SoZ Aphelion: Carrina's Notes

(These are a series of entries based on Carrina's IC knowledge and understanding of the setting, meant for reference purposes. It is a constant work in progress.)

"Alpha":
We wish we could give her a better name, but the way we've named our mobile suits should make it pretty obvious that we're creatively bankrupt. She's... a good person, despite everything that's been done to her. And we don't mean she's been programmed to be a good person, it's that under all the bullshit there's still a 'person' we fundamentally recognize as being like Artesia herself in all the best ways. And that person is a good person, and she would be even if we hadn't stumbled across her. Now it's hopefully going to be easier for her to live up to those qualities.
Addendum: Still kinda wish she'd stop calling us 'master' though.

Mobile Dolls:
AI-piloted mobile suits. On the one hand they're capable of maneuvers no human pilot could handle, and they tend to react quicker and more decisively than a normal human pilot. But on the other hand they have no creativity or aggression, which lets an ace pilot dominate them, and their combat latency is a piss-poor matchup against newtype prescience. The fatal flaw is in their target recognition protocols, which seem incapable of properly sorting cases without relying solely on Friend or Foe tags.

The Vist Foundation:
Bunch of bastards. They've never been that much for ethical considerations, but Martha's an especially nasty piece of work who doesn't seem to think of anything or anyone but herself and her own petty interests. Who knows what they have waiting for us on Earth.

Our Parents:
It's good that we... at least STARTED to patch things up with them. We're still pretty much in agreement that they can't or won't understand what really happened to Catrina, but the years seem to have blunted their malice at least. Their reasons for that seem totally opposite: father has now seen an example of the work we do, and mother may just have come to understand how upset this whole thing still makes us. Or maybe they're just tired of fighting. We're not literal mind-readers.

Bianca Carlyle:
A veteran pilot we picked up at Sweetwater. She's former EFF and saw a lot of action if her tattoos are accurate. We're still not totally sure how she came to work at Sweetwater, though it's possible she doesn't really know either. She's got good combat instincts, but she's... well, she's sort of a 'straightforward' type, if you catch our drift.
Addendum: good on the piano though. It's sort of impressive actually.

ANAHEIM TEST MACHINE - DESIGNATED "VIOLA-EX"
Experimental Assault Type, Newtype Use
Pilot: us, naturally
Head Height: 17.8 meters (variable)
Max Weight: Variable
Reactor Output: 2500kW main reactor plus variable number of 500kW secondary reactors
Max Acceleration: Unknown, presumed to be in the 4.5G range
Equipment: full Psychoframe, psycommu communications array, support AI storage matrix; sensor range 22km
Mounted Weapons: 2x 45mm vulcans in head; 2x Beam Emitters on arm hardpoints
Optional Weapons: variable depending on loadout, currently consists of a beam machine gun, 5-shot grenade launcher, and 6 large beam funnels. Recent addition in the form of a modified heat rod integrated into a shield.
	This machine seems unfair. Its modular construction has allowed us to tailor it precisely to our fighting style and mission needs, and its raw performance can only be described as extreme. Add its AI storage matrix into the equation, and Catrina's ability to interface directly with it? It's a machine that wouldn't work for anyone else, and excels in our hands. The perfect meeting of pilot and machine.
Addendum: When someone tells you they're not planning to do something, assume it's not because they don't want to.

Emary Ounce:
We had no idea we had a 'fangirl' in Anaheim, but there she was. She seems nice, and enthusiastic about her duties. Her belief that designers tend to view us independent pilots as kindred spirits seems genuine enough, and actually feels like it might make a valid point. But it's her ability to perceive the future that struck us most about her... we can honestly see her concept of how ace pilots will come to be treated and the design challenges this shift in attitude will necessitate as being the likely result of the trends we've seen for ourselves. She's one to keep in touch with.

Jupiter:
The Council has been cooperating so far, which is good. But the degree to which Crux Dogatie had ingrained himself into inner-system politics, and particularly into the organized crime networks, is disconcerting.

"Generation"
In terms of fighter aircraft a "generational" divide represents growth so profound that existing machines simply could not compete with the newest weapons, with no amount of upgrades and refits being able to close the gap. The existence of the MS-14JG and the RGM-79SP complicate matters, as the machines which followed them were of distinctly inferior performance, however broadly speaking designs from the One Year War form the "First Generation" and designs contemporary to the rise and fall of the Titans form the "Second Generation". The "Third Generation" consists of modern mobile suits produced to increasingly elite standards, with a myriad of complex technologies pioneered by Titans and their competitors but refined into much more easily managed packages. The Viola and Qubeley arguably belong to this generation, similar to how the elite-tuned Gelgoog Jaeger and GM Sniper-II stood foremost among the First Generation of mobile weapons.

