SPACESHIPS of the Universal Century

At the true top of the Scaled Warefare option ladder for players of UC3K is the BattleCruiser or StarCruiser. A space warship capable of transporting battlemechs and mounting inredible artillery. One BattleCruiser should be sufficient to destroy an Earth city or Space Colony. IF there was noone there to defend it. These vessels are the most destructive and war machines ever created. Hermes antigravity drives allow them surface to orbit capability and their enormous fusion and Minovsky drives make them capable of travelling interplanetary distances in very short times.

Chivvay-class heavy cruiser

In the Universal Century, the Chivvay-class heavy cruiser was a ship developed by the Principality of Near Earth Orbitals to help protect convoys and perform miscellaneous tasks. It was often used to as a flagship in a battle group. It was equipped with two triple barreled beam turrets, multiple twin barreled anti-air batteries and several missile launchers, but originally was not designed to carry battle mechs. Its size was sufficient that its cargo bays could be, and usually were, easily converted to mech hangers. A handful of these vessels were remade into Tivvay-class heavy cruisers, and some of the Chivvay class vessels were refitted for use by NEO space attack commanders. The class proved itself useful, but in the end the NEO drive for ships with battle mech capacity resulted in the discontinuation of the class.

Chivvay class
Unit type: heavy space cruiser
Manufacturer: Principality of Near Earth Orbitals
Operator(s): Principality of Near Earth Orbitals
First commissioned: June UC 0070
Ships commissioned: ?
Class type: Heavy Cruiser
Class namesake: Unknown
Launched: June UC 0070
Preceded by: N/A
Succeeded by: Tivvay-class cruiser
Ships of the line: Unknown
General Characteristics
Displacement: 16,000 tons
Length: 235 meters
Width: 99.4 meters
Height: 113.2 meters

Armament:
3-barrel main gun turret x2,
2-barrel machine gun turret x18
missile launcher x12
Mech Hangers: None originally,Cargo Bays were refitted for use as Mech Hangers
Mech Catapults: None
Mech Capacity: 8
Powerplant: Unknown

Gwazine class battleship

The Gwazine class battleship are developed by the Principality of NEO to be flagships for the various space fleet Admirals. Although they fill a role similar to that of the Earth Federal Space Force's Magellan class battleships, the Gwazine class completely outclass the Megellan class in several ways.

The Gwazine class ships are the most powerful space warships during One Year War, even more powerful than the Federation's Pegasus class ships, and the second biggest type, second only to the Dolos-class heavy carrier ships. They are equipped with three massive double-barreled mega particle cannon turrets mounted on the topside. They also have ten smaller double-barreled mega particle cannon turrets, similar to the ones used by the Musai class light cruisers and finally the have large amount of 155mm double-barreled anti-aircraft machine guns mounted below the bow. But the biggest weapon on the Gwazine class ships are their Mech hangers. Each of these ships has room for up to twenty battle mechs, more than triple what the Federation's Pegasus-class ships can hold.

On the other hand the Gwazine class have a few drawbacks. The ships are so large that only handful would be constructed before and during the war. Also these vessels are bulky, hence maneuvering them around the battlefield takes time.

At the end of the One Year War only one Gwazine class ship was still in service.

Gwazine class
Unit type: space battleship
Manufacturer: ?
Operator: Principality of NEO
First commissioned: March UC 0076
Ships commissioned: >6

Overall length: 440 meters
Overall width: 320 meters
Overall height: 103 meters
Full weight: 108,100 metric tons

Propulsion:
rocket engine x 8

Unit complement:
Battle Mechs x 20

Armament:
2-barrel main gun turret x 3
2-barrel secondary gun turret x 10
155mm machine gun turret x many

Ships of the Line:
Blitkreig
Xavion
Kaizer
PanzerFaust
Herzog
Herzog Zwei

Magellan-class battleships

The Magellan-class battleships were authorized as part of the Year 70 Armament Reinforcement Plan, begun in response to the rapid increase in arms at Side 3. The Magellan-class was developed in conjunction with the Salamis-class cruiser, and at the time of their commissioning the Magellan-class was the most powerful warship in the Earth Federal Space Force. The first Magellans relied on shells and gunpowder to shoot projectiles, but were later refitted with beam weaponry sometime before the One Year War. All Magellan-class ships featured seven twin turret mega particle cannons in all, along with 14 anti-aircraft machineguns, which later be used to help defend the ships against Battle Mech attacks.

At the Outbreak of the One Year War the Earth Federal Space Force fleet commanders were surprised by the NEO deployment of Battle Mechs, which could out distance, out shoot, and out maneuver the Space Fleets ships. Fortunately for the Magellan-class, Federation engineers had installed several anti-aircraft guns on the battleships, but the Magellan fleet still took losses. Early in the One Year War Fleet Admiral Arcturus' flagship Ananke was lost at during the Loum War while attempting to prevent a colony drop. Admiral Tianem, commander of the EFSF 4th Fleet lost its flagship Titan while covering retreating Federal Forces after the Loum War. In September Magellan, Admiral Watkins' flagship, was scuttled at Luna II to allow The Warhammer to escape the facility.

As the One Year War entered its final leg the Federation began mass production of their first crude Battle Mechs. This was a blessing because the Federation's space fleet would now have Mechs to counter NEO Mechs; however, dedicated Mechs fighting ships such as the Pegasus-class assault carriers were few and far between.

