Line #104 FanFic/WhenThereWasATomorrow


1	[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6903189/1/When_There_Was_a_Tomorrow When There Was a Tomorrow]] is a ''Franchise/{{Halo}}''/''Franchise/MassEffect'' crossover by General Rage. Set after the events of ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' and its subsequent ''Lair of the Shadow Broker'' arc, it begins with Team Normandy doing recon of a wormhole in search of a possible [[EldritchAbomination Reaper]] threat. The Paragon Commander Wade Shepard (Vanguard, Spacer/War Hero background) deals with tensions among his crew (and his current relationship with Tali) at first, only to [[DiabolusExNihilo come under abrupt attack from an (unbeknownst to them) Covenant warship]] during their observation.
2
3	After repelling boarders and destroying the ship from within, another Covenant warship ends up chasing them through the wormhole...and into an AlternateUniverse where another humanity's first contact with alien species didn't go so well (well, not that it went well in the Franchise/MassEffect universe). After making some serious diplomatic efforts to assure some local naval assets they mean no harm, the Normandy is towed to the fortress world of Reach, and as a show of good will, Shepard offers to assist with a downed communications relay to prove that his alien crew is on the level...only for [[VideoGame/HaloReach things to go south]].
4
5	Simply put, this story is a WhatIf scenario dealing with the differences between Franchise/MassEffect and Halo's technology, provides more than a few [[DeliberateValuesDissonance interesting]] [[VitriolicBestBuds interactions]] between the relatively xenophobic humans of the Halo universe and the Normandy Crew, and Shepard struggling to deal with TheChainsOfCommanding as he's thrust out of one apocalypse in the making and into another, not to mention some of the best written battle sequences since ''FanFic/FinishingTheFight''.
6
7	As of July 31 2012, the story is complete. The author has stated his plans to make it into a series (now titled ''Fanfic/TheWormholeChronicles'') with this book as the first, and posted the first chapter of [[VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved the next book]], ''Fanfic/GuiltySparks'', the day before ''VideoGame/Halo4'' was released.
8
9	----
10	!!This fanfic contains examples of:
11	* ActionBomb: Gremlins (Grunt Husks), unlike their un-Huskified fellows, need no longer rely on plasma grenades to suicidally blow away their foes.
12	* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance:
13	** [[VideoGame/Halo3ODST Buck, Romeo, and Dutch show up at the end of the story and end up hitching a ride on the Autumn as it leaves Reach]]. This also counts as AdaptationalExpansion for Buck, who only had a cameo in ''VideoGame/HaloReach''.
14	** The Supercruiser from ''Literature/HaloTheFallOfReach'' only shows up in the very last few chapters of the story. Here, it has an EarlyBirdCameo during Chapter 3, when it shows up right after the ''Normandy'' destroys a CCS Class Battlecruiser, forcing them to run into the wormhole rather than face it.
15	* AdaptationalExpansion: Several.
16	** Chief among them is the Battle of the Vieri Plains and its aftermath. While the Battle itself is mostly the same as it was in the game, the aftermath, which wasn't detailed at all, covers ''two whole chapters''.
17	* AIIsACrapShoot: Despite just getting comfortable with EDI and Legion, Tali is apprehensive at the sheer pervasiveness of AI use in the Halo universe, and is happy to share her objections where appropriate.
18	** A more straightforward use of this trope would be the Covenant AI that EDI fights in the first chapters.
19	** Invoked with the nature of AI in Halo- by their very nature, they ''can'' go crazy once they get too old ("Rampancy"), although none exhibits this during the story.
20	* AmbiguousSituation: It is unclear for now as to where exactly the wormhole came from. Some have suggested the Reapers were somehow responsible, but there are hints that they are just as clueless to its origins as everyone else is.
21	* AscendedExtra:
22	** Edward Buck only shows up during a side mission in ''New Alexandria'' in ''Halo: Reach'', and it is entirely possible to not encounter him at all, since said mission is drawn from a pool of other random missions. Here, not only does he show up being assisted by Garrus, who gets him out of trouble thanks to his sniping skills, in addition to a brief scene where Noble Six gets him out of trouble in New Alexandria, but [[spoiler:he makes an appearance alongside Dutch and Romeo to assist Shepard at the Wormhole, thanks to Garrus pulling some strings]], and his squad ends up boarding the ''Autumn'' and going to Halo.
23	** The Master Chief's only appearance in ''Reach'' is as an EasterEgg in ''The Pillar of Autumn''. Here, he has a scene with Halsey at Sword Base [[spoiler:and is part of the group that saves Shepard at the very end of the story]].
