Timeline

0 – YEAR ZERO

Year of the very first Juggernaut attack, later referred to as “Year Zero,” irrevocably changes the world in the early hours of a January morning. The attack doesn’t last long, but the scant eye witnesses and destruction left behind make it very clear something extraordinary happened. The devastation is mainly centered around Garrison Sierra Romeo, a military base, with the majority of the facility being laid waste. Reports and witness statements say that the Juggernaut simply dissipated into a cloud of ash in the middle of the rampage, leaving behind a perfect round red globe, which would later be referred to as a “Pearl.”

2 – A DESPERATE SOLUTION

The attack of year zero humbles the world with a seemingly unstoppable power. Fearing a second attack, every country scrambles to respond. The idea of Sanctuary is proposed as a floating city in the sky where people can safely flee the devastation of another attack. This proposal gains overwhelming support, but proves too costly for any one nation to tackle. Only through the combined efforts of several countries and the mysterious Pearl left by the first juggernaut does Sanctuary come to form.

5 – A SENSE OF EASE

Several more years pass without another attack or even a sighting. The initial panic felt around the globe dissipates and is replaced by a romanticism of the event. People create games, movies, dolls, and TV shows about the giant monster attack. It becomes an integral part of popular culture. Sanctuary becomes a vacation getaway for the rich and influential more than anything else, and there are talks to decommission the massive flying city.

6 – SECOND ATTACK

Seemingly out of nowhere, six years after the first and only attack, a Monolith rises from the ground, pure black with no light of any kind, passing through buildings as if not even there. A second Juggernaut emerges from the Monolith and completely devastates Tokyo-3, one of the world’s largest population centers. This Juggernaut focuses solely on destroying every building within reach, lumbering back into the Monolith once nothing remained to demolish.

6-7 – RELENTLESS INCURSION

Over the course of another year, almost every major city on the planet is attacked. Every possible military action is taken against the oppressive beast, to no avail. At first, most forces focus their efforts on severing the Cable connecting a Juggernaut and its Monolith. This proves fruitless; forces find the cable becomes incorporeal near the Monolith, and nearer the Juggernaut, as impervious as the Juggernaut itself to any amount of force. As far as the Juggernaut itself, missiles, tanks, bullets, and even fire are employed with great accuracy by the military, but have all the impact of a marble thrown at a brick wall. Once, out of desperation, a nuclear weapon was tried; the hulking beast stumbled for a moment before continuing its rampage. Every appearance of a Monolith would doom a radius of city to reduction into a pile of smoldering rubble. Every appearance of a Monolith would doom the citizens around it to hiding in terror for hours, if they were lucky. Many were not so lucky.

7 – WORLD IN FEAR

Due to renewed fears, large spire-like structures are built in response to the second rash of attacks. Sanctuary returns to its purpose as a vehicle to aid in mass evacuations. Many cities try to build their own versions of a “dock” for Sanctuary with only a few successes. In response, Sanctuary itself proposes a standardized facility that any city could build, soon accepted with raucous support from people all over the world. Country after country vows to aid in yet another worldwide endeavor for the safety of all. Within the year, most major cities have the now-all-too-familiar blue buildings piercing their skyline.

8 – PIERCE THE HEART – A SIGN OF HOPE

Through an amazing stroke of luck during the devastating attack on Port Arthur, a Juggernaut meets its defeat and gives hope to the embattled and war-torn world. During a usually fruitless barrage of missiles, the gargantuan wolf Juggernaut stumbles and falls onto the city’s signature statue. The statue’s enormous stone Lance hits the monsters red globe-like gem in the perfect place, shattering it. This gem, or Pearl as it later became known, proves to be the Juggernaut’s weak point. With the Pearl shattered, the Juggernaut simply vanishes in a cloud of black ash. The victory inspires the spire-like evacuation towers to be called “Lances.” The world swells with hope to fight back against the hulking monstrosities.

8 – PEARL POWER

Soon after the surprise victory at Port Arthur, shards from the first shattered Pearl are discovered to share the same gravity-defying properties as the Pearl that powers Sanctuary. With this technological advance, and the knowledge that the Juggernaut scourge are in fact vulnerable, the world’s first Juggernaut fighters are formed.

