ZMS-009 Dom

The ZMS-009 Dom is a mobile suit from Mobile Suit Gundam Alpha. It is a heavy assault mobile suit developed and utilized by the Zeon Empire.

Appearance
Your run of the mill MS-09 Dom. The only real difference is color scheme, as general production units are painted in green and black, with the original purple and black scheme reserved exclusively for the Black Tri-Stars. The units piloted by Char Aznable and Anavel Gato are painted in their original ace colors as well.

Technology & Combat Characteristics
Developed as a heavy assault mobile suit, the Dom was meant specifically for direct attack, striking enemy forces straight on and with the greatest offensive power. Very much superior to ZMS-006 Zaku as a result, the Dom possessed superior armor, power output, speed and maneuverability, making it an effective blitzkrieg unit.

Per its mission profile, the Dom was typically armed with a large beam bazooka, which could easily blow apart a mobile suit or really anything in a single hit. This in turn was usually supplemented by a standard model beam machine gun, which was obviously meant for lighter targets. The Dom is also the first Zeon mobile suit to carry dual beam shields and a true beam saber. The latter, rather than a solid weapon that generates a beam "edge", is a full energy blade not unlike those utilized by Federation mobile suits, while the shield themselves are mounted directly on the Dom's forearms rather than on a mounted solid shield like the Zaku. And finally, the Dom featured a scattering beam gun in its torso, meant as a close-range back up weapon.

In spite of such offensive capability, or its girth, however, the Dom's main advantages were its speed, agility and maneuverability combined with its natural durability. Though not quite possessing raw high performance like the ace exclusive ZMS-007 Gouf, the Dom was more than capable of outrunning and outmaneuvering most other mobile suits of its time. As a result, it would enjoy a large scale production run and eventually become an all too common sight within the Imperial ranks, both on and off the battlefield.

Armaments

 * Beam Shield
 * As opposed to earlier Zeon mobile suits mounting beam shield projectors on underlying solid shields, the Dom is the first of its lineage to mount true "pure" beam shielding on its forearms. Though little different than those its type, the lack of a physical shield grants the Dom greater reach and range with its limbs, as well as the ability to utilize more than one weapon at a time. Thanks to the Doms greater power output, the shields are also more powerful than the Zaku's model.


 * Scattering Beam Gun
 * A close-range back up weapon mounted in the Dom's left torso. Essentially a built-in beam shotgun, this particular weapon is meant to ward off enemies from closing in directly. As such, it fires a beam spray over a large range, though each shot only has marginal power as a result. Nonetheless, it proves to be an effective weapon when used in specific situations.


 * Beam Saber
 * Originally a weapon developed under the Earth Federation's Project V, Zeon would eventually develop "true" beam sabers of its own, with the Dom being the first to be outfitted with such. When activated, the hilt generates a focused blade of beam energy; this is revolutionary compared to standard melee weapons at that point, which can only generate a beam "edge" over a designated area. The blade can be shortened or lengthened at the pilot's command, allowing it to be utilized as a dagger when necessary. Once activated, the beam saber does not rely on the mobile suit's reactor and can be thrown or discarded as a decoy. The beam saber is most often used for close range combat or as an emergency weapon once all others have been depleted or lost.


 * Beam Bazooka
 * The Dom's primary weapon. Considered a major upgrade to the original Zaku bazooka, the Dom's weapon was meant for both heavier targets as well as more agile units such as mobile suits. As such, it retains its predecessor's high level firepower, but has a quicker recharge rate, allowing for more consecutive firing. Alongside, it holds a higher capacity power supply, granting it a larger "magazine" capacity than prior beam bazooka models.


 * Beam Machine Gun
 * The original machine gun model first utilized by the Zaku. Essentially a huge expansion of the Federation's beam vulcan concept, the beam machine gun, as its name suggests, fires multiple "small" beams in controlled bursts as opposed to the single "large" beam of a standard beam rifle. As such, while each individual beam is less powerful than a full rifle shot, they are fired at such great rate that they can literally rain across targets. Combined with the built-in targeting system's great accuracy, Doms can fire these machine guns while executing high speed maneuvers and still make precise hits.

System Features

 * Mirage Colloid
 * As with other Zeon units, the Dom utilizes Zeon's patented Mirage Colloid. The stealth system functions by generating a field of colloid particles around its host mobile suit, which in turn reflect light and sensor waves, effectively making the unit invisible to both sensors and the naked eye. However, the tradeoff is that the Mirage Colloid takes a massive amount of energy to utilize; once activated, the Dom is unable to utilize its tactical systems, and its mobility is extremely hampered. As such, the Dom is highly vulnerable when the system is active, thus pilots must take care to utilize it sparingly, and well outside combat.

History
Well into the First Galactic War, newer, higher end mobile suits would be developed by both sides of the war, effectively ending the "Zeon Scourge". From this, Imperial leadership would realize that the Zaku, once the pinnacle of mobile suit technology and otherwise still venereable, was beginning to be outperformed, while later models such as the Gouf and the ZMS-008 Efreet were too specialized for mass production. To remedy this situation, Zimmad Mobile Weapon Works began to produce a new higher performance mobile suit, meant specifically to maintain the Empire's dominance over the war. That unit was the ZMS-009 Dom

The first three Dom units shipped out were assigned to the elite Black Tri-Stars, who would utilize their suits against the Federation carrier Ark Royal. Painted in their distinct purple and black, these units would prove venerable even to the three Gundams and their own ace pilots. Further on, a fourth unit would be granted to Commander Char Aznable, who had since recovered from his wounds following the Battle of Anges, while another would be given to Commander Anavel Gato. These particular Doms would be painted in their pilots' distinct red and blue/green respectively.

Though the Dom would never truly replace the Zaku as Zeon's mainstay mobile suit, a substantial amount would be produced, such that by the time of the war's end, over thirty percent of the Imperial Forces would be outfitted with Doms.