Part 144: Mission 35 (Setsuko - Gibraltar Route) - Prologue
Setsuko Route (Gibraltar) Chapter 35
Last time on Super Robot Wars Z: Reccoa had a complete breakdown, and we lost her and her Methuss. Darn that sucks.
Current Top Aces:
1. Setsuko - 119 Kills
2. Amuro - 92 Kills
3. Shinn - 81 Kills
4. Quattro - 78 Kills
5. Kamille - 73 Kills
Geez, Kamille got a ton of them last mission. Good job there.
In the upgrade front, I finally decide use some PP for character's have been having trouble thinking of what to give them. Rey gets Platoon Attack, and I give Loran Predict.
Oh yeah, we see here that even though Joeseph has innate Prevail, I can still buy him a level of the skill. That's because he doesn't get Level 9 Prevail natrually, so I can spend PP to make up the difference. His max is Level 8, apparently. So I buy him one extra level.
Fa and Gavane also gets Platoon Attack.
I teach Sochie a valuable new skill.
* Refueler - Allows the pilot to use Resupply Modules after moving.
She's going to stay in the Kapool, so I give her this to make it easier for her to resupply allies in the event I need it.
Luna and Amuro both get E Save, while Katz is given two more levels of SP Up.
Oh yeah, turns out that Apolly and Roberto have a B in Air. Oops! I switch Emma to the Asshimar
I equip a VR Helmet and Hybrid Armor to the Minerva, a High-Spec Radar to the Argama, more Magnet Coating on the Super Gundam.
Oh yes, I swap the Tin-Plate Goldfish off the Zeta and exchange it for a Solar Panel. Kamille's going to be needing EN more then Will. Athrun gets it in return.
I would rather not have Fa die, so she gets her evasion up to speed.
The Re-GZ uses Energy for it's PLA attack. So I give it some upgrades in that. Luna just got E Save, so now's the perfect time to give her more EN too!
- Setsuko, Löwen, Sochie
- Amuro, Apolly, Roberto
- Loran, Fa, Katz
- Athrun, Miashey, Emma
- Quattro, Gavane, Joseph
- Shinn, Luna, Rey
- Kamille
As you can see, today the Zeta is going solo. So it needs the EN Regen to stay self-sufficent.
Location: Galia – Gibraltar Base
Ray's been jailed along with Shinn. Shinn apologizes, but Ray says he did it of his own free will. In fact, he's happy Stella's safe now.
*Cell door opens.*
: Shinn...
: Kamille, Athrun...
: I'm sorry.: What?: Kamille told me everything. I had no idea about your relationship with that Extended girl.
: It's not like that at all.: I just couldn't take it. Stella's a victim of all this.
: But it's like no one could see her as anything but a Federation Extended. Like it would be fine if she just died.: Yes... and they'd be right.: ?!
: Cmdr. Athrun...: She's a Federation pilot. Countless ZAFT pilots have lost their lives by her hand.: Don't you...: I do know that! But... but she didn't ask for any of that!
: Not like us! We became soldiers knowing what we were signing up for!: Maybe that's all the more reason not to give her back.: !: If she can't stop fighting on her own, then she may end up...: So would it have been better to let her die with us?
: I'm not saying that, but this isn't going to--: Would you have told her that, seeing her fear and pain?: Shinn!: Besides, he promised to take Stella somewhere safe, far away from the war!
: Then do you think what you did was the right thing to do?: I...!
: Cut it out, Shinn!: Kamille, you agree with him?!: Didn't you want to save Four? But you couldn't, could you?
: ...: That's why I wanted to save Stella, no matter what it took!: I knew I'd have to be punished! Maybe I'd even be executed!: If you know what I should have done, I'd love to hear it!
: ...: You tell me, Athrun! What should I have done! What was the right thing to do?: ...
: You can't, can you! That's why... why I—
: Shinn, that's enough.: ...: And Athrun, Kamille. This argument isn't going to help matters any.: Ray...: What's done is done, and no one knows what's to come. There's no point talking about either.: All we can do, all any of us can do, is have hope and wait for morning.: ...: ...*Cell door opens.*
: Shinn, Rey, you're to be told your sentence. Come with me.: ...sir.
: Shinn...: I'm sorry about what I said, Kamille.
: But, I...: It's okay. I understand how you feel...: ...: I'll be waiting for you, Shinn.: Mm...
In fact, despite the acts of grave treason involved, Durandal is willing, "based on your past successes and our current state of affairs," to overlook the matter entirely.
He's aware of Shinn in particular - MVP of the Athha incident, the ORB sea battle, and the Lohengrin Gate.
"Consider your sentence a message that I expect great things from you."
Shinn's still got something on his mind and Durandal asks him to speak freely. Basically, Shinn's wondering if they're ever really going to end the war at this rate.
Durandal asks him if he has any idea why, despite everyone constantly decrying war, they can never actually stop; Shinn guesses that it's because of a few selfish bad eggs like Blue Cosmos or the Titans messing things up for the rest of them.
Certainly, the Chairman says, that would do it. "But there is a more fundamental, unchangeable aspect to war.
"War marks our world and draws it into an all-consuming chaos. It robs men of their minds and souls, leaving them open to be preyed on by those who would rule by arrogance."
Shinn doesn't get it, so Durandal gives a simple example: the government creates an atmosphere of tension to control their citizens, which makes business great for warmongers and weapons dealers.
