You are an ordinary mecha pilot, embroiled in a fight between two Imperial factions over the fate of the Jupiter System. Space is deadly, war is harsh, your allies are all that you have.
Petals of Carbon Steel -- You're a Pilot, Not an Ace. Try your best.
- Thread starter Gazetteer
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Prologue
- Location
- Nova Scotia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Jupiter System,
Inter-lunar orbit,
Your casket
Jupiter. The second-largest object in the Solar System. At its most distant, nearly a full light hour from Earth and yet home to hundreds of millions of humans. Despite its chilly distance from the sun, its lack of anything resembling an atmosphere around any of its numerous, frigid moons, its deep gravity well and its lethal radiation, Jupiter is a treasure trove of resources. Enough to make it a prize worth fighting over. Worth dying over, for many. Yourself included.
Things have gone very wrong. Your ears are full of your own breathing, your own pounding heartbeat. The background hum of the systems keeping you alive — a thin line of metal, wiring and synthetic material between you and the lethal indifference of the void. And unfortunately, there's something out here with you intent on breaking that barrier.
"Fall back, fall back, fall back! This was not what we planned for!"
"No shit this wasn't what we planned for!"
The comms chatter has been getting steadily more frantic as the number of voices on it has steadily dropped. You're always supposed to be prepared for the worst — mentally, physically — when you climb into a mecha. Today, none of you really were. This was supposed to be simple. Easy, even. A decisive blow scored against the enemy, taking them by surprise from an angle they can't expect. You can't even begin to understand how it's gone this wrong.
"What is that thing?"
"I can't shake it, it's too fas--" A strangled scream, and another of your comrades dies, that strange cutter burning straight into their mecha's chest cavity, before riddling the cockpit with automatic fire meant to penetrate armour plating. Someone you know, someone you've fought beside, someone who you'd just spoken with face to face less than an hour ago, has just been shredded beyond human recognition, remains trapped inside the twisted wreckage of their mecha.
As you see the enemy turn to look straight at you, you know that this is a preview of your own fate. You fire at it, but it melts to the side like your rounds are moving in slow motion, dropping down in space to swoop back up toward your unit's feet. It's so much faster than you, this prototype that you'd been told wasn't even combat ready. This piece of glorified cargo you were supposed to just easily snatch. Unmoved by this irony, its twin camera array glows balefully, giving it a disconcertingly human visage. Your hands skate over the controls of your own machine, haptic interface feeding straight to your pilot suit. You twist away with all the skill your years in the cockpit can bring you. All your training, all your experience, all your guile.
It's not enough. You can't win this fight.
Your mecha isn't fast enough.
Your mecha isn't strong enough.
But most importantly... you're not good enough. You're a competent pilot, but that spark, that special something that seperates a competent pilot from an ace... you lack it, and this enemy does not. You will die here, in your mass-produced mecha, like countless others before you. In your heart, you already know this.
When you woke up this morning, you expected today to go very differently.
Your automated, ship-board alarm wakes you up mercilessly. Too early. It's always too early.
For just an instant, it's a normal morning. Sleepy hands fumble with the clasp of your-zero gravity sleeping bag, wriggling free with a practised motion. You're already blearily thinking about breakfast when you remember what today means:
You have a mission today. An important one, if not particularly dangerous. In a few short hours, you're going to muster with the other pilots to blacken the Holy Solar Empire's eye, at least a little. What uniform do you slip into, though? What colours are you going to go out into the void wearing?
[ ] The Alliance for an Independent Jupiter (AIJ)
[ ] Her Imperial Majesty's Guard (United Solar Empire)
Inter-lunar orbit,
Your casket
Jupiter. The second-largest object in the Solar System. At its most distant, nearly a full light hour from Earth and yet home to hundreds of millions of humans. Despite its chilly distance from the sun, its lack of anything resembling an atmosphere around any of its numerous, frigid moons, its deep gravity well and its lethal radiation, Jupiter is a treasure trove of resources. Enough to make it a prize worth fighting over. Worth dying over, for many. Yourself included.
Things have gone very wrong. Your ears are full of your own breathing, your own pounding heartbeat. The background hum of the systems keeping you alive — a thin line of metal, wiring and synthetic material between you and the lethal indifference of the void. And unfortunately, there's something out here with you intent on breaking that barrier.
"Fall back, fall back, fall back! This was not what we planned for!"
"No shit this wasn't what we planned for!"
The comms chatter has been getting steadily more frantic as the number of voices on it has steadily dropped. You're always supposed to be prepared for the worst — mentally, physically — when you climb into a mecha. Today, none of you really were. This was supposed to be simple. Easy, even. A decisive blow scored against the enemy, taking them by surprise from an angle they can't expect. You can't even begin to understand how it's gone this wrong.
"What is that thing?"
"I can't shake it, it's too fas--" A strangled scream, and another of your comrades dies, that strange cutter burning straight into their mecha's chest cavity, before riddling the cockpit with automatic fire meant to penetrate armour plating. Someone you know, someone you've fought beside, someone who you'd just spoken with face to face less than an hour ago, has just been shredded beyond human recognition, remains trapped inside the twisted wreckage of their mecha.
