The following are a reference to the Mass Effect Codex :
In 2148 Humankind discovered a cache of technology on Mars supposedly built by a technologically advanced but very long extinct race called the Protheans. Depending how you look at the picture , 50.000 years , well , give or take , is a hell of time frame to draw conclusions from , but , just as with all new things that help you advance , studying and adapting this new found technology has helped Humanity to break free of the SOL system and also , to establish numerous colonies and eventually encounter various extraterrestrial species and the Citadel itself within the Milky Way galaxy.
By using alien artefacts known as Mass Relays , the various races are able to travel instantly across vast stretches of the galaxy. Now , by that time , Humanity has formed the Human Systems Alliance , one of many independent bodies that make up the collective for "Citadel Space".
The Human Systems Alliance is a raising power in the galactic stage. The only war that the Alliance has participated in was "The First Contact War" in 2157. A human Exploration Expedition was activating dormant Mass Relays , which was a practice considered unsafe by the citadel races as it resulted in the Rachni Wars , which i'll come back to a bit later.
The Turians attacked the small fleet of human explorers and proceeded to capture the closest human world Shanxi. The Turians proceeded to starve out the remaining humans and occupy the planet. Facing starvation , the human garrison surrendered to the Turian Hierarchy. One month later the human Second Fleet responded by annihilating the Turian Fleet around the Shanxi. In response the turians prepared for full scale war.
The Citadel Council saw that humanity would either be annihilated or annexed by the turians and stepped in.
The humans were then given an embassy in the Citadel Council.
Citadel Space , as a whole , is ruled by a conglomerate body of governments known as The Council which is made up of members of the three prominent alien races: The Asari , a race of all female unisexual aliens which closely resemble blue-skinned human females ,the short lived amphibian Salarians and the raptor-like turians. Other alien species include the environmental suited Quarians , the reptilian Krogan , the four-eyed humanoid Batarians , the aquatic Hanar , the methodical monotonous voiced and quadrupedal Elcor and Volus. Dozens of other races are asserted to exist throughout the galaxy of course.
Regarding The Rachni Wars : they began around 1CE; these insectoid aliens were discovered when Citadel explorers opened a dormant mass relay and accidentally introduced them to the galaxy. Over almost a century of conflict , the Rachni came close to overwhelming the citadel races , until the Salarians , the amphibious race part of the Citadel Council , have discovered the Krogan , a warlike species who had evolved redundant organ systems a tendency to aggression and incredibly high birth rates to survive conditions on they're homeworld of Tuchanka. The Salarians , culturally-uplifted the Krogan gifting them with advanced technology medicine and access to planets unplagued by nuclear winter , toxins or an overabundance of vicious predators.
The flourishing Krogans joined the war against the Rachni , and pursued it to completion , eventually exterminating the species entirely by about the 3'rd century CE.
Stemmed directly from the uplift during the Rachni Wars ,the Krogan Rebellions began in 700CE. The now-uplifted Krogan displayed and aggressive colonisation policy , eventually claiming worlds all ready populated by other Citadel races. Diplomacy failed with the Krogan literally daring the Council to stop them, and even with the turians (the Citadel new-comers at that time) on they're side , the Council once again found itself on the receiving end of a losing war. The final solution came in the form of the "Genophage" an artificially induced and true-breeding genetic mutation , created jointly by the salarians and turians. It causes pre-natal neural failure in all but 1 in 10.000 krogan pregnancies resulting in stillbirths and miscarriages.
Though the Genophage was deployed before 800CE , Krogan culture is still struggling to adapt to it in the present day.
You should also know about the Geth war since we're at it.
It is referred to as the Morning War by the Geth , and it was a conflict between the Quarians and the Geth that occurred after the latter developed sapience. The quarians created the geth sometime before the late 1850's and 1895CE to serve as robotic cheap labour and military force. The geth were deliberately designed so that each individual was a relatively limited hardware platform relying on wireless networking to achieve higher processing power , but the quarians tweaked the geth extensively allowing the geth to evolve into true artificial intellingences. Since they wanted the geth to be able to perform more complex tasks without supervision they allowed each geth process to share data using this advanced neural network. As the quarians built more geth , this ability allowed them to become increasingly intelligent rapidly approaching sapience.
