Part 92: Daybreak's Bell (Part 2, 3)

We join our chapter already in progress as the four Meisters catch up to the Ptolemy. They seem to have made it...



just in time. Or did they? Ali says he was laying in wait for the Gundams. His employer, you see, would very much like them out of the picture. "Prioritize them," he quotes, "over all else, even GOONZ."

Sounds like his employer is the Celestial Being traitor himself. He wants to see the Gundams wrecked so bad he'll send the entire U. N. Forces against all of GOONZ.

And the Ptolemy is sound, but its maneuvering is knocked out; it's dead in the water. Sumeragi orders the Meisters to defend the Ptolemy and focus on the Gundam Throne. Let's shoot this warmonger down!



(Hallelujah's back to lend a hand again.)



So yeah, it's just the four Gundams against all of Ali's soldiers - and it's Setsuna and Lockon I need to keep safe.



It's a good thing the Gundams start on all four sides of the Ptolemaios, the optimal arrangement for a cast of Rouse; they've been started with some Will, but every advantage helps.



It's also worth pointing out that the Ptolemy can't move, but it can execute repairs on adjacent units.



That heal was worth a ton of experience, but the important thing is that Sumeragi learns Awaken, completing the ship's Spirit list.

Ali al-Sachez! Leader of the KPSA!
Heh! So you heard the story from that Kurzhisi kid!
You orchestrated those suicide bombings in Ireland! Why?
I'm a mercenary! Besides, can you blame the Middle East for trying to stop the construction of the AEU's orbital elevator?
So you let innocent people get hurt?
And what makes you different? Terrorists trying to stop all war, right?
And I'll accept whatever's coming to me... after I shoot you down!
Talk as big as you want, but you're just like me!
You're the one starting wars! I won't let you leave here in one piece!








Lockon's Haro learns Panic...

We go all the way back, don't we, little Kurzhisi boy?
Ali al-Sachez! The one spreading war... the distortion in the world!
You're one to talk! You Celestial Being guys are distorting the hell out of everything yourselves!
We are fighting for peace... and if our fight has distorted the world, we will take responsibility for it!
With our Gundams!
Don't make me laugh! Your fight ends right here! Because I'm going to end it!








Thanks, Setsuna! Ali drops an Autorepair Machine.

It's over, Ali al-Sachez!
He... beat me... me...
Or did you?
What?
You've gone soft, little Kurzhisi!



Fall back, Setsuna!



You wanna mess with me? Your right side is wide open!
I'll kill you!











How... did...



Lockon!
I'm fine... Setsuna... I avenged my family...
(Dad, Mom, Amy... that's one less regret...)



Lockon passes out and the Dynames drifts away... but there's something else on approach!



A tremendous golden craft with Alejandro at the helm, and very impressed that we managed to fight off Ali even with the odds stacked against us. Chris reports that the thing is equipped with multiple knockoff solar furnaces. All thirty the U.N. had are accounted for, so whoever's in that one has his own source - in fact, he's probably their source.

So that's...
The person who has hijacked Aeolia Schhenberg's plan!
Hah hah hah hah hah! Celestial Being... the phantoms of Aeolia Schhenberg!
I, Alejandro Corner, will take you into the new world order!

A quick lookup shows that Mr. Corner is an ambassador to the U. N. So this is the man who pulls the strings of the UNF from the shadows...



Feldt has been calling for Lockon this entire time, but unfortunately, Sumeragi needs her attention on the battlefield right now. Alejandro demands that we power down our weapons and pledge loyalty to him - "the one who is carrying on the will of Aeolia Schhenberg.

Or do you claim you can carry out his plan?
Face reality. The world is in my grasp.
...
I command the might to challenge the Imperium. I alone have the ability to unite humanity.
I can do all that you, who have made enemies of the world, cannot!
Wrong.
Why not? The proof is the absolute force you see before you!
You cannot win! Not against the Imperium, not against me... not against this world!
Wrong!
Admit it, Celestial Being! I alone am--
Oh, give it a goddamn rest.



