Mass Effect 3 Walkthrough Part 11: Normandy Part 2

Your return to the Normandy following your rescue of the new turian Primarch Victus on Palaven’s moon will be brief, but consequential. As you return to the ship, you will receive a message from the asari of the Council. The asari representative will inform you that, due to increased pressure on the asari homeworld from the Reapers, the species will not be attending your summit. As you regain control, you should turn around and use the console to call Admiral Hackett. Tell him that the asari won’t be at your summit. You can also ask for information about the battle for Earth.

Head out of the starting room and speak to Victus, who will be awaiting you outside. He will express concern for his home planet. You can act cold and selfish to earn Renegade points, or sympathize and share your concern for Earth to gain a few Paragon points. At the end of the conversation, he will tell you that Garrus is waiting in his usual spot by the Weapons Battery area. Head down the long hallway and through the door to speak with him. If you are playing a female, keep in mind that you will be able to flirt a bit with Garrus, especially if you did so during Mass Effect 2 as well.

There will not be much else to do on the Normandy on this visit, other than advance the story. Head to the Crew Quarters floor and into the AI Core to find the problem. You will find two men with fire extinguishers standing in front of the door. Enter and they will begin to hose the area off. From the mist will emerge a familiar form, speaking in a familiar, but wrong, voice. Continue the conversation to discover what happened and learn that EDI will now be able to accompany you on ground missions.

At this point, you are free to head to the Galactic Map and begin preparations for the summit. However, there will be numerous side missions available to you at this point, and it might be in your best interest to collect the experience and items that they will provide before proceeding with the main storyline. In order to find many of these missions, you will have to head back to the Citadel. Visit with Kaiden or Ashley, and make your rounds around the different areas of the Citadel. Along the way, you will find a surprising new source of missions. Aria, the slumlord from Mass Effect 2, will await you on the Citadel, in the nightclub Purgatory. This guide will cover the following side quests before returning to the main quest: Apien Crest: Banner of the First Regiment, Aria: Blood Pack, Aria: Blue Suns, Aria: Eclipse, Barla Von, Batarian Codes, Benning: Evidence, Biotic Amp Interfaces, Grissom Academy: Investigation, Hanar Diplomats, Heating Units, Improved Power Grid, Irune: Book of Plenix, Ismar Frontier: Prototype Components, and Kite’s Nest: Pillars of Strength.