You have to prove to the Citadel Council that Saren, one of their Spectre agents, has gone rogue.
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. For weapons and equipment, assuming this is your first game, anything you can get your hands on, if you can even afford it provided it's store bought, will work. If you're doing this again, whatever got you through last time should work just fine.
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, but only after having spoken to General Septimus Oraka during Sha'ira's "Asari Consort" assignment (see below). You can talk to the elcor and volus ambassadors, however, to get codex entries and to learn more about these two species. Once you are done head out.
Report to the Council[]
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 2nd door on the left, 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 where you can buy some goods if you want. Once done, head out and across the bridges to the Citadel Tower. Just outside the elevator to the Tower, is a third Avina terminal. Use this for a few more codex entries, 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. It's not necessary to talk to Anderson, simply walking past him triggers the meeting.
Shepard and Anderson join Udina on the Petitioner's Stage. The asari councilor 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 Councilor 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 councilor agrees. The Council looks at each other and the asari councilor says that there isn’t enough evidence and Saren is not disbarred from the Spectres. The asari councilor 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. If you ask for other leads, Anderson suggests talking to Barla Von.
The journal automatically gives the Citadel: Garrus mission at the end of the conversation. If Anderson recommended you to Barla Von, the journal additionally gives you the Citadel: Shadow Broker mission.
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.
Advancing the Plot[]
- Main article: Citadel: Garrus
- Main article: Citadel: Wrex
You must enlist the help of people who can aid your case against Saren by talking to the people that will point you to them. Their stories are intertwined: Dr. Chloe Michel referred a quarian with incriminating evidence against Saren to Fist, a Shadow Broker agent who switched allegiances to Saren. Garrus is helping Dr. Michel against Fist's thugs, while Urdnot Wrex has been hired by the Broker to kill Fist.
All threads point to the quarian and the evidence being in danger, likely held at Fist's bar Chora's Den. Garrus and/or Wrex can be recruited into the squad at the end of their short missions. You only need one of them, though you may take them both at your discretion.
Going after Fist[]
When 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. The bar has a gaggle of Thugs, Bartenders, and the Krogan Bouncer trying to stop you. 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. Try not to knock over the enemies' cover, as you may need them later on the way out.
As one of the first big fights encountered by a brand new character, this can be quite a fight on Insanity. Consider ordering your squad to cover positions back from the doorway, near the balcony pillar, so they won't rush in and get fried; you can take cover in the doorway itself and you'll be able to use your squadmates' powers against any enemies you can see. Staying in the doorway tends to delay the activation of the Krogan Bouncer.
Be careful when the Krogan Bouncer comes around the bar - he's very tricky because of his shotgun and his charge attack; you may need to retreat and regroup before you get him down. Finally, there's a tricksy way to revive downed squadmates: returning to the antechamber with the Citadel Rapid Transit station.
The door to Fist's inner sanctum is locked during the bar firefight, so you can't simply rush your way in. You need to take all enemies down for it to become unlocked. There's an explosive fire containment system beside the door: if you shoot at it, you can at least inflict some poison damage on entrenched goons nearby.
In the next room you will find some armed Warehouse Workers. If you have enough Charm or Intimidate points, you can talk to these workers rather than fighting them. You can persuade these workers to leave without a fight but you get the same exp either way. 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. You only need to take out either both turrets or Fist himself, so focus your aim on either group.
Once Fist falls you start a conversation with him. The first thing he says is to not kill him, so 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 or Garrus 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 OSDs on the floor for the Citadel: Reporter's Request assignment and hack Fist's safe (Easy Decryption). Once you have everything, head out and prepare to fight more enemies. Use the cover in the antechamber near the door to the main Chora's Den area to take them out without being exposed to fire from all of them at once and move up when you need to.
Note: Eliminating the enemies in the bar is not mandatory to proceed, so especially if you're running out of time, you can take a shot at running for the exit with enemies still around. A fire containment system appears next to the exit, so shoot at it if there are goons nearby.
Note: If you stand on the left side of the antechamber, a Thug will soon present himself at close range to be gunned down; if you then wait another Thug will do the same, etc, and you can whittle them down one at a time. Remember that this is a timed segment, so don't take too long.
Once you're out of Chora's Den head into the back alley behind the markets, up the stairs, and beyond the door 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 throws a grenade and sends them reeling.
When you regain control, killing the assassins is the last piece of fighting you need to do for the mission. They aren't especially dangerous, though at least one of them is armed with a shotgun that can hurt quite a bit if you don't seek cover. It's advisable to hit them with Sabotage or biotics immediately at the start of the fight before they all disperse.
Once the assassins are down, a dialogue sequence 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 Protheans 50,000 years ago.
That knowledge clicks with Shepard as they manage 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 can allow her to join the team or ask her to stay behind, either way Tali becomes available as a squadmate.
You can pick your squad team again before you regain control. Afterward you're back in Udina's office while Anderson and Udina have gone on ahead. Make your way to the Citadel Tower; on the way to the rapid transit or Presidium elevator Samesh Bhatia flags you down for attention for the assignment Citadel: Homecoming. You can deal with this now, or later, though if you're aiming for efficiency take Ashley as a squad member before regaining control in Udina's office as she has relevant opinions on the assignment.
Once you're up on the Citadel Tower, Anderson is waiting by the steps. As before, it's not necessary to talk to him, merely strolling past him triggers the next cutscene. 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 grandiose words from the councilors, Shepard becomes the first human Spectre. You can respond to their gesture any way you want; the Council then says it will forward any relevant information on tracking down Saren to Udina. Afterwards, Udina and Anderson start discussing what Shepard needs to begin the mission, such as a ship, crew, and supplies. The Ambassador soon pulls Anderson away to help him with preparations.
Before leaving, Anderson mentions that Shepard should check in with the C-Sec Requisitions Officer for access to more advanced equipment, and that Shepard will get access to special training as well. Sure enough, once you regain control a pop-up message informs you that becoming a Spectre has brought with it some enhancements to Shepard's combat abilities, including the unlocking of special Spectre Training as well as higher levels of Charm and Intimidate.
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 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.
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.
Note: 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 Bouncer
- Thug
- Turret
- Warehouse Worker (optional)
Mass Effect 2 Consequences[]
If Fist wasn't killed, he can be seen again on Omega.
Not recruiting Garrus or Wrex will impact their future appearances to some degree. Garrus has some cosmetic dialogue changes while Wrex may even end up dead, with his brother Urdnot Wreav consolidating power over Clan Urdnot instead of him, which in turn can have significant consequences in the following game as well.
Trivia[]
- The journal entry for this mission can sometimes be mispelled as "Ctiadel: Expose Saren".