24	* ArbitrarySkepticism: Because of this trope, the Normandy crew tries to keep quiet about the whole "Reaper" business, since they assumed UNSC Command would think them as crazy. After Reapers are revealed to be involved, the crew is surprised that the UNSC's forces accept their information verbatim. Though given the reaction they received in their own world ("Ah yes, Reapers... we have dismissed that claim,") they had very valid concerns about not revealing the nature of the enemy, especially given their shaky standing with the UNSC to begin with.
25	** Shepard openly states that when they go back to their universe, they're bringing UNSC issued helmet cameras with them, so that they can ''prove'' it when they keep running into Reaper forces.
26	** Six calls Legion out on this, since it's an inverted case for him- he's talking to an alien robot from another dimension made of thousands of "people," so to him Reapers aren't that strange in comparison.
27	* AndThatWouldBeWrong: Kasumi starts talking about how certain types of parties have the best stuff to steal... before remembering that she's talking to [[KnightTemplar Samara the Justicar,]] and immediately follows up with:
28	-->'''Kasumi:''' "I mean, I wouldn't steal anything... not as they didn't deserve it of course. Cause stealing from innocents is unjust and, wrong and icky."
29	* AudienceSurrogate: Private Kowalski and his squad are this. They are just normal soldiers in the middle of a world full of super-soldiers, ageless alien warriors, genocidal machines, and extradimensional terrorists.
30	* AwesomeButImpractical: Shepard's summation about Biotics for the UNSC. While yes, they can change the flow of battle dramatically, it relies on a substance that only the ''Normandy'' can acquire, it's impossible to give them to an adult, and the only option they have for creating them (in-utero exposure to Element Zero) would take far too long to get them the army of Biotics they'd desire (not to mention that the process of human biotic creation is spotty at best, as the game points out that more often than not the result of in-utero exposure is either nothing or birth defects, with only a small percentage being biotics). This is especially important since according to the Joint Chiefs, the Covenant is ''very'' close to winning the war.
31	* BerserkButton: Zaeed's button is pressed to the breaking point when he sees a Jackal eyeing up his old gun.
32	* BigBadTriumvirate: The fic features three main antagonists: the Inquisitor, Xytas, and Kreave. While the Inquisitor is both the fic's true BigBad and GreaterScopeVillain, Xytas and Kreave are its respective focus characters of the Covenant and the ''Mass Effect'' forces allied with them, and the ultimate opponents preventing the cast's escape from Reach at the climax.
33	* BladeBelowTheShoulder: Reavers (Elite Husks) have plasma-sword blades extending from their wrists and/or palms.
34	* BloodKnight: Kreave, who has taken a contract with the Covenant to enjoy a large scale war...and [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou kill Shepard]].
35	* BluntYes: Legion gives one to Tali when she asks if she's prejudiced against Geth. He then goes on to clarify that prejudice means "Pre-judge," meaning to extrapolate facts about a future situation based on previous knowledge, and that until the Eden Prime War, all the experience ''anyone'' had on Geth was not "We want to be left alone to build our future," it was "Kill Robots who murdered the Quarians." He goes on to state that he doesn't blame her for it.
36	* BondVillainStupidity: [[AvertedTrope Averted]]. [[spoiler: The Inquisitor is quick to reveal his plans to Shepard, consisting of massing a Covenant Armada on Reach, then creating a wormhole back to the Mass Effect Universe to use as a vanguard (similar to the geth) to the Reaper invasion.]] As noted by the characters InUniverse, however, [[spoiler:The Inquistor]] only confirmed what Shepard already knew or otherwise could have guessed from the data Legion gave him, plus they note he seemed ''very'' chatty for a [[spoiler:Reaper]] and all but call his "challenge" a trap he ''wants'' them to rush into and [[TrapIsTheOnlyOption they have no choice otherwise if he's not lying about the plan]]. And even then, [[spoiler: a conversation between The Inquisitor and Harbinger at the end of the story reveals The Inquisitor was lying about its long term plans for The Covenant]].
37	* BookEnds:
38	** Lampshaded by Admiral Gravelston [[spoiler: when he [[HeroicSacrifice prepares to ram a Covenant assault carrier]] to help Shepard escape the Portal site]].
39	-->'''Gravelston''': [[spoiler: "I brought you to Reach, least I can do is help you get off it."]]
40	** The Supercruiser from ''The Fall of Reach'' shows up twice in this story - once at the beginning where it forces the ''Normandy'' to flee in the ''Halo'' universe, and once at the end, [[spoiler:where it is functionally the FinalBoss for the ship-based crew]].
