Part 56: Mission 23 - The False Songstress

And we are back. Last time we wrapped up Act 1 in spectacular fashion and became CHAMPIONS OF JUSTICE. Can this mission measure up to that? Well, Alto, Ozma and Michel are deploying as event units, so its not looking good on that front.
Heres how were going:
Fei-Yen/Lockon
Zhang Fei/Shangxiang
Shinn/Klan
Sun Quan/Aesap
Dancouga/Canaria
Mazinkaiser/Soubi
Michel/Kenji
Ozma/Tsubasa
Mamoru/Sakura
Cao Cao/Moritsugu
Liu Bei/Rennie
Yamashita/Mike
Joe/Saya
Shou/Marvel
Setsuna/Luca
Kurou/Deceive
Heroman/Eida
Kouichi/Luna
Kazuki/Allelujah
Arnie/Guan Yu
Tactician: Zhuge Liang
And now that Act 1 is over, the game finally brings us the standard wall of text:


Two years following the founding of the Earth Federation, as mankind reveled in a transient peace, a mysterious mercenary group feared as Hells Executioners lurked in the shadows of it all.
They were called UX the Unknown Xtrikers.
Taking requests from anyone, bound to no army, the UX single-handedly undertook black ops for any and all nations. At one point, due to the schemes of Hazard, Director of the Martian Development Bureau, they were hunted as enemies of the world, but thanks to the efforts of several of their supporters including Athrun Zala and the UX successfully stopping the Katou Organizations worldwide nuclear assault, the team was at last reborn as an independent strike steam of the Earth Federation.
However, all around them, many mysteries and conspiracies remain unearthed.
Who was helping Hazard from the shadows?
How did the Katou Organization manage to spread their reach to the very core of Earths government and military?
What is the truth behind all the inimical beings of mankind, such as the Festum?
What is the implication of the parallel universes? And what of the voice heard by those who arrived from said different universes Gather at the beginning?
Events intertwine with one another, as though weaving a complex, yet unseen, spider web, driving the UX towards a new stage. The next one shall be the fleet of immigrant ships that arrived from a different universe the Macross Frontier.
What will Sheryl Nomes voice the fleets top artist, renowned as The Galactic Fairy bring them?

Act 2 Vagabond Blues

We open up at the Frontier Fleet, where Howard and Mishima thank us for coming all the way here. See, theres a very important task for us: Sheryl will be hosting a concert soon, and theyd like our team to stand guard over it. Shes quickly risen to be a superstar not just with the Frontier folk, but the Earth populace as well her show would be a prime target for many unsavory elements.
Richard and Romina understand that but is that ALL of Howards reasons for wanting to hire us? Our services arent cheap. Howard mulls a bit and Mishima figures theyd best come clean if theyre to convince us: the truth is they believe Sheryl is drawing in the Vajra with her song. Scarlet and Kongming find that hard to believe, and while Mishima admits theyve no solid evidence, he points out that Sheryl was singing prior to both the Vajras attack at the PLANTs charity concert and the bugs massive assault before the Frontier Folded to this world. Thats enough to get them to start questioning things.
But Moritsugu has doubts: even if their guess turns out true, what would Sheryl have to gain by beckoning the hostile Vajra? Well, they also suspect that she might be a spy for the Galaxy Fleet, another immigrant fleet like the Frontier. And while they all started the same, setting off to travel the universe, when you put so many people together, its inevitable that theyll develop their own particular set of beliefs and national consciousness.
What hes getting at, Richard surmises, is that both fleets differences of opinions has put them at odds with each other. And Mishima says they believe the Galaxys using Sheryl as a way to attack their fleet.
Sumeragi understands, but asks, if theyre so suspicious of her, why not do something about it? Because the situation wont allow it: their people grow more and more anxious with each passing day and Sheryl is loved by pretty much all of them. Were they to arrest her, worst case scenario, they could have a revolt in their hands, Sima Yi sees. And, so, the government was to avoid making any overt moves right now.
Thats where we come in: if the Vajra DO wind up attacking, were to move in and protect the fleet. Mishima hopes their suspicions turn out to be unfounded, of course

Cut to the urban area, Mayas blown away to find a sprawling city like this inside a spaceship the place looks very much like a city youd find the US West Coast, which gets Marvel thinking of home. Domyoji sighs at the amazing tech found in the Frontier universe but Kouichi wants to know what hes doing here. Whyd he come along?
Oh, dont be like that: ever hear the phrase no road is too long in the company of a friend? Right, Kizaki? Actually, shes here because shes now an operator for our team. Well, fine, the truth is that Ishigami asked Domyoji to come here and take a look around the place in preparation for future events. What does he mean? Domyoji and Damian arent telling, but ask us to look forward to it. These two seem to have grown into fast friends, and Shou can help but raise an eyebrow at this odd pairing of Damian, the Martian guerilla man, and a priest/exorcist.
Is your reference game on point? Wiki says thats a stab at The Omen, where the standard demon-possessed kid is called Damian.

