Part 4: Mission 1 (Real Robot Route) - Pursuers
Following the prologue we saw last update, we get to the Cerberus-route exclusive part.
Location: Near Earth
Aboard the Nahel Argama, Torres (blonde guy) reports to Bright that the ship has a steady course towards its entry point in Earth’s Orbit. The captain himself orders all hands to stay ready to deploy at a moment’s notice.
Elle asks if we must, as aren’t the folks we’re pursuing also going to descend into Earth? They are. Wouldn’t it be best to leave this for later, then? Beecha sees it another way, saying the enemy is in as much of a rush as we are; an attack now, on the verge of reentry, will suck for everyone but if we take the initiative, it’ll suck more for them.
That’s his insight as the ship’s former captain. Mind, he’s pretty relieved with being free of the responsibilities of the station – he figures Torres and co. feel the same, too.
True, Torres sighs that he had no idea what was going to happen while the kid had the helm… but, somehow, he got them all out of that mess alive. He and Saegusa figure they ought to thank him but Beecha blushes and says it was nothing. If anything, Bright sees that his decision to entrust the Nahel Argama to him wasn’t mistaken.
Mondo ponders how long Bright’s been captaining ships and while he did take a sabbatical to assist the post-war negotiations with the Baamians, Bright very much prefers to be in the field than dealing with VIPs.
Roux asks, on that subject, how things are going in Little Baam. The colony’s been doing pretty well, with the new peaceful government centered around a certain Erika. However, with the chaotic state of things on Earth, they decided to warp from the Moon to Mars until things calm down.
Mondo asks if they used a Boson Jump to move the place there but Torres says something as big as Little Baam could never go through a Tulip. Besides, the place is equipped with its own warp drive – that explains to Mondo how it just popped by the Moon one day.
Leina (the kid) steps into the bridge, bringing in Puru and Puru Two’s (”Pleplepleple” sounds like someone swallowed a fly) medical reports to Bright.
Everything looks good, which means they don’t need to transfer them to the hospital in La Vie en Rose. Bright is glad to hear that; they lost so much during the war but at the very least managed to save those children. But what about Judau?
Leina says he was very happy to hear about the Purus but that didn’t last long – he’s still bummed out over how things ended with Haman Karn.
Beecha grumbles of how the Federation and Neo Zeon had entered a cease-fire prior to Little Baam’s liberation and everything was set for a happy ending. But then Haman and Glemy went and attacked, forcing their hand.
And, THEN, the Giganos went and declared war. They really couldn’t make it through all this without Judau, that’s for sure. Elle, herself, doesn’t care for how hard the Federation’s bigwigs work their people… then again, what else is new?
Roux isn’t happy with their new mission either: get to Earth and escort some folks transporting some new weapons. They’re pretty much being flung headfirst into the Giganos conflict with this.
Bright tells her that it would have happened sooner or later, though, and it’s not like the rest of the Federation’s soldiers weren’t already taking part in the hostilities. It’s bad for everyone out there, not just them.
Beecha asks if the Nadesico couldn’t be helping with this but Bright says they’ve a special mission of their own, outside the Earth Sphere. Still, it’s likely they’ll also get dragged into the Giganos conflict later on.
Roux does remember hearing about the odd death of the Nadesico’s previous captain. Torres and Saegusa say that, at one point, it was rumored that the Titans were behind that – the ship really stepped on their toes during the Lizard War.
But, then, said Titans went under during the Gryps Conflict, leaving that death looking like just a terrible accident.
Getting the conversation back on track, Mondo has to wonder when the Giganos Empire managed to get enough troops for this sort of campaign. Bright tells of how their ancestors were lunar colonists, so they had plenty of metalworking plants built around the place.
The Giganos went and started mass-producing their Metal Armors at the height of the Baam and Neo Zeon conflicts. You see, they’d settled an alliance with the Spacenoids prior to declaring themselves independent and were helping their cause; hell, Bright heard that, when Neo Zeon attacked Earth several months ago, they even sent Metal Armors to help.
But the main problem was something else they used: the Mass Driver. It can cause equivalent destruction to a Colony Drop but with a LOT less preparation needed. They fired it during the conflict but never again since; still, the threat of it is keeping the Federation – and the world – very much on edge.
And then there’s the matter of the Giganos’ leader, Marshal Guiltorre. He’s often criticized the Federation’s Earth-supremacist doctrine as harmful to the environment.
In fact, he subscribes to the Er-ism philosophy in that Earth is a sacred land that should be protected and freed of the presence of man. All in all, this could well grow to the size of the Lizard War and Gryps Conflict.