In the year 2485 of the quarian calendar , Hala-Dama , a quarian overseer of geth workers , was asked by a geth whether it had a soul and what it's purpose was. While not the first quarian to be asked such a question , she was the first to react with fear.
The terrified quarians ordered the destruction of every geth unit once they realised what they had done. Some opposed such a rash action reasoning that their society needed the geth and that it was no crime for them to be questioning their existance. But the quarians proceeded with their plan to exterminate each geth program and the geth , defensive of they're lives , declared war against their creators. The geth won in 1895CE and the quarians made the decision to abandon their home planet and have since resided largely aboard "The Migrant Fleet" , a flotilla consisting of 50.000 starships . The geth for their part have not been seen since the end of the war and their current agenda is completely unknown.
Now let us look at the quarians a little closer :
The Quarians are a nomadic species of humanoid aliens known for their skills with technology and synthetic intelligence. Since their homeworld Rannoch was conquered , the quarians live aboard the Migrant Fleet , which is a huge collection of starships that travel as a single fleet. They wander the galaxy in a flotilla of salvaged ships , secondhand vessels and recycled technology.
Quarian Biology:
Quarians are generally shorted and of slighter build than humans. They have an endoskeleton , teeth , lips and two eyes with eyelids and tear ducts. They also have three thick fingers on both hands which include a thumb an index finger and a long finger similar to the middle fingers for humans , as well as three toes on each foot.
Quarian face structure and hair actually makes them the most similar to humans in physical appearance.
Their lower legs are bowed backwards significantly compared to asari or humans. Aside from hands and legs , their general body shape and sexual dimorphism is similar to humans. Their ears or ear analogues differ in a noticeable fashion from those of humans with references made to "what passes for the quarian version of an ear". Also like humans ,quarian blood is red. The most distinguishing feature of the quarian biology is their weak immune system , compounded by centuries of living in sterile environments .
As a result , all quarians by necessity dress in highly sophisticated enviro-suits to protect them from disease or infection if they are injured. Their suits can be compartmentalized in the event of a tear or similar breach to prevent the spread of contaminants (similar to a ship sealing off bulkheads in the event of a hull breach).
Along with their suits , quarians also have extensive cybernetic augmentation integrated into their bodies. A quarian's life span is roughly equal to a human's but is prone to be less if infection breaks into the suit.
Quarian immune systems have always been relatively weak as pathogenic microbes were comparatively rare in their homeworld's biosphere. Furthermore , what few viruses and other microbes were native to their homeworld were often at least partly beneficial giving them a symbiotic relationship with their environment.
After living aboard the Migrant Fleet for generations , the quarian's immune systems have atrophied further still due to their years in the sterile environment of the Migrant Fleet. As such , quarians are given various vaccinations and immunisations to help ward of diseases. However they prefer the safety of their suits even in clean environments and are reluctant to remove them without a good reason.
A quarian who wishes to remove their suits must take antibiotics , immuno-boosters , herbal supplements or the like in order to do so safely and even then there are inherent risks. As a result ,physical acts of affection are difficult for quarians even for the purpose of reproduction. Ships in the Migrant Fleet often contain "clean rooms" where the quarians can give birth or undergo medical procedures in relative safety , though there are always risks. The most intimate thing quarians can do is link their suits environments. However doing so guarantees a quarian will get sick although they will usually adapt over time.
Like turians ,the quarians are dextro-protein species of reverse chirality from humans and asari. The food of levo-protein races such as humans and asari is at best inedible and at worst poisonous most likely triggering a dangerous allergic reaction . Quarians who want to taste something other than the refined edible paste issued to all who leave on their pilgrimage , can eat specially purified turian cuisine though the typical quarian diet is vegan , as livestock were found to possess an innefficient resource-to-calorie ratio when stored on the migrant fleet.
