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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!
the things that you might like don't grow inside of me
Euclid's Anvil, en route to FS176
It'd been a long, long time since he'd last worn it. That said....
It felt good to be suited back up again.
It was probably unnecessary. Paranoia had become a constant in his life since waking up again, and much like his presence here Zachary suspected that having his armor returned from the FENRIR development labs was going overboard. Overkill in every sense of the word. But that very same paranoia had served him and by extension Confed quite well since they'd put him in charge of a handful of projects, and to ignore that gut feeling would leave him on edge for the entirety of what was supposed to be a relatively routine op. In a manner of speaking, anyways. No combat expected, but that didn't at all diminish the importance of what they were about to do. While Zachary himself had only been out of the freezer for maybe a decade at most now and by extension held next to none of the reverence that the rest of the galaxy did for the Chozo... denying the Kromus a prize and freeing up the resources held guarding the Zebes system would be invaluable from a strategic standpoint, as would gaining control over the narrative before Ridley might have been able to now that it was confirmed the ugly bastard was still alive and kicking. Relocating the inhabitants was merely a matter of course - ruthless as he might have freely admitted to being Zachary did not consider himself a savage, and these people had done nothing wrong by him or Confed.
That introspection came to and end, however, as the white armored giant came up on the door leading to the bridge. A Marine posted to either side of the door, both soldiers would salute as they allowed him to pass uncontested. A relatively cramped space to begin with between the officers present and their consoles with standing room only, the Spartan was careful as he made his way past them towards the front of the room where a small, dark skinned woman stood in uniform, hands clasped behind her back as she stared out into the black void beyond the bridge windows.
"Colonel."
"Spartan." Zachary corrected as he approached the woman, noting that she made absolutely no sign of acknowledging his presence beyond the single spoken word - although as he came up beside her, the woman's already small stature only serving to further accentuate their height difference, the Spartan didn't miss the hint of a smirk at the edge of her face. While Zachary prided himself on being able to read and predict people Captain Verlaine was one of the handful that managed to defy those expectations. It was usually only in small ways but the fact remained she had a way of getting under his skin. "You know I only took the promotion because things needed doing."
"So I've heard. You've been busy while the rest of us were sleeping. No more of that for us, though. I read the briefing after we left Sol, it sounds like as good a shakedown run as we could've hoped for." Verlaine continued, glancing aside to the Spartan. It'd been over a year since the Anvil had been found and towed back to civilized space. Months of repair work, months more of planning, more still of constant refitting and retrofitting to bring the ancient warship up to - and in many cases beyond - current naval standards. While the technology in it was centuries old the simple fact of the matter was that they didn't build them like the Autumn class heavies anymore... and in upgrading half of the ship's systems they'd done things with her that Verlaine still had trouble wrapping her head around. While combat was always best avoided when possible Verlaine was more confident in her ship and crew than she had ever been, and a simple transport job was honestly just what they needed to shake the rust off.
A call from one of the crew stations off to the side, that of navigation. A slow, numbered countdown before the black, featureless void outside swirled a blinding blue white, materializing into scattered pinpricks of light and a brown-orange world ahead-
"Transmission from a few hundred kilometers off, audio only."
"Hail, humans. Your arrival has been expected. You presence has been transmitted to our other vessels in system, the Ardent Contrition and its escort are en route and should be in system shortly. We'll leave securing the ground and contact to you." An iron hard but measured voice would speak, a tone that many on the bridge were familiar with - this time, however, without a hint of hostility.
"You heard him. Marines are yours, as are engineers and civilian personnel. You should go get them prepped, I'd like to be done here and on our way to Trevelyan as soon as possible." Verlaine said, voice betraying only a hint of strain as she spoke. Knowing better than to poke and pry, Zachary would simply nod before turning and making his way to exit the bridge and head below decks as the cruiser began to approach Zebes.
I AM THE END OF OUR TIME...AND THE BEGINNING TO HERS.
Large amber orbs blinked before turning to gaze out at the dozen or so Chozo who had remained on Zebes with him. Ancient ones...elders who had seen the last thousand years and the decline of their species toward sterile extinction. Each one an invaluable repository of experiences and first hand witnesses of the horrors that had plagued the galaxy.
He himself was a child in comparison, merely two and a half centicycles of age. By most accounts, he was barely towards what many species considered middle age. Yet he had also experienced much, and learned much more.
"I thank you, on behalf of our Nest, Arbiter, for ensuring that the survivors of Zebes are taken to a safe haven." His eyes blinked again as they returned their gaze at the image projected before him of the Sangheili in question. "We will be ready for your retrieval team, and I will brief you on the areas of most concern regarding our ancestors' physical legacies."
