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* GilliganCut: Happens after the Council decides to try minimizing the demands of the Alliance after the raid on Elysium.
--> '''Tevos''': Let us hope that the Alliance agrees to our conditions.
--? Cut to Char
--> '''Kerrigan''': Like hell I'll agree to that!
--> '''Tevos''': Let us hope that the Alliance agrees to our conditions.
--? Cut to Char
--> '''Kerrigan''': Like hell I'll agree to that!
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* SparedByTheAdaptation: [[spoiler: Nihlus Kryik and Jenkins. Nihlus joins the ''Normandy'' as their official red-tape cutter, and Jenkins becomes the head of the new Piranha detachment.]]
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* SparedByTheAdaptation: [[spoiler: Nihlus Kryik and Jenkins. Nihlus joins the ''Normandy'' as their official red-tape cutter, and Jenkins becomes the head of the new Piranha detachment.]] On the StarCraft side, we have [[spoiler: Zeratul, as this story was written before the release of VideoGame/StarCraftIILegacyOfTheVoid.]]
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* IChooseToStay: Jack is not only the only one to ever volunteer to be a Reaper, but she's also the only one to complete the two year service requirement. But for reasons unknown she's still a Reaper after at least ''six years'.
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* IChooseToStay: Jack is not only the only one to ever volunteer to be a Reaper, but she's also the only one to complete the two year service requirement. But for reasons unknown she's still a Reaper after at least ''six years'.years''.
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* LeaveBehindAPistol: In the backstory, some of the Agria colonists were each given a pistol with a single round when it was discovered they were infested.
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* DeathFromAbove: Reapers will use their jump packs to land on an enemy's head when they want to save ammo.
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* IChooseToStay: Jack is not only the only one to ever volunteer to be a Reaper, but she's also the only one to complete the two year service requirement. But for reasons unknown she's still a Reaper after at least ''six years'.
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* RealityEnsues: After seeing her entire archaeological team die, Liara develops PTSD.
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** [[spoiler: Sovereign! ]]Saren delivers one to the Strikers, Shepard [[spoiler: (with a boost from [[SuperPoweredEvilSide Amon)]] ]] promptly returns the favor
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** [[spoiler: Sovereign! ]]Saren delivers one to the Strikers, Shepard [[spoiler: (with a boost from [[SuperPoweredEvilSide Amon)]] ]] promptly returns the favorfavor.
* CutenessProximity: Kasumi when around Tali whom she finds adorable.
* CutenessProximity: Kasumi when around Tali whom she finds adorable.
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* FriendToAllChildren: Jack goes out of her way to protect children and at least once has killed an officer for ordering her to kill children.
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* MundaneLuxury: Shepard is overjoyed to have a real bed in his quarters aboard the ''Normandy'' since, like most soldiers (and some civilians), he's spent most of his life sleeping on semi-comfortable cots or the ground.
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* SimpleYetAwesome: Terran technology is noted as being both simpler and more robust than the complicated Citadel tech which also requires the toxic to psionics Element Zero. Beyond omni-tools powered by fusion batteries, Terrans generally don't bother with the stuff.
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** On the flip side, Vespene Gas is apparently toxic to Biotics. The Alliance decides against using it as such since, among other things, it's too valuable as fuel.
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I\'m pretty sure that it\'s not sensitive to biotics. It was described as being toxic to Turians and Asari in general.
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* AwesomeButImpractical: Vespene gas is a potent poison against biotics but is considered too valuable as fuel to be used as such.
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* AwesomeButImpractical: Vespene gas is a potent poison especially against biotics Turians and Asari but is considered too valuable as fuel to be used as such.
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* AwesomeButImpractical: Vespene gas is a potent poison against biotics but is considered too valuable as fuel to be used as such.
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* {{Irony}}: In the original ''Videogame/MassEffect'', humanity's First Contact War was known by the Citadel as the Relay 314 Incident. Here, what the Citadel calls the Koprulu Contact War is known by the Alliance as the Backyard Skirmish.
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* KnowWhenToFoldEm: The Turians at Lyria advise all colonists to surrender to the Alliance forces if given a chance.
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* KleptomaniacHero: Shepard, comes from his enhancements as a Spectre, which usually results in a few eccentricities. Most of the time he doesn;t even realize he's doing it, though he does get the occasional urge for more blatant thieving.
to:
* KleptomaniacHero: Shepard, comes from his enhancements as a Spectre, which usually results in a few eccentricities. Most of the time he doesn;t doesn't even realize he's doing it, though he does get the occasional urge for more blatant thieving. thieving.