Alejandro cannot believe we made it through all that firepower, and GOONZ cannot believe he's such a shit. He may be U. N., but we know that Celestial Being wants peace, just like GOONZ does. And even if they started out like terrorists, they changed in their pursuit of world peace.

Well, that's a shame, because Alejandro was going to induct GOONZ into the UNF for our heroism.

Crowe asks after Lockon; Sumeragi says we have to shoot that thing down if we want a chance to recover him in time.

Then come, GOONZ! And Celestial Being!
As the ruler of the new world, I will send you away to your end! The world no longer needs you!



So all I need to do is shoot down the "Alvatore."



Coming off of bosses like Zuul, Alejandro has nothing going for him other than brute force. He has a lot of HP (that doesn't regenerate) and no interesting skills, not even Genius. None of his weapons inflicts so much as Mobility Down.



He sits at the west end of the map, right where GOONZ is and where Setsuna can be pretty quickly.



GOONZ comes in with a good amount of Will as well, and you may have noticed it's an uncharacteristic Gundam party in here.



No rush, though, so I'm going to get them to try to rendezvous with the Ptolemy. It's not like the Taurus put up any resistance of note.




Setsuna's damage bonus against GN-Xs is still stupid, though.



This dumb machine isn't even super fast.



Can't you tell when I'm trying to drag you towards my ship because it can't move? Rude.



Come on.

The Alvatore is the incarnation of my power. The output of its seven imitation GN Drives is more than a match for a Gundam.
With this victory, I will ascend to my rightful place as ruler of the new world and guide mankind into the future.



Not with that firepower you won't.



Yet another turn, and he's just one square out of the Ptolemy's range, this is dumb. I'm actually impressed he has dialogue for Sumeragi given that I have to work this hard to see it. (I kind of thought Rasse would have Snipe. Nope.)



And now he's just going to fire on Sumeragi from nine squares away.

I appreciate all you've done, Celestial Being.
It's all thanks to you that the UNF exists. Allow me to show my appreciation.
Yes, Aeolia Schhenberg's plan called for global unification.
But you've twisted that goal to justify taking power for yourself.
It is my belief that this is the best path for humanity.
That is not any one person's choice to make! It belongs to the whole world!
Alejandro Corner! I will not let you spoil everything we've fought to achieve!






No damage.

Now I can actually start on him. Don't say I never did anything for you.

A Gundam from ZEUTH. Let me see if you have the power to deserve that name.
Don't you pop out at the very end and act like you're better than us!
I don't think a coward like you can guide the world to anything!
Impertinent child! Rue your isolence in Hell!
And I'm not gonna get shot down by anybody who can pull off a perfect villain line like that!





There's one thing about the Alvatore: it has a supercharged GN Field that neutralizes attacks that do less than 5000 damage.

We could fight the Imperium if we and the UNF joined forces!
The world will be saved by my U. N. Forces. You'll only be trouble afterwards, so I'm getting rid of you now.
You... don't understand what's going on at all!
We can't give the world to someone like you! The world and its people don't need you!



I reject all by the name of Gundam!




You're the commander of the UNF, right? Make them stop this fight!
We have to work together to defeat the Imperium!
A soldier like yourself has no right to judge me.
To determine the world's future is the right of the chosen alone.
You don't see lives, do you? Then you have no right to lead!
You don't realize how precious life is, so you'll never lead anyone to happiness!





I think that's everybody who is just too underused to have any hope of cracking that thing.

What are you trying to do, ordering this pointless war?
This is an operation to sound the bell that signals a new daybreak for the world. One that has no need for rebels like you.
All you're doing is fueling the world's wars!
You sound very much like Celestial Being, boy.
They've been fighting for peace, and so have I... and I'll fight you, too!
You're the cause of all this! And I'm going to stop you!






Pulling the strings from the shadows, trying to take all the power for yourself... and you call yourself a leader?
That's exactly why I've come to see the very end through personally.
So you're not just a coward, you're a fool as well.
What?
You won't defeat us... and we will stop you!










The world is buckling under the weight of this man's selfishness...
Please, don't group me with the tyrants of the old world.
I will change the world into something better. I will bring it light.
If you could do that, you wouldn't have to do this!
You're ignoring the threat of the Imperium to defend yourself! You have no right to lead anything!








