The European Space Agency's Lowell City in Eos Chasma becomes the first permanent human settlement on
Mars
.
2125 CE
The
yahg
, an intelligent pre-spaceflight race, are discovered on the planet Parnack. Ambassadors representing the
Citadel Council
arrive on the planet and attempt to open diplomatic contact. After the ambassadors are killed by the predatory yahg, the Council ceases all contact with the yahg and declares Parnack off-limits.
Not long after the yahg are discovered, one yahg is captured for the
Shadow Broker
to study. With the Broker's assistance, the yahg rapidly ascends within the Broker's organization as "Operative Kechlu". Eventually, the Broker becomes wary of "Operative Kechlu" and attempts to have him terminated, but the order is sent too late. The yahg assumes the mantle of the Shadow Broker and directs the organization for the next sixty years.
Humanity
discovers a small cache of highly advanced Prothean technology hidden deep beneath the surface of Mars on the south polar region of Promethei Planum. Building on the remnants of this long extinct race, humans quickly explore the science of
mass effect fields
, leading to the development of
faster than light
travel and beginning detailed exploration of the Sol system.
2149 CE
Following information from the translated data cache on Mars, humans discover that
Charon
,
Pluto
's moon, is actually a massive piece of dormant Prothean technology, a
mass relay
, encased in ice. Once activated,
Jon Grissom
leads the first team of explorers through the relay, which instantaneously transports them to another relay in
Arcturus
, 36 light-years away. The explorers discover that the mass relays are part of a vast network, making travel across the galaxy possible.
The
Systems Alliance
charter is signed by the eighteen largest nations on
Earth
. The Alliance soon becomes the military and exploratory spearhead of humanity.
The Systems Alliance begins the first surveys for colonization prospects outside the Sol System. One of these surveys discovers the planet
Terra Nova
.
2151 CE
To defend its expanding territory, humanity begins constructing a massive military fleet and
space station
at
Arcturus
, the nexus of several key mass relays, even though they have yet to encounter another intelligent spacefaring race.
An accident at Singapore International Spaceport exposes hundreds of humans to dust-form
element zero
. Roughly 30% of the children born in Singapore after element zero exposure suffer from cancerous growths. After his mother is exposed during the accident,
Kaidan Alenko
is born later that year with biotic potential.
2152 CE
The Delta Pavonis Foundation, a major consortium based on Earth, begins settlement of humanity's first extra-solar colony world, the planet
Demeter
. Later that year, additional colonies are founded on
Eden Prime
and
Terra Nova
.
David Anderson
graduates from Officer Candidate School with the rank of Second Lieutenant.
Council Era - Advent of Humanity (2157 CE - 2183 CE)
[
|
]
2157 CE: The First Contact War
Humanity makes violent first contact with another spacefaring race: the
turians
. The turians observe human explorers attempting to activate a dormant mass relay, a practice forbidden by galactic law after the Rachni Wars, and attack. Over the next three months, a brief but tense conflict known by humans as the
First Contact War
and by turians as the Relay 314 Incident ensues.
The First Contact War culminates in the turian siege and occupation of
Shanxi
, the first human world to fall to an alien race.
Admiral Kastanie Drescher
leads the
Second Fleet
in battle against Shanxi's occupiers one month later, catching the turians by surprise and evicting them from the planet.
The turians prepare for a full-scale war against humanity, but this draws the attention of the
Citadel Council
. The Council intervenes before hostilities escalate further, revealing the existence of the greater galactic community to humanity and brokering a peace between them and the turians.
The events of
Mass Effect: Evolution
occur.
While aiding the
human
resistance effort on
turian
-occupied
Shanxi
, mercenary
Jack Harper
becomes embroiled in a plot by turian general
Desolas Arterius
to use an ancient alien artifact, the Arca Monolith, to convert the turian race into an army of invincible "meta-turians". Harper convinces Desolas' brother
Saren
of the dangers of the Monolith, which is "devolving" the turians into mindless beings under the Monolith's control. To protect his people, Saren orders the destruction of the building holding the Monolith, Temple Palaven, with Desolas and the meta-turians inside. Later, having realized that humanity and the galaxy face dark times ahead, Harper founds the human-survivalist organization
Cerberus
, publishes its manifesto, and assumes the identity of the
Illusive Man
.
