Part 14: Mission 4 (Setsuko) - Alien Invasion - Part 2

Setsuko Chapter 4 Part 2


Right, we have one round to do a fair bit of damage Emperor Vega. But there's also a bit more, I want to blow up Gandal, he has drops a part for my mechs, and if I deal with Vega first I won't get the part.


Also I have Hikaru blow up this Saucer Beast because why not?




Savor every kill you get Hikaru.


Next I have Kouji cast Alert, he's going to attack Gandal.


Wait, what's this? A new attack has appeared on Kouji's attack menu! It's a Combination attack between the Double Spazer and Grendizer. Combinations attacks are special attacks that some units have, they require two specific mechs to be adjacent or in the same squad. They also drain energy from both mechs, which can be costly. Of course, these extra conditions are worth it, because they tend to be among the strongest attacks available for a unit. Since I need to kill things quickly, energy isn't a concern, it's time to use them.


: Kouji Kabuto! You've been a thorn in my side too long, but that ends today!
: I don't wanna hear it, Gandal! You've been attacking Earth for too long, and you did it first!
: But when I take you down, that Lady Gandal in your head's going down with you!
: Grr! Gandal, destroy him right now!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8fXGFFsxYo
So there we go, Double Spazer's Combo attack is nice against aerial enemies, though sadly I think the Double Spazer is probably going to end up on the bench while Marine and Drill Spazer's stick around due to their awesome repair and resupply abilities.

Also I think Baron Ashura and Gandal should have a tea party. Heck give them an anime if you're going to cash in in the dumb "moe girls doing things" trend. Hire me Toei.


Next Denzel casts Invincible and takes aim for Emperor Vega!


: So this is the famous flagship of the Vegan Imperial Army!
: We got our asses kicked when the Vegans had set up on the dark side of the moon. Now it's payback time!
: The enemy has thick armor and heavy weaponry. I can't find any way to approach!
: Remember, 1st. Lt. - even the biggest warship falls if you take down the bridge!
: Roger! I'll focus all my fire there!
: This may not be our world, but these guys are still our enemies! We can't afford to fail!







Sorry Emperor Vega, you're dealing with Glory Star now.



A casting of Sense.







Setsuko uses Focus while Maria casts Trust to heal her up







She... she gets better, I promise.


On to better things, it's time for Maria to finish off Gandal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1SwJF4jEgQ


With that done Duke casts Invincible, we're ready to get the Battle Mastery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoG8tb7Hq6U


And that's how it's done ladies and gentlemen.


Emperor Vega decides to make a tactical retreat. Duke's about to blow him up "in the name of all those ruined worlds, and in the name of all the citizens of Planet Fleed", but Vega warns him that he'll regret it if he strikes him down.


Just then, new creatures drop from the sky. They're nothing Team Grendizer has ever seen before - not Vegans, not Dinosaur robots. The Emperor doesn't understand where they might have come from without him, ruler of the whole galaxy, knowing about it. Gandal advises his Emperor to take the opportunity to escape!



Which they do with a hearty "Remember this, Duke Fleed! I'll get you someday!"


Duke asks Denzel for any data on those robots, but we, too, have nothing. The only thing that's for sure is that they aren't Earth robots either.


"Come on," cries Toby. "Aliens in an alien universe? This is double freaky!"

(Toby is the best.)


The aliens suddenly start wrecking the city, and Kappei finally decides to book it. It no longer matters what they are; we have to stop them. But a new Earth with its own new threats...


OK then, now it's a simple enough objective, blow up these new mysterious aliens.


Buuuut I've already had everyone make their move this round, onto the next! Sorry Fujisawa, you'll just have to deal with the rampaging aliens a little longer.


The enemy phase is uneventful, two of them move up closer to us.


Luckily, one of them is within Denzel's range.


They really are fairly weak, and there's only four of them, this stage won't last much longer.


: 1st. Lt. Ohara! Don't forget to capture that data! We may have to keep fighting these things!
: Yes, sir!
: They're big, but they move like potatoes! At this range, our little cuties aren't gonna get scratched!






Seriously, I think a few more points of Will or a bigger dice roll and Denzel would have straight up one shot it, then again, it is Denzel Hammer after all.




Anyways, Toby finishes it off with some overkill.


I start moving the Spazer's to the city, they can handle these mooks well enough.

m
: They aren't very strong. Are they scouts?






: I don't know who you are or where you came from, but if you want the Earth, you'll have to go through Kouji Kabuto!





Lacking anything better to do, Maria heals Kouji.


Naturally on the enemy turn, the two remaining scouts target the Marine Spazer.







Maybe I should have healed Hikaru, but whatever.



On my turn, Kouji blows up one of them.


: Ugh! Just when we were going to destroy Emperor Vega for good! How dare you!


While Maria blows up the other, and we're done!


