#first contact war

[aceouttatime]

You don't have to hold hands to teach sign language, but Viktoria finds it necessary regardless. It's not as if they can just tell each other what they mean--our resident captured kabalim wouldn't understand a lick of it, and Lt. Lunetta isn't great at replicating the chirps, clicks, and trills of whatever turian dialect Iterius is speaking in. Truly a shame they haven't gotten their hands on a decent translating software.

Vik has to arrange her fingers into three to close the gap between them, and I think there's something poetic about that. I'll allow them to have one (1) soft moment. As a treat! Then back to The Horrors.

Anyways. Rendering is hard. I might poke around with this some more.

[dynamitegun]

So the Codex mentions that some Turians have picked up Confucianism and Buddhism in the aftermath of the First Contact War. Since both religions feature the concept of forgiveness and reconciliation as steps to enlightenment, i like to think that Shanxi, the site of the worst fighting during the First Contact War has a small Turian enclave living planetside, who performs civic projects like fundraising and clearing damage still present from the war, like undetonated explosives. Just a handful of veterans who want to make amends for the damage done during the war and are open to living alongside their former enemies as a sign of goodwill.

[illusivesoul]

N7 Month 2023 ‑ Day 28 Prompt: Contact

.

in 2157, turians found human explorers reactivating an inactive mass relay known as Relay 314. This was forbidden under the Citadel regulations, but instead of negotiating, the turians opened fire.

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.

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 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' grandfather, was forced to surrender the Shanxi garrison.

[womandidebuli]

happy n7 day. here's williams family.

ashley's parents. her sister sarah and grandpa williams.

[gwendolyn-of-loxley]

Human teenagers with their dadaist humor teaming up with turian teens to hype up salt, which levos and dextros can consume, as the next big meme post- First Contact War.

At first the turian teens have trouble getting the joke, until they see the intense enthusiasm of the mundane as a form of rebellion, which is a very popular sub-genre of art in the Hierarchy.

Anyway mixed-species schools with packs of teens chanting "SO-DI-UM CHLO-RIDE, SO-DI-UM CHLO-RIDE" in the halls.

[bagog]

N7 Month, 2023 - Day 28: Contact

I get fascinated by the idea of First Contact War reparations from the turians.

++

“Greetings, my name is Gnaeus Burollus, Minister of the Shang-xi Police Action Reparations Oversight Committee. I hope this letter finds you well. On behalf of the Turian Hierarchy, I would like to formally express my condolences for the loss of [autofill human soldier name] in the Shang-xi Police Action of 2157. We grieve this loss with you: it is a great loss for the galaxy whenever a unique, sentient being passes. At the same time, we recognize that death in such a misunderstanding as the Shang-xi conflict is doubly troubling. We salute the fallen on both sides as heroes. As the turian people mourn their own lost in that regrettable conflict, we wish to convey to you our deepest sympathies and the assurance the Turian Hierarchy is committed and re-invigorated in the cause of peaceful diplomacy with races new to galactic travel and Council regulations. To demonstrate this commitment, and in accordance with Council Decree 947-ST, the Turian Hierarchy has partnered with the human banking firm [autofill human banking firm] to help offset the costs incurred by you and your family as a result of the police action of 2157. We recognize no amount of money can replace [autofill human soldier name], but it is the Hierarchy’s hope—one held by all the turian people—that this currency will amplify what [autofill human soldier name] cared about in the galaxy at large, at that it may enrich your life now. For further information on Council Decree 947-ST or to donate to the Orphans of the Shang-xi Police Action fund, visit [autofill extranet address]. Thank you for your time, -Gnaeus Burollus”

“What do you think?” Gnaeus had his arms crossed in front of him, leaning back in his desk chair. Polonia stood nearby reading and re-reading the pad. “Well?” He asked, impatient.

“Give me time,” Polonia shot back. “We’re sending this letter out to 700 people and it represents the hierarchy, I’m taking my time.” She ran her eyes over the letter again. “Hmm, no apology, that’s good we don’t want to be using that kind of language. I think the call for donations to the orphan fund might be overdoing it.”

“You were the one who said you wanted that in there.” Gnaeus rolled his eyes.

“I know, I know. But now that I’m reading it, it feels distracting. And the more they’re distracted from the condolences, the more they’ll be looking for an apology the Hierarchy is not interested in issuing.”

“Okay, I’ll spin up a new draft.”

