Priority: The Citadel II

The salarian Council member contacts Shepard with concerns about large sums of money moving through the bank accounts of Council member Donnel Udina. He/she asks that Shepard comes to the Citadel so they can get to the bottom of it.

Acquisition
The mission is acquired immediately after finishing Priority: Tuchanka and is triggered by the first visit to the Citadel after that, thus causing to expire all the uncompleted Citadel-related side-quests (see Priority: Tuchanka).

Likewise, Priority: Citadel II itself is a "point of no return" for Grissom Academy: Emergency Evacuation, which must be completed prior going to the Citadel.

Walkthrough
The mission begins when the Normandy approaches the Citadel but is not cleared for landing. Joker contacts someone inside the Citadel &mdash; Thane Krios, if he's alive and if you spoke to him during Priority: The Citadel I, or Armando-Owen Bailey if otherwise &mdash; who explains the situation: Cerberus has attacked and partially taken over the station, particularly C-Sec Headquarters. Shepard deploys with a team to clear them out. You'll be facing the usual Cerberus operatives, additionally, a lot of Phantoms are also present in the later half. Warp Ammo, Disruptor Ammo, biotics and Sniper Rifles are recommended, particularly with the Concentration Mod equipped.

C-Sec HQ
Shepard lands outside C-Sec HQ, and must fight uphill against Cerberus Assault Troopers, Combat Engineers, and Centurions supported by Shield Pylons at the far wall. The central path is the most direct and a good place to exercise your sniping skill, though watch out for the turret placed at the other end - you could take it out from where you were dropped off without getting hit. Beware that once you think you've killed everything, and you approach Bailey, more Troopers will jump down from directly above the locked door.

Once you've actually cleared out the area, head up the ramp and grab the medkit on the left of the door, before talking to Bailey. There will be a short cut scene where Bailey briefly explains what happened. Bailey lets you inside C-Sec HQ, where he discovers that the salarian councilor (either Councilor Valern or Councilor Esheel) has taken refuge in the executor's office, where (Bailey hypothesizes) he/she was preparing to make accusations against Donnel Udina. Bailey directs Shepard's party to that location; if Thane is present, Shepard vectors him in as well.

Go through the two doors behind Bailey, to see two Assault Troopers across the hall with their backs to you. Once you take them out, two Guardians and an Engineer will come down the stairs on the left. Go up the stairs and stay on the right which you'll find a Med-kit and an Assault Rifle Piercing Mod.

Head over to the left side and two Assault Troopers will crash down from ahead, then two more after that. After you take care of them, there's a terminal slightly ahead of where you found the Med-kit and a dead C-Sec officer, who you can examine to find it was another inside job like Mars. Bypass the door to continue. Opening the second door, take out the Guardian looking the other way. There's two Centurions blocked from view on the left of the Guardian and a Combat Engineer in the elevated room on his right. Once clear, loot the Recon Hood on the left hand side of the wall under the big screen; take the M-76 Revenant located beneath the first sink in the bathroom on the left side and open the locker in the same room (6,250 credits) examine the dead C-Sec officer; and take the Med-kit on the arc across the hall.

As you walk along the corridor, an intercom goes off. On the left side with the broken windows, you'll see a Combat Engineer minding his own business. Take him out, and jump into the room to grab the Sniper Rifle Extended Barrel on the shelf. There's also a weapon bench if you want to change your setup. Break the latch protecting the elevator controls and activate the elevator.

As you take the elevator, Bailey asks for any survivors, but you've encountered none so far. There won't be anything to shoot here so just pick up the items accordingly; Pistol Piercing Mod to the room on the right along with a terminal of Bailey's Personal Log; the M-25 Hornet down the middle passage on a dead C-Sec right before the malfunctioning door; a Securitel helmet and Pistol High-Caliber Barrel mod in the small room next to the locked door on the left side. To open this door, go to the room next to the malfunctioning door and use the first terminal for the Door Control. You'll find a datapad describing the actions of a weapons smuggler and a possible conspiracy, as well as a sample of said weapon, the M-358 Talon. Finally, go back to where you found the Door Control to exit this area. On the way out, be sure to check the 'Account Detail' terminal (6250 credits).

On the other side of the door you'll find two more preoccupied Cerberus soldiers, this time executing a C-Sec defector. Take them out to enter a cafe area, with the kitchen on your right. This is one of the better places to hole up, because a number of Cerberus soldiers will flood in and you have to fight them off. Just beware that there's a set of stairs leading downward in the middle of the room, and to clear the enemy from it you'll need to physically go there.

It might also be wise to post one of your teammates in the hallway next to the kitchen, so that Cerberus can't flank you from there. Two medstations, one inside the kitchen and one on the far wall, are available if you need the help. There's also 6250 credits against the back wall of the kitchen, a Sniper Rifle Piercing Mod near the far wall (you'll likely see it during the firefight), and &mdash; for a bit of flavor &mdash; a flatscreen TV in the corner of the cafe broadcasting a news report. It's Khalisah al-Jilani, covering C-Sec's attempts to reclaim the Citadel's comm towers so that they can send a distress call. She is doing her part by including a direct plea for reinforcements in her broadcast coverage, which has been piped throughout the station. For once, no snide insinuations are in evidence.

