Part 75: Mission #12: Where Beer Does Flow, and Men Chunder!

Long update tonight, so you only get the one mission. Criminal of me, I know.

Mission #12: Where Beer Does Flow, and Men Chunder!

Emails, the least interesting thing you'll read today!


: Hey, Ryogo. I got some mail from Mr. Koike.
: Oh yeah? What did he say?
: He's apologizing. I don't know why.
: Really? Let's write him back.




: I don't think there are any more reinforcements.
: Let's escape while we still can.
: Guess its goodbye to Japan!
: Get on! We're taking off!
: Okay! Kazuki, Ryogo, we're going.
: Are you sure we can make it?
: Where's your sense of adventure? Don't worry. She'll fly.
: Adventure!? Don't you take anything seriously?
: Kazuki, hurry!
: Oh, all right!
: It's gonna get rough! Everyone, brace yourselves!



This doesn't even seem like a good idea by video game standards...



But since the alternative is the main characters dying in a plane crash, it works.



It looks like it's up to America to save the day...as usual.



The USS Rod Blagojevich waits for our arrival.



And we're able to land safely, which, I suppose makes taking off the bridge slightly less insane, seeing as the aircraft is likely designed to take off of short runways.



: Quit it. You're embarrassing me.
: You saved us, Captain.
: No problem. It's our job. So, did you find it?
: MIDAS was secreted to Japan. But I think the accident was caused by a duplicate. The original is somewhere else.
: So you didn't find it. Bet it was a tough job for a woman, eh?
I...well, that came out of nowhere. In the future, sexism will be mandatory following the passage of the 34th Amendment!
: ...
: Who do you think you are? You didn't do anything.
Seems like there's a bit of a logical fallacy in white-knighting a woman to prove that she doesn't need defending.
: Who are you?
: They're agents we hired in Japan. They'll be working with us from now on.
: I didn't know the FAI worked with kids.
: What!?
Kazuki is the older brother of a college student, so he's got to be in his early twenties at least, so I'm not sure why everyone keeps calling him 'kid.'
: They're good. Age shouldn't be an issue if they can do the job.
: Doesn't matter, so long as they're not in my way. So, what's the plan?
: The FAI is searching for MIDAS. We'd like you to stand by.
: Roger that. Hope they'll find it soon.
: Captain, these 2 need a room.
: Use any empty room. Don't roam around too much!
: Who the hell does he think he is!?
: He thinks he's the captain.
: ...
: Let's go. We'll stay away for now.



: Lukav.
Oh....that's not good.
: Are those the agents you hired?
: Yes. They're good. How is the search going?
: Purple Haze is searching. MIDAS will be found.
: I see. Thanks.
: No problem.
: What the heck are you looking at?
Kazuki can feel the psychic pain of his Alisa's Branch counterpart.
: We're counting on you...
: Who's that creepy guy?
: He's Lukav Minaev. A top FAI agent. Not friendly , but smart.
: Not friendly? just like you, Dennis.
: That's not true. I have more friends than Lukav.
Yeah, Dennis has tons of friends, like...uh...this one girl, Sybil, but she's not around because she has to track down....Norman Bates, yep...airtight.
: Right...
: I have things to take care of. Show them to their room, Emma.
: Sure.



: It's tiny! Can't you give Kazuki his own room?
: Quit your whining.
: Things are getting interesting, huh? I guess we should enjoy the ride.
: So, what's with MIDAS?
: Now that you're one of us, I can tell you. MIDAS is a bomb.
: It's a bomb!? It's not a research device!?
Well, I mean, I'm sure vaporizing cities generates some sort of useful research.
: It is, but it can also be used as a bomb. It generates energy.
: How does that turn into a bomb?
: When the energy generated by the device becomes unstable, it explodes. This causes a nucleus collapse and atomization, but with no radiation.
I'm not a nuclear physicist, but that doesn't sound right.
: And that's what we saw at Yokosuka Base.
: The explosion in Yokosuka was caused by a poor copy of MIDAS. The original would have destroyed the entire base.
: It's a bomb that's gentle to the environment.
: There are no gentle bombs!
I have the feeling that in the original Japanese, this exchange was the same in both branches, and it's just a quirk in the translation that led to the slightly different variation between 'kind' and 'gentle.'
: It's an important point. Atom bombs can't be used because of the environmental hazard. MIDAS can be used without environmental consequences.
: You just want to get your bomb back, don't you!? You want to monopolize it!
: No. We're not trying to get MIDAS back for a selfish reason. MIDAS needs to be destroyed before it's too late. We need to shut down its production once and for all.
: You want me to believe that? Alisa is missing because of MIDAS!
: ...
: Stop, Kazuki. You're being too harsh.
: It's okay. It was my fault.
: I'm sorry, Emma...
: We're working together! so let's all get along!
: Emma! We located MIDAS.
: !
: Okay.



: Calm down. I'll explain.
: Don't worry, Emma. We investigated.
It's Mighty Joe Jon, the Black Blonde!
: Who are those happy guys?
: The FAI's private squad, Purple Haze.
: Huh. Never heard of them.
: So, where is MIDAS?
: You were right, Emma. The original was in Yokosuka, indeed. But it was taken to Atsugi right after the accident.
: Taken away...



Kazuki has himself a little flashback...



