Hunting the Archon

The Moshae says the Archon has a Remnant map that may point the way to Meridian. But you don't know where his ship is. You must first track down the angaran traitor, Vehn Terev, in Kadara Port, and learn what you can from him.

Acquisition
Automatically acquired when the mission A Trail of Hope is completed.

Go to Kadara Port in the Govorkam system
During the landing on Kadara, Ryder receives a message from Evfra with new information on the traitor, and that the contact's code name is Shena. The mission is updated with the next objective after the Tempest has landed.

Speak to the Resistance contact at Kralla's Song
The contact is a man named Reyes Vidal. The traitor Vehn Terev is in prison because the people in Kadara don't like what he did to the Moshae. As Sloane Kelly is a "woman of the people," Vehn is facing execution. Because Sloane was part of the uprising on the Nexus, she can't be expected to give up Vehn easily to someone who works for the Nexus. Vidal suggest that Ryder works Sloane while he talks with the angaran Resistance.

Talk with the bartender Umi Henon if you'd like to hear what's going on in Kadara, such as that a mysterious character called the Charlatan and his group the Collective is fighting Sloane and her Outcasts. The Collective Recruiter in the bar can fill you in.

Exiting the bar, SAM will give Ryder a brief overview of Sloane Kelly.

Meet Sloane Kelly in the Outcast headquarters on Kadara Port
The conversation with Sloane Kelly can go a few ways. She asks Ryder about Vehn Terev, and Ryder can either be honest with her, or say it's none of her business.

The former response leads to Sloane offering to let Ryder talk to Vehn before he is executed. Ryder can either accept this deal or refuse it. If Ryder accepts, Sloane gives them permission to talk to Vehn; if not, Ryder is kicked out without permission given.

The latter response will cause Sloane's guard to draw a gun on Ryder, which can be disarmed with an interrupt. Whether the interrupt is taken or not, Ryder leaves with no information.

If Ryder does not have permission from Sloane, an extra step will be required to talk to Vehn Terev.

Speak to Reyes Vidal
Reyes is waiting outside the Outcast Headquarters. He gives Ryder access codes for a maintenance shaft that can be used to reach Vehn, along with something that will break him out of the prison.

Interrogate Vehn Terev
He doesn't know where the Archon's ship is, but he suggests that Ryder use the transponder he buried outside town to triangulate the Archon's position.

Depending on how Ryder's conversation with Sloane went, he'll either be left in prison, or Ryder will help him out of jail.

Retrieve the kett transponder from the badlands
Go to the navpoint and pick it up the transponder lying under one of the buildings. Its power source is drained, but Ryder thinks Gil can fix it.

Speak to Gil in Tempest engineering
He manages to get it working. It points to a location in the Tafeno system.

Locate the kett flagship in the Tafeno system
Upon entering the system the Tempest goes into stealth mode. The kett flagship Verkan has captured the salarian ark Paarchero holding it with several cables. The flagship is unaware of the Tempest's presence. The ark is undamaged and its power on standby, but the fate of the salarians is unknown.

Ryder contacts the Moshae to learn exactly what they are looking for. It's a Remnant relic depicting the Meridian, and it's kept in the Archon's camber.

The plan is to board the ark and sneak into the flagship trough the cables.

Patch SAM into the ark's system
On the ark the captain has left a message: the ark has been captured by aliens and he urges anyone listening to the message to look for the salarian pathfinder.

Locate the salarian Pathfinder, Zevin Raeka
Ryder finds what seems to be the dead body of the pathfinder. Accessing the records on the console reveals that the pathfinder is female, while the corpse is male.

Identify the dead salarian
It's a colonist. Seems like someone is trying to hide the pathfinder.

Locate the dead salarians stasis pod
Scanning the pods leads to the one with the pathfinder - still in stasis.

