In an original flavour Gundam AU, take the reigns of an advisor to a minor power in the decaying Union of Sol, and attempt to navigate a fragile peace while positioning yourself to survive its eventual collapse.
It is the year 133 of the New Standard Epoch. The Union of Sol, formed from the ashes of the old governments of Earth and the blood of their interplanetary colonies, has expanded across humanity's home system, stretching from the sun-scarred wastes of Mercury to the edges of interstellar space. Ruling from the Union Spire, a vast and beautiful habitat overlooking Earth, the Union brings together representatives from across the solar system to chart the fate of a united humanity, in a new age of peace and enlightenment free from the terrors of history.
The peace lasted forty-three years. While the Union Assembly sat on their thrones above Earth, their representatives in the outer worlds - separated by months of travel and long communication delays - slowly gained more and more power, devolved from the Assembly in the name of simple convenience. Soon, the Union-appointed Governor Plenipotentiary of Saturn favoured his home moon of Tethys extensively, at the expense of the larger, older, and poorer industrial colonies of Titan, and the match was struck. As Titanian workers starved to provide Tethyan luxuries, they pursued independence from Saturn through full Union membership. The Saturn Sphere Home Fleet moved to blockade Titan, hoping to starve out the insurgency, only to be countered by a ramshackle Titanite fleet equipped with a new type of weapon - the mobile suit.
Developed from the stable suits used to service orbital stations, but freed of their dependence on a parent station for energy and life support, mobile suits outpaced the conventional strike craft used by the SSHF, and demonstrated the potential of the Stable Suit's neurohaptic interfaces in a military capacity. The First Battle of Titan was a crushing defeat for the Union's forces, and the Spire could no longer look away - but attention is not action, and the Union quickly grew gridlocked. As the representatives of the eight Spheres and the minor colonies bickered, the situation over Titan continued to deteriorate. Saturn's second push ended as the first did, and in response the Governor Plenipotentiary used the ongoing paralysis of the Union to justify a state of emergency, assuming dictatorial control of the Saturn Sphere and authorising the use of old naval hulls as kinetic kill vehicles.
The strike on Titan was thwarted, not by the Titanites but by long-range bombardment by the Jupiter Sphere Home Fleet, already on their way to Saturn orbit. Jupiter had followed Saturn into a formal state of emergency, but instead focused on the potential humanitarian crisis on Titan. The JSHF were thus ordered to enter the Saturn Sphere; Saturn denounced this as an invasion, as only the Union could override Plenipotentiary authority on internal matters, and the Union had passed no resolution. Both Jupiter's and Saturn's declarations shook the Spire, but it came no closer to a formal resolution - and soon, the fleets of two Spheres of the Union clashed in the first battle since the end of the Colonial War. The Battle of the Great Conjunction would end in Jovian victory, in no small part due to their own mobile suits, and they would establish a blockade of Titan, preventing Titanite forces from leaving the world or Saturnian forces from assaulting it.
After several long months of skirmishing, and the landing of Jovian mobile suits on Titan's surface, the Union would accept Jovian intervention as fait accompli, and formalise Jupiter's role in arbitrating the conflict. The Titanite rebels would be granted leave to establish their own colony, and Jovian ships would escort them from the Saturn Sphere despite sabotage and attacks by rogue members of the Saturn Sphere Home Fleet. Saturn's government would retain authority over Titan, and the Union "would not recognise moons breaking from their primaries, just as they would not recognise planets breaking from the Sun". Jupiter's Governor Plenipotentiary would be called before the Assembly, but not removed from her position. The Jovian official who ordered the destruction of the Saturnian KKVs - and in the eyes of his critics, the invasion of Saturn - would be awarded the Union Star and, later, the Nobel Peace Prize. For now, the Union stands - but for all the honours everyone knew that the war was ended by Jovian force of arms, not Union procedure.