Colony Gundam, your fight will not have been in vain.
...
I will guide the Earth and the colonies together to a brighter future.
Your future is not the one I want, nor is it hers.
Locked on. Target... Alejandro Corner!






If it isn't Zero of the Black Knights. I will free Area 11, just as you've always wished.
A low-minded fool such as yourself has no right to speak of that.
What?
The way you rule is tainted by greed and egotism.
I will not allow it!
Hear the decree of Zero, leader of the Black Knights! Alejandro Corner! Begone from this world and from this era!






That big golden machine is so ostentatious I want to puke.
But GOONZ has machines like this, doesn't it?
You did not just compare yourself to Lt. Shades. At least he has the skill to back it up.
Buckle up, Mr. Traitor. You're in for a harsh lesson in how nothing in the world comes easy!
And in the process, I'll blow off some debt by scrapping your mech's plating!





I should point out that every pilot who has Attack Again has had the opportunity to Attack Again. Come on, Alejandro.

And finally...

Gundam Exia... I believe its Meister's codename is Setsuna F. Seiei.
So you are the traitor!
Traitor? I merely corrected Aeolia Schhenberg's plan to fit the current era.
Who gave you the right?
The Corner family's dream this past two hundred years.
You started this fight. So I'll fight you!
As a member of Celestial Being, and of GOONZ!
Struggle all you like, Gundam! A relic of the ending age!
Exia! Setsuna F. Seiei! Eliminating the target!






And, even though the bulk of the Alvatore's reward comes from its carried treasure of 50000 G - don't leave home without Bless.



I really don't have enough money, do I?

Alejandro can't believe that he stacked the deck against GOONZ so thoroughly and they've foiled him at every turn. Even now, though, he insists that he has merely taken over Aeolia's plan, not changed it - in the name of "destruction and reconstruction." Celestial Being's plan to destroy all arms would only lead the world to destruction, he claims. It happened to be at the hands of the Imperium, but their rampage of destruction also brought forth growth in the form of unification. Under his watch, of course. The only thing we can say is wrong with his vision for the new world is that we have no place in it! He is already effectively commanding the world through his control of Veda, and that includes a plan to fight the Imperium, though he refuses to say what that card could be...



He tries to fly away, faster than any GOONZ can keep up with (where was this speed when I was trying to bait him, anyway?), but...



Lockon's awake!



He shoots down a solar furnace...



Giving Setsuna the chance to go after him. Alejandro continues fleeing, and Lockon yells at Setsuna, the pilot of their one counter-Gundam Gundam, to go after him.

It's up to you... Setsuna...
No UNF reinforcements detected...
Lockon! Come in, Lockon!
I'll... be fine... go after Setsuna...
Come on...
Hurry. That Christmas ornament might still have backup.
I'm not sure if Setsuna can handle it alone...
Lockon...
You can't lose him... go...
I've got my Haro with me. Don't worry about me.
Fine. We'll be waiting for you, Lockon.
Roger.



Whew...
Haro... after the battle's over, take Dynames to the Ptolemy.
Lockon! Lockon!
That's an order.
Lockon! Lockon!
Sorry... I'm turning in.
Lockon! Lockon! Lockon! Lockon! Lockon! Lockon!
Heh. I just didn't want them to see me like this.
Watch the solar furnace for me... so long, partner...
Lockon!
I did what I had to do...
I fought with everything I had... I avenged my family...
I guess it's time to pay. But there's worse places to die... than looking at the Earth...



Dad... Mom... Amy...
I always knew... that maybe we were never going to change anything... we were never going to bring anything back...
But still... there's another day... a future for Lyle...
The Earth is beautiful... you can't see the violence from out here...
So... are you... happy with this world...?
I... I'm not...



Alejandro still thinks he can escape and regroup while we're distracted by reinforcements.



He's pretty wrong.

Alejandro insists that Setsuna is in the wrong here, for trying to destroy while the world is healing. Setsuna knows that Lockon was right, that he can only destroy... but at least he can try to destroy what's wrong with the world!




