Colony Century 115; after twenty years of peace throughout the Earth Sphere, the Third Space War tore its way on to the scene without warning. In the opening weeks, the lines drawn seemed too clear: on one side there
was the Newtype Corps and its doctrine of human perfection, while on the the other there was the stagnant United Alliance, the Grand Cross, and any independent colonies who stood with them. Among the
latter was Ark Orion, a growing colony nation situated on the far reaches of the Frontier V zone, as distant from the Earth as humans had gone. It was here, when the rebellion against the Corps began to falter, that the spirit of resistance was kept alive. Using technology culled from their enemies, and
a force of will that seemed indomitable, the people of Ark Orion took their resistance right to the Earth itself, moving their colony across the Lagrange Points in a heroic gesture that
was to end in the Newtype Corps' defeat.
At least, that's how it was supposed to have gone.
In reality, the actions of Ark Orion, and even those of the Newtype Corps, were all a part of
a scheme that was more elaborate than anyone in the Earth Sphere realized. Behind the petty hatred that fuelled a war between Newtypes and Naturals there were two "men;" two synthetic beings who each used their respective sides to draw the entire human race towards their separate visions of the future. Behind the Newtype Corps there was Coral Song Excelsius, a mysterious
man guided by the will of the Choir, itself a synthetic construct composed of the
primordial elements of artificial intelligence. As Coral explained, the Choir was born generations before the Colony Century even began, from a simple series of mathematical equations that, once wired into the super-computer resources of the electronic world, evolved to self-awareness. Though it first began to express traces of itself through the creation of synthetics a generation prior, it now longed to gain a more total existence. Coral meant to give it this new life, by drawing the essence of the Choir through the networks it inhabited via the Resonance/Dissonance
phenomenon. Once "crossed over," this intangible force would spread itself throughout a legion of prepared human bodies, constructed through genetic engineering and awaiting their awakening.
Coral saw himself as the creator of a new human race, one that was not only a perfect blend of machine logic and flesh, but also
destined to guide the human beings who had come before them. Contrary to what he had told the Newtype Corps, he was not concocting a superior master-race that would
supplant Naturals, and even Newtypes, as a new benchmark for humanity. His race's
advent would drastically reshape the entire Earth Sphere, and so it would be their duty to turn back and repay
humanity for the turmoil brought by their creation. They would be a means of transition from the
third war and inevitable chaos to follow into; the architects, the teachers, the Coordinators.
Opposing Coral was the synthetic known only as Grant. A technological reincarnation of the Space War figure Gavin Murdoch, Grant had been created by humans as a necessary antitype to Coral. He was the other side of Judgement's scale, favouring the status quo and believing that human beings had the capacity to learn and evolve on their own. Grant was aware of the ramifications of Coral's plan, as he saw the damage wrought by the excessive use of Resonance and Dissonance weaponry by the Newtype Corps. He knew that to created a conduit between the essence of the Choir and its waiting physical hosts, Coral would have to
totally ignite all traces of the two
phenomenon, increasing their intensity so much that it would disrupt the physical laws
of reality. In supporting, and manipulated, the rebellion against the Newtype Corps, Grant hoped to stop Coral before he destroyed humanity's way of life.
He failed. Coral won.
It's been fifteen years since the world ended....
The final events of the Third Space War left the Earth Sphere in even more
turmoil than the great Colony Crash that had transpired twenty years earlier.
Through the machinations of Coral, a massive surge of the Resonance and
Dissonance flooded out through the entire solar system, simultaneously
transforming the very nature of these mysterious forces' forms. No longer
existing as subtle life energies, both instantly permeated throughout the entire
Earth Sphere to such rampant degree that their effects instantly transcended
their simple influences over living creatures.
Once ignited, the Resonance and Dissonance caused massive disruptions in complex
electronics and machinery. Everything, from personal computers to mobile suits
to entire space colonies, went offline without warning. The energy waves
tore apart the delicate cyberspace threads of the Leviathan Network as well,
destroying all lines of communication and plunging the United
Alliance and Grand Cross into chaos. Suddenly, the high-tech culture of the
Earth Sphere found everything modern, everything it had taken for granted, burnt
out and useless. As for synthetics, the unsung "third race" of the Earth Sphere, they simply ceased
functioning, as the natural energies
eroded and destroyed their mechanical bodies.
