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* ColonizedSolarSystem: By 2076, humanity has spread across much of the solar system. There are outposts on the moon, Mars and its moons, Europa, Ganymede, and Miranda; Mercury has become a solar factory churning out antimatter fuel for humanity's Valkyrie rockets; and many asteroids and comets have been hollowed out and become worlds unto themselves. Unfortunately, most of them are wiped out by the initial R-bombing, leaving just a few scattered survivors.
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* MohsScaleOfSciFiHardness: A solid Type 5. The Valkyrie spaceships (and their alien equivalents) are a design [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Valkyrie seriously proposed]] by Pellegrino and Jim Powell. And, unfortunately, the R-bombings are pretty plausible too.
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* RegionalRedecoration: The Earth's geography, through the intense hurricanes produced from the boiling oceans, is noticeably altered by the R-bomb attacks, with New York City entirely replaced by a new body of water and the only remnant of Cairo being the tops of the pyramids.
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* RegionalRedecoration: The Earth's geography, through the intense hurricanes produced from the boiling oceans, geography is noticeably altered by the R-bomb attacks, with New York City entirely replaced by a new body of water and the only remnant of Cairo being the tops of the pyramids.pyramids buried in debris.
* ScienceMarchesOn: Pluto-Charon is mentioned as a set of twin planets and Ceres is said to have never been viewed as anything more than a large asteroid in the eyes of humanity. In the years since the book was written, Pluto has been found to have six moons and both worlds have been reclassified as Dwarf Planets.
* ShownTheirWork: For the era and even today, the details on display regarding everything from spacecraft to details on the Titanic are impeccable.
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** The last couple on Earth, who were in a submarine in the deep ocean at the time of the attack. [[spoiler: They're captured by the aliens and kept in a zoo-like enclosure.]]
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** The last couple two people on Earth, who were in a submarine in the deep ocean at the time of the attack. [[spoiler: They're captured by the aliens and kept in a zoo-like enclosure.]]
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** A colony of survivors hiding under the icy crust of Neptune's moon Triton. [[spoiler: Their captain commits suicide and they're later wiped out with the destruction of the sun.]]
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** A colony of survivors hiding under the icy crust of Neptune's moon Triton. [[spoiler: Their captain commits suicide and they're later wiped out with crushed to death by the destruction of the sun.intense pressure.]]
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* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: The solar system is completely destroyed after the sun goes nova, leaving just two groups of humanity behind. The Earthbound team is captured by the aliens and will likely remain in a zoo enclosure for the rest of their lives, all while believing they're the last of their species. The Saturnian team lead by the Jesus and Buddha Clones is left debating over whether or not they should simply hide inside a Brown Dwarf in interstellar space, or build their forces back up and declare war on the aliens. A debate that may eventually tear them apart.]]
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* TheFuture: The story takes place in the late 2070's.
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* TheFuture: The story takes place in the late 2070's.2070's [[spoiler: and skips ahead to the 2090's at the end.]]
* HopeSpot: There's mention of bacterial colonies forming in the oceans, the first signs of restored life in the aftermath of the relativistic bombings, giving hope that maybe something will survive. [[spoiler: Then the sun goes nova.]]
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** A group in Saturn's Rings, lead by the aforementioned clones of Jesus and Buddha, who plan to lead their flocks to a Brown Dwarf in interstellar space to rebuild and strike back at the aliens.
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** A group in Saturn's Rings, lead by the aforementioned clones of Jesus and Buddha, who plan to lead their flocks to a Brown Dwarf in interstellar space to rebuild and strike back at the aliens. [[spoiler: They succeed in escaping and swear revenge on the aliens.]]
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* StarfishAliens: The aliens themselves are described as octopus-like and aquatic, with perfectly white skin, an EyelessFace, and a hideously yet fascinatingly intricate skeletal structure. [[spoiler: And it's implied they're actually the pets of the robots.]]