* MuggingTheMonster: A group of mercenaries are sent to attack Elysium-1, only to learn that Terrans set up their military outpost ''before'' allowing civilians on a new colony.
* MuggingTheMonster: A group of mercenaries are sent to attack Elysium-1, only to learn that Terrans set up their military outpost ''before'' allowing civilians on a new colony.
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* DrillSergeantNasty: While normally SergeantRock, Ashley slips into this when it's time for some additional training.
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* SergeantRock: Ashley takes this role with her Marines.
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* BoldlyComing: [[DefiedTrope Defied]]. An attempt by a number of Asari maidens to seduce the crew of a battlecruiser nearly causes a diplomatic incident.
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* WhamEpisode: [[spoiler: In chapter 22, the cause of Sheperd's growing psionic powers is revealed to have secretly been ''[[GodOfEvil Amon]] himself'' who is [[SealedEvilInACan currently been hiding inside Shepard's body without him knowing all about it]].]]
** [[spoiler: Chapter 24 gives us another one in the form of [[CavalryBetrayal Zeratul and Artanis betraying everyone]] by psychically knocking out Kasumi and the rest of the Strikers unconscious before taking off with Shepard's body.]]
** [[spoiler: Chapter 24 gives us another one in the form of [[CavalryBetrayal Zeratul and Artanis betraying everyone]] by psychically knocking out Kasumi and the rest of the Strikers unconscious before taking off with Shepard's body.]]
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-->[[spoiler: Amon: YOU SHALL FAIL. [[EvilerThanThou I KNOW OF YOUR PLANS DISOBEDIENT TOOL. I WILL NOT ALLOW THEM TO SUCCEED. I WOULD RATHER SEE THE UNIVERSE DARKEN FOR ALL ETERNITY THEN LET YOU PERPETUATE YOUR STAGNATION.]] YOU WILL FAIL. I AM BEYOND YOUR COMPREHENSION. YOUR CORRUPTED CYCLE WILL COME TO AN END. [[WhamLine I AM]] [[GodOfEvil AMON.]] ]]
to:
-->[[spoiler: Amon: [[VoiceOfTheLegion Amon]]: YOU SHALL FAIL. [[EvilerThanThou I KNOW OF YOUR PLANS DISOBEDIENT TOOL. I WILL NOT ALLOW THEM TO SUCCEED. I WOULD RATHER SEE THE UNIVERSE DARKEN FOR ALL ETERNITY THEN LET YOU PERPETUATE YOUR STAGNATION.]] YOU WILL FAIL. I AM BEYOND YOUR COMPREHENSION. YOUR CORRUPTED CYCLE WILL COME TO AN END. [[WhamLine I AM]] [[GodOfEvil AMON.]] ]]
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* WeaponizedOffspring: The [[spoiler: Terror Krogan]] are able to spawn and regurgitate Banelings like artillery. They're noted as not quite as effective as the regular kind, but still powerful enough to kill whoever is unlucky enough to be hit by one.
to:
* WeaponizedOffspring: The [[spoiler: Terror Krogan]] are able to spawn and regurgitate Banelings like artillery. They're noted as not quite as effective as the regular kind, but still powerful enough to kill whoever is unlucky enough to be hit by one.one.
* WhamLine: [[spoiler: Chapter 22 gives us this shocking revelation.]]
-->[[spoiler: Amon: YOU SHALL FAIL. [[EvilerThanThou I KNOW OF YOUR PLANS DISOBEDIENT TOOL. I WILL NOT ALLOW THEM TO SUCCEED. I WOULD RATHER SEE THE UNIVERSE DARKEN FOR ALL ETERNITY THEN LET YOU PERPETUATE YOUR STAGNATION.]] YOU WILL FAIL. I AM BEYOND YOUR COMPREHENSION. YOUR CORRUPTED CYCLE WILL COME TO AN END. [[WhamLine I AM]] [[GodOfEvil AMON.]] ]]
* WhamLine: [[spoiler: Chapter 22 gives us this shocking revelation.]]