Quarian History a little more in dept :
As you know ,
Hailing from the world of Rannoch, the quarians were always a technologically capable species. They created the geth around the late 1850s CE to be used as labourers and tools of war. The quarians kept their programming as limited as that of any VI, nothing close to an AI, remaining mindful of the Citadel Council's laws against artificial intelligence. But as the quarians gradually modified the geth to do more complex tasks, developing a sophisticated neural network, these changes altered the geth to such an extent that they became sentient. One day, a geth unit began asking its overseer questions about the nature of its existence. While this was not the first time a geth unit had asked if it had a soul, it was the first time doing so had caused fear .
Panicked, the quarian government ordered the immediate termination of all geth in the hopes of preventing a revolution. Many quarians did not want to oppose the geth, but were forced to give up or terminate their geth servants. After the quarian government declared martial law on Rannoch, those who sympathized with the geth were outnumbered, and an indeterminate number of them were either detained or killed. The quarian sympathizers have since been forgotten by their own people, though they are remembered by the geth themselves.
The quarians severely underestimated the power and sophistication of the geth's neural network. The geth reacted to defend themselves, and the resulting confrontation erupted into a planetwide war. Billions of quarians died, and the survivors were eventually driven from their homeworld. The only reason quarians were able to escape was because after they had fled to a certain distance, the geth no longer recognized them as a threat and ceased pursuit.
After being refused aid by the Citadel Council, the quarians fled the system in what remained of their fleet. Shortly thereafter, the Council stripped the quarians of their embassy as punishment for their carelessness, though a treaty was agreed upon forbidding an attack on the geth in order to avoid provoking them. Ever since, the quarians have drifted from system to system, searching for resources to sustain the Migrant Fleet and also for a new world to colonize. They even retain hopes of someday reclaiming Rannoch from the geth.
Quarian Culture :
The quarians' top priority is the survival and sustainability of the Migrant Fleet. Most of their laws and customs revolve around this goal. It is illegal for couples to have more than one child, so that the fleet can maintain zero population growth (if the population begins to shrink, this rule is temporarily lifted, and incentives may be provided to encourage multiple births). Families are thus very small and close-knit. Because every quarian depends on his or her crewmates to survive, they are much more community-minded than individualistic species like the krogan. Loyalty, trust, and cooperation are highly prized qualities. Even in their ancient past they were a very emotional people, which the Protheans believed was a side-effect of their eco-symbiotic society.
Quarians enjoy storytelling as a means of escape from their often trying lives aboard the fleet, and are known to hold dancers in high esteem.
Young quarians are required to undertake a Pilgrimage outside the fleet in order to pass into full adulthood. The Pilgrimage is an opportunity for quarians to experience the world outside the Migrant Fleet, interact with other cultures, and learn to appreciate life among their own people. Their departure is a major event; the whole crew assembles to see them off, and they are given many gifts to aid them on their journey, along with immunity-boosting injections and advice on surviving on the outside. The young quarian cannot return to the flotilla until they have found something of value to bring back - whether information, money, or supplies. When they return, they do not go back to their birth ship, but instead select a new ship to join; this helps maintain genetic diversity by preventing intermarriage between close relatives. The quarian presents their gift to the captain of the new ship to prove they will not be a burden on the crew. Although the gift may be rejected if it is subpar, this is very rare, as most captains are eager to welcome a new shipmate on board. Having a large crew is a prestigious thing, as it means the captain has the financial and material means to provide for many people.
Conditions aboard most quarian ships are extremely cramped. It is not uncommon for all family members to share the same small living space, which in turn is in close proximity to many other families' quarters. These spaces are often uncomfortable and ill-designed for living in, having been reappropriated from other functions such as storage. Families decorate their individual dwellings with colorful quilts, which serve to muffle sound and also to make the environment more cozy. Quarians place low value on personal possessions, instead evaluating objects by their usefulness and bartering them for other items once they are no longer needed. Every ship has a designated trading deck where those looking to barter can gather to do business.
Quarians wear their environmental suits at all times, partly in case of a hull breach and partly in response to the lack of personal space aboard the flotilla. Because their suits make it hard to identify individuals on sight, quarians have developed the habit of exchanging names whenever they meet.