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* ApeShallNotKillApe: Another {{Discussed}} trope. Some 20th-century scientists had a debate over whether or not aliens would be peaceful or warlike, and compare it to how human beings have viewed their own. In the colonial era, violence and exploitation of darker-skinned peoples was justified on the grounds that they were less than human. Viewing others as lesser, different, or ''alien'' is how we become capable of acts of violence. Conversely, we have an intrinsic, growing desire to protect members of our own species, which is why murder is not the norm and why people protest the death penalty even for serial killers. Likewise, wolves don't kill members of their own packs, since they're all family. However, both wolves and humans have no reservations about killing other species, even intelligent ones like Dolphins, so it doesn't follow that intelligence would automatically equal omnibenevolence.
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* CosmicHorrorStory: The discussion between the 20th-century scientists from [=SETI=] suggests this may be the norm for life in the universe. No species can be sure of another's motives, but they will assume anyone who does manage to avoid self-destruction will be intelligent, aggressive, and ruthless in their goal to preserve their species. Therefore, the logical conclusion is to destroy any civilization they might come across to eliminate them as a possible threat. They compare the universe to being in Central Park late at night, when the criminals come out and you have no way of knowing who's dangerous and who isn't. Your best bets are to find a policeman, look for a way out, or hunker down and wait for daylight.
--> "There are, of course, a few obvious differences between Central Park and the universe. There is no policeman. There is no way out. And the night never ends."
--> "There are, of course, a few obvious differences between Central Park and the universe. There is no policeman. There is no way out. And the night never ends."
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* TheFuture: The story takes place in the 2070's.
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* TheFuture: The story takes place in the late 2070's.
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* RegionalRedecoration: When two of the survivors arrive in what used to be New York City, the only sign of human civilization left after the relativistic bombardment is the plumbing for an underground swimming pool buried in the mud.
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* RegionalRedecoration: When two of The Earth's geography, through the survivors arrive in what used to be intense hurricanes produced from the boiling oceans, is noticeably altered by the R-bomb attacks, with New York City, City entirely replaced by a new body of water and the only sign remnant of human civilization left after Cairo being the relativistic bombardment is tops of the plumbing for an underground swimming pool buried in the mud. pyramids.
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* SceneryGorn: The aftermath of the relativistic bombings is thoroughly detailed and destructive.
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* TheFuture: The story takes place in the 2070's.
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* ArtisticLicenseChemistry:
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* HadToBeSharp: When discussing the invader's motives, some of the survivors come to believe this is the rule of law among aliens. Space is a vast, unforgiving place with countless threats to the existence of a species, so anyone who does survive and does make it to the top ultimately has to be highly intelligent, alert, aggressive, and ruthless when necessary. No species is going to survive by being passive or self-sacrificing. If they find a threat to their existence, they're going to wipe it out before it has a chance to harm them, including another species.
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* AfterTheEnd: The novel takes place in the aftermath of the aliens' attempt to wipe out humanity.
* AliensAreBastards: It's hard to argue the fact after they launched an unprompted xenocide against humanity.
** {{Discussed}} and {{Deconstructed}} among some of the survivors. When trying to apply logic to the aliens' motives, with all the speculation that [=SETI=] and Carl Sagan had done, they manage to boil it down to three rules concerning alien civilizations: their survival will be more important than those of other species, wimps don't become top dogs, and they will assume the previous points also apply to all other intelligent species. Their attack may have been an act of self-preservation, fearing that humanity would become a threat to them if left alone and allowed to advance. [[spoiler: Turns out they're right.]]
* AliensAreBastards: It's hard to argue the fact after they launched an unprompted xenocide against humanity.
** {{Discussed}} and {{Deconstructed}} among some of the survivors. When trying to apply logic to the aliens' motives, with all the speculation that [=SETI=] and Carl Sagan had done, they manage to boil it down to three rules concerning alien civilizations: their survival will be more important than those of other species, wimps don't become top dogs, and they will assume the previous points also apply to all other intelligent species. Their attack may have been an act of self-preservation, fearing that humanity would become a threat to them if left alone and allowed to advance. [[spoiler: Turns out they're right.]]
* ArtisticLicenseChemistry:
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* DoUntoOthersBeforeTheyDoUntoUs: The aliens' motive for wiping out humanity.