As you see the enemy turn to look straight at you, you know that this is a preview of your own fate. You fire at it, but it melts to the side like your rounds are moving in slow motion, dropping down in space to swoop back up toward your unit's feet. It's so much faster than you, this prototype that you'd been told wasn't even combat ready. This piece of glorified cargo you were supposed to just easily snatch. Unmoved by this irony, its twin camera array glows balefully, giving it a disconcertingly human visage. Your hands skate over the controls of your own machine, haptic interface feeding straight to your pilot suit. You twist away with all the skill your years in the cockpit can bring you. All your training, all your experience, all your guile.
It's not enough. You can't win this fight.
Your mecha isn't fast enough.
Your mecha isn't strong enough.
But most importantly... you're not good enough. You're a competent pilot, but that spark, that special something that seperates a competent pilot from an ace... you lack it, and this enemy does not. You will die here, in your mass-produced mecha, like countless others before you. In your heart, you already know this.
When you woke up this morning, you expected today to go very differently.
Your automated, ship-board alarm wakes you up mercilessly. Too early. It's always too early.
For just an instant, it's a normal morning. Sleepy hands fumble with the clasp of your-zero gravity sleeping bag, wriggling free with a practised motion. You're already blearily thinking about breakfast when you remember what today means:
You have a mission today. An important one, if not particularly dangerous. In a few short hours, you're going to muster with the other pilots to blacken the Holy Solar Empire's eye, at least a little. What uniform do you slip into, though? What colours are you going to go out into the void wearing?
[ ] The Alliance for an Independent Jupiter (AIJ)
AIJ
Led by: The Allied Council
The Jovian Independence movement is a diverse collective, formed of many cells and organised groups agitating for violent succession from Imperial rule.
The AIJ is a coalition of pro-democracy seperatist groups, roughly hammered into a unified fighting force, operating a hodgepodge of ships, mecha and weapons in a desperate, slogging guerilla campaign against the Holy Empire's administration in the system.
Compared to the Shields of Jupiter, famous for being responsible for the wholesale destruction of a civilian habitat, or the outright fanaticism of the First Front, the Alliance has been comparatively restrained in its use of extreme tactics and rhetoric. Perhaps for this reason, they have been chosen for covert support and outreach by the exiled United Solar Empire, grudgingly acknowledged by all the resistance factions as the lesser of two evils. Accepting was a controversial move, but the material aid that the USE's Special Reconnaissance & Intelligence is providing is too valuable to pass up.
Led by: The Allied Council
The Jovian Independence movement is a diverse collective, formed of many cells and organised groups agitating for violent succession from Imperial rule.
The AIJ is a coalition of pro-democracy seperatist groups, roughly hammered into a unified fighting force, operating a hodgepodge of ships, mecha and weapons in a desperate, slogging guerilla campaign against the Holy Empire's administration in the system.
Compared to the Shields of Jupiter, famous for being responsible for the wholesale destruction of a civilian habitat, or the outright fanaticism of the First Front, the Alliance has been comparatively restrained in its use of extreme tactics and rhetoric. Perhaps for this reason, they have been chosen for covert support and outreach by the exiled United Solar Empire, grudgingly acknowledged by all the resistance factions as the lesser of two evils. Accepting was a controversial move, but the material aid that the USE's Special Reconnaissance & Intelligence is providing is too valuable to pass up.
- You are an AIJ resistance fighter
- The formal training of your allies and leaders varies wildly, your equipment is sometimes unstandardised and makeshift
- You pilot an AIJ Pennant, a stripped-down retooling of the famous ISM32 Banner, from parts that "fell out of a transport". It's not as well defended as a standard Banner, but it's a little faster.
- You are of Jovian birth.
[ ] Her Imperial Majesty's Guard (United Solar Empire)
Her Imperial Majesty's Guard, Expeditionary Force
Led by: Lady-High-Commander, Her Imperial Highness, Princess Daystar Helios
The stated mission of the Imperial Guard is simple: Safeguard the Imperial monarch, their family and their holdings. Vitally important and very well-funded, but narrow in scope. To this end, the Guard traditionally maintains a small but elite land and space force, with an emphasis placed on mecha support.
Under the leadership of the new LHC, incidentally also Empress Solana's presumed heir, the Guard has been expanded, and its mandate interpreted broadly enough to cause considerable unease among the great houses of the Imperial Electorate. The greatest threat to the Empress's wellbeing, the Princess reasons, comes from the Holy Solar Empire, and doing whatever can be done to weaken it is a top priority.
With the Electorate divided, and the Lord and Lady Admirals of the Navy unwilling to commit interplanetary resources mere years after repelling a bloody invasion of Saturn, Daystar has dispatched small, agile strike forces to covertly enter the Jupiter system.
Led by: Lady-High-Commander, Her Imperial Highness, Princess Daystar Helios
The stated mission of the Imperial Guard is simple: Safeguard the Imperial monarch, their family and their holdings. Vitally important and very well-funded, but narrow in scope. To this end, the Guard traditionally maintains a small but elite land and space force, with an emphasis placed on mecha support.