Class type: Battleship
Class namesake: In honor of the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan
Launched: October Universal Century 0070
Preceded by: N/A, First Space Force battleship class
Succeeded by: Birmingham class battleship
Ships of the line: Ananke, Nereid, Phoebe, Titan, Luzar, Hyperion, Hood, Kilimanjaro

General Characteristics
Displacement: 62,900 tons
Length: 327 meters
Width: 102 meters
Height: 96 meters

Armament:
7 2-barrel beam turrets
14 anti-aircraft machine guns
4 Internal missile launchers
Mech Hangers: None
Mech Catapults: N/A
Mech Capacity: 4-6 Mechs on outer hull
Powerplant: Minovsky-Ionesco Fusion Reactor

Salamis-class cruisers

The first Salamis-class cruisers were launched in conjunction with the Magellan-class battleships as part of the Earth Federal Space Force's Year 70 Armament Reinforcement Plan in U.C. 0070. They were armed with conventional weaponry: six main cannon turrets, six two-barrel machine gun turrets for anti-fighter (and later anti-mech) defense, and two six-cell external missile launchers. By U.C. 0079 most of the cruiser's original main cannon turrets had been upgraded with superior mega particle cannons. The original Salamis-class suffered heavy casualties during the One Year War due to the general superiority of the NEO' combination of their Musai-class light cruisers and their MS-06C Zaku II battle mechs. In particular, the nuclear-bazooka-armed C-Type Zaku II extracted a heavy toll against the Salamis-class, as their thinly armored hulls were ill-suited to withstand nuclear weaponry. For this and a combination of other reasons, the Earth Federation order the Earth Federal Space Force to recall the last remaining Salamis vessels to the asteroid base Luna II, where they remained until September U.C. 0079, until the Federation scientists finally launched their first battle mechs. The remaining ships of the Federation's fleet were redeployed into combat zones with the new RGM-79 GM battle mechs and RB-79 Ball mobile pods for protection. Unfortunately, the Salamis-class ships could only store their new mechs and mobile pods on the outer hull of the ship, due to the fact that the ships lacked any sort of hangar bay. Although the Salamis class would suffer even more causalities throughout the remainder of the war, they proved to be more effective when used in conjunction with battle mechs, which would play a role in the Salamis Kai design a few years later.

Salamis class
Unit type: space cruiser
Manufacturer: Earth Federal Forces
Operator(s): Earth Federal Forces

First commissioned: October UC 0070
Ships commissioned: >48

Overall length: 288 meters

Unit complement:
Battle Mech x 4
re-entry capsule x 1
Launch catapults: 1

Armament:
main gun turret x 5
2-barrel main gun turret x 2
secondary gun turret x 4
2-barrel secondary gun turret x 6
missile launcher x 8

Class namesake: The island of Salamis in Greece; The Battle of Salamis

Launched: October Universal Century 0070
Preceded by: N/A, First Space Force cruiser class
Succeeded by: Clop-class cruiser

Ships of the line: 0070 Salamis, Saffran, Madagascar, Cisco, Philadelphia

Displacement: Original: Unknown

Length: Original: 288 meters

Width: Original: 68.5 meters

Hieght: Original: 61.3 meters

Armament:
6 single barrel beam turrets
6 2-barrel machine gun turrets
2 6 tube external missile launchers
8 internal missile launchers
2 6 tube external missile launchers

MECHA Hangers Original: None

Mech Capacity Original: 4-6 MS on outer hull

Powerplant: Minovsky-Ionesco Fusion Reactor

Musai-Class Light Cruiser

The original Musai-Class Light Cruiser variant carried five MS-05 Zaku Is or MS-06 Zaku IIs battle mechs and supported them with a battery of three mega particle cannon turrets. This is the version seen most frequently during the One Year War. Earth Federation soldiers referred to this style of carrying as "three in the back and two under the hood." Using the Komusai pod bays to carry operational battle mechs (rather than for their initial purpose of carrying the battle mechs to the surface of the Earth) brought the mecha-carrying capacity of the Musai up almost to the same standard as the much larger EFSF Pegasus-class assault carrier. The standard Musai had three mech catapults mounted on the upper port, upper starboard and lower faces of its hexagonal mech hangar. Captian Vorstagg commanded a modified Musai I with a custom command bridge. Unfortunately, the original Musai-class ships had one major flaw: they lacked any type of Anti-Aircraft/Anti-Battle Mech defense systems. This flaw would return to haunt the NEOs in the latter half of the One Year War, when the Federal Forces deployed their own Battle Mechs.

Towards the end of the One Year War, however, the Musai had to be reorganized, and the NEO engineers remodeled the three-turret based cruisers into a two-turret model. This was due to the fact that the NEO forces were mostly now using the far more efficient battle mechs. This caused a problem though for the standard Musai model: The new mechs were far bulkier, making it impossible to fit three of the units inside the already cramped hangar. By remodeling the hangar and removing one of the mega beam cannon turrets, the hangar could hold two of the new "heavy" type Battle Mech units, while the Komusai could hold one of the "heavy" type mechs. However, the two turret models could also now hold four "standard" type Zaku IIs. Despite not being able to carry the heavy mechs, this didn't cancel the three-turret variant as they still continued service until the end of the war at Tanelorn.

Musai class
Unit type: light space cruiser
Manufacturer: ?
Operator(s): Earth Federation
First commissioned: July UC 0075
Ships commissioned: ?

