Monomachiarum is a multifandom experiece that takes the characters into the chaotic future of the 30th century in the great expanse of space. Our lore is a combination of worlds brought in from other franchises, lore created by the site founder, and user-submitted information in order to make a vast and diverse setting. Add your pages to our grand story no matter who your characters might be or where they came from before. This is a place meant to explore possibilities and open new doors. Canons and OCs are welcome, just so long as they can fit into the setting with a little bit of reasonable modification here and there if necessary. So what are you waiting for? Join us today! If you'd like to get to know our community more, feel free to check out our Discord channel.
May 2023 It's been hectic this last year, but we are alive and celebrating our fifth year of adventure and tales. A lot has been worked on to help make the Monoverse one that everyone can enjoy and explore their story while becoming a part of the greater cosmos. All of you, new and long time players, stay safe, and see you in the Sea of Stars!
As ships descended onto the night side of the narrow habitable band of the planet, glimpses of the twin suns could be seen still. A perpetual twilight, the planet tidally locked in its orbit around the two stars that made up the Saclanteni system, Zeta Aurigae A and B. One side was eternally in sunlight, bathed in the hot radiant shine of two stars, orbiting over fifty standard astronomical units from the system barycenter. The other was perpetual darkness, kept from completely freezing over only by the air currents that distributed heat around the planet and the tidal forces of the three small orbiting moons.
The complex on the surface was dark save for a few lit points that marked the nominal landing zone. No one was on watch, not even drones. For a facility and planet in the private register of a corporation, it would seem very odd and irregular for such a location to be absent any visible security. Even the close circuit monitors were unmoving, while fence field projection nodes were dark and inactive. Despite the seemingly abandoned state of the Faro Systems facility, it was quiet, clean. No sign of foul play.
That alone was the first flag that something was wrong. The second was that there was, indeed, nothing that stopped the visitors from landing.
Post by Tycho Kalhalati on Apr 28, 2023 23:29:54 GMT
Tycho's landing met the more literal definition of "touch-and-go." A nimble Peacekeeper Division scout craft danced down into the planet's turbulent atmosphere, coming to hover anxiously over the surface with the engines still roaring. The craft's grateful extra passenger hit the dirt without a word, turning to pass a two-fingered salute to the pilots as he got moving. The small craft's engines whined back to full power in no time, and it shot back into the sky as quickly as it came.
He stood there for a moment, slightly taken aback, watching the ship's drive plume slowly become indistinguishable from the untold thousands of visible stars above. He actually got a thumbs-up back from the guy. Is this how humans were like outside the Frontier, or had he just become so used to the IMC's indifference?
Other drive signatures caught Tycho's attention, becoming more visible as his own ride's became less. At least two or three other ships were making their descent, renewing the same sentiment he had when looking over this job's description: he was happy he wouldn't be doing his first Big Shot job alone. There was a shocking level of similarity with the bounty hunting business in the Federation to the fixer-gig culture of back home, which made finding a first job one of the easier things to adjust to during his ongoing "vacation" to Daiban... but it was only so much of a comfort, given he was still back to square one in the employment department. Even rookies had to start somewhere, he supposed.
He'd find a small bluff over the agreed LZ to climb and watch the distant facility through his rifle's scope, checking its zero and the rest of his kit while waiting for the other ships to touch down.
The trip had taken a couple days, the persistent static of the courier pilot was beginning to grate on Lemon's nerves, the man never stopped thinking, even his dreams were noisy. She had kept to the back part off the civilian transport for the most part, leaving the pilot to his book while she finished off her bottle of gin. When the cabin finally dinged and the pilot announced that he was entering atmo for the drop-off, there was an audible sigh. A shame she didn't keep that shuttle she stole, she might've been able to scrub away all the trackers and identification given enough effort.
Suiting up, and donning the bio-haz mask module she got for her helmet, she did a final onceover of her guns and grenades before standing at the boarding ramp while the courier decelerated towards the surface. It was time for some corporate auditing, or whatever was going on, all she really remembered from the job posting was "violates- regulations- bioengineering". Given that, she was expecting to have to deal with some freakish zombie stuff or mutants like all those movies. Either that or someone was trying to recreate yet another fantasy from those animated media, she knew damn well that that had already been done several times before.
The small merc jumped down to the ground with a dull thud and turned her gaze to the alien, or radically modified human, watching her arrival. Judging from the gear, he was probably another merc. "Yee better not be some sort o' guard, this' 'ere place dun seem a nice spot to spend long. You a merc or are ya corp?"
She refrained from 'taking a peak', didn't want to be rude to a potential team mate, but stayed ready till she heard an answer. Who knew, maybe the corps were trying to make 7 ft tall wolfmen hybrids to serve as a secret supersoldier army to take over rival companies in hostile fashion.
“… But I digress. This job shouldn’t be anything that crazy, it seems to be a matter of simple security and clean up. I will keep you posted as always, and look forward to hearing more about your own assignment. Stay safe, Snowhawk.”
