The Curator Enclave.
They lived in enormous starbases and were one of the neutral city-state factions in Stellaris.
They called themselves the "custodians of knowledge." Note, however, that the Curators had no connection to the Fallen Empire known as the Keepers of Knowledge. The Curators had no space fleets; they cared only about collecting and preserving knowledge.
A blue background representing the vast expanse of space, with an open golden book upon it-that was the Curator Enclave's flag. Their history stretched back a long way, and the vast knowledge they preserved earned them the respect of many civilizations in the Sea of Stars.
"Extremely powerful beings lurk in certain systems throughout the galaxy. At tremendous expense in manpower and resources, our investigators painstakingly gathered information about them. With this information, you should find them easier to deal with the next time you encounter them."
"There is much I would like to tell you, but I cannot give it away for free. This starbase requires a great deal of energy to operate... we must balance our income and expenses."
-The Curators
Players could spend energy credits to purchase a research speed modifier from the Curators, hire a maximum-level Curator scientist, or buy an L-Gate clue once every ten years.
If a Curator city-state lay within an empire's borders, contacting the Curators would allow a Curator Think Tank to be built in that system's stellar base.
The Curators loved knowledge. They pursued and preserved all knowledge with fervent devotion, and were happy to share it with other civilizations in the Sea of Stars-for a fee, of course.
After taking over the M'tok Union's legacy, the Interstellar Human Military Junta also acquired many of the M'tok's diplomatic communication channels, including a means of contacting the Curator Enclave.
Unexpectedly, one of the Curators' city-states