Neosapien Commonwealth

Coat of arms of Phaeton's Neosapien Commonwealth

In the 1993-1995 sci-fi animated television series Exosquad, the Neosapien Commonwealth (also referred as Neosapien Empire, Martian Commonwealth and Phaeton's regime) was the commonwealth built by the Neosapiens under Phaeton's leadership after the Second Neosapien Revolt and their conquest of the Homeworlds. The term "commonwealth" is used because some Terrans (homo sapiens) were almost as prominent figures in the Neosapien regime as the Neosapiens themselves - most notably, Amanda Connor.

Government

For the back-story of the Commonwealth, see here.

History

Despite the success of the Neosapien Revolt, only a handful of them had gained rights. Many wondered how Phaeton, one of the few Neosapiens to gain rights was able to amass such huge fleet in such a short time, but in fact, the construction of the Neo Fleet began long before the Neosapien War actually started. Much like Adolf Hitler in the Third Reich, Phaeton, as Governor of Mars had plotted the downfall of the Homeworlds for an unspecified number of years and had carefully rebuilt all the factories on Mars to fulfill a double purpose – a peaceful and a war one. Thus, as soon as Exofleet left the Homeworlds to chase the Pirate Clans, thousands of Neosapien E-frames and hundreds of ships were produced in a matter of days following Phaeton's order.

The first to discover Phaeton's plan was his then-Finance Minister, who noticed a discrepancy in the Martian factory productions, but he was intercepted by Phaeton's agents and soon afterwards, the Operation Destiny (after the "Neosapien manifest destiny" proclaimed by Phaeton) was put in motion. The Neosapiens quickly overwhelmed the defenseless Venus and Earth but a distress signal was sent to the distant Exofleet, who canceled the pursuit of the Pirates and returned to the Homeworlds only to be thrown back to Jupiter. There, they fended off continuous assaults by the Neosapien General Typhonus until allying themselves with the Pirates and moving further away from the Sun - to Chaos.

Meanwhile on Earth and Venus, multiple resistance movements have been formed, who resented the Exofleet for abandoning them and attempted to regain independence on their own. To counter this threat, the Neosapiens introduced mandatory registration with undesirables being formally exiled to Venus, though unknown to Terrans, they were actually sent to die into the Sun. An occupation committee was established which worked with collaborators to suppress rebellion and Chicago was renamed to "Phaeton City", the capital of the Neosapien Commonwealth.

When it became clear that Exofleet personnel worked with resistance forces to sabotage Neosapien rule, the Neosapiens built Gravitational Focus (GRAF) Shields on Earth and Venus to free their fleet for an attack on the Exofleet. Simultaneously, the Venus Occupation employed atrocious tactics to suppress Venusian Resistance, e.g. burning their crops to starve them to death. Within one year the Neosapiens had achieved dominance over the Solar system.

Beliefs

The Neosapien Order was a belief that was proposed by Phaeton's Regime which stated that the Neosapiens were genetically and culturally more advanced and evolved compared to Humans. Thus, according to this, it should be the Neosapiens who should rule the Sol system and the universe beyond. This form of manifest destiny was a guiding role in Phaeton's government which treated Humans as a lower race and thus were second class citizens. The dictates of the Order would have eventually meant Humanity's extinction in the eventual future.

Military

The Neosapien military's true might was seen during the Neosapien War when thousands of E-frames and weapons of war including starships were constructed in secret and let loose against the Homeworlds. The staple of the military was the Neosapien Fleet which was commanded by Neosapien Command. The development of GraF Shield technology would have made Earth and Venus nearly invulnerable until the accidental destruction of the Venus fleet by the gravitational focus shield meant that this was abandoned.

During the Neosapien War, the Fleet consisted of two large fleets that protected Mars and Earth. The Venus Home Fleet was the smallest defense force that was charged with keeping a watch on Venus itself. The overall command of these forces was handled by the Minister of War. The fleets were temporarily supported by the Fusion Pulse Cannon which gave the Commonwealth long range weapon capability against the Exofleet.

The Commonwealth possessed large scale ground forces though the development of the Neo Warriors provided a level of shock troopers while ordinary Neosapiens could pilot E-Frames in battle.

