Admiral Rael'Zorah: "On behalf of the Quarian people, I greet you and welcome you among the stars. I'd also like to extend the hand of friendship, Admiral."
Admiral Kaevus Eudorian: "It started as an operation to find the Migrant Fleet and make sure they wouldn't attack us later on, the Council I mean. But it all went so, so bad from the start."
STG Report: "The shift in the balance of galactic powers brought by the emergence of Humanity is undeniable."
Councilor Tevos: "NO! The Quarians! They unleashed this! That's like the Krogan Rebellions all over again!"
Mass Effect: The Iron Heart of Man
is a Mass Effect story that is built upon the idea, that Humanity decides to go its own path instead of being dependent on the mass effect technology they discover on Mars. To that result, their technology does go into a different direction - one the Reapers did not foresee.
In the year 2180, a fleet is sent to explore another part of space for future colonization and mining operations. At the same time in Citadel space, the Quarian Migrant Fleet has fallen upon hard times. A recent serious incident finally forces them the recall their pilgrims and set sail for the unknown, leaving behind an environment that has become too hostile to them. Little do Mankind and Quarians know they will soon meet, and said meeting would change the course of the galaxy forever...
The story is famous not only for its careful and smart plotting, but also for the fact, that it doesn't censor itself and is not shy about showing the realities of war.
This fanfic provides examples of:
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Jack and Miranda. In canon, they start as Teeth-Clenched Teammates due to their respective stances on Cerberus who could eventually become Vitriolic Best Buds if certain choices are made. In here, they're childhood best friends and workmates who have girls' nights fairly often.
- "Ass" in Ambassador: Ambassador Irissa. President Montgomery has learned to dislike her, especially due to her high-and-mighty approach and relentless crusade for the Asari industry to flood Alliance markets. Some years later she stops all pretense and openly declares Humans to be a pest to the galaxy - live on TV.
- Batman Gambit: Averted. Tevos and the Armali Council's plan for the Quarians relied on this. Their plan with the Elcor Eezo event was to raise a furor that would drive the Quarians out of Council Space and into the Attican Traverse and the Terminus Systems. This would allow the Council to paint them as a threat (citing their massive fleet and their history with the Geth) and that the Quarians were getting ready to do nerfarious things to Citadel Space with Terminus Warlords. This would have a multifold effect- the Council could let the newer, more aggressive Turian generals and admirals blow off some steam by blowing up a few pirate bases and ships with little to no risk, it would get rid of the warlords and extend the reach of the Council, and remove what was left of the Terminus from the influence of the Batarians, allowing the Council to pressure the Batarians into giving up slavery. The problem with the whole thing came when, instead of doing the smarter thing and going into known space that didn't belong to the Council- which was really the only option that was, realistically speaking, available to them, the Quarians just up and left known space altogether for almost certain death in interstellar space, where they met the humans.
- Can't Argue with Elves: Pretty much the modus operandi of the Asari. They are so used to it that they outright bewildered when Humans tend to simply tell them to shove it.
- The Chessmaster: What the Asari matriarchs pride themselves to be. When not plotting against each other, they take great delight in letting others unwittingly do their dirty work, only to then reap the rewards themselves. However, with the appearance of Mankind on the galactic scene, things start to fall apart fo them.
- Expy: Humanity is a fairly transparent one for Halo, with ship names, materials, and planets being taken whole-hog from the franchise.
- First Contact: Mankind has two different kind of these.
- Unlike in canon, Mankind here makes first contact with the Quarians instead of the Turians. Things do proceed in a peaceful manner and both sides benefit greatly from each other. The Quarians finally gain a planet they can settle on and Mankind becomes well-informed of the wider galaxy.
- Sadly, the Citadel first contact with Mankind is as hostile as ever, again resulting in the Shanxi crisis. This time however, the Turians have bitten off more than they can chew.
- For Want Of A Nail: Mankind would have probably entered the galactic scene totally unprepared. However, the Asari's political games result in an incident that causes the Migrant Fleet to leave Citadel space. That in turn causes the entire plot to get into motion.
- Hover Tank: The Turians employ these. Shanxi does prove however, that the design, while certainly fast, is vastly inferior to a more heavy machine on tracked propulsion. Human Apocalypse tanks eat Turian tanks like there is no tomorrow.
- Humans Are Warriors: Enough that the Turians start to respect them for it.
- Kangaroo Court: The sham done do Atelas Razea. The Asari Republics just needed someone to put the blame on. Atelas even names the trope. Needless to say the Republics come to regret this sham big time down the road.
- Kill It with Fire: The Alliance does use incendiary weapons in its arsenal. Beside newly developed ones, they still make use of white phosphorous, with all its nasty effects.
