Captain Kirrahe

Captain Kirrahe is an officer in the salarian military. He is a member of the 3rd Infiltration Regiment STG (special task group), a covert operations team that was sent to investigate Virmire, where he discovered Saren's base of operations. Kirrahe is a brave, intelligent salarian with a good strategic mind; he is able to inspire his men, and is also prepared to make sacrifices if necessary. His second-in-command is Commander Rentola.

Captain Kirrahe is voiced by George Szilagyi.

Mass Effect
After discovering Saren's krogan breeding facility on Virmire, Kirrahe sends a message to the Council asking for a fleet to help destroy it, but a communications disruption results in a garbled message, and as a result only the SSV Normandy is sent to investigate. He is suspicious of Wrex, describing the salarians' intervention in krogan evolution as 'a mistake', but allows Commander Shepard to deal with Wrex's anger.

With help from Shepard's crew, Kirrahe develops a plan to destroy the facility, and personally leads three teams of his salarian officers (along with either Ashley Williams or Kaidan Alenko) to draw out the geth, knowing they would take heavy losses. He names his teams after key salarian settlements (Aegohr, Mannovai and Jaëto) to remind his men what they are fighting for. Kirrahe hears some dissent amongst his men and gives them an inspirational speech, explaining that though they are covert operatives rather than heavy troopers, they are still part of a proud tradition: "We would be legends, but the records are sealed."

Shepard is able to assist Kirrahe's assault along the way by sabotaging geth positions, and listening to how the salarian attack is progressing over radio chatter. While Kirrahe takes personal command of Mannovai Team, Aegohr Team is given to either Kaidan or Ashley. Aegohr Team provides fire support to Mannovai Team and manages to evade the geth flyers that forces them to bunker down, then later spearheads the attack on the second AA gun. Jaëto provides additional support.

Without help from Shepard's team, Kirrahe will be killed by the geth air support midway through the operation. Either Ashley or Kaidan will take over command of the salarians after his death and co-ordinate the attack from then on.

However, with Shadow Team's help, Kirrahe can escape with Shepard aboard the Normandy. Kirrahe and his surviving men can be found in the engineering section, sympathetic to Shepard's loss; Kirrahe says they will get off when the Normandy next makes port and find their way home. Kirrahe hopes he and Shepard might have the opportunity to work together again in the future.

Kirrahe's Speech
"You all know the mission, and what is at stake. I have come to trust each of you with my life -- but I have also heard murmurs of discontent. I share your concerns. We are trained for espionage; we would be legends, but the records are sealed. Glory in battle is not our way. Think of our heroes; the Silent Step, who defeated a nation with a single shot. Or the Ever Alert, who kept armies at bay with hidden facts. These giants do not seem to give us solace here, but they are not all that we are. Before the network, there was the fleet. Before diplomacy, there were soldiers! Our influence stopped the rachni, but before that we held the line! Our influence stopped the krogan, but before that, we held the line! Our influence will stop Saren; in the battle today, we will hold the line!"

Mass Effect 3
If Kirrahe survived the events on Virmire in 2183, he is on Sur'Kesh during the events of the Reaper invasion.

When Commander Shepard arrives on Sur'Kesh to extract the female krogan, Cerberus launches a surprise attack, attempting to prevent Shepard from acquiring the krogan. During the fighting Shepard will encounter Kirrahe, now promoted to Major, in a firefight with Cerberus troops. Kirrahe will express his pleasure at getting to work with the Commander again before joining Shepard in the fighting. When the Cerberus troops are defeated, Kirrahe will stay behind to protect Shepard's flank while the Commander proceeds to the Species Observation Area. If Kirrahe did not survive Virmire, Lieutenant Tolan takes his place at the beginning of the mission. An unnamed soldier, in Kirrahe's stead, will also attempt to cover Shepard but will not survive.

If Kirrahe is spoken to before entering the base, he will mention that it was he who found the krogan females on Tuchanka and brought them to Sur'Kesh. And he promises Shepard that regardless of what politicians decide, he would gladly support retaking Earth. If Garrus and/or Liara is present, he will greet them enthusiastically, remarking that the Reapers have a way of bringing them together. Also, if Javik is present, he will remark on the salarian idea to expect the worst as a wise philosophy, while Kirrahe will assume Javik is a genetically modified drell or turian, rather than an actual living Prothean.

After the mission on Sur'Kesh is over, Major Kirrahe sends Commander Shepard an e-mail, again promising his support against the Reapers.

During Cerberus' attack on the Citadel event, Kai Leng will threaten the salarian councilor's life. If Kirrahe is alive but Thane Krios is dead or never spoke to Shepard before the attack, then Kirrahe will save the salarian councilor's life instead of Thane, but die in the process.

Otherwise, if Kirrahe and Thane are both alive and if Shepard spoke to Thane before the attack, Thane will save the salarian councilor's life and be wounded in the process, and Shepard will retain "Major Kirrahe" as a War Asset. If neither he nor Thane is alive (or hasn't been spoken to), Kai Leng will succeed in assassinating the councilor.

If krogan support is lost due to Wrex's death, Kirrahe will take his place on Earth, addressing members of his unit in the same manner Wrex would have addressed his krogan.

Kirrahe's Speech
"You all know the mission, and what is at stake. While this may not be our world, it is our galaxy. Today, humanity has asked for our help, and today, we will deliver. In this war, we are all citizens of the cosmos, and there is no enemy we cannot defeat together. No threat we cannot neutralise. No challenge we cannot overcome. Some day, when the Reapers are just a memory, the nations of the galaxy will come together and remember this place, this very ground, and say, 'the Salarians were here'! They did not fail! They did not falter! And they did not surrender!"

Trivia

 * Kirrahe's name is based on Currahee Mountain, used as a training site for American paratroopers during WWII.
 * Mordin Solus once served under Captain Kirrahe, calling him "a bit of a cloaca", and makes a comment regarding his habit of holding speeches and using the expression "hold the line".
 * If Kirrahe survived Virmire, Shepard was intended to receive an email from him in Mass Effect 2 after recruiting Mordin. This email was apparently cut from the game.
 * Curiously, the Mass Effect 3 demo (and subsequently the game) features two different pronunciations of his name. A female Commander Shepard addresses him with his name pronounced as "Kira-hey", while a male Shepard would pronounce his name as "Kira-hee".
 * This likely pays homage to initial debates as to how his name is pronounced from Mass Effect.
 * If you look in the footlocker next to Kirrahe upon arrival on Sur'kesh, you can see the Scorpion pistol he later uses in a cutscene to attack Cerberus.
 * Kirrahe is considered dead in the PS3 versions of Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3, although he makes an appearance in the Demo version of Mass Effect 3 for PS3.