Military characters

Note: It's difficult to figure just when exactly a Neosapien is "dead", since provided a genes-matrix, they can be resurrected at any moment. Virtually all Neosapiens on the list (except Thrax, Medusa, and maybe Livia) were killed at least once.

Phaeton

The Neosapien leader Phaeton was often compared to Adolf Hitler

Voiced by Richard Newman.

Phaeton was the leader of the Neosapien regime after the occupation of the Homeworlds. His rebellious nature went far into the past when he, along with his "brother" Marsala, was one of the leaders of the First Neosapien Revolt 50 years prior to the second one. Back then, he was captured by the Terran forces and led them to the other leaders' hideouts, but that only made his lust for revenge stronger. In the episode "Betrayal" Phaeton is captured specifically by a younger E-frame pilot who later became Admiral Winfield. It was Phaeton who influenced the Homeworlds' decision for the Exofleet to hunt down the Pirate Clans, allowing his own forces to invade. Much like Adolf Hitler in the Third Reich, Phaeton carefully rebuilt all factories on Mars (where he, as a Governor, had a carte blanche) to fulfill a double purpose - a peaceful and a war one, so that they could switch to producing battle starships and combat E-frames for the invasion in no time.

In the fight against J.T. Marsh on Martian Olympus Mons, Phaeton was severely injured and contracted the automutation syndrome which led to Phaeton's undying hatred towards Marsh and later to the lunatic idea of creating a doomsday device capable of destroying the Earth, should it ever be retaken by the Terrans. He also became paranoid at the time, cloning his top commanders in case they betrayed him or died.

Even as his behavior became increasingly erratic, Phaeton often stubbornly refused to review unwise decisions, so the Neo Megas soon came to believe that Phaeton was insane (which was probably not far from truth) and attempted to overthrow him allying themselves with Marsala. They failed, however, and Phaeton had every single Neo Mega ever created (save Galba) executed. Despite his obvious mental problems, Phaeton firmly maintained the loyalty of the great mass of his Neosapien followers who, seeing their leader only during his carefully controlled public addresses and not his day-to-day often inappropriate and erratic behavior, had no way to know he was losing his mind. Indeed, as his insanity progressed, Phaeton's eloquence grew greater, and he delivered stirring orations to his troops right before they embarked on suicidal assaults that crippled the Neosapien Order, such as the ones to retake Venus and the Earth's moon. After the war, a clone of Phaeton was discovered, but it could not be decided what was to be done with it, as it was too dangerous to unleash another Phaeton upon the universe, while at the same time the clone was essentially "innocent" of the crimes of the original (as Algernon put it, the clone technically had not done anything wrong, as it had not even been awoken).

Since the beginning of the Neosapien War, Phaeton piloted a modified Mobile Land and Air Command E-frame.

Livia

General Livia was Phaeton's right hand woman and his most trusted advisor. After General Shiva has been accused of treason, Livia was appointed the new Commanding General of Earth Occupation. Most likely, she gained her high status because of her deep devotion to the "Neosapien Destiny" doctrine, which her leader proclaimed, and her admiration of Phaeton himself. Only his suicidal plan to destroy the Earth could convince her to reconsider her loyalty at the very end of the war. Realizing that the Second Neosapien Revolt was lost, Livia still believed that the Neosapiens would rise again at some point in the future, just as they had rebuilt after their defeat in the First Revolt. Known for despising all humans, it was Livia's ultimate goal to destroy humanity and ascend Phaeton to the divine master of the Universe. When Phaeton finally ordered her executed for attempting to sabotage his doomsday device, he told her he never had her cloned because he trusted her. Livia's death is never depicted on-screen, nor, is there any comment made to state that she is dead. Her fate remains unknown.

Shiva

Voiced by Gary Chalk.

General Shiva was the first Commanding General of Earth Occupation and the most feared and hated Neosapien of all times with the exception of Phaeton. Known for his cruelty and ruthlessness, placing victory and efficiency above any moral concerns. Because of his genetically enhanced intelligence and strength, Shiva had the upper hand in any combat - the reason why Phaeton given him command over Earth, the cradle of the mankind. He was widely considered the best of the Neosapien Generals, although he always lacked spontaneity and unpredictability in battle which may be why he (despite false accusations) never betrayed Phaeton.

