General Williams (MR)

"Money talks. "Cohabitation with native species to further mutual interests." It's the way of the future. Well, I can't get onboard with that. I'm resigning. But you shouldn't quit."

- General Williams to Jack Harper

General Williams was a high-ranking Systems Alliance military officer in charge of the garrison on Shanxi when the First Contact War broke out. Having surrendered to the turians during the bombardment of Shanxi became too much to bear, Williams was shamed out of the military when the Alliance liberated the colony and died in obscurity working construction in the colonies.

Early life
Born on March 17th, 2103 CE to a high-ranking military mother with the UNAS Air Force, Williams spent much of his time idolizing his mother and her service to the recently changed nation. His father was killed mere weeks after his birth during the Second American Civil War.

Growing into the military history of his family, Douglas participated in officer preparedness programs throughout both high school and college, earning his commission from the United North American States Military Academy at West Point, New York when he was 24 years old. He married his high school sweetheart in 2127 and had a son together eight years later.

First Contact War
After humans were caught activating the mass relay known as Relay 314, an Alliance expeditionary fleet was attacked and almost completely destroyed by a turian patrol fleet. After several small skirmishes, the turians broke through to Shanxi, the closest human colony to the Shanxi-Theta relay, and began a brutal siege campaign utilizing orbital bombardment.

Cut off from reinforcements, Williams commanded a desperate guerrilla campaign from Shanxi's surface. However, the turians' brutal and efficient tactics made it impossible for the human forces to make any headway. Entire city blocks were destroyed by the turians just to exterminate small marine fire teams. Finally, Williams realized that the only way to save what was left of Shanxi's population was to surrender to the turians.

Shortly thereafter, Shanxi was liberated by the Alliance Second Fleet, but before a full-scale war could break out, the Citadel Council intervened and brokered a truce between humanity and the turians.

Legacy
"He was relieved of command as soon as Shanxi was liberated. They brought him back to Earth in irons, but there never was a trial. They quietly demoted him, and stuck him behind a desk. He retired a year later and spent the rest of his life working construction in the colonies. Sometimes we hear about attempts to get him exonerated in some official way. Nothing ever comes of them."

- Ashley Williams, about her grandfather

For his actions during the war, General Williams went down in history as the only human commander to surrender to an alien force and he fell into disgrace. While no official charges were brought up against him, Williams was stripped of his rank and placed on administrative leave. He eventually retired from the military a year later, and ended up working construction with Altai Mineral Works at the frontier colony of Dobrovolski.

Unfortunately, General Williams' disgrace also stained the name of his family. His son also enlisted in the Alliance Navy, but because of his father's reputation, he never rose above the rank of Serviceman Third Class. Williams' granddaughter, Ashley Williams, was kept from obtaining a posting in the Alliance Fleet. Instead, she was relegated to ground force garrisons on human colonies.

There have been attempts by some Alliance historians to exonerate General Williams, but these efforts have proven fruitless thus far.

Appearances in other media

 * Mass Effect: Evolution (First appearance) (Appears in flashback(s))
 * Mass Effect (Mentioned only)
 * Mass Effect 3 (Mentioned only)
 * Mass Effect: A Hero's Legacy (Mentioned only)

Quotes

 * -|Spoken by General Williams=

Mass Effect: Evolution

 * (to Jack Harper) "Sorry to bring you all the way out here and then bug out, Jack―but the turians have compromised the supply lines. We're pulling offworld to Arcturus Station. Seems nobody has the nerve to fight these monsters anymore."
 * "This isn't like any war we've ever fought. What we don't know could destroy everything."
 * (to Desolas Arterius) "We meet again, Desolas―or should I say, General Arterius. It is General, isn't it?"
 * "The ceasefire wasn't my idea. You want to fight it out, I'm happy to oblige. Otherwise... give me my people!"
 * (to Desolas, about Jack and Eva Coré) "You've had them long enough! You've got your prisoners, Desolas, now get the hell off our station!"
 * -|Spoken about General Williams=
 * -|Conversations=