Under the leadership of the new LHC, incidentally also Empress Solana's presumed heir, the Guard has been expanded, and its mandate interpreted broadly enough to cause considerable unease among the great houses of the Imperial Electorate. The greatest threat to the Empress's wellbeing, the Princess reasons, comes from the Holy Solar Empire, and doing whatever can be done to weaken it is a top priority.
With the Electorate divided, and the Lord and Lady Admirals of the Navy unwilling to commit interplanetary resources mere years after repelling a bloody invasion of Saturn, Daystar has dispatched small, agile strike forces to covertly enter the Jupiter system.
- You are a Guard 3rd-Class.
- You are part of a professional, well equipped fighting force with few concrete allies
- You pilot an IGSM 02 Halberdier, based off of the old Lancer family — faster and more agile than the Navy's ubiquitous Banners
- You are of Inner Solar System or Saturnian birth
Last edited:
Introduction
- Location
- Nova Scotia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hello! Welcome to Petals of Carbon Steel, a narrative quest where you're a common mecha pilot in an original setting, who tries their best.
Good luck with that.
QM's Note
Petals of Carbon Steel is the sequel to Petals of Titanium, in which Ensign Amani North, junior bridge officer with what remained of the United Solar Empire Navy, attempted to weather the second round of a brutal civil war that had already shattered her family and driven her loyalist faction to the far ends of inhabited space. The odds seemed stacked against her. Hope was something to be found in the quiet moments between the bursts of intense terror and the bonds that could be forged there.
If you're new, this might be a good jumping on point, even without having read the previous quest. While Carbon Steel does deal extensively with the aftermath of Titanium and will feature multiple returning characters, it features a new protagonist, is set in a different planetary system, and has a different focal point. I will be doing my best to make the story read coherently even if you've never touched the older material, although I will of course always appreciate people giving my older writing some fresh attention as well. Click on the logo below for a quick link to the old topic!
For returning readers, welcome back, I'm so glad that you're still with me after all this time. I know there have been some misgivings about the decision to switch to a new protagonist, but I feel pretty strongly that a fresh perspective on this setting will yield interesting and worthwhile results. I hope that we all come to care for the new protagonist we'll be creating together just as much as we did for Amani by the end of things. Aside from the obvious change in setting, this time around things are a little different: Instead of a bridge officer, endangered by combat but at a seemingly safe remove, you are a mecha pilot, thrust directly into all the furies of war. Some of the consequences and risks involved in battle scenes will therefore be different as well.
What will remain the same is human-centred mecha drama, a focus on characters and interpersonal relationships, and hard choices that have consequences far beyond the protagonist's immediate personal well-being. This is still Petals, and it is my sincere wish that you all come to feel the same in the coming months.
Petals Patreon and update schedule
A major new development is that I have a Patreon for Petals, and theoretically other original fiction I might do from this point on. Any fanworks that I write on the side are obviously not covered in the purview of this Patreon, nor will it be promoted or linked with any of them — that just makes things legally murky.
This is, obviously, an entirely optional thing that should hopefully not negatively impact anyone's experience with this quest. Petals takes quite a bit of time and effort to write, and frankly I am in a financial position where any little bit helps. I had some pretty strong misgivings about monetising my writing in this way, but we'll try it. I will obviously be extremely grateful to anyone who contributes in that way, but I will likewise always be grateful to anyone who reads and engages with my work. It remains one of the largest joys in my life, and all of the important content associated with Carbon Steel will remain free for everyone.
As a consequence of this, I will be trying my best to put out quality content on a regular basis. There will be a Petals of Carbon Steel update twice a month normally, and at least once a month barring strange circumstances or prior notice. In the event of having been unable to meet this commitment for a given month, I will of course disable Patreon billing until updates resume. Editing is something I've been trying hard to improve on, although I am just one woman with some friends who help proofread sometimes.
Petals of Discord server
I have started a Discord server as a place to talk about my quests and hopefully get to know some of my readers a little bit better. It's very new, and it's something I'll try my best to improve if there ends up being interest in it, but please have a look if that's something that appeals to you at all.
https://discord.gg/W8rJFBQ
My other original quests, to date:
Status: complete, 220k words
Tribulations of an Apprentice Witch
Status: incomplete, abandoned, 49k words
Good luck with that.
QM's Note
Petals of Carbon Steel is the sequel to Petals of Titanium, in which Ensign Amani North, junior bridge officer with what remained of the United Solar Empire Navy, attempted to weather the second round of a brutal civil war that had already shattered her family and driven her loyalist faction to the far ends of inhabited space. The odds seemed stacked against her. Hope was something to be found in the quiet moments between the bursts of intense terror and the bonds that could be forged there.
If you're new, this might be a good jumping on point, even without having read the previous quest. While Carbon Steel does deal extensively with the aftermath of Titanium and will feature multiple returning characters, it features a new protagonist, is set in a different planetary system, and has a different focal point. I will be doing my best to make the story read coherently even if you've never touched the older material, although I will of course always appreciate people giving my older writing some fresh attention as well. Click on the logo below for a quick link to the old topic!
