Part 177: Post-mission 48 Intermission and Mission 49 - Prologue
Our top aces are looking mighty different today…
Nothings feels right anymore!
Skill Parts:
Regardless, we have an intermission to do; first off, Blade takes both the Infight and Gunfight.
Following that, Shihomi gets both the +10 points to max SP and SP Cost -10%.
Unit Upgrades:
Gai Daigouji needed a bit of love, so I gave him a boost in everything (two into Armor, just in case he fails to dodge).
Blade and Golion get a bit more firepower.
While the Strike gets a wee bit more EN and Mobility.
The sisters get a boost in everything, if only to stay close to the brothers.
Finally, I give the Archangel and Re-Home some more survivability and the remaining cash gives the Archangel some EN.
Unit Parts:
To wrap things up, Enryu takes the new Laminate Armor (because someone needs to).
And that’s all for now, so let’s get to the prologue:
Kazuma is taking mental notes for the ship's log, approximately two days after being imprisoned by The Database.
Mihiro is being kept somewhere else, and according to a most vindictive Aria is getting the royal treatment – at least he doesn’t have to worry about her well-being; there’s been no word on Gai, though.
All Kazuma can do is wait to be rescued, resolved to punch his father squarely in the face before extracting the reason he joined the enemy; such are the tenuous threads holding his heart together just now...
Aria, meanwhile, is doing her level best to make Mihiro happy.
She offers her candy from distant planets, to which Mihiro says that she’s not hungry; Aria offers to take her aboard the Arm Arcus to see the beautiful oceans of Jupiter, and Mihiro tells her to go alone (and to stay there).
Aria sternly tells the girl that she, her older sister, will be mad if she keeps this up, causing Mihiro to cry that her only older sisters are Akane and Shihomi.
Aria can't understand why Mihiro would think that, considering that Applicant is also her “papa” but this just causes Mihiro to yell out that Applicant is not her father.
Applicant shows up just then, intoning that Mihiro has it right.
Aria doesn’t understand why Applicant is saying stuff like that and he informs her matter-of-factly that she has been ordered disposed of; she protests that she still has duties to complete but Applicant says that it was Inference's decision.
Aria does not understand why this is happening: she’s always done her best to help Inference – why is he always so hard on her when she’s given her all to help the Database?
Aria wails that she doesn't want to die and begs her papa to save her.
Applicant says that he's a mere observer, and that all decision-making power resides with the three Main System components; Aria points out that that main system is dysfunctional with Regulate’s elimination, he has the prerogative to deny an order that he feels wasn’t given due judgment!
Nevertheless, Applicant stays firm on his claim that he won’t rescind the order.
An alarm heralds the Neo-Wärter's assault, and Applicant tells Aria that her disposal will happen as soon as the intruders are dealt with.
Regardless of her opinions, Applicant says that this IS Inference’s will, so Aria’s obligated to comply and stay put until everything’s finished.
Aria, in shock, silently agrees and Mihiro can’t help but feel sorry for her.
The infiltration team has made it inside the base and is in the midst of trying to figure where our friends would be kept, when Inference shows up on a nearby monitor and greets the “Earth Rats”.
He tries to call us out on our ridiculous plan but his words don’t reach us - some kind of noise causes interference and cuts his transmission.
Mikoto figures we won’t have a lot of time before enemy troops converge on our location and Sousuke, who’s standing guard outside, says that he is already detecting movement – we better hurry and split up.
D-Boy and Tomoru head in one direction and, while D-boy is a bit tired, he feels it more appropriate to ask how Tomoru is feeling.
He can sense that Tomoru, like the other Eviluders before him, is suffering a metamorphosis from his constant transformations into Orgun and, eventually, it’ll transform his body for good.
As the alarms sound, he needs to request Tomoru’s help: he reveals his intention of coming in here to gather information about his father and how he connects to both Radam and Eviluders.
Of course this will involve a firefight, as a squad of Database Dispers has quickly located them.
Tomoru readily agrees to help his friend and they gear up for battle.
Kaidou meanwhile has led Renée towards a spot in the base where he can sense his comrade J, still alive.
The spot is an exact replica of the Mont St. Michelle cathedral, created from the info the bad guys have been gathering.
Lurking in the shadows is one of the Sol Lords, Pilnus the "goddess of beauty and ecstasy".
Pilnus tells the irate Renée that such "kittens" as her and Arma should be delicious indeed – Renée, of course, is the Lion Queen and Pilnus is greatly mistaken if she thinks this cat can’t bring the pain!
Pilnus isn’t impressed, thinking that she looks lovely when she’s angry like that.
Kaidou urges Renée to hurry ahead and let him handle Pilnus; he can feel that J is bound and the power of her G-Stone will be needed to release him.
Mikoto got separated from Kaidou and Renée some distance back and is trying to find them when some Dispers spot her.
Before they can blast her, though, Mamoru of all people appears and tells her to follow him quickly.
They disappear in a glimmer of light…
Elsewhere, Clouseau, Mao and Kurz are having a hard time dealing with the surprisingly skilled Dispers.
Sousuke pulls up short when someone radios him with the Whispered's location.
Kurz wonders if it’d be a trap but there would be no point in setting one up when we're already in pitched combat, so it stands to reason that whoever blocked Inference’s transmission is responsible for the information.
Clouseau orders Sousuke to head to the spot on the double and save the women at all costs.
Abel angrily confronts Inference in the control room, noting that the intruders seem to be raising one hell of a ruckus aboard his own station.
Inference sniffs that these temporary problems are the work of a traitor and will be dealt with; regardless, Abel will let slide since he's actually got someone amongst the invaders that he wants to say hello to.
