A Call for Action
Arriving at Ambassador Udina’s offices at Citadel Station, Captain Anderson and Commander Shepard listen in as the political voice of their people hollers demands at holographic images of the Council board.
Udina is outraged. The geth must pay for their ruthless attack on Eden Prime.
The Council admonishes the enraged ambassador, saying the Alliance knew the risks of founding a colony so close to the Terminus Systems.
They inform the ambassador that Citadel Security is currently investigating the possibility of Saren’s involvement, and refuse to discuss the matter further until the official hearing.
Turning away from the monitor, Udina sees Captain Anderson, Commander Shepard, and the rest of the Eden Prime ground team standing in his office.
The Ambassador is obviously quite upset over what transpired at Eden Prime.
Captain Anderson is impressed that the human ambassador managed to convince the Council to grant them an audience, but Udina isn’t so optimistic.
Eden Prime was a disaster: Nihlus is dead and the beacon was destroyed. Shepard’s chance at being inducted into the Spectres now stands in jeopardy.
They can only hope that the C-Sec investigation turns up evidence against Saren. Because he is the Council’s top agent, issuing such grave accusations against the Spectre without proof won’t win the Alliance any favors.
Udina asks to meet with Captain Anderson in private so they may discuss the coming hearing. He asks Shepard to meet them outside the Council chambers atop the Citadel Tower before the hearing begins.
You’re now free to explore the Presidium: a large, open area where various embassies and other important offices are located.
If you’re not interested in exploring the Presidium at the moment, simply proceed to the area’s northwest elevator ride up to the Citadel Tower.
Citadel: Presidium
Captain Anderson and Ambassador Udina are waiting for you near the Council chambers atop the Citadel Tower, but what’s the rush?
Opt to spend some time exploring the Presidium, where careful investigation and inquisitive conversations can net you a few optional assignments and a variety of new Codex entries.
You can’t actually complete any of these assignments just yet; you’re only able to obtain them for future reference.
Refer to the previous Citadel maps to learn the locations of all characters and objects mentioned in the sections and tables that follow.
Shopping at the Emporium
If you’re looking to purchase new gear, visit the emporium at the Presidium’s southern end and speak with the Emporium Shopkeeper—a friendly, floating hanar—to browse the being’s wares.
Citadel: Tower
When they arrive at the Citadel Tower, Shepard and company catch the tail end of a conversation between two C-Sec operatives, a pair of turians named Garrus and Executor Pallin.
Garrus pleads with his superior to stall the hearing and grant him more time to investigate Saren’s involvement with Eden Prime.
Pallin laughs at Garrus, saying his investigation has reached its end. The executor then turns to leave.
Garrus greets Shepard after Pallin departs. He believes Saren is hiding something and suspects his guilt, but reluctantly admits that his investigation has turned up no incriminating evidence.
He wishes Shepard better luck at the hearing.
There’s little else to do about the tower at the moment. Sprint forward and speak with Captain Anderson, who awaits you at the foot of the Council chambers’ elegant stairway.
The captain informs you that the hearing is already in progress and leads you upstairs.
Burden of Proof
Anderson and Shepard arrive just in time to hear the Council label the geth attack at Eden Prime as a matter worthy of concern.
The good news stops there, however. C-Sec’s investigation has turned up nothing, and the Council board sees no reason to suspect Saren’s involvement with the geth.
Ambassador Udina reminds them that an eyewitness saw Saren murder Nihlus in cold blood during the raid, but the Council is reluctant to accept the testimony of one traumatized dock worker over that of a decorated Spectre agent.
Attending the meeting by means of holographic projection, Saren expresses his resentment over the accusations put forth by the humans.
He says Nihlus was a dear and valued friend, a remark Captain Anderson quickly counters by saying that was how Saren was able to get close and assassinate Nihlus without a fight.
Leveling his gaze on the captain, Saren jests that Anderson always seems to be involved whenever false accusations are brought against him. The two must have a past that Shepard wasn’t aware of.
Jump into the dialogue when you have the chance to question and accuse Saren however you like. The slippery turian seems to have an answer for everything.
He even takes the opportunity to voice his opinion that humanity isn’t ready to join the Council, or even the Spectres.
The banter continues until the final point comes to light: proof is required in order for the Council to take any action against Saren.
Since no such evidence exists, the Council has no option but to clear Saren’s name and deny Udina’s petition to disbar the turian from the Spectres. The hearing draws to a close.
History Lesson
Exiting the Council chambers, Udina says it was a mistake bringing Anderson into the hearing; he and Saren have too much history together.
The captain insists that he knows Saren. He believes now more than ever that the Spectre has indeed gone rogue. Anderson, however, won’t go into detail on his past with Saren.
The group decides that their next objective must be to find some way to discredit Saren. He’s untouchable as a Spectre and must be exposed so an appeal can be made to the Council for aid.
Kaidan and Ashley recall their recent run-in with Garrus and suggest they follow up with the C-Sec officer. Perhaps he’ll be able to assist them in bringing Saren down.
Unfortunately, the ambassador’s only contact with C-Sec is an officer named Harkin, who was recently suspended for drinking on the job.
Anderson rebukes the idea of enlisting Harkin’s aid, saying he’ll have nothing to do with such a pitiful degenerate.
Udina has no problem with that; he no longer wishes Anderson to be involved in their investigation of Saren. Udina reiterates that Anderson’s past history with Saren will only hinder their case.
Your response to this statement can net you morality points.
Anderson reluctantly agrees with Udina. He tells Shepard that Harkin can likely be found drinking himself silly at Chora’s Den, a seedy hangout in the Lower Wards.
Ask the captain if he knows of any other leads. He advises you to speak with Barla Von, a volus known to work for the Shadow Broker.
The Shadow Broker deals in information and secrets, and there’s a good chance he’ll have some dirt on Saren.
You may now question Captain Anderson about his past with the Spectre-gone-rogue. He says that 20 years ago, he and Saren were working on a mission to find and remove a known terrorist threat.
On that mission, Saren proved himself capable of cold, ruthless killing just to get a job done.
The Spectre completed his mission, but at the cost of hundreds of innocent lives. Anderson realized the type of turian Saren was that day.
Continue questioning Captain Anderson to learn much more about Spectres, the Council, Harkin, Barla Von, and a wide variety of related topics. Explore all options to uncover a new Codex entry.
After you’ve finished speaking with Captain Anderson, you’re free to carry out your investigation into Saren’s guilt however you choose. You’re given free run of the Citadel and may fully explore all of its levels.
Many optional assignments are available for undertaking at the Citadel, but your primary mission can only be advanced in one of two ways: speak with Harkin down at the Lower Wards, or visit Barla Von at the Presidium.
The choice is entirely up to you.
For the purposes of this walkthrough, we guide you to see Barla Von.