Chapter Text
Major Events Timeline
UC 0000: The Earth Federation is formed, with the charter signed in Laplace Station. Humanity transitions from the Anno Domini calendar to the Universal Century. The construction of giant space stations and O'Neill Cylinders allows for the mass migration of mankind into space. Meanwhile, beyond the Sol System, the Turian Unification Wars begin, and the Salarians make contact with the Krogan clans of Tuchanka.
UC 0062: The colony cluster Side 3 declares its independence from the Earth Federation, raises its own defense forces, and starts a long-brewing cold war between Side 3 and the Federation. At the same time, Citadel Coalition Fleets, spearheaded by the uplifted Krogans, lay siege to the Rachni homeworld of Suen, where they hammer the final nail to end the Rachni War. Many splinter fleets remain, but they, too, are ultimately hunted down and destroyed.
UC 0068: The man behind the Side 3 independence movement dies, with most believing he was assassinated by Federation agents… though rumors persist that this may be the result of internal political turmoil in Side 3. The Zabi family takes over in his absence and renames Side 3 into the Principality of Zeon. The Turian Unification Wars end as Palaven reasserts its control over the colonies.
UC 0079: (Gundam 1979/The Origin) The One Year War erupts between the Principality of Zeon and the Earth Federation. Billions die in the ensuing fighting due to the rampant usage of weapons of mass destruction.
UC 0080: Zeon is ultimately forced to surrender after the ruling Zabi family is destroyed during the Battle of A Baoa Qu, and their military strength is spent. The Principality is reorganized into the Republic of Zeon, a semi-autonomous protectorate subservient to the Earth Federation. Die-hard Zeon Loyalists disregard the surrender proclamation, instead going into hiding or even fleeing the Earth Sphere entirely, seeking refuge in the Mars and Jupiter Spheres.
UC 0083: (Gundam Stardust Memories/0083 Rebellion) Zeon Remnants launch Operation Stardust. This devastating terror attack cripples the Federation Space Forces and destroys much of the North American agricultural heartland, harming food production around the Earth Sphere. The incident leads to the creation of the Titans Organization - a paramilitary police force whose sole purpose is to root out and destroy any potential separatist movement in the Earth Sphere.
UC 0087: (Zeta Gundam/Zeta Define) The rebel groups AEUG and Karaba -staffed by rogue Federation and former Zeon officers- launch an uprising against the increasingly tyrannical Titans. The Titans are outed as being mass murderers who staged several false-flag events to seize more power. This pushed the Federation at large to disavow the group and cut off all support. The Titans are largely destroyed in the Battle of Gryps, with survivors turning into rebel groups or escaping towards the Mars Sphere.
UC 0088: (Double Zeta Gundam) A resurgent Zeonic faction calling themselves Neo Zeon, operating out of the mobile asteroid base Axis, launches an assault against a weakened Earth Federation. They are ultimately defeated by combined AEUG and Karaba forces, but not before taking heavy losses. The AEUG and Karaba are eventually reintegrated into the Earth Federation Forces.
UC 0093: (Char's Counter Attack) After taking time to recover their strength, a Reborn Neo Zeon faction led by Char Aznable, son of the Zeonic movement's founder, attempts to drop the heavily damaged Axis on Earth, but is thwarted by former AEUG and Karaba forces, now operating as the Earth Federation's Londo Bell Special Forces Group.
UC 0096/97: (Gundam Unicorn/Narrative) A major upset within the Earth Federation's ruling class begins a series of battles and skirmishes between the Neo Zeon splinter faction calling themselves "The Sleeves" and the Earth Federation.
UC 0100: As per the peace treaty between Zeon and the Federation, the Republic of Zeon is finally dissolved. The colonies under its control are once again absorbed into the Earth Federation, and the remaining Zeon Defense Forces are subsumed into the Earth Federation Forces.
UC 0105: (Hathaway's Flash) The terrorist organization Mafty's Army launches an armed uprising around the Earth Sphere but is ultimately thwarted.
UC 0120: (Gundam F90) The Oldsmobile conflicts between the Earth Federation and a Zeonic faction operating from Mars break out. Mars Zeon is ultimately subdued by Federation forces.
UC 0123: (Gundam F91) The separatist faction calling itself "Cosmo Babylonia" wages war against the Earth Federation.
UC 0128: Cosmo Babylonia ultimately falls due to infighting. Outside of the Sol System, the Krogan Wars break out after years of rising tensions among the Citadel Coalition.
UC 0133: (Crossbone Gundam) A secretive war begins between the Reborn Crossbone Vanguard and the Jupiter Empire.
UC 0136: The Jupiter Empire is defeated after its two leaders are killed in battle. It is reorganized into the Jupiter Republic. Meanwhile, Citadel Coalition forces manage to make first contact with the Turians, who are then convinced to join the fight against the Krogans.
UC 0149: The Zanscare Empire is formed by separatist groups operating out of Side 2, taking advantage of the Earth Federation's decline in strength. They launch a lightning campaign, sweeping aside disorganized Federation forces and conquering much of Europe. The Zanscare War begins.
