You have been approached by Conrad Verner. He seemed like a harmless fan.
Acquisition[]
Once you gain free rein to explore the Citadel after arriving there for the first time, you can encounter Conrad Verner standing in the Upper Markets on the Wards, at the top of the stairs leading to the Lower Markets. He will wave Shepard down in passing.
Walkthrough[]
This assignment is completed in three parts. Conrad disappears after each part, only reappearing in the same spot after completion of mission chains on a major plot world (Therum, Feros, and Noveria) if he wasn't killed.
Warning: If you talk to Conrad for the first time only after completing the missions on the 3 major worlds, you will not be able to finish the assignment. While there are more plot missions after these worlds, access to the Citadel will be cut off once you leave for Ilos due to story developments.
First interaction[]
Conrad is interested in Shepard after hearing about the mission on Eden Prime and asks politely for an autograph to impress his wife. You can give him the autograph or tell him to forget it, either way Conrad will leave without incident.
Second interaction[]
After completion of a core mission world, Conrad reappears and congratulates the Commander for becoming a Spectre. If you were rude to him in the first interaction he brushes it off as you being "too busy", and hopes again for another try. Conrad asks for a photo as proof that he met "humanity's first Spectre" (if Shepard is male) or the "beautiful Commander Shepard" (if Shepard is female). Again, you can either agree to pose for a picture or tell him to get lost.
If you tell him to get lost you end the assignment. He'll go away trying to prove Shepard's not the only one who can stand up for humanity. A news item in the Citadel elevator later reports that Conrad tried to prove himself by attacking a group of turians and was killed.
Third interaction[]
If you didn't blow him off on the second interaction, after another completed core mission world Conrad waves Shepard down again. He says he wants to be a Spectre as well and asks Shepard to sign him up.
If you tell Conrad in no uncertain terms to get lost, he meets his fate the same as if you ditched him on the second interaction. Alternatively, if you give him a chance to explain his answer changes depending on your psych profile. Shepard can Charm Conrad and convince him that he is better off staying at home with his wife, or Intimidate Conrad to convince him that he is not Spectre material. Either option causes him to stand down and grants morality point rewards.
Mass Effect 2 Consequences[]
If you Charmed or Intimidated Conrad in Mass Effect and carried your save over to Mass Effect 2, he will be wearing knock-off N7 armor and threatening a bartender on Illium. He claims that when Shepard shoved a gun into his face (regardless of whether you did or not—see below), it inspired him to be extreme.
Mass Effect 3 Consequences[]
If Conrad lived through the previous two games, and if you completed Citadel: Rita's Sister in the first game, Jenna saves Conrad's life using an omni-tool trick she learned from Chellick to hack the gun of a Cerberus agent as Conrad leaps to take a bullet for Shepard. Conrad and Jenna then get acquainted over his relationship with the Commander.
Trivia[]
- There is a glitch associated with this assignment. It is possible to hear the announcement in the elevator of Verner's death and then go and speak with him to continue the assignment. However, he will still be considered dead for the purposes of Mass Effect 2 game importing (unless you agree to give him the photo and autograph).
- If Conrad lives at the end of the assignment, another glitch causes the Conrad encounter to be flagged both as "Intimidated" and "Charmed" in the importable save file, apparently leading to Mass Effect 2 picking the former over the latter and triggering Conrad's presence on Illium. Conrad will always claim you pointed a gun at him regardless of prior choice.
- In Mass Effect 3, this glitch is "canonized" if Conrad is encountered at the Citadel docks, where he apologizes profusely for potentially accusing you of waving a gun at him, stating that he was "under a lot of stress at the time."