Part 82: Mission 22 (Moon Route) - "Comrade" From Afar - Part 2(includes Boss Analysis #8 - "Fat and Slim Robots" Edition)
I hope you guys are ready because this mission is going to get really slow, really fast; if you’re like me, most of your powerhouse units consist on nearly all the troops that went on the other path (save for some gundam wing units and the originals).This has the side of effect of leaving us with some less-destructive troops to work with against some rather resilient enemies. Mind, it also doesn’t help that Heero, Duo and Sousuke (three of my strongest units on this path) are out, for now, due to events.
Off we go, then. The Jovians bring a shitload of Battas-in-Hat so Kurz starts working on one whilst advancing.
Keeping true to Mithril’s Buddy System, Mao moves near him to finish the job.
Yay.
The real annoyance are the bigger units, though. While Mazinkaiser, Gaogaigar or Shin Getter could probably take out half of its health with a sneeze, we need to make do with the likes of Zechs.
I think that a Beam Shot Launcher will be enough to kill a Batta but the Distortion Field gives me one giant middle finger.
Ryouko’s side is packed with a good bunch of them and we need to get the girls back with Izumi to spread that friendship bonus – ergo, let’s gather up and hit whatever’s in range.
Come ooooonnn…a Rocket Punch of any kind would’ve taken it down in one go.
It falls on Hikaru to finish the job.
Enemy Phase!
The swarm of Battas heads mostly towards the left group. Zechs is the target of the day.
Any port in a storm and Zechs is one of the better ports we have amongst all this mediocrity (aside from the Nadesico girls, that is!).
Three Battas attack and one gets killed.
Mao gets picked on by a Katonbo but she manages to take a decent jab at his health.
Two Battas also gun for her but there were no kills.
Of course, a Katonbo goes after Noin the second she leaves the protection of Zechs’ bonuses.
Ah. Here comes the real problem – All the big Jovian super robots have high HP and defense, paired with several long-range (albeit inaccurate) attacks.
In this, I’m lucky that it went for Mao since she can actually hit back from that distance.
These guys put all other mooks you’ve seen thus far to shame, see?
Now, this is also fortunate: the Batta went into Ryouko’s point-blank range which means I can bust out the Field Lancer.
I can’t catch a break...how about them Lucky crits, guys?
From very far away, this Katonbo decides to pick a fight with Bless.
HA!
Bless is probably going to be my MVP during this slog.
Another Batta swings by Ryouko but, this time, the RNG gods smile on her.
There’s also a Katonbo that gets wounded slightly.
Hikaru also manages to whip out the field lancer but crits are sparse again.
Tsukumo starts moving over but can’t attack anyone. Genichirou stays put.
Player Phase!
As the fight goes on, Carret detects a Boson Jump being made directly to Nergal’s HQ.
The Jovians pull a sneak-attack but not with the intent of killing the people inside the base – they’re aiming straight for the Nadesico’s dock.
Yurika gets on the comm, telling Bless that they’re OK, as the Nadesico deploys - and sporting some new gear called the "Y-Unit".
Said equipment was originally intended for the fourth member of the Nadesico class, the "Shakuyaku", but the terrorists already managed to destroy that...
Regardless, the Nadesico got a major power boost with the Y-Unit, allowing the Nadesico to dish out much stronger attacks.
Genichirou is frustrated that the ship managed to take flight but still thinks he can win on the theory that "Justice Always Prevails".
Akito tells him to shut up, saying that justice isn’t on his side.
Megumi asks Yurika if she’s sure that she wants to keep fight but she actually isn’t; however, she will not allow any more of the city to be destroyed, nor her ship to be defeated.
After all, the Nadesico is what everyone, Akito included, can call home.
Tsukumo is impressed by our resolve, but he announces that his own forces have reasons why they can't withdraw.
As such, we must fight – for the love for our countries and for the belief in our own justice!
Bless figures Tsukumo to be following the way of the warrior, having decided that only when one side is dead will they truly know who is in the “right”.
