Part 103: Mission #36, Tactical Espionage Depression

Mission 36, Part 2: Tactical Espionage Depression



: Nice to meet you all.
: This is great news! It might be possible to overthrow Jie with you joining us.
: Yes. Morale is certain to rise.
: Luo, send a message to all of our branches. Tell them Vice Chairman Ming's son is alive and well.
: Yes, commander.
: (Lixian, I won't let this end in tragedy.)
When Kazuki's around, tragedy is the best one can hope for...
: Kwang. I'm glad to have you on board!
: Thank you! I'll do my best.
: With Kwang, we can prove that Jie assassinated Vice Chairman Ming. Then we can finally overthrow Jie.
: With Kwang on our side, we can bring an end to this war.
: Did I do the right thing?
: This is what you chose. Lixian won't be here to help you anymore.
: Yes, I'll do my best.
: We'll do what we can to help you.
: Thank you.
: You guys will be busy from now on. We'll start collecting information on our own.
: That's fine with us, but it'll be dangerous.
: I know, but we can't do anything without new information. I want to do everything I can.
: Good. Then I'm going to Foshan.
Kind of a non-sequitur, but sure.
: Oh yeah, you were on the phone earlier.
: An old friend of mine is visiting Foshan.
: An old girlfriend?
: Nothing like that.
: Maybe one of us should go with you for safety.
: I'll be fine.
Oh, good, Jose's getting his very own mission...well, half-mission, at any rate.
: Then let's decide a meeting place.
: Why don't we meet in Foshan?
: Why Foshan?
: It'll be convenient for Jose.
: Where in Foshan?
: I recommend Jinxianchi.
: Let's meet there.
: I'm leaving now.
: Already?



Let's see, it's a spotlight episode for Jose, so, the over/under on terrible things happening is five.



Wow, it's an androgynous child of indeterminate age. I can't tell if that's supposed to be a five-year old boy, or a twenty-year old woman.
: Sorry to keep you waiting.
: Yeah, it's rude to keep a girl waiting.
: Sorry.
: Long time no see.
: Has it been 2 years?
: No, longer.
: How is your mother?
: ...She died.
They call him Senor Goodtimes for a reason.
: Really?
: She was sick.
: I see. Where is Guan Lei?
: He's here, but he went to run some errands.
: I see. But I was surprised.
: Oh yeah?
: I was surprised to hear from Fon Ming's daughter.
: Don't tell me you forgot about me.
: You were only 9 when you visited the Philippines.
So...she's eleven? I think?
: I was surprised when my mother introduced us.
: Of course you were.
: My father and you knew each other, too!
: I only dated her while she was in the Philippines. We were separated when she went back to the DHZ. I met her again after that, when she introduced me to Guan Lei.
: How bold of my mother.
That sounds tremendously awkward. Then again, this whole scene with Jose meeting the daughter of his dead ex-girlfriend is kind of bizarre on the whole.
: Guan Lei and I had no idea what to say. You still have that necklace, huh?
: Yes. You gave it to me.
: He's late.
: Yes. It been at least 2 hours.
: Want to go look?
: Sure.
: I'll go with you.



: Let's walk over there.
: Sure.

{They hear a gunshot.}

: What was that sound?
: There's a man on the ground.
: What's wrong, Ran Fong!?
: ...Dad?
When Jose is around, things can always get worse!
: What!? Is it Guan Lei?
: Dad! What happened!?
: He's bleeding a lot.
: Ran Fong...?
: Dad! Are you okay!?
: What happened?
: Is... that Jose?
: Yes.
: Please...protect... Ran Fong...
: Tell me what happened!
: I... screwed up...
: Dad! Don't talk! Stop the bleeding!
: Ran Fong... I'm sorry... Be strong... I love you...
: Dad! DAD!!
: My god...
: Are you with him?
: Did you kill Guan Lei?
: We'll do the asking.
: Murderers!!
: Are you Guan Lei's daughter?
: Shoot! Ran Fong! Let's go.
: But... My father...
: Come with me!
: No! Dad!! Dad!!
: We're going to run and meet my friends.
: Dad! Dad!



<Kazuki>: Jose!? What is it!? What happened!?

