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* PlasmaCannon: The Ionized Plasma Projector developed by [[spoiler:Sean and Mara]], better known as the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Plasma Gun]] acts as a portable {{BFG}} for anyone using it, even if it does [[CoolButInefficient suffer from limitations.]] Starts off as a backpack-mounted weapon similar to the [[VideoGame/{{Half-Life}} Gluon Gun]], but later evolves into what he [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxVOvwjnYVo always intended it to be.]]
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* PlasmaCannon: The Ionized Plasma Projector developed by [[spoiler:Sean and Mara]], better known as the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Plasma Gun]] acts as a portable {{BFG}} for anyone using it, even if it does [[CoolButInefficient suffer from limitations.]] Starts off as a backpack-mounted weapon similar to the [[VideoGame/{{Half-Life}} [[VideoGame/HalfLife Gluon Gun]], but later evolves into what he [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxVOvwjnYVo always intended it to be.]]
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* FamilyOfChoice: The entire original group formed from the remains of Task Force Cerebellum eventually became this, having been forced together under the banner of the Migrant Fleet. [[spoiler:They are later joined by Cerberus defectors.]]
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* TheyWouldCutYouUp: Sean discovers, much to his horror, that [[spoiler:Cerberus won't hesitate to do this to human children in the name of unethical biotics research.]]
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* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: While lampshaded early on in the story, its ultimately averted with everyone on the team. Sean and Dan in particular are talented engineers and mathematicians, but are next to clueless when it comes to anything related to medical science. Luckily, the other members of the team more than make up for their lack of medical knowledge, balancing everything out.
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* RageBreakingPoint: [[spoiler: Sean]] has experienced two of these so far. He expresses deep regret every time he loses control of himself (though one can hardly blame him given both circumstances.)
**He employs [[{{WaterTorture}} waterboarding]] during his interrogation of [[spoiler: Lynda Embry as revenge for all the people she got killed aboard Aldrin Station earlier in the story.]]
**After discovering the [[spoiler:morgue and the body of a dissected child in the Teltin facility on Pragia, he loses his temper and stabs the Cerberus mortician who was hiding in the room to death in a blind fury. This was AFTER beating the man and Sean having blood spat on his face.]]
**He employs [[{{WaterTorture}} waterboarding]] during his interrogation of [[spoiler: Lynda Embry as revenge for all the people she got killed aboard Aldrin Station earlier in the story.]]
**After discovering the [[spoiler:morgue and the body of a dissected child in the Teltin facility on Pragia, he loses his temper and stabs the Cerberus mortician who was hiding in the room to death in a blind fury. This was AFTER beating the man and Sean having blood spat on his face.]]
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* TreacherousAdvisor: [[spoiler:Lynda]] turns out to be one, and ends up getting [[spoiler: everyone but the project leads killed when Cerberus agents raid Aldrin Station using her access codes]].
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* TreacherousAdvisor: [[spoiler:Lynda]] turns out to be one, and ends up getting [[spoiler: everyone but the project leads killed when Cerberus agents raid Aldrin Station using her access codes]].codes]].
* WaterTorture: After reaching [[spoiler: his first {{RageBreakingPoint}} in the story, Sean employs this on Lynda before Cerberus activates a kill-switch implanted inside her.]]
* WaterTorture: After reaching [[spoiler: his first {{RageBreakingPoint}} in the story, Sean employs this on Lynda before Cerberus activates a kill-switch implanted inside her.]]
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* CanineCompanion: [[spoiler: Sean receives two purebred Labrador Retrievers from Admiral Hackett as [[{{HeroesLoveDogs}}part of a special request]], raising them alongside his daughter.]]
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* CanineCompanion: [[spoiler: Sean receives two purebred Labrador Retrievers from Admiral Hackett as [[{{HeroesLoveDogs}}part [[{{HeroesLoveDogs}} part of a special request]], raising them alongside his daughter.]]
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* CanineCompanion: [[spoiler: Sean receives two purebred Labrador Retrievers from Admiral Hackett as [[{{HeroesLoveDogs}}part of a special request]], raising them alongside his daughter.]]
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* MessyHair: One of Richard's defining physical traits. He has perpetual bed head, and never bothers to fix it.
* MightyLumberjack: Dimitri exhibits shades of this, but eventually plays it straight when it's revealed he hand-carved most of the furniture used in his colony prefab, sourcing it locally from the trees native to Reach. He's even cut special wood paneling for Sean's office in CASTLE Base.
* MightyLumberjack: Dimitri exhibits shades of this, but eventually plays it straight when it's revealed he hand-carved most of the furniture used in his colony prefab, sourcing it locally from the trees native to Reach. He's even cut special wood paneling for Sean's office in CASTLE Base.
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* OppositesAttract: [[spoiler: Sean and Mara's relationship in a nutshell.]]
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-->'''Sean:''' My vision was blurred, everything hurt so much that I couldn't focus on any single thing around me. I tried to get up, but my legs felt like jelly..
