Citadel Wards: Ambush

An unknown mercenary group is attacking. Escape their ambush and get to safety.

Acquisition
Complete Citadel: Shore Leave.

Preparation
If you don't have Overload natively, consider equipping Energy Drain as your bonus power for the duration of the DLC content: almost everyone you fight has shields. You will have very limited ammunition reserves, so considering taking Marksman or Adrenaline Rush for their time dilation effects. Adrenaline Rush's "cheat" ammo can also be very useful.

Sushi Bar
After leaving Shepard’s new apartment, a taxi will be shown flying through the Citadel and into the wards. Once Shepard arrives, there is a queue, but the Host notices Shepard, and lets the Commander bypass the line, saying that the table is waiting. Joker just waves. Head into the back corner of the restaurant and talk to Joker. There are no other interactions in the restaurant.

Joker comments about the line outside, nodding to where an Alliance soldier in an Alliance uniform is trying to get Shepard's attention. Shepard then turns to the dry docking of the Normandy. Once you finish the conversation, Joker asks why Shepard invited him here, but Shepard replies that Joker sent the invitation. Their confusion is interrupted by the soldier outside, who has finally broken through the host's defensive line.

Once she reaches the table, she introduces herself as Staff Analyst Maya Brooks of Alliance intelligence, and proclaims that someone is trying to kill Shepard. Joker makes note of the fact that Shepard is be targeted by multiple organizations, and that it isn’t news. Brooks comes back with the fact that they are new people and they are hacking Shepard’s account, communications and are targeting Shepard personally. Shepard then tells Brooks to calm down after she tells a story about the last time she guessed at intel and tells her to start from the beginning.

Ambush
At that point, several soldiers in armor stroll into the bar, and one knocks the host unconscious. They proceed to start shooting their weapons. Shepard grabs Joker, pulls him behind a table, which is then flipped over and they duck behind it.

One of the soldiers grabs Brooks and starts dragging her. Shepard then orders Joker to get the crew while commander goes after Brooks. When he starts moving away, one of the soldiers notices and orders Joker to stop. But he is too close to the table and Shepard grabs him and uses a heavy melee to kill him. (Joker complains about being used as bait.) Shepard tells Brooks to hold on and now the fight begins.

Because you are outnumbered, without armor and squadmates, use cover as much as possible. The soldiers will deploy Disruption Drones, which will charge at you, then self destruct, overloading your shields. Take them down before they can do that. They also all all have shields.

Fortunately, if you took the advice at the top of the article, you can strip their shields easily with Overload, and/or replenish your own with Energy Drain. Furthermore, the M-11 Suppressor does superb damage and features the highest headshot modifier in the game. Its major downside is its lack of ammo, but on Normal difficulty it can kill an unshielded enemy in two or three shots. If you run out of ammo, then make a beeline for Brooks and revive her to end the fight.

Through the floor
A short cutscene will play where another soldier is targeting Shepard with a Mattock, but Brooks notices, shoves the Commander out of the way, and then takes the bullet herself. Shepard tries to get to her, but the soldier attacks the restaurant's glass floor, sending Shepard on a wild ride down. After several repeated attempts to stop, the Commander finally manages to fall onto a platform, and stops. Clearly injured, Shepard manages to get up, grabs the suppressor, and Brooks manages to contact the Commander. Shepard asks how Brooks is ok, as she took a bullet, and Brooks says she used Medi-gel, and a lot of it, as she is clearly a little bit tipsy. Shepard makes the comment that she probably used too much. Brooks asks if she can be of assistance, and Shepard tells her to alert C-Sec while the Commander looks for a way out.

Proceed out the door and jump across to the next platform, down the ladder to your left, and then across to the next platform. There you will find a datapad about new temperature units. Head down the next ladder and Shepard will notice a landing pad. Brooks checks the area and notices it is a pad for Cision Motors. Shepard orders Brooks to get a shuttle there, but Brooks says that C-Sec had the entire area locked down and it will be difficult. Shepard orders her to keep trying. Brooks tells the Commander to stay off the comm as it is probably hacked, which she notes is probably how they found Shepard in the first place. Shepard asks who they are, Brooks replies that she doesn’t know, but they clearly don’t like Shepard. Head down the next ladder and into the building on your right.

Get to a Shuttle
Head across the room, up the ladder, turn left, then across the gaps. Once you reach the end, there is a group of three enemies down on the lower level. Shooting is not advised. At this point, your best idea is to use stealth as you will quickly find yourself in a whole world of enemies if you don’t. Use tactics to pick them off one by one, and if you get discovered, then shoot them before they can call for reinforcements. Make sure to take them all out before you move up. Finally, be extra-cautious: in many video games, an injured hero can still fight at full HP, but Shepard has only one Health Bar segment thanks to that drop through the floor, and remains that way throughout the rest of the mission. One workaround is that if you die, Shepard starts with an extra segment. It is unknown if this can be exploited to "cheat" Shepard back to full health.