-->[[spoiler: Amon: YOU SHALL FAIL. [[EvilerThanThou I KNOW OF YOUR PLANS DISOBEDIENT TOOL. I WILL NOT ALLOW THEM TO SUCCEED. I WOULD RATHER SEE THE UNIVERSE DARKEN FOR ALL ETERNITY THEN LET YOU PERPETUATE YOUR STAGNATION.]] YOU WILL FAIL. I AM BEYOND YOUR COMPREHENSION. YOUR CORRUPTED CYCLE WILL COME TO AN END. [[WhamLine I AM]] [[GodOfEvil AMON.]] ]]
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* EvilerThanThou: [[What Amon is basically to Sovereign and the Harvesters]]
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* EvilerThanThou: [[What [[spoiler: What Amon is basically to Sovereign and the Harvesters]]
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* CalvalryBetrayal: [[spoiler: Artanis and his Protoss warp into the Council Chambers once Sovereign!Saren is dead, knocking out the surviving Strikers and taking Shepard]]
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* CalvalryBetrayal: CavalryBetrayal: [[spoiler: Artanis and his Protoss warp into the Council Chambers once Sovereign!Saren is dead, knocking out the surviving Strikers and taking Shepard]]
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* EvilerThanThou: [[What Amon is basically to Sovereign and the Harvesters]]
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* ApolegeticAttacker: [[spoiler: Zeratul to Kasumi as he knocks her out during the Protoss' betrayal.]]
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* ApolegeticAttacker: ApologeticAttacker: [[spoiler: Zeratul to Kasumi as he knocks her out during the Protoss' betrayal.]]
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** [[spoiler: In chapter 24, Shepard also loses his arm after using his powers in his fight against Saren]].
* ApolegeticAttacker: [[spoiler: Zeratul to Kasumi as he knocks her out during the Protoss' betrayal.]]
* BadassBureaucrat: Executor Pallin certainly is no slouch in combat despite spending most of his time according to Garrus 'filling out forms'
* ApolegeticAttacker: [[spoiler: Zeratul to Kasumi as he knocks her out during the Protoss' betrayal.]]
* BadassBureaucrat: Executor Pallin certainly is no slouch in combat despite spending most of his time according to Garrus 'filling out forms'
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* BigDamnHeroes: Repeatedly by Shepard's Strikers [[spoiler: and the Golden Armada during the attack on the Citadel]]
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* CalvalryBetrayal: [[spoiler: Artanis and his Protoss warp into the Council Chambers once Sovereign!Saren is dead, knocking out the surviving Strikers and taking Shepard]]
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* SealedEvilInACan: [[spoiler: Shepard is the can for [[GodOfEvil Amon's]] evil]]
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** [[spoiler: Sovereign! ]]Saren delivers one to the Strikers, Shepard [[spoiler: (with a boost from [[SuperPoweredEvilSide Amon)]] ]] promptly returns the favor
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* SuperPoweredEvilSide: [[spoiler: What [[GodOfEvil Amon]] has secretly become to Shepard.]]
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* CarFu: The Piranha is deployed for the first time without any ammo, so Shepard just rams Saren with it.
* OfficialCouple: [[spoiler:Shepard and Kasumi as of Chapter 22.]]
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* SparedByTheAdaptation: [[spoiler: Nihlus Kryik]]
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* SparedByTheAdaptation: [[spoiler: Nihlus Kryik]]Kryik and Jenkins. Nihlus joins the ''Normandy'' as their official red-tape cutter, and Jenkins becomes the head of the new Piranha detachment.]]
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* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: After Joker's boast that he could make the ''Normandy'' dance, Shepard tells him to be careful about saying such things as he just may need to do that someday.
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* BringMyBrownPants: After Shepard tells Joker he may actually need to make the ''Normandy'' dance, Joker says, "Then you'd better have a change of pants ready!"
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* HypocriticalHumor:
** During the raid on Hock's stronghold, Shepard gets the urge to steal an antique violin. When Kasumi tries to call him out on it, he retorts with, "Says the professional thief!"
** Later Shepard chides Kasumi for trying to pick-pocket the Protoss, only to have an amused Zeratul point out that he'd taken the five-finger discount himself without even realizing it.
* KleptomaniacHero: Shepard, comes from his enhancements as a Spectre, which usually results in a few eccentricities. Most of the time he doesn;t even realize he's doing it, though he does get the occasional urge for more blatant thieving.
** During the raid on Hock's stronghold, Shepard gets the urge to steal an antique violin. When Kasumi tries to call him out on it, he retorts with, "Says the professional thief!"