The communications line ended, leaving the Chozo tiercel known as Maru to give a heavy sigh. He resumed gathering his own belongings, including several small talismans and relics he had been gathering in his study of the old city. One resembled an egg of sorts, palm sized and detailed with the ancient writing of the Chozo ancestors. Another sigh as Maru tucked the relics away in a safe case. He had tried to convince the Arbiter and General Morris to allow him, at least, to remain on the planet, but both had been adamant that Zebes was to be put into full quarantine as a result of the information of its existence being made public. The Chozo would be relocated to a highly classified and protected location deep in Confederation Territory.
They would protect the system, yes. To make sure Ridley could not repeat the invasion that had decimated the Al'fa and Cho'za tribes in the Zebes Nest. But there was much he still had to do on the world he had been hatched on, both for his people's legacy, and for his own.
the things that you might like don't grow inside of me
"-will be ready for your retrieval team, and I will brief you on the areas of most concern regarding our ancestors' physical legacies."
A moment later the communication channel would fizzle and die, along with it the holographic image of the relatively young Chozo that had been standing before Arbiter Sal 'Narai. Ancient armor, polished gleaming silver and reflecting the dim purple lighting of the Ardent Contrition's bridge would shift, the warped reflections of the surrounding room with it as the Sangheili that wore it let loose a quiet sigh. He'd understood the reasoning behind the Confederation's proposal, and it made sense. There was a war on, and Zebes was a known target of value. An information quarantine could not be reasonably sustained now that it was clearly apparent those the world was known to still breathed. It was all but inevitable that the war would find its way to the world in time, and they could no longer guarantee the safety of those on it when that happened.
More to the point, the ships here were needed elsewhere and they were no so easily replaced while Song of Admonition was under construction. Part of Sal was sorely tempted to just scrap the project and use the materials in other vessels - for what had already been committed and used they could build a fleet. But should they need to venture into the Kromus' home galaxy again, or worse yet, deploy their forces to another entirely with the discovery of civilizations in Triangulum and others yet in the one humans referred to as Andromeda...
The sole CSO they possessed was sorely needed in their home territories and where it could readily reach the Halos should anyone get clever. And yet it was also among their fastest ships given the peculiarities of slipspace, and the best option available should a sizable force of any kind need to be transported great distances. A flagship, difficult to destroy but capable of maintaining a great number of additional vessels deployed alongside it.
But those thoughts were neither here nor there. In this moment they only served to preoccupy. Turning a tired eye to the navigational display, 'Narai straightened his standing posture once more before speaking to one of the helmsmen ahead.
"Bring us out of slipspace, and inform our escorts to do the same. Cruisers are to break formation and fall in with the local patrolling fleets, they'll answer to the local commander until we have need of them." 'Narai said, receiving rapt confirmations as he once again turned his attention back towards the navigational displays. Sensors showed the human advance vessel already in system, present to help oversee the evacuation and securing of the planet. As for the world itself... he felt sympathy for those who called it home, but that was then.
If their race was to survive it would not be here, and if it was within his power to see to that continued survival he would.
Above Zebes space would begin to boil and seethe, pinpricks of white light springing into existence. Rapidly widening, a dozen CCS class cruisers would emerge dozens of kilometers apart before they were dwarfed by two emerging CAS assault carriers - between them a nearly thirty kilometer long monster, the Ardent Contrition itself.
Hundreds of kilometers off, the Anvil would remain in a holding position, disgorging a handful of Pelican dropships that would quickly break off from the cruiser to race towards the surface of the world below.
I AM THE END OF OUR TIME...AND THE BEGINNING TO HERS.
Even as the communications array indicated that his message was received by the entanglement linked system on a tiny gunship no doubt many kiloparsecs away, Maru could not afford himself the satisfied smile he wished could.
Another communication frequency was entered, a message sent to a system at the far distant edges of the galactic rim. A warning, one he hoped he would be heeded.
"Preparations have been made, but the others are anxious about leaving entry to the Cryptums to the hands of those who cannot access them."
Maru nodded as the elder formel expressed her concerns for leaving Zebes. He too was worried, but they had little choice. The consolation was that the Mother Brain was dead now for nearly two standard cycles, and while the entry to the Cryptum of Chozodia was within the ancient city, the physical destination was not. The same for the other hidden relic that he had sworn to watch.
It wasn't time, not as he had seen in his dreams. But the Distant Sight was a fickle gift. Often the flows of time changed as a result of seeing what would be. It had not saved his daughter's birth parents from their grizzly fate, but Maru had believed his warning had been enough to make sure she had survived.