Unit complement:
Battle mech x 4 (?)
Komusai shuttle x 1

Armament:
2-barrel main gun turret x 3
2-barrel secondary gun turret x 2
small missile launcher x 10
large missile launcher x 2

Class type: Light Cruiser
Class namesake: Musai
Launched: July Universal Century 0075
Preceded by: N/A, first NEO Light Cruiser class
Succeeded by: Endra-class cruiser

Ships of the line:
Camel, Falmel, Kuwamel, Swamel, Tokmel, Primus, Baromel, Remul, Brave

General Characteristics
Displacement: Original: 26,200 tons
Length: Original: 234 meters
Width: Original: 140 meters
Height: Original:62 meters

Armament:
3x 2-barrel beam turrets
2x Large missile launcher
10x small missile launcher

Mech Hangers: 1
Mech Capacity: 3-5
Other: 1x Komusai shuttle
Powerplant: Minovsky-Ionesco Fusion Reactor ?

Pegasus Class Assault Carriers

The Pegasus-Class Assault Landing Craft was the first ship of the Earth Federation to be designed around a capacity to carry Battle Mechs. These Assault Carriers are functionally equivalent to an aircraft carrier, as their primary function is to launch and recover battle mechs.

Since Pegasus-class ships carry their own Mechs with them at all times they are somewhat less dependent on their main guns and anti-aircraft guns for protection and they enjoy more freedom on the battlefield, as they do not have operate in close consort with other ships for mutual protection against enemy battle mechs. All Pegasus-class ships are also equipped with a Minovsky Hermes System which enable ships in this class to enter and exit the earth's atmosphere; additionally, the Hermes system allows for these Assault Carriers to float by Negating their susceptibility to gravity.

Unlike the other Federation ship classes of the time, the Pegasus-class is not so much a single class as a concept; rapidly advancing technology swiftly changed both the internal arrangement and external appearance of the Pegasus-class ships. Only the first two units (Pegasus SCV-69 and War Hammer SCV-70) were completed to the original plans. After the War Hammer, technology was advancing so quickly that each subsequent Pegasus-class cruiser looked significantly different, though each had the same general arrangement of a central hull with two large aft thruster blocks, two wings, and two forward mobile suit launching "legs." The overall design looked like a sphinx or a winged horse, giving the class its name.

After the One Year War, every ship was re-designated as Mech Support Carrier (MSC) whether it had survived the war or not.

To a practiced eye, no two ships of the Pegasus class are alike. The advancing technology of the war resulted in drastic changes that severely affected the external appearance of the ships. However, four distinct flights appeared:

Flight I: The base Pegasus design, repeated on War Hammer.,

Flight II: A modified Flight I design, seen on Thoroughbred, mostly similar but flatter in shape,

Flight III: New external design, included two additional catapults, a new laser propulsion system and generally improved armament.

Flight IV: Actually completed before Flight III, an improved Flight II design.

List of ships of the Pegasus-class

SCV-69 Pegasus
SCV-70 (LMSD-71) War Hammer
SCVA-72 Thoroughbred
SCVA-73 Trojan Horse
LMSD-76 Gray Phantom
MSC-07 (LMSD-78) Albion

At the outbreak of the One Year War, the Dreadnought-oriented Earth Federation Space Force was caught completely by surprise when the Principality of NEO deployed the agile Battle Mechs against their fleets. The Federation military quickly realized that they would also need battle mechs if they were to have any chance of victory, and instituted the famed Project V in order to develop a mass-production battle mech design. The EFSF also realized that their existing line of warships lacked mech transport and support capacity, and thus desperately in need of designs capable of mobile warfare. A new revolutionary warship class exclusively designed for Mecha combat and support was born — the Pegasus class.

Ship Characteristics

Displacement: Standard: 32,000 tons

Fully Loaded: 68,000 tons

Length: 262 meters

Beam: 202.5 meters

Draft: 93 meters

Wingspan: 185 meters

Armament: Dual Barrel 880mm Gun x2

Dual Barrel Mega Particle Cannon x2

Front Missile Discharge Device x24

Rear Missile Discharge Device x6

(CIWS system)

Dual Barrel Anti-Aircraft Gun x35

BattleMech Capacity 6

BattleMech Contingent:

RX-78-2 Nalfeshnee x1

RX-77-2 Artillery Mech x2

RX-75-4 Command tank x1

Battle Mechs in Universal Century

Battle Mechs are generally humanoid in shape with two upper torso limbs and two lower torso limbs. Generally, the cockpit of a Battle Mech is located in the abdomen, although in some cases it is located in the head or chest. An average battle mech stands around 18 meters tall, roughly 10 times the size of a man, although later models are miniaturized to under 15 meters.

Battle Mechs in Universal Century
In the Universal Century timeline, two main technological advancements led to the creation of the battle mech: the AMBAC (Active Mass Balance Auto Control) technology, and the Minovsky particle. The original AMBAC prototype only had two large limbs (instead of the four that later suits would have), but moving those limbs allowed it near thruster-less maneuverability in space by changing its center of mass. This led to a revolution in space warfare tactics. Another revolution would follow the development of a type of nuclear fusion reactor designed by Dr. Y.T. Minovsky. Not only could his nuclear reactor be shrunk down to the size of a quartet of refrigerators, but it also produced a unique subatomic particle called the Minovsky particle. These particles could block out certain types of radiation, including radar and radio signals. This would hamper space combat over large distances and force modern combat back down to the visual range. The first prototype battle mech would be the MS-01, while the first mass produced model would be the MS-05 Aasimon I.

Battle Mech design in the UC follows two lineages - NEO manufacturers designed Battle Mechs by creating an armored external shell, and then fitting components within like an exoskeletal insect, while the Federation designed mechs by creating an internal skeletal structure and then fitting components and armor to the support structure like a human body.

