvaged parts of the being, using its remains to augment the workings of Cerberus station Cronos Station, whether by harnessing its brain for processing power or its heart as a power source, depending on the fate of the base itself. After the downfall of Cerberus, those remains became war assets and were incorporated into the Crucible.