Due to manipulations by the Neo Megas (already plotting to seize control of the Neosapien Order) and Phaeton's paranoia, Shiva was removed from his position of commanding general of Earth and replaced by Livia. Later, leading an assault in Australia, Shiva was captured by the Terran forces, and forced to halt a Neosapien assault on trapped Resistance and Able Squad fighters (including J.T. Marsh). Offered the choice of remaining a captive and aiding Exofleet or being freed and returning to Phaeton, he chose the latter, even knowing that Phaeton would punish him for his failure.

Much later, Phaeton freed Shiva from his prison after the destruction of Mars and the continuing battles against Exofleet had reduced the Neosapiens' morale and their remaining fleet to a ragtag force. Realizing that his other two generals had betrayed and failed him, Phaeton knew that only Shiva had any chance of turning the tide of the Neosapien War, which was going disastrously for the Neosapien Order, by retaking Venus. Shiva possessed tremendous loyalty and, despite the abuse Phaeton had piled upon him by demoting and imprisoning him, agreed without question to lead the assault.

When it became clear that the Neosapien attack failed to achieve the objectives, Shiva decided to lead the last all-out assault by all remaining Neosapien E-frames, piloting one himself, rather than to retreat. He was shot down by J.T. Marsh, crash landed on the surface of the planet. He was found by a group of Exo-Scouts (the series version of Boy Scouts) while the Exo-Scouts attempt to carry him back he soon dies of his wounds. His dislike of terrans is put forth in his final moments as he asks to die alone rather than in the company of "half-formed terrans".

Of all the Neosapien generals, Shiva only died once, and his clone was the only one to survive the final siege of Phaeton's bunker on Earth. After the war, his clone saved Sean Napier's life for he hoped that Napier's promise of a new future for both humans and Neosapiens would come true. Ironically, when Napier tried to thank Shiva, Shiva refused to shake Napier's hand, just as Napier had refused to shake hands with Phaeton after Napier saved Phaeton's life, showing that there were still wounds left to be healed.

Shiva's E-frame of choice was an #AA-569.

Draconis

Voiced by David Kaye.

General Draconis was the Commanding General of Venusian Occupation during the war. A "paranoid sociopathic megalomaniac", as some would call him, he used brutal methods to crush human resistance on his territory (e.g. starving them to death by systematically destroying all food supplies on the planet) simultaneously elaborating a plan to overthrow Phaeton and become the new Supreme Ruler.

Phaeton never seemed to fully trust Draconis, which is probably why Draconis was assigned to Venus: as a planet with no Neosapien population before the war and only a small human population, it did not hold the same value as Earth or Mars, the Neosapien homeworld, both of which were heavily defended by massive fleets. Venus was only lightly defended by E-frame and space fighter wings, and a few small battleships, therefore after the loss of this force to Professor Algernon's first GRAF Shield, Phaeton had to assign a small portion of Earth's fleet to defend Venus.

When Venus was retaken by the Exofleet and the first Neosapien attempt to recapture Venus was fought off, Draconis betrayed a Phaeton clone he believed to be the original one (which shows how little most Neosapiens knew about Phaeton, since by that time, he already contracted the Automutation Syndrome, while his clone was unaffected by it) and left him stranded on a Neosapien ship about to be destroyed. When Draconis arrived on Earth, the real Phaeton had him executed for treason. Because of the first Draconis' treason, his clone was given even less authority and transferred to the Amazon Basin, Earth. When the clone started behaving resentfully because of this demotion, one of his underlings reported this to Livia, who had him summarily executed by Neo Lords.

Draconis' final clone was killed in action by Sgt. Rita Torres during the final assault on Phaeton's bunker on Earth. Both the original Draconis and his first posthumous clone piloted a #MM-120 E-frame, while his final clone battled in a #AL-002 Troop Transport E-frame.

Typhonus

Voiced by Rob Morton.

General Typhonus was the Minister of Battle Forces of the Neosapien regime and de facto the ruler of Mars after the relocation of Phaeton's capital to Phaeton City (formerly, Chicago).

