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!
Eresh would sigh, sitting at his console as he went over several logs, after action reports, various message boards on the Big Shot Network. Everything he read only made the frown at the corners of his beak deepen. This bounty that he had accepted was rather high profile.. yet from everything he had researched so far.. no one had come close to cashing in. That intrigued him. Especially after he discovered that two of the last few marks he had bagged had ties to this one, and they both were now dead due to “mysterious circumstances”.. well now that made things all the more interesting. After a bit more research and a few messages to a handful of fellow hunters he had grown semi-close to, he would make a decision.
He was going to ask for backup.
A minute later a message to Samus Aran was sent; a simple:
++Hello Ha’chidari, are you busy? I might have a Mark that you’ll find interesting, if you’re up for a two-man job.++
As luck had it, the yellow armored young woman was herself busy with dragging a large and clearly battered figure through the entry hall of the Peacekeeper division station on Kam'brios Platform, a small world station situated in the border regions of the Neck. Her quarry was almost twice her size, both in height and body mass, yet was dragged along by the crackling electromagnetic grapple beam arching from her arm cannon and lassoing backing along itself around him.
"Where do I drop this idiot off and collect?" she asked as several officers stared in shock at her and the massive figure she was dragging along. "She's no Jiralhanae, but the sooner I offload this shit head and get paid, the sooner I head home and get a damn shower."
Four figures, not one one of them human, all pointed further down the hall while the woman gave a nod and yanked on her captive, forcing the massive simian down to where a pair of similarly sized Qro'q'us attired in peacekeeper riot control armor awaited them. "All yours, officers." The armored bounty hunter gave a grunt as she forced the simian captive forward of herself and pushed the growling fugitive into the waiting hands of the peacekeepers while the grapple beam flickered out of existence. "Which way to the division captain so I can pick up my paycheck?"
"We already uploaded the payment to your accounts as soon as we granted landing clearance, Hunter Aran." As one Q'roq'us pushed their arrestee along, the other held back and gave the hunter a grin. "You've made quite the reputation, the captain figured it was worth dropping you the pay once you got in."
Made her trip a bit easier. "That or he just didn't want to deal with me when I'm covered in el'fima gore," the woman replied gave the officer a casual salute. "Just direct me to where I can get an overnight and a shower, and dinner, and I can be out of your hair and heading back to Daiban in the morning."
It was then, as the Q'roq'us officer was giving her directions, that Samus noticed she had a message in her directories. A quick thanks before heading out again, the hunter made her way back to the landing bay of the division station and launched to head into the nearby city.
Her ship was quickly in an automated path toward the nearest hanger facility while she read the message and pondered. Normally she wasn't contacted like this by other hunters, even the fee friends she had, for an assist on a Mark. Except for Eresh. She responded in the positive, though noting it would be a day so she could recover from her own recent job, then laid back as she let the ship's AI take her in to the hanger complex.
Shower, a heavy dinner, and then sleep. What the ancients ordered l.
The fact that she responded so quickly surprised Eresh, but he would smile to himself as he then plotted out a response.
++Excellent. In that case I might suggest joining me for a late lunch/early dinner so we can go over the details. I still have a few more things I need to sort out before you arrive, but I’m confident everything will be in order by the time you get back.++
After sending that message he would then stretch his limbs for a moment, getting up so he would walk the sleep out of his legs after sitting for so long. He would research more about the Mark later, for now he needed to get something to eat, maybe pick up a few things that would be beneficial for a civilian heavy urban hunt. He would hail a transport and cross the hangar that served as a makeshift apartment, passing by a whiteboard covered in diagrams and unintelligible equations and notations, along with a work table that held what looked to be boots suited for an avian foot. And before he left he would absently pat the stand that held his armor, specifically the shoulder of his armor as hr walked past. A few moments later he opened the door to the hangar and stepped through the threshold. _______________
Early evening the next day he would send a message to the Huntress, giving her directions to a relatively popular retro-cafe and a cryptic heads up that they would have company; though he would reassure her that it was nothing to be wary of.
Awake, cleaned up, and aboard her gunship as she prepared to depart, Samus would tap the message alert just as the Thrush lifted off the ground and navigated out of the landing bay via autopilot. It would be a matter of hours to get back to Daiban, even without going at the full speed of her ship's flux drive. By the time she would get there, it would be evening in the Capital District. Just in time to get a quick meal and then meet with Eresh. Which looked like that was his plan for when they met, from the message she had received back. A sigh as she leaned back in her seat while the Thrush had left the world station and crossed into open space.
