The Story of
Bubblegum Crisis

"In the latter half of the twenty-first century, rapid advancements in technology finally resulted in the development of artificial substitutes for human beings. A synthesis of mechatronics, artificial intellicence, and biotechnology, they freed people from all kinds of menial labor. These symbols of the era were called, 'Boomers, assemblers of prosperity.'"

--Sylia Stingray

In the year AD2020, Doctor Katsuhito Stingray, a brilliant cyberneticist, developed an android called a Cyberdroid. The Cyberdroid was formed from a mix of many sciences, including cybernetics, which is the science of integrating organic and inorganic substances into a single body. Doctor Stingray was well ahead of any other researchers of the day and his research was coveted. His Cyberdroids were easily the most advanced creations known to man, equal, if not superior, to humans in their intellectual and physical abilities. The idea that a manmade machine could surpass humans was met with some controversy, but moreover it was met with greed.

GENOM, stationed in Tokyo, Japan, was an ever-rising company that manufactured heavy construction equipment. The Chairman and founder, Mister Quincy, realized the potential of the Cyberdroids. Even in their developing stages he knew that they could render his company the most powerful one in the world. He immediately set out to acquire the rights to the Cyberdroids. Doctor Stingray did not welcome the GENOM inquiries into the price of his creations. He publicly stated that he felt GENOM was abusive of its current power and that giving them the rights to manufacture Cyberdroids would do little more than further the personal ambitions of the men behind the superconglomerate. Quincy was only moderately distraught by the Doctor's outbursts but he was intent on keeping him silent--that way, everything would move more smoothly. In May of the year AD2022, Quincy had Brian J. Mason, his personal assistant, assassinate Doctor Stingray and burn down Whiz Laboratories to hide the evidence.

As Mason carried out Quincy's orders, he stole information from the Doctor's laboratories, including plans and schematics for Cyberdroids. When he came face to face with Doctor Stingray, he shot him between the eyes and continued to rob him of everything he had worked for. When he was finished, he burned down the laboratory, along with all the staff present in the building. Once outside the buildng, Mason watched what he had done, knowing he had managed to do precisely what would carry GENOM to the top of the world's companies. Someone outside caught Mason's eye, however, and drastically altered the course he planned to take with his ambitions. That someone was Sylia Stingray.

Sylia Stingray, Doctor Katsuhito Stingray's twelve year old daughter, witnessed the massacre on her father's laboratory. The next morning while she was still in shock, her brother, Mackie, presented her with a data unit that an unnamed party had delivered to their apartment. Sylia placed the unit into her computer. The words "For Silia Only" appeared on the screen for a moment before a barrage of images and information poured onto the screen and into Sylia's brain, being permanently downloaded into her mind as flawless representations of her father's life, work, and death, all of which had ended suddenly the night before. Sylia, though only twelve years of age, realized the importance of what she was viewing. The information within the data unit included plans for powerer armor called Hardsuits, the layouts of the GENOM Towers, the statistics for the existing Cyberdroids, and any and all other things her father had been directly or indirectly involved with. The imagery lead Sylia to a painful conclusion that her father wished for her to carry on his legacy upon the event of his death.

Three years later the Second Great Kanto Earthquake struck Tokyo and crumbled the city. The earthquake and resulting fires killed millions of men, women, and children, and left many others homeless, hopeless, and with their lives shattered. Orphaned children were forced into overcrowded, dreary orphanages where they received little if any individual attention. Those who were not even fortunate enough to end up in public housing divisions were left to fend for themselves on the streets of the city. The poverty was instantaneous and astounding. It was then that GENOM stepped forward and proposed that their Cyberdroids be used for the reconstruction of the city. The Cyberdroids earned the nickname Boomers for their ecomonic value. They simultaneously earned the epithet 'assemblers of prosperity.' Whether that was true or not is debatable, but whatever the case, they were soon considered a mixed blessing and divided a city.

In that same year GENOM gained substantial economic holds on the nation of Japan, if not the world. With the format introduction of the Boomers as aids to society, the demand for them grew rapidly. GENOM owned sole rights to the Boomers and therefore could sell the rights at their discretion. Thus, they did not sell the rights. Being the only company that manufactured Boomers, GENOM grew powerful and the individuals behind the company became rich. They were an icon of technological wonders and created an intriguing literary foil when setting them up against the city and citizens they were 'saving.' It was during this year that Brian J. Mason began his steadier climb toward being at the top of GENOM. He planned to allow the process to take three more years before he would take the Chairman Quincy's seat.

In the year AD2027 the AD. Police were formed and showed themselves to be useful but often a failure. They caused nearly as much damage as they stopped due to inadequate training. Their weapons were either too large or too small, they claimed to be under-funded but the city was spending more money on them than it had, the people in charge argued against the ethics and morals of the recruits, and officers from the Normal Police were forced to join the AD. Police when they proved to be particularly able in combat, technical issues, or otherwise. Because of all the inner-and outer-turmoil, the AD. Police lost many of their own that year, and many citizens died because of their inadequacy.

