Nihlus Kryik
From Mass Effect Wiki
Nihlus Kryik is one of the Citadel Council's most decorated Spectre agents. Born in a small mercenary outpost outside Hierarchy space, he learned the hard way to fight for what he wanted. His father died when he was 16, and his mother forced him to join the turian military. His outsider status made life difficult; though he was always at the top of his class, his superiors and peers never truly accepted him.
As a soldier, Nihlus' skills were unquestionable. His attitude, however, often got him in trouble. On several occasions, he disobeyed direct orders to do what he thought was best. Although his instincts were usually proven right, his notoriety grew. Even when he single-handedly routed an enemy patrol, and saved his squad from ambush, his commanding officers berated him for his recklessness. His military career seemed to stall before it even began.
After being reassigned to a new squad for the third time, Nihlus was introduced to Saren Arterius, a fellow turian and a Spectre. Saren was impressed with the young soldier. He befriended Nihlus and offered to mentor him. Within a year of meeting Saren, Nihlus was asked to join the Spectres.
Free from the restrictions of military procedure, Nihlus excelled in his new role. He quickly stepped from his mentor's shadow and established himself as one of the Council's top agents. Since then, Nihlus has completed countless missions as a Spectre, each one more difficult and dangerous than the last.
Cool under pressure, Nihlus has an uncanny ability to find an enemy's weakness and exploit it. Though his methods aren't as brutal as Saren's, he will not hesitate to efficiently and thoroughly eradicate anything or anyone that stands in his way.
As a representative of the Council, Nihlus went along on the Normandy's ill-fated shakedown mission. He was treated with suspicion by the Normandy's crew, who didn't think the Council had sent a Spectre just to check out the stealth system. They were right: Nihlus was not only there to recover the Prothean beacon on Eden Prime, but to assess Commander Shepard's candidacy for the Spectres. Nihlus intended to accompany Shepard on several missions, and would likely have become Shepard's mentor, but events took a tragic turn. Nihlus went ahead of Shepard's team on Eden Prime, and ran into Saren. Surprised to see his old mentor but grateful for the help against the geth, Nihlus dropped his guard and Saren shot him in the back of the head. Unbeknownst to Saren, there was a human dockworker named Powell hiding in the shadows nearby. He witnessed the entire exchange, overhearing Saren's name and watching helplessly as Saren killed Nihlus. Powell was able to remain hidden from the geth until Alliance forces arrived. He then revealed himself - nearly being killed in the process - and told Shepard of what he had seen, setting the commander on Saren's trail.
[edit] Trivia
- His name may be taken from the Latin 'nihil', meaning 'nothingness'. There was also a 'Darth Nihilus' in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords.
- Nihlus' facial markings are the same as (or very similar to) those of the turian representative on the Citadel Council, suggesting they might be from the same colony. The markings are also the same as Darth Nihilus' face mask.