Humanity is at peace, but an uneasy peace. Mercury harvests the Sun's rays to feed humanity's growth, uncaring of the means or costs of that growth. The aerostat cities of Venus nervously watch the glow of the factories below, all too aware of their history as prisons. Earth sits all but abandoned, given over to vast terraforming efforts to recover from the Colonial War, its population moved to the great ecumenopolis of Luna - by choice to its spires, or by force to its slums. A thousand old rivalries stir on Mars, still clinging to its pride from the Union's birth, and sinking deep into resentment of its decline. Jupiter revels in its role as the Union's peacekeeper, but anyone can see that the Union needs Jupiter more than Jupiter needs the Union. Saturn grumbles in Jupiter's shadow, and even Tethys grows to resent its tightening grasp on its moons. Uranus's ailing Governor Plenipotentiary is a true believer in the Union, but the old man's days are numbered, and Titania and Oberon both covet his seat. Neptune has fallen under the sway of occultists and mystics, turning its eyes away from Sol to gaze into the void.
And then there's you. One of the footnotes.
Which one, to be precise?
[ ] Quaoar.
The Enlightened Consulate of Quaoar was established as a research colony to study the strange gravity of Quaoar's rings, and is the oldest trans-Neptunian colony from first settlement. Its numerous institutes have yielded several breakthroughs in gravitics that allow for the current interplanetary shipping network to operate - as well as many stranger studies about the impact of long-term residency in deep space on the human mind.
Strengths:Newtype Adaptive bullshit. Research colony, strong academic traditions, actually respected by the Spheres. There's something weird about your rings.
Weaknesses: Little heavy industry. More than a little obscurantism and occultism. Neptune thinks you're a bunch of heretics. If you stare long into the void...
[ ] Ceres.
The Alliance of Cooperatives and Free Associations of Ceres, Pallas, and Vesta is one of the oldest governments in Sol, claiming descent from the original Martian secessionist movement that saw the collapse of Earth's old colonial order - or so they say. In truth, the Alliance barely controls Ceres, with Pallas and Vesta practically private fiefs for their own local interests, and the rest of the Alliance's members little more than a thin veneer for Martian and Jovian spies and corporations.
Strengths: Trade. Highly developed infrastructure. Large and experienced (but pre-mobile suit) navy comparable to a Sphere's in size.
Weaknesses: Infighting and corruption. Flashpoint for Mars-Jupiter tensions. Navy is highly decentralised and rather... piratical.
[ ] Pluto.
The seat of the Union's Governor Plenipotentiary of the Outer Reaches, Pluto's authority technically reaches across all bodies outside Neptune's orbit, though it has essentially no ability to meaningfully project it. For all their official status, the Outer Reaches are de facto the Union's dumping ground, so the Spheres can promote anyone politically inconvenient into a post with little meaningful influence.
Strengths: Political legitimacy. Full access to current-generation Union naval and mobile suit technology.
Weaknesses: Political dumping ground. All the blame and none of the credit for anything that happens on the other trans-Neptunian colonies.
[ ] Haumea.
Haumea was originally established as a shipyard to service probes and research missions going beyond the edges of the solar system, especially a proposed mission to Sedna to reach interstellar space. The reputation as the "gateway to the stars" has never really left Haumea, even as essentially all of these projects were ruled out as totally impractical, and while the rings of Haumea provide enough rare minerals to keep the colony solvent, it has never really had an opportunity to grow.
Strengths: Advanced orbital infrastructure and shipyards. Access to exotic materials. Veteran spacers, including Stable Suit pilots. Funny shaped planet.
Weaknesses: Very low population. Low industrial materials. Basically no military.
[ ] Eris.
The Eridian League is the youngest of the Union's worlds, a result of the Peace of Titan. The nominal successor of the Titanite independence movement, plucked from their war against Saturnian tyranny by Jovian meddling, the League was split by the war into two factions - the original "Lunarist" faction, seeking greater influence within the Union for individual colonies rather than the Spheres, and a growing "Anti-Unionist" faction seeking the overthrow of the entire Union system.
Strengths: Original developers of mobile suit technology. Stockpile of resources from evacuation of Titan. Small but experienced military.
Weaknesses: Saturn hates you, Jupiter wants to use you. Young colony without much infrastructure. Ideological shoes your practical realities can't fill.
* * *
"fish are you starting ANOTHER quest" I do not control the brain worms. Blame this on Witch from Mercury ending and me going on an ADHD bender on the Kuiper Belt.
