A/N: Well, got my first reviews, and one of them is criticizing me on the lack of a timeline.
Guest: I will make it clear: while there are some who can pull it off perfectly, I'm not going to do a timeline in the near future. Besides, there'll be plenty of time to establish one with the dialogue and codex entries…as well as differences from canon (which I will probably be following up to about the Lorek Incident). In any case, this is an AU where the Council never even met humans before.
Killer Kombat: As to whether or not the Bioenergy of Monster Hunter-verse will have any effect on the Athame colonists, I will have to say that there would be effects; just not as immediate or drastic as to completely cure the Genophage upon arrival. I would have to say that it'll probably take a generation or two before there are any noticeable changes.
So do please read and review, would you kindly?
And do keep it classy!
…
[Citadel Expeditionary Vessel CSV Book of Bravery, Bridge]
The trip through the mass relay was instantaneous, if not more forceful than usual as the bridge crew worked tirelessly to normalize the ship. People rushed to make sure diagnostics were working fine, and that nothing was compromised from the trip; weapons were checked, kinetic barriers were given a diagnostic, even the rations for the trip were checked. No stone was unturnedeverything needed to be thoroughly inspected, or else they'd be caught with the proverbial pants down if anybody decided to follow them through the relay.
"Status report!" commanded Scotia, looking at the crew.
"Weapon Systems are fine, Captain!" announced a Turian.
"Life support fully functional!" added a Salarian.
"Structural Integrity still holding!" noted a Quarian.
As the crew ran down the list, Scotia heaved a sigh of relief that everything was working at optimal condition. A very big reason why, even though they'd known of it for quite some time, the Council was hesitant to send anyone to Sector X was because it was larger, and thus it was projected to be more powerful than a primary relay. To that end, no expense was spared to ensure that the ships were retrofitted with the latest in heavy armor materials for a higher chance of surviving whatever forces would have been exerted on the frigates without compromising on the Armali-class's famed agility.
"Has the Discovery made it?" asked Scotia.
"Hang on," the Quarian tech drawled, keying commands into his console, "Yes, she has, and in one piece too."
"Open a comm channel to them," Scotia commanded, "I want to make sure we're all good."
"We've already got a transmission from them," noted an Asari communications officer, "She's waiting to speak to you."
"Put her on."
The video conference with Saria popped up on Scotia's screen, allowing her a glimpse of the Discovery's bridge. "Everyone okay?"
"We're fine," answered Saria, "Looks like big things do come in big packages. We're scanning the system for any habitable worlds right now."
"Have you found the relay in the system yet?"
"That's the first thing we checked," added the younger Rydia twin, "I'm afraid the answer is no; there's no relay in this system. I think it's still possible to go home, but the odds of finding another relay like the one we went through are slim to none."
Upon hearing that there was no relay in the system, Scotia could feel the dejection and desperation in the bridge; and the worst part was that she couldn't blame the crew. There was a certain kind of finality whenever anyone was told that there was no way to go home…it was a feeling that one would have if they were told they were going to die of cancer within a month. "How are the scans for habitable worlds coming?" she finally asked.
"We've been on it since…"
"Ma'am, we have a hit on a nearby star system!" announced a feminine voice on the Discovery's bridge, "It's not too far; just a few days of FTL, and we'll be there."
Saria huffed in amusement. "Well, looks like our luck's turned around. We'll send you the coordinates, and meet you there."
…
[Astera Canteen]
The night was busy as the Hunters of Astera settled down in the Canteen, many of whom were waiting patiently for the Felyne waiters to bring them their meals. The scent and sizzle of fresh meat cooking on a hot stone counter only served to make everyone hungrier as the Meowscular Chef worked tirelessly with the rest of his crew to ensure that his customers were fed in a timely manner. Meanwhile, the Felyne brewmaster had his colleagues roll out large caskets to accommodate the rush that they had to serve.
As this was going on, a man in a segmented suit of full plate armor with blue trim sat at a table, enjoying his meal in peace. His helmet was placed to the side, revealing a shaved head with a kind face that had seen more than its fair share of action. On one arm, he wore a spiked vambrace divided into four splints, and a leather one that mounted small steel crossbow on the other. Under all that metal, he wore a leather undersuit for a fine balance of protection and comfort.
