[details=Scenario 6 - Dusk on Pluto (click to view)]
No new Power Parts, unfortunately. Usually the game is good about handing out one or two per scenario, but not today.
We’ve got a balanced mix of real robots and super robots now, so now would be a good point to do any upgrading or assigning Power Parts for the next handful of scenarios. I’ve mentioned previously, but branching storyline paths (later on) may prevent you from using certain units on those paths, so be careful with spending too much on any one unit.
The remaining Intermission submenus will be unlocked eventually, but until then we can start jumping straight into scenarios.
Super robot pilots Ryoma and Tetsuya voluntarily join the Aircraft Squad. Ryoma is questioned about his home universe - a universe whose Earth has had prior run-ins with the Invaders. After the first wave of victories, Ryoma was put under arrest for three years. He was accused of murdering the head researcher on Getter Energy, Professor Saotome. But when the Invaders returned, Ryoma’s piloting skills were needed once more. A deuteron missile was fired and Ryoma ended up caught in the blast, which could explain his dimension-hopping.
For her actions in saving the away team on Enceladus, Ensign Akira gets promoted to the Aircraft Squad.
The Yamato approaches Pluto in an attempt to drive the Gamillans from their solar system once and for all - the M2 Operation has begun! But the enemy base on Pluto are more than ready for them. The planet is surrounded by satellite-mirrors, used by the reflective satellite cannon to strike the Yamato from unpredictable angles! The Yamato plumets towards one of Pluto’s terraformed oceans…
Commander Shultz of the Pluto base is so sure of his victory that he reports to the Gamillan homeworld, directly reporting to Supreme Leader Ghale Dessler himself.
But it’s too soon to write off the Yamato. Submerged in the ocean, a plan to counterattack has been formed. The mobile weapons have been deployed to take out the enemy base…
(Arriving on the base’s front lawn… the Gamillans should have terraformed grass on Pluto, then they could have an actual front lawn!)
The Terrons dare attack us!
That infernal ship deployed its units?
But how?
The Yamato must still be operational! Prepare the reflective satellite cannon at once! Let’s give them a worthy opponent.
Understood!
We have already reported victory to the Supreme Leader! The Yamato must be defeated at all costs!
We’ll pay them back in kind for what they did to our ship!
Keep your wits about you. Intercepting forces are on their way from the base!
What’s that?
There’s some familiar mobile suits mixed in with the Gamillan forces…
Those are mobile suits from the Jupiter Empire!
Did the Gamillans commandeer them?
There’s no honor in swinging from one side to the other when the balance of power shifts!
Which means, what, exactly?
This isn’t a coincidence. They’re allied with Gamillas!
So that’s how it is. They’re Earthlings who will throw Earth away to the highest bidder.
Which means-
We’re not gonna hold anything back!
I guess there’s no other way. We have to take down both Gamillas and the Jupiter Empire! Chitose, don’t forget, you’ve got other orders!
I know! It’s up to you now, Nine-Nine. The fate of the Yamato is in your hands!
…
An unknown SR Point condition? And the same old Victory condition?!? Fear not, for conditions can change and be revealed as the battle progresses.
Cosmo Zero (Susumu Kodai)
Theme: Yamato Descends
No Special Abilities
Special Skills:
- Potential (Accuracy/Evasion/Critical/Defense rises as HP decreases)
- Support Attack (can attack after an adjacent ally – damage is capped at 50% strength)
- Dash (+Move)
- Protection (Increases the effects of Defending and Evading)
The Yamato isn’t available, but we’ve been given Kodai flying around in the Cosmo Zero. It’s a very nice fighter plane, but it’s no robot, so try to keep it out of the enemy’s range and especially try not to let it steal any EXP/kills from your other units.
The Jupiter Empire also has a new unit to show off as part of its alliance with the Gamillans. The Gangrijo is a mobile armor - like a mobile suit, but armor-ier. Thankfully it doesn’t have a Shield like the Baterra units do.
The enemy force is stationed neatly centered at the front of the base, whereas our units start in the southeastern corner of the map. Try to keep your units close together as you navigate northwards around the spikes and towers, lest the enemies go after any stragglers (or the Cosmo Zero). Sortie dialogue:
(Commander Okita has put the mobile units in charge of the Yamato’s fate. I’ll do everything in my power to protect this ship! I won’t let them down. Not the Yamato, not my brother!)
Attacking someone else’s planet for no reason makes these jerks no different from the Invaders! Come at me! I’ll make every last one of you regret even looking at the Earth!
(Here goes! Until I can take down my true enemy, there’s no way I’m getting dusted! I’m going to survive and complete my mission of bringing Ryoma Nagare back!)
(I can’t believe the Jupiter Empire joined forces with the Gamillans! Has the distance from Earth made them forget their humanity? Or did they ally with Gamillans out of spite?)
(Could Crux Dogatie’s grudge against the Earth still be alive and well in the Jupiter Empire?)
If we destroy the Pluto Base, then there won’t be any more planet bombs falling to Earth! Dad, Mom, Yu, I promise, I won’t let you down!
If we crush them here, they can’t fire any more planet bombs at Earth. Don’t you worry, everyone. We’re going to blast them into nothing!
(The planet bombs ended countless lives and transformed the Earth into a planet on the brink of death. We won’t lose to you, Gamillas! We’re going to Iscandar, and to hope!)
At the start of the fourth turn, or when we down enough enemies…
Confirmed! The Yamato is approaching!
Is the reflection satellite cannon ready?