41	* BowelBreakingBricks: Upon seeing the Covenant Supercarrier:
42	--> '''Joker''': "EDI... I now have bricks in my pants."
43	* ButForMeItWasTuesday: Shepard's reaction to ''more'' people who have sworn to their gods to end his miserable existence is little more than an exasperated sigh.
44	** The SPARTAN soldiers and the ''Normandy'' crew consider suicide missions to be this.
45	* TheChainsOfCommanding: In addition to the CosmicHorrorStory back home, being lost in an AlternateUniverse, his crew starting to bicker with each other again, and his straining relationship with Tali, Shepard is under a lot of stress right now.
46	** Shepard and Carter have a touching conversation about this in New Alexandria, and it helps break Shepard out of his HeroicBSOD.
47	* ChekhovsGun: In the very first chapter, Shepard, Mordin, Jacob and Miranda all discuss ways to get a probe close enough to the wormhole and Mordin raises the possibility of sling-shotting it through a moon's orbit to get it to approach velocity. [[spoiler: Tali and Kat use this same method to launch a probe carrying a nuclear bomb at a Covenant warship during the story's climax]].
48	* CombatBreakdown: During the initial attack of the Covenant at Sword Base, they caught the members of Shepard's crew that went down there off-guard and they ended up using up their normal ammunition with no way to restock, forcing most of them to resort to using UNSC weaponry alongside the defenders. Shepard points this out when he links up with Miranda and comments on how she's using a [=UNSC-issued=] pistol, and she glances down at it like she forgot she was using it in the firefight.
49	* CoolShip: The Normandy was this to begin with, but compared to Halo's technology, is this compared even to local ships. Nonetheless, Shepard starts requisitioning a slipspace drive and other goodies to make it ''even cooler.''
50	** As of Chapter 10, it's paid off. Joker and EDI have used their new weapons to utterly decimate Covenant Wraith and anti-air formations.
51	** It appears that UNSC Coolant is more effective than the stuff the Normandy usually uses, which allows them to remain in stealth longer.
52	* CountryMatters: Miranda ([[SophisticatedAsHell of all people]]) calls Jack ([[ClusterFBomb of all people]]) this while they try to quickly resolve their mutual resentment in Chapter 16.
53	-->'''Jack''': [[SarcasmMode "Oh so you can swear."]]
54	* CurbStompBattle: The first time Grunt tries to fight a Hunter, he is already wounded, in the middle of battle rage, and not thinking clearly, so he charges directly at it, howling battle cries. He gets slapped by the Hunter ''so hard'' that he's partially embedded in the concrete walls, knocked out, and has to be taken back to the ''Normandy'' for medical treatment.
55	* DidntThinkThisThrough: When showing off the weapons and tech of the Mass Effect universe, Jacob shows off the M-920 Cain... and the base practically shuts down because of how ''huge'' the explosion is, since (as he was hoping to keep it a surprise) Jacob didn't tell anyone about the weapon's effects beforehand, and a gigantic explosion in the middle of a military base is typically a sign things have gone very, very wrong. It takes several officers a few minutes to explain that no, it was just a test, everything is okay, before the alarms are turned off.
56	* DistractedByTheSexy: In chapter 5, Garrus figures that the reason why Emile seems less angry about being paired with two aliens is either because Emile respects Garrus more, or because Samara's outfit has a V-neck. A little more literal example is a few scenes later, when the three are ambushed by a lone grunt while Emile is commenting that she looks good for her age.
57	* DyingTruce: In the epilogue after their DuelToTheDeath ends, [[spoiler: Six looks down at Kreave, who is lamenting that he failed and now no one will remember him at all. Six tells him that as long as people remember what happened on Reach, they will remember them as well. Kreave accepts this, telling Six to kill many Sangheili when they arrive]].
58	* EmpathyDollShot: In Chapter 12, Kowalski and the rest of his squad enter a toy store in Kozma's Hope, full of abandoned and broken toys. Samara, takes interest in a ragdoll and becomes somewhat lost in her own world as she stares into it for quite a while. Samara later adds with a slight rage to her voice as she puts the ragdoll back:
59	-->'''Samara''': "This place is meant to be a loving cherished memory between parent and child, and the Covenant have desecrated it in the name of their Gods".
60	* EvenEvilHasStandards: Jack, a homicidal girl with a HairTriggerTemper and utter contempt for almost everyone, is ''nauseated'' [[spoiler: by a video on [[IAmAHumanitarian Brute eating habits]].]]