Perhaps this was yet another change of fate, the same twists in the roots of destiny that his mother had taught him of. The end of the path may be the same, but a new road had to be forged.
The egg styled relic found itself wrapped up in an yellow and red cloth, tightly packed to protect it as he tucked the package into a small leather case. Maru could already see his visions changing, the future finding it's new course. Perhaps kinder, perhaps more cruel than what it might have been. But it was a course they had to face.
"We are receiving signal from the humans, Maru. It's time to go."
With a sigh, Maru grabbed the last of his belongings, the artifacts he had inherited as the son of Gray Voice, and took his walking staff from where it rested for the last time. A last look at his home down in the residential district of the underground city. The nest home where he had taken in a three year old girl, traumatized by the deaths of her parents, and seen her grow into a strong and iron willed young woman.
Who still had a destiny waiting for her.
"Yes," the tiercel muttered as he slowly made his way toward the entryway of the communications center. "Yes, it is time. Time to take grasp of our futures, and dictate our own course."
the things that you might like don't grow inside of me
The ride down was a largely quiet one. Despite the dim red lighting in the Pelican's rear troop bay the drop wasn't a combat one. Or... well, at least it wasn't intended to be. But everyone in that dropship had been briefed with the laughably classified documents pertaining to Zebes. The harsh climate, acid rain, highly evolved and often aggressive wildlife, the other numerous natural hazards. The world was not one that favored the ill prepared or those of poor judgement, and all of the humans aboard were well aware. This wasn't a combat drop... but every one of the black armored ODSTs were treating it like it was. Most had long since checked and cleaned their weapons for the upteenth times, and while one or two were somehow sleeping during the drop down judging by their body language and slumped positions in their seats... most weren't, although the only sounds that could be heard were the coughs, grumbles and general sounds of discomfort as the veteran soldiers shifted in their seats or simply waited. The hum and whine of the engines would shift, tremors running through the hull even despite the dropship's new shielding as the craft transitioned from vacuum to atmosphere - all the while Zachary would sit towards the rear, helmet facing the small window in the rear hatch and devoid of expression as the seemingly lifeless surface of the world below tilted into view as the Pelican reoriented itself for a more parallel flight path relative to the surface below.
Further back, another Pelican in the flight group would fall into view, following their flight path down.
So far as Zachary was concerned this would be his first visit to the world, and hopefully his last. It was a curious feeling, to come back to a place that had weathered invasions such as the ones detailed in the reports he'd been handed. It wasn't something that happened all that often during the time he'd served in the field previously - and for the Kromus to not visit such treatment upon a world they captured was unusual in the extreme, as was their second and then third bid for the planet. It broke all established patterns, and while it was known that the Chozo had called Zebes home it did little to explain why they considered a place so far away from any semblance of civilization or shipping lanes so valuable. But that was the thing. While it broke established patterns it also created a new one, and with Ridley back in play - someone who had seemingly been involved in every such invasion on record - Zachary was betting on a fourth.
And that meant there was work to do. More on top of so much they already hadn't yet finished. Time was going to be tight on this op, and the sooner they were done here the better. Hull rumbling as the Pelican's engines roared louder yet, the dropship would rapidly descend towards the ground before coming to a low hover, slowly dropping the rest of the way as the rear hatch opened and landing gear deployed - a gust of cool, damp air flooding the Pelican's interior as the red light shifted green.
A shout from one of the ODSTs behind Zachary, and the entire group was instantly on their feet - filing out of the Pelican in seconds, weapons at the ready and sweeping over the landing zone for threats as Zachary calmly stood, reaching to pull his rifle from the racks lining the troop bay's ceiling as he stepped out of the dropship. White armored boots would sink into muck and mud, the gray interspersed with green grass and moss - the very landing site that had been used in the famed Zero Mission almost two years ago.
"You've got your maps from the briefing. Patch into the B-net, you'll be getting updates from the Anvil via your VISR. Clear the landing zone for the engineers, they'll be here in a few minutes - soon as its secure we'll move to meet up with the locals and start cataloguing items for recovery and relocation. Check your fire, lot of the stuff here isn't friendly but the Chozo we're here to collect are. Last thing we want is an accident."
I AM THE END OF OUR TIME...AND THE BEGINNING TO HERS.
The elders had already prepared to depart. He himself still had work to do, but it was work he had to remain on the planet to make sure was done right. "Take our remnants to meet with the humans, Ethereal Songs. I must assist with cataloguing our ancestor's legacies." Amber orbs blinked as Maru gazed across the plains that were still littered with the scorched red and yellow remains of what had been the tiny shuttle his daughter had used to escape from, and then return to Zebes.
