Part 42: Mission 14 (Europe Route) - Search and Kill
Choose the Europe route and Richard says he’s worried about not only Garan’s Forces, but also this new alliance between the Frontier Fleet and the AEU. Eida understands, knowing that if a force as powerful as the fleet starts taking sides, it could sow the seeds to a new conflict across the world.
After this, pretty much all other scenes proceed the same. Of note, however, is that while the Fafner kids have been assigned to work with us, ALVIS still needs a bit more time to get the Siegfried System readjusted so the Fafners can operate beyond Tatsumiya on this route. Once that’s taken care of, they’ll meet up with us.
And we get Scarlet as a tactician, who boosts the effects of any Support skills by 10% (meaning it lessens the damage penalty on attacks and boosts damage reduction in defense). Not that it really matters, since mitigation isn’t all that important and Zhuge Liang provides a damage boost for everything you do during your phase, but hey.
Mazinkaiser’s deploying as an event unit, but you can still pair it with someone. So, we’re going like this:
Arnie/Luna
Guan Yu/Tsubasa
Shinn
Liu Bei/Saya
Zhang Fei/Fei-Yen (shrug)
Mazinkaiser/Eida
Tactician: Zhuge Liang
Off we go.
: C-Curse you all... Gwwaaaaaargh!
: Yaaahooo! Did you see that? That’s the sort of skill that separates a Super Ace from the rest! (Patrick): Garan Forces or whatever you’re called, the AEU’s our turf! Your party’s about to come to a screeching halt!
: Hurray for Colasour, the immortal! That’s our captain!: Not Colasour, Mannequin! How many times do I gotta tell you I changed my name after getting married?!: Apologies, sir! Everyone stick with the captain!
*Patrick keeps leading the charge up ahead.*
: Hrk… Wh-What?!
: So you’re the leader of this army? Hm, you do appear to be decently skilled… however, you know not that you should quit while you’re ahead!
: Wh-Whooaaa—!
: C-Captain Colasour?! We can’t continue… retreat! Retreat!
: So this is all the armies of the surface truly have to offer? What a disappointment…!: Indeed, he is the only one who can stoke the flame inside me…
But Patrick’s fine (of course), and he’s run off to Marseille to cry on Kati’s shoulder over getting shot down (and she’s now a brigadier general, not a colonel, dang it!). Didn’t she send him a report telling specifically to be careful with that unique black unit? She did, but Patrick never liked reading reports, so…
Garan’s invasion is getting worse by the day, yet Kati has to make do with a tiny amount of forces. Just what is the Federation leadership thinking?! “Everything’ll be fine, my love! Just leave it to your sweet Patrick! I’ll gladly risk my life fighting in your name, colonel!” It’s BRIGADIER GENERAL!
But a mook walks in, telling Kati an envoy from the Martian Development Bureau has arrived…Dog Tack.
Burn’s returned to Garan’s frontline base, making good on his vow to repay the boss man for his kindness. That said, when Burn’s old nemesis is found… Garan understands, and will allow Burn to leave and go face him.
As Burn thanks him and exits, Garan ponders the Black Knight: a man with emptiness in his heart, yet with unquestionable skill as a warrior. Himiko wonders what kind of man Burn’s nemesis – one Shou Zama – is, but Garan doesn’t know either. That said, he does envy Burn, and hopes to someday meet a foe strong enough to view as his own nemesis.
But never mind that, has Himiko managed to find the “truth” she sought now that they’ve stepped into the world outside Machina Island? Not yet, unfortunately, but she does have come to realize something: that this world is home to something akin to a massive and sprawling, yet unseen, spider-web. Or, perhaps, it’d be better to refer to it as the threads of fate.
All these threads lie interconnected by the force of fate itself, weaving together a beautiful tapestry. And at the center of it all stands the one doing the weaving. Whether that being is God or whatever, it makes no difference to Garan: “If the fate that’s been assigned to us is to keep on fighting, then…”
Cut to the Quarter, already down on the surface, Alto’s not too happy that they’ll be taking part in an operation against Garan’s Forces – the brass is ordering them to get involved in Earth’s wars now? Indeed, and it came as an official request from the Frontier government as per their treaty with the AEU.
