Part 150: Mission 42 – The Flash of Dawn - Part 1
Before we start, FYI: there was a slight hiccup with my image capture program and the image cropping gets a bit wonky around halfway through this update.It’s nothing major, it just left around 1cm of space that should’ve been cut out (barely noticeable but it’s there); I’ll get it fixed before the next update.
Mission 42 – The Flash of Dawn
Half our forces have to protect the other side of Orb.
Also, it doesn't help that both Tomoru(still coming to terms with Orgun and his situation) and Kuzzey(One of Kira’s friends and Archangel crewmember. We saw him once, in Heliopolis) were absent from the briefing.
In Kuzzey's case, he's actually left the Archangel, trying for a more peaceful life.
Murrue knows she's got to try to lead those left aboard her ship and continue the fight in the hopes of ending the chaos in the world.
At least she's got Muu around to keep her relaxed, and one more mech to fight in our force: Cagalli in the Strike Rouge, made by Erika from spare parts of the Strike.
Asagi, Mayura and Juri are acting as her backups in Mass Produced Astrays, since they are unwilling to watch as Lowe(who’s still missing since he found Gai Murakumo) and friends puts themselves in danger to protect their country.
As we feared, our opponents are the Federation army, spouting the usual high-and-mighty lines about how the "New Federation" won't permit Orb to claim neutrality when the world is in peril.
They want us to turn over the reins of government and immediately dismantle all armaments, much like Galra once tried on Altea.
We don't even have time to despair over this sad state of affairs, in which, for the Federation, there is only black or white: either we’re with them or with Plant.
The Orb civilian evacuation is well underway but it’ll be a while.
Ruri announces to the Feds that their intrusion is a clear act of war, and requests they withdraw immediately, lest she have no choice but to dispose of them by force.
The Federation commander sounds impressed that the Executive branch's forces have the guts to oppose the Security Council, and warns that this can only result in misfortune for the common people.
Ruri flatly tells him that she won't suffer those who act as though the world's problems are not their own, and adds that the secretary general intends to allow the common people to judge the truth with their own eyes.
The Feds commence their attack in the name of what they call safety and peace on Earth, though Ruri tells him it's okay for him to admit it's for the sake of a "pure blue Earth" instead.
Of course our people know he's a lackey of Blue Cosmos, and declare that the farce ends here.
Ed notes to Morgan that the Feds now look like the total bad guys, though Morgan's instincts as a soldier are to follow orders.
Ed laments that he's gone from disposable pawn to downright villain as the commander begins the attack; Kazuma is furious at this state of affairs, and needs an outlet for his rage other than on his own species...
The Federation is packing a bunch of newer models: the first one being this here Strike Dagger.
It’s kinda crap, really.
Strike Daggers are average all around, with the top attack being a weak Grenade Launcher – their pilots do come with both types of Support skills, though.
I’m guessing the Feds are still using Bushnells to make their Daggers look better.
At this point, Kira needs to rely on his Beam Rifle to do anything.
Not very interesting but it’s good-ish damage against weak mooks.
Enemy Phase!
Gai’s Strike Dagger tries to get revenge and gets himself killed.
Birdmen are as agile as ever.
Still, it’s nothing Hayato can’t deal with.
Mind you, Hayato is channeling Golion and attracts the other two Birdmen and one Serpent – only the Serpent survives (barely).
Amidst all that, the Team levels up and Ryouma maxes out on Prevail.
Fighting the Feds means fighting against those brave Sol Tekkamen that have helped us so much…
Aki takes out two of those.
Which gives her the level she needs to learn Love!
Morgan (and Ed) come packing 105 Daggers and, while the units are average, they make up for some of it by being decent pilots.
Sadly for him, Hayato won’t be hit by “decent pilots” (though Morgan does manage to dodge the counter).
Interesting tidbit: the 105 Daggers were the intended mass production models to be made from the Strike; however, because of the Feds need to bolster their troops quickly and cheaply, they had to settle for the even crappier Strike Daggers.
Player Phase!
Cagalli moves after Hayato’s weakened Serpent.
Of course, she’s not upgraded so…
Kouji shows her how it’s done, chaining together three mooks.
The kill grants a level and Prevail L8.
As battle wears on, Carret detects something flying from the upper atmosphere but it’s not tagged as Fed – it’s Zaft.