SNRI:
A research and development organization dedicated to competing against the major zaibatsu like Anaheim that have come to dominate the production of military hardware. Its future is a matter for Luna's politicians to decide.
Addendum: Senator Hawke as the source of funds?
Addendum 2: Senator Hawke is dead, so... problem solved, I guess.

Char Aznable
Asshole.
Okay fine, I'll give you something to work with. He's an asshole because of the way he does things: he's always tended towards underhanded vigilante justice rather than putting himself to better use. That's the mark of a self-absorbed, and deeply angry man. Combine that with his newtype prowess and it makes him dangerous. The CTF'd better keep its eyes open: even if his intent is to stay off the radar, a man like that can only stay out of trouble for so long.
Addendum: Recommend keeping his file open.

Quess Paraya
A girl with newtype potential we met on Luna. I'm of two minds about her: on the one hand she's shown remarkable courage and fortitude. On the other hand something feels 'off' about her responses, particularly her relief at her father's death. She's one to keep an eye on.

Artesia Som Deikun
She's still using her birth name, despite the politics surrounding it. I have to admire her resolve even if I never particularly agreed with her father's philosophy, and the fact that among the bickering hawks, Zeon sympathizers, and Federation apologists that comprise the Lunar government Artesia's managed to remain a moderate. And in person, away from the political circus, still a down-to-Earth sort of woman if you'll forgive the expression.
Addendum: she seems to have a nose for trouble almost as good as her brother's, but better sense to pair it with.

Catrina Marseille
My only sister, and the one Marseille I still consider "family". I'd always hoped I was wrong about her disappearance, that she'd be back at some point, and now my hopes have been realized. Though she seems to spend more time resting than before, content to let me handle things most of the time, our situation seems to have stabilized. And since the two of us still make a potent and well-coordinated team I've welcomed the help.
Addendum 1: working together makes us feel like the deadliest living thing in this sector of space... almost concerning.
Addendum 2: "Almost".

CTF-005 Sericea:
Colony Transit Fleet “Rapid-Response” Cutter
Captain: Rossweisse Bell... when did she take her mother's family name?
Overall Length: 160m
Overall Height: 40m
Overall Width: 140m
Reactor Output: a lot
Equipment: Minovsky Craft System, full Psychoframe, dummy launchers, anti-beam smoke launchers, holographic projector array, ballute system
Weapons: 6x psycho-missile launcher, 15x twin laser defense turret, 1x magnetic acceleration cannon
Mobile Suit Capacity: the only one it'll ever need, plus space for one additional machine.
Mobile Suit Catapults: one
Notes: it's a ship LITERALLY designed around ourselves and Rossweisse. Haman and Audrey started with a hangar for the Viola, a launch ramp, a psychoframe, and reactor and made it work, cutting on things like crew size and internal space. The cannon's an interesting choice: almost a meta-call. Too many ships these days are going in for defensive measures against beam weapons, so the railgun saves power and packs a nasty punch that'll work against an I-Field. Rossweisse's really proud of it: she's taken it as a replacement for having a mobile suit, and almost treats it like a big, scary single-seat fighter.
	The Sericea is the smallest warship in the fleet, and among the smallest vessels capable of making the transition between stellar systems using the Psychofield phenomenon. Has so far avoided committing to full-scale naval warfare.
Addendum 1: Number of shore missions suggests a reworking of loading/launching systems may be called for.
Addendum 2: Rossweisse herself has expressed some dissatisfaction with Sericea's current specifications and layout.

Rossweisse Bell:
	Still a nice young woman. Still tends to be very quiet around non-Newtypes, but we get that. After all it's much harder for her to 'connect' with them, and her various social phobias aren't the sort of thing that disappear overnight. She finds it much easier to talk within the upper echelons of the Fleet, where everyone's either a Newtype or has known her for years. We're happy to be partnered with her again, and have high hopes for what we can accomplish together in this post-war environment.
Addendum: She's less prone to immediate aggression in her responses than we are. This is a good thing, it contrasts us nicely.

Colony Transit Fleet:
	The place to be these days. As a military force Haman and Artesia have arranged for us to provide anti-piracy screening and patrols to protect major interstellar convoys. Those convoys are the lifeblood of the fledgling interstellar community: not to mention that we've taken it as our duty to look out for the Newtypes who are required to guide those vessels and keep that vital trade flowing. Those ships are also expensive investments, so it's no wonder the rest of humanity's so keen on keeping them safe.
	Sometimes we're also called to move colony ships, retrofitted open-type O'Neill cylinders, to help grow the community within individual star systems or to help provide new industrial capacities. Those are the most dangerous missions, as it places an immense strain on the Newtypes involved. Last time we had to move something that big it took us a week of rest and recovery before we could return to duty. Thankfully the number of times we've had to do that has dropped off recently: in the early days it was every other week.