The suddenness of it all strikes Klan (who turns into a little girl when miclonized) as very odd: let’s not forget that ever since the fleet arrived on Earth, they’ve always been told to keep to space and not descend on the planet’s surface. But Michel sees what’s up: the local governments don’t want to deal with the Frontier’s issues, but they would still love to gain access to their forces and tech.
That said, Canaria points out that with the Vajra confirmed to be arriving in this world as well, the fleet can’t afford to dispatch its own forces – therein lies the business opportunity for PMCs like the SMS. Kinda seems to Monica that we’re taking advantage of the situation but, as Bobby sees it, moments like this are precisely what their company is here for. That doesn’t make Alto happy that they’re taking part in a war that isn’t theirs, mind.
Cathy doesn’t think the government has any problems with this, having the sinking feeling that the only reason the president’s office ever signed that treaty was to be able to send the SMS down to Earth. Why does she think that? Well, for one, it seems Leon Mishima was one of the most vocal voices in favor of the treaty, and the guy’s been trying to leverage Earth’s ongoing state of affairs for political gains for a while now.
So, Ozma surmises, they’ve been sent to Earth in order to get the guy more intel to use. Isn’t that pretty much spy work? Still, Jeffrey notes that the Frontier’s unable to return to their own universe, so they must look for a place to settle down on this Earth – many among the fleet’s residents are seeking to immigrate here, too. If what Mishima’s doing will enable that, then it’s a worthy cause.
Michel agrees with the captain, noting the decades their fleet spent roaming the galaxy in search of a new world – and now they’ve finally arrived on one. Yes, it may be a planet in a different universe, but if it’ll let the people to set their feet on solid ground, then they shouldn’t let this opportunity pass.
Ozma asks what everyone else thinks and Alto inwardly ponders how all he wants is to FLY THROUGH A REAL SKY. But having to fight in a war to make that happen leaves him with a bad taste in his mouth.
Back to us, our people are hitching a ride on the WSO dropship and Saya reports that Garan wasted no time deploying huge amounts of troops and assaulting various parts of Europe. His blitz caught the AEU wholly unprepared, resulting in a very confused counteroffensive where they’ve been stuck playing catch-up.
Liu Bei had taken Garan to be an exceptional man even back at Machine Island, but now it’s clear to him and Zhuge Liang that his ability as a strategist isn’t one to be underestimated either. Magami does wonder about one thing: why hasn’t the AEU asked for the Federation’s help on this? Even those SMS guys are just civilian mercs, right?
As it turns out, from what Scarlet’s heard, the AEU did appeal to the Federation Army for help… but the HRL used its right of veto to shut it down. Looks like they really didn’t appreciate that treaty with the Frontier. Shinn sniffs at the big nations once again vying only for their self-interest, and Fei doesn’t understand why people won’t help other people being attacked. Makes Luna wonder why the Federation was even put together in the first place.
Still, even if they won’t be getting help from the Federaton, this whole thing strikes Tsubasa as strange: the request the UX got was to go and support the SMS, but why hire mercs and ask them to just assist another group of mercs? Sounds needlessly complicated.
When Eida asks, while Richard isn’t at liberty to outright tell us who their client is, he does say that it’s an important personage from a certain North American company. Arnie wonders if said business could be sponsored by the Hadou Financial Group, but the better question here is: why does a Union company care about the situation at the AEU?
Kaido doesn't see the point in wondering about all this, as it doesn’t change our job. All this talk’s gonna wear us out, Zhang Fei argues, and Guan Yu is forced to agree with him. Whatever the circumstances, we’re getting in there to do one thing: “Find and kick Garan’s ass! That’s the long and short of it!” Kaido proclaims.
Mission 14 (Europe Route) – Search and Kill
SRW UX - The Target.Elsewhere, some AEU troops are getting wrecked, but the SMS soon arrives to bail them out. Ozma tells them to let us, their new allies, handle this and off they go. Garan’s men aren’t impressed, and vow no mercy for any who’d oppose their leader’s conquest. Klan approves of their guts.
Ozma orders everyone to engage, but not to pursue the enemy in too deep – their foothold is further ahead and they likely have a lot more troops there. Formation Planet Dance!
Meanwhile, Alto’s getting his first feel of flying in atmosphere. Still, how much better it would be if he could soar through this sky without being in combat.
Blah, blah, blah. Kill everything, don’t lose the Quarter. The Garan troops are bulky enough that the Valkyries can’t oneshot them with their common missiles, but they’re still no challenge. Go forward and destroy.