The thing is a red mech that looks like a Gundam: It's Athrun who, when questioned by Cagalli, says he received no orders regarding this battle and is here on his own.
His only orders are killing Kira and destroying his machine, but that’s also not why he’s here.
The true reason why he’s here is to confirm something.
He wants to have one more fight with Kira, so he can decide who and what he should be fighting; he’ll do this not because Lacus told him to, though, but of his own will.
Muu figures Athrun and Kira are destined to fight and suggests everyone let them sort things out.
Secret Alert!Did you follow the Gundam SEED Secret to this point, including the steps in the previous Orb Route? If so, you’re in the home stretch!
The last step of the secret is to fight Athrun with Kira and, once you’ve done that, convince (menu option – unit must be right next to the target) him with Kira.
We might as well start working on that. Mind you, Athrun auto-casts Focus and Alert.
: I’ve been given this Justice to destroy your unit!
: Athrun…: Kira! Lacus told me that it was her who gave you your Freedom!: And she asked me… what I was fighting for!: Athrun, you also met with Lacus?: That is why I must figure it out! To decide whether it’s mine or your battle that has meaning!
Even with Focus, Athrun will have a very hard time hitting our upgraded Freedom.
: Kira…I…!: Athrun…!
: Why are those two so sad…?
: Kira! Are you sure you’re OK with this? He’s your friend!: But…But, I…!
: Turn that hesitation into something positive.
I missed this song!
: Wing Gundam…Heero?!
: Oi, he was hanging out here all along?: You’re…: This world is built by individual humans. : Organizations, countries, race or ideologies don’t matter. Do what you want to do.: I…I…: Come clean! You don’t have to fight that red Gundam if you don’t want to! : I…don’t want to fight Athrun!
: Kira…
: Well, that’s that! If that’s your decision, then you need to do something about it, Kira!: Yes…!
: All units, cover Kira! Kira, you concentrate on dealing with that red mobile suit!: Roger!
: It’s like he said, Kira! We’ll clear a path for you, so don’t give up! 
: Hit him with your heart! Your feelings will surely reach him! : Thank you so much, guys!
We’ll do that in a bit. For now, Hiver kills the two survivors of Kouji’s attack.
With a critical hit, Hayato is able to oneshot Serpents!
As for Gai, he’ll keep charging the Strike Daggers.
Mass producing these things feels like wasted money.
There are a couple underwater units that’ll take a wee bit more effort to kill, though.
Casting Assail, the Valstork moves to the front.
Damn, I got hopeful when I saw that it was a critical hit…
Either way, Kazuma moves next to the ship and kills another Strike Dagger.
Which bumps Kouji up to 130 morale!
As for Heero, some Machine Gun fire is enough to finish what Shihomi started.
Enemy Phase!
Gai is attacked by a couple Strike Daggers but, being underwater and at full HP, they survive the counterattack.
Aki’s target makes a worse decision, though.
That’ll learn yer.
The last Serpent gets blocked by the Valstork before getting blasted by Murrue.
Here comes Morgan again.
Damn it!
Ed is not so lucky, though!
In Angst-Ville, Kira and Athrun miss each other.
Player Phase!
Alright, let’s try to Convince Athrun: just move Kira next to him and this option should appear.
You don’t need to have done the secret for it show up, mind.
: Athrun! Listen to me! : Kira…: …I killed a comrade of yours, your friend…: … I never knew him and it’s not like I wanted to kill him…: …And you also killed Tolle…: !: But you never knew him and you didn’t want to kill him, did you?: …I tried to kill you…: …And I did the same to you…Athrun…: Kira…: It would be great if we lived in a world where we didn’t need to fight… if only we could live forever in such a world…: But this war continues to spread… : However, even I had something I could do…which is why…: …What Lacus said was right. You’ve found your own battle…: You can also find it, Athrun…You haven’t changed much from before…: You too, Kira… You haven’t changed at all. : If I can believe in anyone, it’s you. I’ll go with you…: As a soldier of Justice, I’ll fight for what I believe in.*Athrun changes to a friendly unit.*
: They understood each other?!: Thank you, Athrun…
: Incoming units at 12 o’ clock! It’s the Federation Army!
: More Gundams?! I’m getting sick of those things!
: It seems those machines were made to counter the 5 Gs of Heliopolis. 
: Now, people…
: Yeah?
: Hm?