Closer to the human condition was the direct effect that the explosion had upon Newtypes from the very moment it occurred. These "evolved" human beings, who unwittingly tapped into Resonance to manifest their distinct mental and physical super abilities, suddenly found that their superior traits were gone. In the space of seconds, every Newtype in the Earth Sphere was left with the same limitations as the Naturals who often envied and feared them. Some immediately believed that this was a part of humanity's
necessary penance for decades of fighting over their evolution. In reality, however, Newtypes have not lost their abilities so much as they've had them restrained. With the incredible excess of ambient Resonance and Dissonance spread across every inch of the solar system, the innate talents of Newtypes had become too overwhelmed to function.
Without technology, or even the enhanced traits that many citizens had come to depend upon, the civilized nations remaining on the Earth began to
collapse into lawless, rioting hellholes where individual survival became the
first priority. Even those that maintained some sense of reason evolved into
feudal kingdoms, ruled over by self-proclaimed nobles and tyrants. In space, the colonies
found themselves isolated and looking inward to survive. Without complex
environmental or life support systems to sustain them, most became tombs filled
with millions of starved residents. Those who tried to adapt found that they
were the victims of their own kind, as internal struggles grew and eventually
tore these proud space settlements into a savage mockery of their proud
heritage.
In the fifteen years since Excelsius' victory, there have been whole of
regions of settled space where no living soul has dared to approach. For those
living in space, the rumours surrounding many colony clusters keep true
survivors wary and at bay. On Earth, most are so preoccupied with keeping their
own lives together that they couldn't care less about what has happened among
the stars..
The Age of the Coordinators....
As noted, the survivors
of the Space War found themselves greatly limited in terms of technology
and abilities. The Resonance and Dissonance interference
persisted in negating the technological functions of anything more complex than
an internal combustion engine. It is theorized that the two phenomenon's natural
aversion to higher technology, as seen in the total destruction of the synthetic
race, is the root of the problem. Some spiritual, individuals even believe that
the situation is a form of divine punishment for the endless years of sin that
have come from the recent generations of the Colony Century, and this encouraged
many to seek alternative lifestyles that are far more pastoral and simple than
what they have lost.
Regardless of the problem's source, one solution has been discovered, however:
Coordinators. In the days to follow the War, these new humans showed a remarkable ability for negating
Resonance and Dissonance interference when in close proximity to machinery. If
mentally focussed on the task, a Coordinator could even reactivate the normal functions
of any complex system and sustain them as long as they continued concentrating.
Immediately, one might think that these beings could be the saviours of
humanity, and therefore treated as such, as was Coral's intention for them. However, two very powerful facts have
kept this from coming to pass. One, most humans could not forgive the fact that it was Excelsius' "birthing" of the Coordinator race that lead to the current chaos in
the Earth Sphere. Enough gossip and rumours have spread to avail many survivors
of this fact. This has left many people embittered, and extremely prejudiced
towards them. Two, the very nature of the Coordinators' origins seems to
preclude their own status as human beings. They are things, not people; genetic
constructs put together from choice DNA chains and inhabited by an artificial
consciousness. It even is maintained (though not proven) that those born naturally, well
after the original disaster, also share this trait, taking in a piece of the Choir essence that remains adrift on Resonance.
So, instead of being treated as benefactors, Coordinators have become humanity's
slaves. They have no more rights than a piece of equipment, even though some
have even exhibited behaviour that makes them indistinguishable from a "real"
human being. A few open-minded individuals have tried to convince people
otherwise. They point to the fact that, beyond their mind-machine abilities,
Coordinators are as human as anyone else. They eat, they sleep, they think, they
dream, they live, and they can have children (even with "normal" humans).
However, the absence of any broader communications mediums and the dependency on
both the abilities and trade of Coordinators keeps them in their lowly place.
A single Coordinator can make a mobile suit, or even a small space craft or
computer system, run again. A small group of them can keep a town or military
installation's power online, or even awaken a battleship. In a world where the technology of
the past has become rotted and useless, those who possess Coordinators and their abilities
wield incredible power and influence. One mobile suit pilot can turn
the tide of any battle, paving the way for hungry conquerors. Being able to
provide even a fraction of the Colony Century's lost comforts or strategic
advantages can reshape the face of a whole region. And yet, while Coordinator's
are the coveted linchpins for those who wield power, they remain subhuman even
to those who are fully aware of their potential.