To recreate the victory at Port Arthur, the powerful shards are used to develop weapons and flight suits known as Defensive Aerial Versatility Devices. Two-person teams of D.A.V.D. pilots, known as a “Chisel” and “Hammer,” work carefully coordinated in perfect unison to achieve victory over Juggernauts.

9 – MORE POWER

With only one shattered Pearl, the number of D.A.V.D.’s that can be created are very limited. A ravenous response to the Juggernaut threat is fueled by the need for more Pearl shards to build more D.A.V.D. gear. With each defeat, more D.A.V.D. units are created, Sanctuary expands, technology improves, and better weaponry is designed. The world is yet again forever changed.

10 – SEEKING SAFETY

As D.A.V.D. units gain in numbers and efficiency, local contingents are formed in cities rather than being stationed on Sanctuary. Cities with local defense forces are flooded with people seeking the safety these forces provide. Slums and second-class citizens emerge from these overpopulated cities.

11 – “LEVIATHAN” – LEVI STORY START

As D.A.V.D. pilots increase in popularity, one pilot begins to stand out among the rest. Levi B. Metheus and his team seem to be present at almost every major victory. Levi, with his lush fur and undeniable charisma, slowly becomes a celebrity. D.A.V.D.’s piloted by Levi become synonymous with victory, and Levi becomes the poster child for recruitment programs.

12 – LEVEL 2

First appearance of a Juggernaut with two Pearls occurs. The usually victorious D.A.V.D.’s are caught off guard by not only the extra Pearl but the increased size, nearly double that of their single-Pearl predecessors.

12 – JUGGERNAUT – JOLIE STORY START

Aspiring dancer turned hero, Jolie Cook, is swept up in a Juggernaut attack. Her heroic actions during the assault get her quickly added to the ranks of D.A.V.D. Jolie’s unparalleled poise and precision with a hammer make her one of the most successful D.A.V.D. pilots in history. Jolie and Levi frequently sortie together; even when injured, the pair is a force to be reckoned with.

12 – AN ERA OF RELATIVE CALM

For months, an unbroken string of victories for D.A.V.D. units leads to an era of calm. Attacks still occur, but the D.A.V.D. brigades become such a well-oiled machine that attacks are short-lived.

13 – LEVEL 3

A Juggernaut appears with 3 Pearls, and with it, abilities that prove to be devastating to usually victorious D.A.V.D.’s. The attack on Blue Oyster Bay becomes the biggest defeat seen in years, leveling the entire city. With an unexpected and powerful new ability to breathe fire, this Juggernaut defeats all opposition forces, retreating into its Monolith when nothing remains to demolish.

13 – LEVI’S FALL – LEVI STORY END

A scandal erupts with the once highly regarded D.A.V.D. pilot Levi. Allegations of pushing a Sanctuary research assistant from the floating city swirl around and force him to quietly resign. The scandal, along with highly publicized defeats, sees people losing faith in D.A.V.D.’s.

15 – JACK

Jack Metheus is evacuated from Oren City during another category 3 attack, which leaves a sizable portion of the city destroyed. The pup of two accomplished D.A.V.D. pilots becomes inspired by his mother’s valiant struggle during this attack which leads him on the path of joining the world’s defenders.

JOLLY COOPERATION

The Juggernaut attacks are further escalated by the first appearance of 2 monstrosities at the same time. Both Juggernauts seem completely aware of one another and cooperate in the complete destruction of Shiganshina.

MECHS ARE INTRODUCED

During a Juggernaut attack a large mechanical unit later referred to as a “Goliath” emerges and proves victorious, much to the surprise of the world’s populations. The destruction the Goliath itself does during the battle garners the victory with mixed responses. Sanctuary and its D.A.V.D.’s regard themselves as the “safe” response to the attacks, instead of the reckless actions of Goliaths. The response from Sanctuary is further worsened with the revelation that the Goliath is piloted by the ex-D.A.V.D. pilot Levi B. Metheus.