With the audio message finished and sent to its recipient, Eresh would return his attention to imputing landing coordinates and reviewing his contract for a few last details. Whatever was going on down there, it did leave a strange taste in the Mawkin’s mouth; he could tell when something wasn’t adding up and it caused a feeling of agitation. Ever since his endeavor on the planet SR388 and the events immediately after.. the Chozo bounty hunter had begun to scrutinize the intentions of his employers more closely than he did before, questioning the sincerity of their requests and the nature of the jobs he accepted. The galaxy was a dark place already.. and he couldn’t help but wonder: what horrors were about to reveal themselves next?
His contemplations were cut short as his ships onboard navigation system alerted him to prepare for final approach and landing procedures.. and within a few minutes the Strix-12 would alight upon one of the facility’s suspiciously vacant landing zone save for another ship. Once situated, Eresh would gather up his equipment and finish putting his armor in place.. and with a breath he would disembark. Unsurprisingly, he spied two individuals that appeared to be hunters much like himself- if their equipment and disposition was anything to go by. So after taking his measure of the pair, the nearly 3 meter tall avian would approach them.
“I take it that you two are here due to the job posting also?”
Makoto felt her heart beat in her chest. This was her first official mission as a Peacekeeper, and while she had been to stranger places before (seriously this reminded her of Okumura's Palace) but the eerie silence told her something else was off.
As Ryuji would say when they watched that American movie, it was quiet. Too quiet.
"I wish they were here. It's hard to do this alone...." Makoto muttered to herself as she caught sight of the other mercenaries. Well, she wasn't alone here, but these newcomers couldn't replace her longtime friends. For now at least, she had support. May as well introduce herself.
Makoto, dressed in her Metaverse outfit, decided that it would be wiser to keep a professional distance. She fixed her mask and walked up to the group, clearing her throat to get her attention. Some of them were not human, but as long as they were all on the same page, it wouldn't matter.
"So it seems I'm not alone after all. Are we going to plan this out?"
The largest of the group, the armor clad avian creature turned to face the newcomer as she spoke up, the crimson eye lenses of its helmet glinting in the faint light of the landing zone.
“Well that depends, none of us have been briefed by anyone it seems… which is unusual to say the least. But I am correct in guessing that you were called to be part of this assignment as well? You don’t look like a member of this facility’s security. Then again, none of us do either.” And that caused a series of soft chirps of amusement to rise from the avian giant.
Post by Tycho Kalhalati on May 3, 2023 1:58:01 GMT
Tycho's hesitation was visible. It felt ironic to still not quite be used to the sight of non-human races, being decidedly non-human himself... a feeling that had come up time and time again, in recent weeks. Naturally there wasn't any disdain, but it still felt... well, wrong. Part of him was worried that he'd become more used to humans than even his own people, looking down at the three below him and feeling more anxiety than anything else.
The first one to arrive after him had to be an Exotic, he was sure of it. He wasn't of a mind to stare at her too long without saying anything, but it was uncanny how much she looked like something straight out of a sim. It gave him a twisted sense of nostalgia for the Night City 'net.
The second, the massive Avian, was a mystery to him. He'd seen more species than he could count since his recent arrival to this side of the Spur, far more than enough to burn out his curiosity... but just when he thought he'd seen as many as he could, here was one more he knew absolutely nothing about. Something about him made the Vlaka's gut feel cold.
The third thankfully was just a human, best he could tell. Fancy-looking gear, but surprisingly young. He would've questioned it if he were anybody else.
"We're all mercs, chooms." Tycho piped up, answering Lemon and Eresh at once. The Vlaka stood up and slid down the side of the bluff, making his way back over to the group with a few heavy steps. "Sounds to me like we were all given jack-shit on intel, so we'll just have to fly blind together." He crossed his arms over his rifle, shifting his eyes between the three of them... trying to find a balance between being as professional as he should, and being as friendly as he'd like. "Name's Tycho. I'm a marksman. I can handle recon, it's what I'm the most experienced with-- I know I've got caveman tech compared to the rest of you, but it won't slow us down. I know how to use it."
The avian paused for a moment at the introduction. “Eresh Tarren,” he replied, grimacing as his translator gave the English approximation of his name: Silent Talon. “And I am quite experienced with stealth operations and reconnaissance as well, as fate so has it.” The bird-like alien said as he now looked at the canine creature: if he was as surprised as Tycho was, his helmet made it impossible to tell.
Addressing the entire group now, Eresh would take stock. “On one hand, it may be a good idea to wait until someone from the facility comes out to meet us and bring us up to speed on the situation. On the other.. well the fact that no one was present to greet us at all even after several vessels landed on their property, and how the facility is oddly dark, it doesn’t bode particularly well. So, shall we go inside and try to get answers?”
Her voice muffled by the gas mask, Lemon would pipe up. "Well y'all clearly ain't corps, mask up or plug yer noses, these uns were violatin bioengineering regulations or somethin... Ahm Jankins."
