monyafeek

The monyafeek is a lightweight, single‑person upper stage paired with a pressure suit and a simple control set, used for ascent and maneuvering in near‑planet space around Arbre. In ground documentation it is referred to as an “S2‑35B,” but crews in orbit call the unit a “monyafeek.”

First appearance and context

During a coordinated launch into Low Arbre Orbit, a traveler is strapped into a monyafeek within a protective fairing. After booster separation, the monyafeek’s own engine executes a long burn to build orbital velocity. Once weightless, short‑range thrusters bring the user into formation near a metallized balloon while a widespread cloud of chaff conceals activity from the higher craft Daban Urnud associated with the Pedestal.

Characteristics and handling

• Controls: thrusters are managed by a small joystick and a trackball; attitude changes are crisp and can induce high apparent g‑loads during burns. Manual thruster control is enabled by a spoken command and a physical switch before the pilot takes over from the built‑in guidance.
• Grapnels: each rig carries telescoping grapnels that fire into the fibrous netting around payloads, allowing towing and station‑keeping. The projectile is driven out by a gas charge through a long fabric tube; a smooth tip bores into the net and spring‑loaded barbs deploy at full extension to secure a hold. Operators also make contact by hand using skelehands when close enough.
• Targeting aids: a rear‑facing grapnel camera and a heads‑up reticle view assist with lining up shots when towing a trailing payload.
• Heat and hazards: the nozzle skirt can become hot enough to melt nearby netting; care is needed to avoid fouling or accidental welding.
• Crew/cargo variants: some monyafeeks carry people; others are launched as cargo carriers with food, water, propellants, and other stores. Units can be lashed together for makeshift platforms.

Roles in current events

• Rendezvous and pickup: pilots use monyafeeks to home in on red‑coded (people) and blue‑coded (cargo) payloads, grapple them, and tow them into shelter beneath a balloon. In emergencies, a monyafeek can intercept drifting assets and assist with rescues.
• Decoy base: seven monyafeeks were lashed into a hexagonal platform to support an inflatable dummy craft that later self‑destructed by design after drawing attention.
• Tether counterweight: spent monyafeeks were bundled under a small reflective screen and attached to the far end of a long electrodynamic tether. Running current through the tether yields continuous, silent thrust that slowly raises the group’s orbit while the main cluster remains hidden behind a Cold Black Mirror.

Current status

Active units continue to provide station‑keeping and towing around the sheltered assembly, while some monyafeeks have been repurposed into the decoy (now destroyed) and into the tether’s counterweight. The equipment remains central to movement and logistics as the cell spirals inward toward the Daban Urnud.