After he walks out, Inference scowls at this setback and Critic growls that "she" must have prepared some kind of safety in the event of her deactivation; Kaname taunts that for such magnanimous guys, they seem to be having quite a family dispute.
Inference tells her to shut up, what he needs from her is just the information on her head, not her attitude.
Tessa is confused, however: why did The Database invade our solar system to forcibly gather data? Why didn’t they try acquiring the information that they wanted by talking peacefully to humanity?
Inference is surprised-ish, having expected a Whispered like her to understand.
Inference says that information is valuable precisely because of its scarcity; in particular, he figures he's the one and only person who should own all information in the universe.
That of course means that everything they've recorded to date is now gone and only exists inside their own records, although much of it was destroyed without Inference even having to lift a finger – they merely pushed things down the path they wanted and everything sorted itself out.
He figures that Tessa, the so-called genius, should understand just how valuable information inequality is.
Before Tessa can answer, Arbalest comes plowing through the wall.
While Critic fumes that Regulate must’ve informed our guys, Blade and Orgun jump inside the room; Orgun tells Sousuke to rescue the girls, while they hold Inference and Critic at bay.
Blade says that he has business with Inference, who wonders if Blade is in position to ask questions with such a failing health.
Blade is surprised that Inference knows about that but Inference says that they’ve studied the Tek-System before and he knows about the rather painful side-effects that come with a partial-integration.
Blade insists that they tell him the connection between his father, the Radam and the Eviluders and, in honor of Aiba’s memory (whom they’ve also studied), Inference actually consents to tell the whole story.
It all started when the Cygnalite and Argos contacted the Radam on their voyage away from Earth; D-Boy's knowledge of the event ends after his father shoved him into an escape pod and ejected it, but it turns out he wasn't the last thing his father saved.
As the Cygnalite careened towards a black hole, D-Boy's father used his last strength to send the Tek-System itself to the Cygnalite.
The system, which envelops and amplifies the abilities of life forms, helped save the Cygnalite crew from death as they were dragged inside the black hole.
When they emerged from a white hole, they were thousands of years in the past and with no hope of returning to Earth.
They turned for strength to Aiba's last words, deciphering the secrets of the Tek-System and building for themselves new metal bodies: Solid Armor to withstand the rigors of space and exact vengeance on the Radam.
The passage of generations has robbed the Eviluders of their Earthling mentality, leaving behind only their hatred of the Radam and an absolute belief in power; this also explains why the original Orgun sought out Earth – he wanted to rediscover his roots and see that humanity didn't suffer the same fate as their ancestors.
Despite the information given, Blade will not simply let Inference and Critic go – they are still working with the Sol Lords and he will fight them to protect Earth!
Before he strikes, Tessa stops him with the revelation that the adversaries are programs, without physical form; in essence, this whole base is merely one of The Database's numerous terminals and any attack done will have no effect.
Inference sniffs that Tessa seems fairly smart for all that Leonardo called her his good-for-nothing sister; Kaname remembers that name, the same guy that she met on the Moon was also working with the Database?
Indeed, he was quite the helpful collaborator but he did not give them all of the Whispered’s information: Inference plans to hang onto the girls until they've extracted all their data and summons some Dispers to fight the invaders.
Tessa is in shock after hearing about her brother, so Kaname is forced to slap some sense into her before ordering Sousuke to take Tessa to safety.
Critic observes in confusion, as this woman is willing to sacrifice herself to save her companion.
Inference cannot understand this act, in direct opposition to the basic premise of life forms to always prioritize self-preservation and wonders why she would take such an illogical course-of-action.
She informs the programs that this is called "strength of heart", and tells Tessa that she needs to get back to help Mithril – they need her to protect Earth against all the other threats.
Tessa gives Sousuke an order as his commander to take Kaname back, to which Kaname orders him on the authority of the student council vice-president to take Tessa back!
Sousuke decides to obey Kaname and grabs Tessa.
As he runs off, Kaname says she believes he'll come back to save her, and he in turn says he believes she'll hold out until then; explosions start rocking the outside of the base, which means that Orgun and Blade need to get out of here.
Renée manages to find J while running through the cathedral.
J can feel as a G-Stone cyborg – he doesn’t know who she is but he needs her help.
At this time Pilnus shows up, telling the “kitten” that she’s out of time.
Renée asks about Kaidou, and she tells that Abel has dealt with him – which means it’s just them in here; Renée’s guns aren’t doing anything against Pilnus and she is very eager to make Renée suffer for being such a bad kitty.
At this time, J tells Renée to use her G-Stone to release his chains!
Pilnus tries to interfere but she doesn’t get there in time.
We’ve very little room today, especially with all the event deployments and a few other things.Blade, Orgun, Sousuke, Archangel and Re-Home are events but Hyoryu, Enryu, Fuuryu and Rairyu are also required to meet a secret.
As such, you guys have 5 slots to choose amongst the following:
- Volfogg, Mike, Anryu, Kouryu
- Mazinkaiser, Great Mazinger, Boss, Lori (choose one to ride the Mazinger, if you wish)
- Shin Getter
- Golion
- Lowe, Gai Murakumo, Prayer, Elijah
- Gai Daigouji, Ryouko, Hikaru, Izumi, Genichirou, Tsukumo
- Kira, Athrun, Cagalli, Muu, Dearka
- Tekkaman Aki, Hiver, Dead, Sommer, Vesna
- Mao, Kurz, Clouseau
- Youko
- Heero, Wufei, Duo, Zechs, Trowa, Quatre
See you all then!