An anonymous extranet manifesto is published following the end of the First Contact War. The manifesto calls for an army, a "
Cerberus
", to be established to defend humanity against inevitable alien attacks. Derided as "survivalist rhetoric written by an
illusive man
", the manifesto is quickly forgotten by the media.
2158 CE
Humans learn the potential of
biotics
. An international effort to track element zero exposures begins. Roughly 10% of recorded exposed children show indications of biotic ability.
The Systems Alliance purchases
Gagarin Station
for a fraction of its construction cost, and converts the facility into a biotic research and training facility.
Amid concerns over
gene therapy
and genetic modifications being misused, the Systems Alliance Parliament passes the Sudham-Wolcott Genetic Heritage Act. It imposes sharp restrictions on controversial uses of genetic engineering, but provides government subsidies for beneficial applications.
A series of starship drive failures are orchestrated over populated areas on human colony worlds, causing widespread exposures to
element zero
. This results in a second generation of humans born with biotic potential.
Ivor Johnstagg
is sentenced to 21 years in prison for attempting to assassinate Venta Tox, the volus ambassador to the Citadel. Although Johnstagg claims to be acting on behalf of the radical human political party Eternal Earth, no connection is found and Johnstagg is diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Backlash from the assassination attempt jeopardizes the Systems Alliance's bid for an embassy on the Citadel.
2165 CE
Humanity continues to expand, founding more colonies and establishing trade alliances with many of the other species who recognize the authority of the Citadel Council. In 2165 CE, the Council makes official recognition of humanity's growing power and influence in the galactic community. Humanity is granted an embassy on the
Citadel
, the political and economic heart of the galaxy. Tensions grow between humans and
batarians
as they compete for territory in the
Skyllian Verge
.
The events of
Mass Effect: Revelation
continue.
After an Alliance research station at
Sidon
is attacked,
David Anderson
searches for those responsible alongside
Kahlee Sanders
, and discovers an Alliance scientist,
Dr. Shu Qian
, was conducting illegal AI research to unlock the secrets behind a mysterious
artifact
discovered near the
Perseus Veil
. Eventually, Anderson is assigned to work with
Saren Arterius
to track down Dr. Qian and his
batarian
supporter,
Edan Had'dah
. However, Saren instead kills both Dr. Qian and Had'dah, blames Anderson for the mission's failure, and uses Dr. Qian's research to search for the artifact himself.
Terrorists steal antimatter from the Alliance cruiser SSV Geneva. The sole figure arrested names his sponsor "
Cerberus
". This is the first such incident of sabotage connected to the Cerberus organization.
After a disagreement between
Vido Santiago
and
Zaeed Massani
over hiring
batarians
into the
Blue Suns
, Vido betrays Zaeed and leaves him for dead. All records of Zaeed's involvement in the Blue Suns are erased.
Jack
is abducted by
Cerberus
agents on
Eden Prime
. They fake her death and take her to the Teltin Facility on
Pragia
as part of a project intended to improve biotic potential in humans.
In protest at the refusal of the
Citadel Council
to limit human expansion in the
Skyllian Verge
, the
batarians
close their embassy, withdraw into their home systems, and effectively become a rogue state.
Shepard
is officially detected as a biotic and fitted with L3 implants.
Cerberus
assassinates Pope Clement XVI on
Earth
via rosary beads coated with toxic substances; his death is attributed to age and heart failure. His successor, Pope Leo XIV, espouses beliefs more in-line with Cerberus' ideals.
On
Gagarin Station
, "Eliza" becomes the first sapient
AI
created in the Systems Alliance.
2173 CE
A fly-by over the world of
Armeni
discovers odd surface protrusions. Upon closer inspection, they are identified as elaborate crypts made by the
zeioph
, an extinct spacefaring race. Various human universities seek to perform excavation, but Council laws that hold burial sites as sacrosanct prevent this. An ongoing debate over the issue ensues.