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* DoUntoOthersBeforeTheyDoUntoUs: [[spoiler: The aliens' motive for wiping out humanity.]]
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* [[FreezeRay Freeze Bomb]]: Humans had developed a devastating tool decades ago that transforms ambient energy into matter, leaving the surrouding area completely frozen. One group of survivors uses this to hide inside the Sun's atmosphere [[spoiler:and ultimately to destroy the Sun after choosing death over capture by the attackers]].
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* [[FreezeRay Freeze Bomb]]: Humans had developed a devastating tool decades ago that transforms ambient energy into matter, leaving the surrouding surrounding area completely frozen. One group of survivors uses this to hide inside the Sun's atmosphere [[spoiler:and ultimately to destroy the Sun after choosing death over capture by the attackers]].
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* SciFiWritersHave/NoSenseOfVelocity: The speed of light is quoted to six digits of precision as 305,040 kilometers per second. In RealLife, since 1983 (13 years before the book was written), the speed of light in a vacuum has been ''defined'' as 299,792.458 kilometers per second.
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* RegionalRedecoration: When two of the survivors arrive in what used to be New York City, the only sign of human civilization left after the relativistic bombardment is the plumbing for an underground swimming pool buried in the mud.
* SciFiWritersHave/NoSenseOfVelocity: The speed of light is quoted to six digits of precision as 305,040 kilometers per second. In RealLife, since 1983 (13 years before the book was written), the speed of light in a vacuum has been ''defined'' as 299,792.458 kilometers per second.
* SciFiWritersHave/NoSenseOfVelocity: The speed of light is quoted to six digits of precision as 305,040 kilometers per second. In RealLife, since 1983 (13 years before the book was written), the speed of light in a vacuum has been ''defined'' as 299,792.458 kilometers per second.
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* TwoLinesNoWaiting: The book follows the few survivors of the aliens' attack hiding out across the Solar System.
** One spacecraft circling the sun, playing cat and mouse with the aliens. [[spoiler: They ultimately decide it's BetterToDieThanBeKilled]]
** A colony on Ceres that escaped the attack unharmed, but who've lowered their power consumption and fear the aliens will eventually discover their infrared output. [[spoiler: The aliens wipe them out with GreyGoo.]]
** The last couple on Earth, who were in a submarine in the deep ocean at the time of the attack. [[spoiler: They're captured by the aliens and kept in a zoo-like enclosure.]]
** A group in Saturn's Rings, lead by the aforementioned clones of Jesus and Buddha, who plan to lead their flocks to a Brown Dwarf in interstellar space to rebuild and strike back at the aliens.
** A colony of survivors hiding under the icy crust of Neptune's moon Triton. [[spoiler: Their captain commits suicide and they're later wiped out with the destruction of the sun.]]
** One spacecraft circling the sun, playing cat and mouse with the aliens. [[spoiler: They ultimately decide it's BetterToDieThanBeKilled]]
** A colony on Ceres that escaped the attack unharmed, but who've lowered their power consumption and fear the aliens will eventually discover their infrared output. [[spoiler: The aliens wipe them out with GreyGoo.]]
** The last couple on Earth, who were in a submarine in the deep ocean at the time of the attack. [[spoiler: They're captured by the aliens and kept in a zoo-like enclosure.]]
** A group in Saturn's Rings, lead by the aforementioned clones of Jesus and Buddha, who plan to lead their flocks to a Brown Dwarf in interstellar space to rebuild and strike back at the aliens.
** A colony of survivors hiding under the icy crust of Neptune's moon Triton. [[spoiler: Their captain commits suicide and they're later wiped out with the destruction of the sun.]]
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Do not spoiler tag trope names on work pages or the names of works on trope pages; please see Handling Spoilers for more information.
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* [[spoiler:AnyoneCanDie: Considering that the story begins with the destruction of Earth and the majority of the human race, things still continue going downhill from that point.]]
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* [[spoiler:AnyoneCanDie: Considering AnyoneCanDie: [[spoiler:Considering that the story begins with the destruction of Earth and the majority of the human race, things still continue going downhill from that point.]]