SRW UX - Obelisk
And right on turn 2…
Monica pings a unit headed this way from within Garan’s controlled territory, and in comes Burn. The AEU’s already sent us intel on this “Ace Killer”, responsible for downing many of their forces, and Monica quickly pings even more stuff incoming. Enemy reinforcements?
No, it’s us, and Kaido’s annoyed that he got himself all hyped up for nothing: Garan’s nowhere to be seen! Richard gets on the mic and declares that we’re not hostile – rather, we’re here to help repel the invading forces.
Jeffrey remembers the UX from our previous encounter, though the data they received tagged us as mercenary outlaws… But what’s important to Bobby is the “mercenary” bit. We’re all professional colleagues here, so teaming up sounds good to him. Jeffrey agrees, and thanks us for the assist.
As for Burn, while he bears no grudge for us, his honor as a knight must be upheld – to battle! Zhuge Liang can see that the black unit’s pilot is good and warns us to be vigilant. Regardless, our goal here is to clear this area of Garan’s Forces.
Zwarth (Burn Bunnings)
Pilot Skills:
Aura Power L3
Prevail L5
Support Attack L1
All Attack L1
Mech Features:
Sword
Gun
Shield
Aura Barrier – reduces all damage from ranged attacks by 1000 + Aura Power level x100
Off-Shoot – upwards of 50% chance to outright dodge an incoming attack, determined by the difference between pilot and enemy’s Skill stat. Activates at 130 morale.
All-Canceller
Burn’s Voice Actor: Sho Hayami (other roles: Max Genius, Sandman, Eiji Kiriyama, Kei Katsuragi, Zhuge Liang in the Yokoyama Mitsuteru Sangokushi manga and many more)
As is tradition for any Sho Hayami character, Burn is a great pilot through and through. He’s pretty dang dodgy, especially over 130 morale, and the Zwarth has plenty of stopping power. That said, he suffers from the same weaknesses as Sakomizu, namely his steep range drop-off: Burn’s best attack is point-blank, and his second best is 1-2, which is hardly ideal.
Aura Barrier is there to force you to close that gap and get in melee range, of course, but the damage mitigation is a lot less severe than with the Oukaou. Burn’s Skill stat is on par with Moritsugu’s, too, so you’d best err on the side of caution and cast Strike if he’s got over 130 morale.
Regardless, approach him as you did Sakomizu, and you’ll be fine. Try and deal with him quickly, as he’ll move in right from the start.
SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend
SRW UX - The Eternal Soldiers
SRW UX - Obelisk
: If I had to go by its looks, I’d say I’m looking at an animal… but that’s actually a human-piloted weapon?!: You are a bold pilot, I see. However, your movements remain far too simple!--
: So this is Earth’s “Ace Killer”! He’ll be a tough one to drop!: Ah, I’ve found quite the strong opponent! Maybe you’ll be able to stir my soul?!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-AcLKax-Lw
SRW UX - The Eternal Soldiers
: This mech’s the one belonging to Garan’s famous guest, hm?
: The visage of a skull paired with the presence of an iron fortress… Hmhmhm, you are more awe-inspiring than I expected!: Come and face me! Hold nothing back!
: Sure thing, guy! And you better bring your A-game too!
SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend
: Ye aggressor who’d do away with the people’s joy! I shall see to your punishment in the heavens’ stead!: You’re the Octagon’s Volunteer Corps, yes? I’ve always wanted to pit my sword against yours!
SRW UX - Future-Bound Fighting Spirit
: This machine… it’s an Aura Battler?! Did you also come from Byston Well?!: You know of Byston Well?! So I really wasn’t the only one to emerge in the Overworld!
SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend
And we get a Black Knight’s Mask out of this (Evasion and Melee +10, Skill +5).
: So there are skilled fighters even among the overworlders, hm…: Perhaps there is something to be gained by fighting in this land after all!
: Phew, I think it’s over.
: No, it isn’t…! I’m detecting other signals headed this way!
: Huh…? One of them’s giving out energy readings on a completely different scale from the previous troops!
SRW UX - The Eternal Soldiers
: They’ve managed to repel the Black Knight… these are capable fighters, I see. : Aah, you finally decided to show your face, geezer! Fashionably late like a badass, eh?!: The skull devil seen on Machine Island… to think fate would provide me with a nemesis as it did to the Black Knight…: And now my blade will verify whether you’ve the necessary strength to fill that position!: Guess we got a surprise entry on stage…! Troops, focus all your attacks on that unit! 
