General Fanfiction Discussion 2: Electric Boogaloo

Your own tale of two mecha.
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Deathzealot
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Re: General Fanfiction Discussion 2: Electric Boogaloo

Sorry to Necro this thread...again. But I just want to put out that G-Reco finally has a page on Fanfiction.net for those who wanted to do a G-Reco story. Granted it only has one story currently... but still...have to start somewhere.
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Amion
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Re: General Fanfiction Discussion 2: Electric Boogaloo

After my disaster with AGE, I feel less inclined to hurl myself into G-Reco for some reason.

Though I had this interesting idea whereby characters visit Saturn and encounter a cone-shaped orbital elevator composed of threads like those at Venus Globe or the Cathedral atop Capital Tower. It's the place where they used Helium 3 to manufacture the Venus Globe modules themselves, Jupiter's gravity being a bit too much for the delicate process...

The people who live there have degenerated into thin, small creatures that live inside cybernetic "armor suits", and live partially hooked up to the factory computer network. They're so caught up in the efficiency of their factory production that they no longer possess many human emotions, despite being proud descendants of some of the "greatest scientific minds and peacemakers of the UC era".

They're currently building Photon Modules for race of people living on Uranus, who have the intention of carrying out the EXODUS plan before an impending Solar Flare damages the Earth. (La Gu mentioned in episode 21 of Reconguista that enough Globe modules could move the Earth. This was an allusion to the EXODUS plan, which was meant to stop the planet from getting fried by a possible nova by moving it to another star system, or maybe even strike out for Andromeda. The sun calmed down and the events of the Reguild Century happened, cutting off production of enough Photon Globes to carry through with the plan)
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degwin_zabi
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Use of acronyms and portmanteaus in Gundam

I know that some were used like ZAFT among others in Seed, but I think that a few could've been used nicely in the Universal Century. :wink: Of course there was the Anti Earth Union Group, but they should've thought of a better name to show that they weren't the second coming of Spacenoid aggression. And having both "Union" and "Group" kind of sounds repetitive. Not to mention, I don't know why it was separate in organizational terms from the Karaba aside from resources and location. While a fan fiction writing associate of mine did make a good point of one being unnecessary for the Titans, I still think it would've sounded a bit cool and it would fit the Titans' anti-SHIELD mannerisms. And while I can imagine a guy like Zeon Zum Deikun becoming more name famous overtime like George Washington and Galileo Galilei, doing it while he's alive or immediately after death sounds egotistical and premature. As of now, I've thought of two acronyms and a portmanteau for a Universal Century of my own redesign. Zenith Unionism, the ideals of advocating Newtype evolution, Spacer independence, and Earth's environmental health as taught by Con Tol Deikun (I got the new name from Contolism which is supposed to be his ideas as told on his Wiki article). Terrestrial Initiative for Terrorist Attack Neutralization, the counter-insurgency agency who's members are referred to as Titans. And finally, the Karaba Equality Group, an activist faction that's physically hostile against the Titans, but gains ground with the Earth Federation overtime. Is anyone else thinking of an acronym and/or portmanteau for the Gundams? Don't be shy.
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Re: Use of acronyms and portmanteaus in Gundam

I think this probably belongs in the "Fanfiction" topic, right? Or is that only for completed stories?

-- Mark
degwin_zabi
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Re: Use of acronyms and portmanteaus in Gundam

toysdream wrote:I think this probably belongs in the "Fanfiction" topic, right? Or is that only for completed stories?

-- Mark
Uh, sorry. I guess I wasn't thinking that far ahead when I thoughts of this. But I suppose we can always consider this as speculation. If not, I'll see what I can do to move it.
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ShadowCell
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Re: Use of acronyms and portmanteaus in Gundam

i'm not sure where this topic would go, but seeing as how it's just "make up some forced acronyms and stuff for Gundam!" i'm not sure what the point of it is anyway.

i guess i'll send it off to fanfiction.
degwin_zabi
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Re: Use of acronyms and portmanteaus in Gundam

ShadowCell wrote:i'm not sure where this topic would go, but seeing as how it's just "make up some forced acronyms and stuff for Gundam!" i'm not sure what the point of it is anyway.

