Hey, I just thought that I would do a little something on the First Contact War. Also despite my best attempts to find the names of any important characters on the council at the time I failed pretty miserably, so the only person with a name you find out in this story is the main asari character. (If anybody knows the names of my unnamed characters then I'd be happy to hear from you!) Anyhow less of my babbling.
/.../
Sevot awoke with a loud groan as she remembered what she was awakening early for, over the last few weeks the Turians had been increasing military orders and displacing their fleets to a cold relay system, when questioned on why their fleets had been relocated and the increase in military related orders the Turians answers always deflected the question, brought up other problems that the citadel had or just ignored the question down right but enough was enough, today she and her Salarian counterpart had given them a dead line, they either reveal their intentions or threat repercussions in council space. As she rolled out of bed she hit the alarm that had awoke her, it was an old device that didn't include any modern tech but with it being old it had tried and tested technology that could withstand her wrath every morning she was required to awake early. The rest of her immediate morning was a blur from there, washing, eating, reading the news when eating, transport to work, she didn't really awaken till she met the Salarian councillor for a pre meeting to the interrogation of the Turian Primarch. She sighed as she sat down in her chair "So what do we know?" Sevot skipped the greetings, neither her or the Salarian dalatras wanted to be there and they knew each other well enough that they didn't have to say 'hey' every time they met.
The Salarian councillor only spoke after relaxing down in her own custom chair. "We personally have had an increase of military orders by 78.4%, STG reports hidden fleet losses and finally there is reports of military personnel deaths in numbers too great to be accidents."
Sevot rubbed the bridge of her nose as she remembered all the facts. "We also have had an increase in military orders, sensors have indicated that the majority of there fleets are preparing to pass through relay 315 and a source has observed and taking detailed images of carbon scorch marks on 'accident prone' vessels returning to Turian space for repairs."
"Yes, we have had similar observations, not the results of Turian weaponry."
Sevot removed her hand and sat upright. "We don't know of any weapons that leave scorch marks either."
The Salarian cocked her head slightly at this comment. "I didn't say we do not know of weapons that leave such marks." Sevot frowned slightly at the response before the Dalatras continued. "However we also do not know of such a weapon ."
"Okay, so they have unknown weapons firing at them, multiple casualties, who's the culprit?"
The Salarian scratched her right horn before making her response. "I ordered STG to look more into this, it seems the only damage to their vessels occurs in relay 314 space, who ever it is lives in that space."
"Alright then, my sources are telling me the same thing. Lets get this over and done with."
/.../
"As you can see from my evidence provided Councillors, your concern is unfounded." the Primarch said this with a hint of pride, as if he won his argument but Sevot would have none of it.
"Primarch, your evidence is unfounded in its own right, you have provided evidence that can not be certified by independent sources but more worryingly is that you are contradicting evidence from multiple other reliable sources. If we dispatch a fact finding envoy, Primarch, which we are on the verge of doing what will we find?"
The Primarch shifted from foot to foot, his previous arrogant demeanour had vanished somewhat. "You will find that my 1st and 2nd fleets are engaged in live fire war games."
It was the dalatrass turn to silence the Turian. "And the Casualties?"
"Accidental deaths caused by systematic failures."
Sevot was not convinced "Then you won't mind if we perform an autopsy on the bodies to verify your version of events?"
"I'm sorry but I can not allow that, Turian custom states that..."
Sevot silenced the turian again. "Turian custom is not to falsify the truth, Primarch. What will we find when we visit relay 3.1.4?" Sevot wasn't an expert on Turian body language but she was more than sure that with all the mandible twitching and the hopping from foot to foot the Turian before her was nervous, he knew something he didn't want her to know. "What aren't you conveying Primarch? What is so secretive you risk your seat on the council?"
The Primarch looked straight at Sevot after she spoke. "You can't remove me from your council."