Sitting next to him was a cream-colored palico with brown markings scarfing down a gigantic piece of meat with a bone. It wore a the skull mask and corroded metal plates of Vaal Hazak armor, complete with the double-edged bone sword that was part of the set.
"Shepard, good to see you," noted a Hunter walking towards his table. He wore a metal leonine helmet with false hair pieces, a pair of gunmetal scale gauntlets and an even larger steel crossbow, and a scaled belt with a leather cloth dangling from behind. This was contrasted with the swirling plates that protected his chest and shoulders, laid over a red and black leather undersuit. He was accompanied by a palico with thick, dark gray fur with golden eyes, wearing a white and yellow hat and jacket better-suited for life in the winter.
"Nessus, you look like you're in good spirits," Shepard answered.
"Just got done at the workshop," Nessus replied, settling down as he undid the strap of his helmet, "And I'm happy with my purchase."
"Well, anyone would be," agreed the other Hunter, "Of everyone I know, you seem to have the most consistent capture rate of Deviljho. I'm pretty sure the Researchers love you right now.
Nessus set down his headgear on the table, revealing the face of a man nearing his thirties. His features were somewhat pointed, with dark skin and a white triangular tattoo crossing the bridge of his nose. His steel gray hair was done up in a sensible bowl cut. "Don't remind me; I've had enough of their gushing to last an entire day. Where's Maya by the way?"
Maya and Sam Shepard were a brother-sister duo that arrived at the New World on the Fifth Fleet. Both had a long list of accomplishments that made an impression on the Guild enough to qualify for a stint, most notable of which being that they were both part of a team had taken on a Nakarkos; they fought the Elder Dragon on their own to buy their team time to run, and wound up beating it. Nessus had seen more than his fair share of Hunters worthy of entering the New World, but he saw their skills and bravery firsthand when they helped redirect Zorah Magdaros to the sea.
"She and Norma decided to patrol the Waste," answered Shepard, "She's hell-bent on getting that Diablos Insect Glaive."
"Well, if she's anything like you, I'm sure she'll get it," Nessus agreed, biting down on a drumstick.
"She's going after a Black Diablos."
"She really wouldn't be your sister if she didn't rise up to the challenge, Sam," pointed out his fellow Hunter, "Just like her brother."
Sam snorted in amusement before taking a swig of his beer. The two Hunters continued their meal in silence until their plates were empty. "So where are you going?" Shepard asked, as he walked with his fellow Hunter to the front gates.
"I'm going to the Elder's Recess," answered Nessus, "I've heard word that a Nergigante's back, and I'm thinking of putting a squad together to go hunt it."
Shepard quirked an eyebrow at that. "Gaia's not coming with you this time?"
"She's out on a mission right now," answered Nessus, "But there's a spot open for you if you'd like."
"Thanks, but I'm going to the Ancient Forest; heard there was an Elder spotted there."
"Be seeing you, Shepard."
The man in question nodded, his Palico hitching a ride on his back as a Mernos swept him off his feet.
…
[Citadel Expeditionary Vessel CSV Book of Discovery, Armory]
A bulky Turian quartermaster with red facial markings kept stock of Discovery's armory. While not as well-stocked with implements of battle as her sister ship, the Discovery had more than enough weapons for every situation: Turian Phaeston assault rifles, Salarian Scorpion pistols, even rare and infamous Krogan long guns like the Striker and Graal Spike Thrower.
As he kept stock of the weapons he was tasked with maintaining, the quartermaster relaxed as he looked at two in particular from the Asari Republics that had just come out of the fabricator. Both shared a similar design, but differed in that one was a pistol and the other was a longer weapon that he saw in the hands of many an Asari Justicar and Commando. Last he'd heard, the Republics were particularly reluctant to let the template for the larger one go.
The door to the armory opened with a hiss as a female Turian with purple facial markings walked in. "So Gaius, how's our selection of weapons?" she asked.
"With what we've got, I'd say we're ready for whatever we are likely to face out there," answered the quartermaster, "I'm surprised by how much variety you've managed to procure, Vetra. Though how you managed to get your hands on Republics Disciple and Acolyte templates, I'll never know."