Kill off Garan’s Geistteles to wrap things up, but he’s hanging way back and there are plenty of mooks along the way. Take them first (prioritize Liu Bei if you still need that secret) and, then, move in.
Geistteles (Garan)
Pilot Skills:
Prevail L3
Support Attack L1
All Attack L1
Mech Features:
Sword
All-Canceller
Garan’s Voice Actor: Banjou Ginga (other roles: Luozorl and Jun in Masoukishin, Fatman in Xabungle, Gihren Zabi in the original Gundam and many more)
What do you expect from a guy that looks like this? He’s a big wall of HP that hits hard, but isn’t TOO accurate. His Prevail is surprisingly low and his best attack is point-blank range (lowers mobility and movement too), so just do your best to attack from outside that.
That’s pretty much it, really: throw everything you have and whittle away at him. Garan’s got no special tricks to be wary of and you can’t debuff him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk2QHYRmeVc
Here are both Michel and Luca’s best attacks, while we’re closing in.
SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend
SRW UX - Future-Bound Fighting Spirit: Why’d you leave that island?! I know you could’ve lived out your lives without invading other people’s homes!: Are you suggesting I consign myself to my limited world, growing fat in the arms of peace? That is no different from death in the eyes of a warrior! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucWlze2SlvY
SRW UX - LOVE 14 ver. HD: The Sleeping Beauty of Machine Island…! I confess I never expected us to meet under these circumstances!
: Y o u... D o you h a v e a n idea of w h o I a m? W h a t d o... y o u know...?! 
: If you wish to know the fate that’s been given to you, then go and find it yourself!: W h a t... is y o u r problem?!: Someone a s k s y o u a n honest q u e s t i o n and that‘s h o w y o u answer...?!
SRW UX - Obelisk: His strength, his speed… This guy’s on a totally different level from those other goons! : Hah, you dare size me up? I like your cheek, boy. But, unfortunately, you still have a long way to go before you may call yourself a warrior!
SRW UX - Obelisk: So you’re the one in charge! Then we just need to take you down and…!: You are skilled, indeed! But is it enough to claim my head?!
SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave Legend: What possessed you to leave Machine Island, Garan?! Why do you bring suffering to other nations?!: Taking sword in hand and seeking challenges to better oneself is the essence of a warrior! And nations are made by warriors!: Nay! A ruler – a true ruler – will only take sword in hand to safeguard his people’s happiness!
SRW UX - Shadows that Rend Darkness
: Lepton Vectrer, output stable. Rising engine internal pressure…: (What’s this I’m feeling…? Is his unit…?!)
SRW UX - The Eternal Soldiers: Psh, ain’t you too old to be getting into fights, geezer?: Hmhmhm. Have you the mettle and strength to be my nemesis, skull devil? If you’re found wanting, however, the price will be your life!: Hah, have it your way… We’ll enjoy giving you ample taste of our power!
Take out Garan and we get Scarlet’s Analects on Cussing (Defense +10, Melee and Accuracy +5).
: Hrrm…!: Hah-Hahahah… It’s been a very long time since I last felt this excited. But, of course, this is exactly what I hoped to find when I stepped into the outside world!
: Wh-What… What’s he doing?! : Now feel the bite of my attack!
: Gwaaargh! Th-This frickin’ geezer…!: You cannot prevail against me with the might you possess, skull devil. Such is your fate.
: Our… fate?!: Switch to me, Kaido! I’ll kill him myself!
: Ain’t every day I see you this amped up. Alright, if you insist…!
: I can overlook the philosophical drivel you spout, and your arrogance…: But nobody tries to say fate has any influence over me and gets away with it!: You do not appreciate that concept, hm? But it is they who struggle against fate the most who find themselves bound even tighter by its chains.: You son of a bitch!
: What is going on with that unit?! It’s fighting like a madman now…!
: Magami, where did your cool go?! You’re being too aggressive! Keep your distance!: Raaaaaaargh!