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* CloneJesus: And Clone Buddha! Made from, respectively, the Shroud of Turin and a tooth of the original Buddha by a doomsday cult, they and their other clone friends rebelled against the cult and went off to forge their own lives. Jesus and Buddha ultimately wind up in control of one of the last few surviving human settlements.
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* CloneJesus: And Clone Buddha! Made from, respectively, the Shroud of Turin ShroudOfTurin and a tooth of the original Buddha by a doomsday cult, they and their other clone friends rebelled against the cult and went off to forge their own lives. Jesus and Buddha ultimately wind up in control of one of the last few surviving human settlements.
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* DoUntoOthersBeforeTheyDoUntoUs: The aliens' motive for wiping out humanity.
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Macross Missile Massacre - Fixed
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* MacrossMissilesMassacre: [[spoiler:The battle inside the sun]] has both ships firing salvos of hundreds of missiles at each other.
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* MacrossMissilesMassacre: MacrossMissileMassacre: [[spoiler:The battle inside the sun]] has both ships firing salvos of hundreds of missiles at each other.
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*EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs: Before the R-Bomb attack humans had cloned dinosaurs and were using miniaturized versions as pets.
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*MacrossMissilesMassacre: [[spoiler:The battle inside the sun]] has both ships firing salvos of hundreds of missiles at each other.
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* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: Especially when they're going 92% of the speed of light.
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* AuthorAvatar: The historical-in-universe character Richard Tuna is a thinly-disguised Charles Pellegrino.
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* AuthorAvatar: The historical-in-universe character Richard Tuna is a thinly-disguised Charles Pellegrino.Pellegrino, right down to his discussions with Jim Powell.
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* AuthorAvatar: The historical-in-universe character Richard Tuna is a thinly-disguised Charles Pellegrino.
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* SciFiWritersHave/NoSenseOfVelocity: The speed of light is quoted to six digits of precision as 305,040 kilometers per second. In RealLife, since 1983 (13 years before the book was written), the speed of light in a vacuum has been ''defined'' as 299,792.458 kilometers per second.
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* StarKilling: It's theorized that enough absorbic bombs, which turn energy into matter, might cause the sun to implode.
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* ThePlague: Decades before the story begins, nearly all birds on Earth are wiped out because [[spoiler:an ambitious scientist cloned a virus that had been preserved from the time of the dinosaurs]].
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* FromBadToWorse: The story begins with the destruction of Earth's biosphere and nearly all of humankind. [[spoiler:Things go downhill from there.]]
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* ItGotWorse: The story begins with the destruction of Earth's biosphere and nearly all of humankind. [[spoiler:Things go downhill from there.]]
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* ItGotWorse: The story begins with the destruction of Earth's biosphere and nearly all of humankind. [[spoiler:Things go downhill from there.]]
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** And why they considered us a threat. [[spoiler:Old war movies made them conclude that we are violent. The high number of RubberForeheadAliens in ''StarTrek'' made them conclude that we were so xenophobic that we would never accept relations with anything that isn't humanoid.]]
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** And why they considered us a threat. [[spoiler:Old war movies made them conclude that we are violent. The high number of RubberForeheadAliens in ''StarTrek'' ''Franchise/StarTrek'' made them conclude that we were so xenophobic that we would never accept relations with anything that isn't humanoid.]]
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Actually, re-reading that trope, no explanation is needed. Reverting my change.
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* GuiltFreeExterminationWar: [[spoiler:From the point of view of the aliens, no less.]]
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* GuiltFreeExterminationWar: [[spoiler:From the point of view of the aliens, no less.]]GuiltFreeExterminationWar
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Added some explanation to a new entry.
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* GuiltFreeExterminationWar
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* GuiltFreeExterminationWarGuiltFreeExterminationWar: [[spoiler:From the point of view of the aliens, no less.]]
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* ComputerVirus: The aliens send one of these to our SETI listening dish. Even with the dish unplugged from the computer network, the virus still manages to reprogram it into a KillerRobot.