The exposition is interrupted when Torres detects enemies right ahead – looks like we caught up to them. Bright orders all Mobile Suits deployed.
Mission 1 (Real Route) – Pursuers
Torres confirms that we’re dealing with Metal Armors. As everyone launches, Beecha wants the enemy dealt with quick, lest the Nahel Argama’s own atmospheric entry get screwed up. Judau has also deployed, though Iino can see he’s not too happy.
The kid tells them not to worry, though: if a war’s breaking out again, then he’ll fight to bring it to an end in earnest. He knows this is what he has to do, for Leina and his friends, so he’ll hang in there.
Beecha is glad to see him pulling himself back together.
The Purus have also deployed (Puru Two is the one in red) and, when Judau asks, they say they’re fine with taking to the field – it’s their turn to help him and, in Puru Two’s case, to atone for what she’s done.
The Giganos troops ahead have already tagged them and the leader, Maillot, recognizes the Gundam team as the ones who brought down Haman Karn – he didn’t expect them to be their pursuers. Looks like the Federation is finally bringing out the big guns.
Dan has pinged the Nahel Argama’s course and posits we’re likely trying to rendezvous with the fleet transporting the “D Weapons” – same destination as them, Maillot sees. Werner and Karl figures getting rid of the Gundams now will make things a lot simpler, including recovering the D Weapons.
Maillot will be satisfied with just incapacitating us, as his squad’s priority right now is moving down to Earth.
With that in mind, Dan and Werner suggest he go on ahead in pursuit of the D Weapons while they handle this. Maillot criticizes their overconfidence, remembering the disgrace it begat them before.
His men understand which is why they want a chance to regain their honor. Maillot sighs and agrees to let them do as they please but does warn them not to go crazy – they’re merely stalling the enemy.
With that, he leaves things in their hands. Mondo doesn’t get why the obvious leader pulled off but Beecha tells him to focus on breaking past the enemy line. Meanwhile, Werner is calling his comrades forward, telling them to show everyone the might of the Practice Squad!
Mission Objective: Destroy all enemies
Mission Failure: The Nahel Argama is destroyed
Easy, easy. Our units outgun the Giganos but do take care since Judau’s friends aren’t the dodgiest and the Practice Squad’ll get good numbers going – the damage piles up quick on these flimsy MSs.
Now take a seat, as we do the usual sorting with our new folks. We'll leave the Practice Squad for later.
ZZ Gundam/G-Fortress (Judau Ashta)
Pilot Skills:
- Newtype L2 – Provides a bonus to evasion and accuracy, increasing with the skill level. At level 7, also increases range of Funnel-type weapons
- Sword Cut L3
- Shield Defense L3
- Assisted Attack L1
- Focus (10)
- Invincible (10) – the next attack that connects will have its damage reduced to 10.
- Beam Coat – Incoming beam damage reduced by 700
Judau’s pretty dang good, being a Gundam protagonist and all. Most of his stats are a wee bit better than Hugo’s, actually. The ZZ is decently dodgy in MS mode but that’s further boosted by the kid’s stronger-than-most Newtype and surprisingly high leveled skills – natural Assisted Attack is always good, too.
What the ZZ excels at, however, is offense. Its Hyper Beam Saber provides a good weapon on approach and, if anyone tries sniping, the head-mounted High Mega Cannon will blast them to kingdom come. And, in a pinch, the attack also comes in a MAPW version; its AoE isn’t the greatest but it can help carve a path through a wall of mooks in front. Mind, both versions of this attack are VERY expensive.
That’s why they actually saw fit to give a cheaper, stronger combined attack with the Zeta: Double Mega Launcher... which we can't use yet!
The G-Fortress serves the same purpose as the Spazer: it gets Judau airborne and boosts his range. Once you’re in position, however, you’ll probably want to switch to the actual ZZ.
Hyaku Shiki (Beecha Oleg)
Pilot Skills:
- Newtype L1
- Support Attack L1
- Support Defense L1
- Accelerate (5)
- Bless (25)
Beecha sucks as a pilot and the Hyaku Shiki is weak as all hell in this game. Don’t use them. Its only saving grace is the MAPW Mega Bazooka Launcher and, in my opinion, that is hardly enough since MAPWs are plentiful in this game.
If you insist, be ready to invest a lot of money and time.