UC 0153: (Victory Gundam) The war ultimately ends with the Empire's defeat as the League Militaire -an armed organization composed of former Federation military members- manages to decapitate the Empire's high command. The Earth Federation retakes control of all former Zanscare territories.
UC 0218: After years of decline, minor conflicts, and infighting, the Earth Federation finally breaks apart, two centuries after it was founded in the colony Laplace. Various factions begin vying for control of the Earth Sphere, one being CONSENT, and the other the loose coalition called the Settlements League. Outside of the Solar System, the Citadel Coalition finally ends the brutal, decades-long Krogan Wars with the signing of the Treaty of Farixen, which dissolves the Krogan Federation and forbids them from having military starships and colonizing other worlds.
UC 0223: (G-Saviour) A war between the Settlements League and CONSENT brews, ultimately ending with CONSENT's defeat and dissolution. Former CONSENT territories were granted autonomy, with many aligning themselves with the Settlements League. Meanwhile, the largest of the Krogan Remnants is destroyed by the Citadel Coalition. With this, the Krogans no longer pose a major threat to the galaxy at large.
DIVERGENCE POINT FROM GUNDAM CANON
UC 0225: The Jupiter Republic falls into disarray as its ruling class turns against each other. At the end of the civil war, it was restructured into the Jupiter Commonwealth.
UC 0230: Infighting between the various Settlement Factions within the Settlement League threatens to fracture the entire coalition. Short but intense border wars between the different factions spark, but are fortunately diffused quickly by clever politicking and precise use of military force. The Settlement Constitution is later signed, ensuring peace, stability, and unity around the Earth Sphere.
UC 0236: Exploration efforts by the Lomas Mining Corporation led to the discovery of an ancient starship buried within Mars’ southern pole.
UC 0239: A war between the Earth Settlements League and the burgeoning Mars Sphere Authority erupts over control of the alien ship. The Solar War begins.
UC 0241: The Jupiter Commonwealth intervenes in the war on the side of the Settlements League, turning the tide of war against the Martian Authority, who at that point held a sizeable advantage in military strength.
UC 0245: The Solar War ends with the Settlements League and the Jupiter Commonwealth winning thanks to their superior numbers and industrial capabilities.
UC 0246: Efforts to study and reverse engineer the alien ship begin, eventually resulting in the discovery of Mass Effect field generators enabling FTL travel.
UC 0248: The Earth Settlements League, the Jupiter Commonwealth, and Mercury Union come together to form the Solar Sphere Congress, a Constitutional Representative Republic that oversees the government of the Solar System.
UC 0250: A reorganized Martian Republic becomes a late signatory in the Solar Sphere Congress.
UC 0253: Based on surviving data salvaged from the alien ship, a Mass Relay -giant machines meant to launch ships between star systems- is discovered at the furthest edge of the Solar System.
UC 0258: Exploration and later colonization efforts of the Mass Relay Network begin, organized and sponsored by the Solar Sphere Congress.
UC 0290: The Human population explodes in numbers. No longer leashed to a single star system, the total population is on track to exceed the sixty billion mark.
UC 0295: Extra-Solar Separatist groups begin gaining traction, feeding on restless sentiment among extrasolar colonies.
UC 0301: Multiple secessionist groups begin their uprising campaigns, attempting to secede from the Solar Congress. The Secession Crisis begins.
UC 0351: After years of anti-insurgency operations, negotiations, and later concessions, a significant majority of the secessionist movement has been appeased and agrees to stand down. Those that couldn't be bargained with were eventually neutralized by force. Only a few radical elements remain militant, a shadow of their former glory. The Secession Crisis effectively ends as peace is restored across Human space.
UC 0353: In a bid to avoid regional favoritism and stimulate growth in various sections of the growing stellar nation, the capital of the Solar Sphere Congress is relocated from Granada City in Luna to the mobile colony Arcturus. This new capital is expected to relocate to a different region every two election cycles.
UC 0356: The Congressional Armed Forces receives support from Congress to begin the Advanced Stellar Technologies Program (AST) with the leading military contractors in the Solar Sphere. Various sub-projects are started covering almost all aspects of the military, from mobile suits and warship propulsion, to electronic warfare and weapon systems, among others.
UC 0360: The AST Program first results in a new generation of warships, capable of operating in space, in atmosphere, and also engaging in -at the time- unheard of FTL speeds. The parallel Mobile Suit project suffers repeated delays and restarts.
UC 0379: (Mobile Suit/Mass Effect - The First Contact War) A botched first contact encounter between Congressional Space Force vessels and a Turian Navy patrol squadron spirals into a galactic crisis. Primarch Lacinius of the Turian Empire sidesteps the Citadel Council, gathering supporters to launch an invasion of Human space due to fears of another Rachni or Krogan situation. The war ends with Lacinius’ being ousted from office just as Congressional forces repulsed the invasion and liberated Shanxi. The Arcturus Treaty is signed between the Solar Sphere Congressional Republic and the Citadel Coalition, which puts a stop to any further military action.