Up the stairs against the back wall, you'll find the executor's office. He's dead, but the salarian councilor is nowhere in sight. A disturbance in the cafe area you just left alerts your squad members to the place, revealing the councilor who was under cloak the whole time. Before you can get down there, Kai Leng will arrive to ruin your party. The salarian councilor gets out the critical information that Udina is planning a coup before one of several things happen:
 * If Thane is around, he will intervene, allowing you to save the salarian councilor but getting stabbed in the process.
 * If Thane is not around but Captain Kirrahe survived the events of Virmire, he will sacrifice himself, allowing you to save the salarian councilor but getting shot in the process.
 * If neither character is around to intervene, Leng will be able to kill the salarian councilor.

If an ME2 save has not been imported, neither Thane nor Kirrahe will be present.

Whatever the case, Shepard calls Bailey, and Bailey unlocks a C-Sec police car for Shepard's pursuit. Using transponders, Bailey determines that Udina is leading the Council to a landing pad near Shalmar Plaza, where Kai Leng is presumably waiting for them. In his spare time, though, Leng decides to interfere with Shepard by attacking the police car with his sword, seriously damaging it and putting Shepard's party on foot in the Commons.

Presidium Commons
This next fight is the introduction of two new Cerberus foes: Phantoms, who have biotic barriers, are extremely agile and have a melee-range one-hit-kill; and (unless you've already completed Priority: Eden Prime, the content of the From Ashes DLC, or N7: Cerberus Attack) Nemeses, who are shielded and have a sniper-rifle attack that will knock off all your shields. Keeping your distance, or using disables on them like Concussive Shot, Carnage or biotics, is your best bet against them. It is also possible to shoot and break a Phantom's sword, but this can be difficult without pinning them with Stasis. See their respective articles for more in-depth tactics.

The first area has a stairway that will allow you to circle around the Cerberus lines and attack them from behind, but this is not necessarily advantageous: both Phantoms and Nemeses are slippery, Phantoms are most dangerous at close range, and your teammates can probably take them out before you can. Next you'll have to take a running-jump to a new section, where all manner of opposition awaits you: Phantoms, Nemeses, and &mdash; worst of all &mdash; no room to maneuver. One good bet is actually to jump back across the gap, which will funnel the enemy into a choke point that Singularity or any other good crowd-control power will easily block up. Another trick is to wait for Phantoms to jump across the gap then hit them with Stasis so they come out of it falling to their deaths. Alternatively, grab your shotgun, keep moving, and have eyes on the back of your head.

Head down the parking garage towards the door, which Cerberus will seal behind them. Jump the wall to your right and then keep heading up towards Shalmar Plaza using the Citadel's "back alleys." You'll find a datapad (6250 credits) after jumping across a broken gap and going up some ledges on your left. To continue from that point on, put that pad behind you and you'll see the next alleyway. The next zone has an Atlas Mech if you care for some hijacking, but don't take it easy if you've gotten it, there's still more enemies in the area. Finally, take the stairs for a trip atop an elevator.

Don't snipe the driver of the Atlas if you don't plan on using it. Once open, it will be there, in the way, indestructible, blocking your view for the rest of the fight. If you rely on a sniper rifle, it will make things even more difficult. Long range view is blocked, so not only can you not return fire, but you also can't tell when you are flanked.

The final combat zone of the mission can be easy because enemy reinforcements approach via elevator cars, all of which have Power Conduits on the top and bottom that you can shoot out, halting the lift car's progress entirely. However, this zone can also be challenging because the cars come from both sides, and contain Phantoms. And there's basically no room to maneuver.

If you remain on top of things, sniping out cars as soon as they arrive, you ought to be fine, but one mess-up could be a game over. If so, take a deep breath and try again. There may not be much margin for error, but the tasks themselves are not actually difficult. A sniper rifle with Concentration Mod equipped might be your best friend, due to the time dilation; obviously, having Adrenaline Rush is just as useful, if less accessible. But the easiest way is to use Overload or Energy Drain on the conduits, which can't fail if aimed properly. If you and another squad member both have the powers, you can get through this sequence without firing a shot.

Final Confrontation
Finally, a car will arrive that you have to jump on instead of shooting. It has the councilors in it, as well as the Virmire survivor (Ashley or Kaidan), who detects your landing and immediately fires at you through the roof. A short cutscene plays, Shepard jams the outside door via omni-tool to keep Cerberus troopers barricaded inside the elevator hall, and the Council's newest Spectre stands between you and the Council.