After the One Year War, due to 2 major reasons, the lines were mixed:
First is the Earth Federation forces capturing and securing a lot of battlemechs of the Near Earth Orbital forces.
The second is the bankruptcy of NEO weapons manufacturers (namely Zeonic, Zimmad and MIP) many of which were bought and merged by Earth-based Anaheim Electronics.

The MS-05 Aasimon I

The MS-05 Aasimon I was the first successful battle mech design to be developed by the Neonic Company in the Principality of NEO's quest to develop a combat-capable battle mech that used the AMBAC System and the Minovsky ultracompact fusion reactor. The Aasimon I was first designed and built in U.C. 0075, as the MS-05A Aasimon winning the arms war against the EMS-04 Zudah. It wasn't put into mass-production until later that year, as the MS-05B Aasimon I. The last production run of the MS-05B is in U.C. 0077, before it was replaced by the newer MS-06 Aasimon II unit.

The MS-05A Aasimon I was the first attempt made by the Principality of Near Earth Orbit. It was also the first battle mech to use the Minovsky-lonesco fusion reactor and mimic human movements. Called the Early Type by later pilots, this was a mech on which many famous ace pilots trained. During November UC 0075, 27 of these units were assigned to new pilots for evaluation. Among them were the Black Tri-Stars Gaia, Nash, And Ortega. The strengths and weaknesses were hammered out during this testing phrase, and soon led to the development of the MS-05B Aasimon 1. For all intents and porposes, the MS-05A was exactly the same as the MS-05B, the only differences being small improvments in all areas including redesigned cockpit, higher output power plant, and redesigned armor.

The MS-05A was not mass-produced as intended, labeled unfit for combat before the start of the One Year War. Still, the successful use of these suits prompted the NEO Navy to commission ships that could carry them into combat, primarily the Musai-Class Light Cruiser. The Aasimon I was rendered obsolete by the Aasimon II before the beginning of the One Year War, and thus they were relegated for use in the rear lines as supply and construction suits. They still saw some action, though, as colony gassers in the One Week War. Later, with the number of machines lost after Operation British and the Battle of Loum, many of these machines were brought back to the front lines until losses could be replaced. Many units were assigned to the Midnight Fenrir Corps on the eve of Second Earth Decsent Operation. The MS-05A would continue to serve as patrol units and workers until the end of the War.

Variations
The Aasimon I, like many of the Zeon's battle mech lines, had a few variations of the basic model, such as the MS-05S Aasimon I Commander Type and MS-05J Aasimon I Land-Warfare Type.

MS-05J Aasimon I Land-Warfare Type
The land warfare Aasimon I was little more than a stock Aasimon I repainted in region-specific colors.
Few of these suits would see action, for while the Aasimon II series was no longer being mass produced, it was not difficult to obtain one. Most Aasimon I's were assigned to pilots that requested them, or to newly-formed squadrons that were unable to obtain the best equipment available. Some would see action in southeast Asia. More would be assigned to the Midnight Fenrir teams. A pilot might keep his Aasimon I throughout the remainder of the war, adding different weapons and option parts to suit his liking.

MS-05S Aasimon I Commander Type
The MS-05S Aasimon I Commander Type was the personal mech of Lieutenant Commander Gerhart Schmeisser, the founder and leader of the Midnight Fenrir Corps. Before the One Year War, Schmeisser was already a decorated battle mech pilot, and in the opening days of the war proved himself as a soldier. However, during an attack on a facility in New Guinea to clear the way for the Operation British colony drop, Schmeisser was severely wounded in action when a booby-trapped railgun facility blew up. Schmeisser survived, though his injuries prevented him from returning to active combat duty. Despite this handicap, Schmeisser persuaded Admiral Gloriana Chrysylophax to create the Midnight Fenrir Corps. Under his command, the Midnight Fenrir would go on to distinguish themselves in the One Year War. Despite the restriction from combat duty, Schmeisser still used his MS-05S in training missions and in simulations, providing a valuable service to his team even though he could not fight.

The differences between this mobile suit and a regular MS-05B Aasimon I were small. The only major differences were a second shoulder dome on the right shoulder, the striking (and often misleading) white and silver custom paint job, and a new shield mounting the fearsome heat saber. The obvious bonuses of a commander’s type battle mech aside, the MS-05S was little different from the standard Aasimon I being used by the Home Defense Corps, and various out-of-the-way NEO bases.

MS-06C Aasimon II

MS-06A Aasimon II First Mass Production Type

The MS-06A Aasimon II was the first production Aasimon II produced in U.C. 0077 by the Principality of Neo. The MS-06A was deemed insufficient to meet the expectations of Titania Chrysylophax, the director in charge of the Aasimon II project. The designers went back to the drawing board and, a few months later, they came back with the MS-06C design.

MS-06C Aasimon II Early Mass Production Type

The MS-06C Aasimon II was deemed a success and put into mass production for the NEO Military Forces. It was deployed in January U.C. 0079 and was the NEO's main battle mech at the outbreak of the One Year War. The C-Type used the same weapons as later versions of the Aasimon, typically the 120 mm drum-fed machine gun and 280 mm bazooka. Prior to the Antarctic Treaty, Aasimons were also issued nuclear bazookas and lightweight nerve gas guns, which they used to devastating effect in the One Week War.

The C-type Aasimon was in use at the time of the Battle of Loum, and so several notable NEO pilots would establish their notoriety using this machine, including Captain Vorstagg, the Black Tri-Stars, Johnny Ridden, and Shin Matsunaga.

