SYSTEM ∀-99 ∀ Gundam

The SYSTEM ∀-99 ∀ Gundam (called "Turn A Gundam", aka "∀", "White Doll", "White Devil", "Mustache") is the titular mobile suit of ∀ Gundam. It is piloted primarily by Rolan Cehack.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
The ∀'s (Turn A) main propulsion was provided by an I-Field Beam Drive System, which left the suit completely hollow and allowed it to be filled with extra armaments and rocket thrusters. The standard armament of the Turn A consisted of two beam sabers and a beam rifle. The Turn A was also equipped with an I-Field Barrier which could protect it from various sorts of attack with power output lower than the system requires, such attacks include nuclear explosions. It is also capable of bending light, which requires full power to create an illusion of it vanishing from one place and reappearing in another.

The Turn A's on-board nanomachines are capable of a powerful attack known as the "Moonlight Butterfly" (named after the effects of the attack when active). At its full power, the Moonlight Butterfly can cover a wide range (from Earth to Jupiter). The Turn A's nanomachines have the ability to convert matters to sand, but only on an molecular basis, allowing it to turn most if not all objects into silicon dioxide (sand) during the activation and use of the Moonlight Butterfly. It is said that the Moonlight Butterfly has three requirements, the nanomachines, the energy to use them, and finally the program to activate it. However, in Correct Century 2345, the Turn A only had the nanomachines and the program. The Turn A did not possess sufficient amount of energy to activate the Moonlight Butterfly on its own and required energy from an outside source, namely the CONCEPT-X 6-1-2 Turn X. Contrarily, Turn X only had the sufficient amount of energy for the usage of Moonlight Butterfly, but lacked the nanomachines and program.

The Turn A is originally designed for interstellar warfare. Unlike mobile weapons from previous time-lines, the Turn A is powered by a DHGCP power plant (Discontinuous Hyperoscillation Gauge Collapsing Pile) which is essentially an artificial black hole. The power plant leaves the chest cavity of Turn A empty, allowing various equipment to be placed inside, as evidenced by the Turn A holding nuclear warheads within the cavity. To further enhance its combat power, the Turn A Gundam also has a large support unit called the DOC Base (Device Operation Control) which hold various armaments for the Turn A Gundam, allowing it to be quickly refit according to the situation at hand. One of the DOC Bases was discovered in the series. Although the discovered base was more or less rendered unusable by the Moonlight Butterfly, with the only surviving and usable weapon being the Gundam Hammer which was heavily coated with nanomachines.

The Turn A is also capable of total regeneration of both itself and its pilot, by using the same nanomachines that the Moonlight Butterfly uses. However, this ability is not instantaneous and it requires time. Also, this ability was speculated to be a technology adoption of the DG cells of the JDG-00X Devil Gundam. The Turn A possesses a non-canon ability to warp beam shots directly into enemy cockpits with unspecified limitations. It is confirmed that beam shots with outputs exceeding the beam warping ability's power consumption will not be able to warped by Turn A. Teleportation is also noted as one of the Turn A's non-canon abilities (the teleportation of the Turn A only occurs in the novel version of the dark history and is never shown in the series itself, nor are they firmly placed in canon).

Armaments

 * Beam Cannon
 * The Turn A mounts two beam cannons on its abdomen, these beam cannons can scatter their particle beam shot to cover a larger range.


 * Beam Saber
 * The Turn A is armed with two beam sabers, these beam sabers are stored on the Turn A's shoulders. Moreover, it has been shown that the Turn A's beam sabers have a adjustable power output and range. The Turn A's beam sabers can also be turned into a defensive armament by the Turn A by rotating its manipulators in a 360 degree motion while holding beam sabers to create make-shift beam shields.


 * It is notable that the Turn A's main pilot, Loran Cehack has a habit of using these as his preferred weapon because of his a pacifist outlook. Generally, Loran uses them to cut around the cockpit and as to not cause collateral damage by using the Turn A's beam rifle.


 * Additionally, the Turn A's beam saber is noticeably thinner when compared to the standard beam saber of other mobile suits.


 * Multi-Purpose Silo
 * The Turn A's Multi-Purpose Silos were originally used to store missiles of an unknown origin or type. Two of these silos were used to store nuclear warheads in C.C. 2345 for a short period of time.


 * Beam Rifle
 * The Turn A features a beam rifle, like many conventional mobile suits. The Turn A's beam rifle's power output is notably greater than the output of a standard beam rifle, however its exact power is unknown.


 * Gundam Hammer
 * A rather unusual weapon, the Gundam Hammer was essentially a large spiked ball attached to a chain. It is a ranged melee weapon. The Turn A could either throw or swing the hammer around itself in order to impact and damage its target through the sheer mass of the hammer. The Turn A's Gundam Hammer is similar to the one used by the RX-78-2 Gundam.


 * Minchi Drill
 * The Minchi Drill is a unique mace-like close combat weapon that is first seen used on the TAF-M9 Eagail. It is based on a shield machine (tunnel boring machine) used for excavations. This weapon can pulverize or even cut through mobile suits.


 * Shield
 * The Turn A mounts a shield for defensive purposes, this shield is used to block both beam and physical attacks.

