Citadel: Expose Saren

With the Citadel Council not listening, it is now up to Shepard to expose Saren as a traitor to the Citadel and his oath as a Spectre.

Acquisition
This mission is acquired after you arrive on the Citadel for the first time.

Walkthrough
Over the course of this mission, depending on your actions, you will have the option to change your squad once or twice for combat purposes so no need to worry about an unbalanced squad.

Report to the Council
When you arrive at the Citadel Ambassador Udina is arguing with the Council. After demanding action by the Council, the turian councilor cuts Udina off and says that everything will be determined at the hearing and not before. Udina berates Anderson for bringing “half the crew” with him. After answering a few questions Udina leaves and tells Shepard to meet him at the Citadel Tower, top level. You will have clearance to get in. “That’s why I hate politicians.”

Now you have the option to walk around the Presidium or head straight for the tower. You can’t leave the Presidium yet but you can explore. If you choose to explore then once out of the ambassador’s office, head right and into the elcor and volus Embassy. An elcor named Xeltan is telling the elcor ambassador that he has a problem. Talk to him to acquire the assignment Citadel: Xeltan's Complaint. You can talk to the elcor and volus ambassadors to get codex entries and to learn more about these two species. Once you are done head out.

Head down the stairs and you can talk to the Receptionist to get the asari codex entry. Then head up the other flight of stairs and head across to the door opposite to get a few more codex entries. Once out of that room turn right and head into the headquarters for C-Sec. Executor Pallin will be in there and can give a few more codex entries. Heading out of C-Sec HQ, turn left and head into the embassy lounge. Only Private Fredricks is there and can answer a few more questions about the asari consort Sha'ira. Once you leave the embassies talk to Avina and learn more about the Presidium and another codex entry.

From here you can again head for the tower or head across the bridge and go to the Consort's Chambers and talk to Nelyna. This will eventually trigger the Citadel: Asari Consort assignment. Then leave and head left to get into the market district of the Presidium. An Avina terminal is near a krogan statue. It will give some more codex entries and some information on the statue. Once done head over to the Emporium and you can buy some good here. Once done head out and across the bridges to the Citadel Tower. Just outside the elevator to the Tower, is a third Avina terminal, again a few more codex entries are your reward then head up to the Council Chambers.

In the elevator, both Ashley and Kaidan discuss the upcoming meeting and eventually you reach the top. Exit and head up the down the passageway and eventually you see Executor Pallin and a C-Sec officer arguing. When you get close the officer is asking for more time and for Pallin to stall the Council. Pallin rebuffs the officer and leaves, the officer notices Shepard and the squad. He introduces himself as Garrus Vakarian. You can ask him questions about his investigation and what happened. Once you are satisfied excuse yourself any way you want. Then head further up and then select Anderson to meet with the Citadel Council.

Council Meeting
Shepard and Anderson join Udina on the Petitioner's Stage. The asari counselor is discussing that the geth attack on Eden Prime “is of some concern”, but apparently the council is not willing to believe that Saren was involved. Saren says that Nihlus was a fellow Spectre and a friend. Anderson interjects but is rebuffed by Saren. Udina brings up Powell but the salarian counselor rebuffs that, because unreliable eyewitnesses are not valid evidence. Anderson brings up Shepard’s vision, but that was a bad idea. Saren says that he can’t defend himself against dreams, and the turian counselor agrees. The council looks at each other and the asari counselor says that there isn’t enough evidence and Saren is not disbarred from the Spectres. The asari counselor dismisses the meeting and Udina lingers defeated.

Udina joins Shepard and Anderson off to the side and says that is was mistake to bring Anderson into the meeting. Apparently there is some history between Saren and Anderson. You can ask about it but you need to continue. Ask questions about what to do next and Udina will say that as a Spectre, Saren is almost untouchable but he has some contacts that might come in handy. A C-Sec officer named Harkin is a good source for Udina and he suggests talking to him. Anderson says that Harkin was suspended and he suggests talking to Barla Von. You can choose which road to take. Either way you will have a unique experience.

Some recommendations for whom to go after:
 * Shepard’s Class: Sentinel or Soldier
 * Either Route
 * Shepard’s Class: Vanguard or Adept
 * Go to Harkin
 * Shepard’s Class: Infiltrator or Engineer
 * Go to Barla Von

These are just recommendations. You can choose to go whichever route you want to.

Advancing the Plot
After your meeting, head back down the Council Chambers, when you reach the main landing; there will be a salarian scanning one of the keepers. You can talk to him and acquire the assignment Citadel: Scan the Keepers.

Going to Barla Von
Head down the elevator to the Presidium. Once there, head across the bridge to the financial district. Barla Von is located in the bank, next to the Emporium, to continue.

Once inside, Barla Von will tell you that he works for the Shadow Broker and the information he is about to give you would normally cost a small fortune, but he is giving it away for free. Apparently Saren has betrayed the Shadow Broker, not a good move, and now the Shadow Broker is very angry with him. You can respond to it anyway you want. Saren also conned a former Shadow Broker agent named Fist to change his allegiances to him. The Shadow Broker retaliated with hiring a krogan to deal with the problem.