61	** Miranda, a part of Cerberus (and one of the people who helped piece Shepard back together from a burnt sack of inanimate meat), who has seen uncountable horrible things, simply labeled the video [[spoiler: "Fucking Savages."]]
62	** Grunt, a tank-born Krogan designed to be the Perfect Warrior, has his issues with seeing things through the lens of a ProudWarriorRaceGuy... but even he sees the Brutes as dishonorable and "worthy of killing." He takes pleasure from fighting them, but he hates them personally from the data pad that Miranda offers him. Once he does get up close and personal with them, he has a new complaint- they apparently smell bad, too.
63	* ExactWords: Samara promised to free an Unggoy from pain after the interrogation... and when Emile kills the unggoy, she admits that she was about to do the same.
64	* {{Fanboy}}: Kreave is as much as a Krogan can be in regards to Shepard. Unfortunately, this manifests as wanting to best and kill him in single combat. Case in point: when he learned Shepard was on Reach, he dedicated every moment to finding the Commander, and even trained his own [[MagicKnight Krogan Vanguards]] to emulate Shepard's fighting style.
65	** Many UNSC Marines were rather endeared towards Samara. Whether it was because she is a wise, noble, and friendly alien with seemingly magical powers who regularly saves their lives, or because she's a hot blue-skinned space babe who wears a V-neck, skintight bodysuit depends on which character you talk to.
66	* FantasticRacism: The humans of the UNSC in general and the Spartans of Noble Team in particular are initially very leery of the aliens on the Normandy crew (save Jorge). Carter and Kat get snapped out of it when ''Legion'' pretty bluntly points out how illogical the whole thing is, pointing to how the UNSC is willing to trust AI.
67	** It's somewhat justified, and the text explains this, because the only aliens that UNSC humans have encountered (before the Normandy showed up) have tried to drive their species to extinction and burn their worlds to glass. Called back in the sequel when one of the posters in the ''Pillar Of Autumn'' has pictures of the non-human members of Shepard's crew with the title "Don't shoot these."
68	* FireForgedFriends: Noble 6 and Legion, surprisingly.
69	** Private Kowalski and Samara seem to keep running into one another.
70	* ForWantOfANail: Grunt [[spoiler: takes a Needler Rifle round meant for Kat's head, saving her from her canon death]].
71	** [[InSpiteOfANail The same cannot be said]] for [[spoiler: Jorge]].
72	* TheGhost: It took almost a dozen chapters before the BigBad [[spoiler: A Reaper called The Inquisitor]] was even named. It has yet to speak or make a physical appearance in the story as of Chapter 14, though it has been the subject of multiple conversations since its first mention.
73	** It finally appears in Chapter 18 [[spoiler: and it's not in very good shape]].
74	* GunsAkimbo: The first Hunter husks encountered, one having two assault cannons and the other having two shields modified with gravity hammers installed in them.
75	* HamToHamCombat: When Kreave, piloting a [[CoolPlane Vampire]] fights Shepard, who is on foot, all of their dialogue is a continuous stream of [[BadassBoast Badass Boasts]], [[HannibalLecture Hannibal Lectures]], [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech talking each other down]] and [[ShutUpHannibal and telling each other where to stick it]].
76	* HeroicBSOD: While recovering in the medbay from getting curb-stomped by a Hunter, Grunt realizes how much his arrogance has embarrassed himself and Shepard. He doesn't take it well when Shepard insists his injuries were punishment enough and demands worse. He eventually concedes to Shepard refusing to take him along on missions for the next few days.
77	** Shepard is described as not being "in a commanding mood" in Chapter 18 after [[spoiler: Tali's apparent death]].
78	* HeroicSacrifice: Lieutenant Colonel Jensen gives up his Gauss Warthog to Kowalski and his squad in order to stay behind in their totaled warthog, manning the machine gun in order to hold off incoming Covenant so the others can escape to the Autumn.
79	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Inverted with The Inquisitor's portal device [[spoiler: Shepard uses the unstable biotic energies of its host body to turn it into an improvised bomb, destroying both its avatar and the device's reactor]].
80	* HopeSpot: The possibility for [[spoiler: Jorge surviving Operation: Uppercut]] is set up by virtue of Legion joining in on it. [[spoiler: He still dies]]. It's just as [[TearJerker tragic]] as it sounds.
81	* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Dr. Halsey says as much to Shepard when explaining [[spoiler: The Spartan-II's recruitment process.]] The Normandy Crew have differing opinions on whether it was the right thing.
