| In 2045, the Earth is
incredibly overcrowded, boasting a population of 11 billion people. To alleviate this
problem, the Federation begins an ambitious program to build space colonies and move the
Earth's population into space. A new calendar system, the Universal Century is adopted as
migration of the population begins. This marks the year UC 01. In the next 50 years, 80%
of the human population is moved into space (with force at times) into clusters of space
colonies called Sides. From the
beginning, the space colonists (or spacenoids) were unfairly treated. Those on Earth,
treated them like lesser beings. Their needs took second seat to the needs of those from
Earth. Inevitably, this set up tensions between the spacenoids and the people of Earth.
In UC 46, Zion Zum Daikun developed the
philosophy of Contolism and began spreading it throughout the Sides. Contolism, which is
based on an older philosophy called Eleism, gave spacenoids a sense of nationalism and
identity. In UC 52, Daikun finally settled on Side 3 where his philosophy of Contolism had
developed remarkably strong support. In UC 58 Zion Zum Daikun was elected leader of all of
Side 3. With the people firmly behind him, he declared Side 3 independent of the
Federation and established the Zion Republic.
In UC 0068, Zion Zum Daikun dies under
questionable circumstances and his advisor, Degan Sod Zabi takes over rule of the Zion
Republic renaming it the Duchy of Zion. Tensions escalate as the Duchy of Zion, under
Zabi's rule, takes on a more militaristic and aggressive stance toward the Federation. On
January 3, UC 0079 Zabi declares a war for independence on the Federation. Using giant,
anthropomorphic war machines called Mobile Suits, the Zions strike at Sides 1, 2, and 4,
catching the surprised Federation off guard and killing 2.8 billion people in the process.
They then attempted to drop a 20-mile long space colony onto the Federation base in South
America. The colony is intercepted by the Federation fleet and instead hits Australia,
taking out a sizeable chunk of the continent.
On January 15, the Jion forces attempt a
second shot at the Federation base with a colony from Side 5, but this time the Federation
forces are there waiting for them. In the insuing battle the entire Federation fleet is
wiped out and Side 5 is reduced to a graveyard. Within the first 2 weeks of war, almost
half of the human population is wiped out.
By April UC 0079, half of the surface of
the Earth is under Zion occupation. Both sides, however, are exhausted from the first few
months of conflict.
The story begins in the fall of UC 0079. The
ongoing war between the Earth Federation and the Duchy of Zeon has settled into a
six-month stalemate. The Federation has taken advantage of this time to develop its own
set of mobile suit prototypes, which have been undergoing final testing inside a
Federation research colony at Side 7. Now the mobile suit carrier White Base has arrived
at Side 7 to pick up the prototypes and transport them to Earth...
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