Terra Firma
is involved in a
Nashan Stellar Dynamics
kickbacks scandal, forcing Inez Simmons, the current party leader, to resign.
Charles Saracino
becomes the new party leader after his opponent,
Claude Menneau
, is assassinated by Cerberus operatives while en route to
Shanxi
. Publicly, Menneau's disappearance is never explained.
On a survey mission to
2175 Aeia
, an important colonization prospect for the Systems Alliance, the
MSV Hugo Gernsback
disappears and is presumed destroyed.
Cerberus
covertly contacts Michael Moser Lang, a political dissident on
Earth
, and provides him with funding to purchase weapons. Cerberus continues to monitor him after contact ends. One year later, Lang assassinates
United North American States
president Enrique Aguilar and Chinese People's Federation premier Ying Xiong. The resulting political shuffle benefits Cerberus' shell companies and plans for the Systems Alliance Parliament.
The
Anhur
Rebellions, a civil war waged over the practice of slavery, begin on the
human
and
batarian
colony world of Anhur and spread throughout the
Amun
system. Abolitionism supporters hire the
Eclipse
mercenary group to fight the batarian pro-slavery Na'hesit faction.
Kai Leng
is awarded the
N7
designation by the Alliance's Interplanetary Combatives Academy, but later that year he is dishonorably discharged and imprisoned for first-degree murder.
Miners at the T-GES Mineral Works facility on
Mahavid
uncover a
Leviathan
artifact. The miners are enthralled by the Leviathans for the next ten years and are used to carry out numerous experiments.
The
Andromeda Initiative
, a privately-funded multi-species endeavor created to explore and colonize the Andromeda Galaxy, is founded.
2177 CE
During a recon mission to find a missing colonial pioneer team on
Akuze
, a unit of fifty Alliance marines is wiped out by
thresher maws
.
2178 CE
In retaliation for the
Skyllian Blitz
, the Alliance launches a major offensive against the moon of
Torfan
and destroys the criminal bases there, mostly populated by batarians. The threat against human colonies from batarian extremists is curtailed.
The Alliance tracks several pirate
FTL
exit vectors over a period of six months using covert monitoring devices planted on
Theshaca
's moons, leading the Alliance Navy to eight major pirate anchorages. Since the "Theshaca Raids", no ships from the
Terminus Systems
have entered the
Hong
system.
The events of
Mass Effect
occur.
The human colony of
Eden Prime
is attacked by the
geth
, initiating a wider conflict between humans and geth known as the Eden Prime War. After exposing the involvement of rogue
Spectre
Saren Arterius
in the attack,
Commander Shepard
and the crew of the
SSV Normandy
pursue Saren in his search for the
Conduit
, later revealed to be part of a larger plan orchestrated by the
Reaper
Sovereign
to return its kind to the galaxy. While Shepard follows Saren through the legendary
Mu Relay
to the Conduit, Sovereign and a geth fleet assault the
Citadel
. Shepard defeats Saren and the
Alliance Navy
destroys Sovereign, preventing the release of the Reapers. The
Citadel Council
is irrevocably changed by Shepard's decisions.
The events of
Mass Effect 2
begin.
One month after the
Battle of the Citadel
, the
SSV Normandy
is attacked and destroyed by an unidentified assailant, resulting in the death of Commander Shepard. Later, the Systems Alliance officially declares Shepard "killed in action".
The events of
Mass Effect: Ascension
occur.
Two months after the Battle of the Citadel, galactic society is still in flux over the changes to the Council and kept unaware of the true nature of Sovereign, the Citadel, and the mass relays.
Cerberus
pushes ahead with plans for both the
Ascension Project
and the
quarian
Migrant Fleet
, but is foiled by the actions of
Kahlee Sanders
and
Paul Grayson
. After an attack by Cerberus forces, the Migrant Fleet changes its conservative policy, sending ships away from the Flotilla to look for new
homeworlds
or possibly a dormant Reaper.