Typhonus has likely "died" more often than any other Neosapien general. In the 6th episode, Target Earth, Typnonis, or a Neosapien commander resembling him, was presumed killed when a giant E-frame fell on him and exploded. When Able Squad captured Phaeton during their mission to destroy the Olympus Mons Neosapien breeding facility, Typhonus attempted to kill both Able Squad and Phaeton, so he could succeed Phaeton as Supreme Ruler of the Neosapien Order. He failed in this, and Phaeton escaped the captivity (though the injuries he suffered while escaping triggered his Automutation Syndrome) and only spared Typhonus' life on the condition that he would lead a task force to hunt down and destroy the Exofleet, and particularly Marsala (for betraying his "brother" Phaeton), J.T. Marsh (for causing his Automutation), and Admiral Winfield, the leader of Exofleet.

When Phaeton learned of Exofleet's plans to ally themselves with the Pirate Clans, he assigned Typhonus to disrupt this alliance. Ironically, Jonas Simbacca had already rejected an alliance with the Exofleet when Typhonus arrived at the orbit above Tethys (where the Pirate base was located) with a Neosapien fleet. Angered by Typhonus' arrogant manners, his assumption of Neosapien superiority to humans, and the implication that Typhonus' gunboat diplomacy would convince the Pirates to submit to Typhonus' demands, Simbacca angrily rejected them, as well, whereupon Typhonus sprang an ambush and kidnapped Simbacca.

After Lt. J.T. Marsh and Alec DeLeon rescued Simbacca, Simbacca formed an alliance with the Exofleet and fled from their base on Io to Chaos, which Typhonus failed to prevent. After these failures, Phaeton had him summarily executed,via vaporization, and his clone assigned to Mars. The clone was tied up by Sgt. Rita Torres and a troop of Exoscouts stranded during the war, and left on the surface of the planet as it exploded. Another clone had command over the Moon during its successful reconquest by the Exofleet, and was killed in action after having mortally wounded Alec DeLeon.

The final clone was resurrected, along with Draconis and Shiva's, to capture J.T. Marsh, and later called up by Phaeton to execute a large number of supposed "traitors" to Phaeton, including Thrax and Galba. However, before he could give the order, he was blown away by Sean Napier's force of stolen Neosapien Tanks. Typhonus and all his posthumous clones preferred high speed stealth #RA-643 E-frames to fully equipped combat ones.

Since Typhonus' decision to betray Phaeton in the battle of Olympus Mons led to the injuries that triggered his Automutation Syndrome and his consequent insanity, and it was Typhonus who was single-handedly responsible for driving the Pirate Clans into an alliance with the Exofleet, he may have unintentionally done more than any other single Neosapien to bring about the downfall of the Neosapien Order.

Drusus

General Drusus was the Commanding General of Ceres during the Neosapien War. Why Phaeton has put a full fledged General in charge of an asteroid is unclear, although some sources indicate that the first Neo Mega breeding facility may have been located there. It is claimed that Phaeton had Drusus summarily executed for his failures.

Glycon

Commander Glycon was the Commander of Mercury Forces until its reconquest by the Exofleet, when he was killed in action. Little is known about him.

Thrax

Thrax

Garrison Commander Thrax was a simple E-frame pilot at the beginning of the Neosapien War, but because of his exceptional battle skills, he has been promoted multiple times: first to a squadron leader and then to the Garrison Commander of Amazon Region on Earth. Despite his excellent battle record, Thrax often displeased his superiors by being insubordinate and showing mercy to defeated enemies. On Mercury, he defeated Kaz Takagi in an E-frame duel. Takagi prepared to face his death, but Thrax stated there had been enough killing that day and retreated. As the Neosapien forces retreated from Venus, Thrax was ordered by General Draconis to detonate a hydrogen bomb underneath Vesta City, however, recognizing that the battle was lost and unwilling to kill civilians, Thrax refused to carry out this assignment. By the end of the war, Thrax realized that Phaeton's regime would fall and disbanded his unit. Captured by Neo Lords, he was transferred to Phaeton City for execution but saved by the Terran liberation force. Thrax has become famous for piloting a blood red #EL-909 Neofighter.

