Mobile Suit - Mass Effect: The First Contact War

by Mister Smallville

Two worlds collide, neither prepared for the other. The Solar Sphere Congress -successor to the long gone Earth Federation- unwittingly starts a galactic crisis when it makes first contact with a very angry, very trigger happy Turian Hierarchy.

7. Re: UC 0379 - 1

Re: 0379 - 1

The World of Mobile Suit/Mass Effect

Foreword

I'm gonna be honest, I should have published this piece first. However, I finished Chapter 1 before I hashed out all the minor details and stuff, so I made the decision to upload Chapter 1 first while I smoothed everything out. Sorry for getting your hopes up for a continuation, because this is really just most of my non-spoiler worldbuilding notes compiled together for your benefit. The possibility of Mass Effect fans unfamiliar with UC Gundam clicking on this fic didn't occur to me until reading some comments, so consider this as my effort to get everyone reading this fic up to speed. This'll include a general timeline of major events, as well as some CODEX entries to give you guys a good lay of the land. I'll also add new CODEX chapters as the story progresses and things get revealed. Character profiles, tech breakdowns, that kind of stuff. If you don't care about this, feel free to skip this and go straight to the actual story chapters. These CODEXes aren't crutches, just neat little additions for those who want to get into the lore. I always try to make sure my readers can understand these even if they're not total lore nerds like me.

With that being said, let's get on with it.

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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 Universal Century. Construction of giant space stations and O'Neill Cylinders allow for the mass migration of mankind into the space. Meanwhile, unknown to the rest of the galaxy, the Turian Unification Wars begins.

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 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, allegedly assassinated by Federation agents. The Zabi family takes over in his absence and renames Side 3 into the Principality of Zeon. The Turian Unification Wars ends decisively 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 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. The Principality is reorganized into the Republic of Zeon, a semi-autonomous protectorate subservient to the Earth Federation.

UC 0083: (Gundam Stardust Memories/0083 Rebellion) Zeon Remnants launch Operation Stardust, devastating much of the North American continent and creating impetus for the creation of the Titans Organization - a paramilitary police force who's sole purpose is to root out and destroy any potential separatist movement in the Earth Sphere.

UC 0087: (Zeta Gundam) 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 practically genocidal, causing the Federation at large to disavow the group and cut off all support. The organization is ultimately destroyed in the Battle of Gryps.

UC 0088: (Double Zeta Gundam) A resurgent Zeonic faction calling themselves Neo Zeon, centered around 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 lead by Char Aznable -son of the Zeonic movement's original 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 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.

UC 0105: (Hathaway's Flash) The terrorist organization Mafty's Army launches an armed uprising around the Earth's Sphere but is ultimately thwarted.

UC 0120: (Gundam F90) The Oldsmobile conflicts between the Earth Federation and a Zeonic faction operating from Mars breaks 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.

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 deployment of the Genophage in Tuchanka. Many Krogan Warmasters manage to escape into the Terminus Systems where they wage a guerilla war against the Citadel Coalition, against the Terminus Warlords, as well as against each other for whatever scraps of resources or fertile females they can get.

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 are destroyed by the Citadel Coalition. With this, the Krogans have stopped being a major threat to the galaxy at large. Any and all Remnant factions that start posing a major threat to the Citadel are brutally destroyed by the Coalition forces. Those that kept to themselves are monitored by the STG and Turian Naval Intelligence, but are largely left alone.

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 is restructured into the Jupiter Commonwealth.

UC 0230: Infighting between the various Settlement Factions within the league threatens to fracture the entire coalition. Short but intense border wars between the different factions spark, but is 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 leads to the discovery of an ancient starship buried within Mars.

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 begins, 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 which oversees 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 begins, 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 exceeds past the hundred 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 starts.

UC 0351: After years of anti-insurgency operations, negotiations, and later concessions, a significant majority of the secessionist movement has been appeased and agree 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.

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 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 engage 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 breaks out.

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CODEX - Factions and Subfactions

Major Faction - Solar Sphere Congress

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 headed by the President, and the Judicial branch, staffed by 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, bar extraordinary circumstances.

