Alrighty! No upgrades. We're up to 200k, frankly I'm okay with this.
Hikaru:We've kinda been takin' our time, though. The enemies just keep coming!
Koji:The opposition from ZAFT was bad enough, and just when we thought we could escape to the Mediterranean, we ran into a swarm of Radam, and after -that- came the Gradosian unmanned weapons! We did a good job of holding out, that's for sure.
Sayaka:No need for the recap. We'll be home soon, so just hang in there, Koji!
Koji:Yeah, tell me about it, Sayaka...
Festenia:It's chow time, guys!
Katia:I'll have the potato croquette special, please.
This is the point in every japanese thing where they talk about food for a moment, for some reason. I hope you're not hungry.Festenia:And I want a big ol' portion of chow mein!
Katia:...No matter what you think about our situation, at least the meal breaks are fun.
Koji:Huh, only you two are here? Where're Melua and Calvina?
Katia:In the hangar.
Festenia:Shinobu and Domon were at each other's throats again, y'know. Calvina tried to stop 'em, but...
The two angry guys are getting into fights? How about that.Akito:Sorry, Tenia. We're out of chow mein.
Akito was also hired as the cook, remember. Plot consistancy!Festenia:Huh?! You gotta be kiddin' me! How can you fly a warship without noodles?!
Izumi:They can throw anything at us, but the Nadesico is still the best... More like... the NaBESTico! Hehehehehe....
That was.... barely wordplay.Festenia:Ugh, I can't believe I have to eat this junk instead...
Izumi:Don't spit out perfectly good food...
Ryoko:That's just immature, Tenia! And are those two really at it AGAIN? Dammit, we're surrounded by hot-blooded guys on this ship!
Akito:Well, it's not like we have a shortage of hot-blooded girls, either...
Ryoko:W-What're you tryin' to suggest, dumbass?!
Hikaru:Both the Cyber-Beast Force and Domon are strong, but there's not an ounce of cooperative spirit between them. All it takes is one bad joke to set 'em off...
Juzo:They've been a huge help, though. I wonder if the Archangel is doin' all right?
Chizuru:Yeah... Even if we drew the brunt of ZAFT's forces away from them, that's not exactly a guarantee. If they meet with the Radam and the Gradosian Army like we did...
Hyoma:No use just sitting here thinkin' about it. Kira and Eiji are with them, so I'm sure they'll manage it somehow.
Koji:Come to think of it... We were so busy here that I completely forgot about those wierdos we ran into back in Africa! Now I'm wondering what kind of guys they were...
Juzo:Who are you talking about, again?
Koji:Those guys who attacked us right after we landed on Earth. The ones who like, froze us, remember?
Ryoko:Oh yeah, those guys... They're bad news, all right.
Koji:I wonder what they're all about... Katia, can you tell us what you know about them?
Katia:...Sure.
Time passes.Katia:Yes, and we were trapped there until shortly before we met you. Still... we have no idea what they're up to.
Ryoko:These guys sound nuts! All right, lemme get this straight. You took Bellzelute and escaped while the guy who opened the way for you stayed behind and died, but... You have no idea why you were there in the first place?
Festenia:Right...
The Nadesico moves out of northern africa and across lower asia.Akatsuki:If I remember correctly, that area fell within ZAFT's sphere of influence shortly before I embarked to the Nadesico.
Prospector:I'm afraid you're mistaken. While ZAFT took Kaoshun initially, Gradosian unmanned weapons soon forced their withdrawal.
Jun:The UEFA requested that we take it back, then?!
Erina:How are we supposed to accomplish that if they can transport in as many unmanned units as they need?
Inez:It appears the Gradosians are trying a new tactic, actually.
Yurika:I heard about that! Sounds like they deployed some kind of incredible new weapon...
Ruri:The army codenamed it "The Walking Stick." It's an enormous ultra long-range weapon, currently located in a strategic firing position near Kaoshun bay. The data indicates that all three Federation Special Task Forces sent to disable it have failed miserably, so... ...Gues it's our turn to get sent to our deaths.
Optimistic outlook, I see.Calvina:...We're being sent to take it out?
Yurika: Right! Nergal said we have to follow the military's orders, and since we were already nearby... We're going to take it down!