For returning readers, welcome back, I'm so glad that you're still with me after all this time. I know there have been some misgivings about the decision to switch to a new protagonist, but I feel pretty strongly that a fresh perspective on this setting will yield interesting and worthwhile results. I hope that we all come to care for the new protagonist we'll be creating together just as much as we did for Amani by the end of things. Aside from the obvious change in setting, this time around things are a little different: Instead of a bridge officer, endangered by combat but at a seemingly safe remove, you are a mecha pilot, thrust directly into all the furies of war. Some of the consequences and risks involved in battle scenes will therefore be different as well.
What will remain the same is human-centred mecha drama, a focus on characters and interpersonal relationships, and hard choices that have consequences far beyond the protagonist's immediate personal well-being. This is still Petals, and it is my sincere wish that you all come to feel the same in the coming months.
Petals Patreon and update schedule
A major new development is that I have a Patreon for Petals, and theoretically other original fiction I might do from this point on. Any fanworks that I write on the side are obviously not covered in the purview of this Patreon, nor will it be promoted or linked with any of them — that just makes things legally murky.
This is, obviously, an entirely optional thing that should hopefully not negatively impact anyone's experience with this quest. Petals takes quite a bit of time and effort to write, and frankly I am in a financial position where any little bit helps. I had some pretty strong misgivings about monetising my writing in this way, but we'll try it. I will obviously be extremely grateful to anyone who contributes in that way, but I will likewise always be grateful to anyone who reads and engages with my work. It remains one of the largest joys in my life, and all of the important content associated with Carbon Steel will remain free for everyone.
As a consequence of this, I will be trying my best to put out quality content on a regular basis. There will be a Petals of Carbon Steel update twice a month normally, and at least once a month barring strange circumstances or prior notice. In the event of having been unable to meet this commitment for a given month, I will of course disable Patreon billing until updates resume. Editing is something I've been trying hard to improve on, although I am just one woman with some friends who help proofread sometimes.
Petals of Discord server
I have started a Discord server as a place to talk about my quests and hopefully get to know some of my readers a little bit better. It's very new, and it's something I'll try my best to improve if there ends up being interest in it, but please have a look if that's something that appeals to you at all.
https://discord.gg/W8rJFBQ
My other original quests, to date:
Status: complete, 220k words
Tribulations of an Apprentice Witch
Status: incomplete, abandoned, 49k words
Last edited:
List of Characters
- Location
- Nova Scotia
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Current as of update 024. May contain spoilers.
The Alliance for a Free Jupiter
The crew of the AIJ Esther Strova
Himegami Kana: A pilot for the AIJ serving on the. A former pirate, originally from Ganymede. Has a nosy, oily air that makes people think she's up to something. The protagonist.
Black, Azara: A pilot for the AIJ, Kana's and Kitty's squadmate, and Kitty's lover. Originally from a backwater station, where she joined the local militia. Talkative and utterly without shame.
Booker, Sara: First officer of the Esther Strova. Very no-nonense. Dislikes Kana.
Goodwell, Dr. Manjinder: Medical officer of the Esther Strova.
Leski, Jacek: Captain of the Esther Strova. Boisterous and energetic.
Lý Thị Cam: A pilot for the AIJ, Jay and Ryan's squadmate. Originally from a family of salvage operators, has a fascination with machines and military hardware and a talent for mechanics. Quiet and earnest, easily flustered.
Monserrato, Sunny: A pilot for the AIJ, Kana and Azara's former squad leader. A deserter from the Divine Navy, diligent and straight-laced. Was killed by Divine Navy Ensign Tanaka Mari.
Ohanian, Nazaret: Communications and mecha control officer for the AIJ. Kana's friend. Easygoing and friendly.
Ross, Ryan: A pilot for the AIJ, Jay's and Cam's squad leader. Self-serious, but a huge nerd. Has a young daughter.
Sails, Jennifer: A pilot for the AIJ, former commander of the Esther Strova's mecha contingent, and squad leader to Kitty and Jay. A calm and respected commander. Was killed by Divine Navy Ensign Tanaka Mari.
Schmidt, Josef: Scans officer.
Shen Zhìháo: A pilot for the AIJ, former squad leader to Cam and Ryan, former mentor to Kitty. A stern and weathered veteran. Was killed by Divine Navy Ensign Tanaka Mari.
Tham, Jay: aka "J21". A pilot for the AIJ, Kana's lover, and a surviving J-Subject. Stoic and patient, with a temper that occasionally flares. Loves his surrogate siblings.
Wehrschmidt, Kitty: A pilot for the AIJ, Kana and Azara's squad leader. Grew up in the Jovian independence movement, serious and self-assured.
Yorke, August: The chief mechanic for the Esther Strova. Talented, but high-strung. Hates Kana.