That wolfman had some visible cybernetics, so she wasn't too sure why he said his stuff was 'caveman tech', fanciest things she had was the two energy guns and shield. The vanilla lass may have had a decent idea regarding planning, but Lemon didn't see enough information to make any decent plans with other than 'go in, look around, kill hostiles, and get out'. Pulling out her M6S and the envenomed knife, she started towards the nearest entrance.
"If there ain't no lawbreakin here the corps can sue our employer, me ride is gettin paid by tha hour so lets get goin."
No one came to greet the hunters at the landing zone. No drones were present as escorts or as security. The entrance to the Faro Systems facility was dimly lit like the power was slowly dying out, though there was still a soft glow from the access key panels to reveal that the doors were still active and functional. The sound of rain falling was the only constant as the air was barely a blow. As the hunters approached, the doors were silent, awaiting someone to activate their entry cycle via the access panel.
Upon such, the doors would give a heavy thunk, slowly unlocking and opening down the center to reveal the dim lit hallway leading into the complex. A series of dimly lit guide lines would flicker down the hall, indicating where to go while an automated voice could be heard.
"All visitors must check in and agree to non-disclosure before entering this facility. Any who do not accept these conditions must be escorted out by Site-Nineteen staff."
It went without saying that there were no staff escorts to meet the group of bounty hunters. But there were marks on the walls that revealed that things were not so clean and tidy as the exterior would present. Deep scratches. Blast burns that splashed across the surface of the wall panels.
“If they are violating biological research laws, they aren’t in a position to complain.” Eresh said as he unslung his rifle and began walking after the small feline woman, glancing over his shoulder.
“ I suppose you should two should firm up and cover our six, let’s hope this Jenkins woman doesn’t get herself either shot, eviscerated, or both.”
But once the Jenkins and Eresh entered.. he brought a hand up and gently took hold of her shoulder to stop her from stepping too far.. a sigh leaving his suits speakers.
“I would be surprised. But to be honest? I was half expecting this sort of scenario. Its a little disturbing that this is the second time this year that I’ve taken an assignment where a science facility has gotten decimated by it’s own experiments.”
"Let's go inside, then. Oh, and my name is Queen. It's nice to meet you all. And yes, I'll cover your six. Just be careful."
Queen walked up to press the button and open the doors to the facility, steeling herself mentally for what she was about to witness. This wasn't too far off from the Palaces and Jails she'd encountered a year ago, but without her friends she was feeling less confident than she had hoped.
Wait. Was that blood? "What happened here?" she asked softly.
Makoto felt a chill go down her spine, but luckily she in her Phantom Thief attire so none of her other team-members saw the flash of terror cross her face.
"Stay alert, please. We don't know who -or what- is lurking in the shadows..." she said firmly, summoning her brass knuckle weapons in her hands and gripping them tightly as she followed the others.
Post by Tycho Kalhalati on May 3, 2023 20:07:19 GMT
"... The second time?"
The stench of viscera hit Tycho like a blow to the jaw. Soon as the doors opened and he stepped inside after the others, he visibly recoiled for a moment or two, letting out a startled grumble. Stepping around Eresh's massive form to get a look at the hallway, his eyes narrowed at the story told by the damage along the walls. He steeled himself for a moment or two and winced through a deeper breath through the nose, trying to get his bearings while his eyes adjusted to the low light.
"Fuck... uh, yeah... okay. Biomaterial, faint traces of ozone. Carbon char, nitrocellulose, and... some other shit I can't place. Small arms discharge, mix of kinetic and energy. I think."
Gingerly the Vlaka swung his rifle around and slung it over his shoulder, unholstering his P2011 and thumbing the laser. "Alright, feathers..." Stepping back around Eresh and reaching to rap the back of his knuckle against the towering Chozo's armor, giving a bemused look towards Lemon and Makoto. "You're on point."
The wolf man’s question caused a chuffing noise to leave the Chozo as he nodded “Yes, though I can’t share any specifics other than the fact that it was a very obscure facility on a planet you likely haven’t ever heard of.” He said as he took the human called Queens reaction along with Tycho. At the suggestion that he should be the one to take point, Eresh would give a shrug.
“If that’s what you want, I have no objections to speak of. That said, I do have to ask that you don’t shoot me by mistake. It may come as a surprise, but I do take up a considerable amount of space in tight corridors.” He casually responded as he looked at the others before stepping forward.. attempting not to step in the ichorous mess around them.
Lemon stood there stock still for several seconds staring at the all too familiar sight, forgetting for a moment to 'think privately' ----- Screams, the chittering of vermin echoing through the corridors, gun and laser fire wizzing past. People were ripped apart like animals in a pool of piranhas, the hulking master of the swarm roaring as civilians fled. Explosives were used, blasting a hole in the station, those unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place died as they clawed at the emergency firelocks, choking on vacuum. ----- It was over in an instant, She glanced over to realize that the others were starting to advance. She sheathed the knife and pulled out her plasma pistol, knuckles white. She wasn't getting paid enough for this, a significant portion of this paycheck was going to chemical recreation and self-medication for sure. "Yah... right behind y'all, g'wan."