As far as quest style goes, this will be generally in the style of Divided Loyalties, where the PC is one of several advisors to a nation styled after a classical CK2 quest - in this case, minor colonies in a solar system sized pending Gundam Clusterfuck. All of the nation options will exist in setting, it's just a question of which one the PC is going to work for and what their starting options will be - while all the classic CK2 slots exist, a Diplomacy advisor on Ceres is going to have a very different time than one on Pluto or on Eris!
Researcher of Quaoar (+6 Learning): Whatever else you may be, you're a scientist, from a world of scientists. Fleet Officer (+2 Martial, +1 Diplomacy): You served the Union as an officer in the outer Reaches Home Fleet. Outer Reaches Idealist (+1 Diplomacy, -1 Stewardship): The Reaches are a land of absurd promises and impossible dreams - but you should never underestimate the breadth of the possible. Political Bystander (+2 Diplomacy, -2 Intrigue): You've mostly avoided the Institutes' intrigues, and earned a form of their respect.
Skills:
Deep Space Survival (Trained +5)
Naval Theory (Skilled +10)
Orbital Research (Skilled +10)
Orbital Engineering (Trained +5)
Physics (Trained +5)
Spacecraft Command (Veteran +15)
Spacecraft Engineering (Skilled +10)
Spacecraft Operation (Trained +5)
RHSBelogradchik, converted Palomar-class corvette
The Belogradchik followed you from the Union to the Institutes, and now to the Consulate. No longer a vessel of the Outer Reaches Home Fleet, she has been refitted to serve as a dedicated research and exploration vessel. In addition to the ship and her crew, your office also controls a small but sophisticated space station which serves as Belogradchik's home port, performing routine maintenance and refueling to ensure she can operate on your terms.
Usage: May be attached to any orbital mission for 2 Resources and 1 Influence. (Influence cost negated by berth.) On Mission: Reroll one Learning failure per turn. If this ability does not activate, refund 1 Resources upon mission completion.
Tadgh Kaspichan, Head of Security:
Professional but cordial.
Some philosophical friction. (Idealist vs Cynical)
Sympathy for his condition. (Fleet Officer vs Laika's Disease)
Quaoar's government consists of the Consulate, an executive body appointed by the various research institutes and universities that make up the backbone of the colony, and the House of Voices, a unicameral legislature which is elected every five years by proportional ballot across the entire planet and its orbitals.
Executive Committee of the Consulate
Chair of the Committee: Bohumil Thomas Head of Outreach: Asm. Ali Hargreaves Fleet Representative: Capt. Anastasya Whipporwhil Head of Administration: Prof. Xuan Marta Hoang Head of Security: Tadhg Kaspichan Coordinator of Research: Hypatia Khwarizmi (PC) Chief of the Judiciary: Jenivive Filo Kızılırmak Delegate of the House of Voices: Jean-Noel Otgonbayar Chief Engineer of QPIC: Hanifa de la Fuente
House of Voices
The House of Voices is currently in contention, with a minority coalition of the Technocrats, Frontier Party, and Liberty-Opportunity-Autonomy Party holding just shy of a majority of seats.
Recognised Political Parties
Technocrats: The Technocrats support the execution of government functions by recognised experts in their fields, usually by way of Consulate appointments. Generally supportive of the Consulate and opposed to "mob rule", they support a strong but transparent Consulate, but will quickly move against a Consul deemed unfit for their position. They were the major political allies of your predecessor, Rajesh Kriemhilding, whose anti-corruption efforts leaned heavily on Technocrat rhetoric. They control one of Quaoar's Union Assembly seats.
Frontier: Frontier prides itself on being a "spacer's party" based in the minor orbital colonies. Their interests are highly focused on this core constituency, and they receive few votes from surface settlements or large colonies, though they have moderate support in areas with notable Fleet presence. A traditional ally of LOA, they served as "kingmakers" in the current government, negotiating the compromise with the Technocrats.
