- “I want them to hear our battle cry: Not. One. More. We'll fight them in their halls, in their chambers. We'll take those pods and bring them home. Let's show them what we're made of!”— Marcus L. Shepard.
The Collector Base Assault, also known as the Battle of the Collector Base or the Suicide Mission, was a Cerberus assault on the Collector Base that occurred on October 9, 2185 CE in the Galactic Core with the goal of retrieving the Normandy SR-2's abducted crew and destroying the Collectors. The assault was laden with issues, but is legendary for its decisive success. With nothing but a small squad to infiltrate a highly secure base with no reinforcements, Shepard and his team were able to cripple a Collector cruiser, infiltrate the Base, rescue their crew safely, destroy a Human-Reaper and wipe out the Collectors without a single casualty. The battle was the final major engagement against Reaper co-belligerent forces before the Reaper War, and marked the last time Shepard or his crew would fight alongside, and under, a Cerberus banner.