Monolith (Vehicle)
Monoliths are a family of multimodal space, air, and ground vehicles about 15-20 meters in length. Variants of them can be found among human cultures across the Known Universes. They are named for their boxy, faceted appearance with closed hatches and retracted aerodynamic surfaces.
Exterior
The Monolith is a stub-nosed hypersonic lifting body centered around a long, open-sided cabin. This cabin is sealed from within by strips of extendable "curtain" panels and from the outside by twin rows of armored doors. These hatches can connect to and release from rails at the top and bottom of the vehicle, allowing them to swing upwards (like an awning) or downwards (like a ramp).
The top of the Monolith is flat. Some variants provide mounting hardware or even a turret. On the top-front corners are retractible, movable lifting surfaces for maintaining control during atmospheric ascent and descent. These are matched by a pair of much larger, longer control surfaces extending from the top-rear corners of the vehicle.
Interior
Monoliths' interiors are highly adaptable. When not in use, all harnesses, seats, and storage compartments are folded flat against the inner hull. Any of these can be folded out into ready positions by the crafts' occupants. Since the vehicle is automated, a seperate flight deck is not typically needed, but some variants provide an armored bulkhead for this purpose.
Depending on the materials used for construction, Monoliths may be able to adjust the opacity of segments of their armored doors to provide windows.
Locomotion
Surface
Monolith variants have many different designs for locomotion while on the ground. Some examples include:
- Simply hovering.
- Walking on four or six flexible feet. Some variants of these feet can curl into useable wheels, and some of them can be tucked away sufficiently well to survive atmospheric entry without causing excessive turbulence in hypersonic flight.
- Utilizing wheels, continuous tracks, or Rectilinear tracks.
Flight
Monoliths have two steered-plasma exhaust systems driven by a single rear engine. The first exhaust, directly from the centerline engine, pushes the vehicle nose-first like a traditional rocket. This engine can operate even if plasma steering is unavailable. The second is a set of four moveable, retractable fins at the vehicle's upper corners that serve as both control surfaces and stable emitters for steered plasma. Using all four, the vehicle can perform vertical take-off and landing or hover maneuvers. The rearmost pair can extend much further, to nearly half the vehicle's length, and act as control flaps during belly-first atmospheric entry.
Spaceflight
Monoliths have more than enough fuel reserves and engine power to perform multiple orbital launches and landings per fueling. In space, the retractable steered-plasma engines can be utilized to accelerate along the vehicle's vertical axis, providing artificial gravity.
Uses
Monoliths are good all-around space and ground vehicles for Humans, Ikoska, and other similarly-sized beings. They can carry heavy loads both within and (for some variants) underneath, and can be equipped with a respectable shield generator.
Variants of the Monolith are the favored all-purpose transport and support vehicle of some TTMA Advent Legions, particularly Legions from the central Maia Zero galaxy. They are generally capable of supporting ten Legionaries in hardsuits into, during, and out of combat.