i guess i'll send it off to fanfiction.
Okay, sure. I guess I was just comparing it to real world stuff or something. I don't know. I thought it was fascinating to talk about.
Hyakushiki
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Re: General Fanfiction Discussion 2: Electric Boogaloo

What's wrong with Zeon being named after the guy who founded the state in the first place? There has been a precedent for naming states and governmental systems even while said persons were still alive, and why not if they put in the work to build a nation state they should have every right to name it after themselves, or the people of those countries had enough respect for them that they honored them such. So yeah ego played a part in it, but that in and of itself isn't a bad thing, half of the counties in my home state of Maryland and even state itself were named after British lords and ladies who were living at the time mostly so they would give us money and flattery goes a long way for that.

Honestly, most people hated how Gundam SEED overused acronyms to the point of abuse, most were ridiculous word salad, forced meaning for its own sake becomes meaningless.

That said the Titans acronym isn't bad but that Zeon one, no, just no.
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degwin_zabi
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Re: General Fanfiction Discussion 2: Electric Boogaloo

Hyakushiki wrote:What's wrong with Zeon being named after the guy who founded the state in the first place? There has been a precedent for naming states and governmental systems even while said persons were still alive, and why not if they put in the work to build a nation state they should have every right to name it after themselves, or the people of those countries had enough respect for them that they honored them such. So yeah ego played a part in it, but that in and of itself isn't a bad thing, half of the counties in my home state of Maryland and even state itself were named after British lords and ladies who were living at the time mostly so they would give us money and flattery goes a long way for that.

Honestly, most people hated how Gundam SEED overused acronyms to the point of abuse, most were ridiculous word salad, forced meaning for its own sake becomes meaningless.

That said the Titans acronym isn't bad but that Zeon one, no, just no.
I don't know. It may have worked in the days when men and women were openly proud of themselves and subservient to others, but I'm not sure that should be a norm for today or tomorrow. I suppose my definition of a great leader is someone who's both proud and modest. I guess SEED tried to make short terms that actually sounded like names. What's wrong Zenith Unionism?
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ShadowCell
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Re: General Fanfiction Discussion 2: Electric Boogaloo

Gundam was not exactly crying out for more silly forced acronyms in the first place, which is exactly what "Zenith Unionism" would be. Zeon is quite reasonably named after Zeon Zum Daikun because it's his ideals that the Principality claims to uphold (and aren't we fortunate that the leader of Munzo wasn't named something more commonplace or we'd have the Principality of Gary). it doesn't really have anything to do with "zeniths" or "unions"
degwin_zabi
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Re: General Fanfiction Discussion 2: Electric Boogaloo

ShadowCell wrote:Gundam was not exactly crying out for more silly forced acronyms in the first place, which is exactly what "Zenith Unionism" would be. Zeon is quite reasonably named after Zeon Zum Daikun because it's his ideals that the Principality claims to uphold (and aren't we fortunate that the leader of Munzo wasn't named something more commonplace or we'd have the Principality of Gary). it doesn't really have anything to do with "zeniths" or "unions"
I just thought it would be interesting. I also figured that Deikun, the reasonable, non-hysterical Deikun from the Origin, would believe that humanity was reaching it's zenith which basically means culmination upon the Newtype ascension and would need a new form of unity to advance into space. That's where his activist group, the Zenith Union, comes around, turns into a political party like the American Democrats, and becomes synonymous with Munzo's governments among other things in name. Besides, it's religious meaning in the real world aside, I remade Zeon as portmanteau. It's not necessarily the same thing as an acronym. They maybe similar, but that's not the point. You can always call it Zeonism, if you wish.
degwin_zabi
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Re: General Fanfiction Discussion 2: Electric Boogaloo

Public reception is important after all, and I believe the public largely favors a leader with a healthy ego. Not counting those personality cults. I wouldn't mind celebrating Deikun's birthday after he dies a supposed martyr, or naming a city after him while he lives as long as he does more than a decade of accomplishments, but I don't see the good PR effect it would have, if his first name, no matter how cool it sounds, is used to describe practically everything about Munzo.
degwin_zabi
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Re: General Fanfiction Discussion 2: Electric Boogaloo

This is where I'm discussing ideas. After this, I'll probably unsubscribe from the topic. And please try to bare with me.http://gundam.wikia.com/wiki/Thread:72906
Antares
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Re: General Fanfiction Discussion 2: Electric Boogaloo

Hyakushiki said:
Honestly, most people hated how Gundam SEED overused acronyms to the point of abuse, most were ridiculous word salad, forced meaning for its own sake becomes meaningless.
Yes. At first it was kind of cute, then it was "OK, that's enough", and by the time Destroy Gundam and its OS rolled around it was mostly "pls stahp".