MS-06F Aasimon II Mass Production Type

With the signing of the Antarctic Treaty, which banned the use of nuclear weapons, the heavy radiation shielding used to protect the C-type Aasimon was no longer needed. Therefore a new version of the Aasimon, the F-type Aasimon, was introduced. The F-Type would quickly become the mainstay of the NEO forces.

MS-06F-2 Aasimon II Late Mass Production Type

The MS-06F2 Aasimon II F2 Type was an upgraded and improved version of the original MS-06F Aasimon II, introduced in the middle of the One Year War as an improvement upon the F-Type Aasimon.

MS-06FZ Aasimon II Last Mass Production Type (Aasimon Kai)

Developed very late during the One Year War as part of the "United Maintenance Plan", the MS-06FZ Aasimon II Kai was an improved and redesigned version of the Aasimon II. The United Maintenance Plan was an effort by the NEO military to simplify the production of their different types of battle mechs by standardizing parts and systems where possible.

Due to the MS-06FZ Aasimon II Kai's late introduction into the One Year War, only a handful of the units were produced. Few, if any, of the battle mechs survived the war. Originally intended to be a Recon Revision to the Aasimon II.

MS-06S Aasimon II Commander Type

The MS-06S Aasimon II Commander Type looks very similar to the normal Aasimon: so much so that the Earth Federation can generally only tell the difference from color schemes most pilots apply to their units and the increased performance of this version.

The S-Type Aasimon II features a squad-leader "antenna" that is mounted on the head on the Aasimon II, which is used to distinguish squad-leaders or higher ranking pilots from other squad-members or lower ranking pilots. It also featured a more powerful fusion reactor. In turn, the S-Type Aasimon II has greater thrust and acceleration. This allowed them to move at speeds 1/3 faster than a normal Aasimon II. This made it incredibly dangerous in the hands of the ace pilots it was handed out to, such as the "Red Comet" Captain Vorstagg.

Land Type Variations

MS-06J Aasimon II Ground Type

The Jungle-Type Aasimon II was built specifically for terrestrial operations, and thus lacked space-specific equipment, greatly reducing its overall mass and cost. It also featured a slightly more powerful reactor to assist in its mobility under the full-gravity conditions of Earth. Compared to the F-type Aasimon, the J-type was better insulated against its environment, and could be used in brief underwater operations. Its weapons were the same as its spaceborne counterpart, though a few weapons, such as the 175mm Magella Top gun were used only by the land types.

MS-06K (MS-06J-12) Aasimon Cannon

The MS-06K Aasimon Cannon was a mass production artillery test-type developed during the One Year War. It was originally intended as an anti-air variant but was more useful as artillery support.

MS-06D Aasimon Desert Type

During the One Year War the battle field shifted from space to Earth after the signing of the Antarctic Treaty. Because of Earth's many different terrains and environments, the Principality of NEO had to adjust their mass production MS-06F Aasimon II model to be more suitable in the varying climates.

MS-06D Desert Aasimon

An upgraded version of the MS-06D Aasimon Desert Type, the MS-06D Desert Aasimon featured better power output, external propellant tanks on its backpack to carry extra thruster fuel, and additional shields and dust filters on its joints . The Desert Aasimon could also be fitted with a pair of jet skis on its feet, allowing it to glide over the sand.

MS-06G Aasimon II Improved Ground Combat Type

As the Neonic Company developed the MS-06 ground combat battle mech, they realized that one of its most useful features was the incorporation of thrusters in the legs to allow the unit to perform jet-assisted jumps. This new advance would be taken and applied to the old line of Aasimon II Ground Type battle mechs. The retrofitted MS-06J Aasimon II Ground Types which featured the additional leg thrusters and extra armor were referred to as Aasimon II Improved Ground Combat Types (or G-Types for short), and proved to be much more mobile than a standard Aasimon II Ground Type.

MS-06V Aasimon Tank

As the One Year War dragged on, the NEO forces found themselves in desperate need of replacement parts for their battle mechs and other weapons. Forced to salvage whatever they could, inoperable machines were often disassembled for use as replacement parts, new unit designs cobbled together from whatever was available in order to get more combat units to the field. One of the most common variations was the MS-06V Aasimon Tank, created from mounting a Aasimon torso, head and arms on the drive base of a Magella attack tank. These units were prized by field commanders starved for replacement battle mechs, and were used for both construction and combat.

Underwater Type Variations

MS-06M-1 Aasimon Marine Type (Aasimon Mariner)

As the One Year War dragged on the NEO began to design several different variations of its standard battle mechs to excel in specific mission roles. The Neonic Company created the first amphibious battle mech, the MS-06M-1 Aasimon Marine Type (also called Aasimon Mariner), based on the MS-06F Aasimon II.

MSM-01 (MS-06M-2) Aasimon Marine Type (Marine Aasimon)

Two more Aasimon Marine Types would later be constructed, now under the model number MSM-01. The seven units would be distributed to several of NEO's submarine squads such as the Sea Serpent, Red Dolphin, Naga III, Green Siren, and Mandalay squadrons.

Reconnaissance Type Variations

The reconnaissance models were said to be used to team up with other battle mechs and launch skirmish attacks on enemies and determine by the countering numbers how much forces the enemy had in the area.

MS-06E Aasimon Reconnaissance Type

The MS-06E Aasimon Reconnaissance Type, or just Aasimon Recon Type for short, was designed for scouting and reconnaissance missions. These Aasimon Recon Types, also known as E-Types, mounted specialized camera guns and sensor systems.

