First Contact War

The First Contact War was a small, three-month conflict between the human Systems Alliance and the Turian Hierarchy.

First Contact
Several months after discovering the Charon Relay, humans began a rapid expansion thanks to their new-found connection to the mass relay network. Hoping to expand their territory and driven by immense curiosity about the galaxy, they began activating every mass relay they could find.

However, their actions caught the notice of the turians, who found human explorers reactivating an inactive mass relay (known as Relay 314). This was forbidden under the Citadel regulations after the Rachni Wars, but instead of negotiating, the turians opened fire. A retaliatory force destroyed turian vessels, and the situation quickly escalated into war. To the turians, it was merely a police action against an ignorant species violating Council law; to humanity, it was their first encounter with another intelligent race - and it would shape their views of the galaxy for decades to follow.

The Occupation of Shanxi
Not knowing what enemy they faced, humanity sent probes into turian space, armed with nuclear warheads (equal to the bombs dropped on Hiroshima during the 20th century) to prevent the probes providing dangerous insights into human technology. With humanity's resources stretched thin due to exploration efforts, the turians managed to defeat several scout and patrol fleets. However, there were also extraordinary acts of human bravery. A soldier named Tadius Ahern and a small squad were sent to retrieve a data module, only to be beset by dozens of turian soldiers. With just a couple of defence turrets to assist them, a small strong point and no cover, Ahern and his men managed to fight the turians off for five minutes until their evac arrived.

Eventually the turians broke through to attack Shanxi, the closest human colony to the mass relay, and settled in for a protracted orbital siege. With the turians in a superior position, able to kill any human soldiers from above, the Shanxi defenders began to starve, unable to get food or supplies without risking civilian lives. Eventually General Williams, Ashley Williams's grandfather, was forced to surrender the Shanxi garrison.

The turians - who were also suffering logistical problems, as they had to ship in all their food - believed they had defeated the bulk of the enemy forces. But they would be proven wrong when a month later Admiral Kastanie Drescher led the Second Fleet against Shanxi, catching the turians by surprise and evicting them from the planet. The turians and humans prepared for full-scale interplanetary war, drawing the notice of the rest of the galaxy.

Peace and Consequences
Fortunately, the Citadel Council then intervened to negotiate a peace and bring the war to an end. It was at this time that humans learned that there were many more sentient species among the stars. In the end, only six hundred and twenty-three human lives were lost with slightly more turian casualties. The only notable engagements were the turian attack on Shanxi and its subsequent liberation by human forces.

Humanity's first contact with an alien race would later create a bad reputation for humans on the galactic forum - and likewise create a climate of xenophobia amongst the human race. Also, some of the armed probes are still at large. Their existence remains an Alliance secret.

The turians refer to the First Contact War simply as the 'Relay 314 Incident'. After the war was over, the Council ordered the Hierarchy to levy heavy reparations to the Alliance for their actions. Both sides would harbour mistrust for a long time, especially Saren Arterius, who nurtured a dislike for humanity for the death of his brother. However the construction of the SSV Normandy, which was built by engineers of both races, began to mend relations between humans and turians.

Human

 * Admiral Kastanie Drescher
 * Admiral Ahern
 * Jon Grissom
 * David Anderson
 * Jill Dah
 * Navigator Pressly's grandfather
 * Ashley Williams's grandfather

Turian

 * Saren Arterius (possible) and his brother
 * Commander Vyrnnus