: What?: Today is your debut battle so give it your best.: Your improvements took a lot of money. : In other words, if we destroy as much as possible, everything’s good?: Sounds easy enough.: Heh…this is getting interesting…! 
: The new G is attacking! We can’t evade it!: That unit…what is that firepower?!: Now, Great Angel! I’ll clip those wings!
: I don’t think so!
: Urk! Bastard, where did that attack come from?!: Do you hear me, Archangel?! Rearrange your position right now!
: That’s…he’s in the Buster even though we let him go?!: I don’t feel like dying, so I'm gonna fight! 
: Now, Athrun!
: I got it, Kira!: Damn you!!: Move over, Orga! I’ll take these guys out!
: I’ll be your opponent.
: That’s the blue mobile suit that helped me before..!: I’ll kill you for that!!: Tactical Arms…they’re very well made.: Annoying bastards…: That’s two out of three…then, next is…
: It’s my turn! 
: Red Frame! We were waiting, Lowe!
: Wh-what, Lowe?! What is that incredibly huge sword?!: This is my 150M Gerbera Straight! I made it using all those rare metals that reverend Malchio gave me! 
: I don’t believe this…how could he use all those precious metals like this…?: He’s done it! That guy really is the greatest of idiots! : Moron… How do you expect a mobile suit to swing such an idiotic sword?: Kisato, Kazahana! Launch the Power Loader’s A and B parts!
: Roger that!
: Here it goes, Lowe!: Hrm…!: Come on! I’m not gonna lose with this power! : D-damn you…!
: Hold on a sec, Junkman! What is that?!: This here’s the Power Loader! It’s the mech I made to use the 150 Gerbera Straight!*Elijah shows up.*
: Looks like you finished the new equipment for the Blue Frame, Gai. : I owe it to Lowe’s help. He was able to do it, as I thought.: Very impressive, Lowe. : Tell ya what: in exchange for that help, why don’t you guys lend a hand in this battle?: Very well. Mission…accepted.: Gai…!: You can stand down, Elijah… This is my personal problem. : (If my guess is correct, then they are…): I understand, Gai… There’s no choice but to fight in a situation like this. 
: All units, concentrate your attack on those three new Gundams. : If we can defeat their trump card, the rest of the Federation Army should stand down. : Let’s do this, Kira! You finally got a new life! So, don’t waste it!: Lowe is right. You’re not allowed to die here.: Y-yes…!
Every Gundam series needs its resident crazies and Orga (in the Calamity Gundam), Clotho (in the Raider Gundam) and Shani (in the Forbidden Gundam) fill that spot nicely.
Neither of them have Prevail which, combined with the Gundam’s armor, makes them less-than-bulky minibosses (they do have Transphase Armor which reduces non-beam damage by 1000).
Mind you, they all have medium-to-long range strong attacks(especially Orga), so it’s best to surround and take them down quickly before they have a chance to do real damage.
They all have nearly the same Pilot Skills:
- Shoot Down
- Shield Block
- Sword Cut (only Shani)
- Hit & Away (only Orga)
- Couter (only Clotho)
- Support Attack L4
- Multicombo L2
- Biological CPU (Increases stats along with morale – same boosts as the Coordinator Skill)
Small Secret Alert! Lowe can also use the convince command on Ed. It’s a very insignificant secret that adds next to nothing to the game but it’s there anyway.
We might as well do it, for completion’s sake:
: Hey! You’re that “Ed the Ripper” from Alaska!
: And you’re that Junkman Lowe Guele!: Why are you still with the Federation Army after what happened?: I’m not fighting here because I like it, ok?!: Well, why don’t you quit, then? You should have the freedom to stop fighting when you want!: “Freedom”…I had completely forgotten that word…: What are you talking about?! If you’re going to forget the most natural thing, your life’s just going to be a drag!: Heh…you’re right. I’ll remember your words!
Oh, well. Moving along, Cagalli is using her strongest attack: Astray Formation.
Good enough to kill underwater targets.
I try to get clever and snipe at Morgan but not only did I forget that 105 Daggers have Laminated Armor, he also uses his Shield Block to reduce the Lohengrin to a peashooter.
At least Shihomi did a decent support (that also got Shield Block’d).
Trying again, Elijah and Hayato promptly cut him down to size.
Which allows Aki to finish the job.
