Part 15: Mission #14: And The Band Played On...

Chapter #14: And The Band Played On...



: Send all the forces to attack the main enemy platoon. Tell the defense force inside the base to annihilate the wanzers in the sewer.
: Yes, sir!
: Is there a wanzer in the hangar?
: Yes.
: I'm going in myself!
A real leader leads from the front. Also, a dead leader.



: If we take this out, it'll paralyze the fortress. Don't hold back, destroy everything!



Well, at least the climatic battle of Negros Fortress will be well-lit.
: They're here! Engage with the wanzers. Don't let them through! If we can't hold this position, the fortress is done for. Hold it with your life!



: Whoa! What's that? They have one of those?
: Ryogo, there's no time to be scared. Let's go!!
Those things? Just rifles. There are literally six things on the battlefield that are scarier than these guns.



Battle Time. It's a big map, but 90% of the action is going to be confined to a small area a few squares in front of your starting position. The enemy wanzers will, for the most part, tend to gather there. There are two of those guns we just saw, two Jinyos, two Kasels, and two Genies, one of which is piloted by the uniquely-portraited Filipino commander. She's not that much more dangerous than any other missile wanzer. Alisa takes another mission off because I want to give Liu a bit more playing time.



And I am rewarded.



Kazuki flushes the commander out of her starting position right into Miho's shotgun range...



On the plus side, it's not a mistake you're apt to repeat...because dead people almost never underestimate the fighting strength of rebels.



And the lack of a shield catches up with Kazuki again. Now, once again, part of this is bad luck, as this is the last time that Kazuki will get killed for some time. Plus, there is something aesthetically pleasing about the Berserker and its twin weapons...even if I never use the spike.



Liu starts carving a wide swathe of destruction through the enemy. Having shit accuracy with your rifle isn't so bad if you're blasting away with a machine gun at the same time.



Meanwhile, the Ultragunner has an off day and gets both of its arms blown off. This sort of thing just happens from time to time, no matter how well designed a wanzer is.



I think I'll start giving out MVP awards to the best wanzer from each mission, since they were designed by you guys anyway. It'll help every one see what works and what doesn't, and it might be fun. Also, it's my LP and we're fucking doing this. The winner of the inaugural MVP is Liu whose combination of Double Shot II and ROF I proved frighteningly effective.



What happened? Well, it took me a little time to hunt down those rifle-guns, so that took time, and Liu and Kazuki are still adjusting to their new weapons, explaining the damage issue.



: This is the attack squad. The band is ready. Repeat, the bend is ready!
: This is HQ. Roger! Start the dance again!
Uh...we killed everyone in the base, I don't know that we need to keep using the code. Or maybe we're literally going to dance on the graves of our enemies. I don't know.



And so Negros Base fell to the rebels...

Next Time: Most Unwelcome Developments!

The Next Round of Wanzer Building is about to begin! Stay Tuned!