UC 0381: The Citadel Treaty is signed between the Solar Sphere Congressional Republic and the Citadel Coalition, establishing proper diplomatic relations between the two galactic polities. A tense and long-running Cold War ensues between Humanity and the forces of the Citadel. Meanwhile, Former Fleet Admiral Kastanie Drescher of the Congressional Space Forces establishes the Gold Hounds mercenary company.
UC 0386: Realizing the SSCR’s isolated and precarious situation, the Solar Sphere Congress initiates various diplomatic efforts in hopes of gaining new allies. One such effort is a covert operation entrusted to Drescher’s Gold Hounds mercenaries, to assist Urdnot Wrex in uniting the Krogan Clans of Tuchanka under his banner and creating a Human-aligned state in the midst of the Citadel.
UC 0387: (Mobile Suit/Mass Effect - War in the Ashes) With material, technological, and military assistance provided through the Gold Hounds, Wrex returns to Tuchanka, sparking what will soon come to be known as the Forged Revolution.
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Important concepts
The following is a list of important concepts that are not only important to galactic politics but are also an integral part of this work:
Arcturus-Citadel Treaties: Two treaties that together officialize the end of the First Contact War’s hostilities and establish diplomatic relations between the Solar Sphere Congress and Citadel Coalition. The Arcturus Treaty of 0379 marks the end of military action, the withdrawal of all Citadel Coalition military forces from Congressional territory, as well as the establishment of a Demilitarized Zone between the two polities. The Citadel Treaty of 0381 later formalizes SSC's diplomatic stances and various trade policies with the Citadel Coalition.
Jobst-Nguyen Act: Legislation that expressly forbids the export of Minovsky-based technologies, as well as assisting foreign powers in the development of such technologies. Violating the Jobst-Nguyen Act is considered high treason and carries the maximum penalty of the death sentence. The law was drafted jointly by Secretary of Defense Johannes Jobst and Secretary of Trade David Nguyen.
MCV-A (Merchant Cargo Vessel - Armed): These are commercial civilian ships modified to carry weapons for ‘self-defense purposes’. Their popularity has skyrocketed among shipping companies that transport goods between SSC and Citadel Space, with several designs pushing legal limits to be optimized as warships first and merchant vessels second.
PSV-A (Private Security Vessel - Armed): These are meant to be private or corporate-owned vessels with armaments meant for escort duties. PSV-As are expressly forbidden from carrying ‘capital grade’ weaponry.
PCV-A (Personal Civilian Vessel - Armed): These are private use spacecraft, not meant for combat, and with armaments entirely meant for self-defense purposes. Any weapon meant for offensive purposes is expressly forbidden from being equipped in a PCV-A, thus they are often limited to point-defense weapons such as CIWS turrets, flak guns, or defensive Kinetic-Kill launchers.
Treaty of Farixen: Signed at the end of the Krogan Wars, it not only formalized the end of the Krogan Federation’s surrender, but it also saw all remaining Krogan warships handed over to the Council for decommissioning and later scrapping, and further forbade Krogans from ever owning warships again. An additional conference later formalized the limit on the proliferation of Dreadnought Warships, imposing a strict ratio of 3 Council Dreadnoughts for every 1 Client Dreadnought. Later revisions saw special exceptions made for the Turians, who were allowed 5 Dreadnoughts for every 3 that the Salarians or Asari had.
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Notable Factions and Groups
Solar Sphere Congressional Republic: Acting as the glue binding humanity together, this Constitutional Republic governs mankind as it expands through the stars. Governance of its territories is mostly passed off to regional governors or colony leaders, with Central Congress itself only dictating general policy. Each territory and region has representatives in the Central Congress, which holds sessions in the mobile colony Arcturus.
The SSC separates its government into the Legislative Branch, which is made up of Central and Regional Congresses. The Executive branch is headed by the President and his Vice President. The Judicial branch is staffed by the Central and Regional courts. Elections for the Legislative and Executive branches are held every 5 years, and candidates are only allowed to serve 3 terms, barring extraordinary circumstances.
The Citadel Coalition: A loose federation of various races, the Citadel Coalition governs what many consider 'Civilized Space'. They act as a stabilizing force in an otherwise chaotic galaxy, doubly so since the end of the Rachni and Krogan Wars. The Citadel Coalition dictates the general direction in which galactic politics will follow. So strong is their influence that even non-members will have to take heed of developments in Coalition politics.
The Coalition currently has three heads, Councilors who vote on major decisions. These councilors come from the three dominant races in the Coalition, being the Asari, Salarians, and the Turians. How these Councilors gain their seat is not necessarily codified, but often decided by the governments of their respective races. The Asari choose their Councilor based on votes from the Matriarch Conclave, barring extraordinary circumstances. The Salarians will have Dalatrasses sponsor a potential successor who is evaluated and later chosen by the current Salarian Councilor. Turian Councilors reserve the right to pick and choose their own successors, but the Primarch could set forward a motion to veto the choice in the Turian Military Council.