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-->'''Sean:''' My vision was blurred, everything hurt so much that I couldn't focus on any single thing around me. I tried to get up, but my legs felt like jelly..jelly.
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* LogicBomb: Lampshaded, and averted. Dan tries this on Powell during their first meeting on Aldrin Station as a test, only to have him laugh and repeat a different paradox back at him. This establishes how advanced Richard's AI development is.
-->'''Powell:''' Heh, it'll take more than the Liar's paradox to confuse me, doctor. After all, I know that I know nothing at all.
-->'''Powell:''' Heh, it'll take more than the Liar's paradox to confuse me, doctor. After all, I know that I know nothing at all.
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* MentorArchetype: Sean saw [[spoiler:his grandfather as one, especially since he used to be a science teacher.]]
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** The insult [[spoiler:Golo uses after being shot by Sean]] roughly translates to "F**k" in Spanish.
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** The insult [[spoiler:Golo uses after being shot by Sean]] roughly translates to "F**k" "Fuck" in Spanish.
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-->'''Dimitri:''' Сукин сын! глупые ублюдки!
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-->'''Sean:''' My vision was blurred, everything hurt so much that I couldn't focus on any single thing around me. I tried to get up, but my legs felt like jelly..
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* OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions: Played with. Being a self-proclaimed Atheist, Sean thought he was above Catholicism in the beginning of the story. As it goes on, however, his [[{{RaisedCatholic}} upbringing]] and later experiences start to make him doubt his initial views.
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-->'''Sean:''' I think I'll name her [[VideoGame/{{HaloReach}} Reach]].
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-->'''Sean:''' I think I'll name call her [[VideoGame/{{HaloReach}} Reach]].
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-->'''Sean:''' I think I'll name her [[VideoGame/{{HaloReach}} Reach]].
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* RaisedCatholic: Sean was brought up in a traditional Catholic household. This becomes a point of contention for Sean over the course of the story, especially after [[spoiler:the death of Jack.]] Even though he sees himself as an atheist, he begins readopting some of his old Catholic mannerisms, including using the Sign of the Cross and praying before meals.
-->'''Sean:''' Even as an atheist, I couldn't deny my upbringing. I was raised Catholic, and in many ways I always would be Catholic.
-->'''Sean:''' Even as an atheist, I couldn't deny my upbringing. I was raised Catholic, and in many ways I always would be Catholic.
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* GirlFriday: Lydia acts as one in most situations, quietly regulating ship systems, keeping an eye on the crew, and voicing her opinions on current events from the confines of the ship's computer network.
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* FantasticRacism: [[spoiler: Admirals Raan and Gerrel make it very clear that they do not care for Sean or his crew, but will continue supporting them as long as they keep providing the Migrant Fleet with new experimental technology.]]
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* FantasticRacism: [[spoiler: Admirals Raan Zorah and Gerrel make it very clear that they do not care for Sean or his crew, but will continue supporting them as long as they keep providing the Migrant Fleet with new experimental technology.]]
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** While fighting [[spoiler:Golo aboard the Idenna in Chapter 21]], he blindly dismisses medical treatment for a shoulder wound until the [[spoiler:Cerberus]] boarders have been repelled. He ends up passing out from blood loss.
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** While After fighting [[spoiler:Golo aboard the Idenna in Chapter 21]], he blindly dismisses medical treatment for a shoulder wound until the [[spoiler:Cerberus]] boarders have been repelled. He ends up passing out from blood loss.
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* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: Happens with Sean multiple times.
** He keeps fighting with a previously-sustained injury to get him and his team [[spoiler:off the Cerberus space station in Chapter 8, even as his hardsuit warns him of the damage he's causing]]. He later loses consciousness.
** When jumping to the [[spoiler:Blue Suns ship in Chapter 16]], he breaks several toes on both feet in the landing but manages to keep going despite the pain.
** While fighting [[spoiler:Golo aboard the Idenna in Chapter 21]], he blindly dismisses medical treatment for a shoulder wound until the [[spoiler:Cerberus]] boarders have been repelled. He ends up passing out from blood loss.
** He keeps fighting with a previously-sustained injury to get him and his team [[spoiler:off the Cerberus space station in Chapter 8, even as his hardsuit warns him of the damage he's causing]]. He later loses consciousness.
** When jumping to the [[spoiler:Blue Suns ship in Chapter 16]], he breaks several toes on both feet in the landing but manages to keep going despite the pain.
** While fighting [[spoiler:Golo aboard the Idenna in Chapter 21]], he blindly dismisses medical treatment for a shoulder wound until the [[spoiler:Cerberus]] boarders have been repelled. He ends up passing out from blood loss.
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** The exos developed by the team are eventually upgraded into [[{PowerArmor}} fully-armored suits]] reminiscent of [[VideoGame/{{Fallout4}} Fallout 4]].
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** The exos developed by the team are eventually upgraded into [[{PowerArmor}} [[{{PowerArmor}} fully-armored suits]] reminiscent of [[VideoGame/{{Fallout4}} Fallout 4]].
