Front Mission 3 Part #80 - Mission #17: Lemmings

Part 80: Mission #17: Lemmings

I don't care if you plan it in advance, I just don't want people to post things in advance because otherwise it makes everything harder for me, and I think using your terrible, terrible designs does enough in that regard.

Mission #17: Lemmings
_{Alternate Title: Alisa is Alisa is Alisa}

: There they are!

: The Japanese scientists!

: Who are you!? Are you the rebels? We're Japanese. We don't have anything to do with the Philippines.

: We're from the USN. We're here to help you.
And by help, we mean 'intern you indefinitely.'

: Help us? Why? Why would the USN help us?

: I'll tell you later. We need to escape first.

: Is Alisa Takemura here!?

: Kazuki?
Upon seeing that portrait, my head starting hurting. More Alisa? Wasn't the other branch enough?

: Alisa!

: W-What are you doing here?

: Oh good... I thought you might be dead...

: Alisa...

: ?

: She's a scientist from the USN.

: A scientist?

: I'm glad Alisa is safe. We need to get out of here, though.

: USN!? Wait, aren't you Japanese?

: There's no time! We must escape. MIDAS might be armed!

: Midas?

: It's a new bomb that got transported from Japan.

: What's going on?

: The MIDAS originally belonged to the USN. They came to take it back.

: So... you're the one! You're the one who made that bomb!
Yeah, unlike Alisa, who just made a crappy version of that bomb that accidentally blew up half of an army base.

: ...

: A tool of mass destruction! How could you make such a thing!?

: No, it wasn't...

: You knows what happens when that bomb goes off! Knowing that, why did you make it!?

: I...

: You know how MIDAS functions?

: I saw the real thing. A bomb using auric nuclear radiation shouldn't exist in this world. I'll never forgive the person who made it!
I thought Alisa was annoying when she did this last branch...time has not made me reconsider my opinion.

: ...

: Another person who can decipher how MIDAS functions.
You might be jumping the gun, there, Lukav. The only knowledge that Alisa has shown off is how NOT to build a usable MIDAS bomb.

: Only Alisa understands how the bomb functions...

: That's enough, Alisa!

: Kazuki!?

: You said too much. Apologize to Emma.

: It's okay. She's right. I'm the one at fault...

: ...

: It's okay if you can't forgive me. But we have to leave. Please!

: No! I'm not going with her!

: Alisa...

: Stay, if you want. But I won't let the rest of us be killed because of you.

: ...

: Alisa, come with us!

: ...Okay.
Good to see Alisa still has no spine! Let's move on, and please don't let the next scene be quite so emo-tastic.

: Hey, Alisa, are you alright?

: ...Ryogo!?

: Is something bothering you?

: ...No it's nothing.

: What's wrong, Emma? Do you feel ill?

: ...Don't worry, it's nothing.
Praise be to emotional repression. One scene of that was enough.

: Hey, hey, what's wrong, people?

: Save it people. We have to escape!

: ...Is that soldier still here?
Oh, no....no! No, no, no, no, no! Please, not another chat with Senor Goodtimes! I beg of you!

: Just forget about him, man...

: ... I am your enemy! Why do you insist on saving me?
Because the assholes in the thread wouldn't let me kill you!

: I'm not a soldier. There are no enemies or allies.
I don't think that viewpoint is going to hold up in the long run...or the short run, after all, I'm reasonably sure we're pretty close to a bunch of people trying to kill the party again, and 'enemy' seems like a good way to describe those type of people.

: ... If you're not a soldier, then why are you fighting?

: Do you have to be a soldier to protect the ones you love? Do you have to be a soldier to fight?

: Yes. That is why I became a soldier... to protect this country. I fought for this country and lost a loved one. I have no right to live...

: You think that person would be happy if you died? You're just blaming your lack of worth on the war.

: ...

: You must have things that are still left undone. You can't die yet.

: ...

: If you don't plan on dying, you'd better get out of here.

: ... Who woulda thought I'd get lectured by a boy like that...Odd... I actually believe him...
You know, for a supposedly suicidal dude, Jose doesn't seem very dedicated to blowing his brains out...

Well, having rescued the scientists, it's time to leave the inside of the base.

: A DHZ fleet is landing on Batangas. The rebels are attacking the base.

: Is the MIDAS transport ready?

: The runaway is being used! We're loading MIDAS onto a ship.

: Take the safety switch off MIDAS. Change the transport ship's destination to Batangas Bay!

: ! We'll need GHQ's permission to use it.

: We can't let Da Han Zhong take over this country! I'll take full responsibility. Get my wanzer ready!
Well, maybe we'll do a bit better at preventing man-made catastrophe this time...

: A lake?

: That's right. A submarine will pick you up behind the base at Taal Lake.

: Roger!

Lukav's Rekson has seen better days, and he's forced to eject.

: Lukav!? What happened

: Tch, looks like my wanzer didn't last.

: There they are! Get them! Kill the scientists if you have to!

: What luck! There's no time to wait for the sub!

: Take the enemy hovercraft! You'll be able to escape on it!

: Emma, take care of the scientists! I'll cover Lukav.

: Kazuki, forget me! The scientists are more important!

: Are you stupid! You think I'm gonna leave you behind!?

: ...

Ugh...this mission. Okay, there are four guys on foot. The front two are generic scientists and it doesn't matter if they survive. The back two are Alisa and Lukav and if they get killed it's game over. Now, escort missions suck it general, but this one has a couple of aggravating factors. First, the AI is keyed to pursue dismounted pilots before any other target, meaning they're gunning for Alisa and Lukav from the start. Second, the scientists, Alisa and Lukav will try and traverse the entire map on foot, making sure they run into every fucking enemy in the mission, and you can't block them with your wanzers, either. This is my first attempt. I won't belabor the point, so here's how it ended...

Kazuki is one shot away from killing the tank and ending the mission (you don't need to kill the cannons to win)...

...And then Alisa runs right into the range of a cannon, which blows her to bits.

: Dammit! I couldn't save them!
Yeah, tragic that, let's give it another go.

My only substitution is taking Emma instead of Yun, because I figure Emma's long-range capabilities will make her more useful.

The scientists start in range of a cannon, which, by necessity, must be your fist target. Emma damages it, but it's not enough. I'll need help from the most unlikely source...

Dennis saves the day!

There's not a lot to this mission. There are only three enemy wanzers and a tank that you need to kill. Just keep moving forward, shielding the scientists as much as you can, and you just might make it out...

Now, it is worth noting that the three wanzers are two Kasels and a Genie. That means that it is almost inevitable, from a statistical perspective, that one of your wanzers is apt to take a couple of unlucky hits and explode.