Subfaction - Congressional Armed Forces

Acting as the sword and shield of the Solar Congress, the armed forces can be divided into three distinct branches, that being the Congressional Terrestrial Forces, the Congressional Space Forces, and the Colony Defense Forces. Overall command of the CAF falls under the President as the Commander in Chief, though generally it is the Minister of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff that manages the day to day and week to week dealings of the military.

Congressional Terrestrial Forces

A massive all volunteer, standing force. These are the men and women that are expected to engage in the brunt of campaigns, like during the Secession Crisis where the CTF was deployed in force to stop the Red Fang Organization while it attempted to take Mindoir and its orbiting colonies. The CTF can then be further divided into the Army and Navy, with each specializing in their respective domains.

The Army maintains a large fleet of mobile suits and landships - necessary equipment to take and hold ground against an enemy force. The Army also commands ground based air assets, such as atmospheric fighters, patrol planes, and bombers.

The Navy, on the other hand, maintains a much smaller fleet of mobile suits compared to the Army Corps. Instead, this branch of the CTF focuses on more conventional platforms such as surface warships, submarines, as well as troop transports and naval air assets.

When not deployed, CTF units are concentrated in large, expansive military bases that can accommodate all their equipment. In a bid to avoid regionalism, Central Congress has mandated that CTF units must be of mixed origin and must rebase every 5 years. This is done in hopes of keeping CTF units from becoming too sympathetic to certain territories, lest their loyalties become dubious.

Combat missions aren't the only duties of the CTF. In fact, a large part of the CTF's training involves disaster relief, and even construction. As such, the CTF fields a large fleet of combat grade construction vehicles, assigned to various support companies. It's not uncommon for CTF units to remain after a major operation to repair and restore damage done during battle.

Congressional Space Forces

Unlike their planetbound counterparts, the Space Force is very rarely concentrated in one place. Due to the vast expanse of empty void in between points of interest, it is necessary for the Space Force to constantly patrol and monitor star systems. To these ends, the Space Force fields a MASSIVE armada of ships, be they meant for frontline combat, intelligence gathering, personnel transportation, or support duties. Predictably, the Space Force receives priority funding over the Terrestrial Forces, which often becomes a point of contention for either side.

Space Force fleets are assigned to operate in regions usually made of small star clusters. These fleets are then broken down into smaller patrol units and quick reaction forces, which cover the vast territories of the Solar Sphere Congress. It is exceedingly rare for an entire fleet to be concentrated in one spot for extended periods of time.

Besides the large armada of ships, the Space Force also fields a small force of expeditionary troops in the form of the Space Marine Corps. These specialized troops are trained in a variety of operational tasks, from ship boarding to planetary landings. Unlike the Army, the Marines aren't expected to hold ground or fight a planetary war for extended periods of time, and as such are generally lightly armed and lack heavy equipment like emplaced artillery or construction vehicles.

Major Faction - Citadel Coalition

A loose federation of various races, the Citadel Coalition governs what many consider as '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, often decided by the governments of their respective races. The Asari chooses their Councilor based on votes from the Matriarch Conclave, bar extraordinary circumstances. The Salarians will have Dalatrasses sponsor a potential successor who is evaluated and later chosen by the current Salarian Councilor. Turian Councilors reserves 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.

Subfaction - Citadel Security

The Coalition's military wing, Citadel Security (C-Sec) is a volunteer force meant to secure Citadel Space where the member races can't, either due to political, legal, or other such reasons. C-Sec members can generally be divided into two sections, that being 'Real C-Sec' and 'Mission C-Sec'.

Real C-Sec are units raised, trained, and armed by the Citadel Coalition itself. These are mixed units that have no allegiances tying them to any of the member races, and as such cannot be recalled or commanded by anybody else but C-Sec officers. Real C-Sec units are often smaller and less well equipped as their Mission C-Sec counterparts, often relying on hand-me-down gear donated or sold from the various member nations at best, or using equipment bought from the civilian market at worst.