82	** Mordin and [[spoiler: The Master Chief]] personally assure her that she did.
83	** Tali is of mixed feelings. On one hand, her upbringing as part of a very tight-knit community thinks it's reprehensible, while on the other, she spent a lot of time with Halsey and even has her diary, which shows what Halsey really thought.
84	* IfIWantedYouDead: Jack comments that if she left the team, Samara would kill her. Samara quickly corrects her, saying that if it wasn't for the oath she swore to Shepard, Jack would have been dead ''months'' ago.
85	* InsistentTerminology: In the first two chapters, characters are ''[[RunningGag always]]'' quick to remind other characters that wormholes "pull," not "suck."
86	* InSpiteOfANail: The Shepard crew's presence does nothing to [[spoiler:prevent most of Noble Team from dying, nor does it make any difference on whether Reach falls]].
87	** [[spoiler: Justified, as despite the fact that the crew of the ''Normandy'' are Grade-A Badasses, they're still only about a dozen extra people with some nifty tricks against an ''entire alien armada of religious zealots willing to burn everything in their path.'' There is a reason why the saying "Quantity is a Quality all its own," is a well-known saying, after all.]]
88	* IronicEcho: With Shepard at his mercy, [[spoiler: Inquisitor-possessed Xytas]] tells the Commander "You fought somewhat proficiently, but it was futile...This outcome was never in doubt." Shepard throws those words back in his face [[spoiler: when he turns the Inquisitor's form into an improvised bomb to destroy the portal device]].
89	* JerkAss: Colonel Ackerson is in top form here.
90	* MaleGaze: The female members of the ''Normandy'' crew draw more than a little attention for various reasons. Jack because she barely wears anything, Miranda and Samara for their curves in their skintight uniforms, and Tali for her hips.
91	* NonActionBigBad: The Inquisitor, [[spoiler: since attempting to return to the [=ME=]-verse left it heavily damaged enough that even a few UNSC frigates could finish it off.]]
92	** Despite the damage, while never confronting the heroes personally, the Inquisitor is more than capable of decimating Reach's groundside defences.
93	* MirrorCharacter: Halsey and Mordin. Both are achieved scientists grateful to be acquainted with somebody who can actually follow them in a conversation. They even participate in some friendly scientific banter during their interactions.
94	* NoNameGiven: Noble Six is still Noble Six, and prefers it that way.
95	* NotBrainwashed: [[spoiler: The Inquisitor]] boasts that it did not require [[spoiler: [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Indoctrination]] to bend [[ScaryDogmaticAliens The Covenant's leadership]] to its will]].
96	* NoSell: Jack and the other team biotics run into this when they attempt to biotically throw a hunter. It's not that they have some sort of device that makes them immune to being tossed, it's that they're so massive and heavy that they ''can't'' be thrown biotically (without massive effort, that is.)
97	* NotSoDifferentRemark:
98	** Shepard and his crew can't help but see an uncomfortable number of parallels between The Illusive Man and Dr. Halsey, and several of his teammates seem to be losing respect for him for siding with her, maintaining loyalty only because Shepard thinks she's their only ticket home.
99	** Shepard notes that the Hunters, being hive-minded worms working together with hundreds of them in one body, aren't too dissimilar from how the Geth operate.
100	** Legion claims that how the UNSC operates is similar to the Geth, using SPARTAN soldiers as an example- the II's would be equivalent to heavy platforms like Juggernauts, while the III's would be like smaller but still tough foot soldiers. Both useful, both different types of platforms optimized for different mission requirements.
101	** ''Multiple'' people comment that Grunt is basically the ''Normandy's'' equivalent of Emile (and vice versa).
102	** Kreave ''tries'' to claim this is the case between himself and Six during their final battle. Six [[ShutUpHannibal shuts him down hard]].
103	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Thanks to a programming glitch they received when interacting with UNSC technology, Legion will occasionally refer to themselves as "I" (singular) instead of the usual "we," which, according to Tali, is a major cause for concern.
104	* OddFriendship: Tali and Doctor Halsey form one, as do Legion and Noble Six.
105	* OneWingedAngel: [[spoiler: Xytas, once his Reaper implants are activated]].
106	* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: Kreave holds this mentality regarding Shepard. So much that he's attacked Sword Base not for the chance to recover the artifact underneath it, but to get the chance to capture Shepard and face him one-on-one.
107	** Xytas is similarly zealous about slaying "The False Shepard," and once The Inquisitor [[spoiler: activates his Reaper implants]], he and Kreave briefly butt heads over the privilege during a firefight with him.