But hey, that's a what fanfiction is about: you rename the universe according to your liking. Earth Alliance or Earth Union, it doesn't really make a lick of difference in your own work. Canon is just... canon. The names in it are the names in it.

Maybe Zeon Zum Daikun didn't want his name to be synonymous with their struggle, but that's what it became, possibly for both internal and external preferences. And it stuck.

You also forget, degwin_zabi, that many governments are named after their prime ministers. You can try to think up a name for your government that kicks ass, like "The Avengers of Austerity", but other people are quite free to poke fun at that and call you "The lame nerds" or something. ;)
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amitakartok
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Re: General Fanfiction Discussion 2: Electric Boogaloo

In case anyone still visits this topic, is this the right place to ask questions for an ongoing story of mine that I'm not willing to make a thread for yet?
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Deathzealot
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Re: General Fanfiction Discussion 2: Electric Boogaloo

Pretty much. Refer to some of the earlier posts in this thread. However please be aware that Necroing a thread like this is quite frowned upon. Granted this thread in particular isn't that much of a hassle but other threads, and their readers would be quite upset if you do.
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amitakartok
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Re: General Fanfiction Discussion 2: Electric Boogaloo

Well... if the post dates I'm seeing are of any indication, pretty much all posts in this section of the forum are necros. Not that I'm going to necro my own posts, or anything; I'd like to think I'm a bit too old for that.

I'm not asking about a story idea; the story is already being posted on Spacebattles and Sufficient Velocity, currently 20 chapters (~70,000 words) in. What I'm asking about are stuff I'm planning to include later - you know, to make sure it's a good idea before I put it in.

The reason why I'm asking here is because, although it's an Evangelion story, it draws very heavy inspiration from Gundam and Armored Core. So much that I'm pretty sure you guys will accuse me of unoriginality. Anyway, what I'm meaning is that I'm treating the Evas like Gundams/NEXTs: not the only kind of mecha around, but it's individually superior to the mass-produced counterparts, paying for its superior performance with being too expensive to be mass-produced by itself. As of 20 chapters in, currently taking place in late 2041, the Evas' overall tech level is roughly equivalent to that of a Gouf. It would be more accurate of me to say Gundam Ground-Type, but they have no access to beam weapons of any kind yet. The currently planned speed of technological advancement:
  • Early 2042: beam rifles and flight equipment. Roughly analogous to the Tallgeese.
  • Mid-2042: flight equipment modified for space use (Zephyrantes), mechanical limbs allowing partial transformation (BuCUE), heavy fire support exoskeleton (Astray Red Frame Power Loader).
  • Late 2042: rudimentary powered movement assist systems, used as recoil dampeners.
  • 2047: advanced power source (GN drive).
  • 2048: prototype heavy assault equipment (Physallis).
  • 2049: ground-combat hoverjets (DOM).
  • 2055: upgraded space propulsion system (Sinanju).
  • 2057: exotic propulsion system (Destiny), redesigned internal power grid (Trans-Am), experimental neural interface upgrade (psycoframe), remote weapons (DRAGOON).
  • 2058: high-spec assault exoskeleton (ZZ), beam tonfas and anti-ship swords, cyclonic particle shield (GN field).
  • 2067: Dummy Remote Control System (GX Bit).
  • 2068: Hexacore Energy Discharge System (Satellite Cannon).
Is this speed of advancement acceptable?

