Part 67: Mission Entrusted

Kira and Camille are helping Chris and Feldt patch the CB Gundams' OSes; it's a testament to how desperate we are for an advantage that outsiders are being allowed to tool around with Celestial Being's secret weapons. But it also shows how much trust Celestial Being has grown to place in the rest of GOONZ.



Tieria still looks uncomfortable to ZEUTH, but he assures them he's not about to start doubting them now. Kira, in turn, apologizes for making assumptions. Tieria insists he didn't have to, but Kira and Athrun insist - in their own battle, they learned the hard way how important it is to communicate openly (a tragic misunderstanding actually led to two halves of ZEUTH fighting each other all-out). Tieria says he'll keep it in mind.

Tieria's been more open himself ever since the incident between Setsuna and Lockon. Luna cracks that maybe he'll even tell us what Celestial Being's all about, but let's not get too crazy here. No, seriously, something's not right about the assumption that you can put a stop to conflict by eradicating weaponry. And even if it worked, what about the Imperium and all the other threats to humanity from outside?

Shinn is at least willing to believe that our Celestial Being wants world peace, however they go about it. He sees it in their eyes, especially Setsuna's. Harry has another question, though - can Celestial Being do it? The Gundams are powerful enough to rout an ordinary squadron of MSs with ease, but they're far from the top - even the Colonies' Gundams are likely an even match for them, and this universe is crawling with private super robots like Dancouga and Trider. Did Celestial Being really think they could take on all of that and come out on top? It seems far below a tactical mind like Sumeragi's. Harry suspects there's something more to the Plan...

Tieria, meanwhile, is actually worried - about Veda. After all, it's gotten to the point where Sumeragi has ordered failsafe software to be installed on the Gundams in case the traitors in the ranks can take control of Veda entirely and the Gundams must operate independently. Lockon reads him and reminds him of what Kira said about being open with one's thoughts. Tieria explains his concern that Veda has been compromised. They can now operate without it, perhaps, but without its aid, could they stand up to, for example, another Gundam?

Lockon reminds him that we still have Sumeragi's brilliant mind at our backs. Crowe adds that they also have GOONZ, all though it would be really nice if "they" could get some gratitude. Like, financial gratitude.

Tieria scowls and says Crowe has no right to take Sumeragi's aid so lightly, when he has no idea what crime she committed. Lockon stops him before he can say what that is, though. She made a mistake, that's all, and it may have been a big one, but she's fighting with her life to correct it even as she drowns the memory in alcohol. That's only a human thing to do. "Human," murmurs Tieria again.

Lockon finally reminds Tieria that now, all the Meisters working in concert is more important than ever, but Tieria retorts that Setsuna needs to hear that more than he does. Lockon agrees, but Crowe doesn't - from his perch outside the routine togetherness of the Meisters, he can see that Setsuna's grown too. That said, some things about the boy haven't changed one bit, and well, they probably won't ever.



Well, well, Alejandro and Ribbons have made it to the moon - to Veda, the machine at the beating heart of Schhenberg's Plan. Alejandro, and generations of Corners before him, have resented their duty to the Plan, but they couldn't escape it as long as Veda hummed away. Now he has the chance to break his dynasty free, and it's all thanks to his angel, Ribbons Almark. Ribbons can only apologize for taking so long, and it will take longer still to actually hack the device. But Alejandro has patience - the Corners have already been waiting over two hundred years for this. And because Veda is in real-time communication with and control of every mech under its influence, Alejandro will have a front row seat...



Looks like Liu-Min has been helping out the Trinities. It's her duty to support Celestial Being, regardless of who it is, as long as they are carrying out the Plan. She's aware that they're at odds with our Celestial Being, but she believes they're the ones changing the world. Johan doesn't care as long as they get what they need from her. And what they need now is a ticket to orbit for themselves and their Gundams.

Now, the other Trinities are suspicious of their new helper, since she's the one that got in touch with them out of nowhere, but Johan wasn't kidding, they need whatever they can get. Mihael agrees - they're on the run, surviving on rations, and he wants some damn meat (Nena pipes up to add she wants candy).