The Turian Hierarchy: With most races, it's common to see them as nations that field armies. With the Turians, it may be more accurate to say that they are an army that runs a nation. This is the popular view of the Federated Imperial Hierarchy of the Turian Nation, though colloquially referred to as either “The Turian Empire”, “ The Turian Nation”, or “The Turian Hierarchy” to keep things short. These militaristic roots come from the dominant nation-state of Palaven, Cipritine. As this nation slowly came to control much of the planet, other nations have begun adopting a Cipritinian-style militarized society. This remains to this day, as even more moderate and less bellicose nations and colonies are still highly militaristic by other races' standards. The Turian Empire is led by a Primarch. The Primarch must first have earned a seat in the Turian Military Council, and then must have reached the appropriate rank in society before he or she can be allowed to ascend to the rank. As a Primarch, this Turian exercises powers that other races may call dictatorial, and is only held in check by the Turian Military Council.
The Asari Republics: A loose association of city and nation states, the aptly named Interstellar Association of Asari Republics (shortened to the Asari Republics for simplicity's sake) has a very long and ancient history dating back thousands of years. They were the first of the Citadel Races to colonize the Citadel and were one of the founding members of the Citadel Coalition. Unlike the Turians, the Humans, and to a lesser extent the Salarians, the Asari never truly unified into a 'one world government'. Each Republic had great pride in its own distinct identity and didn't wish to relinquish its own sovereignty to others. As such, the unification of the Asari people lagged behind, even as their race reached for the stars. It wasn't until first contact with the Salarians that the various Republics finally saw the need to come up with some sort of unified front to represent the Asari race in the galaxy. This led to the founding of the Matriarch Conclave, which is a regulatory organization not unlike the United Nations that formed at the tail end of the Anno Domini era of Human History. On paper, each Asari state has equal say and representation. In practice, the Conclave has pretty much devolved into factionalism, as the most powerful and influential Republics use their vast political and economic strengths to strongarm or cajole lesser Republics that they can't convince with honeyed words.
Each individual Republic is free to dictate its own laws and rule itself as it sees fit - so long as its laws do not contradict Association policies. Punishment for not complying with Association policies mostly involves the revocation of Association rights, benefits, or protections. If a Republic continues to defy policy, it may face interstellar sanctions, if not outright expulsion.
The Salarian Union: Unlike many of their peers, the Salarians achieved unification of their homeworld without some form of war, be it among themselves -like the Turians, Humans, Batarians, and to some extent the Quarians- or due to external factors like the Asari and the Krogan. Instead, unification was carried out like many major events in Salarian history: through subversion, subterfuge, and secrecy. It was only long after the dust had settled that the various nations in Sur'kesh realized that they had effectively become a one-world state. The official formation of the Salarian Union would come shortly after, with the pieces quickly falling into place later.
The government of the Salarian Union is a federal one, with the former nations now becoming states in the larger polity. Each state can send its own Representative Ministers to the Central Parliament, where the ruling faction can put its own prime minister into office. The political scene of the Salarian Union is labyrinthine, with threads of allegiances spreading out from within factions and even across party lines. Schemes comprehensible only to the Salarian mind regularly happen behind the scenes, the rate of which appears breakneck to the moderately lived Humans and Turians, and move at dizzying speeds to the longer-lived Asari and Krogan.
The Krogan Clans: First heroes, then villains, the Krogan people -then united under the flag of the Federation of Krogan Clans- once stood as the mightiest galactic military power of all, eclipsing both the Salarians and Asari at the peak of their strength. Uplifted by the Salarians a century into the Rachni Wars, the numerous and hardy Krogans were enlisted as shocktroops against the seemingly endless hordes of the Rachni. During the midst of all this, the strongest Krogan clans that survived their nuclear war were organized by the Asari and Salarians into a united Federation from which they could organize their war and reconstruction. For a time, it appeared as though the uplift was a success. The clans, united under the banner of the Warmaster, slowly but surely turned the tide against the unstoppable Rachni. Between the successful war effort and the ongoing restoration of Tuchanka's biosphere, things were looking very bright for the Krogans.
Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse. Unshackled by the hostility of their irradiated homeworld, the Krogan population exploded in numbers. Where only a handful of newborns from a single clutch were expected to survive, thanks to medical technology provided by the Citadel Coalition, a single clutch now has the potential to spawn dozens. In combination with the Krogan's rapid maturity rate, this turned the spreading Krogan people into a ticking time bomb. More and more planets were colonized by the Federation before they eventually came into conflict with the colonization efforts of the other races. The Krogan Wars would erupt only 66 years after the end of the Rachni War, leading to the rise of the Turian Empire as a galactic polity, the dissolution of the Krogan Federation, and the desolation of the Krogan race due to the effects of the Genophage.