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** The exos developed by the team are eventually upgraded into [[{PowerArmor}} fully-armored suits]] reminiscent of [[VideoGame/{{Fallout4}} Fallout 4]].
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** Later, vehicles are given enlarged versions of the gun for atmospheric combat.
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** Later, vehicles are given enlarged versions of the gun for atmospheric combat.
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** Given how old she is by Asari standards, this could just be an adolescent tick.
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* BerserkButton: Just try threatening Dan or any of his friends.
* GeniusDitz: While some members of the team exhibit shades of this, it can most clearly be seen with Sira, who has been observed staring at the sky for extended periods of time or talking about the weather on entirely different planets with no provocation.
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* InterdimensionalTravelDevice: The Spacial Distortion Device was designed as one, though its results are [[{{DimensionalTraveler}} not looking to be repeated by Sean and Dan.]]
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* InterdimensionalTravelDevice: The [[{{MacGuffin}} Spacial Distortion Device Device]] was designed as one, though its results are [[{{DimensionalTraveler}} not looking to be repeated by Sean and Dan.]]
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* MacGuffin: The [[{{InterdimensionalTravelDevice}} Spacial Distortion Device]] acts as this, sending Sean and Dan into the future and [[spoiler:eventually becoming a device of interest to Cerberus.]]
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* NoMacGuffinNoWinner: Sean and Dan resolve to [[spoiler: destroy the Spatial Distortion Device they've helped build for Cerberus and all their project notes, despite how badly they want to see the device operational again.]]
* NoSocialSkills: Dan had great difficulty talking to people before meeting Sean.
* NoodleIncident: Lydia mentions Sean used to have a thing for "robot ladies" back in the day before Sean quickly changes the subject.
* NoSocialSkills: Dan had great difficulty talking to people before meeting Sean.
* NoodleIncident: Lydia mentions Sean used to have a thing for "robot ladies" back in the day before Sean quickly changes the subject.
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* PreciousPhoto: Sean has several of these, either from before or after the accident. He carries copies of them anywhere he goes.
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** The suit of armor Sean designs for himself takes elements from the [[Anime/{{JinRohTheWolfBrigade}} Protect-Gears.]]
* SpaceClouds: Sean and his crew hide from [[spoiler:Cerberus]] ships inside a nebula when they realize they're outgunned.
* SpaceClouds: Sean and his crew hide from [[spoiler:Cerberus]] ships inside a nebula when they realize they're outgunned.
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* CurbStompBattle: The battle between the Migrant Fleet and Cerberus above Reach quickly becomes this, with the Quarians doing the stomping. It's an absolute bloodbath.
* DeadpanSnarker: More like Cast Of Snark. Given the appropriate moment, everyone will snark and will do it with out without a big smile.
* DeadpanSnarker: More like Cast Of Snark. Given the appropriate moment, everyone will snark and will do it with out without a big smile.
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* CurbStompBattle: The battle between the Migrant [[spoiler:Migrant Fleet and Cerberus above Reach quickly becomes this, with the Quarians doing the stomping.stomping]]. It's an absolute bloodbath.
* DeadpanSnarker: More like Cast Of Snark. Given the appropriate moment, everyone will snark and will do it without or without a big smile.
* DeadpanSnarker: More like Cast Of Snark. Given the appropriate moment, everyone will snark and will do it with
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* DrowningMySorrows:
** Sean locks himself in his quarters at Area 51 and does this after [[spoiler:receiving news that his father died and that he can't leave to attend the funeral. When Dan comes to check on him, Sean manages to convince Dan, a non-drinker, to join in.]]
** After the results of the [[spoiler:failed Cerberus attack on CASTLE Base, Sean immediately goes to his office inside the facility and drinks a shot of frontier whiskey.]]
** Sean locks himself in his quarters at Area 51 and does this after [[spoiler:receiving news that his father died and that he can't leave to attend the funeral. When Dan comes to check on him, Sean manages to convince Dan, a non-drinker, to join in.]]
** After the results of the [[spoiler:failed Cerberus attack on CASTLE Base, Sean immediately goes to his office inside the facility and drinks a shot of frontier whiskey.]]
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* GoodIsNotSoft: Even though Dan is a quiet, kind-hearted individual, he won't hesitate to openly lash out at you for even looking at him or his friends wrong.
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* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Admiral Hackett acts as one, creating the [[spoiler:coalition between the Alliance and Migrant Fleet]] and being one of the few members of Alliance High Command to take the Reaper threat seriously.
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* TheBadGuyWins: Despite [[spoiler:successfully breaking out of Cerberus imprisonment in the Barn with everyone else, Jack is fatally shot in the back during the escape and dies moments later, leaving a hole in the team that can be felt for the rest of the story.]]
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Come for the science, stay for the characters!
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Come for the science, stay for the characters!
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[[caption-width-right:350:"Heh, удачи. That's "good luck" in Russian.]]
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[[caption-width-right:350:"Heh, удачи. That's "good luck" in Russian.]]
"]]
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[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/commission_finished_shadow_by_tacowrath_dbi1pve.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"Heh, удачи. That's "good luck" in Russian.]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"Heh, удачи. That's "good luck" in Russian.]]