Zeta Gundam/Waverider (Roux Louka)
Pilot Skills:
- Newtype L1
- Sword Cut L2
- Support Attack L1
- Focus (15)
- Iron Wall (20) – all damage reduced to ¼ for the next turn
Back to good units and pilots. Iron Wall is an odd choice for a Real Robot pilot but I’ve seen worse. More importantly, she picked up Focus which already puts her way above Beecha (plus, her stats aren’t garbage). She’s better suited for ranged attacks, mind, so the Zeta’s more melee-oriented aspect won’t click too well with her but she can make do with the Hyper Mega Launcher. Again, the combined attack with the ZZ gives it a lot more stopping power once the pilot’s morale gets going.
Super Gundam (Elle Vianno)
Pilot Skills:
- Newtype L1
- Support Attack L1
- Support Defense L1
- Gain (25) – the selected unit will earn double exp from the next battle
- Focus (20)
She’s worse than Beecha (but at least she knows Focus, albeit an expensive one). Sorry, no. Gain is nice right now but as soon as we find other folks that can cast it, she’s better off benched.
The Super Gundam’s not bad but it’s not great, either. Its Long Rifle is P, hilariously, so at least that means she’ll be safely out of the fray.
Elpeo Puru (Qubeley Mk. II)
Pilot Skills:
- Newtype L1
- Sword Cut L1
- Support Defense L1
- Focus (15)
- Alert (10)
Puru Two (Qubeley Mk. II)
Pilot Skills:
- Cyber Newtype L1 (same effect as regular Newtype)
- Sword Cut L1
- Support Attack L1
- Focus (15)
- Accelerate (5)
Puru and Puru Two are, respectively, the third and second best pilots in the ZZ crew – they lose only to Judau. Puru Two is slightly better and has more offense-oriented spirits while Puru seems more suited for a support role. Regardless, they can both handle the front lines nicely.
The Qubeleys are also fine machines and their mobility is equal to the ZZ, so they’ll be dodging reliably. As you’d expect, their range is also excellent with their Funnels. Even better, they get something to push the Qubeley Mk. IIs into a higher tier than usual: Twin Funnels, a combined attack!
We can’t use it yet since it requires Newtype L4 on both pilots but soon enough. To keep it in perspective, the Twin Funnels are stronger than all of Judau’s attacks, save for the Double Mega Launcher (and even that is only a bit better).
If you’re a Puru fan, you’re more than capable of bringing them to the endgame without gimping yourself a whole bunch.
Mega Rider (Mondo Agake)
Pilot Skills:
- Newtype L1
- Shield Defense L1
- Support Attack L1
- Trust (25) – heals the target unit for 2000 HP
- Iron Wall (30)
- Repair Module
- Resupply Module
This kid is all about defense and this game has no need for such people. Bench him.
The Mega Rider can make for a decent-ish support unit but there are many better things – no, you don’t get to have any units actually ride it. It does have a MAPW that hits a straight line in front but, again, there are much better units to fill that role (天).
Nahel Argama (Bright Noa, Torres, Saegusa)
Pilot Skills (Bright):
- Leadership
- Support Attack L1
- Support Defense L1
- EN Save – all EN-based attacks cost 20% less to use
- Strike (25)
- Guts
- Scan (1) – Allows you to see the stats of target enemy unit before actually engaging them
- Trust (30)
- Vigor (20) – heals 30% of max total HP
- Gain (20) – earn double exp from the next battle
Bright’s Voice Actor: Hirotaka Suzuouki (other known works: Banjou in Daitarn 3, Shingo in
Torres Voice Actor: Hiroyuki Shibamoto (other known works: Karl in Captain Tylor, Kazuo in ESPer Mami and a few others)
Saegusa’s Voice Actor: Kouzou Shioya again
The prototypical battleship: bulky, can’t hit for shit but has good range and a MAPW. This game is very limited on ships, so you’ll be pretty much forced to use it throughout it all.
Bright is always reliable and his two sub pilots add good support spirit commands.
Whew, we’re finally done. It should be noted that, if you wanna get a free Dijeh SE-R, you’ll want to keep all these UC characters leveled up. Later in the game, all of them will need to average out level 25.
Do you guys need to see this…? Because I really don’t wanna have to use Beecha, Mondo, Elle and Iino (and, yes, I know what this would entail).
Time to get to work.
That dinky beam cannon isn’t enough to kill even these weak-ass Draus.
Puru Two will follow it up for the kill.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU09osikhKQ
Also, the Giganos grunts are incredibly loud. It should be noted that Arado’s VA actually does one of them, though he didn’t show in this batch.
Enemy Phase!