Special Equipment and Features

 * Core Block System
 * The Turn A features a Core Block System like some other Gundam type mobile suits. The Core Block System allows the Turn A's Core Fighter (which is also its cockpit and front skirts) to detach from the main body of the mobile suit for whatever reason.


 * I-Field Barrier
 * The I-Field forms an invisible barrier around the Turn A, protecting it from incoming beam attacks. It can be assumed that the Turn A has one of the most powerful I-Fields, thus the Turn A's I-Field probably protects it from most physical attacks as well. It has been shown in C.C. 2345 that the Turn A's I-Field can protect it from nuclear warheads.


 * Moonlight Butterfly System
 * Both the Turn A's and Turn X's nanomachines are capable of an attack named the "Moonlight Butterfly", named after the strange butterfly wings that emits from the Turn units when this feature is used. It is said that the attack has three requirements, the nanomachines, the energy to use them, and finally the program to activate it. At full power, the Moonlight Butterfly can cover a wide range (from Earth to Jupiter), while turning most if not all technologies into silicon dioxide (sand).


 * Nanomachine Regeneration System
 * The Turn A's Nanomachine Regeneration System allows it to "regenerate" any damaged areas on the mobile suit. It is said that with its full capabilities the Turn A can also regenerate its pilot. However, it is notable that this feature is impractical in battle as the Nanomachine Regeneration System requires a considerable amount of time.


 * Teleportation System (Non-Canon)
 * Despite not being explicitly shown in its deployments in C.C. 2345, it is said that the Turn A can teleport itself and its beam weapons through an unknown method.

History
The ∀ (Turn A) Gundam is first found by Loran Cehack and Sochie Heim in C.C. 2345 during their coming of age ritual, outside the city of Nocis, the capital city of Inglessa. The Turn A was called the "White Doll" (most of the characters referred to it as the White Doll). At first the White Doll appeared to be a statue of sorts and was used in the coming of age ritual by teenagers. However the Turn A became active and revealed itself to be a operational mobile suit when the forces of Dianna Counter attacked Nocis. The Turn A would take the side of the Earth Militia in their struggle against the invading Moonrace in C.C. 2345, piloted primarily by Loran. It would serve as the Earth Militia's trump card against the more advanced mobile suit forces of the Moonrace.

Eventually, after accompanying the Willgem to the Moon, Loran finally learned the dark truth about the Turn A's past. It was revealed by the data of the "Black History" that the Turn A was responsible for the destruction of Earth's civilizations by unleashing its "Moonlight Butterfly" attack, spreading nanomachines across the Earth's surface (and through space, to Jupiter, with the exception of the Moon) and turning all of mankind's technology into sand. After learning of this truth Loran also discovered several features of the ∀ that he was unaware of, most notably that the cockpit was a Core Fighter capable of separating from the Turn A; also Loran discovered the ability to make the Turn A vanish from sight through bending lightwaves.

It is revealed that the Turn A is a reversed engineered Turn X. The Turn A was created due to the discovery of the Turn X, which was found before the Correct Century started, drifting in space. The Turn X outclassed all other mobile weapons at the time of its discovery. The Earthlings at that time were horrified by the fact that such advance technology existed and far surpassed their own capabilities. The Earthlings figured that if such a technologically advanced civilization were to attack them, they would stand no chance. Thus the Turn A was created. However after the creation of the Turn A, the Earth was divided into 2 factions, one possessing the Turn X and one possessing the Turn A Gundam, and a war between both sides began. Eventually, the full power of the two Turn units were released, and the ensuing conflict and a series of political decisions related to it led to all traces of technology between the Earth and Jupiter (save the civilizations on the Moon) being completely wiped out. At some point during this great conflict the Turn X was defeated in battle by the Turn A and received the X shaped mark that it continued to bear on its chest throughout the rest of its history. These events are assumed to have led to the beginning of C.C. 0001.

During the Turn A's second and final battle with the Turn X, both machines unleashed their Moonlight Butterflys and engaged in combat. Both Turn units fought each other to a stalemate until both units managed to heavily damage each other in close combat. Both Loran Cehack and Gym Ghingham escaped unharmed and subsequently engaged in a short sword fight, but both machines were encased in a large cocoon for the Moonlight Butterfly from both machines were of equal strength and thus both suits were unable destroy each other. Both the Turn units and Gym Ghingham were encased in the cocoon for an unknown amount of time (presumably for a long time).

Notes & Trivia

 * The ∀ Gundam was chosen to be the 100th Master Grade model of Gunpla (abbreviation of Gundam Plastic Model) and at an earlier time, the first release of the ∀Gundam DVD box set was announced.
 * The Hajime Katoki Version of the suit sports a different design as well as redesigned mouth-piece, which more closely resembles that of a normal Gundam.
 * Although Katoki did a different design for his own version of the ∀, he did design the Master Grade of the ∀ Gundam, which is the same as the anime version.
 * Kunio Okarawa drew his own version of the ∀ Gundam too. The latter also sports a mouth piece more similar to a normal Gundam, more specically to the original Gundam.
 * The chest of the ∀ Gundam has sometime been depicted as bearing a white cross instead of being completely blue.
 * The Master Grade of the ∀ Gundam does have the possibility of swapping the blue cross-shaped piece of the chest with a white one.