He doesn’t want things to go that far but tells the troops that until the Jovians withdraw, we can’t afford to back out.
Good: Heero, Duo and Sousuke are back! Bad: Their morale isn’t boosted and those three Jovians down here need killing.
I’ll send the Nadesico (it’s new attack takes 130 morale, so I probably won’t get a chance to show it off) and Arbalest up top but the two gundams will need to deal with these guys.
Also, I’ve heard enough Last Impression for today – time to switch it up!
See? When you have your better units these guys aren’t THAT annoying.
I position Heero to starting MAPing the guys ASAP. Meanwhile, Duo takes the Tetsujin down some more.
Three Battas all neatly lined up. Can’t let this go to waste now, can we?
Eh…I was hoping for a double kill but it’s fine.
I keep underestimating the chain-attack penalty but at least Kurz was nearby to support.
Noin and Zechs team up to take away a chunk of the Katonbo’s HP.
Also, Mao and Kurz ready some dual grenade launchers to teach that Katonbo to snipe at us.
Not bad but not awesome, either…
Mao takes out one of Kazuma’s Battas but the other takes piddly damage due to Distortion Field + chain penalty.
Still, the kill pushes Mao up a level and gives her Prevail L3.
Might as well let Quatre take this other kill (and it gives me the chance to change the song again).
Attaboy.
Another much needed level and it teaches him Faith (60 SP – Fully restores target’s HP – much more useful in squad-based games where you have plenty of backup units for SP batteries).
Zechs and his Mega Cannon easily take out Mao and Kurz’s Katonbo.
On the other side, Bless is doing his best to level the playing field.
Mind you, the Ardyguns’ level is so absurdly high that they got nearly no experience from that.
Akatsuki is able to be useful once more.
These Katonbos are bulky enough as is and I’m trying to conserve EN until the Nadesico comes over.
With that in mind, both Hikaru and Izumi take a decent chunk of his HP with Field Lancers.
While that goes on, Ryouko will move by the other Katonbo to take away what little remaining HP it has.
These Lancers are your best friends when you can’t spam combination attacks.
Enemy Phase!
And here it comes. This Tetsujin tries MAPing Heero and Duo with a Gravity Blaster despite the fact that they’re Focus’d and on positive grounds – needless to say, it missed.
One of the remaining Battas goes after Zechs and gets dropped.
Mr. Katonbo tries to be clever and snipe but he picked someone that can snipe back.
Boom.
Duo can’t hit the Majin back, though, and is forced to simply dodge.
Same deal with Quatre, who gets harassed by a Denjin.
The other Tetsujin guns for Akito, who can at least fire back with his own Gravity Blaster (mind, the XAestivalis doesn’t share upgrades with the other one and chugs EN like a motherfucker).
The Nadesico needs to get here quick-like or we’ll run out of juice…
The weak, weak Batta goes for Kazuma and dies in a very sad fashion.
Like the other path, they both level up and Mihiro learns Snipe.
This time, I have enough morale!
That’ll learn ya.
The other Majin goes for Akito and he counters, losing nearly all his EN in the process (before you ask, yes, the XAestivalis only attacks are a regular and a MAP version of Gravity Blaster and they take 50-80 EN, respectively).
Down below, Duo is attacked once more but the Denjin is close enough to get sliced in return.
Instead of dying quickly, like it should, the Katonbo decides to attack Akatsuki who is too far away to do any significant damage…
Tsukumo tries blasting Trowa but, thankfully, Noin’s command aura and Quatre’s friendship bonus compensate his crappy evasion.
Player Phase!
All those mooks dying gave Heero just the morale boost he needed!
Get bent.
Duo finishes the job; one more MAP and the others should also be dead.
Sousuke finally starts catching up so we might as well have him do a little bit of damage to Tsukumo.
: That's Silent #2 in that machine... or was it Silent #1? I can't tell!