The Dalatras picked up on a weakness in the turian that she decided to expoit before her Asari counterpart could. "We can if we find your species are uncooperative and damaging to the well being of civilians in council space."
After a short silence and some pacing the Turian took a deep breath before speaking, as he spoke his eyes line of sight never left the ground. "We found a species activating relay 314, we successfully attacked, destroyed what we thought was their navy and occupied a tactical location, 3 weeks later they retaliated and we have been at war ever since."
Sevot raised a hand to her forehead while the Salarian dalatras scratched her right horn, both were shocked at what they heard. Eventually after great thought Sevot spoke. "You have provocatively attacked an unknown alien species, then when they defend themselves you have declared war upon them?"
The Turian paced again before replying. "Technically yes."
"What was your reasoning for hostile actions?" The Salarian spoke just before Sevot could reply.
"They were attempting to activate relay 314, we attacked before they were successful in accordance to law 13B bulletin 34." At his response the Dalatras returned her hand to her thinking horn while Sevot managed to speak again.
"So let me get this straight, you have attacked an unknown alien species, with great hostility and with little to no warning under 13B bulletin 34, WHICH only applies to species that have had interactions with ourselves"
"Yes but..."
Sevot could barely hold her anger at the Turian any more "I'm not finished! And now after they have retaliated from your own aggressive behaviour you have declared war. So not only have you secretly endangered us all, but you have also made this unknown alien species hostile to the rest of us by your own actions. Now in order to determine if we need to prepare for a second rachni scale war you are going to answer the following questions. What fleets have you sent, how have they handled your hostilities and what are their capabilities."
The Turian was actively shaking now, he knew what could happen because of this, and that was why he attempted to keep his dirty little war under the table such a secret. "my 1st and 2nd fleet are actively engaged in combat, fleets 4-7 are preparing to provide back up. After we occupied an important tactical location they successfully counter attacked and so far managed to repel our forces, we have been at a stalemate ever since. For every ship we destroy they seem to push one out within days that is equally if not more powerful than the one we destroyed, we have lost nearly 400 men on ground another 210 in the navy."
Sevot was shaking, but not from fear but anger at the turian. "So secretly you have actively opened a war with a species as equally as capable as yourself, and then when we question you on it you claim war games?"
The Primarch raised a hand to the back of his neck as he continued to pace. "Please, we have it under control, we have already prepared a device to detonate relay 314 if it comes to it."
Tevos would of laughed if she wasn't so angry. "You mean to say that you are willing to commit genocide in a war you started because they didn't just bow to your aggressive rule?"
"No..."
"Primarch, that is exactly what you are preparing to commit because of that exact reason." Sevot muted the turians translator before looking at her slarian counterpart. "Do you want to flare him or should I?"
The dalatras shook her head in disbeleif. "We need a peace keeping mission sent there immediately."
"I concurr." She unmuted the turians translator before speaking again. "Primarch, you are to put all forces in system 314 into full retreat and await our envoy to assess the situation. Failure to comply will result in more than your seat on the council."
The turian put his hands high in the air. "If we retreat we will allow the enemy to gain strategical positions, it is out of the question."
Sevot's biotics glowed for a second as her anger overflowed. "Then kiss your seat good bye."
The turian paced a few more times before activating his omni tool and speaking to an unknown accomplice. "Order the retreat." he ended it before any more words could be spoken. "I hope you know what you are doing, Councillor." With those words spoken he stormed out of the oval room.
When the Turian was out of ears shot the Salarian spoke. "Why did the maw keep it a secret?"
The Asari sighed as she slumped back down in her chair, when she thought about the question she replied. "Can you imagine the humiliation it would bring upon him if it got out that another species are successful repelling his first and second fleets on their own under such circumstances?"
"Will I need to imagine it?"
Sevot shook her head. "Not if I have a say in the matter."
/.../
So that is my take on why the council took so long to intervene and why the Turians were so heavily reprimanded after the war. Thanks for reading it!