: We don't know where it went, after that.
: Yeah, we have no idea.
: What's the point, then?
: Calm down, Emma. Lukav will explain the rest.
: It was the JDF's decision to steal MIDAS. The OCU wasn't involved. The OCU found out about it shortly after the accident, and demanded custody.
: Japan had no choice but to return it. MIDAS must be hidden in an OCU base somewhere.
: Get to the point already! Where is it?
: MIDAS is no longer in Japan. We'll have to start looking again.
Two branches, 130 missions, and yet it's all just a hunt for a macguffin..
: So we don't know where it is...
: But we can make a pretty good guess. Someplace that's hard for us to attack, easy for them to defend.
: First. we'll hit OCU's headquarters in Australia.
I like it. Violent, quick, and we can finally have revenge on the country that inflicted Hugh Jackman and Sam Worthington on the world. No more will we have to suffer through action movies with charisma-less lead actors! They don't even have funny accents, they just do this stupid affect to try and fool us into thinking they're American...
: We can't waste any time. Let's leave right away. Come to the deck when you're ready, Kazuki and Ryogo.
: Cindy, Gastor. We'll leave too, after a short break.
: The rest is up to you guys.
: What? We don't have time to talk now. Get ready.
: The transport is ready. Go to the flight deck.
: Not even any time to rest.
: All contact will be cut off during the operation. Check our military web site instead.



: Purple Haze sure act tough, but they aren't all that much in the field.
Seeing as the last branch included two beatdowns of this supposedly elite squad with the crappiest wanzers you guys ever designed, I tend to agree.
: Yo, I heard that.
: Shoot!
: You care to repeat what you just said?
Ryogo could apologize or...
: Sorry. I didn't mean to... I don't really like butch chicks.
You fool, butch chicks hate it when you call them butch, that's why I only nine fingers left!
: You...!
: Stop it, Cindy. He's right. We couldn't find MIDAS, after all. And you ARE pretty butch.
: Joe!!
: Yeah. Try to act more ladylike if you want to ask me out on a date.
This is as close as Front Mission 3 can get to a romantic subplot...
: Jerk-off...
: You got some balls, picking a fight with Cindy.
: I'm a lady's man.
: Ha ha ha... You crack me up, little buddy. Good luck with Cindy. Don't worry. We'll help you out if you're in trouble.
I'm kind of glad we did this branch second, it would have been pretty depressing to murder these dudes after this.
: I got nothing to say to you.
: They're good people. You can count on them.
That I kind of doubt.



Australia, the antipodean nightmare from which no hope escapes. God help us all...



: There's a large OCU laboratory in the desert ahead.
: And that's where MIDAS is?
: It's just a guess. We should be able to get some information.
: Well, let's go inside the base, then!
: Ryogo do you have a death wish? This is only a reconnaissance mission.
: Don't you guys do anything more interesting?
: Be careful. Guys like you die young.
Better to burn out than fade away, old man!
: Yeah, listen to Dennis. Be more serious.
: You too, Kazuki.
: Huh?
: You get excited too easily.
That's nothing, you should have seen ol' Berzuki, now there was a real powderkeg....
: ...
: Heh heh... Yeah, you should listen.
: Shut up!



Damn you to hell, Australia! To hell!



: The laboratory is up ahead.
: We should be careful from here on, then.
: Wait. Look over there.



It's half a truck! Also, evidence that sometimes it's tough getting a good screenshot!
: !! What the heck is that!?
: An OCU armored vehicle? It's transporting something.
: Could it be MIDAS?
: I can't tell. But that escorting isn't normal.
: I agree. It must be something pretty important.
: Should we go check?
: Fine with me. Let's do it.
: What's up? I thought we were just doing recon?
: Cut the chatter and get ready!
: Yes, ma'am!



Alright, droogs, here's the deal. There are four Jinyos and a truck. The truck will try and escape, if it does, the next few missions are slightly different, at some point, I'll show those off, at the moment, however, I intend to blow that truck or "cadenza" as the game calls it, up.



To that end, I send Kazuki on a suicide mission to take it out at all costs. As you can see, such aggression is taking its toll on Kazuki's Zenislev.



Well, Kazuki, it appears you are giving your life for the greater good...and the good isn't going to turn out to be all that great after all.



This is the first mission you get to use Dennis in. He comes with a Rekson, which is good, and a rifle, which is...well, you can see for yourself.



Kazuki, mostly dead, is able to deliver the killing blow...although that means I still have to deal with the four Jinyos.



You can go now, Kazuki...your labors are finished...



But, well, Jinyos are still Jinyos, Ryogo starts the rout.



Emma ices one with her machine gun.



Dennis....tries, okay, he's trying his best, it's not his fault they gave him a rifle and that the thread made sure he forever be equipped with. Inside of that useless rifle specialist, there's a decent pilot just begging to be let out!



For whatever reason, Emma is roughly ten times better than her sister at using missiles. It might just be in my head, though.



Well, I guess that's better...



And, at this point, with his team dead, the last enemy pilot surrenders rather than getting back in his wanzer. I appreciate it greatly.



Probably should have played it a bit more conservatively with Kazuki.



: Open it carefully!
: I know. What the...? People!?
Man, even in a hundred years, they'll still be smuggling people into Australia by the truckload.
: People!? Are they scientists...?
: W-Who are you people!? What do you intend to do with us!?
: Quiet! Do as we say and you won't get hurt. I want everyone to get out of the container.

Next Time: Geo-Safari, Front Mission-style.