108	* OhCrap: Everyone's reaction to finding out [[spoiler: that the Covenant have inexplicably acquired Mass Effect technology]].
109	** Another one comes when they find out [[spoiler: That the Batarians, Blood Pack, and ''The Reapers'' are giving the Covenant their support]].
110	** Particularly when [[spoiler: Garrus, Tali, and Six end up fighting an ''Elite Husk.'']]
111	** The arrival of [[spoiler: "The Centipede," a husk made out of ''fused together drones''.]]
112	* PoorCommunicationKills: Shepard secretly orders Legion to hack into the Covenant Battlenet aboard the Corvette. [[spoiler: Joker and EDI see a transmission go out from said Corvette, think they're trying to warn the Carrier about Operation Uppercut, and send a counter signal to overload the source, incapacitating Legion]].
113	* RammingAlwaysWorks: [[spoiler: After Shepard destroys the wormhole generator, a Covenant assault carrier begins bearing down on them. Admiral Gravelston orders the ''Nebraska'', which has been severely damaged and unable to engage the carrier with gunfire, to ram it, destroying both ship in the process. ]]
114	* RealityIsUnrealistic: While the ''Normandy'' and her crew have ample doses of PlotArmor during the fight with the Covenant Battlecruiser, the biggest gripe has been how the ship is able to endure being blasted with plasma despite only having shields that protect against physical attacks. All well and dandy, except that, in space, Kinetic Barriers ''would'' utterly trounce plasma weapons, as plasma is still a form of matter and could be repelled with kinetic barriers. And as those would keep the plasma away from the heat conducting hull of the ''Normandy'' and without access to an atmosphere to absorb the heat via convection, the plasma would be neutralized as a weapon, as it would have to rely on heat radiation to damage the ''Normandy'' - which is ''extremely'' inefficient. Further, the Normandy is specifically designed to absorb heat effectively- that's how its stealth system works, after all.
115	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Colonel Urban Holland is willing to stick his neck out to help Shepard, most notably when he bails the Commander out when Colonel Ackerson reneges on a deal they make for their freedom. Admiral Gravelston counts too, for hearing Shepard out after first happening upon him after they arrive in the Halo universe.
116	* ReportingNames: For the Covenant-type Husks, courtesy of Noble Team: "Centipedes" for the multi-Drone Husks, "Gremlins" for Grunt Husks (ones turned into living bombs), and "Reavers" for Elite Husks.
117	* RequiredSecondaryPowers: One mentioned plenty of times in the Codex of the Mass Effect games, but never actually seen, but a normal, unagumented human tries firing Grunt's M-300 Claymore shotgun and breaks all the bones in his arm and several in his shoulder and chest from the recoil. The Codex specifically mentions that the only ones who can fire the gun without significant damage have cybernetic implants (like Asari Commandos or Shepard) or Krogan (like Grunt). Anyone else can and will get badly hurt.
118	* RewardedAsATraitorDeserves: [[spoiler: Kreave]] recounts working with an Alliance radio operator to explain how he's able to [[spoiler: taunt Shepard over his comm channel]]. He also mentions killing the operator by [[EyeScream jamming his eyes]] [[HoistByHisOwnPetard into radio antennae]].
119	* RightBehindMe: Several marines are talking about how Miranda saved them with "Psychic Powers," (biotics), when several others come up and start talking about Samara doing the same thing. Just as one is about to comment on ahem at least ''two'' of her attributes, one of his fellow soldiers stops him, simply pointing behind him, to reveal the Asari in question.
120	* TheRival: Katherine feels somewhat threatened by having Tali, another mechanic, on the team for their first mission together. Tali's introduction (in which Tali implied that Kat would be the one taking the lead) helps reduce that particular obstacle, and Kat gets over it by the time it's over though.
121	* SingleIssuePsychology: Deconstructed. All that work that Shepard did patching up his squadmates' issues before the Suicide Mission did hold... but it often covered up even deeper problems. Tali may be welcome back into her fleet, but she struggles with AI morality and her ability to lead others. Legion may have more trust in organics, but it's still having difficulty with understanding how organic life functions. Thane may not be worried about his son, but his acceptance of his end may have triggered a bit of a DeathSeeker streak. Grunt may be more focused now that his Rite is over, but his meteoric rise to power, coupled with his origins, leaves him feeling unfulfilled and unworthy of his own gifts. Garrus still struggles with his own insecurities about leading teams. And Samara, while she may not show it often, feels guilty about her having to kill her own daughter.