----

Next question. As mentioned above, Evas aren't the only mechas in the story. When looking for another mecha from Evangelion canon, the only one most fans can name would be the horrible-looking contraption called Jet Alone - but as some others know, there is another: the Trident, a two-legged design that can best be described as a two-legged, flight-capable BuCUE. While this was much closer to my liking, it still wasn't quite what I wanted.

What I eventually settled upon is portraying the Trident as a lightweight humanoid chassis with a simple transformation mechanism, something like a Gaplant/Hambrabi hybrid. This shows in the difference in design principles as well. As you know, Evas have an organic body under the armor, thus they are forced to mount and store all their equipment externally; this makes them bulky and heavy, compounded by the fact that they are about as aerodynamic as a brick. A Trident, on the other hand, has considerable internal space for integrated weapons and can fold up into a more compact shape as well. The result is that, while a Trident cannot match an Evangelion one-in-one in either toughness or physical strength, it is much more agile and swifter.

A further difference is that the Evas' organic interior makes them much slower to create and repair, whereas Tridents, being machines, can be mass-produced at an assembly line. This all finally comes down to Trident pilots' standard combat doctrine when facing Evas: they use wolfpack tactics and high-speed hit and run attacks to break up the enemy formation, then surround individual units and basically circlestrafe them with broadside missile salvos.

Is this line of reasoning sound?

The above-described is known as the Trident's Interceptor configuration, used for aerial and space combat. For ground combat, the transformation mechanism is disabled, the mecha's frame is reinforced to withstand gravity, plus extra armor is added to compensate for its decreased mobility, turning it into a Virtue-esque behemoth.

----

Next question. In the above tech-advancement list, I mentioned a Trans-Am-like system. This might suggest a performance-increasing mechanism; it is, but not in the way you'd think.

Y'see, the Eva it was designed for is a next-generation technology demonstrator prototype that gets pushed into actual combat (and highly distinguishes itself). Its biggest innovation is its advanced flight propulsion system; I don't have a name for it yet, but I do know how it works: it captures particles from the surrounding environment, ionizes them, feeds them through a powerful particle accelerator and expels them through a series of nozzles at near-relativistic speed. This provides extremely strong thrust with no fuel requirements whatsoever. On the other hand, it is so power-hungry that the Eva's reactor is unable to keep it running on full power, restricting it to a reduced output at all times. When at 100%, it has crazy-powerful acceleration and an atmospheric top speed well into the hypersonic range.

In order to be able to go all-out, the Eva's internal batteries were replaced with a series of high-output supercapacitors, plugged into the Eva's primary power grid. Under normal operation, excess reactor power is used to charge these capacitors. On command, the capacitors discharge into the power grid, allowing the Eva's systems and equipment to drain more power than the Eva's reactor is normally capable of supplying. Unlike Trans-Am, the capacitors are not time-limited: they can run as long as they have charge in them, but they are not infinite. The only caveat on this system is that dumping so much power into the power grid causes the grid to physically heat up to flesh-searing temperatures, requiring the deployment of external heatsinks to keep the Eva from catastrophically overheating.

The Eva's late-series upgrade would include an auxiliary battery array connected externally, increasing the system's activation time. Additionally, the heatsinks get supplemented with a droplet dispenser to improve heat dissipation, causing the Eva to leave a vapor trail after itself as it moves.

Is this a good enough justification for a performance-increasing "super mode"?

----

This is all that comes to mind right now. More questions later, if answers for these come.
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amitakartok
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Re: General Fanfiction Discussion 2: Electric Boogaloo

Well, nobody seemed to have cared about my last post. So here's a plot bunny that came to me yesterday.

Amuro fails to stop Axis.

With the Earth devastated and plunged into mass famine, the Federation collapses practically overnight and the Sides descend into cutthroat infighting over filling in the power vacuum. EFSF remnants wanting to restore order, Neo-Zeon remnants wanting to restore the Principality, Neo-Zeon remnants wanting to carry on Char's legacy, Neo-Zeon remnants wanting to carry on Zeon Deikun's legacy, independents wanting nothing to do with the above, third parties fostering the conflict for their own ends (hello, Anaheim)... it's a gigantic clusterF of anarchy and backstabbing that reduces the Earth Sphere into rubble. When the dust settles, the few still intact colonies decide there's nothing left worth fighting over and fly off to Jupiter.