Megumi:But even the military failed, and the Nadesico still needs a lot of repairs...
Yurika: We'll be all right, Megumi! We have Domon and the rest of the guys from the CBF, and we can blow it up with a long range Gravity Blast if we have to!
Prospector:From a purely economic point of view, I approve.
Megumi:That is, if everyone will be out of harm's way...
Minato:You mean Akito, right?
Megumi:Y-Yes...
Hey guys I think Akito is a part of a love quadrangle.Yurika:Don't worry, Akito's fine! Let's make it happen!
Ruri:The Captain certainly seems to be enjoying herself.
The Nadesico moves towards the southeastern corner of asia. I think it's the eastern corner. I'm kind've bad with directions. ... Near Australia. We also shift scene to the bridge of the Tuatha De Danann, a submarine.Full Metal Panic! has arrived! All these people are from Full Metal Panic!, and the "Arm Slaves" are this series name for giant robot. I'll go over what makes FMP! so neat in the battle segment because I need as much to talk about in them as I can get. I think most of you will approve. In my eyes, they are the most "real" real robot. But we will discuss this later. Also yes, the ! is a part of the series name.Tessa:Splendid! By the way... A warship from Nergal being ordered to cooperate with the UEFA? It's all rather unexpected, isn't it?
Mardukas:They have Eastern Asia's Cyber-Beast Force with them. We're confident they'll perform admirably.
Tessa:I wonder if this was all Prof. Hazuki's idea? Kaoshun base... Hm. When the Nadesico approaches the new Jovian Weapon, the Gravity-Wave Railgun, they'll be forced to make an emergency landing, correct?
Kalinin:Yes. Even their touted Distortion Field can't handle an attack that powerful.
Reminder, the Distortion field is specifically designed to deal with gravity based attacks, and to a lesser extent beam attacks. So that thing is packing some punch! As you'd expect from a railgun. Also of note is that these guys are all business.Tessa:If we're to believe the report, the weapon launches micri-black holes as a means of attack... Truly fearsome. Perhaps the aliens deserve praise for coming up with this kind of technology? Either way, if we leave things up to the UEFA, their probability of success will remain dangerously low. We're going to support them on land and proceed to close in and destroy the weapon.
Higgs Boson joke. Also, mentioning it now, Tessa is like, 16 or something. And yes, she is the captain. This will make sense later, but as always prepare for a bit of anime plot device. Even FMP! isn't free of it. I honestly feel it's a pretty well executed device, but we'll see when we get there. Then again I think Yurika is only like, 20, so it's not too far off, honestly.Kalinin:An excellent strategy. They don't have many disciplined soldiers with long march experience like we do. Sure, the Nadesico's pilots have significant combat experience, but most of it comes from aerial battles, not land operations like this one. They could really stand to improve their training program honestly.
Tessa:They still managed to return from Mars, and the CBF was hand-picked for their exceptional aptitude and combat experience.
Mardukas:True, but they can be unreliable in extreme circumstances.
Tessa:On that subject, it seems the Nadesico's Captain is a 20-year-old girl. Our intel also states that she's the daughter of the UEFA's Adm. Misumaru.
Mardukas:I don't know what those civilians are thinking... No matter hwo good they may be, that crew of theirs is nothing but trouble.
Tessa:Hmph... If you say so.
Mardukas:You're a special case, Captain. Not only can you command this ship, but you have exceptional skills in a wide-range of fields, as well.
Tessa: That you for saying so, but... I want to meet her. I want to meet Capt. Yurika Misumaru of the Nadescio, and its operator, Ms Ruri Hoshino.
Time passes.Kalinin:30 seconds. Urzu 2, stand by at the catapult.
Kurz is basically a kinda pervvy frat boy. Mao is actually.... very normal and fairly human for a giant robot anime charecter! And Sosuke isn't too bad either, although he can get a bit robotty.Mao:Give me a break, Kurz. Do you EVER let up on the ladies man act?
Kurz:Heheheh! C'mon, don't act like you don't like it, Mao!
Mao: Don't do anything unnecessary, either, Sosuke.
Sosuke: No problem.
Kalinin:It's time.