Cerberus: A Human supremacist group, sometimes misidentified as the armed wing of the Terra Firma party, despite it not being the case. Cerberus has assembled some of the best and brightest minds from across Congressional Space to become mankind's invisible sword and shield. Cerberus' tendrils spread far and wide, with many members sitting in positions of power in the SSCR Government, military-industrial complex, as well as prominent media companies and leading universities.
Gold Hounds: A mercenary company formed a few years after the First Contact War ended. It is owned and personally run by Kastanie Drescher as its Chief Executive. The company is headquartered on the outskirts of New Baleras, Galman, with regional offices in all major colonies. The Gold Hounds grew rapidly after the end of the First Contact War thanks to their close partnership with Nippon United, which provided them with their fleet of Jobst-Nguyen-compliant armed merchant ships and mobile suits.
Nippon United Motor Company: A megacorporation that can trace its roots back to the original Zaibatsus of Meiji-era Japan. Nippon United only formed shortly before the transition into the Universal Century calendar, as a means to consolidate their market against growing competition from China, Korea, and Central America. Their survival up until the late UC 0300s can only be described as either divine providence or pure luck, with the NUMC somehow escaping the One Year War, Stardust Incident, the Neo Zeon Wars, the Zanscare War, the Solar War, and the Secession Crisis with comparatively minor damage.
Tunchanka Oversight Group: An armed organization set up by Primarch Torix and Councilor Sidarte after the end of the Krogan Wars, meant to enforce the Treaty of Farixen among the Krogan Clans. Over the years since the end of the Krogan Wars, the TOG has evolved beyond its initial directives - becoming an organization hell-bent on making sure the Krogans never pose a threat to the galaxy ever again.
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Important Characters List
Rosen Springs: A First Contact War veteran, she joined the Gold Hounds, hoping that she'd make up for her time as a member of the Secessionist organization Golden Beacon, but is growing restless as she sees their methods are starting to become just as extreme.
Urdnot Wrex: Disgraced member of Clan Urdnot, exiled after an altercation with his father. He returns to Tuchanka after receiving support from a Cerberus front group to reunite the Krogan clans and drive the TOG out of Tuchanka.
Griffon-0413: A former member of Eden Zeon who underwent cyber-newtype surgery against his will before being pressed into Gold Hounds' service.
Alistair Walter: Gold Hounds ship captain in charge of the Armed Merchant Cargo Vessel Aurora. He treats the Aurora’s crew as his family, having lost his own during the First Contact War.
Falere: An Asari Journalist attached to the TOG. Having once been suspected of being an Ardat Yakshi, Falere is driven to shine a more sympathetic light on those she views as ‘misunderstood by the galaxy’.
Larian Vienas: Turian veteran of the First Contact War, and the first recorded Turian Newtype. He is currently assigned to the Tuchanka Oversight Group as the seniormost Turian military specialist and placed in charge of the 44th Mobile Squadron. He is there officially to train TOG members in mobile suit combat, but unofficially to study his growing newtype powers.
Dahlia Dantius: Asari mercenary, a veteran of the later stages of the Krogan Wars. Joined Eclipse after she betrayed the Matriarch she previously served during the First Contact War. She is currently deployed as a mobile suit squad leader in Tuchanka. She expects her assignment to be an easy one, a reward from Jona Sederis for betraying her former mistress.
Weyrloc Guld: Chief of Clan Weyrloc, one of the largest clans in Tuchanka. He has grand ambitions to be the Krogan who unites the clans, and isn’t squeamish about how he gets around to doing it. Due to their size, Guld considers the Urdnots as the biggest obstacle in achieving his ambition.
Jurdon Okeer: Chief of Clan Jurdon, which is relatively small. He is terrifyingly intelligent, having spent time studying various sciences during his days as a drifter away from Tuchanka. Okeer is obsessed with his project to create 'the perfect Krogan' through genetic modification, which he believes is what will ultimately save the Krogan species.
Charr: A young Krogan exile, one with the soul of a poet. He lived in Illium and made a living as a mechanic for decades after his Clan was wiped out during his childhood years. He has since returned to Tuchanka, inspired by Wrex’s rhetoric to reform the Krogans and build a new future in Tuchanka.
Jair Marek: An up-and-coming Krogan leader, sent forth by his clan chief to head Clan Jair’s mobile suit squadrons. What he lacks in smarts, he makes up for with quick wits and a keen eye for detail.
Ralion Esheel: Director of the Tuchanka Oversight Group. Former member of the Salarian Navy with plenty of contacts, whom he used to funnel advanced equipment from the Salarian military to the TOG. He is a true believer in the organization’s cause, which has informed his harsh execution of the TOG’s directives.
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Mobile Weapons
Cydonia Mechanics M-18-G/H “Gunstrike”: Export variants of the Gunstrike. It sees its ultra-compact Minovsky Reactor replaced by a rechargeable battery in the G model or an advanced aeroderivative hybrid engine in the H model. Besides the inability to supply energy to beam weapons, it otherwise retains the performance of the E/F models used by the Congressional Space Forces. Like its Space Force counterpart, G/H Gunstrikes can equip various equipment packs, though these have to be adapted to work without Minovsky-based technologies. Outside of Cydonia Mechanics, G/H Gunstrikes are also built under license by various companies like the NUMC or the Hahne-Kedar Company.