Thing is, the Jovians watched the whole thing go down and concluded that the Earthers are all crazed warmongers who bring nothing but ruin. To that end, those colonies that made it to Jupiter were summarily gassed and the Jovian leadership declared the Exclusion Doctrine: any and all direct or indirect contact with Earth is forbidden on pain of death. Any radio signals from an Earth Sphere source are to receive no response and any vessel that tries to cross into the asteroid belt is to be intercepted and destroyed without warning. For all intents and purposes, the inner Solar System is placed under quarantine.

Fast-forward 300 years, Cosmic Era. The Earth Sphere have mostly recovered, albeit with great difficulty - partly due to the Jovians' treatment of them. Predictably, there's no small amount of resentment Earthers have towards Jovians, along with paranoia of what those crazed spacenoids have been up to for the past centuries. This paranoia is what resulted in the creation of the Coordinators this time around, with some scientists having dug up historical records about Cyber-Newtypes and decided to perfect the process as a trump card against a possible Jovian invasion. Of course, Blue Cosmos stirred shit up because they have a particular hatred towards enhanced humans of any kind due to the fact that the Collapse was caused by one.

With no access to Jupiter, the Earth Sphere has limited helium-3 available, hence the decline in fusion reactors and beam weapons. And as soon as the war began, one of the first things ZAFT did was to start excavations in Von Braun and Granada. You see, after Anaheim tried to manipulate the Collapse to their own ends one too many times, a pissed third party nuked their headquarters and bombed all their branch facilities - but historical records retained their locations. ZAFT's excavation efforts are after whatever lost technology that could lie buried beneath the rubble and OMNI know that too, so the Moon basically got turned into a WWI battleground in space as the two sides are continuously trying to dislodge each other.

With the Earth being threatened from space once more, OMNI decide to take a final step of desperation and resurrect an old legend. A legend that already protected Earth once before.

Gundam.
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Strike Wing
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Re: General Fanfiction Discussion 2: Electric Boogaloo

Working on giving another original Gundam Fanfic a try.

Set in the Deadlock Century (DLC) 131, there are 4 factions. The EUNF: Earth United Nations Forces, Lunar Union, ASCT: Allied Space Colonies Treaty), and Mars Republic. Now from one of the Colonies - a lone faction have made themselves to appear like Space Pirates, and further disguised themselves as a Cargo Hauler heading for Earth.

They are specifically on course to a low-level EUNF base with a hidden Secret. That secret they believe is a specialized Multi-Purposed Mobile Suit with advanced tech, that may aid the Lone Faction in achieving their goal. All they need to do first is: disable the base, infiltrate - grab the Mobile Weapon and get the heck out of dodge with minimal loss; or being tracked back to their Colony. Unfortunate for the Space Pirates/ Colonials, they're just unaware of the Crazy Pilot that the EUNF have stationed there. Yet unfortunately for the Earther's not knowing of the Lone Faction's Mole in their midst.

Titled it:
Mobile Catalyst Gundam S.A.G.E.
OP1: "Save the One, Save the All" -T.M. Revolution.
ED1: "Normandy" -Miracle of Sound.
Possible Episode Count: 26.
"Ore ga...! Ore-tachi ga... -GUNDAM DA!!!!"
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amitakartok
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Re: General Fanfiction Discussion 2: Electric Boogaloo

I too considered making an original Gundam fanfic, but couldn't decide where to post it on FF.net because they don't have a Misc. Gundam section.

What I was thinking of is an interstellar setting taking place somewhere around the 25th century. There's a standard Earth-vs-colonies thing going on, but it's not open warfare. Rather, the colonial independence movement was peaceful at the beginning until the local equivalent of Zeon Deikun and his wife were killed in a bombing when he was about to hold a press release disavowing the actions of his teenage son, who was recently discovered having ties to a terrorist group fighting for the independence cause. The Sayla equivalent was also present at the time and suffered such massive shrapnel injuries that both her legs had to be amputated and replaced with cybernetic prosthetics; she's about the same age as the Gundam pilot and working for the Earth military as a comms officer in order to pay for her legs' maintenance.