Setsuko's suspicious; those aliens seemed light and lightly armed. Denzel suspects they were only scouts; with no enemy reinforcements in sight, Duke has to agree that's the most likely answer. But if they're not Vegans, who...


A Federation escort! Or so Kouji thinks, though he can't put his finger on the mechs they're using. Then the Alliance pulls weapons on them and orders the "aliens" to disarm and come with them. Kouji protests - giving them their first surprise: he speaks! - that he's human. The Alliance can't figure out how that works - does that make their machines newly-developed Coordinator mechs? Team Grendizer has no idea what a Coordinator is, of course.


Here we go again! Denzel manages to convince Duke and his team that they may as well disboard so we can explain in a more convenient setting.



But let's check on these people again! Durandal has just finished explaining that Coordinators are genetically enhanced and Naturals are, well, not; it's a lot to swallow, and as Quattro points out, if they believe that story, they also have to believe this is another world. Durandal understands, since he himself is having some issues with their story. The existence of aliens that they claim comes as a shock, but the story of the war with them is absolutely terrifying.


Now, what about Denzel Hammer and his squad? It seems that since they're Federation soldiers, they would be the enemy of Bright and his men. So it would seem, agrees Quattro, but it's important to remember the AEUG's enemy is not the whole Federation, only the subgroup known as the Titans. Durandal has encountered them, of course - the black team from that battle, the one that fired on both him and Bright without so much as a word. What they did in that battle is what the Titans do, amassing power to themselves and using it for their own ends - taking over the Earth Federation from its heart. AEUG opposes that, nothing more.


Durandal quite understands humans fighting a war of ideologies. He'll go so far as to say it's human nature, even during a war against extraterrestrials. And it's surely more civilized than a war of hate. At the same time, the war between Natural and Coordinator - a war between two species of humanity, one with power, one without - sounds very, very familiar to Quattro. But there's something different about Gilbert Durandal, ruler of PLANT, which itself rules one of those sundered halves of humanity. Can they trust him?


Ray takes a message from the Minerva - it seems Denzel's team has now been taken in by Alliance forces on Earth. They must have been warped there again. Durandal turns to Bright and asks him to remain with PLANT. Not as a military force, of course.


"You're only the first Visitor. And if we allow them all to their own devices, this world's balance of power will collapse."


Quattro, in a move that has already been echoed in Z2, advises Bright that they may as well accept Durandal's invitation, if only to wait and watch and learn more about this world. Durandal intends to send forces after the Titans, as well, for the same reason, and Bright intends to make a truce with them until they know more. PLANT itself is on a mission at the moment, but they won't demand Bright's cooperation in combat, and he pledges their cooperation as soon as they can spare the time.


Somehow, Quattro feels like they may be in another universe, but humanity never changes. "Which means we can't avoid fighting, even here."



And we finally meet Kappei's mom, who was worried sick, not that it bothers him. She lectures him for not realizing he only survived by sheer luck. What would she tell his father if he was killed while he was out on a fishing run? She apologizes to Aki and Michi; Aki actually speaks up and says that Kappei protected them.


Even then, the poor girls are shaken up, so she escorts them home. Kappei, being terrible, is miffed that they're not more grateful. His brother, Ichitaro ("Ichi-Ni"), explains that this is probably the first time they've ever seen live combat. Even during the big war two years ago, Japan was nearly unscathed.


Anyway, Kappei has some energy to burn off, so he's off to play with Kozuki. Ichi tries to stop him; their grandfather had something to say to him. Kappei figures screw that, it's probably a lecture, and runs away. But when he told Ichi to bring Kappei, he looked so serious. So sad...



So anyway, these things have got their scouting report back, and it suggests that the planet below is hardly defended except for just a few powerful weapons. The fat one is pleased; such a beautiful blue world would look even more beautiful on fire.


"The most wonderful party is about to begin! Mwohohohohohoho! Hohohohohohohohohoho!"

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Extra Dialogue

Kouji vs. Emperor Vega

: Emperor Vega! You'll have a lot of time to think about what you've done in Hell!
: Ngh! You dare speak so to me, ruler of the whole universe?
: You bet! The universe doesn't belong to anyone! Everyone who lives in it shares in it!
: I'm not letting you have Earth or the rest of the universe!

Hikaru vs Emperor Vega

: Foolish little girl! To imagine that you could defeat me, ruler of all the universe!
: I may not be strong on my own, but I'm not fighting alone!
: Duke Fleed! I will fight for my beloved Earth!

Maria vs Emperor Vega

: Well, well, Duke Fleed's sister! I'll butcher you while he watches!
: You won't get me or my brother!
: We will defeat you - for our first home of Fleed and our second home of Earth, and for the whole universe!

Duke vs Mysterious alien scouts

: They're not Vegan robots. Are we being invaded by another force?