During AD2028 an anti-GENOM terrorist group attacked GENOM's supercomputer called ALEX-01, which was infiltrated by a Boomer called Armstrong. Armstrong had been damaged more than a year before and had a Messiah Complex, meaning that he wished to free Boomers from enslavement by humanity. But like a later character who had a similar complex, Armstrong's motives were not entirely pure. He wished to free Boomers from enslavement by mankind, and wanted them enslave them by himself. He was blown up by one of the terrorists but not before he could destroy ALEX-01 and download his mind into the GENOM computers that were connected to ALEX-01. Brian J. Mason was personally taking care of this incident. His plans, he said, had been set back three years by Armstrong's presence, and the unsettling news that Quincy would be around for a lot longer than he had thought was bothering him immensely. He was so stressed over these factors that he did not notice Armstrong's parting message left on the computer screen in his office. It was in AD2028 that Sylia Stingray was officially eighteen years old, a grown woman, and able to begin assembling the gear, contacts, and information she would need to begin to counteract GENOM's damaging actions. Sylia, who had inherited a degree of genius that was well beyond even her own father's, began to collect contacts across Tokyo, dubbed MegaTokyo when it was rebuilt, Japan, and the rest of the world. She had links inside GENOM, the government, the military, the AD. Police, and several fixers, among them her most trusted, Fargo, an ex-CIA agent who acted as a go-between. Sylia proceeded to bribe officials at airfields and around the fashion building she owned and ran, the Silky Doll, in order to avoid getting reported as having transported illegal or suspicious vehicles anywhere. Over the next two years Sylia's web of contacts grew from only a few old friends of her father's to a vast network that spread over the earth.

Two years later Sylia had the funds and knowledge to build the Hardsuits. The Hardsuits were easily the most advanced personal weapons systems available. Not as large or destructive as battlemovers, they were far more agile and allowed the wearer most maneuverability, movement, and entrance into small areas. They were also far more concealable than battlemovers and any known battlesuits. Sylia enhanced her father's basic design of a Hardsuit that resembled the one she would be wearing soon. She specialized the Hardsuits: A close combat Hardsuit, a long range Hardsuit, a communications Hardsuit, and a multi-purpose Hardsuit that embodied most of the characteristics of the other three. Sylia would be using the final Hardsuit. She also built an exceptional but ultimately failed battlesuit called the MSX-01 Prototype Motoroid. It was far larger and bulkier than the Hardsuits and held more power but it was not at all maneuverable. Sylia scrapped the MSX-01, planning to later reshape it and improve its design.

With the Hardsuits finished, Sylia needed to recruit women to wear them. Her first recruit was a seventeen year old nightclub singer named Priscilla S. Asagiri. Priss' lover had been killed by Brian J. Mason when he learned too much about GENOM's plans. The AD. Police had chosen to announce that his death was nothing more than a motorcycle despite evidence to the contrary, such as a bullet hole in his back. Priss was so enraged that she planned to go out and challenge GENOM. She was stopped when a cherry red gullwing 300SL Mercedes Benz blocked her path and a woman emerged from the car. Priss attacked the woman with a switchblade but her efforts were easily thwarted and the woman, who introduced herself as Sylia Stingray, gave Priss a choice: Join her effort to go against GENOM, or be killed. Priss then became the Knight Sabers' long range specialist.

Second came the need for a close combat specialist. Sylia found that specialist in Linna Yamazaki, a nineteen year old pageant princess and dancer. Sylia went to a dance audition and watched for the most talented woman present. Linna proved herself to be that woman. When seeing that Linna was by far the most skilled dancer among the group, and that she mixed martial arts with her steps, Sylia realized that she had to have Linna for her team. Sylia fixed the audition so that Linna, who would have made it into the dance troupe, did not win. Linna was devastated until Sylia approached her and offered her a job as the Knight Sabers' close combat specialist.

The final recruit was Nene Romanova, a seventeen year old AD. Police officer. Nene excelled at working with computers and loved hacking. She wanted to aid society so she faked her age in official files and joined the AD. Police as a dispatcher. She came across an ad on the internet that begged for any serious hacker to try her hand at it. Nene broke through into the ad's base with only minimal trouble. The password to get to the true ad was 'Knight Sabers.' When Nene got in, she found Sylia Stingray waiting for her at the other end and giving her an open invitation into the Knight Sabers. Nene accepted immediately.

Once the Knight Sabers were assembled, Sylia Stingray trained them to use their Hardsuits effectively. In the middle of AD2031, the Knight Sabers were finally a reality.