The United Solar Empire
The North Family
Bal-North, Faiza: Born Faiza Bal, adoptive daughter to Nalah, adoptive sister to Mosi and Amani. A girl in her young teens and a mechanical prodigy, currently in the Imperial Academy on Titan.
North, Amani: An SRI lieutenant. Daughter to Nalah, sister to Mosi and Faiza, fiancée to Gloriana. An expert with scans systems as well as various forms of code. Unflappably cool and professional. The protagonist of Petals of Titanium.
North, Amir: Late husband to Nalah, father of Mosi and Amani. An accountant killed on Mars by the HSE as part of the Utopia Purges for his refusal to disavow his wife.
North, Mosi: A guard-lieutenant and mecha pilot in the Imperial Guard. Daughter to Nalah, sister to Amani and Faiza. A deserter from the Divine Navy, serving in exchange for a pardon.
North, Dame Nalah: A captain and mecha pilot in the Imperial Navy, wife to Amir, mother to Mosi, Amani, and Faiza. A famous war hero for her part in the Imperial Civil War. Was injured badly during the Saturn Invasion.
Perbeck, Countess Gloriana: A captain and mecha pilot in the Imperial Navy, fiancée to Amani. Bears the title of Countess Perbeck, although her family lands are still on Mars, in HSE hands, currently ruled by her cousin. A coldly serious woman, but an intense warrior.
Special Reconnaissance & Intelligence
Frost: An SRI technician reporting to Amani north. Was killed by pirates.
Jens: An SRI technician reporting to Amani North. Was killed by pirates.
Mendez, Amelia: An SRI commander and captain of the HIMS Creeping Ivy.
North, Amani: See above entry.
Owusu, Milo: An SRI commander and mecha pilot. Special liaison to the AIJ.
The Imperial Guard (USE)
Helios, Princess Daystar: Lady-High-Commander of the Imperial Guard. Niece of the empress, her preferred heir for the USE's throne.
J6: Formerly personal bodyguard to Princess Daystar. Died during the events of Petals of Titanium.
Li, Anton: A guardsman second-class and scans officer aboard the HIMG Goldray. Native-born Saturnian. Brother of Anja Li.
North, Mosi: See above entry.
Song Ji-ho: Captain of the HIMG Goldray. A member of House Song, his aunt is the holder of an Imperial Elector seat.
Vasquez, Lucinda: A guard-lieutenant and first officer onboard the HIMG Goldray. Devious. A native-born Saturnian.
The Imperial Navy (USE)
Andre, Lilian: Former captain of the HIMS Titanium Rose, former commanding officer of Amani north. Died during the events of Petals of Titanium.
Li, Anja: A sub-lieutenant and communications officer onboard the HIMS Nightshade. Friend and former shipmate of Amani North.
North, Dame Nalah: See above entry.
Perbeck, Countess Gloriana: See above entry.
The Imperial Royal Family (USE)
Helios, Prince Corona: The empress's son, in disfavour. Daystar's political rival.i named this character back in 2018 leave me alone
Helios, Princess Daystar: See above entry.
Helios, Empress Solana I: Empress of the USE, defacto direct ruler of Saturn.
The Holy Solar Empire
House Grangier
Grangier, Arianne: The youngest daughter of House Grangier's main family. A disappointment and a party girl. Secretly, a spy for the Jovian independence movement. In a quasi-secret relationship with her bodyguard, Agnieszka.
Grangier, Duchess Lorelei: The HSE-appointed governor of Jupiter. A former Imperial Elector who betrayed the USE during the Civil War. Mother of the year.
Grangier, Duke-Consort Renaud: An admiral in the Divine Navy, formerly in command of the HSE's Jovian Garrison. Helped command the Saturn Invasion, the Battle of Titan, surrendered during the events of Petals of Titanium, remaining a prisoner of the USE.
Leszczyńska, Dame Agnieszka: aka J32. A Knight of the Order Lunar, Arianne's bodyguard, and a surviving J-subject. Dangerously unstable, loves Arianne and what family she has.
The Divine Navy of Correction
Adler, Alvin: A young man recruited into the crew of the HDMS Sunspot. Friend of Tanaka Mari.
Dvorska, Baroness-Consort Allison: Admiral in command of the Divine Navy's Jovian Garrison.
Grangier, Duke-Consort Renaud: See above entry.
Green, Elias: A commander and mecha pilot in the Divine Navy. Formerly Mosi North's commanding officer and mentor.
Kron, Edith: A commander in the Divine Navy and captain of the HDMS Sunspot.
Quan, Ava: A young woman recruited into the crew of the HDMS Sunspot. Friend of Tanaka Mari.
Reider, Baroness Tabitha: A commander in the Divine Navy, captain of the HDMS Iron Tulip.
Salmus, Sir Ethan: A commander and mecha pilot in the Divine Navy. The original test pilot for the QDIMX Carbon Steel.
Smith, Andrew: A lieutenant and mecha pilot in the Divine Navy. Former subordinate of Mosi North, current subordinate of Elias Green.
Stone: A commander in the Divine Navy and captain of the HDMS Copper Blossom. Was killed in combat with the Esther Strova and its allies. Colleague of Tabitha Reider.
