Astragius Galaxy, year 7213. For one hundred years the space nations of Gilgamesh and Balarant have warred against each other for reasons long forgotten. Severely exhausted, they both agreed to a ceasefire. With peace just over the horizon, some Gilgamesh soldiers turned traitor and attacked a Gilgamesh research station to steal its contents.

History

The Gilgamesh and Balarant nations had until recently been locked in a century-old galactic war whose cause was long ago forgotten. Now, the war is ending and an uneasy truce has settled. The main weapon of the conflict is the common Armored Trooper, a mass-produced humanoid combat vehicle piloted by a single soldier. Both the Armored Troopers and their pilots are also known as VOTOMS (Vertical One-man Tank for Offense & ManeuverS). However, since Armored Troopers have extremely thin armor, and use a highly combustible liquid in their artificial muscle, their pilots have a very low chance of survival, and are commonly referred to instead as "Bottoms", the lowest of the low

Secret Society

Despite the rise and fall of planetary and interstellar governments, the true powerbrokers of all worlds in the Astragius Galaxy for the past 3,000 years have been members of the Secret Society. In the beginning, they served the Quentian Overmen as a priest class who wielded power and considered themselves the Children of God. With the outbreak of the Hundred Years War, they infiltrated the militaries of both sides.

Shortly before the war's end, they developed the objective of creating an "Army of God." They would prepare for their god's second coming by building up a force to rule over the entire Astragius Galaxy. To support this goal (and line their own pockets) they began to operate a arms dealers rather than as a religious functionaries. Eventually few members of the Society truly believed that the Quentian Overmen were gods, or indeed anything more than a myth.

The current Secret Society may indeed have true links to the beliefs of their priestly origins, but if so, these beliefs are far overshadowed by their more secular ambitions.

Operation LIDO

The secret, illegal mission masterminded by Albert Killy of the Gilgamesh Army. In a raid on the Melkian Asteroid LIDO, AT pilots under his command stole both a huge gold stock and the freshly created Perfect Soldier Proto-One. The leaders of this operation then defected from the Gilgamesh Army and formed the Secret Society, each talking a responsible persona to hide behind (Borough becomes a holy man, Iskui a police Chief, etc.).

The Secret Society then went on to develop their own Perfect Soldier, Proto-Two, and pursue their own greedy interests in an attempt to stake their own claim on a galaxy destabilized by constant warfare.

Technology

Except for its starships and medical technology, the VOTOMS universe is fairly low-tech (and is often described as hard science fiction). Soldiers and combat vehicles alike are equipped with missiles and projectile weapons; only large spaceships have energy weapons, and then only in small numbers. The main weapon of the conflict is the common Armored Trooper (also known as AT, described in a derogatory term as a 'tin can with a machine gun'), a mass-produced humanoid combat vehicle piloted by a single soldier. They are known alternately as VOTOMS (Vertical One-man Tank for Offense & ManeuverS).

ATs are rugged, simple machines equipped with one or two weapon systems, usually a light automatic cannon and a rocket or missile pod. They stand between three to four meters tall, with the pilot occupying most of the chest area and the head. Batteries are used to energize a special liquid called Polymer Ringers Solution in the limbs' "muscle cylinders" to emulate a range of human-like motion. Polymer Ringers Solution is highly flammable and breaks down over time, requiring regular replenishment for ATs that do not have Polymer Ringers Solution Purifier systems (typically housed in armored backpacks). ATs can be readily maintained in the field and can even be put together from spare parts using little more than a simple workshop. Unlike other mechas in other series at the time Votoms came out, the Votoms are more or less walking tanks as they can not fly or transform.

ATs have simple internal computer systems that allow them to operate in a semi-autonomous or "rabbit" mode without a pilot. Pilots may also prepare a "mission disk" in advance of deployment which is then inserted into the cockpit computer. The mission disk is used to store information relating to maneuvers that the pilot anticipates will be necessary, such as using the evaluation of an opponent's tactics to prepare against him. The pilot activates the mission disk at the appropriate time and the AT's execution of pre-programmed maneuvers then becomes faster when the pilot needs them. This allows the pilot to pay more attention to the battle and react faster as a result.

Gilgamesh Confederation

A decade of promises whose fulfillment always seems just around the corner. In the first Galactic war, a mere 20 worlds belonged to the Gilgamesh confederation. By the end of the 3rd Galactic War a millennia later, these were over 100 worlds involved. Many of these were destroyed during the Hundred Years War, and the remaining planets entrusted themselves into the hands of the Melkian Federation. Based on planet Melkian, the Melkian Federation had by far the best-integrated military strength as well as an excellent munitions industry, making it possible for them to unite underdeveloped worlds on behalf of the Gilgamesh. Much of this was done during the last 50 years of the war, during which time the Melkian Planetary Government slowly become a puppet of its own military. Once Melkia had control of the sovereignty, Gilgamesh was given greater mobility, especially after creating new versions of the AT and many other far more deadly and secretive weapons.