Part 136: Mission 34 (Setsuko - Border Patrol Route) - Prologue

Setsuko Route (Border Patrol) Chapter 34 Prologue


Last time on Super Robot Wars Z: Butcher revealed himself to be pretty much the Worst Person Ever to Live. And Kappei cried. A lot.


Toga is loaded up on Prevail. This will probably happen later for him on a route I actually follow up on, but for now a slight boost starting at 50% isn't bad.


The mechs in the squads are unchanged. However, I return Kouji and Tetsuya to the Mazingers, and we're off to the stage itself!


Location: Southern Gallia – Kinshasa – UN Terminal Center
Kinshasa is the Congo’s capital.


Let's just check in with Duke Daisuke, who's calling his dear old dad to explain (it would seem) why he's not willing to work towards simply eradicating the aliens, despite how much he can’t forgive their invasion; he's seen Vegan commanders change their ways, and even work to fix their mistakes like Rubina - it'd be a shame to destroy all of that out of spite.
Daisuke’s decided to fight in his own way to help both Earth and the universe in general and Umon is willing to support his foster son in whatever he decides.

Here's what Dr. Umon looks like without the gren hologram effect.


Hikaru's dad, Danbei, despite acknowledging that Daisuke’s a fine man, doesn't support his alleged relationship with Hikaru. Furthermore, he really wishes they'd call more often.
Hikaru reminds them that Grendizer's alien tech still isn't enough to bridge vast distances, so they can only be in contact when they have some time in a town with U.N. access.
Anyway, Hikaru's not in the mood for his nosiness - they're too busy fighting to bring Earthlings and spacemen together!

And Denbei, I think Hikaru must have gotten her looks from her Mom.


Her brother, Goro, jumps in to assure her their dad is just looking out for her; mumbling, Danbei figures he can make do, so long as Hikaru stays safe and promises to give Daisuke hell if she so much as gets a scratch.
He promises to do so and Goro sure would like to see them again too - with Kouji and Maria, too.
Speaking of which, Umon tells Daisuke that the group Kouji is with is in a former African territory, in case he wants to see his old friends again. "Information about what they're doing has been uploaded to the U.N," he says. "But... they're being backed by ZAFT. Be prepared for that."

Finally, Goro. Who looks like somebody recolored Shiro and stuck a bandanna on him.


Left with that dark note, Daisuke and Hikaru decide to check out that ZEUTH information themselves; Hikaru punches it into the U.N. and gets a file immediately - ZEUTH executing a whole group of alien POWs in cold blood...


Location: Western Gallia – King Beal, Bridge


Kappei wants to take the boat up to space to knock out the Gaizock immediately.
Tetsuya and Heizaemon remind him that the Gaizock are allied with basically every other alien army; we'd only be going to our deaths.
Eiji and Runa take the kid’s side, saying we can’t let a group willing to do that sort of monstrosity run free and want to go even if we’re outmatched; indeed, Kappei's willing to go all by himself if the King Beal won’t, but Gengoroh forbids it.
Even on their own, the Gaizock are too dangerous and he knows Kappei’s aware of that; Uchuta and Keiko still remember how easily Killer the Butcher toyed with them, even with all they threw at him.
No one is saying to stop fighting, but we have to accept our limitations and find another way; Kappei now understands how Setsuko felt all this time and figures he’ll also have to get strong enough to beat the Gaizock.
Everyone’s with him on this and Kappei promises Hamamoto that he WILL get payback for him.


Löwen has informed Edel and Durandal about the human bombs and the star-shaped scar that marks them; they're doing all they can to find anyone who could be a literal walking bomb, but the bad news is that there's not much they can offer them once they're found.
These bombs were beyond the genius of Kazami, so the most either ZAFT or the Federation can do would be to get the victims to a place where they can't hurt anyone else.
Löwen reasserts that our best solution is to redouble our efforts at uniting humanity to fight off the threat as one. After all, we're under attack from not just the enemy alliance, but the Zeravire as well.

Having been the first to shut down Kappei's idea of "let's just go beat 'em up, god," Tetsuya does suggest that we need intel from space. He has his own suspicions that the aliens are using the Vegan's Skull Moon Fortress as a power base, and it would be really nice to confirm that and gather information on their operations.
The AEUG and ZAFT don't have the forces to spare from their own defense, so if we want that data, we'll have to go see it for ourselves.

Mizuki points out that the aliens are probably watching ZEUTH specifically so, if we act stupid, we’ll be easy prey to their main force.
Löwen has a different proposal - do we know anyone who could give us intel from the moon? Like the Moon Race, for example?


Minako and Sayaka have exchanging messages with Lunamaria from the other route - the headline is that Kihel was the Queen Diana all along, since even before the Break the World.
The Phantom Pain attacked at Gibraltar, and in the ensuing skirmish, she made it back onto the Soleil and resumed her identity just in time for the Diana Counter to launch a coup, reject her philosophy of coexistence, cancel the alliance with Plant, and start their own operations.
This, of course, makes things awkward for us because we're on our way to tap the Counter for information on what's happening up on the moon.

Minako and Maria immediately jump to the obvious solution: let's save the Queen! Jun says they can't - Durandal wants to stay out of Moon Race internal affairs, up to and including coup d'etat - but Minako chirps the obvious - we're not ZAFT.


The guys pick up the conversation, Julie explaining to Kiraken that while we aren't technically under ZAFT's authority, we are accepting their aid, and any consequences of our actions may come back to hit the Chairman and Plant as well.
Besides, Toshiya says that humans need to be moving in one direction as much as possible; giving any of Earth's powers an excuse to pick a fight with each other is the last thing we as ZEUTH want to be doing.


Kazami isn’t really listening, pained that his science wasn't enough to fight that of the aliens', not in weapons of war nor in the medicine to heal the human bombs.
Julie and Kouji jump in to encourage him. And why not? He's the most brilliant and passionate scientist Kouji's ever met, he's revolutionized humanity's future by inventing Trinity Energy, and - whoops! - Julie lets slip that he's basically done with Godsigma's next powerup.
This gets Toshiya’s attention and he desperately wants to hear more, but Julie is leaving the honors to the Professor; sadly, Kazami wants whatever it is to be fully tested before he explains it to them.
Until then, Toshiya will just have to wait, and boy, is he excited – at the very least, his attitude serves to brighten Kazami’s mood