The lost story of Goron18

[LordPsycho]

((I got permission from Goron to incorporate unit 18 into the Psychotopian Warp Portal Exploratory Corp. Probably few of you know of this, besides Shaon. Hopefully this will shed some light on this little known piece of Psychotopian Lure.))

Part 1

=========================[4 Years ago]=================================
In a little known laboratory somewhere deep under Psychotopia, Alarms started going off everywhere. It just so happened The Dark Psycho was working on a systemin this lab to help people who had found themselves stuck in a little known place known as the Warp. It was a layer of subspace that through concepts too complex to explain, connected each Warp Portal to it's destination, as well as partially connected to every other Warp Portal in the Multiverse.

DP knew the Alarm meant one thing as he materialized in this lab: Some one had gotten stuck in the Warp, and it was time to Test out his designs. As he punched in the variables, he locked in on the signal. The being was very erractic, an indication that whoever it was had used a very VERY primative Warp Portal Device.

Amatuers.

He finally finished punching in the codes and powered up the system. A blue whirlpool appeared before him, and out it spat some kind of warrior, fresh from a battle. Really fresh.

As DP went over to his aid, he noticed he was, well, a she. In fact, it was a female humanoid adolescent. He held up his armband, and confirmed that not only was she humanoid, but human, probably from a parallel world. But she also had altered genes. There was one for increased muscle density, another for accelerated growth. And a lot more altered gene DP did not recognized. As if that wasn't wierd enough, one of her hands had been replaced by a laser cannon.

"Where am I?'" The girl asked weakly.

"Rest now, your safe." DP said, wanting her to feel welcome. He had a feeling he could use this warrior against the Mutant Chickens.

=========================[1 Year Later]=================================

Psychotopia's colors where everywhere in the Court yard. The Chicken Wars were still in full scale, but now there was a new threat: The Forum Wars. No one was quiet sure why their leader, Dau'Pay, had suddenly decided that these people in an otherwise unknown world were such a threat, but most of them owed their life to him, so they weren't about to ask questions.

Up at the stand, DP stood at a microphone. Behind him 10 people sat nervously in chairs. As they looked on, DP started his speech.
" I stand before you now, to congratulate these ten of your own. They have shown great aptitude, leadership, and skill on the field of battle, and as such have been selected by me to go through the Psychotopian Warp Portal Exploratory Corp. I know you'll wish them well as you leave for battle, as will I. You all have many trials and tribulations ahead, but rest asured that they pale in comparison to what these valient examples of Psychotopia's best will be asked to go through."

At the end was one female, about 15 biologically, but closer to 6 chronologically. Her clean uniform couldn't compare to the rags she arrived in after her battle. Her name badge said Monica, after the nurse that had brought her back to health after the battle (the excess of stem cells in her blood certainly didn't hurt). However, she still caught herself putting her name down as "Unit 18" on Paperwork. The past sometimes never dies. As never did the memory of unit 40. She often wondered what happened to him after that night.

She had been told that she was the only one who had gotten stuck in the Warp from her orginating address, after some kind of power surge to the Warp Portal Generator during her broadcast. Maybe he was still somewhere, having adventures.

But now she would be able to search for him and the other Gorons. Dau'Pay had told her of the Exploratory Corp during a dinner at his palace with him. He said he always had dinner with everyone he ever considered putting into the Corp. He wanted to make sure they were absolutely loyal to him, and had the right stuff to make it. Every one also said that he should know what that was, he was the original Warp Portal explorer. But that never made much sense to her, because from her research Psychotopia had also had the Warp Portal Tech for several Millenia.

Of course, she also couldn't find any mention of any of the leaders before Dau'Pay. She gave up eventually and figured she would never truely understand the place she ended up.

She looked at her mechanical hand. It was yet another clue to her past. She had elected to have the cannon removed and replaced with hand for this new assignment.

Eventually, he finished his speech, and this was the part where He was to escort the new recruits to their training facilities. As she and her fellow cadets followed him, it appeared as though he was lost.

Instead of going into a Warp Portal like she had expected, instead they just kept walking...straight to the third palace. He stopped at the gate, and pressed a very long and complicated string of numbers into a control pad next to the gate. When he finished, he simply smiled over his shoulder as he pressed enter, causing the gates to swing open.

As Monica entered the palace, she realized it wasn't a palace, but an elaborate Hologram. The grounds was actually a training center, hidden by the fake palace. And like it or not, this was her home.

==================================[6 weeks later]=========================================

Monica used to think that Goron training was tough. She could have only wished she could have had a drill instructor half as tough as this guy before The attack.

The attack. It still haunted her. She thought that certainly with all the information they have been stuffing into her head she would have forgotten about it. About him.

She had undergone weapons training with just about every weapon possible, and a few that weren't possible. Her favorite was a cannon thing known as a "Kablooie." It had the ability to turn people into a strange creature called a Norn. Most useful. Of course, they still learned hand to hand combat and had training on bladed weapons. At this she excelled, more than likely due to her Goron training.