Mission C-Sec are units donated from member races to join C-Sec's ranks for a certain amount of time. As they're outfitted by their respective race's militaries, they're a much more potent fighting force than their Real C-Sec friends. However, due to their nature as donated units, there are times when Mission C-Sec units have to choose between following Coalition orders, or adhering to their own government's wishes. These moments are rare, as C-Sec strategists are always careful when choosing what assignments Mission C-Sec units are given, but they happen enough that it's not an issue that can be taken lightly.

Major Faction - Turian Empire

With most races, it's common to see them as nations that field armies. With the Turians, it maybe more accurate to say that they are an army that runs a nation. 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 began 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 race's standards. The Turian Empire is lead 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 had he or she not been held in check by the Turian Military Council.

Subfaction - Turian Navy

The largest and most powerful branch of the Turian Military, the Turian Navy stands as what is potentially the deadliest fighting force in the entire galaxy. The Turian Navy fields a massive armada, eclipsing both the Salarians and Asari combined together. These fleets patrol Citadel Space, keeping them secure from pirates and other ne'er do wells that seek to harm the people of the Citadel Coalition. In rare occasions, Turian Navy formations will venture beyond Citadel Space as expeditions. These expeditions often have a specific goal in mind, be it to pacify a rowdy Terminus or Attican warlord, or on rare occasions to hunt down a Krogan or Rachni splinter force that somehow eluded annihilation at the end of their respective wars.

The Turian Navy isn't just about warships and battlefleets, as every vessel carries with it a contingent of the Special Naval Landing Force. These are light expeditionary ground forces, usually meant as quick reaction forces that can quickly deploy to wherever they are needed.

Subfaction - Turian Army

Where the Special Naval Landing Force are quick reaction forces -often lightly armed and meant for short operations- the Army is the exact opposite. A Turian Army Group is what's deployed when a quick raid or landing operation isn't quite enough to deal with the threat. These massive divisions exist to wage campaigns of global war and conquest - an art that the Salarians and Asari have seemingly forgotten... or perhaps never learned. Due to the nature of their mission requirements, the Turian Army fields massive formations of hovertanks, heavy infantry, engineer companies, and other such implements of war. The last time the Turian Army has met is match was in the Krogan Wars. Since then, they have never known defeat.

Minor Faction - Golden Beacon

Golden Beacon is one of many remaining secessionist factions that refused to surrender after the Secession Crisis ended, having split off from its parent organization 'Beacon'. Despite losing much of their strength since the end of the Crisis, they remain a serious threat due to their sizeable fleet and experienced Mobile Suit pilots. Golden Beacon operates exclusively in the Greater Shanxi Cluster, with their end goal being the establishment of an independent Shanxi. They've maintained steady numbers over the years, even managing to pick up a sizeable number of new recruits after the economic slump of UC 0367.

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CODEX - Machines and Mobile Weapons

Solar Sphere Congress Mobile Suits

CSF Mobile Suit M-18 Gunstrike: The workhorse mobile suit of the Congressional Space Force, the Gunstrike line of MS have been in service since UC 0328, being fielded just at the tail end of the Secession Crisis. The Gunstrike joined the Space Force as a replacement for the aging but still high performing M-14 Gunstrider family of mobile suits. While the official reason for the replacement was due to the Gunstrider's expensive operational costs, a secondary reason is due to multiple secessionist Factions gaining access to the original blueprints of the Gunstrider, allowing them to produce their own... and potentially leaching off Congressional supply lines.

The Gunstrike has significant parts commonality with the Congressional Army's own fleet of mobile suits, which drives down operational costs and logistics complexity. This parts commonality is kept up as the Space Force continually upgraded and updated the machine, eventually bringing it to the current E/F models in service.

Because it is a Space Force suit, the Gunstrike is extremely modular, and can be equipped with a large variety of optional specialized mission equipment. This ranges from a radome backpack for long range recon and electronic warfare, to atmospheric flight units.