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** Later, Sera expresses interest in Sean's old vaporwave tracks, causing Dan equal parts annoyance and bafflement.
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** Later, Sera Sira expresses interest in Sean's old vaporwave tracks, causing Dan equal parts annoyance and bafflement.
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''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11209283/1/Mass-Effect-Murphy-s-Law Mass Effect: Murphy's Law]]'' is an ongoing science-centered Franchise/MassEffect fanfic written by author [[https://www.fanfiction.net/~TacoWrath TacoWrath]] on FF.net. Following a disastrous accident, two top scientists, Sean Michaels and Dan Nemo, are transported to the future, later joined by other scientists of similar skill. Over the years, they develop technology that gradually shifts and changes their world, as forces around them seek their skills for good or ill. As the story and settings shift, so do the characters that join them as Sean and his team [[ReluctantHero reluctantly]] become central figures of interest in the galaxy.
In a different take on the Franchise/MassEffect universe, Murphy's Law is a world where the Mass Effect games never happened, leaving the characters Sean and Dan in a world very alien to them. Taking influence from a variety of different sources, mainly Franchise/{{Halo}} and TabletopGame/BattleTech, Murphy's Law manages to blend elements from these sources into the Mass Effect universe without ruining the feel of the world or turning it into a crossover fic.
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!! Mass Effect: Murphy's Law provides examples of the following tropes:
* AbnormalAmmo: The Plasma Rifle uses synthetic plasma produced by the Nemo-Michaels Reactor as ammo, firing blue bolts of the stuff at high velocity to devastating effect. The "cells" the plasma is stored in can even be [[ImprovisedWeapon paired with a grenade to create a much larger, heat-based explosion.]]
* AlienArtsAreAppreciated:
** While staying aboard the [[spoiler:Idenna]], the quarian crew take a liking to Sean's [[Franchise/TheElderScrolls Skyrim]] tavern music.
** Later, Sera expresses interest in Sean's old vaporwave tracks, causing Dan equal parts annoyance and bafflement.
* AllPlanetsAreEarthLike: Averted. Of the three planets in the Klenot Nebula, only one is habitable, and even then its not a dextro-amino world, making quarian habitation more difficult.
* AlphaStrike: The Dragoon mechs are fully capable of this, though it runs the risk of putting it in emergency shutdown state.
* ArtificialLimbs: After nearly [[spoiler:dying in a pirate attack at the edge of the Perseus Veil, Richard is given a cybernetic arm and eye by the Geth Collective to replace the ones he lost.]] They are based on the Geth's own mobile platforms.
* AsleepForDays: [[spoiler:Sean]] is rendered unconscious and bedridden for over a month after being badly injured during the attack on [[spoiler:Aldrin Station.]] Even after awaking, he's barely able to move and is still not fully healed.
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Despite all the fighting and bickering between [[spoiler: Sean and Mara]] in the beginning chapters of the story, they eventually do hook up and get married.
* BashBrothers: Sean and Dan are this when together, even having code phrases for certain maneuvers. Makes sense, given they [[spoiler: used to be on a professional paintball team together.]]
* {{BFG}}: The [[{{Plasma Cannon}} Plasma Gun]] is this for Sean, and anyone else wielding one.
* BlackBraAndPanties: [[spoiler:Mara surprises Sean with this the night of his 31st birthday, flirting suggestively with him and telling him it was hard to get before the two have sex.]]
* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler:Admirals Rann, Koris, and Zadie arrive just in time with a Quarian Liveship to save Sean and the rest of his crew from Lynda's ship.]]
* BilingualBonus:
** Dimitri's shouting in combat situations translate to some rather... [[SirSwearsalot colorful phrases]].
** The insult [[spoiler:Golo uses after being shot by Sean]] roughly translates to "F**k" in Spanish.
* CanonImmigrant: Characters and locations from Mass Effect: Infiltrator appear in the story, even after being declared noncanon.
** The Barn, the primary setting for the game, is [[spoiler:destroyed after the destruction of the second Cerberus SDD]].
** [[spoiler:The Director appears as the main antagonist for two chapters, before dissapearing after the distruction of the Barn.]]
** [[spoiler:Randall Ezno appaears as a member of the Cerberus team sent to investigate Ferris Fields, surprising everyone with his biotics.]]
* ChekhovsHobby: When Richard asks Sean how he has so much experience with combat tactics, he answers "Professional paintball. Mostly." much to Richard's horror.
* CoolButInefficient: The [[{{Plasma Cannon}} Plasma Gun]] burns through armor, synthetics, and ignores kinetic barriers, but it can't operate in a vacuum or on low-oxygen worlds. Also, ammo is easily exhaustible in long engagements compared to standard mass effect weaponry.
* CoolStarship:
** SSV Explorer [[spoiler:(later MFV Explorer)]], an Alamo-class frigate converted into an experimental test bed for Task Force Cerebellum's reactor and FTL technology.
** The Phantom-class frigates, a flying wing stealth ship featuring the latest reactor and FTL tech, and created with a mix of quarian and human design elements.