Almost two standard orbital cycles by human and Daiban time reckoning. Samus was nearing two decades of age, and wherever she was, the Chozo tiercel knew she was capable and handling herself. But a father never stopped worrying, especially about the girl he had watched over for his human friends, as he had promised.
And now a new era was to begin. One he would help usher. Tribes of their kin across the void who were untouched by whatever abomination had plagued their kind to sterility. A chance for the Chozo to begin again, to flourish, as a young renewed species alongside those that the Brood had guided.
The futures had shifted. His mother's dreams and hope coming true.
They had hope.
With a sigh, Maru stepped forward toward the landing transport craft. Larger than the Goshawks that the ÆSIRs had favored in the war, but more than enough to move what was left of the Cho'za tribe. He saw a towering figure, attired in white armor with a black undersuit. Judging from how the other humans regarded him, he was clearly in charge. His staff sunk into the wet soil, talons digging in as the tiercel approached the waiting group. "I trust I have the privilege of addressing Fleet Captain Zachary Orman." His Terran English was crisp to the ears of the humans. A faint warble accompanied his words, but Maru carefully spoke with perfect precision, and an accent that some would associate with the war worn British Isles. "My name is Maru tar Sa'lima na Mok'ru." His beak gave a faint smile as some humans would look at him oddly. "It means 'The Circle of Time and Destiny' in our speech. You are all welcome to call me Maru."
His eyes shifted to the giant of a human that he assumed was Captain Orman. As tall as any Chozo before the Kromus slaughter. Not an ÆSIR, he would think.
the things that you might like don't grow inside of me
"Contact."
The single word was clear and tended to carry a charged meaning among military, but as a good number of the human soldiers found their heads snapping in the direction of the spoken word only a handful began to react in a defensive way - and that only lasted long enough for them to process what they were looking at.
"Looks like the locals found their way to us." One of the ODSTs remarked, weapon lowering to a far more relaxed position alongside his general stance. Others would move towards the lone Chozo - weapons ready but notably not pointed at him as they swiftly moved past the avian to instead cover the terrain behind and past him, expanding the perimeter to encompass Maru. As he spoke to address the group, however, Zachary would find himself pausing a moment in surprise as the translation software in his helmet did not activate. Oddly enough the Chozo before them spoke almost perfect English, something he hadn't quite been expecting from initial contact. Not that he was going to complain - that lack of language barrier was going to make their job here all that much faster and easier if they didn't have to worry about going back and forth between two different languages, nevermind the inevitable translation errors.
The statement of his supposed rank - incorrectly, on top of that - did somewhat get under Zachary's skin again... but in favor of expediency and courtesy it was ignored.
"You would. Spartan Orman, at your service." Zachary replied, offering a mixed nod of respect and acknowledgement in response to Maru's line of inquiry and introduction. About all he could do - he wasn't about to remove his helmet given what he'd heard of Zebes, but at the same time Zachary knew full well that most people who didn't share his upbringing had a damned hard time getting a read on him and his kin without overt gestures and body language. Head turning to look past Maru - not something that happened often with his height - Zachary's gaze would follow over the landscape behind the Chozo. Between his own enhanced vision, VISR, his armor's motion tracker and the half dozen ODSTs forming the perimeter.... what little tension had been present in the Spartans shoulders would fall away as he allowed himself a moment to outwardly relax, glancing back to Maru with a slight tilt to his head. "Dane spoke rather highly of you. Here's to hoping I'll be able to."
ECHO FOUR SEVEN HAS MADE CONTACT. ELDERS ABOARD AND OUTBOUND TO ARDENT CONTRITION.
The text would be soundless but would not go unnoticed by Zachary as it scrolled across his HUD, the databurst over the B-net simplifying things immensely. It was debatably the easiest task they were sent here to do but by no means the least important - and with that tactical update came a distant familiar whining hum, moments later three Phantom dropships whisking by overhead in tight formation towards what Zachary had to assume was Chozodia.
Tick tock.
"Sir-" An ODST started, glancing back over his shoulder towards Zachary - the ranking Sergeant of the bunch present.
"Yeah. Move out, secure the path ahead to the second landing group. Those techs have work to do." Zachary said, quick to answer the soldier before he'd even finished speaking. The ODST would only answer with a wordless nod before presumably switching to TEAMCOM as the Spartan didn't hear what was said next - but the soldiers would suddenly start moving in unison, advancing towards the path their host had come from.