: What the hell are you doing, Magami?! Back up and lemme take over!: B-Backup…?! I’m no one’s backup! I’M NOT A REPLACEMENT!!: What’s gotten into you, Magami?!: Hmhmhm. I sense the turmoil in your heart, skull devil.*Beep.*
: Lord Garan…: Himiko? Why do you interrupt me?: I’ve noticed something. The man piloting the devil right now is…: … What?! Hahah…! I see! : You are like us! An Erbsünde! : …?!: Erbsünde…?: Shut up…! I’m me! I live and die the way I want!: My… my life belongs to no one but me!; Hmhmhm… then it appears we are kindred spirits. You—: SHUT YOUR MOUTH!
: R-Rrghh…!: MAGAMI!: Hmph, a bit underwhelming… but still somewhat enjoyable.: Hmhmhm, Ahahahahahaha!
: Magami, Kaido! Are you alright?! Answer me!
: Recover the damaged unit and bring it aboard immediately! Ready the infirmary for the pilots! Hurry!
: Y-Yes, sir!: Kch… argh…! Y-You dumbass…!
: …: Thanks to you blowing a gasket… we’re… really… Hell…!
Back to the Marseille base, an AEU mook brings word that the Federation’s Normandy base has been taken by the enemy. That’s where they were mass-producing the new Riot Cs that would’ve been deployed in Europe, and Kati doesn’t know what they’ll do with that last ace in the hole lost.
Dog’s surprised/amused to see the famed strategist Kati Mannequin throwing the towel; seems to him that their proposal has just become even more of a necessity. Kati asks if they’re serious about reforming the Federation, and Dog confirms: this rotten shell of an organization no longer has the capacity to oversee this planet. Case in point, they’ve done absolutely nothing about Garan’s invasion.
Kati sniffs that the Martian Development Bureau is advocating for this because they were too far from Earth to know how things once got here. But she personally saw all the brutal crackdowns done in the name of “peace and security”.
Dog has heard of the A-Laws, but says that their failure was due to their flawed ideology. Now they must abandon Earth-centric notions and, instead, focus on bringing peace and prosperity for ALL of the Earth Sphere, including those out in space; and it is with the Martian Development Bureau, not under the yoke of the Big Three Nations, that this ideal will be realized.
Kati’s looking ill at ease, but Dog hopes they can count on her support when a new dawn breaks for the Federation.
Cut to the Quarter, Richard thanks Jeffrey for taking in our wounded, who in turn thanks them for the support. The SMS had never fought enemies like those before, so they wouldn’t have done as well as they did without us. As for the SKL pilots, Canaria reports that Magami’s still knocked out; they’ll be fine, but she wants them to get absolute rest for a while.
Eida wonders what the reason was for Magami’s uncharacteristic outburst back there, and Zhang Fei figures Garan poked at an old wound. Everyone’s got a part of their past that they don’t want to talk about, right? Guan Yu harrumphs that Fei shouldn’t bunch them all together – he doesn’t regret any part of his past.
Regardless, Ozma thinks we’ll need the SKL if we’re going to stand up to Garan’s incredibly powerful mech, and Tsubasa’s forced to agree. Do we know where he and his troops went after our battle? Cathy’s already received intel from the AEU saying they took over the Federation base at Normandy, where they were producing their new models. Arnie already knows what to expect from that and, yes, it’s very likely those are Riots.
Worse, Paris and London are just a stone’s throw away from Garan’s new foothold, and Scarlet fears the wrong move could endanger the cities and the local populace. Zhuge Liang isn’t too sure, though: Garan is a man who prides himself as a warrior above all, so it’s very unlikely he’d open fire on innocent civilians.
That said, Shinn knows the threat of an attack against those metropolis will keep the AEU army at bay, and Zhuge Liang posits that’s precisely what Garan wants. Why?
Because, as a shocked Burn realizes, Garan only wants the common army out of the way so he can settle things with his nemesis (though, going from that last battle, it's not quite deserving of the denomination). But they’ve just secured the new weapons of the Overworld army and are in position to attack two major cities and consolidate their dominion of the entire region, so why?
Garan figures Burn knows the answer to that question better than anyone: there is nothing a warrior desires more than a battle that can stir his soul, and that goes double when the opponent is another Erbsünde. A what? “They who’ve been burdened with the original sin,” Himiko says. “We were marked with the stigma of that sin from the day we were born, fated to languish in a living purgatory for as long as we draw breath.”
Hearing this, Burn mulls that Himiko mentioned that the underlying truth of this world lies at the end of this battle. What could that truth be? And what about this “original sin” that’s fated them to fight nonstop?