Ishtar Collective

The Ishtar Collective was a Golden Age organization dedicated to scientific advancement. The Collective built the Ishtar Academy, a famed center of research and learning, on Venus, and extensively studied the planet's Vex ruins. The Collective was a rival of the corporation Clovis Bray.

The members of the collective studied active Vex ruins, such as mapping the Vault of Glass, as well as a live Vex specimen that was designated as "Subject 12".

Subject 12
Subject 12 was a live specimen of a Vex operation platform that was extensively studied by Maya Sundaresh, Dr. Shim, Chioma Esi, and Duane-McNiadh. In the process, Esi discovered that the Vex was running a simulation of their research team that was completely accurate. After much debate, they concluded that the only way to save themselves from the simulation was to bring in something the Vex could not simulate, proposing that a Warmind was far too complex to simulate. They were able to rescue 227 undamaged copies of themselves from inside the Vex, and all copies voted to become explorers in the Vex information network. Nearly forty years later, Maya had built a form of mind-forking device in mimicry of the Vex gateway systems from Ishtar and used it on herself. After experiencing an unknown event, she became determined to reunite with her partner Chioma.

Chioma Esi
A researcher who uncovered that the Vex were performing completely accurate simulations of her research team.

Duane-McNiadh
A member of the research team who held an opposing voice to the idea that the Vex were simulating multiple "realities".

Shim
Dr. Shim accompanied the rest of the research team on their expedition to use the 227 saved copies of themselves to explore the Vex network.

Maya Sundaresh
Though it is unclear if she held any real authority, Maya Sundaresh was the de facto leader for the research on Subject 12. Forty years after the research with Subject 12, Maya built a mind-forking device mimicking the Vex gateways and used it on herself.

List of appearances

 * Destiny