Sequel to Mass Effect fanfiction-rewrite, Struggle, Resistance
is a continuation of a Shenko story, focusing on the aftermath of the Reaper wars. Where the first work of the series focussed on adding more Kaidan to the story, this one extends it as if another, more family-Shepard-like game was released. It brings hope to the hearts of all those devastated or annoyed at Shepard's canon ending. It's marginally shorter than its predecessor, clocking in at 47 chapters long with half the word count.
Not to be confused with the Insomniac game, Resistance. Warning for scenes Not Safe for Work.
This fanfic contains examples of:
- Aroused by Their Voice: Shepard's feelings about Kaidan's voice. It even leads to some conveniently cut away phone sex.
- Babies Ever After: The epilogue has Shepard nearing the end of her second pregnancy.
- Liara has given birth to baby Eden.
- Child Hater: Rorie tries to cheer up grumpy Corporal Knox, resulting in him merely storming up to the crew deck and indirectly insult her mother for having her around the ship. This is how we're introduced to him.
- Continuity Nod: Jack and Vega remember harder times, specifically that of Pragia and April respectively.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Rel Zorran, a Shadow Broker informant, was sandwiched between two leviathans and had his ship crushed like a tin can with him inside.
- "Eureka!" Moment: When Shepard suddenly realizes that the leviathans pulse isn't organic.Shepard: But we built the Cruc-Shepard froze in mid-sentence, sucking in a breath as understanding dawned, her eyes fixed on Kaidan's.Shepard: We built the Crucible.
- Failed a Spot Check: Cortez ends up with a sturdy pair of teeth chewing into him all because he forgot to close the door to the Kodiak.
- Food Fight: Averted in that Shepard throws an egg at Vega's face, but activates her stealth cloak to avoid any further food-related conflict.
- Human Shield: Essentially what the indoctrinated kids during the attack on the Citadel become.
- When Admirals Xen and Gerral fire on Kaidan, he's forced to take cover behind a small group of geth primes. Diniel seems less than fazed at the weapons fire.
- Kryek held Jack hostage to stave off weapons fire from Shepard and Vega. It doesn't end well, for Kryek.
- I Take Offense to That Last One: Knox chews Shepard out over her crew and how nothing gets taken seriously, stating that while they were "taking time out, having a bit of fun", people on Earth lost their families. It's only when he brings her sex life into question, however, that Shepard finally snaps.
- It's All My Fault: Shepard's inner response when faced with anything involving the Reaper war. Kaidan continues to state otherwise.
- Joker has this mentality regarding the SSV Normandy's destruction. That Admiral Hackett blamed him for its destruction (and subsequently Shepard's death) for years means he hasn't been able to overcome the guilt, and snaps at Altair for even bringing it up.
- Knox holds similar emotional baggage - being a rich guy means jack when you can't defend yourself or your family during war-time.
- Imperiled in Pregnancy: Gabby Daniels gets shot when the leviathans attack the Citadel. Though it missed anything vital, that she was pregnant had she and her partner re-think their positions aboard a warship and they'd eventually requested a transfer from Shepard to somewhere less "exciting".
- Like Brother and Sister: Wrex and Garrus both fulfill this role with Shepard.
- Instead of these two, however, it's Cortez that takes this position.
- Like Mother, Like Daughter: Played straight with Rorie, who possesses skills and attitude identical to that of her parents despite her young age.
- Shepard and Hackett also share this relationship, continuing on from what was told during Struggle. Both are experts at infiltration and have a very similar way of thinking.
- Naked People Are Funny: A career highlight as the Citadel's Executor for Garrus was taking a personal call from Councillor Tevos detailing that Grunt was exclaiming how he was the "perfect krogan", with her table his podium. That he was naked during this declaration meant that she got a more up-close and personal look at the krogan than she would have liked.
- It was Shepard herself who bet he wouldn't do it, as she thought he was too drunk to stand, let alone run to a restaurant nude.
- Mistaken Identity: Borderlining on Delirious Misidentification considering the circumstances, Garrus mistakes the voice of Oriana Lawson for Miranda Lawson during a call between her and Antella. It doesn't seem to matter, though, as Miranda is the one behind he and Kaidan's kidnapping, having used Oriana for her resources.
- Moral Guardians: Zaeed is happy to drug and kidnap Garrus if it means finding Vido Santiago, but when Kryek almost beats Rorie, he demands to host her custody. This is also partially because he owes Hackett a lot.
- Regarding the thorian spores present in Rorie, Dalen, the volus ambassador, makes an argument that a distressed child "shouldn't hinder progress". Narin Solus, Shepard and Kaidan quickly shut it down.
- The Dalatrass Linron meets a similar shutdown for the same argument only moments later, causing Wrex to comment that salarians seem to have no concerns over ethics.
- O.C. Stand-in: Dominic Osoba, of whom only gives Shepard a quick side-quest during Mass Effect 3, is now Earth's councilor, no thanks to Udina's part in the Cerberus coup.
- Original Character
- Robin Altair is introduced in Chapter 3 as a trainee to serve under Joker's mentorship, despite his initial distaste for this.
- We also meet Corporal William Knox, of whom Hackett sends to Shepard to "fix up" for his aggressive tendencies.