Now the stage is set for the eleventh chapter in Forever Zero's story. Continuing in the Colony Century era, the emphasis of this setting turns away from space and back to the Earth, where a new order struggles to grow. Generations of war have already left the landscape torn, irradiated, desolate, and strewn with ruins and debris. Long range communication is a distant memory. Technology is a commodity that is worth everything in the hands of those who can use it. A single mobile suit can carve out a kingdom, though is as rare as the skill needed to use and maintain it. Yet, even amidst this harsh planet, under the heavy binding of gravity, there is hope, however faint it seems.
Like Ark Nova and Ark Orion before it, the coastal fortress city of Vacillia serves as our locus for this world. Located on the ruins of Rome, it is a somewhat typical setting.
It is rife with opportunity yet far more dangerous than any environment that has come before it. In Vacillia, the law is subject to the whims of those who hold power, from the self-proclaimed merchant lords and
nobles to the mercenary lawmen who stalk the streets. Slavery is not only accepted, it is part of the lifeblood of this place. The stench of poverty carries through the streets with disease, with shanty towns surrounding the spires of metal and stone where those with power dwell away from those without. Yet, despite Vacillia's
internal stagnation and corruption, if history is any indication, we're liable to see big things coming from within its walls soon enough.
Colony Century 115; after twenty years of peace throughout the Earth Sphere, the Third Space War tore its way on to the scene without warning. In the opening weeks, the lines drawn seemed too clear: on one side there
was the Newtype Corps and its doctrine of human perfection, while on the the other there was the stagnant United Alliance, the Grand Cross, and any independent colonies who stood with them. Among the
latter was Ark Orion, a growing colony nation situated on the far reaches of the Frontier V zone, as distant from the Earth as humans had gone. It was here, when the rebellion against the Corps began to falter, that the spirit of resistance was kept alive. Using technology culled from their enemies, and
a force of will that seemed indomitable, the people of Ark Orion took their resistance right to the Earth itself, moving their colony across the Lagrange Points in a heroic gesture that
was to end in the Newtype Corps' defeat.
Coral saw himself as the creator of a new human race, one that was not only a perfect blend of machine logic and flesh, but also
destined to guide the human beings who had come before them. Contrary to what he had told the Newtype Corps, he was not concocting a superior master-race that would
supplant Naturals, and even Newtypes, as a new benchmark for humanity. His race's
advent would drastically reshape the entire Earth Sphere, and so it would be their duty to turn back and repay
humanity for the turmoil brought by their creation. They would be a means of transition from the
third war and inevitable chaos to follow into; the architects, the teachers, the Coordinators.
The final events of the Third Space War left the Earth Sphere in even more
turmoil than the great Colony Crash that had transpired twenty years earlier.
Through the machinations of Coral, a massive surge of the Resonance and
Dissonance flooded out through the entire solar system, simultaneously
transforming the very nature of these mysterious forces' forms. No longer
existing as subtle life energies, both instantly permeated throughout the entire
Earth Sphere to such rampant degree that their effects instantly transcended
their simple influences over living creatures.
Without technology, or even the enhanced traits that many citizens had come to depend upon, the civilized nations remaining on the Earth began to
collapse into lawless, rioting hellholes where individual survival became the
first priority. Even those that maintained some sense of reason evolved into
feudal kingdoms, ruled over by self-proclaimed nobles and tyrants. In space, the colonies
found themselves isolated and looking inward to survive. Without complex
environmental or life support systems to sustain them, most became tombs filled
with millions of starved residents. Those who tried to adapt found that they
were the victims of their own kind, as internal struggles grew and eventually
tore these proud space settlements into a savage mockery of their proud
heritage.
As noted, the survivors
of the Space War found themselves greatly limited in terms of technology
and abilities. The Resonance and Dissonance interference
persisted in negating the technological functions of anything more complex than
an internal combustion engine. It is theorized that the two phenomenon's natural
aversion to higher technology, as seen in the total destruction of the synthetic
race, is the root of the problem. Some spiritual, individuals even believe that
the situation is a form of divine punishment for the endless years of sin that
have come from the recent generations of the Colony Century, and this encouraged
many to seek alternative lifestyles that are far more pastoral and simple than
what they have lost.
So, instead of being treated as benefactors, Coordinators have become humanity's
slaves. They have no more rights than a piece of equipment, even though some
have even exhibited behaviour that makes them indistinguishable from a "real"
human being. A few open-minded individuals have tried to convince people
otherwise. They point to the fact that, beyond their mind-machine abilities,
Coordinators are as human as anyone else. They eat, they sleep, they think, they
dream, they live, and they can have children (even with "normal" humans).
However, the absence of any broader communications mediums and the dependency on
both the abilities and trade of Coordinators keeps them in their lowly place.