But Ali's boss wanted the Trinities taken care of. Laguna Harvey? No, Ali chuckles, he's dead - by Ali's own hand. "Just like this." He shoots Mihael, drops Johan, and decides that he'd rather finish the job mech-to-mech. Johan and Nena quickly get into theirs.


Chapter 36: Mission Entrusted
(Celestial Being route)



Nena and Johan are reeling, and mad, from Mihael's death...



But since he won't be needing his Gundam, Ali seems to have taken it as a war prize. The Throne Zwei is supposed to be locked to Mihael's biometrics, and Johan deduces that the lock's been hacked through Veda. Ali's not familiar with his new machine,



but he figures out the weapons enough to shoot a few shots at Johan and Nena. They've outlived their usefulness, y'see.



He cuts down the Ein, and Johan gasps that they're Meisters, created to change the world! The Ein explodes, and Ali revels in the glimmering beauty of a GN particle explosion. He turns his attention to Nena...



But GOONZ interrupts his fun. Setsuna is horrified to see Ali in a Gundam, and Ali shouts with joy that they came together by destiny - "just like you and me!"



Ali's men arrive as well. Nena wants revenge, but wanting to live more, executes a tactical retreat while Ali's forces are focused on us. And Ali is - the Ein wasn't enough for him, and he wants to give his new Gundam a test drive!



Sumeragi orders us to focus fire on the Gundam before worrying about the other MSes, so naturally, the game orders us to clean up the PMC units and then destroy Sachez. Doing it all in three turns, naturally.



It's not a big map, so we're on approach within a turn. Enacts and Helios only take a couple of hits, but once again, Ali has brought a few of the tough and (though not yet, mercifully) immobilizing Agrissas.



Of the mere fourteen MSs Ali brought, eight are down within another turn.



I had a bit about killing those fucking Agrissas, but we have a lot to get through this chapter.



We're only just about to destroy Ali, after all.



This may, however, hurt.

Ali al-Sachez!
What's the matter, Gundam boy? You don't want me in your precious Gundam?
The tables have turned, kiddo! Now that my machine's as good as yours, you don't stand a chance!
Be quiet... you are not Gundam!







So, that sucked.

Give up that Gundam, thief!
You're about as obsessed with Gundams as that Kurzisi kid, huh?
You don't know the purpose of the Gundam or the importance of its mission! You are not fit for the machine!
As far as I'm concerned, this thing's just a weapon! And once I get a toy, I don't give it up easy!








Hey, mercenary! You were with the KPSA?
You got the story from the Kurzisi kid? Guess you've got it in for me too!
Sorry, celery beans! I don't have time for every idiot who wants revenge for whatever!
Maybe you've done so much terrorism you just don't care...
But just one of those incidents took everything I cared about from me! And you're going to pay for that!



What do you fight for? To sate your hunger?
That's about right! Got a problem with it?
I can't stand people like you...
That's too bad, isn't it? Everyone has something wrong with them. I'm just a little worse than usual!
That's exactly what I'm saying! I can't stand people who can't control their own base urges!




And, at long last, Setsuna's Ace Bonus comes into play.





Okay, so it did this last chapter. But screw the Trinities.




No wonder Ali's so high. Setsuna steals his Adrenaline Ampule. Looks like even Ali al-Sachez can only do so much on his first time in an unfamiliar Gundam.



Suddenly, all four Gundams bug out.



Ime, who's watching god knows why, offers to explain why, but he suspects we are already perfectly aware. They've been cut off from Veda! Setsuna is flashing back to Kurzistan, when he was in Exia, yet unable to be Gundam.

Again... just like in Kurzistan...
When I was in Exia... yet unable to be Gundam...
No, Setsuna! You're not the same as you were then!
You don't have to fight alone! We're right here with you!
Don't give up! We're behind you!
Don't try to do everything alone! You're not the only Gundam!
I'm... still alive!
That's right! So move!
You know there's still something you have to do!
They're right, Setsuna! We can't die yet!
I'm alive! Move, Exia! We must fight!
GUNDAAAAAAM!
Kira! Now!
Calibration in progress, resetting zero moment and CPG...
Reconnecting FCS, switching control to the subcircuit... execute!