CAF Mobile Suit M-16 Gunfighter: The older sibling to the Gunstrike, the Gunfighter is the Army's workhorse mobile suit. It was developed to be a cheaper supplement to the pre-existing force of M-15 Gunwalkers, which incurs expensive maintenance costs for its unmatched performance. As time went on, the Gunfighter found itself pressed into more and more duties, ostensibly so that the Army could focus all of its Gunwalkers for frontline duty, but in reality due to fears that secessionist forces may have also stolen the blueprints for the M-15.

Modularity was not originally a part of the Gunfighter's design, but as the Army pushed it into more and more roles, specialized mission packs were eventually developed for it. Upgrade packages have also been developed for the M-16, eventually bringing it up to a comparable performance to the Gunwalker. The current variant in use by the Army is the Mod 70 Variant, which has 40% parts commonality with the Gunstrike.

CAF Mobile Suit M-15 Gunwalker: As the Gunstrider's terrestrial counterpart, the Gunwalker was functionally untouchable by contemporary secessionist machines. However, it started meeting its match in the form of secessionist Gunstrider copies during the height of the Secession Crisis. Multiple upgrade packages would be developed for the Gunwalker in order to stay ahead in the ensuing arms race. The M-15's amazing performance eventually became a problem for the Army, as secessionist Cells made numerous attempts to steal its blueprints, leading to the destruction of an entire Gunwalker team in UC 0313... the first in the entire Crisis. Only two of the three Gunwalkers were recovered, with the third having gone missing. Concerns that the secessionists may be reverse-engineering the M-15 lead to the Army reducing Gunwalker procurements significantly, pivoting to the cheaper though not as potent Gunfighter.

CSF Mobile Suit M-14 Gunstrider: Introduced just as the Secessionist Crisis began, the Gunstrider has become something of a legend among Mobile Suit pilots. Its performance was second to none at the time of its debut. For years it held a solid 9-to-1 kill ratio against its Secessionist foes, a gap that only shrank at the end of its service when Secessionist Gunstrider copies began getting fielded.

Secessionist Mobile Suits

Skoda Mobile Suits: A catch all name for Secessionist Mobile suits which are either derived or developed from the Gunstrider's stolen blueprints, the Skoda has seen widespread use by secessionist factions from all across the Solar Sphere. Skoda designs are passed around, improved, copied by others, altered, and then sold again by so many different factions that it's difficult to tell who came up with which. There is no "standard" model of Skoda, instead there are offshoots and offshoots of offshoots used by independent secessionist factions. The intelligence services working for the Solar Congress have done their best to try and categorize the most common models in use. So far, the most common Skoda seen in use by secessionists is the Type 35, which was developed as a modernized variant of the Type 27. The Type 35 also has the added benefit of having some parts commonality with the Gunstrike and Gunfighter, letting Secessionist forces leach off Congressional supply lines to a limited extent.

Despite its heavy use by secessionist factions, Skodas have also become rather popular among frontier colonies due to it's cheaper operational costs, and the fact that they could be produced without having to pay license to anybody. Many colonial security forces still operate or produce Type 27 Skodas in limited numbers, but they are slowly being replaced by older model Gunfighters and Gunstrikes being sold off by the Congressional Armed Forces.

Model 57 Hroeger: An elusive machine with no identifiable manufacturer, the Hroeger is a high performance mobile suit which has only started appearing in the late UC 0360s. Its performance far exceeds both the Gunstrike and Gunfighter, making the mere sight of this machine strike fear in to the hearts of any service member. Thankfully, the Hroeger is also extremely rare, likely due to high costs related to its performance. So far, the Congressional intelligence services have only managed to identify 132 unique Hroeger units, a minute fraction of the thousands of Skodas, Gunstrikes, and Gunfigthers currently in the field.

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A/N:

That's all the non-spoiler notes I can share for now. Got to smooth out and work on the others before posting more. Next chapter will continue the story again after a short time skip. Think of it as a mid-season break and this as a little recap episode.

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THIS WORK IS CROSSPOSTED IN FFNET AND AO3