Liberty-Opportunity-Autonomy: Sometimes called the Nationalists, though many LOA members reject this label. Formed from the anti-Geocentrist Liberty and Autonomy Party and the populist Opportunity movement, LOA has traditionally been in opposition to the Technocrats, who they considered anti-democratic. However, the split between the Technocrats and Unionists over the Titanite war gave LOA an opportunity, and with support from Frontier delegates they brokered a compromise with the Technocrats to form a narrow minority government without needing to rely on the increasingly unstable Unionists. Part of this compromise was receiving the Delegate seat on the Consulate, where they are represented by Jean-Noel Otgonbayar.
Innovation and Development Party: Formerly the left wing of the Technocrats, they broke with the party over the implementation of Union intellectual property laws, which they saw as a danger to a free and open scientific process. They substantially gained at the Technocrats' expense in the recent elections, with many of their predictions about the Union seemingly vindicated by their paralysis in the Titanite war.
New Green Party: There is no environmental movement to speak of on Quaoar, being as it is a largely uninhabitable ball of ice. The New Green movement are localists who favour energy independence where possible, in particular reducing reliance on the Mercurian energy trade. Has a complex relationship with Frontier; both are highly democratic-populist parties and often opposed to the larger groups, but starkly divided on the infrastructure issues which form the core of their platforms.
Socialist Party of the Quaoar Republic: The SPQR is perhaps best described as two or three smaller parties in a trenchcoat, being divided into Unionist, populist, and technocratic factions. This infighting has made it difficult for the party to secure a place in government, though they have traditionally been the largest of the opposition parties; however, the prominence of the Unionist faction saw them losing out in the latest cycle to both LOA and the IDP. Previously controlled one of Quaoar's Union Assembly seats, where they were represented by Ali Hargreaves, but lost it to LOA in the new government.
Unionist Party: Often referred to as the Market Unionists to distinguish them from the pro-Union faction of the SPQR. Previously a leading party in government alongside the Technocrats, they were ousted by LOA when the Titanite conflict and unrest on Neptune saw public confidence in the Union drop, leading to a significant loss of seats and internal stress within the party. They control one of Quaoar's Union Assembly seats.
Federation Anarchiste Quaoar: The Anarchists are mostly considered to be a "protest vote", indicating a lack of support for any other recognised party. Their gaining of two seats in the recent election is not unprecedented, but is certainly unusual, especially as the party declared an end to their traditional abstentionism.
Weywot Fleet
Official Designation: 3rd Flotilla, Outer Reaches Home Fleet, Union of Sol Loyalty: Reliable; de jure beholden to Pluto and the Union, but Weywot and Quaoar are home. Status: Operational Composition: 8 Kilauea-class destroyers, 22 Palomar-class corvettes
Population, Regions, and Major Settlements of the Quaoar Sphere
Population numbers are approximate, rounded to the nearest thousand.
It's entirely possible for any of the starts to be the first to make a suit worthy of the name Gundam, though it'd take pretty focused effort. (As the technology evolves, each faction's MS development has clocks in my notes that track progress towards "first Gundam", and whoever wins - whether the PCs, a major power, or somehow one of the other minors - is going to partially determine what "Gundam-type" means in the NSC "timeline".) The ability of each player option to reach that goal line is about even, but their different priorities mean very different things about what that goal will look like - and how its reveal will then drive anyone else in the MS arms race.
With that said, Gundam racing isn't the only viable strategy - as Gundam vs grunt power scaling goes, we're more on the early/mid UC end of the scale. An exceptional machine with an exceptional pilot can do a lot, but still has its limitations without proper support.
[x] Quaoar Historic image of Quaoar and Weywot, recreated in tile on the floor of the Executive Chambers
Executive Chambers of the Enlightened Consulate, Toypurina, Quaoar
133 NSE, May 4, 09:44 Quaoar Synchronised Time
The entrance hall of the Executive Chambers is wide and dark, whether you are looking down at the floor or up through the reinforced glass dome into the depths of the void. Sol's distant light shines through the glass, still brighter than the fluorescent lamps that ring the room despite the vastness of space. At its heart lies a glowing light, a recreation of an ancient depiction of the world you now stand on, from before humanity could escape Earth's covetous grip.
