Story

The Five star stories is one of the most complex manga ever written, but don't let that put you off. The whole story has already been roughly mapped out by Mamoru Nagano, so we know all the major events, and when they take place, but that doesn't stop him from surprising his readers at every turn of the page.

Covering the period starting with JC 2988, and ending JC 7777, it has to have one of the largest spans of any manga ever written. Yet still, it manages to focus on the lives of individual characters as they are swept along by the winds of fate.

FSS mostly concerns itself with the headliners (equivalent of knights) that pilot the massive mortarheadds, and the fatima that are their co-pilots. Without these humanoid computers it would not be possible to manage all the incredibly complex controls needed to wage war in the Joker system, but they are second class citizens. Incredibly beautiful, and nearly infinitely long lived, they have mind control systems that tie them to the headliners, making them little more than prized possessions. Whenever their 'master' dies, the mind control kicks in, and the fatima is compelled to find a new master.

The Five Star Stories begins with a love story of sorts.

When a Fatima is completed, they often have a coming out ceremony. At this time they are introduced to headliners, and they can chose which will be their master.

However, the greatest fatima creator of all time, Chrome Ballanche, has created three new fatima without mind control, and one of them has already fallen in love.
Lachesis met Ladios Sopp when she was ten, and was smitten. She made him promise that when she grew up, he would marry her in front of a golden mortarheadd. That time has come, and Sopp has returned to Ballanche's house only to find that Lachesis isn't there.

Taken by the corrupt president, Yubar, Lachesis and her sister Clotho are to be introduced to the galaxy, and Yubar is plotting to make sure that they dare not pick a master. Under Joker law, they will then revert to him. Ballanche asks Sopp to help.

Sopp offers his services to Yubar so as to keep an eye on him, and starts looking for Lachesis. Meanwhile, Clotho manages to escape from the palace. Fatimas are incredibly fast, and she is easily able to outrun her guards. She is saved by a cloaked figure, who turns out to be King Colus. She accepts him as her master.

Yubar is incensed by this, and challenges Colus to a duel to see how good his new fatima is. Clotho is forced to admit that she is frightened of mortarheadds! The situation is saved when Amaterasu interupts, asking Yubar to tell him about the mortarheadd, and allowing Colus to slip away.