Part 88: Mission #24: I'm Recalling the Ambassador...to Hell!

This thread is dying, and I'm not sure exactly what to do about it....

Mission #24: I'm Recalling the Ambassador...to Hell!



: Yes. They'll attack here next, for sure. Let's move on.
: I think there's a dispatch.
: From where!?
: Kind of hard to hear... Wait... How's that?
: ...Can...hear? Can you hear us? Answer me, damn it!
Sounds like he's trapped in a hurricane...no...it sounds like this man...IS a hurricane!
: This is COOL FACE!
: You morons, pick up if yer still alive!!
: How about you!? Are you all okay?
: No. We got caught by surprise. Everybody died, 'cept me.
: Where are you!?
: Questioning the traitor at the embassy.
: You captured the ambassador?
: He said the enemies are moving in on you. Get outta there an' join me here at the embassy.
: What do you want to do?
: It might be another trap.
You know, I'm pretty sure something like 90% of the missions in this game consist of the party having to fight their way out of some sort of trap.
: Quite possibly.
: But we can't help Alisa if we stay here.
: You're right. We can't save Alisa if we stay...
: This stinks. We should think it over.
: We have to make a decision now.
: We all die in the end. Do what you want.
Senor Goodtimes, you're the greatest.
: Cut the crap! Let's go to the embassy.
: Don't you know? Adults need to talk things through.
: It's not like you ever think things through!
: ...
: Yun is right.
: Are you calling me an airhead!?
: No! I mean about going to the embassy. We need to ask the ambassador about Lukav.
: Yeah. Risk is part of the game.
Hmmm...excellent point, let's play Risk instead of finding Alisa.
: All right. Let's head out before the enemies reach us!



Foolish ambassador, diplomatic immunity cannot save you know! Since, you know, we're going to kill you as representatives of the country that appointed you.



Our party still doesn't quite get the concept of 'covert action.' I mean, invading embassy row in broad daylight might draw a bit of attention.



Well, I mean, even if it wasn't a trap, I don't think it would have been too hard to track us down...
: So the commander was a traitor...
: We need to get to Ambassador Clay! He knows where Lukav is.
: Dude, it's easier said than done...



Suddenly, a tank drives up to welcome us.
: Now we can finally leave this party.
Boy, is that really how they're going to translate Marcus? Really?
: !?
: Their armored vehicle shot down their own chopper!? They're fighting amongst themselves!?
Dude, he just introduced himself to us...and we'd talked to him a couple of time before, why is this so hard to understand?
: Hey, I'm not the enemy! You better not hit me!
: No, he's on our side!
: Pay attention! We're in combat! Let's go!



Kazuki, Ryogo, Yun, and Jose, deploy! Finally, my dream of an all burst-weapon team can come true! Oh, and Marcus, that's his name, by the way, is in a tank. He has roughly a -17% of surviving this mission. Fortunately, him dying is not a losing condition.



Ryogo shows us the superiority of machine gunnery.



Splendid. Simply splendid.



And the spirit is contagious! Even Jose is feeling the good vibes. I mean, he still wants to off himself, but now he's willing to take the enemy with him!



Holy fuck, it's a mobile grenade launcher. Shit, that could be a problem.



On the other end of the threat spectrum, there are three foot-mounted snipers. Given that they're being sent against walking tanks, I assume that these are men who made one too many complaint about the glorious People's Republic of the Da Han Zhong.



And Jose manages to take out the grenade launcher. Who is the man, and what has he done with the real Jose...and how can we ensure that the real Jose never returns?



Marcus gets killed. I wish I could say this wasn't the beginning of a trend...



Who is this phantom? This spirit that has donned the guise of my least useful pilot and turned him into a killing machine?



They pull a knife, you pull a gun, they send one of yours to the hospital, you send one of theirs to the morgue, they bring out a helicopter, you pull out a walking tank...



That's the Chicago way!



Meanwhile, Yun doesn't have a great mission, but she does manage to hang on with exactly one HP. Granted, had the fight gone on one more turn, she'd have been toast, but still, that's kind of, well, not impressive, but interesting.



I honor this man's courage by having Ryogo eat his heart after he kills him.



I regret nothing! Jose, in a stunning turnaround, wins MVP. Now, then, let's capture that ambassador..



Ah, that could complicate things. Hey, wasn't their a TV show about a detective that could talk to the dead? We could use their help.



: The ambassador...
I guess Ambassador Clay...met his kiln! And then I'd put my sunglasses on, or take them off depending on my sunglass position at the time of the statement.
: Damn, another mobile unit? We've lost the ambassador. We've got no leads now...
I'd tell Jose to cheer up, but this may be the happiest he's been in this entire game.
: Don't tell me Lukav's gonna get away! We've come so far!
: Hey, don't forget about me. I already pried Lukav's location out of him.
Hooray for torture!
: Is that true!?
: Yeah, I almost didn't make it because of that.
But even as the enemies bore down on brave Marcus, he courageously waterboarded the ambassador again and again until he found out where Lukav was.
: Hey, why were you on the enemy's APC?
: Yeah, I was a little sloppy. My biggest mistake was leaving my wanzer outside... They flanked me somehow, so I had to steal their vehicle. It woulda sucked if you guys'd come any later! Hah hah hah!
: Uh huh...
: I don't care, where is Lukav?
: Yeah, that's it! Lukav's headed for Futai Tunnel as we speak.
: Underground tunnel!? Okay, we'll go there, too!
: Yes, all these traps were made so that he could escape.
: Good. Now we can go rescue Alisa. Hurry, let's move!
: Hey, wait what about me? You guy's ditching me?
: From now on, we're working apart from the military. Is that okay?
: I don't care. Plans are supposed to be flexible. Hah hah hah! You learn to improvise. So who's the leader?
: It's Emma.
No, it's not, it's...you know, yeah, Emma being in charge is probably the best way to go.
: I'm Marcus Armstrong, army commander. Don't mind my rank. We'll work together just fine!
Well, that's fine, seeing as 'army commander' doesn't sound like a real rank, and your army's been completely wiped out anyway, which kind of means that you're probably cruising towards a court-martial.
: Okay! I'll help you out if you've got questions!
: Look who's talking, rookie...
: Uhummm, not quite... There is nothing in this world that I do not know.
: Hah hah hah! I look forward to working with ya! Huh? Aren't you an OCU soldier?
: Yes, originally.
: I see. Well I'm sure you've got your reasons. Nah, don't worry about it! I don't mind at all!
: I still don't trust you...
: You're awfully morbid. C'mon, cheer up! Enjoy life! Let's get a move on it! Lukav's gonna get away.

Next Time: No matter where we go, there we are.

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