Shattered, Reborn, Reforged, Remade. The gaze of the Phoenix Force, seeking purpose and understanding, falls upon the Reapers and their harvests. Disgusted by their perverted, farcical 'cycle', it decides to wipe their stain from the multiverse. Needing a perfect host, it waits tens of millennia until, as Hannah Shepard is miscarrying due to eezo radiation, it finds one in her womb
Shadows and Dust is a Mass Effect / Marvel Comics crossover fanfiction by Historical Hijinks (formerly Shadows of Vanity), author of Crown of Slaves, Dawn Is Just A Heartbeat Away, and Nothing Is True.
This work contains examples of:
- Action Mom: Hannah Shepard, much like in the 'Spacer Background' of the game, is a member of the Alliance military, though as of chapter one she is only a Senior Grade Lieutenant.
- Adaptation Deviation: A multitude, including
- perhaps the most obvious, with the future Commander Shepard being the Host of the Phoenix Force
- Liara and Cassandra being childhood friends, thanks to Benezia and Hannah Shepard being the two spokes-people for their respective races in the tentative diplomacy following the First Contact War.
- As a result of this friendship, Aethyta decides to help keep the 'vultures' (newsies and reporters) away from Cassandra, which results in her being on Earth with a team of commandos, which results in Liara finding out that she is Liara's father several decades earlier than in canon.
- Affectionate Nickname:
- Cassandra Shepard is frequently reffered to as 'Cassie'
- Cassandra refers to Liara as 'Lia'
- Benezia and Aethyta both use their canon nickname for Liara, 'Little Wing'
- Happily Married: Hannah and Faolan Shepard, with Hannah wistfully missing his company, not just for wanting him to be present as their daughter grows in her womb, but also because she misses him in her bed.
- Hero of Another Story:
- Hannah Shepard, whose ship was the sole survivor of the initial fleet engagements defending Shanxi, was field-promoted to Captain for her deeds. The author has promised to do side-story chapters displaying the events in question in the future.
- Faolan Shepard, whose (Mass Effect style)paratrooper company was charged with leading the assault on the main Turian occupation base on Shanxi, died under Turian orbital bombardment, having achieved victory and forced the occupiers off the planet. The author has promised to do side-story chapters displaying the events in question in the future.
- Meaningful Name: Lots of examples, Historical Hijinks is a fan of them.
- The Shanxi Defense Fleet are all named after heroic last stands.
- The captain of the 'Warsaw', the flagship, is named after Władysław Raginis of The Battle of Wizna/40:1 by Sabaton fame
- The future Commander Shepard's name: Cassandra Morrigan Shepard. Cassandra was a mythological Seeress from the Illiad who was fated to have visions of the future and share them with people, but never to be believed. The Morrigan is an ancient Irish goddess associated with war and fate, especially in foretelling doom, death, or victory in battle.
- The staff of the Mindoir Defense Command, first seen in Chapter Five, are a reference to World War II
- Named by the Adaptation: Shepard's father, who is essentially a non-entity in the game no matter what background Shepard has, is a Shock Trooper in the Alliance military, named Faolan.
- Psychic Powers: As the Host of the Phoenix Force, Shepard will inevitably develop these. Indeed, despite her youth, she is already displaying signs of such abilities.
- Shout-Out: Case Zulu, the Alliance Military code meaning 'Invasion Imminent', is a direct reference to the same code (with the same meaning) from the Honor Harrington series