Su Limin: A lieutenant and mecha pilot in the Divine Navy. Former HSE Imperial Academy classmate of Mosi North, participated in the abusive hazing she suffered.
Tanaka Mari: A cadet and pilot in the Divine Navy, a young civilian recruited into the crew of the HDMS Sunspot. Pilot of the QDIMX Carbon Steel.
Yildiz, Sevda: A young woman recruited into the crew of the HDMS Sunspot. Friend of Tanaka Mari.
The Imperial Royal Family (HSE)
Helios, Emperor Dawnlight III: Divine Emperor of the HSE.
Helios, Prince Apollo: Son of the Divine Emperor, heir apparent to the throne of the HSE.
Others:
The J-Project
J3: A promising subject, died relatively early in the project due to a freak neural-interface testing accident.
J6: See above entry.
J21: See Tham, Jay.
J32: See Leszczyńska, Dame Agnieszka.
Dr. Parker: The head researcher for the J-Project.
Pirates
Beryl, Naiya: A mecha pilot with Ohara's Wolves. Former Divine Navy. Survived the Saturn Invasion and the Battle of Iapetus.
Ohara, James: Commander of the Ohara's Wolves and mecha pilot. Former shipmate of Himegami Kana. Killed in combat by Milo Owusu.
The Alliance for a Free Jupiter
The crew of the AIJ Esther Strova
Himegami Kana: A pilot for the AIJ serving on the. A former pirate, originally from Ganymede. Has a nosy, oily air that makes people think she's up to something. The protagonist.
Black, Azara: A pilot for the AIJ, Kana's and Kitty's squadmate, and Kitty's lover. Originally from a backwater station, where she joined the local militia. Talkative and utterly without shame.
Booker, Sara: First officer of the Esther Strova. Very no-nonense. Dislikes Kana.
Goodwell, Dr. Manjinder: Medical officer of the Esther Strova.
Leski, Jacek: Captain of the Esther Strova. Boisterous and energetic.
Lý Thị Cam: A pilot for the AIJ, Jay and Ryan's squadmate. Originally from a family of salvage operators, has a fascination with machines and military hardware and a talent for mechanics. Quiet and earnest, easily flustered.
Monserrato, Sunny: A pilot for the AIJ, Kana and Azara's former squad leader. A deserter from the Divine Navy, diligent and straight-laced. Was killed by Divine Navy Ensign Tanaka Mari.
Ohanian, Nazaret: Communications and mecha control officer for the AIJ. Kana's friend. Easygoing and friendly.
Ross, Ryan: A pilot for the AIJ, Jay's and Cam's squad leader. Self-serious, but a huge nerd. Has a young daughter.
Sails, Jennifer: A pilot for the AIJ, former commander of the Esther Strova's mecha contingent, and squad leader to Kitty and Jay. A calm and respected commander. Was killed by Divine Navy Ensign Tanaka Mari.
Schmidt, Josef: Scans officer.
Shen Zhìháo: A pilot for the AIJ, former squad leader to Cam and Ryan, former mentor to Kitty. A stern and weathered veteran. Was killed by Divine Navy Ensign Tanaka Mari.
Tham, Jay: aka "J21". A pilot for the AIJ, Kana's lover, and a surviving J-Subject. Stoic and patient, with a temper that occasionally flares. Loves his surrogate siblings.
Wehrschmidt, Kitty: A pilot for the AIJ, Kana and Azara's squad leader. Grew up in the Jovian independence movement, serious and self-assured.
Yorke, August: The chief mechanic for the Esther Strova. Talented, but high-strung. Hates Kana.
The United Solar Empire
The North Family
Bal-North, Faiza: Born Faiza Bal, adoptive daughter to Nalah, adoptive sister to Mosi and Amani. A girl in her young teens and a mechanical prodigy, currently in the Imperial Academy on Titan.
North, Amani: An SRI lieutenant. Daughter to Nalah, sister to Mosi and Faiza, fiancée to Gloriana. An expert with scans systems as well as various forms of code. Unflappably cool and professional. The protagonist of Petals of Titanium.
North, Amir: Late husband to Nalah, father of Mosi and Amani. An accountant killed on Mars by the HSE as part of the Utopia Purges for his refusal to disavow his wife.
North, Mosi: A guard-lieutenant and mecha pilot in the Imperial Guard. Daughter to Nalah, sister to Amani and Faiza. A deserter from the Divine Navy, serving in exchange for a pardon.
North, Dame Nalah: A captain and mecha pilot in the Imperial Navy, wife to Amir, mother to Mosi, Amani, and Faiza. A famous war hero for her part in the Imperial Civil War. Was injured badly during the Saturn Invasion.
Perbeck, Countess Gloriana: A captain and mecha pilot in the Imperial Navy, fiancée to Amani. Bears the title of Countess Perbeck, although her family lands are still on Mars, in HSE hands, currently ruled by her cousin. A coldly serious woman, but an intense warrior.
Special Reconnaissance & Intelligence
Frost: An SRI technician reporting to Amani north. Was killed by pirates.