- Clay'Gerrel is the young son of Han'Gerrel vas Neema, of whom suddenly turns up on the Citadel after being missing for a week to warn the Council about his lying father sending false reports about crucial information.
- Balum Gardew and Ren Cael are a pair of inseparable salarian STG agents and are the most ridiculously polite people you'll ever meet. They're at first pitted as throw-away characters, but seem to frequently pop up even if their main part of the story has completed. Their additions are worth it, however.
- Platonic Life-Partners: Despite canon's best attempts, Joker and EDI do not share a romantic relationship, and instead share a close friendship complete with bickering like a married couple.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Kryek seems to have a thing against biotics. Hackett notes that he brutally murdered one of his biotic squad mates for "cheating" in a kill-count. To make matters worse, this racism is sparked when Rorie inadvertently attempts to protect Garrus from harm, sparking his immense rage. Later, Kaidan gets brutal punishment for being born biotic with no way to defend himself.
- Protected by a Child: Literally the tactic the leviathan's indoctrinated army uses when infiltrating the Citadel. The unfortunate victims get to take pot-shots at Citadel security with their kids standing motionless in front of them as human shields.
- 4-year-old Rorie throws up a biotic barrier to keep Cortez from harm, despite being terrified.
- Red Shirt: Renik, a Citadel security officer, meets an untimely end when the leviathans send an indoctrinated army to attack the Citadel. The poor guy dies in a blaze of gunfire mere seconds before realizing something was up.
- Retail Riot: According to Garrus, the last time Shepard (the "Saviour of the Galaxy") bought clothes for Rorie on the Citadel, she'd caused a mini-riot as other shoppers fought over the last identical outfit for their children.
- Shout-Out: Joker compares Shepard and the Normandy as synonymous with Captain Kirk and the USS Enterprise - while almost everyone understands the reference, Shepard has to ask for clarification who and what they are. It horrifies Joker.
- Later, Garrus references the dark side and Jabba the Hut.
- Status Quo Is God: You'd have thought the quarians would have learned their lesson with the geth, but no. Admirals Xen and Gerrel plan to take them out again as Gerrel had in the final mission on Rannock in Mass Effect 3.
- In another turn of events, Xen tries to reduce them to servants. Sound familiar?
- Dalatrass Linron's opinion apparently hasn't changed since the Reapers, either, as she planned to uplift another civilization just to tear down the krogan. Awfully reminiscent of the krogan's original purpose regarding the rachni.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: It might be set four years after Tali's death, but she and Clay'Gerral share a lot of characteristics. From having a love for mechanics, superior knowledge of engines compared to the poor Engineer Adams, to Clay even down-right admitting that they had a lot in common. Their interactions with Kaidan and Adams is the icing on the cake.
- The Nicknamer: James Vega still holds the canon version of this title, however. Shepard as Lola, Kaidan as Loco, and Cortez as Esteban. He extends it to include Jack as "Bella".
- It should be noted that Joker contends for this position as well. Rorie gets many nicknames, whereas Knox and Altair receive "Anti-Vega" and "Usurper", respectively.
- The Patient Has Left the Building: Subverted in that while Jack demands to leave the Citadel's hospital almost immediately after waking from time spent unconscious, Vega and Chakwas convince her to stay for at least ten minutes to get a couple of injuries looked at.
- The Tease: Most of what James says to Shepard involves some sexual innuendo when not in a super-serious-situation. It appears nothing has changed in the last four years.
- Aethyta as well. However, she did kiss Shepard.
- Time Skip: Over four years pass between the end of Struggle and the beginning of its sequel.
- The fic begins with a call-back to Major Coats speaking with the Leviathans, though it's now in their perspective as opposed to those on the Normandy.
- Torture Cellar: Subverted in that while the Cerberus idealists laboratory in chapter 1 involved a lot of pain and torture for all turian victims, it was classed as a medical facility.
- Wacky Parent, Serious Child: Describes the relationship between Liara and Aethyta to a T. Aethyta is often the oddball of a group of asari, joking and trying to lighten the mood a little to the point of insulting others, which frustrates the normally on-point Liara.
- When I Was Your Age...: Inverted - when Joker claims that Altair's simulation experience in piloting doesn't compare to the real thing, she counters that they have improved a lot since his time. His response is priceless.
- Where It All Began: Oriana and Miranda set up shop and have Kaidan and Garrus taken to the place Shepard had to choose between two of her officers. Virmire. She even has to choose between the two, despite the different circumstances.
- Would Hurt a Child: Kryek seems to have absolutely no problem with this. He threatens to kill Zack if he speaks of his kidnapping Rorie. In that same scene, he drugs Rorie and has no conscience about potentially killing her with a lethal dose.
- If not for Zaeed, he would have most definitely caused more serious harm to her for her display of biotics.
- Would Not Shoot a Civilian: Shepard demands that all those involved in combat against the indoctrinated civilian army must use dummy rounds and knock-out gas to avoid casualties.
- Averted with Knox, however, as he makes launches a concussive shot at the human shields and leaves bullets in all adults much to the shock of Cortez and Co. His whole assault disregarded Shepard's orders.