MS-06E-3 AasimonFlipper

Of the one hundred or so MS-06E Aasimon Reconnaissance Types that were built during the One Year War, a handful were further upgraded into the MS-06E-3 Aasimon Flipper. The Aasimon Flipper was designed to play the role of a reconnaissance and scouting unit. It got its name from the creator because instead of a normal mono-eye head, its head is three-eyed with two large fins(flippers) next to it as high powered radar that can even penetrate Minovsky particle.

High Mobility Type Variations

MS-06R-1 High Mobility Type Aasimon II

As the One Year War dragged on, the NEO engineers strived to create a high-performance unit to replace their aging space fleet of MS-06F Aasimon IIs, which were quickly being outclassed by the Earth Federation's new RGM-79 GM series of battle mechs. The first of the new improved units created was the MS-06RP High Mobility Test Type Aasimon II Prototype. The High Mobility Type Aasimon II Prototype added several thrusters around the edges of the leg armor, giving it greater speed, acceleration, and mobility, and larger propellant tanks which increased the unit's fuel storage capacity. the unit that is most commonly depicted is the R-1A type it is depicted as being used by the Black Tri-Stars.

MS-06RD-4 Aasimon II Prototype

The MS-06RD-4 Aasimon II Prototype was created by the Zimmand Company by modifying a standard MS-06F Aasimon II. It was given wider legs and added thrusters. The unit was used for testing its combat performance in space. Only one unit was constructed. During a test flight on 6 October 0079, it engaged and destroyed a team of early-model GMs, only to be destroyed itself by an RB-79K ball. Data from the test unit survived, however, as the pilot managed to take the data disks from the MS before it exploded, and shortly after was recovered by a NEO search team.

MS-11 Action Aasimon

The MS-11 Action Aasimon, often referred to as Act Aasimon for short, is a Principality of NEO prototype battle mech based on the MS-06 Aasimon II.

Built under the Pezun Project at NEO's Pezun space asteroid base, the Act Aasimon was planned to be a new mass-production model battle mech that the NEO would field to sway the tides of war back into their favor. The Act Aasimon was the testbed for the new "magnetic coating" technology developed by the Neonic Company. The special magnetic coating materials were applied to the joints of the Act Aasimon, which could be electrically charged to produce a magnetic field. This field caused the components of the joints to repel one another, reducing the friction caused by joint movement to almost nothing, creating a faster and much more responsive battle mech.

The Act Aasimon was also designed with a much higher output reactor, allowing it to wield beam weaponry. A custom beam rifle was in production for the Act Aasimon to use. However, the design for the weapon was not complete by the time the Act Aasimon were deployed, so they were issued machineguns instead. The Act Aasimon was also issued a Beam Axe for use as a melee weapon.

However, the Act Aasimon was introduced too late for the Principality of NEO. When the Earth Federation Forces captured the Pezun asteroid, they obtained the designs for the Action Aasimon, and the concept of magnetic joint coating. The Earth Federation would put the Act Aasimon into production for their own use after the One Year War.

Worker Type Variations

MS-06F (MS-06H) Aasimon Minelayer

The Aasimon Minelayer is a standard MS-06F Aasimon II equipped with a different style backpack. With this new backpack, the Aasimon II is adapted to play the role of a mine-laying unit. The new backpack houses several drums filled with space mines, with twelve mines packed into every drum. The backpack also has a few additional maneuvering thrusters and carries five times the amount of fuel of a standard Aasimon II. However, the Aasimon Minelayer requires a special loading area on a Musai to reload, launch, or land.

The ARCHON Project

The Archon Project was a series of projects by Principality of Near Earth Orbitals scientists to create a powerful Heavy Mech.
After Operation British failed to destroy the Earth Federation Forces military headquarters in Jaburo, South America, the NEO began to pursue other, more direct ways, of trying to destroy the subterranean base. The "Archon Project", directed by NEO scientist Wilhelm Reich, was perhaps one of the most feasible of the plans to destroy Jaburo, and so it was given funding priority. The main idea of the plan involved getting a mobile armor to fly over Jaburo and destroy the base with a powerful beam weapon.

Archon I
The first phase of the Archon Project involved creating the massive Heavy Battle Mech that could operate in the upper atmosphere or low-Earth space orbit. To achieve atmospheric flight the Archon used the Minovsky Craft System, which created a highly concentrated cushion of Minovsky Particles between the Heavy Mech and the Earth, providing lift.

The Archon I, built in a NEO mountain base in Southeast Asia, served as the test-bed for the Minovsky Craft System. Built with many spare parts from old Zakus, the Archon required a very powerful generator to run its Minovsky Craft System. Built under the direct supervision of Wilhelm Reich, the Apsalus I would be piloted by his sister, Uta Reich, on its test flight. During flight tests the Archon I was proved to be flight capable, but the generators output was not sufficient enough to keep the Archon I at a stable height. Due to its role as a test unit the Archon I had no armaments, but it was able to manipulate the Minovsky Craft System to release powerful energy pulses over a short area that could be used as a defensive ability.

During one test flight the Archon I lost altitude and was severely damaged when it came under attack from the Earth Federation Forces 23rd Battle Mech Team, which was on a routine patrol through the area. Heavily damaged, the Archon I later crash landed in a small village where it stayed until it was repaired and was flown back to the NEO mountain base.

