The A-Laws (アロウズ Arōzu?), formally known as the Autonomous Peace-Keeping Force (独立治安維持部隊 Dokuritsu chian iji butai?), is an independent secret police of Earth Sphere Federation in season 2 of Mobile Suit Gundam 00.
Description & Characteristics
Having splintered off the main army, A-Laws answers only to the government. Their mission is to further unify nations, but their ideals and tactics are a facade of oppression, causing destruction to any nation that doesn't submit to the ESF. This information has been kept secret from the public, but those who knew the truth rebelled and created Katharon. Granted special powers by the Federation government, the A-Laws have near total authority over all of the Federation's operations. This enables them to reprimand senior regular army officers, regardless of rank. Also, there are officers who are licensed, who can do whatever they please. The total number of mobile suits under their division is 100 units of GN-X IIIs and Aheads, although they later gained complete control of the Federation Army who possess more than 1000 GN-X III's in total.[1] The GNX-704T Ahead was a MS used exclusively by A-laws and was usually reserved for commanders, team leaders, officers of at least First Lieutenant, and several elite pilots like Mr. Bushido. It is always the Ahead that led attacks against Celestial Being and the Gundams, in the absence of the licensed officers and their more advanced mobile suits. A-Laws later made the GNX-612T/AA Superbia GN-X which is piloted by A-Laws members, or licensors with special permissions. Although it participated in many missions, most of its records are considered secret, and the details are unclear.
Though their missions is to implore other nations to join the Federation, the A-Laws are oppressive in their tactics. The slaughter innocents in large masses without warning, place anyone suspected of being affiliated with resistance cells in prison or on high gravity blocks for slave labour. Also, they misuse GN particles to destroy the economy of the Middle East, but the disadvantage of this is that they can't locate Katharon bases. They go as far as firing the superweapon Memento Mori on an entire city.
Known A-Laws members
- Commander In Chief Homer Katagiri - Relieved of duty. Committed suicide after the A-Laws' defeat (Deceased)
- Brigadier General Arthur Goodman - Charged with anti-Kataron operations. Killed in battle against Celestial Being(Deceased)
- Billy Katagiri - Chief Mobile Suit Designer. Returned to ESF Army after the A-Laws' disbandment
- Colonel Barack Zinin. Killed in battle against Celestial Being (Deceased)
- Colonel Kati Mannequin - Defected to take charge of ESF Coup D'état Faction in A.D. 2312. Returned to ESF Army after the A-Laws' disbandment
- Colonel Lee Zhejiang (Deceased)
- Mr. Bushido - Licensed Officer. Returned to ESF Army after the A-Laws' disbandment
- Major Arba Lindt. A specialist in "mopping-up operations". Killed in battle against Celestial Being (Deceased)
- Captain Bring Stability - Licensed Officer. Killed in battle against Celestial Being (Deceased)
- Captain Devine Nova - Licensed Officer. Killed in battle against Celestial Being (Deceased)
- Captain Hiling Care - Licensed Officer. Killed in battle against Celestial Being (Deceased)
- Captain Revive Revival - Licensed Officer. Killed in battle against Celestial Being (Deceased)
- Captain Anew Returner - Licensed Officer. Killed in battle against Celestial Being (Deceased)
- First Lieutenant Andrei Smirnov - Superior to Louise Halevy. Returned to ESF Army after the A-Laws' disbandment
- Warrant Officer Louise Halevy - Resigned due to medical reasons.
- Patrick Colasour - Defected to ESF Coup D'état Faction in A.D. 2312. Returned to ESF Army after the A-Laws' disbandment
- First Lieutenant Soma Peries - Defected to Celestial Being in A.D. 2312
History
The A-Laws have committed at least fourteen subjugations, all in the name of a "unified" world, that was kept secret from the general public by Veda. However, the return of Celestial Being spurred a global battle against CB. All the while, the more battles that commence, the more political power the government of the Federation grants them. Eventually, the A-Laws grabbed so much public support that the Federation grants them control over the regular army. However, Commander Katagiri had to request assistance from the Innovators in order to defeat Celestial Being, signing them up as "licensed officers" like Revive Revival, Hilling Care, Bring Stabity, Devine Nova, and Anew Returner.
Fed up with the Innovators' secret activities, and as the Innovators had made little progress in destroying Celestial Being, Brigadier General Arthur Goodman led all of the A-Laws' remaining Baikal-Class battleships into a final battle with the goal to eradicate Celestial Being with overwhelming force. Unfortunately, he was killed by the combined efforts of Celestial Being, Katharon and the ESF Coup D'état Faction, leaving his fleet in disarray. The majority of the A-Laws fleet was later destroyed by a massive particle beam fired from the Innovators' flagship, the Celestial Being.
After the A-Law' atrocities were exposed with help from Veda, a newly elected Federation president disbands the A-Laws. When Setsuna F. Seiei was testing the Gundam 00 Seven Sword G, a repaired Gundam 00, he unexpectedly encountered an A-Laws GNX-III unit. This indicates that some remnants of A-Laws units had refused to disband. Two years after the A-Laws' defeat, they are depicted as villains desiring world domination, led by Alejandro Corner, in a movie titled Celestial Being. Their actions had an impact on the new Federation government who chose to refrain from military action of any sort and adopts a pacifist policy - even when it may be needed e.g. the Federation refrained from sending any forces after the Union Corporation had attempted to kill Marina Ismail.
Picture Gallery
Notes
- The name A-Laws can be interpreted as All Laws.
- The A-Laws bear a strong resemblance to the Titans in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, and the conflict between them, Katharon, Celestial Being, and eventually the ESF can be compared to the Gryps War.
- Interesting note is that despite the conflict between Celestial Being/Katharon and A-Laws being compared to the Gryps Conflict, it is also compared to that of Black Knights and Britannia from Code Geass Lelouch Of The Rebellion, another mecha anime produced by Sunrise which aired the same years that Gundam 00 aired.
References
- ↑ A-Laws & ESF:Gundam 00 2nd Mechanics sourcebook pg 34