You have been to the Consulate's chambers before, of course, but it is your first time walking them as a Consul. Your appointment has been confirmed, upheld by the House of Voices, and your predecessor has stepped back to seclusion; there is nothing left for you to do until the rest of the Consulate arrives. Your predecessor advised you to arrive early, but perhaps you have come too early; alone in the vast circular chamber, you have nothing to do but nervously pace the edges of the room, feeling your anxiety and anticipation slowly curdle into a frenetic restlessness.
It is quiet here and now, before the Consulate assembles and the pulse of the world stirs - you're almost disappointed at how… simple, it feels. Your predecessor carried a certain gravitas, made the Consuls' chairs exude an almost physical presence. The weight of authority, perhaps, or simply the weight of their spirit. Will others feel the same, when they look at you? Is it the pageantry, the dark floors and vast halls, or something else, that pulse at the edge of your consciousness?
The Spheres and even your fellow Reaches worlds had a whole litany of jokes about Quaoarian "superstition", especially as Neptune seems to dive headlong into their own bizarre ritualism, but anyone on Quaoar knew there were things that words couldn't convey; things that you had to live to understand.
Maybe Nietzsche had the right of it; maybe your people have spent too much time void-gazing, gone mad from the cold isolation. But it is easy to say humanity was not meant for deep space, easy to point to your titanium bones and magnetic joints and say that you have left something behind you that you cannot regain. Easy for them to speak, blinded by Sol and bound by gravity, never having seen the true breadth of the cosmos.
But even if humanity's nature is of Earth, you are of Quaoar, and you will not let them call you less for it. Nature is a beginning, not an end, and it will not define you. You were shaped by Quaoar, and now you shall shape Quaoar for those who come after you. Your chosen home thrums with life and growth, and if it is not humanity's nature to be here, then humanity will change its nature. The first and oldest law, which has brought you here and carries you all forward into the future: you will change, and you will adapt.
The universe demands nothing less.
The universe is one thing - but what does the Consulate ask of you?
[ ] Head of Outreach.
Quaoar's universities and researchers may be the purpose of the colony, but they are far from its only occupants. They may control the Consulate, but without the factories, farms, mines, and shipyards they would swiftly starve. Your Diplomacy caught the attention of your predecessor, who has trained you to manage the various interests within Quaoar, as well as maintaining relationships with the rest of the Reaches, and placating the Union and the major Spheres.
[ ] Fleet Representative.
Officially, the Fleet Representative is not a Quaoarian executive but an advisor attached to the Consulate by the Union's Outer Reaches Home Fleet, to advise - but not command - the Consulate in Martial matters. The title of Consul is, as far as the Union is concerned, ceremonial. But the ORHF hasn't even been called to order by Pluto, let alone Earth, since its formation, and no one labours under the illusion that it is not a power in the Quaoar sphere. After Saturn and Jupiter's recent actions, the Consulate are not so foolish as to deny the Fleet access to the halls of power - and the Fleet is keen to maintain their access to Quaoar's innermost circles and the technology they could offer.
[ ] Head of Administration.
Life is not simple in the Reaches; sunlight is scarce, and many physical goods must be shipped from the inner worlds. Mercurian energy-barges make the long haul to Quaoar out of both greed and obligation, but they circle like vultures, keen to pry away knowledge and secrets to justify the expense. With such scarcity, Stewardship of your resources is a vitally important role, and coordinating the numerous competing factions to make best use of them requires a lifetime of training.
[ ] Head of Security.
Secrets are more valuable the fewer people know them, but knowledge grows faster the more it spreads. Every institution wants to stay ahead of its rivals, but no one wants to see their research slip through their hands. While the institutes resent Consular involvement in their Intrigue, they also know the alternative - not having anyone keeping an eye on who's spying for who, or tracking who's working for offworld interests - is far worse.
[ ] Coordinator of Research.
The academies and institutes would never give full research authority to the Consulate, and if they did, their representatives would never agree on a single nominee to hold such a position of prestige and power. Still, the great institutions of Learning need someone to keep the Consulate abreast of their activities, manage coveted public investments, and set broad priorities for the whole community - as well as a single point of contact for when they need to put a finger on the scales.