Medusa

Second-in-command of the Amazon Basin. She was first seen serving under the Draconis clone. She alerted Livia to Draconis' dissatisfaction, resulting in his death. She later served under Thrax. When Thrax decided to disobey Livia's orders and surrender during the invasion of Earth, Medusa tried to stop him but was stunned and locked in the Meat locker. A Neo-Lord freed her and gave her command of the Amazon garrison. No sooner did she take charge then she was attacked by Ketzler. he mutated her into one of his hybrid people. She gained the ability to project a blinding light from her eyes. After the war, she fought Thrax and Able Squad when Ketzler attacked them in an attempt to recapture Nara Burns.

Telemachus

An officer serving in the Amazon Basin. He was loyal to Thrax and offered to stay by his side after Thrax ordered all his troops to flee into the rain forest during the final hours of the war. Thrax was appreciative of the support but told Telemachus to leave anyway. After fleeing, Telemachus at one point ran into Ketzler. The mad scientists used his chemicals on Telemachus, turning him into an immobile plantlike statue. He was found by Thrax and Able Squad during their post-war mission to the Amazon.

Civilian characters

Livanus

Livanus was the Chief of Earth Security during the Neosapien occupation of the Homeworlds and one of Phaeton's most trusted advisors. Possessing unusually highly developed (even for a Neosapien) telepathic abilities, Livanus often used them to locate Terran Resistance hideouts and foresee covert Exofleet attacks. What has happened to him after the war as well as his connection to Livia remains unclear. During the war, Livanus piloted an #AL-002 Troop Transport E-frame.

Xenobius

Xenobius was the alleged inventor of the GRAF Shield. However, despite his obvious talent for physics and technology, he wasn't actually capable of even fully understanding the device. The real inventor was Professor Algernon, his so-called "lab assistant". In truth, Algernon was a collaborator who permitted Xenobius to take credit for his discoveries in exchange for the unlimited resources accorded a high-ranking Neosapien scientist. And despite the acclaim the agreement brought him, Xenobius felt humiliated by the whole affair and deeply hated the human genius for being smarter than he was.

When Algernon realized Xenobius' feelings for him, he permitted himself to be extracted by the Able Squad and redirected the GRAF Shield back on the Neosapiens; an act for which Xenobius was deemed responsible and most likely, executed for. A Neo Mega scientist, Enleal, was assigned to Xenobius' position after this incident.

Praetorius

Voiced by Michael Benyaer.

Praetorius was the head of Neosapien Genetic Research and Development. He deeply admired humans for creating his race but believed firmly that the future held a place for Neosapiens only. Praetorius' quest was therefore the perfection and enhancement of his species and his studies resulted in creation of Neo Megas, Neo Warriors and Neo Lords. He was present in Phaeton's bunker during the war's final hours and was killed by falling debris while attempting to aid Phaeton in battle against the invading members of Able Squad.

Amanda Connor

Amanda Connor was Sean Napier's ex-wife and one of the few Terran collaborationists who accepted Phaeton's regime and have been promoted to higher positions by the Neosapiens. Being an experienced journalist, Amanda Connor has been appointed to the Terran Entertainment department whose sole function was giving the Terrans on Earth an illusion of well-being and justice. Even though Connor was aware that her job was effectively brainwashing, she firmly believed that the Neosapiens were not truly evil and that sooner or later both Neosapiens and Terrans would realize the necessity of peaceful co-existence and work towards it. However, after she unwillingly participated in the extraction of the Earth's Senators by the Able Squad, Phaeton had her imprisoned and her department disbanded. In the series' final episode Beyond Chaos, she is seen as a weak and pale prisoner in torn rags being led out of a cell at the Isle of Pines, a former Neosapien prison. She cries as Neosapien flag is lowered indicating the end of the Neosapien War.

Galba

Galba

Galba was Praetorius' advisor and the sole remaining Neo Mega in the Universe after the purge by Phaeton, which wiped out his race entirely following an unsuccessful coup d'état. Galba did not agree with his fellow Neo-Megas' plans for the empire, and was imprisoned by them during the coup. Livia took this to mean that he didn't support the coup because he was loyal to Phaeton, and thus he wasn't executed with the others. In fact, he was imprisoned because he believed in peace with the terrans. Later, he became a secret supporter of the Exofleet, eventually revealing to them the secrets of the doomsday device set up by Phaeton.

External links

• Neosapien military roster at Patrick Danner's Exosquad page
• Neosapien civilian roster at Patrick Danner's Exosquad page