Part 129: Mission 37 (Orb Route) - The Thunder of a Peaceful Nation - Part 1
Mission 37 (Orb Route) - The Thunder of a Peaceful Nation
: How could…how could you do that to Tolle!: This was his first sortie and you killed him!
: Shut up, Kira! You killed Nicol first!: He died protecting me…! For that, I’ll kill you!
: Athrun…I’ll…!!
How easy or annoying this battle can be depends quite a bit on how the RNG Gods treat you.
Kira is unupgraded and, even with all his stuff, is rather weak and Athrun can consistently get 20%-25% hit chance.
You don’t NEED to beat Athrun but there’s a catch:
Secret Alert! Have you been following the Gundam SEED secret up until now (Defeat Nicol on 30, Waltfeld on 35, etc.)?
If so, here’s the next step: you need to beat Athrun before turn 5 BUT you also need to get, at least, 3 battle encounters with him (of course, you also need to keep this route or else it doesn’t count).
I don’t even think it’s possible to beat Athrun in less than 3 fights (at least not in a first playthrough) but…
: Kira, you’re a Coordinator! Why are you fighting for the Naturals?!
: I’m fighting to protect the people that are important to me!: Wake up, Kira! You’re being used by the Naturals!: Even so, I…I…!!
See? Even with Valor, that wouldn’t even have broken 6k damage.
Enemy Phase!
Here he comes again!
: You were my friend… So, I thought that, some day, you would understand…: Athrun…: Now, Nicol is dead because I was too soft! He wouldn’t have died if I had shot you down!: But you also killed Tolle! He was one of my best friends!!
Keep in mind that, while Athrun doesn’t have Prevail, he can very well oneshot the Strike if he gets a clean hit with his strongest attack (which, of course, means game over).
Player Phase!
Rinse and Repeat. This is the 3rd encounter and I’ve just used Valor.
Enemy Phase!
YAWN!
While I did say Athrun can oneshot the Strike with his strongest attack, most times he seems to prioritize using his Beam Rifle.
Player Phase!
Time to end the fight.
: Athrun!: It’s not over yet!*Athrun grabs Kira.*
: Wh-what?!: Kira! I can’t…I won’t forgive you!!: Aah!
Lowe arrives on the scene equipped with Erika's new flight unit, that he was using for the test, in time to see the battle over.
8 can discern the remains of a battle between Zaft and Archangel forces.
One of the Mobile Suits, though his body is badly burned, has an intact cockpit.
8 also detects the life signs of the pilot and Lowe decides to head over – if they don’t get him out soon, he’ll certainly die.
However, before they get there, 8 detects something else approaching.
: That’s…!
: …: There’s no mistaking it. That’s the Gold Frame but there’s something different…!: Disappear…
: Hold on a sec! I don’t have time to fight you right now!: Don’t you know that the pilot of that unit’s alive?!: Damn! You got wax in your ears?! This is just like when we met in the Graveyard!
: What do we do, Lowe?: I’ve decided! We’re not in Space but the Spacemen’s creed is the same!: If that guy doesn’t understand the importance of life, then I’ll kick his ass!
: …Let’s go, P02…: Once again, be the dance partner for my reborn Gold Frame!
Well, this’ll be a whole lot faster as we’ve given the Red Frame so many upgrades (I don’t know if there’s a time limit on this as I’ve always killed the guy before anything happened).
Also, Lowe’s cool wings paired with 8’s Accelerate mean we can get right on Gold Frame’s face.
: Urgh…that machine was the same as the original Red Frame but now it’s been completely modified!: Hmhmhm…it may have lost the right arm at Heliopolis but it received some new equipment courtesy of the Federation’s technology.: This Gold Frame is now a suitable unit for the future ruler of the world! 
Ah, much better.
The enemy phase fight just repeats this one, so let’s skip to the end.
Player Phase!
Don’t be afraid to blow Lowe’s entire SP, so let’s pack some Valor and wrap it up.
: I exploited blind-spots before but it’s not working against this guy!: The enemy’s skill greatly surpasses your own. It’s likely he’s a Coordinator.: Maybe so but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna take this sitting down!: Hmph…to think a man who’s practically an amateur managed to get the best of me even once. : Nevertheless, this ugly dance will be over soon.
Boom.
: Urk…impossible! There must be something wrong with P01’s improvements!: Shut up! I’m not gonna lose to someone who doesn’t understand the importance of life!: Life…What’s so important about that?: What?!: …People like you aren’t even worth killing. : However, when next we meet, I WILL kill you…! Remember that!
: The hell is up with that guy…?: Woops! No time to think about that!: If I don’t hurry, that pilot’s gonna die!!
Back at Morgenleite, news of Lowe’s battle has been delivered and Mayura informs that the rest of Neo-Wärter is rushing to the scene as well.
Cagalli also wants to go there fearing the Archangel may have been involved and Mayura wonders if she wants to pay them back for helping her out; Cagalli says she doesn’t feel indebted to them – she just wants to lend a hand.
Erika is too pensive to stop their sortie and Juri enthusiastically rushes off to see that her beloved Lowe is safe.
Kazahana tells the timid Kisato that she's got to fight too if she wants her love to work out and, for whatever good that’ll do to her, Kazahana promises to help her.
As they rush off to their vehicles, Erika tells Professor that it's not the M1 she's worried about (which is over 98% complete thanks to Lowe and Kira).
What she's privately worried about is how Rondo decided the best thing for Orb's future was testing the modified P01 on the P02.
The question is, for whom will Orb's future unfold: Asuha, or Sahaku?
Lowe manages to rescue Kira and searches for a place that can help him: he finds an orphanage ran by Malchio, a blind priest.
