Part 100: Mission #34, Live Free and Die

Well, I started my Baseball Mogul thread, but, much as a parent of a new child must be sure to spend time with the children he already has to show them he still loves them, I will not give you guys a nice, big update so you don't realize how much more fun I have making an LP about baseball.

Mission #34, Part 2: Live Free and Die



: We got information, but Dennis and Wei's friendship fell apart.
I'm glad that Kazuki's bizarre obsession with Dennis and Wei's friendship has continued. Also, I'm not exactly sure what Huang is supposed to do with this information. "Halt the rebellion! What use is a free China if friendship must die to make it so?"
: I didn't expect it to be that bad.
: We haven't heard anything new.
: Why don't you rest for a while?
: That's what we'll do. How reliable is Wei's information?
: His investigations are always reliable.
: So it's not like you hate him.
: His ability and personality are two different things.



: All you've done is eat, lately.
: Won't you get fat?
: Nope. I'm a growing girl!
: This homemade stuff is pretty good, Dennis. You want some?
: I don't drink. Bad for decision making.
: Oh yeah? I do better when I'm drunk!
Yeah, all those men under his command got killed because he ran out of bourbon.
: Don't they have orange juice?
: I wonder if Alisa is eating okay.
: She's fine. Quit worrying about her.
: Oh, there you are.
: I'm sorry. Who are you again?
: Oh, you don't remember me?
: Oh, you're the operator from headquarters.
: Yes. Oh, I'm glad you remembered.
: You're a friendly guy.
: Oh, actually, this is no time for small talk.
: Is something wrong?
: The commander is asking for you.
: No! I'm still eating!
: And I haven't finished my drink!
: Quit complaining. Let's go!



: There was a radio dispatch from our branch in Xiamen.
: Any new information?
: They're hiding behind someone who escaped a laboratory in Shanghai.
: A laboratory?
: Why escape from a laboratory?
: I don't know the details, but he took research data when he escaped.
: Research data, huh?
: The materials were signed by Bal, a goodwill ambassador of Ravnui.
I still can't believe the most evil country in Front Mission 3 is the future version of Belarus.
: !
: Is that true?
: Bal? Hmm... I've heard his name before.
: Are you retarded? We heard it in Yongding.
: Oh, what with the genes and the ambassador and all?
That's actually about the most accurate summary of this game's plot I've ever heard.
: Sounds like a jackpot.
: ...
: What's wrong, Emma?
: My mind just wandered for a second.
: Are you all right?
: I'm fine...
: Huang.
: What?
: Can we meet him?
: Sure.
: Thanks.
: Is this urgent?
: We want to leave right away.
: All right. I'll contact Xiamen.
: It's 500km to Xiamen from here.
: That's pretty far.
: About 8 hours by trailer. Oh well.
: What do we do, Kazuki?
: All we can do is go. We have no other info.
: I contacted Xiamen.
: I'll take you there.
: Cool! Luo's coming with us.
: We'll be okay if you just tell us where it is.
: The branch leader of Xiamen is a bit eccentric.
: And he's the branch leader?
: Yes. Even I don't like dealing with him sometimes.
Man, that is eccentric! No, wait, it's that other thing, tedious.
: Really?
: Please come back when you're ready.
: Emma, can I talk to you?
: What is it?
: You guys go to the city and get everything ready.
: Make it quick. No lover's spat.



: I'm sorry. It's nothing, really.
: Do you want to talk about it?
: Kazuki... No thanks.
: All right. Hey, do you remember that time in Singapore?
: Yes, of course.
: You told me about yourself. Is this related to what you told me?
Kazuki will not rest until we all choke to death on exposition.
: ...
: Do you want to tell me?
: You're very observant. My parents worked at Orsha Laboratory.
: !
: They researched quantum physics under Bal.
: Is that why you acted strange when you heard Wei mention Bal?
: My parents escaped with me from Orsha. Bal is the man who killed my parents. The USN took me in soon after that.
: I see...
: I didn't mean to keep it a secret. But when I heard Orsha and Bal mentioned...
: I'm sorry I asked.
: You forced it out of me.
: I didn't mean to.
: I'm just kidding. ...I'll never forgive him. He killed my parents and made my life a living hell.
I'm not sure how exactly he did that, but fine.
: Emma, don't dwell on it too much.
: I know. But I can't guarantee anything if Bal shows up in front of me.
Emma is better than Alisa if only because she has a spine.
: Emma...
: The others are waiting. Let's go.
: Yes.