- Leeroy Jenkins: The battle of Shanxi shows why this is a very bad idea to do - not to mention a sure way to an early grave.
- Ludicrous Gibs: The story is not shy about showing this - in order to give an idea of how horrible war is, instead of glorifying it. The perhaps most horrible example is the lengthy description of an Asari on Shanxi being turned into this when being slowly run over by a tank.
- More Dakka: The Turians, and later the Asari and Salarians, were totally unprepared for that basic Human military doctrine. They are downright astonished and scared at how much emphasis Humans put on sheer firepower.
- My Species Doth Protest Too Much: There are various examples.
- Throughout the story there are Asari who either can't stand being seen as Space Elves, are insulted as this devalues their own accomplishments, or have become disillusioned with their own species. Atelas Razea is the most prominent case.
- Wrex is working hard to show not only others, but to the Krogans themselves, that Krogans don't have to be dumb muscle. Him actually investing heavily into an education and healthcare system goes against everything the galaxy thinks of Krogans. It does work as well, since more and more of his people are flocking to his banner, proving that the common Krogan has grown sick of their hat.
- Not Enough to Bury: Explicitly mentioned as having happened many times on Shanxi due to Ludicrous Gibs - either being blown apart or being turned into a bloody smear on the ground.
- Nothing Is the Same Anymore: The status quo is utterly broken once the Alliance enters the galactic scene. Their emergence causes chain reactions throughout the other species, who up to that moment had made themselves comfortable in the status quo.
- The Quarians did finally gain a planet of their own on which their can recover after their long exile in space, now that they no longer have to put all their energy into bare survival.
- The Turians have been confronted with a culture that is as militaristic as they are. Interestingly, this actually causes them to questions their place in the Citadel and what it had cost them.
- The Krogan start rebuilding after Wrex secured the support of the Alliance, thus allowing him to finally get things done.
- The Asari are suddenly confronted with a foreign government that is not very impressed with them and they struggle to find a way how they could undermine them like they did with others. It does start the decline of their power.
- Oh, Crap!: Happens many times throughout the story. It's especially prominent when Mankind is at first not taken seriously by outside parties, only for said parties then to look in horror at what got unleashed.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: It becomes clear the Elcor are seriously ticked off when they discard their slow approach and instead start to take risks. The Council does notice, but there's little they can do against it.
- Outside-Context Problem: The Alliance is one for the Citadel species in the First Contact War. Their vastly different military doctrine and heavy use of an alternate FTL drive cause Citadel forces countless headarches with little way to counter.
- The Scapegoat: Atelas Razea makes a convenient scapegoat for the Asari Republics for the failure at Shanxi, who after publicly shaming and firing her do their best to destroy her life. This all comes back to bite them later on.
- Screw You, Elves!: The Alliance right from the start mistrusts the Asari Republics, and that rightfully so. The Asari in turn get highly offended that the Alliance dares to not follow the rules (which they invented themselves) nor allows the Asari Industry to flood the Human market with their products (like they did with the Turians).
- Shameful Strip: During the Battle of Shanxi, a captured Asari is subjected to this before being gruesomely executed.
- Space Age Stasis: While there is technological progress, it's very slow. The Asari hogging Prothean artifacts and only releasing things when convenient for them, makes it worse. In the end, it all goes according to the Reapers' plans - until the Alliance appears and the deck gets stacked again.
- Space Elves: On first sight, this is what the Asari are and what they present themselves as. However, many already are doubting that, the Quarians being the most disillusioned. As it turns out, it's just a front. The upper echelons of the Asari are highly power-hungry and play the long game for total economic and cultural supremacy.
- Spanner in the Works: Multiple.
- Mankind is this for the Reapers by not following the script of technological progress and also by not playing along with the rules others try to impose on them. That makes Mankind very dangerous to them.
- The Alliance is that to the attempt at cultural and economical hegemony by the Asari. All the finely honed structures, which in the end only benefit the Asari, start to come apart once the Alliance enters the scene.
- Tank Goodness: The Apocalypse-tank of the Alliance is a complete beast with ridiculously thick armor and strong shields, armed to the teeth and beyond and yet being quite mobile. On Shanxi it eats Turian hover tanks for breakfast. Of course it was designed by German engineers.
- There Is No Kill Like Overkill: That's Rear-Admiral Averescu's philosophy in battle. Whenever he goes into battle, he goes for nothing less than the total annihilation of the enemy, unless orders state differently.
- Unwitting Pawn: The Asari matriarchs really love to use that tactic. However, their latest scheme in the Terminus gets discovered by the Batarians, who have become sick of the Asari, and the Alliance. Fallout of that will be a veritable storm.
- War Is Hell: It's made very clear that this is the case at several points.