Mao:Urzu 2, launch! 6,7! Don't lag behind! THis aint' exactly trigonometry, but let your guard down and they'll send you running home to your mommies!
Mardukas:Flight deck closed, Captain.No problems.
Tessa:Excellent work. As planned ,let's submerge to 100m and circle the area. Flood main ballast tank! Submersion angle, 10 degrees. Speed, 10 knots and accelerating!
Mardukas:Aye aye, ma'am! Main ballast tank flooded, submersion angle at 10 degrees. Current speed set at 10 knots.
Later, on the surface.Calvina:Mithril seems like an incredibly powerful organization... I'm Calvina Coulange, the operation commander. It's a pleasure to meet all of you.
Kurz: No, the pleasure is all mine! I'm ah, looking forward to deepening our friendship while on guard tonight...(heart) *wink* *wink* Oof!
The *wink* *wink* is actually there, I didn't make that up.Mao:You'll want to ignore this idiot, if possible. I heard the Nadesico's forces were comprised solely of civilian pilots, but you seem to have recieved military training.
Akatsuki:Good guess. She's an ex-2nd Lieutenant of the UEFA's space forces.
Mao:A specialist in space combat, huh? You made it back from Mars, so I figure you must be pretty good.
Ryoko:Hey, are these really the guys they sent to help us?
Ryo:They're Mithril's elite... All of them are specialists in one field or another. They're not all nessacerily great pilots, mind you, but I'm sure we'll benefit from their experience during this operation.
Ryoko:They're the cream of the crop? *whistle*
Hikaru:MSgt. Mao, sure... But the happy-go-lucky blonde surfer dude? That frownster next to him doesn't exactly strike me as the reliable type, either!
Shinobu:Mao. You made it.
Mao:Huh! That supposed to be a greeting? Nice to see you too, Shinobu.
Kurz:Oh, don't say that. Yo, Sara! It's been a long time, baby! I spent a lot of restless nights thinkin' bout how badly I wanted to see you again...
Sara:...You really ARE a screw up, just like the crew of the Danann warned me! I wonder how Mao puts up with your idiocy...
Kurz:You know I like my women like I like my candy! Fireballs! Nuclear Warheads! You can only try to keep me out of your life, girl!
Mao:It was an order. Just try to keep away from each other's throats, you two!
Masato:Hey, what about me, Mao?
Kurz:Oh, my... Now that I'm paying attention, I can't help but be distracted by all the sexful foxes around here... Please, forgive my lack of manners! I am Kurz Weber, noble warrior of Mithril, 'specially dispatced to your aid, O Beautiful Princesses!
Kurz is officially making up words.Sayaka:What's wrong with this guy?
Mao:Kurz! Cut it out, already!
Juzo:Are we really gonna be all right with these guys in charge?
Sosuke:I assure you, it won't be a problem.
Kosuke: You're all equipped with Arm Slaves... ...Looks like they're new models, improved over the M6, too.
Mao:You're a very knowledgeable boy.
Chizuru:Kosuke's good pilot, too!
Mao:I'm extremely familiar with the back story of the Combattler team, Ms. Chizuru Nanbara. Those are M9s, kid. They're the latest model, capable of overcoming even ZAFT mobile suits. We're the only ones on the block piloting 'em.
Kosuke: That booster is for emergency cruise missle launch... How did you get here?
Akatsuki:I wanted to ask about that, too. Does it have anything to do with the contact point being so far away from the Nadesico?
Mao:Heh, that's classified!
Shinobu:Aren't we running out of time? How long do you intend to stand there, anyway?!
Calvina:Let's discuss the details and leave in 10 minutes. Based on our intel, the next shot from the Walking Stick is in 12 hours. We need to destroy it at about 0600 tomarrow, so we'll want to make it to Kaoshun one hour before that deadline. 0500 is our time limit.
Mao:Okay. Leave the pathfinding to us. Sosuke, you take care of the final details.
Time passes.Sosuke:I think we may have been infiltrated.
Calvina:What makes you say that, Sergeant?
Sosuke:Quiet... Now!
Death Army:HOOOOOWWWWWLLLLL!
Calvina:Those are... The monsters allied with the Devil Gundam?! What are they doing here?! Sergeant, wake up the others!