Her days where she wasn't training her body, she was training her mind. Dau'Pay required that all people using the warp understand the physics behind it. Not a small task, but one she worked hard to acheive.

Part of her evenings were spent designing a uniform. Corp members were allowed individual uniforms, and she tried to create one that still looked like her original Goron Uniform, but incorporated more the Psychotopian Tech into it. She had zero space pockets (infinate storage pockets in laymens terms) all over the place, most used to store ammo and weapons. It was fair to say that she could supply a whole army with what she could carry. She hoped it would never come to that.

The rest was studying her Physics and Math. As she said, it wasn't a small taks, but one she was willing to work for.

Finally the day arrived where she'd be recieving her companion and primary means of transport: Her Armband. These things were supposed to be the pinnicle of Psychotopian Tech. Their shield generator could do what it took several hundred tonnes of the strongest metal to do on her planet, and yet was small enough to fit into a compact package.

And the Computer system had an A.I. installed. She debated about what to call her A.I., but finally decided on a name: 40. Simple, to the point, and an honor to fallen comrades.

A whistle brought her to attention that morning on the training yard. Next to her Drill Instructor lay a box, inside were ten new armbands, fresh from production. As he passed them out to the cadets, the marveled at how the color specs matched exactly what they wanted.

She got her's, and turned it on. As the screen came on, a male voice welcomed her.

"Hello Monica. I'm 40, and I'll be your A.I."

[Goron40]

Good... I knew I left that in the right hands. You made a small gramatical error in the fifth paragraph... "recognized" should be "recognize."

Yeah... good story.

[LordPsycho]

thanks, fixed.

[LordPsycho]

Part 2

=======================================[1 month later]=======================================

Monica had recieved her first assignment. She had hoped to be assigned to the front line of the Forum Wars, but instead was assigned to explore a insignificant planet recently discovered on the far side of the Galaxy.

Disappointment supreme. Most of her fellow cadets were very impressed, the vast majority of them had to do a tour with an established explorer before they got a chance to go solo. And not only was this assignment unique amongst her peers because of it's level, but it was also strategically important to The Republic. Initial scans indicated the planet to be filled with a rare mineral the Psychotopians used to power their Warp Portals. Establishing trade relations would be a boom for the Psychotopian economy. But non of this made her feel any better about not being assigned to battle with Dau'Pay.

As she sat in front of the last stationary Portal Generator she may ever use again, she went over the details from the briefing in her head. The people of the planet were of a moderate Technological state, similar to most humans of this Earth. Her mission was to go there, do a more detailed study of the geology, and then seek out the leader of the nation with the most Warp Crystal deposits and negotiate a trade agreement. A report on her progress was expected every 48 hours, unless otherwise advised by HQ.

A siren brought her back, signaling the Portal was about to go active. Then there was a blinding flash as the portal materialized in the ring. Looking back at the tech, she saw him give a thumbs up, signalling all checks were done and it was safe to enter the portal. She went up to the portal, then paused, savoring this moment. Then a smirk crossed her face as she stepped back a few feet.

She then took off running, jumping into the portal. As the portal closed behind her, one could see the tech yelling "Show Off" from behind his pane glass window.

==============[.0025 seconds Later, on a small planet on the other side of the Galaxy]============

Monica appeared flying out of the portal, landing by doing a summersault into an upright position. She done it, taken her first successfull jump on her first mission. And with style points to boot. Looking around, she found herself in a desert enviroment. What appeared to be a small town popped up near a mountain range to her West, and the sound of water could be heard to the north. Good thing she got to pick her entry location...being in the desert without water could get bothersome quick.

She started taking out the canteens she stored in one of her zero-space pockets and started to fill them. The technology behind these zero-space containers was quiet useful. Near infinate storage space, and all the weight is transferred to another dimension, so you could hold a near infinate weight without breaking a sweat. Which meant that she'd have plenty of water, ammo, and food for any length trip.

Of course, it was her call not to fill up the canteens before she left. She remembered one time, during Goron training, when she had a chance to sneak off to a nearby stream, how incredible the water tasted. She decided that stream water was the kind she'd want on this kind of trip.

Once she finished filling the canteens, storing him, and catalogueing it in her armband to keep track of when she needed to refill on water, she decided it was time to get started on her mission. Finding a nice, "comfortable" rock, she sat down as her armband set to work. 40 hummed some annoying tune as he scanned he entire planet's crust, searching for the tale-tale signature of Warp portal Crystals. He was about halfway done when he suddenly muttered "Oh Dear".

Turning her attention from the clouds, she quickly looked at 40.

"What is it?," she asked, slightly concerned.

"I'm not sure...but it appears there's some kind of disturbance coming from the news feed. It appears people are randomly disappearing, or being replaced. It's almost as if the fabric of the Multiverse is breaking down."

"Should we head back?"

"Hold on...It appears that option is not likely. I just got word form Psychotopia. They are doing a Warp Core shutdown. Unless we can find another power source, I cannot form a portal anywhere."

