History Fanfic / MassEffectEndOfDays

* NotSoDifferent: The Alliance points out that for all the Council can scream about the destruction of the Nalas and its planet, they hardly have any ground to complain given what they did to the Rachni and the Krogan.

* RealityEnsues: The Alliance suspects the batarians may attack their colonies soon, but no amount of hacking can help them learn which ones if the computers in question aren't on the network.

* TemptingFate: This being an alternate-humanity-tech fic, the [[NotSoOmniscientCouncilOfBickering Council]], while discussing [[spoiler: how to curb the Alliance's growing power in the galaxy, and how to potentially strike back]], Tevos asks the others to be realistic.
-->[[spoiler: ''"Let us be reasonable, Valern." Tevos spoke again. "What's the worst they could do? Bring back the Rachni?"'']]

* IronicEcho: When the Systems Alliance first requests the Council to reign in the Batarian Hegemony, the Council replies that it's an internal matter and they don't interfere with such minor skirmishes. After the Systems Alliance declares war on the Batarian Hegemony, the Council tries to stop them, only for the human ambassador to remind them that "it's an internal matter and the Council doesn't interfere with such minor skirmishes".

The Quarians, as the ones who are the most familiar with [[AIIsaCrapshoot A.I.]], finally get a colony – as a bribe from the Council, which they recognize for what it is, but take advantage of none the less. The Batarians, as in the original timeline, leave the Citadel. The Geth make peaceful contact with the Alliance right away. There you have the basic political layout. More or less calm, but then the Batarians attack the Alliance... backed up by [[spoiler:the Galaxy's bogeymen. Collectors, that is]].

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: [[spoiler: When talking to Tali's father, Legion points out that his PapaWolf attitude is biasing him and leading him to ignore her desires. When he objects to his love for his daughter being called bias, Legion reminds him that he had just said that he would rather [[KillEmAll eliminate the entire Geth Collective]] rather than see her harmed and that it wouldn't be that big a stretch to extrapolate that his mindset extends to every other being in the galaxy. He then asks him if that isn't bias, what is, which he can't answer]].

* BodyHorror: [[spoiler: "Kumu", a Quarian on Omega who seems almost more machine than organic, and not in a well-put-together way]].

* BringMeMyBrownPants: Chapter 9 is called that (it has the Batarians attacking and running into a heavier than expected resistance).
* ButForMeItWasTuesday: Played with. A Batarian rebel is intending to have his revenge against a Hegemony officer who killed the woman he loved, remarking the officer may not remember her but will remember ''him''. However, the officer actually remembers... which makes him almost shit himself once he realizes the former slave is just outside the door.

** Not to mention [[spoiler: [[TakeThatScrappy Diana Allers]]]], after going missing in Batarian Space.

* DefectorFromDecadence: Many Batarian rebels turned against the Hegemony due to either crimes against them by the ruling class or being sick of having to support said ruling class and their excesses.

** The first examples of warfare the rest of the galaxy sees is a garrison fending off a combined assault by [[spoiler: Collectors and Batarian pirates, being relieved by the ''[[TheDreaded Geth]]''. The Alliance then proceeds to pick the Hegemony apart, while simultaneously launching an assault on the Collector base.]] Only when all this is over and done with does the [[NotSoOmniscientCouncilOfBickering Council]] realize just how dangerous the Alliance can be. [[spoiler: Valern]] in particular seems to believe it is worth knowing their [[HistoryRepeats history]], and is none too pleased with the findings.

* HumanityIsInsane: Humans are regarded as insane by pretty much every Citadel race, for one very simple reason; they have created a synthetic partner-race, similar to the Quarians and Geth. However, unlike the [[RobotWar Quarians and the Geth]], the humans and their A.I's, the Vision, learned to [[FireForgedFriends fight together]], and are quite comfortable with the other. Naturally, the Citadel (which has always regarded A.I's to be [[AIIsACrapshoot crapshots]]) finds it insane that the Vision are even allowed to aid humans in matters of technology and genetic engineering.

* {{Infodump}}: A lot of the dialogues come as that, especially when Geth are concerned.
* ImplausibleDeniability: When, after the attack on Elysium, the Alliance strikes back, while backing up all kind of Batarian insurgents:

* LastStand: On Elysium, led by Shepard, just like in the original timeline. [[spoiler:The Geth arrive in time to turn the odds against the Batarians]].
* LampshadeHanging: [[spoiler: Saren and Anderson discuss how the Geth saved a colony, and Anderson remarks that there are worse first impressions. In the games, the turians ''occupy'' a colony, and Saren loses his brother.]]

