Part 50: Mission 20 - Rupture ~ Crossing Paths - Part 2
And now we just need to wreck everything without losing any ships. There are plenty of Festum, including new, powerful Sphinx-type Cs, but we had this fight before, so you know what to expect.
There won’t be any named enemies here today, as the Festum are wont to do, be mindful of new waves of the guys. Just make sure you keep a steady pace moving forward, lest you be blindsided like I almost was.
SRW UX - The Gate of Neidhöhle Opens
SRW UX - JOEY AND HEROMANIn the EU and JP routes:
: These are the Festum…!: I can’t let them move in on Heroman or even he might get assimilated…!US route:
: We need to focus on the battle right now! They’ll start reading our minds if we lose our cool!: But we also need to hurry on after Kazuki…!
SRW UX - Envoy from Jupiter
: (The Festum appeared right around the crash site of one of the exploration vessel’s fragments…): (Was this just a coincidence, or…)
Setsuna: “What are you after?!”
SRW UX - The Eternal Soldiers
: Come on, now, don’t be shy! Why don’t ya ask us where we are?!
: Because the answer is obvious. Where we are – that is, who we are – is Hell!
SRW UX - Deus MachinaEU route:
: Are you there…?
: These are called Sphinx-type… Hah, someone was feeling quite witty when they christened them with the name of a beast known for asking questions.
: Not the time to be impressed, ya know! We gotta wrap this up quick and go after Kazuki!US and JP Route:
: Be wary, Kurou! Your simple thoughts shall be read as an open book by these creatures!: Yeah, yeah, I know – I’ll try to think as little as I can! Now let’s wrap this up quick and go after Kazuki!
SRW UX - ObeliskEU route:
: These things again?! I’m not about to let monsters like you get peek inside my mind, though!JP and US route:
: Skull Leader to all units! These buggers can read your mind, so be extra-careful or they’ll just duck and weave through your shots!: Yes, sir!: (I finally got to fly through a real sky… Like hell I’m letting this be the end!)
SRW UX - Life Goes On
: I’ve no time to waste on you! MOVE!
When three turns pass or you get the remaining enemies under 8…
: Whaa?! We’ve got more of them!
: Just what is going on?! I thought the Festum were only going to show around Tatsumiya nowadays! SRW UX - Love Survivor
SRW UX - My Fate
: Aesap, do you hear that…?
: Hear what? Something wrong, Erebos? : (What’s this sensation…? It’s like… someone’s voice is ringing inside my head…)
SRW UX - Tales of Mirisha ~ The Brave LegendUS route:
: Come, Festum worms! You may read my mind, but that shall not enable you to evade my blade!EU and JP routes:
/ 
: Be on your guard, Cao Cao! These creatures…!: I am aware. They may read my mind at their leisure - that shall not enable them to evade my blade!
Cao Cao: “‘Tis a waste of breath to discuss ideals with those who know not speech!”
SRW UX - Linebarrel
: Kazuki… was he really housing some proverbial evil spirits like Domyoji said?!
JP and US routes:
SRW UX - Obelisk
: So these are the Festum… Don’t pull your punches against these, Nene, Lalamia! We’re going!
: Esekes (Roger), sis!
: Lt. Canaria, cover us!
: Heh… Any of them who don’t want to die have five seconds to get out of my line of fire!
SRW UX - Love Survivor
: Always gotta be a goddamn parade of baddies crawling out the woodwork, huh? And Kazuki’s getting further and further away while we’re here!
SRW UX - Dunbine Flies
: Why was Cham with Kazuki…? Tsk, our workload just keeps piling up!
SRW UX - LOVE 14 ver. HD
: Hmm… do you t h i n k my song would work on these?: Oh, w e l l … Whatever happens, happens!
Arnie: “I am here…! I am right here!”
When another three turns pass or you get the remaining enemies under 8 again…
: More?! Argh, there’s no end to these things!
: This bodes ill for us. They can replenish their forces far more effectively than our army can. If this turns to a war of attrition, we’ll be at a clear disadvantage.
: But, on the other hand, we can’t retreat with so many enemies surrounding us…!EU route:
: They force our hand… Ready the Macross Cannon!*The Quarter blasts right towards the Festum mob (ah, crap)!*
SRW UX - The Target.
: Energy supply across all sections is green!
: All units within the blast area are to retreat immediately!
: Macross Canon, energy charge at 91%, 92%, 93%...
: We’ve marked several Festum within firing range!: All hands, brace for impact! Fire the Macross Cannon and tear them apart!
: DIIIIIEEEEEEE!!
: They destroyed all those in just one attack…!: That’s some serious firepower they’re rocking…: (The pulse from before disappeared… What’s going on…?)