* CurbStompBattle: The battle between the Migrant Fleet and Cerberus above Reach quickly becomes this, with the Quarians doing the stomping. It's an absolute bloodbath.
* DeadpanSnarker: More like Cast Of Snark. Given the appropriate moment, everyone will snark and will do it with out without a big smile.
* DeflectorShields: Sean and Sira finish [[spoiler: Jack's experimental work on energy projection]], producing an "energy shield" that can block any and all damage if the energy lost can be replaced.
* DescriptionPorn: The technical details of the various tech and science can get a little involved.
* DimensionalTraveler: Sean and Dan qualify as this, [[{{VomitIndiscretionShot}}though they don't want a]] [[{{StressVomit}} repeat of the experience]].
* DistressCall:
** [[spoiler:Greg's]] team responded to one when he was still in the Alliance Marines. [[spoiler: It was a trap laid out by batarian slavers, but he helped save the day.]]
** The Alliance receive a genuine one from a small group of [[spoiler:Cerberus scientists stranded on an ice world who wish to defect.]]
* DueToTheDead: Once back home at Serenity Valley, [[spoiler: Jack is given a proper funeral with everyone except Dan in attendance.]]
* ElaborateUndergroundBase: CASTLE Base is one of these, with multiple levels and a [[spoiler:hidden Prothean archive buried at the bottom.]]
* FanOfThePast: Sean and Dan technically become this due to how old their original lives are.
* FantasticRacism: [[spoiler: Admirals Raan and Gerrel make it very clear that they do not care for Sean or his crew, but will continue supporting them as long as they keep providing the Migrant Fleet with new experimental technology.]]
* GeniusSlob: Both Dan and Richard are this, if Sean's descriptions of their work and living spaces are to be believed.
* GratuitousRussian: Dimitri has shades of this, mostly in [[ForeignCussWord stressful situations]].
* GunshipRescue: Invoked, and averted. Sean, Dimitri, and [[spoiler:Greg attempt one of these in an experimental variant of the Cobra-class gunship when CASTLE Base comes under siege from Cerberus aircraft.]] It works for a few minutes before they're overwhelmed by enemy missile fire and end up crash landing.
* HeelFaceTurn: The scientists that [[spoiler:defect from Cerberus following the human/quarian coalition attack on Minuteman Station.]]
* HeroicBSOD: Dan undergoes two of these. the first occurs after [[spoiler:he fatally stabs a turian mugger to death on the Citadel,]] and the second happens when he[[spoiler: returns from The Barn after Jack's death at the hands of Cerberus.]] Both are complete with a [[{{ThousandYardStare}} Thousand-Yard Stare]].
* HumongousMecha: The Dragoon mechs are this to a tee. They have all the weapons and armor needed to tear through most opposition.
* ImprovisedMicrogravityManeuvering: Sean and everyone else end up reversing the polarity of their magnetic boots to give them a push towards the [[spoiler: Blue Suns ship docked to the Geth derelict.]]
* InterdimensionalTravelDevice: The Spacial Distortion Device was designed as one, though its results are [[{{DimensionalTraveler}} not looking to be repeated by Sean and Dan.]]
* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: Deconstructed. During the [[spoiler: the attack on the Idenna, the 1911A1 Colt 45. Sean got for his birthday does hit hard, but only when the enemy's kinetic barriers are down. Even then, he has to aim for the weak spots in their helmets to land killing blows, and it takes a whole magazine to take down Golo]]. If anything, it demonstrates why mass effect weaponry is the standard for the galactic community.
* KnifeNut: Dan is one of these, keeping at least two razor-sharp knives on him at all times in addition to his private collection.
* LetsGetDangerous: The normally stoic Dan does this when he and Sean are threatened by two turian muggers on the Citadel. [[{{KnifeFight}} It doesn't end well for the turians.]]
* MagneticWeapons: Sean takes pre-existing mass accelerator technology and turns it [[UpToEleven Up To Eleven]] with the [[Franchise/{{Halo}} Orbital Defense Platforms.]] The resulting weapon is so dangerous that it can potentially kill a planet with one direct shot.
* MeaningfulName:
** The SSV Explorer was christened as such due to its ability to travel to systems unreachable by Mass Relay.
** All the smaller crafts designed by Sean and his team are named after snakes.
* MoneyForNothing: Even though they do eventually start getting paid by the [[spoiler: Alliance again]], Sean and the others can't really use it since they spend all their time with the quarians, who have a trade-based economy instead of one based on money.
* NamingYourColonyWorld: Given how much of a sci-fi nerd Sean is, it was inevitable he'd name a planet after something from the genre.
* PlasmaCannon: The Ionized Plasma Projector developed by [[spoiler:Sean and Mara]], better known as the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Plasma Gun]] acts as a portable {{BFG}} for anyone using it, even if it does [[CoolButInefficient suffer from limitations.]] Starts off as a backpack-mounted weapon similar to the [[VideoGame/{{Half-Life}} Gluon Gun]], but later evolves into what he [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxVOvwjnYVo always intended it to be.]]
