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!
A series of heavy thumps would resonate through the metal deck floors as a large qymor gave a snarl to its subordinate Kromus. There was something going on in the underground mines that had caused several teams to go silent. High Command had insisted none that knew of their location would dare to approach, and the distances involved from the main galactic plane to the cluster where Tallon was located made it very difficult for any to arrive without getting detected. And yet, patrols were going silent. And considering that some idiot had decided to set off a hyperburst distress beacon months ago on the Orpheon before it had eventually decayed in its or it and crashed into the planet, it was entirely likely that someone knew where they were by now, no matter what High Command claimed.
Plus, the beast was here. Oh, yes. High Command *insisted* that both of them were under their control, even if the winged monster proved otherwise. But it still made plenty of Kromus nervous. They had all heard the stories. They all had heard what he did long ago.
What he had done until they had lost Krom.
Now they experimented with nearly mindless flash clones. Not even real Kromus, hatched and tested, but grown in tanks and feed concoctions of genetic material and that glowing substance that the Science Team Division insisted was without equal and of limitless potential. "Elites", they insisted on calling the tank bred freaks. And that one that was even larger than the winged monster. They had moved it and the existing elites that were ready off planet in stasis chambers. If High Command truly believed they were safe here in this dwarf galaxy remnant, they wouldn't have moved their vaulted experiments to the Cunning Death.
Another patrol team failed to report in from the mines.
That was three teams now. The qymor growled and pushed an Urtraghan aside to punch in the key command and set off the complex alerts.
Despite the weight of all individuals involved, the tunnels were whisper quiet as Vincent took point. Active camouflage rendering the near seven and a half foot tall super soldier invisible in almost every sense of the word, Vincent nevertheless kept his stance low and his gait measured as he moved through the hallways - sticking close to the walls and more immediate sources of cover as needed, silenced Prowler submachine gun at the ready. It was difficult to pick them out as their FoF tags were disabled to prevent enemy forces from potentially detecting them, but the rest of Gauntlet were somewhere roughly ten to fifteen meters back as rooms and doorways allowed. Every now and then Vincent would get the slightest of pings on his armor's own motion tracker somewhere in that vicinity, but like him they were taking their time and only moving ahead when the cloaked super soldier sent no warning back.
It wasn't that the tunnels were empty of unoccupied. There were more Kromus here than just the first group Gauntlet had neutralized on entering the mines, but it was considerably less populated than a high security area should've been. Since they'd entered the tunnels they'd only encountered one other patrol and some automated security, the latter easily disabled as they evidently acquired targets through the visual spectrum. Vincent had the prize from that currently locked to his armor's magnetic backplate, along with the reverse engineered Chozo beam weaponry cut from the arms of the first Trooper group that Gauntlet had disabled. All useful tech in its own right and no doubt samples that Confed would want to analyze if only for potential counters and weaknesses, but Vincent would be lying if he said his more technically minded self didn't have some potentially interesting ideas regarding both technologies.
That would be for a quieter, calmer place, though.
Rounding another corner, the Spartan paused as he scanned over the room. A control bay of some sort, a number of terminals and screens lining several large windows overlooking a processing area below. Carts full of rock and ore, along with a handful of worryingly large stasis chambers along the edge of the room... all empty, as the ones before had been. Likely the Elites that the intel package recovered from the Orpheon had referred to, but-
Movement, Vincent's thoughts cut short as he sent out a brief pulse along the TEAMCOM, his status light blinking yellow for potential contact. Holding still for several long moments, four Kromus would walk up the ramp leading to the control center from the room's lower level - notably relaxed, none of their weapons at the ready as they started moving towards the computers lining the room. A moment of cold calculation later Vincent would calmly bring up his silenced weapon, trusting the reticle on his head's up display to tell him where the weapon was aiming.... the weapon would cough twice, a stuttering sound as the two three round bursts immediately painted the windows beyond the Kromus green. Alarm would bring the other two to jump back and begin looking around, clearly bewildered before they would likewise meet similar fates, the Spartan's practiced hand already tracking them as they'd begun to act.
A moment later Vincent's status light on the TEAMCOM would blink green as he checked his motion tracker, seeing no contacts. All clear.
"Over there. Give me a moment." Nora said, voice filling Vincent's helmet and a waypoint dropping onto one of the consoles ahead. Glancing back to see the rest of Gauntlet cautiously entering the room and sealing the door shut behind them he moved as requested, quickly making his way over to the computer interface and attaching a cable to it from the tactical pad stored on his left thigh's hardcase. Working through the electronic, a moment later a relieved sigh would sound from the AI.
"Thought it was quiet. Squelched the alert they just tried to send out, although it should look like it went through from their end. Did let me pinpoint what's probably the security station and command center for the complex, though, about two levels down. I've already grabbed everything they've got in the system here, it looks like they moved all of the Project Helix specimens aboard the Death in orbit. Leaving a little something behind that should give me remote access to the system while we're on the move."
"Not our problem for the moment, then. Heidi?" Vincent muttered, although the name spoken would bring him to look over to the other black armored Spartan in question. Not that she could see him do so, but as Vincent disconnected the lead from the computer the questioning tone was enough to make her glance in his direction all the same.
"Two levels down? Then that's where we're headed." Heidi said, nodding as Vincent moved to start his way down the ramp to the room's lower level and taking point again.
Hanging in orbit, the massive blade-like vessel kept itself well hidden in the shadow of Tallon IV's night side. Several shuttle craft were already preparing to land and offload the results of Project Helix, the enhanced flash grown Kromus elites that had been augmented in their growth by the strange mineral they had discovered on the planet. They were all still under stasis sleep, kept secured until High Command decided what to do with them.
And yet, that did not ease the nerves of those that were manning the enormous vessel. A series of scratches and heavy thumps echoes through the large hallways, and Kromus of every kind made way as soon as they saw the four and a half meter tall cybernetically modified dragonoid approach. The upper half of his dactylian head was still organic, though his right eye had a glowing yellow optic and dulled metal frame in place of the organic one that had been ruptured on Zebes nearly three years prior. His neck was encased in sections of armor plating, his arms alternating between metal and flesh, while his wings were made up of metallic structures that were folded up behind him. His forearms were fully restored flesh and muscle on the left side, but still partly cybernetic from the elbow down on his right. Both legs had exposed sectioned at the back of the calves and thighs where armor had been pulled away to allow for his regenerating body.
And yet, despite all that these mechanical enhancements did for him, the beast knew they were intended to leash him. He should have already healed from his injuries in Norfair. High Command had figured out a way to suppress the greater effects of his healing abilities. His body was repairing itself, yes, but far slower than it should have been.
"Koso'la ba'ga."
A snarl as the dragonoid snapped his head around toward the Urtrahgan who had approached him. The words that followed made Ridley frown. Communications had suddenly gone silent from the central operations complex in the mines near the crater. There had been no alarm, but it was silent now. His remaining organic glowing eye narrowed as the cyborg allowed himself a deep hiss before turning toward the way he had come. It reeked of interference. His mind recalled the events of the previous cycle. The crash of the Orpheon, his own narrow escape as it had tumbled out of orbit and crashed into the planet months ago.
The two humanoid figures that had been poking around in the frigate.
"The Federation is here," came the low growl as he began making his way toward the main lift. "Make preparations for the Cunning Death to depart as soon as the results of Project Helix are secured aboard. Alert the fleet to begin reconnaissance in the system for any sign of the Federation's own fleet or the humans shoving their fetid noses where they're not welcome." A pause before turning his good eye toward the Urtrahgan. "And order the research facility in the Phendrana Drifts on high alert. Someone has found us."