The Gundams are back online, but Tieria isn't, and Ime rubs it in - he's been forsaken by Veda, and he has nothing left to live for.







Ali sees his chance and pounces. Lockon takes the hit meant for Tieria, and Ali moves on to Setsuna, taunting him. Setsuna can't believe a man like Ali is piloting a Gundam...



And back on the moon, Alejandro is impressed by Sumeragi's preparation, but it won't be enough to make up for the loss of Veda. Meanwhile, Ribbons has advanced all the way to security level 7, the last level of the database.



So he finds himself at last at his goal: the cryogenic preservation pod of Aeolia Schhenberg himself. Schhenberg had himself preserved to be thawed out when the world was unified and at peace, but Alejandro says he'll never get to see it. But don't worry, he'll inherit Aeolia's mission of a world under one banner... that of Alejandro Corner, of course!



Suddenly, Aeolia's voice booms. "It is my deep regret to say that if evil has found its way here, the world I strove to create has not come to pass." Alejandro and Ribbons recognize that it's a trap set to trigger if Veda was ever fully compromised. "Humans continue their foolish battle, guiding the world to its doom," Aeolia continues. "It seems even the creation of a multiworld has not been enough to change that." Now, that's a shock! Aeolia was supposed to have died 200 years ago, long before the first quake. "However," says Aeolia's voice, "I still believe in humanity enough to entrust them with a new power. This planet... humanity... must change.



Ali is still enjoying his new Gundam. It's pretty much the best weapon ever!

No.



You're wrong!



That's not my Gundam!



Ali al-Sachez!



You...



You will pay!



By my hand!



With my Gundam!





Aeolia's voice speaks through all the Gundams, too. He says he doesn't know if they're the ones he entrusted his mission to, but he still wishes to entrust the full power of the GN Drives to them. "I pray you will fight for an end to conflict and a dawn of true peace. Not for Celestial Being, but of your own free will, and with the Gundams."

Knowing when he's actually outmatched, Ali makes a break for it. Sumeragi calculates that the red Exia temporarily attained, wait for it, triple the power across the board. And all four of our Gundams - the only ones equipped with genuine GN Drives - have unlocked it!

In the middle of all this, Tifa recognizes the voice as the one who lent Garrod the Satellite Cannon's power.



So there's still the matter of Ime Liard, who claims he came to sway Crowe by breaking Tieria's mind. Of course, it seems to have backfired, so Ime has to fall back to his second option:



Brute force.



Lockon is unconscious from Ali's blow, and a depressed Tieria drags him away from the battlefield.

Crowe invites Ime to come at him straight, but Ime's goal isn't to harm Crowe, just to sway his heart. "I want to see the you who wants to live and the you who would rather be dead hanging in the balance..."

Besides, it'll be much more fun to see him fight Marguerite. Before she was uncertain and hesitant. Now she's full of anger and hatred and will attack with all her might.



Anyway, now it's just a straightforward battle with Damons led by Pearlnail.



Lots of Damons, by the way, and not a regular one in sight. I think this is the point where Bulldamons just become regular DAMon grunt forces. Yay.

(Wait, Lockon Stratos. This will end soon.)
I will use the power I have been entrusted with to fight my battle!



I'll spare you the Damons, but for Camille fans, he's finally regained enough of his psychic power to use that saber.

En guarde, Crowe Brust!
I think she's serious this time... she wants my blood, huh?!
You took from me the last thing I had! You will pay!
...I don't care if you're some fancy honorable knight, you gotta stay frosty on the battlefield.
If I'm fighting for my life, I fight like I want to live. That means giving it all I've got...











Suffice to say the battle with the DAMons is long, annoying, and dull.




So here are videos of our newly unlocked attacks (you'll have to wait a long while to see Virtue's and Dynames' Trans-Ams, though).