The Practice Squad stands idle, while the mooks close in.
Player Phase!
We’ll build up some morale to show off better attacks.
Aaaay, it’s everyone’s favorite UC BGM!
And the RNGs out for blood, I see.
Have a Beecha movie – soon, he’ll be sent to the nice colony upstate. More importantly, it means more Giganos yelling.
Alright, let’s begin.
: I’ll bring your scrap as a present to the Captain! The famous Gundam Team will fall to the Practice Squad!
: Practice, schmactice! You’re not dropping me just like that!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yafQKXjOuI
Just a little bit added damage while everyone else closes in.
Enemy Phase!
Werner wants to take a swing a Roux. He’s actually pretty accurate but Elle is covering her. FYI, when a Support skill can be triggered, the game will tell you under your guy’s box. If you want to toggle it off, it’s the third button from the left.
: They’re fast…! So these are the Metal Armors of the Giganos Empire?!
: Glory will be ours if we can best the famous Gundam Team!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef0lViu482Q
I like the little touch with the missiles at the end.
Next, Karl goes after Puru Two. Too bad for him, she has enough morale to use her Funnels.
: The hostilities are still going, even after Neo Zeon’s defeat… Then, I also have a job to do!: I’ll fight with Judau and his friends to put an end to this!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfKR7T5lOfQ
Puru: “I hit my head in the monitooors!”
And Dan goes for Bright.
: Destroying the Nahel Argama would be a major blow to the Federation’s morale!
: Stop his advance! Let that Metal Armor get any closer and our bridge will be easy pickings!
Almost there with this one.
The two Draus attack Beecha and get weakened.
Player Phase!
Alright, let’s go and clean house.
: Aim all batteries at twelve o’ clock! That blue unit’s a new model!
: Your fame is well deserved, Bright Noa. I can see you won’t be sunk easily!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTLGdxhHHOI
: You have to be chosen to join the Practice Squad – only the best make it here! And now you’ll learn what that means!
: Get real! I don’t care if you’re the best; you’re not bringing me down!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqBLWiN8MSw
That’s one down and the Super Gundam’s best weapon shown.
Take Karl out and he retreats, noting that he can’t continue fighting anymore.
Oh, sorry, I forgot the one other good thing about the Mega Rider is that he has a chainable attack. With enemy units adjacent to one another, you get a prompt to do a Double Attack.
Mondo’s so insignificant, he doesn’t even get a cut-in.
And getting rid of those gave Roux just enough morale to use the Long Beam Saber!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGA_I6BnljM
Now that’s nice.
: A gold MS! Is that Quattro Bajeena?!: But… why are his movements are so clumsy? Is this some kind of feint?
: E-easy there! Don’t take me for some bigwig!
Werner is appalled that his unit was wrecked and runs off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCIx47DiveU
And Judau got just enough morale for the Hyper Beam Saber. I approve the use of the Yuusha pose.
Dan doesn’t know how he’ll face the Captain after this. Still, he flees.
And here are the convos we missed:
: That blue mech… a new Metal Armor?: I just need to bring down their ship and they’ll be stuck up here!--
: Hey! If you guys wanna spread war around, then you’re gonna have to deal with me first!: Wh-what the?! The way he flies runs counter to every methodology!--
: An offense-focused Gundam, hm? Then I need to close in and keep him on the defensive!: You actually think that textbook tactic’s gonna fly with me? Come on now!--
: Show me the strength of one of the Gundams that fought Neo Zeon!: I didn’t do any of that just to show off, OK? No way I’m letting you take me out!--
: Think you can handle our flawless joint offensive?!
: Urgh! These three just keep coming!--
: Damn it, these guys won’t sit still!: As if a sub-flight system could actually keep up with a Metal Armor’s mobility!--
: I won’t lose, no matter the enemy, if I have Judau and Puru Two with me!
Torres confirms all enemies destroyed and Bright wants to go after Maillot right now. However, something else pops on the radar – only one unit and of unknown affiliation.
Again, it’s the Medius and the woman tags the Nahel Argama ahead. This is one of the targets they were told to pursue, so what should they do? As before, the pilot wants AI1 to learn the fear of actual combat. Hugo and Aqua are right on their heels, so the woman figures that’s their first objective met: this should put those two in position to be picked up by the ship.
Judau doesn’t know what they’re looking at – it’s not an MS or Metal Armor. More importantly, are they dealing with a friendly or an enemy, Roux wonders. Judau figures we’ll only know after asking but Saegusa can’t get in touch.