It was another ten minutes before she was far enough out of Kam'brios Platform's flight zone to bring up the navcom and plot a course for the Al'kya sector. There had been a stellar collapse reported by the regional probes, about fifty light years out from Kam'brios. Planetary nebula, so a smaller star, not big enough to leave a neutron star or a singularity. The system itself would be in flux for at least a few years, but her charts didn't require much adjustment to compensate for any amplified gravitational echoes in the slipstream. A few commands entered to set the navcom, a hand to the crystal sphere at the left side of the console, and her ship stretched out and vanished into the aether with only flickering flecks of rainbow prisms marking where she had been.
Hours later, the ship erupted back into real space, just outside the nominal orbital zone of Daiban as Samus was woken up from a stasis sleep. She yawned, resuming manual control while her ship's AI negotiated with the automated groundside traffic control system. It took a couple of minutes to get clearance for entry, but once she was clear of the orbital traffic and into the atmosphere, she made way to her rented hanger bay, just outside the residential sector of the Capital District.
That was when she saw a new message arrive; directions from Eresh on where to meet him for dinner and discussing this mission. She raised a brow at the mention of "company", then looked over to the charging dock where her paralyzer was stored. It was fully charged, which made her smirk at the idea of possibly needing to use it on any trouble makers. As soon as she landed, Samus retrieved her paralyzer and slid it into the molded holster on her left leg plate. A quick stop in the small sleeping quarters to grab her synth-leather jacket and slip it over her upper armor, and she called for an aerial-cab to take her to the diner in the message. It wasn't far from the Outrider's Reach, but if Eresh was meeting her here instead of the more customary mercenary's bar, then something was up.
As she entered, Samus could see the Mawkin already waiting for her at a table. He, clearly, had wasted no time. Interesting.
Her boots clicked against the tile floor as she walked down to join him, taking the seat opposite her Avia-ra friend and giving him a questioning look. "So, what's this big commotion about?"
“Ah, you made it, right on time too. I’m happy you came, Ha’chidari.”Eresh said warmly, standing up and softly thumping his hand upon her shoulder- the dull metallic thud of her armor plates audible even under her jacket.
Another sign that things were strange was the fact that he was dressed.. well dressed. No armor, seemingly no weapons that she could see. Not only that, he seemed to be wearing something that wasn’t out of place for most men on Daiban. The few times she had seen him in clothes his outfits were very utilitarian and likely what was considered “casual” to the Mawkin: tunics and trousers usually. But this evening he seemed to be wearing something custom tailored: a dark green dress shirt with long sleeves and what appeared to be black slacks… which seemed very out of place with Eresh. He would then offer the smaller hunter her choice for where she wanted to sit.
“Well that’s why I called you here, so I could tell you what the deal was. How familiar are you with the organized crime scene these days, Samus?”
Organized crime? That was a little odd to start out with. "Depends on the type." She was hesitant to answer, as she had been in some…interesting operations with the Peacekeepers regarding various crime rings. Are we talking about extortion rackets, drug cartels…sapient traffickers?" as she would all but hiss the last example out. It was also hard to miss as her eyes darted around almost paranoid. "I've had some run in with a bit of everything working as a hunter who stays on GFP's good side."
Saying little for her encounters with those hunters who did not.
“A little of all of those , add one or two other illegal activities,” came the response, but not from Eresh. Turning, Samus would see walking up to the table was a woman with bright red hair and a soft smile on her pale face, dressed in a light blue blouse and pair of brown pants.
“Oh, sorry for butting in mister Talon. I guess I just walked back at the right moment. I’m Macie Branagh, GFP Organized Crime Unit and Guild Liaison.” The woman said with a small laugh. “I have to say, I’m actually shocked that Mister Talon has ties with you Miss Aran, I didn’t realize he had such high profile connections!”
Eresh, for his part, gave a somewhat embarrassed chuckle as he brought his drink to his beak, giving a cavalier shrug. Clearly, he seemed to be quite used to this sort of thing regarding the woman.
Her? High profile? It took Samus a moment to remember that certain previously classified aspects of her past had been released by Confleet Intel in the last year or two, mainly relating to being taken in by the Chozo and her role on Zebes. While she hadn't been harassed much since the initial news release on it, life had become somewhat more hectic at times.
"I was able to help a fellow rookie get started, it stuck." Simple, mostly true, and hopefully now showing how awkward she suddenly was feeling about this meeting. Was this job Eresh had with the Peacekeepers' special crimes division? Admittedly, dealing with traffickers and cartels was pretty well in that realm, but never had she worked directly with those departments of the GFP. Curious.
The Peacekeeper gave a warm smile at Samus’s response. “Well it’s true what they say about your professional modesty, I respect that miss Aran. A lot of Hunters that I deal with have a bravado about them that frankly gets a little exhausting on a daily basis, but you didn’t hear that from me,” she said with a short laugh as she then glanced at Eresh, and then back at Samus.