He notices that Kira’s very young and wonders if he’s a Fed soldier but Lowe doesn’t know; he notes that he was aboard the Archangel and mentions Kira’s name, who Malchio immediately recognizes.
Lowe notes that Kira's MS seems to have saved his life, and as a Junkman he wants to make sure the mech’s “death” wasn’t in vain.
Malchio promises to take care of Kira but, in return, he’d like to ask a favor of Lowe…
I’m deploying everyone except Trowa (he’s the least upgraded gundam) and the Nadesico folk (screw them).
Neo-Wärter arrives and quickly take note of the site of the battle of Zaft and the Archangel; they also easily spot the wreckage of the Strike Gundam.
Kazuma’s grief over Kira's apparent fate will have to wait until we Replace With other survivors... and Lowe, who is nowhere to be seen.
Just then, Harry detects unknown signals rapidly approaching – Ryouko figures it’s more Zaft.
It’s actually a group of terrorists by the look of their mecha.
Kurz figures it’s the same group who brought Kaname and Tessa over here to sell them.
Among them is a familiar-looking red mech, though Sousuke is positive it couldn't belong to Gauron, who presumably exploded along with his mech back when.
It's actually piloted by Mr. Potassium, a.k.a. Gates, who's very pleased to see our famous unit on the field.
Even better for him is the fact that the Arbalest has deployed.
With him are the twins, Xia Yu-Fan(the one with the tied hair) and Xia Yu-Lan(the one with the shorter hair), who immediately recognize Sousuke’s mech.
Gates seems rather unhinged, psyching himself up for a real fun “game”.
Ruri calmly orders your troops to defeat the terrorists first and then interrogate them regarding the location of Kaname and Tessa; it's going to fall to Sousuke to deal with the Lambda Driver-equipped leader mech, but he doesn't exactly exude that much confidence...
The enemies are all the way across the island, so we just start moving forward.
Enemy Phase!
While the enemy does the same.
Do note that Gates, Yu-Lan and Yu-Fan stay put.
Player Phase!
Gates’ troops have undergone through teamwork training and have developed Support Defend, so use chain attacks whenever possible to cancel it out.
Regardless of extra skills, FMP mooks should’ve really upgraded on HP.
Vesna comes by quickly and takes down both of Sousuke’s targets.
Kazuma can’t reach the other pack of units, so he’ll make do with outright killing one.
Nice and easy.
Making use of Accelerate allows Aki to reach said pack and she takes them down a notch.
Blade’s Tek-Lancer cannot reach that far, though.
Still, doesn’t mean he can’t make himself useful.
Continuing the Tekkamen onslaught, Yumi swings by and chains those three together, killing the weakened Mistral (the Savage surviving with fucking 25 HP…).
David can only start his chain from the Savage, which is less than ideal, but beggars can’t be choosers.
Yeah, I saw this coming.
No one else is able to get in attacking range (because of that forest in the way), so we’ll just counter-kill them.
Enemy Phase!
Three Shadows and a Mistral attack make a beeline for Sommer.
His weakened Shadow gets killed but everything else lives with decent-ish HP.
Though the kill gives both him and Anita a level (learning Prevail L5).
A pack of other mooks go to the sides and target Duo. Two of them were out of range but this Shadow walked into cutting range.
That’s how I like it.
The twins start moving and gun straight for Sousuke (alongside Blade and Aki, with a chain-attack).
: (This man is the Teacher’s enemy…)
: (He’s our target…)At that range, Sousuke can only dodge.
Player Phase!
: OH! MY GOD! That’s wrong, wrong, wrong! 
: What’s this guy’s problem…? It’s like he’s got a bunch of screws loose!
: At least it doesn’t look like it’s Gauron…!: Aaalllrighty then, Gates! Time to play our trump card! Going, going, GOOOOOOOONE!
: W-was that…?!
: As we thought, he has a Lambda Driver!: Now, Gates! Run up and score that goal! Break through those 5 defenders running interception!!
: !*Gates charges at Sousuke and attacks.*
: Urk…: What are you doing, Sousuke?! Use your Lambda Driver!: I…won’t use that unreliable thing…!
: You dumbass! This isn’t the time to act like that!: Whuh?! This guy is such a letdown! Booooriiiiiing!: …Well, just die.
: Sousuke!
: What the...?! He went through the Lambda Driver!
: …If that power comes from your mind, then minute gaps are shown in time with your breathing rhythm…!: No way, is that…: Leave the greetings for later. After we’ve dispatched this lot.
: So, is this guy gonna help us for now…?
: It looks that way. All units, work together with the black Arm Slave and continue to attack the enemy.: …: Sousuke Sagara…that was a second-rate performance. : What…?!: Cheater! I didn’t hear anything about any special guests!: If it’s gonna be like this, then I’ll just use my ace in the hole! Come on, baby!
: …
: A Tekkaman!: That silhouette…it’s an Earth-made Tekkaman!: But that’s…! There are people besides the Space Knights that can make a Tek-System?! : …: Pretty please, baby. Could you take care of these guys quick-like?: …Don’t give me orders.: …Sorry, could you say that again? I didn’t quite catch that.: Don’t give me orders. If you keep that up, I’ll have to pull out what little hair you have left. : Whuzzat?! Are you going through a rebellious phase, baby?!: This power is my own and I don’t really care for you. : …But don’t worry. Since that man’s over there, I’ll fight. : That guy…he’s looking at me…?: You’ll be my first test, Neo-Wärter! And, also, Tekkaman Blade!I really like Clouseau’s Falken AS and I’ll make sure to show off that attack properly soon enough (when I can pull its dynamic finisher).
For the time being, I think this is good enough. Come next update, we’ll show Gates what happens when you cheat at robot-soccer.
See you all then!