Noveria

Noveria is a cool, rocky world, with most of its hydrosphere locked up in massive glaciers. A privately-chartered colony world, the planet is owned by Noveria Development Corporation holding company. The NDC is funded by investment capital from two dozen high technology development firms, and administrated by an Executive Board representing their interests.

The investors built remote hot labs in isolated locations across Noveria's surface. These facilities are used for research too dangerous or controversial to be performed elsewhere, as Noveria is technically not part of Citadel space and therefore exempt from Council law.

By special arrangement, Citadel Council Special Tactics and Reconnaissance agents have been granted extraterritorial privileges, but it remains to be seen how committed the Executive Board is to that principle. Given its unique situation, it is understandable that Noveria is often implicated in all manner of wild conspiracy theories.

Commander Shepard heads to the icy planet Noveria following reports of geth activity, but gets a hostile reception from the security forces at Port Hanshan. Once Shepard's Spectre status is confirmed, the squad is allowed inside. Gianna Parasini tells Shepard that Matriarch Benezia arrived recently on business, but she has gone to one of the research labs on Peak 15, which is used by Binary Helix. A blizzard means the shuttles are grounded and Shepard will need a garage pass from Administrator Anoleis to follow Benezia.

Shepard tries talking to Anoleis, but he is a rigid bureaucrat who has no interest in cooperating, even with a Spectre. Besides, there have been problems at the facility - a Code Omega has been sent and Peak 15 is cut off. Parasini whispers that Shepard can try asking Lorak Qui'in for help. Qui'in is a turian manager who is investigating Anoleis for corruption but who has run afoul of Port Hanshan's corrupt security forces. He asks Shepard to retrieve some data from his office in return for a garage pass. Shepard complies but is forced to shoot several security officers, including Kaira Stirling. With the help of Parasini and Qui'in, the squad finally get into the garage only to find several geth have been left on guard, brought there by Benezia. After securing the garage they head out into the Aleutsk Valley toward Peak 15.

The road is treacherous and guarded by both geth armatures and turrets. When they arrive at Peak 15, Shepard's team finds the facility's main power is off and geth are everywhere. As they head into the main building, the squad is attacked by creatures they don't recognise (Rachni) that are coming out of the vents and have to watch their backs. Shepard finds the core of Peak 15's VI, Mira, and reactivates her. Mira explains there are 'loose contaminants' in the facility which forced the lockdown. There are some survivors in Rift Station and Matriarch Benezia is likely there. Shepard gets main power back online and they take the passenger tram to the station.

Rift Station is heavily guarded against the Rachni by Captain Ventralis. The science and medical staff there are frightened but keeping it together. According to Ventralis, Benezia went into the hot labs and hasn't been seen since, though her biotics are more than a match for the Rachni. Shepard can either go straight to the hot labs, finding they are infested with Rachni while Benezia is nowhere to be seen, or try to help the science staff, including developing a cure for an accidental biotoxin leak. Either way the squad is attacked by forces loyal to Benezia. Going through the maintenance bay to the back of the station, Shepard finds Matriarch Benezia with the Rachni Queen, who was resurrected by Binary Helix from an ancient egg. Benezia unleashes asari commandos and geth against them but the squad fight back, until suddenly the matriarch stops attacking and begs Shepard to listen to her.

Benezia has been indoctrinated by Saren and his flagship, Sovereign - her mental strength means she can overcome it but only for a short time. Saren sent her to Noveria to find the location of the Mu Relay, a mass relay that was lost after a supernova but found by the Rachni. This surviving queen's genetic memory allowed Benezia to find it. She doesn't know what else Saren has planned but warns Shepard of Sovereign's power. She gives Shepard the coordinates for the Mu Relay, telling the commander to hurry - she has already transmitted them to Saren. Finally her indoctrination reasserts itself. Benezia attacks again and Shepard is forced to kill her.

Once Benezia is dead, Shepard approaches the Rachni Queen curiously. Suddenly one of the dying asari commandos is dragged toward the queen's cage and the Rachni begins speaking through her. The queen tells Shepard that Binary Helix took her children away, planning to turn them into an army. But being removed from her presence means they did not hear the queen's 'song', and so the Rachni grew up terrified and mindless. Any remaining soldiers or workers need to be destroyed. The queen, who is the last of her species, then asks what Shepard will do - release her with the queen's promise that neither she nor her children will wage war on the galaxy again, or use the lab's fail-safes to kill her. Once Shepard has decided, the squad leaves, taking Benezia's data with them.