The Shadow Broker has apparently hired a krogan to deal with Fist’s betrayal. When you have all the information you need, head over to the elevator to C-Sec Academy. The elevator is located near the Embassies so the Fast Transit System is recommended, unless you feel like walking. Once you are in the academy, you will see several C-Sec academy officers near a large creature off to the right of the center elevator. When you get close the officers and the large creature start talking. Apparently the officers hauled him in because he was accused of making threats, and they tell him to stay away. The krogan rebuts that he will kill Fist. The officers leave and the Krogan turns his attention to Shepard. After some introductions, you have the option to either allow Wrex to join your squad or not. Choose to because he is a powerful ally and one of the last few Krogan Battlemasters.

Wrex will then mention that there is a turian who is also going after Fist, you can either choose to go the Med Clinic or just go to Chora's Den to deal with Fist. You will be able to select your squad again, and then move on.

Going to Harkin
Head down to Chora's Den, off the Lower Markets in the Wards. When you get near the Den, you will be attacked by two assassins. Use the walls for cover as you take them out. However they love to try to flank you, and considering your low health, take them out before they have a chance to.

This attack will only happen if you haven’t talked to Barla Von.

Once the attackers are down, head into the Den, talk to Ashley and Kaidan for some interesting dialogue, then head to the back where Harkin is sitting. Talk to him, it is more interesting if Shepard is female, and eventually he gives up some things about Anderson. How he used to be a Spectre, and how he butchered the mission. You can head back to the human embassy to ask Anderson, but keep asking and he will eventually direct you to a turian called Garrus Vakarian. He went to get more information about Saren and heard that Dr. Michel at the Med Clinic has some information and he went to go see her.

If you haven't talked to Barla Von yet, or gone to C-Sec Academy, then you will see Wrex making threats against Fist and the Krogan Bouncer telling Wrex off. Wrex leaves brushing aside your squad as he leaves. You can talk to the bouncer, but he isn't very chatty.

Make a break for the clinic, and once you open the door, there are apparently some of Saren’s thugs threatening the good doctor. They ask if the doctor told Garrus about the quarian and she says she hasn’t. Then the thugs take notice of Shepard and the squad, and Garrus takes advantage of the opportunity to put a hole in one of the thug’s heads. Then he rounds the corner and the thugs take cover. Now take out the thugs, use the cover from the entrance to take out the first one then move around the corner to take out the other two. There is an explosive crate near the both of them. If Shepard has overload, then use it on the crate for more of an effect. Usually the cover to the right will be knocked over by the explosion, making taking out the second thug easy. The third sometimes will never stick his head out so send in your squadmates and follow to take out the last thug.

Once they are all down, talk to Dr. Michel and Garrus. Respond to the dialogue any way you want. Eventually you can ask Dr. Michel about the thugs and she says that they came from Fist and Garrus asks to join your squad to help take down the criminal. He will say that the Shadow Broker hired a krogan to deal with Fist and that you should probably recruit him as well. Choose to or not, you will be able to change your squad here. Once you are done, move on.

Going after Fist
Once you have your selected squadmate, you can either head to Chora’s Den or recruit the other squad member.

Once you are getting near Chora’s Den, save your game before you get halfway to the door to the Den. Once you get close it is apparent that the Den is closed and you will have to fight your way to Fist. Once you open the door there is little cover so send in your squadmates in first and to survive either focus on one side or the other. Once one side is down use the cover to take out the rest. Once all the initial enemies are down move around the circle bar, take out the enemy that is on top of the bar, and then use the cover near the entrance to the back to take out the two enemies there. To make things easier here try not to knock over the cover of the enemies here. It will make things easier later. Once they are down open the door that was behind them.

If you are fast enough you can talk to these workers rather than fighting them, you get the same exp either way. If you have enough Charm or Intimidate points, you can persuade these workers to leave without a fight. Once they are gone, one way or the other, access the weapons locker on the wall opposite the next door. Save your game before you enter the door.

The next room contains an aggravated Fist and his last defenses, two turrets. Use the cover on either side of the room to take out Fist and turrets. Stay in cover because the turrets can rip right though your shields. The turrets and Fist for that matter tend to target Shepard rather than the squadmates. Take out the turrets first then focus on Fist, once he falls you start a conversation with him. The first thing he says is to not kill him, then take the opportunity to loosen his tongue. Shepard asks about the quarian and Fist says that she would only talk to the Shadow Broker directly. If you have Wrex then he will say that no one talks to the Shadow Broker, only the agents. He will say that he put her in contact with the “Shadow Broker”, but there will be assassins waiting for her. Get the information then you have a choice if Wrex isn’t in the party. Fist asks to be let go, you can choose to kill him or let him go. If Wrex is in the party then he kills him either way. Now you have 4 minutes to rescue the quarian.

