Monus III

**Monus III** was an Earth-like planet and the third planet in the Monus System. It was one of the major bases of operations for the Green Drone Armada (GDA) during the Green Drone War in 2733. A battle was fought in the early days of the war resulting in many warships of various factions crash-landing on the surface. Because of this, the newly-formed Dawnstar Salvage Corporation (DSC) chose Monus III as a prime location to begin business a few months after the war ended.

## History

### Green Drone War

#### Early Engagements

When the Green Drone Armada unleashed their might on the galaxy, one of the first major battles of the war was fought in the Monus System. Monus III in particular was a prime target for the GDA since it was rumored to have an Artifact buried somewhere on the surface. As such, the GDA launched a massive attack on the planet, and a large battle ensued between the GDA and Red Wood Industries (RWI). Both sides lost multiple ships but the GDA swiftly took over the planet and set up a large base, driving out local settlers from their outposts in the process. They also began disposing of destroyed ships in a canyon, as well as somehow drawing more starships into the area to ambush and destroy them. Ships from other factions, such as a pair of Crazy North Logistics (CNL) freighters and a starship belonging to a faction called ROMA, also fell victim to the trap and crashed on the surface.

#### Colonist Crash

As the battle was going on, another battle was being fought in the P3-X2 System between the forces of the Colonist Survivors (CSS) and the Drone Reactionary Force (DRF). Both sides took heavy losses and the GDA sent ships to wipe them out for good. However, the Colonist flagship, the CSS *Vengeance*, activated its FTL jump drives and performed a blind jump. It ended up crash-landing on Monus III in the canyon. Multiple DRF ships also fell to the same fate, including the remains of the DRF flagship, the *Exturtle*. The Colonists, led by Captain Jack Roberts, managed to escape the chaos as a GDA Destroyer added the RWI *Malta*, a Defender-class Frigate MK.I to the roster of destroyed ships in the starship graveyard.

#### Hunt for the Artifact

After the initial battle, RWI forces led by the RWI *Valiant* kept hidden throughout the system, hiding out near asteroids or in deep space to avoid GDA ships. On the surface, the Colonists almost ended up dead inside a GDA base in a nearby canyon but managed to escape in a Keep-class Mobile Base and take refuge in an abandoned outpost called Bastion Outpost. The GDA forces, led by The Commander, launched a manhunt for the Colonists but were unsuccessful in destroying them. They also began searching Monus III for the Artifact, and soon found it and transported it to their planetary headquarters.

#### Further Battles

The Colonists, meanwhile, attacked a GDA transmitter tower overlooking a savannah region and send a distress signal to RWI forces, which was picked up by Commander Sam Reed and the RWI *Intrepid*. The RWI ship entered Monus III's atmosphere and arrived at Bastion Outpost just in time to save the Colonists from certain defeat at the Battle of Bastion Outpost, then departed to set up a small encampment in a forest nearby.

The CSS and RWI forces soon joined up again to attack the main GDA base, in order to both steal the Artifact and rescue Captain Roberts' second-in-command, Commander Craz, who was captured sometime during the starship graveyard escape. Although most of the Colonists' ground vehicles and several RWI fighters were destroyed, the GDA's defenses were unable to stop them and they infiltrated the base, but the Artifact was already gone; the Commander had expected their attack. Craz was able to break out and join the group as they attempted to flee, but GDA reinforcements arrived and destroyed the *Intrepid*, causing it to crash-land in the savannahs outside the base. The Colonists tried to flee back to Bastion Outpost in the *Keep*, but the GDA destroyed the only bridge over a large ravine, cutting off their escape. Fortunately, the RWI *Valiant* moved in due to the *Intrepid*'s distress call and sent evacuation ships, which ferried the Colonists and Commander Reed to safety. The *Valiant* then fled the planet, leaving the entire system under the GDA's control.

### Post-War Era

After the GDA fell, remnants of the GDA continued to use Monus III's "starship graveyard" as a dumping ground for wrecked ships for as long as two to three months after the Battle of the Black Hole. However, that did not stop Finn and Castle, two former CSS crewmen, from starting their own salvaging business, Dawnstar Salvage Corporation, in that time, and returning to Monus III to begin working on salvaging the CSS *Vengeance* and the other crashed ships in the canyon. However, they were attacked by an unknown force as they were about to begin the operation, forcing RWI to send forces led by Jack Roberts, now an Admiral of RWI, to the planet to investigate.

It became clear that the GDA forces still had a decent presence on the planet, as more and more attacks by various drone units occurred during the operation. However, eventually the *Vengeance* was once again space-worthy and the DSC and RWI team took off, being pursued by a few GDA ships.

## Trivia

Monus III first appeared in the first episode of 'Space Engineers: Colony Lost' in 2019, although it was unnamed for the duration of the series. It's name was first revealed in the first episode of 'Space Engineers: Colony Salvage' in 2022.