Archon II
After test results proved that the Minovsky Craft System could work, Wilhelm Reich started work on the second phase of the Archon Project, which was to create the powerful beam weapon which would destroy Jaburo as the Archon flew in the upper atmosphere high above the base. The Archon II fine-tuned the Minovsky Craft System, which granted the Heavy Mech much more stable atmospheric flight capabilities. The Archon II was also used to begin the testing of a powerful mega particle cannon, which was capable of blasting large swaths of destruction through anything it fired on, even solid rock.

The Archon II was tested in the deserts of Southeast Asia, but information of these tests were leaked to the Earth Federation by the local population of the area. The 23rd Battle Mech Team was dispatched to ambush, and attempt to capture, the Archon II and after laying in wait for several days they were able to spring their trap. The Archon II was severely damaged by Federation pilot Zachary Villhansmann, and the unit fled with Zach's Battle Mech still clinging to its hull. The Archon II crash landed in the Himalayan Mountain Range and was later self-destructed by Uta Reich to prevent the Earth Federation from capturing the unit intact.

ARCHON III
After the Archon II was lost Reich began work on the final version of the Archon Project, the Archon III. Wilhelm Reich, is driven by a mad determination to see his project completed. The Archon III will be the culmination of all of the test data of the previous two Archon units and it will be over twice the size of the original two units. To compensate for balance problems in flight the Archon III mounts two Minovsky Craft Systems, one on each side of its body located on spider-like legs that could be lowered away from the main body to anchor the unit in place when firing close to the ground. Also, to overcome the problem of insufficient energy the Archon III mounted three Minovsky generators instead of one.

Rear Admiral Wilhelm Reich

The eldest child of the Reichs, an influential upper-class Orbital family, Wilhelm was charged by the Sovereign Karl Rothschilde to build a Heavy Mech powerful enough to destroy the Earth Federation Forces military headquarters of Jaburo. Granted a former Nazi secret military facility hidden inside of a mountain on the Tibetan plateau, Wilhelm began work on his dream project, the Archon Heavy Mech. However, Wilhelm was not given total operating freedom. Wilhelm was placed under the jurisdiction of Admiral Byron Carnarvon. Although Wilhelm used to be friends with Byron, Reich began to harbor a secret hatred of him because of his nonchalance and carefree attitude, especially towards the Archon project, which Byron viewed as a mere tool to be used by real soldiers.

Wilhelm has a younger sister, Uta Reich. The two siblings were always close and Wilhelm often pulled strings to have Uta assigned as the test pilot of his experimental units. Wilhelm also suffers from an unspecified medical ailment, for which he had to take an unspecified medication. His sister always reminds him to take it if it slips his mind. There is speculation that he may have suffered from Wilson's Disease.

Wilhelm drives his development staff maniacally, drugging the mechanics and researchers so they can work more frequently. Reich sees people as mere tools to be used to achieve his dream, the completion of the Archon, and recent intelligence reports indicate he stopped taking his own medication, leading to detrimental effects on both his body and mind. Reich's stolen journal indicates that he considers murdering the entire Archon development team so the newly completed Archon III would be his, and his alone.

NEO Ace Pilots: The Black Tri-Stars

The Black Tri-Stars are sometimes alternately referred to as the "Black Trinary," or less often, the "Black Trinity."

The ace pilot trio known as the Black Tri-Stars consisted of NEO ace pilots Lieutenant Gaia, Lieutenant Junior Grade Orutoku, and Lieutenant Junior Grade Nash. The three first met in May of Universal Century 0076 when the Neo space forces began secretly practicing combat maneuvers in preparation for the upcoming war. The three were all assigned to the Mobile Training Battalion D Company, 2nd Platoon, and the three became good friends quickly.

During the Battle of Loum on January 16th, Universal Century 0079, the three first earned their notorious reputation when they captured General Revil. The three customized MS-05 Aasimon I that they piloted, painted in a black and purple color scheme, earned the trio the nickname "Black Tri-Stars".

It was using the high speed and maneuverability of the Aasimons that the Black Tri-Stars came up with their own unique tactical maneuver. The Black Tri-Stars developed their trademark attack, the "Jet Stream Attack". Moving in at high speed, the trio lines up one behind the other, forming a lethal simultaneous triple assault in which two of the members attack with ranged weapons and the last one attacks with a melee weapon. The danger of this maneuver is that dodging one attack puts the victim perfectly in the sights of the second or third attack. Only someone who is an ESPer could dodge all three attacks.

The three members of the Black Tri-Stars were said to be more skilled than an entire squad of normal soldiers, and they proved it constantly with their ruthless attacks on the Earth Federation's space forces. In July, 0079, the Black Tri-Stars alone in their new High Mobility Aasimon IIs destroyed a small Earth Federation Reconnaissance Force fleet near the NEO asteroid fortress of Solomon.

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The Leader is Lieutenant Katherine Gaia. She started her military career intending to be a communications officer and through testing and selection ended up as a reknowned Mech Pilot. She is of Greek-American descent from the Colonies at Side 5. She and her two cohorts from D-2 practice a minimum of 4 hours a day every day, perfecting maneuvers and honing thier considerable physical skills. Kate is an expert military officer. Using a keen combination of authority, charisma, flirting and commeraderie she squeezes better performance out of her two friends than any Drill Seargent ever could hope for. She is an incredible strategist and tactician who endlessly studies the theory and history of military command from the warrior kings of ancient Vedic writings to the most modern combat theory. She is a consumate officer.