Jens: An SRI technician reporting to Amani North. Was killed by pirates.
Mendez, Amelia: An SRI commander and captain of the HIMS Creeping Ivy.
North, Amani: See above entry.
Owusu, Milo: An SRI commander and mecha pilot. Special liaison to the AIJ.
The Imperial Guard (USE)
Helios, Princess Daystar: Lady-High-Commander of the Imperial Guard. Niece of the empress, her preferred heir for the USE's throne.
J6: Formerly personal bodyguard to Princess Daystar. Died during the events of Petals of Titanium.
Li, Anton: A guardsman second-class and scans officer aboard the HIMG Goldray. Native-born Saturnian. Brother of Anja Li.
North, Mosi: See above entry.
Song Ji-ho: Captain of the HIMG Goldray. A member of House Song, his aunt is the holder of an Imperial Elector seat.
Vasquez, Lucinda: A guard-lieutenant and first officer onboard the HIMG Goldray. Devious. A native-born Saturnian.
The Imperial Navy (USE)
Andre, Lilian: Former captain of the HIMS Titanium Rose, former commanding officer of Amani north. Died during the events of Petals of Titanium.
Li, Anja: A sub-lieutenant and communications officer onboard the HIMS Nightshade. Friend and former shipmate of Amani North.
North, Dame Nalah: See above entry.
Perbeck, Countess Gloriana: See above entry.
The Imperial Royal Family (USE)
Helios, Prince Corona: The empress's son, in disfavour. Daystar's political rival.
Helios, Princess Daystar: See above entry.
Helios, Empress Solana I: Empress of the USE, defacto direct ruler of Saturn.
The Holy Solar Empire
House Grangier
Grangier, Arianne: The youngest daughter of House Grangier's main family. A disappointment and a party girl. Secretly, a spy for the Jovian independence movement. In a quasi-secret relationship with her bodyguard, Agnieszka.
Grangier, Duchess Lorelei: The HSE-appointed governor of Jupiter. A former Imperial Elector who betrayed the USE during the Civil War. Mother of the year.
Grangier, Duke-Consort Renaud: An admiral in the Divine Navy, formerly in command of the HSE's Jovian Garrison. Helped command the Saturn Invasion, the Battle of Titan, surrendered during the events of Petals of Titanium, remaining a prisoner of the USE.
Leszczyńska, Dame Agnieszka: aka J32. A Knight of the Order Lunar, Arianne's bodyguard, and a surviving J-subject. Dangerously unstable, loves Arianne and what family she has.
The Divine Navy of Correction
Adler, Alvin: A young man recruited into the crew of the HDMS Sunspot. Friend of Tanaka Mari.
Dvorska, Baroness-Consort Allison: Admiral in command of the Divine Navy's Jovian Garrison.
Grangier, Duke-Consort Renaud: See above entry.
Green, Elias: A commander and mecha pilot in the Divine Navy. Formerly Mosi North's commanding officer and mentor.
Kron, Edith: A commander in the Divine Navy and captain of the HDMS Sunspot.
Quan, Ava: A young woman recruited into the crew of the HDMS Sunspot. Friend of Tanaka Mari.
Reider, Baroness Tabitha: A commander in the Divine Navy, captain of the HDMS Iron Tulip.
Salmus, Sir Ethan: A commander and mecha pilot in the Divine Navy. The original test pilot for the QDIMX Carbon Steel.
Smith, Andrew: A lieutenant and mecha pilot in the Divine Navy. Former subordinate of Mosi North, current subordinate of Elias Green.
Stone: A commander in the Divine Navy and captain of the HDMS Copper Blossom. Was killed in combat with the Esther Strova and its allies. Colleague of Tabitha Reider.
Su Limin: A lieutenant and mecha pilot in the Divine Navy. Former HSE Imperial Academy classmate of Mosi North, participated in the abusive hazing she suffered.
Tanaka Mari: A cadet and pilot in the Divine Navy, a young civilian recruited into the crew of the HDMS Sunspot. Pilot of the QDIMX Carbon Steel.
Yildiz, Sevda: A young woman recruited into the crew of the HDMS Sunspot. Friend of Tanaka Mari.
The Imperial Royal Family (HSE)
Helios, Emperor Dawnlight III: Divine Emperor of the HSE.
Helios, Prince Apollo: Son of the Divine Emperor, heir apparent to the throne of the HSE.
Others:
The J-Project
J3: A promising subject, died relatively early in the project due to a freak neural-interface testing accident.
J6: See above entry.
J21: See Tham, Jay.
J32: See Leszczyńska, Dame Agnieszka.
Dr. Parker: The head researcher for the J-Project.
Pirates
Beryl, Naiya: A mecha pilot with Ohara's Wolves. Former Divine Navy. Survived the Saturn Invasion and the Battle of Iapetus.
Ohara, James: Commander of the Ohara's Wolves and mecha pilot. Former shipmate of Himegami Kana. Killed in combat by Milo Owusu.
