People of the EU Arm
ZOCU
Saffron Kimmel
One of the war's most controversial figures, Saffron Kimmel is primary remembered for her loss at the Battle of Haraway's World. Ancillary reasons to remember her are the decimation of the ZOCU fleets, the destruction of the the Harawayan Pallada-class battleship Landing by massed fire from multiple Core battleship divisions, and the loss of the war.
Prior to the chaotic close-quarters fight over Haraway, Kimmel was a highly skilled manager; before the war she built the Harawayan aerospace arm up from a handful of craft to one of the most powerful in ZOCU. Unfortunately, she was not the genius tactician needed at the battle of Haraway. Despite the intellectual advantages afforded her by her Yellow Harawayan caste template, convoluted Harawayan command and control systems and simple lack of brilliance or experience as a fleet commander on that scale doomed Kimmel's efforts.
It's rumoured Kimmel survived the destruction of the Landing and still lives somewhere on the rim.
Marshal Leona Malki
Haraway's ground commander
Admiral Reiko Tenmo
Haraway's Surface Naval commander
Field Marshal George Grossman
A war hero in New Mercia and a war criminal in the Core, Grossman started the civil war as a corps commander and earned accolades for holding the Sterling Pass against superior rebel forces. At a point where New Mercia was suffering defeats across the entire theatre of war, Grossman delivered victories, and as a result, was made the overall commander of the New Mercian military.
Controversially, he is believed to be responsible for authorising the use of bioweapons on the Fuller Plateau, although officially New Mercia continues to insist that the so called 'Mercian Zombie Plague' outbreak that eventually led to the depopulation of two arcologies was the result of the destruction of a lab studying posthuman biotech. Certainly, he is on record as authorising a deployment of nuclear weapons in order to contain the outbreak, and as a result, is wanted for trial by the EU. He emerged with his domestic reputation mostly unscathed after the succession of bloody meatgrinders that characterised the last few years of the war, and continues to serve as the Chief of Military Operations.
Admiral Isley Yellowstone OC Mercian Royal Starfleet
Aces
The largest influence on the aces produced during the ZOCU War was undoubtedly the weapon they piloted: the mobile suit. The Core lacked a comparable weapon until the very end of the war and moreover had much lower levels of transgenic augmentation among their military forces. As a result, the individual achievements of Core aces generally did not figure within ZOCU. On average, the most successful ZOCU aces were those who transferred early to a Hoplite variant, were heavily augmented, fought extensively during the early days on the EU Arm where the quality of their enemies was generally inferior, and hailed from worlds willing to keep their best pilots on the field as much as possible.
The Top Ten
Geist
ZOCU's #1 Ace.
Y. G. Kruger
The highest-ranked Transbaalan ace and the 2nd highest overall. One of the first volunteers for the Cape Project that created ZOCU alephs, he was primarily active along the PACT arm. He flew virtually every ZOCU mobile suit design in service, with his distinctive brilliant red customized Sarissa Orgia (originally the 3rd prototype) being his weapon of choice both during and after the war. He currently heads ZOCU's Advanced Combat School, though rumors are that he is being considered for a more prestigious position.
Naas van der Wett
Transbaalan, Aleph, #3 Ace
- 4 slot previously Kanon's. Pending determination of what to do about aces.
Jasmine Raz
Haraway's famous Blue Devil, Major (Later Colonel) Jasmine Raz is the World's top scorer and the Fifth Rank Scorer in ZOCU. Jasmine joined the Harawayian aerospace force initially as a test pilot, then went on to fly pretty much all frames used by Haraway during the war, before finally settling down in a modified Sarissa-H in mid 2188, leading the famous Blue Devil squadron from 2186 onwards, initially flying Hoplites before converting over into Haraway's premier all Sarissa unit.
Jasmine survived a confrontation with a Doppelsöldner during the battle of Haraway, scoring the only confirmed kills against the much feared EU orbital frames by Harawayian a pilot.
After the War, Jasmine was promoted to Commodore and took over the mobile suit wing tasked with air defence of the Capital and Landing Island. She is married to superstar pop singer turned politician Emma Lan, though she prefers to stay out of politics.
- 6 slot previously Kanon's. Pending determination of what to do about aces.
Krotoa Vorster
Transbaalan, Aleph, #7 Ace
- 8 slot previously Londo's
- 9 slot previously Kanon's.