** Later Shepard chides Kasumi for trying to pick-pocket the Protoss, only to have an amused Zeratul point out that he'd taken the five-finger discount himself without even realizing it.
* KleptomaniacHero: Shepard, comes from his enhancements as a Spectre, which usually results in a few eccentricities. Most of the time he doesn;t even realize he's doing it, though he does get the occasional urge for more blatant thieving.
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* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler: The battle between the Citadel and the Terrans and Protoss. The Citadel's forces stand absolutely no chance. Ditto for the Batarians who are on the receiving end of one courtesy of the zerg.]]
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Taking place after VideoGame/StarCraftIIHeartOfTheSwarm, the combined forces of the Terran, Zerg, and Protoss armies manage to vanquish Amon. However, immediately after, the ghost of Tassadar warns them that there's another threat just as bad on the horizon. In the face of this grim prophecy, the three races put aside their differences ([[TeethClenchedTeamwork mostly]]) and focus their efforts towards rebuilding and preparing for this new, mysterious threat. Two years later, they discover a mysterious alien device no one has seen before. And then they find a whole slew of alien races on the other side, not all of whom are friendly....
to:
Taking place after VideoGame/StarCraftIIHeartOfTheSwarm, the combined forces of the Terran, Zerg, and Protoss armies manage to vanquish Amon. However, immediately after, the ghost of Tassadar warns them that there's there is another threat just as bad on the horizon. In the face of this grim prophecy, the three races put aside their differences ([[TeethClenchedTeamwork mostly]]) and focus their efforts towards rebuilding and preparing for this new, mysterious threat. Two years later, they discover a mysterious alien device no one has seen before. And then they find a whole slew of alien races on the other side, not all of whom are friendly....
* AdaptationNameChange: The Reapers, now named the Harvesters to differentiate them from the Starcraft unit.
* AllThereInTheManual: Most chapters ends with one or two Codex entries relevant to the events of the chapter. Recently the Codex entries have been replaced by brief dossiers of Shepard's crew.
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* BloodKnight: A few of Shepard's crew: [[PyroManiac Zaeed]], [[TattooedCrook Jack]], and [[spoiler: Grunt.]] As they are the leaders of their respective groups, this likely extends to their subordinates as well.
to:
* BloodKnight: A few of Shepard's crew: [[PyroManiac Zaeed]], [[TattooedCrook Jack]], and [[spoiler: Grunt.]] As they are the leaders of their respective groups, this likely extends to their subordinates as well.
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* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler: Urdnot Bakara and Jondum Bau.]] Tela Vasir's death [[spoiler: also occurs a lot sooner than it did in canon...and is a lot [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice messier.]]]]
* EmbarrassingNickname: "Shepard's Strikers," the name that the media gives Shepard's crew. Shepard himself doesn't like it and Emperor Valerian is dubious about it, though everyone else seems to like it.
* EmbarrassingNickname: "Shepard's Strikers," the name that the media gives Shepard's crew. Shepard himself doesn't like it and Emperor Valerian is dubious about it, though everyone else seems to like it.
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* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler: Urdnot Bakara Bakara, Daro'xen, and Jondum Bau.]] Tela Vasir's death [[spoiler: also occurs a lot sooner than it did in canon...and is a lot [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice messier.]]]]
* EmbarrassingNickname: "Shepard's Strikers," the name that the media gives Shepard's crew. Shepard himself doesn'tlike care for it and Emperor Valerian is dubious about it, dubious, though everyone else seems to like it.
* EmbarrassingNickname: "Shepard's Strikers," the name that the media gives Shepard's crew. Shepard himself doesn't
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* GatlingGood: Ashley Williams totes a minigun as her weapon of choice.
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* PoweredArmor: The majority of the Terran troops. Later, the [[spoiler: Quarians and Garrus gain some as well.]] It's not as sturdy as Marine armor, but it is much easier to get in and out of.
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* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Primarch Fedorian when Kerrigan [[spoiler: revealed that she planned to remove the genophage from the Krogan.]] While Matriarch Benezia was condescending and Dalatrass Linron was freaking out, Fedorian was upset, but realized that the Koprulu Alliance had kept its word in the past, so he would trust them.