* MakeAnExampleOfThem: After the Batarian attack on Elysium, the Alliance obliterates Torfan and launches all out war against the Batarians both to make sure "no one ever fucks with them again" and to remind the Council that the Alliance is a sovereign nation, not one of their underlings.

* NeckSnap: During the final confrontation with the leader of the Batarian attack, Shepard is out of bullets, and thus resorts to this tactic.

* ProperlyParanoid: Someone calls Batarians paranoid after learning they keep their classified documents on a completely separate network. Another person notes that the Alliance ''did'' try to access the documents after all...
* RealityEnsues: The Alliance suspects the Batarians may attack their colonies soon, but no amount of hacking can help them learn which ones if the computers in question aren't on the network.

* TerrifyingRescuer: During the attack on Elysium, [[spoiler:a Geth force]] arrives as BigDamnHeroes. The Alliance is used to them being allies and welcomes them. [[spoiler:Tali – not so much]].

* YouCantThwartStageOne: The Batarian [[spoiler:(backed up by the Collectors)]] attack on Elysium is beaten off by the Alliance, Shepard, and [[spoiler:a Geth force playing BigDamnHeroes]]. Another attack on another colony... not so much.

* AwakeningTheSleepingGiant: The Batarain Hegemony blatantly attacking a human colony results in not the Systems Alliance declaring war against them, but the SA also funding the various rebel groups within the Hegemony.

* IronicEcho: When the Systems Alliance first requests the Council to reign in the Batarian Hegemony, the Council replies that it's an internal matter and they doesn't interfere with such minor skirmishes. After the Systems Alliance declares war on the Batarian Hegemony, the Council tries to stop them, only for the human ambassador to remind them that "it's an internal matter and the Council doesn't interfere with such minor skirmishes".

* ContinuityNod:
--> '''Shepard:''' "Wrex."\\
'''Wrex:''' "Shepard."

* AwesomeButImpractical: The SHIVA's main gun can (and has) kill a planet but it also takes a full day to reload between shots.

* SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale: Absolutely *rife* in chapter 1 alone. Humanity, without any FTL-tech, manages to create a dyson swarm that reaches up to 10% complete solar englobement in a matter of only *decades.* This incomprehensibly massive collection of habitats, containing a total livable surface area many hundreds of millions, if not billions that of earth, holds a shattering population... of 3 billion. They terraform Venus and Mars more or less by shipping the atmosphere of the one to the other with *pressurized cargo haulers,* over a course of *decades,* with *fusion rockets.* The heat generated from the movement of that much gas alone should slag the surface of both planets, before you even get into what the rockets generate.

** Not to mention [[spoiler: [[TheScrappy Diana Allers]]]], after going missing in Batarian Space.
-->[[spoiler: ''They'd made her eat her own eyes. Then they had started [[YouDoNOTWantToKnow working on her for real]].'']]

* BodyHorror: [[spoiler: "Fumu", a Quarian on Omega who seems almost more machine than organic, and not in a well-put-together way]].

* ButForMeItWasTuesday: Played with. A Batarian rebel is intending to have his revenge against a Hegemony officer who killed the woman he loved, remarking the officer may not remember her, but will remember ''him''. However, the officer actually remembers... which makes him almost shit himself once he realizes the former slave is just outside the door.
* CassandraTruth: Played with. The Alliance seems to have pieced together quite a bit about the Relays being a trap, but realizes a lot more data is needed before they can present it to the Council.

* GeniusLoci: Humanity have developed a race of A.I, which they can communicate with through neural links. However, the increasing use of the links and its spread through civilization meant that the neural fluctuations created by both parties on what would pass as the AU's version of the internet has created a [[spoiler: self-aware information network, albeit without a ''will'', which the humans and A.I can tap into and direct at will. Their entire civilization and the individuals are effectively part of one giant, fluid mind.]]

** [[spoiler: This allows the Rachni Queen humanity finds and hatches to tap into the neural network and communicate]].

* GeniusLoci: Humanity have developed a race of A.I, which they can communicate with through neural links. However, the increasing use of the links and its spread through civilization meant that the neural fluctuations created by both parties on what would pass as the AU's version of the internet has created a [[spoiler: self-aware information network, albeit without a ''will'', which the humans and A.I can tap into and direct at will. Their entire civilization and the individuals is effectively part of one giant, fluid mind.]]

* StarfishAliens: The Nalas is a sentient MeatMoss so alien that they never manage to establish communications.

-->--[[spoiler: '''Valern''', in regards to footage from WW2.]]