As opposed to my other mecha RP, Polaris, Midnight Sun: Last Song Over the Horizon doesn’t take from the stories reflecting post-apocalyptic survivors and the megacorporations that control their world but rather interstellar consequences, planetary gambits, and space pirates running amuck to the will of the interstellar bureaucrats that want to control the galaxy like a game of chess. The influences of this new, engaging world include the works of Katsuyuki Sumizawa, Hideaki Anno, Paul Wang, and Yūichi Sasamoto. In short, if you like Gundam Wing, Mecha Ace: Heroes of the Vedrian War, or Top wo Nerae! Gunbuster this is probably for you.

Players will play would-be pilots from the Taiyōtawa Interstellar Piloting Academy, a training ground and educational facility that is run by benefactors and officials related to the government of Terra Nova, a former capital planet that shares lineage with planets such as Alpha Centauri, Eridanius, Cygnus, Procyon, Sirius, and Mars. Pirates run rampant throughout various solar systems, corporate shells debate how best to make an interstellar dollar, and corrupt governments look how to best manipulate one another. The world of Midnight Sun is treacherous, but generally little is known to the students of Taiyōtawa as they are rather young men and women of little experience.

It’ll take sharp wits to survive what is to come for them.

Interstellar Combat Weapons have been in development in the galaxy for centuries preceding the modern development of the armors that have come to be known as “valkyries”.

The invention of the first valkyrie is comparative to gunpowder, electricity, or the desktop computer – it is a marvel of science that has changed the way war is waged. A government no longer needs to invest in ridiculously large interstellar fleets or expensive superweapons to win a gambit. The minimization of expending resources has helped these governments focus on more important things, though these valkyries are by no means inexpensive to make or maintain; it isn’t so simple as throwing a pilot and a gunner into the armored suit and hope for the best. Beyond all of the special alloys and state-of-the-art computers, a valkyrie is something more than just an armored golem. A valkyrie requires a special element, an element that still perplexes scientists to this day. A human element.

The difference between a valkyrie and any normal mecha is that a valkyrie’s power output and mobility is far greater and as such has a certain “crux” that limits who can and cannot operate such a weapon. A valkyrie requires a two-user synchronization to function correctly, necessitating the coordinators to be of two separate minds (and genders) yet of the same will in addition to genetically matching the “wavelength” the synchronization asks for.

Each unit's onboard computer system is copied from a baseline "seed program" developed by the original creators of the Valkyries that is designed to statistically evaluate every action taken during operational activity and then select and prioritize those proven to be most frequently effective. How precisely this program learns and functions has been lost to time, as its code is in a bizarre and archaic but hyper-efficient format that is no longer in use outside of this one specific field, and, if converted into another form, becomes so massive and bug-ridden as to slow its processing speed to a crawl. In its functional format, however, this code allows each valkyrie quickly develops its own set of learned and favored tactics based on the abilities of its pilot, its armaments, and the data it logs during combat. But due to the density of this data and the sheer amount of information it stockpiles, it's impossible to parse through it all with any level of efficiency, even for an automated program. As such, the only effective method that has been found is for a dedicated human operator to interface directly with the machine, serving to interpret its data and implement the most optimally effective strategy based on the situation.

But coordinators do not exactly have it easy, either. Not only do coordinators have to function in pairs, they have to make the correct wavelength. When in the machine this translates to being “connected” in the rawest way possible. Essentially, to put it simply, the pilot and the gunner are in each other’s heads. Literally. Both individuals rely on being focused and not deviating from the same thought or emotional process – any deviation can result in non-optimal results as well as the potential of critical or fatal injury.

The origin of Synchronization between two humans lies in an unusual mental phenomena known as “Harmonic Wavelengths”.

These Wavelengths are somewhat nebulous in origin, but appear to be the result of reciprocal mental influence caused by constant interaction and intense emotional bonds. Much like how seeing a loved one in pain stimulates similar brain activity in the viewer as in the sufferer, those who share a certain innate neurological aspect are capable of coordinating their brains to work on a complementary wavelength to each other. The stronger the bonds, the broader the range of these wavelengths, making the connection clearer and more efficient, as well as easier to maintain.

Coordinators are, as you might expect, subdivided into two types based on their role in operating a Valkyrie unit. These two types are, respectively, Physical Coordinators, who manage the immediate control and operations of the unit as its pilot, and Tactical Coordinators, who interface with the unit's learning computer system and advanced sensory equipment in order to scan the area, identify enemy units, formulate a tactical plan to combat them, and then transmit that data to the pilot as a navigational and targeting aid. The primary difference between these two types is not only one of role, but also one of physical condition and mental aptitudes.

