Disclaimer: Mass effect is the property of Bioware and EA.

Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime. ~Ernest Hemingway

In 2037, a joint Asarian-Salarian Expedition Ship makes a discovery in the reaches of Citadel Space, discovering a dormant mass relay, near the edge and activate it. Although being forbidden by Council-law, to do so; these somewhat young and eager explorers are driven by a quest for the unknown, and funded by an unknown Citadel diplomat aswell.

They discover the system H-7Q, years later to be known as the Sol system. And on the third planet from the sun, they discover the race known as Humans.

Initial contact with humanity is somewhat hostile and disturbing, yet the crew manages to open talks with the leaders of humanity, and relay this message to the Citadel Council.

While the Asari Councilor Tevos is happy to discover a race similar to them by views and appearances, and the Salarian Councilor Maran are ecstatic about the discover of a new, premature-space age race. The Turian Councilor Larceus, an old general and very conservative politician however is a bit disturbed, with the 'humanity' being close to turian borders and not wanting to avoid another Krogan Rebellion, fears coming from having been relayed the history of Humanity.

Despite skepticism, the Council send a diplomatic envoy to the planet 'Earth'. However the Turian Councilor Larceus sends a 'protection' patrol aswell under the command of General Archus Arterius.

Despite somewhat 'warm' welcomes before, talks between the Citadel envoy and the UN, turn cold with the orbiting of the turian patrol fleet. Some humans even claim an invasion by the 'Council'. Talks continue to sour down during the two years. Humanity wanting to retain their independence, not be subjugated to the Council rule. The Council themselves disturbed by humanities history of warfare, and it's huge stockpile of nuclear arnaments by a single planet.

Talks continue and sour for another year, with envoy's being escorted by turian guards. A salarian STG operative warns, that a war may be imminent with the humans, yet his warnings are dismissed due to the Council's so called 'strength' and 'technological' superiority. Yet on a autumn day in 2040 all hell breaks loose, near the UN with a minor scrutiny between a human protest group and turian guards unit, ending with two guards with minor injuries and a six humans dead. This incident sparks the fire, that had been waiting for three years, with humanities xenophobia being unleashed.

A war between the Council-Humanity has began, with hundreds of humans assaulting the UN. General Archus Arterius deploys soldiers to evacuate the Council envoy at any cost. This end with atleast three turians dead, six injured and about fifty humans dead; but with the envoy evacuated. Called the 'UN Massacre', the US retaliates immediately with nuclear missles, destroying two turian frigates, and crippling a cruiser, before General Arterius, pulls his ships away from the human missles. He then commisions the 'pacification' of the humans.

What was predicted to be a quick assignment, turns into a massacre for the turians: humanities war machine having been revved up, and the once splintered humanity being united very quickly against the turian 'invaders'.

Fightings drag for months, turians having the better firepower, yet being stuck in an unknown enviroment, and being heavily outnumbered. Rumours start to spread about General Arteriuses's mentality, yet he remains due to his experience with humanity. Fightings continue, humanity using their numbers to overwhelm turian positions, despite using bullets, they do their work in massive quanities.

Predictions are made: pacifying humanity may take about 70,000 turian lives, due to humanity being adaptable and spread out. But the last nail to the General's mentality comes from a report of humans wielding reverse-engineered mass accelarators, with intelligence of humans starting to develop starships from destroyed turian transports, and the downed turian frigate.

In 2141, the Council-Humanity war comes to an extreme end. General Archus Arterius, sending an iron-platinum-tungsten rich meteor hurling towards Earth. Killing Humanity and destroying the garden world, the meteor inducing a 'nuclear-like' dust winter upon the planet. Salarian scientists conclude the planet to be covered for 1000 years, destroying the eco-system and blocking out 95% of the sun's rays.

Total casualties for the war are: 6365 turians dead, along with 8 asari and 3 salarian espionage and biotic supports. Yet the political backlash is predicted to be even higher: opening of a dormant mass relay and usage of a Tier I WMD by the Turian Hierarchy on a garden world, and failure to remove an unstable general from combat. After several debates, the Council agrees to simply leave the system; colonizing the system feeling unethical and dangerous from a political point.

Journey's and information about H-7Q are classified and closed, with the Council-Human war, 'officially' never happened, as well as the Turian Councilor Larceus resigning.

H-7Q system, declared officially to having a neutron star in the system, with journey's to H-7Q being forbidden, and a permanent turian patrol stationed to the other side of the H-7Q relay, hiding the biggest plunder and darkest secret of the Council: the Sol system, and humanity.

A hundred years pass, and the H-7Q relay remains quiet, former soldiers die, and other's forget about that dreaded system. By 2157, the H-7Q is known as a unhospitable system, circled by a neutron star, that had destroyed a turian patrol, sent to find an overly curious research vessel, and acts as a warning to opening dormant relays. Also inspiring many fantasy tales to many species, ideas about the H-7Q system and the neutron star. Everyone oblivious to the truth...

And on the planet Nerva, an asari colony near relay 314. The children of the Council's blood will flow, for the sin's of the before, shall take vengeance on the present, and fear will shatter anyone in their way. The Black Legion has arrived.

A/N: Will continue beyond the First Contact War, to ME1 upto ME3, if I'm feeling like it. Heavily AU, yet will follow canon ideas.