: Grab your jaws off the dirt, maggots! There’re still Festum around, so don’t let up!: Hah, that goes without saying! We ain’t letting even one of them get outta here in one piece!US and JP routes:
: But, on the other hand, we can’t retreat with so many enemies surrounding us…!
: (If this is also according to the will of the heavens, then, perhaps, next we shall see…!)*The Quarter warps right by the next group, only not as close.*
SRW UX - Rebellion Against Fate
: That’s…!: De-Fold complete! No abnormalities detected throughout the ship!: Several Festum marked dead ahead!: Energy supply across all sections is green!: Target everything within our sight! Macross Cannon – FIRE!: Hold on tight! OOORYAAAAA! SRW UX - The Target.
: Wh-What’s that huuuge robot?!
: It’s the mothership of the SMS, a PMC from the Frontier Fleet… the Macross Quarter.*Deploy EU units!*
: Looks like we got here in the nick of time.: Cpt. Scarlet… everyone!: Yo, been a while! And I’m raring to get my hands dirty!: Your target’s the Festum pack! Formation Planet Dance!: Yes, sir!
: Liu Bei, you and your allies made it as well!: Aye! We shall fight together again!: I’m e a g e r to get to work too!: (Indeed, ‘twas they who appeared…): (Once again, the heavens send not the Yùxǐ, but people…)
: Troops, coordinate with them and bring down the Festum!: Don’t leave a single one of them around!I hope you have people ready to get up top and cover the Quarter, because while it’s pretty bulky, that won’t do jack if its morale drops under 80 and it gets assimilated!
SRW UX - ObeliskUS and JP route:
: And here’s our first get-together with the UX. We better start things off on the right foot!
: So these are the Festum… They’re reading your actions, so keep an eye out!
Triple Dog count: 4. The trio got an extra 15 kills today, bringing their total to 66. Joey got 8, bringing his tally to 31.
: All Festum confirmed destroyed.: We’ve managed to pull through somehow…
: Yeah, but… the group with Kazuki is long gone now…
: …
: Damn it, if only those gold pieces of crap weren’t around to get in the way!
: And that raises the question: why did so many Festum appear in a remote area like this?: About that… Sumeragi, could we collect that wreck up there and have it analyzed?*Points to the crater.*
: Oh, that’s… is it part of the downed Europa?: I think so. And I felt some kind of strange pulse coming from it…
: Ah, I felt it too – like it was calling out to something…: That pulse vanished after the Macross Quarter’s attack, though. And, when it did, the Festum also stopped appearing.
: Meaning that wreckage was drawing them here?: I think there’s a good chance of that, yes.: Alright. We’ll bring it back to JUDA and see if they can’t run a detailed analysis on it.
Mitsuhiro informs Hester that the spy at ALVIS has sent a message informing that she’s escaped and is headed this way with the captured Nothung Model. The lady’s positively ecstatic over the news and thanks him on behalf of the entire world – of course, he’s very happy to get a very valuable specimen as well. This’ll be a major step forward in their plan.
Hester also extends her thanks to Hazard for his and his associates’ cooperation in this plan. Oh, he just figured the Bureau’s drone forces would be quite useful against the mind-reading Festum. But, on that subject, he’s curious: “How is it that only the Fafners are able to resist the Festum’s ability to read minds”?
Well, 30 years ago, when the Festum first attacked our world, many humans became temporarily sterile due to being afflicted by a toxin released from the core of the things. The effect was particularly strong within Japan, and there was even fear of extinction of the Japanese people.
Some Japanese saw the gravity of the situation with the Festum and decided to take action: thus they named their group ALVIS and initiated the Arcadian Project. All the ALVIS kids were conceived via an artificial uterus, fruit of genetic manipulation and created with the ability to stand up to the Festum.
What ability is that? “Immunity to their core toxin…” Hester says. “Which was due to the fact that those people implanted their thereto unborn children with Festum DNA.” Even Hazard does a double-take at that. Thus, the ALVIS kids became the Festum’s one and only natural predator – which, as a result, came with the hefty price tag of constant risk of Assimilation.
Hazard had heard rumors, but he didn’t expect this to be the truth. It is an unpardonable crime to have foisted such a terrible fate upon the shoulders of innocent children! Hester agrees, which is why they needed to steal ALVIS’ research data by any means necessary – so they can find a NEW way to oppose the Festum.
“And that’s the new Fafner you’re developing, Dr. Bartland? The ‘Salvator Model’?” Hazard asks, and he confirms. All that the bot’s missing is a core, which is why they needed a Nothung Model: they’ll take its core and put it in the Salvator Model. Hazard hopes Mitsuhiro’ll come through – the future of all humanity depends on him… as do Hazard’s plans. “Yes, those ALVIS kids will serve me nicely as weapons. Heheheheheh…” he giggles to himself.