Mars:
	We don't like it. Too dusty, too inhospitable. It is however amazing that life manages to cling to its surface, albeit only in low spots were atmospheric pressure can be more easily maintained. The measure of crashing its two dark, non-reflective moons into the the planet's surface has added some warmth, and the Zeon wonder-weapons that were designed to cause Earth's plants to basically overgrow all of its cities have been put to use to fill the bottoms of craters and canyons with stubborn new Earth-like growth. The oxygen production, particularly by simple plant life growing in uninhabited craters all over the surface, contributes to the slow regeneration of a thin atmosphere.
	Maybe one day it'll even be habitable again. But for now it's a tenuous situation.

Mineva Lao Zabi:
	A lovely young woman in the unenviable position of ruling the growing Martian state. We tend to think that she's qualified to rule but perhaps not fully qualified for statecraft: to do both simultaneously is perhaps too much for one person. Her link to the Zabis is something of a mixed blessing, same as her ties to the Transit Fleet's predecessor organization. Many no doubt fear a repeat of previous Zeonic policies, which were responsible for the deaths of millions of innocent civilians in the last decade, while others associate her with more revolutionary policies and aggressive military policing. Our intercession in the rebellion of the Chryse region may have been a necessity, but it may give dissenters another excuse to cause trouble for her.
	In short we love the girl to death, but she's in way over her head despite having been raised for a task like this. The best we can do is offer what support we can.


The Rubric:
	A standardized test for Newtypes, introduced by the Colonial Transit Fleet and widely accepted elsewhere. Its purpose is to succinctly report the overall brainwave output and degree of control for an individual Newtype irrespective of any unique abilities they may have. The levels of classification are:
	Alpha: indicating extremely developed control AND high brainwave activity. These Newtypes are capable of moving large ships on their own, occasionally entire colonies between just a handful of individuals. We know most of them on a first-name basis: the only ones not in the CTF are Char and Amuro (suspected, since they're still missing), and five spread between the major 	Navies within the Sol system. Rosswiesse and ourselves fall into this category.
	Beta: indicating either extremely developed control OR high brainwave activity, but one or the other is short of the level of Alpha. This is about as rare a category as Alphas: the “Puru Triplets” are the only three I can think of, having very high control and lower overall power that is still noticeably above average.
	Gamma: the strongest “normal” category, capable of moving small ships through interstellar space on their own but requiring assistance from other Newtypes to move even a light capital ship such as a cruiser. Many freighter navigators and “ace” mobile suit pilots fall into this type, and it's the lowest classification where you can rarely find unique abilities.
	Delta: what passes as “average”, showing modest control and brainwave activity. Delta-level Newtypes cannot operate interstellar navigational systems on their own, even on a single-person craft.
	Epsilon: borderline Newtype abilities, showing some degree of brainwave activity but very little control over it. An increasingly large part of the human species falls into this category, by some counts nearing 15%. But it counts for very little in the practical sense, as its benefits in daily life, combat, or business are limited.

Piracy:
	Piracy's been a real problem in the last few years, particularly in the space between Mars and Luna. Even major shipping routes can't be absolutely secured due to the vast distances involved, so we've returned to the tried and true method of defended convoys. Pirates tend to pick out smaller convoys with fewer defenders, and almost without exception prioritize fuel, water, and other essentials. We've heard many pirate crews now operate out of larger asteroids and minor planets, which have become lawless areas. They're among the few places even we would prefer not to go if we don't absolutely have to.

Cima Garahau:
	We still don't like the woman. There's a bit too much similarity there for comfort: a certain kind of pragmatism and a shared sense of having been betrayed by the Principality of Zeon being the two most obvious points of comparison. Where we put our anger towards more noble pursuits Cima did not. Instead she was offered up as a scapegoat, and gave in to her thirst for revenge. Now that's been achieved, who knows what she plans to do with herself.
	She makes us uncomfortable not because we don't get along, or because we hold anything against her personally, but because had things been different our life may have taken a similar course to hers. I'm grateful that she still seems like she's on 'our side'.

Cuithe:
	A large asteroid base which supports widespread pirate activities in the inner Solar system. They have much more extensive life support operations than we ever could have imagined: more like a rogue colony than anything else, much like Axis was at one point. It wouldn't surprise us one bit if they had more developed industrial capacity as well.

Viper Squad:
	Like Top Gun with space fighters: we keep expecting Tom Cruise's zombie to put in an appearance whenever we interact. But they've maintained a certain degree of "professionalism", at least as close to that as fighter jocks get, and the machines themselves seem promising. Not as flexible, maneuverable, or powerful as mobile suits, but in terms of escort missions they may well have found a niche. We'll have to put in a good word when all this is over.

Smart Paint:
	The possible key to it all. What it can do? A wide variety of things, from stealth to those weird "afterimages" we saw. Who actually put it into operation without the Dockyards knowing about it? We can't say just yet, but we'll find out.