Rachels keeping tabs on all us kids, though she still has time to order a rather enamored Humanoid to buy her some profiteroles. Isnt she the biggest kid around here? Pish-posh, age is a nonissue its whats inside what matters. Truth be told, Sakuya cant believe shes a world-class genius, but Joey points out how her help is what allowed us to beat the Skrugg back in the US.
And shes now with the UX, so our mechanical problems are as good as solved! Oh, and these profiteroles are really good too Aoill need some more time to process that genius story.

But our attentions diverted to Ranka, who laughs that Ozma wasnt kidding when he said we were a cheerful crew. Its been a long while since the Richies Angels crew got to see her and, as it turns out, shes the guide Ozma got to show us around. But Rankas not alone: Sheryl herself is also tagging along!
Mike is stunned that a superstar like her would be showing us around, but Sheryl figures we, the heroes who saved the world, are a much bigger deal. So much so that were worthy of having her as a tour guide! And theres a lot to see in the Frontier, so Rankas already beckoning everyone to follow.
As she goes, Kurous having a hard time believing that Hardass Ozma has such a cute little sister Hmph, I see that you are not squeamish in regards to women! Al sniffs, causing Tsubasa to immediately frown. No, Kurous not like that! Dont listen to her!

And, as it turns out, Rankas changed manager and is now signed up under Grace as well. She owes Elmo, the previous manager, so much for helping start her career, but hed been unable to find her bigger gigs.
So, in Rankas best interest, Elmo decided to step down. And, indeed, Eidas heard that Ranka a.k.a. the Superdimensional Cinderella has been growing pretty famous as a singer even back on Earth.
Johnny can certainly see the problem, as its hard for small agencies to book their singers a spot in major events; that said, as Rennie remembers, Ranka wasnt singing for the fame, but because it was her dream. And its pretty great that shes managed to fulfill it.
Ranka chalks it up not only to Elmo, but also to the support so many people have given her. Are you sure you dont mean his support? Sheryl giggles, which gets the girl all flustered. Well, Sheryl is certain Altoll be turning up soon enough she sent him a message to set things up. Oh, boy

Cut to the Quarter, Altos already gotten the message and isnt amused. Come to Griffith Park right now What am I, your goon? he grunts, as Arnie overhears. Is that his sweetheart calling? A-Absolutely not, its just frickin Sheryl pushing him around though Alto doesnt look all that miffed in Lockons eyes. And, on that subject, isnt that earring hes carrying hers?
Y-Yes, but thats only because she asked him to look for the thing and hes hoping to give it back now but that becomes a bit of a problem when Ozma walks in and tells Alto to cut ties with that woman. What for? As Cathy tells him, both Sheryl and Grace are under suspicion of being spies. Altos shocked but Richard and Saya confirm it: the intel came from the Presidents Office itself, and says both are controlling the Vajra and getting them to attack the Frontier.
Ozma does note that theres no definitive proof yet, but considering the two of them even reached out to Ranka Wait, what does she have to do with any of this? Ranka Shes not actually my sister, Ozma tells. Shes the sole survivor from the planet Galia 4.
Klan heard of it, a planet that was completely decimated by the Vajra. Ranka lost all her memories from her childhood and her family from the trauma, so Ozma took her in and raised her as his sister. Now, her parents were scientists working on the Vajra, and Ozma figures something about thats got to be how she survived when no one else did.

As Zhuge Liang surmises, it could be that the memories locked away in Rankas mind hold the key towards controlling the creatures. As for Alto, hed never heard anything about this, only that Ranka had pretty much no recollection of her childhood except Aimo, and thats when it hits him.
For some reason Sheryl knew that song as well, despite it being Rankas the sole survivors only remaining memory. What if that songs said key towards controlling the Vajra? Sumeragi and Sima Yi fear Sheryls much farther along in her work than expected!
And, Michel remembers, Sheryl asked to tag along with Ranka to show us around today. Ozma is livid and orders Alto over to Griffith Park to get his sister back and if Sheryl tries to put even a fingernail on her, then hes to stop her by any means necessary! Arnie and Sayall also be coming along.



