** Later, vehicles are given enlarged versions of the gun for atmospheric combat.
* SceneryPorn: Serenity Valley must be quite the sight based on how many times Sean stops to stare at it.
* SendInTheSearchTeam: Sean, Dan, and Dimitri are sent into a [[spoiler: seemingly derelict Geth cruiser along with a team of Migrant Fleet marines to investigate its status.]] It doesn't take long for the mission to go south.
* ShoutOut: And a lot of them.
** Sean admits most of the Plasma Gun's final design is a near-copy of the one from [[VideoGame/{{Doom 3}} Doom 3]].
*** Before the final design, it looked more like the [[VideoGame/{{Half-Life}} Gluon Gun]].
** The name chosen for the crew's new home on Reach? [[Series/{{Firefly}} Serenity Valley]].
** A lot related to the [[Franchise/{{Halo}} Halo]] franchise.
*** [[VideoGame/{{HaloReach}} Reach]] is named after the titular planet.
*** The Orbital Defense Platforms are designed in form and concept off the Cairo from [[VideoGame/{{Halo2}} Halo 2]]. The first one constructed even gets the same name!
*** CASTLE Base is named after a similar facility from [[Literature/{{HaloTheFallOfReach}} Halo: The Fall of Reach]].
** The [[HumongousMecha Dragoons]] are based off the Archer platform from TabletopGame/BattleTech, and can even perform an [[AlphaStrike Alpha Strike]].
** The [[StealthInSpace Phantom-class frigate]] was designed by Dan using several design elements from the [[VideoGame/{{AceCombat6FiresOfLiberation}} P-1112 Aigaion]].
** The Viper-Class Interceptor's design is based on the [[Anime/CowboyBebop Swordfish II]].
* SpaceStation: Several.
** Aldrin Station, built in the dark side of Mercury, is where Task Force Cerebellum is based, [[spoiler: until it is destroyed by Cerberus]].
** The Orbital Defense Platforms hover in geosynchronous orbit above Reach, and have dedicated crews manning them at all times.
* StealthInSpace: The Phantom-class frigate is designed with the heat-storing properties of the old Normandy, an enveloping cloaking device that hides it visually, AND a black paint job that matches that background of space.
* StressVomit: One of the side effects of inter-dimensional travel, if Sean and Dan are any example.
* TheMainCharactersDoEverything: One has to wonder how many times Sean will have to end up in dangerous situations before he's ordered to stay in the safety of his home on Reach.
** Then again, maybe the Admirals are [[{{FantasticRacism}} trying to get him killed.]]
* TranslatorMicrobes: After arriving on the Citadel, a turian C-Sec officer gives Sean and Dan earpieces that automatically translate alien languages for them. Omni-tools also have the technology built into them.
* TreacherousAdvisor: [[spoiler:Lynda]] turns out to be one, and ends up getting [[spoiler: everyone but the project leads killed when Cerberus agents raid Aldrin Station using her access codes]].
In a different take on the Franchise/MassEffect universe, Murphy's Law is a world where the Mass Effect games never happened, leaving the characters Sean and Dan in a world very alien to them. Taking influence from a variety of different sources, mainly Franchise/{{Halo}} and TabletopGame/BattleTech, Murphy's Law manages to blend elements from these sources into the Mass Effect universe without ruining the feel of the world or turning it into a crossover fic.
----
!! Mass Effect: Murphy's Law provides examples of the following tropes:
* AbnormalAmmo: The Plasma Rifle uses synthetic plasma produced by the Nemo-Michaels Reactor as ammo, firing blue bolts of the stuff at high velocity to devastating effect. The "cells" the plasma is stored in can even be [[ImprovisedWeapon paired with a grenade to create a much larger, heat-based explosion.]]
* AlienArtsAreAppreciated:
** While staying aboard the [[spoiler:Idenna]], the quarian crew take a liking to Sean's [[Franchise/TheElderScrolls Skyrim]] tavern music.
** Later, Sera expresses interest in Sean's old vaporwave tracks, causing Dan equal parts annoyance and bafflement.
* AllPlanetsAreEarthLike: Averted. Of the three planets in the Klenot Nebula, only one is habitable, and even then its not a dextro-amino world, making quarian habitation more difficult.
* AlphaStrike: The Dragoon mechs are fully capable of this, though it runs the risk of putting it in emergency shutdown state.
* ArtificialLimbs: After nearly [[spoiler:dying in a pirate attack at the edge of the Perseus Veil, Richard is given a cybernetic arm and eye by the Geth Collective to replace the ones he lost.]] They are based on the Geth's own mobile platforms.
* AsleepForDays: [[spoiler:Sean]] is rendered unconscious and bedridden for over a month after being badly injured during the attack on [[spoiler:Aldrin Station.]] Even after awaking, he's barely able to move and is still not fully healed.
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Despite all the fighting and bickering between [[spoiler: Sean and Mara]] in the beginning chapters of the story, they eventually do hook up and get married.