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Friend, you\'re not going to invoke Wiki magic with two tropes and no index. This should help a little bit.
* AliensSpeakingEnglish: The aliens don't actually have the correct vocal apparatus to reproduce human sounds. But they do have a convenient translation device which was calibrated using the next trope on the list.
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* ArtificialIntelligence: After the attack, one of the survivors spends his time tweaking an interactive simulation of the sinking of the {{Titanic}}.
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** And why they considered us a threat. [[spoiler:Old war movies made them conclude that we are violent. The high number of RubberForeheadAliens in ''StarTrek'' made them conclude that we were so xenophobic that we would never accept relations with anything that isn't humanoid.]]
* [[spoiler:AnyoneCanDie: Considering that the story begins with the destruction of Earth and the majority of the human race, things still continue going downhill from that point.]]
* ApocalypseHow: The aliens cause an Class 4 event. [[spoiler:In order to avoid capture, one group of humans causes a full-blown Class X-2.]]
* ArtificialIntelligence:After [[spoiler:The attackers are eventually found to be these. Originally built by a race of deep-sea octopus-like creatures, they had taken over some time ago and now keep the attack, descendants of their builders as pets.]]
* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: [[spoiler:A group of humans being chased through the Solar atmosphere conclude that they will eventually be captured. Rather than risk whatever horrible fate the aliens might have for them, they set off their huge stockpile of freeze bombs to destroy themselves, their pursuers, and a healthy chunk of the Sun.]]
* CloneJesus: And Clone Buddha! Made from, respectively, the Shroud of Turin and a tooth of the original Buddha by a doomsday cult, they and their other clone friends rebelled against the cult and went off to forge their own lives. Jesus and Buddha ultimately wind up in control of one of the last few surviving human settlements.
* [[FreezeRay Freeze Bomb]]: Humans had developed a devastating tool decades ago that transforms ambient energy into matter, leaving the surrouding area completely frozen. One group of survivorsspends his time tweaking an interactive simulation uses this to hide inside the Sun's atmosphere [[spoiler:and ultimately to destroy the Sun after choosing death over capture by the attackers]].
* GreyGoo: Weaponized by the alien invaders [[spoiler:to destroy one of thesinking last groups of humanity hiding in the asteroid belt.]]
* MistookTheDominantLifeform: Two human survivors of the{{Titanic}}.
alien attack are abducted and have an audience with the invaders. Initially, they assume that the octopus-like creature that they're having a conversation with is one of the leaders of the invasion. In fact, it turns out that the rulers are [[spoiler:actually the little robots that are taking care of and feeding it which the octopus race had created long ago.]]
* TheSingularity: [[spoiler: It's heavily implied that the attackers achieved an equivalent to this some time ago.]]
* [[spoiler:AnyoneCanDie: Considering that the story begins with the destruction of Earth and the majority of the human race, things still continue going downhill from that point.]]
* ApocalypseHow: The aliens cause an Class 4 event. [[spoiler:In order to avoid capture, one group of humans causes a full-blown Class X-2.]]
* ArtificialIntelligence:
* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: [[spoiler:A group of humans being chased through the Solar atmosphere conclude that they will eventually be captured. Rather than risk whatever horrible fate the aliens might have for them, they set off their huge stockpile of freeze bombs to destroy themselves, their pursuers, and a healthy chunk of the Sun.]]
* CloneJesus: And Clone Buddha! Made from, respectively, the Shroud of Turin and a tooth of the original Buddha by a doomsday cult, they and their other clone friends rebelled against the cult and went off to forge their own lives. Jesus and Buddha ultimately wind up in control of one of the last few surviving human settlements.
* [[FreezeRay Freeze Bomb]]: Humans had developed a devastating tool decades ago that transforms ambient energy into matter, leaving the surrouding area completely frozen. One group of survivors
* GreyGoo: Weaponized by the alien invaders [[spoiler:to destroy one of the
* MistookTheDominantLifeform: Two human survivors of the
* TheSingularity: [[spoiler: It's heavily implied that the attackers achieved an equivalent to this some time ago.]]