“But I think you’re already quite familiar with those types. Anyway, I take it you’re curious as to why I’m here, yeah?” She asked as she sat beside the Mawkin hunter, who adjusted his seat slightly so she had more room. The woman then reached into her pocket to produce a small data pad and miniature holoprojector. “I think you will want to sit down , we have a lot to go over, even if the information we have is not that extensive.”
Samus was a bit curious, but more in the regard as to why special crimes was directly working with bounty hunters. Normally this kind of work went through the networks and briefing packs instead of an in person briefing.
"Easy enough, I'm already in a seat." The young blonde allowed herself a mild smirk at what was otherwise a very flat attempt at humor, then began to tap at the ordering screen set into the table, making sure she got something that was heavily protein rich. "So what does Special Crimes want a pair of bounty hunters for?"
And Macie would actually laugh at her joke. “You could almost be twins, with that dry wit you both got,” she said as she would make a quick order once Samus was finished. In response to Samus’ question, Eresh spoke up again. “It is a bit unusual, I admit. But at the same time, it adds more of a sense of import to the assignment that an impersonal electronic missive just doesn’t convey. I’m not going to complain.”
That made the Red head smile almost wryly. “I appreciate that sentiment, but to be clear, what I’m about to tell the two of you shouldn’t be repeated beyond the bare minimum that needs to be said to any outside party.” Her tone becoming a bit more serious.
“How much are you familiar with the individual called Blake Altman, miss Aran? Mister Talon?” She asked, typing a few words into her data pad and allowing the 2D hologram her projector emitted a few centimeters over the table to display a suspect profile that was lacking a picture.. the black question mark bold and almost accusing.
Altman?A name she had heard, but that was about the extent of her knowledge. "Heard the name before, but all I know is that they have never been directly involved in running weapons. Always a proxy, and even the proxies have never seen them." A pause as her meal was delivered by the service drone as well as a heavy tankard of a blue liquid. "I don't get involved in gang conflict or the anti-gang operations too often as far as peacekeeper bounties have gone, but I know a number of them get weapons that have been moved through by Altman."
Eresh would speak up as well “I’ve heard that they have some connection to some anti-Galactic Federation extremists as well.. though to be fair that doesn’t seem to be properly substantiated by any source that I’ve been able to find.”
Branagh would listen to both hunters and nodded at both of them. “Correct- at least regarding the proxies. Arming and supplying terrorists, that’s never been definitively proven.. though regarding recent events that’s looking to be a more feasible possibility. She said with a quick smile and word of thanks as her order was given to her as well, before returning her gaze to the hologram.
“Special Crimes profilers and forensic AI on loan from the Confederation have been able to determine a few things regarding Altman: It is believed with a nearly 99.67% certainty that Altman is a human or a hominid that has close ties to humanity due to the alias ‘Blake Altman’ and their predilection for employing primarily human proxies and dealing predominantly with human clientele- though there are a small number of exceptions to this preference.
It is also believed that Altman has a background related to either the Galactic Federation Armed Forces or the Confederation as well, due to their seeming familiarity regarding military protocols of both bodies, as they have routinely be able to smuggle contraband with very little interference regarding patrol routes along shipping lanes and within systems that were otherwise locked down for other, unrelated incidents.
Altman and their people are particularly infamous for operating under the cover of chaos caused by other parties, moving their.. ‘wares’ while authorities are busy dealing with local threats. It’s almost admirable in way, that level of fore-planning and resourcefulness… but damned if it isn’t aggravating.” Macie said with an exasperated sigh.
So a near-human with possible ties or past associations with the major militaries and defense fleets. Which didn't exactly narrow it down, nor did the prospect of anti-Federation clientele. Samus had been to the Hole enough times to know that the sentiments ran well enough that the Federation had no shortage of critics and dissenters, particularly among the embassy members who had been denied full congressional privileges for several decades under the old regime of Vog'l and the Fro'mal prior to the first Kromus War. "Still leaves a rather wide range to shift through," the young woman noted before taking another bite of her food. "And it could easily all be a ploy to further obscure who they really are."
It didn't help that a few obvious involvements came to mind. Samus liked to think better of the Federation and the ideals it espoused…but she wasn't naive or stupid.
Macie gave a tired nod at her observation, and would take another drink “It’s made narrowing who they really could be down frustrating to say the least. Luckily it looks like we might have gotten a break, for once.” She said with a bit more of a smirk on her lips now.
Eresh would tilt his head curiously “Why do you say that?” He asked, though there was a hint of amusement from her slight change of demeanor. The officer gave the Chozo a bright smile when he asked.
“Simple: I have two talented bounty hunters here to help me,” she said as she then moved to another screen. “That, and one of Altman’s more prominent intermediaries is here on Daiban even as we speak. And I want you two to capture him.” And she would draw their attention to the holoprojector.
There was a holostill image of a Sangheli, conversing with a pair of humans.