122	* ShoutOut: To the original ''Film/TotalRecall1990'' when [[spoiler: Noble Six pretends to be a hologram in Chapter 9]].
123	** When Dr. Halsey lists off the reasons that the Spartans are called Spartans, Shepard guesses that the people in charge of the project "[[Film/ThreeHundred liked that ridiculous 20th Century[sic] action flick.]]"
124	** Chapter 13 is a loving homage to ''Film/{{Aliens}}''.
125	** One of the Marines is named [[VideoGame/ModernWarfare Ramirez]].
126	** Chapter one has Kasumi mention that she went to a restaurant that runs simulations of the end of the universe, which sounds like a similar eating establishment in Douglass Adams' book ''Literature/TheRestaurantAtTheEndOfTheUniverse.''
127	** "We got less than twenty four hours to get off this mud ball, Aszod is over 75 miles away from our current position, we have no idea if this ship is gonna be there or how many bad guys are in our way, we're tired, low on fuel, food and ammo, it's dark and [[Film/TheBluesBrothers I'm wearing sunglasses]]."
128	** In Chapter 18, Kasumi's talking with Six. While they're talking, she says this line when asked why she's staying with the [[TrueCompanions Normandy:]] "Because I can help." She answered simply "Because I don't turn my back on my friends. I owe them, all of them, and if that means I have to duck and cover more often than not fine. Leaf on the wind, I go where it takes me." It's possible that the "Leaf in the wind," line comes from Film/{{Serenity}}, where Wash says a similar line in the finale.
129	** Shepard's reason for trying to stop Tali from joining him in the final assault on the wormhole generator is the same reason why [[Franchise/TheIncredibles Robert Parr tries to stop his wife Helen from helping him in his final battle]]:
130	--> '''Shepard''': "''I can't lose you again!'' ...I'm not... strong enough to..."
131	** Kreave's rant about why he loves war in the epilogue seems like a setting-updated version of [[Manga/{{Hellsing}} The Major's "I Like War"]] speech.
132	** When [[spoiler: Ackerson is interrogating Tali about the Geth, she gives us this gem:]]
133	--> [[spoiler: '''Tali''': [[Franchise/DieHard "Only my school teacher called me Mrs. Zorah. My friends call me Tali. You're neither Ackerson.]]]]
134	** Shepard's first date with Tali apparently involved watching Star Trek (the original series), and he tried to persuade her to take home copies.
135	* SparedByTheAdaptation: [[spoiler:Kat, possibly Holland and Auntie Dot[[note]]Their fates in Halo canon haven't been confirmed[[/note]]]].
136	* StationsOfTheCanon: In the broad strokes, the plot of "When There Was A Tomorrow," plays out much the same as the plot of Halo: Reach. However, at the same time things are radically different: the Covenant are much stronger, and only by the intervention of the Normandy Crew does it work the way it does. Also, by the start of "Guilty Sparks," the changes are starting to add up: The Master Chief is ''not'' the only Spartan on board the ''Pillar of Autumn,'' as it also contains Kat and Jun, as well as Linda.
137	* {{Stripperiffic}}: Initially played straight and then averted with Miranda and Jack, as after the battle at Sword Base, Shepard forces them to start wearing armor. Played straight with Samara, whose outfit is actually the standard Justicar uniform.
138	* SurroundedByIdiots: How Kreave feels about the Covenant. Mind you, he has his own hangups like his obsession with Shepard, but he points out that at least ''he'' is trying to fight the war against the humans like an actual war, instead of going off and doing whatever he feels like in an attempt to find some old pieces of technology (as the Covenant are want to do when Forerunner artifacts are involved).
139	* TemptingFate: In chapter two, Jack asks why Grunt didn't kill some of the Unggoy (Covenant Grunts) that were running away. He replies that they are not worth killing, and that they aren't shooting back. Seconds later, a barrage of plasma forces them into cover, forcing Grunt to admit that ''these'' aliens ''are'' worthy of being killed.
140	* VillainousBreakdown: Even when every last one of his Blood Pack subordinates are dead, Kreave only finally starts to lose it when Six stabs him in the head and starts peeling off his crest, [[spoiler: and briefly crosses the DespairEventHorizon while dying, fearing he won't be remembered gloriously]].
141	* WeAREStrugglingTogether: Almost no one in the UNSC trusts Shepard's crew at first, in addition to Halsey's pre-existing rivalry with Colonel Ackerson from canon.
142	** Emile ''really'' doesn't like Garrus, for that matter. Part of it comes from him questioning Carter's orders, another part comes from that, well, [[FantasticRacism Garrus isn't human]].