"Now let me return to your original question: the war must end. No, we must end it. We are already making preparations."
Shinn is delighted to hear it. Talia will handle them from here. She also has Harry to address, who Durandal is sorry to be unable to help and, inwardly, Talia wonders if Durandal’s decided to turn his back on the Moonrace after the coup.
Durandal wishes the blushing Ray good luck and they're off, leaving Durandal to ponder his aforementioned preparations: "a battle to strike at those who pull the strings of the world from the shadows, and raise the world into a new age of stable society."
Wait - first Meer has brought Athrun, who wants to see the Chairman personally. Durandal welcomes him and expresses his condolences for Heine, who he can see taught Athrun a thing or two.
Athrun knows Durandal is aware of what happened at the "Lacus" concert, and he would like the Chairman to stop using Meer as a Lacus stand-in; not only is the peoples' trust in both Durandal and Lacus at stake, but more importantly, so is the well-being of Meer herself.
Meer cries that she'll do whatever she can for the Chairman, but Durandal surmises that Athrun is asking about Lacus because he's been in contact with the Archangel.
Athrun still can't discount the possibility that it was Durandal who ordered the hit on Lacus, as Kira suggested, and carefully says that they've met on the battlefield.
That's a pity for the Chairman, who was hoping he had a lead to get Lacus herself to return to Plant. Or has she forsaken them?
Durandal asks Athrun to keep him informed if he happens to be in touch with the Archangel again, and Meer chirps that she'll be in Lacus' place until she returns.
News of Shinn's and Ray's fate has reached the Minerva, and while Kamille is certainly happy for him, as is Setsuko, something doesn't seem quite right.
Harry isn't so happy, either, what with ZAFT’s refusal to give him backup to rescue Dianna.
Quattro points out that without the alliance, ZAFT moving on the Moonrace would be meddling in their internal affairs. Gwen adds that they can't move against ZAFT, either.
On the other hand, Kihel says that Phil and Milan are taking the Dianna Counter against Dianna's wishes and will set it down a different path from hers; it would certainly be to our benefit to put her back up, but...
That talk’s interrupted when Shinn and Athrun enter the room. Athrun orders Shinn to at least get up and apologize to everybody.
: ...: Shinn...: I'm sure you were worried about me too, Captain.: ...: But I'll be fine. Thanks for everything.: I...
: Chairman Durandal knows what I mean, you know.: So it's not like you know what the right thing is.: ...: Shinn…!
: Hey, Kamille. Here I am, back again.: Don't give me that! What was all that about?: All of what?: The way you talked to Captain Athrun!: !: I don't blame you for sending Stella back...: But that doesn't make it right!: Are you saying what I did was wrong? But the Chairman said--: And if the Chairman says it, that makes it right?: ...!: ...: Even you didn't think that that was the right thing to do.: But the Chairman says you're okay and now you're sure you're the good guy?: And what would you have done? You tried to save Four! An enemy!: I didn't once think that what I did was the right thing to do.: And not just with Four, either. We're at war here, so we may never be in the right!: !: But we have to act... even knowing full well it's not 100% right!: That's not what you're doing! You're not even thinking for yourself, just letting someone else tell you everything you do is fine!: I don't have to take this from you!
Shinn may not be listening, but Harry certainly has taken something away from Kamille's little speech.
Right or wrong, and with or without ZAFT's backing, he has to do his duty, and that duty is saving the Queen Dianna. Loran is willing to go with him - again, not as ZEUTH, but because it's his own duty and desire to fight this fight.
Sochie is on board - Dianna was her sister, for a while - and so is Gwen, who sees this as a chance to get something on the Moonrace.
But Athrun is totally willing to mobilize ZEUTH for the operation - and as a FAITH agent, he's within his rights to do so!
He'll take all the responsibility for the decision. Kamille's inspired him, it seems.
Löwen feels like something is changing for the better, but Setsuko thinks differently: "Making our own decisions is a core tenet of ZEUTH."
: ...: Come on, Shinn. We're moving out.: Kamille, I...: ...we may not always agree on what "right" means. But I know one thing.: Both of us want the war to end.: Kamille...
: Isn't that what we're fighting for? It may not be the right thing, but it's all we have.: Yeah!
Location: Western Galia
Meanwhile, Midgard, agent of Agrippa Maintainer, has come to the Soleil to "pick up" Dianna - and take her, as she surmises, to Ghingham.
Milan honestly still can't quite tell if she's the real thing, but he has no problem not having any Diannas on Counter to interfere with him.
Dianna, for her part, wouldn't mind a visit to the moon to meet face to face with Ghingham and Agrippa to figure out what they’re truly after.
But ZAFT is attacking, it seems! Phil blames Durandal immediately and prepares to attack while Midgard is taking off in a shuttle posthaste with Dianna in tow.
Before they go, Dianna wants to know what they plan to do with her on the moon. Midgard hazards a guess that they'll put her back in cold sleep.
That doesn't make sense, though, as Midgard is the one who ordered the assassination attempts on her. Why are they now trying to keep her alive?
"Insurance, perhaps," guesses Midgard again. "Perhaps His Highness Agrippa wishes to have m'lady on hand lest the Dianna Counter, evolved by their time on Earth, turn on the Moon."
"Evolved"? Midgard means that the tumultuous environment on Earth may have "sharpened their instincts for battle."
As he pushes her to the shuttle, Dianna still wonders what has Midgard and his master in quite such a rush...