“Other than that, I think it looks good.”

“You’d be happy receiving a letter like that, right?” He asked hopefully, “You would feel satisfied?”

“Oh absolutely,” she replied almost dismissively. “Have you checked it through a translator? We don’t want another incident where “Welcome, Yoshvette!” turns out to translate as “Devour the people!” in Yosh.”

“As long as you think it’s fine as is though…”

“They’re humans, they’re new, they’re primitive. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel here.”

[my-hot-awkward-turian-boyfriend]

[sol-consort]

Humans having just discovered that the gaint metal tongs in space unlock fast travel through the galaxy: oh boy, can't wait to activate every mass relay we can find, whoever turned these off must be an idiot lol

Turians opening fire without warning at first sight of relay 314 glowing again:

[buglvr24]

Happy first contact day everyone!! Only 39 more years until we meet the Vulcans!

[skitskatdacat63]

2009 Singapore Grand Prix - Fernando Alonso

[voluptuarian]

I love trying to do historical research, you want an answer to a simple question like "could Jews serve in the British army in the 1880s" and you get back

Jews in the American Revolution

Jews in the American Civil War

Jews in World War I

Jews who fought for Nazi Germany

Thanks, that absolutely covers the time period and country I specifically asked for, couldn't have done it without you

[aceouttatime]

WIP sketch of my First-Contact-era unlikely duo: Iterius and Viktoria. I'm letting them have a Single Happy Moment for the sake of my current Need to draw them holding hands. This is definitely how you teach someone sign language! Look at this man, look at him getting his education! (He has no idea what's going on.)

[dynamitegun]

You know how Ashley's entire arc in ME1 revolves around her family being ostracized by the Alliance for her grandfather's actions during the First Contact War? (This is the part of the date, where they go to the bathroom and never come back, btw)

I always felt the scapegoating of General Williams was especially horrible because he was thrown into an unwinnable battle. The Turians gained orbital superiority over Shanxi, and began striking anything that put up resistance.

Faced with either complete destruction, starvation or capitulation, an entire colony of civilians under his care Gen. Williams made the choice to surrender.

And apparently putting innocent lives before some pigheaded sense of honor? Paria for the rest of his life. Hell Ashley claims he'll go down in history beside Benedict Arnold (Who betrayed the infant United States to England during the AWI*) and Vidkun Quisling (The Nazi puppet leader of occupied Norway during WW2) when asked about his reputation.

*It's slightly my complicated then that but now isn't the time

He made a tough decision and people didn't like the outcome.

But the reason I bring this up is because I've always draw parallels with Shanxi being besieged and another battle that it reminds me of.

Bataan.

If you've never heard of it? So long as you're not Filipino or American I can't blame you. In those darkest days after the U.S entered WW2 an entire American army was to find itself fighting a forlorn hope on the Bataan peninsula 30 miles west of Manila after the Japanese invaded the archipelago.

For three months the American and Filipino forces fought a delaying action, waiting for reinforcements that were never to arrive. Bombed day and night as their guns fell silent. Artillery crashing down on them as their stomachs grew lighter from hunger. Day by day they were pushed backwards until almost completely out of supply and men having been fought to near exhaustion, their officers made the difficult choice to surrender.

That fell to Gen. Jonathan M. Wainwright, highest ranking officer left in the Philippines. Before his meeting with his Japanese counterpart, in telegram to President Roosevelt he explained his reasoning. I want to highlight a phrase he used that I think word for word describes Williams position perfectly.

"There is a limit of human endurance and that limit has long since been passed."

Something we're all familiar with as Mass Effect fans is having to make hard choices as a leader, that sometimes there isn't a 'Right' answer. Yet hidden in the lore of ME1 is probably one of the hardest choices in the series that we have nothing to do with.

But we understand.

[antianakin]

Honestly, I don't forgive Hunter OR Wrecker for refusing to explain to those three poor clone cadets that the reason they were abandoned isn't because the clone troopers didn't care or weren't loyal, but because they had chips in their heads FORCING them to obey the Empire's orders even when it meant disloyalty to people they cared about.

Like, Hunter and Wrecker KNOW THIS because Rex, a "reg", came and found them and made sure they got to a place where they could GET THE FUCKING CHIPS REMOVED. Hunter and Wrecker saw what happened to Crosshair, they saw what happened to WRECKER HIMSELF.

