Part 22: Mission #21: Kazuki Takemura, Master Electrician

Mission #21: Kazuki Takemura, Master Electrician



: No. A different rebel squad is also inside the base.
: Another squad! Where are they headed!?
: The rebel squad is moving toward the heliport.
: What!? Are they also after MIDAS!? Contact the lab and load MIDAS onto a transport!
What's mildly irritating about this game's plot is that it seems like every enemy is slightly smarter than our party. So the super-secret plan to retrieve MIDAS falls apart because a bad guy realizes, "Wait, they've already kicked the crap out of most of my forces, I really ought to just move the damn macguffin there after."
: Yes, sir!
: I won't let them take MIDAS!



Meanwhile, our team is still looking for MIDAS.

: You say infiltrate the base, but from where?
: ...Look at this!
: ! A heliport... we could use that.



: It's big enough that wanzers should fit. Hey, Ryogo, leave that alone and get up here.
: Yeah, yeah.
: All right, I can open it. Liu, keep an eye on this area.



And Kazuki gets the door open the only way he can think of...shooting at the controls with a pistol.
: Kazuki, you should work more carefully.
: Ahh, don't worry about that.



: Neither are you!
You know how a lot of RPGs have protagonists who are really dumb, but nice, so they're kind of tolerable? Kazuki's pretty fucking stupid, but he's also a total asshole. Where does that leave us?
: Hey, cut it out, you two...



I can't believe that worked.
: Liu, it's open!



And, somehow, we are about to be ambushed by a number of 20-foot tall robots. Our party is terrible at covert action.
: Hey, you two cut it out. Time is short, let's go.



And then Alisa gets blown into the doorway by a missile hit...
: ! Kazuki, we've got company!



Which hits the emergency contrivance circuits and locks her inside.



: Alisa! Are you okay!? Are you okay, Alisa!?
: ...I'm okay. How about you?
: We're surrounded, but everyone's unharmed.
: Kazuki, talk later! Time to fight!
: Alisa, hold on! We're coming to help!
: Kazuki...I'm going to look for MIDAS.
: What are you saying!?
: If I do nothing, the USN will steal it. Don't worry, I'll be careful.
: Alisa! Alisa!



: Kazuki, on your right! They're coming!!
: Dammit! Get out of my way!!



Can't choose Alisa, so only one person is going to sit this one out...and it's going to be Pham.



Liu gets things started with a volley of grenandes. The enemies here are a couple of Jinyos, a few cannons, and a couple of helicopters, nothing too crazy, although the Jinyos have shotguns instead of their normal machine guns.



Liu is kind of like one of the those guys in the padded suits who trains attack dogs. He's really just there to take abuse.



Kazuki begins destroying another cannon, which are fixed guns that can't hit anything right next to them, brilliant design, that.



Ryogo goes off to fight the helicopters. It takes me a few turns to even remember that he has a missile launcher now, making his dogged pursuit of the choppers completely pointless.



Then again, maybe he didn't need the missile launcher after all...



And Miho uses 5 out of her 6 missiles to destroy a single helicopter. Why do you guys have to put missile launchers on low accuracy arms? You're just wasting ammo.



Ryogo, on the other hand, has at least a puncher's chance of hitting his quarry.



And the mission ends as Ryogo and Miho combine to launch a half-dozen missiles at the last cannon, two of which actually hit! Eventually, the cannon's gunner decides to take pity on us and surrenders.



Kazuki wins MVP because he's the only one of the pilots with an accuracy of over 50% for the mission.



After the mission, Liu tries to make up for Kazuki's heroic stupidity.

: Liu, do you think you can open it?
: Don't rush me, I'm working on it.
: Hurry it up, we have to save Alisa!
 If that's all it take to freak Kazuki out...I am not looking forward to the other branch. 
: Calm down!
: This is calm!
: Okay, finished!



: Let's go everyone!
: Wait, Kazuki!
: No good, you can't stop him! At times like this, it's best to let Kazuki do what he wants!
I'm pretty sure that attitude is what's led to countless deaths so far...
: What is that!? Wait Liu, what did he say!?
: Oh well, just follow Kazuki.



: Hey, why do you keep humoring Kazuki!? Wait, don't leave me alone!
Let's be honest, Pham and Kazuki were made for each other. However, for the future of the human race, they can never be allowed to breed.

Next Time: The Real Senor Goodtimes!