: Sorry I'm late.
: What were you doing, Kazuki?
: I got tired of waiting.
: Head back to headquarters when you're ready.
: Is everyone ready?
: Yes. We can leave anytime.
: Let's go.



And off we go!



: I apologize. It's quite a journey here from Guangzhou.
: And these are the people who cam all the way from Japan.
: Nice to meet you.
: I'm Chong, head of the Xiamen branch. You have a child with you? Whose daughter is she?
: I'm not a kid!
: Oh, I'm sorry.
: ...I don't like him.
: We'd like to meet the person in captivity.
: That's right. Hold on... Bring him over.
Dude, this is some serious eccentricity right here.
: Yes, sir. Hurry up!
: Is it necessary to treat him like a criminal?
: Why do you ask? He's not an ally yet.
: Yes, but...
: You are the second in command. Shouldn't you be more careful?
: That's...
: ...
Ah, yes, Ivan, the Imaginary Number who just wanted to be free, so Liu shot him in the skull and freed him from life. Let's hope he does a bit better in this branch.
: ...
: What's up, Emma?
: It's nothing...
: What's his name?
: Ivan.
: Ivan. Can we ask you a few questions?
: Sure. I'll tell you everything I know.
: You ran away from a laboratory?
: I got sick of everything.
: What?
: I'm not a guinea pig.
: What do you mean?
: What type of research was being conducted?
: The Imaginary Number project.[/img]
: Imaginary Number?
: They're genetically engineering a perfect being.
I remember this one episode of The Outer Limits, you know, the version from the '90s that was filmed in Canada, and so everyone except the one American guest star they could afford to hire had an accent. Anyway, so there was this scientist who was planned on cloning Jesus, but the couple he planned to use as his surrogates ran away, and ended up at an inn, but it was full, so the woman had to give birth in a stable behind the inn, just like normal Jesus. Anyway, I forgot what point I was trying to make, but I remember those shows as always being entertainingly terrible.
: Genetic engineering, eh? Remember Wei's story?
: But I thought that was at the Orsha Lab in Ravnui.
: Yes. But when Bal came to this country as an ambassador, he started another lab here.
: So, what is this perfect being?
: One who can come in a position of power and influence. And make accurate decisions on the battlefield. That's if the subject is a success. A successful subject has the perfect mind and body, but a failure destroys itself.
: Destroys...
: Even if it survives, the subject lives a short life.
: Isn't that the crazy guy in Guilin?
: He's also escaped the laboratory.
: Are you an Imaginary Number?
: Yes, but a failed one.
: He is kinda expressionless...
Only way to know for sure. Ivan, you're in the desert, you see a tortoise crawling towards you, you flip it over on its back. You see its belly baking in the sun, only you can save it, but you're not helping...
: Are there successful ones out in the world?
: Yes.
: One of the could be a politician or something, huh?
: Ugh. Creepy!
: Bal's right hand man is also an Imaginary Number.
: A puppet he made is his associate, huh?
: His name is Lukav. All the Imaginary Numbers know him well.
: Lukav!!
: Is that true!?
: Yes.
: Where is Lukav now!?
: I heard he returned to Bal recently.
: Alisa is with Bal...?
: Emma...
: Orsha Lab, Bal, the DHZ, and Lukav... We got all the players.
: What is it?
: We're under attack!
: What!? How did they find us!?
: They somehow did.
: It doesn't matter! Let's go!



: Damn. They must have followed me...
: Are they after you?
: Yes. They've come to dispose of me.



Um...shouldn't Ivan and Emma take some sort of cover?
: You're just a sample, and you escaped. Such a failure.
: Regardless, our orders are to dispose of him.
And Jared opens fire...