"You'd be surprised what a lot of connections can get done," answered Vetra, "By the way, how's my baby?"
Knowing what Vetra was talking about, Gaius reached under the counter to pull out a large rifle mounted on a stand; it had a barrel mounted over a large cylinder with three holes in front. "Here ya go, one Cyclone assault rifle, good and ready at a moment's notice," he said, looking over the rifle carefully, "You took good care of this baby."
"Wouldn't be alive if I didn't," Vetra replied, "Good work."
Of all the weapons that Vetra could've chosen in the armory, she had a soft spot for the Cyclone; a rare weapon that traded in accuracy for a gradually increasing rate of fire. While Gaius didn't envy the unfortunate sod that had to maintain these rifles regularly, he'd seen it in action enough times to know it was a solid fire-support weapon. And while he'd never fired it himself -nor would he ever!- he knew of Turians that swore by it; though it helped the Cyclone's reputation that said Turians were heavy weapons specialists.
"So how's your sister doing?" asked Gaius.
"Pretty well, all things considered," Vetra answered, inspecting her gun, "She's bouncing around, looking forward to the chance to see a whole new galaxy. I think she was kinda bummed when she heard that there's no way back to known space though, but she's back up on her feet."
"Sounds like she's a fighter," noted the quartermaster, pulling out a pistol from its holster, "And I hope you'll appreciate the modification I made to your baby; I tightened the spread a bit so that she won't be spraying bullets around as much."
"Well, I guess we'll see soon enough," answered the smuggler, "Drack and I have been assigned to a scouting party, along with Peebee, our resident archaeologist, and our SPECTRE."
"Looks like your team's well-rounded," Gaius said, nodding in approval as he stripped down his pistol, "Who's on the other roster?"
"Wrex, a Quarian named Tali, our favorite calibration addict Vakarian, Mordin, and Thane Krios."
Gaius flinched in response to the last name on the other team roster, nearly dropping a part he was cleaning as he quickly turned to regard Vetra with disbelief. "Woah, wait a minute, Thane Krios is on the expedition?"
"So he's an assassin," Vetra answered, taking a look down the sight of her Cyclone, "What of it?"
"I heard he's one of the best killers in the Terminus," Gaius answered, turning his attention back to the handgun, "Though I guess if you're doing recon, you can't go wrong with a legend like him."
"I gotta go to the bridge," said Vetra, placing her gun on the counter, "Take care of my baby while I'm gone."
"Will do, Vetra."
…
[Unregistered Batarian Corvette Implacable, Bridge]
The Batarian captain watched the display as his ship approached the mass relay, joy in all four of his eyes. The mole he'd planted in the Council Chambers had given him more than enough information, most lucrative of which being plans to colonize a new world before exploring a whole new galaxy. He'd had ambitions of rising in the Hegemony for a long time now, and a surprise gift like this was his ticket to success.
"Captain Zak'kat, we're approaching the relay," announced the navigator.
"Good, keep going," answered the captain, "We don't want those primitives to know we're here."
A pressurized hiss broke the monotonous droning of the Element Zero engine as his XO entered the bridge. Subtle curves under light armor marked the newcomer as female with black and white stripes framing her four eyes. She wore a necklace of wooden beads and claws around her neck and over her armor. "We're all ready to go through with this. I just hope you know what you're doing."
"This is our chance to go up in life, Lieutenant Jatha," replied Zak'kat, "The gods favor us if we were able to get this intelligence!"
"And how do you know what the gods want, sir?" Jatha countered.
The Batarian captain scoffed. "Of course you'd know Jatha; you're the most well-read of us all in this ship when it comes to religious matters."
"With all due respect sir, I care for the welfare of all Batarians," Jatha fired back, "I just have my own reservations on the way we're doing things."
"Ah, so you're one of the shamanists aren't you?"
While sacred texts such as the Pillars of Strength were the foundation of the Batarian religion, there were those that still followed older traditions. The Shamanist Reformation was one of these throwbacks to an era before the Pillars of Strength, when the Batarians were still a collection of tribal societies. As per the name of the movement, the shamanists followed shamans for guidance much like the Krogan still did, believing in the concept of spirits existing in all things. Their numbers were few in Hegemony space, but they were gaining traction and numbers in the Terminus, a good number of them setting up shop in Omega.