The energy charge will finish shortly!
Perfect! Load the reflection satellite cannon!
Gotcha!
Yamato, come in! We’ve located the enemy weapon! I’m sending you the coordinates! The enemy is charging it up. Now’s your chance! Hurry!
Victory is about patience, not about rushing in guns blazing. Too bad you won’t survive long enough to learn from your mistake, Yamato! The reflection satellite cannon will see to that!
Charging complete! Counting down!
This isn’t good, Kodai! The energy levels are rising!
Nanbu, hurry!
Here it comes!
(Shots are fired at the base from beneath the water in the southern portion of the map!)
Th-the reflective satellite cannon platform has sustained damage! The energy current has flipped!
No!
We did it!
Can’t be anything left of the base after that blast.
Leave it to Commander Okita to set up the main cannon to a timed fuse to detonate at short range.
Kodai, here comes the Yamato!
Roger that. Everyone, I’m leaving the front line up to you!
Yes, sir! Let’s end this!
That damn Yamato!
Commander, it’s too dangerous to stay here! You must retreat!
I will do no such thing!
You won’t have a chance to regain your honor if you die!
Augh!
We did it, Kodai!
Well done, Kodai. But the fight is far from over.
Yes, sir. Now they’ll finally get a taste of Earth’s new power!
Ships are taking off from the base! Too many to count!
Seven, Mori. There are seven ships. Count them!
It appears the enemy ships are abandoning the base and retreating.
That must be their flagship! Full speed ahead! Mobile units, to the front lines! We will destroy the enemy flagship and scourge the Gamillans from the Solar System!
Yes, sir!
(As the Yamato advances, one of the enemy ships rushes out in front.)
What are you doing, Jarletora?
We will be your shield. You must get to safety! All ships, with me! We must hold the front lines until Commander Shultz’s Le Chevalier withdraws!
Jarletora-
Commander, you must take this chance that Jarletora is giving you.
Le Chevalier will withdraw! Switching to Geshu Tam navigation!
Officer Sanada, calculate the flagship’s withdrawl course!
Analysis completed. Relaying coordinates now!
A number of squares on the western edge of the map have been lit up.
I’m not letting you slip away that easy! You’re going to pay for the lives you’ve ruined!
Commence attack! Target the flagship!
The rules have changed! We have two new Victory conditions, to blow up both Commander Shultz’s ship and that of his subordinate, Jarletora. Surprisingly, letting Shultz escape (by reaching those white squares on the west side) does not count as a Defeat condition, but it will prevent you from scoring the SR Point.
What the game doesn’t make very clear is that, if we defeat Jarletora first, then the scenario ends and we wouldn’t score the SR Point.
As Shultz makes a beeline for the exit, his entourage moves southwards to engage the Earth forces. Make sure to blow them up first for EXP/money/TaCP before taking out Shultz. The Yamato gets sortie dialogue for attacking any ship other than the Le Chevalier:
We will end the strife in our Solar System before turning towards Iscandar! All units, remember that! Iscandar is the light at the end of this dark tunnel!
Yes, sir! (The wave motion engine core that my brother and his friends protected led to the Yamato’s creation. We’ll keep the Yamato alive and save the Earth from total destruction!)
Jaletora’s battleship will be dead-set on attacking the Yamato It would take several hits from the Yamato to defeat him (which, remember, is a bad thing) so to err on the side of caution, you can have the Yamato Defend or Evade instead of counterattacking
Do not give them an inch! We must stop the Terron ship and save Commander Shultz!
(They’re fighting just so their flagship can escape. Now I know what it feels like to be on the other side.)
The Le Chevalier is the beefiest unit we’ll be encountering for quite a while. As per the general strategy, focus your attacks on the boss and let the other enemies die to counterattacks - just make sure that your units have enough health and Spirit Commands to survive the Le Chevalier’s counterattacks. And don’t forget about Sanada’s Analyze, which we went over last scenario, to maximize the damage dealt.
Target the enemy flagship!
All units take aim!
(Why? Why do these Terrons not give up after all the damage they’ve suffered? Zaltzians will die before surrendering. Do these Terrons have the same determination?)
We score the SR Point, and it’s mission complete!
No! Le Chevalier isn’t going to make it!
I won’t let that happen!
The enemy ship is heading straight for us!
All units fire at will! Stop that ship!
All units, fire!
(Jarletora’s ship explodes.)
Jarletora!
Full speed ahead!
I will not let any of your sacrifices be in vain, Jarletora. I swear it!
(The Le Chevalier escapes.)
The enemy flagship is withdrawing and preparing to warp.
I see. (That commander gave his life so the flagship could escape. Just like Mamoru Kodai. Our enemy is more like us than we suspected.)
Commander?
The Gamillan Pluto Base is finished. Earth need no longer fear the threat of planet bombs.
We did it, Kodai!
Yeah, we did. (We did it, Mamoru.)
Now we can focus on getting to Iscandar.
It’s 168,000 light-years one way, which means this is a 336,000 light-year round-trip.
And the Gamillans won’t get in our way again, judging from the way they tucked tail and ran.
(From now on, I’m going to fight for Earth, not for revenge. As part of the Yamato, I’ll make sure the Earth’s future is brighter than its past.)
Word of the Pluto Base’s destruction and Shultz’s retreat has reached the Supreme Leader…
…and that’s all, apparently!
Next Update:
- A DLC prequel mission featuring Tobia!
- Also featuring - the greatest Federation pilot of all time[/details]