A variety of factors affect whether the person can be talked down:
 * Previous romance in Mass Effect;
 * Not romancing another character in Mass Effect 2. If Shepard did, be honest and/or apologize for it during any prior interactions in Mass Effect 3;
 * Repeatedly insisting that you're no longer with Cerberus during the Mars mission;
 * Visiting the injured Virmire survivor at the hospital (three times: while comatose, after s/he's awakened, and when discharge is pending);
 * Keeping the salarian councilor alive (either by Kirrahe or Thane sacrificing themselves to chase off Kai Leng) is very important, otherwise Udina will produce a fabricated video of Shepard assassinating the councilor;
 * Using a Paragon or Renegade Interrupt to tell your squad to lower their weapons will allow Shepard to make his case against Udina immediately

Shepard explains that Udina is behind the coup, but Udina dismisses the claim. When the asari councilor tries to stop Udina from unlocking the door that prevents Cerberus troops coming through, Udina pushes her down and aims a gun at her. Either Kaidan/Ashley, or you through a Renegade interrupt, will kill him.

Alternatively, if you didn't interrupt and the salarian councilor was killed earlier, Udina will attempt to frame Shepard for it, making it much harder to convince them that Udina is lying. If they do not automatically decide to trust you, a Reputation check will be required, and if it's not high enough, they will instruct Udina to "get the door," at which point either you must kill the Survivor with a Renegade Interrupt or a squadmate will take the shot instead. Afterwards, the scene plays out like above, but Shepard will automatically take the shot instead and comfort Kaidan or Ashley in their final moments. However, if you were overly hostile to them they will respond in kind. For example, Ashley will say, "I hope the Reapers send you to hell."

Aftermath
Kai Leng reports the failure to the Illusive Man and Bailey follows up on C-Sec's inability to catch him. Other results include:
 * If Thane was present, Bailey will mention that he has been taken to Huerta Memorial. You may choose to be with him in his final moments. Kolyat Krios will be present as well irrespective of the events in Thane: Sins of the Father. (Kirrahe does not benefit from a similar cutscene, as he expires from his wounds on the spot.)
 * A new set of side missions and Citadel missions will crop up, as well as Priority: Perseus Veil. See the Mass Effect 3 Guide for details.
 * After you complete this mission and then one more of your choosing, the following characters, if present, will e-mail you to initiate meetings on the Citadel: Garrus (Normandy Dock), Ashley (Refugee Camp), Javik, Miranda (Embassies), Jack (Purgatory), Liara, Kaidan and (possibly) Tali (Commons). Note that most of these characters are Romance options, and if you are (attempting to be) in a relationship with them, these meetings will be crucial to developing it.
 * Hackett will mention the asari's recent commitment of War Assets as well, such as the Asari Science Team (90), Asari Second Fleet (90), Asari Sixth Fleet (90), and if you saved the Council in Mass Effect, The Destiny Ascension (70).
 * After the mission, David Anderson will e-mail you the Alliance's dossier on Kai Leng. At the same time, Miranda Lawson will e-mail you to arrange a vidcomm chat at the Spectre Offices at the Citadel Embassies. If you read Leng's dossier before talking to her, Shepard will automatically warn her of Leng's presence, which will prevent her death at a later date.
 * Finally, optional War Assets may make themselves available:
 * Assuming you didn't shoot Ashley/Kaidan, they will approach you at Normandy Dock: Bay D24 as you try to board the Normandy. You have the option to have them rejoin your squad as a party member. If they do not, they remain on the Citadel as War Assets (25). If you have them join Hackett, you will be unable to interact with them socially aside from an e-mail from Ashley/Kaidan saying good-bye.
 * If you saved the salarian councilor in this mission, salarian forces will now commit to you in thanks for your rescue of their councilor. It can either be the Salarian Third Fleet (125) or the STG Task Force (70), depending on whether you rescued Valern or Esheel, respectively. However, if you cured the genophage and were unable to save the councilor, you will not receive these assets. If Major Kirrahe sacrificed himself to save the Councilor, his War Assets will no longer be present.

Rapid Transport Issue
Because Mass Effect 3: Leviathan added rapid transport terminals throughout the Citadel, it is now possible to keep from choosing whether Ashley/Kaidan goes with you or Hackett. This was probably an unintended consequence of using those transports since story sequence breaks in at least one other scenario: the confrontation with Wrex on the Docking Bay if the genophage cure was sabotaged.

To do so, do any of the missions in Dr. Bryson's Lab right before meeting the Virmire survivor in the Docking Bay. Upon the mission's conclusion, if you choose to head straight back to the Normandy on the X3M car, you will reappear on the Normandy, completely bypassing the meeting with your friend. The game will act as if you sent the Virmire survivor to Hackett already, as evidenced by the e-mail you'll receive that says as much as well as Garrus mentioning that it would have been nice to have the Virmire survivor back on the team, but that it wasn't meant to be.

Which is not really the case as you can still return to the Citadel at any reasonable time to decide the fate of the Virmire survivor. All you need to do is return to the Normandy normally, either by direct rapid transport from any Citadel terminal or through the Docking Bay doors. The conversation with the Virmire survivor should proceed normally.

Enemies

 * Assault Trooper
 * Atlas Mech
 * Centurion
 * Combat Engineer
 * Guardian
 * Nemesis
 * Phantom
 * Turret

ru:Приоритет: Цитадель II