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* TheStationsOfTheCanon: To the author's credit, he does tend to mix things up, such as having first contact being with the Quarians instead of the Turians, and having the initial conflict being for different reasons. The timeline is also greatly accelerated, with only six years passing between first contact and Mass Effect 1 instead of 30.
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Taking place after VideoGame/StarCraftIIHeartOfTheSwarm, the combined forces of the Terran, Zerg, and Protoss armies manage to vanquish Amon. However, immediately after, the ghost of Tassadar warns them that there's another threat just as bad on the horizon. In the face of this grim prophecy, the three races put aside their differences ([[TeethClenchedTeamwork mostly]]) and focus their efforts towards rebuilding and preparing for this new, mysterious threat. Two years later, they discover a mysterious alien device no one has seen before. And then they find a whole slew of alien races on the other side, not all of whom are friendly....
''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10968899/1/Cycles-Upon-Cycles Cycles Upon Cycles]]'' is an in-progress [[CrossOver crossover]] fic between [[Franchise/StarCraft StarCraft]] and [[Franchise/MassEffect Mass Effect]] by The Incredible Muffin. The first several chapters explore the various interactions between the two franchises without any particular protagonist, but it eventually settles on Commander Shepard as the story rolls into the first Mass Effect game.
Descriptions below may contain unmarked spoilers for both series.
----
!!This fanfic includes examples of:
*TheAlliance: The Terran, Zerg, and Protoss banded together into this at the beginning of the story. Later on, [[spoiler: the Quarians, the Krogan, and the Geth are brought in as their respective protectorates.]]
*AnArmAndALeg: Saren [[spoiler: gets his arm bitten off by a Zergling while invading a Zerg colony.]]
*TheBeastmaster: The [[spoiler: Beastmaster Krogan,]] who are able to temporarily buff nearby Zerg.
*TheBerserker: The [[spoiler: Berserker Krogan.]] Jenkins has shades of this as well.
*BewareTheNiceOnes: [[NewMeat Jenkins]], as mentioned above. [[AcePilot Kaidan Alenko]] as well; his [[AllThereInTheManual dossier]] notes that he has a reputation for being [[KillEmAll thorough]] in eliminating his enemies.
-->Psych evaluation suggests minor sociopathic perfectionism during combat.
*BlingOfWar: Legion, after [[spoiler: the Geth becomes a protectorate of the Protoss,]] gains itself a shiny gold platform.
*BloodKnight: A few of Shepard's crew: [[PyroManiac Zaeed]], [[TattooedCrook Jack]], and [[spoiler: Grunt.]] As they are the leaders of their respective groups, this likely extends to their subordinates as well.
*CoolCar: The Piranha. Originally a Hellion chassis, it swaps out the flamethrower for a dual auto-cannon scavenged from a Goliath, has had its frame and engine modified to be whisper-quiet, and has a sensor suite that allows it to detect cloaked enemies. It can hold two normal-sized people, or a single Marine in full armor.
*CoolStarship: The ''Normandy''. It's a souped-up Battlecruiser with a [[InvisibilityCloak stealth cloak]] and a rapid-fire Yamato Cannon, among other things.
*CreateYourOwnVillain: Due to the Koprulu Alliance's actions, by the time the events of the first Mass Effect game rolls around, Saren's army not only consists of Geth like in canon, but also [[spoiler: Batarians who resent the Alliance for nearly eradicating them for attempting a slave run during First Contact]] and [[spoiler: Krogan remnants who despise the Zerg for assimilating the majority of their race (willingly, mind you), viewing the new Krogan as abominations.]]
*DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler: Urdnot Bakara and Jondum Bau.]] Tela Vasir's death [[spoiler: also occurs a lot sooner than it did in canon...and is a lot [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice messier.]]]]
*EmbarrassingNickname: "Shepard's Strikers," the name that the media gives Shepard's crew. Shepard himself doesn't like it and Emperor Valerian is dubious about it, though everyone else seems to like it.
*EyeScream: Saren [[spoiler: gets his eyes burned out with acid while invading a Zerg colony, the same assault that cost him his arm.]]
*FragileSpeedster: The Piranha buggy. Based on the Hellion frame, it's fast but lightly armored. It has enough room for an armored Marine and his gun or his shield, but not both, so if they have to bail out for whatever reason, they will be relatively unprotected.
*HiddenDepths: Miranda, despite her IceQueen persona, admires the Piranha enough to have one registered in her name, and has a blast running laps with it.
