The Fire Fighters
Locations: Nexus, Kadara
After successfully colonizing Eos, Dr Aridana (the asari of the Three Scientists), requests your help by email. Visit her in the Nexus Tech lab to learn more.
She'll give you a disk of equations for SAM, to be uploaded directly to the SAM node. Nothing suspicious there. When you give SAM the disk, she's overcome by a malicious virus. While her avatar is catatonic, a hologram figure suddenly appears in this area, running from panel to panel.
Interact with the panels in the order that the hologram does to save SAM. Once she's back online, it's time to have a word with the good blue doctor. Dr. Aridana claims ignorance, and since she is the quest-giver of a long-term task, I suppose we should believe her. The next step is to locate the busted Avina that Lucan mentioned. It's right outside and down from the Tech Lab (and yes, you can hop the balcony railing to get there).
Once in conversation, Devil-Avina will become a mouthpiece for a hacker in the organization which masterminded the attack. Play along and the hacker says he'll see if he can get the group's leader, Knight, to invite you over.
The quest is then put on hold until you have access to the planet Kadara.
When Kadar becomes available, read Knight's email, then follow the navpoint to her mountain hideway.
Grab the titanium deposit just to the east, then head inside to meet Knight herself.
She talks about her past with Project Overlord (….ah, memories…), and how she has some sweeping new action planned. That's probably not good news.
There are two ways to get info on her next operation. The quick but bloody way is to scan the base for clues. You'll need to scan the wall-mounted Nexus Network Map downstairs, the Schematics at the base of the stairs, and the small EMP device on a desk upstairs.
Using your scanner too many times will incite the locals to attack. Don't sweat it, however, because after you hack Knight's console to get the relevant data, they attack anyway.
Kill them, and head back to Nexus for the last leg of the quest.
If you don't want to bloody your hands on this mission, keep your scanner closed, and instead talk to Alain Knight in a room on the downstairs level.
The implants which used to allow him normal life were damaged during his Project Overlord involvement. SAM can design a way to fix them, but you'll need to get to a research & development station to actually make the tech. The quickest one to get to is the one back aboard the Tempest (just call for extraction outside).
Craft the 'Cybernetic Device' in the plot section of the R&D station, then take it to Alain. He'll be so overjoyed he slips up and mentions the name of his mom's next plan- Mercury. You can now hack the console upstairs to search for Mercury without triggering hostilities.Once you have your info, head back to the Nexus.
Back on the Nexus, Kandros will tell you they've received warning about Knight's EMPs. If you helped Alain, Kandros will report that one of them has already gone off, damaging Hydroponics. Either way, you still have to locate and defuse three. One is hidden behind a planter box just outside the Vortex door (to the left/south).
Knight will realize she's been played, but you still have time to defuse the two EMPs in Ops. One is hidden under a desk near the security footage terminal.
The other is in Addison's office, hidden behind the console right next to Spender.
Kandros lets you know this is the last one- except for the one Knight is carrying herself. She wants to talk to you in the Docking Bay. If you massacred her friends on Kandara, this only ends with a sniper shot. If you cured Alain and tell her so, she'll hand over the device peacefully.
Either ending completes the mission for a modest XP reward, but no Viability points.