Noveria: Geth Interest

The Council has received reports of geth interest in the corporate research colony of Noveria. The Council needs to know why.

Acquisition
This mission is acquired after Shepard is given Spectre status and Shepard reports to Dock 422. Udina will say that Anderson is stepping down as the commanding officer of the SSV Normandy and that the ship is now commanded by Shepard.

If you ask, Anderson will say that Noveria is trouble and always has been. Anderson warns that Spectres are the only Council agents Noveria will respect; he tells Shepard to take care when going there.

Noveria is a private world outside of Citadel Space and only Spectres are welcome there, and even that is not well tolerated by the businesses and other "interests".

Go to Noveria in the Pax system, of the Horse Head Nebula cluster.

Walkthrough
This mission you will be fighting geth, krogan, and other organic creatures that are sensitive to biotics. It is recommended that you have a balanced squad for this mission.

Noveria Approach
When approaching Noveria, apparently you are not on the scheduled arrival list. Noveria's traffic controller warns that the ship is being tracked by defense systems and threatens to fire at the Normandy if her identity is not confirmed. Only after Joker says that they have a Spectre aboard is the Normandy allowed to land.

Port Hanshan
When you leave the Normandy head around the hangar, where you will run into Captain Maeko Matsuo, Sergeant Kaira Stirling, and a turian who will block access into Port Hanshan. They will react with suspicion upon hearing that Shepard is a Spectre, and Matsuo will move to hold your weapons, citing a strict policy against carrying firearms in Port Hanshan. Depending on how forcefully Shepard reacts, the two sides will prepare for a shootout, before Gianna Parasini interrupts via intercom and tells Matsuo to stand down. Apparently, Shepard’s identity has been confirmed, and Matsuo is compelled to allow the commander to enter the port.

When you reach the second landing and pass through some scanners and an alarm goes off. Parasini tells you not to worry, since they are only weapons detectors. She finally introduces herself as the administrative assistant to Administrator Anoleis, the chief of the port. Parasini can offer basic information about the facility, but explains that Anoleis must approve any request to leave Port Hanshan. If you ask about any unusual visitors, she will admit that Matriarch Benezia arrived recently. Shepard can have a short conversation with Liara if she is part of the landing party, before stepping into the elevator and going to the plaza.

Once you are inside the main plaza, you can either head to the left and down to the stairs to Anoleis’ office, or visit Opold, a hanar merchant. You can help him with his problem in the assignment Noveria: Smuggling or browse his catalog of merchandise. He has some good equipment, so it is worth hearing him out. Once you reach the Administrator’s office, talk to Gianna again to get access to Anoleis. Anoleis, who is exasperated by Shepard's presence on Noveria, speaks harshly as the commander enters. Anoleis explains how Saren and Benezia are involved with Noveria affairs, and warns that Shepard will not be allowed to leave the port, citing poor weather. As you leave the office, Gianna will tell you to talk to Lorik Qui'in to leave the port. She can’t say much more within earshot of Anoleis. Lorik Qui’in can be found in the Hotel Lounge.

Getting a Garage Pass
You need a garage pass to leave the port; if you try to leave, you will be stopped by an ERCS guard. If you want some information then you can talk to Lilihierax, or Li as he has humans call him. He can give you some more information about Noveria, but will not give up his garage pass. With no other alternative, head to the Hotel Lounge to talk to Qui’in.

When you enter the lounge, there is an asari to your left. Talking to her will give the optional assignment Noveria: Espionage. Lorik, who is sitting at one of the tables on the main level, explains that Anoleis is proving to be a corrupt administrator. As the administrator of one of the port's tenants, he does have a garage pass to offer you, but he needs access to evidence in his office in return. You can’t proceed until you agree so agree and he will give you access to the Synthetic Insights office, which is being guarded by some of the ERCS contingent. As you leave, Lorik asks you to keep blood stains off the carpets, like that is likely.

Before you leave the lounge, head to the office-like space on the lower level and hack the terminal for the assignment Doctor at Risk. Then head to the room above it to disable the security on the SI office. This will give you a slight advantage in the upcoming fight, i.e. you can persuade a few guards to leave and until you start shooting, the guards ransacking the office won’t know you are there.

Raiding Synthetic Insights
Head back down the elevator and to the route that leads to the garage. There is an elevator just before you hit Li; step inside to reach Synthetic Insights office. This is a good save point. When you get close to the door you can either talk to the two guards or just shoot them. Talking to them earns morality points, while attacking them yields experience points. Once the first two guards are disposed of, one way or the other, run across, dispose of the guards there, and take cover.

The guards on the lower level will be easier to deal with, but there will be a few guards on the upper level, including a sniper that doesn’t like to come down. Once you manage to take down all the guards go back to the bottom level, if you aren’t there already, and in the two alcoves you will find a crate and a weapons locker. Outside the area with the weapons locker are a few crates, grab them all then head to the upper level.

On the upper level, opposite the three doors is another crate, along the wall overlooking the lower level. Once you have its contents, turn around. The door to the left, furthest from the stairs, is locked, but more loot is available inside. Decrypt the door and reap your rewards, including a med kit and a safe. Once done with that, head across the catwalk and into Lorik Qui’in’s office. Before you go for his computer grab the med kit, hack the wall safe, and grab the upgrade kit in his office. When you are ready insert the OSD Lorik provided and leave.