"Sorry for the abruptness, but we're on something of a clock here. Sooner we have your people and their belongings relocated the better I think we'll all sleep at night." Zachary continued, looking to Maru to make it clear he was addressing the Chozo - and wordlessly sweeping a hand towards the ODSTs with a slight nod, a relatively polite gesture given the circumstances but one whose meaning was clear.
I AM THE END OF OUR TIME...AND THE BEGINNING TO HERS.
Yes, most certainly. "Agreed, Spartan. I need to assist in cataloguing the relics we must relocate, and there are still a few functional shuttles in the Nest city's hangars, but once that is done, I will depart with the rest of you."
Spartan. As his mind reflected on that usage of the term as a title or a rank, it occured to Maru that 'Spartan Orman' was, now up close, far larger than any ÆSIR he had seen during the siege in the first war. The armor was all wrong as well. Very curious. "If you are intending to assist with the recovery, I would be very appreciative. The sooner we move the Cryptum's entry gate, the better."
With those words, Maru paced himself in his walk to the awaiting dropship, staff sinking into the wet mud and clay. His eyes caught sight of further aged debris from almost two years prior. A reminder of what had almost happened. A reminder that would be left behind, the tiercel reflected as he reached the boarding ramp and ascended into the shuttle. "I know you likely wish to get off this planet as quickly as possible, Spartan, and though I was born here...it is a sentiment I share now."
the things that you might like don't grow inside of me
Zachary merely nodded as Maru spoke, visor tilting skyward as the Spartan looked up as another flight of Phantoms passed by overhead - this time with a shadow crossing over their landing zone, a much larger ship in the center of the formation. A Lich? Zachary had seen the reports of the things from Requiem and a few other engagements, but there was good reason why they'd been largely encountered only after the war. Ultra heavy weapon and assault platforms - or, in alternative use, methods of moving anything up to a decent sized building in one go. The hinge heads weren't playing around on this op, and while Zachary found it somewhat difficult to let go of old grudges he was glad they were here.
Anything less and it might've taken years to get this done rather than days.
As Maru began speaking again and moving towards the Pelican, however, one single word would pull the white armored Spartan's attention back to the present.
"'Cryptum'?" Zachary echoed, moving to follow after the Chozo and his gaze now firmly fixed on the bird. With Maru stepping into the dropship and Zachary after him the ODSTs would begin filing back into the transport as well, albeit still on guard even as the Pelican's engines roared back to life. Taking a seat across from the open one left for Maru, Zachary would glance towards the cockpit, notably the wall next to the doorway - and tapping the ODST sergeant on the shoulder as the man backed up the boarding ramp, the Spartan would then point to the wall and thumb over to Maru as the man looked at him. Nodding once, the soldier would sling his rifle and move to retrieve the radio kit from the wall.
"Best inform the Sangheili. I've no idea how big an object we're talking about but if anyone's got the gear to move something it'll be them. Engineers, too." Zachary continued, falling silent as the ODST sergeant returned to the aft of the troop bay right as the doors began to close and the craft itself lifting off from the ground - hand held radio in one hand and offered to Maru.
I AM THE END OF OUR TIME...AND THE BEGINNING TO HERS.
A gracious nod was the tiercel's response as he accepted the communications device. "It's a rough translation of an old word, but the Cryptum is where our ancestors placed their world fleets away in stasis when they arrived in your galaxy some hundreds of thousands of standard cycles ago. The entry should be movable, as the Cryptum itself is not a physical location on the planet." The amber orbs blinked as Maru observed Spartan Orman's body language very carefully. Somehow, he got the impression that Orman was at least vaguely familiar with this methodology. "It and one other entry point are my largest concerns, Spartan Orman. If we must abandon our home, I wish to leave nothing for those corpse feeders to scrap away again."
With a sigh, Maru leaned back against the seat he had taken, resting his eyes in the few minutes he might have before arrival. "Make sure not to use the roads leading to Chozodia, or the blackened scar that leads to the ancient wreck to the east of the city." He hesitated, noting that at least some humans were likely to stare at him curiously. "There are..things, there. Unseen, but not unfelt. The quicker we recover what we need and leave,the better."
A few moments before he activated the radio communicator and spoke into it, his eyes clearly weary. The language was, unlike his Terran English, far more alien sounding, but it was familiar enough to be recognized as the Sangheili language. His beak was clearly attempting to speak words that it was not evolved for, unlike the human languages he had already displayed far more skill at utilizing. Yet he hoped his message to the Sangheili was clear enough; to inform them of where they would need to meet to evacuate the Cryptum, and the other sites of concern, and the same warning he had given the Spartan.