Truth be told, this guy was the bigger annoyance in this part of the mission (if only because I underestimated his massive stats).
Since Ed is being a knucklehead, Kouji will teach him to follow an order that puts him against Super Robots.
And Hiver moves in for the kill.
Blocking will not save you!
Oh, I forgot to mention: the reason why I used all my cash on the Freedom is because the Justice and Buster Gundams take upgrades from him!
So now we have three units upgraded for the price of one (the unit you’d get from the SEED Secret would also take after its upgrades).
No kill like overkill.
SHIN! SHIIIIIIIIIINE SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKU!
Orga is worth a level, a Sniper Scope and a Multi-Combo +1.
Ryouma learns his Zeal and Benkei learns Prevail L7.
Orga gets pissy at his MS for not having enough power and then bails.
The other kids get different shades of annoyed/angry and bail just as quickly, mind.
Heero is still too far away to attack the druggies but he can shoot one of the last Daggers.
Seeing how I don’t have enough troops to take out Clotho and Shani, I send Valguard to finish Heero’s job.
Boom.
Enemy Phase!
There goes the last Dagger.
Clotho aims to chain-attack Hiver, Kouji and Lowe.
Not bad at all.
Uh…is this a bad time to mention that I didn’t use focus?
Either way, he survives and now Heero is running Prevail!
Player Phase!
Elijah took upgrades from the Red Frame but he still won’t do a whole bunch of damage on Clotho.
Time to show how a REAL UNIT works his craft!
: Thanks, Malchio! I put that rare metal you gave me to good use!: Let’s go, Power Loader! Swing that 150 Gerbera Straight with all you’ve got!
Clotho is worth three levels, a Learning OS and a Counter.
Which teaches Lowe Soul!
Cagalli and Aki quickly take a chunk off Shani’s remaining health.
Then, it’s time for Kira and Athrun to wrap things up.
: If these are the successors to the Strike, then I cannot lose…!: These units exist solely to kill people!
Didn’t even need to use Valor.
Shani is worth three levels, an EN Chip and a Prevail +1.
Kira learns Soul, too!
Tomoru is watching all this from the sidelines when Michi catches up with him.
He asks why she's not by D-Boy's side (she says Freeman is taking care of everything), and wonders if she's trying to keep an eye on her prize guinea pig.
She tells him to cut that out and says she merely wants to know the truth.
This pushes Tomoru to yell at her to leave him alone; he’s the victim here: he’s got a monster messing with his mind and all she, D-Boy, Gai, Reneé and everyone care is to force him to become that monster in order to fulfill THEIR wishes.
He says that he’s no hero, he’s a nobody who wanted a normal life.
Michi fills him in on a little secret: her impressive mental abilities are artificial, part of the legacy of genetic engineering the "First Coordinator", George Glenn, began.
Her father engineered her as part of a plan to create the perfect weapons, and for a while she hated him for it; but then she began to wonder what she could do with her powers, if indeed they truly were greater than other people possessed.
Tomoru is sure she can do anything she puts her mind to, and just as sure that he's capable of nothing whatsoever, no matter what power he's been granted.
She denies this, telling him that what matters is will and heart, and that goes for everyone on our team.
The power that Neo-Wärter has is that every one of us wishes to protect our world and, together, we stand to make that happen despite our many flaws.
She's sure that in him is what Orgun was seeking but that just makes Tomoru bitch at how Orgun made a mistake and that he wants nothing to do with any of this.
Meanwhile, our guys are noticing that the Feds seem to have fled the area but it wasn’t due to the loss of their Aces: it was because of an impending Radam/Eviluder invasion.
The two sides quickly open fire, clearly not caring that they're trashing someone's homeland.
Leave asks Rang for orders and it’s simple: kill both Neo-Wärter and the Radam in one battle – he tells her to destroy everything in their path.
Lance will fight them only so long as it assuages his boredom, until D-Boy appears.
Lance also knows full well that Blade isn't long for this world, and plans to burn down everything as a sort of graveyard for him; Kira will not allow this country, that has survived the Federation’s attacks, to be lost in the crossfire of the Aliens.
Murrue then gives the order to repel the invaders.
I think this is enough for today. Before we close things off, though, here’s a comparison shot of Lowe’s new toy and the original Red Frame and ReHome:
Lowe is now the first person in the SEED Universe to convert a Mobile Suit into a Super Robot. Hurray!