*Runs off!*

















*Shove!*




















*She leaves.*


Back on the Elshank, words already gotten around about what happened. Seems to Liu Bei that Ozmas at fault for Altos misunderstanding, and while Kouichi didnt hang out with Sheryl for long, he didnt take her to be a spy. Fei-Yen doesnt think shes lying to us, either. What makes her say that? Because I got my song back when I heard her singing, she says, her speech impediment completely gone. Song is part of who you are No one whos lying to herself can sing like that.
Still, the fact remains that the Vajra did appear during her concerts, so Magami still thinks theres something there. We dont really know whats going on, and thats what makes it worse Kurou figures Alto must be particularly torn over this.





Flaaaash!*







Cut to somewhere hidden, Grace is in touch with her bosses again. Woman notes that Faery 9s suffered some mental damage, but Grace is certain that wont impede tomorrows operation. Youve nothing to worry about. I raised Faery 9 Sheryl Nome myself Whether shes happy, angry, or sad, she can be trusted to always turn that emotion to strength and sing, Grace assures them.
Young Man likes reliability but notes that, ultimately, Sheryls only meant as a spare, and Old Man agrees: Code Q1 is always their first choice. Grace confirms and is confident that Faerys song will cause Q1s sleeping powers to awaken. I swear to you: our hands will raise humanity to the apex of its evolution, freeing us from the bondage of individuality, she adds.






Mission 23 - The False Songstress

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*Alarm!*































As you can see, were deploying right in the middle of a pond, so try to get as many troops airborne as you can. Those that are stuck on the ground, try to set them up close to the pier-like things, so they can reach shore as quickly as can be.









Mission Objective: Destroy all enemies
Mission Failure: Alto, Michel or any ships destroyed. Any Vajra enters the marked area.
Thankfully, this mission is far simpler than the last time we had to play defense against a tide of Vajra. For one, they dont respawn infinitely and, should you wish, you have just enough troops to outright surround Sheryls stage completely. So you COULD turtle up and just let the Vajra come to you.
Thatll take a while, though, and you dont really need to do that: theres a decent distance between their flock and the target area, and if you spread your guys well enough, youll create a wall of fire that they wont be able to traverse. Standard rules apply: prioritize whichever enemies are closest to the stage, especially the yellow Vajra since theyre faster.
Once you kill the first wave, the latter ones should be easily kept at bay with your guys through the pond and with decent morale.












What, weve got monsters coming from space too?! I already have my hands full with the stuff in Arkham City!
































And when you kill 7 pairs of the initial enemies








*Flash!*


*The new Vajra goes after her!*


*Waaaaaaaaagh!*



*And the Vajra moves back.*




































Alright, heres the deal: Rankas trapped inside that new Hound Vajra, and we need to reduce it under 20% to win. Sheryl still needs to be covered, though, so dont send too many units down there if you havent cleared the previous wave. Thankfully, we dont need to babysit Brera as well.
Now, the Hound Vajra has 9600 HP which isnt little but also isnt so much for our team (Demonbanes creator once wound up oneshotting the thing with an Atlantis Strike). Just take things easy and use some modicum of restraint, and youll be f









https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSWDR6R9t-U






Damn it, Tobikage!
Needless to say, you want to be really careful with the Elshank or any of its units on missions like this, because Tobikage only moves at the speed of KILL and wont hesitate to gut the Hound Vajra.
Furthermore, the same applies to Brera, but hes not as overpowered as the ninja bot (and cant move twice). Keep a steady pace, if only to make sure you dont lose too much cash and kills to the AI.
If anything, they dont prioritize the Hound Vajra, so, worst case scenario, just give them stuff to keep busy with:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTr2DOPvHw4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLfUHADT6W0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15tWw3ETqE0
Like so. While thats going on, well make a beeline for the finish!


































































*Michel moves right next to Alto.*


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VF9HYqMWXo
Captions are available.
































*Off they go.*

























Cut to Mishimas office, it seems pretty clear to everyone that Sheryls voice is, indeed, drawing in the Vajra. On the other hand, both Sumeragi and Zhou Yu point out that she helped us through the entire battle, risking her life in the process. Not something youd expect from a spy looking to attack the Frontier.
Mishima agrees, but also cant discard that possibility with someone with ties to the Galaxy Fleet is deep as Sheryl. But Richard raises a good point: said Galaxy Fleet was in the Frontiers original world, no? What reason would a spy have to carry on her work when her bosses are in a different universe?
About that it may be that her bosses are actually in this universe, Mishima notes. You see, during the previous battle, the Frontier picked up a distress signal one matching the Galaxy Fleets

And Sima Yi and Zhou Yu have caught up to Zhuge Liang, their second tactician bonuses being, respectively, +5% to accuracy rate and +10% damage to chained attacks. The accuracy bonus is negligible, but Zhou Yus bonus is how you can, with All Attack L3, fully offset the chain attack penalty.
Here are the other convos we missed today:


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