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 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.
Go to Noveria in the Pax system, of the Horse Head Nebula cluster. Noveria is a private world outside of Citadel Space. Only Spectre authority allows your visit, and even then it will not be well tolerated by the businesses and other "interests".
Preparation[]
Of the three core world missions initially available, Noveria has the distinction of allowing you to return to the Normandy—to change squadmates, or to go offworld and level up or buy equipment—at any time before the very last battle. Thus, doing part of Noveria, particularly the part at Port Hanshan, and then returning later to do the rest is more of an option here than on Feros or Therum. On the other hand, the final encounter involves one of the most difficult battles in the game if you are playing at a high difficulty level.
Walkthrough[]
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. Joker invokes Citadel business and states he has a Council Spectre aboard. The controller clears the party for landing, but warns that identity confirmation will be done on arrival, on penalty of impounding the ship if confirmation cannot be established.
When you leave the Normandy head around the hangar. You will run into Captain Maeko Matsuo, Sergeant Kaira Stirling, and a turian who block access into Port Hanshan. You can ask who they are and declare who you're working for (or not). If you say you're with the Alliance, Matsuo remarks you're a long way from home, and some of your squadmates have a quip for that (Garrus and Liara don't).
Regardless of what you tell them they react with suspicion on your presence. Matsuo signals Stirling to take your weapons, citing a strict policy against carrying firearms in Port Hanshan. Before Stirling does, your team pull out your guns and point them at the other party, with one of your squadmembers having something to say on the matter (except Tali).
At this point you can choose to cooperate and deescalate tensions, or refuse to hand over your guns; in the former case, again some of your squadmates have something to say about that (except Liara). Two of the three decisions yield +2 morality points in either direction.
Whichever you decide, Gianna Parasini interrupts via intercom and tells Matsuo to stand down. Shepard's Spectre identity has been confirmed, and with it the privilege to carry guns, and Matsuo is compelled to allow the Commander to enter the port.
When you reach the second landing and pass through some scanners, an alarm goes off. Parasini is there and tells you not to worry, since they are only weapons detectors. The sequence is inescapable; you'll have to talk to Parasini for the lay of the land (Note: It's actually possible to talk to Parasini and not set off the alarms by standing at a small area below the nearest detector: her talk interface range extends up to there). She finally introduces herself as the administrative assistant to Administrator Anoleis, the chief of the port. If you wonder about the heavily-armed nature of the place, Parasini explains it's for protecting the interests and privacy of Noveria's corporations, and you can offer your opinion on that.
To get things going, you have to ask about any unusual visitors. Parasini admits that Matriarch Benezia arrived recently and headed to Peak 15, but explains that Anoleis must approve any request to leave Port Hanshan if you want to follow. If you don't have Liara on your party, one of your squadmates will remind you to take her, banking on the familial relationship with Benezia. Otherwise, Liara herself figures you may want to talk about her mother, which raises the issue of whether Liara can be trusted to side with the team over her mother if it comes to it.
If you don't trust Liara, you can tell her to go back to the ship, and you'll gain an option to change squadmates on the spot. Otherwise, the conversation concludes normally. Whichever the result, proceed to the elevator to the plaza down some stairs after customs, or alternatively backtrack for a while to speak with Matsuo, which again can yield up to +2 Paragon or Renegade points.
Your journal now renames this mission to Noveria: Leave Port Hanshan and adds the mission Noveria: Matriarch Benezia.
Port Hanshan[]
On stepping out of the elevator, you now have free access to most areas in Port Hanshan. The only places off-limits to you at the moment are the garage, the Synthetic Insights offices, and Anoleis' office.
To talk with Anoleis, simply request Gianna to unlock his office for you. On the far side of the main area you'll find the garage entrance, but you'll need a garage pass. If you attempt to leave without one, you will be stopped by an ERCS guard. Lilihierax, the turian near the garage entrance, can provide information about Noveria (and the earliest opportunity for acquiring the Noveria: Peak 15 mission) but will not give up his garage pass.
If you want to buy or sell equipment, the hanar Opold is the merchant to go to. It will even give you the Noveria: Smuggling assignment if you want it. Other interactions are available at the Port Hanshan Mezzanine, and you may get the chance to participate in Noveria: Espionage if you so choose. There's also a hackable terminal at the office-like space on the upper level of the mezzanine, and it yields the assignment Doctor at Risk. You can also disable the security to the SI office from the same room: this will come in handy if you choose to take up an offer from Lorik Qui'in downstairs.
Getting a Garage Pass[]
Now, your only real concern at the moment is on getting a garage pass so you can resume your pursuit of Matriarch Benezia. The other interactions are there for additional credits/experience/morality points/story development, but strictly not necessary. Proceed in whichever way you see fit.
The shortest method of obtaining a garage pass is by ratting out Opold. When you obtain the hanar's package in Noveria: Smuggling, present the evidence to Anoleis. He rewards you with credits and a pass.
The second method requires some verbal maneuvering and even some combat. "The greater the risk, the greater the reward" holds true here. Accept the mission Noveria: Lorik Qui'in.
Whichever way you obtain a garage pass, proceed to Noveria: Matriarch Benezia for the rest of the Noveria story arc.
Cut Content[]
- An unused dialogue suggests it was possible at one point to access the door leading out of the garage early on, which would prompt a pre-recorded message about the Aleutsk Valley transit system being closed due to weather. Contacting Joker, Shepard realizes there's something more going on since the current weather conditions are not unusual for Noveria.[1]
References[]
Mission Index | Next Mission → | |
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Missions | Noveria: Matriarch Benezia |