As you progress, someone from the crew (Liara or love interest) will contact you and ask if you are okay, explaining that they are on foot but not far and that Joker filled them in. Brooks then cuts in and asks who they are as it is an unsecured channel and they are putting Shepard at risk. Crewmate 1 is confused until Shepard says that it is Brooks and orders everyone to play nice. Once you are clear, continue down the marketplace and you will find another datapad from EZ meat, and some clips. Grab as many as you can. There is no autosave at this point so it is recommended that you use the quick save or a hard save.

When you finally get to the end of the marketplace, you will encounter more enemies. Cover in this area is quite bad, so keep moving and avoid the cluster grenades that they are so fond of using. Also watch yourself as a sniper will show up. Use the available cover, dodge the drones, and take out all of the mercs. Once you are done, another crewmate will contact you saying they just heard, and that everyone is on the way. Behind the cover at the end is a Pistol Power magnifier and a terminal with some credits.

Head back out and around to the left. At the end is another stack of credits and another datapad from a stall with less than acceptable sanitation standards. At the end is a bridge, locked down of course, but you can bypass it. Before doing so, there is a room to your left with a termainl with more credits. Once you start the bypass, asking for a C-Sec code, but your Spectre authorization overrides it. However, this also sets off an alarm which alerts everyone to you. Move fast, stay in cover, and placate Crewmate 1, who claims they can hear the alarms from where they are.

Get in cover because you are heavily outnumbered and outgunned. There are both troopers and snipers, so keep to cover if you can. It might be best to stay near the door that you enter from and pick them off as they try and come around. Remember that you have limited ammo and that pickups are few and far inbetween. Use powers as much as possible here. Keep them in front of you, prevent flanks and you should be fine. Just remember that headshots are always nice.

Once you have cleared the way, advance, and along the right side will be a series of stores with terminals, datapads and an Assault Rifle Ultralight Materials mod. Grab them all, there will be three sets, and then continue. When the path narrows, be warned there are more enemies coming. This time troopers only, so just keep an eye on the drones, and your ammo. Again using powers can really help you here. Especially if they are the throw the enemy off of walkway type.

Once you have finished, Brooks will contact you saying there is a C-Sec shuttle on the way to the lot, and that you need to get there. Head down and to the right, another terminal and some much needed ammo await. Head inside the door, and you will find the first crew member who contacted you holding off two mercs, which are quickly dispatched.

Escape from the Wards
Once you have completed the conversation, you finally get Crewmate 1 and can now peruse the lot to find the control panel to unlock the door. The cars all have information on them, which you can ignore or investigate. There is a Sniper Rifle Ultralight Materials near the door which you entered from, so don’t miss it. A terminal located right before the door to advance.

When you approach it to open it, it suddenly locks. Shepard pulls a gun, and there is an employee, a volus inside. Your squadmate then just puts their hand on the gun, pushes it down, calmly knocks on the window and politely asks the volus to open the door, which he does. Squadmate thanks him and the manager asks them to leave.

Head out the doors and the C-Sec shuttle arrives, but it is yet another ambush of mercs, opening fire with normal weapons as well as a Geth Spitfire. Fortunately, you have help. Sometimes James will arrive to save your bacon with a missile launcher... but if he happens to be alive, Urdnot Wrex joins the party. He will claim to have been butting heads with the Council over krogan expansion. Wrex tosses Shepard the Spitfire (if James is present, Shepard will pick it up) while another group of mercs pour in.

Because you start in cover and have a full squad, don’t forget to level Wrex up - Wrex prefers getting close to the action and takes down enemies with melee, and a fully leveled-up Wrex easily tips the balance towards your side. Obviously, he likes to roam around, and that's an example you should feel free to follow: it's an open area, conducive to rerouting and flank attacks. The enemies will pour in non-stop from the ceiling in two locations, so you can actually move inside the showroom and set up position in between the two LZ and slaughter them as they come. The Spitfire has 1,000 rounds available, so feel free to be liberal with your firepower. A last good spot to hide is behind the engine pylon of the destroyed shuttle, as this will channel the enemy reinforcements in on you.

Joker and Brooks are on the comm the entire time and once you hear Joker say that you can move to the shuttle for extraction, fall back to the extraction zone. Once the squad is on, Joker pulls away.

Enemies

 * Merc Trooper
 * Merc Sniper