Part 114: Mission 34 (Space Route) - The Fame Sword of The Graveyard Rises Again - Part 2

Just a quick clean-up for us to do: Lowe and Kazuma can practically oneshot anything (except Mikhail, of course) with their strongest attacks.



The Zaft folks are a bit too far away, so the rest of this turn is spent moving towards them.



Enemy Phase!




Zaft mooks are bringing out their bigger troops this time; of course, there’s still a decent bunch of GINNs.
Two of them get in range and are sufficiently weakened.



They will now be using the more powerful CGUE Mobile Suit against us but it’s just a slight upgrade to the GINN: their main advantage is their superior range, which forces Trowa to counter with his weak missiles.












Well, I reckon we can be satisfied with a two-shot kill.

Everything else just moves in closer while Mikhail stays put.



Player Phase!



What good is a new trick if we don’t abuse it?










Beautiful.




That line of GINNs makes for a perfect target for Valguard.
Of course, damage penalty says we can only oneshot the first one.





Nevertheless, it bumps Kazuma (gains Prevail L7) and Mihiro (learns Faith) up a level.



Trowa’s only has one more cast of Iron Wall, so I have Kisato toss him a heal.




With this, he can safely move in and finish off the two GINN survivors.



Duo moves up closer and Home moves by to Repair him.



This gives the crew a level and Professor learns Support Defend L3.



Enemy Phase!




All three remaining GINNs go after Valguard and the result is always a quick dodge with a laser blast to their faces.



As for the CGUE, he won’t fare any better.














Boom.



All these kills earns a level to the Valstork crew – Shihomi also learns Support Defend L3.



The last CGUE takes a shot at Lowe, who’s forced to counter with his weak rifle.



Mikhail’s GINN High Movement Type may be made of dodgier stuff than most but it’s still a GINN at the end of the day.



: Huh, this man’s attacks…is he ignoring all theory behind them?!
: That’s just how I roll! There’s no way I could beat a Pro if I played by the rules!










It has slightly more health, too.



Player Phase!



Lowe can deal with Mikhail for now, Kazuma splits off to finish the last CGUE.














Very nice.

Now, for a quick montage as we pummel Mikhail into submission.

: This machine…is it a Custom GINN?
: It is a high-maneuver model, equipped with a next-generation propulsion system.
: With this as my scalpel, I will excise you all like the disease that you are.











: Hey, are you THE Mikhail Coast of Zaft?
: Oh…I didn’t know I was famous.
: I've heard of you! You're the former doctor who says war is a disease or something to be cut out!
: Too bad for you, I’m still the Grim Reaper! A doctor is like my natural enemy!









: This battleground is the afflicted area, the enemies are the disease…Beginning the operation…!
: It seems to me that you’re the only sick person here…
















Lowe has nearly no training at swordfighting and he’s already a more convincing warrior than Wufei.



Mikhail is worth three levels, a Booster and Multicombo +1.



Lowe’s Prevail rises to L7.



His defeat comes as a massive shock to him, and he relishes a chance to someday repay us for this defeat.
Duo and Trowa are fretting about the rumor of Zaft backing of the Successors being true, but Lowe is cheerfully pressing Un to teach him some more sword techniques.
Un grumpily tells the amateur swordsman to try swinging the sword a good ten thousand times a day, and perhaps an Inner Technique or two will present itself out of the fundamentals.
Lowe thanks him for the advice and rushes off to gather more junk, but Un has something he thinks Professor should have before she goes after him…



It is indeed the unit the Successors were after - a certain drifter entrusted to him before he died - enigmatically labeled “GG" (Great Gundam? Gold Gundam? Gundam Gundam?” Akane, asks.).
Un knows little of the man or why the Successors were after his Unit, only that he was badly wounded and being chased.
The man referred to himself as being from the "Band of Friends", and said that the unit contains a crucial piece of man's technological legacy.
Un swore to himself to only give the gadget to someone he believes he can entrust the future of man to, and although Lowe is kind of an idiot, there's little doubt he can put it to good use.



In fact, it's the only reason Un is able to pilot a mech at all, as whatever’s in there worked as a support computer for his Mobile Suit (like 8 works for Lowe).
He asks Professor to tell Lowe not to use it for evil.
At least it should be safe(r) from the Successors in your care...



Unfortunately, Lowe's luck has taken a turn for the worse as Liam comes to get help.



Outside, he’s being attacked by a one-armed mech that presumably belongs to that golden arm we saw back at Heliopolis.





This “Gold Frame"'s pilot tells Lowe to dance while firing at him, and 8 cautions that his opponent is several notches better than they are.
The pilot seems quite disappointed that Lowe can't perform a duet with him (mainly because he's out of energy after that last battle), but his plan to kill him quickly runs into a snag when Lowe parries his sword - seems that training with Un Nou really paid off.




The enemy is half-impressed but figures it's the end anyway as Lowe's now totally out of energy; the Gold Frame’s pilot blasts him into a course for reentry.
The pilot doesn’t expect P02 to survive, which means P01 is all that’s left – he leaves, making use of that classic “bad guy hubris”.



Luckily for him, Professor and the crew use Home to shield him as the whole crew descends into the atmosphere.



Everyone makes it to the surface alive, but even Lowe isn't able to fix the busted flagship after its unscheduled landing.



We find yourselves in Africa, and who should arrive to fish us out but... the Nadesico!
It seems the reformed Wärter has been deployed to Africa.



At Plant, Patrick concludes his report about the African front to Siegel (that’s the one with the ‘stache), who seems to be expecting Patrick to say more.
When Patrick plays dumb, Siegel bluntly asks what the objective of Patrick's special forces sortie was.
To the claim of it being "merely a patrol", Siegel orders Patrick to sever ties with the Martian Successors.
Debt to George Glenn or no, the Successors are too dangerous - and it's only a matter of time until their ambitions sets Plant ablaze as well.



Patrick wants to use anything and everything for his war for Coordinator dominance, and is quite prepared to wipe out all Naturals if that's what it takes to win.
Siegel is left to wonder if that's the only option left...



Aboard the Nadesico, Duo quickly asks what’s up with Kazuma's newfound "self-possessed" way of talking.
(This is something that’s difficult to notice if you’re not playing but Kazuma’s lines ever since he returned to the Valstork were more composed and polite, while also using Bless’ traditional “Fu…” laugh).
Mihiro and Akane have long since noticed it but chose not to say anything about it, at Horis’ behest; Kazuma stammers that he has no idea what they’re talking about.
Shihomi doesn’t fault Kazuma, though, as she thinks it’s just natural for a boy to try to, figuratively, “stand on his tiptoes” to appear bigger – still, she’s glad to see Kazuma growing up a bit; Kazuma soon starts panicking, telling everyone to stop talking about him like that!
Duo claims that Kazuma's imitation of his father's mode of speech was enough to make even the stolid Trowa smile, and Kazuma fumes that if he was going to get laughed at so much, he shouldn't have bothered trying this image change.



In any case, Ruri asks Kazuma if he’s had enough time to consider whether or not they’d rejoin Neo-Wärter
Duo and Trowa are ready to come aboard, saying they’re sure Lady Une will approve of the idea – they can’t focus merely on the Successors with all the other issues at large.
Either way, Kazuma says he’s prepared to join everyone, having seen just how far and wide war spreads in the Earth Sphere; he's content to fight for what he feels is right (peace), and worry about thinking up the rationale later.
Kazuma seems back to his normal, stupid self, Akane thinks, and as Shihomi signs on the dotted line, a new phase of the war begins.