143	** Shepard and Tali's relationship become strained as they start [[PoorCommunicationKills keeping secrets from each other about problems they've been having]].
144	** Kreave does not think highly of Elites, and he and the Shipmaster of the ''Long Night of Solace'' demonstrate undisguised contempt for one another over not letting Kreave's Blood Pack mercenaries go on the offensive.
145	* WhamEpisode: Chapters 10 and 11 are back to back Wham Episodes, revealing that [[spoiler: Balak, the Blood Pack, and the ''[[EldritchAbomination Reapers]]'']] have thrown their lot in with the Covenant. In-universe, the appearance of the Supercarrier serves as this, turning what was a UNSC victory into a complete rout.
146	** Chapter 14 sees: [[spoiler: Tali [[NeverFoundTheBody possibly]] dying]].
147	** In Chapter 15 [[spoiler: Jorge ''still'' dies.]] Made all the more heart-wrenching by hints that it might have been averted.
148	** In Chapter 18, Not only does [[spoiler: The Inquisitor reveal itself and its motives]], but as Noble Team and Team Normandy flee to the fallout shelter, Kat tries to explain her reservations about Colonel Holland's latest mission assignment for them [[spoiler: Until Grunt narrowly shoves her out of the way of a sniper round, preventing her canonical PlotlineDeath]].
149	* WhamLine: Even before all that comes along, we're given the line "For now simply know that your prior feelings when we first met were understandable and I do not think poorly of you for them." Now, what makes this apparent CharacterDevelopment laden line so surprising? [[spoiler:''[[MindHive Legion]]'' is the one saying it!]] What makes it even [[BuffySpeak Whammier]] is that when Tali points out this change in behavior [[spoiler: Legion]] insists it's not calling itself [[spoiler: "I"]] and seems genuinely unaware that [[spoiler: its]] doing so. The exact significance of this line has yet to be seen, however.
150	** Now it's been extrapolated on. [[spoiler: Legion uplinking with DOT caused it to develop a burgeoning sense of individuality. Unfortunately, this is elaborated in the sequel, and it might be causing rather severe problems]].
151	* WhatTheHellHero: Garrus is horrified when Emile kills a grunt they've finished interrogating, even moreso when [[KnightTemplar Samara]], who successfully interrogated the grunt in the first place, said that's what she planned to do anyway, since it would, as she promised, [[MetaphoricallyTrue free him from his fear and pain]].
152	** This covers Shepard's response to learning about Dr. Halsey's past with the Spartans, and some of his crew's reaction to him (reluctantly) siding with her anyway.
153	** Six gives this to Legion after Jorge dies, going so far as to ''deck the robot in the face.''
154	* WhereDoesHeGetAllThoseWonderfulToys: Jorge's opinion on seeing the ''Normandy's'' weapons, including the Cain and Collector Particle Beam.
155	* WrongForTheRightReasons: Carter points out that Garrus, during the first mission, was ''very'' insubordinate, questioning his decisions almost every step of the way... but for the most part, it was in the interest in saving the lives of fellow soldiers. For this reason, he puts Garrus in charge of shepherding soldiers away from the Battle of Viery, as he knows that Garrus, for all his insubordination and his being not-human, cares deeply about keeping people safe.
156	* YankTheDogsChain:
157	** Legion is set up with the possibility of [[spoiler: saving Jorge from having to make a HeroicSacrifice during Operation: Uppercut]]. Unfortunately, he ends up getting incapacitated [[spoiler: and Jorge dies anyway]].
158	** Subverted when [[spoiler: Kat is saved from being sniped by an opportunistic Jackal when she [[PlotlineDeath should have died]]]] only to [[spoiler: be incapacitated by ''another'' sniper a few chapters later. She survives but loses her mechanical arm and is too injured to fight for the rest of the story. Doesn't stop her from helping prepare a nuke]].
159	** Tragically played straight with [[spoiler:Six's HeroicSacrifice to stay behind to ensure the ''Pillar of Autumn'' gets away, where Legion first attempts to offer to take remote access of the mass driver gun from the ''Autumn'', but Six makes them admit that they just don't have enough time before the battlecruiser gets in range and it has to be manual. Legion then offers to take the gun manually themselves, stating they would rather sacrifice their platform and any number of their core programs lost in the transfer of their data back to the ''Autumn'' or ''Normandy'' to prevent Six from throwing his life away, but he shuts that down too, refusing to let ''any'' part of his friend die for him.]]

Context FanFic / WhenThereWasATomorrow