*HollywoodAcid: In addition to the normal acid-spewing monsters that the Zerg employs, they've also developed two new Nydus Worm variants: The Aggressive, which sprays the area with acid to soften up the enemies before releasing their payload, and the Destroyer, which hoses down the area with acid at the cost of its own life. Both were developed after the Swarm assimilated the essence of a [[SandWorm Thresher Maw]].
*TheObiWan: This is essentially Zeratul's role aboard the ''Normandy'' in addition to being the commander for the ship's Protoss contingent.
*PuppetKing: What the Councilors are reduced to after botching negotiations with the Koprulu Alliance that [[spoiler: led to a brief war in which the Batarians were nearly wiped out.]] Councilor Tevos for her part does not seem to mind this change in affairs, noting that she still enjoys all the perks of her position while no longer dealing with any of the responsibilities that she once wrestled with.
*PyroManiac: Zaeed Massani. Fitting that he is the leader of the ''Normandy's'' [[KillItWithFire Firebat]] contingent.
*QuantityVsQuality: Due to the mutually exclusive nature of the various Zerg units' upgrades, some Broodmothers have begun to specialize their broods, picking which strains to cultivate based on their respective philosophies. Both sides still ultimately employ the ZergRush, however.
*SparedByTheAdaptation: [[spoiler: Nihlus Kryik]]
*TeethClenchedTeamwork: Although they are now nominally allies, the StarCraft races are still rather wary of each other and prefer to keep out of each others' business when possible. On a smaller scale, Shepard and Miranda Lawson, who despite being Commander and XO, have some unpleasant history.
-->"I'm not asking for us to be friends, Miranda; hell, I'm not even asking for a clean slate. All I want is for the people under us to know that we aren't trying to kill each other. So... truce?"
*ToxicPhlebotinum: Element Zero. As Kerrigan found out [[spoiler: while assimilating the Krogan,]] Element Zero exposure all but wipes out the victim's psionics, with the bare scraps left over interacting with the eezo to make biotics. As soon as this was discovered, the Koprulu Alliance immediately banned all eezo from being brought into their territories and are systematically eradicating any sources of the substance already present.
*WaveMotionGun: The ''Normandy's'' Yamato-C cannon. It doesn't hit nearly as hard as its predecessors, but it's able to fire at [[MoreDakka 50 rounds per minute.]]
*WeaponizedOffspring: The [[spoiler: Terror Krogan]] are able to spawn and regurgitate Banelings like artillery. They're noted as not quite as effective as the regular kind, but still powerful enough to kill whoever is unlucky enough to be hit by one.
''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10968899/1/Cycles-Upon-Cycles Cycles Upon Cycles]]'' is an in-progress [[CrossOver crossover]] fic between [[Franchise/StarCraft StarCraft]] and [[Franchise/MassEffect Mass Effect]] by The Incredible Muffin. The first several chapters explore the various interactions between the two franchises without any particular protagonist, but it eventually settles on Commander Shepard as the story rolls into the first Mass Effect game.
Descriptions below may contain unmarked spoilers for both series.
----
!!This fanfic includes examples of:
*TheAlliance: The Terran, Zerg, and Protoss banded together into this at the beginning of the story. Later on, [[spoiler: the Quarians, the Krogan, and the Geth are brought in as their respective protectorates.]]
*AnArmAndALeg: Saren [[spoiler: gets his arm bitten off by a Zergling while invading a Zerg colony.]]
*TheBeastmaster: The [[spoiler: Beastmaster Krogan,]] who are able to temporarily buff nearby Zerg.
*TheBerserker: The [[spoiler: Berserker Krogan.]] Jenkins has shades of this as well.
*BewareTheNiceOnes: [[NewMeat Jenkins]], as mentioned above. [[AcePilot Kaidan Alenko]] as well; his [[AllThereInTheManual dossier]] notes that he has a reputation for being [[KillEmAll thorough]] in eliminating his enemies.
-->Psych evaluation suggests minor sociopathic perfectionism during combat.
*BlingOfWar: Legion, after [[spoiler: the Geth becomes a protectorate of the Protoss,]] gains itself a shiny gold platform.
*BloodKnight: A few of Shepard's crew: [[PyroManiac Zaeed]], [[TattooedCrook Jack]], and [[spoiler: Grunt.]] As they are the leaders of their respective groups, this likely extends to their subordinates as well.