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Lieutenant Junior Grade Ryou Orutoku is the speed demon of the trio. Originally from Earth, his family immigrated to Side 3 shortly after he was born and he strove to make himself a real spacer. His devotion to the Colony and all the beleifs of Karl Rothschilde is absolute and unshakeable. His reflexes are not only hones through Jeet Kun Do traiing to thier utmost maximum but also augmented with the latest implant and cyber-technology as soon as it becomes available. He is a race car and motorcycle racing enthusiast in his rare spare time and he can often be found slumming around with street racers and car hobbyists all over side 3. He is Japanese by descent.

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Lieutenant Junior Grade Marco Nash is a Colony born warrior from Side 6. Disgusted with their tendency to neutrality, he made the jump to Side 3 as they were forming their Militia Army, joined up and never looked back. He is a big man who is the occasional secret boyfriend of Leiutenant Gaia. He is the anchor of the unit, forming a strongarm, no-prisoners foundation to their combat style. He is the first to advocate a head-on assault and is basically without fear of any enemy. While not as eager as Orutoku to dash into a fight, he never backs down, never surrenders and has nerves of steel. He would follow his teammates into the gates a hell if asked to and has absolute loyalty and affection for his co-Tri-Stars.

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Other Near Earth Orbital Mechs

EAM - 03 Retaliator

The Retaliator is the standard medium interception battlemech of the Earth Federation. Many of the actual Earth Federation battlemech designs are based on this machine, as its reliability has been proved many times over (although it isn't entirely flawless: see below). Well-armed and fast for its size, it can take on opponents bigger than itself and still come out on top. The Retaliator is commonly found in strike teams along with Pathfinders because of its high speed and heavy armament. What this machine is lacking is armor. To ensure speed and maneuverability similar to that of light battlemechs while still carrying heavy armament, compromises had to be made. The extra mass needed for weapons and thrusters came off the limbs armor, much to the dismay of the pilots assigned to the machine. To save further mass, the engineers tried to reduce the size of the thrusters by using a new plasma injector cone with pre-heating. It worked, up to a point: because the verniers have to operate at near maximum level for extended periods of time, they overheat easily, which can cause a shutdown (or, even worse, an explosion, in extreme case). Green pilots often burn out the thruster array on their first sortie with a Retaliator, despite warning from the tech crew. The Retaliator is equipped with the powerful JAW-I railgun, a proven modular design able to send a Lexan shell with metal sabot straigth through several inches of composite armor. Because of the rapid wear of the gun's rails, no more than fifteen shots can be fired before replacing the parts. Several pilots have attempted to fire once more, only to have the weapon jam and explode. However, it never happened before the sixteenth shot. The engineers are still at work on this strange problem

Variations
There have been few modifications to the basic Retaliator frame over the years, mainly because building a Pathfinder variant for a given operational role is much cheaper. To date, only two versions exist, the Retaliator HA and C models.

The Commander-type is nothing more than a standard Retaliator with extra communication and detection gear. It is undistinguishable from the standard EAM-03 save for the extra antennae. The Heavy Assault version, however, is often mistaken for the heavier Vindicator model. It adds nearly 5 tons of armor as well as more powerful missiles. The railgun is also replaced by an arm-mounted rocket launcher.

Service Record
Like the Pathfinder, the Retaliator has been mostly used against pirates in the Earth Federation system. A few were sent to assault strongholds in the Asteroid Belt in conjunction with units from the Free Colonies, which put both the standard and HA versions to test.

EAX - C1 Prometheus

The Prometheus was originally intented to be the prototype of a new generation of battlemechs which would be more efficient, better armed and faster than their predecessors. As construction progressed, however, several experimental systems were added to the basic frame of the machine, making it a one-of-akind wonder, too costly to be reproduced. Although greatly ressembling the earlier Pathfinder and Retaliator, the Prometheus is a totally redesigned vehicle. The engineering team chose to put the emphasis on maneuverability and firstsight- first-kill capacity at any angle of attack. To maximize use of the weapons and flight systems, the cockpit uses a vectoring/self-correcting computer. With the recent addition of the highly experimental CAT control apparatus, the Prometheus essentially allows the pilot to perform most flighvfight operations without relying on slow manual controls, thus greatly improving the response time. Use of the new G-cockpit help negates the violent inertial stress associated with the high maneuvering capacity of the EAX-C1.

The impressive weaponry includes two experimental plasma interfaces. These can change the function of their emitter arrays to serve either as a beam cannon or a non-limited plasma lance. If successful, these are expected to become standard issues on future Earth Federation officer units.

Variations
The Prometheus is unique in its ability to use a large "suit" of extra armor called the "Storm Attacker" configuration. It was added to the project's requirements after intelligence reported that the feasibility of large (80t tons) Battle Mech was being studied by OLYMPUS engineers. Instead of redesigning the whole unit to counterattack this new development, the Skunk Work team chose to equip the Prometheus with additional bolt-on armament. Missile launchers were mounted on the main body in large armored housings, while a pair of powerful beam cannons provided the main punch. Large claw-arms extend out of the missile units for close combat -plasma lances would have been preferred, but the energy requirements proved too great. A particle scattering gun was mounted instead. Although the bulk of the extra weapon systems would normally affect the Prometheus' performances, it is not so. Additional boosters virtually negate the mass, even improving the acceleration rate when used. If those thrusters are put out of commission, all weapon housings can be jettisoned in seconds, leaving the Prometheus undamaged and unburdened.

Service Record
Being an experimental unit, the Prometheus is not expected to see combat. Computer simulations have clearly shown that in the hands of a capable pilot, nothing can resist its sheer firepower and speed. Still, the military high command refuses to commit it to any kind of operation, deeming it "too valuable to use"