* BashBrothers: Sean and Dan are this when together, even having code phrases for certain maneuvers. Makes sense, given they [[spoiler: used to be on a professional paintball team together.]]
* {{BFG}}: The [[{{Plasma Cannon}} Plasma Gun]] is this for Sean, and anyone else wielding one.
* BlackBraAndPanties: [[spoiler:Mara surprises Sean with this the night of his 31st birthday, flirting suggestively with him and telling him it was hard to get before the two have sex.]]
* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler:Admirals Rann, Koris, and Zadie arrive just in time with a Quarian Liveship to save Sean and the rest of his crew from Lynda's ship.]]
* BilingualBonus:
** Dimitri's shouting in combat situations translate to some rather... [[SirSwearsalot colorful phrases]].
** The insult [[spoiler:Golo uses after being shot by Sean]] roughly translates to "F**k" in Spanish.
* CanonImmigrant: Characters and locations from Mass Effect: Infiltrator appear in the story, even after being declared noncanon.
** The Barn, the primary setting for the game, is [[spoiler:destroyed after the destruction of the second Cerberus SDD]].
** [[spoiler:The Director appears as the main antagonist for two chapters, before dissapearing after the distruction of the Barn.]]
** [[spoiler:Randall Ezno appaears as a member of the Cerberus team sent to investigate Ferris Fields, surprising everyone with his biotics.]]
* ChekhovsHobby: When Richard asks Sean how he has so much experience with combat tactics, he answers "Professional paintball. Mostly." much to Richard's horror.
* CoolButInefficient: The [[{{Plasma Cannon}} Plasma Gun]] burns through armor, synthetics, and ignores kinetic barriers, but it can't operate in a vacuum or on low-oxygen worlds. Also, ammo is easily exhaustible in long engagements compared to standard mass effect weaponry.
* CoolStarship:
** SSV Explorer [[spoiler:(later MFV Explorer)]], an Alamo-class frigate converted into an experimental test bed for Task Force Cerebellum's reactor and FTL technology.
** The Phantom-class frigates, a flying wing stealth ship featuring the latest reactor and FTL tech, and created with a mix of quarian and human design elements.
* CurbStompBattle: The battle between the Migrant Fleet and Cerberus above Reach quickly becomes this, with the Quarians doing the stomping. It's an absolute bloodbath.
* DeadpanSnarker: More like Cast Of Snark. Given the appropriate moment, everyone will snark and will do it with out without a big smile.
* DeflectorShields: Sean and Sira finish [[spoiler: Jack's experimental work on energy projection]], producing an "energy shield" that can block any and all damage if the energy lost can be replaced.
* DescriptionPorn: The technical details of the various tech and science can get a little involved.
* DimensionalTraveler: Sean and Dan qualify as this, [[{{VomitIndiscretionShot}}though they don't want a]] [[{{StressVomit}} repeat of the experience]].
* DistressCall:
** [[spoiler:Greg's]] team responded to one when he was still in the Alliance Marines. [[spoiler: It was a trap laid out by batarian slavers, but he helped save the day.]]
** The Alliance receive a genuine one from a small group of [[spoiler:Cerberus scientists stranded on an ice world who wish to defect.]]
* DueToTheDead: Once back home at Serenity Valley, [[spoiler: Jack is given a proper funeral with everyone except Dan in attendance.]]
* ElaborateUndergroundBase: CASTLE Base is one of these, with multiple levels and a [[spoiler:hidden Prothean archive buried at the bottom.]]
* FanOfThePast: Sean and Dan technically become this due to how old their original lives are.
* FantasticRacism: [[spoiler: Admirals Raan and Gerrel make it very clear that they do not care for Sean or his crew, but will continue supporting them as long as they keep providing the Migrant Fleet with new experimental technology.]]
* GeniusSlob: Both Dan and Richard are this, if Sean's descriptions of their work and living spaces are to be believed.
* GratuitousRussian: Dimitri has shades of this, mostly in [[ForeignCussWord stressful situations]].
* GunshipRescue: Invoked, and averted. Sean, Dimitri, and [[spoiler:Greg attempt one of these in an experimental variant of the Cobra-class gunship when CASTLE Base comes under siege from Cerberus aircraft.]] It works for a few minutes before they're overwhelmed by enemy missile fire and end up crash landing.
* HeelFaceTurn: The scientists that [[spoiler:defect from Cerberus following the human/quarian coalition attack on Minuteman Station.]]
* HeroicBSOD: Dan undergoes two of these. the first occurs after [[spoiler:he fatally stabs a turian mugger to death on the Citadel,]] and the second happens when he[[spoiler: returns from The Barn after Jack's death at the hands of Cerberus.]] Both are complete with a [[{{ThousandYardStare}} Thousand-Yard Stare]].
* HumongousMecha: The Dragoon mechs are this to a tee. They have all the weapons and armor needed to tear through most opposition.
* ImprovisedMicrogravityManeuvering: Sean and everyone else end up reversing the polarity of their magnetic boots to give them a push towards the [[spoiler: Blue Suns ship docked to the Geth derelict.]]