: I'm Silent #1... belay that. I'm Uruz 7, Sergeant Sousuke Sagara.
Keyword being “little”…
Tsukumo should be the last target to die (lest the mission end before you get all the cash and items).
We’ll start moving over to Genichirou and kill everything else before focusing on him.
Mao and Kurz apply the usual dose of teamwork to finish the last Tetsujin (sorry, Shotarou, you’ll need to make do with Black Ox).
Denjins are slightly bulkier than the other two but are still very similar – Mao and Kazuma take away a decent bit of its HP.
Some more Quatre screentime. This may also be his last time in the spotlight so cut him some slack!
It’s understandable, though…
Akatsuki will end that Katonbo in order to free Hikaru and Izumi to team up with Ryouko (and to get near the incoming Nadesico).
Out of range, Ryouko does what little damage she can on the Majin.
Noin also keeps being ever-so-slightly useful.
Mind you, Zechs doesn’t fare much better when he’s not shooting his Mega Cannon.
Enemy Phase!
Hopefully, Duo will weaken it enough so it’ll be killed off by the next MAP.
Hmm, not quite.
Trowa easily dodges the gravity blast his Full Open Attack lacks the necessary “oomph” to take out that Denjin.
Just out of spite, the other Majin goes for Ryouko who still needs to rely only on her knife (she could use the Distortion Attack but I’d like to keep the EN for a couple of combo attacks).
The bottom Denjin makes the mistake of going after Heero - leaving his HP low enough that it’ll surely die to the MAP.
Genichirou fires a pointless attack against Akito.
Tsukumo fires a pointless MAP, as everyone in there is focus’d.
Player Phase!
Setting Duo there, not only can he weaken the Majin but he’ll be in the MAP’s blind spot.
Bye, assholes.
Using Hit & Away, Heero starts moving north.
Finally, time to take out that other Denjin.
Just a little bit more and it’ll be over.
Sousuke grabs a level for the kill and also gets his Lambda Driver going.
Let’s start setting up for some Uruz Strikes.
Mao and Kurz move in, dealing PISS for damage against the Daimajin.
Go, Trowa! Go!
Give me back my Supers, game!
Izumi and Hikaru are too far away to hit Genichirou but they can at least work on the last Majin.
Setting them up over there lets Ryouko get close enough to call for a combo attack.
Much better.
I’ve now been struck by the realization that I forgot to take a gander at the stages’ new units – I’ll quickly go over the elite mooks later, mind (though you can probably guess what I’d say from my rants across this update).
Nevertheless, here’re the Daimajin and Daitetsujin:
Tsukumo’s Daitetsujin and Tsukuomi’s (Genichirou) Daimajin are pretty much the same but the tetsujin is made slightly bulkier than the other – with more HP and Armor – but the majin has more movement range.
Also, they both come equipped with the Boson Jump ability, which works like any other Mirror Image effect.
For their weapons, it’s all the same with several long-range, EN-based attacks; nearly 99.9% of the time, they’ll be using either version of Gravity Blaster and they’ll only stop if you manage to empty their EN (which will soon be filled up some due to their 20% EN Regen).
Thankfully, both versions of the attack have awful accuracy and will likely miss anything short of a Super.
As for pilot skills, they both have the same ones:
- Prevail L4
- Support Attack L1
- Support Defense L1
- Commander L1
In a normal situation I would’ve dispelled their barrier and reduced their armor but noooo…
Moving right along, it’s time for Kazuma to try his hand at Genichirou.
: I was told we would fight the famous Wärter! So, why...: Why is it only mobile weapons? Where are the giant robots?
: It's not the size of your machine; it's the size of your fire!: It's "Bye-Bye, Jupiter" for you Jovians!
Meh.
Before ending this turn, Quatre moves over to finally slice that Majin.
That last bit of morale also activates the Zero System.
Finally, Noin makes herself slightly less useless and heals Mao up, gaining a level.
Enemy Phase!