In the US and JP routes, Richard thanks Jeffrey for the Quarter’s timely intervention, and that’s no prob as the Frontier government asked the SMS to help us out. Lu Xun praises Liu Bei for his work in Europe and in space, but he’s a bit uneasy about being on the same team as Cao Cao – cut the same convo we had in the previous mission. And they also go over Fei-Yen finding her song up in space, too.
But the bigger question here is what happened to Kazuki. From what Richard’s been informed, it seems there was a spy at Tatsumiya – Yukie Kariya, a former Fafner pilot cadet – and she’s taken the kid. Maya and Kenji are shocked to hear that, and the kid wonders if Kazuki and their teacher were “like that”. Did they elope over their forbidden love?!
Sakura punches Kenji and shuts him up. “He got scared and ran away – that’s the long and short of it. He deserted us…,” Sakura sighs. Saya compounds Mamoru’s shock by adding that, were we the regular army, that’d be more than enough to get Kazuki a date with the firing squad.
Arnie calms the kids down, though, as he’s also a deserter and no one here’s tried to gun him down – the UX doesn’t operate like the regular army.
: Toumi… from what I heard, you were the last person Kazuki spoke to before he left, right?
: Minashiro…: What did he say to you? Did he mention that he wanted to get away from this battle? Or maybe…: That he wanted to get away from me…?SRW UX - Separation
: Soushi…!: …: No, he just wanted me to remember who he is…: I see…: I… I’ve a question to ask too. Did Kazuki say anything to you?: … No, nothing. : Then how you can just stand there and tar him as someone who ran away?!: This wouldn’t have happened if you talked things out with him! He didn’t run – you pushed him away! You're the one running from him!
: Maya…: You… You don’t know anything! I thought…: I thought he, of all people, would understand me…: And I’m sure… I’m sure Kazuki thought the same about you!: …?!: Do you believe you understand someone because you’re looking into their mind with your Siegfried System?: What do you really know about Kazuki?!: …: (Kazuki… I just…)
Location: Federation Submarine – Brig
: Hrgh… So it was all just an act?! Your goal was always to bring a Fafner to the Federation?!
: Please, don’t get me wrong. I said I’d bring you to a paradise and I’ll keep that promise. : “Paradise”… all I wanted was—!: … Well, at the very least, where we’re headed is paradise in my eyes.: It won’t be long until we get there, so you’ll just have to be patient for a bit.*She leaves.*
: Kch…!
: Chin up, Kazuki. I’m sure Shou and the others will come save us.: …: Oh, someone’s coming! Hey you!: Sshhh! Nothing good’ll come out of them spotting you. Hide inside my coat and stay quiet!: Gaah, don’t stuff me in there!*Door opens.*
: Hey, Kazuki Makabe… It’s been ages, eh?
: Michio…?! What’re you doing here…?!: I swear, you’ve no idea how surprised I was to see that you were the Fafner’s pilot. Sorry things got a little rough out there.: Then… You were the one flying that unit…?!: That, I was.: I’ve been running as a Fed soldier, getting deployed all over the world, after my dad brought me out of Tatsumiya five years ago.: You’re a Federation soldier…: And, um… Could I ask you about how things are back at the island?: Like… do you know what Yumiko Toumi’s doing nowadays?: Ms. Yumiko? She’s working as a doctor at our school infirmary and…: She’s a doctor?! Oh, wow. Did you know her childhood dream was to move to Tokyo and become an idol singer?: Really…: Still, Yumiko’s doing well… that’s good…*Door opens.*
: So this is where you were, Triple Six.: “Triple Six”…?: My codename. She doesn’t need to call me that when we’re not on the field, but I can’t talk her out of it.: Her name’s Canon, pilot of the Babylon Model, and my partner.: You were the one in that red unit, then…: We’ll be arriving soon, sir.: Where… Where are you taking me?: Eastern Europe, a base of ours in the Moldovan Republic underground. A.k.a., the Federation’s Anti-Festum Team’s research facility.
Allelujah and Soma have actually found said location, having heard rumors across various Federation bases that this place is a rather special research facility. Soma told him that the local solar power system stopped relaying energy and wanted to check it out… but is that really cause for concern?
Soma (who Allelujah calls Marie, Marie, Marie, Marie) thinks so – something about this is bothering her. She does apologize for forcing him to tag along, but it’s not like he minds making the occasional detour in their travels.
Regardless, Allelujah figures there should be a transformer to convert the solar energy, so they should check there… and find that it’s gone. There’s a huge hole where it used to be, like it was torn out the earth. What’s going on at this base?
And the one US/JP route convo we missed:
: Your rampage is over now that we’ve arrived!
: We are the Octagon’s Volunteer Corps! And with justice guiding our hands, we rise to assist our comrades!: Anyone who feels like becoming a stain on my Raija can step right up!