The story would have three story arcs. First involves the protagonist, raised by his grandfather until a year ago, living his life as a recluse teenage gamer in his underground hometown on Mars, running into the Sayla equivalent and getting caught up in a revolutionary attack aimed at capturing the Gundam, which just finished assembly and is about to be shipped out. With him being a top-tier player in an civilian online MS simulator, he's able to fight them off with the Gundam, especially since his gaming background allowed him to learn and successfully pull off maneuvers no professional pilot is trained for or would experiment with. With the attack repelled and him not really having anything to go home to (his parents aren't mentioned and his grandfather left him a year ago to work for the military), the protagonist joins the Earth crew that came to ship out the Gundam to a major military base - which, for a change, isn't on Earth. They fight off numerous attacks on the way - but when they get there, they find the base completely wiped out to the last man. Which raises serious suspicions in them as they flee for their lives, because since when does a terrorist group have the gear to assault and destroy a major military staging ground on even terms?

In the second arc, the crew goes around fighting the terrorists and eventually tracks down and destroy their headquarters in a decapitation strike, with the protagonist finally overcoming the Char equivalent, disabling his MS and throwing it into a gas giant's atmosphere where it's crushed by the pressure. This is also the time when the protagonist and the Sayla equivalent move beyond a professional relationship, due to prolonged isolation from higher command loosening the crew's discipline. Except in the wrecked headquarters, the crew finds files that reveal the terrorists are actually being funded and equipped by the military's biggest and wealthiest defense contractor - and when they find this out, the corporation immediately falsify records of them having deserted and send multiple PMCs after them. Turns out the corporation was the one responsible for the bombing that started this whole mess and did it deliberately to start a war so that they can equip both sides, rake in the cash while the two exhaust each other fighting, then buy their way into the government and eventually replace it with themselves as a corporatocracy.

Third arc would revolve around the crew, now fully rogue, escaping to the remote outer colonies to figure out what to do next, eventually starting to rally the terrorists behind them. The Char equivalent is also behind them now; time travel may or may not be involved.

It's... not a well-planned or oh-so-original story, that I admit. I came up with it back in 2014 and haven't even touched the concept since.

----

A different idea I had takes place in 2055, in an alternate timeline that diverged off of ours somewhere in the early-to-mid 2010s (specifically, the Ukrainian civil war resulted in the EU smacking Russia with a unanimous economic embargo that broke the Russian economy so badly they still haven't recovered 30-40 years later). At this time, food storage facilities around the world suddenly get attacked by mobile suits that plunder the contents then disappear, with no one having any idea where they're coming from or where do they disappear. Attempts to destroy them with cruise missiles and artillery fail due to a high-performance point defense laser grid on every single mobile suit zapping the incoming projectiles out of the air unless they're fired at close range. The UN manages to cover up the attacks but the protagonist, Japanese teenage girl and closet Gundam fangirl Hayate Kousaka, gets caught up when she and her class are on a school trip at a robotics expo that gets attacked. She gets separated from the others and stumbles upon a tarp-covered mobile suit being worked on by a scientist who promptly tosses Hayate into the cockpit and closes the hatch seconds before being killed in an explosion (she saw an enemy mobile suit coming their way and threw the girl in to save her life). Inside, she discovers that the mobile suit has a motion capture system (panoramic cockpit with an exoskeletal frame suspended in the center; the MS mimics the frame's movements) and due to the self-defense training course she attends in her free time, she manages to put up a good enough hand-to-hand fight until the hostiles back off and retreat.