And yet they hear these poor cadets feeling so betrayed by being left behind and can't even find it in themselves to EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM to try to lighten that sense of betrayal even a little. They sit there listening to one of the cadets saying "Wow, you're doing so much to find your squad member, I wish the other clones had been that loyal to us" and just accept that comparison in fucking silence.

And the icing on this insulting cake is, of course, that Hunter and Wrecker say they can get the three cadets to a safe place and instead of CONTACTING REX AND THE OTHER CLONES, they decide to send them to fucking refugee island instead. THEY DON'T EVEN LET REX OR ECHO KNOW THAT THERE ARE THREE CADETS STILL ALIVE TO BE SAVED. THEY DON'T REUNITE THESE CADETS WITH THEIR OWN PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN FREED ENOUGH TO BE ALLOWED TO CARE AGAIN. Nope. Gotta take them away to refugee island, away from the entire clone community, and never tell Rex or Echo about them ever even though Rex and Echo are out there TRYING TO SAVE CLONES AS THEIR ENTIRE FUCKING MISSION.

FUCK Hunter and Wrecker for this, SO MUCH. They truly hate the real clones to an absurd degree and it shows and I hate THEM for it.

[milkywayes]

Ohhh tell me about the first contact fic? 😍

GLADLY! thanks!

So, first contact war AU is a popular shakarian trope for good reason but I didn’t really have inspiration to try my hand at it until I watched masters of the air and it just kind of hit me.

Garrus is a jaded military officer. He never took a job at C-Sec after his falling out with his father over the spectre training opportunity, but staying in the military so long has dulled the spark in him. He follows orders well enough to not be demoted, but by the time the first contact war breaks out he’s already grown antisocial and disillusioned, not just with the Hierarchy but also with himself. But he’s competent. Great with guns and armaments. It means he’s ranking officer aboard one of the small warships they send to bomb Shanxi.

No one really expects the humans to put up this much of a fight. They fly missions nearly every day. Every day there’s news of turian losses. No one explains the decisions of Command or what they’re really fighting for, but Garrus has long since stopped expecting them to. He’s just a cog in the machine, and he drinks too much but he does what he’s supposed to, carries on as they all do—until the day Hierarchy Command announces that suicide upon capture orders are now in effect for all soldiers, which also happens to be the unlucky day his ship gets shot clean out of the sky despite their fancy shields and armored hull.

He lives, but barely. The humans find him badly injured and incapacitated. Before he can try to carry out his orders, they take him to a POW camp, which he didn’t realize existed, and clumsily save his life. And there, he meets Shepard, likewise injured, on ‘desk duty’ while she recovers from a special forces op.

He’s not the only prisoner; there’s others, not from downed ships but captured foot soldiers, all of them young and barely out of boot camp. They have no idea there’s kill upon capture orders now.

And that means… it’s on him to tell them.

[gwendolyn-of-loxley]

N7 Month Day 3: Flight

Mini-entry

The shuttle felt like a coffin.

Physically, David was as quiet as the rest of them. Internally, though, he was practically thrashing about. This quiet was the last thing any of them needed, and it was starting to make the whole squad sweat. David started going through ideas in his head. He knew these guys; what could he do?

He unconsciously turned his head, looking at the man beside him. Hendricks. Hendricks was never too hard to crack. But this wasn't mess hall; what could he do? What could somebody who might die in a few minutes still laugh at?

... perfect.

"Hey, Hendricks," David said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "How's your mom doing?"

Hendricks looked at him for a moment, and David was scared that this plan was going to fail before it had even begun.

"Fine," Hendricks said, but slowly, clearly suspicious. "Why?"

With it missing a beat, David practically blurted out, "'cause I heard your momma's so ugly, the marines thought she was a turian. Almost shot her!"

Dead silence. David began to sweat anew. Without thinking, he began to look around. Some of his teammates were starting to smile, but not a word or a laugh was shared. He almost let out a sigh of resignation, when Hendricks piped up from his seat.

"Hell, Anderson, I heard it was a picture of your momma that started this goddamn war in the first place!" A beat. "Scared the turians shitless."

The laughter that followed was unbelievable. Yelchin was practically roaring in her seat, while Olsen and McLeod started crying. Normally, David would have felt pretty small after getting put in his place, but it was the most relaxed he'd felt all day. Maybe even all week.

Maybe they'd make it through this mess after all.