As expected, Genichirou fires off his MAP but only manages to tag the Nadesico.
Tsukumo’s MAP is less successful, though.
Player Phase!
Moving right along, Akito’s all charged up and can give Genichirou a taste of his own Gravity Blaster.
: Barbaric Earthling! With this Daimajin's hand, I will seize the future of Jupiter!
: The hell you will, Jovian! If you guys are so willing to raze innocent cities, what kind of future do you have?
Getting there. Slowly.
Zechs manages to do some pretty respectable damage off Kurz.
[/url]How long has it been since we’ve seen Uruz Strike?
: You are as an ant fighting an elephant! But you'll soon realize my Daimajin's power!: This will not be decided by size. And it will not proceed as an anime would. You'll soon realize that. 
Izumi (and Hikaru) are the lowest level right now (among the USEFUL units), so let’s have her do the honors.
Genichirou is worth 2 levels an EN Chip and an Prevail +1. This also teaches Izumi her Multicombo L1.
Heero was too far away to do anything and Akatsuki is…Akatsuki. Regardless, they had things to say to Genichirou:
-Heero Vs. Genichirou-
: A lion hunts with all his might, even when his prey is but a rat!
: Indeed. But I am no prey rat or rabbit.-Akatsuki Vs. Genichirou-
: Honestly, all your justice talk is getting annoying.: If I didn't know better, I'd think you believed you're the only ones in the right.: Silence, Earthling! There is only one justice, and it belongs to Jupiter!
Genichirou can't believe that he and his Daimajin could be defeated
Tsukumo tells him to retreat before it gets destroyed, though – he does so, asking Tsukumo to forgive him and promising to pay him back later.
That was needlessly dragged out but Tsukumo will be slightly quicker.
Come on, Noin. Show us your stuff.
I completely blanked out on the fact that the Valstork was RIGHT THERE and I could’ve used the Proton Cannon Focus; still, Jet Flowsion will deal good damage.
: I don't have any attachment to your Gekiganger, so you're not getting any mercy from me!: How... how can anyone be unmoved by the passion and pathos at the heart of Gekiganger?: Could it be that I was right and the Earthlings are horrible, irredeemable fiends?!
Keep at it…
Heero is also close enough to take a potshot at him.
: That pilot is...Silent #2?: I have no such name.
But, of course, Tsukumo triggers his Boson Jump and dodges…
Trowa moves over Quatre so that he has a decent chance at dodging (I had already emptied his SP with previous Iron Wall casts).
Sadly, his damage with the Double Gatling Guns is less then desired.
Nope, It still hasn’t hit me that I could use the combo attack.
I’ve grown too used to being without the attack that it never really hit me…
Zechs takes the final potshot before we end the turn.
Enemy Phase!
Tsukumo decides to gun for the Nadesico, which is just fine.
That works for me.
Player Phase!
Using Valor, we take him down just enough to get him into the kill-zone.
Even without upgrades, Akito should still be able to finish him…right?
: Tenkawa... I don't want to have to fight you, but you leave me no choice!: We've chosen our sides! Damn it! I shouldn't have got your name if it was going to be like this!
Thankfully, yes.
Tsukumo is worth a Propellant Tank and a Support Request +1.
As before, Akatsuki had words but screw him:
-Akatsuki Vs. Tsukumo-
: You've got the Jovian ruins, next you'll take the Martian ones, and from there you'll mount your attack on Earth?: How do you...?!: Sorry, but I'm not letting anyone take the Martian ruins from me! 
Tsukumo’s Daitetsujin is immobilized after the attack; Akito moves closer and Tsukumo waits for him to land the final blow.
Tsukumo says he’s the victor and should do it but Akito doesn’t; he says there’s no way he can execute the man who helped save the city – as Gekiganger taught them not to take life of their fellow man.
Minato also wants to talk with Tsukumo some more, and begs with him to surrender.
This he does, and Heero observes that this is not the end, but the beginning.