"Well, this place is supposed to be filled with these crystals...I guess you should finish your scan. Start with a detailed scan of the immediate area. I really am not liking the idea of being stuck." Monica finished, returning her attention to the clouds.

=======================================[half an hour later]=======================================

"I've finished the scan of the planet, Monica. And I have some good news." Forty said.

"I'll take what you've got, then"

"Well, it appears that there's a rather large deposit of the crystals near the surface not to far from here. What's more, its really close to a mine, so you should have to much trouble getting some of it."

Forty disappeared and a map appeared, showing the terrain and the best path for Monica to take. Taking note of it, she headed out west.

Soon she came up to the mine. The entrance looked like something you'd find from the old west, except it was being guarded by to large creatures with four legs and to arms. They looked like how a bug might look if given billions of years of evolution and opposable thumbs. As soon as they caught sight of Monica, the shouldered their weapons and opened fire.

Monica's heart skipped a beat. If forty hadn't of intervened and set up a sheild, she would have been wasted. Coming to her senses, she dodged behind a rock, pulling a laser pistol form one of her pockets.

Turning to her AI, she yelled "Why didn't you tell me the mine was active!"

No answer...

"Forty?"

She looked down at a blank screen. With no Warp Core to support it, the AI used up all it's reserve power to save Monica.

Just then, the aliens started creeping up on her position...one from either side.

Monica quickly grabbed another laser pistol with her free hand, then jumped up, pinging both bugs in the head. Doing a quick search for ID, keys, comm devices, and any other items she could use, she slips into the mine, more determined than ever to get those crystals.

[Goron40]

You're missing a space and an "e" in the second paragraph. I'll let you find it.

Perhaps someone other than me can give an opinon?

[Embri]

*Claps entusiastically*

I like it! Some spelling and grammar issues, but very minor and on the whole a very good story. Nicely broken into short paragraphs. (I HATE all one paragraph posts that are miles long .... GRRR.)

I'd like to see a more detailed description of those aliens in the next chapter - aliens are always interesting. Keep it up!

[Ruster]

Brilliant!
I like how personal it is, and that monica is not just robotic like the steriotypical clone (I assume she is a clone?). But yeah, cool

[Shaon]

Ah, another Warp Explorer. I DEMAND ADVENTURES WITH CON.

[LordPsycho]

If you wish, but I can guarentee Con won't like it. How do I put this.

Monica entered the Corp during the start of the Forum Wars, Con entered towards the end..

Monica had prior experience in the Psychotopian Royal Guard, Con didn't.

In other words, Monica would outrank Con if by nothing else, seniority.

AS I said, Con wouldn't like the experience.

[Shaon]

Knowing her, Con would be like "I DONT TAKE ORDERS FROM NO ONE D:"

[LordPsycho]

((taking a break from studying, figured a good story should take my mind of things))
Part 3

Monica felt her way through the mine. Her enhanced eyesight was of little use in this level of light, and she hadn't thought to bring a flashlight. "What was the need," she thought, "I have my armband!".

Looking back, that was just foolish, as was not taking one from those guards. She contemplated going back and getting it when she noticed a light up ahead.

She crept up, hand on her pistol, listening for more of those creatures. The light was coming from a room off the main tunnel. She could definitely tell more of those creatures were in there. Their language appeared to consist of chirps. Peeking around the corner, she heard two of them talking.

Their head was shaped like a ball with two boomerang-esque points facing forward. At the end of each of these was an eye. Their mouth could only be described as a mandible. They were obviously exoskeleton creatures, with their body divided into three sections. their arm joints were at the top of their thorax, while they had four massive legs supporting their weight off their abdomen.

What interested her was these creature's weapons. They were standard Plasma Rifles, which in and of itself was far too advanced for this planet. It also explained why they had attacked her. The Psychotopian Warp Exploratory Corp was known the universe over, and if these creatures were illegally mining Warpstone, she would have been the last person they wanted to see.

She went back out of sight, set her gun to stun mode, eased back, and delivered two quick blasts. This had the desired affect, leaving two unconscious bugs on the ground. She quickly gathered their rifles, shoving them into a zero-space pocket, as well as any other weapons and ammo she found in the room. Then she began to search around for a map -- and a flashlight.

She found the map, and found that she was in luck. Not only was their a hardhat/flashlight right next to it, there was also a deposit of warpstone indicated nearby. After a few awkward moments with the hard hat, which obviously wasn't designed for humanoid use, she opted to just rip the flashlight off of it and go on her way

[Mr. Barret]

cheers,

I'm liking the story so far DP, although I don't know the complete history behind it. Is there a place where one could read up on these forum wars? Or perhaps someone could give me a brief synopsis.

The pen is mightier than the sword! Write, and conquer!

[LordPsycho]

Of course, in the archives.

http://www.blackstardojo.org/viewtopic.php?t=85

[Mr. Barret]

of course. I really should go through and read through the archives more. I'll look there first before I ask a question like that again.

Looking forward to the rest of the tale,