Kharaa Data :: Species :: Onos: Name
Summary: The dreadnaughts of the Kharaa, the Onos are tanks – highly armored and very powerful. They are so large they cannot use crawlspaces and many of the narrow passages found on human ships and bases. This does not limit their effectiveness very much – the Onos is the highest level response to any threat, requiring large amounts of resources to gestate, but paying off with truly awe-inspiring strength. [Name]
Onos
Though it can seem like a joke (and one in poor taste, considering the devastation this species has caused), the name "Onos" does actually come from the phrase "Oh no." Early on in the conflict with the Kharaa, a Frontiersmen squad was fighting to regain control of a solar array in the Eleme system. Sporadic audio contact had been maintained with the squad by an experimental broadcasting spike, driven through the station's hull. In the besieged marine base, heavy turret placement and reinforcements had allowed them to hold off wave after wave of attack. Time stamp 65.05.43: Through the sound of gunfire and grenades, the screech of leaping Skulks and swoosh of acid rockets, a faint roar is heard. The alien weapons fall conspicuously silent. The turrets stop. The roar is heard again, much closer, much louder. Then four marine's, almost in unison … "Oh no". All hell breaks loose, contact is lost. These "Oh no's" mark the first contact with this species.