Akito really hopes that the mess with the Jovians can be settled not by fighting, but by talking things out the way he did with Tsukumo.
Erina finds this all very simpleminded, but Ines reminds her that, sometimes, simple is best; Rose also knows that this day marks a great turning point in the Earth/Jupiter relations.
Ryouko is struck by how much Tsukumo resembles Daigouji Gai, including his voice.
Perhaps this is because both of them are effectively cosplaying the main character of Geki Ganger, Prospector thinks.
Rose gets ready to start the debriefing, and Kurz wonders just who’s the old lady.
Bless says that if our team are the Wardens of the Lighthouse, this would be the Helmsman - a suitably grandiose expression that once would have been beyond Bless' skill, Rose thinks; she wonders if Koutarou (Taiga), Freeman and the others have been rubbing off on him.
When Rose's name finally emerges, those on our team who didn't know are mostly speechless due to the fact that this old lady is, essentially, Wärter’s supreme commander.
When asked, she explains to Zechs that her determination to right the wrongs of the past led her to the Moon unaccompanied, which led to her wonderful run-in with Tsukumo, Kaname, and the “Silent” brothers.
As for Tsukumo, he figures we’ll try to interrogate him to gain intel; such is not the case, Bless says, as we truly only wanted to talk to him.
Sousuke starts out by thanking him again for helping defuse the bomb situation, though he claims he only did what was right, not as a soldier, but as a man – he wanted to protect what was important to him.
Minato seems especially warm in her praise, which has Gort glaring.
Tsukumo explains that the Jovians' hostility for Earth dates back a good hundred years to the Lunar conflict.
That rebellion against the United Nations was squashed with a vengeance by military force, and those responsible kicked out of the Earth Sphere.
These people, the modern Jovians' ancestors, first tried to resettle on Mars, but the Federation apparently found that still too close to home, for fear that their own malfeasance in declaring the exile would come to light.
Once again, Federation military might came down, and drove the people beyond the boundaries of inhabited space.
These people sought refuge in orbit around Jupiter...though the harsh life they endured could hardly be dignified with that word.
They were only able to eke out an existence thanks to a technological leap, accomplished when they discovered an abandoned factory among the asteroids: a factory for Transposition Engines.
Not only did this secure their new kingdom around Jupiter, it permitted them to mount a counter attack against their long-hated foes back on Earth.
No one is really surprised that this shameful history is in none of the textbooks, but Rose is certain that all mankind will be made to accept it nonetheless, and in the not terribly distant future either.
Now, about this Geki Ganger worship; Yukina finds this "sacred" work endlessly tedious, childish and overblown.
Before Tsukumo can chide his sister, Akito explains that it's the greatest anime ever made for all the love, bravery and hope it teaches.
It seems the Jovians, long concerned merely with staying alive, received a present from one George Glenn some sixty years ago.
Recall that George Glenn was in charge of what was supposedly man's first voyage to Jupiter - he must have known about the Jovians when he returned to Earth and made his Coordinator announcement.
From what Tsukumo has heard, Glenn concealed the Jovians' existence out of sympathy for their plight.
That he kept his promise all this time led the Jovians to refer to him as Glenn the Just, and Glenn the Evangelist.
It's certainly true that the Jovians and the Coordinators were both destined to be reviled by the rulers of the Earth...
See the other path for how Glenn wanted the Jovians to become true "Coordinators".
It's now clear to Tsukumo that the justice Glenn taught his people has collided with an equally valid justice in the hands of the new generation of Earthlings.
Mao is getting rather sick of all this talk of justice and says that only in some anime are things that black and white.
Speaking of anime, Tsukumo relates that it wasn't actually George Glenn himself who handed over the N'th generation Geki Ganger tapes, but presumably one of his crew.
In fact, the tapes are in such crappy quality that episodes 9, 13, and 33 are missing entirely.
But Akito has them, and offers to show them to Tsukumo after they're done here; which makes the trip to Earth already worth it, in Tsukumo’s eyes.