Revive the salarian pathfinder
Reaka briefs Ryder: the captain surrendered so they would live to fight another day, and ordered the pathfinder to hide among the population and dismantle her SAM to avoid detection. Ryder asks her to wake up a flight crew and be ready to fly away. SAM connects to Raeka so she has the assistance of an AI while working on freeing the ark.

Infiltrated the kett ship
Ryder arrives in the docking bay and immediately has to fight some kett.

Patch SAM into the kett ship's system
SAM locates the Archon's chamber and has counteracted an alert temporarily.

Send the salarian pathfinder team on their way
The salarians on the ark have discovered that many stasis pods are missing, and they will enter the kett ship to find them.

Make your way to the Archon's private chamber
In the hangar are more kett. The alarm is sounding. Outside you can see the salarian ark.

Jumping down to the lowest area you find looted salarian equipment, and two datapads telling some of the Archon's intentions.

In the Gun Battery Ryder sees powerful guns pointing at the ark. They will be a problem. SAM can't disable them because the authorization by the Archon is required.

When trying to leave the room the door is locked, and numerous kett attack - among them an Ascendant. After they have been defeated, SAM finds another way to the Archon's room.

In the next room Ryder meets the salarian team. They need help unlocking a door. Ryder warns them of the Gun Battery, and the salarians say they can disable it with an EMP device.

A little further ahead doors are locked as Ryder's team gets close. A nearby Security Access Panel is voice controlled. SAM modulates Ryder's voice to sound like a kett. Success!

In Laboratory 16 are some more kett. Further into the lab are salarian stasis pods - all empty. There are several dead salarians. Organs were removed from them while they were still alive.

After exiting the lab there is a corridor with some kett.

In the next room Ryder's team is caught and suspended in an energy field, and the Archon enters. He injects a transmitter into Ryder. The Archon is alerted to a problem somewhere else - probably the salarian team - and leaves. SAM suggests an unpleasant way the get free from the field.

Over the comm you hear the salarian team in combat with the kett. Their pathfinder explains it was a diversion to make it possible to set up the EMP device.

In the room are some audio logs from kett interogating the salarians and the Moshae.

In the next room there are holographic images of the Milky Way races and kett who comment on them. Use the Maintenance Hatch console to open a way out through the Maintenance Corridor. In the corridor you hear screams of pain. More empty salarian stasis pods.

Over the comm the salarian pathfinder says she has found some salarians still alive and is heading to them.

The corridor exits to the Antechamber. There are some gruesome indications that kett are near to the solution on how to ascend the Milky Way species. Then finally Ryder enters the Archon's room.

Find the relic
There are serveral objects that can be scanned for Remnant research data.

The Meridian relic is in the other end of the room. Scanning it reveals a map showing the location of the Meridian as well as its shape. The Archon shows up as a holographic image and is his usual arrogant self. Unfortunately he now knows about SAM. He says he will destroy their ships, and Ryder immediately alarms the salarian team to fire the EMP device. The gun battery is disabled. Enemies attack, one of them is an exalted krogan - a Behemoth.

Escape the kett ship
SAM discovers krogan life signs. They are scheduled for exaltation. The salarian pathfinder is pinned down, she says over the comm. You have time save either the krogans or the the salarian pathfinder.

Drack will not be happy if you don't save the krogans - they are his missing scouts.

If you save the pathfinder, you'll have to fight krogan behemoths in the game's end battle. If you save the krogans you'll run into salarians instead.

Now follows a fight against many kett.

When it's over the Tempest and the salarian ark escapes before the kett flagship has powered up its guns.

On the kett ship Primus tells the Archon that their mission is to exalt the Heleus Cluster, not to study the Remnant, and that questions have been asked from the high levels about the Archon's judgement.

After a conversation with Suvi, the mission completes. The next story mission starts: The Journey To Meridian.

Aftermath
Several missions become available after the completion of this mission. Read email and talk to crew members to begin them. If Ryder is pursuing romance with any character, some of the unlocked missions will advance that progress.

If you saved the krogans, they will help you during the game's final battle.

Reward
1000 AVP.