The events of
Mass Effect: Paragon Lost
begin.
The Systems Alliance dispatches several special forces units to aid the colony of
Fehl Prime
, which is under attack by
Blood Pack
forces. Most units are shot down before landing, but
Delta Squad
survives and defeats the Blood Pack. The Alliance assigns Delta Squad to guard the colony.
January 15: Singapore Marketing Council debates on whether to air the Andromeda Initiative ad on their juristiction. Council members suspect peculiar behind-the-scenes happenings and so allow the ad on the pretext of getting their own people to find out the Initiative's secrets.
June 1: The Andromeda Initiative brainstorms another recruitment ad prospectively titled "A New Future Awaits".
The Eden Prime War comes to a close. Although most geth forces in
Citadel space
were destroyed in the Battle of the Citadel, holdouts yet remain. The Alliance Navy reduces its patrols, relying instead on civilian ships to report any geth activity. Raids are carried out against identified geth outposts, but the conflict is essentially over.
The
raloi
of the planet
Turvess
launch their first space telescope and discover the
asari
cruiser Azedes in their system. The asari make first contact with the raloi, who are
formally welcomed
into the galactic community the following year.
The biological weapon EHE, or "exotic humanoid encephalopathy", is used by the human terrorist organization Totenkopf in an attack on
Gagarin Station
. The Alliance cruiser SSV Manila is deployed to monitor the asteroid
Israfil
, the supposed origin of the miroorganisms used to produce EHE.
The freighter
MSV Estevanico
is attacked by
Blood Pack
mercenaries and crashes into the planet
Zanethu
. The Alliance crew on board were among the first humans to encounter the
vorcha
race.
A
clone
of Commander Shepard, developed by Cerberus for testing purposes alongside the original's under reconstruction body, is
stolen
by the deserter
Rasa
from the
Lazarus Research Station
.
December 31: Armali Children's Almanac informs readers about differing human attitudes to new year festivities.
2185 CE
The events of
Mass Effect: Paragon Lost
continue.
Fehl Prime
is attacked by the
Collectors
after a
Cerberus
agent
hoping to discover their intentions signals them. Most of
Delta Squad
is lost during the battle for the colony, but they succeed in disabling the Collector ship. Delta Squad member
James Vega
chooses to rescue the asari
Treeya
, who possessed vital intel on the Collectors, leaving the colonists to die aboard the Collector ship when it crashes on the planet's surface.
The events of
Mass Effect 2
continue.
Commander Shepard is
revived
and tasked by the
Illusive Man
to investigate the mysterious disappearances of entire human colonies in the
Terminus Systems
. Investigation of the attacked colony of
Freedom's Progress
reveals the enigmatic
Collectors
from beyond the
Omega 4 Relay
to be responsible for the disappearances. After assembling a capable team, Commander Shepard uses a captured
Reaper
IFF
to safely traverse the relay and infiltrate the
Collector base
. Shepard succeeds in eliminating the Collector threat, saving humanity throughout the galaxy from certain destruction.
February 15: Rumors of
Commander Shepard
's activities on
Omega
surface although downplayed as
hallex
-induced hallucinations. Xenophobic
Homeward Sol
group implicated in bombing "a shuttle"; Nightside News in a Minute neglects to mention the shuttle was docked to the Andromeda Initiative's
Ark
Hyperion
at the time.
March 28: A coalition of the corporations
Binary Helix
, Sonax Industries, and Guanghui Solutions
invades
the krogan and vorcha-populated world of
Garvug
.
April 28: The
Vallum Blast
annihilates much of the capital city of the turian colony of
Taetrus
. In retaliation, Taetrian colonial and Turian Hierarchy troops
declare war
on the separatist group responsible for the attack.
August 11: The Citadel Council makes first contact with a race of
virtual aliens
who offer advanced technology in exchange for help maintaining the supercomputers that run their civilization.
Liara T'Soni
locates the
Shadow Broker
's concealed
base
on the planet
Hagalaz
. The Shadow Broker, exposed as a
yahg
, is killed. Liara takes control of the Broker's organization, intending to use the Broker's vast information network to aid Shepard's fight against the Reapers.