He wrecks the Alvatore, but that only reveals what Alejandro had hidden inside it: the Alvaaron, an ace in the hole Alejandro didn't expect to have to play. And with GOONZ tied up by his reinforcements, all he has to do is take down Exia to escape. How hard can that be?

Don't bother! The Alvaaron is equipped with the same type of GN Field as the Alvatore!
Lockon... I understand what you were trying to tell me now!
I will fight! I will destroy the distortions of this world! As Gundam!



Funny story about that.



And that's another 50k bounty.

I-impossible! It's just one Gundam!



: Whoooooah!





Seen it.



And at the very end, Ribbons calls to let Alejandro know before he goes that this was all according to plan - not Aeolia's Plan, but Ribbons'. He does appreciate the world being nicely wrapped up for him.



And that's the end of Alejandro Corner.



GOONZ' ships arrive just in time for the aftermath; the other Meisters explain that while the other Gundams were equipped with GN weaponry, only Exia had a physical blade of metal - just in case the Plan went off its rails and something was needed to fight against another Gundam with a GN Field. That's why Lockon sent Setsuna to follow Alejandro.



Dynames flies in, but only the Haro responds to the others, repeating Lockon's name over and over again. No one needs to be told what it means...

Drawing the short straw right to the end! How stupid can you get!
Ah... aaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!
Lockoooooooooooooooooon!



Treize has come to pick us up, and he's got someone else with him we might want to talk to...



Well.



Meanwhile, in Azadistan, Setsuna's letter has made it to...

"Marina Ismail. I send this message as our battle draws to its close. To end war by force of arms... all I could do was fight for Celestial Being, but you gave me a reason to fight. Just like when... when I was a young boy in Kurzhistan and I saw that Gundam. I wanted to know... why was the world so twisted? Where did that distortion come from? Why can people not help but do evil? Why must people rule and be ruled, hurt and be hurt... and why do they struggle to live on? I wanted to know, and I thought you could tell me. I thought you, who follows the same goal by a different path, could tell me how people could understand one another. And afterwards, I kept searching with the Gundam."



Relena is listening too, and she thinks she knows just how Marina feels. A boy she knows is probably going through the same struggle as Marina's Celestial Being friend.

All the world's governments have joined hands, and humanity's enemies are soon to be banished. But after that, will there really be peace? Relena doesn't have an answer, but she knows it's their duty to keep searching. And she herself believes that because of Heero Yuy.



Sirin is going to introduce the new U. N. ambassador, and Marina asks Relena to stay. She'll need her help to save her country, and Relena can't say no.

Oh, but the ambassador?



She introduces herself as Diana Soleil...



Lockon... he's been talking about his penance for a long time, but it still feels like too soon. They're this close to saving the world, and he won't be there with them...



Elgan and Treize spill everything about how Alejandro played Celestial Being and the U. N., and that Treize and Schneizel el Britannia were working with him. Aeolia's plan was to unite the world against Celestial Being, but when the Imperium showed up, Alejandro chose to take advantage of it - though it's still not clear whether he was ever following the original spirit of the plan. Anyway, Alejandro betrayed his co-conspirators, Treize and Schneizel, who really were trying to bring the world together, setting off a chain of events that culminated in the battle that just ended.

Elgan admits that he only became aware of the trio recently; Treize and Schneizel were on his side, but they didn't want to risk openly backing up GOONZ and losing their own standings to Alejandro. Now that he's out of the picture, the Chairman will once again help us bring about a proper new world.



Sumeragi slaps him. Hard.

She may agree with his judgment and his actions, but those actions still cost GOONZ one of their own. Zero, meanwhile, can't figure out what's still bothering him about Elgan. All the actions that had GOONZ suspicious of him have just been explained, but he can't shake a nagging doubt. "Elgan Roddick... his vision is not of a unified world. His sight is cast much further out... what is it? Something more than peace..."



Rasse runs in to call Sumeragi urgently to the bridge. The Quarter has detected a huge swarm of Imáge has appeared at the south pole. "So it's begun," mutters Elgan. "Beware, GOONZ. Where the Imáge are, they will come. The Imperium is about to move."



I'm sorry, but the last thing to come on screen is a new equippable Haro.