But Emma saves Ivan by getting them both to the ground.



: ......Why...
: I have more questions for you. I can't have you die!
: ...You're right...I can't die here.
: Are you two all right?
: Yeah...I don't intend to die...
: Ivan?
: A failure like you has the nerve to stand up against us?
: Jared, this is a good opportunity.
: Hmph, I see. It will help our experiment if we bring in combat data. Huh?
: Ivan, don't go out on your own! Ivan...



The party steels itself for a fight...finally.



: I don't intend to die...I'm going......to live! ! Uuuuh... M-My...head...
And the Ivan starts to lose his mind.
: Ivan! What's wrong?
: Hey, what's wrong?
: Something's wrong with Ivan!
: Uh... Uaaaah!
: Wh-what are you doing!?
: Hang on, Ivan!
: Hey, are they fighting each other!?
: Failures have mental instabilities. That's what he said.
: Ivan, stop! You'll destroy your mind!



: Hmph, you're just a failure... But you've served a purpose... To think you were moved by such a thing!
And then Rosavia tries to blow up both Emma and Ivan...



: !!
: ...... Look out!
: ...?
: Emma......are you......okay?
: Ivan?
So Ivan shields Emma from the blast, it's rose-tinted, so you know it's important.



: Ivan! Ivan!
: Insignificant.
: But we just got our data. Not bad for a sample.
: ...How......dare you!
: Emma, calm down!



Kazuki, Yun, Emma and Dennis are your wanzer warriors. The enemy is a few Shunwangs and Mingtians and a couple of cannon vehicles.



I never could get the Knock You Down to work right, but the enemy did...



And Kazuki takes a header. He is going to have a truly spectacularly unfortunate mission today, I'm sorry to say.



Yun, on the other hand, does typical Yun things.



Kazuki gets knocked down again. I guess Topple Shot is pretty effective.



But Kazuki gets back up and kills Jared, granted, it was after Yun had done most of the heavy lifting.
: I see I've underestimated the power of humans.



And then Yun kills Rosavia with an extended combo.
: A mere human has this kind of power?
That really depends on whether you still class Yun as a human...



And Kazuki gets knocked out of his wanzer. Still, unless some sort of bizarre calamity befalls him, this will be more a nuisance than anything.



I guess getting hit with six missiles in a row counts. Still, at least he exhausted one of the enemy's supply of missiles.



But at what cost?



Meanwhile, Yun continues her rampage. I decide to send her on a mission to teach the missile wanzers at the edge of the map the true meaning of sorrow.



Emma has a quiet mission, although she does knock the machine gun off of the last surviving Shunwang, which does make things easier.



I assume that after the events of this game, every pilot is going to file a class-action lawsuit against whoever built these damn ejection seats.



Bad Emma! Wasting missiles on the legs! Do better!



Remember that Shunwang that Emma crippled? Well, it still has a bare fist to use as a weapon...and it's kicking Dennis' ass. Rifles are the curse from the lord to punish men who believe themselves capable of breaking the laws of wanzer construction.



Yun kills some more Mingtians.



Dennis manages to kill the last Shunwang, which would be more impressive if he weren't repeatedly shooting an essentially unarmed wanzer.



He also kills a wanzer who is actually theoretically threatening, so it's not all bad, just almost all bad.



Yun ends the mission.



The poor result is mainly because I spent most of the mission a man down after Kazuki got blown to bits. Yun gets MVP.



: Why did you do that for me...?
: Hmmm... I wonder... ...why...
: Ivan, you're alive!? I'm glad. Wait, I'll help.
: ...No. I'm not meant to live long anyway.
: Ivan...
: I knew when I first saw you... that I couldn't let you die...
: Why!? I don't understand... I don't understand...
: In time you will know. But don't lose yourself when that time comes. I believe in you...
I mean, sure, he could explain what's going on, but that wouldn't be nearly as exciting.
: Ivan...? Ivan!
: Emma...
: What...What's so special about the Imaginary Numbers...!
: ...
: They're no different than any other human...

Next Time: We Fight Everyone!