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Mother Nyx
Mother of Elpis
- Location
- The Kei Klub
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] The Alliance for an Independant Jupiter (AIJ)
[X] The Alliance for an Independant Jupiter (AIJ)
Fun as it would be to be working for Daystar, rather like the idea of being a resistance fighter.
Fun as it would be to be working for Daystar, rather like the idea of being a resistance fighter.
- Location
- New York
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Her Imperial Majesty's Guard (United Solar Empire)
Daystar ho! And unstable sister to.
Daystar ho! And unstable sister to.
NuclearConsensus
Herald of the Thorned One
- Location
- the Philippines
[X] Her Imperial Majesty's Guard (United Solar Empire)
- Location
- Third planet from the star named Sol
- Pronouns
- He/They
[X] The Alliance for an Independant Jupiter (AIJ)
We were an Imperial soldier last time. Let's be a scrappy rebel underdog.
Also, I am so happy I saw this just as it was posted. Now to go to bed and pass out!
We were an Imperial soldier last time. Let's be a scrappy rebel underdog.
Also, I am so happy I saw this just as it was posted. Now to go to bed and pass out!
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Raiseth
I Find Your Lack of Memes Disturbing
- Location
- Russia
As far as I can tell, we won't be playing Mosi. She's way too important to be just an ordinary pilot.
To put it simply, her Gundam is customized.
Though we'll probably meet her in some capacity? A cameo?
That's just what I think.
EternalObserver
eYe Gaze baCk
- Location
- The Void
[] The Alliance for an Independant Jupiter (AIJ)
[X] Her Imperial Majesty's Guard (United Solar Empire)
[X] Her Imperial Majesty's Guard (United Solar Empire)
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Tayta Malikai
200% Space Whale
- Location
- Australia
IT'S HAPPENING
Damn, I can't choose. On one hand, the Empire was really fun to play as last time. On the other, being a maverick third force in this internecine intrasolar conflict is also very appealing...
Well, I guess we already had our turn with the Empire. Might as well try something different.
[X] The Alliance for an Independent Jupiter (AIJ)
Damn, I can't choose. On one hand, the Empire was really fun to play as last time. On the other, being a maverick third force in this internecine intrasolar conflict is also very appealing...
Well, I guess we already had our turn with the Empire. Might as well try something different.
[X] The Alliance for an Independent Jupiter (AIJ)
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Raiseth
I Find Your Lack of Memes Disturbing
- Location
- Russia
Okay tho. I'm gonna ask the important question we all are thinking of. Yeah, that's right.
What will be the name of a ship we're based on?
So that we'll know our ship's half of a shipping name we're gonna call our ships of our ship with other ships, obviously.
( to be serious, the previous quest had HMS Titanium Rose, so I kinda expect thematic naming to continue? )
What will be the name of a ship we're based on?
So that we'll know our ship's half of a shipping name we're gonna call our ships of our ship with other ships, obviously.
( to be serious, the previous quest had HMS Titanium Rose, so I kinda expect thematic naming to continue? )
- Location
- somewhere
[X] The Alliance for an Independant Jupiter (AIJ)
Thebigpieman
I've got this, I think.
- Location
- United States
Here we go again.
[X] The Alliance for an Independant Jupiter (AIJ)
[X] The Alliance for an Independant Jupiter (AIJ)
- Pronouns
- Him/He
[X] Her Imperial Majesty's Guard (United Solar Empire)
I like the idea of being a force deep behind enemy lines, with people of unclear loyalty (for various reasons of the last quest) trying to keep the mission alive in the face of compromises and diplomacy you aren't really ready or trained for. More fun then a standard 'fight everyone' sort of faction.
Edit: And I also like the option of being an inner sphere born person, likely one that defected during the big battles. I think that'll give us a lot more fun character to play around with, with the massively different experiences we've gotten going halfway across the solar system and back
I like the idea of being a force deep behind enemy lines, with people of unclear loyalty (for various reasons of the last quest) trying to keep the mission alive in the face of compromises and diplomacy you aren't really ready or trained for. More fun then a standard 'fight everyone' sort of faction.
Edit: And I also like the option of being an inner sphere born person, likely one that defected during the big battles. I think that'll give us a lot more fun character to play around with, with the massively different experiences we've gotten going halfway across the solar system and back
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ItzNarcotic
Fireside Eldritch Munchies
- Location
- Bay Area, California
- Pronouns
- Any
[X] The Alliance for an Independant Jupiter (AIJ)
taovkool
Forever Gone
- Location
- The Library, Department of General Works
I was in the middle of typing something along the lines of "democracy's overrated anyway" to try and get more votes but that's a much better argument than the one I have.
- Location
- Internet
[X] Her Imperial Majesty's Guard (United Solar Empire)
Whiskey Golf
Being of Editing & Technical Assistance
- Location
- Chained to my desk
[X] Her Imperial Majesty's Guard (United Solar Empire)
Tayta Malikai
200% Space Whale
- Location
- Australia
Actually you know what, this convinced me. Switching my vote:
[X] Her Imperial Majesty's Guard (United Solar Empire)