Coordinator pairs are generally assigned some time after enrollment in a training academy. Students are given initial compatibility tests administered by a staff of behavioral psychologists. Based on the results of these tests, they are matched up with multiple prospective partners in order to run extremely simplified simulations on how Valkyrie operation works, allowing the pilots to learn the controls while their partners interface with and call out information from a tactical database. Finally, based on their performance, and on the requests of the Coordinators involved, prospective pairs are assigned to Synchro Training, where they attempt to fully synchronize in order to operate a personalized training unit. If they cannot achieve Synchronization within the expected time, they go back to preliminary selection and try again.

The Confederacy of Terra Nova
The good guys; or at least that's the perception. The opposition against imperial domination and the voice of democracy in a sheltered, sparse part of the galaxy. Each planet in the confederacy holds absolute say how they run their homeworld, though their input in the faction is necessary in the face of an industrious and gluttonous enemy that wishes to consume and destroy their very identity and way of life. If not for the invention of PROJECT VALKYRIE and its success against overwhelming odds, the confederacy may very well have been consumed in the last fifty years.

The New Solar Republic
The government of Earth, Luna, Mars, and the central colonies within the Sol System. Loosely affiliated with the Confederacy, Solars have long since halted concerns of their colonies following a tepid peace with The Ascendancy’s government and a brutal crisis on Mars and Earth. The Confederate government has been told that it will get as much support as Sol can muster, though it appears this is a weak gesture at best. As such the Republic is largely a non-factor in the realm of farspace colonies and their subsequent politics.

The Ascendancy
Established by a deep space interstellar warlord that declared independence from the New Solar Republic several centuries ago, The Ascendancy is an interstellar imperialist faction based on the planet of Canis Prime – a world of rich industry that is located in the Procyon System. Within colonial space it is the Ascendancy that represents the greatest threat outside of pirates and cartel influence. Several conflicts have arisen between Ascendants and Confederates with the most recent one escalating into a full scale war that is still in motion to this very day despite a decade old ceasefire.

2185

Mars grows to a point it can sustain itself as a colony. Not long afterward, the moons of Jupiter are colonized with similar technology.

2302

Terra Nova is founded and the New Solar Republic begins colonizing farspace.

2511

Mars refuses to take Earthborn refugees following a crisis on the homeworld. Mars and Earth begin a conflict that hinges on war. Earth calls back its colonial battleships from Terra Nova, Ares, and Canis Prime leaving the colonies to largely fend for themselves.

2527

Canis Prime secedes from the New Solar Republic and forms The Ascendancy in references to its goals to ascend beyond the confines of the republic and humankind.

2585

The remaining provisional government of the farspace colonies fractures, some siding with The Ascendancy and others with the New Solar Republic. Debates surge and the colonial government soon seeks leadership under Terra Nova which with no practical support from Earth or Mars unifies under a formal confederacy. The Confederacy of Terra Nova is born.

2658

Dr. Oystein Akerfeldt is born on Terra Nova.

2678

Ascendants invade the Sirius System, sparking a war of conquest against the Confederacy of Terra Nova.

2685

The superior numbers of the Ascendancy’s ICW program has created several losses, including key occupations. The Confederacy’s odds look bleak when the government of the New Solar Republic informs them they are on their own.

2686

The New Eden Group devises a new form of experimental ICW based on designs from Dr. Akerfeldt. The first prototype becomes known under the codename ‘Sigrdrífa’. Due to the naming conventions these ICWs become known as Valkyries.

2700

Following the success of the pilots of the Sigrdrifa, more funding into the New Eden Group's Super ICWs allows Dr. Akerfeldt to field a proper recruitment drive. Of the initial candidates includes a significant duo named Ilexander Höl and Taala Viranova.

2708

A pause in fighting occurs when a horde of pirates overwhelms Ascendant and Confederate forces. For a brief moment the two factions work together to drive out the pirates from the Ganderyian Expanse. A period of non-committal peace occurs for a brief period of time, afterward.

2709

The Confederacy of Terra Nova attacks a Ascendant stronghold, reigniting the war.

2715

Following the loss of a few valkyries, the New Eden Group looks to recruit new members for Project Valkyrie. Kalian Cyris is inducted into the valkyrie project as a well-tested ICW pilot and commander.

2717

Kalian Cyris is recognized as a hero of the confederacy when he single-handedly defeats a Ascendant battleship, ending the occupation of Sirius Prime, a key supply line direct to the core worlds of the Confederacy. While Kalian and his co-pilot live on as heroes, it is with a heavy cost however as *twelve* valkyries are lost in the effort including Ilexander and Taala Höl.

2720

With the successes of Kalian Cyris and others, the Ascendancy and Confederacy reach a ceasefire; a tepid white peace.

2727

Present Date.