You're standing in Purgatory, the bass is thumping, and Aria T'Loak is looking at you with that "I own this place and probably you" stare. She wants an army. You need one to stop the Reapers from turning the galaxy into a giant blender. It seems simple. Go find the mercenary leaders, lean on them, and bring them into the fold. But honestly, Aria Blue Suns ME3 is one of the most deceptively glitchy and morally weird quests in the entire Mass Effect trilogy.
Most people just sprint through it. They want those war assets. But if you blink, you’ll miss the fact that you’re basically helping a gang leader named Darner Vosque assassinate a Turian General who’s actually a decent guy. Or, even worse, you’ll hit a bug that leaves your war asset counter at zero despite doing all the legwork.
The Setup: Why Aria Needs the Blue Suns
After the Cerberus takeover of Omega, Aria is cooling her heels on the Citadel. She’s not happy. To take back her station, she needs the "Big Three" mercenary groups: the Blood Pack, Eclipse, and the Blue Suns.
You unlock this specific leg of the mission after Priority: Palaven. Once you've chatted with Aria in the VIP section of Purgatory, she sends you to the Refugee Camp on the Citadel (Docking Bay D2). That’s where you find Darner Vosque.
He’s the guy running the Blue Suns now, and he’s a piece of work. He won’t help Aria—or you—unless you get rid of General Septimus Oraka. If that name sounds familiar, it should. He’s the same Turian you likely helped (or insulted) way back in the first game during the "Asari Consort" quest.
The "Easy" Way (Renegade)
Vosque wants Oraka dead. Plain and simple. The General is sniffing around the Blue Suns' weapon smuggling operations and making life difficult for the gang.
If you’re playing a "shoot first, ask questions never" Shepard, the Renegade path is incredibly fast. You find Oraka in the Presidium Commons, tell him he’s in the way, and basically order a hit.
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- The Benefit: It’s over in thirty seconds.
- The Cost: You lose a veteran officer who could be helping the war effort, and you get 5 Renegade points.
- The Reward: The Blue Suns join the Terminus Fleet war asset immediately.
But honestly? It’s a bit of a waste. You’re a Spectre. You can do better than just being a hitman for a merc boss.
The "Right" Way (Paragon)
If you don't want to execute a high-ranking Turian official, you have to play diplomat. This is where most players get confused because the game doesn't just give you a "Persuade" button.
First, talk to Oraka. He’ll tell you he isn't investigating the Blue Suns just for fun; he’s doing it because the Citadel is short on weapons. He needs high-grade gear to defend the station against the Reapers. If you can find him a supplier who isn't a criminal, he’ll back off the mercs.
This leads you to a Salarian named Kannik, located at the Cipritine Armory in the Meridian Place Market. Kannik is a typical Salarian—smart, pragmatic, and unwilling to take credits. He wants "artifacts."
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Hunting for Artifacts in Kite’s Nest
You can’t finish this quest without leaving the Citadel. You need to hop on the Normandy and head to the Kite's Nest cluster.
Go to the Vular system. You're looking for the planet Vana. Scan the planet, send down a probe, and you’ll find the "Black Market Artifacts" Kannik is obsessed with.
Pro Tip: Don’t bother doing this until you’ve actually talked to Kannik, or the scan might not trigger correctly.
Once you have the artifacts, head back to the Citadel. Give them to Kannik, and he’ll agree to supply Oraka with the weapons he needs. Go back to the General, tell him the news, and he’ll drop the investigation. Vosque is happy (mostly), Aria is happy, and you’ve kept your hands relatively clean.
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The Glitch Everyone Hates
Here is the frustrating part. A lot of players finish the Paragon route, talk to Aria, and then notice their Terminus Fleet war asset hasn't increased.
This is a known bug that’s persisted even into the Legendary Edition. Sometimes, the game "forgets" to trigger the war asset update if you move too fast or if the dialogue with the Salarian merchant gets interrupted.
To avoid this, save your game before handing the artifacts to Kannik. When you give them to him, stay still. Let all the dialogue play out. Check your Journal. If the mission moves to the "Talk to Oraka" stage, you’re usually safe. If the war assets still don't show up, you might have to reload and try again. It's annoying, but losing those 50 points can be the difference between a "perfect" ending and a mediocre one.
Is It Worth It?
Recruiting the Blue Suns adds 50 points to the Terminus Fleet. If you get the Blood Pack and Eclipse too, you’re looking at a total of around 150–200 points just from Aria’s little side projects.
In the grand scheme of the 7,000+ points you need for the "best" ending in the Legendary Edition, 50 points might seem small. But every bit of scrap counts when the Reapers are knocking on the door. Plus, seeing the Blue Suns' ships show up in the final battle (if you look closely) is a nice bit of continuity for fans who have been fighting these guys since the first game.
Actionable Next Steps
If you're currently playing through this section, here is exactly how to handle it for the best results:
- Check your Journal: Ensure you’ve completed Priority: Palaven first, or Aria won't even give you the quest.
- Speak to the General first: Don't just agree to the hit. Talking to Oraka opens up the "find weapons" objective.
- Scan Vana immediately: The Vular system is in Kite's Nest. It’s a quick trip, and you can grab other salvage while you’re there to boost your credits.
- Wait for the update: When turning in the artifacts to Kannik, wait for the "War Asset Updated" notification to appear on the right side of your screen before running off to the next floor.
- Finish the set: Don't stop at the Blue Suns. Go talk to Sayn for the Eclipse and handle the Blood Pack leader in the apartments. Aria’s "army" is only effective when all three are united under her thumb.
Honestly, the moral ambiguity of this quest is classic Mass Effect. You're helping a criminal syndicate thrive just so they'll point their guns at a bigger threat. It’s messy. It’s complicated. And it’s exactly why the ME3's political landscape feels so heavy.