*CoolCar: The Piranha. Originally a Hellion chassis, it swaps out the flamethrower for a dual auto-cannon scavenged from a Goliath, has had its frame and engine modified to be whisper-quiet, and has a sensor suite that allows it to detect cloaked enemies. It can hold two normal-sized people, or a single Marine in full armor.
*CoolStarship: The ''Normandy''. It's a souped-up Battlecruiser with a [[InvisibilityCloak stealth cloak]] and a rapid-fire Yamato Cannon, among other things.
*CreateYourOwnVillain: Due to the Koprulu Alliance's actions, by the time the events of the first Mass Effect game rolls around, Saren's army not only consists of Geth like in canon, but also [[spoiler: Batarians who resent the Alliance for nearly eradicating them for attempting a slave run during First Contact]] and [[spoiler: Krogan remnants who despise the Zerg for assimilating the majority of their race (willingly, mind you), viewing the new Krogan as abominations.]]
*DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler: Urdnot Bakara and Jondum Bau.]] Tela Vasir's death [[spoiler: also occurs a lot sooner than it did in canon...and is a lot [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice messier.]]]]
*EmbarrassingNickname: "Shepard's Strikers," the name that the media gives Shepard's crew. Shepard himself doesn't like it and Emperor Valerian is dubious about it, though everyone else seems to like it.
*EyeScream: Saren [[spoiler: gets his eyes burned out with acid while invading a Zerg colony, the same assault that cost him his arm.]]
*FragileSpeedster: The Piranha buggy. Based on the Hellion frame, it's fast but lightly armored. It has enough room for an armored Marine and his gun or his shield, but not both, so if they have to bail out for whatever reason, they will be relatively unprotected.
*HiddenDepths: Miranda, despite her IceQueen persona, admires the Piranha enough to have one registered in her name, and has a blast running laps with it.
*HollywoodAcid: In addition to the normal acid-spewing monsters that the Zerg employs, they've also developed two new Nydus Worm variants: The Aggressive, which sprays the area with acid to soften up the enemies before releasing their payload, and the Destroyer, which hoses down the area with acid at the cost of its own life. Both were developed after the Swarm assimilated the essence of a [[SandWorm Thresher Maw]].
*TheObiWan: This is essentially Zeratul's role aboard the ''Normandy'' in addition to being the commander for the ship's Protoss contingent.
*PuppetKing: What the Councilors are reduced to after botching negotiations with the Koprulu Alliance that [[spoiler: led to a brief war in which the Batarians were nearly wiped out.]] Councilor Tevos for her part does not seem to mind this change in affairs, noting that she still enjoys all the perks of her position while no longer dealing with any of the responsibilities that she once wrestled with.
*PyroManiac: Zaeed Massani. Fitting that he is the leader of the ''Normandy's'' [[KillItWithFire Firebat]] contingent.
*QuantityVsQuality: Due to the mutually exclusive nature of the various Zerg units' upgrades, some Broodmothers have begun to specialize their broods, picking which strains to cultivate based on their respective philosophies. Both sides still ultimately employ the ZergRush, however.
*SparedByTheAdaptation: [[spoiler: Nihlus Kryik]]
*TeethClenchedTeamwork: Although they are now nominally allies, the StarCraft races are still rather wary of each other and prefer to keep out of each others' business when possible. On a smaller scale, Shepard and Miranda Lawson, who despite being Commander and XO, have some unpleasant history.
-->"I'm not asking for us to be friends, Miranda; hell, I'm not even asking for a clean slate. All I want is for the people under us to know that we aren't trying to kill each other. So... truce?"
*ToxicPhlebotinum: Element Zero. As Kerrigan found out [[spoiler: while assimilating the Krogan,]] Element Zero exposure all but wipes out the victim's psionics, with the bare scraps left over interacting with the eezo to make biotics. As soon as this was discovered, the Koprulu Alliance immediately banned all eezo from being brought into their territories and are systematically eradicating any sources of the substance already present.
*WaveMotionGun: The ''Normandy's'' Yamato-C cannon. It doesn't hit nearly as hard as its predecessors, but it's able to fire at [[MoreDakka 50 rounds per minute.]]
*WeaponizedOffspring: The [[spoiler: Terror Krogan]] are able to spawn and regurgitate Banelings like artillery. They're noted as not quite as effective as the regular kind, but still powerful enough to kill whoever is unlucky enough to be hit by one.