Built-in Armaments: 30mm Head-Mounted Vulcans.
Hand Carried Equipment: NUHIT C90-B 90mm Coilgun, BLASH-188 208mm Shoulder-Fired Missile Launcher, NUHIT S120-A 120mm Railsniper, HKC Type-83 57mm Gatling Rifle, CM Type-84 Kinetic Shield, Heat Sword/Saber/Axe
Non-Standard Equipment:
Air Assault Pack - If the Minovsky Flight Pack used by Congressional Gunstrikes uses precision and advanced technologies to achieve atmospheric flight, the Air Assault Pack instead uses raw thrust to brute force the Gunstrike into flying. The large wings fixed to the Air Assault Pack allow the pilot to pick and choose from a variety of armaments to suit their mission needs. The big downside of this is that the Air Assault Pack requires an external fuel tank to function, and once this fuel is depleted, the fight equipment becomes dead weight. To these ends, the Air Assault Pack is made relatively cheaply, and pilots are encouraged to dispose of them mid-battle should the need arise.
Close Combat Equipment: A small backpack equipped with auxiliary generators and additional thrusters, enhancing the Gunstrike’s ground mobility. The backpack also comes with a pair of small sub-arms, with mounting points to attach a 57mm Gatling gun or a 155mm cannon, and hardpoints for two large heat swords.
High Speed Recon Equipment - An equipment set that enhances the Gunstrike’s speed and sensor capabilities. While originally meant for long-range scouting, it’s been used by many aces for Force Recon missions or sniping purposes.
LANCER Pack - Short for ‘Long Assault Neuro-Control Equipment Rack’, the Lancer is a Pseudo-Psycommu attachment for the Gunstrike, which allows for the user to control LANCER Bits, which are large drone-type weapons, propelled by Mass Effect thrusters, carrying a 57mm Gatling Rifle that’s been adapted to fit in a LANCER Bit chassis.
Tauvohr-Armax Ve-262-D “Arma Gigas”: A mobile suit rushed into production by the Turian Military for use in the First Contact War. It was cobbled together using off-the-shelf components like the limbs of various industrial robots and the cockpit of the Vf-109 Long Talon fighter. While still reliable, early models of the Arma Gigas suffered from teething and design issues, lowering their overall performance. Post-First Contact War models saw many revisions to tackle these issues, turning the Arma Gigas from a machine that merely met the requirements of the Turian Military to one that many veterans loved. The Arma Gigas' original production was given to Tauvohr Mechanics, who dealt with the lion's share of development. However, post FCW production was given to Armax Arsenal, which was the Turian Military's biggest military supplier.
Built-in Armaments: 7.7mm Coaxial Head Machine Gun.
Hand Carried Equipment: 57mm High Velocity Autocannon, 44mm Macrogun, 57mm Rotary Autocannon, 120mm Heavy Sniper Cannon, Anti-Ship Missile Launcher Ar-114 Shield/Barrier Unit, Shoulder-Mounted Rocket Launchers, Vibro-Axe/Sword.
Non-Standard Equipment:
High Speed Pursuit Backpack - Powerful thrusters taken from a Long Talon starfighter are modified and mounted on the Arma Gigas like a backpack. The additional thrust provides the Arma Gigas with incredible linear acceleration and higher top speed, though at the cost of high-speed maneuverability. The High Speed Pursuit Pack relies on its own fuel tank, with hardpoints available for an additional two external tanks. Both the external tanks as well as the entire backpack unit can be jettisonned at will, to reduce the machine’s weight when entering combat.
Sky Talon Flight Pack - Using a heavily modified Long Talon airframe and wings, the Sky Talon Flight Pack is a specialized backpack that provides the Arma Gigas with crude atmospheric flight capabilities. Sky Talons come with integrated VI control systems, allowing them to operate independently of the Arma Gigas unit as a support drone. When combined with the weapon hardpoints inherited from the Long Talon, the Sky Talon becomes a flexible and powerful asset, usable even by formations that don’t operate Mobile Suits of any sort.
Testudo Armor Kit - A suite of defensive attachments meant to cover the Arma Gigas’s blind spots and vulnerabilities in urban and close-quarter scenarios. The complete suite includes Active Protection Suite in the form of miniaturized GARDIAN laser and automated machine gun turrets, explosive reactive armor over vulnerable armor sections, cage-like slat armor over ventilation holes, and thick disposable composite armor plates. However, while the Testudo was designed to be used as a complete set, pilots often complain about the penalties incurred to their machine’s mobility. It’s not uncommon for an Arma Gigas unit to deploy with an incomplete Testudo set.
