The Treaty of Farixen is a treaty signed by Council races limiting the number of dreadnoughts among the different Citadel races in their given fleets. At the Farixen Naval Conference, the Council races agreed to fix a ratio of dreadnought construction between themselves due to their destructive potential. At the top of the pyramid is the peacekeeping turian fleet which makes up most of the Citadel Fleet. Second, are the other Council races - the asari and the salarians. Council associate races, like the hanar and volus, are at the bottom of the list.
The ratio of turian to Council to associate dreadnoughts is 5:3:1, which essentially means for every five dreadnoughts the turians construct, the asari and salarians are allowed three, and all other Citadel races one. Signing the Treaty of Farixen is a requirement for any race wishing to open an embassy on the Citadel.
Carriers are megalithic ships that have a similar general design to that of Dreadnoughts. The only difference is that Carriers are designed to carry and transport mass amounts of vehicles, fighters, interceptors, and troops across the galaxy. Dreadnoughts are specifically designed to combat enemy ships in a space combat environment and/or bombard planetary targets. The construction of Carriers is not included in the Treaty of Farixen policy resulting in no legal limit upon building any number of Carriers for any race.
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“The chances of surviving are… slim.” — Spoilers for Mass Effect 2 follow. |
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Mass Effect 2
If the Council was left to perish on the Destiny Ascension at the end of Mass Effect, news stories can be heard on the Citadel and Omega in Mass Effect 2 reporting that the turians no longer feel bound by the Treaty, and are stepping up their shipbuilding efforts as a result.
If the Council was saved at the end of Mass Effect, the Systems Alliance is given a seat on the Council out of gratitude for their efforts. This presumably means that, as a Council race, humanity is now entitled to construct three dreadnoughts for every five turian dreadnoughts.
Trivia
- The Treaty of Farixen is almost certainly based off the Washington Naval Treaty, signed by the U.S., Great Britain, Japan, France, and Italy in 1922, limiting these states to capital ship tonnage ratios of 5:5:3:1:1, respectively. It was an attempt at maintaining the balance of power and the peace after World War I. The treaty ended with the advent of World War II.
- An unintended consequence of the Washington Naval Treaty was an increase in development of aircraft carriers, which faced fewer restrictions than other vessels. There appears to be a parallel in Mass Effect in the development of carriers by the Systems Alliance. While carriers are as large as dreadnoughts, and their use in combat is seen as a major innovation, they are not restricted by the Treaty of Farixen.