Alana Reseld
The Harawayan army's top scoring Ace, Alana Reseld flew in numerous ground and space battles, but always retained her army rank even when serving in aerospace force units. A red caste country girl from the outskirts of Landing Island, Alana joined the army in 2183, at age 17, and quickly showed a natural aptitude for flying which after a stint in flight school gained her a position in one of the army's Peltast units and severed in several notable battles in the ZOCU war, seeing action at Blue Trees and gaining her first air to air kills (a pair of British Whirl Wind ground attack aircraft).
In 2186 as the war on the ground was beginning to wane Alana was seconded to the Haraway aerospace force where she served with the Blue Devil Squadron until 2187 before transferring to New Mercia as part of Task Grouping Tethys where she flew a Masamune in numerous atmospheric and orbital engagements.
Alana ended the war on New Mercia, but has since moved back to Haraway with her New Mercian wife Elena Rossthorn. She is now commandant of the army mobile suit academy at Ignis Sound.
Other ZOCU Aces
Emmanuel Isley Churchman
God-fearing Legionaire specialist hailing from Ophen. Shot down and injured seven times through the war. Is a major ace both in the starways of the PACT arm and on the ground at Kanon, Choson, and Suzumiya. Presently still serving and highly decorated in the Ophen system militia. Infamous for entering battle with a cowbow hat rather than regulation helmet. Has the most warship kills attributed to any specific individual (three).
Core
Anton Zweiker
Ruthless and calculating, Anton Zweiker led his reform minded faction to prominence within the EU's military command structure and the Deep Space Fleet to its final crushing victory over Haraway's World. Responsible for the famed "Rose Knights" regiment being kept on as a permanent unit in the post-war demobilizations.
Sarah Ashmore
As a senior division commander in the Deep Space Fleet, Sarah Ashmore commanded the force dispatched to repulse Lord Dorington's raid on Aldebaran. She received considerable accolades for her success, but ultimately was passed over for the coveted position of DSF Commander in Chief. Ashmore continued to serve as a division commander throughout the war, eventually leading the fleet's vanguard at the Battle of Haraway.
As of 2193, Ashmore was reassigned to command the newly formed Silesian Navy.
Aurélien Bounaparte Meckligner
A graduate of École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr and the EUM Naval School Meckligner made his repuation in the heyday of the Deep Space Fleet- as a junior officer onboard many ships participating in anti-drone operations and later commanding a Drake in such operations before taking up a post in Outremonde's Home Fleet. Chief-of-Staff of the Space Fleet in 2176-2181 where he was responsible for building up a significant stockpile of strategic supplies. Retired in 2182 after eight months as Minister of Defence but not before beginning the "15-Year Plan" to modernize the Space Fleet. Meckligner would remain retired until 2184 when "new" blood was deemed required to takeover Outremonde's Deep Space Fleet component (as CinC of the Space Fleet) in early 2186. At the age of eighty-five Meckligner commanded Outremonde's ships at the battle of Haraway and participated in the relief of Albion. He served as military-attaché for the Federal Republic from in 2192 and 2193 before returning back to his post as Commander-in-chief of the Space Fleet. Outremonde's senior naval commander has faced criticisms because of his highly negative remarks on the Treaty of Sirus, made in private but subsequently leaked.
Aces
Damien Hatchet
The Man from Albion, the EU's #1 mecha ace. He emerged from the tenements of Albion to become one of the pilots of the ill-fated Lambert frame, but distinguished himself in that role nevertheless. Since the introduction of the Leopold and higher-performance machines he has never looked back, and is aggressive in demanding from command the best possible tools for use in combat.
Years of fame as a war hero has done little to restrain his coarse manner or ego, and although he is more than capable of delivering a script to a press conference the EU still prefers to keep him at arms length from the press. Scattered allegations remain about crimes committed during the Battle of Haraway, but have little traction due to the lack of clear evidence and the frosty relations between ZOCU and the EU.
Paul Lebekin
Commander of the 791st squadron based on the EUS Loire, which was lost at the battle of Londenium. One of the few pilots from Outremonde to participate in early military operations Lebekin is credited with one confirmed kill before being forced to eject from his damaged fighter early in the battle. Recovered by a rescue boat from the EUS Belfort. Lebekin served with distinction in various posts until being earmarked to test-pilot Lamberts with the 63rd Test Battallion. Piloted a Ge-03 Leopold, based off of the Belfort, in the campaign preceding the Battle of Haraway where he piloted one of the Union's new Leopold Margrave. Lebekin was accredited with five confirmed kills and three mission-kills at the campaigns end, with some debate over a number of possibles lacking clear visual evidence for (but which informally is accredited to Lebekin anyways). Unlike other aces Lebekin transferred to Fleet Command and was earmarked for the Deep Space Fleet force assigned to Outremonde along with the aging Belfort at wars-end.