The death army attacks them!Calvina:Tch?!
Sosuke:What was that?!
Hyoma:H-Hey, where'd that explosion come from?!
Mao:Look alive, Sosuke!
Sosuke:It's an attack! Wake up and get in your units! Hey, you! Don't move!
Sosuke:Who are you? Throw down your weapons.
? ? ?:Are you pointing your gun at me? Or... perhaps you're just trying to distract me from your sniper?
Calvina:A sniper? Don't tell me...
? ? ?:Yes. He's perched from that tree.
Sosuke:He knew Kurz was there all along?!
Kurz:(Are you kidding me?! How did he figure out I was up here?!)
? ? ?:No matter. I'm coming out now. As you can see, I'm unarmed.
Sosuke:Don't lie. You were the one who destroyed those EX-2s.
So the mystery figure took out two zombie robot things with his BARE HANDS.Master Asia! From G-Gundam. He's kind've a badass. We will see to what depths he is in the future.Mao:Fine. Either way, don't come any closer, and no suspicious moves!
Domon:H-Hold on! You're... Master Asia! Master, it's you!
And he is Domon's martial arts master.Ryoko:Huhhhhhhhh?
Sara:You know this suspicious old man?
Master Asia:Answer me, Domon! The School of the Undefeated of the East!Domon:The Winds of the King!
Master AsiaZenshin!
Domon:Keiretsu!
Master Asia:Tenpa!
Domon:Kyoran!
Master Asia:Look!
Domon:The East is burning red!
Hell yes.Juzo:...What the heck was that?
Master Asia:It's bene a long time, Domon... No, my acknowledged King of Hearts!
This "King of Hearts" thing will make sense later, although not due to the game. I'll explain it when the time comes.Domon:Master... I'm so glad to see you again!
Master Asia:What's wrong? You're no longer a child. Enough tears.
Akito:Those two seem to be up to something, don't they?
Izumi:What if Master Asia stopped laughing? ...He'd be no laughing master! Hehehehehe....
Kurz:Man, I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this!
On the bridge of the Nadesico...Calvina:...And that's the story. The officers Mithril sent are extremely familiar with the area's geography, and an old man, Mr Kasshu's master, is coming along with us.
Yurika:I get it! He must be looking for the Devil Gundam in the area, too! Well, if anything unexpected happens, you'll just have to take care of it.
Calvina:Roger. We have nothing left to report. End of transmission.
Rain:Domon's master...
Megumi:Not only do they have to face the Gradosians, but now the Devil Gundam's there, too... ...I wonder if Akito will be all right?
Minato:Still, the things they said about Domon's master... Didn't it sound a little strange to you?
Rain:That man trained Domon ever since he was a child.
Yurika:Buuuuuuut... Doesn't any of what they said strike you as being kinda wierd? Like that Master guy taking down those zombie robots with his BARE HANDS?
Ruri:...Suspend your disbelief, Captain.
Meanwhile, Near KaoshunMaster Asia:Behold... Kaoshun Base!
Koji:And that huge thing must be the Walking Stick...
Mao:What's our timeframe lookin' like?
Calvina:We're fine. We made it here quickly, so we have plenty of time left.
Ryoko:Man, that was a pain in the ass, though... The Battas and Death Army should be on us any minute now.
Chizuru:I wonder why the Death Army isn't fighting with the Gradosians?
Hyoma:Maybe they haven't run into each other yet?
Domon:...Master, where are they?
Master Asia:I don't know. For now, we must focus on that which is in sight. That weapon is too dangerous to be left intact.
Domon:Right! You're amazing, Master!
Shinobu:Tch... It's all right to have respect for a guy, but this is too much.
Ryoko:Akito, Longhair, you handle the external batteries!
Presumably for operating outside the range of the Nadesico.Akito:These are the last ones we have.
Calvina:All right, let's begin. I'm counting on all of you!
Master Asia:In that case... I'll excuse myself.
Domon:Master, where are you going?
Master Asia:I'm going to try to see if I can take down the Walking Stick by myself, in my own way. I won't impede you, so there's no need to worry.
And there we have it. Next time, a kind've interesting mission! Sorta.