Tauvohr-Armax Ve-262-D/L “Arma Gigas Lancea”: Based on the Arma Gigas, the Lancea was initially devised as a lightened field modification to help Turian aces keep pace with their much faster, much more experienced Human adversaries. Post-war, the Lancea concept was investigated and later formalized as an ace exclusive low production variant of the standard Arma Gigas. It features thinner and lighter armor plates, which allow for enhanced thrusters to be installed. This gives the Lancea a thrust-to-weight ratio far superior to what its standard counterpart has.
Built-in Armaments: 7.7mm Coaxial Head Machine Gun.
Hand Carried Equipment: 57mm High Velocity Autocannon, 44mm Macrogun, 57mm Rotary Autocannon, 120mm Heavy Sniper Cannon, Anti-Ship Missile Launcher Ar-114 Shield/Barrier Unit, Shoulder-Mounted Rocket Launchers, Vibro-Axe/Sword.
Non-Standard Equipment: High Speed Pursuit Backpack.
Nezhoi Transportation Ki-24-C “Se'Ngat”: A Salarian mobile suit that could transform into a fighter plane, one of surprisingly high quality and performance despite its short development period. The integrated Mass Effect flight system allows the Se’Ngat to fly in a planet’s atmosphere and reach such extreme altitudes that the Se’Ngat’s mothership can reach into low orbit to pick it up. This particular capability was a strict requirement set out by both the Salarian Army and Navy, who have been looking to consolidate several weapons platforms to streamline their logistical footprint and free up military spending on different fields.
Hand Carried Equipment: 57mm Autocannon/26mm Machinecannon ‘Nosecone Combo Weapon System’.
Other Equipment: Wing-mounted missiles, wing-mounted bombs.
Armali Council AG-01A1 “Ekdromoi”: A high-performance mobile suit that stands on the bleeding edge of technology… at least for a first-generation Citadel mobile suit. Its performance is superior to that of the Turian Arma Gigas thanks to its unhurried and better-planned development cycle. Later production models were even capable of surpassing the Congressional Gunstrike in terms of speed and mobility, thanks to their inherent atmospheric flight capabilities. However, it is still eclipsed by the Specter Gundam.
Built-in equipment: 2x GARDIAN Point-Defense Lasers
Hand-carried equipment: 57mm Macrogun, 76mm Sniper Cannon, 90mm Shoulder-Fired Railcannon, Type 201 Shield/Barrier Unit, Plasma Saber.
Non-Standard Equipment:
Arisoul Enhancer Kit: An attachment set not unlike the Testudo Armor Kit used by the Turians, and the various Full Armor mods used by Gundams across history, though with the benefit of not severely weighing down the Ekdromoi it was mounted on. This is achieved through the attachment of powerful Mass Effect field generators on various parts of the Ekdromoi, which serve not just to enhance the machine’s already potent Kinetic Barriers, but also to enhance its mobility and strength through the precise manipulation of gravity around the Ekdromoi itself. Unfortunately, the Ekdromoi was not designed with modularity in mind. As such, installing the Arisoul Kit is something of a headache-inducing affair, and the individual Arisoul generators have to be recalibrated often as prolonged use causes them to fall out of sync.
Batarian State Arms JJ-17-D “Dahled” A crude, though functional, first attempt at an indigenous Mobile Suit design. The Dahled initially started as an outright copy of the Arma Gigas, as Batarian agents managed to acquire a few of the Arma Gigas units being transferred by Fedorian’s coup forces from Turian military ownership to C-Sec. The inability of Batarian industry to match the Turian military’s high production standards led to Batarian engineers ‘simplifying’ the design with several revisions, which eventually turned the Dahled into an almost standalone design.
Built-in equipment: 20mm Coaxial Head Autocannon
Hand-carried equipment: 57mm Autocannon, 35mm Macrogun, 90mm Sniper Canon, 120mm Mortar Launcher, GK-001 Shield/Barrier Unit, Vibro Axe, Kinetic Mace
Cydonia Mechanics-Nippon United M-76-[H] Guncarrier Mobile Weapon Platform: Guncarriers are an odd beast of a machine that fills a very particular niche in the Congressional Forces needs. Skirting the line between Mobile Armor and Mobile Suit, the Guncarrier serves as a heavily armed and armored assault transport, meant to ferry specialist troops across no man's land into the heart of enemy territory. While in Mobile Armor mode, the Guncarrier uses then-cutting edge Mass Effect grav-sleds to keep the troop compartment on the machine's 'butt' from contacting the ground. The propulsion system, which actually drives the machine, varies depending on which variant and service branch the Guncarrier has been assigned to. The ground variant used by the army (Guncarrier [G]) features tracks on the front. The amphibious variant used by the Navy (Guncarrier [N]) has its tracks replaced with wheels for ground operations, while a powerful waterjet pushes the vehicle forward for sea operations. The variant used by the Space Force Marine Corps (Guncarrier [S]) also has wheels for surface operations -just like its wet navy counterpart- but eschews the waterjet for thrusters that help it maneuver in zero-g environments.
