An anonymous message suggests sinister motives behind the capture of the salarian ark. Follow the leads to uncover the truth.
Acquisition
After returning to the Tempest after completing the objective "Meet The Pathfinders" of the prerequisite mission above, Kallo Jath sends an email that requests to speak to you after receiving an anonymous message.
Walkthrough
Speak with Kallo
Kallo has received an anonymous audio message from someone claiming that that the Paarchero was not captured by chance. There's no more information. If you want to know more, you'll have to go meet the sender on Havarl.
Go to the meeting point on Havarl
The meeting point is in the cave at the south end of the Chasm of the Builders ravine, near the entrance to Mithrava Ascent.
Stop the ambush
As Pathfinder Ryder and the squad jump over the wall which looks down on the meeting point, a kett shuttle arrives, with an Anointed and several Chosen. Defeat the enemies.
Search the area
Two large cases are in the area to be scanned. One contains Dry Rations and second contains Capture Gear (a net launcher, restraints, and sedatives); clearly, the kett were planning to take someone alive. There is a container in the area that can be looted.
Examining the case after scanning it reveals who that someone is: Major Saelen Varn of the STG, now retired, who emerges from the shadows and introduces himself to Ryder. Varn believes that the capture of the ark wasn't by chance. His best suspect is the biologist Dr. Medrow Aden, who is studying the kett, and he needs a Pathfinder to determine the truth of the matter. (Varn didn't go to the salarian Pathfinder with this because he's not sure he can trust the salarian Pathfinder's team not to be part of the conspiracy, but Ryder obviously had nothing to do with what happened to the salarian ark.)
Varn needs Ryder to examine Dr. Aden's equipment and a kett who might be Dr. Aden's handler. Both can be found on Voeld.
Ryder is awarded +29 AVP 
and +2% Havarl viability.
The two objectives gained from Varn can be completed in any order.
Scan evidence from kett handler on Voeld
The kett handler can be found at a small base in the open on Voeld northeast of Techiix. Even if the Vault has been activated during Restoring a World this will still be a hazard area, so fight into the inside of the building quickly to get warm if Ryder is unable to dispatch the kett quickly. Ryder will be fighting several Chosen, a Destined, and an Anointed. The handler himself has armor, unusual for a kett.
Scanning the handler shows that he has a Milky Way transceiver implanted under his skin, for some reason.
Ryder is awarded +29 AVP and +2% Voeld viability.
Scan Dr. Aden's equipment on Voeld
Dr. Aden's equipment is in the back of the Techiix settlement, which can be easily reached from a Forward Station. There are three pieces of equipment. Each piece of Lab Equipment can be scanned for +10 
(+30 total). The mass spectrometer shows signs of chemicals used in the exaltation process, which may be evidence against Aden, but doesn't really prove anything. There is a container in the room that can be looted.
Ryder is awarded +29 AVP and +2% Voeld viability.
When both of these steps are completed, Ryder decides to consult the salarian Pathfinder on the Nexus (This will either be Zevin Raeka or Lumont Hayjer depending upon Ryder's prior choices).
Speak to Raeka/Hayjer about your findings
The salarian Pathfinder can be found on Nexus, and thinks there's probably something to all this, but can't get ark leadership to do anything either, and therefore suggests that Ryder visit the apartment of Rand Lon, an Ark officer who was woken up early. If Lon won't talk, perhaps the scanner will pick up something.
Search Rand Lon's apartment
Lon's apartment is with the other apartments near the docking bay on the Nexus. Lon isn't home and the door is locked, but SAM can hack it.
- Inside, a terminal has some messages which are either strangely worded or coded.
- Scanning the personal terminal reveals that data was recently cleaned from it.
- Scanning the plant in the kitchen reveals a cotton fiber with a neurodepressant chemical stuck to one leaf.
- Scanning the bed reveals that Lon, or someone else in the room, has tracked back dust from an alien world.
- Scanning the coffee table reveals a talcum powder spill.
- Scanning the kitchen counter reveals what Lon had for breakfast; these last two probably won't be very important to the investigation.
SAM believes he can determine exactly where the dust came from. When everything's scanned, the next objective will start.
Leave Rand Lon's apartment
Ryder bumps into Rand Lon at the door to the apartment while leaving. The upshot of the conversation is that Lon says Varn is being paranoid, and that Ryder shouldn't bother with the investigation. But there's still the matter of that dust, so...
The navpoint
is in the Hell's Promise region in the far north on Elaaden. Fast travel to either forward station in the north and travel either northwest or northeast (depending upon the forward station chosen). Keep in mind that this area is not all that close to shade or a forward station, so watch life support if Elaaden's environment is still hostile. The navpoint is near a crashed shuttle. Nothing else visible but a lot of sand.
Scan the ground
On the northwest side of the shuttle, Ryder will be able to scan footprints, which indicate that multiple individuals dragged something heavy off to the southwest. There is a container in the shuttle that can be looted.
Follow the tracks
Over the ridge, Ryder will see a bunch of scavengers around a large piece of machinery 
. The trail leads right to the scavengers.
Defeat the scavengers
There is not much cover here, and Ryder will be facing 2 Adhi, an Anarchist, and a bunch of Raiders. Defeat the enemies. Ryder will find Saelen Varn here after the battle, injured but alive.
Help Saelen
A little medi-gel gets Varn on his feet; Ryder learns that Dr. Aden had him shot with a poisoned dart. Ryder will also learn that that Varn hasn't met Ryder before. Dr. Aden was impersonating Varn earlier, using a stolen camouflage device. Apparently, Ryder's scanner is powerful enough to wipe data from the communication system Aden's been using, so Ryder's investigation so far has accomplished nothing except covering Aden's tracks.
Varn's convinced that there's a conspiracy here. Even though Aden is guilty, a biologist wouldn't have been able to change the Paarchero's course and hand it over to the kett, so others had to be involved. Fortunately, the dart offers leverage over Aden, since it can provide evidence that Aden's guilty of attempting to murder Varn, at least. This means that Ryder can draw Aden out into a meeting on neutral ground, which turns out to be a set of caves on Kadara.
There is a large orange container on the machinery platform that can be looted.
Ryder is awarded +29 AVP and +2% Elaaden viability.
Speak to the impostor in Kadara's caves
Travel to the forward station in the Sulfur Springs region and head south to the navpoint at the entrance of a cave. (The cave itself is located just inside the Draullir region.)
As Ryder enters the cave, SAM warns that there's toxic gas present. Inside the cave, Ryder finds the Fake Varn, but Ryder isn't willing to play along with the charade any further.
Note: The container next to Fake Varn/Aden will vanish after concluding the mission, so loot it before talking to Aden.
So Dr. Aden reveals himself, just as the real Varn shows up. Aden reveals that his group, believing that the kett were invincible, decided to pretend to be collaborators in order to infiltrate the kett and destroy them later. (Dialogue here will be a bit different depending on whether the main mission has been completed before this mission or not.)
Aden claims to have a lot of valuable intel on the kett, and wants to trade that intel for freedom for the conspirators. Ryder can accept the deal or arrest him.
- If the deal is accepted
The Kett: Secret Intelligence codex entry becomes available.
- If the deal is rejected
Major Saelen Varn arrests Aden and will search for the other conspirators. Major Varn will show up as an ally for the final battle during Meridian: The Way Home.
Aftermath
If Ryder accepted Aden's deal, this email comes in:
If Ryder ordered Aden's arrest, this email comes in:
Rewards
- +1330 XP