On your way out, you will bump into Kaira Stirling, accompanied by more ERCS guards. Stirling is a cop on the take, and the evidence Lorik is after will implicate her, should it be revealed. Stirling will also refer to Shepard as a cop-killer, but you will have to neutralize her all the same.

The people Kaira brought with her are an immediate threat in the melee. Stirling herself will also be dangerous, since she practices biotics. Her favorite power is barrier; another member of her squad is also a biotic, who prefers throw. As already stated, get rid of Stirling first because she is the hardest fight, but don’t neglect the others because they will take you and your squadmates fast as well. As you can see there isn’t a lot of cover so use the little you have to your advantage. Once the guards on the top are eliminated, take care of the two on the lower level. They can be taken out from the upper level, but do it quickly because they will quickly come up to your level and take you out that way.

Once all the guards are eliminated, do a quick sweep of the complex for any crates you may have missed and head out of the office.

Make Your Choice
When you reach the main level again, you run into Gianna, who is curious about the ruckus in the Synthetic Insights offices. Gianna will ask to speak to you at the hotel bar, but before you try to talk to Qui’in. Shepard need not speak to Parasini again, but the commander will gain more experience, and you can unlock the infinite morality points glitch if you do. You can also give Anoleis the evidence in exchange for the pass, but gain fewer experience points.

If you see Parasini again, she will reintroduce herself as an Internal Affairs agent. You can ask questions about what has been going on; apparently, Anoleis has been driving business away by increasing rent prices on Noveria facilities; he is breaking the golden rule of the planet, which is “don’t rock the boat.” She will ask you to convince Qui’in to testify before the Executive Board that governs the planet, then return to Anloeis’ office to continue work as his secretary. Shepard can give Anoleis the evidence, give Qui’in the evidence, or convince Qui’in to testify.

You can also gain more experience points by playing the Noveria game yourself. You can convince Qui'in to testify, then blackmail Anoleis by telling him about the evidence in your possession (provided Shepard is sufficiently charismatic or intimidating). Once you've taken advantage of the administrator's weakened position, you can speak to Parasini, give her the evidence. Parasini will arrest Anoleis, promising Shepard a beer the next time they cross paths. You are able to use the infinite morality points glitch until you leave Port Hanshan.

If you inform Anoleis that his secretary is an internal affairs agent he will bring her in to fire her. Their resulting argument ends in Anoleis and Parasini killing each other.

If you haven't already, hack the wall safe in Anoleis' office. Once you are done, head to the garage.

Garage
The ERCS guard at the garage entrance will allow you through once you explain you have authorization. Save before proceeding, because as you might have guessed, there are geth in the garage. Two Geth Destroyers, a Geth Ghost, a Geth Stalker, a Geth Rocket Trooper, and a Geth Shock Trooper will attack you. Use the piece of cover near the door to your advantage, along the explosive crates laying around, to take down the attacking geth. Once they all fall, Matsuo will enter with a few guards and question Shepard about the incident. Once the conversation is finished, Matsuo will leave and you are free to take the Mako at the end of the garage to Peak 15.

If you want to make this fight easier, you can unlock the M29 Grizzly’s cannon and use it to your advantage. However, this will result in fewer experience points.

Aleutsk Valley
Once you leave a notification will come up that you have entered a Level 1 Cold Hazard; the landing party will need to limit their exposure outside the vehicle during the drive to Peak 15. This ride will not be uneventful, but is relatively easy. Just don’t fall off the edge! Head out of the garage and down the path. Eventually you will run across a wrecked Grizzly and nearby is a crate, decrypt it and move on. You are now approaching the first tunnel; the geth have placed a turret here, which is reinforced with Shock Troopers, Rocket Troopers, and Troopers. In addition, the geth have deployed personal shields near their positions.

About halfway down the tunnel are four Geth Rocket Troopers. They all typically shoot at the same time so it makes their shots easy to dodge. Once the four Rocket Troopers are permanently deactivated, get out, if your aren’t already, then grab the two upgrade kits that are on the ground; one rests on either side of the tunnel. When you head down the tunnel, a cutscene will play, showing a Geth Armature on the road to your destination. Leave the tunnel and on the small plateau above the tunnel exit. It also has some Rocket Trooper friends. Take out the Rocket Troopers then focus on the Armature. Once they are destroyed, head to the burning Grizzly and take a look inside the two crates behind it.

Move on until you reach the next tunnel, which is defended by more geth. About halfway down the tunnel there is another upgrade kit. Outside the tunnel exit is a med kit, which will prove useful.

The only enemies from here to the Peak 15 research facility are three Geth Turrets. The first one is around the corner and at the next U-turn. The second is about halfway down the path from the first to the final turn. The third is above and to the left, on the mountain, of the Peak 15 garage door. Once you are done, save, and enter Peak 15.

There is a possibility that you can’t save the game. Move around until you do because the garage has some enemies in it.

Enemies

 * ERCS Guard (Optional)
 * Geth Armature
 * Geth Destroyer
 * Geth Rocket Trooper
 * Geth Shock Trooper
 * Geth Trooper
 * Geth Turret
 * Kaira Stirling (Optional)