: We're in trouble! Don't go near Jinxiangchi!
: Wait! What do you mean!?
: Soldiers! Foshan is dangerous! Go back to Guangzhou!
: Jose, where are you!? Are you at Jinxiangchi!?
: ...Over.
: Uuuuhh...
: Ran Fong, why is the military after you?
: ...
: You know something, don't you?
: Father... Father was a USN spy.
You see, here's the thing, in the world of Front Mission 3, there are no innocent civilians, everyone's a spy or an agent of some country.
: ...Is that true!?
: Yes... He wanted to make a better life for me. But in the end...
: ! Come over here! Hurry!
: ...



: Tch... They sure can run fast... I'm positive they ran through here! Look around!



Well, that's a problem.
: You seem troubled. May I help?
: Wulong? Stay out of this! You must be crazy piloting a wanzer through the city.
: Yeah? Weren't you the ones who requested an escort?
: You're supposed to work against the Hua Lian. Keep your nose out of our business and do what you're told.
: Who made you king of the world!?
Rebecca hates everybody...
: Forget it, Rebecca. They said they'll take care of it. We'll stand by and watch.
: But!
: Our turn will come up when they screw up.
: The Wulong...
: Mr. Jose...
: Don't worry. Just stay inside.
: Heh, don't worry, eh...? What am I saying... We both might just kick the bucket.
A Front Mission spin-off starring Jose would be the most depressing video game in human history.



: One down.
Jose guns down one agent...
:Over there!
: I might have to use myself as bait to save Ran Fong...
: Hey, Jose! You still alive? I'm comin' right now!
Can't the party just let Jose commit suicide-by-cop in peace?
: Kazuki!? I thought I told you to not go near Jinxiangchi!
: What kind of talk is that!? We're your friends, remember!?
: I just can't stand by and watch a friend suffer!
: ...Don't you guys have anything else better to do? Heh...
: Friends?
: Rudolf, it's them!
: I know. This must be fate. Rebecca, no one will interfere this time. Go get them!
: Roger!



Jose is already on the map, albeit without his wanzer, so you only get three pilots. On the plus side, he doesn't need to survive to win the mission, which is good, because he's not going to. He's surrounded by a few guys with pistols, and so won't last long. The only enemy wanzers currently on the map are Rudolf and Rebecca's. Ryogo, Emma and Yun are my pilots, because I don't the space to include lesser wanzers.



Emma hits Rebecca right in the missile arm, showing, once again, the problem of not giving a missile wanzer a shield.



Rudolf blows open a door so he can more efficiently kill Jose, even though he has a rifle, which is singularly unsuited to that sort of work.



Not that his Vinedrai would be much more of threat to anyone.



And Emma manages to cripple Rebbeca's Whisk.



Meanwhile, I send Yun off to kill some foot soldiers mainly because I want to keep my wanzers spaced out for what's coming...



Emma kills Rudolf. I feel like he should be better at his job.
: Sorry, I failed...



: I don't care. That's just more for me. Hey... We can kill all of them, right?
: Calm down, you two, or you're going to get hurt.
: Even Rudolf was pushed back! Be careful!
: I know!
: No, I think you better be careful, Rebecca!
: Rebecca, these two are hopeless.



Elsewhere, Jose engages in thrilling pistol-on-pistol action!



A grenade launcher? Well, Emilio, I'm going to call your bluff, after all, you wouldn't blow up your own-



Fuck.



Except the only wanzer Emilio hits is Rebecca, who gets destroyed. Well, that's convenient.



And then Ryogo becomes the walking dead. One more hit from almost anything'll kill him.



Emilio, never one to learn from his mistakes, manages to cripple Hatari while Yun evades the grenade, and, the next turn, saves Ryogo by blowing both of Greg's arms off as well.



Yun finishes off Hattari.



Ryogo doesn't have much health left, but since the enemy is now out of ranged weapons, due mainly to Emilio's insanity, 26 HP is 25 more than I need.



Sometimes, luck is all we need. Emilio was our real MVP, but I guess he's ineligible, so I'll give to Emma, who did have a pretty good mission.



: ...
: Are you okay, Ran Fong?
: Father... Father...
: ...
: "No matter what happens to me, always live happy and strong." I didn't take him seriously and laughed it off. I never thought he'd really die... <hic> <sob>
Ladies and gentleman, this has been 'Fun Times with Senor Goodtimes.'

Next Time: Shit.

Build Information!

Parts List tomorrow, build on Monday. The last cycle of builds only got used for six missions, but I think it was enough, and since there aren't that many builds left in the game, I don't really want to skip any build cycles if I don't have to.

Still, if you disagree, I could be persuaded otherwise.