Afterwards, she's immediately detained by the JSDF and gets debriefed: the JSDF Special Robotics Division managed to reverse-engineer the attackers' mobile suits and built their own prototype, but it's classified and she gets a choice between working for them or getting a bullet in her head for knowing too much, especially since as an orphan (parents died in a car accident when she was an infant), she's a nobody no one will ever look for. Basically, the SRD is basically the JSDF's dumping ground for undesirables who would've gotten kicked out a long time ago if they wouldn't be so well-connected as to make their dishonorable discharge make the JSDF look bad, so in good Japanese fashion the JSDF just reassigned them to a shit posting, then stuck their head into the sand and denied that there's a systemic problem here. Anyway, Hayate is thusly press-ganged into being their test pilot and pretty much writes the book on mobile suit combat until an incident where a helmeted enemy pilot breaks into her cockpit and breaks open her helmet before she can throw him out, followed by her falling seriously ill and very nearly dying from a disease the base's medics cannot identify until she's unexpectedly cured by large doses of penicillin. She recovers just in time to fend off another attack and even wreck an enemy suit so badly its pilot ditches it before she's unceremoniously told that the JSDF has enough data to begin mass production, so she's no longer needed. After being thusly discharged, she's wandering about on the streets when in a back alley, she finds the enemy pilot suffering from the same sickness she did. Up until this point, the JSDF weren't even sure the invaders were human but this pilot is not only very much human and named Sergei Vasilyevych Antonov, but only two years older than her. She steals medicine for him but doesn't understand what he says until she has the presence of mind to fire up a speech-to-text translator app on her smartphone, which identifies his language as Russian, albeit sometimes struggling with his pronunciation.

In a parallel universe, the Cold War kept escalating and sometime in the 2020, Soviet scientists cracked the theory behind interdimensional travel and the US, already working on the theory themselves and fearing that the Soviets could use it to warp nukes right to their targets without risk of interception, panicked and a full nuclear exchange took place that plunged that Earth into a nuclear winter. The invaders are a Far Eastern Soviet remnant faction who are using dimshifting to cross over into the heroine's universe to plunder food supplies to feed their own civilian population with, since permafrost buried underneath several meters of slightly radioactive snow isn't exactly fertile farmland. They don't have anything to trade with and there are too many mouths to feed to live off of diplomatically acquired handouts, so they have no choice but to use their superior technology to take it by force in an act of desperation. At least, that's the public story Sergei and his fellow pilots were told.

What's actually going on is that the other Earth's Cold War paranoia was so high that no treaty against the militarization of space was ever signed, resulting in a proliferation of orbital weapon platforms that blasted each other into scrap during the Frozen Fire War. The resulting Kessler Syndrome cut off access to the Moon, which means the Soviet remnant have no access to He-3 to run their reactors with and are pretty much running on fumes now, even with scheduled rolling blackouts. The heroine's Earth has no such problem, but the local space infrastructure is not yet developed for industrial-scale lunar mining (it's mentioned as a throwaway line in the beginning that NASA, ESA and JAXA are all performing He-3 test drillings but Roscosmos is lagging behind); therefore, the Soviet remnant's leadership (led by General Vasiliy Andrejevych Antonov, Sergei's father) intend to invade the heroine's Earth in an aggressive land grab to evacuate their civilian population through before the lights go out and everyone freezes to death.

While this problem is eventually kinda-sorta sorted out, a new complication arises when the China of Hayate's Earth suddenly declares war and invades Japan with mobile suits most definitely not based off of Soviet tech (this takes place several years later and Hayate is now 18). Turns out in Sergei's world, there's a US remnant on the Moon who survived the war and are now stirring shit up because they are so rabidly anti-communist that upon finding out that their enemies made friends in another universe, they immediately contact China and lie to them that Japan intends to go imperial again and the Soviet tech is what will allow it to happen, so that China goes to war with Japan, which provokes the US to come running to help their ally out, which provokes Russia to join in to keep the US out of their backyard, which provokes South Korea to join the US as their ally, which provokes North Korea to join the other side as a matter of principle, and we now have the powder keg for World War III. Exactly as planned for the other world's US remnant, to whom the other world is hopelessly tainted by communism: in the remnant's eyes, inaction is conspiracy when it comes to communism. This is the exact same fucked-up thinking that started the Frozen Fire War and killed billions, and now they want to do it all over again in other world, out of pure fanaticism.

So upon sorting out what's going on, the JSDF and the Soviets launch a joint operation to go to the Moon of Hayate's universe, dimshift from there in order to avoid the Kessler Syndrome in the other universe, and wreck the US remnant before they do even more damage. Of course, it's not that easy because even with JAXA recently having started the construction of their first permanent moonbase near a confirmed He-3 deposit, that kind of rocket activity to launch the expeditionary force will attract attention...
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