The [H] variant is the export variant of the Guncarrier. Besides the replacement of the Minovsky Ultracompact Reactor for an Advanced Aeroderivative Hybrid Engine and the inability to use beam weaponry, it is largely identical to the Space Marines [S] variant. This particular model is popular among the many mercenary companies that have spawned following the First Contact War.
Regardless of service branch and variant, the Guncarrier's propulsion limbs can unfold and transform into legs. Combined with the machine's 'turret' unlocking its side weapons appendages effectively turns the Guncarrier into a slow and heavy - though no less dangerous- Mobile Suit.
Cydonia Mechanics-Nippon United HOOD-22-RS “HOOD”: The HOOD is Rosen’s custom machine. It’s a massive, towering mobile suit at almost 24 meters tall. The HOOD’s heavily armored form belies its surprising agility and maneuverability, which combined with the impressive array of weapons installed, makes the HOOD something close to a force of nature in battle. A custom detachable flight pack, affectionately called ‘Iron Rose’ by Rosen, allows the HOOD to fly in-atmosphere. When detached, Iron Rose can operate as an autonomous combat drone, providing air support for the HOOD or allied units thanks to its many weapon hardpoints and semi-autonomous VI control system.
Built-in Armaments: 2x Internal Arm Mounted 57mm Gatling Cannons, Scatter Missile Launchers, Heat Claws
Other Equipment: ‘Iron Rose’ Air Assault Pack.
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Ships and Vehicles
NUMC ‘Vulture’ Pattern MCV-A: A vessel that pushes the boundaries of what's legally allowed to be classified as an ‘armed merchant vessel’. Anyone with a working pair of eyes can see that the Vulture is meant to be a mobile suit-carrying battle-carrier.
Length: 488 meters
Hangar Capacity: 36x MS slots, 12x Heavy Transports
Catapults: 2x Flat Top Multipurpose catapult, 2x Internal Catapult.
Main Armaments: 2x Twin 306mm Railcannon turrets
Secondary Armaments: 2x Twin 208mm Multipurpose Railcannon Turrets, 10x 57mm CIWS Vulcan Guns, 8x Multipurpose 120mm Coilguns, VLS Missile Launchers, PROXY Anti-Air Pulse Laser Array.
Propulsion: 1st Generation SSC Mass Efec
Drive System: 4th Generation SSC Mass Effect Drive
Power Plant: 6x Liquid Metal Nuclear Reactors
Other Systems: Heavy Duty Gravity Sled (for on-surface movement), 1st Generation SSC Class 2 Kinetic Barrier Generators
NUMC 'Jackal' Pattern PSV-A: A relatively small craft that is heavily armed for its classification. At a cursory glance, the Jackal may appear like any other standard security vessel, but a closer look reveals it’s a heavy gunship that could potentially give military patrol vessels a run for their money.
Length: 138 meters
Hangar Capacity: 4x slot (No catapult, they chuck it out the cargo bay)
Main Armaments: 2x Twin 120mm Multipurpose Coilgun Turrets
Secondary Armaments: 6x 57mm Vulcan Guns, Kinetic Kill Interceptor Launchers, PROXY Anti-Air Pulse Laser Array,
Propulsion: Nuclear Pulse Engine
Drive System: 4th Generation SSC Mass Effect Drive
Power Plant: 2x Liquid Metal Nuclear Reactors
Other Systems: 1st Generation SSC Class 1 Kinetic Barrier Generators
Krogan ‘Tomkah’ Assault Transport: A relic from the Krogan Wars, the Tomkah is a wheeled heavy vehicle, capable of transporting dozens of Krogan troopers through withering fire and artillery barrages, and providing supporting fire in return. It is the only vehicle still seeing (relatively) widespread mass production in Tuchanka, owing to its simple design. Unfortunately, post-war production models were noted to be of inferior quality compared to their Krogan Wars counterparts.
Krogan ‘Khublai’ Heavy Tank: Another relic from the Krogan Wars, the Khublai is a powerful tracked vehicle, armed with a main cannon powerful enough to punch through starship-grade armor. Unfortunately, due to its more complex and expensive design, only a handful of facilities can produce new Khublai units. Most post-Krogan Wars production units were built from salvaged Khublais destroyed in battle, or using the stockpile of parts that had somehow persisted since the dissolution of the Krogan Federation. Owning even one such vehicle is a sign of prestige amongst the Krogans.
Krogan ‘Super-Tomkah’ Landship: True to its name, the Super-Tomkah is a gargantuan on the ground, riding through Tuchanka’s shattered landscape as if it were an icebreaker in arctic waters. Production of Super-Tomkahs has ceased entirely, and the destruction of one such unit is considered a permanent loss. Krogan Clans who have even one of these jealously guard them as proof that their clans are still relevant in whatever remains of Tuchanka politics.
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The prodigal son returns from exile, but with him comes unexpected guests.
Next time, on Mobile Suit/Mass Effect:
Is this trip Back to Paradise the beginning of something new, or the encore of a familiar song?
Only time will tell.
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THIS WORK IS CROSSPOSTED IN FFNET AND A03