Yukina stops that idea, though, reminding him that they have to go back to Jupiter.
If anything, Tsukumo promises to do his best to push for peace talks.
It would be hard, even for the Secretary General, to countenance just turning him loose, but the problem is solved when Yukina volunteers to stay behind in his stead.
Bless assures her of three square meals a day, relying on another of his two thousand special techniques: "Kidnapping" (earning him a “Stupid Horis” from Akane, for sullying her father’s rep!).
Rose will take full responsibility, and with the exception of Sousuke, Yukina is looking forward to hanging with our crew; this also lets her thoroughly check Minato out, apparently to see if she's really suitable for Tsukumo to “marry”.
Yurika assures Tsukumo that everyone (save the glowering Gort) is pulling for things to work out for the two of them.
In any case, all this is now officially Top Secret, though Rose is sure it will not be so forever.
And Tsukumo's reward for peace (besides Minato), will be watching those episodes with Akito.
With Tsukumo departed, Kaname heads back to rejoin the field trip, now apparently reconciled with Sousuke.
She would have liked the winter field trip coming up to include everyone, but she realizes that that's going to be tough the way things are now.
Sousuke promises her he'll be back to their high school one day - especially since his duties as trash monitor must surely be backing up by now.
About a month later, Kazuma updates the ship's log.
Rose has made an official announcement acknowledging the government's guilt in the Jovian exile, drawing a firestorm of criticism from the army (and the UN’s security council), while also sowing dissension in the legislature.
Still, the efforts of Rose and Tsukumo have paid off, and the groundwork is now set for Tsukumo to come as the Jovian envoy for formal peace talks.
Minato and Yukina are both eagerly looking forward to seeing his noble features again, as are Akito and Kazuma himself.
Akito's been blowing off Nergal's researchers again, but at least he's agreed to help fight.
Kazuma also mentions the work the other half of the team did on Mars, Chouryuujin’s recovery and THE POWER.
The peace talks begin, with Rose badgering Tsukumo, not unkindly, about his unfolding romance with Minato.
Getting down to business, she asks him to read the treaty he bore - which had been kept a secret to even him until now.
Tsukumo is aghast as he reads demands of disarmament, economic dismantlement, fundamental reconfiguration of government... is Jupiter planning on colonizing the Earth next, Rose wonders.
She declares the peace talks on hiatus, and asks him to go and once again ascertain what the Jovian army is really all about.
Tsukumo radios to Major General Kusakabe, aboard the Jovian flagship Kagurazuki, asking what the hell was up with those demands; Kusakabe coldly states that he's merely asking for just reparations for the century of Earth's misdeeds.
He certainly didn't accept the Earth's official apology, and figures that the Jovian toe-hold on Mars (he calls it a "City") gives them an overwhelming strategic advantage in their war to overhaul the culture of the Solar System.
He brusquely informs Tsukumo that no one on Mars is stupid enough to call off a war they're winning partway through, and won't directly say why Tsukumo was sent to conduct these "peace" talks in the first place.
He orders Tsukumo to stay where he is and await further orders.
Kusakabe hangs up, musing over how hot-blooded his subordinate is, and a certain man in the shadows opines that Tsukumo is likely to be an obstacle down the road.
Kusakabe turns down the man's assistance in getting rid of Tsukumo - he's already sent Captain Tsukuomi Genichirou on that mission, none other than Tsukumo's best friend.
The mystery man isn't sure Genichirou is cut out for such a mission, but Kusakabe is sure that Justice will override any of the simpleton's feelings of friendship.
The plan is simple: make Tsukumo a martyr to the Jovian cause, gunned down by the evil Earthlings.
Genichirou carries out his assignment all too well, though he promises Tsukumo that his death won't be in vain.
Tsukumo finds it almost funny that he should die here, now, with peace so tantalizingly close...
I’ll keep this route as it gave around 20k more cash to upgrade our guys.
See you all next time