"And what of it?" asked Jatha, "Faith is faith…it has nothing to do with my loyalty to the Batarian people."
Zak'kat snorted. "Whatever you say. All that aside, what does our mole know of this 'Sector X' they keep speaking of?"
"They don't know," answered Jatha, "And for that matter, neither does the Council. All they know is that the relay is bigger than usual…apparently, the Salarians believe it's powerful enough to send people to a whole new galaxy, ripe for the taking."
The Batarian captain sat in his seat, thinking of the possibilities of an entire galaxy open to the Hegemony. All they needed to do was to set foot on one of the worlds in Sector X, set up a colony, then send word back, and they were set for life. However, the problem was that the Council's expeditionary force was likely going to be there first…which meant dealing with witnesses. He smiled to himself at the thought of the fury with which the Hegemony would bring to the fight, and the glory of conquering a whole new galaxy.
…
Codex:
The Shadow War
The Batarians had entered the galactic stage at a later date than the Turians in response to the escalation of the Krogan Rebellions. After the Rebellion, years of the Batarian Hegemony's aggressive expansion and antagonistic relations with the Citadel races had many believing that their inclusion into the Citadel was a mistake. This would eventually come to a head in 1915 CE, leading up to the Esan Incident (see: Esan Incident); a moment that most Krogan would call "the last poke in the quad."
What happened next was the destruction of a recent Hegemony Annexation; the Turian colony of Thracia and its ore mines were liberated within weeks. Batarian troopers stationed on the colony had been slain, shortly before a rebellion had broken out that took out the rest. It is speculated to this day that Councilor Tevos had authorized the attack in retaliation for what happened at Esan (now called Lorek).
After the attack on Thracia, the Batarian ambassador Lath'Vala had demanded that something be done about the situation. In response, Tevos had told him that rebellions had to happen at some point, and declared that she wasn't going to do anything about a slave uprising. The ambassador stated that his people would no longer have any ties with the Citadel; shortly afterward, the Batarian embassy was closed, starting a conflict known only as "The Shadow War." Both the Citadel and the Hegemony would do battle with each other in the dark for generations, as Spectres sabotaged the Batarian Hegemony anytime the latter gained any new territories, while more Batarian outlaws became more active.
With the Shadow War in the middle of a stalemate, the conflict had eventually come to an unspoken ceasefire; neither the Hegemony nor the Citadel would attack each other. Still, experts believe that it is only a matter of time before the flames of the shadow conflict are fanned into an outright war.
…
A/N: Not much, just more cast-building.
Speaking of which, Nessus is one of my Hunters in "Monster Hunter: World"; as of today, he's wearing a mix of MR Pink Rathian and Odogaron armor pieces to maximize on the amount of damage he can do while taking as little fire damage as possible. Being that I main the Switch Axe, it's a combo that I find effective, especially with Odogaron armor's Speed Sharpening skill and if I have Earplugs available.
In any case, if you have an existing Hunter you want to show up in the story, send me a PM or leave a review with the following info:
Name:
Race: Human or Wyverian (They're the only races we see doing any active hunting)
Gender: No transgenders, please! I doubt Monster Hunter-verse has the materials necessary to even have transgenders.
Sexual Identity: Gay? Straight? Bi? Omni?
Age:
Height: In centimeters
Weight: In kilograms
Body Type: Slim, Muscular?
Skin Color:
Eye Color:
Hair Color:
Notable Features: Tattoos, scars, amputations, etc.
Personality:
History: Just a little of what they've done before going to the New World, like what was the biggest monster they killed, or where they come from. That, and what they've been doing while in the New World.
Guild Status: Are they still active? If not, then what do they do now? Are they Guild Knights?
Handler: Do they answer to a Handler, or to a receptionist? If they answer to a Handler, give a brief description of them; name, gender, personality.
Hunter Rank: Are they Low, High, or Master-ranked?
Equipment: Just what weapon they normally use, and the armor they're wearing
Palico Name: Name your Hunter's Palico
Palico Description: Describe the physical appearance; tail length, fur thickness, eye color, etc.
Palico Equipment: Describe the Palico's weapon, gear, and armor
Palico Personality: Describe the Palico's demeanor