The year is 1900. Japan, youngest of the worlds great powers, sends an expedition to Antarctica to show the world that it is just as capable when it comes to polar expedition. The Katsuragi expedition perishes in the event known as "Second Impact". That is the official story.
The unofficial story, known only to the emperor and some of his most trusted advisors, is that the expedition stumbled over something it should not have stumbled over, which caused Second Impact.
The true story is known only to very few people around the world: The expedition did not stumble.
World War One happened immediately after Second Impact, and resulted in status quo in continental Europe. Outside Europe, however, the situation has changed quite a bit. Germany, seeing the possibility to seize the position of the worlds leading superpower (which is vacant since Britain found out that an island position does have its disadvantages when sea levels rise 80 meters practically overnight) makes a bid for most of Britains oversea possessions in Africa. France, always eager to get into a scrap with Germany (especially since the front in Europe isn't moving) also attempts to increase its holdings. The result is an Africa split between the two powers.
What remains of the former Empire of Great Britain in the pacific gets gobbled by Japan, The United States and the newly declared Republic of Australia and New Zealand. However, with sea levels rising rapidly, there is a lot less ground to occupy.
The year is 1915. Shinji Ikari, Student at the Imperial Naval Academy in Kyoto in the rank of Ensign, has just been ordered to report to the newly opened branch in Tokyo-3, no later than 4 days from receiving this letter, and to delay at his own peril. What he does not know is that he will be under the command of his own father - the very man who placed him in the academy - to command the highly experimental Evangelion class mobile land battleship, the newest toy in the Imperial Navy's arsenal (even though the Imperial Army is quite angry over the 'land' part in its name, and is developing its own version, codenamed "tank").
On the other side of the world, Germany has build its own land battleship. The two countries have an uneasy alliance since they are both relatively young on the world stage (and having come to around the same time, too), and while they do share the development of modern navy ships (the Kaiser likes his battleships, and Japan is an island nation), the higher ups in both countries have very detailed plans to use them against each other. Or both against the French. Not that this is mutually exclusive.
Commanding said land battleship is a woman (no one calls her a girl, at least not in her presence) that the press has, somewhat erroneously, dubbed the Red Baroness - Askua Soryu Langley, Grõfin (Countess) Zeppelin, first female graduate of the Imperial War academy, holding the rank of Sekundõrleutnant in the 1st Regiment of Hussars, Imperial Life Guard before transferring to the Navy to take command of the Kaiser's (again, not in her hearing) newest toy.
Well, this was (or is) one of those annoying plot bunnies that just refused to die. It traces its roots (if a bunny can have roots) to the idea of Shinji getting a highly elaborate letter instead of the usual "Come". Add to it Asuka having connections to the Zeppelin family and things spread out from there. There are still major problems with the scenario, such as making the whole angel -> AT field -> counter AT field work while still maintaining a steam-punkish feel about the whole thing. I guess just going the full "insane scientist" route might work. The same thing applies to Reis origin.
So there you have it. Comments are always welcome, and if someone wants to try his hand with it, I would be more than honoured.
The unofficial story, known only to the emperor and some of his most trusted advisors, is that the expedition stumbled over something it should not have stumbled over, which caused Second Impact.
The true story is known only to very few people around the world: The expedition did not stumble.
World War One happened immediately after Second Impact, and resulted in status quo in continental Europe. Outside Europe, however, the situation has changed quite a bit. Germany, seeing the possibility to seize the position of the worlds leading superpower (which is vacant since Britain found out that an island position does have its disadvantages when sea levels rise 80 meters practically overnight) makes a bid for most of Britains oversea possessions in Africa. France, always eager to get into a scrap with Germany (especially since the front in Europe isn't moving) also attempts to increase its holdings. The result is an Africa split between the two powers.
What remains of the former Empire of Great Britain in the pacific gets gobbled by Japan, The United States and the newly declared Republic of Australia and New Zealand. However, with sea levels rising rapidly, there is a lot less ground to occupy.
The year is 1915. Shinji Ikari, Student at the Imperial Naval Academy in Kyoto in the rank of Ensign, has just been ordered to report to the newly opened branch in Tokyo-3, no later than 4 days from receiving this letter, and to delay at his own peril. What he does not know is that he will be under the command of his own father - the very man who placed him in the academy - to command the highly experimental Evangelion class mobile land battleship, the newest toy in the Imperial Navy's arsenal (even though the Imperial Army is quite angry over the 'land' part in its name, and is developing its own version, codenamed "tank").
On the other side of the world, Germany has build its own land battleship. The two countries have an uneasy alliance since they are both relatively young on the world stage (and having come to around the same time, too), and while they do share the development of modern navy ships (the Kaiser likes his battleships, and Japan is an island nation), the higher ups in both countries have very detailed plans to use them against each other. Or both against the French. Not that this is mutually exclusive.
Commanding said land battleship is a woman (no one calls her a girl, at least not in her presence) that the press has, somewhat erroneously, dubbed the Red Baroness - Askua Soryu Langley, Grõfin (Countess) Zeppelin, first female graduate of the Imperial War academy, holding the rank of Sekundõrleutnant in the 1st Regiment of Hussars, Imperial Life Guard before transferring to the Navy to take command of the Kaiser's (again, not in her hearing) newest toy.
Well, this was (or is) one of those annoying plot bunnies that just refused to die. It traces its roots (if a bunny can have roots) to the idea of Shinji getting a highly elaborate letter instead of the usual "Come". Add to it Asuka having connections to the Zeppelin family and things spread out from there. There are still major problems with the scenario, such as making the whole angel -> AT field -> counter AT field work while still maintaining a steam-punkish feel about the whole thing. I guess just going the full "insane scientist" route might work. The same thing applies to Reis origin.
So there you have it. Comments are always welcome, and if someone wants to try his hand with it, I would be more than honoured.