Part 84: Mission 47 - Farewell to Your Memories
Location: Nergal Heavy Industries
Erina, Akatsuki’s secretary, tells Akito that Ruri has rendezvoused with the Nadesico C, and is about to jump to Mars. Akito figures that the battle is as good as won, and Erina is inclined to agree: the Successors' coup at Earth has already been stopped and with Ruri and Omoikane working together, the Nadesico might well be invincible. At least Akito and Lapis' combat data proved useful.
The Nadesico C is the kernel of Operation Bagration and it should be more than capable of standing up to the Successors. Hell, it might even be able to deal with the soon-to-arrive Gulfer homeworld. Akito doesn’t want to force such burden solely on our shoulders, so he’ll be joining in on the battle at Mars.
Erina knows revenge is what he seeks and muses what an ill fit that word is to who Akito used to be. Still, the past is the past. Akito thanks her for the resupply but she’s just doing her job.
Elsewhere, Ines wonders if things’ll be brought to a close in this next battle. Uribatake knows it’ll be simply to seize control of the Successor’s systems but they ARE like cornered rats now.
But never mind them, how is Ines doing? Jumping an entire ship all the way to Mars was rather draining but she’s hanging on.
At the Martian Ruins, Shinjou’s aghast at their supposedly secure victory going up in smoke. Their troops’ fighting spirit has been completely drained by the enemy’s persuasive argument – more specifically, a transmission Genichirou sent them all.
In it, he calls to all heroes of Earth and of the old Jovian Federation to take up arms – not against themselves but to help one another in a time of crisis. The enemy we should be fighting is not our own Kin!
The stunned Kusakabe and Shinjou see that they’ve been outplayed and Erika tells them to accept their defeat – they have no other card to play. There’d no point in protracting this battle, so she tells them to disarm and surrender to the Federation, as she’d rather not see a tragedy like Little Baam’s happen again.
Shinjou yells at her to get bent – they still have plenty of forces available and have but to get in touch with the Giganos to… never mind that. There’s a Boson Particle signal right atop their base!
The enemy shouldn’t be able to do that and Erika can already tell that it’s Kazuya and his comrades coming.
Mission 47 – Farewell to Your Memories
Indeed, it’s the Nadesico and the Successors don’t even have time to react before Ruri hijacks all their systems. Our forces are on standby, poised to sortie if need be. Ruri leaves Harry in charge of all the Nadesico C's systems while busies herself with the Successor’s. She can’t handle that and the ship at the same time.
Harry’s rather ill at ease over the responsibility but Minato tells him to get to work – it’s time for him to man up. As Shinjou tells everyone to get their weapons running on manual, off the Ruri-controlled network, the girl herself gets in touch and bids them all good day.
“I am Captain Ruri Hoshino of the Nadesico C, battleship of the Earth Federation’s Space Corps. Vice-Admiral Haruki Kusakabe of the former Jovian Federation… you are under arrest,” she proclaims.
Kusakabe himself seems to know that the jig is up but Shinjou tells the witch to shut her trap. They will prevail! He asks Kusakabe to deploy and fight back and the guy slowly confirms, commanding the Kagurazuki to be sent out as well.
Erika tells him to stop – this battle is already over – but Kusakabe tells her they’ve a reason why they cannot yield. They all hold an ideal every bit as unshakable as her brother Richter once had. Kusakabe tells her that she's free and to leave here at once.
With that, he rallies the troops to face their final challenge.
As the enemy troops deploy, Jun and Minato sigh at these guys still wanting to keep fighting. In that case, they leave us no choice but to fight back – Ruri orders our units deployed. It is then that Yukina pings seven Boson Particle signals but Ruri tells everyone to ignore it – HE will handle them.
Hokushin and his cronies pop in, him musing over them being on the receiving end of a Boson Jump-enabled blitz this time. There was a 50/50 chance they’d emerge victorious after the destruction of Amaterasu but those chances hit a snag with the revelation that Earth still had an A-class Jumper.
Akito also jumps over and Hokushin knows he’s here to bring their tiff to an end.
Meanwhile, Ruri is getting in touch with Lapis, introducing herself and Omoikane. The girl introduces herself as Lapis Lazuli, born in one of Nergal’s research facilities. She is Akito’s eyes, ears, hands, feet and more.
Before Hokushin’s goons can help him, Ryouko and crew launch to intercept them – anyone who dares interrupt this one v one deserves to be kicked by a horse all the way to the River Styx.
Izumi and Hikaru introduce themselves as said horses, ready to do some trampling. Does that also apply to Saburouta, too? Sure, if he’s willing to give Ryouko a ride. He is more than willing. That’s hot, Izumi quips.
Ryouko gets pretty incensed over all the innuendo, promising payback later. Moreover, Hikaru points out that someone else is pretty burning hot today:
: Daimos! BATTLE TUUUUUUUURN!!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FRhSDN52zk
The game doesn’t given Kazuya a special scene, so here’s the original.
: Hoooh! Hrrmm! Haah! DAAAAAAIMOOOOOOOOS!!
: Urk! He’s here too?!
: You’ve come to reclaim your woman, Kazuya Ryuzaki?
: That’s right! I’ve returned to save Erika with my own two hands, just as I said I would!