Regardless, Torres picks up another unknown unit on approach but, this one, is giving out a Federation IFF signal.
In comes Hugo and Aqua, and their initial “convo” with the Medius goes the same as the Super Robot version, so you can check there.
As they prepare to engage, Puru figures they were in pursuit of that black unit. Puru Two also sees some design similarities – are they of the same series? Indeed, Aqua gets in touch and identifies them as being from the Tsentr Project; she tells them of the Medius’ theft and requests the Nahel Argama’s assistance.
Torres confirms her story and, furthermore, they’ve just received a Class A order to go after the Medius – the same priority as their orders to escort the D Weapons. That settles it for Bright, who passes it along to the units.
After this, the rest of the Hugo/Aqua vs. Medius scene plays out – Aqua panics, Hugo sighs, the Medius’ folks are less than impressed and off we go.
Cerberus (Hugo Medio/Aqua Centrum)
Pilot Skills (Hugo):
- Fortune
- Support Attack L1
- Support Defense L1
- Gunfight L1
- Shield Defense L1
- Support Defense L1
- Accelerate (5)
- Strike (15)
- Focus (10)
- Lucky (40)
- Alert (10)
Aqua’s Voice Actress: Yuri Shiratori (other known works: Rena in Ace Combat 3 Electrosphere, Mokona in Rayearth, Yukina in Yu Yu Hakusho and many others)
It should be noted that Hugo’s ranged stat isn’t as crap as it is in the Super Robot route but it still isn’t the best – Judau and Puru Two beat him, and he ties with Puru. His evasion is also nine points higher, which makes him a better fit for the Cerberus.
As you’d expect, this Real Robot is all about dodging and sniping. Aqua would actually be a better pilot, what with Gunfight and a better ranged stat, but this is what we have.
You’ll want to buy Hugo Hit & Away ASAP to use his strongest attacks without sacrificing movement... though, fair warning, he won't have to worry about lacking post-movement attacks later on. If you wanna save the PPs, you can hold back on Hit & Away and make do until then.
There’s actually a resupply pod floating nearby, so let’s park the Cerberus there for some terrain bonuses.
: Th-there! I’ve got the estimates on its movements!
: Just shut up before you bite out your tongue, Aqua!
: Let’s begin. Show me what the Cerberus can do!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0cXXzxp2bk
How come some funnel-like weapons have strings and others don’t?
After the first battle, Hugo has the same reaction as before to the Medius’ movements.
Enemy Phase!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8tBunwlHdg
I left that image up there just so you know that the RNG decided to pay me back, with dividends. Also, here’s Hugo’s Radical Railgun.
Deal enough damage and, again, AI1 starts freaking out and the Medius’ pilots decide to pull off now that their mission is done.
As Hugo and Aqua fume, Torres confirms that the area is all clear of enemies. Then, it’s time for the Nahel Argama to descend to the surface and make up for lost time against the Giganos.
Furthermore, Bright asks for the Cerberus to be brought aboard – he’s got questions for the pilots.
Aboard the Argama, Aqua fills in Bright about the Tsentr Project, Terminus Energy, how it is present everywhere but is also very hard to control, etc.
The conversation quickly derails as Beecha asks about Aqua’s swimsuit-esque attire. Elle and Roux shake their heads at its magnetism towards the male gaze (Beecha can't not look) and Aqua insists it is necessary to control the TE Engine’s output.
: I see… Either way, it’s very nice.
: It sure is…
: Huh?
: Captain?
: N-nothing! So, what about that Medius Locus?Following that, Aqua gives the rundown on the Medius and its Lazmunanium, and how things could get very Devil Gundam-y if people messed with it the wrong way. Judau and friends saw the monstrous mech absorb a colony a year ago and, as a matter of that, Bright was present for it. The Devil Gundam Incident happened right after the Gryps Conflict, before he met the kids.
All in all, Aqua and Hugo need to run after the stolen mech ASAP… and that’s when Bright gives them the order he just received from HQ, transferring them to the Nahel Argama. They’re still to keep pursuing the Medius while aboard.
Hugo and Aqua are, as before, confused by this change of orders but they won’t object to it. Inwardly, Bright notes that it is understandable that they’ve doubts regarding this – he does, too. But, regardless, the ship will continue its current assignment and rendezvous with the group transporting the D Weapons.
And then we end with the same Hugo/Aqua convo as the Super Robot version.
Next update, we'll actually be sticking with this crew. While I do not really care for the Cerberus, I DO care about getting to go ↑←↑ as soon as humanly possible!