Over time, the environmental suits themselves have gained symbolic and cultural significance, and being fitted with their first suit is considered a rite of passage. After returning to the fleet after their pilgrimage, they may alter their suit to reflect their new status as adults. Linking suit environments is seen as the ultimate gesture of trust and affection.
Due to their history with the geth, quarians are reluctant to place complete trust in virtual or artificial intelligences, but they also show surprising compassion towards them and are far more likely than other species to treat them as living beings.
Quarians refer to commanding officers of any ships, quarian or non-quarian, as captain, regardless of rank. Their reasoning is that the CO's decisions always carry great weight on his/her own ship.
Quarian Economy and Religion :
The quarians have a very different economic system from the rest of the galaxy. While credits influence what is available in Citadel space, currency is non-existent in quarian society. Quarians value the little space they have above all else, so no unused items are kept to maximize space. When a quarian has an item they do not need, they place it in a public area, in what resembles a market. The items available are put into storage lockers, and those in need may simply take what they find. Since quarian society is based around honor and loyalty to their fellow quarians, there is rarely disagreement.
However, food and medicine are handled more strictly. The food coming from both the Liveships and from scout ships is put into a central stock and distributed carefully to individuals. Outgoing food is tracked carefully, so as not to put the Migrant Fleet at risk of food shortage, or worse, mass starvation. Medicine is also distributed carefully. However, since the quarians wear their enviro-suits everywhere, even when aboard the Migrant Fleet, they are at a very low risk of sickness. Controlling the flow of medicine also creates an emergency stockpile in case of a widespread outbreak, which is necessary since the quarian immune system is so weak.
Another means of resource income for the Fleet is from whatever system that the Migrant Fleet is passing through at the time; the quarians will strip-mine any promising planets for resources with well-trained efficiency. Any other races with industrial or corporate interests in that system will often offer a "gift" of ships, food, or other supplies to encourage the Fleet to leave. Usually, the Admiralty Board accepts the gift, as the Migrant Fleet is in no position to decline resources. In addition, some ships may linger in orbit over inhabited worlds to sell refreshments, supplies, and various trinkets to the locals.
The quarians used to practice a form of ancestor worship. This involved taking a personality imprint from the individual and developing it into an interface similar to a VI. The quarians began experimenting with making these imprints more and more sophisticated, hopefully leading to the wisdom of their ancestors being preserved in an imprint that could be truly intelligent. However, the geth destroyed the quarians' ancestor databanks when they rebelled. Some quarians saw their subsequent exile as punishment for their hubris, but most accept that the geth rebellion was a mistake, not a punishment.
However, respect for their ancestors is still prevalent in quarian society. Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay opens an Admiralty Board proceeding offering thanks to their ancestors, who saved them from the geth by founding the Migrant Fleet.
Quarians sometimes exclaims "Keelah!" when shocked, and many quarians offer the phrase "Keelah se'lai" as an apparent benediction or religious oath. This means "By the home world I hope to see one day." It is often said in the same vein as "peace be with you".
Quarian Language :
Now that the quarians are reduced to a small, insular population, they have one common language known as Khelish. Words from the language listed below are taken from intra-quarian conversation.
nedas — nowhere
tasi — no-one
vas [ship-name] — crew of
nar [ship-name] — child of
keelah — "By the homeworld"
keelah se'lai — "By the homeworld I hope to see one day."
bosh'tet — curse/insult, likely being relative to "son-of-a-bitch" or "bastard".
geth — "Servant of the People"
Rannoch — "walled garden"
Quarian names are composed of four parts—the quarian's given name and clan name separated by an apostrophe, the title ("nar" means "child of", referring to their birth ship, while "vas", adopted after the quarian has completed their Pilgrimage and joined a ship, means "crew of") and the name of their vessel.