: Your Highness, over there! It’s the Daimos! It’s Kazuya!
: Oh, Kazuya…!
: Kazuya, will you dispatch that man?: No… I’ll let him handle Hokushin.
: !: Are you fine with that?: Yeah… However much I despise Hokushin, it’s nothing compared to what he feels. As a man, I want him to have his chance to settle the score.
: Kazuya…: Still, that doesn’t mean I won’t give everyone else what they deserve! My fists will break down their “new world order”!
: Kazuya… I always believed you would come back…!
: Erika…!: I know… You want me to rescue Yurika Misumaru, yes?: Please, Erika. He’s suffered nonstop these past three years – he deserves something good to happen now.
: OK…
: Your Highness…: Come, Margaret. We’ve a job to do, to help save those lovers, torn apart by their dreadful fate…!Here it is, at last: the PoD finale. You’ve a decent bunch of Successor Super Robots to deal with but your people start with high morale. Kusakabe’s Kagurazuki is pretty much a bulky battleship and should be treated as such.
All in all, this is a much simpler mission than the previous one so you should have little problem here – especially if you use your early morale boost to get Hokushi’s crew off your hair before moving for everyone else. Just save Hokushin himself for last.
Or, maybe, you’re past the point of giving a crap about this movie.
: You are afraid… and filled with regret…! Even clad in armor, the weakness of your heart lies exposed!
: …!!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm8fbh9744o
First time we see the regular Black Sarana in combat.
: I applaud how far you’ve gotten…! Your tenacity is a sight to behold.
: We end this now…!*Akito moves closer.*
: A duel? Surely you jest.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6AUifA6Lr8
: …: …
: …Urgh… Magnificent…
: Haah…haah…haah… Yurika…!
And that’s that. Ruri tells Kusakabe that there’d be no point in continuing this – he should just surrender. Kusakabe at length agrees, telling Shinjou that they’ve been defeated again – as the defeated commander, he’d rather save what honor remains with them.
Kusakabe simply asks of Ruri to guarantee his men’s safety and she does.
If you decide to go all the way over to Kusakabe, he does have convos:
: You blasted witch! We’ll have full control over our systems again once you’re ash! And with that, victory shall be ours!
: … I think you’re simply wasting your time.
: Nothing is over until the fat lady sings – that also applies to combat…!: Then please find a fat lady and have her sing to you.--
: General Kusakabe, I reckon it’s time you accepted reality.: That voice… Takasugi? You’ve changed…: While you don’t seem to have changed enough.: Silence! You are nothing but a traitor – a worm who’s forgotten his Jovian spirit!: Traitor? I suppose I am, from the general’s POV… Still, I like where I’m at now.
: If that is your answer, then come! Pit your ideals against mine and we’ll decide on which side justice lies
: I’m afraid that decision was made the second the Nadesico C came over.--
: Get over here, Kusakabe! I’ve got a score to settle with you back from the Lizard War… You’re gonna pay in full for what you did to Tsukumo!!--
: … Enough is enough. What you’re doing will only serve to repeat past tragedies.OH MY GOD, she didn’t make any puns!
--
: You gotta get with the times! Who goes around trying to make a coup when everyone else just wants to live in peace?!--
: Your coup failed and your systems are ours! Just give up already!: We are not finished yet…! Rather, it all begins with this battle!: Tell me, how many lives were lost for those ideals you go on and on about?!: However pretty you make your speeches, I’ll never agree to a war that’ll only bring more sorrow!--
: Go, Kyoshiro! Give him one of your proverbs!
: I don’t really think he’d listen…
: But, alright, I’ll tell him anyway! “Governments are the sails, the people the wind, the country is the ship and time is the sea,” so said Ludwig Börne!: Your group is a ship that’s started sailing without people – the wind – at your back! Oblivion is all that awaits you!--
: I do not expect an alien like you to be capable of comprehending our ideals… our spirit!: In time, the tears of the people will join as a river, flowing towards a sea of calamity…
: Think of how many tears your actions would beckon across the world!: Those are all necessary sacrifices to bring about a better society… That pain will not be for naught!: If you wish to spread your ideals across the world, then you ought to find a way to make it so without sacrifices! That is how a better society is truly made!!
: Erika…!: Kazuya… I have waited so long for this day…!: I’ve returned to this planet, just as I said I would… all so that I could hold you in my arms again.: Oh, Kazuya…!
: Aah… I’m so glad everything turned out OK…!: (In the words of the wise, “flowers return to their roots, just as birds return to their nests”. The voyage that started here on Mars now finally comes to an end… and they are, once again, together…): And what about Yurika Misumaru, Erika?: She is safe – the Nadesico crew is looking after her now.
And Yurika’s just woke up at the ship’s infirmary, watched over by her old crew; she slowly notes how much older everyone’s gotten. Seems she’s as ditzy as ever, much to Minato’s relief.
Yurika says she’s been dreaming all this time and asks: where is Akito?
: …
: Bye-bye… Hey, should we really have let him go?
: Well, we couldn’t exactly force him to stay.
: But… what’s he gonna do now? Is he just gonna cut loose all the memories he’s got with us and Yurika and leave?
: He’ll come back. And if he doesn’t, I'll just go after him. After all, he…
: He’s someone very dear to me.