Let's ignore them and focus on Pearlnail.







I can't wait to have Valor.



Now, I was going to have Crowe finish her anyway, but it's actually important for him to do it right now.










Sorry, but I can't afford mercy either.

Marguerite drops a Vernier and mutters that she can't avenge her brother. No one, least of all Crowe, has any idea of what she's talking about. The Imperium's just them and DAMons, isn't it?




Anyway, Damons suck, kill them all (eventually). Yet again, Ime gloats that "the scales wavered but the fulcrum didn't break," then leaves.

But something big's happening in Area 11. It's supposed to be the ceremony for the establishment of Euphemia's "Special Administrative Region of Japan" initiative, which would give Area 11 back much of its rights and independence while maintaining it as a Britannian territory. But...



Instead, Euphemia has ordered the execution of all the Japanese gathered at the establishment site! Naturally, the Black Knights stormed the area to stem the damage. Intense fighting broke out between them and the Britannian forces stationed there, and the arrival of the Imperium has thrown the whole thing into chaos. Meanwhile, Britannian officials have offered no comment on Euphemia's behavior, but it's clear that the Japanese rebellion is only going to get far more intense in the near future.



Treize can't believe there's one more thing pushing the world towards its doom. Amuro asks if he doesn't have the power to change that himself. Treize sadly says he's only one man, but Amuro, for some reason, thought more of him.

So Treize asks Amuro point-blank - were he in Treize's place, could he change the world without sacrificing a single life?

But Amuro has an idea of what he can do. He's going to join ZEUTH. As promised, Treize has no intention of stopping him, and has even kept Amuro's mobile suit ready for them. And Quattro?



We're not to find out now. But man, Euphemia. She basically lured all the Japanese into a trap and slaughtered them. Now pockets of terrorism are expanding all over Area 11, and it's being overrun by the Imperium's Damons.

In the wake of the disaster, Elgan is calling GOONZ back together. It's not the best time, given all the revelations about the traitor in Celestial Being, but Sumeragi knows she has a duty to GOONZ, and she can count on GOONZ' support in return. The traitor isn't just a Celestial Being matter - whoever he is, he's an enemy of the whole world, and it's GOONZ' duty to stop him together.

As for Lockon, he'll make it. Tieria and Feldt are by his side. Crowe's glad Celestial Being's big brother isn't biting it just yet, and while the Meisters didn't exactly think of him that way, it makes a lot of sense.

Also, our rendezvous point is back at Dragon's Hive. Team D is anxious to have a word with F. S. again.



Lockon's got an eye out, but that's not going to stop him from fighting. Tieria blames himself, but Lockon doesn't - and this sort of sympathy isn't like Tieria. What's really bothering him? Tieria chokes out that without his direct link to Veda, he has no right to call himself a Meister...

Wait, what?

It would explain why Virtue was buggiest when they made the OS switch; pilot error, as they say. Either way, Lockon doesn't see the problem - if Tieria's missing his link, that just puts him on their level. And Lockon doesn't believe for a second that losing Veda means they can't carry out the Plan. All they have to do is stick with their Gundams and keep fighting the good fight as best they can. That's what the rest of GOONZ is doing.

Tieria apologizes again, though, and Lockon tells him not to worry about it. "Everyone makes mistakes. It's only human."



Alejandro's flipped out and shot Aeolia's pod! Cool as ever, Ribbons is merely reflecting on that mysterious ability of original GN Drives, absent from all recorded data. There's a black box in them they haven't been able to reproduce; the secret must lie there.

Alejandro rants and raves, cursing Aeolia for "playing God," and Ribbons muses that that title might not be too far off for Aeolia Schhenberg - though now he, Ribbons, knows of the man who stood at that God's right hand. Meanwhile, Alejandro will not let this stop him from advancing his plan to the final phase and then wiping out everyone who ever opposed him!



So a lot of things just happened! However, we are going to go see what went down in Japan before we circle around to Area 11 and learn just what went wrong with Euphemia. Stay tuned for Dai-Guard!