December 7: Biologists
discover the kirik
, an insect-like species with
biotic
capabilities, on the arid world of Ekram. After the kirik exhibit signs of intelligence, experts and officials debate whether or not the kirik should be uplifted.
January 12: An asari exploration team
discovers a lost human colony
in the Alpha Centauri system. The
Systems Alliance
links the colony to the forgotten Manswell Expedition of 2070 and establishes contact with the colonists.
The Bahak system is subsequently
destroyed
following the explosion of its
mass relay
. An
asteroid
was sent to the
relay
in order to delay the Reapers' invasion. Hundreds of thousands of batarians living on
Aratoht
are obliterated in the blast.
The events of
Mass Effect: Retribution
occur.
Six months prior to the start of the story, Systems Alliance hero
Jon Grissom
dies. Hundreds of dignitaries attend Grissom's funeral and a memorial plaque dedicated to him is placed in the
Jon Grissom Academy
.
After three years on the run,
Paul Grayson
is captured by
Cerberus
and implanted with
Reaper
technology.
Kahlee Sanders
and
David Anderson
attempt to rescue Grayson by persuading the Turian Hierarchy to raid several vital Cerberus installations, but are unaware Grayson's body is now under Reaper control. Once free, the Reapers learn of the
Ascension Project
and use Grayson to single-handedly attack Grissom Academy, where he is finally killed by Anderson and Cerberus assassin
Kai Leng
. In the aftermath, Anderson and Sanders decide to study Grayson's body to discover how to combat the Reapers.
The events of
Mass Effect: Deception
occur.
Gillian Grayson
seeks revenge against
Cerberus
and the
Illusive Man
for the death of her father. With the help of a faction of biotic supremacists, she captures Cerberus assassin
Kai Leng
to lure the Illusive Man out of hiding by holding Leng for ransom. Her plan fails, however, and Leng kills her and escapes.
The events of
Mass Effect: Conviction
occur.
Admiral Anderson travels to Omega to recruit Alliance marine
James Vega
to guard Commander Shepard as the Commander is taken to trial for the destruction of the
Bahak
system.
The events of
Mass Effect: Invasion
occur.
Aria T'Loak
defends
Omega
from
Adjutants
unleashed by Cerberus. The Adjutants distract Aria from Cerberus's true plan: to conquer Omega and maintain exclusive access to the Omega 4 Relay. Aria realizes this and unites the disparate gangs and mercenaries of the station to repel the Cerberus invaders, but is outsmarted by Cerberus's
General Oleg Petrovsky
. When he threatens to destroy Omega, Aria accepts exile and Cerberus takes control of the station.
The events of
Mass Effect: Infiltrator
occur.
When a Cerberus alien experimentation facility known as the
Barn
is attacked by
turian
forces,
Randall Ezno
, a Cerberus operative enhanced with biotic implants, learns the truth about the horrific nature of the experiments and discovers his own
handler
has been made a test subject. Randal turns against Cerberus and the Barn's
Director
, fights his way through the facility, and escapes. He provides the
Systems Alliance
with intel on his former employers and swears revenge on the Director.
September 21: A massive influx of batarian ships in the
Exodus Cluster
reported
by the
Alliance News Network
. The newcomers claim their home systems are under attack from an as-yet unidentified hostile adversary.
Khar'shan
is reported to be under bombardment and the
Harsa
relay blockaded.
October 5: Hierarchy offensive to retake Taetrus reported as
failed
: four turian fleets dispatched to the Mactare relay, Reaper ships emerge from the
Trebia
relay in a push toward
Palaven
. Primarch Fedorian alerts the galaxy to prepare for spotty communications due to destruction of comm buoys during wartime.
The events of
Mass Effect 3
continue.
To build the Crucible and take back Earth, Commander Shepard and allies embark on a journey to unite the various races in the midst of a galaxy-wide war. During the final confrontation with the Reapers over Earth, the Commander makes a decision that changes the galaxy forever.