Rescue the Quarian
Before leaving Fist’s office grab the OSD’s on the floor for the Citadel: Reporter's Request assignment and hack Fist’s safe. Once you have everything, head out and prepare to fight more enemies. Use the cover near the door to take them out and move up when you need to. Once all the enemies are down head out of Chora’s Den and down the ramps to the right. Head into the back alley behind the markets, up the stairs. Head down the alley to trigger a cutscene.

The quarian is talking to a turian and asking for the Shadow Broker. The turian tells her that the Shadow Broker is coming, but she tells him the deal’s off. The other assassins nearby pull their pistols and the quarian pulls a grenade and sends them reeling. Then you regain control so kill the assassins, they aren’t hard, but there isn’t too much cover that gives you a clear shot. Once the assassins are down, a dialogue sequence then opens where the quarian first gets angry at Fist, you can respond any way you choose. Shepard then asks about the data and the quarian responds that she has a way to repay Shepard for saving her life. One of your squadmates recommends they continue this conversation in the Ambassador’s office.

Expose Saren
Once back in the embassy, Udina starts on a tirade, “You aren’t making my life easy Shepard. Firefights in the wards, an all out assault on Chora’s Den. Do you know how many people…” Then Udina notices the quarian and asks who she is. Respond any way you want. Then Udina asks the quarian to start from the beginning, and she starts with her name, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya.

Udina asks why a quarian would leave the flotilla and she says that she was on her pilgrimage and was hearing reports of geth. Since the geth drove the quarians into exile, she was curious. She managed to isolate one and salvage its memory core. Since the geth usually destroy their memory cores upon termination, Anderson asks how she was able to salvage it. Ask her and she says that she knew what to look for and was lucky. She plays an audio file that clearly exposes Saren as the person who attacked Eden Prime. She plays another voice that says something about Reapers, but no one recognizes it. The geth revere the Reapers as gods and they existed and wiped out the Prothean 50,000 years ago.

However that knowledge clicks with Shepard as Shepard manages to make sense of the vision from the beacon. Tali elaborates that the geth think that Saren is the prophet for their return. Anderson says that it is irrelevant but the files prove that Saren is a traitor. Udina is all too eager to run to the Council and one of your squad members asks what to do with Tali. Shepard allows her to join the team. Now head for the Citadel Tower to finally expose Saren for the traitor he is.

Once you reach the Council Chambers select Anderson again and enter the second council meeting. While Shepard and Anderson are walking to join Udina, Tali’s evidence is being played for the council. The turian councilor agrees the evidence is irrefutable and the council strips Saren of his Spectre status. Udina however wants more; he wants a Citadel Fleet to lockdown the area and prevent the geth from attacking again. The council warns, however, this could start a war with the Terminus Systems. Respond to that and give the council a piece of your mind. Udina agrees and is just about to call out the council when the asari councilor presents a different opinion. Apparently the turian councilor disagrees and says that it is too soon. You can use the dialogue option to present a different spin, Udina gets a human Spectre and the Citadel doesn’t have to send in a fleet.

Even the turian councilor can’t ignore that logic. The asari councilor asks Shepard to step forward. After a lot of words Shepard becomes the first human Spectre. You can respond to their gesture any way you want, then the Council will forward any information to Udina. Once you are done Udina and Anderson start talking about what Shepard needs and then he pulls Anderson to help.

Leaving the Citadel
Here you have two options, either you can leave the Citadel now or you can complete any outstanding assignments on the Citadel. While leaving you can pick up a few assignments in the Tower, talk to Admiral Kahoku on the first landing for the assignment UNC: Missing Marines, and on the way out you can talk to Garoth for the assignment UNC: Privateers.

If you choose to leave then head for the C-Sec Academy and to the center elevator to head back up to dock 422. If you didn’t recruit Garrus or Wrex earlier they will be leaning against the elevator waiting for you. You can either choose to allow them to come along, or refuse, but take them because the more squadmates the better. Head up the elevator and once at the top talk to Anderson and Udina for more information.

Anderson is being relieved of command of the SSV Normandy and the ship is now under Shepard’s command. Anderson stands respectfully but his body language says that he isn’t happy about him being relieved. Choose your responses and after a time Udina leaves. You can ask Anderson questions and after you have all the information you want head into the Normandy.

Shepard’s In Charge
Once you enter the Normandy, you enter a dialogue with Joker. You can earn some morality points based on the choices you make during the speech. Each option shows a different part of the ship and different people. Once you are done, set a course from the Galaxy Map for your next location. It is recommended that you go to Therum first, but you can go to Noveria or Feros instead.

This is a great time to talk to your crew and start developing your relationship with them. You may tour the ship and talk to them before you leave the Citadel for your next destination. You may also go over the Journal and look for any new assignments you might have acquired.

Enemies

 * Assassin
 * Fist
 * Krogan
 * Krogan Bouncer
 * Thug
 * Turret