For those familiar with the stories ,
When Tali first met Shepard, for instance, she was going by the name of her birth ship (the Rayya) because at that point she had not yet completed her Pilgrimage and was thus not yet able to join a quarian crew. Later, though, she became known as "Tali'Zorah vas Neema", indicating that she had completed her Pilgrimage and was welcome to join the Neema.
In certain formal situations, quarians appear to use both their adult ship and childhood ship. During the Normandy's approach to the Migrant Fleet Tali identifies herself as "Tali'Zorah vas Neema nar Rayya."
Government and Military :
There are roughly 17 million quarians on the Migrant Fleet (also called the Flotilla). It is technically still under martial law but is now governed by bodies such as the Admiralty Board and the democratically-elected Conclave, though ship captains and onboard civilian councils tend to address most issues "in-house" before it gets that far. Quarians are divided into several clans that can be spread across several ships, or restricted to one.
In the early years, many quarian freighters were armed and used as irregular "privateers." Civilian ships still show a strong preference for armament, making them unpopular targets for pirates. Indeed, it is mentioned that almost all ships in the Migrant Fleet carry ship-to-ship armaments of some sort and to varying degrees. Though they have rebuilt their military, there are still mere hundreds of warships to protect the tens of thousands of ships. The quarian navy follows strict routines of patrol, and takes no chances. If the intent of an approaching ship can't be ascertained, they shoot to kill.
For this reason, young quarians on their Pilgrimage are given code phrases to repeat upon their return, as they often arrive back in vessels they have bought or scavenged which are unknown to the Flotilla. One phrase denotes a successful Pilgrimage and the quarian navy will permit them to rejoin the Fleet; the other alerts the navy that the quarian is returning under duress, and their ship will be immediately destroyed.
Law:
Although the Conclave establishes civil law much as any planet-based democracy, enforcement and trials are more unique. After the flight from the geth, there were few constables to police the millions of civilians aboard the Fleet, so the navy parceled out marine squads to maintain order and enforce the law. Today, quarian marines have evolved training and tactics akin to civilian police, but remain adept at combat in the confined spaces of a starship, and fully under the command of the military.
Once taken into custody, the accused is brought before the ship's captain for judgment. While the ship's council may make recommendations, tradition holds that the captain has absolute authority in matters of discipline.
Most are lenient, assigning additional or more odious maintenance tasks aboard the ship. Persistent recidivists are "accidentally" left on the next habitable world. This practice of abandoning criminals on other people's planets is a point of friction between the quarians and the systems they pass through. Captains rarely have another choice; with space and resources at a premium, supporting a non-productive prison population is not an option. Offences that carry exile as a penalty include murder, treason, repeated violent episodes, and sabotage against vessels, food stores or the Liveships themselves. Quarians practice capital punishment, mutiny or hijacking starships is punished with execution. Exile is generally the preferred punishment, as any offspring an exile may have are welcomed back to the Fleet.
Galactic Relations:
The Systems Alliance has no political relations with the quarians because the Migrant Fleet has not yet passed through any human-controlled area of space. Other species tend to look down on the quarians for several reasons, the foremost of which being their supposed 'unleashing' of the geth upon the galaxy. This act led to the quarians' losing their embassy on the Citadel. Quarians are often viewed as beggars and thieves.
Because of the Flotilla's limited resources, quarians strip-mine the systems they pass through, which often puts them at odds with any species currently settled there. The Migrant Fleet also tends to drop off criminals on planets it passes, because the quarians cannot support a non-productive prison population—they simply lack the resources. However, life on the Migrant Fleet means quarians have unique skills. The quarians have developed an imperfect technique for recovering data from geth memory cores. They are masters at maintaining and converting technology, especially ship parts, and they are also expert miners because the Fleet requires huge amounts of fuel. They are able to repair what most species would melt down. This proficiency means corporations sometimes quietly hire quarians "on the side" if the Migrant Fleet is nearby, replacing existing workers, much to their annoyance.
This unpopularity, and the fact their entire species travels and works as one, makes most quarians quite insular, caring only about the continued survival of the Migrant Fleet. Their nomadic life and exclusion from the Citadel mean that the concerns of the Citadel races don't particularly interest or impress them.