* InterdimensionalTravelDevice: The Spacial Distortion Device was designed as one, though its results are [[{{DimensionalTraveler}} not looking to be repeated by Sean and Dan.]]
* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: Deconstructed. During the [[spoiler: the attack on the Idenna, the 1911A1 Colt 45. Sean got for his birthday does hit hard, but only when the enemy's kinetic barriers are down. Even then, he has to aim for the weak spots in their helmets to land killing blows, and it takes a whole magazine to take down Golo]]. If anything, it demonstrates why mass effect weaponry is the standard for the galactic community.
* KnifeNut: Dan is one of these, keeping at least two razor-sharp knives on him at all times in addition to his private collection.
* LetsGetDangerous: The normally stoic Dan does this when he and Sean are threatened by two turian muggers on the Citadel. [[{{KnifeFight}} It doesn't end well for the turians.]]
* MagneticWeapons: Sean takes pre-existing mass accelerator technology and turns it [[UpToEleven Up To Eleven]] with the [[Franchise/{{Halo}} Orbital Defense Platforms.]] The resulting weapon is so dangerous that it can potentially kill a planet with one direct shot.
* MeaningfulName:
** The SSV Explorer was christened as such due to its ability to travel to systems unreachable by Mass Relay.
** All the smaller crafts designed by Sean and his team are named after snakes.
* MoneyForNothing: Even though they do eventually start getting paid by the [[spoiler: Alliance again]], Sean and the others can't really use it since they spend all their time with the quarians, who have a trade-based economy instead of one based on money.
* NamingYourColonyWorld: Given how much of a sci-fi nerd Sean is, it was inevitable he'd name a planet after something from the genre.
* PlasmaCannon: The Ionized Plasma Projector developed by [[spoiler:Sean and Mara]], better known as the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Plasma Gun]] acts as a portable {{BFG}} for anyone using it, even if it does [[CoolButInefficient suffer from limitations.]] Starts off as a backpack-mounted weapon similar to the [[VideoGame/{{Half-Life}} Gluon Gun]], but later evolves into what he [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxVOvwjnYVo always intended it to be.]]
** Later, vehicles are given enlarged versions of the gun for atmospheric combat.
* SceneryPorn: Serenity Valley must be quite the sight based on how many times Sean stops to stare at it.
* SendInTheSearchTeam: Sean, Dan, and Dimitri are sent into a [[spoiler: seemingly derelict Geth cruiser along with a team of Migrant Fleet marines to investigate its status.]] It doesn't take long for the mission to go south.
* ShoutOut: And a lot of them.
** Sean admits most of the Plasma Gun's final design is a near-copy of the one from [[VideoGame/{{Doom 3}} Doom 3]].
*** Before the final design, it looked more like the [[VideoGame/{{Half-Life}} Gluon Gun]].
** The name chosen for the crew's new home on Reach? [[Series/{{Firefly}} Serenity Valley]].
** A lot related to the [[Franchise/{{Halo}} Halo]] franchise.
*** [[VideoGame/{{HaloReach}} Reach]] is named after the titular planet.
*** The Orbital Defense Platforms are designed in form and concept off the Cairo from [[VideoGame/{{Halo2}} Halo 2]]. The first one constructed even gets the same name!
*** CASTLE Base is named after a similar facility from [[Literature/{{HaloTheFallOfReach}} Halo: The Fall of Reach]].
** The [[HumongousMecha Dragoons]] are based off the Archer platform from TabletopGame/BattleTech, and can even perform an [[AlphaStrike Alpha Strike]].
** The [[StealthInSpace Phantom-class frigate]] was designed by Dan using several design elements from the [[VideoGame/{{AceCombat6FiresOfLiberation}} P-1112 Aigaion]].
** The Viper-Class Interceptor's design is based on the [[Anime/CowboyBebop Swordfish II]].
* SpaceStation: Several.
** Aldrin Station, built in the dark side of Mercury, is where Task Force Cerebellum is based, [[spoiler: until it is destroyed by Cerberus]].
** The Orbital Defense Platforms hover in geosynchronous orbit above Reach, and have dedicated crews manning them at all times.
* StealthInSpace: The Phantom-class frigate is designed with the heat-storing properties of the old Normandy, an enveloping cloaking device that hides it visually, AND a black paint job that matches that background of space.
* StressVomit: One of the side effects of inter-dimensional travel, if Sean and Dan are any example.
* TheMainCharactersDoEverything: One has to wonder how many times Sean will have to end up in dangerous situations before he's ordered to stay in the safety of his home on Reach.
** Then again, maybe the Admirals are [[{{FantasticRacism}} trying to get him killed.]]
* TranslatorMicrobes: After arriving on the Citadel, a turian C-Sec officer gives Sean and Dan earpieces that automatically translate alien languages for them. Omni-tools also have the technology built into them.
* TreacherousAdvisor: [[spoiler:Lynda]] turns out to be one, and ends up getting [[spoiler: everyone but the project leads killed when Cerberus agents raid Aldrin Station using her access codes]].
