The Earth Government is an organization that features prominently in Armored Core 2 and Armored Core 2: Another Age. It appears to have been founded shortly after the events of Armored Core: Master of Arena.
History[]
The Earth Government was established at the signing of the Isaac Treaty following the conflict between the corporations Chrome and Murakumo Millenium. The Government quickly moved to fill the void left by the downfall of the first-generation corporations, and put restrictions on future corporations in an attempt to prevent another conflict on the scale of the Deep Earth War.
By the time of Armored Core 2, the Earth Government had moved away from simply "keeping the peace" between the new generation of corporations (Zio Matrix, Emeraude, and Balena), and toward attempts to reclaim the surface of the planet so that it could be repopulated. However, it was forced to work in tandem with the corporations, and it was only a matter of time before conflicts began to break out between the various groups.
Armored Core 2[]
When Zio Matrix announced that it had successfully terraformed Mars, thus making it suitable for human habitation, the Earth Government initially paid little attention to this, allowing Zio and the other corporate groups to found a system of rule on that planet similar to the Subterranean Era, which included bringing Nerves Concord - the successor to the Ravens' Nest - to Mars to provide a mediation group for the new generation of Ravens.
However, once Zio and Emeraude commenced a bloody war on Mars, the Earth Government decided to intervene before the corporate warfare that now dominated Mars spread back to Earth.
The LCC[]
The Earth Government sends a group dubbed the Large Scale Enterprises of the Central Committee (LCC for short) to Mars to attempt to bring the corporations in line. Unfortunately, its resources are nowhere near as plentiful as those of the corporations, and since those groups already control all the major mining areas, the LCC is having a difficult time producing its resources on its own. More damning still is the fact that the Earth Government has no real access to Armored Core materials or pilots, due to its general aversion to the use of Ravens combined with the fact that the corporations generally don't do business with the Government.
These factors combine to make the LCC little more than a puppet group with no power, until aid comes from a seemingly unlikely source - Balena. This corporate group is also short on resources, but do have access to mining materials and additionally produce Armored Cores as their main business. Additionally, they're eager to find a way to seize power on Mars that doesn't involve relying on the war between Zio Matrix and Emeraude, which could go either way since the two have similar resources. At this time, Balena and the LCC make a joint appeal to the Earth Government for a force of skilled Armored Core pilots to be deployed to Mars to intervene in the Zio-Emeraude War. The Earth Government decides not to recruit Ravens from Nerves Concord (due to its involvement in the Mars conflict), and instead approaches a group of skilled former Ravens to make up its new team - the Frighteners. Leos Klein is selected as the leader of this group, and they are deployed to Mars.
The Frighteners turn out to be the solution to the LCC's problems, as they are successful in restraining the corporate forces of both Zio Matrix and Emeraude. Emeraude's earth headquarters decides not to let this stand, and orders the Mars division to attack the LCC. Unfortunately, Emeraude's Ravens prove to be no match for the Frighteners and are crushed. Upon receiving this information and also learning of their own loss, Zio Matrix's earth headquarters orders its Mars division to stand down, but it refuses and continues its activities, attempting to activate a massive Disorder Unit as their trump card. They fail and are almost completely destroyed along with Emeraude.
At this point, the LCC has successfully put down the major corporations and declares control over all of Mars corporations. In order to reinforce LCC's control, the Earth Government sends a VIP to Mars as the official leader. During the arrival of the VIP, however, the Frighteners suddenly turn on the group and assassinate the top leadership, then attack its major military assets and destroy them.
As a result of the destruction of the LCC, the Earth Government begins intervening directly in an attempt to subdue the uprising. Although they are capable of destroying most of the Frighteners with the help of an unnamed Raven, they are unable to stop Leos Klein. He eventually steals the S.T.A.I Battleship and heads to Phobos. Once arriving, he reveals that Phobos is actually a giant Martian supercomputer, and alters its path trajectory and aims it toward Mars. Despite now controlling all disorders and piloting a Martian Superweapon, his plans are ultimately stopped by an unnamed Raven, and Klein dies in the core of Phobos, which self-destructs shortly after the final battle.
Armored Core 2: Another Age[]
During the Mars Crisis, the Earth Government initiates a massive build-up of military resources to counter possible revolts by the corporations, which continues after the Crisis' resolution. After Emeraude's attempts to overthrow the LCC are revealed to have been supported - and indeed, ordered - by their Earth HQ, the Government comes down hard, putting massive sanctions on their activities. They also work to restrict Zio Matrix, whose actions (including efforts to exploit the Disorders) were the root cause of the entire Mars Crisis. However, Zio manages to escape with what amounts to a slap on the wrists compared to Emeraude.
With both Zio and Emeraude now proving to be uncooperative, the Earth Government leaders turn to Balena, who had worked with the LCC on Mars. The two enter into an ever stronger alliance, which allows Balena to grow into the largest, best-financed corporate group on the planet.
Besides the ever-present threat of revolt from the corporations, the Earth Government is also being forced to deal with revolt from the general citizenry, who feel they are being neglected in the new era of military buildup, and are frustrated that the surface reclamation has slowed to a glacial pace. The largest citizen organization that opposes the Government is Indies, which is largely made up of the lower classes of the subterranean cities. Despite this, they are becoming a serious threat, due in part to the fact that several Ravens have taken up the cause, and also due to the fact that Balena, well known for manipulating conflicts in an effort to ensure they come out on top, is secretly supporting this group as well.
Methodology of Rule[]
The Earth Government is typically known for using smaller organizations knows as Bureaus of Control (BOCs) to rule local areas while the central body itself focuses on worldwide issues, such as surface reclamation and repopulation, regulation of the corporations' global structure, and later, military buildup. It will often use the bureaus to help execute these strategies on a local level.
The largest example of a BOC-like structure can probably be seen in the LCC, which was concieved for the same purpose as the BOCs, but on a scale appropriate to the situation on Mars.
In the time before - and all the way up to the early stages of - the events of Armored Core 2, the Government generally preferred to rule in more peaceful ways, doing their best to avoid conflicts. However, the actions of the corporations forces the Government to build up its own military resources, and begin to place higher emphasis on military action to maintain its rule. Despite this, they've proven willing to work with corporations that demonstrate a willingness to cooperate, such as is the case with Balena (at least publicly).
The Earth Government has always shown an aversion to Ravens; while it allows the Nerves Concord to exist, any Raven registered in that group has a list of restrictions that weren't applied to them during the Subterranean Era (or on Mars). Subsequent to the events of the Mars Crisis, the Government becomes even more reluctant to hire Ravens from the Concord, and severely restricts their access to urban centers. Ravens are completely forbidden from entering Earth Central, capital city and seat of power for the Government.